Name: Elizabeth Valeria Nightingale

Gender: Female

Date of Birth: - - -

Social Rank: B

Clearance Level: 2

The pCard identity display lights up my left monitor, and I pause, cursor hovering over the date of birth info field. It would certainly make my life a lot easier if my fake identity were an adult. Staring at my reflection in the right monitor, I scrutinize the face staring back at me. I've been told I can pass for a few years older. Maybe I'll say I'm 18.

Date of Birth: April 05, 2102

As for social rank and clearance level, I kept them average, unnoticeable. While I could easily set my clearance to a top-level 6 — which would probably come in handy — it's more important that my new persona appears inconspicuous. For an 18-year-old, level 2 is pretty normal, and a social rank of B is nothing to worry or brag about. That reminds me, though, I'll have to set up a fake SocialConnect account as well.

Finally, I add a photo to the profile, after editing it sufficiently so that facial recognition software couldn't recognise it as me.

Sitting back in my chair, I admire my handiwork. I've programmed my Identity Profile, synced it with a new pCard, and hacked into the Identity Database to make it look like the ID was created 18 years ago, when "Elizabeth Nightingale" was born. It took almost all day yesterday, and a few more hours today, but it's not like I have much else to do on a weekend.

The plan's been forming in my head for over a week now — how to evade the authorities if it's discovered that I'm xCodebreaker01.

My first priority would have to be getting out of the country. The best bet is the United European Kingdom, because it's far away, uses the Universal Language and is populated enough that I could easily blend in and go unnoticed.

Step one, get to the airport without being recognized. If I get found out, I can probably assume the UNBI knows about the Xaria Clarke alias and from there can figure out the infrared camera trick. That means I won't be able to use the IR facial concealer when escaping, because they'll be able to monitor the security and street cameras for the telltale flash of light. Instead, I'll have to disguise myself, and keep my head turned away from cameras to avoid facial recognition. I already downloaded a map of the route to the airport and marked all the locations with cameras.

In case they do somehow follow me to the airport and find out where I'm going, I'll be taking several stops before actually flying to my destination. I haven't bought the tickets, of course, since I don't need to run away yet, but my plan is to fly first to France, then from there to the United States, and then, finally, to London, England, each time with a different alias. That way, if the UNBI finds out about my first flight from Japan, they'll still just think I've gone to France. Oh, and did I mention I'll be tossing my phone — once factory reset, of course — into the carry-on of an unsuspecting stranger headed to Costa Rica? And sending a suitcase to South Africa.

As for the other two aliases, they won't take as much work as Elizabeth Nightingale. She'll be my main identity in London, so the profile has to be foolproof, but the other two are just throwaway fake IDs that will only need to get me through the flights — I've decided to call them Nicolette Lacroix and Jackie Losange.

London. While I've tried to avoid the thought, my subconscious keeps reminding me that that's where OutlawResolve lives. Is that — at least in part — the reason I chose to go there? While I know it'll never happen, and that's probably for the better, part of me wants to try to find him. But why? Yes, he is... intriguing, but why am I so interested in a person I don't know the first thing about? Or, maybe that is what interests me... I want to know more about him, his life, what led him to be a dark web hacker. Does he get bored of life, like me? Is he alone, like me?

Darn it, I'm spiraling again. Why does he keep coming up in my head? Whatever, best not to think of him now.

Anyway, the next problem is changing disguises. If I go into an airport washroom, then come out looking like someone else, that would seem pretty suspicious to anyone watching the cameras. My first thought was to hack them, but if a bunch of airport security cameras suddenly went out the day a recently unmasked cybercriminal disappears, that would definitely be noticed. Instead, I'll have to time my entrances and exits perfectly — both entering and leaving hidden behind a group of people.

OK, so, disguises, cameras, flight plan... Am I missing anything?

My left monitor chimes, interrupting my train of thought and alerting me to a new message in the dark web chats. Could it be OutlawResolve? I'd better check.

The brief excitement I inexplicably felt quickly disappears when I see who it is.

Anonymous13810: Codebreaker? Are you still there?

Jeez, didn't they get the message? I'M NOT DOING IN-PERSON MEETINGS. Leave me alone. I wish they could see me roll my eyes as I type out a response.

xCodebreaker01: What part of "no" do you not understand??

Maybe I should research this guy. It's not like there's a name I can just search, but maybe I can trace them somehow. Obviously their IP is hidden, that's how the dark web works, but they are using an auto-generated anonymous guest account, so maybe I could look them up in the username generation history.

The dark web browser keeps things anonymous by routing all net-based exchanges through a series of proxy servers around the world, rendering the IP addresses of its users untraceable and unidentifiable. Most of these servers are operated by volunteers, and some are hidden illegally in existing server farms. Anyway, the chat forum I use, called 1NT-C0M, is based in this system. When someone creates an account, their username and info is inputted from their personal computer, then rerouted through the proxies, like everything else, thus hiding its true origin. However, when a guest account is created, the required info is randomly generated by one of the servers (hence the username "Anonymous" followed by random numbers). Because it isn't uploaded locally, by the user, there is no need for it to be rerouted — if someone traced the IP address, they wouldn't find the user, just whatever server generated their info.

So, how does this help me? Well, the anonymous user — I'm just going to call them A (Pretty Little Liars reference unintended) — wants to meet me in person, so they most likely live nearby. When creating temp accounts, 1NT-C0M automatically uses the closest available server, which would probably also be in Tokyo. That server, while inaccessible remotely, still stores one crucial piece of data from the device that accessed it when creating the account — the IP address. If I can determine the server that created Anonymous13810, access it in person — nothing like a little breaking and entering to spice up a Sunday — and unlock it, I could find A's real IP address, and from there, I could get all kinds of info.

In order to do that, I'll first need to find the server that generated A's info. To get that information, I'll have to get them to communicate with that server again, and get access to that communication so I can trace it. How to do that, though...

After a few seconds of deliberation, I decide on an idea. Opening up a new tab, I draft a message pretending to be from the 1NT-C0M manager bot.

1NT-C0M-setupbot: Anonymous13810, please confirm your account. Click here to go to your setting page, and select Check Info below your username.

The Check Info button is fairly useless most of the time. It basically just scans the username and tells you some basic info, like the day you created your account, and — here's the important part — what server was used to generate it. Oh, and the hyperlink on the word here that will lead A to their settings also contains a script I just wrote that routes the connection through a monitoring page, so I can see everything they do in their settings as long as they access it through the link.

As for the fake bot, I used a backup 1NT-C0M account and added a customization program that conceals the real username and displays the fake "1NT-C0M-setupbot" one overtop.

After checking my work, I send the message, then turn my attention to one of my projects for a few minutes while I wait.

Suddenly, my computer plays a ringing sound, alerting me to an incoming audio call. It's coming in on the fake bot's line, and there's no visible caller ID... but I click 'accept' nonetheless.

A gruff, angry-sounding male voice answers, but it's distorted and unrecognizable. "Who are you, and what are you playing at? Anonymous accounts don't need to be confirmed. Is this some futile attempt to hack me?"

Chikushō! I slam my hand on the end call button, surprised... and a little scared. Not that I have a good reason to be, of course — my signal was being rerouted that whole time, so I'm certain he can't trace the call.

Unfortunately, neither can I, and since he saw through my plan, I can't locate his account server. Watashi wa bakadesu... How did I ever think some stupid phishing plan would work?

With a sigh, I lean back in my chair. It doesn't matter, anyway. Once he sees my last message, he'll get the point and get out of my life.

Ping.

New private message. I swear, if it's A again—

OutlawResolve: Are you busy?

The time in the top right corner of my screen reads 12:04, so... it's an 8-hour difference, right? 4:04 London time. I guess he was serious when he said he wasn't great with sleep. Not that I'm in any position to judge.

xCodebreaker01: Not really. What's up?

OutlawResolve: I was just thinking...

OutlawResolve: Well, overthinking, probably. Replaying conversations, analysing. The usual 4-in-the-morning questioning everything.

xCodebreaker01: Anything in particular?

OutlawResolve: Yeah, I was wondering how I ended up talking about the philosophical blandness of the human race with a rival hacker last Friday.

OutlawResolve: I've got to know... Why did you message me in the first place?

OutlawResolve: (not that I'm complaining)

xCodebreaker01: [REPLYING TO: "(not that I'm complaining)"] Hold on, am I to assume you enjoy my company, then?

OutlawResolve: Well I didn't say that... But maybe a little.

xCodebreaker01: As for why, I honestly don't know. I was bored, and you're interesting.

OutlawResolve: What, is that the sleepless cybercriminal equivalent of "I was drunk and she was there"? /hj

xCodebreaker01: Hey! You make me sound like a digital Mark Sloan or something.

OutlawResolve: Who's that?

xCodebreaker01: Oh, just a character from an old TV show my friend likes.

OutlawResolve: Wait, he's from that medical show, right? From the early 21st century?

xCodebreaker01: Yeah, Grey's Anatomy.

OutlawResolve: Do you watch a lot of 2000s shows?

xCodebreaker01: 2000s, 2010s, etc. I think it was a sort of "golden age" of television.

xCodebreaker01: I like some modern stuff too, though. Have you seen Parallels?

OutlawResolve: I love that show! The crossover with Timeskip was brilliant, too.

xCodebreaker: Right? The whole Cara Drake/Neviah Jenson dynamic was awesome.

OutlawResolve: Hey wait a second, we're doing it again.

xCodebreaker01: Doing what?

OutlawResolve: We're just casually talking about TV shows like it's totally normal.

He's got a point, this is kind of weird.

xCodebreaker01: Hmm, I guess we are. Strange, "normal" and I are usually complete strangers.

OutlawResolve: Oh, I don't doubt that /t

OutlawResolve: I guess it's nice to talk to someone, though.

xCodebreaker01: So, you're bored and I'm there? /j

OutlawResolve: Hey, you know what I mean.

xCodebreaker01: Yeah, I get it. We're both in the same boat, in a way, so we understand each other.

xCodebreaker01: Makes perfect sense to me.