Marvel: Playing Iron Man, Falling In and Out of Love with Jinx

"Move!"

"To hell with it, we'll stake our lives if we have to!"

"Everyone, charge!!"

"Grab your gear, grab everything you've got!"

"Andy, Mill, Fuller... you're with me!"

"Where's my shotgun?!"

"Get me my machete!"

...

The chaotic shouting from upstairs echoed down into the basement. Inside, the four captives huddled near the door. Hearing the growing unrest outside, Vi slammed her fists against it.

"Vander! Open the door!"

"Let us out, Vander!"

"Let me try," Mylo said, crouching in front of the lock. The moment he inserted the lockpick, his expression froze.

"What is it, Mylo?" asked Claggor.

"The keyhole's been jammed from the outside. I can't pick it open!"

"You useless loudmouth, move!" Vi barked, pushing him aside. She punched the door again and again, but all it did was make her fists ache.

"It's no use," Claggor muttered. "This door has a brass alloy core. There's no way we're breaking through it."

At that moment, Powder pulled out the Bluebird Charm Duke had given them. "Should we try praying?"

"Praying?"

The other three kids' eyes lit up. In unison, they took out their own Bluebird Charms, cupped them in their hands, and began a low, heartfelt chant to Janna, the spirit of the wind.

"Great Spirit of the Wind, I call upon you.

Grant us your protection.

Lend us your aid.

Please... help us!"

"Great Spirit of the Wind, I call upon you...

Grant us your protection...

Lend us your aid...

Please help us!"

"Great Spirit of the Wind..."

...

Vi forced herself to stay calm, though Vander's image wouldn't leave her thoughts. Having witnessed Janna's miracles with her own eyes, she poured her faith into the prayer, certain that Janna would hear them.

At that moment...

Vander strapped on his steel gauntlets and led the crowd through Zaun's streets. Their destination: Silco's hideout, a repurposed processing plant.

Inside the factory, Silco stood silently by the window, watching mutant fish dart through the murky river outside. As his gaze lingered on the water, pain returned to his damaged eye.

That day, drowned in toxic runoff, strangled by the neck, he had lost everything. The chemical burn had scorched away his nerves. All that remained was his instinct to survive.

"This time... no one will stop me."

He turned to face the faintly glowing Shimmer serum on Singed's lab table. A twisted smile curled across his face.

"Bad news, Silco!" Sevika burst into the underground lab, breaking his dark reverie.

"What is it, Sevika? What's got you all flustered?"

"It's Vander! He's on his way here with a whole mob, and they're armed!"

"What?" Silco's expression changed. "Who leaked the intel?"

"Was it one of the enforcers?"

"I don't know. But one thing's clear, Vander means business this time!"

Silco studied her face, then looked back at the Shimmer vials. The urgency vanished. Calmly, he pressed his hands together and walked to the table. Picking up a vial of blue serum, he smiled coldly.

"Since they've come... we'll wipe them all out."

"But there's too many of them..."

Sevika began to protest, but Silco tossed her a vial of Shimmer.

With a grin of absolute confidence, he said:

"Let them come.

We have Shimmer.

We have the future."

"Everything... is in our hands now!"

His expression twisted with hatred.

"This time, I'll end it all."

Zaun Docks – Abandoned Cannery

"This is it," Vander muttered, taking one last drag from his pipe before stamping it out underfoot. Behind him, the Black Lanes gang stood ready, some with lanterns, others holding torches or makeshift weapons.

"This ends tonight."

He turned to face the crowd.

"What happened back then can never happen again.

We've already lost too much.

We cannot allow another purge.

Tonight, we fight, for the people we love. For our home."

Vander fastened his gauntlets, tightening the straps with his teeth. His lips peeled back into a sharp grin, feral, determined. A wolf ready for war.

"Let's begin."

"Yeah!!"

A thunderous roar shattered the stillness of the night as the mob surged into the cannery.

The moment they entered, a voice echoed from above, familiar, but chillingly alien.

"Well, well... Look who decided to show up."

Vander looked up.

There stood Silco on the overhead catwalk, arms folded behind his back. One eye glowed with an eerie green hue; the other shimmered with cold malice and amusement.

"My dear brother... Vander."

"Silco!!" Vander bellowed. "Why did you come back?! Why bring about another purge?!"

"Another purge?" Silco arched a brow.

Sevika stepped closer, whispering, "He means what happened after we stormed Topside. That family retaliated. The slaughter... they called it a purge."

Understanding dawned in Silco's eyes.

"Ah. So that's what you mean.

A purge... I like the sound of that."

"Yes... I came here to purge.

But not Topside's version.

My purge, against cowards like you who've grown soft and complacent!"

"Don't do this, Silco!"

"You're old, Vander. The beast's claws and teeth have dulled. You've become Piltover's lapdog. But I, " He slammed his fist on the railing, eyes blazing with vengeance,

"I've brought Zaun a new age. A future!"

"Anyone who stands in my way...

will be thrown onto the trash heap.

Even you."

"Silco..." Vander's muscles tensed beneath his coat, stone-like with rage. His jaw clenched, murder in his eyes.

Silco laughed.

"There's the Vander I remember.

The one who'd become a monster for the sake of his ideals,

the one who'd rip enemies to shreds."

"Very good... You've thrown a wrench in my plans, but, "

His grin faded.

"It changes nothing."

"I'll show you what the future looks like...

And I'll drag the beast back out of you."

"Now... unleash hell."

Silco turned away. Sevika and the others stepped forward, popping open their Shimmer vials.

"You're done, old man!"

Sevika smirked, downing the vial in one gulp. Others followed.

Their eyes turned an unnatural, glowing blue. Capillaries around their eyes burst. Their necks pulsed with Shimmer energy. Then came the screams, as bones snapped, flesh twisted, and human forms became monstrous.

In seconds, they transformed into feral beasts, brimming with power, madness, and raw destruction.

"Attack," Silco commanded coldly.

The mutants charged from the catwalk. Vander roared back, fists raised.

"SILCOOOO!!!"

In the Basement

Vi and the others were still praying.

They had no idea how many times they'd repeated the chant by now.

Finishing another round, Vi opened her eyes in frustration and hurled her Bluebird Charm at the floor.

"It's useless!"

"Don't lose hope, Vi," Powder whispered. "We'll make it."

"But Vander's already out there, and we're still locked in this damn basement!"

Vi kicked the charm. But just before it hit the ground, a breeze swept in and caught it mid-air.

Suddenly, a fierce wind howled through the room.

From the heart of the storm, a figure slowly emerged from nothingness,

"Avatar of the Wind... at your service."

(End of chapter)

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