Stiletto lingered for a moment longer, some long lost remnant of her own humanity welling up at the sight of the sobbing girl.  She shot hard glances at the few inmates that had figured out that the cats were not coming, her hand wrapped around the hilt of the stun rod and threatening a repeat performance of Mal's humiliation.  "It seems like you have things well in hand, Blaire.  I'll be back as soon as I'm able.  I've come into the possession of some contraband that you might find useful.  For now, make sure this one stays safe.  She may very well be the only pure thing on the entire planet, and I would be loathe to see her tainted beyond repair."<br/><br/><em>"Like a flower growing mournfully in the wake of a lava flow, powerless to stop the hellish flames from wresting the beauty from its petals and turning its stem to ash."</em><br/><br/>The woman flinched.  She'd stayed too long.  In the years since her incarceration her ears had become so acute that they could hear the worms digging  deep within the walls, but even they were not enough to sense<em>him.</em>She tilted her head only slightly towards the abominable voice, yellowed eye pinpointing him on the walkway just above and to the left of the cell.  His hands were behind his back, and he loomed over the side of his perch like some twisted vulture overseeing a hunk of carrion.  At the sight of him Stiletto forced herself to smile.<br/><br/>"How kind of you to join us, Flayer.  I was just telling your new guest about you.  My dear," she said tightly, eye flickering towards Jemma, "The Beast."<br/><br/>Flayer bowed at his cue, eyes turning to scrutinize the distraught young woman hiding behind the bars.<em>"My most sincere welcome to you.  I apologize that I was not able to see you down to a cell in person, but it seems as though Miss Stiletto has taken it upon herself to help you in my stead.  How generous of her.  You are in very capable hands."</em><br/><br/>What happened next was a blur, but all at once Stiletto's left arm was pulled forcefully from her side and suspended in the air by the lengths of barbed wire digging straight through the leather armor and into her flesh.  The woman cried out and pulled back instinctively, only tightening the blades and spilling blood upon the floor.  The rest of her body was coiled and ready to spring away, only held in place by the steel grip of his glove upon the taught wire.<br/><br/><em>"My thanks, Miss Stiletto.  You have proven a most gracious host in my absence, but I do believe I may take it from here."</em>he said in an almost apologetic way, as if he did not enjoy inflicting such punishment.<br/><br/>She stared daggers at him, then at the stun rod still nestled in her grip.  Her eye twitched as she maneuvered it carefully towards the wire, the tip pulsing with energy...<br/><br/><em>"But what's this?  Why Miss <strong>Stiletto,</strong></em>he nearly hissed, jerking his arm and breaking Stiletto's with a painful crack that forced the air from her lungs.  The rod fell from her weakened fingers, sparking as it clanged against the steel floor.<em>"A gift?  For me?  Why, I am simply touched.  So touched, in fact, that I am going to let you go along your merry way.  I'm sure we have plenty of catching up to do later."</em><br/><br/>Another hard tug and the barbed wire dug its way through Stiletto's flesh and off of her arm, leaving gaping cuts in its wake.  It must have been excruciating, and the amount of blood draining from her body must have weakened her immensely, but the moment she was no longer tied to the Beast the woman was running out of sight and past the few brave prisoners that had decided to watch.  A few of them went after her with sordid grins, but soon her steps could no longer be heard echoing in the distance.  She was gone.<br/><br/>Flayer walked purposefully around to the steps, rather than simply leaping down to Blaire's cell, wrapping the wire back around his arm as he did so.  Pieces of flesh still clung to the cruel blades, and he flicked them off as he went.  By the time he stood before the bars it was wound up tightly again, and he peered carefully at the three woman within.<br/><br/><em>"I must apologize for that unsightly display, but I fear she brought it upon herself.  Just because one is in prison does not mean one should be able to break the law, wouldn't you agree?  Then again, any manmade law can be broken in the interest of maintaining the one <strong>natural</strong> law.  The Law of Survival."</em><br/><br/>The Beast nestled his hands against the crook of his spine and focused his attentions on Jemma.<em>"I wonder.  My dear, as one who has not broken any laws before, yet has somehow had the misfortune to end up in this facility, what would you be willing to do in order to Survive?  I dare say you are a rare prize, for nearly everyone that finds themselves imprisoned in the Slam deserves to be here.  Justice served.  Why, the very woman that now comforts you is a cold-blooded murderer herself.  Before she came here it was for pleasure, but now she is one out of necessity."</em><br/><br/><em>"So I must ask you: how long until you are forced to commit the very crime you were wrongfully imprisoned for?"</em>he asked, cocking his head to one side like a wolf inspecting a curious piece of meat.<br/>