To Run, To Chase…
Antonia Chillingsworth, Kovan elite, highly sought after for her cruel beauty and great wealth, watched something happen from the ledge above that had never happened to her before. Expensive implants sailed in twin arcs through the air as she attempted to hold onto the remote for them. Her fingers pressed a button and suddenly chaos erupted in her once tidy world. Down on the floor of her private arena two shrill corpses, a pile of goo that had once been a merc in her employ, and five very alive humans were recovering from an ear-splitting explosion. The explosion had been engineered by her own hand, the product of being outwitted by a convict. Not just any convict. Richard B. Riddick, now flattened on the floor by the force of the fireball, had out thought, out maneuvered, and out plotted her. Not something she was used to, by any means. The shock quickly gave way to emotions of the darkest and most murderous kind. Her fingers squeezed the remote she had so inelegantly fumbled for not moments before as if to crush it. The spectacular orange-red balls of fire should have killed.
Only the clever octopus-like devices had not been incased in flesh at the moment of detonation, and it was the hull of her ship that paid the price for her lapse in judgement. She had severely underestimated the girl. Not only had the tawny haired young woman quickly escaped from her collar, but also she'd thrown herself into the fight at the bald man's orders without a second thought. At first Antonia was thrilled, but when the unspoken set of commands turned to self-mutation and the girl had dared to follow them the thrill very quickly drained away. In the moments that it took for her implants to screen out the afterglow flash from the twin detonations, the five below her were regaining their feet.
She stood with emotions ranging from icy-cold cunning to white-hot murderous rage swirling thick around her as the fire gave way to thick black smoke. Her eyes registered a figure standing in the ruins of the fighting pit. It took Antonia a moment to realize that the navy blue clothing and blonde head belonged the docking pilot. The woman was hopping on one foot as she worked to put her shoe back on. That accomplished, she moved to the hole in the wall and began to wave to the others that were still either on the floor or helping them up. Antonia knew that the impossible was happening; they were getting away.
Anger took over, coming up from deep inside and threatening to boil over. How dare they run? The acid inky smoke was filling the room. She heard the atmospheric scrubbers cycle on. The air cleared in time for Chillingsworth to see the young Furyan woman pull Riddick to his feet. She clinched her teeth, turning to her second in command with a look that nearly shouted, 'What did you not tell me,' for she recognized this behavior and she guessed that the woman was of age to bond. She had hoped that revealing a change of plans to place them together for eternity would calm them, that the charges implanted in them would still their thoughts of freedom. Instead the pair struggled like savages against being tamed; cutting into their own flesh like rabid animals might do against a trap. Their blood spilled onto the floor, wounds in their necks glaring at the one who would dare ensnare them as if to mock her, they ran.
Junner also watched the escape stunned at the boldness of it. Shock and a devious tickling of wonder, he noted idly. Surely he couldn't admire the ingenious impromptu planning of the desperate killer. No, surely not… Yet the feeling of hesitant awe settled into his gut and wouldn't dislodge itself no matter how angered he tried to become. Here was a challenge, the tall black haired man noted. Finally, someone to test himself against for a stake that really mattered. For life -- or death. An odd calm filtered over Junner at that thought. He was rather detached from the situation, yet clearly his mistress felt insulted by the actions of the rather remarkable survivors.
After a moment he gathered his wits and looked over at the slightly shaking form of the woman he was devoted to. He could tell that Chillingsworth realized her 'art' was escaping. There was no point in mentioning it. Reflection of the situation revealed, to him at least, that this was the likely outcome of pushing someone who clearly was a masterful killer. A cunning killer. Riddick was certainly both masterful and cunning. The desire to face off with the man fleeing below into the depths of the Kubla Kahn swelled in Junner's breast. It would be such a triumph to face one such as that. To meet that challenge, to win it even, yes, even at the risk of his own life.
At long last he approached his mistress. Last two survivors, both dark skinned, disappeared through the smoldering gash in the bulkhead. He had dwelled in his dreams of grandeur for too long and now it was all too apparent that Antonia was not dealing with this situation well at all. He slammed is fear back down as far as he could. This mood of hers upped the danger. Junner prepared himself to take what punishment she might see fit to toss at him although this mess wouldn't have happened if she'd listened to him in the first place. With his mistress' temper approaching white hot, he knew that reminding her of that fact would be a deadly mistake. Through clinched teeth she stated flatly, "We'll need to rouse a substantial pursuit force."
Oh, this was very, very bad. Just by the tone of her voice he could tell that the owner of the ship would spare no cost to recover her prizes. His heart thudded in his chest before he dared to quietly speak, "Who?"
His humble question was greeted with a scream. A sound of madness that gave way to the words, "All of them!" Chillingsworth spun to look at him, her eyes glittering like bits of star fire as she came swiftly into his space, "Even the 'Golls!" His mind suddenly went blank all words of protest fleeing as swiftly as they could form. He noticed that her hands balled into fists so tight that her metallic nails groaned from the pressure. "Any man or thing that can hold a weapon!" Spittle flew as Antonia advanced one step, then two. She leaned forward forcing him back, "Every. Last. One!" He was faintly glad for the glasses he wore and his ability to keep a straight face. He was distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of letting his kin loose on the ship, even if it was to catch a killer that would likely destroy it if not stopped. But his mistress was not done; she kept advancing on him. Junner felt her heel grind into his foot, shooting pain not only in his foot but up his leg as she crushed down on his boot with her dagger-like shoe. "Now!" He was all too glad to get away from Chillingsworth to carry out her orders.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Toombs looked away from the distorted image of a pale, gaunt man with wild curly hair and distinctive beard. He notice, not for the first time, that his once warm brown hair was turning a dirty gray, in spite of all the time he spent on ice these days. He patted down his pockets looking once again for the stub of the cigar that he knew should be there only to remember that his 'commander' had snatched it away from him. He glanced back into the narrowed eyes centered in his reflection. His skin was pasty after so much time in space. He needed four things: sunlight, a bottle of whisky, a fine cigar, and information about what the hell was going on. Of the four there was only one that he knew he could get quickly. He smoothed down his vest, checking his gear before scrunching up his face and giving his chin a brisk rubbing. There was a mass movement down the hallway outside the door of the room where he waited. He listened until the footsteps died down. It hadn't taken him long to slip his ball and chain he reflected. She was by all accounts a fine looking woman, one he'd bed in an instant if he thought she'd go for that. Except he knew the butch wouldn't. Maybe that wasn't fair. After all he had no proof. Hell, she acted like a dike… He figured she likely was one.
Harley was her name. And she was big on keeping everyone in line. For some reason she targeted him for every little thing. Hell, a wrinkle for sitting down got him a scolding. And there was the insane rank thing going on, 'Commander Harley' she'd reminded him about a hundred times since he'd woken up. He rolled his eyes at the thought. She was no commander. She was nothing. She knew nothing about catching the big payouts because she had spent all her time here, on the Kubla Kahn, kissing ass. Unfortunately, ass kissing never carried over especially well when facing a merc-killer. And he'd bet that that was the thing, right there. Someone had been brought on board that was too hot for the normal crew to handle.
He ground his teeth together. The platinum haired bitch acted like de-icing him was a marriage contract, all right. Nothin' worse that a woman with a gun who thought she was the boss, especially when there was another woman above her. While this was a nice ship, clean and tidy, he wanted off. Toombs stepped out of the room he'd holed up in and scanned down the corridor. The halls of the Kubla Kahn were deserted leaving his passage toward the control room wide open, just the way he liked it. He'd never seen the ship quite this empty before. He knew it had to be irregular. Something huge was up, of that he had no doubt. But what? Or more to the point, who?
He reached the brightly-lit chamber and opened the door. After glancing around it was clear that not even a token crewmember was left on watch. He smirked as he strolled over to a station and sat down. He slid his hands into the keypads and reopened the last database search. "All right. Just what's the big deal?" He asked the empty room as the computer retrieved the data he was asking for. The prison record for one Richard B. Riddick and all his current bounties popped to the screen. The bounty line filled to the 1.126.000 UD's mark. "Oh! Jumping Jesus!" Toombs thought he was going to have a heart attack from sheer joy, "Oh, come to Papa, you beautiful bald bastard."
Harley rolled her eyes as the rough male voice echoed down the empty hallway. Toombs had left the door open, and it was easy to track him when he was loudly swearing. She stepped into the room to see him hooked into the main computer without authorization. She didn't give a fuck as to why he was there, but she had to make him understand that she was in charge, "Toombs, what in the hell are you doing?"
He didn't even look away from the screen. Resentment at her poking her nose in threatened to filter out of the careful mask he was wearing. He had to keep his head down so she wouldn't catch on, "Just gathering intel."
Harley watched him make a careless shrug. Her arms tensed up and she gritted her teeth. 'Arrogant son-of-a-bitch' she mentally swore. Fixing him with a look that was like ice, she said off handedly, "Yeah, well, stow it." He stood up and looked at her. "We got a couple of runners to bring in. Shoot on sight."
"Yes, sir." Toombs saluted his 'commander's' back but brushed off her growl. This was, by all accounts, going to make his year. If he could catch the bastard running through the Kubla Kahn he'd have his ticket off this boat.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Luckily, the gravity remained off in the parts of the ship that Riddick lead them into. Not that moving in zero-grav was easy or anything, but the princess would not have managed otherwise. The broken leg slowed them all down, and Riddick found himself looking for paths that would be easier rather than straighter to his goal. This meant looking for open areas; straight lines that had push off points at easy to manage distances. Why the hell did he care? Was it the fact that this woman made the preacher happy? Questions rolled through his brain that he couldn't answer, foreign as they were.
If they had left the princess behind they would be that much closer to freedom. He stopped his mind from those thoughts. No, he'd killed Johns for exactly the same sort of thing. It didn't matter if he liked her or not, if he understood her or not, she was for all practical purposes one of them now because the insane woman who owned this ship made it so. That being the case, he'd do his best to make sure she had a chance of making off this ship. He gritted his teeth and wondered when he'd become Carolyn. Or rather, when Richard had become fully a part of him again.
Lujjan had little experience with broken bones, and while she felt a tremendous amount of pain, her leg was surprisingly numb now she had no weight on it. For that she was grateful. Her mind was oddly blank. There were, of course, those nagging little questions that kept pestering the edge of her mind, like who were these people? Why did Chillingsworth speak of having them 'mounted'? Where did the pair leading them learn to fight? But all in all she could ignore those little annoyances and focus on escaping.
Ahead of her was a large tunnel-like passage. The 'ex-military' man reached the entrance to it, altered his path with an effortless light push, and zoomed into the depths of the darkness. The young woman, still with her hands shackled, followed his example making it look natural. Abu paused to catch her as she reached the tunnel herself and gave her a directed push. The docking pilot caught her around her waist and guided her through the velvety blackness doing an amazing job of protecting Lujjan's injury. It didn't take the princess long to realize that this was not an easy way to travel at all. These people had great control fueled by an urgent desire to escape from Antonia Chillingsworth alive.
There was a turn in the tunnel. She spotted 'Mr. Smyth's' boots just as the golden-eyed youth touched off and disappeared around the bend. Imam once again helped guide her so she did not hurt herself. Carolyn also continued to hang back with her, not having much energy anyhow and trying to keep herself going as long as possible. Lujjan knew that Abu would let her pass then push off and easily end up in front of her before she required his aid again. The tunnel gave way to a 3-d maze of pipes and they began to work their way through it as fast as possible.
Not overly far behind them, four mercs moved into the pit and surveyed the mess. Their boots crunched as they walked something that indicated light casings shattered under foot. Toombs had never seen anything quite like this before. And if this was beyond his experience, sure as shit none of the others with him had a hint about it either. To his side his 'commander' was scanning above them instead of looking at the floor. The other two grunts seemed oblivious to the implications of what they were walking through. Toombs narrowed his eyes at the clues littered about.
There was tan sludge, pieces of something that was decomposing rapidly, metal shards, and plexi fragments all over the floor. He guessed that the metal and plexi came from the wall that had been torn apart and was still issuing a rank arid smoke. The goo looked like it had been slid in, its edges pushed out by smallish feet or perhaps knees. The other pieces had been something alive, not overly long ago. They looked rather spongy now and emitted a strong, inhuman, pungency that was only slightly cut by the tang of the arid smoke. The smell tended to hug the floor getting stronger as he ventured to crouch down very briefly. He then noticed the three large spheres. Hanging from the distant ceiling were three ropes cleanly edged with a single cut, and a metal cable with a collar pried open. The cable still had a loop in it that looked oddly like someone had rigged a footrest out of it. It was then that he saw the bits of chain and the two sets of collars and shackles on the floor.
Toombs and Harley stewed in mutual hostility even as the smell threatened to make them both gag. Of the other two, one was a broad shouldered blonde cyborg and the other was too handsome for his own good. Neither was bright enough to be scared of what they were about to do. It was spotting a final set of cuffs and collar just past the smoking ruins of the wall that made Toombs forget the gook he'd been avoiding with care. He stepped in something sticky and squishy. Raising his foot off the floor with disgust he asked, "What in the hell happened here?"
Harley had been, up to that point, wondering that herself. She noticed that the second in command was not there, but that the boss was. They needed results, and fast. "Shut up and take point," she waved Toombs to the front. It was her tone of voice that alerted Toombs to who was above them, watching their progress through the pit and into the ship beyond. He gave the white haired woman a salute before stepping through the breach in the wall that was obviously brand new. He quickly pushed it out of his mind and focused on the task at hand. Harley was slightly bothered by Chillingsworth's presence on the balcony. She wondered if this was a test or something. She suppressed a growl, "Burn 'em."
But Antonia was far away from the situation unfolding below her, settling deep into her personal insanity. A wild, unhinged look filled her eyes. All she could think of was that they dared defy her. They never would have run if not for HIM, that bloody, vicious, savage! She would show them what they were dealing with. No one defied a Chillingsworth. She spun away, set on her own person plan of revenge.
Toombs headed into the darkness, pausing to turn his lights on, "Grab your panties, boys." He could tell without even asking that half of the crew he was with had all the experience of freshly picked farm boys venturing into the big city for the first time. Faint echoes of feet colliding with metal steered him the correct direction. He could hear the runners hit walls as they floated their way through the ship. He listened for a second and then the gravity came on. There was a distant clatter and then a steadier pace of echoes as the group ahead switched to running. Toombs broke into a trot not caring if the other three kept up or not.
Up ahead, Riddick was still in the lead. As they made their way through an area thick with pipes the gravity came on. Imam and Fry both stopped to carry Lujjan through. Jack paused to wait for them, "Riddick, wait!" He looked back, scanned the area ahead of them and motioned for her to hurry. The three behind her cleared the pipes and Jackie moved off to indicate her mate's chosen path. A distant, grotesque roar shuddered through the ship. "What the hell was that?"
Down the darkened wide passage he'd chosen Riddick came to a full stop. This allowed everyone to catch up. Once he had them all around him he ordered, "Don't move." He had a really bad feeling about that noise. He strained his senses. There was a faint distant clanging that told him four mercs were behind them. One was very light, like that of a woman. Another was rather loud and uneven, hinting at a mechanical leg. The other two were men. But the roar was not repeated right away. It had to be something behind the merc squad, not with it. He held up four fingers. Imam widened his eyes understanding the message. Riddick motioned for everyone to move as quickly and as quietly as they could manage.
The second wave of trackers entered the pit. These individuals were all half mechanical and half flesh. They wore matching outfits that marked them as Kovan handlers. What they handled was the results of science gone mad. Currently, six of them struggled to control a monster of huge proportions that walked on mechanical legs. Whatever the base creature was had been mutated out of recognition. These were the 'golls of the sort that Riddick had encountered before. A seventh handler swabbed up some blood and offered it to the monster. It ate the swab, its mouth erupting into a tentacled and toothed horror large enough to bite a large man in half. The swab holder ordered, "Turn it loose!" The creature roared in eager anticipation. The other six 'golls were given little choice and even less time to react before the half mechanical mutant surged forward toward the jagged hole. Five managed to get the ropes off their wrists. The unlucky sixth individual was dragged behind the monster as it lumbered into the darkness with one thought on its tiny brain – lunch.
It was the second roar that finally spurred Riddick to change his course. Going flat was deadly; they needed to get off this level and up higher. Hopefully the 'goll mutant couldn't climb. He turned to the first structure that looked easy and pointed up. The ex-ranger refused to say why at the moment, telling Jackie, "No time to explain. Just do as I say." He set her up the route in front of him, and turned to give Lujjan a hand. Imam was just behind her. Fry was at the rear of the group and was doing better than he had thought she would. Jackie reached the next level and turned her attention toward her cuffs. Riddick settled Lujjan down next to his mate and turned back to aid Imam. Abu waved off the offered hand and indicated Carolyn. The sounds of Jack's chains popping loose clicked into the darkness. "Enough of a break! Climb!" The urgency in his deep voice made Jackie jump up and rush to obey.
She helped Lujjan back to her feet and made sure the other woman was pulling herself up the structure behind them. The holy man had scaled it in front of the princess and was offering her a hand when she needed it. Fry and Riddick both reached the lower ledge as enough of the wall cleared for Jack to begin her climb. Riddick didn't wait. He stepped to the side and scaled up with enough speed to meet Abu at the top. Jack hauled herself over the edge just as Riddick ordered Imam, "Keep movin' Preacher." Abu looped an arm around Lujjan and set off down the flat path beyond. Jackie and Riddick both heard the footfalls from the group of mercs following them. "Go with Imam, Jack," he found her arm extending with his toward Fry.
"I'm not leaving you."
"Not a good time to get stubborn, you know?" he scolded her as they connected with Carolyn's arms haul her up. But Jack noticed that he did not send her away, instead choosing to focus on the docking pilot, "Come on!" Riddick growled as he and Jack pulled her up. The blonde was nearly over the edge of the rail when the lights blinded them. Jackie stared into the beams for a second, her grip going slack.
One of their pursuers looked up before raising his gun and caught sight of an angelic, youthful face surrounded by a sweep of short tawny hair with eyes the color of back lit amber or clear honey. It caused him to pause for an instant, "Holy Mother of Jesus…." Then one of the others, the merc Toombs hand mentally begun to call 'cutie' began to fire at the three runners.
Jackie ducked back as the bullets began hitting metal around them, letting go of Fry in her haste. Riddick caught the blonde by her waistband and flipped her up over his head before turning over and inching away from the edge. He caught Carolyn before she hit the floor and barely registered the sing in his shoulder where a bullet had gotten just a tad too close. "You're hurt--" Jack began.
Fry found herself in the large man's lap, her heart thudding wildly, "He's hurt? He almost tore me in half!"
"Just a graze." They had no time. Riddick set the pilot on her feet, grabbed Jack by the arm and forged ahead, looking for the fastest, most direct route. Sometimes though the two were not fully compatible. They caught up with Imam helping Lujjan over the conduits that blocked their path. They were almost clear again when another roar shook the ship, followed by vibrations through the metal.
"What the fuck is that?" Jackie turned the direction of the noise.
Behind them the mercs were scaling the same route their quarry followed. The creature, even further back, was hot on the pursuit also. Its roar, the thunder of its huge metal legs, and the screaming, entangled 'goll it was dragging all created a chilling announcement of its pending arrival. Toombs, of all the mercs, understood what the noise was. "That bitch. Move!" He kicked his climb into high gear at the expense of the merc in front of him, climbing over the top of the cyborg. Harley, for once, didn't argue. By Toombs reaction she guessed that their boss had set the 'goll monster loose. If they got in the way they would be just as dead as the runners it was after.
Riddick stopped to judge where the monster was, "Quiet." The order caused them all to pause for just a moment not even daring to breathe. " 'Golls. Come on." Riddick lead them into the clear, "We gotta keep moving." He pushed Fry ahead of him and motioned for Jack to lift Lujjan clear of the last pipe. Another roar spurred them into a run. Now that the ground was flat and the adrenaline was pumping even the injured could hobble along at a frantic pace without help. The covered the length of the smooth flatness until the walls begun to taper toward them. Jackie hung back with Lujjan the entire way just incase she fell. Imam's robes flapped as he sprinted between ex-ranger's position and Lujjan's. Riddick nearly picked Fry up and carried her. The path was rapidly coming to an end. They needed to climb again, only the vibrations were getting louder, stronger. To risk the service ladder to the flight deck would expose them all. That would be a messy death. Riddick swept the area with his eyes and came to a halt. He let go of Carolyn who just barely managed to not sink to the ground.
Imam pulled up short; "We cannot stop." He was breathing heavy and could only imagine how the docking felt at the moment as she fought to stay upright about half a step behind Riddick. Jackie and Lujjan came to a stop and the princess caught the young woman by the arm to keep her balance.
"We ain't out running this thing, not the five of us." Riddick insisted, looking at the regal woman pointedly. She was not his only concern though; he'd been nearly carrying Carolyn who was at the point of collapse.
"I can keep up." Lujjan protested.
"Not with that leg." Riddick looked at Imam before motioning to Fry. The docking pilot mustered her strength and stepped back up to Abu's side. She listened intently, "Best bet, get to the flight deck." Riddick looked up. They were just below a docking bay. He scanned with his eyes until he spotted a good hiding spot.
Imam looked up thoughtfully, "It's just aft, upper level." He spotted the well-lit service ladder.
"Yeah." He pointed to the sheltered area between some massive pipes that was shrouded in deep shadows, "Stow in there." He was watching Abu and Carolyn closely, hoping beyond hope that they would listen to him and do as he said. He would just have to gamble that they would. "Let whatever is following pass. When it does make for the flight deck." Riddick pointed up. "Don't look back, no matter what you hear." Imam nodded his face betraying concern for his friend and the knowledge that he was going to follow some very dangerous and foolhardy plan.
Fry said, "We'll wait for you."
Riddick shook his head. If they waited they might never make it off this hellish boat. What good would that do him? "Just get off this ship, Carolyn. As fast as you can." Riddick looked at the docking pilot willing her to listen to him.
Lujjan finally piped in, "What are you going to do?" She sounded very concerned.
"Whatever I have to do for you three to get out of this alive. Don't argue." He pointed to the hiding spot and glared until Fry begin to pull Lujjan off that way. Imam took both women's hands and gave them a squeeze. "Jackie, it's after us. Come on." Jackie looked back at them one last time and followed Riddick in a sprint.
The three left behind to hide watched the couple as both the bald man and his wiry companion retreated into the darkness. Each of them was filled with thoughts of the danger that the pair faced and would continue to face in the attempt to keep them alive. They made their way over to the narrow alcove. Imam noticed something that nearly made him cry, Riddick was making a blood trail as he and Jackie went to draw the danger away from them.
The patter of running feet was getting louder. 'That would be the mercs,' the holy man thought. Abu pulled the women with him back into the depths of the darkness. He felt his heart pounding. Prayer at a time like this suddenly felt silly. All this time he'd been praying that they get out of this alive, and all this time, Riddick had been the one to save them. Now the quicksilver-eyed man was leaking his life force all over the floor in a desperate bid to draw away whatever horror it was that followed them. A horror that had to be far, far worse than four mercs that dodged past their hiding spot.
Toombs came to a screeching halt. There was something dark and wet making a trail off into the confines of the ship. It glimmered into the distance. He crouched and eyed one drop closely. Blood. An inkling of what was going on tickled his brain. Standing back up he looked up. Nothing. The shudder through the metal around him drew his attention back down the length of the ship. The mutant was getting closer in spite the climb. His companions were already nearly out of sight. He trotted off to catch up.
None of the adults in hiding had forgotten the reason they were cowering in the darkness. The quivering metal around them beat a steady reminder. Imam dared a peak around the edge of their hiding spot. He pulled back, his face draining of color as the heavy metallic footsteps approached. This creature was worse than the shrill, worse than an army of them could ever be. It was massive. Lujjan caught his hand wondering what he had seen. The ship kept vibrating under the monster's weight. Her eyes spotted the glint off its metallic leg as it came level with the crevice they hid in. 'Oh my god, there is no way that the other two can survive that!' she thought in panic.
The mutant caught scent of the blood trail and roared as it came into Carolyn's line of sight. This certainly looked bad for Riddick and Jackie, but the docking pilot had faith in the pair. 'They'll make it. Now we just have to get to the flight deck and wait for them to show.' The three of them stayed hidden until there was no doubt that the creature had taken the bait, following whatever trail Riddick had set for it. Imam did a visual check just to be sure. He motioned to the women as he stood and emerged from their hiding spot. He turned and headed toward the service ladder. Lujjan and Carolyn followed him. Fry felt Lujjan pause about halfway to it and had turned back the direction Riddick and Jackie went. Imam was already scaling the ladder. He stopped and looked back down at the pair. Carolyn moved back to the princess, understanding perhaps too well how the other woman felt.
Lujjan was torn. She had been taught that one good deed deserved another. Since first meeting the bald man and the slim young woman, all either of them had done was try to keep her safe although they did not know her. It was not the sort of loyalty she'd known from her father's paid guard, but something that just seemed inherently noble about the pair. The thought of leaving this ship without Riddick or Jackie just was wrong in so many ways; "We've got to help them. We can't help either of them if we leave," she whispered.
Although Carolyn Fry felt the same way, she knew that they had to keep moving. She put a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Sometimes," her voice caught and she swallowed in order to finish her words around the lump in her throat, "– that's exactly what has to be done." Lujjan squeezed her eyes closed. "I know it's counter to everything your gut says, Lujjan, but we have to trust Riddick and do what he's told us to do." The blonde felt the dark-skinned woman give in. They began toward the ladder. She gave the dark skinned woman a boost toward the first rung and Abu's hand reached down to help Lujjan climb.