Nexus Spire was a name that was ubiquitous across interstellar space, but Vivian didn't expect the name to be so literal. From 20,000 km above the planet's surface, the titular Spire appeared as a massive spike driven deep into the heart of the world. From the wound, the most expansive city in history spread out like a disease that choked the life out of the landscape in every direction. Like many of the things humans were capable of, the sight was as beautiful as it was sickening. Vivian did her best to lose herself in the beauty as the ship gently descended into the sprawling metropolis.

The ship docked with a private berth near the crest of the spire itself. Her faceless concierge silently guided her to the gangplank. Only a few other passengers disembarked, each one stepping into their own private auto transport that whisked them away to get lost among the millions of twinkling lights of the city. Vivian was guided to the last remaining private transport on the berth. The vehicle was sleek and comfortable enough to spend hours in, but in total, her ride was less than 90 seconds.

The vehicle left the berth and descended down to the lower third section of the Spire's western wall. The wall itself was made up of thousands of apartments, but there was also an array of platforms, each supporting beautiful private residences. The transport came to rest at one of these residences.

"Welcome home," the vehicle announced with a soothing voice.

Even though she was on the lower third of the Spire, she was still higher than most of the independent, free-standing towers around her, giving her home a near-unbroken view of the city as it stretched past the horizon. The golden hues of the setting suns took Vivian's breath away.

The home itself was a marvel of engineering regardless of its attachment to the largest structure ever built by mostly human hands. The vehicle lifted off, leaving Vivian on the landing platform surrounded by lush, finely maintained grass and meticulously pruned trees. The building carried a sophisticated minimalist design. The facade was primarily made up of expansive glass panels that mirrored the greenery around it. The glass was supported by dark plasteel frames and columns with sharp right-angled corners.

Vivian wasn't quite sure where the entrance was until one of the glass walls separated as she approached down the smooth stone path. As soon as she stepped inside, she was in a combination foyer, living room, and kitchen, with an open layout enhanced by soaring ceilings allowing an unbroken view of the greenery and the endless skyline just beyond. The kitchen was up on a marble step, its space separated by a waterfall island and filled with state-of-the art appliances.

The entertainment center was large and set up with all of the current generation of gaming consoles, which Vivian was overjoyed to see. She wanted to stop right there and boot something up, but her schedule was tight and she needed to press on. The bedroom wasn't exactly a room as much as a spacious loft above the living room. She went up the stairs to admire the large platform bed attached to a stone-textured wall and took a tour through the spa-like bathroom and attached dressing room. There were already several outfits to choose from, but the room was large enough to accommodate many, many more.

Vivian could have jumped in the bed and rested for days. She wanted nothing more than to truly make the house her home, but she had a date with a client, and she needed to make a good impression for her first job on Nexus Spire. She spent only a few moments laying on the bed and breathing deep before she started preparing.

While the bath's jets looked enticing, she worried that she wouldn't want to get out and opted for a shower instead, but the walk-in shower itself was every bit as luxurious. As she took time to clean herself, she did research on her client.

Reese Patel was in his mid-40s with short, dark hair that matched his eyes. Most of his pictures portrayed him with stubble and Vivian could see just a bit of fuzz poking out the top of his leisurely opened button-down shirts. His job was listed as an "Ethics Officer" for one of the countless corporations that were headquartered on the planet. She wasn't sure such a job description actually existed within any corporation, but the man seemed pretty likeable and well-rounded, so she felt reasonably relaxed about their coming encounter. Even if he wasn't what he appeared, Vivian wasn't worried.

The man's diet indicated a preference for fruits and fruity beverages, so Vivian chose to use the fruit-scented soaps and shampoos. Once she was done with her shower, she chose an outfit that matched his evocative style, a dark, low-cut pencil dress that closely hugged her gentle curves and left just enough to the imagination.

The woman was light with her makeup. Vivian felt that her years of rigorous skin-care routines would be wasted if she hid the results of her hard work, but she wasn't above adding a bit of red to her lips and cheeks. She also opted to leave the natural curls develop in her hair as it dried.

After cleaning, trimming, filing, and buffing a healthy shine into her nails, she applied another light layer of fruit-scent via perfume to the pulse points at her wrists, neck, behind the ears, and on her palms.

She took one last look at herself as she passed by the mirror wall in her dressing room, twirling around and making sure everything was right. She blew a kiss and a wink to herself as she left to be picked up by another personal transport.

The two met up at an exclusive skytop cafe. When Vivian landed, she was greeted by Mr. Patel's presence, whose smile grew even wider when he met her eyes. The man looked her up and down, then they flickered and flicked back and forth as he compared her to her her digital profile. It was subtle enough that few would notice it at this distance. Vivian did. She stepped out of the transport and they came together for their first meeting.

"I hope it's not too gouache or cliche," Mr. Patel said, "you're even more beautiful than your profile!"

"Thank you..." Vivian said with practiced humility. It was both gauche and cliche, but she didn't say anything about it.

Mr. Patel was otherwise a gentleman, albeit slightly tacky and nervous. He took her hand and kissed it, then pulled her chair out for her at a table that gave them an unobstructed view of the city that seemed to be getting even more lively as the suns continued to set. After Mr. Patel sat down, his eyes flickered again as they sat in silence for just long enough to become awkward. He looked over at Vivian, who was looking at the information displayed on the table in front of her.

"Oh... You don't have a BSI, sorry, I forgot!" Mr. Patel's hands waived toward her, and Vivian was alerted by the table that he had set up an open tab. Vivian thanked him with a smile and he continued. "Most people here have one."

"Yeah? Well, I'm pretty new here. Maybe I'll get one soon." Vivian selected a large, plain coffee as a Litmus test for the cafe.

"I don't mind," Mr. Patel said before shaking his head. "I mean, It's not a big deal, it's actually pretty interesting."

"Is that so?" Vivian asked.

"Yeah, it's like you're unspoiled-" The man cut himself off. "No, that's not... Hmm... I'm not really sure any way to put it that doesn't sound weird. Maybe it's best to not to be so excitable about it anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"You know..." he said. Vivian gave a look of confusion. Mr. Patel continued, "you haven't heard? How long have you been here, exactly?"

"It's probably been a few hours since I came off the ship," Vivian said. Mr. Patel was surprised.

"Wow!" he shouted. "Well, I'm sure you would have heard about it sooner or later." Mr. Patel leaned in over the table and Vivian instinctively mirrored him. "There's a killer in the city, apparently. The internet is calling him 'The Bradbury Cannibal.'"

"Why's that?"

"Bradbury is one of the central districts around the spire, that's where most of his victims have been found." Mr. Patel paused, considering the framing of his next words. "His victims were... uh... They have all been young women that don't have BSIs."

"Oh..." Vivian understood why he was hesitating, but now she was genuinely interested. "How many have there been?"

"I'm not really sure, 15 or 16 I think." Mr. Patel's pupils flashed. "Whoa... 22! Maybe 23!"

"That's... A lot!"

"Yeah it is..." Mr. Patel was starting to seem too interested in the top as he continued, "and I guess there's a lot of BSI-less people that go missing as well... so..."

"So...?" Vivian raised her eyebrow.

"So, I'm not trying to tell you what you should or shouldn't do, but maybe it is a good idea to get a BSI, you know? Pretty much everyone thinks that he's choosing these women because they're easier to make disappear." Mr. Patel paused again then rolled his eyes at himself, realizing how strange the topic was. "Okay, well, let's talk about something e-"

"How are they so sure it's a man?" Vivian asked.

"I... hmm... I don't know, really. Though I'll be honest, I haven't looked all that deep into it, you know?"

"Fair enough."

The waiter arrived to deliver the drinks to their table. Vivian did want to continue the conversation, but could see how comfortable it was making him, so she allowed him to change the topic. Their talk became much less exciting as he began talking more about himself, mostly treading all the same information that Vivian already knew about him.

After the coffee, Mr. Patel took Vivian on a sightseeing trip around the city, and in the interest of providing the best views, he ordered a transport designed for such cases. It was a box the size of a small room with glass panels for every wall. There was also a mini bar and some seats in the center, but otherwise, the aerial view they would receive was unobstructed at any angle. Vivian was glad she didn't suffer from acrophobia.

Many of the corporate leaders had massive statues erected outside or on top of their of their respective buildings. They visited beautiful, expansive parks and wide-open sports arenas, but once the night had fully set, Mr. Patel took her to a lavish, sky-top club called "Ascension."

Vivian wasn't a very extroverted person, so it was a shock to her system when their vehicle dropped them at a red carpeted reception, with dozens of affluent fashionistas lined up to scrutinize the new arrivals. The camera drones hovering over the crowd and focused on the carpet did not help Vivian's nerves. But an offered arm and a smile from Mr. Patel was all that was needed. She took his arm in hers and stepped out of the vehicle to countless flashes and chatter.

Her dress wasn't anything too extravagant or special, but she seemed to receive mostly positive reaction from the crowd. Mr. Patel wasn't afraid of showing off his own meticulously crafted and expensive suit and received praise as well. As they approached the gate, Vivian suddenly felt uncertain whether they were going to be let in at all, but the armed guards made no move and the gates slid open.

The club was in the open air. While the air was chilly, the breeze was gentle and there were plenty of standing heaters, but a majority of the heat was generated by the large number of bodies moving to the music that permeated the air. Vivian wasn't an experienced dancer, but simply seeing everyone else moving to the relentless beat encouraged her body to move on its own.

The vibrant drinks were made incredibly enticing as they glimmered in the neon lights. When they circumnavigated the dance floor, Vivian and Mr. Patel ordered at the bar. Vivian browsed through the varied drinks and decided on the most colorful option. As their drinks were prepared by the highly skilled mixologist behind the bar, Mr. Patel drew intimately close into her shoulder to speak with her.

"Look at all the eyes on you!" he said. Vivian was already acutely aware of them. She touched his shoulder and brushed her cheek against his as she responded in a pseudo-seductive tone.

"I hate it," she said. Mr. Patel laughed, fully pressing his forehead into her shoulder. Vivian didn't shy away from the contact.