A/N: AGHT! Sorry this wasn't out last night. Once again, my laptop decided to hate me - of course it's working fine this morning when my dad takes a look at it. Of course. So anyway, here's the next chapter, albeit several hours late.

WARNING: This is a violent chapter. If you have a problem with lots of killing - it's not THAT descriptive - don't read. Can't say I didn't warn you.

"So really, where'd you get those clothes?" Riddick asked, as they wandered home later that night.

Jack noticed that whatever that fluorescent drink was, it had made Riddick quite a bit more talkative. He had actually initiated a conversation – a first. She shrugged. "From Zeebrox."

"No shit? I pass the sign to that store all the time – never been there though."

She decided that a talkative Riddick was a good thing, and vowed to ply him with that neon drink more often. "It's kinda in the basement of this other store for like preppy people, but it's really cool."

Riddick nodded, and they walked in silence for a few seconds. Jack was glad she had brought her jacket – the cool night air caressed her cheeks, and raised goose bumps on her neck.

"Does Imam know you have those clothes?"

She looked up at Riddick in surprise, to find him smiling shrewdly down at her. "Are you kidding? Of course he doesn't. And it's going to stay that way. Got fed up in school one day and walked out of P.E. Pointless class – the girls don't want to play, and the guys are just showing off – you can't get a proper game going. Anyway, I just left – ended up shopping down there. Bought some stuff and hid it in my school bag until I could unpack it at home."

"How'd you explain your absence at school to Imam?" Riddick asked, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his long duster.

She wrapped her arms around one of his, leaning slightly on him. "I just told him someone had made a bomb threat on the school so we were let out early."

He laughed. "You're a girl after my own heart."

Even in the dark and deserted streets of New Mecca past midnight, most predators of the shadows would have left Jack and Riddick alone. They might have risked the teenage girl had she been alone, maybe even with her boyfriend. But these were no ordinary couple. Though they both were wearing coats and formal clothes, the guy's muscles rippled under his sleeves and across his shoulders, bulky enough to be seen from a distance. The guy also moved in that distinctive way that marked him as an experience fighter – perfectly balanced, perfectly measured, perfectly nonchalant.

Most denizens of the nocturnal world would leave a guy like that alone.

Most.

Riddick's first clue that they were in trouble was the unmistakable noise of a laztik being charged. The short laser clubs crackled and hummed with contained energy, and also emitted a slight heat and a bright light. The temperature raise was barely a degree – maybe two if you were holding it – and the light could be shielded, but people like Riddick never missed that kind of thing.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Riddick warned, without turning.

Jack looked up at him, puzzled, but had sense enough to keep quiet. She glanced behind her, then looked straight ahead, eyes wide. "There's seven guys back there, Riddick!" she hissed quietly.

He grinned, remembering that she'd never seen him fighting more than one-on-one. "Actually there ten of them – why don't you come on out boys? I don't know who you're hiding from…" His grin widened when three more guys stepped out in front of them. "Ten guys for two people? Wow, you guys are chickens."

"Step away from the girl, put your hands on your head, and no one will get hurt." Commanded a guy in front of them, as his laser cannon flickered to life.

Flicking a glance at Jack, Riddick chuckled. "You guys really know how to talk nasty, don't you?" But he stepped apart from Jack and slowly raised his hands.

"Ri-Rick!" hissed Jack, eyes wide.

"Just make like your boyfriend, sweetheart, and you'll both come out of this alive," advised Laser Cannon. He motioned with his head for two guys to grease them.

Riddick never actually let them touch him – he was planning to, but Jack got greased first. And they didn't grease her so much as…grease her.

She stiffened in disgust as they rubbed their hands up and down her legs. Her eyes were clenched shut, and her hands fisted on top of her head. She looked like she would cry. And that was not acceptable. So Riddick revised his plan.

He lunged forward, caught the nearest guy by the wrists and yanked him into a head butt, before pitching him to one side.

He didn't even stop to check positions of the other guys; he just grabbed whatever crossed his field of vision. Shortly, there were four guys on the ground, and Riddick was at Jack's side.

Standoff.

The remaining six guys had weapons, but Jack and Riddick had, well, Riddick.

Jack looked up at Riddick in awe, as he faced the other guys. Worried she would say something, he cut his eyes to her and gave his head the slightest of shakes. She raised her eyebrows and they turned their eyes back to their adversaries.

Laser Cannon was still standing, and two of the other guys had laztiks. The remaining three guys had shivs, some sort of gun, and a saw-toothed sword, respectively. Riddick blinked at the last guy, who handled the weapon with the ease of long practice. A sword? Who used a sword these days? Apparently this guy….

At some unspoken signal, they all spread out and began advancing together. So they were smart. A shame, really. Riddick reflected. You didn't survive on the streets unless you were smart, and it looked like these guys were really survivors. Well, they would have been, had they not chosen Richard B. Riddick to mug this night.

So actually, he decided, shoving Jack behind him and crouching slightly, these guys aren't actually so smart. He didn't have to feel bad about wasting smart street denizens. They are an endangered species, after all.

The guys were close enough now, so he darted out and grabbed Laztik One by the handle of his weapon and snapped his wrist. Then he easily removed the short laser from the man's hand and chucked it at Laztik Two. The other guys were moving, but Riddick was too busy to care – after removing his laztik from the smoking stomach of Laztik Two, he snatched said dead guy's weapon and turned back to the fight.

Now it was just Laser Canon, Shivs, Some Gun, and Sword Boy. Riddick figured he'd take Some Gun first – he, Shivs, and Laser Canon could all attack from the distance, but Shivs probably couldn't do enough damage to kill without getting closer, and if Riddick got hit by Laser Canon, he was dead anyway. So Some Gun it was.

Stalking towards Some Gun, Riddick began twirling the laztiks, limbering up his wrists and warning Some Gun. He didn't understand why they guy hadn't fired on him before – it was only later that he found the nicks on his right arm and left shoulder where bullets had grazed him unnoticed in the heat of the fight – but didn't plan to allow the guy to start anytime soon. Weaving and zig-zagging, he sprinted (as quickly as his dodges would allow) towards his target.

Riddick's world narrowed to the thinning man wielding the semi-automatic, and he prayed to Imam's Allah that none of the other guys hit him from behind. There. The twitch of muscle at his elbow that signaled a trigger squeeze. Riddick dived sideways into a roll that brought him straight to his feet again. Some Gun's eyes flickered for a moment, looking somewhere behind Riddick before releasing another spray of bullets and forcing Riddick to dodge again.

Then there was a sound almost like a massive WHOOF, and Riddick threw himself flat on the ground. But the blast from the laser canon didn't go anywhere near him. Instead, the crackling ball of energy rolled high above him before enveloping the single streetlamp in a puff of electrical explosions.

The street was plunged into darkness.

Riddick smiled.

He immediately rolled away from where he had been lying, in case Some Gun got smart and tried to pop him in the dark. If he was lucky, none of his attackers knew about his shine job. If he wasn't, they still couldn't find him unless they had a torch, and that would light them up like a beacon (literally). But then again, they were lit up – at least to Riddick's eyes.

He could see Jack, standing near the wall of a building to his right. Laser Canon was half-bent over a few metres away, his weapon dangling from loose fingers. The fool must have attacked Jack then – bet he hadn't expected what he got. Riddick realized he was grinning like a madman, but couldn't seem to rid his face of the smile. Jack – smart girl that she was – had realized that Riddick's advantage lay in the fact that he could see in the dark. So she had used Laser Canon's weapon to take out the one light. That's my girl, Riddick thought proudly.

He'd better prove his worth then, since Jack had given him such a wonderful opportunity. Flicking off his laztiks, which thankfully hadn't occurred to Laser Canon, he shoved them into his duster pockets, and carefully unclipped his chain belt. Richard B. Riddick never went anywhere without some kind of weapon, and tonight was no exception. Once the length of chain was safely out, he began swinging it in large circles beside him as he paced silently up behind Some Gun. The poor fool didn't even hear him coming.

He used the chain to smack the gun from Some Gun's hand and had it wrapped around his throat before the weapon hit the ground. After snapping the idiot's neck, he sprinted to cover in an abandoned doorway as Laser Canon finally got smart and fired off a shot in Some Gun's direction. The night was lit up for a brief second as the lightning ball rolled past and blasted a hole in a wall forty metres down the street.

Then Riddick was running again, in case one of the remaining guys had seen him. Laser Canon was next – his weapon was not only the most dangerous, but if he kept lighting up the street, someone was eventually going to spot Riddick. There was no chance of police coming to investigate the broken lamp and the strange flashes of light. This was the part of town where laser canon flashes were a normal occurrence.

Laser Canon was sweating profusely, pointing his weapon every which way – as if that would help him see in the dark. At one point, he had it pointed straight at Riddick as if he could see him, but when Riddick dodged, he didn't follow, so it was just luck. The chain began to whirl again, and this time the man heard it and pointed the massive gun in Riddick's direction.

But the chain was faster – it snicked out silently and wrapped around the canon, allowing Riddick to jerk the weapon easily from its owner's hands. Out flashed the chain again, this time it wound around Laser Canon's neck and jerked him to his knees, before Riddick placed a boot on the man's chest and jerked the chain. And snap goes the neck…

Shivs and Sword Boy had done the stupid thing and separated – each fending for himself instead of sticking together. Further proof that the planet was well rid of such stupid would-be villains.

Shivs was easily dealt with – once his hands were trapped, he had no way to defend himself. Bada bing, bada bang, bada boom, another twitching corpse.

Suddenly there was a muffled shriek, and the smell of fresh blood. Riddick felt his own freeze and he whirled towards the source. Jack was standing across the street from him, her hands wrapped around the thick arm trapping her middle, as a thin line of blood trickled down her neck from the sword pressed against it. She was fighting, trying to find the man's sensitive points in the dark.

"I know you're out there," called Sword Boy into the dark, kicking the back of Jack's knees so she collapsed against him. "So tell your girlfriend to quit struggling or I'll slit her throat."

Riddick was already moving towards the pair. "Jack." He warned, then abruptly changed course, so he couldn't be traced by his voice.

Sword Boy peered in the direction Riddick's voice had come from, desperately trying to see him. "Don't come any closer – if I see any movement at all, I'll cut first, ask questions later. Do you understand? Don't try anything. I want to make you a deal."

A deal, a deal… They always wanted to make deals. When would they ever figure out that Richard B. Riddick only dealt in death? "So start talking." Riddick replied.

Sword Boy nodded. "All right. See, I didn't want to do this, I told Vinzo this was a bad idea – and look, I was right. I don't care about you and your chick, I didn't care about those guys. So you let me go on my way, I'll let your girlfriend go hers. Okay? A life for a life?"

"Go ahead." Called Riddick, changing position again. He was debating how best to kill Sword Boy – could he be fast enough to knock the sword away before Jack's throat was slit? Was it worth taking the chance?

Sword Boy swallowed. "So how do we do this? I'll take her with me, and then when I'm safe, I'll let her go, how 'bout that?"

"No dice." Riddick growled. "How 'bout you let her go, and I'll let you go?"

"I don't trust you – how do I know you won't just kill when once she's free?"

Riddick sighed. These guys were always so picky. "Well then how 'bout a fight, big man?"

"No way." Sword Boy retorted. "I can't see you, it would be suicide for me. I'm not stupid."

Riddick reached into his pockets and drew out the laztiks. They flickered to life with the hum and heat that normally accompanied them, and especially the light. "There. You can see me now. Let her go, and let's tango."

The manshoved Jack, and she stumbled as far away from him as she could get, eyes never leaving the pair of glowing laztiks.

It was all she could to keep herself pressed against the wall, instead of running out to stay close to Riddick. She couldn't see the other guy – the one with the sword – only every now and then the glimmer of a laztik reflecting off the steel. Her only indication of Riddick was the pair of laztiks, and a very slight outline of his hands in the darkness.

Then suddenly, the laztiks whirled, dancing in the night. They hummed through the air, and she could see flashes of the sword reflecting back. She knew the laztiks were the more powerful weapon – they could easily shear through the steel blade – but it didn't look like Riddick had gotten that chance yet.

Jack tensed, ears and eyes straining to make out the fight. The guy with the sword must be pretty good if Riddick wasn't getting any hits in. Maybe she could help out, like she did with the streetlamp. She crouched down and fished around on the ground for a weapon. It was nearly impossible in the dark, but her groping fingers finally found something lumpy. Not something. Someone. It was one of the guys from the fight – already going through rigor mortis. Gulping back the bile rising in her throat, she grimly felt around his person. There, a shiv. She got a good grip on the weapon and stood.

The fight was moving faster now -the laztiks flashing in ever-connected circles, and soft grunting signaled that the fighters were starting to strain. Creeping towards them warily, she tried to keep a focus on where the guy with the sword was. A hard job, it turned out, because he had to be close to Riddick for her to make him out. But eventually she snuck near enough to the combatants that she could see his outline - somewhat.

Whatever the man lacked in physical stature, he made up for in skill and speed. Riddick was getting close, but the man dodged away quickly, and lashed back with his own weapon – he also missed. It was a close fight, and unless she could tip the odds, whoever tired first would die.

Just as she was crouching to spring at the man with the sword, Riddick's voice cracked out. "No, Jack!"

Immediately, the sword man took advantage of Riddick's momentary distraction, and struck out. Riddick leapt backwards, and his duster swept up, momentarily shielding the combatants from her view. She heard the rasp of steel, and a stifled exclamation from Riddick. And then she smelt blood.

Covering her mouth with her free hand, she hushed her gasps, and screamed silently into her palm.

"Get back, kid." Riddick growled – at least he wasn't dead then, and the laztiks began their lazy circles again. "Get away from here."

Like fuck! She wasn't leaving him – did he honestly think she would? Well if he wouldn't let her fight, perhaps she could help him fight? Riddick's unique advantage lay in his ability to see in the dark, but he had leveled the playing field by using the laztiks to illuminate himself. But now that Jack was free, there was no reason for Riddick to keep fighting fair.

Slipping silently into the darkness, she edged around the combatants – tiptoeing awkwardly in her heels. When she was close enough to Riddick, she hissed, "Lose the lights, Riddick."

She couldn't see him well enough to determine if he was startled, but a second later, his laztiks flickered out. Once again, the dark night swallowed their street.

"Hey! Hey, what the fuck are you doing!"

Jack grinned as she felt a tall body slide up next to her. She blindly held out the shiv, knowing Riddick would be able to see it. His callused hand slid over hers, and she released the knife into his easy grip.

Then he was gone, somewhere in the darkness.

"You're cheating!" yelled theother guyagain. "You can't run off without finishing the fight!"

The sickly sound of metal sliding through meat tore through the silent street, and a gurgling moan echoed off the buildings. Then,there was the muted thud of something large hitting the ground.

"There." commented Riddick blandly. "It's finished."

A/N: So that was longer than usual, I think. I didn't want to break up the fight scene though - kills the action. For anyone who didn't figure it out, laztiks are like short lightsabers. So it was a lightsaber fight in the dark. Mmmmmm.

Thanks to last week's wonderful reviewers: shamrock920 (i wuvvles you), Jak, Jamie, Lover's-Lament (yay! beat that laziness down! and don't feel ashamed, i love it too. of course, i AM biased...), FluidDegree, Social control (sorry you didn't like the purple lipstick. i don't wear it myself, but thought that it kind of fit jack at that moment), blade assassin, WindDancerTN (runs off down an avenue), Death By Teacup (love the name), mynee (i'm glad you liked this so much!), and Houser's girl. I love you all!

Cheers,

Rama