Author's notes: Wow! Long time no see, eh?? I've almost finished uni so I finally have all this time on my hands to resume my unfinished stories! And I'm determined to get them all finished! So I hope you, my fans, hath not forgotten me and my sexy story! Don't forget to review- Im hoping I still have the gift (so lemme know by reviewing!)

Ch5: If you can't hack it, then leave!

"If you still wanna be a merc, come find me in five or so years, kid," The merc said. "Maybe I'll take you on my team," He smirked as he began to walk away.

Jack realised she'd forgotten to find out who this man was, since he was making it known that he was looking for Riddick. "Hey!" Jack called out. The man turned around. "What's your name?" Jack asked, at least this way he might think she was wanting to really come looking for him, instead of wanting to warn Riddick.

The older man smiled, "Tombs."

Jack nodded at him and he continued his way down the dark alleyway and out onto the street. She waited for him to be completely out of sight before she sprinted back home. "I have to warn Riddick!"

Jack ran as fast as her skinny legs could take her. She didn't care this time if she woke anyone as she stormed into the house. "Riddick!!" Jack called out as she slammed the front door shut behind her and ran upstairs to his room. "Riddick!" she called out again, but no reply. The holy man came running out of his room to see what the ruckus was.

"Child!" He whispered forcefully, unsure if he too would be waking Riddick up. "What are you doing up at this early hour!?"

Jack continued running to Riddick's room, answering Imam's question at the same time. "There's a merc out there looking for Riddick! I have to warn him!" Just then, Jack reached Riddick's room. She stopped outside the door and realised it was ajar. 'Why would Riddick leave his door open?' Jack thought to herself. Jack pushed the door further open and her eyes widened when she saw that Riddick wasn't there. His goggles weren't perched on the chair next to the bed and the duffle bag was gone too.

Imam ran over to the room and stood behind Jack. He looked over her shoulder and also saw that Riddick was gone.

"He left?" Jack asked aloud. She was hurt and didn't know what to think. "Maybe he went out to get more supplies?" She didn't want to believe that he would leave New Mecca without her.

Imam put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'm sorry, child." He said soothingly. "He is not the type that works well with others."

Jack brushed off Imam and moved her shoulder away from his hand. "No! He hasn't left! He wouldn't leave without me!" She yelled. Jack dodged around the holy man and ran down the stairs, towards the front door. "I'm gonna go find him!"

"Child!" Imam called out but it was too late. Jack had already left, he front door swinging around with the desert wind outside.

--

Riddick stalked around the back of the docks. With a merc on his tail, he couldn't afford to be recognised when he was this close to taking a ship and leaving New Mecca. He kept his hood low, but high enough so that he could see where he was going and to keep an eye on the people walking around the docks.

Even though it was still dark, the spotlights surrounding the docks made everything as bright as daylight. Riddick slipped on his dark goggles and stalked around each ship, careful to not be noticed. Other than refeulers, and the odd maintenance worker, the only civilians walking around the docks were the odd pilot or two. Riddick saw one standing outside his large merchant ship, having a smoke. His deep blue cape and perfectly groomed hair showed that this guy had money, and power. Riddick took a look at the ship that the merchant was leaning back on as he smoked. It would definitely grab more attention than the one-man merc ship that, no doubt, belonged to Tombs.

The large ship was definitely big enough to have a couple of dorm rooms, along with a kitchen and a large loading bay. Not to mention rich merchants always had the latest technology in their cockpits. The man had no idea that if Riddick wanted to, he'd be dead on the floor within seconds. Lucky for the merchant, Riddick had his eyes on the smaller ship. Riddick stepped back into the shadows and walked around the back of the ship to get to Tomb's ship.

He was almost there. It was almost over. Riddick would be off this rock and free again in no time. He had all his ammo and weapons in his back pack. It was then that Riddick realised that he only had a small stash of food in the backpack, as the two large bags were left at Imam's house. For the price of freedom, Riddick was willing to forgo food for a day or two. His eyes were fixated on the one-man ship. All he could think of was the idea of freedom again. No more slams and nothing but sandy beaches. While he watched the ship get closer and closer, Riddick forgot all about Jack and her pleas for him to take her with him.

As he walked closer to the ship, steps away from boarding it, he heard a familiar voice.

"Let me go!"

Riddick turned to see where the voice was coming from. That's when he caught sight of her, and realised he missed his opportunity to leave New Mecca. "Shit!"

--

Jack had always been a long distance runner. After running out of Imam's house, she ran hard and fast towards the market. She wasn't sure where Riddick had gone, so she guessed. She'd used up some of his ammo, so she ran towards the market. The 'night time' market where she had killed the arms dealer was just beyond the usual market.

Jack could see the horizon was filled with pink and red streaks. The sun would rise soon. She could see she was getting closer to the market where she'd originally stolen money from the random man. The impending sunrise made it easier for Jack to see where she was going. As she neared that the market she noticed shop keepers were slowly opening up to be ready for the morning rush.

Jack stopped as she reached the centre of the market to catch her breath. She took the time to look around. No sign of Riddick. Then again, Riddick wouldn't be walking around the marketplace when it wasn't even open. Jack tried to figure out where he could have gone. She looked down the path, beyond the marketplace. She could see the bright spotlights of the docks. "Of course!" she said to herself as she began to run again.

Jack was surprised when she saw Riddick had left his room without her knowing. But it wasn't until she saw the lights of the docks that she felt like Riddick was really leaving without her. She couldn't let that happen. She wanted to go with him and she urged her skinny legs to get her there faster. It didn't take Jack long to get to the docks. She could hear the sounds of the refuelling trucks and maintenance works as she got closer. She scanned the area for Riddick. "Of course he's going to be hiding in the shadows.."

Jack tried her hardest to think like Riddick. Where would she hide if she were him? What would he be looking at? A ship to steal, of course! She checked out the ships in the docks. After studying the ships in the bays, Jack saw a tiny, one-manned merc ship at the end of the docks. "Bingo!" She said to herself, running towards it. She ran towards the ship, with only the ship in her sights. A stupid mistake on Jack's part was having only the merc ship in her view. Jack didn't even notice the rich merchant that was having a smoke outside his ship. Jack didn't even notice that he was watching her head towards him. Jack didn't even notice that the merchant was the same man that she'd stolen money from only yesterday.

Jack was so worried about Riddick leaving without her, she didn't see the large arm reaching out and grabbing her wrist as she ran past him. She turned in shock to see who had grabbed her, half expecting to see Riddick staring back at her. Unfortunately for Jack, the angry man staring back at her was definitely not Riddick.

"YOU!" The merchant yelled, grabbing Jack on both arms.

Jack's eyes widened in fear, realising exactly who he was. Her arms were being squeezed by the merchant. "Let go of me!" Jack yelled.

The merchant grinned at how he had her so scared and defenceless. "Not until I get my money back! And I'm going to get it back, one way or another!" He yelled, dragging Jack into the shadows behind his ship.

"Get off me!" Jack screamed as she couldn't stop herself from being dragged into the darkness. The merchant shoved her against the metal of the ship's hull, hard; enough to make her groan as her head banged against the ship. Her cheek was pressed against the cold metal and her right arm was being twisted behind her back. Jack wasn't sure what he was planning to do, but she knew it couldn't be good!

The merchant laughed at her attempts to escape his grasp failed. "Get off me, fat head!" Jack squealed. The merchant twisted her arm further and Jack couldn't stop herself from screaming out in pain. She could feel the merchant leaning in against her, his hot breath on her neck. Jack had some idea of what he was planning and it scared her. She closed her eyes, praying for it all to stop. She almost didn't believe it when she heard the sound something crack and felt the merchant's grip on her loosen suddenly.

Jack turned around and saw the merchant on the ground, cupping the side of his face, and Riddick standing above him, rubbing his knuckles. "Riddick!" Jack called out excitedly.

"Your fat head hurt my knuckles," Riddick joked in his deep, gruff voice.

Hearing what Jack had just called out, the merchant's eyes widened in fear. "You're.. You're the one they've been looking for!" He yelped as he tried to back away.

Riddick looked down at the beaten man. He was cupping his cheek with one hand, and trying to crawl away with the other hand. Riddick then looked over at Jack. "Kill him, Jack."

Jack wasn't expecting Riddick to say that. "What?"

Riddick saw that the merchant was stumbling to his feet. So he walked over and grabbed the man by the back of the neck, forcing the man to sit down. "I said kill him," Riddick repeated in all seriousness.

Jack knew this was Riddick's way of testing her. "H.. How..?" Jack said, taking a step back.

Riddick tightened his grip on the squirming man's neck to stop him. "I don't care. Just do it!" He growled at her, noticing her reluctance. "You want to prove to me that you can hack it if I take you with me? This is how!"

Jack realised that Riddick was right. "Hand me your gun?" She asked nervously, holding out her hand.

Riddick handed her the handgun from his side and took a step back from the merchant. He watched as she aimed the gun at the Merchant's head. "Please!" The merchant pleaded, "I have a family.."

Jack's hand began to shake. "I.. I.." She stammered, unsure what to say to the man sitting on the ground in front of her.

Riddick crossed his arms. "Don't think about it. Just do it."

Jack gulped and tried to muster up what strength she could to do this. Her index finger rested on the trigger. All she had to do was squeeze it... That was all she had to do.. If she just squeezed the trigger she could prove to Riddick that she could go with him... If she just pulled that blasted trigger!

Riddick huffed in frustration. "What's taking so long, Jack?" He said, trying to keep his anger down.

Jack didn't notice it before, but her hands were shaking and she now needed both hands to hold the gun. "I.. I don't know.." Jack stuttered.

By now a minute or so had passed and even the merchant was realising that Jack wasn't prepared to pull the trigger. He had started to inch away, slowly, totally forgetting that Riddick was there behind him, waiting impatiently for Jack.

Riddick groaned, knowing full well what was happening. Jack was too chicken-shit to pull the trigger and the merchant was trying to get away. He uncrossed his bulky arms and stalked over to the merchant. In one fluid motion, Riddick walked up behind the merchant, placed his hands around the man's face and turned said head until a loud 'crack' could be heard. Riddick had a dark look in his silver eyes. Jack had seen it in his eyes before. It was the look of a man who had seen murder (and worse) many times before. He and Jack looked down at the limp body of the merchant on the ground between them. His wide eyes seemed fixed and frozen on Jack. It chilled her to the core to have a dead man staring at her. Is this what Riddick lived and saw everyday?

After a moment, Riddick and Jack both looked up from the body and looked at each other. Riddick was mad.. real mad! "You're useless."

Jack felt tears well up in her eyes. "I'm not useless!" Hearing this brought up memories of things her father used to say to her. And Jack did not like that. Not one bit.

Riddick snorted at her comment. "Clearly you're not as hardcore as you think. Go back to the holy man's house and live your life. I'm through with you," Riddick growled as he began to walk off.

But Riddick stopped in his tracks when Jack replied forcefully, "Just because I couldn't kill a guy with a gun? I killed a man yesterday! And I bet it was bloodier than the kills you usually cause!"

Riddick laughed, his gruff voice boomed. "We're not playing 'Who's the better killer'. You killed out of self-defence. And we just found out that you can't kill anyone in cold blood. This lesson just showed both of us that I don't need you."

"Well maybe I need you!" Jack yelled out, cupping her mouth in shock when she realised she'd said it.

Riddick snorted. "That's been obvious from the beginning.." Riddick began to walk off but then something out in the docks caught his eye. "Shit!" Riddick growled under his breath as he walked past Jack, looking out at the docks, standing just inside the shadows of the ship. He saw Jack in the corner of his eye, as she had walked over towards him to see what had caught his attention.

"Tombs!" Jack gasped a little too loudly. Riddick, always quick on his feet, wrapped his arm around her waist from behind. He pulled his other arm around her to cover her mouth, while he swiftly pulled her up against his body and pulled her closer into the darkness. Riddick was now leaning back, onto the merchant's ship, with Jack's back pressed firmly against his stomach.

Jack didn't have time to register what he was doing. She was too busy concentrating on The merc heading towards them. She could feel her body moving slowly forwards and back, in time with the rise and fall of Riddick's large chest. When she realised the position Riddick held her in, she forgot all about Tombs and concentrated on what Riddick was doing. He had pulled her off the ground, his strong arm wrapped firmly around her waist, with no sign of letting go. She tried to wriggle free, completely aware of how her teenage hormones were reacting to the feeling of being pressed up against Riddick. Her wriggling was unsuccessful as Riddick only tightened his hold on her. His hand that was placed around her mouth pulled her head back until her head was leaning back on his shoulder. The sudden manoeuvre was Riddick's way of telling her to 'shut up'. When she saw Tombs walking past the dark corridor they were hiding in, she put two and two together. They needed to stay quiet; stay hidden in the shadows until Tombs walked past them in the well-lit docking area.

When Tombs was out of earshot, Riddick loosened his hold on Jack. He didn't say anything as she swiftly turned to look at him with a scowl on her face. "That wasn't necessary, you know!" She growled, trying not to raise her voice so they wouldn't be discovered.

Riddick lowered himself until he was looking directly into her angry eyes. "Like I said, you're useless," he said, realising that he needed her to stay away from him if he was going to be able to escape from the planet unnoticed. She'd just proven to him that she was a liability. He then looked around the corner and Jack followed his line of sight. Tombs was walking right up to his one-man ship. He stretched his arms out and let out a loud yawn. It was obvious he was planning on going to sleep.

Jack let out a relieved sigh. Tombs wasn't going anywhere but to bed. He was most likely out all night trying to find Riddick. Riddick glared at Jack for a moment and then began to walk further into the shadows, around the back of the docks without her. "Hey!" Jack called out into the darkness where Riddick disappeared into. "Where are you going?"

For a second there, Jack thought that Riddick had left. But then she heard his deep growl, "To wait for Tombs to leave his ship."

Jack smiled at the darkness. Riddick wasn't going anywhere.. yet. "Can I help?"

Jack heard a deep chuckle from the darkness. Then Riddick suddenly appeared in front of Jack, walking up to her. "I thought we discussed how useless you are.." He said calmly. He walked up to her and crossed his arms. He cocked his head to the side and looked down at Jack. "Unless you're planning on helping me with something else..?" He asked, the suggestive tone in his voice not missed by Jack.

Jack tried to ignore Riddick's comment. She got freaked out the first time he tried to make a move on her, and then since then she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him in a sexual way. She didn't want Riddick to sense this from her so she tried to act as calm and cool as she could. "This isn't the time for jokes like that," she said calmly, hoping this would show Riddick how strong she was because she wasn't freaking out at his comment.

Riddick uncrossed his arms and walked over to Jack. Without realising it, she walked backwards, keeping a short distance between Riddick and herself, as if they were like two magnets of opposite polarities. The only problem was, Jack had backed herself into the outer wall of the merchant's ship, and Riddick was still walking towards her. "Well, we said you're no good at killing," Riddick replied. He stopped walking towards her when he was a foot away. He slammed the palm of his right hand against the ship, next to Jack's head. "So then what else would I find you useful for?" He asked suggestively again, leaning in close to her face. Jack couldn't see into his silver eyes, as he had his goggles on. She felt her heart beating a mile a minute and she really wasn't sure if he'd try grab her again. If he did, she was going to be prepared.

He was testing her. And she intended to pass with flying colours.

Jack smiled sweetly at Riddick. She then slowly raised her hands up to his face and then slid his goggles down with equal slowness, resting them against his exposed collarbone. Riddick raised an eyebrow at her actions. She felt his body move slightly closer to hers, still not touching.

Jack was testing him in a completely different way. Riddick was playing her psychologically, Jack was testing him physically.

"I'll make you a deal.." Jack said, changing the direction of their conversation. Riddick didn't move. His mind was still on the physical half of the conversation. He had a point. If Jack couldn't kill, there's only one other reason why he'd want a young female on board with him? This is where Jack needed to prove herself.

Riddick growled under his breath and leaned in closer. She could feel his hot breath on her neck. "What sort of deal?" He growled.

Jack needed to change his mind, and fast. Riddick had a good argument, which he would no doubt use to justify his sudden 'need' for a female sidekick. He was, after all, an extremely dangerous criminal who spent half his life in a slammer. She knew he could take whatever he wanted, when he wanted. "I'll make you a deal.." She repeated again. "If I can kill Tombs, you take me with you."

Riddick seemed to have frozen in his place. His breathing stopped for a moment, before she felt it on her neck once again. Then, just as Jack had expected, Riddick pulled away from her. He stood up straight once again and crossed his arms. He was staring at her, summing up the benefits and losses of this deal. Jack was getting impatient, and paranoid, as he looked her up and down, his internal dialogue readable on his face. He was determining what benefits he could have if he kept her.

"Do we have a deal or not?!" Jack asked, making sure her voice was stern and strong as she pulled her shoulders back and straightened up like a soldier.

Riddick smirked. "We have a deal."

--

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