Chapter Eleven

After they finally acknowledged that there was more to their relationship than friendship, Jack and Rob became virtually inseparable. Three weeks after what Jack thought of as the 'Cupcake Event', she tested into the Fifth Form. Rob met her at the testing center as she bounced out with the news. Her shoulder bag flapped heavily against her hip as she took the stairs two at a time and then threw herself into his arms with a delighted squeal. "I did it!"

"Was there any doubt?" he asked as he lifted her and spun her around in a full circle. Then he kissed her and set her back on her feet. "Come on, let's go back to the dorm and drop your bag. Then I'm taking you out for a celebration."

"Hell yeah!"

They hurried back to the dorm and she quickly changed clothes. She was a bit disappointed that she didn't run into Val or the twins to give them the good news, but she didn't let that dim her mood a bit. She ran a brush through her shoulder length hair, tossed it into a quick French braid and then rushed back down to the lobby where Rob was waiting.

"So where are we going?" she asked as she exited the lift and took his hand.

"You'll find out…"he said mysteriously and led her across campus. She buzzed with curiosity but resisted the temptation to pester him into telling her where he was taking her. The surprise would be better anyway.

They left the campus and walked a couple of blocks to a small restaurant tucked into a row of quaint little shops. Jack looked at him quizzically but he just grinned and led her through the doorway. As she stepped through the portal, she was greeted by a wave of sound as the entire room shouted, "Surprise!"

All her friends from school as well as Imam, Lajjun and Ziza filled the tiny restaurant. Jack turned to Rob in wonderment. "Did you plan all this?"

"Yup," he said with a satisfied grin.

"You must have spent days pulling this together. This is wonderful; you even got my family to come. Why would you go to all this trouble? What if I'd fucked up on the test and hadn't passed?"

He hugged her tightly. "I knew you'd pass; that was a given," he informed her. "And as for the 'trouble' well, it really wasn't any. I made a few calls and rounded up some kids… no big deal. But even if it had been, you're worth any amount of trouble, Jack. This is a special occasion, I wanted everyone who's special to you to be here to celebrate with you and that includes your family."

Jack felt a distinct twinge of regret at his words; there was one person she cared about who wasn't present. Imam was standing near enough to their conversation, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he drew her into a warm hug. Then she was swept up in the storm of well-wishers. Jack was overwhelmed by how very many people were there. She pushed her longing for Riddick out of her mind and spent the next couple of hours eating, chatting and just enjoying the celebration.

Later, as the party began winding down, Imam drew her to a small, secluded couch and gave her a warm hug. "I am so very proud of you, my child. Do you know that?"

"Of course, Imam, you tell me all the time," she said, returning his embrace and then sitting with him on the small sofa. "But that doesn't mean it doesn't make me feel good to hear it again."

"Do you know, that I believe he would be very proud of you as well?" he'd continued. Jack stiffened at that.

"He cared for you a great deal, you know," Imam reassured her. "I believe he would be pleased at the life you are making for yourself. This is what he wanted for you: a normal, happy life. That is why he cannot be here."

"I just miss him, Imam," she told him. "I know that's odd. I mean… I only knew him for, what, a week or two? But I sometimes I really miss him. I just wish he could be here. I wish he could meet Rob and have cake and watery punch and I could thank him for everything. I'm silly, huh?"

"Not at all," Imam said, smiling gently as he patted her hand.

She sat for a moment and then continued in a quiet voice: "And I worry about him. A lot. I especially think of him, when I have so many people around who care about me. Who does Riddick have to take care of him? I know he thought he didn't need anyone, but that doesn't mean he's right. I wish there were some way to know that he's okay."

"Jack, you are truly a treasure, and I am certain that Mr. Riddick would tell you as much if he were here. Since he is not, I will simply have to say it a second time. You are a treasure and I am so honored to have had you be a part of my life these past two years."

Imam's words brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them away as Rob walked up. He squatted beside her and looked at her with genuine concern. "Are you all right?"

With her right hand, she clasped the hand Rob rested on her knee and then she took Imam's hand in her left. She squeezed both and then looked from Imam's weathered features to Rob's gently smiling face. Finally, she looked down at the hands she held clasped in her lap. In her minds eye, she imagined Riddick as she'd last seen him, kneeling beside Robby with his large hand atop hers. In her heart, she included him when she finally said, "I don't know what I did to deserve such wonderful people in my life, but I want you to know, I really am thankful. More than you can ever know."

Rob leaned forward, kissed her cheek, and whispered: "See, that's why I go to the trouble."


Toombs guided the Purgatory to a landing on the outskirts of New Mecca. Kyra sat in the copilot's seat beside him. Sanchez and Jones had strapped in behind them. After Toombs shut the ship down, they grabbed their gear and exited the shuttle, pausing so that Toombs could lock it down.

When the ship was secure, they boarded a shuttle, which took them closer to the district where the kid was in school. Toombs had selected lodgings that were close enough to the campus to allow them to monitor the girl's activities, but far enough away and in a gritty enough part of town, that their appearance didn't raise any eyebrows.

They spent the better part of two weeks observing the girl to identify the ideal time to grab her. Toombs had hoped that they would be able to do the job more quickly, but he preferred taking the extra time to do things right to the alternative of botching the job.

Unfortunately, the girl spent most of her time on campus. Nevertheless, Toombs's diligence eventually paid off and they discovered that she made a trip off campus every Wednesday evening. The trip took her to a small out of the way storefront, which led past any number of dark alleys where they could make the grab.


"You really wanna come to my class with me?" Jack asked Rob as she picked up her bag with her equipment. She wasn't sure how she felt about him watching her work out, but the pitiful expression he gave her tipped the scale. "Okay, but don't blame me if you're fucking bored."

"Jack, I'll get to see you kicking ass, how in hell could that be boring?" he asked incredulously.

"It's not quite as exciting as you might think. A lot of the class is just spent on technique and repetition. We only actually spar for about 30 minutes out of the two hours," she informed him as they walked across campus.

"Well, maybe I'll join the class," he returned. It was her turn to look incredulous, prompting him to assert, "Hey, I can kick butt with the best of them."

"I'm sure you could, but you never really showed any indication before that you have any desire to. Rob, are you really interested in learning a martial art? Or, is this about something else?" she asked and stopped walking to look squarely at him. After her surprise party, she had finally confided in him about all her experiences on the planet and with the mercs, including Riddick.

The party had really brought home to her how much she cared for Rob and she'd decided that she had to trust him with the complete story. While he'd known select bits before, she realized that her revelation had come as a shock to him. Since that night, he'd been extra attentive and protective of her. She was convinced that his newly awakened interest in martial arts had to be related.

"I've always wanted to learn to be a badass," he replied with an innocent look. She gave him her best skeptical look and waited. Finally, he frowned and admitted, "I thought you liked the deadly beefcake type. You certainly seem to be taken with this Riddick character. You get all dreamy when you talk about him."

"Rob, I'm not going to fuck around with you on this one. Riddick saved my life several times. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here at all. I connected with him and I love him so fucking much it hurts sometimes," she said. He started to interrupt her, but she stopped him. "Let me finish. He's like an older brother. One who joined the military or something. He can't be around but he's still a major part of my life… of who I am. But that doesn't change what I feel for you. You aren't Riddick, but I don't want you to be. I love you for you."

When she finished speaking, his face broke into a broad smile, lighting up his features. "You love me?" he asked as though amazed. "Actual, 'LOVE' kind of love? Not 'he's my friend and I wanna sooth his neurotic self-consciousness' love, but the real thing?"

"Yeah," she said giggling. She hadn't planned to state her feelings so boldly and she felt a bit nervous about what sort of reaction he'd have to her proclamation.

"Good, cause I really am a lover not a fighter," he informed her. "That's why I'm so good at this."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. Jack was warming to the activity, when she remembered the time. She, reluctantly, pulled away from him and said, "My class. I'm gonna be late."

"No you won't, we'll run!" he told her as he grabbed her hand and they took off. They dashed across campus, then down several narrow streets until they arrived at the small dojo. Both were out of breath and they drew an amused look from the instructor as they dashed in.


Toombs placed his people strategically: Jones at the end of the block, Kyra across the street and himself at the other end of the street. Sanchez would actually make the grab. Toombs stationed him in an alley about midway down. Once he had the girl, the rest of them would close so that they could easily carry her back to the ship.

He led them to an alley that opened onto the street where the operation would go down. Before they moved into position, he gave them final commands: "All right, I want a clean op. This is a LIVE capture, so no shooting. Sanchez, you've got the juice right?"

"Check, boss," he said and pulled something from his jacket pocket. The small, dark-skinned man displayed a cylinder with a button on one end and an opening on the other. He spun it around in his palm and then returned it to his pocket with a flourish. He gave them a broad grin.

"And you know how to use it?" Kyra prompted, drawing a glare. Toombs raised his eyebrows and waited for the man to answer.

"Fuck, course I know how to use it!" Sanchez snapped irritably, his grin replaced by an angry frown. "Open end goes against her skin and then I push the button to inject the drug. It ain't fucking quantum mechanics."

Toombs nodded curtly. "All right, soon as you have her, dope her and we'll move in to help you. Everybody, set your headsets to channel 178 and move out. The sooner we get this done, the better."

Jones and Sanchez immediately slipped down the street and into hiding. He pressed a hurried kiss to Kyra's cheek. "Watch Sanchez, would ya?" he cautioned her.

"Already planned to," she agreed. "He seems off tonight. Jittery. Probably just nerves, but no sense taking chances."

"That's my girl," Toombs said as he swatted her behind. "Best get into position. If she keeps her schedule, she should be along in about 45 minutes."

The woman slipped into the darkness like a ghost. Toombs waited a few minutes after she left then moved into position himself.


Rob had claimed a spot in the back of the classroom to watch. Unfortunately, Jack had been right about the class not really having much to hold his attention. At first, they had worked through a series of forms and that had been rather interesting. Then they had done some sparring. He had enjoyed that part; Jack kicking butt was positively fascinating. However, for the past 10 minutes, they had been doing some guided meditation that was almost as interesting as watching grass grow. Rob allowed his mind to wander.

Jack's assertion earlier about the nature of her relationship with the infamous Riddick had put him more at ease than he had felt in several days. He had looked the man up after she told him her story and found some old wanted photos of him. Rob had always been relatively confident in his dealings with girls, but Jack was different. Moreover, when he saw how her eyes lit up as she talked about the notorious serial killer, he had, quite frankly, been thoroughly intimidated. How the hell was he supposed to compete with someone like that?

But if Jack thought of Riddick as a brother, that made things different. He didn't have to worry about competing with a brother-not that he could if he wanted to, that was the nature of brothers.

Rob slowly became aware of someone standing in front of him and refocused his attention on Jack. She smiled indulgently, if smugly, at him and said, "I told you, you'd be bored."

Rob gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Is it that obvious?"

"No, but I know your glazed look. You don't have to stick around, you know."

"I want to," he protested. "I'll try to pay more attention. Promise. And then I can walk you home. Of course if along the way we happen upon some nice dark spot, and we happen to make out…"

Jack laughed as he waggled his eyebrows at her. He had hoped she would; he loved the way her laugh sounded. "So… I've found your ulterior motive, eh?" she said still grinning. "How bout a compromise? There's a pub just down the street. They have lots of vid screens. You can wait for me there and I'll meet you when I finish up here. It'll only be another 30 minutes or so."

"You wouldn't mind?" he asked hopefully, already standing.

"Course not. Why would I?"

"I don't have time to get into the details of the psyches of most females. Suffice to say, most girls I've dated wouldn't care how bored I was; they'd want me to stay to the bitter end."

"Well, I'm not most girls," she shot back at that comment, defiantly placing her hands on her hips.

"Damn, straight. You're way better," he told her as he brushed a kiss on her cheek. "See ya in a bit."

He,then, beat a hasty retreat. In the pub, he grabbed a spot by a window so he could spot her when she left. He ordered a pint of his favorite dark ale and settled in, halfway watching a zero-g soccer game on a convenient screen while he waited.

About 45 minutes later students started filtering out of the small dojo. Rob watched for Jack, but she still did not exit. He slipped his credit chip into the reader at his table and then pressed his thumb to the scanner to settle his bill. As the transaction completed, she finally exited and began walking down the street in the direction of the pub. Rob paused to watch her through the window, loving the languid grace with which she moved.

Suddenly, a figure moved from the shadows of an alley as she walked past. Rob felt cold fingers of fear wrap around his heart as he realized that someone was going to attack her. No, not Jack! he thought as he dashed for the door of the pub. By the time he reached the portal, the guy had grabbed her and was dragging her into the alleyway. She was fighting him and Rob saw a metal object go flying from his hand. The man cuffed her hard and she stumbled to the ground.

Before she could rise, he reached inside his jacket, withdrew a gun and pointed it at her. Instinct took over and Rob raced into the street. Without a thought to his own safety, he yelled, "Let her go, you fuck!"

The man looked up, obviously startled, and the gun swung in Rob's direction. As Jack turned her head, he saw a flash from the gun muzzle and heard muted pop sound. Then, he felt an explosion of pain in his stomach, followed by a wash of cold. Rob dropped to his knees, grasping his abdomen. When he looked down, bright red fluid covered his hands.


A/N: Well, I probably won't get a chance to post over the weekend so I figured I'd post another chapter today. Enjoy and thanks so much for reading.