"You're done, Sevika," he said, stepping back. Then, he glanced over at Jinx, his grin widening. "Go all out."
Jinx's eyes lit up with wild excitement, a sinister gleam overtaking her expression. "About time!" she exclaimed, yanking Pow-Pow Zeta from her back.
Sevika's eyes widened. "Wait—"
But Jinx wasn't about to wait. She unleashed a storm of bullets from Pow-Pow Zeta, the projectiles tearing through the air with terrifying force.
Sevika tried to retreat, "Take this, you Shimmer-pumped hunk of junk!" Jinx shouted, laughing maniacally as she continued to fire.
When she hit some sensitive spots, Sevika groaned, trying to crawl away, but Jinx wasn't finished. She stepped closer, her finger still on the trigger. "How's it feel to be on the other end, huh? Not so tough without your shiny arm, are you?"
"Jinx, that's enough," Bael called out, though his voice was calm.
As Jinx prepared to pull the trigger, her grin twisted with anticipation, the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps filled the ruined bar. From the shadows emerged Silco, calm and composed as always, his mismatched eyes reflecting the dim light of the wreckage.
"Now, now," Silco said, his tone measured and unbothered, "this is quite the mess, isn't it?" He glanced at Sevika, sprawled and broken on the ground, before turning his gaze to Jinx and Bael.
Jinx narrowed her eyes, gripping Pow-Pow Zeta tighter. "You got some nerve showing up here," she snarled.
Silco chuckled softly. "I'd say the opposite. Now let's not beat around the bush, shall we? I'm here to make a deal." He says.
"What type of deal?" She asks, lifting her weapon.
"You hand over Sevika... and I give you, absolutely nothing in return." He says.
Jinx tilted her head, confused, then burst into laughter. "What kind of shitty deal is that?" she shouts.
Silco didn't flinch, though his voice grew sharper. "Because if you kill me, Zaun will collapse into chaos. And the two of you?" He gestured between them. "You don't know the first thing about politics or running a city. The chaos will consume you in days."
Jinx glanced at Bael, waiting for his decision.
Bael studied Silco carefully, his sharp mind racing. He could see the truth in Silco's words. Zaun was a powder keg, and as much as he hated the man standing before him, he knew they weren't ready to handle the fallout.
"Jinx, stop," Bael said finally.
"But—!" she started, the canons spinning faster.
"I said stop," Bael repeated, his voice firm.
Reluctantly, Jinx eased her grip, the minigun's hum fading as she powered it down.
Bael walked forward, his mechanical arm sparking slightly from the earlier fight. He stood over Sevika's battered body, then with a swift kick, sent her sliding toward Silco. "Take her. And fuck off." he said, pissed off.
Silco regarded him with a calm smile, "You've made a wise decision tonight, Bael. Enjoy your... date, for now."
As Sevika was dragged away, Silco turned, his coat sweeping behind him. "Oh, and Jinx," he added, glancing over his shoulder, "next time you aim that weapon, make sure you're prepared for the consequences."
Jinx hissed through gritted teeth, gripping Pow-Pow Zeta so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Next time, I'll aim for your head."
Silco smirked and walked into the shadows, fading from sight.
Jinx turned to Bael, her expression a mix of frustration and disappointment. "You just let him walk away?! I could've ended it right there!"
Bael sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Ending him doesn't fix Zaun, Jinx. It'd just make things worse—for us, for everyone. We've got bigger plans, remember?"
Jinx pouted but nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But next time, no deals. I don't care who it is."
Bael gave her a small smile. "Next time, we'll be ready."
And that was the end of their night.
...
Back in their lair, Bael sat at his workbench, tools scattered around as he worked on the fine mechanisms of Pow-Pow Zeta. The adrenaline from the confrontation at the Last Drop had long since worn off, leaving behind a heavy silence.
"That smug bastard," Jinx finally burst out, tossing the wrench at the wall. "I should've painted the ceiling with his blood. And Sevika's too!"
Bael didn't look up, his hands steady as he tightened a screw. "You think starting a civil war with Silco was the better option?"
Jinx stomped over to him, slamming her hands down on the table. "You're damn right it was! Who does he think he is, walking in all high and mighty, acting like we owe him anything?"
Bael sighed, putting his tools down and turning to face her. "And then what? We take him out, and suddenly every gang in Zaun comes knocking on our door. You think we're ready to take on all of Zaun?"
"You're always so... logical!" she muttered bitterly.
"And you're always so reckless," Bael shot back, though his tone was softer.
She looked at him, her blue eyes narrowing. "I don't care about being smart. I just want them all to pay."
"They will," Bael promised, his voice firm. "But on our terms. When we're ready."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Jinx's gaze softened slightly, and she finally let out a long breath, plopping down onto a nearby chair and pulling her knees up to her chest.
"So what now, genius?" she asked, her voice quieter now.
Bael leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck. "Now? We regroup. Silco knows we're not to be trifled with. He'll think twice before sending someone after us again."
Jinx smirked faintly. "Preparing for what?"
"For when we take the fight to him," Bael said simply.
Her smirk widened, and for the first time since the fight, she let out a short laugh. "Now that sounds like my kind of plan."
As the tension began to ease, Bael stood and stretched. "But first, sleep. We've had enough chaos for one night."
Jinx hopped off her chair, walking over to him and draping herself across his shoulders with a grin. "Fine, fine. But don't think I'm done yelling at you for holding me back earlier."
For now, they were safe. But both of them knew it was only a matter of time before the storm returned. But then, they'll be ready.
...
Jinx stirred in her sleep, her breaths shallow and frantic as the dream pulled her deeper into the abyss. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as memories of that fateful day came rushing back, vivid and cruel.
She was Powder again—small, terrified, and desperate. The warehouse around her crumbled, smoke and fire swallowing everything.
"Vi! Vander!" she screamed, her voice cracking, no answer.
And then she saw him– Bael.
"B-Bael...?" Her voice trembled as her eyes locked onto his limp form lying amidst the wreckage. "NO... NO, PLEASE!"
She stumbled toward him, her knees scraping against the jagged floor as she collapsed beside him. His arm—his real arm—was gone, torn away by the explosion. Blood pooled around him, soaking into the rubble.
"BAEL, WAKE UP!" she screamed, her hands shaking as she tried to lift him. "DON'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU PROMISED! YOU SAID WE'D ALWAYS BE TOGETHER!"
His lifeless eyes stared up at the smoke-filled sky, unseeing. Powder grabbed his face, her tears streaming uncontrollably. "I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I JUST WANTED TO HELP!"
Her sobs grew louder, her small frame shaking violently as the weight of her actions crushed her. "PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! I CAN FIX THIS! I CAN FIX YOU!"
But nothing changed. Bael remained still, unresponsive.
Suddenly, a familiar voice pierced through her cries.
"Powder..."
She turned, her tear-filled eyes meeting Vi's. But this wasn't the sister she remembered. This Vi looked at her with disgust, her gaze cold and unrelenting.
"You ruin everything," Vi spat, her voice filled with venom. "You're a jinx. You killed him. You don't deserve anyone."
"NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Powder screamed, her voice raw and desperate. But Vi's words echoed louder, crashing over her like a tidal wave.
"YOU DON'T DESERVE ANYONE... YOU DON'T DESERVE ANYONE... YOU DON'T DESERVE ANYONE!"
Powder clutched Bael's body tighter, her cries piercing and broken.
In the real world, Jinx's thrashing grew violent as the nightmare gripped her tighter. Her hands clutched at the air, tears streaming down her cheeks as her screams filled the room.
"Jinx!" Bael's voice called out, sharp and worried. He shook her gently, his grip firm but careful. "Wake up!"
Her eyes flew open, wild and full of terror. For a moment, she didn't recognize him, her mind still tethered to the nightmare.
"It's okay," Bael said softly, pulling her close. "It's just a dream. You're safe."
Jinx clung to him, burying her face in his chest as her sobs shook her. "I SAW IT AGAIN," she choked out between gasps. "YOU... YOU WERE DEAD. AND IT WAS MY FAULT."
Bael tightened his arms around her, his voice steady and calm. "I'm here, Jinx. I'm not going anywhere."
Her fingers dug into his shirt, trembling. "I ruined everything... I always ruin everything."
"Jinx," he said firmly, tilting her chin up so she'd look at him. "We've both been through hell. But I'm still here because of you. And I'm not leaving."
Her sobs softened, though her body still shook. "I'm scared," she whispered. "I'm scared of losing you."
"...My precious Powder..." He said. Jinx looked submissively at Bael, her old name being pronounced woke something real deep inside her.
"I'm not leaving you, even if it means I have to lose a second or a third limb." He said, confidence and honesty overflowing from his words.
"...Wh–What if *sob*... What if you had to loose four limbs...?" She asked, a small smile forming on her mouth.
Bael giggled, "Even if it meant losing myself, silly." He said, giving her a kiss on the head.
"I love you, Jinx. You're my only reason to live in this shithole." Bael confessed.
The word love made something unimaginable stir up inside her, a comforting warmth grew inside her and she loved it, "...I love you too, Bael... It feels good to finally say it..."
The next moment her lips lock with his and they sharer a passionate loving kiss in the dark. Their bodies got so close they were almost merging with each other.
The warmth exchanged from their skins and they became one.
...
The Shimmer factories sat at the heart of Zaun's industrial district, their massive smokestacks belching clouds of toxic fumes into the already choked air. The buildings themselves were imposing, crumbling steel and concrete, built with little regard for safety or comfort.
At one of the assembly lines, a young girl, no older than fourteen, stood shoulder to shoulder with a dozen other children, feeding metal shards into a furnace. Her hands were raw and burned, but she moved with mechanical precision, her face expressionless. She did not know how long she had been here, nor did she remember her name. She only knew the furnace and the ever-present hum of the factory.
"More coal, girl," a gruff voice called from behind her. One of the overseers, a burly man with a scar across his neck, walked past, inspecting the children's work.
The girl's hands trembled, but she obediently grabbed another pile of coal from a nearby bin, tossing it into the furnace.
"Keep it moving, kid. You're slowing down the line," another overseer barked at her, but she didn't respond. She couldn't.
"They don't care about us, do they?" a boy muttered to the girl next to him, his voice barely above a whisper.
The girl shook her head, her face blank. "No. They never have."
At the back of the factory, a tall, slender figure moved through the shadows. It was a high-ranking officer of the Shimmer operation, overseeing the refinement process. His face was covered by a mask, but his presence was suffocating. He was the one who ensured that the operations ran smoothly, keeping the Shimmer production high and the workers' suffering silent.
"We'll need to ramp up production. The demand's only growing," he said to one of the supervisors. "These kids... they'll burn out soon enough. But the Shimmer must flow. Double the shifts tonight."
The supervisor nodded. "Understood, sir. I'll make sure they keep working."
"Greetings." A newcomer greeted. The overseer got started for a second.
"It's time for my shift, boss." He added.
The overseer studied him for a moment, but in a world of corruption like this one, they weren't payed enough to care for that kind of stuff, what mattered to the man right now, was the fact that his shift ended and this fella was gonna take his place and give him time-off.
The overseer hesitated before finally turning and walking toward the exit. "I'm leaving you in charge then."
As the overseer disappeared into the hallway, the boy glanced over at the control panels, the levers, and switches that monitored the workers below. His eyes narrowed.
The boy took a deep breath, his fingers brushing against the cold, metallic levers. He was taking control now.
He watched the orphans closely, his gaze lingering on the lines of tired, hollow faces. These were children, some no older than ten, yet they had been robbed of their innocence, forced to work until their bodies were no longer able.
After some time, most of the shifts were ending, as the workers filed out, the boy stood alone in the control room. His eyes didn't follow them as they left, heading back to their barracks or to the streets. He was already thinking ahead, calculating his next move.
The factory had secrets. And he was going to uncover them.
The boy, whom was our main protagonist undercover, was preparing on completing the mission relentlessly. As he unmasked himself when he noticed less faces beside him, he was already looking for the Shimmer stock.