Ghost

Tomoe - I'm glad that you picked up on what my intentions were, darl. You get more of it in here - hope you enjoy.

12. The darker side of Riddick.

“As the Lord Marshal, you lead an army of millions. You shall lead them across the ‘verse, cleansing all forms of life, and showing them a better way. We offer them a choice - covert or die. Conversion is a way of lessening all of life’s chains through another form of pain. When converted, we see paradise through your eyes - a glimpse of what shall come when we cross the threshold.

“The threshold is a curtain if you like - it will part to let us through into our new lives. The gateway is on the far side of the ‘verse, and it is a one-way path. We die, only to be reborn into paradise and all that it offers. As the Lord Marshal, you must venture forth and view that paradise, so that you can lead all life to it.”

Vaako’s voice was filled with reverence as he explained what was expected of us. Riddick’s thinking that he shoulda just stayed in the ice cave. I know better. He thinks that he is in control. I know better. He thinks that he has me caged - locked away under a lock and key of iron clad will power. I know better. I know when I can slip out of that cage and take control of his body; the docs who tried to understand us called it moments of psychosis - now that just makes me laugh.

This man I live within - Riddick. He is strong of body and mind - and I complete the package. They say that he doesn’t have a soul and that his heart is as black as night - that just ain’t true. They think of me as an animal - a sleek panther or a caged lion. Wrong. I am his darkness - a shadow within a shadow. I am strength and a guiding hand. I am the teeth in the darkness and the terrors of the night. I am as manlike as you can get.

He is leaning against the wall and listening to this Vaako talk. Talk about gateways and cities of death and paradise - I agree with Riddick’s inner thoughts - sounds like bullshit to me. And while he is thinking that, he is also thinking about her. My little girl. I’m thinking about her too. He looks to protect her - I look to fuck her. And that disturbs the shit out of him.

But I knew - five years ago, I knew. She showed me no fear - curled up against me and closed her eyes. In that moment I knew - she was mine. She would always be mine. Mine to protect and care for. Mine to savor. Her scent is as well known to me as his is, and I could drown in it. Lap it up and surround myself in it - beautiful little Jack.

I’d like to think that his mistake on Crematoria would mean that the man would now listen more closely to my rumblings; I knew the other girl’s scent was wrong. But he saw who he thought was the girl he had given up so much to protect. Riddick still sees Jack as the little girl he let get close to him. He was scared that she’d turn out like him - that she would fall to darkness, and be devoured whole.

I knew she wouldn’t. I knew that I’d destroy the cage to get to her before she fell, and that I’d slaughter anyone who hurt her. I still will - blood will flow like wine, starting with the pig who thought to make her his own. Who put her on this path that has led her to now. She makes Riddick feel protective; she makes me purr. She always did. Most fear his darkness - fear me. She loved us both from day one - accepted us both - and that made her mine.

When Riddick’s thoughts fragmented around me, I decided it was time to show this pale man just who is in command of his army of death now. The transition between us is was violent as always - Riddick got pushed kicking and struggling into my cage, and I took control as I strolled across the room and sat down on the couch in Vaako’s office.

"So let me get this straight - you want me to cross between veils - between this world and the world of the dead - and become the Lord Marshal?" I purred, and Vaako nodded.

"Your army is made up of the half dead - coverts who have seen a glimpse of this so called paradise?" I asked again, and Vaako’s eyes shone with light as he smiled and nodded.

"Now why the fuck would I want to be half dead?" I asked slowly, and his smile faltered as I leaned forward.

"Because it is your path now," he said in surprise, and I raised an eyebrow in response.

"My path? No. My path was quite simple - stay hidden and keep her safe. Then you fuckers took up your unholy crusade and that path was destroyed. I forged a new one - get her out of slam and keep her safe. I agree; you helped me. But now you want me to dress her up like a doll and parade her around like she’s my whore.

“You want me to string her up on those spikes and convert her - steal her warmth. You want me to cross the galaxy and destroy all life. Convert or fall. Lead you all to this threshold and lead you to paradise, where you can sit down and agree that you are the all unconquerable. Is that right?” I asked, and Vaako visibly swallowed.

“Riddick?” he asked quietly, and I laughed softly.

“Not at the moment. He’s fighting me for control - but I thought I might introduce myself to you. Let you meet the darker side of him. The one that wanted to crush your windpipe under his hand when you threatened Jack. The one who will kill every half dead soul in your city if any harm comes to her. The one who will personally tear your wife’s throat out if she keeps trying to play her games with me and mine.”

I didn’t think he could get any paler, but there you have it. I snickered softly as his throat worked convulsively, and crossed my hands over my stomach as he parted his lips. But when all that came out was a croak, I let a snort of laughter escape my own mouth.

“Didn’t you know that he had an animal inside him?” I asked in mock concern, and then sat forward slightly. “You met the man in the throne room, Vaako, and you saw what he was capable of. Me? I’m your worst nightmare. So unless you want to see what I can and will do, I suggest you listen real carefully.

“I will not convert and neither will she. I will lead you to this threshold, and then shove the lot of you through the gates. I will land on each planet we pass on the way, and let you try to convince them to convert - but I will not kill another planet and neither will you. I won’t stand for the games that your old boss played, and if I find one man raping a breeder, I will personally rip his nuts off and choke him with them.”

Vaako blinked slowly and then nodded.

“Now… I want to know who has the power on this ship - who serves under me. I also want to know who can’t be trusted.”

Vaako nodded again, licked his lips and then glanced at me.

“You can trust me.”

I raised an eyebrow slowly and stared at him until he finally looked away.

“I don’t trust anyone, Vaako, least of all you. You were going to kill your old boss, because your wife wanted you too. What does that say about you as a man? I’ll tell you. She leads you around by the balls. I don’t trust your wife, Vaako - she’s a viper.”

His eyes snapped to mine again and the faintest hint of temper flushed his skin as he stared at me. I just laughed softly and leaned forward again.

“She uses sex to lead men to their death, Vaako - as she did with me when she led me to the quasi dead. She is a beautiful shell, which is filled with poison. She has a lust for power; tell me, how long do you think it would have been before she stabbed you in your sleep if you had been successful?”

Vaako didn’t say anything; he lowered his gaze and spoke quietly.

"You can trust Commander Toal. He has been Zhylaw’s right hand for years - he knows the campaign back to front, and has not faltered in anyway."

I grinned again and sat back.

"So if Zhylaw had died in battle, who would have taken his place?" I asked quietly, and Vaako’s head snapped back up in understanding.

"I want a meeting with yourself and Toal when we get back to New Mecca. I’m sure that between the three of us, we can get this floating city to Underverse fairly quickly."

Vaako nodded slowly, and when his eyes moved back to mine, I spoke again.

"What else was said between you and Kain?"

Vaako looked away and when he finally answered me, his voice was strained.

"I know this is a way of you testing my loyalty to you. But no matter what I say right now, I will end betraying the confidence of a man who has no real reason to trust me. You have asked me what is the best way to keep Jack safe, and I believe what I have said to Kain has ensured her safety. But don’t put me in the middle of a superiority contest between two men who want the same thing. I am willing to follow you to the end of the known ‘verse. I will never question your leadership, and I will never give you a reason to question my loyalty.

“I will tell you what I can without betraying that confidence. If you are asking me if I trust Kain with Jack, then yes. If you are asking me if I trust Kain? Then yes. If you are asking me to stand between the two of you, so that you can work together to keep Jack safe, then yes, I will do so. But I will not get involved in a power play; I have enough of that in my own bedroom, without confronting it daily with my Lord and her shield."

I tilted my head as Vaako looked away again, and contemplated his words carefully. He had taken a risk speaking to me as he had, and we both knew it. But one thing stood out for me, and when I spoke, Vaako’s shoulders slumped slightly.

"Her shield?"

Vaako nodded and his words were chosen slowly and carefully.

"I spoke with Kain about Jack; about the level of their relationship. I needed to know what type of charade, he was willing to put up with, if they were lovers. He changed in my opinion during that time, Riddick."

When I frowned, he smiled slightly.

"Kain is Lotharian, as I am sure you now know. His blood heals, but it also carries a strain of DNA that the human body cannot tolerate. That is why Jack is as weak as she is right now. They aren’t lovers, Riddick - it is impossible for them to be so. As a result, it made me wonder what was in it for him?"

"What?" I growled, getting sick of the dance he was doing with his words.

"I made the mistake of calling her victim. He called her a survivor. He has tried to shield her, Riddick, from what life has thrown at them during your time away from Jack. He is only a few years older than her; it can’t have been easy, but he has done his best to keep her alive. He has done his best to ensure that she survives - that she remains strong.

"He cares a great deal for her. He is abrupt, he is arrogant, and he is cocky; nevertheless, he willingly stood up for her against both you and I. Can you ask for a better man to be her closest friend in a ‘verse that would normally swallow a young girl whole?"

“I don’t care for him,” I said softly, and Vaako nodded when he heard the hint of danger in those words.

“And Kain doesn’t care for you either, Riddick. I believe that the only reason he is biting his tongue at this point, is because of Jack. He’s tightly coiled right now, and I believe that if the wrong thing is said or done, he will either lash out violently, or he will vanish - and so will Jack.”

I snarled softly and stood up, only to have Vaako rise to his feet as well.

“Riddick - if you go in there and confront them, you will only push Jack further away. Think about it from her point of view; she has had her whole world changed within a few days. She has been badly beaten. She has been taken from a jail that has been her cage for some time. And she has had you come back into her life after a period of absence.

“Yet on the other hand, she still has the stability of her friendship with Kain to lean on. If you push him too hard, he will leave. Do you honestly think that he’ll stand back and let you take Jack from him? And if you bring any harm to Kain in trying that, Jack will not forgive you. There is nothing worse in the ‘verse than a woman who is in an unforgiving state of mind.”

I glared at Vaako as he stood there, and finally bit out a response.

“And you know this how?” I asked, and he smiled wryly.

“I’m married, Riddick.”

I couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped, and Vaako nodded slightly.

“What do you suggest then?” I asked finally, and he sighed softly.

“While I cannot break a man’s confidence, perhaps if you over heard a private conversation, I would not be the bearer of any type of news,” he said slowly, and I grinned. I liked the way this man was thinking.

“No… it wouldn’t be your fault at all, Vaako,” I said casually, and Vaako nodded.

Vaako pressed a button on his desk and a wall slid down. A large view station slid out of the wall, showing me all the rooms of the ship we were on. Vaako tilted his head slightly and gestured me closer. When I stood at his side, he pressed the screen once, and the screen flickered and became the room that Jack and Kain were in.

The fact that they were arguing came through loud and clear, and not only because of the volume in which they were arguing either. Their body language said it all. Kain was furious; he was gesturing with his hands as he stood with his feet braced and a scowl on his face, while Jack was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and a mirroring scowl to answer Kain’s.

“He can’t be fuckin’ trusted, Jack!” Kain spat, and jerked his hand towards the door. “He wants to dress you up as Riddick’s whore - parade you around as if you were fuckin’ him. He wants you to act the part, Jack - what, is there gonna be an exam on oral that they want you to take? I ain’t gonna sit back and watch that! I ain’t gonna sit back and get fuckin’ separated from you… don’t ask that of me, Jack… not after last time.”

I heard the exasperated sigh from Vaako when he realized it was him that Kain was speaking about, and grinned as he crossed his arms. In the room, Jack sighed as Kain dragged his hand down over his face and then rubbed the back of his head in frustration.

“Kain… that wasn’t your fault,” Jack said softly, and Kain scowled and shook his head again.

“Wasn’t it? I got separated from you for fifteen minutes, Jack… that’s all it took. I hate myself for that; for what I saw in your eyes when I got you back. I swore to you that I’d never let anyone put that look back on your face. And now, that freak with the mohawk wants to separate us again. What if I can’t get to you… huh? What then?”

Jack shook her head slowly, as Kain raised his eyebrows at her.

“That’s not gonna happen, Kain. You wouldn’t let it happen,” she said gently, and Kain snickered angrily.

“That’s what you said last time, Jack. Didn’t stop Douruba from bendin’ you over his fuckin’ desk, did it?” he snarled, and then flinched away from Jack when she pushed away from the wall and headed towards him.

“Kain, you were cuffed and hangin’ from a winch, half way between the roof and the pit floor. What else could you do? Even if you’d gotten free, you would have had to get back up there, and he still would have done it by the time you did. The only difference would have been that you would have died due to a bullet in the head, instead of gettin’ flogged with a fuckin’ whip a week later, after you killed two of his guards.”

Kain shook his head as he laughed bitterly.

“Yeah? What’s a dozen lashes, Jack, compared to promisin’ your girl she’d never get raped, and then not bein’ there, but hearin’ it fuckin’ happen huh?” he spat, and then flinched again when Jack paled.

I froze when I got the conformation that I had never really wanted; she had been raped. I had been feeling Riddick fight me; trying to regain control. But when he heard Kain’s words, he went silent. I knew how he felt - I now knew why she didn’t trust us. Why she had flinched away from us so many times, and why she had fought us so violently when we had first pushed her against the wall in Kyra’s cell. It changed everything.

Even Vaako had stilled at Kain’s words, the both of us watching the room as Kain rubbed the palms of his hands against his eyes. It made so much sense now. Why he was so volatile towards us. Why he was so protective of Jack. I thought I would go on the rampage if I found this out, but instead all I felt was numb. Kain was right - I should never have left her.

I could almost smell the guilt he carried as he leaned against wall and laced his fingers behind his head. Jack sighed softly as she crossed over to him, and slid her arms around his waist. Kain finally dropped his arms around her shoulders as he leaned down into her, after Jack forced him to meet her eyes when she remained silent until he did so.

“Kain… I could have been raped a dozen times over in Crematoria alone. Do you know why it never it happened?” she asked softly, and Kain shrugged. “Because you wouldn’t let it. You never let me get put it in the position where I was in danger of that. Yes, it came close several times. But you stopped them, Kain. You always stopped them.”

Kain’s eyebrows drew together as he swallowed slightly.

“But not when it counted, Jack,” he said quietly, and Jack rose up onto tiptoe and brushed a kiss over his mouth.

“Always when it counted, Kain; no more blame, no more shame, no more bleedin’ in the dark when you think I’m sleepin’. It’s in the past - let it go.”

Kain shook his head slightly as he swallowed again, causing Jack to reach up and cup his face in her hands.

“I just don’t trust them, Jack,” he finally muttered, and Jack smiled slightly.

“Who, Kain? Them? Or Riddick?”

Kain went to speak but Jack pressed her fingers against his mouth as she shook her head.

“Think about it, Kain. I don’t trust them either.”

“And Riddick?” he mumbled around her hand, and Jack sighed.

“I don’t know. My heart remembers that he saved me as a child.”

“But?” he pressed, when she trailed off.

Jack looked down as Kain tilted his head.

“I want to be able to trust him, Kain. But what the heart wants and the mind knows, are two very different things. He’s in charge of an army of half dead men who kill without question. Men, who are currently occupying New Mecca, which is the very last place I wanna go. He just wanted to be left alone, but now he’s in charge of this entire army… I think he blames me for that.”

Kain jerked back from her just as I jerked back from the screen. Is that what she thought? Didn’t she know I’d do anything for her? I thought the man had made that clear earlier.

“What?” Kain growled, and Jack licked her lips as Kain tightened his arms around her.

“Riddick said he killed the old ruler, because he thought I had been killed by him. That he gained all this shit because of that.”

Kain snorted, and shook his head.

“That ain’t your fuckin’ fault, Jack. That’s his alone. You didn’t ask him to do any of this - not break us out, and sure as shit not kill some crusty old guy who loved genocide. This is Riddick’s doing - not yours. Don’t lay that blame on your shoulders, baby girl.”

Jack licked the corner of her mouth slowly, and then looked down as she spoke.

“Maybe we should just see how it plays out, Kain. Go wit’ him.”

Kain sighed softly, and then shook his head.

“What about Dog and Maniac?”

Jack looked up at him and shrugged.

“We stick to the plan - we get out, you, me and Link stick together and Dog and Maniac scatter.”

Kain scowled but kept silent when Jack looked up at him.

“We can do this, Kain. Besides - I run, you run, remember?”

“I don’t like it, Jack. I don’t like this and I don’t like him.”

Jack laughed softly.

“I know. But I trust you… and I want to trust him, Kain. Besides, what other choice do we have? I can’t do this without you.”

Kain scowled again, and when he finally spoke, his voice broke no argument.

“Fine. But I’ll say this, Jack; one hair on your head gets ruffled? We run. I don’t give a rat’s ass if he is the all powerful ruler of an army of psycho fuck-heads who would be better off bein’ put down like fuckin’ dogs - you are the only thing that matters to me. Deal?”

Jack nodded, but before I could do much of anything about it, Riddick broke the cage and slammed me back into it. I was left to watch through his eyes again, as he turned to face Vaako, his gaze murky for the moment as he regained control.

“Riddick?” Vaako asked quietly, and I felt him scowl.

“Yeah,” he muttered, and shook his head to clear it as I growled.

I ignored the rest of their conversation; instead, I focused on the fact that Jack was planning on running if anything happened to her. Nothing would - I’d make sure of it. I’d waited long enough. I’d waited five years on a planet made of ice and snow. I wasn’t waiting any longer. And she wasn’t running. If that meant that I played nice with Kain, so be it. Besides, being left behind on a planet - or being caught by a stray sniper’s bullet - could always be classed as an accident right?