<\/p>\n
1.
Riddick: Just Wrong<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n
The pain in his arms was a low, dull ache now. Soon it would be fiery agony, once all the other survivors left the area. Riddick had overheard Johns telling the captain how dangerous he was; no help there. With the bit in his mouth he couldn\u2019t even attempt to contradict the merc, or suggest that she ask to see some more comprehensive ID.<\/p>\n
It was a shame he hadn\u2019t managed to take the son of a bitch\u2019s head off when he had the chance. It had been the perfect opportunity \u2014 everyone else had been off restraining some girl who was screaming for her parents and siblings, trying to reach their burning cryo-tubes. He could have done Johns and been out of his restraints before the bastard had a chance to tell any of them who he was. If only his luck hadn\u2019t stayed the same. Just plain gone. These days, Johns was the one with all the luck.<\/p>\n
Which meant he was on his own again. There were no allies here. Well, not immediate ones, anyway. And depending on what he had to do to stay free and stay alive, even Johns\u2019 true colors emerging might not turn them. He had to think of them as The Enemy, individually and collectively. There would be no help for him.<\/p>\n
He could hear them leaving. The captain \u2014 he\u2019d heard her introduce herself as Carolyn Fry \u2014 was calling out something about searching a cargo container for water. Finally he even heard Johns\u2019 receding footsteps. Riddick slowly stretched, preparing himself for the agony to come, when he heard the quiet footfall. Someone was in the room with him.<\/p>\n
He went completely still and stretched out his senses. In the years it had taken him to scrape up enough prison currency to pay for his shine job, he\u2019d been forced to develop his other senses to the highest degree possible. They didn\u2019t fail him now.<\/p>\n
Quiet breathing. The scent of a woman\u2019s perfume. Vanilla, sandalwood and nutmeg, mixed with the musk of her skin. Expensive perfume, maybe. Unusual, anyway. He was used to more garish scents, but that might have had something to do with the quality of female company normally within his reach\u2026 when he had access to women at all.<\/i> What the hell was she doing on this cheap crate?<\/p>\n
He peered through the blindfold, and could make out a blurry outline. A woman, definitely. Idly he wondered what the male-to-female ratio of the survivors was. If they were here for long, it\u2019d become an issue. Then again, if they were here for too<\/i> long, food would be the<\/i> issue and it wouldn\u2019t matter how many sexual favors were exchanged.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t matter. I\u2019m gonna be on top of whatever pile-up happens, no matter what. If it comes down to survival, there ain\u2019t anybody on board this heap who can outlast me\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just wrong,\u201d the woman murmured, jarring him back to his present circumstances. For one bizarre moment he thought she\u2019d heard his thoughts and was contradicting him.<\/p>\n
Riddick recognized her voice, even though it sounded almost nothing like her hysterical cries of earlier. This was the same girl who\u2019d been screaming for her family. She had a slight brogue to her speech, he noticed. Probably from New Ireland. He felt her approach and kneel down astonishingly close to him, so close that he could feel the heat of her body by his.<\/p>\n
She reached out and began unbuckling the straps that held the horse bit in place. Then she gently removed it from his mouth. She set it aside on the floor and reached toward his face again.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the blindfold.\u201d It hurt to speak; he hoped she could understand what he\u2019d just said.<\/p>\n
Her hands stopped, the fingertips resting lightly on his cheekbones. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Riddick took a moment to work his jaw and get some moisture back into his mouth. His companion waited, hands still resting on him almost as if they were lovers, while he did. Someone here is just a little out of her head,<\/i> he thought. <\/p>\n
It made sense, though. Only an hour or so had passed since her hysteria had died down. That had been followed by the beginning of the navigator\u2019s screams. With all this drama, he doubted she and sanity would recognize each other if they collided in a hallway.<\/p>\n
Someday I\u2019m gonna find a place where there\u2019s no<\/b> fucking drama and I\u2019m never gonna leave it.<\/i><\/p>\n
Swallowing one last time, his own saliva like wine to his parched mouth, he tried to talk again. This time it worked much better. \u201cMy eyes are very photosensitive. Unless you happen to have a pair of sunglasses lying around, I\u2019d better keep the blindfold on.\u201d<\/p>\n
He actually had plans along those lines already. A pair of welding goggles had been set aside near him, after a cryotube had been broken open and its young occupant liberated. But if he tipped her off to them, he\u2019d reveal two things he didn\u2019t want anybody<\/i> to know \u2014 first, that he could see well enough through the blindfold to make out his surroundings; second, and much more important, that the cutting torch had been left way too close to him.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cSunglasses\u2026\u201d She looked around, shifting her position. If he\u2019d been free, it would only have taken a fraction of a second to overpower her and finish her off. Then she rose and\u2014<\/p>\n
Shit! Do not<\/b> think about the torch, woman!<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWould these work?\u201d She asked him, moving over to the crate where his prizes rested. \u201cThey\u2019re welding goggles.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cProbably. Can\u2019t actually see them,\u201d he lied.<\/p>\n
She walked away from the cutting torch without another thought. \u201cI\u2019ll put them on you. Keep your eyes closed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not a problem, babe,<\/i> he thought to himself with amusement. He was privately amazed that she was willing to get as close to him as she had, but she probably either hadn\u2019t heard Johns\u2019 explanation of who he was, or had been too crazed by grief to comprehend it. For the moment he decided to bask in the novelty of having a woman so near him, and so completely unafraid. There was no way it\u2019d last.<\/p>\n
Never does, when they find out who I am\u2014<\/i><\/p>\n
She slipped the blindfold off of his head gently, and then carefully slid the goggles down, adjusting them until they fit comfortably over his eyes. He opened them, blinking, trying to adjust to the new light level.<\/p>\n
The goggles worked better than he\u2019d expected they would. Blocking out most of the light, they left him able to look around without any pain. It was dim within the ship\u2019s hull but a great deal of intense light streamed in through a gash near him. With the goggles, he could make out details beyond just light.<\/i> He could see the other survivors moving around outside, several of them making their purposeful way toward a distant building.<\/p>\n
Habitation? So they wouldn\u2019t have to worry about basic survival, then\u2014<\/p>\n
A moment later he realized that was no building. It was part of the ship, broken off, lying canted at an odd angle on the ground. Were those retracted landing struts on its roof? The damn thing was upside down! He knew the crash had been rough but\u2014<\/p>\n
Fabric rustled beside him. He turned his attention back to the woman who had liberated his vision.<\/p>\n
Pretty. She was small and delicately built \u2014 waifish, that was the word \u2014 with light hair that looked like it might be red-gold in normal light. Between the glare of the twin suns and the color-distorting effects of his shine job, it was hard to tell. Despite her slimness, her body had lush curves to it that his hands itched to explore. Her face was still marked with signs of her recent spate of deep grief, but it was calm. She leaned over slightly, examining the restraints that imprisoned his wrists, her hair brushing his shoulder. He took a moment to indulge himself and inhale her scent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I can undo those,\u201d she murmured. She moved back slightly and sat down in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou probably shouldn\u2019t, anyway,\u201d he replied with amusement. \u201cI guess nobody gave you the bulletin on who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shrugged, the gesture minimal, almost apathetic. \u201cYou\u2019re a prisoner. But this still seems a bit like overkill to me. Just where are you going to go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not where I might go as much as what I might do. To you.\u201d He expected her to react like all the other civilians he\u2019d encountered over the years. He expected her to pull back, to stare at him as if he might be something dangerous, a rabid dog in human form. She didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
She did draw back a little, but only far enough to lean back against one of the fallen cryo-lockers and watch him sadly. \u201cDo you really think there\u2019s anything you could possibly do to me after what already happened? The only thing I have left to lose now is my life, and you might be doing me a favor.\u201d<\/p>\n
He considered that for a moment, studying her. She reeked of pain, he realized. He hadn\u2019t felt grief that intense, personally or vicariously, since the day Morgan\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell is goin\u2019 on here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Riddick didn\u2019t bother to turn at the familiar sound of Johns\u2019 voice. The girl \u2014 whatever her name was \u2014 glanced up with the same air of sodden disinterest that characterized all of her gestures. <\/p>\n
\u201cDid you find any water?\u201d she asked, sidestepping Johns\u2019 question entirely. <\/p>\n
Riddick kept his face expressionless, knowing that Johns would soon be near apoplexy over the girl\u2019s complete disregard for his authority. More power to you, babe. I wonder what you\u2019re like when you\u2019re in your right mind.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cDid you take his bit and blindfold off?\u201d Johns had practiced that voice for years, Riddick believed. It was designed to convey the sort of menace that Riddick knew he<\/i> could convey just by smiling at someone, and was only partially effective. This was one of the times it failed completely.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what the fuck were you thinking?\u201d Johns\u2019 voice had taken on an odd grate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thinking that the bit must hurt like hell, actually.\u201d The girl shrugged. \u201cAnd I was thinking that, unless you\u2019re planning to go ahead and shoot him, you should show him a little more humanity. Things are bad enough as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ordinarily, Riddick would have been annoyed. In fact, ordinarily he would have been pissed the fuck off. One of the things he\u2019d never been able to stand was people talking over him like he wasn\u2019t even there, especially<\/i> when they were talking about<\/i> him.<\/p>\n
This time, though, was different.<\/p>\n
Talk all you want, you two. Hell, get into a screaming match. Just don\u2019t pay attention to me<\/b> and do not<\/b> notice my cutting torch.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d Johns was clearly seething. Riddick glanced up for a quick look. The pseudo-lawman was staring at the girl in complete, absolute contempt. \u201cWell, missy, you can just put them right back on him, right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riddick almost missed the change, looking at Johns. He almost didn\u2019t see the girl\u2019s face morph into something steely. She stood slowly, bent over, and retrieved the bit and blindfold. Then she raised herself to her full height \u2014 not more than 5\u20322\u2033 by Riddick\u2019s estimation \u2014 fixed Johns with a scornful gaze that somehow seemed to beat down<\/i> on him rather than up,<\/i> and stalked out of the compartment with the restraints still in her small hands.<\/p>\n
Johns stared after her for a long moment, too astonished to react. Then he let loose with a string of curses and hurried after her.<\/p>\n
Now\u2019s my chance. Lady, whoever you are, I could kiss you. In fact, I just might. Later.<\/i><\/p>\n
Riddick slowly rose to his feet and glanced backward. As he\u2019d thought, there was a break in the bulkhead above him. He could do this. Grimly, ignoring the pain in his arms, he raised them as high as he could. After one more deep breath, he gritted his teeth and deliberately dislocated both of his shoulders. He could barely keep from screaming as he pulled the restraints through the break in the bulkhead. Even as he popped his shoulders back in, he felt his knees give out and he began to fall. He managed to grab the cutting torch as he hit the floor.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Author’s Note:<\/b> I didn’t expect to start with this one, but here it is. I couldn’t leave it alone, so I will begin posting the revised chapters, for feedback, while I contin","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"\u201cThe Slow Burn\u201d chapter 1, by Ardath Rekha","bgseo_description":"Riddick\u2019s first escape attempt is complicated by an unexpected visitor.","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fan-fiction","category-the-slow-burn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104\/revisions\/116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}