Hunger in the Darkness
Imam's boys took matters into their own hands and got on of the smaller compartments open. "Hurry! Go, get in." Imam ushered everyone inside. No one needed to be told twice. They were all temporarily relieved when Imam fastened the latch. Riddick squinted in the concentrated light and pulled his goggles back on. They all caught their breath. The danger seemed to decrease somewhat. Jackie looked at everyone. Her danger sense tingled up and down her spine. Whatever it was that waited in the main compartment was much larger than the tiny creatures that took Ali and Shazza. Her mind was drawn back to the moment by a voice whining.
"Now we're trapped in a much smaller space," wheezed Paris. "I hate this."
Imam relaxed against the door with a sigh. Jackie was watching Riddick, and Riddick was paying attention to something outside. His jaw tightened at about the same moment the buzz jumped up into overdrive. It was here. Jackie turned her attention toward the latch just above Imam's head seconds before as talon thrust its way through the door. Jackie reached for the holy man's arm and pulled him toward her, away from the door as the others reacted, mostly squealing and leaping back. But Riddick had the cutting torch at hand, somehow he'd always had it, and he fired it up using Paris' lighter then adjusted the flame into a sharp white-hot point. Paris flinched from the sudden heat and light, his reaction ignored by the bald, goggled, man. Survival dictated that they move, now. Riddick ignored the pain that the bright hot light wrought on his eyes even through the goggles, cutting through the wall into the next container and kicking the way open. The torch passed to Fry who took it without questioning how it came into Riddick's possession in the first place. The talon at the latch was joined by several others, which were shredding the metal door like it was paper. Everyone clambered through the still hot opening fleeing the predator hot on their trail.
Jackie was too busy to pay much attention to anything but helping everyone plug the resulting hole. Once done everyone began to look around. Jackie stayed next to Fry within the light of the torch as the others fanned out into the darkness. This container was large and open – too open – fear curled inside Jackie's belly. The hum never lessened. She fought off a cramp rooted in the fact that her body was passing out clots of tissue. 'God, not now… please not now,' she pleaded as she moved to follow Fry and Johns. Riddick's deep voice cut through the darkness "Extremely bad timing." There was a pause, then, "Just don't run."
Fry called out, "Riddick?"
Three words came back at them, "Don't. Stop. Burning." Deliberately paced, like he was involved in something very taxing. Jackie caught her breath; they were back in the open part of the hold. With the creatures.
Fry and Johns switched lights and he began to cut into the next container. Imam rushed back into the circle and realized someone besides Riddick was missing, "Hassan? Where is Hassan?" Panic tinged his voice. Fry popped the light off the shotgun and handed the gun back to Johns. Sudden noise behind the group caused them all to turn. Riddick dodged into view, screamed in pain from the sudden onslaught of light and dove to the floor. Right behind him was an ash colored creature. Jackie glimpsed an angular mouth filled with long piercing teeth set into a sharply crested head just before it swerved up and away into the darkness. Johns' shotgun rang off several wild blasts. There was a pause Jackie blinked, aware that the image of the ravenous beast was burned into her mind's eye. Then it landed in front of them with a moist thud – dead. She along with everyone else started back.
"Is it alive?" Fry asked. Paris huddled behind her. Jackie was looking at the thing's grayed skin watching as the hand-light beams caused the flesh to steam, blister, bubble and crack on what they could see.
"It's like the light is scalding it." Paris noted out loud becoming bolder with the discovery.
"It hurts them, Light actually hurts them." Fry said with wonder. Then the creature let out one last twitch driving them all back in fear. The other creatures in the room indicated that they knew the death had happened and were coming in for the meal…Like a pack of hyenas. The light swept up into the darkness in response to the sounds.
The ex-ranger got up off the floor and rejoined them, his shirt cut and a faint line of blood showing the effects of his exploration. "Is that Hassan?" Imam called, still hopeful the boy was alive. Jackie looked at Riddick's impassive face. 'No, not Hassan,' she thought, 'He must've run.'
"We'll burn a candle for him later," Johns turned back to the opening he'd cut, "Come on, let's get out of here."
The next container was Paris' container. They blocked the hole with a bunch of heavy items before moving a crate over to be a makeshift table. At least the space was solidly enclosed, large enough for everyone to breath, but small enough to be secure. The cutting torch became their light. Fry guided Jack to the back of the container, near the solid wall. She was not sure why but she wanted some space between the child and Johns. 'You better know exactly who's standing behind you…' So the docking pilot knew she trusted Jack. The child's cheer in the face of terror had pulled her out of more than one slump, and he'd been right about Riddick when it came to Zeke. Imam settled in near Fry forming a separation between her and Johns. Suleiman was across from him. The blonde knew she trusted the holy man and his remaining pilgrim. But between Johns, Paris, and Riddick, whom did she trust? Riddick stood near the blocked opening and Paris roamed about the space rooting for what small things remained that might be of use.
They were down to seven with Hassan's death, Jackie noted as she sat with her side facing the torch. The skiff had seats for six…. She shuttered as the inhuman sounds wailed around the container. The sensation she was feeling of peril left her drained and scared. All she wanted was for Riddick to hold her. Not that he would with the others around, but she wanted so badly to be in his arms, safe.
Fry was talking, listing inventory, "We got two hand lights, one cutting torch, there's got to be something we can rip out of the crash ship…" Jackie mentally added Paris' lighter and Johns' shotgun light to the list but did not say anything.
"Spirits," Paris added. "Anything over 45 proof burns rather well."
"How many bottles you got?" Fry asked.
"Ten, maybe…."
Jackie's body was cramping badly. 'Just now deciding to flow heavy, huh? Why? Why not wait another half day?' She hugged her knees tighter and tried not to drop her head down. Riddick was watching her. Did she stink of copper again? Should she say anything? Would they leave her behind? Jackie tried to see if Riddick was indicating any answers, but his face, while softer, held an expression that was just as sheltered as it had been when he was like stone.
"And, Johns, you have some flares." Fry continued. "So, maybe we have enough light."
Johns went to high alert. "Enough for what?" he demanded.
"We stick to the plan, Johns! We get the four cells back to the skiff and we're off this rock!" Fry was pissed sounding enough for Jackie to look at her. There was fire in Fry's eyes making them blaze like the sapphire sun now hidden behind the neighboring planet…. It was almost like Fry was accusing Johns for getting them into this mess in the first place. What had he said to her?
"Oh, lady. If you're in your right mind I pray you go insane." Johns countered.
Paris stood up and crossed between the two as he spoke, "I hate to ruin a beautiful theory with ugly fact. But that sand-cat is solar."
"So we carry the cells. Drag them, whatever it takes."
Jackie chewed on her lip for a long second. "You mean – tonight? With all those things still out there?" The things trying to eat them she mentally added. She was still seeing the image of all teeth in a diamond-shaped mouth with every blink. A chill shuttered through her. It was getting cold now that the suns were blocked off. The thin atmosphere did not hold heat well. Riddick was still watching her. His eyes took in every nuance. Jackie was sure of it.
"Well, how long can this night last? A few hours? A day, tops?" Johns was against them trying to get back to the skiff in the dark.
Imam quietly interrupted, "I got the impression from the model that there will be a lasting darkness…." Jackie thought she remembered Fry clicking over to 23 and the planets still being lined up….
Johns either didn't get it or thought the model was wrong, "These suns gotta come up sometime. I say we sit it out until dawn."
Jackie stared at him…. No way they could sit it out for a year…. She was beginning to state the fact, to remind him, when Fry stated, "I'm sure someone else said that. Locked inside the Coring Room."
Johns decided to try another tactic, zeroing in on Jackie's curled form and misinterpreting why she was sitting the way she was. "Look, we gotta think of everyone here – Especially the kid. How scared is he gonna be out there in the dark?"
'Well, at least he hasn't guessed….' Jackie thought. Sure, she was scared. No doubt about it. But fear was a survival instinct, wasn't it? If anyone was driven by cowardice at this point it would be Johns…Fry seemed to notice too, and she was already beyond to point of being civil about it, "Oh, don't use Jack like that!"
"Like what?" Johns tried to cover with a mask of innocence that fit like a badly cut suit… Everyone could see it.
"Like a smoke-screen!" Fry was furious; "You deal with your own fear!" Her voice conveyed that Johns had sunk down to the bottom of the totem pole in her eyes. Below Paris, below Jack, even below Riddick.
Jackie looked from the docking pilot to the merc. He was not dealing well with the sudden loss of stature in the group. His face flushed in anger, "Shut your mouth give me a second to come up with a plan that doesn't involve mass-suicide, Okay?" His voice was low and tight.
Fry stared at him in a challenge for what seemed to be a very long moment…. Everyone else could see that Fry was finally taking charge and Johns was resisting it. "How much do you weight, Johns?" she finally asked in a calmer tone.
"Why? What does it matter?" Johns looked at her, confused.
"How much!" Fry's anger flared back to the surface.
"Around 79 kilos--"
"Because you're 79 kilos of gutless white meat!" Fry slung the insult with venom, "And that's why you can't come up with a better plan!"
Johns moved for his shotgun and swung it up. Suddenly Riddick was standing there, in his way, "Where are you going?" Johns threatened as he shifted the gauge up under the other man's jaw. For his part, the convict stayed calm. He just lifted his goggles and looked at the merc with a slight smile. Jackie could hear a light 'thump, thump' of metal hitting heavy fabric in a slow rhythm.
"This solves nothing," Imam cautioned. Both Johns and Riddick ignored his plea. Their stare-down lasted until Johns felt the shiv tapping against his balls that Jackie could hear like an echo to her own heartbeat.
"Okay…." Johns backed down. The point made, Riddick moved back into the darkness near the cut but plugged opening. Johns sat, still watching Riddick. 'He could take your hyped ass down at any moment,' Jackie thought, 'and you'd never even realize that he'd cut you open until your guts hit the floor.'
"They're afraid of our light," Fry said as she knelt down by Jackie and put a hand on her shoulder. She was, in reality, speaking to everyone, "which means we don't have to be so scared of them."
Imam's robes rustled as he moved over to Jackie and Fry. "And you are sure you can get us back to the skiff? Even in the dark?"
"No." Fry looked at Imam, "I can't." Then she looked across the room. Suddenly it was crystal clear. She could trust Riddick. He had just stepped in and stopped Johns from blowing her head apart at close range. She hadn't asked him to put his life on the line; he'd just done it seemingly without thought to his own neck. Instead of trusting Johns as she had all this time she found herself focused on the muscular man's barely visible back. "But he can." Jackie saw Riddick start as he realized Fry was talking about him. He turned to look at the docking pilot, his face betraying a mixture of emotion that had just a bit of awe and surprise in it. The holy man looked at Riddick, too, and nodded.
It was all the approval Carolyn Fry needed. Imam agreed. They would stick to the plan. It was Johns who'd gotten them into this mess by convincing her to fucking wait until the "last possible moment" anyhow. God, how stupid could she have been? They could have been off this rock already. Now more of them were gonna die. All she had to think about that was that Johns had better be among those unknowns, because so help her, he'd cut a deal with Riddick and somehow she was going to keep it… if they fucking lived to make it back to the skiff. She picked up the torch off the crate with the anger boiling in her veins. 'From now on if a guy give you the creeps, even if he's in a company uniform, you treat him like he's scum,' she told herself.
Somehow the group of seven made it back to the cargo door. The buzz in Jack's soul had become an even drone of ever-present danger. Riddick could sense that she felt it but was not sure how or why they were united in this common sensation. He had in inkling of it when she'd grabbed the holy man and pulled him away from the talons digging for his skull. And although the convict's nose said she was clean, clearly the hammer-headed monsters had a much finer sense of smell. He instinctively placed himself between her and the hunger that waited restlessly just outside the circle of the light. He felt certain urgency and more than a little fear. Every time people relied on him they died. Given the current situation he'd be surprised if any of them made it.
Jackie held back the raw horror that boomed through her skull as the group moved back outside. The first obstacle was merely surviving long enough to make it to the main door. She was sandwiched between Imam and Paris, with Riddick calmly walking near her side as they inched into the open air. Fry had the torch mixed to the brightest possible flame. The darkness howled with inhuman fury, inhuman hunger. All they had to do was to get the lights turned on in the main ship….
"Riddick," Fry whispered as she motioned for him to come forward. Jackie watched him break away from the rest of them and pass Fry so that the light was behind him.
He lifted his goggles and scanned the dark interior of the crash, "Looks clear." Something in his voice was cautious. His body language held everyone back. Everyone but Johns. That prompted Riddick to smirk, 'Ah, yes. Please die here.' Johns impatiently pushed past Fry and towards the crash, his light stabbing the darkness like a laser. At the intrusion Riddick put his goggles back down. At first all seemed well, but as he panned the light into a deeper corner the shadow screeched, rustled to life and flew at them. Johns dodged to the side, Riddick flattened himself to the ground, and everyone else nearly sat in one another's laps. "Fuck! You said 'Clear'," Johns screamed at Riddick from where he was laying on his back.
"I said 'looks clear'," Riddick corrected, sounding somewhat amused that Johns had almost lost his head. He was amused, but it would have been so much better had the creature actually grabbed the blue-eyed devil as it flew past. Just his rotten luck.
"Well," Johns couldn't even retort to that, "what does it look like now?"
Riddick lifted his head, shrugged his shoulders, and answered, "Looks clear." Maybe another hammerhead would rush him and this time make a meal of him… Johns glowered at the ex-ranger, his temper building.
Fry interrupted before Johns could go off again, "Can we just get the lights on, already?"
Riddick nearly pouted before locating the switch. The fiber optics jumped to life, bathing the entire crash with a pale blue-green glow. Everyone hurried into the protective luminescence. So now what. Fry noticed that the sled was back in the settlement. Did they have time to make another one? More to the point, with Shazza and Zeke both gone did anyone have the skill to? She looked around. Paris was trying to figure out how to make some type of wick for the bottles of booze. Johns was standing guard, doing nothing, as usual. Imam and Suleiman were hunting for additional light. Riddick and Jackie were both staring at the sand-cat… She walked over to them and looked out too. If there was just some way to get it running. Jackie noticed that the sand-cat was near the side cargo door. Shazza had nearly backed it up into the ship. The cells they needed were already loaded on it. She felt more than saw the docking pilot join them, "Hey, I know the sand-cat's solar. But--" She paused as the others stopped to look at her, "If the ship has extra power cells why couldn't the electrical of the sand-cat be switched over?"
The holy man heard the suggestion, straightened up, and walked over to the three of them blinking with astonishment. Why not indeed? It was a brilliant solution, if the correct parts could be found undamaged. Imam knew that the basic electrical systems were the same. All this solar cat lacked that most others had were batteries. The power cells were batteries too. Imam looked at Fry. "We would need a converter, perhaps something from the computer systems?"
"Do you think it can be done?" Fry asked Imam. She had her doubts but it would make the trip faster and possibly more of them would survive if the 'cat could be adapted to run on battery power.
"The computers on the ship must be powered from something, and the child is correct," Imam put his hand on Jackie's head, "If we had the right converter the sand-cat will treat all power sources as the same, as long as they are electric."
Paris was already shooting down the plan, "Well, that leaves us with the problem of how to get the sand-cat inside so it can be worked on. I'm not gonna even try to work out there."
"We got cable." Riddick was eyeing the situation. The fan of light from the open door gave him enough protection to risk stepping outside. He moved out to the back of the vehicle and looked at the chassis for some points to lift it by. 4 centimeters. Just 4 tiny centimeters and then he could shoulder the 'cat inside. The distance was not far, and if they could lift the back of the sand-cat, he could push, and it would clear the lip on the cargo door. Then they could work in the electrical in the relative safety of the bluish light. The vehicle could get them to the head of the canyon, maybe even back to the skiff itself, and if they could make it and only lose one… well, that would be a fucking miracle.
Suleiman didn't wait. He hustled for the coils of cable. His determination got Johns' attention and the merc wandered over and looked at everyone staring out at the vehicle. He watched Jackie as the boy moved out to Riddick who was figuring out how to move the sand-cat and stay in one piece. Johns tightened his jaw. Real soon now, he'd play that card and reel the son-of-a-bitch back in like a weak, nearly dead, fish. The killer just never learned. 'Yeah, go ahead and make friends, your vampire ass is still mine.'
"Hey," Jackie said softly. Riddick, from where he was crouching, looked up at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Did I do good?" she asked. He nodded, ignoring the fake-badge and his drug induced delusions. He stood and ushered the teen back inside.
Fry walked up to them, "You think I'm gonna let you go out into the dark and push that sand-cat inside?"
"What choice do you have, captain?" Riddick was still looking at Jackie. He had a new admiration for her smarts. Even though terror pushed at her from all sides she was shaping up as one tough, resourceful gal. The type of woman he could get attached to. 'Now don't be jumping ahead of yourself. We gotta live through this before you go and start thinking about tomorrow. Besides what type of life could you possibly offer her? She'd be much better off at Helion. We make it that far that's where she gets off.' That's what Richard told the beast inside, and Richard meant it, truly he did. But even as he said the words to himself he knew that the primitive side of him didn't like it. There would be much internal debate about that no matter what Richard felt was best for Jack.
"None, I suppose. But we should have enough fiber optics to run you out a light line, Riddick. I don't see why we can't rip out the lights from the areas we are not using." Riddick tore his eyes off Jack and looked at Fry. The docking pilot was serious about providing him some protection. He nodded. First the bushwhacker, now the company cog. This was just— spooky. Riddick let his gaze settle on the docking pilot. She was not like Johns. She was not a merc, he reminded himself. Why shouldn't she be smart enough to see that sometimes killers were made not born? The real difference between he and Johns was that the merc liked to kill, and the ex-ranger only did what was necessary to survive. Ever since the Wailing Wars Johns had been on his ass, no matter what he had done to shake him… Now it would end, either here or on Tangiers, and Riddick would rather it end here.
As soon as Riddick's luminous eyes were off her, Jackie kicked herself into gear. Fry hadn't told her to do it, but she needed to put some space between herself and Riddick all of the sudden. "I'll get started," she said as she moved off. Something about the large muscular man was flustering her. Hell, everything was unsettling her at the moment. Moving away from him let her breathe a little. 'What the fuck is going on? Here I am in a life-threatening situation and suddenly the one person I feel truly safe around is making me feel-- squirmy. He's been the one thing that's rock solid here. Why can't I catch my breath around him all of the sudden?' She passed Paris who was converting bottles of Jack Daniel's over to homemade lamps. Suleiman passed her with his upper body laden down with coils of cable. Imam was back to looking for additional lights and already found a second cutting torch and a handful of miner's lights. Johns was eyeing everything happening, but as the cable came over he switched his attention to the roof, looking for supports strong enough to take the pressure necessary to lift the sand-cat. He too could see that they'd have to raise the back to clear the door. Jackie set to the task of removing the longest pieces of fiber optic cable she could find. The quest took her near the buried front end of the ship. She noticed that the broken windows were filled with dirt. She heard scratching noises above her on the hull. The buzz was stronger here. 'Not safe,' she mentally warned herself. But she followed the light to the end and began removing the glowing rope as she followed it backwards. She looped it across her body as she went.
Johns found himself rigging cable around several different overhead beams. He was not sure why he even bothered. He should by all rights shoot the bunch of them and take off with Riddick. Except for the fact that he needed Fry unless he wanted to trust the ex-ranger again. He had a feeling that Riddick was on to his deal, and that the con knew they were heading to Tangiers for one reason. It was the end of the line. So, of course Riddick was going to help out. He had to get on these folks good side because if he didn't, one way or another he'd be dead. Unfortunately it looked like Riddick was being overly successful. The merc kept an eye on the docking pilot and his quarry both of whom were speaking softly enough that he couldn't understand them without looking like he was listening.
"Listen, Riddick, if this works we should have some type of agreement--" Fry started.
"Done with that." Riddick said softly.
"But I was thinking of J--"
"Nobody's gonna turn a murder loose. I fuckin' know better. But it's been a long time since anyone's trusted me. And that's something right there."
Fry licked her lips and glanced over at Johns' back as he tossed another cable up over a beam, "We can. Can't we? I mean, trust you?"
She turned back to find him smiling at her, "That's what I've been asking myself." For a time they locked gazes. Fry finally nodded. At least she knew exactly who was behind her. She watched him move over to the cables and begin attaching the ends to the 'cat's chassis. There was something disconcerting about Johns and Riddick working together like this, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly. Johns wasn't challenging Riddick like he'd done in the cargo hold. Instead he had a chilling air about him like he'd made some sort of internal decision. 'Watch your back,' came the mental warning. She decided to find something to do and moved off toward Imam. Frankly, she was worried about Jack. She was worried about them all…
By the time Jackie returned Johns had worked the cables to several positions, trying to spread out the stress to come. The fake-badge noted the boy's return and was impressed by his load of fiber optics. It was too bad, really, that the boy had to die if he was going to get his payday when this was all over. He paused to look as the bronze-skinned man in the cool illumination. Riddick was hunched down watching the shapes moving just outside the ship's circle of light. Johns paused and looked into the darkness too. It seemed to him that the convict liked to test fate. Still…for a moment he considered what Riddick was doing to help them out. It was the longest time he'd spent side by side with the con awake. As a target, Riddick had proven difficult to track, as a person, he was impossible to understand. 'No, he's not a person. He's an animal, a killer. He's never gonna change,' Johns passed Riddick's actions off as self-preservation.
Jackie handed the coil of fiber optics to Fry who was near the holy man, "I'm gonna help Imam and get the converter out…Shazza told me the wattage the sand-cat converts the solar energy to, so I should be able to find what we need." Fry nodded and took the light. Jackie moved back off into the darkness…The area she needed to be was where Owens died. The computers there held all the info about the ship, and they were for the most part still working.
Although he'd been staring outside his attention was focused internally. He knew when Jack came back even without looking. The wild, savage part of him was currently winning control, as Richard needed his strength to push the 'cat. He had to tap into that which he normally kept in check, under a tight stranglehold. The darkness wanted. It bargained with the human half, 'Let me have what I want, I will help without reservation every time you need me.' Riddick turned, his nose picking her scent up and pulling his attention her way. He watched her go off again into the gloom. His two sides were at war over her. The human side of him wanted to keep her safe, 'She gets to New Mecca and stays.' The primitive side of him just wanted, 'No. Mine. She must be given a chance to choose.' He struggled with the problem even after she was out of sight. They could agree on desire if nothing else. Finally Richard resolved that it wouldn't harm anything to let himself follow through with the impulses he had as long as it didn't hurt her. 'Fine, we could all die out there, even with my impression that I'll survive. She might not.' The beast purred, knowing that it would now get a chance to claim what it wanted. Part of what it held was the ability to get through these types of sticky situations, something Richard knew he'd need. Sooth the beast, get its help, and deal with the aftermath later. He pushed the bargain he'd made with his darkness into the back of his mind as he prepared to move the vehicle into the hold.
She wiggled her way past the wreckage and into the main computer interface. If she could just find the electrical diagram for the ship, she would have the location of the converter. Jackie pulled up a crate and sat down where the chair had originally been located. She toggled the computer on and began working her way into the ship's database. 'Weakly encrypted, older computer system, easy to crack. Not even a problem.' The files flipped past until she located the info she needed. The converter was right next to the main data drive. She then snooped at the passenger files. Everything she needed right down to the medical references was there. But she had a problem. The data she needed meant either taking out the drive or transferring the info to another one. Removal of the drive would destroy the one converter that was what they had to have to make the sand-cat run on the power cells. She put her head down. Hell. A backup storage drive? She looked around for one but found none. 'Okay,' she thought, 'just carefully remove the whole thing and maybe both will make it.' She licked her lips and worked open the computer's side panel. Fry's voice startled her, "Jack?"
"Over here, captain."
"What are you doing, Jack?" Fry squeezed through and squatted down next to her. She had a hand light with her.
"Well, I located the right converter," she pointed it out, "but it will likely short the hard drive when I take it out."
"Um, and you were looking at the passenger files because?" No way to miss the man Zeke shot staring out at them.
"Well—I know Zeke killed a fellow who could've been a dead ringer for Riddick. I wanted to know his name." Jackie looked at Fry. Fry raised an eyebrow at her. Jackie could see the gears turning in Fry's brain.
"How did you get into the system, Jack? It was locked under Owens' password."
"I don't know… I just did. The encryption on your security system is shit. I just bypassed it. Look, if Johns is gonna let Riddick go, I can likely alter the files…." Jack whispered. Why she trusted Fry she didn't have a clue, but if there were any way to save the files without destroying the converter in the process Fry would likely know.
"Um, you can?" Jackie bit her lip and nodded. Fry thought for a moment. It would cement the deal, right? If they made it off this world Riddick could really 'die' and no one would know any different… That was if Jack could make it look like Riddick did die here. "But, there's a problem…." Fry had to tell the boy about Johns' doublecross, "I'm not sure if Johns will keep his side of the deal. In fact, he told me that Riddick was going to go back to Tangiers Penal," The docking pilot responded in similar hushed tones. Something about that, maybe the way Johns had said it, made her cold inside. She stared at Jack for a minute, then stood up, moved over to a built in locker, and pulled out a small pocket-computer in its protective case. "Let's do it anyway, Jack. It's mine, just wipe what you need to make room."
Jackie nodded. That was why she trusted Fry. She linked the pocket-'puter to the ship mainframe and transferred what data she needed. A few of Fry's games had to go but not all of them. "Johns has a bigger, more powerful, laptop. I hope he stashed it on the skiff. I can use it to do the work" Jackie told her. "It's a company issue…. I might just be able to link it up to the guild network once we get to a shipping lane." Fry was somewhat surprised until she thought about the type of person that Johns was turning out to be. Jackie looked at the transfer again, "Okay." She disconnected, "Now we need to kill the power." The blonde woman went over to the emergency fire switch and hit it. The panel lights around them went out. Jackie blinked until Fry brought over the light and panned it inside the computer so she could see the converter, "Think we will need extra wire?"
"Better gather as much as possible, if we don't need it, we won't use it."
Jack did just that. She followed the connections to the converter until reaching the opposite ends and used wire cutters to cut it free. As she feared the power surge caused by the converter's removal set the hard drive to sparking. Likely, it suffered some damage. "Got it. Here," Jackie handed the converter over to Fry as she backed out of the small space. It was a good thing she had no hair she mused ruefully; otherwise she'd be patting herself out…
They returned to the sounds of others moving the sand-cat inside. They could tell that Paris even was helping, as he looked exhausted. Fry and Jack grabbed a cable together behind Suleiman and pulled. Riddick pushed the heavy 'cat into the ship then spent a few moments, along with the rest of them, sucking on breathers. Finally he set the optic cable on the floor and unbolted the solar panel's clear protective bubble. Johns wandered off somewhere. The remaining pilgrim set off to gather more fiber optics. Jackie secured Fry's pocket-'puter in a leg pocket, padding it with sanitary napkins and discarding the ones that wouldn't fit. Imam raised an eyebrow at her and Fry almost as if he sensed some type of conspiracy at work. Fry moved over and whispered Jackie's idea to him. It was clear that he understood the implications of what they were thinking and did not approve, but he also was not going to say anything about it. "Here is the converter," Fry said out loud.
"Ah, Allah answers my prayers again," Imam took the part and set to work on a power cell. Jackie moved over to Riddick and took the clear cover off as he got it loose. She looked at him, raised and eyebrow about Imam's comment and grinned. 'God had nothing to do with it,' she thought. She could tell Riddick was thinking the same thing.
Paris moved over to Fry and Imam, "What are you two whispering about?"
"I discovered my pocket-computer survived the crash, so I was telling Imam here that we'd have to work out an entertainment schedule for it." Fry dared Paris to challenge her, "But I was trying to keep it secret."
"You mean we'll have games to occupy us as we wait for someone to pick us up?" Paris questioned. Fry nodded. "Oh, what a joyful discovery. Now we just have to live long enough to reach the damn skiff." He spoke dryly.
Jackie began to help Riddick take out the rotating solar unit. She both wanted to work with him and wanted to be away from him. He made her feel—jittery, tremblingly so, and rather uncomfortable. It scared her almost as much as the hammerheads trying to eat them. The internal tension built up until she just had to get some space again. Luckily, there were excuses she could use to get that time alone. "We got the wheels braced?" She asked, as it became clear that something would have to be unhooked from underneath.
"Not yet." Riddick was brief. He felt it also. The inner beast struggling to explode outwards. Something about her smell… It wasn't really anything he could describe. In a way he was just as relieved as she was when Jackie moved away to wipe off her hands. In another he wanted to catch her and hold her right there. He wanted to make her stay. The conflict immobilized him.
"Okay, I'll find something to use." Jackie once again moved off into the gloom. She didn't need to go far to find ruble that would work.
She heard Fry tell Paris, "I'll help you with those bottles."
"Yes, thank you."
It had not taken Jackie long to lug back four sections of twisted metal to brace the wheels of the sand-cat. Her mind had not thought of the incident that caused her to leave home nor the taunts at the first stop she had made for what seemed to be days. But alone, searching for something, anything, to keep the sand-cat from moving some tiny part of her brain brought up the very reason for her disguise. It might have been just to keep her thoughts off the goggled man working to free the solar unit from its housing. She felt half-hearted anger flare, 'Foul mouthed, toad-eaten, slim-infested….' She couldn't come up with a good clean ending. Jackie picked up the first two bits for one wheel. 'Fat-assed, -- HEAVY,' she thought as she grunted with effort. She struggled with the burdensome chunks, raising a welcome overabundance of body heat in the process. At first Riddick didn't notice, but her third and fourth pieces came back individually. The sweat from her heavy work snapped his resolve. The beast boiled to the surface. Had Richard been in change, he would've said something but instead the beast glanced around and followed the girl. 'Not hard to find,' he seemed to be saying as he moved around and cornered her. It was time. "What?" Jackie said with her customary fire, "Look, you gonna help me or just stand and stare?"
"We don't need to brace but two wheels, Jack," His voice purred softly at her. He looked absolutely amused. And something about his body posture was different. He was leaning, relaxed, against some of the fallen equipment, with one arm braced against the support post. Jackie dropped the metal she had in her hands. She had a flash of a large feline predator lounging high in a tree, waiting for a meal to walk by. He just waited, watching her, smelling her, letting her stir something deep inside himself that he had once thought Carolyn Fry would stir until he realized that she would never respond to him in like fashion. He had been waiting for her for so long. She was unique in his experience. He had never smelled anyone else like her. Her scent. So much like that place of his visions. The place he denied knowledge of from the first time he'd seen it. Visions to horrific to understand, haunting him with their persistent reality. What she symbolized to his darkness was the path to the light, and it needed her. All the human in him could do was watch it play out and try to keep the wild thing controlling him from hurting her.
The electric current she felt before was building again. Only this time it was direct, raw, and unfiltered. Her heart thudded in her ears suddenly, pounding in her chest. She was breathless again, and the blood tingled in her cheeks as her face flushed. Jackie finally muttered, "Okay…." It was all she could do to get that out. She had been taunted, harassed, violated, and hurt. But this was different. The way he looked at her was gentle but fierce. The way he moved was wild but graceful. The way he made her feel was unspoiled but restless. And it was something she desired to delve into as much as she was frightened by it. 'Oh, no. He's not looking at me like a kid…But what? It's not like good ol' pops looked at me either. Somethin' new, is what this is…And I've never seen anything like it before. Why does that look make me tingle inside?' She felt a touch of pain and realized she was chewing on her lip.
He lazily moved. Kind of like a stretch, in a way, that brought him closer to the doe-eyed Jackie. He savored this one tiny moment of calm before running a gauntlet of razor sharp death. Then there was Carolyn Fry, who smelled good at first, until he'd noticed the faint tang of another woman on her in the skiff. So, okay, he could deal with that, no reason to condemn her. But…. Somehow she was suddenly more of a challenge for what he wanted than any other man there was. Jackie. He knew her by another name, long ago. She wasn't using that name now. Jackie suited her. It echoed through his brain, this new name. He'd call her that. He felt the energy flowing between them. Something about her stirred him into action. His instincts knew what to do. "I'm gonna get you off this rock. But you gotta do something for me first," he slowly continued moving towards her.
Jackie swallowed, "Okay…." She wanted to run but was locked in position. She shivered, flushing hot and cold at the same time as she glued her eyes on him. In this dim light she could only see his outline and his silver eyes. She felt like he was deciding if she made the grade or not. Like he was judging her on his own restrained reaction. It had to be restrained, she figured, because she'd never seen him like this before. Circling wild. Driven by something she didn't fully comprehend yet. Something exciting. Electric. Like she'd felt with Fry in the room. It made her curious. What was he sensing? She could imagine him at home in a wild place, a natural place, living to the rules that animals lived to. He was sniffing her! It hit Jackie like a ton of bricks, and her heart began to speed up as her cheeks flushed anew. Her hair would have stood on end had she had any left. And she could smell him. His scent shot sparks through her torso, rooting to a sensation she'd never felt before. Her eyelids fluttered as the musk washing over her blotted out reason. His voice resonated through her as he moved in close, his nose taking in every delicate tiny piece of her scent. She could feel his hot breath on her nearly bald head.
"Don't move," he murmured into her ear as he bent into her space. Jackie didn't even swallow again as he circled her. The beast knew what this one was feeling. It had followed this beginning rite every time it had been released from the tight mental binds that "Richard" kept it in. It had done this simply to see if someone would respond with the counter step. None of the women he'd stolen a night with had understood. A few had enjoyed it; most had laughed it off before doing what he'd spent his ill-gotten money for them to do. This one… she understood, by instinct if nothing else. Her innocence of these matters was a stumbling block of a sort, as her reactions would be hesitant, unless he could overwhelm her, seduce the fear away, then perhaps she would make the next move, the next bit of the ritual… He skimmed over her back as he circled, close enough to raise the hairs on her skin with anticipation but far enough away to not mar her scent with his own.
She was faintly aware that he was almost touching her. Only her shallow, shaky breathing broke the statue-like stillness she held herself in. He again circled close, causing every nerve in Jackie's tiny body to spark in alertness. Caught up in the moment she didn't hear anything except her own pounding heartbeat. She didn't even hear his quiet footfalls or the slight sound of his own breathing even though she felt the warm puffs of air from it. He was at her side now, one arm curved around her back, trailing in his path. She could feel the heat off his body. Her head slowly tilted to his motion as she unconsciously tried to catch more of his odor.
The action pleased him. It was a start. The correct reaction, albeit a baby step of one. He began to heat up more. His body responded like it was inherent for it to do. He purred with pleasure. After years of searching… Years of waiting… Years of running… here she was. The one he'd known would come. He paused in front of her for a moment, watching her face as she soaked up his musk, totally absorbed in the experience. She was radiant. He bent in closer, letting her tuck her face into his neck as he encircled her loosely in his arms in a tightening spiral. He slowly continued around her toward her other side, still not touching her.
Once again time slowed, but not for a bad reason. Jackie felt lifted away from her troubles. Some part of her knew that scent. It had always been comforting but now there were subtle undertones that made it entrancing. She wanted to drench herself in it. She wanted… Her body began to twist, moving in conjunction to his. She felt him slide behind her back and gracefully moved to catch him on the other side. He made a sound, like a contented rumble, deep in his chest as she twisted and reached with her arms for his neck. She wanted… her lips tingled, her tongue had a feeling on the edge of it like she'd eaten something salty. She stretched upwards, nearly on her tiptoes just to get her face back into the hollow of his throat he'd put in reach before. This time he was making her come to him.
He could feel her breath on his neck. The hairs lifted where her lips were slowly approaching. He froze waiting to see if she would do the next stage in the mating rite unbidden. His skin tingled. He hungered for the feeling of her lips brushing his skin. One touch would be enough of an answer. He wanted it… both sides of him wanted it. Then he smelled an intrusion. It pulled him out of the moment and he snapped his face away from Jackie. It took a moment for it to filter in who was coming. The beast didn't like it. A deep growl reverberated through his chest. He felt Jackie snap back to her senses. Her head pulled away from his neck and she settled back on her heels before lowering her arms. He felt her untwist slightly as she followed his quicksilver gaze into the gloom.
"Hey, Jack? Riddick? You two still with the living?" It was Fry. Jackie turned her large hazel eyes to Riddick's face, surprise registering about his reaction to the other woman even coming into smelling range.
"Yes, Carolyn." His voice implied 'go away' but the docking pilot was still there, trying to find them. His posture went defensive almost without him thinking about it an instant before Fry's blond head became visible. Jackie understood. Some part of Riddick saw Fry as a threat, but Jackie had no idea what type of threat Fry could possibly be. She noticed he was tense but not in a frozen sort of way. His energy was coiled like a spring, ready to release in deadly fashion in an instant.
The docking pilot's face looked relieved when she spotted Jackie's outline in the gloom half behind Riddick. Jackie standing, clothed, and in one piece…. Fry could only imagine what bad things a convict would do to a little boy like Jack, or rather, fear them. "Come on, Jack," she said as she raised a hand toward the child. The posture between the large man and the child made her feel somewhat sick inside, like she'd stumbled into something she shouldn't have. Fear rippled through her. She had to get Jack away from this situation… But Jackie didn't even notice Fry reaching out. The teen's focus was on the ex-ranger's protective reaction to the docking pilot's presence. Riddick didn't exactly growl again but Jackie felt the deep vibration wash over her. A warning sign telling her to stay put. But the sound alarmed the older woman, and she interpreted it differently than Riddick intended, "Jack!" Fry attempted to draw the boy's eyes to her. Jackie looked over at the woman shrouded in a back lit glow and noticed her shake her entire arm. "Come here, Jack."
But Riddick was not letting Jackie leave. And she knew better that to ignore his first order not to move. He'd cut something inside his being loose and it was wild, like an animal. Jackie felt her insides tingle with a wave that flowed from one end of her torso to the other. It was not a shiver. It was deeper. She looked again at the savage protectiveness that was visible in those luminous eyes. The tension was unbearable. He was going to kill the docking pilot unless Jackie did something to break his defensive taut impulse. His form could crush her with its power yet at this moment it was Fry who was in danger. Jackie reached for his face, just a light brush… Her hand sliding over his warmed skin caused his attention to focus on her. He moved, lightening fast… Catching her up and spinning her against him so that her back slammed into his chest. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. He made another growling vibration. She heard Fry let out an echo to her own gasp. Jackie felt his arms loosely cross over her torso, the motion tucking her under his chin. She was aware of his scent again. It was so warm. It made her feel safe. Now that he was physically touching her, the tingle seemed to stop. She could feel the steady pulse of his heart beating its way into her back. She relaxed and as she did so his vibration altered from a defensive to a contented one.
Fry expected to see Jack's little form crumpled on the floor with its throat slit open. Instead, she saw what looked like a bear protecting its cub, or more exact, a dominant male staking a claim-- 'Is he a pedophile? Is he that sick? Or am I missing something?' Fry was overtaken with questions she couldn't answer. Jack didn't look like Riddick. Yet the large man was protecting the boy, 'from me?' Fry wondered. Fry ran her tongue over her lips, "Okay, Riddick -- what the hell is going on?" it was a hushed whisper, but Fry knew he heard her.
"It's okay, Fry. He knew my mom. Some luck, huh?" Jackie was the one who spoke. Fry moved her eyes from Riddick's impassive, dangerous face to Jack who was almost hidden by the larger man's arms. Jackie moved a hand up onto one of Riddick's. The convict's entire posture morphed. He lowered his face into the top of Jack's head as a shudder ran through him. "I just told him about her habit and how the medics didn't think she'd make it. They grew up together."
Suddenly Fry felt red blood coursing into her cheeks. Perhaps she'd totally misinterpreted Riddick's body language. Or had she diffused a lethal situation? She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, "I'm so sorry. Is that why you were going to Tangiers, Jack?"
"Yeah. Her wonderful loving husband sent me away." Jackie said it with more bitterness than she really meant to. "I thought I should tell Riddick about her while I had the chance. I mean, we could all die out there--" Riddick put a large hand over her mouth. Fry saw his hand move and stayed quiet. A flashlight beam erratically cut through the shadows.