To make it clear the Harry Potter and Riddick character/world is not mine, they belong to J.K Rowling and whoever owns Riddick. This is a fanfic, which means I'm not the original creator only the writer of this particular story.
Chapter 12: the family.
Zeeke, Shazza took a shine to Jack and they found kindred spirits in each other forming a strong trio, Imam and his boys got along fine with everyone but kept mostly to themselves while Paris quickly became the omega in the group; since he was the weakest member and everyone was by nature placing themselves above him.
Fry and Johns became relative close as the minutes went by since their titles made them the leaders of the group, or as Jack had said in one of his smart-assed comment "a screwed up family". For the merc it was all about power and asserting his place, while for the captain it was all about finding a partner and a confidant to share the burden with.
All of them with a different purpose but working together towards the same goal; Survival.
A social structure was built without any conscious planning before hand, just human behavior doing what is necessary to survive and prosper in a tough situation.
But like always there are outsiders, and in this family that would be the convict that Johns was most willingly to talk about to anyone interested in listening. And listen they did, Paris and Jack hadn´t stopped bombarding Johns with questions since they had discovered the man's sharing mood. Therefore within an hour from the roof-scouting the entire group of survivors knew about Richard B. Riddick and his crimes.
While Zeeke and Paris was for shooting the man the rest, thanks to Johns oppositions, thought him harmless and defeated. Besides there were more pressing needs to focus on then the convict. They needed to get a hold of more water and cleaner air. The group had started to figure out what they had and what they needed to find.
After heading back inside to the cockpit Fry found the crews pressure suits, about 12-14 of them was still intact and would provide, if they could be adapted, with air-supplies. After dragging them out to the table set up by the settlers she presented her idea to Zeeke.
"There are liquid oxygen canisters inside; they can work if we tinker with them a little. Start ripping them out so we can see if they are intact. But if so- Quick hits only. We must try to make it last."
Jack who had started helping Zeeke to get the suit onto the table turns around and focuses on the captain at this.
"… Is someone coming for us? Or are we all just gonna die of exposure or dehydration or, I don´t know - sunstroke or maybe even something worse? Like… do we even have enough food? Or will we have to resort to cannibalism?"
The adult just stops with what they are doing and stares at the kid.
"Hey, you don't have to worry about scaring me. I have tough skin; I have seen stuff you know!"
Shazza just shakes her head and gifts the kid with a little smile. The young talk big, but they don´t see the details.
"It´s not that Jack we're worried you'll scare us. Sometimes you don´t say the big stuff."
What Shazza doesn't say is that it is the big stuff that can bring you down in a crisis, the picture gets too big and every small detail gets tougher to salve. If you don´t voice them then they are not real and you can take smaller and more focused steps.
To stop the kid from continuing they usher her away towards the other kids, hoping that he will get entertained elsewhere for a while.
Re-focusing on the air-suppliers Zeeke lifted one on the table and looks to the captain for clearance.
"Well then, morbid survival shit aside. How about I'll see 'bout makin' this air go a bit further, cap'n. Think I ´no how to fix this. With your permission, a' course."
Fry blinks at the term, still not used to the mix-up and watch as the couple before her starts to work together seamlessly. "They actually think I'm the captain." She whispers to herself as she hurries from the scene wanting to get away from all the `living humans`. It´s hitting home every time she hers one of them saying that they would be dead because of her right now… all of them would be dead, if it wasn't for a dead man.
Her steps lead her to the mystery, the convict. She has no memories of him being on the passenger list and wonders how it came to be that the free world's most sought after convict is on her ship. Fry finds herself unable to stop staring at the problem. He is a fascinating specimen, hard to figure out and without knowing why very desirable. Riddick, just the name makes her shiver in fear and desire.
She leans on of the knocked-over bunkers beside her and looks at the kneeling man who is handcuffed, blind-folded and muzzled and thinks; 'he may be trapped but he is not defeated, this can become a problem in the future.' Suddenly she sees movement in the man; his nose is twisting like he is sentencing the air. But she is over 10 meter away from him and he couldn´t have heard her come either, it´s not possible that he knows she is here.
As Fry is fully focused on Riddick she fails to notice as well as hear the steps behind her. It not until Johns is right beside her that she becomes aware of him and they don´t speak for several seconds, just keeps on staring at the trapped monster before them. Suddenly the intensity or Riddick becomes too much and Fry starts whispering as she leans towards Johns;
"And him?"
"You mean the Big Evil?" Johns whisper back even more quietly for he knows that Riddick has a keen hearing. He gets a nod as confirmation and starts to study the women before him and has to stop himself from snorting. He has to give it to the man, he had a way of making the women crave after him. The captain looked like a lovesick puppy; have to watch that, it could become dangerous… or very useful.
"Plan on keeping him locked up here forever?" it seems like a shame to keep something so ´wild´ locked up, not that she wanted him lose on her backyard.
"It would be my choice. Already escaped from several max-slam facilities around the galaxy and a loose Riddick is a dangerous Riddick."
"Mhmm. Is he really that dangerous?" he look it, but she has meet big hunky men that are nice like teddy-bears. It doesn't seem likely that one man can be as dangerous as people say. Fry is skeptical; she feels the danger-Yes! But she knows that the big-talk can be bullshit in the end.
Seeing the skepticism Johns make sure he has the women´s attention before he dead-serious says;
"Only around humans."
It is clear to Fry what he really means to say is 'don´t be an idiot, he would kill you in a second if you gave him the chance.' Nodding Fry turns around towards the exit and together they starts to head back out again. But before they leave a movement from the prisoner makes the sun reflect on his bit and for a second Fry sees her worst nightmare. The sun hits the water-counter and the numbers shows clearly that they are hammering water - rapidly.
"No… no, no, nooooo."
Suddenly Fry is running toward the water containers, snatching up her emergency light on the way and after passing the opening of the prisoner room heads toward the main deck and climbs down to the machine level below the navigator deck. After crawling, in a desperate attempt to beat time, through the sand filled superstructure to reach the water tank she opens a crank-hatch. Johns not far behind her starts to understand why she got so pale and ask her if they are safe. But he gets no reply for what meets her when she looks inside is light. Light invading the interior and showing just a couple of centimeters of water at the bottom. Her face pales and Johns can´t stop swearing, both of them hating the world a little bit more in that moment.
The survivors' working outside the hull hears the mercs swearing and goes around the corner and sees the breach. At first neither of the settlers dares to speak while they listening to the man's colorful language. At last Zeeke just has to know and starts talking hoping they will hear him inside.
"Is… Is it the water?"
All he gets back is silence.
"Well? Is it just the pump?" please let it be the pump and not the water… please. Is the thought that circling though his mind as he waits for a reply.
Shazza hears movement and then Fry says:
"…Shazza, Zeeke can you… can you go and ask if anyone has anything in the intact cargo! Anything to drink! Anything AT ALL."
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