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The sight of Caitlyn sent a jolt of pure panic through Chen's system.
Caitlyn and Powder in the same ZIP code is a recipe for a disaster I haven't budgeted for, he thought. Is she here for us? No, stay calm. We're in the Upper City now. We're "Honest Scientists." We're practically the Academy's poster children.
"Powder, wrap it up. We're leaving. Now," Chen urged, his eyes darting toward the cafe exit.
"What's the rush? I haven't finished the leg!" Powder replied, blissfully oblivious as she gnawed on the last of the Crimson Raptor.
Once she'd finally polished off the bird, Chen practically marched her back toward the Academy. He kept his Cloudtop Bond System active, tracking a "Sniper" icon that followed them with surgical precision. The figure changed her coat twice in three blocks—professional Enforcer tracking at its finest. If Chen didn't have a literal HUD telling him otherwise, he'd have lost her in the crowd.
This is bad, Chen thought, quickening his pace. He didn't breathe easy until the heavy, brass-reinforced doors of the Academy laboratory slammed shut behind them.
Across the street, Caitlyn gave up the pursuit. She headed home, entering her private study to develop the photos she'd secretly snapped of Powder's equipment trunk. As the chemicals cleared, a familiar image emerged: the erratic, neon-pink graffiti.
"The same patterns from the Hexgate explosion," Caitlyn whispered, her eyes narrowing. "Is she part of the Firelights? But she's an Academy protégé. How does a Sump-junkie end up in Heimerdinger's inner circle?"
Caitlyn had been grounded to clerical work for months, a "safety measure" from her mother, but she was still a bloodhound. She had noticed the girl with the blue hair at the Academy and realized her suitcase was a match for the evidence. Now, she was building a file.
Caitlyn wasn't the only one hunting for the truth. In the Zaun, Vi was acting as her unofficial boots on the ground.
Vi's version of "investigating" was exactly what you'd expect from someone whose primary philosophy was: "If you hit a wall, punch through it." She spent her nights single-handedly raiding Silco's minor warehouses, breaking heads, and walking away with whatever evidence she could carry.
She figured that since the Firelights were already Silco's favorite punching bags, she'd just use their brand. She wore a stolen Firelight mask and, despite the lack of a hoverboard, looked the part of a rogue agent.
Back at the Sanctuary, Ekko was looking at the latest casualty reports with a headache. "Why is Silco's bounty on us doubling every week? What did we do now?"
"It's not us, Boss," a squad member reported. "There's a 'ghost' in the Lanes. Someone's hitting Silco's labs using our mask. She's a one-woman wrecking crew. Should we take her out?"
Ekko leaned back, a faint smile touching his face. "No. Anyone who can solo Silco's security is someone I want on my team. Let's go recruit a ghost."
A few hours later, Vi was in the middle of securing a vial of Shimmer and a ledger of transactions when six green streaks of light descended from the ceiling.
Vi raised her hands, a smirk spreading under her mask. "Well, looks like the original version finally found the pirate."
Ekko landed his board, his metal rod resting on his shoulder. "Why are you hitting Silco's labs in our name?"
Vi shrugged. "Does it matter whose name I use? We're both trying to put Silco in the ground, aren't we?"
"It matters when you draw his entire army onto my doorstep," Ekko countered, his tone sharp.
"So what? You're already in a death feud with the guy. Might as well make it count."
Ekko laughed. The girl had spirit. "Fair enough. How about this? Stop playing solo and join the Firelights. We can actually win this if we work together."
Vi hesitated. She needed to take down Silco to avenge Vander, but she also had a debt to "Cupcake" Topside. She had evidence of Shimmer smuggling and the Hexgate heist—evidence that pointed straight to the Firelights. If she joined them, she couldn't exactly turn them in.
She looked up at the masked boy on the hoverboard. "Fine. But if we're going to be 'teammates,' let's see some sincerity. Masks off."
Ekko shrugged, mimicking her posture. "Deal. On three."
"Three..." Ekko put his hand to his mask. "Two..." "One!"
The masks dropped simultaneously.
"Ekko?!" "Vi?!"
The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush a Shimmer-beast. Ekko stood frozen, his eyes brimming with tears he hadn't let fall in years. "You... you didn't die?"
He jumped off his board, walking toward her with trembling steps. "Vi..."
"Little Man..."
Vi pulled him into a crushing hug, the weight of the last few years finally easing off her shoulders. "It's you. Thank the Sump, it's you. I'm in, Ekko. I'll join your crew. We'll finish Silco together. But first... I have an appointment Topside. I have to settle a debt."
Ekko wiped his eyes, a radiant smile on his face. "I'll go with you. Besides, it's about time you saw Powder."
Vi pulled back, her heart nearly stopping. "Powder? Powder is Topside? Is she okay? Tell me everything!"
"It's a long story," Ekko said, gesturing toward his board. "A guy named Chen snatched her from the fire. He's... he's a genius, Vi. He's taking care of her. Get on the board. I'll tell you the whole story back at the base."
Vi stepped onto the hoverboard for the first time, her face lighting up with a roguish grin. "Wow, Little Man. You built this? That's actually awesome."
"Of course it is," Ekko beamed. "Welcome to the Firelights, Vi."
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