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The woman with the pink hair and the heavy stare was none other than Vi—the ghost of Powder's past.
"I've seen your file," Caitlyn said, her voice echoing in the cold stone cell. "No criminal record, no history of violence before this. Why are you in a place like Stillwater?"
Vi stood up slowly, her muscles coiled like a spring. "I was too optimistic, I guess. Thought the world worked one way, found out it worked another."
"You pulverized a prisoner's jaw yesterday," Caitlyn pressed. "Why?"
Vi paced the small space with the restless energy of a caged predator. "Do I need a reason? This is Zaun, Cupcake. We don't do paperwork for a punch."
"We're investigating a terrorist attack at the Hexgate," Caitlyn said, leaning against the bars. "That man was a witness. You made sure he can't talk."
Vi scoffed, turning her back. "Then you're wasting your time. Go cozy up to that ingrate Silco if you want answers."
Caitlyn froze. "Silco? The industrialist?"
"Industrialist," Vi repeated with a dark laugh. "It's no fun if I explain the joke. Now, why don't you send in the next batch of guys who want to try their luck? I need a workout."
Caitlyn didn't leave. She pulled out her notebook and flipped to a sketch of the evidence from the docks—a puddle of purple sludge and a tiny, scribbled monkey doodle in the corner. She pressed it against the glass. "Does this look familiar?"
The change in Vi was instantaneous. She lunged forward, her bandaged hands gripping the bars so hard the metal groaned. Her eyes were wide, fixed on the monkey drawing. "Where did you get this? Tell me!"
"It was at the scene of the explosion," Caitlyn countered. "Answer me first: Do you work for Silco?"
"Everyone works for Silco, one way or another," Vi hissed, her voice frantic. "Where did that drawing come from? Is the girl okay? Is she alive?"
"I'm looking for evidence, not a trade," Caitlyn said.
"I'll give you everything," Vi bargained, her bravado gone. "I'll give you Silco on a silver platter. Just get me out of this cage."
Caitlyn hesitated, then made a choice that would ripple through the years. She forged a pardon—not from Jayce, who was still just a rising star, but from her own mother, the Councilor.
While Vi was leading Caitlyn on a high-speed parkour run from the heights of Piltover down into the smog of the Sump, Chen and Powder were enjoying a victory lap of their own.
"Told you it gets tastier the more you eat it," Chen said, slurping down a bowl of Gromp stew at the Fish Head Boss's stall. "Clean and hygienic. Mostly."
He tossed a heavy bag of gold onto the counter. "Nine thousand. That's the fee, isn't it? Treat us to the frogs today and we'll call it even."
Chen had kept just enough for the "Heimerdinger Fee" and gave the rest to the Firelights. The Boss counted the coins and nodded. Chen slid a sealed letter across the table—a letter filled with Earth's mechanical theories and the blueprint for an internal combustion engine.
"Get this to the Professor," Chen instructed.
They finished their meal and vanished back into the shadows of the Firelight hideout. Barely an hour later, Vi and Caitlyn arrived at the same stall. They had brushed past each other by a matter of minutes—the two sisters, divided by a wall of secrets and a few city blocks.
The Fish Head Boss looked at Vi, stunned. "You're supposed to be in Stillwater."
Vi didn't explain. She ordered the same "slop" and signaled for information, though she kept her mouth shut about Powder. She didn't trust the "Cupcake" Enforcer yet.
Back at the sanctuary, the Firelights were celebrating a windfall of cash and a major blow to Silco's logistics. But in the quiet of the evening, Chen found Ekko alone.
"I'm giving you this," Chen said, handing over a small, red-covered book. On the front, a yellow hammer and sickle rested above the title: Dragon Slaying Arts.
Ekko frowned. "I don't see many dragons in Zaun, Chen."
"It's not about dragons, Ekko. I learned these principles from the greatest 'librarian' my world ever knew. If you want to actually save Zaun—not just protect a few trees, but change it—this book is the blueprint. But it's up to you to understand it. This is my last gift to you."
Ekko's face fell. "Last gift? What are you saying?"
"I'm taking Powder away. We're leaving Zaun."
"What?!" Ekko stood up, his voice rising in disbelief. "We're winning! We're building something here! You, me, Powder—we can change the world! Why walk away now?"
"We've won every fight, Ekko, but we've nearly died every time," Chen said, his voice heavy with the reality of the "Difficult" mode he was playing. "I don't care about the risk for myself, but I have to protect her. Her mind is breaking. Every mission brings her closer to the edge. I have to get her away from the Shimmer, the killing, and Silco."
Ekko looked at the floor. He'd seen the "Jinx" in Powder's eyes. He knew Chen was right. "If you don't take care of her," Ekko growled, "I'll track you down myself."
He pulled Chen into a fierce embrace. "Good luck, brother. The Firelights will always have a place for you."
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