**A/N: A teaser companion short for the upcoming story "One and the Same" (currently slated to come out about January 2019). The sequel to my story "Peeping Tomcat" starts off with an akuma attack, so of course I had to figure her out first.**
"Nadja, about the school fair piece-" Clara Contard jogged behind Nadja Chamack through the crowded hallways of the TVi building.
"It was a great piece, Clara. Good job." Nadja paused just long enough to place a congratulatory hand on the Junior Reporter's shoulder before turning back to her buzzing about the office.
"Thank you, but I was just sort of hoping that maybe I could get more meaty stories."
"You'll get them." Nadja didn't bother stopping this time. She zipped over to a cubicle, scooped up the report offered to her, scanned it quickly, and handed it back. "You should work on the conclusion there. It's a bit clunky to end on." She noted to the man. She then continued on her way. Clara still in tow.
"I know, but when?" Clara tried hard to sound stern instead of defeated. "I feel like I've been on these fluff pieces for so long. You're mostly an anchor now, in the studio, and yet they send you out on the street for beat pieces as well. Wouldn't it be easier on you to not have to divide your attention? I could handle the remotes-"
"People trust me to bring them the news. I get to the story quickly and accurately." Nadja stopped by a few more cubicles, and offered a few more notes; not missing a beat as she held up her conversation with Clara. "I've earned the respect of Paris, and with that I've brought them to TVi. I know it may seem cocky to say this, but I'm sort of the reason they tune in."
"But I could be that reporter too. Just give me a chance."
Nadja stopped at her office door and blew out a deep breath. "Clara, I'm sorry, I really am. You're a good reporter, you are, but you're still a junior reporter. You're just not ready yet. You don't have a network of sources. You can't get to the stories fast enough."
"I can. I know I can. I-"
"Clara," Nadja's voice became sharp, but not harsh, like whenever she became stern with her daughter. "You've been out-scooped by the Ladyblog at least five times. You have yet to beat a high schooler to a story."
"Well, no one is faster than that girl when it comes to Ladybug-"
"And Ladybug is what Paris cares about now. She is where the stories are. If you can't get to her before a teenager can, then you're not ready. I'm sorry, but that's the end of this discussion. Just, keep trying, you'll get there eventually."
Nadja slid behind her office door and closed it quickly, before Clara could edge her way in.
"Get there eventually? Get there eventually! I'm there now! Or I would be if it weren't for that stupid girl and her Ladyblog!" Clara stormed over to the elevators, frantically pressing the down button. "People care more about Ladybug and Chat Noir," she muttered to herself as the elevator doors opened. "There are more important pieces than cats stuck in trees or school festivals without Ladybug being involved. I could do an expose about the mayor, or talk to Officer Roger about the effect akuma attacks have on overall crime rate. Ladybug isn't the be-all and end-all of the news."
The elevator doors closed; leaving her alone to brew. She paced the small area. Pulling a small moleskin notebook out of her blue blazer pocket, she flipped it open to the inside cover.
Congratulations, Clara! We knew you could make it. Now go sniff out the truth for all of Paris. Love, Mom & Dad
Clara traced the round letters of her mother's handwriting. Her parents had given the now-nearly-filled notebook to her when she got the job with TVi, and normally the encouraging inscription was enough to push Clara forward; making sure she never gave up when times were tough. Now it just seemed to mock her.
Sniff out the truth. How could she do that if she was stuck on puff pieces? She growled in frustration. If it weren't for an over-zealous teenager, she would be able to prove to all of Paris that she was just as good as Nadja, just as trustworthy, to get them the facts of what was going on in their city.
Between the third and second floors, the lights in the elevator flickered before shutting off; dimming everything in the emergency track lighting.
"What's going on?" Clara pounded on the elevator buttons and the door, and almost instantly got assaulted by a black and purple butterfly.
It shot straight for the moleskin notebook still in Clara's hand, landing on it, and instantly absorbing into the soft cover. As her notebook turned black a voice rung out in her head.
"Headliner," he said, and Clara knew it was Hawk Moth's voice. She was surprised to find it soothing and charismatic. "I can make it so that you'll never again be out-scooped by anyone. You will know everything that Paris tries to hide. You can unbury the truth. In return, you will use that truth to track down Ladybug and Chat Noir so that you can take their Miraculouses and bring them to me."
"They won't be able to hide from my watchful eye, Hawk Moth." Clara sealed the verbal contract between her and the supervillain that had been terrorizing Paris for months. She didn't care. She felt the power he offered her, and she needed it.
Black smoke bubbled from her notebook and engulfed her in a cloudy cocoon. She felt herself become more confident and strong. She wasn't going to be pushed around anymore. She was no longer taking 'no' for an answer. She was done with fishing competitions and animal fashion shows. She was now the greatest reporter Paris had ever known.
The smoke cleared, and Clara caught her reflection in the freshly polished elevator doors. Her simple brunette ponytail was now a choppy, black page cut, topped with a brown leather fedora, like she was an American reporter from the 1920s. The look was completed with a matching brown trenchcoat and leather gloves. Under the coat was a bodysuit designed to emulate the French flag. The bodus was red, the legs were blue, and a thick white utility belt draped across her waist.
She knew then that she wasn't Clara anymore. Clara was weak; a pushover who didn't deserve to be a news anchor. She was Hawk Moth's reporter and villain now. She was Headliner, and she was going to find everything that Paris had been trying to hide.
She tucked her moleskin notebook into one of the utility belt pouches. It had a deep purple tint now that an akuma was hiding in it, and Headliner knew she had to keep it safe in order to keep her new powers.
The elevator started up again, and the doors opened on the ground floor. With swagger that matched what she had seen in old westerns, Headliner brushed the side of her coat behind her hip. She then unholstered a microphone.
The people in the lobby stared at her as her heels clicked on the tiled floor. With a skill she didn't realize she had, Headlner twirled the microphone across her knuckles before feeling a switch. Normally, it would be what turned the microphone on, but this switch was special. She could sense it. She brushed the switch up with her thumb and a retractable cord extended from the bottom.
Smirking, she fingered the long cord.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Headliner, and I have a few questions for you." She whipped the microphone around her head, leading the cord behind it like a lasso.
The shock in the lobby dissolved into panic as people began to scatter, screaming.
Headliner calmly walked forward with her microphone lasso still spinning above her. Spotting an older teen with a brunette man-bun and soul patch, Headliner whipped her microphone cord towards him, wrapping him up in it.
"I've seen you around Ladybug and akuma attacks before." She stepped closer to him, the microphone cord retracting with each step; making sure there was no slack. When she was barely a pace away she spoke into the microphone. "Tell me your name."
The cord glowed yellow, and the teen winced before responding with a strained voice, as if the answer was being pulled from his throat. "Théo Barbot."
"Good," Headliner cooed into her microphone, "Now, tell me everything you know about Ladybug and Chat Noir."
**What will become of Clara? What will become of Nadja or Alya? What will Théo tell Headliner? How will Ladybug and Chat Noir save the day? Find out when "One and the Same" comes out!
I actually wrote this just days after completing "Peeping Tomcat," but since the actual outline for "One and the Same" is still in the works I didn't want to post this at first. Give it some time to stew. Don't tease the story too early, even if I did tease PT last September and posted the first chapter end of March... so... toe-may-toe; tah-mah-toe...
I ended up caving in for two reasons:
1) I really liked this akuma. She was the first one I ever came up with (originally she was going to be Nadja for the same reason of being outscooped by Alya, but then Prime Queen happened...). She just didn't fit with the PT storyline.
2) I promised myself at the start of 2018 that I would post a new story at least once a month, and August is almost done! I was so pre-occupied with family issues and working on OatS that I nearly missed a month. So I dusted this off (from 3 weeks ago... not much dust there) and polished it a bit.
I hope you enjoyed it!**