VI & CAITLYN

Minutes earlier...

Vi didn't want to admit it to Caitlyn yet, but despite the few times she wore those gauntlets, she felt herself *naked* without them.

She only didn't press Caitlyn to get them back due to the present circumstances - the Gauntlets no doubt were at the evidence lock-up, but it'd take too much time and the exit would've been noisy, and Caitlyn knew this was the last thing they needed, if Mel Medarda was to be saved. But at least some of the delay was worth it, as now they could tell Heimerdinger where he could find her.

The nightly streets sounded oddly quiet and peaceful by the time both had 'left' the Central Precinct by the front door, rifles in hand to keep up appearances. No alarms were sounded as of yet, as they walked the streets of Piltover, giving the appearance of a normal street beat, and it sounded *too* tranquil. But then, it was the northside they were at, and of course those living there didn't know how ugly things were in the Fissures. They never did, and that's what pissed Vi off the most - how oblivious they were, most of the time, to the problems down there before they blew on their faces. Only this time it was literal, thanks to her sister, and now they acted as if they were complete victims.

They've then arrived close to the agreed rendezvous point, at the Incognia Plaza, a large public space surrounded by the towering Piltovan buildings. At it's center, lied a giant ascending disc within an octagon, holding a huge steel, clockwork ornate globe at it's center. Four support beams, laying down, were distributed around the plaza as well, making them somewhat a part of it.

"Always thought a fountain would fit better, here...", Vi commented.

"You never heard of the Incognium Runeterra?", Caitlyn asked.

"The what?", Vi asked.

Caitlyn then pointed at the giant globe. "Valentina Zindelo's invention.", she said. "Capable of finding any individual in the world."

"Finding any individual?", Vi asked. "And you never even thought of using that?"

"You mean to find Jinx, before all that happened?", Caitlyn asked. "If we could, we *would've*, already. But it works on a formula only Zindelo had. And she died a long time ago..."

Both had passed the globe to the supposed stairwell case, where they could see something that didn't belong there - an enforcer lying down, having collapsed, the rifle strewn about. Vi and Caitlyn readily took her helmets off.

"It's us!", Vi called.

A small box moved aside at a building corner, revealing Heimerdinger, whom watched the corners as Vi and Caitlyn descended the stairs.

"It seems you've made it.", Heimerdinger said.

"Sidereal Precinct.", Vi replied, getting straight to the point. "That's where Medarda's holed up."

"We could get you a distraction, give you a way in-", Caitlyn started.

"You've both done more than enough.", Heimerdinger cut her. "It's *your* safety you must be concerned with now.", he then revealed a set of keys, extending them to Caitlyn. "Copies, to my old apartment."

"Apartment?", Vi asked, almost not believing it. "Thought you were more the mansion type."

Heimerdinger chuckled a bit. "All I ever needed was a corner for myself, dear.", he said. "A mansion is too big for-"

Suddenly, a loud horn sound echoed across the nightly town.

The horn all three recognized and feared.

"Crap, too soon!", Caitlyn cursed.

"Too soon?", Vi asked. "Took longer than I thought!"

"Run, you both!", Heimerdinger urged. "Reveck Avenue, 7792, miss Kiramman knows the way! Go!"

Cailtyn and Vi nodded as they wore their helmets and started running down the street while Heimerdinger ran off the other way, ascending the stairs. As they came to the end of the lane, they came across an enforcer at an intersection with his helmet off whom were running as well, and then spotted the two enforcers with their helmets on.

"You, freeze!", the enforcer barked, raising his rifle, making both stop. "Drop the guns, helmets off!"

Vi and Caitlyn stared at each other before Vi suddenly dashed to the right, getting the enforcer's attention whom started firing as Caitlyn, whom wasn't going to fire on a colleague at arms, took her helmet off and threw it at the enforcer, hitting him as Vi moved in to finish him off with her fists.

"No helmet...", Caitlyn said in suspicious concern, as helmet was a part of grooming standard regulations.

"No brains, either...", Vi followed, getting her helmet off too.

Caitlyn then noticed something on his shoulder, like a device with him that was screeching with a subtle, inaudible female tone, one that Vi and Caitlyn didn't have, but Caitlyn could recognize it, from some of the Ironhands she put down on the battle for Ekko's spot. She grabbed it to hear up close, and so did Vi approach too.

"...repeat, all units, two fugitives from Central at large.", the female voice spoke more clearly. "Fugitives identified as detained officer Caitlyn Kiramman and Stilwater ex-convict number 516, aka Vi, appearance to be described shortly. Suspects very likely to be wearing full enforcer uniforms, including masks and helmets. Any with either still on are also to be detained and brought in."

Vi let her breath out, frustrated. "And there goes our edge...", she said.

"And we got nothing, just the guns, and shooting them is out of...", Caitlyn started saying before she saw Vi heading off to one of the buildings, looking for a way up. It didn't take much for Caitlyn to catch on what the brawler was thinking and then reach Vi, dropping the radio. "Tell me you're not-"

"You got a better idea!?", Vi cut her off, tense, before she then pointed at the balcony upstairs. "There.", she said, and then pointed at the door below. "Use the rifle."

Caitlyn groaned and fired the rifle at the door knob and Vi kicked it, rushing the building as if on a raid.

"Hurry!", Vi shouted.

"Thought I wouldn't do this again...", Caitlyn said, following her up a staircase to the building's upper floor.

As they entered and tried moving the balcony, the door to a room opened where a couple was surprised and almost screamed.

"On the room, on the room!", Caitlyn shouted, frantically, as Vi opened the door to the balcony, and then went up the railing, grabbed and started scaling up to the balcony's roof.

"Cait!", Vi shouted, offering her right arm for Caitlyn to help her up the balcony's rooftop, as both got on their feet and were at the rooftops overlooking the maze that was Piltover, with it's endless buildings, the once standing Council Chambers now a ruin at the top. "Which direction?"

Caitlyn looked around and pointed to the direction Vi and Caitlyn started heading as both ran, Caitlyn with some difficulty, along the rooftops. At one rooftop, Vi slid down and jumped, to the other roof with a mastery Caitlyn did see out of the trencher girl during their first, unforgettable trip together to the Undercity.

Vi offered her arms for Caitlyn to jump, invitingly. And they were useful in catching the Piltovan girl, and then in scaling back to the upper top of the rooftops, running as best as they could in the direction described. Caitlyn did see, in one point, an airship starting to take off from where Caitlyn could recognize as the Central Precinct, aerial spotlights now going live and shining in their man-hunting glory. Both her and Vi's hearts were almost over a thousand at that point.

As they arrived close by the supposed Reveck Avenue, they could see almost no enforcers at the site, but some of the buildings indeed looked identical.

"The keys!", Vi urged, and Caitlyn gave them to her, and thus Vi could descend the buildings to the street and then search for the building. As Vi found it, she took a while to find the right key to the door, getting in time just as an enforcer patrol moved in and moved past the apartment Vi just entered and closed the door. It took at least a minute before the doors to a balcony opened, and a rushing Vi whistled Caitlyn, whom was at the roof across the street.

Caitlyn hesitated for a second, almost paralyzed, looking around, the airship flowing it's lights menacingly the rooftops close by. Caitlyn closed her eyes and decided this was it.

It lied in Janna's blessed winds now.

She let herself slip from the rooftop and using the momentum to jump, right as the flashing cone of light swept by, almost catching the fugitive.

Vi was capable of grabbing her in time, using her strength to help her up the balcony's railings to Heimerdinger's old apartment, before the enforcers could notice something. With both at the balcony, both rushed in, closed the door and then collapsed to the upper room's carpet, clearly a small bedroom and study.

While Vi catched her breath, she noticed Caitlyn was almost breathless in all that. She could relate to that.

"Rooftops...", Caitlyn said, between breaths. "Thought it'd be the last time... But there's *never* one, is there?"

"Wished there was...", Vi answered, a second later, catching her breath before picking her self up and sitting down. "How long 'til they start going door-to-door?"

"They wouldn't.", Caitlyn answered. "No sense in making a bigger fuzz. Question is how long until they figure it's here. If we're lucky, about after morning."

"It's all on the little guy, then.", Vi replied.

"It's still too risky...", Caitlyn shook her head, after a second, sitting as well. "Every way you look at, his rescue can go wrong, especially now!"

"What, got any plans, Cupcake?", Vi asked, as she then saw Caitlyn take a breath in frustration, clearly not knowing what to do. "I wanna help him too, but it's like he said, we gotta take care of ourselves, now. Besides, don't know how we'd do it, or if we'll really help or just make things worse..."

"Is that really coming from the girl whom just dives in rashly to trouble?", Caitlyn asked, and Vi simply stared at her, for a moment, before looking away. "You learned that the hard way...", the former Sheriff slowly realized.

"We *both* did.", Vi replied, a second later, letting her breath out. "Me and Powder."

Caitlyn said nothing more, as she looked away too. As much as she hated to admit, she indeed had no idea on how to aid Heimerdinger, even more now that the all-points bulletin was on both her and Vi.

All they could really do, indeed, was to wait and see what'd happen.