Age of Nox

Chapter 8

A deep growl rumbled in his throat as he shivved the last man, letting him fall lifelessly to the ground. Riddick rolled his shoulders, letting them crack. He cleaned his shivs and sheathed them, the satisfying stench of blood keeping his beast prowling and awake.

They had been a team of amateur mercs who had been tracking him for a few days from port to port. Now they were future residents of some morgue. Riddick knew that in order to keep his identity 'dead', he'd have to kill in a different way. He couldn't hit the sweet spot, so he decided on slicing the throat two different ways. His shivs would slide in opposite directions, leaving two deep gashes. It was a new style he hadn't used before and he thought it would cover his tracks for a while.

Leaving them, he swung himself onto a fire escape attached to one of the buildings that served as a wall of the alley. Riddick climbed the rails and jumped up onto the roof of the building and rested for a moment to think.

He'd been careless to not kill the mercs the moment he knew they were tracking him. Why hadn't he done it on that port a few days back?

The distraction was of course that fuzzy skulled cross-dressing punk of a kid that had run away and caused the holy man to flip a shit. Riddick knew he had done the right thing by not turning into a knight in shining armor to save Jack from the evils of the universe, but he didn't like the thought of her roaming the streets. She could stowaway on another ship that could crash on another planet. He doubted they would be on the ship same that time around.

Why should he care?

Riddick began to move, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, ignoring the blaze of the nightlife going on below him.

He knew that she would escape from the slave trade. Imam had called him back to tell him that she indeed had, but Riddick had known all along. What he didn't like was the report that Imam had given him that someone had saved her. Who would do that?

This meant she was in league with someone. He growled again at the thought of her signing up with some merc who'd probably just sell her off into the slave trade once they had gained her trust.

For right now, he was in his own freedom, his own territory. If his path crossed with hers, he'd deal with it then. But he still wasn't going to go search for her.

"Fucking hell…" Toombs groaned as he woke up, glad that the lights were off. Lights? Where was he? He cracked open his eyes to find that he was in his own ship. Last time he had checked, he was taped to a chair being tortured for information he didn't give. But then someone appeared, he thought it was Jack. She'd left the place a bloodbath, something he wouldn't forget.

He slowly began to remember how she had taken him out of the chair, tearing her long-sleeved shirt up to wrap the worst of the injuries. Trying not to hurt him, she dragged him through the window and out of the gutter. He didn't remember how he had gotten back to the ship.

But he was properly bandaged now. Laying his head back into the thin pillow, he listened for any signs of Jack on the ship. He was reassured by the running of the shower and in a few minutes it squeaked off. He managed to doze off before Jack entered the small room, standing over his bed.

"Toombs?" She asked, her voice different. It sounded like it was hiding something.

"What's it to ya, fuzz?" He shot back, his voice hoarse.

"Feeling alright?" She asked as she sat down on the bed, pulling herself across it and leaning her back against the wall. Toombs watched her angle herself so she could talk to him.

"Not peachy, but alright." He replied, sleep trying to take him over again.

"Get some sleep." Before he could reply, he was dozing off and he felt her leave the bed.

She re-wrapped his bandages again, wanting to keep the wounds clean. He was mostly unconscious for this, so she had an easy time of gently pulling back the wrap around his wrist and hand. There weren't many other wounds, a few knife gashes that were before the wood splinter they had jammed into his back of his hand. But they had only needed a few stitches and looked like they would heal just fine.

Jack hadn't slept since she'd rescued Toombs.

Maybe a few days had passed, but she sat in the co-pilots seat while she wasn't checking on Toombs. For hours she'd stare out of the window, thinking about the repercussions of what she had done. She had killed two men. And on some level, enjoyed it. Jack shuddered, remembering the dream she had a while back, where Toombs rescued her before Riddick tried to rape her. She smelled the same fear in the men that she had been feeling during that dream. Jack had a sinking feeling that her eyes had held that same predatory glint that Riddicks' had.

The sleepless nights weren't treating her well, but she knew she would manage just fine. She had small conversations with Toombs before he'd pass out again. How long had he gone without a proper rest?

She finished re-wrapping his wrist, setting it back down on the bed with a tender care that belonged to a nurse. Jack was so absorbed in her work that she startled when the ice blue eyes critically locked with hers.

"You're awake." She stated, trying to get control of her breathing again.

"Seems so," he croaked and Jack moved to get him some water. He managed to sit up enough to drink a few sips, ignoring Jack's chastising commands of him to drink it slower. His voice became stronger afterwards.

"Feeling better?" She asked, leaning against the bed. It was strangely situated as well as being some two and a half feet off the floor. It was a little wider than two feet, just enough for Toombs to roll around without banging anything against the wall or falling off the side.

"Feeling pretty good, fuzz, but you've looked better." He snidely noted and Jack snorted.

"I don't have anywhere to sleep since the helkin got preference over me and now has the blanket." She reasoned but Jack knew Toombs could smell a lie. "You're still tired, though."

"That I am." He agreed, nodding his head. "Anything about our little fiasco on the news?"

"Nothing. Guess they haven't been found. Or they have and nothing public needs to be said." Jack replied, herself having spent time scanning the port's news bulletins.

"You gotta get some rest." He moved closer to the wall and sat up. Before Jack could even protest, he tugged her onto the bed and down with him.

"Toombs, I should-"

"Sleep. You don't have boots on, good." He noted, getting ready to fall back to sleep. Jack began to move to get up, but his left arm encircled her and brought her back down. She knew it wasn't worth the fight and began to doze off. He pulled the light sheets and blankets over her and Jack was nearly half-asleep.

"G'night, Tums," she mumbled.

"Night fuzz." He returned, making sure she was anchored down by his arm.

Neither knew who it was that brought them closer. Toombs could've pulled Jack into his chest or Jack could've moved back further, and they could've both done something. Either way, Jack's head ended up snugly tucked under Toombs' and they slept on together.

Green eyes came into focus before the blue ones did.

Jack had to admit she have never felt more secure than she did right then. She didn't care how strange it was, but she hadn't had one nightmare and had slept solidly for who knew how long. That was something she couldn't really remembering having.

But it was time to get up and from the sound of her stomach, find some food. Toombs' arm became dead weight and it was no easy task slipping away from his grip. Jack smiled when a deep growl sounded from Toombs when she slid off the bed. His eyes opened soon and he stretched in the bed, his form not even close to fitting the small confines of the bed.

"Morning," he sat up and ran his hands through his hair. "Fuck, I gotta take a shower." He moved to get off the bed but Jack stopped him and grabbed his right hand.

"Let me just unwrap this before you go getting it all wet and ruined," Jack carefully peeled away the top layer and then quickly undid the rest, balling it up when she was done. Doing the same with the smaller injuries, Toombs followed her out when she was done, except heading towards the bathroom instead of the kitchen.

"Different priorities," Jack mumbled, tossing the bandages into the incinerator. She heard the shower turn on and the water rush through the pipes overhead. Her next business was finding food, which she had stocked up on during their last stop.

Jack was in the middle of making a sandwich when Toombs walked in, his wet hair still dripping. Dressed in his usual clothes, Jack noted that without his holsters, he looked near normal.

"What's that?" He pointed to what she had in her hands.

"A sandwich." She replied, knowing it would piss him off.

"I know what it is, fuzz," his biting sarcastic tone wanted to make Jack laugh. "What kind of sandwich?"

"A kind you probably wouldn't like. Peanut butter, marshmallow fluff and hazelnut chocolate spread." She recited the ingredients and Toombs looked thoroughly disgusted. Jack rolled her eyes at him and turned on the news, a female newscaster occupying the holographic screen that floated in the air.

"That isn't a sandwich, that's an atrocity." He looked at the news. "Kind of like her hair."

"Shut it, Tums, trying to watch the news." She ignored his pointed scowl and went back to eating her sandwich.

"Anything worth knowing?" He asked, after making his own sandwich.

"Doesn't seem like it." Jack finished the last of sandwich and went to get something to drink. The news continued on behind her and she turned to Toombs. "Toombs?"

"Merfh?" His mouth was full of sandwich.

"Why'd they take you?" She asked, her tone serious. "They said you knew the whereabouts of someone you were tracking. Who was it, Toombs?"

"Doesn't matter," he gruffly replied, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"I want to know, Toombs, they took you and tortured you for information. It's gotta be pretty important." Jack pressed, her defiant streak shining.

He grunted in reply. Jack's tone turned nasty and Toombs took note, his body naturally tensing in preparation for a fight.

"I saved your ass, the fucking least you could do was tell me why they had taken you in the first place." She snarled, fingering a knife that was sheathed in the leather cuff she wore.

"Look kid," he stood over her, his sandwich forgotten on the counter. "I don't have to tell you shit, so you can just forget about prying anything from me." The growl she emitted sparked a wink of fear in Toombs, she could smell it. The only other person who had called her 'kid' was Riddick and she hated it now as much as she had then. As suddenly as she had been inches from his face, she wasn't in the room. Toombs looked out into the small hall and couldn't even find a trace of her.

"Jack!" He heard the exit ramp beginning to close. "Get back here! Jack!"

She stalked through the streets, sending wary passer bys across the road just to avoid her. Jack was full of rage and had nothing to take it out on.

Are you so sure about that? Don't you still feel the knives on you? There must be someone who deserves death in this port.

Jack shook the voice from her mind again. She didn't know how it had gotten there, but felt that it had something to do with rescuing Toombs from those men. What she felt she knew wasn't totally human. Was this the beast that Riddick had? Jack put one and one together and realized that it was indeed a beast of her own and that's why she had this restless murderous energy. She didn't really want to know how Riddick got rid of it.

Look there! At that man, surely he had raped a small child.

She quickened her pace and ignored the voice. Jack couldn't go killing people, it wasn't right. She killed because she had to save someone and there was no other way.

Perhaps, could you have not knocked them out?

The circumstances hadn't permitted it. Toombs was in danger and they'd both be in trouble once the two men would've woken up. Killing them had been absolutely necessary and she wasn't going to do it out of sport now.

If Toombs wasn't in danger, what would you have done?

"I wouldn't even be there!" Jack exclaimed and gasped. She had just spoken out loud to a voice in her head. This was getting very out of hand. She jogged a few blocks away and found a small park, where she sat down on a bench and pulled her knees to her chest. She had some thinking to do.

"Fuck!" Toombs cursed, he couldn't hold his blaster in his right hand. The splinter had torn some of the muscle and it still had to heal, so he wasn't able to get a grip on the gun. Not even with his tape.

It was a bad idea for him to go out without being able to fire a weapon. Or even use one, he could barely grip enough to stab someone with a knife. If he went out, people could be waiting for him to abduct him again.

"Christ, Jack, what a shitty idea for you get up and leave like that," he snarled, wondering why he even cared in the first place.

Don't be such a thick asshole, she's grown on you.

"Ah shut the fucking hell up, what do you know anyway?" He grumbled, looking around for another weapon.

Enough. She's growing on you and you're growing on her, it's a mutual thing. It's too late to get rid of her now.

"Like I hadn't figured that one out yet." Toombs replied, cursing again when he saw Jack's comm. device left on the control panel. She really was out there all alone.

Couldn't convince anyone that you had.

"Like I said, shut the fucking hell up."

Time to vote again!

Note: a) will apply to all of them, it's the ones after that you decide, it just depends where I put a).

a) Longer passage of time in which Jack grows up and we can set this quite some time later

b) Toombs goes out and looks for Jack and then a) happens and he finds out information from her past

c) Jack comes back, she and Toombs have a slight heart-to-heart and then a) happens

d) Long-winded thoughts of Jack, during which she deliberates what she will do and she eventually comes back and finds Toombs to be upset because she took off like that and there is a fight but c) gets tossed in and then a)