Lifeline

Chapter 23

"I found her." Chikage jumped, nearly dropping her coffee mug into the sink. She whirled around, eyes wide, and Riddick was sitting on the kitchen table, gripping the two chairs on either side of him, his head hanging slightly.

"You found her." A small nod, and he lifted his eyes to her, taking his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Where?"

"A clinic on Ergon." Chikage's eyebrow rose.

"We were on Ergon not too long ago," she said slowly. He nodded.

"She's on the other side though," he said with a shrug. "No way we would have run into each other then."

"What are you guys talking about?" Jack asked slowly, having overheard the conversation through her open door. Riddick glanced at her, and back at Chikage, who nodded slowly, her eyebrow arched.

"It's a really long story, Jack," he said quietly. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, it's not like I have somewhere to be in five minutes," the teen retorted. He glanced back at Chikage, who gave him no signals, and nodded, pulling out a chair to straddle it.

"Way back when," he started, "I was a walking experiment." Jack swallowed, slowly walking to the bench and sitting quietly. Chikage leaned back against the kitchen counter, sipping what she hadn't spilled of her coffee. "Company used their operatives to test some of the new technologies they'd developed," he continued, closing his eyes. "I still don't know what exactly they did to me, but I've got a pretty good idea."

"So this 'she' you guys are talking about knows," Jack guessed. Riddick nodded.

"She's the nurse," Riddick answered. "Marie."

"And you found her now and want to go talk to her to find out what happened to you." A small nod. "What's the plan?"

"I don't know yet," he said, looking up at Chi. "I'll need to watch her first for a while. Find out the best way to go about this." Jack nodded, ruffling her hair. "I've already set the course for Ergon," he added quietly.

"What's the ETA?" Chi asked.

"Couple days. Maybe three. I'll have to find a place to land," he noted with a cringe.

"Riddick, just let me create some fake certificates," Chikage whined, slouching against the counter. "That way we can land at a public strip and not worry about someone accidentally coming across an illegal docking." He sighed. "C'mon." A small nod.

"Can I help?" Jack asked, the enthusiasm returning to her voice.

"It's a one person job," Chi said," but you can definitely keep me company while I'm working on it." Jack stood, glancing at Riddick. "Maybe even learn a few things while you're at it." She grinned up at the older woman, nodding vigorously.

"You're such a bad influence, Chi," Riddick groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Like you've got room to talk," she replied lightly, passing him a quick wink. He shook his head, but she caught the smile he was trying to hide.

---

Riddick heard a body flop onto the couch out in the library, a quiet thud as the couch smacked lightly against the wall. He glanced up, concentration broken, and adjusted the vertebrae in his neck, popping off a couple more jabs before unwrapping his wrists and going to the door, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of a hand.

"How'd it go?" he asked. Jack's green eyes appeared over the edge of her book, and she shrugged.

"Good, I guess. She swore at it a lot, but I think she got it straightened out." His eyebrow rose, and she gave him a small smile. She watched over the spine of the book as he lowered himself onto the other couch with a small groan. "Gettin' old?"

"Never," he returned with a wide grin. She nodded, her smirk remaining as she returned to her reading. "Maybe while we're on Ergon we'll stop and get you some more books," he mused, rubbing the stubble getting longer on his head. "Something more up your alley."

"You've got plenty up my alley," she said quietly, glancing up at him as she turned the page.

"You'll end up reading them all with as much time as you spend up here," he said with a smile.

"You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all." He watched her for a while. "But I do think we need to get you onto some kind of schooling regimen though." Her eyes met his, expression flat, and she stared at him for a moment before giving him a hmmph and picking up her reading again. "Maybe Chikage can pick out some stuff and start teaching you," he suggested.

"She's not exactly the teacher type."

"Neither am I," he said, "but you're not talking your way out of it." A heavy sigh.

"You never went to school."

"And look where I ended up," he snapped. She glanced up at him, quickly returning to the book. "You need some kind of an education, Jack." She nodded slightly, and he mirrored it. "Chi and I can both teach you, I guess," he said with a shrug. "She can handle the books and I'll handle the rest."

"The rest."

"Ship maintenance, piloting, self-defense," he listed. She looked up, eyes twinkling as a small smile touched her lips.

"Yeah?"

"As long as you hit the books, yeah." She made a show of considering it, finally nodding. Riddick smiled, standing and stretching.

"Will you teach me how to use a knife?" He chuckled.

"We'll see."

---

"RIDDICK!" In an instant, Chikage's back was cold, and she fought with the covers he'd thrown over her head as he leapt from the bed, wrenching the door open. When she found the end of the sheets, she sat up, staring wildly around the room. Seeing Jack's door open, she stood, crossing the hall quickly as she called up the lights. Riddick grunted, squinting, but didn't call them back down. Jack was curled in a ball as she trembled, eyes wide open and staring blankly. Riddick held up a hand as Chikage took a step into the room, waving her back into the hallway. She watched as Riddick whispered to the terrified girl, leaning over her as he stroked her hair gently. After a moment, he pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. Chikage continued to watch, until Riddick glanced up at her, nodding his head slightly and glancing back at their bed. Her brows furled, but she turned, glancing over her shoulder once more as she straightened the sheets, then called out the lights and crawled back into bed.

She drifted in and out, waking slightly each time Riddick's voice filtered into the room. His tone was low enough she couldn't understand what he was saying, but soothing enough to lull her back to sleep until he'd pause and start talking again. A quick glance at the clock as the bed shook with his return said he'd been sitting with her for over an hour.

"She okay?" Chi asked quietly.

"Just a nightmare," Riddick mumbled, curling up at her back.

"Musta been some nightmare."

"Usually are." She took a breath to continue the conversation, but his hand clamped over her mouth, and he shook his head against her shoulder blade. "We're landing in about five hours," he said. "Get some sleep." She smiled, pressing backwards against him as she twined her fingers from him, prying his hand from her face. She kissed his palm and tucked his hand under her pillow with hers, their fingers still tangled together.

---

Riddick glanced over at Chikage as she reached for the comm unit. She waited for his nod before radioing the watchtower.

"Tower, this is the Black Angel." Riddick rolled his eyes. Jack had insisted on picking the name, and refused to tell him what she'd had Chikage program in. "Request permission to land."

"Stand by, Black Angel," the radio crackled back. "Verifying certificates." Chikage rested her head against the back of the seat, her thumbnail following the grooves of the speaker in the handset. "Certificates authenticated. Permission granted." Riddick let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd held and engaged the thrusters. "Proceed to runway 12 and await docking assignment."

"Copy that." No one said a word as Riddick landed the ship without a hitch, neither Chikage nor Jack feeling the landing gear contact the pavement. He taxied to the holding area and waited. A few moments later, the radio crackled again, directing them to their docking location. Riddick powered down the ship.

"I'm gonna go fuel up," he announced, reaching for a jacket. "You all just stay here and I'll be right back." Chikage nodded, unbuckling her harness. The door clicked shut, and she stood, stretching with a boisterous growl.

"Riddick said you would teach me," Jack said quietly.

"Teach you what?"

"He wants me to get some kind of an education." Chikage blinked.

"Well, I think that's wise. Did he say what he wanted me to teach you?" Jack shook her head. "What'd he say?"

"Just that you'd teach me and he'd train me." Now Chikage understood. He thought she'd be the better choice to handle Jack's schooling, and he'd teach her what he felt she'd need to be self-sufficient.

"I think that can be arranged," she said with a nod. "We can go into town a little later and get some stuff if you want to." Jack shrugged. She glanced up as Riddick appeared in the doorway again, giving him a small smile. "All set?"

"Yeah. They're gassing her up now," he said. "I think I'm gonna start tracking Marie down."

"Want some company?"

"No, you take Jack into town and get her some books and stuff." Jack glanced up at him quickly. "Take your mobile with you." Chikage nodded, turning to Jack.

"Let me get my jacket," she mumbled, thudding down the stairs.

"She's not too happy about this school thing."

"Tough shit," Riddick said with a shrug. "She needs it." Chikage shrugged. "I mean it, Chi."

"I know you do," she said slowly. "But I do think she might learn more if she teaches herself."

"She wouldn't cover all the bases if she did it herself."

"I'm just saying that with a little guidance, she'd learn more if she took the initiative, that's all, Riddick. Forcing her to study certain things won't really get her motivated to actually learn the stuff."

"So motivate her to take the initiative," he said simply. Chikage gave him a dumb smile, and he grinned. "I'll be back before dawn," he promised, leaning over to kiss her cheek before leaving again. A few moments later, Chikage went down the stairs, watching Jack drag her jacket behind her as she followed Chikage to the ladder leading to the cargo hold.

"Think of it this way," Chikage said with a devious smirk. "The faster you start, the faster you'll be done, and the sooner you're done, the sooner he'll be off your back about it." Jack managed a small chuckle. "He'll be impressed." A genuine smile this time.