Chapter Text
She’s been in worse situations.
Caitlyn reminds herself of that as the rocks dig into her side. This is nothing. And even if it was something, that is irrelevant. Something is terribly wrong here. Despite their confidence the murderous beast is here, the man who greeted them is unarmed. Everyone seemed unarmed past the swirling gates. They were picking fruit and talking to one another with smiles on their faces. Flowers are growing, grass is pushing through. There is life down here. Even Dr. Reveck had hesitated, confirming what some part of her already knew: this place was not supposed to look like this.
As they went deeper Caitlyn tried to look for anything familiar. Her last time in this place felt like a different life. It was so dark and they had arrived in such an unexpected way, she couldn’t be certain. Not to mention the state they left the place in. She remembers the crash of the sign falling, the hole it tore through Vi’s old home. She had looked for some sign of it but the way they came there was none. As the landscape got brighter instead of darker, she thought for a moment perhaps it was a different place. But the way Dr. Reveck had reacted told her it wasn’t. This place did not look like this. The life that surrounds them is at odds with their stated purpose.
If there is a murderous beast, this incredible weapon, then why is it surrounded by such fragile life and unarmed people?
There is precious little time to figure this out. Ambessa intends to attack tonight. If these people are unarmed they will be slaughtered. If they are not, her Enforcers will meet the same fate. Either way if she does nothing this place will once again be one of darkness and death. The thought makes her stomach curdle. She has been working tirelessly to mitigate the violence the Noxians crave. It is grating on Ambessa, Caitlyn can see her patience wearing thin. But she cannot move against her properly with the board set this way. She needs to shift things into her favor. Right now is not the time for so many reasons. She knows all of the ways her betrayal could unfold, she runs scenario after scenario as she lays awake at night. She shifts things and plays them out. So far there is only one certainty, one thing Caitlyn must do or the entire plan is pointless.
She needs to get her father to safety.
That is not happening right now. He is at home, surrounded by Enforcers and the Noxian guards Ambessa has filled her residence with. By the time Caitlyn realized her father was a pawn in this, it was too late. She knows Ambessa will kill him if given the opportunity. He is her greatest weakness in all of this and they both know it. Ambessa scarcely leaves without asking how he is recovering. At first Caitlyn thought it was an unusual kindness. Now she knows Ambessa is telling her what she will do if Caitlyn steps out of line. The only thing standing between her father and a violent death is Maddie. Caitlyn is grateful for her understanding. For her loyalty. But she cannot endanger both of them if she moves against Ambessa without being there.
It feels as though she has to decide which group to slaughter.
It’s a terrible decision but Caitlyn knows there must be a sacrifice. Some part of her hopes to see the weapon, hopes these people will prove themselves animals so her decision is easier. But as she lays there and observes, Caitlyn gets the distinct and sinking feeling they are unarmed. They are just bringing life back to this once-desolate place. When the sight gets to be too much, she looks for any kind of landmark that will tell her where she is. In some deep, shameful place she knows she is looking for a sign of Vi’s home. Does Vi know there are flowers down here? There is an itch in the back of Caitlyn’s throat to tell her. To memoize every blossom so someday she can explain there was life down here.
It’s incredibly foolish, but she tucks the thought away with all the other things she thinks to tell Vi.
There is an embarrassingly long list, one Caitlyn knows she will not remember and one she refuses to write down. The chances of her ever seeing Vi again are laughably slim. And if she did, she imagines the questions will be less about what she wants to tell her and more about how quickly she can get the hell away from her. Caitlyn has seethed in her anger for a long time but it’s lessened. The weight of her actions has tempered it. She can admit Vi was right about a lot of things, she can see how abhorrent her behavior was. It makes her insides curl with shame. The only thing that keeps her from trying to explain is the knowledge of what Ambessa will do to another person Caitlyn cares about.
She cannot put Vi in more danger.
She cannot be selfish with her.
Caitlyn folds the thought, tucks it with the others and returns to her observation. She sees Dr. Reveck exit and her stomach twists. She hoped he would take longer. Protecting him had been a viable excuse. She will need to show herself to Ambessa when he is back. She observes him moving towards them but from this distance she cannot decipher his face. Desperately she looks for any sign of the chem weapon. Any shred of evidence that they are doing something good here by attacking. Her scope trails from him to the people and back to him in a dizzying, sloppy motion. One that forces her to stop and take a breath before re-focusing. If there is a weapon here, surely they will use it on him. If she fails to protect him, Ambessa could take that as a sign Caitlyn needs to be taught a lesson. She cannot let her father be that lesson.
The black clad figure that trails him is a surprise.
She looks more like Dr. Reveck than the people who mill about. She’s pale and whip thin. If not for the red accents on the jacket, she would be practically monochromatic. The high collar obscures her face as she trails him. She pauses at the spear and Caitlyn watches the fruit drop from her fingers. The blue juice sinks into her skin. Caitlyn realizes she’s got arm wraps on. The panic she has successfully tempered comes roaring up as she tries to get a closer look. At the same time she chastises herself for the desperation that floods her. Vi is not the only person to wrap her arms. She is being incredibly foolish. Besides the gait is entirely wrong. Caitlyn drags the scope down to inspect the red boots. She tries not to think of what Vi was wearing when she last saw her. How her gait changed each time she wore a different pair of shoes.
She watches as Dr. Reveck walks past her with a glance of acknowledgement. Her gaze locks onto the corner she knows the black-clad figure will come around. Perhaps they were wise and turned back. She checks to make sure Dr. Reveck is gone. It’s dangerous to intervene with the enemy so close, but Caitlyn realizes she’s shifting her weight. Preparing to stop whoever this is from putting themselves in harm’s way. Caitlyn has to stop them before they are caught. This is one death she can prevent. It should mean nothing in the sea of blood she is about to unleash, but it does matter. If she is going to trade all these people’s lives for her fathers, she can at least save one. For a moment she thinks perhaps they were wise and turned back. But then the red boots come around the corner and they keep walking. Their face is still hidden but Caitlyn shifts her foot and slides down to stop them.
“That’s far enough!”
Caitlyn’s feet hit the ground as the order rings out. The black-clad figure freezes as the Enforcer points a gun at her chest. Her shoulders tighten and her fists ball as her weight shifts. Her fists flick one after the other, as though she is activating something. It all happens so quickly and yet the ice in Caitlyn’s veins makes time move slowly. It’s like being back there watching the rocket arc across the sky. Knowing the result and yet praying for it to stay there just a little longer. Just a few seconds more. Like the delay would make a difference beyond pausing the inevitable. But every second mattered because every second was another she got to be a daughter. Every second mattered because it meant her mother was still alive. Caitlyn is desperate to stay in this moment as the familiarity of the movements drags her towards the only possible conclusion. She can lie to herself if they just stay here.
Then Ambessa appears.
The rocket hits.
Time resumes.
Caitlyn slams her rifle into the back of the person’s knees and catches their kidneys with a lighter strike as they hit the ground. It’s the kindest thing she can do. Two strikes leaves them folded in a tight ball at her feet, arms wrapped around their middle. There’s a painful, familiar wheeze that cuts through Caitlyn like a knife. She still grapples for the ignorance as she slams her knee onto their back. She needs to keep them winded. Pliant. They need to be valuable enough not to shoot but not valuable enough to be of interest. Still when she hears a gun cock, she has no choice but to shove the muzzle of her own weapon against the person’s skull.
She would know the tattoo that peaks out anywhere.
“Stay down!” She orders.
“Excellent work, Commander,” Ambessa says, “more evidence everything is not what it seems with this ‘peaceful community’.”
“She may know where the weapon is,” Caitlyn says, “I will interrogate her.”
“We know where the weapon is,” Ambessa says, her gaze dragging from Caitlyn’s rifle to the Enforcer who still has his gun poised.
Caitlyn stares at the familiar blue-grey eye that peeks back at her. Even in this awkward angle Caitlyn can see the pain and the way she struggles to hide it behind a glare. Everything in Caitlyn screams at the unfairness of this. She was supposed to stop this death. To save one life. Instead she has pinned Vi to the ground and put her gun to her head. Even at her worst, Caitlyn could never dream of inflicting this kind cruelty on her. Now her only desire was to save her and she’s somehow done it.
The sound of the Enforcer raising his rifle echoes and Caitlyn puts more weight on her own in response.
She means to pull rank, to buy herself any kind of time. But all Vi hears and feels are two Enforcers vying for the chance to execute her. Caitlyn can see the moment the horror wins. The way her eyes go blank with it. How when they slide closed, a tear is forced out before Vi turns her face into the dirt. For a single, horrible second Caitlyn thinks the bullet would be a kindness.
“The girl has use to me,” Dr. Reveck says.
“Secure her,” Ambessa orders.
The Enforcer lowers his gun but that somehow doesn’t make it any easier to breathe. He looks at Caitlyn and she has no choice but to nod. He walks over with a pair of cuffs. He looks at Vi as though she is a dangerous animal and hesitates. But the sooner Vi is secure the sooner Caitlyn can take the rifle off her neck. She glares at the Enforcer and lifts her knee. She has to keep her gun trained on Vi as he jams his own knee into her back and wrenches her arms into the cuffs. He forces her forward and binds her legs. His movements disturb the sand and kick it up. Vi coughs and instinctively raises her head. Everything in Caitlyn begs her to keep her eyes closed.
But it’s Vi, so of course she doesn’t.
Fury paints her broken face as she glares up the length of Caitlyn’s rifle and locks their gazes together. There’s no understanding of what Caitlyn is desperately thinking in her direction, no momentary pause that she must have misunderstood. Of course not, why would there be? Caitlyn knows that and it still stings when Vi gives a wordless snarl and tries to push against her bindings. It’s too late. It’s too late for both of them, Caitlyn realizes. The Enforcer hauls her up and Vi jerks her shoulders. Struggles like an animal caught in a trap. The Enforcer struggles to hold her. Out of the corner of her eye Caitlyn sees one of the Noxians tighten their fingers on the spear in anticipation.
“Stop fighting!” Caitlyn orders, locking Vi’s attention back on her, “if you struggle I’ll be forced to subdue you again.”
Vi lets out the cruelest laugh Caitlyn has ever heard.
Then she draws herself up, lunges forward and spits in Caitlyn’s face.
The Enforcer slams her to the ground as the wetness slides down Caitlyn’s cheek. Something cracks wetly and Vi grunts into the sand. Two Noxians move forward at Ambessa’s nod and haul Vi up off the ground. They hold her so her feet drag against the sand. Blood pours from Vi’s nose, coating her lips and chin in red. Ever defiant, Vi lifts her head and bares her red-coated teeth in a twisted smile. Irrationally Caitlyn wants to slice her own eyes out if it means she will not have to see it. But Vi grins with her red teeth.
“We need to stop the blood,” Dr. Reveck says in that same detached tone.
“Vi,” Ambessa’s voice turns into that poisonous, motherly tone that now sends chills through Caitlyn, “so good to see you,” her smile is just as predatory as she takes Vi’s chin in her hand and digs her fingers against her cheekbones. She locks it shut as Vi makes a wordless sound, “now now, there will be time for that later,” she says.
With a sickening twist of her fingers she sets Vi’s nose.
Vi’s eyes bulge in pain and though her mouth is held shut, she still manages to scream. Somehow the muffling makes it worse. Even the freedom to scream has been taken from her. Still keeping Vi’s jaw locked, Ambessa licks her own thumb and drags it under Vi’s nose. Like a mother wiping off a bit of errant food or fixing a smear of lipstick. It’s a loving caress, irrevocably perverted by Ambessa’s brutality. She considers Vi for a moment. Then she produces a wad of fabric and shoves it into her mouth, burying it deep enough Caitlyn can see Vi gag. Between the nose and the fabric, a gagging wheeze is all Vi can manage. Her eyes roll and Caitlyn prays she is about to go unconscious.
Instead her eyes find Caitlyn’s own.
The hatred and pain still swim in them but now they are joined by desperation. She does not know how Vi cannot understand her but she can perfectly see the pain in Vi’s gaze. The pleading, desperate question she sends her way. Vi’s gaze cuts. But Ambessa’s burns. And even though Vi pleads to keep looking at her, Caitlyn has no choice but to refocus on Ambessa. Ambessa is following the line of their gaze, but her focus is on Caitlyn. That annoyed look is back, the one she has been wearing more and more of late. Behind her, Caitlyn hears the clink of Rictus moving into place.
“I want to be there for the interrogation,” she says.
“Of course, child,” Ambessa says, “but first you should send word to your Father. He will be happy to know Vi has been caught.”
The threat hangs there.
“My father has no stomach for violence,” Caitlyn replies, “I will supervise the interrogation.”
They stare at each other and Caitlyn refuses to give in. Refuses to think about the threat and if this is what will tip Ambessa off. She sends a wordless apology towards Maddie for what she may have to do and refocuses on Ambessa. Ambessa raises an eyebrow, Rictus tightens his grip on his spear. Caitlyn grapples back to her darkest moments, when she felt most betrayed by Vi. That anger is so elusive but Caitlyn grabs at it.
“Careful—“
“You will not deny me my vengeance,” Caitlyn snaps.
Something like respect eases into Ambessa’s face. Still annoyed, still skeptical, but pleased at the anger on Caitlyn’s face. Noxians understand vengeance. They are here to further Ambessa’s own. Caitlyn focuses on that lesson and stares back at Ambessa. It is such a gamble. But Caitlyn knows Ambessa will hesitate to deny her. In front of this many witnesses, she needs to keep up the appearance of Caitlyn’s power. When she relaxes, Caitlyn has to fight not to collapse in relief.
“Of course not, child,” she says, the private moniker slipping out, “but you must not let it blind you.”
“Then let me have it,” Caitlyn says.
“You will,” Ambessa promises, a placating hand on Caitlyn’s shoulder, “after we have our weapon—“
“Now,” Caitlyn cuts her off.
Ambessa’s fingers dig in and Caitlyn focuses on the pain. She has to, it’s the only thing that makes her capable of looking at the Noxian guards holding Vi. Her head hangs forward and somehow that is so much worse. If she listens she can hear the wet, uneven wheezes that tell her Vi is still very much awake. She has heard everything Caitlyn just said. Caitlyn focuses on the pain and shoves away any emotions. Its a trained skill and Caitlyn never could have imagined it being used like this.
“Bring her to my tent,” she orders.
It’s supposed to be her orders they follow but they do not move until Ambessa nods.
Dr. Reveck swims into view as they haul Vi off.
“I will need her voice,” he says.
“Why?” Caitlyn questions.
“The beast is unusually responsive to it,” Dr. Reveck says, “more than I anticipated. I need her to be able to speak to it.”
Suddenly Caitlyn wants to break his jaw. She does not want to know how Vi is connected to this beast. She does not want Ambessa to know. But before she can come up with an excuse Dr. Reveck strikes the final blow. Ambessa’s grip turns tight with anticipation. Caitlyn feels bile creeping up her throat and wills herself to be sick. To do anything to prevent Dr. Reveck from speaking. Some part of her wants to shoot him, consequences be damned. But she can make neither thing happen under Ambessa’s bruising grip. Not before his eyes crinkle above his neckline. Caitlyn decides right then and there she never wants to see another smile. Not for the rest of her days.
“The beast is her father.”