Recap: They walked for a while and she tried to memorize the way but it was too confusing for her and gave up.
Finally they arrived by a small round room that had red curtains drawn around and she recognized the room as the one from the movie. Junner came to a stop on the right side and tugged the leash harshly downwards.
With a gasp, she stumbled to her knees in front of his feet. When she tried to stand up again, Junner pulled the leash again. "Stay put, slave," he ordered calmly, making her grit her teeth.
One hand came up and tugged on the collar again, but it was futile.
As she sat on her knees by his feet she silently wondered how she could get loose and away from him. Suddenly she felt a hand tug on her hair tie and with another tug, pulled it completely out.
The same hand ruffled through her hair and she instantly tried to shy away, but the leash wouldn't let her. When the hand pulled away, she heard Junner hum. "Much better," he said softly and she clenched her hands tightly into fists.
A few minutes later they heard footsteps coming their way. Knowing who was coming, she glanced towards the entrance of the small room. "-with their lives' work," came a woman's voice suddenly.
Her gaze fell instantly on the woman and the three men behind her. The woman she recognized as Antonia and after her were Riddick and Blade. Behind them was a merc that was a bit more regal-looking compared to the mercs she had seen up till now.
"Riddick! Blade!" she called happily as she sat up higher on her knees, turning her body completely towards the foursome. A sudden violent tug on the leash made her gasp and lose her balance. She landed with a soft thump against Junner's legs, who smiled down at her before looking up at the foursome. Riddick and Blade were both frowning and Luna could see they weren't too happy about this at all.
A hand touched the top of her head and patted it a few times. "That's a good pet," she heard Junner say and gritted her teeth in both embarrassment as well as anger. Now she knew how a dog felt.
Antonia glanced down at her with an arrogant look, before she continued. "And why? Because I gave them the audience they so desperately desired, the recognition they bought with the blood of others." She motioned to herself; "I understood their actions, stripped free of moral convention. Don't you two see? They're something greater now," Antonia spoke as she motioned around her before, walking towards the two convicts.
"Something more than they ever were before. Art," finished the woman, with calm excitement.
Riddick sneered. "Lady, your taste sucks," rumbled the man as his gaze shifted from her to Luna and then to Junner. Antonia bowed her head. "I expected as much," she said and bowed her head in understanding.
Her gaze turned to Luna and Junner. "Junner!" she called the latter and he pulled a device from his pocket and pushed a button on it. The curtains started rising and Luna turned her head to watch. She knew what was behind the curtains. When the curtains were completely up, they stopped and Luna couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips.
"Jack! Imam!" she whispered and tried to get closer to the edge of the balcony to see them better. A sharp tug on the leash made her gasp and land on her back. The leash was too short for her head to land on the ground and she choked a bit.
Antonia glanced down at her. "I see you have a new toy, Junner," mused the woman, finally acknowledging the young woman's presence. Junner stood straighter.
"Yes, I have, My Ladyship." said the man proudly, which made Luna grit her teeth. She shuffled back on her knees to lessen the choking on her throat and sighed in relief when she could breath again.
Riddick and Blade were glaring from Junner to Antonia and back. Both mercs ignored their glares. "Don't let what happened to the last one happen to this one, Junner," said the woman offhandedly as she glanced up at Junner again.
Forenamed man smiled, "Oh it won't My Lady. This one has a bit more fire in her than the previous one," he told her and gave a sharp jerk to the leash to empathize his words, forcing Luna to lean against his legs. She pushed away a bit to glare up at him. But the man merely smiled back.
Antonia turned her attention back to the two convicts. "You see boys, there is a fundamental difference between you two and I," said the woman as she came up close to Riddick's face.
A pang of jealousy shot through Luna making her frown at the feeling before she pushed it away along with the surprise she felt for it. Now was not the time to feel these things. She had to figure out a way to get down there so that she could escape with them when the time came.
"Yeah. You're a psychopath." rumbled Riddick, bringing her out of her musings. "And a crazy-ass bitch." continued Blade.
Antonia lifted a finger, "You two don't appreciate art." Her hands gently grabbed Riddick's head, "But I believe the reason for this is something very different. Than you or anyone else might think." continued the woman, as if neither had just insulted her.
"You two are artists." said the woman as if it explained everything.
Luna bit back a snort. 'This woman is even crazier than they make her out to be on television.' she thought, amused, and had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.
Riddick rumbled deeply while Blade scoffed. "We've been called a lot of things in our day." rumbled the paler man as he jerked his head out of her grasp, "But that ain't fuckin' one of them." finished Blade gruffly with a hint of mocking in his voice.
'With how they finish off one another's thoughts one would think they are twin brothers or something.' thought Luna and blinked, 'That was random.' she mused.
"You make art, boys, not analyze it." countered the woman and stared down at her hands. "You shape it with your own hands, carve it from flesh and bone," continued the woman before she turned her gaze back to the duo. "But men like you does not understand such a thing by being lectured. You must experience it," finished Antonia and motioned with her hand at Junner.
The merc pushed another button on the device in his hands and the lights turned red. Riddick and Blade walked closer to the edge. "Oh shit." murmured Riddick as he stared at the scene below.
Imam and Jack were both on a ball and each and had their arms tied in front of them while there was a collar around their neck with a rope that led to the ceiling. Jack and Imam glanced up at them. "I said I'd find you guys, didn't I?" said Jack with a quivering voice.
Luna in the meantime had a plan in her head. It wasn't much but it would do for now. The plan was simple. She would act like a good pet for now. She could only hope that he would fall for it.
"What do ya want?" demanded Riddick with a growl as he clenched his hands into tight fists.
Blade gritted his teeth and glared at the woman who was the cause of all this.
"To watch you work." replied Antonia smoothly "I've spend the latter half of my life observing fantastic things…" she walked around Riddick and up to Blade and caressed his cheek almost lovingly.
The hunter jerked his head away and bared his teeth at her. "The work of terrible men, men such as yourselves, but it's always after the fact when the moment of bloody creation is cold and passed," she walked to the other side of the small balcony.
The female merc made a motion with her hand again and once again Junner pushed a button.
Luna shifted in her place to try and get a better look of downstairs without getting too far away from Junner.
'Shit! Now those two horrible creatures come, but what were they called again? Shrimp? No,… shrill! That's it.' she thought and narrowed her eyes as the wall opposite of the balcony split open. Worry shot through her when they were completely open.
Down below Jack and Imam glanced at the doors as the former whimpered in fright.
"I need to see it Riddick. I need to see it with my own eyes as it happens." said Antonia passionately as she lay down on her side on a long chair. She grabbed a glass that stood on a small table next to the chair and drank from it as Riddick walked up to her.
"We get outta there alive, you'll see it again," he bend his head to eye-level with Antonia, "this close," he finished.
Antonia merely closed her eyes as she gently grazed the underside of his chin with the blade they confiscated from him. "No, Riddick. I want your masterpiece. From both of you." Riddick pulled his head away and Antonia threw the knife a bit further behind him where it stuck in the ground by the tip.
"An artist is nothing without his instrument," she told him and then nodded to the nearest merc.
The man threw Blade's sword at him and he caught it deftly with one hand, his chains rattling softly.
Luna felt Junner gently pull on the leash. "Come with me, pet," he ordered, as he tugged on the leash chain again. She went to stand up but Junner instantly gave a sharp tug making her fall on her hands and knees again. "Don't stand up, slave, I never gave the order for that. On hands and knees," he said with a chilling smile.
She gritted her teeth as she heard several mercs chuckle at his words. Tears silently gathered in her eyes. The humiliation she felt made her cheeks burn and she bowed her head as she followed after him on hands and knees. "That's a good pet." she heard him say and gritted her teeth to keep from saying anything.
She needed him to lower his guard. Even if it was for just a moment. They stopped in front of a merc who gave off an arrogant look and Junner gave the end of the leash to him.
Junner then walked up to Riddick who had just pulled the knife out of the ground and stared at the man. "When we meet again, I'm gonna bury this in your eye," he said darkly as he lifted his goggles and stared him right in the eyes with his shined ones.
"Let him in." Antonia ordered suddenly as Riddick walked up to the mercs along with Blade.
Then without warning, Riddick gave the merc on his right a side-kick. The other merc immediately aimed his gun at him, but Blade threw a two-fisted uppercut at him. Slamming the gun out of his hands and then slammed a knee in his stomach. The man grunted as he went down to the ground.
The kicked merc stood back up and ran at Riddick with a cry and tackled him off of the balcony.
Blade took one last glance at Luna, his gaze unreadable, before he jumped off of the edge and landed with a summersault next to Riddick and the merc. Riddick had at the last moment twisted them around so that he landed on top of the merc. The fat merc was because of this unconscious from the drop.
Antonia merely smiled at their actions and put her glass down only to replace it with a pair of opera scope binoculars. "Go ultraviolet." she ordered as she lifted the binoculars to her eyes and stared down at the two men. Junner came to stand next to her chair and pushed a button on the remote in his hand.
Luna had to blink a few times when the light changed. She couldn't see much, only barely the outlines of the people around her.
She wanted to help. To see. To be down there with her friends but right now was everyone too tense. She would have to wait it out, no matter how difficult it would be. 'I have to wait for the opportune moment,' she thought and glanced up at the merc that held her leash.
Down in the small arena Riddick and Blade stood back up again. Both rolled their necks as they cracked under the motions. Through the opening of the wall became six glowing orbs visible.
Three on the right and three on the left.
"I was on a pilgrimage. Just a pilgrimage." said Imam tiredly as he frowned at the sight of the lights.
"This is bad, huh?" asked Jack as she also stared at the lights.
"Give it a minute." replied Riddick calmly as he narrowed his eyes at the two creatures that came floating into the room. They had a brain in the middle that was visible and had four tentacles as limbs. Above the brain they had a constantly turning orb in their abdomen.
One shrill was giving off green light as the other gave off red light. Riddick clenched his hand tighter around the blade, ready to move if necessary. Blade in the meantime had pulled his sword out of its sheath and held it in front of him.
"Imam, pray," ordered Riddick, suddenly making the Imam blink, before he nodded and silently began praying. The entrance where the two shrill came from had closed up again, leaving the shrill locked in a room with them.
Luna was curious as she had only ever seen the two beings on television and wanted to see them better. Ignoring her mind that told her to stay put and not draw too much attention, she slowly crawled closer to the edge to stare at the scene. Unfortunately her leash didn't go so far and she gave a short tug.
The merc that held her leash glanced down at her with a grunt. Glancing up at where she could faintly see the outline of his face, she pleaded softly. "Please let me get a closer look." she asked softly, mentally telling herself to keep calm and submissive, no matter how much it annoyed her.
The merc grunted and was about to ignore her when Junner's voice came from somewhere to the right.
"Let her see. Might as well indulge her the pleasure of seeing her friends one last time before they die." said Junner with a hint of mocking in his voice.
"Yes sir." grunted the merc and she heard him come closer before she let out a soft hiss when he stepped on her hand. Pulling her hand from under his shoe, she turned to the edge of the balcony and crawled closer to the edge until she sat down right next to it on her knees. In her mind she was happy it had grown dark in the room. The outfit they had given her was not exactly hiding much.
Her attention was drawn to below when the merc that had tackled Riddick had recovered from his drop and was now shooting at the two shrill.
Aforementioned creatures were gliding towards the man, having set their sights on him first. The shooting stopped and for a moment was everything silent.
Luna leaned slightly over the edge and saw two tentacles of one of the shrill wrap around the merc's arms and legs. The man let out a yell as he tried to shoot but because his hands were held up he only shot at the ceiling. A third tentacle darted forwards and stuck a needle in the man's stomach. Cries of agony erupted out of the man's mouth, growing louder and louder before he suddenly turned into some kind of goo.
Luna gaped at the sight as Imam and Jack gasped, horrified by what they had seen.
Down below, the two shrill turned to Riddick and Blade. Having decided that they would be next, they struck with their tentacles only to miss as Blade and Riddick dodged each of their attempts.
Riddick and Blade each tried to cut off a tentacle but the shrill proved to be very agile in their movements.
Blade ducked under another tentacle before he threw an upward slash and cut off the tentacle. The shrill let out a distinct shriek as it backed off. Meanwhile had Riddick grabbed two of the tentacles of the shrill he was fighting, but the creature whipped its tentacles around. With the first movement, Riddick still held on, but by the second he lost his grip and flew through the air and landed hard against the ball Jack was balanced on.
The ball rolled away and Jack let out a strangled scream as she started choking.
Meanwhile Luna had seen the incident happen and gasped in fright. "Jack!" she cried just when the ball hit the wall under the balcony.
A soft quake shook through the balcony. It was enough for Luna to lose her balance. With a cry she tumbled over the edge. The merc who held her leash wasn't prepared for the sudden jolt and the end slipped from his hand.
With a hard smack she landed on her back and let out a soft groan. She wanted to breathe but her lungs wouldn't take any air. Trying to move her body was also futile, as her whole body screamed in silent pain from the fall.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the shrills coming her way and tried to move her body. She succeeded to roll on her stomach and slowly, shakily managed to lift herself up on her arms. Her lungs burned for air but she still couldn't breathe. 'Shit… air… breathe!… Breathe!' she mentally cried but her lungs wouldn't obey.
Glancing up she saw the shrill now very close and forced her body to roll to the right just when it send out one of its tentacles. It missed her thigh by inches. Unfortunately her body wouldn't move anymore and she watched with increasing dread how the shrill lifted another tentacle, ready to throw it at her.
The tentacle flew towards her. Her eyes widened in fright. 'Oh God!' was all she thought as she watched the tentacle move in slow-motion closer and closer to her. A loud growl came from her left as Riddick suddenly appeared out of nowhere and cut the tentacle off. The shrill let out a shriek and backed up for a moment.
On the other side of the room Blade was busy dodging the tentacles left and right. Having cut off one of its tentacles had seemingly made the shrill he fought angry as it whipped one tentacle after another at him. It was determined to get a hold of him.
He ducked and rolled out of the way of yet another tentacle and came just to his feet when another tentacle flew at him. With inhuman speed he hacked the tentacle off just before it reached him. Now with only two tentacles left, the creature backed off and seemed to be hesitant to attack him.
At least for a moment as not a second after did something akin to a needle come out of its 'head' and it threw itself towards Blade. Not wasting a moment he ducked his body and at the same time lifted his cuffed hands up. The needle broke through his chains with ease. The shrill rose back to its full height once it realized it missed.
Back with Riddick and Luna had the latter finally started getting some air back in her lungs. Her body relaxed once it got the first gulps of precious air and she felt her body finally capable of moving again. Slowly she stood back on her feet just when the shrill threw one of its tentacles at her.
It all happened in a blur as a muscled body suddenly tackled her out of the way and slammed her on the ground a few feet further. The tackle had almost pushed all air out of her lungs again. A groan escaped her as she landed on her back with Riddick on top of her.
"Not… my… day." she gasped as Riddick pulled away from her and stood up. "Get up. Complain when you're dead," he growled as he held his eyes on the shrill while she scrambled to her feet.
She had just gotten to her feet when she saw the shrill lashing out at Riddick. The convict ducked out of the way but held his cuffs up instead. Like with Blade, his cuffs got broken by the attack of a shrill and he smirked once the cuffs fell off.
"Much better." he rumbled and crouched slightly as he kept the glowing creature in his sight.
Luna didn't know what to do. She looked around but could barely see Riddick's outline.
The only things that gave off light were the two shrills. She was pretty much useless in all this.
Blade had dodged yet another tentacle and now that his hands were no longer restrained, he used the full opportunity to go into the attack. He dodged the remaining tentacles of the shrill, stepping closer with each movement and once in range he swung his sword with a snarl and cut through the brain of the thing. It let out a pained shriek before it stopped glowing and fell on the ground.
He scoffed at the sight of the now dead creature and then turned around. Seeing with ease through the barely illuminated room, he noticed Riddick dodging the other shrill's attacks.
His eyes narrowed behind his glasses before his gaze turned towards Imam and Jack. Both stood on top of one ball and had difficulty keeping it under their feet. A plan came to his mind and he ran towards the second shrill.
At the same time, Riddick dodged the tentacles. Growing tired of its nimble prey, the creature brought out the needle on top of his head and shot his body towards Riddick. The man jumped to the side to avoid the attack and lifted his shiv to strike when he saw movement behind it.
Blade saw the opportune moment arriving when the shrill dove his 'head' towards Riddick and missed. He took a leap and jumped on top of its head and used the momentum to jump towards Imam and Jack. He let out a short cry as he sliced through the ropes above their head, landing on top of the ball and quickly jumped off with a backflip.
His weight on the ball had thrown it out of balance and it rolled away. Now without a rope keeping them in place, Imam and Jack fell to the ground with a cry. Riddick had just dodged the attack of the remaining shrill and waited until his friend had freed Imam and Jack and then stabbed the shrill in its head. It let out a wailing shriek as some kind of fluid spewed out of it before it sagged in a heap on the ground.
Luna blinked when the shrill had shrieked and knew it was dead. The sudden lack of light made the room almost completely dark with a faint purplish outline around everything. "Are they dead?" she heard Jack ask just when the lights went on again.
Riddick winced imperceptibly before he pulled his goggles back down over his eyes. Luna stared at the gory mess that were once the shrills. Greenish blood was slowly coming out of the dead creatures. She wrinkled her nose at the sight before her gaze fell on Riddick and then towards the others.
She tentatively walked towards Riddick and gently touched his arm. He glanced down at her and she send him a small smile. "Thanks." she whispered softly. Their attention was pulled to the balcony where someone had started clapping.