Chapter 2...I still hope this makes sense. :) r/r
Racheal was thankful the guard today wasn't Johns. This guy didn't give a damn about her safety, he simply opened the door for her and then shut it behind her. Riddick sat in the same spot as the day before. Johns' comment the day before about chains not working on Riddick resounded in her head. She pushed the thought away and instead decided to concentrate on his eyes.
"Have you reached a decision?" she asked still standing up.
"I don't want to be comatose." He said matter-of-factly. "I would much rather live a long life trapped in that cell." the last was sarcastic.
"Maybe," Racheal said sitting down. "We could get you transferred out of here to another prison."
"Not likely." Riddick grumbled.
"You're right," she nodded. "It isn't likely, but I'm willing to try for you." Racheal was trying to give him some hope.
"Does this mean you're going to tell them not to nuke me?" Riddick asked.
"It will be my report that you are working on being rehabilitated and should not be forced to go thru a frontal lobe depletion procedure." she smiled at him, "But you still will have to go thru a briefing, where they will ask you all kinds of questions. Don't tell them what they want to hear Riddick. They want you to act bad ass and pop off with crap about murder. Wouldn't be surprised if they withhold food from you for days and not let you sleep to keep you agitated. The bastards have done it before."
"I cant get over the way you talk about Company." he observed.
"There is good and bad in everything." she stated in her defense. "Company is becoming more corrupt everyday." The last she whispered.
"Is there good in me?" he asked her.
"You should know the answer to that. Unless the question really is 'Do I think there is good in you?'" Riddick just stared at her. "The answer is yes, I think there is. I've looked thru your file, and the people you killed…"
"I'm not just a file." he interrupted her.
"I know that." she said after a pause. "I do know that."
Riddick nodded, Racheal got her stuff together and got up to leave.
"Hey Doc," he called out to her. She turned to face him. "Thanks." he finished and she smiled and left.
Racheal had been thru her briefing with the warden who seemed disappointed she had decided not to have Riddick 'taken care of' as he had put it. Honestly, she thought that he couldn't relax as long as Riddick was in his prison. She sent her dissertation to Company command, then she got something to eat. Stale and cold, if the food here was this bad for Company employees. She could only imagine what they fed the inmates. Returning to her room, she walked to her night stand and laid her ring down on the table. The communication screen blinked on.
"Dr Grant?" Came her Company supervising officer's familiar voice, Racheal turned on the screen. He sat looking quite uncomfortable, and slightly ill. "I hate to inform you this way Racheal but your…opinion in the Riddick case has been sort of…overlooked. They are going ahead with the procedure."
"Why the hell did they have me come down here if they weren't going to use my…"
"Racheal," he cut her of forcefully. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Good day." The screen blinked off.
Sinking down on top of her bed she sighed heavily. She couldn't believe what a waste of time this whole trip had been. Then the guilt about telling Riddick what awaited him started to sink in. Actually they would probably escort her off the station to make sure she didn't tell Riddick a damn thing. She quickly laid down and closed her eyes trying to block the pressure and feelings of resentment out of her head, and she was succeeding. She was on the coast of her home planet. Enjoying the wind and surf. Anywhere was better than this confining space.
Her day dream was shattered by a strong hand on her mouth cutting off the small whimper that tried to escape. Her eyes popped open to see Riddick standing above her, holding his hand over her mouth, a shiv at her throat. His goggled eyes looming like black pools, completely changing his look from before.
"Now we're gonna do this real easy." he said lifting her up from the bed holding her tight to him. "I'm gonna take my hand off your mouth but you're gonna be quiet as a mouse...You got it?" he growled at her.
She nodded and he took his hand off her mouth. She turned to face him. Her eyes questioning him. He pretended not to notice. "Here don't forget your ring." He tossed it to her. He had a long piece of sharp metal in one hand. She knew he was more than skilled with a blade.
"Come on." he motioned to her to follow him. "We are gonna go thru the door and up thru near the garbage shuttles and hijack one. All I want you to do is stay down and keep your mouth shut. If I say anything, you do it....got it?"
"I'm not going with you." she stated.
"I really don't think you have a choice." he smiled and grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced her to follow him. They made there way thru the catacombs of hallways and decks that were this prison. Somehow Riddick knew exactly where he was going and he made sure to get there quickly. Racheal was practically running to keep up. They came across a guard, but managed past him without Riddick killing him. Riddick eased around the corner, then he grabbed Racheal and they boarded the deserted garbage transport.
"Sit still." he ordered plopping her down into the side chair as he took the piloting seat.
"You know how to pilot?" she asked amazed. Even her with all her company training she still couldn't pilot.
"You make it sound hard." he said offhandedly as he powered the forward thrusters. "If they ask any questions you're going to answer them in a calm voice." he said as he began moving forward. But no one bothered to ask, they were just another garbage transport.
Thirty minutes away from slam city, Riddick began to relax a little more. He sighed heavily and pulled away from the control panel. Racheal was ringing her hands together. She felt young and vulnerable. She was only 23 years old and she was feeling naive for taking on this case, considering where it got her, alone with an armed killer. Riddick turned his chair to face hers.
"How did you do it?" she asked him, her nature as a counselor taking over. She wanted to know everything about him. Partly to help profile this killer, but also because he was fascinating to her. "How did you manage to escape your cell?"
"Guard got stupid and backed up against the bars." he said with a partial drawl.
"You killed him?" she asked sounding more naïve than she would've liked.
"He was dead before he knew what happened." Riddick turned back to the controls.
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked sounding scared for the first time since he'd met her.
"Not unless I have to." he said finally turning back to her. "Don't make me have to." Again it wasn't a request.
Racheal nodded and allowed herself to relax some. "Why did you decide to take me along?" She thought it was a simple question.
Riddick really didn't know why he had brought Racheal along. The practical part of him said that a female hostage was better to bargain with if he got caught, but then again he knew she was a Company employee and Company didn't care if they were female or not, they would crucify her without a second thought. So, what was the real reason? Possibly the fact that she had tried to see beyond the chains, no other person on slam had done that, not even his past counselors.
"Believe it or not you're the closest thing I've had to a friend in a long time." he said going back to the controls.
Racheal sat silent for a moment. His last comment had broken her heart. It was sad to her that all he had for companionship was her, a paid Company employee. She made a promise to herself right then to try and really be a true friend to him, whatever that meant.
"Riddick," she said finally, he didn't look at her, instead he just half way cocked his head and pursed his lips. "I'm glad, you brought me along," he looked at her. "And I'm glad you consider me a friend." Riddick just looked back out the space shield and nodded slightly.
Racheal was thankful the guard today wasn't Johns. This guy didn't give a damn about her safety, he simply opened the door for her and then shut it behind her. Riddick sat in the same spot as the day before. Johns' comment the day before about chains not working on Riddick resounded in her head. She pushed the thought away and instead decided to concentrate on his eyes.
"Have you reached a decision?" she asked still standing up.
"I don't want to be comatose." He said matter-of-factly. "I would much rather live a long life trapped in that cell." the last was sarcastic.
"Maybe," Racheal said sitting down. "We could get you transferred out of here to another prison."
"Not likely." Riddick grumbled.
"You're right," she nodded. "It isn't likely, but I'm willing to try for you." Racheal was trying to give him some hope.
"Does this mean you're going to tell them not to nuke me?" Riddick asked.
"It will be my report that you are working on being rehabilitated and should not be forced to go thru a frontal lobe depletion procedure." she smiled at him, "But you still will have to go thru a briefing, where they will ask you all kinds of questions. Don't tell them what they want to hear Riddick. They want you to act bad ass and pop off with crap about murder. Wouldn't be surprised if they withhold food from you for days and not let you sleep to keep you agitated. The bastards have done it before."
"I cant get over the way you talk about Company." he observed.
"There is good and bad in everything." she stated in her defense. "Company is becoming more corrupt everyday." The last she whispered.
"Is there good in me?" he asked her.
"You should know the answer to that. Unless the question really is 'Do I think there is good in you?'" Riddick just stared at her. "The answer is yes, I think there is. I've looked thru your file, and the people you killed…"
"I'm not just a file." he interrupted her.
"I know that." she said after a pause. "I do know that."
Riddick nodded, Racheal got her stuff together and got up to leave.
"Hey Doc," he called out to her. She turned to face him. "Thanks." he finished and she smiled and left.
Racheal had been thru her briefing with the warden who seemed disappointed she had decided not to have Riddick 'taken care of' as he had put it. Honestly, she thought that he couldn't relax as long as Riddick was in his prison. She sent her dissertation to Company command, then she got something to eat. Stale and cold, if the food here was this bad for Company employees. She could only imagine what they fed the inmates. Returning to her room, she walked to her night stand and laid her ring down on the table. The communication screen blinked on.
"Dr Grant?" Came her Company supervising officer's familiar voice, Racheal turned on the screen. He sat looking quite uncomfortable, and slightly ill. "I hate to inform you this way Racheal but your…opinion in the Riddick case has been sort of…overlooked. They are going ahead with the procedure."
"Why the hell did they have me come down here if they weren't going to use my…"
"Racheal," he cut her of forcefully. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Good day." The screen blinked off.
Sinking down on top of her bed she sighed heavily. She couldn't believe what a waste of time this whole trip had been. Then the guilt about telling Riddick what awaited him started to sink in. Actually they would probably escort her off the station to make sure she didn't tell Riddick a damn thing. She quickly laid down and closed her eyes trying to block the pressure and feelings of resentment out of her head, and she was succeeding. She was on the coast of her home planet. Enjoying the wind and surf. Anywhere was better than this confining space.
Her day dream was shattered by a strong hand on her mouth cutting off the small whimper that tried to escape. Her eyes popped open to see Riddick standing above her, holding his hand over her mouth, a shiv at her throat. His goggled eyes looming like black pools, completely changing his look from before.
"Now we're gonna do this real easy." he said lifting her up from the bed holding her tight to him. "I'm gonna take my hand off your mouth but you're gonna be quiet as a mouse...You got it?" he growled at her.
She nodded and he took his hand off her mouth. She turned to face him. Her eyes questioning him. He pretended not to notice. "Here don't forget your ring." He tossed it to her. He had a long piece of sharp metal in one hand. She knew he was more than skilled with a blade.
"Come on." he motioned to her to follow him. "We are gonna go thru the door and up thru near the garbage shuttles and hijack one. All I want you to do is stay down and keep your mouth shut. If I say anything, you do it....got it?"
"I'm not going with you." she stated.
"I really don't think you have a choice." he smiled and grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced her to follow him. They made there way thru the catacombs of hallways and decks that were this prison. Somehow Riddick knew exactly where he was going and he made sure to get there quickly. Racheal was practically running to keep up. They came across a guard, but managed past him without Riddick killing him. Riddick eased around the corner, then he grabbed Racheal and they boarded the deserted garbage transport.
"Sit still." he ordered plopping her down into the side chair as he took the piloting seat.
"You know how to pilot?" she asked amazed. Even her with all her company training she still couldn't pilot.
"You make it sound hard." he said offhandedly as he powered the forward thrusters. "If they ask any questions you're going to answer them in a calm voice." he said as he began moving forward. But no one bothered to ask, they were just another garbage transport.
Thirty minutes away from slam city, Riddick began to relax a little more. He sighed heavily and pulled away from the control panel. Racheal was ringing her hands together. She felt young and vulnerable. She was only 23 years old and she was feeling naive for taking on this case, considering where it got her, alone with an armed killer. Riddick turned his chair to face hers.
"How did you do it?" she asked him, her nature as a counselor taking over. She wanted to know everything about him. Partly to help profile this killer, but also because he was fascinating to her. "How did you manage to escape your cell?"
"Guard got stupid and backed up against the bars." he said with a partial drawl.
"You killed him?" she asked sounding more naïve than she would've liked.
"He was dead before he knew what happened." Riddick turned back to the controls.
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked sounding scared for the first time since he'd met her.
"Not unless I have to." he said finally turning back to her. "Don't make me have to." Again it wasn't a request.
Racheal nodded and allowed herself to relax some. "Why did you decide to take me along?" She thought it was a simple question.
Riddick really didn't know why he had brought Racheal along. The practical part of him said that a female hostage was better to bargain with if he got caught, but then again he knew she was a Company employee and Company didn't care if they were female or not, they would crucify her without a second thought. So, what was the real reason? Possibly the fact that she had tried to see beyond the chains, no other person on slam had done that, not even his past counselors.
"Believe it or not you're the closest thing I've had to a friend in a long time." he said going back to the controls.
Racheal sat silent for a moment. His last comment had broken her heart. It was sad to her that all he had for companionship was her, a paid Company employee. She made a promise to herself right then to try and really be a true friend to him, whatever that meant.
"Riddick," she said finally, he didn't look at her, instead he just half way cocked his head and pursed his lips. "I'm glad, you brought me along," he looked at her. "And I'm glad you consider me a friend." Riddick just looked back out the space shield and nodded slightly.