I do not own Pitch Black, Dark Fury, Chronicles of Riddick, or Riddick, nor do I own their characters or the story lines. I own only Rehtaeh and any new characters that I may add, and any plot changes that may happen within.

I really hope you enjoy the story! :D

Chapter 10

*Riddick*

Johns blasted through the door of the coring room, breaking the chains holding the door closed, he went through first shotgun ready, and Mac went in the other door. Riddick had to give credit to the guard he was very thorough, as he swept each room Imam followed right behind him, he wanted to get to his kid. Johns stayed in the main room as the other two searched for the young boy.

"Ali!" Imam called. "Ali!"

Carolyn and Paris held back Jack and the two older boys. Keeping them outside where it was safer. Riddick waited outside, no point in getting in the way. The place smelled of death and decay, no wonder Rehtaeh had turned back. He could hear the creatures in the dark places. He heard Imam cry out and the rending of clothing on metal at one point, and Mac went back for him. There was a sweep of metal hinges as a door swung open, and the creatures squealed and screeched as they flew by.

"Imam, get down!" Mac called out to the holy man, his voice echoing through the chambers. The creatures made a pass by the door, Johns and Carolyn scrambled out, locking the other two men inside with the creatures. When they passed Johns let the door swing back open just in time to see the beasts swoop up and then down into the coring shaft.

Once Imam brought the boy's body out for burial Johns, Carolyn and Shazza went in to investigate. Riddick followed them in. Mac still had his gun out, sweeping the interior until he was satisfied that there were no more creatures hiding in the shadows. He joined their group as Johns lit a flare and dropped it down the coring shaft. As it fell the luminescent green light showed the skeletal remains of several bodies. If Riddick was to hazard a guess, there were at least twenty different skeletons.

"Shit!" Mac said, under his breath, "They sure as hell did a number on this group. Bones were picked clean."

"Other buildings weren't secure, so they ran here." Riddick said leaning over the lip of the shaft, looking down inside. "Heaviest doors, thought they'd be safe inside, but they forgot to lock the cellar."

Upset by this turn of events, Shazza left the room, heading back outside to work on the sand cat. She had been so hopeful that there had been some survivors, probably because it increased the likelihood that they too would survive. The others moved around the room, trying to get a feel for what happened. Carolyn was picking up coring samples, looking at the tags, Mac was rifling through some journals that were lying on a table. "These journals indicate they were planning to move off planet for a while. The last entries are dated twenty two years ago."

"Whatever the fuck those things were, they seem to stick to darkness, so if we stick to daylight we should be alright, Okay." Johns said turning away from Carolyn and heading to the door of the room, apparently he had seen enough and made to leave. "Let's go."

"Twenty-two years ago." Carolyn said quietly, echoing Mac as she picked up yet another tag. Her brow was creased in deep thought as she started coming to conclusions.

"What?" Johns said turning back to her. Had he not heard her or was he just being obtuse?

"These coring samples are dated," She replied holding up a tag, "Last one is twenty two years ago this month."

"Okay, is there something special about that Carolyn?" Johns asked rubbing his nose. Riddick could tell he was getting annoyed with the captain. He just wanted to leave, he had started shaking so Riddick knew that he was jonesing for his next fix.

She hesitated for a long moment, thinking about the things that she had seen while at the camp. A thought crossed her face, and she whispered, "It could be-."

Mac looked at Carolyn and then at Riddick, his face was intense as the solution dawned on him. "The model."

Carolyn turned and left the room, going into the one that had the moving model of the solar system. She bent over it and started turning the dials following the cycle, the planets the suns and the moon, swung round and round till it hit the end of the cycle at twenty two years, everything aligned and dropped the little ball that was their rock into complete darkness. Her voice was filled with horror as she whispered, "An eclipse."

Riddick couldn't help himself as he smirked. "You're not afraid of the dark are you?"

Johns and Carolyn walked out to go prep the ship. Riddick and Mac followed behind them, he had found a workable piece of metal earlier that could be fashioned into a shiv, it just needed some adjustment, so he pulled it out as well as a rock and started to grind the edge. Mac walked beside him, either completely unaware of what he was doing or completely uncaring. Neither of them said anything for a long moment. Mac seemed itching to get something off of his chest.

"Looks like shit's gonna hit the fan here pretty soon." Mac said, when he didn't get a response he sighed softly and carried on. "I have seen the way you look at Rehtaeh, and the way she responds to you."

Riddick glanced at the other man, but didn't say anything, what was it to him how he looked at the woman? That was between him and her. "Under normal circumstances I would tell you to stay the fuck away from her, but since she seems to trust you more than Johns, makes me think, there has to be a reason, right?"

"Get to the point, Mac." Riddick growled at him as he ran the edge of his shiv against the rock.

"If something happens to me I want you to get her to New Mecca." Mac said finally, it was like pulling teeth, the man was loath to ask him for anything, but he had made a promise to Rehtaeh. With Dr. May dead and Johns out of the question that left Riddick, and Mac saw him as competition.

"What's it to you; that she gets there alive?" Riddick asked suddenly. Most armed guards were just as bad as mercs, just in it for the money. "She's just another payday isn't she?"

"The money, that's incentive, sure." Mac agreed his face took on a worried look, one of concern. "Normally yeah, these gigs are about the money, but Rehtaeh, there is something about the girl that infects you. Gets under your skin. She is too good of a person to have been dealt such a bad hand. Five hundred years under someone else's control, her life manipulated, her tissues harvested for research. Do you have any idea how many surgeries, operations, and samples can be taken from the human body without surgery? Still leaving the body one hundred percent intact?"

Riddick was surprised at this; Rehtaeh was under the impression that no one besides the two of them knew the truth. Mac continued talking, "Yeah, I know the real story, and I know she told you. I got ahold of her files while the Doc was sleeping, sealed up the envelope completely. No one knows what I do, and I want to keep it that way. I don't know why she trusts you but she does. If something happens to me, just get her off of this rock."

"What makes you think that I wanna risk my neck for her?" Riddick asked the man. He didn't get to hear the answer, and Riddick was able to avoid making a promise he wasn't even sure he could keep, since the girl in question sauntered up to them. She had been on her way back from paying her respects for the dead child.

"So what's the deal?" Rehtaeh asked them keeping her distance as she came up beside them. As she had before she kept Riddick between herself and Mac.

"Eclipse." Riddick told him, looking at Rehtaeh. She went completely still, as she looked up at them.

"When?" She asked, her voice was barely above a whisper. She knew the same as he did, that when the lights went out, those human eating monsters would be coming out to play. Her fear spiked and he took a deep breath. She glared at him, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Could happen any time." Riddick told her, and then he taunted her. "Are you afraid of the dark, Rehtaeh?"

"I have seen what lives in the dark, Riddick." Her voice was hard and angry. She looked over at the ship and then at the direction of the wreck. "I have every right to be afraid. Those little fuckers you saw in the coring room, those are the least of our worries. We need to get the hell moving."

"What the hell is with you Rehtaeh?" Mac asked her, watching her pace across the lot, look at the sand cat and then in the direction of the skiff. "You are like a cat on a hot tin roof!"

She looked at Mac for a long moment. She was constantly looking up at the horizon. "We are wasting too much time. Shouldn't we be doing something? I mean, we could split into two groups, one group stays and fixes the skiff and the other group goes to get the whatchamacallits- the uh, power cells."

Riddick spied a bucket of grease and decided to test his blade. He grabbed the bucket and sat himself down by the skiff, where he could hear what was going on inside, as well as keep his eye on the girl, who suddenly seemed to have an overabundance of energy. She was right but there was no way in hell Johns would allow that. There was too much opportunity for Riddick to get the upper hand and make his getaway. No Johns would want to wait till the very last minute.

"They are coming up with a plan, Rehtaeh, we should wait for them." Mac told her trying to get her to calm down, his voice was soothing, and it would have worked on anyone except Rehtaeh. She just became more agitated. She was prowling, pacing her heavy boots whispering over the gravel.

"Fuck that! I am outta here." She had gone feral, she was running purely on instinct, and they were telling her to act and act now. He had never seen another person turn to their animal side for survival. Many times he thought that he was the only one who could do it, and here she was prowling around the lot like a caged beast. She turned and started in the direction of the ship. Mac went after her grabbing her right shoulder, spinning her around.

She used the momentum and swung her left arm, her fist connecting with the guards jaw. Riddick heard the connection and Mac's grunt of pain as he stumbled back, looking at her in shock. Her right arm came up hitting the larger man in the gut and then again in the kidneys with a solid left. When the man doubled over she kneed him in the nose sending him sprawling. She raised both fists into guard position and waited, not taking her eyes off of Mac. Mac got to his feet and took several steps back watching the angry girl warily, he was obviously uncertain of his charge's intentions. He held up his hands in supplication, "Calm down, Rehtaeh."

"You want to waste my time?" She yelled at him, she was full of pent up energy and anger. "You want me to calm the fuck down?"

"Yeah, I do!" He snapped back, his usual calm demeanor slipped away in anger at the defiant young woman.

"Make me!" her head was down, her eyes looking up through her lashes. Her rage was written in every angle of her body as she stalked towards her prey. As much as he would have loved to see what skill she had, the girl was badly injured. He had seen her bruises and felt her ribs under his hands, she had three cracked ribs, they were holding for now, but a single hit could cause severe damage.

"Rehtaeh, enough. Go cool off." Riddick stood and stepped between them. Rehtaeh growled at him, she was looking from one man to the other, he could see her mind calculating whether she felt she could take on both of them. She settled into a fighting stance and prepared for a fight. She was certain that she could take them both out! The thought of her even trying him while wounded nearly made him laugh. If she was this feisty in anger, what would she be like in lust? He wondered what she would be like after he toyed with her for a while. Would she get this revved up for him? How far could he push her before she went over the edge?

"Rehtaeh you are injured! You need to calm down!" Mac reminded her coming around Riddick's side not realizing the threat. Rehtaeh threw herself at Mac, hands raised in attack and Riddick caught her in mid throw hauling her back against him. She struggled hard for a moment, until he squeezed her gently, reminding her of her pain. She whimpered but continued to struggle against him, her tolerance for pain was high, if he squeezed her any tighter he would be doing more damage.

"Mac, stay back. She has been looking for a fight for days." Riddick told the other man. Mac's surprised eyes moved from him to Rehtaeh, who was still looking at Mac with a feral growl on her lips. Mac stepped back and Riddick used his distraction to spin the angry woman in his arms. He pinned her arms between them and she struggled against him, trying to get to freedom. "Rehtaeh, look at me."

"Let me go!" She growled her voice was enraged. She arched her back and then bucked against him, her soft hands grabbed the back of his neck, kicked her booted foot back taking out his knee and she hauled him over her shoulder.

"I'll make you pay for that." He growled as he rolled to his feet. He was about to reach for her elbow to spin her around when she turned in the opposite direction, using his momentum in her favor as she lifted her booted foot and took out his feet sending him sprawling. She grunted, and Riddick saw a flicker of pain cross her expressive face. He had not expected such an attack, who the hell was this woman, and where had she learned to fight? He had been going easy on her because of her injuries, and she had taken him down twice within a two minute time span. "Fine, you want to fight let's fight, but we do it on my terms."

"Whatever floats your boat, honey, just get on with it." She taunted, she was already in a defensive stance; feet spread, one slightly before the other, knees bent. Her hands were in front of her face, her left guarding her chin, her right guarding her face. He started with a slow jab, which she easily blocked, and countered with a fast jab of her own, a kidney shot, which connected hard. He was surprised at her strength. She was easily a foot shorter than he was, so most of her shots would be body shots. He sped up throwing a right hook which she saw coming a mile away she easily avoided it, kicked a foot out and buckled his right knee. "Come on Riddick, stop fooling around, I am not a china doll."

Still controlling his hits to ensure her safety, he threw a combo, right, left, jab, right, uppercut; he even tried to throw in a kick which she easily blocked. She countered; left, jab, jab, uppercut, and a sucker punch. He blocked everything but the uppercut and the sucker punch. According to the speed of the last two hits, the others had been a distraction tactic. They sparred like that for fifteen minutes, he refused to let things escalate, if anything he was trying to get her to calm down. To throw her off he threw in some dirty shots, going for neck, chest or groin, but she always seemed to be a step ahead of him. He tried to get her on the ground and she avoided all of the take downs as well.

"How do you do that?" Mac asked, from the side lines. The man's voice pulled her out of the fight, distracting her for a long moment. Riddick watched her in fascination, they had been sparring for over twenty minutes and she was no more winded than he was. She was however, in a great deal of pain, even though she was trying hard to hide it.

"Do what, exactly?" She asked in return, she wasn't being oblique; she was doing a lot that might require explanation to someone who wasn't aware of her techniques.

"You already know his attacks before they land, I know he is not telegraphing his movements, hell I can barely see them coming." Mac replied as Riddick moved in to throw another long combo, she blocked everything except for a small clip to the jaw, which she shook off easily. Riddick nearly laughed at that, he was a better fighter than Rehtaeh, hell he had been going easy on her, and her fighting was flawed. She kept dropping her right guard because of her earlier dislocation and for some reason she favored her left knee. Her speed and agility were exceptional, but her flexibility was low due to her injuries. He would have loved to fight her uninjured.

"Oh but he does. I have what is called Amplified Dermal Sensory; I can feel the movement as it happens, even from several feet away." Rehtaeh answered quietly, she took a deep breath and looked up at Riddick. Her lips quirked up at the corners, there was something else in that little smile, it was a knowing smile. A.D.S. That explained a lot. He had heard that some of the best genetically engineered soldiers were adapted with that specific trait to make them more aware of their opponents. It also tended to make the soldiers go insane over time, because of the lack of human contact. "If I concentrate, I can feel where everyone is within a ten foot range."

"That is bullshit." Mac spat, in disbelief. "Prove it."

"Okay." She pulled the thick black band from her hair and took off her glasses and put them on the ground. He heard her tiny gasp at the pain in her eyes and it took her a moment to readjust, then she put the black band around her face, completely covering her eyes. "I am as good as blind now."

She stood back up, her nostrils widened as she scented the arena, her muscles tensed visibly as she turned to where Mac was standing, bowed once and then turned back to Riddick centered herself and dropped back into defensive position. He swung left and she blocked him. He swung right with a left jab and right upper cut, she blocked them all again. She countered with a strong left to his jaw, which he blocked. "Imam, Hassan, and Suleiman are behind me seven feet and thirty eight degrees left." She blocked his incoming knee and responded with a hook to his leg and dropped him onto his back. "Paris just came from the around the corner." He rolled up swinging his left arm for momentum, she grabbed that arm, twisted it and pinned him in a hold. "Jack is on the roof behind Mac hiding under the tarp. Shazza, Carolyn and Johns are not in the perimeter. I will let you know if that changes."

Mac swore under his breath about the insanity of science and some degrading remarks against scientists. Riddick chuckled softly. There was a gasp from Jack as she peaked out from her hiding spot. Riddick broke Rehtaeh's hold, and spun her to face him, everyone else stopped and just stared at them. She shook off his hands and backed away and stood there for several moments, blindfold still in place. She was waiting for his next attack, she was completely vulnerable at the moment and yet completely powerful. She took off her blindfold and put her glasses back on.

"Is that why you freak out when people try to touch you? Is that why you avoid large groups and seemed to be playing musical chairs when we were getting water?" Jack asked from her perch on top of the building.

"Yes." She looked uncomfortable as she glanced at Mac and then towards the skiff. Riddick couldn't see her eyes behind the glasses, but her head tilted just a fraction toward the other side of the camp, to the trail that lead to the wreck. Giving him every indication that she was gonna bolt.

"What does it feel like?" Mac asked her next as she started to back away from Riddick. He turned and made his way back to the grease bucket so he could test his shiv. He took a seat beside the skiff and listened to her exchange with the body guard.

"Right now I feel your presence, it's like apprehension, you are several feet away, so I am uncomfortable but okay, anything within a foot feels like icy water being poured on my skin. A touch feels like an icy dagger. It is intense." She said as she walked towards Mac, standing just outside a foot's distance away from him. "Imagine it Mac, every time you touch me or I hit you, or block a blow, I feel physical pain. It feels like torture, being touched by anyone who is genetically or physically incompatible. You know the fucked up part? I enjoy the pain, but only when I am fighting."

"Have you ever met anyone who is compatible?" Mac asked next. Riddick's ears perked up, she hadn't been fighting Mac she had been fighting him, had he been causing her pain? He didn't think so, her reactions to him so far had all been positive.

"There have been a few people. I am going to find a place to rest up." She said walking away, making her way to the other side of the settlement, making her way back to the wreck. Riddick watched her, if she had skirted him, it would mean that his touch caused her pain.

"And what do those people feel like?" Mac asked following behind her, trying to get her to stop and talk to him.

"I don't know, comfortable? Almost warm but not quite? I still feel their presence but it doesn't hurt. Look Mac, I'm tired, I'm going to find a shady place to rest for a bit." Rehtaeh sounded irritated, like she was trying to figure something out inside her mind. She stalked away from Mac, heading towards the skiff and the shadows of the buildings. He knew that the trail to the crashed ship was just beyond that, he would bet that she was purposely trying to ditch the guard in order to get back to the wreck like she had suggested earlier. She looked at Riddick as she approached and whispered for his ears only, "Thanks, for taking it easy on me."

"Where are you going, Rehtaeh?" Riddick asked her quietly as she passed him. So she had known that he was not trying to best her, had he been that obvious? He didn't think so because Mac had said that the hits were too fast to be telegraphed.

"For a walk. What's it to you?" She said as she walked past him. She passed within a foot from him, taking a deep breath as she passed him. She shook her head and sighed and then shrugged as though trying to shake him. Nope, it was as he thought, his body was compatible with hers, but it only partially explained her disorientation where he was concerned. She hadn't acted like his touch was just comfortable, it had surprised her. He wondered what it was that she felt when he touched her, he knew it was intense enough to throw her; she had been trying to figure him out all day. He just needed to keep her off balance.

"And if they get the sand cat going?" He asked as he started to apply the grease to his scalp.

"Then pick me up on your way by." She called back to him. She had just stepped out of sight when Johns came out of the ship, he was shaking like a leaf. He knew that Johns was still trying to play the captain and was trying to make sure that Riddick couldn't get the drop on him once again. He bet that the merc had told the captain about his most recent escape. Johns was always out to save his own ass.

"That's a bad sign. Shaking like that in this heat." Riddick pulled the shiv across his oiled scalp, and then scraped the blade against the metal bucket. Johns coughed and started to throw up.

"I thought I said no shivs." He had another bout of the heaves and looked at Riddick.

"This? This is a personal grooming appliance." Riddick said as he took another swipe at his scalp, and again swiped the blade on the metal bucket. It was amusing to say the least, he was shaving his head and sharpening the blade all at the same time, and really Johns couldn't say dick-fuck-all to him about it. He definitely wouldn't confront him while so weak and in need of his morphine, his drug of choice. The merc moved off to find a quiet place to take a hit. Riddick finished shaving his head and headed toward the access ramp of the ship, intending to talk to Fry.

"Hey Riddick, did Rehtaeh say where she was going? I have been looking for her everywhere." Mac asked as he walked past. "She told me she was going to rest in the shade. I can't find her anywhere."

"She said she was going for a walk." Riddick looked at the guard pointedly.

"Shit. She is just too quick, that one. Too damn smart for her own good." Mac said, more to himself than anyone else. "Shazza almost has the sand cat going."

Riddick watched the man walk away and then headed to the back of the ship. The guard was smart, but way too naïve to be watching out for someone like Rehtaeh. That woman could run circles around all of these people, he was the only one she might actually listen to and even then he had a feeling that she would be defiant to the end. The ramp was just closing as he ducked silently into the dark. The hatch clicked closed and Carolyn flipped the switched to set up the drive to run a hull integrity test. She slid the pilot seat back and turned toward the back of the ship, her eyes widening in fear when she saw him standing in the dark.

"Looks like we're a few shy." He said looking at her; he just stood there looking intimidating in the darkness. She met his gaze in surprised confusion, as he looked down at the singular power cell sitting on the floor of the skiff. "Power cells."

"They're coming." Carolyn whispered, gripping the back of her seat. If she could she would bolt, but he was blocking the way off of the boat.

"It's strange not doing a run up on the main drive yet. Unless," Riddick paused hanging up his breather and turned back to her, "Unless he told you the particulars of my escape."

"I got the quick and ugly version." Carolyn admitted. She was worried he would kill her. He could see it in every line of her body. She was tense and cold, trying to stay calm, trying to be brave.

"Now you're worried about a repeat of history." He was leaning against the wall at the very back of the skiff and he slowly started forward. He stalked toward her slowly his boots sounded weighty in the little ship.

"It has entered our minds." She pushed two buttons, on a panel on the wall. Riddick stepped forward, stepping on a couple of open panels, the sound of them snapping shut echoed loudly in the small vessel. He could tell the sound startled her and she was trying her best not to show her fear.

"I asked what you thought." He said to her softly a small smirk playing around his lips. He was trying to get her to realize that if he wanted her dead she would be already. He could take her out any time he wanted and yet she was still alive.

"You scare me Riddick, that's what you wanna hear isn't it?" She looked up at him her eyes were wide, she blinked trying to calm down, looked up at him again, and said, "now can I just get back to work?"

"I've been meaning to catch up with you alone. Unrestrained. Do ya think, ya think Johns," Riddick said from behind her, he could tell that his words were getting to her, "Is a do right man. You think I can trust him to cut me loose?"

"Why? What did you hear?" She whispered back. The smell of fear, she reeked with it, and he reveled in it. He wondered just how long he could play with her and keep her on her edge like this.

"Well, I guess if it were trickeration he would just ex me out, huh? He'd kill me. Then again I am worth twice as much alive." Riddick came in nice and close, her pulse rate spiked and she began to sweat. "Oh, you didn't know that did you? Your Johns, ain't a cop. He's got that nickel-slick badge," He moved to her other shoulder, her heart hammered in her chest, he could hear it throbbing there, "and the blue uniform, but he's just a merc." He switched back to her other shoulder, she was just about to freak out as he whispering in her other ear, "And I'm just a payday. That's why he won't kill me see? The creed is greed."

"Don't waste my time," she cut him off, her courage had kicked in, she was trying to calm herself down and keep her head, "we're not gonna turn on each other, no matter how hard you try." She sat back down in her seat, pulled it forward and started flicking more switches. Riddick stepped forward leaning on the back of her seat. She had realized that he wasn't out to kill her, if he was she would be dead, he had planted a seed of doubt in Johns and that was all he needed.

"I don't truly know what's gonna happen when the lights go out, Carolyn, but I do know, once the dying starts, this little psycho-fuck family of ours is gonna rip itself apart." He walked slowly to the back of the ship, his steps echoing in the darkness. Time to throw the wrench into her cute little relationship with the merc, "You ever wonder why Johns shakes like that? Ask him. And ask why your crew pal had to scream so painfully before he died."

The hull integrity test finished and the hatch opened, Riddick grabbed his breather and walked down the opening ramp. That was fun, not quite as fun as the other game he was playing, but fun none the less. Now, to sit back and see if the rats took the bait. He climbed onto one of the buildings to take a look off to the horizon, the rings were starting to appear, they needed to get moving. Carolyn went in search of Johns, their conversation was short, she stormed out a few minutes later when Imam's older boys went to warn her about the eclipse. Everyone scrambled for the sand cat. As he reached the area, he heard Jack ask where he was, and Paris's snide remark. It was true, but unnecessary. Riddick jumped into the sand cat right behind him just to spook the smaller man. Mac was seated at the very back.

"Where's Rehtaeh?" Shazza asked the body guard, who had the decency to look chagrinned.

"She's already walking." Riddick told the woman, ignoring the glare she shot in his direction. "We can pick her up on the way."

Shazza called for Johns, who came out of one of the out buildings as the sand cat passed. Riddick grasped his hand, and gave the merc a warning look before pulling him on board. Johns stood by the small hoist crane that was built onto the back of the cat. Riddick sat on the opposite side of the cat, near Mac, keeping an eye out for the young hot headed woman. She must have had made it quite a distance, because they were just about out of the canyon with the skeletal remains, and they still had not seen her. They were headed under a massive bone structure where Jack would have had her head taken off if he hadn't given her a warning, and the kids all screamed as the bones collapsed around them.