Author: Alastair Millar

Don’t be nervous. I don’t know how tight you are with Johnny Red-Eyes, but he wouldn’t send a customer somewhere dangerous. I don’t bite. What can you call me? Just ‘Jane’ will do. I don’t need to know your name. Johnny’s paying me good for this consult, and that’s enough. I don’t want to know why you need to disappear, either. I don’t care, and it might put me in danger. So no details.

You thought your stylist would be a bit different? A little more glam, maybe? You’ve been watching too many sensies, love. There’s your first tip. I was designed to look as average as possible, so as not to be memorable. Yes, designed; I was part of a selective breeding and training experiment until I… escaped. What I tell you is from hard experience since then.

Okay, basics. WatchNet is everywhere; surveillance cameras, drones, and every ID check or biometric scan you get all feed the State’s databases. But that pervasiveness is a weakness; the trick is not to evade it, but to hide in the mind-boggling amounts of data it generates. It looks for patterns it recognises – identities it can match to records actively being searched for. Anything else is ignored, because the volumes to be processed would be prohibitive. Also, imperfect capture conditions can ruin inputs anyway, and there’s no time to check up on every blank.

So, we change the pattern, give you a new appearance. Starting with the face. Disruptive makeup’s an obvious go-to, but that makes you look suspicious. Stick to using tone changes, and lines that subtly reshape your face and eyes. Once you’ve got the knack, it’s easy. I’ll teach you today.

Long hair’s an easy way to blur your features, so we’ll get you a couple of wigs too. I’ll show you how to put them on so they look natural.

Try wearing a yashmak like the trendy young things. Sure it’s legal – if it’s transparent it doesn’t hide who you are, but the fabric makes machine recognition systems useless. Yeah, it leaves your eyes vulnerable to iris detection scanners, but we can deal with those pretty easily by giving you contact lenses with overlaid patterns; not the fancy reptilian or pop art ones the kids wear, but stuff that looks normal. I’ll set you up with those, too, then Johnny can fix you a new ID.

Avoid helmets, hats or other head coverings. And eyewear. Security look for those and they make it more likely you’ll be stopped for a “random” check of your papers. Johnny’s work is good, but there’s no point putting his documents to the test more often than necessary. Always make conscious choices that will minimise risk, until it becomes a habit.

Next up, apparel. Never wear the latest fashion, that attracts attention. Last year’s styles are good; if they’re a bit worn, even better. Get used to second-hand; sharp new gear with crisp colours stands out. There’s some decent shops near here. Some folk say that jewellery or a pretty scarf will draw the eye away from your face, which is true – but it’ll make you easier to spot in a crowd, and for WatchNet to track you. Remember, be average. Either loose clothes or corsets and compression wear can help obscure your shape. High collars can change your neck shape, but if they cover your face, that’s suspicious again. And always wear shoes you can run in.

Right, so – makeup, wigs, eyes. And once we’re done, you can get lost. In the best possible way. Let’s begin. Your new life starts here.