Elsewhere, in Crystal City, Mark arrives at his casino and is escorted to the VIP room. Removing his jacket, a door opens when a young woman is brought in by two men. Mark has them both leave the room as the woman, nervous and scared, sits on the couch as Mark sits down across from her. He gently touches her face and tells her not to be afraid as he is only there to help her, to make her life better.
Mark Nelson: Are you getting tired and fed up trying to make sure you have all of your payments met? Keeping your apartment, your car, your job? I can change all of that.
Mark brushes the woman's blonde hair behind her ear and pulls himself close to her but does not kiss her. She tenses up but welcomes his company and his touch. She accepts his offer as he gently grips her by the throat and as she thinks they are going to get intimint, he opens her mouth as he presses his to hers and sucks her life force out of her. Exhaling a moment, he looks down at the drained, grey corpse that was once a beautiful woman and has it removed.
Unknown to him, Lloyd is inside his casino and sees Mark leave the backrooms and quickly makes his approach but is stopped by two guards. Not wanting to draw a scene or attention, Lloyd leaves the casino.
Sitting alone around a fire, Amber sits in silence as she remnants on her training and everything she has been through in the last two years. She looks up to see Switchblade standing there, startling her.
Amber Strong: Could've said something before sneaking up on me.
Switchblade remains silent as Amber waits for a reply that never comes.
Amber Strong: Can you speak or-?
Switchblade instead, still not speaking, sits down across from her and picks at the fire to keep the flames and embers burning. Amber just looks at him, studying and examining him, trying to figure this mysterious man out.
Amber Strong: You had something happen to you? Something traumatized you and made you not speak anymore?
Switchblade remains quiet still poking at the fire, this time not even looking at her and Amber nods softly.
Amber Strong: I can't even imagine. I don't know what it was, but I'm sorry. For what happened to you if something did happen to you.
Setting the stick down, Switchblade looks back up at her and even with his mask on, Amber can feel his sadness and loneliness. Carefully unclipping his mask, Switchblade removes it to reveal his true face and the large, gruesome scar that has blinded his right eye startles Amber. Switchblade looks at her and sets his mask down next to him still refusing to speak. Now she understands and to know how that scar got there she does not want to know.
Amber Strong: May I?
Switchblade nods to her as she stands up and sits next to her. Amber gently places her hands on his face and closes her eyes, summoning the powers of the Thunderbird as the power shows her what really happened to him and shows her the horrors and torture, he endured that causes her to snap back to reality. Switchblade looks away from her then back, wiping the tear away from her eye. He pulls away from her as he puts his mask back on, stands up and walks away. Horrified, Amber watches him walk away and disappear into the darkness.