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Chapter 34
On the Case
"I look ridiculous," an annoyed Jinx examines herself.
She tugs at the ribbon tied to the front of what looks like a school uniform from a popular, animated broadcast. Long, navy blue gloves match the thigh-high stockings, and star logos brand her shoes and shirt. The braids of her hair have been undone, let loose in long, wavy tails, and dyed a crimson red. Only the short-shorts remain her style of clothing, and a disarmed Fishbones hangs strapped to her back.
"Ugh! It's like a dragon ate a bunch of fairies, like that purple yordle's, then barfed all over me! Did you really have to make it sparkle so much!?" she complains, trying to wipe glitter off of her fingertips.
"Aww, somebody feewing upset?" Vi pinches her cheek in a patronizing tone, further rubbing it in.
"Right, then." Caitlyn clasps Jinx's hands in sturdy cuffs, "Off we go."
"Hey! I thought we had an understanding!"
"Too bad those weren't one of your conditions!" Vi pushes her toward their destination, "Let's go, Twinkletoes."
The group makes their way to the underground parking lot of the police station, footsteps echoing in the empty space. They approach a row of police hexcycles, two-wheeled vehicles of speed and narrow size, designed for the most heated pursuits.
"Ooh, ooh! I call the black and white one!" Jinx hops up and down, pointing ahead.
"They're all the same color…" Riven says flatly.
"I know; how boriiiing!" she reveals her point.
"You're riding with me, 'Super Mega Sparkle Master'!" Vi hops onto a cycle.
Jinx rolls her eyes, following with a reluctant grunt.
"You had better not try anything, or I might 'accidentally' mistake you for a speed bump," she warns the Loose Cannon.
"Time to pay a visit to a certain baron," Caitlyn says, boarding her own transportation.
"What? You mean the one that supposedly signed for all those 'repairs'? Do you know how easy it is to forge a signature? C'mon, Teabiscuit, I thought you were better than that," Jinx gives her a dull look.
"You're saying they would actually return to the scene of the crime?"
"Duuuh! I do it all the time! Well, what's left of them."
"If they are so smart as to avoid leaving all but one clue, and to use you as their dupe, why would they be so amateur as to make a mistake like that?"
"Because to them, you've already caught your suspect! Now all they have to do is finish what they started."
"With the invoice we obtained, we know these 'random' attacks were, in reality, not so random. What's the connection between them? What are they after?" Ephrial inquires.
"Well if I told you that, it would take all the fun out of this!"
"There's no time to be flatfooting around. Let's go," the Sheriff proceeds to take point.
"Buckle up!" Vi revs the engine.
"I think Top Hat here has enough belts on for all of us," Jinx comments on Caitlyn's attire.
Vi begins burning rubber, and Jinx jerks backwards with the sudden momentum. With safety far from ever being her concern, the manic girl finds joy in the rush, raising her cuffed hands as if on a ride at an amusement park.
The mercenary-knight approaches one of the hexcycles, swinging his leg over, and getting settled.
"Have you ever driven one of these before?" Riven asks, looking at the streamline form of a vehicle foreign to her.
"I suppose so. That would depend on your definition of 'drive', and how far back in time still counts. Though, how hard can it be to get back into it? It's like…riding a bike," lighthearted humor at work. "Have you?"
Riven warily boards the pinnacle of ground transportation in Piltover. "Not exactly," thinking back to Kirin and her Roadrunner.
"Riding has to be a little uneasy, always having your sword out like that. Have you ever thought about getting a sheathe for it?
"It's an ongoing endeavor."
"Here we go. Hang on!" Ephrial twists the handle, and the motor roars lively with power.
The ex-soldier grips her blade tightly, and slowly wraps her other arm around her partner to keep from falling off. She suddenly finds herself holding her breath, feeling almost embarrassed. Riven attempts to shake off the feeling, puzzled by it, and begins to focus on her objectives, as her training would have her do. A slight rise in temperature endures as they zip up the ramp, reaching the streets outside.
Their hair whips in the wind as they speed through the lit streets of Piltover. They pass underneath the glow of various signs, blinking neon colors in advertisement for business. Hextech vehicles of different sizes whirr past them as the two weave in between. A smooth ride seems to be going easy as the nightlife in the City of Progress is spaced out enough to avoid having to slow down. A transmitter clicks on the controls in front of Ephrial, with Caitlyn on the other side.
"The site is approximately twenty miles ahead. Stick to the road until you hit a forced left turn."
Tall buildings become parted in between smaller property spaces, allowing the group to see more of the starlit sky surrounding them. Ephrial looks up, spotting a large zeppelin hovering at low altitude, not very far off.
"Caitlyn, what's Piltover's regulation for airborne vehicles being close to the ground?"
"Unless it's a police matter, no aircraft is allowed to be less than seven hundred feet above, with the exception of landing zones. That zeppelin is in clear violation."
Sparks appear on the ground in front of Vi's cycle, causing her to swerve out of the path of the oncoming trail. "Whoa! Where did that come from!?"
Ephrial and Riven find themselves the next targets, as a stream of projectiles dances in their path. They dip out of the way, and resume avoiding a now panicking flow of traffic.
"It looks like they were expecting us," the mercenary-knight eyes a set of three bogeys above, reforming to their right.
Bearing no markings, these copter-like aircrafts resemble that of Corki's, only large enough for a human, and less clunky. The group finds themselves under fire in waves as these foes circle above, shining blinding spotlights down upon them.
"We might as well have put targets on our backs! No one's wearing a badge, but we're still on police cycles, speeding down the highway while ignoring every one of Teatime's precious traffic laws! They could spot us a mile away!" Jinx chimes in.
"Let's split up. I'll have a better shot if they are distracted," Piltover's Sheriff tells the others as she veers off to the left.
"Just save some for me! I need to lay the beatdown on somebody, big time!" Vi takes the next right, still frustrated about the current arrangement.
"You couldn't catch me without some help. What makes you think you can catch one of those things, Fathands!?" Jinx giggles.
"Oh, I'm not worried about it. I'll have a special punching bag at the ready, just in case!"
"It seems like we'll be taking the fun route, Riven. Hang tight!" Ephrial twists the handlebar to full-throttle.
The pair race ahead, holding the attention of one of the copters as the other two split for the rest. Bullets begin to rain down upon them, shooting out streetlights and automobiles caught in the crossfire. Vehicles collide into buildings and each other as they find themselves in danger, creating a chaotic road ahead of the travelers as they zoom through.
"I don't understand… They were getting away clean with Jinx taking the fall. Why would they reveal themselves like this?" Riven yells through the speeding wind.
"Perhaps they are on edge after we took down Slater. After messing around in a town under the jurisdiction of a legendary detective, they might have thought they had less time they had planned for. This is most likely their way of panicking." Ephrial responds.
"Still, it seems like a rather messy course of action to an otherwise organized operation."
"Messy usually means desperate. Desperate criminals usually mean we're on to something."
An explosion rings out in the distance, and a brief puff of orange light fills the night sky toward their left. The sound of metal combusting on collision echoes throughout the alleyways.
"Nice one!" Vi lets out.
"Lead them towards me. I am located two klicks West of your position, Vi," Caitlyn reaches through the radio.
"You got it!"
Riven and Ephrial spot the Zaunites speed across the distant intersection ahead of them, barreling towards the Sheriff as per instruction. They follow suit, and pull into the next left, narrowly diving in between a large delivery truck and honking civilian vehicles. The pursuing aircraft is forced to increase altitude, flying above them, just out of range of fire.
Before the two can reach the end of the street, the enemy descends into the clearing ahead, letting out a barrage of bullets from a three-barreled minigun of hextech design.
The Blazing Swordsman quickly draws his weapon, leaning the bike towards the right, while plunging the fiery blade into the asphalt. Sparks and flames flicker and fly as metal grinds against rock, slowing the forward momentum and sharply shifting the position of the hexcycle. Smoking rubber streaks a black trail behind, violently kicking up the loose bits of ground as they skid onward. The two manage to barely avoid the high caliber rounds, making an abrupt turn into the dark alley adjacent to them. Another blast echoes in the distance, somewhere ahead.
"Boom! Headshot!" Vi cheers.
"Two down, one to go. What's your location, Ephrial?"
"Headed your way."
"There's a locked gate ahead!" Riven points out in front.
"Not for long."
Leaning backwards, the mercenary-knight pops the front wheel of the hexbike off the ground, using it as a battering ram. The rusty lock gives way, and the fence bashes wide open. A slight squeal lets out as the tire meets the ground again, and the pair exit the detour.
They find themselves in an open area, next to the park where the zeppelin hangs low. Trees and grass fill their surroundings, and a narrow road is all that guides them. A sound of air being rapidly chopped emerges behind them, and a spotlight fixes on top of their location.
"I can't give you more of a clear shot than this," the mercenary-knight weaves between streams of lethal projectiles, the ground being torn away all around them.
"Almost…" the Sheriff calculates her mark.
A deafening blast, and a heavy shockwave erupts from behind. The aircraft dissolves into flaming pieces of debris, showering down like fireworks.
"Coooool!" Jinx comments over the broadcast.
"Just what kind of ammunition are you packing, Cait?" Vi says in surprise.
"That was not me…"
A faint blast comes from their side, and like an echo, an explosion responds out in front of the Noxians. The assault nearly knocks them off their ride, and the two turn their attention toward the source of the artillery.
The zeppelin shifts its course along their own, and puffs of smoke appear off the side of it. Fire showers down upon them, crashing into the park in a series of blasts. A peaceful reserve finds itself the home of new, smoldering craters with each passing second.
"Geez, Cait! Take that thing down already!" the Enforcer watches from afar.
"It's out of my range!" looking through her scope.
"Wait, what's it doing now?!"
The onslaught of heavy weaponry ceases, and the aircraft alternates its track.
"It's…setting itself on a collision course with Arvino manor!?"
Ephrial shifts his gaze, confirming Caitlyn's observation. "Was that their intention the whole time…?"
With a sense of urgency, the mercenary cuts through the grass, winding around trees and benches. Pushing the hexcycle to its limits, he gets ahead of the accelerating blimp.
"What are you doing?" Riven braces herself again.
"It's probably best if I don't tell you right away."
"Ephrial…!" equal parts concerned and angry at his knack for dangerously improvised plans, even for Noxian standards.
"Things are going to get even bumpier, so get ready!"
The bold mercenary-knight wheelies the cycle into the large doors of a skyscraper. Taken by an unprecedented surprise, the people inside shout and dive out of the way. The engine's roar echoes inside the walls of a polished establishment as the pair navigate their way toward the stairs. Wide tires make it easy to climb the flights as they quickly race up to one of the highest floors.
"Ephrial, I lost visual of you! What's your position!?" Caitlyn cracks on the radio.
"About…four-hundred feet up, and counting."
"What…?"
"You'll see soon."
Several additional flights up, and Ephrial grinds the bike to a halt at the edge of a long hallway. At the other end is a very large, decorative window, and a moving shadow begins approaching just below, blotting out the lights from the park and street.
"All right, it's your turn to drive!" Ephrial dismounts, and swaps places with Riven.
"What!? What are you—!?"
"Teaching you how to ride one of these things," taking her sword, and setting it off to the side, against a wall.
"Right now!? This isn't—!"
"Look, it's easy," guiding her hands to the handlebars. "Twist this handle back to go, and squeeze these levers to stop. I'm actually going to need you to concentrate mostly on this brake more than the other. Nearly flipping the bike is kind of necessary for this."
"You want me to flip the bike!?"
"Nearly flip it over. I'd rather not die by vehicular manslaughter."
"It sounds like that's exactly what you're asking for!"
"Okay, here we go. I need you to go full-speed ahead, and stop just before the window."
"I-I…!" struggling to comprehend his plan, as well as the sudden instructions of the hexbike in the middle of an intense situation.
"It's alright, Riven. You've got this," shifting himself, and planting his boots on the seat. "I trust you."
Those last three words ring in her ears for a moment, almost pausing time itself. While he has already demonstrated his confidence in her on previous occasion, there is value in hearing it said directly, especially the first time. If there remains only a single, solitary soul that would believe in her, even after everything she has done, who is she to refuse him?
The Exile takes a deep breath, and re-opens her eyes with steady Noxian confidence. "Here we go."
Ornate carpeting finds itself shredding underneath the spinning tire of the rear wheel, and skid marks imprint heavily on the furnished wood. The hexcycle blazes forward on a straight path, toward a fragile portal leading to death by gravity. With a loud shriek, the brakes on the front wheel vice it from spinning, and the vehicle screeches as it slips forward, lurching over itself.
Using the propulsion of the thrust as a catapult, Ephrial leaps off, shielding his face as he crashes through the window. Shimmering bits of glass cascade down below as he approaches his landing. His body flies across the gap between the zeppelin and certain death, brave resolve tempting the very fate that chases him.
The mercenary-knight bounces and rolls off the inflated surface of the airship's envelope. He manages to grab a rope on one of the ridged lines of the craft's frame, preventing himself from rolling off the other side.
"Heh, I know what you're thinking, Sheriff," feeling her scope's sights on him as he gets on his feet. "What's that vigilante up to? Something stupid? Dangerous, perhaps?" drawing his fervent blade. "A little of column A, a little of column B."
He sprints forward, slashing the balloon at his feet with every step. Air begins to spew out from the small slices, causing them to tear open further, and feed the burning flames that start to eat away at the material. Almost immediately, the zeppelin begins to tilt downward, twisting off course, and steadily losing altitude at an accelerated rate.
As the swordsman reaches the nose of the blimp, he dissects a sizable portion of the metal fin in his path, carrying it with him. A flashing blade severs a rope tied to the frame of the deflating aircraft. He slides himself off the edge, sheathing his sword, and grasps the loose end. Ephrial swings below, dangling under the gondola, where the passengers of the zeppelin look on.
The ground approaches swiftly, and he tosses the carved metal downward, catching it between his feet and the grass below. Holding fast to the binding, he finds himself surfing along the park, being towed by a giant, burning fireball. Releasing the rope, he brands his blade again, plunging it into the ground behind himself in order to slow down.
A flaming balloon speeds ahead of him, taking an awkward dive into a clearing. With a thunderous explosion, the night air ignites a bright orange with flames and flying embers scattering into oblivion. The devastating blast is backed by what can only be explosive devices onboard, causing an inferno like a comet's aftermath.
Ephrial sees the wing of the eruption ahead, and twists his blade as it carves through the ground, using it as a rudder in an attempt to steer away. For a brief moment, he disappears into the burning cloud, shooting out of the other side, tumbling as the metal under his feet flips over. Having decelerated enough, his plunge is far from lethal, and he skids to the foot of a very large, prestigious dwelling.
"You really do know how to make an appearance, don't you?" a familiar voice speaks above him.
Ephrial picks himself from off the ground, and looks at the top of the finely-chiseled stairs out in front. A young woman stands there, with the company of dozens of private security guards rushing to the scene. Clearly a person of heavy influence, her flowing locks of red hair and adorned white dress announce her as nobility.
"Sophia…?"