Here we go!

Name: Cassana Walsh
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Physical Appearance (Image):
Equipment: Black leather top under a black jacket with hood, leggings, and boots. Two pistols on hips, a sniper rifle slung on her back, four knives on her belt, two knives tucked in each boot, backpack of tools, devices, and rations


Misc./Bio Info: Cassana Walsh was born in 2118 and raised in Los Angeles, United States. Her living conditions were considered poverty level and food was typically scarce. After the death of her mother, she quickly found her way into working at a young age with odd jobs here and there. It wasn’t long before she was pulled into a life of crime, working in the lowest ranks of the Void Syndicate, the most feared gang of the country. It was a harsh and dangerous life, but not as dangerous as starving on the streets. That is until she was marked as a traitor of the Void Syndicate and was listed as a wanted person.

 

Chapter One: Rift's Precipice

IC as Cassana Walsh

Tick tock. Tick tick.

Boom.

The detonation of the bomb exploded down the hall, sending shrapnel and large debris flying in every direction. The bomber waited a few moments to check for structural stability and darted around the corner of protection, disappearing behind a wall of dust and smoke.

“Hey, Walsh! You missed blowing the whole building!” An armored man followed in after her with a taunting and infuriating laugh.

“I’ll be sure you’re in range next time, Red.” Cassana shot back and silently urged herself to remain focused on her task as she dodged falling tiles from the ceiling, though she eventually sensed someone close on her tail. She stiffened, her face souring.

“Don’t be like that to him,” a voice with a sickening tone sounded right behind her, “you know he can’t help himself around a pretty girl.”



He was too close. Cassana barred her teeth and shoved her elbow as hard as she could into his solar plexus, despite his thick armor protecting him. “Viper, get the frak away from me, or I’ll-"

“Or what?” Viper sneered down at her, making himself taller over her to further his intimation.

Cassana turned to stare directly at him, his trick not working. “Or I’ll cut you into one inch sections and feed you to the wild animals.”

A vulgar smirk crossed his features. “I like it when you talk like that.”

“Save it for later, Viper.” A man in dark gray armor and a helmet that covered his face stepped through the cloud of dust. “Grimsson expects the goods within the hour.”



Red chimed in from the lead position, “Let’s not disappoint then! I’m expecting quite the payout and I’m going to buy those new bullets with my five hundred chronos! You know the ones that just hit the market?”



She perked up at Red’s comment. Five hundred? For this job? She bit her lip. She could really use that money... it was worth all the trouble, right? She had never seen that much before. She could tolerate Viper’s gross vulgarity and harassment a little longer... The group searched the building, quiet and focused now, to which Cassana was grateful for. She hated talking anyway. Her blue eyes scanned the room, now with a thick layer of debris over most objects, but her vision was sharp and she still caught sight of the thing they needed. She knelt down and peered underneath a sofa, removing a slim electronic device, holding the screen up to the others. “I win.”

There was a collective grumble as the men admitted defeat and began filing out after securing the pad. She wasn’t privy to know the information that was stored in this device, but realized it was important enough for her higher ups to want. There were no questions. She did as she was told. This is how she survived another day in this brutal world.

Upon arriving at the unmarked building, Cassana stood straight, keeping her shoulders pulled back. This place was unmarked, but she knew it. This was the Void Syndicate territory. And here is most definitely where you don’t show weakness. She followed her teammates up the in the elevator and into a specialized room. Inside was clean, crisp, and sterile. The man lounging back in his chair was not. His dirty boots were propped up on the desk in front of him and his hair was messily combed over to one side. He paused reading from his advanced computer to take note of their arrival.



“Tsk, tsk, tsk...” he began after checking the time and rested his hands on his stomach, watching each member closely and analyzing the retrieved item. “I believe I said within an hour. Not an hour and two minutes.”

Cassana forced herself to stand tall and still, willing her face not to break from a neutral expression. Being the only woman in the company was already just asking for trouble. Grimsson was not one to cross.

The lounging man got to his feet and stepped up to the group, glaring intensely at all of the ones assembled, his dark eyes lingering on her for too long of a moment before sweeping to the one standing at her side. He held out his hands, as if this was entirely out of his hands. “I ask for nothing but your loyalty.” He started with a tone so cold and quiet, sweat threatened to form at her forehead and hands. She bit on her tongue to push the fear down. “I ask for one hour.” Grimsson paced to one side, pausing for effect, and he saw he had his desired outcome. “One hour to get this important job completed. And you failed. You know how I feel about being failed. Being disappointed.” Grimsson watched the company for a drawn out moment, relishing the tense silence in the room. The uncertainty and the fear. He smiled. “X. Come forward.”

Cassana did her very best not to release the breath she was holding. It wasn’t over yet.

The armored man at her side stumbled forward, visibly shaking now. He stopped before Grimsson as he was told. “We... we had to move around rubble.... Walsh - she -“

“You know I don’t like snitches, X. You’ve been falling behind on your jobs for too long now. I’ve been lenient. But now is the time to make an example. You’ve all been lax. Ward is growing tired of being failed.” Grimsson snatched X by the throat and pulling him closer. Cassana dared not turn her eyes away as Grimsson began joyfully doing exactly as he said. Making an example of him. She did not flinch over the wails of agony and blood spilling on the reflective white floor.

She didn’t know how long they were forced to watch the show of what would happen if they disappointed him again. Forcing her legs to keep steady, she strode down the hall to collect her payment, her company now short one body. She wasn’t here to make friends. She was here to be paid and to keep living this sorry excuse of a life. It was the only thing keeping her going.

“I heard they’re keeping it on the top floor.”

Cassana didn’t look, but turned her attention to the hushed conversation.

“Something about some secret code in it! Could be worth millions of chronos!” Red whispered, just barely loud enough for her to pick up.

The dark gray armored man leaned in toward Red. “What is it and what do they plan on doing with it?”

“I overheard it’s some kind of microchip, but no idea! There’s barely any security for it too!”

Phantom waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t even think about it. You’d be a dead man. You know how they treat traitors... if X was any example of that.”

Cassana’s focus was brought to the door in front of her as she entered in with her company to collect payment. Holding up her pad, she tried not to feel excitement. Five hundred could buy a month or two supply of goods. It would be an immense relief.



Fifty.

The screen showed fifty chrono coins. Her eyebrows furrowed into a heavy frown as the men around her jeered at each other, cheerfully, at their new found richness. Their eagerness to buy whatever they had their mind set on was drowned out by her increasing heart beat. She glared down at her screen, willing it to suddenly change. It did not. She felt rooted to the spot as the other members of her company left to go about their day. Pure rage burned in her core. She clenched her fingers into fists, feeling as if her body was on fire. The things she had to do, no questions asked. The things she had to see. The sickening treatment from the others she couldn’t fight against. It was all about to break her.

But what if she broke them?

Slowly, she raised her eyes, her mind turning with an idea. Tucking her pad away, she stepped out of the room and made her way to the elevator. The lift moved up at an incredible rate and within a moment, she was already on the top floor. She remembered Phantom’s words: You’d be a dead man. Death was preferable now. She didn’t care what her fate was. But she’d be damned if she couldn’t screw the syndicate over. To her luck, she was well trained in stealth and breaking into places she was not wanted, and like Red had said. There wasn’t much security. It was child’s play to get around. They clearly assumed everyone in contract under the Void were too afraid of the consequences to go against them. Until now.

Silently coming up behind one of the guards, she swiftly rendered him unconscious before he could call for help and moved on to the storage room. The prize wasn't even hidden. Cassana swiped the microchip, small and light, ironic of its apparent weight in chronos. But she didn’t have time to analyze it. She hid it in her clothing and made quick work leaving. It was almost too easy. Was this some kind of a test? She wondered as she made for the garage, eyes pointed at her rusty, run down car, yet keeping awareness at her back for anyone chasing her. Somehow she was still in the clear.

Cassana made a dead stop and gazed at a shiny blue, sporty car. In mint condition and sparkling new. She stared at it for a long moment and forgot all about her car, making her way towards the shiny one and immediately began hijacking it.



If she was going down, she would do as much damage as she could. It wasn’t long before she was sitting in the, much superior than her old one, sleek and computerized car, and left the building. As she drove off, she popped open a panel in the dashboard with one hand and ripped out the tracking device inside, tossing it onto the side of the road.

Her sweaty hands gripped the steering wheel as she left the main city of LA, trying to make sure this wasn’t some sort of a dream. Was she really doing this? Had she really just stolen something directly from the Void Syndicate and by the looks of it, Davien Ward’s car itself? She would be in a world of trouble if she was found, but she would make sure that wouldn't happen.

She had no idea what the future held for her anymore. And she boldly stepped forward to face whatever was coming, for surely whatever lay ahead would be better than what she had.

Tag: @HanSolo29