Lynx moved swiftly through the bustling alleyways of Utopia's black market as her faux-leather boots loudly clicked against the dusty concrete sidewalk. Although the area was a far cry away from the gritty, dangerous streets she had become accustomed to over the past few years, it still wasn't safe enough to convince her to drop her guard. Especially considering the merchandise that she was currently carrying on her back.
Lynx took a moment to adjust the straps of her black backpack to make sure that she still had all of her newly bought equipment with her. After all, in a place like this, you were liable to get your stuff snatched from away you at a moment's notice if you weren't careful.
Today, the blue-eyed woman was out hunting for supplies. The heist job she agreed to do for Milo was rapidly approaching, and Lynx needed to make sure that she had everything she needed before the big day. After all, preparation was half the battle. And the last time she tried to do a job without having the proper equipment almost ended with her having to lose an eye. Needless to say, after that incident, Lynx always made sure that she was fully prepared for whatever came her way.
'I still need to get the blueprints of the place from Milo before I can actually start planning though.' The woman thought to herself as she continued her journey through the black market.
After a few minutes of walking around, Lynx quietly stepped into a nondescript weapons shop tucked away next to an overpriced cafe that sold illegal food that wasn't normally available to the people of space. It was a place that she had visited many times before. One where you could find almost anything you needed that could be for personal protection.
Inside the shop, the walls were lined with a cornucopia of discreet and unregistered tools for the mercenary on the move. Things such as silencers, hacking equipment, lockpicks, and everything in between could be found here. Thankfully, Lynx knew exactly what she needed to get, so the woman wasted no time picking out the items that she wanted. A handheld signal jammer, a set of encrypted data drives, and a disposable retractable knife were all that she needed to grab. It was more than likely overkill for the job that she was doing, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Especially when it came to her line of work.
The minute she had everything that she needed, Lynx quickly went up to the cashier to pay for her supplies. Luckily, the woman was able to handle the transaction despite the slight tremor in her fingers that betrayed her otherwise calm exterior.
Once she was back outside, Lynx took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the colony's park-like atmosphere. It was a perfect day, one where the wind whispered gently through the freshly blooming trees that lined the nearby road. The temperature was exactly the way she liked it, and the humidity was remarkably low despite the colony being on a summer schedule in regards to the weather.
Unfortunately, the blue-eyed woman wasn't able to enjoy such a pleasant feeling day for long, thanks to the withdrawal symptoms forcing their way back into her life. There was an acute pain creeping up from the pit of her stomach. Followed by a brief wave of nausea, a slight headache, and an increasing need to scratch at her skin like it would free her from the crawling sensation beneath it.
Even months after putting down the drugs, they were still plaguing every moment of her life. two months, four days, and sixteen hours to be exact. But who was counting?
"Fuck...." The raven-haired woman cursed under her breath.
Lynx really didn't want to think about her drug problems right now, especially not before a job like this one. This mission needed to be flawless. Korrin's mansion was going to be locked down tighter than the vault of a colonial bank. And because of that, every move had to be executed perfectly. If she let her body's demands take hold, she might slip up and make a crucial mistake when it mattered the most.
After taking a couple of seconds to get herself in order, the woman simply decided to push through the pain as she slowly made her way to the next stop on her list. There was a certain tech shop that she needed to visit before the sun went down and the owner packed up for the night. Like always, Lynx had a backup plan in case things went wrong. And for this mission, she was going to need a little hack to get past security. Along with an emergency exit route in case she got trapped.
But the itch...was starting to become unbearable.
The woman was suddenly broken out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of a man's voice coming from directly to her right. One that was both smooth and familiar. One that seemed to cut through the noise of the crowded street like a well-honed blade.
"Well...well...well. Look who it is."
Lynx froze. Her heart skipped a beat, and her pulse surged as she slowly turned her head toward the one who was currently speaking to her. Standing just a few meters away, leaning casually against a nearby wall, was the last person she ever wanted to see.
Malik. Her former dealer.
'What the hell is he doing here?! I thought he moved out of this sector of the colony.'
Malik was a tall and wiry man. One whose pale skin starkly contrasted the slick, dark hair that fell in waves around the sharp features of his face. Despite his profession, he always seemed to be impeccably dressed in the latest fashions. He was the kind of guy who blended into the Utopia crowd effortlessly. And the man still wore his signature predatory smile, just like the last time Lynx had seen him.
"You look... different." Malik said in a nauseatingly cheery tone. He then scanned Lynx with his eyes, pausing at the tightness in her face and the sharpness in her eyes. "Still clean, huh?"
Lynx's stomach churned again, then her throat went dry.
"Yeah...." The blue-eyed mercenary replied while trying her best to sound casual. Her mouth suddenly felt like it was full of sandpaper, and her hand twitched at her side. Deep down, she was fighting the instinct to reach for something to dull the aching pain inside of her.
Malik smirked. "You know, I've been hearing that a lot of people are starting to take a shine to glitter these days. A new batch just came out. Fresh, just how you like it."
Glitter, the most addictive and euphoric substance the lab rats of Utopia had ever produced. A synthetic drug that twisted the mind and left its user craving more. It was a rare find outside the colony since recreational drugs were illegal and heavily regulated all throughout space. A fact that made the stuff even more valuable than what it already was. It was Utopia's signature high that people from both Earth and space came to experience. And many within the colony would argue that it was their biggest cash cow when it came to tourism outside of all the resorts and casinos.
And that very same drug had been the reason why Lynx had spiraled into addiction in the first place.
At the time, she had been young, desperate, and looking for a way to numb the pain of her father's death. Glitter had been the answer back then, and it was still a solution she craved even now. Lynx could feel her fingers aching to take the small vial Malik was currently waving in front of her right now. And her body began screaming to feel that wonderful sense of colorful weightlessness once again.
But despite that aching feeling, Lynx held firm and shook her head. "I'm done using that stuff."
Malik chuckled softly. "You say that every time I see you. You know what I can offer you, right? I'll even give you a special deal, one full bottle. Just one. At half price. You know you want it, and you know this stuff could help make all that pain go away again."
The temptation gnawed at Lynx's insides, gnawed at the very fibers of her resolve. The headache was sharp now, a constant pulse, and her stomach began to twist in all directions. The deep, painful hunger that only glitter could satiate clawed at her thoughts. And the object of her desire was right there in front of her.
It would be easy. One more hit. Just one. That's all it would take to make the pain go away.
Suddenly, Lynx's gaze hardened as she stared at the vial in Malik's hand. He could see it in her eyes, she was resisting. The desperation was there, but so was something else, something stronger. Something that had been slowly building in her over the past few months.
"I'm not interested, Malik." She then said. "That's not me anymore. I don't want your poison."
Malik raised an eyebrow, clearly amused at the woman's words. "It's your life, Lynx. But do remember, I'll always be here when things get hard, like they always do...."
Lynx didn't respond. Instead, she simply turned away, stepping briskly back into the market's crowd. Each step felt heavy, like her body was fighting her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.
She was free.
At least for now....
Lynx's thoughts then went back to the heist. Back to Korrin's mansion and her big payout. She was so close that she could almost taste it, a life beyond Utopia. A life without drugs and dangerous mercenary work. It was all within her grasp. All she had to do was get through this one last job, and she would be done for good. Forever.
With every breath, every step she took, she was leaving her current life further behind. The price of addiction had been high, and it had taken too much from her.
But it was finally time to walk away. For good.