The year is 2026. In the same sprawling metropolis as Rex and Ruby, late afternoon turns to evening on the western side of the city. Inside an exhibition hall that has just closed for the day, "tap," a girl dressed in head-to-toe black spandex lands softly on the floor. Only her piercing blue eyes are visible. The room is filled with historic antiques. She immediately presses her back against the wall, her eyes darting around to scan for cameras.
Moving with fluid grace, the girl sticks to the blind spots and heads for the exit. She peeks out, looking up and down a long, stretching corridor before sprinting along the right side. Finally, she reaches a wide door at the very end. "Click." She cracks it open to peek inside. Her eyes light up with excitement.
"Found it," she says happily to herself.
In the center of the room, a glass case protects a full-face robot-like mask with a red gem embedded in its forehead. The girl enters cautiously. "Clap." She shuts the door behind her and scans the room again, pulling a spray canister from her utility belt. She sprays a liquid into the air.
Instantly, a white mist reveals a complex web of lasers crisscrossing the entire room. She sprays again, performing a series of breathtaking acrobatic maneuvers to avoid the beams. Thanks to her agility and flexibility, she slips through the lasers with ease and stands directly in front of the display case.
The girl leans down, studying every inch of the case to check for the traps usually set for anyone trying to steal the jeweled mask. She pulls on a pair of gloves and carefully places her palms on either side of the box. With extreme caution, she lifts the case and sets it gently on the floor.
"Huff... alright, now for the real prize," she thinks.
The girl reaches out and takes the mask. "Click." She pries the red gem loose and retrieves a microchip hidden behind it. Afterward, she snaps the gem back into place and returns the mask to its display. "Clang!" She fires a grappling hook upward and zips to the ceiling, soaring over the lasers without tripping a single alarm.
Once at the top, she breaks through a glass skylight and leaps out. She runs across the rooftop and fires her hook once more. Securing the line to her waist, she jumps down without hesitation. Just before hitting the ground, she releases the line, flips through the air, and lands perfectly on a deserted sidewalk. She immediately sprints into the bushes across the street. Pulling off her mask, her long hair spills out, revealing a beautiful face.
She uncovers a motorcycle she had hidden in the brush and puts on her helmet. Then, she peels off the spandex suit to reveal her high school uniform underneath. She zips up a jacket, starts the engine, and peels away.
***
A short while later, she arrives at the shopping district in the red-light district and parks her bike behind a massage parlor. She enters through the back door.
"Hey... I'm here," the girl says.
"Good grief... what took you so long, Rose? What were you doing at school? Hurry up, your regular is already waiting in the lounge," says a middle-aged woman dressed in revealing, tight clothing.
"Got it, Mama," Rose says.
She heads straight to the locker room and opens her locker, tucking the microchip into an envelope and wrapping it in a towel. She changes into the parlor's massage uniform and walks out to the front. She sees a man in his 30s with neat black suit and blonde hair, sitting in the waiting area reading a magazine.
"Hello, Uncle Edward," Rose greets him.
"Oh, Rose, you're finally here?" Edward asks, lowering the magazine.
"Just got in. Come on, let's go to the usual room," Rose says.
"Sure, let's go," Edward replies, closing his magazine.
They walk down a hallway lined with massage cubicles. Rose opens one and lets Edward get ready inside, then sets her towel on the massage table and looks at him.
"Everything is here, Uncle," Rose says.
"Oh, okay," Edward replies, taking off his jacket and tie.
Rose steps outside the curtain, standing with her back to it as she pulls out her smartphone. "Ding." A notification arrives—proof of a large bank transfer into her account, followed by a message.
"Thank you for retrieving the microchip from my informant in the enemy country. You sure you don't want to come back to the agency?" Edward asks via text.
"No, thank you, Uncle. I want to live a quiet, normal life," Rose texts back.
"Alright, I'm ready, Rose," Edward calls from behind the curtain.
Rose turns and slips back inside, closing the curtain behind her. Edward is already lying face-down on the table.
"Want the special tip as usual, Uncle?" Rose asks teasingly.
"Oh... sure, why not," Edward answers.
"Great. Thanks, Uncle," Rose replies.
Without a moment's delay, Rose strips off all her clothes before starting the massage. She begins her work, spending the next 90 minutes attending to Edward.
***
A few hours later, after finishing her shift, Rose walks home. She's wearing glasses, her long hair is in a single braid down her back, and she looks like a total bookish nerd. She enters her apartment.
"I'm home," she says, kicking off her school shoes.
She looks around, confused when no one answers. She walks further in and finds the apartment empty. All that's left is the sofa, the TV, kitchenware, and the bed. Aside from her own things, all the clothes in the closet are gone. She looks up and sees that the backpack usually kept on top of the wardrobe is missing.
"Wait, where's Tyler? Did he leave? Why are his things gone?" she wonders.
Walking into the kitchen to grab water from the fridge, she spots a handwritten note on the dining table and a brown envelope with a folder beneath it. She reads the letter immediately.
"Sorry Rose, we're breaking up. I can't be with you anymore. I'm planning to build my online career, so please forgive me. I hope you're happy. Thanks for supporting me all this time. Goodbye... Tyler."
"Crinkle." Rose's hand crushes the paper. Tears begin to well in her eyes, but her face is contorted with rage, not sadness. She hurls the crumpled note at the wall and sinks into a chair, hanging her head. She takes off her glasses and rubs her eyes, fighting back the tears.
"Bastard. I've been paying for everything, working a job like this for him... what 'online career'? All he does is play PS5 all day... useless deadbeat. He left on my 19th birthday. That's low," Rose mutters, her heart aching.
Her gaze shifts to the brown envelope. Her name is on the front, but there's no return address. She picks it up and—"bum"—a fine powder explodes from inside the envelope. Rose inhales it instantly. "Gah... damn it. This... must be the agency... but whatever... I have nothing left anyway... goodbye, world," Rose says, clutching her nose, but it's too late. The poison is already racing through her system. She collapses to the floor, gasping for air, tears streaming down her face as everything fades to black.