Personal Responsibility

by HeartOfMan

Jinx makes a different choice following the death of her father. With a new goal in mind, she sets out to make things right. While this happens, Vi and Caitlyn become more involved in the conflict between Piltover and the Undercity, with Jayce and Viktor deciding how Hextech should be used after the mistakes both men have made. Nothing is certain, except nothing will be the same.

6. Atlas and the Lesser Evil

So this chapter took a fucking age to write. Sorry about that, but here's an extra long chapter as a way of saying thank you for the continued support for this story. And by extra long I mean 15 thousand words. Fuck me. Well, hope you enjoy and see you at the end of the chapter!

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Jayce Talis looked upon the man he called his brother and felt his failures weighing down upon him. They were back at his family's factory in the late hours of the morning, having spent the night working in their lab at the Academy, eventually falling asleep at their workstations like they had so many times over the years. It was almost nostalgic, and the memory would've brought a smile to his face if it didn't remind him of how quickly things had changed. Those nights and days they'd spent toiling away on Hextech, what he wouldn't give to go back to them. Their only worry then was meeting the next of the Council's demands, building prototypes and the like to prove Hextech was a viable venture before starting work on the Hexgate. Those were simpler times, better times, even if Jayce hadn't realised it at the time.

He wasn't the scientist and engineer he'd dreamed of being as a child, not anymore. He was a showman, presenting his work and ideas to the people in his city. He was a politician, navigating elitist intrigue and making the underhanded deals necessary to get support for Hextech.

And now Jayce was a killer, taking the life of a child too young to escape the conditions he'd been forced into.

The boy's face would remain with him until the day he died, confused and scared and alone, dying at the bottom of a facility owned by a man who didn't care. Jayce had stood next to him as life left his small and broken body, and for the first time he understood.

In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. We have to make it right.

If that was the price of progress, then Jayce wanted no part of it. It was why he'd made the deal for peace with Silco, why he'd effectively told nearly the whole Council to go fuck themselves, and why he'd appointed Caitlyn Sheriff with Vi as her Deputy. He was going to do everything he could to fix his mistakes and the mistakes of those who came before him - both in Piltover and the Undercity.

And that started today, with him and Viktor.

Viktor was sat on one of the factory's stools, hunched over as he gripped his cane tightly while looking ahead with frighteningly dead eyes. Jayce was standing beside him just as he'd done for the eight years he'd known the man, looking between Viktor and the reason they were here, placed upon the anvil before the forge.

The Hexcore.

The last time he'd seen it, this piece of technology had represented the future of Hextech. Now, though, looking upon its sickly purple structure, the glow of its malevolent light, Jayce could only see this as the culmination of their mistakes - their greatest failure.

They were here to destroy this abomination. It was the first step to making things right. First, however…

"Sky Young's death was ruled an accident." Jayce began, keeping his eyes forward though he couldn't miss the way Viktor's body tensed. "I won't lie, the investigation was shorter than it normally would've been, but considering how she died and the information you gave, the Academy saw no reason to push for charges. At most, they're looking to put stricter regulations on the development of Hextech." A week ago, Jayce would've ranted and raved at that decision, but he understood now. He welcomed it, even, because it gave them time to figure things out.

"The Council won't like that." Viktor said succinctly, pressing a palm up to his forehead. Jayce noticed how he didn't address the information regarding Sky and for a moment he thought about pressing the matter, though he quickly decided better of it. "They've always pushed us to create bigger and better things, all to line their own pockets. First it was the Hexgate, then the gemstone. Who knows what they'll try and have us do next…" His voice was a low drawl, and the sarcastic edge that Jayce had come to expect from his best friend was disturbingly absent.

"That won't happen anymore. We won't let it." Jayce countered with a firm voice. His words were a solemn promise, and he reached over to lay a hand on Viktor's shoulder. "The Council's following our lead now, for better or worse. They could try and force our hands, but they won't. There's too much at stake right now and, as arrogant as it sounds, we're all they've got."

And hadn't that been terrifying to realise. When he'd sent the letter last night detailing the situation with Silco and everything else, he'd expected some pushback. He'd expected to wake up to his angry colleagues calling him for explanations, maybe even calls to have him kicked from the Council, but they'd all fallen in line with startling ease. Sure, they'd all sent letters back with the passive aggressive language, showing they weren't happy with the turn of events, but no one was trying to stop him. It had taken some time for him to realise why.

They were afraid. For years the Council had been ignorant of the plight of the people in their city, both in Topside and the Undercity, living on their high horse while somehow keeping their heads buried beneath the sand. Now they were reaping what had been sowed for generations, and they had no idea what to do.

The leaders of Piltover were looking to Jayce and Viktor for a solution to everything that had been happening, and all they had to offer was an Enforcer and her friend from the Undercity along with some half assed plan that might not even work.

Jayce hadn't asked for any of this. He hadn't asked to be thrust onto the Council and forced into its politics, nor had he wanted to become its de facto-leader. But for all that responsibility he now had the freedom to focus Hextech on the things they should've done from the beginning, instead of appeasing the Council's greed.

"We aimed too high with Hextech", Jayce surmised, the truth of the words hurting him just as they gave him the perspective he sorely needed. "For all our research and innovation, what did we actually do with it? We made some gloves and a laser, along with a tower which cuts airship travel time in half, but other than that?" Jayce shrugged his shoulders, seeing Viktor look up at him from the corner of his eye. "We know enough about Hextech to put it out to the masses, just like we'd dreamed, but we got too caught up in what Hextech could do instead of what we would do with it."

Viktor nodded, reaching up and placing his hand upon Jayce's, a silent show of solidarity and camaraderie that brought a small smile to his face. "I don't have much time left." Viktor said, and whatever happiness Jayce felt was quickly swept away, the dread that had been building since he'd heard his diagnosis replacing it. "My only wish now is to leave something worthwhile behind. Something that will benefit the people of Piltover and the Undercity alike, not just those at the top."

"You talk like you're giving up", Jayce interrupted, turning to Viktor with an agonised expression, "like you're going to just lay down and die!"

Viktor scowled, shifting his body and forcing Jayce to remove his hand, the distance that had formed between them over the week returning in full force. "I'm not looking to just throw my life away, Jayce, but my attempt to find a cure has killed someone! If I just carry on like I was before, her sacrifice will have meant nothing. Nothing!" He shouted, his voice growing hoarse before devolving into a coughing fit. He held a hand up as Jayce made to help him, though he wasn't sure how he'd do it, pushing through pain alone. Nearly half a minute later he fell silent, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I will not let that be my legacy."

Jayce shook his head and pulled a stool out from under the workbench they were near, moving it in front of Viktor before taking a seat. "You and I created Hextech, that's our legacy. Especially once you and I start giving back to the people." He said with what he hoped was a patient smile, leaning forward with his arms on his thighs.

His best friend and partner just stared back at him, a look of almost pained recognition flashing in his eyes before he turned away. "The people have already forgotten about me…" He lamented, continuing before Jayce could ask what he meant by that. "You and I share a love and talent for science, but that is where our similarities end. I'd go as far to say that we're opposites in every way. Look at you", he said, waving a hand at him, "tall and strong, handsome with a voice that can win over the public."

"You overestimate me." Jayce whispered, looking down at his feet.

Viktor smiled, though it wasn't a pleasant expression. "The citizens of Piltover would agree with me; you wouldn't have won their admiration otherwise."

"And Everyone living in the Undercity?" He retorted. "They don't seem happy with me."

"You closed the bridges on them", the smaller man shrugged, "what did you expect?"

Jayce brought his hand to the back of his head, his expression twisting. "It was that or leave Piltover open to future attacks." He explained, the words sounding hollow even to him. He'd done the best he could with the information and resources he had, which was to say he had too little and too much. Jayce had known nothing about Silco or Jinx, only that there was someone willing to kill to get their hands on Hextech. He hadn't known their motives or their goals, only that innocent lives were at stake if he refused to act out of fear for his public image.

That wasn't who Jayce was. Maybe Viktor was right, he had been steadily moving into the public eye, but none of that had been his intention. He'd only wanted to show Hextech to the world, just like he and Viktor wanted. The masses in Piltover had taken to him, sure, but that wasn't because of charisma or anything like that. It wasn't arrogant to say that Hextech would change Piltover, one way or another, and the people knew that. It wasn't to do with him, not really.

Viktor chuckled, eyeing Jayce with an odd combination of amusement and amazement. "How can't you see it? Don't answer that", he said with a shake of his head, "I'm just glad you aren't letting it get to your head. Mostly." Viktor added with a sly smile, before his expression hardened. "You're dancing to Councillor Medarda's tune, you have been since you were elected to the Council, and it has me worried."

"She's been nothing but helpful to us", Jayce retorted, vaguely offended on her behalf, "or did you forget how she let us break into Heimerdinger's lab?"

"Of course not, but let me ask you this", Viktor pushed on, "do you believe she did that out of the goodness of her heart, or because she saw how much money she could make from Hextech?" He leaned forward with an intense gleam in his eyes. "What about all the help she's given us over the years? Was that kindness, or a desire to see her investment flourish?"

"Probably the second option. Don't give me that look." Jayce complained as Viktor looked at him in surprise, causing an embarrassed smile to grow on his face. "I'm a bit oblivious, sure, but I'm not stupid. She only distracted the guard after we told her we'd figured out how to stabilise Hextech. If we hadn't she'd have handed us to the Enforcers personally. After that… it just made sense to work with her."

"To an extent. Part of the reason why we never did anything of value with Hextech was because we bowed to the whims of the Council." Viktor explained. "They led us around with honeyed words, and we were too caught up living our dream to see the truth. And now, with Councillor Medarda taking special interest in our work, along with everything else going on, I'm worried she'll use the opportunity to try and get ahead."

"She isn't like that." Jayce tried, but his partner waved him off.

"Really?" He asked, his words almost mocking. "The single richest woman in Piltover, the same age as us, mind you, wouldn't be looking to make a profit? You said it yourself, she only let us get into Heimerdinger's office because she saw the monetary value in our work." Viktor shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He looked every bit as tired as he probably felt, which was really saying something considering the week he'd had. "If we're going to give Hextech to the people of Piltover and the Undercity, we can't have any outside interference like that, pushing us to prioritise money over morality. Not any more."

"I told you already, the Council isn't going to push us like that from now on. We hold the cards." Jayce said, hoping Viktor would let the matter lie. He wasn't so lucky.

"If we were talking about anyone else on the Council, I'd agree wholeheartedly." Viktor continued. "The issue is that you trust her. It's one thing for Councillor Hoskel or Salo to try and make us build something to their benefit. That I know you'll deny. But if it's Councillor Medarda, and if she asks for it in the right way…" He trailed off, and the implication was not lost on Jayce.

Jayce pressed his face into his hands, taking a breath before looking back at Viktor. "Where are you going with this? Are you asking me to cut her out of my life?" He asked, honestly dreading the answer. He wasn't sure where he stood with Mel right then, what they were or weren't, but he didn't want to just throw it all away.

"Of course not. We need her support the most out of anyone on the Council." Viktor admitted, sounding somewhat aggrieved, though Jayce didn't know why. "But she isn't your friend, or someone to be trusted beyond their own self interest. Just… don't get into bed with her or anything like that." He finished, and Jayce tried to keep his expression neutral, he really did, but deception had never been his strong suit.

"Yeah, no, I understand. Keep things strictly professional, got it…" Jayce said, meeting Viktor's gaze as he tried for that same false confidence he used when speaking in front of a crowd.

Viktor stared at him for a moment, with Jayce fighting the urge to lean away from his piercing glare, before he looked away with a huff. "You're sleeping with her, aren't you?" He accused in a harsh tone, bordering on aggression.

Jayce wanted to lie and preserve his and Mel's privacy, but this was Viktor, his best friend. He of all people deserved to know the truth. "We did. It was on the night of the concert, after she'd helped me make deals with the Councillors and other… investors, I really don't know what else to call them." He told Viktor, a weight forming in his chest that he couldn't quite explain. The words felt hollow to him then, the justifications he'd come up with that night feeling as empty now as they did before. "It was corruption, I know that, but it was that or make enemies of the ones footing the bill for our work. If we lost the support of the Council and our funding with it, what good could either of us do for our people?" Jayce said before holding his hands to his head, taking a deep, calming breath.

And that had been the deciding factor, hadn't it? He'd had to choose between his principles or his goals with Hextech, and when he put it like that the choice had become easy. He'd chosen the lesser evil. Of course he had. It was easy to sit on a high horse and go on about virtue and honor, but where was the honor in putting your own morality over the lives of overs? Where was the virtue in only helping others when it was easy?

Jayce had become corrupt within a day of being made a Councillor, but he'd done it to help people. That was the only reason. Personal wealth, power and prestige; none of it had crossed his mind. Didn't that make it understandable, or maybe even right?

It was why he'd gotten so angry at Professor Heimerdinger. His mentor and someone he looked up to, someone he considered a friend, all he'd done for years was spout rhetoric about the dangers of magic and the importance of time when it came to discovery. But where had that gotten him, or the city he'd helped build and lead? For fucks sake, corruption run rampant in Piltover, with the citizens living at the whims of leaders who cared more about money than the people, all while those in the Undercity lived and died in squalor, the life being choked from them by the Chembarons who ruled their streets with an iron fist.

Virtue didn't help people: action did.

Heimerdinger, however, had let it all fall to rot. The oldest and smartest person in Piltover, and he'd buried his head in the sand for literal centuries. It was easy to see, now, that he'd spent so long in his ivory tower at the top of the world that he'd forgotten what it was like for those in the dirt. Jayce couldn't blame him for that, however, considering how he and Viktor had spent the past eight years…

But he'd made the necessary choices to protect the people. It was why Jayce accepted the position on the Council, as it would allow him to keep Piltover and Hextech safe. He'd made deals with the rest of Piltover's "elite" because it would give him the funding and influence necessary to push their technology to the public. He'd closed the bridges to prevent more loss of life after a seemingly random attack, putting people's lives and safety over their comfort. All of it had been done for the greater good, choosing the lesser of two evils every chance he got.

Where did he draw the line, though? When would it be enough? How many abhorrent choices would he have to make just to keep Piltover and the Undercity afloat? Jayce didn't know but he was sure he'd find out, sooner or later. It felt like he was running further and further away from the man he used to be, the man he wanted to be, but if he stopped bad things would happen to everyone and everything he cared about. So he kept moving forward until he stood over the warm corpse of the child he'd murdered, and for a short, terrible moment he wondered if he hadn't gone far enough? Silco was still destroying the Undercity with Shimmer and threatening Piltover. If Jayce stopped then, if he packed up and headed home because of morals and sensibilities, then that child would've died for nothing.

Years ago, back when Jayce was a scientist and he knew who he was, the mistakes he made would only affect him. But with every day that passed, it felt like even the smallest misstep could lead to ruin. Was it arrogant to say he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, when the fate of the city could very well depend on his choices in the coming weeks and months?

In the end Jayce had chosen to walk away, leaving Vi behind in the Undercity with the Atlas Gauntlets because he was sick of fighting, and he didn't want to feel like any more of a monster than he already was.

Looking down upon that child's body, seeing all the innocent children working in Silco's factory, he'd realised he was hurting more innocents than he was helping. That had been the final straw, or at least what had helped him see beyond the rage and frustration that had been building since Progress Day, since he'd learned his best friend was dying and there was very little he could do to stop it.

He'd felt so lost then, even more than after he'd been expelled from the Academy, because for all his newfound status and influence he still couldn't hold onto what mattered. Was it any wonder why he'd gone back to Mel after seeing Viktor in the hospital? After all, she'd been the only other person to give him a chance after he lost everything, even if it had been for purely selfish reasons. Ever since that night Mel had become a constant in Jayce's life, though they hadn't been what he'd call friends. She'd come by to ask about his research, developments on things like the Hexgate or if he needs any extra funding or the like. Jayce wasn't stupid, he knew it was just buisiness for her, but…

Piltover's Academy wasn't a place for socialising, at least not if you wanted to get anywhere, and he'd spent the time after finishing his education working on his Hextech, along with whatever else the Academy had him doing. He didn't have much time for friends or relationships outside of people like the Kirammans, and after he'd proved Hextech's potential to the Council, people started treating him differently. People were either too eager to please or wrote him off as the crazed-madman who would lead Piltover to ruin. Thankfully the latter type had dwindled as the years passed, but that only meant more and more people were trying to get in his good graces, seeing him as a ticket to wealth, influence or whatever other boon self-serving people like that were after. It felt like Caitlyn and Viktor were the only people who treated him like a normal person, like a person.

Other than Mel…

"I went outside once the performance finished and everyone left." Jayce continued with his eyes fixed on the floor, moving his arms to rest on his legs. "I needed some time to think, I guess, so I stood and watched the Hexgate for a while. She found me up there and we talked for a little bit, before she… well, she kissed me."

"She kissed you? Why?" Viktor asked incredulously. "And why did you let her?"

"Why does Mel do anything? Influence, money, power; any one of those things, I imagine." Jayce answered, pressing the palms of his hands together, his nerves beginning to get the better of him. Taking a moment to steady himself, Jayce answered the other part of Viktor's question, though he doubted it was the answer his brother wanted. "As for why I let her, isn't it obvious? I wasn't going to throw away a chance with a woman like her, even if she was using me. I mean, have you seen her?" He trailed off with a forced laugh, running out of words to say.

Jayce looked up, then, and saw Viktor staring at him with narrowed eyes. Their gazes locked for a moment, something wordless and meaningful passing between them, before his expression softened. "You love her, don't you?" He asked with a soft, sad smile.

Words failed him for a moment as his mind spun, searching for some way to deny Viktor's accusation, because this was personal. This was as real as it was stupid, and Jayce had meant to take the secret to his grave. Not his and Mel's relationship, whatever it was, but the way he felt about her. The way he'd felt for her since she allowed Jayce to achieve his dreams, even if it had taken time for it to set in. Years of denial had passed, and now he was just tired of it.

The truth flowed from him like wine from the bottle. "I do…"

Viktor didn't seem comforted by his honesty, but why would he? Jayce loving the woman who saw him as an investment was bad no matter how he spun it. That was how things went, though. It didn't matter that Mel was a businesswoman, focused on a profit above all else. It didn't matter that she practically led the Council which had hurt and neglected the Undercity, intentionally or not, the true extent of which he had only learned very recently.

Mel Medarda was the closest thing this city had to a queen. She was incredible in ways he could scarcely describe even with all her flaws, things which Jayce would find nearly impossible to overlook in anyone else. Compared to her, he was nothing more than a grease-monkey with delusions of grandeur. She was beyond him and he knew it.

What he felt for her, if it could even be called love, one-sided and baseless as it was; it was hopeless. Especially with such a crappy reason…

"You know, Medarda won't even speak to me." Viktor confessed to Jayce with frustrated eyes. "Back when we were arguing about the weaponization of Hextech, she looked at me like I wasn't even worth her time. I'm not trying to turn you against her", he explained, probably so Jayce wouldn't jump to Mel's defense, "but it's true. We are partners, but she sees me as less than you. Like I'm secondary, or not even there at all. Sometimes it feels like that's how the world sees me…"

"What? Viktor, no." Jayce denied, reaching out and taking hold of Viktor's wrist. "You're not secondary, you're the only reason we've gotten this far!"

"Am I? Had we not met, how long would it have taken for you to stabilize Hextech?" He asked and Jayce was unable to answer. Viktor continued then, giving the answer Jayce was too scared to say. "You were practically there already, I just gave you a push in the right direction. You'd have figured it out soon enough…"

"And what then?" Jayce asked, his grip tightening though he was careful not to hurt Viktor. "I'd have had to balance advancing Hextech, building whatever the Council asked of me and being the face of it all. And even if I had, I never would've gotten as far as I have with you."

"You'd have found someone else. The Academy is full of gifted minds who would leap at the chance to work on Piltover's future like that." Viktor said, his words weak.

"Fuck that!" Jayce cried, louder than he honestly intended, though Viktor didn't seem bothered by the volume. He merely looked at Jayce with a raised brow, though he couldn't hide the vulnerability in his eyes. "It doesn't matter what could've been, because you're my best friend. You saved my life, Viktor, after the whole damn city turned on me, and you've been by my side ever since." He took a breath, waiting a couple seconds to see if Viktor would speak up before carrying on. "Your contributions matter. You matter."

Viktor looked down and placed his hand over Jayce's, though he couldn't quite hide the tiny smile on his face. "I must sound so vain, worrying about what people think of me like this-"

"Hey, don't even think that." He cut Viktor off. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be recognised for your work. I'm sorry I've been hogging all the attention recently. That stops now, don't worry."

"No, I… I don't have any issue with you being the face of our work." Viktor explained, and Jayce felt a weight lift from him. "I only want people to… to know I existed, I think. I don't know, it's hard to explain."

"I think I get it", Jayce said, "and we can work on it, right? Get your name out there and things like that. You could even make a few public appearances showing off new developments with Hextech, if you'd be up to that?" He asked.

Viktor shook his head before speaking. "There's no point in that right now, not when I am on death's door. I only want to make something worthwhile, and for people to know it was me who made it." He met Jayce's eyes, his face full of guilt and desperation. "Is that selfish?"

"Of course not, but we shouldn't go forward like you're going to die in a few months!"

The shorter man ran a hand through his hair, letting out a deep sigh as he did. "I have learned so much since my diagnosis." He began, and Jayce felt something wet landing on the back of his hand. "I now understand what it means to put survival above all else, and I did things I never thought I would in pursuit of it." Viktor's voice was strained, cracking in places as he cried. "But I'm tired of just surviving. I want to live, Jayce, with whatever time I have left."

Jayce's eyes began to burn and he fought the urge to look away, all while a helpless nausea settled in the pit of his stomach. "We'll fix it, yeah? You'll live. I promise, you will live." He said, unable to hide his fear.

Viktor only smiled, tears running from eyes that looked distant, almost unseeing. "I will live, one way or another, but, should I fail to find a cure in time… I would like to be buried by the sea." He said in a quiet voice. "I have two homes in Piltover and the Undercity, and I will not choose between one or the other. I cannot." He stressed, placing a hand just below Jayce's elbow. "No, I want to be buried where the air is clear and the sun shines brightly, in land untouched by the pain of our city. I want to be far from the people who saw me as nothing more than a needy cripple."

His best friend leaned forward, then, wrapping his weak and trembling arms around Jayce's shoulders. Jayce returned the hug, a painful sob forcing its way up his throat. He tried to speak through the tears but found he couldn't, so he settled for nodding desperately in the crook of Viktor's neck.

Jayce would honor his brother's wish. He would build the brightest, most beautiful grave the world had ever seen; one that overlooked the sea in all its splendour. Viktor was his best friend; he'd build the fucking thing himself. But he'd fight until that day came; he would fight until the bitter end. He wouldn't have much free time while he was dealing with everything going on in the city, but every spare second he had would be devoted to finding a cure.

"I know I'm not the most open person in the world", Viktor said, breaking the long silence that had formed, "and that I generally don't talk about my feelings, but I need you to know that the years we spent together, they were the best years of my life." Jayce only cried harder at the words, tightening the embrace because he never wanted to let go. He didn't want to lose Viktor, not like this - not ever. "Not because of the work or the prestige Hextech afforded me, but because of you." Viktor continued. "You're the best friend I ever had, and I… I didn't want to leave things unsaid."

"I know", Jayce said, because there wasn't much else he could say, "I know. You're my brother, man. I love you…"

The tears were falling freely, now, and Jayce didn't try to stop them. They stayed like that for a few minutes, holding each other in silence until Viktor spoke, gently pulling away from Jayce. "We can't lose any more time. We need to destroy it." He said, looking over Jayce's shoulder.

Jayce didn't need to turn to know he was talking about the Hexcore. Then he nodded and leaned back, taking a series of deep breaths as he fought to regain control of himself, wiping the tears from his eyes with trembling hands. "Are you sure you want to do this now? With your leg and all…" He asked.

Viktor had explained his actions to Jayce in the hours before their audience with the Council and, among other things, he'd told him about the Shimmer he'd injected into his leg. Once the Hexcore had… killed Sky Young, he had been able to walk and even run under his own power. Except, when Viktor tried to destroy the Hexcore himself, it had almost punished him by weakening his leg once more, knocking him unconscious in the process.

It raised some concerns, to put it lightly.

"Jayce-" Viktor began before Jayce cut him off.

"Just listen to me, okay?" He asked, receiving a stiff nod from his friend. "As far as we know the Hexcore can't hurt me, but that doesn't mean it won't retaliate."

"So what?"

"'So what?'" Jayce repeated, aghast. "So what? It could kill you!"

Viktor looked at him with narrowed eyes, teeth near-grinding as he spoke. "I am already dying! What does it matter if I die here or in some month's time?" He held his hands to the back of his neck, looking for all the world both anxious and aggrieved. "Just, just do it Jayce. It needs to be done!"

"I know! But can't it wait until we have literally any understanding of what the Hexcore is capable of?" He pleaded.

"We can't!" Viktor screamed, slamming his hands down on his thighs, grunting with the pain. "We can't! You don't understand, it's like there's an axe hanging above my head and, no matter what progress I make in helping the city or finding a cure, this… this fucking abomination", he cried, pointing to the Hexcore atop the anvil, "will still be there, able to hurt or even kill me in a second! How am I supposed to do anything with that always on my mind!"

"Okay, okay, hold on, just… give me a moment." Jayce said in surrender, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

He could see Viktor's concern, he could see why he felt the way he did. Hell, he agreed with him! The plan wasn't his issue.

His issue was that it felt like…

It felt like he'd be killing him. There wasn't anything he could do, though. Every second counted, and all he was doing was wasting time.

Jayce let out a painful breath and stood, walking behind the workbench to where he'd left the things he brought with him that morning. The first was a large metal box he'd taken from the lab on a steel trolley, containing everything he'd worked on over the night. His eyes were drawn to the case for a brief moment and he began to think about its contents, debating if he'd done the right thing in bringing them here at all. What's done was done, though, and besides, Jayce had made a deal.

But that wasn't why he was here.

His gaze fell to the space beside the container, to what stood tall on the concrete floor, silent and proud and terrifying.

The Mercury Hammer.

After his Father had died in the snow, after he and his Mother were saved by a wandering Mage with a kind heart, all he'd had to hold onto was the dream of using Hextech to help the city he called home - the city he loved. Except Jayce had been too young to grasp the complexities of change and progress, all the political and financial hoops he'd need to jump through to do damn-near anything, and he'd focused on what he felt would do the most good.

See, in the stories he read as a kid, the world wasn't saved by elected policies and institutional reforms. In these stories, when there was a monster to be slain or a village needing saving, a hero would show up. Through skill, determination and the help of their friends, the brave hero would defeat whatever evil stood in their way, and for a long time Jayce wanted to be like that. He wanted to be the hero facing danger head on, risking his life to protect those around him, and he'd held on to that fantasy like a lifeline, because the time after they were saved was some of the worst of his life.

Jayce remembered it all too well, the long years where his Mother retreated into herself, becoming a shell of the strong woman she once was. He'd never forget the way she'd cried at his Father's funeral, the months she spent lamenting that they couldn't bury his body, because they'd left him to rot in a land not their own.

He never wanted her to feel that pain again, nor did he want anyone to ever feel like that to begin with. That desire, that determination, fuelled his research into magic and science even before he knew just how twisted and confusing the world truly was. He wanted to be a hero, because being a hero meant he could make a world where no one would ever cry again, and to do that he needed to be smart, and he needed to be strong. He could accomplish those things in time, though - he had accomplished them. But anyone could do that with enough effort, so what was it that set a hero apart from the rest?

If someone asked him now he would say things like courage, understanding and wisdom were what truly made a hero, but he hadn't fully appreciated those qualities as a child. No, back then he'd thought what made a hero was the weapon they carried, the swords and shields and spears that had been passed down through their family or enchanted by some ancient spirit; something bright and recognisable that people would remember for years to come.

But Jayce wasn't one for swords or anything like that, so when he pictured himself as the knight in shining armour, it was a hammer he carried into battle. They were the symbol of his family, something that could build and fight in equal measure. It was also one of the only things he had to remember his Father by, though he wasn't brave enough to admit it out loud.

This hammer, born in the crayon drawings of a grieving child that grew into sketches and blueprints, designs he'd go on to modify and update even as his goals moved away from fairytale heroics. And as Jayce took the Mercury Hammer in hand, pressing down on the trigger as blue light erupted along the hammer's haft and head, he looked upon the first and last piece of Hextech he'd ever worked on. The culmination of his works and dreams, over six feet of arcane steel in grey, blue and red - it made him sick.

The pounding in his ears drowned out the sound of the weapon powering up, a booming mix of thunder and cannonfire, something which he was deeply thankful for. It reminded him of his mistakes, of the life he'd taken down in the Undercity, and he wasn't sure how much he could take. He wouldn't have to worry about it for much longer, however. Once he'd destroyed the Hexcore and dealt with the fallout, whatever that may be, he'd destroy the hammer once and for all. He'd go back to being a scientist and engineer, he'd spend his time helping this city and finding a cure for Viktor, if that was even possible…

Jayce took the Mercury Hammer in both hands, pushing thoughts of Viktor's illness out of his mind because that was a problem for later. More accurately, tomorrow. Instead, he focused on the feeling of the crimson leather in his calloused palms, and the subtle hum of energy coursing through the metal. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before, this real, tangible power, and Jayce knew he was holding the raw potential for change in his hands.

Taking a steadying breath, Jayce walked back around the workbench and towards the Hexcore, its purple light as disgusting as it was unnatural. He looked upon its twisted, rotten form and wondered how something so beautiful had become so dark, but he already knew the answer, and there was nothing left to do other than make it right.

"Are you ready for this?" He asked Viktor, keeping his eyes on the Hexcore in case it somehow sensed his intentions and tried something. Part of him hoped Viktor called this off, hoped that they could leave this for another day when Jayce was more prepared, but that was a fool's dream.

"No, but that isn't important right now." Viktor said in a clear yet fearful voice, and Jayce shut his eyes as the air quietly left his lips. There was no point trying to bargain; this was how it had to be. "Do it, Jayce."

Jayce nodded and drew in a deep breath, steadying himself as he drew on all the courage he had left. For just a moment, then, in his tired and desperate mind he felt he truly understood the heroes from the stories he read as a boy. They weren't heroes because they were strong or smart, or because they had special weapons and abilities.

They were heroes because they were selfless, and were willing to sacrifice the things that they loved for the good of the world. Now Jayce had to make that same choice, not for the greater good, but because his brother had begged him to, and because it was the only way to begin to atone for their mistakes.

Jayce planted his feet just like he'd done a thousand times before, standing in a wide stance with his knees bent and his left leg forward, wishing that he could have grown to be even half the man his Father was, because maybe then this wouldn't hurt so much.

Saying a silent goodbye to Viktor because he was too much of a coward to say it out loud, Jayce swung the Mercury Hammer overhead with a cry, bringing it down upon the Hexcore like the fist of a vengeful god. Then violet light exploded out from the machine, and the last thing Jayce could remember was the sound of Viktor screaming, along with the alien cries of a monster as it died. That, and a beautiful blue light that took him in its arms, before everything went black.

…

When Jayce came to it was to the sound of someone calling his name, along with the worst headache he'd felt in years. From the feel of it he was sitting upright and against a wall, his legs laid flat along the floor with his arms limp at his side. After a moment he reached up to his head with a tired hand, rubbing his temples as he fought to open his eyes. The pounding in his head was too much for that, though, especially as that same voice called out once more, sending spikes of pain through his skull.

"Hold on!" The familiar voice called, though for the life of him Jayce couldn't put a name to it. It was a woman's voice, though; that much was clear. Except… wasn't he in his factory with Viktor? They'd made sure it was just the two of them, so no one would get hurt as they…

As they did what? What were they doing here?

"I think he's waking up!" The woman continued as rapid footsteps sounded from his left, like someone was sprinting towards him. "Come on, Jayce. This isn't a good time for a nap." This person said, their voice low and worried, and Jayce started to remember. He knew her voice well, even though they'd only met a few days ago…

"Vi?" He asked in a weak drawl, forcing his eyes open despite the pain. Jayce was greeted by red hair and steely grey eyes, though his vision was too blurry to make out much else.

Before Vi could respond, however, the person she'd called had made it to his side, quickly dropping to their knees and pressing a hand to his shoulder. Jayce smiled at that because, no matter how bad his vision was, he'd always recognise Caitlyn Kiramman.

"Stars above, Jayce!" She cried, taking his chin in hand and tilting his head side to side, probably checking for bleeding or something like that. The motion wasn't too painful, but that was probably due to how gentle Caitlyn was being. "What the fuck happened?"

Jayce was about to speak, to tell her that he didn't know, when his eyes fell on the anvil a ways behind Caitlyn. His sight had cleared up a bit so he could see its crumpled edges, along with the large split down the middle, nearly splitting the block of steel in two. That couldn't be right, though. It'd been in perfect condition a moment ago, with the Hexcore sitting on top of it…

What? Jayce tried to look past Vi and Caitlyn in order to get a better look but they shifted closer to him, looking him over for injuries as they inadvertently blocked most of the room from him. Then he noticed something large to his right, just past Vi's leg, and he turned to look, his neck clicking painfully as he did. The Mercury Hammer was laying there, undamaged on the concrete floor with the haft within arms reach.

Seeing the weapon and the anvil caused something to click in his mind, and the memories came rushing back to him; his and Viktor's conversation, their shared promise to be better to Piltover and the Undercity. Then he remembered taking his hammer to the Hexcore and how Viktor screamed, and Jayce's heart dropped like a stone.

Jayce worked his legs under him in a panic and tried to stand, pressing his trembling hands against the wall for leverage. "The hell are you doing, man?" Vi asked through gritted teeth, pressing down on his shoulders in an effort to keep him on the floor.

"Where's Viktor?" He asked, still fighting to get to his feet. Then Caitlyn joined in, pushing down on his knees and finally forcing him down.

"Viktor's alive." Caitlyn said hurriedly, and Jayce relented. "We made sure of that as soon as we got here. Vi was going to stay with you two while I went and got help, but then you woke up…" She explained, her words hesitant, and she wouldn't meet his eyes.

She said Viktor's alive, Jayce thought, not that he's okay.

"What happened to him?" He asked, looking at Caitlyn, then at Vi when she turned away. "What happened?"

The two women looked at each other and Vi nodded after a moment, a silent exchange Jayce didn't need to hear to understand. Caitlyn shut her eyes with a tight grimace before turning back to Jayce, moving back from him and glancing to her right. Jayce looked that way as well, his vision now unobscured, and when he saw Viktor he nearly wept, the relief was that strong.

He was sitting upright against the wall six or seven feet away in a near perfect mirror of Jayce's position, except his eyes were closed and his head was tilted to the side, clearly unconscious. Jayce could see the slow rise and fall of his chest, though, and he knew without a doubt that he was alive. Then Jayce's eyes fell below his waist and whatever relief he felt was quickly swept away, because Viktor's right leg was gone.

How that wasn't the first thing Jayce noticed was beyond him, but he's always been one to miss the obvious. The proof was right there, after all, staring him in the face. The entire limb had vanished, cut down to the pelvis by what Jayce could only assume was the Hexcore in a last act of defiance before its destruction. The good news was that Viktor wasn't at risk of bleeding out or anything like that, since, where there should've been visible flesh and bone was only skin. It was pale and peeling slightly, something he could only see because either Caitlyn or Vi had cut the leg off his trousers in order stop what they thought would be bleeding, before being met with whatever this was.

"What's going on, Jayce?" Caitlyn asked softly, drawing his attention to her. "We thought we were coming here to prepare for the Undercity, but the two of you were out cold and Viktor's leg's turned to fucking dust!"

Jayce looked at her with what he imagined was a dumbfounded expression, because that made no sense whatsoever, but then he remembered how Sky Young died. She'd been disintegrated, reduced to dust by the Hexcore for trying to save Viktor's life, and maybe something similar had happened here? The Hexcore was capable of defending itself, that much was clear with how it took away Viktor's ability to walk again before putting him to sleep; it was possible it tried to kill him in retaliation since it couldn't directly hurt Jayce. At least that's how it looked.

The reason Viktor survived was clear, too. It had taken a few seconds to kill Sky Young so the disintegration process wasn't instantaneous, but Jayce destroyed the Hexcore with one swing. It must not have had the time to finish the job, only managing to get the leg it had mutated, something that might've made it easier to destroy than the rest of his body. He had literally zero evidence any of this was true but it was the best he could come up with. Figuring out that specific detail could come later, though - he needed to answer Caitlyn.

"Viktor and I are working on fixing our mistakes", Jayce began before gesturing to the destroyed anvil and his hammer, "this was the first of many."

"That's good and all, but that really doesn't answer her question." Vi spoke up. "Like why we found Viktor over there without a leg." she explained, pointing back to the toppled stool Viktor had been sitting on a little while ago, in the same place it was before Jayce blacked out. "Or why you're out cold against the wall with that big fucking hammer of yours."

Those were… really good questions, actually.

By all accounts, Viktor had been found laying next to where he'd been sitting earlier, but Jayce had been by the anvil, yet Vi claimed he'd been by this far wall when they got here. How had that happened? So far the only explanation Jayce could come up with involved the purple light he saw before he was knocked out. It was possible that the Hexcore detonated after being struck by the Mercury Hammer, violently releasing its energy, but the factory was damn near spotless. The only thing out of place was Viktor's stool, but that had probably fallen over with him.

Well, there was the anvil, mangled and split in half after everything happened. Jayce's hammer could've broken the anvil, sure; it could've done it with ease. Except it was a blunt weapon and it was meant to dent and crush, not cut. The Hexcore exploding could've done the trick, but to do that kind of damage to cast steel without damaging the surroundings required precision he didn't think the Hexcore was capable of, at least in that situation.

But that was all guesswork, and they had more important things to be doing. For instance, making sure Viktor didn't die while they were talking.

"Look", Jayce changed the subject, "we need to get Viktor to a hospital to make sure nothing else has gone wrong. He and I can explain it once he's recovered, and after we've sorted out the stuff with the Firelights." He said, looking between Caitlyn and Vi, seeing if they'd agree.

"Sounds fine to me." Vi confirmed with a shrug, turning to Caitlyn.

Caitlyn let out a huff before climbing to her feet, shaking her head as she spoke. "Vi, stay with Jayce and make sure he doesn't do anything else life-threatening. I'll get Viktor to a hospital."

"I should be the one to take him." Jayce said, beginning to stand. The cold look Caitlyn sent him froze him in his tracks however, and he wisely decided to leave her to it. "Never mind."

"Hey, Cupcake?" Vi called. "Sorry, but we walked here, remember?" She asked with a raised brow. "You're just gonna carry him to a doctor?"

"I know my way around this city, trust me." Caitlyn reassured her, pointedly ignoring the nickname. "There's a hospital nearby, ten-fifteen minutes away, max. I doubt Viktor's that heavy, especially with the… well, uh, the missing leg." She let out a long suffering sigh at that, mumbling under her breath: "And I was having such a good morning…" Then she walked over to Viktor, squatting down and carefully taking him into her arms, lifting him with a strength that surprised Jayce, even though it really shouldn't have. Caitlyn was many things, a fighter among them. She may not have been as strong as people like Jayce or Vi, but most people weren't. She was strong.

Jayce watched her leave through the front door with his best friend and brother, forcing the instinctive worry down because this was Caitlyn. She was one of the most reliable people he'd ever met, and he trusted her with his life. Then he shut his eyes and leaned his head against the cool metal wall, drawing a knee up to his chest and placing his arm atop it, waiting for the headache that had slowly been fading to finally go away.

The next few minutes passed in silence, save for the steady sound of his breathing and Vi shuffling to sit against the wall as well, a few feet to his left.

God, he was tired. He wanted to go home and curl up in bed, and he didn't mean his apartment near the Academy. Jayce wanted to go back to the home he'd grown up in, return to the four walls that made up his old bedroom. Maybe he could sleep there, surrounded by relics of a life and dream that had changed too much, too fast, and wake up more like the person he used to be. It was a childish thought, but that was kind of the point.

Jayce shook his head, bringing his hand up to massage his temples briefly. I need to stop with this shit, he thought. Wishing wasn't going to help him, or anyone for that matter. Maybe he just needed to stop living in his own head. He turned to Vi who was staring forward with an intense look on her face, absently pulling at the fabric on her trousers. "How'd your night go?" He started casually, both because he cared and was looking to fill the silence.

Vi's body jerked a little and she shifted to face him, and her cheeks had gone the faintest shade of red, though he couldn't tell why. "What was that?" She asked, her words easy, if a little tense.

"I asked how your night went, staying at the Kiramman's and all." Jayce repeated.

She met his eyes, then, searching for something in them. Whatever it was she didn't find it, shaking her head with a quiet laugh. "It was a damn sight better than solitary in Stillwater, I can tell you that much. They even cooked me breakfast." She added with a little smile.

Jayce let out an appreciative whistle. "Must've made quite the impression." He said wryly. "I've known that family for nearly fifteen years, and hell, Caitlyn is family to me, but I can count the times I've been invited to breakfast on one hand."

"I'm better with people, that's all." She said, tapping her chest proudly. "Everyone loves an ex-con, especially a Councillor." Vi finished with a wink, and Jayce chuckled.

"Those are some shit double standards, Vi." He teased, leaning his head back against the wall, looking up at the roof. "I mean, I get robbed and accused of being a criminal and Cassandra kicks me out, but the woman who robbed me gets a free pass?"

Vi let out a bark of laughter, thankfully unoffended at the verbal jab. Their shared history could've become an issue between the two of them, but Jayce meant what he said last night, that it was water under the bridge, and she seemed to agree. "It's not a double standard, I just didn't tell her about it. You should try it next time."

"Sure, I'll give it a shot…" He said with a grin.

Vi fell silent for a moment after that before she took a long, steady breath. "In all seriousness, it was actually pretty bad. At least early on."

"Oh?"

"The bed was too soft, the room was too hot and everything was so quiet. It was the exact opposite of everything I'd known for eight years, and I… I didn't know how to deal with it." Vi explained, her words tinged with uncertainty. "It sounds stupid when I say it out loud, but the place felt too big at first. Too alien, I guess, with all the decorations and shit. That, and everything else going on…" Vi trailed off, and Jayce saw her turn to him out of the corner of his eye.

Jayce looked down towards her, locking gazes with a solemn expression. He wondered for a moment if she was talking about the conflict between Piltover and the Undercity, her new position as Deputy, or even the situation with her sister. All things considered, it was probably all of it at once, weighing down on her in the first moment of calm she had. Jayce knew what that was like, he knew it more than most. "I'm sorry." He apologised, because it was the only thing he could really say to that.

"It's fine." Vi waved off the apology. "Caitlyn… helped out, I guess, and things got better." She explained cryptically, and for the life of him Jayce couldn't work out what she meant. "I'm not sure how things'll be tonight, but that's for me to worry about later. Got more important shit to deal with today, you know?"

"I know what you mean." Jayce replied, thinking back to their discussion from last night. A specific part of it, at least. "My offer from earlier still stands, in case you were wondering. I can get you a nice place here in Piltover, rent free and everything. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, either."

Vi looked down for a moment, clearly considering the offer. "Can we put that on hold for a while, at least until I find my footing?" She answered.

Jayce nodded, accepting the answer easily. "Of course, no worries."

She absently began to drum her fingers on her knee, shutting her eyes with a shallow breath. "Thanks, though." Vi said, speaking again before Jayce could say anything. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Did your night go okay?" She clarified.

He shrugged. "Spent it in the lab with Viktor. We prepared some stuff for today and fixed up the Atlas Gauntlets."

Vi perked up at that, turning to him with a spark in her eyes. Then she hopped to her feet and approached him. "Was hoping you'd get that sorted for today." She said, holding down a hand to him. Jayce looked at, confused, then turned to her. Vi rolled her eyes good naturedly, a small smile on her face. "Oh, come on, you can't say that and not let me have a look."

Jayce let out a snort and accepted the helping hand, his eyes widening as Vi lifted him bodily to his feet. He always knew she was strong, but Jayce was well over six foot, and he was pretty jacked to boot. Damn, was all he could say. Vi's expression turned smug and he could tell she'd caught his surprise, but Jayce wouldn't give her the satisfaction of mentioning it. "Who says I even brought them?" He asked instead, stepping past Vi.

He moved over to the workbench he and Viktor had been talking by, stopping next to the large metal box he'd brought from the lab. He took the handle of the steel trolley it was resting on and turned it away from the bench, pointing it towards Vi and resting his forearms on the bar. "I was wondering what was in here." She said offhandedly, leaning down and unlatching the lid.

Vi had a toothy grin on her face as she opened the box, staring down into it for a moment before reaching inside with both hands. She pulled out the right Atlas Gauntlet, the one that had been broken down in the Undercity, deactivated but ready for use. Her expression grew a little tense as she bore the Hextech device's massive weight, before she placed it down on the concrete floor, resting it on its knuckles. Vi then bent down at the waist and slotted her hand into the gauntlet, smoke hissing from vents as the gears began to whir, before she stood up tall again and held her right arm aloft.

"Thing's good as new." She said in clear approval, turning her hand as she inspected the gauntlet. "I'm surprised you got it done so quickly." Vi admitted, looking at him with a shrug. "I mean, it was completely dead last night."

Jayce let out a quiet snort as Vi picked out the second of the Atlas Gauntlets from the box, using the first to pull it out by palm. "Maybe I'm just that good at what I do." He said vaguely as Vi equipped the left hand gauntlet, stepping back and lifting her arms with clenched fists. She then bent her knees slightly and settled into a wide fighting stance, throwing a couple light jabs into the air. "If you really want to know, Viktor and I were going to present it as a prototype on Progress Day, so we'd been working overtime on them and a couple other things." He explained, though he wasn't sure Vi was even listening to him any more. "We had lots of spare parts left over from all the work we'd done so it was an easy fix, it just took a little time making sure I got all the damaged components out the gauntlet. Don't want it breaking down on you in a fight, do we?" He finished, watching as Vi continued to shadow box, ducking and weaving as she sparred against an opponent he couldn't see.

"Well, it works like a charm." Vi confirmed, relaxing as she dropped her arms, rolling her right shoulder with an open smile. "I know you said these were for mining but I'll tell you what, if I found these lying in the street the first thing I'm doing is punching something, not digging for gold."

That… Well, that kind of stung. Vi was an incredible boxer, so it made sense that she'd only see the combat potential of the Atlas Gauntlets. They were, after all, massive steel gloves that granted superhuman strength at a minimum. Still, he wasn't sure how he felt about his and Viktor's work being seen as weapons and nothing else. That wasn't true, actually - he knew exactly how he felt about it: he hated it with a passion.

That was okay, though. He and Viktor were going to bring about a new stage of Hextech, where they actually used its potential to the fullest. They were going to help people and the greater society, instead of wasting their time on what amounted to greed and vanity projects. But that wasn't something he'd tell Vi, not right then. He'd wait until he actually had something to show her, something other than pretty words. "They were meant to help the people who mined in the fissures." Jayce told her, drawing her attention, her grey eyes falling to his brown ones. "They would protect the miners and allow them to work without nearly as much effort, while also keeping them safe in the tunnels. With the gauntlet's strength, they'd even be able to mine faster and further than ever before."

Vi nodded thoughtfully at that, bringing an oversized finger and thumb up to her chin. Whether or not she was mocking him just then, she pointed to him after a moment of consideration. "But the only people that would help are the people who own the mines. You know, the guys who take home the profits?"

"It would help keep the miners safe." Jayce retorted.

"I agree with you on that", she conceded, "but if one pair of these gloves means one miner can do the work of ten or fifteen, let's just say, why bother keeping the other fourteen men." Vi explained, and Jayce began to have the slow realisation that he was a fucking idiot. "They'll make the same money from the stuff they sell, but they won't have to pay anywhere near as much in wages, or even most other forms of equipment. A few sets of these and maybe some helmets, and they're set. Meanwhile dozens of normal, hard working people get laid off and left without a job." She summarised nonchalantly, and Jayce leaned heavily against the trolley with his head hanging low.

"Well, fuck me." He said solemnly, before waving a hand angrily. "That really fucks over the Atlas project."

Vi let out a nervous laugh, looking away for a moment before speaking again. "Sorry, but I figured you'd have considered that before you made these."

Jayce pushed his head into his hands in response to that, letting out a monumental sigh. "We thought we did! I can't believe we missed that…" He lamented before shaking his head. "Well, guess that means you'll be the only person to ever own a pair of Atlas Gauntlets. Congratulations, Vi." He said with a smile he didn't feel, before taking a breath and letting it go.

"What do you mean 'own'?" Vi asked sceptically. "Last I checked, you were willing to fight me over these? Now you're just giving them to me?"

"One of your requirements for being an Enforcer was having them, and yet you're confused that I actually handed them over?" Jayce requested, just in case he'd somehow misunderstood.

"Of course not", Vi denied, "but I thought you were just gonna loan them out to me or something, and that I'd need to hand them in at the end of the day. I don't know, Jayce, I just wasn't expecting you to fully give them over." She said in a low voice before quickly back-pedalling. "Not that I'm not thankful, and I know you're putting a lot of unearned trust in me here…"

"Well, Caitlyn clearly trusts you, and you seem pretty alright to me, so yeah." Jayce said, reaching down into the steel box and retrieving the other thing he'd brought from the lab. It was a small leather satchel which he turned and placed down on the workbench. He saw the question in Vi's expression but she didn't ask, so he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he carried on with their main discussion. "Honestly, they're probably going to do the most good in your hands. Maybe they can be a badge of office for you, or something similar. I sure as hell doubt you're willing to wear Enforcer gear." He joked with a smirk, watching as Vi looked herself up and down with a laugh.

"You're goddamn right." She chuckled, clenching and unclenching her oversized fists. "Shit, I look fucking badass with these. Everyone's gonna know who I am once they see them", she said with a grin, "though I still want a badge."

"Hey, speak to Caitlyn." Jayce diverted, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against the workbench. "You know you'll still need to bring those in to me, right? For regular maintenance, along with any upgrades you might need."

Vi nodded, trying to fold her arms over her chest. The size made that impossible to do without looking stupid, however, so she gave up after a moment. "That's fine with me." She acquiesced. "I've never been good with the science stuff. How long do you think I'll have to go without them each checkup?"

"It really depends on what part of the gauntlets I'll be working on." He answered, aware of just how useless that answer was. "You should be fine for the next couple of weeks, though, unless you somehow take major damage in the next few days. The only thing to work on so far is the shield generators." He finished, causing Vi's eyes to narrow.

"The shield generators?" She asked in a flat voice.

Jayce shrugged a shoulder, looking away for a moment before meeting her gaze again. "Yeah, the Atlas Gauntlets were designed to have hard-light shields that blocked physical objects. It was designed for falling rocks or other dangers like that in a mine, but when we were designing the generators they proved effective enough to block things like bullets and even explosives. I even have one in the Mercury Hammer." He elaborated, pointing a thumb back over his shoulder to where his hammer rested. "The problem is any sensor we tried would activate the shields when anything came too close, not just dangerous objects, and we can't exactly put a switch inside a glove."

Vi stared at him like he'd just grown two heads, before looking down at her steel-clad hands, like she'd somehow find her answers there. "That doesn't make any sense…" She mumbled, barely loud enough for Jayce to hear, and he got the feeling Vi wasn't talking to him. "Do the shields still work, though? Right now I mean?" Vi requested after a moment of thought.

"I mean, yes, they weren't damaged or anything like that." He answered, confused as to where she was going with this. "But they can't be activated, is what I'm saying."

She didn't respond to his words, instead turning and walking away from him, stopping when she found a large space of open factory floor. "Vi?" But she ignored him, closing her eyes as she clenched her fists at her side, the gem on the back of the Atlas Gauntlets glowing bright.

Then a brilliant blue dome of crackling light sprung to life around her body, a shield Jayce knew to be practically unbreakable, and something that shouldn't have been possible in the first place.

Jayce jerked back in shock, jostling the tools that hung from racks on the work table, but he couldn't have cared less about that in that moment. "What the fuck?" He cried, pushing himself up only to stand there in shock. "How the hell did you do that?"

That should've been impossible! There was no switch or sensor or anything to activate the shields, and Vi had just done it with her eyes closed!

"I'm just thinking about it, and it's happening." Vi answered genuinely, uselessly, her voice getting slightly muffled as it passed through the arcane shield she stood within. "I thought you knew."

"Thought I knew what? That you could just turn on the shield with your mind! Yeah, of course I knew that!" Jayce shouted sarcastically, shocked beyond belief. Viktor was going to lose his shit. "Okay, look", Jayce tried, taking a breath to calm down, "just explain to me how you figured this out, step by step."

Vi released her fists and the shield dissipated, fading into sparks and motes of azure light which soon vanished. Then she walked over to Jayce, presumably so she wouldn't have to shout across the room. "I… I was fighting Sevika", she began hesitantly, gesturing nervously with her large hands, "and right after she broke one of the gauntlets, she leapt at me with that flaming fucking sword arm of hers. I raised the gauntlet above my head to block and I just… I don't know, I focused as hard as I could on stopping that sword, and the barrier just appeared." Vi told him.

Jayce ran a hand through his hair, teeth clenching. "I am beyond confused with how that's happened." He admitted, being fully transparent with her.

Vi threw her hands in the air. "Aren't you the guy who came up with all this magic, science shit? If anyone knows, it's you."

"I figured out how to combine magic and science to make Hextech", Jayce corrected her, because that was a dangerous idea to have, "that doesn't mean I know everything about it."

"Don't you have any theories, or whatever you geniuses call it?"

At that, Jayce thought over everything he'd ever done with Hextech: all the experiments, all the years spent researching as much as he could about magic, both in secret and with the support of the Academy. He spent a good few minutes thinking it over, coming up empty on all fronts. That was until he thought back to the early days of Hextech, when he was still trying to understand what magic was, let alone how it could be utilised. In all the books he read, there was a small detail that cropped up at least once in every account of the arcane; something seemingly insignificant that he'd dismissed because he'd only been looking for information he could use. It might just explain what had happened, though.

"I have an idea of what it might be." Jayce spoke up, drawing Vi's attention who until that moment had been pacing up and down, staring at her Atlas Gauntlets. "It's guesswork, but it's the best I can come up with."

"Hit me." Vi asked, rolling her shoulders confidently.

"Nearly every book I've read that talked about magic says that it comes from a world outside our own." Jayce began, watching to make sure Vi was following his words. "Not a physical world, but one comprised entirely of pure energy, and it was connected to our material world in specific points called Ley Lines. As far as I know those are the points where magical energy is strongest, and they're what link our world to this Spirit Realm, as some call it. I don't know any of the specifics, really, other than the magic from the Spirit Realm can bleed into ours through the Ley Lines. It's how Mages are supposedly born, with the magic somehow becoming a part of them."

Vi looked like she was understanding what he was saying, but eventually she held up her hands to stop him, and Jayce fell silent. "I get what you're saying with all this, but how does it tie into my Hextech responding to my thoughts?"

"Because the Spirit World has always been described as living." Jayce explained, and Vi looked at him with confused eyes. "I didn't think much of it for all these years, but what if magical energy is somehow alive, if not entirely conscious?" He asked, his words almost pleading. "The power of Mages is said to rely both on knowledge as well as emotion, so it makes sense that Hextech, which is just magic channeled through tools instead of our bodies, can respond to emotion as well."

"So let me get this straight", Vi interrupted, "these gauntlets are alive and can hear my thoughts?"

"They're alive and can respond to emotions", Jayce clarified, being careful with his words, "not sentient as far as I know. And in that instance I don't think it's about listening to your thoughts. Think about it. The Atlas Gauntlets have a fully functional shield in them, we just can't manually activate it because there's no switch. But if Hextech, if magic, is capable of responding to emotions, then of course it'll turn on the shields when you think about defending yourself, because all of it is alive and it's listening to you." Jayce finished, waiting to see what Vi would say.

It took Vi a minute to absorb all that information, however, but Jayce was patient. She nodded, eventually, locking eyes with him. "That makes a weird amount of sense, but are we sure that's what is happening?"

Jayce thought about that for a moment before an idea occurred to him. "Think about turning off one of your gauntlets."

Vi's expression became confused. "Okay, but why- ah!" She cried out as the light left her right gauntlet and it dropped like a stone, its immense weight dragging her along with it. It landed on his knuckles, narrowly missing Vi's foot as she was pulled to her knees. "Fucking hell." Vi groaned, rearing back to remove her arm from the gauntlet before stopping, her eyes thoughtful. A second later the Atlas Gauntlet whirred back to life, and Vi hopped back up to her feet. "Okay, turning them on and off like that works. What, are we thinking that works for every function on these things?"

"Let's just assume so, for now, because there's really no other way to test it." Jayce finalised. "We don't have any other Hextech here to work with."

Piltover's new Deputy cocked her head to the side. "Yeah, we do." She answered, pointing to the back wall behind Jayce with a massive hand, and Jayce's chest got a little tight as he remembered the Mercury Hammer.

She was right, they could test that. Jayce just really didn't want to. He'd destroyed the Hexcore, just like he promised Viktor, and he'd told himself that would be the end of it. He would take the hammer apart and he could move on, he could go back to being a scientist.

If that's even possible, his mind supplied unhelpfully.

But this would only take a moment.

Jayce silently walked over to where he'd left his hammer, right next to where he'd been launched in the Hexcore's destruction, before stooping down and laying his hand on the haft. His fingers reached instinctively for the large trigger, which would activate the hammer's Hextech and allow him to lift the weapon, but he quickly decided against it. Instead he wrapped his fingers around the red leather grip and willed the Mercury Hammer to come alive.

Thunder and canonfire echoed through the factory as his Hextech switched itself on, a sound that Jayce had come to love and despise in short order as he stood up once more, bringing the hammer with him. Vi watched him with curious eyes as he walked towards the same clear space where she'd shown off her gauntlet's shield, taking the Mercury Hammer in two hands and gently taking it through the motions; spins and strikes and twirls that he'd mastered over the years with regular steel hammers against wooden dummies and the like, because he'd been too embarrassed to ever find a sparring partner, though he wasn't ever sure why.

As he walked, Jayce went over the hammer's functions in his head before deciding on the next one he'd test, and with a thought shifted the weapon into its secondary form. The hammer's head split open at four points, revealing two coils that began charging arcane lightning as blue fire erupted from vents on the pommel. He began to feel nauseous as he walked, thinking about the first and only time he'd used his hammer in this way, and the life he'd taken when he did, but he pressed on. Another thought had the Mercury Hammer return to its normal form, and Jayce felt just a little better.

Finally, he reached an open space on the Talis factory floor, Vi having given him a wide berth, and he held the hammer vertically out in front of him, his arms bent at the elbows.

First things first, he willed the hammer's shield into being, and while he expected it Jayce was still surprised when the blue arcane dome appeared around him. He met Vi's eyes through the barrier and gave what he hoped was a confident smile, though he was pretty sure it looked a little sickly, before he willed the shield to vanish, watching in amazement as it dissipated into fading motes of sky-blue light.

And finally, Jayce thought about the repulsion blast, the same attack he'd used against two of the Shimmer-guards he'd fought back in Silco's factory, when they'd gotten in front and behind him and were about to skewer him. Instead of twisting two parts of the haft and pressing them together, as was how Jayce designed this attack to activate, he just thought, and blue light and lightning shot out in a concussive blast around his body before turning yellow, disappearing after a second.

Jayce held the hammer down at his side, looking back up at Vi to see what she thought, but she only stared at him with a look of consideration, and if he wasn't mistaken, something akin to respect. "You're pretty good with that hammer." She said in a level tone. "You're pretty green, we saw that in the factory, but if you got someone experienced to practice with, you could become a dangerous fighter."

There was an offer in her words that even Jayce could hear, and had she made the offer a week ago he'd accepted in a heartbeat. But now he just… he just couldn't risk it.

With that Jayce began to walk over to the other workbench, speaking as he did. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm done with this hammer." He tried to sound nonchalant but even he could hear the weight in his words, and Vi's eyes narrowed in his direction.

"The hell does that mean?" She asked, turning to follow him as he walked past.

Jayce let out a sigh as he placed the Mercury Hammer atop the table, allowing the weapon to switch off for the final time. "It means I'm destroying this." He answered, reaching out and grabbing a wrench off the top rack. He heard two metallic thuds from behind him but he paid it no mind, taking the wrench and holding it along the hammer's haft, before Vi's ungloved hand caught him by the wrist. He turned to her, briefly taken aback by just how sad, how understanding she looked, before his eyes hardened. "What are you doing?" He ground out, his voice angry and low.

Vi didn't respond, instead wrapping her fingers around the wrench, just above his own, before gently tugging it out of his grasp. He could've stopped her, could've pulled away or simply held on, but the look in her eye stopped him and she gently placed the wrench back on the wrack. "This isn't how you should go forward, Jayce." She said after a long moment, before the silence grew unbearable.

An alien rage bubbled up inside him at her words, tearing out of his throat before he could think to stop it. "What the hell do you know about going forward?"

Vi just stared right through him, and for the briefest instant Jayce felt naked under gaze, like every thought and feeling was laid out before her. "I know everything." She whispered harshly, and there was a truth in her words that Jayce didn't dare question. "This is about the kid." Vi spoke, like it was ever in question.

Jayce slammed his hands down against the metal tabletop, aching for the clarity of pain, noting how Vi didn't even flinch at his outburst. "Of course this is about the child!" He screamed to her and to himself. "Of course it is…"

Vi let out a breath, turning and leaning back against the workbench with her arms folded across her chest. "Destroying the hammer won't bring him back. Nothing will. It's just not possible."

"I know that." Jayce mumbled, just loud enough for Vi to hear.

"Then why are you doing this?" She asked so simply, and wasn't that the real fucking question here?

Jayce considered it for a long minute, half expecting Vi to speak up and continue with whatever he point may be, but she waited for him, and Jayce was grateful for it. "I don't want to make a mistake like that again." He answered, and even though the words didn't feel exactly right, they were the best he could offer.

Vi just shook her head, slow and melancholy. "Nothing you ever do will guarantee that. That's not how life works, Jayce." She said, before a sad smile grew on her face. "I spent eight years in Stillwater and one of the only bits of comfort I had was knowing I could never hurt my family again, not while I was behind bars. Wanna know the bitch of it?" She asked him.

"Yeah?"

"The things I did to my sister before I was locked away, they've haunted her to this very day." She said, her steely eyes welling with unshed tears. "We can never know how our actions will affect the people we love, or anyone for that matter. We just try our best."

"But I can still destroy this weapon, and that way Hextech won't ever harm people again." Jayce tried, aware of just how desperate he'd become.

"You've just given me these gauntlets and made me the most dangerous boxer in the city." Vi retorted, gesturing down at the Atlas Gauntlets. "And you've agreed to build Caitlyn a fucking Hextech rifle. Whether or not you keep your hammer, Hextech weapons will still exist. The technology's grown too much, and it'll still be here after the two of us are gone, and whoever comes after us might not share your hesitation."

"You're talking like you know me." Jayce forced out, grasping at whatever straws he could.

"Of course I know you." Vi fired back, like it was the easiest thing in the world. "I am you. For all our differences, you and I are the same at our cores. We're just two hotheaded fuckups who're trying to leave this place better than how we found it, so I already know the answers to the questions I'm about to ask you."

"Oh yeah?" He asked with a rueful grin. "What're they?"

"What do you plan on doing when Caitlyn and the Enforcers risk their lives in the shitshow that's gonna come about, now that Silco's dead?" She asked, and Jayce winced. "What about if the Chembarons decide Topside is easy pickings, and bring their goons and Shimmer to take your home? What if fucking Noxus comes knocking at our door?" She finished, driving each point home like a solid strike to his chest. "I know where I'll be, so I know exactly where you' ll be, too. You'll be on the front lines with me, because we're both too stupid to be anywhere else. It doesn't even matter if you destroy your hammer here because you'll just build another, just like you did before our attack on Silco's facility."

"But how the fuck do I carry on like this!" Jayce cried, breaking his silence. "How do I keep going on like I haven't just taken an innocent life!"

Vi reached and gripped Jayce's arm, his eyes boring dangerously into his as she leaned towards him. "You take that pain and guilt and you turn it into a promise, Jayce." She growled, her words like fire. "A promise to make sure no one else ever has to suffer like that, ever again! You take that shit and you nail it into your fucking heart, so that no one can ever take it away from you, and so you'll never forget it."

Jayce and Vi stared each other down, two people from two different worlds, brought together by things out of their control, and Jayce was the first to look away. "Do you think it'll work?"

The intensity in Vi's gaze softened ever so slightly, and she smiled just a little. "It's enough to keep me going, it should work for you…"

Jayce nodded almost imperceptibly before turning back to the Mercury Hammer, taking it in his hands. Not to destroy or unmake, but to observe, listening to the crack of thunder that sounded as he turned the hammer on, lifting it off the table. He stepped away from Vi, then, taking the weapon in two hands and taking a steadying breath.

The memories of watching the child die forced their way up his throat, but Jayce didn't push them away this time. It was his mistake, and small acts of perceived atonement wouldn't bring him back. Nothing could make it right, so why try, when he could instead focus on doing as much good as possible?

Jayce took the memories and the pain, the guilt and grief, before doing what Vi said and nailing it to his heart, vowing to use the Mercury Hammer in defense of people and good, just like he wanted back when he was a child. And Jayce swore that, no matter what, he wouldn't forget this promise, he wouldn't let the nail rust away and turn to dust.

It might've been an impossible task for most, but no one knew a hammer like Jayce.

"Thank you, Vi." He spoke quietly, feeling lighter than he had in days. He'd need to speak with Viktor about this, but part of him was sure he'd understand. "I see why Caitlyn trusts you so much."

"Yeah, well, you're not so bad yourself." Vi returned, giving him a light pat on the shoulder. "Caitlyn said I should try and be friends with you, that you were a good guy." She revealed, and Jayce felt just a little touched.

"Oh?"

"Yeah…" She trailed off, before speaking up again. "You think that'll work?" She asked, putting her hand out to him.

"Us as friends?" He asked and she nodded, and he took her hand and they shook on it. "I like the sound of that."

Vi laughed, the sound honest and warm, free of the heavy air that they'd been under just then. "I'm sure you do. Well, as we're friends now I'll tell you what I spoke to Caitlyn about earlier, before we got here and found you two with your lights out." Vi declared, her casual air of confidence having returned in full force.

"What's that?" He requested, willing the Mercury Hammer to shut off, letting it rest on the floor, its haft pointing up.

"I was suggesting that we bring you along down into the Undercity." Vi explained, and Jayce's eyes widened in surprise. "Ekko's the type of guy to respect someone who gets their hands dirty, you know? It's gonna be hard getting him to work with a Piltie Councillor who won't even bother showing up."

Jayce nodded, seeing the merit in her idea. "Plus, it's probably better to talk to him on his own terms, in somewhere he finds comfortable - not the other way around."

Vi bumped her shoulder against his with a laugh. "Glad we're on the same page, now we've just gotta see if Caitlyn's gonna let you come with us. I think she's worried you have a concussion."

And that's how the two of them spent the time waiting for Caitlyn to get back, just talking about anything from Hextech to their homes to even the ways they trained.

Friends, Jayce thought, yeah, I can do that.

---

Well that's that. A lot happened there and it took me many rewrites to get it how I wanted it to be, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. Jayce is one of my favourite characters in Arcane so writing this chapter was a lot of fun, but it just took a lot of work going from his stuff with Viktor to Vi. Still I'm pleased with this monstrosity of a chapter, and I hope you all are too. I'm sure you all can imagine where we'll be heading next chapter, so I'll leave you with that to look forward to.

See you all next time!