PART 3
Kyra was making her way home as the night started to fall. She picked up her pace and silently chastised herself for letting time slip by. She should know better than that. She had Riddick with her, but she wanted get home and fast. She was over at her only friend's house trying to pretend nothing was different but she knew it would be the last time they saw each other.
Kyra was tempted to break out in a run but she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself. If you show fear, then you appear weak, if you're weak, then you're a target. Kill or be killed, survival of the fittest and all that shit. Shit, I'm so fucked. Riddick was on full alert; she was almost there, just a few more blocks.
Why and I seeing stars? She wondered absently a second before a blinding pain shot through her head. FuckShe hit the ground hard and heard Riddick's growl and bark. He got a hold of at least one person, she could tell by his snarling, and then she heard his cry of pain.
"Nooo!" She cried and tried to see him, to see if he was ok. There were three merc's surrounding her with guns pointed at her head, she recognized one and tasted the bile in the back of her throat at the sight of him.
"Hello, there sweet cheeks. Thought you lost me didn't you? You and that bitch you're traveling with. Don't try to deny it; I know you're traveling with someone. I don't know what her story is, but I'll find out who she is when I'm done with you.
"You killed one of my men, no great loss but the way I see it, you owe me big time. That little payday on your head is going to help my retirement real nice." Toombs told her before he licked the side of her face.
"What payday you piece of shit?" Kyra shot back. She refused to go down without a fight. She didn't know of any price on her head. They checked every few months and over the last year there had been nothing.
"The one that I had sworn out on you. Oh yeah, you grew up nice, no more pretending to be a boy for you. Took me a year to finally find you. Jonas Three, what a shit hole. Perfect place for a little whore like yourself. Can't believe it took me this long to think of it." Toombs mused aloud.
"I see the big man never came back for you. Too bad really, would have been nice to cash in on his ass too. But nine hundred K isn't bad. Guess where your merc killin' ass is going, Crematoria. You're in the big leagues now sweetheart and what I'm gonna do to you will be merciful to what you got coming there."
Tracy heard Riddick's snarl and felt her blood run cold. This can't be happening, not already. Kyra! She ran and stopped short at the sight a block away. Kyra was on the ground, her hands cuffed behind her as a big, dark haired man had his knee in her back. Toombs.
"…Guess where yourmerc killin' ass is going, Crematoria. You're in the big leagues now sweetheart and what I've done to you will be merciful to what you got coming."
Kyra seemed to sense her and looked in her directions. Tracy could easily read her face, Find him. He's the only one that can get me out of this. It seemed to say.
Tracy nodded and ducked behind the building before they saw her. She knew she couldn't do anything to help Kyra. It was three to one and they were huge and heavily armed.
Crematoria, shit girl, you know how to get your ass in trouble don't you. It'll take'em three weeks to get there. Riddick's closer or at least I think he is. She could hear Riddick the dog growling and willed him to shut up. She knew if he made one more try for them, they would kill him for sure and that would break Kyra's heart and cause her to fight back and that might just get her killed. Even with almost a mil bounty.
The dog wasn't in any shape to walk, let alone attack but he would try anything to save his Kyra. Tracy heard the voices drift off and the sudden strained silence that fell along with the night. Everyone was in their homes, minding their own business, pretending that nothing was going on outside. Curtin's drawn and doors locked. They wouldn't risk their neck for another person. Not here, they'd most likely end up in shackles right beside her.
The only sound she could hear now was Riddick's labored breathing. She peeked around the building and saw it was all clear. Tracy ran over to him and assessed his conduction. He had a nasty cut all along his side where he got shived. He was bleeding and in pain and ready to snap her arm off if she moved the wrong way.
"Easy boy. We'll get her back and she'll want you there. Let's get you cleaned up." Tracy somehow managed to help lift him to his feet, though she's not sure how. He was massive, well over one hundred pounds, closer to a buck fifty. They made their way home as fast as they possibly could with him injured.
Tracy quickly bandaged him up and called the spaceport as she worked. "I need to know how to get in touch with a ship in another system."
"Well, first you have to make a video. Then we send it over our communication lines." The moron on the line told her.
"How long will it take?"
"Well… it depends on how far. It can take up to a week."Fuck! We don't have a week. "What about just a typed message? No video? Is that any faster?"
"Well, yes. Being there is no vid, we can just kinda buzz it along, usually gets there in an hour or two.""Can it go straight to the ship or does it have to go through a dispatch?" Tracy didn't want anyone else to see her message. It was for Riddick's eyes only.
"Depends on if the ship is there or not."
"Can you check for me?" She heard a deep sigh. Fuck buddy, I'm making you do your job. What a bitch. She sneered to herself.
"What's the name of the system and the ship?" the man asked with an aspirated sigh.
She bit down her annoyance and answered him through clenched teeth. "Brown Recluse and it is in the Avalon system."
"Looks like ETA is 3 hours. Want to send a message or what?"
"Yeah, I'll be by in a half hour, and have my ship ready.""Can't wait." He drawled.
Asshole. She thought as she hung up the phone. Tracy needed to think. Ok, she needed to come up with a way to tell Riddick what the problem was without blowing his cover. He was going by the name Tim Johnson, like that was believable.
Please, everyone pretty much knew he was Riddick but no one had the balls to say so aloud and have their throat slit. So they just let it go and played along. It would take someone with some major stones to blow Riddick's cover, or perhaps a death wish.
Brown Recluse
Check Merc's recent scores
Contact me in two hours
Bird-of-Paradise
Code: 54683AT19Q3
"Shit Riddick, I don't know what to say to him. He isn't going to trust me, has no fucking idea who I am. I have a feeling I'm going to end up with a price on my head when this is all over. Shit! This really sucks." Tracy finished gathering all their stuff; for girls they traveled light, easier to cut fence and run when necessary. It was the dog that posed the problem, not like he could use the toilet, gurr. Men, more trouble than their worth.
She and Riddick the dog made it to the Bird-of-Paradise thirty minutes later and settled in. She requested lift off and had the dispatch forward her message to Riddick's ship. She couldn't just send it to him herself, she didn't have his code so she had to have that lackey do it and hope he didn't fuck it up.
-
Aboard the Brown Recluse
Riddick sat back in his chair and rubbed his aching eyes. He was tired and sick of running. Almost eight fucking years straight he'd been at it, the only break was T2 and oh what fucking fun that was. Well there was the short time after in New Mecca with Imam and Jack.
Jack. Almost eighteen now Jack, wonder how you're doing? Bet you're all grown up now, probably got yourself some fuck of a boyfriend. Better not touch you; I'll slice his fuckin' throat.
What they hell you talking about Riddick. You got no say in what she does, she ain't yours.
The fuck she ain't.
Right asshole, you haven't seen her in five years, she's forgotten all about your piece of shit ass.
For the last few years, he'd been hopping from planet to planet and system to system, just enough time for a quick fuck and some real food and supplies. Other than that, he'd been stuck in this fucking ship, going nowhere, running out of money, out of time and out of patience. He was sick to death of the fucking merc's and if he really wanted to piss himself off, he'd admit that he was getting lonely.
He missed Jack and the peace she brought him. At the age of thirteen she saw him as no one else ever has. She saw him as a man and not a monster and for that he would always be grateful. How did he repay her? He left her the first chance he got even though he knew it would crush her. Richard B. Riddick was not a homebody. He wasn't some guy to sit back and play house. Get a real job? He shivered at the mere thought.
Still, every once in a while, if he was having a weak moment, he would try to look her up, but he never found anything and he never contacted Imam since about two weeks after he had left.
He wanted to see how she was doing. Imam told him in no uncertain terms how she was, and it wasn't pretty. The holy man didn't need to curse or use crude language; he could give you a good tongue lashing without them and make you feel like complete and total shit.
Very few people, if any, had ever been able to make Riddick feel that way and he hated it. Imam told him not to bother coming back and that Jack was better off without him and when she realized that, she would have a chance at a real life. Riddick agreed totally with him, it was one of the reasons he left. But he still wondered what if…
He could almost see her, the green of her eyes, the cute little smile she had, which would be sexy as hell now. She'd be all lean muscle and creamy skin. Plump lips begging to be kissed, he could almost taste her. She'd be ripe and ready for him to take her, finally to give her what she had wanted from him all along. Yeah, he knew it, knew she always had a thing for him. Couldn't imagine why, but who was he to complain?He was, after all, a man. Her voice, calling his name, her small hands stroking his skin like they did when he let her touch him, just a few times, no more, he couldn't handle any more. Fuck, I need to get laid!
Riddick was pulled from his thought at the sound of the alarm and the spaceport telling him which dock to land.
"Brown Recluse, you are clear to land at A7. Welcome to Melusine. Also Mr. Johnson, there is a message for you. I'll send it to your ship as soon as you touch down."
"Message? What the fuck?" Riddick mumbled to himself, who the fuck would be trying to get a hold of him. As soon as he touched down, the message appeared on his com screen.
Brown Recluse
Check Merc's recent scores
Contact me in two hours
Bird-of-Paradise
Code: 54683AT19Q3
Riddick quickly hacked into the Merc's site and felt his heart stop. Jack? He dialed up the code for the Bird-of-Paradise and paced while he waited for the link to go through. A few minutes later a woman's face popped up on the screen. What the fuck?
"Who the fuck are you?" he growled.
"My name is…"
"Where the fuck is Jack?" he roared.
"She's…"
"I'm gonna fuckin kill you for this.""For what exactly, Riddick?" He cocked his head to the side, "Yeah, I know who you are."
"Shut up!" he barked at her.
"So what are you going to kill me for again, Riddick?" Tracy probed him. He wasn't at all what Jack had made him to be. He was a fuckin' flaming dick.
"For turning Jack in."
Riddick was seething. This bitch had the balls to turn Jack in and then show him her face? She was one stupid cunt if she thought she could get away with this. He'd take a great amount of pleasure in killing her. He might even fuck her first, she was kinda cute, in a you-must-be-the-stupidest-woman-alive kinda way. "See, that's where you're wrong, again, Riddick, I didn't turn her in, I'm trying to help her."
"The fuck you are!"
Tracy was trying desperately to remain calm but his attitude was really starting to grate on her nerves. How in the hell did Kyra put up with him? "How the fuck would you know asshole? Why don't you shut the fuck up and let me talk?"
"Listen to me you fucking bitch…" Bitch got so some ball thereRiddick thought. He had to give her props; most people would have wet themselves by now."Jack's being taken to Crematoria.""For what?"
"Did you read the bounty on her? A combination of helping you and fucking protecting herself. Murder, fraud."
"Jack would never kill Imam and what the fuck do you know about it?"
"That your favorite word?" Tracy nettled him. She couldn't help it.
"Fuck you.""Guess so. Anyway, I know all about it, Riddick. I was there when Imam was killed.""Who the fuck are you?" He asked her again, quickly running out of patience.
"I'm her sister." Tracy told him simply. "She doesn't have a sister.""You sure about that?""Yeah. I know everything about Jack, she never had a sister."
"Kyra does.""Who the fuck is Kyra?" Riddick roared he was beyond pissed off now. He had no idea what this bitch was up too but he was going to kill her, soon. "She is. Kyra is what she goes by now, since I changed her name about a year ago. Kyra Martin. She's pretty much like a sister to me and the only family I have left.""Why the fuck did she change her name?""Holy shit, Riddick, she said you were smart. Did you fucking READ the report? She's wanted for murder.""She never killed anyone."Tracy scoffed, "Right, how you would know again?" She sneered condescendingly at him. This Riddick was so sure of himself. So sure he knew all about Jack. Well, he didn't know jack.
"Whatch your tone woman." He warned and Tracy just rolled her eyes.
"What are you going to do, kill me? I'm not afraid of you."
"You should be, I'll fuckin' cut you up." He warned her as he pulled his shiv and pointed to the screen.
Is that supposed to scare me? Tracy wondered, "Wouldn't be the first time, I've faced far worse than you."
"No one's worse than me.""Oh, I don't know about that. I got two names for you… Johns and Toombs."
"Johns is dead the fuck, so's Toombs, the fuck!""Yeah, want to thank you for ghosting Johns for me. Of course because of you my entire family was murdered, but hey, I'm over it." Tracy replied with a false sweet voice.
"What kind of shit are you trying to pull here?"
"Remember those two kids Johns popped? They were my niece and nephew. He also killed my sister and her husband while he was there. Did you know that? My whole family was wiped out because of you." Tracy saw the look of rage and disgust that crossed his face for a brief second before he regained his blank mask.
"What happened to Imam?" He asked.
"He's gone, Riddick. Toombs killed him," she heard Riddick curse and kick something hard; "They shot him in front of us while they were trying to flush your fuckin' ass out. Someone covered it up to make it look like Kyra did it, so she could collect the money and run away with her lover, one Richard B Riddick. Toombs figured that Imam or Jack knew were you were. They didn't know I was there. Jack and I took off out the window and ran."
"Where?"
"We have been living on Jonas Three"
"Place is a shit hole, why were you living there?""Well because we had a mercs after us, her mostly."
"You should have called me, I would have…" he accused.
"Oh yeah right, they were looking for you, remember. Besides, it isn't like we knew how to get a hold of you. What would you have done anyway? You left her remember?""I left to keep her safe.""That went well don't you think?" Tracy shot back at him.
"Listen I don't need this fucking shit from you. I'll go after Jack and kill the fuckin merc Toombs once and for all the piece of shit, thought he was dead too."
Riddick slumped back in his chair now, how the hell had everything gone so wrong? He was trying to protect her. She was the only thing he had ever cared about. Now because of him, she was heading straight to hell.
Tracy took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Listen, Riddick, I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen. I know you left to keep her safe because you care. I heard it in her voice when she spoke of you; she never blamed you for any of this. You mean the world to her and she expects you to come and get her out.
"Once you do, she and I have set up a new place to live. We were going to contact you about it shortly to see if you wanted to join us."He looked back at her though the screen, "Can't settle down, she knows that.""This place is different, Riddick. Eighteen hours a day of moonlight, small population. It's perfect. I already got us a house there. Once you get her out, we will go there and start over.""And what? We just gonna live happily ever after?"
"God willing."
"God hates me and the feelings mutual."
Tracy sighed. She knew it was no use talking to him about this. Maybe Kyra could talk him into seeing reason but she doubted it. "Meet me in Glastonbury in two days. We will hook up there. I'll pretend I'm a merc that bagged you, take you to Crematoria and wait in the hangar till you get her, and then we'll get the fuck off that rock."
"You're fucking kidding me right? You a merc?" he laughed at her. She was unbelievable. "Don't you know Riddick, I'm Johns long lost daughter taking his place in the business, even got the ID to prove it. I'm just taking down the piece of shit that killed my dad.""You're serious? How could a little thing like you take me down?" He laughed at her.
"Women have their ways." "Sorry sweetheart, I'm no fool for a bitch in a skirt."
"Well how about while I was fucking your brains out, I tranked you and chained you up while you were out? If we're lucky, maybe we could beat them there and she won't have to go into that hell hole. There's no other way."
"Who do you think you're talking too? No one is going to believe that shit."
"Got a better idea?""Yeah, I fly in and get her alone."
"They'll see you coming, Riddick, and know what it's all about. Just meet me, I'm tired, and I still have to patch up Riddick again before he gets an infection.""Riddick?"
"Yeah, the freaking dog, Riddick. Big, black, vicious, stubborn, and looking at me right now with his freaky glowing eyes like he's gonna rip my throat out cause I'm talking about him.""Sounds like someone else I know."
"That's what she said. Two days Riddick. I'll be waiting." With that she broke off communications. Shit! Kyra was right, he's fucking hot! Got the personality of a pissed off rattler though. How did she see him as a teddy bear? She glanced down at the dog and smiled, yeah I know, once you get to know him…"Come on boy; let's get you a new bandage and some pain meds." Tracy set the auto pilot and went to catch some sleep. She knew the next few weeks were going to be very trying.
"FUCK!" Riddick yelled out loud. He was overwhelmed by the searing rage he felt. Never in his life has he been so pissed off that his vision was clouded. He may not be able to make out all the colors, especially the light ones, but his vision was always crystal clear, but now, he couldn't focus on anything. You should have left her on the fucking rock Riddick. You don't need this shit, once you get there, they are gonna be all over your ass. Fuck Jack, what did you do? Always did have a knack for getting into trouble. Sighing deeply Riddick set course for Glastonbury against his better judgment. Should just go to Crematoria now and fuck that bitch, don't need her help. She'll do nothing but slow me down.
-
"Dickhead better not stand me up or I swear to god I'll kill him myself." Tracy spoke to Riddick the dog. "Oh don't look at me like that. You know what I'm talking about. You're just like him. Damn it, what am I going to do? What if he doesn't show up, Riddick? Kyra expects help from him. He'll go, I know that, but I don't want him going off half cocked. Yeah, yeah, I know. He's kept himself alive this long without me, but this is Kyra's life we are talking about. And why the fuck am I talking to a dog?" The dog just sighed and lay down and went to sleep. Typical men