Sister Cities

Part 9: Vi

Ekko's quiet for a second, pinching his nose again. "Everyone will be furious."

"Maybe you can go warn them now, before she wakes up, and they'll feel more ready."

He storms out, saying he has to do it before he has any more thoughts and grasps how bad of an idea it is. I hear him calling for the Firelights and all of them calling and cheering and whistling back, and I realize it again, that my little man made this.

And I came here to tear it up. They clamor and bark after he tells them my plan, and something shakes the ground a few times, and he waits until it dies down on its own to say: "We'll protect each other. Same as always."

"She hasn't even told us she's sorry!" somebody yells.

"I know," Ekko says.

Another moment of stillness. "We don't have to listen to you!" someone else yells.

"I know," Ekko says.

"And we're saying no! You can't bring her out!"

"Who's saying no?" says Ekko. "Call your names one at a time."

It seems like a momentous list to me, but when it ends, Ekko says, "You're outnumbered. I'll keep you safe. Discussion over."

The normal noise level returns, punctuated by a few more indignant shouts. Ekko comes back in and tells me that he found Sevika this morning, and the enforcers are gonna finish sweeping the highest levels today. He predicts a standoff tonight.

"Where's Sevika?" asks Powder, scaring us to death.

"At the Last Drop," Ekko says. "Something happened to her bionic arm—"

"Me and some Hextech gauntlets happened," I say. "She's gonna be out of commission until she gets another."

"I figured as much. I don't think she's participating in anything, but she's the brains of this thing they're pulling together down here. Most of the brawn is Shimmer addicts. I don't think they stand a chance, but they're not gonna hear it, and it's gonna bring the enforcers down on us hard."

"Are we still not getting involved?" I ask.

"I found a couple kids on my way back that I brought with me. But we can only fit so many refugees, and adding numbers to a non-functioning force isn't gonna do anything but get us killed too."

"I want to get involved," Powder says.

"Tough," I say.

"Awwww, sis! You know you want to go too! I'm sure you can find someone to punch."

"That's a shit strategy."

"It's what you always do."

"I know." I turn to Ekko, who's watching what's going on on the ground through the window and pretending not to be anxious. "Don't sweat it. You're keeping your people safe, like you promised."

"I'm hungry," Powder whines. I scoff and pass her the third plate and adjust her cuffs.

"How much of our conversation were you awake for?" Ekko asks her.

"Since everyone started screaming that they don't want me to go out."

"Do you want to go out?" I ask.

"I don't care."

"Okay, then you're gonna. Ekko's moving us to a treehouse, so we can go while you're up for that."

"A treehouse? Why?"

"They're more comfortable," says Ekko. "People can't eavesdrop on you as much."