It took another fifteen minutes before they reached Dallas, and they quickly pulled into the parking lot of a diner. Leaving the car, Riddick made sure to walk behind Daniel. "There's no way we're leaving you to take your car back."

Together, they entered the restaurant. The hostess at the front took one look at the group, and sighed heavily. "It's gonna be one of those nights," she thought to herself. She then plastered on her saccharine smile and greeted them.

"Welcome to Chris's. How many will this be?"

Riddick pushed Daniel forward. "Answer her," he demanded.

"Um, four," Daniel said in a shaky voice. "In the smoking section if you can."

The hostess quickly looked at Riddick, then away. "Okay, four for smoking." She grabbed the menus. "Follow me please."

She led them to a table in the back corner. As everyone sat down, she handed them their menus. She stopped when she came to Riddick, then she practically threw it at him. She pointed at him. "You scare me." Then, she walked off.

"You just can't please some people," Riddick stated. He picked up the steak knife by his napkin. Good quality. Nice edge to it. Could prove useful since he had lost his shiv on the planet. Quietly, he tucked it into his belt.

"What is this stuff?" Jack's voice sounded from behind her menu. "I've never even heard of chicken fried steak, and they have five varieties. Daniel, what is it?"

"Trust me, get a hamburger and don't worry about it." Daniel looked around the diner. Not many people. Two couples in the nonsmoking section, a group of teens by the door acting all cool by smoking even though they were underage, and three waitresses. The front door was too far away for him to run and make it. This Riddick guy looked like he could outrun a horse, never less an out-of-shape banker like himself.

"I have to find a way out of here," he thought to himself. Then, the idea hit him. As discretely as he could, he pulled his fountain pen from his coat pocket and started writing on the back of the menu. Hopefully, their waitress would notice his message.

Just as he finished writing, their server came to their table, staring at her order tablet. "Hi, I'm Doris and I'll be your..." Then she looked up from her tablet and noticed the group. "Ohmy gosh," she mumbled, but then she collected herself. "I'll be your waitress this evening. Are you ready to order?"

Everyone stared at Daniel. "Oh, yeah," he started. "I'll have the cheese steak, except hold the onions please. With a large Coke if you could."

"What will you have, sweetheart?" Doris asked, addressing Jack. Jack looked at her menu one last time. "I'll have a, what did you say Daniel?"

"She'll have a hamburger," he finished for her.

"And you sir?" The waitress looked at Imam.

"I believe I shall have the...vegetable medley," he said, closing his menu.

Doris turned to face Riddick. She took a deep breath, and then asked him, "And what do you want?"

"Steak."

"Do you want anything with that? A side dish? The cook made a great fettuccine alfredo tonight."

"Just steak."

She tried to swallow, so to remove the lump in her throat. "How would you like that cooked?"

"Rare."

"Fine," she squeaked. "Can I have your menus?"

They each handed her their menus. Daniel made sure that she had everyone else's first, then he gave her his, with the writing side up. As she took it, he met her gaze and notioned to the writing with his eyes. Hoping she understood, he released it into her hand.

*************************

As Doris walked away from their table, she took a deep breath and watched as one of the other waitresses, Sabella, strolled up to her.

"Doris, what's wrong?" Sabella asked.

"Have you seen the freaks at table 7?"

Sabella quickly gazed in that direction. "Oh my gosh, that guy with the goggles is hot! A little weird but really buff."

"Hot nothing!" Doris disagreed. "He fucking scared the shit out of me."

"Do you want me to take the table?" Sabella had that hopeful gleam in her eye. "I wouldn't mind at all."

Doris looked down at their menus in her hand. "No, I don't think anyone's going to take that table now." She showed Sabella the back of Daniel's menu. In scribbled handwriting read the message:

"Help! These people kidnapped me. Call the police!"

Doris took one look at Sabella and then picked up the phone.

*************************

Everyone was still waiting for their food when blue and red lights flashed through the windows of the diner. Riddick watched as the teenagers by the door dashed out of the diner, throwing the cigarettes on the ground outside.

"Thank God." Daniel watched as two very tall and built cops walked through the door and talked to Doris. She pointed their way, and the cops started walking toward them.

Riddick noticed the police as well, but stayed very calm. He barely moved a muscle.

Daniel, Jack and Imam looked up as the cops stood right next to their table. Riddick stayed facing the table.

"I'm afraid you will all need to come with us," the first officer said.

"What's the charge?" Riddick asked in a low tone.

"The lady says that three of you are guilty of kidnapping this fourth guy," the second cop said. "That's something we like to call a crime. So, if you all would slowly stand up and place your hands on your heads."

Jack and Imam quickly complied. As soon as Imam was standing, the first cop grabbed his hands and cuffed them behind his back. Holding the cuffs with one hand and grabbing Jack's shoulder with the other, he led them outside. As he walked out, he turned back to the second officer. "Hey, Brett. Watch your ass with that guy, okay?"

"No prob, Earl," Brett called back. He then turned to Riddick, who was watching as Imam and Jack were being put into the back of a cop car. "Let's go buddy. Hands up." He seized Riddick's arm to lift him from his chair.

As soon as Brett touched him, Riddick jumped up, grabbed the cop's hand, and twisted Brett's arm behind his back. When the cop tried to reach for his nightstick, Riddick pulled the knife from his belt and held it to Brett's throat. As the action escalated, Daniel fell out of his seat and hid under the next table.

"You listen to me," Riddick growled at the cop. "There's no fucking way I'm going to your century's piss-ass excuse for a Slam. So, we're gonna walk out of here, and you're going to let my friends out of that fucking cop car and let us go quietly. Do you get that?"

Brett hesitantly nodded, and with Riddick's blade to his neck, started walking to the door. As they walked out, they passed the onlooking Doris. Riddick leaned in close to her. "Cancel the order for table 7." He then pushed Brett out the door.

Only to be met by four other officers, with guns drawn.

Riddick pulled Brett closer to him, holding the knife deeper into his hostage's throat. "Back off!"

One of the four officers was Earl, the same cop who had taken Jack and Imam away. "Let him go!"

"Not until you let my friends out of that cop car!" he yelled back. Again, he had called them friends. Riddick could not understand where this connection came from.

Earl looked at Riddick, then at Brett. He and his fellow officer made eye contact, and then Earl knew exactly what to do. Lowering his gun, he ordered the other policemen to do the same. After they did, Earl turned to the car and put his hand on the door handle.

Riddick saw the look of anticipation on Jack's face. He nearly smiled, until he noticed Earl's hesitation to open the door. Then, he knew he was about to be duped.

Faster than Riddick could react with the knife, Brett grabbed hold of Riddick's wrist and forearm and flipped him over his shoulder. During the split second Riddick was down, Brett pulled his baton from his belt and slammed Riddick over the head. Repeatedly. Before Riddick completely blacked out, he saw the anticipation vanish from Jack's face and watched as terror replaced it.

*************************

Riddick's eyes snapped open, and, once again, he found himself on the floor. This time, he was on a concrete floor, not the metal one of the skiff.

Looking up, he saw Imam staring at him while sitting on a bench. Several other men milled around, casually looking at metal bars or concrete walls.

A jail cell.

Imam extended his hand to help Riddick sit up.

"How long have I been out?" Riddick asked the holy man as he stood up, ignoring Imam's helping hand.

"We were just put in here about two minutes ago," Imam replied. "If you add to that the time in the police car, it comes to about twenty minutes."

"Shit," Riddick mumbled under his breath. "We need to get back to the skiff."

Imam looked at him. "May I ask, Mr. Riddick, why you are so eager to leave this time period? One would think that you would be happy to be away from our time, away from persecution."

How was Riddick supposed to explain his feelings on this? How would he tell Imam that his thrill in life came from dodging the authorities, making them feel like idiots every time he alluded them? No, he had opened up too much to the Muslim. He couldn't tell him this.

"Do you think I could possibly live in time where there's no fucking space travel? I pilot for fuck's sake." To change the subject, Riddick started, "Did those cops say anything to you before they put you in that damned car?"

"No, and they were quiet the entire ride as well. Why?"

"Not important."

Imam looked at Riddick with a skeptic look, but that look vanished when one of their fellow cellmates stomped over to the bench.

"Get the hell off my bench!" the guy yelled at Imam, currently ignoring Riddick standing by the Muslim.

Imam stood up. "My sincerest apologies, sir. It shall not happen again."

The man walked right up to Imam and stood right in his face. "Your sincerest apologies, my ass. I think you did it on purpose."

"Kick his ass, Pike!" A voice sounded from the group that had started to form around the bench.

Pike smiled. "You know, I think I will." He raised back his fist to deck Imam in the head and started to swing.

Only to have his arm caught by Riddick.

"I think not," he said, looking Pike right in the eye.

Pike ripped his arm away from Riddick. "What the hell are you going to do about it? Mr. Big and Bad-Ass with the dark glasses?"

Just as Riddick was about to respond, the warden's voice was heard from down the hall. "Light's out, boys. I'd better not hear any problems back there." Then, all the lights went dark.

All was quiet for a few seconds, until Pike broke the silence. "Is the poor little goggle boy scared of the dark?" he asked in a mocking tone. "Come on, fighting blind. That's how I like it."

Riddick's strong laugh echoed off the walls. "If you insist." Only Imam was able to tell that Riddick had pulled off his goggles, for they were placed into his hand.

*************************

"What a loser," Pike thought to himself. "Thinking he can take me on." He peered into the darkness of the cell, trying to catch a brief glimpse of movement from his opponent.

However, in that pitch black, all he could distinguish was a pair of faint bluish silver glints. Pike thought that it was a piece of metal reflecting a slight ray of light from the warden's office, until it disappeared for a second. Then reappeared. It did that twice, as if it was blinking. Blinking.

Suddenly, the glints moved toward him. Walked toward him.

"Shit!" Pike cried. "Those are your eyes?"

Riddick did not answer. He just proceeded to slam his fist into Pike's head.

*************************

Imam could not see what was happening, but he could hear it. Everyone could hear it, and images played through their minds. Pike's body being slammed into the walls, then thrown to the floor. Kicked several times, despite his attempts to block the attack. A brief scuffle indicated that Riddick had lifted Pike back up. A loud clang resonated from the bars, giving the impression that Riddick had rushed Pike's head into the metal barriers.

Only Riddick had the true satisfaction of seeing what he was doing to Pike. Only he saw the blood splatter as Pike's face connected with the solid bricks of the wall. Only he saw the effect of Pike's bones breaking as he was slammed into the steel bars. Riddick stepped forward, ready to finish Pike off.

Suddenly, the lights flashed on. Riddick fell back as the light momentarily blinded him. As Pike fell to the ground in pain, Imam stepped forward and handed Riddick his goggles.

"What the hell is going on?" the warden yelled as he walked toward their cell. He looked into the cell to see Pike cringing on the floor and Riddick slowly standing up, goggles replaced on his face.

The warden looked at Riddick and pointed at Pike. "Did you do that to him?" When Riddick nodded, the warden's face turned bright red. "There's no fighting in my jail! Why the hell did you do that?"

Riddick walked right up to the bars. "I did it because we're not supposed to be here."

"You and your friend kidnapped an innocent man and stole his car. Then, you resisted arrest and threatened a cop's life with a steak knife. I'd say you're supposed to be here."

"But you forgot one thing," Riddick mentioned.

"And what's that?"

"Your arresting officers never read us our rights."

The warden looked at Imam, then back at Riddick. "Don't you move."

"Really not an issue," Riddick replied.

The cop glared at him, then walked back to his office.

*************************

Moments later, the warden reluctantly walked back to the cell, keys in hand. He unlocked the door and motioned for Riddick and Imam. "You two are free to go. They're bringing over that kid who was with you." As they walked past him, Riddick heard him faintly mumble, "Damned technicalities."

*************************

The two men were told that Jack would be brought to them outside of the police station. While they stood outside, Riddick watched as his old buddy, Earl, left the precinct and got into his car. Riddick took note of the direction he drove off. "Didn't drive too far," he thought to himself, when his acute hearing followed the sound of Earl's engine and heard it cut off.

As he and Imam waited outside the precinct, the Muslim turned to his fellow traveler. "How did you know about the officer not reading us our rights?"

"Over the centuries, that's one things that's never changed. Always a fucking loophole where THEY don't want it."

As they watched, an unmarked sedan drove up and stopped next to them. The driver got out and walked to the back door on the passenger side. As he opened the door, Jack jumped out and ran to Riddick. Fortunately, the dark goggles stopped anyone from seeing the surprised look in Riddick's eyes when Jack wrapped her arms around him.

The driver walked up to Riddick. "I'm Officer Jeff Baker. Are you Jack's father?"

Jack let go of Riddick, and he looked at Jeff, face to face. "Do I look like her father?"

"Actually," Jeff started, but stopped. "Wait, did you just say 'her?'"

Riddick looked down at Jack, who just smiled. He faced Jeff again. "Look, I'm her older brother," he lied. "And we're leaving."

"Wait," Baker stopped him. "We're somewhat worried about Jack. He, um, SHE has been very quiet, even when around the other children at protective services. Then, when Bob tried to get her to open up, she explicatively said, "Fuck you," and faced the wall.

"Who's Bob?" Riddick asked.

"One of my fellow officers."

Riddick placed his hand on Jack's head. "And who says that kids are slow-fucking learners?" He removed his hand and turned to Imam. "Like I said, we're leaving."

Baker looked at Jack and sighed. "Do you need a ride home?"

"Funny. Very funny."