Author's Note: Well, people are still out there, after all! Thanks to all! I decided to update earlier than I normally do, b/c I was in a writing mood lately. The following chapter has sexual content, so if you wish not to see it, don't read it! Just a warning! Personally, I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I wrote this chapter…
Jazzbone: Thanks, I try and make things seem as likely and possible as they could be if they were real!
Kat Comfort: Thank you! I'm trying not to build the relationship too slow or too fast…although I think I went fast in this chapter…ah well. Enjoy!
Abraxis: Thanks for reading! The reason I posted the last chapter saying I might end this prematurely is b/c I didn't know if anyone was reading it anymore…THUS, I would have taken it off ff.net and kept writing for myself instead of others. BUT, if there were others, I wanted them to be able to enjoy it still. But I wanted to thank you for your concern! What you said has a valid point and should apply to all writers, so thanks!
DevilDude: Thanks! Come back soon!
Christine: Thanks, I will!
DiesalBabe: Hah! I love your name! Should you be checking stories while at work? Hehe…I hope I don't get you in trouble! That wouldn't be cool! I'm glad you like my story and how I described cryosleep. I'm quite fascinated with the idea. Come back soon!
Chapter Six, Payment Problems
Gravity shifted and then I was falling. A slight pull in my shoulders caused me to gasp in pain. It was hard to take a breath, but I managed just barely. After the first breath, it got easier.
I moaned from the coolness surrounding me and forced my heavy lids to open, and for a moment, wished I hadn't.
The room was bright and it was hard to focus. Finally, though, I could and saw that I was on my knees and someone had caught me from dropping all the way to the metal floor; hence, the pull in shoulders.
The woman in front of me extracted her arms from beneath my armpits, gripping me by the shoulders so I wouldn't fall over. She was speaking to me, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. I saw her lips move, but not sound came out.
"Fuck!" I said, but didn't hear my own voice. Nothing but white noise.
I rolled my eyes away from hers to look about the cryo chamber. Only one other tube had been opened and that was Riddick's. He was on the floor on all fours with a gray-haired man speaking to him, hand on his shoulder.
We two were the only ones who would be getting off on this stop.
"-me now?" The woman was asking. I slapped hands to both my ears feebly, trying to block out the blast of sound. I groaned again and pushed weakly against the brunette. She shifted me to sit and lean against the opened cryotube locker.
I gulped in air, stomach rolling uncomfortably and I placed a hand against it, telling myself it would be over soon. I never really remembered the side effects of cryo being this bad before…maybe it was nerves? Technically, I knew the Trisomna had worn off about three weeks into cryosleep and the VapAir was working hard to help me breathe better, but it was still somewhat of a panicky deal. Exiting cryo was never my favorite thing to do. Hell, I had done it forty-three times before and I still wasn't used to it.
"Here, drink this." The woman tilted a bottle of Purewater to my lips and I drank gratefully, wetting my dry throat. I grasped her wrist when I could not take anymore and she pulled the Purewater away, telling me to hold still and she'd be right back.
I watched her walk away and down a corridor, probably for the captain, and licked my lips slowly. The tip of my tongue hurt, I had probably bitten it on accident.
I turned my head to look at Riddick and saw him leaning against his own locker, head back and occasionally nodding to something the old man asked. After he nodded for a last time, he pushed up against the cryotube and stood. He didn't appear to have much of any problems.
A few minutes passed and I attempted to stand myself. It took me a while, but I finally did, ignoring the weakness in my limbs. I went to glance at Riddick and found that he was right next to me.
I startled, and put a hand against the tube to catch myself just as Riddick's hand shot out and gripped my arm. I mumbled a thanks and after I was sure I could stand on my own, I pulled away from him.
Captain Danner and the woman entered, the woman smiling and Danner with a slight frown on his face.
"Follow me, Mrs. al-Walid, Mr. al-Walid. I don't particularly want to be in this section of space for longer than I have to, if you don't mind. Your things are already at the landing site." The captain said and turned through a different doorway then he had entered. I just barely held back a laugh at his assumption and then looked to Riddick.
He was staring at me oddly, head slightly tilted and the laughter died in my throat.
Yeah…too scary.
We went down the hall, allowing the crewies to clean up the now opened tubes and close them up. We followed Danner to the loading dock and entered a small planet hopper, which was used to relay between a ship and, well, a planet. The hopper pilot was already in and waiting.
After answering a few of our questions reluctantly, the captain bid us farewell quicker than I would have expected and closed the hatch behind us. I suppose he was anxious to get away from T2 and its surrounding space.
I know I was and I had just arrived!
Twenty minutes later, we struck down. After a brief conversation with the hopper pilot, he lifted the ship and began the rise back to the larger Neidet Dawne, the antennae pylons glinting once and then disappeared along with the rest of the small ship.
I felt Riddick move away from me and I turned glowing eyes to the arid landscape. The black and yellow sand mixed freely over the heated terrain. The land was mostly flat, though horrifyingly familiar earthen spires pierced the sky in the distance. A cold flash ran down my spine in the sizzling heat and I shuddered.
So many things had gone wrong here, so many lives were lost. I suppose if I compared it to the losses of the Wailing Wars, what we had lost was nothing.
But we had…if Lady Luck existed, she must be laughing her ass off right about now…
Oh yes, we're back for more, I thought as I rubbed a hand across my still braided hair, squinting at the land around me though it wasn't called for.
The light didn't bother me as it had before, the ES allowing for me to keep my eyes wide open in the strong light, instead of squinting. I took one last glance at the two yellow and red suns I faced and then turned back towards the blue giant, the direction Riddick had went.
I noticed quickly the things I had ordered down and saw them about forty feet away. Riddick was already there. I looked once more up at the direction that the small ship had taken and exhaled noisily.
Well. No turning back now, I thought as I broke into a slow jog towards the equipment.
"Where is it?" Riddick asked when I finally reached him. His was standing next to an opened canvas bag, arms crossed again.
Confused, I slowed down and stopped next to him, gasping at the lack of air that too much pressure created. We'd need to get out the liquid oxygen canisters soon and set up the small sip IVs. "Where's what?"
He looked at me, frowning. "The creds, Jack. You said you had 'em on a TD with your stuff."
I blanched, stepping back. I gave a short laugh, nervous, and tried to think of what I would tell him. Technically, I hadn't lied when I said I could get him money…but I had lied when I said it was on a TenderDisk here.
Riddick moved to face me fully, face darkening. "Where are the creds?"
"Heh." I said, moving to stand next to the hover terran. I ran a hand over it, nails tapping staccato on the plexi surface, head lowering. "Here's the funny thing, uh, I have the money…it's just not on TD like I told you." I looked up at him quickly, at his expression, then said, "I can still get it for you!"
He didn't do anything for a time and I was about to say something more when he began to laugh. I would have been relieved…would have…if it didn't sound so…off. He spun away from me and grabbed a loose rock from the ground at his feet. He reared back and let it fly. I watched the impressive distance it got and I pushed my back against the hover terran.
I flinched as his laughter turned into a long, wordless howl. Personally, I didn't see what he thought was so damn funny, but I wasn't about to ask him that in the state he was in.
His howl
faded back into laughter and he slowly came down from wherever he had been. He
rubbed both hands over his shaved head roughly and with that, his laughter
ended.
Riddick turned back to me
suddenly, his face serious and jaw hard. "Alright, Jack. Alright." He moved
towards me, and I unconsciously gripped the side of the hover terran, though I
knew he wouldn't hurt me. Right? Right?
"If you can't give me my payment like agreed, I'll just have to take it out of
you some other way."
I had one second to try and sort that out in my mind and then he was in front of me. "What—" He covered my mouth with his hand and pressed me back onto the hood, bending me backwards.
Fear knifed through me so quickly it was almost painful…was he going to hurt me?
He got one good hold on my silver lycra shirt and then he yanked, ripping the material apart. I gave a startled squeak, looking up at him briefly shocked.
Does he want what I think he wants?
He snapped the front of my bra in half and then I felt him pull me up against him to jerk the ruined material off of me.
Yes, he does.
He pushed me back onto the hover terran's hood roughly and went to the belt at my waist. As he unbuckled it and pulled it out of the belt loops quickly, I moved my arms over my breasts and watched wide-eyed as he tossed the leather aside. His fingers went to my pants and he worked them faster than he had my shirt.
As he tugged them down my legs, I heard him growl as they caught on my boots. I gasped for air as my heart thundered along. I tried to say his name, but it failed me and something shifted in me as he tugged off my boots.
"Riddick! Wait!" Whatever had frozen me in place before broke and I began to struggle. I kicked my legs at him, but he just caught them and pulled my pants the rest of the way off. He pushed his way between my legs, working on his own pants.
I screamed. Don't get me wrong…Riddick was very appealing and I did…want…him. It was just…not like this.
I reached out to push him away but felt him jerk and then his hands were free and he reached for my own, pushing them above my head and holding them there. His mouth came down and ran over my stomach, his rough tongue moving across the smooth, sensitive skin. I shuddered and squirmed beneath him.
I realized then that I could feel him. And he was hard, ready, and willing to go.
I made a decision then, and that was that if this was going to happen, I wasn't going to turn into a…victim. Not by anyone, most of all, especially not Riddick.
His mouth traveled upward to my breasts and focused on one. His swirled his tongue around the nipple briefly and then his mouth was locked over it, teasing unmercifully.
I felt the sharpness of teeth briefly and I moaned aloud. He seemed to find encouragement from the exaltation and lifted from my chest. He looked down into my face, black goggles glinting in the strong light and then his mouth was on mine.
His fierceness seemed to dissipate when his lips met mine. His kiss turned slow, lips shifting softly against my own and then delivering a sweet pressure. My lips parted to allow him entrance and his tongue hotly explored the confines of my mouth.
I felt him release one of my hands and I placed it on his shoulder, balancing myself as he deepened the kiss further. His hand dragged down my side, making me shiver, and I felt him stop at the edge of my panties.
I pushed my hips against him and he grunted, slipping his fingers under until I felt one stop between my legs. I shifted again and he slid a finger into me.
I arched against him and moaned again. Oh, yes. This was definitely a Riddick Fantasy…He began to move, drawing his long digit out and then pushing back in.
Please keep going!
"Ah…" I took a deep breath, aware of the lack of air and warned myself not to get too worked up. Like that'll not happen, I thought sarcastically.
"Yes, Riddick…Oh God…"
I was about to speak his name again when I felt him go rigid…and not in the happy sense, either. My eyes went to look at him right as he rested his forehead on my bared stomach.
His chest was heaving. I hadn't noticed in all the excitement…mine was too. "Riddick? What's wrong?" His hand loosened on my other and I sat up as much as I could with him still on me. "What's the mat—"
"I can't do this…" He lifted off me then, pulling his pants back on and buttoned them.
"You can't…" I trailed off and suddenly found myself embarrassed. I looked about for the shredded remains of my clothes but didn't see them. "God…"
I scooted off the hood of the hover terran and turned slightly as Riddick said, "Here." He took off the gray shirt he wore and tossed it to me. "Wear it until you find some of your stuff."
I nodded, pulling it over my head and forced myself not to stare at his nicely formed torso. He put his back to me and moved off to look at the things I had purchased for the trip.
I stood there for a moment after her turned. I ran a hand over my body and then pressed fingertips to my bruised lips…God…I never realized that Riddick could be so…Oh, I don't know. I can't even think up a good word for it!
I didn't even know why he pulled away…was it me? Did he just decide I was too hideous to even consider me as someone he could be with? Was I that bad?
I took another deep breath and moved over to where I kept my clothes and other accessories. The red Plaztec box was dull in the light and after a quick number code, the top panel slide open, revealing neatly folded clothes with a chrono, silver pendent, and a wrist brace to control time between light bursts on the Maglamp.
The first thing I picked up was the pendent, and hung it about my neck. It was a simple silver Libra symbol, derived from the early days of Earth, and incorporated as the zodiacal symbol for the month of my birth. I can't quite recall how it came about…one day, I came home to find Imam oddly absent (for the afternoon) and the necklace laid out atop my bed.
The next thing I did was clamp the wrist brace onto my right arm, wincing at the uncannily freezing metal. It always was cold. I made sure the pressure pads were clear of dust and that they touched not a thing. I had brought light with us in case something went wrong and I didn't want to waste any light we did have…no matter how much I had brought.
The chrono was last, and after a snap, I turned it to have the face sitting atop my wrist. I glanced quickly across the time and then date to see if everything was as it should be. It wasn't…
"Fuck…" I whispered, and then louder, "FUCK!"
"What?" Riddick asked from a few feet away.
I looked up at him and said, unable to keep the panic out of my face. "We've got a problem. A. Big. Fucking. Problem."
