By: MataruDoukotsu
Taming the Beast
Chapter Five
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Riddick universe, no matter how sad it is. One thing is for sure, Riddick is hot. The one man who can pull off buff and bald is Vin Diesel and the character he plays in this series.
Now on to the story.
And here they were, a bandaged Kevin laying down on the med bunk sleeping soundly with some help from Madame Morphine to stop his screams, Torch finishing up setting a course, and Toombs sitting in the mess area of their ship chewing on his thumb nail, stressing over the events.
He had lost June and had learned a couple of new lessons. One, don't hire any more females; it will only make Damion kill them. Two, don't underestimate Kayce M. Damion; especially considering who her protector is.
Which was another thing to wonder about; he hadn't seen Slade in a while. Toombs was starting to believe that the infamous Slade and Damion sisters were only playing with him. An old game of tag; except, he could only catch glimpses of them before they decided to run further into the fraudulent labyrinthine. And by the way it seemed they were very good at running and killing anything in their path.
The couple of times that Toombs had to dock a mother Merc ship, or what he liked to call a Merc City, there were always people, scientists he presumed, who liked to ask him questions about his quarry. The most favored one is "Do you think Ms. Slade is dangerous to civilians?" And always he would answer no. He knew how she worked because she only let him. She only killed those of the Galatical Government and Army, and Mercs. Just about any and every body who would try to take her or Damion back to Slam or kill them; he at least never saw her kill the defenseless.
"Toombs?"
Said man's head jerked up at the sound of his name. His eyes inspected the compact lethal body of the Asian, flicking over the lad's unusual light hazel eyes before landing on the brilliant shock of fire-red hair; which was the reason behind his name. The curly brown haired captain watched as his navigator plopped into a chair; threading his long fingers into the flame-like hair, pulling his face taunt.
"Toombs, man, what're we gonna do?"
"We go after Slade and Damion." He scoffed as he pulled himself from his chair and strolled over to the liquor cabinet. Needing something strong enough to knock him off his feet for a while, he grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and Vodka and two shot glasses before sitting back down at the table. With great care, he mixed the two drinks and poured himself a shot. "You see, the plan for me had always been to get a new crew because with every encounter I've had with Ms. Lucia D. Slade, and her sexy companion Damion, only I would usually be left alive.
In other words, Torch, I am basically telling you that you and Kevin are extremely lucky. As it seems, The Beast and the Raven have taken a liking to you and Mr. Babola." He swallowed the dizzying liquid before pouring himself another and watched his drinking buddy swirl the contents of his shot.
"And what, may I ask, does that entail?" Torch watched the slight funnel form from within his drink.
Heh, a smart one, hopefully he'll use that brain of his in this game. Toombs thought before swallowing and then answering with a smirk. "That your life has been just royally fucked and you are now stuck in the deadly and never ending game of Tag." He poured another and threw back his head to drink its contents. "Don't worry; the fun part is just beginning. You'll get on the high thinking that maybe when you get close enough that you'll actually be able to catch her and receive the bounty that's floating above her head. I've also come to learn the golden rule: Use your brain and instincts and learn from the beast, and then she'll grant you a token and won't kill you."
Taking his last shot, he slammed the glass back on the table before getting to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me." And went stumbling to his room. Once inside, he fell on top of the covers with a grunt. As he gazed into the inkiness of the dark, Toombs found the old slight spark of fear of it ignite again. But subconsciously, the captain knew that it was only because of its relation to Slade. It really didn't help that the woman had 'Pitch Black' tattooed across the back of her shoulders. He remembered the time that he had asked her why it was there.
Flashback
"I see you have the words pitch black tattooed on your back. Why?" Very carefully, Toombs lifted his boot clad foot and extinguished his cigarette on the sole while keeping his eye on the tanned woman in front of him. He didn't like how he couldn't see her eyes, since they were covered with a black blindfold, but a little part of him told him that he didn't want to see them. It would instill fear, and at the moment fear would get him killed. Though, he had to say, her being blindfolded put him in awe that she was skillful enough to not need sight. He watched as a smirk ate at the corners of her lips showing what he could only guess that telling by the length, it couldn't be anything else but a fang.
"Pitch black is the color of my soul; where the monsters of the night come out and play. There are only two other people who trust me enough to look. No other being would like to peer inside... but maybe perhaps you do. Possibly it is the reason behind your defective motivation to continue these games that I make you play."
He knew that she had skull-fucked many Mercs and Military Personnel, but for some reason Toombs knew that she wasn't fucking with him at the moment; nor did he think that she would ever fuck with his mind. Call it instinct, but he had learned to follow it willingly. "It's a possibility, Dame Evil. It's a possibility, and maybe we'll find out later on in this fucked game."
"Perhaps." Was all that he got in reply before he blinked and she was gone.
End Flashback
And still today, Toombs thought tiredly, I can't figure out how she moves so silently and fast with those chains on her and blindfolded.
Closing his eyes, Toombs' mind started to catch up with his body when he suddenly heard the door open. "Toombs? How long have you been stuck playing with Slade?" came the smooth voice of Torch.
Lifting his face from the crack of the pillows and turning his head into the thin stream of light that fell on him from the door, he squinted at his crewmate. A moment of silence passed between them as Toombs tried to rouse his brain up from the murky waters it was hiding in. "Three years. Three goddamn years of chasing her. And I have to say, it's a game I'm not really looking forward to ending. Maybe one day when we're able to catch them on the rare occasion of more than five meetings, I'll let you talk with her. She's very unusual, Torch. If you get up the courage she'll actually let you have a conversation with her. And ya wanna know why Dame'll let you?"
He noticed the blurry form of Torch nod.
"Because she knows that she can get away. Slade knows exactly how powerful she is. And ya know the other reason?" –He knew that the liquor was making him talk right now- "Because she's confident in her abilities, she only wants to talk to those who are confident in their own abilities. She likes the challenge. Plain and simple."
A/N: Yuppers, this one's longer. The next chapter is gonna be a short one though, but sigh the one after than should be kinda long.
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