Disclaimer: I don't own Riddick or Jack just Mira and Patrick. All rights remain in the writer and creators hands.
Jack hadn't stayed where he had left her. Why would she. She was 18, old enough to make her own decisions and decide on her own path. She'd stayed with Iman for a couple of years, earning enough money to leave on her own without stealing from the man whom she respected. It hadn't taken long to get to the port off New Mecca and find a Merc ship to take her with them. She was smart with the first ship and hid her identity, going as Jack the boy, not the girl and getting through a full round trip season with them, earning enough to get by for a couple of months on a new planet before once again heading to the docks and looking for work. This time, at the tender age of 19 she had assumed she would be considered an equal. How wrong she was.
Jack watched the docks as the mercs came and went from the station, it was easy to pick the alpha and the betas among them. One man caught her eye; he had a spat with one of his crew half way through the afternoon and Jack watched on as he quickly tussled with the guy then shot him in the leg for continuing to get up, finally yelling loud enough for everyone to hear "You are NOT coming on the next trip. Good luck paying for your whores from here!" Jack smiled. He was the one. It took careful planning but she managed to accidentally run into him on his way through the markets and made it clear she was after a job. The man, who wouldn't have been more then 50 cliques old. He stood at 6 feet, silvering full head of hair and a large nose.
"Move it kid!" He bellowed as Jack had accidentally run into him. She'd flinched at the sound but quickly stolen his wallet and walked away unharmed. The first part of the plan in action. She went to sit at the coffee shop across from the docks and waited, it was turning to nightfall when the hard faced merc returned, drunk. Jack saw her chance and ran to him as he stumbled into the wall of his ship and grunted.
"Sir?" I asked quietly, pulling the wallet from her back pocket. "You dropped this in the market, some man said I could find you here." He squinted at her confused then snatched his wallet back, barely looking at her. He grunted again and pushed away from the ship hull, moving towards the ramp. "Sir?" He turned to glare at her. "I need a job." He looked her up and down and nodded, indicating she board.
"O'ly one otha girly on dis ship missy." He slurred and slammed his fist into the button to close the hatch. The ship was small, little to no privacy. "She be happy ta show ya the ropes." His large hand landed on my shoulder and he shoved me further into the ship, leading me over towards the right side of the ship. He smashed another button on the wall and the door opened in front of us. A girl, she was maybe my age looked up at us with dead eyes. Lying on the floor with a shackle around her ankle and wrist she saw me and closed her eyes once again, almost as if she was in pain. "Got ya a friend Mira." The man pushed me to the wall and dragged a shackle up to my wrist quickly before I knew what was going on. He laughed and walked from the room, once again smashing his hand against the door to drop it. I was numb. I had no idea what had just happened. The engines started up and I pulled at the shackle around my wrist.
"It's not use." The girl beside me muttered, her eyes still closed. Her long black hair was matted and stuck to her head, her green eyes looked up at me briefly and I could see they were no longer white around the outside but yellow. Liver problem. I knew from my childhood, listening to my mum before she died.
"Why are you here? What did you do to deserve this?"
"I wanted a job…" I let my sentence linger and realised just how stupid I'd been. "We have to get out of here." I stated matter of factly, I yanked on the chain and felt it cut into my wrist, blood softly dripping down my skin. I looked to the wall behind me and started to search for a weak spot.
"They will come." The girl said and just closed her eyes. I looked down at her prone body and frowned. Her stomach was on display and I could see bruising and burns. In fact that was all I could see. I knelt beside her and gently touched her skin, she shuddered and flinched away from me. I sighed and tried again, moving my hand to where her liver would have been located. I felt the swelling of the organ beneath her too pale skin and looked at the bruising, there were finger prints and a huge start burst bruise on her waist. I swore and gently pushed the girl to lie on her front.
"I am just going to feel here for a bit ok?" I gently whispered to her as I felt around the area some more. I could see she was in dreadful shape. In fact from what I could see she was slowly dying. "Are you in pain?"
"I'm always in pain." Her small distant voice responded. Suddenly the door opened and another big man stepped through the door. The front of his pants already bulging I gasped and stood protectively over the girl.
"Mira!" He yelled at her, clearly he was drunk or high and he lewdly grabbed his privates. "I got something for you, love." I gave him an utter look of disgust.
"She needs to rest, she's sick." I said to him, my instincts to protect going into hyper drive. These men had caused her to be in such pain and injured so badly and they still wanted more. The man looked to me and smiled a sinister smile. It should have been my warning. He stepped over Mira and came right up to me, taking my chin in his hand and looking into my eyes.
"If Mira is out of action, lucky you're here then slut." I punched him in the stomach. I wasn't an idiot, I knew what was coming if I fought or not. He just smiled and responded in kind. I fell to my knees. He grabbed my throat and grabbed me up again. "Glad you want to touch me slut. Lets play." He undid my shackle and dragged me to the table in the room. Throwing me into it and then pushing his filthy body up against mine. I cringed and bared my teeth, he licked his lips and grabbed my breast, squeezing hard. I kicked out at him and connected with his knee, he went down hard, crying out in pain, and unfortunately he took me with him. "Eh, pretty girl has fight." I screamed as he twisted my nipple harshly then backhanded me so quickly I barely knew what hit me and I cursed myself over and over for falling for this shit. He struck me again over the head and I saw stars. I scarcely realized that he had ripped my shirt off and started on my pants. I kicked at him but it was no use. He grabbed my leg and slammed it to the ground. He looked up at my exposed privates and smiled.
"Nice view from down here." I cringed and tried to strike at him in anyway possible. He pinned me very quickly and I had no hope. He smiled down at me and started touching me everywhere. "I think you need to be taught a lesson bitch." He pulled his knife from his back jeans and brought it to just above my breasts. I struggled but it was useless, his weight pressed me to the cold floor and I screamed as his knife pierced my skin for the first time. He closed his eyes in enjoyment and repositioned himself at my entrance. I screamed as he brought the knife to my arm and thrust into me at the same time. I struggled and tried to get away from the pain he caused. He just laughed and continued to thrust in and out. He was so lost in his enjoyment that he didn't notice when his grip loosened on my wrists. I pulled free slowly so as not to alert him and struck quickly and cleanly. I took the knife and slit his throat. I saw his surprise and then felt his body finish off inside my as he died over me. His body quickly becoming dead weight. I flipped him off me and promptly vomited next to the body. It took me a few minutes to get my senses back and I forced my fingers to move. I grabbed his keys and released the girl, she didn't move. I sighed she was not going to be the same as she once was. I raced to the door but gasped when I saw the Captain walk in. He saw the dead body, looked to me and noticed the blood all over my torso. I waited for his reaction. He threw his head back and laughed.
"You have balls girl. He was my best man." I didn't move. Waiting for his next move. "So you want a job huh?" I nodded. "Need money?" I nodded. "Hmm, you are pretty enough. I need you to seduce a merc, we are going to steal his prisoner and get the bounty. Sound ok to you?" I nodded, still staying where I was, he shook his head and turned to leave.
"The girl is injured and needs medicines. She has a liver haemorrhage. If you have supplies I can save her myself. She cannot be used for a few weeks though." I explained. The captain raised his eyebrows and went to the girl. She still lay prone. He looked down to her back and noticed what I had and swore.
"I will get what you need. Keep her with us. She too will get us a bounty soon." I nodded and watched him leave. I went to the girl and knelt beside her, my hands gently on her waist.
"I am sorry Miss, but It will hurt to repair." She didn't respond and I feared for her health further. "We have to get out of here. Fuck your bounty, help me escape and I will get you wherever you want to go." I whispered to her. She nodded slightly and I sighed, she understood at least. I slowly pulled her shirt up her back and saw the burns and whip marks. I sighed. She had been through hell. The captain returned and threw me two blankets, shirt and pants and a first aid kit.
"Water?" I demanded as he turned to leave. He grunted, throwing his hip flask at me and slamming the door shut. I turned back to the kit, ignoring my nakedness and quickly getting pain killers for the girl. Filling the syringe and injecting into her arm. Her eyes fluttered briefly and she slept. I quickly gave her an anti inflame and hooked her up to fluids. She would recover. I'd lied about her not being used for weeks. That was for her own protection. The door was suddenly slammed open once again. The captain in the hall way.
"I need you to know your target and get ready. You have 14 hours." I nodded. Patting the girls shoulder and throwing on the blankets over her. I put the t shirt and pants on and followed him out. I should have guessed, I should never have trusted him. It is the moment I remember most clearly. The despair, fear and disbelief of what was about to happen. As soon as I walked out the door two men came at me from either side and grabbed me. I couldn't move. "On the table boys!" The captain grinned and the boys wrestled me on to the table, strapping my wrists and ankles to the legs. "You killed one of my men. Now you pay." The captain grinned and pulled his knife from its holster and cut away the clothing I'd just put on. "Be a good little girl and scream for me." I struggled and cried out the men just laughed. The captain dragged his knife down my stomach and I watched as a thin line of blood fell in its wake. I screamed. I wish I could say pain didn't effect me. "Scream for me bitch" The others joined in, one pulled his cigar from his mouth and ground it into my forearm. The other grabbed my breasts and a scalpel, he started to mar my body with tiny cuts. It wasn't long from there that they each took their turns with me. I stopped struggling after the first one entered me I was too tired and I was losing blood. I forced myself to think of anything else. Forced my mind from the situation, away from the pain and madness of these men.
Iman, Riddick. My silent dreamscape where I could keep myself. The part of me they searched to break I held back, as far from my body as I could. It felt like hours before someone cut the bonds and threw me into the room again. The girl was still hooked up to the fluids. I didn't care. I couldn't even move let alone do anything else.
The doors closed and Mira was instantly alert, her eyes assessed me from her position and she stood quickly.
"Can you pilot?" I nodded weakly. She smiled and wrapped a blanket around me. "I need you to rest for this next bit then. Thank you for the pain killers, healing accelerants and fluids. I'm good." I sighed relieved that she had responded as she should have. Accelerants were difficult to work with. All kits came with them but they were hidden, for healers use only. "Your turn." I groaned and waved her off.
"No, I need to be awake." She smiled sadly down at me as she readied the syringe.
"You need to rest. Let me look after you for a bit. When you wake you'll need to fly us out of here." I nodded as she injected the drugs into my arm in the limited space that was not injured and I promptly, and gratefully, blacked out.
Til next time. xx