Prologue.

*Riddick's POV*

U. V. SYSTEM; PLANET 6.

It has been five years since I have smelt Mercenaries – dirty, sweaty and full of useless adrenaline – and it still arouses the same boiling hatred inside me as it did before. It has been a long one-thousand eight-hundred and twenty-six days since I've had to interact with another single human, let alone four all at once and just like it did before; it bores and aggravates me hugely and deeply.

The thick snow tangled itself in my long beard and hair, freezing almost instantly due to the sub-zero temperatures as I ran steadily over the ice tops towards the dense cave mouth a few yards in front. I listened intently to the noises radiating from behind me; the rumbling of engines and heavy intakes of air taken by the men situated in holsters hanging from either side of the ships metal wings, wielding large guns loaded with nets attached to sharp steel-headed arrows. I knew it wasn't going to be long until people began to question my fictional death and another bounty was placed upon my head. And to think, I was just getting used to the idea of freedom, stupid me, a convict should know better than to use childish words like that.

I darted quickly and agilely into the mysterious cave dodging the hunting nets being rapidly fired after me but as I moved out from behind a tall pillar made out of frozen-solid rock, one of the steel arrows slyly entered through the well-toned muscle of the gastrocnemius in my lower left leg. I paused for a millisecond to crouch down and swiftly removed the arrow free from my limb before turning back to growl angrily at the Mercenary ship hovering a meter-or-so outside the cave entrance with its brightly headlights lightening up the inside of the cave.

"Riddick." A snarling voice echoed happily from the elderly speakers situated on top of the craft either side of the pilot's windscreen.

I stood up quickly and turned gracefully in one swift movement to face the ship, strapped safely into the pilot seat, a male Merc – Toombs – shouted orders to his crew members, the men on the wings examined the entrance and wittedly shouted back to him about the density of the cave mouth but Toombs was ballsy and insisted there was enough room for the ship to fit through the cave from where he was sitting; the men didn't argue with him, they reloaded their guns and steadied themselves. I grinned darkly and from my furred I removed my recently sharpened shiv's and used my head to gesture for them to come into the cave, drawing them in as best as I could before darting into the shadows, the uneven walls of the cave were created and shaped by thick frozen snow and my shiv's dug into the walls with ease allowing me to climb-up without a strain and pull myself up onto a narrow ledge; the caves interior was filled with these narrow ice ledges that presented unsteady pathways to different spots within the cave. I needed the Merc's to come inside, I wanted their ship and I was going to take it from them.

My heavy snow boots sunk into the ledges as I edged a small distance around the inside of the cave to stand onto a much larger ledge where another frozen pile of rock was situated. I darted across the open gap to press my back firmly against the rocks slipping around the sides depending on the angle of the Merc on the left wing. Timing is critical; as the male disappeared from view coming towards me behind the pile of rock, I twisted myself right – shiv's gripped tightly in my hands – as the ships wing drifted passed slowly, the long blade cut with ease through the top of the tensed material of the Merc's holster, releasing him and allowing him to plummet to the ground. Not killing him, with the amount of snow beneath, it would be difficult even at this height to die from falling. With the ship still moving, I gripped onto the cold metal of the back wing and pulled myself up to the safety of the ships roof. The second Merc on the wing was cut free within five seconds of his co-worker.

Two down; two to go. My own sly voice chuckled inside my head, I knew this was going to be easy but boy, I didn't think it would be this easy. The headlights on the front of the ship turned from one wing to another as Toombs slowly began to grasp the reality his crew was disappearing but he refused to turn around, instead, he ordered his last crewmember to grab the last net gun from the rack beside Toombs pilot seat and open the ships entrance/exit door because he was now Toombs new gunner but he was to remain in the doorway. Not a problem for me.

I crouched down on the edge of the ships curved metal roof, watching the Merc inches below me with curious eyes as he scanned the ground below him and the caves walls in front, his body emitted an overpowering mix of smells: sweat and fear. Fear is an unusual smell, it's different for each unique person; his was a rich smell similar to cinnamon and honey, sickly. As the Merc muttered words of encouragement to himself, I reached down to grab the coat situated at his shoulders knocking him off balance before lifting and pulled him forwards, effectively dragging him over the ledge, the gun escaped his grip and plummeted to the sharp rocks shattering into metal pieces, the Merc's body narrowly missed a similar fate. The long yell the Merc seemed necessary to release from his lungs as he fell alerted Toombs inside the ship. I listened intently to the sounds emerging from the ships interior; the swivelling of the pilots chair back and forth then swiftly followed by the clicking and flicking of buttons. Certain that Toombs was otherwise occupied putting the ship into hover mode than to watch his own back, I swung silently into the Mercenary ship and took a pleasant seat on top of the cargo boxes placed at the rear of the ship by the door and watched Toombs successfully place the ship into hover mode then swivel around in his chair with his eyes locked on the unbuckle button of his seatbelt but before he could undo his belt, freeing himself, I spoke.

"You made three mistakes," I said clearly as Toombs raised his head upwards to stare at me. "First; you took the job. Second; you came light, a four man crew for me? Fucking insulting. But the third and worst mistake you made…"

Toombs quickly pressed down on the button releasing the buckles of his seatbelt and darted sharply for the gun rack – which was empty – he sighs angrily and glanced up at me.

"…Empty gun rack." I tut.

I knew myself across the small gap to grab a large handful of Toombs black hair and slam his head forcefully against the wall of the ship splitting open the skin on top of the eyebrow bone. Toombs's body flopped like a fish into one of the crewmember's seats. I carefully removed one of my long shiv's from my coat.

"What's the bounty on my head?" I ask.

"One mil." Toombs spat.

Liar. My glare hardened as I stamped all my weight onto Toombs's right foot before stabbing only the tip of my shiv into the inner side of his left knee.

"One-point-five." Toombs revealed.

I distinctly licked the inner rim of my bottom lip, "What slam pays one-point-five for a convict?" I questioned.

Toombs clocked his head to the side quickly, "Private party." He spat again.

I clenched my teeth annoyed by Toombs sudden burst of confidence, I removed the blade from his flesh and ran the blade up the inside of his leg cutting the cheap fabric on the way up towards his groin.

"Hey!" Toombs cried, I stopped the blade, "Anonymous, that's what the sheet said!" he said loudly raising his hands in a mock surrender.

"WHAT PLANNET!" I yelled fiercely.

"Helion Prime." Toombs muttered in defeat.

My stomach retracted painfully as my chest tightened but this was no time for weakness, especially not in front of a Mercenary but Toombs snatched his opportunity during my brief moment of struggle. He leapt forward but I was faster, I raised the sharp blade to his throat restricting his movement.

"Whoa, where are you going?" I ask humorously, "Last question and you better get this one right Merc; whose ship is this?"

Toombs raised a curious eyebrow, "Mine?" he chocked.

I signed heavily and grabbed the back of Toombs head, pulled him up from his seat and led him to the door of the ship before kicking him off. I closed and locked the door shut before taking a seat in the pilot's station and putting the ship into gear so I can leave this godforsaken planet behind for good.

I knew they'd come for me, took them five years but I knew. You don't expect these Merc to have any honour, any code but this new bounty from a Holy-Man, a guy whose neck I saved once, a lesson learnt, no such word as friend, it can only end badly when you let someone get to close. Bad for them.

So now back to all brightness and everything I hate. I wonder if she will be there. Little Jack.