Chapter 19
Mara slammed one fist into the steel door as it closed, cursing, as she
shakes her hand to rid the stinging from the blow. Dana rushes over to check
her. Mara waves her off, grimacing at her discomfort, flexing her hand,
making sure nothing is broken.
Dana turns to regard the others, unable to stop the worries racing through
her mind. Taking a position in the corner she studies the others.
Sol and Mara were talking quietly near the door. Fuller stood guard over
Layla who had yet to say a word since Copper had been killed. Dana felt
a great sorrow for Layla as she saw the torment on the younger woman's face.
Her attention was drawn to John's as he shifted in the chair he had settled
into. Dana was struck again with how handsome he was. His rich auburn hair
fell in waves around his head, and his beautifully deep green eyes seemed
to glitter in the cheap lighting.
Their eyes clashed as he glanced up and Dana looked swiftly looked away,
embarrassed to be caught staring at him. Sol too had witnessed her appraisal
of Johns and his mouth set in disgruntlement.
Johns' breath caught imperceptibly as his gaze met Dana's. He had noticed
her from the first moment of seeing her. Her thick, red hair had given him
the urge to run his hands through and her creamy skin and exotic features
had caught his eye more than once. His heart picked up its pace at the thought
that she might be interested too.
~Damn Kiev and Gutierrez! If things weren't as fucked up as they are, I
would be making my move right now!~
Sol, ignoring the others, stretched out on the bed beside Layla, pulling
her close into a hug like a protective parent. Johns glanced at them and
his eyes met with Mara's as he turned away.
She stared at him coldly for a good ten seconds and then slowly looked away.
~What the hell was that all about?!~ thought Johns as his eyes shifted to
Sol.
Sol too seemed to be staring daggers at him, and Johns frowned in confusion.
Taking Fuller's cue, Mara stretched out on the floor, pillowing her head
on one arm. Dana settled into the only other chair in the room and closed
her eyes. Sol just leaned back against the wall where he was sitting and
closed his eyes too.
Mara opened her eyes to regard Johns still sitting broodingly in his chair.
" Might as well get some rest Johns. Looks as if we're gonna be here for
awhile." She said, then closing her eyes.
Johns agreed that maybe it was best he do just that, but right now, he just
didn't feel like sleeping. He decided to just close his eyes for a minute
and rest them.
He jerked awake as he nearly slid from the chair. Groggily, he looked around,
realizing he must've fallen asleep after all.
Mara was still on the floor, but Sol had curled down onto the floor next
to her. The two on the bed were also sound asleep, but, as he turned to
look at Dana, he found her chair empty with no sight of her in the room.
Getting up, he went to the smaller door that he'd assumed was a closet upon
first entering the room. Opening it, he found it instead to be a bathroom.
As he stepped in, he froze in his tracks at the sight that greeted him.
Dana was in a curtain-less cubicle showering. Johns mouth dried, as he witnessed
her silent enjoyment of the bath. With her eyes closed she ran her hands
over her body, rinsing away the soap that clung to every dip and curve.
His eyes followed the path of her hands as the bulge in his pants twitched
and came to life. He followed her hands with his hot gaze as it ran over
her small, perfect breasts, up the elegant column of her throat and to her
hair. Their eyes met as she opened hers.
Johns tensed for the expected outburst…
Instead, she smiled knowingly, seductively. Turning her body fully toward
him she dropped one hand from her hair to beckon him with a curling forefinger.
He moved to her as if entranced.
She laughed amusedly, stopping him in his tracks.
" Are you going to come in like that?" she asked jokingly.
He glanced down at his still fully clothed body, and grimaced in embarrassment.
~ Damn, she made me feel like a sixteen year old, again!~
Dana watched approvingly as he peeled layer after layer of clothing off.
Her breathing quickened as she got her first view of his tightly muscled
abdomen. Her eyes flashed hotly as he revealed his half erect member…
it swung heavily as he pulled one leg after another out of his pants.
He then stood straight, proud as he turned to look at her again. Dana swallowed
almost nervously as she beckoned again.
She seemed to suddenly be in his arms as he joined her under the warm spray.
The water pounded on and around them as he ran his hands over her. Her mouth
slightly open as she gasped in pleasure and excitement.
Their hearts pounded, as one of his hands stole between her creamy thighs,
to lightly graze her sensitive folds.
She gasped again as she ran her hands frantically over his chest and shoulders,
gripping him as if holding on for dear life.
A soft moan escaped her as he inserted one finger, making her insides quake
with wanting.
She suddenly disengaged from him, dropping to her knees. Cradling his sac
with one soft hand, she took the base of his tool with the other while her
mouth hungrily enveloped the tip of his manhood. It swelled larger as he
groaned uncontrollably.
Fondling him gently and pumping hard, his hips instinctively bucked as wave
after wave of intense pleasure crashed through him.
Dana thrilled at the sound of his loud groans, a surge of power coursed
through her.
Suddenly, he pulled her off him and off her feet. Planting her back against
the slick walls and wrapping her legs around his waist, he plunged fully
into her making her scream in surprised delight. Unable to resist, he pounded
mercilessly into her while she took him all, while demanding more.
She dug her nails into his back as she felt the pinnacle nearing.
Turning, he carried her while still impaled, out of the shower. Laying her
out on their discarded clothing on the floor.
Still planted firmly between her legs, he reared up on his elbows to caress
her face gently as he now glided slowly in and out of her. He reveled in
her expression of ecstasy as her eyes closed.
He kissed her as their bodies moved in synch. She bit his ear firmly, locking
her legs around him tightly as she bucked her hips... a silent demand for
him to go faster.
Grinning in acceptance to the challenge, he got up to kneel between her
legs, disengaging her legs around him. Sitting back on his calves he raised
one of her legs to his shoulder as he leaned back into her. Plunging again
to the hilt in her hot and silky softness, he bent her almost double as
he began to pound ferociously into her. Her cries coming out in short punctuated
gasps with each thrust.
He felt her spasms around his engorged member as he plunged in and out.
Suddenly, she screamed her release as a burst of new heat and wetness enveloped
his tool. Roaring, unable to hold back any longer, his spunk pounded into
her with every thrust until he collapsed, spent on top of her.
He let her leg fall to the side, as she wrapped her arms around him.
As their breathing returned to normal, he moved to her side pulling her
into his arms for a hug.
" Why didn't you scream when I came in?" he asked.
" Because, I was hoping you would."
" Little tramp." He laughed.
" You oughtta know." She answered, poking him in the side.
" Yah I do, and damn am I glad of that."
Her features sobered as if she just thought of something.
" What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
" Are we demented?" she asked seriously. " here we are… possibly going
to be either executed or eaten… and we're here fucking like rabbits."
" Hey… baby." He said, hugging her tighter. " we're only human. And
if this it what its gonna take to get me to hook up with you then so be
it. All I know is that I can't think of a better way to go."
" Awwww… you say the sweetest things."
She smiled at him her worries put aside for now.
" We better hurry up and get out of here before the others wake up."
They jumped back in the shower and finished up, tickling, kissing, and touching
each other the whole time. Finally, they were dressed and ready to leave.
They left the bathroom holding hands but froze in place, as Mara's accusing
voice seemed to ring out.
" Finish having fun you two?"
" What the bloody hell is going on here?" growled Sol.
" None of your business." Snapped Dana, as she walked to the wall-mounted
mirror to make some semblance of neatness with her wet locks.
Johns went back to his chair and sat, nonchalantly buttoning up his outer
jacket.
Sol surged to his feet, and took two pounding steps to Johns before Dana
whirled from the mirror and stepped in his way.
" Leave him alone, Sol! I told you! This is none of your fuckin' business!"
" None of my business?! My bloody partner is consorting with the enemy and
its none of my bloody business?! How do you figure that luv?!"
Stepping up to Sol aggressively, Dana tiptoed to go nose to nose.
" Yes! It's none of your BLOODY business because I'll consort with whomever
I damn well want to consort with?!"
" B..b…but he's the bloody enemy!" repeated Sol.
" You said that already, and it still doesn't make a bit of sense!"
" I ain't your enemy." Said Johns calmly.
" Oh yeah?!" growled Sol, turning his glare on Johns. " Why should we believe
you?! You arrived with that bastard Gutierrez… for all we know, you
are in on all this too!"
" Are you nuts?!" asked Johns, surging to his feet in anger. " Why the fuck
would I be in on this shit and still let myself be locked up with you lot?!"
" To spy on us!"
Johns glared, speechless, for a good five seconds. His face suddenly wreathed
into an infectious grin as he began laughing fit to burst.
Sol frowned in consternation.
" What the bloody hell is so funny?!" Turning, he looked at the smirking
Jack, confused.
" You are…" choked out Johns between chortles. " I guess what they
say about being all brawn and no brain is true… when you swim, do you
have problems keeping your head underwater?!"
Johns broke into laughter again as he envisioned Sol swimming with a balloon
as a head.
Sol's eyes darkened in rage as he finally understood what they were calling
him… stupid, dumb, and airhead!
Roaring in rage, Sol launched himself at Johns. His hands curled into veritable
claws as his face twisted in hatred.
No one noticed in the tumult, the sound of the door being unlocked and opened.
Chapter 20
****Earlier…
Damper watched the Rapier take off with the rescue crew. He then organized
the remaining 30 or so techs, doctors, and workers into reinforcing the
perimeter. Not willing to take a chance that the beasts here might start
a rampage of their own.
Leland had gone back to the Comm Room to try to raise the Stellaren again
to get an update on what was going on. Trusting that Leland would let him
know if anything important came up, Damper went on to help the staff with
the reinforcements of the facilities. His mind kept going back to the thought
of all those families up on the ship with those creatures running around.
He shuddered to think of what could be happening to the children right now.
A couple of hours passed as Damper got caught up in all the work, the arguments
among techs, and the shortage of materials that forced them to exclude four
of the living barracks from the barricade. As he paused for a break it suddenly
occurred to him that he hadn't heard from Leland yet.
With a niggling sense of suspicion, Damper returned to the Communication
Building to find Leland.
Turning the corner to the Coms Room, he pauses as he hears Leland talking
heatedly with somebody who he couldn't hear all that well.
Stealing quietly to the doorway, he flattened himself to the wall as he
listened in.
" How much longer?" Leland said.
Being this close, Damper could now hear whom Leland was talking to. It was
Gutierrez.
# Not that long# Answered Gutierrez. # Midway will be here in a couple of
hours to receive the specimens and then we'll all get paid.#
" Finally." Sighed Leland. " Things were starting to look shaky for a bit.
I take it you took care of Smith and the others?"
Damper tensed. ~What did he mean? Took care of? And Midway? Are they talking
about Midway Corporation?~
Midway Corporation was the biggest private corporation that constantly challenged
and harassed GovFleet for rule. Damper dreaded the day when the power hungry
Coporations took over the way of things. Sure, there were problems with
GovFleet but they at least still had the laws to adhere to, or at least
pretend to. If the Corporations took over, they could pretty much do whatever
they wanted and make up whatever laws they saw fit to. Damper returned his
attention to the conversation between Leland and Gutierrez.
# Yeah.# Answered Gutierrez with a chuckle. # Worked like a charm, man.
As soon as we got hold of the brat, Smith folded and wouldn't let any of
the others make a move. Told you the woman was a wimp.#
Leland laughed along with Gutierrez.
" What about Johns? Did he cause any trouble?"
# Nothing I couldn't handle. He's in lockup with that bitch Ramsey and the
rest of Smith's and Wolff's teams. They won't be any trouble. Speaking of
Wolff, you'll never believe what Kiev told me about him.#
" What?"
# It seems, that Wolff is not Wolff. Kiev took one look at his eyes and
knew right off, he was just waiting for the right time to reveal him.#
" So who is he?" asked Leland.
# Richard Riddick.# answered Gutierrez.
Damper's eyes widened at hearing that. Everybody knew who Riddick was. He
was Fleet's one and only blemish in their almost flawless run of penal records.
He was the only one to escape from Fleet's pride and joy, the prison that
they stated NOBODY could escape from until Riddick proved them wrong. It
was simply called Slam. Damper once dreamed, like so many other new recruits,
of one day gaining fame by catching and bringing back the elusive and dangerous
Richard B. Riddick. But as he grew older and the reports of Riddick's imprisonment
became public knowledge, Damper knew that Riddick was one man he never wanted
to meet.
Damper's thoughts paused in astonishment as he realized. ~ Wait, I did meet
him. And sure, 'Wolff' seemed like a capable man and all that, but he sure
didn't look anything like what I thought the infamous murderer would look
like. Guess you never can tell about a person. What the fuck was he doing
here? And wait, I remember reading somewhere that Richard Riddick was reported
dead due to a crash on the transport that was bringing him back to Earth.
This doesn't make any sense! Gutierrez must be lying. But why would he lie
about something like that?~
Shaking his head, Damper stopped his ruminations and made his move right
as Leland cut communications with Gutierrez.
Leland turned from the console to come face to face with the business end
of Damper's big gauge.
" What the…"
" Cut the act, Leland. I heard everything you said you lying sonuvabitch!"
Damper growled. " Take your pistol out by the handle and lay it slowly on
the floor."
Leland's face was thunderous, as his eyes shot dark looks at the Damper.
" Killing me won't make a bit of difference. You're all going to die."
" Not before you do, you fucker. You've got five seconds to start talking,
or I decorate that panel behind you with your brains."
Leland's face set into a stubborn line until Damper cocked the gauge. His
ears picked up the whir of activation from the deadly weapon.
Damper plainly saw the fear that rose in Leland's eyes.
" One…" he said ominously.
" Fine, fine…" spat Leland. " I'll tell you. Just get that thing out
of my face!"
Damper complied, but only by lowering the gauge 'til it was centered on
Leland's chest.
" Talk." He commanded.
" We've been secretly working for Midway for going on 3 paper cycles now.
We get them the info they want on Fleet, and they pay us handsomely for
it. This was by far the biggest heist we've pulled so far, and it was supposed
to be our biggest payoff too."
" So what the fuck does Midway want with us?"
" Not you, you moron. All of you are just a bonus. They want the creatures
Kiev created from the two dominant natives of this planet."
" Two?"
" Yes… the batties we all know about and the other creatures up north
where the blue sun rules. All you idiots never even bothered to find out
where this sparse oxygen was coming from did you? Well, in the north there
are lakes and rivers and tons of woodland. That place is adequately supplied
with fresh oxygen but the combined heat from the three suns here burns off
most of it, plus there's no plant life here to help add to it. There are
a variety of animals there but there is one in particular that keep the
batties from taking over there too as they did here. Most of the large,
but few, creatures live there in peace. But as you saw, the batties killed
most of them off. These creatures that the batties hate are called komodas,
because they resemble the komodos of old back on Earth. They can grow to
about 6 to 8 feet long with claws and sharp canines. They, however are herbivores,
but fierce fighters. They live in peace with the creatures there, but seem
to have an abiding hatred for the batties. The batties fear them because
it turns out that they're number one weapon is neither their claws nor teeth.
It's their spit of all things. They are cunning and strong fighters. They
have an amazing accuracy with this spit of theirs plus they can shoot it
out for up to a distance of ten feet. Their spit and their blood is made
of a highly corrosive acid that the batties can't fight against. Kiev was
commissioned to experiment with the two to make the ultimate battle creature
to use in the war with Fleet in the uncharted planet regions. While you
all were collecting batties here, we were collecting the komodas in the
north, and none of you idiots figured it out."
" What did you mean, that we were a bonus?"
" Well, the new creature Kiev created is a marvel to itself but it can only
evolve from its pupal stage by taking a host and then mutating further to
its final and most deadliest stage of all."
Kiev's finger twitched on the trigger, wanting to blow the supercilious
smile from Leland's face.
" You mean to tell me you were going to sell us off as nothing more than
packaged meat for these monsters?"
" Hosts." Corrected Leland. " After you all were impregnated, Midway was
going to ship your cryo tubes back to Fleet and after you were all awakened
then the creatures could come out and take over. Of course, being controlled
by Midway the whole time."
" And what happens to the hosts?"
" They die."
" Just like that, you can live with the fact that Midway will brutally execute
all these people?"
" There will be no execution, Damper. You see, when the hatchlings emerge,
they burst from the chest of their host, therefore killing them instantly.
Kiev was trying to figure out a better way to hatch them, hoping to use
each host more than once but…"
BLANG!
The shot reverberated around the small room as Damper watched Leland's brain
matter slide wetly across the console. The thought of all those people dying
so horribly had caused his itchy trigger finger to go off. The only regret
Damper had was that he had lost his temper before he could question Leland
more.
Damper rushed out of the room, this was bad, and if he didn't do something
quick they were all dead. He had to rescue his commander and the rest of
the Fleet officers being held prisoners on the Dillo. Midway would be here
soon, Gutierrez said. They had to be ready