Chapter Five

After the wedding, Jack, Imam and Lajjun spent some time working to get settled into the new rhythms of living together. Once they had begun to get comfortable with one another, Lajjun gently reminded Imam that Jack should be in school. He explained that he had wanted to give Jack time to acclimate to New Mecca and his home before pushing her into another new environment. At that point, Lajjun pointed out that they had been there for almost six standard months and innocently inquired how much longer Jack's acclimation might take. Three days later, Jack found herself bustled off to a counselor's office for placement tests.

Jack had always been smart, especially in mathematics. It was one of the only things that had moderately distinguished her from the rabble before she ran away. The teachers had called her "precocious" and said she had a "unique gift." One of her group-parents had once marveled that at 8 years old she could easily do math that he had trouble with at 45. Jack had secretly thought that was because he was an uneducated dumbass, but she'd wisely kept that little observation to herself.

It was rarely a good thing to be the "smart-kid" in the group homes where she had lived. Invariably, at each new home one of the older kids would give her crap over the fact that she actually liked to learn and was good at it. At that point, the bullies had learned that she also liked to fight and was pretty good at that too. In spite of - or perhaps because of- the fights, Jack took pride in her intelligence. She'd taken pains to continue studying as much as possible even while she moved around. It hadn't been easy, since she'd had to steal most of the books she used to study, but she hoped that eventually if she learned enough she might be able to use it to get into a good flight school. As a pilot or navigator, she would be able to see the universe at will and she relished that thought.

"Since we have no previous school records for you, they will need to test you. To determine in which school form to place you," Imam told her. "This will tell us your level of ability, child, and show which direction to take with your education."

Imam escorted her to a low slung office building with a sign our front that proclaimed it to be the New Mecca School System – Office of Student Placement and Evaluation. Jack felt a little thrill run through her at the thought of the tests. She knew that she could impress him and she looked forward to the pride she would see when he realized how smart she was.

Inside a mousy little man with thick glasses and rather pointy features who reminded her of Paris Ogilvie met them. Jack was amused to note that he was a couple of inches shorter than her; she could see the pink of his scalp through the thinning hair on top of his head.

"Welcome, Professor Walid. We spoke earlier," he said in an obsequious manner and shook hands with Imam. "I am so pleased to have the opportunity to assist Jack with placement in our school system."

"And you must be Jack," he simpered turning to face her. "I am Walter Greeland, but the young people like to call me Uncle Walty." He reached to pat her head, and she ducked to the side glaring at him.

Before she could utter an appropriately cutting remark, she felt Imam's hand tighten on her shoulder and recalled that she had promised him she would try to watch her language. Imam didn't feel that what he liked to call "colorful expletives" would make a very good impression on the school official. She bit the side of her cheek and stepped out of reach of the greasy little man.

"Thank you, Mr. Greeland," she said deliberately emphasizing his name. There was no fucking way she was going to refer to him as "Uncle Walty." The very thought of doing so made her skin crawl.

Greeland didn't seem to notice her refusal to use the moniker he had offered, and without missing a beat, he turned and led them up a short flight of stairs and into a small office. He sat behind a large metal desk and gestured for them to have a seat in a pair of uncomfortable looking plastic and metal chairs situated in front of it.

They seated themselves, and he began shuffling through the desk. Several minutes later he finally extracted two data chips and held them up with a toothy smile. "Here we are," he said in a too chipper voice. "Don't worry, we've got lots of activities for both of you today."

Greeland stood and moved quickly to the office door. "If you'll just follow me, we can get you started."

As they stood, Jack rolled her eyes at Imam in a silent plea for deliverance from the bureaucratic little man. Imam's lips quirked slightly, as though he was suppressing a smile, and he gave her shoulder another reassuring squeeze.

They followed Greeland down a long institutional hallway to a large room sectioned into small soundproof cubicles with computer stations in each one. He showed Imam to one and plugged one of the data chips into the reader slot.

"All right, now, Prof. Walid. What I need you to do, is just give us as much background information as you have on young Jack, here. I realize, given the circumstances that it may be incomplete, but just do the best you can," he told Imam. The way he said the word 'circumstances' forced Jack to once more clench her teeth to keep from putting Greeland in his place. Jack was beginning to truly dislike the man, but she kept her peace because she was still eager to surprise Imam with her aptitude on the tests.


After settling Imam, Greeland turned and beckoned for Jack to follow. She reluctantly did so, keeping her distance to discourage him from trying to touch her again. Greeland led her to a second cubicle and inserted the other data chip into the station reader.

"Okay, sweetie, now this is just going to ask you a series of questions in several different areas," he told her in his syrupy voice as though he was speaking to a very small child. "Answer as many as you can, but don't be afraid to skip any you don't know. This is mainly just to give us a general idea of what level you are at so that we can identify which other tests we need to give you. It'll help us fine-tune a plan to bring you up to speed in our school system. We have some very challenging courses of study, and we wouldn't want you to feel lost by placing you in classes that might be a bit over your head."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it," Jack said flatly, bristling at his insinuation that she wouldn't measure up to the standards of his school. She cursed Greeland thoroughly in her head coming up with a few creative combinations that she thought might make Imam blush in spite of his dark skin had she spoken them aloud.

Jack stood staring at Greeland until he began to fidget a bit. She had no intention of sitting at the computer station until the creepy man had left. Come on, take the fucking hint, she thought while meeting his eyes in an unblinking stare. She had watched Riddick do something similar with Paris while they were on the planet. He had caught her watching him and grinned conspiratorially after the antiques dealer scurried away.

"Well, ah… I have several other things to take care of, so I'll just leave you to it…" he said clearing his throat. " Um… When you finish, just press this button and I'll be notified." He indicated a round black button on the doorframe. He stood for a moment longer, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Then, Greeland quickly closed the cubicle door, turned, and bustled away from her like a mouse from a cat.

Just like Riddick, she mused with a wicked grin as she finally seated herself. I'll do you proud, Big Guy. Even if you aren't around to see it.

Jack quickly worked her way through the questions on the test. Nothing was particularly challenging, not even the history, which was her weakest subject. "Just how dumb do you think I am?" she pondered aloud as she finished the hundredth and final question- a ridiculously simply single integral- after only 35 minutes. Without getting up, she tilted her chair back and stretched her arm to press the button.

Jack only had to wait a few moments before Greeland came scuttling back. As he opened the door to the cubicle, she stood and leaned against the edge of the desk well to the right of the computer terminal with her arms crossed. She worked on putting as much of a 'don't touch me' vibe as possible into her stance.

Greeland glanced at her, then quickly ejected the data chip from the computer and plugged it into a small portable reader. He pressed a series of buttons along the side of the reader and data began scrolling across the screen. When the information stopped scrolling, he glanced up at her then pressed a different series of buttons, which caused additional data to scroll across the small screen. Eventually, he looked up at her warily with his brow furrowed.

"So how'd I do?" Jack asked impatiently.

Greeland looked quickly from Jack to the reader and then back to Jack. He frowned again and then commanded, "Wait right here."

Greeland was back within a couple of minutes. He held up another data chip. "Let's try this one, shall we?" he said as he inserted it into the bay on the computer. He queued up the test and then left without another word.

Jack stared after him in confusion. She knew she had done well on the first exam. A lot of the stuff on the test was stuff she had studied before she ran away from the group-home. What the hell got into the little worm? she wondered. She shrugged and sat down to tackle the next test.

This is a little more like it, she thought as she began answering questions. This second test was all math and science, and it actually had a couple of questions that she had to think about. There was even a cool one involving star jump coordinate calculations with a need to take into account the effects of a small quantum singularity. She enjoyed answering that one because star-nav was one of her favorite areas. She'd actually pretty much decided that navigation was the direction she wanted to go instead of piloting.

Nevertheless, when she finished the final question, Jack noted that only 58 minutes had elapsed since she started. She pressed the button. Greeland appeared almost immediately, startling Jack. Man, where was he lurking? He must have been waiting right down the hall.

Once again, he popped the data chip out of her station and into his handheld. He punched the buttons and waited for the dataflow to stop. He then looked at her again- his brow furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line. Jack raised her eyebrows expectantly. Without a word he turned and marched down the hall. "What the fuck?" Jack muttered in confusion.

Rat-man, as Jack had begun to think of Greeland, was back shortly with another data chip. They repeated the process several more times in the same pattern- Jack tore through the questions, Greeland analyzed the results, frowned, left and then returned with yet another test. After the sixth test, Jack decided to put a stop to the nonsense, but apparently, Greeland had decided the same thing. Before she could voice her indignation, he opened the door and said, "Follow me."


He led her to a small room with only a large metal table and a bare wooden chair. The room reminded her of an interrogation room she had seen in a vid about cops on a space station. "Sit," he snipped and left quickly. He returned with a sheaf of paper- actual paper- and placed it in front of her along with a pen. He then turned and left once more. Jack heard the small beep and the click of a lock engaging. She quickly checked the door confirming her suspicions; it was locked.

"What the hell kind of place is this?" she asked the empty room. She kicked the table leg in frustration before sitting down and riffling through the thick pile of papers: another math/science test.

Jack worked her way through the problems on the test. This one was actually pretty challenging and she knew she missed a few. There were several theoretical questions that she remembered reading some stuff about, but she didn't remember the correct formula for the calculation. Jack settled for writing down what she did know and then left it at that.

When she was finished, she stacked the sheets of paper and looked around for a button like the one she had pressed before. She didn't spot one, but realized that they must have been watching her somehow because the lock beeped open and Greeland entered the room. He grabbed the papers from the table, gave her a nasty smile and exited, once more locking the door behind him. Jack rattled the door briefly and pounded on it, but to no avail. She sat back down, irritation written on her face. She would just have to wait for them to come back.

Jack squirmed in the hard wooden chair, trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable. How long had she been here? It seemed like an eternity, but the digital display on her watch assured her it had only been 7 hours. Yeah, right. ONLY 7 hours, she fumed. How many damn placement tests could they possibly have in this place?

Jack's stomach rumbled loudly in the too quiet room reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast. She considered trying the door again, but decided not to give them the satisfaction. Instead, she stood and began pacing the small room. Her irritation and confusion over her treatment combined with her growing hunger, placing Jack in a truly foul mood.


The next time the door beeped, Jack whirled and stood facing it hands on her hips. The door slid open to reveal Imam and Greeland standing outside. "Imam," she snarled. "What the hell kind of fucking, insane slam have you brought me to?"

Confusion stamped itself on Imam's features as he looked from Jack to Greeland, back to Jack and then once more to Greeland. "What is going on here?" he asked in his quiet voice. "Why is this child upset?"

"Upset? Upset!" Jack repeated her voice rising with her anger. "I'm pretty fucking far past 'upset'!"

Greeland sneered back at her, "Alright, you little brat, how'd you do it? What, you've got some sort of transmitter? Someone outside helping you?"

Then it hit her. They thought she had cheated on the placement exams. Jack looked at Greeland in shock, her mouth opening and closing as her mind tried to come to grips with the idea that Greeland was actually of accusing her of cheating on the tests. Greeland's mouth kept moving, but she couldn't hear him over the roar of blood in her ears. Jack turned away, eyes running over the small empty room. She felt the heat growing in her face and her breath came in short pants as a deep rage roiled up out of her. Jack gradually became aware that she could hear Greeland's words again.

"…really only cheating yourself," he stated with a petulant tone that gave her the impression he expected her to fall to her knees and confess her sins or something.

Jack rounded on the little man, her eyes blazing green fury. She stalked toward him with her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. Part of Jack's brain noted with calm detachment the concern, which washed across Imam's face as she turned and he saw her expression. The concern was quickly replaced by fear as she began stalking toward Greeland.

Jack tensed her arm and drew her fist back preparing to attack the obnoxious little toad who apparently didn't recognize the danger he was in because he was still standing there, hands on hips, with a malicious sneer plastered across his face. Just before she launched herself at Greeland, Imam stepped between Jack and her prey and grasped her by the shoulders.

"Jack, snap out of this," his deep voice commanded as he gave her a small shake. She tore her eyes from Greeland's face and attempted to focus on Imam. "Child, you must release this anger. We must discuss this like rational beings."

Jack took a deep breath. Imam still held her shoulders as though he was afraid to release her before he was certain she wouldn't attack Greeland. Jack breathed deeply again, closed her eyes and nodded. She let the overwhelming rage die back down until she felt a controlled level of righteous fury. She forced her body to relax, looked back at Imam and nodded again to assure him that she was now okay.

Imam turned to Greeland, "What evidence do you have that she cheated?"

"Other than the fact that she acted like she was about to murder me, just now?" he whined.

He doesn't know how fucking close to right he is, Jack thought as she felt the rage begin to heat again and deliberately forced it under control.

"Yes," Imam insisted. "Physical evidence. Why do you accuse this child of such a thing?"

Greeland thrust a palm reader at Imam and waited while the cleric scanned down the rows of information. Imam looked up at Greeland in confusion. " These scores are exemplary, what is the problem? It is good that she did so well."

"These scores ARE exceptional," Greeland agreed snatching the palm reader away from Imam and gesturing with it madly. "In fact, that's the problem. Do you realize that some of this stuff is advanced university level mathematics? There's no way some snot-nosed, thirteen-year-old, runaway punk could do this well!"

That's it, Jack realized. He accused me because I'm a runaway, because I don't come from a nice "normal" family. Jack's entire body felt heavy and exhausted as though she had just run a long race. The realization swept over her that even in New Mecca, a city renowned for its openness and acceptance of all peoples, she didn't fit in. To many people, she would always be a "runaway punk" who was leaching off a man who was too kind to make her leave.

"We have a very strict policy about cheating here," Greeland said maliciously as she looked at him. "I'm not certain we will be able to find a place for someone like Jack among our student body. Let's face it, she just doesn't belong here!"

At his cruel statement, Jack jerked like she'd been hit. Her eyes went to Imam's face and the tender concern written there shocked her and almost demolished her barriers.

NO! she snarled to herself. I'll be damned if I break down here. There is no fucking way I'm gonna let Rat-man see me cry.

Jack took firm hold of her emotions and brushed past the two men in the doorway. "Fuck off," she snarled before anyone could say a word to stop her. She stormed out of the building, ignoring Imam's pleas to wait. She started running when she hit the street level and did not stop until she reached her pipe.

She crawled into her concrete haven and wrapped her arms around her midsection hugging herself. She wished that Riddick were there to comfort her as he had after they left Chillingsworth's ship. She needed his strength.

Unfortunately, the thought of Riddick reminded her that he had left her too. She didn't fit into his life any better than she fit into the pattern of New Mecca. She didn't fit anywhere. The despair that was rising in her chest threatened to overwhelm Jack as surely as her rage had earlier.

"Stop being such a baby," Jack commanded herself trying to regain control of her roiling emotions. It was no use. She curled into a tight ball and cried silently until she fell asleep.


A/N:

I hope, I didn't get too ansgty there. ;) I've known a number of gifted kids who got a lot of bureaucratic crap from the public school system simply for being smart (something they should be praised for). Truth be told, I channeled a little of my own resentment toward certain nasty teachers I had in Junior High and High School.

TotallyRiddickObsessed: Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad my story caught your attention. As for this being Riddick/Jack... that's the plan. However, I'm sticking to canon, so he's spending the next five years on the UV planet. Besides, she's got some growing up to do in the mean time. For the moment, the primary pairing is Kyra/Toombs with a very small bit of Jack/OMC.