PITCH BLACK

     An icy hand grips her heart. Soundlessly, Fry backtracks her
     chain, but...

     Something shadows across the exit. It stops her cold.

     Her hand finds something new. She angles it to the light. It's
     one of Zeke's boots -- with a bit of Zeke still in it.

     CLICKITY-CLICKITY-CLICKITY....

     The whole chamber is coming alive around her, shadows unfurling,
     skulking the perimeter, circling.

     Something impales the boot out of her hand, reclaiming it. It
     was faster than a lightning-strike.

     A paralyzed beat before...

     Fry makes her move, rolling back into the shaft of daylight and
     springing straight up into...

     INT. SPIRE - DAY

     The spire. Bracing against the walls, Fry tries to "walk" her
     way up -- but her chain goes taut. Did it catch on something?
     Or did something catch it? Fry starts pounding the earthen walls.

                              FRY
               Here! I'm in HERE, HERE, HERE!

     EXT. GRAVE-SITE - SPIRED HILLS - DAY

                              IMAM
               Did you hear....

     They drop down and suspend their heads over the bloody grave,
     listening. Nothing now.

     INT. SPIRE - DAY

                              FRY
               I'm over here in the --

     Something tugs on her chain.

                              FRY
               Oh, God....

     CLOSE on her feet. Kicking hard at the walls, trying to gouge
     out footholds.

     A stronger tug. Fry loses altitude, slipping closer to...

     The MADLY CLICKING LAIR below.

     She tries to jettison her belt -- but can't brace herself up and
     undo the belt. Suddenly...

     Something explodes near her head. Daylight appears, followed by
     faces, human faces. They're breaking through the spire with the
     pick-ax. Hands reach inside...

     EXT. SPIRED HILLS - DAY

     ...and birth her into daylight. Overlapping:

                              JOHNS
               We got you...it's okay, it's okay...we got
               you now....

                              IMAM
               The child heard you before any of us could
               even....

                              SHAZZA
               Did you find him? You find Zeke?

                              FRY
                         (half insane)
               ...wasn't Riddick...it was...it was...
               goddamn, that was stupid....but wasn't
               Riddick. Somethin' else down there that
               got Zeke and nearly got --

     Her. She flies back into the spire. Something's still got the
     chain.

     The others grab at flailing limbs. It's a tug-of-war now, human
     hands on one end, unseen "hands" on the other -- and the humans
     are losing. Until...

     Imam unsheathes his blade...

     And slices through Fry's belt.

     INT. SPIRE - DAY

     As the chain falls down the spire. Without Fry.

     INT./EXT. CRASH SHIP - DAY

     FAST SHOTS: Survivors packing up O2, liquor, umbrellas, the
     Koran -- whatever qualifies as "essential" on this planet. Amid
     the activity, Audrey pauses to look at...

     The spired hills.

     INT. BATTERY BAY - CRASH SHIP - DAY

     Fry and Imam pull a power cell from the ship's battery bay,
     THUMPING it down on the deck.

                              IMAM
               One is all?

                              FRY
               For now.

     INT. CARGO HOLD - DAY

     At his personal locker, Johns digs out a box of shotgun shells.
     He bypasses the blue-metal shells for a red-metal one. There's
     something special about it -- though what, we can't be sure.

     INT. MAIN CABIN - CRASH SHIP - DAY

     A shadow falls over Riddick. He doesn't look up.

                              RIDDICK
               Found somethin' worse than me, huh?

                              JOHNS
               We're movin'. And I'm just wondering if
               I shouldn't lighten the load right now.

     Now their eyes meet. Johns RATCHETS HIS SHOTGUN and points it
     at Riddick's head.

                              RIDDICK
               Woof, woof.

     The SHOTGUN EXPLODES. CAMERA PANS off of Johns to show
     Riddick still alive. The shotgun discharged next to his head and
     blew off his wrist chains.

                              JOHNS
               Want you to remember this moment, Riddick.
               The way it coulda gone and didn't.

                              RIDDICK
                         (deaf)
               Say that again.

                              JOHNS
               Here's the deal. You work without the
               chains, without the bit -- without the
               shivs. You help us get off this rock....

                              RIDDICK
               For what? The honor of goin' back to some
               asshole of a cell?

                              JOHNS
               Truth is, Riddick, I'm tired of this
               head-up shit. I wanna be free of you as
               much as you wanna be free of me.

     A beat. The future rearranges in Riddick's head.

                              RIDDICK
               You'd cut me loose, Boss?

                              JOHNS
               Only if we both get outta this alive.
               And there may be a way.

     He offers a hand to help Riddick up, to seal the deal.

                              RIDDICK
                         (staring at hand)
               My recommendation: Do me. Don't take
               the chance that I'll get shiv-happy on
               your wannabe ass. Ghost me, Riddick.
               Would if I were you.

                              JOHNS
               If you were me, I'd kill us both. C'mon,
               you wanna sit at the grown-up table or not?

     A beat. Riddick reaches out for the hand -- and grabs the
     shotgun with his off-hand. A blur of movement. Suddenly Johns
     is staring at the eyes of his own shotgun.

                              RIDDICK
               Want you to remember this moment.

     He pumps shotgun, spitting blue shells over Johns. He drops the
     emptied gun and walks away.

     EXT. PLANET - DAY

     EXTREMELY WIDE: Blue sun setting, yellow and red sun rising.
     The survivors trek for the settlement. Fry and Imam lug the
     power cell between them, but the real load is shouldered by...

     Riddick. Promoted from murderous monster to beast of burden,
     he tows a drag-sled heavy with cargo.

                              PARIS
                         (to Johns)
               So just like that. Wave your little wand
               and he's one of us now.

                              JOHNS
               Didn't say that. But least this way I
               don't have to worry about falling asleep
               and not wakin' up.

                              IMAM
               Well, I feel we owe Mr. Riddick amends.

                              SHAZZA
               Oh, right. Let's all line up and beg his
               forgiveness. Right you are.

                              IMAM
               At least give the man some oxygen....

                              JOHNS
               He's happy just bein' vertical. Leave him
               be.

                              AUDREY
               So I can talk to him now?

                              JOHNS/SHAZZA
                         (in unison)
               No.

     Paris drops a wine bottle. Trailing, Riddick collects it.

                              PARIS
               Paris P. Ogilvie. Antiquities dealer,
               entrepreneur.

                              RIDDICK
                         (shaking hands)
               Richard B. Riddick. Escaped convict,
               murderer.

     Instead of returning the bottle, Riddick opens it and drinks.
     Paris hurries to catch up to the others.

                              PARIS
               You know, if I owned Hell and this
               planet...I believe I'd rent this out and
               live in Hell.

     EXT. THE GAUNTLET - DAY

     FRY'S POV: Of spires high above us.

     The group falls silent as they transit the canyon, all eyes on
     the spires. Fry stops short, hearing...

     CLICKITY-CLICK.

     Neck hairs rise -- but soon the sound vanishes. The group starts
     moving again, faster.

     CLICKITY-CLICKITY-CLICK.

     Are they being stalked? Nervously, Fry traces the sound back
     to...

     Beads dangling from the belt of Pilgrim #1. Whenever he moves,
     the STRINGS CLACK together.

     EXT. SKIFF - DAY

                              PARIS
               I mean, usually I can appreciate antiques,
               but, uh....

     The survivors have reached the settlement. Fry is trying to get
     the power cell aboard the skiff as the others walk its exterior.

                              JOHNS
               Little ratty-ass.

                              FRY
               Nothing we can't repair -- so long as the
               electrical adapts.

                              SHAZZA
               Not a star-jumper.

                              RIDDICK
               Doesn't need to be. Use this to get back
               up to the Sol-Track Shipping Lanes, stick
               out a thumb. You'll get picked up.
                         (to Fry)
               Right?

     Fry looks from Riddick to Johns. "How did he know that?"

                              FRY
               Little help here?

     They muscle the power cell aboard. Riddick starts to follow, but
     Johns blocks. He doesn't want Riddick inside.

                              JOHNS
               Check those containers for me. See what
               we can patch wings with.

     EXT. SETTLEMENT - DAY

     With religious fervor, the Chrislams are repairing the moisture-
     recovery unit -- the machine Allah led them to.

     INT. SKIFF - DAY

     START on the battery bay. Hands are adapting the power cell to
     the skiffs older electrical system. Soon...

     Lights wink on throughout the ship.

                              FRY
               Okay, that should buy us a sys-check.
               But we'll need more cells.

                              JOHNS
               How many?

                              FRY
               15 6-gigs here...90 gigs total...other
               ship carries 20-gig cells, so...five.
               Five total to launch.

                              JOHNS
               25 kilos each, huh?

                              SHAZZA
               Old sand-cat outside. See if I can't get
               it up and chuggin'.

                              JOHNS
               Do it. And if you need an extra hand,
               tap our problem child out....
                         (looking out)
               Where's Riddick?