Chapter Text
The sound of rhythmic tinkering clattered the old turbine. Powder was quietly finishing up a project that had been keeping her up for weeks.
Powder frowned and twisted a stray strand of her choppy blue hair, staining it with grease.
Ekko’s time machine was almost restored to its full potential. Which was pretty impressive considering how busted the machine was at the start.
Not that she would tell Ekko that. After all, her Ekko didn’t participate in the dimensional travel incident.
It was easy to tell the difference between her Ekko and the Other Ekko from the alternate dimension. For one, he seemed uncomfortable with Powder and was bewildered on the state of the Undercity.
What really confirmed her theory was the mural Other Ekko painted of Vi. All grown up and ready to defend and protect, like she always had.
If Vi was alive in another universe, that meant she could bring her here. Or she could bring back the sister that she lost so long ago. Or maybe she herself could go to the Alternate Universe, the good place where Vi was alive. She wasn’t sure which would be the better option.
Powder had been keeping this experiment a secret. No need to disappoint anyone if it doesn’t work. Maybe it could be a surprise if she succeeded.
The clinking of her tools against the steel calmed her storming thoughts.
Focus! You’re almost done. “Okay just need to twist this thingy-“ Powder carefully twisted the last screw to the puzzle piece that was the time machine.
“And… done!” Powder exclaimed softly to herself. With a smile, she stood up from her position on the floor and admired her handiwork.
All that’s left is to add the final ingredient. Powder exhaled a shaken sigh. She walked away from the machine and towards her sister’s alter.
Powder knelt down in front of Vi’s portrait. “Hey sis,” the young woman’s lips twisted up in a mournful smile. She opened the drawer with the name VI engraved on the front. With a shaky hand, Powder grabbed the little stash of Hextech crystals.
She sighed, kissed her fingertips and gently pressed them onto the portrait. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
Powder stood up on shaky legs and paced anxiously toward the newly restored machine. This was not the first time she tried this experiment. The first time she tried was three days after the other Ekko’s visit. Long story short, that ended with an even bigger disaster of the machine and a very angry Vander scolding her for being so reckless.
At least it wasn’t the “not living up to her full potential” speech again.
Powder stopped in front of the machine, looking at her reflection on the shiny surface.
This part should be easy, but even looking at those ugly blue spheres made her want to vomit.
“All you need to do is place one sphere into the little compartment,” Powder told herself. She rubbed the blue hexgem between her fingers, bringing it close to her face before giving it a quick kiss for good luck. “Please work.”
The machine whirred to life, bright lights flashed and sparked in multiple directions, making Powder squint.
Powder let out a little laugh of relief. When Other Ekko was sent back to his universe, a similar light show was displayed. She didn’t get a chance to see How Professor Heimerdinger set it up but seeing the similarities gave her hope.
“Okay, now pull the starter cord.” Powder grabbed it with both hands, grunting as she pulled it back.
A large ball of light formed in the center of the light show, spinning round and round.
“And finally, pull the levers.” Powder closed her eyes as she did so. Please work. Please…
Lights and the little cymbal-banging monkeys began to spin, picking up speed as the hextech gem spun faster and faster.
A loud poof sound followed by steam came out of the machine. The blue stone stopped spinning, a loud whine echoing through the lab and the lights died down.
“What? No!” Powder shouted, pulling the cord. When nothing happened, she yanked it again and again.
Nothing. The machine was dead.
“No! No! No!” Powder screeched. “I don’t understand! It should’ve worked! What did I do wrong? Why didn’t it-”
Her blue eyes caught sight of the little brown pouch on her desk. Powder rushed over to her cluttered desk and opened the bag.
With shaky hands, she picked up another blue stone. Powder brought the gem closer to her eyes, the shiny blue reflected on her face. She had never used more than one gemstone. The last time she messed with multiple-
Clank clank clank BOOM
Powder clenched her eyes as she shook her head, clearing that horrible memory from her mind.
Vi was waiting for her on the other side. She promised herself she’d do anything to bring her back.
Stop being such a scaredy cat and do it.
Powder please. Don’t risk your life for me.
Powder whimpered. “But I promised you Vi. You didn’t deserve what happened to you.”
Before she could talk herself out of it, she placed another gemstone into the compartment. Powder yanked on the cord twice.
The machine whirred to life once more, this time spinning faster and faster and faster until it became a blur.
Please work. Please. Please. Please!
BOOM!
A blinding blue light flashed and sparked from the core of the machine.
Powder was thrown backwards, her back hitting the railing with a thud. Powder rubbed the back of her head, blinking as the bright light faded.
Slowly, Powder stood up, her eyes searching and scanning the lab. “Vi?”
Then, she spotted her. A figure with a messy mop of pink hair was laid out by the floor of the now destroyed machine.
Vi. She was right there. Just as she remembered.
Powder shook herself out of her thoughts. She didn’t stop to check if she had any wounds herself and instead ran to where her sister laid.
No way it actually worked! She brought her sister back from the dead. And this time, she was-
The sight that she came upon made Powder halt in her steps. Her sister’s face and body was beaten black and blue.
Vi! No please! Wake up!
Vi was wearing a pair of striped pants and top that looked to be a few sizes too big. The number 516 was written on the front of her dirty tank top. Her feet were bare and dirty. Vi’s right arm was also twisted and contorted.
Was she even alive? Powder rushed forward, putting an ear close to the girl’s chest.
Then, Vi let out a wheezy breath. Powder let out a sigh of relief in return.
Vi was alive! And she brought her back!
Powder felt lightheaded as she further inspected the girl.
The pink haired girl was covered in various scratches and cuts. Powder would’ve thought Vi was dead if she hadn’t seen the low rise and fall of the girl’s chest.
The part that really made Powder’s stomach churn, was how malnourished Vi looked.
Her sister always lean but carried a bit of muscle. The Vi lying in front of her was too thin. Powder could see the bones in her arms and she was sure she would be able to see her ribs if the tank top wasn’t so baggy.
The confusion on Powder’s face increased upon taking her sister in. She had never seen her sister like this before. Why does she look like this?
Then it struck her. Which Vi did she bring back?
Vi came to slowly, hearing muffled voices and shuffling footsteps.
Fuck.
Vi groaned, lifting one shaky hand to the side of her head. Her head hurt like hell. The guards must have been really pissed this time. She didn’t even remember what she did or how she got her ass beat.
Vi winced as she grabbed her injured arm, frowning when her fingers brushed bandages wrapped around it. Seemed like someone set it too. Who could’ve possibly-
“Vi?”
Slowly she opened her eyes. She was lying on a beat up very familiar couch with a warm light radiating from the corner of the room.
The scent of grease and some type of food filled her nose.
Shit. She must be hallucinating again. That happened from time to time. Getting the shit beat out of you and staying in solitary for weeks on end would do that to you.
“Violet?”
The pink haired girl froze at the sound of her name. Who the hell knows her name in here? Vi turned her face toward the voice. She was met with a young woman with blue hair styled up into space buns. The woman’s blue eyes softened.
That hair. Those eyes. She could recognize those features anywhere. But it didn’t make sense.
She woman sighed in relief, “Oh thank Janna you’re okay.”
Vi’s vision blurred as the woman spoke, those blue features swimming along with the rest of the room.
“Violet?” A timid voice squeaked.
No. Not Powder. Whenever she hallucinated Powder, her emotions always spun out of control. Her fake little sister was in the corner of the room. Her dead eyes stared at her, condemning her.
Out of the darkness of the room, two men came into view. One was really tall with a big build and the other had spiky hair.
Vi tried hard to suppress the whimper in her throat, but she heard that pitiful squeak anyway. No don’t do that! That goads them on!
Hallucinations of Mylo and Claggor appeared right beside Fake Powder. Fake Mylo and Claggor didn’t haunt her that often, but when they did, their expressions were as frozen as the last time Vi saw them. Death was stitched onto their every feature.
“Why did you leave me?” Fake Powder asked.
No. No no no.
When did the two men step closer? What were they gonna do to her?
Vi, as quickly as she could in her state, scrambled backwards off the couch and onto the floor.
No no. Please not again. This is not real this is not real. They’re all gone. And it’s my fault. Vi repeated this mantra every time fake visions of her family plagued her mind.
She must’ve been mumbling out loud because the woman with blue hair approached her slowly. “Vi you’re not hallucinating. This is real.”
“No! No! That’s what you all say. Leave me the fuck alone!” Vi shouted as she finally reached the corner of the room. Vi pressed her back against the wall, her hands clawing at the wooden floor underneath her.
The woman slowly inched toward her, only stopping when Vi let out another cry.
The woman was saying something but Vi couldn’t make it out. The ringing in her ears was too loud and Fake Powder was crying.
“Vi! Vi come back!”
“Go away. Go away. Go away!” Vi mumbled to herself. She pressed her hands to her ears, hard enough that she felt like her brain was squeezing out of her skull.
The woman crouched down to her level, far enough so that if Vi wanted, she could make a run for it.
“Vi, it’s okay. Just take a deep breath.” The woman then began to take a deep breath herself, leveling her hand with her breathing level. “In… out… in… out…”
Vi unconsciously followed the woman’s instructions and eventually, her breathing evened out.
The woman smiled, her eyes with a hint of sadness. “You okay?”
Those eyes. Something about her eyes felt so familiar and warm; despite them filled with sadness at the moment. Why did the woman look so sad?
Why did she look so familiar? The Warden’s chat from yesterday must’ve really done a number on her.
The woman’s hair. It’s blue. There wasn’t that many people down in Zaun with naturally bright hair colors.
If she didn’t know any better, she’d say she was looking at her little sister.
”Who are you?” She heard herself say.
The woman sighed, scratching the back of her head. She glanced back at the two other men in the room. Vi noticed they seemed to have moved further back in the room.
The woman smiled, a sad smile when she turned back to face the younger girl. “Come sit on the couch Vi.”
“H-how do you know my name?”
“I’ll tell you that and answer every question you have once you sit down on the couch.” The woman stood up slowly, still smiling that same sad smile. She extended an arm out to Vi.
Vi flinched. She hated when she did that. The guards and inmates at Stillwater teased her for it. They’d make bets to see who can get her to flinch first, or who could make her cry.
This woman on the other hand, did not find any amusement in Vi’s fear. She slowly lowered her arm and took a few steps back, the smile vanished from her face.
Vi watched her carefully. She didn’t seem to have any malicious intent. But that doesn’t mean the woman should be trusted, she learned that lesson from even before Stillwater.
Keeping her eyes on the woman, Vi sluggishly stood up from the floor. She made sure to glance at the two men in the shadows as she crossed the room. She hadn’t gotten a chance to see their faces up close.
The woman sat on the opposite seat from the couch. She watched as Vi slowly made her way over to the couch.
“I-“ the woman started. She frowned and shook her head slightly, fidgeting with the silver and blue necklace around her neck.
“Vi,” the woman began again, this time looking at her in the eye. “I don’t know how to tell you this,” the woman squeaked out.
The taller man stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on the woman’s shoulder. The woman smiled sadly, giving his hand a squeeze in return.
Vi’s eyes widened. Why did he look familiar too? The man noticed her staring and gave her a quick smile, making Vi frown.
“I promised myself I’d get you back one day,” the woman told her. “No matter how long it took and whatever the consequences, I needed you back.”
“What do you mean?” Vi asked, “Who are you?”
The woman broke into a cry, startling the younger girl.
The woman wiped the tears the ran down her cheeks. “You went on a job in Piltover correct? Robbed an inventor’s apartment?”
Vi felt her blood cold. Was she going back to prison? Is this what this was? Some fucked up game with the enforcers? “H-how did you-“
“There was an explosion. Did anything bad happen?”
Vi stood up from the couch, ready to take flight, “Why are you asking me this? How the hell did you know about that job?”
“Because Vi, we were there with you.” The woman’s sobs continued, “But in our universe, you didn’t make it out alive.”
“You-“ It was then when Vi finally took a proper look at the young woman.
That woman looked a hell of a lot like Powder. But how was that possible? This woman was way older and taller than her. Not that much time has passed since her imprisonment. Powder is still a young girl. How could this woman be her little sister?
But those eyes. The more Vi looked at the woman the more convinced she was. “Powder?”