A/N: Last chapter of the Pitch Black portion of the story! Then starts the content from Dark Fury, and after that the part set in Mass Effect 2 begins.

On another note, I have actually decided to include the Necromongers in this story. However, they will not be exactly like they are in The Chronicles of Riddick. To get rid of any confusion that may arise in the future, in this story the Necromongers are going to be a part of a culture that was indoctrinated by the Reapers, though they will play a part in the genocide of the Furyans.

And I want to say thanks for all the amazing reviews I've received for this story so far. Really, they do keep me motivated to write, and your input and opinions often give me things to think about while writing.

I read through the chapter for errors, but I've had a migraine all day so it's more than likely that a few things have been missed. Once the migraine is gone, I'll read through it again.

Sitting in the safety of the skiff, Riddick took his time adjusting the flight controls, in little to no hurry at all to get the piece of junk moving. The small cabin was illuminated with light and would do a sufficient job of keeping the creatures at bay if he were to open the hatch. He was in no immediate danger and didn't have to rush things. But that was only part of the reason why he was taking his time.

Every once in a while he'd pause and look to the hatch, listening to the sounds. All that could be heard were the screeching creatures, the pounding rain, that the beeping of the skiff. He knew what he was listening for and scolded himself, gritting his jaw and turning back to his work. Despite how he told himself that he was better off without them, he kept thinking back to the people he left behind in the cave, to Shepard and Jack in particular.

Those two girls had trusted him with their lives, and Shepard even acknowledged that she did trust him when he told her to do so. And yet he'd gone and left the in that little cave to die so he could live. The look Shepard had given him when he shoved her inside, the realization that perhaps she shouldn't trust him, would stay in his mind for some time and he wished he could burn her from his mind's eye.

The girl survived hell on Mindoir for you to let her starve or be eaten, the nagging voice in his head snapped. He shook his head. I left her ass there because she and anyone else is a liability.

No matter how much he argued with himself, he didn't work any faster to get the skiff off the ground.

Riddick picked fine time to develop a conscience, and he ground his teeth together angrily.

Being the good guy or even attempting to be one always caused him more trouble than anything else. The prime example was when he'd been a Marine and threatened to blow the whistle on the higher-ups he knew were doing work with Cerberus. His attempt at a good deed earned him three years in the prison called Deep Storage, ending his two year career as a Marine. That was when he learned it was better to follow his own rules and damn everyone else. Extra baggage and good deeds would only bite him in the ass.

With that in mind, he picked up the pace and prepped the skiff for flight, needing to be away from the God forsaken planet and all the confusion and emotions it brought to the surface.

Grabbing the harness, he buckled one side and went to buckle the other when movement in front of him caught his eye.

Standing outside in front of the skiff with a makeshift light, sopping wet, was Carolyn Fry.

Riddick had to admit that he was a bit surprised. With how she was acting earlier he wouldn't have expected her to leave the others behind. He didn't know if the fact that she did pleased him or disappointed him. Maybe a bit of both.

Whatever feeling Fry's action created in him, he unbuckled the harness and retrieved his goggles, putting them on as he rose to his feet to meet her at the ramp, more out of necessity than anything else – the light within the skiff wasn't bright enough to cause his eyes any discomfort. At the back of the skiff he lowered the hatch and soon Fry came into view, looking decidedly pissed and exhausted.

Impressed with her solo run to the skiff with the pitiful light she had, Riddick said with a smirk, "Strong survival instinct. I admire that in a woman."

"I promised them that we would go back with more light," Fry said tightly, ignoring him and breathing heavily from running.

"Did you?" he asked with mock interest, bracing his hands on either side of the hatch opening.

Glaring at him, Fry angrily threw her glowing blue bottle into the mud and taunted, "What, are you afraid?"

If she was trying to goad him into coming out of the skiff to confront her, all she did was amuse him and he threw his head back and laughed.

"Me? Afraid?" he questioned with a grin. "You're mistaking me for Johns."

Stepping towards him under the shelter of the skiff's wings, she continued on, "Shepard saw some good in you, and like it or not, she was right. You give a shit about us, or at least about Shepard and Jack. There've been plenty of times where they could've been killed but you've risked your ass for them each time, hell you even gave Shepard back her parents' wedding rings."

He shrugged, a carefree smile on his face. "Didn't need the rings. Not into taking trophies."

"Damn it, Shepard trusted you!" Fry shouted angrily with contempt.

Riddick's smile disappeared fractionally and he sighed, "Her mistake, not mine."

Fry shook her head at him. "I'm not buying it. There has to be some part of you that wants to rejoin the human race."

So he wasn't just going nuts thinking he was developing a conscious of some kind. Fry had seen him risk his neck for them and knew that something had changed within him. It made him wish he'd just cut them all down before any attachment had been formed.

But he couldn't let it affect him any more than it already had.

Stooping to kneel on the ground, he admitted quietly, "Truthfully, I wouldn't know how. I only deal in life and death. Things like friends, companionship, and helping each other? Shades of grey that I don't see."

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, she snapped, "Well then give me more light for them. I'll go back by myself."

She didn't want to go alone, that much was obvious. Perhaps she was trying to guilt him into coming along. The last thing she needed to know that the twinge of guilt in his chest was responding to her pleas.

"Okay," he said, calling her bluff. He picked up the belt with the lights and tossed it at her. "There you go."

Fry's eyes darted from the belt in her hand and back to him, her resolve faltering with each passing second, washed away by the rain that beat down on her shivering body. Going back alone was likely suicide, she knew that and he knew that, and he was dead set on not giving in and going back.

"Please, just come with me," she pleaded on a whisper, barely heard over the pouring rain.

She was determined, he'd give her that, and he bit back the impulse to just go with her and drag the others back to the skiff. With how thin her resolve was, how afraid she was to go back on her own, he knew he had her in the perfect position to which she could make a choice that would see to her living or dying.

"I've got a better idea," he started, watching her closely. "Come with me."

Fry's shivering stopped altogether and she stared at him, stunned by his proposal. Still, she considered it, glancing quickly at the skiff. But she didn't trust him. "You're fuckin' with me, I know you are."

"You know I am?" Rising to his feet, blocking her entrance, he said coolly, "You don't know anything about me. I will leave you here."

And just like that, her will started crumbling to pieces, forcing tears from her eyes that mixed with the rain. She looked back the way she came, taking a step back before stepping forward again, unable to convince herself to go back or leave with him.

"Step inside," he instructed, moving to the side and permitting her entrance.

Fry shook her head, collapsing to her knees in the mud and rain. "I can't… I can't…"

"Sure you can." When she began crying, he sighed and extended his hand to her. "Here, I'll make it easy on you." She didn't move to accept his help, only cried harder until she was openly sobbing. "Take my hand – come on," he implored, keeping his voice as soothing as he could.

"I… I can't," she cried, shaking her head.

He didn't understand why she wouldn't just take his hand and save her skin. It wasn't like she hadn't tried to fuck over the others once before already. What was so different this time? It occurred to him that she might have grown attached to them just as he had. The difference was that he refused to acknowledge his attachment by going back for them.

"Look, no one's going to blame you," he promised in case that was what had her hesitating. "Save yourself, Carolyn."

At last she looked up to him, blue eyes red-rimmed, and she begged brokenly on a sob, "Please…"

It was clear that she was too torn up to stand on her own, let alone move in the right direction, so Riddick walked down the ramp to her, instantly becoming soaked by the rain. Maybe saving her life by dragging her ass onto the skiff would bury the urge to go back for the others once and for all.

"Come on, that's it," Riddick urged gently, grabbing her around her waist to help her crawl onto the ramp. Once she had all fours on the ramp, she finally got to her feet, and he praised her, "Good girl."

Now that he had that out of the way, he started up the ramp behind her only to have his attention drawn out to the darkness when the clicks and screeches of the creatures arose from deep in the settlement. They sounded hungry, like they had something in their sights, and it occurred to him that there were none around the skiff.

The bottle Fry had held appeared to be filled with worms, so obviously there were other life forms on the planet apart from the creatures. Had some animal survived the harsh climate and the monsters, only to find itself being chased now?

A furious scream echoed behind him and Riddick just managed to turn around when Fry threw herself at him, sending them both into the mud and rain. The action surprised the hell out of him. Between helping her up and wondering what was being chased, something in Fry had snapped.

She straddled his waist, hand digging into his shoulders too keep him on the ground, and she shouted, "Now you… you listen to me! I am the captain of this ship! And I am not leaving anyone on this rock with those fucking things." She stopped her tirade, glaring at him, and then raised her fist to hit him and shouted, "We are not leaving them! Not even if that means –"

Enraged by the mere idea that she would dare attack him, let alone attempt to strike him, Riddick grasped her elbow tightly before she could land the punch and flipped her over him. He swiftly righted himself and spun her body in the mud, dragging her under him. Grabbing her right wrist, he pinned it against her left shoulder and pressed his shiv against her neck, prepared to cut her throat if she tested his control any more than she already was.

Blinking rapidly as rain pelted her face, she ordered tightly, "Get that thing off my neck."

"Shut up!" he snapped sharply. She was willing to take him on if it meant he wouldn't leave without her and the others. But what else was she willing to do? He had one question and needed only one answer. "You'd die for them?" he demanded, needing to know.

"I would try for them."

"You didn't answer me," he snarled.

She swallowed, trying to open her eyes against the rain but unable to do so. After a beat, she nodded against his shiv. "Yes, I would, Riddick. I would… I would die for them."

Riddick abruptly released her wrist and removed his shiv from her neck, allowing her to rub the rain and mud from her eyes so she could open them.

Pulling off his goggles to peer down at her in pink, purple, and white hues, he leaned over her and muttered more to himself, "How interesting."

She could have become like him with how she'd nearly become a mass murderer on the ship. She was a survivor like him and had made it through the canyon to get to him, but even with freedom right in front of her she refused to take it if it meant leaving the others behind. She had the opportunity to live, but she would throw her life away for the others.

It was as he said – interesting. She was presented with the same choices he was, and yet she chose differently.

"Will you come with me?" she asked, swallowing thickly.

"Might be dead already," he pointed out, his own resolve dwindling.

"We have to at least try, Riddick," she insisted. A loud screech followed by some clanging of metal caused her to sit up as far as she could under him, twisting to look out into the dark settlement. "Fuck, Shepard's still out there, Riddick!"

Now that made him start and he rose off her, letting her up. "Still out there?"

"She came with me to get you but we were boxed in by those things. Either one of us or neither of us were getting to you, so she made the decision to go off on her own, said she left her friends screaming and begging on Mindoir so she could make a run for it and that she wasn't leaving anyone ever again. Claimed she was fine with dying if the others lived." She stepped to the edge of the light, scanning the darkness for Shepard. "She showed me her knife and said she'd give them blood, so I'm guessing she cut herself. Only way to get their attention on her and not us."

Riddick ground his teeth together and looked around.

Shepard had damned everyone on Mindoir to saver herself, but now she was willing to die for these people? He'd have thought that she'd want to live no matter what. Clearly, he was mistaken about what that, but he wouldn't have thought she'd be willing to die for people she hardly knew. She was strong willed and a survivor, but there was still compassion in her heart, still good inside that soul of hers. He couldn't say that he had that in common with her. He might have been arguing with himself about leaving, but he would have done so.

What was it about his damn planet that brought out the good in these two women? The good in him that he didn't think existed?

There was a sound reminiscent to a yelp, and he knew then for sure that Shepard was somewhere in the settlement running from the creatures. He just couldn't say for sure where she was exactly where she was. One thing he knew for certain was that her commotion and blood – if she had in fact cut herself – were taking the attention off of them and placing it onto herself.

Coming to a conclusion, Riddick said, "Let's go get the others."

Fry gaped. "But Shepard's out there! We can't just leave her!"

"If she's bleeding and we go get her we'll have these bad boys breathing down our necks. She'll get us killed," he explained coolly, already walking into the rain. "When you're all clear, if she's alive I'll find her."

"How do I know you won't just leave her to die once we're all on the skiff?" she demanded, retrieving her glowing bottle and following close behind him.

"You don't," he replied, moving cautiously but quickly. In truth he would go looking for her after he got the others to the settlement.

Not a lot of people gave a shit about him or saw anything but cold, murderous evil in him. In his experience, there were few to no good people in the galaxy. Sure, there were people who did good things, maybe even were considered heroes, but so very few gave a shit about criminals and low-lives. Shepard was broken by what happened after Mindoir, physically and psychologically scarred for the rest of her life, but even after all the trauma she was one of the truly good people in the galaxy who did care, unless someone gave her a reason not to such as Johns.

Karla Shepard gave a damn, and that meant something.

A few minutes after running off, Shepard made her way back to the settlement just like Fry told her to do in search of the skiff only to become dizzy from blood loss. It wasn't likely that she would bleed out, but she'd realized that she had in fact cut just a little too deep to the point where it was affecting her ability to run and think straight. She was an easy target for the predators circling around her so she forwent looking for the skiff and instead searched for a place to hide, which was how she came to find herself crammed into a small crate near the Coring Room.

The Coring Room had been boarded up in light of the cellar but she didn't feel at all comfortable being so close. Now wasn't a time to be picky though, not when she'd lost her light after falling. The crate was small and hard to get to, making it the perfect place to take refuge until it was safe enough to come out.

If it ever is safe enough to come out, she thought grimly, keeping her hand pressed firmly to her wound while her knife rested by her side. With how much she was bleeding she probably smelled like a big juicy steak to the creatures.

Feeling more blood ooze through her fingers, Shepard decided to throw modesty out the window and worked at getting her brown tank top off so she could use it as a tourniquet. It was a nearly impossible task, getting her shirt off when her knees needed to be tight against her chest and her head lowered just so she'd fit in the crate, but eventually she got it off, leaving her upper body covered only by her black bra. She took one end of the shirt in her mouth then quickly wrapped it around her wound, sucking in a pained breath as she made a knot and pulled it tight. At least now she had her hands free.

She lowered her head further onto her knees, attempting to ease the dizziness in her head and rest for a second, only to jump and knock her head into the roof of the crate when one of the creatures managed to scrape the crate while trying to get to it amongst the other boxes and containers.

Reaching for her knife, Shepard held it tightly, staring out the small hole in the crate. Her light was yards away and periodically she saw something run past it, followed by that horrific clicking and screeching when one got too close. And then one ran right into it, knocking the light away from her view behind a structure.

Plunged into darkness, a tear slid down her cheek as she shivered violently from the cold, still wet from the rain.

Was this how she was going to die? Cornered in a little crate meant to store rock samples? Or would one of the creatures break in at last and eat her while she screamed?

Shepard wasn't sure which scenario she preferred. Being eaten alive or ripped apart was no way to go, but starving to death sounded like torture. No matter how she died, it was going to be a painful death, of that she was certain of. It was inevitable.

They weren't going to come looking for her, no one was. If Fry had managed to get to Riddick and convince him to help they would leave her behind. And that was exactly what she wanted them to do. Searching for her would be suicide and there was nothing to suggest that she was even alive. Fry had told her to get to the skiff in a few minutes and that time had come and gone. As far as anyone was concerned, she was dead.

But she refused to go out starving or being eaten. She had a knife and when it came time she'd take care of ending it herself.

Resting her head against the side of the crate, she looked out the little hole, hoping to get at least a few glimpses of the world before push came to shove. It was hard to make out much in the dark. All she could see were the outlines of the structures. Where the dim light was coming from, she could only guess, but she suspected it was the lights of the skiff. She hoped it was because that meant that Riddick was still around, maybe even helping Fry. It was a fool's hope, but it made her feel better to think that her death would mean something.

But as she looked outside, the light steadily grew brighter and brighter, bluish in color, and the light was too bright to come from the bottles of glow worms. She swore she heard Riddick shout something over the pouring rain, and when the creatures that were hovering around her crate suddenly flew off, scurrying towards the new disturbance, she knew she had heard right and that something was going on farther away towards the entrance to the canyon.

Seeing that now was her only chance, Shepard clutched her knife tightly and slowly lifted the lid of the crate. It only opened about half-way in the small space, but it was enough for her to squirm out into the pouring rain. She wanted to call out, to scream for whoever was out there, but fear prevented her from doing so, and she found that her legs wouldn't obey her commands to move deeper into the near-darkness of the night. Fear truly could be paralyzing and she had to grind her teeth and force herself to start walking, but upon hearing splashes in the puddles that didn't come from the rain, she froze. Too afraid to move, she listened as the splashing grew closer and slowly realized that what she was hearing was the sound of boots hitting the puddles in rapid succession as their owner ran through the settlement in her direction.

She took a nervous step back, but then grit her teeth and slowly walked in the direction of the sound. What she was hearing sounded like boots splashing, not a sound one of the creatures, so the only plausible conclusion could be that it was one of her fellow survivors.

She just hoped she wasn't mistaking the sound for something it wasn't and found herself having her head bitten off.

And then there was movement behind her, followed by the telltale screeching of the creatures on the scent of prey, ant the prey was her.

"Move!" came a shout from ahead of her, and her heart skipped a beat in pure relief as her feet kicked at the mud in a run, obeying his sudden command the moment it left his mouth.

As soon as she was within reach, Riddick grabbed her elbow in a grip that was too tight but necessary with how slick the rain made things, and together they ran through the maze of crates and storage unites. And all the while Shepard's mind was struggling to keep up.

Riddick hadn't left, and she hadn't been abandoned. For whatever reason, he'd come looking for her. She knew she'd seen some good in him – if there wasn't, he wouldn't be leading her to safety. So, had Fry found him and convinced him to wait, or had something internal changed his mind. There was no time to ask right now, not when ravenous creatures were on their ass.

Rounding a corner, rain beating down on them, Shepard spared a glance behind her in search for their pursuers, and failed to notice the one that landed feet in front of them until Riddick yanked back on her arm sharply, stopping her dead in her tracks.

Gaping, Shepard looked to her bleeding arm then back to the beast before her, petrified with fear.

She was like a walking dinner bell.

There was no way they'd be able to pass unnoticed.

And then Riddick shoved her forcefully in the direction of the creature.

He was going to feed her to it and then make a break for it! That had to be his plan – he was going to kill her!

Inches from the monster, the convict grasped her shoulders as he came up behind her and pulled her tightly against his chest. She made to scream, to shout his insanity, but a large hand covered her mouth, preventing any sound from coming out a split second before the creature turned to face them.

"Follow my lead," Riddick hissed in her ear.

Gulping, she nodded, and when he leaned to the left, she did so as well, and together they then leaned to the right.

It took her a moment to realize that they were remaining directly between the creatures head.

The thing could smell her blood, judging by the almost desperate clicking and the turning of its head back and forth in search of the source, but for whatever reason it couldn't "see" them, couldn't locate them. Whatever the reason for its sudden blindness, Shepard didn't really care. All that mattered to her was the fact that in such close proximity both she and Riddick were safe – for now.

An eternity passed before the creature growled and backed away, no longer clicking.

It had given up its search, and Shepard bit back a sigh of relief as Riddick lowered his hand from her mouth and began to slowly back her up with him. With the creature still blocking their path, they needed to find another way to get back to the ship.

A loud splash sounded behind them and Riddick spun around to come face to face with yet another creature. Only this one had spotted them, and its clicking alerted its fellow monster.

Spinning around, the creature they'd tricked hissed, snarled, and clicked as it spotted them at last.

Hauling her behind him, Riddick slowly backed them up towards a narrow gap in the crates, bone-knife raised as she fisted her hand fearfully in the back of his black wife-beater.

"Run," he hissed under his breath, attention torn between her and the two creatures.

"No, you'll –"

"I said run!" he shouted and forcefully shoved her into the narrow gap just seconds before one of the creatures lunged at him.

Stunned by the sounds of the snarling monsters and Riddick's enraged cries, she didn't move for several seconds. It wasn't until Riddick's back slammed into one of the crates after being thrown that she snapped out of it and hurriedly squeezed through to the other side, running through the mud and rain as fast as her tired legs could carry her with the convicts shouts and the beasts' squeals echoing behind her.

She had to get to the skiff.

She had to find Fry.

Leaving Riddick behind wasn't an option because for whatever reason, he came back for her. That was enough to erase any ill will she felt towards him for leaving them in that little crevice in the canyon.

So enthralled in her thoughts, she failed to see the figure darting out from around the corner and screamed in a panic when it grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Karla!" Fry exclaimed, looking her over and then around her in search of their fellow survivor. "Where's Riddick?"

"H-He's back there. We... he told me to run!" she explained in one breath. Another cry echoed through the air and she fought against Fry's hold on her. "We have to go back! We can't leave him!"

Fry dragging her back and pushed her in the direction of the skiff. "I'll find him. You get to the skiff and keep the others safe."

"But I –"

"If we don't come back, they're going to need you," she reasoned sharply. "Now, go!"

Shepard hesitated for a brief second before turning on her heel and running the way Fry had come in search for the skiff that would take them off the hellish planet. More than ever she wanted to help Fry, to go with her to find Riddick, but Jack needed her and she doubted Imam knew how to pilot the skiff. While she couldn't say she was an expert on any flying crafts, it had looked similar to what her father once took her up in.

How hard could it be?

Hurrying to the skiff, she nearly collapsed in relief when she saw it with its ramp lowered and light spilling into the darkness.

Staring wide eyed, Jack scrambled out of Imam's grasp and ran to her. "Shepard! I thought…" Jack didn't finish but she did swallow thickly, blinking rapidly. It could have been the rain, and it could not have been. Either way Shepard figured that was the closest she'd ever get to hearing the girl express relief that she was alive, and she'd happily take whatever she could get.

Shivering, cold and tired from the past events and blood loss, she walked to the ramp and sat down to catch her breath.

"Are you all right?" asked Imam, kneeling beside her and taking her wounded arm in his hands, forcing a pained hiss from her lips.

Despite the pain and how lightheaded she felt, she nodded slowly, eyes locked on the darkness, praying that Riddick and Fry would emerge safe and sound. It was a fool's hope, she knew that, but the hope was there nonetheless. Those two had helped her more than she could possibly convey.

"Fry went to find Riddick," Shepard explained, voice distant as she waited for the two figures who would not appear.

"Yes." Imam nodded, already knowing this. "He separated from us to find you once we cleared the hill."

Looking between the two, Jack took a step closer to the darkness, clearly wanting the two to return just as much as Shepard did. "We're gonna go find them right? We're not gonna leave them, are we?"

Imam sighed sorrowfully, looking on the girl with regret. "Had she found Mr. Riddick, she would have returned by now."

"Bull shit!" Jack snapped, body flickering with blue light. "We gotta go find them!"

Before Jack could get too far, Shepard grasped her elbow tightly, stopping her.

Stunned, even a little betrayed, Jack demanded, "He saved you're ass, and you're gonna leave him?"

"I'm going to power up the skiff, and then we're going to wait," she corrected. To Imam, she added more forcefully, "We're going to wait as long as we can."

He looked ready to argue, ready to protest that they needed to leave as soon as possible, but he too glanced out into the night as if wishing they would appear. With a sigh, he nodded. "I will do what I can for your arm, and we will see what can be done with the skiff."

Jack frowned. "Is it busted?"

Shepard looked to Imam, and he to her.

There was nothing wrong with the skiff, but both needed to see if they would be capable of piloting it if they were forced to leave without Riddick and Fry.

"Uh, no, it's fine," Shepard said reassuringly, patting her young friend on the back. "Just want to make sure before we get into space. I don't think we want to find a breach in the hull up there, do you?"

Jack nodded quietly, silently waiting at the threshold to darkness.

"He'll get here, kiddo," Shepard promised, wrapping her uninjured arm around her shoulders.

A slight smile rose to Jack's face and she nodded once more. With a heavy sigh, the girl turned and walked up into the skiff.

"You should not have said that to her," Imam scolded gently, quietly. "I pray to Allah that I am wrong, but there is a very real chance that Mr. Riddick and the Captain will not return."

She sighed. "Jack's gone through things that no one should have to go through, let alone a little girl. She's only told me a little bit of what's happened to her in the past, but… she needs to have hope that good things do happen."

"And if they do not return, she will see all hope as false."

"Maybe," she admitted. "But that's a risk I'll take. I… I can't tell her that they may not come back."

Imam placed his hand on her shoulder. "Jack has found a good friend in you, Karla. But the truth, however painful, is sometimes more merciful than the lie."

Biting her lip, she reached up and squeezed his hand, providing no verbal meaning. He was right, she knew it, but she wasn't going to admit it out loud.

"You guys comin' or not?" Jack called from inside the skiff. "Or do I gotta look for problems myself?"

Shepard rolled her eyes. "Look for problems or cause them?" she muttered lightheartedly.

Chuckling quietly, Imam urged her towards the ramp. "Come. We will wait in the skiff."

With a nod, she started following him up the ramp when the screeching of frenzied creatures drew her attention to the darkness. The wind from their massive wings sent a chill through her, the cold rain not helping.

"We should get on board," Imam insisted, giving her arm a tug.

"Something's not right," Shepard said as she yanked her arm free, stepping further towards the darkness.

The monsters in the dark weren't circling the skiff, waiting for her, Imam, or Jack to venture to far from the light. They were going after something else behind the large containers in the settlement. And in the distance, no matter how faintly, she could swear she saw a faint blue light.

"Jack!" Shepard called urgently. "Jack, get over here!"

Hurrying down the ramp, nearly tripping over her own feet, Jack asked, "What's going on? Are they back?"

"You see that out there?" she asked desperately, pointing towards the light she swore she saw.

Squinting, looking in the direction Shepard pointed towards, her eyes then widened. "That's them! They're coming back!"

Shepard wanted to believe that, but the light was barely moving.

After the events of Mindoir, Shepard knew in her heart that something was not right.

"Think you've got another barrier in you, Jack?" Shepard asked as she looked to her.

She swallowed, but determination shone brightly in her eyes and she nodded, blue already flickering over her body. "Absolutely."

"Karla, the risk is too great," Imam protested, but she rounded on him angrily.

"I'm the reason they're out there!" she snapped. "I ran to buy them time, and Riddick came and saved me, then Fry came to find us and told me to get her while she went back for Riddick. We all owe them our lives! You can't stand there and tell us not to help them!"

He hesitated, clearly wanting to protest even as her words rang true.

"Very well, but I will come with you."

She shook her head. "No, stay with the skiff. Just in case… well, you know."

Just in case they didn't come back.

Someone had to get off the planet.

After what felt like forever, he gave a resigned sigh and handed off his weapon to her. "Be safe, and may Allah watch over you both."

That last bit wasn't as reassuring as he'd probably meant for it to be.

Swallowing the fear rising in her chest along with adrenaline, Shepard looked to Jack and gave her a short nod.

"Remember to stay in the bubble," Jack muttered as she extended her arms and released a biotic barrier. "I'm not saving your ass if you wonder out of it."

She smirked. "Sure you would."

The girl snorted, but otherwise didn't argue as the two stepped out of the safety of the light and into the pounding rain, darkness engulfing them.

Holding tight to Jack's sleeve to ensure that they were not separated, Shepard looked all around her for any sign of Riddick or Fry as they made their way towards the dim blue light. It was harder to see with the even brighter blue light put off from the biotic barrier, but she could see it enough to know that it was still there.

"Riddick? Fry?" Jack called over the rain and strange sounds emitting from the creature that flew in the direction of the light.

The previous times the monsters had left them alone were the few minutes after the little bats got Shazza, and after the large ones got Paris and later Johns and Suleiman. Each time, the monsters had a meal to focus on.

Fearing the worst, Shepard picked up the pace, desperately hoping they wouldn't come upon a corpse. She'd already lost so many people, she couldn't lose both Riddick and Fry too. She couldn't take losing them both.

The sound of something falling against the side of the large storage containers brought both girls to a halt.

It could be the Captain or the convict, but it could also be one of the monsters.

Jack looked to Shepard, waiting for her to decide what to do.

For all the biotic bravado and tough talk, Jack was still a kid and she respected Shepard.

Blinking the rain from her eyes, Shepard moved to walk a few steps ahead of Jack as they pushed forward, just barely remaining in the protective biotic bubble. They came to the corner and Shepard hesitated momentarily before peering around it.

"Oh, God, Riddick!" Darting out of the bubble, Shepard quickly went to Riddick's side and hooked his arm over her shoulders after noticing that he was injured. She nearly buckled under his weight, and Jack scrambled over to keep them safe within the barrier.

"Where's Fry?" Jack asked in a rush. "Is she okay?"

Riddick ground his teeth, a look mixed with guilt, sorrow, and rage on his face. "She's ain't coming."

Jack blinked. "W-What do you mean she's not coming?"

"She's dead."

Shepard's jaw dropped and tears mingled with the rain.

Fry was dead?

Desperately, she looked behind them in search of Fry, hoping to God he was wrong or lying. But as she looked back to his face, she knew that he was speaking the horrible truth. Were he lying, he could feign sorrow and anger, but she sincerely doubted he could fake that true look of guilt.

What the hell had happened for the Riddick to feel guilty over a death?

Swallowing the thick lump in her throat, the tirade of feelings threatening to choke her, Shepard looked to Jack and ordered brokenly, "Lets head back."

"But –"

"I said, lets head back," she repeated more firmly.

Jack looked ready to argue, ready to bolt and go in search for Fry.

To Shepard's relief, Jack remained by her side even when it was obvious that she didn't want to. Shepard didn't blame her, wanting as well to go see for herself that Fry was dead. That woman had helped her so much, it just didn't seem possible for her to be gone.

In silence, the trio made their way back to the skiff, hurrying as fast as they could with the deep gash in Riddick's leg. If it bothered him, he made no indication that it did, and Shepard figured he was both used to the pain as well as thinking about something entirely different. She was certain that even someone as cold as Riddick could feel remorse. After all, Fry had put her neck on the line trusting him, so how could her death not bother him?

Still, as she glanced at him out of the corner of her, blinking away the rain, she knew she'd be hard pressed to get him to admit it. Weakness of any kind seemed difficult for the man to show, if how he was forcing himself to put weight on his badly bleeding leg was an indication to the fact.

As the monsters were getting ready to attack again, finished with their meal, they reached the skiff and were met by Imam on the still lowered ramp.

He hurried to them, making an attempt to aid Shepard with Riddick, but the convict shoved them both away and limped weakly but surely onto the skiff with Jack not far behind.

Imam looked around, noticing they were one short, and asked Shepard, "Carolyn?"

Tears welling up again, Shepard shook her head, and Imam lowered his.

Placing her hand on his arm, Shepard walked wearily ahead and onto the skiff, ready to be rid of the planet once and for all.

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