"Drop the gun!"
The proclamation shatters the tender moment Jinx is having with her father. She can tell just from the voice it's that woman. You'd think an enforcer would know basic etiquette, but maybe the top siders don't teach manners these days.
Jinx turns slowly, her pistol hanging loosely in her left hand. Some people always stick their nose where it doesn't belong, and this girl in particular seems to be a glutton for punishment. Jinx is more than happy to oblige.
"Caitlynnnnnn," Mylo whispers into her right ear.
Claggor giggles into her left, "We'll never forget her name." Jinx clenches her hand over the pistol trigger and silently begs them to shut up. She exhales and wills herself to focus, her eyes flicking down to the broken rope and shattered glass at her feet. Her mind drifts back to her reunion with Vi, which was honestly just a few days prior. The day she not only found Vi but also met that woman and learned of a new type of anger, jealousy.
Her eyes flick up to lock with the ex-enforcer's. The girl is breathing heavily, watching her to try and predict her next move. It would be so easy to kill her, one twitch of the wrist and…
"No. Please." Vi can clearly see her mapping out her movements and her voice comes out as a plea, accompanied with a shake of her head and eyes filled with sadness.
Jinx wishes that sadness was for her. But it's not, that ship has sailed. She scoffs at the request but seconds later removes her finger from the trigger. It's hard to say why she does it, maybe even after all the betrayal, she still doesn't want to see her sister cry.
Her head falls as she looks at the gun, barely holding onto it at all now. She could drop it, and the two of them could leave, it would be over in a blink of an eye. They could run just like they did after the bombing on the bridge.
She still remembers the hug, that woman had her arms so tight around Vi's neck Jinx thought she was going to strangle her. It was just a goodbye hug after all, nothing more, nothing less. No one believes that, not even Jinx herself. It certainly didn't dull the pain stabbing through her heart at that time. The chin touch Vi gave Caitlyn after was like three more daggers slicing her clean in half. Jinx could practically feel Vi's soft fingers on her own face, seeing that go to someone else, well she couldn't handle it.
Her eyes come back up and focus, though no one has moved. Caitlyn's breathing has calmed down, her eyes narrowed and burning with determination. It mirrors Vi's own usual expression, and for a moment everything is still and quiet.
A voice that Jinx has heard a thousand times but can't recognize whispers, "It's time to leave them."
This is enough to push her into action. She raises her gun smoothly, confident she can finish things in one shot. She's unsurprised that Caitlyn starts shooting as well, starting on the ground between them and making her way up. She won't make it in time, they never do.
"No! Stop!" Vi yells at both of them this time, desperation seeping into her tone.
Much to Jinx's surprise, she raises the pistol straight towards the ceiling, not firing a single shot. Caitlyn stops as well, just inches from the dirt by Jinx's feet. Jinx shivers, why didn't she shoot? This problem could go away so easily, then she and Vi would be together again, just the two of them.
"Drop the gun." Caitlyn demands, hoisting the weapon like she's going to resume shooting. Jinx's arms come down slowly and she draws in a shaky breath. Is this really how she's going to die? By actually listening for once? How can that make sense… Caitlyn adjusts the gun one final time and squeezes down to start the rotating barrel.
"Wait! She's my sister." Vi twists in her chair to address her girlfriend, well Jinx thinks of them as girlfriends anyway.
Hearing the word sister out of Vi's mouth brings back a rush of warmth, a memory of happier times. That's right, back when she was Powder and everything didn't have to be so darn difficult. Back then, they could just exist and be happy. Jinx wishes she could go back.
"Vi, she's too far gone." Caitlyn isn't convinced and isn't going to drop her weapon; her words bring Jinx back to the present.
Honestly, that's fine with Jinx at this point. She also agrees, she definitely is too far gone. That line's been crossed ages ago. She lets out a light chuckle and steps left towards the table, placing the gun gingerly on an open spot. Her hands come up in a defensive stance and she wonders if this ex-enforcer really has the guts to shoot her.
Jinx thinks back to when she kidnapped Caitlyn. The girl was yelling in the shower then, angry and hurt. She shed tears in frustration and cried for Vi. Hearing her call for her sister like that, well it was too much for Jinx to handle. Remembering it again now causes a bit of bile to rise into her throat, which she swallows back down as she stares into the barrel of her own machine gun.
As expected, Caitlin doesn't have what it takes. If left to her they'll stand there forever, and Jinx simply doesn't have time for that. Jinx smiles maniacally and giggles, this'll be fun. It takes two seconds for her to win. One to leap forward and grab her gun, the second to punch that woman's lights out. Boy it feels good, better than she even expected. She even gives a satisfying yelp as she falls to the ground, a much better sound than her crying.
Jinx turns the machine gun on her, pointing the barrel straight at her pretty face.
In all honestly, Jinx can't easily explain what happens next. Her father tells her to finish her off, while Vi starts yelling for her to wake up. The two of them bounce around in her head like a giant bowling ball, threatening to rip her apart. Physically she's still standing, but her insides are reeling from the weight, like any minute she'll be pulled to the ground. Names from her past are everywhere, their faces appearing in the air above her. Mylo, Cragger, Vander… so many regrets, she's not ready to face them.
She hears a gun cock from behind her and that sound roots her in reality. There's only one person behind her, which means Vi is in danger. Jinx responds with what she knows best, quick and severe violence. She spins around and squeezes the trigger, launching bullets every which way. It's only once she releases the gun that she realizes what she's done.
Suddenly it's ten years ago and she's in that alley with Vi, wanting to be praised for helping. But just like then, everything's gone wrong. The machine gun clatters to her feet as she runs over to Silco's side, all of her anger draining from her body.
She stammers out apology after apology to his bleeding body and feels little solace as he admits he would never turn her in. Then he's gone and she can't stop her tears from falling. This is all her fault. She only allows herself a few moments to cry, clutching his lifeless body to her own.
"Wooow you really messed up." Cragger is back to antagonize her. Mylo chimes in, he always has to give his opinion, "yeah, you're such a jinx."
Jinx ignores them and wills her tears to stop. She rises to her feet once her eyes have dried, emptiness and loss gnawing at her heart. There's still work to be done. She returns to the table with the pistol in hand, eyes down.
"Powder?" Vi calls to her, but Jinx doesn't recognize that name anymore. Vi keeps going regardless. "It's okay, we'll be okay." She tries to sound re-assuring, but the words ring hollow in Jinx's ears.
Jinx turns to the chair in front of her and rotates it with the gun. The bright letters 'JINX' are painted onto the top, which is perfect for her. She pauses for a moment, letting the events of the evening wash over her. This is the chair for her, right? After so much debate, she just can't see herself any other way, she really is a jinx. She breathes in one more time before turning to sit down, legs splayed out and arms draped over the back.
Things can never go back to the way they were, she knows it, and Vi should know it too. "I thought maybe you could love me like you used to. Even though I'm… different." Her head falls, eyes once again finding Caitlyn. The girl is still unconscious, and Jinx hopes she can't hear their conversation. Even though Jinx's taken her anger out on Caitlyn, she knows it isn't really her fault. No…
"But you changed too. So, here's to the new us." Jinx stands up and moves towards the exit, picking up her machine gun and the crystal as she goes. She sees the look of anguish on her sister's face but chooses to ignore it, pushes down the pain threatening to bubble to the surface.
She steps over Caitlyn as she goes, fighting the urge to step on her throat. This girl, who hasn't worked nearly as hard as she has, somehow has everything she's craved for the last ten years. She scoffs at the irony and keeps walking.
She fires the rocket that night and fulfills her duty, feeling no sorrow or joy as her missile flies true towards its target.