We were reluctantly picked up by a small ship in the Sol-Track Shipping Lanes. They didn't recognize me or the other three as we piled onto the ship, tired, thirsty, and starving. After a quick shower and a few bites of dehydrated space chow, I was ready to sleep. The deep sleep carried me through no dreams and I awoke as the ship bounced on the landing strip in New Mecca. The air was dry, blowing lightly as we stepped off the ship, carrying our tattered bags. Our clothes were still stained with blood and dirt, but we had gone far past the point of caring.
"Miss Murphy, I trust you have a place of shelter on this planet?" the holy man looked at me and I smiled.
"Yes. Riddick and I will be here," I handed him a tiny scrap of parchment, an address scribbled down. He read it, nodded and took the hand of the girl, Jack.
"She will come with me..." he said but the girl pulled back.
"Can I stay with you?" she asked, brows rising at me and I sighed. I hated breaking her tiny little heart.
"No. But you can come visit," I replied and she nodded, not prodding any farther. I looked at the holy man.
"What name should I reach you by?" I asked.
"El-Imam. Near the temple," he answered and looked at Riddick, who had straightened up, goggled and rigid. "Goodbye, friends."
They both trotted toward the sun, disappearing behind the wave of people flooding the streets. I turned to Riddick.
"Come on. Just up those streets," I motioned and he gave me a slight nod, understanding. We wove through the people, our heads lowered and not speaking. As I approached the apartment, I noticed the tablecloth waving in the wind on the clothesline.
We climbed the steps and I placed a shaking hand on the doorknocker. Knocking twice, dust flew up from the boards of the door, causing me to blink. Slowly, the hinges creaked and a pair of big, green eyes popped in the crack creaked by the door.
"Ma?" The words sounded so strange and foreign on my tongue. But the door slammed shut, then heaved open. Her hair was a snowy white, still frizzy near the sides of her face. Her lips pursed and tears streamed down her cheeks. Nails dug into my shoulders and I was pulled to her chest, tears coming down my own face. She smelled the same.
"Oh, Baby. Oh, my little baby..." she cooed softly and I hugged her even harder. She loosened a bit, staring at the enormous man behind me. Her eyes darted back at me.
"Are you pregnant?" Laughter burst out of my mouth as I turned to look at Riddick. Him? Have sex with me? And we make a baby? Never. Riddick was asexual; I wasn't even sure he still had the equipment after all of his breakouts and reentries into the system. I'm sure a merc got a little shiv happy and rid him of any
"extra" ego appendages.
"No, Ma. We just need a place to rest," I answered and she swallowed, closing the door as Riddick stepped in. She darted around Riddick and came back to me.
"I saw your name in the news...I thought you were still in there," she began, touching my face with a small hand.
"Well, there was a mix-up and we ended up on the wrong ship. There was a scuffle so we hopped a ship back here," I explained, setting my things down. God, I hated lying to my poor mother. But it was for her own good.
"At least you're back." Her voice was tender, relieved. Had she been waiting up for me? For 10 years? Her eyes were now back to Riddick, who hadn't moved since stepping inside. "Is he okay?" she whispered lowly.
"Yeah. Just a little scuffed up," I replied, "I need you to check him out...make sure he's not infected." She reluctantly agreed and coaxed him into the kitchen, where she extracted her supplies. My mother had been a Healer, a nurse of sorts, who worked for the local MedStation. As a kid, I always watched her stitch up people, completely appalled at the nature of wars and crimes. What a hypocrite I turned out to be.
I checked the cabinets while my mother diligently scanned Riddick, looking for signs of infection. She talked to herself mostly, commenting on a black scratch here or a burn mark there, while Riddick eyed her cautiously. I chuckled, watching them go back and forth, while shoving food quickly into my mouth. Peaches. The sweet taste lingered in my mouth as I sucked my fingers clean of the syrup.
"Heathen. Get a napkin." My mother's scolding hadn't stopped. I reached for a towel just as she finished bandaging Riddick. He seemed slightly more at ease with her, brow slumping against his goggles.
"Now you," she motioned to me, patting Riddick on the back. He stood and I sat where he had plopped down.
"Oh, Katie, look at that." The wound on the back of my head. She began to pick at it and I winced, watching the flakes of dried blood fall to the tiled floor below me. "How'd you get that?"
"Fell," I replied and Riddick's mouth turned up slightly. But she wasn't convinced. My mother looked at Riddick.
"And would you know how she got this?"
"She fell," Riddick cleared his throat and I shot my mother a "see-I-told-you-so" look. She turned back to the wound and sighed. She pulled out a needle and thread and began to patch it up. Riddick opened a cabinet door, sniffing inside. Extracting a can, he brandished his shiv, causing my mother to gasp.
"Ma, it's ok." I patted her arm, and then turned to Riddick. "Can opener. That's what the civilians use," I pointed but he placed the point of his shiv on the top of the can and began cranking. You smart-ass. I was beginning to wonder if this arrangement was as good an idea as I had hoped. After the stitches, I stood, stretching.
"Katie, I have to go to work at 9. Will you two be okay until the morning?" my mother was wiping off all the blood remnants on the table and floor.
"Yeah. You need me to go pick up something from the store? Don't know how much Riddick can eat, but I'll eat a fucking horse," I sighed and she snapped at me.
"Language," she chirped and I clamped my mouth shut.
- - -
By 9, I was going through all my old clothes, finding the ones that fit and trying them on. Riddick stood by the window, peering out into the street from my bedroom. He seemed anxious; I reasoned that we were at least safe on Helion Prime, rather than on some other civilian planet where police were swarming the streets. I looked up from the drawer.
"Hey, do you need another shirt?" Riddick turned around at my voice. No answer. I took it as a "yes" and headed for my mother's room. Rummaging through some drawers, I found them. Folded as if he was coming back after all these years. I pulled a white tank top from the stack and its scent wafted up. The smell of him coming home always covered in cedar chips with a huge smile from ear to ear. I sighed. Maybe I was being too harsh on my mother...it was hard to let go...Riddick cleared his throat and I looked up.
"Here," I tossed the shirt away from me and to his chest. He eyed the white shirt with disdain and then proceeded to pull the dirty black one up over his head. I continued to dig through, trying to find a pair of pants that might fit his long legs, but all the pants were either too small or too short. I turned back to face him.
The top was a little tight but the white brought out his dark skin, helping it pulsate in the dim light. I nodded.
"Looks good. Black just looks so...morbid," I stepped toward him, touching the bottom hem of the shirt. I lazily made circles at the bottom, winding my way up his stomach, then his chest before I realized what I was doing. NO TOUCHING! flashed in my brain and I quickly pulled my hand away. But he stood still, not moving while I thought of an excuse.
"How many years were you in the Slam?" His voice hummed in my ears.
"10 years. But I started hacking when I was about 16...paid the bills," I sighed, walking past him and back into the den. He followed, his steps heavy on the carpet.
"10? And you didn't find a way outta there?" He seemed surprised. I shrugged.
"I tried, but I never got the hang of it."
"So, how'd you become a hacker but can't fool a stupid fuck with a big shotgun and no brains?" he crossed his arms across his chest, muscles bubbling up on his arms and chest.
"Hacking's not a genius' toy – I was desperate and my father used to work on old ship computers, so I stole a few to practice on. When I got better, I moved up. Got a job with the Republic and staged a massive hack. It turned the systems upside down and everyone was shitting themselves about a break in the Code," I explained, taking a seat on the couch.
"But you can't break the Code," he said firmly, sitting in the armchair across from me.
"But I didn't break the Code," I corrected, "I just shifted it toward the people. But I got caught. Shove me in a min-Slam and the problems are gone, right?"
"Not if you kill a few people in the process."
"Who said I killed anyone other than that merc?" I was sitting up straight now, my eyes fierce.
"The kid told me what you blabbed to her in the canyon. I thought you'd gotten a few more heads from your finger, but I know mercs like to talk shit." His eyes narrowed at me as he spoke and I shook my head, completely speechless. I'm sure the kid hadn't meant to incriminate me but I knew she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "So how many you kill, including Johns?"
I sighed. "Nine. That I know of. Self-defense, Riddick. I was trying to get out and they shot at me, so I retaliated. Not murdered."
He suddenly bared his teeth and lunged for me, grabbing my shirt and shoving me on the couch. Veins bulged in his forehead and he ripped off his goggles, his eyes churning with hostility. His shiv flashed out of his pocket and he held it next to my head.
"Don't fuck with me like that, Kate. Who said I didn't save my ass when I cut those fucks up?" he barked in my face.
"What about your sweet spot? You sure as hell weren't too sparse on those details," I answered but his face remained creased and angry. We were tense and silent and he eased off of me, standing and taking in a deep, irate breath. He didn't budge as I got up and straightened my spine.
"I'm going to bed," I said firmly and walked toward my bedroom, shutting the door loudly.
- - -
"Kate?" I awoke groggily to her shadow above me and rubbed my eyes open. 7:30? Sitting up, I squinted in her direction as she smiled. My mother was always perfect; smelling clean and looking pristine was her way of making me feel like a schmuck. I guess I failed as a daughter.
"Yeah?" I croaked, scratching the back of my head, but too late to stop myself from ripping some thread in my head wound. I groaned and she gently put a washcloth on the back of my head.
"I'm going to the market. Your friend is in the shower. Nearly scared the wits out of me when I got in last night...staring with those eyes..." she said and I got out of the bed, strolling over to my dresser. "Make sure you clean up before you go anywhere," she warned and I nodded, kissing her cheek and letting her out the door.
I stepped out into the den, bathed in warm sunlight and flopped down on the couch, leaning my head back. My eyes sank closed. I had been in the middle of such a good dream...A door shut loudly and I could feel the moisture in the air. A waft of rosemary filled my nose and a shower of water droplets covered my face, causing me to gasp and sit up.
"Don't do that!" I groaned, wiping my eyes and looking to Riddick, who seemed to be amused at his antic. Towel covering his crotch, he stood naked beside the couch, ready to pick up his clothes and change. I looked at him with disapproval.
"Do you like walking around bare-assed in my mother's apartment? Is that how you show respect?" I asked and he removed the towel, my eyes darting forward, not even the least bit eager to see what he was packing, if he still had it. I wasn't even remotely interested.
"I'd let your mother walk bare-assed in my apartment," he answered, sliding on shorts and the loaned tank top.
"Funny. You're a comedian now?" I scoffed, pushing myself off the couch. He shrugged, pulling his pants up and buttoning them. He grabbed his goggles and slipped them on, rotating his shoulders to stretch them out. "Where you off to?" I asked, crossing my arms and leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen.
"To get you a name." He crossed the den and opened the front door, stepping out into the sun. The door shut firmly and I sighed, going to sit at the kitchen table. After waking up with a large cup of coffee, I managed to find some of my father's old ship analogs and computers. I pulled them apart, spreading the pieces along the table and then examining each part. It took me a good chunk of the day to rebuild them, but they all began to hum with life when the last piece was connected. The last computer was halfway done, when a small piece of paper wafted on top of my greasy hands. A name, a number. I looked up.
"Took you a while," I ribbed but he cocked his head slightly.
"What's all this?" He motioned to the stuff on the table, sitting down.
"Got bored. My dad used to work on them. So I picked up the trade. But I'm a little bit more advanced than an old analog." I wiped my greasy hands down the front of the old pants and stood, going to the sink to rinse off my palms.
"That name will get you 2 mil creds tops. Is that enough?" I turned around, laughing.
"Yeah, sure." I shook the water off my hands "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" He pointed to himself.
"Yeah. Anything."
"I want you to show me how the hell these computer things work," he turned back around the clump of computer parts, picking a few up and examining them.
"You sure?" I asked and he looked up at me. Through the goggles, his eyes caught the glare of the kitchen light and they flashed slightly. How did he do it?
I took his silence as consent and sat back down, cracking my knuckles.