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Chapter 21: Strange Ties

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Eve woke to the sounds of water running, but when she tried to move her head the entire room began to spin. She groaned loudly and pushed her palm to her head as she rolled on her side.

"How you feeling?" rumbled the voice from the other room.

"Like a hover craft landed on my head…what happened?"

"You started shaking, then passed out."

Riddick was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Fuck me."

"Said that too."

"Fuck you."

"Say that enough and I might take you up on that offer."

Eve's eyes grew wide and she wrapped herself in the lone, meager blanket for protection.

"Don't look at me like that," he said annoyed, "I may be a murderer but I don't rape woman and I'm sure as hell not a pedophile."

Riddick rubbed his head in frustration, he didn't know what to do with a kid, and he certainly didn't want a tag along.

"How old are you?"

"16."

He grunted his disapproval.

"Where' your family?"

"Don't know."

"Why'd you run away from them?"

"I didn't."

"Then who'd you run away from?"

"The company."

"What company?"

"Lycon."

Riddick had begun to grow irritated with this question and answer session, but the minute that one word hit his ears, he grew enraged. He walked away, leaving Eve alone in the single bedroom.

He clenched his jaw furiously and sat down heavily on one of the kitchen chairs, resting his elbows on the table.

Eve gracefully stepped out of bed, despite her wooziness, and silently walked over to Riddick. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he spun around quickly, squeezing his hand around her already bruised throat, and lifted her off the floor; recognition quickly crossed his features and he carefully set her back down.

"You can't sneak up on me like that…"

'Sneak up? I never heard her…???'

"I know, I should know better."

She sat down across from him and waited for him to sort his thoughts.

"What does Lycon want with you?" he finally asked.

"To get you back."

Riddick stared at her disbelievingly and he had the sudden urge to gut her where she sat. Eve sensed he was pissed and began to explain.

"Relax, I'm not turning you in."

"How can I be…"

She cut Riddick off with the wave of her hand.

"Let me finish and then you can make any comment you want."

Eve paused, making sure she had Riddick's full attention, and continued.

"The deal was to send me on field observation for six months ago, to start tracking you; to get to know your habits, daily routines, planets you visited often, and then I would report it back to them so they could figure out a pattern.

I was to report to them twice a day…stupid fucks trusted that I was 'trained' enough not to go AWOL.

In return I would be granted full ranking status within them, I wouldn't be a lab experiment anymore…

So I agreed, and after they developed a sufficient pattern to your actions I was to intercept you and capture you alive.

Two weeks ago I hacked into their classified files and discovered their true plans, what this project was really meant for…I was tired of their shit, their lies…so I broke contact and ran…

Been running ever since, but they caught up to me three days ago and if they catch me…shit I couldn't even begin to think what they would do."

Riddick stared at Eve, letting her story sink in, contemplating the level of bullshit and truth; if he should kill her or let her live, for now.

"So what do they want with me…I made it pretty clear 15 years ago that I wasn't a fucking guinea pig."

"They wanted to continue where they left off…apparently you're to valuable to their work to just let go. Why do you think there's such a high bounty on your head?"

"Because I'm a psycho and broke out of prison."

"True, but you're the missing piece to the puzzle and they need you alive to complete it…that's why they the mercs only get half if you're dead."

"Why did they need you?"

"I'm the only one that can catch you."

Riddick drew his eyebrows up in a disbelieving manner and leaned towards her on the table.

"And how's that?"

"Because I'm their promising pupil and the only other survivor to the project besides you…"

He waited for Eve to continue, but she hesitated, trying to find the words to explain.

"After you destroyed all the subjects of phase one and two and torched the first research center, they lost all the data…they had to start from scratch…picking new people to experiment on. They didn't survive past the first year, except me that is…I don't know how they acquired me…they always told me I was special…and never said anything more…they trained me, tortured me…made me like you, but I was still different…I could feel it…I…I didn't…want to be what they were creating…you're the reason the research center was founded…that's all I know…the system isn't that easy to hack into."

Eve wasn't making any sense and began to tune her out, sorting through his thoughts. Riddick had never understood the reasons why Lycon had picked him, or why he had abilities most people didn't, he never understood why he was put through those tests and training…he trusted them and sacrificed his life for them…they royally fucked him.

When he had left he had pushed the questions to the farthest recesses of his mind and had nearly forgotten them until now.

"But why?"

"I told you…I don't know…I got kicked out of the system before I could find out more…all that shit was a garble of crap that I had to put together and decipher…in some lost forgotten language…they're protecting something, I just need to find out what.

I don't know why you or I were chosen…all I know is I'm threw being their bitch…and I'm happy I ran into you…"

"Why?"

"Damn you're naïve…because you understand what I'm going through, what I've been through: the pain, the training, the injections, the horror they make you cause…"

"Understand? YOU think you've had it bad? YOU have no idea what I'VE been through…try being left in a trash bin as a newborn, left to die…living your life as a guinea pig…being used…spending most of you're pathetic life in a slam, never seeing the light of day…having your eyes shined to survive…or living your life with a horse bit in your mouth…only having pain to remind you you're alive…you have no idea little girl…and don't ever begin to think you do!" Riddick was yelling now; his face a contorted mask of rage.

"I…I was…"

Eve never bothered to finish; she walked away and locked herself in the bathroom where she cried herself to sleep.

After that night they never discussed their pasts, but still remained together; neither admitting that they enjoyed the other's company.