The Sun's Radiance

Chapter Two

I walk over to the convict and grab the cutting torch from the ceiling. I stare at him for a moment. I look the room over. There are some goggle hanging by the doorframe.

Grabbing them I say, "Are these yours? That man isn't very smart, is he? First, acting as a cop, a crime in some places, then leaving this," I shake the torch so that it rattles, "thing within arms reach. Your goggles by the door. If he's as dumb as I'm thinking, it really says something about you. Doesn't it?"

I get a growl in return.

"Oh hush. Don't be like that. I realize you can't exactly speak, but you don't need to growl at me like some boor. I swear. Sometimes I wonder why I ever left home. The galaxy was so pretty at night." i shake my head and sigh. "I'm going to remove the blindfold so you can actually see."

His eyes are closed when I do so seconds later. I slide the goggles on after I drop the slip of material on the ground.

"I suppose I should remove the bit so you can speak." I work on unclasping the bit and then the binds around his ankles, he doesn't say anything, just tilts his head. "Or I could've just left you to your own devices. What's your name?"

"Richard B. Riddick."

I raise an eyebrow.

"You're not afraid."

I scoff. "Should I be? You," I tap his nose with my index finger, "should get going. I've dallied enough as it is. I'm sure we'll be meeting again soon." I walk out the door and follow the vague footprints to the other part of the ship.

~~

Everyone turns to look at me when I walk through the door. "Do you want any alcohol?"

"I'll pass. I think I'd be better off trying to find some water. There's three suns and a desert out there, you know."

Fry speaks from her place by an oddly decorated casket. "Are you on Hajj too?"

I blink and tilt my head to the side, "on what? No. I just don't like alcohol." Is that a religious thing? The most I've ever done is sacrificed a bit of blood.

"You're the first person I've met to say that."

"Truly? There's always a first for everything." I turn to Johns, "You should be glad to know that I left Riddick where I found him. If he does anything unsupervised, it's not my fault."

"We'll see about that little lady." Johns walks past me and out the door.

I glare at him as he walks past. It'd be so easy to kill him. Kill them all really. Well, he'll get what he deserves... Woah there, intrusive thoughts. Behave now. No reason to go about committing murder. Right now, anyways...

I look in Fry's direction, "let me know when you are going to leave? I need a nap." The air is positively atrocious.