Krissa sat on the floor, back against the wall, knees drawn up to her chest. Her swollen eyelids felt as though they scraped against sand every time she blinked. Many hours had been spent this way since the Hunter's distress call. She vowed tonight would be the last night of this. Now she knew. Now she could let go. That did not change the loss she felt, but it made the contemplation of her future a bit easier to entertain.
She would leave LaPage and go back to the Academy. She had always wanted to be a pilot... just like Carolyn. But she had strayed, and one of the many forks in her misguided road had brought her here. It wasn't exactly something she was proud of. Few of the inhabitants on this station were content to stay here. And she, too, would leave. Carolyn had always wanted better for her. Now she wanted that for herself. In the morning she would tender her resignation to the Commander and transmit it to the Company. After a brief few weeks, she'd be on her way.
It was settled.
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Riddick reached his room but hesitated before entering. He stepped to Jack's door and opened it with a trick he'd learned in lock-up, but he didn't need to enter. He could not smell her or hear her breathe. Without giving it a thought, he went to Imam's room. His silent entrance didn't wake them, but the light in the room made him wince. "Lights off!"
"What the...?" Jack bolted upright and rubbed her eyes. Imam startled awake and sat rigid as he tried to focus on the intruder. Given the events four days before, Riddick expected a much quicker response from his companions. But hell, they were tired.
"What are you doing in here, Little Girl," Riddick half-playfully muttered in Jack's direction. Before the crash, the sound of his voice would have shriveled their hearts with dread. Now it came as relief. He didn't wait for an answer. They were both breathing, and that was enough.
"Didn't know you cared," Jack shot at him.
Not missing a beat, the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile and he said, "You still don't." Jack could only stare at him. She was not surprised by his comment, and he knew it. Letting the door close quietly behind him, he made the few steps to his own quarters.
He felt no need to share his suspicions with them. Tonight they should rest. Tomorrow would be a new day with new issues to handle.
Once back in his own meager quarters, Riddick lay back heavily on his small bed and stared at the ceiling. This being worried about someone else was new to him. It was a job he hadn't wanted; but then again, he hadn't wanted Carolyn to die either.
Fatigue finally overtook him, placing him at the mercy of sleep's not so pleasant darkness. It may have been hours, or it may have been minutes, but the dream started again. He and Carolyn were standing on the bluff in the darkness. The creatures were there, chirping and circling. He could feel their heat, sense their hunger, smell their breath. He forced back the fear welling up in his throat. He didn't want them to smell it. Carolyn squeezed his hand tighter. She couldn't hide her fear. She didn't know how. He could smell it, and if he could, so could they. The circle of moving, hungry, flesh-eating monsters started to close in, but to his horror they focused on Carolyn. Like all predators, they could sense weakness, single it out, and make a meal of it. "No!" he yelled. "You don't want her! You want me!" He quickly switched places with her, holding her behind him. But they didn't listen. They wanted her. They wanted to taste the fear they smelled. They came closer and continued circling. They were so close the hairs on his arm stood up. Riddick felt one brush against his leg, and then another, and yet another. Before he could react, a flurry of leathery wings burst past him and snatched her from his hands.
"NO!" He bolted upright and sat motionless for a moment to regain control of his senses. With great effort, he stood, tore the clothes from his body, and headed for the shower. He had to wash it off, this nightmare sweat that clogged his thinking with guilt. When was the last time he'd felt guilt? He could not remember. For Richard B. Riddick, remorse had never been an option... and nightmares of any sort had not plagued him for many, many years. This is some fucked up shit, he thought.
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Jack and Imam missed Riddick at breakfast but later found him in cargo bay five-two-zero working on the skiff. To their surprise, a young woman was with him. Jack immediately felt possessive. Riddick was her murderous savior, and she didn't want to share him with anyone.
"What's going on?" she asked when they approached. It appeared he and the woman were taking the thing apart.
"Pickin' the bones," was Riddick's reply.
"What?"
"Scavenging, Jack. They are taking the skiff apart," Imam translated.
"Not quite," Riddick interjected. "Just 'cleaning' it up a bit."
"Yeah, yeah. But why? Don't we need this to get the hell out..."
"This wreck wouldn't take you more than 20 clicks from here," Krissa interrupted her. "However, there is enough here to sell. You can use the money to buy passage on another freighter."
Jack looked at her in disbelief. "Ri..." she almost slipped. "Johns, you trust this broad?" Krissa folded her arms and glared at Jack. Riddick shimmied from under the skiff, took off his borrowed gloves and glared at Jack, too.
"Jack. Imam. Meet Station Liaison Krissa Fry," he said, putting emphasis on the woman's last name. He waited for the introduction to take effect. He saw realization pass quickly over Imam's face and then smirked as Jack's jaw dropped open. None of them said a word. Instead, silence crackled between them as if the introductions had been electrically charged. Riddick shimmied back under the skiff.
"Nice to meet you," he heard Krissa say with a touch of sarcasm. The smirk refreshed itself on his face as he returned to the memory chip housing.
No one spoke for several minutes. There was no movement. No sound. Riddick pulled himself out again and looked at this motley trio. "Are you gonna help or am I gonna do this all by myself?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be right there." Jack possessively crawled under the skiff and stayed next to Riddick.
A half-hour later, after Krissa left for duty, Jack asked the question Riddick knew would come. "Is she related to Carolyn?"
"Yep." He wrenched a metal panel from the skiff's side. "Her sister."
"No shit?"
"No shit." Down came another metal panel.
"Does she know who you are?"
"She knows I'm Johns, if that's what you mean." Jack was relieved for that.
"Okay, she's Carolyn's sister. Big deal. Why do you trust her?"
Riddick halted the skiff's dismemberment and turned a goggled face to Jack's questioning one. The muscles in his neck twitched again. "I never said I did." His seriousness gave her no doubt.
'Cleaning' up the skiff took them over 5 hours, but it was finally done. Jack grumbled the entire time. "I don't know why we had to do that," she said when they were done. "I mean, why didn't we just give 'em the damn thing as it was?"
"We can't sell 'Company' property. They have all scavenging rights."
"Who the fuck says so?" Jack's language was met with a disapproving glance from Imam and a chuckle from Riddick.
"This vessel is logged as coming from the Hunter-Gratzner. That means Company property. That means Company rules."
"Yeah, but what if that captain she mentioned doesn't want this POS?" Jack motioned to the skiff and the heaps of separated 'identifying' debris that littered the docking bay floor.
"Krissa seems to think the captain won't ask questions."
Jack was about to say "There you go trusting her again", but she bit her lip. "So we've taken the bastard apart and now we have to wait. Miss Krissa didn't happen to tell you how long we'd be stranded on this floating heap waiting for that salvage ship, did she?"
None of her sarcasm was lost on Riddick. "Someone needs a nap." He flashed a toothy grin at Imam who merely nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah. Nap. When do the wise men arrive bearing gifts?"
He didn't really want to tell her, considering what he knew she'd expect. But he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. "In two days."
"Lovely. Two more days."
"I thought you'd be elated," Imam began. "Don't you want to leave?"
"I am." She paused briefly and reflected on her own sudden lack of enthusiasm. "I do." With that she stood and walked out of docking bay five-two-zero, leaving her companions to wonder.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sir? May I have a moment?"
"Certainly. Come in."
"Thank you, Sir. I just wanted to inform you that we'll soon have pictures of Johns and Riddick."
"Excellent. How soon is soon?"
"Less than 24 hours, Sir."
She would leave LaPage and go back to the Academy. She had always wanted to be a pilot... just like Carolyn. But she had strayed, and one of the many forks in her misguided road had brought her here. It wasn't exactly something she was proud of. Few of the inhabitants on this station were content to stay here. And she, too, would leave. Carolyn had always wanted better for her. Now she wanted that for herself. In the morning she would tender her resignation to the Commander and transmit it to the Company. After a brief few weeks, she'd be on her way.
It was settled.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Riddick reached his room but hesitated before entering. He stepped to Jack's door and opened it with a trick he'd learned in lock-up, but he didn't need to enter. He could not smell her or hear her breathe. Without giving it a thought, he went to Imam's room. His silent entrance didn't wake them, but the light in the room made him wince. "Lights off!"
"What the...?" Jack bolted upright and rubbed her eyes. Imam startled awake and sat rigid as he tried to focus on the intruder. Given the events four days before, Riddick expected a much quicker response from his companions. But hell, they were tired.
"What are you doing in here, Little Girl," Riddick half-playfully muttered in Jack's direction. Before the crash, the sound of his voice would have shriveled their hearts with dread. Now it came as relief. He didn't wait for an answer. They were both breathing, and that was enough.
"Didn't know you cared," Jack shot at him.
Not missing a beat, the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile and he said, "You still don't." Jack could only stare at him. She was not surprised by his comment, and he knew it. Letting the door close quietly behind him, he made the few steps to his own quarters.
He felt no need to share his suspicions with them. Tonight they should rest. Tomorrow would be a new day with new issues to handle.
Once back in his own meager quarters, Riddick lay back heavily on his small bed and stared at the ceiling. This being worried about someone else was new to him. It was a job he hadn't wanted; but then again, he hadn't wanted Carolyn to die either.
Fatigue finally overtook him, placing him at the mercy of sleep's not so pleasant darkness. It may have been hours, or it may have been minutes, but the dream started again. He and Carolyn were standing on the bluff in the darkness. The creatures were there, chirping and circling. He could feel their heat, sense their hunger, smell their breath. He forced back the fear welling up in his throat. He didn't want them to smell it. Carolyn squeezed his hand tighter. She couldn't hide her fear. She didn't know how. He could smell it, and if he could, so could they. The circle of moving, hungry, flesh-eating monsters started to close in, but to his horror they focused on Carolyn. Like all predators, they could sense weakness, single it out, and make a meal of it. "No!" he yelled. "You don't want her! You want me!" He quickly switched places with her, holding her behind him. But they didn't listen. They wanted her. They wanted to taste the fear they smelled. They came closer and continued circling. They were so close the hairs on his arm stood up. Riddick felt one brush against his leg, and then another, and yet another. Before he could react, a flurry of leathery wings burst past him and snatched her from his hands.
"NO!" He bolted upright and sat motionless for a moment to regain control of his senses. With great effort, he stood, tore the clothes from his body, and headed for the shower. He had to wash it off, this nightmare sweat that clogged his thinking with guilt. When was the last time he'd felt guilt? He could not remember. For Richard B. Riddick, remorse had never been an option... and nightmares of any sort had not plagued him for many, many years. This is some fucked up shit, he thought.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack and Imam missed Riddick at breakfast but later found him in cargo bay five-two-zero working on the skiff. To their surprise, a young woman was with him. Jack immediately felt possessive. Riddick was her murderous savior, and she didn't want to share him with anyone.
"What's going on?" she asked when they approached. It appeared he and the woman were taking the thing apart.
"Pickin' the bones," was Riddick's reply.
"What?"
"Scavenging, Jack. They are taking the skiff apart," Imam translated.
"Not quite," Riddick interjected. "Just 'cleaning' it up a bit."
"Yeah, yeah. But why? Don't we need this to get the hell out..."
"This wreck wouldn't take you more than 20 clicks from here," Krissa interrupted her. "However, there is enough here to sell. You can use the money to buy passage on another freighter."
Jack looked at her in disbelief. "Ri..." she almost slipped. "Johns, you trust this broad?" Krissa folded her arms and glared at Jack. Riddick shimmied from under the skiff, took off his borrowed gloves and glared at Jack, too.
"Jack. Imam. Meet Station Liaison Krissa Fry," he said, putting emphasis on the woman's last name. He waited for the introduction to take effect. He saw realization pass quickly over Imam's face and then smirked as Jack's jaw dropped open. None of them said a word. Instead, silence crackled between them as if the introductions had been electrically charged. Riddick shimmied back under the skiff.
"Nice to meet you," he heard Krissa say with a touch of sarcasm. The smirk refreshed itself on his face as he returned to the memory chip housing.
No one spoke for several minutes. There was no movement. No sound. Riddick pulled himself out again and looked at this motley trio. "Are you gonna help or am I gonna do this all by myself?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be right there." Jack possessively crawled under the skiff and stayed next to Riddick.
A half-hour later, after Krissa left for duty, Jack asked the question Riddick knew would come. "Is she related to Carolyn?"
"Yep." He wrenched a metal panel from the skiff's side. "Her sister."
"No shit?"
"No shit." Down came another metal panel.
"Does she know who you are?"
"She knows I'm Johns, if that's what you mean." Jack was relieved for that.
"Okay, she's Carolyn's sister. Big deal. Why do you trust her?"
Riddick halted the skiff's dismemberment and turned a goggled face to Jack's questioning one. The muscles in his neck twitched again. "I never said I did." His seriousness gave her no doubt.
'Cleaning' up the skiff took them over 5 hours, but it was finally done. Jack grumbled the entire time. "I don't know why we had to do that," she said when they were done. "I mean, why didn't we just give 'em the damn thing as it was?"
"We can't sell 'Company' property. They have all scavenging rights."
"Who the fuck says so?" Jack's language was met with a disapproving glance from Imam and a chuckle from Riddick.
"This vessel is logged as coming from the Hunter-Gratzner. That means Company property. That means Company rules."
"Yeah, but what if that captain she mentioned doesn't want this POS?" Jack motioned to the skiff and the heaps of separated 'identifying' debris that littered the docking bay floor.
"Krissa seems to think the captain won't ask questions."
Jack was about to say "There you go trusting her again", but she bit her lip. "So we've taken the bastard apart and now we have to wait. Miss Krissa didn't happen to tell you how long we'd be stranded on this floating heap waiting for that salvage ship, did she?"
None of her sarcasm was lost on Riddick. "Someone needs a nap." He flashed a toothy grin at Imam who merely nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah. Nap. When do the wise men arrive bearing gifts?"
He didn't really want to tell her, considering what he knew she'd expect. But he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. "In two days."
"Lovely. Two more days."
"I thought you'd be elated," Imam began. "Don't you want to leave?"
"I am." She paused briefly and reflected on her own sudden lack of enthusiasm. "I do." With that she stood and walked out of docking bay five-two-zero, leaving her companions to wonder.
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"Sir? May I have a moment?"
"Certainly. Come in."
"Thank you, Sir. I just wanted to inform you that we'll soon have pictures of Johns and Riddick."
"Excellent. How soon is soon?"
"Less than 24 hours, Sir."