Part 19 - Come Back

It is now nighttime, dark out. Another day has gone by regarding the conflict in the Undercity. However on the Topside, things aren't so peachy there either. Ever since the bombing that Jinx caused at the capital building, civilians within the city find it hard to keep calm and keep composure, out of fear of a terrorist.

There are construction people, machines, etc fixing up the previously destroyed capital building. But within another side of the capital building, Jayce walks towards a door. Behind that door is Viktor, looking at the tube of shimmer with purple eyes from the reflection. "Hey Viktor!" Jayce calls out to Viktor from the other side of the door.

Viktor suddenly turns his head in the direction of the door, with a shift in emotion. "Can we talk? It's been awhile since we've had small chats." Jayce offers, as Viktor finds a spot to hide the tube of shimmer that he received from Dr. Singe in the Undercity.

With Jayce waiting, Viktor finally opens the door after hiding the tube of Shimmer. However, he only opens it up slightly enough, to where Jayce can only see his face, and a bit of the dark room behind him.

The moment their eyes meet, Jayce's eyes wonder past Viktor, and towards the dark room that belongs to him. "Can I help you?" Viktor interrupts Jayce's wondering eyes with that question.

Jayce averts his eyes back down to Viktor, and the two look at eachother with awkward tension in the air. "After some enforcers informed me that you went to the Undercity, I wanted to check for myself. We used to be a bit closer do you remember? I would like it if we could go back to that." Jayce says to Viktor. Even with those words, the awkward tension isn't lifted, with Viktors eyes roaming around as if he can't wait for this interaction to end.

"My apologies. With you being the newest council member, I didn't want to take up your time." Viktor admits. Jayce nods his head in understanding, before Viktor begins to back away into his room more. "Well, I have some important matters to attend to as of right now. Can we talk later?"

Jayce nods his head and forces a smile while looking at Viktor. "Ofcourse, yeah." Jayce responds with a forced happy tone.

"Excuse me." Viktor says, before shutting the door. Jayce stares at the door, his smile immediately drops, and so does his happy tone.

Moments later, an Enforcer walks through the halls of the main Council meeting. Within this building is the city hall. The enforcer walks up to two large doors, with two large handles. A bright white door, with a golden outline around it.

The enforcer knocks on the door. "Come in." Mel permits, and the enforcer walks in. In the room are all of the council members, sitting at a large round table per usual.

"I've got word from Marcus. We've located Caitlyn and she is okay." The enforcer informs the council members, causing Cassandras face to light up with happiness and relief. "However, after locating her, she ran off with three Undercity people. Under her own will." The enforcer confesses, making the council members confused.

"She's a traitor." Hoskel suddenly blurts out. Cassandra immediately turns her head to Hoskel with a frown on her face. "That isn't true. My daughter has a good heart." Cassandra argues.

"One of the people she was with, was a prisoner at Still Water Hold." The enforcer informs once more. The confidence that Cassandra had in her daughter suddenly collapses, and Hoskel scoffs in a taunting way.

After the enforcers informing, each of the council members begin to grow in thought, with deep thinking faces. Especially Mel and Jayce.

Suddenly, Jayces eyes light up. He suddenly jolts up from his chair, with both palms of his hands slammed down on the huge round table in front of him. "Allow me to help them search for Caitlyn." Jayce proposes to the rest of the council. Mel quickly frowns at such a suggestion, while the other members don't seem to think much of it.

"Are you serious?" Mel questions with her hands together, and fingers interlocked.

Jayce nods his head while looking at Mel. "Yes. I believe Caitlyn is innocent. I don't think she's working with the terrorist(s) who's inflicted harm thusfar. And I'm well capable of protecting myself." After Jayces claim, another enforcer barges into the capital room while out of breath.

Each and everyone turns their heads to look at the enforcer with shock and confusion. "We found some more evidence..towards the back of the capital building, there was a writing. It wrote out the word, Jinx." The enforcer informs the rest of the council.

"Is that a name?" Bolbok suggests. "Maybe a group?" Shoola also suggests. With many questions in the room, it becomes clear that the council has a lot on their plate.

"Or maybe it's the same person, or group of people responsible for stealing hextech crystals six years ago." Heimerdinger suggests to the rest of the group, causing everyone to speculate.

Within the Undercity, Marcus and his group of enforcers are still looking for Caitlyn and the others. While Caitlyn, Vi, and Lucy are all with eachother. "We shouldn't have let her go. She's gonna go and tell Silco that we're here." Vi informs Caitlyn and Lucy.

Caitlyn looks over to Vi with a thinking expression. She then looks straight ahead again. "I think we need to gather proof of Silcos shimmer production, and how it's affecting the people here." Caitlyn suggests to the rest of the group, while they continue walking.

"We also need to find Silver and Jinx." Lucy adds. "What do you think she wants with that gemstone that Silver mentioned?" Lucy asks the others. Instantly, Vi remembers the explosion that Powder caused six years ago.

"It would be best if we take it away." Vi suggests while looking at the others. "Also, I want to thank the both of you..getting me out of prison even though I'm not the best person." Vi says to the others, and the both of them grow smiles on their faces.

"Despite your tough exterior, I can tell that you have a good heart." Caitlyn admits, while the two look at eachother with soft smiles.

"You're my sister. Family sticks together no matter what." Lucy says to Vi with a smile, as they also look at one another.

"I'm proud of you you know that? You've been the glue holding us all together for so long." Vi confesses, as she watches Lucy with a proud smile.

Lucy looks off to the side with slight embarrassment from Vis words. "You're gonna start huh?" Lucy points out with her hand up covering her face, and a smile.

"Oh you know it." Vi confirms with a smile. "I remember when she was younger. She wasn't the strongest or the bravest, but she was so kind." Vi says to Caitlyn, while the two look at Lucys embarrassed face. Afterwards, the two begin to chuckle.

After the chuckling, Vi looks towards Lucy with a more serious expression. While Lucy faces forward. "We needed that during those hard times." Vi says to Lucy, causing Lucy to look back up at her with wide eyes. "We need it now too." Vi admits.

Lucys smiles softly, before dropping that smile, and resting her head onto Vis shoulder. "Thank you" Lucy thanks Vi, before spacing out in deep thought. The two continue to walk, with their hands holding. Caitlyn can't help but look at them with a smile.

"I think you're right though, Cupcake..and when we get there, I'm taking it all down." Vi says with eyes of determination.

Not too long after, Caitlyn and the others make their way to middle area of the Undercity. Most of the walls and scenery around them are stone, besides a tall, rickety structure held together by nails and wood. At the top of the structure is a eye made with glass tubes. With eyelashes that are made with tubes as well. Inside of those tubes is a purple light.

"Wait here Lucy. There's someone I'm gonna talk to. They may know where Silco is." Vi says, while the three of them stand outside of a very busy brothel. Caitlyn looks ahead with a shocked and extremely disturbed face as a result.

"Okay, I'll be out here." Lucy responds, before sitting down on top of a curb.

"Wait what?" Caitlyn says uncomfortably, with Vi looking at her with a teasing expression. She then grabs Caitlyns hand, and walks into the brothel that's filled with promiscuous women walking around.

Caitlyn tries her best not to look at anyone. "Listen, Lucy is a minor, and I don't want her in a place like this. and you're an enforcer. If you're just hanging about outside, it becomes suspicious." Vi stops and looks at Caitlyn, and it's obvious how uncomfortable Caitlyn is.

"Well what am I supposed to do?" Caitlyn questions, before Vi smirks. "Blend in. You look good trust me, it'll work." Vi says with a smile and flirty expression, before walking off away from Caitlyn.

Caitlyn watches Vi walk away. And Vi gives her one last glance, before a girl walks up towards Caitlyn in a flirty manner. "H-hello." Caitlyn stutters. Vi smiles before walking off.

Afterwards, Vi makes her way through the brothel. She ends up near a desk, with a small steel door infront of it. She knocks on the desk, and an elderly woman opens the door. "It's been awhile." Vi says to the elderly woman, who smiles at her.

"Vanders girl? It's been so long." The elderly woman says in response.

"I was wondering if you could help me with something." Vi says before looking around her shoulder, and leaning in closer. "Silcos empire. I want to bring it down, but I don't know where to find him."

The elderly woman moves in slightly, and whispers to Vi. "Now I don't know of his whereabouts. But because I hate what Silcos done, I'll give you this information for free..go north from here, and you'll see a tall sign. It looks like an eye, and it lights up with a purple color. Everyone here recognizes that sign as Silco being in control. You wanna bring his empire down? Bring that sign down. Let everyone know that Silco isn't in power nomore." With the elderly woman explaining that to Vi, a woman in the background watches and listens with a poncho and hoodie that's hiding her face completely.

After hearing the conversation, the girl leaves the area. Vi also walks away after receiving the information. She looks at Caitlyn from afar, who's sitting down on a comfy couch with some unknown woman. Both with smiles on their faces.

Vi smirks as she walks towards Caitlyn. "Time to go." Caitlyn looks up towards Vi, then looks back at the girl. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go now." Caitlyn says awkwardly, as she stands up from the couch, and walks away with Vi.

"That was so humiliating." Caitlyn whispers.

"Uh-huh." Vi teases with a smile.

After leaving the brothel, they look around for Lucy. "Lucy?" The both of them begin to panic, once they don't see Lucy anywhere around.

Suddenly, Caitlyn notices someone in a poncho and hoodie carrying an unconscious Lucy on their shoulders. She frowns and pulls out her gun from behind her back.

Vi immediately looks towards Caitlyn with shocked eyes. Though that shock turns into concern and fear once she sees where Caitlyns gun is pointed.

Caitlyn shoots the person in the poncho multiple times in the back. It forces them to drop Lucy and run away. Vi swiftly chases after them with the intent of fighting, but by the time she reaches where Lucy was dropped, she doesn't see anyone around.

Silver, who has now woken up, grabs a knife that's inside of the pond that he's inside of. And as he slowly gets up, the water from the pond weighs him down slightly. Once Silver stands up, he stumbles over slightly, but manages to keep his balance.

He then looks up the hill, and notices how foggy it is. Afterwards, he looks down at the pond, and notices the purple glow in the water. He quickly wonders how he's still alive, before his thoughts are interrupted by a man talking to himself in a small enclosed area.

After making his way around the enclosed area, he walks down some steps. The very same ones that Viktor walked down to talk with Dr. Singe. The same stone walls all around, and the same steel door at the bottom of the stairs.

Once Silver gets to the bottom, he knocks on the steel door. Once he does, the voices coming from inside go silent. "Hello? I need help..I was shot then I fell into the pond in the back of here." Silver explains, as he leans against the door slightly. He then moves his hand over where his gunshot wound is, but he quickly realizes that he's no longer bleeding from that area.

Locks on the opposite side of the steel door begin to get unlocked, making Silver get off of the door. Once the man behind the door opens it, Silver frowns slightly from the man's appearance. "Really?" Dr. Singe questions.

Silver suddenly pushes Singe out of the way, and walks into the laboratory once he recognizes the large amounts of shimmer here. Remembering that Lucy told him about Silcos shimmer production, he turns around to look at Singe with angered eyes. "Are you working with Silco?" Silver questions Singe while staring at him with angered eyes.

"It's a possibility..but you should consider yourself lucky. The variation of shimmer within that pond wasn't the bad kind." Singe says while looking at Silver. Silver immediately raises an eyebrow out of confusion, and the thought that all shimmer is bad.

"It's all bad. Have you seen what it's done to people?" Silver questions.

"Not the one that went into your blood stream..the one that went into you will make you stronger, the angrier you get. It also makes you more durable, and gives you healing abilities. Take in too much of it, and you'll turn into a mindless monster. No consciousness or feelings. There's the healing one. Then theres the addictive one, that rots the brain of the user overtime." As Singe explains, he walks towards tubes of shimmer that connect to one another. All while Silver watches him in disappointment. "Fascinating isn't it?" Singe points out.

"The one you absorbed is much harder to make..and I suppose it's my fault from flushing it into that pond. I was under the impression no one would ever go there." As Singe talks, Silver suddenly interrupts him.

"If it makes you so strong, then why haven't you or Silco used it yet?" Silver questions, while staring at Singe. Suddenly, Singe turns to look at Silver with a slight smile.

"For one simple reason. Every minute that you use it's properties, it'll take roughly three years from your life." Once Singe confesses that to Silver, Silvers heart stutters, and he begins to think while standing still.

Singe begins to laugh, while Silver continues thinking. He quickly realizes that Vi has shimmer in her blood. The day where Powder caused the explosion 6 years ago. He remembers Vis purple eyes, that resemble the same color as the tubes of shimmer.

Meanwhile, Vi and the others make their way to where the elderly lady told them to go. "I didn't get a good look at the persons face." Lucy tells Vi and Caitlyn while they stand at the edge of a cliff.

"It's alright. Im just glad you're okay." Vi reassures Lucy. Caitlyn looks down the cliff. It's extremely foggy down below, making it hard to really see anything.

But just infront of them is the very thing the elderly woman told them about. A large metal eye with purple lights in the inside. "Let's go.." Vi says to Lucy and Caitlyn, as she jumps down onto the wooden parts of the tower. When she says that, her voice seems more saddened than usual.

Lucy follows after Vi with a saddened expression as well. Then Caitlyn follows after them, wondering what's wrong.

Once they reach the bottom, they're met with the past. Drawings that Ekko did on the wall. A side of the wall, marked with names and the height of them. "Powder" "Silver" Lucy" etc. Caitlyn looks at the wall, before looking at Vi in a worried way. "You lived here?" Caitlyn questions.

Vi looks down at a small hammock and remembers a small Powder laying inside of it next to Silver. She then looks towards another part of the wall, and remembers Ekko and Lucy drawing on that very wall. Her face changes to a bittersweet one, as she remembers these memories. "That was a long time ago." Vi says.

Lucy then presses her hand against that very wall that her and Ekko drew on. "I wonder what happened to Ekko.." Lucy says, as Vi walks up to her, and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go." Vi encourages, while Caitlyn watches. Lucy then removes her hand from the wall, and the three walk up to a wooden door just to the side of them.

With hesitation in her face, Vi reaches her hand up to the door knob. She lets out a small sigh with her eyes closed, before opening the door. Once she walks in, her eyes widen at who she sees just ahead of them.

Silco stands infront of them, with fog around the ground. The layout is completely different, with rocks and rubble all around the ground and infront of them. "Violet. Lucy. You just don't know when to quit do you?" Silco questions, with two tubs of shimmer in his hands. Two people with hoodies, and scars over their faces are on their hands and knees begging for the shimmer like fiends.

Caitlyn looks towards a steel beam to the side of them. One that's keeping the sign up. She tries to knock it down, but she's incapable, however it does shake a lot. "I expected more from you Lucy. Jinx has been so devastated since you left her." Silco taunts.

"I didn't leave her!" Lucy argues. "We're gonna find her and Silver. And once we do, we're gonna erase every fucked up thing you deluded her with." Vi says with anger in her voice.

Silco smiles, and chuckles slightly. "Silver?" He says, before pulling out a red bandanna that's covered in blood. The same bandanna that Silver always wears. Once Lucy and Vi sees the bandanna, their hearts fill with fear and sadness. "Silver is long gone. And you're going to be next, Lucy." Silver says, before giving the two drug addicts the tubes of shimmer that he has.

Silco throws the bandanna in the direction of Lucy and Vi. Lucy quickly picks it up, with tears in her eyes. "You think that I deluded Jinx. I will inform you that this was a long time coming. In the end, I'm glad I picked her instead of you." Silco explains, as the people who drink the shimmer slowly begin to morph into bigger monsters.

Vi furrows her eyebrows, as she backs away from the monsters with Lucy. "You talk a lot. I'm gonna finish what Vander couldn't. Staring with this!" Vi yells as she punches the steel beam that Caitlyn was trying to knock down.

Meanwhile, Silver in another area of the Undercity, collects his thoughts, and looks at Singe with a face of passion. "Then I'm gonna make sure it doesn't get into the wrong hands." Silver says to Singe. Singe immediately stops laughing as it becomes clear what Silver is about to do. Silver proceeds to break each and every tube of shimmer that's inside of that laboratory.

"Stop!" Singe yells in desperation, however Silver does not stop. Using a pole that was inside of the laboratory, he smashes anything that has purple liquid in it.

By hitting that steal beam, a large water tower begins to tumble down onto the purple sign that resembles an eye. "Come on!" Vi yells to Caitlyn and Lucy, after running and climbing to the top as quickly as possible.

Silco stares at the gigantic water tower, along with his sign with a face of shock and rage. While the shimmered up monsters try to follow after Vi and the others.

While that takes place, Jinx stands on top of a gigantic stone platform with steps attached. Atleast fifty feet high, and large enough to carry twenty people on top of.

While on top of that platform, Jinx stares at the two flares within her possession now. One that she took from Silvers place, and another that Vi gave her when she was younger. While she looks at the flare that Vi gave her, she remembers the words that she gave her as well. "If we ever happen to get separated, use this, and I'll be able to find you." Jinx mimics those very words that Vi gave to her.

While staring at it, she then pulls out the blue gemstone from her pocket. Her focus alternates between the gemstone, and the flares. She then stares down into the light of the Undercity with confliction in her eyes.

Vi and the others continue sprinting and climbing as quickly as possible. The water tower, and the large sign come crashing down onto the shimmered up monsters, as well as Silco.

Once Vi climbs to the surface, she helps Caitlyn and Lucy as well. And they run away from the area as quickly as possible. It's obvious through their expressions, that they are devastated about Silver.

Much conflict is beginning to start. Jayce, along with other enforcers finally manage to make their way into the Undercity. Marcus and the other enforcers are still searching for Caitlyn and the gemstone. While Silver left Singes lab a devastating mess.

After Jinx stares at the flares, she suddenly pulls a bottom part out from them, which sets off both flares. One with an orange smoke emitting from the top of it. And one with a blue doing the exact same thing.

Once Jinx let's off the flares, she lowers her head down, with her eyes closed. Memories of her painful past begin to come into her like a gun that's been fired multiple times through her head.

Silco who's still alive, is now angered, and filled with rage. The sign flickers off and on from its purple light. Now covered in water from the water tower, he begins kicking the sign, and yelling in anger.

Vi and the others mange to make it to the surface. While running, Vi notices a bright blue light emitting from the top of a cliff. She looks towards it with widened eyes. "Powder.." Vi suddenly says, causing Lucy and Caitlyn to stop running, and look in the same direction as Vi. "Powder!" She yells as she begins making her way to where the light is emitting from.

"Sir! There's a bright light coming from a cliff just south of here!" An enforcer informs Marcus. Marcus then quickly looks towards that direction while thinking.

Now dressed in a black hooded poncho, and black pants that he stumbled across, Silver also notices the bright blue and orange light. Realizing that it's a flare, he questions if it's the same one that Ekko and the firelights gave to him. He quickly puts two and two together, and realizes that Jinx is the one who set off the flares. Once he comes to that conclusion, he takes a step forward, and heads in that direction.

With so many people headed in the same direction, it's destined for them all to meet once again.