The Good Life: The Hunt (ch. 91)

It was pretty simple to edit memories with my power now, but only because of the tools that I had developed along the way. 

The serum that flowed through my veins, which had catapulted me to heights that I'm not sure I could have ever reached on my own, was one aspect of why it was so easy. Another was the fine control I had trained relentlessly over everything within my Room, which quickly began to shift from the tangible to the intangible and esoteric. 

Emotions had come first, then knowledge and information. My power grew ever more precise as I practiced, and that hard won control wasn't hurt by the extreme growth caused by the serum. If anything it had been enhanced as well, which enabled me to target specific memories that I wanted to remove. 

I stood over a slumbering Vi, who rested in the ‘Sanctuary’ of the Firelights. They had a pretty cool ‘good guy’ base, I had to admit -- a secret community built around a big ass bonsai tree hidden in the middle of the urban hellscape that was Zaun, with a second landmark feature in a mural covering a wall under the tree itself, apparently a monument to everyone the Firelights had lost along the way. Their leader, Ekko, had some real protagonist energy about him too. Loved the combination of hoverboards, animal masks, and just beating the ever loving shit out of gangsters with lead pipes he had going. I should probably keep an eye on the guy in the future.

Him being the childhood friend of Vi and her sister just solidified that opinion. 

Taking out a syringe, I jabbed her with it but she just snored away like a saw going through a log. Slipping her some sleeping pills had been as easy as depositing them in her stomach with Shambles. Pulling back the plunger, I saw the memories of our brief conversation being sucked out -- they looked like pictures that had been peeled off a polaroid film and dumped into a whitish fluid. I could see the conversation taking place, starting with her kidnapping me then ending with her escape. 

Setting the now full syringe to the side, I took out a second syringe -- this one filled with the memories that I wanted her to remember. 

Synths made making these kinds of fake memories simple and easy. A stolen DNA sample let me print off a synth identical to Vi, and from there, I just needed to reenact the sequence of events between us without discrepancy -- she kidnapped me, we talked, then she escaped. I was only editing what we talked about, because it would be an unnecessary complication if Jinx learned that I’d had a hand in Silco's assassination.

It also allowed me to curate a response. Memories weren't rigid things. They were subject to change and pretty malleable -- unless you had something like an eidetic memory, little details getting smoothed over or forgotten was normal. The stinging pain of a hurtful memory faded, just as the joy of a happy memory became muted with time. However, memories still left impressions, and those impressions guided further interaction, which was what made first impressions so important. 

Priming a Vi clone to have a generally more positive impression of me was as easy as adjusting some sliders during the synth production sequence. Using my Room to curate those emotions, fine tuning them so the adrenaline, the fear, the uncertainty and so on were all long lasting was easy enough. From there, it was as simple as draining that sequence of events from the synth and injecting them into the true Vi. Now, as far as she would be aware -- what we talked about was how I was trying to uplift the Undercity by working around both Silco and the Council. 

It wouldn't contradict anything that Vi had told Ekko. As far as she would be concerned, killing Silco had been her idea. All the while, the impression she had of me would remain intact -- she might not trust me explicitly, but she felt that we were on the same side. The injected memories would just help solidify that opinion. 

“And done,” I muttered, injecting the doctored memories into Vi, and following it with a stimpack that would heal the injection marks. She didn't react beyond scratching at her stomach, one leg dangling off the hammock she rested in. I had run some test cases before this, and I was feeling pretty confident that it would work out. 

And if it did… that opened the door to some possibilities. 

I Shambled myself away, aware of someone approaching the bedroom to fix Vi's snoring, even if it meant smothering her with a pillow. I arrived back in my laboratory, and as I did so, I heard the blasting of music. My lips twitched up into a smile -- ‘Get Jinxed’ was a song that had a rather amusing story attached to it. Jinx had taken a music studio hostage to produce the single, and naturally it proved to be a big hit. 

Through a window, I saw Jinx tinkering away at a lab, singing along as she did. She was completely unaware of what was being set in motion and the unexpected reunion that was in store for her. The due date was fast approaching too -- I was clued in on the Firelights plans, and I knew exactly when they were going to make their attempt on Silco's life. 

Stepping through the door to the lab, Jinx caught sight of me with a mirror placed just right for her to keep an eye on her back. She immediately spun around in her chair, and she positively radiated a desperate joy at the sight of me. “Law!” She exclaimed, flipping out of her chair and skipping towards me to deliver a flying hug. She squeezed with all the strength that she had, her head pressed against my chest. 

I barely needed to intensify her happiness when I returned the hug. “Jinx,” I returned, my hand on her lower back and I tweaked her flash of disappointment that it didn't go lower. “Been busy?” 

“Yooou betcha!” Jinx said, giving me a toothy grin. “Just puttin’ on the final few tweaks. This fusion energy stuff is great- gave me plenty of ideas,” she said, breaking the hug to lead me by the hand to show off her latest creation. There was a bubbling knot of raw need for approval in her chest -- along with excitement, nervousness, and yearning. I tempered the negative emotions, as I’d long made a habit of doing, while enhancing the others. 

I would never accuse Jinx of being emotionally stable, but she did have her good days and her bad days. During her lows, I made sure to be there to even her back out and raise her from those depths. The result was more… intense than I had honestly expected. Jinx craved my presence. I gave her a sense of emotional stability that she couldn't find anywhere else. 

All of it fed into a specific goal -- when the Firelights killed Silco, I would become Jinx's emotional anchor. All the more so because Vi would be the one to pull the trigger, so to speak. 

So, I smiled with pride when Jinx unveiled her latest creation. “Introducing Guppy MK.3! A laser gun mini-nuke launcher combo wombo!” ‘Guppy’ was a sight to see -- I saw hinges where the minigun barrels would flip up to unveil the mini-nuke launcher. “Also with mine and drone support!” She said, showing the weapon off as she took aim at a scorched wall. She pulled a lever that revealed the music was coming from the weapon itself - apparently it was also a boombox. 

Two attachments broke off, becoming drones that floated up near Jinx and started spitting blood red lasers alongside the main barrel that fired roughly three times faster than a normal laser minigun. From the bottom of the barrel, she sent a fragmentation mine at the target, and I noted how it stuck to it before detonating. 

“And, when you want them to come close…!” She changed the song before two attachments slid forward down the barrel. It looked like a bear trap, only it was meant for something a lot bigger and meaner than a bear, before it shot forward and clamped onto the target. A metallic chain reeled it in, dragging it over the sandbags that were meant to act as protection. All the while, the drones continued to shoot the target to shit until it was rested at our feet. 

Jinx looked up at me with eyes desperately yearning for approval. There was a naked need on her face that she couldn't hide even if she wanted to. I stoked her joy like a flame when I reached up to give her a head pat, and she leaned into my touch, finding comfort in it. 

“Noxus won't know what hit it,” I praised her. All the while, my mind turned over a conundrum -- not the weapon. Guppy was powerful. Useful. I could see Jinx getting a lot of mileage out of it in the battles to come. No, my thoughts were on a much heavier topic. 

Time. 

My power seemed to only grow faster and faster as I adjusted to the serum, but I still couldn't make more time. Not yet, anyway. 

There were simply too many things that demanded my attention these days -- I was rebuilding the Dias from scratch, while keeping a balancing touch on the Council. I was working on bringing Jinx onto my side, but in doing so, I had to be keenly aware of the actions of her sister. All the while I planned to work over Mel and Ambessa to pave the road for them joining my empire, alongside Viktor and Jayce. In short, my hands were full. 

And editing memories was a very convenient shortcut. 

I hadn't minded a heavier hand on occasion -- that's why I had stolen hearts to enforce obedience. But, I couldn't deny that the act of corrupting people like Rumi, like Taylor, and Jinx had a special thrill. Stringing them along to a destination that they had no idea was coming… well, I couldn't really take credit for Taylor. She did that to herself, but she was the one that had ignited my imagination. 

But it took delicate work and time. 

Nobara and Maki stood out like a sore thumb to me. I had put both of them into a Memory Lounger to get a bead on both of their characters and to get a peak at what Asami had been up to in Jujutsu Kaisen -- and it would take a lot of work to win them over. There was a temptation to just remove their hearts. Or to mind break them into a couple of cocksleeves. But that wasn't the result I wanted. I wanted Asami to see how I twisted the girls she left in my care before I used them against her -- perhaps openly, perhaps as double agents. 

Cuz I knew it hurt Asami to leave them behind, and now I wanted to rub salt in the wound. 

It just seemed a bit… wasteful, I suppose. Nobara and Maki seemed like they'd be so much fun to corrupt. But I guess I had already resolved myself to not always indulging in my fun -- heavy is the crown and all that jazz. 

“So, it's gonna be a war then?” Jinx asked, bringing my thoughts to the present. My internal musings were lost on her based on the cheeky grin she wore, still leaning into my touch. 

“Without a doubt,” I confirmed. Largely because I intended for the war to happen. The time of their arrival coincided pretty well with my plan to grab Yoruichi and the Dias would be complete by then. With enough sacrifices we could get her back and add that world to the tally. 

“Which kinda makes that whole… marriage thing kinda pointless, huh?” Jinx remarked, barely obfuscating her intentions. “I mean, removing the old powers that be is pretty much Noxus one-oh-one, you know?” There was a dark flash of ugly jealousy that welled up in Jinx, and when combined with her self-worth issues… it was gas on a fire. I let her feel it, just for a moment. After all, you couldn't fully appreciate the sun unless you experienced a little rain. 

I huffed with amusement, affectionately rubbing Jinx's head. “Marriage is just a piece of paper, Jinx. Between you and Caitlyn… well, that's the easiest choice that I could make,” I reassured her. Ahh, Caitlyn. She had been avoiding me. Rather adeptly, honestly -- we hadn't spoken a single time since the marriage was decided. If things went her way, I don't think she'd have a single thing to say to me for the remainder of her life. Or her mother, for that matter, as I understood Caitlyn was less than pleased with her for pressing the marriage on her. “And I wouldn't be so quick to decide our defeat. I have a thing or three up my sleeve.” 

“If you say so…” Jinx muttered, finding reassurance in my words as I took the edge off her jealousy. 

I chuckled at her sullen tone. “I say so.” 

And soon, Jinx was going to get a front row seat as to why I was so confident. 

…

“Anyone ever tell you that you snore? Like a lumberjack?” Ekko asked her, catching Vi mid yawn as she stumbled out of the room that had been given to her. He passed her a steaming cup of coffee as he joined her on the balcony, giving her some serious side eye. 

She took a sip of it, and sighed in bliss. After eating prison slop for five years… everything that she ate or drank was delicious, but the coffee was especially good. “My bad,” she admitted, her throat feeling raw from the snoring. “It's been… a long time since I've been able to relax at night,” she elaborated and Not-So-Little-Man's eyes softened at that, leaning next to her as he took a sip of his own cup. 

Vi hadn't realized how high up her guard had been for literal years until she found Ekko and the Firelights. In her prison block, when she had been at the bottom of the totem pole, she slept with one eye open. She had no friends, no connections, and everyone punched down. Then when she climbed to the top of her cell block she slept with both eyes open, because her position has become infinitely more dangerous. She had something that others wanted, and that something was worth slitting her throat in her sleep to get. 

“Hm. Well, I guess I don't gotta ask if you're rested for the big day. Me, on the other hand…” Ekko trailed off, and Vi chuckled and bumped her shoulder against his. She was still taller than Ekko, but not so much these days. And, from the looks of things, he was one more growth spurt away from being taller than her. He was going to be insufferable when that happened. About as insufferable as she’d been when she lorded her height over him as kids. 

The thought brought a thin smile to her face even as a heavy weight seemed to press down on her shoulders. So much of the Undercity had changed. Parts of it were completely unrecognizable, and it wasn't just because of the Gray or the disaster that had torn the city up. Shimmer was everywhere, the alleys and backroads she used to play in were filled with beggars and addicts. Silco ruled the Undercity with an iron fist, and his chem-barons were a finger each -- information, sex, weapons, thugs, and drugs.  

It was almost enough to make her want to go back to Stillwater. It was an absolute shithole, but at least there she knew what to expect. What to do. It was familiar to her in a way that the Undercity just… wasn't anymore. She couldn't even find Jericho's, if he was even still alive. That feeling lasted through her time in the bolt hole that Law gave her to lay low in while the Enforcers scrambled to capture the escaped inmates, right up until she found Ekko. Or, rather, when Ekko found her. 

“Are you sure you're up for this?” Vi asked him, setting down her cup as she gazed out at the hidden nook that Ekko hard carved out of the Undercity. A tall spiraling tree stood in the center of a steep artificial valley, basking in a sliver of sunlight that came from above. A small village had sprung up on and around the tree -- some of the people living here were fighters, the Firelights. Others were just normal people that had fallen on hard times until Ekko reached out with a helping hand. “I know you're not exactly a fan of the idea.” 

“Of assassinating a member of the Council? What could have given you that idea?” Ekko shot back with a sarcastic snort. 

“You have a good thing here, Ekko. Benzo would be proud- I'm proud,” Vi continued, seeing a wistful gleam shine in his dark eyes. “You don't need to risk it on my account.”  

“Not just yours,” Ekko corrected quickly. “Theirs too,” he said, inclining his head at those that were beginning their day below. “I won't lie and say I don't have reservations -- I do. A lot of them. But… I don't think you're wrong. The situation down here won't change, not when Silco is on the Council. He's grip is just going to tighten and tighten until we're all blue in the face. He's gotta be removed from play so things have a chance to get better.” 

Vi found herself smiling an earnest smile as she took a good look at Ekko. “You've grown up, Little Man,” she acknowledged. He grew into himself. She remembered him as a perky excitable kid, the only one who could keep up with Powder's technobabble, and his less than subtle crush on her. So much had changed in their Undercity; Ekko had changed too, but he proved that they weren't all bad changes. 

Ekko aimed a smirk at her, “Grown enough that you'll stop calling me Little Man?” 

“Not a chance,” Vi said with a grin and with what felt like the first honest laugh she's had in years. She knocked back her coffee, wishing that she could savor it, but she knew there wasn't any time for that. This was just the calm before the storm. 

To get her through the storm, Vi tried to imagine what the aftermath would look like. Silco would be dead. The chem-barons would need to be swept away, but they had plans for that. Law would step in to unfuck the Undercity and make Topside pay for it. But, most importantly of all… 

Powder. She would be reunited with Powder. 

And that was all the motivation she needed. 

“Let's get this show on the road. The plan is still solid, right? No last second surprises?” Vi asked, watching as Ekko knocked back his coffee and the easy and casual mood fell away. It was time to get down to business.

“None so far. Can't say for when things get underway,” Ekko said, gesturing for her to follow. She did so, taking a bracing breath as she did. There was a lot riding on this mission, and a lot of ways it could go wrong. However, they had a window of opportunity and they needed to make it count. 

There were no big fancy speeches as they loaded up their gear and headed towards the exit. That wasn’t to say that there was no one to wish them well -- a crowd gathered up near the door, everyone who lived beneath the tree’s shade gathering up. The squad that she was attached to had five members in total, and one of them was a girl who looked a lot like her. They were cheering as they left, their eyes shining with hope and expectations. 

Vi felt that weight get added to her shoulders, along with all the others. Her hands were clenched into fists as she strode forward, knowing that all of them felt the same weight. So, they shared it, for better or worse. Every step of the way through the winding tunnels that lead to the home of the Firelights, she went over the plan in her head. Every step, to every possible deviation, and every point that something could go wrong. 

The plan was simple. Extremely simple. So simple that it felt difficult to fuck up, but Vi was keenly aware of her own track record. Usually when something could go wrong… 

But it still had to get done. 

And so long as Silco died… then whatever consequences came… 

Vi would accept them with open arms. 

They made their way through the winding tunnels and strapped on masks to deal with the Gray. There, they grabbed some gear that had been stashed for them -- hoverboards and uniforms. Enforcer uniforms. Stripping down and putting them on, Vi caught a glimpse of her reflection, and her nose crinkled. Not the look for her, she decided with a shake of her head. But, needs must. 

Wearing street rat clothing in the polished halls Uptop would draw too much attention, sadly, especially where they were planning to go. The last piece of equipment, Vi carried with her in a bag on her back. Too bulky and unwieldy to wear out in the open without raising a few eyebrows, but she couldn’t wait to put them back on. A moment that was fast approaching as they made their way through the Undercity, appearing like another squad of Enforcers to those who were scouring the streets for escaped prisoners or trying their hands at union busting. 

She kept expecting for something to go wrong as they made their way up the lift towards Piltover. For someone to point at them and shout, ‘Fraud!’ The most important part of an infiltration was looking like you belonged, and they had the uniforms down, but everything else… It wasn’t worth thinking about, Vi decided. No, she knew it wasn’t. If things went wrong, then they went wrong. So long as they got the job done, nothing else mattered. 

Their destination was an airship at the docks -- it didn’t look like a normal airship. It was slimmer, sleeker, and there were two things that looked like engines strapped to the rear. More notably, however, were the weapons that were strapped to just about every single inch of the ship to the point that it was an honest wonder that the thing could apparently fly. At the docks was their contact. A middle aged man with gray at his temples, whose eyes immediately sharpened the moment he saw them. 

“Do you have it?” the Enforcer asked in a low growl, glancing around shiftily as if to make sure that they weren’t overheard by the various people doing last minute checks on the airship. 

In response, Ekko handed over a bag stuffed with cash. Enough that the Enforcer didn’t bother to count it. Rookie mistake, that was. But it was enough. The Enforcer snapped it shut and offered a single curt nod. “Safe travels,” he said, offering them a tip of his hat and he walked away with a pep in his step. 

“That was way too easy,” One of the squad muttered under his breath. 

Ekko had an answer, “Everyone that can is jumping ship. No one believes that Piltover or the Undercity can hold out for long against Noxus, so… they’re getting out while they have the chance.” There was a bitter distaste in his voice as they climbed on the airship, now just other members of the crew. They found a quiet corner and… no one really gave them a second glance. Were they really just that lax? They didn’t bother to look past the uniform?

Maybe the people skipping town were right about their chances if it was this easy to sneak onto a ship that they weren’t even supposed to know existed. 

“Alright. Gear up, everyone,” Ekko ordered, giving Vi a nod when they felt the airship disembark. The others began assembling the hoverboards that had been split into two parts for ease of concealment. Meanwhile, she broke out what she had been looking forward to wearing. 

Ekko had taken a single look at the Atlas Gauntlets and scoffed, claiming that he could do better. And he had. It took him all of three days to figure out how Hextech worked, and while the original gauntlets had been designed with mining and rubble maneuvers in mind, what she was looking at now was all about combat. They were sleeker, running up to her shoulders, and far less bulky. The Hex Gems were in the back of her fists, which were still capable of doing everything that the previous version had been capable of. Only now, she didn’t need to account for the weight. 

There was a hiss of air as the interior pressurized around her arms. She rolled her shoulders, finding that they fit like a glove. There was no time to marvel, however, as Ekko was looking between them. 

“This here gunboat is a show of arms to Noxus. Show ‘em why it's a bad idea to invade. Or a bribe to not invade -- I’m not sure,” Ekko uttered, looking at his pocket watch almost compulsively. “What I do know is this -- the Council is going to be there. Meaning Silco is going to be there.” 

Silco. She could still see him in her memories -- the discolored skin, that eye… She remembered what he took from her. 

“We have a short window. We need to make the most of it,” Ekko finished, giving them all a nod, which they all returned. He held up his pocketwatch, marking the seconds. They had everything. Where the crew would be stationed, where the display would happen, and when the ship would be shown off to the Council. Ekko mapped out everything, down to the smallest of details, wanting to leave nothing unaccounted for. 

It would be enough, Vi told herself as he gave the signal to move out. She shoved open the door, seeing the wide blue sky without so much of a trace of clouds. But, more than that, she saw their targets. A building, one of the tallest in Piltover and the tallest still remaining after the disaster -- she saw them all arranged on a balcony, sipping wine and enjoying the show. 

However, her eyes only had room for one person on that balcony… 

And, as she stepped onto the railing and threw herself off of it, heading straight for him… 

Their eyes met and Vi smiled when she saw the fear in Silco’s good eye.