Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OCs and plot.
Envy
Riddick scanned the crowd looking for the right one. He wasn't looking to leave a trail. It needed to be an easy mark, one that wouldn't give him too much trouble. He made his way through the market with his hood up, keeping to the shadows.
His eyes were drawn to her as she crossed the street before him. She wore a loose fitting sari of brown and gold, its colors befitting their desert surroundings, but she wasn't a native.
Definitely a spacer.
He could tell by the pallor of her skin and the boots she wore. She didn't see him there, watching her, didn't sense him. She wasn't a merc or a military whore, just one of the thousands making their home among the stars. From the cleanliness of her clothes and the newness of her boots he knew it must be a sweet home. Maybe a small cruiser, one of those new designs meant to sustain a small company. He could take out a small company. He could take out a large one. No problem. Riddick followed her to the edge of the spaceport. He stayed a safe distance behind just in case someone else was keeping an eye on her. He watched her make purchases at the various stalls and overheard her name … Moira. It was a pretty name and the woman who bore it wasn't exactly unattractive, she just wasn't Riddick's type, not at all. She was too short, too soft…almost fragile looking. There was no fire in her eyes, just this gentle, kindly expression as she bartered with the vegetable seller. Her mousy brown hair was tied up in a bun and several loose strands framed her face. She was nothing like the women he knew, the mercs, the whores, the hard ass bitches locked up in Slam. She was weak…no survival instinct. This was going to be easy.
He followed her to the ship. A small craft designed to house a family. He watched her punch a code into the access panel. The hatch opened, granting her entry.
He waited several minutes before approaching the dock. He punched the code and moved slowly into the cargo hold. He could hear the woman's voice on the ship's comm system. She was talking with someone on the bridge.
"Got everything?" a male voice asked.
"Yup," the woman's reply. "Where's Brian?"
"Napping- the lazy bum."
The woman laughed, "I'll tell him you said that."
The comm cut out and Riddick assessed the situation. Only the woman and two men, maybe two more - the ship could only carry five. He could take them out…one by one or all at once, if they were as weak as their woman.
He reached an open doorway and heard movement coming from inside. He ventured a glance around the edge of the doorframe. The woman was in there with her back to the door.
Damn fool.
She was standing in front of a dresser cabinet occupied with something. He had to move quickly, quietly, if he was going to take her by surprise. Lucky for him, the air vents were emitting a constant hum loud enough to cover the sound of his soles sliding across the floor.
He had his hands on her before the woman knew he was there. He spun her around, pinning her against the dresser table. He covered her mouth with his left hand and with his right brought a blade to bear on her exposed throat. Those kind eyes widened in terror.
"Don't make a sound or I'll…," whatever Riddick planned on saying next vanished instantly from his mind. His gaze moved past the woman's shoulder to what he'd thought was a dresser. It wasn't a dresser; it was a cradle, and lying within, an infant fast asleep. The child was swathed in blue.
A boy?
Riddick stared at the tiny form for a considerable amount of time before pulling his eyes away from the child and returning them to his…mother?
Riddick's hand fell away from the woman's mouth and he released her, stepping away.
"Please…don't hurt him," she whispered.
Riddick's attention was fixed on the woman. Her words stung like salt in an open wound. "Him?" Riddick said in mock challenge. "Not afraid I'll hurt you?"
The woman was afraid. He knew that with every bit of instinct he possessed. But she made no attempt to escape. She stayed between him and the sleeping child, her voice and eyes hardening before she answered, "It doesn't matter what you do to me. I won't let you hurt him."
Those words were like a slap in the face for a man whose own mother had thrown him away like so much trash.
He'd never envied any man more than the babe lying in that crib.
Riddick's eyes moved between the child and his mother. He took a step backward, then another. Before he knew what he was doing, Riddick was at the door. He kept his eyes locked on the woman and she, for her part, never looked away.
"I was never here," he told her meaningfully.
She nodded slowly before Riddick turned and vanished from sight.