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

Zaun, Oil Refinery Plant.

Outside the crumbling perimeter wall of the refinery, a lone visitor arrived. Duke lazily pulled over on his bike, casually leaning against "Pride," waiting for the two girls behind him to catch up.

That's right. Duke had ridden ahead from the Frogen Tavern. As for Vi and Caitlyn? He figured they could use the cardio, and maybe even bond a little along the way.

Thud!

A sharp sound rang out as Vi landed solidly on the ground, her boots slamming against the pavement. Her gauntlets, still letting off tendrils of smoke, told the story clearly, she hadn't taken the main roads. Instead, she'd dashed and leapt across rooftops, relying on her gear to boost her momentum.

Even if they were just prototypes, those gauntlets Duke made packed serious power. With them, Vi could punch through practically anything.

Under the cover of night, Caitlyn finally caught up, holding the customized rifle Duke had made her. Breathless and annoyed, she panted out, "Why did you get to ride the bike while we ran here? Shouldn't it be 'ladies first'?"

"Women who think like that usually don't last long in Zaun," Vi sneered with a look full of disdain, still buzzing from the warm-up and eager to bash in some plague rats.

"You could use some physical training yourself, Caitlyn," Duke added nonchalantly, popping a malt candy into his mouth.

He pointed to the towering structure ahead. "The rats are in there?"

"Word is they took over the central oil processors. Even the workshop floor is crawling with them."

"Got it."

Duke activated Edith's scan system, projecting a full 3D map of Refinery 273 into his vision. The warehouse was teeming with outlines of plague rats, especially in the central structure, a grotesque pile of filth and refuse sat like a nest, topped by a monstrous rat the size of a hunting hound.

"Still operational?"

"The owner fled long ago. Aside from the plague rats, no one else comes here."

"Then it's all yours, ladies."

"Wait, you're not helping?"

"Nope. This is your stage. If I joined in, it'd be more of a slaughter than a hunt. And hey, hunting's about the thrill, not the overkill."

"Tch."

Vi cracked her gauntlets together, raring to go. "Just the way I like it."

"What's the matter? Afraid?" she teased.

"Me? Afraid?" Caitlyn chambered a round with practiced ease. "Three-time champion of Piltover's Marksman Tournament, remember?"

Vi let out a scoff, the meaning unclear.

Duke patted Pride's tank, really his own spine, and reassured them, "Don't worry, I'll watch your backs. If anything unexpected happens, I'll step in."

"Save it," Caitlyn shot back, tightening her grip on the rifle.

"Then go get 'em, girls."

BOOM!

The factory gate exploded inwards as Vi landed a punch. The metal doors shattered like brittle crackers, jagged fragments embedding themselves in the opposite wall.

The ruckus stirred the horde. Inside the factory, the rat king rose on its hind legs, jaws open in a soundless roar.

"Heads up! The rats are on the move!"

Duke gave a heads-up while tapping Pride. The bike's headlights flashed on, signaling its readiness to intervene.

Perched cross-legged on the seat, Duke rested his chin on his hand and watched. He toyed with a white-ivory revolver, thoroughly entertained.

The original storyline? Scrapped. According to the timeline, Caitlyn was supposed to rescue Vi from Stillwater Prison. They'd become partners through a series of events.

But things had changed. Now, Duke was matchmaking them early, and what better way to forge a bond than through battle?

Bang!

A sudden shot drew his attention.

Vi had charged ahead. Waves of rabbit-sized plague rats, incited by the rat king, swarmed her.

Each of her punches crushed several rats at once, but they kept coming, some even detouring toward Caitlyn.

Calm and composed, Caitlyn crouched at the entrance. Through her night-vision scope, she picked off incoming rats one by one. Thanks to Duke's modifications, her rifle didn't require manual cycling, making for rapid, clean shots.

Thwack!

Vi slammed both fists into the ground, sending out a shockwave that pulverized every rat in her radius. Bloodied and triumphant, she glanced toward Caitlyn.

"You're falling behind, cupcake."

Bang!

A shot rang out behind Vi, nailing a rat mid-leap.

"Headshot," Caitlyn smirked, eyes cool.

Duke raised an eyebrow, Vi, usually so brute-force, had actually dodged in sync. Maybe they could work together after all.

"Just a heads-up," Duke called out, tapping his lenses, "more rats incoming. And trust me, it's a lot more than you think."

"Shut it, Duke!" Vi barked.

"Ugh, buzzkill," Caitlyn muttered.

The two locked eyes briefly, then both looked away at the same time.

"Here they come!"

Duke's warning sharpened their focus. Rats surged like a tide, through the gates, over the walls, even emerging from the sewers.

Seeing this, both girls instinctively braced themselves.

"This is a bit much," Duke muttered.

Caitlyn turned to Vi. "Get me on the roof."

"Why?"

Vi clapped her hands, unleashing a shockwave that blasted the first wave of rats into mush.

"Better view from up top. You handle ground-level. I'll cover you."

"Hope your aim's true."

"Me, miss? Please."

Vi hurled Caitlyn onto the rooftop. Once there, she took a knee and opened fire. The rhythmic boom of shots echoed across the night sky.

Meanwhile, Vi dove into the rat horde. Every punch flattened a dozen more.

And every sneak attack aimed at Vi was cleanly picked off by Caitlyn.

"Perfect teamwork!"

Duke gave an approving wave. Both girls shot him a glare.

"Tch."

Duke narrowed his eyes. The rat king had vanished.

Scanning quickly, he caught sight of its massive form creeping along the wall, heading for Caitlyn.

Bang bang bang...

A sudden burst of fire shattered part of the factory wall behind Caitlyn.

The rat king, nearly invisible under the cloak of night, had gotten close. It wasn't pure stealth, more like poor man's optical camouflage.

"Stealth tech? Twitch?" Duke frowned, then dismissed the thought. Twitch had true invisibility.

"Mutated plague rat... could it be related to Twitch?"

Duke raised his revolver, unleashing a wall of fire toward the lurking threat.

"Time to end this. Pride!"

The bike transformed instantly, roaring as its core lit up with fire.

A second later, a torrent of flame swept forward, engulfing the plague rat horde.

End of chapter...

To be continued...

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