Disclaimer: See Chaps. 1-11
(A/N: Finals over. Writer's block over. Could I ask for anything better?)
"Katherine E. Murphy. Omega 4720B. Turn to your right, sweetheart."
…Turned to my right and the light flashed hard. Palms sweating and knees shaking, the chill of the holding cell still clinging to my perspiring body. Dread hung low in the air, so low I could smell it everywhere. A cop, can't remember which one, grabbed my arm and pulled me out of that small room and back into the tunnel. Women and men stood with me, not saying anything but looking sick. I still had those bright freckles and a mess of frizzy hair…just a kid, they used to say. Just a kid. I laughed. Kid who still had some fire left. That was before I knew what malnourishment could do to rosy cheeks and a balls-to-the-wall attitude. Thought I was hot shit when they threw me in that pit with that other girl who looked more scared than I had been.
"What's your name?"
"Jherice. You?"
"Kate. What'd you do?"
"Hit my boyfriend. 'Cause he was a dick. You?"
"Jacked a few comps. Why the fuck are you here? If you killed the bastard, I'd understand."
"Bloke can hit me but I can't hit him back. Shame, ain't it?"
"You're tellin' me."
Jherice had been a little schoolgirl, pigtails and all. Thought she was cute, too. Got me hooked on morphine but I kicked the habit when I broke out and headed for Zion. And when Johns had started dry-hacking in the middle of that fucking planet, it wasn't from a bad piece of meat. Never thought I'd see any more of Tangiers until I was tied up in the Hunter-Gratzner, heading for the horizon. Not until now.
"I'll get you a ship, Riddick."
He tilted his head and placed his hands behind his back. "Ain't gonna stop you. I'll blend in right here."
Ha. Stuck out like a sore thumb, with that skin on black and goggles glued firmly to his eyes. At least Jack and Imam looked like the rest of New Mecca: confused and dirty. The ship yards were a mess this morning, people yelling and tearing for a legit ship to get their family off on. Each one was probably booked, but a look wasn't going to hurt anyone. I propped myself up on my makeshift crutch and walked over to the nearest window. The man standing behind it grimaced as I approached.
"Help ya?"
"Yeah, I need four tickets to the Ianua Sys, planet 8." He fiddled around for a moment on the computer and shrugged.
"All filled, baby."
"You sure about that?"
The man laughed, and then crossed his arms across his chest. "Doll, if it was up to me, I'd keep ya all on this damn planet. Ain't nothin' but a Necro scare."
I shook my head, disbelieving. "You're just bullshitting yourself. Necros don't scare anymore. Ask a Furyan." I paused, then shrugged, "Oh, right, guess you can't. They're all rotting on the bottom of God's ass. Thanks for nothing." I walked away, shaking my head. Civilians.
"Well?" Jack's big, eager eyes made my heart sink. I looked at them all and Riddick frowned.
"She didn't get anything." Riddick had a way of bringing down the demeanor when it wasn't possible to go any lower. I scowled at him.
"I'll think of something, Jack. Just sit tight." Eye roll behind goggles. I turned angrily to Riddick. "How much do you weigh, Riddick?"
No response would be necessary. They all knew what that insult meant…it was a little below the belt, but he deserved it for that grand pessimism.
"Omega?"
The voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand on in. Deep, husky, British clip. I turned around to see her large teeth flashing my direction. She stepped closer and I fully turned my body on the crutch. She still wore those stupid pigtails, the braids flawless and tied off with tiny ribbons. Her hair had grayed and thinned, but the pigtails still held up. But she was still a hype – her pupils were the size of sand granules. She called me Omega, because of our differing classes. She was a Gamma, mildly violent prisoner - female, while I was an Omega, electronically violent – female. If there was such a thing as being "electronically violent".
She looked me over and then glanced at the three behind me. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Got in a scuffle," I stuttered, too surprised to steady my voice, "w-when'd you get out?"
"Ah, good behavior. After you left, food started to taste shitty and the bloke with the big dick found another lady. So they let me out," she replied, hands on her hips.
"Better than me." Her eyes lingered on Riddick, who was looking at her sternly. "Hey," her eyes snapped back at my voice, "you know how to get off this rock?"
"Where you goin', O?"
"Ianua 8. They said it filled up but I know a slick Brit like yourself can help a girl out."
She grinned genuinely. "Only for a girl like you, Miss Kate. Ianua 8 is nice – beaches and all that rubbish. Follow me." We obeyed, trailing behind her tall frame through the throng of refugees. She headed for a side port and I saw a small ship docked up. She hit a button on the side and the door popped open. "Here ya go. Sleeping with the captain so he won't ask any questions. Make yourself comfortable."
I swore her eyes lingered on Riddick. But the door closed before I could make sure.
- - -
"What'd you do after you climbed over the Wall?" I swallowed the lump of food in my mouth and all eyes looked up at me. Why'd she have to ask?
"Well, I stuffed myself on a ship and took it to Zion. Almost had a place to stay before my Merc kicked the shit outta me and cuffed me. Loaded me on a passenger ship headed back to Tangiers and we crashed on T2."
"Ouch," Jherice turned to the rest of them, "You all on that ship?"
They nodded and she smiled, extending her hand to them all. "Jherice Law. Cell 54A, Tangiers, Gamma 9374C." I rolled my eyes. Jack shook her hand lightly, whispering, "Jack" and Imam copied her motion, adding "el-Imam". Riddick didn't make a move and she turned to him, wetting her lips.
A beast growled in my chest. I smothered it.
"And you are?" Her eyes twinkled. Riddick set down his fork.
"Richard B. Riddick. Cells 76V, 49U, 09X, 66W, 18Y. Hubble Bay, Ribald, Tangiers, Ursa Luna, and Butcher Bay. Alpha 6666D." His tone was firm but Jherice just smiled.
"Bad boy. Murder, is it?"
Riddick said nothing, just turned back to his food. Her eyes swept down his form and I snorted, looking at my own pile of food. He wouldn't be that stupid, Jherry. Don't throw yourself at him. I picked up my plate.
"I'm going to sit in the hatch. Let my food digest."
Jack shot up from her seat. "Can I come?" I smiled.
"C'mon. We'll make a party out of it." She quickly followed me, holding my arm so I could hobble through the kitchen and dispose of the dirty plates. We climbed up to the passenger hatch and took some seats in front of the ship's window, watching Helion Prime disappear into the black sky. Jack drew her knees up to her chest and then looked at me.
"How do you know her?"
I sighed. "She was my cellmate at Tangiers."
"She looks a lot older than you."
"She is."
"What'd she do to get into the Slam?"
I looked at Jack. "Why are you asking so many questions about her?"
The girl shrugged, "I just thought it was a little weird she just popped up out of nowhere." I had to agree. It was a little strange. We sat there for a few moments, just staring into the ink black of space. I had never really noticed it until I escaped Slam – freedom. The will to go and do whatever you pleased not be thrashed for it. Life was much better outside the concrete walls.
"Do you miss your mom, Kate?" Jack's face was glowing from the stars outside the window.
"Yeah," I answered, "a lot."
"I wish…" Jack began but she ducked her head under her arm to hide the tears. I put a mangled hand on her shoulder. If this kid had no one, I'd at least try to be something to someone. Anyhow, I was going to protect her, like I had on the planet. That promise was until we parted ways.
"I wish I hadn't yelled at her." Tears were flooding down her face and she quickly wiped them away with a dirty finger, leaving smudges on under her eyes. "She was trying to help but I was so stupid…"
"Your mother?"
"No, my sister," Jack gasped through her sobbing, "my parents died when I was little. My sister and I went to live by ourselves but she kept doing all these things and I yelled…" Poor thing.
She cried hard and loud into my shirt and I winced as the sobs turned painful. Her body was convulsing and I tried to hold her still. I couldn't let go. It would be fatal. Her cries turning into weeping, and then to hiccups, and finally to sleep. I scooted her out of the hatch and managed to hoist her up into my arms. I shuffled into the small eating compartment and found Imam, eyes closed, whispering prayers. I asked him to take her and he slipped her from my arms, carting her body toward the nearest bed. It was quiet and I glanced around. No Riddick. No Jherice.
My life was complete. I slumped into the bed next to the slumbering Jack and closed my eyes, falling asleep to her hooked breaths.
- - -
"Just a few more weeks." Imam and Jack were peering over my shoulder, looking at the small computer screen that had popped up. Computer ships were easy; simple to hack and even more effortless to read.
"You remember how to shut it down?" I turned to Jack and she wiggled in beside me, fingers ready to perform her first hack. She nervously tapped the wires and pressed buttons and Imam's eyes widened. I smiled as the computer went black and the lights turned off.
"Beautiful," I laughed, "maybe I should let you do this from now on." The girl's smile glowed in the starlight as I crawled out of the hatch, Imam holding my arm. Breakfast wafted through and into our noses.
When we appeared in the eating area, Jherice was already sitting, fork to her mouth and a load of corn pudding spilling out of her cheeks. Her pigtails were askew and her eyes were sagging, dark circles underneath. Rough night? I couldn't hold back the smirk. The beast growled again, though this time it was longer.
"Where's Riddick?" Jack looked around and I shrugged, sitting down and removing my fork from it's plastic wrap. Jherice's eyes were glued to me as I ate and I looked up.
"You sleep well?"
She sneered lightly. But a smile painted on her face and she replied, "Not exactly." I went back to my pudding. The rest of the meal was silent, forks making tiny noises on the plastic plates and scraping echoing in the small room. Jherice quickly threw her things away and climbed the stairs to the captain's quarters, shutting the door loudly. I smiled. After breakfast, Imam laid down for a quick nap and Jack and I redressed my wounds. My fingers were gaining mobility and my need for walking was eating at me. These ribs needed to heal themselves so I wouldn't be so useless. After my fingers and torso were bound, I retreated back to my sleeping quarters.
"Where'd you sneak off to last night?" My voice echoed in the shadows but I knew he was there. Getting better at this whole "sensing" thing. His body emerged and his eyes caught the tiny light that glowed in the corner. He stepped forward but I stepped away.
"You slept with her," I replied, "I can smell her on you. I'm not stupid, Riddick."
"Didn't say you were." He tried another step but I moved away. I wasn't mad just disgusted. But this was Riddick…and I thought he had a conscience.
"You think I'm a fool, right?" I looked up, "You think you can walk all over us? I got you this ride and you thank me by sleeping with the one person who knows more shit about me than my own mother." I paused. "Then again, I think I might thank you because now at least she won't toss us out into God-knows-where. That's the thing about us women, right? Say the right thing, touch the right place? Isn't that what you said?" I removed my shirt and reached for a new one in the sealed bag above the bed. His fingers gently touched my arm and slid down, tracing the flexed muscles in my bicep and over my shoulder.
"Are you done yet?" I grabbed the shirt and yanked it on. I didn't want him to touch me, smell me, look at me, anything. I began to walk out and then turned around. "When we land, I don't want you near Jack. Just leave us alone." His knuckles cracked and his teeth gritted. Fuckin' glad he's angry...isn't my fault.
Richard B. Riddick needed a dose of his own medicine.
I closed the bedroom door and walked back out to where Jack and Imam were sitting, each positioned on opposite ends of the room. Jack was enthralled by the computer catalog, fingers running over the pictures. Imam was praying again. I plopped next to Jack and leaned my head back.
"Kate." I looked up. Jherice was standing there, leaning against the stairs. She motioned for me to join her in the adjoining room and I stood, walking into the room. She shut the door and glared at me. Here we go again.
"What the fuck is your problem?" She was baring her teeth. Like a dog.
"What problem?" I crossed my arms.
"Looking at me like you bloody well know me."
"Don't play those games," I clicked my tongue at her, "you did it at Tangiers and I know the cycle."
"Oh, fuck off, Kate. You just don't have the balls to say it."
"Say what?"
"That you want that Riddick guy. I saw you making daggers at me yesterday. But I fucked him anyways."
I growled. "What haven't you fucked, Jherice?" She grinned. She had accomplished her goal – I was agitated. But the grin turned into a frown as something ran through her mind. She looked me over and walked right in front of me.
"Just so you know," she said lowly, "he said your name."
"What?"
She swallowed. "When he came last night, he screamed your name. I punch his fucking face for it too. But he gave me some of these." She pulled down her coat to reveal a large pool of bruises at the base of her throat. In the shape of a large hand.
She pushed past me. "Next time, he won't live to say anything." And she was gone.
I laughed.
Richard B. Riddick. Cells 76V, 49U, 09X, 66W, 18Y. Hubble Bay, Ribald, Tangiers, Ursa Luna, and Butcher Bay. Alpha 6666D.