Chapter 8

Previously…"And this is where we leave," Riddick scooped his apprentice up in his arms and began to stride away from the screams of the crowd and the ensuing sounds of a fight. Cobb and Hessian could kill each other for all he cared. He was taking River back to the ship. Mal would take care of Cobb.

He and River caught up with Kaylee and Simon two thirds of the way to the ship. Kaylee's jaw was swollen and Simon had a bloody nose and a black eye along with what was likely a set of cracked ribs. Simon was limping along, he and Kaylee supporting each other.

"Where's the Captain," Simon asked as he took in the sight of his baby sister being carried. "Is River all right?"

"Tweaked her hip," Riddick told him. "Seemed faster to carry her. Bullets flying around, while I'm unarmed, my first instinct is to vacate."

"One I profoundly agree with," Simon nodded with heartfelt sympathy. "Don't wait for us, get River lying down and put a cold pack on her hip." His mouth quirked up in a half smile, "Maybe you could prep a few for Kaylee and me?"

"You got it," Riddick nodded and hurried towards the boat.

"He can put her in the lounge, she will get the cold pack," River told him quietly.

"Think I can handle it," He shook his head as he set her on the couch and grabbed a cold pack from the infirmary for her hip, cracking it so it would activate and doing the same for a few more before heading back out to get Simon and Kaylee.

He'd just gotten them all settled, set Simon's broken nose (he knew how to do that much at least) and helped the doc get the resultant bleeding stopped when Mal and Cobb came up the ramp. Cobb's hands were covered in blood.

Mal wasn't exactly in a good mood, hitting the button for the ramp to go up and the comms simultaneously, "Wash, we're on. Get us the hell off of this mud ball."

"Inara's not—" Wash's voice cut off and then started again. "Never mind. She's back. We're out of here."

Kaylee was teasing Simon a bit but gently considering he'd gotten most of his bruises defending her. Riddick was playing chess with River, with periodic breaks for her to stand and work the kinks out of her hip. Simon had given her an injection to help with the bruising and the nanites were actually useful (which he supposed was the point of them). "She did not give a very good accounting of herself," His little apprentice remarked glumly.

"You did fine considering you're only half trained," Riddick told her flatly.

"The girl is supposed to be the weapon," She shook her head.

"First of all, no. You're not. You're supposed to be River Tam." He stared at her. "Second, we're undoing the programming the Academy put you through. Training you the way I learned. We're not done yet. When we are, you'll be able to take me on. You'll be able to use their training with what I'm teaching you so it's your choice. The idea is to make you River Tam, not their weapon."

"He promises? She is…" River shrugged, still disturbed by her failure.

"Yeah, I promise," He nodded. "When I'm done with you, you'll be Furyan in everything but blood." The conversation in the cargo bay caught his ear and he turned to look. Cobb was up on the catwalk, Mal next to him.

Cobb was clearly confounded, "Don't make no sense. What...Why the hell did that Mudder have to go and do that for, Mal? Jumping in front of that shotgun blast. Hell, there weren't a one of them understood what happened out there. They're probably sticking that statue right back up."

"Most like," Mal agreed.

"I don't know why that eats at me so," Sounded like Cobb was developing a slight bump of conscience. That wouldn't last long. In his experience a merc's sense of guilt washed away with the blood on their hands.

Mal's perspective though…that was painfully accurate in Riddick's experience. "It's my estimation that...every man ever got a statue made of him, was one kind of sumbitch or another. Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need."

"Don't make no sense," Cobb repeated.

Riddick looked back at River wondering if Cobb truly was shaken to the Core or just momentarily discombobulated. She was tilting her head as if doing some listening herself and shrugged at him after a moment. "What is unsettled will resolve itself, the Core is unchanged," She told him quietly. "The recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun and the Sungod blotted out the day of their return."

"Yeah, the creed is greed." He agreed.

"Odysseus must face the Scylla and Charybdis, the Siren's song, Polyphemus and Circe's isle," River murmured. "Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea."

"Gonna take time," Riddick shrugged and put out of his mind just how well her words resonated. Sometimes it felt like he'd been wandering for most of his life. He never knew how long he'd have with decent people. Mercs were always trying to track him. But he'd never made any guarantees. Hopefully Mal and Zoë would be able to continue with River's 'basic training' should the mercs catch up to him. "Come on. My shift on the bridge. Time for some more lessons."

Slowly but surely River's mental state improved. Sailing the Black wasn't for the faint hearted and there was plenty to learn. She learned almost too quickly, at a curve equal to his, and he'd scraped up every bit of memory of his old training in order to keep her focused. Then he'd added all the dirty tricks he'd picked up in slam or on the run and plain old bar fighting. She had gotten past basic training; her muscles were still developing but she was stronger and had more stamina than when they'd first begun their boot camp.

He had to admit enjoying the process. It wasn't like taking idiot boys and breaking them down in order to build them up into soldiers; run of the mill infantry or plain old ground pounders. This was a challenge. Every day she pushed him as much as he pushed her. It was, in a strange sort of way, a lot of fun.

He could tell the programming had begun to fade in her mind. The compelling urge to follow those protocols eroded under the training he was giving her. He had no doubt that she recalled every skill she'd been taught at her Academy, but she no longer went glassy eyed when confronted with a situation that conflicted with her incomplete programming.

Simon sported a half smile and an air of general relief as he watched them. He'd joined them for the weightlifting and stamina training, agreeing that the physical activity would do him good. River made noises about martial arts and Simon had agreed. And he'd pointed out with a genuine smile, it was something he could do with River.

Riddick had started him on basic combat training too; ways to survive during a gunfight and situational awareness. And he'd convinced Mal and Zoë that Simon should learn at least the basics of weapons use and maintenance.

Mal had been astonished at how easily Simon was able to break down and rebuild a gun after cleaning it. "Doc, thought you said you ain't ever handled a Peacekeeper before?"

Simon had simply smiled up at him, "Top three percent Captain. Something like this, a procedure I can memorize, it's not difficult for me. Give me rules, parameters, and I thrive. It's the more nebulous situations I have trouble navigating."

"Might be we set you up with a rifle as well as a side arm," Zoë suggested. "If you do well with set rules, you could learn everything that effects a sniper's aim."

"Will do well," River commented quietly. She'd been dismantling and cleaning a Ladysmith pistol next to her brother. "Hand to hand combat next." She looked over at Riddick hopefully and he grinned.

"Yeah, time for our dancing lesson," He'd jokingly referred to their sparring and hand to hand combat training as such and River had taken to it like a duck to water.

"May I observe," Simon inquired as he finished putting the gun back together. "Hand to hand is a more…fluid situation than I thrive in, but I need to learn." His dark gaze had turned solemn. "I appreciate what you're doing Riddick. More than I can say. But if something happens and you were separated from the rest of us…I'd like to think we could keep going and protect ourselves until you caught up with us again. Should you choose to."

Mal and Zoë had exchanged slightly startled glances upon hearing that, but Riddick had just nodded his understanding. "Life doesn't come with any guarantees." He agreed, "I'll start you out slow, maybe you and Mal or Zoë could go over the basics while I work with River."

"I've got some free time," The Captain agreed though it was obvious that he was still surprised by what Simon had said. "Zoë if you don't mind swapping dinner duties with me?"

"Don't see a problem with it," She agreed. Cleaning up after themselves and putting the weapons away was a necessity since the gun cleaning table was also the dinner table. But it wasn't long before they were all down in the cargo bay.

"Gotta say Doc, you took me by surprise some, up in the galley, talkin' 'bout Riddick being gone," Mal opened the conversation with Simon while Riddick and River were trying to beat the hell out of each other with what she'd learned so far.

His method of training wasn't exactly pleasant, he used new moves nearly every time they'd gotten past the ten-minute mark. She'd either pick them up, learn to defend against them, or she'd end up on her ass. If she used whatever Seer or Reader ability to do so then good for her. One more thing to help her in a fight. Of course, in a real fight, against anyone like him, there shouldn't be anything to Read or See. Everything was muscle memory, instinct, training so ingrained it didn't require thought. That was the ultimate goal, get River to that level.

He didn't care how she learned, so long as she learned, broke down that old programming and put his training in place of it. Then she could combine the tricks the Academy had taught her with his training. Practice, practice, practice… Grueling, difficult and not exactly civilized, they were depending on her genius brain a lot, but at least she'd be a person at the end of it. Her own person.

"Captain, I might be what you so quaintly refer to as a greenhorn, but I am more than somewhat aware of the precariousness of our situation," Simon retorted.

"Not something you bring up all that much is all," The Captain guided Simon to a different stance as he spoke.

"That doesn't mean I'm unaware. Why belabor the obvious," The Doc was sniping right back at Mal, which was pretty damn funny considering the contrast between the two of them in manners and build.

"Just seems odd is all, that ain't somethin' anyone else seems to have thought," Steady hands repositioned Simon's arms to better help him balance.

"Riddick has," Simon replied confidently.

Doc Simon was right about that one. It was always in the back of his mind, what would happen if Cobb turned on him, on them, if another merc caught on to where he was. It was part of the reason he liked the ghost lanes, approved whole heartedly of Mal using them. The fewer people they interacted with the less likely it was that any of them would be recognized.

If it came down to it and he thought Feds or mercs were closing in, he'd steal a ship and take off. It would serve the dual purpose of escaping and leading the enemy away from Serenity. He didn't know how wide the warrant for River and Simon had been broadcast but mercs knew for a fact that Riddick was a huge payday.

Simon wasn't stupid. Far from it in fact. He knew damn well that Cobb was a threat. That Riddick might have to leave in order to stay out of a slam. Or, in a worse scenario, break out of a slam he'd been put in. That would take time. He'd had the idea of setting something up on the dark net for Simon and River to access. It hadn't taken long, wasn't even hard. Of everyone on the boat, those two had been the most welcoming to him. The three fugitives, united in their determination to stay free.

River's foot came flying at his head and he ducked, grabbing her ankle and narrowly avoiding her other foot as she spun midair and took advantage of the momentary stability he'd given her. He couldn't help the grin that spread his lips. She was getting damn good.

It wasn't that he disliked Mal, or Zoë. Wash and Kaylee were both good people, kind and cheerful. Wash worried a lot, about his wife, about their safety. His worry couldn't be alleviated by having yet another fugitive on the boat but he hadn't said word one about putting Riddick, or River and Simon off the boat. And he seemed fairly irked whenever Cobb brought up the possibility.

Kaylee seemed to think the best of everyone. While that was fine, it could get somewhat grating after a while when you knew personally that the 'verse was full of people who'd rape and gut her just for the fun of making her scream. He guessed that was why everyone, even Cobb, were so damn protective of the little mechanic. He considered it one of Cobb's few redeeming qualities.

Mal and Zoë though, they were soldiers, and wary of the trouble the three fugitives brought with them for all that they'd taken them on. Riddick got the distinct impression that Zoë wouldn't mind one bit if they up and announced their imminent departure. Mal might mind, but then he'd mind anything that wasn't his idea first of all. Seemed like the Captain would dislike them leaving because he'd said they could stay, and his word was law on the boat.

That being said, Riddick liked Mal's attitude towards his crew. If you were crew you were his and he'd be damned if anyone took you or hurt you. Riddick caught him watching River with a concern that slid towards parental at times. Another reason he'd like to come back here if he ever had to leave.

More and more he watched the way Simon acted with his little sister, concern, love, worry, that protective streak a mile wide and deep and drove near every action. The closest he'd come to feeling like that had been his need to take care of Jack. To keep her from getting caught up in the shitstorm that was his life. Jack had become the closest thing he had to a little sister. Sometimes he really wondered if he'd done right by her or if he'd taken the easy way out. He'd likely find out when he made it to New Mecca. If she grew up safe and happy, even hating him, he'd done right by giving in and listening to Abu.

Much as he liked River and enjoyed teaching her, she couldn't be a replacement for Jack. And he'd never looked at Jack's legs the way he had River's. Lecherous hump that he'd been accused of being, and likely he was, pushing those thoughts away until the girl grew up, he still couldn't see River as a baby sister like Simon did. Someone to teach and protect, until she could hold her own yeah. But something about her, that brain, her attitude and the way she looked at him now and then, he couldn't slot her into the sister spot, even though he knew damn well she was too young to be anything else to him.

Maybe this had been part of what Carolyn meant by rejoining the human race. Making connections? Trying to stick to society's rules in letter if not completely in spirit? Foreign as caring for others (beyond an instinctive need to protect kids) seemed to him, he generally enjoyed being around this crew. None of them, except Cobb, were overly irritating or stupid. River and Simon were some of the most intelligent people he'd ever met. Boredom hadn't been a problem since he'd gotten on the boat. The crew had their quirks but all of them had some touch of genius to go along with their eccentricities. And none of them (besides Cobb) seemed to think he was some sort of monster. Always a plus.

So yeah, maybe he'd leave a way for Serenity to get in touch with him, but Simon and River would be the first ones he'd contact, be concerned with, once he was in a position to look them up again.

"The time will come for choices," That voice…so well-known and still a mystery at times. By turns strident or gentle, loving or filled with ridicule. Shirah didn't pull any punches for all that she spoke in riddles at times. He guessed being a ghost or a spirit didn't allow for a lot of specifics, ancestor or not. "There is a shadow…a stain…it infects worlds…spreads through your 'verse."

Hell, if it weren't for Shirah and her tendency to speak in metaphor and allegory he might not have had as much patience with River, or halfway understood her when she got that Seer's tone to her voice. Leviathan, ants, things put in… River actually got more specific than Shirah most times.

"Listen well, and be mindful," Shirah's hand on his chest. "My Furyan. Listen. And you will wake."

Funny how he could go a year or more without hearing a thing from Shirah and then he'd see her or dream of her (he wasn't going to split hairs between dreams and visions) multiple times in a matter of weeks or months. Maybe it depended on whatever potential crisis was coming his way.

What had happened before Shirah? Before she'd talked about listening and waking.

The last thing he remembered… River saying 'Fire' and a wall of it rolling down the hall from the engine room. Being closest to the door, he'd gotten up to slam it closed and the impact had knocked him off his feet and his head into the wall. He was tough but even he had some trouble with explosions. Especially explosions of that magnitude.

There seemed to be five different conversations going on. Simon's voice held cold fury, disdain and wrath dripping from his words, "If you ever touch her again—"

"You'll what," Cobb's voice sneered.

"You won't live long enough to find out. I know ways to kill you that don't require bullets or knives," Simon promised him. Riddick did like the steel Simon had in his spine. Didn't show it much, but there couldn't be any doubt he had it.

"Sir, it's a bad idea. Maybe she was right to stop it," Zoë was talking to Mal, that was obvious.

"She ain't got the right to mess around with the boat, less I conjure she does," Mal was insisting right back.

"Here sweetie, this'll take some of that swelling down," Kayee sounded worried.

"Wrap this around her, we don't want her chilled," That was Book.

"Folks…we are well and truly stuck together," Wash informed them all from somewhere farther away than the rest of them. He didn't hear Inara's voice although he could smell her perfume.

"What'n the unholy fuck's goin' on," He groaned as he tried to sit up. It was pretty damn chilly, even to him, and the air… yeah…the air was a lot thinner than it should be.

"Simon, he's waking up," There was Inara's voice. From behind him, she must have been monitoring his condition, whatever it was.

He knew Doc Simon's touch, found it interesting that his hands didn't shake though his anger hadn't abated to judge by his scent. "Rick, I'm going to put your goggles over your eyes, I had to remove them to examine your skull," The Doc adjusted the straps as he spoke, fitting the goggles over his skull. "There, it should be comfortable enough to open your eyes now."

Slitting his eyes open cautiously didn't result in any more pain, so he took a good look around. Kaylee's subdued, worried expression gave him a huge hint about the trouble, and he realized what he'd noticed subconsciously, Serenity wasn't moving, the engines weren't on, no hum of life beneath his hands. When a ship was running, even just the life support, he always felt faint tell-tale vibrations. They were dead in the water.

He sat up, a throb in his skull reminded him that he'd gotten knocked out and he ignored it looking at Mal grimly, "What's the damage?"

Apparently, no one knew that just yet because the Captain looked at Kaylee, "Kaylee?"

"Catalyzer on the port compression coil blew," Kaylee told them quietly. "That's where the trouble started."

"I need that in Captain Dummy-Talk, Kaylee," Mal cajoled gently, another indicator of his mechanic's distress.

Riddick beat her to the pronouncement, "We're dead in the water."

Mal looked at him and then back at Kaylee, "Can you fix it?"

He knew, just from the tone of her voice, that wasn't the biggest problem. "I could try."

The Captain looked almost relieved, "Just get us to limpin'. That's all I need."

It was something to see Kaylee's near annoyingly cheerful face blank with despair. The man's relieved expression crashed to the floor with a near audible tinkle of broken hopes, "What? What is it?"

The mechanic shook her head, "Well, it's worse than just the coil."

Everyone was staring now, the news that the ship was dead around them, a valve blown on her beating heart and they were all dead men walking inside her had everyone besides he, Kaylee and likely River stunned. Serenity had just become death row. Riddick sighed as Mal asked the obvious question. "How can it be worse?"

"Main life support is down," River's voice had an odd sound to it. Not quite a lisp, more as if her lips wouldn't form words properly. He'd sounded similar when he was a kid and took a very large fist to his jaw.

Kaylee nodded her agreement, "On account of the engine being dead."

"Right," Wash was grasping at straws. "But we got auxiliary life support—"

"No," Riddick shook his head and near instantly regretted it. "We don't. It's not even on. I can smell the change in the air."

"Explosion musta knocked it out." Kaylee agreed.

"So, what are we breathin'?" An obvious question, and the answer would be anything but good. Judging from Mal's face as he asked he already knew the answer.

"Whatever got pumped into the atmo before the explosion shut it all down," Kaylee told them all quietly.

Cobb was a looming presence by the door, drawing Simon's glares with every word, "Most of that oxygen got ate up by the fire on its way out the door."

"Well, whatever's left is what we got," She didn't like saying it, it was plain on her face. Like a doctor telling the patient that his stage four cancer was inoperable. Only six weeks to live.

Zoë's voice was preternaturally calm, "How long?"

"A couple of hours, maybe," Kaylee answered reluctantly. "We'll start to feel it, and then we won't feel nothing at all."

"An' to top it off, we got the moonbrain here messing with the shuttles and screwing with the wiring since the Doc's all worried 'bout his jī yǒu an' not keepin' his eye on her like he should," Cobb's vindicated sneer itched at Riddick's palms and he wished for a shiv with all his might. Unfortunately, Simon had taken the precaution of disarming him, likely worried and not unreasonably so, about him waking up in a killing mood.

Simon glared at the merc, "She was trying to help. Which is more than I can say for you."

"Yeah, helpful, messin' around so neither shuttle can launch," The merc rolled his eyes. "I told you no good would come of takin' them on. I told you they'd bring trouble down on us." His glare aimed at Mal, "But no, you just had to. Had to make 'em crew."

He'd had just about enough of this shit. Simon's spine was so stiff it ought to by rights snap with tension. "That didn't give you the right to—"

"Chéng le!" Mal's voice cut them both off. "We don't have the time or the air to start a fight right now."

"He's right," Riddick got down from the exam table. "I've been on more than a few boats that've broken down. Kaylee, show me where the auxiliary life support is. With you, me, Wash and River working on it we might be able to coax it to life."

"She regrets that the girl will be next to useless," River had stood up finally, wrapped in the afghan from the lounge and he got his first good look at her since he'd woken up.

Simon's ire suddenly seemed irrationally calm in the face of the damage that had been done. River's fingers were carefully splinted, both hands sported several, along with a hard cast bandage on her left wrist. The pale skin of her face sported several red marks that he knew from experience would turn ugly colors as the bruises bloomed. The swollen lip and red marked jaw explained the odd sound of her speech. He didn't doubt there was more damage that he wasn't seeing under her clothing to judge by the slight limp with which she moved and the faint rasp to her breathing.

He didn't quite see red though it was a near thing, but the Wrath began crawling under his skin. Mal nearly squawked in alarm but River pushed forward and put her hand on his chest, splinted fingers and all. Unbelievably the Wrath calmed, wreathing her hand in blue fire and climbing up her arm but without the burning power he associated the waves of hot light and lack of control. "He must not lose control," She chided him. "The nanites do their work even now. She will be well. No need for the Wrath to burn out the rest of the ship in vengeance."

Riddick carefully took her hand off his chest and examined the damage that had been done. She had the right of it, much as he would really enjoy what the Wrath would do to Cobb. Losing his mind right now wouldn't do him any good but fury burned like fire at the thought of Cobb beating on her, a girl not even half his size. "So, what did you do to the shuttles?" He asked instead of punching Cobb in the face really fucking hard.

"Pulled a Saffron, but much more easily undone once Serenity has power again," She told him simply. "Shuttles have heat and air. To augment what is left in Serenity." River looked at the Captain, "So he could not go down with his ship."

From the stricken look on Mal's face he'd had a thought along those lines, sending them off in the shuttles and staying on the boat. His quiet conversation with Zoë suddenly made a lot more sense. "Uh…"

"Why don't I go up to the bridge, see if there's anything I can do to boost that distress signal," Wash suggested.

"Could put on a suit, go outside and wave your arms around," Riddick offered facetiously and got an amused grimace in return.

"Divert the nav sats to the transmitter," Mal suggested.

"Right, because teenage pranks are fun in life or death situations," Wash rolled his eyes.

"It would give the signal a boost," The Captain retorted. Riddick nodded his agreement as he picked up the shivs Simon had removed and began to replace them about his body.

"Yes, Mal. It would boost the signal, but even if some passerby did happen to receive it, all it'd do is muck up their navigation," The pilot was shaking his head.

Mal was almost smirking now and Riddick could see why, "Could be that's true."

"Damn right, it's true," Wash's face suggested that they'd both lost their minds. "They'd be forced to stop and dig out our signal before they could even go anyplace..." His voice faded off as he considered the implications of that.

"Yeah, that would be the effect," Riddick nearly grinned.

"So…teenage pranks can be fun when we're all about to die…" The pilot shrugged a ghost of his usual smile playing over his mouth. "So maybe I should go do that," Wash shook his head and headed up to the bridge.

"Rick," Kaylee handed him one of her tools after he muscled a part into place. "Where was you headed when we found you?"

"Helion Prime, New Mecca, believe it or not," He grunted as he tightened the bolt. "There's someone there I thought was a friend. Now…not quite sure. Friends don't put a bounty out on you. And there's someone I left there. Kinda implied that I'd come back. I like to be a man of my word whenever possible. That's why I don't give it all that often."

"You got a sweetheart?" Kaylee seemed charmed by the idea.

"No," He shook his head. "She was a kid when I met her. She might be sixteen by now. Maybe. Maybe eighteen or so. River's age. Couldn't tell how old she was when we met. 'Course she shaved her head not long after and that didn't make it any easier to tell." He held the machine in place while Kaylee shimmied under it and began to connect the wires. "How's it look?"

"Don't seem to be burnt out or nothin'," Kaylee told him. "More like that jolt tore alla the wiring loose. You gonna be okay to hold it while I do this?"

"Well don't take your time or anything but I can handle it," He'd carried heavier on that damn planet.

"So, you've been sailing with us for months, never mentioned New Mecca," She was working as she talked, small mercy at least. He guessed talking relaxed her, made it easier for her to work, her fear and worry lessened as her hands moved.

"Well, this is a working boat," He braced himself a little better. "Seemed like a good idea to get some coin together, buy passage on a faster ship when I'd saved enough. Simon knew about it, he's just good about keeping things to himself."

"An' River needed your help," Kaylee's voice held a smile. "You seem to get a real kick out of teachin' her."

"Feels…good…right to help her. Put some of what I know to use. Better use than killing anyway. She's unique," Riddick conceded. "Haven't seen the Wrath act like that ever."

"Jayne…" Her tone hushed a bit as if talking of it would invite the merc's anger, "He caught River after she'd already wired near everything, she was workin' on 'Nara's shuttle. Mal an' Zoë had to pull him offa her. I ain't never seen him like that."

"He's a merc Kaylee," There wasn't really much more he could say.

"He tends to clean up his act around you a bit more than most Kaylee," Wash said kindly as he came back to the engine room, his work on the nav sats presumably finished. "But he joined Serenity's crew after turning on his old crew. For more pay. And a better room."

"Hmm…" Kaylee sighed and came out from underneath the machine. "Put 'er down Rick an' we'll see if everything holds."

He eased it down as carefully as he could and stood back. "Right, what's next?"

Simon hadn't been idle while they worked on the auxiliary life support. He brought a shallow tray into the engine room, "Oxygen scrubber." He explained as he expertly mixed chemicals. "River and Book are making another one." He gave Riddick a thorough once over after he'd finished with the scrubber. Simon had been fairly vocal about Riddick leaving the infirmary against medical advice and seemed convinced Riddick would fall over or start bleeding from his eyeballs or something.

"How's she doing?" Riddick looked at him in concern. "How bad did Cobb beat her?"

"Probably not as bad as it could have been if you weren't training her," Doc Simon conceded. "Most of her injuries were because she was concentrating and wasn't able to fight back as effectively. As I understand it, she was still trying to finish and managed to do so even with him hitting her."

Riddick smirked, "She's been getting better and better. She'll be ready for you to take that hormone regulator out of her hip soon."

He could understand Kaylee's confusion about Cobb (to an extent at least). She'd never been on the wrong side of the law to the point of mercs hunting her. She wasn't a known name in the guilds. Naughty folk (as Mal so quaintly described them) like Serenity's crew were a far cry from folks like him. Or River and Simon. It took more than being bound by law once or twice to set mercs on you across the 'verse. Unless you'd done something really heinous.

Likely she'd thought Cobb crude and rude and semi-dangerous, but she hadn't ever been on his wrong side. Or done something he'd figured threatened his life.

"What's Cobb's problem with you and River anyway, apart from you being fugitives," He wondered as they began the painstaking process of connecting the auxiliary to the rest of the ship.

"When we first came on board, River was in a cryo container," Simon used his surgeon's fingers to good effect, giving Kaylee and Wash a hand while Riddick held the heavier parts in place. "A Fed followed me on board. He was holding the Captain and I at gunpoint when Kaylee came into the cargo bay and startled him. He got…twitchy and he fired towards her. Hit her in the belly."

"Fuckin' Feds," Riddick shook his head.

"At the same time, we were hailed by an Alliance cruiser the Fed had signaled," Simon glanced at Kaylee. "I'd been on the ship for less than a day, didn't know anyone, but it was instinct to help Kaylee." He took a deep breath, "And when the Cruiser hailed us I stopped, threatened to let her die if the Captain didn't give the order to run."

"Guess they didn't know much about the oaths you had to take before they'd let you carry that bag around," Riddick smirked.

"No," Simon agreed with a half-smile of his own. "I was bluffing but Mal didn't know that. He gave the order for Wash to go for hard burn away from the cruiser and I began to work on Kaylee again. The wound was bad, but I'm pleased to say she only has a minimal scar."

Wash chuckled, "She was up and around again, not twelve hours later, helping us pull a Crazy Ivan to get away from Reavers." He gave Riddick a hand moving another piece of the puzzle that was the secondary life support system, "But Jayne… he kept watch the whole time Kaylee was in surgery. He blames River and Simon for Kaylee getting hurt, for the Fed being on the boat…"

"He doesn't understand why the Captain doesn't turn us in," Simon agreed. "He was annoying before but he's taken a turn for the worse since you've come on board. Maybe because you're more dangerous than he is. Or because you're a bit more…preemptive about calling him on his…fèi huà."

Wash nodded, "Jayne's fairly basic about things like that. Out of everyone on the boat he knows you're the biggest threat. Maybe not to us but to him personally? Your opinion of mercenaries is pretty clear."

Riddick shook his head, "If Cobb were just a gunhand, regular run of the mill merc just calls himself a merc because he fights for pay, that'd be one thing. Ships mercs, they usually aren't Guild, not much of a danger. Not even really mercs by my reckoning." Damn he was really starting to pick up some of the crew's phrasing. Funny how things rubbed off. "But he knew me. Could see it in his eyes, recognized me some even before I told all of you my name. That means he might not be Guild but he's got associations with Guild mercs. That's another thing entirely. And it's pretty much known throughout the Merc Guild that I despise mercs for greedy sons-a-bitches one and all. Haven't met one who's even halfway to decent."

Wash considered that and nodded his understanding, "Can see why Jayne would be a touch uneasy with you on the boat. He doesn't seem to grasp that until he does something stupid you don't have much reason to kill him." He helped Riddick muscle the newly repaired machine into place. "Well here goes nothing."

Kaylee attached the final part and they all held their breath as lights clicked on and flickered. He could smell the disappointment rising off Kaylee, Simon and Wash as it seemed all their hard work had been for nothing. Then a rattle came from inside the machinery that sounded ominous to him, but Kaylee smiled as if she'd been given roses and it whirred to life.

"I'll go tell Mal we've got air," Wash grinned at them. "We might not be going anywhere fast but at least we're not going to suffocate."

"Won't give off much heat, but with the shuttles open we should be okay if we stay 'round the galley," Kaylee agreed as Simon helped her up."

Riddick nodded and mentally catalogued the clothing he had. He didn't feel the cold nearly as much as someone not Furyan but he did feel it. One of the sweaters he'd picked up would come in handy.

The stove wasn't working, it being powered by Serenity's engines like most other things on the boat, so they were on cold rations. Still marginally better than the food in a slam. Inara had made tea in her shuttle and brought it out to them. Kind of her, considering the circumstances.

"Rick, you always known you're whatchacallit…Furyan," Wash asked thoughtfully. Zoë's hands were busily cleaning her mare's leg and Mal's brain straining over the ship's books since they were stuck. Wash and Kaylee were playing cards while Simon and Book played chess. Jayne was sitting with a gun magazine adorned with scantily clad women. Inara had occupied herself in a similar fashion, wrapped in a quilt and reading quietly.

Riddick and River were going over her work on navigation and how it was possible without a cortex but he looked up at the question. May as well answer it, it wasn't like the Wrath and him being Furyan was a big secret on this boat. "Was in a slam, Butcher Bay, trying to figure a way off, and there were these…groups. Some of 'em had eyes like mine. Don't know what kicked them off, but I started having… guess you could call them dreams or a visions, might've been memories. About my home world. I was talking with the prison Doc, traded him goods to stitch up my arm. Saw this woman, like nothing I'd ever seen before. She told me 'You've been blind too long' and I woke up with my eyes like this. No pain, no side effects. Thought he'd done it but all he did was suture my arm. Gave me some goggles though, to protect my eyes."

"What happened then?" Kaylee asked with a curious smile.

River's mouth quirked in a half grin as he answered, "Quite a few crazy things. Broke out. Was on the run for a while. Trying to stay under the radar. Eventually a merc, more lucky than smart, got my trail and caught up with me, so I ended up in another slam. First time I felt the Wrath… Took out the guards around me, made me pass out. But once I came to, got an opening and took off again." He shook his head as he remembered the chase he'd led the mercs.

"Merc named Johns tracked me to the Conga systems…nasty little warzone of a ghetto… I'd tangled with him before, left the tip of my shiv next to his spine. He wouldn't give up, managed to get addicted to morphine because the lousy doctors he went to couldn't remove the damn thing. You might say he had a grudge. I'd been trying to stay under the radar and keep some kids alive. Johns killed one of them, would have killed the rest if I hadn't surrendered. And we ended up on a ship that crashed. That's where I met those folks I mentioned, got them to New Mecca."

He shook his head, "Left my little sister there, hoped that friend would keep her safe. After…stole a ship, little puddle jumper, and the damn thing nearly fell apart on me. I landed on planet I'd set course for, mostly due to sheer dumb luck. Again, dumb luck and some mercs caught up with me, went in and out of more than a few slams, before I could get away and steal a ship. Set a course for a rock I knew had next to nothing on it. It was a frozen ice ball, got stuck there for at least five months. Another set of mercs, they came too light, and I was able to sideline them and grab the ship. Heard about the price on my head from them. Took off, ditched their piece of crap boat and started to work as crew on the Farragut. Working my way towards the outer systems."

"For New Mecca," Simon obviously remembered one of the conversations they'd had when he'd first come on board, exchanging histories guardedly and then more openly as they'd gotten to know each other.

"Yeah," Riddick nodded. "Figure one of these days I'll get there." He was conscious of River's dark eyes studying him, the light of the Wrath sparking behind them for a moment before it faded. Eventually he'd figure out what the hell that meant.

He'd known when they boosted the beacon with their distress signal that the odds of a Good Samaritan finding them slanted towards slim and skidded straight into none. Anyone sailing out of the shipping lanes likely they were up to no good. No one sailed ghost lanes that wasn't a merc, pirate or outlaw of some kind. Similar to Serenity in a way, but less prone to help and more apt to simply loot the boat and kill everyone on board.

He'd figured mercs were a possibility.

He hadn't figured on their luck being quite so bad. He really should have known better.

Mal got himself shot.

The only problem Riddick had was that he hadn't gotten to kill any of the pricks who'd shot Mal, on account of another, heavily armed boat showing up and scaring the Captain-shooting-assholes off. That boat, mean and ugly, bristling with guns, had the Walden disengaging and taking off in such a hurry they were lucky the hatch unsealed without damage. They also took the compression coil with them. Motherfuckers.

Kinda seemed to be how their lives went on Serenity, little bits of good amongst the bad. They'd actually been lucky, Zoë'd had her mare's leg out, ready to defend the boat. It might have come down to a gun fight, which they'd have won hands down with Cobb, River (even beat up as she was), Zoë and Riddick on Serenity's side. Likely the Captain wouldn't even have gotten shot if the gun hadn't been half hidden by the catalyzer the prick had been holding. But it still would have been messy. Probably a minor miracle that only Mal got a bullet in him.

Still he'd rather have had a gun fight, or knife fight, or gone after the Walden's crew with his bare fists than have that other ship show up. He knew a merc ship when he saw one. Or, as in this case, heard the panicked description the Walden had yelled over their comms. The distinctive sigil on the hull pretty much shouted 'Guild Mercs here' in flashing neon colors (not that he could see neon anymore but he had a good memory). The Walden's pilot or comm man had certainly recognized it.

Cobb was smirking in satisfaction; it was obvious that he'd either sent a signal of his own or he'd had some idea that there were mercs in the area. He was way too pleased with himself to be completely ignorant of the Guild mercs showing up. But he wouldn't have had enough power to send any detailed waves, so he'd likely only sent that helping Serenity would mean a payday, not who the payday would be.

Riddick looked over at Zoë, Simon had taken Mal into the infirmary to fix him up. "That symbol the pilot or whoever was shouting…Jiàn. That's the mercenary guild's mark. It's a merc boat," Damned if he'd act worried and give Cobb the satisfaction. He was not going to let them take Simon or River. They'd throw Simon in a slam and take River back to that Academy. Then there'd be nothing anyone could do for either of them. But him… if there was one thing he knew it was how to deal with mercs, slams and escapes. "I'll be right back."

She'd looked at him with puzzled curiosity and he took River by the arm and then simply picked her up to move more quickly, carrying her up to his bunk. "I'm giving you my passcodes," He told the Seer quietly, pulling out the data crystal he'd programmed and handing it to her. "Mal and Zoë will keep training you. You're almost ready. I've got logs with my training, sending them to the ship cortex now, everything they'll need to help you."

"He will come back?" River whispered, "Odysseus captured by Polyphemus, escaped on the belly of sheep."

"Yeah, if I can, I will," He nodded. Was this it? Rejoining the human race? Protecting this girl, who was and wasn't a child, from more atrocities than what she'd already seen? Caring about her brother and this crew? He had no idea but he knew what he could live with and what he couldn't. And he knew what mercs would do to a bounty who happened to be a pretty girl. "I've got an account set up, on the dark net. I left instructions for you and Simon, how to access it. It's a way to keep in contact when I get out of whatever Slam they put me in. If there's some sort of problem and I'm not able to get back right away." Fuck Cobb and every other merc with him for making him leave this girl who needed him. Him.

"He has much to do," She looked at him and nodded, her eyes sparking with light, the Wrath touching her even without it lighting his chest. If the Wrath lived in her without his touch… Concentrate on the problems you've got now he reminded himself as she continued speaking. "Possibilities are…varied. Richard Baumar Riddick. Lóng Wáng (Dragon King) He will become a leader of dead men on the planet of dichotomy." Her voice changed, arrogance filling it, "Are you familiar to me? Have we met on some distant field?"

Back to those vague tones that still sounded like her, "Liberator and challenger. Furya's last hope. Part of a prophecy. Could be Ruler of World shakers. Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. Ulysses transformed into Hades. If he remains blind. There is so much he will do before he returns. If he chooses to return at all. The Underworld is a sybaritic place of pleasure and pain and order." She tilted her head looking almost serpentine, eyelids drooping sensually, her voice full of promise, "Perhaps the breeder would do it…if somebody just asked him… It is a rare offer. A visit inside Necropolis. Would you like to see me there?"

"And if I don't come back?" He tilted his head curiously; he'd heard warnings before but none of them gave him choices. "What happens then?" He wasn't prepared for her to stare at him and nothing at the same time and speak in his own cadence and tones.

Author's Note: I'll admit I am having fun with taking dialogue from the future and having River use it to foresee coming events. We've had a few minor changes to the story/series. And we're coming up on some major ones. Stay tuned folks, same Bat Time, same Bat Channel. Sort of.

Jayne's behavior in this chapter, certainly not laudable. I admit I'm going with that instinctive reaction he had during the 'Ariel' episode when River slashed him with the knife. He backhanded her without a second thought. I figured if he caught River messing with the shuttles and life support he'd consider that just as much of a threat to his well-being as River with a knife.

Chinese Translations:

jī yǒu ((slang) very close same-sex friend / gay partner)

Chéng le (that's enough! / that will do!)

fèi huà (bullshit /nonsense / rubbish / superfluous words / You don't say! / No kidding! (gently sarcastic))

Jiàn (sword / double-edged sword)

Lóng Wáng (Dragon King)

Quote Sources:

The recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun and the Sungod blotted out the day of their return. – The Odyssey - Homer

Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea. – The Odyssey - Homer

Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds – Paraphrased from the Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita - J. Robert Oppenheimer