EKKO VI

The elevator ride up to the council room was quiet. Too quiet. I stared out of the panoramic lift as I played with my stopwatch. Half of me wished Powder was here to fill the nerve-wracking silence while the other half was glad she wasn't. The event with Marcus had unfolded similarly to what I saw in my dreams and I shuddered at the thought of what might have happened had I not insisted that she stay behind. But now, we were in a new timeline and I had no clue what would happen next. It felt like the weight of the future was on my shoulder again.

"Hey, stop that," ordered one of the enforcers escorting us. I gave him a brief sideway glance and he pointed at my stopwatch. "Keep swinging that thing around like a yo-yo and I'm going to take it from you."

"You got it, boss," I said as I held up my hand and caught the spinning timepiece. Caitlyn looked over her shoulder and gave me an appreciative smile. There was too much riding on our success today to stir up trouble for no reason. Instead of fidgeting, I decided to focus on its rhythmic ticks to center myself. The sound of the shifting gears faded away into the background and I was left alone with my thoughts.

I suppose instead of looking at it as a burden, I could see it as an opportunity. Before I had felt like a passenger on a car that was driving towards a cliff but now, my hands were on the wheel and if there was one thing I trusted myself to do, it was to be able to get out of a tough situation. Things weren't going to be easy but there was one advantage I had: I knew exactly what these people wanted. As long as I could leverage that, the day would be ours.

"Councilors my daughter has a unique insight into our situation," said Councilor Kiramman as we entered the stage.

"Thank you. Councilors, this is Ekko. He was born in the undercity. Even though we failed him in countless ways, he risked everything to come here today in hopes of creating a better future for our city," said Caitlyn as she allowed me to step forward. There was a moment of silence after my introduction as I felt each one of them size me up. They judged the way I looked, my posture, how I dressed and I knew at that moment, without a shadow of a doubt, that they all thought I was nothing. The mask was gone and all they saw was a young black man from the undercity that was way out of his depth.

"So you're the Owl; you are a lot younger than we expected," commented Councilor Salo.

I shrugged. "We grow up fast in the undercity."

"We've been informed that you wish to negotiate for the return of the Hextech gemstone," said Councilor Bolbok.

"I'm here to discuss the future of the undercity," I corrected. "The conditions for the gemstone's return were already stated during our show on Progress Day and last I checked, Silco and Chross are not taken care of yet."

"You think this is some kind of joke?!" yelled Councilor Talis. "We're not mercenaries for you to hire to carry out a hit! Return the gemstone immediately and we'll consider pardoning you and your accomplices for your little stunt."

"The Firelights uncovered years of corruption by the highest-ranking officer within our task force, revealed the identities of the crime lords that have been left unchecked to ravage the citizens of Piltover, and showed the danger that Shimmer poses to our city!" argued Caitlyn. "Though their methods may not have been conventional, their efforts should be praised rather than persecuted."

"I agree with what you have said, Officer Kiramman," said Councilor Medarda, "however, that still does not excuse the theft of the gemstone. As Councilor Talis has stated, we would be willing to overlook any previous petty crimes if it is returned."

"A generous monetary reward would also not be out of the question for your cooperation," said Councilor Shoola as she casually drummed her metal fingers on the desk.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in your bribes," I said with a smirk. "But don't worry, I get it. You guys are scared. You've lived your whole life in cushy mansions and have never felt in danger before and now you do."

"Don't push your luck with us, boy," said Councilor Hoskel. "We're only in danger on the small chance that you have already weaponized the gemstone. Who's to say you aren't bluffing?"

"The uncertainty makes you uncomfortable. Alright," I said as I tossed a dossier onto the round table. "I'll remove it for you."

Councilor Talis quickly opened the folder and after scanning through the photos, put his head into his hands. "You've solved it…how?"

Panic began to spread and though I enjoyed watching them lose their composure, it wasn't what I was here to do. "The gemstone isn't being weaponized right now and I hope our conversation today doesn't give us a reason to do so."

"You think we can just trust the words of someone like you?!"

I sighed as I resisted the urge to both laugh and cuss him out at the same time. "You're all looking at the problem through the wrong lens. Classic Piltie mistake. You think if Silco, Chross, and the Firelights are gone then everything will be solved but we are all products of the environment you created. So long as you allow the gross inequality between topside and bottom to persist, another Silco will rise to power and the cycle of violence will never stop. The more desperate we become, the more violent our methods will get until the day this city is destroyed."

"Efforts by us to aid the undercity were never well received before," grumbled Councilor Hoskel.

"Then perhaps we should be quiet and listen to what this young man has to say," said Councilor Kiramman.

I let the question hang in the air for a moment before I presented my first term, "We need a seat at the table. One that is elected by the people of the undercity to represent their interest within the Council." A few of them openly scoffed at the idea but I continued, "You may think it's ridiculous but the fact is, the most influential person within the undercity has always had influence here, whether it'd be Vander and Grayson or Silco and Marcus. If I were you, I would prefer to monitor these connections to ensure they are more like the former than the latter."

There was a pause as the councilors tried to refute my proposition before Councilor Medarda spoke up, "That is a reasonable request. It would establish a line of dialogue between the two sides of the city and ensure problems are addressed before they escalate as they have now. However, we have recently had a few changes to the Council and too much change in a short time frame makes us look unstable. Once some time has passed, this policy can be enacted after a show of good faith from our side to alleviate the concerns your people may have of a puppet being installed. Is that acceptable?"

I nodded.

"That's all well and good but what's to stop you from changing your mind and threatening us with the gemstone at a later time?" asked Councilor Salo.

"A trusted member can return with me to the undercity and make periodic reports to confirm that the gemstone has not been weaponized. Additionally, I think it'd be good to have a Piltovian's perspective on what our problems are and how we can fix them." I chuckled as I saw many of them look like they were about to put their fingers on their noses and yell out 'not it.' "Don't worry, I've already picked out your insurance policy for you."

"Who?"

A small night breeze followed me in as I climbed through the window of the academy, sending a few sheets of paper flying off the desk. The lights were off which meant I had some time to kill but I didn't mind. Since Heimerdinger wasn't back yet, I took the liberty to have a look around, curious as to what projects the most accomplished inventor in Piltover's history was working on. I felt like a kid in a candy shop and really had to resist the urge to do a little shopping.

As I passed by his desk, I noticed an old scrapbook that laid open amidst his notes. It was filled with photographs dating back to days when the pictures were still in black and white. It was a little sad watching the people in the photos age with each passing page, eventually replaced by a new generation of students, while Heimerdinger remained the exact same. It was no wonder that the ex-councilor was so estranged from the struggles of humans and more focused on his world of inventions. His was a different, no doubt more lonely, existence.

I carefully closed the scrapbook and focused on the gadget beside it. "Tri-dy-mini…how do you pronounce this?"

"Tridyminiumobulator." My hand instinctively moved to my weapon from the unexpected response and by some wizard's trick or yordle's magic, Heimerdinger was standing by the door without having made a sound. "Ah, the infamous Owl! I wondered who snuck into my laboratory this late at night. I'm afraid you won't find any Hextech gemstones here."

"I wasn't looking for gemstones," I said as I lowered my hand, "I was looking for you."

"Me? Whatever for?" The yordle raised his bushy eyebrows as I took my mask off. "I am not an expert on criminal activities but I must say that I find the act of revealing your identity counterproductive."

"I'm not here to fight," I said as I sat down, "I'm here to talk."

"I don't know what a conversation with me can offer you. I no longer possess the authority to guide this city," he said with a saddened look.

"You don't need to be a councilor to make the world a better place." I nodded to the chair across from me. "Hear me out. If you don't like what I have to say then I'll leave."

"Very well," he said as he hopped onto the stool with his pet poro joining him, "I do love a good conversation."

"I heard you recently ventured into the undercity."

He nodded. "I wanted to offer my assistance to the citizens but…it seems I'm unwelcome."

"I will be speaking with the Council tomorrow and I expect that I will also be unwelcome. Years of conflict have made both sides unable to trust each other but without trust, we can never move past the conflict."

"Quite the conundrum yet I sense that you have a solution in mind."

"For the Council to trust me, there needs to be some sort of guarantee. That's where you come in. If you come back with me to the undercity and act as the bridge between us, the Council will get their assurance that we aren't acting against them, you'll be able to help the undercity as you wanted to and we'll get to keep the gemstone."

"And what do you intend to do with it?"

"The Council is worried about us weaponizing the gemstone but the truth is, we've already decided on what we're going to make. Do you know what's more deadly than Hextech weapons? The air quality. It's the cause of many of the sicknesses down there and renders large sections of our city uninhabitable. Our friend came up with this design to pump clean air down through pipes and I think combined with restoration efforts, we can make a big difference in the quality of life for the people of the undercity," I said as I handed him the blueprints.

"Hmm…this looks oddly similar to Sky's work."

"What a weird coincidence."

"Indeed," he said with a small smile on his face. "You plan to return the gemstone to them but in a different form…crafty! But this project would take more than just one gemstone. A rework like this requires a substantial budget and if there's one thing I have learned from my time on the Council, it's that the merchant clans did not get to where they are by giving away their wealth."

"Once the old parts of town are livable again, homelessness will start to decrease and the area around the bridge can be turned into an entertainment and commercial zone where people can come for a good, cheap time. If there's one thing we're really good at, it's partying and with the traffic Piltover gets from being a global shipping port, there's plenty of tourist money that can be earned while they're here."

"Additionally, although we don't have Hextech, our understanding of chemistry and body replacements far exceeds topside. Shimmer is the bad side of it but big advancements in medicine can be made if the inventors down there are given a chance. By investing in the undercity, the Council would increase the value the city generates and would have the same slice of a much larger pie."

"Incredible…How did you come up with all this at such a young age?"

I chuckled. "You'd be surprised what you can pull off when your life depends on it."

"Me!"

Everyone turned to the entrance as the yordle scientist with a rocking good hairstyle walked into the room. "Coun- I mean, Professor Heimerdinger? Why?"

"I've given some thoughts on what you said Jayce and you were right. Many of the city's current woes happened under my watch and as the founding father of Piltover, it is my responsibility to do everything I can to set things right. I have listened to Ekko's plans and I wish to support the vision this young man has for the future of our city. Plus, I'm far too young to retire."

"I don't think anybody here questions Professor Heimerdinger's integrity and his name is well recognized even in the deepest reaches of the undercity. With his presence, the fissure folk will know that the Council is serious about making changes and eventually, he can add credibility to the problems the elected member brings to the table."

There was a pause as the councilors looked at each other uncertainly and I knew now was the time to close the deal. I took a step closer to them and held out my arms. "Well, I've shown you my hand. You know the people behind the drugs and the guns. You have a plan now for how to heal this city, how to grow it, how to make it profitable. You have insurance that the Firelights won't turn against you."

I paused as I made eye contact with each person around the table. Their expressions have all changed. The opinions they had of me from when I first stepped into the room were overturned and what they saw was no longer a threat but an opportunity. With a smile on my face, I asked the question I already knew the answer to. "Are we doing this or not?"

"We did it!" exhaled Caitlyn as we walked out of the building and I saw the stress physically leave her body. "I can't believe it. Everything I've been working towards my whole life…"

"Well done, my boy! You truly have the charisma of a natural-born leader," said Heimerdinger as he walked alongside us.

"I couldn't have done it without you guys," I said genuinely. "We'll need to head home soon to share the good news."

"I suppose I'll need to get packing but before that, I just have one question," said Heimerdinger as he got into a thinking pose. "We have never met before yet your plan's success was contingent on my cooperation. How were you so certain that I would agree to help?"

"It's hard to explain," I said as I ran my hand through my hair before taking out the hoverboard. "What do you think of this?"

He took a moment to appraise it before giving his opinion. "The design is ingenious though –"

"These blades look improperly pitched." He looked up at me in surprise as I finished his sentence. "You said the same thing the first time we met."

"I believe I would have remembered."

"Not in this timeline." It felt weird saying it out loud but at this point, it wasn't something that could be chalked up to coincidence anymore. I explained all the strange things that have led up to this moment. "The only plausible theory I have is that the 'me' from a different timeline did…something! Time traveled back or…or…is sending me these messages somehow. I think it's so that I can avoid certain events from transpiring which is why I came here today."

There was a moment of silence as the three-hundred-year-old yordle processed this information and I was worried he had changed his mind after all this crazy talk. But when he finally spoke, what he said shook me to my core. "If that's the case, then I believe I might have been the one to help you do it."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because the Tridyminiumobulator is a time machine..."