Riddick reluctantly dredged himself up from his well of sleep and tried to focus.

Muffled voice from outside. Sweet, musical voice. A woman. Maya, that's her name, he thought. Pregnant girl.

He opened his eyes and raised himself off the bed with an elbow, trying to get his bearings. Dark room. Maya. Some kickass herbal drink. Soft bed. Shower. His fuzzy brain finally latched onto what he was looking for. Al-Fayed. Friend of Imam's. His house. Ok.

"We have some food ready, and Kate's back, so you can get those wounds treated, ok?"

Riddick flopped back down on the bed, blowing out a long breath. He lay thinking for a minute, trying to bring himself to full consciousness. He felt movement beside him.

He watched her for a little longer, then reached over and gently shook her shoulder. "Carolyn." She moved again, making sleepy little noises. He tried again. "Carolyn, wake up. Someone's at the door." She shifted again, blinked at him. "Mmmm..." Riddick shook her again until she opened her eyes. She yawned. "What?"

"I dunno," he said. She rolled over, moving closer to him, right into his arms. For a split second, he thought he might cry, but he quickly shoved the impulse down. He felt her arm snake around him, her tousled head snuggle against his chest. He breathed in the scent of her, ran his hand up and down her back. I almost lost you. He gave her a squeeze. "Hey, we gotta get up. She's waitin' outside."

Fry rolled away, stretched and yawned again, then sat up. She couldn't see a damn thing. Then she remembered that Riddick had closed the window shutter. "She left robes in here, right?" Fry said with another yawn. "Yep," Riddick said back. He sat up too, trying to remember where he'd left his goggles. Oh, yeah - the floor. Slipped off the bed when I got in. He leaned over the side and found them. "I need the lights, so put your goggles on, ok?" said Fry. Riddick did, then said, "Ready."

"Lights, ten percent," Fry said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. The room leapt into view in the dim glow. Fry got up and walked over to the chair by the bathroom door where Maya had left the two robes. She held the brown one up in front of her, appraising it. "This must be yours, it's way too long for me." She tossed it to Riddick, who was now out of bed too. Grabbing the faded blue robe, she slipped it over her head and pulled it down over her body. It was made of a soft, thick knitted material that felt sort of like silk, but had an almost synthetic slipperiness. She ran her hand down the front, noting the swirling dark blue embroidery. The fabric felt nice hanging loosely against her bare skin, like a silky caress all over, sensual and soothing. Like the bedclothes, it smelled of herbal soap.

She looked over at Riddick, who had donned his robe now, and was also feeling the material. He looked a bit odd, really - a tall, muscular man with a shaved head and bare feet wearing a long dark brown robe and goggles. Space monk, she thought. That made her giggle. Riddick looked up from his examination of the robe and pointed a warning finger at her. "Hey, don't even start that shit." She could tell he was trying hard not to laugh himself, and that made her laugh harder. "Don't make me kick your ass, Fry," he said, unable to keep from grinning. " I could give you *plenty* o' shit about your hair right now, so knock it off." She couldn't help herself - she doubled over with laughter.

Riddick walked over and slapped her ass. "Ow!" She straightened up and walked into the bathroom, still laughing, to check her hair in the mirror. He was right - it was sticking out all over the place. She ran her fingers through it, noticing how much softer it was now. Had to be that soap. She ran some water, wet her hands, raked them through her hair and patted it to flatten it a bit. She looked around for a comb or brush, but saw none. Oh, well - that'll have to do for now. She went back into the bedroom, where Riddick was poking through his discarded dirty clothing. He picked up his boots, then tossed them back down. "Man, these things fuckin' reek."

She moved to the side of the bed and picked up one of her own shoes, then wrinkled her nose dropped it. "Jesus. Yuck!" She checked to see if maybe Maya had left some slippers or shoes, but she didn't see any. She walked over and opened the small closet by the bed, but it was empty. She went to the door of their room and opened it to find Maya standing a few feet away, looking at the ground and waiting patiently. She looked up and gave Fry a bright smile when she heard the door open. "Hey, you look a lot better. How do you feel?" Fry smiled back. "Great. I slept like a baby."

"Good," said Maya. "You ready to go?" Fry glanced back into the room. "Well...we don't have any clean shoes." Maya made a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about that, you don't need 'em." She leaned forward confidentially. "We're not formal around here, we don't care." She winked and smiled. "Just come as you are."

Fry shrugged. "Ok." She turned back to Riddick. "Let's go. Maya says we don't need shoes." He shrugged too, then followed Fry out of the room and closed the door behind them. The dark courtyard was quiet except for the sound of wind in the trees and the far-off voices of people talking and eating. Light spilled out into it from two first-floor windows, one in the center section of the house, one in the opposite wing. Something smelled good, a rich, savory aroma. Riddick's stomach growled.

They followed Maya across the courtyard to the lit-up window in the opposite wing, their bare feet padding on cool cream-colored stone tiles behind the slap of Maya's sandals. She opened the door next to the window and led them into a large rectangular room lit with numerous tall shaded candle lamps. Tables bearing potted plants were scattered among the padded furniture, which was covered in a faded blue fabric that looked just like Fry's robe. Wooden cabinets crowded the walls, which were painted a deep, soothing green. One of them stood open, revealing shelves full of marked containers. In the center of the room was a long table made of the same dark wood as the cabinets. A wooden chair stood at each end, and a tall, thin bendable lamp leaned over it.

Maya directed them to sit in two of the padded chairs, then exited through a door in the opposite end of the room. She returned a moment later with a small tray bearing two glasses of water and two large, steaming mugs. She set the tray down on the low table in front of them. "Ok - you've got water here and some special soup. That's all you're getting for now - Kate doesn't want you stressing your stomachs after that long fast." The soup smelled incredible. "When you're in better shape, you can have some solid food." Fry picked up a mug of soup and raised it to her face, inhaling deeply. "This smells so good. What's in it?" Riddick had picked his up too, and was sipping from it carefully. "It's a special high-nutrient food Eva makes for the pilgrims. This is what they eat when their fast is over." Fry frowned and shook her head. "Eva?"

Maya smiled. "You'll meet her later. Just eat your soup and drink all your water - you need it." She turned to go. "Kate'll be here in a few minutes." She left through the same door she'd used to bring in the tray. Riddick and Fry sat quietly sipping their soup, looking around and taking in the room's atmosphere. The "healing room", Maya had called it. It sure felt like one. It seemed to vibrate with a fresh, nourishing energy. A faint incense smell hung in the air, although they didn't see any burning. The candle lamps cast a pleasant glow, and some of the plants gave off heady herbal aromas. Fry thought she recognized the smell of the stuff Maya had made her drink earlier.

Riddick gave a little laugh as he sipped. "This stuff reminds me of somethin' I read about once, a long time ago." Fry looked up from her mug. "Really? What's that?" He took a big swallow of soup. "I forget what it's called. Some drink made by these giant walkin' trees. The book says it's "substantial and foodlike." He looked down into his mug, swirling the soup around. "That's what this stuff's like."

Fry sat with her mouth open, not quite sure how to react. She'd never heard him talk this way. It didn't sound like him at all. She finally managed to speak. "Uh...which book is that?" Riddick tipped his mug back, finishing his soup. "Lord of the Rings. Really old, mid-twentieth. Read it when I was a kid." He set his mug down and reached for a glass of water. Fry just stared at him. Riddick didn't seem to notice until he caught her eye over the rim of his glass. He took a drink, then lowered the glass from his mouth. "Shocker, huh? Never figured me for a reader." She shook her head before she could stop herself. Riddick chuckled and took another drink of water. "Lotta stuff you don't know 'bout me."

Fry nodded dumbly, and went back to drinking her soup. When she finished, she drank the other glass of water. He was right - the soup *was* "substantial and foodlike". She felt satisfied, as though she'd had a full meal. When they'd finished everything, they sat there, wondering what to do next. As if on cue, the door at the other end of the room opened and two women they hadn't seen before walked in. One was a pleasantly plump, dark-haired woman with a freckled face. She was about Fry's height, and wore the same kind of robe, only hers was maroon. She was smiling slightly, as if secretly amused by something, but she had an aura of quiet strength and maternal comfort.

The woman who followed her in was stunningly beautiful. She was tall, at least as tall as Riddick. Her slightly wavy, dark auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail reaching halfway down her back. Her skin was incredibly pale, almost translucent. She moved her lean, tough body with an easy grace, her hips swinging naturally and unselfconciously. She was dressed in a long-sleeved dark blue tunic and jeans, and her feet were bare. Around her neck she wore a tiny pair of gold-rimmed eyeglasses on a black cord.

The most striking thing about her was her eyes - brilliant blue, almost too bright to look at. They crackled with electric vitality. Riddick sensed something in her, something tightly wound and precisely poised that felt almost - dangerous. His body tensed suddenly, as if bracing for combat. He'd known this feeling only when a formidable adversary had him backed into a corner, and he'd had to fight his way out or die trying. An odd sensation roiled in his gut that reminded him of that crazy dream he'd had on the shuttle.

He and Fry stood to greet the women. The plump one introduced herself as Eva, and Fry said, "Oh, you're the one who made the soup." Eva nodded and smiled. "Yep, that's me. Hope you liked it." The tall woman came forward to shake Fry's hand. "Hey, y'all - I'm Kate. Nice ta meetcha," she drawled in a pronounced Southern US accent. Then she turned to Riddick, and their eyes locked. She never missed a beat, firmly gripping his hand and giving him a polite, friendly greeting - but in that split second, Riddick was almost sure she'd said something else to him that only he could hear: Ah. *You*. Taster. He had an odd feeling they'd recognized each other, though he knew they'd never met. An invisible force unfurled from her and cracked itself around him like a whip. Something in him automatically tensed and responded, and she felt it, if her briefly narrowed eyes were any indication.

Fry didn't seem to sense anything unusual, other than the woman's commanding presence. Kate looked down at the empty mugs and glasses. "Y'all ate all your soup - good, good..." She looked back up. "Packs a wallop, don't it? Evie here puts everything under the sun in it. Hell, you could live on just that if you had to." Her eyes moved to Fry, and she gestured at her to follow as she turned away and walked towards the table in the middle of the room. "Ok, honey, let's take a look atcha. Right over here." She turned to Eva as she walked. "Evie, you wanna take him outside for a bit?" she said, nodding in Riddick's direction. Eva indicated the door to the courtyard, and escorted Riddick outside. She showed him to a couple of woven chairs outside the door that he hadn't noticed before. "You can wait here. I'll come and get you when she's done." She went back inside, and Riddick took a seat in one of the chairs to wait.

Inside, Fry was now standing by the large wooden table. Kate slipped on her tiny gold glasses, perching them on the end of her nose. Eva was back from taking Riddick outside, and she stood behind and to the side of Kate, as if waiting for orders. The tall woman placed one hand on top of Fry's head and studied her closely, seeming to read her. "So how ya feelin' right now, hon?" she asked. "Pretty good, actually," Fry responded. "The nap and the soup really helped a lot." Kate smiled. "Yep, that'll do it allright." She cupped Fry's face in her hands and looked at her through the glasses on the end of her pale, slender nose, turning Fry's head gently from side to side. Releasing her face, she touched Fry's shoulders and turned her around so that Kate was now at her side. "Ok." said Kate. "Gonna do a lil diagnostic on ya. Won't hurt a bit, I promise."

Kate pressed her hands together in front of her as if in prayer, then closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. Then she opened her eyes and stepped closer to Fry, extending her arms straight out so that Fry was between them, one in front of her, one behind her. "Just relax, ok?" Kate said, then began slowly moving her arms down Fry's body, not touching her. When she got to Fry's abdomen, she stopped and looked up at her. "How long were you in cryosleep, hon?" Fry thought for a minute. "About five months." Kate nodded, then turned her attention back to Fry's body. "M-hm." She moved one hand in a circle over Fry's abdomen, still not touching her, while her other hand duplicated the motion behind Fry's back. "When did you get your birth control hypo?" Fry's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you - " Kate looked up and shook her head. "Never mind that - when'd ya get it done?"

"Right before I went under," Fry answered after a moment of thought. "I should be good for about a year now, since the cryo slowed everything down." Kate nodded, then stood up. She indicated the padded chair Fry had used before and walked over to sit in the one next to it. When Fry was sitting, Kate said, "I gotta ask you some weird questions, ok?" Fry nodded and frowned. "Ok." Kate leaned forward in her chair. "Now, you might think they have nothin' to do with anything, but I got my reasons for askin', so just answer honestly, ok?" Fry nodded again.

"Allrighty then." Kate sat in thought for a few seconds, then continued. "You remember the exact moment you knew you wanted to be with this man?" Fry looked her oddly and frowned again. Kate smiled and threw up her hands. "Hey, I told ya they'd be weird questions." She leaned back in her chair and gave Fry a prompting gesture. "Go on." Fry looked down at her lap, not really knowing what to say. "Well..." She looked back up at Kate, who was watching her closely over her little gold glasses. "Uh..." Oh, shit, she thought. I'm gonna blow it for all of us.

Kate sighed. "Look, honey, I don't care what was goin' on at the time, or what y'all were doin'. I ain't here to judge ya. But it's really important for you to answer and tell me the truth, ok?" Fry blushed, nodded and cleared her throat. After a long pause, she spoke. "Well...he was, uh - chained to a post, actually." Kate nodded, her expression unreadable. "And he, uh, told me to come closer." She looked up at Kate again, then back down. It was impossible to lie to this woman. "So I did, and then he kind of - lunged out at me." Kate nodded again. "What'd you feel when he did that? Were you scared?"

Fry blushed again. "Well...yeah, in a way. I thought he was dangerous. I did at the time, anyway." She reached up and ran her fingers nervously through her hair. "But I, uh...I dunno..." She looked up at the ceiling and blew out a breath. "I guess you could say I wasn't as scared as I thought I should be." She returned her gaze to Kate, who was still listening intently, her eyes narrowed. "I guess I kind of, uh...I kind of liked it." Fry's voice was almost a whisper now. Kate nodded and smiled. "Like he just jumped right inside ya, right?"

Fry thought for a second, then slowly nodded. "Yeah..." Then with more conviction. "Yeah. That's exactly how it was." She shook her head. "Wow...I guess I never really thought too much about it. I mean, there was a lot going on at the time." Kate sat forward again, slipping off her glasses and letting them dangle on their cord. "Honey, listen to me." Fry looked at her, and she continued. "You sure you wanna stay with this guy? You know what you're gettin' yourself into?" Fry shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

Kate looked down and clasped her hands together. "Don't you ever think he might still be dangerous?" Fry was suddenly flooded with memories - Riddick touching her, holding her, comforting her, tenderly washing her sore body. "No. Not at all." Kate looked back at Fry, scrutinizing her. "Not even a little?" Fry shook her head again. "No. I have no reason to fear him." Kate fell back into her chair. "Hm." She seemed to think for a minute, then focused on Fry again. "Well. That's all I need to know, then." She smiled and got up, walking back over to the table. "We're all done here. Just keep drinkin' water and eatin' soup. Your body'll know when it's ready for solid food again."

Fry stood up slowly, confused, and walked towards Kate. "Wait a minute, I don't understand. Why'd you need to know all that stuff?" Kate was now busily going through one of the cabinets, taking things out and handing them to Eva, who set them down on the big table. Eva. Fry had forgotten she was even there. Kate answered as she rummaged through the cabinet. "Like I said, hon, I got my reasons." She selected a final container and closed the cabinet. She set the container on the table and turned to Fry, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I promise, I'll tell ya everything at the right time. Believe me, I ain't tryin' to break y'all up." She gave Fry's shoulder a squeeze. "Just trust me on this one, ok, hon?" Oddly, Fry *did* trust her. "Ok."

"Good." Kate squeezed her shoulder again. "You go on through that door there - " she indicated with her eyes the door Maya had used to bring in the soup - "and Maya'll take care of ya. I'll see ya again soon." Kate flashed her a smile. Eva touched Fry's arm and indicated that she should follow her to the door. Once there, Eva opened it and let Fry walk through into a short, semi-dark hallway, then closed it behind her. Maya appeared at the other end and beckoned her to enter the room she was in, which seemed to be a small private dining area. It looked a lot like the healing room, but was lit with regular lights instead of candles. It was filled with the savory aroma of the soup she'd eaten earlier. Fry sat down at the small table and watched as Maya opened a steaming pot and ladled soup into two big mugs. She brought them over and set one in front of Fry. "I thought you might still be hungry." Fry picked up the mug and took a careful sip. "I could never get enough of this stuff. I swear, Eva must be a magician or something." Maya smiled and took the chair opposite Fry. "Or something," she said.

Outside, Riddick sat in the comfortable woven chair and took in the semi-dark quiet of the tiled courtyard. A cool breeze stirred the trees overhead, sending their fragrance whirling through the compound, combining with a tiny hint of the burning smell from the explosion. He could still hear people laughing and talking, and the sounds of a meal being eaten. He was glad he'd had that soup - otherwise, he'd have been sorely tempted to track down the source of those delicious food smells and demand some dinner. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply a few times. This had to be a dream. It was just too good to be true. He ran his hands over the silky fabric on his thighs, flinching when his left hand hit his swollen wounds. He was glad that would be taken care of soon.

Just then, the door of the healing room opened, and Eva stuck her head out. "Mr. Richards? You can come in now." He flinched again when he stood up, then followed her in, limping a bit. Once inside, he saw that the large wooden table now bore several containers, and the lamp over it had been switched on.

"Come on in, make yerself at home," said Kate. She indicated the table with a sweep of her arm. "Hop on up here 'n' have a seat." He limped around to her side of the table and lifted himself up onto it with his hands. Kate pulled one of the wooden chairs up to the table and sat down in front of him. "Wanna lift up that robe for me, hon, so I can get a look at things?" she said, slipping on her glasses. Riddick shifted his weight so he could pull up the left side of his robe to reveal the angry red cuts on his thigh.

Kate whistled when she saw them. "Damn...somethin' really gotcha, didn't it?" Riddick didn't answer. Eva handed her a hypospray, which she swiftly touched to his skin about a dozen times all the way around the wounded area and in between the cuts themselves. "Look over there, hon," she said, pointing to the other side of the room. "Just keep lookin'. Now tell me - can ya feel that?" Riddick frowned. "Feel what?"

"Good, it's workin'," she said. Riddick turned his head back around to watch what she was doing. Now Eva was handing her something that looked like a suction device. Kate fitted a clear shallow cup onto the end of it, one just big enough to cover the wounded area on his leg. She rubbed some clear gel around the edge of the cup, then fitted it firmly over Riddick's wounds and hit a button. He still didn't feel anything, but he heard the suction activate and saw the cup press into his skin a bit. Kate looked up at him over her glasses. "You sure you wanna watch this? It ain't gonna be pretty." Riddick shrugged. "I don't care."

"Ok, but I warned ya," she said, and bent back to her task. She thumbed a small wheel on the handle of the device that apparently controlled the amount of suction. From the look of things, she was using quite a lot. She pulled the lamp down a bit and aimed it at his leg. As he watched, his wounds quickly swelled up higher and higher, then released a load of pus, blood and straw-colored fluid. The stuff welled up out of the wounds faster as she increased the suction, monitoring things through her tiny glasses. The cup was really pressing into his leg now - it looked like it was trying to burrow its way in.

Kate maintained the suction until the flow from the wounds stopped and turned into trickles of bright red blood. She thumbed the wheel again, gradually decreasing the pressure until the cup was flush with his skin. Eva leaned in and held out a white cloth as Kate released the suction, then deftly tipped the cup to catch all the fluid and passed the device back to Eva. Taking the cloth, she pressed it to Riddick's wounds and held it there with one hand. With the other, she picked up a thicker, folded cloth. She touched it to Riddick's thigh and said, "Lift, up, hon." He raised his thigh off the table, and she slid the folded cloth under him, directly beneath the wounds.

As Eva disposed of the fluid in the cup, Kate picked up a small spraying device, then lifted the cloth off of Riddick's leg. The area that had been covered by the suction cup was bright red, and his wounds were even more swollen now than they had been. Looks like a giant vampire hickey, he thought. Kate began spraying the wounds, soaking them with a brownish fluid that that gave off a sweet, sharp scent. Riddick sniffed and asked, "What's that?" Kate continued spraying. "Extract from the bark and leaves of the prabal tree." She picked up a soft polymer swab and started cleaning the wounds. "Excellent antiseptic. It'll bring down that swellin', too." She swabbed and sprayed until nothing was left in the wounds or on the skin around them.

She was right - the area was already shrinking. Some of the redness was even going away. Kate handed the swab to Eva and said, "Better get the goo ready." Eva nodded and walked off to another, smaller table against the far wall that Riddick hadn't noticed before and busied herself with a small machine. "The goo?" he asked. Kate fanned his leg with her hand, drying the fluid that still coated his thigh. He could see the wounds shrinking as she did so. "The goo, as we fondly call it," she said, "is farna juice." She looked up at him with her electric blue eyes. "Farna's a native vegetable kinda like zucchini. Grows everywhere, like a weed. Damn nutritious, but unfortunately tastes like shit. Takes a good cook to make it edible." She leaned in to examine his leg and kept fanning. "The juice," she continued, "thickens when ya let it set for a few minutes. Gets sticky as hell, too. We use it to close up wounds. Just pulls the edges right together and keeps 'em that way til the flesh grows back in and takes over." She looked back up at Riddick and winked. "We like to think of it as gluin' people back together."

Whirring sounds came from Eva's direction, where she was operating the small machine. "Almost ready," she called over her shoulder to Kate. She poured something into a tiny bowl and brought it over. Kate stopped fanning and took the bowl, looking down into it as she swirled the clear liquid around. It smelled like freshly cut grass. "Few more minutes, it'll be ready to use," she said. Riddick checked his wounds.The swelling was almost gone now, and his thigh was still numb. Kate continued her swirling for a minute or two, then set the bowl down. "Ok, here we go."

She checked Riddick's leg again, then picked up another, smaller swab and dipped it into the bowl. The liquid had thickened into a gel. Kate stirred the swab in it, thoroughly coating it, then lifted it to Riddick's thigh and dribbled the stuff into one of his wounds. She handed the swab to Eva and, using her fingers, very carefully pressed the edges of the wound together and held them for a moment. When she let go, the wound stayed closed. She repeated this with the other cuts, set the bowl and swab aside and fanned his leg with her hand again.

The area looked almost normal now, except for the thick red lines of the wounds and some residual redness from the suction device. Eva pressed another sprayer into Kate's hand, and she used that to apply a thin layer of synthoskin. She gave it a few seconds, then carefully probed it to make sure it was properly set. "Ok, that should do it," she said, standing up and stretching. Eva started putting away the supplies sitting on the table.

Kate backed away a few feet, gesturing for Riddick to stand. "How's it feel?" she asked. He took few small test steps beside the table. "Good. No pain." She nodded. "It'll be numb for a few hours, but it shouldn't keep ya from walkin' normally." While Riddick was looking down at his leg, Kate shot a quick look at Eva and nodded. Eva nodded back, then flicked a concerned glance from Kate to Riddick and back again. "Ok," said Kate. "Diagnostic time."

She walked over to Riddick and positioned him just as she had Fry, with his side to her. Stepping back a bit, she began her preparations - but this time was different. She breathed in and out rapidly, then clapped her hands a few times and rubbed them together. From the other end of the long table, behind Riddick, Eva gave her a fearful look. Kate breathed and clapped a few more times, her eyes fixed on Riddick. She acted as if she were about to run a race.

Finally, blowing out a breath, she stepped forward, arms extended, and began her scan of Riddick's body. She moved more slowly than she had with Fry, closing her eyes and appearing to listen intently to something only she could hear. Eva watched her face breathlessly. When she reached the area of Riddick's stomach, she stopped and stood very still. She spread her hands, rigidly splaying out her fingers, and held them there.

Suddenly, a familar sensation arose in Riddick's gut. What the hell??? He tensed, frowning, trying to think what it was. Oh, that damn dream again. Why did that keep coming back to him? The sensation grew, sending tingles of energy all through him. He was getting that weird feeling in his bowels again, like he had to take a shit right this minute. His heart was beating faster now, and his breathing was shallow. What the fuck is she *doing* to me?

Kate's hands began to shake a little, and she bowed her head, sending her glasses sliding off the end of her nose. Her face wore a frown of concentration, and her nostrils were flaring as her own breath came faster. Riddick's gut contracted - man, he *really* had to take a shit now; he thought he might dump right here on the floor. And that ball of light that burst inside him when he had the dream - it was back, expanding, getting ready for another explosion. Kate's jaw was clenched now, and the shaking in her hands was more pronounced. Eva's brown eyes flicked nervously back and forth between them.

The ball of light inside Riddick swelled and swelled, almost to the bursting point. He was going to lose it if she didn't stop this. Bigger, bigger, bigger... He could barely breathe now. He couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed behind his goggles. Carolyn, help me! his mind shouted for some reason he didn't understand. The explosion was getting closer. Too close.

Suddenly, without any conscious thought from Riddick, his hand flashed out and gripped Kate's wrist. She blanched, her eyes still closed. Her whole body was trembling now, as was his. He had to stop this, it was too much. With all his strength, he started bending Kate's arm upward and away from his body. It was like trying to bend iron, but he forced himself to keep pushing, and finally felt her start to give. He could hear her breathing harshly and rapidly now through her clenched teeth. Behind him, unseen, Eva was big-eyed with fear, her hand clamped over her mouth.

At last, he managed to push Kate's hand far enough to break her invisible contact with his body. With Riddick still gripping her wrist, they fell to their knees simultaneously. They were both panting and shaking uncontrollably. He tried to let go of her, but couldn't - it felt as if she were holding him there somehow. Not knowing how or why, he willed the ball of light in his gut to speed outward and down his arm to the hand gripping Kate. That did it - his hand released, and Kate fell forward on her hands and knees, gasping for air.

They stayed that way for a few minutes as they recovered from - whatever it was that had just happened. Riddick's bowels calmed down, and he was relieved to find that he hadn't soiled himself. Slowly and shakily, Kate pulled herself to her feet, putting up a hand to stop Eva from rushing to her aid. She wobbled over to one of the padded chairs and collapsed into it. Riddick stayed on his knees, watching her, still too shaky to get up just yet. Now Kate was tamping something into the bowl of a small, thin, delicate pipe made of dark wood. She lit it, then sat there smoking, slumped down into the chair with her eyes closed.

Riddick finally got up and managed to make it to the chair across from her. He recognized the incense smell he'd noticed in the room when Maya first brought him here, and realized it was coming from Kate's pipe. He sat back and closed his eyes, waiting for - well, he wasn't sure, exactly. His wounded thigh was itching like hell. He reached down absently and gave it a good hard scratch. Ahhhhh, much better.

"Evie." Kate finally spoke. "You go on now, and keep this under yer hat, ok?" She opened one eye and gave Eva a stern glance. "I mean it now - not a damn word, y'hear?" Eva nodded nervously, then quickly exited through the same door Fry had used.

Kate and Riddick sat in silence for a long while - she smoking her fragrant pipe, he wondering what the hell had just gone on in here. Well, he sure meant to find out. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She seemed a lot calmer now - her breathing was normal again, and her eyes were open too. She sat up and removed the pipe from her mouth. "You might wanna check under that bandage, hon," she said, leaning forward to tap the ash out of the pipe into a small bowl on the low table.

Riddick sat up and raised the left side of his robe to look at his thigh. Nothing seemed different. He looked back at Kate, puzzled. She was tamping more stuff into her pipe. "Well, go on," she said impatiently, "take it off." She lit her pipe and sat back, watching him through puffs of smoke with narrowed eyes. He reached down and carefully peeled up the edge of the bandage with his fingernails. When he'd made a big enough flap to grab onto, he slowly pulled the synthoskin off his thigh and looked at the wounds.

They were healed. Where the wounds had been was nothing but healthy unbroken skin and a few thin pink scars.

She shook her head. "Oh, I didn't do it, hon." She took her pipe out of her mouth, blew some smoke and poked the stem at him. "You did."

In reality, only a few seconds passed while Riddick sat there stunned, staring at Kate, but it seemed like a very long time. This broad is outta her fuckin' mind, he thought. She sat there smoking, regarding him calmly, as if she'd just told him it was raining outside, or something equally mundane. He forced himself to remain composed, and laughed at her. "Bullshit! Come on, what are you tryin' to pull?"

"Take another look at those wounds - that look like bullshit t'you?" she replied, slowly blowing out some smoke.

He looked down at them again, running his fingers over them, poking them. No pain at all. Even the numbness from the hypospray was gone. He shook his head. "No fuckin' *way* I did this." He looked back at Kate. "No fuckin' way."

Kate shrugged. "Fine, suit y'self. But tell me this - " she said, blowing a thin column of smoke over her head, "how'd you get your hand off my wrist?"

Ok, now this was getting scary. He laughed at her again and started to get up. "Look - thanks for fixin' me up, ok? But I ain't into this mystical crap."

"Have a seat, Mr. Riddick."

He froze. Uh-oh. Busted. Game over. Someone spilled. *Now* what? He instinctively reached for his knife, then remembered that he was wearing a robe. Shit. He darted a glance around the room, looking for something to use as a weapon.

"Relax, hon - I ain't gonna turn ya in." Kate blew a final cloud of smoke, and leaned forward to tap out her pipe again. "And no, none o' your friends told on ya. They'd never do that."

He sat back slowly, his body tensed for a quick getaway. She was fuckin' with his head, had to be. "Well, *somebody* had to say *somethin'."

She shook her head. "Nope, not necessary." She leaned her elbows on her knees and gazed intently at him. "You shoulda figgered out by now that if I really wanna know somethin', I don't *need* to ask any questions."

Well, yeah, she had him there. He thought of the message of recognition she'd flashed into his mind when they first shook hands - he thought he'd imagined that. Maybe he had. At least, that's what he wanted to believe.

Kate leaned back into her chair and arranged herself to sit cross-legged. "Lemme tell ya a lil story, ok? Might help clear some things up."

He waited, still tensed and ready to run.

She cast her eyes downward for a moment and breathed, seeming to steel herself for something. Then she looked up again and spoke. "I've murdered seventeen people."

He laughed harder this time. "So what - I'm s'posed to be scared o' you now? 'Cause you killed a few people?" He sat forward, trying to look threatening. "You know how many people *I've* killed?"

Kate nodded, a look of sadness softening her face for a moment. "Yeah, I do. I felt 'em, every one of 'em," she said quietly.

"So what's your point? Why're you tellin' me this shit?"

Kate sighed. "I'm tellin' you," she answered, speaking more firmly now, "so you'll understand we're the same. So you'll know why I'm not turnin' you in. And I'm hopin' that maybe now you'll listen to what I have to say."

Riddick considered for a moment. What the hell, why not humor the broad? Let her yak for a while 'fore you hafta run again. He relaxed a little and sat back in his chair. "I'm listenin'."

Kate sighed again, more heavily this time. "So...now you know I ain't always been like I am now. I'm gonna tell ya why, and what changed everything. When I'm done, maybe you'll understand more about what happened here tonight."

Riddick remained still and silent, waiting for her to go on.

She did. "I was a pretty good kid up 'til about twelve or so. Then I just started...I dunno..." she moved her eyes as if searching for something, "headin' the wrong way, I guess - eventually got in with some death gang - dyed my hair black, painted my face white, pretended to worship the Devil, all that shit." She paused, thinking. "My parents pretty much gave up on me after awhile. Threw me outta the house. They had three other kids to pay attention to, anyhow." Her drawl became more pronounced now.

"By the time I was fifteen, I'd lost count o' how many people I'd helped beat up and torture. But I never forgot the ones I helped kill. Some of 'em I did myself, while th'others watched." She shook her head and sighed. "We drank their blood. We thought it gave us power." Riddick felt a stirring inside - he remembered that feeling all too well.

"I don't know how I got away with it. Never got caught. Some o' *them* did, though." She wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold. "We never ratted on each other - it was part o' the 'blood pact', as we called it. Later on, the blood thrill started kinda wearin' off, so I finally took up drugs. My favorite was a powder called Heaven - ya sniffed it from a lil tube. Made ya see things, made ya feel like there's nothin' ya couldn't do. I lived for that stuff. Started whorin' to make sure I never ran out."

She seemed to sink a little further into herself now. "One night I got all fulla Heaven and went out lookin' for a sacrifice. I just wanted to see some blood - I thought it was so beautiful when I first cut, when it was really flowin'. So, I found this drunk guy in an alley. He thought he was gettin' laid, so I played along, went way back in there with 'im, behind a bunch o' garbage and stuff where no one could see us." She closed her eyes with a pained frown for a few seconds, then opened them and went on. "I cut off his clothes with my knife, and he was gettin' off on it, thinkin' it was some weird domination trip. Then I laid him open 'fore he knew what hit 'im. When I finished with 'im, he was a work of art, with these big ol' flaps o' skin splayed out like angel wings. I 'member thinkin', right 'fore I tasted his blood, that I was the Angel o' Death, come to bring justice and retribution for all."

Kate was still calm, but clearly distressed by her memories. "After that, I wandered off to God knows where, all messed up and lickin' blood off my lips. Woke up a few hours later in some deserted buildin'. I was filthy, the high was gone, and my mouth tasted like rotten meat. I was all outta Heaven, too. Didn't feel like movin', just lay there, all worn out and used up, wonderin' how the hell I got there. For some reason, I started thinkin' 'bout my life, 'bout what a load o' shit it was. I mean, all I did anymore was turn tricks and get high. Never had a real boyfriend, just guys I'd sleep with to get drugs. Didn't even live anywhere. I crashed wherever I could so I could get up every night to work the streets. I had diddly-squat."

She paused and shifted her body in the chair as she reached for her pipe and a small wooden box on the low table. Riddick waited silently as he watched her open the box, take out a small wad of dark, fluffy material and tamp it into the pipe. A strong incense-like aroma rose from inside the box. She closed it, lit her pipe, took a deep draw and sat back to finish her story.

"I was too tired to go lookin' for tricks, and I wanted to wash up, so I finally got up and walked a few blocks to this guy's place I knew and asked if I could crash on his floor and use his shower. He said ok..." She puffed quietly on her pipe for a minute before continuing. "So I showered and flopped down and just...dropped right off, like I'd been hit in the head or somethin'."

"Next thing I know, I'm havin' this weird dream, where I'm crawlin' through a dark alley full o' garbage and broken glass lookin' for a tube o' Heaven. My hands and knees were bleedin' from all the glass, and the longer I crawled, the darker it got, til I couldn't see a damn thing. Got cold, too - thought I was gonna freeze to death. Then I saw this lil light way up in front o' me, and I started crawlin' towards it." Another puff from her pipe. "When I was almost there, I heard this sweet voice talkin' to me, askin' me what I was doin' there. I said I was lookin' for Heaven. I could hardly talk, I was shiverin' so bad." Riddick felt that thing in his gut again - he thought he knew what was coming next.

"Then this voice told me I was lookin' for the wrong thing. I finally got close enough to the light to see what it was. It looked like one o' those lil tubes Heaven came in, but the stuff in it was somethin' I'd never seen before - all shimmery and sparkly, swirlin' around in there real slow. I couldn't stop starin' at it, it was so pretty. Made me feel good, too. All I could think about was how bad I wanted it, so I grabbed it, opened it up, and snorted all of it." Another pause as Kate smoked and collected her thoughts.

"Now, Heaven gets ya high the minute it goes up your nose, but this stuff didn't. It felt like nothin' at first, just - like air, or somethin'. After a minute, though, I started gettin' this weird feelin' in my stomach, like...I dunno..." Like heat, only without the heat, thought Riddick. "...a nice, warm feelin', I guess," she continued. "Then I felt like I had to go to the bathroom all of a sudden - really bad. Before I knew it, I got sucked outta that dark alley and plopped right back on the floor in that guy's livin' room. I couldn't breathe, thought I was gonna die. I tried to crawl to the bathroom, but I could barely move, so I just stayed there in the middle o' the room, tryin' to breathe and call for help. I thought I got some bad Heaven or somethin'. Then I started pukin' - a lot. I just puked and puked til there was nothin' left to puke. And lemme tell ya, rancid blood makes some pretty nasty puke." She closed her eyes and shuddered, then drew on her pipe again. "After a while, I was able to get up, so I went to the bathroom, washed out my mouth, and took off. Left a big puddle o' puke on that guy's floor. Went to some whores I knew, they let me crash on their couch."

Kate stopped again for a few more puffs on her pipe. "After that, I wandered around all spaced out for about two weeks. I turned tricks, made money, got more Heaven. But it didn't get me high anymore - just made me sick. No matter what I did - booze, Heaven, Racer, Intensi-T - all I did was puke it right back up. I couldn't get high, I couldn't get drunk, I couldn't eat, and I could barely sleep. I was a wreck. That's when I met Bill."

She blew a final puff of smoke and leaned over to tap out the ash. "One night I was out trickin', and I grabbed this guy on the street to ask him if he was lookin' for a date. Tall guy, kinda thin, wearin' a big Stetson and cowboy boots. Soon's I touched 'im, I knew somethin' was up - it was like..." she sat still, pipe in hand, seeming to search for the right words, "...like he *knew* me, knew who I was and what happened to me. Like he got right in my head, ya know?" She set the pipe on the low table, then leaned back thoughtfully into her chair. "Caught me by surprise, to say the least. I was so weak by then, the strain was too much - I just passed out right there in front of him."

"When I woke up, I was in the back o' his transport, next to a buncha crates, on my way to West Texas. That's what he said, anyway, when he looked back and saw I was awake. I went back to sleep and didn't wake up again til he had me in his house. I was in a big bed, and I saw him and this young guy leanin' over me, whisperin' and mixin' stuff in glasses. They made me sit up and drink somethin', then let me go back to sleep for a while."

"Long story short here - little late for that, I guess - " here she offered Riddick a small smile - "his name was Bill Meacham, and I was on his ranch somewhere near El Paso. Said he brought me there 'cause I was just like him. So was that young guy that lived with 'im." She stopped and looked intently at Riddick for a long moment. "Same way you're just like me." She waited, letting it sink in. "And right now, you need someone to tell you who and what you are, the way Bill did for me. So you'll understand what's happened to you. So you'll know what to do about it."

They sat staring each other down across the small table. Finally Riddick spoke. "I don't need shit from you, lady. 'Specially not this - "

"Mystical crap, I know..." Kate interrupted, nodding patiently. "I knew you'd say that, same way I said it to Bill." She shrugged. "Ok. Let's say you *don't* need my help. Let's say I just shut up and let you go on the way you're goin'." She leaned forward, fixing him with a hard stare. "What happens when you get over this situation you're comin' out of? What happens when you realize the old Riddick is still in there, when you finally take off and leave everyone who gives a shit about you so you can go back to bein' him? What happens to them?"

Riddick closed his eyes and lowered his head, his mind suddenly awash with sensations and images - Jack's worshipful gaze; Imam's hand on his head in blessing; Carolyn's sleep-warmed body moving gently into his arms. Carolyn. Almost lost you.

"You love her, don't you?" Kate's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "You love all of 'em."

He said nothing, and tried to make his face an expressionless mask.

"Well, they love *you*. They'd do anything to save your ass. They'd lie for you. They'd even die for you."

Riddick's head snapped up at that. She almost did.

I know, said the look on Kate's face. Or did he actually hear her say that?

"Why would they do that?" asked Kate. "They know what you are, and still they'd risk everything to protect you. They *are* riskin' everything. 'Specially Carolyn - she could go to prison for helpin' you."

He still said nothing. What could he say - she was right. Right about all of it.

"Let's talk straight here, Riddick, ok?" Kate's voice took on a tone of command. "You have a decision to make here- a damn big one - and you know it. You've been floatin' around in a dream world. You think that just *actin'* like a different man'll *make* you a different man - but it won't. Trust me, I know. It's all well and good to think her love can save you from yourself - that helps, but it ain't just her. You gotta face the fact that somethin' inside has changed you, and it won't do you a damn bit o' good til you accept it and start livin' it for real."

Kate punched a finger in the direction of his and Fry's room. "She's real. Jack's real. Imam's real. Real people with real feelin's, and they all think you're stayin' here with 'em 'cause you care, 'cause that's the life you want now. But you hafta really want it. You hafta know it's the right life for you - otherwise, you're just fuckin' with 'em, and they deserve better. You keep on the way you're goin', and they'd be better off if you just packed up, walked outta here tonight and never came back."

She waited, watching Riddick's face. He still didn't speak.

"Riddick." She spoke more softly. "You know somethin' important happened to you, same way it happened to me, and I'm tellin' you honestly that if you just dismiss it as 'mystical crap' and pretend it never happened, you'll give up the only chance you have for a normal, happy life with the people you love. And that's no bullshit."

She stood up and stretched. "I'm all done preachin' now. The rest is up to you." She walked to the door at the opposite end of the room and turned back to him, her hand on the doorknob. "You think about what I said. When you decide you're ready, I'll tell you more. And Riddick?" He turned to look at her. "Don't lie to yourself - that's the most dangerous thing you can do right now. Trust me on that one." Then she was gone, closing the door behind her.

Riddick stared at the closed door, then leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. He stayed that way for a long time. How the hell am I supposed to sleep now, he thought. Then he heard the door open again, and looked up to see Fry entering the room. She came to him and sat on the side of the chair, slipping an arm around his shoulders. "Hi," she said softly, kissing the top of his head. "You all done in here?" He nodded. "Yeah, all done."

"Great," she gave him a quick squeeze and got up. "Let's go back to bed. We need a lot more sleep." He rose to follow her when she took his hand and gave it a gentle tug. They left the healing room and padded back across the dim courtyard to their room. The light in the other window was off now, and the dinner noises they'd heard earlier were gone. The only sounds were the wind in the trees and their feet on the stone tiles. Their silky robes fluttered softly against their bodies in the breeze as they walked.

Their room was dark again. Wordlessly, they slipped off their robes and got into bed. Riddick lay on his side and pulled Fry close to him, molding himself to her back and draping his arm over her. She curled her hand around it, much as she had that day in the shuttle when she'd clung to it for support. When he'd asked her if she wanted him, and she'd said yes.

Yes.

Yes, when he'd asked if she trusted him. Yes, when he'd asked her to stay with him. Yes.

"Hey, forgot to ask," Fry's drowsy voice piped up, "how's your leg?" He was glad he was lying on it so she couldn't touch it. "Good," he answered. "Doesn't even hurt now."

"Good," she whispered, rubbing her fingers on his arm.

He lightly pressed his lips into her hair and breathed in, filling himself with her. A flash of memory as he recalled slicing off that tiny lock of hair and breathing her in then, too. Carolyn, here, because of me. Because she wants to be.

His lips almost moved to whisper into her hair before he stopped them, and spoke only in his mind - Love you...

And he slept.

Knife's Edge (Part 17)

Riddick opened his eyes to find himself lying on his back, looking up at a sky full of brilliant stars. The prickle of short, stiff grass poked into the palms of his hands. He smelled junipers.

He sat up quickly, checking his surroundings. He was back on the grassy hill from his first dream, only this time he didn't remember swimming here. Looking down at himself, he found he was wearing his brown robe from Al-Fayed's. He didn't have a knife. Behind him on the flat hilltop was the same sprawling, oddly-shaped house. The blood ocean was gone - the hill was surrounded instead by grassy meadows, and a wide road ran past the bottom. Dotted across the distant dark fields were the tiny warm lights of other houses. It was nice, just sitting here looking out at them, wondering what all those families were doing right now in their snug homes. He studied the house behind him. It looked the same, but it *felt* different - darker, forbidding; he didn't want to explore it tonight. He turned around and faced the front of the hill. Wonder what'll happen this time, he thought. I sure as *hell* ain't walkin' through that damn back door again, no matter *who* calls me. He lay back down to enjoy the breeze and the stars.

He stayed like that for what seemed a good long while before he heard the sounds of someone approaching. He sat up again and looked around to find Ricky, the kid from his previous dream, walking towards him from the direction of the house. He was dressed the same, but had no tiny teacup filled with light this time. He padded over to Riddick and sat down beside him. "Hi," the kid said, looking up at him and smiling. "Hi," Riddick said back. The two of them sat quietly for a few minutes, just gazing at the stars and the homelights and the winding road. "You didn't get sick," Ricky finally said. "Nope," Riddick replied. "I had some help." He looked back at the kid. "You got any more o' that stuff?" Ricky thought for a moment, then answered slowly. "Yeah...but you can't have it yet."

"Why not?' asked Riddick. Ricky's face grew serious, and he pointed back over his shoulder at the house. "You have to take care of *him* first." Riddick looked where the kid was pointing. "Who? I don't see anyone." Then he heard a sound from inside - a deep, hollow, gutteral sound that could only be produced by a beast of great size. He still didn't see anyone, but he sensed the presence of - something, he wasn't sure what. Riddick slowly stood up, his eyes locked on the front door, preparing for whatever was in there to come out. His body tensed for battle - he reached for his knife, but found none. Cursing the beltless, pocketless robe he wore, Riddick searched the dark hilltop for anything he could use as a weapon. Nothing. He looked down at Ricky. "Kid, you better get outta here now. You might get hurt." Ricky shook his head, unconcerned. "He can't hurt me. He can only hurt you."

"What the hell is it, some kinda animal?" Riddick glanced from the child to the house and back again. "Look, kid, you better go. I think it's comin' out."

"No," said Ricky. "He won't come out. He wants you to go in." Riddick stared at the kid - he didn't *seem* scared, so maybe he was right. *He* sure as hell didn't want to go in, but some irresistable force was pulling him there. As he crept towards the house, the animal sound got louder, and he suddenly remembered what he'd seen in his last dream - the women, the kids. Holy fuck, that thing got the kids. He broke into a run. When he reached the door, he kicked it open and bolted into a large, dark room. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving him closed up with the unseen beast.

He swept his eyes from side to side in the gloom, still detecting nothing. None of the people he'd seen last time were here. He tried to remember what the rooms had looked like with the lights on. "Lights," he said. Nothing happened. The bestial noise suddenly sounded from somewhere in front of him - somewhere very close. He took a step back. "They're not here," said a deep masculine voice. Riddick knew that voice, but he couldn't remember from where. It sent a chill through him.

"Where is everyone?" he asked the voice, scanning for its owner in the shadows. "What'd you do with 'em?" The voice laughed, a low, evil laugh, enjoying Riddick's fear. "I didn't do *nothin'*," it said. "They were never here."

"But I saw 'em! They were here, they were all here last time!" Riddick yelled. "What'd you do, motherfucker?!?"

Another deep, evil laugh, this time closer to Riddick. A strong animal odor filled his nostrils. "Like I said - they were never here. Only me." The odor crept closer, and so did the voice - they were practically in his face, but he still couldn't see anyone. "Now it's just youuuu and meeeee..." the voice crooned sensuously, "just like oooooold tiiiiimes..."

Riddick shot backwards, reeling away from the smell and the voice. His hands flew out behind him, groping for a wall - they found one, and he pressed himself flat against it, heart pounding. He heard the man/thing walking slowly in his direction, sending his/its powerful primal scent surging towards him. He wanted out of here right now, but he couldn't move. He could barely breathe, barely think.

The voice laughed again. "You stupid motherfucker," it taunted. "You don't even know how to use it, do you?" Use what? What the fuck's he talkin' about? "See..." the voice continued, "I was right - you belong in here with me, not out there with them." Riddick tried to pry himself away from the wall and run, but he was frozen in place. "You don't know *what* the fuck you're doin'." He/it sounded pissed now. The steps moved closer. The animal scent was almost suffocating. "You can't do a goddam thing without me, and you *fuckin'* well know it."

Then, in the murky light from a nearby window, something took shape directly in front of Riddick. It looked like a large man. Its arm was raised as if to strike him, and he saw the glint of a knife blade in its hand. The shape stepped closer, its eyes flashing in an oddly familiar way. Riddick kept trying to peel himself off the wall, but it did no good - he was clearly about to die at the hands of this stinky, flashy-eyed, knife-wielding dream freak. At last the shape stood nose to nose with Riddick. "Say g'night, baby," it chirped cheerfully. In the split second before the knife came down, Riddick saw the face of the beast - it was his own leering countenance.

Instantly, he found himself sitting upright in the dark, disoriented, sweating and panting. He thought he might have screamed, but he wasn't sure. He closed his eyes, forced himself to calm down, then cautiously opened them again. He felt the soft bedclothes against his skin, the cool air of the dark room. Carolyn lay beside him, still sound asleep. Guess I *didn't* make any noise, if she's not awake and freakin' out, he thought. He was incredibly thirsty for some reason, so he slipped carefully out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, silently closing the door behind him. He grabbed one of the cups that had been left for them, filled it with water and gulped it down. He did this three times before he felt any better.

Replacing the cup, he sat down on the closed toilet in the dark bathroom, head in hands, trying to relax and bring his breathing back to normal. He rubbed his scalp roughly a few times, as if to wake up his brain. The dream kept replaying in his mind - he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something here, something very important. He'd picked up on all the obvious symbolism, but something was eluding him, something confusing...ah, now he remembered - something that thing - the shadow-Riddick - had said: "You don't even know how to use it, do you?"

Now what the hell is *that* supposed to mean? Use what? Use it how? He'd had nothing *to* use, anyway - he'd been unarmed. He found himself wishing it wasn't so late, so he could go and ask Kate about it. His head snapped up. Kate...something to do with Kate...something *she'd* said...what *was* it??? He got up and paced the small bathroom a few times, rubbing the back of his neck. In his mind, he picked away at their conversation like a stubborn lock, trying to remember everything she'd told him. He fidgeted, scratching an itchy spot on his wrist. Wrist, wrist, wrist...what *about* my wrist? He stood still, rubbing the itch away - and remembered. The tumblers of the lock fell into place.

"Lights, ten percent," he said in a low voice. He shielded his eyes with his hand and waited for them to adjust, then sat back down on the toilet. "Lights, twenty percent." He bent down to examine the scars on his leg. They looked the same as they had when he'd left the healing room - thin pink lines on healthy skin. He'd had cuts on his arms, too, if he remembered right. He looked. Nothing - not a mark on them. Like they'd never been cut at all. He sat for a moment and stared down at his leg scars, thinking. Kate said *he'd* healed the wounds. And something about how he'd gotten his hand off *her* wrist. Yeah, that was it.

He cast his mind back to that moment, when he'd been struggling to bend her arm away from him and stop the awful, wonderful swell of light getting ready to burst inside him. They'd fallen to their knees, he remembered that, and he'd been trying to let go of her wrist, but he couldn't. Then something had happened, and his hand had flown open and released its grip on her. What had he done? He closed his eyes and tried to recall the feeling - light swelling inside him, that terrible urge to evacuate...then the light flying unbidden out through his arm, and -

That was it. That's what had done it. He opened his eyes and looked down at his thigh again. He needed to try something. He couldn't believe he was even *thinking* of trying it - but under the circumstances, what the hell, why not. No one's lookin'. He scanned the bathroom, trying to find something sharp. He stood and opened the cabinet by the shower stall. Good - razors. He took one and sat back down. He broke off the head of the razor and laid the handle on the floor at his feet, then bent the plastic head back and forth until it broke too, exposing the slender blades inside. He carefully worked one up out of the plastic. "Lights, fifty percent." He winced as the lights increased, then blinked his eyes back open as they adjusted. He wasn't going to miss any of this. Nothing would happen, anyway, he was pretty sure of that - he just had to see for himself, that's all.

Ok, all ready. His heartbeat was increasing again. He blew out a slightly shaky breath. Ok. Ok...here we go. Ok. He breathed again. C'mon, just do it, ya big fuckin' pussy. It's not like ya haven't before. He positioned the edge of the thin blade on the web of skin between his left thumb and forefinger. Another breath, as he pressed it into the flesh, making a deep cut. Blood welled up from the wound, spilling over his hand and pattering onto the floor. The sharp pain woke him up, cleared his head a bit. Good, I need a clear head right about now, he thought. Ok, done. He dropped the twisted razor head at his feet, next to the handle and spatters of his blood.

Now what? He thought back to the moment before the light ball had left his gut and traveled through his arm. That's when it had been swelling inside him like a balloon. Ok, go for that feeling. See if you can get back there again. He closed his eyes, then quickly opened them again. No - gotta watch this, gotta see what happens. Prob'ly nothin', but still... He focused on the fresh, bleeding wound in his left hand. Ok, start makin' with the light down there, he silently told his gut. And waited. Nothing seemed to be happening. He bit his lip, concentrated on recalling the feeling of fullness and lightness he remembered. Still nothing. He sighed and let his head drop, shaking it dismally. I'm a fuckin' idiot - what the hell am I doin'?

Then the tickles started, tiny ones, deep in his bowels. He stopped breathing for a few seconds, just to check down there and make sure he wasn't imagining things. He wasn't - the feeling was really there. A thrill ran through him, and he sent the feeling a wild, wordless involuntary message of welcome. It grew slowly, turning, tickling inside him - not at all like the gotta-take-a-shit sensation he was used to by now. This was nice, friendly, even playful. Without knowing it, he smiled and gave a quiet little laugh as the feeling spiraled up from his depths and penetrated his stomach, then his chest. He willed it towards his left shoulder, and it went. Something like electricity started flowing down his arm. You need to hurry, he told the electric tickle. Then he pushed - hard.

He sucked in a deep breath as the current slammed through him like a lightning bolt. Holy shit! It didn't hurt, but man, it sure did knock the wind out of him. When he thought to check his wound, he couldn't tell if anything was different - there was too much blood. He moved to the sink and turned on the water, raising his wounded hand to the small stream - and stopped. He didn't know what he would find when he rinsed off that blood. Maybe he didn't *want* to know. His hand was trembling. He swallowed hard and breathed deeply a couple of times, then forced himself to thrust it shakily under the water.

As he watched, the partially congealed blood washed away bit by bit to reveal - nothing. Not a goddam thing. His hand. His *uncut* hand. Fuck, fuck, fuck FUCK!!! his brain screamed. He staggered backwards and collapsed onto the toilet, shaking and trying to catch his breath. He laid his hands on his thighs and gripped them, trying to focus on something real and solid. His wet, now-unwounded left hand covered his scars. Reflexively, he lifted it and looked underneath.

The scars were gone.

His mind gave in and went blank. He had no idea how to react to this. Numbly, distantly, he was aware of the words what did she do to me, this is not really me drifting repeatedly through his consciousness. He was past amazed, past scared - he was way past feeling anything at all now. He was just here, sitting naked and alone on a toilet in a dim bathroom with his scarless, unbroken skin - and no way to explain it to himself. He had no concept of time anymore, so he didn't know how long he sat there like that. It just seemed like the only thing he *could* do at the moment.

Then, in the midst of his oblivion, a sudden sharp sound in his mind, like someone snapping their fingers loudly right in front of his face.

Wake up, Riddick, said a firm voice in his head.

Who...??? his brain replied, still not all there. He knew this voice. Kate???

Snap out of it, hon. You can't sit there all day.

Yeah, ok...ok... He got to his feet absently, not sure if he'd said any of that out loud.

You back with the livin'? she asked.

He nodded, even though he was still alone. "Yeah, I'm here," he whispered, actually speaking this time.

Ready to listen now?

He nodded again. "Yeah."

He stood there for a moment, getting his bearings. He looked down at the floor. Gotta clean up that mess - won't do for Carolyn to come in for a quick piss and find blood and razor blades everywhere. He picked up the razor pieces and slipped then quietly into the disposal, then wet some tissue and wiped up the blood splatters. He threw that in the disposal as well. "Lights out." The bathroom dark again, he carefully opened the door and went back out into the bedroom. Finding his robe on the floor beside the bed, he slipped it on. He paused there, watching Carolyn, listening to her soft breathing. Without knowing why, he leaned over the bed and very gently placed his fingertips on her head. Sleep. He sent a tiny trickle of energy towards her. Sleep.

The courtyard was completely dark now, except for the glow of streetlights from somewhere beyond the wall. The fragrant trees still rustled pleasantly in the breeze. He saw no lights in the windows of the house, but he knew not everyone was asleep. He made his way quietly across the compound to the door of the healing room. When he opened it and stepped in, he saw Kate sitting in the dark in her padded chair, smoking and waiting for him, as he knew she would be. He closed the door behind him and once again took his seat across the low table from her.

They sat in silence, not really needing to say anything. She knew what was happening to him. He knew she knew. He also knew that he was in great danger, and not from her. He had no choice now but to trust her - she'd been dead right about everything so far, and he had to respect that, even if she scared the living shit out of him. *Especially* because of that - it took an awful lot to scare him anymore. Or *had*, anyway.

Kate puffed her pipe for a few minutes, taking the time to collect herself. This one's dangerous, she thought. Even more dangerous than me. More powerful, too. I better watch my step here. She looked at him through the smoke-filled gloom. Hope he doesn't find that out before he's ready - before he's made his choice. After one more deep draw, she took the pipe out of her mouth and blew out a cloud of smoke.

"So, Riddick..." she began. "You ever heard of the Tasters?"

He shook his head. "Not before we met, no. Who are they?"

She took another draw on her pipe and let the smoke rise gently out of the corner of her mouth. Here we go, ready or not. "They're us - you and me. That's what we *are*." She gestured between them with her pipe as she spoke.

Riddick pondered that for a moment. "So what does it mean?"

"It means," she replied, "that your life can never go back to what it was. Just like mine." She leaned forward in the shadows, emphasizing her words. "Accept what you are now, learn what to do with it, and your life'll be better'n you ever imagined. More painful, too - comes with the territory, sorry to say, but it's better'n your other choices."

"What other choices?" Riddick asked.

"Go crazy or kill yourself - or both. Happens a lot with us, 'specially the ones who don't get found right away."

Riddick blew out a long, slow breath as he mulled this over. "Lousy choices."

"Yup," Kate agreed, nodding and sucking on her pipe again. She sent another smoke cloud billowing around her head. "So what's it gonna be?"

Knife's Edge (Part 18)

Riddick threw up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa...just a fuckin' minute...all this crazy shit's goin' on, and you want me to just - go along with you?" Shaking his head, he slowly lowered his hands to rest on the arms of his chair. "I don't fuckin' *think* so. You got some explainin' to do, 'specially after that shit you pulled on me last night."

Kate shrugged, puffing on her pipe. "Ok. Fair 'nuff." She leaned over to tap out the ash and lay the pipe on the table as she blew a final smoke cloud over her shoulder. "I know all this is new to you, and I'm sure you weren't ready for it. Hell, *I* wasn't ready for it when it happened to me, either." She sat back cross-legged in her chair and folded her arms. "Ok, go ahead. Ask what you want. I'll do my best to answer."

Riddck sat forward. "Ok, first off - what the hell *did* you do to me last night? What was that *thing* you put inside me?"

"That 'thing' was already in there. I think you know *how*, too." She stared at him, waiting.

He thought back to that first weird dream, and how he'd drunk the contents of that tiny teacup. "I had this weird dream about drinkin' somethin', some kinda light - but that was just a dream."

Kate gave a small smile. "Didn't *feel* like a dream, though, did it? 'Specially after you woke up."

Riddick silently shook his head. She was right, he had to admit that to himself. Again.

She continued. "What I *did* last night was basically wake it up. I knew it was there when I met ya. I just had to see if you knew what to do with it."

"Hey, I didn't know *what* the hell I was doin'. It just - happened."

She nodded. "Yeah, but you were scared. You wanted to get away from me, so you instinctively used it to push me off. And now - " she pointed at him, "your little bathroom experiment proves you know how to call it up on purpose and direct it." She studied him for a moment. "Ain't quite got your mind around that one yet, have ya?"

Riddick laughed, let his head drop into his hands, rubbed his scalp. "*Fuck*, no. Could you?"

"I had to," she replied. "Took me a while, but I had help. So do you."

Riddick abruptly got up and started pacing around the room, distractedly rubbing the back of his neck. Kate waited as he made two complete circuits of the room before coming back to sit down again. "So what the fuck *is* this thing, anyway? And why'd it happen to me? I'm not even religious."

Kate laughed. "I'm not either - never was. Got nothin' to *do* with religion. It's just physics and genetics - ain't a whole lot more to it than that."

"Genetics? You mean, this shit's in my DNA?"

"That's about it," she said. "No one really knows why it happens. Some of us just *have* it. It's usually dormant til puberty, maybe early twenties. I've known a few who went through the Change when they were little kids, but that's pretty rare." She poked a finger at him. "You're pretty unusual yourself."

Riddick frowned. "How?"

"Well...you're the first I've known, or even heard of, who had a Change *this* late. How old are ya?"

"Thirty-four."

Kate blew out a long breath, casting her eyes down in thought for a moment. "Yep," she finally said. "You're the oldest, allright. Oldest one I know of other'n you had hers when she was twenty-three."

"Well, if it ain't religious, why the dreams? Seemed pretty fuckin' full o' religious symbolism to me."

"The Change is different for everyone," she said. "Some handle it better'n others, and for them it just - happens." She snapped her fingers. "No dreams, no symbols. They don't freak out, 'cause to them it's just another natural process, like growin' out fingernails or hair. Now, for the ones like us, who don't buy into 'mystical crap', as you called it, the subconscious uses whatever it has to - includin' dreams like yours and mine - to keep the conscious mind from shortin' out 'cause it can't handle the shock." She shifted in her chair, stretched a bit. "I gotta say, Riddick - you dealt with it pretty damn well, 'specially considerin' how late your Change was." Because you're so strong, she thought. Stronger than you know.

"Why are we called 'Tasters'? What does that mean?" he asked.

Kate settled back into her chair. "Ever heard the expression 'Tasting The Stars'?"

Riddick shook his head. "Nope."

"Well," she continued, "that's what the Change is called by some o' the more, uh - *symbol-oriented* among us, if you will." She smiled. "Y'know, people like shamans, priests, mystics, that sorta thing. So when we go through the Change, we're called 'Tasters of the Stars', or just 'Tasters' for short."

Riddick considered that for a minute. "So that's how Imam knew what was goin' on when I had that dream. He's a holy man, he knows all about that shit."

"Yep, most likely." Kate stood up. "You still thirsty?"

"Yeah," Riddick replied, before he realized he hadn't mentioned his thirst to her at all. He laughed to himself. Shouldn't surprise me by now. He watched Kate leave through the door at the other end of the room, then sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He still had lots of questions he needed answered - but where to start... For some reason, Jack popped into his mind. Wonder how she's doin' - she was pretty fucked up when we got here. He continued rubbing.

Suddenly, he found himself standing by a bed in a dim room, looking down at Jack's sleeping form. She lay on her back, breathing quietly, her hands resting on the covers. Behind him, a female voice said, "Hey...how'd you get in here?" He whipped around to find the petite blond woman who'd taken Jack inside when they arrived - she was sitting up in her bed and looking right at him. Holy shit - how *did* I get in here?

Just as suddenly, he opened his eyes and found himself still sitting in the dark healing room. His hands, which had been rubbing his eyes, hovered in front of his face. He made himself lower them slowly to the arms of the chair. The door to the hallway opened, and Kate came back in with a tray. He smelled that delicious soup again, and his stomach rumbled. She brought the tray over and set it down on the low table between them. On it was a huge mug of the soup and a big glass of water. He grabbed the water and quickly gulped most of it down.

As he set the glass back on the tray, the door opened again and the petite blonde woman poked her head out, softly calling Kate's name. Kate went to her, and they had a quick whispered conversation. The blonde woman looked over at Riddick, then disappeared, closing the door behind her. Kate returned to her chair, smiling. "You scared the shit outta poor Trish, ya know - poppin' in there like that."

"But I didn't fuckin' *go* anywhere," Riddick said. "Didn't even get up."

Kate laughed. "You didn't *have* to, hon." She took her seat again. "All you had to do was think about bein' there, and you were." She picked up her pipe and filled it again from the wooden box on the table.

"What's that stuff you smoke?" Riddick asked, picking up the mug of soup.

She finished tamping her pipe and lit it. "Katha leaf. Does a great job o' relaxin' ya without gettin' ya fucked up." She took a few puffs, sending out clouds of incense-like smoke. "Smells nice, too. Good aromatherapy."

Riddick took a few sips of the hot soup. Had it been any cooler, he would have gulped it like the water - he was ravenous. "So what else can I do now, 'sides healin' and - whatever that was I just did? Can I heal other people too?"

"'Course ya can," Kate answered from behind her smoke cloud. "That thing you just did is called 'bilocation', by the way. Or 'astral travel', or 'remote viewing' - whichever you like. It's all pretty much the same thing."

He sipped again as he tried to decide what to ask next. There was so much, it was hard to choose. After a few minutes of thought, he said, "This mean I'm s'posed to become a healer like you? I dunno 'bout that - just can't see myself doin' what *you* do."

"Shit, no," Kate laughed. "You can be whatever you want, like anyone else. This is just what I decided to do with *my* life. Always wanted to be a doctor, so I got my degrees - and here I am." She indicated the room with a sweep of her arm, pipe in hand.

"Why? If you can do this healin' shit already, why do you need degrees? Why can't you just - *do* it?" He sipped more soup.

Kate pondered for a moment. "Lotsa reasons." She puffed her pipe a few times. "I needed the mental discipline. I was always a hothead, and I needed some structure in my life - 'specially in my mind. I had to learn how to direct this thing properly, not just - " she waved her pipe for emphasis - "go shootin' it all over the place like a laser cannon. Use it the wrong way, people get hurt. Most important, though..." Here she leaned forward and fixed her gaze on Riddick. "Well...maybe I should show ya. Put your soup down, hon."

He set the mug back on the tray and waited as she got up and walked around the table to kneel in front of him, next to his leg. Her pipe hung out of her mouth, giving off its aromatic tendrils of smoke. "Lean back and relax, hon. And don't go nuts on me, ok? I do this all the time. Just relax and pay attention." Kate placed her hands together as if praying and gently rubbed them together, then laid one of them on top of Riddick's thigh. As he watched, she moved it back and forth, gradually increasing the pressure. Her hand felt warm - really warm. Too warm. Then it simply disappeared into his leg.

"Whoa! What the fuck - " Riddick's eyes flew wide open, and he tried to push himself up off the chair, but she grabbed his arm and made him sit down.

"Calm down, I ain't gonna hurt ya. I told ya, I do this all the time. Just sit still now, and tell me how that feels." She watched his face as she waited for him to answer.

"Your hand...is *in* my fuckin' *leg*. It's *in* my leg. What the fuck *is* this, some kinda magic trick?" His heart was really going now.

"Riddick, look at me, ok? C'mon, look at me." She snapped the fingers of her other hand, and he looked. "Ok, now tell me how it feels. Any pain?"

He looked back at his leg. "No," he managed finally. "Just - really warm." This has to be a fuckin' trick, he thought. He stuck his own hand right next to Kate's, and watched as it too, disappeared into his leg. With enormous effort, he forced himself to remain calm and move his hand in and out of his flesh - it felt like warm water. He yanked his hand back out, then impulsively swept it towards Kate's head. It went right through her.

"Hey, hey, hey..." she grabbed his waving hand and stopped it in midair. "Careful with that thing. Made my head spin."

He'd had about enough of this shit. He jumped out of the chair and backed across the room, stopping when he bumped into a cabinet. "You fed me fuckin' drugs or somethin'. What the fuck is in that goddam soup?"

Kate got up and stood there looking at him from beside the chair. "Will you keep your voice down? You'll wake up the whole goddam house." She took her pipe out of her mouth. "I didn't give you any drugs, ok? Now, calm down and think for a minute - do you *feel* drugged?"

He leaned back against the cabinet, bracing himself with his hands, and turned his attention inward. He stayed still, listening to his body. Other than a racing heart and faster-than-normal breathing, he felt fine. No dizziness, no hallucinations - unless you count stickin' your hand through someone's head, he thought. He looked back at Kate. "What the *fuck* am I s'posed to do now, just believe you? Fuck *you*, lady! And fuck all this crazy shit! I don't *need* this!" He pushed off from the cabinet and headed for the door to the courtyard, but Kate appeared in front of him, blocking his way. How'd she get all the way over here that fast?

"You don't *need* this?" she hissed into his face. "Well, tough shit, Riddick, 'cause you already got it, and it ain't goin' away. This is for life. You understand me?" He stood still and tried to stare her down. It didn't work. "Now you listen to me - you're gonna be like this the rest of your life. It ain't magic, and it ain't a drug trip. It's just the way you're made - the way *I'm* made. You think it was any easier for *me*?" She whipped a hand up and slapped it on top of his head. In a split-second nightmare blur, he saw and felt her agony as the tortured girl she'd been struggled with her new state of being, as she'd rejected over and over the comfort and advice of her mentors, then descended into a self-made pit of blackness and despair from which there seemed to be no escape. When she removed her hand, he dropped to his knees, doubling over and letting his forehead rest on the floor. He was gasping for air.

Kate knelt in front of him and pulled him up on his knees to face her, cradling his face in her hands. She spoke gently, as a mother would to a child. "Riddick, please listen. I don't wanna hurt you. I don't wanna tell you what to do with your life. All I wanna do is what someone else did for me when I was just like you. If they hadn't been there for me, I'da been dead a long time ago." She gave him a tender smile. "You saw what a mess I was after my Change, didn't you?" She waited, and he managed a weak nod. "But look at me now, what a good life I have. If a drugged-up little murderin' vampire wannabe can make it, you sure as hell can. You just gotta trust me, you gotta accept what you've become. This is what you're s'posed to be, you were born to it. You're part o' the natural order o' things - just a part most people never see, like air molecules or the core of a planet. You're not a freak, and neither am I. Neither are all the others like us. It's just in our blood to be this way."

Riddick's mind was about to give again, he could feel it. He couldn't take much more of this. All he wanted was his dark room, his soft bed, and Carolyn's warm, living, and very real body breathing peacefully beside him. Kate seemed to sense this, seemed to know that she'd pushed him as far as she could for now. She patted his face and nodded. "Ok, we're done for tonight." She carefully helped him back to his feet. "You go on back to your room and get some sleep. Don't worry 'bout anything - just get up whenever you're ready. I'll make sure no one bothers ya." She looked searchingly into his eyes. "Ok? Ya hear me?" He nodded, and she guided him gently towards the courtyard door. His legs were shaking. "Can you get there ok by yourself, or should I take you?"

"I'm ok," he said weakly, opening the door and stepping outside. The fresh air seemed to help. He heard the door close behind him as he made his way across the stone-tiled expanse towards his room. When he got inside, he crawled shakily into bed without removing his robe and lay facing Carolyn's back. He wanted very badly to move closer and drape his arm over her as he had before, but he didn't want to wake her. Instead, he slid his hand towards her under the covers until his palm was flat against her back. He closed his eyes, focused on that small, warm contact, and smiled. She's dreaming about me, he thought, and his exhausted mind finally let go and tumbled back down into sleep.

To Be Continued...

Knife's Edge (Part 15)

Knife's Edge (Part 16)

Knife's Edge (Part 17)

Knife's Edge (Part 18)