A/N: Hello bbs! Hope you enjoy! Next week I'm going to be taking a break from writing because it will be Thanksgiving weekend and I will most likely be in my home town not able to work on this. So I hope you guys don't mind. Anyways, enjoy the chapter. Please leave reviews and let me know what you think.

She is unmoving.

Her eyes flick to the terrified scientists as they work around her. Her lips curl into something demonic as she feels the first hit of it roll through her bloodstream.

She had no clue as to what It was, but she would take it for her country.

Viktor approaches her from the side. His amber eyes follow the ivs and bags of fluids, calculating how much of the rune magic had went through her. The liquid is a sludge that drips slowly from the bag. It mingles with the saline to be a more viscous substance. He gives an appreciative nod.

Most scream by now.

Her muscles are taut as her body reacts to it. Her teeth are gritted, but she dares not make a sound. It feels like fire as it travels through her veins. She finds it hard to breath, but she does not pant.

She will call upon her strength and she will conquer.

She will be the future leader of a powerful nation.

She would make her father's crooked lips turn up in pride.

And when he does, she will kill him.

(Two weeks later)

Ezreal slaps the map down in front of Caitlyn. He plops himself into one of the many chairs in front of her desk and places his muddy boots on the oak wood. She casts a dark glare to the young man, who grins sheepishly and removes his boots.

"What am I looking at, Ezreal?" She asks. Stress is lined through her voice. She runs her finger-less gloves through her raven black locks as her icy eyes follow the borders and carefully scratched marks of ink in the yellowed parchment. Her eyes trace paths of some unfamiliar city with hard to pronounce street names.

There had been so much criminal activity that just popped back in Piltover. A new gang that escaped the murky lower city had stomped their proverbial foot into one of the unstable territories, wreaking havoc among the innocent citizens.

Caitlyn had just returned from a shoot out with the gang. One of her officers were killed and Vi had been clipped in the calf. After she had made sure that her brawler was ok, she had to rush over to HQ, and gave out the press release after she had contacted the fallen officer's family. She had all done this within a span of three hours and she hadn't even had a lunch break yet. Now the mayor wants her to orchestrate a mission.

By the void, if she could survive the Jinx attacks, she could survive this.

Ezreal splays a toothy grin onto his thin pale lips. His blonde hair is in a disarray held back by a pair of googles. He leans close and points a finger to the map.

"That, is your key to getting into Zaun undetected." He wiggles his eyebrows. "And that," He points to another area of the map. "Is where Viktor's rumored lab is located."

Caitlyn looks up to Ezreal's cocky grin.

"My gods, Ez. Thank you." Her eyes scan the surface of the map with more attention.

Suddenly the office door is burst open. Low and behold the Piltover Enforcer limps into the office practically steaming from the ears. She grabs Ezreal by the collar of his leather jacket. Her violet eyes glaring into his steely blue hues.

"Ya son of a bitch." She growls. "You come here and visit her, but not me? I get that you just got back from Shurima, but your old buddy, who I might add has saved yer keister from the hexblades many moons ago, is shot and in a stupid hospital bed, and ya don't come to visit her." She twists his head to her hip and wraps her muscular arms around his neck. She places her fist on top of Ezreal's scalp and nuggies the young man, who squirms helplessly in the stronger woman's grasp.

"Aw come on, Vi" Ezreal grits his teeth as he finally slips out of Vi's iron like grip. He starts to fix his messy hair and sweeps his goggles back onto the top of his head. He is frowning heavily, as he glares daggers at the pinkette.

Vi limps over to Caitlyn and plants a kiss on the top of her hair.

"What can I do to help, Cupcake?" She asks extending her calloused hands toward her partner.

Caitlyn practically sighs in relief as she hands a load of paperwork and damage reports to Vi. She can see the twist of disgust run through Vi's face, but she grits her teeth and takes the stack without any verbal complaints. Vi playfully shoves Ezreal out of the way as she hobbles her way to her desk. She gets to work instantaneously with her chicken scratch scrawl.

Usually, Caitlyn is a perfectionist with her elegant cursive, but she will take Vi's help and hold back the impending annoyance that makes her slight eyebrow twitch.

"Anyways, if you need any other help getting there or back, just let me know." Ezreal says as he straightens out his jacket and wipes invisible dust off of his front. "I have to head to the university for a bit. I'll be there if you need me."

Caitlyn nods. "Of course, Ezreal. Thank you again. You have really helped me out here. I am in your debt."

Ezreal scoffs. "Nah, sheriff. Don't even mention it." He wipes his tan cheek. "Alright, well I'll leave you ladies to get to work. Catch you later, Vi. We'll have to get a couple of drinks before I go to Demacia."

"Hell yeah, I'd love that man. Let me know when and we'll set it up." Vi grins wolfishly. "You owe me after you lost that bet."

Ezreal chuckles."Yeah, yeah. See you later then." Ezreal then turns to exit, but comes face to face with Abbigail and Dakota. The two tall girls both raise an eyebrow to the young explorer. He eyes Dakota with squinted curiosity. He then turns his head to Caitlyn then back to Dakota, seeing the similarities. He opens his mouth, but the glare that Caitlyn shoots him closes it instantly. He nods and reminds himself to ask later. He pushes past the two soldiers and leaves the premise.

Abbigail scoffs and strides over to where Dakota sits herself at the oak desk and Abbigail follows suit.

"You are twenty minutes early." Caitlyn says as she writes notes on a parchment as she regards the Zaunite map.

"I hear you have a mission for us?" Abbigail asks, tilting her chin up.

Dakota rolls her eyes. "She's been antsy all day. Please excuse us, Sheriff" Dakota crosses her arms over her chest as she sends a sideways glare to Abbigail.

Abbigail raises a warning eyebrow to Dakota.

Caitlyn pinches the bridge of her nose.

Adapt, She thinks to herself.

"I have asked you two to here in regards of the up coming mission." She says sternly. "I have gotten to know you each individually and as a group. I find your synergy and teamwork are impeccable."

"But you don't think we are ready for this kind of work?" Abbigail interprets snarkily.

Caitlyn raises an eyebrow. "I did not say that, Abbigail. If you let me finis-"

"Look sheriff, we've been on plenty of missions. If you don't think we aren't capable, put us against your best SWAT team and I bet we could take them out in seconds." She interrupts.

"Abbie, that's enough." Dakota growls a warning, squaring her shoulders to the feisty red head. "Let her finish before you go ripping heads off for nothing."

"Thank you, master corporal." Caitlyn watches as Abbie stews in anger. " I wanted to know if there was something you needed from me as your superior, to help you get through this mission with no bumps a long the way. Is there something that I can make more accessible to you?"

Abbie's simmering anger subsides and a blush of embarrassment flushes on to her tan and speckled cheeks.

"Usually our briefings give us enough information for us to work on. As long as we know where we are going and we have enough intel to know that we can use our skills to get in and get out, then we are fine. Our deployments and extractions have usually been through train rails, but I myself find it super risky. Maybe if we could get trained on the use of military issued hexmobiles it could help us get there quicker and get out in tight situations." Dakota answers within a heartbeat.

Caitlyn nods thoughtfully. She intently writes down bits of what Dakota says. "I can get that for you. I will get all of you trained in defensive driving by the end of this week."

Dakota smiles widely. "Joy rides, Joy rides everywhere."

Caitlyn frowns.

"Revoked permits, revoked permits everywhere."

(1 week later)

The man is whimpering.

Pathetic.

"Noxian General?" She sneers. "Impossible. You are a sniveling coward."

He's a large man with toned muscles. Battle scars line his pale skin along his back, chest and arms. His hand had been swiped off cleanly by her blade. He clutches it to his chest. His wide brown eyes widen as she approaches closer.

"Tell me, Diedirich." She grabs him by his unkempt beard, making the bear of a man yelp. "What made you think you were stronger then my father?"

A puddle of piss, pools at his bare feet.

Good.

He should be scared.

The girl is a force no longer human. He watches the rune magic glow under her skin. The runes are a sickly neon green that shine from her arms, shoulders and face. A demonic grin is spread through her thin lips. Her lavender hair is let loose and it hangs in front of her face. Her emerald eyes glow even brighter with the rune magic. Her short sword gleams with the green runes that mark her ancestry. Her pale hand glides over the sharpness of the blade, wiping the small stream of blood off the edge.

She launches a fist to his face making him stumble back and fall against the grimy stone wall. The smell of mold and moisture enter into her nostrils. She takes the hilt of her sword against his gut making him double over. Her knee comes up and it connects with his jaw.

"You can't even fight." She spits in his face. Tears of fear and pain fall to his cheeks.

She takes a step back. A menacing side smile dances on her lips. She takes a quick sweep with her blade to his stomach. His entrails fall to the musty stone floor.

Horror and shock fall upon his eyes, as he looks to the girl in terror. With another swipe his arm comes off. She reaches for his hair, grabbing the matted mop of light brown. She takes the tip of the blade and presses it against the Adam's apple at his neck, letting a small trickle of blood roll off the small indent.

She watches as his eyes glisten over. She shakes his head, banging it against the wall. "Stay awake." She scolds playfully. "You won't get to see the fun part if you die now."

He whimpers, a pleading look entering into his glassy eyes.

She takes a small step back and with a small twirl she cleaves his ribs and cuts the man in half.

As his upper half falls, she takes a quick swipe to his head, making it bounce and roll to the entrance of the stone dungeon. She cocks her head to the side as his blood pools around her.

She snorts and turns on her heels. She faces the wall and goes to her knees. She drops the rune blade behind her. She clasps her fingers behind her head and awaits for Viktor's acolytes to gather her, and detail her on the scientific results of how she treated the experiment.

A heavy metal door shrieks like a thousand banshees. They approach her quickly. Metal clasps onto her wrists as they bring her hands behind her back. They pull her up to a stand.

As they turn her, she is face to face with Viktor.

"I say it's a success, what do you think, professor?" She sneers through her bared teeth.

A robotic chuckle erupts from his throat.

"In a sense, Illya. You still have room for some improvement, but I feel that the next dose, may be the last. You have progressed quickly. After this treatment, we can begin your evolution."

A sickening feeling goes to her gut. Why couldn't she stay the way she was?

She wanted to be put on the fields so she could turn the Demacians into sniveling children, begging for their mothers.

She gives a chortle of disapproval.

"No," Her eyes glow toward the professor. "I am finished with experiments. Let me lead the hordes. Noxus will finally win this drawn out war once and for all. I will end the Lightshield dynasty myself." She snarls.

Viktor looks warily at the girl.

"That is not what we had planned." He says finally.

"I don't care about the plan, Viktor. I have a nation to lead. Release me this instant." Her voice is laced with venom and rage. The rune magic begins to course through her body with fiery hot pain. "Or I will break these restraints."

"Enough, Illya. You will do as I say." His robotic tone is stern. "We continue tomorrow."

Her eyes lock with Viktor's. He turns on his heels and begins to exit.

"Viktor!" Her roar is deafening. "Release me now. This is your final warning!"

He freezes at the door his third arm inspecting the craftsmanship of the rusted iron. "Chain her to the wall. If she believes childish temper tantrums will get her anywhere, then she shall be treated as one."

She feels her power growing with a grunt she tries to break the manacles. Her eyebrows furrow in concentration as they bring her to the wall and chain her arms above her head.

"Stop trying." Viktor's voice is close to a whisper, as he stands at the entrance of the dungeon's cell. "I have designed them for you. Something is always bound to happen with your experiments. I thought you would have been better then that." He sounds so disappointed. "Hopefully your behavior turns for the better. I will see you in two days time. I suggest you reflect on your attitude."

The door's squeals drown out Illya's fight against the chains. Alarms wail along the compound, alerting of intruders in the laboratory.

Illya flails against the chains with desperation.

"VIKTOR!"

(Minutes before)

Five pairs of eyes watch from below. Their faces are painted to match the shadows of the smoggy cityscape. They rise to a crouch as they duck past a guard on the rooftop. Elric is leading, with his drawn shield and sword. Dakota comes up behind him and vaults over his shoulder. She releases her tomahawk and it flies to the unsuspecting guard, digging into the base of his skull. The guard falls to his knees. Dakota sprints forward, dislodging the tomahawk and dragged the body into the shadows. She peers over the side of the rooftop stairwell to see if there were more guards.

Her hands signal for her unit to move forward.

They push against the door frame. Matais does quick work, letting his magic break the lock to the door. Dakota throws a hextech bug down the stairs to detect any enemy presence, with a high pitch whistle it signals the all clear. They sneak down the stairway, with Elric and Dakota taking point. With whistled communications, the bug analyzes each floor. Her low whistles instructing it to guide them using it's making and GPS systems. It whirs and clicks as it gathers it's bearings guiding them down the multiple flights of stairs downward. It takes them to a final landing, it clacks and whistles as it tries to go past the door that holds as an obstacle.

The smell of moisture and mold hit her nose as soon as she opens the door. It looked like a dungeon with cells and stalactites dripping cave water to the stone floor. With a low hum from Dakota's throat the bug produces a light and flies forward. Metal doors with heavy padlocks keep the doors locked to the outside.

They continue down the long cell way to a final open space where chemicals burn and bubble.

"Where is everyone?" Abbie asks, her voice sharp in the soft ambiance of the boiling liquids.

"Probably busy doing something else. Let's be quick, gather the information and let's go." Elric hisses as he saunters over to a pile of documents. Dakota follows behind grabbing files and documents, recipes and experiment folders, anything she can get her hands on, with Elric's approval.

They freeze as the notice a body covered over with a clear drape. Dakota and Elric cut their eyes to each other as they approach the body carefully.

"What in the void?" Elric asks in disgust as they see machines pumping in a black sludge into the body's chest. They pull back the drape to see the half missing face. The chest is sewn back together, with pumps pushed into the chest cavity. There are broken ribs that threaten to break through the pale skin.

Dakota swallows down the bile that rises to her mouth.

"Ugh, no wonder it smells terrible down here." Alex comments. He leans in to get a better look. " They have been dead for a long time though. Maybe everybody left."

"On the contrary." The robotic voice sends a shiver down all of their spines. Dakota is quick to turn on her heels. The Machine Herald, Viktor, stands at his full height. In his left hand he holds a great staff. His right hand is behind his back as he stands with his feet shoulder length apart. His third arm rolls it's metal knuckles and joints with inhuman ease. "None have left, they only arrive." His voice echoes along the walls of the laboratory.

Dakota is quick to react as she sends out a wolf whistle. The hextech bug whirs forward and flies into Viktor's face, exploding in a great flash of white. Abbie launches herself at the machine herald and throws him against a side wall, giving an easy access to escape. The rest follow as the sprint forward.

They push passed the cells and break down the door to the stairwell. Alarms blare and flashing red lights bounce off the walls. Dakota leads the charge forward keeping her movements fast and agile as she takes the steps two at a time. Her axes are held tightly in her grip. She looks behind her to see Abbie and Elric fending off from behind as they fight up the stairway.

"Go! Go! Go!" Alex yells as he pushes Dakota forward.

Dakota bursts to the rooftop door She readies her axes and waits for her comrades to burst through that door. Alex is first, followed by Matais, then Abbie. Elric is last as he fights off an attacker. Dakota launches forward, coming from the side and digging her axe into the follower's side, making an inhuman screech echo through the night sky. She ducks as it tries to claw at her. Elric slams his shield to the follower's front making it stumble back. With fast reflexes, Dakota lodges her axe into the front of the follower's skull, cracking the metal mask covering it's face. Black blood oozed from the axe wound. The follower fell lifelessly to it's knees.

Elric grabbed Dakota by the back of her shirt and threw her toward Abbie as another follower came screaming toward them.

Dakota regained her footing as she slammed into Abbie.

Her eyes widened as she watched as one of the followers wrapped a rope around Elric's neck, pulling him down with inhuman strength.

"Elric!" Her scream was blood curdling. His sapphire eyes caught hers.

"Get out of here!" He yelled as he struggled against the oncoming flow of the followers.

Dakota readied her axes and tried to sprint forward. Abbie tackled her down before she could take any steps forward. "ELRIC!"

"Dakota we need to leave!" Abbie's voice screamed into her ears. Abbie pulled Dakota up and hefted the girl on her shoulders and leaped to an adjacent rooftop, leaving Elric behind.

"Let me go!" She struggled against the stronger girl. Dakota felt Abbie's grip go tighter around Dakota's limbs. "ELRIC!"

"Shut up, Dakota!" Abbie yelled back back, leaping to another clay topped roof.

"You left him! You left him out there to die!"

Abbie leaped to another rooftop trailing behind Matais and Alex.

"I said to shut your gods damned mouth, Dakota!"

Dakota bit into Abbie's neck, making the older girl roar and toss Dakota off of her shoulder toward Matais.

"For the love of Valoran, knock her out or something, before I skin her alive." Abbie warned, pointing a finger to Matais who raised a questioning eyebrow at Abbie. "Come on, they'll be on our tail any minute now, I can't have her screaming throughout Zaun, getting us caught!"

Matais shrugged.

Dakota rose to her feet and tried to move forward, but Abbie's staff came into contact with her stomach making Dakota double over.

"I'm sorry, Dakota." Matais mumbled as he pulled Dakota's head back, making her icy eyes go to the smoggy skies. He pressed his thumb into the middle of her forehead. Dakota's vision faded slowly into blackness. Her knees connected to the clay shingles. She felt strong arms capture her before she could tumble down to the streets below.

Her final thoughts before she was lost to unconsciousness, was of Elric's sapphire eyes pleading for them to run.