Author's Note: Yay, chapter twelve. Keep those reviews headed my way, I love reading them. Thought I'd take a moment to mention that I don't have anyone to help me edit my work, so if you see spelling errors or a massive overload of typos you should know they came directly from me. If anything reads poorly, let me know. I probably won't bother correcting trivialities, but if it's something major of course I'll look into it.

Chapter Twelve


On his guard, Riddick inched around the bend, his hand poised over the hilt of a sheathed blade. "Coolant," he whispered back to them. Something had banged a good sized hole in the wall, tearing open a hose full of wall-chill. It was spewing its gaseous content out into the open. The leakage was pooling near the floor, creating a blanket about three feet thick. It was early-morning-fog white, and Riddick couldn't see a thing through it.

"C'mon, then," said Jack, trying to hop in front of him.

"No," he kept her back, "That stuff'll freeze you 'till your frozen. It's so cold it burns."

"We can't go through it," Imam breathed, forlorn.

"There's no other way around," said Kali.

"If this is the way out, this is the way out," consented Riddick. He took Jack's arm and handed it to Imam, "Hold onto this for me," he ordered. Turning to Kali he demanded, "Give me your shirt."

"What?"

"Your shirt. You're not shy, are you?"

"What the hell do you need my shirt for?"

He pulled a dirk and threw it into the ceiling, right above the center of the swirling coolant. "You see that? It's my anchor. I need something that wont stretch to twist around it. My shirt won't cut it, the boy's is too small."

"And what about him?" Flustered, she pointed to Imam.

"He's a holy man." He grinned softly, "What's the matter? It's not all you got, is it?"

"No," she snapped.

He waited. She made a frustrated sound, then pulled it over her head. It was long and loose fitting, and thus came off easily. Beneath she wore a tight black tank top. She tried to pull it down as far as she could over her white stomach. Riddick didn't even seem to notice. He took the shirt from her quickly and rolled it tight.

"I'll be right back," he said lowly. Then, suspending the shirt between his fists like a rope, he leapt. In one fluid motion he wrapped the shirt firmly around the handle of the knife and used it to swing himself clear to the other side of the gas, taking her top with him.

They observed his flawless landing with shallow wonderment, too concerned with their flight to really acknowledge his unintended theatrics.

He flipped the shirt over his shoulder and walked on, knowing they would hold their collective breath until he returned. He was looking for an off switch. If he could stop the flow, the coolant would dissipate in no time. Humming deep in his throat, he scanned the walls... and stopped in his tracks. Up ahead, no more than a few feet, near the ceiling crouched a faintly luminous creature. Its hammer head swayed minimally from side to side, testing the space in front of it. It zeroed in on him. Riddick saw its flanks tense, could feel its readiness to kill. He poised himself for a counter.

It sprung from its perch, massive jaws open, tongue flailing, and claws extended to shred his torso. Riddick skid to the side, throwing the shirt in front of its face. Maneuvering behind it, he tied the garment around its head, sufficiently confusing its senses. It leapt this way and that, trying its best to home in on its prey. Riddick quietly pulled a shiv from its shin holster, and in a very blasé fashion struck the alien down, emptying its glow into a puddle.

Once it stopped spazzing he withdrew the shirt and sheathed the knife, then kicked the body to the side. Back to business. Sure enough, near by (oddly, almost directly beneath where the animal had stationed its self) there was a control box embedded in the wall. He pulled it open swiftly and flicked through the necessary switches.

He sauntered back casually. "Back up," he told them. Using her shirt he fanned the remaining coolant gas away. With out a word he handed it back to Kali. He didn't wait for her to replace it before turning around and continuing on. She wrapped it around her waist and hurried after.

Jack's breath caught when they passed the night flyer. She subtly knotted her fingers in Imam's robe. Sensing how suddenly upset she was, he made sure to keep her to the opposite wall.

"If you see one, don't move," Riddick droned, giving them (especially Kali) any instructions he thought they might need. "And If I pull a blade, get out of the way."

Kali, unbeknownst to the others, pressed a small button on her walkie-talkie. A tiny amber light flickered softy at her side. She still had a duty. He was an escaped con who'd killed dozens, she couldn't afford to let that skip her mind, not for an instant.

They came to a fork in the road and he started to turn right. "No, no," she directed, "This way. The one you came in in is closer."

She was right, soon the soft light from it could be seen. Red revolving bulbs twirled, and officials and resident civilians alike scrambled back and forth. People yelled and argued as they scuttled to escape, trying to make themselves heard over the monotonous screech of the sirens (a sound that raised blood pressures). Most of the space crafts were all ready gone, only two were left; a relatively good sized shuttle and the damned skiff.

Three people scrambled into the hall behind them. Riddick didn't happen to glance back at them, but Imam did. Two men flanked an older woman. The men appeared to be guards, not from Aliquis though. The woman, who's hair was creamy like her draped clothing, moved strangely. She seemed to be moving against a non-existent wind. The three were gaining on them. Imam peered into the darkness beyond them and promptly whipped his head around to front. Four of the creatures were stalking them.

Jack too looked behind. When she saw them she latched onto the bronze man's arm, "Riddick," she breathed.

He followed her panicked gaze, "I got you covered, kid." He pushed her into Imam's arms. "Keep going, don't wait for me." They didn't argue.

He waited for the extra three to rush by before arming himself. Time to cut. He inched backwards, drawing the animals closer to the light. They began advancing more quickly, snapping at each other like ancient earthly raptors as they went. They were bigger than the one he'd ghosted near the gas. One of them was almost fully developed, having lost all of its glow.

Then they attacked. As they tumbled together, meeting at their mark, they split supple flesh and tasted smooth blood.