A/N: I thought after writing a few poems and fanfics I would get this whole Riddick thing out of my system - I was wrong.
Plz R&R
Disclaimer: Yada yada yada characters yada yada yada copyrighted yada yada yada USA Films yada yada yada.
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There are a number of rules I live by—show no fear, show no weakness, feel no pain, kill or be killed, survive at all costs, look out for number one, sleep with one eye open, never let your guard down, never stay in one place too long, and Rule No. 1…never let anyone in.
Five years ago, those were simple rules to live by.
Five years ago, I met Jack.
Five years ago, I broke Rule No 1.
Five years ago…
…seems like only yesterday…
…seems like a lifetime.
She was just a kid then—a tall and lanky 13-year old girl masquerading as a boy. I understood her need for the disguise; the galaxy was no place for a young girl to be traveling alone. Incognito was her safest bet. Her reasons for running away were anybody's guess—although, I had an idea. Even before I got a good look at her, I knew she was a girl—I could smell her. Had circumstances been different, I would have let her keep her secret.
When she turned up under that tarp with a shaved head and makeshift goggles, I had to smile—inside. I would never let it show that her imitation had pleased me, but it had. Me? A subject of hero-worship? Who would have thought? Looking back, I would have to say it was that small display of adoration that endeared her to me, and it was at that moment that I broke Rule No. 1.
Despite the fact that she had managed to worm her way into my heart, I was willing to let her die on that planet. Rule No. 1 was broken, but that didn't mean all of the others fell by the wayside. Survival of the fittest was my motto, and Carolyn, Jack, and Imam were weak. Or so I thought.
I broke Rule No. 1 for Jack, but I broke others for Carolyn. Carolyn had a strong survival instinct, which I admired, but I found her willingness to sacrifice her own life for the life of the kid and the Holy man intriguing. As a result, I broke the "look out for number one" and "survive at all costs" rules. She died saving my life. It was her sacrifice that brought me back to humanity, but it was my concern for Jack that turned me away from it.