Where does he get this shit from? What's his? Like I'm his Fuckin' ship or shiv or goggles. Bullshit. I didn't know that I was a stray puppy under the need of someone's protection.

Wylie looked down angrily at the bottle of Ara in her hand. She gripped the neck in her hand tight enough to turn the knuckles white. Wylie walked around the porch and found a quiet patch of railing and boosted herself on it, resting her back against the dingy wall. Taking a long swig from the bottle she winced as the liquor burned down into her throat and into her belly making tendrils of heat curl up there.

Why should he care? Just another con like him. Looking to live.

She moved her hand through the deep pocket of the duster she was wearing and pulled out her cigs taking one from the pack and lit it. She took a deep drag and exhaled the smoke into the hot night sky; thinking.

I will not get attached. I will not have feelings. Who am I fuckin' kidding? I've turned him into some fucking hero in my mind years ago. The truth is not nearly as satisfying as the fantasy. Sure Wylie, he's handsome in that dark, kill you when you're not looking kinda' way. Don't even think of his body.

She felt heat rush to her face. It had nothing to do with the booze.

God almighty what a body. Stop it Wylie. Stop torturing yourself. He's not yours as much as you would like to wish it.

Wylie ran a hand through her long hair pushing it back from her face.

Fuck. Why me?

………………………………........................................................................................................................

Riddick ordered another shot from the passing bartender and pointed to Wylie's chip at the end of the bar.

The bartender nodded as Riddick swallowed the clear burning liquor. His eyes followed the bartender as he picked up the chip and they lingered over the small man there.

Gymp. That was his Fuckin' name wasn't it?

He pushed back from the bar and walked over to the smaller man chuckling inwardly at the look on his face as he moved towards him. Riddick placed a large hand on Gymp's shoulder and squeezed causing him to gasp.

"Gymp right?" Riddick asked lowly.

'Y-Yes." Gymp stammered his eyes growing wider.

'Hear you're an inside man. Code man, someone who can hack. You trustworthy?" Riddick squeezed harder.

Gymp shook his head up and down violently.

Riddick released his shoulder and pulled the empty seat next to him sitting on it. He looked Gymp squarely in the eyes pushing the goggles up over the top of his head. Riddick let Gymp get a good look at the reflective silver gaze.

"Wouldn't want the codes you gave Wylie to be fake." He said flatly tilting his head to one side.

Gymp swallowed convulsively. "N-No their not."

"Be a shame if something happened to her. Might make me mad. I don't like bein' mad. You won't like it either."

The warning was clear.

Gymp swallowed again. "Y-Y-Youre Riddick." He said quietly.

Riddick nodded. "So you think she can do it?'

Gymp calmed visibly. Glad that the giant of a man who was sitting next to him had changed the subject off of him.

"I don't know. If there was anyone who could do it she would be the one. I've seen what she can do. It's never been pretty."

"Really?" Riddick said interested. "What can she do?"

Gymp shook his head. "She wouldn't want me to tell. I won't tell. Wylie would be pissed.'

"Tell me." He said slowly.

"There is too much to tell. Let's say that she belongs in a Slam. I don't think it's safe for her to be out."

"It's not safe for any of us to be out." Riddick agreed. "You're still not telling me."

"Why are you so interested? "

Riddick shrugged. "Right now she's outside drinking; I know better than to come between a fuckin' Vestuvian and their bottle."

"Buy me a drink and I'll tell you."

Riddick waved the bartender over. Ordered two drinks and looked back to Gymp.The bartender sat two glasses on the bar and walked away. Gymp reached out and grabbed the cool glass in his hands pulling it to his mouth with trembling hands.

He cleared his throat.

"On Vesta 5 all the guards have a game. They label all the cons or their favorite with a name that least fits. Understand?"

Riddick shook his head.

"For example." He continued. "I would be called brave, obviously I'm not. You would be weak. Do you know what they called Wylie?"

Riddick thought for a minute. "No." He finally said.

"Shalom. Do you know what that means?" He went on without looking at Riddick. "It means peace. It was because she was so violent." He shook his head staring into his drink.

"I can still remember the day they brought her in. I was working for Rozemond at the time doing comp work. I can still see her standing in the room with Rozemaond after he brought her in. She looked so small, so beaten. She had the shakes so bad she could barely keep her feet. Rozemond decided to remove her bonds. Being the practical man that he was he granted her a days rest before he started entertaining her. So, he had me call for the guards to take her to a cell. A private cell he had specified because he didn't want anyone getting to her before he did. "

"Three guards came to pick her up. She made it to her cell all right. But, no guards came back. When they went to look for the missing guards we found them all dead in her cell. One had both his eyes poked out with her fingers. The other two looked like they had been knocked out with their own Gaph sticks. But that wasn't the worst. Wylie had pulled the pants off of one of the guards and had used the wire inlay on the side of the uniform to garrote all three of them as they came around. We could tell because there were claw marks on all of their necks where they had struggled to pull the wire from around it; before she decapitated them."

"That," he said quietly "was her first day." "After that she became so violent we had to send Rozemond to get her. We would trank her, bind her, and then move her. When she wasn't with Rozemond we would keep her in solitary where the guards would feed her through a tiny slit in the front of the cell. After a while Rozemond thought he had broken her enough so that she would be a good guard. She became the most vicious of them. But he was stupid. The look in her eyes could tell you he had done nothing to her. Her spirit was alive and well waiting for someone to slip. The animal inside her was just biding its time. She was the first I had ever met."

"The first what?" Riddick Growled.

'Human with an animal brain." Gymp said taking a steadying drink from his glass. "And you're the second. I thought god in his infinite wisdom was smart enough to break the mold when he made her. Obviously I was wrong. "

'And Rozemond wasn't an animal?"

Gymp laughed. 'No, He was just a different kind. His obsession had made him an animal. His lust had made him animalistic. He wasn't born to it. To truly be an animal, I think it has to be in you all along. "

Gymp pushed his chair back from the bar and tossed back the rest of his drink. He turned and slowly walked around Riddick.

"Yeah," Gymp said quietly. "She can do it. She's animal enough."

………………………………............................................................................................................................

Riddick peered around the corner of the porch looking at Wylie. She sat quietly on the railing looking at the star filled sky.

Riddick walked up putting both hands on the railing.

"So what brings you out here?" Wylie asked sardonically.

"Wondering if you finished you're bottle or not."

Wylie picked up the bottle and shook it at Riddick. There was less that an inch of amber liquid left at the bottom.

"Planning on finishing it alone Shalom?"

Wylie's eyes narrowed. "I see there was a little friggin' birdie singing' away inside the bar."

"Nice name." Riddick laughed. "Mind if I use it?"

"Yeah. I do. So did ya' come out here to try and piss me off or what?"

"No. came out here to find out if you needed a way over to Vesta 5."

"Riddick," she said curtly. "I can find my own way."

He shrugged. "You're choice."

Wylie reached over and passed Riddick the bottle. "If I said yes. You would think I was weak."

Riddick raised an eyebrow a he tilted the bottle back. "No," he said wiping the back of his hand over his full lips. "I would think you were practical, since I know you haven't had enough time to steal another ship and it might take you a while."

Wylie laughed. "I told you; you never miss a trick do ya?"

Riddick stared at her. He handed the bottle back to Wylie and turned. "Are you comin'?"

Wylie hopped down off the railing and walked over to Riddick. "As long as you don't try any more of you're possessive shit we'll be fine."

Riddick looked down at her noting the animal glint in her eye. "Sure Shalom. Anything ya' want." He moved his head down to hers and kissed her harshly, full on the mouth.

Wylie glared up at him giving him a dirty look.

He threw back his head and laughed drawing everyone's attention from around the porch.

"You're an asshole Riddick". Wylie said angrily letting the fury leak out from behind her eyes.

"Don't I know it." He said growling.

.............................................................................

More on the way.