CHAPTER 3:3

"Bzz... bzz... bzz..."

"Come on... come on..."

Jayce pulled out a part of Claire's motherboard then pushed it back again. There was a soft noise erupting from the massive computer and then it suddenly lighted up in a yellowish, and much familiar, glow.

"... scales going sky high. I can't seem to decipher the power level; it's too high. Nothing in my database can tell where its origin is, nor do I find anything similar in other nation's vaults. This is something I've never seen before and must be analyzed over and over again, Jayce, this could be the keystone of future Piltover."

Jayce cleared his throat. "Claire, are you alright?" he asked and carefully shut the lid of the hardware. "What are you talking about? Don't you remember anything?"

A high-pithced sound screeched through the apartment and he immediately covered his ears with his hands, grimacing meanwhile. Claire didn't answer but he waited, since he understood that she most likely was rebooting her system. The yellow light wavered and lost its initial intensity, but soon rose in power again.

"Jayce, I..."

Satisfied with the results, Jayce crosschecked all of the cables before lifting the gigantic computer and pushing it into the notch in the wall. The idyllic portrait Piltover lay aside on the floor, having malfunctioned at the same time as Claire had done. It was heavy work, but manageable.

"Well?" he wondered and hang back the painting. He had yet to configured its safety system yet, but at least it was nice décor. "I don't think I've ever heard you stutter..."

"It's not especially amsusing, Jayce." She paused. "Something feels wrong..."

Jayce shrugged. "You have been dead for quite a while; I thought for a while that you wouldn't make it."

"It was your fault that I wasn't fixed earlier. You refuse to give me hands," she replied sarcastically. "And what has happened to you? Why do you sound so impassible?"

"I sound impassible?" he exclaimed irritably and started walking to his kitchen. "I have been battling everyone and everything! Viktor took the shard and walked out of Piltover without a single scratch, and when I seek the aid of the government, they refuse to acknowledge the box in the first place! And Cait-"

Jayce didn't finish the sentence, but angrily slammed open a cabinet and grabbed a lonely cup. He tried again.

"And Cait..."

His voice trailed off and he sighed. Jayce put on the tap and filled his glass with cold water. "She and I..."

"Jayce," Claire's voice was gentle, "what happened between the two of you?"

He finished his drink. "We..." Jayce shook his head. "No, never mind."

"Please?"

He put away the glass and returned to his combined bedroom and study. "We had a fight," he admitted. "And then we... ah well, I guess we broke up."

There was a long pause before Claire finally answered. He only heard the sounds from the outdoors: a couple of children passing by on their bikes and a barking dog.

"I'm terribly sorry, Jayce... I know how much you care for her."

They were both quiet as Jayce started cleaning his workbench of dirt and oil. He suddenly regretted not drinking something stronger, harsher, to clear his head from any thoughts of Caitlyn, but knew that it would be a bad choice for later on. Because today, he would leave Piltover to confront Viktor. and he had already booked for a trip to Zaun using the transports that were recently named as "trains". The cyborg have been left alone for far too long and Jayce knew that he was in a hurry to stop whatever madness Viktor might have already brought forth into the world.

And he had succeeded with his invention.

Jayce picked up a couple of notes on the ground, sketches of the final product, and he put them in a safety vault built into his desk, together with anything else that might remind even the slightest of his secret weapon. Nobody would have the opportunity of stealing the idea from him.

"It happened for quite a while ago, I've had time to recuperate..." He swallowed. The subject was still fairly sensitive for him to talk about but he had patience with Claire since she, after all, had been dead for a couple of weeks. "How about you? Everything working alright?"

"Always such a caring person," she replied teasingly. "I'm feeling a bit numb, but other than that I'm fine. When you get back, I hope you can buy me a new circuit card or replace the current one with a new."

Jayce raised his right eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked confusedly and shut the vault as well as the drawer. "And how do you know that I am about to leave?"

"Jayce." She sighed and then started laughing. "It's not like I don't know you. Please, I died, but my memory card was untouched. I'm completely fine. And you never fix your bed unless you are to go somewhere out of Piltover."

He rolled with his eyes and sighed, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he couldn't help but laugh as well. "Hey, you make me sound like a slob!"

She didn't answer and his smile broadened. "Oh come on!"

"Just being honest."

Jayce shrugged. "Whatever you say," he said, chuckling. "But what do you mean about your circuit board? I changed it just before you malfunctioned."

"Ah yes, I know, but I think it was old. My network is being blocked by something with every command and the resistance is growing stronger each time."

He frowned. "That's impossible, because I bought it completely new. It's even the latest module."

"Maybe a mistake in the factory?"she tried but Jayce shook his head.

"I ordered it from the same place as ever," he replied," and even customized it manually by hand. I wanted to install a new program to refresh your aging connections, but I didn't."

A cold silence filled the atmosphere and Jayce suddenly felt observed. He threw a glance out of the window but saw nothing out of the ordinary and turned his gaze towards the door. Another moment dragged out but then he faintly heard the sound of footsteps. Heavy ones.

"Claire...?"

"I'm already on it."

Who might be visiting me now? Jayce crouched to the floor and reached for something underneath his bed. Maybe it's a common thief, or perhaps Mrs. Hathaway, but definitely not Caitlyn. This might come in handy either way.

"You got it yet, Claire?" he asked as he found his object of interest and pulled it out.

"Hmm, no... my system is working so slow... And what on Valoran is that thing?"

Jayce smiled widely and gripped the smooth metal even harder. "This, Claire," he rose to his feet and held up his invention, "this is the future of weaponry," he replied contently and examined his weapon yet another time. "This is what all of my efforts during these weeks has produced. A perfect symbiosis of techmaturgy, metal, hard work and determination. An absolute masterpiece of what could be my best work ever. Behold – the Mercury Hammer."

There was a slight pause before her words spurted out, surprised but ever so malignant. "'The Mercury Hammer'? Somewhat cliché, don't you think? Great job though. It looks about as practical and fancy as high heels. Nice to pose with; but not something you want to walk down to the store in." Claire sighed. "How are you to swing that? I didn't even think you could fight..."

"Ha-ha, Claire," responded Jayce sarcastically. "You forget where I was born."

"Oh."

He rolled with his eyes and was just about to continue talking when the AI interrupted him. "I've finished the scan by now," she said. "But it was rather obvious who the person might have been. It's Vi."

Vi? Jayce creased his brows and approached the front door with his weapon in hand. The footsteps were louder and by now he could recognize Vi's weighty walk. I don't really have time for this... He glanced at the clock. Oh well, I have a couple of hours to spare.

Knock, knock.

"Hey, Vi!"

Vi didn't bother answering – too occupied with her dark thoughts to care for pleasantries – but as she pushed past him by the door, she noticed that Jayce was dressed as if he was going out. She examined him from head to two and saw that he was holding something in his right hand, though the obscurity of the hallway almost fully concealed it. It looked like a tall staff, perhaps about her height, but with something massive fixed on the end facing upwards.

"Good day, Vi."

Vi swallowed and averted her gaze. Why did I come here? Jayce doesn't care for me; he won't understand. Damn, why am I so impulsive? "Claire," she acknowledged. "Finally awake I see."

"It seems like our dear debonair hero sought to save me from oblivion after all. Nice to see that you cared not to suffer the same fate as I. It would have ended awfully bad. For you that is."

"Perhaps," said Vi and crossed her arms. "How nice of you to play smartypants again with your fancy vocabulary. Though it seems you are lucky enough to have someone to care for you."

She hadn't meant to sound so bitter but Vi didn't realize that until it was too late, but before she was able to correct herself or at least cover it up with a halfhearted joke, she was interrupted by Jayce.

"Silence Claire," he commanded. "Vi, is everything alright?" he asked softly and put a hand on her shoulder. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

Vi tried not to care about the caressing warmth of his gentle fingers, but her will wasn't as strong as she had hoped and she dropped her arms to the sides. She didn't want to tell Jayce anything, knowing that it would put him in danger, but she still didn't want to carry the burden herself. That her sister was alive was a miracle only in itself; Vi doubted that the sanity of hers was intact even after all these years in rather solitude. A little part of her was happy that she had at least some family yet alive, but everything else told her that her sister probably was anything but happy to find Vi alive and well.

I know it is wiser to put down the beast before it grows strong enough to get out of its cage, and that with every prolonging moment my sister is getting more influential and ready for the world as it is, but still... it's my baby sister. I... I still...

"I don't know," she admitted, her voice only a whisper. "I really... I'm lost."

Her knees were starting to weaken and Vi held her gaze to the floor. I can't possibly explain this to Jayce if I can't even talk this through with Caitlyn. But what is that feeling that urges me towards him? "Sorry, I see you are busy-"

"No, I'm fine." His voice sounded concerned but she was unable to tell the difference from annoyance. "Now tell me since you came all the way here. I'll give you a ride home if you didn't bring a transport of your own."

Vi sighed and clenched her fists. "It's kinda private, so I would prefer to keep it between you and me."

He didn't reply and she instinctively raised her chin to observe him, slightly frightened by his sudden loss of response. Jayce looked stunned but stuttered forth a sentence as their eyes locked.

"B-but what about... C-Cait?"

She shook her head. "No, not even her," she replied gravely. "Especially not her."

He seemed to have something to add but he chose not to protest. Jayce let go off her shoulder and gestured for her to enter his kitchen with a reassuring smile on his handsome features. "This seems like bad news if you don't even want to share your secret with the excellent Sheriff of Piltover. Maybe we should take a seat before talking."

There was something sarcastic with the way he had said "excellent" but Vi didn't comment it. She was the only one – save for Jayce and Caitlyn themselves – who knew the truth about their cooperation. For public eyes, Jayce had been stated as Caitlyn's private techmatrugician, one of her mother's best students, and that his frequent visits at the station were to maintain the Sheriff's equipment and to offer new ones. He had a good name, a good face and above all a good reputation. Sure, there were certain rumors going about the city of the two having a more intimate relationship – which was the actual truth – but the rumor where Caitlyn and herself were the Piltover's finest in more ways than one, was a far more popular choice. Vi had been laughing for weeks when she read about those two in the latest gossip rag but not been bothered about it, compared to a certain brunette sharpshooter who had been more active with missions than ever at that time, just to wash the rumour away from her otherwise spotless record. Homosexuals weren't discriminated in Piltover, only, Vi knew that Caitlyn had a certain thing against them. Perhaps it was because the two of them were supposedly together.

Vi stepped into the clean, well-polished kitchen and sank down on a chair. She was curiously examining her surroundings to check if something had changed since the last time she had taken a visit. It had been more than a year since she had been there, readying a surprise party with Caitlyn for Jayce's birthday. They had – after a lot of compromising and hot-headed arguing – broken into his apartment, fixed the decorations and a cake with his favorite topping, and then waited for him to arrive at home. Vi smiled as she remembered how completely surprised he had become – they had scared him with confetti – and how genuinely happy he seemed to become as he saw everything they had put in order for him. Parties were something Vi loved to arrange though she had never at the time thought that Cailtyn would feel obliged to help, making her wonder – as she laughingly watched the awkward movements of the Sheriff as she measured the ingredients for the cake – if her partner really was so cold and heartless after all. From that day, Vi had truly decided to rely on Caitlyn whenever she needed to.

Because she had found a friend in her.

"Now, what is bothering you, Vi?"

Vi woke up from her reverie and shook her head to rinse her mind of the memories. She realized that Jayce had let her be while making tea as a steamy cup of warmth was carefully placed into her cold hands. The chilly autumn was starting to get its hold of Piltover and she had walked here all the way from her own apartment.

"Thanks," she said and gripped the cup harder even though the heat burned her. A herbal smell filled her nostrils and she immediately recognized the smell. "Isn't this...?"

Jayce poured up a cup for himself and slid down on the seat opposite of her. "Yes," he answered and sipped the tea. "Caitlyn's favorite."

He sounds so sad, thought Vi and nodded slowly. He is such a great person. I don't understand how Cait could have been so brutal to him; I would get nightmares about tormenting a little puppy. He's too kind. "Ironic," she replied and tasted the beverage as well. It tasted as it smelled: like fresh rose petals and raspberry-mint caramel. One of Caitlyn's favourites, she agreed silently. "Though suiting. I was just thinking about the time when we violated the laws we've been upholding during all this time by doing a bit of B and E onto your place."

"Don't remind me," he said and grimaced. "I was forced to clean for days; every day I would find some weird decoration somewhere I never remembered putting it," he continued and laughed. "Damn you women. Always turning my life upside down."

Vi joined in and heartily laughed. "Hah, I promise it wasn't me who put it in your underwear," she said and then quickly recollected herself. "Or was it?"

He inquiringly raised an eyebrow and Vi couldn't hide her grin. "Just kidding." He exhaled in relief and she smirked. "Of course it was me."

"Amusing," he muttered, tryingly to sound bitter, but a broad smile tilted the corners of his lips upwards. Jayce cleared his throat and he was now serious when he spoke. "Can you finally tell me what is going on here with you?" he carefully asked.

Vi soaked her lips and swallowed. "I guess we couldn't prolong it anymore." She straightened. "I don't know how much you know about me but I'm pretty sure that you wasn't aware of that I have a sister."

His eyes widened. "I'm afraid I didn't know," he admitted. "But what's the problem with that? I also have a sister."

"Well..." She fidgeted nervously on the comfortable chair and took a deep breath. "I found out she was alive yesterday," she said with a low voice. "She's been dead for about twenty years."

Jayce opened his mouth but closed it again. He was staring at her in shock and remained silent for another minute before being able to speak again.

"But that's amazing..." he stated happily before realizing how down she was. "Or it isn't?"

Vi shook her head. "I'm afraid not," she replied and drank her tea. "I want to be glad to hear that she's alive but I just don't. You see, my sister isn't exactly... alright in the head."

"Aha," he said slowly, dragging out his voice on the last "a". "Please go on."

She sighed. "I'm hoping that she feels better now after all these years, but a nagging feeling at the back of my skull," Vi gestured by patting her head, "tells me that my sister is everything but fine. I... I don't know, Jayce. Am I the worst person there is?"

"No, no, no," he instantly answered and reached for her hand. "Absolutely not," he continued and hugged her fingers reassuringly. "I thought you were somewhat of a loose cannon at first, feeling suspicious against you, and I was scared that you might hurt Caitlyn or any other citizen of Piltover."

"Thanks," said Vi ironically but smiled. "I guess."

He smiled as well. "I didn't get to the point yet, thank you," replied Jayce, "but sure, you get it already. You gained my trust and even Caitlyn's before me. I've seen what you've done to this city and its denizens and you are such a refreshment to the stab of boring police constables we hear about every day. It's so amazing to see what a single person can do to make a whole nation change their view of justice and be less of judgmental fools, such as I once was. You and Caitlyn have really become the symbols of Piltover and helped created the City of Progress."

Jayce's words warmed her deeply and Vi returned a hug of their suddenly intertwined fingers. "Thanks, Jayce, it means a lot," she responded. It really does.

He nodded and then gazed down at their hands. "Well..." Jayce smiled. "This should be awkward."

Vi chuckled. "Yeah, it should," she agreed and averted her gaze. "But... it doesn't, does it?"

Jayce didn't reply and she exhaled. Vi pulled away from him, first hesitantly but then as quickly as she could to break down the sudden tense atmosphere between the two. He didn't seem to have anything to object and somewhere deep down inside of her started aching of hurt.

I shouldn't have said that, she thought irritably. What is wrong with me? It looks like I'm just waltzing in here to steal Caitlyn's ex-boyfriend. What a despicable deed; I would never do that to her. No, I got to clear this out properly: I'm not interested in Jayce.

Before the mood could turn any more uncomfortable for either of them, the AI fortunately had something to announce.

"Jayce, there's a call for you from the Sheriff. Should I tell her to leave a message?"

Vi was still staring at a slight hollow in the table – everywhere else but Jayce to be frank – but she instinctively looked at him as soon as Claire ended her sentence. His facial expression was unreadable, if somewhat angry, but his body language told a completely different truth. He was... confused.

Jayce pressed together his lips and met her gaze. Their eyes locked and Vi was so rapt in thoughts that she didn't hear what he had to say and apologetically asked of him to repeat himself.

"I said," He held her gaze. "Would you mind me answering the call?"

Vi quickly shook her head. "No, of course not. Go on, you."

Jayce smiled stiffly and rose up from his seat, hurrying to walk out of the kitchen. "Claire, put her on my earphone," he said and emptied his teacup by the sink while passing by. "Tell her I was only getting the newspapers."

"Immediately, Jayce," answered the computer obediently.

And Vi was left alone. Again.