Lifeline
Chapter 34
Chikage smiled slightly as she walked through the cargo hold, slowly approaching Riddick as he sat at the end of the ramp, staring up at the stars. His head turned slightly as he became aware of her presence, but he just returned to his previous position. Her smile fell, and she dug through her pocket, plopping down next to him. He glanced over at her, forcing a tiny smile as he took the cigarette she offered him. She held out the lighter as he held the cigarette between his teeth. He squinted in the light, but nodded his thanks as he slowly exhaled. She lit one of her own, lying back on the hatch as she stared up at the stars herself.
"She was the docking pilot," Riddick said quietly, watching his fingers as he rolled the cigarette back and forth between them. She turned her head toward him, only seeing the back of his head. The tension in his shoulders was visible, and she reached out, running a hand over the bulky muscle. "Jack's right," he added, nodding as he paused to take a drag, holding it for a little too long before letting the smoke escape. "She got me out." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Died in the process, stupid bitch." Chikage couldn't help but smile, knowing exactly where the frustration and name-calling came from. "I was going to leave them there, Chi," he whispered. "The three of them." Chikage's hand paused on his back, and he looked over his shoulder at her. "Jack, Imam, and Carolyn." He turned back to the tarmac. "Left them in a cave, and she came back. Talked me into going to get them. We got separated and they made it to the skiff. I had one in front of me and one behind me." He snickered, but she knew he didn't find the situation humorous, even in hindsight. It was a frustrated snicker, a guilty feeling snicker.
"What happened?" she asked quietly. He licked his lips, glancing in her direction before sighing.
"I got out of it, but they got me good before they went." Her eyes closed.
"That new scar on your leg." He nodded.
"I figured I was dead. Thought the others would sniff me out and finish me off, but she came back for me." He stopped suddenly, rubbing his eyes as he turned his head away from her. She sat up, resting her head on his shoulder. "The last thing she said to me was 'I said I'd die for them, not you'," he said slowly, his voice tight in his throat. "And I still don't know what she meant."
"When did she say she'd die for them?"
"When she was talking me into going back," he answered. "But I don't know if she meant that she said she'd die for them and I didn't or that she said she'd die for them and not die for me." He sighed, puffing his cheeks out.
"She did die for you though, Rick," Chi whispered, planting a kiss on a scar marking his shoulder. His eyes settled on her, and she kissed the mark again, staring up into his eyes.
"You know," he said, a smirk quickly flashing across his face. "You're the only person in the world that's called me that and survived." She laughed, swinging a leg over him to straddle his thighs, wrapping her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her shoulder. She took a long drag off her cigarette and held it, closing her eyes as his hands ran up her thighs to rest in the creases of her hips. She flicked the cigarette out onto the tarmac, watching Riddick's eyes shine as it sent sparks flying across the asphalt. His eyes closed as she cupped his cheeks in her palm, kissing first his forehead and then each of his eyelids before pressing her nose to his.
"You didn't leave them behind, and that's all that matters now," she whispered, feeling his fingers dig into her a little harder. "Don't think about the what if's, because they didn't happen. If Carolyn is the reason you returned to humanity, then god bless her for dying." He sighed into her cleavage, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Imam and Jack are still alive, Rick," she continued. "And she brought you back to life." She felt the tremors in his muscles as she ran her hands over him. He just held her for a while, trembling only slightly. Jack appeared a while later, and Chikage just shook her head. Jack managed a small smile and nodded, going back up the ladder. Chi turned her attention back to the man in her arms. "Hey," she said quietly, running her hands over his head. "Look at me, darlin'." He shook his head, his arms tightening around her. Her brows furrowed, and she pulled away from him, leaning back on her haunches. He turned his head away from her, lowering it from the small amount of light coming from the watch tower. "Rick?" She ran her hands over her face, her mouth falling open as she brought her fingers into the light, rubbing the moisture deposited on them until it evaporated. He scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, but she pulled his hand away, lifting his chin. She stared down at him, but he averted her eyes. "Look at me," she repeated. He closed them for a moment, scrunching his face up before opening them again and focusing on her eyes. "Jesus," she gasped, pressing her forehead to his. Her fingers slowly traced the features of his face, the most vulnerable expression even in his eyes. She shook her head, pressing her lips insistently to his.
"I think I'm just tired," he said quietly, his voice thick. She smiled, wiping the tears away with her thumbs.
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know," he sighed. "I mean, if Jack really wants us to do this…" he trailed off. "What do you want, really? Don't give me that 'I want what you two want' bull shit either," he added with a smile.
"Well, you're right. They'll never stop looking for us, and as long as Jack's with us, she's in just as much danger. Hell, they could charge her just for being associated with us," she said quietly. Riddick nodded, rubbing his eyes again.
"What are the chances of us getting out if they decide against us?"
"We won't be there when they read the decision, Rick," she said. His brows furled. "It's not a trial, it's a hearing. A political hearing. We present our evidence and we're done. The only thing we'll find out is whether or not we've been pardoned, and that will go through Mason and the news agencies."
"So it's possible then."
"Extremely," she said with a nod. "I mean, if we hightail it out of there as soon as we get done with our part of the hearing, we could go through a series of starjumps and be on the other side of the charted universe."
"I don't know if Jack could handle more than one starjump at a time," he said thoughtfully.
"She'll have to learn eventually," Chi said with a shrug. He nodded, looking up at her again.
"Let's do it then." She forced a small smile, kissing the tip of his nose before standing.
"No weapons, nothing that could possibly be used as a weapon. We go clean and show them they don't have any reason to keep the prices on our heads," she instructed. "I guess we should get Jack to Imam then, huh?" He nodded, standing slowly.
"Go let Jack know we're taking off ASAP. I'll lock down if you'll get the engines warmed up." She nodded, heading up the ramp, but he caught her hand, pulling her back to him. His lips descended on hers in a slow, gentle gesture. As she lifted an arm to pull him closer, he broke the kiss, moving his lips to her ear. "I love you," he whispered. Her eyes fluttered shut as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the side of her neck.
"I've always loved you," she whispered back. He pulled away suddenly.
"That's not what you said before," he scolded. She rolled her eyes, turning toward the ladder leading up to the next floor.
"And I told you we were in an argument at the time." He grinned at her back, snickering when she stuck her tongue out at him to hide her smile as she ascended the ladder. He hit the button to close the hatch and headed toward the ladder.
---
"We're already cleared," Chikage said, turning as Riddick entered the cockpit. He nodded, taking the pilot's seat.
"You strapped in Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Tightly?"
"Yeah," she said suspiciously.
"Good. We've got three starjumps to get you to Imam's and still have time to make the hearing," he said. "If you start feeling queasy, there's a hypo under your arm rest." He turned to her, watching her gulp. "Use it if you have to." She nodded quickly, and he smiled, shaking his head as he turned back to the window. "You'll be fine, Jack. Just remember to breathe." She nodded again, eyes wide. Chikage glanced over her shoulder to give Jack a reassuring smile, even making a face that almost prompted a laugh, before Riddick taxied to the runway. "Okay, three minutes to jump," Riddick announced shortly after breaking into deep space. Jack gripped the armrest with all her strength as the cruiser began to shake violently.
"Is this normal?" she asked quietly. Chikage only nodded, fingers flying over her keyboard as she monitored the ship and the jump.
"You're two degrees to the left, Riddick. Straighten it out," she said quietly. He grunted, adjusting the angle of the cruiser. "Perfect. Hit it." He flipped a plastic cover and his thumb hovered over a button. Jack squeezed her eyes shut and yelped, suddenly feeling like she weighed a thousand pounds. As suddenly as it started, the pressure lifted, and Jack let out a sigh.
"Where are we, Chi?" Riddick asked. Jack's eyes popped open, staring at Riddick. Chikage typed furiously on her keyboard.
"The Tyrius system. Adjust four degrees left, one degree down." Riddick made the adjustment slowly. Chikage checked her systems again and nodded to Riddick.
"Hang on, Jack," he said quietly, punching the button again. Once again, the pressure bore down on her, making it hard to keep her head up, like she was on a super fast rollercoaster or something. Again, as quickly as it came it was gone, and she let out the breath she couldn't move before. She couldn't think of anything to do but shout a four letter word. "You okay back there?"
"Jesus Christ, Riddick," she gasped, her knuckles white at the force of her grip.
"Chi?"
"Tangiers System," she said slowly.
"What?" Riddick barked.
"What the fuck did you do, Rick?" she whispered, checking the computer again, shaking her head and lifting her hands, palms up in an 'I don't know' gesture. "We're in the middle of the Tangiers System. How did you do that?"
"I double jumped?" he asked.
"Pull a circle," Chi suggested. "See if we can get a visual on something." Riddick nodded, guiding the cruiser into a wide arc. A large orange planet came into view, and Riddick let out a low whistle.
"I double jumped," he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. "Jesus Christ, I double jumped. How did I do that?" Chikage looked over at him, eyes wide.
"What's going on?" Jack asked.
"Somehow he pulled two star jumps at the same time. We just saved a good fifteen minutes," Chikage said slowly, her mouth suddenly dry. In all her experience, she'd never heard of anyone successfully pulling off a double starjump. The best of pilots had tried and never returned, presumably becoming space debris from the force of the jump. She swallowed, reaching to unbuckle her harness. It gave with a click, and she slumped forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she hung her head.
"You okay?" Riddick asked gently. She nodded, then shook her head.
"Do you know how many people have tried that?" she whispered. Riddick swallowed, glancing quickly at Jack, who was leaning back in her chair, resting her head back against the seat.
"Yeah, I do. It wasn't intentional," he answered, releasing his harness. "We've got about an hour until contact. Anyone hungry?" Two female groans answered him, and he shrugged, standing and leaving the cockpit.
"You okay, Jack?" Chi asked weakly.
"Not really," Jack answered, pausing before asking: "You?"
"Oh, fuck," Chikage said, finally starting to laugh. "Fuckin' crazy." Jack sighed, releasing her harness and standing on shaky legs. "You need some coffee, darlin'," Chi said, groaning as she stood. "It helps with the jump hangover."
"You can get a hangover from jumping?"
"Two in a row? Absolutely," Chi said, following Jack down the stairs. "Not to mention the second was a double." Jack snickered, shaking her head. "Get the coffee started, Rick!" Chikage called, almost stumbling down the last two steps. She and Jack ambled over to the table, flopping into chairs. Riddick smirked, scooping the coffee into the percolator and flipping it on.
---
Jack followed Chikage's hand as she handed Riddick a mobile unit. He tucked it into his back pocket and reached into a locker, pulling out three cloaks and handing one to both Chikage and Jack.
"You have what you need?" he asked gruffly, glancing at Jack. She nodded, her voice suddenly missing in action. "Didn't pack everything, did you?" She shook her head. "Good. We're leaving in twenty minutes when it gets dark. Check to make sure everything's locked down, Chi, and packed up, Jack, what you're taking anyway," he directed. They both nodded, leaving him in the cockpit alone. He extracted the mobile unit and stared at the map Chikage had uploaded, quickly memorizing it before tucking it back in his pocket and descending the stairs. Chikage appeared, followed by Jack, who had a backpack slung over her shoulder. "You ready, kid?" She nodded slowly, staring at the ground. "Alright, let's go," he said, wrapping an arm around her as they started toward the cargo hold. He ruffled her hair and smiled down at her, the smile she returned falling quickly. "I'll be back for you," he said quietly, once Chikage had started down the ladder. "I promise." She nodded, following Chi down the ladder and to the hatch. They walked in silence, sticking to the shadows as they stole toward Imam's house. Riddick held out a hand, halting Chikage and Jack in a dark corner before scaling the fence to the rear of Imam's house. They listened for a while. Nothing. A few moments later, Chikage drew her gun, leveling it a cloaked figure that appeared behind Jack. Jack's eyes widened, and she ducked, going straight to Chi's side.
"It is alright," a voice said.
"Imam?" Jack asked, sounding unbelieving.
"Yes, child," came the reply. "Come. We have little time." She nodded, taking a step toward the cloaked man, but Chikage reached out, snatching Jack by the collar of the shirt.
"Show your face," Chi commanded quietly but firmly. Jack looked up at her, then back at Imam as he pulled the hood away from his face. "That him?" she asked, glancing down at Jack, who nodded, now beaming, and Chi's gun disappeared. They followed Imam into the house, and Chikage stood in the foyer, just staring around her. She'd never seen a house so decorated. Candles were placed everywhere, rich and inviting colors on every wall, warm fabrics draped about. It was beautiful.
"Come, child," Imam said gently, reaching out to Chikage. She pulled her arm out of reach, but followed him up the stairs into what seemed to be a sitting room. Riddick had shed his cloak, now back in his black cargos and black beater, sitting on a low chair. She took the chair next to him, folding her legs under her and resting her palms on her knees, her back straight. Riddick smiled, knowing the source of the posture was the yoga.
"We can't stay, Imam," Riddick said quietly. "We just came to drop Jack off for a while."
"What is happening?" Imam asked quickly. "Are you in some sort of danger?"
"No," Riddick said, shaking his head. He stopped, cocking his head to the side as he reconsidered. "Not immediately anyway. We've got a chance at exoneration, and we're taking it. Whether or not we get it, we'll be back for her," he explained, nodding at Jack, who took the cup of tea Imam had offered her. Their eyes locked, and Riddick nodded again, as if reissuing the promise he'd made her. She managed a sad smile and returned the nod. Riddick stood, and Chikage followed suit, staying close to Riddick's side as he moved toward the door. He paused in the doorway, and Chikage stopped at the top of the stairs. "Thank you, Imam," Riddick said quietly. "For looking after Jack."
"It is my pleasure, Mr. Riddick," came Imam's response. "Allah be with you so that you may return to her." Riddick nodded, and his gaze shifted to Jack.
"Jack?" She nodded slowly, biting her lip. "You behave yourself, got it?" A genuine smile as she nodded once at him. "Come here," he commanded, scooping her into his arms. "Stay here with him, please, Jack," he whispered. "Don't make me track you down again."
"I won't, Riddick," she whispered back, clutching to him with all her strength. "Be careful."
"I'll try." He pressed his lips to her forehead and lowered her to her feet. "I'll be back." She nodded, and he turned to go, a pained expression on his face. Chikage smiled weakly, taking her place by his side as they descended the stairs, going out the back door and hopping the wall, quickly returning to the cruiser.