Dash

> *“Freedom waits for no one. You have to run it down and take it.”*
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> – Darius “Dash” Shaw
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**Dash**, also known by his real name, **Darius Shaw**, is a scavenger in the Garden. His default vambrace power is Speed Boost.

Dash is a speed freak who can push himself and his teammates into overdrive. His primary power grants an immediate boost to speed, giving Scavengers a chance to escape before the Hunter closes in.

## Description

Surely, only a fool would break into an Arena at night, and runs through the Gardens? But Darius Shaw was no fool, just a young man, obsessed with the agility and speed required to dodge the Hunters and win.

Then his family and friends lost everything, and stealing NPI from the Arena was the only way they would survive the harsh Minnesota winter. Choosing to save his friend, when they discovered by a Hunter, Shaw decided to relish the opportunity to show off his talents.

## Background Story

Darius Shaw ran through the Minneapolis Enclave's largest Garden, the dust of the desert environment burning his lungs. Dashing at full speed, he leaped from the cliff, springing forward, his hands outstretched until, with a clang, they closed on the rusty pipe in front of him. Tucking his knees in, his body pivoted around the pipe before he let go, twisting in the air to land gently on the cliff wall with a cat leap.
He pulled himself to the top, turned and sat on the edge, his chest heaving with exertion. The Garden was quiet now, and dark. Not like the day, when the artificial sun burned bright in the sky and the dust was soaked with blood and sweat of Scavengers.
But at night, this was his domain, the reward of those brave, or foolish enough to break in.

When he felt like he'd risked enough, Shaw padded quietly through the Garden's echoing halls, seeing the grimy corridors that led onto the Scavenger's quarters, the giant cathedrals of machinery that powered this vast place, and the Nanoparticle Ink (NPI) storerooms that contained the building blocks of every object within it.
He located the specific panel, marked with a tiny scratch, remembering the first time he'd crawled through it, all those months ago. He carefully removed it, entered the tiny space and began the long, cramped journey back outside, into the ruins.

The next day was the dame as always: hard work, scavenging for discarded tech with his father, combing through piles of toxic junk for ever-diminishing returns. Next, he helped his mother break the tech down into NPI and add it to their stock, ready to take to the market at the end of the month. It was hard, dangerous work, and the rewards were few. But it was just enough to keep them going, and it allowed him time in the evening to watch the streams of the Bloodharvest.
Their small community had pooled their resources to print a display and they all watched together, a small light in the darkness of their lives. He watched the flickering light on their faces, each one hopeful that a Scavenger would prove themselves worthy and gain a place in the Enclave. It didn't happen often but, when it did, it was as if they'd all gained entry, just for a moment, and they dreamed of the first thing they would print, or eat, or do, if they were the ones who'd got into paradise.
But Darius Shaw wasn't interested in that. He just loved to watch the chase, the skill of those who were as good as the Runners of the game, as it was before the Hunters took over. He didn't believe that entry to the Enclaves should come to those who has recycled enoguh NPI from the rotting corpses of those who had fallen. If it were up to him, the only criteria would be one of skill. Proving yourself physically and mentally fit for the chase was the only thing that truly mattered.
And he'd be first in line to prove it.
Not that he'd wanted to go into the Enclave, he knew his parents would never allow it. They'd seen him looking at the streams in the past, enraptured, and they made it clear that they didn't approve: "We'd lose you, no matter what happened," his father said, "either you get into the Enclave, and we never see you again, or you die."
So he'd contented himself with breaking into the Arena at night, running through whatever Garden had last been printed that day, and honing his skills.

Then came the attack, when a gang of raiders passed through and took everything their settlement had, killing all those who dared to resist. They looted all the food-grade NPI that had been carefully stockpiled for the winter, all the medical NPI that could keep them alive.
Seeing the tear-stained faces of his family and friends, feeling their despair at what was to become of them, during the long winter months ahead, Shaw's thoughts went to the Garden, and the huge stockpile of NPI that sat beneath it. Breaking in and running was one thing but stealing was another. Still, he knew that there was no other option.

Over the course of the next few nights, he and his best friends, Kemal Parker, broke into the Arena and brought back NPI: high-quality, all-purpose NPI, that would solve all their problems. It was so pure that they wouldn't even need that much. No-one would even miss it, surely?
But one night, in the darkened corridors, a Hunter lay in wait. She pounced and the two young men froze. Shaw knew that Parker would never survive in the Garden so, thinking quickly, he threw an NPI canister at the Hunter, pushed Parker back towards the ventilation hatch, and ran the other way, into the Garden. As he had hoped, the Hunter pursued him, giving his friend time to escape.
He sprinted through the Garden, hearing the Hunter giving chase behind him, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he was caught and sentenced to time inside. But, he thought, it wouldn't be so bad: he'd finally be able to show the world what he was capable of.
A smile spread across his face as he leaped, his hands outstretched.