The next day had been warm, smooth, and pleasant for Sevika. Silco was focused and clear at the morning talk with her. The Chembarons were handling most of their problems and the grumbling was minimal. Lastly, she'd talked a whale into coming to the card game in the evening.
Then a Jinx-sized pain in her ass entered during her walk.
"Hey, Cap. I've got some good news," the Loose Cannon said, materializing from around a street corner. Sevika kept her composure from the sudden appearance but not from seeing the boss' menace of a daughter. In the first years she felt she had tried to understand what Silco saw in her that would warrant the cost. It had been fruitless and now she just tried to minimize her significance.
"Right?" Sevika replied with a generous portion of skepticism.
Jinx gestured with her thumb to the alley and walked backwards into it. Sevika followed with care. At least she is being tight with business information, she thought.
"Some things have come up, so I'm gonna have to give a rain check on puppy guarding the airship supply next week," Jinx explained. "That's all."
Sevika gazed at her in astonishment. She could jinx things by not being there as easily as she could by being there. "And the good news?"
Blinking, Jinx looked authentically confused. "You remember you despise me, right?"
"Jinx, I– Why don't you want to do it? You've been talking about riding on airships before you first bled. You don't miss an opportunity for a fight, especially when I'm dumb enough to give you free rein."
Jinx just shrugged. "Like I said, some things. They'll be other airships. And really, the Firelights will probably stand us up, so I'll put in all that work without any exhibition for it."
Sevika shook her head and gamed out the rest of the conversation. I'd demand details, Jinx would refuse, I'd appeal to Silco, Silco would side with his brat but get her to confide what it was after I had left. A net loss.
"I'll accept it, but you owe me a favor.".
Jinx scoffed. "Everyone and their favors. Equivalent exchange I can stomach. Probs bigger than the chore wheel; probs smaller than the Piltover problem."
Slowly, Jinx extended her left hand low with the palm up. Sevika looked at it a moment, before catching on. She was ruthless, but not cruel. She clapped Jinx's hand to seal the agreement. Though 50/50 it will haunt me later. Now, should I try to move the shipment to sooner? How to replace her aboard the airship…
Jinx jerked her head back to the street. "You headed to the Last Drop? Wanna walk together? Make a show for the looky-loos that Silco's team has no daylight between them– we don't really get that down here anyway…."
Sevika held up her hand. "Next time, perhaps. Resolve 'some things' soon. Somehow, you being away can be a bigger nuisance than you being here, brat." Sevika made a half-smile and turned to leave.
She felt a light touch on her elbow before she left. "Ogre… when you realized Vander had betrayed and lied to you about protecting Zaun, did you ever regret going to Silco?"
The softness in the young woman's voice surprised Sevika. This doesn't feel like a gotcha or gambit.
"No. No, only that I had to do it." Sevika waited a couple of heartbeats for a follow up, then left the troubled teen alone with her many thoughts.
A side benefit of the Ionian mask, Ekko thought as his team glided to the end of the huge pipes that drained from the topside into the undercity. They really helped moving between the light and the dark. He exited and waited for his comrades to get in position. The target was docked; right on the adjusted time.
Ekko let himself tumble/dive down and the Firelights followed. Striking fast, the crystal bombs struck Sevika and Lock. The few other thugs were knocked out quickly. Ekko swooped in and jumped off the hoverboard.
"We have five minutes," his distorted voice warned the team. "Burn the shipment. Check below deck."
Two of the Firelights complied, pulling up the lid, and heading down. Unfortunately, they failed to notice the thin wire being pulled when they lifted it. Ekko did catch Sevika faint smirk though.
"Cancel! Get back up here now," Ekko ordered.
A subtle glow of green and pink emitted from below and the brief screams of the two Firelights followed shortly.
"Too late," Sevika taunted.
"Get airborne." Ekko followed his own orders and hopped on his hoverboard as a chemtank leapt onto the deck. His heart sank when he saw a second one.
The first one dashed toward Jams on his left while Scar was already baiting the second one away from the others. Eve threw a crystal bomb at its feet, but the strength and speed of the chemtank made it a minor encumbrance.
Ekko used all his strength in swinging his pipe to deflect its blade arm from her, but it still struck her hoverboard. It started to spiral out of control, but Nail was able to get under her and bring her aboard his.
"N, help S if you can. If not, try to still burn the–" Ekko was cut off by the chemtank focusing him. He evaded, but they were near misses and it wasn't allowing openings.
"E, smoke." Eve obeyed rapidly and the smoke let him put some welcome distance between him and the killer machineman. Ekko maneuvered near the ledge while still facing the lights from the chemtank.
"Shit. My hoverboard is broken!" Ekko lied loudly as the smoke began to fade. The ruse seemed to work as the chemtank lunged forward.
Gotta time this right. Falling back at the last second, he watched the blade pass an inch above his nose. Then, with the hoverboard perpendicular, switched it to full throttle. With the chemtank only starting to slow down and its top heavy build, Ekko striking its legs with the hoverboard at full speed brought it down on the ledge. Well, through the ledge. And then its spinning lower half brought it over.
Ekko frowned at the killing. Now is no time for pathos. The sudden flames around him told him the situation was getting better or worse.
"Sorry, lead," Nail began, "but my hoverboard is truly sluggish and that thing is so–"
"Starting the fire helps," he affirmed and glanced at the watch. Less than a minute. "N, J, do you still have CBs?"
"No, we lobbed them all to slow down the monster," Jams answered.
Sighing, Ekko jumped on his hoverboard again. "Okay, standby. I hate to go to three on yours, but mine just took a beating."
Racing over, he saw Scar somehow still alive and in one piece. Eve was assisting, but her baton couldn't do much against the juggernaut.
Ekko decided to make a sacrifice. "Sorry," he whispered and again turned the hoverboard to max speed. It struck the back of the chemtank's head a fraction of a second before Ekko leapt. It was reinforced, but the person inside wasn't.
While their foe was dazed, Scar thrust his spear into the faceshield. It didn't breakthrough enough to stab, but it did bring the operator out of consciousness.
Scar pulled it out with a grunt and looked to Ekko with a slight head tilt. Scar was a master of saying a lot without words.
Frowning, he considered the silent question. Throwing it overboard would be helpful for their cause–they could not be too easy for even Silco to replace. But killing an unconscious foe…. "No. All aboard!"
Ekko saw his hoverboard was basically scrap, but still set it on his back and got on with Eve. The five lifted away as an irate Sevika broke free of the crystallization and bellowed at them.
Ekko felt her narrowed eyes on them until they reached the pipes and disappeared into their darkness.