5. Riddick: Playing For Keeps

Two hours later, Riddick and two nondescript men entered the anteroom of the Seti Station morgue. At his nod, one of the orderlies approached. The man looked nervous, wiping his palms on his white coat.

"It's time?"

Riddick nodded almost imperceptibly. "It's time. Get her ready."

The man hesitantly extended his hand and Riddick slipped the evidence bags, data packet and credit key into it. Final stage of the transaction completed, the orderly turned and disappeared into the morgue itself.

Ten minutes passed. Riddick's companions shifted nervously, but he remained perfectly still.

Four months ago, in anticipation of this day, Riddick had "purchased" the body of an unclaimed Jane Doe who bore a strong superficial resemblance to Jack. The body had been held in stasis ever since. Certain modifications had been made to her to make the resemblance more pronounced. Final modifications, based on what he'd learned from his scanner sweep of Jack's body, were being made now.

In a day or two, the woman's body would be found by the police. They would quickly identify her as Audrey Jacqueline Kowalczyk. He'd already switched their dental, retinal, fingerprint and tissue type records in the computer systems, so the match would come up almost immediately. The hysterectomy and tracking implant would serve as confirmation.

Jack would officially be dead. The government might harbor suspicions, but all of the evidence would say that he'd hunted her down and murdered her. He -- and the real Jack -- would be long gone before they could even begin to make a move.

It was too bad he couldn't fake his own death as easily, but his records, for whatever reason, had been plastered with electronic safeguards. He'd tried, several times, to get into them, but each attempt had ended in spectacular failure and he'd been forced to flee for his life as alerted shock troops closed in.

His first try at his records had resulted in his ride on the ill-fated Hunter-Gratzner. The second of those attempts had gotten Jack shot. He still winced whenever he contemplated it.

Funny how she'd grown up while he wasn't looking.

Actually, he had been looking. He'd come up with a long-standing arrangement with a very talented photographer-cum-detective, years before. As a result, he'd frequently received packets of data and pictures at various drop-sites, showing him how the girl was doing. He'd known her vital statistics backward and forward -- and had used them to select his Jane Doe -- and had seen how her hair had grown out into a luxuriant golden mane, and how her thin, straight figure had blossomed into curves.

Still, knowing she'd grown into a beauty hadn't prepared him for the impact it would have on him. He'd still envisioned her as his little teenaged tomboy sidekick -- and she still talked like it, he'd noticed -- but that wasn't what he'd found himself face-to-face with.

Knowing she'd grown breasts hadn't prepared him for the feel of them under his hands when he'd frisked her. That had been a startling moment that had almost cost him his composure. She'd saved him -- possibly saved them both -- by swearing a blue-streak at him, just like the Jack he remembered.

The door to the morgue opened and thhe orderly gestured them in. Riddick entered, followed by his two silent associates.

The body was on a gurney, draped. Riddick lifted the sheet and examined the handiwork he'd paid for. Somewhere deep inside him a tiny part of him shivered, imagining for a moment that this really was Jack on the slab. If it had been, the crimes apparently perpetrated upon her would have incited him to bloody vengeance. Only him, though. He was the only one who truly cared about her.

Ironic that everyone would soon think he'd murdered her.

The work was satisfactory. Convincingly brutal. The work of a true psycho-beast. He'd picked his accomplices well and gotten his money's worth. He nodded and lowered the sheet.

Without a word, the orderly disabled the alarms on the emergency exit and opened it so Riddick's colleagues could wheel the body out. He turned and left the way he'd come. Round over, game just beginning. Time to leave this dive.

He left the morgue and headed back to the Total Eclipse, making sure that he wasn't followed. Hadn't happened in years, but there had been a few occasions, and he made a point of being ready for them.

Once on board, he checked in on Jack for a moment. She was still under, and should be for several more hours. Excellent. He went to his room and quickly changed into his Captain Mason guise. It was a comprehensive outfit, complete with hairpieces and spectrum contacts that made his eyes appear hazel. When he was done, the man looking back at him in the mirror bore only the vaguest resemblance to Richard B. Riddick.

He left the ship a few minutes later, heading for the restaurant he'd booked. This part of the charade was absolutely essential to their getaway.

The Ecliptic was in one of the higher-rent parts of the station. He'd picked it for the name, mostly, but the ambiance was quite nice. He'd have to remember to actually bring Jack here next time they came through.

The hostess, a shapely woman he wouldn't have minded spending a few hours with, came over to him with a slightly-warmer-than-professional smile. "Do you have a reservation, Sir?"

He nodded. "Captain Mason, party of two."

Her smile widened a notch. "This way, please. Your companion has not yet arrived."

He gave a nonchalant shrug as she led him to a small table. This was working out well. The little spark of chemistry between them guaranteed that she'd remember this little enactment with clarity.

For old times' sake he ordered a glass of Shiraz and sipped it while he waited. The minutes dragged on.

He made a point of glancing at his chrono periodically. When his waitress returned to ask if he wanted more wine, he let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm ready to order," he informed her. He followed up with a muttered aside that was deliberately pitched so that she'd hear and remember it. "I'm not waiting any longer for some damned flighty kid..."

She frowned a little but took his order without comment.

The food turned out to be excellent. He'd definitely have to bring Jack here someday. He took the time to enjoy it, in anticipation of the bland travel rations he'd soon be subsisting on once more. Every few minutes he glanced at the restaurant entrance with a look of growing irritation.

Finally the meal was done. He paid his check, tipping the waitress generously to make sure he stuck in her mind, too.

On his way out, he paused by the hostess. The smile he gave her was designed to enhance her recall of him and ensure that her memories had a very positive feel to them. He might need the Captain Mason identity again someday, after all. The real Captain Mason would never need it again.

"Excuse me... do you have a comm system I might use?"

She let him use the one in the manager's office, as he'd hoped she would. The call would probably be recorded, which was ideal.

He coded in his credit number and made his call. It took a few minutes to go through as the signals traveled to New Ecuador and back.

"Herkimer Placement Agency," a voice on the other end finally said.

"I need to speak with Matthew Saunders," he said brusquely. "Immediately."

A long pause. "One moment, please."

An even longer pause.

"This is Matthew Saunders."

"Saunders, this is Mason. Your girl never showed up," he snapped.

Saunders, when he finally spoke, sounded apologetic but unsurprised. "I'm sorry to hear that, Captain. Are you sure she has arrived on the station?"

"Yeah, I spoke to her earlier. We were supposed to meet at the Ecliptic to go over the contract, and she never bothered to show. I'm under a time-crunch here. My launch window is in two hours. I can't be playing games with some irresponsible know-nothing kid."

"Captain Mason, I did advise you against hiring her, if you recall."

"Yeah," he answered, making sure he sounded disgusted. "You did. Next time, I'll listen. If she calls you, let her know I had to ship out. I won't be back for three or four months. If she can afford to stay here until I get back, she's welcome to do so and I'll give her one more shot. Otherwise, tell her to use that damned return ticket."

He waited until Saunders' apologetic platitudes began before he switched off the comm system. He left the restaurant shaking his head and muttering sourly, the very picture of irritated disappointment.

Jack would soon be a "missing person," which would make the identification of "her" body even faster. And Mason had an alibi of sorts.

A good few hours' work. Round two over. Time for them to leave Seti Station.