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Chapter II: Odds and Ends
It's Riddick, Wraith thought. The Riddick. "Cat got your tongue kid? C'mon, climb aboard. Let's have some caf and talk about some stuff," Riddick said.
Wraith climbed on the ship numbly, still not believing that Richard B. Riddick invited him on his ship. Riddick was legendary among the convicts of the galaxy. Butcher's Bay couldn't hold him. Even Crematoria couldn't hold him. He had single handedly taken over the Necromongers. Every con wanted to be just like him. Riddick's low, guttural growl pulled Wraith out of his shock.
"Strap in!" Wraith obeyed mindlessly. "Now, I think you were just about to tell me about that useful skill of yours."
"I think I was thirteen. I remember all of it clearly, just nothing before. I think I'm about 21, but the nanobot's healing program make age hard to calculate.
They grabbed me and took me to a lab. A group of scientists injected billions of nanobots into my body. They flow everywhere, each one connected to my mind by a specific neural signal. The healing program automatically knits broken tissue back together, and the ghosting program is painful, but very useful. On command, the nanobots simultaneously rip apart my body at the atomic level. My atoms become spaced out enough to pass through almost anything. The longer I use it, the more painful it is, but I've gotten used to it.
I didn't always look like this either. The cellular manipulation made my body highly adaptable, and when I fled the lab I had to hide underground. My pupils reshaped to absorb more light and my skin paled as well. The scientists were still around when I came topside, and slammed me for murder of four NeuroGen employees. I escaped quickly, and I've been on the run ever since."
"And I thought for a second I had it bad," Riddick growled. "I'm headin' to the Elemental home world. You wanna ride?"
"Yes, sir!" Wraith replied eagerly. A flicker of a smile flashed across Riddick's face.
Wraith clambered to the back of the ship. It was bigger than a normal merc skiff. Two rows of cryopods lined the back room. He stepped into one and consciousness left him as soon as he shut the door.
Subconsciously, Wraith was glad that cryo sleep was a dreamless sleep. He had been plagued by nightmares for weeks now, and had no idea what they meant. Same dream, over and over. He was in Hell. Or at least something like it.
A big, booming voice yelled, "Choice. You always have a choice." Then, flames overcame him and he woke up in a cold sweat.
Wraith was pulled roughly out of cryo sleep. Obviously, Riddick didn't pay attention to the recommended warm up period. "Grab a shiv, keep it hidden. You never know where these damn Elementals really are," Riddick barked.
Wraith grabbed a knife and stuck it in his boot. He threw on a cloak and ran to catch up with Riddick.
He walked behind and slightly to the right of Riddick, his hood drawn over his head to cast a shadow on his face. Riddick strode confidently through the pearl gates of the Elemental Royal Palace, throwing dirty looks at everyone that gave him a sideways glance.
As they neared the Royal Council Room, two air Elementals appeared out of thin air. They wielded electro-axes and did not look the least bit happy to see them.
"We request that you make an appointment and go through a screening before you see the council. We must go through the standard procedures: Reason for visit, weapons check…"
"Piss off," Riddick growled, shoving through the two guards. Wraith followed quickly.
Wraith lowered his hood, gazing in awe of the Council Chamber. It was a domed building, large enough to easily hold a small fleet of ships. A huge, glittering chandelier hung from the rotunda, illuminating the room. Clouds lingered at the top, fresh earth on the floor. There was a body of water in the right corner, and a small volcano in the left. A large garden accentuated the double doors they had just walked through.
At the front of the room, a giant round table seated the five council members, one for every element. They turned and faced Riddick and Wraith, unsurprised to see them.
Riddick walked to the front of the Council Room. Wraith kneeled. Riddick didn't bother. "Your lead was a dead end!" His voice thundered and echoed in the great room. "I'm goddamn sick of playing games with you. Tell me what I want to know."
"We have told you time and time again," the water Elemental countered calmly, "we Elementals do not see the future, we…"
"…Merely calculate," Riddick finished. "Yeah, yeah spare me the crap. I want to see Aereon."
"Very well, she is in her quarters at the moment…" the Elemental started to say, but Riddick was already briskly walking down a hallway. Wraith had to jog to keep up. Riddick opened up a door into a medium sized room.
Standing in the middle was an old, wrinkled woman. She was small, but radiated an aura of power. Her hood contained a shock of white hair. Her form was ever shifting, like the clouds and the wind.
"All right, Aereon, tell me. Don't give me that balance, neutrality, and equality crap either. I want to know how to reach the UnderVerse," Riddick said.
"Well, Riddick, there is the obvious way. You could convert to Necroism, then die," Aereon replied coolly.
"Next idea. All the Lord Marshals supposedly made a trip to the UnderVerse. They went to the gates and made it back alive. Or, quasi-alive as the Necros call it."
"Well then, your best odds would be to go to the Necromongers. Surely they know how their leaders made the trek to the UnderVerse."
"Right. Necros. C'mon kid. We're out," Riddick said, starting to leave.
"Riddick, wait," Aereon called. Riddick stopped and turned in the doorway. "Perhaps you should just let it go. All mortals have beginnings, and all mortals have endings. Maybe this was Kyra's time to go."
Riddick turned on his heel, striding out of the room in silence, heading back to the ship.
Author's note: Sorry, pretty boring set up chapter. More action next chapter. Remember, read and review.