{"id":443,"date":"2024-05-28T20:46:58","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T00:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/?p=443"},"modified":"2025-01-28T23:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T04:49:07","slug":"identity-theft-chapter-33","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/identity-theft-chapter-33\/","title":{"rendered":"The Changeling Game, Chapter 33"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\">\ntt {\nfont: .857em menlo, monaco, consolas, monospace;\nmargin: auto;\n}\nh2 {\ntext-align: center;\n}\nh2.chapterhead {\nmargin-bottom: 2em;\ntext-align: center;\n}\n  .nowrap {\n    text-indent: 0;\n    display: inline-block;\n}\n<\/style>\n<p><b>Title:<\/b> The Changeling Game <small>(Formerly <i>Identity Theft<\/i>)<\/small><br \/>\n<b>Author:<\/b> Ardath Rekha<br \/>\n<b>Chapter:<\/b> 33\/?<br \/>\n<b>Fandom:<\/b> TCOR AU<br \/>\n<b>Rating:<\/b> M<br \/>\n<b>Warnings:<\/b> Adult themes, controversial subject matter, harsh language<br \/>\n<b>Category:<\/b> Gen<br \/>\n<b>Pairing:<\/b> None<br \/>\n<b>Summary:<\/b> Backed into a corner, Jack tries her craziest and most dangerous Hail Mary yet.<br \/>\n<b>Disclaimer:<\/b> The characters and events of <i>Pitch Black,<\/i> <i>The Chronicles of Riddick,<\/i> and <i>The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury<\/i> are not mine, but belong to Universal Studios.  I just <i>wish<\/i> I were in charge of their fates.  No money is being made off of this.  I\u2019m writing strictly for love of the story.<br \/>\n<b>Feedback:<\/b> Absolutely, the more the better!  Shred me, whip me, beat me, make me feel grammatical! I post \u201crough,\u201d so I can always use the help. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<input type='hidden' bg_collapse_expand='6a8e721f087c95080231321' value='6a8e721f087c95080231321'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-more-text-6a8e721f087c95080231321' value='Long post is long. Click to read the story.'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-less-text-6a8e721f087c95080231321' value='Hide the story again.'><button id='bg-showmore-action-6a8e721f087c95080231321' class='bg-showmore-plg-button bg-green-button  '   style=\" color:#D9ECFB;\">Long post is long. Click to read the story.<\/button><div id='bg-showmore-hidden-6a8e721f087c95080231321' ><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"chapterhead\">33.<br \/>\n<u>Child Soldiers at War<\/u><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>Of course,<\/i> Jack thought with a mixture of dread and disgust, <i>this just had to happen while the tide\u2019s still out.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She stayed perfectly still, trying to decide what her best option would be. Mercs were nasty business, unpredictable and frequently cruel. Even back when she\u2019d been a genuine innocent, they hadn\u2019t cared. The man holding a knife to her throat might just be trying to intimidate her, or he might be the kind who could slash it without a second thought. The only thing she knew for sure about him was that he hadn\u2019t showered or brushed his teeth in <i>weeks.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cHe\u2019s not here,\u201d she said, keeping her voice soft and trying not to move her throat and jaw too much. \u201cHe\u2019s never been here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cBullshit. You two are in thick with him. You\u2019re his accomplices.\u201d The merc\u2019s next words were enunciated as if he was talking to a small child. \u201cTell me where to find him, and you can go free.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>Yeah, right.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cToombs know you\u2019re horning in on his bounty?\u201d she asked. If she could manage to stall long enough, she thought, the tide would come in and she could isomorph over to Elsewhere without falling to her death. Or maybe Kyra could make a move.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>If he didn\u2019t already do something to her while I was asleep\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201c<i>Fuck<\/i> Toombs,\u201d the man growled. \u201cHe can\u2019t call dibs on everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The only other family on the top floor had moved out two days ago, Jack thought. Even if she started screaming her head off, nobody would be able to help her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Nobody in the <i>building<\/i>, anyway. Kyra might just be asleep in the other room, but it would be too late by the time she woke up. He\u2019d probably cut Jack\u2019s throat the moment she screamed, and then play out his intimidation act on Kyra instead. And both of them would end up dead, since neither of them knew the answer to his question.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>If I scream out loud, anyway.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She\u2019d thought trying to isomorph for the first time had been the biggest, craziest Hail Mary of her life. This new idea dwarfed it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>Can you hear me? Creatures? Are you there?<\/i> It had never occurred to her to try to reach out to <i>them<\/i> until now.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cWe can do this the easy way,\u201d the merc said unimaginatively, \u201cor we can do this the <i>fun<\/i> way, little girl. Fun for <i>me<\/i>, anyway.\u201d He gave her a disgusting leer. Several of his teeth had been lost to rot and replaced with garish gold ones; two more would need replacing soon. Straddling her, he changed his posture slightly so that he could press suggestively against her. \u201cSo maybe you should talk now while I\u2019m still feeling charitable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Her gag reflex couldn\u2019t decide if it was reacting to his body odor, his breath, or the general foulness of his mind. Men like this were why she\u2019d cut her hair off and posed as a guy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>I\u2019m in trouble\u2026 please\u2026 warn the other larva\u2026 If you can hear me, please\u2026 help me\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI told you, he\u2019s not here,\u201d Jack said. \u201cI don\u2019t know where he is. He didn\u2019t tell us where he was going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cYou think I\u2019m stupid or something?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>Yes.<\/i> \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cThen try again. I\u2019m running out of charity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>Maybe I could do a fast isomorph, just to drop down to the next floor\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">And, in all likelihood, break her back on the edge of someone\u2019s table. None of her new \u201cpowers\u201d were going to help her in this moment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI can\u2019t tell you what I don\u2019t know.\u201d It was the absolute truth. If he was <i>any<\/i> good at reading people, he\u2019d know it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Fury passed across his features and then he smiled. It made him look twice as hideous. \u201cYou\u2019re really down to get hurt, ain\u2019t ya? You know where I\u2019m gonna hurt you first?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI. Don\u2019t. Know. Where. He. Is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cSay that again, little girl, and I swear I will <i>fuck<\/i> you with this kni\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The living room window exploded inward.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">As the merc turned to look, Jack grabbed at the blade. <i>This thing is in Elsewhere, all the way in Elsewhere\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cThe <i>fuck?\u201d<\/i> he shouted as the knife vanished.  Jack lunged upward, slamming her head against his face as hard as she could. His chin banged hard against her forehead.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>Ow! Fuck\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Kyra was climbing in through the smashed window behind him, a knife in her hand.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cYou fucking <i>bitch!\u201d<\/i> he roared, cocking back a fist. His nose was starting to bleed and his lip was split. Jack grabbed her tablet off of the table and rammed it into his gut with all of her strength. Her ears were ringing for some reason, a high-pitched <i>reeeeeeeeeeeee<\/i> sound filling them just at the edge of hearing. The merc, grunting hard from the impact, grabbed the tablet out of her hand, tossing it aside and drawing back his fist again.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">With a Valkyrie scream, Kyra launched herself at him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">He was a big man. Almost as big as Riddick himself. He turned, swinging his arm, and knocked Kyra to the side before she could land on him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cYou little bitches!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Kyra tucked and rolled as she fell, coming back up a second later. She\u2019d reversed her knife, holding it by its blade, and flung it at the merc\u2019s head.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">He ducked, but just barely. The second knife she launched left a bloody line on his cheek.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The merc rose from the couch, pulling out a knife of his own. \u201cBring it, little girl,\u201d he told Kyra.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack had no idea where Kyra was <i>keeping<\/i> her blades, unless she\u2019d already figured out the scabbard trick before Jack could suggest it to her. She had another one in her hand. She was crouching, every line of her body tense, circling to the side.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack looked around, trying to think of anything in range that she could repurpose as a weapon.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The merc lunged at Kyra, who danced out of range, luring him away from Jack.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>She\u2019s buying time for me to run.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack crawled off of the couch, wincing as her head began to throb. She felt woozy from the head blow; there would be no running for her. That ringing in her ears was back.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The merc lunged at Kyra again, almost catching her. She brought her blade down the length of his arm, ripping the sleeve and scoring his flesh, before ducking out of range again.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI only need <i>one<\/i> of you little cunts to tell me where he is,\u201d the man grated, face going a mottled red with rage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Fuck. He was going in for the <i>kill.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Another lunge, another near miss. Kyra danced to the side and whirled, aiming a kick at his thigh. He dodged and grabbed for her ankle.  She retreated out of range, a sheen of sweat glistening on her skin.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack grabbed a glass off of the kitchen counter and flung it at the back of the merc\u2019s head.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Her aim would have been dead on, but the son of a bitch <i>dodged<\/i> it. It smashed against the wall.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cOnce I\u2019m done with your friend here, you\u2019ll pay for that,\u201d he said, his voice calm again, almost conversational.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">He lunged at Kyra again. Too late, Jack realized it was a feint.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>\u201cNo!\u201d<\/i> she heard herself scream.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">As Kyra slashed out and tried to spin away, he grabbed her arm and pulled her against him, thrusting his knife into her abdomen. Kyra made a choked, gasping sound. Her knife dropped from her hand.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cThat\u2019s right, you little\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Suddenly Jack realized that the noise wasn\u2019t in her head. It was real.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cSebby, <i>no!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She watched in horror as Sebby, shrieking, launched himself from the ceiling, leaping at the merc.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">He was going to die. The merc would smash him to the ground, kill him, murder everyone and everything she loved\u2014<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">A long, thin tail she\u2019d never seen before whipped free from Sebby\u2019s back as he landed on the merc\u2019s shoulder. It jabbed once, twice, three times in rapid succession at the man\u2019s throat. The large man froze, making a strange, rattling gurgle.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The room was suddenly, deathly silent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Kyra moved first, staggering away from the frozen merc, the knife handle sticking out from her abdomen. \u201cOh <i>shit\u2026<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Slowly the merc began to topple. Sebby leapt from his shoulder to the back of the couch, his tail whipping in agitation. Its end sparkled, a drop of amber liquid catching the light.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>Venom,<\/i> Jack realized as the merc crashed to the ground. <i>Sebby <b>stung<\/b> him. That\u2019s not a <b>tail<\/b>, that\u2019s a <b>stinger<\/b>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Kyra wasn\u2019t doing much better than the fallen intruder. She looked as if she was struggling to stay conscious. She staggered toward the couch, partly collapsing against it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack hurried over to her, ignoring the merc for the moment. Sebby was staring at the man, his little body tense and his stinger-tail thrashing, as if daring the merc to try to get up.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Kyra\u2019s right hand fumbled at the knife handle where it protruded from her abdomen by her right hip.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cDon\u2019t pull it out,\u201d Jack told Kyra, helping her around to the front of the couch and easing her down onto it. \u201cDon\u2019t touch it. I\u2019m gonna call for help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cShit,\u201d Kyra groaned. \u201cShit shit shit shit, <i>God,<\/i> this hurts, Jack\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cYou\u2019re gonna be okay. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI know. Just\u2026 that mother<i>fucker\u2026<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cHe was looking for Riddick,\u201d Jack told Kyra. \u201cThis is all my fault. I\u2019m so sorry\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201c<i>Fuck<\/i> that noise, it\u2019s not your fault assholes exist. What\u2019re we gonna do with him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack rose. What, indeed? \u201cDon\u2019t move, okay? I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The merc was lying on the ground, his legs awkwardly bent and splayed from his fall. His breathing was shallow, wheezing, his eyes wide and frightened. He was alive but paralyzed. Jack found herself wondering if Sebby\u2019s stinger was for hunting, or if his species bred like tarantula wasps.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She picked up the knife Kyra had dropped and walked over to him. Showing him the blade, she knelt beside him and put it against <i>his<\/i> throat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cMaybe this is redundant, but don\u2019t move,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">A strangled groan escaped his lips.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack went through his pockets, pulling out everything he\u2019d been carrying. He had a wallet, an electronic device she recognized, from schematics she\u2019d seen years ago, as a highly illegal \u201cMaster Key,\u201d and a fake badge that looked like it had come from the same damned cereal box as the one Johns had carried. Then she rolled him over, grunting with the strain. The bastard was <i>heavy<\/i> as <i>fuck<\/i>. One folded piece of paper was tucked into a back pocket. For a moment, the smell made her think he\u2019d voided his bowels.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cDo you <i>ever<\/i> bathe?\u201d she asked him, tempted to throw him\u2014as if she even <i>could<\/i>\u2014into a tub and wash the stink off.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>And\u2026 there it is.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Sometimes her ideas were quite horrible. She wished, though, that she\u2019d thought of this one back when he\u2019d first woken her up. The tide wouldn\u2019t be in yet, but it would come soon enough to wash his stench away forever.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>If the fall doesn\u2019t kill him first\u2026<\/i> It probably would. She\u2019d been so busy worrying about what would happen to <i>her<\/i> if she dropped through the floor that she\u2019d never even considered\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She rolled him onto his back again, bringing the knife against his throat once more. Just in case. Then she put her hand on his chest.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cWhen you get to Hell,\u201d she told him, \u201cyou tell Chillingsworth I sent you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The man\u2019s eyes widened, just a bit, in pure terror.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>This piece of garbage is in Elsewhere\u2026 all the way in Elsewhere\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">He fell through the floor and vanished as silently as a ghost. She shifted her vision, trying to see into Elsewhere instead of U1. Darkness spread below and around her in the other \u2019verse\u2019s moonless night. She couldn\u2019t see anything\u2014<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Kyra groaned behind her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cOh shit, sorry, Kyra\u2026\u201d She set the knife down and hurried back to her sister\u2019s side. \u201cI\u2019m gonna call Takama. She\u2019ll know who to bring. We can\u2019t use Emergency Services or anything but she\u2019ll know who to get\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She was babbling. She grabbed her tablet, relieved to see that it hadn\u2019t taken any damage from the fight, and keyed in the comm number for the Tomlin-Meziane household.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cAzul?\u201d It was Ewan.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cEwan? It\u2019s Tislilel!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cTislilel? What\u2014is everything all right?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cNo! We need your help! We need Takama! Dihya\u2019s been stabbed! By one of that bitch\u2019s mercs! We can\u2019t go to the police or UMA, but she needs a doctor!\u201d In her own ears, she sounded on the verge of hysterics, but she felt as if she was talking from a strange distance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cWe\u2019re coming. Are you at your apartment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cAre you <i>safe<\/i> there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cFor now.\u201d Jack looked around, suddenly imagining that another merc might leap out of the shadows. No, the man had made it clear he intended to cut Toombs out. He\u2019d come gunning for them alone.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cWe\u2019ll be there right away.\u201d The call disconnected.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cScore one\u2026 for the Meziane family\u2026\u201d Kyra said in a pained voice. Sebby was sitting on her chest, his stinger hidden once more, stroking her face with his antennae.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack gathered up the merc\u2019s possessions and set them on the table, looking through them while they waited. The ID in his thick wallet named him as Frank Vedder; the one behind it bore the name Justin Cowell, and the one behind that called him Blaine Mason. All three had the same picture of his ugly mug. He had money cards in each name. A piece of paper with a string of letters and numbers on it, along with two condoms, were tucked in the otherwise-empty billfold.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>What kind of sloppy dumb-ass carries multiple IDs where a cop might find them?<\/i> she wondered in disgust.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The kind, she supposed, who only bathed every other month.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She transferred the wallet to Elsewhere and let it drop. For a moment, she almost did the same with his comm, until she remembered how many of the \u201cmissing and presumed dead\u201d people from the explosion had been identified by their comms\u2019 final locations. She set it on the table. Before sending it out of this \u2019verse, she\u2019d carry it to another part of town; she didn\u2019t want <i>his<\/i> last known location to be their apartment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She unfolded the piece of paper she\u2019d taken from his back pocket and gasped.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Kyra asked. Jack turned the paper so she could see. \u201cMother<i>fucker<\/i>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">It was a printout of a photo, taken with a long-range lens, of Jack and Kyra standing in front of their building talking to a man in traditional Amazigh attire. Tomlin.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">How long had mercs pursuing Riddick <i>been<\/i> in New Marrakesh?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She supposed that, after the breakout, anyone else who knew about the connection between \u201cJane Doe 7439\u201d and Riddick would have started plotting possible landfalls out of system. A few who rolled the dice correctly might have managed to beat Toombs himself\u2014even beat the <i>Scarlet Matador<\/i> itself\u2014to Tangiers Prime.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>It\u2019s a good thing he took the picture from <b>behind<\/b> Tomlin, or his new boss would\u2019ve been even more interested in us than ever\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She pocketed the image, along with the Master Key, and then finished examining and disposing of the man\u2019s possessions. The badge dropped down into Elsewhere to join him. She\u2019d let the tide do whatever it wanted with them\u2014<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The door slammed open and the Tomlin-Meziane family spilled into the apartment, Cedric and Ewan first, both with guns drawn.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cDihya!\u201d Takama gasped, slipping between the men and hurrying to her side.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Sebby reared up on his hind legs, rattling his pincers, and screeched a warning. His stinger whipped out. Takama stopped short.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Sebby!\u201d Jack said, trying to hush him as fast as she could. She didn\u2019t want anyone else getting stung. \u201cCome here. It\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She managed to coax him to crawl up her arm and onto her shoulder, and moved away from the couch to make room for the others.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cJack wouldn\u2019t let me take the knife out,\u201d Kyra said, her voice sounding a little muzzy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cJack,\u201d Ewan\u2019s eyes cut toward her as he said the name, \u201cis very wise. We will have to remove it carefully.\u201d He had holstered his gun and was opening the large medical field kit that Takama had carried in.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>Battlefield doctors decide who lives and dies. It\u2019s called triage\u2026<\/i> Nobody had realized that she\u2019d heard that, heard <i>everything<\/i> that Johns and Riddick had said in their final conversation. Now she shuddered as it came back to her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Safiyya and Lalla were setting several large, empty suitcases on the floor. \u201cBathroom first,\u201d Safiyya said, handing Lalla a duffel bag. \u201cThen bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cWhat are you\u2026?\u201d Jack heard herself asking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cYou can\u2019t stay here,\u201d Safiyya told her in a no-nonsense voice. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously not safe. This building truly is cursed. You\u2019ll stay with us, at least until Dihya has recovered. Let some scoundrel <i>try<\/i> to come at you in our home!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cShould I ask what happened to the man who stabbed her?\u201d Cedric murmured so that only she could hear.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack met his eyes. \u201cPlease don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">His expression softened and grew sad. Did he realize what she had done?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>I\u2019ve committed murder for the third time,<\/i> she thought, another shudder passing through her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\"><i>\u201cOW!\u201d<\/i> Kyra shrieked. <i>\u201cFuck!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Sebby leapt off Jack\u2019s shoulder and scuttled toward her sister, screeching, stinger thrashing like an agitated cat\u2019s tail.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cSebby no! It\u2019s okay! Don\u2019t sting anybody!\u201d Jack shouted, chasing after him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI\u2019m okay, Sebby!\u201d Kyra sobbed. \u201cI\u2019m okay, it\u2019s okay\u2026 c\u2019mere\u2026 it\u2019s okay\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">The upset crustacean retracted his stinger. He leapt, instead, onto Kyra\u2019s shoulder and began stroking her cheek with his antennae, again making a soft <i>reeeeeeee<\/i> at the very edge of Jack\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Takama set the bloody knife that Ewan had just drawn out of Kyra on the table. Jack walked over and picked it up, looking it over carefully. She wanted to remember every detail about it in case it became important later.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Then she walked over to the spot where the merc had fallen. Standing over it, she transitioned the knife into Elsewhere and dropped it down.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI should\u2019ve isomorphed him straight over to Elsewhere when I woke up and he was sitting over me,\u201d she heard herself saying. \u201cShouldn\u2019t\u2019ve given him a chance to hurt her\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI don\u2019t imagine,\u201d Cedric said next to her, \u201cthat an idea like that would just pop into your head right away.\u201d His hand on her shoulder was light, gentle.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cIt will next time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cI pray that you will never have to put that to the test, Tislilel. Or would you prefer to be Jack?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack sighed. \u201cNeither one\u2019s my real name. Let\u2019s stick with Tislilel. <i>He<\/i> gave me that name.\u201d She turned and met Cedric\u2019s eyes. \u201cGavin did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Cedric nodded and swallowed, his eyes acquiring a mournful gleam. \u201cTislilel it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cHusband!\u201d Safiyya called. \u201cEither pack or clean! We want this <i>tagat<\/i> place emptied when it\u2019s time to move Dihya!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Cedric sighed and gave her a somewhat forced grin. \u201cDon\u2019t want even one fingerprint left behind, do we? You want any of the larger furnishings?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cNo, we got rid of most of them already. Whoever moves in next can have what\u2019s left.\u201d Jack wasn\u2019t even going to try to argue with them about the move; beautiful view or not, she suddenly never wanted to see this building again. \u201cBut, uh\u2026 could you check under the bed and dresser to make sure Sebby didn\u2019t leave anything under either one? He likes to hide and play under them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Sebby was still on Kyra\u2019s shoulder, supervising Ewan\u2019s work but no longer posturing threateningly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cThey\u2019re asking if you\u2019re okay\u2026\u201d Kyra groaned, only partly conscious.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cWho\u2019s asking?\u201d Takama glanced between Kyra and Jack.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cThe things\u2026 on the other side\u2026 I was asleep and they were talking to me and suddenly they said \u2018the other larva is in danger and needs your help\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cThe \u2018other larva?\u2019\u201d Takama looked confused.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cThat\u2019s what they call us,\u201d Jack explained, once again wondering if maybe they <i>were<\/i> crazy. \u201cThe creatures\u2026 the ones that started talking to us in our dreams after the rescue. They call us larvae. All except the one that hates us and calls us filth\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cWhat do I <i>tell<\/i> them?\u201d Kyra moaned.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">Jack took her hand. \u201cTell them I\u2019m okay. Tell them that they helped you save me. Tell them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">She had <i>done<\/i> it, she realized. She had called out to the frightening beings from her dreams, wide awake, and they had <i>answered,<\/i> if indirectly. They had <i>defended<\/i> her. It wasn\u2019t some weird <i>folie a deux<\/i> she and Kyra were experiencing.  It was all wonderfully, terrifyingly <i>real.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:1em;margin-bottom: 0\">\u201cTell them thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Title: The Changeling Game (Formerly Identity Theft) Author: Ardath Rekha Chapter: 33\/? Fandom: TCOR AU Rating: M Warnings: Adult themes, controversial subject matter, harsh language Category: Gen ","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"\u201cThe Changeling Game\u201d chapter 33 by Ardath Rekha","bgseo_description":"Backed into a corner, Jack tries her craziest and most dangerous Hail Mary yet.","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fan-fiction","category-the-changeling-game"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1191,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions\/1191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}