***
They drove to the airstrip with Riddick sitting in the front passenger seat. He’d hop in back once they got close to the gates. Waters dug something from under her bulletproof vest and held it out to Riddick. “Almost forgot again. Had to dumpster dive for it.”
His Wolverine necklace. He snatched it and looped it around his neck, thrilled to have it back. “I got so mad when they took it.”
“I got just as mad when they told me they threw it away. So petty.”
“Thank you for getting it back to me. And... for everything else.”
“You’re quite welcome. There’s a loaf of banana walnut bread in your duffle bag, too. It’s from the Wrekkio family. The parents send their apologies for jumping to conclusions, and Colleen says thank you for bringing her home. She was too full of shame to say anything sooner.”
“Shame?”
“Women react to rape in so many different ways. It’s...” She shook her head. “Just rest easier knowing you helped her.”
“I will,” he said softly. “It’s one bit of closure.” Colleen’s gratitude was some solace in the face of how things had turned out. He probably would’ve been better off leaving her there in the long run but it was too late to change that. “Now will you tell me why you’re throwing away your career over me? You can’t possibly cover your tracks like you did Kenner’s. There’s no way you can pass off my escape as a solo stunt. They’ll know I had help.”
“You’re very right,” Waters said with a hint of sadness under her casual demeanor. “I don’t consider helping you a waste.”
“But all those years of hard work!”
“They led me to you. Sometimes our efforts add up in ways we don’t expect. Riddick, did you really expect me to forget about you and go on with my life, while you got tortured and tormented?”
Riddick clenched his jaw. “Yes.” An ache developed in his chest. “I wouldn’t have held it against you or anyone.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I’d abandoned you like that. Not only are you here on Earth because of me, you were enlisted into the military, but what matters most is that you’re a son to me. I know I’ve treated you more like a soldier than a son; it’s taken this long to realize that was wrong. I’ve done the best I could but now that I realize how much I care about you, I want to do better. No good mother abandons her children. My military career means nothing compared to your happiness and wellbeing.” She reached for Riddick’s hand and he took it, holding tight.
That was quite the confession. He implicitly knew Waters cared deeply about him, but he’d never known the extent until now. “Thank you. Really, I can’t thank you enough.” He wasn’t just some animal and killer in her eyes. He didn’t know how to put into words how happy that made him feel. “But what about your family?”
“That’s already been planned out. Don’t worry.”
“Okay. And what plans do you have for yourself exactly?”
“You run home while I run in another direction.”
“Why won’t you stay here? No matter what happens, this is your home.”
“I already told you, you make your own home. Riddick, I’ve been to many different worlds, and for years I’ve toyed with the idea of living elsewhere, but I’ve been too scared to leave the safety net of the military. You’re the motivation I needed to break away from it and act on my dream.” She turned onto the winding road leading up to the gates. “Once the military loses interest in finding me, I’ll come get you and we can start life over as a proper family. How’s that sound?”
Them a real family? It sounded almost too good to be true. Maybe by the time the reunited, he could coax Waters into seeing him as something more than a son, but if not, he’d let it be and enjoy what he had. “It sounds great. I’m already looking forward to it.”
Smiling, Waters squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.
18.
Riddick hid under cover of a shrunken distortion field while Waters attempted to gain access to the airstrip. The guard spent an unusually long time staring at her ID badge, but he gave it back to her without expressing any dissatisfaction. Riddick lay curled in a ball in the backseat, tensing when a flashlight shined right on him. He felt eyes rake the back of his head and didn’t recommence breathing until the guard gave Waters the okay to enter, and he didn’t uncurl himself until the SUV stopped moving minutes later, and the engine shut off. When he finally got out, he stretched his aching limbs.
“Alright,” Waters said, “follow me close and keep the distortion field small.”
Duffle bag over his shoulders, Riddick followed her among the light foot and vehicular traffic to the hangars, where Kenner’s ship awaited them. No one paid Waters any mind, patrolman or pilot, but Riddick didn’t relax. He felt completely exposed, even though no one could see him, unless they entered the field with him.
Waters unlocked the multi-story-tall hangar with a pass code, the aluminum door hummed and rattled as it rose, and the interior lights switched on, revealing a tidy hangar. They stepped inside and began double-teaming the pre-flight checklist, doing their best to not rush too much. The last thing they needed was to be their own reason for not making a clean getaway.
Once they worked through everything they could do inside the hangar, Riddick boarded the bus-sized ship and taxied it out onto the tarmac, guided by Waters’ hand signals. Once his tail was clear of the doorway, she stuck both arms in the air, signaling for him to halt.
Right as he flipped the switch that locked the wheels, Waters looked over her shoulder. And that’s when he noticed they had unwanted company. His stomach dropped to his feet.
Six soldiers, all armed and armored, formed a semi-circle ten feet away from Waters. She kept her arms raised as she slowly faced them. Riddick scrambled out of the cockpit and rushed down to protect her.
“Ah, there he is,” said a familiar smug voice as Riddick darted between Waters and the soldiers. That voice belonged to Fink, who took off his head guard and looked at Waters. “I figured you’d try something. Didn’t expect you to act this fact, but I knew something like this was inevitable.”
Where had they slipped up? Had one of the tranquilizer darts worn off too fast? Had... it had to be the guard just outside the airstrip. Waters’ ID must’ve been flagged for unusual activity. That had to be it.
“I was hoping you’d prove me wrong, Waters. You’ve been an exemplary soldier up to this point. It’s going to be difficult to clean up your records after this business is straightened out. Jules, take them into custody.”
A man broke away from one end of the semi-circle and approached.
Just like the moment when Russel aimed his gun, everything fell into slow motion. Each of Jules’ strides seemed to last for an eternity, and the rest of the soldiers stood still as statues. Riddick’s survival instincts kicked into hyper drive. If they were captured tonight, Waters’ dream of living as a family would never happen. He knew it in his gut.
Jules took another step.
Coupled with his superior strength and speed, Riddick could easily outmaneuver two or three heavily armed soldiers while armed with just a knife, but not six. Not six.
And another step.
Waters had set her rifle aside when they’d started going through the pre-flight checklist, and the soldiers had been too close to the ship to use any of its guns to mow them down. On top of that, it would’ve taken too long to dig out his firearm from wherever it was stashed in his duffle bag.
Three strides away.
Wait... Riddick had one ace up his sleeve.
Once Jules was within arm’s reach, Riddick looked him in the eyes and saw his gaze shift to the side of Riddick’s head. A blow was coming.
In one swift motion, Riddick ducked under the rifle’s butt and sunk his shiv in Jules’ side, between the armor padding. His body shook with spasms and he fired several rounds, taking out the soldier who’d been standing opposite him. Riddick put Jules in a headloc
k and used his body as a shield, whipped out the distorter and threw it at Waters’ feet, then seized Jules rifle and opened fire. The five soldiers returned fire, however they fell one by one. A fiery pain erupted in the arm he had wrapped around Jules’ neck, but he didn’t let go until he was the only one standing, ears ringing from all the gunshots. He looked around to make sure there were no other enemies approaching, then let Jules’ body join his comrades on the tarmac, along with his gun. Clutching his injured arm, he stepped inside the distortion field.
The blood drained from his face.
Waters lay in a pool of her own blood, three gaping bullet wounds in her head and neck. Riddick dropped to his knees beside her and checked for a pulse. She had none.
Riddick wanted to scream, but the anguish was stuck in his throat. He closed Waters’ eyes and held her hand as he absorbed what just happened.
He was alone. He was very much alone. He had no family left. All those hopes and dreams gone. Waters was gone. The future he’d been working towards: gone. Life with the rest of the squad: also gone. Life as he knew it was over.
He heard gurgling from outside the distortion field and looked up.
Fink was feebly moving his limbs as struggled to fill his lungs. He reached for his throat and coughed several times.
Riddick tore his shiv from Jules’ side and strode over to Fink. The General gasped when they made eye contact, and defensively raised his hands. Riddick plunged the blade into Fink’s throat, and then in his stomach, the thighs, and ever last fatal spot he’d been trained to seek out. He grunted with each blow, making Fink’s body jerk, then landed one last blow in his heart.
Gasping for breath, Riddick went over to Jules and took his knife, then kneeled before Waters once more. He thought of giving her a farewell hug or kiss, and even taking the time to bury her. Instead, he cut a lock of hair and boarded the ship with a heart so heavy that his chest was hollow.
19. One week later...
Riddick sat in the cockpit, elbows on the dashboard and face in his hands. He’d overridden the course to Furya and just let his ship wander aimlessly across the Milky Way Galaxy. He didn’t want to go to his birth world anymore, leaving him at a loss for where to go or what do next. He’d fought so hard for his freedom, but now it seemed so worthless without anyone to share it with.
Furya was off the table. Never again would anyone use his heritage against him. His origins would remain a mystery to everyone but him from here on out. He’d change his name if he had to. Maybe even his appearance. But first he had to figure out where to go next.
Heaving a sigh, Riddick lifted his head and turned on the database. Kenner’s list of charted courses came up and he read through them for the hundredth time, but this time actually seeing the words in front of him. The list had been just a bunch of nonsensical markings over the last few days, his brain too numb to process anything but his base needs to eat, sleep, and such. Now he was finally ready to make a choice.
Out of the list of twenty worlds, three sounded decent, but out of those three, one struck a chord with him. The world was very militaristic and the inhabitants described as a motley crew gathered from all corners of the universe. That sounded like the easiest place to blend in, even if he couldn’t fit in. That world even had a prestigious military. He felt a need for such social structure and rigid discipline. Spending a week alone on the ship felt so aimless and pointless. He craved what that world had to offer.
He plotted a course for Sigma 3.
About the Author
S.M. Welles has recently moved from New England to Arizona, where she’s now a full-time author and part-time online gamer. When her brain needs a break, she runs around killing people in League of Legends and Guild Wars 2. She’s finally retired from eight years of World of Warcraft and eagerly anticipates the release of Elder Scrolls Online. And when she's not writing or gaming, she's fishing, rollerblading with the dog and letting him chase birds, or hiking on Mt. Graham.
Other Published Works
To Ocean's End
This is a standalone post-apocalypse fantasy novel about a seafaring captain who can never find a moment to eat a cheeseburger in peace. It's like the dystopian version of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Strength
Courage
Determination
or
The Complete Trilogy
This is a YA fantasy trilogy about a teenage girl charged by the gods with protecting the mortal realm. It's like Percy Jackson for teenagers.
Dear Readers-
Thus begins Riddick’s downward spiral into the person the universe is introduced to in the movie Pitch Black. That leg of his character journey is summarized in a Wikia site, so I’m disinclined to turn it into a full-blown fanfic piece. If I’m bugged enough, I might oblige but, as far as I’m concerned, that gritty story has already been told by the creators of the Riddick universe.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the read.
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