Separate Ways (Arcane AU)

At ease soldier

Dav's POV

Me, Liz, and Jon are rushing through the streets of Zaun. Some people look at us like nothings wrong, and some are running into buildings or trying to get away. We slow down, arriving at our checkpoint, the guard reaches his hand out, "ID." He asks hurriedly, I grab mine and quickly hand it to him. We don't want to stand still for too long, any one of these people could be armed or strapped, just waiting to kill us. I scan the crowd, trying to find anyone who seems off. There's a mother and child heading into a small shop, a burly guy smoking, a few others eying us up. It's much darker down here than Piltover, even though it's lit up with neon signs along the street, I still can't shake the eerie feeling I've had here since I was a kid.

I never wandered alone when I was young, wandering was a death sentence, if you didn't walk with a purpose then you made yourself a target, that's just the way it was. Now I have a purpose, and I'm not alone, anyone who messes with us will meet a quick end. I don't truly hate anyone down here, but there are people you just stay away from, and if I ever got the chance to kill them, I wouldn't hesitate for a second. People like Sevika, who stabbed Vander in the back by working for Silco, the name still bitter in my mind. But not everyone down here is evil, people like Vi, people with good hearts. I tried to get that across to the rest of the group, but only Liz understood, that's because she has a good heart too.

The guard hands back our IDs and lets us pass, I give him a nod as we walk by, I hope they establish a real checkpoint soon, a few enforcers asking for IDs isn't enough. I hear one of the soldiers mutter "Oh shit." as we walk by, the same reaction I would have if special forces was called in. The crowd grows significantly larger the closer we get to the riot zone, some people are trying to get away, others trying to get in on the action, but most of them clear the way as we run through. Shouting is the only thing I hear as we make our way through the mass, the three of us stick close together so we can hear each other. Several people spit on me, others throw rocks, I feel myself get kicked in the back. I turn around and see a kid, probably a teenager, flipping me off and shouting "Fuck you!" This situation is messed up, even the kids are fighting us, I just want this whole thing to end so nobody else has to get hurt.

The Progress Treaty was a temporary fix to give us time to create a permanent solution, and it seems like the 'fix' didn't last long enough, and now we're here. We push through the crowd and make it to the barricade, several enforcers open up to let us past, then close before the riot breaks through. "Thank god you're here." A voice says behind me, the familiarity of that German accent brings me to attention. I turn and see General Kriegs, a tired look on his usually determined face, I give him a salute and he reciprocates the action.

Kriegs is the one person I can thank for teaching me everything I know, second to my dad. He taught me how to shoot a gun, got me into one of the best schools in Piltover, recommended me as a candidate for special forces. Without him I could never be the man I am today. "At ease soldier." He commands, and we both lower our hands. "It's good to see you general." I say, happy to see him for the first time in months. "It's good to see you Dav, however I'm afraid that we'll have to skip the formalities." He says sadly, "I called you out here because we've evacuated several men due to injuries and we need you to retrieve something they couldn't, I don't want to throw more men at the problem, which is why I need you to prevent any more bloodshed." So it isn't the worst case scenario, that's good.

The last thing I want is a massacre, I've witnessed one already, and I don't plan on watching another. "Greetings General." I hear someone say, I turn and see an enforcer, a humored look on his face, they salute each other, then Kriegs says "Good to see you Josh, is Caitlyn lagging behind or is she elsewhere?" Josh shakes his head, "She's on an investigation, I had something planned for us but I was called here, I'm not sure she would stick with my itinerary anyways." Kriegs nods slowly, "I'll try to make sure you're back to her soon, I just need to borrow you for a bit." He replies. Josh nods, "You've been assigned as squad leader for a bit, you just have to oversee the transport of prisoner to the elevator, then you can head topside and join Caitlyn." Kriegs informs, then points to a group of enforcers, "They'll take you to the prisoner." Josh nods, and heads over. Kriegs turns to me, "I need you to grab a package, Lieutenants Keye and her team will accompany you, she'll have all the information you need." I nod, "On it sir." And salute him, he salutes back, "I have faith you'll do well, godspeed Lieutenant."