Opening the door, the man staggered into his apartment, carefully locking
the door behind him. Then he noticed his light was on, and groaned from the
pain in his leg. Drawing his gun, he heard a voice speak.

"If I was here to kill you, I would have already." The voice was low and
female, and seemed to come from all around. He didn't relax, and she
chuckled.

"You made the nightly news. At least, you did if that was you who bombed
that building."

"So what if it was? What do you want?" It came out harsher than he'd
intended, but his leg was throbbing painfully.

"I want to leave the city, but I can't. Pesky monitor band and all."

He knew about monitor bands. Only the really dangerous wore them.

"Whadda ya want me to do?"

"I can't touch it, but maybe you could. Maybe you could blow it off."

"With a bomb?" He moved into his living room/bedroom, where he saw the girl
sitting on his bed. "Why don't you just shoot it off?"

"It won't break from the outside. I need something small, to blast it from
the inside out."

"Which is where I come in, right? What's in it for me?" he asked, moving
towards her. He knew, that even with his wounded leg, he was a handsome
man, and she was obviously sure in her sexuality. Making his eyes say what
he didn't out loud, he blinked when she snorted.

"They're coming for you. A merc named Logan knows where you live, and what
you've done. He has pictures."

"Shit!" he breathed. He knew Logan had been on his trail for awhile. That
was definitely more important than fucking her. "All right, I'll do it.
After you help me with my leg."

"Deal." She stood and offered her spot, which he took. "Where are your
bandages?"

"The kitchen, third drawer down, middle counter."

As she went after the bandages, he pulled off his pants, hissing as the
wound was scraped. Sex was no longer on his mind, as he stared at the large
cut. That would teach him to get too close to a burning building.

After she had cleaned and bandaged his wound with the best efficiency he'd
seen in a while, he calmly slipped a mini-bomb he'd been working on into the
lock of the band on her ankle. Wrapping her lower leg in a blanket, he
pushed the detonate button, making her wince and clutch at the bed-post.

Calmly removing the blanket, he cleaned her ankle up.

"We need to go," she said, examining his bandaging job.

"That we do. Window or door?"

"I don't think we could make it out the window," she half-smiled.

"Right. Door it is."

As the pair limped to the door, he thought of something. "What's your
name?" he asked.

"Tara. Yours?"

"Duo."

She glanced at him curiously. "Is that your real name?"

"Is Tara yours?" He shot back, and she smiled.

"Point."

She opened the door, and the man on the other end, his hand raised to knock,
blinked in surprise, then in shock, as Tara shot him.

"Fuck!" Duo said. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Someone you knew?" she asked, quickly searching the body.

"My landlord."

Tara held up several guns, all safety's off. "Does he always go so heavily
armed?" she asked sardonically.

Going past the body, they were confronted by a tall willowy man, pointing a
gun at them.

"Logan," Tara said calmly.

"Tara? What are you doin' off premises? And in such unsavory company?"

"As opposed to you?" she asked.

"You've captured the bomber. Feather in your cap. Now hand him over."

"Why would I do that? He helped me," Tara smiled at the bounty hunter.

Logan glanced downward, then up. "Tara," he started in a scolding voice.
"Those bands cost a lot."

"I know. That's why I'm turning this guy in myself."

"You're what?" Duo shrieked, trying to get away, but the girl held him
tight.

"Yourself." Logan snorted. "You, a murderer, convict- Excuse me,
*reformed* convict, and one of the few with a monitor band- conspicuously
missing, of course- will turn him in."

There was a clicking sound behind them, and Tara felt a gun muzzle pressed
against her back.

"Let's go," Logan said, smiling coldly.

It was almost peaceful, in the prisoner's cryo-room, Riddick decided, but
only because Jack was under sedatives. Unfortunately, there were only two
cryo-chambers for prisoner's, and Riddick heard several voices that sounded
like there would be a third person residing in the back room.

There was a beeping sound, and Riddick opened his eyes slightly. Coming
through the door was Logan, the bounty hunter who had captured him by
dropping several pounds of bricks onto his back. He had with him a girl,
who only minutely struggled with her bonds. Another man followed the
mercenary, carrying a boy bound and shackled, a bloody bandage wrapped
around his left thigh.

Tossing the boy onto the floor, the man turned around to help Logan secure
the girl.

"No, no," the bounty hunter refused. "I can handle her."

Throwing her against the wall, Logan hit her in the back of the head with
his gun, then chained her to the wall.

With a swift movement, however, her legs were up and kicking, her bare feet
getting the bounty hunter in the jaw. There was a sharp crack when Logan
retaliated, slapping her across the face. The other man quickly shackled
her feet together. Riddick noticed she winced more when her right ankle was
touched, than when she had been hit.

"Maybe I won't take you in alive," he mused out loud. "I'm getting enough
for him over there, so your price is paltry anyway." He leaned in closer,
licking his lips in appreciation of her struggling form, before leaving,
taking the other man with him, and securing the door with a passkey.

With one swift movement, she ripped her hands free of their loose
restraints, but not without consequences. The sides of her hands were
shredded, already seeping as she fell to the floor with a thump, hissing
loudly. Rolling over, she checked the shackles on her ankles, before
reaching into her shirt, and wincing slightly, pulling a bloody strip of
metal out. Bending it in half, she swiftly stuck the wire into the
old-fashioned key hole, freeing herself in several seconds. She shoved the
metal back under her shirt, wincing again.

Riddick watched as she rubbed her ankles and ripped two swathes of cloth
from her loose shirt, carefully binding her bleeding hands. As she turned
her arms over, to examine and stretch her hands, he noticed the grey
bandages around her wrists, that at one time had been firmer. Feeling the
back of her head, Riddick saw her check her fingers for blood.

She stood finally, and limping over to his cryo-chamber, looked at him.

"Why are you locked up like that? What did you do?"

"I'm an escaped mass murderer," he said calmly, his eyes closed again.

"Are you blind? Why don't you open your eyes?"

He smiled softly. "I don't like the light," he answered truthfully.

"Open them," she commanded.

He slitted his eyes slightly, just barely allowing her a glimpse of the
shined membranes, before drawing back.

"I had a friend with eyes like yours," she whispered.

"Yeah, and what happened to him?"

"*She* and I had to part ways. It doesn't matter. Now, before I wreak
havoc, tell me why I should let you go."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. Why should you?"

She glanced at him, then slipped around the back of his chamber, to return
with a gun, complete with silencer.

Taking careful aim, she shot the lock off, and entered the small box.
Producing a passkey, she slid it across the lock on his right arm.

"Couldn't you have done that with my door?" he asked her, and she grinned.

"Why? Shooting's more fun, but I figured you'd want your right hand." She
paused. "Unless you're left-handed. Whatever." She shrugged, putting the
key on a ledge as he rubbed his wrists, she turned to go. "You'll never
have to see me again."

Reaching out, Riddick grabbed her arm, turned her around, grabbed her gun
and tossed her into his old cell. Cocking the gun, he aimed it at her.
With a shake of her head, she turned slowly, facing the gun.

"Why did you save me?" he asked.

"I don't know, why did I?" she answered, grinning.

"How did you know the gun was there?"

"Guards always leave an extra gun or two lying around. They're stupid that
way. I also found these."

Riddick heard a swooshing sound, and he grabbed her wrist. She inhaled
sharply, and he remembered and felt the bandages.

"Tried to kill yourself, did you?" Riddick asked quietly, as she tugged
ineffectively at his grip.

"None of your fucking business, asshole! Let go of me!"

He pulled the goggles from her hand, and let her arm go. When she looked
back, his eyes were covered, and he was smirking. He withdrew the gun, and
went over to Jack's chamber. Sliding the key through the lock, he caught
her as she fell forward, her restraint's clinking.

Undoing them took a second, and Riddick held his finger to his lips,
signifying silence.

"Duo! Shit!" The girl whispered, looking at the person who had been brought
in with her. "Gimme that key," she motioned at Riddick.

"Why?"

"Cause I know him, and those shackles are coded. Not like mine were. I
think Logan was gonna go after someone else, but I don't know who. We gotta
leave, but we're taking Duo with us."

"Duo?" Jack asked, a confused look on her face.

"How well do you trust him?" Riddick asked, handing her the key.

"More than I trust you. Which doesn't say anything."

The boy slowly opened his eyes. "Tara?" he asked, faintly moving to check
his restraints. She smiled.

"Yeah. Hold on."

"You bitch! You tried-" He began to cough, and she winced.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"There's something I need to tell you." Another cough. "It was on Logan's
time sheet, in his bag. He got some guy named Riddick."

"Who?" Tara asked.

"Me," came the gruff voice, and Tara turned. The gun was pointed at her
chest. "Gotta problem with that?"

"*You're* Riddick? The psycho mass murderer that escaped forever ago? Last
I heard, you'd been caught by Johns." Tara leaned her head back slightly,
away from the gun.

"Well, Johns had a little problem. Ya see, he was afraid of the dark, and
his closet monsters got him."

"They got Fry, too," Jack muttered behind him.

"Isn't this a lovely party," Duo said cheerfully, coughing again. "Two
killers, a pyro and a kid. Beautiful."

"*Two* killers?" Riddick asked.

"Why do you think I'm wanted? And I'd just gotten on parole, too," Tara
grinned wistfully, quickly flipping up the back of her hair. There, at the
base of her hairline was a small prison barcode.

"Kid?!" Jack demanded.

"Yeah," Duo said, "A little boy who looks like a girl."

"Uh, Duo? She is a girl," Tara said, smiling.

He looked back and forth between the two females, who both nodded.

"Isn't this lovely," Duo repeated. "How are we supposed to get out of here?
I have the feeling this place isn't going to be cake getting out."

"Well, we haven't left, so I'm betting Logan's going after his other
victim," Tara said, examining the back door.

"Why does he need anyone else?" Riddick asked. "He has me."

"Well, aren't we conceited?" Duo said sarcastically, watching the door
leading into the prisoner's section.

With a quick movement, Tara drew her gun, and Riddick drew a shiv she
hadn't seen before. She calmly shot the lock off, then turned to him, gun
lowered.

"A little defensive, aren't we?" she asked, as Duo slipped past them. Jack
followed, along with Tara.

There was a loud beeping, and a soft red glow filled the prisoner's section.
Logan immediately came through the door, weapon charged.

"They're loose!" he bellowed, and several men followed, all armed and
prepared for war.

"Holy shit!" Duo exclaimed, his leg giving out as the others ran.

"Duo!" Tara said, turning around. There was Duo, trying to follow with his
bad leg.

Grabbing him around the waist, Tara half-lifted him with her, following
Riddick at a distance. When they finally caught up with Jack and Riddick,
Duo was gasping for breath.

"Are you two coming?" Riddick asked, pointing at an oncoming train.

"What do you want us to do?" Duo asked, leaning against the wall, and Tara
knew his leg was bothering him.

"Leap onto it," Jack said, her train of thought in tune with Riddick's.

"You want us to leap onto a moving truck?" Duo gasped.

"Can't do it? I have no qualms about leaving you behind," Riddick told him.
"We have a couple seconds. Are you in or out?"

"I'm in," Duo snarled, and Tara nodded.

"Okay. On three, I'm going to toss Jack at the ladder. Tara next, Duo
third and me last. One!" The truck loomed closer, and Riddick picked up
the girl. "Two!" He heaved her over his head. "Three!" Jack flew through
the air, landing with a yelp on the ladder. She slipped, then scrambled up,
as Tara landed below her. Jack made it over the top, as Duo landed over
Tara. With mutual effort, Tara and Jack helped Duo get onto the top of the
truck, as Riddick landed below Tara on the ladder.

"You guys, tunnel!" Jack shouted above the roar of the other vehicles.

"Shit!" Tara snarled, trying to climb up the ladder faster. She felt
Riddick directly behind her, and her body froze in the natural predator/prey
instinct.

"Move!" Riddick yelled, grabbing her arms. She shrank away from him as Jack
screamed, "Duck!"

Suddenly Riddick was over her again, pushing her off the ladder.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Saving you!" Suddenly she was behind the ladder, as Riddick leapt onto the
top of the car. There was a whooshing sound, and Tara felt her knuckles
being grazed by the closeness of the wall.

After what seemed to be hours, Tara felt a hand grasp her wrist, and she
automatically pulled away struggling, with the huge hand.

"Stop it!" Riddick exclaimed, as he pulled her up.

"How are we gonna get off of here?" Jack was asking Duo.

"We jump?" he suggested, half-seriously, but when he saw Riddick's face, he
shook his head. "I was being sarcastic. You know, humor?"

"No, it's a good idea. At the next bank, we slide off."

"Are you nuts? You'll get us killed!" Duo protested.

"What's the matter, Duo?" Tara laughed. "You blow up buildings for fun.
What could be worse?"

"With my leg? You're nuts, too!"

"Trust me!" Riddick shouted, and shoved Duo off the train car. Tara yelled
and leapt after him, hitting the ground with a loud oof! She rolled after
Duo, as she heard Riddick and Jack land behind her.

At the bottom of the hill, Tara managed to land in a prickly bush, while she
noticed Riddick wasn't even out of breath. 'Owing,' softly, Jack stumbled
to her feet.

"Where are we?" Duo asked, putting pressure on his freely bleeding leg.
Tara bent over him, ripping a large strip from her already bedraggled shirt.

"It's gonna hurt," she said lowly, and her three companions noticed the
British accent she had picked up. She swiftly bandaged the wounded leg,
then grimaced as the blood seeped through the thin protection. "It's the
best we can do, for now. We'll get better, later on."

"Where'd you get the accent?" Jack asked, and Tara blinked.

"The-?" she started. "Oh, that." Suddenly, her voice was normal. "Um,
it's something I picked up. I sometimes switch. I can do about four
accents, and speak three languages."

"We're in sector nine," Riddick answered Duo's question, reading a nearby
street sign.

"Sector nine?" Tara asked, paling. "That's not good."

"Why not?" Jack asked curiously.

"Because there's people in here that know me as someone else. Not Tara."
She stood, offering Duo her hand. "We've got to go."

"Wait. Jack and I might just want to stay here," Riddick told her, raising
an eyebrow.

"Fine. I'm leaving. Duo, are you coming?"

"I'd rather be wounded and safe than whole and in this sector alone. I'm
goin'."

As they wandered down the street, both Riddick and Duo noticed Tara's
edginess, and constant twitching, to the point that every time she moved,
the other two went on guard.

Halfway to their destination, a pawnshop that doubled as a refuge for
criminals(for a price, of course), Tara's nervous watchfulness paid off, but
not soon enough.

"Katya? Katya, doll! What're you doin' here?"

Tara turned quickly, half shoving Jack behind her. "Law?" she asked in a
heavy British accent. The stranger opened his arms in a greeting, grinning
wildly, and Tara smiled back, stepping into the grasp. They embraced, but
Jack wasn't fooled. She had seen the wary look in Tara's eyes.

"How're you doin', Law?" Tara asked the stranger, sidestepping the question
he'd asked.

"I'm fine, girl, but you didn't answer my question." The man's eyes held a
twinkle, but Jack, who was closest, saw the threat of what would happen to
them if Tara didn't answer that time.

"Asylum, actually. Frankie's Pawn."

"Frankie's?" The man sounded shocked. "What did they do, kill more people
than you?"

Tara blinked at him, and a wide grin split his face.

"Well, then. I'll escort you."

Tara nodded dumbly, and Riddick cursed to himself when he saw that the man
had given them no alternative.

An hour later, Duo was being half-carried by Riddick, while Jack was
dragging limply behind them all. The only one who managed to keep up with
Law was Tara, and she was fast beginning to loose her breath. As the sun
set, and the three moons rose, there was a loud hooting noise, and suddenly
the street bristled with armed men and women.

Riddick didn't blink, having seen them beforehand, but Duo flinched back and
Jack gasped. Tara had known it was coming, but as Law's pet, she couldn't
have warned her friends without killing them.

"Here it is, Frankie's. What'll it be, kiddo's?" Law asked, throwing open
the door's of a run-down little shop.

"Well, Frank," Tara said, "Four tickets off this rock."

"He's Frankie?" Duo asked, his hand pressed to his leg.

"He's Frankie," Tara repeated. "Frank Law, meet Duo, and the other two,
who's names I haven't gotten yet, because I've been distracted."

"That's one of the first rules," Law exclaimed mockingly, punching something
into his computer. There was a beeping sound, and the printer spat out four
tickets.

"Four tickets to the Athena Prowler, one of the best second-class ships this
side of the blood trins."

"Blood trins?" Riddick asked.

"It's a sayin', lad," Law explained. "Talkin' 'bout the triplet, or trin,
red moons above us."

"Been on the planet long?" The voice was harsh, but Tara's face lit up, as
Law's fell.

"Maybe!" Law and Tara exclaimed, one happy, the other angry.

"Maybe what?" Duo asked softly.

"That's right. You wouldn't be cheatin' our little protégé, now would you,
Law?" The body that belonged to the voice appeared, and Riddick had a hard
time distinguishing what was man and what was dog.

"A Dawg!" Duo said, surprised.

"Right again. Do you have a problem with me?" The cross-breed smiled, ad
his sharp teeth gleamed in the low light.

"Now, Maybe, you know I'd never cheat Katya."

"Right. Of course not. Take care, little Ashka." The Dawg blended back
into the darkness, until only Riddick could see him.

"Here you go, Kitten," Law said, holding out the tickets. "On the house."

"Why?" she asked, alarmed.

"That's the first time in four months I've seen either you or Maybe. You
arrive, and he shows up. No more protection from me."

Tara nodded, taking that as a final goodbye. She took the tickets and
tucked them into her shirt. Walking out, she didn't look back, as the
others followed her.

"What about my leg?" Duo whispered in Tara's ear, as they walked down the
street.

"In a block, we'll meet Maybe again. He'll help."

And she was right. They all received food and water, and Duo's wound was
thoroughly cleaned. Not by Maybe, but by Tara and Jack. Riddick and the
Dawg went outside to keep watch.

"Why does he care for you?"

Tara glanced at Duo, who was waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Who, Maybe? I've known Maybe for years. He's like an uncle, or older
brother."

"That doesn't answer my question,"

"Why? I don't know. He just does."

"Have you ever..." Duo couldn't finish his thought out loud, but Tara
laughed.

"Not with Maybe. He wouldn't let me when I wanted to, and now I don't.
We're just friends."

Tying off the bandages around Duo's thigh, Tara grabbed several more rolls
of the swathe, and shoved them in a tiny bag.

Jack came out of the bathroom, and Tara frowned at her.

"Okay, girl," Tara said. "You need new clothes."

"But the clothes I'm wearing..."

"Need to be burned. As do mine." Tara grabbed Jack's arm. "Look. I know
you want to stay with Riddick. There's nothing wrong with that. But seeing
the way he dresses, I'm hesitant to leave you without some fashion sense."

"I have great fashion sense!" Jack protested.

"Honey, no, you don't. I mean, you shaved your head."

Jack passed a hand over her shaggy head, the short hair already about an
inch long.

"It was hot."

"And now it's not. Come here."

Duo sighed. He had been sitting in front of the store for over an hour,
while giggles kept erupting from behind the thin door. Tara had set him up
as a guard, while Riddick and Maybe went around for things Riddick found
necessary.

Finally, to his relief, the screen parted, and Tara walked through.

Duo gaped at her change in wardrobe, wondering why she had ever worn baggy
clothing. Over tight brown pants were black boots laced up to her knees.
Duo automatically looked down for stilettos, and saw there were none, just
normal heels for combat boots that still managed to raise her two inches.
Her blue shirt was tight, fitted with an even tighter black bodice. Duo
also noticed the amount of cleavage showing. She had a small pack thrown
over her shoulder and Duo had no doubt she was armed to the teeth.

Jack followed, her head covered in a long blue scarf, wearing a looser
version of Tara's shirt, minus the bodice, along with black pants and
shorter boots. Duo could clearly see her budding female shape, which he
expected was the point. There was a faint click from the credit machine,
and Riddick was there, his eyes narrowed at the two young women.

"I told you to shave her head," he said softly, and Jack quickly slipped the
scarf off.

Tara frowned and shook her head. "I didn't, though. She's not your clone,
Riddick. Not even your child. She's a woman. We usually like having
hair."

"I thought we decided on leaving her as a boy."

"*You* decided," Tara growled, the same time Duo protested, "Guys have
hair!"

"Fine," Riddick growled, turning on his heel and stepping out the abandoned
store.

"Riddick?" Jack asked, quickly following.

"No, kid. He needs time to cool off," Tara said, grabbing Jack's arm.

"What if he leaves? He'll leave me!"

"He won't leave you. You mean to much too him."

"What does that mean?" Jack asked, confused.

"You're just a kid. He feels protective, but the only way he knows how s to
keep you is as a boy."

"You're room's are ready, children, if you care to sleep in them," Maybe's
voice came from beyond the door.

"Thank you, Maybe," Tara embraced the older Dawg, who just smiled.

"Be prepared to leave soon. I'll wake you all in an hour. The ship leaves
in four, and with traffic, it should take you three hours to get there."

He vanished, and Tara smiled. "Jack, that one's yours. Duo, this one is
yours." Tara motioned them into their respective sleeping places, then
slipped into her own.

Duo opened his eyes slowly, as Maybe knocked on his door.

"Duo? Hours up. Ya'Lesh."

"Ya-What?"

"Ya'Lesh. It means wake up."

Stretching, Duo stood, then made his way down the hallway, to where he knew
Tara was.

Duo stepped through the door. "Tara?"

A brown wig was on the small bed, and he realized it was Tara's. A short,
dark-haired girl stuck her head out of the bathroom door and smiled. "In a
minute, Duo."

Duo blinked. She had certainly *sounded* like Tara. As he looked around
the room, he noticed how bare it was. There was nothing to discern that
anyone lived there, except for the bed, which hadn't been slept in, and the
wig. Out of the small room came the girl with Tara's voice. And Tara's
smile. But her eyes were grey now, not blue, and her black hair was cropped
in a pixie cut, instead of long and brown.

Her wardrobe had also changed, but not as noticeable as her other features.
She now wore black pants, with shorter boots, and a black corset attached to
deep purple sleeves. Hanging from her left ear were several different
colored jewels, and around her wrists and fingers were several adornments,
but what caught his attention was the thin silver choker around her neck.
He also saw that one of her bracelets matched the necklace.

"Uh, nice?"

"It's not supposed to be nice. Put this on."

She handed him a ring, and he stared at it.

"It's a pentagram. It invokes protection. It's also a communicator, that
will enable us to talk. Just flip up the jewel."

"Cute," he said, still staring at it.

She sighed. "It's not supposed to be cute, either."

Jack entered through the open door, and stopped, blinking at Tara.

"Hey."

"Tara?"

"It is me. Don't worry. I want you to put this on."

Tara handed the girl a copy of the ring Duo now wore.

"What is it?"

"It's a general communicator. Flip the jewel over, and it turns on. Talk
into it, and if we all have ours up, we can all hear you."

"Passing out trinkets now?" Riddick asked, right behind Jack, who squeaked.

"Communicators, actually. Do you want one?"

"What the hell," he shrugged, accepting the ring. Glancing at his fingers,
he managed to slip it over the first knuckle on his pinkie.

Maybe appeared even more silently than Riddick, and watched the four young
people inside his room. The man was dangerous, that he was sure of, but
Maybe wasn't sure to who. He was obviously protective, whether he realized
it or not, and the girl seemed to thrive under his eyes, striving for his
acceptance, which Maybe assumed was not given lightly.

The boy was wound up tightly, like a rubber band, and Maybe wondered how
Tara could stand to be near him. Watching her now, he saw with approval
that her hair was still as short as it should be, and that she had noticed
the full moon, because of her jewelry. He hadn't raised her to fear a god,
but to love a goddess. He frowned mentally at the bandages on her arms,
wondering when that had happened.

"You should go," he said softly, and Jack and Duo spun quickly. Riddick
nodded in agreement, and Tara smiled. He had trained her right, Maybe
thought. She had know he was there.

As they left quietly, Tara in the lead, Maybe watched, a hand over his eyes
to shade them from the sun.

At the docking bay, three hours later, the four travelers found there ship.

"Does it run?" Duo asked, head cocked to the side.

"Maybe, if we're lucky," Jack muttered.

"How long till we have to board?" Duo asked,. "'Cuz I have to go to the
bathroom."

"Go. We have enough time," Riddick told him.

"Do we have allotted spaces, or is it first come, first serve?" Jack asked,
and Tara glanced at their tickets.

"We have four spaces reserved in second class. And it *is* first come,
first claim. We should board. Duo?" She called, "The ship's leaving in
three. Duo?" There was a muffled yell, and Tara turned. Creeping around
the corner, she saw Duo, bound and gagged, leg bleeding freely. Logan was
in front of him, gun drawn.

"You may be worth a lot alive, but I'll still get money for your carcass."

Tara inhaled harshly, drawing her own gun.

"No."

The voice was Riddick's, and Tara stifled a sob as he reached around her to
take the gun.

"You can't help him without killing yourself."

Pulling something from her small backpack, Tara met Riddick's shined eyes
behind the goggles that covered them, then tossed it into the alley. There
was a faint sound, as Duo moaned from another slap, as Tara brushed past
Riddick, striding away, as the report of a gun echoed off the streets.
Pulling a detonator from a pocket, Tara pushed the small button on the top.
There was a loud explosion behind them, and Riddick backed away, as an arm
flew onto the main street.

Duo grinned as he disarmed the person holding him with a kick. Groaning
slightly as his bad leg shrieked at him, Duo heard a gun go off. Turning,
he saw Logan, staring at his gun. Apparently, he hadn't planned on missing.
As Duo smiled, he heard a quiet beep, and shivered as he recognized the
sound. Closing his eyes, his last thoughts were of Tara, as his body was
torn through by shrapnel.

On the Athena Prowler, Tara gazed dumbly at the wall across from her
cryo-tube. One tear managed to trickle down her cheek, before the sleep
drugs she'd taken took hold. While she slept, the sentimental part of her
mourned for Duo, while the calculating, cold part of her wondered why they
hadn't been searched for weapons.

Riddick was edgy. There was something off about the whole ship, and he
thought he smelled a merc, which didn't make him happy.

They had only been on the ship three hours, but he was already feeling
restless, and the scents of the other people were boring him.

Unhooking his cryo-tube, he slipped down, glancing at Jack and Tara's
respective tubes. They were both in deep sleep, making them look vulnerable
and helpless.

Going by each tube, Riddick matched faces with smells, memorizing details
and clarifying facts, like the merc smell on the purple-haired woman. At
the final two tubes, he inhaled sharply. There was something about the
woman that was not right. She had the basic female scent, but she didn't
smell human. Instead she smelled of cats. That was the most prominent
smell. The next was of babies, the baby in the cryo-chamber next to her, to
be specific. The third heavy scent was of a cloaking. She smelled as if
she had a cloaking device on her.

Riddick stepped closer, peering into the tube. She looked alert, as if she
wasn't used to safety, even in sleep, but of course, there he was, wandering
around their current sleeping place, because he didn't feel safe.

The baby made a slight noise in her sleep, and the woman's eyes flew open.
Riddick stepped back into the shadows, blending in with the dark wall decor.

"Hey, baby Sarah," she cooed through the glass, and Riddick noticed her
slight accent as the baby drifted off again. "What do you want?" she asked,
louder this time, more menacing, and Riddick knew it was aimed at him.

"You're good," he said in a gruff whisper.

"And you're out of your chamber. Why?" she demanded, opening her own
cryo-tube swiftly.

"You don't smell right," he responded truthfully.

Riddick saw her tense. "What do I smell like, then?"

"Cats."

"Really." Her voice was icy.

"Now why is that?" he asked casually.

"Leave me alone."

"The last woman who told me that ended up fucking me. Are you willing to
submit the baby to that?" He was lying, but she didn't know that.

"Now."

"No."

His refusal was met by a savage growl. She leapt from the tube in a fluid
moment, landing on his chest, drawing a knife as she landed. He fell
against the wall, grabbing her ankles and throwing her down. She fell on
the baby's chamber, who started to cry at the sudden rocking.

"Shit!" the girl exclaimed, as Riddick moved forward.

"Maybe I could kill the kid, and you'll be more receptive." He was only
half-joking, but he saw her eyes go wide, and her grip on her weapon
tighten. She carefully stood in front of the small chamber, then flew at
him.

'Stupid,' he thought. 'To risk her life. What if she was killed, and I
really wanted the baby?'

He grabbed her wrists, avoiding the knife with ease, then threw her down to
the floor. She was tougher than she looked, he knew, because she was also
heavier than she looked. She moved forward, but he was quicker, pressing
her into the ground, his own shiv pressed against her throat.

The woman closed her eyes, sinking slowly backwards. As Riddick followed
her, the shiv never leaving her skin, she suddenly jumped forward, making
the sharp blade cut into her skin. Riddick started in surprise,
automatically pulling away. The stranger kicked upward, hitting him in the
knee, and then she was up, a gun raised, aimed at his head.