Vaako has to wait for the right moment; he has to. If he fucks this up, then the girl is going to be dead. He wants her alive, cursing and kicking like she is now. He ignores the niggling thought at the back of his mind, the one that's repeating that this will not end well, no matter how much he tries.

He has to wait for the right moment. The guards may look discomfited, but there's the chance they'll still be loyal. There are guns in their hands and strapped to their belts and Vaako already knows too well the feeling of bullets tearing through his flesh.

He watches as Lady Twii slides her claws through twitching muscles and all the behaviors Jim had managed to condition into him—all the heroism that Jim loved and managed to con everybody into—stands to attention. There is sweat along his forehead, his muscles are tensed, and the girl lets out a strangled curse as blood drips from her open body.

He moves before he even realizes it. The chains clatter as they hit the ground and everyone turns to stare at him. He's not thinking as the guards raise their guns and start to fire. He hears the report of ammunition, feels it cut through him, but the noises behind him suddenly change to something else, something where guns are not being fired at him; he can't spare the extra second to look and see what it is.

Lady Twii's eyes are narrowed as she turns away from the chained girl and faces him. "Soldier," she says, a reprimand. She steps forward to meet him and then they're fighting. He's carefully watching her hands and pulling back when the claws near his side. (He can't let her get to those paralyzing nerves. If she does that'll be it for him; worse, that'll be it for the girl.)

She's fast, which is bad, but he's just that bit faster to save his own skin. He's watching her and watching her and fighting as best as he can. It's not thought that's dominating anymore; it's all instinct and experience.

It's punching and kicking and dodging until she falters. It wouldn't be such mistake if she were dealing with someone else, but he has been in one too many battles. It's easy to step into her space and wrap his hands around her throat. Something gill-like flutters against the palm of his hands as her eyes widen. Her hand darts around, claws reaching for those nerves.

However, he's too fast. The claws are deep in his skin, but he can still move. Her neck snaps, the sound loud and brittle. She drops, dead weight, but his attention is no longer on her, but on the girl.

The girl is saying something in the language she's been screaming in for however long, but he's focusing on the lacerations in the oblique muscles of her abdomen. Her voice is scratchy, probably from the screaming, but it is gentle now, quiet. He doesn't understand what she's saying; he doesn't try to.

There are sounds behind him: footsteps. Domack's voice, breathless: "I couldn't let the Lady do that. Not anymore. I couldn't." Panting, trying to catch breath back. "You needed the help anyway. The guards would have shot you down immediately." There's a snort. "Chula's been meaning to get back at them anyway. They always mess with her when we come here."

He's focusing on the hemorrhaging he sees and feels and is wondering how he's going to stop it.

There's a shuffle as he stands and eyes the chains. He needs to get the girl down. He needs her down and flat so he can work better. A hand catches his before he can even touch the chains. He turns and glares.

Domack is bruised and bloodied. "Let her go," he says and squeezes his hand tighter around Vaako's arm. "You can't help her. We need to get out of her anyway before the guards wake back up."

It's easy to punch Domack and even easier to keep doing so. These fuckers, they've caused all this shit. It's the people like Domack and Chula and Lady Twii that have screwed the 'verse over so badly. Chula jumps on his back, screeching and clawing. He throws her off and keeps punching.

Vaako only stops when he hears the soft whimper behind him. Somewhere deep, he's still a doctor and moves back to the girl in the chains, wondering how to get her down. A jingle and keys land next to his foot. He knows it's Chula or Domack, but he could care less as he finds the appropriate key and unlocks the girl's chains.

She's breathing hard as he lowers her to the floor, but he's thinking of ways to stop the bleeding. There are methods after methods but there is so much here. He's staring at open expanse of the girl's torso, wondering just where to start, when a webbed hand touches his cheek. The girl softly says something in her language, but he can't be bothered. There is too much blood and not enough time.

The girl lies back and her breathing starts to slow. Her breathing slows and slows and slows and once Vaako catches on, he's too late to do anything about it.

The mansion, when they enter it, is silent. It's enough to make Riddick pause in the shadow of the doorway. When nothing happens, no sound coming, Riddick continues on his way, Commander Shay following.

There are no people, no guards. He keeps waiting for some guard to jump out, but there is nothing. He glances into empty rooms and sees no one.

In one corner of the mansion, there are cells. One has its door swung open, but it is bare. The rest are empty and silent.

He and Shay walk carefully, quietly. Shay makes no comment, but he can guess where her thought are. Vaako's gone again.

Finally, they walk pass a room and there are people in it. Guards, unconscious, lie on the floor. A woman in rich robes is crumpled on the ground, her head twisted at a fatal angle. A window is cracked open, blood dripping over the sill, as if someone wounded had jumped out; the ground is not too far down and the blood trails off into the distance.

Vaako is in the middle of the room. There are no wounds, no blood, but his expression is open and raw in a way that Riddick hasn't seen before. There's a girl lying before Vaako. Her tiny shift is split, but so is her skin and muscles. She's not breathing.

Carefully, Riddick walks over. When Riddick places a hand on his bent shoulder, Vaako closes his eyes. He breathes.