This is my first attempt at a pitchblack fan fic. I hope it makes sense, please read and review...all constructive comments are welcome :) Thanks *Cosmic* btw, I own nothing :)
"You really going in there alone and unarmed?" Johns asked Dr Grant,
"As a matter of fact yes I am." Racheal walked past him but before she could make it across him fully, he grabbed her arm.
"You may wanna be careful in there. Riddick ain't no pussycat." Johns gave her a sly smile. letting go of her.
"Mr. Johns, is it?" she asked reading his name tag. "I'm well aware of Riddick' case history."
"Then why the hell you wanna be alone with him?" he scoffed.
"I don't expect you to understand," she gave him a fake smile. "but having the subject alone is partial to my study." She straightened her clothes.
"If you ask me they outta get rid of him, him and those like him."
"I'm sure there are many who share that opinion Mr. Johns. That's why I'm here after all. How do you know so much about him?" she asked.
"Well, I've had to bring him in a few times."
"You?" she asked laughing. "Isn't that a job for a mercenary?"
"Well I freelance sometimes," he said sniffing lightly, "If the price is right."
She nodded and walked past him into the small room. He followed her inside. Riddick sat behind the small desk. His arms cuffed behind him. a bit in his mouth, like an animal.
"Detestable," Racheal Grant scoffed. "Get that thing outta his mouth, really how do they expect me to talk to someone in this condition."
"Want my opinion you should leave it on."
"If I want your opinion, Ill ask for it." her only reply was that sly smile Johns seemed to wear well. He undid the bit . Riddick looked up at Johns.
"You can leave now." Racheal said curtly to Johns.
Johns walked slowly out of the room.
"Ill be right out here...yell if ya need me." he said before shutting the door on her. Racheal was partly relieved at his departure, and partly worried. Now she was alone with Riddick. She took her seat across the table from him and opened her briefcase computer turned it on and sat it to the side. Riddick's eyes watched her work.
"I apologize for that." she said motioning to the door.
"No need." he said his voice filling the cramped room. "Johns and I, we have a history."
"Oh?" she asked as any councilor would to keep the conversation flowing.
"Yeah, He's had to escort me back to slam a few times."
"He does seems to hate you,." she offered.
Riddick's smile was her only reply.
"But lets not let him control our conversation now. This is between you and me. Anything you'd like to start with?" Riddick just looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, arms still behind his back. "Alright, you're in here for murder...am I right?" Again nothing. "You know Mr. Riddick, You don't have to answer anything I ask you, but you should know how important this is. Your previous counselor, a Dr.." she shuffled thru her papers. "Snyder. Yes, Dr. Snyder. He has recommended you to have your frontal lobe completely deteriorated. His voice apparently carries a lot of weight in Company because they are actually considering it." Riddick's eyes bore into her, they glistened. "So," she continued. "I am the only thing that stands between you staying you and you becoming a vegetable."
"What can I do?" he asked slowly.
"I've looked thru your case files." she said shuffling thru many diskettes. "I've watched your cell's surveillance tapes. Dr. Snyder paints you as a monster. I need to get to know you as a person."
"Maybe he's right." Riddick said after a pause. "Maybe I am a monster, they keep me chained up like one."
"Yeah, I can see that, but I sincerely do want to help you."
"Why would you want to help me?" he asked turning his head.
"Personally, I don't think anyone should be nuked. It's a vile practice that could be avoided, and if Company gave a damn about any of it's youth offenders it would never get this far."
"You don't seem that gung ho about Company, like all the other Company employees." Riddick observed.
"It's possible I'm not a normal Company employee. I don't even know why they chose me for this job, I'm a youth counselor."
Riddick looked her over closely. Etching every detail into his mind. Physically she was petite, about 5'3. Her dark brown hair had loose ringlet type curls that were draping her shoulders.
She was pretty. Her hands were slender and there was a ring on her right ring finger. He knew exactly what it was, a Company graduate ring.
"Nice ring," he commented. She held it in her other hand, self-conscious of it.
"Thanks." she said fingering it. She remembered how proud she had been when she completed her training, only to be put in charge of a juvenile facility on Salaam Major. Was she as proud to be a Company employee as she was before? She asked herself. The answer came to her in a resounding no. Company was becoming far to powerful in the galaxy and she feared what it was becoming. "I got it the day I graduated Company; They give these instead of diplomas anymore."
Riddick mumbled a reply, he was well aware of that fact. Almost every guard in slam wore one, it looked odd to him on a woman. He also knew they doubled as an identification pass.
"Anyway, where were we?" she asked. "You are in here for murder, right?"
"That's right." he said not deflecting his eyes for a second.
"And who did you kill?" she asked, not looking away either.
"I killed a lot of people." he said almost bragging.
"Any one in particular stand out in your memory?" She asked cocking her head, Riddick just gave a sly smile.
"I kill for necessity." he said finally.
"You use the word kill instead of killed." she observed. "Planning on doing more killing?"
"If the need arises." he said without hesitation.
"It's talk like that they are looking for, Mr. Riddick," she stated.
"Oh yeah? Fuck 'em." he shrugged.
"Mr. Riddick," she said standing up gathering her things. "If that's your opinion on this, maybe you don't care what happens to you. That's something you're going to have to decide for yourself. I can't make you give a damn." she walked to the door, he watched her go. "I'll come back in two days and ask you if you're willing to work with me or not." she said turning back to face him one last time.
"Come back tomorrow." It was not a statement, it was a command.
She paused, thought. He had a lot of nerve talking to her that way. After all his mental freedom mostly relied on her.
"Alright," she nodded finally. "Have your decision tomorrow.", then she was gone.
She left the room in a huff and was suddenly confronted with William H. Johns again. There was something about him, she didn't trust him any more than she did Riddick.
"Well well," he commented, smiling. "I got to give you some credit, you came out of there in one piece."
"Hardly an achievement, Mr. Johns. The prisoner was cuffed." she said.
"That's something about Riddick," his smile widened. "Chains don't work on him. He could've been out of those in 6 seconds."
Racheal swallowed hard, but her face remained composed. She had worked in Company enough to know how to keep her poker face on.
"That's good to know." she said trying to sound disinterested.
"You're brave for a girl," Johns inched forward, "I find that kind of…interesting." his eyes narrowed and he put his hand on the wall beside her, blocking her path. "What's say you and me go to the galley and get something to eat later?"
"I'm not here for pleasure, Mr. Johns. I'm here to work, and the sooner I'm off this station, the better." She said walking past him.
"Point taken." he said and shook his head as she walked away.
Racheal had returned to her make shift quarters, really no more than about three cells with the walls knocked down between them making a one room chamber. The "homey" touches were no more than a bed, small night table, and a fake plant. Trying to get comfortable she took off her work boots and fell into a fitful sleep.
Racheal awoke the next day with a start. Her dreams had been her running from Riddick down a long sparsely lit corridor. Splashes of blood lined the walls and the moans from the people he had killed filled her ears. He was so close to her, she could actually feel the heat from him, before she awoke. Shaking the dream from her mind she set out to get ready for the day. First, she had her visit with Riddick, then she had to talk to the warden about the decision and send her response back to Company. She sent word to have Riddick in the conference room and then headed out the door.
"You really going in there alone and unarmed?" Johns asked Dr Grant,
"As a matter of fact yes I am." Racheal walked past him but before she could make it across him fully, he grabbed her arm.
"You may wanna be careful in there. Riddick ain't no pussycat." Johns gave her a sly smile. letting go of her.
"Mr. Johns, is it?" she asked reading his name tag. "I'm well aware of Riddick' case history."
"Then why the hell you wanna be alone with him?" he scoffed.
"I don't expect you to understand," she gave him a fake smile. "but having the subject alone is partial to my study." She straightened her clothes.
"If you ask me they outta get rid of him, him and those like him."
"I'm sure there are many who share that opinion Mr. Johns. That's why I'm here after all. How do you know so much about him?" she asked.
"Well, I've had to bring him in a few times."
"You?" she asked laughing. "Isn't that a job for a mercenary?"
"Well I freelance sometimes," he said sniffing lightly, "If the price is right."
She nodded and walked past him into the small room. He followed her inside. Riddick sat behind the small desk. His arms cuffed behind him. a bit in his mouth, like an animal.
"Detestable," Racheal Grant scoffed. "Get that thing outta his mouth, really how do they expect me to talk to someone in this condition."
"Want my opinion you should leave it on."
"If I want your opinion, Ill ask for it." her only reply was that sly smile Johns seemed to wear well. He undid the bit . Riddick looked up at Johns.
"You can leave now." Racheal said curtly to Johns.
Johns walked slowly out of the room.
"Ill be right out here...yell if ya need me." he said before shutting the door on her. Racheal was partly relieved at his departure, and partly worried. Now she was alone with Riddick. She took her seat across the table from him and opened her briefcase computer turned it on and sat it to the side. Riddick's eyes watched her work.
"I apologize for that." she said motioning to the door.
"No need." he said his voice filling the cramped room. "Johns and I, we have a history."
"Oh?" she asked as any councilor would to keep the conversation flowing.
"Yeah, He's had to escort me back to slam a few times."
"He does seems to hate you,." she offered.
Riddick's smile was her only reply.
"But lets not let him control our conversation now. This is between you and me. Anything you'd like to start with?" Riddick just looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, arms still behind his back. "Alright, you're in here for murder...am I right?" Again nothing. "You know Mr. Riddick, You don't have to answer anything I ask you, but you should know how important this is. Your previous counselor, a Dr.." she shuffled thru her papers. "Snyder. Yes, Dr. Snyder. He has recommended you to have your frontal lobe completely deteriorated. His voice apparently carries a lot of weight in Company because they are actually considering it." Riddick's eyes bore into her, they glistened. "So," she continued. "I am the only thing that stands between you staying you and you becoming a vegetable."
"What can I do?" he asked slowly.
"I've looked thru your case files." she said shuffling thru many diskettes. "I've watched your cell's surveillance tapes. Dr. Snyder paints you as a monster. I need to get to know you as a person."
"Maybe he's right." Riddick said after a pause. "Maybe I am a monster, they keep me chained up like one."
"Yeah, I can see that, but I sincerely do want to help you."
"Why would you want to help me?" he asked turning his head.
"Personally, I don't think anyone should be nuked. It's a vile practice that could be avoided, and if Company gave a damn about any of it's youth offenders it would never get this far."
"You don't seem that gung ho about Company, like all the other Company employees." Riddick observed.
"It's possible I'm not a normal Company employee. I don't even know why they chose me for this job, I'm a youth counselor."
Riddick looked her over closely. Etching every detail into his mind. Physically she was petite, about 5'3. Her dark brown hair had loose ringlet type curls that were draping her shoulders.
She was pretty. Her hands were slender and there was a ring on her right ring finger. He knew exactly what it was, a Company graduate ring.
"Nice ring," he commented. She held it in her other hand, self-conscious of it.
"Thanks." she said fingering it. She remembered how proud she had been when she completed her training, only to be put in charge of a juvenile facility on Salaam Major. Was she as proud to be a Company employee as she was before? She asked herself. The answer came to her in a resounding no. Company was becoming far to powerful in the galaxy and she feared what it was becoming. "I got it the day I graduated Company; They give these instead of diplomas anymore."
Riddick mumbled a reply, he was well aware of that fact. Almost every guard in slam wore one, it looked odd to him on a woman. He also knew they doubled as an identification pass.
"Anyway, where were we?" she asked. "You are in here for murder, right?"
"That's right." he said not deflecting his eyes for a second.
"And who did you kill?" she asked, not looking away either.
"I killed a lot of people." he said almost bragging.
"Any one in particular stand out in your memory?" She asked cocking her head, Riddick just gave a sly smile.
"I kill for necessity." he said finally.
"You use the word kill instead of killed." she observed. "Planning on doing more killing?"
"If the need arises." he said without hesitation.
"It's talk like that they are looking for, Mr. Riddick," she stated.
"Oh yeah? Fuck 'em." he shrugged.
"Mr. Riddick," she said standing up gathering her things. "If that's your opinion on this, maybe you don't care what happens to you. That's something you're going to have to decide for yourself. I can't make you give a damn." she walked to the door, he watched her go. "I'll come back in two days and ask you if you're willing to work with me or not." she said turning back to face him one last time.
"Come back tomorrow." It was not a statement, it was a command.
She paused, thought. He had a lot of nerve talking to her that way. After all his mental freedom mostly relied on her.
"Alright," she nodded finally. "Have your decision tomorrow.", then she was gone.
She left the room in a huff and was suddenly confronted with William H. Johns again. There was something about him, she didn't trust him any more than she did Riddick.
"Well well," he commented, smiling. "I got to give you some credit, you came out of there in one piece."
"Hardly an achievement, Mr. Johns. The prisoner was cuffed." she said.
"That's something about Riddick," his smile widened. "Chains don't work on him. He could've been out of those in 6 seconds."
Racheal swallowed hard, but her face remained composed. She had worked in Company enough to know how to keep her poker face on.
"That's good to know." she said trying to sound disinterested.
"You're brave for a girl," Johns inched forward, "I find that kind of…interesting." his eyes narrowed and he put his hand on the wall beside her, blocking her path. "What's say you and me go to the galley and get something to eat later?"
"I'm not here for pleasure, Mr. Johns. I'm here to work, and the sooner I'm off this station, the better." She said walking past him.
"Point taken." he said and shook his head as she walked away.
Racheal had returned to her make shift quarters, really no more than about three cells with the walls knocked down between them making a one room chamber. The "homey" touches were no more than a bed, small night table, and a fake plant. Trying to get comfortable she took off her work boots and fell into a fitful sleep.
Racheal awoke the next day with a start. Her dreams had been her running from Riddick down a long sparsely lit corridor. Splashes of blood lined the walls and the moans from the people he had killed filled her ears. He was so close to her, she could actually feel the heat from him, before she awoke. Shaking the dream from her mind she set out to get ready for the day. First, she had her visit with Riddick, then she had to talk to the warden about the decision and send her response back to Company. She sent word to have Riddick in the conference room and then headed out the door.