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Night Vision	By : ehiltebe Category: M through R > Pitch Black Views: 1117 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black. All I can claim is Eileen, really; all else is borrowed, and profits me not at all!

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chapter Six
I know as soon as I open my eyes that I’m dreamin’, since it looks like th’ bedroom I share with Eileen on our private ship, Wanderers’ Den. Haven’t actually set foot on its decks in two years. An’ on th’ bed lays my lover, lookin’ half asleep. But I highly doubt this’s entirely in my head.
“Eileen?” As I sit on th’ edge of th’ mattress, a corner of my mind notes th’ odd detail that I’m wearin’ a pair of dark boxers that look a lot like the ones she’s paired with a tight, dark shirt.
“Mm.” First, she just shifts position, curlin’ closer t’ me. Then her slim hand touches my knee, th’ fingers flexin’ before she jerks her head up in surprise. “Rick?!” After starin’ briefly, she throws her arms around me, shoulders heavin’ with pent-up emotion.
“Yeah, babe. Here for th’ moment, at least.” I just hold her for a while, my nose against her neck where I can both inhale her scent an’ feel her heartbeat. Main downside t’ this whole situation in th’ wakin’ world is bein’ apart. “You an’ Jack got away from Vaako’s boys alright?”
“Really don’t think Vaako was in control when shit went down, but yeah. Ended up where we can head your way as soon as we know where you are.”
“Wish I could tell ya,” I mutter back. “There’s a merc co-op, but I haven’t seen a designation.” Th’ temptation of her lips becomes too much, so I cover ‘em with mine.
Right now, talkin’s overrated.
~*~
It’s only as th’ post-coital bliss fades that I really let Eileen’s words percolate through my brain. Of course, that’s when whatever decided t’ put us in th’ same metaphysical spot for th’ night lets go, too. She fades right out of my arms, an’ I wake t’ find Dog watchin’ me anxiously.
That seems t’ set th’ tone for my whole day. A grazer destroys one of my snares, an’ a small rodent-type had gotten into one of my stashes. Nothin’ goes right. Eventually, I stop tryin’ t’ get anything done an’ play fetch with Dog for a while.
Now that I’ve seen my woman, however briefly, bein’ stuck here is wearin’ thin.
~*~
As the sleek ship descended, Niklas admired its clean, utilitarian lines. No one had tried to decorate it, unlike the Necromonger vessels he’d been using for nearly thirty years. It settled gently on its landing skids and, once the engines spooled down, a nearly-invisible hatch slid open, extruding a ramp. Two men emerged, engrossed in a discussion, and then an auburn-haired girl dashed out past them.
Wrath—the adolescent spine-cat which had adopted him—bristled for a moment as the child neared, but settled when the blond patted him. Still, the girl stopped five meters away, warily but curiously studying the score of clearly unfamiliar creatures gathering around him.
“Niklas Agnar?” the red-headed man that he suspected was the girl’s father asked. The other, bulkier male appeared to sniff the air. “I’m James Cartwright, Eileen’s friend.”
“They look like your little carvings, Uncle Marcus,” the child piped inquisitively. “The cat and wolf ones.” The larger man—presumably Marcus—nodded.
“Yes, Allie, they’re spine-cats and scale-wolves.” Then he favored Niklas with a small bow of respect. “Marcus Arganth, formerly Beta of the Crested Eagle Pack, honored Omega. Richard and Eileen rescued me several years ago.”
“Thank you for rescuing me,” the blond replied with a slight chuckle. Then he knelt, putting an arm around his four-legged companion. “Would you like an introduction, young one?” Hazel eyes widened, and after a quick glance to her father for permission, the girl stepped closer, one hand out with the palm up.
“Does he have a name?” she asked. “I’m Alexis, or Allie.”
“I call him Wrath. It is a pleasure to meet you, Allie.” Then he looked back up at Arganth while the cat got her scent. “I was born to Canyon Bear Pack.” The Beta nodded thoughtfully.
“Anything in these buildings you’d like to keep, Mr. Agnar?” the redhead queried. “Not that I mind it being so sunny here; feels to me like the air’s a bit on the thin side, though.”
“One of the scale-wolves has had a pair of pups, but there’s nothing here that I need.” Niklas shrugged. He turned toward the building he had been using just as Thrash and Victrix emerged. Each carried a limp, slightly-scaled body held gently in their jaws. The male held his head and tail high, obviously proud that he’d sired twins. “Well, I suppose that takes care of everything.”
“Yes, you’ve done well,” Marcus rumbled when the ear-tagged scale-wolf trotted up to display his offspring. “The Alphas will be pleased.” Apparently satisfied with the praise, Thrash moved toward the ship and up its ramp, followed by the rest of the blended pack.
“Come on, Mr. Niklas.” Allie wrapped her small hand around his and tugged a little. “I’ll show you around the Wayfarers’ Eyrie.”
Smiling just a bit, the blond complied. Thank the Lady, he was leaving the bloody planet!
~*~
“Eileen, Jack, I need to see you two in the hangar.” I raised an eyebrow at Boss, inviting him to elaborate, but he simply continued down the corridor. We’d returned to the team’s home base a week ago, and he’d seemed more preoccupied than he usually was between jobs. Now, with curiosity digging its claws into me, I set aside the book I’d been reading, pulled on my boots, and followed.
Nothing could have prepared me for the scene I found. Moss was on the ship, crouched down to weld something next to the tie-down points for the three Hogs that we all used. Those hover-bikes had been parked off to one side, and Dahl and Lockspur were guiding another pair of rumbling machines through the bay door. My sister stopped next to me, just as surprised.
“Boss?” the brunette questioned, the single word loaded with meaning.
“You’ve been part of the team for a year and a half,” the older man responded. “And our profits have gone up significantly. You’ve earned your own Hogs.” A sudden grin took years off his face. “Customize them as you like, ladies.”
To my shock, Jack actually hugged the former soldier; she was rarely physically demonstrative toward men. I nodded my thanks to him, moving toward the vehicles, and Dahl released a set of controls to me with a small gesture toward the tank—“ERB-R” had been neatly engraved there, clearly marking it as my territory.
“We put on a rack for your katana,” Lockspur told my sister as he passed the other hover-bike to her. She promptly swung a leg over the saddle, gunned the engine, and slewed the machine around to face back out the door.
“Back in a few.” With the trademark Harley-Davidson roar, Jack and her new toy vanished outside. I traded grins with the other blonde.
“That old saying about boys an’ their toys…” Dahl chuckled. “She definitely fits into the ‘boys’ category there, doesn’t she?” I gave an amused snort, propping one hip on my new Hog.
“You wouldn’t doubt it for a second if you could see th’ cockpit aboard Wanderers’ Den.” She raised an eyebrow at the mention of our much-missed freighter. “She requested th’ best nav an’ piloting system available when we ordered our boat, an’ Rick helped her with installation whenever we found a hardware upgrade.” In fact, one particularly strenuous, complicated addition had left my man so temptingly sweaty…
“Lupus V to Eileen.” I automatically swatted at the elbow that had gently nudged me, only for a familiar, slim but strong grip to intercept my hand.
“No spacin’ out in th’ middle of th’ hangar, sis.” Feeling my cheeks heat, I glanced a quick apology toward my teammate, trying to ignore the concern on her face.
As the brunette steered me toward our bunk, I heard the murmur of questions behind us.
~*~
“What the fuck was that?” Boss asked as soon as she returned to the hangar. “If I didn’t know how you two feel about drugs, I’d think Eileen was in withdrawal.”
“In a way, she is, just not from pharmaceuticals.” When her teammates simply continued to stare at her, Jack sighed. “She’s got this weird thing with her… husband, an’ he’s been missin’ long enough for her body chemistry t’ start goin’ wonky.” She grimaced, both at the highly speculative nature of her statement and the need to use a term for the relationship that would be clearly understood, but wasn’t technically applicable. “That’s my science-y theory, at least. Doubt even a doctor’s gonna be able t’ come up with somethin’ more definite.”
“You’ve been hopin’ that all our hoppin’ around will help you find him.” She flashed a bit of a smile at Moss for his quiet understanding.
“We got separated almost a year before we joined up with you. Until now, she hasn’t gone spacey around anyone but me.”
“Keep an eye on her.” Then Boss shook his head, chuckling at himself. “Hell, I’m preaching to the choir. Let me know when it gets bad, and we’ll stop taking jobs, make finding him our priority.” Dahl nodded, making it clear that she supported the decision as she put a hand on Jack’s shoulder.
“Thanks, guys.” Knowing that their backs were covered was quite a relief—even though she knew Boss would really flip when he found out exactly who she and Eileen sought.
~Actually,~ Jack thought with an internal giggle, ~his reaction’s prob’ly gonna be hilarious… five years or so down th’ road.~
~*~
“Dahl.” She turned at her name to see the team leader peering out of his office door, and changed course to join him in the privacy it offered. “You’ve spent a lot of time with them.”
“Well, yeah, I can be a girl around them.” She restrained a laugh at the face he made; Boss tended to think of her as ‘one of the guys’ despite her gender. “But they’ve told me a few things in confidence, barring emergency.” At that, he nodded, settling back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “They’re not vanilla humans.”
~Come on, do the math.~ The blonde watched intently as he seemed to gaze at something in the distance, obviously thinking. Finally, he focused on her again.
“Not all of ‘em were killed, then.” Boss leaned forward, propping his elbows on the desk. “Some Furyans were missed, slipped through the cracks.”
“From what Eileen said, it was a damned close thing.” She shook her head. “Never knew her own mom.”
“Shit.” He winced, then sighed. “And if she’s with her man the way I remember seeing other Furyan couples, I’m surprised she didn’t go completely batshit months ago. Going on three years?” The former soldier shook his head again.
His memory of the vanished race didn’t come as news to Dahl; she and Boss were far older than they appeared, thanks to the time they had spent in cryo during their careers. Plenty old enough to have encountered ‘wandering’ Furyans before they all disappeared.
“Alright, at least I have a better understanding of the situation. Wish they’d told me earlier, but if Eileen’s been hiding her origins all her life, it’s probably hard for her to trust anyone with the truth.” The team leader sat back again and made an absent flicking motion with one hand. Recognizing the dismissal that was also a request for thinking space, the blonde left him to his thoughts.
~*~
A cold, moist nose against my shoulder snaps me back t’ th’ present. Damnit, ‘nother one of those fuckin’ spells. Fortunately, Dog knows he can snap me out of it, but they’re gettin’ frequent enough t’ be dangerous. I scratch him behind an ear an’ retrieve my knife.
Th’ canid gives me a strange look, walks toward his ‘sentry’ rock, then comes back t’ whine at me. Since he seems t’ be insistin’ that I come over, I follow him up onto th’ ledge. Off near th’ horizon, dark clouds’re fillin’ th’ sky, a slanted gray curtain beneath ‘em.
“Rain,” I tell Dog, givin’ him a pat. “It’s a good thing.” But he growls instead of relaxin’, so I look harder. Something’s movin’ below th’ storm, kinda makes me think of scorpions.
Ah, shit. Mudbugs.
“Easy,” I tell my four-legged friend. “Looks like our time is up here.”
Gotta use that emergency beacon after all. Somebody had better respond before th’ storm system hits this part of Not-Furya.
~*~
The jump ship’s computer chirped, and Jack swiveled the chair around to see what it wanted, since she had comm duty. Reading the first few details, she barely suppressed a joyful shout.
“Well, that’s new,” she muttered as she came to the end of the information. Then she raised her voice. “Boss, you’re gonna wanna see this.” He’d been preparing to belt in, but promptly stood and moved forward to look over her shoulder.
“Hot damn.” The team leader rarely swore, and this sounded eager. “Change of plans, everyone,” he announced. “Jack, plot a course to Merc Station P7, maximum safe speed. We don’t want some asshole grabbin’ the double bounty before we get there.”
“Yessir.” She caught a glimpse of an almost feverish gleam in her sister’s eyes as she faced forward again. No way was Eileen gonna do anything once they cracked the hatch except take off like a shot to find Rick.
And if he’d been on that planet all this time, why hadn’t he used the beacon until now?
~*~
It’s been weeks since I set off that damned beacon an’ let it shine its fuckin’ beams in my eyes. Finally, though, it looks like it’s payin’ off. Th’ clouds swirl with a muted roar, then part for a six-engine ship. It’s an older model, one that most any long-term merc group can afford.
Next t’ me, Dog stares at th’ ship, layin’ back his odd-shaped ears an’ growlin’. We’ve been holed up in this rock outcrop near th’ station for somethin’ like a week, waitin’ an’ preparin’ for this. I put an arm around him, an’ he settles… some.
Th’ mercs’ landin’ is kinda sloppy; guy doesn’t care that he’s puttin’ unnecessary wear an’ tear on his gear. An’ th’ fact that one of his guys—young kid, at that—comes out practically gaggin’ for fresh air tells me hygiene ain’t much of a priority, either. Th’ gagger is definitely cleanest of th’ whole lot, so new he squeaks. Like wet rubber.
Lo an’ behold, they actually give th’ place a once-over before settlin’ in. I built some little microphones an’ a receiver from th’ bits lyin’ around an’ stashed ‘em inside, so I know when they find my first hint.
“Nothin’.” Th’ first voice is deep, prob’ly th’ bigger guy.
“Look again, Diaz.” This one sounds like he’s th’ leader. I have t’ restrain a chuckle; mercs have no idea how useful their ‘trash’ can be. There’s a bit of a pause as a door swings closed.
“Somebody should teach this Riddick asshole how t’ count.” I grin at th’ reaction from ‘Diaz’. “’Leave one ship’? Like we’ve got a fuckin’ spare layin’ around.” Another pause.
“Let’s crank it up,” th’ one in charge finally orders. Everyone ramps up their activity levels; Squeaker opens their port-side auxiliary hatch, prob’ly tryin’ t’ air out th’ ship. Another merc starts settin’ up a Cyclops security unit. Not a bad system, unless your enemy knows how vulnerable th’ remote sensors are.
An’ it’s a flaw I intend t’ exploit, once th’ whole cast is here. No way in hell is just one team gonna show up with me for bait; ain’t just my ego sayin’ that, either. An’ even if it weren’t more mercs, I can finally feel th’ presences of th’ four other Furyans that make up th’ rest of my Pack; distant, but gettin’ closer by th’ minute.
“Hey Luna.” My ears perk up again; th’ leader’s back on his ship for some reason, an’ has stopped next t’ Squeaker.
“Yeah?” th’ kid responds.
“Wake her up, kick her out of bed.”
~…Eileen’s gonna be royally fuckin’ pissed,~ I think. Got a sneakin’ suspicion of what th’ asshole’s up to.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re running heavy.” Fuck. Squeaker’s so new—or so naïve—he needs it spelled out.
“She’s a prisoner.” My forehead hits th’ rock as I hear his confusion. “Wasn’t she gonna pay our way back?”
~Survive th’ next few days, kid, an’ I can guaran-damn-tee you won’t be chasin’ bounties anymore.~
“We’re going big now.” His grungy-ass boss slows his words, like he’s talkin’ t’ an imbecile. “Okay? Cut that sixty kilos loose.”
It’s a wonder that only Dog an’ I seem t’ react t’ th’ sudden bedlam a couple minutes later.
“Get away!” Th’ shriek is panicked an’ hoarse. “Get away from me!”
“Stop, just stop!” I can just barely see th’ kid lookin’ around, like he hope th’ girl hasn’t drawn attention.
“What do you want now?”
“I’m gonna take off the restraints, okay?” Too nice for his own good, with this kinda crew.
“I don’t want them off,” th’ girl whispers, on th’ edge of my hearing. Given th’ way some of these bastards look—th’ leader an’ his big second, especially—I can guess why.
“No, it’s not like that,” Squeaker tries t’ assure her. “Nobody’s gonna touch you now. Santana’s head is into other stuff now. Your lucky day.” There’s another pause; he’s prob’ly takin’ off her restraints. She groans, sounds like she’s in pain.
“Get away from me.”
“Okay.” I see th’ kid back up.
“What planet is this? Where are we?” Sensible questions.
“It’s got air and water. That’s all you’ve gotta know.” Not really.
“But how am I supposed to survive—”
“Just go,” Squeaker insists, cuttin’ her off. “Before he changes his mind.” Then th’ prisoner comes out where I can see her, favorin’ her right leg. Dusky skin, long, dark, curly hair, worn an’ filthy cargo pants an’ tank top. She starts runnin’ toward me, lookin’ back over her shoulder.
~All right, if she gets this far, I’ll grab her,~ I decide. Not a choice I’d’ve made if I hadn’t met Eileen. It’ll be a pain, havin’ a wild card t’ hide an’ take care of, but if it lets me spit in th’ eyes of these bastards, it’ll be worth it.
But just as I’m gettin’ ready t’ reach for her, a shot rings out. Squeaker jumps, startled bad, as she’s thrown forward, blood sprayin’ from th’ new hole in her chest. No way I could do anything for her with that injury, even if we’d been right in front of a modern first-worlds hospital. Santana prob’ly took a chunk outta her heart, literally, with his fuckin’ bullet. Th’ girl falls just a meter or two from me, her face turned my way; as she gasps for a few last breaths, I mouth th’ word ‘sorry,’ kinda surprised that I actually mean it.
I look back at th’ merc ship as Squeaker spins t’ look out th’ auxiliary hatch at his boss. Th’ fucker lowers his gun an’ shrugs nonchalantly.
“I was getting attached to her.” My jaw clenches in fury at th’ bullshit ‘excuse’. “Now where is my box at?”
~Box-Boy.~ That’s what I’m callin’ him from now on. ~Gonna kill you myself, in person, an’ in front of whoever else’s alive at that point.~
“The name is Santana!” Now th’ fool’s grandstandin’, like I’m supposed t’ be impressed or cowed by him. “Shot-caller for this crew right here! I am the guy who knows all, sees all, beats all!” Two of his crew mutter t’ each other, but I can’t hear ‘em over Box-Boy. “I’ve come all this way to collect your head in a box!” He brandishes a small cryo-unit. “Right here! So have yourself a fine day now, Mr. Richard B. Riddick! I suspect it will be one of your very last!”
“So I’m worth more dead these days, huh?” I comment t’ Dog. Th’ mercs have turned toward th’ station as my four-legged companion snorts. Before they can go inside, though, there’s another low rumble echoin’ from above th’ clouds.
“Shit,” Santana snarls. “Here comes the neighborhood.”
“Small world,” his big number two adds.
- 5
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- 7
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Night Vision