Chapter III
Speed of Panic
Sliding to the floor, Jack leaned on the base of the counter, watching Marius sleep from the corner of her eye. His long hair had fallen out of the piece of leather and, at first glance, he could've been mistaken for a girl. He was going to be very strong, this she knew, and perhaps she could even depend on him. She had some six hours of night left and decided she would go out and observe her target before actually doing him in. This would be after she safely put Marius onto their ship.
Getting up, she walked across the room and kneeled down, reaching out a hand to gently shake the young boy. Yet right before she touched him, she was struck with a memory she would've rather kept in the depths of mind.
"Kid, kid, wake up. We're here." His rumbling voice was accompanied by a none-too-gentle shake to her shoulder. She had been dozing on the floor next to his chair, her head resting on the cold metal. At some point she had felt herself being moved and now woke up to find that her head was on Riddick's thigh. Looking up, she mumbled a greeting at him.
"Come again?" He asked, holding out a hand to help her up. She took it and looked out the front window, seeing the bright planet of Helion Prime.
"About fucking time, I'm starving." She clarified; secretly glad when he boomed out a laugh. He had become more human then she thought possible over the time they had spent in the skiff. Imam was sitting in the back, thanking his god for the blessing of letting him make it to New Mecca.
"C'mon, kid, let's keep the language appropriate for the holy man. Don't want to give him a heart attack from your foul mouth." He replied, making her grin.
"But I really am hungry." She insisted, looking at over the controls as if she was going to find a piece of food there.
"Whatever, kid. Just don't start eating yourself." He said, preparing the skiff for landing. She smiled again, settling herself next to him for the landing.
"Marius, wake up." She said harshly, not meaning to be so cold, but the memory that had jarred her consciousness had angered her. He shook awake and looked up at her, yawning as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.
"'m up, 'm up. What's the plan?" He asked, pulling his hair back as he sat up. Jack could still see the hurt in his eyes at her cruel awakening, but some things had to be left un-forgiven.
"I'm taking you to the ship. We'll map it together, and then I'm going to go observe the target. No, there is not a 'we' in this, Marius. You're staying on the ship." She added, dashing that look of hope in his eyes. But beneath that there was a grudging understanding, something Jack herself could never find when Riddick left her.
He stood sleepily and vaguely nodded, running a hang through his tangled hair. Jack decided that if she killed the target in his house, she would rummage through it for a hairbrush as well. It wasn't her style to steal as well as kill, but there were necessities that they just didn't have.
'It's all about survival.' She thought as she lifted herself into her hidden resting area in the ceiling. Jack heard Marius move to the bathroom and she began to work, carefully taking out each tack with her nails and laying the article on her stomach. In a few minutes, Jack mused that she had become a tad obsessive, seeing how there was a large stack of paper piling up on her. Taking the last one down, she shuffled them together and slid them into an envelope that held a few credit chips.
Jack was pleased that if anyone would enter, they would never find the spot, but she didn't leave anything behind. Putting the file into the small knapsack she had used night before, she waited for Marius. He came down the hallway looking refreshed, his eyes brighter and more alert.
"C'mon," she said walking towards the window, "let's go." She tossed him the bag, which he caught and put on his own back, approaching the window. Jack slid it open and looked down, glad to see there were no other life forms lurking about. Motioning to Marius, she slid open her metal claws.
She climbed out the window and was facing Marius, who had one eyebrow raised. Gripping onto the sill, she moved her head back and he realized what she meant. Without kicking her in the face, he too crawled out the window and held onto her, his arms wrapping around in front in a way that wouldn't bother her as she climbed. Jack silently released one hand, careful not to slash Marius as she pulled up one his legs around her waist. He got the idea and was now firmly latched onto her back, resting his head on her back.
The extra weight didn't bother her at all as she slowly made her way down, sometimes stopping when Marius tightened his grip. When her feet touched the ground she smiled as the young boy stayed leeched onto her, looking at the ground as if it were covered in the bubonic plague.
'Which it probably is, but I'm not going to think about that,' Jack mentally added, waiting as Marius slid off of her. They walked together, Jack calm and smooth as the night, Marius a little on edge. Jack sensed this, especially when he jumped slightly as a rat skittered across their path. Gritting her teeth, she was forced into another unpleasant memory as they continued.
They had landed on Helion at night, but the city still glowed with light. This was true, yet Jack hated the night now, especially in cities. It held many horrible encounters for her, and she moved closer to Riddick, who stalked through the back streets. He didn't care that Imam had gone straight to his temple to pray, but only asked, well, demanded for the address of Imam's home. Now they walked and Jack felt the familiar feeling of dread creeping through her.
A figure in the shadows moved and Jack unintentionally whimpered, knowing that Riddick had seen the person but had just decided to pass by. All the same, she was surprised when his arm swept her to the other side of him, putting himself between whomever this non-threat was and Jack. His hand rested on Jack's outer shoulder, calming her somewhat.
"It's just the streets, kid. What do you have to be afraid of when I'm here?" He asked, his silver eyes glancing down at her. She hadn't looked up to meet his gaze and he was sparked with concern when he felt her tense at his question. "Kid?"
"I…nothing, I guess." She replied quietly, feeling like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Every sound and movement her mind processed slashed at her already broken nerves, bringing back one more terrible night she had lived before the crash. She didn't know this, but Riddick saw her in this state and was unsure of what to do.
But no words were needed as he took his hand off her shoulder and bent down slightly, scooping her smaller hand in his. There was no way she wasn't taken aback by this gesture, but she tightened her grip on his hand and kept it there all the way to Imam's house.
Sure, it was different since he was a boy, but she knew that any sort of comfort would settle his jumpy nerves. Sheathing her metal claws, she slipped an arm around his shoulders, pulling the small form closer to her. They were quiet for a few moments, but they kept walking.
"You're not alone." She spoke softly, looking down at him. His eyes stared back up and a small smile graced his feminine features.
"I know." He replied, placing his hand in hers, careful not to trigger the claws. Jack felt comforted by this gesture, which surprised her, it was supposed to be the other way around. As they neared the spaceport, he instinctively drew himself closer to her and she remembered how when they had first met he had been terrified of being left alone with everyone else in the outside world. She lightly gripped his hand as she stayed on the edges of the usual walkway, where only a few night pilots were walking about.
She memorized the ship lot and, as they walked up to it, she was impressed. This wasn't a nothing ship and they could get pretty far; that is, if the power cells were fully charged. Jack approached the ship as if she had always owned it and tapped in the lock security code for the entrance and exit hatch, watching as the ramp hissed down and set on the floor with a light clanging noise.
She went up first and, within minutes, had checked the entire ship for any unwelcome visitors and had found none. Marius had settled himself in the copilot's seat, curiously looking at all the controls, and it seemed he could barely stop himself from touching them. Jack smiled at this as she approached, also seeing that the bag was right beneath his seat, the strap safely looped around the arm of the chair.
"So, we're gonna get out of here?" He asked, looking up at her as she stood directly behind his chair, her hands on his small shoulders.
"Seems that way. You're going to stay here and keep an open radio connection, got it? I don't think I'm going to do him in tonight, but we-"
She was cut off by a waiting call that was signaled by a small flashing light on the side wall of the control panel. Jack motioned for Marius to be quiet as she opened the line, waiting for the caller to speak.
"You've found the payment, I see." She recognized the voice from the bar.
"Yes I have; nice payment, by the way. I was-"
"I want it done tonight. You've got some four or five hours of night left, I want him killed and you off the planet in that time span." He ordered, sounding a little too smug for her tastes.
"You're making this harder, you do realize." She coldly replied, making Marius tense slightly. He hadn't really seen her ever interacting with other humans and he guessed that she wasn't good in the people-person department.
"And you expect extra pay? Do it and get gone." He snapped at her, making her bristle.
"Consider it done." She snarled, killing the connection. "Marius, I want this ship prepped and ready to go the moment I get back."
"Uh...Jack?" He asked as she turned on her heel and began to stalk towards the hatch. She looked back at him with a definite fury. "I don't know shit about flying or prepping. Or ships, for that matter." He spoke frankly and in her anger, Jack still grinned.
"Course you don't. But you don't see me picking up a manual for you at the nearest bookstore, do you? Figure it out, you're smart." And with that, she left the ship, leaving a confused Marius sitting in front of a control panel that to him looked like the maze of a lifetime.
Knowing Marius was safe, Jack turned predator once more, her entire being solely focused on her mission. She had to get this target and she had to get out. Jack was instantly suspicious, though, when she saw the location of her target. He clearly belonged in the lofty society of the other side, but he was in this territory. Jack moved through the streets, the broken lights flickering to life every once in a while.
She silently stepped into the building that the intended target was supposed to be in. She was confused at first as to why right after the entrance there was only three walls and no doors. But to her well-trained eye she saw a crack of light and silently stepped forward, investigating this. She found it was the edge of a hidden door and, without making any noise, opened it and slipped in. She wasn't going to close it behind her; she would only have to open it again when she was running out.
Jack was unnerved by the suddenly pristine and neat hallway that greeted her when she turned around. Two doors on the right, three on the left, wall at the end of the hallway, but that could have easily been another secret door. Jack gave in to her other self, the one that Riddick had released in her, the predator, the beast, the thing inside her that made her target her prey. Her boots padded like paws of a bear, wolf or tiger as she passed each door, knowing it was empty by the pulses of human life that were absent as she walked by them. Yet the third door on the left held a lingering scent of fear mixed with the personal scent of a human.
She followed it to the end of the hallway, growling in annoyance as she had to find another hidden door. She trailed her hand over the door, her bare fingertips grazing an in-balance in what was supposed to be a flat wall. Working with this, she followed it and realized she was supposed to have a key of some kind. But Jack had never had time for keys, so she felt nothing as she dug her claws into the wall, breaking the mechanism and opening the door. Walking into a room, she knew she had found her target, seeing how he was standing terrified behind a desk.
A Desk.
"Remember, kid, you've got to take in the surroundings around your target." Riddick taught, sinking into a chair in Jack's room. She sat cross-legged on the bed, watching him rub his eyes.
"Why?" She asked, glad that she had dimmed the lights so she could see his silver eyes.
"He could gain a weapon from it; he could be hiding something somewhere. Deeper into that, always look for abnormalities in the figure." He added, his deep voice always holding her attention.
"That could possibly signify to me that he is holding a weapon on his body." She ended, inwardly bursting with pride when he nodded.
"Good, you're catching on." He said, watching her as she unfolded her legs, graceful as a cat.
"Well yeah, but right now I've just got to hope that my target is wearing spandex tight clothes." She grumbled, flopping down on her bed. She craned her neck up when she heard him laugh. Jack smiled back at him and he continued his small lecture on attacking targets.
But, of course, he was wearing a suit, one that could easily hide a small pistol or even bomb detonator. Jack hoped that wasn't the case and glared at her target.
"Who…who…" He stuttered, stumbling back into his chair.
"No, I didn't ask you to imitate an owl. Come here." She ordered, wondering if she had frightened him enough to get him to walk into his death.
"No…I'm-I'm staying right here!" He declared, his voice not masking the terror he obviously felt.
"Well then, let's get started. I hate it when the audience doesn't participate." She said, knowing she sounded slightly insane. She walked up to the desk, lifting herself onto it and sliding across the smooth wood. Jack dangled her legs over the desk, leaning down and staring at the soon-to-be dead man.
"My followers will be after you! You will never get away!" He vowed, but it didn't sound real. Jack wondered what he meant by his followers, but didn't really care.
"Right, well, before I do you in, what the hell is a suit doing in this part of town?" She asked, not resisting the temptation to poke around in her target's head.
"I…I…this is part of my…" he trailed off when Jack stood. She could find this out later.
"I'm feeling creative. And generous, so let's have you pick. By claw or shiv?" She asked, producing both on the spot. He looked like he was going to faint at the sight of the weapons. "No preference, clearly. Too bad." She said, holding a shiv in one hand and her claws open in the other.
Before he could say any last words, she had sliced his throat open with her claws and completed the death by using her shiv. But she wasn't about to leave and as the blood from his pumping neck stained her hands, she stood behind him and snapped his neck for good measure. Stepping away, Jack cleaned the blades on the man's suit and turned to walk out. As she did she saw a few papers that had been left on the desk. She paled when she saw who they were addressed to.
She sprinted out of the office, just realizing that she should've known something was up when he sat in a leather chair, his tie and shirt made of silk and the cuffs on his suit gold with diamonds set in them. Grabbing the radio as she stumbled out of the building, she ripped it from her belt and tried for a connection to the ship.
"Jack?" Marius' voice came through with a little static.
"Yeah, it's me, open the hatch, this is going to be a quick escape." She said slightly breathless, looking behind her. Jack's stomach dropped when suddenly sirens pierced the few remaining hours of night.
"What is that? Jack? Jack, what the hell is that?" She ignored him as she ran faster, trying to pretend that the shouts behind her weren't real.
Yet the pain of a bullet ripping through the flesh of her arm and her torso was very real. She spotted old tanks of oil that someone had abandoned on the street years ago and raced towards them, gritting her teeth against the pain. She went behind them and pushed them out into the street, kicking them to make them roll. There were six of them rolling towards the men running after her. Taking aim with the one handgun she carried, Jack shot the tanks, only pausing to shoot a bullet straight into the ground, causing a spark of friction to set the fire. She knew she had slowed them down completely and turned and kept running. Blood slid through her hands as she neared the port.
Jack skidded into the spaceport, leaping security as she forced herself to run to the ship. Marius stood at the top of the ramp as she approached the lot.
"Close the ramp!" She shouted, glad to see he obeyed her immediately and she bit her lip as she jumped up, catching onto the edge of the ramp and pulling herself up and into the ship. Rolling to the floor she bit back another moan.
"We've got permission to leave." He said, pulling on her forearm to the cockpit. She sank into the chair and threw all the necessary switches to get going. To her relief the ship started up with ease and she rolled out of the lot, almost smashing the communications box when the automatic voice said it had hoped she had enjoyed her stay on the planet.
The voice was minutes too late as they had taken off and were approaching the atmosphere, saying that they had to stop immediately and turn back to the port.
"If you think I'm turning back, you've got some fucked up shit to sort out." She growled, pulling up the controls. Without thinking she tapped in coordinates for a system not too far from the Helion one.
"Jack-" Marius started.
"Not now, strap in." She commanded, setting up the controls for hyperdrive. He gulped and did as told, waiting until she sat back and watched as the ship was pulled out of the system and into another.
Finally they stopped and she put on autopilot, stumbling out of her seat and towards the med bay. She growled when she felt Marius slip beneath her, supporting her almost completely until they reached the room. Jack was barely able to pull herself up onto the silver operating table that shined in the middle of the small med bay.
"I need-" she started but was cut off when Marius turned around, everything she needed in hand. He hopped up onto the table and began to clean the arm wound.
"I can stitch wounds." He said, stopping to put a makeshift bandage around the other bleeding wound. Jack growled again but let him go on, watching him carefully. He was very precise and the stitching was remarkably even. She lay down to let him clean up the side wound and snarled when her wounded arm couldn't find a resting place. The bullet wound in her arm was her right arm and the one on her side was on the left side, making it very hard to find a comfortable position.
"Jack?" He asked again, not moving his eyes from the wound he was carefully stitching.
"Hm?" She asked, wondering why she didn't need numbing drugs for this sort of thing.
"Who did you kill?" He asked, his voice controlled and calm. Jack was eerily reminded of herself years ago when she, without fear and filled with confidence, asked about every single one of Riddick's targets. He had been reluctant at first but had given in and Jack felt the exact same way.
"Someone important." She muttered, trying to blur the image of the signature she had also seen on a few of the other papers.
"People - security, actually - were shooting at you. Who was it?" He pressed her, pulling the last stitch closed.
"Remember the Roman history I taught you?" She asked, sitting up so he could bandage her. Jack wondered how she had let this young boy get so close to her.
"Yes." He answered, not sure what this had to do with anything, but let it go.
"If the emperor had a right-hand man, like a high-ranking general of his legionaries mixed with a very well-respected senator… Well, I basically killed the equivalent of that." She explained, watching Marius' face pale as hers had done not so long ago.