Chapter Twenty-Four
"So a story for a story. Is that the trade?" Jack asked, still measuring Fia's responses, but unable to restrain her curiosity over the guard's fear.
"That's about the size of it," Fia said with her eyes twinkling in obvious amusement.
"You go first."
Fia chuckled. "Works for me, but it's easier to explain if I show you something first." She stood and plucked a small piece of paper from the waistband of her pants where it had been stored as though she anticipated this sort of exchange. She crumpled the paper, held it in the palm of her hand and then stared at it.
She's staring at paper. Great. The woman's a lunatic. That's why she's in here. Political prisoner, my ass! Jack thought after a moment of the woman not moving. She began to fidget. She was considering telling the woman to forget it and leave when she noticed that the temperature in the tiny cell had risen a few degrees. At that moment, a thin tendril of smoke rose from the paper and then the wad spontaneously burst into flame.
Jack jumped away from Fia who kept the burning paper cupped in the palm of her hand while she ran the fingers of her other hand over it as though petting a small animal. "Beautiful, simply beautiful," Fia purred as she stroked the flame.
"What are you?" Jack asked and then she remembered something she had read while researching Aereon during her time on Toombs's ship. Four types of elementals... earth, air, water and fire. Aereon is an air and this woman must be fire.
"You're one of those fucking elementals," she snarled as she stood and moved toward the rear of the cell, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and Fia.
"I see you've encountered my kind before," Fia said as she looked away from the flame still dancing in her hand with obvious reluctance.
"Your kind is why I'm here," Jack bit out as she felt the anger growing within her.
"Really? Then we have something in common," Fia said with a distinct edge of bitterness in her voice. She looked back to the fire in her palm and then abruptly closed her hand into a fist, snuffing the flames. "My kind is why I'm here, as well."
"Sure..." Jack said with sarcasm dripping from the word. "I researched Elementals. Your kind is tight... present a unified front to the universe while working to 'help' everyone with their treasured diplomacy. So why would they put one of theirs in a shithole prison like Slam City?"
"Trust me, sugar. Not all of us are part of the tightness you read about. And a little known fact is that the Elementals hold a controlling interest in several prisons, including this one. So when they want someone tucked out of the way, they manage it just fine. Especially, when the person is 'one of theirs'."
The bitterness rolled off Fia like a physical presence, piquing Jack's curiosity. She still wasn't sure she trusted the woman, but she was curious enough to hear Fia's story that she was willing to trade her own tale, or part of it at least, for the privilege.
"So, how long have you been here?" Jack asked quietly after a moment.
Fia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As she did, the tension and bitterness seemed ebb away. "Fifteen years," she said with a wry grin. "I wasn't much older than you when they put me here."
"Why?"
"Oh, yes. That is the question isn't it. And I'll answer it... I'll answer all your questions, but I'm not gonna do it on an empty stomach," she said. She stood and stepped out of the cell motioning for Jack to follow. Jack was surprised to note that the woman was shorter by at least fifteen centimeters than Jack's own height of 175 cm. Fia's dynamic personality had given the impression of a much larger person than the petite woman that Jack now found herself walking beside.
"Where are we going?"
"I'm going to give you the grand tour, sugar," Fia drawled and led her from the cell.
The large holo-chamber in the Ursa Luna prison administration building echoed with Kyra's and Toombs's footsteps as they entered it. Toombs glanced over his shoulder at the door, which sealed behind them. He met Kyra's eyes, gave her a nod of reassurance, and then returned his attention to the center of the chamber as the lights began to dim.
He had received the message from Aereon's people with information on the location of Riddick, but they had requested this holo-meeting as well to "discuss the details". He and Kyra remained behind for the meeting, sending the ship with Mare, Jericho and Twitch so that they could switch the crew as planned. Just the idea of them wanting a meeting made him decidedly uneasy.
Momentarily, the holo image of a robed figure sitting in a chair appeared before them. Toombs felt his back stiffen involuntarily at the superior attitude he felt emanating from the figure even though the meeting wasn't live.
"Welcome, Mr. Toombs," the robed person said in a rich voice that he recognized as belonging to Aereon. "It is a pleasure to see you again."
I'm gettin' real sick of this shit, he thought as he suppressed a growl of frustration. "What do you want?"
"We have need of a service, Mr. Toombs, and we believe you may be able to assist us. It is in regard to the Riddick contract."
"Look, lady, just cut to the goddamned chase already," Toombs snapped. "You're wasting my time with all this crap. We're headed to UV after as soon as we leave here. Rest of my team is ready to leave in the morning. Coulda left tonight if you hadn't insisted on this 'essential' meeting. So out with it."
Toombs heard Kyra step forward, and he glanced back at her. Her stony expression spoke volumes about how she felt about the situation. He winked at her before turning back to face Aereon again.
"We believe it would be beneficial to have someone on the inside of the detention facility... someone who can get close to Riddick to make sure that we do not lose track of him when he escapes."
"Look, you said in your message that you want me to take him to Crematoria after I bring him to you on Helion Prime. Ain't nobody breaks out of Crematoria. Not even Riddick."
Aereon chuckled and Toombs felt his hackles rise at the supercilious sound. "Our indications are that he is quite capable of escape from the facility. In fact, if he does not, we will be most disappointed."
"Whatever you say. So what's yer plan? Put someone on the inside?" Toombs asked with as much disdain as he could muster. "Riddick ain't a fool... and he ain't your normal con. He ain't gonna just trust some strange con he hooks up with in a hell-hole like that."
"We have information that there is indeed on convict whom he will trust," she said smoothly.
"No way. I've read his sheet," Toombs said forcefully, trying to ignore his growing dread that he knew exactly who she was referring to. "He's a lone wolf. He never hooked up with any other cons while he was in slam."
"Oh, this is not someone he met while he was in prison, Mr. Toombs," she purred.
"The girl... Jack," he said as the meaning of her words hit him. No, not Jack. That poor kid's been through too much as is; they can't send her to Crematoria. I can't let them do that to her.
"Indeed, Mr. Toombs," she confirmed. "He had a very strong bond with the girl and our indications are that he is quite likely to connect with her again."
"It won't work," he said carefully modulating his voice to avoid showing the relief he felt as he discovered an answer to the problem. "She wouldn't help you when you had me bring her in before. She ain't gonna help you now. Besides, the kid ain't on Crematoria. She's right here in Ursa Luna where you told me to put her."
Aereon laughed at his statement. It was a beautiful sound, but it made Toombs's hair stand on end. "Mr. Toombs, we have no intention of trusting young Miss Page with this assignment. She is completely loyal to Riddick and would never agree to assist us. However, Riddick has not seen the girl in a very long time. It will be almost five years by the time all the pieces are in place. She has changed a great deal from the child he once knew... matured, if you will."
Toombs felt his unease redouble as the hood shifted slightly in Kyra's direction and then turned back toward him. The woman continued speaking in her melodious tones: "We believe it might be possible to plant an individual who is loyal to us inside Crematoria. Someone similar enough in age to be a convincing substitute..." She paused dramatically and Toombs began shaking his head before she finished her thought. "Someone like your companion, here."
"NO FUCKING WAY!" Toombs roared at her as the bubble of dread burst within him. "You're asking too much this time, bitch! You ain't sending Kyra into that godforsaken place!"
He felt Kyra step close and place a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't sure whether she meant to restrain him or reassure him, but he welcomed her presence regardless.
"Must we go through this again?" Aereon asked as though speaking to a slow child. "You know that we will not hesitate to use the information we have if you do not fulfill our wishes."
"Fuck the ship!" he thundered as the last bit of patience with their games crumbled within him. "I got by fine without it before; I'll get by fine without it again. You're. Not. Getting. Kyra."
"Mr. Toombs, please be reasonable. This will be a very temporary situation; I assure you," she said. The holo image shimmered slightly as she stood and glided forward a few feet. Her long elegant hands appeared from the sleeves of her robe as she gestured entreatingly. "You already have the information we have on the location of Mr. Riddick. You stated yourself that you will be leaving to retrieve him as soon as we have finished our business.
"Your associate would only need to spend a very short time in the facility. If things go as planned, you will have captured Riddick by the time she is placed inside the prison. Once we finish with him on Helion, you will deliver him to Crematoria. Then she can perform the task we require: get close to him and alert us to his location after he escapes."
"And if he doesn't escape? What then? How long you fucks planning on keeping her holed up in that hell?" Toombs demanded. He clenched his fists against the indignant anger that continued to build within him. He wanted to hit something, but the object of his ire was light-years out of his reach.
"You have my vow, Mr. Toombs. She will not be there more than one local week after you drop off Riddick. If he has not escaped by that time, we will retrieve her."
"No deal," he ground out and crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.
"Toombs," Kyra said quietly from his left side as she squeezed his shoulder. "Let me do this."
"Fuck it, Kyra. The ship's not that important," he said firmly as he turned to face her.
He was surprised when she stepped close so that the holo cameras could not pick her up then mouthed, 'Not for the ship. For Jack.'
Toombs felt a wave of indecision sweep over him. She was right, they would need the ship if they were going to have a chance at breaking Jack out. Plus, if Aereon turned them in, they would most likely be imprisoned themselves or at the least delayed so that the young woman would spend a much longer time in the Ursa Luna prison.
Kyra's eyes were locked onto his face as he struggled with himself. Then she said aloud, "Please, Toombs. I can't let them take the ship from you. It means too much to everyone ."
"Fucking ship has been nothing but trouble since I picked her up," he growled.
"That doesn't make you love her any less," she replied quietly. "Let me do this. I'll be fine. I can handle a couple months in a prison. You know I can."
"All right," he said and sighed heavily. He turned back and glared at the robed woman, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay, she's willing, how do we do this? I ain't leaving until I hear the entire plan."
The small cafeteria, which served the political wing of Ursa Luna Prison was filled with the hum of people eating when Fia led Jack through the stainless steel double doors that separated it from the cellblock.
"And finally, we have 'the pit'. I hope you aren't a picky eater, 'cause if you are you picked the wrong place to be incarcerated, sugar."
Jack snickered at the woman's wry humor. Fia had kept a running commentary on the merits, or lack thereof, of the facility as she led Jack on a tour.
Jack was amazed at the Fia's ability to put her at ease. Also, she had been surprised at how deferential many of the other inmates had been to the woman. She suspected that allying herself with the petite woman might be a wise move.
After they collected plates of some sort of unidentifiable stew, they found an unoccupied table at the edge of the dining hall. Jack took an experimental bite of the stew and grimaced at the flavor. Her stomach gave a warning roll, so Jack pushed the plate aside and instead focused on the cup of weak coffee that she had gotten as well.
Fia grinned and continued eating, barely chewing each of the bites she shoveled into her mouth. "Like I said, food doesn't get much better than this. The trick is to eat quick so you don't taste it."
Jack shook her head. "No, I can handle the flavor. It's bad but I've had worse. I think it's the drugs from earlier. I'll be alright once they're outta my system."
Jack continued sipping her coffee while Fia finished her stew. As the woman finished her last bite, Jack raised her eyebrows expectantly and said, "So, your story? You ready to tell it now that your stomach's full?"
"Sure, I'm ready. But I want to remind you of our deal," Fia said. She looked levelly at Jack and her eyes flashed in warning. Jack sensed the underlying darkness in the woman, which she masked so well with her charming exterior. "A story for a story... Once you've heard my tale, you tell me yours. Otherwise you'll be reneging on our deal and that would make me rather cranky. Trust me, sugar, I'm really no fun if I'm cranky. Plus, it's not wise to betray a deal in here."
Jack nodded. "Only as good as your word. I get it."
"I think you're going to do just fine in here," Fia said, quietly. "But as to my story, it's a simple tale of corruption and control. Have you ever heard the ancient Earth myth of Daedalus?"
Jack shook her head, wondering where the woman was going with this line of thought.
"Well, Daedalus was a great architect and inventor who built a labyrinth for his king. Once the labyrinth was complete, the king did not want anyone who knew its secrets to be free to reveal them so he tossed poor Daedalus in prison."
"What the hell does this have to do with anything?"
"Ah, naturally, I am the Daedalus in my tale. I had a knack for security... for creating labyrinthine structures in computer systems, if you will. I worked on the Quintessan planetary system. Once I'd finished, they were well pleased with my work. So well pleased that they decided to store me away here so that I wouldn't be able to reveal the ins and outs of the system."
"They put you in prison just because you did your job well?" Jack asked, knowing her face reflected her shock. "Why would they do that instead of having you keep working?"
"Well, it could be because they found out I had a somewhat more liberal leaning than the government tended to prefer. They wanted to safeguard the contents of their labyrinth not just its structure. They didn't trust me not to reveal some of the less desirable inner workings of their government, so they put me here."
"Isn't that kinda stupid on their part? I mean, you could tell anyone in here anything you know. Hell, you're telling me and you've only known me an hour or so."
Fia's expression turned dark and Jack could literally feel the anger roll off her in the form of a burst of heat that raised the temperature at the table by several degrees. "They kept me in solitary for the first five years I was here. By the time they released me here, I'm sure they'd made sufficient changes that they felt I was no longer a threat."
Jack sat quietly studying Fia and weighing her story. The woman's eyes were distant. Jack felt another wave of heat roll toward her as Fia battled her own inner demons. After a moment, Fia rolled her head around and took a deep breath. She seemed to force her emotions back under control. An image of the access door to an ore smelting furnace slamming shut, separating a dangerous inferno, flashed through Jack's mind. The woman's ability to control her emotions - her anger and obvious hatred - was most impressive.
Eventually, Fia focused on Jack with a pleasant expression. "Your turn."
Author's Note: Once again, y'all have my sincere gratitude for all your wonderful feedback.I can't tellyou how glad it makes my heart that itis so well received.I also really appreciate your patience with my slow writing pace. Thanks for sticking with me and with the story.