Okay so we are finally coming to the end of the Pitch Black portion of the story, which means that after this chapter we are going to start seeing some other familiar faces pop up =) Please be advised that I may not update as fast as I have in the past as I am beginning to write my MA thesis. I will try and update as much as possible, but just keep this in mind.
Thank you to all that are following the story, it really means a lot that you guys take the time to read my updates. Thanks to Sere011, Rachet, Elliesmeow, ArtLightLove, NightStar28, Rianeliza, Nightraven81, MizundastoodLuva, and Moody-Muse for the recent reviews =) As always thanks to my beta divine_one for doing an amazing job.
I own nothing of Pitch Black, Firefly, and other pop culture references in this story so please do not sue me.
They stand there for a minute, neither one moving out of the other one's hold. Riddick breaks the silence with a guttural laugh.
"So what's in this suicide mission for me?" he says as he pulls away from River and begins to walk back up into the shuttle.
"The girl knows the truth." River says, but Riddick continues to walk into the shuttle.
"The girl knows what you are…Furyan." And that is when Riddick stops dead in his tracks and slowly turns to face her.
Riddick's POV
It's been so long since I have heard that name, and even then it was mostly in my dreams, nothing but a whispered voice calling to my animal side. How could she know that name?
"The girl's head was filled with many things in the Academy." She answers my unspoken question.
"Anything you want to share?" I say.
"Negative. The girl will do no such thing until Orpheus returns to guide the flock to safety." She says as she puts her hand on her hip, as if to show she means business. This just annoys me all over again, I won the damn fight, she shouldn't be arguing anymore.
"Listen girly, I won that little fight, you have no more say in the matter, so get your gorram ass back on the shuttle so we can get the hell off this rock." The anger she is creating in me is clearly evident in my voice now.
"No." And she takes a step back into the rain, closer to the edge of darkness round the shuttle.
"Step inside. Now River." I say as I take a step towards her.
"No." And she takes another step back.
"Don't make me drag you on here."
"The girl can easily sprint into the darkness before the Riddick can catch her."
"AHHH! Why are you being so gorram difficult?" I practically roar at her.
"Because the Riddick is being unworthy! Unworthy of his birthright!"
"You don't know anything about me little girl!"
"The girl knows more than you think! They came with their needles, their gilded intentions; they stripped the girl bare and created a weapon in her place. But they gave the girl too much, allowed her to read their secrets without even knowing it. You, Riddick, are one of those secrets."
"And you can tell me all about it when you get your gorram ass up on this shuttle."
"Negative. The girl will tell you all that she knows, all the secrets that she has been burdened to carry, but information comes at a price."
I stand there contemplating what she is asking of me, asking us to do. To turn around and run back into the danger. Is it worth it? Is it worth the risk?
Do I really want to know the truth about myself?
Again she answers my unspoken questions. "You have been blind for far too long Riddick."
There is a moment of silence where all that is heard is the rain beating on the hull of the shuttle and the ground. We both just stand there, unwilling to move.
"You really like being difficult don't you?" I ask her.
"Affirmative."
River's POV
The Riddick moves further into the shuttle and sits in one of the passenger seats on the side of the shuttle's hull. He knows they need a plan before they run back out into the night, and the girl can see different scenarios and outcomes running through his head. "So how are we going to do this then? Fly this thing to them?"
The girl walks into the shuttle now, confident that he will not leave the others and sits opposite of Orpheus.
"Negative, flying the ship into the canyon is not an option. Width of the canyon is too small to adequately accommodate wingspan of the shuttle."
"What about moving it half way there?"
"Again, negative. Probability that engines would restart after being fired once is only five percent. Engines will fire initially, but repeat performance is highly unlikely."
"There anything we can rip out of this shuttle to use for light for them?" He says somewhat hopefully while looking around the small shuttle bay.
"Negative. The girl is afraid to tamper with the mechanics due to the instability of the fuel cells. If we are to do this, we go in darkness."
"Ai ya tian a!Ti wo de pi gu." Riddick curses. "So it's just you and me against everything out there?" He says jerking his head out the shuttle doors.
"Affirmative, but nothing in the verse can stop us if we try hard enough." A feral grin again plays at the girl's lips as she stands and walks to look out the shuttle doors.
"Well at least that's some comfort." Riddick says as he joins the girl.
Just like they had earlier that night, River and Riddick are once again standing silently looking out into the darkness they must face. Again, he inhales the scent of lavender that swarms around him, and she listens to Chopin again as the music that fills her ears.
"You sure you want to do this?" Riddick asks her without turning to face her.
"Repetition is irksome." She says with a slight hint of annoyance.
"You realize I am only doing this because your feng-lei ass won't tell me anything if I haul you off this rock by force. Dong-ma?"
"Negative. You lie to yourself. While the truth is important to you, it is not the main factor. You want to be worthy of the girl, the dancer, the Queen, therefore you do this as a way to prove your worth." A devilish smirk begins to play on her mouth.
"Fucking readers," is all Riddick can say as he begins to walk out of the shuttle with her following close behind.
Surprisingly the duo makes it back to the mouth of the canyon without encountering one of the monsters. Lady luck is finally throwing them a bone…that, or the creatures are lying in wait for easier targets, neither of them knows which.
Riddick begins to move the boulder from the entrance to the small alcove that the others were hidden in.
Paris, Shazza, and Book begin to huddle together as they see the boulder at the entrance to the alcove begin to shake and move a little. They each hold onto the other afraid of what is going to come at them when the boulder dislodges. It finally moves away completely and they stare into the darkness afraid of what is going to come next.
That is when River pops her head in, a huge smile plastered to her face, and then she quickly moves to the side so the others can see Riddick.
"Anyone not ready for this?" Riddick asks.
"There is my God, Mr. Riddick." Book says; relief evident in his voice.
Shazza, Paris, and Book begin to emerge from the little alcove now, peering around as they do to make sure the creatures aren't there.
"You sure you can run on that bum leg shepherd?" Riddick asks.
"I can manage. Someone once said we must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey." Book replies. River nods her head to agree with this.
"Alright, so it's a five hundred meter dash from here to the shuttle and then we are out of here, dong-ma?" Riddick says. They all nod their heads and begin to link hands, Riddick leading and River in the back.
"Ren ci de Fo zu qing bao you wo men." Book says solemnly under his breath. And with that the group begins to run into the darkness towards their salvation.
As they come to the hill at the mouth of the canyon Riddick stops and crouches behind a rock. Just up ahead there are four of the creatures stalking each other for food, each getting ready to pounce on the other.
"When I say go, you run and you don't stop till you reach the shuttle, dong-ma?" He says in barely a whisper. They rest of the group nods their heads they understand.
Riddick rises to stands and the others do the same, each tightening their grip on the other hands that they hold. The monsters have moved to allow enough room for the group to run single file through them, and Riddick sees the opportunity.
"GO!" and they begin to run again.
Riddick's POV
"Don't stop!" I say as we run as fast as we can just out of reach of the creature's claws. I can hear them fly into the sky, probably to better assess our weak points, but I don't think about what will happen when they descend, just how much further we have to go.
"Come on! Move! You know the way!" Everyone is scrambling up the slipper hill at the mouth to the canyon now, only three hundred more yards to go. I stop and turn and pull Paris and Book up the hill towards the top. River is pulling Shazza with all her might.
They reach the top as the creatures start to descend from the sky and drop down right behind us. All I can do is scramble up the hill backwards to make sure one of these fuckers doesn't skewer me from behind.
They run as fast as they can now to the shuttle, weaving in between the containers and the buildings. They can see the faint glow of the shuttles lights now and each of them begins to push themselves a little more.
"On board. Come on. Get on." Shazza says as she runs up the ramp. But when River stops before the ramp and turns around, she realizes that they are missing one person; Riddick has fallen behind.
Riddick's POV
All I can do is run, run towards the shuttle. Nothing else matters, I just have to get there, get to the light. I am to the settlement now, rounding the corners of the buildings. That's when one of those things flies down right in front of me, and instinct takes over.
I stop and stand stock still; right in the middle of creature's blind spot; mimicking its movements like a mirror. It moves like a shark swimming through the water, side to side, slowly, and just as deadly. It opens its jaws in front of me, and rows of sharp jagged teeth stare at me.
After another minute of the mimicking, the creature turns the opposite way, and I begin to back away, barely willing to breathe and alert the creature to my presence.
But then I hear it, the echo of another creature. And I turn and face one as it runs out of the shadows boxing me into the narrow corridor. The one in front of me now turns around face and stares at me. It's a Mexican standoff, each creature wanting to rip into my flesh and not wanting the other one to have its meal.
A minute or so passes with each of the monsters glaring at me and then at one another, and I slowly begin to raise my shiv to the ready.
River's POV
"Wait. We must wait for Orpheus."
"River please! Come." Book says pleading with her to get onto the shuttle.
"Let's get out of here." Paris interjects, but still the girl does not move towards the shuttle. When she doesn't say anything he screams at her. "We are signing our own death warrant waiting for him!"
This triggers a response from the girl and she turns and faces Paris and the look she gives him causes him to visibly flinch. "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."
"You would die for him! You are feng-le!" And with that he retreats onto the shuttle and out of the rain. Shazza just shakes her head and joins Paris inside, and Book and River are left standing outside in the rain.
"Are you sure we can afford to wait child?" Book asks the girl.
"The Queen will not leave him behind. He has earned her respect and trust. He is not the monster you make him out to be."
Book takes a deep breath at this, allowing her words to sink in. Another minute passes before he answers. "For my part I believe in the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of ignorance." And a slow smile spreads across the girl's face.
"Thank you Hermes, we will need your guidance soon, and the girl appreciates your understanding."
That is when they hear a loud scream from the distance. And each turns back to face the darkness of the settlement. The girl does not think and just begins to run back into the night to find the Riddick.
As she rounds the first corner, she pauses and listens again, using both her ears and mind to try and find him. She can hear music, but it is faint, and many songs are jumbled together she cannot distinguish which ones are playing.
She continues to stealthily move around the buildings. Trying to block her mind to everything but the music, but she cannot help but feel her own heart beat begin to beat faster.
As she turns to look down another pathway she hears a noise behind her, and as she turns she see the Riddick, slumped over behind some drum barrels, bloodied, and unstable due to a large gash in his left leg. Lying on the ground beside him are two bodies; the bodies of two dead creatures.
Instinct and training takes over and she runs to him and throws her arms around his waist.
"Okay. I have you, I have you Riddick." She says as she begins to help him to his feet. As he puts weight onto his left side he begins to fall to the ground.
Adrenaline is pouring full force through her veins and she screams at him. "Come on, Riddick! Get up! GET UP!" as she again goes to help him to his feet.
"I said I'd die for them, not you." She says to him trying to arouse some anger, irritation, anything to provide some motivate him. It seems to work and he pushes himself up and begins to walk forward a bit with her help.
"Let's move. Come on." But that's when the girl's blood runs cold, when she hears the familiar echo, the familiar rush of air from wings. Her eyes widen and for the first time in a long time she is afraid, afraid of what she hears, afraid of the disjointed whispers…Blood…Flesh…MINE!
It is the springtime of my loving - the second season I am to know It is the summer of my smiles - flee from me Keepers of the Gloom.
You are the sunlight in my growing - so little warmth I've felt before.
It isn't hard to feel me glowing - I watched the fire that grew so low.
Speak to me only with your eyes. It is to you I give this tune.
Ain't so hard to recognize - These things are clear to all from
time to time.
River glances up at Riddick knowing he has heard it too. They stare at each other for the briefest of moments with looks of helplessness on their faces, each trying to communicate so much in what could be their last moment together. Their grip tightens on one another and they both close their eyes as if preparing for the worst.
Talk Talk - I've felt the coldness of my winter These are the seasons of emotion and like the winds they rise and fall
I never thought it would ever go. I cursed the gloom that set upon us...
But I know that I love you so
This is the wonder of devotion - I seek the torch we all must hold.
This is the mystery of the quotient - Upon us all a little rain must fall...It's just a little rain...
But the next sound they hear is not the echo of their death or that of their flesh ripping as they are skewered. No, instead they hear the blast of a shotgun and the beating of wings as something flies away.
Both sets of eyes immediately jerk open and look at the direction of the sound to see Book standing there holding a still smoking shotgun.
"I saw this lying near the shuttle in the rain and thought she may need some help." He says as he motions towards River and walks forward to help her shoulder the weight of Riddick's body. They begin walking the hundred meters back to the shuttle now, nothing more being said.
They walk up the ramp and into the shuttle and Paris and Shazza immediately get up to help Book and River bring Riddick in.
"What the bloody hell happened?" Paris says looking at Riddick's disheveled form.
"Thing didn't know who they were fucking with," Riddick says with a chuckle as he slumps to the floor of the shuttle allowing Shazza to bandage his leg.
That's when River begins to laugh, slowly at first, then a loud booming laugh that fills the entire shuttle bay. Everyone turns and looks at her as her laughs become sobs, and as tears begin to stream down her face she runs and throws her arms around Riddick's neck and clings to him, still crying.
"Shh, it's okay…Shh I'm right here." Riddick says as he begins to run a comforting hand up and down her back.
But that's when she surprises everyone; she pulls back from Riddick and punches him in the jaw. There is an audible crack in the shuttle and they all grimace at the noise. "Richard B. Riddick!" she practically screams. "If you ever scare the girl like that again she will deliver you to a death worse than anything you could imagine!" She says as she gets up and walks to the control panel to shut the shuttle doors and begin the launch sequence.
Riddick moves a hand to rub at the shock of pain on his cheek and begins to chuckle. Behind him the shuttle door is beginning to close.
"What's so funny about all of this? The feng-le girl just threatened to kill you!" Paris asks as he still stands in shock at what he saw.
"Yeah, so?" Riddick says. "She's cute when she's scary; hell, I kinda think she is scarier than those things out there." He says as Shazza begins to bandage his leg again.
"Cute but psychotic, guess things even out." Shazza deadpans as she wraps Riddick's leg.
"Well then you're a match made in Hell, a feng-le killer woman and an escaped psychotic convict." Paris retorts.
Book joins in with Riddick laughing at Paris's comment. His laugh dissolving into one like River's a few moments before.
"What do you find so funny about this shepherd?" Paris asks somewhat amazed at what he is seeing.
"You're right they are a match made in Hell. All hail the rulers of the Underworld." Book replies, between booming laughs. This just makes Riddick laugh harder and Shazza begins to chuckle as well.
"You're all mad, every one of you!" Paris says.
"Can't help that Paris, we're all mad here." River says from behind him, startling him and making him jump. Book, Shazza, and Riddick just begin to laugh harder at his jumpiness.
"Everyone strap in, the girl is getting us off this rock." River says as she turns back towards the controls.
The chuckling subsides and Shazza and Book move to help Riddick to a seat. Once they were all strapped in River began to initiate the launch.
"All systems go," she says as the engines begin to whirl to life and propel the small shuttle forward. "Breaking atmo in 5…4…3…2…1…"
Riddick's POV
After the initial launch I could feel the relief from the others roll off their skin in waves. We had made it. Our psycho fuck family made it, battered for sure, but alive. I took over flying after about an hour or so to give River a chance to rest. I could hear her talking with Shazza in the back, laughing, and enjoying their conversation.
That is when the shepherd came and sat in the co-pilot seat. "A lot of questions whill be asked by whoever we run into… merc ship or an Alliance cruiser." He says looking out into the vast ocean of stars in front of us. "So, what do we tell them about you?" he says.
I stop and think for a moment before replying "Tell them Riddick's dead…He died somewhere on that planet." The shepherd merely nods his head to agree.
"So what will you do? Now that you have a certain freedom, being dead and all?" He asks.
At first I don't say anything, consciously weighing out options in my head. I can go and run off to some backwater planet with the girl and live the fucked up fairytale with the happy ending and all, but that doesn't really sit well with me. Based off what I saw of the girl's 'dancing' earlier, I know I want to see more.
"Girl mentioned something about dropping in on some folks here and there; think I may stick with her for a while." I reply. "That is after we drop you and the other two off on New Mecca."
"I've been thinking about that actually, I've been out of the world for a spell... like to walk it a while. Maybe bring the word to them as need it told. So I wouldn't mind tagging along with you and River." He replies while still looking out at the stars.
"Interesting," is all I say as a girlish laugh punctuates the space again and the shepherd turns to look back at where River and Shazza are still talking.
"She is quite extraordinary isn't she?" the preacher says.
I don't respond to him though, which apparently he takes as his cue to continue. "If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater."
At this I cannot help but chuckle, "I think you got it wrong old man, I would be more worried about her taking advantage of me. If that girl wants something, she seems to take it. Like when she took my fucking kill from me back there," there is a bit of irritation in my voice as I remember I still need to have words with her on the rules to our little game.
"I'm not even going to ask what you mean by that right now." He says with a somewhat amused air in his voice, and with that he goes back and sits with the others, leaving me in silence.
River's POV
After the others have drifted off into slumber, the girl makes her way forward to sit next to the Riddick as he pilots towards the shipping lanes. She sits in the seat horizontally, so that her legs hang over the side and she can face him.
"Your point doesn't count." Is all the Riddick says without turning to face her.
"The girl sees no issue with her actions earlier."
"That's kill should have been mine, you used a gun, it was cheating."
"There were no aforementioned rules when the game was agreed upon by both parties. Therefore, the girl has one point to the Riddick's zero." A sly smile forming as she says this.
"Guns don't require any finesse, they are quick and dirty, and therefore it shouldn't count."
"But you are the one who said you play dirty, the girl sees no problem with doing so herself." And the girl giggles as she sees the Riddick's jaw tighten.
Riddick's POV
Damn that girl for using my own words against me. "Fine…but no more guns, dong-ma?" I say as I turn to look at her squarely in the eyes.
"The girl comprehends."
"And another thing, try talkin' in the first person every once in awhile, third person makes you stick out like a sore thumb."
"Understood." She replies.
"And another thing, you better think twice before you ever sucker punch me again, you won't get away with it next time without being punished."
"Oh that sounds all kinds of exciting." And the scent of cloves begins to ooze of her skin. As I inhale it I am almost instantly aroused and curse her in my mind.
"I can't help it you like the way I smell when I think certain things." River says as she moves like a lynx from her seat to straddle me. And again I curse the smell of lavender and cloves.
"Gorram readers." I say as she places her hands around my neck, soft finger tips gently caressing the back and drawing little circles. My hands instinctively go to her hips and I begin to mimic her motions.
"So you have a destination for where to start our 'game'?" I ask her, trying to control the urge in my stomach to push her against the console and claim her right there.
"Affirmative. The planet with the girl's name will be an adequate point to start the contest. There is an Alliance official stationed there that should be able to provide further information as to the locations of other officials." She rocks her pelvis back slowly as she says this and again I suppress the urge building inside me.
I nod my head in acknowledgment and then say through gritted teeth. "Shepherd says he wants to stick around with us for awhile."
"His presence will be beneficial, allow us to access privileged information."
"Interesting," I reply again through gritted teeth as the girl begins to trace her fingers over my shoulders, lightly leaving red trails as her nails scratch the skin. "You're playing with fire girly, you know that right?"
"Yes, I do. However, in the duel of sex, a woman fights from a dreadnought and man from an open raft."
"Is that so?" I say as I grab her hips and push her against me so she can feel exactly what she is doing to me.
"Yes, and present circumstance mean that I can get away with it." She attempts to get off of me before I grip her hips roughly.
"Where do you think you're going?" I ask her.
"The girl is tired and wishes to rest her eyes."
"So what's to stop me from taking what I want?' I ask in a dangerous tone.
"The fact that there is not enough room for us to dance properly?" She says as she smiles.
"You sure about that? I seem to think you against a wall would be enough room."
"Not for the first encounter. The girl wishes for the first dance to be a true demonstration of abilities and not a quick and dirty display." I can't help but begin thinking about what her words could mean and in that time she gets off of me and walks back toward where the others are sleeping.
She pauses before she is out of whispering range and ever so slightly turns her head towards me and answers my unspoken question. "Your assumptions are correct. The girl enjoys the taste of blood too."
Damn, that girl for being such a tease, special hell here I come.
Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.