Chapter Text
If you were to ask Caitlyn what she thought of the Undercity only six months ago, you more than likely would have gotten an answer along the lines of: a troubled city with so much potential if not for the chem-barons flooding their streets with Shimmer and a government that couldn't care less about them.
That would have been her answer before Caitlyn was made painfully aware of just how deep the corruption actually was, only scratching the surface of the rot that decayed them from the inside.
She was always one to want to see the good in people, always wanted to give those dealt with a bad hand a second chance, much to the ire of her superiors that would much rather quash the problem by simply locking criminals up. Imprisoning criminals kept them off the streets, provided justice to those affected, and resolved cases quickly. That was the rationale provided to Caitlyn whenever she decided to argue with them.
However, all that changed when Jinx decided to take matters into her own hands by murdering most of the Council, including her mother.
They were so, so damn close to achieving peace between the two cities if not for that mentally ill psycho coming in and ruining everything. If Jinx had just stayed put, let the adults talk, they wouldn't be in this mess right now. Caitlyn would still have her mother and there wouldn't be an all-out war raging on because of her.
It sickened her to think that Jinx would cause so much destruction, not only to Piltover, but to her own people as well, and yet she had apparently become the symbol of the resistance, glorifying her as some kind of hero. In reality, all those rebels could be celebrating peace right now if not for their idol's recklessness.
It was a bitter irony, but as the months dragged on the rage in Caitlyn's heart was soon joined with cruel amusement. Ambessa had taught her that one of the most effective strategies in war was to divide and then conquer: exploit the rivalries between the existing factions within and then swoop in at their most fractured state. There was nothing more dangerous than an enemy that was united.
After Caitlyn and her strike team had failed to kill Jinx from their tip-off from Smeech, they tried a different approach.
As it was, Silco was the one thing that barely held the drug lords together. With the power vacuum he left behind, it was a desperate battle to take his place as kingpin over Zaun.
So instead of neutralizing the chem-barons they had captured, she cut a deal with them in exchange for their loyalty against both Sevika and Jinx. In return, they would be funded with resources to fuel their rise to political power in the Undercity. The ones that refused were left to rot in their cell.
It was laughable how willing they were to turn on each other. With Sevika now busy fighting off the other chem-barons, Caitlyn could then move on to her next strategy. Under Ambessa's advisory, she set up a new department within the Enforcers focused solely on psychological operations—tasked with amplifying the trenchers’ differences, creating differences where there were none, and escalating incidents between rebels and ordinary citizens.
At the peak of these violent uprisings, Enforcers and Noxian soldiers would then jump in to restore order. Caitlyn enacted a strict policy of little to no violence against non-combatants if possible, but rebels were completely fair game. This sent a clear message to Zaunites that their regime protected ordinary, hard-working people. Punishment was only doled out to those that sought to sow chaos in the social fabric.
This new department took complete control of the press in both cities. Provoke outrage on the increasing extremism of the rebels, make herself the symbol of unity and order. Suddenly it wasn’t just the killing of the Council and the attack on the memorial—Jinx’s followers were destroying historic sites, bombing hospitals, and kidnapping children.
People were exhausted from fighting and figured the sooner Jinx was turned in, the sooner their lives could go back to normal.
Once social cohesion of Zaun was all but eroded, all Caitlyn had to do was sit back and watch the spectacle happen from afar. Six months ago, she truly did believe that Zaun was capable of being salvaged. Now, she delights in watching them destroy themselves. Why go out of your way to save those that don't want to be saved?
Weaponization of The Grey was only just the beginning. In fact, there were almost too many scientists from all across Piltover eager to join their new Chemical and Biological Defense Program. They were able to select the cream of the crop.
It didn't take long for them to require subjects to experiment on and it just so happened that they had a prison full of newly convicted rebels and criminals.
Under the new program, her Enforcers became that much more efficient at cleaning the streets and dismantling their pathetic movement. The pay-off was twofold: the development of more lethal instruments of warfare as well as being able to gather intel through torture on their subjects.
It wasn’t long before the so-called Jinxers and even Firelights started talking. It was another lesson that Caitlyn had learned under Ambessa's mentorship. Everyone had a breaking point.
The tide of war shifted entirely to Piltover's favor within a span of half a year under Caitlyn’s leadership, the people heralding her as a hero. Even the people of Zaun were starting to defect to her side, many of them having lost loved ones from the rebels' riots and terrorist attacks. Picking sides became personal.
When Caitlyn received word that Jinx was successfully captured with the aid of not only her Enforcers, but also angry residents of the Underground, she could barely contain her laughter.
The irony of it all.
***
A few days prior…
"You target that which she cares about the most," Ambessa instructed. She watched the Commander meticulously go over the evidence board again, sticking one more pin amongst the wall of other pins, photos, and sticky notes webbed together by red string, all surrounding the wanted poster of Jinx at the center.
They had gone over this same board hundreds of times, frustratingly not getting much closer than when they had first begun this manhunt on Jinx months ago.
That is, until yesterday.
Several days ago, they had captured a member of the Firelights and after many grueling hours of ruthless interrogation, not only gave up information on Jinx's whereabouts, but the fact that she had a kid with her too.
Now they were preparing their forces to conduct a covert operation to extract her. They couldn’t afford to fail this time.
"But there's nobody left that Jinx cares about anymore. Not Vi, Silco, or..." Caitlyn paused, the cogs in her brain turning as she looked at the board again. "This... child?"
"Precisely, dear." Ambessa walked over, placing a firm hand on her shoulder as they gazed at the board together. "There is no reason for the girl to keep the child around if she didn't care for her. Why not find out just how much she does?"
The Commander's brows furrowed together, slowly connecting the dots in her head. That child that had gotten in the way of her and Jinx all those months ago, the one that ruined her relationship with Vi, that was the kid Jinx kept around?
Of course, it only made sense.
The child must've been her protege of some sort, or maybe a replacement for her sister. Either way, it made so much sense. It was another Jinx in the making.
Before she knew it, Caitlyn's shoulders were trembling, suddenly consumed by poisonous rage. The possibility that Jinx could train up her own little minion, a Jinx Jr who went around committing acts of terrorism, killing more fathers and mothers, orphaning countless more children…
Just the idea infuriated her.
How many people had Caitlyn lost because of her? First her mother, then Vi…
No, Jinx deserved to lose someone she cares about too.
Or better yet…
”Use the child as leverage,” Ambessa said. “I told you that your mother would have justice—make an example out of her.”
A faint smile tugged at her lips. Staring at the photo of the child pinned to the board, she connected the final string to the wanted poster, completing the map.
***
Present
The sight of Jinx knelt before her with a sack over her head was more exhilarating than Caitlyn could've ever imagined.
Two Enforcers stood at either side of her, rifles prepared to shoot her if she even thought to try anything. She was heavily medicated to prevent her from using the Shimmer in her veins, rendering her completely helpless without any of her stupid gadgets at her disposal. It was funny just how weak this girl actually was without them. There was no doubt in Caitlyn’s mind that she could easily subdue her in a hand-to-hand fight.
The uneven rise and fall of Jinx's chest betrayed her panicked state. Poor thing was probably trying to figure out where the Enforcers had taken her and some way to escape.
Caitlyn chuckled cruelly, excited to rip that sack off her head so she can get a proper look at the terror on this girl's face.
Jinx's heart plummeted to her stomach when she recognized the voice of the woman laughing at her.
No, it can't be, no, no, no…
She was ripped out of her thoughts when the bag was abruptly pulled off her head, vision painfully adjusting to the bright lighting of the room.
Blinking, Jinx recognized it as the living room of the Kiramman mansion, with its lavish decor and walls lined with paintings of previous matriarchs. Her eyes settled on the painting of the late Cassandra, before darting up to her daughter standing directly in front of her.
She swallowed down the mounting fear in her gut, desperate to find any way to get herself out of this predicament.
She met Caitlyn's harrowing gaze, feeling like prey just found by its predator. There was not an ounce of sympathy in her eyes, only pure hatred and something else that chilled her to the bone.
"You know, I expected to capture you myself by force, but I never thought the people from your own neighborhood would lend a hand to my wardens. Guess even they've had enough of your nonsense by now." Caitlyn wore a smug smile, thoroughly enjoying the sight of the mighty Jinx on her knees before her. She easily towered over the young woman, looking down at her as if she were less than vermin. It would be all too easy to kill her right there and then, to squash her under her boot like an insect.
Caitlyn wouldn't have hesitated to do so six months ago, but things were different now.
Jinx had been a thorn in her side for far too long, pricking at her, driving her more and more mad as time went on. It would be far too easy to grant her the sweet relief of death. Someone like her didn’t even deserve that. No, she wanted to prolong her agony, turn that infuriating laughter which haunted her nightmares into screams begging to put her out of her misery.
She wanted to humiliate her, degrade her, break her. She had fantasized about it nearly every night, the hatred she had for Jinx developing into a full-blown, twisted obsession. Those long, blue braids of hers, yanking them back, making her scream, while she dug her nails into her pale, delicate skin-
"Where's Isha?!" Jinx suddenly yelled, startling Caitlyn out of her thoughts.
The young girl was trembling before her, to which Caitlyn could only sneer at. So pathetic without her silly little tricks, she mused to herself. The smell of fear in the air was palpable. The Commander inhaled deeply, relishing it.
Her eyes shot open when she got a whiff of something else, something sweet underneath the acrid scent of fear—Jinx was an omega. The alpha’s pupils dilated, excitement stirring in her belly as she greedily inhaled more of that delicious scent into her lungs.
It figures, Caitlyn thought. An omega, just like her sister.
This will make things much more fun.
A wicked grin spread across the Commander’s face. "I didn’t know you were an omega.”
It took everything in Caitlyn to not burst out in laughter at how dumbfounded Jinx looked when she said that.
“You… you’re an alpha?”
”I thought that was common knowledge,” she stated plainly. “Or at the very least that your sister would’ve told you. But I suppose you two aren’t really on speaking terms these days.”
Jinx blinked rapidly, her expression a mix of horror and disbelief.
Meanwhile, there was a glint of eagerness in Caitlyn’s eyes, already stiffening as her imagination ran wild with all the new ways she could ravage her.
"I swear, if you lay a finger-" Jinx paused, swallowing down her rage before continuing more calmly. "Please... I'll do anything as long as you just… leave Isha out of this. This is between you and me."
That look of utter defeat made Caitlyn shudder with excitement. She quite enjoyed the way Jinx begged. She'd have to get her to do that more often.
"Anything...?" The way Caitlyn dragged out the word made Jinx’s stomach lurch.
Reluctantly, she nodded. She met the Commander's cold blue eyes, noticing how she raked them up and down her body. Her violating stare traveled every inch of her pale, lithe body, from the cloud tattoos on her torso to the accent of her collarbones.
Caitlyn reached out her hand to gently caress her cheek. Jinx flinched at her touch. Despite how tender the gesture, the way the alpha licked her lips left no room to doubt what her intentions were.
A wave of disgust washed over the young girl. Jinx felt as if she were a cornered animal at the mercy of someone who may actually be more deranged than she was.
All she could do was pray that this nightmare would end.