AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I know I've got some things to work on, but unfortunately I probably won't get to edit or anything until winter break. Grr, three more weeks! Anyway, sorry about the short chapter. I should have the next one up in the relatively near future.


His gaze focused entirely on the military man's gun, so he didn't see anything else until too late. Riddick nearly jumped himself when an arm came out of the shadows and wrapped around Michael's throat.

The gun discharged once, twice, during the initial struggle, but Michael was classic human, and easily overpowered. The bullets traveled off in safe directions before the weapon fell harmlessly to the ground.

A low growl emanated from their rescuer as he forced Michael to step forward into the light, his death-hold on the military man never faltering. "Did I miss anything?" he asked, but for some reason Riddick got the feeling like the question wasn't directed toward either him or Jack.

Speaking of Jack, she had peeked around him, and whimpered when she recognized the attacker.

Dominic Conte. Con-X. Rysen. Scary as fuck.

Of course he'd suspected, but initially the hair had thrown him. In the picture in the paper the Con-X's hair appeared colorless, albino almost. Not unusual for a Rysen—their hair coloring tended toward blonde and a few shades of light brown. Black simply never happened among their people. At least, he'd thought so up until then...

"What is he?" Jack whispered, staring in shock at her former boyfriend from under Riddick's arm. Still watching the event taking place, he almost cringed himself, knowing Jack would have nightmares for months after that night.

Conte grinned at the two of them over Michael's shoulder, his dying prey almost forgotten in his madness. The kid definitely wasn't sane at the moment. There was no tortured soul or conscience looking out of the black depths of his eyes. There was nothing there, nothing at all. Just killer instinct, the eyes of a demon, and a set of shiny white fangs.

Yes, fangs. Even for a Rysen, Dom was a genetic anomaly.

"Is he a vampire, Riddick?"

A low tone vibrated through his chest, and he took a moment to absorb the scene before answering. "It wouldn't surprise me if he did drink blood—but no, he's not a supernatural creature. Although I'm sure he's passed himself off as one in the past... Put a knife in his back and it'd seriously cramp his style, just like anyone else."

"But obviously, no one's managed it yet," Dom growled pleasantly, his speech taking on a shorter pattern with the addition of elongated K-9s.

Riddick merely shook his head. "You're only seventeen, there's plenty of time left for someone to get the job done."

"What, you actually believe he's seventeen now?" Jack asked shakily, her still-bound hands burying themselves in his shirt.

"Oh, yeah, I believe it. He's only a baby killing-machine. When he's thirty or forty he'll get real nasty. Just like a wolf. They're nice as puppies and maybe they're mellow when they get old, but don't run into them any time in the middle. "

Dom shrugged, just as Michael let out a scream and started to flail in futile effort to escape whatever was being done to him. "Whatever you say, Mr. Big. It sounds like you know your shit. Maybe you've met an adult of my kind. I really don't remember what they're like."

Riddick turned, deciding he'd wasted enough time talking to an insane child. Retrieving a shiv, he freed Jack's hands, rubbing them until they started to warm with returning circulation. "Come on, Jack. Let's get out of here."

Her stare didn't leave the murder occurring before her. He glanced up in time to see Dom sink his teeth into the shoulder of his victim for a brief second before letting the dead man slump to the ground. Only then could Riddick see the knife protruding from between Michael's ribs on the left side.

Conte moved around the body, patting him down. He stole the man's wallet, dog tags, some papers, and cut an ear off, placing it in a plastic bag. The items disappeared into the boy's cargo pockets. That was when Riddick saw it on Dom's left shoulder.

Black flame, red ribbon, blue-silver blade. He guessed at the colors, remembering them from before his vision turned into a wash of grays and purples. He didn't have to guess what the tattoo meant.

"You're no merc," he said. Leaving Jack behind, he ventured forward, hoping his tone sounded nothing more than curious. Dom didn't seem to notice, too busy crouching down next to the body, rifling through clothing.

"Considering the Empire's task force dissects guys like me, are you really surprised?" Conte deadpanned.

"A little. Assassins aren't usually bonehead kids. You can't even get into the guild without an invitation."

"Yeah, so?"

"So I never got one, and that makes me curious to know just how dangerous you are."

Conte's only response was to grunt and shrug, not distracted in the least from his activities. He took a pack of cigarettes from Michael's shirt pocket and started to light up, still crouched over the body.

"So, how much was he worth?"

"Enough to buy the best in the business," Dom replied, taking a pair of shades from his own pocket and putting them on before blowing out a stream of smoke.

"And what were we? Bait?" Riddick speculated, his grip tightening on the shiv in his hand as he crept ever closer.

Dom shrugged. "The guy was good. He knew the Resistance had someone after him. I had a hard time getting him alone, out in the open. Sure, I could've just shot him, any time. But then I've gotta consider how I'm gonna get a body part for proof of death. Besides, didn't you think it worked out so much better with both of us killing off his cronies tonight?"

"Didn't really notice I had help," Riddick growled, lunging forward, his eye on Dom's sweet spot. He just hoped Rysens looked human on the inside. If he missed, it'd be all over for him that much sooner.

Jack screamed to him, but it was too late. He had no idea how the bastard did it, but Conte flipped onto his back and drew two heavy duty hand guns in the bat of an eye.

A single shot fired, and everything went completely still.