Lifeline
Chapter 20
Chikage smiled at Jack as the girl wolfed down a bowl of thin soup, while she sipped on a cup of hot tea. They sat in silence until Jack finished the soup, leaning back in her chair with a contented sigh.
"Feel better?" Chikage asked quietly.
"Yeah, a little," Jack said with a small nod. "I wish you'd let me have some real food though."
"I doubt you could handle it right now," Chikage explained with a quiet chuckle, watching Jack shrug. "I know how you feel though," she continued. "Maybe we'll try solid food later tonight after you've gotten some rest," she said, reaching out to ruffle Jack's messy hair. Jack nodded, watching her spoon teeter back and forth where she'd dropped it in her bowl.
"Do you know where we're going?"
"Not at the moment, no," Chikage answered. "I don't think Riddick plans on setting down anywhere for a while." Jack's eyes met hers at the mention of Riddick.
"Is he pissed?" Jack asked softly, dropping her eyes back to her spoon.
"Not at you, Jack," Chikage answered. "None of this is your fault."
"If I'd just stayed with Imam none of this would have happened," Jack insisted. "Of course it's my fault."
"Jack, this didn't happen because you ran away," Chikage pressed. "These people don't have any problems getting what they want. Even if you'd stayed in New Mecca, there's no guarantee you would have been safe." Jack nodded, but Chikage wasn't convinced. "You know, Riddick was so frantic to get you out of there," she said quietly. "I don't think I've ever seen him so desperate." Jack looked up at her again and managed a small smile.
"I guess I have that effect on him," she said with a small shrug. "Get myself into fucked up situations and he has to rescue me again."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that anymore," Chikage said quietly. Jack's eyebrows rose. "You're more than welcome to stay with us." Her brows fell, and she looked away.
"I don't want to make him do that," she whispered.
"Jack, I don't think he's planning on letting you run off again, to be completely honest with you," Chikage said with a smile.
"Really." Chi only nodded, taking another sip of tea. "How do you know him?"
"I've known him a while," she said with a noncommittal shrug. "We used to work together." Jack's eyebrow rose.
"Riddick works alone," she said, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"He didn't back then," Chikage said. "You should ask him sometime." Jack's eyes narrowed. "He tells the story better than I do," she added with a small chuckle. Jack's smile was fleeting, replaced by a monstrous yawn. "Listen, why don't you go take a shower and catch a little sleep?"
"Sounds good to me," Jack said, stretching her arms over her head with a groan.
"Bathroom's through that hallway," Chikage said, nodding her head. "The room on the right is yours." Jack nodded and stood, shuffling sorely to the door. Chikage drained the last of her tea, set her cup in the sink, and started up the steps. Riddick glanced at her from the corner of his eye as she sat next to him, slouching down in her chair.
"How's she holding up?" he asked gruffly.
"She thinks you're pissed off at her." He turned to look at her and she shrugged. "I did the best I could to convince her otherwise, but she's got the situation figured out pretty well."
"I'm not mad at her," Riddick insisted.
"I know. What I'm saying is that she's figured out that you enter her life when she needs saving. I'm not sure if she believed me when I told her she was welcome to stay on here." Riddick sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Give her time, Riddick," Chikage said gently. "It'll take her a while to learn to get used to having you around again, especially on a regular basis."
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"How's she being toward you?"
"Fine, I guess," Chikage said with a shrug. "I hadn't really thought about it much." They fell silent for a while, and she turned to look at him as he took a breath.
"How's she feel about us?"
"I haven't told her." His eyebrow rose. "It's not important right now, Riddick," she said. He nodded, turning his attention back to the window. "I gave her my room, by the way. She's in the shower right now and then she's gonna get some sleep."
"You want to go ahead and move your stuff into my room while she's cleaning up?" he asked, reaching out to adjust a setting on the computer. Chikage nodded and stood, walking toward the door and only getting a few steps before pausing and turning back to him.
"Can I make a suggestion?" His head turned slightly toward her, but he didn't say anything. "Try not to think about where we just were when you're around her." He turned fully around to look at her. "You'll get pissed off, and she'll know it, but she'll think it's directed at her. She blames herself for this, Riddick." He nodded, lowering his eyes for a moment. "She needs a friend right now, not a savior." Another small nod, and she turned to descend the steps.
She rifled through the drawers, picking out some of the smaller items of clothing she had and leaving them on the bed for Jack before taking the rest of her things into Riddick's room. As she crossed the hallway, she glanced up to see him walking down the stairs. She managed a small smile as she ducked into the room, tossing her things onto his bed before returning to her room to gather the rest. He was sitting on his bed when she returned.
"Any specific drawers you want me to use?" He shook his head, so she started refolding and putting her clothes away, his eyes on her the whole time. "I left some of my stuff on the bed for her to wear. Might be a little big, but it's better than nothing." She glanced out into the hallway, hearing the shower still running. "Maybe we should stop somewhere and pick some stuff up for her after a while." He nodded again, and she sighed. "What happened?" she finally asked.
"Not now." Her eyebrow rose, but the water shut off, and she nodded. "After she's asleep we'll talk upstairs." Chikage put the last of her things away while Riddick headed into the kitchen to rifle through the fridge. The bathroom door opened, and Jack paused in the hallway just outside Riddick's room. She glanced at Chikage quickly before ducking into her room, and Chikage stood, crossing the hall.
"I laid out some clothes that might fit you," she said quietly, leaning against the doorframe. "We'll stop somewhere once it's safe and get you some stuff of your own." Jack nodded. "If you need anything, just let one of us know, okay?" Another small nod, and Chikage smiled reassuringly before joining Riddick in the kitchen, still rummaging through the refrigerator. "I'll make something for all of us," she said quietly, leaning against the counter. Riddick straightened, eyebrow arched, but he shrugged, letting the door swing shut. She took over, taking several bowls from the fridge and setting them on the counter as Riddick took a seat at the table.
"You're being domestic?" he asked playfully. She turned to glare for a moment before letting the smile surface as she turned back to making a meal, glancing up toward Jack's door every now and then. "Want me to check on her?"
"Would you?" she asked, turning back to him. He shrugged, standing and going to Jack's door. The next time she turned in that direction, he was inside with her, she figured. A few moments later, she felt him rest his chin on her shoulder, watching her fingers as she sliced a chunk of meat into thin steaks, then cut the steaks into cubes, dumping them into a large pot.
"What are you making?" he asked, still hovering.
"Whatever it turns out to be." She felt the chuckle vibrate through his chest and smiled. "So talk to me." He sighed, shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around her middle. "Okay, don't then," she said, shrugging. "But you do know you're going to have to tell me eventually before I kick your ass."
"Yeah, I know," he said quietly. "I just have to think about some things for a while." She nodded, and he left her to check on the cockpit.
---
Jack was already awake when she heard someone call that dinner was ready. For the life of her, she couldn't remember the woman's name. All she knew right now was that she ached from the inside out and Riddick was on this ship somewhere. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead further into the pillow before finally deciding to get up and make an appearance. Oh yeah. She said her name was 'Chi.' That's right, Jack thought with a small smile. She avoided both pairs of eyes as she rounded the corner into what she figured was the mess hall, and took the seat furthest away from Riddick and closest to her door. He slid across the bench, reaching out to tousle her hair slightly as Chikage set a huge bowl of what looked like chili in front of her.
"How you doin', kid?" Riddick asked quietly. She only shrugged, glancing up to watch Chikage set a bigger bowl in front of Riddick. "Smells good, Chi," he said, breaking into a grin as she set a cutting board in the middle of the table, a freshly slicked loaf of cornbread steaming.
"Dig in, guys," Chi said lightly, retrieving her own bowl of chili from the counter. She watched Jack watch Riddick take the first bite before she tried her own, making a face as though she were surprised it was edible, and Chikage stifled a snicker as she took her seat. "You get to do dishes." Jack's head snapped up, a foul comment on the tip of her tongue, but she forgot what she would have said as Chi's eyes shone playfully up at Riddick, who was openly scowling.
"You got them dirty," he pouted. Jack found herself mirroring Chi's smirk.
"Exactly," the older woman continued. "I slaved to fix you a home cooked meal, and the least you can do is wash the dishes." His eyebrow rose, but he didn't say anything. "Oh come on. There's one big pot, three bowls, three spoons, two knives, a cutting board, and a loaf pan. Ten minutes tops," she pressed, rolling her eyes. "All you have to do is rinse them off and lock them in the washer."
"That's it," he growled, shaking his head. "Nothin' but microwave dinners from now on." He hid his smile behind a huge spoonful of chili.
"Aw, Riddick, c'mon," Jack finally whined. "This is really good." He glanced at her quickly, then back to Chi.
"Yeah, fine," he relented, slipping a wink to Chi that went unnoticed by Jack. "Alright."
"Big Evil doin' dishes," Jack muttered to herself with a smile. "Wish I had a camera."
"What was that?" Riddick asked quickly, finally letting the smirk show.
"Nothing," she drawled, grinning back. He shook his head as Chikage snickered, turning back to his food.
"Where'd you get that name?" Jack glanced up quickly, suddenly not seeing the humor in the conversation, and Riddick shook his head slightly, sending her a smile.
"Had it for a while, back when I was the hot thing in all the papers," he said with a shrug.
"Well with your rap sheet and inability to be inconspicuous, I think it's fitting," Chi said playfully, winking over at Jack, who relaxed slightly.
"So um," Jack started, clearing her throat, "How do you know each other?" she finally finished, quickly hiding behind a hunk of cornbread, the butter dripping off her fingertips into her bowl. Riddick glanced at Chi, who raised her eyebrows, and Jack thought about telling him to never mind, but he took a breath and she lost her voice.
"Well, Chikage and I go way back," he started, pausing to shovel another heap of chili in. Chikage, huh? No wonder you go by Chi. Imagine having to explain how to spell that to someone, Jack thought with a mental grin. "I trained her back in Company Black Ops and ended up on the same team as her." Jack's eyes widened. "Best sniper ever," he added, nodding with satisfaction.
"Oh, and I bet you're gonna take all the credit," Jack quipped.
"No, I just gave her the tools and she did the rest," Riddick said, shaking his head for emphasis. "Come to think of it, I was a shitty sniper, wasn't I?" he asked, turning back to Chi. She barely bit back the roar of laughter.
"Yeah you were," she managed.
"Wait, wait, wait," Jack said suddenly, holding her hands out to silence both of them. "Company?"
"Yeah, go figure, huh?" Riddick said with a sheepish shrug.
"What happened?"
"That's a long story, Jack," Riddick sighed, shaking his head. "Why don't we save it for another time?" She shrugged, the silence returning as she continued devouring her chili. Riddick stood, taking his bowl and picking up Chi's as well, smiling down at Jack as she continued eating. "Done with the cornbread?" he asked. Jack glanced up to make sure he was talking to her before nodding. As soon as his back was turned, Jack looked over at Chi for a moment, watching her lean back in her chair and fold her hands over her stomach.
"You domesticated him," she commented quietly, Chi's eyes suddenly twinkling as she chuckled.
"I heard that Jack," came Riddick's voice. Jack couldn't stifle the snicker fast enough.
"He's still got a bit of a wild streak in him," Chi answered. "No worries." Jack nodded, her smile lingering as she spooned the last bite of her chili into her mouth and stood, setting her bowl on the counter next to Riddick.
"I think I'm gonna go back to bed," she said quietly. Riddick nodded, bending down to drop a quick kiss on the top of her head. She stared up at him for a moment as though he were an alien, but blinked a few times and shook the expression. "Night."
"Good night, Jack," Chi said quietly, watching her disappear back into the bedroom. She heaved a sigh and stood, going to Riddick's side to help him load the washer. He rinsed, she loaded, and the work was quickly done. Riddick headed up to the cockpit to switch the settings over to night mode and check the gravitational spiral, while Chikage headed up to the library, flopping onto one of the couches. He appeared in the doorway a few moments later, wearing a somber expression as she sat up to let him sit next to her. His leg swung around her, hands grasping her shoulders to pull her backwards against his chest. She wound an arm around each of his knees, letting her lead fall back against his shoulder.
"She seems okay," he said quietly. "Not quite herself, but she not as traumatized as I was expecting." She turned her head toward him, her nose tucked under his chin.
"What do you know about her past, before you knew her?" she asked quietly. He shrugged, rubbing her shoulders lightly.
"Not much, really," he answered. "Her parents died a few years before I met her, and she was hopping ships pretending to be a boy so she'd be less of a target." He shook his head slowly, letting his eyes close. "The circumstances though," he continued. "Not really a situation where you ask those questions." She nodded, and a comfortable silence settled in the room.
"Talk to me Riddick," she finally said quietly, her hands following the seams of his pant legs from his knees to his ankles and over again.
"'Bout what?" She sighed. "God, Chi," he breathed after a moment, shaking his head. "Nothing but broken memories for so fucking long, and then all of a sudden, it all makes sense."
"What?"
"Did you ever hear of the Evanis program?" She started, pulling away from him quickly to stare up at him.
"Don't tell me it wasn't just a rumor," she said, shaking her head. His eyebrow rose. "Riddick…" she said, trailing off.
"We need to track down Dr. Michael Stevens and Marie Bournet," he said. "I've got a couple questions I need answered."
"Riddick…"
"I was a part of the last research group in the program, Chikage," he said gently. Her eyes closed, her head dropping to his chest as she wound her arms around his waist.
"Jesus Christ," she whispered, her words muffled into his shirt. She felt his arms wrap around her, one hand playing in her hair as he held her.
"I found some paperwork that should give us a start," he said. "Signatures and stuff. Have to see what we can do with it." She nodded against him. "Look, Chi," he started, pausing to lick his lips. "I don't know…" he trailed off. "I just…" A heavy sigh. "Well, shit. This changes everything," he groaned, shifting under her weight. She still clung tightly to him, her fingers drawing imaginary patterns along his back. "I mean, I know everyone in the Ops was a fucking lab rat, but this… this is completely different." She lifted her head, her eyes sad as they met his.
"How much do you remember?" she asked quietly. A brow twitched downward slightly, and he swallowed.
"All of it, I think." Her forehead crinkled, and her eyes fell away from his.
"It explains a lot, you know?"
"Yeah, but I don't know what's gonna happen later," he said. "I mean, this was more than twenty years ago. That kind of thing is perfectly safe now, but then? Hell, that's why they used us to do the testing." She drew a sharp breath and let it out slowly. "I always knew something happened that I couldn't remember to make me different from everyone else," he continued pensively. "But I never even considered being an ERPC a possibility." She nodded. ERPC was an acronym few people, even those in the Company Black Ops, knew. It stood for Evanis Research Project Candidate, and Riddick was the first of the ERPCs to survive, though he didn't know it yet.
"Do you think that's why company set you up for the strike disaster?" she asked quietly.
"I hadn't thought about that, but yeah, it makes sense," he replied. "Do you remember much of what they did to you?"
"Yeah." She felt him looking at her and closed her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it right now." He nodded, pressing his lips to her forehead.
"It's been a long day," he said gruffly. "Let's get some sleep." She nodded, stifling a yawn as he stood, pulling her to her feet. His fingers remained wrapped around hers as he walked down the stairs, pulling his boots off and climbing under the sheets. She did the same, crawling in next to him, immediately feeling his arm wrap over her side and his fingers twine in hers again, squeezing gently. She squeezed back and pressed her back into his chest, shifting slightly to get comfortable.