Chapter Two: They Arrive/Planning
Logan and Riddick didn't stop running till they reached the house that Riddick had built himself for his family. Happy to see that it was still standing, they cautiously approached and opened the door to see Harry fixing snacks. Harry turned as he heard the door open only to stare in confusion at the sight of his mate and father standing in the doorway. They both should have been at the construction site working on the building of a new home for the chieftain's daughter and her husband. Instead, both were staring at Harry in what seemed to be relief. Thoroughly confused, Harry decided to call the children into the kitchen for their snack.
"Blake, Jasmine, Adam!" Harry called out. Soon the children came barreling into the kitchen only to stop and stare in confusion at their father and grandfather standing in the doorway. After all, the duo should not have been home for hours and they were rarely together, what with hating each other and all. Deciding to ignore the mystery in favor of food, the kids sat down at the table and began to eat the snacks before them. Harry sat down with the kids, ensuring that Blake ate his veggies. For the moment, Harry ignored the oddity of his father and husband appearing at home hours before they were due. However, it was when Zeke and Shazza showed up huffing and puffing that Harry decided to find out exactly what was going on.
"Why are they here?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes, knowing that their return couldn't spell anything good for their family. Blake and Jasmine looked at the strangers curiously, wondering what they could have done to cause their mother to sound so distrustful.
"We came to warn your family about a merc," Shazza said in a petulant voice, continuing in a low voice to Zeke, "although I don't know why with how ungrateful they're being."
"We didn't ask you to come here and by doing so you probably brought the merc to our doorstep! Don't you ever think?I" Harry screamed, unable to help himself from becoming angry at the prospectors.
"No one followed us; he didn't even know we were leaving!" Shazza screamed back while Zeke put a hand on her arm to help her keep her temper in check.
"Do you think this merc is stupid? He's obviously been after Riddick for the last seven years; do you really think he would just let his only lead get away?" Harry asked the woman angrily, wondering if she could truly be that naïve.
"But he, he, we weren't followed," Shazza said softly in uncertainty.
"Probably were, but he's gonna let us stew, try to get us worked up," Riddick commented from where he was leaning against the counter.
"Blake, Jasmine, go out and bring Jack and Ali home and be discreet," Harry said softly to his twins. Shazza's mouth dropped open in shock at the command and before she could stop herself she blurted out her thoughts.
"But they're seven! You can't send them out there alone, it's the most irr-" whatever else would have been said was cut off as Shazza's throat was gripped tightly. Grabbing whatever was constricting her throat; Shazza felt a thin vine-like thing snaked around her throat. Casting her eyes around franticly to try to locate her attacker, Shazza saw the girl with a green whip in her hand.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Zeke screamed as he tried to help his wife get the whip from around her neck, but it seemed to be unnaturally tight.
"Your wife should mind her tone, mister," the girl said before with a flick of her wrist the whip just fell from his wife's neck. He saw that the whip looked more like a long vine than any whip he had ever seen before and that it had small spikes along its entire length and well as long spikes coming out of the end of the handle. It made him shudder to see a child with such a weapon, much less to see her wield it with such ease. With another casual move, the whip just started to get smaller until it was no more than the handle, which was clasped into the belt on the girl's waist.
"Jasmine, please apologize for attacking Shazza even if she did deserve it," Harry said sternly to his daughter. Jasmine crossed her arms and set her mouth in a firm line in an obvious sign that she wasn't about to apologize to the woman. Riddick sighed and moved from his position leaning against the counter.
"Jasmine, listen to your mother and apologize. Harry, calm down and get a read for the forest; don't want to send the kiddies out blind after all. Blake, gear up," Riddick said in a commanding voice, which apparently worked as Jasmine grumbled out an apology, Harry sat down on the nearest chair and closed his eyes, and Blake left the room to apparently gear up. Zeke decided to look around the room rather than think about the scene that he just saw and was rather surprised by the homey feel of the kitchen. He saw small vines climbing a lattice-structure around the window that reminded him of the vines on the walls of the ship during the eclipse. There was an island that separated the kitchen area from the dining room area and a door that he figured led to the pantry. A rather large structure that had a keypad on it, seemed to be the only piece of technological equipment that could be seen in the room and Zeke guessed that it was a refrigerator of some sort. He also took notice of the small boy who was sitting at the table still looking at his wife and him in confusion.
"Hi," Zeke said softly with a little wave in the boy's direction. Even though he had said it softly, he still startled the little boy who jumped a little in his seat before looking at him curiously. Logan snorted a bit when Zeke started to look dejected when Adam still didn't respond.
"He's shy," Logan said in his gruff voice, deciding to throw Zeke a bone. After all, this situation isn't his fault exactly; the man hadn't wanted to leave, but would do anything to make his wife happy.
"Oh," Zeke said, feeling a little less put out that the cute little guy wouldn't return the greeting. He blinked in surprise, however when he saw that Blake had returned after 'gearing up'. The seven-year-old was wearing black cargo pants that looked to be a mini replica of his father's signature pants and a black tank top that had dark green jagged stripes it that reminded him of camouflage outfits. There was a black harness around his chest that was extremely hard to spot against the dark top; on closer inspection it seemed to be holding a white shiv against the boy's hip and another black one that had the handle facing down from his chest. When he kneeled down to check something in his pants, Zeke saw a dark green whip coiled up on the boys back and two move shiv handles poking out from the small of his back. 'Geez, this kid is packing' Zeke thought as he realized that those were only the things he could see.
"Anything out there Harry?" Riddick asked as he checked over Blake. Meanwhile, Alex had appeared with Logan. Zeke and Shazza could only presume that Logan had gone to get him. Alex started looking at a bag that Jasmine had handed him before nodding and handing it back to Jasmine, who slung it over her shoulder.
"So why send the kids out there?" Zeke asked cautiously, making sure to not sound accusing or confrontational in any way.
"If the mercs have landed, then they will be looking for us. But they don't know what Blake or Jasmine look like and won't think anything of a couple kids collecting their older siblings," Alex explained.
"Aren't you worried about their safety, though?" Zeke asked, knowing that is what his wife was worrying about.
"You seem to forget, Blake and Jasmine aren't normal kids much like Jack and Ali weren't normal kids. They have been training since they were toddlers to learn to protect themselves and we know that they can hold their own. Besides once they reach Jack and Ali, they will have more than enough talent between the four of them to take down any threat," Alex explained.
"What do you mean talent?" Shazza asked in a scratchy voice, still rubbing her neck.
"Blake is much like his father and as his attire suggests, is skilled with shivs and stealth. He can be silent and deadly. Jasmine, as I'm sure you found out the hard way, is skilled with a whip. What you don't know is that she has plant control as well, although not as well refined as Harry's, and is particularly good with poison. Ali is unassuming, thought to be just the scholar and healer; he isn't. Jack is all bravado, but behind that is a strategic mind and fierce protective force. These children could bring down a small army. Even little Adam isn't all that he seems." Zeke's eyes widened at the words, knowing that Alex wasn't one to exaggerate. But before he or Shazza could respond, Harry came out of his nature-checking trance.
"There is nothing that doesn't belong out in the forest or in the town, but the trees do warn about a strange cloud that has been spotted around," Harry said, before he picked little Adam up and placed him in his lap.
"Alright, Blake, Jasmine, be quick, quiet, and if anything goes wrong one of you come back to the house. Got it?" Riddick asked, looking at both children.
"Yes sir," Blake said in a strong voice.
"Yeah, yeah," Jasmine responded with a role of her eyes. "I'll go out the front Blake and you go out the back. We will meet up at your practice clearing."
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Blake made his way out the house and quickly went into the surrounding woods and into the shadows. Stopping and listening for any unusual sounds, Blake started for his practice clearing after ensuring that there was nothing abnormal near him. Winding his way flawlessly through the trees without making a sound, he made it to the clearing in less than two minutes and waited for his sister. Jasmine arrived a minute later and touched a nearby tree, after waiting a few seconds she nodded to him and they continued on toward town. As they got closer to town, they heard an unusual sound and stopped quickly to take cover amongst the tree branches. Above them they could make out a ship flying in the direction of town from where there house was. Knowing that from above their house looked like a bunch of trees due to their mother encouraging the roof to branch and leaf, they wondered if the mercs were planning on landing to ask for help.
"We gotta get to Jack and Ali fast," Jasmine whispered in his ear. Blake nodded and moved forward quickly, his sister hot on his heels. Just before they would have breached the forest into the town, the duo stopped. Blake scanned the little area that he could see and saw that there was little cover for anyone going into town, but there was woodland cover that could be used for travel to the perimeter huts. Knowing that at this moment Jack would be cutting wood on the other side of town for the construction projects and Ali would be in the healer hut in the middle of town, he decided that he should go after Jack while Jasmine went after Ali.
"So here's the plan; I go for Jack using the forest as my cover, while you go for Ali using your innocent look as a confusion tactic," Blake suggested, still scanning the entrance to the town to ensure that he isn't sending his sister out into a trap.
"Okay, but you would be passing right by the docking area so be careful," Jasmine said softly, quickly giving Blake a hug before she started off into town. Blake watched for a while as she moved into the crowd before he moved back into the forest for better cover. Moving carefully through the trees, Blake stopped when he heard voices ahead. Blending into the shadows, Blake inched forward until he could just make out two figures through the trees.
"Is a four person crew enough for this guy? That is if he even is here, they coulda gone off world after the prospectors left them," one of the men muttered.
"Nah, any other system woulda reported the bastard. Besides Toombs was gonna ask around about them, so we just wait till he gets back," the other man said dismissively.
"But if we don't find him then all this time was wasted and none of us get paid," the first man whined.
"Will you shut your mouth, I think I heard somethin," the second man said before he turned and began to approach the exact spot that Blake was hiding in. Blake started backing up, being careful to keep to shadows and not make any sound, but the man was approaching fast. Just when Blake thought he might have to kill the two men, his salvation came in the form of a scarred, gruff looking man with a cigar in his mouth.
"Get over here, I got some info," the scarred man called out, causing the approaching man to turn around a move away.
"Well boss, is he here or not?" the impatient man asked rudely, which earned him a sharp look from the ring leader, who Blake figured was Toombs.
"Yeah he's here and he's got a family we can use against him, so our plan is gonna change a bit. We capture his family and bring them to a triple-max slam where Riddick will no doubt follow. When he does, we collect and tell our benefactor where he is and we get paid twice," Toombs said with glee and a greedy gleam in his eyes. Blake's eyes widened and he tried to figure out if he would be able to move past them without attracting their attention. Before he could move though, someone grabbed him from behind. He could smell the wild scent of his Jack and calmed slightly as she began to back them away till they were far enough that they wouldn't be heard or detected.
"What are you doing out here?" Jack asked in an angry hiss, a sign that she was worried about his safety.
"Mom and Dad sent Jasmine and I after you and Ali, I don't exactly blend into the crowds with my gear so I sent Jasmine after Ali and I came to get you," Blake said quickly, knowing that Jack didn't want drawn out explanations when she was in protective mode.
"Oh, well standing near those guys like that was stupid," Jack said before she hit Blake upside his head and started dragging him back towards the house. After a few minutes they ran into Ali and Jasmine and the four siblings trekked home carefully.
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Meanwhile back with the adults, they started discussing what could be the mercs' plans for capturing Riddick and what they might learn from the town they lived near. Shazza sat grumpily at the table with Zeke sitting next to her while Alex and Logan sat across from then. Harry stood near the counter that Adam was sitting on swinging his legs while Riddick sat at the head of the table. For a moment everyone was silent as they considered everything that was happening and the consequences of every action, until Shazza who could not hold in her thoughts spoke.
"Maybe we could just wait this out and they'll go away," Shazza suggested in a hopeful voice.
"Oh yeah, the mercs will just go away when they've got us right where they want us," Alex said sardonically.
"But they don't know Riddick's here, they just think he is," Shazza said simply as if there was no way for them to find Riddick's true whereabouts for sure.
"They know he's here because you two ran here directly after being confronted about information for Riddick," Harry said grumpily, throwing a glare at Shazza. Shazza glared back but did not open her mouth again as there was nothing she would have been able to say in her defense. Somehow she doubted mentioned they ran here because she was almost willing to sell them out for credits would be a good move. "Besides the townspeople no nothing about us and therefore would not think any harm could be done by mentioning us to inquisitive newcomers; after all, the chieftain led you straight to Riddick."
"But surely the townspeople wouldn't endanger you by leading mercs to your door?" Zeke asked concernedly.
"First off, they wouldn't be stupid enough to just announce that they're mercs after all Johns paraded around as a cop, remember? Secondly, neither the townspeople nor the chieftain know where we live; after all, we figured something of this nature would happen eventually. Last but not least, they could easily find out about where we work, about the kids, and a ton of other information that we don't want them to know," Alex said with a roll of his eyes.
"Well shouldn't we leave or something?" Zeke asked, trying desperately to think of some way to keep the family from being harmed by their foolhardiness.
"On what ship?" Riddick said at last. Unable to answer him, Zeke looked down at his lap and hoped that the more experienced group would be able to figure something out. Hearing a knocking sound, Zeke startled only to grow confused as Harry went to the door and knocked in a seemingly random rhythm. Seconds after he finished the four children walked in.
"So they're the reason Blake nearly got himself grabbed by mercs," Jack stated with an eye roll while she leaned against the wall beside the door and crossed her arms.
"I did not," Blake said grumpily, glaring at Jack before jumping onto the counter beside little Adam who gave his older brother a brilliant smile. Jasmine giggled before plopping none too gently into Alex's lap while Ali rolled his eyes at the banter and sat next to Logan.
"What happened?" Riddick asked commandingly, giving his son a pointed stare.
"I was headed to the lumber area and was near the landing pad. I had planned to make a wide arc to get around it without being seen, but there were two guys in a clearing in front of me talking about how they thought their leader was stupid to come here. So I listened, then one of the guys thought he heard something and began heading towards me. I readied myself to take him out and run if need be, but then their leader showed up. He said that some of the townspeople told him about our family and how he could use us against you. I was backtracking when Jack showed up behind me," Blake said stoically, almost reminding Zeke of a trained soldier giving a report to his superior. Riddick nodded and turned to Jack.
"I was working, carting cut wood from the chopping blocks to the carts set up when this stranger approached my supervisor. The guy seemed dangerous so I let myself blend in with some of the others and used that cover to start leaving the area. I was able to get deeper into the woods right in time too, because next thing I know I'm hearing my name being called. I didn't stay around for long and ran into the pipsqueak near the landing pad," Jack said quickly and as animatedly as Zeke remembered her being as a little girl.
"Did you two have any problems?" Riddick asked looking at Jasmine and then Ali. The two shook their heads in the negative. There was silence for a while, during which Zeke studied the family and realized something that had niggled his mind seven years prior; this was a family of warriors. Knowing that nothing Zeke or Shazza knew could possibly help them when this was their territory, he stayed quiet while whatever was going through their minds processed.
"We could try calling my uncle," Alex said out of the blue, "the team did leave us with that long-distance holo-phone in case we might need their help."