CHANCE ENCOUNTERS (part 3)

Author: Sullen Gurl

Email:blasie007@yahoo.com

Rating: PG for profanity and violence

Archive: No problem. Just let me know.

Feedback: Is what I live for. Positive or negative feedback is immensely appreciated. Really.

Summary: Fry and Riddick had already met previous to the Pitch Black events. This story is set some time before Riddick is sent to the Slam.

Note: Characters' backgrounds are not based on the book, "Pitch Black" or that TV thingy, Into Pitch Black. So it really IS my universe. Oh, the power to manipulate.

Disclaimer: PITCH BLACK and all its characters belong to USA Films. Do not sue.
Acknowledgements: Major thanks go out to Nadj and Stine, my beloved beta-readers.

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Author's Note: It's been, what, a decade? And for that, I am trulytrulytrulytruly sorry. It's been a while since I've last written anything remotely creative, so here's to hoping you get to read past the first paragraph. Thanks to all those who'd written me. Your encouragement is what keeps me writing.


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40 minutes into the flight, Carolyn unstrapped herself and peered out the side of the cockpit to watch pieces of rock against the pitch black hurtling by. Take-off and the first hour of a flight are usually the most tiresome, but the crew of Memento-Mori pulled through smoothly. Captain Gallagher leaned back into his seat and looked over his two suborinates.

"Well…so far, so good," he told them.

Delaney checked his watch and shook his head.

"A lot can happen in four hours." he muttered to himself.

No sooner were the words uttered, when an unexpected jolt shook the ship. Carolyn, who was standing behind the Captain, immediately held on to one of the handles overhead before she was swung violently to the side. Warning lights blinked on the panels and a sound alarm filled the cockpit.

"The HELL was that?" Delaney yelled over the din.

"Your job to find out, Delaney," the Captain snapped, already flipping switches left and right.

Delaney combed the radar and zoomed in on the screen, while an unseen force continued to shake the ship.

"Fry!," Gallagher called over his shoulder.

"Captain," she answered, bracing herself between both pilot seats.

"I want you to head down to Deck C2 and check the tanks. I want you to search thoroughly for any leaks or caps that might've come undone. Do a run-up on the engine main drive and i.d. any low pressure ares on the ship."

"Right," she said before stumbling out the cockpit. The turbulence made it impossible for Fry to run down the hallway without stumbling several times. Somehow, she managed to make her way to C2. After quickly punching in the access code, the doors automatically swung open. She made a beeline for the tank containers and checked the gauges. Relief washed over her when the instruments showed nothing out of the ordinary. She walked over to the main controls and ran an impromptu sys check. It took a full monitor to display the results, all of which showed that no damages were sustained by the ship.

When the ship took another violent lurch, Fry slammed against the padded wall and was thrown to the floor. Groaning, she got up and staggered over to the door. Just as she reached the panel, the shaking suddenly stopped. Fry froze, as if expecting the ship to go into another round of seizures.

"Fry! Do you read me?", she heard.

Fry straightened and flicked on the commlink with one hand and absently punched in the code with the other.

"Here, Captain. Normal on the tanks. Pressure's up one level, but that isn't extraordinary in atmospheres like this."

"Good. I didn't think so, but we gotta cover all the bases."

"Everything's fine on this end. Looks like we're stable, sir?" she asked as she made her way down the narrow corridor back toward the cockpit

"We are. Seems we'd gone through a magnetic field that had been uncharted. Control tower informs me that it's part of some Federation procedure."

Fry breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well then that's good news, Captain. I'm on my..."

"Fry…", he interrupted, "hold on. You are down there at C2, right? While you're at it, I want you to check on the cargo deck."

Fry stopped in midstride and held her commlink away from her, staring at it like it had suddenly grown wings.

"Lt?" the commlink squawked.

"I'm sorry Captain. I seem to be getting some feedback. You told me to check where?" she asked, hoping she had just heard wrong.

"The cargo deck, Fry," he repeated with patience. "Now, I want you to check the restraints, just like how I had taught you and Delaney in training. The shaking probably didn't loosen them, but we can't be too certain."

Fry sighed. "Right," she said into the commlink, before spinning on her heels and heading for the lift.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself once inside, pressing B1 on the panel.

The doors opened to reveal a dimly lit corridor. She stepped out and walked over to the cargo deck. She was about to raise her hand to the sensor when she stopped and leaned her forehead against the cool, steel wall.

"You were gonna have to do this eventually, Carolyn. Now get a fucking grip."

She took a step back and a deep breath. Finally, she raised her right hand, and watched as the green laser ran up and down her palm.



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"Bloody hell," Hyde murmured, cranking his neck from side to side the best his neck grip allowed him. "A man can't even get a good sleep with all this shaking." Nevertheless, after a couple of rotations, he let his head drop to the side and went right back to sleep.

Towne nodded towards Riddick.

"Whaddaya suppose happened?" he asked.

Riddick didn't answer at first. He kept his head bowed down, like he was listening for something.

Towne held his breath, and cocked his own head to the side, straining his ears.

"Coulda been anything," Riddick finally said. "Coulda been a shower. An intercept. Systems malfunction." He looked directly at Towne and regarded him seriously. "Hundred ways to die in space."

Towne let out a bitter laugh.

"Got that right. If we're lucky, maybe a comet could blow us all up to kingdom come before they can get us to the Slam."

His words hung heavy in the air, as the thought floated in both their minds. Riddick shook the image out of his head. For him, getting there was NOT an option.

We've been afloat an hour, Riddick calculated. That gives me around four more hours to…

His thoughts were interrupted when the doors to the deck swished open and Fry stepped in.



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Fry had to squint when she first entered the room. It was brighter in the cargo deck than anywhere else on the ship. As soon as her eyes had adjusted to the stark lights, she surveyed the room. The 3 prisoners were strategically placed in three corners of the deck. In front of each man, a steel rod ran down from the ceiling to the floor. Their hands were chained together and attached to the pole. Their knees were slightly spread apart; ankles shackled and bolted to the floor. A longer chain connected the chains to their hands and the chains to their feet, making painless movement almost impossible.

Hyde was fast asleep; his head lolled to the side. Unbeknownst to her, Towne was watching her every move with a rakish grin on his face. Riddick's face she couldn't see from where she stood, the pole and his chained hands obstructing her view of him.

She walked up to Hyde and knelt down in front of him. She checked the magnetic lock that held the ankle chains together. She leaned lower and checked the bolts on the floor as well. From where she knelt, she looked up and observed his face. Once again, she noted how somewhat attractive he really was. A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead and she resisted the urge to brush it back. She got on her feet and checked the locks on the hands. Fry imagined all the noise and tugging would wake him at that point, but Hyde remained dead to the world.

She looked over at Towne and saw that he looked expectant, almost excited even. Fry grimaced, but made her way over to him anyway. She stooped down the check his restraints the way she had checked Hyde's.

"What do you say, baby? You, me, these chains right here. Sounds like fun to me," Towne told her.

Fry looked up at him and smiled sweetly. "Not if you were the last carbon-based creature in the galaxy."

"Playing coy, huh? That's alright, I like a challenge."

Fry tugged at the chains around his feet a little harder than necessary.

"Oh, yeah. I like it when you get rough."

Fry bit back a sharp retort. This sleazeball just wasn't worth the energy, she decided, straightening to her full height.

Riddick was next.

Avoiding eye contact, Fry got down on one knee and started to check his lower restraints. When she realized she was holding her breath, she let it out slowly. Head bent and working on the chains, she could feel his eyes on him. She was about to rise when she heard him speak up.

"Sure they're tight enough?"

She looked up and met a pair of piercing brown eyes staring right back at her. She had never heard him speak until now. His voice - it was like nothing she'd ever heard before. A baritone so deep and warm it seemed to touch something inside her.

"I checked," she told him tersely, ignoring the shiver she felt run up her spine.

"Might wanna check again", he said, amused now. "Wouldn't want us motherfuckers running around now, would you?"

"You ought to know that's not gonna happen", she tossed back.

Riddick just shrugged, but the corners of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile when he sensed her fight back the urge to check the chains again anyway.

She was about to reach for the chains on his wrists when Riddick suddenly jerked his arms back. The loud clanging noise the shackles made startled Fry, making her flinch. He had only twisted his hands around, revealing the lock that was previously buried underneath the chains. Fry's eyes flew to Riddick's, hoping he hadn't caught her jump.

Too late, she realized, as she noted that amused glint in his eyes return.

"I won't bite," he drawled.

Nervous laughter escaped Fry's lips, as she proceeded to tug at the chains on his wrist.

"Can't be TOO sure," she said casually, regaining her composure. She paused. "Especially if you're as dangerous as they say you are."

"And just how dangerous would that be ?"

She shrugged. "Just telling you what I hear."

Convinced that the restraints were secure, she took a step back. But instead of turning away and leaving the room, she stayed in place and studied him openly.

"Aren't you the least bit afraid?" she asked him.

Riddick arched an eyebrow. "Of you?"

Fry threw him a look. "Of being sent to the Slam."

He fixed her with his unwavering gaze.

"You should know that very little scares me."

Fry smirked.

Liar, she thought.

"Are you afraid?" he asked her.

Scared shitlless, she admitted to herself.

"No," she just said instead, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

A slow knowing smile spread on Riddick's face.

Liar, he thought.

"Oh for fuck's sake!", Towne exploded. Riddick and Fry looked over at him. Fry suddenly remembered where she was and who she was talking to. Meanwhile, Riddick was giving Towne a look that clearly told him to fuck off.

Fry quickly wiped the smile off her face and took opportunity to make a hasty exit. Riddick turned back to see Fry slip out between the deck's sliding doors.



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As soon as the doors thudded shut behind her, Fry strode stiffly down the dim corridor.

"Fry," the communit squawked. "Problems?"

Fry flicked on the switch almost impatiently.

"No, Captain. I just passed by the… erm, engine room to, uh, check on the turbines."

She bit her tongue. Fry hated to lie to the Captain, but anything was better than the truth. What was she supposed to say? That she had a little chat with one of the convicts. Right.

"Not gonna happen again," she admonished herself.

Before heading for the cockpit, she made a quick stop at the lavatory. Once inside, she splashed cold water on her face. She straightened up and took a long hard look at her reflection. This mission was turning out to be trickier than she thought.

All this fucking mindplay, she thought, running her wet fingers through her dirty-blonde hair.


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It had been three hours since the ship had left the Orion. Gallagher allowed Delaney and Fry to spend a few minutes in the mess hall for a break. Fry watched as Delaney prepared himself a meal. She took one glance at what suspiciously looked like green oatmeal before deciding she wasn't hungry after all. So she rested her head on her folded arms and closed her eyes.

"What was it like," Delaney asked between mouthfuls.

"What was what like?" she asked absently, her voice muffled by her arms.

"Up there. With the prisoners."

"It was fine," she said after a while.

Delaney laughed.

"What?" Fry asked innocently, finally looking up at him.

He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at her. "C'mon, Carolyn. Captain's not around. You can level with me."

"I am leveling with you. Sure it WAS terrifying, you know," she paused, shrugging, "I guess you just cowboy up. Do your job."

"And what a job it is," he said.

Fry was about to lay her head back down when she heard him speak up again.

"Can't wait to get this mission done with, if you ask me."

A vision of Riddick flashed in Carolyn's head.

You and me both, Delaney, she thought.

"Well, we're on Captain Gallagher's time," she said instead. "You can't beat that. He can handle anything in case you've forgotten."

As if the mere mention of his name had the power to conjure him, the door to the mess hall swung open and Gallagher's head popped in.

"Listen up. We're going through Tantro VII in a minute," he informed them.

Fry stood up quickly. "The asteroid belt," she said aloud.

The Captain nodded. "Need a couple more hands for this," he amended, before disappearing down the hall. Fry had already shrugged into her suit and quickly followed the captain. Delaney wolfed down the rest of his food, when Gallagher yelled from the corridor.

"Tick, tick!" he boomed.

"I'm there, Captain," he yelled back, hurriedly zipping up and darting out the room.

When he arrived in the cockpit, Fry was already strapped in and punching in a sequence of buttons on the board above her.

Gallagher looked at him over his shoulder.

"It's 1100, Delaney. Time for the routine check on the cargo. You're up."

Fry darted a quick glance at Delaney and saw his face drain completely of color at the captain's orders.

"Lt. Delaney?" Gallagher asked.

"Sir," he croaked.

"Well, what the hell are you still doing back there," he growled. "Move!"

Delaney turned to Fry wordlessly and she nodded encouragingly.

"Yes, Captain," he said slowly, grudgingly stepping out the cockpit.

"Back to work, Fry," Gallagher snapped.

"Yessir," she replied, tearing her gaze away from Delaney's retreating figure and back to the controls.



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Riddick turned to the two other prisoners. Towne was wide awake now, and for once, Hyde was perfectly still and quiet. Both were looking back at him. It was 1100. It should happen any minute.

Riddick swung his gaze to the doors of the cargo deck.

Here we go, he told himself.

He felt the familiar sensation of his adrenaline running; of the blood pounding in his ears. It was always this way for him, and he loved it.

Riddick closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and waited.



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It had been 23 minutes since the Captain had sent Delaney to check on the prisoners. Gallagher and Fry had successfully maneuvered the ship through the asteroid belt safely. It was going to be clear open space for the rest of the trip. Fry tried not to notice how impatient the Captain was getting waiting for the other lieutenant.

"The hell could be taking him so long?" he muttered. "Left his damn commlink behind too."

Fry cleared her throat and shifted in her seat.

"Probably checked on the engine room as well. He could be on his way back as we speak," she answered optimistically.

Gallagher didn't answer.

"I can go check, Captain," she said quietly.

Just then, a light on the control panel blinked, indicating that an open communication line was being patched through from the control tower at The Slam. Gallagher pushed a button and a gruff voice filled the confines of the cockpit.

"This is Control Tower 3 to the Memento-Mori transport ship. Do you read me?"

Gallagher was about to reply, his finger already on the button, when he distractedly turned to Fry.

"You do that, Lt. I'm going to take this."

"Yes, Captain."


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Trust Delaney to screw up at a time like this, Fry thought, marching down the corridor that led to the cargo deck.

She was about to raise her hand to the sensor when she thought she heard something from behind her. Fry spun around. She squinted through the dimness, and tried to make out anything from out of the shadows.

"Delaney? You out here?"

Nothing.

"Okay, Delaney. Joke's over."

Still nothing.

"Next time, stick to commercial transport," she muttered to herself, turning back to the doors cargo deck.

Placing her palm against the cold surface of the sensor, she looked up to see the words ACCESS GRANTED flash across the screen above her head.

The doors hadn't even opened all the way , when a hand shot out, grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her in. Fry yelped as she stumbled into the room and slammed into something hard, before the doors hissed close behind her. She looked up, surprised and breathless.

Riddick.

With a vice-like grip on her arm, he smiled down at her flushed face.

"Glad you could join the party."

TO BE CONTINUED…