Chapter 2: Out of Time
"Where do you think Backwarder is?" asked Chat Noir.
"I hope I'm right. There's a bench on the bank of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower. I delivered the wrong letter there to an elderly woman named Marianne. That's why she got akumatized."
"Why would she go there now?"
"Master Fu gave me a letter for her. He knew where she would be, even though he hasn't been in touch with her for years. I think Marianne went there every day – the place must be important to her. I'm hoping she went back in time to the day it first became important."
"Do you know what was in Master Fu's letter?"
"I didn't read it, but I gave it to another woman by mistake. She thought I was declaring my love to her; she told me she was already taken."
"Mee-ouch. Embarrassing."
"Anyway, that's what this is all about. Backwarder wants to get back with Master Fu. We have to hurry before she does something crazy."
A short time earlier, Young Marianne and Master Fu were running away from the Nazis. Fu had the phonograph that concealed the Miracle Box in his backpack.
Red searchlights lit the sky around them. There were zeppelins in the sky above the Eiffel Tower.
"Wait!" said Marianne, stopping her run. "We have to fight, Fu! Let's use the Miraculous: I'll take the Ladybug and you take the Black Cat!"
"But what if we fail?" asked Fu. "They'll get hold of this box and it will mean the end of the world! Come with me; we'll be safe in England."
Fu took Marianne's hand and began to run again, but she let go.
Fu turned back toward her. "Marianne?"
"Leave without me — I'd rather stay and resist, even without the Miraculous!"
Fu took out a brooch with a Chinese ideogram on it and pinned it to Marianne's blouse.
"I'll come back for this... and you!" said Fu.
Marianne took his hands. "I'll be waiting for you, right here, every day!"
"Marianne, I've never told you this, but I –"
He was interrupted by the appearance of a strange figure who leaped down from the street above.
"Marianne, go with him!" said Backwarder.
"Who are you?" asked Marianne in surprise and fear.
"I am you from the future. The Butterfly Miraculous holder granted me the power to travel in time. Don't make the mistake I did. Go with Fu now, or you will spend decades alone."
"The missing Butterfly!" said Fu. "You know who has it?"
"How do we know this isn't some Nazi trick?" asked Marianne. "Can you prove you're from the future?"
"I can," said Marianne. "The symbol on that brooch Fu just gave you – years later I found out what it meant. It's the symbol for 'love' in a simplified form of Chinese writing that will be invented a decade from now."
"It's true, Marianne," said Fu. "I wanted something special for you. I meditated with the help of the Rooster kwami. Roosters greet the rising sun of the new day – he grants the power of Foresight. I had a vision of that new symbol for love."
There was a shout in the distance. "Over there! Catch them!"
"The Nazis!" said Backwarder. "You must go! I used a lot of power to get here, but I still have enough to make them back off."
"Thank you, future me," said Marianne. "I'll take your advice and go with Fu."
"But I must know about the Butterfly," said Fu.
"No time!" said Marianne, pulling him along.
The couple headed off, running together.
The voices came closer. "Come on! Faster! The box! We must get the box!"
The leading Nazi soldiers came close. Backwarder leaped among them, striking with her clock wand. They ran backwards, disrupting the others.
Ladybug and Chat Noir came swinging and vaulting in.
"Time out, Backwarder," said Chat Noir.
"You're my enemies, but there is something bigger at stake," said Backwarder. "Help me fight off the Nazis so that Marianne and Fu can escape."
"We get to fight Nazis!" said Chat Noir. "If we had time, we could even destroy Hitler."
"That never works," said Ladybug.
The two heroes attacked with staff and yo-yo, quickly defeating the small group of Nazis with the help of Backwarder. Chat kept his power of destruction in reserve.
"Thank all of you for eliminating my competition for the Miraculouses," said a cold voice from above them.
"Hawk Moth!" said Ladybug and Chat Noir together.
"My Miraculous preserved me on this trip back in time," said Hawk Moth. "This is the perfect opportunity to seize all of the Miraculouses from their Guardian. With that much power I will be able to do anything, even return to my own time."
"No you don't!" said Ladybug.
"We won't let you!" said Chat Noir.
The heroes leaped up to where Hawk Moth stood in the middle of the street. Hawk Moth drew his sword.
"I'm a better fighter than both of you. You needed the help of your team last time we faced off. You're all alone and out of time. I even have an ally. Backwarder, help me fight them or I'll pull your power and you'll disappear!"
"My work here is done," said Backwarder. "There's no place for me in the new future I've created."
Using the last of her temporal power to make small time-skips, Backwarder moved too fast to stop. She impaled herself on Hawk Moth's sword. The sword went through the brooch in her chest, releasing the akuma butterfly. The magic boiled away, leaving Marianne pierced through the chest.
Ladybug didn't give herself time to react. She got to work capturing the butterfly before it could escape.
"You monster!" yelled Chat Noir, leaping at Hawk Moth with his black-glowing right hand extended.
Hawk Moth couldn't use his sword and he was still in shock from what had happened. Chat brought his hand down on Hawk Moth's shoulder, willing total disintegration.
Hawk Moth turned to black dust and crumbled. Marianne's body fell to the ground.
"No!" said Ladybug. "You shouldn't have killed him! Maybe I can... make it all not happen."
Her earring beeped rapidly, signaling her time was up. She didn't even have enough time left to use the healing charm.
"Chat!" she shouted, throwing the spotted Lucky Charm pipe to him.
Ladybug detransformed. Chat caught a glimpse of a familiar face before Marinette vanished from existence.
Chat stared at the pipe he had caught. His mind was full of horror at what he had just happened, at what he had done. What was he supposed to do with this thing? Oh yes...
He threw the pipe into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
Time rushed forward in a blur.