Prologue

She quickly made her way down the dark streets of Post Pulse Seattle. Ears and eyes alert to her surroundings, she was in search of a tattoo parlor. The first thing she needed to do was get rid of the barcode on her neck.

Liz didn't want any sign of her being a transgenic. The barcode would tip anyone and everyone off. She needed X5-483 to be gone, wiped from history.

She finally eyed an Asian man who seemed to be closing up shop. Liz quickly ran up to the man. "Sir! Sir! I need your help."

The old man turned around, squinting to see the young girl. "Yes, dear?"

"I need a tattoo removal sir."

He shook his head. "I'm closed. Come back tomorrow."

Liz closed her eyes in defeat. "I need it done as soon as possible, sir. Price is no object."

The man seemed to give in. "Alright. Come on."

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

The old man led Liz into the tattoo shop. Within two hours, she was exiting rubbing her throbbing neck. No one ever said it wouldn't hurt. She closed her eyes as she stood outside the tattoo parlor. Now, she needed to decide where she was going to stay.

"Do you need a place to stay, dear?"

She looked up to see the tattoo artist in front of her. "I'm sorry?"

He smiled softly. "A place to stay. Would you like one? My daughter runs a boarding house over in Sector 5. She can find you a job too, if you wish."

A smile adorned her face. "I'd appreciate that sir."