Chapter Twenty

Taking Me Back To The Slam

-oOo-

Jack felt the familiar tightness of her skull that the tranquillisers had forced on her. Through her closed eyelids, she could still sense the brightness of the lights on the ceiling.

With a groan, she rolled over, terrified of opening her eyes and seeing what horrors awaited her.

Was she still in the holding cell? Was she in a lab? Had she been operated on? Was she possibly dead?

Then a face popped into her mind. Dr Redman. He knew who she was, he had recognised her. It was foolish to think she would get away with it. They would have figured out sooner or later that she was a girl. But he had known who she was, what her name was before she became Jack.

Her given name had been Audrey, but she hadn't been Audrey for so many years, it was as if that girl had been someone else all together. But the tortures and trials she had endured were all too vivid and familiar.

Jack shuddered as she recalled Dr Redman's face peering over her with a terrible grin. God only knew what was going on in that sick head of his. And that other doctor, Jackson. He was a new face, but he still carried the moral standards of all the other fuckers that worked at the Hospital.

"You awake?" A voice cut through her thoughts.

Jack opened her eyes; she instantly regretted it as the light burned her eyeballs and a flash of pain seared through her brain. Defensively she lifted her hands to her eyes and found her wrists were no longer handcuffed.

"Give it a minute or two. You've been out of at least half an hour" the voice said.

"Where am I?" Jack muttered.

"In a holding cell" came the reply.

"Who are you?"

"Your cellmate. At least until they come for us"

Jack slowly opened her eyes and saw the brightness between her fingers. But slowly the burning faded and the pain in her head became bearable. She found herself lying on her back on another bed, but she was now in a different room to the one before, despite the walls and floors being exactly the same in the previous room.

"You all right?" the voice asked.

Jack slowly turned her eyes to the girl sitting on a bed on the opposite side of the room. Perched on the end was a slight figure. Her frail body was dressed in a uniform of blue trousers and t-shirt made of some kind of papery material. Her skin was deathly pale, but her eyes were dark and intelligent. She had a thin face and high cheekbones. Something in her face reminded Jack of herself when she was younger and carried the name of Audrey. Her hair was startlingly dark and came out of her head in thick curly waves.

"Yeah" Jack coughed, her throat dry, slowly she sat up and swung her legs off the bed and leaned forward over her lap.

"So who was your welcome party?" the girl asked curiously.

"Erm…" Jack pressed her mind, "Jackson"

"Oh" the girl smirked, "He's just a giant pussy. I wouldn't worry about him. It's Garfield and the master himself that you need to worry about" and with that she leaned back on herself and looked up at the ceiling.

"You mean Dr Redman?" Jack said without realised what she had just given away.

The girl starred at her, "How do you know him?"

Jack tried to think of a lie, but thought it would just be easier to tell the truth, "I was here before. A few years back, but I escaped with a few others"

The girl suddenly sat up again, deeply interested all of a sudden, "You're one of the escapees?" she asked rather impressed. Jack nodded.

"Huh" the girl said, "And you back here because…?"

Jack glared. Obviously the girl thought her stupid for getting herself caught again after being lucky enough to escape the first time.

"I didn't have a choice. I was travelling with others. They didn't know my story, I couldn't tell them" she added sadly.

The girl nodded, "That's cool. I got unlucky too. Hitched a ride but got my ass kicked off at the nearest port. Some guys jumped me and I woke up here. That was about two years ago," she explained, tracing something on her leg.

Jack starred at her, studying the girls features. She looked eerily like herself. She imagined that if she had long hair and lost some of the baby fat she still carried; they could almost look like sisters.

Her eyes roamed the room again, "So why aren't we with the others?"

"I'm in solitary confinement. I guess they didn't want you with the others just yet" she explained.

Jack cocked her head, "Why're you in confinement?"

The girl gave her a wry smile, "For playing my favourite game" she smiled, "Who's the better killer. I stabbed a doctor in the neck with his own pencil"

Jack couldn't help smiling herself, she liked this game. She had had the worst luck, but she still found a way to deal with it and make as much hell for their captors as she could.

"Good game. You mind if I play one of these days?" she asked in jest.

The girl laughed "Only if you don't mind the consequences" and with that she got to her feet, turned around and lifted her top to show an array of deep cuts across her back.

Jack flinched, she had felt the harsh tail of the punishment whip a few times herself. It was enough to keep you doubled over for a good few days.

"How long you been in here?" Jack asked. The girl dropped her top and flopped back down on the bed.

"Probably a week. Last time I was in here for a fortnight. Broke Garfield's nose when he forced himself on me" she explained.

Jack laughed aloud again. But deep inside she grew fearful. Garfield was a known rapist in the hospital. He preyed on girls. And as she looked down on herself in her new smocks, her lumps and bumps were more prominent now then ever.

"I wouldn't worry so much. If you keep smacking him about, he gets bored. Just don't let him beat you down," the girl warned.

Jack nodded. She had never had to worry about being the object of someone's desire, playing the part of a male since before she even got her period had prevented her from that experience. But now she was uncomfortably aware that anyone and everyone could see she was a girl.

"So is that why you shaved your head?" the girl asked.

Jack unconsciously rubbed a hand over her naked scalp, "I got sick of being seen as a little girl. You just a little bit safer if people think you're a boy," she said, all the while thinking of Johns and his reaction when he discovered she was a girl.

"It's been a while since I met someone who don't take shit from no one" the girl smiled, "I like you. Maybe we could watch each others back" she twitched her back consciously, "Figuratively speaking of course" she smiled sadly.

Jack nodded, "I'd like that" she smiled.

"What's your name?"

"Jack" she replied, the girl stepped forward, rubbed her palm on her trouser leg and offered it to Jack, who took it and shook.

"Nice to meet you Jack. I'm Kyra"

-oOo-

Hlp - Wow, thanks mate. That really put a smile on my face! Glad I made your day a little better. That's my good deed for the day!

Amita4ever - Yep, I'm not getting rid of Imam just yet. He still has an important role to play in getting Riddick to see sense. Thanks for the comment.

BatPhace - Cheers mate, glad to see you're still hanging in there.

A/N : You guys probably know now what direction I'm going to take in Part II. Coz if Kyra isn't Jack, then maybe Jack doesn't die...ooh! Part II is going to be set after The Chronicles of Riddick. I hope I keep true to Kyra's character, even though in the film Kyra and Jack are the same person. It's gonna get rather confusing!