{"id":109,"date":"2022-09-03T18:31:34","date_gmt":"2022-09-03T22:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/?p=109"},"modified":"2023-01-14T14:08:51","modified_gmt":"2023-01-14T19:08:51","slug":"the-slow-burn-chapter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/the-slow-burn-chapter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Slow Burn, Chapter 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Title:<\/b> The Slow Burn<br \/>\n<b>Chapter:<\/b> 2 of ?<br \/>\n<b>Fandom:<\/b> Pitch Black<br \/>\n<b>Synopsis:<\/b> This is a reworked version of chapter 2 of <i>The Slow Burn<\/i>, which was my first attempt at fan fiction. It was semi-successful, but I stopped writing it after I found my real calling with Apprentice. Now I\u2019m revisiting it. The story adds an original character to the group of survivors, and this time around I\u2019m trying to strip away any and all Mary Sue qualities she possessed. In this chapter, Riddick has escaped and Fiona learns a fellow passenger&#8217;s Big Secret.<\/p>\n<input type='hidden' bg_collapse_expand='6aac0be5e34a29079312534' value='6aac0be5e34a29079312534'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-more-text-6aac0be5e34a29079312534' value='This story has, overall, an X rating, and is derived from an R-rated movie. By clicking on this link to access the story, you are declaring that you are 18 years of age or older, and that this content is not illegal in your place of residence.'><input type='hidden' id='bg-show-less-text-6aac0be5e34a29079312534' value='Hide the story again.'><button id='bg-showmore-action-6aac0be5e34a29079312534' class='bg-showmore-plg-button bg-green-button  '   style=\" color:#D9ECFB;\">This story has, overall, an X rating, and is derived from an R-rated movie. By clicking on this link to access the story, you are declaring that you are 18 years of age or older, and that this content is not illegal in your place of residence.<\/button><div id='bg-showmore-hidden-6aac0be5e34a29079312534' ><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;margin-bottom: 20px\"><b>2.<br \/><u>Fiona: Girls Traveling Alone<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cYou stupid bitch, this is your fault!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">The survivors had gathered around them as Johns and Fiona faced off.  Johns was waving the cut-up pieces of Riddick\u2019s chains in her face, his own face almost purple with rage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cWhat, did he bite through them?\u201d  It was probably a bad idea to provoke him further, Fiona reflected.  Then again, maybe she\u2019d get lucky and he\u2019d shoot her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cNo, you fucking cunt, he used <i>this!\u201d<\/i>  Johns flung the chains down and grabbed a cutting torch out of his vest.  Then he threw it to the ground as well.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>\u201cCareful,<\/i> Mate!  We <i>need<\/i> that!\u201d  Zeke stepped forward, grabbing the torch.  Engrossed in making sure that it hadn\u2019t been damaged, he missed the look of pure rage Johns flung at him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>He\u2019s completely out of control,<\/i> Fiona thought, watching Johns.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>Good,<\/i> a strange voice within her replied.  <i>Good.<\/i>  She shook her head, trying to clear it away.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Paris demanded.  She spared him a swift glance, unimpressed.  She\u2019d noticed him earlier and had heard him talking to the others, and it had left her with a distaste for him.  He used the sort of effete superiority that mining executives had leveled at her father, in spite of the fact that their academic credentials were far eclipsed by his\u2014<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>I can\u2019t think about my father now.<\/i>  The wall of pain rose up for her and she fled from it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>\u201cRiddick escaped, that\u2019s what happened!\u201d<\/i> Johns bellowed.  \u201cThis idiot distracted me while he made his escape\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Fiona turned away because she knew she was dangerously close to laughing at the man.  That probably wouldn\u2019t be the smartest of moves.  The problem was that she kept hearing her father, muttering \u201credheads and fiery tempers, Fee,\u201d almost as if he was actually standing beside her.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>How many voices can <b>fit<\/b> in my head?<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">She didn\u2019t dare laugh.  She suspected that the tears wouldn\u2019t be far behind, and she didn\u2019t know if she\u2019d be able to stop them again once they started up again.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cDo we have any weapons we can defend ourselves with?\u201d  That came from the wild-haired woman who had held Fiona earlier while she\u2019d screamed and sobbed for\u2014<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>Do <b>not<\/b> think about it!<\/i>  She concentrated on taking another step away from the group and towards the cargo container.  <i>Walk.  Just like a normal person.  Walk.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cI\u2019ve got a rifle and a pistol.  That\u2019s it.  Any of the rest of you packin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">A murmur of negation ran through the group.  Fiona managed another step, feeling more sure of her movements.  Behind her, Paris spoke up once more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cI have a collection of antique tribal weapons, among my things.  Perhaps there are some useful items in\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cWhere do you think you\u2019re goin\u2019?\u201d  Johns grabbed at her shoulder, swinging her back around to face him, but one of the others \u2014 the Muslim cleric \u2014 knocked his hand away.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cMr. Johns, enough!  I\u2019m sure she did not mean to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">She didn\u2019t stay to listen but made herself keep walking, heading for the cargo container.  A moment later, a boy fell into step beside her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cHey, Fiona, right?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">The boy was tallish and slender, with delicate, almost pixie-ish features.  Light brown hair had been cut unevenly, as if in a hurry, and was tucked beneath a cap.  The boy was dressed in a way that made Fiona think of old Twentieth Century movies about vagabond children.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cI\u2019m Jack.\u201d  The boy flashed her a grin.  \u201cWhat\u2019s he like?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cHmm?\u201d  She turned and glanced at him, a little confused by the abrupt shift.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cRiddick.  What\u2019s he like?  Is he as scary as the newsfeeds made out?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Fiona replied.  Riddick?  She\u2019d heard that name before.  It had been in the feeds the day before they boarded the ship.  <i>Spree Killer Captured At Last\u2026<\/i>  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>Oh dear.  Is that who he is?<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cNot really,\u201d she continued.  \u201cMaybe.  I\u2019m probably not a very good judge right now.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cLook, Fiona\u2026 are you going to your cargo locker?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cI was wondering\u2026 well\u2026 you see\u2026\u201d  Jack\u2019s voice trailed off.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Fiona turned, afraid that she was about to get hit with some juvenile proposition.  She hoped the boy didn\u2019t have a crush on her or something.  She was probably five or six years older than him, and it was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>Is there anything you <b>want<\/b> to deal with right now?<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Fair question, even if the voice\u2019s presence disturbed her.  There wasn\u2019t.  She wanted to be somewhere quiet and empty.  Where movement wasn\u2019t an issue or a requirement.  Where she didn\u2019t have to see or hear, think or feel.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">The deep unease on the boy\u2019s face confused her.  Was her unbalanced state so obvious?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Jack took a deep breath and finished the question in a rush.  \u201cDo you have any tampons?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Fiona stared.  She forced herself to look \u2014 really look \u2014 at the youth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cYou\u2019re a girl,\u201d she decided after a moment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Jack looked around, nervous.  \u201cYeah.  But look, please don\u2019t tell anybody, okay?  You know how it is\u2026 a girl traveling alone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Alone.  No family.  A thousand synonyms flashed through her head and chipped away at the fragile scab over her grief.  The weight of it came crashing back down on her.  No wonder she didn\u2019t want to move.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cOh shit, I\u2019m sorry, Fiona, I didn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">She took a deep breath and forced the pain back into its cage.  \u201cIt\u2019s okay.  I\u2019d probably try to disguise myself as a boy, too, in those circumstances, if I thought I could actually fool anyone.\u201d  She turned and began walking toward the storage container\u2019s far side, where the smaller, private passenger lockers were located.  \u201cI think I have some tampons in my gear, sure.  Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">She had a large box of them, in fact.  While Fiona stood look-out, Jack cleaned herself up and changed, chattering in a deliberately deep and boyish tone about her adventures stowing away on freighters and even the occasional cruise liner.  Heading out into the day again, they were confronted by the wild-haired woman.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cThere you two are!  Don\u2019t go wandering away like that again, yeah?  I thought Riddick might\u2019ve grabbed you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Jack looked down for a second and then gave her a shy grin.  \u201cSorry, Shazza.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Shazza smiled, relenting.  \u201cIt\u2019s okay.  Just stick close from here on out.  C\u2019mon, now.  We\u2019ve got weapons, and you two need to pick some for yourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Fiona frowned as she and Jack trudged after Shazza, back towards the main section of the ship.  Weapons\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">\u201cThe thing you need to keep in mind about a weapon, Fee,\u201d her father had told her, \u201cis it\u2019s something that can be taken from you and used against you.  Knives and guns are tempting things to people who want to feel powerful, but they don\u2019t necessarily make you safer.  If your opponent is bigger, stronger, faster, or better trained than you, he\u2019ll still have the advantage.  Drawing a weapon is often a provocation to even <i>greater<\/i> violence\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Should she take one or shouldn\u2019t she?  She wasn\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Conversation swirled around her in the ship as Johns described what a depraved creature Riddick would be.  She watched as Jack picked out a hunting boomerang, frowning.  Looking dubiously over the remaining weapons, she reached out and then her hand stopped.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>I really don\u2019t have the first idea how to use any of these things.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Her father always said those were the most dangerous weapons of all, the ones that were wielded without any knowledge or understanding.  Riddick, she knew, could take any of them out of her hands in a second.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Her fingers hovered over the weapons.  Take one or not?  What were the risks in each direction?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\"><i>He might kill me fast if he thinks I\u2019m going to fight\u2026<\/i>  Her hand began to reach for the blow-gun.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">The absurdity of it all startled a giggle out of her.  She covered her mouth quickly, thankful that everyone else had moved away.  Images crowded into her head of just exactly how she might use such a thing in a defensive situation, each more ridiculous than the last.  <i>I\u2019m a fool.<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">Fiona gazed down at the blow-gun, studying its contours.  Her mother would have loved the carving on it.  The giggle, beneath her hand, turned into a sob.  She leaned against the table, taking several deep breaths.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-indent:.25in\">The blow-gun was still on the counter when she headed back out into the sun.<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Title: The Slow Burn Chapter: 2 of ? Fandom: Pitch Black Synopsis: This is a reworked version of chapter 2 of The Slow Burn, which was my first attempt at fan fiction. It was semi-successful, but I","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 2, by Ardath Rekha","bgseo_description":"Riddick has escaped and Fiona learns a fellow passenger\u2019s Big Secret.","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109","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\/109","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=109"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions\/137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ardath-rekha.com\/wips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}