Chapter Thirteen

As Jack slowly came awake, she felt like she was making her way through water, swimming toward the surface. Her mouth tasted like it was filled with cotton. She swallowed several times but couldn't rid herself of the dryness. She realized that she was sitting up and had a stiff neck from the awkward position. She started to stretch to relieve the cramps in her neck and back, but she discovered that her hands were securely strapped to the arms of the chair.

What the hell? Where am I? she thought muzzily. She heard the distant mumble of a male voice. "Robby?" she said aloud. But no, it was too deep—older than Robby's baritone—and now a female voice was answering. She heard footsteps approach and forced her eyes open. Her vision was a little blurry and she blinked several times trying to focus.

"How ya feeling, kid?" the female voice asked from one side. Jack turned her head to look in the direction of the voice and her eyes finally decided to focus, showing her a woman of about 20 with long dark curly hair and a curvaceous figure. The woman seemed familiar but Jack couldn't place her; her mind was still too foggy. The woman stepped forward with a plastic pouch pierced with a straw and held the straw to Jack's lips. "Drink," she commanded. "You'll feel better in a bit. That knockout juice tends to leave you a little parched."

Jack drew experimentally on the straw and tasted sweet, orange flavor, not juice, more like a sports, rehydration drink. She drank deeply and did feel a little better: Now if I only knew where the hell I am and what the hell is going on. And why can't I move my arms? She looked down and saw thick web straps holding her lower arms into place on some sort of chair. She suddenly realized that similar straps restrained her legs and anchored her midsection firmly into the chair. She looked back at the woman and started to ask, "What the hell is—"

That was when the memory hit. She suddenly recognized the woman from the quick glance that she had gotten before blacking out while she tried to help... A gasp of almost physical pain tore from her as her mind provided the image of Rob lying in the street while she tried to come up with something that would help him.

"Robby… Oh, God…" she said as the tears started flowing while her mind played back the memories of what had happened. She turned to the woman in desperation. "Lady, you have to tell me, is he all right? Did you get a doctor for Robby?"

"I'm sorry, Jacqueline. There was nothing I could do," the woman said with a hint of regret in her business like voice. "He was gone too quickly."

"NO! Don't say that! Please, tell me you're lying…" Jack pleaded. Tears began to sheet over her face as her mind repeatedly replayed the scene of Rob running to save her and then falling to his knees as the shot hit him. She began to struggle frantically against her bonds and she cursed at the woman, "You bitch, quit lying and tell me where he is. What did you fucking do to him? Goddamn you, let me go! I've gotta save him, I've gotta get a doctor!"

Jack closed her eyes as the grief swelled inside her. It wasn't possible. Rob couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. He was too alive to die—to much a part of her now. However, her mind betrayed her by bringing up images of him covered in blood as more of the vital fluid oozed from beneath her fingers. Her breathe came in gasps as the pain inside her welled up choking off her sobs. It was a physical presence hardening into a tight ball in her throat and constricting her stomach. She suddenly felt nauseated and wished she hadn't drunk the orange stuff so quickly.

Tears blurred her vision as they fell in a constant stream and her nose began sheeting fluid that tasted salty as it trickled into her mouth. She instinctively tried to lift her hand to wipe the mucus away, but once again discovered she was unable to move her hand because of the restraints. This caused her to struggle frantically for a moment before she slumped in the chair giving in to the crashing swells of grief that swept over her.


As Kyra watched, the girl began thrashing against her bonds and then seemed to collapse into the chair as though defeated. She started to step forward, but the girl spoke, "No, no, no, no…" At first, Kyra thought it was to warn her way, but then the words blended into a single long keen of sound as the young woman poured out her grief. Kyra didn't know what to do and she turned to Toombs who had been drawn to the rear cabin by the sound of the girl's anguish.

"What'd you do to her?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kyra asserted. "I never touched her. She asked about that other kid and I told her he didn't make it. Then she started this."

"Can't you make her stop?"

"And what the fuck would you recommend I do to make her stop?" she snapped. "The kid obviously knew the boy. He was probably a lover or something. I think the only thing to do is let her work through this herself."

"I've lost lovers before," Toombs informed her. "I didn't sound like this when it happened! Jesus, she's givin' me a headache. Maybe we should dope her again."

"Toombs, you are a heartless bastard sometimes. Besides, it isn't good to use too much of that stuff. It addles the brain."

"If she doesn't stop that noise, it's gonna addle my brain!"

"Just get out!" Kyra said and pushed him toward the cockpit. She closed the door behind him and then tried to figure out what to do about the distraught teenager. After another few moments' deliberation, she grabbed some disposable towels from the galley and moistened part of them with warm water. She then returned to the restraint chair and began gently wiping the girl's face with the wet towels.

She seemed to come back to herself a bit. She shook her head back and forth avoiding Kyra's ministrations. "Just leave me alone. Please…"

A rush of pity and empathy flowed through Kyra as she remembered how she had felt when her father died. Impulsively, she hit the release button for the restraints on the chair. As they retracted, the girl slumped forward and Kyra caught her. She wrapped her arms around the girl's shaking shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. The slender young woman returned Kyra's embrace like a drowning person grabbing a life vest. Kyra drew them both down to the floor and then rocked the young woman gently, crooning to her as she sobbed out her pain.


For the second time, Jack felt like she was swimming back to the surface of a deep pool only this time it was her own emotions she struggled against rather than consciousness. Gradually, the ache in her soul dulled enough that she could be human again and she began to perceive her surroundings once more. The dark haired woman was stroking her hair and murmuring to her. They sat on the floor beside the chair, which had previously restrained Jack. She must be a nurse or something, Jack reasoned. They must have had me in that chair to keep me from hurting myself.

Jack pushed back slightly and tried to smile to let the woman know that the worst was over. She doubted her effort had been very successful, but the woman seemed to get the point. Jack noticed that the shoulder of the woman's shirt was thoroughly soaked from what Jack presumed were her own tears. "Sorry about your shirt," she offered weakly.

"Forget it, it'll dry," the woman dismissed the dampness with a small laugh. Then her face filled with concern and she seemed to stumble over her next words, "But you, Jacqueline… how are… I mean, how do you…"

"I'm tired. I just feel really tired," Jack said with a deep sigh. "And no one calls me 'Jacqueline'. It's just 'Jack'."

"Okay, Jack," she acknowledged and then she indicated several cryo couches. "You can crash here on one of the cryo couches if you want. No need for cryo, since we'll be arriving in just a few hours, but they'll still do for sleeping."

"Cryo?" Jack said puzzled but with a growing sense of suspicion. With her initial grief spent, details of the encounter that had led to Robby's death began to come back to her. Something the bastard had said as he grabbed her. What was it… 'Hello, payday.' Yes, that was it. At the time, she'd thought he was a mugger and that he was referring to the money he'd likely steal from her. Now she wasn't so sure.

She scooted away from the woman who was sitting beside her on the floor. "Wait, we're on a ship? You aren't a nurse are you? And if you aren't a nurse, then who-the-fuck are you?"

"I'm Kyra. I—" she started, but Jack cut her off.

"You were with them ... those murdering bastards who killed Rob!" Jack accused as realization finally hit her and dark, vicious anger began rising inside her, displacing the grief. "That's why you were there so quickly. You bitch! You killed him! Why? What the hell is going on here?"

Kyra made calming motions with her hands, "Listen, it wasn't supposed to happen that way. You were supposed to be alone…"

"And because I wasn't you just murdered him?" Jack's voice had increased in volume as the anger rose. Now the bubble of rage burst inside her and she launched herself at the other woman with a primal shriek.


The suddenness of the girl's attack caught Kyra off guard. She took a hard blow to the jaw before her instincts kicked in and she began to defend herself. She tossed Jack to the side and then leapt to pin her down. The kid got in another decent punch before Kyra immobilized her. Kyra was actually impressed at how well she fought for a civilian. The kid had obviously had some training, but she was still no professional. Without much ado, Kyra had her pinned face down to the floor with her hands behind her back.

"Get off me, you murdering bitch!" Jack screamed.

"What the fuck is going on here!" Toombs roared from the doorway, effectively stilling the struggles of the two women. The sound of the altercation had obviously drawn him to the rear cabin. He now looked as angry as, or possibly angrier than, Kyra had ever seen him. "What the hell is the prisoner doing out of the restraint chair, Kyra?"

"Um... Well, Toombs, you see..."

"I see that you've lost your fucking MIND! What in the name of hell could have prompted you to release a prisoner from her restraints mid-flight?"

Kyra glanced down at the girl beneath her. Jack's eyes flashed with dangerous hate. Kyra looked back at Toombs with a contrite expression. "Sorry, Toombs. I fucked up big time on this one."

"Damn right you did," he agreed as he moved forward to assist her with Jack. Between the two of them, they wrestled her into the restraint chair. They were given a unique opportunity to sample the depth of Jack's vocabulary of swear words during the ordeal. They received several bruises each and Toombs got a nasty gash on his arm when he got it too close to Jack's teeth. However, Kyra realized that her misstep might have cost them more had the girl gotten hold of a weapon.

"So what were you thinking? You know better than to pull a stunt like that."

Kyra sighed heavily and looked at the girl who had lapsed into angry silence after Toombs threatened to use a bit if she didn't settle down. Jack was staring daggers and Kyra could see the muscles in her jaw clench and relax as she ground her teeth together. Kyra shook her head and looked back at Toombs. "She got to me. She reminded me of how I felt when Pop died. I guess I wanted to comfort her or something. I'm sorry, Toombs. I let my emotions get in the way of my job."

"What emotions, you fucking murderer! You mean the ones you showed so handily when you slaughtered Rob? And if you're planning to ransom me, you've completely fucked up. I'm just an ex-streetpunk who isn't worth a goddamn dime!" Jack spat at them.

"What did I tell you about that mouth?" Toombs snapped and turned to look at Jack. Kyra watched the battle of wills as they glared at one another, neither willing to back down.

Damn, that kid has some kind of nerve. She'd make a damned fine merc if she wanted to, Kyra thought as she watched them face off. She felt the need to intervene so that both could save face. She placed her hand on Toombs's arm to draw his attention away from Jack. "Toombs, you should let me see to that bite," she told him and took a leading step toward the first aid station.

Kyra was afraid she might have said the wrong thing when he glanced at the wound on his arm and then glared at Jack once again. Her apprehension increased as a sound like a growl began to rise from his chest; however, her fears were dispelled as a terse laugh erupted from him. "Goddamnit! Somebody save me from mouthy women," he rumbled as he extended his arm for Kyra to tend the gash. "Riddick may not know it, but I'm putting all this damned trouble on his account."


Riddick? Jack thought and she suddenly felt cold shock, banishing her rage. They're after Riddick. They must think I know something. Oh, my God. All of this was because of me, because I know Riddick.

Jack felt the guilt flare up inside her, but she took a firm rein on her emotions. She refused to give in to them a second time. Come on, Jack, you gotta be strong now. For Riddick and for Rob. This ain't your fault. The ones to blame are these no good mercs.

Jack felt a new wellspring of strength within her as her resolve hardened. She gazed at Toombs and Kyra memorizing their features. Someday, I'm gonna pay you back with interest.

Toombs turned back, met her level gaze. "What the fuck are you looking at, brat?"

"A piece of shit merc," she answered flatly. She couldn't resist taunting him a bit. "Riddick was right about you people. You're all alike: a bunch of scumbags who'll do anything for a paycheck. You people don't give a damn about anyone or anything except lining your own pocket. And if you have to slaughter an innocent person to do it... well then, fuck 'em, right? But this time you fucked up. I don't know where he is. So you've gone to all that trouble for nothing. You aren't gonna get your precious payday and when they figure out who ghosted Robby, you're gonna be extremely sorry you ever even heard of Richard B. Riddick."

Jack noticed Kyra's pained expression at her accusation. She might actually have liked the other woman under different circumstances. She was, however, surprised as a flicker of remorse crossed Toombs's face before a cocksure expression asserted itself. He turned and headed toward the door to what Jack assumed was the cockpit. Just before he stepped through the door he tossed back almost casually, "Actually, our target this time was Jacqueline Audrey Page. So I suppose, we'll get our payday after all."

Then he was gone, leaving Jack to stare at Kyra. She tried to put as much malevolence as possible into her gaze. Kyra seemed about to speak for a moment, but then she shook her head and followed Toombs, leaving Jack alone to deal with her still raw grief and to ponder the implications of Toombs's last revelation.