[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"You really think a locked door is enough to hold back a woman who was raised by Emerald Lanka, you arrogant puppet?"

Sofia’s voice was a low, jagged rasp that vibrated against the cold concrete walls of her cell. She wasn't looking at the reinforced steel door, but rather at the small, blinking red eye of the security camera tucked into the corner of the ceiling. Her breath came in shallow, controlled bursts as the sweet, almond-scented gas continued to swirl around the floor, rising slowly like a tide of invisible death. She knew the chemical composition; she had seen her mother use it on dissenters in...