Lifeline

Chapter 25

Chikage sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes and glancing out the front window once more before throwing open a locker and rummaging through her backpack, flouncing down the stairs and into the cargo hold. She glanced at her watch as the hatch lowered, shaking her head slightly as she descended, plopping onto the metal ramp. After lighting a cigarette and letting the first draw out in a slow, calming stream, she drew her knees to her chest and rested her elbows on them, staring out at the port. She was about to flick the second cigarette onto the pavement when a movement caught her eye, and she froze, just watching. Not more than a second later, Riddick emerged from the shadows, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he moseyed toward the ship. She stood slowly, watching the sparks fly as the cigarette hit the ground. He didn't say a thing as he started up the ramp toward her, only stopped before her, staring down at her with an unreadable expression before slowly reaching out and wrapping his arms around her tightly. She returned the embrace, one hand pressing to his lower back and the other cradling the back of his head. He pulled away, placing a light kiss on her forehead, and she followed him up the ramp, pausing with him as he reached out to turn the lever to close the hatch, then followed as he went up to their room.

They both changed into their sleeping clothes silently, crawling under the sheets together and returning to the gentle embrace. Her eyes closed as he stroked her hair, her thumb absentmindedly tracing the lines of his stomach. He was buzzing with tension, but she didn't want to ask. She only wanted to know he trusted enough to confide in her, tell her without her having to press for information. She shifted as he raised his arm, trying to cover his movement's startling her, but he only rubbed his eyes, a soft, suppressed sigh breaking the silence.

"We're going to the clinic later tonight," he said quietly. She glanced up at him in surprise. "All three of us." She nodded slowly, still denying the urge to ask for more. "I was right," he added, looking down at her for a moment.

"I figured you were."

"I'm the only surviving ERPC, Chi," he said, shaking his head slightly as he stared up at the ceiling, his fingers moving from her hair to trace lines lightly up and down her arm. "The only one that made it." Her brow furled, and she tightened her arm around him in a makeshift hug. "She wants to run some tests and see if anything's going on."

"Why are all of us going?" she asked quietly.

"I want to get Jack checked out while we're here. She'll know what to look for," he said, referring to the decision to only let Marie examine Jack.

"And you trust her?"

"She begged, Chikage," he said, his voice tight in his throat. "She said she wanted to make it right by finding out if anything happened." He paused, licking his lips. "And I believe her." She nodded. "Were you watching?"

"No," she answered. He glanced down at her as though she'd stunned him. "I started recording when you left, but I wasn't watching."

"Why?"

"It was your deal, Riddick, not mine," she said quietly. "I figured if you wanted me to know, you'd tell me. I didn't want to pry." He nodded and fell quiet. "Riddick, I don't know if Jack is ready to go right now."

"What do you mean?" Chikage sighed.

"She hasn't mentioned anything about that base since we left. I don't know if she's still trying to cope with it in her own way or if it didn't affect her to begin with, but if she's not ready to face what happened, making her go to a clinic isn't going to help at all."

"I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Did she say what time she wanted you there?"

"3500," he answered.

"Damn this 36 hour day," she groaned, burying her face in his chest. He chuckled a little, seemingly forced, and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"Get some sleep."

---

"Jack, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jack glanced up from her book, raising her eyebrow at Riddick, who had opened her door noiselessly and now leaned against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What'd I do this time?" He smiled, but she wasn't comforted by it. Her eyes followed him as he moved to sit on the corner of her bed, angled away from her.

"Nothing." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. "I talked to Marie this morning."

"The nurse." He nodded, glancing at her quickly before turning back to the wall.

"The three of us are going to see her tonight." Jack's face darkened, her brow furling. "She wants to run some tests on me to find out what happened."

"Why's Chi going?"

"Support," he said quietly. Jack swallowed, her mouth going dry.

"For who?" Riddick looked at her, and her face crumpled, her head barely moving side to side.

"Jack, I want you to listen to me."

"I can't Riddick. I don't want to," she whispered, pulling her knees to her chest and rocking slightly. "I can't."

"Jack, you need to," he said quietly, turning to face her. "We need to make sure you're okay." A slow stream of tears made its way down her cheek, and soon another trail followed down the other side, her lip trembling. "Hey," he said, reaching out to grasp her shoulders gently, "C'mere." He pulled her into his lap, cradling her head just under his chin as he swayed slowly from side to side. "It's gonna be okay, kid. She's not going to hurt you, and Chi's gonna be there to make sure of that." She sniffled, a wet snort, and shook her head. "Look, I know you're scared. Anyone would be." He paused, squeezing his eyes shut. "I am too, Jack, but both of us need to find out if anything's wrong." She pulled away slightly, staring wide-eyed up into his face, her eyes red and puffy, cheeks tearstained and blotchy. "I promise I won't be far away, okay?" She nodded slowly, removing one of her hands from his shoulder to wipe her face. His eyes held hers for a moment, and they stared at each other. "Nothing's ever gonna happen to you again, kid," he said, his voice low and tight. "Promise." A tiny smile graced her lips, and he kissed her forehead, pulling her into another tight hug.

"I love you, Riddick," she whispered. He froze, the gentle rocking back and forth stopping as he pulled away to look at her. Her brows quivered as she waited for him to say something, but he only stared. She lowered her eyes from his, shaking her head with a small smile. "I think I finally made you speechless," she said with a light laugh. She glanced at him again, the intense and somewhat confused expression remaining. "You're the only family I've got," she explained. "And maybe it's crazy, but I always wanted a big brother and it seems like I have one now." A smile started breaking through the fog, finally ending up in a chuckle as he pulled her back to him. She sighed, tightening her arms around on him. "I guess I'll go," she relented. "Will you stay in the room with me?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to, Jack," he answered. Another weighty sigh. "But I'll be as close as I can be, okay?" A small nod. "And Chikage's not gonna leave your side while you're there." Another nod. "Be strong for me, okay?"

---

Chikage smiled weakly at Riddick as he emerged from Jack's room, rubbing a hand over his face before reaching for the coffee pot. She took a sip from her mug of tea as he sat down across from her, leaning heavily on the table.

"How'd it go?" she asked quietly. He sighed.

"She's gonna go, not like she really had much choice," he said with a shrug, "but she's not exactly excited about it."

"Can't say I blame her," she replied absently. "Not an easy place to go after something like that." He nodded, staring into the steam rising from his cup. "I'll talk to her before we leave," she continued. "Let her know it's not as bad as it always sounds in the books and stuff." His eyebrow rose, but she shook her head. "It might make her more comfortable if the explanation comes from me."

"The explanation? I already told her why she has to go," he said.

"I know, but she probably doesn't really know what happens." He stared at her blankly, not following. "I think she might feel better going into it knowing what they're going to do."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything, Riddick," she said.

"I think you are."

"That's what you get for thinking," she snapped, standing to refill her cup. His eyes followed her, making him turn in his chair to stare at her back while she dipped the tea bag in a fresh cup of steaming water.

---

The three of them walked together, Jack between Riddick and Chikage, and Jack took Chi's hand as the clinic came into view. Chikage gave her fingers a gentle, reassuring squeeze as Riddick opened the door, following them in. Marie was waiting for them at the desk, immediately buzzing them through the door leading into the area holding the examination rooms. She eyed Chikage, but said nothing as she led them to their rooms, a door connecting the two.

"I'll be right back," she said. "Just get those gowns on and relax for a few minutes." Riddick nodded, using a hand to steer Jack toward the cloth-covered table. He knelt down in front of her.

"I'm just gonna be in the next room, okay kid?" She gave him a confident nod, but he didn't miss the scent of fear on her. "You want Marie to take care of you first so you can come in with me?" Another small nod, and he mirrored it. He stood, now gazing at Chikage standing behind Jack, her hands on Jack's shoulders. He gave her a small smile, cocking her head to the side. He just stared at her for a moment before swallowing, glancing down at Jack, and disappearing through the door to his room.

"You okay?" Chi asked gently. Jack shrugged, reaching for the gown Marie had lain out on the exam table. They heard Riddick's voice, then Marie's echoing off the wall, and Jack sent Chikage a nervous glance. Chi pulled a chair up next to Jack and took her hand in hers, rubbing the back of her hand lightly. "You'll be fine," she whispered, giving her a reassuring nod, before both looked up at the door as it opened.

"You must be Jack," a woman in her early fifties said, smiling brightly as she stuck out a hand. Jack only glanced at it, and Marie pulled up a stool. "Can you tell me about what happened to you?"

"What do you think happens to fifteen year old girls that are kidnapped by Company guards and taken to an abandoned base so they can lure a convict?" Jack said coldly, not hiding her contempt for the woman formerly employed by the same entity as the guards who had violated her. Marie's motherly smile fell, and she nodded.

"Did they do anything else to you?" Jack shook her head. "Nothing medical or anything?" Another shake of the head. "Did they hit you?" Jack glanced at her quickly before refocusing on the pattern printed on the hospital gown. "Does anything they hit still hurt at all?"

"Not really," Jack answered quietly. "I have a few bruises still, but they're going away."

"Okay," Marie said, writing something down on a piece of paper clipped to a folder.

"You're keeping records?" Chikage asked suddenly. Marie glanced up at her.

"Only while you're here," she answered, staring boldly into yellow eyes. "As soon as you're discharged, the three of you will see me shred anything with any information pertaining to your visits." Chikage's brow arched, but she nodded. "Okay, Jack. I know you're not comfortable with this, and that's okay. I wouldn't be either." Chi gave Jack's hand a quick squeeze. "Let's get this started so it can be over, okay?" Jack's face went pale as she slid down to the edge of the hospital bed, squeezing her eyes shut as her hand tightened around Chikage's.

---

Riddick glanced up as the door opened, rubbing the back of his hand where Marie had inserted an IV, the cold liquid making his wrist ache. Chikage's hands steered a red-faced, trembling Jack into the room, and Riddick's brow furrowed. Jack immediately crawled onto Riddick's hospital bed, burying her face in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. Chikage gave him a weak smile, then nodded, and relief washed over his face as he rubbed the girl's back slowly.

"What's with the IV?" Chikage asked, nodding toward the instrument. He glanced down at it quickly, working his wrist to alleviate the dull ache.

"Seems like I'm gonna be here longer than I thought," he said with a shrug. "Some of the tests take a few days, and others can't be done after those are done." She sighed, pulling up a chair and flopping into it. "Not to mention the possibility something's wrong and she has to do more than she's thinking right now." Chikage shook her head, rubbing her eyes. Two knocks at the door drew their attention, and Marie emerged, a fresh chart stacked on top of the one she'd completed on Jack. She forced a small smile and opened a drawer, extracting several swabs, syringes, and other items.

"Tell me what you remember," she said, pulling up a stool.

"How far back you want me to go?" Riddick asked, eyeing the former nurse, now doctor, as she laid out the instruments on a table and wheeled it over to him.

"The first thing relating to the program, if you don't mind," she said, rubbing an alcohol pad on the inner bend of his elbow. She didn't mention having to work around the traumatized teen curled up at his side, still trembling, but she did reach out to run a hand over Jack's hair with a saddened smile.

"I was in the field on a strike mission," Riddick began, watching with fascination as Marie drew several vials of blood from his arm. "Team leader said he'd gotten new orders for me."

"Do you remember who?"

"If I did, I wouldn't tell you," Riddick said simply. "No names here, doc." She nodded, lining the vials up on a nearby counter and wheeling herself back to his side. "I went to Kygon 12, met up with a Captain who was waiting for me, and he said I was due for a physical." Marie nodded, writing furiously as he spoke. "Timing was about right, so I didn't care. Went into the exam room, got wired up, and woke up later in the lab. Well," he said with a wry smile, "I was awake, but I couldn't move. Couldn't open my eyes." Marie glanced up at him. "The voices were really muffled at first, and I felt like my whole body was on fire. I know I was strapped down, and they'd gagged me or something. Horse bit." Chikage cringed. First the experiment, then transports to prison. No wonder he hated the damn things so much. She would have too, had it been her. "At first it was just small pricks. Like they were taking my blood. I knew I had an IV in, but there wasn't anything major at first." He sighed, hugging Jack tighter to his chest. "You know about the transfusion. I remember all of that."

"Tell me," Marie said gently. He sent her a glare, but took a breath and paused, closing his eyes to think.

"The right arm was first. I didn't think it'd ever end," he said, his voice suddenly quiet, the expression on his face pained and anxious. "Damn needle just kept going, felt like it was almost up to my shoulder before it finally stopped. I heard clicks, and then it just hurt. The needle was moving around all over the place. Same thing with the other arm." He swallowed, a light sheen of sweat beading on his forehead. "Some kind of machine was beeping and whirring. I don't know how long I was there. You kept talking to me through the whole thing. Touching me, telling me I was doing great." He shook his head. "You said it had been a week before you told me you were bringing me something to eat. I remember you had to do it for me, mostly. Soup or something, I don't know." He sighed. "And then one day I just woke up in a recovery room and I was fine again. I didn't really remember then what happened," he said, opening his eyes. "Didn't until I went back to get Jack out." Marie was staring at him now, regret blatantly plastered on her features, and she sighed.

"You were in the lab for three weeks all together, Richard," she said quietly. Chikage glanced at Riddick at the mention of his first name, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was staring down at Jack, who had been lulled to sleep by the rumbling voice deep in his chest. His fingers threaded through her short hair over and over, and Chikage found herself smiling slightly. "I told you what the project entailed when you broke into my car this morning, so I won't go over it again." She sighed, stretching to set the chart on the counter before folding her hands in her lap and leaning forward. "Here's what I'm going to do. I'll run a complete genetic profile, test for any known mutations or genetic affectations." She took a breath. "If it's alright with you, I'd also like to run some unknowns against your profile, see if there's any common complaints between your genes and others that haven't been identified as of yet." His eyebrow rose. "I just want to find out if there's any possibility for anything that's not been concretely identified in other research studies, Richard. No identities." He nodded after a moment. "I also want to do some full body scans and several head scans. Perception and sensory tests."

"Basically a full spectrum," Chikage interjected, watching the woman glance over at her quickly.

"Yes." Marie held Chi's eyes for a moment before turning back to Riddick. "I want to do a full evaluation to make sure I cover all the bases to prepare you for anything even remotely possible."

"Do what you gotta do," Riddick said quietly. "How long are we talking?"

"Probably a few days, maybe a week if we find anything that needs further testing."

"So how is this going to work?" She shook her head in confusion. "Well, if this is off the record and no one else even knows you've got someone here, how are these two," he said, gesturing toward Jack and Chikage, "gonna get around here without raising eyebrows?"

"No one will ask questions, and if they do, I'll just tell them you're a patient. No names, no more questions." He nodded once in satisfaction. "I'll give you two ladies passes for the cafeteria. It's not great food, but it fills your stomach. And you'll be free to leave to go walk around for a while or get something else to eat if you find you can't stand the cafeteria menu anymore," she said with a smile. "Just like an every day patient's family." Marie stood, collecting the vials of blood she'd just taken. "We'll start the rest tomorrow," she said, pausing at the door. "I'm going to take these to the lab and get the testing started, so you rest up and I'll see you in the morning." Chikage turned to Riddick once the door was closed, resting her chin on the edge of the bed.

"You're sure about this?" she asked quietly. He smiled, reaching out to run his fingers over her hair.

"No, but it has to be done," he answered. "I don't think anything's going to happen, but I really don't want to be here." She nodded. "I want you to keep your ears open though, just in case."

"I was planning on it," she said with a knowing smile.

"C'mere," he said, pulling Jack with him as he scooted backwards toward the wall. Chikage gave him an odd look, but crawled onto the bed behind Jack, curling up against the girl's back so she was cradled between them. Riddick's hand settled on her cheek as she wrapped an arm around Jack protectively, and she stared over the girl's head at him, watching him lean forward to press his lips lightly to hers. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes fluttering closed. "I want to tell you something, Chi," he said quietly. Her brow furled, and she shook her head.

"You don't have to, Riddick," she whispered. His eyes met hers questioningly, and she shook her head again. "I know how you feel about saying it, and you don't need to." He nodded, granting her a small, apologetic smile before she leaned in for another short kiss. The bed was cramped all night, none of them moving much, but there was no complaint.