Jad froze at Jacks' words.
"What're ya gonna do? Run tell Ridden 'Jad is picking on me, kick her ass'? He won't do a goddamn thing to me." Jad sat muscles tense, waiting to see what Jack would do next.
"Oh, and that's because...?" Jack was still uncomfortable with Riddicks' assumed name. It always caught her off guard; it took her a second to connect Ridden and Riddick as the same man. She let the question hang in the air.
"He and I have...what you might call an ongoing relationship."
"Relationship? That's a nice way of putting it." Jacks' mind was racing. There were too many ways this could be bad news.
"What? You want me to call it what it is? OK. So we're fuck partners. Doesn't matter; any way you look at it, I figure I'm in a pretty good fucking position." Jad snapped back.
"No pun intended, right?" Jack slid her eyes to look Jad in the eye, a smirk creasing the corner of her mouth. Jad grimaced at the insult.
"You just don't want me to go. I've seen the way you look at him when you think no one else is looking. Give it up. He likes women, not girls." Jad sneered.
"Uh-huh, I'm jealous of you and the three-time murderer. That makes sense."
"I've seen what he can do. Trust me, you don't know him as well as you think you do." Jack pulled her hand from her pocket to rub her temple. She was getting a headache.
"I know all about what happened on that planet," Jad lied, "I know exactly what he's capable of. I'm still gonna be on that ship."
"What about Anna?" Jack was struggling to keep one step ahead of Jad.
"What about her?" Jad snapped.
"I'm guessing she wants to go too?" Jack felt tired all of a sudden. The shiv remained concealed in her pocket. If Jad was telling the truth, Jack couldn't chance the repercussions if Riddick did in fact like this...this skag. What a bitter pill to swallow.
"Don't worry about Anna. I'll take care of her." Jad answered, calm now.
"Yeah, OK." Jack readily gave in. Jads' response had given her an idea. She grabbed her water flask and shook it to check the contents. It was almost empty. Jad did the same. Jack spread her arm to let Jad leave the barrack first. Everyone else had gathered outside for last water call. Jad eyed Jack warily before leaving. Jack watched her for a few seconds before following.
Jack pulled her goggles down over her eyes and then stepped into the daylight. Jad was headed directly for Riddick. Jack went in the opposite direction, towards Anna.
Last water call was a strange ritual. During the day, there was no limit to how much water you could drink. However, for security purposes, the tanks were locked every night before sundown. And every evening, all the inmates would take the opportuniy to top off his or her flasks, even if they were nearly full. You didn't want to be caught off guard if the water tanks failed.
Imam waited patiently under the shade of the only awning in the camp. He watched the milling clusters of people waiting. He always wondered why they waited? They could just fill their tanks and go, yet every evening they would wait until the guard appeared to fill their tanks. He guessed it was an excuse to socialize, and set times for their rendezvous after lights out. As his eyes slid from one side of the yard to the other, he saw Riddick talking to that Jad woman; Jack couldn't stand her. He chuckled at the thought. Across the square, Jack was deep in conversation with Anna Greenspan. All four parties looked tense. Not for the first time, he was glad he didn't have any idea what was going on. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.
"You're little sidekick is a bitch, Ridden." Jad said as she approached Riddick.
"That's why I like her." Riddick readily answered. In truth, he was a little startled in the changes Jack had undergone. Although she had never been what he would have called a coward, there was now a definite edge to her personality. Maybe she was simply adapting to her present situation. Hell, he was still reeling from the days' earlier incident. Who would've thought she'd had the nerve?
"She's a little selfish, too." Jad continued on the subject of Jack.
"So what?" Riddick replied, eyeing Jad, wondering where she was going with this.
"Well, I was thinking. Why would she care if I'm on that shuttle or not? I mean, you would almost think she didn't want me to go." Jad smiled knowingly.
Riddick wanted to find Jack right that minute and break her neck. How the fuck did Jad know about their plans?
"Why do you think she wouldn't want you to go?" Riddick didn't know what to think right at that moment. He figured he would let Jad keep talking until something came to light.
"Maybe she's jealous." Jad wanted to get straight to her original point, but she decided to be patient and let it play out.
"Of what?" Riddick knew where this was going. He was oddly disappointed in Jad. He had thought she was smarter than this.
"Of you and me, of course. You gotta know she's got something of a major crush on you. She might even be in love with you, watching you all these months, so close and so far at the same time. And now she was gonna have her chance, so she's a little pissed at me." Jad sniffed. Riddick shrugged.
"So what's your point?" Riddick asked.
"Well, there's no telling what she might do. And I don't want to take that chance. I want in. But with her running around, I might not get the chance. So maybe you could talk to her and set her straight."
"What does Anna say?" Riddick asked.
"What the fuck is it with Anna? Who the fuck cares what she thinks? Are ya gonna do it or not?" Jad had become impatient.
"What is it you want me to say?" Riddick was enjoying this.
"Forget the whole fucking thing." Jad thought for a moment, creasing her eyebrows. Her eyes opened wide when an inspired idea flashed across her mind. "Or, maybe we could come to a different agreement."
"What are you proposing?" Riddick asked.
Anna was startled when Jack walked up to her and pulled her from the women she was talking to. She was surprised further when she heard what Jack had to say.
"Jad tells me you're not going. Is that true?" Jack asked.
"What?" Anna was lost.
"Listen, I know what you were trying to say earlier. I just couldn't talk then. I didn't want to make a promise I couldn't keep. Anyway, is it true?" Jacks' whole body was tingling with pins and needles. This had to work.
"No, it's not true." Anna whispered loudly.
"Keep your voice down. So..why would she say it?" Jack wanted Anna to come to the conclusion.
"I d-don't know. I mean, I'm the one that told her! You don't think.." Annas' face fell, "You think she wants to leave me here, don't you?" Jack produced a worried frown on her face.
"I don't know. But I'm beginning to wonder. Look over there. No, don't turn your head. What do you think she's talking to him about right now? What do you want to bet she's laying out a plan that doesn't include you or me? I mean I know you're friends with her, but she's been, umm, meeting him after hours for certain kinds of activities. And I don't trust her." Jack laid her head on Annas' shoulder.
"My question is, what the fuck are you gonna do about it?"
"What do you mean what am I gonna do about it?" Anna squeaked.
"Well, she's your pal, isn't she? You want in? You get to fucking take care of the problem. I've got enough to worry about." Jack abruptly moved away from Anna when she saw Imam wave to get her attention. She shook her head once to let him know she had seen him.
"I gotta go. But you figure something out. Ok, Anna?" Jack emphasized her name. Jack felt sorry for her in a way; Anna looked ready to cry. It wasn't her problem now. Jack left Anna trying to regain her composure.
Jad'Zia was running her finger along Riddicks' forearm.
"Well, we can take a chance with little Miss Emotional, and go with what we've got." Jad cocked an eyebrow to peak Riddicks' interest.
"OK. And?" Riddick was becoming impatient with this game. She wasn't playing it very well. That lazy smile was back on her face.
"I've got a better idea..."
"No, you don't." Riddick cut her off, suddenly anxious to be away from her. He walked away without saying another word. Jad'Zia was dumbfounded. What the hell had just happened? Where did she go wrong?
Riddick didn't even know where he walking to. Struggling with a tangle of now familiar emotional confusion, he slowed to a stop when he caught sight of Jack weaving her way towards him. She looked to be headed for Imam to get his flask. On occasion, she would stand in the line and fill it for him. Riddick turned and started walking in her direction. Something about the look on her face made him walk almost against his will.
Jack was strolling at a sluggish pace, seized with indecision. So many things had already happened in this one, incredibly long day. And so many things could still go wrong: Charlie was caught with the explosives; Riddicks' discovery of more had brought about the unspoken revelation of a plan she hadn't told him anything about. Anna - stupid, stupid Anna had figured out their plan; Jad'Zia the Skank had threatened to go public with the whole plan; Jack had stuck her hand in the pants of a known murderer; And to top it off, he was having a...what? a thing with said skag. That wasn't the worst of it.
She stumbled as she was overwhelmed by the thoughts of everything that could go wrong; Riddick might kill her for the perceived betrayal; Jad might decide to snitch, and they would all go to prison. They might get caught and if they weren't all killed, she and Imam would be sent to separate prisons, while Riddick would be returned to SLAM City. Given his escape status, and what had happened on that planet, he would face the death sentence anyway. Worst of all, Riddick might take off in the shuttle, leaving them all there to face the consequences; real prison. And all of it would be her fault. It made her want to throw up.
The nausea came in waves, making her dizzy and unable to gain her bearings. She felt hot, and shaky. People milled all around her, sucking up all the available air. Jack opened her flask and took a sip of water to wash away the taste of bile. She rolled it around in her mouth and swallowed, focusing her senses on the slight breeze. After a few deep breaths, she regained her composure.
Jack brought her head up and started walking. Sticking her hand in her pocket, she wrapped her hand around several flat electronic detonators. They were pretty small, considering the outer housing was gone. The only problem was she didn't know how to set them. Charlie had known that. Now she would have to trust Riddick to do it. Before she knew it, he was right in front of her; she was out of time.
Jad'Zia tried to watch Riddick, but people kept blocking her line of vision. By the time she got a clear view, the two had moved away from each other. She didn't know if they had spoken or not. Making a decision, she decided to follow Jack. She was stunned out of her senses when Anna blocked her path.
"How's it going, Jad?" Anna asked. There was a nasty tone in her voice. Jad was taken aback. Anna never got angry.
"Not so well. Why? What do you know?' Jad tried to turn the conversation around.
"I had a little talk with Jack. She says you're trying to cut me out. Is that true?" Anna ground it out.
"Of course not! She's just trying to pit us against each other. Divide and conquer, I'm sure you've heard the term." Jad replied easily. She didn't know how Jack had figured out her intentions, and it scared her. And Anna didn't look relieved.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. She just caught me off guard, I guess." Anna didn't believe Jad for a moment. But she didn't know what else to do. In fact, she felt a little stupid for confronting Jad. She should have known she would lie. Anna was at a loss for what to do next.
"So what do you think their plan is?" she asked.
"To leave us both here, of course."
"So what now?"
"We get rid of Jack. She's our only problem. Leave them no choice. Imam won't do anything. And Riddick, even if he gives a damn, there won't be anything he can do about it." Jad was staring at the ground, trying to come up with a plan of her own.
"How do you know he won't?" Anna pressed. Jad sighed loudly with impatience.
"Look. I know his kind. He might have a soft spot for her, and he may even be sorry for her loss. But he's not stupid. He won't lose this opportunity to leave. He'll just tell himself there was nothing he could do for her. And that it was unfortunate that she didn't get to leave." Jad could picture the rationalization in her mind.
"But won't he kill us?" Anna was still unsure.
"Not if he doesn't know it was us. Or should I say; you. You don't have a motive. I do. So you have to do it, while I keep him busy." Jad had to admit she shouldn't have been surprised at the look of shock on Annas' face.
"I can't do that." Anna was squeaking.
"Yes, you can. It's how you got here, or have you forgotten. Think of it this way; this girl is standing between you and your freedom. You could die here. Doesn't that piss you off?" If this didn't work, Jad didn't know what she was going to do.
"When would I have to do it?" Anna reluctantly gave in.
"Tonight." Jad watched Anna come to terms with her assignment. A sheepish grin appeared on Annas' face, puzzling Jad.
"I think I know how you're going to keep him busy."
"Oh, do you?" Jad mocked, looking at Anna with amusement.
"Is he...umm...good?" Anna actually blushed.
"You asked me that like you thought I was gonna tell you!" Jad laughed out loud then left Anna to wonder. She knew what she would have to do now. Anna and Jack would both have to be taken out.
The water tanks were locked for the night and men and women strolled about the large yard, enjoying the falling temperature as the sun fell from the sky. Jack sat in her barrack, nervously tapping her foot. Her nerves were out of control, she still felt sick, and she couldn't stop shaking. She had told the other women she didn't feel well, and they had all left her inside alone. It was cooler outside. She opened her window wide, and closed her eyes to revel in the cooling breeze. There was aknock on the door. She didn't even open her eyes. She knew from the heaviness of the footfalls that it was Imam.
"The other women say you aren't feeling well." His voice had the timber of fatherly concern.
"Just worried, that's all." Jack replied.
"What's worrying you?" Imam asked as he sat next to his only survivng child.
"Ummmm, you don't know? We're planning an escape, and you don't know?" Jack fought to keep the irritation out of her voice.
"I understand that. But for you to actually fall ill because of it doesn't make sense. You're stronger than that."
"A few problems have come up. And I don't know what to do." Jack felt like she was being held down by lead weights, she was finding it hard just to breathe.
"I'm not going." Imam looked at Jack. Her eyes felw open.
"Yes you are." Jack lay still, then closed her eyes again, as if that were the end of the discussion.
"No, my place is here, with these people." Imam was conserving words. He was finding it hard to say any of them at all. Jack opened her eyes to regard her father.
"No, your place is with me. We're going to New Mecca. Remember?" Jack couldn't believe what she was hearing. She hadn't foreseen this.
"Not anymore. Allah has sent me here for a purpose."
"Allah can kiss my ass. Ever since we left for New Mecca, we've gone from one hell straight into another..." Jack held her tongue at the look she got from her father.
"Watch your tongue!" He didn't raise his voice, but it was his firmest command, never the less. He was positively scandalized. Jack immediately felt had been no real call for the outburst, or that one, anyway.
"Fine, sorry; but if you're not going, I'm not going either." Jack was almost relieved. It was a bitter moment. All of her planning, and she wasn't leaving. But she wouldn't leave him here alone.
"That is not an option."
"I can't leave you here." Jacks' voice cracked. She put her hands over her face to hide the tears. Imam took her hands in his. She had always been such a proud one.
"You can and you will."
"What will you do without me and Riddick?" she moaned. Imam shushed her; her voice was getting loud.
"You speak as if I will die the moment you leave." Jack looked at him and threw up her hands, as if to say won't you? Imam smiled and rubbed her head.
"Allah has provided me with food, water, and shelter. The work is not hard. And there are many interesting people to talk to." Imam cocked an eyebrow at the dark look on Jacks' face.
"This isn't a mosque, and those aren't monks. This is a prison work camp. Wake up."
"Why do you argue with me?"
"You're kidding, right?" It was Jacks' turn to raise her eyebrows. Imam got up and paced in front of her.
"There is no need for you to worry. Allah will look after me."
"Oh, you mean like he looked after the rest of our family? You're all I've got left. I can't just desert you."
"You are not deserting me if I don't want to go." Imam stressed.
"Then I'll stay. Maybe it won't be so bad." Jack stretched out on the bed and watched as Imam paused to think of what to say next.
"No. Allah has provided you with a most favorable combination of circumstances. He has turned their greed to your favor. You must not waste this opportunity." Imam smiled at her in triumph. Jack grimaced. She closed her eyes and lay quietly for a bit. When she opened them again, she looked at Imam with sad eyes.
"I'll never see you again, will I?"
"Of course you will." Imam spoke with conviction.
"How?" Jack didn't have his enthusiasm.
"I shall greet you with open arms in our Fathers' Kingdom, of course!" Imam had spread his arms upwards, to emphasize his response. Jack shook her head. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Who was she kidding? She rubbed her eyes, wiping away the last of the tears.
"Jeez, dad. Why can't you talk like normal people?"
"I am a faithful servant of Allah. I am not a normal person." Imam sat next to his daughter and took her hand.
"Oh, yeah. That's right." Jack sat up, wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him fiercely. A shadow appeared at the window. Imam looked up to see Riddick standing there.
"Ah, I see Riddick lurking outside. I should see what he wants." Imam released Jack and stood up. Jack had a sudden startling thought. All of a sudden, she was glad Anna and Jad had horned in on the escape. There was no way she was getting on a ship with Riddick, alone. Imams' voice brought her back to the present
"If I do not see you again tonight, go with God, and do not waste your time worrying for me. I will pray for you every day." He was reluctant to leave. Jack sighed, holding onto his hand.
"Maybe Allah will see fit to send me back for you."
"He may, indeed." They looked at each other both knowing it was unlikely. Jack let go of her fathers' hand.
"Alright. Tell Riddick to meet me on the roof at lights out." Jack had lost all of her enthusiasm.
"I will." Imam turned to leave.
"Daddy?" Jack called. Imam stopped immediately.
"Yes, little one?" Jack smiled. He hadn't called her that in years.
"I love you." She blew him a kiss. Imam frowned, in mock frustration.
"Why do you tell me things I already know?"
Jack laughed.
"Well, it's not like you're a mind reader. Better safe than sorry. You better go, Riddick is waiting." Imam hesitated for a moment before walking slowly out of the barrack. He turned and looked at Jack briefly before stepping outside. Jack watched him walk past the windows until he was out of sight. Now she really felt like crying.
Riddick waited for Imam by the water tanks. The sun was beginning to go down. There wasn't much time before lights out. Imam stopped walking when he was right in front of Riddick. Riddick spoke first.
"How'd she take it?" Riddick asked.
"She argued with me, but she has accepted it." Imam would say no more. Riddick cocked an eyebrow. Imam was one of the wordiest people he knew.
"She's gonna miss you." Riddick wasn't one to console. This was as close as it would get. Imam shook his head, to signify his own pending loss, but could offer no verbal response. He didn't trust himself to speak. Riddick waited a moment, to let Imam pull himself together.
"Take these." He pressed the detonators into Imams' hand. Imam slipped them into the folds of his robes and listened intently as Riddick gave him his instructions.