Chapter 2
Previously…River smiled, "I am become a name; for always roaming with a hungry heart much have I seen and known." The Captain looked at her and sighed but gazed back at Doc Simon expectantly. Riddick watched the man too wondering what he should expect. Which way would he jump? How much blood would Riddick have to spill to stay free?
The Doctor frowned but nodded slowly, "It was…a while ago that I read about him, but my memory is very good with details. Riddick was diagnosed by a prison doctor as being a violent sociopath, but his behavior doesn't fit that analysis. If he truly were a sociopath I'd be wary of having him aboard the ship. As it is… honestly Captain I would trust him to pilot the ship or guard your back. Unless or until you betray him. Then anyone complicit would be fair game."
"I like to be a man of my word," River's voice spoke in Riddick's cadence, startling the Captain. "How 'bout you?"
"She's right," Riddick chuckled. The man seemed to spook easy where the girl was concerned but it didn't seem to be because he knew what she was. "I give my word I don't break it. I make a deal I keep it. Someone breaks their deal with me…consequences depend on the circumstances…and just how bad they're trying to screw me."
"Tried to rejoin the human race," River looked at him, her eyes clear for a moment. "But it is not easy. A price on your head. Mercs on your neck."
"Yeah," He nodded grimly.
"These people who're like to come after you?" Zoë's expression was neutral, but her voice was measured in reasonable concern.
Rick looked over at the merc and smirked, "Like the girl said, the ones likely to cause trouble are more of his kind. Most everyday citizens…regular people, they don't know me from Adam. Mercs…yeah they're a problem. Only in it for the payday."
"Like most mercs. They look all stand up, do right, 'til you cut 'em open and you find somethin' missing," River was echoing his thoughts and he grinned at her. He'd said that more than once about mercs. Even the ones that followed the law were simply the best of the worst.
"Yeah, you're right about that. He might not be a guild merc, but he's just more of the same," Riddick nodded. He looked at the Captain, "I'll tell you now, I can pilot this ship. Either of those shuttles too. Could've piloted the Farragut except I couldn't repair the engines. I drive a mule like I stole it, and I fight until my enemy is down and won't get up again. I don't kill kids. I try to avoid killing women if possible, mercs being the exception there, and when I give my word I keep it. I don't beat on people weaker than me. I don't generally kill people unless they try to kill me first."
"Inara?" Mal looked over at the Companion who'd taken a seat on Simon's other side. She'd been silent, listening to the conversation, though her eyes had sharpened during the discussion of Sigma Three.
"He's telling the truth, at least as far as I can see," Her voice was calm, measured and smooth, the glass surface of a still lake. "I think you could do worse than take him on. So long as you keep in mind that he told you the truth about everything." Mal looked blank for a moment and she sighed at his obtuseness, "Including what happens when he's betrayed."
"Well yeah," Mal nodded his understanding.
"For what it's worth I remember reading about Sigma Three," Inara commented as she stood, and Simon politely stood with her. "The treatment of the working class there makes some of the indenture moons look like luxury spas." She nodded to all of them, smiled at Kaylee and left the galley.
"Well…" Mal rubbed his chin. "I guess we try this out. Got that empty bunk, so it's yours if you like. Ain't the biggest but it ain't the worst either."
"It'll do fine," Riddick nodded. He could make do with much less and had. Slams weren't noted for their soft beds after all.
"Doc'd better give you a physical, make sure you haven't picked up any bugs," Zoë suggested though from her tone it was more of an order.
"Doubt it, but we'll go through the motions," He nodded slowly.
"Crew gets a straight ten percent of every job, what's left goes to fuel for the boat and the crew, with as much left for parts as we can manage," Mal continued as if Zoë hadn't interrupted him. "We all got chores and sit-down meals are a rotated duty. You're responsible for feeding yourself otherwise. Got a shower set up down near the passengers' dorms or one in the crew quarters. Get ten minutes a day, thirty if we're docked somewhere with water hookups. Laundry's your own responsibility."
"And what'll you think my job'd be?" Now this he was curious about, just how far would they trust him.
"That's a little tricky, but it'd be good to have a backup pilot for Wash. And another hand with a gun." Mal said after a moment, "Sit in with Wash on the bridge for a few shifts, let him supervise while you fly after that, we'll see how you do. We don't suit, we'll set you down at our next stop, no hard feelings."
"Fair enough," More than he'd expected and a pleasant surprise.
"We've got an armory, though I'd encourage you to have some guns of your own," Zoë added.
"Best to have your own tools," Riddick agreed with that and he had gear of his own that he'd picked up as he'd traveled.
"Inara's put herself off limits to crew, so I hope you weren't…" Wash seemed to recall something no one else had mentioned yet. It was a good piece of information to have, though he'd prefer honest sex to a business transaction.
"No," He just shook his head.
"S'matter? Sly after alla them years in the Slam?" Jayne laughed crudely.
"Jayne," Kaylee scolded him. "Like that's such a bad thing. Ya know folks cain't help how they're born." Jayne looked half shamefaced but only half and shrugged.
"No," Riddick spoke into the awkward silence. "Prefer women. Just also prefer to leave money out of it." He shrugged and regarded the Captain. "Any other rules?"
"I don't like complications," Mal told him flatly. "So if something from your past rears its ugly head I expect to be told. I expect you to be up front about it. I take care of my crew, and that means you if you decide to stay on and I decide to keep you. But I won't put that crew and my ship in danger that can be avoided."
"If I know something will be a problem I'll speak up," He shrugged. "Can't always know, but I'll do my best."
"All right, that's fair enough, ain't none of us able to see the future after all," The Captain nodded. "Simon, you get going with that physical, we'll make sure the bunk is hooked up with water and the comms while you do that."
River stood up and wandered away in the middle of Mal's instructions and Riddick chuckled. "Guess she's not crew?"
"No," The Captain sighed. "No she is not. She's…"
"She belongs in a bughouse, just like you belong in a slam," Jayne slammed his hands down on the table and pushed himself up, stomping down the hall to what was presumably his bunk and dropping into it.
"Well," Wash smiled. "If Jayne doesn't like you that must mean you're all right."
The Shepherd chuckled and shook his head while Kaylee laughed softly and headed towards the bunk talking to Zoë and the Captain about the state of the room.
"Well, shall we?" Simon gave him a nod towards the stairs.
"Guess we might as well," This was going to be interesting.
Simon was…fascinating. The nervous boy transformed instantly into a commanding man filled with certainty as they entered the infirmary. "I'll adjust the lights as much as I'm able," He began to turn them down. "I'm presuming a sensitivity to light since you can see in the dark. Do the goggles help with that? Or am I making an erroneous assumption?"
"No, you're right. The goggles help some," Riddick admitted. "Looked into some of those lenses they can put over your iris, see if they could shield my eyes enough but still keep my night vision. They cost about the same as a small planet."
"If we can get our hands on some I could put them in for you," The offer was shocking but entirely sincere. "It's a surgery I've performed before. They're made to augment sight as well but simple shielding lenses for light sensitivity don't require a different procedure. And if a proper surgeon puts them in your eyes won't be damaged."
"They'll fool retina scans too," Riddick grinned. "Too bad we can't get some for you and your sister."
"Facial recognition would still pick us up," Simon shrugged. "If you'll undress? The metal in clothing gets in the way of a body scan. I have a sheet to protect your modesty."
Riddick caught a glimpse of long dark hair swaying around a corner, "Might want to be more worried about your sister's modesty than mine. Slams don't give you a lot of privacy." He began to undress without concern for whoever might be watching. Looking wasn't touching after all and the Captain seemed to have pretty strict rules about behavior.
Simon politely held a sheet to block the view from the doors, his eyes fixed on Riddick's face until he'd gotten up on the table and on his back. The sheet settled over his body and the doctor's face eased out of polite neutrality. "Anything you want to tell me before we begin?" He inquired with a half-smile. "I won't be shining a penlight to test your eyesight obviously. But if you have other sensitivities they'll stay between the two of us. You're under my care and that places you under my protection while you're in the infirmary."
"You won't go wrong if you treat my hearing and sense of smell like they're near as sensitive as my eyes," He admitted after a long moment evaluating the Doctor's sincerity.
"And your sense of touch?" Simon was running the scanner now, "You might want to close your eyes, it could seem bright as it approaches your skull."
He was right, and it wasn't as if he couldn't tell exactly where the man was. "Touch is… I don't know. Don't have any basis for comparison."
"Fair enough," Simon moved slightly and the hum of the scanner ceased. "All right, you should be able to open your eyes and sit up if you'd like."
The rest of the exam went as he vaguely recalled from his time in the military. Simon was a damn sight more professional and careful than the army doctors so what he recalled as unpleasant was simply slightly uncomfortable. Despite his care the exam went on twice as long as any other he'd had simply because Simon took his duties seriously and asked questions about everything. He took blood, swabbed for tissue samples and after examining both under the microscope proceeded to inoculate him for every disease he could.
"Doc enough already," He shook his head. "I told you. I don't get sick. I heal without scars most of the time. It's just how I am."
"Well your blood does have some unusual variations," Simon admitted. "Please just come to me if you begin feeling off. I'm putting your medical file under Rick R. No full last name and I'm backdating it about two years. If anyone ever comes looking, which is doubtful, they'll think it belongs to an old crew member. Hopefully."
"If there's one thing you can count on it's my sense of self preservation," Riddick began to pull his clothing back on. "So yeah, anything weird happens you'll be the first to know." He grinned at the man who simply smiled back at him and continued his work. It was odd that the man who he would have laid odds being afraid of him seemed one of the most welcoming. He looked at Simon for a moment and considered him. "Your sister. Was she born gifted? Seeing?"
"H—he—how do you mean?" The Doctor looked nervous suddenly and Riddick shook his head.
"I mean she's a Seer, at least," He shrugged. "Psychic or something. Was she born with it? Or is it just now developing?"
Simon gave him a once over that had nothing to do with an examination for health purposes and seemed to come to some conclusion because he gestured for Riddick to have a seat while he returned to the wheeled stool. "No doubt you caught the fact that River and I are fugitives."
"If I hadn't picked up on it by the way the two of you hid with me, it would be hard to miss from the way Cobb was talkin'," Riddick agreed. "Can't figure for what though. You ain't the law-breaking type Doc."
"No…" The Doctor smiled lopsided and only half amused. "I wasn't. But I became the type out of…desperation you could say." He took a breath, "It's a rather fantastic story but I assure you it's true."
"Never minded listening," The convict leaned back.
Doc Simon nodded and began to speak, "I am very smart. I went to the best Medacad in Osiris, top three percent of my class, finished my internship in eight months." He paused, "'Gifted' is the term. So when I tell you that my little sister makes me look like an idiot child, I want you to understand my full meaning."
"There're offsets to that though," Riddick murmured when Simon paused. "Gifted folks, lots of times high IQ means a low EQ." That got him a sideways look as the Doc reevaluated Riddick's mental acuity or knowledge base.
"You're right," The Doctor nodded. "I feel as much as anyone else, but expressing it is…very difficult for me with anyone but my sister." He smiled, "In part because River never had that particular problem. And in part because we grew up together, she knows me…very well." He shrugged slightly, "River was more than gifted. She...she was a gift. Everything she did, music, math, theoretical physics…even…even dance…there was nothing that didn't come as naturally to her as breathing does to us."
"So what happened?" Riddick knew it had to be something, some trauma, something had happened to change a normal, albeit genius, girl into the fragile Seer with eyes that could see into his soul and pluck words out of his past.
"There was a... a school... a government-sponsored academy," Simon sighed, shaking his head. "We had never even heard of it, and that should have been a huge hint that something wasn't right, but it had the most exciting program, the most challenging. We could have sent her anywhere, we had the money, but she wanted to learn."
A child…they'd taken a child and done things to her that had changed her that much. Riddick did his best to keep his growl of fury to himself at the thought. What was it with fucking governments that seemed to lead to child abuse?
"I got a few letters at first," Simon was still speaking and Riddick pulled his attention back to the Doctor and away from his increasingly bloody thoughts. "Then nothing for months. Finally I got a letter that made no sense. She…talked about things that never happened, jokes we never..." He took a breath and shook his head, "It was code. It just said..." Another breath, his scent flaring with pain, "'They're hurting us. Get me out.'"
"How'd you do it," Riddick knew that breaking in or getting out of any secure facility was no piece of cake. For someone like Simon, not raised in the system, no idea of how the underworld worked, it must have been like going down the rabbit hole.
"Well, money," A half sheepish smile. "I had plenty of it. Got caught in a black out zone…arrested. My father wasn't pleased. Said if it happened again he wouldn't come for me. He and Mother never believed me when I said something was wrong, that River wasn't all right." Those dark eyes, like his sister's, went hard as glass, "They said it was one of her games. She wouldn't do that. Wouldn't forget to write to me for months and then… she started correcting my spelling when she was three. She'd never have spelt something wrong or written so poorly. Her handwriting… characters…it was nothing like her. Nothing."
"So your parents are pieces of shit," Riddick got that well enough. "Sounds like you and your sister make up for them."
"We do our best," Simon's mouth quirked wryly. "I tried for two years. Didn't get anywhere. But I drew some attention and I was contacted by some men, some underground movement." He looked at Riddick, "They said she was in danger, that the government was...playing with her brain."
He whistled low, "That is…damn…" What the fuck could he say. Sorry? Fat lot of good that would do. They took a kid and screwed with her brain and did something that turned her into a Seer. Motherfuckers. He said as much and got a slightly shocked look from Simon that turned into a nod of agreement.
"But they said, if I funded them they could sneak her out in cryo and get her to Persephone. I could take her from there to…well somewhere safe." Simon shrugged. "Serenity wasn't looking at papers, they were headed to Boros and I booked passage. A Fed followed me on board, hailed an Alliance boat, tried to arrest me, shot Kaylee, and I made Mal run. Or I wouldn't operate on her." Simon sighed, "Not one of my prouder moments. But it worked. When we were done with surgery Mal had Jayne hang onto me and he kicked River's cryo box open."
"Shit," Riddick shook his head. "Depending on the box the shock could have killed her."
"I pointed that out," Simon shook his head. "Mal just stared. Then River popped up out of her box, stark naked, screaming, scared him and half the crew to death." He smirked, "I felt that served him right honestly. But I got free of Jayne in the confusion and was able to reassure her." He shrugged, "Other things happened but the end result was that after a day and a half Mal decided to offer me a place on the crew. Serenity is always moving and we'd be safer on the move. Jayne did not approve."
"Well he's not wrong," The convict stood, "Unless people think you're dead, if you don't stay in one place too much, people won't take much notice of you. Though you really need to get some different clothes. You look so Core you should squeak. Grow a beard or something. Change your hair."
"I…" The smaller man looked at his clothing. "You're probably right. This is…well this is all I have left of who I was."
"Fuck that noise," Riddick rolled his eyes. "You're still you right? Got your sister, your education, treat everyone decent from what I saw. Who cares how you dress or comb your hair? You think the crew does?"
Simon smirked, "You mean Jayne won't have an opinion on how I style my hair? And here I was hoping to impress him."
Riddick laughed and shook his head. Doc had a sense of humor. That was good. He'd likely need it over the coming years.
He was going up the stairs to the upper deck when River popped out of a vent and looked at him. "He is diverted from his quest?"
"Quest…" He blinked and recalled that she'd said he was Ulysses. "For a while. Maybe this is part of it."
"He must not be tempted by the siren's call," She informed him seriously. "And Polyphemus is less of a fool than he acts."
"Mind running that by me again?" He reached up to help her out of the vent and she simply flipped her legs over her head and dropped down in front of him.
"Polyphemus…he is greedy," She seemed to be fumbling for the words. "He'll take Christmas away. Sow salt and plow the crops under, water the fields with blood."
"You mean the merc," Riddick sighed. A greedy merc. Talk about a redundant phrase. "I don't trust him."
"The creed is greed." She intoned solemnly and slipped past him.
"Tell me something I don't know," He muttered and continued on his way.
"Talkin' ta yerself," The merc in question sneered as he reached the upper deck. Figured he'd want to sulk and pout in public instead of keeping his annoying self in his bunk.
Riddick ignored him and moved towards the bunk hatch, pushing it open and crouching beside it. "Everything working or should I just take a passenger bunk for now."
"The gorram climate control's gone an' fried itself," Mal reported in aggrieved tones. "Can't switch on the water until that's fixed. It'll either boil it or freeze it. Neither one's good."
"Didn't figure they were," Riddick agreed. "I don't mind a passenger bunk until we get it fixed."
"Be at least a week an' a half, that's how far out we are from Santo," Mal told him. "But we'll be docked there for most of a day. Kaylee'll be able to fix it then."
"Sounds fine," He shrugged. It really didn't matter to him where he slept, so long as it wasn't in the airlock. "Let me know if there's anything I can do."
Apart from Cobb's constant needling of Riddick and the Doctor (like they took him seriously, really?) most of the week passed uneventfully with one exception. It might have happened to him before but he'd never get completely accustomed to walking into what he thought was a room and step straight into a vision of Shirah. It never seemed to last more than a few seconds real time though in his mind time flowed differently. Thankfully it didn't seem to happen while he was around other people (so far at least) so no one got the idea of ambushing him in that state.
"Your journey goes on," She observed, fields of golden grasses around her. Feathers and beads in her hair and pulled back like a crown.
"Figure to travel some with these folks, at least until I can find a ride to New Mecca, take care of that old business," He shrugged looking around at the world on which they stood.
"Revenge will gain you nothing," Shirah murmured. "Seek justice."
"Man like me, justice isn't something easy to come by," He retorted turning his gaze to the mountains in the distance.
"There is no justice in this world but that we make our own," She agreed gently. "The Seer may yet be of help to you."
"Odd little girl, friendly enough though," He shrugged again, crouching to gather a handful of soil, rubbing it between his fingers and letting it fall to the ground again.
"You must keep your mind open to possibilities," Shirah remonstrated, her expression affectionate if exasperated. But then he did tend to provoke that reaction in her, (ancestor or spirit, he couldn't tell) usually more exasperation than affection.
"Possibilities huh," He folded his arms, standing again to look her in the eye. "I thought we had no future until we settled our past?"
"With possibilities the future will come," Shirah smiled, a rarity and he nearly grinned back. "Watch and listen and wait."
"For?"
"Goals are admirable. Necessary and needful," She told him. "He may take several paths to the same destination." She gestured towards the field and it became Serenity's cargo bay, River and Kaylee playing jacks on the floor near the lounge stairs. "Do not overlook the pearls strewn before swine in an effort to reach your destination in haste. Treasures can be found even amongst dross."
"You're saying the Seer is a treasure…" Riddick studied the girls. "She's a kid still."
"You of all people should know better than to be deceived by appearances," Shirah's soft chuckle floated over him. "Watch for the possibilities. And worry not that you may have deviated from the path."
"All journeys end at the same destination huh," He pulled his gaze away from the girls to look at Shirah and sighed. Nothing but the lounge and the cargo bay. She was helpful, sometimes comforting and driven by turns but Shirah was a woman for all that and she delighted in getting in the last word. Oh well, it was near time for his shift on the bridge. Let her advice percolate in the back of his mind and keep on moving. He wasn't sure he liked the idea that no matter his choices he'd end up in the same place though.
Several shifts and some solo (albeit observed) sessions at the wheel of the boat and Wash told Mal that Riddick was almost as good as he was.
"Yeah, I am as good, just didn't get to go to flight school. Not as such," Riddick smirked at the shorter man and was given a grin in return.
"Exactly. I've got the fancy diploma so I get to say I'm the best," Wash retorted. "Seriously Mal, if for some reason I can't fly her, Rick an' Serenity'll do fine."
"Well if you can land us on Santo without any trouble you've got the job as co-pilot Rick," Mal nodded with a grin. "And it'll be a relief to have another set of eyes."
Riddick had grinned, "You've got a deal." He headed into the galley to take his turn at making dinner. He wasn't bad at it but that was mostly due to his good memory and excellent sense of smell. Book tended to join him as he enjoyed cooking and he was as good a teacher as Kaylee, if a much different type of company. The man never had owned up to Mal about why the Feds had practically kowtowed to him. Riddick's private theory involved a retired lawman who had spent a lot of time undercover.
"He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath," River's voice sounded as if she was half dreaming. "But he is not a wolf. Nor a boy, nor a horse or whore." She drifted into the galley and perched on the counter like a cat, "Is he the Dragon of Grindly Grun?"
He couldn't help the chuckle as he remembered the source of that name, "I don't think so. I don't like my maidens medium rare or well done. Generally like them raw and sweet." And that was an understatement if you read maidens as women. Nothing he liked better than a passionate woman with a touch of honey in her. He smirked, "Don't breathe fire either."
"Then he is Smaug?" She was regarding him solemnly even as Book entered the galley, "My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!" He grinned at her as he shook his head.
"Here," He handed her a can. "Open that up for me." He wasn't expecting the shriek or blaze of terror that filled his nose, but when the can came flying back at him he caught it out of sheer reflex. "Okay…what's wrong with it?"
"These are the ones that take you. They're the ones reaching and doing. They're the ones… They'll see…they have eyes everywhere!" She'd jumped off the counter and was hiding behind it, presumably from the can of food not him.
Book tried to calm her, not that it did much good, while Rick stared at the can of food. It wouldn't be the beans inside it that bothered her. She'd eaten the same beans two days ago with every evidence of enjoying them. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the can, the label was a little worn but the Blue Sun company logo was still it's distinctive color and the script in English and Chinese was readable. Frowning he picked up another can, corn this time and showed it to her. It was newer. "How about this one? Is it all right?"
"They reach inside and take everything away," River shook her head backing up.
"Uh huh…" He frowned down at the cans and searched through the cabinet for something different. Canned tomatoes. "What about these?"
She gave the can a worried look but nodded, "Safe. No eyes. No reaching or taking or cutting…"
"I'll be a son of a bitch," Riddick put the cans away. "River, it's all right. I'm putting them away where they can't see us. See?" He shoved the cans in the storage locker and shut it tightly. As if he'd exorcised a demon the slender girl calmed.
"What in heaven's name…" Book stared at him and then at River and back as if trying to decide which of them was crazier.
"Book go on and get Simon. I'll grab Mal." Riddick hollered down the hall to the bridge, "Mal, need you in the galley." He hated yelling inside metal walls, but he didn't really want to leave River by herself where there were knifes or crockery she could smash and hurt herself with. Simon had mentioned that as a possibility. He'd caught her trying to slice her leg open when she was left alone in the galley.
"She only tries to cut out what they put in," She informed him solemnly. "But it is deep, and no one hears or sees."
"Where is it?" He heard Mal coming down the hall, muttering to himself in irritation and held up a hand for the man to wait for River to answer.
"They put it inside. In the bone. Surrounded by more bone," She pointed at her collarbone and he cursed.
"Mal, how good is that scanner you got in the infirmary?"
Mal had, though irked, not interrupted when River spoke and now had a more disturbed than annoyed tone to his voice, "Pretty gorram good. It's set to scan for metal so we can fish out bullet fragments. Kaylee tweaked it some so it's more sensitive than not."
"I think we might need it," Riddick told him grimly. "Meantime, River nearly had a flippy hiss over the canned goods. Only the ones with certain logos." He looked up as Simon and Book came in from the aft hall opposite he and Mal, "Get the feeling that government program was sponsored by a private enterprise."
"River," Simon's first concern was his sister, touching her shoulder. "What's wrong?" He looked at Riddick and Mal.
"I asked River to open a can of beans for me—"
"Not beans again," Jayne stomped into the galley cutting Riddick off with his complaint. "Gettin' ruttin' sick a beans."
"Get out," Riddick growled. "Right now." He really wouldn't give a damn where Cobb was but the merc set his teeth on edge, he was already pissed when he thought about why a kid like River would react that way to a can of beans. And whenever the merc was in the room that little girl got twice as twitchy. Whatever the situation, the merc seemed to thrive on making it worse.
"You ain't in charge here, no matter how big an' tough ya think ya are," Jayne sneered at him as he poured himself some coffee in a deliberately leisurely fashion.
The challenge in the merc's voice resulted in a snarl that nearly echoed through the galley it was so loud, making everyone in the room besides he and River start. "If you don't get out you're going to need to eat through a straw for the next six months and you won't be able to even hold a straw when I'm done with you." Riddick advanced on the other man vividly conscious of Shirah's mark glowing under his shirt, "I don't need a gun, and I won't need a shiv. I will beat you half to death, drink your blood from a boot and smile doing it if you don't get out. Right. Fucking. Now." The only thing keeping his voice even and the Wrath from pulsing out of control was the knowledge that he might also wreck the ship and kill everyone on it if he didn't rein it in. And fucking hell it was still hard. He could feel it, crawling over his skin like an armor of rage. Son of a bitch merc screwing with a kid on purpose, a terrified kid with enough troubles of her own.
"Jayne," Mal's voice cut through the shocked silence when the merc seemed too stunned to move. "Get out. You got chores in the bay to see to. Get them done."
Grumbling and roughly pushing past Simon to save face the merc finally left and Riddick took a deep steadying breath, rubbing his chest as he turned back towards them. The heat of the Wrath was still pulsing under his palm and River uttered a fascinated gasp as she moved towards him and without any hesitation, pushed her hand under his shirt to rest her palm right over Shirah's mark.
The touch of her skin was like a shock of lightning, the Wrath pulsed in reaction, crept up her arm and wrapped around her body, throbbing in time with his heartbeat. He stared at her, unable to move, as the Wrath took her in and slowly dissipated, a nimbus surrounding her and sinking into her skin. The only hint it had ever touched her was the echo of light in her eyes. Possibilities. Potential. Shirah's voice echoed in the back of his mind.
He stumbled to a chair and she followed him, his hand around her wrist and he let go, startled; when had he grabbed her? She was staring at him still, taking a seat on the table in front of him, "She was right. He is the dragon, wò lóng."
"Well don't guess that did anything too terrifyin' to River," Mal commented in an effort to lighten the mood. "Leastways she seems same as she has been."
Riddick forced in another breath or two and carefully took River's wrist in his hand, examining it to be sure he hadn't bruised her before patting her knuckles gently, "Yeah. Haven't ever had that happen before. But then nobody's ever had nerve enough to touch me when the Wrath's got going."
"Wrath," Book asked in a careful voice.
"This mark carries the anger of an entire race... but it's going to hurt." River remarked as she sat on the table in front of Riddick, still watching him with those bright eyes.
"Yeah, little one, maybe this ain't the best—" Mal made an attempt to get River out of the way and Riddick held up his hand to stop him.
"Leave her, she's fine," He looked at the Captain. "She's also right."
"How…how could she know?" Simon had been quiet, taking in the scene before him and having little chance to speak after he and Book had come into the galley.
"Before we get into anything else," Riddick held up a hand, finally feeling as if he had enough of his brain together after the Wrath. He'd gotten better about controlling it but now and then, he still got caught off guard when provoked. "I wanted you here because I think I figured something out. River keeps saying that they put something inside her. That they 'see'. The way she reacted to the labels on the canned goods, I think Blue Sun had a lot to do with the Academy."
"Most government installations are funded in part by private interests," Book nodded slowly. "Some of those interests take a more active stance on…the direction of research."
"The Parliament…" Simon appeared to be thinking something over in his mind. "My father always said that the Parliament was elected by money. Not voters. Donations from corporations would be a huge part of that."
"And then the Company has politicians in their pockets," Riddick nodded. "Short term solution," He looked at Mal. "Anything with a Blue Sun label, we take the label off and write on the package what's inside it."
"I'll get started on that," Book nodded. "Captain, if you'll give me a hand? I'll take over the meal preparation for the evening."
Riddick nodded, standing, "Me and the Doc, we're going to put that scanner to use." He looked at River, "We're going to find what they put inside you. And your brother's going to take it out."
Simon seemed a bit disbelieving but nodded, "River, it means we'll have to go into the infirmary. But I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."
Dark eyes moved from Riddick's face to her brother's but she nodded, "If Lóng Wáng stays with us she will abide."
"Lóng Wáng?" Simon frowned, "I…"
"She means me Doc," Riddick shrugged. "She keeps saying I'm a dragon. Or Ulysses…not sure which; maybe both."
"What am I scanning for exactly?" Simon asked as he began to turn the equipment on.
Riddick wasn't exactly certain when he'd become the one to coax River along. The girl had his arm in a death grip and if he wasn't Furyan he'd certainly have lost feeling in his hand before they'd reached the cargo deck. At least they'd come down the back stairs and avoided the damn merc in the bay. "River said they put something inside her, surrounded it with bone. That'd be hard to find unless you were looking for it specifically. Don't know what it is, a tracker or something worse."
"What's worse than a tracker?" Simon didn't look like he really wanted an answer to that but was forcing himself to inquire anyway out of need.
"Something that messes with her biology or body chemistry," Riddick let River press herself to his side and awkwardly patted her opposite shoulder. Beat a man bloody, yeah, break a man's neck, yeah… Experienced at comforting little girls, uh, no, not by a fuckin' long shot.
"Well…I guess we'll see," The Doctor's voice was unsettled, and Riddick nodded.
"C'mon, let's see if we can find that thing they put in you," He carefully guided her over the threshold of the infirmary and to the table. His attempt to let go of her once she was sitting on the table became only an attempt when she began to whimper and cling to his hand even tighter.
"No…" She shook her head, her smaller fingers clutching at his hand. "The Dragon guards against the ants that crawl inside her. They emerge and she cannot track them all."
"Huh…" That was an interesting comparison. She'd been almost normal in the galley but now she was reverting to her earlier behavior. "Yeah all right, I'll stay here. But you gotta take off your clothes and I don't know that you want me to see you naked. And I know your brother doesn't." He looked at Simon, "I can turn my back while you hold the sheet and she can undress behind it?"
Simon nodded and somehow River managed to keep hold of his hand for the entire process but for the five seconds she took to drag her dress off the hand clutching his. "She is swathed, and modesty protected." Riddick took her at her word. Apparently she wasn't worried about him seeing her backside naked, just her front, or it might be she wasn't worried at all, because the sheet was held so her front was covered but barely. It was really too bad she was so young (and not at all capable of making informed decisions) because she had great legs. And the most graceful spine… and he wasn't going to think on that any further. He wasn't some fuckin' pervert pedo. Fourteen-year-old children were not what he found attractive. Beauty aside, if she'd been in her right mind she wouldn't let him near her.
"She walks in beauty like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies and all that's best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light which heaven to gaudy day denies." River murmured and he rubbed his forehead with his free hand. She'd hit on exactly why he thought she was so damn gorgeous. Night dark hair and eyes and moon pale skin. Nothing to do with her age or maturity, she was just beautiful, even too thin with fear blanched skin and eyes black with horrors. He really needed to stop thinking about this, dipping perilously close to pervert status.
"Right," Simon's expression was neutral, but his scent screamed so much worry it filled the room. He'd noticed that whenever River talked crazier than normal Simon worried more. "River, you'll need to stay still for this." He began positioning the scanner over the leg River had indicated and doing something to it that resulted in a high-pitched whining and a glow that might have seemed ominous if Riddick hadn't seen it do the same thing during his exam.
As he watched Simon's face stayed the same, but his heartbeat began to race. "What've you got Doc?"
"I have…something in River's femur," Simon frowned. "I think we'd better scan the rest of you River." He began to slowly move the scanner over her other leg and then her torso down to her hips and frowned again. "We've got something else embedded here…" His fingers tapped River's hip bone. His frown deepened as he scanned her arms and then up to her shoulders and skull. "Something in her collarbone as well. Nothing else… All right." He patted River's shoulder. "You can sit up mèi mei," He sat down on the wheeled stool with a huge sigh.
"So what's the story?" Riddick helped River sit up. She was shivering as if being in the bright white room was enough to chill her to the bone. "She's got things in her bones."
"I won't be able to tell what they are until I remove them," The Doctor rubbed his forehead. "And I'm not sure I could even do it with the equipment I have here. They aren't large though, maybe the size of your thumbnail at the largest and mine the smallest."
"If you get them out, will you be able to tell what they are?" Riddick pulled a spare blanket off a shelf and wrapped it around River's trembling shoulders.
"It's possible," Simon nodded slowly. "If I had even half of the equipment from a hospital I'd likely be able to identify what they are without removing them."
"So how hard is it to get into a hospital?" Riddick tried to ignore the feel of River pressing against his side since she still didn't have clothing on.
"Harder than you'd think," Simon sighed.
"He that has light within his own clear breast," River murmured. Her palm snaked under his shirt and pressed against Shirah's mark and he felt his chest warm, light pulsing.
"Riddick," Simon was staring in fascination. "What is that?" He likely had been too worried about his sister to pay attention to much in the galley besides River.
"'S called Wrath," Riddick shrugged. "Far as I can tell it's a Furyan thing…a ghost walked out of nothing, laid her hand on my chest and it exploded out of me. Took out an entire squad of guards in the slam I was in. Laid me out too. Some sort of energy."
"Dragons breathe fire," River murmured. "Light up the darkness."
"River is…slightly more coherent now… do you think…" Simon was hesitating thoughtfully.
"Not sure what to think Doc," Riddick looked at River, the Wrath seemed to be glowing in the back of her eyes.
"What if the…Wrath…shorts out those implants somehow?" The Doctor leaned forward, "If they're sending some sort of signal or influencing her body chemistry…"
"I think it's possible. Don't know exactly what Wrath does to machines." He shook his head, "Don't think we're gonna figure out in the next few days though. Almost time for dinner. And we'll need to tell Mal what's going on."
Mal took in the news that River had implants and they didn't know what they were with his usual philosophical insouciance. "Ō, zhè zhēn shì ge kuàilè de jìnzhǎn," He shook his head as they landed on Santo. "We get this cargo unloaded and then I promised Jayne some R&R. At least an evening's worth, since we're headed to Persephone after this. Got another load of cargo to take over to Eavesdown. Kaylee's got the parts and time to fix the climate control on your bunk, so she'll do that while we're dirtside."
"All right…" Riddick nodded slowly. "Guess we'll have plenty of time to talk it over on the way to Persephone."
"That's my thinking," Mal nodded as they loaded up the crates on the hand mule. "Can't do much about it 'til we get near a hospital or steal the right equipment. Not that I got a clue how hard that'll be. She doesn't seem to be in any pain or losin' herself in a mania or darkness."
"No choice about the wait really. Suppose it can't hurt much," Riddick glanced at River who'd been sitting on the couch in the lounge drawing something on a pad of paper. "She's calmer since we got rid of the Blue Sun labels."
"Sometimes she makes life a little more interestin' than I care for, but if she's got implants from an evil corporation I don't guess she can help it," Mal sighed. "Well let's get this done before Jayne starts grumblin' and grousin' again."
Mal, Jayne and Inara had headed out, all three of them, strangely enough, to the same bar. He wouldn't have thought the trio would have enough in common to enjoy the same place or each other's company.
River tilted her head and smiled, "Kill a man's family, and he may brook it, but keep your hands out of his breeches' pocket."
"Are they robbing someone or getting robbed," Riddick looked over at her from his spot on the catwalk. He'd positioned himself for some pullups and River had decided to imitate him. It made Simon uneasy, but it wasn't as if he could stop her. Simon's capabilities of compelling River stopped at cajoling and coaxing. He wasn't the type to manhandle someone unless they needed emergency surgery.
"Thieves respect property; they merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it," River told him as if that answered the question. "If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you."
He considered as he lifted himself up again, "So they're stealing from slavers."
"The female of the species is more deadly than the male," She was getting a little out of breath and he pulled himself up before reaching down for her. "But she stands in observation only."
"So Mal or Jayne is stealing and Inara's watching," He held her shoulders until he was certain she was steady on her feet.
"A hasty exit would not come amiss," She began to walk up towards the galley, and he went towards the comms.
"Hey Wash, how likely is it we'll have to pull out of here in a hurry?"
"Depending on what mischief Mal and Jayne have gotten into, it's either highly likely or absolutely certain," Wash's good humor was showing. "I'll get the engines warmed up. Kaylee—"
His voice was cut off as he closed the comms and Riddick chuckled as he heard Kaylee run towards the engine room. A quick leap over the catwalk railing and he was near the airlock controls, opening the ship up.
It wasn't five minutes later all three of the R&R enthusiasts came hurrying towards the boat, Mal surprised to find it open while Inara and Jayne were simply grateful as Riddick closed it behind them and hit the comms, "Wash they're on."
"Headed into the Black now," Wash came back. "Hang onto something."
Author's Note: So my thought process is that everyone on Serenity is somewhat used to River and her little foibles. Nobody has a clue as to what's going on in her brain or what happened to her but (to them) it's pretty clear that she's nuts. Simon is comparing how she is now to how she was before the Academy so he isn't exactly as objective as he could be.
I've put Riddick in the position of impartial observer, more so than Book or Inara because he's a complete stranger to all of them. He's also had experience with visions and so is a bit more open-minded regarding what's possible and what isn't. I mean, when you can generate something like an EMP and lay out a dozen guards because of a spirit, you might have a slightly different definition of impossible than other people.
I've always considered Riddick highly intelligent. But more to the point is that he's also on his guard, suspicious of other's motivations and waiting for betrayal. So, when River talks he's paying closer attention to what she's saying than anyone around him. And making the connection between what she's saying and things in his past or present.
Oh, I should warn you, it'll be a while before anything of a romantic or sexual nature happens between these two. Have patience.
Chinese Translations:
wò lóng (lit. hidden dragon / fig. emperor in hiding)
Lóng Wáng (Dragon King (mythology))
mèi mei (little sister)
Ō, zhè zhēn shì ge kuàilè de jìnzhǎn (Oh, this is a happy development)
Quote Sources:
He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath – King Lear – William Shakespeare
Dragon of Grindly Grun – Shel Silverstein
My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death! – The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
She walks in beauty like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies and all that's best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes; Thus mellowed to that tender light which heaven to gaudy day denies. – She Walks In Beauty – Lord Byron
He that has light within his own clear breast- John Milton
Light up the darkness – Bob Marley
Kill a man's family, and he may brook it, but keep your hands out of his breeches' pocket. – Lord Byron
Thieves respect property; they merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it - G. K. Chesterton
If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you. - Deuteronomy 24:7
The female of the species is more deadly than the male – The Female of the Species – Rudyard Kipling