Chapter XII

Happy Hunting

Riddick strolled off his ship, his senses tingling as he stepped onto Lether. He could've taken off his goggles and just follow this trail of electric excitement that was buzzing in him like an angry hornet. His hunters came off in pairs or alone, straying not far behind him. They knew the plan but it was a tradition to let him go first, let him follow the scent. A few of them watched him naturally walk with stealth as he led the pack, knowing his eyes were almost rolling with anticipation. Laiker closed the ship up behind them and walked with Rex to catch up with Riddick.

Once they were at his side, the real hunt began and the trail of chasers followed the leader and his hunters. Any reasonable person would be able to recognize a hunt in the process and would close up shop or just walk in the other direction entirely. It wasn't a wise idea to be out while a hunt was in progress, especially if it was towards the end. The ending chases tended to be very dangerous for anything nearby and usually wound up in violence.

He followed the 'essence' as the report had put it, sometimes trailing his hand along a cement wall to get a feel for what the killer felt. If he could parallel the feelings of the environment he might be able to get one step ahead of the killer by tracing other places that would have that same feel. Cutting off the chase wasn't his idea of a long hunt, but he still got the last chase.

Lether wasn't a utopia of cleanliness by any standards and Riddick often had to avoid a few areas altogether because the stenches were so overwhelming that it deadened him entirely, like old rum. Picking up the pace, Riddick sharply turned a corner, Laiker and Rex not far behind, taking in their surroundings. That was there job until the target actually became tangible. Yet Riddick could almost say this intense emotion he felt was tangible and he stopped short. This was the spot. The last spot where the killer had killed.

Marius had stayed with Jack, profusely apologizing over an afternoon snack at a run-down café in one of the ports they were stopping at. Jack had simply smiled and nodded, then offered another hot chocolate, which Marius readily accepted. So far, so good; no straggling hunters of Bellger were following them, Riddick's team hadn't caught up with them yet, and the media wasn't in on the hunt either. Jack now sat with her hands wrapped around a half-empty cup of coffee, her clothes not providing much protection in this colder climate.

She had decided to step around Bellger territory as long as she could, stopping on one of the outer planets - a small one - with only a few main ports. She had already done her work and was confident they were safe. Jack had dropped two other 'trails' since Lether, so they had some time to kill. Jack looked out the clouded window, rubbing her half-gloved hand over the glass, giving her a small view into the streets. Her bugnucks did nothing to keep her hands warm and if she wasn't careful, the blades might stick from the frost. She would need to re-enter that world, the one she had been skipping out on as long as possible, but of course she was dragged under by her dwindling supply of money. She needed a quick job, maybe an assassination or two, just to get some side cash for necessities, like power charge for the fuel cells and emergency replacement parts to the ship.

She did have money from her killings earlier, before Marius had stepped into her life, but that account was under a name that Riddick would recognize. No doubt he would have every file pulled of that area, from drug receipts to organized crime deals. Unfortunately, bank accounts would be under that too and he would be looking for ships that needed fuel, like hers. Now that accessing that account was out of the question, she did need money. Jack was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Marius shifting around in his seat.

"Jack?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Yeah?" She drew away her eyes from the people walking past outside and focused on his smaller form. His blue eyes sparkled up at her and his hair was mussed, falling about his face. He looked chilled as well and Jack decided right then and there she needed some extra cash.

"How long are we going to stay?" It was like he could read her mind sometimes.

"I'm going to do a few quick jobs; we need some money. Don't even think about asking if you could find work, no work for you unless I'm watching." She answered before he could even open his mouth.

"I can take care of myself!" He insisted, looking hurt.

"I'm not trying to insult you, I'm just saying no. Not here." She stated and he knew it wasn't going to change. What Jack said happened, he didn't get a choice. But somehow, that was how he liked it.

He was lost in his thoughts of his mentor, not realizing she had already paid and stood from the ratty booth. Scrambling up, he finished his cup of hot chocolate and hurried to follow her long strides out the door. Marius marveled at how the leather duster that Jack wore whipped about her in the cold wind, but she barely even realized it, just stalked forward in her eternal march towards something.

"Watch it." She called back, making Marius stumble back as a small moped of sorts sped by right in front of him. He ran up to walk next to her and thanked her, only receiving a smirk in return.

Riddick stood in front of his chair in the main room, watching with cool approval as his hunters worked tirelessly, trying to achieve the goals he had set for them. His hands clasped behind his back, his eyes carefully flicking from each man to the next, pulling up a file on each, if not just to pass the time. His attention was distracted as Laiker appeared at his side, holding out a folder. Taking it, he thumbed it open and looked through the present results.

"Boss, sir, we think there's some sort of pattern with her and the boundaries of the Bellger territory. Think she's trying to make a statement?" Laiker asked, knowing that he had to approach Riddick with caution and respect when they were in the middle of a hunt.

"Maybe she offended them in some way and is taunting them by staying on their boundaries. Run a-"

"We did, sir, nothing there. No connections to Bellger or his hunters from the people she killed." Laiker calmly supplied.

"Do we have a locked move for the next trail?" He asked, handing Laiker the folder. The pictures he had seen were gruesome, even for his taste. Mutilated men, body parts strewn all over the scene, morbid humor painted on the concrete walls with their blood…the dream of a vengeful killer.

"We have yet to lock in on another killing report; we've gotten three, Lether-"

"And the other two. I want a list of all planets and space stations bordering Bellger territory." He ordered, sitting down in his chair. It had been at least two weeks since the last 'essence' and it was driving him crazy to have not found the pick-up on the trail. Laiker left his side and Riddick heard his boots descending the steps into the lower part of the main room, where the other hunters worked. Holding his head in one hand, the other dangling over the front of the armrest, Riddick closed his eyes and thought of the other plaguing issue that was taking hold in his mind.

His words of "offended them in some way and is taunting them by staying on their boundaries" had clicked in his mind as Jack. Jack had unknowingly killed Bellger and now could be mocking them by staying on the very edges of their territory, areas that couldn't be reached while a leader still wasn't in power. Although that wasn't his worry, it was the visions and images that he imagined behind his closed eyes that truly bothered him.

Bestial moans of pleasure rippled his senses like a stone dropped in water, eventually fading away until the next one. Her toned body shone with a natural sheen of sweat, catching stray beams of moonlight as she shifted beneath him, driving him mad as she changed positions endlessly. Hands that hunted strayed over his body, the touches barely tangible as they caressed his skin.

He snapped to attention, his eyes opening back to the scene of his ship, his hunters and his chase. Running a hand over his shaved scalp, Riddick inwardly groaned. Jack had better reappear soon because if she wasn't, he would have to go after her, if not just to save whatever shreds of sanity and self-restraint he had left.

Jack buried her hands in the pockets of her coat, the long leather tails whipping in the wind around her. She fisted her hands around the cred chips safely hidden in the pockets, feeling slightly more vindicated from the murders she had just committed. Marius needed better clothes; they needed food, fuel for the ship and emergency parts. As she turned the corner, a blast of snowy wind hit her in the face and she turned back, her back flat against the building, the vicious wind just a few inches away from her. Taking protection, she flipped up the collar and tightened it around her neck with the straps there. It came up past her nose and half of her ears, hiding her mostly from view. Pulling out her sunglasses, she slipped those on as well.

Jack stepped into the snow storm and did her best to get the ship as quickly as possible, not always avoiding the sharp lashes of snowy wind. She briefly wondered if Riddick had ever felt like this, braving all weather and moral standards simply to keep her well-clothed, fed and free from the world. Walking into the in-door port, she exhaled as she shook the snow off of her shoulders and hair. She quickly walked to her ship, punching in the security code for the hatch. Climbing aboard, she closed the door again and was very glad for the heating system that she had fixed only a few nights ago.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Marius shouted and Jack made her way there, propping her glasses on her head as she undid the straps of her duster and took it off, draping it over one of the chairs. Marius was busy making something to eat, but turned around and handed her a hot water pack to heat up her hands.

"Thanks." She said, pulling off her bugnucks and setting them on the table. Not caring about the warnings on the outside of the pack, she directly applied it to her hands, relieved at the feeling that was starting to return.

"So…are you done?" He asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"For now, yes. The weather is too bad to get anything this moment, but tomorrow we set out early, get what we need, get back and get out of here." She replied, rubbing the soft package over her cold hands.

Jack thanked Marius again when he placed a plate in front of her that was filled with an appetizing stew of sorts. Breaking a small smile she realized that she had done this many times for Riddick and he had always thanked her in his own way. Putting down the pack and taking up her fork, Jack ate away, grinning at Marius' half-hearted attempts to make her eat slower.

When they finished, they sat for a moment and she knew Marius was itching to ask her about her most recent job. She wasn't going to tell him, they both knew that, so she simply sighed as she stood, taking up the plates in her hands. Jack washed them in the sink and left them out on the counter to dry, wiping her hands on a dish towel that had once been a bathroom hand towel. Marius still stayed seated at the table, he had brought in a book to read, which he usually did when he knew Jack wasn't going to be in a talkative mood. Jack approached Marius from behind and gently resting a hand on one his shoulders, leaned over and kissed the top of his head. She felt him freeze at her touch but relax and thank her with a smile.

Leaving the kitchen, she picked up her coat and headed towards the cockpit. Jack had to plan for the next stops and figured that if she wasn't using the time to be outside and working, she should be working in the ship. Setting herself down at the control panels, screens and who knows what else that made up the main controls, Jack pulled up a few planetary maps and got to work.

Thanks to these reviewers:

(Oh man, I got so many reviews the past chapter, makes me super happy.)

TotallyRiddickObsessed – Afraid there wasn't much action in this chapter either, sorry, I know you really like that. But, next chapter, there is gore abound and I believe you'll be pleased with it. So patience! Thanks for reviewing.

ren3017 – Heehee, yes, they are indeed. Man, I think I should put warnings up on the chapters. "Warning, reading this could result in the spitting of your nearby beverage. Please use caution." Yeah, I don't think I'm too overly fond of that idea. Ha, "(place usual word of praise here)"  Makes me very happy.

SueBe – Yes! The flashbacks! Also my favourite bits to write besides the action scenes. Glad you figured it out, if I write flashbacks now, I'll remember you. Man, your last review made me very pleased, thanks for being supportive.

njrd – I thought it would be interesting to stick that in, making the mentor mortal. In the next chapter we get to see Marius sort his thoughts out over Jack and Riddick, it will end up fine, no worries there. I don't want Riddick to appear as the cruel, I'm-leaving-you-behind bastard that he could definitely be, but I do want Jack to end up as a better mentor for giving him the choice. Oh no, not another addict.

IT – Your inbox. My god, my emails know it better then you know it yourself.

XinnLajgin – First off, let me say that reading your review made me laugh outright. Several times. And you are spilling your beverages, too! Man, I apologize to all those computers out there subject to his sort of treatment. Well, when Jack and Riddick meet up again it will be a…family…of sorts. I suppose. I'll look into that.

Haley – Woo! Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again.