Riddick slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up. The pain in his body stopped him. He groaned as he tried to move again. Finally, when he got to a sitting position, he looked around. The once healthy, green jungle was now a seemingly barren wasteland. Brown, broken limbs and dead grass stretched as far as the eye could see. Riddick searched for Tyana, but she was nowhere to be found. He slowly got to his feet.
'Damn, that must've been one hell of a ride.'
He tried to figure out what the strange force had been but to no avail. Riddick decided to just go and search for Tyana. He quickly gathered together the few items that he still had. He then searched the ground to find some sort of clue to where she could've gone. He saw a trail of broken down grass leading to the north. It looked as if someone had walked or been dragged through there. He assumed it had been Tyana and smirked at the thought of how careless she was. He pulled out his shiv and followed her path carefully. He looked as though he was once again stalking a prey.
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Johns stepped out of the ship and looked around. He had already found where Riddick had landed the ship and built a fire. Something just didn't look right to him. The campsite seemed untouched and was left way too easy to find. It didn't match Riddick's style. Johns had a strange feeling that something had gone array. He saw what seemed to be signs of a struggle or fight. Some footprints were found near the corner of the camp. He quickly picked up on a trail and began to track him. He noticed that it seemed as if two people had traveled along the path, but he wasn't sure who else it could've been. He was surprised that Riddick hadn't killed everyone by that point.
"You're losing your edge, Riddick."
Johns laughed at his escaped prisoner. He couldn't wait to see the resentment in Riddick's eyes when caught once again. John's thoughts were cut short when the trail he was following suddenly ended. As he looked around, all he saw were trees and a small river to his left. Then he saw it—a strange anomaly. He remembered learning about the odd occurrence in the file he stole from Tyana. He decided that Riddick must have gone into it. Pushing all reason and logic aside, he stepped into the portal.
"A payday is a payday…"
Johns mumbled to himself as he stepped into the unknown.
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Tyana's eyes slowly fluttered open. She found herself lying on a bed of some sort. It had a cold, hard surface. A thin, worn blanket had been draped over her frail frame. She was in a small, dimly lit room. The place was empty except for a small table to the right of the bed. The walls were constructed of some kind of lightweight metal. As she sat in the dim, musty enclosure memories came flowing back to her, and she wondered how she had gotten there from the forest. She stretched her sore muscles and slowly sat up. She heard some faint talking coming from outside the room. Tyana quietly crept over near the door and put her ear to it.
"Todd, I found her just lying in the field south of the complex. She was right on the border of Ticaan territory, so I brought her back here. Mom and Dad don't know about her yet, but I'm scared to think of what they'd do if they find out. She's not like the others…I can tell. But she had to have come from the same place."
Tyana couldn't make out what the other person said. She figured that the speaker was a young woman who sounded like she was about nineteen or twenty. She seemed to be talking to a sibling. Tyana gathered that they were talking about her, but she was still completely lost about what was going on. She wondered where she was and what the girl had meant.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard footsteps outside her room. It slowly grew louder as someone approached the door. Tyana quickly turned to get back onto the bed and pretended to be asleep. She was wary of the whole situation and wanted to be cautious. She was moments away from lying back down when she heard the door slide open behind her. She spun to meet whoever had entered. Tyana nervously backed into the corner. A young woman had entered the room. She was of medium height and had shoulder-length blonde hair. She smiled pleasantly at Tyana and began to approach her.
"Oh, you're awake already. So, how are you feeling?"
"Who are you? Where am I?"
"My name is Sarah, and you are on the planet Atrean in a small complex…err city. Well, it used to be a city at one time. Now, the real question is 'who are you'?"
Tyana recognized the planet's name but was bewildered by it. She was apparently on the same planet, but everything was different, and she was no longer near the forest or with Riddick.
"My name is Tyana Maxwell. The last thing I remember is being in a forest on this planet. It was dark, I tripped over something, and the next thing I knew I was here in this room."
Sarah looked troubled as she chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. She looked up at Tyana as if she expected something.
"Please tell me everything you know about what happened. I want to know about where you came from. Do you know about the others like you?"
"Well, I was with one man, but I don't know if he is here or not. My situation with him is a confusing one. I don't know what 'others' you are talking about. If you want I will tell you all I know about the planet and what happened."
Sarah nodded eagerly in approval and waited for Tyana to continue with her story. In return she promised to tell about her own life and the people on the planet. As Tyana started her story, she was cut short by a loud knocking on the door.
"Yes?"
The door slid open and a tall, dark-haired man stuck his head inside.
"Tyana, this is my brother, Todd."
Tyana was about to greet him when he interrupted the introduction.
"Sarah, you have to get her out of here! Mom and Dad are home. If they find her, you will be in huge trouble."
Sarah groaned miserably and grabbed Tyana's arm. She led her out of the room and down the hall. She stopped in front of a small door and opened it.
"Why do I have to hide from your parents?"
"I don't have time to explain now. I'll come back for you, and I'll tell you then. Now, you have to get out of here. If you follow this hall, you will find a door on your left. It is an old supply room that we barely use anymore. Don't come out until I come to get you. If anyone besides my brother or I come in, hide, don't get caught."
Tyana saw the fear in the young girl's eyes. It made her angry to think that someone could strike such fear into an innocent heart. She knew that she would repay her somehow. Sarah was so confident, even in her fear, that it strengthened Tyana. Sarah turned to leave, but Tyana caught her arm.
"Thank you."
Sarah smiled at her, and they seemed to communicate wordlessly. She then turned and ran back down the hallway.
Tyana worried about what kind of life this girl had to live, that she was deathly afraid of her parents. Her eyes searched the room that she had found and saw barrels stacked high in every corner. Shelves surrounded her, and she was left alone with nothing but dim light radiating from the cracks of the door. She found a spot behind a couple of crates and pulled her knees close to her body. She trembled as she sat in the cold, impersonal room. She wondered about what had happened in the woods. Tyana wished that she had never gone on the prison transport assignment, as she wiped a streak of wetness from her face. As quickly as they had begun, her tears and doubts faded away as she slipped into a surprisingly restful unconsciousness.
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Her body writhed in pain as the cold metal tore into the pink flesh on her scarred back. She choked back her screams while tears slid down her ashen face. Her stomach turned as they relentlessly beat her over and over again. Blood ran down her back and bathed the floor in a sea of crimson. Her glazed-over eyes held years of pain and hatred toward her 'owners'. She was treated as a dirty piece of property. Day after day she was dominated without hope of freedom. Memories flooded her mind even though she tried desperately to block them out. She had been seventeen years old when it all started. She had raised her younger brother and sister for as long as she could remember, because they had never known their parents. It had come to a point where she couldn't afford to feed them. She had been desperate for food-anything to keep them alive. It went by in a blur; before she knew it, she was sucked into an underground circuit. The bad thing was that she and her siblings were products on it. It started out as working for food, but it quickly got out of control. She was lucky to stay together with her brother and sister, but they were bought and sold like worthless animals. When they didn't obey, they were beaten. Slavery was illegal on the planet that she had lived on. The government had tracked the illegal market down and attempted to stop it. Unfortunately, most of the people, that were involved, fled. She and her family were taken along for the ride. The slave owners came across a secluded planet, which they decided to live on and practice their trade freely.
She forced herself to push her foul memories aside. She cringed as the owners turned on her brother. She squeezed her eyes closed and wished she could block out his piercing screams. She hated to hear those she loved suffer. She wondered what they had done to deserve this awful fate. She hoped that their misery would be short-lived. It was disgustingly ironic, because back on their old planet it had become a habit to call their owners Mom and Dad, because the slave owners used it as a cover up. Her owners, or 'Mom and Dad', stood before the two broken figures crumpled on the floor. One broke the brief silence by speaking harshly .
"You two are worthless pieces of shit! You should be grateful that we have even kept you alive, especially after your sister ran away. If you don't do your jobs better and more efficiently tomorrow, you will be beaten twice as much. Do you understand? Damn it!"
The girl and her brother sat in silence and kept their heads facing the ground.
"Answer me you filthy animals!"
"Yes sir."
The two echoed their answers as they waited to be dismissed.
"Go to your living quarters. You get no food tonight."
She slowly got up and her brother followed. They looked at each other one last time before they split up.
"Don't worry, Todd, it'll be okay."
Sarah smiled a weak smile as she forced her battered body to go through her door. Her brother smiled back.
"Goodnight Sarah."
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Riddick paused as he examined the building before him. All the signs pointed to the fact that Tyana had to be in there. He decided to come back for her later. She was easy to track, so if she left he knew he could pick up on her trail. At that point he was curious about the planet and what it was like, now, after they had gone through the portal. He saw another compound in the far distance. He headed towards the hills where it was situated.
Riddick reached the compound as the sun began to creep below the horizon. He approached the front entrance, shiv in hand. He heard what sounded like a branch snapping behind him, and he spun to see what had happened. Five or six men with makeshift weapons were behind him. He turned back around to see that the gate was open and several dozen more men stood before him. He was a strong fighter, but the sheer number of men was too much for him to tackle head on. Riddick dropped his shiv to the ground and extended his hands above his head.
"He's not one of them. He might be one of the Ticaan soldiers, but I don't think he's like them either."
The men talked among themselves for a while before addressing Riddick.
"Who are you, and how did you get here?"
"My name is Riddick, and I came through some kind of portal that left me in a field beyond this complex. I know it sounds strange, but that's what happened."
Riddick expected them to think he was crazy, but they seemed to have looks of understanding on their faces. A man in his early twenties, who appeared to be in charge, stepped forward.
"My name is Kain. Sorry we were rude, but we have good reason to be on edge. We are runaways, fugitives, rebels, or whatever you want to call us. I'm sure you saw that other complex on your way here. Well, that's where the slave owners live. My friends and I were fortunate enough to escape and build up our defenses against them. The whole thing is a long story. It is odd to us to see anyone besides them or the Ticaans."
"Who are the Ticaans?"
"I think we have a lot of explaining to do. You also need to tell us about yourself. Come in. Stay the night; eat with us."
Riddick gave in. He was short on supplies, and he was grateful that
he had come across nonviolent people. He was also eager to hear about their
information. Riddick had a nagging feeling as he entered the complex. Tyana
was with those slave traders. He tried to push the thought aside, but he
couldn't help but think about what could have happened to her. He found
himself imagining ripping apart the bodies of any of them that laid a finger
on her. He decided to ignore his savage thoughts and instead focus on his
current situation. He hated to admit to worrying about anyone other than
himself.