The hot summer air beat down heavily upon him as Cypher ran full sprint. Sweat trickled down the side of his shaved face, following the outline of his mutton chop as the droplets were soaked into his soft air. His footsteps echoed off the stone walls around him as he stomped through the fresh puddles created by the late night's rain. The hems of his pressed slacks were dampened. His breathes were uneven with a raspy tone to it as he quickly halted to a stop, slamming his back against the brick building. His arms sprawled to his sides, steadying himself as he peered around the corner.

The darkened alley was still. Water dripping from a broken pipe pattered onto the cement as a streetlight flickered with faint zaps from failing wiring. The smell of rotting garbage reeked from the dumpsters pushed to the back. A cat angrily meowed and hissed before leaping from the trash can it had been dining in. Its scruffy orange fur flashing in the faint light as it darted to the shadows across the walkway. With no sign of danger, he cautiously stepped around the corner. His left hand hovering just above his revolver; he inched his way forward, eyes squinting to see in the darkness.

"Where are you...?" he mumbled silently to himself. "Come out. Come out. Where ever you are?" Just as he approached near the back of the alley, the electronic pulse reader clipped to his belt began to beep. The dial waved madly about behind the plastic glass, pointing to the "red zone", indicating that a powerful source of energy was nearby. Telling Cypher that his target was spying on him. "There you ar...!" Without warning, a blast of energy rushed at him. Knocking him off his feet, causing him to lift off the ground as the force flung his fragile body back into the pile of trash bags. The softened material broke his fall, but it did not please him.

Cypher scrambled to the surface from beneath the sea of garbage and plastic. His vest stained from various liquids that he wished to not guess and a banana peel resting almost perfectly on top of his fedora. Huffing frantically at the unseen enemy that seemed to mock him. Its ghostly laughter lingered with amusement at the sight, "So... You like to play games, huh?" He climbed out of the trash, brushing himself off quickly. His lip curled with disgust as he tossed the banana peel off his head, "Well, two can play at this!"

He reached behind his back, grabbing onto a small rectangular device that had also been strapped onto his built. He held the black box in his hand before pushing the start button with his thumb. A revengeful smirk embracing his lips as he tossed it to the ground. It balanced slightly on the uneven ground before settling near a puddle. A red light on the front blinked slowly at first but gained momentum quickly. It flashed faster with each passing millisecond before sending off an electromagnetic blast throughout the area. Electricity shot through the air, causing the streetlight's blub to pop from the sudden burst. Generators on the nearby buildings sparked before shutting down completely.

There in the newly formed shadows, Cypher stood bracing himself. His legs were stretched outward with his arms pulled up in front of his face. Protecting them from debris. As the dust from the blast floated to the ground, he allowed himself to drop his guard. While doing so, the same laughter could be heard coming from behind him. He turned slowly, clenching his teeth in disbelief.

He had missed









Outside the closed door, the bustling of the daily work life continued like clockwork. The copy machines hummed as photocopies flowed from them. The phones rang like electronic birds calling out to one another from desk to desk. The faint pitter-patter of keys on a keyboard being hit became the base rhythm for the office symphony. Voices of a handful of conversations rose above the machinery. Talking about everything from Nessie sightings to lists of haunted houses to who kept stealing lunches from the refrigerator in the break room. Cypher sat hunched over his desk with his hands buried into his hair as he massaged his scalp as he studied the paperwork set before him.

The documents were fairly recently since the Silver Slivers had only been discovered. Very little was known about them and he only had a few rough sketched illustrations as a reference. The art included in the file showed them as being alien-like creatures with long, slender bodies like a snake attached to pointed heads. Two scythe-like boney arms stuck out from their chest. According the reports that had been submitted, they were parasitic creatures that were generally harmless but could become unintentionally dangerous. They harvest unused energy which they then stored in their nest in order to feed upon. This meant that a huge amount of uncontrollable, uncontained energy was left at its own free will. Running the risk of causing electronic shocks to pulsate from the source, causing blackouts in residential areas or risking starting fires from electricity hitting dry wood. The AoM needed to know more about, and Cypher was put in charge of capturing one alive. A challenge that was harder than it sounded since they were apparently also invisible to the human eye.

As he rubbed his tired eyes, he heard the door to his office open. A man stepped inside, smiling as he sat a bird cage down on the desk. Inside, a bird cawed as she stretched her wings from shock as the cage made a loud thud on the hard wood. The sound of the metal on wood and crying animal startled him; he sprung upward while pushing himself away from the desk. His blue eyes looked down at the cage before glancing up at the man in confusion.

"Heya there, Cypher," Jacob said with a heavy Boston accent as he leaned against the desk. He one of the head field operatives brought over from America. He was about twice the age of Cypher, but still held a sense of youthfulness to him even with thinning hair. A cheeky smile emerged from beneath his red, scruffy beard as he continued to speak while unlatching the wire door. Allowing the black and silver bird her freedom, "Cypher, meet Migisi. Migisi, this is Cypher."

Taking his seat back again, he watched as Migisi waddled out of the cage and onto the desk. Her beady bluish-gray sparkled in the florescent light as she looked around the room anxiously. Her smooth head bobbled as she trotted across the polished surface, pecking at her reflection once in awhile with her thin beak. Caw! explained the excited jackdaw as she stretched out her wingspan in happiness.

Spreading her dark-colored wings, she leaped forward towards a collection of odd ended objects on the desk, sparkling in the lamplight. Gold plated pen tops, loose change, shiny paperclips... All called to her, asking her to pick them up. Her head twitched side to side as she approached the collection. Twisting her head to the side, she examined the pile more intently with her eye before snagging up the shiniest paperclip of the bunch. Pleased with herself, she made her way back to the center of the desk where she proceeded to glance up at Jacob and then up at Cypher. Caw!

"Mr. Walters... Who.. What is going on?" Cypher asked while sleuthing in his hair with his chin resting on his open palm.

Jacob sat the cage down on the floor before folding his arms, "Well... You kinda recklessly knocked out the power for a good four or five blocks while chasing after that sliver - making you more dangerous that the sliver itself.
"
Sighing, he began to rub more tiredness out from his eyes, "I can explain my actions, Mr Walters."

"That is not what we are concerned about!" He clapped his hands together before shaking his finger at Cypher, "Surprisingly..."

"Oh? Then what is, sir?" He hunched forward in order to get a better look at Migisi who had placed the paperclip on the opposite side of the desk and was now moving a freshly, printed penny in her beak.

"We know that slivers cannot be seen by the human eye. EMF Readers can pick them up with ease since they're almost nothing but pure energy, but blowing them up is not our goal... We need to catch one in order to study it and in order to catch one, we need to be able to find it. This is why I am issuing you a partner."

Quickly, Cypher looked up at Jacob, "I work alone. Dr. Heung has that stated in my contract."

Jacob smiled as he patted Cypher on the shoulder, "No worries, man. It's not a person."

As Jacob spoke, Cypher's eyes made their way over to Migisi. Now carrying a glistening black and gold pen cap, "[=#787878]You mean the bird?[]"

"Precisely! Migisi a domesticated jackdaw who - if you can't tell - is drawn to shiny objects. And you know what's shiny? Silver Slivers!"

"You mean the bird..."

"Migisi."

She looked up at the sound of her name being called, holding a thumbtack. Caw...?

"Right, Migisi... Is going to help me find the sliver?"

"Yep. Animals tend to have a sixth sense that we don't have and with her already liking shiny things, she should be able to point out a sliver without any problems. So, make sure to take good care of her. And, oh yeah, she has a bit of an attitude." With those words, Jacob made his way out the door, leaving the two alone.



Cypher looked down at the jackdaw. Her personal collection of gleaming objects were stacked behind her. Like precious treasure being guarded. She returned his glance as she spotted the glistening cufflink near his wrists. Step by step, she approached him with her eyes fixed near his hands. Caw! Caw! she explained.

"What...?"

Caw! Caaaaw!

"I do not understand you, miss," Cypher paused for a moment as he sat his elbow on the desk. Smacking his forehead with his open hand. What am I doing talking to a bird? While lost in his own thoughts, he did not notice that she had turned towards him. Now just inches away from where he leaned. The circle cufflink sparkling before her. Its glow like a siren's call for the eyes. Slowly, she crept up on him. Caaaaaw! Her battle cry filled the air as she lunged forward, grabbing the circular piece in her beak. Pulling on it. Trying to break it free from the shirt sleeve. The thin threads snapping at the force of her body pulling away from him as her flapping wings smacked him in the face, knocking his fedora to the floor.

"What the bloody hell are you doing!?" He rose to his feet. Looking down at her with wild eyes as he tried to understand what she wanted. She stood her ground as she returned to the top of the desk, while gazing up at him. His cufflink grasped tightly in her beak with a proud expression twinkling in her eyes. She seemed to wink at him as she turned to add it to her pile while he groaned behind her, "This is going to be a long night..."







The EMF reader pulsated in Cypher's hands as he held his arm out before him, scanning the air for signs of unusual electric currents. Migisi had personally decided to perch on his shoulder. Taking pride in another being doing the walking for her. She playfully pecked at the rim of his hat out of boredom before beginning to pull on the hairs on the back of his head. He winced before brushing her away with his hand; she would caw loudly in his ear before puffing herself up angrily. Her feathers spreading out over her small frame, making her look twice her size.

"Quit it," he groaned as he began to follow the path the EMF reader was created. The tiny dial waved back and forth as the pair continued down the alley from the night before. Now pitch black due to the power outage that Cypher had caused. The only light that guided them was the faded light created by the flashlight he held, "Remember, you are looking for bright, silver spark, my dear. It only appears for a second and I cannot see it, but you should be able to. It should stand out in this darkness."

As they continued onward, Migisi became anxious. She hopped about his shoulder looking into the darkness that surrounded them. Somewhat staying close to him for a sense of protection, she started her search. Her head twitched above her shoulders as they slowly descended down the corridor. After a few steps, something caught her attention. It was a quick flash that ran past them, circling them. She trotted to the edge of his shoulder. Cawww....Caw!

He turned his head to face her, "Do you see it?"

Caw caaaw! Spreading her wings, she soared from his shoulder and perched on an open dumpster lid. Motioning him closer with her head. Cautiously, he followed. The EMF reader beeping loudly in his hand. He smirked with delight while reaching for the new electromagnetic bomb given to him by the AoM; one with much smaller voltage. After hitting the start button, he tossed it in the direction Migisi motioned, "Now! Get back!"

Migisi flew from her perch at his command and retreated to the safety of his shoulder. The speed of the beeping increased like the previous bomb as he took a step back. He lifted his left hand up in front of Migisi, shielding her from the electronic blast that exploded through the alley. Caw! she squealed. Rustling her feathers from shock. The pair stood motionless for a moment as they waited for the results.

There in the darkness a faint, white glow appeared. Hunched on the ground, laid the exhausted body of a sliver. Drained of its energy from the electromagnetic blast. Cypher's smirk widened at the sight, "Finally... We got it."



High above the alley way, a crimson bird sat in the moonlight. The bright blast caught its attention, causing it to perch on the gutter of a nearby building. It gazed down at the pair. Studying their every moment and finding amusement in their actions before the strangely dressed-man and tiny bird returned to their vehicle parked a few blocks away. Quietly, it flew off into the night sky. Leaving behind a single, long red feather that slowly fell to the ground behind it.

"Sigh... That is the fourth one this month..." the nurse tiredly whispered as she closed the hospital room's door. Behind the heavy thud of the thick wooden door closing, the sound of horrifying wailing echoed. A rectangular window was designed into the door in order to allow nurses and doctors to observe patients without disturbing their rest. Inside the room, on the rickety bed, sat a crying woman. Her tear stained face was buried in her hands as her husband stood beside her, hugging her shoulders as he tried to console her.



Cypher stood beside the nurse. Young and somewhat dashing in looks but had a strange aurora that surrounded him and alarming, suspicious eyes. He was surprisingly well dressed for a hospital visitor- wearing a personally fitted waistcoat that matched the same smooth, dark black of his pressed slacks and a rounded fedora upon his head, covering his darkened brown hair. A red armband was wrapped around his left upper arm bearing the letters AoM on it. He had his hands in his pockets as he tapped his index finger on the silver pocket watch he carried, "How far along was she?"

Nurse Marcela blinked as she thought. Unsure of an answer to give, she gazed down at the hospital charts on her clipboard and nodded, "Umm... Seven months."

"And the others?"

"I... I don't know..." she shrugged. "Anywhere from five to eight months. One time a few days before giving birth."

"Nurse Marcela, you are the head of the nursery department, right?"

She cocked her head, slightly confused by his question, "Yes... I am."

He glared at her quickly from the corner of his eyes, "Then shouldn't you know all the details about the patients brought in here? Especially regarding these women with their very unique symptoms?"

"Are you questioning my ability to treat my patients!?" Nurse Marcela stomped her foot in anger as her tired eyes narrowed.

"I have said nothing of sort. I am only trying to grasp the full context of the situation. It is frustrating having to work while so disorganized and your lack of knowledge when your employer requested the Agency to send an agent is only frustrating more so. Do you have the records of the miscarriages from all four incidents?" Cypher spoke coldly, as if it were a casual conversation. His ocean blue eyes fixed on the mourning couple inside the room. There was a sudden, unexplainable spike in miscarriages for the area. With such a small population of people, the village was very disturbed with the loss of four births in such a short time span, not including the couple sitting before him. The officials refused to look into the incident, and a Filipino legend began to spread like a virus throughout the streets. The people feared that they somehow angered a spirit and were now cursed since the doctors could come up with no scientific explanation for the deaths. All the women effected were all healthy and suffered from no physical harm. So it was no surprise that the Agency of Mystery sent in an agent to investigate the possibility of a supernatural phenomenon occurring.

Maricela walked over to the receptionist desk with a huffed at his request. As he studied the couple, he could hear the nurse asking for the patient records and the soft sound of shuffling papers. Minutes had passed before she returned to his side with a stack to give his hand.

"These records aren't suppose to be seen," she bitterly said as he took them from her.

He glared at her with annoyance as he stared into her eyes, bloodshot from her late night shifts at the hospital, "Do not tell me how to do my job."

Nurse Maricela hissed back through her clenched teeth, "Is that how all you government types are? Short, cold, and demanding?"

With his back turned to her, he began to look over the paperwork and waved his hand to motion her away with disagreement, "I am not government, ma'am. Now, please, I have some research to do and I am sure there is a bed pan somewhere that needs cleaning"

The angered woman gasped before storming off, leaving him to himself in the tight hallway of the tiny hospital. It was a very compact hospital only made up of two floors and stretching just a few blocks in width. To him, it was inadequate for proper medical use, but for the village in the midst of an island mountain range, it provided enough for the little use it received. It was not until recently that the rooms began to fill.

His eyes darted from side to side as he quickly read through all the documents she had given him. Desperately, he tried to make some sort of connection to all the victims. Damnit! he hissed to himself through his teeth. His search had been futile as he found find not logical connection between the women other than them all being from the village and all having been admitted to the same hospital. A result that meant nothing since there were no other villages or hospitals in the area. This makes no sense... Nothing about these women are connected.

Giving up, Cypher looked up from his papers to see the husband stepping out of the room. The two men's eyes met as the husband passed him in the hallway. Neither one spoke for what could be said at a moment like this. "I'm sorry" just would not cut it. The man stopped partly down the hall, gazing at Cypher from over his shoulder. His eyes puffy and red from trying to be a man and not cry in front of his wife, but behind the soreness, his eyes were filled with a deep sorrow and pleading, "People around here they call you the ghost hunter. That is what you do, yes? Hunt ghosts?"

Cypher's eye brow rose in bewilderment, "For lack of a better description, I suppose so."

"Good."







The tension in the air loosened as the husband disappeared into the darkness. However, he had left the door to the room open. Through the crack, Cypher could hear the cries of the grieve stricken mother, "The bird....I should have known....The bird...Tik tik tik" To the average person, they would believe the woman had gone mad. Babbling on about nonsense out of sorrow, but to a trained ear, it was the clue he needed.

His eyes widened as he listened in on her sobs. Quickly, he turned and jogged to the receptionist's desk, dropping the pile of papers in his hand. The sheets floated slowly to the ground behind him. He came to a screeching halt as he slammed his hands on the wooden desk and leaned over the counter, "How many of the miscarried mothers have talked about a bird?"

The woman sitting behind the desk had pushed her chair back from being startled by his sudden, abrupt appearance, "Ummm... I believe all of them?"

"Shit! Why didn't she tell me!?" He exclaimed as he turned away, leaning his back against the hard counter ledge while thinking. An Aswang. How did I not see it before... As he thought, a vision flashed before him. It was of Nurse Maricela's eyes from when the two had their brief dispute. They were an unusual color... An unnatural shade of brown with a hint of red to them... Almost ruby in color, but that was not what stood out in his mind. He could recall seeing his reflection in her eyes but the thing was - his reflection was upside down. He turned his head sideways with his heart racing from anxiety, "When did Nurse Maricela begin working here?"

"A month or so ago. Why...?"

"Do you have any current pregnant patients under her care?!"

"Yes. She's just in the room right down the hall. Nurse Maricela just want to check on her for the night but why..."



There was no time to explain or to listen to the rambles of the woman. Cypher now knew the truth behind the miscarriages. The clues had all been there the whole time, but his inexperience with the paranormal blinded him. He knew the text book terms and the qualities of many mythical beings and creatures. He could recite their descriptions but he lacked practice in the field. As he ran at a full sprint down the hall, he hoped he could make it in time.

Bam! He burst into the new room unexpectedly. The patient had let out a blood curling scream but it was not due to Cypher's entrance. Before him and the expecting mother, Nurse Maricela was in the middle of her transformation process as she turned from her daily young woman form to a large, crow. The crunching sound of her popping bones crackled as her neck twisted above her shoulders. Her head losing its humanoid form. Thick, dark feathers covered the nearly created body as wings sprung from where the ears use to be. It stretched his wingspan while hovering above its perch, made out of the lower half of its womanly body. Tik tik tik tik! She snarled as her beady eyes settled on Cypher, making him her target. He was the true threat. An unborn child and a sickly mother would not be able to stop the aswang from feasting, but a fit man with knowledge about her true form could.



Tik tik tik tik! The aswang spread its wings and flew out the window into the darkened woods that surrounded the hospital. Without hesitation, Cypher followed. Lucky for him the window was located on the first floor. The only damage he took was caking his slacks in a fresh coat of dust and mud. Tik tik tik tik! The aswang taunted from the darkness. Tik tik tik tik!

"Clever move, Maricela," he taunted back. "Getting a job at a hospital with a maternity ward. A trusting nurse by day; a hungry monster by night. It was like a buffet wasn't it? Weakened mothers came to you for aid. You lied and said they needed to stay overnight and then you ate their unborn children. You're a sick, bitch."

"Calling the kettle black? Tik tik tik! I could sense the evil from you, too." Her voice echoed through the branches.

"Never said I was the better man."

"Tik tik tik tik!You are sick, too. Very sick. Tik tik tik! " She was getting close. He could feel her eyes upon him as she hunted him in the night.

Cypher chuckled as he caught glimpse of a house in the distance. He smirked as he started to lead her towards it, "Perhaps I am."

"Tik tik tik tik! I can fix you. Let me eat you. I can make a new you in your place. Tik tik tik!" Hunger now overtook her voice as she stalked her prey.

He had reached the house and turned the doorknob to discover that the front door was left unlocked. He thought it was unusual but he did not have time to focus on the carelessness of the people living inside. He had foolishly been unprepared to fast the aswang and desperately needed some supplies before being attacked. Inside the house was dark and Cypher did not turn on any lights in order to not wake the home owners. It would be best if they never knew he was ever there. From the opened door, he could see the silhouette of the aswang peering inside, looking for him. It hopped into the living room and followed his scent to the kitchen, where he now stood.

"I don't thin you'd like the taste of me very much," he quietly said as he fumbled around the kitchen. His hands blindly searching the cabinets in the dark.

The aswang laughed in amusement, "Tik tik tik tik! Why is that? Is that your plea for me to let you live? Tik tik tik! tasting bad?"

"No," he replied as he grasped a cylinder-shaped jar. "It is just...That I am rather salty."

With no hesitation, he turned around while twisting the lid off of the container. He made a swiping motion with his arm as thousands upon thousands of salt crystals flew into the air. Their sparkled in the moonlight that seeped through the kitchen's window. The salt landed upon the aswang, burning its skin. It wailed in agony as it began to flop about in the kitchen attempting to shake the crystals off from its feathers. While it bashed about, Cypher reached for the revolver that he had holstered to his side. Quickly, he pulled it out and cocked it awhile pointing at the screaming aswang.

With a demonic voice, it snarled at him as he towered over it with the revolver pointing downward,"Tik tik tik tik! You think that can kill me!?"

"I do not think. I know." Coldly he stared at it as he he shot one silver bullet into its chest. The aswang's scream grew more intense as it used the last bit of its energy, trying to escape, knocking over the table and chairs. It collapsed to the follow where its body dissolved into ash on the floor. He lowered his gun as he caught his breath; that was his first extermination since joining the AoM and he knew that there was more to come. As he examined the ash, the lights suddenly turned out. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brightness upon which he discovered a man wearing pajama bottoms hollering at the mess. It was now time for Cypher to face the ultimate challenge of the night: Explaining to the home owner what happened to his kitchen.