In the lawless zone of Piltover, makeshift shacks provided by overseers to the indentured were scattered everywhere like a disease across the landscape.
These shacks were extremely rudimentary, just some wooden boards nailed together, barely sheltering from rain or wind. The construction was poor, designed to house workers like livestock rather than human beings.
Inside, there were only a few tiers of bunk beds crammed together. The space was suffocatingly cramped, hot, and damp, reeking of unwashed bodies.
Everyone had to sleep turned sideways in the same direction, unable to even roll over. Privacy was a luxury that didn't exist here, every breath was shared.
After a long day's labor, Levi lay on the communal bed holding his younger sister Aria, resting. Despite his young age, his face was crisscrossed with scars, some of which had only recently healed.
Another day survived.
Another day closer to either freedom or death.
Indentured laborers like them were exploited not only by the overseers and factory owners but also by the stronger laborers, who often bullied the weaker ones, sometimes even more viciously than the overseers themselves.
Hierarchy existed even in hell.
To protect his sister, he had to act like a feral wolf, brutal and always ready to fight for his life. Otherwise, Aria's fate would have been worse than death, and he'd seen enough to know exactly what that meant.
A small drone flew into the shack through a gap in the boards. Its electronic probe quickly locked onto Levi and Aria, huddled in the corner like wounded animals.
The drone approached them, hovering beside Levi, its lens rotating as if curiously observing him.
Surprisingly, the faint buzzing of the drone woke Levi. His eyes snapped open, and he drew a makeshift blade from his waist, stabbing upward with the instinct of someone who'd learned that hesitation meant death.
His bloodshot eyes burned with fire.
He never slept too deeply. The scum around them never stopped trying to harm Aria, and he'd killed three men already to prove his point about consequences.
Among the indentured, there were plenty who took pleasure in tormenting others. Unable to defy the overseers, they vented their own suffering on their fellow laborers, creating a cycle of cruelty that served their masters perfectly.
Some cunning overseers even deliberately gave these bullies slightly better food or shelter, encouraging division and ensuring the indentured could never unite, only be exploited until death.
But Levi's strike missed. The drone swiftly dodged the blade. Aria was also awakened by the commotion and gripped the short blade hidden in her sleeve.
The drone approached again, and a line of text appeared on the display screen beneath its body:
[Levi, Aria. Want to understand the meaning of life? Want to truly live?]
The siblings exchanged a glance and silently sheathed their weapons, wisely choosing not to speak. Years of survival had taught them when to listen and when to act.
A high-end drone like this could only come from Zaun, the true City of Progress. Even Piltover didn't have drone technology like this yet, their version was clunky and loud.
There was no way such a machine could've been created by overseers or any of the repulsive thugs among the indentured.
One drone was worth far more than the two of them combined, probably more than their entire section of the labor camp.
They gave the drone a firm nod.
No one wanted to live as an indentured laborer, with no future in sight. Better to risk everything than slowly rot away, watching pieces of your soul die with each passing day.
[What should we do?]
Levi took a deep breath and gestured to convey his thoughts. He knew the drone's operator could see them, its glowing red lens was pointed right at him, but he wasn't sure if the operator could understand.
[Follow me.]
Those words appeared on the display, and the drone flew out of the shack with purposeful movement.
The siblings quietly slipped out of the communal bed. Though they moved as gently as possible, they still woke someone nearby, a hollow-eyed man who'd lost his mind weeks ago.
Luckily, that person only glanced at them groggily, then gleefully took over their spot to sleep more comfortably. In this place, an extra few inches of space was treasure.
With their departure, there would be no place for them to return to. If they came back, they'd have to sleep wherever they could find space, assuming they weren't beaten to death for abandoning their post.
They exited the shack, carefully scanning their surroundings with the paranoid awareness of prey animals in predator territory.
To prevent escapes at night, overseers had guards patrol with wolfhounds, vicious beasts trained to tear flesh and track blood across miles. But to their surprise, all the guards and the vicious man-eating hounds were sprawled on the ground, sound asleep, seemingly drugged. Even the most alert guard was snoring peacefully.
The siblings were overjoyed. With no guards or beasts in the way, their chances of escaping to Zaun had just greatly increased, or so they thought.
---
Elsewhere, inside The Last Drop, the operator controlling the drone, Powder, wore a helpless expression. Just one look at the siblings' faces and she knew exactly what they were thinking.
Poor kids think this is their chance to run. They have no idea what's waiting for them out there.
[Trust me. If you try to escape like this, your chances of reaching Zaun in one piece are less than 10%.]
She decisively controlled the drone to approach the siblings again. The screen displayed that message.
She wasn't lying. The path to Zaun was tightly guarded by Piltover enforcers who shot first and investigated later, like real Americans.
With no way for Zaun to provide direct assistance during normal escape attempts, these poor indentured laborers would have no choice but to jump into the river and try to swim across, a journey that killed more than it saved.
Even if they didn't die, they'd be crippled by the toxic water and the fifty-foot fall.
"Then what should we do?"
Levi panted heavily, crouching in a dark corner with Aria. He whispered softly while cautiously observing the surroundings.
Of course, he knew their only apparent option to reach Zaun was to risk their lives jumping into the river. And he'd gamble with death alongside his sister than rot away in this place another day.
Neither he nor Aria wanted to be indentured even one second longer. Whoever wanted that life could have it, they'd choose death first.
[Since you're not afraid to die, how about playing a bigger game?]
The display screen flashed a line of text, full of temptation and promise.
A bigger game? What could be bigger than survival?
"We're in."
Levi gritted his teeth and made the decision immediately, he had no other choice, and hesitation was a luxury they couldn't afford right now.
[Don't be nervous. I'll help you. If all goes well, nothing will happen to you. And after this, there won't be any indentured laborers anymore.]
The drone's cargo bay opened with a soft hiss, releasing two vials of glowing purple liquid, a few chem-tech butterfly bombs, and two small tech devices that looked like earbuds.
Equipment worth more than we've ever seen. Someone's investing heavily in whatever this is.
"What are these for?"
Levi quickly grabbed the items. Being from Ionia, he knew almost nothing about advanced technology and couldn't recognize the devices. The only reason he knew the drone was from Zaun was because only Zaun had such drones, they were famously advanced, symbols of progress that Piltover envied and feared.
[The purple vials are shimmer stimulants. They'll enhance your physical abilities and help you in action. The earbuds are communicators. Insert them into your ears, I'll be able to contact you anytime. As for the butterflies, those are bombs. Hide them carefully, they're more dangerous than they look.]
[Tomorrow, I'll let you know when it's time. All you need to do is throw the butterflies, they'll find their targets on their own. Then, follow my guided escape route. Find this woman. Cry to her, tell her about the suffering of indentured laborers, the cruelty of the overseers and the factory owners. Ask her for help.]
The drone's compartment produced a photo of a woman in a Piltover Enforcer's uniform: Caitlyn.
An enforcer? They want us to trust an enforcer?
"She's a Piltover enforcer! How could she possibly help us?"
Levi pointed at himself, feeling the drone operator was making fun of him. He had seen enforcers help overseers catch runaway laborers with his own eyes, watching them drag screaming people back to fates worse than death.
Those enforcers had all been bribed by the overseers, every one of them was a corrupt cop, a solid backer of the oppressors who profited from misery.
[Trust me. She's one of the good ones. She'll help you. If the plan goes well, the most that'll happen is you'll spend some time in Stillwater Hold. And let's be honest, even life in that prison is better than being an indentured slave, right?]
That message appeared on the screen.
At the same time, the drone's weapon system discreetly locked onto the siblings. If they refused, it would simply fire tranquilizers to recover the gear and select someone else. The mission was too important to depend on any single pair of volunteers.
Cipher would then need to send someone to retrieve the siblings and bring them back to Zaun. Zaun, after all, followed lawful channels, they couldn't just abandon people who'd seen too much. But if it came to that, his entire plan would fall apart, and his preparation would be wasted.
They'd need to find a new, suitable candidate to be the face of their reform mission, someone with the right combination of desperation, courage, and tragic backstory.
Levi looked at Aria, seeing his own thoughts reflected in her eyes. They'd survived this long by trusting each other above all else.
"You're from Zaun?" he asked quietly.
[Yes.]
"We're in!"
After a brief hesitation that lasted a lifetime, Levi agreed for both of them.
[Maybe this will be the smartest choice you've ever made in your life.]