A/N:
Oh, Haha, alright. I get it, ck16. I'm glad you liked the descriptions.
Same to cassikat. The cavern bit is shorter than I had initially
wanted but describes what I envision in my mind so I suppose it works
out.
My Reflection, there are actually
three possibilities, all based on the words "copper" and "orange"
but only one of the suspects has the color in both aura and physical
senses (and one has already died). As for his fate… well, someone
will get even (I'll try to surprise you). And the rest of them will
let it happen.
Now, I know I've been asked if
Jack was a girl or a boy. I thought and thought about that and came
up with another 'what if' question. What if Jack's secret
wasn't that he was a girl, and if not, what would make him not tell
that he's injured? The last chapter was the result. I kept the
abuse vague, so you can make your own conclusions about exactly what
was done. Now, can you figure out who did it? And why won't Jack
tell?
Thank you to all my readers and
reviewers.
It's 2517. Something in the past has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck has it that one ship is. It's a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have. Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two.
So what happens when a passenger by the name of Dr. Simon Tam and his cargo get on the wrong ship? And just how is this related to the TimeWar?
Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick X-over.
Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the cast of Pitch Black…
Doctor Who and the Great Eclipse
Part Thirty
Break
Jack felt good, physically. He didn't ache like he had before Dr. Tam's interference. He couldn't see shit, because his eyes were unable to stop weeping tears but at least the majority of the pain in his body was gone. That was a good trade, right? Not too sure about the needing to cling to someone bit, but at least his body was doing fine. And thankfully Dr. Tam was behind him and not someone else.
He'd not said a thing for over sixty ticks. But then, neither had Ali, who was walking next to him, leading him, acting as his eyes. The green-eyed boy knew he'd upset people by his refusal to say who was the other person involved. At the time Jack considered the entire episode his fault. Still did really. He'd walked into the situation, made it worse with his big mouth and snotty words and it had been well within the other man's rights to set him on the straight and narrow. Or so Jack believed. He was lucky actually that it hadn't been more violent. Back home it would have been. He kept expecting it to escalate. That it hadn't had been kinda nice. At least the pain hadn't gotten worse.
Eyesight blurry even after the tears stopped, Jack trusted Ali to guide him and paid little attention to where they were going or how far they'd gone. And his mind was sluggish, taking its own sweet time to move from one thought to another. As long as he didn't look away from Imam's fuzzy back or think about things too much he was okay to walk, at least. Not that his mind could leave it alone. He wasn't sure how he felt about what he'd been through, but he knew the other adults were angry about it for him. They wanted to know who had done it. Well, they could just ask each other if they were so blind as to not have seen …
Now, it just seemed pointless to call someone on something he earned, deserved, and maybe even wanted. Oh sure, he'd run away from home because of similar, but damn… That annoying tickle was back. After a while there was little Jack wouldn't do to make the feeling go away. He'd rather feel the pain. It would be even better to not feel anything in that region of his body until he was older, but he'd never been given the chance to be normal in that regard. That's why he'd run away.
He wished he could tell someone, but the adults wouldn't understand. They would either take advantage of him or look at him in horror and anger. And telling Ali or his brother was out of the question. They would look at him like he was scum. No way he'd survive that experience. Losing his own dignity was one thing, losing his friends was another. He wouldn't even dream of dragging Ali into this. And Dr. Tam's fears had nearly done it for him. If he had touched Ali, Jack would rip the man's offending parts off. And the driving force wouldn't just be anger.
Maybe the things he'd read in Ali's holy book were the way to salvation, maybe it could get better. Jack sure hoped so. Shazza and Zeke had offered him a new life, a way to become something more, but they were both dead now. If he followed his current path, the one with Ali, he'd have to try to become normal. Live a normal life, act like other boys, never mention what he'd lived with and craved. Or he could try to strike out on his own, following Riddick's path. Go for the eyeshine; use what he was to get what he wanted. But then, that would hurt Ali so -- maybe not.
He liked Ali and Suleiman. He'd liked Hassan. They were good people, not as prissy as the Imam was, but still. He liked Fry, and the Doctor, and the Tam siblings, too. Hell, he worshipped the ground Riddick walked on. He knew there were issues between the adults, but for the most part they had tried to protect him. Even him. Funny that, if nothing had happened before they skipped out of the hanger then this walk might have been much safer.
Jack could smell moisture in the air faintly, like they had reached the upper caverns. It was much colder here then it had been when they were deeper down. Jack shivered and had to force himself to not huddle next to the other boy's side. He felt Ali shiver too, "Cold now."
The rain was freezing on contact, forming odd pillars of ice where the spires had been. He wondered what the natives did now, if the forming ice would drive them back underground. Jack sure hoped not. He had enough to deal with at the moment. They'd been walking for such a long time; he was so sleepy and cold.
Then they hit a dead end.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The TARDIS was really very close. In universal terms it hadn't been that far away in any case. If it weren't for the freezing rain, they'd just continue this trek above ground. Oh, but he could practically see the blue box through the sheet of ice. The problem was, there were bioraptors taking shelter inside the sinkhole from the onslaught nature was throwing at them. And there was a fifty-foot drop in front of them on the other side of that ice. He might make that jump. But could he make the dash beyond with no light?
The Time Lord reached out to his ship and tried again to call her to him. The rejection made him growl softly. Fate's line wasn't fully played out yet. They would have to backtrack and circle the sinkhole looking for a safer way to reach the TARDIS.
They rested, having reached the basic location faster than they had hoped to, while the Doctor considered what to do. The estimate had included longer rest periods then they had felt safe enough to take. Now however Imam used the spears to direct the freezing rain into the location where he wanted it to make a wall of sorts that would by them some time if the natives caught up to them.
The Doctor felt the animal energy of Richard hovering behind him, and closed his eyes. Leela never got to him like this. Not that he'd been unaware of the potential in her, no. He'd known and seen that she could be powerful and wise given time. He'd watched her step in and take her husband's place to protect the Lady President even though her sight had failed. Leela had never faltered. And he'd loved her, but not the way she loved Andred.
But he was gathering that there was something about the ex-ranger, something he could feel right on the edge of his awareness, that was so like Leela yet different. The bronze skinned man sparked something in him that he'd only felt with one other. That had been a very long time ago, back in his second incarnation. Jamie. James McCrimmon. The emotion solidified into pained heat that was nearly solid nestled against his right heart. Morbidly, he poked at the sensation like a child finding a starfish for the first time. Of all the memories – he had to have this one drifting through his brain right now. But there was no denying it. Beyond the emotional grief of the loss that he would never get over was the renewed filaments of his soul trying to find someone to mend that awful wound.
Richard, Amadak, was destined to travel with him, just as Jamie had been. Why was the universe trying to offer him these precious things? He'd just crush them, like everything else. But there it was, that spark of – well, the only word he had for it meant about a book's worth of words and had no real translation. Damn. By rights this rare fragile thing should shatter as soon as his touch became more certain. He drew back the tendrils of his mind away from the shimmering silver bundle of energy that hovered between he and the ex-ranger. Odd that. The beginnings of a connection that was forming almost as if to spite him.
It was not helping him get to the TARDIS, this distraction.
"He is your earth," says the little water who rarely leaves him. River. He's become so used to her wild flow, like rapids, that he barely notices that they are not is own. He ponders those words without replying. It doesn't bother the dark haired girl. She knows he understands. It vexes him to no end. He doesn't think he needs the grounding. But it's too late to deny the spark. The lead of energy arcing between them, the ex-ranger and Time Lord. And River knows something else too, she could become part of him, the storm, let him absorb her and heal her and she'd be reborn, forever connected and feeding it. She could be his water. By the Black, how she wants that. To be whole, healed, and still have this wondrous connection.
But could she force Simon into it? Would her air understand? Could he give himself to becoming something more than a boy, more than human? She glanced over to her brother who was with the children, between them with the sheet and space blanket over them in an effort to keep the boys warm so that they can rest. The divide between her and Simon is larger now, strained. She doesn't want it to be, but he's not ready yet to see the new possibilities. Her arm curls over the Doctor's knee where they are sitting. She lets the ache of loneliness that is not her own wash over her. Then her eyes find Richard's. Those silver orbs dance with a multitude of emotions, many of them dark. But there is one that she can read like it's printed in glowing billboard letters. He's jealous of her easy physical contact with someone he wants badly. And for the first time she can see the shimmering connections of amber-green uniting them in shared destiny. She glances away, curling tighter against the cool body next to hers, blushing because such a thing is intimate beyond anything else and so very fragile that the slightest wrong move could shatter it.
Riddick wonders what the hell that look was about. Sometimes River sees things. He knows this; he's caught her saying stuff in riddles that proves truthful later. Now she's picked up something about him. He narrows his eyes and watches the faint rosy rise of heat on her skin as she tries to hide from him. Now he's really curious. What could she have seen that would embarrass her? He looks from the pink tinged back of her head to the deep blue of the cool fingers that come up to rest on it. There's a rise of ire that shouldn't be there. And feeling it, knowing why, makes it rise higher. He's going to end up back in Slam and he doesn't need this emotional crap. Why now? And why him? He suddenly realizes that his eyes are locked with the deep, ancient ones of the Doctor. The questions he has are reflected back at him. Twitches move across his shoulders.
"Spendin' an awful lota time staring at the bloke," Johns says sounding calculating. "What's up Trash-Baby?"
"Thinking about what a killer like him would do if he caught a child molester, Billy," it wasn't the truth, actually a spur-of-the-moment lie, but Johns don't know that. It seems to hit a mark, but not just on the merc. He focuses a bit of his attention on the art dealer.
"What, Mister-no-weapons-thank-you? A killer? Are you trying to jerk me off?"
"No."Actually I'm deadly serious. "Is it working for you?" The marshal gives him an incredulous look. "Look at him, Johns. Really try to see what is in front of you. He's attacked the natives with as much stone-cold efficiency as you have." The Doctor looks away, seemingly involved in a conversation, with perhaps River or Simon, on a level beyond speech. "Maybe 'killer' ain't the right word." Riddick finally looks at the redhead. "He's a – destroyer. And if he finds out who hurt Jack he'll destroy them totally."
William looked at the con, blue eyes locked on silver, "You think I'm that stupid?"
"I pray you haven't been, Billy. He might show mercy if the guilty party confesses before he catches them. But he don't give second chances."
The merc closes his eyes. "I don't remember doing anything. But – the morphine – I don't know." The man is trembling, terrified. It's not Riddick that Johns is scared of. It's his own self, what he might have done, and being caught out having done it but not remembering. He's been thinking 'bout the doc's offer to clean him out and try to actually fix the damage to his back. He's been a bastard, true. He's a greedy man. But he could let Richard go, for the chance to be clean again. It's something he wants more than money. But if he were the one to have hurt the kid, all bets would be off.
But Riddick is listening to Johns' body language. Actually, the man is ruthless, he's shot kids to flush out a target, but he's never raped or abused them. The sadistic part of the con wants to watch the merc twist in the wind for a bit, but what's changing in the man is so new and so delicate that it might shatter. "It wasn't you."
Johns hears the words but can't quite believe them, "What?"
"It was not you, Johns. Have you started going deaf?" The redhead's look is comical, but Rich doesn't laugh, "All the signs are there, pointing straight to the person responsible. Have been from the start. They don't point to you."
"Then – who?"
Riddick's eyes dart over to the person next in line to die. He lifts his chin, "Him."
The merc's eyes follow the gaze and he narrows them as he considers, "Proof?"
"Think about how Jack's been acting and what has changed."
Johns thinks about it. Back at the settlement, before they got trapped into the Hanger, Jack had been a thorn in his side, a smart-ass pest that he wanted to turn over his knee. But once the sandstorm started the kid had become quiet. He'd gone from challenging everyone over everything to accepting what he was told. And there had been little – touches – at mealtimes, before settling in to sleep, while playing with Ali. Johns hadn't thought about it while he watched over the events transpiring around him at the time. "Think the Doctor will want to use my shotgun?"
That coaxes a thin, evil, smile from the con that chills Johns to the core. "Rather think he's a gadget man, myself. Wonder how many things one can burst with that sonic device of his."
The merc shivers. Personally, he'd rather not think about that. "I'm gonna take Dr. Tam up on his offer, Richard. Get off the morphine, get the metal out of my spine, let you go. I should have listened to Hoxie and walked away."
"Right," Riddick said stressing the 'ii' in the middle and sounding disbelieving. But Johns is telling the truth. Working alongside Fry to protect the others, knowing that they were fighting for their lives and that it was his fault, changed him. Besides he was getting his life back. He let go of Riddick, said he died and he'd still have a perfect record. He could go back to doing what he loved to do knowing that they'd stay put once he got them there. Slowly it dawns on Rich that the man is being honest and open for a change, "Wait – you mean it?"
"Yeah." He glanced over at Dr. Tam, "The Doc gave me a hit of something, some anti-not-morphine new drug when we stopped, asked me if I wanted my stuff or his. I can't go on. Fry was right; I've been livin' for the hype, not because I'm alive. So I took his. My mind is a lot clearer, first time it's been in a long while. And I realized, you warned me about Hoxie before we even got there. Not because you wanted a chance to run, but because you knew I was being stupid." He scruffs his shoe into the dirt. "You saved my fuckin' worthless life when we ran into Revas. You're still savin' it. And I was so blind from the dope that I truly thought – no, I wanted to hurt you. Nothing else. Didn't matter if you were in Slam or not, just as long as I could cause you pain." Riddick didn't say anything. William took a deep breath, "Go with the Doctor, where-ever he disappears off to, and I won't bother you no more, Richard." Actually Johns is pretty sure that with this situation being his fault that the devil is about to collect his due. As much as he wants to live, if he can save someone else that deserves it, like Simon Tam, he will no matter what the cost.
Richard looked away, only to catch Fry's smile. Truth was, the experience had changed him too. He could feel the odd tug that kept him gravitating towards the Doctor like he was on some invisible lead. He knew that these people, for the first time in a long time, made him care. Fry treated him like he was something precious, rare. Simon acted like he was normal. Imam saw he was a person, not an animal to be locked away. Jack needed him. And the Doctor… well that was up in the air still. Drawn like a moth to a flame, two worlds caught in mutual orbit. He didn't know why, or how, but these people changed him. And he was still changing. "Gotta live through this first, then we'll see."