Sequence 1.4
Sergeant Doyle and Cadet Hutchinson were rolling down the road in a police cruiser. The thing was an ornate metal contraption, gilded frames and spiral designs. Or at least it was until a body flew out of an alleyway, smashing through the front windshield and bending the car's frame.
Doyle flinched, turning the wheel and sending the cruiser into the side of a building. Both officers lay stunned for only seconds until training took over. Hutchinson grabbed an AR-75 rifle from the back while Doyle kept with his trust M-42 Peacekeeper Shotgun. It wasn't so much of a peacekeeper and more of a tool of war but he loved the feel of firing it either way.
"This way," beckoned Doyle as they crept towards the alleyway.
As soon as they entered, the smell of combat-stims hit them. Bodies lay scattered around the floor and slumped against the brick walls. The alley went about a hundred feet before branching to the left. From that left turn, a sickening green light crept out.
"No, no no, please," they heard from behind the corner, "I'm telling the truth, I don't know where he is! Ple-"
Whatever else they were going to say was silenced by a gunshot.
Doyle and Hutchinson broke into a sprint, not even checking to see if the bodies scattered around them were alive or dead. As they rounded the corner, they came face to face with the Vigilante. The dreaded specter of death that had been tearing their way through Piltover and Zaun for weeks.
Hutchinson raised his rifle but Doyle waved his hand to order him to lower it.
The Vigilante had their arm-mounted cannon held up to the head of a crying woman.
From behind their rebreather mask, the Vigilante spoke and chills crept down both men's spines at the noises of laughter and coughing.
"Move and I shot this woman," wheezed the Vigilante.
"Stand down," said Doyle, "Come in peacefully, we don't want to have to do this."
The woman sobbed harder, "Please!" she screamed, "It's going to kill me! Shoot it!"
The Vigilante backhanded her across the face, dropping her to the ground. In a flash, their signature rifle-umbrella was out, pinning her head to the ground. The Vigilante's finger rested lightly but surely on the trigger stud.
"Do you know who this woman is?" asked the Vigilante.
"It doesn't matter who she is or what she's done," said Doyle, "Just let her up and we can talk about this peacefully."
The Vigilante's lenses flared and then microscopic text scrolled up the insides. "Vanessa Brooks," they read, "Aged 27, Formal Occupation: None, Associates: Baron Rivendare. Need I continue, this is clearly a chem-baron's bitch. Scum on the streets."
"Please," tried Doyle one last time, "Just back down."
The Vigilante raised their umbrella above their head and brought it down, only to freeze. They stood that way for ten seconds before they crumbled into ash and fell away.
As the ashes floated into the night sky, Hutchinson sank to his knees and kissed the backs of his hands in prayer.
Doyle ran over to the woman and saw that she had fainted. He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder before telling Hutchinson so call in backup.
By the time the star duo, Caitlyn and Vi, got there, the PZPD was just about done clearing up the people on the ground. Most were dead but a few still had life in them. Sirens whirled above police cruisers as medics moved throughout the numerous bodies, checking for life and carrying the survivors to ambulances where they would then be transported to hospitals.
"Officers Doyle and Hutchinson," said Caitlyn as she spotted them, "Good job on going toe to toe with the Vigilante and coming out unharmed."
"Oh ma'am, that's the thing," said Doyle, "He wasn't going for us, we were just an obstacle for him, he just disappeared like she was no longer worth his time," he gestured to Vanessa who was sitting handcuffed in the police cruiser.
Caitlyn nodded before signaling Vi to back off. She then opened the door and entered the car, sitting next to Vanessa.
"Hello," said Caitlyn, "My name is Caitlyn, I'm a Captain in the Piltover/Zaun Police Department, and I take it you are Vanessa?"
"Yes," said Vanessa, almost bored, "I'm the one he was about to kill, and yes, I am a drug runner so just slap me in chains and send me off to jail to rot."
"Okay, that could be arranged but it seems Ms. Brooks, that we have a file on you. Blackmail, extortion, espionage, assassination, subterfuge, and the list goes on, you have quite the resume for a simple drug runner."
Caitlyn couldn't tell, but she thought she saw Vanessa's eyes harden.
"I was never one for covering my tracks I guess," she said.
"Oh no, you were good, but we didn't have this information until a few days ago when it was uploaded into our data-vaults from a remote location. You have the Vigilante to thank for that," explained Caitlyn, "I guess they wanted a backup way to get to you if they failed to kill you."
"Hmmmm…" hummed Vanessa.
"So, we have a proposal for you Vanessa, help us find the Vigilante and we can see about you going scot free."
In a small room with no windows deep in Zaun's depths, a figure materialized in a room.
Ashes slowly crept from the corners until they formed a human under a heavy coat and armor, umbrella gripped in one hand.
Overhead, air-cleansers clicked on and the figure pulled off their rebreather.
They breathed in and out rapidly in the rapidly purifying air.
"That felt new," they mumbled to themselves, "The formula seems to have been a success."
On the ceiling, lights flickered on briefly before shorting out, revealing the room.
In one corner, a complex alchemy table was set up. Drips of chemicals flowed from many flasks into one and hisses of steam exited through exhaust ports. A Miracle Maker.
In another corner, a small bed stood, sheets ruffled and messy. An ugly thing of metal and cloth. A bulky machine sat by the head of the bed, brains nodes and processors hanging off of it. A memory machine.
In the third was beat up wardrobe containing fancy suits and some more casual clothes. A chest of many secrets.
And in the final corner was a coat rack. The figure took off their heavy coat before setting their umbrella next to the coat rack. An Armory.
"W-w-w-weL-cOme hO-m-M-m-E d-D-d-ancer"
SHI'AREAH [ENGAGED]
BOOTING UP INTERNAL DRIVERS
COOLANT SYSTEMS ACTIVATED
FALLBACK NET ACTIVATED
(INSERT MEMORY DIGIT): -
{NO MEMORY INSERTED}
(INSERT MEMORY DIGIT): 0000004
{VALID MEMORY… ENGAGING}
SEQUENCE STARTING
-~-COMMENCING MEMORY-~-
Today they came for us. We had been living here in these twin cities of metal for months. Peaceful, lying low. Neighbors had begun to accept us. And then one day I returned home from looking for jobs, and they were there.
[WARNING! MEMORY COHESION 68%]
Men in black and red, big, mean. They have her in their arms. I run to them, plead for freedom. They collar me too. Better to be together in captivity than alone and free
[WARNING! MEMORY COHESION 33%]
Long days in the chem-forges, I walk along pathways of burning metal and fire. She walks them too, but she was not built for this. I see every day as she fades away.
[WARNING! MEMORY COHESION 11%]
She is on her deathbed, she turns to me through cracked lips she says she is sorry, that she will miss me, sadness clouds my heart. Replaced by anger. I am their death. I am-^a&()0sV$# ac^&
[WARNING! MEMORY COHESION 0%]
-~-TERMINATING MEMORY-~-
SEQUENCE ENDING
FALLBACK NET DEACTIVATED
COOLANT SYSTEMS DEACTIVATED
SHUTTING DOWN INTERNAL DRIVERS
SHI'AREAH [DISENGAGED]
Fresh Sorcerer here.
Only reason I'm still writing this is for my boy Sam. I love you, you stupid slav motherf*cker!
Anyways, as I move into finals week expect me to take a week off but I may still have time to squeeze in a chapter.
That's why this one was so short, I had to study for finals
Peace!
