AN: This chapter was a little more difficult to write than I originally anticipated. I have been waiting for the right time to really push River to a breaking point and this seemed like the best opportunity to give you all a taste of things to come from her, and to also show you how similar she is to Riddick at the same time. Shout outs to: Ookami Sakura, Rachet, SeanHicks4, and hideher for the reviews. It really does mean a lot when people take the time to tell you what they think of your story. As always I do not own anything, please don't sue…and now on with the show!
Chapter 41 Smack My Bitch Up
XXX
Riddick's POV
"You know, we really need to re-evaluate whether Mal pays us enough." I say as grab on to the next metal protrusion sticking out from the wall.
"Usually she would be apt to disagree, but under these circumstances it seems reasonable." River says from below me.
We have spent the last thirty minutes scaling what feels like a sheer wall of metal; avoiding moving robotic arms and sparking wires. We have another fifteen meters before we reach the next ventilation shaft.
I look back over my shoulder and down to where River is having some difficulty with the next grab.
"You know, for some government trained assassin, you sure are slow at climbing."
I hear a huff of annoyance from her. "She has a considerably smaller arm span than you Richard…not all of us are blessed with Furyan strength either."
"All I'm saying is if you can't keep up, don't step up." I say with a chuckle.
This earns a small laugh from her as she makes the next grab. "The girl is more than happy to remind you of how well she can keep up at a later time…but right now is not the most opportune moment."
"Mmm…Can't wait honey."
XXX
…Back on Serenity…
Zoe helps Wash out of the shuttle's pilot seat and out on to the landing. They are greeted by Book, Jayne, Kaylee, Inara, and Simon all rushing to the shuttle.
"Thank God, you're safe." Book says as he lets out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
"You okay? What happened?" Kaylee asks.
Simon pushes his way to Wash now. "Let me take a look. How bad it is?"
"I'm fine." Wash brushes past Simon and towards the bridge.
"Is Mal alive?" Inara asks.
"For now." Zoe says as she ducks back into the shuttle to retrieve something. "Take that to the infirmary. Put it on ice." Zoe says as she hands Mal's arm to Simon.
"Oh dear lord." Book says in shock.
Kaylee and Inara nearly burst into tears and immediately leave the cargo bay.
"Huh choo-shang tza-jiao duh tzang-huo." Jayne says as he slams his fist into the metal railing.
"We're getting him back." Zoe says with determination.
"Well, it's a clean cut. With the right equipment, I should be able to reattach it…That's assuming there's a head." Simon says as he inspects the arm and turns to go to the infirmary.
XXX
River's POV
Once they had scaled the inner chamber, the rest was meant to be a walk in the park…however, nothing is ever that simple…While Mr. Universe's schematics had been accurate so far, they did not include what was now before them.
"You have got to be kidding me." Riddick says as he stands next to her..
They had crawled through the ductwork and come to an opening big enough to stand in…however it was also big enough to have a maze of lasers that needed to be traversed in order to continue on.
"Remind me to thank that techno-geek the next time I see him will ya?" Riddick says with annoyance.
The girl merely rolls her eyes and begins mapping the field. "If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress."
"Sounds like bullshit to me Riv."
Now she just turns and glares at him. She moves forward and begins to traverse the maze…each step calculated…each one purposeful…she imagined it looked a lot like dancing from the outside.
A few minutes later she has made it across and turns to look at the rather un-amused Riddick.
She smiles and throws his words back at him. "If you can't keep up, don't step up."
"Yeah yeah, well not all of us are quite as bendy as you are…I think I'll find my own way from here…I'll see you when I kill Niska before you." He says with a small salute of his hand and turns and enters the vent they came out of earlier.
She scoffs and turns and continues down the vent in front of her.
XXX
…Elsewhere…
"Do you know the writings of Shan Yu Mr. Reynolds?" Niska says as the other man punches Mal in the face.
Mal groans and spits blood. "We're starting a book club? What? Are you trying to tor…" and he is cut off by another punch "...trying to torture me?"
Niska laughs. "Yes, today we meet you. Yes, and you are quite a man. An extraordinary man. Yes, but these are not times for extraordinary men. Business is not war. Heroics are unseemly. They complicate."
The other man delivers another punch.
"What was that? Couldn't quite hear you through the bullshit." Mal says and again spits blood.
Niska visible grimaces and picks up what looks like a metal rod and hits Mal with it. "Do you hear me now?"
"No, I didn't quite catch that."
Niska hits Mal again.
"Still not getting it."
Niska drops the metal rod and signals for his henchman to deliver more blows.
"Ok, I got it…." Mal says after he stops. "Shit, I lost it."
The henchman continues to deliver pounding blows to Mal's face and body.
Niska crosses the room and begins to examine things on the table while the beating continues.
XXX
Wash, Zoe, and Jayne are gathered around the common room table…an array of guns, knives, and grenades laid out before them.
Jayne hands a gun to Wash. "Here. Six shots, and then just drop it. Keep moving."
They are all business right now…nothing else entering their heads…only they plan at hand.
"Grenades?" Wash asks Zoe.
"Oh, yes. Thank you, dear." She says as she takes them and hooks them to her belt.
A few moments later Book, Kaylee, Simon and Inara enter the common area, each holding one or two weapons.
"What's this?" Zoe asks.
"We're going with you." Kaylee says. "If it were any one of us, Cap'n wouldn't hesitate."
"Preacher, don't the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?" Jayne asks.
"Quite specific….It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps."
"Uh huh..sure. Like rabbits Preacher?" Jayne says with a smirk.
"In a manner of sorts."
"River's plan didn't call for you all to be put in harm's way." Zoe says with authority in her voice.
"Yes, well I'm sure she accounted for the fact that we would…she was always very good with chaos theory." Simon says somewhat comically.
"Fine, but you and Kaylee are to hold the ship…we are going to need you in the infirmary the minute we have the Captain on board." Zoe says as she finishes cocking her last gun.
"Alright then, let's go get the rest of our crew." Jayne says as he picks up Vera.
XXX
River's POV
She crawls on her belly through the duct work…the bowls of the beast of the space station…She can feel herself getting nearer to the Captain, his shrieks resonate louder in her brain.
Each movement forward brings on more anger…more determination…people should really know better than to touch what she considers hers.
XXX
Riddick's POV
Girl had brains, no doubt, but he had certain…finesse…that she just didn't possess yet. He had managed to find his way through the ductwork to a locker room for the guards that worked on the space station. He had quickly grabbed a helmet, jumpsuit, and security badge and then proceeded to exit the room.
XXX
"For you, I have, uh... special machine..." Niska says as he pets the black device. "Very precious."
Mal cranes his head to look with a great amount of discomfort. "And they say people don't look like their pets." He says slightly exhausted.
Niska chuckles. " Let us see if we can meet the real you."
The torturer smiles a bit evilly and a metallic whirring sound starts up. He attaches the device to Mal's chest and it crawls and claws inside, almost like a metallic spider.
Mal screams, long and loud.
XXX
River's POV
She feels the agony he is going through…her body tenses…and is racked with pain… She tries to reach out to him …she can feel him slowly slipping and the tears begin to run down her cheeks…
She calls to him subconscious…tries to give him her strength…"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength."
But that's when she feels it…the chord is cut…there is no more pain…nothing…just emptiness….and she screams in agony…
XXX
The torturer pokes a motionless Mal in the shoulder a few times, and then turns to Niska.
"Yep. He's dead."
Niska's brow furrows…he is not pleased. "Bring him back."
XXX
River's POV
She continues on…pressing on faster…harder…the only thought that consumes her brain is the thought of what Niska's head will look like mounted on her wall.
Every fiber of her being is consumed by hatred…by anger…by insanity.
XXX
…Back on Serenity…
Everyone is huddled in a darkened Serenity.
"You really think this'll work?" Jayne asks quietly, a slight nervousness to his voice.
"Well, except for the comm static, I'm piping out on all frequencies. We've been completely powered down since I fired the attitude thrusters. We should show up on their screens as a radar
glitch if they aren't looking too close." Wash says as he mans the helm.
"What if they are looking too close?" Jayne asks.
Wash chuckles. "Hell, I'm just glad we're on course."
"It's like throwing a dart, Jayne, and hitting a bulls-eye 6,000 miles away." Zoe says proudly as she claps a hand on Wash's shoulder and squeezes it. "That's my man."
"You guys better get down to the bay. We'll be at their front door in less than a minute." Wash says to the other two.
They both exit and Wash continues to fiddle with some dials and direct the course.
When Zoe and Jayne get to the cargo bay they see the others, milling around anxiously. A nervous energy can be felt in the air.
Book begins strapping some containers onto the small cargo loader.
"Book, you good?"
"Yes, ma'am. Ready when you are.
Zoe turns to Kaylee now. "Kaylee, how you doing on that override sequence?"
"Pretty sure this'll pop their airlock doors if Wash can get a seal on the first try."
"Smellin' a lot of "if" comin' off this plan." Jayne says.
"You coulda stayed in your bunk." Zoe says with a smirk.
"Coulda, shoulda, woulda." Jayne says and then proceeds to cock Vera.
Wash comes down the stairs, calling out to everyone. "We're set."
"Okay, people... If it moves, shoot it." Zoe says authoritatively.
"Unless it's the Captain!" Kaylee pipes in nervously.
Zoe shakes her head and corrects herself. "Unless it's the Captain."
XXX
There is a guard lazily sitting at his post, reading a girly magazine like the ones Jayne has in his bunk. He sits there smirking at the magazine when he realizes static is coming from his monitor. He hits a few buttons and sees Serenitydocking. He hits the alarm.
XXX
Masl is lying on his back, chest bloody. There is an electronic whine and the torturer applies a defibrillator to MAL's chest again. Eventually, Mal's eyes pop open and he breathes.
Niska calls to him in a sing-song voice. "Mr. Reynolds?...Mr. Reynolds?" When Mal looks towards him he smirks. "You died, Mr. Reynolds."
"Seemed like the thing to do." Mal says with a groan.
"When you die, I can't hurt you anymore and I want two days, at least. Minimum. I think many people know the name Malcolm Reynolds. Many know he crossed Niska. They must know what happens after that."
That's when the alarm begins to blare and Niska looks visibly irritated.
Mal merely smiles. To him that alarm is the sound of the cavalry.
"Listen if you got guests, I can come back later." Mal says with a chuckle.
XXX
River's POV
She's directly over Niska's office now…her rage pouring off of her in waves… She kicks in the ventilation vent cover and quickly jumps out into the office.
That's when she is greeted by two thugs standing guard at the door. The eye her like a piece of meat… each one pulling out blades that look like a butcher would use to carve up a calf.
"Ooohhh. You want to play…Come on!" She says as she pulls out two blades of her own.
The beat builds in her head…slowly its rhythmic tones begin to build…increasing the adrenaline rising through her veins. The guards are waiting for her to make her move and when the beat drops…she attacks.
…Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up.
Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up…
Between the music in her head and the sounds of metal clanging as the knives clash against each other she becomes lost in the dance…the dance allows her to be out of herself…Larger, more beautiful, more powerful…
Her body bends and flexes with such ease…grace….that she hardly notices the times when her knives make contact with the skin of the guards…she barely even feels the blood droplets hitting her skin…she's completely entranced by a thirst to mutilate the two men who stand in her way.
…Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up.
Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up…
XXX
Riddick's POV
When the alarm sounds it sends everyone into frenzy. Men running down each corridor…guns being drawn. He makes it down several more corridors before one of them finally calls out to him.
"Hey where are you going?" The guard asks.
But I keep walking in the other direction.
"Freeze!" The guard yells, and I hear several guns being cocked behind me. I slowly glance over my shoulder and smile.
"You boys afraid of the dark?" I asks before I pull out two of my guns and shoot the lights in the hallway out.
XXX
Three guards stand in front of the opening bay door. As the door opens, they're blinding by a bright light coming from Serenity's cargo bay. An engine revs, and then the cargo loader speeds off Serenity's cargo bay and into the space station, prompting the blinded guards to shoot at it. It crashes into a guard and explodes.
Jayne, Zoe, and Wash advance down the ramp into the space station, shooting. Zoe tosses a grenade around the corner into a corridor.
Everyone is shouting now between the explosions and gunfire. It's hard to tell who is saying what as mixed calls of "Move, move, move" and "Take cover!" call out to the crew. One of the guards stumbles out of the corridor, his back on fire.
Once a majority of the guards have been killed Zoe calls back to the rest of the crew. "Second team!"
Book, Kaylee, and Simon advance down the ramp.
"Hold this position! We lose this position, we lose it all. You're going to hold this ground.
…Understand me?"
Book fires at a guard advancing down the hallway. Hits the guard in the kneecap, prompting the guard to fall forward and crack his head open on a jutting piece of metal.
"Understood."
XXX
Riddick's POV
"I swear…they don't train them like they used to." As I look around at the bodies littering the hallway.
It hadn't been much of a fight at all…once the lights went out the guards had blindly started firing, all I had to do was hit the floor and wait for them to reload.
Their confusion and lack of coordination had been their downfall. As they tried to progress down the pitch black hallway I easily slipped behind them and picked them off one by one.
"Off to fry bigger fish." I said I as I turned and walk down the last corridor before Niska's office.
There are no guards in this one and I open the door with the code Mr. Universe had supplied without any difficulty.
When I step into the room…I'm slightly amazed at what I see.
XXX
River's POV
She feels another person enter behind her and she instinctively turns and hurls one of her throwing knives at the person before she can register who it is.
Riddick snatches it out of thin air before it touches him though. "Nice throw." He says. Anyone else would have been nervous…her beast was just turned on.
She catches a smirk on his lips and its then that her blinding bloodlust rage is broken. She looks around at the state of the room and realizes that she has not only painted the roses red with the blood of the guards….but she is also covered in their blood as well.
That's when she picks up more heavily on his arousal…his little dancer…his iron queen… she blushes.
"Later." She says as she turns and begins the override sequence to the inner room where Mal is being held.
XXX
Niska, thoroughly annoyed by the commotion he hears outside, walks over to the comm box in the wall. The torturer turns his back to Mal. Mal doesn't move, but his eyes show he's alert.
"Viktor, what is this? Viktor!" He calls presumably top one of the now deceased guards.
Suddenly, the torturer arches his back and screams, falling to his knees to reveal Mal standing behind him. Mal's attached the little black torture device to the torturer's back.
Mal steps over the torturer's writhing body and punches Niska in the face with his remaining arm. Niska falls to the floor.
"Looks like business ain't running so much as crawlin' away….You want to meet the real me now?" Mal asks angrly.
As Niska looks up at Mal in fear…the door behind them cracks open, and Mal looks up to see Riddick and a blood soaked River.
XXX
River's POV
"Nice to see you're still alive." Riddick says with a chuckle.
Mal grimaces "Nice of you to finally show up."
River shrugs her shoulders. "There was a debate as to whether you pay us enough. After all, if you're good at something never do it for free." She says as she walks over to where Niska lies on the floor in fear.
There, there, old man…" She says in soothing voice that quickly turns to a maniacal growl. "Let's put a smile on that face!" She says as she takes one of her knives and sticks it into his mouth.
"River?" Mal asks.
"Not now Captain Daddy…she's working."
Riddick chuckles and watches the scene unfold. "Yeah not now Captain Daddy I want to enjoy the show."
River turns her attention back to Niska now…Slowly pulling the knife further out along his cheek…stretching the skin and leaving a small trail of blood. "You've hurt many people in this room…she can hear the voices dripping off the walls…they tell her to make you suffer…make you scream… Retribution often means that we eventually do to ourselves what we have done unto others."
She then slices through the right side of Niska's cheek…leaving a gaping slit that extends his half his mouth another three inches.
He screams out in pain and she quickly slices the other side as well.
Mal doesn't say anything…but she can feel a mix of discomfort and pride rolling off of him.
"Do you want to know why I use a knife Mr. Niska? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the... little emotions. In... you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are." And with that she takes the knife she was holding and impales it through his windpipe…his eyes go as wide as saucers…and she lets herself twist the knife deeper…enjoying all the little emotions spilling out through his eyes.
After a minute she turns and moves away from the now very deceased man at her feet. Mal gives her a look that she can't quite place and she studies it for a moment. That's when he begins to smile and she returns it with one of her own.
"That's my bit." He says as he begins to walk out of the room. Followed by River and then Riddick.
XXX
AN: SQUEALS! I really hope all readers out there enjoyed this chapter! While we have seen the demise of Niska, there are a few more lose ends to clear up with the rest of the crew before the War Stories plotline is officially wrapped up. As always, reviews (good or bad) are appreciated. Till next time ;)