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Chapter 38
Rush Hour
"Ephrial! …Ephrial…!" the Exile shouts at a fizzling communication device.
"It's no use. We're out of range," Vi speeds up the incline of a devastated street, her sparkle-clad prisoner in tow.
Spotting a few straggler COPS ahead, a mechanical hand stretches outward, and tears off half of a lopsided streetlamp. In a swift drive-by, she navigates next to them, sweeping the pole through their heads, and leaves behind three decommissioned chassis sputtering to the ground.
"Yeah! Get some!"
Riven makes a quick swerve to avoid running over the aftermath, still acclimating to the operation of a hexcycle. "How much further until we get there?"
"I don't know if you've noticed, Tough Girl, but the commute ain't exactly the best right n—Whoa!"
Upon summiting the top of the sloping avenue, the Enforcer pulls on the brakes, denting the handlebars in the process as she stops herself from lurching over her vehicle. The silver-haired Exile follows suit, turning the bike on its side to counter her momentum. She skids forward across the pavement, grinding to a screeching halt, and they both look onward at the jarring sight below them.
A distracted parolee slides forward into the seat, slamming into the officer. "Hey! Don't you know how to drive this thing!?" rubbing her face in pain. She leans over Vi's shoulder, and becomes taken by the view ahead. "Oooooohhh!"
The view before them stretches over a vast set of streets and overpasses, winding into a network of transport. Being rerouted by the collapsed building has taken them up the peak of Skywind, an inventor district primarily involved in aeronautic advancements and study. The breezy, uphill part of town overlooks a large portion of the ravaged city. A sleepless Piltover stirs in a war for survival, and the clockwork pace of life within its borders becomes clogged with chaos.
"Oh…my gosh… IT'S BEAUTIFUL!" Jinx cackles. "I mean, yeah, it could use a few more missiles, BUT THIS IS SO COOOOOL!" an outbreak of excitement piques.
"Shut up!" a vexed enforcer calls back, only slightly turning her head, unable to tear her eyes from the devastation.
"This is…" the ambient explosions and screams bring the war veteran back to her days as a soldier in Ionia.
"A perfect time for photos!" a cheerful voice lets out, whimsically spinning around in her seat. An overly-happy Zaunite stretches out a blocky camera, pointing it directly at herself and her staggered rival. "Okay, now smile and say 'bullets'! No, wait! Make one of your lame, angry faces. You know, the ones where you're all like 'GRRRR'!"
Vi turns around, teeth gritting with a strained temper.
"That's the one!" A red, sparkling menace shoots the device a ridiculous, loony face. With a brilliant flash, the lightbulb on the camera crackles, and the small gears, both inside and outside the gadget, begin whirring with motion.
"Gah!" recoiling from the unexpected blast of light. "Where the heck did you get that thing!?" a glare between the mechanical digits of her gauntlet.
Jinx gives a poor imitation of innocence. "…Whaaaat? It's not like he was using it anymore!" rolling her eyes. "Ooh! I'm totally going to use this one for this year's Snowdown cards!" grabbing the freshly printed snapshot of the two, a crumbling City of Progress filling the background. "Now let's get a group shot!"
Before she can prime up another take, Vi crushes the hextech device in her hand, letting the pieces crumble and fall between her fingers.
"HEEEY! Okay, fine…! You're off the Snowdown card list!" crossing her arms as much as her binds allow, pouting angrily.
She reaches a hand to simulate her disarmed Fishbones, "Why can't you two just get along?"
"Is that our destination?" Riven interrupts, pointing at the large tower at the far extent of their vision.
A cluster of spotlights scour the skies for aerial threats behind a large perimeter of flashing red and blue. Between the trio and the resisting barricade of Piltover's bravest lies a congested set of city roads, teeming with gunfire and impasses of ruination. At the end of the labyrinth of devastated modernization, a bridge stretches across the massively wide river that serves as a waning power source to most of the city-state.
"Looks like Cait was right. They're still holding out, but they won't last long separated from the station's armory," Vi surmises that the defensive line is operating with a very limited supply of resources.
"How are we going to cross this mess in time?"
The Enforcer looks off to the right, spotting a track that winds over the city, between the taller buildings. "We take the highway!"
"Alright! Road trip!" an excited menace can't wait to get a closer view of the mayhem.
"Shouldn't you be wearing a helmet?" Fishbones chimes back in.
"You know I can replace you, right?" shooting the mechanical shark a dirty look.
Vi turns the handle, and the engine roars with life. The party of maverick women speeds down the turning slope that directs into the meandering roads ahead. Abandoned and overturned vehicles litter their path, the redolence of smoke, oil, and burnt circuitry floats thickly in the air. A blockade of Piltover's heavy police cruisers comes into view, and a row of guns point in their direction. The unlikely officer turns the flashing lights of her hexcycle on, becoming a red and blue blur.
Recognizing the reckless antics of their pink-haired comrade, the squad lowers their weapons with a sigh of relief—a normally worrisome sight, now welcomed amidst a dire situation. They let the two cycles zip past them, taking cover from the blast of wind as they whip by.
Ahead, more officers stand in the street, guiding a slow-moving crowd of steam-powered cars into the highway incline, doing their best to keep order among the anxious people waiting their turn to evacuate. Vi switches the sirens on, making their presence and intent clear as they show no signs of slowing down. A moment's hesitation, and they take the hint, quickly diving out of the way.
Piltover's Enforcer leans back, pulling the front wheel off the ground, and leads the charge. Using a fellow officer's vehicle as a ramp, she leaves a crushed mess as she launches into the air. The rear tire demolishes the speed limit sign as she makes a landing onto the service road reserved for maintenance. Startled civilians watch from the bumper-to-bumper standstill as the trio roars along the empty street beside them.
"I'm surprised, Tough Girl. I thought you would have fallen behind a long time ago…or crashed into a pole by now," Vi glances behind her.
"I'm not going anywhere," the Exile responds, coldly.
"We'll see how long you can keep that attitude up. This is just the easy part!"
Riven pulls her way next to the other two, sharing the width of the lane created to accommodate much larger vehicles built for construction.
"We may have a smooth ride for now, but we'll be taking an early exit up ahead."
Piltover's network of highways are quite literally high above the ground, established to allow their dense and ever-growing population and technology to traverse the city while keeping traffic at a smooth, clockwork pace. Clever and innovative usage of structural shapes and archways support the overpassing roads while simultaneously providing bridges for pedestrians to safely cross over many of the lower streets. Some even stretch directly from building to building, without returning to ground-level.
The sound of propellers hacking through the air approaches from behind. Before they know it, bullets rain down as two drones sweep diagonally across the road in front of them. A few vehicles explode ahead, and panic ensues. Piltover's civilians begin abandoning their automobiles and break into mad dashes through the narrow paths betwixt rear-view mirrors and open doors. Officers draw their weapons and take cover, readying themselves against a follow-up attack.
Vi shields her face with a hextech-clad arm as she bolts through the protruding tongues of flames that scorch from the wreckage. "They're trying to cut off the exit!"
No stranger to cruel and effective tactics, the ex-soldier finishes the Enforcer's grave thoughts. "No one here will have a chance to survive."
Ahead, they see the pair of aircrafts making a wide turn in the air, setting themselves on a course to run a devastating barrage down the length of the crowded highway. As a criminal turned officer, Vi's heart sinks into the pit of her stomach. She had been used before, once masterfully hacking through security measures for those that acted as her family. She never realized how many people she had been guilty of helping others hurt…or the pain she, herself, had caused. It wasn't until it fell on her own shoulders, abandoned by her former gang, that she was forced to realize the impact of her deeds, and faced with a choice.
Now, the city she has come to call 'home' is falling to ruin before her very eyes. Her second chance, her new life, is under attack. Worst of all, it's at the hands of those built to protect the same people she swore an oath to—the very technology that flows through her own arsenal powers the pulls of each trigger on a civilian.
She closes her eyes, finding herself in the black corner of her mind, surrounded by nothing but darkness. Emerging from the shadows, the blue uniforms of Piltover's finest surround her in cold, red stares. The emotionless killing automations remind her of herself…what she could have become. They were the inverse of her own identity. COPS turned criminal, emotionless and machine. Relentlessly, the glinting of their badges reflects the red light of their optics, mocking her into a dizziness inside of her own thoughts. The Enforcer lowers her head, looking at her own mechanical hands. She opens her eyes back up to the same sight, snapping out of a flash of cold sweat. An oversized fist clenches, once built for construction, now for demolishing crime.
"No…not in my city!" revving up the engine to the max.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?! We don't have anything to take those things out!" Jinx, finding even Vi unpredictable in her current state.
"Aw, what's wrong, Twinkletoes? Afraid of a lil' fireworks?" a taunting tone with a big grin.
The length of the traffic jam full of terrified people begins stretching into a blur with the greatly increased speed. The very humming of the motor begins to wobble as the frequency pitches higher with the acceleration.
Ahead, a little girl wanders and weaves between the legs of a fleeing crowd. Her eyes rapidly sift through the panicking motions of choas, and in a small clearing in front of her, she spots what she had lost in the havoc. Ignoring the calls of a distraught mother behind her, the miniature Piltie tunnels her vision onward. She travels as fast as her little steps can take her and drops to her knees, retrieving the doll, and proceeds to wipe the dirt off of it.
The mother finally spots her daughter in the middle of the street, innocent and completely oblivious to the fast-approaching aerial threat. She tries to fight against the current of retreating people, stumbling between bumping shoulders and a growing hopelessness.
Vi lowers her body over the cycle, reducing air resistance, and keeps her eyes wide-open through the fierce wind. A lopsided crane lies ahead with its arm extending out and over the escape route. Jinx quickly connects the dots to her rival's intentions.
"Are you kidding me? This hunk of junk is going to get blown to smithereens against that thing!"
"Yup."
"And I thought I was the crazy one here." She begins to notice herself slipping off the seat during the incline. "I never thought I'd say this, but of all the belts I've worn, I wish I had a seatbelt right about now!" Jinx's pale fingers begin slipping off of Vi's jacket.
The wind takes her, and she falls fast behind the speeding Enforcer. A sudden jolt sweeps her out of her descent by her collar. With a swift gag of being nearly choked by her own clothes, she finds herself being dragged above the ground by a strong arm that has been trained to lift a sword heavier than the entire Zaunite herself.
A stretching length of creaking metal reels as the furious hexcycle summits the crane's reach. For a moment, time slows down for Vi as her heart pumps faster. Everything falls silent, and she calculates her leap. Her reckless nature finds the officer in yet another live-or-die moment, pushing through with what is normally a disregard for consequences, now a dire resort as her only chance to save a life.
Bullets begin to hail down on the road ahead, tearing up everything in their indiscriminately destructive path. Piltover's Enforcer goes airborne, sending forth her vehicle out ahead. With a flash of light and heat, the bike collides with the first drone, sending it barreling to the side into a fiery course to the streets below. A swift deluge of projectiles reaches the clearing before sweeping out to the side, avoiding the brunt of the explosion.
A scared little girl shivers, clutching her plushie in a vice like death's own grip, shutting her eyes as tightly as she can. Through a state of pure confusion, she gathers the courage to slowly peek out in front of her. The silhouette of a slender woman with massively disproportionate arms comes into view.
Standing between her and the lethal assault, Vi stands tall, hands risen defensively. Sparks of her blast shield fade out as the mechanism whirrs at the expense of its charge. The high-caliber rounds hovering around her frame, as if briefly frozen, begin to drop, dancing along the ground like metallic rain. The impulsive daredevil glances behind herself, a clenched jaw easing itself at the sight of the unharmed child.
A peculiar doll catches her eye. The treasured plush figure in the little girl's arms is that of a popular character from a children's show—A hero, donning armor of superior hextech design, known for bolstering enemies with powerful fists of oversized fury. Vi's sights switch to meet that of the would-be victim, an innocent pair of eyes lost in awe and wonder. The unlikely officer, finding herself back in her overconfident element, flashes a cocky grin.
"It's coming back!" Riven yells from the maintenance road, Jinx in tow.
Her smile dissolves with the moment, and the punk policewoman begins to make a run for it. She scoops up the little girl in her enlarged grip and weaves between the demolished vehicles. The attack comes from the side, veering back toward them after a forced abrupt turn, crosshairs focusing on the pink-haired threat. Tracing behind her steps, a stream of rapid gunfire hails down without reserve. Windows break and metal shrieks as the merciless projectiles puncture through the torn lanes. It follows her feet, getting closer until the aircraft reaches the edge of the elevated highway, passing just above their heads.
Vi hands off the child to her frantic mother, and barks at the nearby officers. "Get these people out of here! Stay off the high ground!" a giant finger points back toward the beginning of the highway.
A treacherous path on foot might prove better odds at escaping the city alive. A revving engine catches her attention, and she turns to see a young man flipping a civilian-edition hexcycle upright, fixing to speed his way past everyone. She reaches out, stopping the illegally souped-up vehicle with one mechanical hand, nearly causing the Piltovan to flip over.
"Nice bike," she says with a mischievous Cheshire grin, flashing her badge with her other hand.
With a newly commandeered set of wheels, Vi uses a nearby portion of wreckage to ramp herself back onto the service road, joining the others.
"Good job, Fathands! Didn't think you had it in ya, blowing something up like that!" a red, glittery Jinx gives a thumbs-up from Riven's bike, hanging over the back of the seat on her stomach like a hunter's quarry.
"That thing is coming back around, and I don't think this place can withstand another attack," Riven keeps an eye on the drone as it takes a wide turn around the skyscrapers.
"Well, it clearly wants a piece of me now," Vi notes the intent path adjusting itself toward her position again. "Come on!"
The brash Enforcer charges down a barricade in the side of the service road, falling to another stretch of highway below. Riven, with the pressure of being forced on an extreme crash course on Piltover's unique transportation methods, takes a deep breath before following Vi. Their hexcycles hit the ground running, rubber squealing as they skid and burn. The two bob and weave around various equipment and holes in the road.
Still a rather new development for the city-state, this portion of the highway remains unfinished. The winding network of cement serves to separate the booming industry of automobiles from the horse-drawn wagons and pedestrians as the city grows. While cars, hexbikes, and zeppelins have found themselves more commonplace due to funding brought in by various League victories in Piltover's favor, much of the city still relies on older technology. The very machines that lie dormant in the path of the racing hexcycles rely on old-fashioned steam cores; an ironic and literal demonstration of paving the way for the future.
Speeding bullets begin peppering around them from behind, the hexcraft still tailing them. The rushing girls turn around one skyscraper, and follow the lane through another. A persistent AI follows them through, expertly maneuvering its course around the disparate bridges and buildings in its airborne path.
"Geez! Is this thing ever going to run out of bullets?" Jinx looks back, her voice changing from agitated to excitedly envious. "Where can I get one of those!?"
"Ahead of us…is that—?" Riven notes the collage of spotlights and explosions surrounding a very large building ahead in the distance.
"Inventor's Square," Vi promptly answers her. "We're almost there! If we can keep alive until we reach it, we can get something to blow that thing out of the sky!"
"And just how are we going to do that?" Jinx asks as the vehicles drift closer. "This road isn't finished yet, Fathands!"
Vi's face says it all. A jolt of realization hits her, and she falls silent.
"Well!?" the disguised Cannon presses, tauntingly.
"I'm working on it!"
The road becomes a long stretch, reaching the enormous river that flows beneath the city-state. With no buildings around, and a simple, straight path ahead, Riven and Vi push their mechanical marvels to the maximum, keeping ahead of the torrent of supersonic projectiles. Amidst a wide, open view, a large plume of trailing smoke over a shrill screeching of metal commands their attention. Racing them in the distance is Piltover's proud locomotive, towing several cabooses in distress. The three women of the League can make out a chase involving the same type of aircraft as the one biting at their heels.
"What is that?" Riven asks, still vastly new to the city-state's esteemed progress.
"That's the Arvino Railway Train," Vi responds. "Soon to be a relic of the past, if you ask me."
"We're all going to be relics of the past if you guys don't speed up!" Jinx finds herself growing uncomfortably close to the receiving end of hot lead.
"Ahead of us!" the Exile calls out.
An arrangement of cones, barricades, and construction equipment lies in their path, heralding the end of their escape route. The road stops short of the land ahead of it, too far for the group to clear the jump, even at full speed.
"We're not gonna make it! Oh well. I have no regrets. Except saving the train for last when I could have blown it up right away," Jinx watches the sparks fly violently behind a collapsing passenger car. She cups her hands over her mouth, shouting over the water, "HEY! THAT ONE WAS MINE!"
As if in response, the caboose flips over itself, tearing a chunk out of the one in front of it before being completely obliterated and takes the four cargo booths behind with it.
"I hope no one was onboard," her voice puppets Fishbones.
The Loose Cannon rolls her eyes and gives a solid thwack over the metal shark's head.
"Wait a second! That dumb fish of yours just gave me an idea!" Vi has a sudden thought.
"Well this ought to be good…" a sarcastic Jinx doubts.
"We can make the jump if we had the right boost," eyeing the abandoned set of construction equipment ahead.
"A 'boost'…? Do you mean an explosion?" Riven inquires.
Jinx's tone suddenly changes, torn between excitement and concern that this is Vi's idea; someone not known for making plans. "Oh boy."
"Yeah…that'll do nicely…" narrowing her eyes on a fixed target. "Better keep up, Tough Girl!" she beacons Riven.
They zoom through the barricades, shattering them into splinters. Paying no mind to the collateral damage ahead of them, they keep a straight path onward. Vi focuses steadily, raising one mechanical hand out to the side. As they pass by, she tears out a large metal rod from a pile. Positioning the supportive beam meant to act as a skeleton for the future portion of the bridge, she charges a rather tall, yet fairly narrow steamroller. Like a lance on horseback, she runs the beam into the metal frame of the construction vehicle, whirring by in a blink. She looks back and sees steam rapidly spewing out of the impact.
"Yes!" she exclaims in triumph.
A direct hit to the steam core has caused it to rupture, becoming rapidly unstable. The road cuts short just ahead, and she leans backwards, bringing the front wheel up. Riven follows suit, having witnessed both Vi and Ephrial do the same. Jinx, still sprawled over the back of the seat like the catch of the day, clings on as best as she can.
With a thunderous boom, the rest of the core's integrity surrenders to the damage, causing it to violently combust. The outwards force of the shockwave rushes into them, propelling them forward. Chunks of asphalt and roadwork tools chase behind as they narrowly make a landing on the other side of the gap, barely keeping their balance. Bullets persist through the cloud of smoke and steam as they press forward.
"Ugh… That was…AWESOME! CAN WE DO THAT AGAIN!?" Jinx quickly shakes off the dazing blast.
"Not on your life, Sparkles!" another jab at the menace's disguise. "Only I get to destroy bits of my city!"
"WHAT!?" temporarily deafened from the blast.
The girls of the League rush onward, still plagued by what seems like an endless flood of gunfire. Once again surrounded by a mixture of towering buildings and walkways, the hexcraft pulls skyward, becoming forced to distance itself.
"Come on! We're almost there!" Vi shouts back at the others.
"Uh, did that thing finally give up?" Jinx watches their flying foe cease fire and take off into another direction.
"About time!"
A cautious Riven looks around. "It's still on us!"
Dipping back down to their altitude, the aircraft sweeps in from their flank, swinging out ahead of their course. It aligns itself on a collision trajectory with the group, and begins emptying countless shells at them. The three are forced to take an early exit off the highway, swerving onto the upcoming ramp. With a sharp turn, the three scarcely manage to escape a fatal sweep.
They find themselves at ground-level, zooming between squads of rampaging robots. A business district, filled with sundry passageways, bridges, and modern architecture, provides ample cover. The chasing gunfire multiplies, as the alerted cybernetic foot operatives ping their communication relays. From all sides, the champions of the League face an onslaught of heavy weaponry.
Vi takes the helm, shielding their path with a giant gauntlet. The Exile brandishes her blade against the groups as they zip past, eliminating their chance to shoot them in their backs. The very city crumbles around them as resisting citizens fight back against the oppressing COPS. Exploding hextech devices and energy shots add to the mix, and the bolting hexcycles find themselves in the middle of an all-out battleground.
The sounds of a nation warring for survival drown out their very thoughts—the intensity enveloping them in chaos. Destroyed landmarks and foundations paint them a rough terrain as they maintain their velocity, trying to avoid getting caught in the crossfire as well as accidentally run over the fighting Piltovans.
One last twist around a corner, and the cycles are forced to a stop. A blockade of a burning police zeppelin bars their path, cornering them in between flames and pursuing gunfire.
Like a persistent plague, the implacable hexcopter emerges from the buildings behind them. The girls look back, bracing for the overwhelming spray of high caliber rounds. They abandon their vehicles, and run for cover behind the remains of demolished steam-powered cars. Struggling to get a direct shot, the AI descends itself, maneuvering low to the ground.
"What's it waiting for…!?" Vi questions the lack of a deafening stream of bullets. She peeks above the frame of a dented hood, and focuses in on their cybernetic adversary. "Is that…!?"
"Oh, now I definitely want one of those!" Jinx raises half her body out of cover.
Unraveling its ace-in-the-hole, the face of the airborne threat opens to reveal the head of a missile, priming itself for launch. Not unlike Jinx's own rockets, this long-distance projectile ignites, speeding toward them with incredible celerity.
"MOVE! NOW!"
The three begin to scramble for the nearest building, avoiding stray crossfire in the process. Riven barges down a door, and the others follow her into an empty lobby of a devastated hotel. A distressed street dissolves into an exploding cloud of fire and smoke, sending debris and glass in behind them.
"Ugh…so that's what it's like," the glitter-clad Zaunite picks herself up, holding her dizzy head.
A bruised Vi rises to her feet, "That was too close…even for me! How are you holding up there, Toughy?"
"I'm fine," the former soldier brushes off the effects of the blast. "How much further until we reach the Square?"
"Man, you're really one-track minded. Can't wait to see that boyfriend of yours, huh?"
"He's not my—!"
"—Okay, okay," raising her oversized palms. "All I'm saying is that it's really hard to slow you down, even in a dress."
"Sooooo…you're saying he's single?" Jinx leans into Riven, getting a rise out of messing with people.
"All right, move it along, Powder Puff," the Enforcer shoves.
The odd trio begins making their way through a long, narrow corridor. Lights flicker, barely illuminating their steps as they cross through the hotel. Doors left wide-open, and scattered possessions tell of an abrupt evacuation. Craters and bullet holes riddle the floor and walls, leaving a wake of destruction brought on by the robotic crisis.
A familiar chopping of air approaches, and a spotlight beams down on them from the side. The relentless hexcraft levels itself out beside them, just outside the windows, and begins dispensing at them yet again, strafing to the side along the three.
"This thing just doesn't give up, does it!?" Vi sprints with the others, maintaining Jinx in her custody.
"We're almost out!" Riven spots a dilapidated door ahead, leading into Piltover's streets.
The flashes from the machine gun's barrels create a strobe effect in the darkness of the hallway. Holes punch into their surroundings; the very vibrations of the impacts shaking heavily in the air. Together, they burst out the doorway, landing into the middle of a razed trade district. The drone runs out of space to chase them, and flies upward, trying to relocate its targets.
"Geez! Can't you just apologize to the stupid thing, already?" Jinx, tired of the rampant AI.
"Keep going! Inventor's Square isn't far ahead!" Vi tugs on her restraints.
Following her lead, the others press forward, crossing a river of pandemonium. Remains of a firefight lie all around them, both mechanical and organic. For the first time in this outbreak of corrupted AIs, they experience an eerie quietness. The absence of close gunfire and explosions has them on edge, but the anxiousness of being so close to safety keeps their focus tunneled toward their destination.
A sharp glint of reflecting light catches Jinx's eye. Riven, seeing it as well, begins to call out to Vi. A split-second is not enough for word nor blade to reach, as the crosshairs of a standard-issued rifle already has the officer's head in its sights. In less than a heartbeat, the sound of a gun's discharge shatters the restlessly tranquil moment.
Vi lands hard onto the concrete, her heavy hands speeding her descent. The Loose Cannon is pulled down with her grasp, landing over her back. A moment passes as Riven can only look on with confusion written on her face. The hijacked cybernetic unit, now missing its head, freezes. Its body slowly falls backward, motionless.
Jinx, with an outstretched arm extending toward the threat, lies with a hextech pistol smoking in her hand. "Zap!"
"What the…!?" Vi pushes Jinx off of herself and takes a moment to recover, collecting a grasp of the situation. "Did…did you just save me…? YOU…!?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, Fathands! If anyone's going to end you, it's going to be ME! Besides, it's not nearly as fun if only one of you guys chases me," still finding much amusement in getting underneath the skins of both Caitlyn and Vi together.
"Aw…that almost makes me want to punch your face in a little less…" the maverick officer reaches out and crushes the weapon out of her hand. "Almost."
"Heeeey! Don't I at least get SOMETHING for good behavior?"
"Hey, I've let you keep all your teeth so far!"
"Ugh. You're the worst parole officer ever."
The group continues forward, only about one more block away from Inventor's Square. Sounds of struggle for survival continue to echo around them, and the distant blasts become louder and louder. Above them, zeppelins battle it out for air supremacy, seemingly at a violent standstill. Troops of fellow humans in uniform appear in the distance, organized movements fighting to create safe passage for citizens. Artillery launches from ahead, firing into the nocturne sky to rid a perimeter of aerial hostiles.
Raising a large, metal finger to her head, Vi presses on a communication device in her ear. "Cait, can you hear me…? You there, Cait?"
Only the fuzzy emptiness of static responds. Riven follows suit, calling out the mercenary-knight's name into her corsage.
"Ephrial! …Ephrial, where are you!?"
Jinx rolls her eyes, "Oh give it a rest, you two! Annie's throwing arm has more range than those cheap things!"
"You want to see how much range my throwing arm has?" the steampunk Enforcer glances back.
Barraging bullets begin to rain down on them once more, peppering their surroundings. The group's attention snaps to the tenacious flying machine that has shadowed them across half of the city-state. Adrenaline pumping fiercely through their veins, the Legends of the League carry themselves through one final stretch.
"Keep going!" Vi shouts. She looks intently at the police forces ahead, hoping to see some sort of movement in their direction for cover-fire. "C'mon… C'mon…!" thinking to herself, as if trying to tap into her comrades' minds.
Flying at maximum speed, the robotic dispatcher of death rapidly closes in on them, and the bullets fade out. Exchanging rapid fire for blast radius, the nose of the aircraft parts again, revealing another rocket set in their direction.
The officers ahead beacon the three with their hands, urging them to haul as fast as their feet can take them. As the girls draw closer, the police force begins to make their own run for it, noticing the massive firepower their pursuer is towing straight to them.
Throughout their chase, an adaptive AI has been making constant adjustments to protocols and functions. Upon each of its calculated moves being successfully evaded by the legendary females of the Institute, the corrupted program has decided to eliminate all chances of failure by engaging a very close-ranged missile strike. The craft's shade begins looming over the three, and internal clockwork gears set in motion for the launch.
"Get down!" one of the nearby men shouts.
An explosion rings out above them, and everyone dives for the ground. Pieces of scrap and flaming debris shower the scene, littering the street in a blanket of wreckage. Lifting themselves back up, the group spots a nearby sign welcoming them to Inventor's Square.
"We made it…" a relived Vi breathes.
"What's that sound?" Riven, hearing a strange burst of static and broken sounds over the modified yawper in her ear.
"It sounds like…" the noise gradually becoming clearer and more distinct "The train…!?"
Hearing the running tracks of the locomotive nearby, they look over the neighboring buildings to see a trail of puffy smoke and steam high in the air. It turns a corner extremely swiftly, making an entrance to the Square.
"That thing is coming in way too fast!" the Enforcer continues.
A shrill screeching of metal pierces the air, causing Riven and Vi to recoil as the sound shreds through their earpieces. The audio devices suddenly go silent, but the sound persists overhead, amidst people shouting in alarm. Shrieking iron and steel turns into an abrupt set of heavy collisions, and the two exchange glances.
"Do you think they're…?" the ex-soldier asks the question on both of their minds.
"Only one way to find out!" Vi begins sprinting toward the source of the commotion, Jinx in tow.
The wild chase through the city-state has landed the odd mix of League combatants into the bastion of Piltover's last defense. An accelerated clockwork pace ticks by as the fate of the nation renowned for its technological advancement becomes darker with each passing second. Chaos reigns, shrouding the brilliant and bright future promised by the City of Progress. A minacious fusion of magic and machine paints a harsh reality for the destructive potential such inventions possess, flipping a source of hope into that of despair.
Time continues to count down as this catastrophe threatens to turn the land of tomorrow into a thing of the past.