Part Seven: HexDynamics

What did he mean by that? Of course, I'm really me! Who the hell else could I be?

"Are you going to start making sense anytime soon?" Jinx asked.

"No, you don't get it," he said. "You're you, like her, I mean – you're really here right now in front of me. That shouldn't be possible! How could this have even—"

She was holding her shock pistol pointed at him and her arms were getting tired. "Look, either you finally tell me what's going on or I'm going to—"

Suddenly, two circular headlights of an old, sputtering vehicle shone down the road. Jinx instinctively aimed Zapper at it and began charging it up, but the boy started to make a move towards her. She then shifted her aim at him instead, and then back at the approaching car, switching between the two.

"Wait!" he said. "Don't hurt anyone, just come with me!"

"Why should I?" Jinx said, charging up her pistol as the car came closer, honking its horn at them.

"Just trust me!" the boy yelled.

Jinx gritted her teeth and swore as she released the trigger and followed the boy off the street just in time to get out of the way of the truck that sped by.

She watched it drive off behind them, the driver yelling swear words out the window while he passed. She had a clear shot, of either of them, but instead she choked. I never choke, Jinx thought to herself. So why didn't I do it?

"Hey," said the boy. "You okay?"

Jinx got herself up and dusted herself off. "What do you care," she said quietly.

"It's cold, why don't we head inside and try and talk this out?"

Jinx looked at him. He seemed genuine. What a loser. She walked by him with a scoff. Folded her arms and they went inside.

The hextech canister still sat where she left it, glowing in the dark corner of the bedroom.

"Well," the boy said. "It's not much… I've never actually had guest before, especially not a…"

He looked back at her as she walked by to check on her weapons and Jinx caught his eye. "A what?"

The boy's eyes quickly darted down in a fluster. "Uh- nothing," he stuttered.

He watched as she paced along his room, eyeing down each and every detail of everything in there for the first time – things that he'd forgotten were even there. Sports trophies, unused musical instruments, family photos. Her eyes lingered on the last for the longest.

"You're a student, right?" she said. She'd eventually made her way all around him and plopped herself onto his bed.

"Yeah," the boy replied. "Senior year, why?"

Jinx shook her head. "Never went to school. Was never able to stay in one place for long."

"Oh," he said. "Doesn't that ever get… you know, lonely?" Jinx didn't answer. "I guess I'll sleep on the floor then," he said and went for the lights.

"You got a real name, Natie? Or is it just Natie?" Jinx said into the darkness as she laid back. Heard rustling on the floor next to the bed.

"My name is Nathan, if that's what you mean," he replied. "Only my mom calls me that, so please don't. It's embarrassing even when she does it."

"Those people here Natie," Jinx said anyway. "That's your family, right?"

He hesitated before answering, almost apprehensively. "Yeah, what about them? You have a family, don't you? Back in Piltover?"

A long pause before anyone spoke.

"No," Jinx said in a tone that contrasted darkly with everything else. "I don't have any family."

"Oh," he said. "What about you?" he asked. "Do you have an actual name, or is it just Jinx?"

She rolled over onto her side, gazing into the green canister beside the bed. Her eyes shifted to the family photo on his desk ahead of her. "Nope," she said. "Just Jinx."

A storm bellowing over the skies of Piltover threw rain torrential across the city in waves, and surged the ocean to a rage along its coast.

Droves of Enforcer search boats skipped along uneven waves below the eyes of Caitlyn as she stood on the peak of the bluff where the wanted fugitive was last seen, wind and rain rushing over her in a howl.

Footsteps approached behind her, splashing a mud puddle under soaked and grimy boots.

"The reports 'ave come in, sheriff," said the raspy accent of her recon captain.

Caitlyn turned around to face him. His thick moustache was furrowed and brow narrow, bordered by the navy-blue rain hood of his uniform as rain poured down its sides.

"And?" Caitlyn said.

"No sign of a body."

Caitlyn turned around fully now, and her hood dropped to her shoulders, revealing two brilliant blue eyes piercing into her colleague.

"Captain, you know as much as I that that's impossible. I watched her fall over this bluff with my own eyes. The entire Enforcer department watched her fall into those rocky rapids."

"There's plenty of unsavory beasts that lurk below, sheriff," he replied. "Maybe one of 'em had 'er for a snack."

"Even so," Caitlyn said. "There would still be a body, captain. Ripped clothing, fingernails – anything. People don't just disappear." Caitlyn rose her hood back over her head. "Tell your men to keep searching," she said walking past him. "Find me the second you find anything."

A dingey grey cloud ceiling covered every inch of the inner-city in pouring rain, and sent a white misty haze up the necks of the tall skyscrapers.

Her view from her office window was clouded by the fog which it made things much colder than Caitlyn liked outside, but at least it was warm in the precinct building. She sighed to herself as she grabbed the door handle. She had a council meeting to prepare for, and frankly didn't have much to show for it just yet. Opened the door, but stopped halfway once she saw who was inside.

"Vi?" she said. Her partner's waist was wrapped tightly in medical bandages, and her pair of Hextech Gauntlets rested dormant on the floor next to her. "What are you doing here?" And then she said more sternly. "You're injured! You should be resting in a hospital, not—"

"Shh! I'm thinking!"

Caitlyn closed the door behind her. "Did you just shush me?" she said.

Came a little closer and saw that Vi's concentration was held on a bulletin board covered in pictures and words with lines running across it in all directions, connecting various people and places related to the latest case involving Jinx. They all converged into a single point in the center.

"What is that?" Caitlyn asked, now intrigued. It was a photo of a small cylindrical canister with the logo of a research company stamped across it.

"Don't know," Vi replied. "But she had it on her when we fought. I don't know what it is, but it must be connected to whatever Jinx is planning next, I just know it."

"What?" Caitlyn asked, shaking her head. "Vi, Jinx is d—"

"DON'T say it!" Vi snapped, looking at Caitlyn with wide eyes. Caitlyn gasped and took a step back at her partner's aggression. "She can't be, not her. Look, I know her better than anyone. This is just one of her tricks, and she's got everyone fooled."

"How can you be sure? We both watched her fall off that cliff together." Caitlyn went to grasp Vi's hand. "Look, I know this is hard, she's your sister after all, I understand that, but you need to—"

Vi pulled her hand away and looked Caitlyn in the eyes. "No, you don't," Vi growled. "You don't know what it's like to have your only family look you in the face in fear just before you break them."

"Violet, that wasn't your fault. Jinx is dangerous, you did what you had to, and she did what she thought she had to. I offered her a way out but she chose her own way, like she always has."

Vi tightened her fist and shook her head. "No, you're wrong. This," she landed a finger on the picture in the middle. "This is the missing piece of the puzzle. We just need to find out what it is."

Caitlyn looked at the picture in her hand, and then up at the building before her. The logos were one in the same – HexDynamics Research Facility.

"This is the place," Vi said leading the way in through the front doors.

Inside was a relief from the rain, though she was rather surprised to find Professor Heimerdinger inside at the front desk conversing with a group of scientists.

The small fluffy yordle noticed the two at once and perked up once they entered.

"Ah! Officer Vi and the Kiramman Sheriff herself, what a lovely happening running into you two here! Though, I recall your duties require you to be elsewhere. Whatever brings you in this place of scientific discovery?"

"Professor Heimerdinger," Caitlyn said. "Good to see you as well, though our visit here is only case-related. I wouldn't be use for much else in a place like this, I'm afraid."

Caitlyn noticed the yordle's ears slumped slightly.

"We're looking for information, professor," Vi said and Caitlyn handed him the photo. "This thing was found on Jinx's person the night of the… event. We know it came from here, but not much more than that. We were hoping you could help shed some light on it."

Caitlyn kneeled down to be more eye level with him. "Please, professor, anything you know about this would be quite useful to our case."

Heimerdinger took the photo in his little hands and his ears slumped even lower as he looked at it with an expression of great concern.

"You look like you've seen this before," Vi said.

"Why, yes, I have," he replied with great doom in his voice. "Because I'm the one who made it."