Chapter Text
The jungle seethed with the roar of insects and fire and the stench of corpses. Burning corpses. Because of all the fire.
Lux checked her six and crept to the next tree. Her multispectral heat visor lit up the night scene beyond; the comms bunker, just ahead, the objective.
Five, six guards on the wall and a gun turret on the tower. Nothing her team couldn’t handle.
::: Commandos, we are clear to advance to checkpoint Bravo, ::: General Jarvan’s gravel came over the com, :: Zweihander, clear hostiles. Firebrand, advance and secure the target. :::
“Copy,” she said, hoisting the double-ended laser torch that was her custom weapon. Ahead of her, she heard the grunts and cries and ring of steel as her brother Garen slashed his way through the last of the enemy garrison.
Damn yordles. Diminutive but tenacious bastards, they didn’t die easy, and didn’t stay gone long. She couldn’t count how many good soldiers they’d fed into this meatgrinder trying to dislodge the furry little demons from this godforsaken green hell.
Well. If they got in Lux’s way, it’d be an orange hell. Because she’d light it on fire.
Her dull green camo armor shielded her from their sharp eyes as she rounded the east flank of the bunker; in two flashes of concentrated light, she disabled the gate locks to melted slag and dislodged it with a kick.
Inside. Quiet…
…too quiet.
A few slumped yordles already dissolving away into wherever the hell the little punks went when you iced ‘em. Bullet holes of a familiar caliber.
Gangplank had clearly been through here.
The way was clear. Kicking down another door, Lux secured the central bunker and finally, finally saw the objective.
“I’m in,” she growled into coms, “Eyes on target. Securing.”
Sweat dripped down her neck and she held her weapon with a relaxed, easy grip as she crept step after step to the black box on the table beneath the single downlight.
It’s gotta be a trap, Lux narrowed her eyes, what’s that…?
An arrow – its fletching white and fluffy – stuck out of the top of the box.
Some kind of warning?
There wasn’t time. Lux switched her visor scan for traces of high explosives, heat sig, chemical trails, hidden mechanisms. Nothing.
No traps.
“What could go wrong?” she melted the lock with a small blast of light and cautiously opened the box…
…to the sight of a felt-covered cardboard box in the shape of a big heart.
Lux stopped and stared at it, completely dumfounded.
Not a bomb, a database, or top-secret enemy superweapon.
A gift box.
It’s an enemy trick. It’s got to be. I knew yordles had a sick sense of humor but this…
Her eyes froze.
There was a card tagged on it, branded Café Cuties, but that wasn’t what caught her eye.
It was addressed to “MISS LUXANNA CROWNGUARD (MY SUNSHINE <3).”
Cautiously, she folded it back.
Hey Sunny girl!
Just a little prezzy from work, didn't think I'd forget did ya?
Don’t eat ‘em all at once
Without me <3
See you after my next shift xoxo
JINX
Lux’s blood ran cold as she lifted the lid of the box with the tip of her weapon.
::: Firebrand, is the bunker secure, over? ::: Garen's voice.
Row after row of gorgeous little pastries shaped like cats, bears and penguins, and a photo of a purple-haired girl in a maid costume winking and doing a peace sign, dotted with XOXOXO’s and another “HAPPY VALENTINE’S LUXIE <3”
::: Lux, do you have the package? :::
"I..."
She stared at the contents of the box, the winking girl, and her own name on the card.
Com scratched again, and she heard her C.O's voice.
::: Firebrand, ::: said Jarvan, ::: This is Skyblade, do you have the objective, copy? Is there a problem down there? :::
Lux swallowed and clicked her com.
"I have no fucking idea, sir."