Disclaimer: Don't own any of it. If I did I would probably be rich enough that I wouldn't need to write fanfiction in order to keep myself happy…
Summary: Six years can be a long time. A long time away from him. A long time for something to go wrong. AU that picks up right after Dark Fury - some TCOR spoilers.
Pairings: slight R/J
Warnings: Language, mild violence…
Authors Note: Okay here's the thing – I liked the idea of everything Jack went through after she and Riddick split up (and besides, she might never have become Kyra if it all hadn't happened), so I didn't want to lose that aspect of the story. What I did want to lose was anything that had to do with the Necromongers. (Because, like a lot of people, I'm still in major denial about what happens to Kyra at the end of the movie) So in order to keep the back-story, I decided to make the beginning somewhat similar to TCOR. But rest assured once I get past all that, the more original storyline picks up. Bear with me, all reminders of the movie will be over after a few chapters, I promise! As always, please R&R – I live on feedback!
Oh and I apologize if chapter one seems a little short – I'll be trying to make them longer from here on out. Chapter two should be up sometime within the next day or so…
Chapter One: Lucky Shot
Lucky shot.
Lucky goddamn shot.
Riddick grabbed his side, but kept up the quick pace of his run. The bullet was in and out, but the pain was still immense. He focused on the path ahead of him. There would be time for pain later, not right now.
Six years he'd been on this popsicle of a planet. Six years since he'd sentenced himself to this frigid exile. An exile intended to protect not his own ass, but a kid of all things.
You would think he'd be happy to see another person after so long a time. And he might have, if that other person hadn't been a merc.
"RIDDICK!" Toombs' voice echoed off the icy walls of the crevice through which they ran. He'd be damned if the bastard was gonna' slip through his hands now after six years of searching. He turned another corner and slid to a stop. Dead end.
"You made three mistakes," Riddick's voice boomed, seeming to come from all directions at once.
Toombs turned around. Nothing. Riddick had vanished.
"First," he growled. "You took the job."
His gaze turned skyward, snowflakes pelting his eyes as he searched for a crack in the ice where Riddick might be hiding.
"Second," he continued. "You came light. A four man crew for me? Fuckin' insulting."
The merc muttered under his breath. "Show yourself you fucking pansy."
"But the worst mistake you made…."
Toombs spun around, only to find himself face to face with his mark. Riddick easily knocked the gauge out of his hand, sending the gun sliding across the ice. On instinct, he reached for his holster.
"That's right," Riddick grinned, an action nearly hidden by the thick beard covering his face. He raised a different gun, taking aim for the merc's chest. "You let me get close enough to ya' to lift your other piece."
Taking a step back, Toombs raised his hands.
"What's the bounty on my head?" Riddick demanded.
"One mil."
"Guess I'm really movin' up in the 'verse," Riddick raised the gun another notch, this time aiming towards Toombs' head.
"Wait!" Toombs protested.
"For what?"
"You let me live, I'll tell you where your friend is…"
"Friend?" Riddick quirked a smile. "Definitely got the wrong guy."
"No, no," he continued in a rush. "The kid… the girl you were with when I first saw you on that merc ship. I know where she is."
The smile faded and his face hardened, the gauge never moved. "I'm listening."
"Maxis Seven," he said. "I collared her on Maxis Seven. Sold her to a triple max for a pretty penny."
A triple-max prison? Just what the hell had Jack gotten herself into while he was gone?
"What slam?"
When Toombs hesitated, Riddick closed the distance between the end of the barrel and the other man's forehead. "What slam!"
"Crematoria…" he bit off, taking a step backward.
Riddick was quiet a moment. "It's your lucky day, Toombs. You just caught yourself a killer."