Disclaimer: The Characters of Jack, Riddick and Iman belong to USA Films, David Towhy, etc. I'm just having a little fun here. OK, I confess. I'm doing this because it's the only way to get the Muses off my back G.
Riddick's Death
Copyright 2003 By Cassandra Houston
Chapter Two: The Hunt Begins
Jacqueline closed the door behind her and walked further into the office. Two men stood in front of Iman's desk, their backs to Jacqueline.
Iman spoke as Jacqueline approached. "Jacqueline." He said, stiffly. "These men are here to talk to you about the attack on Calvin Andrews."
Both men turned to face Jacqueline and she gasped. She knew immediately who they were looking for. One of the men looked down at her. "I am David Johns." He nodded to the other man. "This is my brother, Peter."
Peter Johns looked at her closely. "We are looking for the man who attacked Calvin Andrews."
Jacqueline recovered her composure. She'd seen them arrive in their shuttle that morning. "The authorities never found out who did it." She said, evenly. "I don't know either." She locked eyes with Peter Johns. "And I don't really care."
From behind Peter came his brother's voice. "It looks a lot like a killer our brother was tracking. Years ago. You knew our brother, didn't you?"
Jacqueline nodded. "Yes. I knew him. He was with Riddick." She said.
Peter nodded. Slowly. "Richard B. Riddick. Murderer. One of the only three survivors off of that planet."
"He died in the shuttle." Iman said. "He had been injured. We jettisoned his body. We explained all of that when we were picked up. You are trying to tell me you are looking for a ghost?"
David looked at Iman. "We don't believe that filthy murderer is dead." He said, evenly.
"You think he attacked Calvin?" Jacqueline asked. Both brothers nodded. "But Calvin wasn't killed."
"The attack was exceptionally brutal." David said. "So like Riddick's work." He looked Jacqueline up and down. "And this Calvin attacked someone Riddick might consider himself guardian of."
Jacqueline smiled, and then laughed in the faces of the Johns brothers. "You think that Riddick was protecting me?" she scoffed. "First of all he was late, if that had been his plan. Second of all, Riddick was a cold son of a bitch. Selfish. He would have let us die on that planet, but we got to the shuttle before he could get away and leave us to those things."
David and Peter exchanged looks. Peter began nodding again, slowly. "So you haven't seen him?"
Jacqueline took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "The last time I saw Riddick was before we jettisoned his body into space. If you want to find him, look there."
The brothers looked at Jacqueline and smiled. "We just might do that." Peter said. "After we finish searching this particular planet."
The Johns brothers left the office.
Jacqueline watched as the brothers began their search of the mountain the school was located on. Iman stood behind her. "Do you know where he is?" He asked.
Jacqueline only nodded. "We have to get him off this planet."
"No, they will see him leaving. We must hide him here, somehow." Iman said, thinking.
Jacqueline bit her lip. "Can you make them think I have left the planet? Send them on a wild goose chase?"
"I think I can manage that." Iman said, grinning slightly. "But if one stays," his voice trailed away.
Jacqueline shrugged. "I won't worry about that right now." she said.
Peter ran onto the pad just as the shuttle took off. He raced to a tall man, pulled him to face him. "Who was that? In the shuttle?" He demanded.
In broken English the man replied. "Headmaster. He left suddenly with one of the students and a man." He opened his mouth to say more, but found he was alone. Peter Johns was racing to his shuttle. He took off immediately, leaving his brother behind, just in case they were being snowed.
Jacqueline watched as David Johns went into the forest alone. She breathed a sigh of relief to see he was entering the forest on the wrong side of the school. She immediately took off for the caves, carrying her bag.
She was careful not to be followed. She entered the cave and began slowly working her way down into its depths. She followed pitch-black paths for an hour, moving slowly. She was hopelessly lost and getting colder by the minute when she felt him behind her.
"What's wrong, Jack." He said.
She turned towards the sound of his voice but couldn't see him, it was so dark. "Johns had brothers." She said into the blackness. "They came here looking for you."
Silence a moment. She suddenly felt his breath on her. "Did they follow you?' He asked. She felt his breath moving the hair on her forehead.
"No. Iman took a shuttle. Peter Johns followed him. David Johns went into the forest on the other side of the school."
More silence. "That Peter will come back when his brother finds you. Bring reinforcements if he can."
"He won't find us." Jacqueline said. "I'm not leaving until I know it's safe."
"The only other shuttle on the planet is the one taking the graduates off planet." Riddick said slowly. "It leaves in the morning. You should be on it."
Jacqueline frowned. "I'm not leaving without you." She said, stubbornly. "Iman will be gone a long time, hopefully. He won't come back here for a while. We'll just live here, in the caves."
The hair on her forehead flew up as Riddick laughed at her. "You aren't staying here with me. You can't."
"I'm staying." She said. The tone of her voice made Riddick stop laughing. She still couldn't see a thing, however.
There was silence for so long Jacqueline wondered if she'd been left standing on the path. Then she felt Riddick's hand on her arm, pulling gently. "This way." He said.
They walked at a downward angle for about half an hour before Riddick said. "Home sweet home."
Jacqueline could see nothing, still. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness only to find more underneath. Riddick put her hand against a wall. "Sit." He said.
She sat and stared into the darkness. She heard a few things moving around. She had no idea what was happening. She felt something placed in her hands. Some plant? "Eat." Riddick said. "I need time to think."
She didn't hear him walk away.
She woke and wondered what time it was. What day it was. What year it was. She sat up and felt around like the blind woman she seemed to have become.
"Good morning." Riddick's voice made her jump. She could only imagine the smile she thought might be on his face.
Jacqueline took the food that was offered her and began eating. "I still don't want to leave you." She said, between mouthfuls.
"I've figured that out." He said, quietly. "What I can't figure out is why." He said.
Jacqueline didn't speak. She stared into the darkness as she finished her meager breakfast. She wiped her hands on her uniform skirt. She reached out for him and found him directly in front of her. She felt his bare chest and felt up until she came to his face. She cradled it in her hands. "I wanted to be with you." She said. "I don't care if I can't see you. As long as I am with you." She paused, adjusting herself so that she was on her knees. She knew she was looking into his face only because she was holding it and because of the very vague black on black outline his body made. "You said I would know where you were when I was ready."
She felt his jaw work. "I said you knew where I lived if you needed me." He corrected.
"Or wanted you." She reminded him. "How long have I been here?" She suddenly asked, not letting go.
"Three days." He said.
She sniffed and made a face. "Is there a place for me to take a bath?" She asked.
She felt his jaw working under her hands again. He took her by the shoulders and as she stood, she somehow found his lips. He froze, but made no attempt to kiss her.
He guided her to her feet and they walked. She was learning to listen and she heard their footsteps begin to echo.
"Five feet in front of you is an underground lake." He said. "The water is hot, so be careful. Don't worry. Nothing in the water will hurt you." He pressed a small bag into her hand.
And silence fell. She could not tell if he'd left her alone or not. She stood motionless for a moment. Then she felt the bag. It was actually a large piece of fabric. A towel, or a makeshift one. Wrapped in it was some soap and what Riddick would have called a "personal grooming appliance".
She got barefoot and walked slowly forward towards the water. When her toes got wet she stopped and backed up a step. She knelt, put the towel and it's contents down beside her and undressed. She took the soap firmly in her hand and stood. She froze when she thought she heard a sound. A gasp? An intake of breath? Was Riddick watching her?
She ignored the sound and went into the water carefully. At about knee depth she sat in the warm water and began to wash herself. She rinsed herself by lying back and bathed herself again. She also washed her hair twice. She rinsed it by swimming a few feet out and swimming back, feeling the ground beneath her with her hands. She jumped up when her hand felt a bare foot.
Riddick caught her before she fell backwards. "I didn't mean to scare you." he said, slowly. He held her by the arms. She shook the water from her head and when he yelled she was pleased she'd gotten him wet.
"Jacqueline." He said, low. He'd let her elbows go and stepped back when she shook her hair out. She raised her eyebrows at the use of her full name. "Why do you want to stay in these caves?" He asked, his voice quiet, even in the silence of the cavern.
Jacqueline stared ahead. She considered her answer carefully and for a long time. When she spoke, she said. "Because you love me." He did not respond. She continued in a slow voice. "That's why you kept up the contact all this time, even though you were risking someone finding out you were alive. That's why you've been here the last eighteen months. That's why you did what you did to Calvin. Because you love me." She took a deep breath. "And I want to stay with you in these caves because I love you. Not a kid's crush. I got over that years ago. Real love."
More silence greeted the end of her speech. She sighed again and backed away. She walked until she felt the water around her waist and began to bathe herself a third time. She felt the water move around her independent of her own movements.
He took the soap from her and for a long moment she stood still as he bathed himself. She turned and reached out tentatively. A step forward brought her to his chest. She felt his hand close over hers. He brought it to his mouth and kissed it.
Silently they bathed each other and rinsed each other until their soap was gone. Then Riddick guided her to the shore. He laid her on the towel and knelt before her. She was still blind. She couldn't see anything.
She felt his lips on hers and she responded. She lay still as he shaved her completely. The little bloodsuckers were beginning to find her body and hide in her hair. She felt his hands as they explored her. She felt his breath when he broke the kiss.
"I'm not," she began, almost crying. She felt his fingers on his lips.
"I know." His voice rumbled. "That doesn't matter to me."
Riddick very slowly, gently and carefully made love to Jacqueline in the warm cavern deep in the mountain.
Riddick's Death
Copyright 2003 By Cassandra Houston
Chapter Two: The Hunt Begins
Jacqueline closed the door behind her and walked further into the office. Two men stood in front of Iman's desk, their backs to Jacqueline.
Iman spoke as Jacqueline approached. "Jacqueline." He said, stiffly. "These men are here to talk to you about the attack on Calvin Andrews."
Both men turned to face Jacqueline and she gasped. She knew immediately who they were looking for. One of the men looked down at her. "I am David Johns." He nodded to the other man. "This is my brother, Peter."
Peter Johns looked at her closely. "We are looking for the man who attacked Calvin Andrews."
Jacqueline recovered her composure. She'd seen them arrive in their shuttle that morning. "The authorities never found out who did it." She said, evenly. "I don't know either." She locked eyes with Peter Johns. "And I don't really care."
From behind Peter came his brother's voice. "It looks a lot like a killer our brother was tracking. Years ago. You knew our brother, didn't you?"
Jacqueline nodded. "Yes. I knew him. He was with Riddick." She said.
Peter nodded. Slowly. "Richard B. Riddick. Murderer. One of the only three survivors off of that planet."
"He died in the shuttle." Iman said. "He had been injured. We jettisoned his body. We explained all of that when we were picked up. You are trying to tell me you are looking for a ghost?"
David looked at Iman. "We don't believe that filthy murderer is dead." He said, evenly.
"You think he attacked Calvin?" Jacqueline asked. Both brothers nodded. "But Calvin wasn't killed."
"The attack was exceptionally brutal." David said. "So like Riddick's work." He looked Jacqueline up and down. "And this Calvin attacked someone Riddick might consider himself guardian of."
Jacqueline smiled, and then laughed in the faces of the Johns brothers. "You think that Riddick was protecting me?" she scoffed. "First of all he was late, if that had been his plan. Second of all, Riddick was a cold son of a bitch. Selfish. He would have let us die on that planet, but we got to the shuttle before he could get away and leave us to those things."
David and Peter exchanged looks. Peter began nodding again, slowly. "So you haven't seen him?"
Jacqueline took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "The last time I saw Riddick was before we jettisoned his body into space. If you want to find him, look there."
The brothers looked at Jacqueline and smiled. "We just might do that." Peter said. "After we finish searching this particular planet."
The Johns brothers left the office.
Jacqueline watched as the brothers began their search of the mountain the school was located on. Iman stood behind her. "Do you know where he is?" He asked.
Jacqueline only nodded. "We have to get him off this planet."
"No, they will see him leaving. We must hide him here, somehow." Iman said, thinking.
Jacqueline bit her lip. "Can you make them think I have left the planet? Send them on a wild goose chase?"
"I think I can manage that." Iman said, grinning slightly. "But if one stays," his voice trailed away.
Jacqueline shrugged. "I won't worry about that right now." she said.
Peter ran onto the pad just as the shuttle took off. He raced to a tall man, pulled him to face him. "Who was that? In the shuttle?" He demanded.
In broken English the man replied. "Headmaster. He left suddenly with one of the students and a man." He opened his mouth to say more, but found he was alone. Peter Johns was racing to his shuttle. He took off immediately, leaving his brother behind, just in case they were being snowed.
Jacqueline watched as David Johns went into the forest alone. She breathed a sigh of relief to see he was entering the forest on the wrong side of the school. She immediately took off for the caves, carrying her bag.
She was careful not to be followed. She entered the cave and began slowly working her way down into its depths. She followed pitch-black paths for an hour, moving slowly. She was hopelessly lost and getting colder by the minute when she felt him behind her.
"What's wrong, Jack." He said.
She turned towards the sound of his voice but couldn't see him, it was so dark. "Johns had brothers." She said into the blackness. "They came here looking for you."
Silence a moment. She suddenly felt his breath on her. "Did they follow you?' He asked. She felt his breath moving the hair on her forehead.
"No. Iman took a shuttle. Peter Johns followed him. David Johns went into the forest on the other side of the school."
More silence. "That Peter will come back when his brother finds you. Bring reinforcements if he can."
"He won't find us." Jacqueline said. "I'm not leaving until I know it's safe."
"The only other shuttle on the planet is the one taking the graduates off planet." Riddick said slowly. "It leaves in the morning. You should be on it."
Jacqueline frowned. "I'm not leaving without you." She said, stubbornly. "Iman will be gone a long time, hopefully. He won't come back here for a while. We'll just live here, in the caves."
The hair on her forehead flew up as Riddick laughed at her. "You aren't staying here with me. You can't."
"I'm staying." She said. The tone of her voice made Riddick stop laughing. She still couldn't see a thing, however.
There was silence for so long Jacqueline wondered if she'd been left standing on the path. Then she felt Riddick's hand on her arm, pulling gently. "This way." He said.
They walked at a downward angle for about half an hour before Riddick said. "Home sweet home."
Jacqueline could see nothing, still. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness only to find more underneath. Riddick put her hand against a wall. "Sit." He said.
She sat and stared into the darkness. She heard a few things moving around. She had no idea what was happening. She felt something placed in her hands. Some plant? "Eat." Riddick said. "I need time to think."
She didn't hear him walk away.
She woke and wondered what time it was. What day it was. What year it was. She sat up and felt around like the blind woman she seemed to have become.
"Good morning." Riddick's voice made her jump. She could only imagine the smile she thought might be on his face.
Jacqueline took the food that was offered her and began eating. "I still don't want to leave you." She said, between mouthfuls.
"I've figured that out." He said, quietly. "What I can't figure out is why." He said.
Jacqueline didn't speak. She stared into the darkness as she finished her meager breakfast. She wiped her hands on her uniform skirt. She reached out for him and found him directly in front of her. She felt his bare chest and felt up until she came to his face. She cradled it in her hands. "I wanted to be with you." She said. "I don't care if I can't see you. As long as I am with you." She paused, adjusting herself so that she was on her knees. She knew she was looking into his face only because she was holding it and because of the very vague black on black outline his body made. "You said I would know where you were when I was ready."
She felt his jaw work. "I said you knew where I lived if you needed me." He corrected.
"Or wanted you." She reminded him. "How long have I been here?" She suddenly asked, not letting go.
"Three days." He said.
She sniffed and made a face. "Is there a place for me to take a bath?" She asked.
She felt his jaw working under her hands again. He took her by the shoulders and as she stood, she somehow found his lips. He froze, but made no attempt to kiss her.
He guided her to her feet and they walked. She was learning to listen and she heard their footsteps begin to echo.
"Five feet in front of you is an underground lake." He said. "The water is hot, so be careful. Don't worry. Nothing in the water will hurt you." He pressed a small bag into her hand.
And silence fell. She could not tell if he'd left her alone or not. She stood motionless for a moment. Then she felt the bag. It was actually a large piece of fabric. A towel, or a makeshift one. Wrapped in it was some soap and what Riddick would have called a "personal grooming appliance".
She got barefoot and walked slowly forward towards the water. When her toes got wet she stopped and backed up a step. She knelt, put the towel and it's contents down beside her and undressed. She took the soap firmly in her hand and stood. She froze when she thought she heard a sound. A gasp? An intake of breath? Was Riddick watching her?
She ignored the sound and went into the water carefully. At about knee depth she sat in the warm water and began to wash herself. She rinsed herself by lying back and bathed herself again. She also washed her hair twice. She rinsed it by swimming a few feet out and swimming back, feeling the ground beneath her with her hands. She jumped up when her hand felt a bare foot.
Riddick caught her before she fell backwards. "I didn't mean to scare you." he said, slowly. He held her by the arms. She shook the water from her head and when he yelled she was pleased she'd gotten him wet.
"Jacqueline." He said, low. He'd let her elbows go and stepped back when she shook her hair out. She raised her eyebrows at the use of her full name. "Why do you want to stay in these caves?" He asked, his voice quiet, even in the silence of the cavern.
Jacqueline stared ahead. She considered her answer carefully and for a long time. When she spoke, she said. "Because you love me." He did not respond. She continued in a slow voice. "That's why you kept up the contact all this time, even though you were risking someone finding out you were alive. That's why you've been here the last eighteen months. That's why you did what you did to Calvin. Because you love me." She took a deep breath. "And I want to stay with you in these caves because I love you. Not a kid's crush. I got over that years ago. Real love."
More silence greeted the end of her speech. She sighed again and backed away. She walked until she felt the water around her waist and began to bathe herself a third time. She felt the water move around her independent of her own movements.
He took the soap from her and for a long moment she stood still as he bathed himself. She turned and reached out tentatively. A step forward brought her to his chest. She felt his hand close over hers. He brought it to his mouth and kissed it.
Silently they bathed each other and rinsed each other until their soap was gone. Then Riddick guided her to the shore. He laid her on the towel and knelt before her. She was still blind. She couldn't see anything.
She felt his lips on hers and she responded. She lay still as he shaved her completely. The little bloodsuckers were beginning to find her body and hide in her hair. She felt his hands as they explored her. She felt his breath when he broke the kiss.
"I'm not," she began, almost crying. She felt his fingers on his lips.
"I know." His voice rumbled. "That doesn't matter to me."
Riddick very slowly, gently and carefully made love to Jacqueline in the warm cavern deep in the mountain.