Saint Laurence City, once the regional center of both industry and the arts, is sliding ever closer into the abyss.  With each passing year, the safe and clean district of the city contracts towards its center, until it now extends only a few blocks beyond the sprawling skyscrapers of downtown. The highways and railroads the only reliable passage through the untamed urban wilds.  Roving and rivaling gangs stand eager to rape and murder any that strays into their territories, while the higher criminal and corporate elements extort cash and goods from those wishing for protection.  No matter where one turns, danger awaits.  Rapists, torturers, slavers, murderers—the vilest scum are on the rise in Saint Laurence.<br/><br/>In the ghetto, the gangs are extending their rule with hair-trigger violence, mowing down anybody that shows the slightest bit of resistance to their rule.  They have all the sense of a teenage boy, their actions dominated by violence and lust.<br/><br/>Downtown, the mayor’s office strikes under-the-table deals with massive corporations, solidifying political power at the cost of their souls.   The major newspapers have been tainted, too, leaving the political machine running without any source of checks and balances.<br/><br/>In the red-light district, prostitution thrives as the number of available women skyrockets.  The police don’t bother cracking down, not on the brothels or streetwalkers, nor the illicit trade responsible for the boom in human flesh.<br/><br/>In the outer suburbs, the mafia maintains control complete control, offering protection for an exorbitant price.  But for all that the feds try to stamp down on their control, even they acknowledge that the protection works; of all the parts of the city, none function more smoothly than the suburbs.<br/><br/>At the docks, the black market thrives as thousands of unchecked containers enter and exit each day.  Many wonder what is inside those boxes, but they should be wondering<em>who.</em><br/><br/>And beneath it all, in the dark sewers and deserted steam tunnels, grows an even greater evil—one that is quickly extending its grasp across the entire city.  Even now men and women are disappearing into the depths at an astonishing rate, but few are willing to point out the obvious, lest they themselves get targeted next.<br/><br/>However, not all hope should yet be lost.  One lucky young woman is blessed with great power, but nobody in the world knows the extent of her powers—not even herself.  Twenty-three years old, she’s taken up her father’s job as a private investigator.  Her office rests on the border between the safe part of the city and its wild side.  She doesn’t realize the many sad fates that await her and all those that are close to her.<br/><br/>------<br/><br/>An elderly man stood outside the detective agency, feeling his pocket to confirm that his wallet had not been picked. He stared at the agency’s sign, unsure of whether or not he was making the correct decision.  “Well, no point in waiting,” he muttered to himself.  How long had it been since he asked somebody for help?  There was no alternative; he had to ask, even if it were embarrassing to ask a girl one-third his age.<br/><br/>The reception room was vacant, but the door to the back office was clear; he peeked his head inside and recognized the detective’s daughter.  “Miss Hawkins?” he asked before continuing, not even waiting for a response.  “I need your help getting rid of some gang bangers that are scaring away customers from my store.”  He opened his wallet and placed its entire contents on the desk, hoping that she would say yes, and eager to answer any questions she would have about his unfortunate plight.<br/>