A/N: This chapter will be separated into two parts, in order to make it easier to read. I may do this to future chapters, when there are clear stopping points in the middle. 

Hexana Ingle sat in her favorite booth, tucked away in the back corner of the small coffee shop. The familiar, mixed aroma of roasted coffee beans, warm, baked goods, and cheap perfume permeated the space, setting her at ease. She pulled her knees up to her chest for warmth, further concealing her face and revealing her black, lace-up boots. In her plain, gray beanie and matching sweatshirt, she couldn't have looked more different from her usual, glamorous self. It made for a near perfect disguise.

She took another sip of her white chocolate mocha, pursing her lips in an unusual combination of distaste and pleasure as the scalding liquid slid down her throat, warming the frozen pit of her stomach. 

Placing the cheap, Styrofoam cup back down on the table, she noted with marked displeasure the multitude of hastily wiped rings that still covered it- the surviving remnants of coffee cups of the past. The coffee shop's staff still had not learned how to properly clean a table. 

As she stared out the window at the flurry of snowflakes that descended almost angelically from the blue sky, blanketing the city in a delightful, white coating, she was alerted by the sound of someone sliding into the booth across from her. 

"Hey, Hex."

Identifying the owner of the voice, Hexana gave her sister an angry look. She fished her Inglet out of her pocket, toggled to her messages, and began furiously typing. 

You shouldn't have come. It is risky enough for me to be here alone, let alone with you. What if we're recognized?  

She waited impatiently for the other woman's reply, grinding her poisonous fingernails into the surface of the table.

Geez, sorry. I forgot you were this uptight about security. Why don't you put up an IngleShield? 

I can't. My server activity is logged at HQ. You do it. 

Hexana watched, her eyes boring into Teresa's head as she fumbled with the small, rectangular device in her palm, finally pressing a button on its side and throwing it up in the air. It spun as it fell, before stopping just inches above the surface of the table. Then, it began to whir, and emit deep, crimson light. The light spread slowly through the space, and once it completely covered both Hexana and Teresa, the owner of Ingle Tech let out a deep sigh. 

"Terri! How could you be so irresponsible!?" she fumed. "You could have been seen by the media. Or worse, a Darkly." 

"Calm down, I simply wanted to see you. And no one can hear us through the IngleShield."

"I suppose that is true," Hexana nodded slowly. 

"So, what is it that appeals to you about this place?" Teresa began sarcastically, obviously uncomfortable in the not-so-high-class environment. "The trashy food, the trashy people, or the trashy air?" 

"I could tell you that just because they are poor, you cannot assume that people are trashy..." Hexana allowed for a thoughtful pause as she studied her sister's face. "But, I will not, because you can. And ninety nine point nine percent of Earth's population belongs in a garbage can." 

Teresa let out a strained laugh. "You still haven't answered my question. I'm really very curious- why do you spend so much time here, among filth?" 

"I am observing them, Terri," Hexana said with a deep sigh. "You cannot truly master control of something until you have become one with it. It is near impossible to properly train a dog unless you know how dogs think. People follow a similar principle. I am watching, and I am analyzing. I am learning to train my humans." 

"Your humans?" 

"Oh, did I say that? Do forgive me. An intellectual mind is often many steps ahead of its plans."

"Speaking of plans, the launch of the new Sylphone is in a month," she added, seemingly randomly.

"Yes, I am aware of that," Teresa gave her a confused look. 

"It's the perfect time to eliminate Sylph Electronics forever." 

"You've already eliminated them," Teresa laughed. "They're practically bankrupt. They're going to have to sell their company to us quite soon, if they want even a slim chance of climbing out of their hole of debt." 

"You should know, by now, that my most favorable quality is my thoroughness. I do not consider a job done until it is done to the highest degree possible under the circumstances. This is no different...the Darklies must be so thoroughly squashed that they do not have a single hope of coming back up. They must be ripped apart." 

"Well, then..." Teresa trailed off, looking mildly surprised. "That's certainly more complex than a single killing. How do you plan to accomplish it?" 

"Thing," Hexana donned a confident smirk. 

"Hexana, Thing is an assassin. She's trained to kill specific people in specific ways. She knows nothing about business, or even the world in general. How can she be expected to bring down a company?" 

"She will be assigned The Mission," Hexana announced, looking very pleased with herself. 

"T-the Mission?" Teresa stuttered. "That cannot be! You would be putting an immense amount of trust in that girl- that thing! The Mission is suicide! Sending Thing on it would be laying the framework for our own doom!" 

"I knew Thing since she was as long as my forearm," Hexana stated. "She isn't just some freakish experiment. I raised her with my own two hands, and taught her everything that I know. I trust her as much as I would trust my own daughter. She is a brilliant girl, and can handle almost anything, provided she is given sufficient background information. 

"I do not think you understand how fragile the web of lies we walk upon truly is," Teresa hissed. "You make one wrong move, and everything caves in."

"Me? Cave in?" Hexana chortled. 

"You know what I think, Hex?" Teresa said calmly, with a hint of bitter separation in her tone. "You've spent so much time convincing everyone that you're a goddess, you're actually starting to believe it."