Autumn Fires

It wasn't that hard to see that we needed to get the cells and then get off this rock, but everyone still seemed to be stalling. With my back healing from the cuts made trying to protect Ali, and the bite mark on my neck throbbing, I knew I needed to find something to focus on. Hiding had always been a skill of mine and one that I was going to employ. I saw the state that we were in and I knew that the longer we waited the worse things were going to be. Why couldn't they see that?
Even after everything that had been discovered we needed to get back to the ship and get more power cells if we were going to make it off this rock. There was no question about that. Moving softly and slowly, I climbed up on top of the building closest to the skiff. From here I was hidden in shade and the other's couldn't see me. I knew that Riddick would know where I was, regardless of how I hid. I wasn't completely stupid. I knew what he had done to me, but now was not the time to sit and analyze the ramifications of such an act. We were both primitive in nature, he and I. So why should it matter that he had marked me effectively as his mate? It was a signal to the other creatures and animals around that I was off limits, for good.
From my vantage point I could hear Fry and Johns' talking and plotting. They always seemed to do that, as if they were the only two that could have any say in the matters. I knew what Johns was trying to do. He was trying to shake the captain's faith in the convict, and myself, hoping that he could remain in charge for as long as possible. With Johns in charge we were sure to all die out here.

"...need those cells from the crash ship. Shit, still gotta check out the hull, patch the wings--"
"Let's wait on the power cells."
"Wait for what? Until It's so dark we can't even find our way back to--"
"We're not even sure when it happens, so let's not--"
"GET THE FUCKING CELLS OVER HERE, JOHNS. What's the discussion."

I heard the pause in the conversation and I knew the rest that was coming. Johns was gong to try to convince her that she didn't need to get the cells right now because of Riddick. Honestly, we were their best chance of getting off this planet. They were lucky I never learned to pilot, or they'd be in for a world of hurt. With two of us things would be even more dangerous. No, Riddick would have to be my guide for now, and a part of me wanted to know where he learned it. To me, the man was still a mystery. I didn't know his past and he didn't know mine.

"He can pilot?"
"Hijacked a prison transport, made a helluva good run `fore I tracked him down."
Okay, maybe that's a good thing. Maybe I can use him to help with--"
"He also figured out how to kill the pilot."

That didn't surprise me. Then again, from what I could gather of the conversation, Johns was leaving a lot out. Yes, if you steal a prison transport you will eventually have to kill the pilot if they don't cooperate. I didn't see what the problem was. Riddick hadn't killed innocents, the blood that dripped from his shivs were only the blood of those that tried to hurt him. To kill him. He never killed women if he could help it, or children at all. To me, that made him a far more stand up guy than the damned pretend cop down there.

"May've noticed the chains don't work on this guy. Only way we're truly safe is if he believes he's going free. But if he stops believing."
"You mean, if he learns that you're gonna royally fuck him over."
"We need a fail-safe. Bring the cells over at the last possible minute -- when the wings are ready, when we know we're ready to launch."
"You know, he hasn't harmed any of us. Far as I can tell, he hasn't even lied to us. Just stick to the deal, Johns. Let him go if that's what it--"
"He's a murderer. The law says he's gotta do his bid."
"You're dancing on razor blades here."
"I won't give him a chance to grab another ship -- or slash another pilot's throat. Or her. We know nothing about her except that she's a convict the same. "

I was disgusted with this conversation. It always killed me to know that people were so busy staying in their own deluded worlds that they never gave anything else a chance. Riddick wasn't the bad guy here, he'd made sure of that when I'd gone down that blasted hole. Yet here was Johns trying to convince Fry that we couldn't be trusted because of the lot we'd been handed in life. How could anyone like her, possibly understand what it was like? How could any of them?
When you're in the slam there's no time to think or wail at your misfortune. It's kill or be killed, and only the strongest will live to see another day. It's the constant fight to stay alive, the preparation for killing someone that might shiv you in your sleep just for the hell of it. It's always being alert, never truly allowed to rest or sleep. She was soft, pliant and someone that would never understand because of her lot in life.
Satisfied that I wasn't going to learn anything more at the current situation, I slunk my way off my hiding spot and went elsewhere. I needed to think. They knew about Riddick, what he was capable of. But no one really knew me aside from my name, the fact that I wore goggles like Riddick, and probably had a prison shine. Johns had everyone convinced I was a convict and he wasn't wrong. There was something to be said about it though. I wasn't a convict by choice, merely circumstance. Riddick was the same. When you fight against the wrong that people try to do to you, and you get punished for it, that's where the real problem was.
Those of us not really in charge were starting to gather around the water machine, hoping we could stave off the pain of what was coming. It wasn't easy to know that I really was the only one out here that truly trusted Riddick. Was I strong enough to protect him should I need to? He marked me, something I knew I would need to talk to him about later. The thing was, I wasn't sure I was upset about it either. It wasn't like he didn't command me as an alpha could, it was just who he was.
When I was away from the others in a shady spot, I saw everyone else finish their their work as I sat and waited. I didn't have to wait too long before I was joined by someone. From the smell, it was Jack. "What's up Jack?" I asked, somewhat amused that she wasn't off stalking Riddick. She'd seem to form some sort of hero-worshiping complex with the convict. Not that I minded. Out of everyone that had been around, he was the best choice. He hadn't tried to kill her and he did seem at least somewhat concerned about her safety too.
"I'm bored. The others, they aren't too into sharing about themselves. Can you tell me about you, about how you got those eyes? I heard Riddick's story, but I don't even know if it's true and Johns keeps calling you a convict. Yet he knows nothing about you."
I bit my lip as I looked at her, moving my goggles up a small bit so that she could see the shine job. It was indeed something that happened in a prison. I wasn't sure how much of my life story I should divulge to her, simply because it was the only thing I had left that was me. If I started to tell these people who I was then they would only fear me more. Was that a bad thing? Maybe, because in the end it was going to come down to Riddick and myself being their means off this planet.
"It's a long and rather unusual tale, but I trust you enough to tell you the whole story. I guess I should probably start with my age. I'm twenty five years old even though I don't look it. You see, my story started even before I was born. My mother, my biological mother, was seven months pregnant when she was falsely imprisoned. At least that's the story that was told after I was old enough to understand it. See what a lot of people like them, like Fry and Shazza and the others, don't know is that most of the people in the slams aren't there because they honestly deserve it."
I paused a moment so that I could gather my thoughts. I didn't want to be babbling on if she wasn't even going to listen. Her head nodded and she leaned back against the shop near me as if she was ready to prepare for the long haul of the story. Honestly, I wasn't used to having an audience that wanted to know about what happened to me. A strange feeling welled up inside of me, maybe this was what it felt like to have a true friend?
"I don't know the whole story. Hell, I don't even know her name. My mother was taken to Butcher Bay and that was where she had me. No one expected me to live. If you've ever been in a slam then you know that the conditions that they have are not the kind that makes it easy for anyone, especially children, to live. Three days after I was born, my mother was shivved in her sleep and died. I have no idea who my father even is. When it was clear that I wouldn't just keel over as a child, one of the guards took me in. She treated me as if I was her own kid. As a young child I was often doing things for them. Fetching them things, and at times, helping them figure out which of the prisoners might be the next killed.
As a kid no one really took care what they said around me. Who was going to believe me anyway, right? Well, one of the inmates, Matlock, took me under his wing. He raised me, taught me to fight, to speak proper. He wanted me to have a chance to find a new life if I did manage to escape. No one would take a convict seriously, but If I sounded like an educated woman then I had a better chance to get away. So he taught me to read, to walk properly, to speak like I wasn't a convict. He was the only family I'd ever had. The only family I'd ever known.
I was ten when things changed for me. No one expected a kid that young to be able to fight, to be able to get the guards off my back. They didn't know how well I had been trained by Matlock either. They thought I was old enough to start doing certain favors for them, of the sexual kind. In truth, I didn't know what they really wanted but I knew I didn't want to do anything. I hated the guards, even if they had been nice to me when I was little. I fought hard and ended up killing two of the guards. I mean, I was ten years old. No one expected that.
I wasn't fast enough to get away though, mostly because I froze in shock after I realized what I had done. They should have killed me but they couldn't. Not because I was some super badass killer, but because the other convicts would revolt. See, most of the ones that made it had this aversion to hurting children. If it was found out you were in there for doing anything wrong to a child you normally were shivved in your sleep the first night. So they knew that none of the prisoners would really tolerate me being killed. Instead they came up with another option.
There was this doctor, Pope Joe. They forced him to do the unthinkable. I was strapped down to the bed and he was forced to give me a shine job. I was ten years old. It's very rare for someone to survive because of the pain. It's so much pain that no one really understands it until they get involved in the procedure. Of the ones that do survive, even less can see. In fact, aside from myself, I only know of one other person to be able to see after the procedure. See, rule number one in the slam is that you keep yourself alive at all costs. They threatened to kill Pope Joe and he did what they wanted. I haven't seen color since that day."
I stopped a moment, feeling a tear slip down my face. I hated talking about this. It wasn't like anyone could do anything to fix it. I would never see colors again, bright lights would always be a weakness. The fact that I had managed to survive that much pain should have been a clue not to fuck with me. I knew that Jack needed to know more. She needed to hear more about why I was, in fact, on the ship and how I got there. It would come but she wouldn't get every detail of my life. Nope, there were things I still planned to keep to myself.
Leaning back against the building, I closed my eyes as I wiped away the tear. I could feel Jack shift and wrap an arm around me. It was as if she was trying to find her own way to comfort me. In truth, I don't know what it's like to have someone care for me, to comfort me. On the rare days when I was upset, Matlock would just leave me alone to deal with it. Eventually I'd get away and deal with what I needed to and be back to being myself.
"After the shine job I had to relearn to walk, to see. It's not the same, this vision, but it's not hard. With my sight changed, I learned to be a better hunter. My sense of smell enhanced and my sense of hearing. I would almost bet I'm right on par with Riddick. That isn't to say that anyone here is in danger by me, except maybe Johns. I don't like mercs. They kill more innocent people than the convicts do. It was supposed to be the most fitting punishment they could imagine. Why kill a child that is popular and protected by the prisoners? That would only start a riot. Instead, take away the possibility of her ever being able to see. Only it backfired on them too.
The dead guards were not going to come back and my vision was finally clear. I could see things in the dark better than anyone else in the Bay. It was Matlock who found me the goggles I wear now, who helped me learn to hone my other senses. See, when something happens to your sight your body adjusts. Mine started to enhance my sense of smell, and my sense of hearing. It made it that much harder for the others to sneak up on me. It would be seven years before anything else happened. It was on my seventeenth birthday that I got the letter from Matlock. He knew his time was up, he wasn't strong enough to fight off the attackers. Everyone wanted the prime real-estate that the Bay had to offer and a lot of people would get shivved in their sleep to take it.
He sent me a letter, telling me to trust the animal inside of me, the animal that had never let me down. He also told me to escape, that it was possible because one other person had done it, and they also had the shine. It was a wild dream but I did manage to escape. In all honesty, it was easier than I thought and didn't require anyone to be killed. I managed to shape some metal and things lying around into my likeness and snuck out just before the final `bell' for bed. No one ever checked the tunnels because they didn't think that anyone would be stupid enough to leave that way. I was outside on the planet within ten minutes, showered, changed, fed and stowed away on an offworld ship within fifteen. Been escaped since I boarded the Hunter Gratzner. Look, the only thing that you really need to know is this, Jack. I know your secret and I would die to protect you alright?"
As I finished my part of the story, leaving out a few key things she didn't need to know, I heard the others get ready to board the sand cat. Standing, I pulled the young woman with me. We headed towards our transport and I sighed when I saw it. The thing was solar and with an eclipse headed our way we needed to get a move on. Climbing aboard, I helped Jack on and watched as she sat facing. Everyone but Riddick and Johns were on the transport and there wasn't much I could do about that. As we moved closer towards the sand cat, we saw it. The thing that we didn't want to admit was happening. Danger was just around the corner.

"What do my eyes see?"
"It's starting."

I watch as the planets move, the rings of the next planet coming into view and knew that we wouldn't make it back before the eclipse started. We'd wasted too much time too early and now we were going to pay for it. If only we could have started earlier. Yes, that wouldn't have been such a problem. Except now we were late, those idiots wasting more time than they should have arguing facts over logic.
"If we need anything from the crash ship-- I suggest we kick on. That sand-cat's solar."
I watch as everyone scrambles to get aboard the sandcat. I find a spot in the back, there's two empty seats and Jack sits in front of me facing towards me. I know what I told her, but I don't know what she thinks about it. I very well could have signed my own death warrant by telling her such information. She was safe from me, and I would die to protect her if I needed too. What more did anyone want? I take a moment to look at Zeke and notice that he seems as stoic as ever. I just hope that all of us can make it off this planet alive. I don't want to lose anyone. Well, alright, that's not entirely true. I wouldn't mind if we were short Johns or Fry by the end of this.
Before anyone could focus too much, the words were out of my mouth. I couldn't help it. Not all of us were going to fit and someone needed to stay behind and make sure that the patch job we did was going to last. It wouldn't do any of us any good to all go out and once. With a sigh I touched the shoulder of Paris and Zeke, knowing they'd look at me to see what I wanted.
"Not all of us can fit on the sandcat. Someone needs to stay behind in the ship. There should be enough power to keep the interior lights on and not send the animals inside. We just can't have the added weight. Zeke you stay, you're still injured and these creatures will probably try to go after you first. Paris, do you want to stay with him?"
I watched as they thought about what I said. The sand-cat really was a tiny thing. We would be lucky if it managed to hold all of us plus the cells on the way back. With a nod, I watched as Zeke spoke to Shazza and then went off into the skiff, Paris following behind. I only suggested Paris because I didn't think the man would actually be any help to us on this trip. He's too much of a wuss to do anything towards the creatures and, at least with Zeke there, one of them stood a chance of surviving.
I wanted to send Jack in with them, but she would never leave me behind. I couldn't expect her to do so. She'd know that I knew something was up, and we didn't need that yet. Everyone else climbed aboard the vehicle and we started to make our journey. I noticed that as we took off the bed of the cat shook and Riddick settled himself beside me. There was something about the convict being next to me that offered me a sense of strength. I watched as Jack settled in across from the two of us, facing Riddick as we moved. The convict, shifted and pulled me closer to him with an arm across my stomach and hips. He was holding me close, as if he was afraid that we might hit something and I could go flying off.
I wanted to leave Johns behind, and when we started taking off and the man was running along side, I almost laughed until Riddick pulled him aboard. Maybe if we had left him then we wouldn't have to deal with him being stupid later. We couldn't get that lucky though. I watched as he settled on the other side of me, glaring at both Riddick and myself. Keep staring at me like that, Johns, and it won't be Riddick that shivs you. With a frustrated sigh, I turned and snuggled some into the warm embrace of the convict. He was the one thing that was helping me keep my head in all of this.
The sandcat moved over the sand and through the bones that we passed to get here, and I watch as Riddick says nothing to Jack but simply points. The young girl ducks in time to avoid a rib that would have taken her head off at the speed we were going. It was hard to stifle the chuckle at that, to know that she should have been paying attention to her surroundings instead of watching us. Shifting so that we wouldn't be hit by the ribs I could feel myself lean more against Riddick than before.
As we exited the boneyard I felt the sand cat slowing down and I worried that something was happening. That was when I saw Jack jump up and start to wipe at the glowing orb in the center. The more dust and sand she knocked off the faster we seemed to go. It was a good idea, but this type of vehicle honestly wasn't made to go at this speed, for that very reason. Still we made it back to the crashed ship in a decent amount of time. Bodies start to scramble off as we pull to a stop.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had no doubt that Johns was off spoutin' things about me to anyone that would listen. He wanted them afraid of me, knowin' that if given the chance I'd leave his ass here. He was hopin' that if he could get the others to hate me then maybe they'd be able to convince me to let him come with us. Not a likely scenario. Not after the way he treated my woman, and the others around. He was honestly one last stupid remark away from meetin' the business end of my shiv.
I knew they were probably talkin' about me but what had me intrigued was my girl. She was crawlin' her way up and over the hot metal of the buildin' to get a closer look at Johns and Fry. I needed to evaluate why my animal kept callin' her my girl. She's the first person I'd ever marked and would be the last. That's how it worked. When an animal found a mate that was their mate for life, The only way she'd be free of me is if she died. I would not let that happen. Her death would send me on a killin' spree that would only end with my own.
Watchin' I see Johns storm away from the skiff and Carolyn and I have to smile. He's such a creep. I don't see why the others don't pick up on it. Maybe they ain't got the same sensitivities that I do, that she does. I'd seen the way that mystery woman, Autumn, would scrunch up her nose whenever Johns came around. The smell surroundin' him was atrocious. As Johns stalks my way I can't help but get a dig in on him.

"Bad sign. Shakin' like that in tihs heat."

He doesn't respond, and I know it's because he's waitin' for somethin'. He doesn't want to make a scene what with the chrislams coming this way with the Vectran. They had found us stuff to use to patch up the wings of the ship. It was a smart move really. I went to work with them to cut off the strips and help make sure they would have enough to keep us safe. When I was sure that they wouldn't mess this up I took my leave.
Now was my chance to intimidate the captain all on my own. Maybe if I struck a bit of fear into her I would know if she was worth the time. It isn't hard to imagine that, despite my saving of Zeke, that she's terrified of me. They only know the rep, they don't know the man. I would doubt that if given the choice she would act any different. She didn't strike me as the smartest of the women out here, not like Shazza or Autumn. Those two women I would protect, try to make sure they left this planet alive. Fry, well unless she started to show me she was worth a damn her terms might need to be re-evaluated. Steppin' aboard the skiff, I make sure the hatch closes behind me.

"Looks like we're a few shy..Power cells."
"They're coming."
"Strange, not doin' a run-up on the main drive yet. Strange unless he told you the particulars of my escape."
"I got the quick-and-ugly verson."
"An' now you're worried about a repeat of history?"
"Entered our minds."
"I asked what you thought."
"You scare me, Riddick. That's what you wanna hear, isn't it? There, I admit it, can I get back to work now?"

I watch the blonde in front of me with anythin' but amusement. She didn't have the balls to be completely honest. I knew she was afraid of me, I could smell it but there was somethin' else. She was into bad boys, hopin' that I'd take her and show her a good time but she had another thin' comin'. I didn't like stupid women and she was stupid. I knew she was nothin' more than the dockin' pilot. Probably hadn't even earned anythin' past a class two licence and yet she was actin' like she was the big bad captain.

"Think Johns is an do-right man? You think I can trust him to cut me loose?"
"Why, what'd you hear?"
"Well, guess if it was trickeration he'd just do me, huh? Then again. I am worth twice as much alive. Didn't know? Johns ain't a cop. Oh, he's got that shiny badge an' all, but nah-- he's just a merc and I'm just a payday. That's why he won't kill me. The creed is greed."

I watch her for a moment. I can see the realization that she'd been buyin' into the hype. She was so damn easy to read. I could see her mind goin' through the scenarios, hopin' that she hadn't put her trust in the wrong man. Maybe if she had trusted Autumn from the beginnin' when the girl said that I could be trusted they wouldn't be in this mess. Well sugar it's too late to go back on that. You just gotta sit there and take it like the wannabe you are.

"Save it, Riddick. We aren't gonna turn on each other-- no matter how hard you try."

That right there pissed me off more than I wanted to admit. I wasn't tryin' to do anythin' to them. I just wanted them all to see the reality of the situation. They were putting their trust in a man who killed innocent children to capture me. Who would kill all of them if he thought they got in the way of his big payday. I knew that gettin' off this planet wasn't goin' to be easy but Fry had just signed her own death warrant. I wouldn't protect her.
"I don't truly know what's gonna happen when the lights go out, Carolyn -- but I do know that once the dyin' starts, this little psycho family of ours is gonna rip itself apart. so you better find out the truth. come nightfall, you better know exactly who's standin' behind you. Oh, ask him `bout the shakes. And ask why your crew-pal had to scream like that `fore he died."
I watched as the blonde shook under the knowledge I'd just given her. It was too late for her to redeem herself, but maybe she could stop Johns from doin' something stupid. I left the ship,m but didn't go too far. Not yet. I wanted to see the interaction between the two. I wanted to watch him lie his way out of this one. It was almost anticlimactic really, the confrontation between Fry and Johns.

"Who are you really? You're not a real cop, are you? Just some mercenary who goes around talking about the law like --"
"Never said I was."
"Neer said you were a hype, either."
"You have a little caffeine in the morning, I have a little morphine. So what?"
"And here you got two mornings every day. Wow, were you born lucky?"
"Not a problem unless you're gonna make it---"
"You made it a problem when you let Owens die like that. When you had enough drugs to knock him out like a fucking mule-team"
"Owens was already dead. His brain just hadn't caught on to that fact."
"Anything else we should know about you, Johns? Christ, here I am letting you play games with our lives when--"

That's when I saw it. I saw Johns movin' to show her the spot on the one time I missed. I had gone for the sweet spot but somehow, Johns had shifted just right and I missed. It was the only time,ever, that I had. I would make it up to him, oh yes. I wouldn't miss again. If went for Johns he'd be dead this time and I would be happy about it.

"My first run-in with Rididck. Went for the sweet-spot and missed. They had to leave a piece of the shiv in there. I can feel it, sometimes, pressing against the cord. So maybe the care and feeding of my nerve-endings is my business."
"You coulda helped. And you didn't."
"Yeah, well, look to thine own ass first. Right Captain?"

I knew they were done with this conversation. I hadn't expected much more. Movin' from my spot I noticed that Jack and my girl were sittin' down under some shade. That was probably the best idea. Neither one of them would be allowed to help patch up the ship. Jack because everyone thought she was too young and Autumn because they thought of her as a convict. She hadn't actually hurt anyone here. She'd actually saved people but apparently that wasn't enough for these people. Movin' I climb my way across the rooftops to settle by the girls.
I shouldn't have done that. Not because they knew I was there, they didn't but because I didn't want to hear the story that was pourin' out of her mouth. No one should ever have to deal with that. Her story though, it wasn't a lie. I'd be able to tell. I could smell the lies on people and she was giving off nothing but fear and trepidation. So afraid of what Jack would say or think about her.
There were rumors about a girl that was born in the Bay. A girl that had the shine job done at a young age. They were just that though, rumors. I hadn't thought they were through because it was unfathomable to even think that. How could anyone do that willingly to a child?
My own thoughts betrayed me. I listened to the story and could feel the animal in me rise up demandin' justice. She was just a girl, who was essentially an orphan. Forced to live on a slam planet with barely any light. Matlock was a good man. I had tried to find a way to get him free of the slam too but he wouldn't. Now I understood why. He was protectin' her, raisin' her, even when I had been in that slam. What really set me off was knowin' that they had tried to rape her. Her only defense had been to fight back and as punishment they sent her through the worst pain possible.
Right there, I made a vow that if we got free of this planet we'd go back and exact justice for her. No one, even a woman, should ever be put through that. I chose it, she didn't. There's the difference. I wanted this done, allowed it to be done. She was strapped down and operated on like some sick science experiment. The growl that rose up in me, I didn't even bother to tamp down. I was angry, my mate was abused by people and they were goin' to pay with their life. After my claim to her was final.
Even now as I sat there watchin' her, I could feel the bite on her neck throb. I knew our bond was formin' but we needed more contact. I hadn't fully taken her yet and when I did the bond would be formed completely. Damn I wish there was time for that now but if the look of the planets descendin' was any indication we had even less time than we thought.
I watched the others scramble to the ship and I knew we had to go. I know what she knows. This tiny little vessel won't hold all our weight. Even if we did manage to get to the ship, when you add on the weight of the power cells not all of us were goin' to fit. She was smart though, tellin' two of the others to stay back. Her choice was solid and I was proud. Zeke needed to stay back, his wound would be signal enough for them. Paris, too, he was such a weak little man that I'd probably kill him just to save myself the headache.
I jumped onto the back of the sand-cat and pulled the girl to me. She was mine to protect and I liked the way she felt in my arms. I could feel her realxin' settling exactly where I wanted her to be. As we were takin' off I noticed that Johns had joined us yet. I did not want him stayin' behind. He'd find some way to prevent Autumn and I from leavin' and we couldn't have that. So when he got by the side of the cart I hauled him up so he could join us. I didn't care that he was scowlin' at me the whole time. I was showin' him who the better man was, after all, I did get the girl.
Jack was starin' at us with an amused expression on her face and was about to miss the ribs that would take her head off. Pointin', I watched as she ducked just in time and I felt the chuckle from the woman in my arms. She was amused and that was good. Amusement could help mask the fear and none of us needed to be afraid. Fear would call these thin's to us almost as fast as blood would. When the cat stopped, I hopped off to go help lug the cells, not really wantin' to leave the girl but not really havin' much of a choice.