Ghost

by Allformeandmeforall

It's been a couple years after Riddick ditched the kid, Jack, and he finds himself in a certain situation. A new merc toy sticks him with a sexy female companion. He goes through lengths to ditch Ghost only to find he needs her, in more ways than one.

Air. Mans greatest enemy; the thing relied on for life. It prevents us from manning space alone, swimming forever, and in my case, escaping. Maybe it was partially my fault, over-estimating merc life. Thinkin' they might have somewhere to go, something better to do than wait around for a convict in a frozen lake. Could've beaten them, if I didn't need air. If I wasn't shaky from lack of it, if my brain wasn't foggy from too long without it. Damn air.

Riddick stumbled onto the transport, his shirt hanging in rags off his bulging muscles, blood marring his finely tanned skin. "Watch it boys, I'm fragile cargo. There's no reason to get rough." He said, a smirk dancing in the corners of his mouth, just out of sight. Three men, each with a gun aimed at Riddick's head and each with a unique and painful injury, entered behind the criminal.

"Shut up!" One man, a bloody rag tied around his head and covering his left eye socket, shouted; jabbing his gun into Riddick's side. Riddick pretended to stumble in pain, when really he was getting a feel for the weak transport seats. He surveyed his new company; the transport was filled with small-time convicts, probably the type needed to keep food on the mercs table every night. Everyone avoided his gaze, all but one. A man from the looks of it, though something was off… His scent was… ah. A female disguised as a man watched Riddick with a calculating look as he sat next to a convict that couldn't stop shaking.

"Watcha in for?" He asked, giving the girl a lazy look-over. She smiled coldly and rolled her dark grey eyes.

"Shut up!" Riddick was ordered again. He shrugged.

"Just trying to be polite." He said loudly. Two mercs stood from their bullet-proof glass sanctuary in the front of the transport. "Uh oh, looks like I pissed off the big boys." Riddick said to his neighbor. The woman glared angrily at him.

"Get out the bug zapper, Jonis." One man ordered. The woman sighed and shook her head.

"What's the bug zapper? Some sort of pest-control contraption?" Riddick asked, grinning uncaringly.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact. It helps control pests like you." The merc replied, holding out his hand as someone placed a simple looking bar with two latches on each end in his hand. The two men whispered angrily to each other, Jonis insisting something, eyes frightened, and the other trying to hand the bar back. Finally he gave in with a swipe of his hand, sending the other man to the ground. His demeanor changed instantly as he faced Riddick again. "Only problem is it's a two-person game. I think your pretty little boyfriend here would love to try out our new toy with you." The woman's head snapped up at this, and then her burning eyes turned their fire on Riddick, who actually felt threatened, not to mention extremely attracted, to this new human. Her cuffs were tugged and a thick metal latch wrapped around it, the other end on Riddick's. "Now you see how this works? I only have to push this button here and…" The girl let out a grunt before clenching her teeth to prevent anymore sounds of pain from escaping. Riddick's smile was replaced with a grimace as volts of electricity pulsed through his body. "And now no more pests to bother me." The man laughed, pushed the button again for good measure, and returned to the front.

"Good going asshole." The woman whispered so low Riddick barely heard her. The bulk of a man shrugged her anger off as if he didn't care, though his eyes darted around behind his dark tinted glasses, evaluating his situation. He felt his hand being tugged and looked back at the woman he was now attached to. She tilted her head towards the window, where the wire covering the thin Plexiglas was rusted and broken, resulting in a sharp point that just might unlock cuff locks. She pulled again at her wrists, and Riddick understood what she wanted. He glanced at the front of the bus, where five mercs congratulated each other on capturing over five million dollars worth of bounty, half of that being Riddick. In a flash of movement he dodged across the isle into the woman's seat. Not quick enough, however, to avoid detection.

"What's the bright idea here?" The man asked, holding down the button that sent pain through Riddick's body.

"Not you, that's for sure." Riddick muttered.

"What was that?" The merc demanded, continuing the electricity. The woman beside him twitched in pain, but when Riddick looked down at her, he saw a perfectly blank expression on her face. Damn she was good. "Well?" The merc demanded.

"He farted." Riddick answered suddenly as he nodded to his previous seat-buddy, earning a flash of a smile from the woman and a stutter from the merc. For a moment the pain stopped, then it continued for another second.

"Shut up you dumbshit!" The girl growled in a gruff voice, and Riddick saw her wink just in time before she clobbered him over the head. Damn she was strong. Riddick slumped, feigning unconsciousness, and heard the merc chuckle. As the man turned to walk away Riddick stuck out a boot and sent the man flying to the floor, where convicts chuckled and sneered at him. Once he'd gone back to the front, the woman pulled Riddick's arms.

"Sit up a little, I can't reach." She muttered, holding her arms up to the broken metal. Riddick obeyed and heard the rewarding sound of a lock undoing. Unfortunately the metal bar fell to the ground with loud crash of metal, and Riddick winced before sitting up, hoping the mercs hadn't noticed. In a flash guns were drawn and aimed, and Riddick was up and attacking. Two men, already unconscious. Riddick ignored the sting of a bullet in his already mauled shoulder. Suddenly, two more men dead and one left, a very frightened looking driver. Riddick turned to see the woman throw an empty gun on the floor, reach into her skin, and pull another out.

"Neat trick." Riddick mused, earning a fierce glare and cold smile. She approached the driver, Riddick's strong body directly behind her as he leered over her short five foot six inches.

"There are two ways to do this. And both ways you end up dead. The first way, you drive me where I want to go and I shoot you, quick and easy. The second way, I drive me where I want to go and I tie you to the back of the transport, dragging behind us like a rag doll." The man's hands were shaking when he stood up, and the woman tried to take a step back but was stopped by Riddick blocking the way. Suddenly the man grabbed a tube of what appeared to be muddy water and jabbed out, sticking one end in the woman's arm and the other in Riddick's. She winced at the prick of the tube piercing her skin, them smiled grimly. "Poor choice." She said, holding up the gun. A sudden pain, greater than any she'd ever experienced before, crawled up her spine and wretched a scream from her lips. Riddick too felt the excruciating pain and let out a deep growl, snatching the gun from the woman's hands and filling the man with bullets. But not before the man pressed a large green button; the emergency button that would call every merc within ten miles for help as well as lock down the transport. When the man was dead the pain stopped, though Riddick felt an unpleasant linger of electricity. He pulled at the mechanism and the pain returned for both of them.

"Damn it! Come on!" He ordered, frustrated. He couldn't get the damn thing free right now, not with the transport beacon calling all mercs and cops to them. Riddick half dragged half carried the woman to the back of the haul, pressing a combination of buttons and cursing. Gathering her bearings once more, the woman started digging through barrels of repair tools, careful to keep the tube loose and undisturbed for fear of the pain returning. Evidently finding what she was looking for, she wordlessly took Riddick's hand in hers and pulled him towards the door. She lit the blowtorch and aimed it not at the door but at the ceiling, making sure to hit the door wiring and set off the sprinklers, sending foam down.

"If there is a fire and it reaches the door locking system, it overrides any settings and the doors will open. Safety feature." She said, voice still falsely male. Riddick grinned at her ingeniousness as the door light went from red to flashing between red and green as it quickly lowered. The transport was still driving, hovering a good ten feet off the ground.

"Down we go." Riddick growled, grabbing the smaller 'man' and jumping.

The two rolled, coming to an eventual stop at the bottom of a sloping hill with Riddick leaning over her, their bodies pressed together. "Hey." He said with a grin. The woman threw him off her, sending a jolt of pain as the tube pulled at their skin.

"Son of a mother fucking bitch!" She muttered.

"Now is that any way for a lady to talk?" Riddick asked. She froze for less than a second, but it was a moment too long for Riddick; he knew the game was up.

"Call me what you want, you're still stuck with me." She replied in a gruff voice. Riddick chuckled.

"You hide your appearance well enough, but you can't mask your smell." Riddick leaned in close, taking a deep breath. "Like peaches and vanilla mixed with sweat and plastic." He said, his stubbly chin rubbing against her neck. A switchblade was suddenly pressed hard against his crotch.

"Back off." She said, no longer feigning a male voice. Riddick decided she must be one hell of a singer, for her voice was high but delicate. With a sigh he obeyed, but not before licking her earlobe. "You even taste good." He whispered, disappointed when he didn't feel a shudder of fear. With an angry sigh the woman looked down at herself.

"I suppose it would be easier to travel without this, though it took me weeks to steal." She said, starting to strip. "Do you mind?" She asked, glaring at Riddick.

"Not at all." He said in a taunting voice, eyes glued to her body. With a sigh she finished stripping, and Riddick was amazed to see a flawless male body. Suddenly she reached into her own skin and started pulling out weapons and transportable food. When she finished, the woman searched for her knife, held it to her chest, and plunged it into her skin up to the hilt. She peeled away skin in thick layers, and Riddick could see now that it had an unnatural shine to it, much like rubber.

"Synthetic skin, stole it myself." She bragged as the skin landed at her feet in great heaps. She pulled off manly chest muscles to reveal perfect breasts.

"For someone masquerading as a man you sure don't have much modesty." He said, taking in her very beautiful, and now completely feminine body.

"Modesty is for people with flaws." She replied immediately, holding up the cargo pants to find they wouldn't fit her now slenderized waist. With an angry sigh she turned away from Riddick, careful to keep the tube unmoved, and dug through her pile of weapons and objects for string. Riddick stared at her back, hundreds of scars, some raised, some angry and red as if still freshly healed, covered her delicate muscles. Bullet stars, raised knife punctures, and whip marks covered her skin so well it almost appeared like it was supposed to be the pink silvery color. The scars thinned as Riddick's eyes went lower, across her buttocks, down her thighs, until they stopped around her calves.

"Worked on planet Horas lately?" Riddick asked casually. The woman slid the pants on, tied a cord to hold them up, and sighed angrily as she attempted to slip on a shirt but was stopped by the tube of murky substance.

"Nope, never been. Is it nice?" She asked, using her knife to cut the sleeves off the shirt completely and instead tied it around her breasts, making a sort of temporary tube top .

"Depends on what you think makes a good vacation spot. Horas is the slavery capital of the galaxy." Riddick said in her ear. She didn't even flinch at his proximity.

"I wasn't a slave. Just had a… temperamental father. You could say he transformed me into the sort of woman I am today." She said. Riddick smiled.

"And what sort of woman is that?" He asked, picking up a gun from the pile of weapons and slipping it into his pocket.

"The murdering sort. Come one. We should get going, this place will be swarming with mercs soon." She said.

"My mother told me never to go anywhere with strangers." Riddick said, squaring his body so she couldn't move him.

"And mine told me never to get naked in front of a stranger unless I knew he had cash on him." She replied, turning to face him. Riddick grinned down at her, realizing that she hadn't put shoes on and now stood at five foot three. He had a full foot and a half advantage over her, a fact which didn't appear to phase her in the least.

"Riddick." He finally said, caving first. She smirked.

"I know who you are. I've been living in your shadow for two years now. Call me Ghost." She answered. Riddick was slightly impressed. Since his mysterious disappearance two years ago, his new prodigy was the infamous Ghost, who many believed was actually Riddick himself.

"Well you've kept my name in good shape." He said, "any ideas what this is?" He added, holding up the five foot tube connecting them.

"Not a clue. Never seen it before. I doubt it's legal." Ghost mused. Riddick nodded.

"Figured. Give me your knife." Ghost sighed and glanced around anxiously, then agreed.

"We need to get going." She said as she handed over the blade. Riddick ignored her and pulled the knife back, then plunged it into the tube. The pain was so intense he fell to his knees with a roar, but he continued to dig the knife in and prayed it would sever the tube. Someone screaming in the background caught his attention and suddenly the blade broke and the pain ceased.

"What. The. Fuck." Ghost panted. Her hands shook, and Riddick took a moment to return to his senses. He tried to stand, stumbled, fell to his knees again. He looked to see the pain had been worth it, if he'd at least made a dent in the tube, but the broken blade had melted into the tube and covered the hole he'd made.

"Fuck it!" He growled, feeling his temper rise.

"You idiot!" Ghost exclaimed, her body twitching from the intensity of the last attempt of escaping the contraption. Riddick felt soft hands against his cheek, and the woman's face was so close he half expected her to kiss him. She pulled her hand away, soaked in blood, and Riddick realized he was bleeding from every orifice on his face. Sirens reach their ears, and Ghost cursed quietly. "Come on, you idiot." She said in a low voice, stuffing as many weapons and food packets as she could into a sack and grabbing Riddick's thick arm to pull him to his feet. As soon as he was standing he took off, Ghost keeping easy pace with his long strides. They ran for hours without pausing or glancing back, the police and their sniffers lost in the dessert hills.

Ghost stopped first. "I'm tired." She announced, though she was not sweating and her breath was barely irregular. Riddick nodded, an unpleasant cramping in his spin making him feel exhausted. "God it's freezing." She muttered, digging through her bag and finding nothing that would help warm her but an insta-heat meal. Riddick watched the sunset, wishing it was night so he could remove his sunglasses. Ghost wiped dried blood from her skin, wishing she had water to spare. She glanced at Riddick, who was sizing up a sharp rock, and kicked his hand, sending the stone flying away. Instantly Riddick had a hand around her neck. "Don't even think about trying anything. We don't know what this thing in us is, and I am not going to suffer for your stupidity again." She snarled as Riddick's fingers tightened around her throat. After a moment he released her and nodded.

"Agreed." He said blandly. Ghost rolled her eyes and fingers brushed more blood from her skin, feeling a ring of wet where Riddick had held her neck. She scrunched her nose and looked at Riddick, his skin sticky with sand and blood and sweat, a wound on his shoulder scabbing over but still fresh looking.

"You're filthy." She commented softly, running a delicate hand over Riddick's shoulders. She was as tall as him when he was in the half crouched position he was in now, with one knee on the ground and his back erect.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you're a convict." He said quietly, wondering what she was trying to pull. She sighed gently and leaned over his back, one hand running along his bare chest; shirt long gone somewhere in the dunes. Her other hand trailed across his shoulder, grazing the gunshot wound. With a sudden jerk, so quick Riddick didn't even have time to flinch, two fingers dug into his skin and were out again, bullet in hand. Already the wound felt better. Again, she ran a soft hand along his back, nails dragging behind and leaving his skin tingling from their delicate touch, when suddenly they dug into his shoulder blade muscle, pulling out a second bullet.

"Doesn't that feel better?" Ghost purred in his ear, removing her hands. It did, but Riddick didn't admit it. Ghost blinked in the twilight, stifling a yawn. She hadn't slept in so long, but she wouldn't be the first to pass out. She'd stay up and keep an eye on Riddick. Suddenly the man reached up and removed his sunglasses, eyes reflecting in the faint light. He heard Ghost gasp and she got as close as possible to his without touching him, their noses centimeters apart, her sweet breath tickling his lips. "So it's true." She whispered. "Where the hell can I get eyes like that?" She asked, leaning back. Riddick blinked and his expression softened as he was suddenly reminded of Jack. Absently he crossed his arms, sending Ghost flying to the side as she tried to prevent the tube from pulling. "What the fuck!" She cried when Riddick pulled back again, misinterpreting her actions for some sort of attack and disturbing the tube, sending pain through their bodies. Riddick and Ghost both fell to the ground, Ghost ending up with her head in Riddick's lap. He smirked cruelly.

"While you're down there…" He said, giving the woman a look. Ghost rolled her gray eyes.

"Sorry Riddick, but crude jokes have no effect on me." She sneered, sitting up indignantly.

"Who said it was a joke? Anyways, go to sleep so you don't lag behind." He ordered. Now it was Ghost's turn to cross her arms.

"Don't you dare order me about Riddick. If it wasn't for me you'd still be stuck on that transport, heading off to some prison. I am nowhere near as weak as you think I am, old man." That did it; with a leap Riddick was on his feet lunging at Ghost, who dodged. With a tug she sent pain down both their spines, causing Riddick to become unbalanced and land with a crash. He recovered quickly and leapt again, this time catching Ghost in the middle and sending her backwards. Her leg wrapped around the tubes and got caught, sending them to the ground in pain. Riddick grabbed her leg and flipped her over, untangling her leg and forcing her to land awkwardly atop him. "I… have an idea." She panted suddenly, scuffle forgotten.

"So do I, but it requires me being on top." He said, rolled over and pinning the considerably smaller woman beneath him. She rolled her eyes again, completely unfazed, and pulled a shiv from a hiding spot in her pants.

"Give me your arm." She ordered, casually pushing the man off her and reaching for the arm with the tube jutting from it.

"What's your plan?" He asked, eyeing the sharp blade with wary suspicion.

"Don't be a baby. Just give me your arm, I'm going to cut the tube out of your skin." She said, pulling his thick tree-trunk arm into her lap. Riddick clenched his fist, thinking. If she cut around it and it worked, he'd be released and could easily dispatch her. If she did herself first, then she'd be free and able to kill him. But then again, there were no guarantees she'd be able to cut it away. The risk of a little cut in his arm was worth it and he released his clenched fist, relaxing the muscles in his arm. At first he didn't feel the shiv, the blade so thin and sharp it pierced his skin without resistance. Then the blood welled and dripped, and the steady pulse of pain began.

"I'm going to sleep, wake me when you finish." Riddick said gruffly, his gravely voice empty of emotion or pain.

"Sure." Ghost muttered, straining her eyes to avoid any disastrous incidents. Then again, she thought, perhaps it would be easier to shank the man now, while he was unaware and asleep, then sever his arm and escape on her own. But the weight, the hassle of constantly trying to avoid disturbing the five foot long tube. At least with him on the other end, the pair could keep it taught enough to avoid disturbing it, while loose enough so they didn't stress it. It appeared she'd be stuck with him until they at least figured out what this was, and then she'd get him before he got her.

Riddick woke, ashamed he'd actually fallen asleep. His hand was cramped from falling asleep with his curved shiv clutched so tightly. His hand was still in Ghost's hands, gently held in her soft fingers, while her hair hid her face. Steady breathing told Riddick she was slumbering, but she stirred when Riddick moved his arm. He glared at the hole she'd made in his skin, so round that pearly white bone shown clearly, tendrils that emerged from the tube wrapping up around the bone, some even stuck in the bone, snuck up and out of sight. "Unless you want to chop off your arm, I think we're stuck together." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. Riddick caught the alarm in her tone and glanced up, the morning sun making him wince. He deftly flicked his glasses over his eyes. "Smell that? Someone's nearby." Riddick tilted his head and sniffed deeply, smelling sand, blood, sweat, woman, and something else…

"Or something." Riddick growled, standing, shiv ready. Ghost snuck her own knife, then decided she's rather use one of the guns she'd magicked out of the synthetic suit.

"Do you know what it is?" Ghost asked, eyes scanning the surrounding dunes, waiting for the danger.

"No, but I think mercs are the least of our problems right now." He commented. Ghost sighed as if this news agitated her rather than frightened her. "Come on, let's get going." Riddick said, throwing the miscellaneous items to Ghost, who caught them and shoved them in the sac. Wordlessly they started running, Riddick keeping the pace and direction while Ghost kept her eyes peeled, thumbing the safety on the gun.

A city surrounded by walls over fifty feet high came into view, and Riddick slowed their pace. He glanced down at himself, then at Ghost, and cursed. "We'll have to wait until nightfall before approaching the city. I hope you can climb as well as you can run, we have to scale the walls." Riddick said, taking a seat, his shiv in his lap. Ghost shrugged.

"I'm versatile. Think you can keep up?" She asked. Riddick glared at her from beneath UV protective glasses.

"You have quite a mouth on you. It's a wonder you still have your tongue." Ghost tilted her head to the side as if listening for something.

"You ever been to Slam City? There was a man there once, an old acquaintance, if you will, that used to say that. It annoyed me a lot." Ghost mused, setting the pack down and digging through, pulling out another insta-heat food pack and breaking it, shaking the contents.

"'Was a man'? You talk like something happened to this acquaintance of yours." Ghost smiled absently.

"Ironically I cut out his tongue. I mean he was always saying it, over and over. 'You'll get in trouble with that mouth. You talk to yo' momma with that mouth? You gonna get in trouble with that tongue of yours, maybe I'll cut it out.' It was my farewell gift to him. Besides, I couldn't have him going around telling people how I escaped." Riddick was surprised. It had taken a lot of trouble for him to escape, and this small woman didn't seem capable.

"How'd you do it?" Riddick asked, earning a surprised laugh.

"I'll tell you if you tell me." She said with a smile. Riddick was once again surprised. She knew a lot of his past, and he knew nothing of hers.

"Eleven hours twenty-two minutes. Then I faked a doctor and walked right through the doors." Riddick said, crossing his arms but careful not to tangle the tube.

"Six hours eight minutes. Took me a bit of cheeky talk to get the head guard to come down. It's rare a woman gets thrown in Slam, especially one with my… charms; not to mention flexibility. And in return for a little bit of dirty work, I got his tongue and a free ride home." Ghost bragged. Riddick shook his head.

"So you slept with the guards. Shame you sank so low." Ghost laughed.

"Oh he didn't think so. But there was talk of you. You'd past through not five years before me and there were still whispers of you, in the prep docks, in the Slam. Even inmates still spoke of you; whether or not you escaped, were in hiding, or one of the inmates themselves, waiting for your time. That will be my name soon; once you're retired for good." Ghost said. Riddick laughed.

"Five years after me? How old were you, seven? You don't look a day over eighteen." Riddick scorned. Ghost took it with good humor.

"Maybe, after cryo-deduction. But I've been around a lot longer than you think, Riddick. Anyways, what about you? I hear you're ageless, I hear you're already dead, I hear you've made a deal with death, a hundred lives for a hundred years of life. Now there's a deal that has no drawbacks." Ghost sighed. Riddick shrugged, cracking his neck as he did so.

"I lost count years ago. Age isn't something a man like me is worried about; I'll be dead long before I've peeked." Ghost watched him for a minute, watched him as he lay back on his elbows, head tilted to keep the sun out of his eyes. Absently he rolled a rock between his knuckles, lost somewhere in thought. With a sigh Ghost finished eating in silence and waited for the sun to set.

Ghost was impatient, not made for sitting around and waiting. She fidgeted, cleaning the gun a dozen times, counting bullets, eating consistently. Riddick on the other hand snoozed, waking himself every ten minutes or so to be sure nothing was amiss. On one such instance Ghost was ridged, gun aimed over his head and knife in her other hand, watching intently. Riddick sniffed the air, catching the scent of foreign blood, fur, and intense anger. He glanced in the direction it was coming from but saw nothing, and when he looked back at Ghost she was watching him as intently as she'd been watching for the beast; a look that dared him to strike first. Wordlessly she crouched beside him, eyes still wide with instinct. Riddick pretended to relax again, realizing that this woman was not something to brush off as harmless like he'd been doing. She was just as dangerous as he was, if that was possible.

Night finally came, and a strung-out Ghost was happy to run again. Riddick had to admit he was greatly impressed with the female version of himself. Though he had yet to see her handle intense fighting, not counting the dispatching of the mercs. From what he heard of the infamous Ghost in his secluded lifestyle, she was quite the killer; though Riddick knew how wrong rumours could be. Not to deny that he'd played a part in well over three hundred deaths across the galaxies, rumours also credited him with numerous kidnaps, assassinations and drug transactions. Riddick had no desire for a hostage, no interest in politics and no involvement in selling drugs. Ghost glanced at Riddick, admiring not for the first time his magnificent body. His bare chest rippled every time he shifted his weight, his muscled legs made his stride steady and quick while barely exerting any energy. She longed to see his eyes again, his wonderful, lovely eyes. Usually when Ghost wanted something she managed to get it, but these eyes, she knew, were unattainable at the moment. Riddick caught her staring and Ghost looked ahead, leaping easily over a large rock.

Riddick didn't look away, however he took in her dangerous beauty, from her slick black hair and tan skin, to her battle scars and lean body. It was a rare thing for Riddick to feel attracted to someone. His feelings of superiority and misunderstood demeanor pushed him away from women, made them detest him. But ghost was, at least, equal to him. She didn't shy away, nor even show a hint of fear. Riddick sighed, figuring she must have been through a lot to not find his company a terrifying experience. "Look." Ghost said, they slowed their pace, peering up at the city walls. Riddick wondered why she seemed so surprised at the sudden proximity of the walls, then figured it was probably pitch black out and she hadn't seem them until they were only a mile away. Riddick saw the pink flares of three dozen soldiers monitoring the wall closest to them, and after a glance at Ghost, figured they could take them easy.

"You sure you can scale that? I can't keep stopping for you to find places to hold on." He asked, the mile quickly elapsing into meters, yards, feet.

"My abilities are matched with yours, Riddick." The man grinned when he heard this, and stopped at the base of the wall, looking down at the woman.

"I see a slight difference." He used his hand to emphasize the height difference, a good eighteen inches. The glare he received was so strong he almost took a step back, but her fierce stormy eyes were off him in an instant as she looked at the wall. "Ladies first." Riddick said lowly, his voice a sexy growl in her ear. Deftly the woman leapt up, her hands catching hold while her feet dangled.

"Hurry up, I don't want to jiggle the tube." She threw over her shoulder. Riddick braced himself then heaved, pulling his two-hundred-seventy pounds of muscle and bone onto the wall. Ghost was quick, and what she lacked in height she made up for in swift thinking. At one point where she was stuck, the wall smooth and crevice-less, she swung up and used Riddick as a bumper, knocking herself up and sideways, lashing out and hooking a rock before tumbling thirty feet downward. Riddick ignored her and kept going, though a smile played on his lips.

Once they reached the top, Ghost dissolved into shadows, crouching low so the patrolling guards wouldn't see her. Riddick, on the other hand, had other ideas, and stood erect, his tall bulk easily spotted by a nearby guard. "How the- Who the fuck are you?" Riddick grinned maliciously.

"In a moment, it won't matter." He purred, voice like a rockslide. Before the man could raise an alarm, his head rolled to the ground a few feet away from his body, Riddick's shiv gleaming with red.

"You like to show off, don't you?" ghost asked, materializing at the body and patting down the clothes. Quickly she found a wallet, a pack of cigarettes, and a small handgun, which she emptied of bullets and left. Riddick watched uninterestedly, eyes watching the balls of pink that signified guard life. Two more were making their way towards the pair, and if they didn't leave soon the body would be discovered and an alarm raised. But Ghost had it covered, using muscles she didn't appear to possess to lift the man over the edge of the wall, a solid thump the only proof he hit the ground below. She stood erect, surveying the houses below. It was a small city on a small planet, with no greenery in sight save the small rooftop gardens. The buildings were tall and narrow, necessary to accommodate the amount of people. "Where are we?" Ghost asked, gauging if she could make a jump to the closest rooftop.

"Scorte. Most of it is uninhabitable. A couple hundred years ago it was the farming capitol of the galaxy, but the farmers got greedy and ruined the soil. Now all their food is imported." Riddick explained. He grabbed Ghost's forearm and at the same moment the two kicked off the stone wall, landing on the roof some fifteen feet away without a stumble.

"And what's with the heavy walls? Dozens of guards, high walls…"

"The only things that survive on a planet with no vegetation are murderers and carnivores. Both are dangerous." Riddick said, stealing silently over the roofs, Ghost beside him.

"So those things we sensed, out in the desert…"

"Probably looking for a quick snack." Riddick confirmed. Ghost sighed.

"This way." She said, turning suddenly.

"Why?" Ghost ignored his question and started running, forcing Riddick to follow her lest he electrocute them both.

"I'm freezing, that's why." She said a few moments later, jumping from roof to roof until she stopped suddenly. She slipped into a bedroom window, eyeing a young boy sound asleep in his bed. She pulled a knife, the whisper of blade against sheath making the lad stir.

"Leave him." Riddick ordered, pulling on the woman's arm. Ghost obeyed without protest. It was never good karma to slay a child, and he was no threat at the moment. She found her way out to a small balcony patio, where clothes hung to dry. Ghost eyed a beaded dress, white and pure against the night. Longingly she fingered the pearls sown into the collar, figuring it was probably a wedding dress. Her fingers left brown sandy smudges on the delicate gem of a cloth, and angrily she picked up a hose, quietly washing her skin from any trace of grime or dirt that gave away her rough mobile life. Riddick watched with mild interest, eyeing the dress.

"It's pretty." He commented, pulling a pair of fresh black pants that looked like they'd fit him perfectly. Before he had time to slip them on, Ghost aimed the hose at him, angrily scrubbing at his skin to remove blood and dirt.

"Yes. Pretty things are a particular weakness of mine. Much like children are yours." Riddick grabbed her wrist and held her off the ground, glaring angrily at her with his shining eyes. "You wouldn't react if it wasn't true." She smirked, unafraid. Riddick, who had once admired her fearlessness towards him, was now irritated by it. He had nothing to say to her, and dropped her roughly, triggering a spasm of pain when she landed on the tube. Ghost quickly clapped a hand over her mouth when a scream threatened to escape, and retaliated with a harsh blast of cold water, which Riddick ignored. Soaking and starting to shiver, Ghost used the white satin dress to dry her hair, leaving dirty smudges that even the forceful water couldn't get. She slipped into a pair of pants that probably belonged to the boy sleeping upstairs, and they fit snuggly around her well-shaped legs. She browsed through the shirts as if shopping, holding one after the other up to her now bare torso, sneering. The woman of the house appeared to be large, and Ghost ended up with a vest also belonging to the lad. She cut the left strap and tied it over her shoulder. There was no way to get it around the tube in her arm.

Riddick stared shamelessly as Ghost laced the front up, disappointed when her breasts were suddenly out of view.

"Get a shirt." Ghost said harshly, throwing a black tank top to him. Riddick slipped it on to find it was skintight, but fit. Like Ghost, he had to tie the sleeve just to get it over his shoulder, and he had to slip into the shirt feet first, feeling idiotic as he shimmied it up this thick legs. "And here, it's freezing." She added, throwing him a thick cloak.

Freshly showered the two scoured the house silently. Riddick didn't care what Ghost was looking for, and after a moment he found some thick shaving cream and lathered his head and face with it before continuing to follow Ghost around, wiping the cream off his shiv-turned-razor on any object that was near; a lamp, a chair back, even the thick bedding a slumbering couple were using. Riddick found a pair of thick goggles preferred by those who went into deep space, and with a glance at the sleeping owner switched his thin sunglasses for the better protection. Ghost sighed angrily and grabbed the woman's satchel, shoving it into her own sac. "What are you looking for?" Riddick asked, not bothering to keep his voice down. Children may be a regrettable kill, but to orphan one; Riddick thought he was doing him a favor. Sure enough the woman sat up, groggy eyed, and Ghost slit her throat before she'd even wiped sleep from her eyes. The husband snorted loudly, wrapped an arm around his recently deceased wife, and slept on. Ghost grinned at the couple.

"Awe, aren't they cute?" She asked, digging through the couple's closet, then moving on to the drawers. "Ah, finally." She said, opening a cupboard to reveal a small safe. With deft fingers she levered the hinges from the safe. It opened easily after that, and Ghost flipped through papers probably worth a lot of money. "Here we are." She said, folding a bundle of papers and stuffing them in her sac.

"Can we go now?" Riddick asked, clearly bored. Ghost pretended to think.

"Fine. We need to find a church." She said. Riddick sneered.

"Why." It was not a question. It was a statement that said 'no way are we going off on another one of your irritating home raids.'

"Because where there is a church there is a priest. And where there is a priest in a crooked little place like this, there is a priest with a dark secret. And that dark secret is our ticket to separation." Ghost said. Riddick sighed and grabbed her around the neck, holding her up.

"Tell me straight! I ain't known for being a patient man, Ghost. And if you don't tell me what you are talking about, I'll make you true to your name; I'll ghost you." He snarled. Ghost grinned impishly at him and jabbed at the hole she'd made herself with her knife, nicking the bone painfully and causing Riddick to drop her.

"Someone didn't finish his nap." She purred, rubbing against Riddick. She wrapped his arm around her middle, letting his hand feel her strong thin stomach. "Alright, Mr. Riddick. Priests, of certain religions, can't marry. But there is no law against sex. And what happens when a man has sex with a young impressionable teenage girl? Anyways, this leads to that, and suddenly we're in need of a doctor. But not just any doctor, a secretive, crooked doctor, that has no fear of performing abortions. You see? If anything, he'll at least know a doctor that can remove this." Ghost said, leaping from the window.

It wasn't difficult to find the church. The glowing cross that scorched the sky even in the dead of night was a helpful sign. Ghost whispered passed a slumbering guard, Riddick just as silent beside her. "Who puts a guard on a church?" Riddick mused quietly while Ghost fiddled with a lock on the church doors.

"Someone who has something to hide." Ghost replied snidely. Riddick pushed her out of the way and used his fist to break the feeble lock, the guard not even stirring when he threw the lock onto the ground.

"Ladies first." He gruffly said, shoving Ghost through the doors.

"Always the gentleman."

The priest hadn't been as forthcoming with the information as Ghost had anticipated, with her satchel-full of cash courtesy of the robbed house, but Riddick's looming form had loosened his tongue quick enough. Riddick and Ghost silently stalked the streets, searching for the right house. It was Riddick who found it, a basement door with a handwritten address on the wood the only evidence that the doctor lived there.

Silently Ghost slipped a thin wire into the lock on the house, fidgeting with it for nearly a minute before she was rewarded with the faint click of a lock undoing. The pair stalked through the house to the bedroom, where they found a fat greasy man accompanied by two whores in an elegant bed. With a dark chuckle Riddick lifted the thick mattress and then dropped it, sending two naked girls to the ground screaming. Like a snake Ghost grabbed the closest girl's hair and stood on her upper spine, pulling fiercely and snapping her neck. The second girl whimpered and Ghost smiled, a cold smile that froze the girl's heart. Ghost leaned forward and whispered something in her ear, hand caressing the woman's hair. "Got it?" Ghost asked. The woman nodded and fled.

"Wh-what is the meaning of this?" The slob, still in his bed, asked.

"Well doc, the thing is me and my friend here have a problem. You see, someone not-so-nice stuck this things in our arms, and we need it out, now." Ghost said, crawling up onto the bed. Riddick watched the man's red face go from angry and afraid to greedy and lustful. His eyes wandered over Ghost's attractive body, from her buttocks jutting in the air to her semi-exposed breasts.

"I can take a look at it. But I warn you now I'm not cheap." The man said, reaching out to grab Ghost's breast. A knife was suddenly pressed to his thick neck.

"Oh, I understand. But see my friend and I are in a hurry. Your satisfaction comes after mine; and mine is separation from him." Ghost cooed, her voice low and sensual. The man nodded as if in a trance.

"Let me, uh, take a look at it." Riddick and Ghost followed the man into the basement where a table surrounded by lights and instruments of al sorts stood. "Put the afflicted part on the table." The doctor said. Riddick and Ghost rested their arms on the table, ignoring the doctors surprised gasp. "I've only ever heard of this. They've started using them in prisons to keep extremely dangerous men from causing too much trouble. Highly illegal, yes, as well as deadly. How ah… how did you come across this?" The doctor asked nervously. Riddick sighed in irritation.

"Get it out." He ordered, slamming a fist on the table.

"I c-c-ca-can't! Only someone experienced with removing them can. Someone that works in a prison system! The only thing I can do is remove your arms completely!" The man said, saliva dripping down his three chins as he started to cry. Ghost let out an angry curse and shot the blubbering man square in the head.

"Come on." Riddick growled. Ghost glared.

"Do not tell me what to do." She snapped. Riddick moved quickly, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I will do as I wish." He snarled. Ghost's breathing was heavy. "Come on." He repeated, grabbing her around her waist and dragging her out of the house.

"We have to find a prison doctor, that should be easy." Riddick muttered. "We'll just go to jail."

"Yeah, and hopefully we'll be able to bribe someone to remove it. Brilliant, Riddick." Ghost sneered. Her temper was boiling. So many plans ruined because of this idiot.

"What do you mean, hopefully?" Riddick asked. Ghost gave him a look that made him feel like an idiot; a feeling he did not like.

"Gee, let's think here. The worst criminals in the galaxies tethered together in a neat little electrified package. Oh yes, they'll be thrilled to let us out. Riddick, together we've escaped from almost every prison in every galaxy. They're not going to do us a favor and remove this damned piece of space shit from our lives." Ghost angrily kicked a rock, sending it soaring through the air to land in a bucket some twenty feet away. Riddick didn't notice, however; he was deep in thought and memory.

"Slam. We have to get thrown into Slam City." Ghost glared at him.

"Are you fucking me? That place is impossible to escape from!" Ghost shouted.

"We've done it before, remember?" Riddick mocked.

"Yes, that is exactly why they'll take precautions. Do you really think they'll let us escape again? Unless… unless we aren't us…" Ghost mused. "Do know you where Gorey is? In the Andromeda Nebula? That's close, very close this time of year, to Ursa Luna." She said. Riddick sneered as he followed Ghost. He'd gotten used to her spontaneous decisions, and found them useful, if not extremely irritating, and let her lead him for the time being.

"You mean Gorey with the fan clubs? I only hide out there when I'm desperate. Very desperate." He growled. Riddick shuddered at the memory of the small moon that orbited another rock. The 'Poser Planet' as it was nicknamed, was filled with killer-wannabees, mostly teenagers going through their rebellious stage. The place was filled with gangs and often galaxy patrolmen were called there to break up full-frontal gang wars, but for the most part the law left it alone. As long as the fights didn't interrupt the lives of the respected public, no one cared what homeless violent teenagers did.

Ghost winced at the memory of her last trip. Where Riddick had a semi-constant appearance, hers was unknown and constantly changing. More often than not she took male form, though how anyone could confuse her with the looming figure of Riddick she didn't know. Her hair, eyes and height all changed regularly, leaving tracing her near impossible. But the folk on Gorey, they'd formed a steady image of her. White hair spiked a foot in the air, with mismatched eye colors and a bulky, almost insultingly broad frame. Riddick was undoubtedly going to taunt her when he saw.

"Enough with your little secret. Where are we going?" Riddick growled, his voice like tumbling stones.

"Ship docks. When you found the goggles and uniform pants it gave me the idea the man owns a ship. When I found that safe I found the launch codes and passwords." Ghost replied, pulling the folded papers she'd stuffed in her sac. "Admittedly, I'd hoped to be traveling alone; that's reason 'A' why I didn't tell you. And reason 'B' is I like to make you angry. Now come along, darling, we got a ship to swipe."

Riddick, to his surprise, was impressed once again. His plans usually did not go so far into the future. He'd hoped to at least steal a transport and use cunning to avoid getting caught, but the woman's plan was, though he'd never admit it to her, better. She suddenly wrapped her arms around his middle, gingerly tucking the tube out of sight. "What are you…" Riddick asked, then glanced around. People were staring, and she'd quickly gotten the tube out of sight. As late as it was, the docks were filled with people peddling their foreign wares, taking off, landing, and arguing over prices or trades. Ghost's gray eyes were constantly flitting around, going from the papers in her hand, to the ships, to the people around them. Riddick kept his eyes peeled for any sign of them being followed, his paranoia making Ghost anxious. Every time the serial numbers on paper were close to matching nearby ships she would tense with excitement, then relax with an angry curse. Riddick fiddled with his shiv under the cloak, preparing to stab out at everyone that even glanced at the couple. True, Riddick's mere presence screamed of danger, from his hulking form to bulging muscles to his hooded face. However the small woman that had wrapped herself around his arm seemed to dull his looming appearance, with her shimmering black hair and flawless body; with something so perfect at his side Riddick was harmless in the eyes of the people. Idiots.

"Finally!" Ghost exclaimed suddenly, causing a nearby deep spacer to jump and Riddick to clutch his shiv so tightly the metal bit into his skin, causing a small dribble of blood. The two stood before a merc's ship, a cheap but roomy undercutter that could easily hold half a dozen people if the trip wasn't too long. A genetic key pad barred the entrance, however, and Riddick cursed.

"Didn't plan for that, did you?" He sneered. Ghost glared at him, then glanced around, pulling out a long blade. "If you cut it the alarm will go off." Riddick growled.

"I'm not going to cut it, but get ready to run anyways." Ghost replied, holding the blade up to the scanner. The blue lens scanned the knife, making the red sticky blood smeared on it glow for a moment, then the door lowered and they were admitted. Riddick glanced behind them, and Ghost elbowed him in the guts. "You are the most suspicious person on the planet right now. Stop looking around like we're doing something wrong." She scolded, getting to work. "Looks like we have enough power to get to Gorey as long as we don't take any detours. We should stock up on a few things though, extra power cells and the like, just in case. The place is pretty high tech, definitely some home-made renovations. Look at this GPS system, they've marked down things not found on commercial GPS satellites. And the steering, they've rewired everything. This is going to be hard. Do you think you can figure this out?" Ghost asked, pressing a few buttons.

"No sweat. Move." Riddick ordered. Ghost stood from the captains chair and instead hovered over Riddick, watching with interest as he pressed a series of buttons. "There. Let's go." He said. Ghost shook her head.

"Spare power cells, then we'll leave." She said. Riddick sighed angrily.

"And where are we going to get the money for that?" He asked. Ghost laughed, lowering the ramp and walking out, slipping Riddick's hood back up to hide his distinct appearance.

"Who said we were going to buy them?"

Ghost smiled flirtatiously at the three young men she'd employed to cart the power cells over. "This is yours?" One of them asked suspiciously.

"Er, well honestly it's on a loan. That's what the extra cell is for. You see we made a deal with relatives, we'd spring for the cell if we could vacation with it. We're newlyweds you see, but Jufter here doesn't make enough to get something that can travel long distance." Ghost said, letting her cloak slip down a little so cleavage was revealed. She gave her hair a quick run-through with her delicate fingers, tracing the long locks down to her buttocks, in such great shape that even the heavy cloak couldn't hide its form. "Thanks boys, and just put it on Marge's credit, like I said. Mother won't mind, it's our honeymoon after all." Ghost said to Riddick, who sneered.

A hooded figure watched from the shadows of an alley, eyes glistening with triumph. He grinned, a cigarette stub clutched between yellow teeth. "Gotcha." He whispered.

"Jufter? What sort of name is that?" Riddick asked, the lift closing and sealing behind them.

"Actually it was the name of my cat, before he was killed by a donkey." Ghost said with a shrug, digging through her now completely stuffed bag. She pulled out miscellaneous things, necklaces, rings, wallets, ID cards.

"What's with the shit?" Riddick asked, sitting in the controls. He started hacking the control station when Ghost stopped him.

"Try something for me, will you? Try not to have half the planet chasing us. Just go through the controls station like everyone else. They're not going to wonder at an old merc ship lifting off in the middle of the night." Riddick glared at her

"Voice recognition. I'm in the system, they'll know who I am." Ghost sighed and gave his bald head a kiss, ignoring his grimace.

"This is a poor planet; the odds they have that technology are slim. And if they do, then we'll do it your way. They probably won't chase you if you have a hostage anyways." Ghost said. "Think I'd fit the bill? 'Oh, someone help, I've been captured!'" Ghost cried dramatically. "Just try it, please. We have to get out of here quick, before those men that helped with the power cell realize that they don't have anyone named Marge with a credit." Riddick closed his eyes and let out a snarl.

"Fine! Just shut up!" He rumbled. Ghost pretended to zip her lips together and sat in the co-pilot's chair, long legs draped over the arm as she sat lazily.

"Calling, calling. Please specify." A voice rang out over the intercom.

"This is…" Ghost handed Riddick the license sheets, pointing to a series of numbers followed by a name, "00450378011 Doner Junior Rogers requesting take off permission." Riddick said, his voice slightly less gravelly.

"Oh hey Don, been awhile since I heard from ya. Why so formal?" Riddick glared at Ghost.

"Great. What now, smart ass. He knows the bloke." Ghost thought for a minute.

"Tell him you have certain company you're trying to impress." She said. Riddick sneered at her but held down the button.

"Hey… man. Let's keep it formal, I got some ah, cargo I'm tryin' to impress, you know what I mean?" He said in a low voice. Ghost let out a girly giggle just as Riddick released the intercom button.

"Ah, Roger that. Doner Junior Rogers you've been cleared for travel. Please prepare for the ramp." Riddick leaned back and watched Ghost from the corner of his eye. She was holding up a diamond necklace, picking at the diamonds with her knife and prying them from their silver settings.

"If you had that, then why bother stealing the power cells. Two little rocks would have paid for them in full." Riddick asked. Ghost looked at him for a moment.

"Since when are you worried about risk? Besides, I have so much cash and creds I could have paid for half a dozen power cells with no problem. But these, these little things are mine." She said, staring at the rainbows cast across the front shield.

"You're a child." Riddick spat. Ghost grinned at the insult.

"Good. You have a soft spot for children." Riddick said nothing.

The takeoff was easy, no questions and no problems. Riddick set the location, set the wake time for a week before destination to give time for cryo-sleep to wear off, then prepared two lockers. Suddenly he cursed and glared at the tube connecting them.

"Figured it out have you? We have to either share or stay awake for," Ghost glanced at the timer on the screen, "Thirty one weeks. I don't know about you, but I could not put up with me for that long." Frantically Riddick recalibrated, opting for a shortcut through deep space, which the small undercutter couldn't handle for too long, then added in the hyper boost saved for emergencies. "twenty two weeks, nice. Still a long time."

"I'll kill you." Riddick muttered. Ghost laughed.

"Awe, but we're almost there. Come one, you like having me around. You hate to admit it, but you admire me. I'm a female version of you, Riddick, with a little more personality." Riddick ignored her and finished prepping his cryo-locker.

Ghost watched as he set in his weight, deleted it, and added a hundred pounds for a total of three hundred forty. "Actually I weigh one-ten, but thanks for the flattery." Ghost commented as she shoveled insta-heat spaghetti into her mouth.

"By the time you stop eating I'm sure you'll weigh a lot more than that." Riddick muttered, shaking his head as she shoveled food into her mouth, looking piggish and delicate at the same time.

"I hate being hungry. Almost as much as I hate being cold." Ghost muttered, though she blushed self-consciously and put the half-eaten carton down. "You should eat, or you'll be weak when we get to Gorey." Riddick glared at her, slipping his goggles from his head to let them hang around his neck. Instantly Ghost was hypnotized, staring at his glistening eyes in wonder.

"Where can I get eyes like that?" She whispered, leaning uncomfortably close. Riddick grabbed her around her waist, pulling her so close their noses touched. Still Ghost didn't falter or even smell frightened, just amazed. Riddick gave up; he had no power over her. She was as she'd said; a female version of him. Fearless of everyone and everything, especially death. "Awe, don't pout, Riddick. At least you're locked in cryo-sleep with a hot piece of ass like me." Ghost said, running a hand along his muscled back.

"You're right, you do spend too much time with men. Top or bottom?" Ghost was genuinely startled by this question, but recovered quickly.

"I like being in control, but sometimes I like the man doing all the work." She replied in a low voice.

"Top it is." Riddick growled, stepping into the cryo-locker and pulling Ghost in with him.

"Oh, is that your shiv or are you just happy to see me?" Ghost asked, reaching around and pulling Riddick's weapon from his pocket. "Damn, too bad." She muttered. Riddick stared down at the mop of black hair and shook his head. The cryo-locker doors slowly closed as the chamber's temperature dropped drastically. Ghost shifted, her stomach pressed firmly against Riddick's rock-hard chest and her back against the thick glass of the locker. She put her arms against Riddick's chest, resting her head on her fingers. "Hey Riddick, do you ever get tired of it? Running, killing, hiding, fighting?" Ghost asked, suddenly seeming fragile against Riddick's muscled body.

"Never." He replied. Ghost looked up at him, gray eyes sparkling and a playful smile on her lips.

"Me neither. I suppose that should bother me, but I find it hard to care about things like that." Ghost yawned. "You never told me how you got your eyes." She mumbled, sleep overcoming her. Riddick remained quiet, and Ghost fell into a light cryo-induced doze.

Riddick felt his eyes droop and his mind wander, leaving him in an awake daze. Unconsciously he searched for his shiv and found still in the woman's hand, pressed against his chest. "Cryo doesn't knock you out either?" Ghost whispered, eyes still closed.

"My humanity's already asleep. I run off pure instinct." The man answered. He felt Ghost smile against his skin.

"Is that so? Your instinct must really like me then." She sighed.

"Why do you think that?" He growled, trying to sound angry.

"I'm still alive."

Ghost drifted in and out of a light slumber, every time tensing when she woke and felt the man pressed so tightly against her. Normally the lockers were comfortably snug, straps wrapping around you to hold your head and body in place and prevent cramping. But now Ghost was pressed against icy glass and tense muscle, making all positions uncomfortable. Riddick, on the other hand, remained perfectly still, ignoring discomfort. He had no patience but he'd learned to keep his body in control for long periods of time, whereas Ghost was constantly tensing and shifting. For some reason, however, her presence did not annoy him as much as he'd thought it might. Unlike most humans, where silence was considered awkward or boring, Ghost didn't feel the need to constantly speak; thought once she got going it was hard to get her to stop. The worst part was, her speech usually needed a reply, forcing Riddick to talk more to her than he felt he ever had in a dozen years combined. In fact, he realized, Ghost didn't make any noise. No heavy sighs or sniffles, no coughing or heavy yawns. Even her constant moving about was silent, with no rustling cloth or cracking bones.

The cryo-locker enhanced his senses, and whenever Ghost moved Riddick would catch a brief whiff of vanilla, peaches and the soft earthy undertone of fresh human. He also smelled excitement, lust and curiosity. "You want to ask me something, so do it." Riddick nearly whispered, his chest vibrating with his voice. Ghost smiled and looked up into glassy eyes.

"Why?" Though it was vague, Riddick knew what she asked.

"Do I need a reason?" Ghost grimaced.

"Do you have to answer with questions?" Ghost whined. Riddick gave a half smile.

"Do you know why we're awake in cryo-sleep?" He asked.

"Another question. No, I do not know why we aren't asleep. I would say it has something to do with two people in a locker meant for one person, but…"

"But it happens to you even when you are alone." Riddick interrupted. Ghost glanced at his eyes again, and nodded. "Cryo-sleep shuts down the brain; mostly anyways. That leaves our animalistic side. People like me and you, we only have an animalistic side. Our humanity is already asleep. Or dead." Ghost sighed against his chest, heating his already unusually hot skin. "What, nothing to say? You're usually so eager to open your mouth." Riddick sneered. Ghost peered thoughtfully up at him, a half smile on her lips.

"You and I are alike, you know. Withholding what people long to know. I ask you why, and instead you feed me information that is irrelevant. I do not think you misunderstood my question. It feels good, doesn't it; being in control. Even if it's just a little thing; a name, an intention, an answer." Riddick chuckled.

"Don't you get it? I do it because I can. I kill because I want to. Does that answer your why?" Ghost searched his luminescent eyes for something, and Riddick stared back.

"Lies answer nothing." She replied. "I do it for revenge too. Mine's against my father. My whole family, actually. When I see them next, I want them to whisper my name and then die of fright. I won't even do a goddamn thing to them." Ghost said, her tone dangerous.

"Good for you." Riddick said with mock enthusiasm. Ghost laughed lightly, her demeanor changing completely.

"Ah, but I guess we're as different as we are similar. You hide behind a mask of indifference and emotionless words." Ghost said.

"Who says it's a mask? Besides, I don't think I could get away with using sex as an escape plan." Riddick scoffed. Ghost laughed again.

"I don't know, I think I'd fall for it." She whispered, running a light finger along his arm up to his shoulder. Her touch made him suddenly uncomfortable, and he suppressed a shiver as her icy hand wrapped around the back of his neck. Suddenly she yawned widely, blinking up at him tiredly.

"Perhaps you're more human than I thought." He said cruelly, voice like gritty sandpaper. Ghost froze, and icy eyes met shining blue ones.

"Animals live off nature and let instinct control them. I live off other people's hard work and fear, and use my mind to drive my actions. So yes, perhaps I do still have my humanity, but I'm young still, and have plenty of years before I get to be half your age. Maybe I'll grow up to be as callused and emotionless as you." She didn't say it with bitterness or anger. In fact, she managed to say it with no emotion at all, and Riddick didn't like it. "So speaking of emotion, do you have kids, or just a soft spot for them?" Ah, there was the bitter anger Riddick had expected. Riddick's thoughts went to Jack for a moment, before he allowed a sarcastic smile.

"I ain't the father type. Can you imagine a litle girl callin' me 'daddy'?"

"Yes." The sincerity in the answer startled Riddick and he glanced down at Ghost to find her eyes closed and lips parted slightly. "I can picture you going off for weeks, doing god knows what, then coming home laden with gifts to make up for it. I can see you with a little girl on your back as you walk through a market, admiring knives as your daughter picks out her favorite one and you buy it for her." Suddenly, Riddick could see it too. He could see her black curls framing gray-blue eyes, and the innocent smile of a five-year-old child. He could see himself smiling as he bounced her on his knee while she played with a model skiff. He saw her grinning, two front teeth missing as she shoveled orangberries into her mouth. Suddenly, the laughing child shrieked, her eyes grew fearful and Riddick saw himself being escorted away by a dozen mercs. His little girl was suddenly engulfed by shadows; shadows that pulled on her thick black locks and tugged her little smock, sucking her into a black embrace.

"Nah. That life ain't for me, and it ain't for a kid either." Riddick said after a long pause. Ghost shrugged, and Riddick realized that he'd pictured a child just like her, with a wide grin and black hair.

"Think what you want, Riddick, but I know you'll make a great father. Once you get attached to something, you have a hard time letting anyone take it from you." Her voice held such confidence that Riddick couldn't stop thinking about it. Every time it ended with his capture or the child's death. Mostly it ended with both. No; despite what Ghost thought, he'd chosen his life a long time ago, and it was no place for a child.

Riddick grimaced. The small alarm showed they were less than a week away from Gorey, one of the few places that wasn't a maxprison that Riddick hated. Ghost was shivering, her skin icy against Riddick's warm chest, and unconsciously she burrowed her face against his chest. "Wake up." He muttered, giving her a small shove.

"I am awake." She cried, her voice muffled from his shirt. "Open the cryo-locker. It's fucking freezing." She whined. Riddick sighed and pushed against the glass of the cryo-locker, hitting them with a gust of even colder air. "I hate deep space!" Ghost cried, grabbing her cloak that had been discarded and burrowing into it. Riddick ignored her squeals of protest and pulled her along, cursing when a slight jolt from the tube reminded him why they were together in the first place.

Riddick grimaced. They'd arrive not ten minutes ago and already he was so irritated he thought he'd skewer the next bloke unfortunate enough to bump him. Ghost must have sensed his agitation because she suddenly started taking side-alleys where hooded figures watched them pass. One such character was stupid enough to throw a catcall at Ghost. Before she'd even had time to pull her knife the man was dead, gutted in the street. Riddick wiped his shiv off on the man's cloak. "I didn't do it for you, I just needed to get some anger out." Riddick said in reply to Ghost's smirk.

"Sure, sure. You probably saved him a lot of pain anyways. I was going to cut off his dick and shove it in his throat. Sometimes you ruin the fun." Ghost said, pretending to pout. Riddick shook his head. Lucky he'd killed the bastard, Ghost didn't look like she was kidding about his punishment.

"Mind sharing the plan now? Or are you on one of your power trips." Riddick grumbled, eyes darting around behind his goggles. Ghost surprised him with a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"You've been such a good little killer, so I think I'll tell you. First we disguise ourselves; then we disguise our disguises as me. Understand?" Ghost said as she linked her arm with Riddick's.

"I understand you're crazy." He replied. Ghost laughed lightly.

"This whole planet is full of people pretending to be us; and we need to be them. We need to be other people pretending to be us. So first we'll pick up some disguises, then we eat." She said enthusiastically, leaving Riddick slightly muddled.

"And then? After we dress ourselves like idiots?" He asked, pulling his arm out of Ghost's grasp. She wrapped her arms around his waist instead, forcing him to either make a scene and pry her off him, revealing the tube to any watching, or put his arm around her shoulders. He seriously considered making a scene.

"Then we do what we do best. Kill. We'll find a quaint little marketplace or gathering and just start slaughtering. After a few deaths and a small fight with the galaxy patrol, we'll be shipped off to the nearest maxprison; Slam City, here we come." She said in a tone of voice that would be used for a grocery list and not a plan to get sent to prison. "Now then, I shared my part of the plan, now you tell me why we need to get to Slam." She said, slipping an apple from a stand into her hand without the vendor noticing.

"Got an old friend there. The man that did my shine. He can rid me of this damned merc junk, and you." Riddick said harshly. Ghost smiled and kissed Riddick's cheek again, avoiding his hand when he tried to swat at her.

"Awe, you don't mean it." She cooed, snuggling more fiercely against his side. Riddick growled his complaint, but did nothing more.

Ghost led a sulking Riddick into an unlit store. A punk with too much jewelry and not enough clothing stood behind the counter with an expression that clearly said he'd rather be anywhere else. With a glowing smile Ghost locked the door behind her and switched the glowing neon OPEN sign off, throwing the three into complete darkness. The last thing the unfortunate employee saw were two glowing orbs of fire. "No fair, you got to kill the last one." Ghost pouted. Riddick heard a small crash followed by a curse just behind him. "Cover your eyes." Ghost warned, right before a glow light flared to life.

"What are we looking for?" Riddick asked. Ghost dug through her sac, pulling out a clump of tan rubber.

"There are contacts in this cabinet." Ghost said, ignoring his question. She stretched the rubber out, and Riddick realized it was the syntha-skin. He used his fist to break the cabinet and pulled out a pair of honey-colored contacts, blinking fiercely at the small sting when he applied them. "I only have enough skin left to make a few changes. Enough to make me a feminine male and you as a Ghost poser." She said digging through her sac and throwing things across the floor with angry sighs.

Riddick blinked; the contacts feeling weird. His vision was dulled and his depth perception was off, but he wasn't completely blind. "We're going to need a few things, the rest of this I'll just have to leave behind." Ghost said sadly, collecting a small pile.

"What is with all the shit?" Riddick asked, kicking a string of pearls and sending them shooting in every direction.

"I like pretty things." Ghost answered simply as if it was obvious. "Take off your shirt and give me your shiv. The syntho-skin will hold certain objects in place, as long as they're not too heavy. Hurry up, we have to hide some of your muscle. No one will believe you're not the real Riddick if you look all muscly." Ghost said. Riddick obeyed, curious. He felt his shiv and a few more objects press against him.

"What is all that?" He demanded, his skin twitching when Ghost's hair brushed against his bare skin, tickling him.

"Your shiv, two emerga-tins, one antibiotic and two thousand creds." Ghost said, rubbing the plastic over Riddick's stomach and up his chest. A cool liquid-like texture washed over his skin. Soft hands smoothed the rubber over his tanned body, hiding well-earned muscles with rubbery bulk, giving the illusion of a chubby man. Ghost moved onto his arms, filing in the bulges of muscle to create substitute fat.

"You're finished, now do me. Don't forget these things." Ghost said, shoving the remaining mass of rubber and half a dozen things. She sidled her shirt up so high her breasts were revealed. Riddick kneaded the skin-like rubber for a moment, admiring the slick female in front of him. "Is something wrong?" She sneered, cold eyes watching him.

"Nope. Just enjoyin' the view." Riddick replied, surprised that after all her taunting and teasing she'd be angered. She grinned maliciously, eyes haughty.

"Just press the food tins against my skin and rub the syntho-skin over them, they'll stick." She said flatly. Deciding not to test her further for the sake of time, indeed urgency was making his nerves tingle, Riddick kneaded the skin around her, covering her breasts and delicate stomach to make her appear more masculine.

"Done, but what about your ah…" Riddick asked, making lewd hand motions.

"I have a little left, but not enough for a dick if that's what you're asking. We'll just say I had a small accident if it comes up, and leave it at that." Ghost replied, taking the small wad remaining and sticking it down her pants. "Don't worry, if you feel the skin moving. This stuff needs to settle a bit on your body. It even adapts to your skin tone, after a day or so." Ghost said when Riddick's hand suddenly went to rest on his now bulging stomach.

"It's not that." The man grumbled. Suddenly Ghost heard a low rumbling.

"Awe, is poor wikkle Riddick hungry?" Ghost taunted, holding up a cup of insta-heat noodles. Quick as lightning Riddick snatched the bowl, pulling the lid off. Instantly steam billowed out, but the man downed the cup despite the scalding temperature. Ghost smiled. "Come on. We'll finish our disguises then get some real food." She said. Riddick only glared in response.

Ghost whimpered as her hair fell in great clumps around her, the scissors in Riddick's hand relentless against her beautiful locks. "Shut up. It's just hair." Riddick growled. Ghost sighed and watched with dismay in the bathroom mirror, her lip quivering.

"My hair is my best weapon. Men like to have something to hold onto, you know? Besides, how am I supposed to flip my hair and give a sexy pout if I don't have any hair to flip? Not that short!" Ghost exclaimed, jumping up suddenly and nearly causing Riddick to gouge her in the back.

"Sit down and stay still!" Riddick nearly shouted, holding her down by the shoulders. He finished cutting, then poured the dye into his hands. "Don't move, or I'll blind you with it." He warned. Ghost only whimpered in response.

Riddick's mood was dark and only getting worse when the two finally left the shop, though he had to admit Ghost was right. Their disguises, however despicable, made them stand out enough so they blended in. Ghost's previously glamorous appearance was now dulled with too much make-up and short red spiky hair, black roots showing still. This new hair was covered with a long white wig, the hair standing out in every direction. Her new clothes made her look like a homosexual, with tight black mechanic pants and a tight black shirt with loose forest green tank top over it. Suspenders clipped onto the back pockets of her skintight pants, but instead of going over her shoulders she had them off and dangling between her legs, a fad Riddick did not understand at all. Weapons were in full view, a laser on her hip, two guns tucked into leg straps, and even a knife on her wrist; but Riddick knew she had a gun and knife concealed somewhere. Even her over-sized deep-space boots, thick anti-radioactive goggles and mechanics gloves added to the effect of a poser. Her now brown eyes were strange looking, and Riddick had a feeling his were just as odd by the way she avoided looking at his eyes directly.

Thanks to Ghost, his once prickle-free head now sported a thick coat of hair, practically two inches long now. She'd sprayed him with insta-grow, and now his chest, arms, face and scalp were growing thick black hair that itched terribly. Not to mention, he was also wearing a wig of dark dreadlocks, a common hairstyle of Ghost-wannabees. His outfit was almost identical to Ghost's save for his bright red tight tee, slightly looser pants and a more stylish pair of leather merc gloves. Ghost had carefully pulled the threads of their sleeves out, allowing them to loop the clothe around the arms stuck with the tube, then tediously sewed it back together. That way their plan was airtight, no sign of a clothing-swap. The two had just arrived on the planet three weeks ago, when they were ambushed by a gang of drunken mercs, mistaking them for the real thing. This tube was installed, the mercs fled, and the two were left to get acquainted with each other. They weren't in the system because they hadn't gotten around to securing a new ID cards yet. That way the cops wouldn't be able to question why they weren't registered to the planet's citizen's log.

"I'm gay, you're a moron. Let me do the talking, alright? And whatever you do, do not lose your temper. Remember, it'll take one little tug on this tube and we'll be on our knees in pain." Ghost lectured. It had been three days since their appearance change, and now they were sitting in the corner booth of a quaint restaurant with plates piled high with food. Ghost had done her job well, blended in with people, found out names of important people and cozied up to them, letting everyone know they'd been on the planet for minimum of three weeks. They'd sold their ship and were living off the creds they made from that, and now a gathering of a few important people was going down and Riddick and Ghost, also known as Stubs and Beef, were personal invites. Teenagers were easy to manipulate and difficult to contain, so all Ghost had to do was whisper words of betrayals and patrols creeping up on gang sites to lay the explosives. Now all it took was a lit fuse. Ghost lifted a roll, weighed it in her hand, then chucked it hard, smacking a man known only as Cleft in the back of the head. In return the giant man, easily rivaling Riddick in size, stood, turned slowly, and flipped the dining table of the man behind him. Ghost smirked as all hell broke loose.

Riddick shook his head as Ghost inhaled her food, shoveling it so quickly into her mouth he wondered if she even bothered chewing. It didn't take much longer for shots to be fired, but Riddick and Ghost remained in the corner. It was easiest to let the population take care of itself before they stepped in to finish it off.

When the pair heard sirens in the distance, Ghost gave Riddick a nod and the two stood. One by one people fell around them as they walked across the floor. Ghost fired a few shots at the lighting fixtures, plummeting the four dozen murderers into darkness. For Ghost, finding targets was as easy in the dark as it was for Riddick, because it seemed every man was wearing some sort of glowing object, from shoelaces to hairdos. Ghost and Riddick were a plague, killing everyone they came into contact with. Ghost's small hand clutched in Riddick's so they wouldn't risk hitting the tube. Suddenly the doors slammed open and lights flooded the place. Instinctively Riddick turned to flee but Ghost held him firmly by the arm. She blinked in the light, smiling inwardly at the damage she'd done. Riddick shifted from foot to foot, and Ghost gave him a discreet nudge. "Don't worry so much." She whispered, waiting for the police to notice them.

"Never got caught on purpose before." Riddick muttered. Ghost laughed quietly.

"Good, then it's a new experience for you." She cooed. Suddenly a light and a dozen guns fixed on them.

"Hands up, drop your weapons!" A voice shouted. Ghost threw her gun and knife down, but Riddick hesitated. It took the click of a gun and a kick from Ghost to get him to drop the knife with an angry sigh. Two more men followed suit, the only four survivors of the massacre.

Riddick and Ghost were de-costumed and shoved roughly onto an ancient transport. Ghost voiced her amazement at the fact it could still fly and was rewarded with a swift kick to the stomach. Her reaction was slow, as she almost forgot her role as a weak poser, but not slow enough to attract suspicion. The accent she adopted was a distinct lilt native to Plasmas, a small low-tech planet nearly six galaxies away. It would take hours of paperwork and file searching just to confirm or deny Riddick and Ghost's citizenship; paperwork that was not worth filling out, just as Ghost had anticipated. What she'd not anticipated was one of the two other men also being from Plasmas. He was a talkative man, constantly asking about her family name and their address. With a growl Riddick snapped the man's neck, earning a kick from the head officer and new cuffs that held his hands painfully crossed and looped around a solid bar, making it impossible for him to move or sit. The convict's name was not added to his rap sheet, however. One less prisoner to worry about. No one on the transport acknowledged the tube.

The third prisoner was the quiet type. He was strongly built, a survivor like Riddick, but young still, no more than 18 years with cryo-deduction. His sharp eyes stared constantly at Riddick, and the man had a feeling the boy knew who he was.

As hoped the three were to be sent to Slam City, where they'd be held until further notice. AKA their paperwork was already in the process of getting lost, and they were their until death or miraculous escape. Ghost hoped it would be the latter.

Riddick and the boy had been strip-searched, the syntho-skin holding up well against quick pat-downs. They'd started on Ghost, but after a few lewd motions and a firm kiss on the officer's lips, they'd patted her down and left it at that. Riddick hid a smile and instead growled "fucking homo" before settling as far away as the tube allowed.

"Awe, come on. I'm just dyin tah stick muh dagger in yuh!" Ghost said, advancing on Riddick. The man aimed a heavy kick at her, but Ghost fell to the ground before he could strike, a shock-stick dug into her back.

"Shut your goddamn faggot mouth." The officer she'd kissed growled. Once he'd removed the shock-stick, Ghost let out a fake whimper and winked up at Riddick. The boy beside him let out a laugh covered quickly with a fit of coughs, and the rest of the way was silent.

The three were loaded up onto a merc ship, small and meant for no more than five people. The officer gave Riddick an almost apologetic look as he shoved them both into the same cryo-locker. Before he closed the door, however, he hesitated. "What the fuck is that thing?" He asked, pointing to the tube.

"Hell if we know. Some drunk merc jus come up, talkin' 'bout Ghost. I mean, o' course we'ins be honored t'be mistaken for 'im, but dem blokes jus' stab us'ns an' go on dey way. You pull, dis thin' hurt us. We'in's looked fo' a doctuh, but dem jus' say dey cain't help us'ns none. So we live wit it. We got real differen' ways o' livin' though. He got's no brain, an' wit hims stuck on me, I gots' no man. It's a lonely life, bein' stuck on dis one. He no talk much, see?" Ghost said sadly, prodding Riddick. He growled at her in reply. "He no fun." Ghost sighed, snuggling against the back of the padded chamber. The officer gave the tube another quick look and then closed the doors. The air went frigid, and Ghost relaxed against Riddick's body. "I should win an award for acting." She mused, inhaling Riddick's distinct scent of earth and rain.

"You talk too much." Riddick muttered. Ghost laughed, giddy from getting away with the act for so long.

"You just don't talk enough." She replied. Riddick sighed and allowed himself to doze. He felt Ghost burrow under his arm, her face pressed against his side, but didn't stop her. He was finding her presence was becoming less and less irritating.

Riddick nudged Ghost, who moaned against his chest. "I'm so hungry I could eat a black hole." She muttered. Riddick forced himself not to smile and instead sighed, eyes staring out of the cryo-locker at the officer, already planning how to murder him. "Did you want something?" Ghost asked miserably, licking her lips at the thought of a fat chocolate cake.

"Nothing. Just hoping you were dead." She sighed.

"You and me both." Her stomach growling was the only thing that broke the silence after that.

The three were herded through heavy gates, no one bothering to search them again. They were put in a delousing chamber, then led down a series of tunnels until finally released into the heart of the prison. Once they were far enough away from the doors, the third man ran up to Riddick. "You, how'd a legend such as yourself get stuck with a queen like him?" Riddick blinked, tensing. If a kid recognized him, then the chances that the guards knew…

"Awe, he thinks I'm a queen!" Ghost exclaimed, lunging at Riddick and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Wanna be my king?" She asked with a smirk. Riddick shoved her off half-heartedly.

"Donno what you mean, kid." He grumbled. The teenager shook his head, and suddenly Ghost's expression became serious.

"He's kind of cute. A survivor, like us. Can we keep him, please?" She pleaded, looking into Riddick's eyes.

"I don't care." Riddick sighed, rubbing his eyes. The contacts were so irritating.

"YES!" Ghost shouted, leaping at the man and wrapping arms tightly around his middle.

"What the hell! You're crazy, get off!" The man shouted, drawing attention.

"Ghost, come on." Riddick said, dragging her along. The man suddenly perked up.

"Ghost? I knew it! I knew you were-" Ghost hit the man over th head, sending him into unconsciousness.

"I had him fooled, and you had to go and say my name." She muttered to Riddick as they dragged the man behind them into an abandoned tunnel.

"Leave him." Riddick ordered, removing his disguise with a grunt of disgust. Ghost sighed.

"I don't think so. I think he'd make a nice little protégé, don't you?" Riddick sneered.

"We don't have time for this!" He exclaimed. Ghost sighed.

"Come on." She said exasperatedly. "You are such a whiner." She added under her breath as she led the way through winding tunnels, ignoring everyone along the way. Riddick followed along, glaring at everyone that dared to meet his eyes. The other convicts had strong animal instincts that told them not to mess with the trio, and so Riddick and Ghost passed without incident.

"Where are we going?" Riddick growled, disliking the way the moist air clung to his freshly grown hair. "I need to shave." He added more quietly. Ghost ignored him and instead started tapping on the wall of the dirt tunnel, scraping at the thick clay and eyes darting around for something. She seemed to find it, a thick root, and grinned.

"I need your help. Push here." She ordered Riddick. He glared at her. "What is so unusual about this spot?" She asked, crossing her arms. Riddick tore his eyes away from hers and stared in the almost pitch-black dark, searching for something unusual.

"We're a good league underground. Either that root belongs to a massive tree, or…" Ghost smiled.

"Exactly. Now please, push against the wall. When I was here last I took the liberty of blocking off the tunnel with the help of a rather large acquaintance. It looks like the tunnel has long since been cleaned out of all rocks, but this spot is still untouched. Beneath the clay is a boulder, I can't move it on my own." Ghost said, her tone low and sweet, a light hand resting on Riddick's arm. He sighed.

"Get off me." He growled, preparing himself. He leaned, hard, against the solid wall, pushing with all his might against the seemingly unmovable wall. Suddenly, the clay moved inward, and a gaping hole remained where Riddick had been straining. Ghost grinned and blew him a kiss before grabbing the boy's shirt and dragging him along, disappearing around the corner of the tunnel. Riddick gave a glance in both directions, before feeling the tightness of the tube on his arm and following, pushing the boulder back against the entrance.

The man moaned, sitting up and wondering if his eyes were open or closed. He was immersed in such darkness he worried he'd gone blind for a minute, before a flare came to life in front of him, blinding him momentarily. "He's awake." A feminine voice cooed, and someone ran a hand through his hair.

"Shoulda killed him." A deep voice replied.

"You are always so negative. What's your name?"

"Sol. What the fuck is going on?" Faces came into focus now, a hulk of a man, goggles shielding his eyes from the flare, and a petite but dangerous looking woman, eyes gleaming in the flare light.

"Congratulations! Ghost and Riddick have decided to take you under their wings and teach you everything… well, a few things we know!" Ghost announced, standing up in the small space and arching her back. Sol realized she had no shirt on, and quickly glanced away. Riddick let out a small growl.

"Put some damn clothes on, someone could lose an eye." He muttered, referring to the chilly temperature. Ghost laughed and sauntered to the dark figure a few feet away from her, leaning down in front of him.

"Nothing you have to worry about, the sun can't even penetrate these things." She commented, tapping her finger against Riddick's goggles. In a flash he grabbed her around the middle, flipping her over so she was pinned against the ground. Sol watched as the tiny woman grinned maliciously, and suddenly Riddick's huge body was flying backwards, Ghost following. The two fought to be on top for awhile, then suddenly both grit their teeth and ceased the fight altogether, sitting down and barely breathing hard.

"You two are fucked in the head." Sol muttered, earning a glare from Ghost.

"So how about this doctor of yours. Know where he is?" Ghost asked, attention on Riddick. The man rubbed his head, marveling at the smoothness. Ghost had found a bucket of grease, so there was not a piece of hair left on his stubble-free head; just the way he liked it.

"Dunno yet. Gotta get a feel for things. Come on." He said. Ghost sized Sol up.

"You. You can fight, right?" She asked, earning a scoff from the cocky teen. "Good, take this and go get us all something to eat. The guards will only dole out one portion per man, so you'll have to fight to get us enough to eat. Wait for us next to the guard station, but stay out of sight, understand?" Ghost asked. Sol sneered at her, opening his mouth to say something cocky. Suddenly his air was cut off as a strong hand wrapped around his throat.

"Don't say anything. If it were up to me, you'd be dead for identifying me. But Ghosty here has taken a liking to you, and frankly you're not worth my energy. You are a lapdog, got it? So be a good little mongrel and find us food." The gravelly voice both frightened and impressed Sol, and he gazed wide eyed as the man leaned back.

"Fine, under one condition." He replied. Ghost laughed sarcastically.

"You see? He's like us, brave to the point of idiocy. Run along, boy. Go do as you're told, or Mr. Riddick might decide you're more of a headache than a help. And once he gets aggravated, well there is not stopping him. You really are an accessory, not a necessity. I just like pretty things." Ghost ran a hand through his long hair, but instead of releasing him she grabbed a chunk, pulled him close, and licked his ear. "We'll find you. Don't try anything stupid." Sol shuddered. Unlike her usually chipper and flirtatious attitude, her voice was dark. Sol was good at detecting lies and bluffs. Ghost was doing neither.

Ghost sulked along, completely blind as she followed Riddick's lead. "What's your problem?" He asked, realizing that the reason this was so easy was because she was both silent and obedient as he wound his way through the dark cavernous tunnels that most inmates avoided.

"He has more spirit than I thought. He'll be harder to break. More fun, of course, but I think in the end I'll have to kill him. It's a shame, really. I do so love pretty things. Did you see his eyes? How sparkly, how green. Like little emeralds. I do love emeralds, Riddick." She said sadly, shaking her head. Riddick glanced over his shoulder at Ghost, shaking his head at her childish wants.

"A true killer kills for fun, not sparkly things." He rasped, throat even more rough than usual from lack of water.

"Don't get me wrong, I do love killing. I love the expression when they realize they lost and are about to die. But I like to collect things too, Riddick. I like the pretty little things that I don't deserve." Riddick sensed there was something more to the conversation that Ghost wanted to say but didn't know how, but at the moment he didn't care. All he cared about was the freedom that could be minutes away.

Riddick sniffed the air, detecting a metallic reek that left a sour taste in the back of his throat. "Blood." Ghost whispered, hands absently rubbing Riddick's arms in excitement.

"Old. Rusty." Riddick added. Ghost blew in his ear.

"What do you see?" She whispered, leaning against Riddick's crouched form, her head against his shoulder. He could feel her heart racing, and her thrill moved into him, curling his lips in a crooked grin.

"X marks the spot." He mumbled, and Ghost shivered.

"I do love treasure."

The two materialized behind him, Ghost wrapping herself around Riddick's bulging arm and pressing her face against his burning skin. She gingerly picked up a metal instrument, admiring the still sticky blade before dropping it to the ground with a clatter. The old man spun around, agile for someone in their seventies. Of course, to survive as he had, it was a necessity. "R-R-Riddick? Is that you?" He croaked.

"Ah, so you recognize me Cutter." The man grinned, a toothless black hole replacing what could have once been a smile.

"How could I forget such a perfect specimen. I see you have a friend?" The doctor's eyes roamed up and down Ghost, who was clad in nothing but a long vest that barely covered her breasts.

"It seems I did good leaving you alive. You see, it appears I'm in need of your assistance once again." Riddick held out his arm, revealing the tube that kept him attached to Ghost. At once Cutter's eyes lit up, like a child with a new toy. Ghost's heart started racing, but it was for a different reason this time. The way the man's lips curled up, how he handled the instrument in his hands; he had no intention of letting them live. Instantly her muscles grew taught, and her bare foot inched towards the dropped blade. Riddick sensed her sudden change, and gave Cutter a look-over.

"I'll go first." Ghost said, pulling out a needle. "Sorry to ruin your fun doc, but I think anesthesia is called for in this case." She said, seeing the disappointment on his face. Then Riddick saw it, the slight twitch of his hand when he heard they wouldn't both be going under the knife simultaneously, the glare he gave Ghost, he way his shoulders hunched, as if he was hiding something. Riddick grabbed Ghost's hand, spun her close to him, and wrapped a solid arm around her middle.

"I've grown quite attached to her. Just remember, if she dies…" Cutter looked annoyed at the threat.

"Yes yes, she dies I die." Riddick laughed.

"No, old friend. If she dies, something much worse waits for you." He saw real fear in the man's eyes now, and the fat veterinarian gulped.

"I'll do my best, but that… I'll have to cut into the bone, risky business." He tried to explain. Ghost smiled cruelly, detangled herself from Riddick's arms, and reached into her vest, pulling out a small cloth bag.

"I've brought you a gift." She said, throwing the sac to him. In it was the medical supplies she'd smuggled in under the rubber skin. Ghost turned and glanced at Riddick, gave him what appeared to be a genuine smile followed by a kiss blown in his direction, and jabbed the prepped needle into her arm, falling back against the metal surgical table as the knock-out juice took affect. Riddick stood over her, glaring through the goggles. He was worried about her, and it pissed him off.

Ghost woke halfway through the procedure, swallowing a scream as she felt metal scrape against bone. Her vest was gone, but she didn't care. She was lying on her stomach, head turned towards Riddick. She tried to turn away, keep him from seeing her weakness as she winced and bit her lip, but couldn't find the strength to move. So instead she glared into his goggles, imagining she could see the glint of his wonderful eyes and realized it was tears. Her vision swam as water blurred her sight, and Ghost felt ashamed for letting herself appear so weak in front of the only man she had a desire to impress.

Suddenly Ghost was jolted, and half a scream managed to slip through her lips before she clamped them shut once more. Ghost waited for the pain to knock her out, waited to feel her consciousness swim away, but the feeling never came. Again, another jolt, this time Riddick winced too, and Ghost realized Cutter was affecting the tube, doing something that disrupted the connection and sent electricity soaring through them. Suddenly, the pressure was gone. Riddick still appeared in pain, but the tightness in her body was relieved, and she felt her skin being stitched up.

Riddick watched intensely, eyes flitting from Ghost's back to her face. When the last of the black tendrils that had buried themselves in her forearm were cut, instant relief had washed over her face. She was weak, still had no ability to move her body, but it was most likely from the anesthesia. He glanced down at the needle in his hand, wondering if it would be more shameful to use the knock-out juice or to scream. He knew Ghost would have rather died then cry out, so something painful enough to make her scream would most likely have a similar effect on Riddick. With gritted teeth he crushed the syringe in his hand, breaking it and sending the only hope for relief dripping to the ground. Pain, that's what reminded him he was alive. What kept him from growing cocky like most men with his abilities would. Pain reminded him that he, contrary to popular belief, was mortal.

Ghost forced herself to stand, fighting her shaking muscles for control. Riddick watched her carefully, and Ghost couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. Her mind was a mess, groggy still from the anesthesia, and she couldn't make out Riddick's expression, couldn't read him like she normally could. "While you're here, hows about a shine job like your old mates? Don't cost much, cheaper than this." Cutter said with a grin, eyes focused solely on Ghost's breasts. She rolled her eyes and said nothing, not trusting her tongue.

Riddick sat on the table, the tube beside him. Ghost admired the work on her arm, mumbling something about leaving a scar, and Riddick almost laughed.

"You're covered in scars, what's one more?" He asked. Ghost sighed.

"All my scars were from my escapes. This one is from my capture." Riddick was surprised at the thought. It applied to him too, he realized. Never had he been scathed in a capture, always knowing what his limitations were and when it was time to stop fighting and start planning. This would be the one time he'd been caught off guard, hit with something unexpected, and it would forever be memorialized by a crude and jagged scar, pink and then white against his tanned skin.

Ghost watched, jealous that Riddick made it look so easy. He sat still, tensing whenever a black cord was cut from his forearm, but otherwise motionless. His head was bent, watching Cutter as he worked, goggles iridescent as the light hit them and making it impossible to see his eyes.

Riddick wanted nothing more to cave in, scream out, lap at the pool of narcs on the ground where he'd broken the syringe. The pain angered him, angered him that it could control him like it was. It made him wish for death, for sweet unconsciousness, for relief. Suddenly a soft arm was around his shoulders, a soft breath tickled his ear, and Ghost rested her head in the crook on his neck. The pain was gone, replaced with anger at the flood of emotions, and Riddick growled. "Get off me, girl." Ghost laughed lightly, barley a sound.

"Make me." She whispered. Riddick did not.

He stood, flexed his arm, testing the rough stitches. "Not bad, old man." Riddick mused, giving Cutter a glance. He turned his gaze to Ghost, who's sad eyes made him grin. So she knew, saved him the trouble of telling her. Without another word, Riddick flicked a back of menthol kools to Cutter, turned his back, and left. Ghost let out a sigh and turned to Cutter, who was looking her up and down again.

"So you two aren't together, interesting." Ghost grinned.

"We never said we were."

"But you care about him, and he cares about you. I may not have known Riddick for long, but I know he does not care about anyone but himself unless they can help him. If you want him, make him need you." Cutter said, wiping down his instruments. Ghost smiled and turned her gaze to where Riddick's form had disappeared in the dark.

"He already does; he just doesn't know it yet."

Sol paced, the portions of grit held in a leather bag he'd managed to swipe. Very few people dared come as close to the guard station as he had, because the guards made it a game to shoot inmates for credits when they got bored. And those who did dare, were too busy watching out for there own skin to worry about him. A soft hand alighted on his shoulder, and he turned, almost relieved to see Ghost standing there. She smiled up at him and linked her arm through his. "Where's Riddick?" Ghost looked over her shoulder, pulling Sol along through a small tunnel.

"Enjoying his freedom. Don't worry, he'll find us when he's ready." She said, reaching into the leather bag and pulling out the small sealed dish of grit. "I hate slammer food."

Sol blinked in the darkness, wondering how Ghost knew where she was going. "It's instinct. You'll have to enhance them to survive. Don't worry, I'll teach you what I know. By the time we escape you'll be as deadly and dangerous as Riddick and I." Sol blinked in surprise. Riddick had been before his time, a story told to children when they misbehaved. He'd never believed his mother when she said Riddick would come get him if he didn't obey; what a mass murderer would want with a child he couldn't figure out, and neither could his mother when he'd asked. He'd heard of course the occasional murders and escapes, but nothing ever happened close enough to his planet to affect his daily life. He'd heard of Ghost too, but never worried about him, or rather, her. And so far, he hadn't witnessed anything extraordinary except some acting.

"What makes you think you have something to teach me? You're no better than I am." Sol said arrogantly. Next thing he knew, a knife was against his neck, and Ghost was out of sight, slipped behind him.

"Rule number one, never underestimate your enemy." Sol gulped, and the blade cut his neck the tiniest bit.

"Since when are we enemies?" He rasped, regretting his words instantly.

"Rule number two, everyone is your enemy." Ghost said, removing the blade and giving the side of his neck a kiss. "Rule number three, always have fun." She whispered, voice tickling his ear. Sol shuddered at the suggestion in her voice, and took a step back. He reminded himself that he couldn't trust her, and one look in her eyes confirmed it. He could see the bloodlust in her gaze, feel her nails against his skin as she traced the veins in his arm, and he half expected to feel her teeth against his neck whenever she paused in her walk to lay a kiss against his carotid artery. She made him nervous, that was for sure.

Ghost led Sol back to her hideaway, picking gingerly at the food he'd swiped as she went. It was fun, teasing him, watching his face flush red in the dark as she taunted him. Eventually though, she had to worry more about the eyes following them than making Sol feel uncomfortable. Without Riddick, she knew she was more vulnerable. Sol was nowhere near as intimidating as she and Riddick, and from experience Ghost knew desperate men often mistook intimidating women as alluring. She was in trouble if the two dozen men watching her decided to attack as one, inmates were much more difficult to kill than ordinary citizens.

Once back in her secret hovel, Ghost allowed herself to relax, laying out on the soft mat she'd stashed there so many years ago. Sol lounged in the corner, obviously uncomfortable, and Ghost grabbed his foot, dragging him towards her. She arranged him so she was comfortable, nestling her head in the crook of his arm and entwining their legs together for warmth. Sol's breath was quick and irregular as the woman pressed her scantily clad body against his, rubbing her smooth legs against his rough ones. Ghost enjoyed the feeling of his heart racing, enjoyed the control Sol gave her over him, but most of all she enjoyed the way his neck throbbed with the rush of blood. She wondered how long it would take him to bleed out if she slit his neck right now. Usually it took four, maybe five minutes, but with his pulse going so quickly, she bet he would die in two. Smiling to herself, Ghost drifted into a feather-light sleep, hoping to see Riddick at her side by the time she woke.

Ghost rested a hand against Sol's arm, and the man lowered his knife. "Pretty good, huh?" He asked proudly, wiping the blade off on a fallen man's ragged shirt. Ghost squeezed his arm and Sol winced.

"What have I said about getting cocky? The second you feel invincible is the second you die." Ghost said sternly, going through the dead bodies and grabbing anything of use.

"Right, sorry." He muttered, earning a glare.

"Never be sorry, either. It only shows how much power someone has over you." She scolded. Sol sighed and shook his head. There really was no pleasing her. "So how did it feel?" She asked suddenly. Sol thought about his answer.

"I don't know. Not bad, if that's what you want to know. I have no pity or guilt for these pieces of trash." Sol looked at Ghost, hoping that was what she wanted to hear. She wasn't paying attention to him, however.

"Remember what I told you about getting cocky? This is going to be a perfect example of why." She said, standing. "Get your knife ready, idiot." Sol obeyed, slipping his knife easily from the make-shift sheath on his forearm. Two men leered at him from the shadows, eyeing Ghost and her lush body.

"Hope you're done with her." One said, licking his lips and shoving his hands down his pants, already hot at the thought of mutilating such a perfect specimen of female.

"Not quite finished, sorry boys." Sol replied warily, wondering how Ghost would react.

"What are you standing there for? Defend my honor." Ghost exclaimed, rolling her eyes at Sol. "Men and their banter." She added quietly, leaning against the tunnel wall. Sol shrugged and obeyed, attacking first the biggest threat, the man with a knife. Second to come was the bloke with his hands in his pants, but Ghost called a halt. "You kill them too quickly. Make him hurt, regret his life. Draw it out." Sol glanced at Ghost, who had a disarming smile on her lips.

"What do you mean?" Sol asked quietly. Ghost's smile widened.

"Start with his filthy hands."

Sol held the crying man by the collar of his shirt, knife against his throat. Ghost licked his earlobe encouragingly. "Look in his eyes. You see that fear? You're causing that. You are in complete control of him." She whispered. Sol's breathing was hard, and something in the back of his head screamed at him to stop. Ghost's hand on his waist stirred another part of him, a stronger part that urged him to draw the blade. "Do it, let the warmth wash over you. Feel the blood run between your fingers and enjoy it." Ghost egged, her nails running against his bare back and giving Sol a shudder of pleasure. He pulled the knife, slowly, eyes never leaving the man's, and he watched the light of life trickle away, his head lolling back. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and suddenly Ghost had her lips against his, fiercely commanding control of his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her, his deeds suddenly forgotten as the woman demanded his attention. His bare feet were sinking in blood-soaked dirt, and finally he fell backwards, Ghost on top of him. She yanked at his pants, growling into his mouth when they refused to let go. Finally she drew her blade and cut the waistband, leaving a shallow gash in Sol's hip. Ignoring the pain, Sol pressed Ghost's body to his, running a hand over every inch of her bare skin. Ghost grinned and let Sol have his reward.

His once thin arms were bulked up with Ghost's constant training. His hearing was twice as good as before, as was his endurance and stalking. Though Ghost could still surprise him in the dark, Sol usually knew when he was being followed. He wandered out more and more often without Ghost by his side, who had grown bored with her new toy after he learned all she was willing to teach him, and usually she simply encouraged him to sharpen his skills. Sol, always eager to impress her, worked mostly on building his muscles and working on his sneak attacks, hoping to soon have an advantage over Ghost.

Riddick didn't come for a week, and Ghost sighed angrily. She knew he hadn't escaped from the rumors of mangled bodies found in the deeper tunnels, but almost wished he had; at least some excuse for his lack of presence. Sol was a disappointment also, not the student she had hoped for; not blood-thirsty, though willing to learn. Ghost almost wished he had a family member, or someone close to him, that she could encourage him to murder. There was no better way of reaching the inhuman state of mind than destroying something you loved. However there was no family or friends in a place like this, and she had to teach the old fashioned way. Scout, stalk and kill. Lucky for her Sol was willing to learn.

"What are we doing here?" Sol whispered, hand on Ghost's waist. He had quickly learned that if he did not return her affectionate touches, she inflicted painful ones instead. And as much as his manly nature hated to admit, he was frightened of the small woman.

"Finding dinner. I'm sick of that slop." Ghost said. Sol froze, wrapping a strong arm around Ghost's waist and pulling her back into the shadows.

"This is a guard's station. They'll shoot you." Ghost laughed lightly and gave Sol's lip a bite.

"No, they'll shoot you. Stay here." She ordered. Sol met her gray eyes.

"And if I don't?" He asked, jutting out his chin. Ghost laughed excitedly; finally he was learning.

"What's a poor girl to do?" She replied. This was not something he'd expected, and with a last peck on the lips Ghost thrust herself into the light of the guard station, letting her revealing clothes and well-proportioned body do the rest. Once he made sure Ghost was alright, Sol glanced into the darkness behind him, and took off on his own.

Riddick knew he had to go back. It only made him angry that he was relying so heavily on someone else, and thus he took his sweet time finding his way through the tunnels back to where Ghost's little hiding spot was. It was empty, but looked well used. To his fury he smelled sex and sweat; mingled with fear and obedience. Stupid boy really was a lapdog. There was also the underlying smell of blood, ah so he'd fought back a few times. Ghost really had no mercy.

Riddick followed the trail as best he could, taking out his misinterpreted jealousy on anyone that got in his way. He quickly lost Ghost's trail, which was to be expected, but Sol was easy to find, the blundering fool blind and untrained to walk in the dark. There was a trail of bodies just before Riddick hit the main tunnel; ah, so she was training him.

Riddick found Sol in the cavernous tunnel where inmates tunneled for anything that might get them a pack of cigarettes or a few tradable creds, slipping one of Ghost's trinkets into another inmates hand and receiving a small emerga-kit filled with real food. A can of sardines, some spam, and some powdered foods. In the outside world, the small diamond necklace would have been worth four thousand creds at least; down here it was worth some discarded soldier slop. "Pretty, looks familiar though." Riddick growled. Sol glanced up at him, completely unafraid. He'd be used now to the jolt of fear his instincts set off, a side-effect of living with Ghost.

"She gave it to me. Good behavior or something. Like you said, to her I'm just a toy dog." Riddick detected no bitterness at this statement, and realized the boy liked it. Masochist.

"Where is she?" Riddick asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Fucking some guards for some real food. Figured I'd get something in case it didn't work." Sol said. Riddick laughed. So that was it; he didn't like the verbal or physical abuse; he liked the rewards. Dumbass kid was in love with Ghost. Riddick's laugh was cut short when he suddenly realized he thought of Sol as competition. But there was only competition if two people felt the same way for the same person. Shit.

Ghost grinned. She had achieved more than she could have hoped; a bundle of food in her hand, and a pretty little necklace around her bruised neck. She was feeling cocky, cocky enough that she didn't notice the scent of sweat and blood behind her until she was surrounded. But there was something else behind the vile smell of humans; something earthy, fresh, and strong. Her anger turned to excitement, and Ghost decided to make Riddick pay for leaving her for so long. So when the men jumped her, she did nothing.

Riddick growled and came from his hiding spot. Damn, she'd caught his scent. He grabbed hair, pulled heads back, and slit at least three throats before the scum realized Ghost was not alone and scattered. There she sat, eyes wide in innocence, a bloody lip and blooming bruise around her collarbone, covered with a little trinket. "Really Riddick, you need to learn to control that temper of yours." She said, stretching like a cat and enjoying Riddick's prying eyes.

"You smell like shit." He mumbled, earning a laugh.

"Perhaps because I've been rolling in it. But really Riddick, you can't deny that you'd pass up a chance for good food." Ghost said, holding up her bag. "Though it may be squished…" She looked upset, and Riddick growled at her, taking the bag in one hand and her arm in the other, pulling her through tunnels and halls where no one bothered to follow. She laughed at his anger, jogging to keep from being dragged, and let Riddick pull her along. "Just like the good ol' days, eh?" She asked, enjoying the smell of anger; something she'd almost forgotten the lush scent of. Sol was difficult to torment, and the smell of love was starting to give Ghost a migraine. Riddick threw Ghost suddenly, and she landed with a splash in water browned with dirt. "Riddick…" she said, voice no longer taunting but strained. The man forced his lips to remain still, keeping the smile that threatened at bay. Instead he crouched low, gauged which way she was going to jump, and tackled Ghost, pushing her face down in the murky water. She let out an angry growl and spun around, eyes glaring at Riddick before she ripped off his goggles and spat a stream of brown water into his eyes, sending him backwards for a moment. Dirt clouded his vision and the scarce light that filtered in from the guard barracks hurt. Damn Ghost for knowing his weakness

She attacked him from behind, but Riddick could smell her approach and easily threw her over his shoulder, grinning at the sickening crunch of bone against rock. Ghost grunted and stood, her left arm at an odd angle and a grim smile on her muddy face. She took a running start and leapt, reaching around him with her good arm and wrapping it around his thick neck, tugging hard and cutting off his air. Her force made his neck snap quickly to the side, and he felt the strain of muscles and they ripped. She let go when he grabbed her sore arm, but the damage was done, and Riddick's neck movement was suddenly limited. She was smart. Dammit. "May I ask what this is about?" Ghost asked, Riddick lunging and catching her in the gut, winding her.

She procured a blade and ran it along Riddick's inner thigh, drawing light blood. It was then that they both realized they were going easy on each other, afraid to mortally wound the other. Riddick let out a roar and grabbed Ghost, wrapping his thick hand around her slim neck, pinning her to the wall with his body. Her grey eyes bore into his, laughing and shouting at the same time, while his reflective eyes held no emotion. Their faces were inches apart, and both could smell the other's breath, growing intoxicated by it. Suddenly Riddick's grip loosened, and Ghost did something completely unexpected. She kissed him.

Riddick blinked, wondering if it had actually happened. Her mouth had been so soft against his lips, and the sensation was gone in an instant; it could easily have been imagined. But then she did it again, just as light as before, and Riddick took a step back, sending her pinned body sliding to the ground. Ghost sighed and stood, looking down at her body covered with blood and mud. "What exactly did you have in mind when you threw me into the mud?" She demanded, sliding out of her small dress-like shirt and wringing it out, start naked.

"You reeked." Riddick replied, slipping his goggles back on. Ghost sighed, searching for her sack of food. It was ruined, the bread and sausage soaked with mud and no longer edible by her standards.

"And for nothing! Do you know how much self-control it took not to wring their skinny necks? And I have nothing to show for it." Riddick glanced at her, eyes freely roaming her body, and felt a possessiveness fall over him like a steal blanket. She was his. A long silence followed, and Ghost started shivering, still standing in the thigh-deep puddle of mud. "I know why you came back." She said suddenly, trying to warm up by rubbing her hands along her skin.

"So what?" Riddick replied, standing. He didn't understand why Ghost didn't just get out of the water, and realized she was waiting for him to come in and get her. Fat chance of that happening.

"You need me." She said with a grin, teeth white against her mud-darkened skin. Riddick thought it unnatural, and for the first time realized how pale she'd grown.

"Not you specifically." He growled, starting to pace. Ghost watched him, smile still in place.

"Yes me. You need me, specifically. Where else would you find someone that could pull this off?" Riddick stopped moving and crouched again, goggles shielding his eyes that were admiring her body again.

"We'll need more than two people." Ghost's grin widened and Riddick saw her jaw trembling; she was smiling so hard so her teeth wouldn't chatter.

"Three, to be exact. And I do believe we have three." Riddick nodded.

"Sol. That's why you keep him around. But if we only have three… one of us has to die." Ghost sighed sadly and shrugged.

"It is unfortunate." Riddick let a small smile creep onto his face. She was just as heartless, if not more-so, than him. His thoughts suddenly went to Carolyn, how he'd wished he'd died instead of her, how he'd regretted living after her death. Ghost would never be so weak as to mourn for someone else.

Ghost saw Riddick's body tense and knew something was wrong. The attention was off of her and his mind was wondering. She sighed; obviously he figured out her plan to manipulate him and was refusing to pull her from the freezing muddy water, and already she could feel the chill touching her bones. She remembered why she liked Sol so much, so willing to follow her lead no matter what. "Get out of the water." Riddick mumbled. Ah, so his attention was on her again, good.

"Make me." She said, pouting. Riddick sneered at her but was not in the mood for her tricks. He stepped into the water, grabbed her hair, and dragged her to his side.

"Happy?" He asked. Ghost's small body shivered uncontrollably against his skin.

"No. I'm cold, and still hungry." Ghost said, her lower lip quivering. Riddick liked the show of vulnerability, even if he knew it was only a show. Ghost let herself be dragged through the tunnels back to her hidden place, where Riddick shoved her roughly into the waiting arms of Sol.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked, her naked and damp body shivering as she wrapped herself in his arms.

"Riddick found me." She said, giving Sol's ear a nip. "He got rough." She whined. Sol glared through the dark at Riddick, who grimaced at the boy's lack of fright. He knew Ghost did it on purpose, fed him fear coupled with rewards, conditioning him to welcome fear and eventually lose his fear completely. He then glared at him, eyes invisible, when Ghost curled up in his lap, pressing her breasts to his bare chest and feigning weakness. "He ruined my food." She muttered, kissing Sol's jaw line. He grinned at this, shooting a cocky glare at Riddick as he procured the tin he'd traded for. Riddick grew angry when her eyes lit up and she gave Sol a genuine smile. As she dug in, Sol wrapped her in his shirt, running his fingers through her long black hair and wringing it out.

Ghost relaxed her body against him, and Riddick realized she hadn't just trained a puppy to follow her about; she'd trained a guard dog. She could sleep comfortably while he slept lightly, always alert. Ghost's eyes were suddenly inches away from Riddick's, and he sneered at her closeness. "Time for sleepy, Riddick." She whispered, close enough so he could taste the canned fish on her breath.

"I don't sleep." Ghost laughed quietly.

"Lay with me then." It was not a question. Riddick glanced at Sol, who was silently fuming.

"I don't think he likes me." Riddick grumbled. Ghost blew in his ear.

"Are you scared of a little boy?" She whispered, voice barely audible. Riddick snorted.

"Get away from me. Go have your fun." He whispered back. Ghost smiled.

"Do me a favor?" She purred, running a finger down his chest. Riddick looked at her, wondering what her twisted little mind wanted. "Fix my arm?" She asked. Riddick rolled his eyes and grabbed her left arm, still at an odd angle from their fight, and with a snap put it back in place. Ghost grinned at him, though in the dark he saw the flair of blue that was pain, and she moved away, resting against Sol again. Feeling that he'd won, Sol rested against the wall, falling into a light sleep. Riddick allowed himself to doze, waking only when he felt a familiar presence pressed against his side. Ghost kissed his arm before maneuvering it so she was snuggled tightly against his side. Riddick growled at her, and Ghost sighed.

"Don't fight it, Riddick. It's instinct." Ghost whispered. Riddick doubted what he felt was instinct, but let her stay, nestled against his body, if only for the enjoyment of knowing Sol would wake to find Ghost chose Riddick over him.

Riddick dozed for a few hours before growing anxious. The feeling he got from being locked up was always unnerving because he almost enjoyed it. Here, everyone was like him, with some hidden agenda and a hidden knife. In the outside world his senses would be overwhelmed with the stench of humans, his hand would twitch with the longing to hold his knife. He was a predator in a world of prey. But here, here he was a predator fighting predators. Much more entertaining when they put up an actual fight. It tested his mind, planning escapes and ambushing other inmates and guards. The only reason he left was the feeling of constriction that grew with time; knowing that he might rule the prison, but the fear people had whenever they spoke his name was gone, and people in the outside world were living without him. He needed that fear; needed the innocent prey to lock their windows and doors with his name on their minds.

Though he'd been dormant for some time, hiding out across the galaxy, people, little humans, always assumed the worst. He was planning something big, or had already achieved something big and no one had heard news because there were no survivors to tell of what happened. He grinned to himself and slipped his body out from under Ghost, who stirred and clung to his shirt in protest. She was really deep asleep, eyes moving beneath their lids as she dreamed. Riddick wondered if she would awaken if he pressed a knife to her neck, wondering what made her feel so safe that she would let herself slip so deep into unconsciousness. Her guard dog was out like a light, snoring lightly, his arm around the shape Ghost's body had made before she switched sleeping partners.

Ghost peeked open an eye, the darkness so complete she could barely make out Riddick's figure. With a grin she let him get a head start and followed, wondering where he could be going. Her jealous mind pictured a woman, tall, blonde, soft, well-figured, every man's fantasy. But she discarded the thought. Riddick didn't want soft, he wanted a fighter. For someone to just give him what he wants is unappealing, she knew better than anyone the thrill of taking what she wanted by force.

He was resilient to her ploys thus far, but she had to push him just a little harder, make him realize that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. She feared she'd gone too far with the guards, almost having the reverse effect on him and driving him away completely. But where his mind ordered him to kill her, it also brought back some sort of memory. A memory she had to drag out of him and make him forget. There could be nothing, no one past or present, that might interfere with her plan.

Riddick wondered why they followed him and did his best to shake whoever it was, but the feeling that someone was constantly behind him stuck. He hid around corners, waited in ambush, but they were smarter than that. Finally he heard a familiar sigh and Ghost stepped around the corner, tilting her head an inch and evading his thrown knife. "We are both too good at this." She said, pulling the blade from the wall it had buried itself in.

"What are you doing?" Riddick asked, exasperated.

"Helping you. Come on, this is where you want to go." She replied, grabbing his hand. Riddick sneered at her and pulled away.

"I'm around you more often than when we were attached." He said, heading in the opposite direction. Ghost threw a smile over his shoulder and let him go. He would catch up with her eventually.

Riddick cursed when he saw her sitting there, waiting for him. She had what looked like a sandwich in her mouth, both hands busy sharpening a new shiv. Blood covered her arms up passed her elbows, and a cut above her eye covered half her face in blood. "What happened to you?" he asked. Ghost beamed when she saw him and offered her sandwich, which Riddick took.

"I played a game. Ever kill anyone blindfolded? It's harder than it looks. Want a smoke?" Riddick ignored her and looked up at the tunnel-like structure that separated the inmates from the outside world. The walls were seamless and perfectly smooth; he'd spent hours looking for impurities. The walls were too far apart to shimmy up, unless three people with adequate body strength and height could link arms and walk up. It would be hard, but the more Riddick looked at it, the more possible it seemed. Except for one flaw.

"You aren't tall enough." He said, calculating the necessary height needed for this journey. Three people at least six feet in height would be needed, Ghost wasn't even five and a half. Ghost glared at him, but followed his gaze upward.

"I know. But don't worry. Your height is perfect. Me and you combined are the exact length of this opening. The third person is to complete the balance. You're too heavy, we wouldn't make it all the way up." Ghost used the tip of her newly sharpened shiv to draw in the dirt three lines, two completely even with each other, the other at a ninety degree angle from them. "Sol is about an inch too short, but I've solved that problem with his new shoes, good traction too. You and I will be barefoot. We'll link arms, while Sol's head rests on them, like a cradle. His back is strong, he'll be able to handle it. Then we'll walk up until we reach the elevator eight hundred meters up. Sol, unfortunately, will fall at that point, while I pivot us in through the elevator doors." Riddick listened to the plan.

"It would be safer if I pivot us in." Ghost laughed at this.

"And my assurance that you don't let me fall as well?" She asked. Riddick realized she had a point, why would he grab her when his escape was complete?

"You'll just have to trust me." He said. Ghost laughed again.

"Riddick, you barely even trust you." She muttered, standing. Riddick growled.

"I won't drop you. Alright?" He said. Ghost gave him a look, eyes flashing. He was getting angry. Good.

"Sorry, my plan or you're on your own." His hand was suddenly around her neck, but he didn't squeeze enough to cut off her air. Yet. "What's the matter, tired of relying on someone else?" She taunted, wrapping her legs around his torso. "Don't like how you need me?" She whispered. Riddick released her neck, but she hung on, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, dragging her nails along his taut muscles. Her eyes were even with his, and suddenly his goggles were gone, letting in the bright swirling red that was Ghost. She grinned at him, and a sudden pain in his arm made him take a step back in surprise. "Shouldn't let your guard down." She said, pulling away her hand and licking the blood from her nails. Riddick grinned wickedly at her; and Ghost gasped in pain, looking down at Riddick's shiv buried in her chest. "And here I just thought you were happy to see me." She joked, pulling the thick blade from between her ribs. "You know, it's a good thing you missed my breasts. Such perfection is a rare blessing." She added, resting a hand on the wound. Riddick growled, hating that she could so easily brush off his aggression like it was nothing.

"Perfection indeed." He said, resting a hand on the outside of her shirt and hoping to unnerve her with his forwardness. Ghost laughed instead and leaned backwards, resting her hands on the ground and releasing his waist, flipping backwards.

"Tsk tsk, that's no way to treat a lady." She said, leaning against the smooth wall. Riddick sneered at her.

"You're no lady, you're a murderer." He said in her ear, mistaking her shiver of excitement for fear.

"We'll settle on murderess then." She said, touching their thighs together. Riddick felt his heart race, felt his blood boil, and realized what he felt really was instinct. Mating instinct.

Ghost saw the realization in his eyes and smiled. She placed a delicate kiss against his neck and let her thighs press harder against him, enjoying the reaction. Riddick stood stock still for a minute, and suddenly she was lifted to eyelevel and pinned there. Riddick growled in her ear, a feral inhuman noise from deep in his throat, and Ghost knew the man in him was completely gone, succumbed to the animal inside. Oh well, she liked it rough.

Sol grimaced when he heard the plan. "Don't worry, I know you can handle it." Ghost said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and planting a soft kiss on his neck.

"When?" He asked. Ghost grinned at the surge of confidence he suddenly felt.

"In the morning. Why wait? I've tired of this place." She said, draping herself in Sol's lap. Riddick sneered but said nothing. Her body reeked with his scent; she was his.

Ghost waited until the two male's breathing was deep and steady. Riddick would kill her if he found out what she was going to do, even though it was necessary. They wouldn't have the strength to make it without real food. And the only way to get real food was to 'fraternize' with the guards. With a sigh she shimmied her pants lower and shirt higher, grabbed a pack of smokes and her hand-carved stilettos, ran her fingers through her semi-tamed hair, and blew a kiss over her shoulder as she stealthily slipped from her hiding space.

Riddick woke to the smell of meat. Real meat. He sat up quickly, kicking Sol awake as Ghost walked into sight. "Here. Build up your strength, you'll need it." She said, throwing a whole chicken to Sol and another to Riddick. He glared at her, knowing very well how she got the food, but made no comment. She looked tired, and her usual red glow was white with a blooming fever.

"What about you?" Sol asked. Ghost laughed harshly.

"Trust me, I've already eaten." She said with bitter humor.

"Ready?" Ghost asked, wiping her sweaty palms on her sorry excuse for pants.

"Are you?" Riddick asked, his voice so low Ghost barely caught the words.

"I'm fine. Let's do this." She brushed him off, Riddick nodded and ripped the remainder of his shirt off, tearing it into strips and wrapping them around his hands and bare feet. "Traction." Ghost explained to Sol before he had time to ask.

"What about you?" Ghost grinned and showed him the bottoms of her feet, which were red and scabbed.

"I used sandpaper to make them rough." She said with a shrug. "Wait until Riddick and I have a good hold, then lay back and jump. Don't be afraid to lean on us, we can take it." Ghost said, grabbing Riddick's bare shoulders. She let him push up first, remaining firm as two-hundred plus pounds pushed on her shoulders and back.

"Go." Riddick muttered. Ghost extended her arms, Riddick's nearly seven feet making it difficult for her to extend her legs all the way.

"Sol, now you." She said, glad she'd thought about the weight difference. "Riddick, stop leaning. Let your weight naturally tilt left. Sol, now!" Ghost demanded, pleased Riddick obeyed. With Sol evening out the weight on the right, Ghost tested the balance. Perfect. "Just keep leaning left. Not you, Sol!" Riddick closed his eyes in aggravation. The chance he would survive this were decreasing by the second.

"Almost there." Ghost said cheerfully. Riddick felt an overwhelming need to hit her, but refrained for his own sake. Sol grunted, wondering if his neck would be permanently stuck at this angle.

Ghost smiled. Less than ten feet. Nine feet. Eight feet. Suddenly, Riddick was leaning too much. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked, sidestepping to compensate.

"Like I said, I think it's best if I pivot us in." Riddick said. Ghost's eyes flashed with anger as she realized what he was doing. And she couldn't stop him without causing them all to fall. He planned it perfectly. By the time they reached the open elevator ledge, Riddick was in front. "Get ready." He said. Ghost grasped his arms hard, digging in her nails. No matter what, she would not fall. Instantly, the pressure on her back was gone as Riddick let his knees bend. One second they were firmly wedged in, the next Riddick was upside down, hanging by his knees from the elevator ledge. Ghost was holding tightly to his slippery skin, and Sol… Sol was gone.

"You asshole." Ghost muttered. Riddick shrugged, loosening her grip more.

"Hold on." He said, heaving himself up with stomach muscles already sore from such strenuous use. Ghost did hold on, and as Riddick pulled himself up, her grip on him loosened, until it was gone completely and she climbed for herself onto the ledge.

Ghost leaned over the edge, peering into the darkness below, where she knew a mutilated body lay. "Too bad." She sighed, genuine regret in her voice. Riddick sighed, the doors to the elevator's exits clamped tight.

"Now what?" He asked. Ghost looked at him and shrugged.

"Now we wait for someone to use the elevator."

Ghost had just gotten in a comfortable position on the three foot ledge when she heard a small 'ping!' announcing the call of the elevator. She stood quickly, jumping in excitement. The elevator came, thick wire cables lowering it slowly until Riddick and Ghost were blocked in the small hallway-like space. "I just thought of something…" Ghost whispered, excitement gone.

"What if someone's in the elevator." Riddick finished for her.

"You take the hallway, I got the elevator." She said. The doors opened slowly, revealing faces that barely had time to transform from bored to surprised before Riddick took them down. He spun to see Ghost watching him. "Empty." She said with a grin. Riddick sneered at her. "Come on, be mad later. We have to figure out a way to… oh." Riddick was gone, running down the hall towards the hangar. She shrugged and followed, deciding to let Riddick field this challenge.

Riddick glanced over at Ghost, slumped in the seat next to him. Her eyes were peaceful, staring straight ahead, but there was a slight frown hitched to her lips. She'd been unusually silent the past week, and unusually obedient too. "Don't tell me you're still moping over Sol. You can always get a new dog. Maybe a German Shepherd." Riddick muttered. Ghost blinked a few times, then feigned a smile.

"No, that's not it. How much longer do you think we'll be out here?" She asked, motioning towards the blackness that stretched in front of them.

"Why, somewhere to be?" Riddick joked. Ghost sighed.

"You could say that." He gave her a sidelong look, but said nothing more when he saw the playful smirk on her face. Whatever she had planned, he knew he wasn't going to like it.

Ghost browsed through the market, her cloak and new haircut disguise enough. Riddick, unfortunately, didn't blend in so well and was sulking in alleyways. Ghost smiled to herself, thinking about the rough night before. She hoped the scratches on his arms would scar, she'd broken a nail on his hard muscles.

Ghost sat up, her breath still coming in deep gasps. Sweat made her short black locks cling to her forehead, and she looked down at the shimmering eyes watching her. "How long do you suppose this will last?" She asked quietly. Riddick growled angrily.

"It's just like a girl to ruin the moment. Shut up and sleep." Riddick replied, turning on his side. Ghost gazed at his back thoughtfully for a moment, before standing and leaving the room, as per usual after sex. Riddick listened to her go without moving. Something in him cringed and he longed to follow her, make sure she understood that she belonged to him. But he knew she would constantly push him to the limit if he let on even the slightest bit that her sleeping around bothered him, and already he noticed she came back less and less smelling like other men and more often came back smelling like cooking grease and coffee.

Ghost sighed, gazing up at the stars. She liked New Mecca, where theft and murder was often enough that she and Riddick didn't stand out. It was less technologically dependant than most other planets, and the galaxies were beautiful on clear nights. "Up for some fun?" A voice whispered behind her. Ghost glanced over her shoulder and saw a greasy looking man eyeing her with lust. She grinned.

"Sure, baby. Follow me." Ghost said, looping her finger around the collar of his shirt and pulling him. They hadn't even reached the side road when Ghost dug her shiv deep in his belly, slowly pulling up. The man's eyes bulged for a moment, and blood gurgled from his lips. Before he fell to the ground, Ghost grabbed his shirt and wiped her blade clear of blood. With a heavy sigh she flipped her hair. "Not even a fight? Boo." She pouted. Suddenly, a peculiar feeling overcame her, and before she could recognize it her dinner resurfaced.

Ghost vomited hard until there was nothing left. She wiped her mouth, eyes wide. "I suppose this explains a lot." She muttered to herself. She paced for a few moments, before walking back into the diner she'd been occupying not ten minutes before. She enjoyed another full meal and, feeling refreshed, smiled wickedly to herself. "I hope Riddick's still in the mood to play…"

Riddick grunted when he felt soft hands caress his shoulder. He knew what Ghost wanted, but he'd be damned if he gave her control. Slowly he felt her frustration grow, until finally she gave him a firm shove and he fell from the mattress. With a growl he rose slowly, eyes gleaming in the dark. Ghost felt the thrill of nervous energy, the closest things she'd ever felt to fear, force her blood to pump faster. "What's the matter, Riddick?" She asked, blinking up at him innocently all the while biting her lip tauntingly. He stood there, fuming, but when Ghost tried to sit up, his hand shot out and pushed her down, crushing her collarbone. She gasped for air, closing her eyes as lips and teeth ravaged her neck, drawing blood. She dug her nails into Riddick's sinewy back, lifting herself from the mattress. Riddick snarled in her ear and followed his instinct to claim her as his own.

They lay still for a long time, Riddick crushing her tiny body beneath his, his head between her breasts, arms on either side of her, pinning them down. Eventually he rolled, and Ghost sighed sadly; she'd much enjoyed his warmth. She stood again and stretched, and Riddick let out an angry sigh. Ghost smiled, but instead of leaving, she walked around the bed until she was standing in front of Riddick, who's eyes were open and watching. Wordlessly Ghost lifted his arm and lay down, pressing her body as tightly as possible against him. Then she pulled his arm back down and Riddick rested it on her scarred back. Ghost pressed her lips against his chest for a moment, then looked up, meeting Riddick's eyes. "Rose Sorith. That's the name I was born with you know." She muttered against his cheek.

"So?" Ghost grinned at his reply.

"So nothing." She purred, laying another kiss on his smooth skin.

"Fine, then shut up and sleep." Riddick said. Ghost met his eyes again, and this time gently bit his lip.

She waited until his breathing was deep and even. In his slumber his arm lay relaxed against her hip, and Ghost sidled gently from his grip, sliding a pillow in her place. She dressed swiftly, constantly making sure Riddick was still asleep, before she made her way to the already open window. "Goodbye, Richard B Riddick." Ghost whispered to the slumbering convict. Emotions overwhelmed her, and she cursed herself mentally as tears threatened to fall. "Fucking hormones." She muttered. In a blink, she was gone.

Riddick tried to ignore the shouts, but with an angry sigh he stood from the table, ripping another chunk of bread off the loaf with his teeth. "Hey, you have to pay for… sorry, sir." The shopkeeper said when he saw the flash of Riddick's shiv. Riddick rolled his eyes in irritation and made his way towards the nearby alley.

"What the fuck you think you're doing? Oh you'll pay for that!" A young girl snapped. Riddick glanced around the corner, dodging a blow from a lookout.

"Fuck off, this don't involve you." The man said, the stench of his breath making Riddick scrunch his nose. With a single cut, the man's head was nearly decapitated.

"Guess I'm involved now." Riddick mused quietly, flashing eyes hidden by his goggles. The man's death caught the attention of the ring of men, and one moved towards Riddick, knife brandished.

"Get out of here while you still got legs to walk on." The man said. Riddick was about to reply when the fellow's eyes grew large and blood spurted from a hole in his neck. Riddick leaned around him and saw a girl, probably eight or nine, with fire in her eyes.

"Buzz off, I got this handled." She said to him, turning her hand-made shiv on the remaining five guys. "Whose next?" She asked, voice low. Their eyes went from Riddick, standing over the kid, to their dead mates. The unanimous agreement was to flee.

With a triumphant smile, she turned, eyeing Riddick. "Hope you don't expect any sort of thanks." She said. Riddick gazed silently down at her, and eerily familiar gray eyes stared back.

"What's your name, kid?" The girl scoffed, flipping her inherited curly black locks over her shoulder.

"Ricki. Ricki Ghost. Not that it's any of your business." She spat. Riddick looked away, hoping it to be a coincidence and knowing it wasn't.

"Weird name." She sneered at his insult.

"For your information, I'm named after my parents." She snapped. Riddick grinned cruelly at her.

"Then you and your parents have weird names." He said. She crossed her arms, looking him up and down, before turning away, nose in the air.

"Hmph. Like you know anything. My parents are the greatest murderers of all time. You only dream of having my genes." Riddick smiled again, this time out of admiration for her self-righteous attitude.

"Well you sure have your mother's cockiness." He said. Her grey eyes watched him again, suspicion and curiosity meeting his goggles.

"What do you know?" She growled. Riddick crouched down and removed his goggles, looking his daughter up and down.

"More than you think, kid. Where's your mother? We have unfinished business." Ricki hesitated, a flicker of realization making her nose twitch.

"She dropped me off."

"Well when is she picking you up?" Riddick resisted rolling his eyes.

"She's not. She said…" Ricki hesitated now. "She said she did her part, and now it's my father's turn. She said when I find him, to tell him good luck." Riddick stood slowly. "What did you say your name was again?" Ricki pried. Riddick glanced down at her.

"For starters, no way in hell am I calling you Ricki. You find your own damn name. Can't believe that bitch named a girl after me." Riddick muttered angrily. Ricki's eyebrows knit together, before her face relaxed and was replaced with the mischievous grin, another trait inherited from her mother.

"Don't expect me to call you dad." She said, swiping his goggles from his hand and holding them up. "You know, I could steal a better pair of these any day." Riddick felt his lips pull into a smile so wide his perfect white teeth showed.

"C'mon, kid." He said, deliberately walking fast. Ricki ran past him, throwing the goggles in the air for him to catch.

"Keep up, old man!" She shouted over her shoulder. Riddick shook his shaved head before taking off after his daughter.

Riddick lifted his head, inhaling the air deeply. His eyes searched for the familiar red of a body, but saw none. "You're losing your touch." A voice whispered in his ear. Riddick turned quickly, catching the wry woman around her waist and pulling her in close.

"So are you." He whispered back, his breath tickling her neck. Ghost grazed his jaw with her lips.

"How's the offspring?" Ghost asked, no longer trying to keep her voice down. Riddick shrugged.

"Changed her name to Shadow. Thought it sounded cute I guess. Then took off. Takes after her mother like that." Riddick couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice, and Ghost, unfortunately, caught it.

"Like what, thinking up a cute name?" Ghost tried to joke. Riddick glared at her from behind UV-protected goggles and Ghost pouted. "You're not still angry about that? You and I both know we're not the settling down type. What did you expect? We'd forget our past, settle down on some cushy planet and raise a wholesome kid? We're not evolved like that, Riddick. Or maybe we're too evolved." Ghost laughed. Riddick glanced at her.

"Why give her to me? After eight years you seemed to have a handle on it." Ghost's smile turned sour.

"Every little girl needs a daddy, Riddick. I wasn't a protector, I was a teacher. I showed her how rough life can be, taught her to kill to keep alive. But I knew that you would show her how good life can be; you could teach her to kill for the fun of it. She needed that lesson. I taught her how to survive, but you… you taught her how to live." Ghost ended in a whisper and turned her face from Riddick.

"How do you know what I taught her?" Riddick growled, grabbing Ghost's arm. She laughed sadly.

"Do you really think I would leave my kid with you and not keep an eye on her? Please, Riddick, I may be a murderer, but I'm still a mother." The news shocked him into releasing her.

"You… how?" He more demanded than asked. Ghost smiled triumphantly.

"Believe me it wasn't easy. You're very astute to your surroundings." She said as if this was a new discovery. Riddick gave her a sidelong look, before averting his eyes completely.

"So why show yourself now?" He asked, his gravely voice monotone. Ghost hesitated, and put a gentle hand on his arm.

"To say goodbye." She whispered. Riddick glared at the sorry excuse for a wall that held his dingy living room together. He felt Ghost's soft hands slide up his arm to his head, slipping off his goggles; a gift from his child. "Oh please, like you can stay mad at me. Our kid's grown, I have no reason to follow you around now." Ghost said in her typical taunting tone. But something was different about it this time. This time, there was no playful slap, no crude gesture or sound. This time there was nothing but sadness behind it. "Riddick, I-" Her words were cut off by a sudden crushing kiss, and she let herself collapse against the floor with the weight of Riddick atop her. Ghost groped blindly, ripping his black shirt off and fumbling with his thick belt. Riddick didn't bother to spare her clothes, and her naked body was soon crushed beneath his. There was no love in this act, only lust and anger.

Ghost lay there, panting and exposed. Riddick leaned over her, keeping her eyes on his. She gave him a crooked smile and traced a long scar on his chest. "Maybe it'll be a boy this time." She joked. Riddick glared harder at her, and her smile faded. With a heavy sigh, she started to move, but a hard hand stopped her.

"No. This time, I get to leave." Riddick hissed, standing. Ghost gazed at him sadly, but lay back down. She heard him dress, all the while her eyes not leaving the cracked ceiling. When he reached the door, he turned. "Goodbye, Rose." He said. The finality in his voice made Ghost wince.

"Goodbye, Richard." She replied steadily. In a breath he was gone, and Rose sat up. "See you in eight years." She added quietly. Riddick, listening from the other side of the door, let a smile touch his lips.

"You'll have to find me first."