Margaret

"The point of having a profile is monitoring the civilians" as one of my clients said back in the day.

"Government just wants us all dead." said another.

The government of Rintalis figured out that our social media was a powerful tool for terror. The practice of lighthearted posting of photographs, quotes, and updates has long vanished. It is not like we were forbidden to do it, it's just that everyone was hesitant to do so. The sinister nature of SierraTech's mobile application had the sole purpose of control.

The government would inform the population of new policies or news, and if a person had no credits, they would be as good as gone.

The commenter's thoughts together with every private information would be leaked and posted with no authorization. The more emotional the thought was, the more information would be unveiled about the commenter. That way, they would declare the person as the enemy of the government, justifying the reason for what was basically, a witch hunt by the bounty hunters. After all, according to them, they had visible proof that the person was a terrorist. Unfortunately, rare were the people who had a nice opinion about the government.

In the past, the news would spark outrage, such as the prevention of abortion for women, regardless of the cause of pregnancy, or a ban on all artistic forms. The death toll after the ban on abortion law was one of the highest I have seen, and the protest that followed was quickly silenced with militia intervention.

Naturally, the journalists only served the government, posting articles upon articles about how great and incredible Rintalis was, and that the Demoris republic is evil and forever a threat. It was obvious that they were spoon-feeding us with lies, but it seems that nowadays, an all-present apathy was the true ruler among the citizens.

The cost of not posting thoughts, potentially saving your life, varied from month to month, but this time it was 5000 credits.

Employing bounty hunters was never admitted to, as the government would never admit to killing their people. Rather, it was public knowledge as it was never addressed by the political leaders of Rintalis. It was enough to see that the police did nothing when bounty hunters came after them.

They even added the name to the indelible mobile app- Lilith. The app which can never be uninstalled. 

Getting rid of the phones didn't stop the thoughts from being posted in case the payment wasn't made. There was no escaping Lilith.

It seems funny how a piece of software could have more humanity and importance to the government, rather than its people.

Now 34 and an assassin, I took a moment to check my next target.

Ace Mountangue, the same age as me, has never been married, nor had any children. Learned to play the piano at the age of 6, was top of his class at Yolenda University with a degree in business rated 4th richest man in the country.

I took a moment to see where he worked, and to my surprise, it was the company that was responsible for the development of "Lilith"- SierraTech.

At that moment, my resolution steeled and crumbled just as quickly when I read that he was well-versed in martial arts. This meant that taking him head-on was a no, as I had no official training in fighting, and I avoided direct combat as much as possible.

As an ordinary person such as myself, I went through the means that I knew the human race could not possibly escape. Arsenic and ingested poisonings were my go-to's, but I did carry two daggers with me in case of emergency. I have used them only once.

All that being said, I guess it can be said that I go about my business in a cowardly fashion.

As with any high-status person, his public image had no shortage of rumors. From impotence to being a father to many children, led me to conclude one thing; the prowess in the bedroom and the sex life of an individual is forever bound to be a point of interest. 

However, when I saw his photograph, I could see the reason why such gossip was present in the first place. Envy. 

Steel grey eyes, framed with thicker dark brown eyebrows. His dark short hair was neatly combed, and from other photographs that I could find, it was usually styled as an undercut with longer strands at the top. Higher cheekbones and the hollowness under them gave off a cold and villainous impression. Nevertheless, his proportional jawline was nicely defined, and the only thing soft about this man was the shape of his plump lips. The gentle curve of his cupid's bow outlined his top lip gracefully.

His posts were restricted and I had to pay an exuberant amount If I wanted to see his thoughts.

This fee would rise with the person's status, and for people like me, it was almost free. Thankfully, I was diligent enough to never be in a situation where my thoughts were posted, so the history of my thoughts was blank.

I didn't notice how my finger was still lingering on the photograph of his face, and I quickly withdrew them upon the realization.

What a shame to kill such a handsome man however, even the devil used to be the most beautiful angel.

My knives were sheathed under the skirt, just in case. I was standing just five minutes from the SierraTech's colossal building entrance, with a clear enough view.

The skyscraper of this company was as big as the government's, as they were two of the highest buildings in Rintalis, their tops obscured by the thick fog. Bricks were mostly a thing of the past for the rich, and most buildings nowadays had been built in tinted glass, except for these two skyscrapers, which had platinum as their building material. Mostly in the suburban area of Rintalis, and some residencies within the city still had the old architectural material. Rare were the people with eccentric tastes who refused the glass and still stuck with the vintage-styled homes with the red bricks, however, those were truly brave individuals. No one wanted to stick out be it by the style of their homes or the way they dressed.

Even though it was peak hour for people to go to work, there was never any issue with the transport or loud noise. Things were pretty serene at first glance. Sounds of the heels of workers and silent chatter as they were making their way to work were mostly the only things giving life to this wretched city. Heavy perfumes on their neutral-colored attires shoot up my nostrils, mixing with the exhaust gas from cars producing a homunculus of a scent. Longing for clear air, I sighed, my breath apparent in the bitter cold. Previously, most people were laid off because androids took over most jobs, however, humans being humans, most complained that the robots in the service industry were missing that "friendly touch", so the industry is slowly being taken back by humanity. If you ask me, I just think that people were missing the fact that they could yell at someone, as the emotions-deprived android would never get angry.

Cars would never be caught speeding, as almost the entire city was covered with CCTV. If there was an issue with the transport to work, citizens could call any of the police or fire departments to transport them. I guess when you work for someone else, it's important that they make their money's worth. What was comforting though, was the incentive by the government for people to own enterprises and companies, as they would have a discount on payment for government posts at 50%, and common folk mostly owned cafés.

Observing my surroundings as inconspicuously as I could with a cup of coffee in my hands, I anxiously waited for my target's appearance. This man rose early and unfortunately, I was not able to grab one before I went outside. Scrolling through my device to seem busy, I probably waited for a whole hour, but I didn't see him going in. Disguising myself with a blonde wig that I cheaply purchased, together with a face mask, and loose dark clothes, I made sure to alter my physical description as much as possible.

 Coffee was long drunk, and simply because my legs were starting to hurt, I sat in the café Lilies that was adjacent to the building.

With artificial flowers enriching the space, and pastel-colored furniture, the person who decorated this place wanted to give a soothing feeling and possibly present an idyllic interior. The façade of perfection that this place desperately wanted to present only aggravated me.

The music in the café was not allowed as well, only the government news was constantly streamed on the television. The same purple-haired androgynous modelesque figure would read the script enthusiastically, perhaps attempting to break the bleak tone of disastrous news script, or rejoicing at the catastrophe the news would bring.

I took off my mask and ordered another cup through the glass screen that was my phone, as everything I ordered had to be made through my device. Half an hour had passed, and still, he was nowhere to be found.

My mind was anxious, with millions of questions that were slowly causing me a headache.

Maybe I was wrong about the location of the target. Did I miss him when he went inside? Maybe there is another entrance?

A sense of dread went down my spine, shortly followed by a scream somewhere in the far corners of the café.

"Mr. Mountangue ... please..." A weak voice interrupted my doubts. 

Shit. He was here the whole time.

I could have sworn that I was alone, but I was wrong. I decided to follow the sounds of the voices. It seemed that this place had a VIP area, guarded by two androids. Thankfully, they were the kind that only would act if someone wanted to walk in by force, so I could at least listen in.

At first glance, the androids looked human, but what differentiated them from us was simply the plug for charging in their throats and the unnatural color of their eyes. Red stood for an aggressive android, usually used in boxing matches for entertainment. Blue stood for the androids that worked in the service industry and orange was for these types of androids. They would always wear clothes that matched their "professions".

"Honestly, you should have thought if you were capable of repayment before you agreed to my help." A stern and cold voice echoed through the halls.

 The man sounded scared, and I could have sworn that was a lady's scream just before.

  "Please... have mercy. All we wanted was to terminate the unwanted pregnancy..." A lady spoke now.

 "And that was granted, wasn't it? But I don't have what I was promised, and you have left me greatly inconvenienced."

The way they were pleading reminded me of daily calls that I had, when people knew they couldn't pay for my services, but were desperate. For some, I agreed to help, and for others, I didn't. Mostly I didn't, but it seems like these folks were in trouble.

If I were braver, I would probably swoop in to save them and get the bounty done already, but I know it's impossible from what I know about him, especially as I do not know how agile he is in real life. Maybe, I am feeding into a hidden unknown delusion to be a hero for once. Quieting the prospect of saving someone, I knew that I would be risking my plan before it even started. I told myself that it would bring me no rewards directly from the folks that needed saving at this moment. Even if I were physically stronger and somehow overpowered him in hand-to-hand combat and made out of it alive, beyond the bounty I would get from killing him, I would get a "thank you", and that's all.

Perhaps heroes are born out of a need for gratification and validation from others. But beyond a fed ego, validation never paid bills for anyone.

"Give me your hand." The cold voice proclaimed.

"Mr. Mountangue..." The voice trembled. 

"I said give me your hand."

The man didn't speak anymore, but in two moments, Ace continued.

"You are now the property of SierraTech, until you pay off your debt. You will do whatever I tell you to because your life is now mine."

Cold shivers rolled down my spine, each hair standing up at the nearing footsteps, as I barely got the chance to escape him undetected. I estimated he was too close for comfort, and because of that he would see me sprinting out of the place, so I stood in front of the café entrance, attempting a casual bystander look.

As he walked out, he bumped my shoulder, and I almost reached for my daggers.

Will he figure me out? But if he does...

That means I will never avenge her.