A guard shoved Mira down into a metal chair. He had cuffed her wrists with magnetic braces. Her crimson hair was messier than she would’ve preferred. She looked to the security guards as they made their way out of the room. The lettering ‘FDB Security’ was prominent on the back of their uniforms. She sighed and looked to the gray metal table before her. Hopefully they wouldn’t leave her to rot down here in the basement of First District Bank.

Time passed slowly as she was made to wait.

The door creaked open. A man in a fine suit walked into the room. He appeared to be human, as far as Mira could tell. Finally some company.

Despite the chair on the other side of the table, the suited man remained standing. He looked over to Mira and her blue eyes peered back at him.

“Why were you trying to hack into the upper floors?” the man asked.

“Well, I like to give myself private tours and I heard it’s a fantastic view at the top,” she replied.

The man’s eyes narrowed. He placed his hands on his hips. “There’s no records of you on Malstyx. No gate records, nothing, Miss Lydia Dawson.”

Mira shrugged. “Well, that’s my name. Even says so on my data-band. Doesn’t it?”

“Data-band identities can be forged,” he said. “Probably by the same person who developed that little hacking tool you tried to use to break into the upper floors. What do you think this is, some second-rate bank? Now, I’ll ask you again. What were you hoping to achieve? Who sent you? Are you working for another company?”

Mira looked around the room. She didn’t spot any cameras. Perhaps the man’s data-band was video and audio recording. Perhaps there were hidden cameras she couldn’t see.

“All I wanted to do, was have a tiny little chat with Vanessa Yor,” said Mira. “You know who she is, right? I only wanted a minute of her time, but no one would make me an appointment.”

“Miss Yor?” the man asked. “Why do you need to speak to one of the directors? Are you here to assassinate her? Doesn’t seem like a very worthwhile target. Even if she is one of the bosses.”

“Like I said, I just wanted to have a chat with Vanessa. Tell her I’m here and have her come down to speak with me. I’ll be able to clear this all up. You already checked me head to toe for weapons, right? Not like I can do any harm,” said Mira.

The man kept an eye on her as he tapped his data-band and pulled up a display that only he could see. “It’s not my choice whether Miss Yor wants to see you or not, but if she doesn’t...well, too bad for you. If you won’t talk, you’re of no use to us. But I promise we have methods...verean methods, of making you talk.”

Mira looked around the room again. She brushed her black boots against the floor as she checked her dark blue denim jeans for tears or scratches. Those guards had been pretty rough with her. She didn’t really have the credits for new clothes.

“Message for Miss Yor. This is head of security Josh Burns. I have a Lydia Dawson here in custody in the basement. She tried to break into the upper floors with a hacking program. She didn’t have any weapons on her, but says she only wanted to speak to you.”

Several seconds passed before a voice spoke over Josh’s data-band. “What did this woman wish to speak to me about?”

Josh looked back to Mira.

“Her financial future here on Malstyx,” Mira spoke up.

Josh’s eyebrows lowered as he gave Mira a strange look. He looked back down to his data-band and waited Miss Yor’s response.

“I’ll be down shortly to speak to this woman. Return to your duties. I’ll speak to her alone.”

Josh’s perplexed look returned as Miss Yor said this. He rolled his eyes. “Yes Ma’am,” he said before shaking his head and walking to the door. He looked to Mira one last time before opening the door and walking out. The door made a solid click as it latched.

Mira sat in silence as half an hour passed. She would’ve checked the time, but her data-band had been confiscated. She lifted her hands and set them on the table. She lifted her confined wrists up and down. The mag-cuffs didn’t magnetize against the desk. Was the desk not magnetic? Were the mag-cuffs only able to connect to each other? In her boredom, she tried to pull the cuffs apart. They didn’t so much as budge. All she got for her effort was a pair of sore wrists.

The door opened. Mira looked up as a woman walked in. She wore a long red skirt as well as a black button-up blouse. Her dark brown hair was styled in a short fashion and came no further than the base of her ears.

“Lydia, is it?” asked the woman.

“Am I speaking to Vanessa?” Mira countered.

“You are. I’d like to know why I had to come all the way down to the dingy basement. Which is something I’ve never done, mind you. Just to speak to some dreg like yourself—who happened to ask for me by name.” Vanessa’s arms crossed as she stood beside the table.

Those brown eyes watched Mira carefully.

“Oh, this won’t take long, I promise. I just wanted to ask you a single question,” said Mira.

“And that question would be?” Vanessa prompted.

Mira’s lips curled into a smirk. “Are you a demon?”

In an instant, Mira’s eyes became like burning embers in a smoldering fire. A phoenix ability which would force a demon into revealing what they truly were. Not even a demon could hold their masquerade under the burning gaze of a phoenix.

Mira got her answer when Vanessa’s eyes changed in response. Vanessa’s once brown eyes became pure black orbs. Vanessa’s eyes widened as Mira revealed what her identity was as well.

“A phoenix?” Vanessa gasped. The demoness back-stepped to the stone wall behind her.

Mira rose from the chair. Her arms burned with intense heat for several seconds. She pulled her wrists apart as her heated flesh melted straight through the mag-cuffs. The heavy odor of vaporizing metal filled the air. The heat dissipated from Mira’s arms as she stepped around the table and confronted the demon directly.

“Dumora,” Mira spoke the demon’s true name. “After you are ash on the floor, I will tear apart each and every demon in your clan, you’ll have nothing left to retain a foothold in this realm.”

“But...I don’t lead a clan!” Vanessa gasped. “I’m Dumora, but I’m not ‘Dumora The Thresher!’”

Mira’s breath caught in her chest. Of all things, she hadn’t expected a response like that. This wasn’t the demon she’d been searching for? The same demon that was growing more powerful each day she hunted it? According to her investigation, Dumora was responsible for much of the secretive rituals and cultist activity she’d found in Malstyx. But this wasn't the tone of a demon trying to trick her. It was the hopeful admittance that yearned to stay her hand. Mira stared her down with a burning gaze.

“The Thresher is your master? You’re not the head of the clan?” Mira asked. She needed more information. Her entire investigation had led her to this demoness. If the demon before her was not the one she was after, then she needed to find her true target. Perhaps the demon’s fear would garner the information she needed.

“My name is Dumora...though I’ve never once dealt with Dumora The Thresher—if that’s who you’re after. I don’t know anything about The Thresher. I’m an iso.”

With those words, Mira’s hands clenched into tight fists and the heat returned to her skin. This demon was an iso, or otherwise known as ‘The Isolated.’ Isos worked alone towards their own personal gain. It wasn’t uncommon for a demon of greed to become an iso.

Mira had lost so much precious time keeping her cover and choosing to spare certain demons

to retain her secrecy. Everything had led to this moment and she had the wrong demon. Her cover was blown and she had lost her masquerade to this infernal woman. Mira could rectify the loss of her secret by destroying Vanessa.

Mira headed straight for the demon. Vanessa stood there with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Mira stopped a foot away from the demon. She relaxed and regained her composure. No, destroying this demon wasn’t the end-result she needed. Mira needed much more from her.

“As a director of a bank, I’m going to venture a guess and say that you have to be aligned with greed,” said Mira. “Especially with how easily I lured you down here. You’re almost worthless to me, since you’re an iso. But your sin could prove useful to my endeavors here. How much money do you have control over?”

Mira existed only to destroy creatures like her. Now she was going to see if Vanessa would accept an ultimatum. The demon’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Mira.

“You’re not going to kill me?” the demon asked.

“How. Much,” Mira repeated herself. Her tone betrayed how annoyed she really was.

Vanessa looked away. Greed was a powerful force by itself. A demon of greed wouldn’t willingly lose what they didn’t have to. They were exceptionally defensive and protective of their assets and wealth.

“Through the underlings assigned to me, I oversee twenty percent of the bank’s assets and where our investments go,” she replied.

Mira’s lips curled into a grin. She closed the distance on the demon and stepped up to her. She lifted a hand to Vanessa’s cheek in a gentle caress as to let the demon feel the heat radiating off her fingers.

“Well then, Vanessa, seeing as you’re not affiliated with any other demons that might be pissed off by this, you’re going to fund my future endeavors on Malstyx,” said Mira.

Vanessa’s looked as if she wanted to object, but she said nothing.

“A small price for your continued existence,” said Mira. “I can only imagine what it would be like to be sent back to hell as an iso...surely it would be less than desirable?”

Those words must’ve struck deep at the demon’s core as Vanessa’s eyes widened.

“I can move credits into your account, if it will keep me unnoticed,” said Vanessa. “It won’t happen overnight. I need to appropriate the funding and investments needed, but you’ll get your credits. Comm my office with the details of your account. I’m assuming everything on the data-band we confiscated was fake anyway. I never want to see you here again. If you blow my cover, your funding stops.”

Mira supposed that the situation would have to do for now. She gave the demon’s cheek a little pat. She smirked at Vanessa before stepping away.

“I’ll leave you be, as long as you keep the credits flowing,” Mira advised before turning around and heading towards the door.

Vanessa was a demon masquerading as a human. If anyone in the company suspected she was a demon, they were obligated to inform the appropriate authorities to deal with her. There were special response teams designed for such a task when a phoenix wasn’t readily on hand. As for Mira, she was in a rough situation now that a demon knew her identity. Vanessa knew her face and could sell that information to other demons, which would prove rather troublesome for Mira. On the other hand, Mira knew that demons of greed always had their best financial interests in mind. Vanessa might suspect the bank would be Mira’s first stop if she was attacked. An appearance by an infuriated phoenix would hurt Vanessa’s stability at the bank. Based on this assumption, Mira wasn’t worried about Vanessa revealing her

identity to others.

Vanessa didn’t speak a word as Mira left. There was no reason for the two of them to discuss the amount of money that would flow into the phoenix’s account. The demoness would see to it that she was given enough money to keep her from stepping foot in First District Bank ever again.

No one stopped Mira as she headed to the nearest elevator and went to the ground floor. Less than a minute later, she was back on the streets of First City. The clouds were heavy and dark in the sky. It was the usual overcast she’d come to expect on Malstyx. It was a dark and dingy world. Not to mention cold.

A large imposing male approached her rapidly. Mira’s footsteps came to a halt as the man came towards her. His arms extended and wrapped tightly around her, lifting her into the air as if she was weightless.

“Mira!” came his jaunty and masculine voice.

“Luca,” she replied in a less-than-thrilled tone.

After greeting Mira in his usual manner, he set her down. Mira gave him an annoyed look as her hands ran over her clothes to straighten out any wrinkles his tight embrace might’ve caused.

“Must you always do that?” she huffed, but knew she could never be mad at him. She owed him far too much for that.

“You had a smug look about you when you came out of the bank, I felt you needed a little pick-me-up,” he grinned from ear to ear with his pun.

Mira rolled her eyes and walked past him.

“Did you get her?” He asked as he fell into pace with Mira.

“Sort of. Things didn’t go as expected. My quarry is less known to me than before,” she said.

“Investigations were easier when I had a team at my command. I’m not used to field work.”

Mira had been so pleased with appropriating funds through the demoness that she had yet to truly conceptualize the fact that she was now back at square one. Mira was losing the advantage of surprise. The likelihood that The Thresher knew she was after him would grow each day.

“I was able to acquire a credit-flow, making my future endeavors much easier,” she said. “I’ll finally be able to pay you back all that debt I’ve been accruing.”

Luca chuckled in response. She looked up to him, wondering what was so amusing about her comment.

“Fret not, little bird. I’m not so hurt for credits that you should feel a rush,” he said.

“Thank you Luca. You’ve been indispensable to me,” she said.

A few seconds later he let out a mock huff. “For a moment it sounded like we were almost friends,” he said.

Mira looked up to him, giving him a quirky smile.

“If I were to lead you to believe such things all the time, what more would you want to aspire towards in life?” she answered in a playful tone which only made him laugh. In truth, even if she didn’t always say it aloud; Luca was her dearest friend on Malstyx. He came to her aid when she first arrived on the planet. He saw to it that she had a place to live and the other necessities of life on Malstyx. Without him, her work would have been detrimentally hampered from being creditless in such an unknown and mysterious place.

“What’s your next plan, little bird?” he asked, pulling Mira from her thoughts.

Mira considered his question. What was her plan? She kept silent as she walked down the street. The hum of transport craft was a constant ambiance.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I have nothing to go on. I have to start from square one in finding The Thresher. Using Dumora’s name alone was a mistake I don’t want to repeat,” said Mira.

“Dumora...well, I’ll just call her Vanessa. The demon at the bank was an iso of greed. She had no information for me at all. Isos tend to keep their distance from the clans.”

Mira looked over to him as he lifted his hand and tapped the data-band on his wrist.

“Then let me offer you some info,” he said.

A holographic display materialized before Luca’s eyes. He tapped at the display, which changed the visuals before him.

Mira heard a chime come from another data-band and looked down to Luca’s pants.

“Oh, that’s right. Forgot I was keeping yours safe while you were using that dummy band,” he chuckled as he reached into his pocket and pulled Mira’s data-band out. He handed it over to her and she promptly attached it to her wrist.

“Thanks,” she said as she tapped it to view the information he sent. It was some scientific report about a strange creature that’d been found in the city.

“So the local enforcers are having trouble with mutants?” She asked. She skimmed the article further. “How does this concern me?”

“You’re so impatient,” he chided. “A friend of mine found the mutant—or whatever it might be, outside her lab in district thirteen. Some enforcer’s had killed it. She was able to examine it before a cleanup crew disposed of it. There’s no public reports about the incident and I don’t have access to the enforcer’s database.”

“Well, it doesn’t appear demonic from what I’ve seen in the past. But a change like that warrants my attention. I’ll have to pay your friend a vist.”

“Here’s her lab info. I’ve known her for years. I think you’ll like her,” said Luca as he sent the nav coordinates to Mira’s data-band.

“Coming with me?” she asked. “I wouldn’t mind having a big strong ursari with me.” Her lips curled into a grin with the obvious teasing in her voice. But despite her playful demeanor, the ursari were indeed a strong people. Their forms were larger than that of humans on average. Their bodies were heavily muscled and often very hairy. If Mira had to compare them to an animal, they’d be something between a wolf and a bear. The ursari had short and pointed furry ears on their heads, which was their most animalistic feature.

“Not this time,” he said. “I waited outside the bank like you requested, but now that your banker is a bust, I have things I need to attend to elsewhere. Let me know what you find and I might be able to assist you later.”

“Of course,” said Mira. “I’ll comm you later regardless of what I find. The report said that there might be more of them out there, so be careful?”

“Will do, little bird. Take care,” he said. Then he was off, heading down another street and towards the closest gate to another district. Mira watched him turn a corner and go out of sight. She wondered why he never used the transports to move around the city. Ursari originated from a largely forested world. He probably enjoyed the walk, as opposed to being cooped up in a small confined space like the transports.

Using her data-band, Mira signaled such a vehicle for herself. She waited several minutes before a navy-blue vehicle descended nearby. The craft was little more than a metal box. Displays decorated the sides of the transport. The screens flashed and changed as an advertisement popped up for a local bar that had just opened. The ad was only visible for five seconds before a longer-duration promo took its place. The screen depicted various shots of First City. There were fires and groups of people standing around waving their fists and makeshift signs. Upon closer inspection, Mira noticed that the people in the crowd were part of the sphinx subspecie. Ever since her arrival, there had been escalating reports of violence and unrest where the sphinxes were being targeted by hate-crimes or being denied services around the city. It was something Mira had only looked into at a glance. Local politics weren’t her specialty or concern.

The vessel remained dormant, save for the advertisements and notifications on its sides. Mira rolled her eyes, waiting for the full gambit of promotions to run their course before the passenger hatch finally ascended to accept Mira inside. Once she was situated on a minimally cushioned seat, the craft lifted off and sped towards her destination.

The walls seemed to constrict her movements. Her legs couldn’t extend more than a foot from her body. She could’ve requested a larger and more spacious transport, but it would’ve increased the cost of the fair. She had queued the cheapest and quickest route to move through the city’s skylines. Which also meant that she received a vessel that displayed advertisements constantly. There were no windows inside the transport. Just more screens showing services and other consumer goods. They were all things she’d seen a hundred times, at least.

When Mira arrived at the lab she swiped her data-band over the transport’s scanner. Once she accepted the fair, the hatch lifted. She stepped out of the transport and approached a large facility clad in pristine white-stone walls. She was thankful to be back outside, even though she’d only been cooped up with the advertisements for the span of minutes.

Her footsteps were the only noticeable sounds as she headed down the short walkway towards a pair of black metal doors. District thirteen was the northernmost sector of First City. It was where much of the research and development occurred within the city’s walls. The drone of transports was almost absent here, as compared to the bustle of being further within the metropolis.

Mira stopped in front of the doors and watched as little green lights around the door flicked on and scanned her. Her eyes narrowed as she lowered her temperature. Mira needed to pass as a human. Sometimes she became careless and raised the temperature of the air around her, in order to keep herself more comfortable on the colder days. If the wrong eyes were reading the scans, it would raise suspicion if she possessed an abnormally high heat signature. After a few seconds, the lights flicked off.

“Name and purpose?” asked a digitized voice emanating from the doors. To the side of the doors was a key-pad for people who were supposed to have access to the lab.

“My name is Lydia, I’ve come to discuss Professor Noree’s findings in the report she made recently,” said Mira. There was no immediate response. She glanced around at her surroundings. Mira waited several more minutes before the doors slid open with a whoosh. White light illuminated a long hallway within the facility; more noticeable was the dryte woman standing in the entrance. She wore a white lab coat with long sleeves. For Mira, it was peculiar to see a dryte wearing real clothing. Most dryte covered themselves in micro-petals or leaves which grew from their body—in order to mimic clothing. Dryte were a humanoid evolutionary offshoot of plants. Her skin was a light purple and her hair a dark blue moss that came down across her shoulders. Her eyes were purple orbs, which made it difficult to tell exactly where she was looking. The dryte woman was slender and a little taller than Mira. She had fashioned a blue micro-petal skirt that came from her waist down to her toes. Around her chest was what seemed much like a blue tank top—made of the same blue petals.

“You’re here to speak with me?” Noree asked. Her words were direct and to the point with no pleasantries. Mira knew it wasn’t part of dryte culture to shake hands at greetings, so she didn’t bother.

“I am,” said Mira. “It’s important that we speak in private, regarding your report on the monster you discovered last night.” It was hard to determine where the dryte woman was looking without any movement of her head. Noree could be looking her over for weapons, but surely the invasive scanners in the door would have told her all she needed to know about Mira.

“This way, Lydia,” said Noree.

Mira narrowed her eyes, as she expected more questions or an unwillingness to see her. That had been her usual experience so far on Malstyx. Since Mira’s arrival in First City, she’s heard of a great deal of crime. More than most cities its size. Crime and corruption were the best ways for demons to thrive. Despite all the potential dangers of the unknown, Noree was welcoming Mira in. Perhaps that scanner at the door told Noree more about her than she’d expected. Was Noree already aware of what she was?

Noree’s footsteps were eerily silent. Mira noticed that she walked around in her bare feet. She couldn’t recall ever seeing a dryte wearing footwear.

The two women headed inside and eventually came to one of the many metal doors against the pearly white walls. Noree turned and waved her data-band covered wrist near the scanner. The door slid open and she walked inside with Mira right behind her. The lights in the room flickered on with their entrance. Once Mira was inside, the doors slid shut behind her.

“My lab is designed to prevent outside surveillance,” said Noree. “You said you wished to speak privately?” she continued to walk while speaking to Mira. The room itself was compact and comfortable, a small section—where they stood currently, acted as a lobby. A couch sat against the wall and several chairs were stationed around the room. There was a single door at the far end, but more prominently was the side-wall which led to the actual lab. There were windows against the wall, allowing Mira to see the various machines within.

Noree approached the doorway to the lab. She swiped her hand in front of another scanner so the lab would open up for her. Mira followed after her. Inside the lab were; counters, tables, data-terminals and machines which Mira couldn’t fathom the use of. Mira looked at everything with curiosity. Phoenixes were technically immortal entities, but even with the entire expanse of time, it wasn’t always practical to spend it learning every facet of knowledge, including the many fields of science and understanding.

“The monster you found,” Mira started. “I need to know any details you have about it that weren’t included in your report. I need to know if the transformation was demonic in origin. I want to—”

“It was demonic in origin,” Noree interjected. Mira’s eyebrows lifted as Noree continued. “I knew the creature was demonic within minutes of studying it. If I had included anything about demons in that report, I would be targeted within days, if not hours,” she said.

Noree walked over to one of her data-terminals and tapped the screen to waken it. She brought up various images as well as information on what she had gathered from the monster. Mira stood beside her and looked over all the information about the creature.

“The creature—a deceased ursari, had traces of demon blood. Small traces, but that’s all it takes,” said Noree. “Whatever demon did this, their blood is the catalyst that is violently changing the nature of the victim and causing them to take on unique traits. I’ve concluded that the drug ‘ero’ is the culprit. I found traces of the drug in the victim’s system and analyzed other samples, all of which contain demon blood. Ero is a drug with strong hallucinogenic properties. It’s exceptionally potent and It’s become quite popular on Malstyx. I believe it’s manufactured here as well. The drug doesn’t seem to turn everyone into a monster, but in a small sample of its users, it causes what I can only imagine to be a violent transformation. The end result being the monster in my report.”

Noree pulled up a diagram on the terminal. It looked like a map of district nine—one of the industrial and warehouse sectors of the city.

“I asked some colleagues to investigate and forward me any leads regarding the manufacture of the drug,” said Noree. “They were able to locate a possible location that the drug might be stored or created at. I can’t do anything about it on my own, but I was hoping to pass on the information to someone who could. You appear to be such a person.”

Mira smiled. The dryte woman was proving to be quite valuable to her. It was nice when she didn’t have to intimidate or persuade everyone she came across.

Noree tapped at her terminal. Mira’s data-band vibrated. She tapped her wrist to bring up the interface for her data-band. There were map overlays for a small area of the city. Unfortunately, Mira would be going in blind. For all she knew, a horde of demons waited in any of the buildings on the map. Well, it was still more information than she had before coming here and it was certainly a start.

“So there you have it, what are you waiting for?” Noree asked. Mira couldn’t fault her for wanting results.

Mira nodded to the dryte woman and turned towards the door. “Thanks Professor, I’ll put this to good use.”

“One last thing. The tissue sample I took exhibited signs that intense heat or fire would work better than projectiles to bring down the transformed monsters.”

Mira froze for a moment before turning her head to Noree—whose face was devoid of emotion.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Mira replied before making her way out of the lab.