Disclaimer: I still only own Aurora sadly. Everything else still belongs to Universal Studios, but wouldn't it be grand to own Riddick or Vaako, at least for awhile?

Chapter 3

It looked like the flames of Hell were licking at Vaako's feet as he exited the Med Bay. Strong body coiled to run; he forced himself to stride evenly, desperate to maintain some semblance of calm. The pounding of his footsteps acted as a staccato beat to his floundering thoughts, magnifying them. He couldn't afford to be rattled and that shit in the Med Bay had his muscles wound so tight he was on a hair trigger. There was no neat little box he could shove that fucked up experience into, so he pushed it to the back of his mind, concentrating on the in and out of his breathing. Calm, his mind intoned. Inhaling slowly, he forced his shoulders to relax and hands to unclench. Calm, he made sure the mask was firmly back in place. Finally he felt his control returning. Arriving at the Lord Marshals chambers he rapped his knuckles sharply on the door and waited.

When it slid open, Riddick leaned casually against the frame, blocking the entrance. Head cocked, those silver orbs swept over Vaako becoming shrewd in half a heartbeat.

"Take a seat." The rumble in Riddick's voice made it perfectly clear it wasn't an invitation.

Sighing once, Vaako wondered what the hell had given him away this time, Perceptive Bastard. Pacing into the room, he wondered how much he could gloss over without pissing the man off.

Shutting the door behind him, Riddick turned to lean against its frame and watch his First pace a hole into the rug. The man looked downright lost, which was a fuckin first. Vaako normally eased up a bit in here, away from the prying eyes of the Necropolis. Not enough to get that stick out of his ass, Riddick thought ruefully. But today it looked like Vaako wanted to crawl right out of his skin.

When Vaako's pacing had led him back to the chairs for the third time, Riddick decided it was time to end this. "Sit ya ass down, I'm not gonna tell you again."

Startled out of his thoughts, Vaako realized he was standing right in front of the big ass, leather monstrosities Riddick called chairs. It had been a complete shocker the first time he walked into the new Lord Marshals quarters. It wasn't exactly a surprise Riddick had gutted the place obliterating every last trace of Zylaw. The over the top, ostentatious furnishings the former Lord Marshal had favored always struck Vaako as ridiculous. If the snickers of Zylaw's consorts were at all reliable it was safe to say the old Lord Marshal had something to compensate for. Riddick on the other hand seemed to favor a minimalist approach. Utility was everything. He hadn't changed a thing about his physical appearance when he inherited the power and position that came with leading the Necro race. Vaako had assumed Riddick's rooms would be just as spartan and utilitarian as his personal appearance. But those chair's were buttery soft and big enough to swallow Vaako's 6'3" frame whole. Apparently Riddick liked his creature comforts. Unfortunately, that chair no longer seemed like a welcoming place to park his ass. He had the creeping feeling he was going to hate what was to come.

Ass planted, he kept his mouth shut. He wasn't about to make this any easier on Riddick than necessary by volunteering information. Christ, Riddick with more ammunition for his little mind games... Yeah, that's all I need.

Taking the mulish expression on Vaako's face in stride Riddick dived right in. "So, what the hell crawled up your ass?" It was a struggle to suppress his smirk when he saw the way Vaako's lips compressed.

Keeping his eyes trained just to the left of Riddick's face, Vaako choose his words carefully. "The slave woke up at an inopportune moment."

Riddick's face broke into the smirk he had been holding back. "Just how inopportune are we talking here Vaako?"

"It was before they were finished with her."

Quirking his head to the side, Riddick asked the obvious question. "And why's that inopportune?"

"Because, she came up swinging."

Smirk transforming into a full blown smile Riddick felt his respect for the girl growing. "She's got a hell of a sense of timing. But question is; why'd she come up fighting?"

Minutes passed while he waited for an answer. "Vaako?"

Looking away from Riddick, Vaako finally mumbled, "I couldn't say."

Leaning forward in his chair, eyebrow raised, Riddick voiced a low, rumbling growl of warning. "Who you tryin to bullshit?"

Christ, Vaako thought. He really didn't need to try and explain the nitty-gritty of what had gone down in that Med Bay. He still couldn't understand how he ended up dragged down into that nightmare in the first place. Looking Riddick dead in the eye for the first time since he'd come into the room he decided a small piece of the truth was the best he could do.

"It appears she has had some..." Vaako wracked his brain for words to convey what he had seen without encouraging more questions, "unfortunate experiences in the past dealing with Med Bays. She was... disoriented when she first came to."

Riddick seemed to take the answer in stride to Vaako's vast relief. "So I assume she either got her shit together or you sedated her."

Trust Riddick to cut to the heart of things. "I had her sedated"

Standing up with a stretch Riddick gave Vaako one last long look. "Call down to the Med Bay and give instructions to keep her sedated. Last thing we need is for her to cause a scene while we're holed up with the Purifiers."

Riddick sure knew how to make an impression, sitting up on that throne, leg tossed casually over the side, playing with one of his shivs. The thing flashed in the light as it looped around and around his hand. Vaako had wondered more than once just how many the guy had secreted about his body. When he'd asked, Riddick just smiled that evil looking grin and said nothing.

The Lord Marshal looked completely at ease and more than a little bored. Taking a glance at the gathered Purifiers, Vaako couldn't stop his lip from twitching. However they thought this meeting was going to go down, this was obviously not it. At first it looked like they would present a united front but now they were all just standing there, shifty and nervous, waiting for the Lord Marshal to acknowledge them.

Finally, one stepped from the pack, braver than the rest. Sarin, if Vaako's memory served him. Not smart Sarin, not smart at all. Prey animals shouldn't single themselves out from the pack in front of a predator, and Riddick was an apex predator. The poor fucks hadn't figured that out yet.

Drawing himself up Sarin began, voice earnest. "My Lord Marshal, The faith is in disarray with no one to lead them. It is imperative that you appoint a new Head Purifier."

Ahhhh, here it comes, Riddick thought. It would be nice if these guys weren't so fucking predictable. This was where the pompous prick would try to distinguish himself from the rest of those damn sheep, all while maintaining that humble pious front. What a crock of shit.

"Surely there is one among us" the Purifier continued voice strong and sure, "that you feel is worthy of the position." Cue dramatic pause, "Of course I would never dream of presuming..." Predictable, so damn predictable, Riddick thought.

When Vaako rolled his eyes, shifting impatiently Riddick had to swallow the snort of laughter that welled up in him. It was clear they were of the same mind concerning the Purifier.

Completely unaware his little speech wasn't having the desired effect Sarin continued, "Of course my only concern is for the faith. I fear what will happen without a strong leader, someone unafraid to stand up for the Necromonger way." With this Sarin surreptitiously looked around at his fellow Purifiers as if to underline that he was the only one ballsy enough to speak. "So you see, My Lord, you must not put off choosing a Head Purifier any longer." Any fool could see the bow he gave at the end of his little 'how do you do' was all for show. Sarin was practically choking on his own bile doing it.

"Hmmmmmm" Riddick murmured, his face the picture of earnest contemplation, "and you would be?" He knew damn well who that strutting little peacock was. Sarin had gone out of his way to get noticed the first time they met, and Riddick had noticed alright. It had been all he could do to keep himself from slitting the man's throat just to shut him up. Hell, thinking about it had him caressing the edge of his shiv. At the moment, he just wanted to knock the prick down a notch. With that guy's sense of entitlement and self importance it would burn his ass to be considered unmemorable. It's almost too easy, Riddick lamented. The Purifier was fairly bristling and he hadn't really begun fucking with him yet.

"I am Sarin Lord Marshal."

"All right Savin."

It had shocked the shit out of him the first time he caught Vaako smile. It was gone so quick, Vaako's face returning to that emotionless expression he wore like armor, he almost wondered if he'd imagined it. But it had been there, the barest lifting at the corners of Vaako's mouth, a glint of mirth in eyes normally flat and cold. Course, it wasn't like Riddick was in a position to judge. Other than his trademark smirks and the occasional evil grin, he wasn't much for smiling. So it had become a game to see if he could make the unflappable commander lose his shit in front of others.

Apparently Vaako had discovered what Riddick was playing at, because he just raised an eyebrow and compressed those lips as if to say 'you'll have to do better than that.' Bastard's such a kill joy.

"Sarin, Lord Marshal, my name is Sarin," reiterated the Purifier, his voice betraying his irritation.

"You know Sabin," Riddick said. "You made three mistakes. First, you came in here, slinging this humble servant of the faith bullshit like I don't know you're just a power hungry wanna be."

Stepping down from the throne he circled around the Purifier breathing in deep. He could smell the man's fear, burning acrid in his nostrils and wasn't that some sweet shit? Flashing his teeth in a feral grin he continued. "Second, you don't give me orders... Ever."

Stepping up behind the shorter man he pulled him tight to his chest sliding his shiv gently against that vulnerable skin along the jugular. Whispering in the man's ear he finished. "Third, you ever interrupt me again, I'll fuckin kill you."

Pushing him away, Riddick crossed back to the throne and watched in amusement as Sarin's Adams apple did a little dance like it was trying to figure out if everything was still in working order. With a stiff bow the man slunk back, suddenly eager to blend in with the herd.

Turning his attention to the rest of them, Riddick said, voice even more menacing for its quiet tone "Anyone else got something to say?" What a surprise, no takers. Bunch of fuckin sheep. "I'm only going to say this once so listen up. A Head Purifier will be appointed after I've crossed the Threshold and found out First Hand what all this shit is about. Do I make myself clear?" That's right, nod fuckers. "I suggest you remember who you're fuckin with," an evil grin spread across Riddick's face, "or you'll find yourselves with a one way ticket to the Underverse long before your 'due time.'"

Without another look at the dumbstruck Purifiers he strode out, Vaako falling in step at his heels. "Think that'll shut 'em up for awhile?" Riddick's tone was almost hopeful.

Grimacing, Vaako cut his eyes to Riddick. "One would hope. Sarin bears watching. You may have cowed him for now but he lacks the intelligence to learn from his mistakes."

"I'm counting on it," Riddick growled, he had plans for that Purifier. Reaching his chambers he turned to Vaako. "I want a full report when the Techs figure out what the hell that collar is capable of."

"As you command." Striding away Vaako wondered if he'd get a break this time around. If they value their lives, they better have kept her sedated.

As he watched him walk away, Riddick contemplated Vaako's reaction to Aurora in the Throne room and the way his ass puckered up the moment he started questioning him in his chambers. Like hell he was going to miss whatever showdown happened in the Med Bay. Waiting a few moments to give Vaako a head start, he began his pursuit.

Walking into the Med Bay for the third time that day, Vaako was pleased to see she was still sleeping. The blood had been cleaned from her face and her robes exchanged for a standard issue hospital gown. He wasn't pleased with how frail she looked lying there. This was not the woman that had taken on The Lord Marshal and fought like a hellcat against four Med Techs.

Tilting his head he walked closer taking time to really look at her. Her hair was lank and dull from sweat. It's color hard to determine. Her skin equally as pale as his own, emphasized the dark shadows under her eyes. His gaze traveled further to the bruise blooming in vibrant colors along her Jaw. Riddick had one hell of a right hook. Continuing his examination, he noticed the hint of veins showing under her translucent skin. Leaning in closer he saw scars running across her arms and showing on her chest where her gown gaped open. Straightening he was struck by how different she was from the old Dame Vaako. From the pale skin that would never be as warm as that rich caramel, to the marring of her flesh, everything was different. His wife had been flawless. There had been nothing to mark the passing of life's hardships upon her body.

"Lord Vaako?"

Pulled from his musing he turned to the Tech standing beside him. "What do you have to report?"

The Tech's excitement was evident the moment he opened his mouth. "I have never encountered anything like it. It's ingenious really. It was designed to interfere with nerve impulses. We haven't been able to ascertain how much control it exerts or exactly how it functions. If we could figure out how to harness this technology..."

Vaako's eyes narrowed on the Tech. "Your job is not to recreate it; your job is to remove it."

"Of course My Lord, unfortunately we haven't discovered a way to safely remove it from the subject."

The Techs obvious enthusiasm made Vaako feel even wearier. "Does it pose a threat at present?"

"We don't believe so sir, in all of our tests we were unable to illicit any responses from the subject. Whatever the control mechanism is, it doesn't seem to be passive."

Vaako felt his finely honed control slipping. "Your orders were to remove it." Struggling to check the menace creeping into his voice he pierced the Tech with the full weight of his regard. "You tried to control her?"

Completely unrepentant the Tech tried again, "My Lord, this technology could be very important to the Necromonger Empire, the possible applications are limitless. I thought it prudent, under the circumstances to see if the breeder could be manipulated while unconscious, things like respiration, pulse, motor function, nothing serious. I am sure the Lord Marshal will agree with my assessment once he is briefed."

Vaako's hand shot out fingers wrapping around the Tech's throat, lifting him into the air. "I suggest you spend more time following orders and less time thinking. You'll live longer."

Mouth opening and closing like a trout the Tech struggled to speak around the hand crushing his throat. "Forgive me... Lord Vaako."

Riddick's voice rumbled from the doorway, "I'd listen to the man if I were you, seems like sound advice..."