Pain.
It surrounded Ekko's body. Engulfed him. Every muscle and joint ached as his eyes fluttered open. A bad decision, as little particles of dust immediately landed on his eyes, burning them to no end. And then there was his breathing.
Ekko had a sharp intake of breath before a coughing fit overtook him. He tried turning his body, only to realize the reason his body was aching. Rubble had been layered on top of him, along with the now lifeless mannequin-like soldiers that he struggled to get past moments ago.
He braced himself, pushing himself up off his elbow and keeping his eyes shut as he emerged from the rubble. He sat up in it and wiped his face clean from the dust. Slowly but surely, his breathing evened and he was able to get his eyes to open without the pain of foreign particles in it.
The boy analyzed his surroundings. It was obnoxiously quiet on top of the tower. His ears were ringing. Every one of the robots from Viktor's army had lost their 'life.' They all rested in twisted, mangled positions. The effects of being thrown or disregarded.
Down below Ekko managed to catch glimpses of people getting back on their feet. The robots they had been fighting died out as well. There was no sign of Jayce or Viktor anymore. His gaze looked to the sky. The clouds were parting and it was beginning to clear. It was no longer flashing its purples and blues.
Blues.
Jinx
Ekko snapped out of his daze, the pain in his body subsiding as he broke free from the rubble and stood up. He strode over to the edge of one of the holes in the tower, kneeling over the end. Where they crashed Jinx's airship was too far down to be able to see anything from his position.
He darted back up, half running, half limping as he scanned for his hoverboard. He circled the top of the tower as he searched for his ticket to get back down. But between the rubble and the multitude of robots that were sprawled across the floor, it seemed nearly impossible to get from one point to the other without tiptoeing, let alone finding his hoverboard.
Ekko bit his lip as he tried to figure out how to get down. He peered down through the hole again. Maybe with a few right jumps, some good swings here and there, he'd be able to successfully make it down to the ground. However, the throbbing in his leg was starting to worsen and he wasn't sure if he could afford a single mistake.
Vi had taught them parkour. If Ekko only really needed to rely on his hands to catch him and swing him across, then he could bear the pain of landing on his leg, right? Besides, it was only one of them that hurt. Maybe if he took the brunt of the impact on the good one, then he'd turn out fine.
He didn't have time to debate whether it was a good idea or not. The robots may have died out, but Ekko recalled seeing the beast-like Vander that crashed their ship. He doubted Vander would shut off like the robots did.
Nodding at himself, Ekko took a deep breath. He readied himself, trying to not think and just go for it. Jinx could be in danger. And Vi. Without another thought, Ekko hurdled himself through the air, catching a pipe that was sticking out from one of the busted floors.
And then the pipe snapped.
Ekko had no time to react before his body smacked into a different platform than the one he'd anticipated jumping towards. His body continued to roll towards the edge while the broken pipe loosened from his grip. He couldn't stop himself before he was once again falling. This time though, he'd gotten lucky and landed on a cylinder post that had fallen.
His body slid down the post, and his eyes caught sight of the next platform to get to. He timed his jump, waiting until the last second to push off. Using his good leg, Ekko was able to safely get to the platform. His breaths came in short, painful intakes. At least he'd gotten down a good distance already.
His eyes searched for the next best route to get down. Turning around, luck finally was on his side when he saw the staircase that was still intact. The spiral stairs went down multiple stories, and Ekko was grateful for the short break.
Hobbling one step at a time, he managed to still be quick as he cascaded down the stairs. He was finally nearing the bottom. Ekko sighed in relief as he continued one step at a time.
The faint smell of smoke hit his nose. He shrugged it off, convincing himself it was nothing as he continued down. But the closer he got, the more convinced he was that the sobs he heard coming from Vi weren't actually his imagination.
Ekko's heart dropped as he caught sight of the red head. She was fetal position, curled in on herself as her body shook harder and harder with each sob that rang out. His eyes wandered. No Jinx or Vander in sight. The small traces of smoke at the bottom of the tower didn't make him feel any better.
He pushed past the pain once more, safely maneuvering down until he was a platform across from Vi. He called out to her, but she gave no response. No matter what he said, she continued crying as if he wasn't there. Ekko's voice stuck in his throat as he cautiously jumped to Vi's platform. It shook the moment his feet connected.
Ekko swallowed. "We can't stay here, Vi. This thing's gonna give out."
Vi hiccuped but remained where she was. Her hands covered her face. The bolts loosened and the platform shook once again. Ekko didn't know what to do. They needed to get off this platform now.
He looked down to see the long drop from where they were to the bottom. Time was slipping through his fingers while he tried to figure out where to go. That's when he saw an edge near another cylinder post, this one still attached. He didn't think twice before he hauled Vi up, the platform squeaking with every movement.
She felt like dead weight, still unresponsive to him. Ekko shook his head, using all his adrenaline and strength to launch her across, thankful when she rolled sideways safely onto the edge of the other platform. A bolt came undone, the platform Ekko was on sinking even deeper.
He didn't have time to think. Ekko hauled himself across the platform, pushing off and reaching for the edge he'd just thrown Vi onto. The platform he jumped off gave out as he pushed off, and he knew he wasn't going to make it to the edge.
His hands reached out, catching onto the edge of the grates. Ekko huffed, trying to pull himself up, but having grip with only his fingers wasn't easy. He tried pulling himself up, but it wasn't working. His fingers weren't enough. He felt his grip loosening.
Gritting his teeth, Ekko continued trying to pull. If he could just get his elbow above the edge, then—the fingers on his left hand slipped from the grate, leaving Ekko with just one hand holding him up. He immediately reached to hold on with both hands again when his right hand also lost its hold.
Time seemed to slow as Ekko tried but failed in his attempt to catch the end of the grate again. Where was his Z drive now? Was this his end? Falling to his death? Well... there were worse ways to go, he supposed. He felt himself letting his eyes close as he tried to accept his fate. He hoped Jinx was okay.
His body jolted, pain flaring in his shoulder as his weight tugged on it. Ekko blinked his eyes open. He looked down to see his legs dangling. The ground wasn't getting closer like he thought it was supposed to. He felt another pull on his shoulder, looking up to see Vi holding onto him over the edge.
"Get up!" Vi nearly pleaded.
Ekko snapped back to reality, pulling himself up despite the way his entire body pulsated. With Vi's help, he managed to get his elbows propped on the edge, and he was finally able to lift himself to safety. His heart pounded in his chest as his gaze wouldn't leave the drop he almost fell to.
Vi was panting loudly. Ekko had almost forgot she was there. He turned to her, now realizing just how much of a mess she looked. Her hair, though not long, looked tangled and knotted. Her face was a mixture of reds and pinks, splotchy and stained with multiple tear trails. Her eyes were red and puffy, still brimmed with tears ready to spill.
He didn't care if it wasn't the time to ask. He knew his assumptions were likely accurate. What else could make Vi look so torn like she did? Ekko knew he shouldn't ask, but he didn't care. He had to know. Had to hear it from Vi.
"What happened? Where is she?" Ekko's voice was desperate.
Vi bit her lip to keep from sobbing. Her gaze wandered past him, over the edge to the bottom of the tower where the smoke had nearly disappeared. Markings on the wall, the smoke, the smell, it all told a story that Ekko already pieced together.
"She's gone—" Vi's voice broke. "They both are."
Ekko let go of a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. So she did it. She used her bomb to blow up Vander, and likely herself. He wanted so badly for Vi to tell a different story. A coolness slid down his face and Ekko lifted his hand to wipe a tear that had fallen from his eye.
Jinx got what she wanted in the end. Ekko couldn't help but wonder if this had been her plan all along. She did good on her promise to keep Vi safe. Still, he couldn't help but selfishly wonder why it felt like Jinx had left him out of her plans. Were their moments together in vain?
No, they couldn't be. Ekko wouldn't allow himself to believe that. He stared over the edge in disbelief.
In the moments when he managed to get to the bottom, he found no trace of either Jinx or Vander. No sign that either of them had been in the blast. No trail to find where they went. No bodies to bury, to mourn. Jinx's crashed airship was the only thing to remind the world that Jinx had existed.
He fell to the ground in defeat. He'd been so looking forward to what Jinx had said to him that morning.
"If... if after this war, you still feel that way—about me, and not me from another universe... and if you're sure... then, then I would like to try. But until then, neither of us can be sure."
He was sure. Why wasn't she?
Ekko sighed. He lost track of how much time he sat there. Vi remained catatonic after she'd spoken to him. Neither of them moved until they were forcibly removed from the wreckage.
He wondered briefly if Jinx thought of him in her last moments the way he thought of her in his.
Hi friends :D
I bring you yet another chapter. I believe I have just one left to finish the story off, one that will make this chapter hurt a lot less :)
Let me know how you liked this one and I will return shortly with the final piece.