| Time By Sway Chapter 1 - The Meeting Riddick pulled on his cigarette. He looked around his cell once again. What a fucking hell hole... he thought to himself as he analyzed the slimey walls, the muck covered stone floor and the rusted bars. 3 weeks after their escape from T2 and the horrorific beasts, he, Jack and Imam had been picked up. Unfortunately, it was a merc vessel and they didn't buy the "Riddick's dead" ploy. Jack went to foster care in god-knows-where, Imam was shipped off to New Mecca, his original destination, and he was thrown back into another Slam in the Western Tangea Quadrant of the galaxy. At least this one was better than the last, he figured. The food lacked the moving signs of maggots and at least he wasn't in a mud pit that flooded when it rained. The darkness was there, however. They could never leave out the darkness. The pitch blackness of it all was comforting to him, though, if nothing else was. He didn't care anymore. He just wished they'd fucking kill him and get it over with. He was pulled from his thoughts when Miles Rockford, the warden of 3 Slams set up in WTQ, stepped up to the bars of his cell with two armed guards in full combat gear at his sides. Looking at them momentarily, he flicked his cigarette. He figured this was it. Time to go to the chair or another pit. It was all the same to him. In Slam, nothing mattered. "Mr. Riddick." Rockford stated in his thick accent. Rockford had been an asshole to him for the 8 months he had been there. It had been 4 months since Riddick had so much as seen him. 3 months since he had been allowed out of his cell because of him and his reaction to 4 extremely violent murders Riddick committed during a riot. He looked at the door. It was wide open. If it weren't for the fact that his arms were chained to the wall above the bed, he figured he could have made it. Oh well. Riddick looked up at Rockford. "Mr. Shithead. Long time no see." he muttered. He gave Rockford one thing. Though he wasn't the best man to have above you, he could have done a lot worse. Rockford stared at him, flinching slightly at his words. The guards pumped their weapons, but Rockford held up a hand, silencing their eager thoughts of death to the most dangerous man alive. Rockford motioned for them to step out of the cell and they did so. He began to speak. "Mr. Riddick..." he began "I have a...uh what you call...a proposition for you. A deal to be made." Riddick raised his eyebrows with a smirk. "Oh really...and what's that..." he stated with a sarcastic tone. "We need your help..." Rockford began. He was cut off by Riddick's booming laughter that seemed to echo throughout the whole complex. Chapter 2 - The Proposition "What makes you think I would help you fucks?" Riddick asked once his laughter had subsided. "There is something in it for you too, you see." Rockford replied. Riddick remained quiet for a minute, contimplating the issue before him. "I'm listening..." he gruffly stated, leaning back against the damp wall. "There is a girl. She's very dangerous. Maybe even as dangerous as you perhaps..." Riddick let out a snort. I doubt that... "Anyways..." Rockford continued, annoyed upon being interrupted again."...she was very hard for us to obtain. She's young, strong, fast, and very, very intelligent. We finally caught up with her. In Seti station in the Tangea Realm of the Quadrant. She had already killed 13 people in the colony before we found her. She was working as a barmaid, therefore her opportunities were near endless with the trash that patroned the establishment." Riddick was getting tired of listening to the dick. He was of Islamic decent, he figured, and his accent was growing more annoying by the second. He had had enough of Imam's babbling on the skiff. Rockford cleared his throat before continuing, obviously becoming uncomfortable with Riddick's impatient stare. "She killed 5 of our men when we tried to obtain her. She took our best man hostage and drug him from the bar. We caught up with her eventually, but he was not with her. He is very important to The Company. His knowledge is of that which no one else has. She will not talk. The only reassurance we have recieved is that he is alive. Where he is being held or who is holding him, we do not know." Rockford looked down, unsettled by the whole matter. He was silent. "So..." Riddick mumbled impatient with the length of their meeting. He just wanted to be left alone. "...what does this have to do with me?" he growled. Rockford looked back up at him. "We want you to make her talk." Riddick smiled. "Without killing her." he added. Riddick looked dissapointed and thought for a moment. "Let me ask you something, Old Rock." Riddick stated, sitting forward against his restraints. Rockford invited the question. "How did she do it?" "Do what?" he asked, confused. "How did she kill your men?" Riddick asked more clearly. The question caught the old man by surprise. "Well, if you must know, she slit 2 of their throats. Stabbed one 13 times while he was attempting to restrain her. She broke Davis's neck and when he fell and Martinos lunged for her, she lunged back and tore his throat out...." he paused for a moment. "...with her teeth." Riddick nodded with a sense of approval. "Everyone was in shock. It was their mess up which let her get ahold of Green. And we need him back so desperately. His knowledge is crucial to..." "I don't give a flying fuck what his knowledge is "crucial" to." Riddick snapped. "What's in this for me?" Rockford was caught off guard and his widened eyes made Riddick feel good about himself for a moment. It had been months since someone looked afraid of him. And Rockford looked afraid even though Riddick was restrained. "Well. You will be moved, first of all, to Slam 142. Your accomodations will be much nicer, including a room above ground level for once. This room will hold whatever it is you want in it. A comfortable bed, tv. Whatever it is that isn't there, you say the word." Rockford spoke slowly. "I'm listening." Riddick repeated. "You will not be restrained. You will have access to exercise equipment, the mess hall, and a computer station, each for one hour of the day with supervision of course." What Rockford said next drew a smile on Riddick's face. "There is also a possibility of severely reduced sentence." The old man exhaled deeply through his nose on the last comment, knowing that because of Lieutenant Mitchell, the possibility was a good one and Riddick could be in the galaxy in as little as 15 years. "How do I know this isn't all a load of fuckin bullshit?" Riddick asked, his smile fading. Rockford stepped towards him, slowly. He reached in his jacket pocket and produced two sets of papers. He handed them to Riddick and stepped back quickly. Riddick read the papers. It was a contract. Two copies, one for him, and one for The Company. They stated all of what Rockford had offered. He read the last line aloud: "In the event that you, Richard B. Riddick, commit a serious crime at any time during the sentenced period, all negotiations are null and void." He nodded his head slowly and looked at Rockford who was producing a pen. He stood, causing Rockford to step back again. Riddick towered over him and once again he saw the fear in the man's eyes. Riddick spoke very slowly to him in a hushed voice. "If you fuck me over, old man, I'll kill you. And then I'll kill your family for the aggravation you've caused me. Got it?" Rockford looked horrified, but nodded. Riddick took the pen from him and signed both copies of the contract. Rockford did the same and gave a nod to Riddick. "You will be out of here tonight. 10 pm we will transfer you to Slam 142. You will arrive there at 5:30 am. Get some rest." Rockford walked to the iron door and was joined by the guards. He stopped and turned. "Thank you, Mr. Riddick." Then he was gone. Riddick slumped back onto the bed. He wanted more than the room and the food. He wanted the girl, too. He didn't even care how she looked. How nice it would be to get a fuckin piece of ass... he thought, chuckling to himself. There were no females in Slam. Period. She would be the only opportunity other than ass fucking and he wasn't about to go down that road. He feel into an uncomfortable sleep. That wasn't unusual for him, of course. Peaceful sleep was nothing more than a dream to him. Chapter 3 - The Transfer Riddick stepped off the ship. He had been transfered as he had been on the Hunter-Gratzner, complete with shackled feet, hands, and a bit in his mouth attached to a tracking collar. The people at the Seti station quieted and watched as he walked down the line of guards. He had a guard on each side, one behind, and one in front of him. At least two dozen lined his path on both sides as he walked to the small craft that would take him to the awaiting Slam. The people looked horrified and he was loving every minute of it. After about 20 minutes they were in the docking bays of Slam 142, just off the southern bays of Seti Station. Riddick looked around as they moved along to the massive entry gates. The guards stood at attention. Things looked so much more professional and cleaner than they did at his previous Slams. After gaining clearance, he was accompanied by the guards into a room just inside the reinforcement gates. He could tell right away he was wrong about the looks of the place. It looked just as bad as the rest of them. Once inside the room the guards chained his hands to the large stone table and a man entered, motioning for the guards to leave. He was a rounded, middle aged man, bald, with a pointy black mustache. His suit was decorated with an array of medals and Riddick figured he was the captain of The Company at this joint, possibly of every Slam. He sat across the table from Riddick and folded his large hands in front of him. "Well, Mr. Riddick, how wonderful it is to finally have you in our prescence." He stated in a throaty voice. Riddick snorted, unable to reply through the metal bit in his mouth. The man raised an eyebrow. "I am Leiutenant Mitchell. I run a very tight shift in the sector you will be in. It is the nicest in all of the Slam systems and we don't take shit from anyone." Mitchell shook his head and waved a finger at him. "Not even you." Mitchell rose and walked to his side. Riddick followed him from underneath his goggles as he produced a set of keys. He unlocked the bit and tossed it on the table. Riddick stretched his jaw and cocked his neck from side to side, loud cracks echoing in the room. Mitchell sat back down. "I take it you have been informed of your accomodations?" he asked. Riddick nodded. "And your restrictions and your duty?" Riddick nodded once more. "Well then. I hope I need not anticipate any problems. You are the first in Slam history to be compensated as such. I wouldn't take advantage of it if I were you." Riddick said nothing. "Alright, Mr. Riddick. Let's get you settled. Then you will meet the girl." Mitchell rose and unlocked Riddick from the table. He took him by the restraints that binded his wrists and led him down the hall to an elevator. Riddick could hear the screams of the inmates calling for him from below his feet. He was on the pit level. Everyone was underground with bars above their heads. They knew who he was and admired him, apparently. He ignored their frantic calls and stepped into the elevator. Once on the next level, they started down the halls once more. Riddick felt at home. This level was still underground, but the prisoners had cells. They were near identical to the Slam he had just come from. Once more, frantic calls crowded him from the slits in the iron doors. "Where are we going?" Riddick asked impatiently. "We are going up one more level to the surface. The elevators in this Slam don't accomodate every floor. Each one only rises and falls one floor. In case of an escape, the prisoner would have to travel through at least 2 floors to make it to the docking bays. Highly unlikely he -or she- would make it." Mitchell answered as they reached the second elevator. Riddick was surprised that Lt. Mitchell had answered him. It would be nice having a superior that didn't ignore you for once. He also knew who the she was he was talking about. Women were not kept in these Slams. Only this one. He wondered what it was that she had done aside from kidnapp some guard to land herself here. That can't be it... Chapter 4 - First Sight Says A Thousand Words Riddick looked around the room he was being given. He couldn't believe it, really. When Rockford said a room above ground, he never expected this. It looked like a bedroom. An actual bedroom. He hadn't been in one in 10 years at least. He had a double bed with several blankets and pillows, a tv, a stereo, books, mags. The damned thing even had a window. He smiled to himself as Mitchell removed the rest of his restraints and replaced the collar that had once tracked him with a simple thin tracking band on his ankle. "Damn, this guy must be really fuckin important." he turned to look at Mitchell. "You'll never know how important." he said lightly, shaking his head. Mitchell lead him to a bathroom right down the hall. "This is yours, and only yours." "Fuckin-A. Running water?" he turned the faucet. "Oh hell yeah." It would be wonderful to get a real shower after years of washing with a bucket and nappy sponge. Mitchell continued to show him the floor of the complex. The computers and exercise equipment were top of the line. He figured he could do some hacking and get himself out of there somehow. With the guards, it might be a problem. He'd figure it out. "So, just who exactly gets to stay up here. This is a compound for the fuckin criminally insane, pshycopaths, sociopaths...but you knew that." Riddick said sarcastically. Mitchell chuckled slightly. "People that gotta lotta money. Only the top people in The Company know of this part. It's the only one of it's kind. It only houses 12 people. And they pay very very high prices. The girl is your passage." Mitchell answered. She'll be mine sooner or later... he smiled to himself. "Does she stay up here?" Riddick asked. Mitchell looked at him for a minute. He shook his head. "She stays in the pits. Well, stayed in the pits. We have her up here for now. She's in the pit for this level. Just a dark room. Solitary. Saves us the trouble of bringing her back and forth since you aren't allowed off the level." He replied. Riddick nodded. He couldn't believe they threw a chick in the pits. She was probably the only one who had ever actually seen one. No matter how defiant or insane or murderous women were, from a man's point of veiw no matter what a woman did, they never deserved the pits. "Well now..." Mitchell began as they exited the kitchen. "...let's get this show on the road." Mitchell lead Riddick down the hall his room was located in to a door around the corner from his bathroom. He looked at Riddick. "Ready?" he asked. Riddick let out a snort. "Why wouldn't I be?" He asked. "Let's just say...I'd watch your ass...she'll fuck with your head just like you'll fuck with hers, most likely." Mitchell offered. Riddick shook his head. "I wouldn't bet on it." he said. "I would." Mitchell said very matter-of-factly. Mitchell pushed the door open to the room. There were no windows, no light. A single bulb hung from the ceiling, which remained off. It was 7 am on this side of Seti and Riddick couldn't remove his goggles because of the light which filled the rest of the floor. He couldn't see the girl through them. He reached to turn the light on and a voice cracked. "Don't." Riddick looked at Mitchell and Mitchell returned his look. "Leave." Riddick said simply to Mitchell, catching the scent of the girl and returning his attention to the pitch black room. "Please." he added when Mitchell's eyebrows raised. "Very well. Have it your way. There's a comm unit on the wall next to the light switch. You'll be locked in. Use it when you are ready to leave." Riddick simply nodded, insistent on getting things started. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him. This should be fuckin simple... He removed his goggles and allowed his eyes to adapt to the darkness again. That's when he saw her. One word came out of his mouth. It was the one word he absolutely refused to utter. Ever. "Jesus..." Chapter 5 - The Girl Riddick sat in the chair placed in front of the girl. She hung limply from the wall, head hung. He could barely hear her breathe. He inhaled and his face twitched from the smell of sweat, blood, and the slime she had been in while in the pits. He could still smell her scent through it, though. No fear. Only anger. Hatred. He forced away the thoughts threatening to intrude on his mind. Her hair hung in front of her face, damp and matted with mud, down to her waist almost. How had she known he was turning the light on? Riddick remained silent for several minutes analyzing her. She had deep cuts, some fresh, some seemingly 3 weeks old, on her arms and legs. The grey tank and shorts she was wearing were no longer grey, but red and brown from the blood and grime. She was barefooted. What the FUCK... he thought. These places took all you had, but they never took your fuckin shoes. They had really fucked her up. After noting her marks and lack of sufficient clothing or food, he took a minute to really take in her appearance. The girl hung from chains around her wrists. Her feet barely touched the floor seeing as she was 5'1, 5'2 at most, and her ankles were bound. She looks crucified... he thought. She was darker skinned, probably of a German descent. German... he thought ....haven't seen one of those fuckers in ages... From what he saw of her at this point, he was almost afraid to see how bad her face was beat up. Slowly, Riddick reached out his hand and moved the hair out of her face. Her chin was at her chest, still making it difficult for him to see her. She had no strength apparently, and they all seemed to have made damned sure of that. Bastards...they get off on it. How can they get off on hurting a girl? He put his fingers under her chin and slightly lifted her head. He pulled back in shock when she bit him, hard, drawing blood from his palm. "You BITCH." he stated, jaw clenched, angry that he wasn't fast enough to escape her. She raised her head and looked at him, blood on her chin. He took in her face for a moment. She was beautiful from what he could tell through the blood, bruises and cuts that scattered her complexion. Finally, he noticed the pain in his palm. He smiled at her, his eyes never leaving hers. "I wouldn't usually do this, little girl, but you'll pay for that one." Riddick near whispered. He drew back and backhanded her hard across the right cheek. Her head flung to the side, hit the wall with a "crack", then dropped. He saw her body begin to convulse with tears. "That's right, cry bitch." he mumbled, sucking the blood from his hand. She slowly lifted her head. His brow raised when he saw her face. She wasn't crying. She was laughing. She straight up fucking laughed. His blow had opened a cut under her eye and as a stream of blood rolled down her face her tongue snaked out of her mouth and caught it. He stared at her for a minute, finally noticing her eyes. They were black. What the fuck... "You don't know who you're fuckin with bitch." he stated simply in reply to her antics. "You sure about that?" she asked, her voice raspy. "What are you anyway...some sort of fucking vampire?" he snapped. "Well, it's damned hard to get a fuckin glass of water in here. But you would know all about that now wouldn't you, Mr. Riddick." she spat back. He struck her again just for the fact that she was seeming to have a severe attitude problem. No wonder they had fucked her up like this. He never hit a girl and this one was already driving him in-fucking-sane. Once again she laughed at him. "And just what the fuck do you find so god damned funny?" he asked, becoming irritated. She shrugged. "Maybe the fact that all you people think you are hurting me. I'm way beyond this pain, my friend. A cut is a cut. A bruise is a bruise. None of them will ever know the pain I know." she answered as he stared at her. "Except maybe you..." she added quietly, absently running a tongue over one sharp top fang She could smell him. His anticipation. And at that moment, she could smell his arousal. He continued to stare into those black eyes. "How interesting..." he whisperd in a throaty voice. Finally, he snapped back to the bleak darkness of the situation. The scent which filled her nose disappeared. She cocked her head and smiled at him slightly. "So...what can I do you for?" she asked sarcastically. Her smile faded. "You can do a lot of things for me..." he answered. He saw her lips twitch into a partial smile for a split second before it faded again at his provacative comment. He laughed inwardly. "...but that's not why I'm here. You know why I'm here." he finished. "Get these fucks to get me a glass of fuckin water....then we'll talk." she simply replied. Chapter 6 - The Interrogation Riddick waited outside the room for the water. He leaned his head against the wall. What the fuck did she do to me... He had never been taken so aback by a anyone. Much less a girl. "Mr. Riddick." Mitchell acknowledged, tearing him from his thoughts and handing him a tall glass of water. He took note of the expression on Riddick's face. It was one of slight confusion. "Is she getting to you yet?" Mitchell asked, a smile tugging at his bushy mustache. Riddick looked at him for a minute. "No." he said, walking back into the room and partially slamming the door behind him. He removed his goggles again and approached the girl. "Here." he said. "Um...unless you gotta key to these here chains...you gotta give it to me." she reminded. "I don't know why they have you chained up, anyway. Don't look too "dangerous" to me." Riddick stated ignorantly. She began laughing, making her cough on the water. She choked for a moment and he stepped back, watching her find amusement in his sarcasm. "You don't know me mister...and you don't wanna know me, either." she stated. "Oh, but I will find out...." he replied. He leaned very close to her, his lips almost against her ear. "...everything." He moved his mouth to her other ear. "Everything I wanna know..." he stepped back, inches from her face. "...you are gonna tell me." he finished in a deep, husky whisper. She felt her body shake and he could smell her intoxicating scent again. He started to laugh and backed away. She felt her face blush, knowing what he had just intentionally done. "You're weak." he became more serious. "No weaker than you are..." she retorted, staring him in the eyes once again. "Can you use the rest of that water and wipe this shit off my face?" she asked, once again pulling him back from another place. "Excuse me?" he asked with a "are you fucking serious" look on his face. "You heard me. Please?" she asked. "I suppose I can." he moved towards her and stopped inches from her face again. "But..." "But what..." she inquired, her nose filling with his masculine scent. "But first, you are gonna tell me a few things. You want something, you better give me something first." he said, quietly. His voice was low and rough. Sexy... she thought. She had never even so much as looked at a guy that way, much less think his voice was sexy. She did the things she was taught to do, rarely enjoying them. What the fuck. Stay focused... she scolded herself. "Shoot." she said. "Tell me your name." "Rayna." she replied. "Rayna what?" "Just Rayna...or Rayn...whichever." "You're bullshitting me." "The fuck I am. They don't give lab rats full names..." He stared at her, drilling into the depths of her eyes. It was hard for him to see a lie in them. They swallowed any lie she may tell. Finally he spoke again. "Your eyes. Your teeth. What are you?" he asked. Roughly grabbing her face and forcing her mouth open, he analyzed the sharp fangs. She tried to bite him again. He punched her this time, in the stomach. She slightly buckled, but did not flinch, her eyes never leaving his. His eyes widened and he shook the look immediately. "Will you stop that already? It's not going to get you anywhere. Jesus christ does everyone think you have to be a fucking ass to get some stupid info? Has anyone ever tried just being fucking nice?" She ranted sarcastically. "Shut the fuck up and answer the question." he spat. "Fuck you, Dick." Riddick drew back. "Ooooh so we have a smart ass, potty mouth." Before she knew it, his body pinned hers against the wall and he had his large hands around her throat. "You better fucking lose the attitude or I'm gonna snap your fucking neck. Do we understand each other?" He muttered into her ear through a clenched jaw. She looked at him and smiled evily. "Yes." she replied. "If it'll make you happy and all." He slammed her head back hard against the wall. He figured it might help get the message across. "Now answer the fucking question." He sat down again. "I see infrared. Heat. And my teeth are just my teeth. They just happen to be a little fucking pointy, thankyouverymuch. Baby, I'm human. Just as much flesh and blood as you are. I just had a lovely encounter with lab techs at my childhood confinement, that's all..." she answered. Riddick stood and grabbed her fingers, looking at them. No claws.... She wasn't a Tigrisani so he figured it was the truth. "How old are you? How many dead at your hand?" he whispered gruffly, inches from her face yet again. "Younger than you think and more than you would ever think." she answered. She felt his body press against hers again. His hand rose to her throat and the other grasped her hip tightly. He looked at her expectantly and she smiled, her fangs catching his attention. Her scent snapped at him and he fought for his control. Small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Get away from her you jackass... his brain screamed. His body wouldn't listen. Finally he pryed himself back, bringing a hand to the back of his shorn head. She giggled an airy laugh. Riddick knew she knew what she was doing. Mitchell had warned him. He didn't listen. Now he saw what he meant. He just hoped he could ignore it. There was a job to be done. "You want the shit off your face, answer the questions." he started to sound angry. Rayna raised her eyebrows at him. "Keep your damn pants on..." she laughed as he flinched at her comment. "...we have all the time in the world." she added. He began to tip the glass of water over. She eyed him and decided he was serious. "My age is half the number of people I've killed." Riddick continued to eye her expectantly. "And that number would be 34." Seventeen years old. Holy christ...he thought to himself. He began to feel bad about hitting her. Fuck you, you dick..you don't feel bad....his mind taunted. She was just a girl. No. She was obviously way more than "a girl". But why.... Riddick shook the thoughts. SHE was not the matter at hand right now. Officer Green was. "Where's Green?" He asked. "Where's my face wash?" she retorted. Riddick sighed. He walked to her. He would wash her face, but not without getting a little something extra out of it. He grabbed the hem of her shorts and tore. She jumped slightly at his motion and he smiled. Her face blushed. Thank god he can't see it through the damned dirt... she thought. He held up the cloth he had torn from her garments and wet it. Careful not to break any wounds open, he started to wipe the shit off her face. When he was finished, he stepped back. God, she's beautiful.... He stared for a minute at the broken girl. Bruises along her jaw and cheeks. Cuts on her forhead, cheeks and just about everywhere else. It didn't matter. He saw through it. Finally, he became aware at his motionless stare focused on her. Oh my fucking god, stop it you fucking idiot. He wiped his face, noting the wetness that had accumulated there. "Thanks." she whispered, completely severing his thought. Riddick nodded in reply and took his seat once more. "The question." he said. "Tell me, Mr. Riddick. How many lives have you taken?" She asked. She was stalling. He hated that. "Bitch, I don't know what the fuck you think you are doing, but it's not gonna fuckin work. Answer the question." "You first." she whispered again. "At least a hundred, probably more." he leaned forward, growing impatient. "Why?" "Then why have you spared your own?" she asked blatantly. The question hit him in the face. The anger that rose in him was frightening. Her eyes widened as he bolted towards her, unaware that she would hit a nerve like that. She closed them when he impacted her. When she finally reopened them, he had her feet a foot from the floor and slammed against the wall. She was looking down on him and saw the furious gleam that swept over his eyes. The scent of his anger flooded around her as she felt the searing pain begin to form behind her eye sockets. She smiled. "Why so mad?" she asked, staring into him. Riddick slammed her hard against the wall again, the thud deafening inside her skull. The ringing overpowered the pain behind her eyes. "You're mad because you can't answer it can you?" She whispered slowly. Rayna became aware of the slur in her voice. The pain and the noise in her head. Her smile faded as Riddick slammed her into the wall one last time. He dropped her and backed away, hands rubbing his face and head. He looked up at her finally. His chest, neck, and face were covered in sweat. What the fuck....what the fuck is she doing... His thoughts were spinning. He stared at her, hanging limply, barely able to hold her head up. With the last of her energy she spoke, almost sounding drugged. "You will...n-never get what you came for. Not Green...n-not..." she smiled before the last word past her lips. "...me." The blackness began to creep in around the edges of her vision. "We'll see..." was the last thing she heard before her whole world turned black. |
| Time 7-13 |