Vi walked through the corridor, she could already spot some of the prisoners rushing to meet her, their bodies flaring with anger, foam practically coming out of their mouths. The lowlifes were panting like rabid dogs, eager to tear her and her Cupcake apart. Vi was never popular among the inmates, maybe it had something to do with refusing to join their gangs or protecting the facilities' personnel every time something went sideways, or maybe they just didn't like her face. Vi didn't really care anyway.

She smiled, an angry scowl twisting her features, she showed them her teeth like a caged beast trying to intimidate its captors. The inmates seemed unfazed, continuing to traverse the corridor with long sighed, they were never going to reach her Cupcake, they would have to pass through her first and Vi was determined to stop them no matter what, but observing their furious march surely dampened her spirits. The pinkette clenched her fists in frustration, some angelic miracle would be awesome right about now. She took a few deep breaths, trying to tap into her depleted power reserves, but unfortunately like most things in her life when she truly needed them, her powers were out of commission and she would have to deal with them on her own.

Vi tried to focus again, not quite daring to close her eyes with the prisoners' assault being so imminent, but she didn't feel any response at all. Her inner self felt completely inaccessible and she didn't even feel the familiar tingling behind her shoulder blades anymore. Her heritage remained hidden, buried under her skin.

Powerful manifestations like the day before yesterday were extremely rare for her if not completely unheard of and healing Caitlyn's wounds must have used up most of her mojo, but she had still hoped that she would have enough juice in her for one final magic trick. A flash of light, a display of her wings, a rain of feathers and naked todlers bearing bows and arrows, Vi would settle for anything really as long as it was capable of scaring a few of the inmates or even root them in place long enough for the rescue team to arrive, but that wouldn't be the case apparently.

She was on her own now, without any of her fancy parlor tricks and feathery appendages, but that thought appeased her greatly. At least she was going to die a human.

A tune came to her mind, the childish little song she had come up with when she was younger, living in the slums striving to survive. A song she used to sing from inside a dumpster on rainy nights, trying to ignore her hunger and lull herself to sleep. A song about the fearless person she hoped she would grow up to be so she wouldn't have to be hungry, cold or scared for her life ever again. She had partly succeeded, she was not scared of dying. Not anymore. Seeing Caitlyn's life slip away was a lot scarier than good ol' Grim Reaper.

She started singing while walking towards the inmates, walking towards her death, the fire in her eyes igniting. Her voice was hoarse and scratchy and the fact that she was tone deaf didn't help either.

"She's such a misfit, always ready to brawl"

That one was definitely true, she was always a social outcast, a misfit desperate to prove herself to the point of stupidity. Maybe that's why she liked fighting so much, brawling gave her a chance to interact with people, an excuse to exchange words and blows with another human being even if most of those precious words were usually insults and drunken threats.

"It's like her business, roughing up your friends as the law"

There was no law in the slums, no goody two shoes, no emergency phones and police patrols. Vi could still remember her first dream from when she was but a todler, still wet behind the ears. She had wanted to become the first slum police officer and protect the weak and helpless. It didn't last long, her future aspirations disappeared in less than a measly week and a few intense beatdowns. It was then that she realized that she was also helpless. Helpless and alone.

"There is no difference if you believe you're strong, She's a bulldozer making sure you're flat on the ground."

Because what was strength really but dumb luck? She was a better fighter than the average prisoner but that didn't mean shit when she was pitted against an army of them. Even the champions of the Institute of War, the people worthy of bearing the title of Legends suffered from their own incompetence. Plagued by their shortcomings and failures, forced to don their arms and fight for their lost causes. It wasn't a coincidence that most of those brave men and women were shaped by tragedy, loss and war.

"She's like a boomerang that never gives up"
"She flies in circles till she hits you and you're biting the dust"

Pistols, she couldn't spot any pistols in their hands and they would have shot her already if they had one. Maybe the guards' weapons were DNA encrypted and could only be fired by their rightful owners. At least she hoped they were, her song would end abruptly otherwise.

"So just remember this, when she's chasing you down"
"Face first you'll be thrown onto the proving grounds"
"She'll knock you out"

Yep, still no gunshots, the guns were definitely encrypted alright. She was still going to die but at least she now had the chance of keeping them away from the warden's office. That thought made her feel a bit better until she realized that she was going to die like a fool, mercilessly beaten to death by her fellow inmates. A love stuck fool, facing an entire army of prisoners just because she couldn't bear watching Caitlyn cry. Damn, she always had a thing for women in uniform and Caitlyn was drop dead gorgeous and Vi had somehow managed to kiss her so maybe it was worth it.

"Have you ever really wanted to be a total rebel flipping tables on the enemy?"

Her hands were sweaty, her heart was violently smashing against her ribcage trying to escape its confinement. Vi felt a small metallic object digging into the skin of her palm, she paused. The key to the warden's office, she had to somehow get rid of the key in case she lost consciousness during the fight.

She licked her lips nervously still lost in her thoughts. Would the Sheriff be visiting her grave after this whole mess settled down? Place a few roses on the tombstone once in a while and pray for her soul? Did she even possess a soul? Would Caitlyn even care that the scumbag that sexually harassed her most of the time had died trying to protect her?

"Did you ever try to further improve how fast you punch people through the roof?"

Vi had mixed feelings about it, she wanted the brunette to care about her death but not enough to shed tears for her. She preferred Caitlyn hating her now that she thought about it. She should have teased her more, maybe even steal a few more kisses along the way, for the Sheriff's benefit of course.

"Was there ever any certain time when you thought brute force and style combined?"

She eyed the prisoners, this was it, the final stand, the end of the line, the big bang that would end her miserable existence. She wasn't that afraid anymore, the thought of Caitlyn bursting into tears was a lot scarier than fighting to the death and her song gave her courage no matter how hoarse and tired she sounded.

"Well, I guess now it's time to shine"

The prisoners were only a few meters away now, spitting and screaming and brandishing their police batons and makeshift weapons. She raised her hand to her eye level and showed them the key to the warden's office. Some of them stopped in their tracks like humanoid dogs spotting a big red ball, following her hand's movement with their greedy eyes as if they were hypnotized by the shiny object. The rest of them kept running forward. Vi smiled widely, her crystal blue orbs examining their ragged uniforms and red angry faces. She paused for a moment, her song dying, smile still on her lips as she opened her mouth and put the key in it before quickly swallowing it. She rubbed her stomach in fake delight letting a content sigh. The inmates roared in fury and Vi's smirk widened.

"Cause finally she's here"

She just had to take down as many of them as she could before succumbing to her wounds. How hard could it be? The boys in blue sure took their time like usual.

She took a deep breath, her lips already forming the final verse.

"Here comes Vi!"

She roared as the inmates crashed into her body.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Caitlyn pressed her ear on the door's surface listening intently. The screams had long since stopped but she didn't know if that was for the better or for the worst. She closed her eyes, trying to hear something, anything for that matter but it felt like her panicked breathing was the only sound in the entire building. She swallowed, forcing the bile of fear back down her throat, her hands turning into fists. Why had the pinkette done that? Why hadn't she just abandoned her like any sane person would? Why had she saved her and brought her here in the first place?

She had assumed that Vi's motive had been to humiliate her at first, kick her around and show her her place. The pinkette had offered her food and protection in exchange for her body and Caitlyn had expected the inmate to torment her, take advantage of the situation or even kill her when the PPA aproached them.

Except that she hadn't. Vi hadn't hit her nor abused her in any way, not once had she tried to forcefully claim her. The only thing she had done was keep her safe and steal a few quick kisses along the way. And now she was dead.

Vi had locked her inside the room and stayed outside to face the monsters by herself. The Sheriff took a few deep breaths trying to calm her nerves. Vi could still be alive for all she knew, but then why hasn't she come back and why was her chest hurting so much every time she tried picturing the pinkette's fate? Images of the time she and Vi had spent together flashed inside her mind every time she dared close her eyes. Vi smoking, Vi sleeping, Vi laughing after an inappropriate comment. Vi kissing her for goodbye, her sad gaze lingering on her for just a few fleeting moments before finally walking through the door, never to be seen again.

Why had the pinkette even cared enough to save her from the madmen in the first place? They didn't know each other, Vi's brief questioning after her arrest being the only time the two of them had met as far as Caitlyn could remember. Vi wasn't stupid, far from it, even though she tried hiding her cunning behind her lecherous attitude and smug face, Caitlyn had seen the sparks of intelligence flickering inside the depths of the woman's beautiful blue eyes and Vi had acknowledged her with a small smile. No, Vi knew she would become a target of the prisoners' wrath if she so much as looked at her sympathetically but she had rescued her anyway. Why, oh cogs why had Vi stepped out there?

Her keen hearing detected gunshots and men rushing though the corridor. She heard a gasp and someone called for an ambulance and it wasn't long before someone stopped just outside the door.

"Sheriff? Are you in there?"

The voice was tired and uncertain, he wasn't really expecting an answer, he was just confirming her grim fate, but Caitlyn replied anyway already dreading the sight that would soon greet her eyes.

"I am here"

Her voice sounded only a bit broken and she felt proud of herself. The man outside sounded surprised to say the least.

"Can you open the door?"

"No, Vi .. one of the prisoners has the key. Can you spot her? Sturdy build, pink hair, she has a black tattoo under her left eye."

She held her breath waiting for his answer but her hopes were crashed the next instant.

"Sorry, Sheriff the only color I can see right now is red. " The man seemed to realize the effect of his words on the stunned brunette because he tried reassuring her the next second. "It's not as bad as it looks, maybe one of the medics took her away. Now please, step away from the door"

Caitlyn complied, she heard a drill and the sound of grinding metal and suddenly the door burst open revealing the PPD raiding squad. She stepped outside of the room and into the hallway and gasped. Nothing could ever prepare her for what she witnessed.

A sea of red, knives, teeth and unconscious inmates opened a path towards the exit. Blood stained most of the floor along with the walls and in some cases even the ceiling, the inmates seemed to be piled left and right moaning or twitching slightly while clenching their wounds. Caitlyn observed the battle's aftermath, desperately searching for any sign of Vi. There!

She run towards a kneeled woman with bloody pink bangs and grabbed her hands, pulling them away from her face only to reveal a pair of brown hate filled eyes and a broken nose spilling blood everywhere. Caitlyn released her, taking a step back in order to put some distance between herself and the injured prisoner. The woman tried following her, but she collapsed back on the floor the next instant, falling like a stone, her hands wrapped tightly around her injured stomach. She coughed violently a couple of times spilling even more sanguine flowers on the floor and then stayed still. Caitlyn glanced towards the police unit that positioned themselves around her, keeping a lookout. The man that opened the door met her gaze.

"We didn't do any of this, the scene was already like that when we arrived."

He replied to the unspoken question she hadn't even asked him yet. Caitlyn nodded, she started walking towards the exit examining the spilled blood and the "victims". Most of them, if not all were still alive she realized. Their attacker had delivered a series of blows to their heads and limbs, effectively knocking them out or severily limiting their fighting abilities until they couldn't even manage to get up. The blows seemed to be getting more and more brutal as she neared the exit.

Caitlyn spotted a man with two broken hands and a bloodied face crying like a babe. Alex Cogwheel, she remembered him, it had taken her more than 3 tranquilizing darts in order to arrest him for multiple murders and he had fought viciously even after that injuring one of her deputies while attempting to escape. His face was a bloody mess of crashed flesh and Caitlyn wouldn't have recognized him in his current state if not for his excessively tattooed head being covered in thick multicolored.. What else, cogwheels. She felt a chill run down her spine. What could have possible done that to a man?

She heard the raiding squad following her closely while conveying orders, the medics rushed past them, hurrying to attend to the injured prisoners, assistant drones hot on their trail. She reached the next hallway only to witness even more inmates littering the floor, grunting in pain, faces shoved in the ground. The white colored androids circled them frantically, scanning them and reporting their injuries to the medics accompanying them, some of the prisoners were led outside in stretchers.

A dark corridor drew the Sheriff's attention, she turned towards the darkness. The emergency lights suddenly flickered into life, bathing the hellish scene in even more scarlet hues. She started walking among the unconscious inmates, her legs seemed to have a will of their own as they navigated her out of the corridor and into a narrow passageway. There were no prisoners here, only red drag marks as if someone had tried dragging a corpse or attempted to crawl away, the lights were fewer too, most of them shattered and useless.

The Sheriff pressed on into the darkness, the warnings of her colleagues completely escaping her ears. She could see the bloodstains now and suddenly a foot. Caitlyn's eyes traveled upwards, from the shredded prison uniform to the bloodied t-shirt lying underneath it and the burned cigarette butt hanging from her bruised lips all the way to the Vi tattoo in her bloodied cheek and her motonless closed eyelids.

Caitlyn run, kneeling besides her, pressing her shaky fingertips on Vi's neck. She waited for just an agonizing second searching for the pinkette's pulse before turning to face the squad's captain, her expression urgent, face drained from colour.

"Get me a medic, now!"

So yeah, the worst chapter so far, I tried salvaging it but I feel like my attempts failed miserably. I think the basic idea was to have Vi's song control the flow and add small prompts after each verse but there were so many things I had to explain that crippled the pace, like: why isn't Vi just wiping the floor with them or why aren't they just shooting her and why did she had to call the cops and wouldn't just shut up and stay in the bathroom.

Vi's identity is another problem since the idea behind her existence was never really realized and I only remember bits and pieces. Add the League into all of this and the bizarre creatures that doesn't really work with the somewhat dark supernatural theme I had in mind at the time, like Ryze, Volibear or maybe even Soraka and if Soraka is a mage for example using mana to cast her spells, what are Vi's limitations and why isn't she going god mode all the time.

How much control Vi really has over her inner talents and what is the source of her powers, does she still use her gantlets in this universe and how can I bring Vi down a few inches to humans' lever so Caitlyn doesn't become a supporting character? Things like that are the reason I stopped bothering with this story long ago and I am still at a loss. So many damn questions. So yeah that's the end of my rant, another reason this chapter feels so lacking is that I had written another final stand scene earlier this week so my feels were spent. Check it out if you want, it is my favorite piece so far. It is called Blood for Noxus.

Disclaimer: The song used in this chapter is Vi's theme song and all rights are reserved to their rightful owners, I am not using the song to earn any profit.