Chapter One: Lighting the Fuse

"5…"
The inventor anxiously began to count down, his eyes fixed on the violently shifting orb in front of him. The fuse, lit mere seconds prior, was now a third of the way to the uppermost portion of the bomb, exciting and simultaneously petrifying a being who, by all accounts, should have been accustomed to explosives. Ziggs, his partner, began to cackle maniacally as time ticked away towards the inevitable.
"4…"
Ziggs could hardly contain himself as the bomb's detonation grew more and more imminent, his laughter now bellowing through the halls of a once bustling research center. Heimerdinger, despite remaining silently and utterly concentrated on the quite dangerous object before him, admired Ziggs' enthusiasm and smirked as the countdown continued.
"3…"
"OH, COME ON!" Ziggs roared, his hands lurching towards the bomb. "Let's blow this joint…up!" Ziggs seemed amused at his own wordplay.
"Wait until the fuse is burnt, Ziggs. We can't afford any damage to the-"
He groaned, mildly annoyed. "Fine. But I swear, four eyes, I will wreck this place one day." His smile returned just as he completed his proclamation. "Hey, what happened to Jayce?"
"Oh, him." Heimerdinger sighed. "He departed from our research department and started his own lab here in Piltover. We haven't spoken much since the Bandle City Science Fair."
"Why not?"
"Well, let's just say we had a difference of opinion regarding that hammer of his."
"Your opinion being?" Ziggs couldn't help but be nosey.
Heimerdinger scowled. "I think it's an unfunny joke. It's wholly unstable, and if he even swings it in an incorrect manner, it could level a city block. He thinks he's capable of controlling it through sheer force of will, when in actuality, it could be the very mechanism that kills him."
Ziggs was still smiling, but he sensed the aggravation in Heim's tone. "That sucks, buddy. I'm gonna be a great research partner, though!" He removed a bomb from his bandolier and lifted into the air with a menacing cackle.
"Yes, you shall." Heimerdinger smiled and turned towards the table once more. Ziggs followed suit, and his smile immediately faded.
"Uh, Heimy?" Ziggs seemed perplexed. "Where'd that bomb go?"

"BREAKING NEWS!"
Ziggs gazed upon the screen in front of him, observing a Piltover reporter pace back and forth as his hair swayed in the wind. His expression was emotionless; one of loss and indifference.
"It seems the infamous criminal known only as 'Jinx' has struck again, this time trespassing on the property of revered inventor Heimerdinger! Early reports are fuzzy, but they suggest that Jinx may have stolen several military-grade explosives originally manufactured by Ziggs, a longtime partner of Heimerdinger. Time will only tell how she puts these explosives to use!"
Ziggs growled, anger coursing through his veins. "Freakin' freak…" He violently tossed the remote onto the table and stood, his goggles foggy from the sweat trickling down his forehead. "How'd she even get inside? We had the place locked down. Wait, how did she even know we were there?"
"She must have had informants in our research division. She is the leader of the city's most prominent crime group, after all."
Ziggs' annoyance was rising. "Okay, but how'd she get inside?"
"Simple." Heimerdinger emerged from the kitchen, his hands stained with motor oil and grease. "Remember when we conversed in regards to the explosive? We had our backs turned for quite a prolonged period of time."
"Well, yeah…" Ziggs responded.
"From what I've seen on Summoner's Rift, Jinx is exceedingly agile and capable of infiltrating otherwise secure locations with ease. She must have grasped the bomb during our discussion." Heimerdinger spoke eloquently, but Ziggs knew that he was just as troubled by this ordeal. "I think we left a window open."
"Sneaky bit-"
"Ziggs, please. Language won't aid our efforts."
"So, what should we do? Ya think Piltover's finest will help us?"
"Perhaps, Ziggs. Perhaps." Heimerdinger inhaled sharply. "Caitlyn and Vi are usually quite busy, but considering the magnitude of this incident, they may be willing to join us."
"Caitlyn and Vi?" Ziggs chuckled. "So, let me get this straight. A revered inventor, a mentally unstable demolitions expert, an uptight sheriff, and an enforcer in love with excessive force are going to catch a career criminal with enough guns, bombs, and ammo to level the whole damn city?"
"Indeed." Heimerdinger chortled. "A wise plot, no?

"Hey, fathands, how's it goin-
Ziggs abruptly breached the door to Vi's apartment and marched inside, Heimerdinger reluctantly in tow. The sight before him sent him into a panic the likes of which he had never experienced.
"GAHHHHHHH!" He screamed, falling over as he attempted to flee. Before him stood a menacing beast known to terrorize and torture Yordles.
A dog.
"WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT…THING HERE?!" Ziggs bellowed, his voice trembling with terror.
Vi emerged from the kitchen with a handkerchief resting on her shoulder. "I dunno. I like company."
"HE'S GOING TO EAT ME!"
"Mkay." Vi seemed indifferent to the entire affair.
"W-WHERE'S CAITLYN?!"
Vi's smile abruptly morphed into a frown. "Ehh….probably at the station, working on some paperwork." She about-faced, partially to avoid displaying her disappointment to Heimerdinger and Ziggs. "Why?"
Heimerdinger spoke first. "We…had an incident with somebody you're quite familiar with."
"Yeah, I watched the news." Vi laughed, souring the mood for both the inventor and his accomplice. "Can't deal with a little girl, you two?"
"SHUT UP!" Ziggs roared, his anger now coursing through his veins at physically impossible rates. "WE…WE…" He sighed. "We left a window open."
Vi, unable to contain her laughter, collapsed to the floor and descended into a hysteric state, causing Ziggs to more or less experience a mental breakdown. "Okay, Heim. I'm done. You deal with her. I'll be outside…JUST TRYING TO STAY ALIVE!" He motioned towards the dog, who, coincidentally enough, was a golden retriever with no intention of consuming him. It simply remained motionless, its tongue darting out from its mouth on occasion.
"So, what exactly do you need, egghead?"
Heimerdinger disregarded the insult. "We need you and your partner to aid us in the search for the one you call 'Jinx'. She has miraculously managed to secure several prototype explosives from one of our research stations."
"And you want Cait and me to beat the crap out of her and get the bombs back?"
"Precisely."
Vi smiled. "Sounds dangerous."
Heimerdinger seemed disappointed. "I understand. It's not worth the ri-"
"What makes you think I give the slightest crap?" Vi chortled. "Of course I'll help you."
"Excellent!"
"Just…one thing."
Heimerdinger raised an eyebrow.
"Don't let that furry bastard touch ANYTHING."
Heimerdinger laughed, and with that, they set out in search of Caitlyn.

Caitlyn shrugged. Despite the immense pail of work that rested on the table before her, she couldn't help but feel as if she had little to do. Each time she closed her eyes, she saw nothing but the one she loved most.
"Sheriff!"
Caitlyn snapped her head towards the door.
"Sheriff, there's some people here to see yo-"
"HERE COMES THE BIG ONE!"
Suddenly, the door burst open with an immense explosion. By the time the smoke dissipated, a yordle, an inventor, and an enforcer stood before her.
"Well…that was quite an entrance. You didn't kill that guy, did you?"
Ziggs quickly glanced at the unconscious office worker on the floor. "Nah, I don't think so."
"Good. One question, though."
"Mhmhm?" Muttered Ziggs through pursed lips.
"Why?"
"They wouldn't let us in, so we had to use…excessive force, as your hubby would say." Ziggs' laughter was interrupted by a devastating punch from Vi.
"There's nothing going on between us."
"Uh-huh. Sure thing, dreamy eyes."
Vi blushed and turned away for a moment; long enough for the blood to drain from her face.
"I assure you, Ziggs, my relationship with Vi is merely a professional one."
A saddened Vi departed from Caitlyn's office. "Hey, cupcake, uh…I'll be outside. Gotta have a smoke."
"Alright." Caitlyn suspected that Vi's reaction to her statement was abnormal, but did not act upon it.
"Anyway, how can I be of service?"
Heimerdinger prepared to respond but was abruptly shoved aside by Ziggs. "You and your lovesick partner can help us track down Jinx and get our bombs back before she uses them for…more nefarious purposes than we had in mind." Ziggs chuckled. "I'd hop to it; if those things go off, you can say goodbye to a fourth of Piltover."
"We've been tracking Jinx for years, but have never been able to apprehend her." Caitlyn lifted herself from her seat and bent down to Ziggs' level. "What makes you think we can capture her now?"
"I don't think we can capture her." Ziggs flashed his teeth. "I know we can." With that declaration, Ziggs removed a pulsating blue device from his tattered bandolier and presented it to Caitlyn.
"What's this?"
"It's a tracker, lady. We see Jinx – BANG!" Ziggs performed dramatic motions with his hands. "We get in close and tag her with this baby, and we've got vision on her for the next week."
Caitlyn was firm in her responses. "She won't let you get that close."
"That's what you think. Thing is, Jinx doesn't know that those bombs are mine and she doesn't know that I'm in cahoots with Piltover's finest. Also, she kinda wants to hug me." Ziggs scowled. "Anyway, as long as you morons stay out of my way, I should be able to "work" for her long enough to spring a trap. Then, we put her behind bars and get my bombs back!"
Caitlyn grinned. "That...might actually work. Our sources claim that Jinx does indeed admire you."
"Then let's get to it!"
"Yes, let's. Vi!" Caitlyn yelled, desperately attempting to call her partner into the room. "Vi, come in here! We need to speak with you."
Silence.
"Vi, are you there?" Caitlyn groaned. "Blasted woman. Vi, get in here!"
Caitlyn opened the door to find a pair of high-tech gauntlets resting on the steps.

Jinx had done it. In all her years of terrorizing Piltover, she had always longed to best the Enforcer, and she had done it. Seated in her chair, her prisoner shackled next to her, she could barely resist the urge to lie down and faun over her success. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible; Vi could easily break out of those shackles if she even hinted at lowering her guard, so she was obligated to remain in her seat, her hand constantly motioning towards Fishbones and Pow-Pow in a menacing manner. It was tiring work, but in the end, she hoped her efforts would prove lucrative.
"Jinx…"
She lowered her magazine and turned to the pinkette.
"Sup?"
"If you don't let me out of here, I will kill you." Vi rustled the shackles in an effort to intimidate her captor.
Jinx snickered. "Mkay, have fun with that. One zap and you'll go down just as hard as you did an hour ago."
"You moron." Vi grunted. "They're coming for me, and when they get here, you're in for a world of pain."
"Oh, I'm frightened. Truly, I am." Jinx mocked, her eyes still fixed on the text before her. "You seem to be forgetting that they don't know where we are."
"They'll find you. They always do." Vi lifted her head, the pain from being zapped still present.
Jinx trudged towards her captive, eventually taking a seat before her.
"So, you think your little buddies at Piltover PD will save you and put me in the big house?"
"Not jail. The penalty for kidnapping an officer of the law is death, to be administered by the officer on duty."
"Geez, that seems a bit harsh. Then again, you've executed most of my men for minor robberies, so I'm not surprised."
Vi was growing impatient.
"What do you want, Jinx? Why bother doing this?"
Jinx flashed a smirk. "You know, in all my years of being in this pathetic city, I've never had to answer that question. Nobody likes the answer, anyway."
Vi narrowed her eyes.
"Cuz I can, fathands!" Jinx cackled. "Normal life is boring. Blowing stuff up isn't. Working with people in an office is boring. Shooting them down like the parasites they are isn't." She jutted her arm out, eventually grasping her beloved weapons. "These two scrap heaps are the only friends I need!"
Her captive shook her head. "You're insane."
"Well, duh! I would've thought that you had figured that out by now."
"It doesn't have to end like this. You can work with us and redeem yourself by protecting these people."
Jinx about-faced and approached the door, only stopping to respond to the Enforcer's proposition.
"Who said I needed to be redeemed?"

CHAPTER 2 IS CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT!