Cara watched as everyone scrambled around for a weapon. She assumed it was to protect against Riddick but in all honesty they really should just lock all weapons away, Riddick would be able to take it from them like candy from a baby. When Johns came running back with a shotgun everyone noticed how tense he was. Then panic had ensued when he told them Riddick was gone. Basic human reaction was fight or flight. They decided to fight.
Cara watched Paris dig into his collectable weapons. She watched as he walked by with original earth artifacts. Cara's trained eyes saw they originated from India judging by the carvings in the staff. She felt her fingers twitch. She would have to lift something soon else the urge to do a more dangerous theft would happen.
Cara watches as the Priest, Imam, shared a ceremonial blade with Johns. Imam is reluctant to use it for violence but agrees Riddick is a dangerous man and until they can all "speak with Riddick his character is unknown".
Zeke and Shazza only have digging tools to offer up, maybe a pick ax. But not much in the ways of real weapons, it's not like they were planning on hunting a dangerous criminal.
Fry watches Paris walk by bristling with weapons "What the hell are these?"
In Cara's mind she says, A hell of a lot of cred. But Paris says, "Maratha crow-bill war-picks from Northern India. Very rare."
Zeke takes one of the weapons from him "An' this?" He holds it up to the light.
"Blow-dart hunting stick from Papua New Guinea. Very very rare, since the tribe's extinct." Paris seems proud to be able to answer at least some questions.
Zeke scoffs "'Cuz they couldn't hunt shit with these things, be my guess."
Paris adjusts the heavy weapons and in a very annoyed voice, "Well, what's the need, anyway? If the man's gone, he's gone. Why should he bother us?"
Seemingly out of nowhere Johns comes out of the shadows "Maybe to take what cha' got. Maybe to work your nerves. Or maybe he'll just come back to skull fuck you in your sleep." He smiles bitterly at everyone as the faces show disgust. Cara just quirks her eyebrow at him, boy does he like to make a dramatic entrance.
Shazza shakes her head, "Sounds like a charma'." Everyone picks up their weapons and begins to move outside while Paris is shocked into immobility.
"And you, what do you have?" People stilled upon noticing Cara in the shadows for the first time. Johns walked into the light and gestured her forward. Cara slipped into the light and brazenly watched everyone as they got their first clear look at Cara.
"Three close range blas'ers, some throwin' knives two daggers and one long blade." She smiled up at Johns. He frowned down at her. He knew she was hiding more weapons but even the ones she claimed to have, he couldn't see. But he could make educational guesses.
Puff sighed in exasperation, "You want to go retrieve those or are we going to hold your hand!" He juggled his entire arsenal of weapons as Cara's attention diverted to him.
Cara smiled. She couldn't help it. "What makes you think I haven't been armed from the very beginning?" She smiled and winked as his face paled. She passed everyone on the way outside and they all moved out of her way. Cara jumped into the sand with a little cloud rising around her feet and she disappeared from everyone's sight.
John is the only on smiling, his thought, She's going to be a fun one.
Fry was the one who spoke next, "Who is she, what do you think she does?"
"I don't know but I think Jack, Paris, Imam and his boys might want to avoid her. She seems dangerous." Shazza hugged Jack to her side but Jack's face was alight with interest.
Johns spoke up, "Don't worry about her, keep your mind on Riddick. I'll keep an eye on both. I don't think there's anything to worry about, I'm getting a Merc vibe off her. As long as you not a criminal she won't care." He smiled at them knowing that she wasn't a Merc, but most likely a criminal. He could use her without creating a panic, maybe even turn a profit when the time came.
Cara watched Zeke and Shazza convert the liquid oxygen canisters from the ship into portable unites. Shazza was muttering to herself as she used Jack as a test animal, "Quick hits only, try…" Jack took a breath and smile, "Working?" Jack nodded and Shazza smiled down at the young boy. "Okay try to make it last." Jack began to distribute the portable units around.
Cara walked around the wreckage as Johns climbed onto the ship to try to get some bearings. She rounded the ship and the sight made her groan. A third blue sun was rising over the horizon. Paris was just standing there staring but the second she made a noise he squeaked and ran back the way they both came from. Cara ignored him. Jack came around the corner, "Cara, your breathing u…" The kid ground to a halt next to me. "Another sun?"
Cara took the breather pack from him, "Looks like, hope you like to sun' bath."
"Bloody hell." Shazza and the rest of the group joined us.
Zeke addressed the captain as he stared at the sun, "So much for your night fall"
Paris, "So much for my cocktail hour." He leaned heavily against his war pick. Defeat in his shoulders.
Imam walked up with his arm around one of the young boys Cara had still not been introduced to. "We take this as a good sign, a path, a direction from Allah. Blue sun, blue water."
Zeke sneered at the priest's simple logic, "Ever wonder why I'm an atheist?"
Johns jumped down off the ship and walked over, "It's a bit of a bad sign, that's Riddick's direction." He pointed toward the blue sun.
Fry frowned and stood next to him her arms crossed, "I thought you found his restraints over that way, toward sunset."
Cara saw the condescending look he shot at Fry. "Right. Which means he went towards sun rise." He walked over to Zeke. As he walked over he pulled his smaller blaster from its holster and showed it to him. "Zeke. Fully loaded clip, safety's on, one shot in the air if you spot him. Okay?" He breathed heavily.
Zeke sighed, "Don't tell me you're going off too?" His breath was labored.
Johns placed his hands on his hips and stepped back a little as Paris walked over and balanced on his war pick. Johns answered Zeke's question, "Yeah." He shot a half smile that most thought charming, Cara though it was charming, just like a snake.
"What happens if Mr. Riddick spots us first." Paris leans forward with worry and concern.
Johns out right chuckles, "There'll be no shots." He turned and walked away. He paused as he neared Cara. "You, little missy, are with me." Cara frowned as she watched him walk off.
Fry pulled along her as well, "Imam and his boys are coming with us, on the off chance we find water they'll need it most." She hesitated but as the captain she had to make it clear. "I don't want you near them. You got me."
Fry tried to glare Cara down but Cara only smiled at her. "Go' it El Cap-i-tan." Cara saluted her and winked as she set off after Johns taking a hit off the air unit.
As they began to walk Cara noticed that her shirt was trapping the heat in. It was a black tee-shirt that was a stretchy material but with her holsters for her guns along her thighs and the holster for her long blade across her shoulders she felt the chafing begin. Imam began to sing in his native tongue while Cara loosened the straps getting ready for the long hall.
Johns was in front and he scanned the area as if Riddick would pop out of the ground. Then Cara followed him looking board and hot. Fry placed herself in-between Cara and Imam and the children.
About a half hour into the trip Cara stopped. She felt eyes on her. She slowly spun looking at the rocky terrain around them. She strained her ears but Imam's singing got in the way. She then heard pebbles dropping.
"Quite! Shh." Johns yelled at the group. Dropping down into a crouch he pulled his shot-gun. And ran up the hill the stones dropped from.
Cara stood with Fry and watched Johns scamper off. Imam came to stand on Fry's other side. The children called out and began tossing stones. Catching mine and Fry's look Imam explained, "Seven stones to keep the devil at bay." He watched Cara closely and she smiled a little at the young boys, so carefree at times. She turned back to watch Johns ahead, and scowled. She was too hot.
Imam stepped in front of her. "My name is Imam, we have not been properly introduced." He smiled at her and she could practically feel the glare Fry was giving her.
Cara couldn't help but like the man, he didn't care that everyone thought her dangerous. He still had hope in humanity. "Cara McManus. Pleasur' ta meet ye." They shook hands and smiled pleasantly at each other. "Them your boys'?" Cara nodded at the children.
"Yes we are on a pilgrimage, every lifetime should there be a great hajj, a journey."
Fry spoke yup her voice soft, "To New Mecca right?"
"Yes, we do this, yes, to get to know God, better, yes, but to know yourself as well." He stared out over the waste land.
Fry breathed out a "Yeah well." More to herself than us.
"We are all on the same hajj now." He took the war pick Fry was starting to have issues carrying because the farther they walked the weaker she seemed to be getting.
"I'll go get Johns. Cara…" Fry watched her for a second. "Sorry, about…" She gestured behind her and Cara shrugged. "Watch them?" Cara nodded.
She trotted off and they waited at the bottom of the hill. Johns and Fry came down to meet them, Fry smiled at them, "Johns found some trees in the distance!" The children cried out in joy and took off running around in joy. When we finally drew near the children scrambled up the hill laughing. Cara watched the trees and frowned, they didn't move in the wind. The three boys stopped at the top and froze.
Before them as far as the eye could see was a trail of bones. The trees were actually the dorsal bones of a titanic skeleton. The creatures that once inhabited this planet are no more than a sea of bleached carcasses. The wind ripped through them creating and eerie moaning noise almost as if the creatures were still crying out. Hell had overflowed right here.
Imam squinted trying to see the end, "A communal grave yard perhaps like the elephants of original earth." One of the boys looks at him and says something in Arabic. "He asks what could have killed so many great things…"
Fry met the grim gaze of Imam and started down the incline. "Is this whole planet dead?" she murmured to herself but Cara heard. Everyone stared forward into the bone graveyard but she held back watching for a moment. Everything in her being told her Riddick was down there.
The boys walked around picking up pieces of bone and running them along the rib cage of the long dead animals. Wonder on their faces at the creature's gargantuan size. She began to follow them to keep an eye on them as both Johns and Fry wandered off. Exploring the bones. Imam stayed close to the children and Cara felt that they were safe enough.
Before they could even see her she took a quick two steps and reached up as if to do a pull up. Her fingers caught the edge of the bone and she flipped herself up into one of the empty cavities of the beast. Every cavity in the bones contorted back onto itself with plenty of nook and crannies to slide into. She wondered about until she spotted Johns creep under her with his gun drawn. She pulled her knife and crept up behind him. Quiet and fast she was just above him and could have easily jumped down on top of him to kill him. Johns was none the wiser of his near death experience. She did it just to prove to herself that she could. Not that she had any intention of killing him…yet. She smiled at the thought.
Johns eased out of his crouch and jumped out of the bones walking away, were Cara heard Fry struggling with her breathing unit. Almost directly to her right, alongside her with only a thin bone between them she saw Riddick slide down to the ground. He had been in the sinus cavity and within arm's reach of Cara and she had not noticed him.
Cara knew she didn't make a sound but Riddick looked right at her anyway. And ignored her. Cara would never admit it but she found his apathy a little offensive. She bared her teeth at his back and flipped down and landed easily without a sound and followed him.
Riddick was just behind Fry, her back to him. Cara sees the bit of bone in his hand and knows that if he wanted to he could kill Fry. Cara then found herself in a moral dilemma. Did she stop him or not. Even if Fry was being a bitch toward Cara she was only doing what was right. Before she could act Johns came taking a long pull off the scotch bottle in his hand.
Cara frowned. When did they find Scotch…
Johns offered the bottle to Fry whom is now sitting against the ribs with Riddick crouched behind her. Cara inched closer interested in what he was doing.
"Probably shouldn't do this. Dehydrates you even more." But Fry took it and drew a nice long swig.
Johns chuckles turning on his charm, "Probably right." Fry makes as noise in the back of her throat and swallows hard. "You know you could have stayed back at the ship, probably should have. You know if we don't find water, you know what happens."
Fry rolls her head to look at him "I wanted to get away."
Johns looks at her in surprise, "I've never seen a captain so ready to leave her ship."
Fry stands up and begins to walk away, "I think we should keep moving."
"What'd Owens mean?..." He stares up at her. "About not touching the handle." He stood as Fry's body language slumped. "It's just between you and me Carolyn, I promise."
Cara's lips parted in surprise. She didn't think Johns cared enough to ask.
Riddick crept up closer as Fry leaned back against the ribs, "I'm not your Captain."
Riddick inched his bladed between the ribs and grabbed a lock of Fry's hair and cut it without Johns or Fry even knowing. "During the landing, when things were at their worst, Owens was at his best. He's the one that stopped the docking pilot from dumping the main cabin…" Fry met Johns blue eyes. "The passengers." She clarified.
Johns stared at her with slight disbelief. "And the Docking Pilot being?" Fry just stared at him, "Well. I guess I'm a little more glad to be here than I thought." He walked forward and placed his hat on top of Fry's head.
As they walked away Riddick brought the lock of hair up to his nose and scented her.
Cara watched and couldn't help but frown a little, "Now tha's just weird." She said.
Riddick blow the locks into the wind and finally settled his gaze on Cara. Inside she flinched, liking it better when he wasn't looking at her. Riddick stalked towards her. Who knows maybe they might actually have a conversation this time Cara thought.
Once in arms reach he grabbed he arm and threw her to the ground but her instinct kicked in and she rolled into a crouch with a blade drawn. She settled herself into the familiar stance and flipped her hair back out of her face. Riddick watched her and grinned. She frowned at him. The he held up one of her daggers and flipped it into the air.
Cara felt the muscle below her eye twitch. No one ever stole from her, no one.