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 Four: Life Changes
Over the next few days they ate, talked, made love, slept and developed a simple, subtle hand language to use when the searchers inevitably came looking for them. They were startled awake by the sound of voices. Riddick put a finger to his lips, then to Jacqueline's, indicating they were to begin their silent communication now.
They listened as they silently crept to the other side of the cove and began their climb to their lookout. They could already see the light of the torches cutting the gloom. Jacqueline felt a slight pain at the lights.
"What the hell is this?" A voice said.
"Underground lake." They recognized the voice of Peter.
Riddick and Jacqueline settled into the lookout and watched the men and their lights.
There were fifteen men, all but one of them heavily armed. Jacqueline could make out Peter and David Johns by their shapes. The only other man she knew was Iman.
The men stood examining the land around the lake. One of the unknown men knelt and felt the water. "It's hot." He said.
"This mountain is an inactive volcano." Iman said.
Riddick and Jacqueline kept their heads low as light played along the wall.
"There isn't even a strip of land on the other side for them to hide on." Another unknown man said, examining the other side of the lake carefully. "And no boat. No sign of a boat." He turned the light on David Johns. "No sign yet of human beings."
"I have told you many times that Riddick is not here." Iman said. "And that Jack ran away. You brought horrible memories back to her, Mr. Johns. Then chasing me while I searched for her,"
Peter said. "I was told you left with a student and a man."
"I left with a male and female student." Iman said, sounding frustrated. "To look for Jack. You followed me and we never found anyone. And thanks to you, Jack may never come back here. This is not a sanctuary for her any more."
David shrugged. "We're almost done searching the caves. Won't take more than another day. I know Riddick is alive. I can feel it in my bones. And I'll bet my right arm that little bitch is with him."
Iman just shook his head. "Finish your search and then leave my school please, Mr. Johns. You are just as unpleasant as your brother."
Peter began walking. "Let's hurry this up." He half groaned. "The others should be done searching the surface of the planet by the time we get out of here. But he's not here, David. Let's just face facts."
Riddick and Jacqueline watched as the men all walked away. They had not been seen.
They remained silent for most of the next few days. Riddick seemed to take the time to think. Jacqueline spent much of the time really exploring the grotto they were in. When they were together they talked in their silent language, occasionally adding a sign here or there in whispered voices. They both enjoyed their silent lovemaking.
Jacqueline woke to the sound of a muffled explosion. She found Riddick standing naked at the edge of the water. She approached him from behind and wrapped her arms around him. He was holding a chronograph he had with him that marked the days, as the planet knew them.
"They are out of the caves now." He said aloud. "They just sealed us in." He glanced at the chronograph. "They'll leave the planet soon."
Since there was no sign of worry in Riddick's voice and because she knew him so well, Jacqueline knew there had to be another way out of the caves that she didn't know about. "So when do we go."
He turned in her arms. "Two weeks, to be safe." He said, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm a fugitive again. Still." He looked down at her. "Since I'm dead there is no reward for me this time. They'll kill me on sight, Jack."
Jacqueline looked up at him. "So we won't be found." She considered a moment. "Or we'll have to kill or be killed." She said quietly. "We're going to have to kill the Johns brothers, aren't we? Because if we don't kill them, they will kill us."
She noted the half grin. "What's all this we?" He said. "It's me they want to kill."
Jacqueline nodded. "But I am with you. And I am not leaving you."
Riddick was quiet, holding her. Then he began to nod. "I'm going to see if they found the other entrance. If they did, we'll both die in here." And he turned and waded to the middle of the small body of water and dived.
They waited two weeks before they chanced leaving the caves. The underground entrance to the caves had not been found, Riddick discovered. The chronograph told them pretty well when it was night and day.
Riddick handed Jacqueline a pair of dark goggles. "Where these on your forehead." He said. "Before we surface outside, out them over your eyes. Light is going to be very painful to you now."
Jacqueline nodded and adjusted the glasses on her forehead. They took their meager belongings and took the short underwater swim to the main lake. Jacqueline followed Riddick to a far corner of the lake where they stopped to rest.
"This swim is going to be a lung buster." He said. "You ready for this?"
Jacqueline nodded. "Ready."
Riddick had been absolutely right. The underwater corridor was deep and by the time they surfaced, Jacqueline was sure she was going to drown. She was so obsessed with not breathing she almost forgot to put the goggles on, but she managed to get them on in time. Both of them were gasping desperately for air. They swam for shore as quickly as their paining lungs would permit.
Lying on her back on the shore, Jacqueline noticed that the first moon was setting. It was the middle of the night. No one should be awake at the school.
"We'll go to Iman." Riddick said. "Hopefully he'll have a way for us to get off of this planet."
They were extremely careful getting to the school, but encountered no one. When they reached Iman's modest house, they went into its shadow and knocked on the metal slats of the window. After a moment Iman's face appeared and he threw the window open for them. They clambered into Iman's bedroom.
"Thank Allah!" Iman cheered, greeting them. "I was worried they would find you in those caves. How did you get away from them?" He looked at Jacqueline. He looked at Jacqueline's goggles, but said nothing.
Iman led them into his kitchen where he began preparing a meal for them. Jacqueline gave Iman a shortened version of what had happened. Iman nodded. "I thought that might have happened when the medical equipment disappeared." He glanced at Riddick. "You know medicine." And then he held up his hand. "Of course you do. You just couldn't do the surgical shine operation on yourself."
Riddick only nodded. Iman set the food out for them and stood while Jacqueline and Riddick ate.
Jacqueline sighed with the first mouthful then looked up at Iman and said. "I was down there for about twenty-one or twenty-two days. It's dark down there Iman. I would have gone insane if Benjamin hadn't fixed my eyes."
Iman's eyebrows rose. "Benjamin?" He looked at Riddick.
"Don't ask." Riddick said, between mouthfuls. He swallowed and said. "Where did the Johns brothers go?"
"They took their posse and left this planet looking for you two." Iman said sadly. "It seems that many of the people with them are back to believing that you are dead, my friend."
Riddick studied Iman. "But not the Johns brothers, right Holy Man?"
Iman nodded. "They want revenge. They think you killed their brother."
Riddick nodded. "I gathered that." He said dryly. "Do you have some sort of transport we can use to get off of this planet?" He asked, taking the water Iman offered him.
Iman nodded. "I can give you transportation and food to last you some time." He said. He glanced at Jacqueline. "You will be leaving together?"
Jacqueline blushed slightly and said, "Yes. I'm going with him."
Riddick placed his glass on the table and stood. He walked over to the small kitchen window. He lifted the steel blinds and frowned into the bright night. "This planet never gets dark, does it?"
Iman shrugged. "I admit to still having a bit of a phobia about the darkness." He cleared the table. "Do you need anything else? Money I do not have."
Riddick did not turn. "I can get money. Not a problem." He closed the blinds but did not turn. "Can you do marriages, Holy Man?"
Iman almost dropped his dishes. He turned from his sink and looked at Jacqueline. "Yes. I can do marriages. It is within my powers."
Jacqueline was looking at Riddick's broad back. He turned from the window. "Would you marry us?" He asked.
Iman looked surprised but laughed. "I would be honored to join you and Jack in marriage." He considered a moment, and then said. "I will have my aid, Zaki witness." He said. "He will be here in a few minutes. I will marry you before morning prayers. You will be safe in the school's guest house and can leave on the school shuttle tomorrow night."
Riddick nodded, once. "Good." He said. He walked into the other room without looking at Jacqueline.
Jacqueline looked at Iman, who was still smiling. "I told you." Iman said. "While you were in the hospital. He loved you even then."
Jacqueline didn't reply. She stood and went after Riddick. He was in the sitting area of the three-room house, looking again out of the blinds.
"You don't have to." Jacqueline said, but stopped when Riddick held up his arm.
"Besides the slam, I've never done anything I didn't want to do, Jacqueline." He said. He turned to face her. "I want to marry you. I have for a long time, but before you were just too young." He opened his arms and she went into them. "You've grown up a lot from that little boy I met on that shit desert planet."
Jacqueline chuckled into his chest but said nothing. She let him continue. "I never cared about anyone before then. And when I left you and the Holy Man, I thought I could forget about you. Didn't happen." He pushed her away slightly and they looked into each other's eyes. "You were right in the caves. I do love you. That's why I stayed in touch and came here. You were absolutely right."
Before she could respond there was a soft knock at the door. Iman appeared immediately and motioned for them to go into his bedroom. Instead Riddick led Jacqueline into the kitchen, where they both armed themselves with knives.
They listened as Iman traded greetings and short conversation with someone. He appeared in the kitchen. "This is Zaki." He said, as he watched first Jacqueline then Riddick relax and put the knives down. "His brother was with us," he broke off. "On that pilgrimage so long ago."
Zaki came forward cautiously, obviously unaccustomed to meeting people prepared to stab him. The four of them went back into Iman's sitting room and Iman positioned Riddick and Jacqueline side by side. He stood before them.
"This will not be a conventional wedding." He said. "For these are not conventional people who stand before God to pledge there love and lives to each other." He turned his attention to Jacqueline. "I think I will let your words speak in my stead."
Jacqueline paused, took a deep breath and turned to Riddick. "You saved my life." She began. "And then you kept watching over me. No one has ever done that before. You make me feel loved. I will stay by your side forever."
Iman nodded, pleased with her words. He turned to Riddick.
For almost a full minute Riddick said nothing. He looked at Jacqueline with deadly seriousness. "I've never loved anyone before you came into my life. And I will never love anyone else."
Iman smiled brightly at Riddick's words. He concluded the ceremony with, "Richard Benjamin Riddick, you may kiss your wife."
Riddick's Death
Copyright 2003 By Cassandra Houston
Chapter Four: Life Changes
Over the next few days they ate, talked, made love, slept and developed a simple, subtle hand language to use when the searchers inevitably came looking for them. They were startled awake by the sound of voices. Riddick put a finger to his lips, then to Jacqueline's, indicating they were to begin their silent communication now.
They listened as they silently crept to the other side of the cove and began their climb to their lookout. They could already see the light of the torches cutting the gloom. Jacqueline felt a slight pain at the lights.
"What the hell is this?" A voice said.
"Underground lake." They recognized the voice of Peter.
Riddick and Jacqueline settled into the lookout and watched the men and their lights.
There were fifteen men, all but one of them heavily armed. Jacqueline could make out Peter and David Johns by their shapes. The only other man she knew was Iman.
The men stood examining the land around the lake. One of the unknown men knelt and felt the water. "It's hot." He said.
"This mountain is an inactive volcano." Iman said.
Riddick and Jacqueline kept their heads low as light played along the wall.
"There isn't even a strip of land on the other side for them to hide on." Another unknown man said, examining the other side of the lake carefully. "And no boat. No sign of a boat." He turned the light on David Johns. "No sign yet of human beings."
"I have told you many times that Riddick is not here." Iman said. "And that Jack ran away. You brought horrible memories back to her, Mr. Johns. Then chasing me while I searched for her,"
Peter said. "I was told you left with a student and a man."
"I left with a male and female student." Iman said, sounding frustrated. "To look for Jack. You followed me and we never found anyone. And thanks to you, Jack may never come back here. This is not a sanctuary for her any more."
David shrugged. "We're almost done searching the caves. Won't take more than another day. I know Riddick is alive. I can feel it in my bones. And I'll bet my right arm that little bitch is with him."
Iman just shook his head. "Finish your search and then leave my school please, Mr. Johns. You are just as unpleasant as your brother."
Peter began walking. "Let's hurry this up." He half groaned. "The others should be done searching the surface of the planet by the time we get out of here. But he's not here, David. Let's just face facts."
Riddick and Jacqueline watched as the men all walked away. They had not been seen.
They remained silent for most of the next few days. Riddick seemed to take the time to think. Jacqueline spent much of the time really exploring the grotto they were in. When they were together they talked in their silent language, occasionally adding a sign here or there in whispered voices. They both enjoyed their silent lovemaking.
Jacqueline woke to the sound of a muffled explosion. She found Riddick standing naked at the edge of the water. She approached him from behind and wrapped her arms around him. He was holding a chronograph he had with him that marked the days, as the planet knew them.
"They are out of the caves now." He said aloud. "They just sealed us in." He glanced at the chronograph. "They'll leave the planet soon."
Since there was no sign of worry in Riddick's voice and because she knew him so well, Jacqueline knew there had to be another way out of the caves that she didn't know about. "So when do we go."
He turned in her arms. "Two weeks, to be safe." He said, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm a fugitive again. Still." He looked down at her. "Since I'm dead there is no reward for me this time. They'll kill me on sight, Jack."
Jacqueline looked up at him. "So we won't be found." She considered a moment. "Or we'll have to kill or be killed." She said quietly. "We're going to have to kill the Johns brothers, aren't we? Because if we don't kill them, they will kill us."
She noted the half grin. "What's all this we?" He said. "It's me they want to kill."
Jacqueline nodded. "But I am with you. And I am not leaving you."
Riddick was quiet, holding her. Then he began to nod. "I'm going to see if they found the other entrance. If they did, we'll both die in here." And he turned and waded to the middle of the small body of water and dived.
They waited two weeks before they chanced leaving the caves. The underground entrance to the caves had not been found, Riddick discovered. The chronograph told them pretty well when it was night and day.
Riddick handed Jacqueline a pair of dark goggles. "Where these on your forehead." He said. "Before we surface outside, out them over your eyes. Light is going to be very painful to you now."
Jacqueline nodded and adjusted the glasses on her forehead. They took their meager belongings and took the short underwater swim to the main lake. Jacqueline followed Riddick to a far corner of the lake where they stopped to rest.
"This swim is going to be a lung buster." He said. "You ready for this?"
Jacqueline nodded. "Ready."
Riddick had been absolutely right. The underwater corridor was deep and by the time they surfaced, Jacqueline was sure she was going to drown. She was so obsessed with not breathing she almost forgot to put the goggles on, but she managed to get them on in time. Both of them were gasping desperately for air. They swam for shore as quickly as their paining lungs would permit.
Lying on her back on the shore, Jacqueline noticed that the first moon was setting. It was the middle of the night. No one should be awake at the school.
"We'll go to Iman." Riddick said. "Hopefully he'll have a way for us to get off of this planet."
They were extremely careful getting to the school, but encountered no one. When they reached Iman's modest house, they went into its shadow and knocked on the metal slats of the window. After a moment Iman's face appeared and he threw the window open for them. They clambered into Iman's bedroom.
"Thank Allah!" Iman cheered, greeting them. "I was worried they would find you in those caves. How did you get away from them?" He looked at Jacqueline. He looked at Jacqueline's goggles, but said nothing.
Iman led them into his kitchen where he began preparing a meal for them. Jacqueline gave Iman a shortened version of what had happened. Iman nodded. "I thought that might have happened when the medical equipment disappeared." He glanced at Riddick. "You know medicine." And then he held up his hand. "Of course you do. You just couldn't do the surgical shine operation on yourself."
Riddick only nodded. Iman set the food out for them and stood while Jacqueline and Riddick ate.
Jacqueline sighed with the first mouthful then looked up at Iman and said. "I was down there for about twenty-one or twenty-two days. It's dark down there Iman. I would have gone insane if Benjamin hadn't fixed my eyes."
Iman's eyebrows rose. "Benjamin?" He looked at Riddick.
"Don't ask." Riddick said, between mouthfuls. He swallowed and said. "Where did the Johns brothers go?"
"They took their posse and left this planet looking for you two." Iman said sadly. "It seems that many of the people with them are back to believing that you are dead, my friend."
Riddick studied Iman. "But not the Johns brothers, right Holy Man?"
Iman nodded. "They want revenge. They think you killed their brother."
Riddick nodded. "I gathered that." He said dryly. "Do you have some sort of transport we can use to get off of this planet?" He asked, taking the water Iman offered him.
Iman nodded. "I can give you transportation and food to last you some time." He said. He glanced at Jacqueline. "You will be leaving together?"
Jacqueline blushed slightly and said, "Yes. I'm going with him."
Riddick placed his glass on the table and stood. He walked over to the small kitchen window. He lifted the steel blinds and frowned into the bright night. "This planet never gets dark, does it?"
Iman shrugged. "I admit to still having a bit of a phobia about the darkness." He cleared the table. "Do you need anything else? Money I do not have."
Riddick did not turn. "I can get money. Not a problem." He closed the blinds but did not turn. "Can you do marriages, Holy Man?"
Iman almost dropped his dishes. He turned from his sink and looked at Jacqueline. "Yes. I can do marriages. It is within my powers."
Jacqueline was looking at Riddick's broad back. He turned from the window. "Would you marry us?" He asked.
Iman looked surprised but laughed. "I would be honored to join you and Jack in marriage." He considered a moment, and then said. "I will have my aid, Zaki witness." He said. "He will be here in a few minutes. I will marry you before morning prayers. You will be safe in the school's guest house and can leave on the school shuttle tomorrow night."
Riddick nodded, once. "Good." He said. He walked into the other room without looking at Jacqueline.
Jacqueline looked at Iman, who was still smiling. "I told you." Iman said. "While you were in the hospital. He loved you even then."
Jacqueline didn't reply. She stood and went after Riddick. He was in the sitting area of the three-room house, looking again out of the blinds.
"You don't have to." Jacqueline said, but stopped when Riddick held up his arm.
"Besides the slam, I've never done anything I didn't want to do, Jacqueline." He said. He turned to face her. "I want to marry you. I have for a long time, but before you were just too young." He opened his arms and she went into them. "You've grown up a lot from that little boy I met on that shit desert planet."
Jacqueline chuckled into his chest but said nothing. She let him continue. "I never cared about anyone before then. And when I left you and the Holy Man, I thought I could forget about you. Didn't happen." He pushed her away slightly and they looked into each other's eyes. "You were right in the caves. I do love you. That's why I stayed in touch and came here. You were absolutely right."
Before she could respond there was a soft knock at the door. Iman appeared immediately and motioned for them to go into his bedroom. Instead Riddick led Jacqueline into the kitchen, where they both armed themselves with knives.
They listened as Iman traded greetings and short conversation with someone. He appeared in the kitchen. "This is Zaki." He said, as he watched first Jacqueline then Riddick relax and put the knives down. "His brother was with us," he broke off. "On that pilgrimage so long ago."
Zaki came forward cautiously, obviously unaccustomed to meeting people prepared to stab him. The four of them went back into Iman's sitting room and Iman positioned Riddick and Jacqueline side by side. He stood before them.
"This will not be a conventional wedding." He said. "For these are not conventional people who stand before God to pledge there love and lives to each other." He turned his attention to Jacqueline. "I think I will let your words speak in my stead."
Jacqueline paused, took a deep breath and turned to Riddick. "You saved my life." She began. "And then you kept watching over me. No one has ever done that before. You make me feel loved. I will stay by your side forever."
Iman nodded, pleased with her words. He turned to Riddick.
For almost a full minute Riddick said nothing. He looked at Jacqueline with deadly seriousness. "I've never loved anyone before you came into my life. And I will never love anyone else."
Iman smiled brightly at Riddick's words. He concluded the ceremony with, "Richard Benjamin Riddick, you may kiss your wife."