Neon strips adorning the top of the underground blood bank bathed the room in crimson hues. The light bounced off the storage units, which were blocked behind PVC strips to keep the cold in.

Medical equipment could be heard humming, accompanied by the smell of antiseptic and something metallic. Lydia was behind the counter, organising vials with practiced efficiency, her slight frame moving deftly. Her smile was warm as Iris approached.

"Iris, just the vampire I wanted to see", she said, her voice as friendly as always. "A donation just came in, and it's the perfect amount of freshness for you."

Now, in front of the counter, Iris leaned on it and studied the computer with a database of blood bank donations.

Lydia was the most organised vampire that Iris knew: each row included the donor's name, blood type, age, and any illnesses. Fresh blood free of any ailments, and of the rhesus type, was Iris's favourite; if there was a cybernetic imprint, that was even better.

Lydia moved closer to Iris and whispered, "Between you and me, the donor wasn't very cooperative." She placed a vial on the counter. The glass vial encased a deep-red liquid with a faint blue light weaving through it. It showed the cybernetic enhancements.

With fingers just above the vial, Iris recognised the synthetic markers.

"Enhanced blood." Iris's eyes scanned the blood vial with her own cybernetics, which looked like a mole under her eye.

The scanners confirmed her expectations: elevated hormone levels, artificial modifications, and unmistakable signs of a corporate test subject.

"Who let this donor into the bank, and let the nurse draw his blood? We agreed to avoid any donations from Seeders. It was an agreement between Kael and me." Iris switched off the cybernetics and stood upright with her fingers tapping the counter. Kael would never have undermined her or carried out decisions on his own. So, someone else had played a part in it.

Lydia looked around the room to ensure that none of the nurses or doctors was listening in. "Rai was the one who pushed for it. He said that the Seeder vampires were getting suspicious about our supply chain."

She hesitated. "Kael has been looking into the vamps because they should be VexCorp spies. Kael would stop any investigation into your bank." Her expression softened, and she added, "But he knows you, Iris, and he knows you wouldn't do anything that would jeopardise the whole blood bank. If he thought you were involved, he wouldn't investigate right away. He'd come to you first."

Iris knew that to be true; her relationship with Kael was complex, with their feelings left unsaid, but he wouldn't distrust her over a few words from the Seeder vamps. As Lydia said, he would ask her first before jumping to any conclusions.

She paused and then continued: "And there's more... The donor might have recognised something about us." She shifted uneasily behind the counter, her hands gripping the edge of the smooth wood, turning her knuckles white.

"What did they find?" Since the blood bank operates lawfully, no issues would be reported in Vexcorp's system.

"You know how they run background checks on everyone now? Apparently, this donor's file showed up because of the modifications. The cyber division has shown interest in this matter." She said this in a rush so that she could let the information sink in properly.

Iris blinked, and her cybernetics turned on. The scanner swept the room, and the staff were still taking blood from donors. There was nothing unusual. As it was getting late, they were finishing up.

"We need to check the vials to see if any suspicious ones got mixed in." Iris tapped the vial still on the counter. "Also, we need to contact Kael. If VexCorp did send some spies to mingle with the Seeders, that means there is something else going on."

Lydia nods, her expression tense.

The silence stretched on as they both thought about the hidden dangers and what it could mean for the blood bank. Then Iris spoke up. "Kael will have to find a new bar to sing at. It's not something I could see him doing, but I don't want him to be in any danger. Especially if the Cybers are lurking around."

As the implications sink in, Lydia's face pales.

Stepping around the counter, she stood in front of Iris and lowered her voice further so that only Iris could hear her: "Iris, you do not understand. Kael's band needs to be at the bar to keep the vamps in check."

"His influence over them is crucial, and without him, they would go out of control... Those spies will come down hard on us if Kael leaves." After a pause, she says, "They all see him as one of their own, as well as their leader. Someone who actually cares about them and doesn't see them as vampires from the Lower City."

"The Seeders run blood trafficking throughout the city, but they do not start anything with us because of Kael's influence. If he moves to a different bar, if he steps away from them all..." She let the rest hang in the air; both women knew what the consequences would be.

Iris sighed, and the image of Kael on stage filled her mind. The bar was like a second home to him, and it was where he spent most of his time. Other times, he was in her small apartment, which was behind Rai's record store.

The stage was where he belonged, with his guitar, band members, and the vampires cheering and dancing as they performed. With that in mind, she couldn't suggest that he leave it all behind.

It would not be fair to him, as he owned the Seeders bar and sang there; therefore, his absence would signal the vampires to run riot in Lower City. This did not mean Iris had to like it, though. All she wanted was for Kael to be safe.

"Okay, I get it," Iris said, her voice filled with resignation.

Lydia took a step back, and her shoulders dropped slightly as she sighed, too. "That's good. Just be careful. Cyber has been asking around the Seeder's bar for days. They are not even subtle about it."

Cybers.

A division of humanoid robots that had all the looks of an ordinary person but were emotionless and spoke rigidly. They adhered strictly to the VexCorp rules and never stepped out of line. Everything had to be done perfectly, and anything illegal would be flagged on the system immediately.

There was no possibility of a trial. Anyone identified as a criminal would be immediately eliminated.

Lydia surveyed the donation section. A nurse, who hadn't left for the night yet, was almost finished drawing blood from a donor. Then, she lowered her voice once again. "This is a serious matter, Iris. They are tracking the vials with the blue glow."

"They tagged our blood supply?"

Shaking her head, Lydia replied, "Their records contained the donor's cybernetics and other mods. If we're connected to that blood..." Trailing off, she bit her lip and didn't want to think of what could happen.

"Can we strip away the mods and make the blood clean?" Under the neon lights, the blue glow pulsed slightly as Iris tapped the vial. "Make it look more corporate-certified."

As they were contemplating the blood vial, a door opened down the corridor, and heavy footsteps approached. They were obviously from a Cyber. The nurse, who had been listening to their conversation with her improved hearing, hardened her expression and turned off the equipment.

Iris and Lydia watched as she quickly wiped the donor's arm and slapped a plaster over the blood that was still seeping out of the tiny pinprick. Her efforts were rapid, and she rushed to clear everything away. Then she hurried the donor out the rear of the blood bank; behind the heavy-set doors were steps that led to the street above.

The blue glow from the vial in Iris' palm brought to mind the conversation she had just had with Lydia, as well as the concealed dangers that loomed over their heads. "Will it work?" She repeated her question about removing the cybernetics from the blood.

Lydia shook her head. "Those blue lights aren't simply for cosmetics or mods; they're high-end CPUs that detect every change as it occurs. They stabilise the blood for transit, and removing them causes it to deteriorate immediately." She took the vial from Iris's hand and raised it. "However, we can conceal it. We can alter it with some chemicals. Still traceable, but less obvious."

Both women paused their conversation as the footsteps in the corridor drew closer. The nurse busied herself at her workstation, ensuring everything was in place and putting away anything that needed to be hidden.

"Whoever is out there is almost here." Iris approaches the door and activates her eye scanners to see through the metal surface. Iris can only discern the person's heat signature and cables. It was obvious now that it was a Cyber.

Iris turned off her scanner and told Lydia, "Put the vial away before that person enters here."  

Lydia moved quickly and precisely, snapping the bottle of augmented blood into a storage box. She then took a couple more vials from the shelf above the locker and arranged them around the glowing vial to conceal it from view. She then locked the door and secured it with her thumbprint.

Straightening up, Lydia stood in front of the cabinet, as if she were not trying to hide the object that the person was most likely at the blood bank for. The figure made their way through the doorway, their boots moved over the linoleum, and they immediately stopped before the two women.

It was a Cyber, and they were here on official business.