I'm back!!!!!
Sorry bout the long wait every one, but here I am, back, and bringing you a nice long chapter, with a surprise ending.
However, don't fret.this story is long from over. And by the time I'm doneyou'll all have whip lash, muwahhhahaha!
Alright, the psychotic, mentally ill, moment is over.
Just kick back, relax and clear sometime. This is gonna be good!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well?" Minx asked, as Jack set the diary down on her dresser. The room was filled with a warm golden glow. She was finally finished reading Minx's diary. It was amazing the things she went through. Jack looked up at Minx with a renewed respect. "Amazing." She said softly, giving Minx a smile. "It's my life." Minx said softly. Jack couldn't believe all that happened to her. The underground life, running from the mercs, sticking up to Deo when he told her no, hacking into computers in the day, and teaching herself to kick box at night.
"Now you see why I knew so much about you Jack." She explained, sitting down on Jack's bed, facing her. Jack could only nod. They had so much in common. She was feeling better, the last of her pills she would take today. She couldn't believe she was allergic to the air, how stupid was that?
She had three weeks left before she made her trip to Luna 7, to Imam, away from Riddick and Minx. Just at the thought Minx's chrono chirped, she was going back to work today, after taking care of her for two weeks. "Better go." Minx said lightly, picking up her diary. "See ya Minx." Minx nodded, and gave her a warm smile, then hesitated. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" She asked worriedly. Jack shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully. "Minx, I'll be fine, Riddick said he would check up on me at his lunch hour."
Minx ran her hand through her hair. Jack came to notice that it was her signature move when she was struggling with something. "What?" She asked carefully. "Nothing." She said blankly. "Not nothing. Come onyou can tell me." Jack pushed, knowing that in the end she'd find out anyway.
"How are things with you and Riddick?" Minx asked suddenly. She knew that things were still awkward between Jack and Riddick. Jack gave a small sigh. "AlrightI guess. I mean" She looked down at her hands, her fingernails were painted a metallic red, with black tips. Minx did it for her one afternoon, when Jack had gotten a little too restless. She had to admit, she did like them a lot.
"I still have feelings for him, likeI still.." She was finding it hard to say how she felt. "I know." Minx said quietly, now fiddling with her own nails, they matched Jack's, only they were painted black with red tips. "I know romance won't happen between Riddick and me" It still hurt to say it, because she knew that was the truth. Jack paused, the thought had been on her mind ever since she finished Minx's diary.
"And" It was her turn to push. She and Minx had gotten really close, so Jack was used to her caring. She just didn't know if she wanted to say her feelings out loud, she didn't want to jinx it. She let out a steady breath. "After reading your diary I feel like in timehe'll eventually want me too. You know, likeDeo did you." Jack saw Minx visibly flinch. Her arms came up to her chest and crossed, her long hair falling down to frame her face. She didn't say anything.
Minx's silence was puzzling Jack, there was still something on her mind. Minx leaned up against her door, looking far away and confused. She had this struggling expression on her face, like she was battling with herself. "I'll see you later Jack. Take care." She said suddenly, her voice quiet and hollow.
Jack studied her friend for a long moment. Hoping if she concentrated on her form long enough, she would find out what was going on in that head of hers. But it didn't come, and Jack found herself feeling slightly frustrated and tired. "I will. You too." Minx smiled lightly at Jack, then out into the hall. Jack looked after her, hearing the faint thump of her boots until her door closed.
~~~
Minx walked down the hall. She was annoyed with herself. She got this funny feeling that something was gonna change, or something already had. She gave Jack her diary, because she wanted Jack to understand why she understood her. But now Jack found renewed hope that she and Riddick could still be together, like her and Deo.
She grabbed her tool belt, and headed out the door. Riddick was already down in the engine room, she knew he was waiting. There were a lot of things that they had to work on. Mostly wiring. Among the cool metal and the blue lighting in the elevator she stood alone with her thoughts.
Finally the doors opened, and she walked towards the engine room door. As she neared it, a tightness formed in her stomach. Tight, and warm. She got this anxious, jumpy feeling. She knew that feeling all too well, but that couldn't be.
Before the thought could linger she locked it away, and forced herself to calm down, taking a few deep breaths. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to think about anything else except that blissful feeling in her stomach. She took another breath in, then exhaled.
"Leave some air for the rest of us." A stream of warm breath floated across her skin. Her eyes snapped open at sound of that hauntingly smooth voice. She came face to face with midnight black fabric, and familiar caramel skin. Her eyes trailed upward slowly, to see a full lipped smirk, and an endless goggled gaze.
She jumped slightly, as he exhaled, another rill of warm breath washing over her face. Until then, Minx didn't realize how close they were standing. Her mind screamed at her legs to move backwards, but no such luck, Riddick's element of surprise had won her limbs over.
Luckily he made the decision for her. "We have a lot of work to do." He whispered in that same tone. His warmth went with him, as he stepped away from her, placing his hand on the palm reader. She followed him into the engine room, the tension in her stomach almost gone, for that she was thankful.
He walked over to the left end of the control panel, handing her a Phillip's screw driver. "Need to get the screws loose on the last wiring panel, then you can start to cut some wires. Only the green and blue ones. They need to be cross welded together later." She nodded, dropping to her knees and laying on her stomach.
She could feel his eyes on her movements, and it made her nervous. She started to unscrew the second to the last screw, but it wouldn't budge. She cranked on it, but it still wouldn't move, she cursed. "What's up?" He asked casually. His face came into view. "This screw is too tight." She said, giving the tool another crank. "Here allow me." He said in a slightly cocky voice. She slipped out from under the control panel.
Putting the handle of the tool in his open palm. He closed his hand before she got a chance to remover hers. His thumb caressed the back of her hand, drawing slow invisible lines back and fourth.
The room was gravely quiet, except for the whirring and clicking of the machines, mixed with the beating of her heart in her ears. What was going on? Why wasn't she moving her hand?
After eternity passed, he let go of her hand, and wordlessly crawled underneath, taking her place. After a few seconds she heard a harsh curse, then another. Riddick fluidly slipped out from under the small space, almost hitting his head in the process. "Won't move." He said disgustedly. She gave him a smirk of her own. "My hero."
~~~
Riddick watched as Minx walked over to the tool chest. Her hips swaying nicely, her dark hair simmering slightly, pleading to be touched. He didn't know what came over him when he decided to hold her hand, or now, when he found himself studying her so closely.
He'd been attracted to her since the first time she walked through the door of their apartment, but after she saved Jackhe started to feel differently. The light clunk of her boots snapped him out of his thoughts.
He looked up to see her holding a dark red tool, it looked like a mini riffle with a handle, and a long barrel. It was about eight inches long, with a metal gauge of some sort, and attached to the side was small plastic tube. She hit a discrete black button on the handle, and the tube filled with a thin blue liquid. Small, white bubbles bobbed up and down throughout the sinister-looking fluid. "There's only one way to get it out. The acid in this gun will burn right through the metal of the screw, leaving only the hole."
He had to admit she was smart. She slid under the control panels, he couldn't help but say something. "Be careful." He taunted, her tension floated around him in the air, thick and exhilarating. But she seemed to ignore it as she concentrated on the task at hand.
She hit the small black button twice. There was a whirring, and clicking, as a small lever popped. There was a few seconds of silence, before the machine started up again, this time vibrating slightly. Although through out all of this nothing really happened. He kept his eyes on the machine, waiting.
She hit the button again, and a moment later a three inch needle pushed out of the barrel. It was slender, and sharp. Emitting a small red laser that was used as a guide. With her free hand she gripped her wrist, steadying the machine. She slowly squeezed the trigger.
A faint sound filled the air. Like the hissing of a snake. In the dim light he saw the outline of a stream of white smoke. As fast as it had started, the hissing stopped. She held down the black button. The needle retracted as the blue acid disappeared. It gave a short beep, as she slid out of the confined space.
He lifted up his goggles and took a look at the screw, only to find it had disappeared. He felt the heat of the acid, as the smell of charred metal filled his nose. Reaching up, he effortlessly slipped his goggles back onto his eyes. Riddick poked his head out from under the panels, just in time to see Minx bend over the tool chest. She seemed to be looking for something.
"So, how is it?" She asked. Her voice came out muffled, but he still heard it. Very Nice. "All clear." He said absently, getting out from under the panels. He stretched slowly, feeling his tense muscles slightly relax. He heard a crank, then a screeching of hinges, as the door to the panel came free.
He left her alone and let her do the work. He headed into the opposite part of the engine room, the mechanics, which he preferred. He slipped under some of the piping he was working on yesterday, gazing at the hard caulking he had let cure over night. He began removing the excess.
Then the thought of Jack came into his mind, the thought that he'd been avoiding for so long. She was going to be leaving him soon. He knew it was for the best, but he still wanted her with him. She was the comic relief, the thing that he could always count on. But the one thing that he couldn't let happen, was letting his life ruin hers'. He hoped, by now, she understood that.
Then there was the issue of Jack's feelings about him. He knew he'd already thought about this, and it was old news, but he still worried about that whole thing. Now he was wondering if Minx knew about it, her and Minx had grown close, so she had to know by now.
What about his feelings for Minx? He let out a frustrated breath. So many thoughts were clouding him. He just didn't know where this all was going to lead.
He kept working, forcing himself to only think about work. He listened to the rhythm that was unique to only the machines that surrounded him. The cranking, whirring, and occasional clunk of the generators. The mini clicks of the fuel injectors. The gushes of compressed air from the pressure dynamo. Everything joined together, and pretty soon he was almost in a state of meditation.
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Minx felt around inside the dark cubby, looking for a light she knew should there. Wire, more wire, metal, wire, plasticshe moved her hand to the left, then to the right. More Wire, more plastic,more metal. Her fingers touched a raised piece of plastic. Circling the outline she moved upward again, searching for the button. She found it. Then she ran her finger from side to side. Immediately she felt a couple of raised dots. It was a form of Braille, but was in a special sequence created for the engineering specialists. Four raised dots meant it was a light of some sort. She held her breath, and pushed it.
"That's more like it." She said softly, as the small space filled with warm light. Her eyes began sweeping around the jungle of wires. She noticed there were a lot of red and green wires. Not so many blue and yellow. She moved her right hand out to the side of her thigh, and grabbed a small cutting tool. She knew that the wires got larger as you got deeper. She shifted the tool in her hand, finding it hard to do so. Her palms were sweaty, and the rubber grip of the handle was sticking to her hand.
When she finally got the tool to cooperate, she looked around her. "Alrightonly green and blue." She pinched a green wire between her fingers and gave a slight snip, skipping over neighboring red and yellow wires she found the nearest blue and snipped that. Holding both of the snipped wires in place she reached next to her left thigh and took a temporary bracket. She clipped the two wires together, then moved to the next green wire.
A an hour later she was almost done with the tedious wiring. Maneuvering her free hand through the other wires, she felt a tear of sweat roll across her fore head. "Whewww!!!!" She breathed. She clipped the last of the green and blue wires together, and wiped her forehead with a black handkerchief.
Slipping out of the small space she was careful not to disturb the wires, the open panel, or the tools she had yet to use. She took a short breath in, feeling her shirt glued to her back. Her arms and upper body laced with sweat. She headed for the lockers in the far corner of the engine room, where she kept her water, and re-hydrating soda.
She made her way into the back, where it was less hot. The damp air from the cooling fans danced along her sweaty skin. The first sight of the lockers came into view as she rounded the corner. Next she saw Riddick, his back to her. He was rummaging through his locker for something. Hoping she would go unnoticed she made her way towards her own locker that was in the corner.
The lockers were placed in the shape of a box that was open on one side, a long wooden bench separated the two sides. Most of the lockers were bolted, or so jammed shut no one could get into them. "You don't have to sneak around you know." Riddick said casually. She turned, to see him looking at her blankly, with that menacing goggled stare fully in place. For once she didn't have anything smart to say.
"I don't." She finally said, not knowing how that came out. She wasn't exactly afraid, but not completely at ease either. He took a couple steps towards her, still staying on his side of the lockers. Suddenly he stopped, leaving five feet of space between them. "You try. But don't succeed." He corrected her. She couldn't read his voice, and she knew he'd made sure of that. She looked away from him turning her attention back to opening her locker.
She wondered why he cared what she did. They shared a couple of stories, but it wasn't like she knew that much about him, even though she wanted to know more. She stopped at what she realized she had just thought. She wanted to know more about him. Where did that come from?
"Jack told you about what happened the other night didn't she?" Riddick asked. Her eyes snapped around to his face. Again, she was at loss for words. So she decided to nod. When she didn't say anything else, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, and looked at her for a long moment. She couldn't tell if he was waiting for her answer.
She turned her back again, reaching into the slight indentation in her locker door, and giving it a slight tug. The door opened swiftly, she was about to reach for her hydrating soda when his voice made her movements come to a grinding halt. "I see." His voice was cold and detached, but yet, all too personal and judgmental. She pivoted her body around to fully face his receding form. She felt like she had to say something, but nothing was coming to her. Her mind just froze, no thought, just bleakness.
"You see what?" She asked as casually as she could. He turned slightly, not speaking. The silence was killing her, and he knew that. She finally got tired of the game and turned her back. "So, I guess it's just gonna be like that." She said her blood boiling. One minute he wanted to know and the next he was giving her the cold shoulder.
"What?" He questioned slowly. Minx gave a slight chuckle, "You heard me." She challenged, knowing she shouldn't. From the stories she'd heard, and from what she'd seen up to now, she knew very clearly that this man wasn't one to mess around with. But she wasn't about to let him win this little mind game. Against her better judgement she turned around expecting him to be somewhere in the background. But he wasn't, he was directly behind her. She cut off a small gasp in her throat.
He swiveled around to stand by her side. Her eyes closed briefly as that tight, and warm feeling once again washed over her, settling heavily in her stomach.
"What?" He taunted again, his breath hit her ear.
Minx let her eyes open slowly, trying to ignore the ripple of goose bumps that crawled up her spine. She didn't dare to look at him. "She did tell me." She found herself saying quietly. His small chuckle vibrated through her being. She turned her head away from him, only to feel Riddick grasp her chin, and it back towards him.
"That wasn't so hardwas it?" Riddick raised her chin up so all that filled her vision was his face. He knew there was more then just surprise and fear there. He brought his face closer to hers, intentionally invading her comfort zone. For the first time he saw how clear her brown eyes were.
~~~~
She took a breath to say something, but that something turned into a light gasp, when she felt a feather light touch to her lips, then a pulsing eagerness, when it deepened. Her body stiffened, the cool metal of the lockers pressed into her back. Her lungs felt like they were going to collapse, as she took another breath, making him some closer. His lips drawing hers in slowly.
Just then his chrono chirped. She pulled her head back, taking her lips away. She closed her eyes, his warm hand on her neck, his thumb gliding over her bottom lip. Hesitantly she took his hand off her neck. Minx mustered her courage, and made herself open her eyes, willing him to go away. But he was still standing before her, as close as ever.
She forced herself to look him in the face, but when she did, her breath caught. The goggles were gonewhat met her was a soft sterling gaze. She fell into the soft pools, noticing their longing, and hurt. Apart of her wanted to make it all just go away, but she stopped herself.
"Jack's waiting for you." Minx was breathless. Riddick's eyes closed slowly, then opened. His brow furrowed. After a long moment, he nodded softy. She felt him leave. "This can't happen." Minx whispered. But inside she knew all too well, it already had.