Title: Jack B. Badd Part Two: Wheel in the Sky
Author: Daryn
Fandom: Pitch Black
Pairing: Jack/Riddick (eventually)
Rating: PG-13 for 2 curse words
Email: dmunster@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: This is part two in the saga of Jack
Web Page: http://ddraven.tripod.com/pitchblack/
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, but damn I wish I did.
Warnings: Jack is a boy. Read 'Disclaimers' page for more info
Notes: Jack's POV. This is the story of Jack's life with emphasis on his experiences on the planet in Pitch Black. There is no sex, yet. Eventually Jack and Riddick will get groovy though.
Summary: Years later Jack narrates his memories of the crash onto the Planet through Fry's near escape from the creatures that killed Zeke.
Beta Credit: Colin and Cait. *hugs*
I heard it all. I thought I was dreaming. I wouldn't let myself open my eyes. If I just kept my eyes closed it wasn't really happening, I was just dreaming. I forced my muscles to relax.
The horrible sounds climaxed as I felt the ship slump heavily along the ground until it stopped. Silence. This was a silence that was not the absence of sound but that horrible sick energetic silence of air that has just been dancing and is settling down again.
My pod was on its side on the floor. I could see out. I heard some people beginning to walk around. I saw feet. Boots. I kicked on my pod and slapped my hands on the glass front. A woman with long wavy hair bent down and looked in at me.
She motioned for me to hold on. In a minute she was back with a cutting torch. I relaxed myself again so that I could roll out easily.
In my head I prepared my greeting to the others. I decided to keep my voice as husky as possible, just in case. Play the bratty little boy, that was the ticket. You've survived whatever just happened and now you've gotta keep that up, I silently coached myself.
The door opened, I rolled out and looked up, first at the woman then at the man who was standing next to her. "So I guess something went wrong?" I stated, more as an observation than anything else.
The woman helped me up, "Hey kid. You're lucky you made it. I'm Shazza." "Zeke," said the man, gripping my shoulder as I caught my balance. "I'm Jack," I said, rubbing my neck and looking around at the mess. "We crashed didn't we?" I asked. "Yeah. Bloody horrible from the look of it," Zeke said.
"You traveling alone Jack?" Shazza looked at me with concern.
"Oh yeah, I was just going to visit..." I started but I stopped. What was my story? An aunt, that's right.
Shazza just patted my shoulder. These were nice people. I was glad of that.
A scream broke out from somewhere else in the wreckage. A man was yelling something. A few other people showed up and we headed slowly toward the source.
A lady was leaning over a man who had this crazy spike thing sticking out of his chest, almost out of his heart. Somehow I knew that they were two of the crew members. I guess I just assumed it at the time but I was right.
I kind of wanted to look away from that grisly sight but it was too surreal. I'd seen stuff like that in the vids thousands of times, but seeing it for real was just so demandingly human and primitive. I was glad when the crew lady told us to go. I shook myself and decided to head outside.
I saw the prisoner on my way out -- he was chained with his hands behind him to a post. He had a bit in his mouth and a blindfold. That was crazy. Even though I only caught a passing glimpse of him I was able to register that he was totally built.
Hmmm... big guys like that chained up... that was hot shit. I decided that the cop wasn't going to be my favorite guy around here. Even if there was a good reason to keep him locked up, I didn't feel that anyone really deserved to be locked up literally the way the I had felt locked up at school.
It wasn't fair.
Wherever we were, it was breathtaking. Literally. An endless desert apparently. I'd seen vids with desert planets before. They were never happy places.
The holy folks seemed to be praying a ways off. It made me wish that I had some kind of god to grateful to for having survived. But no, there was just me and the powers beyond my control.
I sometimes think that I have a god too, I just call it fate.
Ok. So I climbed up on top of the ship carcass and looked around. Zeke and Shazza were up there looking around and having some discussion of their own. I was so busy looking around I didn't notice the other folks coming up too.
"I feel one lung short," Shazza said. "Yeah, I feel like I just ran or something," I agreed. the captain lady joined us around then. Shazza said how she and Zeke had talked about looking for other people before they saw the crash path -- probably a mile or smoking wreckage.
Like the guy who was impaled in the ship, this was way creepy. It was so real yet unreal.
Zeke ask, "What the hell happened up there?" The captain didn't know but Shazza said we should all be grateful to the captain.
"Yeah, thanks for saving our dicks," I chimed in. Was I being too obvious? Nah, everyone was a bit too shaken up to worry about a silly thing like my gender when I was so obviously oozing little boy vibes. I guess even my attempts at coming off tough were seen more as normal boy behavior than anything else.
I patted the captain on the shoulder - she didn't seem happy about her role as savior to us all. I was glad the funny old guy with the glasses was nice to her too. I liked him the way the kids in the vids like the eccentric uncle, you know? But the bastard cop guy was really cold with us all, and to her.
The captain, her name was Fry, and Johns - the cop - headed off to explore the wreckage. After a second the funny old guy, Paris, hopped along after them, saying he might have some stuff to drink. Shazza and Zeke and I dug around looking for some oxy paks to help us all breathe better.
I was just wondering about the prisoner again when the holy guys came over. "How may we help?" asked the grown man, their leader.
"Ah, hi. I'm Shazza, this is Jack, Zeke's over there." "Please call me Imam, my boys and I are on hajj to New Mecca." "Well, the captain and some others are out there getting some water I think. You can see if they need help."
Shazza handed the one oxy pak we'd found to the smallest of Imam's boys. He and Imam went to look for the captain and the other two helped us a bit.
I felt good about my status here with these other boys - they didn't speak Common apparently and clearly their ideas of boyhood were much different from mine anyway. I was grateful to not be the only kid along.
We had a few more oxy paks when the other group got back. "Got some booze, no water" said Fry. "That's EXPENSIVE booze," Paris chimed in testily. I was just beginning to wonder if I'd get any if there was nothing else to drink when Johns came running back from where he'd popped into the crash ship.
"Where the hell is Riddick?" he demanded. "Who?" I said on impulse, of course realizing in the process of saying it that Riddick must be the prisoner's name. Johns ignored me of course and ran off toward the horizon. "I suppose it's the prisoner," Shazza said, looking after Johns.
"Riddick..." I thought aloud. I thought I recalled some passing report, perhaps on the vids... Maybe even a vid based on his crimes, who knows. I was half glad he'd gotten out, but I was also sad and scared.
Sad because there'd be no chance later to sneak in and stare at him -- it's not every day you get to see a big hot guy like that completely restrained unless you work at a kinky club or something. And I was scared too. Well, obviously, he could kill us or something.
Oh stop it Jack, I thought, mentally slapping myself. You're stranded on a barren god damned rock, you could die and you're getting yourself all hard over some... bad boy...
Johns came back then: "Ok, we have to go look for water anyway, right? I propose a water search team that will also attempt to locate and incapacitate Riddick. Ok with you, captain?"
Fry paused a moment, "Yes, we'll do that. I'm going." "We shall go also," Imam said. "Good with me," said Johns.
"Hey if I'm staying here - and I bloody well am - I'll need a weapon" Zeke put in. Johns nodded, "Let's see what we've got."
As a group we headed toward the compartment that had what remained of the luggage hold.
"What'd Riddick do?" I asked Johns.
"Oh, just killed a lot of people."
"How many?"
"Jesus, kid, go bug someone else." I kicked the sand.
Shazza squeezed my shoulder. I liked her. I bet if Mother had had half a chance in life she'd have been a bit like Shazza.
Of course that's just wishful thinking since I never really even knew Mother. But still.
While Johns grabbed some guns and Paris handed out some of his antique weapons I poked around a bit. Nothing else cool from the looks of it. I hopped back in.
They were talking about Riddick again. Horny Jack was all ears.
"Why would he come back to bother us?" Paris asked. "Maybe to rob you. Maybe scare you. Or just skull fuck you in your sleep," Johns was trying to be all like Billy Badass (hah, I used to watch that vid a lot with Peter).
I didn't know then and I don't know now exactly what skull fucking entails but I have a hell of an imagination and besides, hearing the forbidden word 'fuck' (you could get ten demerits or expelled for saying it at school) used with reference to Riddick gave me butterflies. Time to duck out.
I grabbed a cool boomerang thing and skipped ship.
We went back to the crash ship and Shazza and I headed back to the forgotten oxy paks. Zeke and Shazza were amazing together. They hooked them up quick. Shazza got mine on me, knocking my hat off, and I took a hit.
It was the first thing anyone had given me in a long time. I felt really happy about that. The search party was about to go when Paris pointed something out.
"Three suns?" I was shocked. "So much for nightfall," Zeke said. Of course, no sunset. No night. Johns gave Zeke a gun an they were off toward the blue sun. I hoped they'd find water. I hated to think about what would happen if they didn't. I wasn't so worried about Riddick though. I didn't want Johns catching him again.
So I decided to get whatever enjoyment I could out of whatever time I had left. It wasn't so much a conscious decision as a knee-jerk reaction to being faced so relentlessly with my own mortality. I noticed Paris setting up a primitive oasis on top of the ship.
What would a playful kid do to his eccentric uncle in this situation? What would be fun for me to do? I giggled silently, grabbed my boomerang and snuck up behind him... and... POUNCE!
I got him in a headhold with the boomerang. I bet I scared the shit out of him too.
"He'd probably get you right here, under the jaw and you'd NEVER hear him coming," I used my silly-scary voice, "That's how GOOD Riddick is."
"Did you run away from your parents or did they run away from you?" Paris retorted huffily.
Good cover. I smirked and walked away. His glib comment reminded me that I really had nothing to go back to even if we did manage to get out of this mess.
Oh well, that had been fun. I really had snuck up on him just like Riddick might do. Man, Peter and I would have had so much fun playing Riddick back in the day. Playing Riddick, haha... Best not to think about him.
I hopped down and almost ran into Shazza.
"Oh Jack, I'm going to work a bit on the other bit of the ship there, why don't you tag along?"
"Sure. Where's Zeke?"
"Digging some graves."
"Oh. Where?"
"Actually... hang on a tick. I'll see if I can see him."
"Ok."
I sat down and look at the boomerang closely. I was glad Shazza didn't treat me like just a kid but still helped me out with what I needed -- distraction. She came back after a minute.
"Is he Ok?"
"Yeah, no worries, come on."
I'm not sure exactly what Shazza was doing, but I was helping the best that I could, letting my physical activity and alertness distract me from other thoughts.
Suddenly Paris bounced in. "Tell me that was you just now," he panted. "What? He's been right here, helping me," Shazza protested.
For two seconds I was able to feel offended that Paris might be accusing me of something, flattered, also, relieved, and happy to be affirmed as 'he', as well as worried about what had spooked Paris.
All these feelings quickly turned to a rapid pulse, sweaty palms and cold fear as we heard the loud, metallic clang and thudding of heavy footsteps outside.
A shadow moved across the light. I hopped to a hole and looked out. A man's legs, a man's waist... Riddick? - I mouthed silently to the others.
Was it Riddick? Would he kill us? I was so jumpy. I wanted it to be him but I didn't want to die.
Shazza got one of those crazy old weapons ready by the door.
I leaned around the other side as far as I could, Paris leaning around me. Shazza leapt around with the weapon. My gut screamed out through my vocal chords "No!!!!"
Was it the thought of Shazza killing anyone that I couldn't take? The thought of Riddick dying? What? Hindsight is a wonderful thing, as I've said. All the questions that have no answers can be asked in retrospect.
The answer is still: I don't really know.
"Oh my god I thought I was the only survivor!" The strange man's last words had almost no time to sink in before his blood was all over Shazza.
The man fell, revealing Zeke, smoking weapon in hand. The body almost fell on top of my feet.
Through my shock I sputtered "It was just somebody else from the crash!"
I didn't meant to sound as harsh and I must have. Poor Zeke. He didn't know. He was so upset too as he got the body up to go and bury it.
I don't guess there's much worse than for a good person to kill the wrong person and then have to the bury them too.
Shazza and I cleaned the blood off of her and as much as we could off the ship. It was such a mess. Next thing I knew, gunshots were ringing out from where Zeke had gone off with the body and we heard him screaming.
I hadn't quite registered it when Shazza was already halfway there. I started after her but ran back for my boomerang.
When I got to where they were, Johns and Fry were there and Johns had Riddick.
Fry was keeping Shazza from killing him, Riddick I mean. She kept screaming at him "What did you do to Zeke? Kill him!! Blood... all over..." she relaxed in Fry's grip.
So much death, all at once. I couldn't take it. I backed away and dry-heaved a bit. I hadn't eaten since before cryo of course so I had nothing to vomit up.
As they dragged Riddick back to the ship I noticed a few things. First, if Riddick had killed Zeke and it had been so bloody, how did Riddick have no blood on him? I didn't think he killed him. That didn't seem his... style.
But what did I know about Riddick, let alone his "style"? It was just a feeling I had. I decided that if I was right then I would always follow my gut from then on.
The eyes. That was the next thing that occurred to me on surveying the scene. Why was Riddick keeping his eyes closed so tight? Why did he seem helpless? Was he blind? Did he need some special thing to see that Johns had gotten away from him?
The others were having a heated debate.
"He killed Zeke."
"You think he did all that?"
"Who else?"
"You don't know what this guy can do."
"Look, he said he heard something. His knife wasn't bloody."
"He says -- Jesus, you can't BELIEVE him!"
"Look, I'll go see what he has to say."
I snuck down the ladder on the top of the ship and positioned myself so I could see Riddick. He was tied up again... oh daddy, buy me that!
My thoughts went on a rollercoaster: 'Whew, oh god, I bet he can smell me, I bet he knows I'm here. Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit I got my period. Well, I should be Ok. I saw some tampons in the other part of the ship, I'll snag one later.'
Fry entered the ship. Riddick still had his eyes closed. He didn't even move to acknowledge her presence when she asked "Where the body?"
He didn't answer. I wanted to hear his voice. I needed to hear it. My pulse was racing. Fry said something about some sounds. Riddick still didn't answer.
"Fine," said Fry, turning to leave, "but we're thinking of leaving you here to die."
And then it came -- like a velvet freight train crashing into my spine, one sweet disc at a time: "You mean the whispers?"
I could have creamed my pants right there. That was the voice that I wanted to wake up to and fall asleep to. I was so caught up in the ecstasy of sound that was the voice of Richard B. Riddick that I couldn't even focus on what he said next. I came to in time to note that he was talking about killing -- a sweet spot.
Oh yeah baby, I've got a sweet spot and you can touch it anytime.
"All you people are so scared of me. Usually I take that as a compliment. But it ain't me you gotta worry about now." It was someone else. He didn't kill Zeke. I knew it. He would have gloated about it, not denied it.
But then, who DID kill Zeke?
"Show me your eyes Riddick," Fry ordered it but I was thinking it and wishing it too. "You'd have to come a lot closer for that." I was trying so hard not to breathe so hard.
Fry slowly stepped forward. I knew what was coming. Riddick would stand up when she got... "Closer..." he purred... Aaaah! He did it, stood up and faced her down.
And I saw his eyes. I hopped down and struck as cool a position as I could next to the ladder. I needed those eyes to look at me. They did just that.
"Where the hell can I get eyes like that?" Oh I was so smooth! And the double meaning of my words amused me. Play it cool, play it cool...
"Gotta kill a few people" the silky reply.
"Ok I can do it" I know which ones I'd start with too, stupid school... I stepped closer.
"Then you get sent to a Slam where you'll never see daylight again. Dig up a doctor and pay him twenty menthol Kools to do a surgical shine job on your eyeballs."
I smiled. I had to. He said all that to ME. He had answered me. I almost giggled with glee, but instead I quipped "So you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark?"
The answer "Exactly" came with such a drop dead gorgeous smile that I could have died a happy boy right there.
It almost softened Fry's demand of "Leave!" That wiped my smile away, but not Riddick's. If I were captain, I'd have wanted to be alone with him too.
Oh well, I figured, that's how it goes for me.
I hiked up the stairs again but not before I heard Riddick's comment to Fry: "Cute kid" and in my mind I could still see his smile in my mind and feel his eyes...
He said I was cute! Oh my god! I felt elated. I had never had such a huge crush and I'd certainly never had so much positive fuel for the fire as it were.
But he said "kid". Did he smell that I'm a girl but see that I'm a boy? Does that mean I'm just a kid to him and I'll die miserable and alone? I thought maybe I was too reading too much into those two words.
But no, I told myself, it's just your own fantastical reading. Read it that way if it makes you happy.
"What? Where have you been?" Shazza grabbed me.
"I was listening," I tried to explain. She shook her head and just stood there, holding my arm.
Fry came out of the ship. "We've got to go in there." "What do you mean 'we', pale face?" I guess Johns was making some joke that I just didn't get.
We all followed Fry toward the hole. I popped back to grab my boomerang and ran to catch up. Johns was saying how he was sure Riddick had hidden Zeke's body in the hills.
"We've got to be sure," Fy insisted. I bet she was having the same gut feelings as me. "Look, Riddick belongs in the asshole hall of fame," Johns continued.
Yeah well, he's not the only one.
"Hey, I'll go," I offered. I wanted to prove Johns wrong, but I also knew they'd never let me. So volunteering was just another good way of maintaining the bratty boy gotta-prove-myself front.
"No one is going," Fry said. She and Johns started some exchange about proving themselves. I was wondering when their pants were coming down for the pissing contest.
We got to the hole and Fry was the one who was strapped down and headed in. Imam held the line. The blood was already baked and the hole really stank.
We watched Fry disappear into the hole. I held my breath on and off. It could only have been a couple of minutes of silence. Then Imam said he thought he heard something.
I heard it too. It wasn't coming form the hole though. I stood up and that gut of mine led me right to it - one of those tower things, Fry was in there, shouting.
Johns broke through and we reached in and pulled her out.
"I heard you Fry! I heard you first!" I babbled, hoping and hoping she was all right. "Fry, are you Ok?" I fussed.
I was so glad it hadn't been me but that damn nagging guilt was threatening me. "What's down there, what is it?" The others were all talking too as we helped Fry away.
"Fuck!" she said finally, "I don't know what the fuck is in there but it got Zeke and it almost got me" and she almost got pulled back in.
Johns and Imam managed to unharness he in time though.
I thought at that point I'd had all the scares I could take.
Silly me.