Lifeline

Chapter 28

"What's the first thing you remember?" Marie asked gently, glancing up quickly at Chikage, who looked to Jack for a moment before letting out the breath she'd drawn in a heavy sigh.

"The very first thing having anything to do with anything even remotely medical was the sterilization." Marie's eyes darted up at her sharply, eyebrow arched, and Chikage smiled. "They can't afford to have pregnant soldiers, and they know they couldn't expect them to just not fuck around." Marie nodded, her lips forming a silent 'oh'.

"Was it surgical?" Chikage shook her head. "How was it done?"

"All I remember is taking a pill and a few shots, and then feeling really sick," Chi said with a sigh. She'd never noticed before how fuzzy her past seemed. Marie nodded. "You know what it was?"

"Typical, actually. Commonly used now. It's a combination of hormones and enzymes, almost always in a certain order although it's not been proven to be more effective that way," Marie said, still writing. Chi nodded. "What else do you remember?"

"Live round training," she said quietly, closing her eyes and nearly hearing the gunshots in the distance. "They were testing a new sniper dart. We didn't know it at the time. They just told us it would prepare us for the field." Her voice had grown distant, though Riddick tried to keep her in the present by always moving a part of him in contact with her – a foot, a finger, his breath, anything. "I ended up on the sniper team and used the darts myself."

"Do you have one?" Marie asked quietly, watching Chi's eyes open slowly.

"Not with me right now," she said, shaking her head. "I can tell you what was in it though." Marie nodded, turning her attention back to her papers. "TX977," Chikage said, watching Marie drop the pen and stare up at her in shock. "Yeah, I know. Luckily for us they already had an antidote, and luckily for me, I was in the group that was going to get it."

"They let it kill people." Statement, not question, and Chikage nodded.

"They wanted to know how it worked, and how quickly." Marie sighed.

"So you were given an antidote. I'll have to research that."

"You won't find it," Chi nearly whispered. "I've already looked. Unless you still have access to Company records, you won't find it."

"Do you know what it was called?" Chikage shook her head, and Marie's brow furled in frustration. "Go on."

"A few years later," Chikage continued, "They tested a new vaccine on us. Rumors were going around that a new virus was in the works by some terrorist organization or something and wanted to get a head start just in case."

"What virus, do you know?"

"All they said was that it was known as V3981. I don't know if it had actually been named yet."

"I've heard of it," Marie said, writing again. "So you were vaccinated?"

"Yeah," Chikage said with a small nod. "Five times." Once again, Marie's pen hit the floor, and she finally let out a four-letter word.

"Five times?"

"Several vaccines in progress," Chi said with a shrug. "It happened all the time."

"Riddick?" Marie asked, now glancing at the large man beside Chikage.

"Nope. Not I," he said quietly. "Guess I lucked out."

"By the time they started testing the vaccines you were in Butcher Bay," Chikage pointed out. "They didn't start until you were already gone."

"Was that the only virus you were vaccinated for?" Marie asked.

"The only experimental vaccine, yes. Other than that, flu, pneumonia, encephalitis, meningitis, hepatitis, HIV, gastritis, herpes, pericarditis, and tuberculosis X, but I don't remember what order, if that's important." Chikage's voice held a slightly apologetic tone, but Marie shrugged. "I guess that's it," she said with a sigh, glancing quickly at Jack, who was only staring at her, seemingly intrigued. "What now?"

"Now," Marie started, reaching into a drawer, "I take your blood and see if I can get you in for a scan or two tomorrow." Chi nodded slowly, sticking out her arm as Marie approached. A few minutes later, they were alone again, and Chikage was drifting off slowly, now hooked up to her own IV next to Riddick. Jack watched her eyelids grow heavy, finally failing to open for a long while.

"Riddick? Are you awake?" Jack asked quietly.

"Yep."

"Did they do anything like that to you?"

"That and worse, Jack," he answered. She sighed. "Chi got off pretty lucky as far as I can tell. Why?"

"Just wondered," she mumbled, standing and stretching. "Guess I'm on my own for lunch, huh?"

"No, Jack," he said quickly, but still quietly, as Chikage seemed to be asleep. "You're not going anywhere by yourself. Not here." She turned to look at him, a 'well, what am I going to do, then?' expression on her face. "There should be a communications panel next to your door. Use that one, not mine. I'm not cleared for meals yet, but you should be. Just order something up." She sighed. "Food that bad, huh?" She nodded, making a face to prompt a quiet chuckle. "I'll talk Marie into getting me off this fucking IV and take you somewhere for dinner." Jack's eyebrow rose. "That a deal?"

"I guess," she said with a pout, though her eyes were twinkling. "I'm gonna go read," she said, nodding toward her door. "Take a nap. You look like shit." Riddick grinned, watching her disappear behind her door, the smile falling as his eyes fell on the woman next to him. He'd had no idea how extensive the experimentation had become, not to mention risky. And the fact that she'd almost not chosen to do the testing didn't bode well. Either she knew something was wrong and didn't want to know, or she just thought she was really lucky and was confident nothing had happened. He sighed, burrowing deeper into the pillow.

---

"You sure this is a good idea?" Jack asked timidly, sneaking a quick glance up at Riddick. He only shrugged, directing her down another alleyway. "I mean, you're kind of easy to recognize." He shushed her as the alley they'd walked through dumped onto a main street, pulling the cap Marie had dug out for him further down his forehead, hiding most of his face. They ducked into a small, darkly lit pub and slid into a booth, facing each other. Both hurried through the meal, neither wanting to be recognized by anyone, and left the pub maybe a half-hour after arriving. The more time they spent away from the clinic, the more uneasy Riddick became, and Jack noticed, asking for a bag for the second half of her sandwich. They walked briskly back to the alleyway, though not quickly enough to draw attention, and took turns glancing over their shoulder. "Something's wrong, isn't it?" she asked quietly, watching Riddick's jaw tense. She swore.

"Just stay calm, Jack," he warned. "The more you think about it, the more obvious you become. Stay on your toes, but just look like nothing's wrong, okay?" She nodded quickly, keeping up with his long strides. They paused before crossing the street to the clinic, heading straight for their rooms. Marie was just coming out of Riddick and Chikage's room when they rounded the corner, and her guilty glance made both of them stop in their tracks. She sighed, gesturing for them to follow her to her office, each taking one of the two chairs across the desk from her.

"While you two were gone, Chikage reacted to the sedative." Riddick rubbed his forehead, Jack's gasp nearly deflating her lungs. "She's on a breathing aid right now, but she'll be fine. We're working on flushing it from her system."

"She's just going to love you in the morning," Riddick growled, the deep scowl telling Marie his sarcasm wasn't light-hearted. She sighed.

"I didn't know, Richard." She pinched the bridge of her nose, leaning heavily on her desk. "Things like this are usually found out the hard way."

"I'm just saying." Jack glanced up at him, sensing the tension radiating off him, but didn't say anything.

"She's going to be fine," Marie insisted. "She just needs a few hours of sleep."

"Can we see her?" Jack asked quietly. Marie nodded with a warm smile.

"Of course you can. Just be quiet," she recommended. "The drugs we use to flush the system out usually leave quite a headache." They nodded, quickly retreating from the office.

---

"Rick?" Riddick woke suddenly, nearly falling out of the chair he'd fallen asleep in. Chikage glanced around the room in somewhat of a daze, and he reached out to smooth her wild hair away from her face. She started, then relaxed as recognition set in, finally managing a hint of a smile as his face registered his concern. "What happened?"

"You reacted to the sedative," he answered, nearly whispering. "They had to flush it out of your system and start over." She nodded, struggling to swallow.

"How long have I been out?"

"Since yesterday morning," Riddick said, taking her hand gently into his. Her eyes widened a bit.

"You're serious?"

"You kinda faded in and out, but it was obvious you weren't with it," he said with a chuckle.

"That bad?" He only gave her a tiny nod. "Where's Jack?"

"Asleep. It's late." She nodded, stifling a yawn. "Get some sleep," he said, standing to lean and kiss her forehead. "Marie says she'll come back tomorrow to talk about what came back on you."

"How'd she look when she told you that?"

"Concerned," he answered. Chikage swore. "Hopefully it'll be about as serious than the whole sterility thing." She couldn't help but laugh, relieved to see a smile break on his face as well.

"Yeah, let's hope so."

---

Slender, feminine fingers tapped in rhythm on the desktop. The hands attached to the fingers were obviously those of an office worker – someone not marred by the effects of working with tools, oils, or wires. They continued tapping until the patch went through, and a throat was cleared before words were spoken.

"I sure hope this is good. I was in an important meeting," a male voice scolded over the comm unit. Lips curled upwards slightly.

"You'll be glad I did, Mason," a female voice answered. "I have a case for you."

"Really." His voice held a slight tone of disbelief, or maybe that was challenge. "Am I going to be pleased or should I hang up right now?" The female chuckled quietly.

"I'm not sure if you'll be pleased, but it'll definitely do something for your status at the IGC if you play it right," she said, the smile remaining in her voice. Her male counterpart was silent for a moment.

"Go on."

"One Richard B. Riddick."

"You've got to be shitting me," he groaned. She sighed.

"Hear me out," she insisted. "I'd had my suspicions before, but never had the proof to pursue it. Now I do."

"Proof of what? That he's a fuckin' psycho? You don't need proof for that."

"He's the only surviving ERPC, Mason, and he remembers nearly everything." Silence on the other end again, and she knew she had him. "Every crime he's committed can be blamed either directly or indirectly on the project, as though he had absolutely no control over what he did. I did the research, Mason. What they did to his genes completely accounts for his alleged psychosis and sociopathy." A weighty sigh.

"So what are you saying, Marie?"

"I'm saying he deserves to be exonerated. Completely absolved."

"I don't think I can do that."

"You have to try, Mason." She rubbed her eyes, then glanced over her shoulder to look out the window toward the treatment rooms. "Just because he was involved in the killings doesn't mean it was willing or his idea."

"I think you're wrong," Mason said.

"Listen to me," she snapped. "They altered his genes. Do you understand that? I was there when they enhanced his aggression genes, his sensory perception, his strength; anything that could make him the perfect killer. It was all part of the project to create the perfect soldier, but you know what? It worked too well. I don't think it was any accident they framed him for the strike blunder that landed him in slam the first time, and I doubt very seriously they considered the possibility he would be able to escape, much less several times." Mason grunted, mulling this new information over. "Now, I don't know whether he felt like a caged animal and something inside him, whatever was controlling him, snapped or what, but he didn't do it willingly."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I've seen him recently, and he's not the same person."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Marie? If you altered his genes," she swallowed, cringing at her implication, "then his reactions – his nature – can't be changed. He can't be a different person."

"You're wrong," she said, hoping her tone communicated the strength of her conviction. Evidently not.

"How am I wrong?" Mason's voice was a little gentler than before, as though he'd consciously tried to get himself under control.

"I told you. I've seen him." She paused to shake her head, glad she'd not opted for the vid comm. She didn't want Mason to see how Riddick's change had affected her – the way her lip now trembled, her eyes filling with tears as the joy of the project's ultimate failure rose to the top. "He's traveling with a woman and a teen. The woman is someone we need to talk to as well."

"Another con?"

"Yes, sort of," she said weakly. "I know it's a lot to ask, Mason, but…" she trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose. "God, I want my absolution almost as much as I want his."

"You're sure about this." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping to calm the tremors in her throat so she could speak without betraying her true emotions.

"Yes, Mason. They've done more for the IGC now than they could ever realize. And they have proof." Mason was quiet for a long time before agreeing.

"Now, tell me Marie," he said after a beat. "Why is this all of a sudden so fucking important to you?" Her brows furled in confusion. "Why after all these years are you dredging this up?"

"I told you, I didn't have proof before."

"And I'm supposed to believe that's it?" She knew he had her, she just didn't know what to do about it. "Tell me what's led you to be so insistent that he's taken care of," Mason coaxed. Finally she sighed.

"Both of them were in the Black Ops," she started. "You know what I mean, as far as their health. I won't tell you where they are right now, they're not here with me just because of security considerations," she lied, hoping he believed her, "but I've examined both of them and they both have interesting side effects to the experiments. There's no way I could possibly know what kind of impact that will have on their lifespans, if there is any."

"Marie, you have to give me more than that," Mason interrupted.

"Richard has a brain tumor. Nothing serious at this point. Hell, it's not even big enough to justify going in to biopsy it to see. His blood tests and body scans are normal otherwise."

"And the woman?"

"Her name is Chikage Pierce. Richard trained her when she first transferred to the Black Ops," she explained, flipping through the file she'd started on the woman. "She was used to test experimental vaccines that never turned out to be successful, sniper dart chemicals. I know which ones, but I'm not going to tell you right now. God, Mason, she almost had it worse than he did."

"So what's going to happen?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"How do you want me to go about this?"

"I don't know. You'll have to work that out. I don't have enough experience in testimony before the IGC, but they have to hear from Richard and Chikage. If for no other reason than to completely exonerate them, but hopefully they can take some kind of retroactive action against…" she trailed off. "God, what am I doing, Mason?" He was silent, so she continued. "If they take retroactive action, I'll be in the crosshairs."

"Yes, but you were never a major player. If it comes to that, Marie, I'll handle it, don't worry. Right now just concentrate on getting them to agree to this."

"Don't let me down, Mason," she whispered. He laughed, and cut the connection without saying goodbye.

"Agree to what?" Her eyes snapped up, mouth dropping open as goose bumps rose on her skin. Her eyes confirmed what her brain already knew – that voice belonged to one of the subjects of the conversation, the only subject of the conversation with the ability to get out of bed. Hard, silver eyes stared down at her. She had to admit, his wearing scrubs decreased the amount of intimidation he was capable of pulling off, but not by much. She shivered, standing as she gestured for him to sit.

"How much did you hear?" she asked, frowning a little as he opted to stand, swinging the door shut behind him to lean on it.

"Just that the IGC is going to be expecting Chi and me pretty soon if your friend Mason is any good at what I'm guessing he does," Riddick said quietly, his expression clearly stating his lack of patience for games at the moment. Marie nodded, leaning back in her chair.

"Mind if I smoke?"

"Do what you gotta do, doc, but don't make the mistake of testing my patience," he warned. She nodded, her hands noticeably shaking as she lit a cigarette, turning her back on him only long enough to crack the tiny window in her office. "Now, tell me who Mason is."

"Mason isn't his real name, you know," she said slowly. "I actually don't know his real name, but that's not what you're asking." Riddick waited, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's an IGC clerk."

"A clerk." She glanced up at him quickly, his tone blatantly expressing his distrust of the answer.

"Yes. A clerk. The IGC is more of a court – a superior court – than a ruling body. They rule based on the decisions they make in landmark cases. Sort of like ancient case law," she explained, pausing only long enough to take a deep draw off her cigarette and exhale quickly. He noticed her cigarettes didn't smell as good as Chi's, his eyes flitting over to the box to see she had much cheaper taste. "Mason goes out to find cases that will decide current issues."

"So what's the current issue you're so convinced Chikage's and my cases will be so successful in establishing a precedent for?" Her eyes flitted up to him quickly at his apparent knowledge of the system. Inmates of his caliber were almost always intelligent, but rarely well-versed in the terminology of the legal system.

"There isn't one," she admitted with a shrug. "But it's your only hope for pardon."

"And when you say 'your only hope', you mean me."

"I mean both you and Chikage," she corrected.

"And what's in it for you?" She sighed.

"Nothing," she said weakly. His low growl sent a shiver up her spine, and her eyes closed. "If anything," she continued, opening her eyes to flip ashes into the tray, "I'm putting myself at an even greater risk."

"And why would you do that?" She shook her head, and he repeated the question a little more gently as her lip began to tremble.

"Because I feel guilty, Richard," she finally snapped, standing suddenly, the cigarette still streaming smoke as it was forgotten in the ashtray. "Because I did horrible things to you and dozens of others in a quest that was never my own. Because I was coerced into performing hundreds of experiments that the IGC would never have approved all because I wanted to keep my fucking job." She shook her head. "Why is it so hard for you to believe that I'm doing all of this for my own absolution, even though it won't come from the IGC." His brows furled. "Why can't you just accept that I want to help you because I'm the one that caused you all this trouble to begin with?" She jumped as the door slammed behind him, then watched him stalk down the hallway and duck into the room where Chikage slept. Tears finally broke free, and she let out a loud, wet sob before turning back to the desk and collapsing into her chair, burying her face in her arms as the desk calendar soaked up her tears.