Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: 

Whispers of the Past.

“Damn it!” Ekko yelled, slamming his fist into the table. “That’s the second shipment we’ve let through just this month. Talk to me, what the fuck is going on out there?”

Zaun was rotting away before Ekko’s very eyes. He saw the effects of it before he heard of the cause. Old acquaintances turning into zombie-like addicts, begging outside the very vendor stalls they used to make a living from. 

The vital trade and commerce in the Lanes, once made up of honest Zaunite goods and clever inventions,  replaced almost entirely with Shimmer. The arteries of Zaun now ran purple. 

Each shipment he missed fed this malignancy, his vision for Zaun growing fainter and fainter. This Zaun…. was the manifestation of another man’s vision.

Silco. 

Ekko swore he would kill him.

Scar and Adianna exchanged glances, “We’re still not completely sure,” Scar admitted, speaking up first,  “Silco has changed his game up, that much is for certain.”

Ekko sighed, tossing the shipment manifest on the table, “Casualty report?” he asked.

“Three Firelights deployed: Rex, Jax, and Pulse. Only Pulse made it back, “ Scar stated.

“And not in very good shape….” Adianna quietly added.

Ekko realized with a pang of guilt that he didn’t recognize any of them. 

“ I’m sending my own people out to die without even knowing their names,” Ekko thought to himself, “ What exactly had this become? What have I become ?”

The Firelights had grown way larger than Ekko had ever dreamed possible, the growth being fueled by Silco’s machinations. Orphans, drug addicts, the homeless, many had answered the call of The Firelights. They are the misfits, the broken, the lost. They would be made whole again …. with time, Ekko thought. He just hoped the same would be true for him.

Ekko didn’t establish the Firelights with war in mind. It was meant to be a refuge, a place that would serve as home for those who lost theirs. Their tree was a symbol of that, a living monument to what Zaun could be.  

Zaun had to change. For the sake of everyone. For Mylo, Claggor, and Vi. For Powder. They had all talked about how they were going to transform Zaun, make it a place where orphans like them would never happen again. He was the only one left who could realize their dreams. This community was a manifestation of their dreams. On quiet nights, Ekko liked to look up to the tree at night, pretending each light in the canopy shining brightly was a star, manifesting the old aspirations they used to have. He liked to think they would be proud of him.

He had ordered people to their death before, for the sake of this cause. For his version of Zaun. A base level of violence was necessary for this change. Change that would be paid for and measured in lives. Change that would realize a new Zaun that wouldn’t run on drugs, war, and power. 

“ It will be worth it, ” Ekko tries to tell himself, but that didn't stop the sleepless nights.

He didn’t let any of his doubts or fears show on his face, these people looked to him as a leader. A comforting voice flashed through Ekko’s mind,

“ When people look up to you, you don’t get to be selfish.”

He missed Vander every day.

Ekko’s mind stopped wandering, “Did we retrieve the bodies?” he asked.

“Both bodies were retrieved and ID’d.” Adianna replied

“Good,”  he nodded solemnly, “They’re home now”.

 Ekko placed his hands down on the desk, his face dark.“What did Pulse say in the debrief?”

“He said there was six bodyguards for the shipment - one more than our informant reported.” Scar replied.

“And? Three fightlights have taken out twice that number, with no casualties. What am I missing?” Ekko’s eyes narrowing in confusion.

“This extra bodyguard….Pulse said she was the best shot he’s ever seen. Rex and Jax didn’t even have a chance to blink before getting popped.”

It was at least painless then, Ekko thought to himself, the crushing weight of guilt upon him lightening ever so slightly.

“She?” Ekko paused, thinking. “Are we sure it wasn’t Sevika? That mongrel has putten more of us six feet under than anyone else.”

“Pulse mentioned a description of….” Scar glanced at Ekko before continuing, “pale skin and blue hair.”

Ekko’s blood froze. It has to be a coincidence, he told himself. A girl with blue hair and pale skin, that was rare enough in Zaun, but the best shot he’s ever seen ?

***

“3 targets!” Ekko exclaimed proudly, chest puffed out.  “That’s gotta be a record! See, Powder? I may be smaller than Enforcers but I can still protect you with this,” he said, wiggling the gun in front of her.

Powder laughed, her face lighting up as bright as The Last Drop’s neon sign. Ekko’s heart always stirred when she laughed. He wasn’t entirely sure why , but he can’t say he disliked the feeling.

“You’ll protect me, huh? Should I start calling you my little savior?” Powder teased.

“I’m not that little!” Ekko protested. He mused over the nickname for a moment before asking, “How about boy savior? That’s got a nice ring to it.”

“Alright, ' boy savior' . But you haven’t seen anything yet!” Powder proclaimed, her hand taking the toy gun from Ekko’s.

“Alright Pow Pow, let’s see what you can do,” Ekko said, lifting himself up to sit on the bar of the shooting range.

Powder breathed in, turning her body sideways. An air of confidence suddenly surrounded her, her eyes narrowed and focused. 

Ekko’s eyes widened. He had never seen her like this. She seemed…. different ? 

He sat up straighter, intrigued. It almost seems like Mylo’s comments have disappeared from her mind , he thought. 

The targets rocketed up like fireworks, their neon frames exploding upwards in the dim blue hue of the old arcade.

She closed one eye, and released her breath. Ekko blinked.

He opened his eyes again, finding all 8 targets had vanished. Ekko darted his head around, trying to find them. Looking down, his eyes widened in disbelief. There they were, knocked to the ground by her pellets.

Powder turned towards Ekko, “Maybe I’ll be the one to save you someday?” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Wha-, Powder! That was SO COOL!” Ekko yelled, pushing himself off the bar towards her.

“You gotta teach me how to do that, do ya promise? Do ya promise?”  excitedly grabbing her hand.

Powder smiled sheepishly, “ I don’t know if I can Ekko….maybe I just got lucky.”  Ekko saw her self doubt returning, it was never gone for long. He hated that.

“No way you did! The way you stood there, the way you held your gun.  You knew what you were doing! Come on, teach me?” Ekko pleaded, using his brown eyes to his advantage.

“Hmm…. and if I teach you, what do I get in return?” Powder replied, a cheeky grin breaking out on her face.

“Aw, come on Pow…” Ekko whined.

Ekko paused and thought for a bit. He smirked, lifted his chin up with his signature bravado, “How about I swipe anything you want from Benzo’s scrap pile?”

“Really?!” Powder’s eyes lit up, her mind racing to determine what parts she needed for her latest invention. “Ok, you got a deal. I would shake on it but….” her eyes traveled down to his hand still clasping hers. Powder looked away, trying to hide her blush.

Ekko’s eyes trailed down, following hers, “O-Oh! Sorry,” he stammered, turning beet red. He quickly released her hand.

Breaking the painfully long silence, Ekko imitated what Benzo does when he closes a deal, he extended a hand towards her.

“Looking forward to it, Pow-pow.”

She giggled before clasping his hand with hers.

“Likewise, boy savior.”

***

“Ekko?”

“Ekko!”

Ekko blinked, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it. “Sorry, what?”

“We were asking what our next move should be,” Scar said, analyzing Ekko’s face with a look of vivid concern. This was a first for Scar, he’d never seen Ekko this shaken.

“Do we have any intel on where they went?” Ekko whispered dryly, still in a slight daze.

“The tracker on Rex’s board kept moving for a long while after.” Scar sighed, tapping his fingers on the desk. “Unless the dead are rising, I’d say they took one of our hoverboards.” 

“That’s strange,” Adianna said, rubbing her chin. “They’ve never been interested in our tech before.” She mulled it over for a second, “If I was a betting woman, I’d say this new person is involved somehow.”

Ekko walked over to the window of his office, facing the painted mural of everyone they’ve lost. He stared down at a particular painted face with the gap-tooth grin 

Blue hair, pale skin, the best shot he’s ever seen, and an interest in tech. Perhaps the dead are rising after all.

He turned around, meeting Adianna and Scar’s eyes with a steely gaze.

“Prepare a rescue op. The usual crew, us three. Quick and quiet…..bring an extra board”

Scar’s eyes widened in surprise, Adianna interjected “ A rescue mission? Rex is dead, Ekko! His body is in the morgue.”

“This mission isn’t for Rex,” Ekko replied. “It’s for the girl.”

“For the girl?!” Adianna yelled, rising out of her chair. “Ekko, if I may, this is-”

“You may not,” Ekko sharply cut her off, his cold eyes piercing into her. 

Ekko made the mistake of not coming to friends’ aid once before. One mistake is all it took.

Every single one of them died.

When he closes his eyes, he can still see Vander’s mutated, broken body. His eyes vacantly staring through Ekko, illuminated by the inferno raging out of the fishery. He can feel the suffocating black smoke filling his nostrils, smoky tendrils tightening their grip on his lungs.

He banished the thoughts from his head, he wasn’t going to repeat that mistake. Not again. Never again.

Scar’s face darkened, he knew this was going to happen as soon as he heard Pulse mention the blue hair. Scar couldn’t find it in him to blame the kid.

How the hell could he? 

Scar took a deep breath,  “When do we leave?” he asked. 

Ekko smirked, his head tilting up. 

“Now.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2:

Parallel Convergence

Ekko held up his hand, signaling the rest of the Firelights to come to a rest upon a building overlooking the fishery. 

"Of course this is the place ,” Ekko muttered, tapping the tracking device to ensure the reading was accurate.

Ekko removed his mask, a metallic hiss breaking the still silence of the night. “No boards from here on out, too loud.”

Scar and Adianna both nodded, they knew the drill.

Adianna knelt down, extending her spyglass and peering into it.

“Bastards are blinding half the damn town with this light.” Adianna whispered.

Light used to be taken for granted in Zaun. Neon signs illuminated every street, advertising various shops or tattoo parlors. Now, most of the streets of Zaun were dark and decrepit, relying on the sunlight that managed to trickle down from the golden glow of Piltover above. With the majority of Zaun’s capital flowing into Silco’s pocket, electricity was a luxury no longer expendable for mere light. Of course, that didn’t extend to Silco and his enterprises.

“Silco sure does make it easy for us to find which building is his. I gotta thank him for that when I see him.” Ekko murmured back, looking over Adianna’s shoulder.

Adianna surveyed the building, “I count six -  no -  eight guards in total. Three on the roof, five inside. None on the second floor though, strange.” 

“Strange works for me.” Ekko tapped Adianna’s shoulder,  “Let’s go, I got the one on the generator. Adianna - yours is on the left. Scar, you got the right. “

“Aw, I always get the one on the right, “ Scar joked, rotating his shoulder in preparation.

Ekko chuckled, “Hey, you can always get mine too.” 

He knew Scar only joked around when he was nervous.

Guess that means we’re all on edge then.

Ekko pulled out his signature stopwatch, starting a timer with a click. “We go in quickly and quietly. 20 minutes, any more than that and we’re inviting trouble.”

“If you’re walking into the jaws of the beast, you don’t wanna stay long,” Scar said, giving him a forced smile.

Ekko knew he was leading them into a tough spot, but he would never take them on a job he didn’t think they could handle. They always pulled through, together .

He sealed his mask back on with a click, gesturing for them to follow. Ekko jumped, vanishing into the darkness below.

He knew the layout of this building by heart now. Even though it had been years since that agonizing day, he had revisited this place countless times in his nightmares. Even when he woke up, the smell of smoke lingered.

He froze outside a broken wall haphazardly covered with wooden planks. The last time he climbed this, Mylo’s and Claggor’s crushed bodies were waiting for him. “Too late, Ekko. Too late” they always whispered to him.

“What’s gonna be waiting for me this time?” Ekko asked himself. “If she’s truly here, will there be anything left of who I was? What we were?”

Ekko put one hand on the rotten plank in front of him, feeling Scar and Adianna’s eyes boring holes into his back. He was wasting time, time they didn’t have.

“Guess Silco isn’t one for renovations” he tried to joke. He was glad they couldn’t see his face.

Ekko put his weight on the board, the wood creaking its protest under his weight. He lifted himself up, gracefully scaling the building with skill and experience only a native Zaunite could have.

Every Zaunite kid had to quickly learn how to scale buildings if they wanted to get around in the city. Their streets weren’t uniform and well-organized like the grids of Piltover and oftentimes, scaling a building was the only way to get to where you wanted to go. Pilties don’t know how good they have it with their blimps floating lazily in the sky , Ekko thought. He hated to admit it, but those blimps gave Ekko the idea for the hoverboards. He took immense pride in the fact that hoverboards were way cooler than any Piltie balloon, at least, in his eyes. 

Ekko peered over the edge of the roof, noting the position of the three guards stationed upon it. He crouched down with the others on the rickety fire escape. He held up his hands in the shape of a one and a zero. Ten seconds.

He fixated on his target on the generator. Ekko didn’t usually pay much attention to Silco’s goons, they usually all followed the same template anyway. Burly, big, and mean. Although this one seemed bigger than usual.  “ I wonder if they get a tattoo stipend?” he mused to himself.

Three….

Two ….

One.

Ekko exploded onto the roof, rolling and unsheathing his metal club from his back, its copper edge gleaning in the night.

Scar matched him, sprinting to the right. He kept an eye on Ekko to his left, he knew the kid was a bit off today. He noticed Adianna watching Ekko out of the corner of her eye too. He smiled, nothing was going to happen to him on their watch.

Scar and Adianna watched Ekko leap into the air, his green jacket catching the wind like wings taking flight. The neon green LEDs of the hoverboard on his back looking just like….

“Just like a damn Firelight,” they both thought, chuckling to themselves . 

Ekko felt his pipe reverberate with the impact of metal on metal.

Wait, metal on metal?

Ekko had missed it, a partial skull replacement. Common work in the cybernetic shops of Zaun - usually an end result of a bar brawl. Turns out bottles aren’t good for the head.

The brute turned around, glaring down at Ekko. He hefted his sledgehammer with a surprising speed, way faster than Ekko had anticipated.

“Fuck,” Ekko uttered. Not the most graceful last words , but fitting, he thought, watching the sledgehammer descend upon him.

He closed his eyes.

“Pow-pow, I’m sorry I couldn’t save you like I promised”

“ Mylo, Vander, Claggor, Vi, Benzo… I’m coming home. ”

He waited to join his friends, just like they probably waited for him to save them. But, just like Ekko, the blow never arrived.

He cautiously opened an eye.

Adianna stood in place of the brute, cleaning off her knife and looking at Ekko quite unimpressed. 

“Sloppy, do better.”

Her words stung, but she was right. 

Scar chuckled, tossing the lifeless body of his target to the side, “I think that makes the third time Adianna’s saved you, Ekko.”

“Second time… that business in Bilgewater doesn’t count.” Ekko replied, rubbing his sore arm and scanning the floor.  “There’s gotta be a ladder somewhere, I doubt these guys climbed up here”

“Bingo,” Ekko saw the hatch, gesturing over to it. “Let’s get this over with. I’ve had enough brushes with death for the day.”

Ekko gingerly pried open the hatch, taking care to minimize any noise. He peeks his head in.

Empty.

He dropped in, landing on his toes. Adianna and Scar silently drop next to him.

“The fuck is that?” Ekko said under his breath, gesturing forward with his chin.

As if awaiting them, a neon-pink outline of a giant monkey-head stared back at them.

“I guess Silco did do some renovations” Scar mumbled.

Ekko took off his mask, determined to get a clearer look. His eyes darted around the spray-painted figure, taking it all in. It looked familiar. Too familiar.

It’s a drawing of her monkey bomb.

A tidal wave of emotions slammed into Ekko, one after the other. Confusion, recognition, shock, happiness, sadness. He felt he was going to explode just like how she always intended her monkey bombs to.

She’s here. Powder’s here. She’s alive. She’s okay.

He takes a moment to compose himself before turning around. He doesn’t want Scar and Adianna to see this part of him, the old him. The sensitive kid he was, before he had to grow up too fast. Before he had to grow up without the people he thought would always be there.

There was an arrow at the bottom of the monkey, seemingly beckoning him to the door of the only room on this floor. 

He knew this room, it's where he stumbled upon Mylo and Claggor’s bodies all those years ago. She was in that room, he could feel it. The room where the old Ekko died and the new one began. She was the link between him and his past. She was his past. She could still be his future. She was his convergence. 

Ekko was outside the room, one hand on the door. His future, out here. His past, inside. Opening the door would combine these timelines, something that could not be undone. He needed this, he told himself. He needed her. She was always the best of them, even if she herself didn’t know it. He should’ve told her, he needed to tell her.

Ekko pushed the door open.

Sitting in a chair, hunched over a workbench, a girl sat. The same girl Ekko stared at for years. First seeing her in front of Benzo’s counter, and later, only on a painted wall. She was now realized, again, in life.

Her hair was different now, no longer a blue mop that embodied her care-free attitude and creativity that stretched as limitless as the sky. It was much longer, braided, flowing like water over her shoulders. Twin rivers following the curvature of her back, and blue clouds lining the pale horizon of her skin.

He struggled to find the words, words that would convey every emotion he bottled up over the years. The warmth he felt when she leaned into him. The way his worries melted away when her laughter graced his ears. How he would get lost in her eyes when she excitedly talked about her latest invention. The void in his heart when he stared at her portrait that got every detail right but still somehow felt wrong.

He settled on one word.

“Powder…?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3:

The Boy Savior

“Powder…?”

Before Ekko could even utter another word, the girl in the chair blurred and suddenly had a gun jammed into the bottom of his jaw, her manic piercing blue eyes staring frigidly at him.

“You got a lotta nerve barging into my room name dropping a dead girl,” Powder coldy responded, eyes falling upon his face.

Who is this girl? Is this really Powder?

Ekko’s breath hitched as he felt the same air of confidence he sensed from her when she was holding her toy gun at the arcade all those years back. Only now, the biting cold steel digging into his chin communicated that this time, the gun was very real.

“Powder… Please, look at me. Do you really not remember?” he pleaded with her.

“Ekko….?” Powder’s eyes widened in fear, the face before her flashing back to the young boy she remembered. He was much older now, his jawline more defined, white dreadlocks replacing what was once a puffy white cloud of hair. She could tell it was him, the light in his eyes hadn’t changed one bit, still bright and hopeful. The only difference being that now Powder couldn’t bring herself to look into them.

Powder looked at the gun she was pointing at her old friend in horror. I nearly killed the only person I had left, she realized, staring at her shaking hand. She opened her fingers and let the gun slip out of her grip.

“You shouldn’t have come back here, Ekko,” Powder uttered, frantically backing up. I have to stay away from him, I’m going to get him killed.

“Powder…what are you talking about? It’s me,” Ekko replied, walking towards her with his hand outstretched. “You know me… don’t you?”

“But you don’t know me anymore!” Powder screamed, recoiling in horror from Ekko’s hand. Her back hit the wall, and she collapsed.

She brought her knees to her chest, “I’m just….I’m not the girl you think I am anymore “ she whispered, cradling her head on her knees.

Ekko kneeled down next to Powder, and watched her sob into her arms. She’s still so small, a fragile thing, just like she always had been, he thought with a sad smile.

“Powder…” he touched her shoulder, and felt her flinch under his touch. “Listen to me, I’m not who I was either. We both aren’t, I know that. We just…..” he paused, and looked down. “We were just forced to grow up too fast when we lost everyone….. I get that. But we still have each other, don’t we?”

Powder peeked out of her arms, “I still have you? After all this time?” she said softly.

“Always,” Ekko replied. “Since the day I met that curious blue-haired girl peering out from behind Vander’s legs.”

Powder looked up at Ekko, hope filling her eyes. He smiled softly at her and reached over, wiping a tear away. This time, she didn’t flinch.

Ekko stood up and extended a hand down to her, “Come on Pow-pow, let's get you out of here.”

Is this really okay? Is there really hope for someone like me? After what I've done?

Powder slowly extended a hand, about to take Ekko’s.

“ He doesn’t know you killed us all , ” Mylo suddenly appeared, looking over Ekko’s shoulder with a devilish smile on his ghoulish face.

Powder retracted her hand, her eyes grew manic and her breath became rapid and short.

“Powder…?” Ekko asked, his brow furrowed.

“ YOU YOU YOU JINX JINX JINXIE ” Mylo manically cackled, bouncing around the room on two feet.

Powder screamed, and covered her ears. “NO! I’m so sorry!” She sobbed, rocking back and forth, “I was only trying to help, I was only trying to help.” 

Ekko kneeled back down, studying Powder. He pulled out his stopwatch, looking down at it. We’re running out of time, he grimaced.

I’m not leaving her again, he thought, dropping the stopwatch back into his pocket.

Ekko looked back at Adianna and Scar, both wearing concerned looks on their faces. He pointed outside the room, “Watch the exit,” he mouthed silently to them. They exchanged looks, then nodded, quietly leaving the room.

Ekko turned his focus back to Powder, and kneeled back down. “Ok Pow-pow, I got you,” he said, drawing her small frame into his arms. She fought it at first, but eventually threw herself into him. “It’s alright, I'm with you.” 

Powder clutched the front of his jacket, crying into it. Ekko pulled her closer and began stroking her head. “Shhhh....It’s going to be okay, I’m with you now, I’m not going anywhere” he whispered softly.

They stayed like that for a while,  the rest of the world forgotten. All they felt was each other's breath and his hand moving through her hair.

“I killed them, Ekko,” Powder sniffed, breaking the silence.

“What?” Ekko said, looking down at her.

She burrowed deeper into his shirt. He’s going to leave me after this, she thought.

“They all died because of me,” she whispered into the fabric of his shirt.

“Powder, please don’t say that. It's not your fault. Silco killed them, not you. You couldn’t have saved them. If anything, I killed them... I’m the one who told Vi where to go.” Ekko said, still stroking her head.

He looked up to the ceiling, “If I didn’t tell them… they’d still be here with us.”

“No, Ekko. I killed them.” She suddenly sat up, finally meeting Ekko’s eyes with her own. 

“My monkey bomb, it worked.” She smiled sadly, tears streaming down her face. “It finally worked - and it killed them all. “

Ekko’s eyes widened in surprise, his eyes searching hers to see if she was really telling the truth. 

Powder leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, waiting for Ekko to either silently leave her or even hit her.

At least I got to see you again, one last time, Powder thought with a small melancholic smile.

Ekko sat there silently for a few seconds, trying to process what Powder had just said.

He closed his eyes and sighed, clutching his chest.

“I forgive you, Powder.”

Powder’s eyes shot open, and she looked at him in bewilderment. “ What ?”

Ekko met her gaze coolly, “I forgive you” he repeated.

Tears began streaming down her face again, “Ekko, I killed them all. It was me. Mylo, Claggor, even Vander they a-”

Ekko suddenly stopped her with an embrace, “You were only trying to help. I would never blame you for that.” He gripped her even tighter, “I’m sorry you had to carry that burden alone for so long.”

Powder sat there, too shocked to say anything. She finally threw her arms around Ekko. “Thank you, Ekko” she whispered, tears falling onto his shoulder.

Perfectly entwined, time seemed to have frozen for both of them. Neither one of them wanted to break away in fear that the other would disappear again . Finally, Ekko forced himself to break away, “I’m going to get you out of here, Powder. I promised I’d save you one day, it's time to make good on it.”

Powder smiled, rubbing away her tears. “I’d thought you’d forgotten about that, Ekko.” She looked down sadly, “I used to dream about you saving me, every night after that day. I eventually gave up hope.” She let out a small, sad laugh, “I didn’t even think you were real when I saw you.” 

“I’ve never forgotten, Powder. All the time we spent together. With everyone, with you and me,” he pointed to the white hourglass on his face, “This represents that time. I wanted it to be a part of me, so I’d never forget. So I would be reminded every time I looked in the mirror, and knew you were still here with me.”

Ekko got up on his feet,“I wasn’t there for you,” he said. “But I’m going to spend the rest of my life making up for that.” 

He extended his hand down for her, “Come on, I can’t do it without you.”

Powder paused, looking at his hand. She then slowly put her palm up against Ekko’s.

“What are you doing?” Ekko asked, looking down at her curiously.

“Your hand is finally bigger than mine, Little Man.” Powder looked up at him smiling, fresh tears streaming down her pale face.

Ekko grabbed her arm, pulling her up into another embrace. “Thank you for coming back to me,” he whispered softly into her ear.

He quickly broke the embrace and looked her in the eyes, giving her a smirk just like he always used to do.

“Now, let’s get you out of here, Powder.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4:

Chronobreak

“Now, let’s get you out of here, Powder.”

He took her by the hand, leading her out the door where the others were keeping watch.

Scar and Adianna were locked in an intense conversation, by their body language Ekko could tell they were not very happy. Adianna looked up, and he noticed her brow furrow at the sight of him holding Powder’s hand.

“Ekko, a word?” Scar said, beckoning him over.

Ekko turned to Powder and gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand before walking over to them.

“Look, we know you care about this girl a lot,” Adianna paused, glancing over at Powder. “But too many things are off here. I mean just for starters; Pulse’s report that she was responsible for the death of the others, combined with the fact that there’s no guards on this floor. I mean for God’s sake, her room wasn’t even locked! She could’ve left at any time, Ekko. She wasn’t a prisoner here.”

“I agree, I hate to admit it…. but all of this feels wrong to me, “ Scar said, shaking his head.

Ekko rubbed his temples, “Listen, I know what you’re all saying, I’m not blind. I can see what’s in front of me and I admit it looks off. But this is my childhood friend, and I’ve already let her down before. I’m not going to do that again.”

He could see the looks on Scar and Adianna’s faces, communicating the fact they were still unconvinced. He sighed, running a finger through his hair.

“I love her.”

They both looked up in shock at Ekko.

He coolly met their gaze, “I love her,” he repeated. “And I’m not leaving her here.”

Scar’s expression softened, “ You know I lost the one I loved too, Ekko.” He paused, seemingly lost in thought over a distant memory. He shook his head, his eyes becoming focused. “I don’t want you to go through what I had to. You can count on me.”

“You’re all crazy,” Adianna chuckled. She sighed, “But I suppose it was crazy to stand against Silco in the first place and here I am.” Adianna hefted her club onto her shoulder, “Alright loverboy , let’s get your girlfriend out of here.”

“Thank you,” Ekko managed to choke out, feeling his eyes begin to water. He knew it went without saying that they never would have abandoned him, but to hear them affirm their support still profoundly moved his heart.

Ekko wiped his eyes, “Alright, let’s wrap this up. Let me get her and make sure she’s set to leave.”

He walked back to Powder, and saw her nervously looking around the facility.

“Hey, are you good?” Ekko asked, putting a hand on her cheek to direct her focus on him.

Powder leaned into his touch, putting her hand over his. “I’ll be better once we’re out of here, I think,” she said with a small smile.

“Okay, well, let’s do that then” He replied with a smile of his own, glancing down to make sure Silco’s goons were still focused on packing up shimmer.

He moved his hand down to grab hers, leading her to the ladder where Scar and Adianna were waiting.

Ekko put a hand on the rungs, “I’ll go up first, make sure there isn’t any trouble waiting for us. Scar, you follow me up next, then Powder. Adianna, you bring up the rear.”

He began climbing the ladder, and heard Scar close behind him. He pushed open the hatch and climbed out.

“Well now, what do we have here?” A silky voice called out.

Standing in front of him, surrounded by too many henchmen, was the Architect of Zaun - Silco.

Ekko stood up and stared in shock, Scar quickly stood up next to him, bracing his spear.

“Firelights, hm…” Silco took a drag of his cigarette, his black eye taking in the signature hoverboards and appearances of Ekko and Scar.

Ekko clenched his fist, shaking in rage. This was the man who stole everything from him. Claggor, Mylo, Vi, Vander, and Benzo.

 No, he didn't even stop there. He even kidnapped Powder and filled her head with fucked-up delusions, using her as a pawn to further corrupt the Undercity.

“Ah, you’re the leader, I presume?” Silco said, taking notice of Ekko’s infamous owl mask hanging off his side.

“I’ve regretted that we never had the opportunity to speak,” Silco continued.

“Fuck you, Silco.” Ekko spat on the ground, “We have nothing to talk about.”

Silco chuckled, “Oh I wonder about that. I think you and I have much more in common than you'd like to admit.”

“Yeah? Like what? Can’t say I have a beady little demon eye like you do,” Ekko replied, his voice dripping with venom.

Silco spread his arms, “What is the difference between us, exactly? We’re both visionaries, fighting to realize our dream of Zaun.” He paused,  “Of course, I rely on more….morally ambiguous avenues to reach my goals, but the methods are irrelevant compared to the end goal.”

Silco met Ekko’s gaze, “At the end of the day, we both order others to die for the mere possibility of realizing our version of Zaun.“

Ekko took a step forward, unsheathing his metal bat from his back.

“Yes, come kill me if you can, boy. Many have tried, and you will not be the last.” Silco taunted, beckoning Ekko forward.

Scar suddenly stepped out in front of Ekko, blocking him with his arm.  “Ekko, there’s no chance you could reach him. There’s too many of them, you’ll die for nothing,” Scar said, glaring at Silco.

Silco laughed at the exchange, “Listen to him, Ekko. Maybe he should be the leader. After all, the only thing you’ve managed to do is be a consistent thorn in my side.” He flicked his cigarette away, stepping on it to extinguish the embers. “And even that….. ends now.”

“Seize them,” Silco lazily gestured with a wave of his hand, turning around to leave.

“No, wait!” a voice called out.

Silco turned back, Ekko saw the calm and confident look on his face briefly replaced with panic and pain…. ?

Powder quickly climbed out of the hatch, standing up, her long braid flowing in the wind.

Silco quickly regained his composure, his eyes taking her in. “So you’re with them now, are you?” 

Powder didn’t reply, her eyes dropped to the ground, unable to meet his piercing gaze.

Adianna didn’t waste any time, she quickly grabbed the hoverboard off her back and threw it under her own feet. “Let’s go…NOW” she yelled at Ekko and Scar while grabbing the spare board off her back.

“Kill the Firelight girl before she escapes,” Silco hissed. One of Silco’s men hefted his minigun, spinning it up and releasing a burst of hellfire towards Adianna.

“Hold your fire, you idiot! You might hit Jinx!” Silco yelled, his eyes remaining on the Firelight leader with intense curiosity.

“Adianna!” Ekko yelled, running to push her out of the way.”

The bullets found their target before Ekko did.

He managed to catch her before she fell to the ground, he eased her head into his lap.

“Ekko….?” she whispered, her eyes struggling to focus on his face.

“Shhh… you’re hurt. Don’t strain yourself,” he said, looking over her wound.

“How is it? Am I gonna be okay?” Adianna weakly muttered, her eyes fighting to stay open.

“Yeah, yeah. It's just a scratch,” he confidently replied, praying his trembling lip didn’t give him away.

He turned to Scar, “Scar, help me with this, please?” 

Scar kneeled down and gently moved Ekko’s hand off the wound. His expression quickly darkened. “She’ll be dead within the hour without help, we need to get her out of here, she’s already unconscious” he whispered.

“Ok, I’ll stay behind and distract Silco. It’s me he wants anyway. You and Powder can take Adianna and g-”

“Ekko,” Scar said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“What? Scar, don’t argue with me, you know this is the only…” he trailed off, looking to where Scar was pointing.

There, smoking and bullet-filled, were the two hoverboards Adianna had. There were four people, and now only two boards remained.

Ekko’s shoulders slumped, they were done for. The hoverboards were delicate and precise machines, they couldn’t support the weight of two people for more than a few seconds before falling out of the air.

“Maybe we can buy time for Powder to get Adianna away to safety?” Ekko said, trying to contend with reality.

Scar solemnly shook his head, “You see how skinny the girl is, she wouldn’t have the speed or the endurance to get away from Silco while carrying Adianna.”

Ekko closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, “Okay. We’re not leaving any of them behind.” He opened his eyes and stood up, offering a hand down to Scar, “We’ll die fighting.”

Scar looked up at Ekko in surprise, then shook his head and chuckled, taking his hand. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He gripped his spear tighter, “I’ll be taking Silco with me.”

“If I don’t manage to get him, I’ll be counting on you,” Ekko said, giving him a smile and patting his shoulder.

Ekko turned to Powder, she was staring down at Adianna with wide, manic eyes.

“Hey,” he said. Her breathing only grew more frantic, eyes remaining on Adianna.

“ Hey . Look at me,” gently cupping her head towards him.

“Ekko,” Powder sobbed. “She’s gonna die because of me… I always cause this. I never should’ve come with you, you’re only going to get hurt. I’m nothing but a Jinx, Mylo was righ-”

He pulled her in by her waist and kissed her. She was tense at first, then relaxed into him. Her hands gripping his shirt tightly - telling him to never let go of her again.

I still have to save you, Powder.

He broke away, his hand moving to her cheek. “Listen, Scar and I are gonna buy time. You need to escape, get far away from here and never look back. Take my hoverboard. Do you remember Benzo’s--”

“Ekko,” Powder whispered.

He kept going, “--old shop? Go in there, ask for Razor. Tell them Ekko sent you, they’ll help you if you mention-”

“Ekko!” she yelled. 

He finally stopped and focused on her.

“You need to leave me and the Firelight girl and go,”

“No. No . Powder, that’s not going to happen. I promised I would save you.”

“Ekko, please listen to me,” she said, grabbing his face and gazing into his eyes. “You already have saved me, more times than you know.” She smiled, tears streaming down his face, “You need to survive - if not for yourself, then for me. For everyone in the Undercity, you’re all they have left.”

He looked down, tears streaming down his face.

“I’m not leaving Adianna here to die alone in Silco’s clutches. I’ve heard the rumors about what he does to prisoners, not to mention what he would do to a Firelight. This is my fault, Powder.”

He shook his head, “They all told me this was a stupid mission. I ignored them, Powder. I ignored them and I led them right into their death, I’m not cut out to be a leader. I’m not going to let Adianna die alone for my mistake. No, I’m responsible..... My death will be my atonement. The Firelights can find another leader amongst themselves, they’re capable now.”

“What’s wrong, Ekko? Not cut out to be a leader after all?” Silco’s voice rang out, interrupting. 

Ekko turned back to face Silco.

“You could still escape, you know? Leave the girl and order your man to rush me and pay for your escape with his life. You’ve already ordered men to die before, is it a little harder when you’re face to face with the results?” Silco jeered.

Ekko didn’t say a word, his eyes filled with hatred and his fist tightening around his weapon.

Silco tsk’d disapprovingly, “Perhaps I was wrong about you. You are not fit to lead Zaun after all. Power, true power, comes to those who are willing to do anything to achieve it, and here you are unable to seize it. A pity you had to learn this lesson now, right before you die.”

Silco waved his hand forward, “Kill the Firelights. No guns - Jinx is among them. Do not lay a finger on her or you will be joining them in death.”

The henchmen cautiously moved forward, the Firelights still had a fearsome reputation, especially Scar, and none of them wanted to be the first to die by their hands.

Powder’s breath hitched, she grabbed Ekko’s shoulders. “Ekko, listen to me. You need to leave with Scar right now. You heard Silco, they’re not going to harm me. It’s okay, but you need to go now. Tell me you’re going.”

Ekko tore his gaze away from Silco, and focused his eyes on Powder. “No, Scar and I aren’t going to leave Adianna for Silco to torture. I’m not going to be selfish and run. I’m sorry, Powder. This is the end of the road for me.”

Powder hit his chest with her fists, “She’s going to die either way, you idiot!” She screamed, tears streaming down her face. She rested her head on his chest, “Please… I can’t lose you too,” she whispered.

Ekko kissed the top of her head, “When people look up to you, you don’t get to be selfish. Don’t let me die in vain, Powder. Run while you can.” He turned back towards Silco and lifted his weapon, giving a nod to Scar.

Powder sank down to her knees, clutching her head.

“No no no no no,” she whispered, tearing at her hair.

“You’re going to get them all killed again!” Mylo appeared, his white eyes taunting her.

“Just like you killed Vander!”

“Just like you killed me!” 

“Now you killed Ekko”

“The only person you have left!”

“Dead!”

“Like me!”

“You’re good for nothing!”

“Jinx!”

“No!” She screamed, suddenly standing back up.

Ekko turned around to face her, surprised by her outburst.

She walked towards him and pulled Ekko’s head down to hers and kissed him. She hoped time would stop when her lips met his, and for a second, it did. That moment didn’t last long however, fading away when she opened an eye and saw Scar desperately swinging his spear to buy time and space from Silco’s men.

She broke away from Ekko, still staring into his eyes, her hand on his cheek. 

“I love you,” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheek.

She grabbed her pistol from her holster, and walked towards Silco.

“Powder?” Ekko’s voice faintly reached her.

A memory came rushing back to her conscience.

“Maybe I’ll be the one to save you someday?” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

She leveled her pistol against Silco, her piercing blue eyes finally able to meet his black.

One of Silco’s men immediately stood in front of Silco, shielding him. Silco briskly pushed him aside and walked forward.

“Think you’ll be able to save him, girl? By killing the man who took you in?” Silco laughed and shook his head. “No, even if you kill me, there’s too many of us. You or your friends won’t leave here alive. Come now, stop acting foolish. I’ve taught you better.”

“You’re right,” Powder admitted with a sad smile, dropping her hand.

She turned and fired two shots into Adianna.

Chapter Text

 Chapter 5:

 Fall from Grace

“This isn’t real”, Ekko uttered as he took in the nightmarish scene in front of him. He rubbed his eyes, “ This can’t be real. I’ll just…. I’ll open my eyes and we’ll all be on a hoverboard far, far away from here.” He could barely hear his own thoughts over the pounding beat of his heart, but he still held out hope that some higher power could hear him. “ Please,” he begged, offering a final prayer before slowly opening his eyes.

Yet Hell remained, and she was the fallen angel.

Ekko’s weapon slipped from his fingers as he fell to his knees, eyes transfixed on the unsettlingly still body of Adianna.

He began to laugh in disbelief, the absurdity of his nickname becoming apparent as he slowly accepted the scene in front of him. Boy Savior? Who exactly did I save? The laughter slowly devolved into sobs as he hunched over and beat his fists bloody into the concrete floor.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. 

This is a dream, right? All of this. I’m just having a nightmare. 

That has to be it - she’s always haunted my dreams.

I just need to wake up.

Wake up to what?

I couldn’t save her then.

And I can’t save her now.  

I should’ve known. This is how it was always going to be, ever since that day.

I think we’re both damned, you and I.

So why is it you’re saving me?

Just let us die together and we can finally join the others.

The gentle sound of raindrops beginning to fall was broken by the sound of a slow-clap ringing out from Silco. “Now, there’s my daughter. I knew you wouldn’t betray me, not like he did.” His words were bitter, fueled by the memory of Vander’s betrayal. He reached out a hand to grab her shoulder, “Come now, I won’t make you finish off the boy. Let’s get you home.”

Powder recoiled from his touch with her eyes manic and ablaze with explosive hate. Yet, it wasn’t hatred for Silco - not quite. It was an unbridled hatred for herself, and what she was becoming. Rather, had become - a Jinx.

Silco withdrew his hand, “Ah…. I understand now. But do you think he will?” He shook his head, “No, I doubt that.  No one understands you, Jinx. Only me. How many times do I have to tell you? They’ll all leave you, just like they’ve always done. In the end, there’s only us.”

Upon hearing gunshots ring out behind him, Scar swung his spear in a wide arc in a desperate attempt to gain space and time from Silco’s henchmen. Earning a moment of respite, he whipped his head around and quickly assessed the situation he heard unfolding behind him. His eyes fell upon Ekko’s figure slumped on the ground,  then darted his eyes over to see Adianna’s corpse. He clenched his spear ever tighter when he saw who stood over Adianna, the barrel of her gun still smoking as raindrops fell upon it. Scar noticed Silco was still locked in his conversation with her and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip him by. 

He turned back to face the henchmen, hefting his spear and throwing it with a roar of utter rage that was fueled by losing yet another friend in this never ending war. The spear impaled the biggest among them and carried their body with it for a few feet. The gruesome display prompted the rest of the henchmen to back up, not wanting to be the next victim.

Scar quickly capitalized on their fear and sprinted over to Ekko and lifted the boy up by the scruff of his jacket.

“We need to go now . Get up,” Scar hissed, urgently trying to get him to stand up.

“Just let me die here,” he heard Ekko faintly reply as he dangled lifelessly from his hand.

Scar let go of his collar in shock upon hearing those words. Him and Ekko had been no strangers to watching their friends die - several of them had met their end by the hands of Enforcers and Silco’s henchmen alike, but he had never seen Ekko reduced to such a state like this. 

His heart ached for Ekko as he watched him fall back to the ground onto the wet pavement. He knew they could still both escape on their hoverboards, but with Ekko like this…. He didn’t see a  way out for the both of them.

Scar grit his teeth, he knew he couldn’t let the kid die here. Throughout the years, Ekko had discussed passing the leadership to someone else, he often worried that the Firelights had grown far too large to have someone as young and inexperienced as he was to be the one calling the shots. Scar had wanted to put an end to Ekko’s doubts, and so he called a vote - asking the Firelights if they wanted to nominate anyone else to lead. Not a single ballot listed a different name from “Ekko”. Whether he knew it or not, Ekko was the Firelights. His boldness, his undying enthusiasm for a better tomorrow, his vision for Zaun - all of it was what turned them from just a refugee group into a fighting force. One that was capable of standing up to Silco and showing that Zaun still had hope. And this broken boy in front of him was that hope.

Scar desperately looked around, searching for a way for Ekko to escape. He knew one hoverboard couldn’t support the two of them for long, but maybe he could carry Ekko on his hoverboard and gain enough distance to dodge the worst of Silco’s gunfire before they crashed? Scar peered over the edge to see if they could survive a crash from this height, but the street seemed as far away as their prospect of survival. 

They were out of options, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

He turned his eyes back to Ekko and watched his body seize with each sob. “ How can I blame the cub?” Scar thought as he watched the boy. His heart ached for him, he knew what it was like to lose a loved one - excruciating waves of pain that threatened to drown you every waking second. It was the reason he met Ekko in the first place. His wife had been one of the first victims of Silco’s regime, standing alone as one of Zaun’s local leaders that were brave enough to oppose his rise. When he came home from the market one day with his son, he found their house ablaze. He desperately rushed inside to save his wife, but there wasn’t much of her left to save. And after that day, there wasn’t much of him left, either. Having lost his home and wife, he wandered aimlessly, desperately scrounging for any scrap of food he could find for his child. It wasn’t enough, and him and his son were on the verge of death when Ekko found him. Ekko didn’t have much either, but he gave Scar everything he could. Giving him not only food, but also a new home and purpose. A chance to build a better future for his son, and in the process, strike back against the man who took everything from him.

He tried to find words of comfort, something that could begin to even slightly repay the insurmountable kindness that Ekko had shown him.

“Ekko, I -” 

The words turned to ash in his mouth as he realized Ekko hadn’t simply lost a loved one, but watched one execute another. Scar’s breath caught in his throat and he let the sentence die there. “What words could stand up to something like that?” Scar thought with a sigh .

“I’m not going to let you die here,” Scar whispered as he grabbed Ekko’s bat off the ground. He turned back to face Silco and his men and hefted the bat to his shoulder.

Scar studied the group in front of him. “ Fifteen to one, not the worst odds I’ve faced”, he thought with a grim smile. He scanned the crowd for any hints of blue amongst them, but the girl had seemingly vanished. His revenge would have to suffice with just Silco.

Scar pointed the bat at the man who killed his wife. “Come then, Silco . How can you call yourself a leader if you cower behind the backs of your followers? Why not settle this personally?”

Silco chuckled and lit a cigar, his black eye studying Scar as he took a drag. He exhaled the smoke, “Do you think I got to where I am by settling things fairly?” He shook his head and tapped out the embers of his cigar, “No. Yet I will allow you any last words, as a final parting gift.” 

Scar put on a confident smile that masked the anger that roared within, “Words don’t come easily to me, allow me the chance to think a little.”  He tapped the bat on the ground, surveying the crowd in front of him as he calculated the chances he could reach Silco before he got gunned down. His calculations were interrupted by a flash of blue emerging from amongst the crowd and his eyes fell upon the one who killed Adianna. Fury roared its need for revenge in his veins. He knew he probably couldn’t reach Silco before he fell, hired mercenaries will always do their utmost to protect the one who pays them….but perhaps he could at least avenge Adianna by taking out the girl. He exhaled and tensed up his muscles, ready to rush into certain death when suddenly, he locked eyes with the girl.

Tears were streaming down her face, and it shook Scar to his core.

“ Tears? Raindrops, maybe? Why would she be crying?” Scar thought as his grip loosened ever so slightly on the bat.

“No last words then?” Silco ordered his men to raise their weapons with a wave of his hand.  “A rather anticlimactic end, but I suppose it's fitting for an insignificant faction such as yours. ” 

Scar didn’t reply, eyes still transfixed on the girl as he watched her slowly unclasp something off her utility belt. 

This time, she met his gaze with confidence, then looked down at the mysterious device and nodded towards Ekko.

Scar could tell she was searching his eyes for understanding. He didn’t understand completely, but considering he was facing certain death without a miracle, he decided to give her a subtle nod. She paused for a second, then gave him a small nod back. She looked past Scar - towards Ekko, and smiled sadly at the boy. She sighed, as if a great weight was lifted off her shoulders, then lifted her face to the sky and closed her eyes as the raindrops glistened off her pale skin.

“Outta my way!” The biggest among the crowd pushed to the front, spinning up his minigun and preparing to unleash a final torrent of hellfire upon them. Scar grimaced and looked behind him at Ekko to see if he had hopefully escaped in the distraction. He wasn’t surprised to see that the boy was still there, but Scar was shocked to see the kid had recovered from his utter despair and was staring at the crowd in front of them - seemingly fixated on something.

“Kill them,” Silco growled, his eyes burning with hatred at the sorry state of the boy he once considered his equal.

Scar grimaced and jumped in front of Ekko to shield him from the coming gunfire. He flinched as he expected to feel the bullets rip into him, yet the gunfire never came. A flash of light engulfed his vision with pure white, and Scar felt a solid block of air slam into his back and he felt himself being tossed several feet away. 

“A bomb?” Scar groggily thought to himself, loud ringing filling his ears as he found himself staring up at a blue sky. “ No, at this range we would’ve been dead instantly.”

“Ekko…..” He managed to mutter as he strained to get up. He had to check that the boy was okay - the Firelights, rather, all of Zaun depended on it. But the darkness overtook his consciousness and he collapsed back down.

________________________________________________________________________

Ekko coughed and turned over as he tried to force air back into his lungs. The explosion hadn’t come as a complete surprise, he had been watching Powder as she threw down the device, although the sheer explosiveness had caught him off guard. Her devices had certainly come a long way from when they were kids, he noted with a pang of nostalgia. 

“Scar?” Ekko hoarsely yelled as he looked around. The entire rooftop had been engulfed with smoke and he couldn’t make out anything in the haze.

A tidal wave of thoughts hit him again . 

“Powder killed Adianna.” 

“She’s a killer.”

“She did it to save you.”

“You were supposed to save her.”

“Boy Savior?”

“Why can you never save her?”

Ekko bit his lip and forced those thoughts and the tears back, Scar needed him, and he wouldn’t fail him now. He’s already let down too many people, and he wouldn’t let Scar be another. There would be time to grieve and make sense of these thoughts after they both got out of here.

Ekko wiped the soot and raindrops off his face with the back of his hand and shakily stood up. He took a deep breath and squinted, trying to see through the thick fog that was lazily curling around. He took a few cautious and wobbly steps forward and the smoke partially gave way and revealed a familiar large figure with bat ears laying on the ground.

“Scar! ” Ekko yelled as he ran to his side.

Scar coughed and opened his eyes, his arm went out to grab Ekko’s hand. “Hey kid, you okay?” 

“Yeah, Scar. I’m okay,” Ekko replied with a smile, squeezing Scar’s hand with his own..

Scar coughed again and tried to wave the smoke away from his face. “What the hell was that?” He asked, looking around the rooftop. 

“A smoke bomb is my best bet,” Ekko replied quietly as he rubbed his own arm. “Powder…”  He stopped and swallowed the growing lump in his throat.  “She detonated it.” 

“What? Why would she…?”

“Look, Scar, there’s no time,” Ekko said as he grabbed Scar’s hand and lifted him up. “She bought us an exit and we need to use it.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Scar replied flatly as he stood up and tested his shoulder. “Did you see our hoverboards anywhere? Smokescreen or not, we’re not making an escape without them.”

Ekko took a few steps into the smoke, “They’re over here. Told you these green LEDs were a good idea on these things. We never would’ve found ‘em otherwise.” 

He tossed a hoverboard at Scar and picked up his own. “Check it for damage, that smoke bomb had a bit more bomb in it than I would’ve liked.”

Ekko turned over his own hoverboard and inspected the edges. It was a bit banged-up, soot and scratches covered the whole of the steel exterior, but he knew it would hold up. He of all people would know, he was the one who designed these things, and sturdiness was a big factor in his design - Zaun wasn’t exactly a hospitable environment. He wasn’t entirely proud to say it, but his hoverboard had functioned as a weapon in a pinch more times than he’d like to admit.

Ekko was broken out of his line of thoughts by the sound of yelling coming from inside the smoke. Their borrowed time was running out, he noted with a tsk. He grabbed his mask from his belt and sealed it back on his head with a metallic hiss.

He quickly turned on his board and heard the familiar sound of gears whirring as he threw it under his feet. He hopped on and turned to Scar and said softly, “I hate to say it….but we’re gonna have to leave Adianna’s corpse here.” His voice caught on Adianna’s name, and he forced his thoughts back again.

Scar’s face darkened as he nodded solemnly, “She would understand.” 

Ekko forced his mind to focus on the task at hand. He tested the power of his board by leaning forward on the throttle and felt the turbine roar with electricity. “Mine’s good. You ready?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Scar replied as he flicked the power button and jumped on his own board. His ear flickered to the growing sound of voices coming from within the smoke, “Let’s go. We’ve lost enough for one day.”

Ekko nodded and Scar studied him for a second before shooting off from the rooftop with a streak of green following his board. He leaned forward, about to follow Scar when suddenly a single thought came to his mind.

“ You promised to save her.”

Ekko winced and grabbed at his chest as his heart threatened to tear its way out. His breath seemed to have escaped him, and he started breathing faster and faster, but the air never seemed to reach his lungs. He ripped his mask off with trembling hands and tried to gasp for breath, but the only thing he seemed to inhale was the suffocating smoke that surrounded him.

A gruff voice cried out, “Get up you damn fools, they’re getting away!” 

Ekko managed to turn his head to the sound of the voices. The smoke was already beginning to clear and Silco’s men were beginning to recover from the blast. 

He took a deep breath and tried to shift his weight forward on the throttle to power the hoverboard, but his legs wouldn’t cooperate.

“God damn it, listen to me!” Ekko wailed as he hit his leg.

“Fuck, am I really gonna die here?”

He forced a chuckle out of his constricted throat, “I guess I deserve it after all this.”

“Ekko.”

It was her voice.

The same voice that’s haunted him across the years.

He turned to face her. It was her, soot covered and hair blown back by an explosion, but it was her. Unmistakably her. Maybe more her than he’s ever seen since that day. After all, isn’t this how he remembered Powder? Laughing together with blown-back hair as their latest gadget blew up in yet another unexpected way. He felt his eyes tearing up, more than anything, he wished he could go back to those simpler days.

The gruff voices yelled out again, “Hey, he’s over there! Grab him!” 

Ekko tore his eyes away from Powder and looked behind her. Silco’s men were back on their feet, and the thin wisps of smoke that remained offered no concealment. Again and again, he was out of time.

He wanted to tell her everything he could, that he loved her and needed her. That he mourned her everyday and would’ve given anything to have her back. He needed to show her what he had built: the Firelights, their tree - his home, and in another timeline…what would’ve been her home too.

To tell her that everything he built was a love letter for her, their idealized vision of a Zaun where what they went through would never have to happen to anyone again. 

But blood had been spilled by her hands, Adianna’s blood, and it was that blood that held Ekko’s tongue.

She gave him a heartbreaking smile as tears streamed down her cheek. “Thank you, Ekko. For everything.”

She reached out a hand towards him and he hesitated. More than anything, he wanted to grab her hand and pull her onto the hoverboard with him where they could go far, far away from all of this and continue the life they were promised in their early days. Yet, it was that hand that pulled the trigger on Adianna, and Ekko could still see her lifeless eyes staring through him.

“Was it even her fault?” Ekko thought to himself. After all, wasn’t he the one who placed Powder in such an impossible situation? He knew she only did it to save him, but Adianna’s life was not Powder’s to take. He had made his decision to die here, and she took Adianna’s life to save his own.

Despite everything, Ekko reached out to take her hand.

Just as their fingers were about to touch, Powder suddenly whipped her hand downwards and slammed the throttle on the hoverboard.

The hoverboard roared forward and it took everything Ekko had just to remain upright on the board.

Silco’s voice yelled out, “There, Jinx isn’t with him now. Shoot the damn boy down!”

Gunfire ripped towards Ekko but his training kicked in. He sealed his mask back on before he put all of his weight into the throttle and pointed the board down as it barreled down towards the street. 

Right before he hit the street, Ekko suddenly kicked the board back up and flew by the various derelict vendor stalls that lined the street.

Ekko coaxed the board back up higher and higher, the board whirred its protest but it carried him back into the sky. He hesitated, then turned his board back

“I have to see her one last time.”

As Ekko cleared the highest rooftop, he looked back for the last time at the abandoned fishery.

She was there, watching him as he left her again.

He watched the tears streak down her face, and more than anything, he wished he was there to wipe them from her cheek. Her lips moved, and he saw her say something. He was too far now for the wind to carry her words, but he could still read her lips.

“Bye-bye, Boy Savior.” 

He was glad he had his mask on.

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