Lifeline

Chapter 12

"So what now?" Chikage asked, taking a deep breath to slow her heart rate. She turned toward him when he didn't answer.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "Hang out here for a while, I guess." She nodded, folding her hands in her lap. "Can you tell from down here if Roberts is still up there or not?" She shook her head slightly.

"Once we got under the clouds the radar went out. My guess is interference from the storm, meaning we disappeared off his radar too." Riddick nodded thoughtfully. "He probably thinks we're dead."

"I don't know about that," Riddick warned. "He was smart enough to hang back once we made it clear we were landing no matter what. Something tells me he's too smart to just assume that only because we disappeared from his radar. My guess is he knows it was interference."

"So what do we do?" she asked. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Hang out for a couple days. Make him think we're staying. He's not gonna chance a landing unless he has a clear window." Her eyebrow rose. "Wait him out."

"And the girl?" Riddick's jaw clenched, but she waited for an answer.

"We can start working out a tentative plan in the mean time. Have something before we get there," he decided with a small nod. "Tweak it if we have to do much surveillance." She watched his hands close around the controls again. "Let's get this bad boy down there, huh?" He taxied forward until a light blinked red before them, then powered the engines down. She jumped as a loud metallic groan echoed through the cabin, the system locking in their ship. They started moving forward slowly, gradually going deeper underground.

"How tight is security down here?" she asked. He glanced at her quickly. "Hey, just because I know the name of the planet and what to expect from it doesn't mean I've actually been here before."

"There is no security. It's a safe haven for people like us." She nodded. "Picked it for the weather. Planet's got its own security system."

"Only people with a reason to run would chance the landing," she finished, watching the lines of blinking lights whiz past them. The lights slowed, and they both lurched forward as the system came to a sudden halt, lowering them to the ground slowly.

"You hungry?" he asked, guiding the ship to an open docking pad. She nodded, not realizing until he asked just how hungry she really was. It occurred to her she'd not eaten since before Marcus and Amy— "Get cleaned up," he instructed. "No rush now." She nodded, releasing her harness and exiting the cockpit noiselessly. He sat there for a moment, his mind replaying the recent events.

---

The shower turned on again, and she ran a comb through her hair, still clutching her towel around her body. It was so much easier to deal with after a good conditioning – less tangles, less fuss. She smiled. If someone didn't know better they'd think she was a primp, but it was all about practicality. She liked her hair long, and the only way she could get a comb through it was with leave-in conditioner. Nothing fancy, just detangler. Hell, she didn't even use mirrors half the time. She pulled it into her usual wet ponytail and gathered it over her shoulder, working it into a thick, tight braid. The towel dropped, and she dressed quickly, hearing the shower slow to a trickle and then stop. He emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his hips, pausing to watch her tighten the laces of her boot around her shins, tying them off in a neat bow. Her black leather skirt hitched up her thigh as she lifted her other leg, sliding her foot into her other boot before propping it up on the edge of the bed, tying it up slowly. A lazy smile worked its way to his lips as she straightened, adjusting the short skirt before reaching for the holster. He disappeared into his quarters before she turned around.

"Hey Riddick?" He grunted, sliding on a pair of black cargos and a black tee shirt. "Think we even need guns?" His eyebrow rose, and he grabbed his boots before crossing the hallway to her room. She held a pistol in her hands, gazing at it. He took the opportunity to really take her in at the moment.

"Yeah, probably," he answered, letting his eyes slide slowly over her body. The skirt clung to her hips, flaring out only slightly to allow her to move. The matching black leather tank mimicked a corset, the cleavage barely peeking over the square neckline drawing even the most casual of gazes. "You're just all about the black leather, aren't you?"

"It just screams 'don't fuck with me'," she answered, wrapping the belt around her and fastening it so it hung loosely about her hips.

"You gonna wear those ankle contraptions tonight?" Her eyebrow rose, a smirk passing quickly over her lips, gone as soon as it came, and she shook her head. "No? Damn." She glanced at him.

"A little overkill, don't you think?"

"Maybe," he said, licking his lips. "But it would definitely scream 'don't fuck with me'." That prompted a lingering smile.

"A girl never reveals all her tricks during her first appearance," she said with a sly gleam in her eyes. The smile faded, and she dropped the gun into the unoccupied holster, snapping it into place. "I don't know what to expect here, Riddick."

"Bunch of cons," he said, bending down to pull on his boots. "They'll look, but if you stay with me they won't touch."

"So all of a sudden you're my bodyguard then, is that it?" He glanced up at her, but she was busying herself with makeup.

"Better safe than sorry, I guess," he said with a shrug, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Unless you want to take the chance on having to get nasty to get the point across."

"What makes you think I'd have to get nasty just to get the point across that I can kick any of their asses without blinking?" she asked, applying a thick line of black eyeliner.

"They're cons, Chi. You'd be a challenge, not a threat," he insisted. She turned back to him, looking like something out of a dominatrix catalogue.

"I've got my scary face on," she said flatly. She even had the 'don't fuck with me' stare down to a science. "If something happens to me, don't intervene," she warned. "It'll make me look vulnerable, like I need you to protect me, and that's setting me up." He nodded, looking her over again. The only she was wearing that wasn't black were the chrome slides on her guns. "You compromise me, Riddick," she paused, "and I will pull a gun on you."

"You don't have to prove anything, Chikage," he said gently. Her eyebrow rose.

"No, you don't have to prove anything. You're one of them and have the shine job to prove it." His jaw clenched as he kept his anger in check. "They won't bother with you because you'll walk in already having proven yourself. Me?" She glanced down at herself. "I'm just fresh meat." She cocked her head to the side as a challenge, and he had to admit she had a point.

"Fine. But you know I'll step in if I think you need it," he said.

"You better be damn sure I need it if you do," she warned. The soft rubber soles of her boots barely made a sound as she walked past him into the hallway.

"I take it you're ready to go then?" He never got a reply, so he just followed her instead.

They walked side by side, even strides. Her black trench coat trailed slightly behind her, giving any onlookers a clear view of her hardware. He glanced down at her and nodded toward a storefront, and she pulled a pair of green tinted sunglasses from her pocket. He vaguely recognized them from the house, but she didn't power them on. She walked in first, pushing both doors open as she went, and Riddick let her make her entrance. The conversations in the bar stopped as she paused just inside the inner most doors, glancing around the restaurant for an open table, and at least 30 pairs of eyes focused on her. Riddick appeared behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder at him before nodding toward a booth in the back. Her steps resumed, and he followed, letting her take the seat against the wall. A thin waitress approached them, laying down two napkins before pulling a pad of paper and a pencil from her apron.

"Two beers," Chikage said, already reaching for the saltshaker. The waitress nodded, watching with interest as Chikage sprinkled a little bit of salt onto each of the napkins on the table.

"Anything to eat?" the girl asked, glancing quickly at Riddick.

"Steak," he said. "Rare. No sauce." She nodded, turning her gaze back to Chikage.

"French fries with cheese and bacon." The girl smiled, nodding as she wrote.

"It'll be up in a minute," she said. "Right back with the beers." Riddick leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table.

"If I didn't know better," he said, lowering his voice, "I'd think you were compromising my status." She let out a light laugh, shaking her head as she shrugged her trench from her shoulders, standing just enough to slide it out from under her to pile it on the seat beside her. He watcher her scan the bar – it couldn't really be considered a restaurant – and size up the crowd. Her eyes lingered on a set of pool tables in a corner, and he made a mental note. Chikage took a slow sip from the bottle of beer the waitress had just set in front of her, and Riddick followed suit. "Tell me something, Chi," he said quietly. Her eyebrow twitched upwards quickly. "You get off on the whole badass bitch façade, don't you?"

"What makes you think it's a fucking façade?" she returned, taking another sip. He clicked his tongue at her.

"I know you, remember?" he chided. Her face darkened.

"No, Riddick," she said, "you don't. You knew me, yes. But things changed since then. The last time you showed up was nine years ago." Riddick sighed. So that's what it was, he thought. She's pissed off I was so fucking flightly. Well, she should know better than to take it personally.

"Look, you and I both know I couldn't have stuck around. The trail was hot, and I took one hell of a chance even coming to you that once," he snapped, leaning back as he took another swig. "Don't make it sound like I fucking deserted you because we both know that's not true." She smiled, but her eyes told him it wasn't sincere.

"Oh, so that's what you think this is about," she mused. "That's funny." She glanced up at the waitress walking toward them, a plate in each hand. "Could I get a pack of Kreteks please?" she asked.

"Sure thing," the girl said with a smile. "Specials or Blacks?"

"Specials. Regular pack, not one of the skimpy ass baby packs." The girl chuckled and nodded, reaching into her apron again to produce the pack of clove cigarettes.

"Matches?" Chikage nodded, taking the items from the girl. Riddick waited, watching as a brown cigarette was deposited between her lips before taking the matches and striking one. Chikage leaned forward, letting him light her up, and then leaned back again, exhaling a thick swirl of smoke. He tossed the book of matches back onto the table and picked up a fork.

"Your fries are gonna get cold," he commented, slicing into his steak with a pleased rumble in his chest. The corners of her lips turned upwards slightly as the blood ran out of the meat, pooling at the middle of the plate.

"That's the point," she said. "Like 'em better that way." His eyebrow rose as he lifted a chunk to his mouth, and she watched as his lips closed around it, a grin sliding in behind it. He watched her watch the room as he ate and she smoked, the conversation halted for the time being. He finished eating, and she finished smoking, only to start eating.

"What's funny about it?" he finally said, waiting purposely until her mouth was full. Her eyes glinted, knowing his timing was intentional, but smiled anyway. She couldn't help it.

"Just that you thought I'd be fucking cling wrap like that," she mumbled through her fries, hoping to make him regret the timing of his question. His eyebrow rose, but she continued anyway. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I never waited around for you. Not once." She got no read from his eyes or his body language. "You should know better than to question my understanding of the situation." He's a fucking statue. "I was actually pissed when you showed up as soon as you did." She paused, staring at the ceiling ponderingly. "Actually, I was pissed that you showed up period."

"And why's that?" Ha! The sarcasm in the voice trick. Got to you, didn't I?

"Well, for one, you had tails." The statue expression again. "You could have compromised me. And two, you dredged up memories I'd tried hard to forget."

"And what memories would those be?" he pressed. Her face clearly showed her emotion, all anger.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," she snapped, voice intended to be menacing. He just knew her too well to fall for it.

"See," he said, propping his head up on an arm as he leaned against the tabletop. "I can think of several. But the way you reacted back on the ship when you got back from the hardware store makes me think you regret getting involved with me back in the day." She blinked, pausing her chewing. After processing his words, she finished her mouthful and took a breath, sighing instead of speaking.

"I don't regret anything I've done in my entire life, Riddick." She paused, averting his eyes. "Well, one thing, but it had nothing to do with you or the team." His eyebrow rose.

"How much shit did you catch for taking that one for me?" he asked gently. She snickered.

"I didn't. By the time I got out of the hospital they'd forgotten all about it and were glad to finally have a good sniper back." Riddick smirked. "But that's not what I was talking about."

"What do you regret then?" he urged. "The one thing. What is it?"

"Failing Marcus and Amy," she said quietly, tossing the fry she'd considered eating back onto her plate to opt for a long gulp of her beer.

"You didn't fail them," he said slowly, brows furrowing. She shook her head, holding up a hand to signal the end of the conversation.

"Not here," she whispered. He nodded, watching her reach across the table to take the matches out of his reach.

"So why the reaction?" She sighed.

"There's a lot of reasons, Riddick," she answered quietly. "I really don't feel like getting into it right now."

"Look at me, Chi," he demanded softly. Her eyes met his intense gaze. "You know how I am." She nodded. "No strings means no risk." Another smaller nod. He paused, trying to think of a way to force himself to say the words he was thinking. "Is that what this is about?"

"Not right now, Riddick." He swallowed, then nodded, watching her inspect the cigarette between her fingers. The waitress walked by again, crouching next to the table.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said with an apologetic smile. "I just wanted to let you know the guy in the corner offered to pay your bill, is that okay with you?" Riddick glanced over her head at the man and grinned.

"Yeah, it's fine. He owes me anyway." She nodded and thanked them before heading off to another table. Chikage's eyebrow rose, but he shook his head, and she noticed the man stand. She unsnapped a pistol and slid into the corner of the booth, stretching her legs out on the rest of the bench. The man walked over with a wide grin, and Riddick matched it, reaching out to take the man's hand in a firm handshake.

"Been a while, bubba," the man drawled. Chikage kept her scary face intact.

"James, this is Taylor, an associate of mine." Chikage nodded up at the man in the manner she'd perfected back at Marcus' club.

"Taylor," James acknowledge with a gentlemanly nod of his own. "Somethin' tells me you could round up better company than this guy over here." She smiled slightly, refusing to break from her character.

"So what's new Jimmy?"

"Eh," he man snorted, glancing back at his table. Chikage tilted her head to follow his gaze. A woman the same proportions as he sat there, keeping two boys on a leash as she smoked. "Got rugrats now," he said with a shrug. Riddick's eyebrows rose. "Met a nice lady that works at the liquor store down the street shortly after I got here," he said with a wink. Riddick chuckled.

"She one of us?"

"Not really," James said with a shrug, pausing to spit into the beer bottle he carried. "Did some time over at Orphea minor." Riddick nodded. "She had a fraud ring going on Parius for a while and got cocky."

"And you're not worried." Riddick posed it as a comment, not a question.

"Nah," James replied, grinning. "She straightened up when she realized she couldn't pull a scam here without gettin' her ass pounded." Chikage fought a smirk. "And yourself?"

"Just passin' through," Riddick said quietly, glancing at Chikage.

"Yeah, I heard someone pulled in when the eyewall was passing. Only a crazy motherfucker would do that, so I figured it was you," James said. "Y'all be careful, got it? Word has it there's a bulletin out on you bigger than you could imagine, Rick, and I'd be damned sneaky anywhere but here."

"Anywhere but here," Chikage repeated with a small laugh.

"You got nothin' to worry about, Taylor," James said with an honest smile. "We saw you burst in here like you did and knew not to mess with you." She sent Riddick a knowing glare, and he only smirked. "And then Rick walked in behind you and it was all over."

"Yeah, I told him to keep his distance so people wouldn't think we were together, but he just wouldn't listen," she quipped. "Never fucking listens." James let out a boisterous laugh, and Riddick scowled.

"Now, you got a good one here, Rick," he said. "See, Taylor, everyone here knows Rick somehow, either did time with him or knows of him, you know." Her eyebrow rose, and James scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Actually, it was probably a good idea, now that you mention it. You show off your dominance and people don't get to thinkin' you need a protector."

"I tried to tell him that," she said.

"I just let you think you talked me into it," Riddick said quietly, his lips curling upwards a twitch. She only smirked at him. "If anything, I need her to protect me," he added with a wink to James.

"There's one thing I've learned in my years," James said, "and that is never to mess with an armed female in black leather." Chikage didn't fight the grin. "Especially gorgeous ones, 'cause the gorgeous ones are always twice as dangerous," he added. "I'd watch yourself if I were you, Rick," he said with a laugh, glancing back at his family over his shoulder. "Well, y'all take care." Riddick nodded before finishing off his beer. He raised his eyebrows at Chikage, and she nodded, gathering her coat as she stood, following him out as she made a show of adjusting the holster around her hips.