Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Black, Riddick, or Harry Potter. I do however, own all of the HP books kin various incarnations, and have seen all of the movies for both series… so I do know what I'm doing, though they come and go as they please.
A/N: Y'all are so lucky I got almost all of my muses back with the addition of my portable writing device which is not a notebook. You get blessed with more of my writing (unless it's not a blessing, in which case I apologize but will continue regardless)! This is a first for me, writing one chapter immediately after posting one. If this is within the same 24 hour period, you should feel doubly blessed, because that means I'm inspired and am enjoying my work.
Also to Curious Reader, no, that's not a stab at other RiddickHarry fics out there, and I wasn't intending to be rude. I had a friend read the rough draft of the copy before I'd completely typed all the extras like the warnings and such, and she commented that she liked that Riddick's personality hadn't changed in his interactions with Harry, which I was going for, and was also something I'd done in a previous incarnation of the story. Those were her words not mine, and I'm sorry if I offended you, but that's honestly the way I feel as well, though it is not directed to any of the fics that I have read, since the OOC displayed in them was in character for either the relationship conveyed or the storyline used. Again, I apologise.
Also to JDMidnight, thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad he hasn't changed too much beyond maturity, which is another mistake I've made before, changing him too much when I wasn't going for that feel. I am just trying to keep realistic to both mens' behavior and emotional states, though in this chapter, Harry might show himself off as a little crasy, but that might just be what Riddick sees.
And also thanks to the other reviewers, and hopefully those of you that read the first chapter oh so long ago haven't completely abandoned me, even though I kind of deserve it for letting this lapse so far.
Warnings: WILL BE SLASH. Also, Riddick is not a sniveling little romancer around Harry, and Harry is slightly OOC, though after having lived so long, don't you think you'd have changed a bit, too? Mature themes, violence, swearing, and some sex scenes (clearly marked, as the violence will be, for the squicked or faint of heart). Oh yeah, it's also slightly AU as to Riddick's history, being that he was in Ursa Minor before working for the Company.
Pairing: Harry/Riddick
Summary: If you could live forever, what would you live for? The question was asked of Harry when he was younger, much younger, and he might have found the answer. Question is, can he protect those he loves? And how will his relationship with the convict Riddick change the events that take place?
Chapter 3
Riddick's POV
He followed Har-Orion outside, wincing even through the heavy welders' goggles as the sunlight once again hit his eyes. He adjusted quickly however, and submitted quietly to dragging supplies to the settlement, where he knew more labor would be required of him. But Orion was here, and that made everything different, didn't it?
He heard the woman, Shezza, whining to Johns about 'clicking his fingers and suddenly he's one of us', and smiled, even if no one else was paying attention. The woman was smart, even through her grief, which made her interesting. Interesting things were not to be trifled with; Orion had proved that on more than one occasion. He was thirsty, though, even though he had adjusted quickly to the lighter atmosphere of the desert planet. His silent wish was answered when a nearly full bottle fell from the rat-one's bag.
"Paris P. Oglevie, antiquities dealer, entrepreneur," the man stammered when he had backtracked to retrieve the bottle, only to be faced with Riddick. At the innocuous greeting and outstretched hand, Riddick grinned, a genuine grin; this man was amusing. He shook the hand, darkly delighted that at least someone had some sort of manners on this forsaken rock. He mentally shot the finger at Orion, once he realized that the thought had come from the older man.
"Richard B. Riddick, escaped convict, murderer." He was amused by the fear that flashed in the man's eyes, and also by the soft laughter that echoed in his mind. He took the top off of the bottle and tipped it to his mouth, draining the entire thing in one go, ignoring the half-hearted protests from the other man. This man wasn't really interesting, nothing he hadn't seen before, but this kill wasn't his. There was no need of his for this man to die, or indeed any of them but Johns. He hadn't even planned to kill Zeke; just scare him a bit and get his rebreather.
Once Paris had escaped him and turned tail back to the rest of the group, he resumed carrying the supplies, quite aware that he had probably just screwed himself by drinking that much alcohol on an empty stomach; even with his body's abilities, some things just happened. He felt something in his stomach, and the beginnings of the dizzy feeling he associated with strong spirits disappeared, gone as if it had never been, and his slight dehydration disappeared. As did his persistent feeling of not having enough air. He sent a wave of thanks Orion's way, knowing that that was the source.
Orion was being careful to stay away from him, and while a part of Riddick was annoyed, the analytical part of his mind understood. Underestimation was the best weapon. He also noticed Harry keeping a closer eye on all of the children, and so he did the same, though he had to be careful that it not be misconstrued as undue attention from a murderer. When they got to the town and he'd dropped his load, he went exploring, ostensibly to find more supplies to repair the wings, but also to figure out what had happened.
This place had been seemingly abandoned by its people some time before, but he'd heard the children exclaiming over an old toy found in the sands, and the evidence of hasty departure was everywhere. Only they hadn't gotten anywhere. The ship had been prepped, but never used. He felt Jack and one of the Arab boys following him, and he smiled to himself as he approached the coring room, noticing the dropped gauges and broken glasses near the entrance. He tried the doors, but they were secured from the inside, and a picture began to piece itself together in his head, of a group of people so frightened that they gathered only themselves and what food they could easily carry and locked themselves into a building. But why? Why would they do that if their ship was ready and waiting?
Johns interrupted his musings by calling for him like he was a pet. Irked, he yanked the cloth covering the solar power-couplings, revealing Jack. But the boy wasn't with her, and so he looked around, sniffing gently at the air, trying to find the boy's scent.
'I've got him,' Orion whispered into his mind, and he watched as the smaller man, almost shorter than the 'Captain', came around the corner of the building with the guilty looking child following closely. The four of them went back to the building the others were using as the headquarters, Orion laughing gently at Jack, who'd cut her hair close to the scalp, in imitation of Riddick himself, and pieced together a pair of goggles. When they entered, the others looked at her strangely, and Paris said something about her winning the 'look-alike contest.'
Darkly amused, Riddick listened with half an ear to the conversation that had been interrupted at their entrance. Orion joined in gleefully after passing him a glass of water, not taking one for himself. Riddick knew that the man really didn't need anything in the way of sustenance, but was surprised that he was so obviously stating that fact. The only one to pick up on it, however, was Johns, crafty motherfucker that he was.
"These people didn't leave," he interjected, when Shezza suggested a drop-ship as the geologists' way of getting off the planet. "Whoever got Zeke got them. They're all dead." He noticed Orion nodding in agreement out of the corner of his eye, but only pulled the goggles back down over his eyes; the sun was hurting them, and the kids were looking a bit too interested in the shine. "Come on, you don't believe these people left their clothes on hooks, photos on the shelves."
"Maybe they had weight limits," Shezza cut in. "You don't know."
"I know you don't prep your emergency ship unless there's a fuckin' emergency."
"He's fuckin' right," Jack said, earning her a slap on the back of the head from Orion.
"Watch your mouth," he warned both of them, and Riddick just put his hands up in surrender.
"He's just saying what we're all thinking," Carolyn said, standing up. "We need more information." Riddick's ears would have perked, if they were built for the ability. The oldest boy, Sulieman, had quietly slipped out a side door while he'd been speaking, and was gone.
'Coring Room,' Orion's sinuous mental whisper said, wrapping around his senses like a coiled viper.
"Where is Sulieman?" Imam said suddenly; he'd stayed out of the conversation for the most part, but had finally noticed that one of his sons was missing.
"Has anyone checked the Coring Room?" Riddick asked, heart heavy. He'd seen Ali, the little one, describing the opening he'd found before getting caught by Orion, had even understood most of what had been said. He doubted the boy would be alive when they arrived, but there was always a chance.
'Definite chance, love. Definite,' Orion said, before disappearing from sight by moving into the shadows. When they reached the Coring Room and Johns shot off whatever was locking it from the inside, the terrified scream of the boy was heard, followed by animalistic shrieking and silibant hissing. Sobbing started, and when they got the doors open, Orion was holding the frightened teenager, rocking him back and forth, murmuring something in Arabic in a soothing voice. Whatever had frightened the child was gone, and so they moved inside, only to be bombarded by a cloud of small creatures that shrieked in pain at the light before rushing as if one entity down the dark tunnel that took up the center of the room.
Orion passed the boy off to his father and moved over to Riddick, no longer being careful. True danger had come, and had been seen by everyone, not just heard by two people no one trusted. Riddick placed a hand on his arm before moving away; now was not the time. Johns dropped a flare down the hole, and everyone looked to Riddick to explain, which he thought was amusing, but he obliged, with no help from Harry; this was simple strategy, nothing he couldn't figure out on his own.
"Other buildings weren't secure," he said, staring down at the pile of bones at the bottom of the hole. "So they ran here, heaviest doors, thought they'd be safe. But they forgot to lock the cellar." Orion visibly stifled a laugh at his words, and he found himself suppressing a smile. It was funny, in a macabre kind of way, even if no one else saw the humor.
"Whatever the hell those things were," Johns said, trying to reassert what pitiful control he'd managed to keep, "they seem to stick to the dark, so as long as we stay in the light, we'll be okay. Alright?" No one was listening to him at this point, however, because Carolyn had just made an important discovery for the group as a whole.
"22 years. These coring samples are dated 22 years ago this month."
"And that's important?" Orion asked lazily, obviously leading her to her answer.
"Maybe…" She suddenly took off for another building, where a child-like model of the solar system was slowly revolving. Started to turn it herself, making it go faster and faster, until it reached 22 years. When it reached that number, the planets aligned in such a way around the second in the system that all three suns were eclipsed, and even when Carolyn moved the model further in time, the eclipse lasted. She stopped turning it after what would be maybe 3 months, and looked around to all of them.
"You're not afraid of the dark are you?" Riddick asked prosaically. Orion did laugh then, and so did the children, though he knew for the latter it was a nervous lack of true understanding, rather than genuine amusement. No one else uttered a word for a few moments, nor made a sound. Once the nervous (and not so nervous) laughter subsided, Carolyn stood and made her way out of the building.
Riddick ignored the conversation to come; it was all about what supplies and things needed to be made ready before the eclipse came, which could be days, weeks, or even hours from now. His new priority was his hair. It was itching and longer than he'd worn it in a long time, and he needed to do something about it. He knew he could just ask Orion, but he had a plan to unnerve a few people, namely Johns, and he knew just how to do it.
He created a shiv out of an extra bit of metal that had absolutely no purpose, and covered his head in discarded engine grease, waiting for Johns to finish whatever he was doing on the ship with Carolyn. It was nearly time for his next dose, and Riddick wanted to be the one that saw the effects, so that the merc knew that his weakness wasn't as secret as he'd supposed it to be, and based on prior knowledge of Riddick, the man would draw the correct conclusion; Riddick would use this to his advantage in any way he could.
Riddick's plans were more far-reaching than even Johns knew, however, especially now that Orion was in the picture. He calmly began to shave as he heard Johns' heavy boots clang on the ship's ramp. He listened intently, and pounced when Johns dry-heaved onto the ground next to the ship.
"Bad sign, shakin' like that in this heat," he remarked, all the while calmly running the sharp blade over his scalp.
"I thought I said no shivs." Johns said unsteadily, and Riddick, even though he wasn't looking, knew what he'd see if he did. The man was swaying on his feet, pupils dilating and contracting wildly, and he was falling into either withdrawals or intense pain.
"This?" he asked, holding up the scrap. "This is just a personal grooming appliance." And he continued to shave, smiling wryly at his own joke, and laughing internally at an image sent from Harry of an insane barber standing behind a chair, bloody blade just having given his client an ear-to-ear, permanent, grin. Johns was too far gone to make much comment, and quickly disappeared to an out of the way place. Riddick felt Orion ghost past him and followed his mate onto the ship, making it just before the ramp pulled up, leaving the two of them alone with Carolyn, who was doing systems checks with what little power there was.
"You're a little light on power, Carolyn," Orion started, and they both were pleased when she jumped as she was meant to.
"They're coming," she murmured quietly, eyes wide as she took in both of them. Perhaps she had just realized how very dangerous and precarious her situation was.
"It's strange, not doing a run-up on the main drive, yet," Riddick said, and allowed a smirk to cross his face as he continued. "Unless Johns told you the particulars on my escape."
"I got the quick and ugly version," she said shakily as she finished rising from her chair, the fear in her eyes plain at being closed in with them, since she couldn't open the ramp until the hull integrity test had run its course. Riddick was impressed, though, when she turned the console that he could easily see off; that took some guts.
"Now, you're worried about a repeat of history," Orion said with a dark grin.
"It has entered our minds," she said quietly, moving slightly into what Riddick realized was a defensive posture. He knew she was smart, and she just continued to prove it at every turn, excepting her attempted murder of the entirety of the passengers.
"I asked what you thought," he purred, stepping closer to her, cutting off what meager room she had. She barely flinched, which was a point to her, but her eyes widened enough that he became more amused.
"You scare me, that's what you want to hear, isn't it?" she said, and Riddick knew that Orion's grin, like his own, had grown at her statement. It wasn't so much that he wanted her to be afraid, he just wanted to know that her brain was actually working, to see if she would listen to what they had to say. "Now can I just get back to work?" She showed extreme bravery by turning her back to them, but it also showed that she was thinking; she knew that as long as she was needed, she was safe, and she might even have known that as long as she was amusing, she would be saved. Riddick neither knew nor cared which.
"I've been meaning to catch up with you alone, unrestrained," he said, his grin dying away as if it had never been. He felt Orion shift behind him and felt a grim satisfaction that he had been able to hide even part of his plan from the other man. He ignored the action though and moved closer into her space, knowing that he was enticing her; he knew that he was attractive, but he hoped that Orion knew where his loyalties laid, and that he was willing to use any weapon to get what he wanted. And right now he wanted her thinking, aware that something wasn't quite right with the 'cop.'
"You think, you think Johns is a do-right man? You think I can trust him to cut me loose?"
"Why? What'd you hear?" He heard the catch in her voice, this time not from fear but a vague arousal at his closeness and the tenseness of the situation. Orion shifted behind him again, and he threw a hand out behind him, unnoticed by the woman, begging him in his mind to stay out of it for just a little longer, to let him do this, that everything would work out.
"Well, I guess if he was being tricksy, he'd just 'X' me out. He'd kill me." He could almost feel her body tremble, he was so close to her. Orion's urgings to hurry up were annoying though, so he growled in his mind, and the other man backed off slightly, physically and mentally. "Then again," he continued, "I am worth twice as much alive." When she froze, he pretended ignorance.
"Oh, you didn't know that? Your Johns ain't a cop," he purred, leaning in closer. "He's got that nickel-slick badge, and that blue uniform, but he's just a merc." He pulled completely out of her space, shocking her again. "And I'm just a payday. That's why he won't kill me, see? The creed is gree-"
"Don't," she cut him off. "Waste my time." He could hear the quaver in her voice, smell the fear and sexual frustration that came off her in waves, and was surprised at her ability to remain calm, and he respected her just a little more, in that moment, than he would have otherwise. "We're not gonna turn on each other, no matter how hard you try." She went back to her seat to finish her tests, leaving him holding onto the pipes and wires overhead, smirking slightly in the half-darkness of the skiff.
Orion stepped up then, past him, and leaned on the back of her chair, surprising her with his silent movements. "I don't know what's going to happen when the lights go out, Carolyn," he said in a soothing tone, and Riddick wanted to laugh. If anyone on this rock knew anything, it was Orion, only he was prone to hold his hand closer to his chest than even Riddick. "But I do know that once the dying starts, this little family of ours is going to rip itself apart." She dropped her arm from the switches she was flipping, and Orion turned, motioning Riddick ahead of him. The tests were almost done, after all.
Riddick had one last bit of knowledge for Carolyn to chew on, and so he stopped halfway down the ship and said without turning, "Ever wonder why Johns shakes like that? Ask him, see what he says. Ask him why your little crew-pal had to scream so painfully before he died." He could feel her eyes on him, and smirked into the darkness he was facing before the hull opened and they stepped out of the ship and into the full light of day, which was somehow dimmer. Riddick had the feeling that that eclipse was happening sooner rather than later, which meant that he had work to do.
A/N2: Again, not much has changed, but it's enough that none of the children have died yet, right? Next chapter will be in Harry's view again, and if anyone has a problem with Riddick thinking of him as Orion, keep in mind that they haven't seen each other in 5 years, and Harry probably went by another first name sometime in the past as well, so it wouldn't be weird for Riddick to think that this is Harry's new name, the one he's taken up to escape something, or even just because he felt like it.
Again, reviews are the delicious candy that I only allow myself at certain times, so could you help me stock up so I can keep to my schedule of injections?
-Ta!