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Kylie stood staring at herself in the
mirror. “One more day.” She muttered. Her small apartment was dim in the early
morning light, but she knew where everything
was. In a place where there were only two separate rooms, one of which was the bathroom,
it was hard to misplace anything. She had just gotten into the bottom part of her flight
suit when there came a loud ruckus from outside. As she walked to the door to look, she
wondered again why she took an apartment on the street level. Almost every day it was
something, from the theft of a hover car to the pick pocketing of a tourist foolish enough
to wander into the poor section of town. Late at night was just as bad, since only four
buildings down were numerous bars, brothels and street scam artists. Holding the top of her flight suit at
her waist, she stood in the open doorway, peering down the street. Clamors of ‘There
he goes’ and ‘Watch out’ reached her ears. Around the corner raced a man
who dwarfed her easily, but she stopped him anyway. “In here.” He looked at her strangely from behind
a pair of black goggles before ducking into the apartment, closing the bathroom door as he
took refuge in there. The loud footsteps of the people chasing him closed in, and shortly
a small group of police appeared. They looked confused, and looked to Kylie. “A man came this way. Which way
did he go?” She pointed down the street to a loud
bar with flaming jets over the door. “The Inferno, I saw him duck in there.” They nodded and took off once more as
she slipped back inside, closing and locking the door behind her. “They’re gone.” She
called, slipping her suit the rest of the way on. “You can come out.” He stepped out of the bathroom, the
small apartment appearing even smaller with him there. “Thanks, but why?” His
voice set a shiver down her back as she settled into an armchair to put her boots on. She looked up at him briefly. “I
have no love for those people here.” Her answer was short and abrupt. “Got a
name? I’m Kylie.” “Riddick.” He peered out the
small window, looking down the street to where the officers had gone. “You’re a
pilot?” “Yeah, make runs to the base on
Kredur. Supply runs, stuff like that. Today’s my last go though.” She paused,
looking at him for a long moment. “Look, it seems like you’re in a lot of
trouble here. I’m taking off for the planet Rasen 5. I finally got everything I need.
I have room for a couple more people, so if you want to come.” It didn’t take him long to accept. Just after lifting off from the base he
started. She really didn’t like him, but she had to put up with him. Mitch was her
copilot, and good at his job, or she would have kicked him off her shuttle after the first
day. That was seven months ago, after her previous one had retired. “Hey Ky, didja hear?” She
despised when he called her that. “Don’t call me that.”
She repeated once again. She had lost track of the number of times she had told him that.
“Hear what?” “There’s a multiple murderer
on the planet. I heard some cops talking over lunch about him being in the city.” He
bragged, leaning back in his seat and propping his feet up onto the console. “They
almost had him, but he slipped into some shit hole bar and got away. He’s worth like
ninety thousand creds.” She sighed and pressed a button, making
a minor adjustment in the course. “That’s a lot. He had to have done something
horrid.” Honestly, she didn’t care, but this line of talk would keep him from
hitting on her and trying to get her to change her mind about leaving. “Hear anything
else.” As he kept talking she let her own
thoughts wander, responding occasionally with an “uh huh”. She knew that it was
odd for her to have invited the man she had helped that morning to come with them. She did
know that she would need some strong people, and there was no denying he was physically
capable. When he had stopped running, it had taken him no time at all to get his breath
back. She was no weakling, but she also knew
the more strong people they had on that ship, the better the odds of getting the buildings
set up before cold weather hit. “Hmm?” She looked at Mitch.
“What was that?” “Wanted to know if you’d go
and see the new band playing at the Twister tonight. They’re supposed to be really
good, they’ve played on like five planets.” “Mitch, you know the answer to
that. I have too much to do, and I am leaving tomorrow anyway.” She sighed. She had
hoped to avoid this, but it looked like luck wasn’t with her today. “Come on Kylie, you know you’ll
be back here in the city within six months.” He was looking at her intently. “Why
not skip all that and go out with me, I’d
take good care of you.” She avoided returning the look. “Mitch,
I am not interested, never was, never will be. If you can’t get it into your head
that I don’t mix work and pleasure, not to mention even if I did, you are not my
type, then that’s your problem. If you bring it up again I will report you, I really
don’t care at this point, I am not going to be here, but you’ll go through the
whole investigation. Now shut up and work, we’re approaching orbit.” The remainder of the trip went
uneventfully, and he didn’t bring the topic up again.
Dawn rose the next morning, hazy and
fogged by the smoke of the city. Kylie was up and working, as she had been since three
hours previously, stopping only to drink something before returning to her work. “You’re here.” She said
as she felt the approach of someone. “Yeah.” She didn’t
bother turning around to see who it was, only one of them had that voice. “How long
till we take off?” “Three more hours. Making sure
everything’s locked down and doing the preflight checks. No sleep chambers by the
way, this trip is going to be done the old fashioned way. Don’t worry though, it’s
only a month.” She felt, rather then saw, him nod and
knew he had gotten onboard. a week later “Stupid machine.” She
muttered as she pounded the side of a drink dispenser, waiting for it to give her what she
wanted. “Piloting the ship, what did you
expect me to be doing?” She made her way back to the flight cabin, followed by the
man. “Could ask the question of you too Riddick, but then seeing as you sleep all
day..” “You don’t.” “I sleep enough for me. You’re
the killer they were looking for before we left.” She had figured it out long before,
but it really hadn’t made a difference. She settled into the pilot’s chair,
tucking a foot under her. “Yeah.” He stood leaning
against the doorway, his goggles on his face, as they always seemed to be. “I still
wonder why you helped me though.” “I had my reasons.” She
tensed, turning to look at some sensors in front of her. “Doesn’t really matter,
I did and here you are.” “Maybe.” He stood quiet, watching. His presence
was both oddly comforting and disturbing to her. She tried to ignore it. “You
have anything to eat yet?” She got up again, heading for the door. He turned, letting
her slip out past him. “I don’t know about you, but I am hungry.” He followed her to the small kitchen
area, where she made a couple sandwiches. three weeks in “Mommy?” The voice of a
small child drifted in the darkness. “Mommy where are you?” Silence met the child’s calls,
and she pushed forward, and with each step she grew older. Now a girl of fifteen stood
behind a window. “I’m not him, I didn’t
do anything.” A man said in the street as she watched. Another man in a uniform crossed in
front of her, going to the man and pistol whipping him with the end of a rifle. “Shut
up criminal.” Blood dripped from his forehead and
he slumped to the ground. A woman cried out. “No!” And tried to run to him. As
she got halfway to the street, the uniformed man pulled the trigger on the same weapon
that he had beaten the man with, causing her body to jerk and slump to the ground. “NO!” She screamed, eyes
flying open. Tears streamed down her cheek as she sat straight in the chair, the move so
sudden it caused her to fall out of it, unaware of the eyes upon her from the shadows
beyond the cockpit door. “Not again.” She muttered,
wiping her eyes roughly, leaning forward, her forehead resting on her arms. “Kylie?” She heard his voice,
and she turned her back to the door. “Yes?” She answered, making
her voice steady and seating herself once more, looking over the panel before her, though
there was really nothing to look at this far out. “I heard something, we haven’t
run into something have we?” He had been watching long enough to know why he had
heard what he had and what he had seen, but chose not to speak of it. “Hmm? Oh, no, I just knocked
something over. I got it.” “Good.” He stepped into the
room, looking out through the forward window. “Another week and we’ll see
the planet through there.” She turned to look at him, back in control of herself. She
was startled as she looked at him, his familiar goggles gone, his silver eyes reflected
the blinking lights of the console. “Your eyes…” “Long story. They’ve got
their advantages, and bad side as well.” He stepped into the room, resting his hands
on the back of the empty copilot’s chair. “You just surprised me,
usually you have those goggles on.” She shrugged and turned her seat towards him. He nodded lightly. “The light
bothers me, so I wear them.” “Makes sense.” She watched as
he walked away. Two days after “You got my partner fired.”
He boomed at the small man cowering before them. “He shot her..” He
stammered in reply. “Daddy…no…” She
whispered, a hand raising to the window, trying desperately to push it open. She knew what
was about to happen. “You got him fired.” The
large man boomed again and as one the uniforms closed in on him, fists and feet flying.
Screams of pain reached her ears and she covered them, not wanting to hear it. “Run…child…run..”
She could still hear his voice croak out. And screaming, she ran. Kylie sat bolt straight in the chair,
feeling a hand on her shoulder. As her eyes focused she saw Riddick’s face close to
her. “You were screaming.” His
silver eyes glinted in the dim light coming from the screen beside her. “I….Bad dreams…”
She stuttered, trying to get control, feeling the moistness on her cheeks. He nodded, looking at her. She was very
uncomfortable under his gaze, and tried to turn her head. As he opened his mouth to speak
again, a loud beeping interrupted. “Shit!” She exclaimed,
whirling and looking at the monitors. “Asteroids, sit down and buckle in.” She switched on the microphone, barking
orders into it at the people in the back cabins before focusing again on the console. She
hurriedly punched some buttons and pulled a steering stick from its recess. Riddick sat, waiting, watching as she
started to manually control the ship. Loud bangs and thuds rang out through the machine as
the smaller pieces of rock hit it and bounced off. Her eyes were fixed on the window
before them, hand moving fast as she steered, making her way skillfully through the field
of rocks and debris. She was in her element, at the control of this machine. It responded
how she knew it would, did as she told it. She pushed the stick forward and the machine
dove, going under a large asteroid, only to end up nose pointing at another, and she made
it turn, barrel rolling off to the side. A soft clink told of the narrow miss that was
made. Quickly she righted the ship once more, her eyes narrowed in determination. “Riddick, I need you to hit that
yellow button.” She motioned with her head to a button just over him, and he did as
he was told, hitting it. A soft hum was barely heard, followed by the noises of the
smaller rocks stopping. She dove the ship once more, again narrowly avoiding colliding
with the asteroid, and it took another ten minutes before they had cleared the field
completely. Once she was sure they were clear she
took a breath, slipping the manual control back into it’s spot, and let the other
passengers know it was safe to move around. “Oh, Sam, check to make sure none
of the stuff in the storage bay was damaged to badly.” She sat back in her seat,
rubbing her eyes, her heart finally slowing. It took a few more moments, but the
damages were minimal, a few dings, but the hull was in one piece as it should be. She
settled back into her chair, a hand on her forehead. “Something wrong?” She heard
from the other seat. “No, relieved we weren’t all
killed.” She managed a thin smile, and pulled her feet under her. “You have nightmares.” "Sometimes. Who doesn’t.”
“Not that often.” She looked at him. To know that, he had
to have been watching her, and that made her nervous, in more way then one. “What
does it matter if I have, or even how often, it’s my head.” “If it effects your job, it
affects all of us.” “Well, if it affected my job, then
we’d be more debris in that asteroid field. So it’s not affecting anything.”
Her temper rose, and with it her voice. She rose with her last word and walked out. A week after
landing The first things set up when they had
landed were the water tower, the bathing rooms, and a central hall, a place for all of
them to sleep while the other homes and buildings were built. It was late, and the sky was
clear as Kylie made her way to the bathing rooms, a towel and a change of clothes in one
arm. She knew that the others were sleeping in the central building, all but Riddick. He
had taken to wandering at night, and as long as he helped when he was needed, none of them
really cared. She was the only one who knew of his past, and she had no intention of
changing that. It wasn’t something she wanted to hold over him, she just wanted to
keep the peace. She soaked in the hot water for a long time, letting it work out the tenseness of her sore overworked muscles, and she drifted in a pleasant haze. The progress was going well, they had the bases for three more buildings done today, and soon the others would all have their own homes. After that, the ship would be sheltered in the central building, and that was probably where she would live. She didn’t mind, she didn’t need much space and being close to her ship wasn’t a bad thing either. With a reluctant sigh she got out, and
dried, dressing quickly before the air got too cold. Her hair dripped down her neck as she
walked the path back towards the building, to put her clothes back inside. She climbed up
to the roof, and knew she wasn’t alone. “Hello.” She said as she
crossed to roof, taking up a seat on the edge opposite where he sat. A grunt was the only reply he made, and
for a long while they sat in silence, her shifting to sit on with her back to the waist
high edge of the roof the only noise between them. Footsteps pounding the stairs as
she was followed. Her breathing heavy and heart pounding as she tried to get away. A turn,
and she reached a dead end. Quickly she whirled around, but before she could move, the
alley’s entrance was filled with the bulk of the men who had killed her father. “No…no…let me go….I
won’t tell….” She stammered, stepping backwards, her hands feeling cold
stone. “Please” she whimpered as
they closed in on her. She watched with wide fearful eyes as the men laughed at her, cold
hands grabbing her, ripping and tearing her clothes. “Teach the bitch her place.”
She heard one of them mutter to the other, as she heard zippers opening, feeling cold air
on her skin. Her body was roughly shaken, and her
eyes flew open. Again she found Riddick over her, and she pulled herself out of his grasp.
Her arms wrapped themselves around her knees as she
sobbed. He didn’t react, his eyes upon her. When she finally looked up, her eyes red
and cheeks damp, he was still watching her. “Another nightmare.” She nodded, not trusting her voice to
speak. “Who died?” “In a lot of ways, I did.”
She said softly before rising and leaving him alone with the night. The dawn of the next morningThe sky, usually a peaceful green with
hints of blue to it, was almost blood red, the wind whipping the trees and bushes around
the settlement. A huge tree crashed down,
narrowly missing the furthest house, taking out the radio center. The people gathered in the center
building, the strongest one where their ship lay silent, taking shelter within there from
the storm that worsened outside. Children clung to their parents as the world around them
howled and shook the buildings. “Miss Kylie, I took a head count.”
Sam reported, Kylie nodded for her to finish. “There are three people unaccounted
for. The big man, and two children.” Kylie frowned, nodding. She lowered her
voice so only the woman standing beside her could hear.
“I’ll take care of it, keep these people focused, find a way
to keep them busy. Just don’t let them panic.” She draped a heavy coat around her,
belting it tight to her waist and pulling the hood up around her head. A bandanna was
wrapped around her mouth, allowing her to breath without the wind knocking her breath out
of her, her emerald eyes peering through what space was left. It took four people to
wrestle the door open against the battering force of the wind and rain pouring down from
the angry sky, but they got it open, and Kylie slipped out into the night-dark day. Her eyes adjusted quickly in the dim
light, but she knew that odds were on that Riddick would see her before she saw him, not
just his strange eyes had told her that. She would need his help to find the children, so
that was who she set out to find first. She fought for each step against the
wind, the loose ends of the coat whipping out around her, the driving rain chilling her
legs. Kylie was nervous, not scared, she hadn’t been afraid of anything in a long
time, but the thought of the children out there unprotected unnerved her. She debated
calling out to them, but she knew that nobody would hear her, the wind was too loud. As
she paused to look around, she was knocked to the ground by a tremor. “No” She muttered to herself.
“We do not need this.” She rose to her feet again, arms pin
wheeling around her as another quake shook the ground around her. She remained on her
feet, but was forced to jump against the wind as a crack opened in the ground beside her.
As she stood looking back at the crevasse, a deep voice spoke in her ear. “Might want to watch your step.”
“Tell me something I didn’t
know.” She turned to look up at the man, “There are two kids missing, out there
in this, I need your help.” “Now why would I do that?” He
crossed his arms over his chest, his voice betraying nothing, the goggles he wore making
it impossible to read his eyes. “Fine, I don’t care, go,
hide.” With that she walked away, turning her back on him, letting him decide for
himself. She genuinely didn’t care what he did. She had long ago gotten used to being
disappointed by other people, and not long after gave up relying on anyone but herself.
Even now, living in this situation, she didn’t depend on the others for anything. She
provided herself her own food, still giving them help when they needed it. She pushed
through the thick branches of a bush, and
turned her head only half way when she heard the crack of a branch behind her. His grunt was the only response she got
to her look, and she kept moving. Stopping once, her hand resting on the trunk of a tree
to maintain her balance as another tremor ripped through the ground around them. She heard
a low rumble, then the sound of something sliding. She whirled around, and her eyes flew
open, the ground beneath Riddick was crumbling, and he was sliding down the loose soil and
rocks into a deep chasm.. She wrapped one arm as far around the tree as her reach allowed,
and grabbed his hand with the other. She sank her teeth into her lip as she felt the
tearing in her shoulder, but still pulled, and pulled hard. Her shoulder screamed as she
pulled, trying to bring him back up far enough he could reach solid ground. As he found
his footing, climbing the rest of the way out of the gaping hole, she still did not let
go, only releasing her grip when he stood on the ground beside her. She stood, unsteady, gasping for breath
through the pain roaring down her arm. He stood silently, his goggles removed from his
eyes as he peered into the shrubbery around them. She pressed her arm into her side, and
started to move again. Her footing slow, but pace consistent. He followed, pausing after a few
moments and touching her arm, the wind howling so loudly that words were useless. When she
turned her head, he pointed into a thick bush, beyond which the steep rise of a cliff. She
nodded, and pushed her way through the branches, her face set against the pain she felt.
She would find the children, no matter what it took. The roar overtook them suddenly,
followed quickly by the mass of an animal the size of a large bear. It’s teeth shone
in the dim light as it landed in front of them, the lull in the wind baring the sound of
children’s cries. “They’re in there.” She
said loud enough that her companion could hear her, and he nodded. She knelt down, picking
up a fist sized rock in her bad hand, the other grabbing a large stick. Her eyes narrowed, muscles tensing within her. The animal jumped at her, the smaller
and supposedly easier of the two before it. She growled in response, ignoring the pain
that shot through her as she raised her hand, slamming the rock as hard as she could into
the side of the beast’s head. The swipe of its huge paw knocked her
out briefly, and when she awoke, she saw the beast facing off with Riddick, right above
her. The shimmer of both their eyes entranced her for a matter of seconds before she
realized she was still holding the stick. Taking advantage of the beast’s
distraction, right as its forepaws lifted from the ground, she drove the stick into its
chest, the blood spattering down on her face. It slumped on top of her, then started
to violently lash out, its claws raking at anything and everything it could, its death
throes massive and violent. Desperately Kylie tried to cover her face. She could feel the
gashes from the claws as they tore through the heavy coat, the blood drawn pooling and
cold against her back. Finally the animal stilled, Kylie finally took a breath, and tried
to push the animal off, only to feel it lifting. She braced herself, her remaining
strength used to search for something, then saw the strong hands of Riddick throwing the
animal off to the side with a grunt. Kylie pushed the hood away from her
face, the bandanna having fallen off long before. Her eyes closed, she took a deep, ragged
breath, staggering to her feet, “C’mon, we’ve got to get those kids.”
Her voice low, but he heard every word. He followed behind her, only once
putting a hand out to steady her, but she pulled away. “Children…” She
called to them, and was rewarded by the sound of their relieved voices. “Miss Kylie? Is that you?”
The older called, slowly emerging from the safety of the alcove. She smiled, seeing that
it was her. They ran to their rescuers. Kylie breathed a sigh of relief, and their voices
dimmed, her world turning black.
Her eyes slowly opened, the light dim
around her. Kylie tried to sit up, but the pain in her back caused her to let out a moan
before laying back again. “Don’t” Came a voice
from nearby, the shadows wrapped around him. “What happened?” She
whispered, her throat dry. “You were hurt. Stitches, cracked
ribs, almost got your lung, and your shoulder had to be set.” He emerged from the
corner where he stood. “The kids are fine.” “Good. How long?” “You’ve been out three days.
Doc thought he was going to lose you.” “Oh.” She wasn’t sure
what else she could say. “I don’t get you. Why would
you risk your life like that, you know what I am.” “Don’t care what you are. I
hate them, all of them, if I can screw them, I will. I won’t let anyone be left like
that, like I was. They..” She closed her eyes again, the words catching in her
throat. “Not for me.” He murmured
softly, his own lids closing over the silver before she continued. “My mother was murdered, so was my
father. They did it, rotten mercs, law, both were involved. Fuck all of them.” She
shuddered, causing her ribs to ache. “You don’t matter to them, they only care
about their own asses. You’re one of us now, whether you believe it or not, and I
will not let one of us die like that.” He said nothing, looking at her in
stunned silence. “I don’t care about what you
did before.” Footsteps came from outside, and the
door opened to Sam. “Oh, good, you’re awake. We just got the radio up. They’re
sending a ship to get us supplies and take anyone who wants to go.” Kylie nodded, and watched as she left.
“I’m staying, anyone else who wants to, can go, nobody will stop them.” When the door was closed, she looked
back to Riddick. “I guess you’ll want to go?” “Can’t take that ride. They’d
report anyone on board when they stopped.” Kylie closed her eyes in thought, and
nodded to herself. “Might report everyone here anyway. Take her, she’s not much,
but she’ll get ya pretty far. Get whatever you’ll need.” He nodded, slipping out as she slipped
into sleep. The roar of the engines woke Kylie from
a deep sleep, and in spite of the pain she rose, climbing the ladder to the roof of the
building. Raising her good hand, she watched as the ship turned slowly, it’s nose
moving to face the sky. Before the shutters closed over the glass windshield, he nodded in
acknowledgement of her. “Good luck. Hope we meet again, but not too far in the future.” She smiled, and went back inside.
Images and
content © 1999-2001 Robin Greco
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