Chapter 16
Ekko flips through Jayce's notes as he sits in his lab. Caitlyn gave him the keys while she was still recovering, and it's something he appreciates. He doesn't spend a lot of his time in Jayce's lab. Only when he is brainstorming on how to make his Z drive again. And now it's the only thing he can think about—trying to remember the notes they wrote when he was in the other universe.
He plays with the magic ball in his hands and thinks about her. When Vi told him what happened, he couldn't believe what he heard. Maybe that was because his ears were ringing.
When the war ended, he couldn’t sleep. Most of the time, he would walk all the way to Caitlyn's house, hoping that talking to Vi would help—and it did. But he also couldn’t stand the questions Vi asked about his whereabouts before all hell broke loose.
"Daydreaming?" He flinches a little and turns around. "I didn’t expect you to be here," Ekko says, looking at Vi.
Vi laughs a little and sits down next to him. "Your friends have been telling me you live here now," she teases, glancing around the lab. Ekko chuckles a little.
"What are you doing here?" Ekko asks, staring at Vi.
"Caitlyn is visiting her mom’s grave with her dad. It’s pouring down, so I can’t paint the outside of the bar. So I thought, why not check on you?" Vi says with a deep sigh escaping her body. Ekko takes a good look at her.
"How are your injuries?" he asks. Vi shrugs her shoulder.
"The stitches are out, and I can move more freely now," she replies.
Ekko nods his head and stares at the notes he made. "Vi, when I was gone for a while…" He starts, getting nervous. Vi notices his discomfort and tenses up a little. "The Arcane brought me to a different universe. A universe where there was no Hextech," Ekko says, flipping through the pages.
Vi looks at him as he pauses for a moment.
"It was great. The air was clean, no enforcers were beating the shit out of us, and everyone was living peacefully," Ekko says, trying to find the right words. Vi chuckles a bit.
"Sounds like a dream," she says.
Ekko looks at her, trying to let out a chuckle.
"Almost—e-everyone was alive. Vander, Benzo, Mylo, Claggor… And Jinx was going by the name Powder," Ekko says, his voice faltering at the mention of her sister. Vi's smile falters as she looks down at the ground.
"She looked great. Mature, smart, peaceful. And her and Mylo got along well," Ekko says, picturing her in his mind. He looks back at Vi and notices the expression on her face.
"Sounds like a dream," she says, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You should take me there," she adds, trying to lighten the mood.
Ekko looks away, a sigh escaping his lips. "I should have never given you the tip," he says, leaning against the table.
"The job?" Confusion is written all over Vi's face. "What does the job have to do with this?" She asks but she has feeling she knows what he is going to say.
Ekko grinds his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes. "You died during the explosion," he spits out bitterly.
Vi stands up, shaking her head. "I died? And everyone else?" Ekko shakes his head, standing up as well.
"You shouldn’t think like that, Vi. In this universe they didn't die during the explosion they died because of Jinx," Ekko says, walking closer to her. Vi steps back, blinking away the tears in her eyes.
"Jayce died as well in that universe. That’s why Hextech was never invented," he adds, trying to talk Vi out of her thoughts.
"You're telling me that the only way I could’ve had everything I wanted is if I died?" she says, ignoring what Ekko said.
"Vi…" Ekko sighs. "We can’t change it now. We should think about the present. It was also my fault!" He can already tell Vi isn't listening. She has always been a woman driven by her emotion.
"I—I need to go," Vi says, storming out of the lab.
Ekko watches her figure storm off. He sits down again and looks at the magic blue ball on the table. He clenches his fist and throws a book that was on the table away.
-
Caitlyn paces around her office. She’s just finished her morning briefing, and enforcers are out on patrol in the city. She bites her lip as stress and worry take over her body.
Vi is nowhere to be found since yesterday. She didn’t come home last night, wasn’t at the bar, the Firelights, or the hideout she used to practice boxing at when she was younger.
She stops pacing around when she hears a knock on the door.
She groans and opens it. "It didn—whoa, rough night?" Sevika asks as she walks in. Caitlyn turns around, pacing again. When Caitlyn doesn’t say anything, Sevika continues, "As I was about to say, we tried to get the members of the Chem-barons to talk, but they won’t. They don’t see us as a big enough threat."
Caitlyn takes a deep breath in. "What are you doing here then?" she asks, snapping a little.
Sevika glares at Caitlyn but tries to keep her composure. "I just wanted to inform you and see if you have another plan."
Caitlyn tries to think, but her mind is clouded with something—or rather, someone. "How do you think they’ll start talking?" she asks, calmer now.
Sevika sits down in a chair. "Maybe we should let Vi talk to them. She could definitely be a great threat. Hell, even some of my people are scared of her," Sevika says with a chuckle.
Caitlyn tries to smile, but it doesn’t quite show. Sevika’s playful mood dies down as she stands up.
"Something wrong?" she asks. Caitlyn stares at her and shakes her head.
"Rough night," she says simply.
Sevika looks at her suspiciously but shrugs it off. "Well, I’ll go to the council meeting," She says, wanting to leave whatever mood is in this office fast.
" Let me know if the other council members get suspicious," Caitlyn says as the door closes.
Caitlyn stares out the window. It’s been raining all week. The steady rhythm of the rain against Caitlyn’s window only amplifies the emptiness she feels. She stands there, gazing at the dark skies, her thoughts heavy.
Where could Vi have gone? She runs a hand through her hair, pacing again. The city outside is quiet, save for the occasional clap of thunder. The rain is relentless, but it almost mirrors her thoughts—cloudy, unclear, and unyielding.
She turns away from the window, looking down at the stack of paperwork that still sits untouched on her desk. One more thing to do. She tries to focus, but it’s impossible. Her thoughts keep drifting back to Vi.
She grabs her coat and umbrella, heading off to look for Vi once again.
-----
Vi sits on a bench in a graveyard, staring at the storm clouds above. She’s walked through the city for hours, but it’s clear her mind is still racing. The cool rain runs down her face, blending with the silent tears she’s been trying to hold back. She’s barely spoken to anyone since storming out of Ekko’s lab. Everything feels like it’s closing in—the confusion, the pain, the regret.
She looks at the graves of fallen soldiers. The flowers feel heavy as the rain pours down on them. She blinks her eyes as the lanterns flicker on, meaning it’s already dark.
She keeps imagining how the universe Ekko got trapped in might look. Imagining how grown-up her family would have been—if they’d had regular jobs, if Mylo would still have gotten beaten up. She tries to blink away the tears, but a few slip through anyway. She ruffles her hair, looking down at the ground. Lost in thought, she doesn’t notice the sound of raindrops falling on an umbrella.
She looks up as she hears a sigh behind her.
Caitlyn gives her a small smile before sitting down next to her. Vi looks back at the ground, letting her thoughts swirl again. Caitlyn leans back against the rest, tired from all the walking, letting her partner be in her own space.
"How did you know I was here?" Vi asks Caitlyn after a while.
"I didn’t. That’s why it took me so long to find you," Caitlyn says, staring at her partner. Vi lets out a sigh and sits up straight. Caitlyn’s heart aches as she sees the tear stains on her partner’s cheeks.
"I wanted to stop by my mother’s grave, and it’s just a coincidence I found you sitting here," Caitlyn says softly.
Vi lets out another sigh, feeling peaceful with Caitlyn’s presence. Silence takes over them again as they both sit deep in thought.
"Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?" Caitlyn asks carefully.
Vi shakes her head, keeping her gaze low. Caitlyn looks away, trying
to think of something to say.
"Sevika talked to arrested members of the Chembarons. They didn’t say anything," she says, trying to start a conversation. Vi shrugs. "Why would they spill their plans to a woman with only one arm?"
Caitlyn smiles a little. "She told me you could’ve done a better job," she adds.
Vi smirks a little, but it immediately turns into a frown.
"I’m not a threat anymore," Vi says, placing her hands over her face. Caitlyn rubs Vi’s back, trying to reassure her.
"I just don’t have that fight in me anymore," she says, her voice muffled.
Caitlyn looks ahead. When the war ended, Vi was ready to continue the battle, determined to fight. But Caitlyn could tell that Vi was slowly losing herself. They both got used to staying inside to recover from the war—Caitlyn in the study, looking through the files her mother left her, and Vi just drinking, keeping her company.
"It’s alright. Maybe one day, it will return," Caitlyn says, stopping the comforting motions. Vi looks at her with a sad smile. Caitlyn stares at Vi’s tired eyes.
"Where did you even sleep?" she asks, placing her hand on Vi’s cheek. Vi leans in, closing her eyes.
"I slept at the bunker," she whispers. Caitlyn widens her eyes a little. "Why didn’t you just come home?"
Vi sighs, sitting up straight and holding Caitlyn’s hand. "I just wanted to be alone," she whispers.
"Are you really not going to tell me what’s wrong?" Caitlyn asks hopefully. Vi just stares at the ground, letting the silence speak for her.
"Alright, shall we head back home then?" Caitlyn asks, standing up. Vi takes a deep breath and stands as well. The two of them walk toward the exit. Caitlyn keeps her eyes on Vi, who is deep in thought.
Whatever it is, Caitlyn knows she will find out soon enough.