Ghost

Just a quick note guys - italics show the past, and the bold italics are Riddick's thoughts through that moment. Enjoy.

4. Riddick

The flight back to Crematoria was taking a lifetime - a lifetime in which I paced, cursed, and finally slid down the wall and clutched at my head with my hands. Fuck. I’d left Jack behind… again. She’d been right there… right within my reach.

"The nose knows, Jack…"

Well not this time it didn’t - not until it was too late. I had smelled her all around me on Crematoria - that unique scent of hers. Warm spice, layered with a maturity that I knew she had, but had not recognized. Little Jack wasn’t so little any more…

Kyra had skull-fucked me in a way I’ve never been fucked before. She knew things… things that only Jack and I had spoken about. It was like, I had been blind, but could now see... I could see it all so clearly, and it had been staring me in the face from the moment Kyra had opened her mouth and told me she had been slaved out at the age of twelve.

Fuck, not even I had known Jack at the age of twelve - I didn’t meet her until a year later. But the thing that first fucked me was when Kyra pressed that twin pronged shiv into my back, and I had slammed her against the cage door in retaliation. That’s when a scent flooded my senses.

Arousal… hers. It had teased me, and made it all warm and happy on the inside where the animal perked up and paid attention. But even that had felt somehow...off...wrong... The only other time I got that close to her, was when we were on the outside and all I could smell was ash and smoke.

A skull-fuck of epic proportions. I don’t know how the fuck she did it, but she knew things… silent thoughts, and she had used them against me. The sweet spot… [i]fuck![/i] I had thought that about the back of Jack’s neck hundreds of times… and Kyra twisted it while riding the arm I'd braced her with.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. The animal was snarling and begging to be let out to wreak havoc, but I caged him ruthlessly, and focused; now was [i]not[/i] the time to get shiv happy. When I opened my eyes again, I saw a pair of boots just beyond my direct line of sight, and looked up slowly. Vaako was standing to my side silently, his face bearing a curious expression.

"Why are we going… back?" he asked slowly.

I snarled and lurched to my feet, the animal inside close to the surface as I clenched my fists. Vaako stood his ground, and I glared at him before walking away to the cargo hold. He followed me silently, and stood at a discreet distance as I looked down at Kyra’s cooling body. I was taking her back to Crematoria with me, and she could rot there as far as I was concerned.

"You fuckin' bitch" I muttered, causing Vaako to step closer.

"My Lord?" he asked quietly.

"This… thing…" I began, pointing at Kyra, "skull-fucked me. She knew shit… how the fuck did she know?" I muttered.

"We can find out if you like," Vaako said, and I snapped my head towards him.

"Come again?"

Vaako smiled slightly.

"You can use the Quasi-Dead - even in death, they can tap into the mind, and tell you whatever you want to know. Show you, whatever you want to see. Show you, how she... skull-fucked you?"

I lifted an eyebrow in surprise and then nodded once.

"I’ll see to it straight away, Lord Marshal," Vaako murmured, and then paused when I spoke.

"Don’t call me that… it's Riddick."

"My Lord?" he asked.

I turned to look back at Kyra, and sighed.

"Not 'My Lord' - just Riddick."

I watched in silence as she was laid out on the dais, and two of the Quasi-Dead curled in around her. Now that had been a skull scrambler and a half when I had knelt there on the main ship, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt when you’re dead. Pity that. Vaako beckoned me forward, and handed me a hand-held screen, which was hooked up to one of the Quasi-Dead. The screen was blank, and he managed a tight lipped smile as I raised an eyebrow.

"Ask them what you want to know, and they will show you," he said, and stepped back a few steps and closed the doors, locking us in the room.

I lifted an eyebrow at that, and Vaako returned the look I shot him. That made me chuckle - seems Vaako does have balls under that armor. Looking down at Kyra, I licked my bottom lip, and spoke quietly.

"How you do you know Jack?"

The screen flickered, and the Quasi-Dead began to murmur. The screen flickered again, and then showed me Kyra’s thoughts and memories, through her eyes… as if I was there with her… as if I was her…

Being lowered into a pit… Crematoria… I’m all bad-assed now… feet touching the ground and a filthy man scrambles out of the wall and is running towards me… I tense, and then blink as a shiv is suddenly embedded in the inmate’s neck… he falls to the floor and doesn’t move…

Looking up slowly… long legs, encased in cargo pants… a flat stomach, that was shining with sweat… a black tank top, tied off between high breasts… and a thick ponytail of dark hair that is flipped back over a feminine shoulder after a hand pulls the shiv free and wipes it on the dead inmate‘s back.

"They never bloody learn… I’m Jack… welcome to hell…"

I groaned and dropped to my knees as the fragmented memory faded. That all-too-familiar feeling is back - the one I have come to carry with me, whenever I think of her - guilt.

"My Lord Riddick?"

I look up at Vaako, and shake my head, unable to say a word. He looked around for a moment, and then knelt by my side.

"Again… show me more…" I demand hoarsely, and watched the screen as the memory started up where it left off.

"What’s your name?"

Her voice is husky - all woman...

"Kyra… just Kyra."

The lift of an arched eyebrow, and a smirk touching full lips as dark green eyes sparkle with amusement.

"Well, just Kyra, this place ain’t as bad as it seems - you can get a tan all year round - just don’t forget the sun block - the sunburn can be a real killer. The only things you have to watch out for are the hounds and the guards… and they always come at the same time. As for the rest of the fucks in here? Just let them know who's boss…"

Jack… all grown up and wearin' big girl clothes…

Following her, when she crooked a finger at me… following her towards a fall of water… I was so close... Watching as she washes her face, before entering a hole in the wall… Looking down at the guy, who is lying on a pile of clothes, only wearing a pair of torn jeans… He looked up at me and raised an eyebrow… ‘my god, I could lick you all over…’

"And who's this?" he asked, holding his hand out to Jack. I shivered at the tone of his voice… ‘bedroom eyes and a voice to match…’

Jack… all grown up...took his hand and let him pull her down onto his lap, where he nuzzled her throat for a moment… she chuckled softly, and leaned back against him… ‘I hope there are more of you around…’

"Kain, this is Kyra. She just dropped in. Kyra, this is Kain."

"And how do you know each other?" I asked.

Kain laughed softly, and licked a drop of water off Jack’s shoulder.

"Oh, we go way back… I’ve known Jack here, for years… we got sent here together…" he said finally.

"You’ve been here for years?" I asked, hoping my surprise isn’t too obvious.

"Nah… just over one… but we ran together in the past… ran together… killed together…"

"You gonna die together too?" I asked, feeling the slow curl of jealousy in my stomach.

This struck them both as funny for some reason, and I watched as Jack looked at Kain and licked her lower lip, causing Kain to inhale sharply.

"If we did die together, it would be one hell of a party gettin’ there… wouldn't it, baby girl?" he murmured with a smirk, as he trailed his fingers across her flat stomach…

The screen clattered to the floor as I dropped it from shaking hands, and I flinched when fingertips touched my shoulder briefly. The hand remained where it was, and I slowly turned to look at Vaako. The need to snarl, to rip his hand off, to tell him to fuck off, is overwhelming, but it tempered down when he picked the screen up and held it within my line of sight.

"They don’t affect me… Riddick. You watch…"

My eyes flicked back to the screen, and I forgot that Vaako’s hand was on my shoulder as he let me see more clearly into the past....

"So how many have you killed?" I asked, and Jack frowned slightly as she glanced at me.

"In here or out there?" she asked quietly, returning her focus to the shiv in her hands.

"Either - just wonderin’," I said, and Jack nodded slowly.

"Enough… I wasn’t sent here because of how many I had killed, Kyra. It’s because of who I killed. It didn’t matter that it was self-defense - it’s what started this whole thing - what got me sent here with Kain. Once here? It’s kill or be killed… or worse."

"What’s worse than death?" I asked, and Jack laughed dryly.

"How about pack rape?" she asked quietly.

I can’t help but gape at her, and she shrugged.

"Has that happened to you?" I wheezed, and Jack smiled slightly.

"You’ll find, Kyra, that it’s survival of the fittest in here. And I’m damn fit... but I ain't invincible. There’s a food chain on Crematoria… we top that chain. Doesn’t stop others from wantin’ to take a bite of it."

"Other prisoners?" I ask in shock, and Jack laughed once more.

"And worse… the guards. They own us… or so they think. I’m gonna die in here, Kyra. I was sentenced to life in prison - a few more deaths ain’t gonna change my sentence now, is it? Just because I'm a con, doesn‘t mean I'll willingly bend over for the first sick fuck in uniform."

I frowned slightly.

"How can you stand it?" I asked.

Jack shrugged, even as she smiled bitterly.

"What choice do I have? Knights in tainted amour, who fly out of the darkness to rescue you from the monsters, Kyra? They don’t exist… not anymore."

Jack stood up and grabbed the shiv she had been sharpening. Testing its sharpness against her thumb, she slid the blade into the back of her pants, and sighed.

"You live each day in here as if it’s gonna be your last… 'cause it might just be. Watch out for the guards, Kyra… they travel in packs like the dogs they are."

Vaako’s hand tightened on my shoulder, and I could only pant as the image of Jack disappearing into the steam froze on the screen. Had she been raped in there? Is that what she meant? Did she mean me, when thinking of knights in tainted amour?

"More…"

Vaako’s hand tightened again, and I heard him murmur softly as I am once more thrown into the past.

The water here smells, but the need to be clean is overwhelming as I smooth my hair back under the fall of water. I heard the sudden clatter of footsteps a moment too late, and as I turned, I saw a filthy inmate running towards me, with his hands outstretched.

Even as I raised my fists to defend myself, a chain whipped out of the gloom and wrapped itself around his neck. The chain grew taunt, and the inmate is jerked violently backwards. He landed on his back with a broken neck, and he stayed down.

I follow the length of chain as it disappeared, and saw Jack crouched on a rock, tugging the chain back towards her as she wrapped it around her arm. I know my mouth is open - that my jaw has dropped - but she just tilted her head as she stood up silently, and then disappeared into a crack in the rock wall.

I followed her slowly, and found her leaning against the rail that runs each level. I stared at her as she looked out over the pit, and when the whistle of the guards suddenly sounded, she turned to face me and held out her hand.

"Feedin’ time… for both the guards and the hounds… don’t ever get caught alone during this time, Kyra. Come on."

She’s quick and agile on her feet as she began to run down the walkway towards her cell, and I tried to keep up as best as I can. The sound of snarls filled the air, and Jack swore as she spun back to face me, and then dragged me towards an open doorway.

I stumbled as she shoved me though it, and slammed the door shut behind her as she crowded in with me. This is a one man torture cell; in here, you can only stand or squat - not lay down, and with two of us in here, it’s a tight fit as Jack braced herself and held the door shut.

"JACK!"

"Up here, Dog… safe as houses, Daddy!" she called, and I hear the hoot of answering laughter as Jack winked at me as I reached past her to help keep the door shut....

"Riddick… maybe you have seen enough…"

I can only glare at Vaako, as the image of both Kyra and Jack using a chain on an inmate filters through my mind. Kyra learned that from Jack… and then used it to help me.... to skull-fuck me...

"Show me more…" I managed, and Vaako swore softly as the screen flickered and then folded into another memory.

I hear a grunt of pain, and when I peered into the darkened cell, I saw Jack. One of the guards has her pinned to the wall by the throat, and his DNA encoded gun is pressed against her stomach.

"Where are your blades? I know you carry ‘em… tell me now, or I’ll put a hole in your gut like the one you gave the first merc you killed."

Jack met my eyes over his shoulder and the look in her eyes halted my steps before I could even take them.

"Left boot - heel. Right boot - heel - spurs on a pressure trigger. Shiv - base of my back, under my pants. Twin spikes that become one blade - tucked into left boot. Five inch pick tool - in my hair."

"Any others?" he bit out, and Jack slowly shook her head.

He dropped his gun then, and shoved her against the wall. One hand went to her chest, and the other went to her head and grasped the tool she had spoken of. He yanked it out of her hair, tossed it aside, and then attached his mouth to the side of her throat as he pushed his hand under Jack's pants and dragged the second blade free.

The sound of it hitting the floor echoed as the guard worked at the fastening of her pants. He crowed in satisfaction when he shoved his hand down the front of her pants and cupped her in the palm of his hand. Jack flinched slightly, and her eyes went flat as she swallowed.

"Ohhh… been wantin’ a taste of this for so long," he muttered, as his hands went to his own pants.

Jack stared at me over his shoulder the entire time, and as he lifted his head, she winked at me. I saw the glint of something in her mouth as she tilted her head slightly and looked coyly at the guard. He froze slightly as she deliberately licked her lips, and it was then that he bent forward to kiss her.

The glint in her mouth flashed, and I saw the tiny blade she had tucked between her teeth. Just as he went to kiss her, she whipped her head to the side, and he cried out in agony as he wrenched away from her. I could only stare - she had torn his face open from his nose to his eye, and blood was flowing freely as Jack pivoted on her foot, and delivered a reverse spin kick that had him crashing into the wall.

He came up fast though, and he grabbed her by the head and slammed her face first into the wall as she went to run past him. Jack’s elbow flew back and met his face, once, twice, and the crunch of bone told me something had been broken as he let her go and clutched his face with a cry of pain.

"You fuckin’ bitch!" he roared, and Jack tilted her head and scowled.

I saw the flash of metal on her heel, and she kicked out again as she whipped her body around. The guard gurgled and clutched his neck, Jack stepping backwards as blood sprayed the wall beside her. Even as he rocked back and forth, Jack gripped his shoulders and rammed her knee up between his legs, and when he dropped to his knees, she delivered another knee, this time under his chin.

The guard dropped like a sack of shit, and Jack stepped over his body like it was a fallen tree and walked towards me. As she drew closer I could see the bruise that was already forming on her cheek, as she wiped her nose slightly to slow the blood that was staining her skin.

"Fuck… Kain’s gonna flip his lid," she muttered, and then spat on the ground as she zipped her pants up.

I just nodded and followed her back to her cell. But when she got there, it was then and only then, that I saw how shaken she really was. She curled up in Kain’s arms and closed her eyes, even as he vibrated with utter fury...

I snarled softly when I opened my eyes, and when I could breathe again, I found that I was almost lying on the ground. I know Kain’s fury - she'd almost been raped… and in the pit of my stomach, I knew it wasn't the first time. Had it ever become reality? Vaako looked down at me, and at my nod, gave the command for another memory to show.

I’m lying on a rocky ledge, with the sounds of slumber echoing around me. I can see Jack in the distance, her chin resting on her knee as she talked to an older man, who was huddled under a thin blanket. I heard someone step out into the dark of the night from directly below me.

I rolled over onto my side, and watched silently as Kain appeared in the smoke below me; his body was tense as he paused near the water that falls from the ceiling, and tilted his head. I followed his line of sight, and watched as Jack stood up slowly after watching the older man shuffle off. She raised an eyebrow and sent Kain a slow smirk.

Jack ran her hands across her stomach slowly, and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Jutting out a hip, she tucked long strands of hair behind her ear and licked her lips, causing Kain to groan. He beckoned to her with his fingers, and as she walked towards him, her hips swayed.

“Come ’ere, woman” Kain mumbled, and pulled Jack through the water and into his arms as he lowered his head to her throat. He nipped at her pulse, before laving his tongue along her throat and licking the water from her skin.

“Kain?”

“Gonna fuckin' blow, Jack… wound tight tonight,” he muttered, his voice low and thick.

Jack looked up at him, and sucked her lower lip between her teeth as Kain hissed and pulled her hips sharply against his own.

“Need you… come ‘ere, baby… lemme touch you…”

I lurched to my feet and staggered away a few steps, the animal snarling inside as I shook my head. But the picture of Jack’s throat bared to his teeth, and his hands slipping under the waist band of her pants and down to cup her ass has started a slow burn inside of me, and I’m struggling to figure out what it is I’m so fucking angry about.

I can’t bring myself to watch her with… him... any longer, so I looked at Vaako, and asked how much longer we have to go, before we arrived. He smiled that strange smile, and told me it was less than ten minutes; we were waiting to land.

"Keep the engines hot, Vaako - I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

The prison was silent when we walked back inside. We were passing the guard’s quarters that I paused and breathed in deeply. Blood - the air was tainted with it. I followed the scent and found a door that had been torn off its hinges, and an almost dried pool of blood among the rubble that had come from the ceiling.

I know that scent; it’s the silent thought that has crowded my head for the last day. My worst fear, one that I had always kept buried down inside. That’s Jack blood… Jack’s scent. I made my way down into the pits of hell slowly, looking inside each cell, I passed. I knew the moment I had found her, even before I stepped into the cell.

The water fall - the out crop of rock above the cell door. I had seen all of this through Kyra’s eyes. The cell was dimly lit when I stepped inside it, but I could see clearly, and for the first time, since I'd my shine job done, I wished I couldn’t see in the dark. I could see Jack; see her face from behind the head of the con that was kneeling beside what she slept on.

I could see the bruises that mottled the side of her face, and the tiny stitches that littered her back. She was lying on her stomach; her hand tucked under the con’s who knelt on the floor asleep. A threadbare blanket was tucked around her hips, and from those slim hips up all there was, was naked skin, tiny stitches and streaks of some kind of dried liquid.

The con beside her started to wake up, and two silent steps later, I fisted a hand in the hair on the top of his scalp, and jerked his head back. Even as he muffled a cry, I jabbed the business end of a shiv under his chin, and he froze. He lifted his gaze and then blanched when he saw me. I just smiled coldly, and flicked my eyes towards Jack’s silent form.

"You’ve got one minute to convince me not to gut you like a pig, as to why you have my girl Jack here, and why it looks like someone has taken to her with a shiv," I said softly, and lifted an eyebrow.

One way or another, someone would pay for this; for what I saw when I looked down at Jack’s silent form. One way or another - I’d repay this ten fold. No one fucked with Richard B. Riddick, and walked away from it. No one.