A/N: Okay, so first Riddick Fic. Be gentle with me people....I love reviews,
so feel free to go nuts! (even if you don't like it....I can take it...)
The sound of the cruiser's engine had alerted him, a low, soft thrum signaling the distance from the hunted. Riddick retreated from the small tongue at the cave's mouth back into the comfort of darkness.
It was either more mercs, or more Necros, and he wasn't too fussy on either one. He'd been lucky enough to find a small planet on the outer rim of a fairly uninhabited system, riddled with caves, and just perfect for setting up booby traps. Not many had made it past his outer defenses, and those that did, well, he took the liberty of ghosting himself.
It'd been a year, and yet they still couldn't grasp the concept that all he wanted in this whole fucking eternity was to be left the fuck alone. That's it. That was all. When he saw Kyra again, things might have changed...but Kyra was dead now. Whatever could have been, could have changed, well, it hadn't. And it wasn't about to now.
He sat. He waited. They had entered the tunnels, the thrum of the engine manifolds becoming more pronounced as they echoed through the hollow hills. "Not bad," Riddick muttered.
He had risen from his crouch, trying to puzzle out why this all seemed damn familiar. Soft, barely there footfalls sounded in the tunnel behind him. To any man who wasn't a good merc or a good killer, it would have gone unnoticed, but it registered in Riddick's senses. He drew a curved knife unobtrusively from his belt, coming around lightning quick to meet the intruder, knife poised to draw through his throat at any moment.
"Toombs." He stated, "Been a while. Thought I told you to take the money," his free hand grappled the hilt of his other blade, whirling it through his fingers as he brought it to meet the second merc, doing a piss poor job of sneaking up behind him. The blade slashed across his chest in one long red line, welling with blood. It wasn't deep, but it wasn't exactly shallow either. Riddick pivoted, bringing the butt of his dagger down on the man's temple, effectively putting him out of commission.
Toombs didn't even finish pulling the safety on his rifle before Riddick's blade pierced his throat. He wasn't stupid. He learned from his mistakes, hence the six man crew this time, though five were on the cruiser. Ergo, Toombs lowered the gun, a "fuck you" grin plastered on his scruffy face. His teeth were crooked, and he had a new scar, just down the line of his jaw, trailing off onto his neck. His breath smelled bad.
"Let's pretend I'm a sentimental guy," Riddick began conversationally. "Now as a sentimental guy, I would at least let you tell me why the fuck you risked you torn-up ass to come back for a con you've lost twice?"
"I took the money." Toombs replied with a nonchalance belied by his white knuckle grip on the gun.
"Whose money?" he questioned, drawing a small warning line along the merc's throat, beginning to dot with blood.
"Aereon's. Empress of the Elemental system." Toombs mumbled, wincing as the knife pierced deeper.
"Fuck." Riddick muttered, dragging the blade harshly across Toombs' neck.
"STOP! There's more! Holy FUCK Riddick!" He cried, trying to step backwards. Cool metal greeted his abdomen, and he settled for clutching his neck, sticky with blood. "There was a message! That was the fucking deal. The money as long as I gave you the message."
"Well?" Riddick queried, not giving quarter to the familiar merc.
"She said she can make the mercs and the Necros quit hunting you, so long as you go to Jebusi Minor to hear out her proposition. No more fucking hiding Riddick. It's worth it." Toombs added, shifting his weight to his other foot, trying to put more pressure on his wound at the same time.
"So, you've given me the message, now you can just leave, and still pick up, full contract?" He asked, sheathing his knives.
"Yeah. Pretty sweet deal. I ain't gonna push for more. Last time I did, I got this," he fingered the long, puckered scar creeping along his jaw and neck.
Riddick's iron hard expression wavered, barely a second, and he turned. "Is anything worth being under her thumb?"
"It's worth it to be left the fuck alone. You know Elementals don't break their promises very easy, something to do with playing against the odds."
The looming figure of Riddick was silent for a moment. He'd lost none of his corded muscle in the last year, if anything; he was sharper, toned with a burning hunger barely traceable through his cloudy white eyes. He was wolf-like, wary of all but himself, and generally for good reason.
Riddick pivoted, his eyes glowing as he lumbered forward with a canine gait. "Fine. We take your ship."
A garbled moan rose from the rustling figure on the ground, the man's eyes watching with a startling hatred as Riddick ambled by.
The sound of the cruiser's engine had alerted him, a low, soft thrum signaling the distance from the hunted. Riddick retreated from the small tongue at the cave's mouth back into the comfort of darkness.
It was either more mercs, or more Necros, and he wasn't too fussy on either one. He'd been lucky enough to find a small planet on the outer rim of a fairly uninhabited system, riddled with caves, and just perfect for setting up booby traps. Not many had made it past his outer defenses, and those that did, well, he took the liberty of ghosting himself.
It'd been a year, and yet they still couldn't grasp the concept that all he wanted in this whole fucking eternity was to be left the fuck alone. That's it. That was all. When he saw Kyra again, things might have changed...but Kyra was dead now. Whatever could have been, could have changed, well, it hadn't. And it wasn't about to now.
He sat. He waited. They had entered the tunnels, the thrum of the engine manifolds becoming more pronounced as they echoed through the hollow hills. "Not bad," Riddick muttered.
He had risen from his crouch, trying to puzzle out why this all seemed damn familiar. Soft, barely there footfalls sounded in the tunnel behind him. To any man who wasn't a good merc or a good killer, it would have gone unnoticed, but it registered in Riddick's senses. He drew a curved knife unobtrusively from his belt, coming around lightning quick to meet the intruder, knife poised to draw through his throat at any moment.
"Toombs." He stated, "Been a while. Thought I told you to take the money," his free hand grappled the hilt of his other blade, whirling it through his fingers as he brought it to meet the second merc, doing a piss poor job of sneaking up behind him. The blade slashed across his chest in one long red line, welling with blood. It wasn't deep, but it wasn't exactly shallow either. Riddick pivoted, bringing the butt of his dagger down on the man's temple, effectively putting him out of commission.
Toombs didn't even finish pulling the safety on his rifle before Riddick's blade pierced his throat. He wasn't stupid. He learned from his mistakes, hence the six man crew this time, though five were on the cruiser. Ergo, Toombs lowered the gun, a "fuck you" grin plastered on his scruffy face. His teeth were crooked, and he had a new scar, just down the line of his jaw, trailing off onto his neck. His breath smelled bad.
"Let's pretend I'm a sentimental guy," Riddick began conversationally. "Now as a sentimental guy, I would at least let you tell me why the fuck you risked you torn-up ass to come back for a con you've lost twice?"
"I took the money." Toombs replied with a nonchalance belied by his white knuckle grip on the gun.
"Whose money?" he questioned, drawing a small warning line along the merc's throat, beginning to dot with blood.
"Aereon's. Empress of the Elemental system." Toombs mumbled, wincing as the knife pierced deeper.
"Fuck." Riddick muttered, dragging the blade harshly across Toombs' neck.
"STOP! There's more! Holy FUCK Riddick!" He cried, trying to step backwards. Cool metal greeted his abdomen, and he settled for clutching his neck, sticky with blood. "There was a message! That was the fucking deal. The money as long as I gave you the message."
"Well?" Riddick queried, not giving quarter to the familiar merc.
"She said she can make the mercs and the Necros quit hunting you, so long as you go to Jebusi Minor to hear out her proposition. No more fucking hiding Riddick. It's worth it." Toombs added, shifting his weight to his other foot, trying to put more pressure on his wound at the same time.
"So, you've given me the message, now you can just leave, and still pick up, full contract?" He asked, sheathing his knives.
"Yeah. Pretty sweet deal. I ain't gonna push for more. Last time I did, I got this," he fingered the long, puckered scar creeping along his jaw and neck.
Riddick's iron hard expression wavered, barely a second, and he turned. "Is anything worth being under her thumb?"
"It's worth it to be left the fuck alone. You know Elementals don't break their promises very easy, something to do with playing against the odds."
The looming figure of Riddick was silent for a moment. He'd lost none of his corded muscle in the last year, if anything; he was sharper, toned with a burning hunger barely traceable through his cloudy white eyes. He was wolf-like, wary of all but himself, and generally for good reason.
Riddick pivoted, his eyes glowing as he lumbered forward with a canine gait. "Fine. We take your ship."
A garbled moan rose from the rustling figure on the ground, the man's eyes watching with a startling hatred as Riddick ambled by.