Note: There will be quite a few sexual references in this chapter. You've been warned.
Death's Grin 3
After Riddick had cut the connection, he had quickly left the room and Jack heard him roughly grab the toolbox from a back room, kick open the trap door to the engines and go down. Sighing, she opened up a search screen and recalled that Riddick had called the man Toombs. Settling in for a thorough search, she got to work and soon only the typing of the keys could be heard, along with a 'clang' or harsh curse from beneath the floor.
"Haha, Toombs, you old dog, still got it in ya." He grinned to himself, standing up from his pilot's chair and stretching. He sauntered away from the main control room and into the ship's kitchen, if one could call it that.
The 'kitchen' consisted of a small sink, a half-size fridge and a counter, on which a cardboard box of instant food sat. Opening the fridge, he frowned at his dwindling supply of beer and opted to go without for tonight. He then pawed through the box and found some instant steak and rice dish. Taking it out, he went back into the control room and nearly threw himself into his seat, propping his legs up on the control board.
Leaning forward, he typed in a few commands and a holographic screen flickered into view and in italicized pink script it read: "Banging Chicks and Babes: Part 7". Smirking, he settled back and taking his instant food, twisted off the bottom, which was a metal disc and with a tiny explosion, the food was heated and steaming from beneath the top wrapper. Peeling it off, he picked up his fork and began to eat, sighing at the moment the first credits started reeling.
"You certainly know how have a crazy-ass party night; instant food, favorite porn and just after mentally torturin' your favorite target," he muttered to himself, his eyes lighting up as three girls on the screen sauntered through some hallway and into a bedroom, discarding their skimpy clothes along the way.
"Yes! Nurse, dominatrix and mechanic! Oh, this is a real treat." Toombs shoveled more food into his mouth and watched the screen and the sex unfold, because really, porn has no plot.
Jack still avoided Riddick after he emerged from the dark depths of their ship, slipping into another room as soon as he walked into the one she was in.
Just as she was settling into her newest retreat, Riddick's voice echoed through the ship and it didn't sound threatening at all. Almost inviting, actually.
"Coming!" She replied, getting up from her seat and moving towards the direction his voice had come from. She found him sitting in the pilot's chair, his silver eyes dull with intense thought and memory. Walking towards him, she rested a hand on his tense shoulder, making him look up.
"Jack, we've got a serious problem here." He said, his usually confident voice lacking the victorious note it usually held.
"He's a merc, how much trouble could he really be?" She asked, and his eyes cleared for a moment.
"Looked him up?"
"Yeah, not like you were around to tell me anything big guy." She said, smiling softly at him.
He sat back and, gently grasping her hips, pulled her towards him until she sat on his lap, facing him. Instead of keeping her knees bent, she slipped them through the space between the seat and the armrest, letting them dangle. Riddick rested his arms around her waist and let his head fall to her still bare chest. He nuzzled her and waited for a response, which was quick to come – Jack used her fingers to apply pressure to his tense shoulders, trying to relax him.
"You're still a distraction." He mumbled and he didn't see her grin, but he felt her kiss on top of his head.
"That I know. So, what are we going to do about this slick, dirty, slimy, regular brothel visiting bastard?" She asked and Riddick laughed.
"That's possibly the best description I've ever heard of him." Jack grinned at that and breathed deeply, making Riddick talk. "He's been hunting me for years now, even before you and I met. I've had many chances to shiv him, but I enjoyed it, being chased and always getting away."
"What? You enjoyed it?" She asked, sounding incredulous.
"Before we teamed up again, yeah I did. But now you're here and-"
"You don't want anything happening to me, got it. Was he part of Johns' crew?" She asked and Riddick shook his head.
"Never could work for anyone but himself."
"Typical merc, then?"
"110 merc. I think this time I'm doing him in for good, though." Riddick said thoughtfully and Jack smacked him on the side of his head, making him growl at her.
"You think you're going to do him in for good? You will! If you don't, I certainly will!" Jack exclaimed and Riddick let out a warning growl.
"It isn't like that, Jack. You can't just step in for me and kill this merc." He said, thinking that would explain everything, but to his annoyance, it only furthered Jack into questioning him.
"Says who? Don't tell me there's some sort of unspoken, unwritten code that we have to abide by, because let me tell you, I won't be following some rules when it's your life at stake." She replied and for a brief moment, Riddick was touched by her venomous words, she really cared for him and her love managed to sneak through in the most violent of ways, but it was there.
"There isn't, but it's something between Toombs and me, not Toombs, you and me." He said and watched for Jack's reaction. It wasn't good.
"Oh, I get it, this is some immature man to man bitch fight…okay, this is getting clearer." She said, sarcasm dripping like acid, only pissing Riddick off.
"I won't honor that with a reply but I will tell you," he forcefully grabbed her arms in a bruising grip, like the one the billionaire had just a day or so ago, "you aren't getting involved in this."
"And since when do you control what I do?" Jack dangerously hissed, her eyes hardening, and Riddick could almost feel the air around her drop to freezing levels.
"It isn't your fight, you should respect that." He sounded like he was teaching a first-time fighter the rules of combat. Jack was no first-time fighter, nor did she obey the rules of proper combat.
"I can make it mine." She smoothly replied, leaning closer to his face. "And the only person I respect is myself."
"Combat isn't a person."
"Still don't have to respect it."
"You don't respect me?" A tinge of hurt could be heard.
"No, I don't; I love you, Riddick, and that is an entirely different matter altogether." With that, she closed the distance between them and pillaged his mouth, earning his pet name of 'pirate wench'.
When they pulled apart, Riddick grinned and pushed Jack off his lap, holding her hips while she stood. He turned to the control board and began to patch a connection. Jack sat down in her seat next to his and watched on, her lips quirking up in mild amusement as Toombs' flushed face appeared on the screen.
"Sorry, did I interrupt the eunuch's 'personal' time?" Riddick asked and Toombs glared at him and obviously shifted in his seat.
"Hiding something?" Jack asked, her voice there but her face not. Toombs took this opportunity to get back at Riddick for patching through a connection that he couldn't block or refuse.
"Yeah, something I'd like to stick in you." He shot back and he was instantly rewarded by Riddick's intensely furious glare. Victory was short-lived.
"Well, it'd have to be a dildo 'cause you ain't got nothing to stick in me." Jack fired back, and Riddick looked pleased; at long last he found someone that Jack could let loose her dirty mind and mouth on.
"Enough chit-chat, ladies, let's get down to business." He was confused by a piece of paper being put up to the screen and lifted his lip in disgust when he read what it said.
"JACK: 1, TOOMBS: 0."
"Very funny." He growled and the sign was taken down, but he could still hear her laughter behind Riddick, who was grinning like a madman.
"So, what's the business you're talking about? This chasing? I'm not in the mood for it." Riddick said and Toombs raised his eyebrow and snorted.
"Boy, just because I said I'd chase you didn't mean I didn't have a reason behind it."
"Yeah, like, turning in Riddick's ass for some unimaginably high bounty?" Jack asked and Toombs was getting irritated at the voice with no face to go with.
"No, not necessarily…" he answered and Riddick snorted.
"What else would you be chasing me for?" He asked, but he was interrupted by Jack.
"You know, if you did catch Riddick and jail him in some slam, it would be theft." She said out of nowhere and Riddick resisted the need to swat her and roll his eyes.
"What do ya mean, girlie?" Toombs asked, wondering where the hell she was pulling this from.
"His ass…hell…his body belongs to me!" Jack crowed and Toombs looked thoroughly disgusted. "There is evidence to prove it!" She added and grinned at Riddick when Toombs moaned.
"Back to the matters at hand," Riddick took control of the conversation and Jack spun around in her chair.
"I'm calling in a favor, Riddick." Toombs said and Riddick laughed out loud in response.
"A favor? Tell me, what the fuck do I owe you?"
"That one time I let you keep a shiv with you when you went into prison. Now, let me review my facts but I think it was with that very shiv you escaped the prison." Toombs supplied and Riddick frowned; if he had known, why didn't he take it away? "Because if you got out, bounty would be back up and even higher then before, that's why, sweetie."
"You are nothing but a money-" Jack started, but Riddick held her down with one hand and she quieted immediately.
"So I owe you, what's the catch?" He asked and Jack shook her head, this wasn't going to end well, that much she knew.
"Want you to kill this guy for me."
"Why can't you do it?"
"Mercs don't kill fellow mercs," Toombs said and Riddick and Jack snorted at the same time. "C'mon, I'll pay."
"How much?"
"Enough for you to go into retirement." He replied.
"Who's the bastard we've got to kill?" Jack asked idly, playing with a strand of her hair.
"I'll send you the files when this is done, you taking the job or not?" He asked, an edge of fear in his voice. Jack noticed it immediately; he wasn't afraid of Riddick or her, he was afraid of what would happen if this man he wanted killed wasn't going to be passing on soon.
"Jack?" Riddick asked, looking at her. She nodded. Enough money to go into retirement? Maybe they could take a vacation or something.
"So you're going to do it?"
"Yes, we are. Send the files, Toombs."
"You've got it, Dickey boy." He replied and the transfer of file was started. The connection was still open as the file automatically opened and suddenly the room was filled with the sounds of a woman loudly moaning and a man grunting with every slap of flesh against flesh and Jack didn't even look at the screen.
"TOOMBS!" Riddick shouted and the file stopped.
"Whoops, wrong file." He said and Riddick snarled. Finally the right files came through and the connection was cut. Sighing, Riddick opened the file and the room went quiet. Jack spun around and looked at Riddick, whose eyes were wide with confusion and amazement. She followed his eyes to the screen and softly cursed when she saw the image.
It was the blue-eyed devil staring right back at them.
Note: I know, this is a crazy twist, we'll see how crazy I'll end up making it. Do we want some sort of creepy science thing or brother thing? Please tell me!
Thanks to these reviewers:
TRO- You can assume a few years or so, no more then three I'd say. Good question.
lamyka- take the easy way out and disappoint you? Never.
njrd- Oh I'm getting crazy when I write, you can tell, can't you? I mean, I have this running thought that they're mortal, they're human, even if it's wrapped up and impossible to find, like Riddick.
Nikitia1506- I have a snowballs chance in hell of updating 2-3 days a week, it's impossible, but I promise I won't do a redo of the last chapters of ToF, that was cruel.
IT – The Fate laugh at a lot of people, it's true.