Two Dollars

Riddick heaved with all his strength trying to pry open the sealed hatch with brute force, to no avail. He turned back to Security Chief Gloam. She slammed her fist on the security console. "God-Damn hacker bull****! Even my root commands aren't ****ing working!"

"You people just had to start testing a project weaponizing nanomechs AND s***-can the smartest computer programmer on the station on the same day, didn't you?" Roddick mocked.

"The Paperboy didn't have clearance to even know about the project," Gloam retorted. "Besides," she continued, "he was better off not knowing," and she went back to typing furiously on the terminal.

Riddick tilted his head, sure he'd heard something in the distance of the long corridor. "How long until your friends on the other side can get this thing open?" he asked. She looked up from the security console and brushed her hair from her eyes with her cybernetic limb.

"Five minutes, maybe six," she said. Gloam sidestepped the pooled blood on the deck plating and waved at the sensors again. She gave the camera the finger when the monitor above the hatch continued to flash "Access Denied".

"We might not have that kinda time," Roddick said, gesturing down the hall, and Chief Gloam turned. The swish-thump of poorly moving limbs on the deck was now clearly audible. Three shambling forms lurched into view in the flickering hall lights, a fourth following with much more assured and balanced steps. "Seems like Johnny is pretty intent on collecting his bonus," Riddick muttered as he drew his long, curved fighting knives.

"****, I thought those assholes were dead," Gloam said, drawing her coil pistol and mono blade.

"I think they were," Riddick said. "But it looks like they got over it. Seems like a lot of trouble over a couple bucks, though..."

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Iron Painter 2016 Round 2 Entry

"In Space No One Can Hear You Scream, 'I Want My Two Dollars!'"

All miniatures are from Mike McVey's Sedition Wars: The Battle for Alabaster, Kickstarter Upgrades for said game, and a terrain expansion pack also for Sedition Wars. The extremely Riddick looking character was a Kickstarter exclusive. GW and P3 paints used.