Normally there would be hordes of people roaming the polished streets of Tokyo. 

There would be street food smells mingling with the faint smell of smoke.

There would be loud music and conversations spoken in at least five languages.

Instead, the heart of Tokyo was not overpopulated with tourists, school children and business folks, instead it only held home to a few people brave enough to take on the winter's cold. Most people in Japan had a few weeks off for the New Year, as well as Christmas. During the downtime, people would put down their books and cell phones and actually pay attention to the world around them. People would laugh and share jokes. Great food would fill their homes, big or small, and kindness would spread around more fiercely than usual. Things had changed drastically over the past few years. The entire world was a much better place. It was safer, happier and more harmonious.

Homelessness and general disease have been eradicated.

The world has become a more considerate place and in doing so, the people have been able to focus on the advances of science and medical qualms. Nowadays, people aren't seen as rude for being on their cell phones. Everyone is tethered to their phones for a reason. Their whole life is literally linked to a wireless connection in the back of their necks. People used their phones to keep track of their health, finances, media, everything. If you were getting sick, you were altered to it, as well what to take or where to go for attention. If you bought clothes, they could be digitally delivered directly with a special bar-code that you could then link to your usual wardrobe and you'd be able to wear it right away. 

With everything so instant and everyone so cheerful, not many people paid mind to the dangers which were nestled deep deep under the surface. Even though everyone had jobs and global affairs were resolved, it didn't mean evil had been abolished. There were still forces at work that wanted the world and its people to suffer. These people knew how to best attack the world and that was through the wireless realm it had created, the Digital World. The DgtWld was used every minute of every day. People bought things, went online, chatted, sent themselves to virtual concerts, libraries and shops. Yet, these users did not put themselves into the world. The public was unaware that such a thing had been invented, yet there were always dreams of being able to fully root ones self in a safe fantasy.

But for now, it was the Government's to use. 

All around the world, various Gvns have hired secret teams of people who could protect the innocent in the DgtWld. These people weren't necessarily hackers or renowned science geeks, but were people who were passionate about protecting the world they lived in, even when it meant sacrificing their own freedom. Being a Corrector was a great honor but one that no one could know about. While everyone in the world was given basic defense for the DgtWld, only the ultra wealthy could truly protect themselves from the onslaught of vicious viruses and nasty hackers who were hell bent on stealing information or killing people. It was a Corrector's job to fight for the people, to fight against these digital creatures.

Sometimes they would be sent to deal with a maze which had been made by hackers, it would be filled with dangerous monsters. Other times, they would deal with direct people who had somehow constructed their own App to put themselves into the DgtWld. These people were called Hackers, of course. These Hackers had their own avatar like the Correctors did, and often joined forces to keep Correctors busy, in order to steal people's credit card information through a person's MChip, or sometimes, they would make people actually sick with a carefully constructed virus meant to damage a person from the inside out, while bypassing a MChip's security. These issues would be reported day or night and it would up to the Correctors, to set things straight while also maintaining their normal life as if everything was fine. 

Some Correctors and Hackers had been killed, that wasn't uncommon. When it did happen, the Gvn would try to imply it was an accident while also tying up lose ends and trying to assist the hurting family with any means necessary. The income of the average Corrector was very high, they got several perks depending on their status and history. The hidden glamor wouldn't last forever, even though the concept was new, they weren't allowed to exceed the age of 26. In Tokyo, the sector of Correctors had lost many comrades but one who had managed to stay above the fray was Mimamoru Uede. She had lived an average life and because of this, she takes great pride in her secret job. The long blond haired girl was never much of a fighter so she made her role to be one of support.

Mima had been hoping to have a low-key holiday break but instead, their group had been called several times over the past few weeks. It didn't happen often but she supposed that some hackers were just too mean spirited to take a break. She spent some time with her parents but by this point, they weren't too bothered by her suddenly having to go do something. It pained her to miss so much time with them but she knew it wouldn't go on forever, she would soon hang up her digital coat and finally have a life in the real world. She lived in a nice modern apartment in the middle of Tokyo, close to the HQ. It wasn't often they were called directly to the HQ itself but it was somewhat comforting to be close to it, for personal reasons.

As she crossed the street, she checked her phone.

In the year 2021, no one ever had to press a button for a crosswalk, the GPS could alert the traffic controls ahead of time so people didn't have to wait very long to get where they were going. Paying for the bullet train was the same way, you needed your phone, all money was registered to your MChip which synced with your phone on a regular basis. And if you went abroad, you never needed to worry about converting or translating either, your tech took care of it for you. At the moment, the woman was heading for Soshi's home. He lived in the city, of course, but his place was a lot bigger than her two bed-room modern hole in the wall. Due to all the constant work they had to do, it was Soshi's idea that they have a little party to try and forget about work for a little bit. To Mimamoru, it sounded long overdue. Their team was close but it was dangerous to do more work than socializing.

Meanwhile, the host in question, Soshi, was moving around his house. He had a large suite on the top of a high-end apartment complex. It had been given to him by his parents upon graduating. It had a great view of the city and he often held parties with his friends. His girlfriend Miya was out of town visiting her family, so he decided to throw a little get-together for his fellow friends and Correctors. The boy had light blond hair, at times it looked white and at others, it looked golden. Soshi enjoyed looking good as much as he enjoyed doing good. His smile was icing on the cake when it came to being a charming persuader. The male was often warm and loved large gatherings. He loved them even more when he was called away to work because it made him want to use his time wisely, to make the most of those he was with.

Lying had to be done.

He had an odd relationship with lying. It's easy but it's also too easy.

Either way, Soshi could often find solace in his friends because it was being a Corrector, that made them a great team. Soshi had plenty of other friends of course but the only ones he could surely trust with his life, and he did on a daily basis, were those he worked with. So the party was his way of saying he loved him. He threw them often and liked to have everyone mingle but this particular one was only for the Correctors. Food and drink were already set out and music was playing, streaming from his collection in his cell phone. Shifting to the window, he looked down to see a thick layer of gray clouds hang over the city and he hoped they could all generate enough cheer to coax the sun to come out, even for a little bit.

All of his friends had codes to his suite in their phone so he knew he didn't have to worry about them not being able to get in and up all sixty floors. He turned when he heard the usual woosh of the front door open. He saw Mima carrying a plate of frosted cookies. "Hey." He smiled and moved to take it from her. "Your hair's a bit damp. It's not raining is it?"

"Nope, just misty. I like it." She smiled as she followed him into his kitchen. The whole floor was an open concept so the rooms ended up blending together without bothering with walls. Except for the bathroom of course, everything else was pretty much out in the open. Mimamoru helped herself to a cup of hot tea to warm herself up. Soshi turned up the heat slightly, using his cell phone before he looked back over to see Mima remove the plastic from her homemade cookies. "I smell pizza." She smiled and looked to see it on the table, along with chips and other treats. Due to the world coming together, a lot more cuisines were available, so if someone in France wanted something authentically Mexican, they could have it. And if the Japanese wanted something perfectly greasy, they could have whatever they wanted as well. "You know what I like, Soshi-kun." She held her cup between her hands, eyeing it.

"Did you hear from Michiko?" He asked her.

"Yeah, he sent me a text and said he's a bit busy right now with family."

Soshi made a face, "Really? He's not busy to work but he is too busy when it comes to hanging out?"

"You know work is something we can't miss." Miam shrugged and set her cup down. 

"And this is?"

She knew Soshi wasn't really upset but she did see the merit in the whole group attending. "I know it's not just his loss, it's also ours..." She sighed and walked over to get something to eat because she neglected breakfast earlier. "As a team, we need to keep our morale up, as well as our communication and connection. We've been working so hard lately, I wish we could go away somewhere." She frowned and pushed her hair out of the way so it didn't get messy. Soshi pocketed his hands and watched her.

"I've never had a vacation and I probably never will. Can you imagine the Gvn finding someone to stand in for us?"

"Impossible." Mima agreed with a dry smile as she took a bite of the cheesy goodness. "Mmm, more pizza for me."

"So what do you think of all these notifications lately? You were recruited right when Correctors were first started, don't you think these attacks are a little weird?" He asked her as he took a handful of M&Ms and ate a few.

"I do." She said with a heavy sigh and set her paper plate down. "I don't want us to talk about work though...unless you've gathered us all here for a motive other than to get us to let off some steam and have some drinks..."

Soshi smirked and held up a hand, giving her an innocent look. "I have only so many stones in my pocket, I'm offended you would think such things about me, Mi-chan." He said sweetly.

"Your aim is better than mine." Mima guessed they'd wait for everyone else to arrive before they talked about the recent events and whatnot. Soshi sat down on one of his many leather couches and changed the music to something classical and relaxing. Mimamoru picked her plate back up and went back to eating while enjoying the view. Soshi was still unsettled in terms of work. He wasn't tired of it, as much as he was weary. He had seen people die, he had seen fellow Correctors sustain fatal injuries in the DgtWld only to log out of it and find his friend dying in a pool of their own blood in the back of a Cyber Cafe, only blocks from a hospital. It wasn't fair. It wasn't justice either. The male wanted to make things right but at the moment, he couldn't help but worry about things going wrong. Getting up, he poured himself a nice cold beer and noticed Mima had already finished her slice of pizza.

"You have another you know..."

"I'm gonna wait for the others." She glanced to him and poured herself another cup of tea. The two sat down on the couch and tended to the drinks in their hands, a gentle sense of restlessness falling over the pair. They had known each other a long time. They had gotten into many fights over stupid things. They both seen people die and people transfer to other sectors. They shared many ups and downs that they considered each other family. Then again, the band of Correctors were like family. They had to be. A family shared an unbreakable bond, a bond that could withstand bullets and harsh words. And Mima was the doting mother who fawned over everyone. She was an only child, so she was so happy to have found a group of people who were only hers.

Soshi took a big drink from his chilled glass and heard the door open, though he wasn't sure who would be the second to arrive. Mima was already back on her feet, giving their next guest a wave before she came over and hugged them. It wasn't like it had been a while. The Correctors had just been called to work yesterday and it was pretty basic stuff, fight some nasty bugs and report about it. It was yesterday that Soshi had brought up the idea of meeting at his place at 1 PM for a little party of sorts. It was short notice but they were all used to being quick on their feet for work. And this summons would promise drink and that was a bit better than having to go into battle, in Soshi's mind anyway. "Help yourself." Soshi just held up his glass, without breaking his gaze at the view in front of him. Anywhere you looked, you'd see a great view.

it was a perk of not dealing with walls or rooms.

"I brought cookies!" Mima announced to the newest addition when she let go of them.