"Everything will be okay"
Quick note: everything in italics and bold are Jinx's thoughts and can be heard by everyone present.
EKKO
Ekko had felt conflicted many times and almost every time it was because of the same person, it was always her and it would always be Jinx.
Clearly he had gotten her pregnant and she hadn't said anything to him, considering how the time they had sex ended, it didn't surprise him.
He ran his hands over his face in thought, he had never heard of a child near Jinx or Silco, none of the spies he sent brought that information. So either the child was very protected and hidden or she had aborted it or given it up for adoption.
Ekko sighed before getting up from his seat, drawing the attention of everyone present who had been watching him. "Listen, I didn't know anything about this."
"That's no excuse for not using protection," Vander said, his brow still furrowed in annoyance.
Ekko blushed slightly before answering, "I don't think that's something we should talk about in front of the kids."
"Sure, use the kids as an excuse now." Adult Vi said, glaring at him.
Ekko looked at her in exasperation and pointed at little Ekko and Powder. "Do you really want to talk about how I got Jinx pregnant in front of them?"
Both kids blushed, surprised by the crudeness with which the adult Ekko spoke, they looked at each other before quickly looking away, nervous.
"He's right Vi." Caitlyn said, patting adult Vi's arm. "We can figure this all out when we're done with this."
"Don't worry, Old Vi. We'll help you beat him up when this is over." Mylo said, pointing at Claggor and him.
Ekko looked at the ground exhausted and walked to his seat where he sat down with a heavy body. He just hoped he would have his hoverboard by the time this was over so he could run away and find his blue-haired girl, he needed a lot of explaining.
The projector lit up with colorful, uneven words.
"The following images are difficult to view for sensitive audiences, caution is advised."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, what was coming next?
The next scene began showing a man hunched over in a chair in what looked like a laboratory, dark with glowing liquids, tubes, and deformed creatures in jars. The man pulled a claw out of his cheek with a pair of tweezers and then covered half of his face with a handkerchief, sighing exhaustedly before raising his head when he heard his metal door open.
"Who is that man?" Powder asked, approaching little Ekko, who became nervous but quickly hid it.
"I don't know," Ekko said, shaking his head. The man looked familiar, but he couldn't put a name to him.
There was Silco looking terrified in his arms was a badly injured 20 year old Jinx, her face was covered in ash and dirt, she had blood coming out of her mouth and nose, her body was motionless in a very disturbing way.
Ekko looked at Jinx in surprise, his heart began to race in fear, was this it? Is this Jinx's death? They had to save her from whoever attacked her?
Adult Vi's stomach twisted, making her nauseous as she saw the state of her little sister, Jinx looked devastated.
Tubes were seen filling with luminous green liquid. Singed strapped Jinx tightly to a metal gurney and said to Silco: "Her injuries are severe"
"W-What are they going to do to her?" Claggor asked with a slightly shaky voice, he didn't like this.
Silco answered him impatiently. "You think I can't see that?"
Singed made a noise with his mouth looking at Silco and shook his head. "I think I can save her but the process will be the best standing. Sometimes death is a mercy."
Vander nodded, what the man said was true. Sometimes the most merciful thing was to end that person's suffering.
The strange man walked away from Silco to pick up a syringe and fill it with a yellow liquid.
"She can take it," Silco said, running his hands through his hair as he followed Singed with his gaze.
"Before I begin I must know, are you prepared to lose her?" Singed asked, gently tapping the syringe with his fingers.
That simple sentence resonated with everyone. Would they have to watch Jinx die?
Silco was not prepared to lose his daughter, his little girl, the mother of his granddaughter and his joy. Before he could answer he heard Jinx cough weakly on the stretcher so he ran over to her, there was more blood on her face running down to the sides.
Jinx briefly moaned in pain as she moved against the straps that held her, but quickly passed out again. Silco looked at his daughter in fear and anguish before answering Singed. "She's not going to die, doctor. She can't." Silco placed a kiss on Jinx's bruised forehead.
Vander gritted his teeth as he watched how fatherly Silco was to Jinx, the clear love in his eyes causing guilt to well up in his chest.
"I understand," Singed said, dragging a chair and approached Silco who had his back to him. "Please understand that this is for your own sanity."
Singed injected the syringe with the yellow liquid into Silco's neck, who soon became unconscious. The doctor dragged him to the chair and left him there, "I had a daughter once too."
"Why did he do that?" little Ekko asked confused.
The projection briefly went dark before the sounds of electricity began to ring out. Jinx woke up with a desperate gasp, she coughed trying to catch her breath but it was impossible. A luminous violet liquid began to be injected into her body through two tubes that were connected to her arms.
Ekko narrowed his eyes, quickly recognizing the liquid. "He's injecting her with shimmer?"
Everyone looked at Ekko worriedly, they had already seen what the shimmer had done to Vander in the previous scene so they could only imagine what that substance would do to Jinx.
"That's too much," Ekko whispered, clenching his fists tightly. "She's not going to survive."
The liquid could be seen entering Jinx's veins, turning them violet. The blue-haired girl began to grunt as she moved her body trying to escape from the pain, her lips opened letting out irrational cries of despair.
The kids quickly looked away at the raw display of pain in front of them. Adults and teenagers could only look at the projection in pain and fear.
Jinx's blue gaze went to the door of the place that was now illuminated in red, from there came down a teenage Vi and a young Powder hugging a stuffed animal.
"What?" the teenage Vi asked looking confused.
"She must be hallucinating from the pain," Caitlyn said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"You know, Powder, you're stronger than you think." Vi said without showing any emotion as Powder hugged the stuffed animal.
"Vi?" Jinx said looking longingly at her older sister before the pain shot through her body again causing her wrists to hurt against the straps, her body arching as she screamed. The violet liquid continued to be pumped into her veins.
Adult Vi's chest ached sharply as she heard Jinx's voice so vulnerable, she wanted nothing more than to hold her.
The image of teenage Vi changed to the adult Vi now pointing a gun at little Powder and said in a sad whisper. "I'm so sorry Powder."
Powder closed her eyes quickly feeling her hands shake, a small hand took one of hers and held it tightly, it was little Ekko. She smiled briefly, clasping her small hands together.
"Your sister is Jinx." Caitlyn's distorted voice echoed through the room.
Caitlyn looked confused at the projection, was that her voice?
The violet liquid began to ooze from every orifice on Jinx's face. Vi fired the gun transforming Powder into Caitlyn who was now hugging the stuffed animal while humming.
"It looks pretty real for a hallucination," the teenage Vi said with a frown. "And it doesn't look like her other hallucinations."
"What are you trying to say?" Adult Vi asked in an angry tone.
"I'm just saying, maybe this is real and you two really are in there," the teenage Vi said with a shrug, looking suspiciously at the piltie.
Caitlyn looked at the teenager in pain and offended before she could say anything the adult Vi got up from her seat.
"Do you think I would be capable of making Jinx suffer like this?" the adult snapped at the teenager.
The teenage Vi stood in front of him without being afraid. "I don't know, you tell me. I wasn't the one who hit her, right?"
The adult Vi took a step back, shocked by her words.
"You can fight after this." Ekko said, looking annoyed at the fight, he just wanted to know if Jinx was alive or not, there was no time for this.
Both Vi looked at him and each went to their seats.
"No!" Jinx screamed, her throat worn out. "No!"
Now Vi and Caitlyn were almost upon her with a syringe with the luminous violet liquid in it. Vi hugged the Piltovian from the side and Caitlyn said with a distorted voice. "I understand that this is painful."
Caitlyn felt nausea rising in her throat at the sight of herself in the projection, so lost, so twisted.
Jinx shook her head desperately, pulling at the straps that tied her up but only managing to hurt herself, Caitlyn approached her with the syringe pointed right at her face. "I'm afraid it will only get worse."
The projection went black as Jinx's screams of pain could be heard.
The kids covered their ears as the screams echoed throughout the room, stunning everyone for a few seconds.
The next thing seen was a Jinx with her blue eyes lost, not seeing anything or anyone, her breathing was heavy. Her body shuddered involuntarily as more tubes were connected to her through her legs.
"She must be exhausted," Claggor said, looking sadly at his little sister.
Singed made a short noise before saying, "It would be interesting if you had another child, if you do come and find me."
Ekko growled angrily, that man would not go near any of Jinx's future children, he would not allow it.
"Why does this creep know Jinx had a child?" Adult Vi asked without waiting for an answer.
Jinx blinked slowly at the mention of a child. Spasms of pain ran through her body again, she turned her head to the side and saw a small figure beside her.
The small figure had no face or features, only a small, colorful miner's helmet was visible on its head. With her small hands the figure caressed Jinx's cheek, making her smile, having a small moment of peace between all the pain.
Ekko's heart pounded. Could that be it...? Was it his child? He couldn't see the face, but something inside him told him that it was so.
A comforting warmth filled the adult Vi as she watched her sister smile so peacefully even if it was just for a second.
"My little bunny." Jinx whispered, looking lovingly at the small figure before her body convulsed in pain causing the figure to disappear.
Ekko smiled softly upon hearing the nickname, he knew Jinx's mom called her that because she always jumped around like a bunny, he was glad his child got the nickname too.
Jinx gasped for air as she listened to Singed with his surgical instruments. Her tears mixed with the purple liquid as she began to writhe again before a pair of big hands held her shoulders, keeping her still.
The blue-haired girl looked up and saw him there, so beautiful, so dreamy, so... Him.
Longing and love filled Ekko's chest as he heard Jinx's thoughts, maybe... they felt the same despite everything
Ekko leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You just have to hold on for a little and it'll be over, everything will be okay."
"She's hallucinating me." Ekko whispered sadly, he wanted it not to be a hallucination, he wanted to be there with her.
"It seems you and the child are the only hallucinations not tormenting her, son." Benzo said with a soft smile.
Ekko smiled sadly, did his hallucinations conform to her? He could only hope so.
Jinx shook her head sobbingly. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to go home to her bunny and hide from the world, forget about Vi and everyone.
"Hey." Ekko whispered softly and gently touched her cheek. "Don't give up now, you must go home to our little girl."
Our little girl... Our...
"A girl?" Ekko whispered, his eyes shining with tears. He had a daughter, Jinx and he had a beautiful little girl.
Tears welled up in adult Vi's eyes, her bunny now had her little bunny to take care of.
"I'm a grandfather to a little girl," Vander laughed in disbelief, his eyes filled with tears.
Yes, she had to go home, she just had to hold on a little longer. Just a little longer.
Ekko placed a kiss on her cheek and said, "I'll stay with you until this is over, I'm not going anywhere."
Ekko closed his eyes softly, feeling a sudden sense of guilt. He really had given up on Jinx too quickly, maybe he never should have...
Jinx smiled weakly knowing that she wouldn't be alone going through such great pain again, she knew it would be okay if Ekko was with her even if... it wasn't real.
The scene ended with a confused and disoriented Silco waking up only to find Jinx's stretcher empty and covered in blood.