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 Four
Aislin knew the mistake was in letting Jack's worries get to her. As a result, her guard dropped.
She crashed recklessly through the underbrush, just to get away from her own thoughts and Jack's insecurities. She really walked right into its grasp. One moment she was cutting aside the reaching greenery, the next she flew through the air.
A vine crunched the metal around her ankle painfully. She fumbled for her plasma pistol. Before she could even try to aim, she felt a tendril snake between her back and her armor. Before she could work up a proper scream of denial, she was ripped from her metal exoskeleton.
Her scream caught in her throat as her senses exploded into static.
Jack's panicked voice blared over the two-way radio back at the base camp. "Scout party to base camp, get your asses out here NOW! Aislin's down, I repeat, Aislin is DOWN. The thing that got her is trying to munch on her armor, but I think it's going to realize which part is edible really soon!"
Riddick didn't wait for Jack to finish talking. He leapt up and ran down the trail Aislin had stomped through the wood line. He ran in Aislin's giant footprints, silent and predatorial.
He almost stumbled over Jack, who was crouched on the cleared path, trying desperately to cover Aislin's twitching body with a pilfered plasma pistol. Every time a vine reached toward the bounty hunter's body, Jack shot it.
Riddick squatted down next to Jack. "What is that?"
Jack didn't even turn her head to look at him. "Some kind of giant man- eating Venus fly-trap. I really don't know. Aislin was a few meters ahead of me, and it got her. Ripped her out of her armor before she could scream a warning."
"Is she alive?" he asked doubtfully, eyeing the twitching body beneath the grasping vines.
"Yes," Jack said firmly. She gestured to her wrist, where the portable monitor showed Aislin's life signs. They were erratic, but the woman was clearly still alive.
"I suppose we should get her back to the base camp," Riddick said reluctantly. He rose from his crouch and seemed to coil like a spring, ready to move. "Cover me, if you would. I really don't feel like being dinner."
With a nod, Jack steadied her grip on the pistol and waited for Riddick to move. She almost missed the flash of movement, and then Riddick was out there, running low to the ground, and fast. Like a black cheetah.
He dove under a seeking vine and rolled to Aislin's side. Then came his weakest moment. He would depend on Jack to keep him alive when his arms were filled with the tiny woman. He heaved her body on to his shoulders and dashed out of the reach of those grasping vines. He didn't stop, he just kept running.
Jack squeezed off a few more rounds and took off after Riddick and Aislin.
Riddick gently lowered the mercenary woman from his shoulders while Joss fumbled around in the med-kit for a neuro-stablizer. "What's wrong with her, doc?" Riddick asked quietly. "Why does she keep twitching like that?" He raised an eyebrow doubtfully.
Joss mumbled incoherently as he stuffed a clean sock into her mouth. "Gotta make sure her tongue doesn't fall back." He smoothed the woman's blond hair back from her head and checked both eyes. "Looks like the brain damage is minimal. No signs of concussion." He rolled her to the side and lifted the long braid out of the way. Then Riddick saw it.
At the nape of her neck, circuitry sparked and smoked. The remains of a cybernetic link-up hissed at them all. Suddenly, she started convulsing. Joss cursed and picked up another hypodermic spray and injected it into her jugular. A tiny laser sealed the puncture before she started bleeding. Her body slowly settled.
"I have to get that broken link out of her data-port," Joss mumbled. "It's going to hurt like hell." He looked up. "I need you two to hold her down."
Jack stumbled forward and took a position sitting on Aislin's shoulders. Riddick grabbed her head between his large hands. Joss came in over Jack's thigh with dangerous looking electronics. He attached it to the mess of electronics sticking out of the small woman's head.
Joss looked up at Jack and Riddick. "Here goes. Hold her tight." Riddick and Jack adjusted themselves, preparing for any movement. Joss adjusted his grip on the mess of electronics sticking out of the back of Aislin's head.
At the first twist, her body jerked and she gasped sharply. A jerk and she whimpered. Joss pulled, and she screamed.
Even through the sock in her mouth, Aislin's scream made the hair at the nape of Jack's neck stand on end. All three of them felt it vibrate through their bodies. Riddick hadn't heard a scream like that since . . . .
He shook his head. He didn't want to remember.
He felt the hair beneath his palms grow damp with sweat. He smelled the pain and fear oozing from her pores. Moisture dripped from her eyes, and she screamed again.
With a final pull, Joss removed the damaged cyber-link from Aislin's head. Her body tensed for a brief second, then collapsed.
Joss felt for a pulse, and could find none. "Somebody get the defibrillator, NOW."
End Chapter Four
The Life of Death By Shaianne K. PeriHawk
Part Four
Aislin knew the mistake was in letting Jack's worries get to her. As a result, her guard dropped.
She crashed recklessly through the underbrush, just to get away from her own thoughts and Jack's insecurities. She really walked right into its grasp. One moment she was cutting aside the reaching greenery, the next she flew through the air.
A vine crunched the metal around her ankle painfully. She fumbled for her plasma pistol. Before she could even try to aim, she felt a tendril snake between her back and her armor. Before she could work up a proper scream of denial, she was ripped from her metal exoskeleton.
Her scream caught in her throat as her senses exploded into static.
Jack's panicked voice blared over the two-way radio back at the base camp. "Scout party to base camp, get your asses out here NOW! Aislin's down, I repeat, Aislin is DOWN. The thing that got her is trying to munch on her armor, but I think it's going to realize which part is edible really soon!"
Riddick didn't wait for Jack to finish talking. He leapt up and ran down the trail Aislin had stomped through the wood line. He ran in Aislin's giant footprints, silent and predatorial.
He almost stumbled over Jack, who was crouched on the cleared path, trying desperately to cover Aislin's twitching body with a pilfered plasma pistol. Every time a vine reached toward the bounty hunter's body, Jack shot it.
Riddick squatted down next to Jack. "What is that?"
Jack didn't even turn her head to look at him. "Some kind of giant man- eating Venus fly-trap. I really don't know. Aislin was a few meters ahead of me, and it got her. Ripped her out of her armor before she could scream a warning."
"Is she alive?" he asked doubtfully, eyeing the twitching body beneath the grasping vines.
"Yes," Jack said firmly. She gestured to her wrist, where the portable monitor showed Aislin's life signs. They were erratic, but the woman was clearly still alive.
"I suppose we should get her back to the base camp," Riddick said reluctantly. He rose from his crouch and seemed to coil like a spring, ready to move. "Cover me, if you would. I really don't feel like being dinner."
With a nod, Jack steadied her grip on the pistol and waited for Riddick to move. She almost missed the flash of movement, and then Riddick was out there, running low to the ground, and fast. Like a black cheetah.
He dove under a seeking vine and rolled to Aislin's side. Then came his weakest moment. He would depend on Jack to keep him alive when his arms were filled with the tiny woman. He heaved her body on to his shoulders and dashed out of the reach of those grasping vines. He didn't stop, he just kept running.
Jack squeezed off a few more rounds and took off after Riddick and Aislin.
Riddick gently lowered the mercenary woman from his shoulders while Joss fumbled around in the med-kit for a neuro-stablizer. "What's wrong with her, doc?" Riddick asked quietly. "Why does she keep twitching like that?" He raised an eyebrow doubtfully.
Joss mumbled incoherently as he stuffed a clean sock into her mouth. "Gotta make sure her tongue doesn't fall back." He smoothed the woman's blond hair back from her head and checked both eyes. "Looks like the brain damage is minimal. No signs of concussion." He rolled her to the side and lifted the long braid out of the way. Then Riddick saw it.
At the nape of her neck, circuitry sparked and smoked. The remains of a cybernetic link-up hissed at them all. Suddenly, she started convulsing. Joss cursed and picked up another hypodermic spray and injected it into her jugular. A tiny laser sealed the puncture before she started bleeding. Her body slowly settled.
"I have to get that broken link out of her data-port," Joss mumbled. "It's going to hurt like hell." He looked up. "I need you two to hold her down."
Jack stumbled forward and took a position sitting on Aislin's shoulders. Riddick grabbed her head between his large hands. Joss came in over Jack's thigh with dangerous looking electronics. He attached it to the mess of electronics sticking out of the small woman's head.
Joss looked up at Jack and Riddick. "Here goes. Hold her tight." Riddick and Jack adjusted themselves, preparing for any movement. Joss adjusted his grip on the mess of electronics sticking out of the back of Aislin's head.
At the first twist, her body jerked and she gasped sharply. A jerk and she whimpered. Joss pulled, and she screamed.
Even through the sock in her mouth, Aislin's scream made the hair at the nape of Jack's neck stand on end. All three of them felt it vibrate through their bodies. Riddick hadn't heard a scream like that since . . . .
He shook his head. He didn't want to remember.
He felt the hair beneath his palms grow damp with sweat. He smelled the pain and fear oozing from her pores. Moisture dripped from her eyes, and she screamed again.
With a final pull, Joss removed the damaged cyber-link from Aislin's head. Her body tensed for a brief second, then collapsed.
Joss felt for a pulse, and could find none. "Somebody get the defibrillator, NOW."
End Chapter Four