Notes: This story is an Alternate Universe from the movie Pitch Black, so the timeline is a little off from the movie. My characters come from the universe of the TV series "Forever Knight," although I made them (i.e. they're my original creations) and a few technicalities up as I went along. If you are not familiar with FK, don't worry. The characters and events of that series are only mentioned in passing, plus I kinda screw around with the FK canon so it doesn't really matter. ***Addendum: Okay, okay, so I changed my mind, big hairy deal. Part 8 gets Lacroix (one of the main FK characters) more than passingly involved in the story.
Zeke trudged back to the gravesite with a heavy burden...and a heavier conscience. He'd shot a man in cold blood. Sure, he'd thought it was Riddick, but still, the taking of a life wasn't an easy thing to carry. Zeke most certainly didn't want to carry it.
Damn Riddick
, he thought. Working everyone's nerves 'till they're so fucking scared they'd bloody shoot themselves.As he made his way to the grave he'd already dug, he saw that the wind had knocked a corner of his makeshift canopy from its post. He pulled the corner up, meaning to refasten it, but he noticed something.
There was a hole in the side of the grave. Zeke hopped into the grave and examined the hole a bit closer. He heard odd clicking and growling noises inside. Curious, he pulled the loose sand out of the hole's entrance and grabbed his flashlight. The little light didn't provide much illumination, but it was enough for Zeke to see something moving towards him rapidly.
His reaction was to back away, but before he could move, he was shoved out of the way by something that had catapulted itself from the hole and landed on top of him. Zeke struggled to shove it off of him and in doing so the gun in his pocket accidentally went off. The bullet scorched a path along the skin of his thigh. It didn't go below the skin, but it still hurt like a bitch. Zeke clenched his teeth over a scream, pulled the gun out and aimed it at whatever had ejected itself from the hole.
His breath caught in his throat as he stared down the gunbarrel at young woman. She was in her mid-twenties with long, very long red hair and bright green eyes. Her clothes were the tattered remnants of some kind of jumpsuit or uniform. She crouched next to him where he'd shoved her, clearly just as shocked to see another human being as he was.
"Zeke! Zeke!" Shazza's voice cried out. He heard her rapid footsteps approach and then stop when she was visible above the rim of the grave. "Zeke, what-"
Whatever Shazza was going to say next died in her throat as she glanced up and saw Riddick's hulking form towering over Zeke and the girl, clutching a bone knife in his fist. Zeke caught her terrified expression and whirled the gun on Riddick, but he was already gone.
Zeke swore and punched the side of the grave near the hole. The girl backed away from the hole fearfully. The clicking/growling he'd heard earlier resumed. The immediate danger of Riddick gone and not being able to chase after him with a bum leg, Zeke bent to investigate. "Hello?" he called. "Anyone else in there?"
No sooner had he bent down than something grabbed him and yanked him headfirst into the hole. Shazza leapt down and grabbed Zeke's protruding legs. Zeke's gun fired shot after shot, and he screamed in agony. The girl pulled Shazza away from Zeke and the hole. She struggled against the girl but was held in an iron grip. Shazza watched helplessly as the rest of Zeke's body was sucked inside the hole. His screaming died suddenly, and Shazza could hear the sickening sound of bones being crunched.
"Zeke..." she whispered, not wanting to believe what she'd just seen. "Oh, Zeke..."
The girl picked Shazza up and pulled her out of the grave.
* * * * *
Riddick ran from the gravesite through the towering spires. Not because he was afraid of the gun or whatever was making that noise in the hole, but because he needed time to think.
He knew the girl that Zeke had found. Knew her quite well, in fact. The problem was that she was thought to be dead. Riddick had never dared to hope that she might still be alive, not after this much time. Where had she been? Why hadn't she ever come back? Had she been trapped on this planet all this time?
Riddick's whirling thoughts made him miss Johns' presence. As he ran past a spire, Johns whipped his baton around and hit Riddick's ankle. Riddick sprawled on the ground, but was quick to get up. Johns jumped on him, and the two men grappled for control. In the scuffle, Johns managed to pull the dark goggles off of Riddick's face. The harsh triple sunlight instantly blinded his unprotected eyes. Johns used that handicap to land blow upon blow to Riddick's head, eventually knocking him out.
Everyone from the crash soon gathered around Johns and Riddick, even Shazza and the girl. "Alright," Johns said loudly to get everyone's attention. "First, we get him secured at the ship. Then you," he pointed at the girl, who started at Johns' tone of voice, "are going to tell us where the fucking water is."
Johns, Imam, Fry and Paris each took a limb and carried Riddick's large form to the ship, where Johns made sure Riddick wouldn't be able to escape again. That task finished, everyone gathered outside the ship.
Johns addressed the girl. "Okay, so where's the water?"
She said nothing, only stared at the area of the ship where Riddick was held.
Johns smiled. "Don't worry," he soothed. "He's chained up ten ways to Hell. He can't hurt you."
She stared at Johns, cocking her head to one side as if listening to something.
Johns' patience snapped. "Tell us where the goddamned water is!"
Imam stepped between Johns and the girl. "Yelling will only frighten her," he admonished. He turned to her. "What is your name, child?"
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it with a frown. Her throat and jaw muscles worked around, exercising themselves as if it had been a very long time since she had spoken. When the words finally came, they were hoarse and barely above a whisper, "Release him."
Johns was incredulous. "Who? Him?" he pointed to the ship. "You're outta your mind, girlie. He's a murderer. I'm not letting him loose." He took out his gun and aimed it at her face. "The water," he demanded.
Neither of them saw the shocked faces of the others. If they did see, they didn't seem to give a damn.
She smiled with superiority as she slowly sat cross-legged in the sand. With a clearer voice, she said, "If you kill me, you will never find the water. Without me, you will die of thirst before ever finding it. I will not help you until he is released." She crossed her arms and jutted her chin out stubbornly, daring him to test her resolve.
Johns smiled cruelly. "You're gonna let all these people die...even these kids?" He gestured to Jack and the younger of the Islams.
Her smile didn't waver. "I have survived this long without you. I can survive without you now. As for the children, they will die. Be it from thirst today, nightcrawlers tomorrow, or old age in the distant future, they will die. It is only a question of when and how, and what do I care what the answer is?"
Johns raised his gun to hit her with it, but Fry grabbed his arm. "Just release him, Johns. He hasn't actually tried to hurt anyone, and it's the only way we'll survive right now."
Johns stared hard at Fry, then turned his eyes to everyone else. They all nodded in agreement with Fry. "Alright," he said. "Alright, but the first time he lays open someone's throat don't come cryin' to me!"
He stalked into the ship and glared at Riddick, who was now awake. "Here's the deal," he said. "You work without chains, without bit, and without shivs. You help us..."
Riddick stared hard at Johns. He'd heard what had happened outside. His sensitive ears had picked up every last syllable. Now Johns wanted to feel a little more butch about himself after being humbled by a girl, so acted like he was doing Riddick a favor.
Fine by me
, he thought to himself. I'll play along with your game, Mr. Johns, but she and I have been playin' it longer, and we won't be outdone by a bastard like you.Aloud he said, "Help you for what? For the honor of goin' back to some asshole of a cell? Fuck you!"
Johns made a show of putting his gun aside. "Truth is, Riddick, 'cause I'm tired of chasin' you."
Riddick frowned. He hadn't expected that move. Touché, Mr. Johns. "You sayin' you'd cut me loose?"
Johns shrugged. "I'm thinkin' you coulda died in the crash."
Riddick's throat rumbled in a half-growl, half-purr as he considered what Johns said. "My recommendation: do me. Don't take the chance I won't get shiv-happy on your wannabe ass."
"Do we have a deal?" Johns asked.
"Ghost me, motherfucker! I'd do the same to you!"
Johns whipped out the gun and fired a blast at Riddick's head. He'd ducked, and the shot tore through the chains that held him back. He slowly lowered his arms and let the shot stop ringing through his ears.
"I want you to remember this moment...the way it could have gone, but didn't." Johns held out the goggles to Riddick. "Do we have a deal?"
Riddick reached out with one hand to accept the offering, then thrust out his other and snatched the gun from Johns' grip. He stood there, torn between the desire to end their cat-and-mouse games, and the desire for freedom.
"I want you to remember this moment," he menaced, then tossed the gun aside and took his goggles.
Outside, the girl had stood up and was waiting for the two men to emerge. Everyone got nervous when they heard the gunshot. If Riddick had killed Johns, then Riddick had a weapon and their best protection against him was dead. If Johns had killed Riddick, then this girl might not lead them to water, and let them die of thirst. Only she knew better, though. She saw Riddick come out first with Johns (and his gun) close behind. The chains around his wrists dragged behind him, making twin tracks in the sand.
"Okay," said Johns jovially. "Now that everyone's here, let's go find that water."
The girl smiled impishly. "Did you apologize to him?"
"Apologize for what?!"
"For beating him up. That was very rude of you, you know."
Riddick smiled.
Johns scowled darkly at her. A muscle worked in his jaw as if he were pretending to bite off her head. He turned to Riddick and gave him a curt "Sorry!"
She clucked her tongue at him. "I don't think you meant it."
Riddick laughed at Johns' darkening face. He didn't know Johns could turn that particular shade of purple. "Ah, Angel-girl. I have missed your sense of humor."
She giggled and ran to him. His big arms swept her up into an embrace. "I've missed you too, Richie."
"You two know each other?" Johns asked. That shade of purple didn't really look healthy to Riddick.
Riddick let go of her, but kept a protective arm around her shoulders. "Forgive my manners, Johns. Angel, this is Mr. Johns, the bastard of a merc that's been hunting me for over a year now. Johns, this is Angela Riddick...my baby sister."
