The streets of Scrap Iron were bustling like always. People scurrying about to buy and sell their goods. The place was nothing but metal, rust, and smoke. At least that’s how Jack thought it looked. Tall buildings along with slums, ship dockyard, bars, saloons… You name just about every filthy place known to man and there were at least ten to fifteen of them in Scrap Iron. Of course there were also the factories and mines, that’s how Scrap Iron got it’s name… Iron was it’s most abundant resource. Hardly any plants grew in the soil. Imam told her it was because of the high iron content in it. It didn’t make much difference to her. It was just another boring place with nothing to do. Just like New Mecca. Sure everyone welcomed her and Imam with open arms nearly a year ago when Riddick dropped them off there and then left. Not even a goodbye, then again she didn’t think he was one for goodbyes, after all they never really said hello.
Jack sighed a bit as a hand ran through her short curly brown tresses that she now had. She had let her hair grow back out, well some at least. She wasn’t the scrawny little girl anymore. Hell they all would have been shocked to know that she was seventeen then. But the time that passed afterwards let her fill out, her once small breasts were larger and rounder, her waist was more defined and her curves more feminine. “Imam, why did we have to come here again?” she cast him a slightly irritated look, a frown playing on her face.
“Jack… We came for the herbs for the colony. You know that.” He regarded her with a kind smile. “I thought you said nothing could grow here.” Her narrowed blue eyes peered to the holy man. He only gave a chuckle as he looked at her, “My dear Jack, Scrap Iron is the closet trading planet to New Mecca. We can only get the herbs we need by trading for some and buying the rarer ones.”
She looked down, hands stuffed into the black pants that clung to her subtle curves, black tank top adorning her upper half also tucked into the pants to show the curve of her breasts, kicking the rust colored dirt of the planet with the toe of her boot. “This place is horribly boring. I’m gonna go find something more interesting. I’ll see you back at the hotel okay?”
“Alright, child.” He nodded to her. There wasn’t much he could do anyway, Jack had a mind of her own and he’d come to care about her very much in the year they lived on New Mecca. He felt as if she was a daughter to him. His brown eyes watched as she trudged off down the street slowly, sighing lightly to himself before he too headed down the opposite way and into the market.
A few hours had past as she wandered aimlessly through the streets. Night had fallen and yellow tinted lights from street lamps lit up the streets. Signs flickering above the shops and bars and saloons. She frowned deeply as blue eyes almost glared at the ground. She hated these kinds of trips. They always made her feel so useless, but if Imam had any money left over he always gave it to her. She saved up from a few trips before and bought herself a shiv the last time she had come here. Imam wasn’t too happy with her about that. He didn’t like weapons and he didn’t like the idea she had one either. But it made her feel safer… and it also reminded her of Riddick. She wanted to go with him so bad. A frown tugged at her pale rose hued lips, as she stopped in her tracks and tilted her head up to gaze at the stars.
She could still hear the words he told her before landing. I’m not the kind of person you need to make a role model kid. You’re better off with Imam. Then he left them there on New Mecca. She never quite understood it. Sure she had looked up to him, his presence alone told her he demanded respect, and she had found him intriguing. She didn’t know quite why she had missed him so much… but she did find that she cared about him… probably a lot more than she should and a lot more than Imam would like.
Slow steps started her walking again, most the places in this sector were shut down for the night. That was when the man grabbed her from behind, large arms encircling about her little form. She yelped in surprise and squirmed, but the mans grip held on, he reeked of beer and his speech was slurred, “Awwww, qui- quit fighting it honey. I-it won’t hurt… I’m,” hiccup, “just going to fuck you…”
Her heart pounded in her chest as she thrashed in his arms, ‘God no! Not like this!’ she prayed silently to herself as the man started to stumble back into the alley taking her with him. That’s when she remembered her shiv. Good thing she made a pocket for it that nestled in the waistband of her pants. She shifted her hands a bit and pulled the small black shiv out. “Get the fuck off me asshole!” with that she brought the shiv up and slashed it down the mans arm. He let her go in an instant howling in pain and cradling his now bleeding arm.
A drunken rage crossed his face as he looked at her. “You fucking little slut! I’ll kill you for that!” He stalked towards her then, arms outstretched in a menacing look on his face. She shook a bit at his words; actually she was terrified beyond her wits. She did the only thing she could think of, she shoved her arm out towards him, gripping her shiv tightly. That’s when the blade cut through his navy uniform and into his gut, he paused a moment and looked down. Jack’s arm was shaking but she held it there, unable to move it, she could feel the warm blood flowing slowly down over her fingers. Her mouth hung open, she could hardly believe what she’d done. Slowly the man looked up to her, his face was turning ashen slowly, and his large hands went to her shoulders, as he staggered a bit. His hands then moved to slip about Jack’s throat starting to squeeze. She closed her eyes, wondering if she’d be found dead along with the man.
No… No. I refuse to die here…I won’t!! She thought. That’s when she pushed her hand up harder into the man’s stomach causing the blade to slice slowly up an inch or so through the tender flesh there as more of the blood dripped down over her hand. He cringed a bit and slowly took a staggering step back; a sickly sucking sound was given as the shiv slid out of his stomach. He looked to her before he fell to his knees, then to the ground on his face. She stood there silently a few moments. The events slowly registering in her mind of what had happened. She could feel the bile rising in the back of her throat as her free hand rose close to cover her mouth as she took in a shaky breath. She turned quickly and ran from the alley, feet pounding against the sidewalks as she ran back towards the hotel. She had to see Imam… she needed to leave now.
The door burst open suddenly, causing Imam to be startled from his prayers. His brown eyes found Jack standing there in the door panting. He could tell something was wrong. When she shut the door and turned her back slightly… that’s when he saw it. Her hand behind her back, clenching the shiv tightly as she trembled. He looked up to her suddenly, getting up from his prayer mat. “Jack… what has happened?”
She shook a bit, the tears that had threatened to fall finally did. They fell savagely down her pale ivory cheeks. Knees shaking as she sank to the floor, the shiv falling from her hand to it, bloody hand resting against her leg as blood from her fingers marked the floor. “I… I didn’t mean to. He… he attacked me,” she let out a sob as her head drooped down and her eyes closed, “h-he was going to rape me…” she coughed a bit as well taking in a sharp breath, “s-said th-that he was… going to fuck me… I didn’t mean to.”
Imam’s eyes widened. The poor girl! He rushed to her and wrapped his arms about her. He didn’t approve of her killing him, but it seems there must have been no other choice for her. His heart ached to see her pained like this. He pulled her close and stroked her hair gently. “Shhhh child, it will be alright. Did anyone see you?” Truth was he was more afraid now that he’d lose Jack and he couldn’t bear for that to happen. She leaned against him sobbing into his shoulder, she shook her head slowly, voice wavering “I… d-don’t think so.”
Imam nodded lightly to her and squeezed her tight before pulling back to arms length and peering at her. “You must be strong now Jack. I can no longer help you I’m afraid,” a sad look was held in his eyes, “but perhaps Riddick can.”
Jack’s blue eyes were filled with tears. “How!? We don’t even know where the fucking hell he is!!” she was upset and angry, it was the first time she had ever used that tone or words around him. He frowned only slightly, knowing she must feel all tangled up on the inside. A smooth hand ran over her cheek and brushed away the tears. “I discussed it with him briefly one night. He mentioned he would be heading to Ryson Three. I will give you the rest of the money I have with me. I’m sure you will be able to find him.” He gave her a smile even though he too felt like crying.
It had only been a day but already the news of a murder had spread like wildfire. Jack was petrified beyond belief but she appeared to look shocked when others spoke of it. Responding with the normal “How horrible’s” and “Such a shame’s.” It was afternoon before she finally reached the front of the line at the ticket terminal at the docks. The man behind the rusted counter looked to her through thick glasses, his accent slightly off. “ ‘Ow can I be ‘elping ya, Ma’am?”
“I…uhhh… I n-need a ticket to Ryson Three, please…” blue eyes peered at the man, tucking a curl behind her ear nervously. The man just shook his head to her, placing large calloused hands on the counter. “ Sorra’ Ma’am but I done sold all of those tickets. There won’ be another ship leaving fer there fer another five days.. if you’d like ta wait I reckon I could save ya a ticket.” She frowned and looked down sadly, normally people in places like this didn’t care much but the man raised a brow to her. “Did you be needin’ ta get there cause of an emergency Ma’am?”
Jack blinked as she glanced back up at him, she nodded slowly. Time to pull one of your perfect little lies out of your pocket Jack. She looked down yet again, sniffling a tad and making her voice waver a bit. “Y-yes… m-my mom is sick. I…I was here with my Aunt b-but now I need to get home… Please… I’ll do anything.” She looked back up to him, fake tears making those blue eyes look glassy, she was good at stuff like this, didn’t know why but she was. The man nodded and frowned a bit then, calloused hand reaching up to rub his chin a moment in thought. “ Tell ya what Ma’am, why dun ya go to tha' building o’er there and talk ta a fella by tha name of Peters. He Cap’ins tha’ ship. Maybe he’ll help ya out.” She smiled weakly to him and nodded, wiping away a fake tear as it slipped down her cheek. “Th-thank you…” she turned slowly peering at the building, slow steps carrying her over to it. She had to get out of here or she’d be dead or put in jail for the rest of her life. She didn’t want either to happen to her. The only sound in her ears was the pounding of her own heart.
Peters had turned out to be a man in his late forty’s, tall, about six foot Jack guessed, and he was well fed, not fat but he had meat on his bones, with oddly light blond hair that didn’t match his cold dark eyes. She didn’t know if they had color or if they were just all black. His eyes made her uneasy. Especially when she caught them moving up and down her body, taking in her curves. She shivered a bit as she looked to him.
“S-so… do we have a deal?” her blue eyes were hopeful as she sat the credits on the table in front of him, 273 of them to be exact. They would have paid for a low class ticket on his ship. His dark eyes moved over her body again, his tongue tracing out to lick over his lips before cold eyes gazed into her blue ones. “Throw in something else and I’ll even put you in first class.”
Jack gave him a wary look, sinking back in her chair slightly a slender brow raising, voice shaking a moment, “Wh-what do you mean something else?” she knew what he wanted. He wanted her… or her body anyway. She gave a visible shudder at the thought. He seemed to frown at her words, sensing her unwillingness to do, what to him was a simple little thing. “If you don’t want it… Don’t bother to waste my time.” He stood up then, heavy steps carrying him past her slowly.
“W-wait!” she turned around in her chair slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat and clenching her fists a moment. You have to do it Jack…You might not want to but you have to survive…You've got to make it to him. Her voice lowered a tad, her head drooping slightly as well. “I’ll do whatever you want. I just really need to get to Ryson Three.”
A sick grin twisted the pilot’s lips then. He reached out and took hold of her arm and pulled Jack close to him. He smiled darkly as she gave a faint little gasp and tensed as he brought her body even closer to his with a tight embrace. His hands slipping down her back and to her round, firm, rear, giving it a squeeze. Jack yelped lightly and jumped in his arms, it only made his grin widen. He leaned over to the table and snatched up the credits and looped his arm about Jack’s waist. “Come dear… we have business to attend to.” The words sent chills through Jack, she didn’t want to do this… she accidentally killed someone who tried just about the same thing. But she couldn’t see another way out of it… she couldn’t afford to wait another five days…
If she only knew someone had seen. Someone who’d be watching her now very closely. The cigarette lit the darkness of the room as cold blue eyes were caught in the dim yellow light of the far corner of the bar. A smirk crossed his cool features. Yes… perhaps this girl would be useful after all. If only she wouldn’t have stabbed that man he would have helped her. But now she was just like all those other fucking murderers out there. It’d only be a matter of time before he brought her in like all the rest. He thought about how she reacted when she realized what she had done and chuckled. Yes… he’d bring her in after he got what he wanted first.
