Thankyou for the people who reveiwed, you make my day! On with the story:
Disclaimer: i don't own Pitch Black/Riddick
Jack and Riddick were led to a set of rooms, looking around her room, Jack noted that hers was spacious and comfortable, with a large bed in the middle of the room as well as a desk and a door that led to a bathroom. Set in one of the walls was a wardrobe, which Jack discovered upon opening, was full of clothes her size and preference of style. The first thing she did was grab a clean pair of cargo pants and a tank top and went to make good use of the bathroom.
Feeling clean for the first time in ages, she put on her boots and went to explore the building, which mainly seemed to be built underground, away from the hustle and bustle of Helion Prime and it's cities.
Following one hallway, she found herself in some sort of training room, where using various weapons, people were sparring. The men who fought one another seemed young and strong, they had the kind of strength that came from years of training.
One man who was slightly older, watched them fight, commenting occasionally when one would slip up or do something wrong.
Leaning against the doorframe, Jack watched for a while, she saw moves that she was itching to try on someone and she was lucky when the instructor turned around and saw her there.
"Would you like a go, my lady?" he asked politely. She grinned and kicked off her boots, loosening her limbs as she went.
Walking onto the soft mats that protected people from bad injuries when they fell, she turned to the instructor.
"Any rules?" she asked.
"Only that you are in dept to the person that bests you." He said.
"What kind of dept?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing serious, just a task perhaps." He said, Jack nodded and turned to face the man that walked into the ring.
Riddick had heard footsteps as they walked down the hall outside his room, he knew Jack's footsteps and knew that she was no doubt looking for trouble.
Waiting till she had rounded a corner, he opened the door and followed her.
When he found her, she was in a sparing match with a man who looked like it would be very easy for him to overpower her, he looked confident and Riddick almost pitied him for underestimating Jack.
The man flew at her and she nimbly ducked away, circling around, she dropped to the ground and swept his feet out from underneath him, before she could blink, the instructor had shoved another man into the ring, this time he held a long spear style weapon, only this had a double axe head, swinging it at her she ducked as it swooped either side, he led swung out to hit him on the groin and he double over, Jack catching the axe as he fell and using her leg to push the man away. Swinging the axe, she caught the axe of the man who came behind her, using the dull top of the axe, she caught him in the stomach and pushing him back.
The next man rushed her with a sword, Riddick almost began to worry, but his fears evaporated as Jack caught the sword as it flew down towards her, and used the axe to clip the man below the jaw and send him flying.
The trainer pushed two men into the ring this time and Jack ducked away from their advances, sweeping one mans legs out from underneath him and using her axe to club the other, the first man sprung to his feet, only to be knocked away by the blunt side of the axe being swung into the side of his head.
Three men this time went for Jack, Riddick could see that it was difficult for her to keep this up, but she deftly rolled away and behind one of them, she kicked him in the back and sent him sprawling into the other two, trapped beneath the fallen man, they were unable to get up.
Without even looking, Jack reversed the axe into the man approaching behind her, then jumped into the air as another lunged for her.
Not even listening to the trainer, they all jumped in to attack her, Riddick watched as she swung the axe around, knocking them away before more of them swarmed. Grabbing the back of one, she used his shoulders to jump into the air and came back down swinging the axe to hit them.
Riddick could see that they were about to overwhelm her, so he stepped in, grabbing two of them by the necks, he tossed them from the floor, repeating this with another.
Grabbing his recently reacquired shivs, he used the handle of them to club two of them in the head, rendering them unconscious. Reaching into the pile of bodies, his hand closed over Jack's arm and he pulled her from the throng of people.
"Thanks." She gasped, using the axe to knock down the person who approached them. Seeing that they would fight both Jack and Riddick, the men backed down and resumed defensive stances.
Jack relaxed and threw the axe onto the ground, using a hand to sweep back her hair from her face.
"That was fun." She said to the trainer.
"We are hear every morning." He told her. "I am Savarin." He introduced, placing his palms together and bowing New Meccan style.
"Jack." She said, also bowing to him.
"You are indeed strong." He said to her. "Though you do not look it."
"You wouldn't be the first person to underestimate me." she said, breaking away to retrieve her boots and pull them on. Standing up again she nodded at the group of men, more than one who were nursing bruises and walked from the room.
Riddick followed, offering neither introductions nor acknowledgements.
"Why would they have a training room?" he asked Jack.
"I don't know, but if those are the trainees, I'd hate to see the real deal." She said. "I want to know what they're training them for."
"They think there's going to be a war." He said.
"Entire systems are vanishing, and they think that a few men can stop them?" She asked.
"No, they think one man can stop them." Came a voice from behind them, Riddick and Jack turned around to see the first man that Jack had fought off in the training room.
"Forgive me for underestimating you earlier." He said. "I didn't think that the rumours were true."
"What rumours?" growled Riddick.
"The rumours that there are two Furyians here who can stop the necromongers." He said, with all seriousness.
"We can't help you." Said Jack.
"Why did the Lord Marshal wage his won private war on Furya?" Asked the man. "Why are his converts taught to hate and fear the Furyians?"
"Who are you?" asked Jack.
"My name is Kalen, I was a convert, my mind was cleared and I was freed." He said.
"You were a convert?" asked Riddick. Kalen pulled down his high collar to reveal the scars on his neck.
"They cloud your mind, the life you once had is like a dream you cannot remember, there, but just out of your reach." He said.
"How did you break free of this?" Asked Jack.
"Away from the envoy, the mind wavers, the conscious clears and the memories return." He said. "It takes some time for the effect of their brainwashing to wear off, but once it does, everything is clearer."
"Why do they want our help?" asked Jack.
"An army, even led by just one Furyian, would give us enough hope, and distil enough fear." Kalen said, Jack looked up at Riddick.
"Three days, then we give them our answer." He said quietly to her, she nodded.
"For now, let us not discuss this matter, you are no doubt hungry." Said Kalen courteously. Jack nodded eagerly.
"I will show you the kitchens then." He said, indicating that they should follow.
"I'll catch up to you later kid." Riddick said to Jack, before disappearing.
Jack shrugged and walked over to Kalen who offered her his arm, she took it and they walked down the halls together.
"Is he always that silent?" Kalen asked Jack.
"Mostly, he has this habit of sneaking up on you and frightening you to death." She said.
"A true Furyian." Kalen reflected. "The both of you."
"I can't be Furyian." Said Jack. "I'm not that quiet." She said.
"I have heard about your earlier years." Said Kalen. "Was it true you dressed like a boy?"
"It was to keep me safe, plenty of people want to mess with a young girl on her own." She said to him.
"The Furyian way of deceiving those around you to remain unnoticed." Kalen told her.
"Riddick noticed that I was a girl." She pointed out.
"But he too was Furyian." Kalen said as he opened a door for her that led to a hall, inside there were benches and chairs arranged so they all faced a long table at the end of the hall. People were sitting throughout the hall, while others lines up to receive food. Standing at the end of the line, Jack felt uncomfortable with people turning to look at her, she found herself pushed to the front of the line by several insistent people. She grabbed her food and quickly sat down at a table that was seated further to the shadows.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to put your back to the shadows?" Growled a voice in her ear.
"Jesus Riddick." Gasped Jack. "Don't do that!"
"Mr. Riddick." Kalen acknowledged, bowing his head.
"You're really going to kill me." Jack said to him. he sat down in front of her and grabbed a piece of apple from her plate.
"It'll teach you to be aware." Riddick said, taking a bite of his stolen food.
"If I'm alive." Said Jack. "Where did you disappear to?" she asked.
"Making sure no one was following us." He said.
"Uh huh, is anyone?" she asked.
"Yes, one of the men from the hall, little thin guy." Said Riddick.
"You prevent him from following us?" Jack asked, as if inquiring innocently about the weather.
"He'll take an interesting message back to his master." Riddick said. Jack thought for a moment while she ate her food.
"Might I inquire into the nature of this message?" asked Kalen.
"It's a warning." Explained Jack. Kalen looked confused. "I won't go on while your eating." Jack said and he nodded.
When they were done eating, Kalen offered to show then around the building. Riddick disappeared, while Jack took Kalen up on his offer.
He showed her everywhere from the kitchens to the gardens, they entire layout of the place had been perfectly constructed. They had everything from practise courts to landing hangers, a great part of the building being underground gave it an illusion of being much smaller from the outside.
"How many people live here?" Jack asked.
"There are the hundreds that live here, and then there are the thousands that are based throughout the planet, waiting and training." He told her.
"Waiting for what?" she asked.
"The invasion." He said, pointing up, Jack looked into the sky and saw a vast comet, becoming more visible as they sun set.
"They come, and so we prepare." He told her.
"Are you sure they are coming here?" she asked.
"No, they are headed to Helion Four, it is there that we have intentions of engaging in battle." Kalen said to her.
"When?" she asked.
"In two weeks."
This shocked her. "Two weeks, that's all?" she asked.
"There would have been more time should the bounty hunter have been able to capture you sooner." Kalen said.
"That's still not a lot of time." She said quietly, night had fallen by now and she was still tired following the after effects of cryo sleep.
"Let me escort you to your rooms." Kalen offered, she nodded and walked with him, glad that he knew the way. Once outside the door, he was about to walk away when she called him back.
"Will you be fighting?" she asked.
"If it's what I have to do." He said.
"But you could die." She said.
"It is a risk I'm willing to take for freedom." He said. "Goodnight."
Jack let herself into the room and sat on the end of the bed, thinking. Hearing a slight knock on the door, she looked up as Riddick walked in.
"What do you want to do?" he asked her.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Fight, or leave?"
"Some things are worth dying for, is this one of them Riddick?" she asked.
"I don't intend to die, or to let you die." He said.
'You say that now, but you can't always help me in a fight." She said.
"That's why you won't be fighting." He said. Her head shot up.
"What?!"
"Jack, I won't risk you dying." He said.
"But you can't guarantee that you won't die." She protested.
"Who said I was going to die?" he asked. "I can take on a planet full of monsters, I can take on a few necromongers." Jack smiled lightly.
"Well, we better tell them our answer." She said.
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