Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Black or any of it's characters or planets or plants or goggles. I wish I made money on this, but I don't.
Note: Sorry I haven't updated since last year. Alot's going on in my life and am looking to move soon. So...I will try very hard to get some chapters coming your way as best as I can. Be prepared this is a LONG chapter. As an apology for the long wait.
P.S. My hardest part of writing is the friggin' titles and chapter names. Please excuse their lame-ness.
Chapter 9: Info and Headaches
"Jack!"
Jack woke instantly with wide eyes.
"Wha..ahh..what happened?" she asked while closing her eyes again to fight back the intense headache that was forming.
"You were shot by a bounty hunter, Zane. After they found out you were alive they hired him to bring you to them. Believe me, he's not doing this to get rich. They're probably holding something of his. Something very valuable to him." Riddick explained while moving a medic scanner over her body .
"No infections. Wound is clean and in healing process." the machine announced after the scan was complete.
"Well at least there's that good news." the corner of Riddick's lip twitched upward at this.
"Okay, since I'm not quite ready yet to hear the story about 'THEY'. How about you tell me about after I got shot. And where is Chris?"
"Chris is safe, for the most part. Let's get you stitched up and I'll explain everything that went down." he avoided eye contact through out the whole conversation. Jack felt uneasy and almost sick. She feared she knew where Chris was.
Chris woke groggy with an intense migraine from hell. Moaning from the pain, with eyes closed shut, he shook his head slightly trying to push the pain down.
"So, you're finally awake. I almost thought you'd sleep through the whole trip."
Chris's eyes shot open at the sound of the bounty hunter's voice. He tried to move, but found his wrists and ankles were shackled to a wall. He could only move but five feet. Chris found the man the voice came from. Knowing it was useless, he still made a move towards his captor, but came up three inches to short.
"What do you want with Jack?" he growled, wanting to rip the man in front of him to pieces.
The man's hazel eyes flickered with amusement.
"You're not exactly in a position to be asking questions. But, I'll play nice, for now. You answer mine and I'll consider answering yours." Zane crossed his arms giving a smug smirk while leaning against the wall closest to the door.
"Fuck you!"
"Sorry man, I prefer women. If you don't make an attempt to answer my questions though...I just might have to spend a little time with Jack before..."
"You touch her and you're a dead man. I will have you beg for your death while I take my time skinning your hyde." Chris yanked on his shackles needing some sort of release for the anger that was starting to consume him.
"Big words for a man who's tied up. If you want her to keep her innocence, then you'll co-operate with me. Question one, who's the man with the goggles? I know about Imam and as much as I cared to know about you and I know about all the sorry losers that thought they had a chance with her. Then I decide to make my move to collect her, and this guy shows up out of now where and gets her first. So, who is he?" Zane took a more serious tone, but kept his stance of leaning on the wall with arms crossed.
He would not admit it, but even Chris could sense that Zane was unnerved by Riddick's surprise appearance.
"Who are you, first?" Chris asked, while he backed up to loosen the chains.
Zane stared at Chris for what felt like an eternity but was only for a few seconds before he decided to answer. He unfolded his arms and took in a breath.
"My name is Zane. I'm a bounty hunter, of sorts. I've never missed my target. As of right now, I'm getting tired of you dodging MY question."
"I know little more than you. All I know is his name is Richard and Jack has known him for a few years. Tonight was the first that I've known of his existence." Chris answered, thinking none of what he said would matter.
"Was their a last name to the Richard?"
Chris leaned his head back as he laughed. Then he turned to Zane and looked him in the eye.
"Jack said his name was Richard B. Badd. I don't know about you, but I have a feeling they didn't want anyone knowing who he really is."
After Riddick went over the details of what went down at the docking bay, Jack decided she needed to refuel her body. From the loss of blood, she felt extremely weak. Seeing what kind of situation she had gotten into, she wanted to feel physically fit as possible before coming up against what laid in her future.
She and Riddick were in the dinning room/ kitchen. Jack was sitting at the table eating some sort of soup, while Riddick leaned against a counter watching her quietly behind his goggles.
Jack ate very little. She was consumed with questions and worries, she had enough of the run around.
Jack put her spoon down, took a deep breath, and look Riddick straight in the face, seeing how it was hard to look him straight in the eye with his goggles blocking the view.
"Okay Riddick, I've had the second worse day of my life. I've been chased, betrayed, got my best friend/ Boss into this mess, been shot..." she closed her eyes and took a much needed calming breath in, "I need answers, and I need them now. Do not bull shit me or keep anything from me. I'm ready to hear the horrors you've been keeping from me." Jack had opened her eyes at that last sentence.
Riddick didn't move. He looked like a wax figure he was so still. Jack had to look real close to make sure he was still breathing. Then he moved. Riddick dropped his arms to his sides and joined Jack at the table. Sitting with his hands resting on each other on the table, head down he finally spoke.
"Where should I begin?"
Jack wasn't quite sure she was the one he was asking, but decided to answer him none the less.
"Well, with everything, start at the beginning, proceed to the middle and finish with the end."
Riddick laughed. "You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple. Not everything simple is easy though. So, start talking. I'm sure time is not on our side."
Riddick nodded. "Well, let's do this then, but please know every decision I made was to protect you. I don't want to lose you Jack. I'm selfish with you, I want you safe and happy."
"And look how well that went Riddick. Maybe if I know what the hell is going on, I'll have a chance at being safe."
Riddick noticed how she didn't say 'happy', but thought better than to comment.
"Okay, let's start when I left you and Imam behind."
"Richard B. Badd, I know that alias from somewhere." Zane thought out loud. He was at his control center of the ship, searching through convicts matching Riddick's features. Nothing.
'What?! I was so sure I've heard this name before!' he thought feeling almost hopeless for the first time on the job. Then he remembered his memory strips where he filled all the 'Wanted' files for future cases he could take if he needed extra funds.
He looked for the 'R' section, then grabbed all the strips, and headed back to his system to scan each of them. He messaged his temples from the headache he had. 'When was the last time I ate?' He thought while coming up with no answer. He opened the drawer on his right to look for an emergency protein bar. As he shuffled things around, he picked up a picture that was moved to the middle of the pile.
He stared at it while tears built up at the corners of his eyes. He threw the picture back into the drawer and slammed it shut hard.
With both hands holding his head, fighting back the tears, but losing the battle to a few, he remember what (more like who) his employer took from him, so they could have this girl.
He was giving it all up, the bounty hunting, for her. It was her wish, so they could be a happy, safe, and together for when their new family member arrived in eight months. That was four months ago. Four long, heartbreaking months ago.
The system beeped and the screen before him flashed bringing him out of his saddened thoughts. What appeared on the screen shocked Zane to the core. "IMPOSSIBLE! You're dead!" Zane yelled at the screen furious with what he was looking at.
What he was looking at was the guy that protected the girl back at the docking bay and came real close to ghosting Zane. It had a picture of the guy in goggles with an emotionless, yet terrifying look on his face. Below that was all the information gathered on the escaped convict (presumed to be dead) a few years back.
Richard Bryan Riddick
Alias/s: Richard B. Badd, Richard B. Ryenolds, Dick Richardson
Birth: UNKNOWN Birth Planet: UNKNOWN
Relatives: UNKNOWN – Foster System Child
Height: 6ft Weight: 225lbs
NOTES: Convict has shinned eyes, honed senses, extreme combat skills.
DO NOT ATTEMPT to capture single handedly or under 10 armed men.
This convict is extremely DANGEROUS, every precaution should be taken...
…...
It just kept repeating the seriousness of how dangerous this Riddick was.
"Well, shit." Zane said not expecting what more he was going to have to go up against just to get his life and family back. "Fuck! I don't have the men needed." He kicked the seat next to him, across the room where it smashed into pieces as he started to pace and work off the anger.
After a minute he stopped and realized his prisoner.
'Daniels loves the girl, the girl depends on him as a person to trust, and Riddick... how does he fit into this? He loves her? Related? No, he has no relatives. He has to feel something extreme for her, to risk being caught alive. The girl is the key. No communication with Riddick, just her. Get her away from him to save Daniels and send Daniels with a message to Riddick. Then the plan should be back on track.' Zane smiled. The whole plan was coming together on how he was going to trap her. 'Catch more flies with honey than vinegar, mama always said. I won't force her to come with me, I'll make it irresistible to not coming willingly,' He thought as he went to the flight controls to set his next destination, with a smirk on his face.
That's the end of this chappy! Whew! And yes, before you ask, I will dedicate the next chapter to the most anticipated history of what the hell is up with Jack. I know I've lead you guys on for a LONG time now wondering what's the secret of her past. And please don't be mad, but because I want to make sure it's good, it will take me some time to get it just right before posting.
READER POLL: Should Chris Daniels live or die? You as a most precious reader get to help chose the character's fate. I have both his death and survival planned out in my mind, so be part of the story and chose his fate in a review.
Please remember I have no beta reader. It's just me and my crappy laptop. If (and I know I do) I have any mistakes/ misspellings, please give me a heads up and I'll try to fix them in whatever spare time I may get. I try to re-read, but even I miss my mistakes re-reading.
I love you all for sticking with my slow ass. I am trying to make an effort to get this story done soon. Please be patient it will happen. This year? Gods know that's my goal. ;)
