Lifeline

Chapter 5

Chikage moved across the room silently, leaving Riddick standing in the doorway to Marcus' office, his figure occupying the whole space. Dave stared up at him, a combination of fear and loathing clouding his face. Chikage made sure to kick his knee as she crossed her legs, sitting once again on the corner of the large desk.

"Marcus," Riddick said, taking a few steps forward to shake the hand Marcus offered, only nodded. "Dave." Dave's scowl deepened. Riddick glanced at Chikage, who turned to look at Marcus.

"I assume Chikage's already told you the situation?" Marcus asked, picking his cigar up again to chew on it thoughtfully.

"She has," Riddick answered slowly, taking the seat next to Dave.

"David here," Marcus continued, nodding toward the male bodyguard, "seems to think we might have a problem with you."

"Really," Riddick remarked, letting a smile slide across his lips. "And why is that, Dave?"

"You know why," Dave said quietly, averting the three pairs of eyes now focused on him.

"Dave's still hung up on the strike fiasco," Chikage said with a shrug. Riddick glanced up at her quickly, feigning surprise, then turned his attention back to Marcus with a sigh.

"Yeah, I figured that would come up eventually," he said, voice holding an air of defeat.

"And?" Marcus pressed. Riddick turned his gaze toward Marcus, his sunglasses hiding his eyes now taking in Chikage, making herself comfortable on the club owner's desk. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was sleeping with him. Then again, he didn't know. Riddick remained silent. "If what David says is true, I want you nowhere near my club or this operation," Marcus pressed.

"I don't talk about the past," Riddick said simply.

"You'll have to do much better than that," came Marcus' quick response.

"David and Chikage were both on the sniper team. Neither saw what happened," he began, glaring through his shades at Dave's spiteful snicker. "And the fact that Chi isn't scared of me and Dave is doesn't surprise me at all." Chikage hid her smile, but only barely. "Company sent us in to clean the place out. Drug dealers and identity changers took the place over once Company moved out. Someone flipped and told them we were coming, so they were ready." Chikage watched Riddick's face change as he told the story. "Power was cut before we got there. I knew something was up, but they sent us in anyway. Five guys dropped before we knew what happened." He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I was the only one that made it out alive."

"Convenient," Dave spat.

"Fuck you," Riddick returned.

"Enough," Marcus interjected. "Why did you take the blame?"

"Company needed someone to blame. The IGC wasn't going to accept a simple 'we didn't know they knew' answer, so someone had to take the fall. Why not blame the one person that made it out?" Riddick answered.

"And you didn't fight it?"

"I couldn't." Riddick shook his head, "It was my word against theirs. Who's the IGC going to believe? A soldier or Company?" Marcus nodded ponderingly. "They fabricated the evidence to back it up."

"And what do we give you in return?" Marcus asked, risking a glance at Dave.

"Her," Riddick answered, keeping his eyes on Marcus as he tilted his head toward Chikage. "I need her help for something of my own." Dave sputtered, but couldn't form words. Marcus nodded, standing to pace behind his chair.

"She told me," he said quietly. He grabbed up his cigar on the way by and smoked slowly, finally stopping to stand behind his chair, arms resting on its back. "How long will you need her services?" Chikage cringed. That just sounds wrong, she thought.

"I don't know for sure," Riddick said, nodding to convince him. Marcus nodded, resuming his pacing.

"You do this with us tonight, stay for three days after, and she'll accompany you on your task," Marcus said.

"Marcus—" Dave stood, but stopped his words at the stare Marcus turned on him.

"It can't wait that long," Riddick insisted quickly, glancing at Dave. Marcus turned the stare on Riddick.

"I sympathize with you, Riddick, I do. But a fourteen year old girl whose relationship to you is a mystery to me doesn't override the safety of my daughter," he said firmly. Riddick sighed, shaking his head.

"Riddick." He glanced at Chikage, who quirked an eyebrow.

"Three days, Marcus," Riddick agreed. "No more."

"And no less," Marcus insisted. Riddick nodded, and Marcus glanced to Chikage, then back to Riddick. She stood, clasping a hand on Riddick's shoulder as she walked behind him. He stood, pausing for a moment before following her out the door.

---

The ride to the space port was silent. Chikage drove slowly, sticking to the smaller roads leading to the hangar. Dave brooded in the back seat, behind Riddick, and she glanced up at him to glare in the rear view mirror every now and again. Marcus stared out his window, chewing on his bottom lip. She cut the lights before pulling onto the tarmac, and put the car in park, nodding at Riddick. Dave moved toward his door latch, but she shook her head, and he stopped, watching Riddick stand. His sunglasses were removed, tucked in a pocket as he glanced around the airstrip, finally taking a step and shutting the door, her signal it was safe. She nodded at Dave in the mirror and got out as well. Dave remained in the car with Marcus.

Riddick watched Chikage walk around the car toward him quickly, taking his arm as they walked toward the landing strip, stopping to wait. She glanced at her watch. Three minutes.

"We alone?" she asked quietly.

"You mean besides the snipers?" She nodded. "No." Her breath left her in a sigh.

"Where?"

"End of the air strip. Black truck." She nodded. "One on either side of the gate we drove past."

"The entrance to the port?" He nodded, and she swore under her breath. "So what's the plan now?"

"Get the kid back to the car," he said, watching a small transport taxi toward them. "Gun it, and run them over." She nodded.

"Armed?"

"To the teeth," he answered.

"Fuck."

"You said the car was sturdy," he hissed quickly.

"It is," she said, squeezing his arm to signal they should start walking toward the craft. "It's the walk back to the car that worries me." He snickered, and she glanced at him. The hatch to the craft lowered, and they walked up into the bowels of the ship.

"Chikage?" She nodded.

"Patrick, we got company," she warned. The man grimaced, and glanced at Riddick. "He's with me. Where's Amy?"

"Come with me," he said with a nod. They followed him up to the second level, and Riddick smiled at the small girl talking with the pilot.

"Hi!" she exclaimed brightly, wiggling her fingers. Chikage smiled, crouching down before the girl.

"Amy, listen to me, sweetheart." The girl nodded. "Your daddy's waiting in the car for us, but we have to hurry, okay?"

"The bad men are here too?" she asked, scowling.

"Yes, sweetie, they are, but Rick and I are here to keep you safe, okay?" Riddick nodded, watching the girl eye him before nodding to Chikage finally. Chikage picked her up, nodding at Riddick as she stood. "You drive," she said quickly, tossing him the keys. He turned, leading the way back down to the tarmac. "Thanks, Pat," Chikage said, squeezing the man's arm as she passed.

"Sure thing, Chi. Be safe." She nodded, pausing in a nook as Riddick surveyed the airstrip.

"Riddick?" He shook his head, and she swore. "How close?"

"Five hundred meters." She heard the engine then. "Run." She nodded, darting down the ramp toward the car. Riddick's boots pounded behind her, and Amy clung to her shoulders with wide eyes. She saw her door kicked open by Marcus, before he reached over the driver's seat to fling Riddick's door open as well. Her boots slipped as she tried to stop, skidding across the gravel kicked up on the asphalt by the wind, and Riddick slammed into her back. "In," he hissed, covering them both as she ducked into the car just as a shot rang out. Her door shut, and Riddick hurried around to the other side, sliding into the seat as a bullet ricocheted off the windshield. The engine roared to life, and tires squealed as he spun out, whipping the car around toward the gate. Amy yelped, and Chikage shushed her, sliding the girl off her lap and into the space between her feet, sheltered by the dashboard. "You okay?" Riddick asked, glancing at Chikage, then down at Amy.

"Yeah," Chikage replied after running her hands over herself. Both would have known if the girl was harmed. "You?"

"Fine," Riddick said. Chikage's eyebrow rose, her eyes flitting over him quickly, focusing on his face for a moment before turning back to the road ahead. Two men jumped out of the shadows in front of them, and Riddick stomped on the gas, tires squealing again as the car fishtailed. Sparks flew as bullets bounced. "Dave?"

"Got it." He rolled down his window enough to get his arm out and fired off a couple of shots, taking out the gunman Riddick didn't plow into. A pair of headlights danced behind them, Riddick glancing behind them every now and then after making a sharp turn.

"Will this car fit down that alley?" Riddick asked, nodding to a small entrance a few blocks down the street.

"Probably not," Chikage said slowly, eyes widening as he turned. The side view mirrors tore off with a crunch, the glass shattering, and Riddick threw the car in park, turning off the lights quickly as he turned in his seat to stare out the back window. The truck slowed and passed, and Marcus let out a sigh. Tires screeched. "Oh, fuck." Two motorcycle engines sputtered and came alive, and Riddick shifted into overdrive, leaving the lights off. The metal scraped across the brick on either side of the car, sending sparks flying, and two crotch rockets appeared behind them, gaining quickly. "Faster," she whispered. Riddick glanced up in the rear view mirror, seeing the lights grow closer, and stared, letting the buildings guide the car as he slowed. Chikage gasped as he slammed on the brakes, and the cycles crashed into them, sending the drivers flying over the car and onto the pavement in front of them. She glanced at Riddick, his chest heaving, nostrils flaring. He reached for the skylight and she whipped her arm out, grabbing his arm. "No."

"You leave them there and they'll be back," Riddick snapped, keeping his voice low. Amy whimpered from the floorboards.

"Go, Riddick," Marcus said, nodding at Chikage. "Quickly. We don't know if there's more." He nodded, hoisting himself up through the skylight and sliding down the windshield and hood, walking quickly toward the men groaning as they tried to pick themselves up. A shiv glinted in the darkness. Marcus didn't watch as Riddick went to work, two throats slashed in the blink of an eye. He returned as quickly as he was gone, backing the car out of the alley after wiping his hands on his shirt. He slowed when they passed the truck, stopping to get out and check. He opened the truck door, pulling a pistol out of the waistband of the back of his pants and fired once, then shot out the tires before returning to the car, driving slowly back to Marcus' house. She told him the gate code and glanced back to Marcus.

"I'll change it tomorrow," she said quietly. He only nodded. The garage door closed behind them, and three doors opened. Chikage helped Amy out of the car, handing her over to Marcus before looking back to the driver's seat. "Riddick?" He didn't respond, still clutching the steering wheel tightly. She sighed. "Come in when you're ready. Same code." No response. She nodded, and shut the door, entering a code on the keypad next to the door, casting him another worried glance before entering.