Forgotten Past: Chapter Thirty Two-Make a Decision

Riddick sat in Carolyn’s darkened room for hours. She hadn’t said who
she wanted in charge while she took a break and she hadn’t left her
room since leaving him with her cryptic comment.

He checked the green glow of the standard time clock on the wall and
decided he’d better make sure Carolyn was still breathing. Riddick
stood and walked to her door. It slid open with a soft whoosh and he
saw Carolyn’s prone form sprawled across her bed, her hair covering
most her face.

Carolyn’s wings were spread out over the bed and she lay on her
stomach. He could hear her breathing and the steady thump of her
heartbeat. She stirred slightly and one dark eye flicked open to gaze at
him silently.

“Yes?” she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

Riddick stood in the doorway and leaned a shoulder against the door,
arms crossed over his chest. “Nothin’,” he answered quietly. “Just
checkin’ on you.”

A slight smile curved her lips and she reached with one hand to push
the hair from her face.

“How kind of you,” she replied.

Riddick searched for signs of sarcasm but only saw a sincere smile on
Carolyn’s pale face. “No problem,” he answered finally and turned to
leave.

“Riddick,” she called after him, stilling him in his tracks.

Riddick turned back around to face Carolyn and raised a questioning
brow.

Carolyn sat up slowly, rearranging her wings behind her. “I was
wrong,” she finally whispered, her voice thick. “I think you know more
about humanity than anyone. You’ve seen it good and bad. You’ve had
the chance to be on both sides of it. I don’t mean what I said. I was
angry and scared. I’m sorry.” The last words came out in a harsh
whisper. She wasn’t used to apologizing for her actions whether she
should or not.

Riddick’s eyes narrowed slightly at Carolyn apology. It was the last
thing he expected from someone like her. Even before the crash she
wasn’t the sort of person to apologize for anything.

“Forget about it, Carolyn,” he told her finally and watched a slight
shudder wrack her slim body. He frowned in concern and approached
the bedside, reaching for her shoulder.

His fingers brushed the warm bare skin and another shudder coursed
over her. “What’s wrong?” he demanded when she didn’t look at him.

“Why’s it have to be this way?” she rasped and he let his hand fall away
when she turned pain filled eyes on him. “I mean, that first time I saw
you, back on Earth, my head started to spin. I took off running, not
knowing what to do or what to feel.

“You, what you represented to me, it was to much to handle. And then
you were in my face again, asking questions. The memories came
pouring back, everything I’d forgotten after the aluthium spray,
everything I’d forgotten before that; after the crash. My tragic
forgotten past.” She let out a weak, cynical laugh and let her head drop,
her chin resting against her chest.

“Why do you have to mean so much to me?” she demanded, more of
herself than of him and Riddick felt a rush of blood surge to his head.

The sensation made him slightly dizzy and he sat down on the edge of
the bed hard, causing Carolyn to bounce slightly on the mattress.

“What do you mean?” Riddick demanded in a harsh whisper and
Carolyn jerked around to look at him.

Carolyn let out another cynical chuckle. “How the hell should I know? I
spend every free moment questioning my sanity. How the hell should I
know...” she trailed off and turned her face away from his again.

Riddick grabbed Carolyn’s upper arms and turned her to him. “Why is
it so hard for you?” he questioned harshly. “I’m the only one that
understands you and you won’t talk to me. God help me, but you’re
important to me too.”

And then Carolyn was in his arms, her lips on his and he crushed her
against his chest. “Carolyn,” he rasped. “Trust me.”

He found himself pleading with her and his instincts cried against it,
fighting with him to leave her and this ship and go his own way. For the
first time in his life, Riddick ignored his instincts and went with his
better judgment.

He laid Carolyn’s wounded form beneath him and let everything left in
him that was human come back to life. The need for comfort and a
human touch. For understanding and caring.

They drank the humanity from each other, the suppressed emotions and
let the darkness recede so that, once again, they may become human.

A strange sense of elation overcame them as they realized if there was
no one else to hang on to, they at least had each other.

“Thank you,” Carolyn whispered against his lips and then was silent as
a new future unfolded for them both.

~~~

When Riddick woke up, Carolyn was laying beside him, an arm over
his chest and her cheek resting on his shoulder. He slid warm fingers
through her tousled hair and allowed himself a rare smile.

Carolyn stirred and opened weary eyes to gaze at Riddick. He was
smiling and it elicited an odd emotion in her. She’d never seen him with
a genuine smile on his handsome face. Not sarcastic or cynical. Not
mocking. She allowed her own sincere smile and rested her chin on his
chest, stretching against him.

“Hey,” she whispered pleasantly.

Riddick ran a finger down Carolyn’s smooth cheek and she leaned her
face into his hand, her eyes closing.

She lifted her wings and extended them, stretching the tendons and
black, leathery flesh.

“You okay?” he asked quietly and she nodded, her wings twitching
slightly before she let them come back to rest against her back.

Carolyn opened her eyes slowly to gaze up at Riddick. “Riddick?” she
questioned him.

“Yeah?”

“Will you run things on the ship until I’m not such a mess? I think I’ll
take Craig’s advise and take a week or so off until I don’t feel like
passing out every ten minutes.”

“You seemed fine to me last night,” he teased with a wicked grin.

Carolyn punched him lightly in the chest, careful of her sharp claws
and he let out a mock groan of pain. “Very funny,” she answered tartly
and he grabbed her hand and brought the offending fist to his lips. He
placed a kiss on her knuckles and she opened her fingers to cup his
cheek.

Riddick turned his lips into her palm and kissed the center of her hand.

“You’ll take care of things for me, right?” she persisted, and he saw
how much it meant to her.

“Sure. Always wanted to run my own operation. This is pretty large
scale... Just organize the mutiny, overthrow the commander, take over-”

Riddick was cut short when Carolyn lightly smacked his cheek where
her hand still rested and he broke off with a laugh.

“You even laugh like a pirate,” she condemned.

“Yeah, well...” and he grinned at her.

~~~

Jake pounded on the door again. Still no answer. Not even the mocking
smirk from Eden graced the window. No human contact for two weeks.
Whenever food got delivered to his cell it was under cover of blackness.
Always when he was asleep. Once an hour an aluminum toilet and sink
came out of the wall for a period of twenty standard minutes and then
he was deprived of even that.

Always the steel slab in the middle of the room and the dim green light
outside his minuscule window, mocking him. His only constants.

Sometimes he felt like he was going mad. The bright lights overhead
only went out when he was asleep or someone was checking up on him.
He’d catch a pair of silvery glowing eyes and then the door would close
soundlessly and the lights would flicker back on.

Jake had tried to adjust the lights by himself, but his own voice bounced
off the walls ineffectively. Seemed it was voice command and
recognition. His voice wasn’t programmed into the system, therefore, no
lights.

Eden’s face suddenly popped into view and she indicated for him to step
to the other side of the room. Jake did as instructed and waited for the
door to glide open.

“Well, well,” he started, stepping towards her slowly when she entered
the room. Jake froze when he saw the floor length, silver blonde hair
and cat like tail that twitched and flicked about Eden as she raised a
hand to halt his progress.

“Jacob Nolan,” Sleke purred, flicking out a set of claws. “You’ve been a
naughty boy. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Jake clenched his jaw and retreated to the wall, leaning against it
casually. He hadn’t really believed Carolyn when she told him Eden had
been mutated, but how could he deny the facts standing before him?

“Carolyn do that to you?” he questioned, trying to trick a different
answer out of her.

Sleke crossed to the steel slab and leaned against it, her tail flicking
restlessly. “Do what? This... mutation? Oh, no, Jacob. Your little
friends at Company headquarters are responsible for my makeover.
Don’t you like it?”

His teeth ached from the pressure and Jake forced himself to relax his
jaw as he stepped slightly towards Sleke. “Eden, I don’t know what
happened to you-”

“DON’T call me that, Nolan. The Company killed Eden Fry and gave
her a little code name. No matter how much I hate your kind for what
they did to me and Carolyn, I’ll stick with the name. I’m sure you got
the same speech from Carolyn.”

Jake let out a strained chuckle. “You could say that.”

“The Company killed who we were. This is all that’s left.”

Jake made a slicing gesture with his hand as he answered, “I wasn’t
responsible for what happened. I’m just one man. I didn’t know
anything about this.”

“Because no one told you, or because you didn’t want to? Ever stop to
think about that, Jake? Maybe you didn’t know because you didn’t
WANT to know.” Sleke raised a hand when he tried to speak. “Just
listen for a moment, boy scout.

“Your Carolyn is dead. No one calls her that anymore, not even me.
And no one calls me Eden. Sleke. That’s all that’s left. I think I might
take on Xander as a last name, but until then, it’s just Sleke.

“Second, whatever answer you come up with for Creed, it’s not going to
bode well for you. You might live another day, but you won’t be
welcome on this ship. The Company is a mortal enemy with everyone on
board.

“And last, you might not live long at all. Creed’s crew won’t touch you,
but that don’t mean any other resistance group will leave you alone if
they know who you are. And to get back at you for killing Winter,
Creed will tell anyone who is willing to listen.”

“So, am I on trial here?” Jake demanded, rushing forward angrily
before Sleke could stop him.

Sleke leapt up on to the steel slab separating them with the agility of a
cat and peered down at him from her crouched position. “Trial? No.
You’re not so lucky.”

She reached over and flicked a long, sharp claw against his cheek from
ear to chin. Jake felt blood surge to the wound to drip down his jaw. He
reached up and wiped the blood away, not taking his gray eyes from
Sleke’s orange ones.

“I’ll keep that in mind... Sleke,” he gritted out from between clenched
teeth before wiping the blood on his hand on his grimy pants. What was
a little more blood?

Sleke grinned maliciously and leapt backwards from the slab, landing
on silent feet. “Have your answer ready in twelve standard hours,
Jacob. Creed will send for you then.”

She left the room and Jake cursed her name as the door closed behind
her.

“Dammit!” he screamed and slammed his fist into the steel slab. Two
knuckles split and he heard a sickening crunch. “Dammit! Dammit!” he
cursed repeatedly, bringing his injured hand to his mouth.

~~~

“That’s healthy,” Sleke commented wryly and turned to Martina to see
a slight smile curling his lips.

“Maybe I should check him over. Despite Creed’s hate for the guy, I
doubt she’ll want him injured beyond repair. Even if he does decide to
go against her, I think she’ll want him as well as possible to feel the full
brunt of his punishment,” Martina commented absently as he watched
the lieutenant slam his other fist into the metal slab.

They could see his lips moving but couldn’t hear anything from outside.

“Easily excitable, I think,” Sleke murmured. “I don’t think I want him
walking around the ship. Maybe Creed should just shoot him into space
and be done with it. He can’t be anything but trouble for her.”

Martina shrugged. “Maybe. But if she does keep around, I’m sure she’ll
have a good reason for it. I don’t think anything your sister does is
half-baked. With the operation she’s running, there’s no margin for
error.”

“I hear you. Who’da thought my big sister would be a grand ole space
pirate?” Sleke laughed quietly. “What a way to go. She’s good at it, too,
isn’t she?”

“The best,” Martina confirmed. “The Company has been walking on
needles trying to keep her under control for the past three... almost four
years now. She’s no easy enemy to tame.”

“That’s my big sister,” Sleke proclaimed proudly and they both
laughed.

“For real. I can see the temper in you both.”

Sleke threw Martina a mock glare and they laughed again.

“I think you’re right, though. You better go check on him. Make sure
he doesn’t hurt himself. Creed said he was the type to kill himself just to
spite her.”

“I believe it. Open the door and I’ll calm him down. If you think I’m in
trouble-”

“I’ll kill him,” Sleke interrupted fiercely and laid a gentle hand on
Martina’s cheek. “Only I can beat on you,” she teased lightly and he
smiled.

“Thanks, Sleke. Just keep an eye on the window.”

“You got it, Doc.”

Martina smiled and walked through the door when Sleke opened it.

“Who are you?” Jake demanded as Martina entered the room.

Martina gazed at the man before him disdainfully. He’d been a part of
the mess, but he’d come over to the resistance willingly. Things still
weren’t easy for him, Creed’s crew didn’t all except him at once with
open arms. They did follow Creed’s orders, though, and that kept him
relatively safe.

But Jake Nolan didn’t want to be here. It was obvious. He sat with his
back to the wall, knees drawn up and his arms resting on the tops.
Blood dripped from his knuckles and he ignored it. An already drying
line of blood decorated his left cheek, the red liquid smeared by a
careless hand.

“By the way you seem to be taking care of yourself I might be your last
hope,” Martina muttered as he approached the man.

Jake lifted one bloodied hand and gazed at it absently. The knuckles
were numb, but he knew once that wore off he’d feel the fractured bone
and torn flesh.

“This?” he questioned indifferently, offering the hand to Martina. “This
is nothing. I’ll be dead in twelve hours anyway.”

Martina kneeled before Jake and lifted a hand close to his face. “Oh,
yeah? How do you figure?” he questioned as he studied the battered
hand.

“Even if I do opt to go with Car... Creed, you don’t think she’ll let me
live after I killed her friend, do you?”

Martina lifted his eyes to Jake’s. “If she says you’ll live, you’ll live. Just
don’t think it’ll be easy for you.”

Jake shrugged. “Whatever you say. Who are you, anyway?”

“David Martina. Head of Company research on the mutating properties
of aluthium alloy.”

Jake blinked in surprise. “You’re from the Company?”

Martina nodded and lifted a hand, beckoned for Sleke to open the door.
“Yeah. I finally got the guts to get out though. The things they were
doing to people...” Martina trailed off with a shudder then stood when
the door slid open.

“What’s up?” Sleke questioned, leaning against the door frame.

“Could you send someone to the med. deck to get me some bandages
and antiseptic, Sleke? Just use the intercom to call someone to bring it,”
Martina answered.

“Sure,” Sleke replied and left the room, the door sliding shut behind
her.

“Can’t have me beat up when I meet with Creed, huh, David?” Jake
questioned sarcastically.

“That’s right,” Martina answered, stepping away from Jake. He seated
himself on the steel slab and raised his brows at Jake. “This thing
comfortable to sleep on?” he queried.

Jake laughed. “Yeah, right. But I guess that’s the point, isn’t it?”

Martina grinned. “I’m sure,” he replied.

A few minutes passed in silence and then Sleke came back in, carrying a
small bag. She handed it to Martina, ignoring Jake, then left the way
she came.

Martina checked the contents of the bag then pushed off the slab to
walk over to Jake. He hadn’t changed his position on the floor and
Martina grabbed one bloodied hand.

He checked for bone fragments then pulled a brown bottle out of his
bag. “This might sting,” he commented absently as he unscrewed the
white cap and doused the torn flesh in the liquid within the bottle.

Jake let out a low hiss of discomfort as the stinging liquid made contact
with his battered flesh but didn’t jerk away.

Martina proceeded to wipe the excess liquid away, clean the wound, and
then bandage it with clean white gauze. He repeated the procedure on
the other fist then cleaned the cut on Jake’s cheek.

“Sorry,” he mumbled when Jake clenched his jaw against the stinging
pain of antiseptic against the cut on his face.

“Oh well,” he answered grimly after Martina had closed the cut with a
few clear sturry strips.

Martina stood up and put away his gear before saying anything more to
Jake. “Listen. You look like death warmed over. Someone should look
at that bullet wound and you need a shower. I could smell you the
minute I walked in the room. I’ll see if I can get you some clean clothes
and a shower. You’ve still got some time before you have to meet with
Creed. I’m sure she’ll be grateful if you don’t stink up her ship.”

Jake smiled wryly and lifted an arm, sniffing delicately. He wrinkled his
nose and turned back to Martina. “Guess your right. I doubt I’ll be so
lucky to get that sort of treatment. I’m beginning to doubt that I deserve
it. Anyway, thanks for the offer. I’d kill for a shower right now.”

Martina nodded and turned to leave the cell.

“David,” Jake called after him and Martina turned back around.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for just talking. You’re the first non-hostile presence I’ve
encountered since getting on this ship.” He paused and chuckled
cynically before adding, “It’s been a real treat.”

Martina flashed a lopsided smile and left the cell, muttering, “You’re
welcome,” as he walked through the door Sleke had open for him.

***


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