She calls a taxi-service.

Glimmer fancied the ways of flight, but with the busy airways, the computer’s announcement warned that such things might not be possible now that she was leaving later than she wanted. All that left her was the automated services that acted as the remaining taxi transports. The NeonNav was inexperienced, but a reputable company that did a good enough job keeping their clients safely from point A to point B. The last couple of years have also seen a decrease in human drivers compared to automated ones. This had pros and cons, but for Glimmer, it was all pros. Automated drivers didn’t talk unless spoken to, they didn’t stare at her like humans did, and they were never stinky…

The NeonNav cab met her outside in literal seconds. The efficiency of these things was beyond spectacular, and when she slid into the backseat. The driver seat was empty, but the screen on the back of the seat blinked to life. A neon blue cat head appeared on the screen and meowed loudly.

“Hello, Glimmer! Welcome back to the cab! Where would you like to go this morning?”

Glimmer stared at the screen with a loose smirk. She blinks away the amusement and clears her throat before speaking. “Pink Heat night club, please,” Glimmer always felt the need to be more friendly towards the AI that existed with humankind… Unless it was the damn one inside her apartment, at least. She supposed it might’ve had something to do with the fact that the machine might drive her someplace unpleasant or somewhere she didn’t belong, too…

Probably, the AI never went any further. It knew when to stop talking, and that was when it finished asking where it was taking her.

The taxi lurched into action and then smoothed out soon after, taking Glimmer to the underbelly of the Neon Shroud. A common route whenever going to the Pink Heat club from her apartment. She got comfortable in the backseat, though. The worn leather cracked, a strange and off-putting scent lingering in the air. In the front seat, where there used to be human drivers, the dashboard lit up with cracked screens and faded markings. The stirring wheel still moved, and the pedals were pressed as if a phantom operator controlled the vehicle.

After a few blocks, the radio turned on, but instead of a noisy radio host, it was just glitchy music. Glimmer heard electric guitars, drums, and bass from the ancient rock band coming out through the less-than-optimized speaker set. The labyrinthine streets downtown slowed down the NeonNav, but the cat figure appeared on the screen and danced in place as if detecting some kind of uncertainty about the traffic. Glimmer watched the cat for a while but brought her attention to the world outside. Billboards were fighting for space along the relics of the old-world and new-world aesthetics. Thin snowflakes fell from the overcast sky as a bustle of the poors pushed down the sidewalks.

Glimmer looks at the crowds. The mix of humans and cybernetically enhanced individuals walked in every direction. The people who had partaken in the cybernetic upgrades had strange limbs, glowing eyes, or had malfunctioning LEDs somewhere along their temples. Their breath fogged in the cold air as they haggled with the street vendors’ carts, selling items of questionable quality… Weird food and even weirder tech. Above the sea of people were drones, security, and personal types watching soullessly like demonic watchmen.

Every now and then, the cab would pass through an area where technology was less enhanced and more about survival. Storefronts weren’t just bared with scrap metal but had mean-looking sentry guns poking from the doorways like those plastic owls with solid and mean beaks.

The taxi drove itself, dodging the thicker traffic where rules seemed more like suggestions. Hoverbikes zipped past as the rider chanted or yelled something. Autonomous delivery pods moved with ghostly precision, weaving more expertly than the Neon Nav. The movement kicked up powdered snow like a smoke screen, giving all vehicles a ghostly appearance in the chaos.

Finally, a luxury district opened up. The one that had Pink Heat erected inside came into view, and its light cut through the powder like a hot knife through butter. The electric spectrum of paid sex and working lights glowed in the snowy backdrop. Here, the buildings were monuments, outdoing their neighbor in one way or another, outdoing it with visual pizzazz. The colors are brighter than ever in the winter chill.

The taxi slowed to a stop in front of the Pink Heat night club, the digital numbers on Glimmer’s wrist sparkled as credits were deducted for the fee. The cat appeared on the screen again and jumped around. “Welcome to your destination! Now, if you need a ride back! Please let me know!” Glimmer thanked it, and stopped out when the doors opened. Without turning to close it, the door closed itself as it redirected itself to a home location to wait for the next call.

The morning was still early for this luxury district, so it was quiet… The neon sign for “Pink Heat” was off, but out front were the arms guards that acted as bouncers for the staff and “special” staff. They were all male with plated helmets and glowing visors, looking strange with their tailored black suits and black ties. One of them sees Glimmer and puts a hand out to stop her; she flashes the ID and smiles before they even welcome her.

She passes inside the main entrance, and more guards are inside chatting. They glance at her, but once they realize it’s a regular, they return to their conversation about the latest news they deem worthy of a gathering. The main room was a shadow of its vibrating self, the dance area empty, the holographic displays dark and waiting to be given a purpose again. This place looked like a horror house without the music, crowds, and nighttime persona.

Glimmer’s heels clicked on the dark tiles as she reached the “staff only” door. She pressed her thumb again—she still had an organic thumb, so why waste its value? The panel beeped and greeted her with a happy, automated voice.

All the girls shared the dressing room, but it was empty if you arrived at the right time. That’s why Glimmer liked having this small sanctuary to herself, even if it was cluttered with costumes and makeup that wasn’t hers. Inside here, she further transformed herself from what Pink Heat demanded of her… She was human, sure, but she was also part spectacle. She switched on the lights and looked at her appearance… She detected a weariness behind her blue eyes but spotted the regular determination, too. She had clients on the way…

She began with makeup, applying colorful layers to make her features pop out under the club’s flashing lights. Her skin was powdered with sparkles, and her eyeliner would glow under the blacklights. Her costume was an exotic fusion of fabrics and tighter fibers. It pulsed and changed colors to the music’s heavy beat.

Glimmer's cybernetic enhancements were all about looks, but it’s what makes her performance seem more special than it was. She flicked her wrist, and the display on her wrist hollowed into view, and she toyed with settings to make sure everything was working as it was supposed to… They were, as they always did. She was ready to sin.

By the time she was leaving, she had passed a few of the other showgirls, too. They greeted each other with some kind of acknowledgment, but it was time they all got ready for the night rapidly approaching. The DJ booth had two men inside it, non-guards. They were two younger men pre-planning the night’s opening. The low hum of the speakers came to life as the tiles and lights calibrated themselves for function.

The guards watched from a distance. They’d seen this as many times as she had but still enjoyed the process of watching this scene unfold. Bartends checked their stations while the light tech doubled-tripled checked the fuses and wires for the display systems.

It was easy for Glimmer to see the crowds that filled this room and hear the music that would make the whole building bounce and thump like a bomb testing area as soon as it opened up. She drew a deep breath in and sighed… Before that, however… she’d have to focus on her first client…