Chapter 3

Lounging on my throne of clouds, I looked about my celestial kingdom and wondered why I had this nagging feeling that I was forgetting something. Though I couldn't remember what it was, I figured it must have been something important since I couldn't shake the feeling. The more I concentrated on remembering, the more I became aware of a distant beeping that filled the air. It grew steadily louder until finally, it took on the cadence of my own heartbeat. When I realized that it was probably just a heart monitor, my mind snapped back to reality banishing my peaceful dreamland to the dark, unused recesses of my mind. Not knowing where I was, and afraid to find out, I kept my eyes closed and tried to place myself using common sense.

I could tell from the crisp linens rustling around my body, and the pillow under my head that I was lying in a bed somewhere. I could feel the heat from a halogen bulb nearby and turned my face towards it until I could see red shadows on the inside of my eyelids. For this I was supremely grateful. If there was light, then there were no creatures. There was no antiseptic smell, so I doubted....

"If you want to know where you are then just open your eyes and look around." Suggested an amused male voice emanating from the right side of the bed. "No one will bite you here." He continued when I didn't immediately comply. I lay there quietly while weighing the pros and cons of continuing the charade that was obviously futile. Reaching a decision, I slowly opened my eyes and looked towards the direction where I had heard his voice. All I could see though, were blurred and fuzzy blotches of color since my vision wouldn't come into focus. Feeling slightly uneasy about being so weak in an unknown environment, I shifted to sit up, and immediately regretted my hasty actions when a sudden shaft of intense pain saturated my nerve endings, graying the edges of what little vision I did have.

My sudden gasp must have clued him into what had happened, because he rushed to my side and lent me some support so I could lay back down without injuring myself further. After a moment, the surge receded and I was able to breathe again without thinking I was going to die in the process.

I tried to look down at myself to see what had happened, when his restraining hand planted itself on the top of my head, restricting my movement.

"Watch it there Humpty. I don't have any more king's men to spare putting you back together again." The man said with a grin.

"Who are you, and how did I get here? I croaked painfully. "I thought I was going to die on that hell hole of a planet.".

"Lieutenant Jarod Flyman, at your service ma'am" he said with a small salute. "You're on the Search and Rescue vessel Lady Luck after being found near death on Romani C." After he was done introducing himself, he held a plastic cup and bendy-straw to my lips for me to drink.

After taking enough of a sip to moisten my dry, aching throat, I asked him what had happened as casually as my straining voice would allow. I wondered if they had found any other bodies. I wondered if Riddick had gotten Jack, and Imam off the planet's surface.

"About five days ago we received an SOS from the merchant vessel Hunter Gratzner which was on route to the Tangier System with forty commercial passengers and one level five con. Just as the co-ordinates were being relayed we lost the transmission. We knew you had been blown out of your shipping lane and looked for any planets in the area that were able to sustain life. We found that only the second planet in the system, Romani C, had such specs. By the time we arrived, an eclipse had already shrouded the surface in darkness so we did a bio-scan and only found one human life sign. You. We shuttled down to rescue you. And after seven hours of regenitive surgery, here you are all patched up and well on your way to a clean bill of health." He finished with a little grin.

"We shuttled down...? How many people went down to the planet to rescue me?" I asked hesitantly, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

The grin disappeared as his eyes darkened with sorrow and grief. "There were three of us who shuttled down to the planet's surface. You and me are the only ones who made it back." He said stiffly, staring intently at the bare white walls of the room behind my bed. After a tense moment of silence, he shook himself out of his reverie, and focused on me once more. "I have to get back on duty. I'll be back later to check on you." He said quietly all signs of good humor gone from his grim expression. As he turned to exit he looked at me one last time before whispering softly "I'm glad you survived, Carolyn Fry." And with that he was gone.

The next time I woke, an older version of Jarod was standing beside the bed reviewing my charts. Talk about Rip Van Winkle-Whoa.

So what's the prognosis doc?" I asked quietly

"I am not the doctor. I am the captain of this ship." He responded not looking up from my charts.

Now that my vision had cleared, I was finally able to look around the room, and appreciate the sights. There was a vase of plastic flowers sitting on the bed-stand to my right. I could just make out the card that read 'Get Well Soon Carolyn Fry. Jarod.' Behind that was a huge bay window, that provided a striking frame for the stars beyond. To my left was a small dresser, which was probably empty since I was wearing everything I owned. On the far wall I could just make out the dim outline of what I took to be the bathroom door, and to the left of that was the door Jarod had departed from earlier.

Now that I had surveyed the room to my satisfaction, I returned my gaze to the captain only to find that he had already been studying me. I was curious to know why the captain of a search and rescue vessel would come and personally check up on one of his rescue cases. Surely rescuing people was a common enough occurrence that he would not find it necessary to visit each stray his crew saved. Just as I was about to ask though, he spoke.

"You, Carolyn Fry, have a strong will to survive." Looking down at my charts he started reading from my list of injuries. "Two cracked ribs, broken tibia in the right leg, four puncture wounds on either side of your torso, sprained left knee, concussion, trauma to the optical nerves...and the list goes on. You are very lucky to be alive young lady." He said shaking my file and smiling.

"Now," he continued his smile leaking warmth like a sieve does water. "Suppose you tell me what happened to Riddick."

"Who? I asked feigning ignorance

"Richard B. Riddick -- Level Five escaped convict. Accused of murdering his father and ten guards while escaping his first penal colony. He had been apprehended by a bounty hunter and was being returned to Slam City, a maximum-security prison, to serve out his life sentence via the Hunter Gratzner, when it crashed on Romani C. The interplanetary police lost all contact with the bounty hunter bringing him in after that. Since you encompass our intelligence in regards to the passengers of the ill fated ship, perhaps you know what happened to him." He questioned mildly, though I could see his knuckles whiten on the armrests of the chair he was now perched in.

"Johns. The bounty hunter's name was Johns." I muttered hastily to buy myself some time to decide what I was going to do.

"I don't care who the bounty hunter was." He exploded. "Riddick killed my first born; my oldest son Matt -- and for that he has to pay, and he will pay dearly." He hissed, anger and grief pouring off him in palpable waves.

Knowing that the Riddick who had helped us escape the planet was not the same person who was accused of those murders, I made up my mind to help him as much as I could.

"Yea well Johns and I were a team, and this last mission would have given us enough money to finally buy our own ship" I whispered imbuing my voice with as much sincerity and wistfulness as possible, even though the thought of me and Johns together made me want to puke. "But Riddick killed him to keep the creatures occupied while he made his escape." I said my anger unfeigned as I remembered what Johns had been prepared to do to Jack, just to save his own hide - the weasel. After a moment of silence when I was sure I had the captain's full attention I blurted out that I had killed him.

He looked at me skeptically. "You? You killed Riddick, one of the most feared and dangerous men of this century, and you killed him. Forgive me if I'm skeptical," he mocked, "but may I ask how you accomplished such a feat?"

I turned away as if remembering were too much for me to bear while I thought quickly. How could I get him to believe me? Then it came to me, my guiding light; I had to play up to his idea of parental revenge.

Turning back to him with sorrow and tears in my eyes, I told him all about my daughter Jackie, and how Riddick had held her hostage to keep the others in line. "So," I continued tearfully, "In an effort to get her back, I attacked him and screamed at her to run. I managed to cut him" I grinned savagely for added theatrical effect, "before he disarmed me and threw me down. I was just enough of a diversion, though, for him to let my daughter go.

"You were right," I choked convincingly, "I wouldn't have been able to kill him myself, but I knew the creatures were attracted to blood so my little nick was all I really needed. As he was standing above me ready to skewer me like a shish-ka-bob, one of the creatures swooped down and carried him away - a personal dinner guest I hope." I finished closing my eyes and letting a little tear trickle down my cheek. I waited for him to take the bait

"What happened to your daughter?" he asked tensely as he searched my face for sincerity.

Hook, line and sinker. "Sh...she was carried off as well." I cried. And for the rest of my life I'll have to live with the fact that if I had been a little better at protecting my child this would never have happened. But I take comfort in the fact that the bastard got paid back in spades."

"More than you know." He smiled coldly. "The creatures carry a toxin in their claws that acts as a poison to the human body interfering with the synaptical relays causing them to die slowly and painfully. My younger son, Jarod, I believe you already met him, was scored across his back during the rescue and almost died from it."

"What are you going to do when you are fully recovered?" He asked quietly

"Don't know yet. Don't have anything planned. Don't have any money, or family," I told him truthfully. "They were all wiped out in a plague on Tribol."

After a moment of silence where we both continued to size each other up, he seemed to come to some important decision. "I can arrange a place for you to go. But there are strings attached" he said slowly as if still not one hundred percent convinced he was doing the right thing.

"I'm listening" I responded as casually as I could.

"There is a top secret organization privately funded by the Company that can take you in. They are more advanced than any agency presently known in surveillance and warfare. Their soldiers are prepared for all eventualities. I can't tell you more until I know your answer."

After a moment of thought I decided - What the hell its not like I had a whole lot else to do, and maybe I can use their technology to help me find Riddick and Jack. Out loud though all I said was "Ok, ill go along with this, now tell me what it is I've just agreed to do."

He looked satisfied as he began his explanation.

"I knew you would do it. You will be signing up for a three-year intensive training program that will teach you everything you need to know to live. Weapons, self-defense, survival under the harshest of conditions. You will become one of the most elite soldiers in the galaxy. You will have access to the most state of the art technology there is in order to complete your missions."

"There are only two down sides to this." He continued after a moment's pause. "First, is that once you enter the program, Carolyn Fry will cease to exist. Her records, her life, her history will all erased. According to the world, there will have been no such person as Carolyn Fry. Can you handle that?" he asked quietly knowing what he was asking me to give up.

"Well its not like I did anything to alter the galaxy, and there is no one out there to miss me, so I don't see the problem." I answered a lot more flippantly than I felt. "And the second?"

"Well, the second is that only 22% of the people who sign up live through the training. Only 6% of those are women." And of the survivors, only 13% are mentally stable enough to join the program. Do you understand what I am telling you?" He asked quietly

After seeing me nod, he took a deep breath and continued. "The life you are about to enter is dangerous, and painful. And by the time you are done you will have wished to quit hundreds of times or more. But be aware that the only way to quit the program is death."

"Are you trying to sign me up, or warn me not to?" I asked unsure of his intentions.

"I'm trying to tell you that this will not be an easy thing to do. You will basically be giving away all rights to yourself, and the only positive thing that will come this membership is that you will never again say that you were unprepared.

"Well I always was up for a challenge" I chuckled uncertainly, already beginning to second-guess my decision.

After looking at me one final time he rose and turned to leave. Just as his hand reached the doorknob, he called over his shoulder "I'll make all the arrangements. You leave in a month."

Chapter 4

I limped into the captain's ready room fully armed with Jacks's, I mean Audrey's story, and my own determination to take advantage of the opportunity Carolyn had given us at the cost of her life.

"Captain, how goes it?" I began congenially. "I wanted to thank you for saving us. Is there any way that we can...?"

"Look Mr...?" He asked clearly expecting me to fill in the blank.

"Kowalski. Mr. Rick Kowalski." I supplied without a moments hesitation. Everything depended on my ability to pull this off.

"O.k. Mr. Kowalski," he said with a smirk. "Let's not beat around the bush. Although you might be better prepared than most, I'd still need my shovel for the crap you guys are dishing out. Though I don't doubt that you have a close relationship, you three are not who you say you are. I can't tell what your story is yet, but I know you're running from something or someone. I can understand that." He said looking me straight in the eyes.

I tensed my muscles ready to make a run for it if I had to, but otherwise remained motionless neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his words. I wondered if he knew who I really was. I wondered if he had been able to somehow run those tests on my blood sample after all.

"A tougher cookie to crack than most." He smiled when I didn't immediately crumble at his feet. "As you will soon find out, everyone on this ship has some sort of history or another. Everyone here has a secret to hide. The only thing I ask is that it does not interfere with the workings of this ship. We live in peace by allowing each person their privacy. On this ship everyone is innocent. If you and your two companions have something of use to contribute you can stay. In return I can virtually guarantee no interference by the intergalactic police. I have enough wheels greased in that area that I don't worry about them much. Do you understand Mr. Kowalski? He asked seriously.

"Yes'ir," I responded instantly -knowing instinctively that the sanctuary he offered was real.

As I was getting up to leave, he uttered one last warning.

"If you harm anyone on this ship, or do anything to violate the laws of co-existence, it will be the last thing you on board, or ever for that matter. I am offering you a fair trade. An honest day's work for continued silence and good behavior. Unless I'm mistaken, this is a second chance for you. Don't abuse it, and don't cross me." He said with finality.

"Understood sir," I answered barely keeping my astonishment in check. For such a small jolly man he sure packed a punch. I had to tell Jack and Imam. If we were in this together we had to decide together what we were going to do.

Walking back to the only room I knew, I thought about what the captain had said, and what he had offered. This would be the perfect place to lay low while things died down. I just had to convince my two partners that this was the place to be.

Entering the sickbay, I saw Imam sitting in the same place I left him, meditating alone in the room. After checking for bugs or any other surveillance devices, I tapped him on the knee to wake him from his trance. After telling him the whole story, I waited for his reaction. After studying me intently for a while, he said simply, "I will be their spiritual guide," and went back to his meditative state.

Knowing that I would get nothing further from him any time soon, I decided to poke around and see if I could find Jack, and maybe check out this 'security officer' they had on board. Striding over to one of the computer terminals on the other side of the room, I accessed a copy of the ships schematics. I needed a general idea of where everything was, and a specific idea of where I could find the brig. Getting what I needed, I left sickbay on my reconnaissance mission.

*** "Hey Audrey, I know I'm not your preferred person of the day right now, but I want you to listen to what I have to say since I am only going to make this offer once."

"You don't have anything I want, and if you did, do you really think that I would take it from you? I don't want to deal with a child neglecting s.o.b. It's been over twenty-four hours, I haven't eaten; I haven't slept, and I have yet to see anyone besides you. Now, suppose you tell me why my dad hasn't been allowed to see me yet; and where my uncle is? I retorted watching warily as he paced the chamber

Sitting down, Matt studied the petite girl lounging defiantly on the bed before him. She had her feet crossed at the ankles and her arms tucked behind her head, as if she didn't have a care in the world. He, however, could tell she was scared by her pale complexion and her stiff posture, but she refused to give an inch. She refused to show him her fear, or beg for the leniency she knew he could give her. Instead, she demanded answers and spoke contemptuously towards the one person who could get her out of her predicament. What a jewel. He was sure that given the proper training she could be honed to be the perfect weapon. She had all the qualifications; the face of an angel, the temperament of the devil himself, and more courage then some trained men twice her age

"Listen, Audrey, I know you want out, and I'm going to let you out, under one condition." I stopped to make sure I had her complete attention. "You train with me."

She didn't respond. Not even by the smallest flicker of an eyelash. She just stared at me as though this was exactly what she had expected to hear. She slowly shifted her position on the bed till she was perched on the far corner from me looking down at her clenched hands.

"Train for what?"

"Does it really matter if it gets you out of here?

Meeting my gaze directly and pinning me with her stare she murmured "yeah it does, it really does."

"You will train to become an Omega One. At the moment they are the most elite military fighting unit in the known universe. They are trained in combat both defensive and offensive, computers, and survival."

"If you are planning to train me to become an 'Omega One', that would mean that you already went through the training. But, if you are who you imply you are, then what are you doing floating on this hunk of junk in the back alleys of space. Shouldn't you be with your unit, or at your base of operations or something - unless you are in about as much trouble as you think I'm in. However," I mused thoughtfully, "if that were truly the case, then why would you give me ammunition against you, unless you think I can, or am going to help you. Is that it? Do you think I am going to help you?

"Your observation skills are rather sharp for one so young. It's true, I was an Omega One. I was even at the top of my class when I graduated the academy. But the academy is idealistic in its expectations of honesty and moral trustworthiness. My squad was siphoning money and equipment from the company. I was in the process of pulling their plug when they framed me for a crime I didn't commit. Its very hard to accuse someone of doing wrong when you are in the shit-house yourself. Unfortunately the only way out of the Omega One program is death, which is why I officially died two years ago on October 22nd - only my brother knows I'm still alive; well my brother and now you." He said looking at me pointedly warning me to keep my mouth shut. "Though I have no major desire to return to the program, I do intend to clear my name and get some well deserved revenge. That's where you come in. I need a small military unit backing me up. You have the qualities to succeed in this business, and with the training I can give you, you could find work anywhere in the galaxy without lifting your little finger. People would come looking for you to give you jobs; they would also pay a pretty penny to keep you if you hire on."

Looking at me he fell silent knowing I needed a moment to think. I weighed the pros and cons of what he was asking. It sounded like I would be given financial as well as physical independence in return for being dragged through the seven levels of hell face first. Humph. Just as I was about to answer a hard, echoing tap filled the room.

Pulling out his gun, Matt indicated that I should be quiet while he checked out the door to see who it was. I was pretty sure I already knew who it was but decided to sit back relax and enjoy the show. As Matt's hand was turned the handle, the door flew in catching him square in the face. Riddick stepped quietly inside closed the door behind him and waited for Matt to clear his eyes before introducing himself.

"I'm only going to ask you this once, so I advise you not to fuck with me. What have you done to my daughter?"

Without responding, Matt dropped into a fighter's stance after shaking off the last of the stars impairing his vision.

Sighing at the stupidity of some people, Riddick looked at me before trying one last time to stop things before they escalated any further. He didn't want to jeopardize his place on the station before he even really got it. "Believe me, you don't want to do this. You don't know who you're fucking with."

Matt's only response was to breathe deeply as if grounding himself for the coming fight.

Shaking his head, Riddick sent me a terse "stay back" before dropping into an identical pose. With a muttered "let the games begin" they both began to circle - two predators looking for a weakness in their prey.

They warmed up by testing each other out. They threw hooks, uppercuts, sweeps, and round-houses. They even got up close and personal and did some grappling before they broke off and got back into a neutral position. They looked like mirror images. They were relatively the same height and build, and they seemed to have the same training because they moved with the same fluid grace and knew all each other's moves. The only difference was that even I could tell Riddick was faster and better. He seemed to just be toying with Matt, testing his abilities for some weird purpose. A hunch began to bloom in my somewhat suspicious mind. And 'lovable' mischief-maker that I was, I decided to act on it and see the sparks fly.

"Hey, dad. Matt is part of some group called Omega One and he's decided he wants to train me, so don't rough him up too bad."

It was as if I had poured ice water down their sweating backs. They both jumped and stared at me as if trying to comprehend the stupidity needed to discuss such a 'top secret' program in the open, and then they looked at each other with new understanding.

"What unit..." they both asked simultaneously before stopping awkwardly. This was just not something one discussed in the open. They had been drilled for years about the importance of keeping their operations covert, so the instinct to keep quiet was a hard one to overcome. Plus they both knew that they only way out of the corp. was in a body bag, which meant that they were both hiding from the powers that be - which could be a good thing or a bad one.

Finally, after looking at me for a moment, Matt took the initiative. "I was part of the Bravo unit. Call number tango tango six eight."

"Alpha Unit, subsection - Chameleon" came the stunted reply - "bravo tango nine two four"

"Chameleons?" But they were just a myth we were told about while in the academy.

Without another word, Riddick rotated until the small tattoo of a chameleon pierced by a sword could be seen trying to crawl up his shoulder blade as it peeked out from the edge of his sleeveless t-shirt.

"Jesus!"

"So what does that mean?" I piped up breaking the tension that was steadily building.

"The Chameleons were a covert group within the Alpha unit. They were the first group to graduate from the Omega One program. Out of a class of eighty-three students only five managed to live through the training. Even the company decided that the training was too harsh for the program and downgraded it to what is taught now. Those five were concidered to be the best of the best, but three of them went crazy, and the other two were reported as dead. Their only distinguishing mark was said to be the tattoo that is presently imprinted onto your '"dad's" shoulder blade"

"Oh! Cool. Does that mean I can train with him Riddick?" She asked cheerfully knowing full well that he had no real say in the matter.

Without responding to her directly Riddick turned to Matt and growled. "I know what goes into the training. Try anything funny with her and it'll be the last thing you do." With that he turned to me with one of his rare grins and said "You're gonna get what you asked for, but for once you might not want what you get." And with that he turned on his heel and left the room.

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