Meet Cutthroat: Danielle Dawson
An ex-Army mechanic, fighting to rescue her closest friend from a merciless trafficking operation.
After receiving training from a local Eskrima master during her eight years of military service in the Philippines, Danielle Dawson returned to the United States, settling in San Diego, California. She began a career in construction, but everything changed when her close friend Mia went missing. In the absence of local law enforcement support, Danielle took matters into her own hands and discovered that Mia had been abducted by a human trafficking ring that transported young girls around the world. Armed with this knowledge, Danielle resolved to utilize her deadly blade skills to rescue her friend and dismantle the trafficking operation.
Eskrima, also known as Kali or Arnis, is a dynamic and versatile Filipino martial art that encompasses a wide range of combat techniques. Training in Eskrima involves the mastery of various skills, including stick fighting, knife fighting, footwork, striking, locks, and disarms. These techniques are taught through a combination of drills, sparring, and real-life scenarios to prepare practitioners for actual self-defense situations.
Regina Godfrey is a strategic and astute Miami businesswoman who possesses immense wealth and influence. Ms. Godfrey built her fortune in the shipping sector, beginning her journey as a merchant mariner and progressing to owning several shipyards and storage facilities. Following the receipt of a substantial inheritance, she extended her ventures to San Diego, California, and is widely recognized in the industry as the "Shipyard Queen", nothing enters Miami without her awareness and approval.
Danielle's roommate and closest friend from high school and the Army has been missing for several months. She is a local college student known for her carefree spirit and vibrant personality. Mia possesses remarkable intelligence, boasting an above-average IQ. She aspires to a career in Bio Engineering and has been collaborating with Tengu International Labs as a freelance scientist on a global project that would change the world. The last sighting of her was when she left the apartment she shared with Danielle, headed to class, only to seemingly disappear without a trace. Local authorities, constrained by time and budget limitations, have conducted minimal investigation into her disappearance, despite a rise in female abductions in the area.
Guro Peres is a highly esteemed individual within the realm of Filipino Martial Arts, hailing from a notable lineage of Escrima Masters. His background embodies a vibrant, living tradition that he has honed over the years. He has in-depth expertise in using knives, machetes, and stick fighting, as well as in Hand-to-Hand Combat strategies designed for immediate disarmament and neutralization of adversaries. While Danielle Dawson was in the US Army stationed in the Philippines, Guro Peres served as her main instructor and mentor. He played a crucial role in shaping her raw military training into a seamless and instinctual lethality. Their training concentrated on fluid motion, perfect timing, and understanding the mindset behind the blade, effectively transforming Dawson into a formidable fighter in close quarters. Now in his mid 70s, while age has slowed his pace and altered his appearance, his ability in combat remains as sharp as ever. Once engaged in battle, he casts aside the burdens of age, moving with the speed and accuracy of a man in his 40s. He depends on his experience and technique rather than sheer strength, rendering him unpredictable and exceedingly perilous. Underestimating him because of his age is a grave error.
Operating not as a rigid hierarchy, but as a sprawling, invisible ecosystem. There is no single puppet master pulling the strings, instead, this network functions as a headless hydra, a terrifying collaboration of shell companies, illicit logistics cells, and seemingly respectable institutions. Its operatives are camouflaged by their very ordinariness, mothers, mechanics, wealthy executives, and devout clergy of every race, color, and creed, united only by the allure of a multimillion-dollar bottom line. This is a global supply chain of flesh that transcended borders and ideologies, proving that in this dark economy, greed is the only truly universal language.
Wade Sullivan is a powerful and merciless entrepreneur whose empire extends far beyond mere legitimate business dealings. Beneath his polished public facade lies a web of illegal activities that span across the globe. Various government bodies have invested years in monitoring his connections to kidnapping, human trafficking, and extortion, yet Wade consistently manages to stay ahead of the authorities. Although he revels in his lavish lifestyle and the persistent feeling of invincibility that his wealth offers, growing whispers of treachery, tightening investigations, and increasingly bold adversaries pose a looming threat to the empire he has constructed.
