In Consequence

DISCLAIMER: This story is a labor of love. I recieve no monetary compensation for its existance. I make no claims to Riddick, Jack, Imam, or any portion of the PB universe. This pertains to all chapters.

ONE


“You’ll sleep here,” Riddick grunted, holding Jack’s leash in one hand.

She didn’t respond as he gestured to a small mattress on the floor of his room. It was adorned with a pillow and two blankets, all of which covered a simple sheet which looked like synthetic cotton.

She stumbled toward it and landed on her knees. She felt numb. Riddick’s revelations of the hour before left her wanting nothing but oblivion. Sleep would offer that oblivion. The intensity of the past twenty-four hours left her exhausted.

Riddick tugged on her leash gently. “Get up, Jackie. We’ve got a lot to talk about.” She staggered to her feet and allowed him to turn her around so he could untie her hands before following him.

He led her back into the main cabin. Her eyes flicked around, reabsorbing the tour he had just concluded. The cockpit was just to the opposite of the boarding ramp, and the head was tucked behind a narrow doorway right next to the fully-equipped kitchenette. Jack hoped that her captor didn’t have any illusions about her doing all of the cooking and cleaning. Technically, he was perfectly within his rights to require it of her, but she was a slave in name only. She, Jack, the young woman inside the collar, would remain untouchable.

“Hungry?” Riddick ask conversationally, using a hand surprising its gentleness to push her down into a chair in the kitchenette.

Jack shook her head. “No,” she murmured.

“Come on, you’ve got to be hungry. The last thing you ate was breakfast this morning, and that little bit was just pathetic."

“Really, I’m not hungry.” Jack tried to keep her voice neutral. Her stomach clenched and unclenched spasmodically. There was no way she could squeeze anything into her stomach without shoving it over the edge.

“Well, I am. I’ll make you a sandwich anyway, in case you change your mind.”

“....Thank you.” Jack was confused as to why he was suddenly acting so... well, not necessarily nice, but... she was confused as to why he wasn't being such a bastard. She managed to force the words out through teeth that were gritting uncooperatively. There was no point in antagonizing him more than was necessary, at least until she got a better idea of what, exactly, his expectations were. Not that she had any desire to meet them, of course—she just wanted to avoid getting killed.

“Sure.” Riddick looked at her with evident skepticism, and she shrugged. If he wanted, he would believe her sincerity-- or lack thereof.

He programmed three roast beef sandwiches into the pantry and asked what she wanted.

“Oh… turkey and cheese, I guess.” Jack said the first thing to pop into mind. She had no intention of actually eating what he placed in front of her, so it didn’t matter what she requested. If he wanted to waste supplies and power with his high-tech food synthesizer, he could be her guest.

It only took about one minute for all four sandwiches to be ready, and Riddick slid hers across the table with a faint scraping sound. She nibbled at the crust, watching as Riddick inhaled one of his gargantuan sandwiches in three bites.

He ate swiftly and silently, his elbows on either side of his plate. It appeared as though he were trying to fend off would-be assailants like those he must have faced in slam.

When all that remained of his food were crumbs, he looked pointedly at her plate.

Jack snapped, “Hey, I told you that I’m not hungry.”

Riddick helped himself to her food, as well. “Fine.”

Damn, did that man ever stop eating? Apparently not. Jack traced the rope burns around her wrists as she waited for Riddick to get on with it.

Her eyelids sagged downward as Riddick looked at her. She could feel his goggled eyes roaming her body, and tensed. She wasn’t stupid. It was only a matter of time before he touched her. Though she dreaded the moment, she wished that it would just come and go. Then, finally, it would be over with and she could move on.

“You’re afraid of me,” Riddick said, startling her out of her morose introspection.

She nodded.

“There’s no reason to be. If this is going to work, we both need to be relaxed.”

Her voice was laden with disdain. “Relaxed? Relaxed? Are you out of your mind? Riddick, you kidnapped me, remember?”

“No,” he corrected evenly. “I claimed you. Big difference.”

“Lucky me,” she muttered darkly. She kept letting her mouth run away with her, and while she knew that Riddick seemed to like her attitude, she’d have to watch it before she found herself in trouble.

What the…? She was already beginning to think like a slave. Unless she watched out, the next thing she’d hear would be the sound of her own voice calling him ‘Master.’

Hell fucking no.

“Damn it, Jack." Riddick sounded exasperated. “You’ve got to start understanding a couple of things, and your smart mouth isn’t getting you anywhere you want to be.”

Jack rolled her eyes.

“Lose the attitude, little girl,” he snapped. “You’ve got no power here, and if you keep pissing me off, you’ll just get yourself into a world of hurt.”

“I know that I don’t have any power, Riddick. Don’t you get it? I’m helpless. I get the point. You can stop the intimidation tactics any time now.”

Riddick rose and clenched a fist in her hair. “I get it. I don’t think you get it. You’re walking on thin ice here. I’m trying really, really hard to keep my temper under control, but I’m losing patience fast. Quit trying to provoke me into something neither of us want.”

Jack bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She didn’t know why she was provoking him, exactly. All she knew was that if she let Riddick have all the power right away, then she would be lost.

“How do you know what I want?” she whispered, unconsciously licking away the tangy trickle of blood from her lip.

“I don’t, not yet. Stop being such a little bitch and listen up. If I have to gag you just to get you to pay attention, I’ll do it. Don’t think I won’t.”

Another twist of his fist in her hair made her face screw up in momentary pain. As soon as the tension grew unbearable, Riddick released her and sat down across the table. She met his gaze levelly, trying to keep the terrifying awareness of her situation at bay.

“Now, here’s the situation. You’re mine, Jack. You’re wearing my collar, we’re in deep space, and there’s nowhere for you to go. Nothing you can do will change that, so just accept it and get over it. Clear?”

Jack nodded silently. Yes, she understood.

“Good.” Riddick’s face seemed to relax a little bit. “The rules. One. Don’t do anything stupid like hit me or rack me like you did earlier. I promise, you’ll regret it. Two. I won’t hurt you. I might cause you some pain..." he leered at her, and she couldn't stop the shiver that subtly rattled her body..." but I’ll never do anything drastic like break a bone or burn you. You don’t have to worry about that.”

That right there was enough to set her slightly more at ease. Jack had known that it was definitely a possibility, with Riddick being as strong as he was.

“Three. Just do what I say. Don’t defy me or argue with me unless you’ve got a damn good reason. If I tell you to come here, then I expect you to come here. End of story. If I tell you to shut up, then I expect you to shut up. You’re not going to be a servant or anything here. I’ve been taking care of myself for way too long to even want someone to clean up after me.”

Well, thought Jack, that’s certainly a relief.

“Four. I won’t force you into anything you’re not ready for. Part of being a slave is doing everything I want, right? Eventually, I’ll want to fuck you. Hell, I want to fuck you now. But you’re not ready for that yet, and I know it. I don’t want you scared of me.”

“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?” Jack muttered sullenly.

Riddick’s face twisted dangerously and he clenched a fist. “What did I tell you, Jack? Lose the fucking attitude.”

Jack snapped her mouth shut abruptly. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. She needed to get control of her mouth as soon as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was provoke him unnecessarily.

~*~

Riddick gestured to her little mattress on the floor. “Go to sleep,” he grunted. She looked exhausted. He would have been shocked had she not been. It had certainly been a trying day for them both. Riddick normally prided himself on the amount of control that he wielded over his temper, but there was something about this hell-cat girl that ripped at all of his defenses.

That was one of his main reasons for taking her as a slave in the first place. When he decided he wanted her with him, he knew he needed to stay in charge. He needed to remain in control, and what better way to remain in control than to have the other person helpless and restrained? She was a chink in his armor, and if he couldn’t shake it on his own, then he needed to keep her with him. He needed to keep an eye on her, and keep the upper hand in their strange bond. She was a weakness to him, and what was that old saying? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. In his world, his weaknesses were even more paramount. His weaknesses needed to stay in eyesight at all times. It was the only way he felt secure.

There was something about her that stuck with him in the four years since the Hunter-Gratzner crash… something about her ferocity that he needed to harness, to claim. She wasn’t ready for him, though. She was only thirteen at the time, after all. Just a child.

Now she was all grown up, and all his. He’d bring her around in time.