Chapter Text
Of course Jayce had heard the rumors. Even living under a rock couldn't have saved you from the gossip of Piltover Civilians.
And unfortunately, being a council member only exposed him more to the latest news from the Undercity. Perhaps it was some sort of karma, having to sit through meetings where the common topic was of The Machine Herald.
It was a little funny, or at least Jayce found it quite amusing, how every time someone had so much as alluded to the once co-founder of HexTech, all eyes would immediately be on Jayce. Sometimes it was a sympathetic look, one full of pity and remorse. Other times it was quick cautious glances, as if they were worried that Jayce was still working with The Machine Herald.
He wishes that were true
But he hadn't heard from Viktor in a year. Not since their disagreement.
Viktor
It was strange to think that at one point The infamous Machine Herald had ever been referred to as Viktor. Under all that armor, there had once been a human, a kind one at that, with ghostly pale skin and eye bags that were always visible, no matter how much sleep he would get.
Not that Jayce had even seen what new body enhancements Viktor had, if there was even anything human left.
The only reference he had was from descriptions he'd read in the paper. A tall, metal man, with a deep voice that sent shivers up the spine of anyone that was unfortunate enough to hear it. The only bright thing about him was the glowing yellow eyes that shone through his mask, bright and dangerous like the sun.
When Jayce had first met Viktor, his eyes had reminded him of gemstones, vibrant and beautiful. Full of so many emotions that he took every opportunity to express, like he was afraid he'd eventually lose them.
So yes, of course he'd heard the rumors. It was a stupid question and he didn't know why Caitlyn had asked, he told her as much.
"What does it matter?" He had said, voice on the border of frustration, maybe a bit of drowsiness from sleepless nights. Working on HexTech projects was so much harder without a partner.
"They managed to track him down." Caitlyn continued, unphased by the somewhat harsh tone Jayce had taken.
Upon hearing that, Jayce went stiff. His body tense as he swiveled in his chair to look over at the blue haired girl. "What? How did they-"
"I'm not sure yet, I didn't stay to listen. But they have a few ideas on where his lab could be and once they figure it out..."
Jayce didn't need her to finish in order to know what she was going to say. The way she bowed her head as she stared at the ground was enough to know what exactly the Enforcers had planned once they caught him.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because maybe you can find him before they do." Caitlyn stepped closer, pulling a neatly folded slip of paper out of her pocket and setting it down on the desk. "This is the list of possible whereabouts. I'm not even supposed to be telling you this, my job is on the line. So you better guess the right one."
Jayce looked down at the paper, taking it in his hand before looking up at Caitlyn.
"Thank you...and I'm sorry for being snippy with you."
Caitlyn just shook her head, putting her hat back on before stepping closer to the door, as if she was about to take her leave. "I know. Just bring him home."
It's not like he'd never been to The Undercity before. He'd come down here every once in a while on supply runs with Viktor.
But this time he was on his own and frankly, making a damn fool of himself.
He draped an old worn out cloak over his shoulders, keeping the hood over his face as if that would prevent people from noticing that he was clearly from Piltover
He walked down an alleyway, keeping straight ahead until he came to a seemingly deserted and hidden building. How he knew it was this one, even he couldn't tell you. But something about it told him that it was at least worth a try.
Now he just needed to figure out how to get in. Would knocking be too obvious? What if Viktor didn't let him in? He examined the exterior of the building for any other entry points but the windows were blocked up, the person housed within probably had no intentions of letting in visitors.
Jayce wrapped his cloak tighter around himself as he walked closer to the door, reaching out a hand which he hadn't even realized had been shaking.
Just a gentle nudge was all it took, much to Jayce's surprise. You'd think someone as technologically advanced as The Machine Herald would have better security.
He crept into the makeshift house, trying to limit all the sounds he made so as not to startle anyone that might be inside. The room was dark, barely any light source aside from a few glowing objects that Jayce couldn't quite make out.
As Jayce walked closer, he could make out a table, one littered with nuts and bolts and the occasional parchment paper scrawled over in quick yet neat writing.
He got close enough to the table to pick up one of the pages, having to pull the paper closer to his face since his eyes had not yet adjusted to the dark. A feeling of dread washed over him as he finally realized what sketch was scribbled out on the page. It was a tall figure, covered from head to toe in metal armor that contrasted with the yellow tint of the page. The face of the figure was covered by a mask, no recognizable features showing other than the tufts of brown hair coming from the back. The only sign that this design was even remotely human. A third metal arm protruded from the back of the suit, aiming at the front of the page as if it was ready to attack.
"Oh Viktor, what have you done?" Jayce sighed to himself, eyes widening at read lettering near the bottom of the page spelling out "Complete."
Before Jayce could even think about what this implied, he was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of rustling outside. Someone was here.
Jayce quickly scrambled up, setting the paper down exactly where he'd found it before frantically searching for a place to hide. His eyes eventually landed on a bookshelf, one that looked old and shaky, much like the rest of the house. It wasn't the best hiding spot but it was the only one Jayce could think of on such short notice so he bolted over to the bookshelf, squeezing himself into the little distance between the bookshelf and the wall.
The door swung open right as he got himself situated. One second later and he would have been caught.
He couldn't see anything, not from his spot behind the bookshelf, but he didn't need to. He could hear the heavy clunk of footsteps, someone closing a door, the thunk of a bag hitting the floor, and the sound of something else hitting the ground in rhythm with footsteps. A cane perhaps?
"There's no point in hiding."
Jayce felt his heart drop as soon as he heard that deep voice. Heartachingly different from the comforting voice he used to know. This one was monotone, full of nothing but a sinister sort of amusement, not the same teasing tone Viktor used to take with him whenever he found something Jayce did to be particularly interesting.
"Resistance is futile. If you come out now, perhaps I'll...consider letting you go." The voice was closer now, a bit too close for Jayce's liking but he kept quiet, not even daring to breathe in case that would give him away.
Unfortunately for Jayce, the flooring of the house didn't seem to have the same goal as he did and a faint shift in the weight of his foot gave way to a barely audible creek.
Apparently that was all that was needed because the heavy footsteps on the other side of the bookshelf came to a sudden stop and Jayce could hear a low chuckle, the only trace of emotion he'd heard so far.
Before he had much time to think, he felt something tug sharply at the collar of his shirt, pulling him out from his spot behind the bookshelf and back into the dimly lit lab.
Once he was face to face with The Machine Herald, he realized the thing grabbing him by his shirt was actually the third arm Jayce had seen in the sketch. In fact, all of the body armor he was wearing seemed to be an almost exact replica of what was in the drawing
Jayce wasn't the only one lost in thought, he noticed how quiet his captor was, almost as if he wasn't expecting this. He was...tense? Could he even be tense if he was composed mostly of armor?
"Councilman Talis," The armored man said finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room. His voice was steady, almost calculated and precise like the equations he and Viktor used to come up with in their lab.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" His voice didn't change as his HexClaw released the grip it had on Jayce, dropping him without care. He didn't even spare Jayce a second glance as he walked over to the table of scattered notes and searched through, probably checking to see if Jayce had taken anything.
"I...I'm looking for my partner." Jayce spoke definitively, trying to stand his ground. Why would he have any reason to be intimidated in the first place? This was Viktor he was talking to... right?
But The Machine Herald feigned uninterest, continuing to search through his notes. "Oh? And what makes you think he'll turn up here, Councilman Talis?"
Councilman Talis
Not Jayce
Not even the endearing way he used to call him Talis
Not any of the other nicknames that Viktor had mumbled under his breath when he assumed that Jayce wasn't paying enough attention to hear him.
Just Councilman Talis.
"I was told he would be here." It was close enough to the truth that he couldn't be accused of lying, he had a feeling that Viktor would have been able to detect it right away. They were never very good at lying to each other.
"Who told you he would be here?"
"That's not important. I know my partner's here."
That caught the other man's attention. He looked up from the table in front of him, the eyes of the mask staring back at him as if it could see right through Jayce. And perhaps it could.
The man stood up tall, taking his cane from where he'd propped it up against the table as made his way back over to Jayce.
Jayce felt a shiver run down his spine and his blood go cold as the other man examined him, circling him slowly like a vulture would a carcass. It seemed as if he had come to whatever conclusion he had been searching for and Jayce barely had a moment to react before an armored hand was moving towards him.
"You sound so sure of yourself. You've grown quite confident, Councilor Talis. I find it hard to believe that Piltover's golden boy even needs a partner, especially one with such contrasting ideas on advancements that you were simply not ready for." The Machine Herald said, voice laced with amusement and a hint of venom as the hand that gripped Jayce's chin dug deep into the skin, enough to leave bruises.
The mention of the different views he and Viktor had was all the confirmation he needed that he was in fact talking to Viktor. Not that he had thought anything different before.
"Viktor.." Jayce tried to say, although the fingers pushed against his chin made it a challenge to say anything.
"Oh." The armored man said simply. A flash of anger seemed to fill him, only for a minute as the grip on Jayce's chin tightened before he let go quickly, as if Jayce's skin was scolding hot, enough to feel through the armor.
Jayce took a minute to bring his own hand up to his sore jaw, rubbing at the dull ache before looking up at the other man who stood stock still. "So it really is you, Vitya-"
He was cut off by the HexClaw, darting out like a snake and wrapping it's palm around Jayce's neck, forcing him up against the wall.
"Do not call me that," Viktor's voice boomed, anger seeping through the usual monotone that the modifiers in the mask supplied.
"I was going to allow you to leave, Councilman Talis, something you should not have taken lightly. But it seems you've discovered not only my identity but my place of work, if I were to release you then you would scamper off and tell Councilwoman Medarda and all your other little Piltie friends."
Jayce, for perhaps the 5th time since he arrived, felt dread creep over him as he tried his best to claw at the hand on his neck.
"What are-" Jayce winced as the claw tightened, scrunching up his eyes as the back of his head hit the wall.
"I'll have to keep you here," Viktor said simply, answering the question Jayce had been trying to ask.
Before Jayce could even begin to object, he was being dragged across the room and down a hallway.
Jayce kicked the whole way, thrashing around like an infant throwing a tantrum but no matter how hard he fought it didn't seem to deter the armored man even a little bit.
They came to a stop right outside of what Jayce assumed to be a room.
Using one of his real hands, Viktor reached for the door to push it open before throwing Jayce inside. "This is where you'll be staying," he said, the monotone returning to his voice. "At least until I can figure out what to do with you." And with that, he took his leave, slamming the door shut.
Jayce listened for the sound of heavy footsteps slowly getting quieter and quieter as the other man left. As soon as he didn't hear them anymore, he sat up, reaching up to rub at his sore throat.
The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from a little lamp sitting on a desk in the corner. When Jayce managed to stand up, he took in more of his new environment which included a bed, a little wooden chair, a bedside table, and a desk. It seemed plain, too empty to be a room inhabited by anyone else.
The only way of possibly escaping was through the door.
He was going to need a better escape plan, there was no way he could stay here for long. If he was gone for more than a day, someone would notice, probably Mel.
And if Caitlyn told them where he went, that'd mean they'd have to bring Enforcers here for his rescue. How was he supposed to get Viktor to trust him when a swarm of Enforcers inevitably came bursting through his door?
No, he couldn't let that happen. He needed an escape plan and he needed one now.
As easy as the front door had been to open, Jayce couldn't say the same about this one. He tried everything, ramming his weight into the door, kicking with as much force as he could, he'd even resorted to punches when neither of those had worked. After about an hour of failed attempts, he slumped against the wall, broad shoulders sagging as he looked down at his bruised knuckles.
"How did we end up like this, Vitya?" Jayce mumbled.
Perhaps to himself
Or maybe to the ghost of a person he once knew. Someone who had once talked him off the edge, saved his life and helped him make his dream a reality.
He closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the blue light that illuminated the whole lab. The feeling of weightlessness and freedom as he had felt himself lift off the ground along with most of the other objects in the room.
Along with Viktor.
He remembered the smile on his partner's face, how he thought a smile that bright could rival the soft glow coming from the blue gemstone.
He remembered breaking into the lab, how nervous they both had been, how his blood ran cold the minute Mel showed up with her flashlight. Viktor was never good at improvising, spewing out some obvious lie about mistaking Heimerdinger's lab for his bedroom.
That's when it hit him.
A lockpick.
Right before they had broken into the lab, Viktor had suggested using a lockpick until he realized he already had the keys from locking up that night.
Jayce sat up, frantically looking around for anything he could fashion into a makeshift lockpick.
It wasn't until he searched through the desk in the corner that he found a paperclip in the desk drawer.
Carefully, he undid the coil, pulling the wire up into a jagged line, just like how Caitlyn had taught him to do before. Something she had learned from her enforcer training.
He walked back over to the door, kneeling down so he was eye level with the lock before sticking the jagged end of the wire inside and moving it around until he heard the click, breaking the tension in the room.
Jayce tossed the paperclip to the side, placing his hand on the knob and slowly turning it to minimize any sound it might make.
To his surprise, there wasn't any tall metal man waiting for him on the other side. Instead, the house was quiet, just as it had been when Jayce first entered.
He opened the door, just wide enough for him to slip through as he made his journey over to the lab? Was it even a lab? Jayce didn't know what to call it but he knew he needed to get back there if he wanted to leave.
Something he noticed when he made his way over to the lab was the bag Jayce had heard Viktor arrive with earlier that day was no longer in its proper place.
Which could mean one of two things.
Either he moved it.
Or he had left.
Jayce hoped for the latter option as he threw on his discarded cloak which must have come off and fallen on the floor during the scuffle with Viktor.
As he draped it over his shoulders, pulling the hood over his head, and set his hand on the front door, he looked over his shoulder at the makeshift lab before continuing forward, going as fast as his legs would carry him.
"I'll come back for you, Vitya. I promise."