Okay, this is my first fanfic. Hopefully it isn't a completely worthless attempt. Alright, a little background to the story. It takes place after PB, but before TCOR. I'm completely disregarding Dark Fury, because I want to. If you don't like it, you can just not like it. This story will be told from two different POVs depending on the chapter (Riddick and a character of my own invention). I may bring one more POV in later on. Now, it may take me a bit to update the story regularly because I'm in college and class comes first. I will try to update every week or so. I'm just going to be starting with Chapter 1 for now, but I'm finishing up 2.

Recommended Listening for this chapter (I'm pairing NIN songs with each chapter):

"Me, I'm not" from the album Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails

Okay, now time the thing that we all hate…

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Riddick's not mine. The story from which this story is based is not mine. The characters aren't mine (except those I created). It's just not mine, but I'm still going to have my fun…

Alright, with that said, on to the story!

Chapter 1: Riddick

Leaving the kid and the holy man in New Mecca had probably been the least selfish thing I'd done, ever. Some would say going back for them on T2 was more selfless, but in reality I needed some persuasion for that one. Had Carolyn not gotten to me first, I would have been off that planet without them or a second thought. Running, again, like the selfish fuck I am. It took her to show me what being human really was; to be part of something bigger than myself. I understood when I looked into her eyes as she was taken. "Not for me." Acting for the sake of others was one thing. Sacrificing yourself was on a whole other fucking level.

That's why I left them. Of course the kid idolized me. Hell, I'd even grown to somewhat like her constant questions and more than cocky attitude. She really thought she could hang with the big boys. She deserved better than this damned life. She deserved a home and a father, not a life on the run with a many times convicted killer. That's where the holy man came in.

He was good, understanding. He was caring, but most of all, he didn't have fucking mercs on his neck. He agreed to take her in, care for her, make sure she got the life she deserved.

So, when we landed in New Mecca after being picked up by a merchant vessel, I immediately made preparations to leave, again. Sure, we told them that Riddick had died on T2 and that I was a merc named Johns. No one would really fucking care whether Johns had lived or died, he was a merc. Yes, he was cop, but he was still a merc. Not exactly an upstanding citizen. People don't fucking care about mercs. So, people wouldn't have cared if he lived, died, or disappeared, much less would they have cared about what he looked like. It was a good idea in theory, but who the fuck was really going to believe that Riddick had just rolled over and died on that piece of shit rock? No one, that's fucking who. So, after only being in New Mecca for two days, I was ready to steal a ship and jump planet. I knew the kid would be pissed, but she'd have to get over it. After all, I was doing this for her. Only God fucking knows how long she'd stay on that planet, though, given her temper and determination. I could only hope that she'd listen to the holy man, go to school, meet a guy, and all that happy bunnies and rainbows bullshit.

All that really mattered was that I got away before anyone suspected me. If I could go back, I'd probably take the time to say goodbye. Too late now, though…

So, I stole a ship. I left. I headed out somewhere I didn't know. I drifted. I just needed some space to think, and what's bigger space than space itself?

Think… I was big, bad Riddick. I killed a guy for threatening a girl around thirteen. I didn't kill him for my own survival. I didn't kill him because he was threatening me. Fuck, I was getting soft. Who the fuck was I to be caring about the well being of a kid? Much less, who the fuck was I to be jumping planet for her well being? I just kept thinking about that kid. The kid everyone thought was a boy; little Jackyln, Jackie, Jack.

Too much thinking is what got me caught. I'd been out for about three weeks. I was right when I thought that no one would believe that cock and bull story the holy man told the merchants. No one fucking believed it. Well, not the mercs at least. I stopped on a dive of a planet in a dive of a city to refuel without being noticed. Didn't work, I was noticed. Fuck was I noticed. I was noticed and labeled the big pay day.

I was thinking about the kid when they got me. Next fucking thing I know, I had six tranquilizer darts in my back. Yes, it took six darts to take me down. Somehow, I lasted long enough to take out my shiv. I took one of them down. Fucking merc, that's what you get when you don't realize who the fuck you're dealing with. It didn't matter to the others that I'd taken him down. He was just one less in the split for the bounty. The tranquilizers were doing their job. They had me.

I was on my way back. Back to slam, to life outside humanity. It's not like I was exactly living life with humanity as it was. It was back to chains and bits. Fuck. Back to the animal; the only fucking way to fucking survive.

Okay, I know it's pretty short (less than 1,000 words). I still think it's a decent launch point, though. Next chapter introduces the other main character, one of my own invention. I hope you liked this one. Please review. Your feedback would be much appreciated!!!