The air in Zaun was heavy, just as always. Even though it was morning, neon lights flickered and blinked along Prism Alley. Overhead, so high the ceiling was lost to sight, countless exposed pipes tangled together in a chaotic web. The air itself was thick with the smell of machine oil and something burning. "[serious]This should be the place." Victor murmured the words through their filter mask. Their shoulder-length black hair swayed in the lukewarm wind that swept through the undercity. Gray eyes flicked back and forth between the old-model detector in their hand and the abandoned warehouse looming ahead. *(Traces of yesterday's data tampering. That was proof that the third Hex Gem's resonance settings were manipulated from an external source.)* "[worried]You okay? You look pale." Victor turned to find the tall Jayce peering at them with concern. His light brown hair, usually slicked back, was slightly mussed today from bedhead. But those golden-tinged eyes were dead serious. "[embarrassed]I-I'm fine. No problems here." Victor hurriedly looked back down at the detector. *(When he's this close, my heartbeat speeds up. It interferes with data collection.)* "[serious]Alright, let's check it out." Jayce reached for the rusted door of the abandoned warehouse. That was when it happened. BOOOOOOOM!!! The chemical plant right next door exploded with a deafening roar. The ground heaved. Before Victor could even cover their ears, the shockwave slammed into their body. Their vision was painted over in a blinding orange flash. "[scared]Whoa!" The next thing they knew, they were clinging to Jayce's arm. Their heart pounded violently. Acrid smoke billowed everywhere, making it impossible to see. "[coughing]*Cough, cough!* Wh-what the hell!?" Jayce's voice came from right beside them. "[laughing]Whoops, might've used a little too much~!" A gleeful voice rang out from beyond the smoke. A figure lumbered out of the haze. Tall, with a muscular build. Distinctive short blue hair stuck up wildly, the right side just a bit longer than the rest. Pink eyes held a dangerous glint, like a beast that had spotted its prey. Eerie tattoos, like scribbled time bombs, were etched all over their body. "[surprised]Wh-who are you!?" Victor felt like their heart was about to leap out of their chest as they gripped Jayce's arm even tighter. *(I don't know them. There's no data on this person.)* "[laughing]Me—oh, wait, no. It's me, me! Jinx! Explosions really are the best!" "[angry]Jinx!? You're that troublemaker from Zaun... wait, you got turned into a guy too!?" Jayce raised his voice. The sound of it finally snapped Victor back to their senses. They realized their arms were still firmly wrapped around Jayce. "[embarrassed]Ah..." Face turning bright red, they let go. "[embarrassed]N-no, that was... well, I just lost my balance for a moment..." "[embarrassed]O-oh, uh..." Jayce kept the arm Victor had been clinging to frozen in place for a moment longer. "[laughing]What're you two getting all lovey-dovey for? This is hilarious!" Jinx cackled, kicking at the rubble at their feet. "[angry]N-no we're not! More importantly, you! What's the meaning of this explosion!" "[excited]Oh, this? The goons from Shimmer Corp were on my tail, and they were super annoying, so I blew up the whole factory!" "[scared]Wh...!" Victor was speechless. "[excited]Oh, and while I was at it, I messed with your little device too!" Jinx puffed out their chest as if bragging. "[scared]...You what?" "[excited]That Variant Core thingy! The Shimmer Corp guys paid me to tweak the third Hex Gem's resonance settings, just a little. Didn't think the whole city would get wrapped up in that crazy rainbow light, but man, it was hilariously awesome!" "[angry]...This is your fault!" Jayce stepped forward, ready to grab them. "[surprised]Wait, Jayce!" Victor tried to stop him, but just then— "There they are! The bomb freak!" From the entrance of Prism Alley, over a dozen men in black came pouring in all at once. Pipes and blunt weapons in hand. Faces hidden behind crude Gray Breath masks. "[excited]Oh, there they are! Took you long enough!" Jinx pulled a small metal sphere from their pocket. "[scared]No more explosions! It'll block our escape route!" "[serious]This way, Vic!" Jayce grabbed Victor's hand and pulled. The three of them broke into a run, heading deeper into the alley. *(This is bad. The Shimmer Corp pursuers—have they been tracking my movements since yesterday?)* Victor ran desperately, feeling cold sweat trail down their back. "[scared]Wait, up ahead is—" The alley looked like a dead end. But then, the ground suddenly gave way beneath them. "[scared]Waaaaaah!" The old boards shattered under the weight of three people, and they were swallowed by a pitch-black hole. *(We're falling—!)* Instinctively, Jayce's arms wrapped around Victor's body. THUD. Impact. As they tumbled onto the floor, Victor found themselves clinging to Jayce. "[excited]Whoa, deeper than I thought!" Only Jinx had landed gracefully, like a cat, and stood there looking perfectly unbothered. "[whispers]...You okay, Vic?" Jayce's voice resonated right by their ear, at point-blank range. "[embarrassed]I-I'm fine. Thank you." Victor hurriedly pulled away and stood up. They looked around. Stone walls. An iron door. A dim underground cell, with only faint neon light filtering in through a small skylight. "[cold]...A trap. The Shimmer Corp drove us here on purpose, intending to drop us into this place from the start." Victor clenched their fists. *(Because my judgment was too slow, I dragged Jayce into this too.)* "[excited]Well, hey, it's a perfect way to kill some boredom! One bomb and we'll blast our way right out!" "[serious]No. If you do that, the ground will collapse and bury us along with it." Victor shot the idea down immediately. They examined the walls. The parts they had on hand weren't going to open this iron door. "[sad]...If only I had acted sooner." The murmur was swallowed by the cold stone walls. Caitlyn's warning memo. The Shimmer Corp had been on the move right after Garm's intel. And yet— They leaned their back against the wall and hung their head. "[gentle]...It's not your fault." Jayce quietly sat down beside them. Close enough that their shoulders almost touched. "[excited]But hey, being a guy makes you all strong and awesome, right? Don't you like this body better?" Jinx's voice was carefree as they kicked at the ceiling vent with a loud clang. "[whispers]...I..." Victor paused for a moment, then spoke quietly. "[whispers]...I want to go back to normal." It was the truth. Hearing those words, Jayce looked straight into Victor's gray eyes. "[serious]I'll get you back to normal. No matter what. I'll find a way, I swear." His voice was low, but full of strength. "[whispers]...Yeah." Victor felt a tightness deep in their chest. *(I tried to say thank you, but my voice wouldn't come out.)* They looked down and just gave a small nod. Cold air streamed in through the vent that Jinx kept kicking. Victor's gaze followed its dimensions absently, and something began to form in their mind. *(If it's that size... maybe...)* Jayce was still sitting beside them. The distance between them felt just a little closer than before. —Above ground. "[serious]That explosion was most likely Jinx's doing." Caitlyn poked their head out from behind a rough wooden crate. Their navy blue short hair was dirty with dust, and their gruff voice wove words that were almost jarringly polite. The pride of House Kiramman's heir seemed intact, even in a man's body. "[laughing]But seriously, Caitlyn. How're you hiding with that huge body of yours?" Vi teased. Their shocking pink hair swayed, and the old scar on their left cheek twisted into a grin. They were the only one unaffected by the Shiftlight, still in their usual form. "[embarrassed]Sh-shut up! I'm actually physically easier to hide now than before... wait, that's not the point! We're in the middle of an investigation!" "[serious]Well, take a look. Those guys keep going in and out of that underground entrance." Vi jerked their chin toward the spot. The Shimmer Corp men in black were furtively opening and closing an old manhole cover. "[serious]There's no doubt. It's highly likely Victor and the others were dropped into this underground area." "[excited]Then let's bust in right now!" Vi clenched their fists and started to stand. "[angry]Hold it! Charging in without a plan is a violation of investigative protocol! First, we need intel—" "[laughing]You weren't this cautious before. Did turning into a guy make you a coward?" "[angry]Th-that's not true! This is a rational judgment! ...Ugh, this body, my shoulders keep hitting doorframes." Oblivious to the two of them arguing, down in the underground cell— Jayce gently touched Victor's shoulder. "[gentle]Vic, I mean it. I'll get you back. I want you back more than anyone." At those words, Victor couldn't lift their face. But deep in their chest, something grew warm, and tight, and made it just a little hard to breathe. *(This feeling... it must be—)* "[excited]Alright! Bomb it is! I'll just blow this vent right—" "[angry]I told you, NO!!" Victor's shout echoed through the underground cell. Jinx froze, looking taken aback. Jayce stared at Victor with a surprised expression. "[serious]...Hmm. Given the size of this vent, I've thought of a method that won't require explosives." Victor stood up. In their gray eyes, the calm light of a scientist had returned. Seeing that face, Jayce smiled softly. "[gentle]Yeah. That's the face I like better on you." "[embarrassed]Wh-what are you talking about. It's still just a theory. I don't have enough data." Victor turned bright red to the tips of their ears and looked down.