Bleached eyes like the Caprican sky at high noon flickered between their owner's wristwatch, and the crowded streets before him. The man's polished black loafers tapped impatiently against the cold pavement, his hand ran through his dark hair, and his mouth slowly pressed into a thin line.

They're late.

The thought reverberated through the man's head, again and again. He knew he should be more lenient with them. He should be, he should not take anything out on them, they had done nothing wrong...

The mass is malignant.

Grimacing, the man shoved his hands into his pockets, eyes slowly closing. Taking a deep breath, he forced his eyes open. He was the Secretary of the Department of Justice, and he had to act like it, personal ailments plaguing him or not.

"Mister Secretary?" a voice called from behind, snapping him from his thoughts.

He turned, somewhat slowly, to face the source of the voice. Two people stood before him: a young man and a young woman.

The woman stepped forward, a large smile on her face. Her auburn hair reached her mid back, the long curls blowing about haphazardly in the wind. Her light green eyes met his, alight with excitement, as she extended her hand toward his.

"Hello, Mister Secretary. I'm sorry that we're so late." she said as he took her hand, shaking it once, lightly, before he released his grip.

"That's alright." he forced, lips pulled into a tight line that he hoped resembled a smile.

The mass is malignant.

He paused for a moment, opening his mouth as if to say something, but promptly shutting it. He parted his lips again, asking his question with another, hopefully more genuine, smile playing on his lips.

"You two are my aides?"

The pair nodded, before the boy, brunette, with curly hair and light eyes, spoke up.

"I'm Billy Keikeya, sir. And this is Laura Roslin." he said, gesturing to the redheaded girl.

"Billy, Laura, it's wonderful to meet you both." he stated, making short eye contact with each of them.

"I, um. I have my bags here, Mister Adama. And so does Billy," Laura began, "should we put yours with ours, or do you want them in the carry-on section?"

"With yours is fine," he shrugged, a short smile appearing on his face. He watched as Billy bent down to grab the suitcase's handle, before speaking again, "Actually, hold up on that."

Billy looked up, a flash of confusion in his eyes. He nodded, then, apparently dismissing his new boss' strange request. The Secretary strode over to the bag, unzipped the small pocket located in the front of the suitcase, and swiftly retrieved what he was looking for.

Smiling at his new aides, he re-zipped the pocket, and stepped away from the bag. Billy took this as his cue to resume his actions, grabbing the suitcase and turning in the direction of the spaceport. Laura followed him, leaving Secretary Lee Adama to his own thoughts.

As he followed them, he fingered the small object in his hand. The pill bottle's hard plastic warmed slightly in his palm as he gripped it with a strange intensity.

The mass is malignant.