Sister Cities

Part 14: Vi

The world outside is breaking down

Burning cities, whispered vows

And I can feel you all around me

Nothing feels the same

Nothing feels quite like you

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 When Caitlyn leaves, I get Ekko, and he gets everyone else. There's an uproar about the fact that Powder has caused the situation, but no uproar about getting together and dealing with it; we're all equally screwed if we fail.

Heimerdinger's placed in our room to watch Powder, who I'm hoping will just sleep through this whole thing. Ekko and I wait on the balcony. He was up all night and all day, so I felt like shit disturbing him, but I wasn't gonna start a master plan involving his people without getting his input, so now he leans on me with his eyes half-shut and mumbles about estimated deaths from the rebellion.

"I used to think you were invincible," he tells me. "Benzo and Vander too, but you especially. It was so weird when I realized you weren't— until now, when you came back from the dead, and I keep catching myself thinking it again even though I know it's not true."

I don't know what to do with that information. He's always liked to go off and think and make all sorts of sage comments, and I rarely kept up, despite him being a little kid when we knew each other.

"I don't know," I say. "I'd say I'm fairly invincible."

"Vander used to complain that you didn't consider the consequences of your actions," Ekko says. "Is that still true?"

He doesn't mean anything by it, but I look at the railing, stung. "Yeah. I think so."

There's a knock on the main door. Ekko's wide awake instantly, pulling away from my side and putting on his mask. The Firelights on the ground do the same.

The door opens, its lock picked so Sixteen can feel powerful without making any noise to alert the other enforcers. There are six of them, including Caitlyn, and they file in silently behind her. "This is a raid," she calls out. "I want everybody against the wall."

The Firelights race into position, and one member of Sixteen points and mutters to another, clearly recognizing their masks— during the fake raid, the masks and hoverboards were hidden and almost everyone was in their rooms, but we picked a different approach this time. Caitlyn turns and the enforcers face forward again, following her through the central area toward the tree.

It takes me too long to realize she's backed out. I touch Ekko's shoulder and he grips the railing with gloved hands, ready to say the word himself, but then Caitlyn looks me dead in the face and says, "Now."

Ten of the fastest Firelights bolt at Sixteen, two for each officer. Half of them restrain the enforcers' arms, which were reaching for their rifles but not quite there; the other half snatches communication devices from ears, takes the rifles, and runs. By then, the rest of the Firelights have the group surrounded, and in a ten-second ruckus I can only vaguely make out, they get them all handcuffed and gagged.

It's the worst plan I've ever personally been part of, resting almost solely on the element of surprise. The participants were laughing out loud at it up until five minutes ago while saying their final goodbyes. I know some of the people on the outskirts have weapons, and I know they would have used them if they saw anything go wrong, but I asked them to try it this way first, and they've pulled it off.

Ekko calls for quiet, and even the enforcers stop shouting through their gags. The Firelights clear a path for Caitlyn to get out of the crowd, and she comes to stand beside us on the balcony, where Sixteen can see her.