I don't think I'm doing too bad with the updates for this, although do wish you people would review more :P

enjoy!

Shiloh hadn't seen Amber since the opera, at least not in person.

She was CEO of GENECO and ruled them all with an iron fist. She let Pavi play with the GENterns, and Luigi terrorise the surgeons, but they all knew who the boss really was.

Amber had turned out to be just as good as her father at running the family business. It was already so corrupt, there was little she could do to change it, apart from spend more money than her father would have ever dreamt of.

And she was just as infamous, changing her look every week, having a string of lovers, almost overdosing on zydrate in the backstreets of the city. Every move she made was caught on camera, and Shiloh had often wondered how the media still didn't know where she got her stash. Glancing at the body that was once Rat, she didn't have any doubts that some paparazzi never got to publish their pictures.

Stumbling, Shiloh clumsily knelt before her. She realised how scruffy she must look, since Amber almost shone in comparison to her filthy surroundings, like a diamond in the dirt. Her hair was in a short, blonde bob that framed her face and highlighted new, heightened cheekbones. She wore a white, feather coat that hung from her shoulders, showing creamy skin and the clingy, shimmering, gold sequinned dress beneath.

With the white feathers and the golden hair, and a face that looked unearthly perfect, Amber could've been an angel, come to deliver Shiloh from evil. And in some ways she was.

She looked down her nose at Shiloh, drawing her coat around herself.

"Don't I know you?" she asked, her voice snide and commanding. Shiloh scrambled to her feet, sneaking a look at the vial in her hand. It wasn't cracked, at least.

She looked at Amber, thinking quickly. Amber couldn't remember her, could she? Her own father probably wouldn't at this stage. Shiloh didn't know what she looked like, but she knew it couldnt be good. Her hair felt ragged and matted with grime, her clothes were ripped, showing the oozing gashes beneath the cloth. Her face felt swollen, and the small cut beneath her eye stung.

But it seemed Amber had an eye for bone structure, and she stepped closer to Shiloh, her goons moving with her.

"I've seen you before, haven't I?"

Shiloh shook her head desperately, not knowing how Amber would react if she really did remember.

"M-maybe..."

"You were with the Graverobber!" Amber's voice, sharp and accusing, filled the alley. Shiloh threw her hand in front of her face, bracing herself for the attack to come.

But there was no order from Amber. The rough hands Shiloh had expected didn't grab her, and the dreaded noise of a gunshot did not sound. The silence that filled the street was sudden and eerie.

Opening an eye, Shiloh chanced a glance at Amber. The blonde was staring at Shiloh, transfixed. More specifically, she was staring at her hand. Faint blue light was escaping between her fingers and Amber was trained on it like a sniffer dog.

Lowering her arms, Shiloh loosened her grip on the vial, cradling it in her palm. She looked down at the bottle, and then at Amber. Amber was looking at her with eyes a perfect shade of sapphire blue, that were filled with a hunger, a longing so intense that Shiloh almost winced in pain herself.

"W-where did you get that?" for the first time, a quaver entered Amber's voice. Shiloh thought fast. Could she tell the truth? Would Amber buy if she knew it wasn't from the Graverobber? From what she knew, the Graverobber was in hiding because of her. But maybe, with that much longing in her eyes, Amber wouldn't care.

"It's mine," Shilo stated, sounding amazingly more confident then she felt, "I'm here to sell it..." she trailed off.

Amber stared her down. "You? A dealer? Don't make me laugh." But she didn't turn, didn't walk away. Shiloh's hopes rose as she realised Amber was seriously considering her offer.

"Where did you get it?"

Shiloh's heart beat faster, and she knew the way she answered this question would seal the deal, literally. She thought carefully, aware she couldn't be too long in answering.

"From a- from a body," she answered, barely stammering. It wasn't a lie after all, just not a whole truth. But it had the desired effect on Amber.

"Pure..." the blond muttered under her breath. Seeming to make up her mind, she reached for the vial, and seemed surprised when Shiloh pulled away.

"I need to be paid, up front!" snapped Shiloh, tightening her grip on the vial. She tried to look seem like she knew what she was doing, although there was barely any point pretending now. "You know how much." She tried not to turn it into a question.

Amber looked at her, and a panicky thought struck Shiloh. Maybe there wasn't a set amount for her. Maybe she paid for her zydrate in...other ways. They stared at each other for a moment more before Amber rolled her eyes.

"Right." She tapped one of her men on the shoulder and clicked once. Stepping aside, he revealed another man holding a leather briefcase. Snapping it open, rows of crisp bills could be seen. Shiloh's mouth nearly dropped open at the sight of so much money. Amber remained insouciant, her eyes still locked on Shiloh.

Tearing her gaze away, she carelessly pulled a few wads of cash from the case and tossed them at Shiloh, who grabbed at them childishly. Once she had checked the bills, she offered the vial to Amber, who snatched it out of her palm without a word of thanks.

Then, without a second glance at the girl who stood, battered and bruised in the accumulated filth of Masque Street, Amber turned and stalked down the street, to a previously unnoticed black limousine. She stopped to whisper something to one of the men who were helping her in, tracing along his jaw, turning his face towards hers. It was over in a moment, and once Amber was in the car he turned his masked stare turned towards Shilo, his expression unreadable.

Shiloh leaned against a wall, with the money clutched to her chest and watched as Amber disappeared into the smoky interior of the limo and cruised away into the night. The bodyguard who stared at her was the last to enter the car, and she shivered when he turned away.

All at once she felt vulnerable, and recalled the earlier shooting and the corpse that lay not even two meters from her. Grabbing a nearby bag, she stuffed the money into it and ran, clutching it to her chest.

She tried not to look at the dead body as she passed it, or think about the people still lurking in the alley. She swore she would never get involved with anything like it again, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't need to.

But the sub-market, the drug market, just has a way of drawing you in...

ok, now I'm gonna ask a question.

How badly do you want the graverobber to show up?

cause i could totally make him never show up... OK i couldn't, but i could make him hurry up if i get more reviews :3

Thanks for reading, and following and favoriting :D