The Cure-Chapter Four: Welcome to the jungle
Riddick and Jackie talked until she became to weak to and began coughing.
The Laricell was advancing in her system. The
nurse asked Riddick and Sam to leave so that Jackie could rest.
“I
need to talk to Riddick alone Sam.”
“I’ll
meet you outside Riddick.”, Sam walked across the ward and over to the door to
wait for Riddick.
“What?”,
Riddick was sitting on the edge of Jackie’s bed.
“Promise
me you’ll come back.”, Jackie leaned forward embracing Riddick, her arms
barely able to make it around his torso. Riddick hugged Jackie back.
“I
promise.”
After
they’re visit with Jackie, they went to a grueling two-hour debriefing of
their mission. Then it was off to their quarters to try and get some sleep, but
Sam couldn’t sleep that night. After trying for about an hour she went down
into the ward to check on Jackie. The ward was cold and quiet at night. Jackie
was fast asleep in her little bed at the end of the row. Sam lay down next to
her and dozed off. The nurse came in and woke Sam up two hours before she and
Riddick were to leave on their mission.
“You ready to go Riddick?”, Sam was all packed and ready to leave.
They were back in the large cold hanger of the Moon base. This time they would
be taking Sam’s other ship, her baby, her Lunar77. Sam had owned this ship for
about two years. It was a silver beauty of medium build with a weapons and
navigation system that most pilots would kill for, she was Sam’s pride and
joy. As Sam went to pull herself into the roomy cockpit she felt two large hands
grab her around the waist and pull her back down.
“What
are you doing!”, shouted Sam who was now squirming to free herself.
“My
turn to drive.”, said Riddick calmly setting her back down on the cement floor
of the hanger.
“You’re
not piloting my ship Riddick!”
“Who’s
gonna stop me?”, he spoke with a cocky tone. Riddick was looking down at Sam;
He was almost a foot taller than her.
“I thought so.”, Riddick stepped up into the cockpit and slid into
the pilots seat, Sam pulled herself in on the other side and sat shotgun.
Flipping switches and pushing buttons Riddick checked all the systems.
“All
set?”, Sam just sat there brooding. He rolled his shoulders and roared the
engines of the ship. He pulled back the stick and piloted up and out the snake
like tube they’d come thru before; finally, being spit out onto to the Moons
craggy surface, setting their course for Earth. Operation Deep Breath was now in
effect. They were to land in the third quadrant of the jungles of Old Brazil in
New South America. They were to land on a hidden platform in the trees about
half a mile away from the Laricell research compound. THE CURE had built the
landing platform six months earlier. Sam slept thru most of the trip. When they
arrived Riddick shook her awake.
“Sam. Sam. Its time.”, Sam startled awake to find Riddick hunched
over her with his hand on her shoulder. “Now you know why I didn’t let you
fly today.” Sam unbuckled herself and slid out of the seat while Riddick
opened the giant bay doors at the back of the ship. When they stepped outside it
was like stepping back in time. A prehistoric jungle surrounded them. Giant
trees at least one hundred feet tall, so tall it you thought if you climbed one
you could touch the stars. Thick Green jungle vines everywhere that looked like
giant dormant snakes waiting to attack. The muddled sound of all the animals and
insects around them filled the wet sticky air. The only reason the jungle was
still here after all these years was due to the “Eco Agreement” that was
passed back in 2075 to protect the jungles and Rain Forests of the world and to
preserve them. Sam had never seen trees this size before, growing up on the
fairly barren planet of Mars she hadn’t seen anything like this before. It was
if they weren’t real. She felt like she could wake up any moment and she’d
still be at the Moon base.
Sam and Riddick repelled down from the platform onto the Jungle floor.
Cutting their way thru the thick vegetation they came out into an opening. Below
them the research compound. One large gray angular building after another. The
compound looked dead in this place teaming with life. Sam pulled out a pair of
binoculars and scanned the area.
“There!”, Sam pointed in front of her. “The guard transport ship”
The compound had a change of the guard every six months. Sam and Riddick were to
impersonate guards and infiltrate the medium security area. There they were to
make their way to sector 13-V were they were to meet their contact; Dr. Bort
Gradlings. Dr, Gradlings was their only allay inside the compound. He had been
working undercover here for THE CURE for over four years now. Until recently he
had not been able to get high enough security clearance to get the files that he
would be stealing for THE CURE. After rendezvousing with the doctor they were to
make their way back thru the compound with him, and back to Sam’s ship.
“That’s
our cue.”, said Riddick pointing to two stray guards. Riddick and Sam shuffled
down the muddy hill and behind one of the ancient trees. Riddick headed towards
the men. With Panther like swiftness he snuck up behind them and snapped their
necks. The movement was so fast that Sam didn’t realize he’d killed them
until the guards’ lifeless bodies fell to the ground. They dragged the two
guards bodies behind the bushes and changed into the dark blue uniforms.
“Just
the right size.” Said Riddick as he buttoned the last button on the guard’s
shirt.
“Here.”,
Sam handed Riddick the first guards security pass. They walked back to the
transport ship and stood with the other guards. Their faces more like robots
than that of humans. They showed no emotion, no warmth, no life.
“Line
Up!”, a male voice shouted from the front. All the guards, including Sam and
Riddick, lined up single file, and began marching towards the ominous black
gates of the compound. Sam had never felt such fear before. Her palms were
sweating and she could feel herself shaking. Riddick grabbed her hand and
squeezed it. She felt a sense of calm come over her from his touch, and squeezed
his hand in return. After all of the new guards had been marched in and all the
old ones out, the gates closed with a loud boom. They were in.