Arcane: I have Plasmids F*** YEAAAAAAH!!!

The Sons of Rapture's hideout was full of noise when Lukas stepped through the sewers entrance.Tools echoed off stone, and children laughed somewhere deeper inside.

But then the sunlight caught the figure behind him.

Eleanor's armor was intimidating enough, her glowing visor burning like a warning. But the moment Vander stepped through, the air changed. Every sound in the hideout froze.

People stared in stunned silence. Fear swept the room like a cold wind. Mothers pulled their children close, men gripped makeshift weapons with white knuckles. No one in Zaun had ever seen a Big Daddy before—but they all understood what their instincts were screaming.

Ekko was the first to move. He stepped forward. Seraphine hovered at his shoulder, wide-eyed, voice caught in her throat.

"...Lukas," Ekko said carefully, gaze locked on the massive figure. "What the hell is that?"

Lukas swallowed, stepping aside so the light hit the Alpha's frame fully.

"Family."

Vander moved forward.

Slow, heavy steps, each one sinking into the ground. His massive gauntlet lifted.

He stopped in front of Ekko.

The boy froze,The drill's shadow cut across him like a blade. Every instinct screamed to step back and run away.

But something deeper kept him still. A pull he couldn't explain.

The gauntlet hovered in the air for a moment, fingers flexing as though remembering something long lost. Then, with effort, it lowered—wrapping around Ekko and pulling him in.

The sound of steel groaned as the Alpha held him close.

And in that instant, Ekko knew.

His breath hitched. His knees almost buckled. His hands gripped the plating desperately as tears spilled hot down his cheeks.

"...Vander?"

The word cracked like glass.

Vander let out a low, guttural sound—raw and broken. His hold tightened, firm but tender, as though shielding the boy from a world that had already taken too much.

Ekko sobbed into the iron chest, his small frame shaking. "I thought—I thought we lost you…"

Around them, the hideout stayed frozen. Even Seraphine's hands rose to her mouth, tears welling as the realization spread like fire.

The giant Could not speak. But he did not let go.

For the first time since his awakening, Vander was not a monster.

He was home.

---

Later, the hideout had settled into a strange, fragile calm.

The tension from earlier had melted, replaced by something harder to name. Hope, maybe. Or disbelief.

The Sons of Rapture kept their distance, whispering in low voices, stealing glances at the giant who now sat at the far end of the chamber.

Vander.

He looked strange there, hunched on a bench welded from scrap iron and planks. The Alpha's frame dwarfed it, yet the sight wasn't frightening anymore. His helmet turned toward the mural painted on the wall.

Faces old and new, friends remembered, loved ones lost. The yellow glow of his portholes lingered on the colors as if trying to drink them in.

Beside him, Ekko sat cross-legged on the floor, knees bouncing, hands waving as he talked. He didn't seem to mind the silence he got in return.

The Alpha gave a low rumble, soft, almost like a sigh. He didn't answer, not in words—but his head tilted toward the boy, just enough. Ekko smiled through his tears and kept talking.

From their seats at a makeshift table, Lukas and Eleanor watched in silence.

The scrape of footsteps broke the stillness. Seraphine approached, carrying a clay jar of water. Her hands trembled slightly as she set it down in front of them.

"Thank you," she said, her voice quiet but firm. She looked at Lukas first, then Eleanor, her eyes shining. "Thank you, for bringing him back to us."

Lukas lowered his gaze to the table, unable to answer. His chest felt heavy with too many things at once

Seraphine smiled faintly, blinking back the dampness in her lashes. "You have given us Hope."

For a moment, no one spoke. The sound of Ekko's voice carried softly from the far side of the room, filling the silence with warmth.

Eleanor's gaze lingered on Vander's massive frame. She blinked, a single tear slipping down before she quickly brushed it away, and whispered to herself, just low enough that only Lukas caught it.

"Some things truly never change...isn't that right, Father?"

After some time, Ekko left Vander's side and walked toward the table. His eyes were still damp, but the boyish smile he wore was something Lukas hadn't seen in a long, long time.

Vander didn't move from his seat in the distance. The giant's gaze remained fixed on the mural, on those painted faces frozen in brighter days. His massive frame was still, save for the faint rise and fall of his chest, and yet… there was a weight in the air, as though even his silence spoke of memory.

Ekko sat down across from Lukas and Eleanor, folding his arms on the table. For a moment, none of them spoke. The quiet wasn't awkward—it was comfortable.

Then Ekko broke it.

"I can't thank you enough," he said. His eyes flicked toward Vander.

Lukas gave a faint smile, but didn't answer. The kind of smile that said I'm glad I could, but I wish it hadn't taken this long.

Ekko exhaled, tapping his fingers nervously against the table. His expression darkened, shadows creeping over the hopeful glow.

"Lukas," he said finally, "I need to ask you something. Something big."

The weight in his tone made Eleanor shift slightly. Lukas leaned forward, raising a brow.

"Go on."

Ekko swallowed hard. Then he said it.

"I want you to lead the Sons of Rapture."

The words hung there, heavy.

Ekko's voice cracked as he pressed forward.

"All this time, I've been doing what I could, but… it's not enough. Every day I feel it slipping. If Silco's army finds us, if they march down here, it's over. Everything we built will be gone. And I—" His throat tightened. "I don't think I can stop it."

He looked straight at Lukas, eyes raw.

"But you...You're the most amazing person I know. If anyone can keep us alive, keeps us going… it's you."

The silence that followed was crushing.

Lukas' expression softened, almost mournful. Then he shook his head.

"No."

Ekko blinked, startled. "Eh—why not?"

"Because I wasn't the one who built this place, Ekko." Lukas answered, leaning forward, his voice sharpening with conviction. "You did."

"These people don't follow me, Ekko. They follow you.They didn't rally behind Lukas the runaway. They rallied behind the kid who never stopped believing."

Ekko opened his mouth to argue, but Lukas cut him off with a sharp gesture.

"To them, I'm just another man who once promised a glorious future and didn't deliver. Who bailed at the last second when it mattered most. Don't mistake what I've done here tonight for leadership. It isn't."

The words hit hard. Ekko sat back, chewing on them, fists tightening.

Eleanor glanced between the two and thought. 'You Just Don't want the responsibility.' But she stayed quiet.

Finally, Ekko's voice cracked again. "Then… what now? If you won't lead—what's the next move?"

And then, Lukas smiled—not soft, not bitter, but sly. A glint of the old fire sparked in his eyes.

"Tell me, Ekko," he said, resting his chin on his hand.

"Ever watched Prison break?"