Private Hollow Strength

[Sylvia Virtos]

My Prayers Have Become Ghosts

---

​

Sylvia did not fight back anymore. Her strength was gone.

From the moment the woman had been locked up in this lightless cell, the door would occasionally open to let in a guard. Sometimes she would be left barely enough food and water to survive, sometimes they simply felt cruel and took that out on her. Ever since Elle's spark had gone out, Sylvia no longer reacted to anything. Meals went ignored, beatings and hits from stun batons were received with no outward signs of pain. She had gone numb to all but the overwhelming sensation of grief. She had been broken. Not by anything Darth Carnifex had done, but by the death of the most important person in her life. Her reason to resist.

Nobody was waiting for her out there anymore.

The realization that Elle was dead came and went in waves, at times breaking through her numb exterior. In those moments Sylvia cried, got angry, but it brought no relief. Reality was simply too much to bear. Now, however, she sat motionless in one of the corners of her cell. Her eyes were cast downwards, though all around her was nothing but black. A dangerous thought shot through her mind.

Perhaps it would be better if I just...

Her face contorted, failing to fight back more tears. Sylvia simply wanted it to be over.

Then, a flood of panic. It wasn't her own, but it hit her all the same. Even though every bone in her body wanted to give up and die in this cell, something or someone told her no. Perhaps it was meant to inspire hope, but all it did was frustrate. Giving up was the easy way out, and Sylvia was too tired to choose any other path. When she was finally ready to take it, it was denied from her.

"Why..." the woman muttered through a clenched jaw.

Fine, her thoughts continued. She still believed she would die here, but if that nagging feeling that was not her own made her fight first then she would do so. It was her only choice. Closing her eyes, the pitch black before her unwavering, Sylvia began to think. Much crossed her mind, one idea more ridiculous than another, but none were even remotely realistic. All of them required her to be strong.

Like Ellie.

Another sob.

She needed help, but with those closest to her gone for one reason or another, all she could do was try to establish a connection through the Force that had been dormant for a long time now. For all she knew, the woman was long dead, but there was not much else left to try. If the Force would not let her be, she had little choice.

With the little strength she still had, Sylvia tightened her focus.

Allyson? Allyson? Please tell me you can hear me. I... need help. Please. Her telepathic words were filled with pain and grief.

Allyson Locke had been her master once. It had been a brief apprenticeship and a long time ago, but hopefully the connection still existed.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

C O R U S C A N T​

​

Behind the glittering skyscrapers of Coruscant, beneath the scintillating skyways that so dazzled foreign dignitaries and tourists alike, rooted seeds of incurable rot. Even here, the Jewel of the Core and the capital of the Galactic Alliance, darkness writhed just beneath the gaudy veneer of peace and order. The insidious influence of the Sith reached far across the galaxy, and perhaps none reached so far as the Dark Lord Carnifex. His connections across the galaxy were innumerable, and even here on Coruscant, he could find many sympathetic to either his cause or his coin. ​

​

Down below, far beneath the twinkling upper strata of Coruscant, the Dark Lord made his schemes and carried out his plans for the galaxy. On the outside, it appeared as one of the dozens or perhaps hundreds of other skyscrapers that stretched from the floor of the level to the ceiling. It bore the crest of some conglomerate, one among the thousands which owned property and conducted business on Coruscant. Its outer facade concealed the darkness within, entire wings removed from public record and omitted from architectural plans. Those phantom halls concealed rows upon rows of detention cells, experimental laboratories, and other grisly chambers designed for the purpose of torment.​

​

It was where Sylvia found herself, although she would not have known it. For weeks, possibly months, she had been kept in sub-adequate conditions in a lightless cell, afforded only brief visits by her captors to poke and prod her flesh, taking blood and bone marrow samples without her consent, and subjecting her to a variety of concoctions that caused convulsions, seizures, and a variety of other horrific symptoms. They beat her, regardless of whether she was compliant or not, often to the point of unconsciousness. They would not let her die, that much was clear. Whenever she drew near to that blessed escape, one of Carnifex's beak-masked doctors would bring her back from the brink.​

​

Recently, they had left her alone for a long time. The isolation had begun when Carnifex returned from a battle, his face covered with black carbon microsutures and his leg set by a mechanical brace. He had said nothing, eyes gleaming with cruelty, as he showed Sylvia the lightsaber of Elle Mors. All but confirming her death at his hands, Carnifex abandoned Sylvia to her own thoughts and torments and hung Elle's lightsaber in the guard armory. ​

​

Since then, the only visitation she had been afforded was the guards bringing in new food and removing the old. They still monitored her, watching her every movement and documenting them for study. Though the vast majority of documentation consisted of her silence, stillness, and unwillingness to eat, Carnifex commanded them to record everything. For what reason, they did not risk inquiring, they did as they were told and kept whatever objections they might have had to themselves.​

​

Carnifex would occasionally return to review the observations himself, taking up residence in an executive suite put aside for his personal use. Often his visits would last a few hours at the most, minutes at the very least, but never so long as currently. He had been there for over a week, sequestered in his suite beyond the sights of his servants in the detention centers below. Whatever he was doing, it was far beyond their scope to understand.​

​

Sylvia Virtos | Allyson Locke ​

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Coruscant //:
//: Sylvia Virtos //: Darth Carnifex //:

​

The evening had come to Coruscant, and Allyson Locke was finally enjoying a quietish evening at home. It was a night where she didn't have to be the super spy, she didn't have to be a Jedi Master, and she could just be Allyson. But being the intergalactic spy that she was, one evening was far too much to ask. Laughter and sultry words exchanged behind a closed door, shadows dancing entwined, then a pause. Allyson stared off into the distance and then sighed as she buried her face into a mess of long dark hair.

Apologies and understanding, Allyson pushed herself up and freshened up. But, no, there was no rest for the Corellian.

In a brief tickle in the back of Sylvia's mind, a familiar feeling would reach out. I'm coming.

Allyson took very little time to gather her things; she could feel where she was heading. Of all people reaching out to her, Sylvia didn't make any sense; Allyson knew better. Of course, something like this was bound to be a trap, but remember the girl, the cry for help couldn't be ignored.

The roar of the speeder bike came to life in the evening hours; Coruscant was still bustling, a city that never truly slept. Sylvia could be anywhere, but with the aid of the Force and her own personal investigations - she could pinpoint her.

Their brief time together, Allyson was still able to establish threads of a bond to the magenta-haired tech. If anything, it was coming in handy now. Coming to a stoplight, Allyson hung her head and wished she was back in the warm embrace of the spitfire she had left back at her apartment; of all nights, why did it have to be tonight. Allyson thrashed her arms and kicked her legs in a small tantrum until the light turned green.

Speeding through traffic, Allyson continued to focus on the dull but emotionally broken thread. What had Sylvia gotten herself into? It didn't take long for the woman to come across something that didn't' feel quite right. Allyson stashed the speeder aside; her feet touched down onto the tall wall and faded into the shadows of the Force. Her force aura disappears as well, making her void in every sense of the word. Slipping deeper in the area, Allyson found cover and focused on Sylvia once more.

Where are you, what do you see? Frowning, Allyson still had that sinking feeling she was walking into a trap.​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Allyson Locke | Darth Carnifex
[ I just want to see the light ]

---

​

At first, there was only silence. Sylvia had expected nothing else, yet the sting of loneliness that jabbed her once again hurt just as much as it always did. With nothing else to think on, her mind involuntarily grinded its gears to find the reason why. Either Allyson was no longer among the living, did not receive the message at all, or simply did not care to answer it. Only those options made sense to her. The first two could not be helped, but even if the third theory was correct the spacer could not blame Allyson. She did not owe her anything.

In the end, Sylvia had drawn her conclusions too soon. The rattling of her brain was interrupted by a message from a familiar presence. A look of surprise overcame her, unseen by anyone as she remained sat curled up in a corner, her forehead resting against her knees. Yet even now, she did not dare get her hopes up. She was not free until she was far away from whatever this place was.

Y-you are? Disbelief wasted no time settling in.

Time passed. Silence kept Sylvia uncertain, wondering if Allyson was truly out there looking for her. She had just enough faith left in her to believe that, the woman was not that cruel, though if she were going to be found she could not be nearly as sure of. She herself did not even know where she was, after all; all she had seen beyond inky darkness was the blinding light beyond the door on a number of occasions. After her eyes readjusted, all she was able to see then was another cell door on the other side of the hall.

It had felt as though it had been days until she heard the telepathic voice again. Hearing it a second time was somehow more unreal than the first. Though hope remained far away, Sylvia now at least had the reassurance that Allyson was looking for her. There was a chance, then, unless the woman could not find her with the little she knew, or worse. Part of her expected her last chance at freedom would be scared off. Still, she had to be honest. The last thing she wanted was to be responsible for the capture or death of someone who tried to rescue her.

Darkness... nothing else. In a cell. He captured me... Carnifex.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The suite was the epitome of luxury. Rich dark mahogany, polished white marble, tapestries hanging from nearly every wall, and each one made out of the finest silk found throughout the galaxy. The furniture was just as exquisite, albeit larger to accommodate his reach and stature. The dregs which populated this specific level of Coruscant would have sold their own children to enjoy even a fraction of his surroundings, but they were only allowed to glimpse the glittering skyscraper from beyond the perimeter of the security fence that bordered the company property. Those who pushed the boundaries of the company's tolerance found themselves on the receiving end of a blaster bolt.​

​

Not that anyone cared what happened to them, the local law enforcement easily turned a blind eye to such affairs just as easily as they were bought. The Alliance liked to believe that they were providing the galaxy a service, bringing them freedom and a reprieve from the anarchy which had gripped the Core Worlds since the fall of the One Sith. It was a lie, a lie gilded in gold and smeared with a coat of paint. The power structure at the top may have changed, perhaps for the better, but the systematic rot persisted.​

​

Rot in which the Dark Side moved so easily.​

​

Darth Carnifex leaned over, piercing the flesh with his fork while the edge of his knife sliced away a portion. He brought the succulent meat to his mouth and slipped it inside, chewing slowly as if he were savoring the taste. But the sensation of taste had long since passed from him, a product of his increased experimentation into the unnatural.​

​

But old habits died hard, and so his hunters had brought him his favorite; a roasted Krayt Dragon heart barded with Nuna bacon and basted with Jhen honey. They had stuffed the organ with various other meats, vegetables, and spices, cooked it over a spit, and served it to him hot and juicy. Blood frothed from the arteries, sizzling as each drop fell onto the metal plate below.​

​

In front of him was a vast array of screens, each one broadcasting a different image. Most of them were of the prisoner Sylvia from different angles, the green tint of night vision illuminating the chained girl in all of her isolation. The others were of the building itself, exterior and interior. Nothing changed, for the most part, nothing that would be the cause of any alarm. But the arrival of his clairvoyant said otherwise, her robe-swaddled body approaching him before falling to both knees in supplication.​

​

Swallowing, Carnifex said; "Speak."​

​

"Exalted Father, we've sensed a tremor in the Force. A branch in the shatterpoint."​

​

"Elaborate."​

​

"We believe that she is coming."​

​

For a moment, Carnifex wanted to say the name Elle. But Elle was dead, he saw her die himself. Her lightsaber adorned the wall of this building's armory as a trophy, and so he knew that it could not be her. There were few others that could alter the course of history in such a manner that it would arouse the anxiety of his oracles. ​

​

"Patch me into law enforcement security, I want to see what their traffic cams are seeing."​

​

"At once."​

​

The screens all changed simultaneously, now showing the various skyways that led to and surrounded the skyscraper. With the power of Coruscant security's own databases and facial recognition technology, the cameras began to scan for one specific face.​

​

"There she is."

It was unmistakable, even if the facial recognition hadn't caught it initially. Allyson Locke, riding on a speeder, and stuck at one of the many intersections that ground one stream of traffic to a halt to allow the other to pass. She was heading straight for them, the security cameras monitoring her progress until she stopped and disappeared from both sight and the Force. The screens then returned to their previous state.​

​

"Do not raise the alarm, let her infiltrate. I want to see how this game plays out."​

​

Sylvia Virtos | Allyson Locke ​

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Coruscant //:
//: Sylvia Virtos //: Darth Carnifex //:

​

Sylvia’s words hung in Allyson’s mind. The one person she had been hoping wasn’t part of this equation was at the core of it. She wanted to turn around, go home and return to the evening that she had planned for herself. But, unfortunately, Carnifex was someone she wasn’t in the mood to face. Each and every time she had confronted him, she had flirted with death - it was so familiar she was surprised death hadn’t invited her to dinner yet. The Corellian scoffed at the thought that she’d have to chase death as much as she pursued her current affections, knowing her luck.

As much as Allyson wanted to run and pretend as if she didn’t hear Sylvia’s cries for help - she couldn’t. She had been where Sylvia was, probably about the same age as well. Scared and alone, constantly physically and mentally traumatized until the days just melded together. The nightmares still plagued her, the feeling of cold steel slicing into her skin then pulling it away - exposing her. Allyson felt sick remembering the ordeal, and she crouched near the vegetation and dry heaved as quietly as she could. It was an experience she would never forget, and she could never forgive him for the hell he had caused her.

Her life changed that day; she didn’t know if it was for the better - if it had never happened, Allyson doubted she would be creeping in his backyard right now. Maybe she would have married Kaili, lived on the planet where they were considered gods - possibly had kids? Pleasant thoughts, but far from the reality of her life.

Maybe next time.

You’re fine. Just stay there. I’m here - gonna find a way in. Her mental words were hopefully reassuring. There was no way for her to tell how long Sylvia had been here, nor would she really want to know. All that was important was getting the kid out.

She crept, running the plan in her head as she did so. Okay, two ways to do this. Find a secret way in, scoop the kid out, remain undetected or see if Carnifex is home - ruin his dinner and make a deal. Neither sounded like a good plan; the former had its issues. She didn’t know Sylvia’s state of being. The girl could be in shambles, paralyzed, or becoming some horrid experiment for the Sith Lord. The latter presented an opportunity for her to gather intel and put her in the direct line of Carnifex. Not to mention, IVI would not be too happy to have one of her best agents on a rogue mission...again.

Allyson internally screamed at her dilemma and decided the first course of action was probably the best and one that wouldn’t get her into too much trouble with her boss. Slowly but surely, she crept, avoiding guards utilizing the Force Cloak and any force sensitives by way of the Void in the Force. The Corellian was designed to be the perfect infiltrator, but things were a little too easy. She used the Force to slice her way into one of the back gates and crawl into one of the numerous air vents. Knowing Carnifex, his carefully crafted dungeon would be underground. Frowning, Allyson wiggled her way through the air duct until she found a vent to pop open. Slipping through the hole, she dropped into a proper hallway and looked around. She could smell food and her stomach twisted in knots - whatever it was...it smelled delicious. Following the scent, the Corellian’s curiosity got the better of her - it didn’t hurt to add a little snooping to the rescue mission.​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Hurt, but not broken after all
Allyson Locke | Darth Carnifex

---

​

You're fine.

Sylvia was far from certain of that, but with Allyson coming to her aid there was now a reason to get to her feet. This felt like her last, her only chance to reclaim her freedom and despite the knowledge that everything she had out there was as good as gone, that persistent feeling that was not hers would not allow her to let it be the end. Not without a fight.

The reason why was not clear, but a pull towards something was unmistakably linked to it. She had to find it.

The wait was long, but after the perceived eternity she had spent in her cell it was not so bad. Sylvia even felt a spark of her old spirit return. If she was going to die here, it was outright wrong to not go out kicking and screaming. All she needed was the opportunity, and it came sooner than she expected. The cell door could not stay closed if someone needed to get inside.

So when a guard was feeling frustrated and the door opened, his wish to take that out on Sylvia was the very thing she could try to turn in her favor. Weary eyes looked up as she sat in the corner, curled up and looking defenseless. Perhaps she was, but she was also willing to take any risk presented to her.

The man approached her, slowly and wordlessly, like he had done numerous times before. He squatted down before her with a cruel look, confident the prisoner would not fight back. Unlike previous times, however, she would. As he reached out for her neck Sylvia threw her leg forward with a groan, kicking his shin and putting him off-balance for a moment.

"You-" the guard called out, a thought he never finished.

Instinct took over. Sylvia scrambled out of the corner and made a break for the door, but stumbled on her way there as the chains binding her legs were too short to run. With one step out of the cell she felt a hand tightly gripping her upper arm, yanking her backwards. She yelped, but before the guard could properly hold her in place she did something she had not dared to do in some time.

Use the Force.

With sudden quickness she got behind her would-be-torturer and jumped, slinging the chain binding her arms around his neck, then pulled with whatever strength she had left. The guard sent an elbow into her gut, causing her to double over, but with that Sylvia pulled him further down with her as she fell to her knees.. The sudden pull knocked precious wind out of both of them, yet they kept struggling. The guard reached for and pulled at her hair, eliciting pained groans from the prisoner, but she did not let up.

Sylvia held on for dear life. Literally. Something was waiting for her, and she had to get there.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Allyson's investigation led her down a well-illuminated hallway, the overall shape of which resembled an octagon with sharp corners. The adjacent walls featured little more than long rows of phosphorescent panels that expelled light into every corner of the corridor. Ahead was a junction, the corridor branching off into three new directions, though the north and west passages were cut off by thick turadium blastdoors. The only path left open led directly to the source of the scents that Allyson had picked up.​

​

At the end of that path was an open door and beyond that was a room lined with observation screens, all of which were tuned to various locations across the building and the outer perimeter. A chair occupied the center of the room, far too ornate to be an actual fixture of its surroundings. A figure occupied the chair, although the chair's back was turned towards the doorway that Allyson approached. She could still make out the silhouette of a hand holding up a translucent glass cup just outside of the margins of the chair's profile.​

​

A table, stainless steel, had been moved in front of the chair at an isometric angle so that it could be seen even when the entirety of the chair was turned away from Allyson's perspective. On it was the culprit of the scents that Allyson had been smelling, roasted flesh, seasoned herbs, and honey. ​

​

"Come now, Missus Locke." The voice which slipped into Allyson's ears sounded as if it were being whispered right into them, the facsimile of breath causing the hairs to rise on the back of her neck. But when, or if, she turned to look there would be nothing there but the same hall that she had already passed through. "I want to show you something." A strong current of feeling, a compulsory need, surrounded Allyson Locke, magnetically drawing her towards the room to stand at a distance from the chair and its occupant.​

​

It was obvious as to who sat in the chair, Allyson didn't need to see his face or hear his voice to deduce that. Carnifex swirled a goblet of inky black liquid in his goblet, bringing the vessel to his lips to take a drink before setting it down next to his half-eaten meal. There were some changes to his appearance since the last time she had seen him, he had more scarring on his face and his hair was grayer in places. Still, his eyes were as lethally vibrant as they had been when she had first fallen into his clutches all those years ago. That predatory glimmer shone now as his gaze swept from the walls of video screens to stare directly into her eyes, the intensity of which could cause even the most stoic of men to flinch away if unprepared.​

​

Wordlessly, the Dark Lord of the Sith stared at Allyson as the screens all around them shifted what they were broadcasting to the same feed. It was Sylvia, fighting back against the guard that had routinely abused her even though it went against protocol. She was strangling him with her shackles, attempting to take his life in a desperate fight for survival as the guard struggled and sent them both sprawling to the cell floor. The sounds of their struggle were filtered into the observation room, filling the tense silence when continued to linger between the two fierce enemies.​

​

"How far do you think she will make it without your help? Do you want to find out?"​

​

Allyson Locke | Sylvia Virtos ​

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Coruscant //:
//: Sylvia Virtos //: Darth Carnifex //:

​

"It's Miss Locke, Mister Sith Lord Carnifex." Allyson rolled her eyes as she entered the room, trying to ignore the sweet scent of the meal the Sith was enjoying. She shifted where she stood, arms crossing over her chest, watching the man speak. Several questions swarmed the Corellian's mind. Was this a trap? No, it was too perfect and a long shot for Sylvia to be bait for the Spy.

It made no sense whatsoever. He couldn't have known the brief stint Allyson had as the girl's master. Allyson relaxed her shoulders, trying to keep the power level equal between them. If she gave him an inch, the man would take a yard. She glanced towards the monitors that had appeared; it seemed that this was more than dinner - it was a game, and Allyson was just another player. "What are you doing with the kid Carnifex? This doesn't seem like you - she doesn't matter."

She needed to make Sylvia seem obsolete; if she seemed unimportant to the Spy, then maybe he would ignore her. Allyson watched the monitor; she watched Sylvia gather what strength she had to fight back. Pride fluttered in a passing moment. Any sort of emotion the Sith would easily cling to and possibly use against her. Allyson had encountered Carnifex enough to know what game she was playing and the threat he posed.

Looking away from the monitors, Allyson narrowed her eyes at Carnifex. "Let her go. Yes, I came for her, so you can either hand her over to my custody, or you let her escape and deal with me."​

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

Struggle Against The Restraints
Allyson Locke | Darth Carnifex

---

​

The scratching of her arms by the guard's nails. The way her arms pulled back with all the might she had. The grunts and gasps for breath she heard as her heart rapidly pumped blood through her system. Her eyes were shut, her focus solely on the man she was deriving of oxygen. Then, his strength waned. The man's arms went limp shortly after, followed by silence. Sylvia quickly relinquished the hold and lifted the chain up, letting him fall to the floor.

For a moment, she panicked. Once had been once too many already; even if he deserved it, she did not want to be a killer today. With rapid and short breaths, her eyes equally erratic, she looked down to the body on the ground before her.

A moment later, the sound of snoring filled the cell. A deep sigh of relief calmed the woman's nerves somewhat. He was alive, just unconscious. Surely the deep red line across his neck would end up scarring, but she considered that to be more than fair.

Sylvia kneeled down next to the snoring guard and lifted some of his belongings from his person. First the stun baton he had on him, then the keys he had on him. She would not risk the chance of him waking up and chasing her down, not when she could do something about it. The corridor was still empty when she peeked her head out, then Sylvia walked out and closed the door behind her, locking it. Surely one of his colleagues would get him out eventually, but that moment would preferably come long after she was gone.

The next key was used afterwards, unshackling her restraints. Sylvia's wrists in particular had not taken well to them. Ringed red markings revealed how sore and irritated the skin was, but that was among the least of her concerns.

It was time to leave this place, and take some things with her along the way. Hopefully, she could find whatever samples they took from her as well. Knowing Carnifex of all people had those in his possession was disconcerting.

But first, she had to find Allyson. Sylvia was not sure how far she was able to get without her.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex slowly carved another slice from the Krayt heart, piercing it with a pronged instrument and bringing it up to his mouth. He chewed in silence as they both watched Sylvia struggle and ultimately triumph over her adversary, choking him out and leaving him unconscious on the floor of the cell. She then stole his weapon, his keys, and locked him in the cell so that he couldn't chase her down if he woke up.

Without a word, Carnifex casually tapped a button on the holographic display built into the arm of his chair. It chimed in response and, in real-time, the body of the unconscious guard was engulfed in flames as a cybernetic implant inside of his body combusted violently.

"Is that so?" Carnifex said after swallowing his food, dabbing his mouth with an ornamental cloth. "Sylvia Virtos, a former acolyte of the Sith Empire, paramour to the deceased Elle Mors. She is a very interesting specimen, you know. When I first apprehended her, she drew strength from a connection with Mors, a bond so strong that it piqued my curiosity immediately. I ventured to test the limits of her bond, and she remained resilient up to the moment of Mors' death. After that, she sank into a deep lethargy broken only by your arrival."

The cameras shifted perspective to follow Sylvia's journey throughout the dungeon facility, streams of data-text recording her positioning, vitals, brain activity, and more. There wasn't one inch of her existence that wasn't being meticulously cataloged by her captors, let alone the violations of her personage that they had inflicted upon her earlier to extract blood and bone marrow samples. Samples that were being held in the science wing of the facility, which just so happened to be connected to the dungeon wing for ease of movement by the scientists who performed the experiments on captives.

"So do not tell me that she does not matter, Allyson Locke, your lies will not get you far." His piercing gaze descended on Allyson for a brief moment, the full intensity of a crashing moon subsiding only when he turned back to look at Sylvia on the monitors. He pressed a series of keys on his control pad, the cameras shifting against to show the reinforced doors of kennels somewhere else in the facility. A red light turned green, and the kennel doors began to recede into the floor. Rushing out from within were Charhounds, beasts native to the barren world of Elphrona, tortured and experimented on to drive them to madness and savagery. All throughout the facility, doors closed and hallways were blockaded off by ray shields as the Charhounds passed, shepherding them on a direct path to the dungeons.

Towards Sylvia Virtos.

"You have a limited time, Miss Locke. If you wish to bargain with me, I suggest you do so now."

Allyson Locke | Sylvia Virtos ​