Author's notes: well well well, i wasnt expecting 12 reviews in 2 days! So I had to work speedily to get cracking on a new chapter!!! So as promised, chapter 2! It's a lot longer then the first chapter, and i wont be able to post ch3 up intil after the weekend (hopefully sooner tho) but since i got 12 reviews.. let's aim for 15 reviews before Saturday.. otherwise no chapter 3! MWAHHAHAHAHAAH!
Ch2: Riddick's Shadow
Jack, still shook-up over Riddick's moves on her, decided to go outside and take a walk around New Mecca. This was the place she originally wanted to escape to when she ran away from home. She'd heard that it was a place full of opportunity and where she'd be able to make a new start for herself. She just never expected that she'd have to fight for her life from man-eating monsters to get there.
Jack caught a glimpse of what time it was on a clock perched up at the back of one of the stalls she walked past. It was after noon and all she'd eaten was a fruit bar. Seeing as she was walking towards what looked like the marketplace, Jack figured she buy some food for herself and the others. The only thing was she had no credits. She surveyed the mob of people as they walked through the marketplace. It was jam packed full of people. It was the perfect place to pickpocket someone. It was easier to do when there are hundreds of people to hide amongst. Jack surveyed the crowd before her. There was a middle-aged man with three street kids pestering him for money. Jack could see he had a fabric moneybag tied to his belt as he tried to shoo away the kids. Jack took this as her chance. She walked in between the man and the kids and began yelling at the kids, "Bugger off, guys!" Jack yelled at the kids as she walked backwards towards the man. "Can't you see this man has better things to dooOOOO!" Jack squealed as she tripped over the man's shoe and crashed into him, sending him also crashing down to the ground with Jack on top of him.
"Oh my God!" Jack stammered, trying to roll off the man, discreetly grabbing his moneybag in the process. "I am SOOO SORRY! I didn't mean to.." She said, helping him up before dusting herself off.
The man seemed to be fine with a teenage girl falling on him "It's quite alright, Miss..??" he asked, trying to catch her name.
"Annie," Jack lied. "Look, I'm really sorry but I gotta go!" She said quickly before running off. Jack weaved her way through the crowds, the loud rumble of human voices drowned out the cries of the newly robbed man.
Riddick began to stir from his sleep as the smell of bacon and eggs filled the air. His stomach won over his need for sleep and he began to wake. It had been years since he smelled a fresh home-cooked meal like that. Not willing to pass up a free meal, he rolled out of bed and rubbed the back of his shaved head. He remembered back to a few hours ago when he propositioned Jack. 'I think I scared the poor girl out of her wits,' Riddick thought to himself, almost feeling bad for his action.. almost. 'Feel sorry for the kid later. Food first,' Riddick thought to himself as he followed the smell of the delicious food.
Riddick walked past the bathroom on his way to the kitchen. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and seeing himself all grotty and mud covered, he had to do something about it. It reminded him too much of those disgusting creatures he had to fight off. He was so tired before that he didn't bother washing himself before falling asleep. Riddick noticed the shower next door and figured he'd have a quickie. He closed the bathroom door behind himself and cranked up the hot water for a much needed hot shower.
Jack didn't want to wake the others, especially Riddick, so she only cooked enough bacon and eggs to feed herself. She'd left the rest of the eggs and uncooked bacon on the counter top, ready for the others to cook their own meals. Jack sat on the tall cushioned stool at the counter and thanked the gullible man at the market for her meal. Jack took a second to admire the mini feast on her plate. Fried bacon, scrambled eggs and three pieces of toast. Jack hadn't had a home cooked meal since she ran away from home a month ago. Everything else she'd been eating was pre-dried or manufactured and packaged. She bobbed her head down to savour the smell of her food before grabbing her fork and dug in.
"My my, child. You've certainly cooked up a feast worthy of the gods."
Jack looked up towards the kitchen doorway to see the holy man smiling at her. He walked over to the stove to see uncooked food, ready and waiting for him to make his own food. "Where did you get this?" the holy man asked.
Jack, still chewing her bacon, replied, "Market." And went back to chewing.
The dark man turned to her, afraid of the answer he was about to get to the question he was wanting to ask her. "And where did you get the money to buy all this?"
Jack smiled with her mouth still full of food. "A nice man at the market was kind enough to give me the money." The holy man knew she was lying. He sighed, figuring he'd have to change her thieving ways soon enough. But for now, he was hungry.
Not long after the holy man had begun to eat, while conversing with Jack, Riddick had slowly made his way into the kitchen. The other two stopped talking and looked over at the now clean man. "Something smells good," Riddick said as he walked over to the stool seated next to Jack. He sat himself down and looked over at Jack and Imam.
Jack didn't want to be afraid of Riddick, but she couldn't help but feel awkward around the big brute now. She kept wondering if he was eyeing her, thinking of naughty things to do to her. She still idolised him but after he told her to stop staring at him, she was almost too scared to look at the guy. "I'll make you some food," Jack said quickly as she leaped off her stool. She wanted to give Riddick the impression that she still idolised him, not the impression that she was still feeling weird around him.
"So, Riddick," the holy man began. "What are your plans? Do you plan on staying on New Mecca?"
Jack listened intently. She also wanted to know. She wanted to ask Riddick to train her to be like him. But she needed the time to work up the courage to say it. She had to show him first that she was capable and able to keep up.
"I can't stay here," He replied. "There are too many mercs around here and there's still a bounty on my head. I'm going to go get some supplies and I'll be out of here as soon as I can find a ship."
"Can I come with you?" Jack asked enthusiastically, turning around, spatula in hand to look at her idol. Riddick cocked his head to the side and stared at her. His silver eyes staring at her like she were mad. Jack sensed that asking him to take her with him when he leaves may have been a little premature. So she opted for a re-wording of her question.. for now. "I mean, can I go with you to buy supplies?"
This time Riddick nodded. "Why not. I'll need an extra pair of hands to carry everything back. But if you can't keep up, I wont be waiting for you to catch up," the large man explained.
Jack nodded and smiled at him. "Don't worry. I'll keep up."
Imam saw the discolouration on Jack's neck and realised, "Before you go, I have something for you to wear, child. A scarf to cover the bruising on your neck," the holy man said, before leaving the room to find a scarf for her. Imam tried not to look at Riddick when he said it, unsure of what the ex-convict would do if he were blamed for Jack's bruises.
Jack thanked the holy man as he exited the room. She then looked over at Riddick, catching him staring at her bruised neck. The expression on his face was so stoic that it was unreadable. He neck was already showing bruises of purple and blue, and it was clear that someone had grabbed Jack around the neck. Jack never expected an apology from Riddick. But seeing him stare at her neck meant that he was having some remorse for being so cruel. Either that or he was admiring his own work.
Jack felt as though she should say something to ease his pain, or curiosity- she wasn't quite sure which was his reason for staring at her. "Don't worry about it," She said as she turned back around to tend to the sizzling breakfast. "You're not the first man to bruise me like that."
It was then that Riddick had an inkling for why Jack was so attracted to him, despite his violent nature. She'd seen it all before. And even though she ran away from home to escape it all, Riddick was the epitome of what Jack's rage, identity and values were. She wanted to be cold and collective like him. She didn't want to take shit from anyone and to be willing to do anything in her power to protect herself. 'I'd never wish my life on anyone.'
Riddick didn't fully know why he allowed Jack to accompany him to the market. 'More like following,' he said to himself. 'I don't care what I did to her neck. I'm only doing this because I need a hand carrying everything.' Riddick looked over his shoulder and saw Jack following behind him with a big grin on her face, like a giddy puppy following her master. She was trying to stay hot on his heels, but trying to keep enough space between them so she doesn't bump into him if he stopped. With Jack walking behind him made it look like she were his slave girl. That suited him just fine, but when he tried to hand her food supplies to carry, Riddick had to keep turning around to see if she was still there to pass things to. "Walk next to me," Riddick grumbled as they made their way through the crowds.
"I can't'!" Jack exclaimed as she weaved through the crowds of people to catch up to Riddick. She was carrying two canvas bags filled with enough sachet and packeted food to last Riddick months.
"Stop letting yourself be pushed around," the larger man commanded, only barely turning his head to see her struggling behind him.
Jack wasn't sure what he meant by that. Of course she wasn't wanting to be pushed around by the crowd. "I'm not!" She squealed, struggling to keep up.
Riddick stopped and turned to face Jack, who had to stop hard in her tracks to not plough into the wall that was Riddick. "Look at you. You're scrawny and you're following me around like a slave-girl. You have no air of confidence about you, like a little mouse!" Riddick criticised. She hated hearing these words, his deep voice rumbling over the sounds of the hoards of people. It's exactly the opposite of what she wanted to be. "No wonder they're pushing you around," he grumbled as took the two bags from Jack. He turned and continued to walk through the marketplace.
Jack began to follow her idol but an obese woman bumped into her. "Sorry!" Jack stammered before running to catch up to Riddick.
"And stop saying sorry!" he bellowed without even looking behind him to see if Jack was still there.
Jack tried desperately to catch up by weaving in and around the hoards of people walking around the market. She looked up to see she was catching up to Riddick. The only thing was, she was moving through the crowd by weaving through it, but Riddick.. People seemed to just get out of his way as he walked in a straight line through the marketplace. His stance breathed confidence, and danger. No one would want to get in Riddick's way.
The hot sun shone down on Riddick's black cape that he 'borrowed' from a passer by when they first arrived. 'He's got to be sweating like crazy under that,' Jack thought to herself. 'I'm only wearing cargoes and a singlet and I'm already sweating like a pig!' She grunted as she tugged at the sheer black scarf she had tied around her neck. 'Stupid scarf.'
They'd finished their shopping for food supplies and so Riddick led the way to outskirts of the city, where the underground market was. You didn't buy hardcore weaponry in a public market. Especially if you don't want people asking any questions. As they neared the 'market', Riddick stopped and handed Jack the two canvas bags. "Don't talk. Don't even look anyone in the eye," he instructed. "To them, you're my slave."
Jack nodded and took the bags. This was all so new and exciting to her. She craved the experiences that were Riddick's life. "Thanks for bringing me with you," Jack smiled as she walked alongside Riddick.
Riddick paused for the slightest second before continuing his walk to the arms market. Jack noticed this, as if Riddick were trying to register what she'd just said. Honestly, Riddick didn't really know what to say to such kind words. He'd only ever used his 'please' and 'thank-you's' when he was stealing things or taunting his enemy. 'What do I say to a kid?' He thought to himself. Instead, Riddick went back to business and replied, "I said don't talk," his gruff voice remained stoic, but he had a hint of a smile appearing on his lips.
"What's so funny?" Jack asked, looking up at Riddick's face as they walked.
Riddick grunted to suppress the laugh. "You make it sound like you enjoyed my company today," Riddick commented. "You hang around escaped convicts in your spare time?" He joked as he looked over at her. His goggles may have covered his eyes, but there was a slight change in the pitch of his voice that let her know he was actually playing nice.
Jack, taking it as a bonding experience, smiled back at him. "Yeah. I love turning escaped convicts into my bitches," Jack laughed.
Riddick couldn't help but laugh at the idea of puney Jack with all these thugs grovelling at her feet. His deep laugh was different to the maniacal one he let out when he'd propositioned her earlier today. This laugh was straight from the belly and it even made Jack smile whole-heartedly hearing it. He turned to Jack and smiled. "I'd pay to see that," Riddick joked, rubbing his hand over Jack's bald head. Still smiling at her, he repeated, "I said don't talk."
Jack stood silently, watching Riddick inspect a large rifle that was handed to him. She was careful not to look at anyone else's faces except Riddick's. Her hands hurt, so she put the two canvas bags down on the ground in front of her, making sure she had a foot touching each bag, just in case someone tried to nick them.
"So how much do you want for this, the four handguns and the two shivs?" Riddick asked the 'shop' owner. They were standing in the living room of some guy who had invited them in to check out his merchandise. Jack would normally never enter the house of someone looking as dirty and sleazy as the owner of this weaponry, but she felt safer by Riddick's side.
"It depends," The greasy-haired man said. Jack cringed when he spoke because it exposed his rotting teeth and the smell of his bad breath kept heading in her direction. She was going to feel physically ill from the smell.
Riddick put down the rifle on the worn out dinner table next to him, alongside the rest of the weapons he'd chosen. "Depends on what?" Riddick asked back, feeling the need to get out his schiv that was tucked into the back of his pants.
Jack couldn't help but look up at Riddick. She didn't dare look the other man in the eye, but she caught glimpses of him when he wasn't looking. The man made her cringe. He was covered in dirt and he looked as if he hadn't bathed in weeks. "See here's the thing," The greasy man began. "I'll give you two payment options," he said, smiling at the idea he'd just gotten.
Riddick knew this guy would be shifty, and try to screw Riddick over eventually. This is usually the part where Riddick would just kill said seller and take whatever he wanted. But he was willing to humour the other man to see what he had to say and why the hell he had such a big nasty grin on his ugly mug. "I'm listening."
"First option, you can pay 5000 credits for this stuff, and I'll even throw in a few extra shivs."
Riddick didn't like the guy's prices and felt that killing the man would be a better option. But he did previously think it was more worthwhile to hear the man's options first. "And the second option?"
Jack suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. 'Oh God!' She couldn't stop herself looking up at the greasy man in fear.
"Option two," The man said, casually walking his way over to Jack. 'You let me keep your pretty slave-girl and I'll let you have anything here free of charge.." The man propositioned. He walked right up to Jack and raised his hand to touch her face.
But Jack would have none of that. "Get your slimey paws off me!" She squealed, moving away from the man before he could reach her and she ran behind Riddick.
"Oh, she's got spirit!" The dealer was practically giddy at Jack's alertness. "It's so much more fun when they haven't been broken already. Pity she hasn't got any hair though," He started saying to himself.
Jack wanted to pound the man into a pulp, but she knew that with her small stature she wouldn't be able to even get a hand on him. She kept Riddick between herself and the dealer, hoping that Riddick would defend her honour. The dealer looked over at Riddick with a twinkle in his eye, "So can I have another look at her?"
Riddick paused for a moment. 'Do I really need this kid following me around all the time? Nope. She'd just slow me down.' Riddick shrugged and lifted an arm up and around the back of Jack. He shoved her in the direction of the arms dealer and watched as the man grabbed Jack by the wrist. Jack squealed in surprise at being offered to the dealer. He tried to lean in and smell her but Jack punched him in the face with her free hand.
"Don't you ever fuck'n touch me!" Jack growled at the man. In reply he just laughed and grabbed her by her upper arms and gripped on tightly. "Oh she's a pretty one, that's for sure," the man said, looking over at Riddick. "I don't suppose she's still a virgin after being your slave?"
Riddick remained silent and stoic. Jack couldn't believe what was going on! Riddick was ready to trade her in for weapons! She needed to get herself out of this mess. "Goddamn you Riddick! You can't just leave me here!" She pleaded. Riddick just stared at her through his tinted goggles. "Riddick!!!" Jack screamed, trying to free herself from the clutches of the arms dealer, but with little luck. "After all that you've done for me, you're just going to leave me here to rot!?" Jack began to cry.
"I'm not the good guy you want me to be, kid," Riddick replied ignoring her tears. "You're just convenient and you're saving me a lot of money." And with that Riddick began picking up his weapons one by one.
"Riddick! RIDDICK!" Jack screamed at the top of her lungs. She couldn't believe it. She was doomed to become the arms dealer's whore. "RIDDICK! PLEASE!"
"Shut it!" The arms dealer commanded as he slapped Jack across the face.
"I said GET OFF ME!" Jack yelled at him, realising she had two free legs. She kicked the horrid man in the crotch. Even Riddick turned back around to see what was the cause of the painful grunting sound was. The arms dealer fell to his knees, groaning in pain. Finally being freed from the arms dealer, Jack kicked him in the head, causing the man to fall onto his back. There was a rage burning inside Jack that she'd never allowed herself to let out. She pictured all the times her dad would beat her and the times that Riddick had disrespected her. She pictured their faces on the fallen man and began kicking him in the face, repeatedly.
Riddick watched Jack fly into her fit of rage. It reminded him of the kid he used to be and it caused something in his chest to stir. 'Why is this making me feel so.. sad?'
Jack yelled in fury as she watched the man pass out from the massive head trauma he'd received. But that didn't stop her. "Fuck YOU! Fuck YOU, you fucking PERVERT!" Jack yelled. Her boot was covered in blood and the amount of blood pouring on the floor was frightening.
Riddick, seeing that the man was clearly dead, or near death, decided to put an end to it. He'd seen himself do the same thing one too many times in his youth as he saw himself in Jack at this very moment. Seeing how Jack wanted so much to be like him, felt a little voice inside him that could only be described as his conscience coming out of hibernation, told him that this isn't the life he wanted for Jack. "Jack, stop," Riddick said. But Jack wasn't listening. She was in her own little world, now continually kicking a dead man. "JACK!" Riddick's voice boomed in Jack's ears and she was brought out of her delirium.
She turned to look at Riddick, her eyes seemed so hollow. Riddick hated this scenario he was caught in with every fibre of his being. It brought up so many conflicting feelings. If it were any other day, he wouldn't have hesitated to give up Jack and just walk off, leaving her alone with the arms dealer. But then at the same time, seeing her in a fit of rage brought up some repressed memories of past childhood violence that Riddick was sure he'd forgotten. He wasn't sure how to deal with this situation. Jack was still a kid. No doubt this was her first kill and she would need someone to help her deal with it. Unfortunately for her, Riddick was not that man. Riddick comforted no-one. He was as hard as a rock, and he liked it that way. But seeing how hollow Jack's eyes looked, made him uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. 'I'm not hugging her,' he thought to himself.
"Come on. Let's get back to the holy man's house," Riddick said, cocking his head to the left, in the direction of the door. He found a duffle bag across the room and packed up his 'purchase', along with a few extra weapons he found lying around. He then picked up the two canvas bags with one hand and walked over to the door. The only thing was, Jack wasn't moving. She was still in shock over what she'd done. "Jack." No reply. Riddick walked right up to Jack until he was in her face. "Hey," he said, nudging her with his elbow.
The feeling of being nudged, rattled jack out of her stupor. "Riddick?" Jack looked up at him with a fear in her eyes he hadn't seen since she found out the monsters were eyeing her in particular because she was 'bleeding'. "I.. he.. You were going to sell me.."
Riddick was sure that if he were the holy man, he'd hug Jack right now and tell her things were going to be okay and that he was sorry for trying to sell her off. But he wasn't the holy man. He was Richard B. Riddick. Escape convict, murderer and all round bad guy. Now he was stuck with a kid that needed consoling. "Let's go," he said before leaving her again and headed for the door. When he reached the door he turned around and saw Jack just standing there, looking at the mess she made. "I told you that if you can't keep up, I'm not waiting for you," Riddick said, repeating the words he'd told her before they'd gone to out to buy supplies. Jack nodded, realising that Riddick meant business, child-seller or not, she was going to follow him home.
Riddick handed Jack one of the canvas bags for her to carry. "Here," he said, holding he bag in her direction.
Jack saw it and took it form Riddick's hands. "Thanks," She said out of habit. Riddick subconsciously stiffened for a split-second at her response. Why did she say thanks after all the shit he'd put her through? Kindness was unknown to Riddick, as he'd rarely, if ever, received it in his life. He grunted and marched on, not wanting Jack's innocence get to him.
Jack noticed the sudden change in pace and sped up to keep up with Riddick's large steps. "Riddick?" Jack asked, waiting for a reply that was never going to come. She knew Riddick had heard her, so she continued on. "Were you really going to sell me?" She was almost afraid to ask.
"Yep."
"So why didn't you stop me from.. from.. killing that guy?" Jack asked, being forced to relive the last few minutes after hearing her own words.
Riddick wasn't entirely sure himself. But a line he used only days before was the first thing that came to mind. "Strong survival instinct," Riddick said, looking over at the girl. "I admire that in a woman."
Riddick didn't talk to her once they got back. Jack wasn't sure why. When they'd gotten back to Imam's house, Riddick dropped his newly acquired gear and food on the floor of the holy man's living room. He then disappeared into the house, leaving Jack wondering what that man does with his spare time. She followed Riddick's lead and placed the second canvas bag next to the first. "Now what?" She asked herself, unsure what to do with herself. She thought about Riddick. Jack knew he wasn't going to be the talkative type. She knew he wasn't ever going to say the word 'sorry' in her lifetime. And she knew that if Riddick felt even the slightest bit guilty about trying to sell her off, no chance in hell was he ever going to show it.
Jack couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. It was then that she realised that she still had blood all over her boots. She looked down and saw that her bloodied boots had sand covered all over the soles and sides. As they walked home, the sand had stuck itself to the blood on her boots. "Oh no.." Jack said aloud as she looked behind her. She'd left a trail of sand and blood spots on the floor as she entered the house.
She took off her boots and placed them next to the front door. She'd clean them later. First thing, she better clean up the floor before the holy man saw.
She couldn't get the vivid memories out of her head. "I killed a man," Jack said to herself, looking in the mirror. She was in the bathroom, washing her boots in the sink. "I killed a man.." She repeated. It's all she'd been saying to herself for the last 20 minutes. "I killed a man.." Jack, stuck in the loop that was her first murdering experience, didn't even realise the door behind her open.
Riddick was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He crossed his arms and leaned in the doorframe. He knew he was stealthy, but didn't realise he was so stealthy that Jack didn't even notice him in the reflection of the mirror. "The first is always the hardest."
Jack almost jumped out of her skin when she heard Riddick's deep husky voice echo in the bathroom. The tiles only made his voice reverberate around the room. She saw how amused Riddick was at her freaking out at his presence as he smirked as he watched her try calm herself down.
"What?" Jack said, still clutching her chest.
"The first kill is always the hardest," Riddick replied. He had a smile on his face that could only be described as pride in the girl and her instinct to protect herself.
"Why are you so happy?" She sneered at him. She'd already been choked, assaulted, killed a man, and now she was not afraid of challenging Riddick.
"All this time you wanted to be like me," He replied. "And now you're realising the full force of what killing does to you," Riddick explained. "It stays with you, killing a part of you each time until there's nothing left inside."
Jack sat herself down on the side of the tub next to her. "You don't look like that when you kill people."
"I've been doing it for a long time."
"Who was the first person you killed?" Jack asked, glad that Riddick was in the mood for sharing.
Honestly, Riddick did not want to answer the question. It had been so traumatic for him at the time that he did everything he could to forget it. But even in his thirties, he remembered it all too well. "Wouldn't you like to know," Riddick replied, giving her a cheeky smirk. He wasn't ready to expose a weak side of himself to a fifteen-year old girl that he hated to admit that he was forming an attachment to. It would only give her cause to cling to him even more. Riddick uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the doorframe, the door giving out a creaking sound having been released from the weight of Riddick's body. He turned to walk out of the bathroom, but Jack's words stopped him.
"Teach me to shoot..Please?"
Riddick wasn't sure what to make of it all. He'd done some pretty horrible things to her lately and yet she kept clinging to him. 'Why do you keep coming back!?' He turned back around and rubbed his head. He tended to do this when he was thinking, weighting up the pros and cons of his options. "Clean two of the handguns I got and then I'll teach you," He replied before walking away.
Jack smiled and leaped off the tub-side. She turned and began filling the tub with hot water. She dropped her sand and blood covered boots in and ran downstairs to the living room to clean the handguns.
Jack sat on the floor of Imam's living room, cleaning the guns that Riddick had bought. "You're such a suck-up, Jack," she told herself.
Riddick walked into the room to see Jack cleaning his weapons. Jack was still in a zone, but not as bad as before. Riddick figured that cleaning the guns kept her mind off the bloodied mess she'd left behind at the arms dealer's house. He wondered why she was still idolising him, even though he was well prepared to leave her with the arms dealer without a second thought. Deep down, he admired her spirit and will to live. He took a few steps closer to Jack and she looked up. "Hi, Riddick," She said casually. The girl was hot and cold. Earlier she looked like she feared him, the next she's talking to him casually and following him around like a puppy. Something in her eyes reminded him of Caroline. She died saying that she'd die for the others, for him. Riddick was still contemplating why someone would die for someone like him. He was a scrap. He was like an insect that just wouldn't die, no matter what you throw at it. He hated being constantly on the run. He had no friends, no family. Even though this is what kept him alive, seeing the big goo-goo eyes of this fifteen year old girl made him wonder how different his life could have been. She was Riddick, if he didn't turn to a life of murder, crime and jail time. 'Why am I even humouring this girl with a shooting lesson anyway? Because she wants to be like me? Or is it because I like feeling like my skills are something to look up to and admire?'
He grunted in reply to Jack's greeting. "Come on," He said, extending his hand to her to help her up. "Grab the guns and some ammo."
Riddick had previously planned to walk with Jack to the outskirts of the city, but stealing a random person's rider seemed easier. He threw the unconscious man to the ground and got into the driver's seat of the four-wheeled, vehicle. Jack followed suit, still clutching the duffle bag with the two guns, and about 10 cans of processed food she'd stolen from Imam's kitchen. "Where are we going?" Jack asked as she got into the jeep-like vehicle.
"Far enough for no-one to hear the gunshots," Riddick replied.
Riddick leaned back against the dead tree as he watched Jack try to aim her pistol. "Use both hands," He instructed. Once he'd explained the basics, he'd left Jack to her own devices. He was happy that she was happy to practice on her own. Riddick had other things to think about. Namely, how to commandeer a ship and get off this hot and sandy rock that was New Mecca.
It was then that Riddick remembered back to the question that Jack asked him in the kitchen earlier that day. "You were serious about wanting to go with me when I leave here, weren't you?" Riddick asked, staring at her though his dark goggled. He'd removed his black cape because it was too hot and there was no-one around to spot him.
Jack turned around and smiled sheepishly at Riddick. "Maybe," She shrugged.
"Why?" He asked. Teenage girls were a new experience to Riddick and he found it difficult to read this girl.
"Because I want to be just like you," Jack smiled, returning to practicing her shooting.
"You want to be a killer? Forever on the run? The holy man has a nice quiet life set up for you here," Riddick explained. 'What do I care if she stays to have a nice quiet life?' Riddick thought to himself. 'But she does deserve a better life that I had no choice in living.'
"The quiet life sounds too boring," Jack explained. She aimed her handgun as best she could, fired it and missed her canned-food target. "Fuck!" She groaned as she missed for the eleventh time in a row.
"Stop thinking about it so much. Just point and shoot," Riddick explained calmly.
Jack rolled her eyes. "Easy for you to say," She groaned.
Riddick wanted to return to their previous conversation. "You're staying here with Imam," Riddick said.
Jack temporarily gave up on learning to shoot and turned around to glare at Riddick. "What!? Why?! No fuck'n way!!"
"You'll only slow me down," He explained. "You're too innocent to be following me around the galaxy."
Jack's jaw dropped. "Then why have you been testing me this whole time?"
This time it was Riddick's jaw that dropped. "I've been testing you?"
Jack nodded, wondering why Riddick was playing dumb. The only thing was, he wasn't playing dumb. He had no bloody idea what she was on about. "You've been training me to be just like you!" She explained, "Choking me, trying to rape me, teaching me how to walk though the crowd at the market, making me fend for myself against the arms dealer, teaching me to shoot.." Jack listed. "All this time I knew you were just training me to toughen up so that I can be ready when I left New Mecca with you."
Riddick felt like bursting into laughter. Jack was clearly delusional. But at the same time, everything she'd just said made perfect sense to him. 'Have I been training her without knowing it?'
Author's notes: ooh! That was a hard and long chapter to write! I had so many ideas and I didn't have the time to write them all in! I hope this chapter was a good read for ya'll! As I stated in my summary, I'm trying to keep Riddick in character. It could be so easy to domesticate him and have him hug Jack after she killed the guy, but seriously.. What would Riddick really do? I admit, I LOVE reading jack/riddick fics where shes all grown up and they get together.. but my story is my attempt to bridge the gap between PB and COR. I want to explain why Jack/Kira is one angry kitten in COR. As for Riddick, I've had requests for more of his 'tormented' humanity and I've tried to brush on that.. and I'll brush on it more in the next chapter. Seriously, I usually write 100 page stories.. but this is looking like a short one, folks. I reckon I'm already half-way.. :(