UBER THANKS TO GM_ANDY FOR HIS DARK FURY TRANSCRIPT, WITHOUT WHICH THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE.
A/N:
Carcrafter7: Thanks :D, believe it or not that last update went through about five rewrites and I wasn't particularly sure about it when I posted it so glad to know after everything was said and done it came out well.
Sabrina1204: LOL I love the idea!!!! It would be truly epic, probably not with Chillingsworth but you got the wheels turning for a future event, hehehehe you're the best girl.
DemolitionV: Hehehehehehe…. *POKE*. Jayne is my favorite Firefly character (next to River of course) had to show him a little love. Thanks for the review.
Sorry this one took so long guys, work is insanely busy and one stupid little freakin' dumb ass detail held the entire update up, which is why I think I also got distracted with Whispers, but I digress, thanks for your patience. Ya'll ROCK.
O0O0O0
"Report." Junner ordered as soon as the bay doors had sealed.
"Two heat signatures, adult. There's some residual, could be a juvenile, more likely engine burn off."
"Find out." He snarled.
"Running a tighter scan… wait a minute."
"What is it?" Junner demanded.
"It's the sweep. According to what I'm getting, they're gone, ain't nothin' in there puttin' off heat sir."
Junner growled.
O0O0O0O0
Jack cried out as the extinguishing foam reached her waist, the intense cold felt like a thousand needles scraping against her skin, she never knew cold could burn. A heartbeat before utter panic set in she felt River wrap a hand around hers, and she turned her head to find her staring intently.
"Breathe, focus." River ordered gently, but firmly.
Jack nodded and closing hers eyes forced three deep slow breathes in and out of her lungs.
"Get up on the one of the seats girl," Riddick growled out, "Keep breathing like that deep and slow, right 'fore you go under and take your last breath breathe out all the air in your lungs, don't fill up all the way, gotta leave room to let your body relax, and don't try to hold air in your cheeks, body has to exhale the air in your lungs to get to the air in your cheeks, dong ma?" Riddick knew he probably should have tried to sooth the girl, but there was no time for that, he was pissed at himself for not beginning her training while aboard the skiff. Combat training would have been impossible but survival training, such as holding your breath could have been done, though it wasn't exactly like he could have predicted that he would need to drown them in extinguishing foam.
"Dong wo (I understand)." Jack nervously shook her head.
"Keep hold of the girl's hand," River told her stepping up and onto the chair, "when your air runs dry, squeeze."
Jack nodded again, not trusting her voice and damning herself for being so afraid, she didn't want to be a liability, and right now, that's all she was.
"The girl named Jack is wrong." River corrected her thoughts, "Breathe, now."
O0O0O0O0
The airlock tunnel echoed with the sound of clanking metal, the magnetic boots of the team of mercs following Junner toward the holding dock. "Anything?" He demanded to one of the two guards standing post near the airlock door.
"No sir. No one's been in or out since I locked it down myself. Zero atmo."
"Pressurize."
"Yes sir," the merc smirked, and punched in a series of numbers onto the control panel.
"We've got O-2 sir, air's thin but you'll be able to breathe. We are green for breach."
"Earn your keep." Junner snarled, and the team of mercs moved in fanning out in all directions around the skiff. Junner entered the bay last, casting a disapproving glare at one of the hired guns who'd allowed a bullet to slip from his fingers, "There is a man inside this vessel who is something far worse than anyone here has ever encountered."
River mentally snorted, listening to the pale man's thoughts, Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi (stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey), she swore silently, if only he knew.
"Should you survive this day it is one you shall remember for the rest of your life. Do not underestimate the importance of such a thing." He smirked, "Begin."
The hacker was the first to move, running forward and launching himself from the walkway and into the gravity-less bay.
Once more River mentally snorted, as she watched through her mind the man drift off at the wrong angle and he had to push off the clamps to redirect himself, she repressed the urge to laugh when she caught the thoughts of one of the female merc's who thought he looked graceful.
She felt the moment the patch hit the hatch door, hearing the whispers of electronic pulsing, the foam had just claimed the girl named Jack's head, and River redirected her focus to monitor the cub, who was doing her very best to not panic. Her Riddick was no longer present, the beast had been uncaged and unchained, the man merely a shadow in his mind. Oddly enough the beast's thought processes soothed her, there were no complications in its mind, the beast was black and white, protect his girls, kill everyone else, there was no middle ground, there was no mercy, just snarling fury at those would dared to try to chain them.
The door burst open.
The sudden explosion ripped them from the skiff, River's hand held Jack's in a vice like grip, as the screams of the first three mercs to get sucked into the foam died quickly, crimson stains tarnishing the milky white sphere.
"It's a trap!" Junner roared, "Fall back, everyone fall back!"
Jack had tried to hold out for as long as she could, but the burn in her lungs drown out all other thoughts and sensations, her body betrayed her mind's will and without realizing what she was doing she released River's hand and fought her way to the surface of the foam sphere. Her head broke free and she gratefully sucked in a deep breath of fresh air, or as fresh as a zero grav cargo bay provided anyway.
A moment later she felt herself being ripped back below the surface of the sphere by her ankle, a spray of bullets slamming into the foam where her head had been just seconds before. River's head broke through next, a quick gasp of air and she vanished beneath the foam once more renewing her grip on Jack's arm.
With a snarl the beast broke free, taking with him two mercs, and kicking another into the wall, using the gravity less environment to his advantage he kicked off said wall, a second later launching himself at the two who had dared to fire on his cub. His arm flashed out, slitting the throat of one and grabbing for his gun. The feel of cold metal in his hands was unnatural, the beast did not approve, there was no skill or glory in shooting a man down, no satisfying rush of a blade slicing through flesh, guns cheapened death. The man inside was still present enough however to know there were too many to take down with shivs alone, shivs required proximity and his girls were in danger, proximity required time and precision, he would not stake the lives of his pack for the selfish satisfaction of a shiv.
He took out the second merc with his stolen weapon, spinning on heel to spray a line of fire cutting down the two female mercs, which the man, idle, had a chance to think to himself had it not been for their scent he would have mistaken them for men.
The beast however was fully occupied as he drove the stock of the weapon into the throat of another one, before tossing it uselessly to the ground and spinning out, a spray of blood forming a scarlet ribbon around him in the gravity less environment as his shiv tore through a throat. Not missing a step, he propelled himself up the ramp, taking down another and using the stinking body as a shield against the hail of fire raining down on him.
"You certainly know how to make an entrance," Junner smirked more to himself than Riddick, safely above the fray.
"That's nothing you stupid son of a bitch! Just wait he's gonna kick your ass so hard…" Jack's voice trailed off as River ripped her back beneath the cover of the foam sphere, the thoughts of the pale man assaulting her suddenly, he wanted their Jack.
The screams of the dying merc's echoed through the hold, the beast was ruthless, savage, it had been too long since the man had let him out to play, he would savor it.
River felt the pale man's intentions, her body shaking with rage, he was going to use their Jack, he was going to point a weapon at their cub. Unacceptable.
Jack was squeezing River's hand, her air was running low, she shouldn't have wasted her last surface on throwing insults, damn it, she was a fucking moron. River was not allowing her to surface either, which meant something was going wrong. Was it Riddick? Had he been hurt? Jack's heart clenched as fear radiated throughout her body. River should have been helping him, not stuck inside the bubble of death babysitting her. Panic set in as guilt rocked through her body, using up the last of her air reserves, she broke free and made for the surface.
The surge of relief lasted only a second before she felt the brute force of a boot being driven into her body and she went sprawling.
Jack tried to push herself back up but was knocked down again, she fought the urge to throw up as the cold steel of a blade pressed against her forehead. Swallowing hard she looked up and into the barrel of a gun attached to said blade. Vaguely, she would remember later thinking, what kind of asshole puts a sword on his gun, probably overcompensating.
Junner cleared his throat, causing the beast to pause, one hand wrapped around a man's throat, his other gripping a shiv which dripped with blood, dead bodies drifted in the air around him. The beast snarled.
River choose that moment to make her presence known and launched herself from the foam sphere, one leg out stretched as she planted her boot into Junner's chest, the momentum of her strike knocking him down, "Flee!" River screamed at Jack who dove head long back into the safety of the foam sphere.
The beast smirked, and with a violent twist snapped the merc's neck.
Junner had recovered, less his gun blade, and was now locked in hand to hand combat with one very pissed off River. The beast was about to lunge at the fucker himself, when a new scent drifted past his nostrils, his head snapped up, to view a figure cloaked in white above on a ledge. He took a running leap launching himself off one of the clamps to reach the bitch.
"Full gravity." The cold feminine voice commanded and the computer obeyed, sending the beast slamming back to the ground. The foam sphere burst, sending a wave of extinguishing fluid out in all directions.
Jack's sudden yelp caused River's attention to falter and she took a hard hit to her jaw which sent her flying, head slamming against the skiff. Junner took the opportunity to regain his weapon, and planted a booted foot into River's ribs as she tried to push herself to her feet, the blow to her head had left her disoriented, but Junner was not a fool, and after the satisfying kick, the stock of his gun completed the job the first blow to her head had started and River fell completely limp against the bay floor. Satisfied she was unconscious he pressed the tip of the blade against her temple, using enough force to pierce the skin.
The beast snarled getting to his feet, forcing the breath that had been knocked out of him back into his lungs, "Call off your lap dog, 'fore him trying to impress you gets him killed." Rage flaring as the scent of his girl's blood filled his nostrils.
"Am I so obvious?" The woman seemed amused.
"Call it what you want, but tell him to stand the fuck down now." The beast snarled breaking through as the man began to reign him in, unconsciously his grip on the shiv in his hand tightened, six weapons were within reach, the piece of shit was less than thirty feet, only real question was, which part of his body he wanted to drive the shiv through, fucker was gonna die, ain't nobody makes one of his bleed.
"You'll have to excuse Junner's excitement." The woman spoke calmly, stepping forward as she did so, "It sometimes makes him a touch quick. Though I can't say I blame him, you see, it's just that he's heard so much about you Riddick. Yes, I know your name, quite a bit more about, I think."
"Careful," Riddick growled, "you might just find what you're looking for," the growl turned quickly into a snarl as his gaze drifted sideways at the sound of a tiny moan, River was coming around.
"I'm willing to share of course, that is if you are willing to surrender your weapon before any more of my apparently over paid associates come to an untimely end."
"Hmm, ain't gonna happen," Riddick growled, Jack's fear was heavy and thick in the air, agitating him further.
"No?" The woman continued to seem amused as she nodded her head toward Junner who tightened his grip around the trigger, a move Riddick did not miss.
"The girl is nothing to me," the lie physically hurt him to speak, but it was vital none the less.
"Then enlightened me," the woman stepped forward further, pressing down on the broach of her cloak. Riddick watched unimpressed as it mechanically folded in on itself, revealing a skeleton of a woman, all perfume and painted beauty, the beast snorted, he liked his women dirty and blood stained, with a healthy dose of insanity. This bitch certainly had the insanity part goin' for her, but there was an offness to her scent, something inherently wrong with it, unnatural. The beast bristled back in repulsion, while Riddick audibly snarled to demonstrate his disgust. "Enlighten me as to why a killer such as yourself would go through so much trouble to keep the likes of," she paused to sneer at the two girl's on the floor, "those, alive? Unless of course," she smirked, "you've grown attached."
Riddick reached out his senses, listening to the steady rhythm of his girls' heartbeats, Jack's was erratic, but River's had just picked up a notch or two, she was awake, she was waiting. "Just a cover story," Riddick smirked, pushing himself fully up to his feet, "Nothin' more, you'd be doin' me a real favor by killin' them both now."
"Then I have your blessing," The woman smirked, nodding her head once more towards Junner.
On her cue Riddick spun around his shiv hitting its mark on the stock of Junner's weapon. His sudden surprise giving River the opportunity she was waiting for, her legs shot out wrapping around Junner's and she twisted hard jerking him to the floor. River kicked herself to her feet and ripped the shiv from the gun stock, spinning round and dropping low, she scraped it gently against Junner's throat.
"The girl would kill you now, but her alpha wishes to do it himself," she whispered, half giggling, "The girl however has no qualms taking a measure of pain before hand, so long as she leaves you alive he will be satisfied." The metal blade danced idly along his throat, she reveled at the thin beading of sweat which now coated his forehead, inhaling the scent her Riddick enjoyed so much, fear.
Junner's eyes bulged ever so slightly at such a threat coming from such a slip of a thing.
Riddick's dark chuckle filled the hold.
"Fascinating," the woman remarked, "Purge the hold." She ordered, turning her back, pausing at Riddick's sudden snarl. She turned back around, a smile on her lips, "Surrender your weapons, or you will all die."
River growled.
Surprisingly it was Jack that brought her to her senses, "Their game River, our rules," she whispered.
River stood and tossed away her shiv.
The woman laughed, "Lock them down. We're done here."
Riddick snarled as yet another team of mercs filed in, these ones carrying chains and shackles instead of guns and shivs, the beast balked, and then snapped at the bars.
River's tiny hand wrapped around his large bicep was the only thing that stopped him from launching himself at the first one through the door. "Patience," she whispered.
Riddick growled but calmed, his lips brushing against the thin trail of blood along her temple, his tongue darting out along his lips, before he allowed himself to be pulled away.
"My apologies," Junner spoke quietly, bowing his head as he neared the woman.
She waved him off absently with her hand, "You know how worthless those are to me. You did well."
Junner raised his head at the Lady's praise.
"People die in this line of work Junner, a handful of men, a small price to pay."
"What will you do with him?" Junner asked as they began to walk.
"Slowly, Junner. Have Riddick brought to my conservatory, I have something beautiful in mind."
"And the girl?"
"Which the child or his apparent whore?" The women sneered.
"His whore."
"Inconsequential."
He nodded and began to turn away.
"Oh, and Junner." She halted him.
"Yes, my lady?"
"Unfreeze some more mercs." Her voice cold and emotionless.
Again he nodded and turned on heel.
O0O0O0O0
"Jayne!" Mal barked, kicking against the merc's bunk door.
"Gorram it Mal what?" He snapped through the door rubbing the sleep form his eyes.
"Got us a job, need you geared up and ready in twenty."
Jayne's head suddenly shot out from the hatch, "Violence?" He asked hopefully, it been a good long while since he'd had a good tussle, what with Mal and Zoe sticking to safe and legit jobs all to keep an eye out for Crazy. Work was work and he wasn't gonna complain, overly much anyway, but the truth of the matter was the illegitimate brought in a whole lot more coin than the honest jobs did.
"Mayhap, moving some computer equipment from Ferros to Pathos, fellow lookin' to skirt 'round the station fees so he says, more than likely the goods are hot and he ain't wantin' anyone to look too close at the serial numbers, gotta grab the cargo from his warehouse."
"Pathos?" Jayne scowled, it was the fourth job in a row they'd taken to that gorram station all in the hopes Crazy would show up again. "Ain't gonna find her Mal." He half growled knowing full well any time on the station he get to spend some coin on some company would be taken up scratchin' at dead ends over the gorram girl.
"Ain't askin' your opinion."
"There it is anyhap." Jayne shrugged disappearing back into his bunk.
"Mayhap its cause my tracker ain't lookin'." Mal accused.
Jayne immediately reappeared on the ladder, "Gorram it Mal!" He barked, "Been up and down and outside and fuckin' in on that ruttin' station, don't tell me I ain't tryin' to find the gorram girl! There ain't nothin' to find Mal, she's a reader, even 'ifffin' she's back on that station ain't gonna get the jump on her or fuckin' Riddick for that matter, I'm good Mal but there ain't a doubt in my head he's better."
"Monty got the jump on her."
"Yeah and look what happened to 'im," Jayne snorted, "ain't lookin' to get dead Mal, man like Riddick, doesn't like what he's decided is his bein' fucked with, way he's seen it Monty was a message to us, not gonna let the next one of us near her and get away alive."
"And how do you know what kinda man he is?" Mal shot back.
"Christ Mal, he's Richard B. fuckin' Riddick, say he's more animal than man, say he can see in the dark and smell a merc coming from a mile away, man's killed more men than you and you fought in a gorram war Mal, escaped from three, god damn it three maximum security slams, ain't any but a handful can say they escaped one."
"Find her Jayne." Mal growled as a last resort.
"Can't find a reader that wants to be hid," Jayne shot back through gritted teeth for what felt like the millionth time, and just might have well been.
"Raise you to ten percent 'iffin' you find her, that's same as Zoe."
Jayne's mouth opened and closed a few times, ten percent, he mulled it over, ten percent was a whole lotta coin, steady coin too 'iffin' they'd keep steady work, ten percent could pay for better doctors for Mattie, better medicine. "A'right Mal, ten percent."
Mal nodded before walking away, only slightly nervous at telling Zoe he'd just promised Jayne a pay scale equal to her own, ruttin' hell.
O0O0O0O0
River couldn't help but feel indignant once more as she watched them strap her Riddick to an immobilization table, while merely shackling her hands. Her hands, not even her ankles, the logical part of her mind told her for this she should be grateful, opportunity in their ignorance, logic aside however, she was still pissed as hell over it.
Jack was surprisingly calm, her eyes took in every inch of the ship as they began walking through it, noticing the twists and bends, making mental notes of landmarks as they walked. Street kid 101, know your surroundings. They might be in chains now, but she knew without a doubt River and Riddick would get them out of it, she wanted to be able to be of some use when they did.
River noticeably balked as they entered the cryo hall, asleep they might have been but their minds ran wild, the unexpected onslaught caused her to stumble, her breath coming in heavy gasps, "Their voices, everywhere there are voices, they scream to be free but lips are frozen, their minds are frozen, the darkest secrets skim the surface," she whispered to herself, forcing her walls back up and into place, she felt Jack press herself against her side, a gesture of comfort, immediately blocking out all thoughts but that of her Jack's. River noted the cub was much better at comfort than she was.
"Riddick," Jack whispered, "Have you ever seen anything like this?"
"Merc ships, sure kid, just trying figure out how it goes together."
"A plantation," River answered her voice leveling out. "Fill the belly of the beast so it does not go hungry, so she may hunt as she pleases."
"Captured bounties on one side, contracted manpower on the other," Riddick finished.
"Insta merc, just add heat," Jack added, disgust apparent in her voice.
"Must be a special kinda desperate dick signs onto this." Riddick smirked eyeing the fat piece of shit walking along next to him, and receiving a blow to his head as an answer.
"Shut up!" The merc ordered.
River and Jack growled simultaneously.
Riddick merely continued to smirk, "You're the exception of course, for you its life experience."
Jack couldn't help but laugh and this time the merc stepped in to take a swing at her, River intercepted, her free leg shooting out and following through with a spinning back kick, she stood resolute between the sputtering merc and her cub.
Riddick's dark laughter echoed and bounced off the rows of cryo tubes, "Ain't smart to fuck with little bit there, River girl will take your balls next."
The merc regained his footing and spit out a mouthful of blood, "You little bitch," he sneered and took a step forward.
"Leave it Jim!" One of the others ordered, "Chillingsworth's got plans, you ain't wantin' to be the reason it gets fucked up."
Jim seemed to see the wisdom in his words and backed down, not before another swift shot to Riddick's jaw of course. "Told you to shut the fuck up."
"Said leave it Jim, this is where they get off anyway." The second merc grabbed Jack roughly by the shoulder, another grabbed River by the back of her neck, not wanting to stand in front of those legs, as nice as they were, he found himself staring.
"The foulness would be wise to cease thinking on the girl's legs, they do not belong to you."
Riddick snarled, lashing out against the shackles as the meaning of River's words hit him, that stupid sack of shit had been thinkin' on his girl's body.
The merc is question laughed, shoving her forward, "Ain't seeing how you're in any position to protest doll."
Riddick was practically foaming at the mouth as River stumbled into Jack.
"We'll find you Riddick!" Jack yelled, "Ain't leavin' without you!"
"Keep her safe River girl," he snarled worried that Jack would do something stupid trying to prove herself, and then he added with a smirk, "And kill the fucker lookin' at your legs, so I don't have to."
River returned his smirk over her shoulder as they were separated, "Beware the prick of a pin, she wishes to be entertained, we will give her a show."
O0O0O0O0
Endnote: Mwahahahahahahahahahahaha……cliff hanger much? I really wanted to keep going on this update, but then I remembered the 12 thousand word update during the pitch black story arc and decided against it, not to mention if I kept going Dark Fury would turn out to be finished in a single update, and finally also because I'm at the laundromat and my clothes are done, lol, have to go get back to real life. Much luv guys, thanks for hanging in there with me, my traffic pages never cease to amaze and astound me.
'Til After now.