"Mommy. Mommy! May I go play on my hover at the reservoir?" an energetic little white-haired girl questioned.

"I don't see–wait. Inna, did you already ask daddy if you could?" Jinx asked with suspicion, turning her attention away from the components for a portal gun.

Inna looked at her feet. "Maybe, a little."

Jinx knelt down and gently lifted her daughter's chin up. "And what have I told you about asking one of us for permission and then the other."

Inna brought a finger to her chubby cheeks and furrowed her brow. "That… I should at least ask you first, since you will probably say yes."

Jinx smiled and kissed her forehead. "Exactly. I'll try negotiating for you. Maybe he doesn't want you to go because dinner is almost ready."

"Oh, so dinner THEN hovering?" Inna asked, almost hoping with energy.

"We'll see. Let's go and haggle with him." She went to turn off the lights in the room but was unable to. Odd. That happens when… no. No!

Lucidity and anxiety hit Jinx like a bullet. This is a dream. And that means it will be a nightmare soon. She heard a baby crying. Little Sera! She sprinted into the room and saw Ekko holding their baby and rocking it with care.

"What's wrong, Doodlebug?"

"Nothing. Not yet." Jinx checked her surroundings. Should I fight whatever thing is going to happen? That doesn't usually work.

Ekko looked right at her. "Jinx. You should–wake up."

"Huh?"

"Jinx, it's time to wake up."

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a bed, but not in her hideout, nor the Last Drop, nor her room at the Firelight base. She was in Ekko's room. Wait, his bed?!

"Sorry, you looked peaceful, but we still have a lot to do," Ekko apologized and set a tray down for her. It was the regular modest breakfast the Firelights seemed to have, but she hoped her smile showed the warmth she felt for the gesture.

It was coming back to her. After speaking with Warwick and then Caitlyn, they continued experimenting with the hexgem. They activated the Armadillo Territory Field and had celebratory drinks. In his excitement, Ekko had kissed her. She had reprimanded him as a hypocrite AND a sex fiend. I told him I had to sleep after all that had happened.

"Righty-ho. Sorry for stealing your bed." She ate like a famished pig.

Ekko shrugged as he ate his meal. "The chair was fine. Besides, it gave me a chance to go see the AT Field from up high and test out the neutralizers."

Beaming with curiosity, she set down her fork. "And?"

He gave a thumbs up. "It feels funny, like you're leaning against the wind or swimming upside down, but it works and doesn't hurt. When I got back, I had some of the night team check to confirm that making gaps work and it doesn't go under the water. Not at its current setting anyway."

She swallowed. "Wise. We don't want to imprison ourselves or damage Zaun's environment more than it is. But we could still be attacked by submersibles or strong frogmen."

Tilting his head, Ekko looked at his partner. "I don't think Piltover has many amphibian Vastaya."

A chuckle came from Jinx. "No, nitwit. I mean divers. Though the Pilties don't have many of those either, as far as I know."

"Even if they do, it would take them time to plan and organize. So Zaun needs to do that faster than them."

Jinx put down her last bite as another memory fired. "Silco? Did he actually try to hold up the enforcers alone?"

Ekko nodded. "Well, Caitlyn and the big guys provided cover for him. I can't forgive him for flooding the underground with shimmer and the killings; still, their description of what he did will likely make him a legend."

Don't look or sound panicked. "Was he hurt?"

"No." Ekko stood up and moved closer. "He'll be at Babette's. Probably with a scheme to bring you back to him."

"That won't happen," she pledged and offered her hand.

He took it. "I know. Whether we wish it or not, it was both our sides that protected Zaun. We have a strong claim on leadership, but Silco has a far larger organization and he has Vi."

Jinx paused before taking the last bite. "That will be his play, you think? He'll offer to trade Vi for me. With the understanding of what happens to her if we refuse."

Ekko scratched his head. "You know him better than me, but I think so. Fortunately, we have a counteroffer." He walked over to a bag and took out a Firelight outfit. "Your clothes are getting washed and it'll work better if you have clothes like these on anyway."

"My–hey?! When did you take them off?!" she asked and pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"I didn't. You did. You said 'I won't dirty your bed like that' and started undressing right away."

Oh, yeah. I didn't know I was that much of a lightweight after drinks. "But did you watch?" she said, her lowering finger aiming for a headshot again.

"No. Not really." He demonstrated covering his eyes with his fingers, but leaving a sizable gap between them. Jinx bit her lip to restrain a little laugh. "I collected them when I heard you snoring."

She gasped at the defamation. "I do not snore!"

Her boyfriend made an incredulous smile.

"Naked or not, I'll wipe that smirk off your face," Jinx warned while keeping the blankets at modest cleavage level and bringing her feet to just above the floor.

Ekko nodded and turned around. "Well, get dressed soon. Within an hour I've got to take you to a brothel."

The Boy Savior sprinted out of his room, jumped on the hoverboard, and took off for his safety.

Smiling, Caitlyn removed the pig mask from her face. Despite Ekko's denials, she suspected the well-meaning insurgent leader had ulterior motives in giving her that particular mask. Having any Firelight mask is awkward enough at the Enforcer Headquarters. She had kept it when she thought her actual face would be even more unwelcome. The enforcers' penchant for gossip had not included her, perhaps because there was too much else happening.

"Good to see your face again," Jayce said and offered a hug for his old friend.

She returned it. "Sorry for not saying earlier, but my condolences for Viktor and Sky. I didn't know them well, but every time I saw them they disproved the caricature of fissure folk so prevalent up here."

Water formed in Jayce's eyes and his embrace tightened. "All of Runeterra is worse for him being gone. At least Sky is in stable condition. He probably took debris that would've killed her, though I don't know if I should tell her that."

Caitlyn considered that. Would I want to know that if mom or dad did that? Probably. If it was someone like Vi though? That would be harder to take. "Not my place, but if he was going to not make it anyway, then I think she would want to know."

Nodding, Jayce broke the hug at last. "For now, though, we need to plan and organize. I've not had any outright refusals, but one of them could be or about to become a double agent."

Caitlyn walked to the desk that was meant to be hers but her status in the enforcers was somewhere above "arrest on sight" and somewhere below "under investigation." On it was her summary of lieutenants, experienced officers, and promising newcomers from the lists Derek had provided her. Having the Man of Progress be the face of the vetting had certainly helped, but she still felt as anxious as when she first took off in the air on a hoverboard.

"So, you're ranking them by affiliation, competency, and… ambition? The last one is a mixed curse, at least after our immediate goal is finished."

Jayce shook his head. "Ambition is not a vice. It is a tool, like hextech. It needs discipline, but a reformed Enforcer Corps will not succeed with complacent officers and leaders."

Vi thought herself as ambitious. It was accurate–she tried to single-handedly take down Silco. But her action was definitely undisciplined. "I'll refer to it, but I'll have my own appraisals later."

"I'm here for support. The enforcers here respect me, but I can't connect closely to their work. I… will have to listen to you a lot for what will need to be done after today," Jayce confessed.

Jayce doesn't usually lack confidence. He must be hurting badly from Viktor's death and feeling he failed to convince the Council. "They recognize you as being one of the two people to make Piltover leap forward. You learn fast Jayce and I think we can do great work together in this area."

Sighing, Jayce glanced at the clock. "Three people were key to hextech. Mel covered for us that night. She championed hextech from the start. She funded much of the hexgate and the hex crystal stabilization. It is hard to see her turn to war and be willing to kill an unarmed politician."

"I was surprised too. But I saw her clearly on the bridge and she tried to kill Silco twice."

He clenched his fist and bent his pencil to the near breaking point. "Mel and Derek have reconciled from their spat or so the lieutenants think. If we don't do this, perhaps they will, even if the diplomatic committee carries the day."

That might just be rationalization for this. There is a lot of gray here.

A knock came at the door, interrupting her thoughts. She held up her mask and made a tiny head tilt at Jayce about whether to put it back on. Jayce shook her head and she set it face down on the desk.

"Come in, please," Jayce said. The door opened and an older Vastayan officer stepped through. She did not salute, but did stand at attention. "Mister Tallis. Captain Caitlyn. Thank you for the invitation. What is this meeting for?"

"Officer Julia, we asked you here to discuss a crucial matter. What do you think the future should be?"