Cut To The Feeling [The Interrogation of Allyson Locke]

[Darth Carnifex]

The Crypt

Two Imperial Dungeoneers stood guard outside of the cell of [member="Allyson Locke"], the Jedi spymaster who had been detained by the Dark Lord following her failed espionage. It hadn't been over seventy-two hours since she had been detained and imprisoned beneath the Dark Lord's massive Palace, her body left broken as she was suspended in a stasis field to dissuade any futile attempts at escape.

All of her belongings had been confiscated and comprehensively analyzed, and from it all the Emperor of the Sith had learned many things. He knew that her name was Allyson Locke, and that she was either affiliated with the Galactic Alliance or the Outer Rim Coalition (both enemies of his Empire), and that she was the paramour of one [member="Kaili Talith"]. He knew not the woman herself, but the familial name was one he had been intimately familiar with in the past. The first Emperor of the Old Sith Empire had been a Talith, and some of his children had followed his dark path, but so many others had fallen into the realm of the Light.

He would dispatch his eyes to monitor this Kaili, and see what he could learn. Perhaps it would shed more light on his current prisoner.

The door opened and Carnifex stepped through the threshold, his baleful eyes glowing in the artificial gloom of the cell. An electrical current passed through the stasis field to provoke Allyson into consciousness whether or not if she was unconscious in the first place, no doubt yanking a pained yelp from the broken woman. "So tell me, Miss Locke, what was a Jedi like yourself planning to achieve in the capital of the Sith?"

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]The mission seemed like it was going to be straight forward, all she had to do was set up different sectors and listen. Once she listened she would leave and no one would know she was there. Of course, that was until sector 23 decided to be a pain in the rear end. That was all she could really remember, beyond feeling Ember’s presence like she did before the onslaught of pain occurred. Consciousness was in and out for the agent, she wanted to just die at this point, mostly because she didn’t want to deal with what was coming next or whatever information he could get out of her. Her thoughts rested on Kaili focusing on the beach, that moment she got the call for this mission – she was foolish to think it was something easy. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]The Sith had left her alone for some time, she didn’t know exactly how long, but it felt like an eternity. Times like this she wished she could reach out into the Force and call for someone. Instead she had to depend on her SOS signal that she sent out before shorting out the device. Was it safe to pray? Should she pray? The thought faded as she felt her mind fade in and out once again. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Footsteps, echoed and Allyson struggled to lift her head while in the stasis field. Limbs mangled to the point that the pain was too great that she stopped feeling. Breathing was hard, but she continued to live. An electrical current surged through her and she gritted her teeth denying him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. When it stopped she grunted and felt her chest heave while trying to gather enough air to sate its desperation. “I’m not a Jedi.” Grinning she did her best to shrug, “When you f-figure out what I am…you…you can try again, thanks.” [/SIZE][member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A throaty growl responded to Ally's continued insolence before another prolonged jolt of electricity, this one higher in power, arced through the stasis field to pepper her body with agony. The smell of burning flesh and clothes was palpable amidst the stench of sweat, fear, and the stale blood-like odor that the Sith before her reeked of.

"Perhaps I can phone in a friend, Allyson Locke."

The already dim lights died down to practically total darkness before the blinding blue glow of multiple holograms lit up the cell, each one a different picture of [member="Kaili Talith"] pulled from every corner of the holonet. Some of them were voyeuristic in nature. "I wonder what Kaili Talith would call you, Allyson. Maybe I should ask her after I'm through with peeling the secrets from your flesh, extend her the same courtesy I am extending to you."

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]She figured the Sith wouldn’t be able to help himself, so the current surged through her more powerful than she had felt before this. It burned and with whatever movement she still had in her limbs she twisted in agony from both the pain of the electrical current along with the pain of her destroyed limbs. She once again fought crying out, that’s what he wanted from her right? Isn’t that what all Sith wanted? To hear their victims, cry out in pain, for their mother’s, lovers or something of the sort. The current finished and she was there then he spoke. Phone a friend? Allyson struggled to lift her head to look at him and the look of confusion was written on her face. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]The agent didn’t have to ask what he was talking about, the room went black and Allyson was met with holoimages of Kaili. Horror flowed over her face as her breathing became panicked. The one person she was doing this all for, the one person she was fighting to protect was now showing on the holo images. Some even personal which meant that he was close to her somehow. “No! Kaili…!” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]For the first time Allyson physically struggled. The cracking of bones healing wrong echoed under her string of curses to the Sith. “You stay the feth away from her! She’s not a part of this. I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you if you lay a finger on her!” She couldn’t do anything to save her and Allyson wondered if she ever did. The struggle continued as she continued to swear death upon the man. “Stay away from her!” [/SIZE][member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Mocking laughter answered her threats.

"You made her a part of this, Allyson Locke. But you knew the danger, you knew the risk of what you were doing. Every spy knows that one day could be their last, that they could be captured and tortured and killed by the government they were spying on." The Dark Lord knew that better than most, he had first served as an Imperial Agent during the reign of the First Sith Empire around thirty years ago and had risen through the ranks with guilde, cunning, and ruthlessness. He had known that everyday could be his last if he was not careful, but he had survived every obstacle that had been thrown in his path to ascension. The same could be said for his life as a Sith Lord, there were always those beneath him that coveted his power and authority.

They would never get their hands on it, not so long as he still drew breath. "I assure you that I will make sure her death is agonizing and slow, her soul torn from her body while her flesh is ravaged and defiled. Throughout it all she will know that it was you who led her to this doom, and before her life is snuffed out completely she will curse your name with unfathomable loathing."

The holograms disappeared and the room returned to its previous gloomy state, though now a panel opened up in the ceiling to reveal a bulbous robotic tower that descended down to about chest level with the restrained [member="Allyson Locke"]. More panels on its sides slid away to reveal an amalgamation of robotic segmented arms wielding various medical instruments such as scalpels, syringes, saws, lasers, clamps, and pincers. Most of them held the distinct sheen of dried blood.

"I will ask you again now, Miss Locke. What was a Jedi like yourself hoping to achieve on Bastion?"

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]“She…she hasn’t done anything to deserve this. She’s not – military she’s not involved in this.” Allyson couldn’t hold back any longer and tears poured from her eyes. She didn’t’ realize how dry her face was or her eyes. The tears burned against her cheeks, her sobs stifled the best she could as she didn’t want him to derive any sort of pleasure from this. He spoke of the unimaginable things that he would do to her and despite her efforts to not imagine them, she did. She pictured everything as if it was happening right in front of her. Eyes wide as she struggled to catch her breath, panic continued to heighten as she didn’t know what to do. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]To know that at the end of her torture she would curse her name, to know that she was the reason for Kaili to suffer like that, destroyed her and Allyson couldn’t do anything to stop it. She couldn’t find a way out of the chamber to rip his head off, she couldn’t even use the force well enough to push him or turn the tides on him. Allyson Locke was a helpless savant, she could play with electronics and figure out where she was in hyperspace – beyond that – she was nothing. Images of Kaili’s suffering continued to play in her head, finally to the point where she began dry heaving. There was nothing in her stomach, but the painful gasps for air told the tale of what could have happened if she did. The holoimages of Kaili disappeared and Allyson was reminded where she was at. Part of her wanted the images to remain, at least she would be able to ‘see’ Kaili before her own life was snuffed out, but another part of her didn’t want him to see her. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Regaining some control over herself, Allyson centered her mind, remembering the training the SIS had given her. He may have a location on Kaili, but he couldn’t be in more than one place at a time. The girl knew something was wrong, so she expected her to have already notified her parents or something along those lines. Kaili was safe for the most part for now. Looking up she watched as the tools stained with several others’ blood made its appearance, she kept her stare on them as he spoke. “Once again, I’m not a Jedi and I was hoping to achieve nothing on Bastion. I was just out for a lovely stroll when I ran into your two knuckle heads.” She needed to keep repeating a mantra in her mind, in a small attempt to keep him from diving in too deep. The mantra faded in and out of her jibberish with a reminder that Kaili for the most part was safe for right now. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]She remembered hearing stories of the girl’s father, being able to appear out of nowhere to save one of his children. Kaine couldn’t touch her and that was peace enough for the Agent. [/SIZE][member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Lies will get you nowhere, Jedi. One way or another I will uncover the truth, even if you have to die a thousand times."

The contraption whirred to life, its metal arms moving in sharp jerking motions as it fixated on Allyson's body with one red photoreceptor. Arms mounted with cutting scissors moved in to snip away the last vestiges of the captive's clothing, articulated pincers peeling away the blood-stained fabric and discarding it in a pile on the cell floor. There was to be no modesty afforded to the prisoner, for as far as the machine and its dark master were concerned she was nothing more than a piece of meat on the chopping block, her life forfeited the moment she worked against the interests of the Sith government.

A dark red light projected out from the machine's eye, scanning Allyson's naked body as it revolved around the stasis field for a full three hundred and sixty degrees, noting every injury already inflicted upon her body by [member="Kazmai"] and [member="Ao Xian"].

++Analysis complete. Recording subject's vital signs, administering torture.++

One of the syringe arms surged forth to penetrate the stasis field and pierce Allyson's skin, injecting her with a mild toxin that would replicate the sensation of being engulfed by flames. It would spread out from the point of injection to attack her nerves, causing them to spasm with pulsating waves of pain that could last up to a good five minutes.

[member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]This was the part that Allyson Locke began to nope out of this situation. As the creepy robotic arms began to cut away at her clothing, she blinked watching the rags that she wore hit the ground. To be fair she assumed they would have just disintegrated by the dirt and grim that had been clinging to them along with the currents of electricity that had surged through her body. Being the snarky type that she was she did her best not to lose her sense of humor in this moment, it was the only thing really keeping her sane and from thinking about the terrible things he had mentioned to do to Kaili. “You know, I usually require dinner before we get to the fun part…like my clothes coming off.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]She watched the device do its analysis and then echo to the Sith Lord that it was ready to administer her torture. Allyson’s brain kicked into over drive as she saw the syringe enter the stasis chamber. Quickly she went to work, this thing was a machine and like all machines she could use the force to stop it and control it. It was a snap decision and quickly she focused on the electromagnetic field around the device and began to warp it forcing the machine to shut down before it could administer the poison into her flesh. Smoke and sparks came from the arms of the torture toy and Allyson showing some joy looked at the Sith. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“Looks like your machine broke, boy that does suck.” Shrugging, the best she could she tried to search for the stasis field’s control panel by means of the Force as well. She chuckled slightly as she remarked, “You’re not getting anything out of me. I’ll die a thousand times before I spill my guts to you.” She spat at him, which didn’t go very far, but landed rather close and possibly on his boots. “Stupid Sith.” [/SIZE][member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Interesting.

It seemed that his prisoner knew some measure of Mechu-Deru, and was capable of shorting out his machinery. That brought up the real possibility that she could disengage the stasis locks keeping her in place if she so desired, and beyond that breaking all the locks he had in place in the Crypt. He didn't anticipate to use the device hanging from his belt, he hadn't witnesses any profound use of the Force from the woman during her brief, yet violent, scuffle in Sector 23.

Now he was glad he had bothered to bring it in the first place.

He reached down and unclipped a large metal collar ringed on the inside by twelve hypodermic needles, each of which could deliver a dose of ixetal cilona that could block one's connection to the Force for up to two hours. He breached the stasis field, getting intimately close to [member="Allyson Locke"] as he forcefully affixed the collar around her neck and instigated the process where one of the vials would inject the chemical into her bloodstream.

To break her concentration he punched her in the gut with enough power to double over an adult human, but thanks to the energies holding her in place she could only hang there and suffer.

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]Kaine was right about not seeing much use of the Force when they were initially capturing her. Allyson couldn’t touch the force beyond Mechu-Deru and Astrogenation. She was a savant only being able to touch small aspects of the Force. Beyond those two skills the woman in his crypt was basically a non-force user. The woman sensed the stasis chamber’s source and soon began to work at it, except it seemed the Sith Lord had figured out her tricks. He moved close to and she attempted to pull away from him, but she was too close to him and as he drew close she bit his ear. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]She didn’t get to bit hard enough to do anything, because the next thing that happened came quickly. His fist connected with her stomach and she couldn’t avoid it or anything of the sort. The force connected with her body and she felt as if her spine was going to split in two. Her mouth forced open as she gagged and wheezed trying to catch whatever air she could recover. He was disgustingly strong and she shook her head trying to regain some composure. Everything hurt even more, the flinch from the blow and the blow itself caused her to groan in pain. Her focus broken she had to try and find the stasis chamber’s core once again. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Mind opening and then nothing. The usual buzzing of the machine around her was gone, her mind was empty and quiet. It was an eerily kind of quiet and she looked at the man while still trying to catch her breath. “The kark you do to me?” She tried to think quickly about what he had done when he was close to her. The collar, there was something with the collar and then she became aware of the prickle pain that she felt. [/SIZE][member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He departed the stasis field, a small trickle of blood leaking down the left side of his face from where Allyson had taken a small chunk out of the Dark Lord's ear. The Lord of the Sith placed his left hand on the disabled machine, reaching in through the Force to pinpoint all the damage that the prisoner had caused with her destructive use of mechu-deru and repair it. He also gave the stasis core a look over, making sure that it was secure as well.

"The collar is a relic of the Old Empire, it injects a chemical into your bloodstream that blocks your connection to the Force."

After a moment the machine whirred back to life, light once again returning to its singular photoreceptor. The toxin syringe was pulled back for a moment as the machine rebooted and awaited new commands, a devious smirk crossing the Dark Lord's face as he turned to look at his captive. "And you are not the only practitioner of mechu-deru in this room, Miss Locke. I learned at the feet of Belia Darzu's holocron, all of her secrets became mine to know." He now looked to the droid, "Hâsk-007, initiate sequence 24."

++Voice recognition verified. Sequence 24 initiated.++

The droid swung around on its ceiling-mounted harness until it came to a stop directly behind Allyson, and in lieu of the syringe arm there emerged a laser cutter alongside a pair of metallic pincers. The laser cutter first started by tracing out a pattern on Allyson's back in the shape of a sideways H, the laser never cutting deeper than several centimeters into the epidermis. Then the two pincer arms would move in and pinch the slightly lifted folds of skin that were born from the parting of the woman's back, and slowly peel back the skin to reveal the exposed muscle and nerve tissue.

A fourth arm emerged, tipped with an electroprod, and began delivering a direct electrical shock to the exposed muscle.

[member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]Something that cut you off from the force, she knew things like this existed, but she didn’t think such barbaric things were used. The thought that she was essentially helpless here made her feel the fear she had when he first walked into the room again. The SIS agent was officially cut off and now completely helpless. Why was it such a big deal now? She had always been kind of helpless with the Force, until she met Kaili. The woman had taught her everything she knew about Technomancy – she was the reason Allyson depended on the Force. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“I see, well that’s interesting…” It was really all she could say because suddenly the machines were coming to life again. Instantly she tried to feel the machines and stop it. Nothing happened and she was helpless. The sound of the mechanical arms whirred and she felt her heart begin to race. What was going on? What were they doing behind her? Suddenly she felt the sharp blade slice into her skin. What was it about cuts that only went through the first couple layers of skin? Why did they hurt the most? She gritted her teeth till she felt them wanting to crack under the pressure. The cutting stopped and the cooler air in the crypt made her shiver with pain as the muscles were exposed as while the grips pulled at her skin. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“Feth” Then suddenly the electrical current attached itself to her exposed muscles. She felt the pain surge through her and there was nothing she could do. Her body tried to pull away but with the claps on her skin, she stayed in place and shivered as she was electrocuted from the inside. Finally she cried out in pain, screaming a blood curdling scream. [/SIZE][member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

They all screamed eventually.

When they had the Force they were defiant, arrogant that they could withstand anything that he might have hidden under his sleeve. Take that security blanket away, and all that was left was a mewling husk begging for the bittersweet release of death. He would grant it, if but for a moment, before he wrenched their soul back from the Netherworld to again suffer at his hand. Over and over the process would repeat, their flesh mended and damage undone on the eve of their second, third, or even fourth session of grueling torture that would lead to yet another death.

And another forced resurrection by his hand.

Carnifex said nothing as Allyson's screams were ripped from her throat, punctuating the air with their unrestrained suffering. A smile grew across his face, full lips pulling back to reveal sharp teeth as his molten eyes shone in the cell's gloom like smoldering coals. He took pleasure in her pain, feeding off of it like a hagfish would feed off of the carcass of a whale; ripping and tearing into it with wild abandon, scarfing down every last morsel until it ran down his chin.

A flick of the finger ramped up the intensity of the electrical current being fed into the electroprod, and the machine responded by directly applying the head of the prod to the exposed tendons of Allyson's spine.

[member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Allyson Locke]

Her screams fell on deaf ears. Kaine was the only one listening, he was the only one that could make all of this stop, but he wasn't. There was no way he was going to just allow her to leave. For the first time through this ordeal Allyson realized she was going to die here. If the SIS had heard her distress call they would have been here already. The Alliance had no current issue with the Sith Empire and to fight them along with the First Order would strain their forces.

There was no one. Her mind began to block out the current pain as she tried to focus on something better. Hazel eyes shut as she tried to find a happy memory something to help get her through at least today's torture. She imagined the last memory she had with Kaili, the beach, and quiet dinners together. Along with that memory, she remembered the blonde woman's pleas for her to stop this. The Corellian had barely escaped death the last time.

Maybe her luck had finally run out. The current increased in and she held in the scream as the pain shattered her happy memory. There was no where she could go, but as the electricity coursed through her exposed muscles, she remembered a strength she had felt when she was first caught.

Ember was always there. He had plucked her from her humble beginnings and made her who and what she was today. He was more if a father than she had ever really known. Maybe he was still there, maybe he could hear her. Kaine was once graced with her cries of pain. Instead of just screaming she cried out for someone. A name he probably had not heard in some time. “Buir! Help me...please.” Her face twisted in pain as she desperately called for a ghost to save her, to help her, “Ember please...help me...I-I don't want to…” screams and cries continued, her throat becoming dry, but she continued in case he was really out there.

[member="Ember Rekali"]
[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The electricity stopped.

A small reprieve.

Too much pain without the hope of alleviation would not serve to foster the suffering that Allyson experienced, such things needed to be approached with finesse and guile. Carnifex reached out to cup Allyson's face in his powerful hand, "You know how this will end, Allyson, it is useless to pray for others to save you. I will break your body and your spirit, twist it until it is nothing but a shriveled husk. Then I will feed you to my beasts, and send my servants to find Kaili Talith so that she may die on the same altar that you will die on." He let go of her face, but in one cruel motion he cocked his arm back and swung it around to ruthlessly backhand her across the cheek.

"And if you will not tell me the truth, then I will have to rip it out of you. Hâsk-007, prepare the OV800."

++As you command, my Emperor.++

The pinchers holding Allyson's flesh open relinquished their prize and retracted back into the droid's cold reflective chassis, another syringe emerging to replace the electroprod. This only was slightly different from the one the Dark Lord attempted to use on her in the opening gambit, the color of the liquid was different and the syringe itself was tipped with flesh-ripping barbs angled backwards rather than forwards. After another quick analysis to find a suitable vein, the droid carefully injected Allyson with the chemical compound known as OV800, a modern concoction of the truth serum OV600.

"Now then, Allyson Locke. Who do you work for?"

[member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]The relief of the metal that clamped her skin open released and she could breathe slightly. It was a brief break from the physical pain, but he quickly reopened the emotional and mental wounds he had created before all of this started. Teeth clenched and air was quickly sucked in as she felt him pull her face towards him, forcing her to look at him. The defiance in her eyes remained despite her body wanting to break and give up. He mentioned Kaili again and anger flared in her eyes again, she wanted to feel bad for herself, but when he mentioned hurting the Talith girl the urge to kill him rose again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Before she could spit in his face, his hand moved back and slapped her full force. She could have sworn that if he hit her any harder he would have snapped her neck. Everything now including her face throbbed. Breathing was hard now that the violence had become physical again. Taking in a few deep breaths, she spoke as the machine switched gears. “You’ll never get your hands on her. Send as many servants you want, they’ll never touch her. I’ll get out of here, then I’ll kill you. Don’t you ever threaten her life.” Allyson looked at the Sith Lord and then the syringe ripped through her skin to reach a vein. Gritting her teeth, she groaned with pain and felt the burning liquid course through her system. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]She knew what this was, training for the SIS had introduced this into her system before. Allyson knew what would happen if she lied, it triggered mostly with the change in the body that happens when someone lied. This meant she needed to fully believe everything that she said and word it so her body didn’t go through the change when she lied. Exhaling, she tried not to think of the pain of the ripping needle. “I work for the good guys.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]The answer wasn’t a lie, so nothing would have happened. In her heart, she believed that the Alliance along with the Outer Rim Coalition were the good guys in this fight. The Sith were evil and they were the warriors that saved the day. Her breathing continued to labor as she smirked at the interrogator. She had outsmarted him for the moment. This bought her a little bit of time and a moment without extreme pain. Still, she wanted to be free, she wanted to at least hold Kaili one last time and the longer she stayed here the more she felt that was a desire that would never be fulfilled. At least, maybe she could hold on long enough for the Alliance to send someone in to save her, but remembering the papers she signed when joining the SIS – she knew deep down in her heart that no one was coming. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Her mission was a suicide mission masked as a simple surveillance task. Allyson Locke was lost, yet she was going to keep fighting to keep whatever hope she still had. Maybe if she held on long enough, Kaili could disappear again into the unknown – that was a hope she held onto more than anything. If Kaili was safe, then her death wouldn’t be in vain. [/SIZE]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Another backhand wracked Allyson's body, the Emperor's face contorting into an unamused scowl at his prisoner's continual defiance and evasion of the answers he desired. He could begrudging respect her for her commitment to the government she served, he would hope that all of his servants could hold onto their faith and conviction if put in the same position. That did not mean that he would spare the rod whenever she defied him, no; her torment would only magnify.

"Perhaps I will come to Kaili with a familiar face. I have the assurance that my cloning creches create such a realistic replica that one couldn't distinguish the copy from the original. Would Kaili tell the difference between the lips of a clone from yours?"

Before she had a chance to retort in anger, Carnifex hit her again; blood arcing out to splatter against the heartless walls of the cell. Powerful fingers curled around her throat, temporarily cutting off her supply of air as he spoke again with seething anger. "No more games, Allyson Locke. You will tell me what government you work for, what branch do you answer to? And what were the full mission parameters for this little incursion to Bastion?"

He released her neck so she could answer, but not after leaving several bruises in his flesh.

[member="Allyson Locke"]​