The Boys: Greatest Supervillain (Arcane - Current World) (JJK ✓)

Caitlyn was filled with nervous jitters as she inspected herself in the full length mirror one last time.

It almost felt like she was in a dream -- she had pictured herself in an Enforcer uniform more times than she could count. Ever since that meeting with Sheriff Grayson as a girl, which had turned shooting from a hobby that she had a talent for to a skill to hone for a purpose.

It was only a few years later that the desire to become an Enforcer crystalized into a true goal in the wake of the Sheriff's death.

Murdered in the Undercity, protecting the people from those that sought them harm.

It took a thousand arguments and a hundred compromises to finally convince her mother.

Her father had quietly supported her, helping in his own way -- not so much because he approved, but because he knew it was something she was serious about. It was the path she had chosen for her life and she was determined to see it through.

And, at long last, she was going to take her first serious step to become what she wanted to be.

"You look wonderful, dear," Caitlyn heard her mother say, revealing her presence at the door. Her mother, despite how fiercely she had resisted the idea, looked at her with pride in her eyes.

"I can see you with the Sheriff tassels already."

"Bit early for that. I don't even have my Ensign badge," Caitlyn muttered a reply, plucking at the hem of her uniform before she turned around to face her.

"I'm not running behind, am I?" She asked, a spike of worry driving into her heart as she realized she had no idea how long she had spent on her appearance.

"No, you're still on time for being early. I just wanted to have a word with you before you left," her mother admitted, stepping into her bedroom. The maids kept it clean, despite Caitlyn's clutter -- there were about a good dozen rifles and pistols that were in various stages of disassembly, and there was only so much shelf space.

"You know I'm against this. And I know that you know. It's dangerous. Even at the highest levels… it's not safe, Caitlyn."

Caitlyn opened her mouth to begin the argument anew, only to fall silent when her mother held up a hand.

"But, I am proud of you. The danger worries me because I'm your mother, and worrying about our children is what we do. Both myself and your father. So, I need you to promise me that you'll be careful. I won't ask that you be safe because that… that isn't the job. And you're too stubborn for your own good."

"Mother, it's orientation. They aren't going to send us off half cocked-" Caitlyn started but her mother silenced her with a look.

"You know that's not what I meant," her mother pointed out, rightly so. Caitlyn did understand.

A soft sigh escaped her, "I promise I'll be careful. But I won't let that get in the way of the job," she added, making her mother smile at her. The smile that parents gave when their children said something foolish.

"I'd be shocked if you did," her mother replied drily. However, then her smile fell and she closed her eyes for a moment. Something felt wrong, like a dream shifting to a nightmare, and that feeling only grew when her mother opened her eyes to level a heavy gaze on Caitlyn.

"Enjoy your first day, Caitlyn. We'll talk after you're done with orientation, okay?"

"... Okay?" Caitlyn replied, not really sure what that conversation would be about, but she was more relieved than suspicious that her mother wasn't trying to stop her enrollment at the last second.

Her mother saw her confusion and simply stepped forward and gave Caitlyn a hug.

"I am proud of you, Caitlyn. Never doubt that for a second."

"I won't," Caitlyn replied, returning the hug for a long minute, a weight lifting off of her shoulders.

It was her mother that ended the hug, "You had better be off. Now you're in danger of arriving on time," she said, giving Caitlyn a small smile. Caitlyn returned it before she swiftly left the room and the manor after that.

Her driver was already waiting for her with the door open for her to enter the mechanized carriage.

The jitters grew stronger as she gazed out the window, watching the city go by. Seeing the small changes that most others wouldn't have noticed.

Like how the shops displayed more Noxian, Demacia, and even Ionian goods in their display windows. The fabrics of people's clothes showed subtle changes, the hues more colorful and vibrant.

To that end, there were simply more people as well -- people from across the world who decided to accompany the trade ships back from whatever far corner of the world they were flung.

Her gaze lingered on a Mr. Handy that stood on a corner, holding a sign aloft. Advertisement for a music shop. Her lips twitched as she saw the machine as it spun the sign to the point she almost couldn't read the looping text written on it. "Miraculous Melodies?" She remarked, passing the shop by.

There were other Mr. Handys out in the city. Some followed behind their owners, others were performing maintenance in spots that people couldn't reach without difficulty.

Over the course of months, the machines were steadily becoming more and more common. Each one expensive but, in Piltover, that just meant purchasing one was a matter of pride.

She hadn't interacted with Law Trafalgar much outside of a few brief meetings, usually when they were surrounded by others.

Jayce seemed to think a lot of him, though. So, for that, Caitlyn was pleased to see that Law's creation was a resounding success.

It was just fascinating to see someone who had the utmost confidence in themselves go and do exactly what they hoped to achieve.

Before long, the Enforcer Academy came into view -- it was on the fringe of Piltover, towards the northern edge of the city. The remoteness of it helped with the drills. Or so she had heard. It was a large building, with several floors seated at the heart of a track with obstacle courses surrounding it -- blue brick with brass trimmings. It was unmistakable.

"Thanks for the ride, Donnovan," Caitlyn said, getting out of the carriage. Her family's drover offered a smile before leaving her to approach the large double doors. Her heart was pounding in anticipation as she stepped inside and she glanced down at the sheet of paper that marked her orientation room. 3A.

After getting a little lost, she found the room and pulled it open to find a large classroom… that had entirely too many seats for the people within.

It could seat around a hundred with the elevated seats, but perhaps thirty were scattered about. They all glanced her way while Caitlyn glanced at the clock finding that she was right on time.

There was only one person in the front row. A raven haired woman around her age, with golden amber eyes -- she was pretty. Very pretty. Pretty enough that Caitlyn gave her as wide a berth as possible while also taking a seat in the front row.

She was the last to arrive it seemed, because it was only a few minutes later that a man entered the classroom. Caitlyn recognized him instantly.

Sheriff Marcus. The man who replaced Sheriff Grayson, earning the title by bringing Grayson's murderers to justice. A man of average height, with short black hair and a thin short beard wearing an immaculate uniform with the Sheriff Badge on his chest.

"Welcome to orientation," Marcus began, his tone even and lacking much warmth. "All of you are here because you wish to serve our fair city. To protect its people from foes within and without. Enforcers are, in function, the closed fist of the Council, and everyone here must prepare themselves to be used as one."

Caitlyn wasn't the only one who shifted in her seat at the rather bleak opening message. Something that Marcus didn't miss as his dark eyes bounced between them, lingering on Caitlyn.

"Some of you have an idealized vision of what it means to be an Enforcer, I see. That's fine. Enough time on the job will get rid of such ideas, so I won't waste my breath."

Now Caitlyn was frowning, but she still said nothing as Marcus continued.

"Enforcers are stationed in both Piltover and the undercity, however, of the two, the station that you want is in Piltover. The undercity is a den of murderers, rapists, thieves, and conmen -- it's not their fault, really. In the end, those in the undercity don't have the same opportunities as the people in this room. Yet, instead of lifting each other up and banding together to improve their situation… they instead celebrate those that violate our laws. Being a criminal is honorable in their eyes."

What was going on? What was this speech? Had her mother put him up to this? One final gambit to get her to quit before she committed?

"Violence is the only language that the undercity understands. It is the only language that they speak -- both to us, and to each other." Marcus continued, unbothered by the effect his words were having on the room as he set a briefcase on the table.

"And they seek nothing more than to drag us down to their level."

He reached inside of the briefcase and took out a pill bottle before he tossed it to Caitlyn, who nearly dropped it.

"Joy," Marcus began as she inspected the small pink pills for a moment before she reached out to pass it to the raven haired girl in the same row. Caitlyn tried to not notice how her fingers brushed against Caitlyn's as she took it.

"And Mentats," Marcus continued, tossing Caitlyn a tray of tablets covered by a film. Small white squares. It was almost professional in presentation.

"Both are drugs originating in the undercity. One induces euphoria while the other induces focus -- both have been found in Piltover University, used by students. So far, we have had three overdoses, one of which was ultimately fatal." Caitlyn had heard something like that, though she hadn't known what drug had been taken.

"I won't begrudge them their own accomplishments. The people of the undercity do possess their own special brand of innovation. However, they use it to make a mockery of our way of life… and I can think of no better example than what happened today."

Today? What happened today?

"Leave your things. We're going on a small field trip. I see all of you have your doubts, so I hope seeing will be believing," Marcus said as he gestured them to all follow.

They hesitated before doing so with her and the raven haired girl at the front. She leaned in and whispered, "That was… bracing."

"Not exactly what I thought orientation would cover…" Caitlyn agreed, whispering back. That got the girl's lips to twitch.

"Cinder Fall," Cinder introduced herself with a smirk.

"Caitlyn," Caitlyn introduced herself, leaving off her first name. She loved her family, but it was undeniable that people acted differently once they heard it.

The chance to talk fell away as they loaded up into a trolly that took them back into the city, then on another that brought them down into the undercity. Masks were given out and most chose to put them on as the air grew… strange.

Each breath made Caitlyn want to cough as if she had a tickle in the back of her throat, but she held off to avoid looking weak. In particular in comparison to Cinder, who didn't seem to mind the air of the undercity at all.

Nor did she flinch from the sights around them.

The undercity felt like stepping into a whole new world. It was completely unlike the upper part of the city -- everything was dark and grimy, with even the air feeling unclean.

The bright neon lights illuminated everything despite it being mid morning, as the sun hadn't risen high enough to illuminate the fissures.

Soon, she saw more traces of Law's involvement in the city. Men and women placing filters marked with the Vought logo, or people waiting in line to relieve a nutritional block that'd keep them healthy, if not full.

The grime of the city was being pushed back with another one of his machines -- a Mr. Clean, which was much like a Mr. Handy that was focused on repairs and cleaning.

Caitlyn wasn't entirely sure what Marcus was taking them to see until they saw it.

Makeshift medical areas on the sides of roads filled with people bloodied and screaming. Signs of an explosion revealed what happened, leaving behind rubble and…

Caitlyn's stomach nearly heaved when she realized the scraps of meat had once been people. Others lost the battle and puked, but Marcus didn't allow them to linger. As he led them through the streets, from one disaster to the next, he spoke.

"As far as we can tell, this was the result of two gangs coming into conflict. Men and women were used as suicide bombers who took out gang affiliated targets… along with everyone else that happened to be nearby."

He held up a finger, "Yet, that wasn't their most egregious breach in basic dignity. No. They are guilty of a far greater crime," Marcus said and…

"What is… that?" Caitlyn heard herself whisper as they approached the edge of one of the Lanes, a bridge that allowed them to look at… Caitlyn wasn't even sure.

It was like a space had just been erased. A perfectly round dome that eclipsed to buildings entirely and shaved off entire rooms around them. She could almost visualize whatever bomb had gone off as it had too have been placed directly in the center of the road.

However, everything within that area was just… gone. Reduced to a fine layer of dust that had already settled.

She wasn't sure if Marcus had heard her, but he answered her question all the same.

"That is the undercity reminding us of the dangers of magic. A single unregistered mage killed everyone in those buildings, and maimed three in the periphery. We can't even count the dead because there's nothing left of them. Our best estimates… somewhere between fifty to a hundred people died today. Over a gang turf war."

Oh… poor Jayce, Caitlyn thought to herself, realizing that his Hextech had likely just gotten a lot more controversial. He was already frustrated by the red tape he was facing as it was, but now…

"This is what you will be facing as Enforcers of the city. People who can butcher a hundred men, half of them innocent of any wrongdoing, without care simply because it advances whatever evil agenda that they have. This is what you have to prepare yourself to face, because you are the shield that protects the innocent from this. If you aren't ready for that, then quit."

Marcus finished, holding his hands behind his back as he gazed at the lot of them.

None of them walked away.