[Utopia, L-1 Colony Cluster, 2371 A.D.]
Lynx's body ached as she leaned back against the cold metal wall of her cramped little apartment. To her, it was an all too familiar feeling, one which radiated throughout almost every single part of her depleted body.
To her credit, Lynx had always been a fighter, just like most of the people that she had come across in her short, twenty-six years of life. Such a trait was common among those who spent their childhood growing up on the fringes of society. But on days like today, she was honestly starting to question whether or not she was willing to continue the fight at all.
Her home, the space colony of Utopia, was a monument of luxury and excess that few could ever hope to dream of. A shining example of what humanity could achieve when wealth and power were allowed to thrive in the cold vacuum of space, if left undisturbed. But for others, like Lynx, Utopia was a reminder that even the brightest lights cast even longer shadows. Shadows that could swallow you whole if you weren't careful. The kind of shadows that would never let you escape their grasp if they were given the final choice.
"Fuck..." Lynx moaned as she pressed the back of her head against the wall.
The woman's jet-black hair hung loosely around her face as dampened strands clung to her pale, dried-out skin. All while she stared blankly at the low-lit corners of her living room in an attempt to keep her mind in one piece. Her steel-blue eyes, a parting gift from that useless bitch she called a mother, were heavy with fatigue. It was clear that she hadn't had any proper sleep in days. A common side effect of the withdrawal that was currently plaguing her system.
It was a feeling that could only be described as a constant hunger-no, a craving-that pulsated throughout every cell in her body. One that continuously grinded against her sanity while trying to pull her back into the void that she had tried so desperately to escape from so many times before. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), the need for a job, for the next paycheck, always outweighed the seductive pull. It was a blessing that Lynx had come to appreciate more and more in recent weeks. Or a curse, depending on how you wanted to look at it.
The low hum of a nearby data screen suddenly flickered to life across the room. And just as quickly, the familiar face of Lynx's boss and broker, Milo, appeared.
The man's perfectly shaved head gleamed under the dim lighting of his office, and a sly smile creased his face as he leaned closer toward the screen.
Like always, his sharp eyes didn't miss a thing, especially not the way Lynx's hands twitched or how her lips barely moved when she spoke. Thankfully, even though he had seen it all, Milo never judged. It was the only reason why Lynx trusted him despite the strange, and occasionally toxic, power dynamic of their relationship. He was a man of business, and business was all she could rely on in this world to keep her from ending up in a gutter somewhere.
"Lynx!" Milo said cheerfully, his voice as smooth and calm as ever. "Excellent work on that data retrieval job for our friend in the Faraday Corp. Impressive as always, despite... everything." The man's gaze lingered on her for a moment, assessing how she was before he continued. "Anyways...I've got another job lined up that just hit my desk! Dangerous, but lucrative. I thought you might be interested."
Lynx didn't move, nor did she respond right away. The withdrawal was setting in like a fog that blanketed over the furthest corners of her mind. One that tried its best to dull the edges of her every thought. Her body was practically begging for something to silence the pain, but the woman had long since learned how to function through it. It had become second nature to her over the last few months, even if her reflexes weren't as sharp as they used to be as a result.
"Our client needs you to swipe some files. Physical, not digital." Milo then continued while tapping a few keys on his end. The image of a well-dressed man then appeared on the screen, one whose name was written as Isaac Korin. "Isaac Korrin, our soon-to-be victim, is apparently involved in some pretty shady dealings. The kind that would make a lot of people very rich if they were to get their hands on what he's currently working on. Bottom line, the client really wants those files. So much so that they're willing to break the bank for them. There's a lot riding on this one, Lynx, and I need someone that I can trust to handle it."
Lynx stared at the image of Isaac Korrin on the screen, her gaze unchanging as the weight of the proposition settled on her.
Korrin was no stranger to anyone who lived in Utopia. He was a powerful business executive and one of the chief architects of the colony's growth in recent years, thanks to the string of new casinos that his company was responsible for. His connections were deep, and his influence was even deeper. For someone like Lynx, who had lived most of her life in Utopia's underbelly, she could only dream of being in the shoes of someone like him. To be in his world, even for a brief moment, would be akin to dancing in heaven.
Of course, the woman had her doubts about a job like this, but the need for a nice payday quickly overpowered those feelings. Lynx desperately needed this, it might finally be her chance to escape. The tech data she'd retrieved for Faraday Corp had barely covered her outstanding debts, including her last treatment session. And the promise of something more, something bigger, was the thread she clung to in a life that felt like it was slowly unraveling.
"What's the catch?" Lynx asked, her voice raspy from days without proper rest.
Milo simply smiled, almost as if he had been expecting the question. "Korrin doesn't trust people easily. Security around him's always tight, and he's constantly on guard. He's got a private compound on the outer edge of the finance sector. The place is a real eye-catcher. You'll need to go there to get the files in question. A bit of finesse and maybe a bit of firepower should get the job done. But I know you've got both."
Lynx took a slow breath as she finally stood up on her feet and went to go sit down on her ragged sofa. Her fingers then drummed against the metal surface of the nearby coffee table, a mechanical rhythm used to mask the not-so-subtle tremor. The withdrawal was starting to make her body ache once again, but such things simply weren't important. At least, not right now.
"The pay?"
"Enough credits to make it more than worth your while." Milo replied, his tone was a bit more serious now. "Enough to make sure that you won't have to keep scraping by for quite a while. And enough to help you get out of here, Lynx. For good."
She didn't hesitate; that was all that the woman needed to hear. The risk was massive, but the reward was easily worth it. The thought of a life beyond the toxic atmosphere of Utopia, and being able to breathe without the weight of debt and addiction hanging over her head, was a temptation simply too great to ignore. She would be a fool to turn down an opportunity like this.
"I'll do it." Lynx declared, her decision made in the fleeting moment of clarity that the cold, hard reality of the situation brought her. For a brief moment, her weariness and exhaustion melted away, replaced by the sharp edge of determination to finally get what she desired. "Just tell me what I need to know."
"Excellent!" Milo said with a glint in his eyes. "I'll send you a message to drop by the bar after I get done speaking with the client. Until then, catch you later!"
The screen flickered and then went dark, leaving Lynx alone with nothing but the sound of her own heartbeat pulsating within her ears. The quiet was suffocating, but for the first time in days, the fog in her mind seemed a little less oppressive. It wasn't gone, but it was manageable. At least for now....
The woman then stood up, her legs shaking as she walked to the small weapons locker in the corner of her room. The cold steel of her father's knife felt familiar under her fingertips. It was the last thing of his that she had left to remember him. And it was more than likely going to be exactly what she needed to get her through this job.
In a place like the slums of Utopia, it wasn't just about survival; it was about control. And for the first time in a long while, Lynx felt like she might have a chance to take that control back from the demons that plagued her. To put an end to her suffering once and for all.