How can you stay so strong? How do you handle this?

There was no denial. Vi couldn't help making those thoughts as she stared up at Caitlyn, who was standing in front of the entire Police Department of Piltover, speaking with a voice that betrayed no turmoil, no stress, only determination which was radiating miles away, straight over the police officers. All gathered in the amphitheatre, they listened to their superior with respect and awe, holding back their breathes. Even Vi was taken aback by Caitlyn's strength. After all, didn't she loose her mother to those Black Rose bastard? Didn't she cry her eyes out in her arms that faithful night?

But she couldn't afford to show weakness in front of her men. What sort of boss would she be if she did? She needed to be inspiring and trustworthy, and that's exactly what she was trying to do. Her piercing blue eyes eyed each of her officers carefully as she spoke, and occasionally she would stop on Vi for more time than necessary, only a few seconds more. Everyone was so hypnotized by her speech that didn't notice, however.

"We are going through difficult times" Caitlyn concluded "Now that innocent citizens' lives are at stake, the city is crying out for us. Piltover needs us more than ever before. With that said, I'm officially announcing my plans for increasing security around the city. As it comes to the center..."

She went on, explaining briefly her orders while she motioned at the locations she mentioned it on the huge hexetech map of Piltover that was standing right next to her. The amount of officers on the streets was doubled, even in the most isolated places in Piltover. The city was slowing becoming a fort. A new investigation elite team was established to investigate over Mr Fitzwilliam's mysterious disappearance and the Black Rose attacks.

Shit's getting real, Vi thought.

"I must warn you" Caitlyn made a small pause "Whoever is threatening our city to turn it into a ghost city won't hesitate to kill, torture and turn you into monsters that can service their purposes. C isn't trying to mock anymore. He's trying to gain power and he won't hesitate to take lives if it comes to that. Be careful of who you trust. C has infiltrated the Town Hall and there's no doubt he's going to test your faith. But always remember what your duty is and who you are"

Caitlyn gave a quick look over her audience and her eyes stopped on Vi, who returned the look.

"Thank you for your patience. You're all dismissed"

As if the phrase on its own freed them off their paralysis, the police officers bursted into clapping and cheering, most of them standing up. Vi was one of them. Encouragement and faith was all the Sherrif of Piltover needed and deserved. Her eyes never left Caitlyn's as she cheered for her alongside her colleagues. She could swear she saw an imperceptible smile appearing on the sherrif's lips, but it could be just part of her wide fantasy.

It felt good being back in the fields, back in the action. Now with the support of the entire department, their investigations would become ten times easier. Vi was glad she was back in the game officially and openly, but she was still concerned about Caitlyn. She had took the huge decision to reveal her father's dissapearance, which would inevitably cause the public to panic again, if they hadn't already. Despite knowing the consequences, Caitlyn didn't keep it back. It would be revealed sooner or later anyways.

So right now, Vi was on patrol with several of her colleagues. Caitlyn for some odd reason had assighned her to do so instead of helping out with the investigation, and she couldn't really wrap her finger around it. Didn't she think she was a capable of being a decent investigator? No way. She had proven herself a lot of times in the past few months. Then what? Why was she here patrolling?

Maybe she wants to protect you from any more harm by the Black Rose, a small voice on the back of her head whispered, irritating the pink-head enforcer. Vi huffed in annoyance. She was already too deep into this shit to withdraw now. Besides, she didn't need anyone's protection. It was her duty to protect the sherrif, not vai-versa. Stupid Cupcake.

"Are you alright officer Vi?" a female voice brought her down to reality from the world of thought. Vi snapped her head towards officer Hawkeye. Her blonde hair hid her face from Vi, she could tell she was frowning though.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine" Vi waved her off "Don't stress yourself over it. Better keep an eye on the road"

Hawkeye didn't respond, instead she tapped her fingers on the wheel of the police vehicle. Vi could feel she was about to make a lecture about concentration, but the enforcer wasn't having any of it, not in front of another two officers who were on the back seats. Now it was her time to concentrate, and she wouldn't let a certain brunette to occupy her mind while she was on patrol again.

"Vehicle 11, can you hear us?" a rusty voice came through the radio, breaking through the awkward silence that had occupied the vehicle for a while now. Vi wasn't really friends with anyone she was assigned with, maybe an acquaintance with Hawkeye, but the blonde wasn't the type who spoke too many words, only when it was absolutely necessary. Relieved, Vi picked it up.

"Vehicle 11 here, what's your emergency?" Vi said through the radio.

"Officer Vi, the sheriff has requested your presence on dock D as soon as possible" said the same officer through the other side of the line.

"You got it" Vi responded "You heard what he said" she added, addressing to Hawkeye. The blonde officer nodded and accelerated.

Barely fifteen minutes later, the police car pulled over on dock D, right next to a building that served as a storage. The entire area was secured by the police force, with officers and vehicles guardianing all over the place and not allowing curius and noisy citizens to come any closer than necessary. It was rare that so many police officers participated in an investigation, Vi noted silently. Caitlyn wasn't messing around anymore.

As soon as Hawkeye stopped the car, Vi exited the vehicle, leaving her colleagues behind and rushing to find the sherrif. No one tried to prevent her from entering the storage, and soon she was in the middle of a much bigger operation. The storage was full with cargo waiting to be loaded into the next ship which was currently being examined by police investigators. In the middle of all this stood no other than the Sherrif of Piltover, surrounded by officers that gave her reports of the newest foundings. Vi approached, ignoring the looks she was given by some officers that hadn't acknowledged her presence earlier and they were wondering what the heck she was doing here instead of patrolling the streets as she was ordered. The moment she stopped outside the circle that surrounded Caitlyn, the sheriff met her eyes, and with a simple nod she dismissed the remaining of them.

"I came as soon as I could. What's the matter?" Vi said once she made soon no one was close enough to hear them.

"Follow my lead" Caitlyn motioned at her to follow. Raising a questioning brow, the enforcer followed her superior down on the other side of the storage which was less crowded than the rest.

"It seems like someone was being held captive here" the brunette suddenly spoke, stopping in front of a wall that was covered in blood. Two metallic manacles were hanging lazily, empty of their pray. Vi almost gasped aloud.

"Do you think...?"

"I'm almost positive it was my father who was held here" Caitlyn finished before Vi could express her question "The building was about to explode when we arrived here, meaning that he was moved out quite recently and they were trying to cover their tracks. Unfortunately for them, we were faster"

"All this time, he was right under our nose" Vi growled "I don't believe it! Who knows if we'll find another lead of him again!"

"Actually, we do have a lead and that's exactly why I called you here" Caitlyn turned to face her. Her eyes glistered and Vi's heart skipped a beat. If only they were alone...

"A van was spotted evacuating the area no longer than a couple of hours ago. I need you to track it down"

"Yes ma'am"

This formal shit was so pointless, but Vi knew better, especially in a place full with people that could overhear their conversation. A van, huh? They wouldn't have gone far without being noticed, the pinkette thought. It would be easy to locate it. As she was proceeding the new information, her phone rang, informing her for the newest notifications. She picked it up to see Caitlyn transferring data from her own device to hers.

"This is the van, along with anything else you may need, license plate, footage from street cameras etc. If you come up with something new or something happens, let me know immediately" Caitlyn explained, emphasizing the last word, giving a warning to Vi not to act hero in case of an emergency. Vi, on the other hand, nodded nonetheless, pressing her lips into a thin line.

"Take Hawkeye with you and anyone else you want. The more the merrier" the brunette in front her said "And... Be careful" the last part was barely above a whisper, but it was audible. Vi could make out the concern through Caitlyn's eyes as she spoke sincerely, which made her smirk.

"Sure thing Cupcake" she winked at her before she turned to leave, not being stupid enough to stay and listen to the sherrif's reprimand, the last thing she needed.

"A'right guys, we got a mission!" she announced once she reached Hawkeye's car, who was waiting for her outside. She raised a blonde brow at her and the other two officers who were with them shared a look.

"Get in the damned car and I'll tell you what is it about. Let's get moving!"

"So, we're tracking down the van that supposedly moved Harrold Fitzwilliam from that storage in the port" Hawkeye concluded when Vi finished her small story.

"Well, duh. Thanks for the summary" Vi grinned as she used a wire to connect her phone with the car's small computer system. Soon, the data she was given were all transferred successfully and a picture of the van was presented on the screen.

"So, that's the van we're looking for?" a man from the behind seats asked.

"Yeah" Vi confirmed "Now, let's see what way it went..."

She pressed a couple of buttons on the screen and then the footage from the street cameras was shown to them. All of them, except Hawkeye who was busy driving, were watching the videos carefully, trying to understand were the van was heading to.

"It seems like it's heading somewhere north" the other police officer pointed.

"You heard him. Off to the north we go!" Vi exclaimed and Hawkeye sighed as she took the next turn.

"Now, let's see if they stopped somewhere..."

The van, after taking a crazy course through the city, stopped in an empty parking lot. In the distance, figures could be seen moving but they weren't clear enough to identify them. One of them was certainly Harrold though, since he was the only one to be tied up, or so it seemed.

"Do you know where this is, Hawkeye?" Vi asked their driver.

Officer Hawkeye shook her head no "Open the GPS, perhaps we can locate it there"

With two taps, a map with their current location showed up on the screen. Vi zoomed out and searched for any open spaces on the northern Piltover.

"Goddammit" she cursed "There are so many parking lots up there. How can we know which one is the correct one?"

"We guess and we try. I mean, we got nothing to loose" the officer on the back seat shrugged.

"Guess you're right McKee" Vi sighed "Lead the way, Hawkeye"

They spent at least half and hour looking for the correct parking lot, but they weren't so lucky to find it with the first strike. They passed by several parking lots, none of which were the right one. Until, after the fourth try, they got it right.

"This is it" McKee pointed as they approached the parking lot "Look, there's the van too!"

"Pull over somewhere" Vi ordered to Hawkeye. So, here was their prey, but Vi was still conscious about it. The Black Rose seemed to be eager to destroy any evidence they left behind, so why leave the van? Except if it was a trap, which was more like it and Vi wasn't willing to put those officers' lives at risk. She had to investigate this alone, no matter the danger.

The car finally stopped exactly opposite the lot. Everyone remained silent, staring out at the white van that stood there, as if mocking them to go over.

"I'm going out. You guys stay here" Vi spoke finally and opened the door to go outside.

"Are you out of your mind?" Hawkeye shouted at her "You're not going out there alone!"

"If you value your lives and your families, you do as I say" Vi hissed back at her "Stay in the car, and if something happens call for back up. Don't hesitate to leave me behind"

"But..."

"No but's" Vi cut her off, shutting the door behind her. She crossed the street in a low jog, then entered the parking lot. Strangely enough, there weren't any other cars parked there except the van, which made Vi even more suspicious. With slight hesitation, she approached the van that was standing proudly in the middle of the lot, calling for the enforcer to come closer, to touch it. Vi's heart was racing inside her chest as she moved closer and closer to the vehicle. From on moment to the other, she could be blown into pieces along with any evidence left in the van.

But nothing happened.

Vi was a breath away from the white van, yet nothing happened. She let out a sigh of relief but the danger wasn't really gone. If she would try to open it, it could explode then. But she had to take the risk, didn't she?

"Scared?" a voice inquired, making Vi jump. The figure move slowly in front of her as he emerged from behind the ban. It seemed he had been hiding there all along, waiting for Vi to arrive. His dark skin was one characteristic that stood out, but it wasn't only that. A white cross across his face marching his white hair but he was barely over eighteen years old.

"The only thing I'm scared of is being lost in the oblivion of time" said Vi, not loosing her cool.

"What do you know about time?"

Vi huffed "Just say what the fuck you want Ekko"