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The suspension of Caitlyn and the rise of Jayce as a Councillor signaled a dangerous shift in the tectonic plates of the Twin Cities. While Caitlyn's detective instincts were screaming that her "vacation" was actually a political removal from the board, Jayce was finding out that the price of his new seat at the table was the soul of his invention.
At the Council meeting, the trap for Jayce was perfectly executed. By framing the legalization of Hextech Weapons as a "pardon" for his own unauthorized creation of the Mercury Hammer, Mel and the other Councillors effectively forced Jayce to choose between the Talis family's ruin in Stillwater or the militarization of his life's work. Jayce, trapped by his own morality and his desire to protect the city, had no choice but to nod.
Back at the Kiramman estate, Caitlyn sat on her bed, a map of Runeterra spread out before her. She wasn't looking at the lines of the countries; she was looking at the timeline of the morning's events.
"My mother is many things, but she isn't sloppy," Caitlyn muttered, tracing the border of the Undercity with her finger. "She wouldn't suspend me for a failure that happened a week ago unless she needed me off the streets today."
Vi, lying across the bed, looked at the map. While Caitlyn was looking for logic in foreign diplomacy, Vi saw the truth through the lens of a street fighter. "It's not about Noxus or Shurima, Cupcake. They aren't building hammers to fight sand-warriors or bird-men across the sea."
Vi pointed directly under the gold-plated streets of Piltover. To the Zaun.
"They're building them to finish what they started on the bridge years ago," Vi whispered.
While Caitlyn was still grappling with the idea of a civil war, Vi didn't hesitate. She stepped onto the balcony and pulled out her radio-phone.
In the Undercity, Chen and Powder were at Boss Fishhead's, the air thick with the smell of stir-fried Gromp. The phone's shrill ring cut through the chatter.
"Chen! Powder! You need to listen," Vi's voice crackled with urgency. "Piltover just legalized Hextech Weapons. Jayce is a Councillor now. And they've benched Caitlyn. My guess? They're getting ready to invade."
Chen's grip tightened on the receiver until the plastic creaked. "Are you sure? Do you have orders? Manifests?"
"No hard evidence yet, but the puzzle pieces only fit one way," Vi replied. "I'm going to find proof. Just... keep your heads down."
Chen hung up, his eyes meeting Powder's. The meal suddenly tasted like ash. He turned to Boss Fishhead, who was watching them with a milky, intelligent eye.
"Boss, I need your network," Chen said, his voice dropping an octave. "Find out if the factories in Piltover are switching to military production. I need to know if the boots are coming for us."
The Fishhead nodded solemnly. He knew that when Piltover sneezed, Zaun caught a cold—but when Piltover armed itself, Zaun bled.
As they flew back to The Last Drop, Chen looked down at the scarred landscape of his home. Zaun was already broken. Urgot's explosions had shattered the industrial district, and the Wildfire Party was spending every waking hour trying to feed the homeless and treat the wounded.
"When the people prosper, they suffer; when the nation falls, they suffer," Chen quoted to himself. He had wanted to spend his time building ventilation ducts and farming systems. He wanted to give the people air and food. But the world was refusing to let him be a builder.
"Powder," Chen said as they landed on the Great Tree's platform. "I need you to look at that missile design again. The big one. The one that can reach the Council towers in one shot."
Powder tilted her head, her braids swaying. "The Super-Mega-Death-One?"
"Yes. And the Gatling guns. We need more of them." Chen's gaze was hard. "There's a saying from my world: 'Having a sword but not using it is not the same as being unarmed.'"
He knew Powder's genius. While Piltover was still perfecting breech-loading rifles, Powder was capable of jumping several technological eras. If the Council brought Hextech to the bridge, they would meet the full weight of Jinx's chaotic arsenal.
"Internal troubles with Urgot's cult, and external threats from Jayce's hammers," Chen muttered, looking at his streetlamp. "If they want a war, we'll give them a revolution."
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