Chapter Text
Powder wiped a rag over the bar, cleaning off some stray droplets as she glanced around the space. The midweek evening crowd consisted mainly of familiar faces unwinding after a long day at work. Of course Vander could handle things if someone started to cause problems, but she would prefer to leave her shift early knowing that she wasn’t making things harder for him.
“Are you off then?” Vander asked as she untied her apron and gathered her bag from the small space under the bar. Powder nodded.
“Yeah. I’ll be with Ekko; he has a delivery a few levels up, where some of those old refineries used to be. I’m not sure how long it’ll take; it’s a new customer and they only gave Benzo a rough address.”
“Alright. Keep your wits about you. I know things have gotten better, but I’ve heard rumblings of low lifes that hang about those parts where they think the Zaun Force won’t be watching.”
Powder nodded. She knew Vander worried about them, lingering guilt from not preventing the robbery that had killed Vi always in the back of his mind. She could tell him until her breath ran out that it hadn’t been his fault, but he never fully accepted it. Not that she could blame him; she would always regret her own part in the tragedy. Vander did his best not to be overbearing though.
“I will. I’ll make sure Ekko does too. God knows he could stand to take the world in a little bit with how much he’s been holed up in his lab recently.”
Vander chuckled. “Good thing he has you to bring him back to reality. Tell him to come round sometime soon, we’ve missed him.”
“I’ll do my best. See you later!” She gave him a quick hug before jogging out the door.
***
As expected, Ekko was not at their agreed upon meeting spot outside the Last Drop when she emerged. She gave a cursory glance around before rolling her eyes with a fond smile and heading to his bedroom above Benzo’s shop that also functioned as a workshop. She’d known him long enough not to take his flakiness personally when he was in the middle of trying to solve a difficult problem. He was probably slumped over his desk and hadn’t looked up at the clock for hours.
She climbed up the winding staircase that led from the back of the shop to Ekko’s space. Predictably, he was bent over his desk fiddling with several pieces of the machine he’d been developing over the past month. He didn’t even look up when she approached.
“How does someone who owns at least three pocket watches still manage to be late?” she teased him.
Ekko jerked his head up and looked at her with wide eyes. “Powder?” He quickly checked the time. “Shit, sorry!” Ekko scrambled to organize the tools and pieces he’d been holding.
Powder waved him off. “It’s fine, I’m just giving you a hard time. I just finished up my shift anyway.” She wandered over to where he was finishing sorting a few papers and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. “How’d the research go today?”
Ekko smiled. “It’s good. I think I’m close to figuring out how to keep the motor from overheating. You sure you don’t want to take a look with me? You know you’re better than I am with that kind of thing.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You trying to butter me up? Get me to solve your problem for you?”
Ekko laughed, shaking his head. “Guilty. But I really do think you could help work this out if you’re interested.”
“Maybe another time,” Powder said. “I’d like to make this delivery before it gets too late. Maybe we can stop by that new noodle place after? Gert says she likes it better than Jericho’s.“
Ekko snorted. “Gert’s the only one I know who gets noodles from Jericho’s. I don’t even know how he sells enough to keep them on the menu.”
Powder couldn’t argue that one. Gert was really a weirdo when it came to her Jericho’s order. “Well regardless, I think we should try it! Let me guess, you didn’t eat lunch today.”
Ekko frowned in thought for a second before glancing toward the cabinet where he kept a stash of snacks and opened his mouth to argue.
“I mean real food. Something substantial. With protein and nutrients to keep that brain in tip top shape as you work on this?”
He deflated. “Ok, ok, you’re right. Delivery first, then noodles.” He continued packing up his things. “How was work today? I feel like I haven’t been to the bar in ages.”
Powder hummed, glancing around his space while waiting for him to be done. “Uneventful. Vander was asking about you though. You should stop by to see everyone soon. I don’t think he knows what to do with himself without Silco complaining about Council drama every night,”
Ekko laughed. “Yeah, it must have been a quiet few weeks with him out of town. When’s he due back again?”
“Next week,” Powder responded. “Then it’ll be back to, ‘You should pay more attention to politics, Powder. These policies will impact generations to come, Powder.’”
Ekko grinned at her impersonation. “Yeah, yeah, complain all you want. I know you miss him.”
Powder rolled her eyes and smiled but didn’t deny it as they walked downstairs together and into the storeroom for Benzo’s shop.
Benzo’s business had grown over the years. Better relations with Piltover meant an expanded customer base; inventors and university students from Piltover frequented his shop. While his business was all above board now, the contacts he had made when he was still selling smuggled goods helped him acquire items that eluded the shops topside, despite their extensive resources.
While Benzo generally used a delivery service to transport goods topside, he and Ekko still frequently hand delivered items in Zaun. Benzo claimed this personal touch built better relationships with their customers and helped them keep a finger on the pulse of Zaun; that might be true, but Ekko had told her that he suspected it was also a way for Benzo to compel Ekko to leave the workshop when he’d gotten a little too focused on his projects.
Ekko located a small package wrapped in brown paper from one of the high shelves on the far back wall of the storeroom. At least they wouldn’t have to lug a giant box across Zaun.
After making sure they had everything they needed, they set off into the city. At this time of day the streets of the Lanes were crowded. Vendors were selling food to workers coming off late shifts and groups of friends who had met up for the night. There were many familiar faces, and they stopped and chatted with a few of them before finally making their way down a quieter side street away from where most of the shops and people congregated.
While it wasn’t exactly her preferred date activity, Powder enjoyed accompanying Ekko on these errands. Between her job at the bar and Ekko’s work with Benzo and his projects for school, it could be hard to find time to spend together. But Ekko had a way of making even the most mundane activities seem fun.
Sheesh, love was making her into a sap. Nineteen years old and the highlight of her week was running an errand with her boyfriend. She had to be careful not to mention this to her brothers; she could just imagine Mylo’s teasing if he caught wind of it. She shook her head with a small snort.
Ekko glanced over at her with a curious look and smiled. “What are you thinking about?” he asked.
She wrapped her arm around his and gave him a small grin. “Just that it’s nice to have this time together.”
He looked both amused and skeptical but accepted her response as they continued to make their way to one of the small lifts on the north side of the Lanes.
They let go of each other as they ascended a few levels higher into the Entresol, both paying more attention to their surroundings as the lift came to a stop.
Years ago, back when her sister was still alive, there was a general rule in Zaun that the higher you were, the safer you were. Nowadays, after years of investments from the Council and initiatives to improve the quality of life for citizens of the undercity, the differences between levels were not as stark.
This level was an exception. The rusted iron walkways that connected the sides of the fissure were in varying levels of disrepair. The new light fixtures that brightened much of the rest of Zaun when the sun was not directly overhead were not present here. Only decades old chem-lamps illuminated the pathways in an eerie green hue, lighting the way for people and the occasional sump rat. It was like walking into a memory of what she remembered Zaun looking like before the reforms had changed the landscape of the undercity.
“Stay close,” Ekko murmured as he stepped toward her. He initially hadn’t wanted her to come on this delivery, but she had insisted that the two of them being vigilant while they made their way to the customer was safer than him going alone. He still wasn’t thrilled about her coming, but he’d never been great at dissuading her when she’d made up her mind about something.
Taking in some of the shadowy figures that moved from building to building and occasionally congregated together, she was grateful for her insistence. A memory of Vi always pulling her hood up as they descended into the Lanes flashed through her mind, and she suddenly wished she had a hood herself. At least it would make it less obvious that the two of them were not sure where they were going and were therefore easy targets.
Thankfully the instructions that Benzo had been given proved easy enough to follow. They passed a few more decrepit looking buildings and crossed another walkway until they reached a more lively looking area. Permanent signs with business names hung from a few of the buildings. There was even a small pub nestled among them.
Powder could tell Ekko felt the same relief as her to be in this more up-and-coming area when he spoke.
“Alright, Benzo’s directions say it should be the business on the corner here.” He paused, slowly rotating in a circle to try to spot the right place.
Powder touched his shoulder and nodded at something over his shoulder. “There, that one. Look, it has the emblem from the paper on it.”
They quickly crossed and Ekko knocked on the door. He handled the transaction while Powder faced away from him, scanning the area behind him. Thankfully, none of the few people on the street seemed to be paying them attention.
Ekko wrapped up the transaction and stashed the coins in a bag hidden under his clothing. After a quick glance at each other, they began walking back in the direction they came from.
They had crossed the narrow walkway away from the shop area and were about halfway down one of the dingy streets that would lead them back to the lift when Ekko stopped, an arm stretched out in front of her. Powder glanced at him and then studied her surroundings.
A quick look confirmed that no one had followed them from the shop. In front of them, there was a hooded man walking on the opposite side of the street coming in their direction, but his strides were purposeful and he didn’t seem focused on them beyond a glance of acknowledgement.
Her attention was suddenly drawn to an intersection about three blocks in front of them. Details were obscured because of the distance, but she could see at least three figures congregating by the corner of one of the run down buildings that lined this street. Powder’s heart rate increased as she realized that the figures were repeatedly glancing at her and Ekko.
It could be nothing. Maybe they could walk by the group right now and be on their way with no issues. But despite the relative prosperity of recent years, she and Ekko had never quite lost the street smarts instilled in them by surviving in the streets of the undercity as children. Gut feeling meant something. They should listen to it.
She kept her eyes on the figures as she spoke quietly to Ekko. “That group over there? By the corner?”
Ekko nodded grimly. “Yeah. I think they’re waiting to corner us when we cross that street. There might be a fourth. I think I saw someone duck back behind the building on the corner, the one with the broken railing on the front.”
“Shit. Ok,” Powder said as forced herself to adopt a relaxed stance next to Ekko. “Try not to stare at them.” She scanned the streets again, confirming what she had initially thought: If they wanted to avoid that intersection, they would have to cut through an alley.
Ekko had come to the same conclusion. “Ok, maybe we… go a little farther that way,” he indicated in the direction of the figures with a flick of his eyes, “and cross the street. Slowly, so they don’t think we’ve spotted them. Then turn left at the first alley over there and run like hell. They’ll probably follow, but it’ll take them some time to catch up.”
Powder bit her lip and nodded. It was risky, but she’d rather they take their chances navigating the alleys than face a group that had already identified them as a mark. Hopefully the worst they would encounter was a hungry sump cat or two.
Powder and Ekko resumed walking with deliberate slowness, crossing to the other side of the street. Powder forced herself to take calming breaths as they approached the gap between buildings that contained the alley. When they were right next to it, they paused as if discussing the right way to go. Their eyes met and they stepped into the alley together.
As soon as they were out of sight, they burst into a run, arms pumping as they navigated their way through the shadowy area. The main roads had been dim, but their current pathway didn’t even have the benefit of chem-lamps for illumination. They stuck to the middle of the alley to avoid tripping on various dark objects that Powder assumed were trash that were closer to the buildings.
They had made it about three quarters through the alley when Powder heard footsteps pounding on pavement in the distance behind them. She and Ekko shared a look and moved faster in a burst of speed.
Powder’s legs burned and she gasped for air, narrowly avoiding tripping over an object on the pavement as they careened forward. This wasn’t going to work. They wouldn’t be able to outrun them to the lifts, especially in the dark and in unfamiliar streets. Her eyes darted around wildly as she ran, looking for places they could hide. Fighting wasn’t an option except as a last resort. Powder wasn’t her sister, and she hadn’t touched any explosives since Vi had been killed by a blast. Ekko would fare way better than her in a fight, but his chances were still slim if it was three or four against one.
Seconds passed. They whipped around a corner into another dark street and then turned again. The footsteps were getting louder behind them but their pursuers weren’t visible yet. Powder continued to search desperately until—there! The glint of a fire escape was just barely visible in the shadows of a building in front of them.
“Over there!” she panted as she directed Ekko to the fire escape. They climbed as quickly as they could and then carefully pulled the ladder up, both wincing at the sound of rusting metal scraping against metal. They pressed themselves down against the platform, and Powder took slow breaths to quiet her breathing.
Seconds later, four men barreled into the street where they were hiding. They slowed down as they searched for their targets, fanning out as much as the narrow space would allow. The street opened into an intersection about 20 paces in front of them, and they seemed to have a quick discussion before they split into different directions.
Powder and Ekko remained silent for several minutes before they deemed that it was safe enough to whisper.
“How long do you think we should give them?” Powder asked.
Ekko studied the street below them. There was no movement along the road or closer to the intersection, but that didn’t mean their pursuers weren’t still close by.
“A while. I don’t think they were just junkies—they moved too fast. Coordinated. I think they’ve done this before,” he answered.
Powder agreed. “I think at least one of them had a knife too. The big guy with the wonky gait.”
Ekko nodded. Happy to be in agreement, they settled in for a long wait.
***
Powder kept her eyes on the street below but let her mind wander a little as she and Ekko sat against the wall. This area lagged so far behind much of Zaun when it came to infrastructure improvements and safety. She would have to ask Vander if he knew the history behind its lack of progress.
Ekko shifted beside her. She watched as he checked his pocket watch, rotating it left and right to try to read the numbers in the darkness.
Her mouth opened to share the idea that came to her before she remembered their current situation. “Maybe we could find a way to add a light to it? It’s already got a battery. We’d just have to find a light that’s small enough and figure out how to keep it from interfering with the hands turning…”
Ekko’s eyes lit up and he started to answer before they both realized that the discussion would be better had in the safety of Ekko’s workshop, once they had made it out of this mess.
“Actually, hold that thought,” Powder said. “How long has it been? At least an hour, right?”
“Yeah, an hour 15 maybe,” Ekko responded. “I think it’s safe enough to keep going. I haven’t seen anything since they came through here earlier.”
They lowered the ladder and climbed down, still on high alert. They continued moving in what they thought was the direction of the lifts, occasionally meeting a dead end and having to backtrack and find a different route.
Powder thought they were getting close as they crept through yet another dark and squalid alley. It hadn’t taken them that much time to reach the business when they took the main roads on the way there, so if she and Ekko had been going in the right direction, they must be nearby.
Ekko suddenly tripped over something in the road, biting back a curse as he regained his balance.
Then the something moved and the two of them reeled back with their arms up in front of them. It was too big to be an animal. Powder had just enough time to wonder if it was one of the men from earlier, lying in wait for them when the person let out a feminine sounding groan.
Powder and Ekko shared a look of concern before Ekko walked back to the person. Powder took a step closer too but stayed out of reach. She readied herself to help if this turned out to be some kind of trap.
Upon closer inspection, it was a woman slumped low against the building beside them. The shadows of the alley obscured any details beyond that she wore dark clothing and was barely moving.
Ekko crouched down next to her and spoke quietly, guilt lacing his words. “Hey. I’m sorry I kicked you; I didn’t see you there. Do you—are you ok? Do you need help?”
The woman’s head turned sluggishly to face Ekko, and then she frowned up at him. Powder had lived under and then worked in a bar long enough to recognize the signs of intoxication. Whether it was from drugs or drinking in this case though, she wasn’t sure.
The woman took long enough to speak that Powder started to think she either hadn’t understood him or was too far gone to answer. Then she shifted slightly, blinking up at him again.
“Ekko?” she slurred.
Ekko sucked in a breath, the shock on his face mirroring Powder’s before he frowned in confusion. “What? How do you—?”
The woman cut him off. “How did you find me?” She tried to push herself off the wall to sit up, but the movement apparently jostled her stomach. She promptly leaned to the side and vomited.
Well, probably drunk, not high then. At least she had turned away to avoid Ekko when she’d emptied her stomach.
The woman managed to push herself back upright but then kept going, tipping toward Ekko. He caught her shoulder and gently helped her sit back against the wall.
“Whoa, you good? How do you—?” He looked at her closely again before turning towards Powder. “I think she passed out,” he said slowly.
“Who is she?”
Ekko shook his head in confusion. “No idea. I don’t recognize her, do you?”
Maybe she sounded a little familiar? But no one in particular came to mind, so Powder shook her head.
At Powder’s negative response, Ekko continued. “Maybe she’s come into Benzo’s shop before? We get all kinds of people, it’s possible that I just don’t remember her. I can’t even really see what she looks like.”
Powder bit her lip and then suddenly realized that she had a solution to that. She fished her lighter out of her pocket and offered it to Ekko. He flicked it on and held it a short distance away from the unconscious woman.
The additional light didn’t provide any clues to her identity. Even lit up, it was hard to make out features on the woman’s face because it was covered in streaks of dirt, or possibly dark makeup. Her hair was messy and dark, almost black. She wore ripped black pants and a black jacket that was open in the front. Concerningly, the wraps she wore under her jacket were stained with patches of red, and small rivulets of blood trickled from her nose and mouth.
“Do you think those guys found her when they were looking for us?” Powder asked, her stomach tightening at the possibility. She looked at the woman’s face and clothing again. The blood looked fairly fresh, and the injuries didn’t seem like ones she would get just from stumbling around drunk.
Ekko frowned. “Maybe. Or some other lowlife hanging around.” A clatter a fair distance away seemed to prove his point and made them both freeze for a few seconds. “We can’t stay here.”
Despite his words, Ekko didn’t move to start walking. They both turned back to the woman on the ground.
Powder voiced what they were both thinking. ”We can’t just leave her here.” She drummed her fingers against her leg as she thought. “Any idea how much farther to the lifts? Maybe one of us can scope out the route, see how far it is? She still seems pretty out of it. We might need to carry her.”
Ekko was clearly unhappy with splitting up, but he didn’t have a better idea. She knew his conscience wouldn’t allow him to leave this woman alone and defenseless in a dangerous part of Zaun either. And splitting up meant they wouldn’t be carrying her around longer than necessary as they searched for the correct path out of here.
After a quick exchange about who would do what, Ekko moved quickly and quietly away from them and disappeared around a corner.
Only a few minutes had passed before Powder heard light footsteps again. She held her breath and then let it out in relief when she saw it was just Ekko returning.
“Did you find them?” she asked, though she had already guessed the answer from his expression.
“Yeah. Just two streets over. There were a few people around but no sign of the guys from earlier. I think we’re ok to go,” he said.
They turned to the woman who was still slumped next to them. Ekko gently shook her shoulder, but beyond a small grunt, there was no response, though her breathing was regular. Inconvenient that she couldn’t walk, but thankfully she didn’t seem to be dying.
“Well, at least she looks pretty small,” Powder said as they moved to pick her up.
She was forced to take back her statement almost immediately after they had gotten her off the ground, her arms draped over their shoulders. “Sheesh, am I weak or is she way heavier than you thought she’d be? She must be solid muscle under this jacket!”
Ekko grunted with the effort it took to support the woman’s dead weight, but he still answered dryly, “Both are true.”
Powder gasped in mock offense before they started off, stopping to adjust their hold a few times before they found a comfortable position.
They made their way slowly but steadily to the lifts, on guard in case someone else tried to accost them. Thankfully their luck finally seemed to have improved and they reached the lifts without issue. A few individuals were within sight, but none of them seemed to be paying the three of them undue attention.
They were alone as they stepped into the lift that would take them back to the Lanes. Powder finally allowed herself to relax as the lift started its descent. Her body sagged in exhaustion, not just from supporting the woman, but also from her muscles remaining so tense during the last couple of hours.
“Next time, they can pick up their own package. Or if Benzo really cares enough, he can deliver it,” she declared. She shook her head to herself. “Personal touch…” she muttered.
Ekko laughed. “No arguments from me.”
***
Arriving back to the Lanes brought a new challenge: What to do with the woman they had found.
“Benzo’s is closer. We could put her on your sofa and take turns keeping an eye on her?” Powder suggested. “Who knows why she was in that area to begin with.”
Ekko hummed. “Agreed on keeping an eye on her. But the spiral staircase could be tough.”
“Ok, fair point. We can take her to the Last Drop. Plus she won’t look out of place stumbling around drunk near a bar,” Powder said with humor.
They slowly made their way there, avoiding main roads when possible. Neither she nor Ekko relished the idea of getting into a long conversation with someone after the exhausting night they’d had.
While Zaun never truly slept, it was quieter at night midweek when most people worked or had school the next day. They got a few second glances as they continued to the bar, but no one approached them.
When they arrived, they circled around the building to the back door used only by Vander’s family and close friends. From there, it was a careful undertaking to make it down the stairs without dropping their unconscious companion. Finally they made it to the living space and deposited her on the sofa.
Powder flopped to the ground with a dramatic groan, closing her eyes. “We made it…” she said with the air of someone who had completed a colossal task. Then she abruptly sat up and said, “Aww, we missed noodles!”
Ekko huffed out a laugh and shook his head at her antics. “Next time. Maybe the day after tomorrow?”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Powder agreed with a smirk. She picked herself up off the ground again and stood over her sofa to take in the state of their guest.
While the woman still had her eyes closed, she didn’t look any worse off than she’d been before the trek here. Powder shook her shoulder a bit; her eyes opened briefly, mumbling something unintelligible before closing them again. Probably just asleep then. Best to be safe though—she rolled the woman onto her side so that she wouldn’t choke if she vomited again overnight. Finally she gathered a bucket and a cup of water and placed them next to the sofa.
Powder and Ekko then briefly discussed whether they should try to treat the woman’s injuries or clean her up before deciding to leave her be. Her injuries looked painful but superficial, and it would be disconcerting enough to wake up in a strange place without memory of how she’d gotten there. They didn’t want to mess with her more than they had to.
With things settled as much as they could be for now, Powder resolved to give Vander a heads up about their unexpected guest while Ekko kept watch.
Only a few stragglers remained as she stepped behind the bar. Vander was wiping down some glasses when he caught sight of her. She thought his smile looked relieved when he spoke.
“Hey, how’d it go?” No issues with the delivery?” he asked.
Powder hesitated. “Well… I wouldn’t say that exactly. It was a little scary and some guys tried to mug us.” At Vander’s alarmed expression, she rushed to reassure him. “But we outran them! We’re fine. A-ok.”
Vander looked like he was struggling to not appear overly concerned. All of them had become more anxious, to put it lightly, after Vi died. The suddenness of her loss made them all feel like any one of them could be taken at any time. Those feelings had lessened with time, but she knew that Vander was still protective of her and her brothers even though they were all adults now. He did his best to keep it in check.
He let out a breath and nodded. “Glad to hear it. You staying here tonight then? I thought you might be at Ekko’s.”
She smiled and shook her head. “That was the plan. But we ended up having to help someone else we found when we were getting away from those guys.”
Vander listened intently as Powder told him about their encounter with the woman who was currently sleeping in their basement.
“You did the right thing, bringing her here,” he said with a touch of pride. “I’ll talk to her in the morning to see if there’s anything I can do for her. The force should be aware if things in that area are getting out of hand. Last thing we need is another gang sprouting up.”
“Sounds good to me,” Powder said. “Do you need any help closing up? Ekko and I are going to take shifts watching over her, but he’ll be ok without me for a few more minutes.”
He shook his head. “That’s alright, it’s been quiet. Not much left here to do. I’ll see you in the morning.”
When Powder returned to the basement, Ekko was slouching in a chair facing the sofa, his eyelids drooping a bit. He straightened when he saw her.
“You can go to sleep first,” she said. “I’m used to being up now. And let me guess, you were up late last night working?”
He gave her a guilty smile. “Thanks. Wake me up when you’re ready for me to take over.” He glanced at the woman on the sofa. “Or if she wakes up.”
“Will do.”
They embraced and shared a brief kiss before he made his way to lie on her bed and she took his place on the chair. For the second time that evening, she settled in for a long wait.