Disclaimer: Character Riddick taken from Pitch Black along with others mentioned from that same movie and all other characters are of my own creation.

Please Read & Review! It is very much appreciated!

You may want to check out my previous story Strange Encounters to get more on the background of what has transpired so far – of how Riddick met up with Riley Sinclair.

Riddick is still hitching a ride to Planet 6 in the UV System to hide out from the Mercs. Unfortunately a straight forward ride turns in to something more than he and Riley bargained for.

Strange Encounters 2

Chapter 1

Oh God…. What am I doing? I am strapped in to a chair in Cryo-sleep mode. Never been one for cryo-sleep, it always takes me a while to drift off in to slumber land. Things have been wild of late. I just recently lost my best friend and nearly my life; now I am giving an escaped convict a ride to Planet 6 in the UV system. I must be out of my mind! (Sigh) It is more a business arrangement of sorts, a favour, I guess. Being a Galactic Forces Agent I do not scare easily. I probably should have handed him over to the Mercs, and taken a fee for my troubles, but then I really cannot stand mercs, they are the scum of the universe as far as I am concerned. For some reason I care what happens to him, not sure why to be honest although I am not sure how he feels about me. However, he has done all right by me so far but people can change.

Riley listened in to him breathing and she knows that he is just as awake as she is. Sitting opposite him, she senses that his breathing is steady and just at the exact pace it would be for someone who is partially awake. She gets the feeling that she is not the only one lost in thought right now.

Breathing deeply and lost in the feeling of his primal animal instincts Riddick sat with his goggle-covered eyes closed. His thoughts take him back to Helion Prime with Jack and Imam who he left there for their own safety or so he keeps telling him self. I know that the kid will be mad at me but it is for her own good, she will have a better life without me in it what with all the Mercs on my tail. Hiding out on Planet 6 should deal with my merc problem for the moment and Riley….well she is almost as deadly as I am and not bad company for the moment he thought.

An alarm sound suddenly filled the compartment as a computerized voice shouted "COLLISON IMMINENT!" repeatedly; Riley opened her almond shaped brown eyes and rushed to remove her harness. In no, time at all the buckles on the harness came undone as she took a brief second to glance across at Riddick whose seat was directly opposite. He was up as well and staring back at her with his goggle covered eyes as he began removing his harness too.

In the doorway to the command centre, she could see a bright red emergency light flashing as she leapt from her seat and went over to the door. Jumping in to the pilots' seat, she turned off the auto pilot mode and took back full manual control. The ship shook under the strain as she veered the ship out of harms way. Riley heard a thud and jingle of harness buckles along with Riddick swearing and growling under his breath coming from the back.

"We're alright now . . . . I think…..You ok back there Riddick! That was close…" she sighed in relief still holding the ships steering controls firmly.

"I'm fine . . . Maybe you should let me pilot the ship?" He said as he leaned in just behind her headrest and whispered directly in to her ear.

Smiling defiantly at Riddick, not letting the feeling of his hot breath on her ear intimidate her, she shook her head. "You don't quit do you?"

"Never . . . Not where my life is concerned…. "He growled as he took the co-pilot's seat next to hers.

Ignoring his reply Riley continued. "I wonder what we nearly crashed into." She said while checking the status of the ship as another alarm started going off.

"I don't ….We're still alive so lets just continue on with our journey" Riddick folded his arms as he relaxed back in to his chair and put his booted feet up on to the console.

"I know that you're trying to avoid other Mercs on your trail! But, now we are losing air and I guess that the object may have bashed us a little…" she said slightly embarrassed now that she had actually hit the ship on something and caused damage.

"Like I said maybe you should let me pilot the ship…" he grunted.

Flipping various switches to regulate and stabilise the ship Riley became annoyed with Riddick, and his unhelpfulness. They had lost a lot of air and only had enough to last them maybe 20 minutes. There was not enough air to get them to the UV system. The main monitor then picked up that there was a distress signal coming from what appeared to be a ship. The ship also seemed slightly familiar to her as if she had seen it before. It looked like one of the Galactic Forces Science Vessels that go out on long trips of discovery.

"There's a distress signal coming from a ship, it looks like that's what we had our…. Slight near miss with; let me clear up the signal. Maybe someone there can help us, allow us to land and fix my ship."

Riddick quickly leaned forward as he placed his hand upon her shoulder. "May not look like a Merc ship so don't believe everything you hear"

"Fine" she said as he leaned back in to his seat and resumed his position. For a moment there, she actually thought that he cared.

Working the controls to hear the message they listened in. It was a man's voice and one very familiar to Riley. She could not believe what she was hearing through the static, it was David's voice. Gripping the controls tightly she looked out the main screen in shock; he had been the last person that she expected to hear. She could see that Riddick was looking back at her and that he had noticed the startled look on her face.

"What's the matter you know the owner of that voice?" he questioned turning towards her to look at her more closely.

"Yea, I think I do…. possibly a friend"

"A very intimate friend I'm betting?" he grinned as he looked at Riley.

The recording finished and the silence in the cockpit was deafening if that was even possible. Riddick stared at Riley waiting for her reply. She had already decided that she was not ready to give him one as she shrugged back in to her seat. Riddick looked at her closely as he spoke.

"Remember our deal Riley no detours, Planet 6 in the UV system and we part ways but seeing as a how you have managed to damage our ride we don't really have any other choice do we?"

"No we don't, if the ship isn't repaired now we will die" She was annoyed at the fact that he was accusing her of causing the damage. It was not as if she meant to do it and she was not even sure how it had happened when she was so sure that she had avoided the object.

"So let's fix it and move on out" he said sternly.

"We're going in"

The hanger doors of the star ship were to Riley's surprise wide open like a beast waiting to enjoy its first mouthful of a main course meal. She flew the ship in and landed it on the main concourse. The hanger doors began to close automatically and the sound of the doors as they rattled closed echoed throughout the hanger. Riley checked the atmosphere of the ship making sure that the air was breathable and it was thankfully. The gravity was also still working too fortunately.

There was no one to meet them in the hanger area, no sign of David or anybody. Riley wondered if she had imagined his voice, except she knew that Riddick had heard it too.

"Riddick can you handle repairs? I know your good with your hands from your rap sheet, and I need to check out this vessel" she said as she hoped he would not protest.

"Don't you mean you want to locate your friend right?" he said, knowing exactly what she had planned. If he was going to be on mechanic duty, he sure as hell was not letting her get away with it.

Turning away from Riddick to avoid answering his question she went over to her weapons cabinet and began taking some weapons. She strapped a gun to a holster on her thigh and the blade she placed at her ankle on the inside of her boot. Finally, she threw on a long hooded black jacket.

"Why are you taking weapons with you? What about your gift?" Riddick enquired after a quick glance in her direction.

She realised that in all the time that he had known her he had never seen her pick up a weapon. She had always used her Telekinetic ability to protect herself.

"I have to be extra careful with my telekinesis on ships; otherwise I could rip the whole thing apart quite easily and leave us both stranded dead in space. You wouldn't like that very much now would you?" she said with a sly grin as she checked the power level of her gun and glanced back at him. She did not really want to admit that it was harder for her to control her ability in a confined space like a ship. The nightmares she had had as a child of losing control of her emotions and ripping ships apart leaving many people to die had scared her enough about the dangerous consequences. So much so that it left her with a fear that was a little hard to overcome sometimes.

Riddick swivelled around in his chair as he looked back at Riley with a grin on his face. He adjusted his goggles to the top of his baldhead.

"No I guess I wouldn't like that one bit . . . . I would however enjoy helping you to work on your control though?" He raised an eyebrow as he held his eye-shine eyes on her.

"I just bet you would . . .But I can manage" she smiled as she reached out with her mind and Riddick found his goggles being moved by invisible hands down to cover his eyes. He stared back at Riley as he spoke "Much more fun if I join in though . . . .."

She sighed "Anyway …. I have encrypted the controls so you can't take my ship" she looked at him seriously now.

"You still don't trust me?" He looked back at her quizzically. Expecting that their past encounter and survival would have made her trust him completely. She never completely trusted anyone. How was he to know that? She thought.

Unsure of what to say she ran her fingers through her shoulder length wavy dark brown/black hair to comb it out of her face.

"I don't completely trust any one" she said as she looked over her shoulder at him from the main door.

He looked back at her with total understanding and did not say a word. It was a lonely way to live but a life he knew all too well nonetheless.

She opened the main door and looked out in to the deserted dimly lit hanger. I must be insane.

"You know when your done with the repairs you could come out and stretch your legs?" deep down she hoped that he might dare to join her.

"Nope … I'd rather wait here until you come to your senses." His deep voice rumbled through her very being.

Riley sighed as she then stepped out on to the concourse and the door closed behind her.

To be continued…