It was later that day when Vi left the TPA headquarters. The sun headed towards the west and slowly disappeared, painting Piltover in golden colours and the stars slowly taking his place. The PROJECT left the huge building behind with mixed feelings. She wanted to be happy about this development of events but on the other hand she went through a guilt trip because Vi knew this wouldn't last long, despite her best efforts. This was all fake, in the sense that Caitlyn wasn't aware where Vi's loyalty laid. Vi felt bad for dragging her into all this, knowing very well that they were doomed to be enemies in the end. This wouldn't end well, she just knew it. However, she was obliged to go along with it, otherwise her cover would be blown.

Not that Vi didn't reciprocate Caitlyn's feelings, no. But Vi liked to call herself a realist, and realistically speaking, they could have never worked, despite what the agent said. Not only because of how they were destined to be in opposing groups but also because of what Vi had chosen to be. It just wasn't meant to be from the beginning. Vi was well ware of that but this didn't make it any less painful.

However, she had more responsibilities except for playing double agent. For so long she only had to take care of herself and herself only. Now that Jinx was alive, everything was different. That's where she was headed now. She always knew where to find them, despite the fact that they changed hiding places very often for safety reasons. She had demanded this. Irelia hadn't been too happy about it but Vayne had stepped in and promised to send her every time their new location so Vi could go and see her sister.

The most surprising thing about Jinx was that she hadn't changed that much, as long as Vi could recall. She was always way too excited and energetic but she could turn psycho in a blink of the eye. At first, she had been suspicious of Vi but as time passed, Jinx had been more fond of spending time with a sister that she couldn't remember. She hadn't been shocked to find out that her former enemy was, in fact, her sister; she was mostly endlessly intrigued but that didn't erase her cautiousness. Although she always enjoyed the stories Vi narrated when they were younger and free - even if she couldn't remember any of the stories the older sister told her. Jinx thought this was fun. And it was also an odd way to keep her at check. Vi wasn't entirely sure how Irelia had managed to do it for so long but only because of that she gave the other PROJECT some extra credit.

"If you want to protect people so badly, explain your sister."

Pyke's voice ringed in her head every once in a while. Vi realized that he had a point but she couldn't hold Jinx accountable for everything she did, at least not always. Being the way she was, Jinx wasn't able to control it, not even now. Vi wasn't sure if Pyke was any different than her sister but she knew perfectly well that he was way more dangerous.

Until Vi arrived at the hiding place - an old basement - the sun had set and everything was dark, which allowed her to access the place easier. Her appearance wasn't much to a surprise to anyone when she showed up. Vi shut the door carefully behind her and the room was shallowed by darkness once again. There was Akali at her usual corner, playing around with one of her knives, Jinx sat at a pile of old, dirty mattresses swinging her legs, Vayne on the floor looking broody as always and Fiora next to her, laying her back on the wall, arms acrossed. Something was missing.

"Where's Irelia?" Vi asked.

"Went out. Didn't say where," Akali responded, not bothering looking at her.

"I swear she's trying to get as caught the way she's acting so carelessly." Vayne huffed.

"Sounds like someone else I know," Fiora snickered, winning a glare from the Night Hunter. In Vi's eyes, they were the most paradox duo to exist, but deeply she was glad Vayne had gotten herself a friend that could tolerate her bullshit.

"I'm pretty sure she had a really good reason to risk her head like that." Vi shrugged. Ultimately, that was the least of her concerns. She approached Jinx, who regarded her curiously, like she was some sort of interesting species that needed to be explored and fully documented. "Hello, Jinx," she greeted her. "How are you today?"

"I'm bored out of my mind!" the younger sister complained. "I wish we could go out and blow some things up!"

"Of course you do." Vi chuckled, shaking her head.

"The day before yesterday was fun though," Jinx admitted. "So I guess there's no room for complaining!"

Vi smiled. "That's the spirit! Since you're bored, would you like to hear a story?"

"Yes!" Jinx exclaimed in excitement. "But please, a new story, not the old ones."

"Fine. Just give me a second to think," said Vi before climbing up next to Jinx. The truth was she had narrated most part of their childhood. She needed to find a more exclusive memory of them, something a little bit more special.

"Alright, I think I got something," said Vi after a while. "We were fairly young - perhaps nine and seven respectively - and per usual, I was looking for trouble." She chuckled. "Well, not really, but I needed to find some money in order to secure that day's food supplies. I targeted one of the chemic lords, hoping that he had enough money on him. However, it had been stupid to try and rob one of them but I wasn't aware of that - yet. When I approached him to mug him, I got reckless and he caught me. In Zaun there's no such thing as police and justice, at least not how it is developed in Piltover. He would have killed me on spot just to prove a point if it hadn't been for you." Vi smiled. "You appeared out of nowhere, stole his money and ran away. He was so surprised! It gave me the opportunity to escape myself and ran after you. We had dinner three days straight because of you!"

"Wow!" Jinx swang her legs harder. "This is such a cool story!"

"I don't understand one thing," Akali interfered, which wasn't really her usual thing to do. "What about your parents? Couldn't they feed you?"

Vi shook her head. "We're orphans. I can't recall them even if I'm the eldest. As long as I remember us, it had always been just me and Jinx."

"Oh..."

"What brought you in Piltover then?" Vayne asked out of nowhere.

"That's a long story." Vi sighed.

"We've got a lot of time to spare," the hunter deadpanned.

"I'd rather not talk about it…"

"Come on!" Jinx pleaded. "Pretty please?"

"Fine!" Vi retreated. "But just a warning, it's definitely not a happy story." Maybe it was for the best if Jinx knew what had happened. Perhaps it would help her remember, perhaps it wouldn't. But she ought to know. "There is absolutely no way you can survive in Zaun on your own. Everyone knows that. In order to keep myself and my sister alive, I joined one of the hundreds of gangs that exist and basically rule the city. They took us in, fed us. In return, we had to work for them. I made a deal with them to leave Jinx out of it. I didn't want a nine year old participating in gang activities."

"But you didn't have a problem with an eleven year old robbing and killing," Fiora commented.

"Sacrifices needed to be made and Jinx didn't need to make any if I had a say in it," Vi responded. "Although, they found another way of utilizing her anyways. While I worked out on the fields, Jinx designed new weapons for them, more efficient than the ones they used. She doesn't look like it but she is a prodigy and a genius. Our boss was very pleased with both of us. And somehow we survived."

»I was glad Jinx was doing something she enjoyed, away for the monstrosities I saw every day on the street. But I was wrong. I'm not entirely sure what she saw in the gang's lab but it changed her forever and I wasn't even there to realize it," Vi's voice was filled with regret. "I assume they made chemical tests on humans and the results were probably ugly. I doubt they tested anything on her but she saw everything. That made her slowly drift away - until one day she snapped. The gang leader, he was highly impressed. Meanwhile, I was highly concerned. But he didn't listen to me. He wanted to use Jinx as a weapon to terrorize other gangs and get to the top."

»I didn't like it. I knew Jinx needed professional help that couldn't be found in Zaun. However, we couldn't just leave the gang. Eventually though, the right opportunity arose."

»We've planned a big robbery in a mine, just outside Zaun. However, things didn't get according to plan. Our plan ended up trapping the miners inside, left them to die a miserable death just because a bunch of gangsters decided to rob them that day. I could have ran away with my gang but I stayed behind. I don't know, I just couldn't leave those miners to die." Vi shook her head. "I don't know what exactly happened to me then. I usually wouldn't think twice about something like that. This time was different though. Maybe because the miners were completely innocent? I have no clue, perhaps I'll never know."

»There was plenty of unused mining machinery around the place. I picked some of it and improvised. That's when my first gauntlets were born." Vi smiled fondly at the memory before her smile turned into a frown again. "Once I got all the miners out, the realization hit me; we had to leave Zaun as soon as possible. I was a traitor and Jinx was probably going to pay the price for my betrayal. I had two choices; either leave immediately for Piltover or get back to get her. It was extremely dangerous, but I chose the second. I returned back to what we called "home" - just an aparentment in a block of flats that belonged to our leader - and announced to her that we were leaving, ordering her to pack a few stuff. We were gone in less than an hour. I didn't tell her what happened until we reached Piltover."

»That period must have been the hardest of our lives. I couldn't get a stable job and there were days that we had to live through stealing again. We lived in the streets for a really long time but it was certainly better than the gang life. At least we were free now. A year and a half later, I managed to get into the police academy and two years later I finally had gotten myself a job. We found a place to stay and I got Jinx the professional help she needed."

"But in the meantime, what did you do? I'm sure she wasn't always… calm." Akali asked.

"I had to restrict her myself." Vi shook her head. "It hasn't always been easy. But after starting taking medication, she improved a lot. Less incidents, more opportunities for her to live her life. Until the "accident". She forgot to take her pills and I was all day at work so I hadn't been there with her. The rest is history."

Vi ended their story with a heavy heart. This was the very first time she had ever shared it with anyone. Jinx was quiet besides her, which was unusual on its own. Maybe she realized that Vi hadn't been lying when she had said that it wouldn't be a happy story. They had been repeatedly hit by life, one moment after another, never getting a break. Even now they were trapped into a situation they never asked for.

"Then, if Jinx is alive, who did you bury, Vi?" Fiora asked quietly.

"Like hell if I knew!" Vi growled. "A replica, probably. If what Ezreal saw is even remotely true, PROJECT Inc. is a master at cloning. I wouldn't be surprised."

"That's just revolting." Fiora grimaced.

"Revolting is just one word to describe it," Vayne commented, shaking her head.

"I don't get it," Akali piped in again. This was the first time Vi ever saw her invested in any kind of conversation. "The company faked your sister's death. Why did you become a PROJECT?"

Vi chuckled. "That's a story Vayne should tell us."

The hunter rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever. I was keeping an eye out for Jhin. I knew he was up to something. Then I found out about the ATLA gauntlets, the ones Vi is currently wearing." Vayne pointed at the brawler. "It was a secret project from a scientist working for PROJECT Inc. However, he didn't want them to know about it, apparently. But sooner or later they found out about it so they sent Jhin to recover the gauntlets for the company. Then they were going to approach Vi. They would make her like us and I wasn't going to just let it happen."

»The plan was to eliminate Jhin and steal the gauntlets, perhaps destroy them. But I miscalculated. The gauntlets were stored in a storage so I went there before Jhin arrived and waited. But it was that night when Vi decided to show up."

Vi shrugged. "There were some reports for mysterious activity in the area so I had to check it up."

"This was the worst timing ever. I tried to scare Vi off but instead she tried to arrest me." Vayne continued. "What was it for? Oh, yes. "Unauthorized equipment" if I recall correctly."

Vi chuckled. "Oh, yes. I really did that."

"Yes, you really thought you could handcuff me." Vayne smirked but then the smile disappeared from her lips. "Then Jhin appeared. It was time for his "performance". I wish I could claim I gave him what he deserved but… At least, the whole incident helped me find a solution to the whole gauntlet issue. Upon seeing Vi fight, I reconsidered. There was no point in destroying the ATLA gauntlets since the PROJECT corporation could easily retrieve the blueprints and just rebuild them. So I advised Vi to take them - which she did."

"So let me get this straight," said Akali. "Vi took the gauntlets and she went PROJECT just like that? No augmentation involved whatsoever?"

"No, but that's exactly what made it even more dangerous. And painful." Vi winced. "At least I had my memories intact so that's something. I also almost lost my job. Was it worth it? Perhaps. Only time will tell that."

Akali remained silent for a bit, eyeing Vi carefully, attempting to understand her way of thinking. "You had already been through so many difficulties in your life yet you chose to be a part of this. I… it just doesn't make any sense to me."

"The thing is, we're just a part of this world. If each of us don't put the minimum effort to protect it, then it's over," said Vi.

"You're so different Vi. I wish I could understand."

"Why not?" Vi inquired, jumping off the mattress. "Why can't you? You and I, we aren't any different. We're just victims of a greatest conspiracy that made us look at ourselves as nothing but mere machines and monsters. At the end of the day, we're just humans."

"Humans? Us?" Akali asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Akali." Vi nodded. "Trust me, I used to think exactly like you do. I believed that I worthed nothing else but be treated like a piece of trash. But I met some people that made me feel part of something, I saw Vayne warming up to someone, that someone being someone she hated, as paradox as it sounded. When I saw Jinx alive, I felt a pain that I thought I would never be able to feel. And I just knew that I wasn't just a machine." She offered a hand to Jinx who took it and helped her down. "She might not remember me but she knows deeply in her heart, we both do, that we have a bond stronger than anything else out there. Am I right, Jinx?" Vi looked over at her hopefully.

This was one of the rare times that Jinx looked completely serious. "Yes," she deadpanned. "It doesn't matter if I don't have any recollection of Vi, it doesn't change the fact that she's my sister. They can destroy our bodies and build them up again from the very beginning but that fact will never change. No one will ever be able to control a human soul."

Vi's heart warmed. This wasn't just Jinx agreeing with her. It was an action that showed that her sister trusted her.

"The moment you stop seeing yourself as a machine, the moment you'll understand," Vi added.

"Just think about it. Even Pyke is driven by sentiment. Machines don't feel but we do."

Akali was at a loss of words. She blinked. She looked down at her very own hands.

"I don't expect you to understand straight away. Just think about it, okay?" Vi advised. "I should go. It's getting really late."

"Be careful out there," Jinx said.

"I always am." Vi waved before leaving the basement.

Silence fell upon them. This was the impact of Vi's words. The only reason why she was different was because she had figured it out. The truth of their nature. So simple yet so difficult to wrap one's mind around it.

"You should rest," Vayne broke the silence as she stood up. "I'll keep watch."

Akali nodded. This was the first time saw her so confused. The assassin had always been determined, no doubts involved. She didn't blame her though. Even if she didn't show it, she found herself in the exact same position. Jinx jumped up on the mattresses and laid down, facing the ceiling. Vayne couldn't even imagine what she was feeling. Meanwhile, Fiora remained sat down next to her, stretching her legs on the floor while laying her back on the wall. She closed her eyes. She seemed so peaceful to Vayne, almost like with no other care in the world.

"Why are you still here?" Vayne kept wondering. She couldn't understand it. Vi's little speech had shed some light on her inquiry. Fiora was there by choice. The real question was what had led her to make such a choice. Only thing Vayne did was constantly put her in danger, insult her and get on the dueler's nerves with her stubbornness. So why? Vi hadn't been wrong when she claimed that Vayne had warmed up to Fiora - another thing she couldn't quite understand - and the hunter didn't want anything to happen to Fiora because of her, not in a million years. As much as she hated to admit it, Fiora belonged with Ashe and G/NETIC, not stuck with her in a dark basement.

Hours passed. Irelia didn't show up. Vayne started getting worried, wondering if she had indeed get captured and now they were just awaiting for their doom in the dark. Perhaps they should look for her but this was dangerous on its own. She shook her head. Irelia wasn't that stupid nor easy to catch. And if something had occurred, she would have at least tried to notify them. Before she could realize it, Vayne slipped down on the floor next to a sleeping Fiora. She looked at her sleeping form, the questions from before coming back at her. Fiora's head fell sleeplessly to the side, resting on Vayne's shoulder. She didn't push her away.

Maybe Vi was right. Right now there were many things she couldn't understand but one day she probably would. But maybe she didn't need to because there were some things that didn't need any explanation. Vayne moved closer to Fiora. Her life was in turmoil but right now she was at peace.

A/N: This is more of a filler chapter, not much development here. I'm sorry that you have to wait longer for something better in terms of plot line, I'll try to deliver soon since I've decided to put more effort to this story. Till next time, take care!