Disclaimer: Pitch Black is owned by other people. I don't make no
money off of it. And I don't have any anyway. So NYA.
The Life of Death By Shaianne K. PeriHawk
Part Three
Aislin didn't wake with Riddick's face staring at her through the glass, dripping with other people's blood or otherwise. Her nightmares had been groundless. She waited for the cryo-chamber to cycle through. She stepped onto the freezing metal floor and rubbed her icy hands over her face.
She wanted to crawl into the thermal suits designed for helping people out of the cryo-cold they always experienced after sleep, but she moved to her armor instead. The alloy metals were just as cold as her skin; she leeched no warmth from the armor. She'd be okay, if she just got moving.
She moved over to punch in the opening sequences on Jack's tube, then over to Riddick. She wanted to see him wake up. She wanted to be right there. Just in case . . .
Jack woke slowly, struggling to the surface from the black abyss that was cryo sleep. Her eyes opened sluggishly. They blurred for a moment, before she focused on Aislin's back, right in front of her. Beyond the mercenary, Riddick seemed to still be in cryo sleep.
Why hadn't Aislin woken Riddick yet? Jack slowly reached up to the release bar. The doors swung open and she fell into Aislin, who turned her head to make sure Jack was all right.
That's when Riddick made his move. In one motion, he slapped down on the release bar and sprang out of the tube at Aislin.
A sudden movement of cold on the air alerted Aislin before she could see the shadow moving behind her. In a split second, Riddick found himself crashing into Jack, rather than at the woman who managed to piss him off just by being what she was.
Riddick covered his actions by straightening Jack up, and brushing her off, carefully avoiding any touch that might get him decked. Jack wasn't afraid of him, and he wasn't sure quite why. Regardless, he didn't want her provoking his instincts.
He dared a glance over at Aislin. She was trying to hide a smirk. She was also failing. She covered her mouth with her hand and turned away. "Glad you're awake. The Captain says we'll be in orbit in a day. Get ready." She walked off down the hall, her armored feet clamping hollowly behind her.
Riddick turned back to Jack. Much to his chagrin, she was also stifling a smile. A growl rumbled in his chest, but didn't make it to his lips. He left Jack and grabbed his bag of armaments before taking off to "get ready."
The ship landed gently on top of a particularly tall rock. When the crew stepped outside, they found out why.
The vegetation hadn't quite worked its way up to the top of this bit of rock, but it would not be long before it was just as covered as the rest of the planet. One couldn't tell if this rock was an anomaly in its height or if the others had simply given in to the rising flora. A riot of green speckled by a pallet of different colors made Jack's eyes hurt.
She lowered her head, remembering. "Can this really be the same place?"
Joss flipped open a GPS, relaying to one of the twelve satellites they had launched into orbit before landing. "If we can make it through this foliage, I can show you the ruins of the Hunter-Graetzner, and that village you found."
Aislin squinted against the vibrant color. "If being the operative word. I have a feeling we'd better start getting samples as fast as we can." She rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly sweaty. "This place gives me the creeps."
She shot a piton into the rock at her feet. "I'll go down first. Then belay you all. I think I'm probably the only one who can take that fall without making the scenery more colorful."
"Be careful, Aislin," Joss yanked on her braid, annoying little brother to the end.
"Yeah, we don't know what surprises this damn place has cooked up since we were last here," Jack warned. Her jaw clenched before she spoke again. "I don't trust this." She gestured to the foliage below.
Aislin grinned. "You and me both, kid." She dropped over the side of the cliff. Everyone moved to watch over the edge. Aislin's armor made short work of the foliage, ripping a black hole in the greenery, all the way to the ground.
Aislin's mouth set in a grim line as she started to crash through branches. Her imagination had them reaching out for her, grasping at her armor even as she tore from their clutches.
She reached the ground. She double-checked, making sure that was soil beneath her boots and not just a particularly thick expanse of plant. Securing the line to the earth with a piton, she signaled the rest to follow her down.
Joss was first, touching down with more luck than grace. He landed facedown at Aislin's feet. She reached down to help her brother up and out of the way before Captain Redmon landed on top of him.
Before the next man came down the wire, Joss was absorbed with his surroundings. The xenobotanist in him took over, to the exclusion of everything else. Aislin made a mental note to make sure he ate.
Jack hit the ground with controlled style, her body silently absorbing any shock, as if it were nothing. She stood slowly, keeping her eyes on her feet until she was completely straight. When she looked up, her chocolate- colored eyes narrowed with her grin. "This place is still hotter'n a long, slow fuck."
She quickly stepped to the side to avoid the last crewman zipping down the cable. She took her own assessment of the surroundings. She tried, but she couldn't' keep the awe out of her eyes, Aislin noted.
Aislin turned to watch Riddick zip down the line. He looked deadly, coming at her with that speed and control. When he landed, he didn't vibrate, the ground did. Three points of contact, foot, knee, fist, eyes downcast, he looked like some ancient marble statue come to life. When he looked up, Aislin swore she felt his eyes burn into her, despite the goggles between them. She felt heat fission up her spine before he looked away, to Jack.
"Place sure has changed, eh, kid?" he observed just loud enough for the other woman to hear. He didn't notice Jack flinch when he called her a kid, but Aislin did.
Jack busied herself with sorting her packs out from all the others. "One would think . . .." Her long hair obscured her face, but Aislin didn't need to see her expression to hear the pain in her voice.
Interesting . . ..
"I'm going to scout ahead a bit, see if there's sign of anything dangerous in the vicinity." Aislin tossed her bag down in front of her brother. "You won't mind setting up the tent, would you, brother dear?" She smiled sweetly. He'd gotten her into this damned mess of a mission, he could do a little manual labor.
"Hey, Aislin, wait for me," Jack shouted. "I'll go with you." She dropped what she was doing and grabbed the body harness that held a plasma pistol and a machete. She followed behind Aislin at a jog.
Aislin waited until they were out of even Riddick's hearing range before she started talking. "It irritates you, doesn't it? That he still thinks of you as a scared little kid?" She didn't have to look back to see the pained look on Jack's face.
"I'd rather not talk about Riddick," she said shortly.
"No pressure, just figured you followed me to talk about it." Aislin's shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug.
"I just needed to get away," Jack returned sullenly.
Aislin suppressed a grin. Jack wouldn't appreciate it, even if the kid was painfully transparent. "I'm not interested in him that way, if you're worried."
A snort was her only reply.
"Hmm," Aislin hummed thoughtfully. "You're right, I'd have to be dead not to notice that he's the sexiest thing in pants this side of the living. But there's one thing that stops me from truly wanting him."
Jack paused. "What's that?"
Aislin turned to face her young companion. "I like danger, Jack. I wouldn't have become a mercenary otherwise. Danger is exciting, and it's sexy. And when I'm done facing danger, my libido is always in full throttle. I like having lovers just as dangerous as I am. I like to know they can guard my back." Her expression turned dark. "But I won't deal with a lover who is a danger to me. I want to be able to trust that person with my body. I don't want to go to bed with a knife under my pillow in case that lover gets any ideas of getting rid of me."
Jack looked affronted. "Riddick would never-"
Aislin cut her off. "Never hurt you, maybe, but I'm not willing to take that chance." Aislin turned away and started to break through the foliage again.
End Chapter Three
The Life of Death By Shaianne K. PeriHawk
Part Three
Aislin didn't wake with Riddick's face staring at her through the glass, dripping with other people's blood or otherwise. Her nightmares had been groundless. She waited for the cryo-chamber to cycle through. She stepped onto the freezing metal floor and rubbed her icy hands over her face.
She wanted to crawl into the thermal suits designed for helping people out of the cryo-cold they always experienced after sleep, but she moved to her armor instead. The alloy metals were just as cold as her skin; she leeched no warmth from the armor. She'd be okay, if she just got moving.
She moved over to punch in the opening sequences on Jack's tube, then over to Riddick. She wanted to see him wake up. She wanted to be right there. Just in case . . .
Jack woke slowly, struggling to the surface from the black abyss that was cryo sleep. Her eyes opened sluggishly. They blurred for a moment, before she focused on Aislin's back, right in front of her. Beyond the mercenary, Riddick seemed to still be in cryo sleep.
Why hadn't Aislin woken Riddick yet? Jack slowly reached up to the release bar. The doors swung open and she fell into Aislin, who turned her head to make sure Jack was all right.
That's when Riddick made his move. In one motion, he slapped down on the release bar and sprang out of the tube at Aislin.
A sudden movement of cold on the air alerted Aislin before she could see the shadow moving behind her. In a split second, Riddick found himself crashing into Jack, rather than at the woman who managed to piss him off just by being what she was.
Riddick covered his actions by straightening Jack up, and brushing her off, carefully avoiding any touch that might get him decked. Jack wasn't afraid of him, and he wasn't sure quite why. Regardless, he didn't want her provoking his instincts.
He dared a glance over at Aislin. She was trying to hide a smirk. She was also failing. She covered her mouth with her hand and turned away. "Glad you're awake. The Captain says we'll be in orbit in a day. Get ready." She walked off down the hall, her armored feet clamping hollowly behind her.
Riddick turned back to Jack. Much to his chagrin, she was also stifling a smile. A growl rumbled in his chest, but didn't make it to his lips. He left Jack and grabbed his bag of armaments before taking off to "get ready."
The ship landed gently on top of a particularly tall rock. When the crew stepped outside, they found out why.
The vegetation hadn't quite worked its way up to the top of this bit of rock, but it would not be long before it was just as covered as the rest of the planet. One couldn't tell if this rock was an anomaly in its height or if the others had simply given in to the rising flora. A riot of green speckled by a pallet of different colors made Jack's eyes hurt.
She lowered her head, remembering. "Can this really be the same place?"
Joss flipped open a GPS, relaying to one of the twelve satellites they had launched into orbit before landing. "If we can make it through this foliage, I can show you the ruins of the Hunter-Graetzner, and that village you found."
Aislin squinted against the vibrant color. "If being the operative word. I have a feeling we'd better start getting samples as fast as we can." She rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly sweaty. "This place gives me the creeps."
She shot a piton into the rock at her feet. "I'll go down first. Then belay you all. I think I'm probably the only one who can take that fall without making the scenery more colorful."
"Be careful, Aislin," Joss yanked on her braid, annoying little brother to the end.
"Yeah, we don't know what surprises this damn place has cooked up since we were last here," Jack warned. Her jaw clenched before she spoke again. "I don't trust this." She gestured to the foliage below.
Aislin grinned. "You and me both, kid." She dropped over the side of the cliff. Everyone moved to watch over the edge. Aislin's armor made short work of the foliage, ripping a black hole in the greenery, all the way to the ground.
Aislin's mouth set in a grim line as she started to crash through branches. Her imagination had them reaching out for her, grasping at her armor even as she tore from their clutches.
She reached the ground. She double-checked, making sure that was soil beneath her boots and not just a particularly thick expanse of plant. Securing the line to the earth with a piton, she signaled the rest to follow her down.
Joss was first, touching down with more luck than grace. He landed facedown at Aislin's feet. She reached down to help her brother up and out of the way before Captain Redmon landed on top of him.
Before the next man came down the wire, Joss was absorbed with his surroundings. The xenobotanist in him took over, to the exclusion of everything else. Aislin made a mental note to make sure he ate.
Jack hit the ground with controlled style, her body silently absorbing any shock, as if it were nothing. She stood slowly, keeping her eyes on her feet until she was completely straight. When she looked up, her chocolate- colored eyes narrowed with her grin. "This place is still hotter'n a long, slow fuck."
She quickly stepped to the side to avoid the last crewman zipping down the cable. She took her own assessment of the surroundings. She tried, but she couldn't' keep the awe out of her eyes, Aislin noted.
Aislin turned to watch Riddick zip down the line. He looked deadly, coming at her with that speed and control. When he landed, he didn't vibrate, the ground did. Three points of contact, foot, knee, fist, eyes downcast, he looked like some ancient marble statue come to life. When he looked up, Aislin swore she felt his eyes burn into her, despite the goggles between them. She felt heat fission up her spine before he looked away, to Jack.
"Place sure has changed, eh, kid?" he observed just loud enough for the other woman to hear. He didn't notice Jack flinch when he called her a kid, but Aislin did.
Jack busied herself with sorting her packs out from all the others. "One would think . . .." Her long hair obscured her face, but Aislin didn't need to see her expression to hear the pain in her voice.
Interesting . . ..
"I'm going to scout ahead a bit, see if there's sign of anything dangerous in the vicinity." Aislin tossed her bag down in front of her brother. "You won't mind setting up the tent, would you, brother dear?" She smiled sweetly. He'd gotten her into this damned mess of a mission, he could do a little manual labor.
"Hey, Aislin, wait for me," Jack shouted. "I'll go with you." She dropped what she was doing and grabbed the body harness that held a plasma pistol and a machete. She followed behind Aislin at a jog.
Aislin waited until they were out of even Riddick's hearing range before she started talking. "It irritates you, doesn't it? That he still thinks of you as a scared little kid?" She didn't have to look back to see the pained look on Jack's face.
"I'd rather not talk about Riddick," she said shortly.
"No pressure, just figured you followed me to talk about it." Aislin's shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug.
"I just needed to get away," Jack returned sullenly.
Aislin suppressed a grin. Jack wouldn't appreciate it, even if the kid was painfully transparent. "I'm not interested in him that way, if you're worried."
A snort was her only reply.
"Hmm," Aislin hummed thoughtfully. "You're right, I'd have to be dead not to notice that he's the sexiest thing in pants this side of the living. But there's one thing that stops me from truly wanting him."
Jack paused. "What's that?"
Aislin turned to face her young companion. "I like danger, Jack. I wouldn't have become a mercenary otherwise. Danger is exciting, and it's sexy. And when I'm done facing danger, my libido is always in full throttle. I like having lovers just as dangerous as I am. I like to know they can guard my back." Her expression turned dark. "But I won't deal with a lover who is a danger to me. I want to be able to trust that person with my body. I don't want to go to bed with a knife under my pillow in case that lover gets any ideas of getting rid of me."
Jack looked affronted. "Riddick would never-"
Aislin cut her off. "Never hurt you, maybe, but I'm not willing to take that chance." Aislin turned away and started to break through the foliage again.
End Chapter Three