The year was 2092, living in a virtual reality become the new 'it' attraction. There was no need to build your own life anymore, just plug yourself in a machine and live out as you want to be. The uneasiness of a possible war being forgotten by the digital seduced minds. But not everyone was so privileged.

It was exactly a year since I completed my training and got assassinated by Min Yoongi under Commander Heinous orders. Two years since I first arrived at C21. It has changed dramatically in such a short time. The proclamation of it being the most technologically advanced city was an understatement. This city was pushing non-existent boundaries. C21 was a LED-lit attraction, for those who did not want to live out their lives in a virtual world got blind with all the lights. The cityscape was unashamedly urban. There were no trees or flowers, only digital images. It was a city filled with concrete and glass, soaring out the sidewalk in the same grid pattern. For a city that promised freedom, we all got stuck in the same pattern.

At night it was beautiful, with so many lights. By day only the barely visible sky allowed us to see that it was not a monotone world; just a one in which the people were too busy to appreciate the only natural thing. It was a jumble of shapes, swiped closely together, trying to provide space for the ever-growing population. There were domes, rectangles and glass windows. The city was filled with glass, a sudden attack would lead to an extraordinary number of causalities. D-93 was supposed to prevent that from ever happening. But D-93 was not who they pretend to be.

On scanning my eyeball at the entry the apartment’s lights came on, a soft blues playing from the hidden sound system, Rose’s favourite. In the kitchen, a machine already dispensing red wine into a glass. Rose marched over with an exaggerated hurry.

“Oh Thank God, Hana where the hell did you go? I am having a mental breakdown about what I am supposed to wear to my shoot and you just disappear?” Rose frantically grabbed the wine glass before throwing herself onto the floating sofa. Her metal heels were discarded messily onto the glass floor. I felt a sudden rush of annoyance as I watch her, but I simply bit my bottom lip counting up to six before flashing my ever so innocent and bashful smile. I was no longer that rash Kim Jinmi. 

“Sorry Miss Rose, I just needed a bit of fresh air,” I mumbled, my mind quickly being taken away by a metallic sound clucking onto the polished floor as Rose’s maid approach us. AI Choi appeared no older than thirty, with her short brown bob and her typical AI maid uniform. The only feature which showed that she was not human where her abnormally pale blue eyes. 

AI Choi scanned my face with her lightened up irises before greeting me “Hana, welcome back.” I simply sighed as I watched her tidy up the mess that in no doubt Rose made. Her attention fell away from me when her program recognized me. 

“Oh my God, Hana can you please focus? It is my first time doing such a high-profile photoshoot. But like, I don’t understand why we need to go to some wastelands for it. We live in a virtual era, surely we can just get a backdrop at my apartment and it’s sorted?” Rose wined like a child, kicking her feet against the sofa before passing her half-full glass carelessly over to AI Choi who accepted it without a complaint. 

“Can you believe they expect me of all the people to get my shoes dirty by going to the wasteland? I’m not some kind of Proxy who is going on a mission, I am raising star, Model Rose.” Rose continued to winch for the fifth time that day. No doubt her spoilt mind simply not being able to comprehend that some people just prefer a more authentic feel when it came to photoshoots. 

 I smiled at AI Choi as she took my coat from me, completely ignoring Rose’s words for as long as I can. My back turned to her as I walked back to the walk-in closet, where I have spent the whole day organising each outfit for Rose to take. It was an insult that I was working on a spoiled model but she was the only one daft enough to hire me without proper investigation. I was no longer Proxy Ire or Kim Jinmi. I was Min Hana. Ironic. A flower with his last name. Stylist Hana. So I had to play that part, no matter how many times my fingers itched to reach for my hidden gun. 

“Hana can you at least pretend to listen to me? I am giving you a place to stay in, at least be grateful!” I rolled my eyes at her words, my teeth impulsively finding themselves biting onto my bottom lip gently as a way to calm myself down. My hands threw an ivory dress into the ‘maybe’ pile. The more Rose winched, the more my mind found itself making a bigger kill list. 

“Hana I swear I am so close to firing you on the spot- ” I did not let Rose finish her sentence as I threw her bag over to her feet. My palms gently smoothed my jeans before I was looking at her in irritation. 

“Here are all of your stylized looks. I will meet you in the town centre in an hour. See ya.” and just like that, I sidestepped fumy Rose before grabbing my coat from the hanger and leaving her place. 

There was so much patience I could give before it all crashed down.

X

“Customer 199612?” I turned my head in the direction where my number was announced. My eyes viewed about 5ft 3 shy girl who was looking around for the called customer. The corner of my lips lifts slightly, a smirk already visible on my lips as I watch her. She was perfect.

“Yes, that’s me,” I called out to her, I watch her eyes flash with relief as she quickly sidesteps over to me, an innocent smile present on her lips as she directs me to the chair.

“You discussed you would like to get your hair dyed? Correct?” I watched her through the mirror, how her eyes darted in embarrassment as she met my dark ones. She was exactly like me a year ago. Shy, hopeful, and innocent. She was just too perfect. I nodded at her question, already passing her a virtual lookbook that I was flipping through whilst waiting, a page of a scarlet dark hair present.

“You would like to go red? That would look pretty on your skin complexation.” She complimented me, her cheeks becoming rosy red as I stared at her reflection again. My lips lifted up into a smile as I watched her clumsily fidget with a few numbers from the virtual lookbook before within seconds my hair was changed from brunette to scarlet. She quickly excused herself when her senior called her over, my mind humming in delight to see how my plan was falling into place. My slender fingers instead quickly grip my proxy virtual oracle glasses from my pocket as I activate them with my irises. A loading screen emerging on the screen; 

...INITIALIZING...

... SEARCHING ...

'Welcome Proxy Ire, you have sent one message to Proxy Enmity, would you like to send another?'

YES

... SEARCHING ...

'Proxy Enmity has been found, send a message now?'

YES

MESSAGE:…I will find you.

'Message sent'

'Log off?'

YES

'GOODBYE PROXY IRE'

“I am so sorry about that, my senior just wanted to ask me something. You look beautiful, Gosh your hair is so long and healthy.” She gushed on, as I pulled my glasses off the bridge of my nose. A simple polite mumble of 'thanks' rolls of my tongue before I gently gripped her hand. I watched her eyes widen with my sudden contact before I was handing her my proxy oracle glasses.

“For you,” I said. Her cheeks burn up again as she slowly takes them with evident confusion on her face, a protest already visible on her lips, which I shook off with another polite expression of gratitude for her services. My feet pulled me up, as my hands pressed a few numbers to pay for her services before leaving her in a confused state.

Only once I was out of there did I let myself whisper an apology. 

“Sorry.”

X

I gripped onto the hood of my coat, shielding my eyes from all the lights surrounding the salon. That very moment a timer beeped onto my wrist, a reminder that all was going as per my plan. My eyes already keeping a lookout for any announcements. as I walked along the alleyway. The not-so-secret rougher hidden part of the city, something that I learned by being only a proxy. It was so easy to hide something when C21 was filled with virtually seduced minds. My feet slightly ached from all the walking that I have done today. The buildings were tight together, looming over me like a haunted stone forest. The sky was barely visible from the close together roofs. The alleyway twisted and itself, first going to the right, then to the left. Announcement appearing.

 ‘Warning, you have all been ordered by D-93 not to leave your places past nine pm.’

‘Breaking News, ex Proxy Ire has been found as being alive.’

‘Warning, 5ft 3 dangerous criminal named Kim Jinmi who also goes by the name of Ire has been issued an arrest warning.’

 ‘Any information given on Ire’s ware bouts will be rewarded. Please contact your local protector or D-93 directly.’

The same words kept going on and on, each billboard, display windows, and virtual oracle glasses flashed with the instructions. People scattered around the town centre in fear as D-93 proxies unshed them out of their way. About fifty trainee proxies surrounded the innocent girl who was suspected of being the notorious ex-proxy Ire. I slipped my dark hood forward over my newly dyed dark scarlet hair, chuckling at their stupidity before slipping out of the alleyway to mask myself with a large group of rich individuals being securely directed to a safe place. I spotted Rose being directed to the west gate, her voice sounding filled with fear, panic began to rise around her.

I flashed my fake ID card to the sturdy guard, who scanned through the card with his advanced technological irises. I kept my eyes cascaded down as he unshed me forwards. The commotion at the town centre earned unnecessary attention from the ladies next to me.

“Did you hear that they have found a dangerous criminal? It must be that girl over there, it’s always the nice and innocent ones that we need to beware of.” Those ladies gossiped with each other.

“Oh, what a shame and she seemed so lovely when she cut my hair!”

In my arrogant triumph, my lips pouted into a smirk; my eyes narrowing as I passed some protectors who paid absolutely no attention to me. I thanked one of them as she handed me a virtual map and pointed me towards the west gates, where Rose must be already at.

“Put your hands up Ire or we will shoot.” I heard the trainee proxies order. With no doubt, special division proxies were already on their way. Including Min Yoongi. My escape plan was going perfectly, couple more meters and I will be out of the C21, as Min Hana. I should have felt guilty, after all, it was I who put that poor girl in trouble but sacrifices need to be made for the final result.

“Can I please see your ID madam?” A protector who went by the name of Lion asked politely. It was funny, he was somebody that I used to often hang out with after my missions. He was one of my favourite protectors, a less annoying and less stupid out of the hundred who surrounded the city. I flashed him my ID, and he never hesitated. It was slightly scary to see how simple it was to go past what should be a highly secure system, and if it was Jinmi, the trustworthy proxy Ire at that very moment. I might have felt obliged to do something about the failing system. But now it was a pleasant feeling. Lion pulled the west gate open for me and other few individuals. Rose was no longer visible.

“Have a safe trip ladies, sorry about the unpleasant situation you had to witness.”

So just before I left, I turned my head over my shoulder, taking one last glance at the proxies arresting the innocent girl. A newly arrived fly-ship bringing the special division proxies, Enmity being one of them. The shame he just had to experience failing his mission was not visible as he gripped the girl’s hair, hissing something in her ear with visible venom. Proxy Lore stepped over to them, his oracle glasses scanning her through, she was perfect. They wouldn’t know any difference until they get her to the base. Face-changing was done by a snap of fingers, but heights were a lot harder.

The visible presentation on how the system was failing was clear like the sky. Proxy Enmity tugged her by the hair, dragging her poor frame as she was sobbing for her freedom. I felt my heart sting slightly as I was witnessing the view, I was still human no matter how many times I wished I was not. But this needed to be done, no matter how I felt. 

“Madam?” I heard Lion question, my view of the scene being blocked as I simply thanked him for his hospitality before stepping out of the C21 main boundaries. I felt someone’s intense stare at the back of my head, the girl's screams and sobs sounding clear in my ears as I leave C21 behind. My revenge will become successful.

Step one was completed.