She woke up and popped her back releasing the tension from sleeping on the floor. Her body was covered in dried blood and filth and she cringed at the smell. Glancing over at a prone Riddick she moved towards the door of the cell.
"Where do you think your going?"
She looked over her shoulder and saw he was unmoved. "I'll be right back. Don't get your panties in a bunch." She walked across the hall to her cell and found the tattered remains of her shirt Riddick had cut from her. She went to her sink and turned on the water. After soaking the rags that were once her favorite tank top she rubbed the cool water soaked fabric over her arms and stomach. When she was certain these areas were clean she started to unbutton her pants but stopped when she felt eyes on her. She looked up and saw Riddick leaning in her door way. "Can I help you?" He didn't say anything he just continued to stand there. She just sighed and stripped off her pants leaving her in her black bra and matching underwear. She washed her legs until they were red from her scrubbing. She pulled her pants back on and tugged her hair out of the pony tail. She tilted her head under the faucet and soaked her hair until it was drenched. When she was done she stood back up pulling her hair into a messy bun. She still saw the figure in her doorway but she stopped suddenly when she noticed the shape was much smaller. She turned slowly and saw a grungy looking man with dirty blonde hair and a goatee smiling at her.
"Riddick messed up leaving you alone. I passed him in the hallway going to the caf and when I didn't see you with him I figured I'd come have some fun." He licked his lips and smiled at her evilly.
She sighed and turned to face him fully. "I'm not in the mood right now. How about you walk away and I forget all about this?" She watched him as he continued to smile at her. She shook her head and exhaled noisily. "It's your funeral."
He lunged at her quickly grabbing her right arm but in a fraction of a second she had her shiv drawn and she makes a deep gash into his arm. He quickly pulled his arm from her quickly he looks up and snarls at her making her smile back at him. "You're gonna pay for that bitch." He lungs again but she rolls away from him and continues to crouch waiting for his next attack. He stares at her a few seconds and then reached into his boot pulling out what looked to be a small ball. In a flick of the wrist he threw it to the floor in front of her and a thick smoke incased her. Surprised by what just happened she sucked in a surprised breath but quickly regretted it. The foreign gas entered her lungs and she felt as if they would explode in her chest. Immediately she dropped to her knees and clutched her throat. When the gas had disappeared she felt an arm around her neck and hot breath in her ear. "It's playtime."
He drug her by her hair down the hallway and into his cell. She tried to pull away from him but the gas ball he had thrown at her earlier made it almost impossible for her to breathe which in turn hindered her ability to fight back. He threw her into the wall of his cell and she coughed violently while she watched him take off his shirt. He pulled her up by her shoulders and pushed her onto his cot where he started to unbutton her pants. Her head was becoming light and she figured he had used Mycommiun gas in that tactics ball he used. Mycommiun was a gas that affected the motor part of the brain. It left the victim conscious but robbed them of any use of their muscles. Tears came to her eyes when she realized she could no longer lift her arm.
"That's right darlin'. I'm gonna fuck you and you'll feel every minute of it. It's a shame you couldn't have just cooperated. It would have been nice to feel you buck underneath me." He gave her a malevolent grin and then shoved his mouth onto hers. She tried to turn away but all movement was gone from her now. She felt his hands travel to her stomach and then down the front of her pants. Tears poured from her eyes when she felt his fingers prod her harshly. At that moment she wanted to die. "Oh sweetheart, you're tight." He smiled down at her as she heard him slid his pants down. She squeezed her eyes shut with every bit of energy she had waiting for him to thrust into her but it never happened. She felt his body lifted from hers and then she heard a gurgling sound. She wanted to open her eyes but the gas had taken full control and she was unable to do so. When she felt someone pick her up tears again poured down her face.
She felt herself being carried down the hallway again. In what direction she wasn't sure. Then she felt herself being lowered onto a cot. She waited for the inevitable but it never came. Slowly her movement came back to her. First her eyes opened and blinked shut again and again. Then her fingers and toes wiggled. Now, she was able to force herself into a sitting position. She looked around and her eyes landed on a very familiar silhouette in the shadows. She scowled at him as he sauntered towards her.
"Why the harsh face doll? I just saved your ass."
She didn't say anything she just glared at him and continued working her paralyzed muscles. She rubbed her calf muscles before she stood up. She swayed a bit but soon her balance was back and she was able to limp around the room. At first her legs screamed at her for forcing them to move but soon she was walking with only a slight hitch in her step. She stared at her surroundings and felt like she wanted to puke. At that moment she decided she was gonna leave this hell hole even if that meant that she would be killed in the process.
She moved out of the cell and across to her own. She searched the floor for the shiv she had dropped but she couldn't se it. I lights were dim and she strained to see it's dark figure in the shadows but it never appeared.
"Looking for this?" She turned around and saw Riddick leaning in her cell door twirling her shiv in his hand. He was grinning widely.
She walked over to him so she was a safe two feet away and held out her hand. "I'll take that back now. Her voice oozed hatred and that made him smile bigger.
"What are you gonna do if I don't let you have it?" He crossed his arms over his chest.
"I didn't ask for you to give it to me. I said I would take it back." She snapped her hand towards him but he caught her wrist and twisted her pulling her to him so her back was against his chest and his arm held hers tight against her body.
"Here's the deal doll. I give you back your shiv and you help me out." He leaned in so his mouth was only inches away from her ear. "What do you say?"
"How about you go fuck yourself?" In a flash her back was against the wall and he had his face inches from hers. She could see his eyes flash in the low light and she felt fear grip her chest.
"Wong answer." It came out as a growl and he could feel her tremble. "Now listen close bitch cause I won't repeat myself. Every two weeks they change the codes to the doors in this place. It just so happens that you came in at the beginning of a new code change. Now I know you're not stupid so why don't you tell me what those codes are and maybe I'll leave you here with your life." He stared at her with a solemn face.
She smiled to herself and stared back into his quicksilver eyes. "Now you listen to me you piece of shit. It just so happens that I do know the key codes but I'm not going to give them to you so you can leave and I have to rot in this hell. So here's how it's gonna go down. First, you're gonna take your hands off of me and give me back my shiv. Second, you're gonna go in front of me to take care of any problems we come across along the way. Then, you're gonna fly me off this planet and where I wanna go."
He just glared at her while she stared back at him. He needed her and those codes otherwise, he was just gonna get himself into a world of trouble. He sighed and lowered her to her feet but didn't let go of her. He placed her shiv in her free hand and leaned into her face so his eyes were millimeters from hers. "Stay behind me until we get to the door. Once it's open you better keep up cause I'm not gonna wait for your ass."
She nodded her understanding and he let go of her so he could lean out into the hallway. She didn't move she just watched him and listened for any sound. When he stepped into the hall she was right behind him. He took long strides and she almost had to jog to keep up and they quickly made it to the door only to be stopped by two guards.
"Hold it right there Riddick." They held up shock sticks and a very big gauge. "Just where do you think your going?"
Riddick said nothing but in one quick motion he had the shock stick in one hand and the guard with the gauge in the other. He shoved the shock stick into the guy's temple and he collapsed to the ground by the other guard. Not wasting any time Carla ran to the control key and typed in the numbers that she had burnt into her memory. 98683. The doors slid open and she followed Riddick running into the docking bay. Just as they reached the holding area an alarm went up and she stopped for a second looking around. There was no one in the bay at the time but she knew it would only be a few moments before the place was flooded with guards. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the hiss of the cargo hold open on the ship beside her and she ran up the ramp and into the cockpit to see Riddick strapping himself into the pilot's chair. She sat down in the co-pilot seat and strapped herself in. Just as the thrusters kicked into life she saw guards piling into the holding bay but they were too late. She and Riddick were already in the air before they could do anything to stop them.
Her grip on the arm rest tightened as the ship heated up a little. Breaking through the atmosphere on Koratisk was a challenge. At one point she was sure the ship would rip apart but when they pulled out into the dark envelope that was space she smiled and sighed heavily.
Riddick set the autopilot and stood up cracking his neck and stretching his shoulder muscles. He was a bit frustrated with the fact that he had a tag along but she said all she wanted was for him to take her where she wanted to go and drop her off. That reminded him, he didn't know where she wanted to go. "Where am I taking you?"
"Nexus 7." She stared out at the stars and waited for his reaction. It was just what she had expected.
"No way in hell. That's three weeks away. I'll just drop you off on the nearest planet and you can find your own way."
She turned sharply in her chair and look fiercely at him. "We had a deal. I got you out of that hell hole and now you have to take me home." She was on her feet in front of him now.
"All you did was type in a few numbers doll. I was the one that did all the work." He turned and walked down the hallway and into the mess hall.
She watched him walk away and felt the anger boil in her. She was angrier with herself than with the dip shit who had just stated the obvious. She should have known that he wouldn't have taken her home. 'All I did was type numbers. FUCK YOU!' She walked down the hallway now but stopped in front of a door that was too her right. When she opened it she saw a double bed and a dresser. The room was small and she figured that the person this belonged to traveled alone. She walked over to the dresser and opened it finding the top drawer to be filled with boxers and the second muscle shirts and pants. She picked up a pair of boxers, a shirt, and a pair of pants and then entered the tiny door to the right of her. It was a small shower but she was grateful for it. She turned the water on full letting the scalding water wash over her skin.
Thirty minutes later she exited the bathroom in her new outfit. Her skin was still wrinkly from the water and the pants were a little big on her. She rolled the top of the cargos down making them fit tighter but not much. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She was thankful to have a shirt again and the thought that Riddick had seen her without one made her shudder. She hated him and she was sure that the feeling for her was mutual but she still didn't like him looking at her half naked body. She sighed and left the room to find the hallway flooded in darkness.
"Lights." She spoke the words but the command wasn't answered. "Lights on." Still nothing.
"Lights twenty percent." the deep voice came from behind her and when the dim light kicked on she turned to face him. "I programmed them to my voice."
She didn't say anything she just stared at him while he leaned his shoulder against the wall and his hands were crossed over his chest. Now she really hated him.
"You're not afraid of the dark are you?" His voice was mocking.
"No but apparently you're afraid of the light." She smiled a little when she saw his disappear. Her smile didn't last long however.
"Lights off." His deep voiced rumbled and the whole ship was sent back into shadows.
Her breath caught in her throat when her vision was taken. She tried to focus but it was useless. She couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. She tried to focus on where he was but she heard nothing. Then she felt breath hot against her neck.
"Sure you're not scared?" She could hear him smiling as he whispered it.
Her whole body was tight when she felt him grab her hair and smell it. She tried to turn and face him but he wrapped his arms around her chest pulling her back against his broad chest. She shuddered as the thoughts of what he was going to do ran through her mind. She almost puked.
He felt her shudder against him and he realized that she thought he was gonna rape her and that terrified her. Smiling to himself he leaned into her ear. "Why are you so scared Carla?" He moved his face to her other ear. "What is it you think I'm gonna do to you?" He felt her body relax and he furrowed his brow in confusion. Before he had a chance to react she had wrapped her leg behind his and pulled it out from under him sending them both to the ground.
As soon as he hit the floor she rolled off of him and put her back against the wall. At least now he couldn't sneak up behind her. She continued to stare into the darkness waiting fro him to attack.
He watched her back against the wall and realized she wasn't as dumb as he thought. She had just taken an advantage away from him and in a way he was awed. She was terrified of him yet she dared to attack him. Interesting.
"Lights twenty percent."
The dim light caught her off guard and she squinted till her eyes adjusted. She looked over and saw Riddick staring at her.
"I'm dropping you off on Killdare. It'll take three days to get there." After saying this he walked back to the control room.
'Killdare…That'll do till I can get to Nexus 7. Great, three more days with this fuck up.' She sighed and followed him to the room. She decided that she didn't want him sneaking up on her so she was gonna be one step behind him for the next three days. She sat on a bench in the back of the room and followed his every movement with her eyes. He seemed to know what he was doing but for all she knew he could be blowing them up. Ships were not her thing.
"I don't like being stared at." He growled at her without turning.
"And I don't like it when you attack me in the dark but that doesn't stop you now does it?"
He smiled to himself and then turned to stare at her. "How did you get sent to slam?"
"I didn't do my taxes." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and a smile tugged at her lips.
"Very funny." The tone of his voice proved that he wasn't amused.
"What do you think I did?" She chuckled and rubbed her temples. "Jesus Riddick, I thought you were smarter than that at least."
He continued to stare at her till she sighed, forcing all the air out of her lungs until she took another deep breath.
"I didn't have a wonderful home life. My mom was a junkie and my dad; well my dad never really came around." She rubbed her temples again and then continued talking. "One night my mom brought home a random. She always brought home guys but this guy was different. He wore a suit and he smelled like cologne not sweat. Apparently he wasn't satisfied with mommy dear and decided he wanted some younger meat. He wasn't expecting I'd be packing. I stuck a knife into his chest the moment he pulled the covers off. My mom freaked out and left. I didn't know what to do so I left him there and ran. I went to a hotel near our apartment and hid out for a few days. My face was all over the vids. Apparently the guy I ghosted was pretty high up in the political world. After the money ran out I had to go to the streets. That's when Johns caught up to me."
"Johns? Johns brought you in?"
"Did I stutter?"
Riddick clenched his fist and fought back the urge to teach her a lesson. This kid was mouthy and he didn't exactly appreciate it. "Self defense. Even if he was high up your not gonna get put in a slam for one count of murder. What are you leaving out kid?"
She didn't answer she just got up and walked away down the dim hallway. Once inside the room she found earlier she sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. She shouldn't have told him that. She never should have used Johns name.
He didn't follow her, at least not right away. He waited a few minutes and then stood outside her door. He could hear her breathing and when he heard her cross the room to the bathroom he opened her door and sat silently on her bed.
She stared at herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hands were starting to shake. 'Not now. I can't go through this now.' She felt her stomach turn and she barely reached the toilet in time. She vomited up everything in her stomach which wasn't much. She continued to heave but nothing came up. She threw cold water on her face and then opened the door stumbling back into the bedroom. She groaned when she saw a new element had been added while she was gone.
"You always puke after telling that story or is there something else I should know about?"
"She sighed and sat in a small chair in the corner. "It's nothing. Just nerves."
He didn't say anything he just continued to stare.
"Is there a med room on this beast? I could use something to settle my stomach."
"Down the hall by the kitchen."
She rose from her chair and walked in the direction he had given her. She turned before going in the room and saw that he didn't follow. She shut the door behind her and saw a small med locker in the corner. She looked through it first but didn't find what she was looking for. Then she saw a small black box in the back and her eyes lit up. She pulled it our and sat it on the table in the middle of the room. She bit her lip in anticipation as she popped the top open and she smiled when she saw the contents. There were six cartridges each containing three vials. That would be enough to last her till she got off this thing. She took out a vial and put it in the hypoderm. The needle pooped up with a click and she took a deep breath while inserting the tip into her tear duct. The minute the liquid entered her blood she felt a calm rush over her. She dropped the needle onto the table and sat down quickly in a chair to her right. A lazy smile across her lip sand her eyes closed. She was enjoying her high.
"Just nerves huh?" The rumbling voice would have scared her another time but right now she didn't have a care in the world. He stood in the hallway looking at her. It wasn't the glare she was used to. This was much worse.
"Ah, maybe something a little worse." Her eyes were half open and she had a lazy grin on her face. She didn't really care what he thought right now. Right now she didn't have a care in the world.
"Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." He knew that if he was gonna get a rise out of her he needed to hit her deep. He was pretty sure that bring her mother into the mix would do it. He was right.
Her eyes flicked open and glared at him with pure hatred. It wasn't the words that pissed her off it was the fact that it was truth. As much as she tried to deny it it was true. She was no better than her whore of a mother. His comment sobered her up quick.
"Fuck you. Don't sit there and preach to me about right and wrong. I know who you are and I know what you've done. You're an animal and you deserved to be caged."
He walked over to her and leaned into her face, letting his eyes pierce hers. "That's right doll and don't forget it." He stared at her a few moments longer and then stood up and walked out of the room.
Carla set her new found possessions back in the box and then back in their cabinet. She would be back later to get them. Her walk to the control room was a little more difficult than she had planned. The remains of the morphine made it feel as if her legs were made of iron. When she finally made it to the co-pilots chair she sat down hard with a sigh of relief.
She could feel him glaring at her while she sat with her head back against the seat. After a few minutes she finally grew tired of his stares and opened her eyes.
"What?" Her voice showed that she was agitated.
"How long did you know Johns before he brought you in?"
She wasn't expecting that question but she didn't let it show that he had caught her off guard. "About two months. I didn't know he was a merc though."
He growled at her and in a split second he had her on the ground with his shiv in her neck. "Don't lie to me."
It took her longer than she wanted to answer him but the force of his actions had knocked the wind out of her. It took her a good two minutes before her breathing was back to normal. "Ok, ok. Jesus, you're such a prick. He told me he wouldn't turn me in if I…well, if I..."
"Fuck him."
She was quiet for a few seconds and then nodded. "That lying bastard, I swear to god I'll kill him the next time I see him."
"Is he the reason you shoot that shit into your eye?"
"What do you think?"
They were silent for the rest of the night. At one point Carla fell asleep and when she woke up she had a failure ache in her stomach. She made her way down to the med room but when she opened the locker her little black box was no where to be found. Panic rushed threw her as she tore the contents of the locked out and searched through it. When she couldn't find it there she searched the rest of the cabinets but still found nothing.
"Where the hell is it?" She spoke the words to herself so when a gravely voice answered she jumped in shock.
"I threw it out."
She looked at him a few seconds and then burst out in laughter. "Ha, ha very funny Riddick. Where is it really?"
He didn't say anything he just stared back at her with an emotionless face. She felt her anger build and it took all she had not to kill him right then.
"What do you mean you threw it out?" Her voice was calm but laced with agitation.
"I mean I threw it out. I used the space shoot and dumped it while you slept."
She couldn't control herself any longer and she attacked. He fended off her first fist but she didn't give up and landed a right hook quiet effortlessly to his gut. He doubled over in pain for a second but soon he stood up and stared at her. She knew he wasn't happy.
"Do that again and I'll gut you."
"Do it already? What's stopping you? I'll be dead in a few days without that stuff anyways. Just kill me now so I don't have to suffer." She didn't know it but tears were streaming down her face.
He tilted his head and looked at her. He saw the hate that she had for him and he smiled inside. He knew as well as she did that the withdraws wouldn't kill her but they would be a bitch. He decided he needed her at her best for the plan he was hatching in his head. He left her to wallow in her self pity and then went back to the control room to type in there new coordinates. They were no longer going to Nexus 7.