This chapter is dedicated to all the people who lost their lives or injured during the Bastille Celebration in Nice. I hope and pray that this violence stops soon. Also, take a look at the Ladybug wikia. The creator released the whole class's last names.
Marinette arrived early to school for a class rep meeting. Ever since Peace Keeper had given her the special agenda/watch, Marinette hadn't been late once. She was now organized and was even able to make up the time when it came to her Ladybug activities. It was nice not to get yelled at for being late. Running up the stairs she nearly tripped and fell to the ground.
"Whoa girl, you need to watch where you're walking. Don't want to end up with a flat face do you?" Alya stated as she caught the back of Marinette's jacket and helped her upright. "What's the hurry anyways? Ever since you won that non-conventional contest and got your cool agenda, you act as if proving you can arrive on time means your something special."
Alya watched her friend smile and laugh before making a face. Yes, proving she could be on time, proved that she was changing into a responsible trustworthy person. "I give, when you're right, your right. Still, I don't think it's the meeting today that's got you so jittery is it? They can't start the meeting without us."
"I know, but I found something interesting in my plants this morning and I was hoping Ms. Mendeleiev could take a look at it." Before Alya could ask further, Marinette asked her if there was anything new on the Ladyblog. She needed to know if that strange incident had made it out to the Internet.
Alya nodded with a glee as she started swiping her smartphone until she found what she was looking for. "Check this out, it's a bit grainy considering it was sent at such a low definition. I'm guessing someone couldn't resist sending it. Take a look."
It was an image from one of the security cameras in the hospital. It showed the Akuma going crazy as Ladybug and Chat Noir battled her. Marinette winced internally as she saw how close the stone knife came to slicing her arm off. A minute or two later, Itzpapalotil, changed back without any help. "Can you believe this? The Akuma changed back to normal without any intervention from Ladybug! How is that even possible? Did you see when the Akuma turned to normal? That woman must have recently given birth, so why would she be angry?"
Marinette grabbed the phone from her best friend ready to delete the video. With a stern look on her face, the teen heroine started her attempt to get Alya to not post the video. "Alya, you can't post this, it's from a hospital security camera! It's illegal to post or send images like this over the Internet. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could be in for just receiving it?"
Alya tried to grab the phone back saying it was the first new information in weeks about the heroes of Paris. Marinette stood firm threatening to smash her friend's phone. "Alya, I'm trying to be a good friend here. It's not just the legal issues, its invasion of patient privacy. What are you going to do? Go the hospital and demand to speak to a woman, who must be in distress after giving birth and being Akumasized, in such a short time?"
Relenting, Alya promised not to put up the video and find another source to get her information from. Satisfied, the bluenettte gave her friend back the smartphone. They both headed inside the school and headed to the library where the meeting was taking place. Today, the class reps were deciding things for the school's community fair. The school community fair was a very big deal. It was the students' way of thanking the community around them for helping them with school related matters and to help incoming students get use to attending college next year. The class reps were in charge of making sure everything was planned, paid for, and ready for the event.
"Alright, how are we doing with the budget? We haven't overspent anything have we?" One of the class reps from the grade below asked. His deputy responded promptly replied that they still had enough in the budget to replace any damaged items and pay the shop owners for their time and effort.
"Each class is creating a unique booth for the event. I have the lists of what each class is doing as well as the layout of where everything goes in the courtyard."
"The art club agreed to make the decorations, as long as we cover the cost, of the art supplies. How are we doing for food?"
That was Marinette and Alya's job. "My parents have generously agreed to bake the treats for the event and Alya's mom agreed to help prepare some tasty and healthy lunch food."
"I also found us a vendor who agreed to donate drinks ranging from ice water to a limit amount of wine. All that needs to be done is to pick up the order and advertisements from him and we'll be golden," Alya added in a perky voice.
"That's good, without the donation I didn't know how we were going to cover the cost for amount of drinks we'll need. After all, the money we raise will go into improving the school over the summer break. Everyone was hoping to raise enough money to purchase specialized glass and windows to replace them. This glass would maximize sunlight, but keep the heat down thus reducing the cost of electricity and become a greener school.
"Alya and I also came up with ideas of how to recycle the items left after the fair. The booths can be given to outdoor vendors to help expand their business, the toys could be given to the hospital and the food distributed to families in need."
The other class reps nodded and told her to keep thinking of ways to reuse what they made. They wanted to make this a green fair and ensure that they're money spent would continue to help the community. A short time later the meeting was over and everyone hurried to get to their homerooms. There was no time to go see Ms. Mendeleev before class so it would have to wait.
During her first two periods it took everything in her to keep still and pay attention. Her usual cause for daydreaming, Adrien, was sitting in front of her whispering to Nino about something. Today, her mind was on the strange butterfly that had been used as an akuma. She really needed to identify the species.
Finally it was time for science class. Marinette rushed to the lab arriving first. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you know the rules. No running in the halls or in the classroom. I don't need you tripping over something and burning up my classroom."
The teen's cheeks turned red and she was going to go take her seat. She even took a step towards her seat, stopped, pivoted on her foot and marched over to her teacher looking her straight in the eye. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a small container with the remains of the butterfly in it.
"I found this butterfly this morning when I was watering my plants. I've never seen anything like this near my plants before or in Paris to my recollection. I was um hoping, um you could…"
"You want to know if I can identify it and why it died in your plants?" she looked at the classroom filling up. Most of the students already appeared like they wanted to be anywhere, but here. It was nice for a change for someone to be interested in science and coincidentally it would tie into the upcoming science unit.
"I'll take it home and see what I can learn. You can have it back next science period. Now sit down Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I have a class to conduct." Marinette nodded and hoped that the butterfly remains wouldn't hurt her teacher.
It was a rare day for Adrien. He didn't have anything scheduled for after school. He was planning on hanging out with Nino or going back to the hospital to see how the victim's recovery was going. Waiting at the base of the stairs; he saw Nino come out along with Alya and Marinette. He waved to them and they waved back, well except for Marinette who froze and did a weak wave. She had a weird look on her face.
"Yo Adrien what's up man? I thought you had something to do after school today as usual," Nino said high fiving his friend. The DJ expression brightened as a thought came to him. "No way man. You have a free day?"
Adrien rubbed the back of his head. "Well just until seven. My dad wants to talk to me tonight about an upcoming event I'm going to be modeling in. Nathalie usually tells me what the event is, but for some reason my dad wants to tell me."
"Isn't that a good thing? You're always saying you wish he would spend a bit more time with you. Relax, I'm pretty sure, your dad wouldn't let you model something he didn't want you too," Nino assured his friend. Adrien visibly relaxed upon hearing that. "So you want to come over and play some games. I just got a new one, Survival of the Fiercest. It's got great graphics and game play is amazing."
Adrien nodded and turned to ask if the girls wanted to join them, but Alya interrupted him. "Marinette and I, have to do some class rep stuff, then we're going to the hospital. I need to get some legit information to confirm an Akuma attack there last night. Coming Marinette?"
Marinette tried to tell Alya that was a bad idea, only for the young blogger reporter to grab her best friend's arm and started dragging her down the street as Marinette continuously protested about going to the hospital.
"Oh boy, I love my girl Alya, but one day she's going to get herself in big trouble in her pursuit of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Come on let's go." Adrien followed his best friend hoping that if Alya did get anything, it would be useful to him and Ladybug.
Hanging out with Nino was the highlight of the day. Survival of the Fiercest, turned out to be a pretty amazing game. After taking a short quiz, he go to design his own avatar to go with the spirit animal he tested for. Of course, his spirit animal was a black panther. Nino ended up with a monkey. In each level the two players were pushed to the limits to survive in harsh environments as they fought one another to come out on top.
The due had reached the final level, a burning jungle. The two Avatars and their spirit animals had popped into existence in a ring of fire. "You are going down Adrien. My strength is unmatched and my monkey is going to make a fool of your big cat."
"Hah, my panther is going to chew your animal out once it runs out of energy! Take that!" On screen, his avatar swung his staff catching Nino's off guard. Nino's avatar got back up and ducked under Adrien's staff slashing with his knife. He got to close and the panther took a swipe at him. His heroic monkey pal jumped on the panther tugging its ears.
Just then they heard Adrien's phone ringing. Pausing the game Adrien grabbed his phone and was shocked. He had twenty minutes to get home and be presentable for his father. "I've got to get home now! I don't want to think about what my dad's reaction will be if I'm late."
"My mom could give you a ride. Want me to get her? " Adrien didn't hear Nino's question as he rushed out the door slamming it shut behind. "Hope he can get home in time."
In a nearby alley, Adrien was begging for Plagg's help. "Come on, I need to get home fast. I can be there in less than ten minutes as Chat Noir. I can't be late!"
"You should have fed me more than! I only had three wedges of Camembert at breakfast! Nothing for lunch or even a snack! I'm getting a bit annoyed with all these personal requests," the cat Kwamii growled. Sure he gave all his "kittens" a hard time, but he wanted his cheese!
"If you get me home in time, I'll buy you three, no, four cheese breads from Marinette's family bakery." The cat Kwamii's eyes widen in delight as he rubbed his belly, almost tasting that cheese bread now. "Good Plagg. Claws Out!"
Seconds later Chat Noir was running as fast as he could across the rooftops. Using his staff he flung himself through the air landing on whole six blocks later. A few more pole vaults and he landed next to his mansion and detransformed out of sight. Hiding Plagg, he made sure the security camera at the gate recorded him coming home, before slipping inside.
Nathalie wasn't waiting for him at the door, which was a surprise. He quickly went to his room and quickly freshened up and found some clean clothes. "You stay here Plagg, I don't want you bothering me when I talk to Nathalie and Father." Without looking behind him, Adrien went to his father's office and knocked on the door waiting to be let in.
"Come in." Gabriel Agreste was seated at his desk looking over some paperwork. Nathalie stood next to him taking down notes. Adrien sat down in a chair, making sure to maintain his perfect posture. "You wanted to see me Father?"
Gabriel looked up from his paperwork and adjusted his glasses before speaking. "Yes. As you our exclusive mid-season line runway show is coming up soon. Since this year we'll be partnering with another fashion company, the Agreste Line needs to stand out more. This mid-season designs are based on the concept of animal symbolism, which I'm told is growing trend. Our line will have an exclusive accessory set to go with each outfit to increase our sales."
"You wish for me to model one of the outfit and the accessories? I can do that Father."
Gabriel nodded, folding his hands together. "Yes, which leads me to the reason for this meeting. The animal symbolism theme must look as natural as possible. Each model has to connect to the outfit." He slid a piece of paper over to his son.
It was a list of fourteen animals divided into two columns, one for girls and one for boys. The girl list was: ladybug, butterfly, honeybee, horse, swan, whale, and lastly frog. The boy list was: cat, fox, turtle, peacock, praying mantis, salmon, and badger. The rest of the paper had a spiritual animal quiz.
"The quiz is used to identify which animal you're most connect with. All the male options are open except for the cat. That one was already chosen. Please take this seriously. We need to do alterations starting two days from now."
Adrien hid his disappointment about the cat thing from his father. In the long run it might be a good idea not to be connect with the cat if he wanted to protect his identity. Let's hope I identify with something cool. He quickly finished the quiz and handed it back.
Gabriel looked over the results with the tiniest bit of a smile. "Nathalie please inform the alterations team to size the cloths and accessories for the badger outfit." The woman nodded as she hurried off to make the call. After telling Adrien he expected him to be in top performance he dismissed him. The boy left wondering how badly Plagg would tease him about being connected with a badger.
Nino knew something was up with his best friend when Adrien came into the classroom his cheeks flushed. He was muttering something under breath angrily. He took his seat and moaned.
"Hey what's up Adrien? Did you get in trouble for being late?"
"No, I got home in time. My dad has a new job and well, I'll tell you more at lunch okay," the blond told him. "That is if you and Alya don't have a lunch date."
"It's cool, I'm sure Alya and Marinette wouldn't mind joining us. Alya is literally ready to burst with new information for her blog," he said smiling amusingly. He knew the girls certainly wouldn't mind having lunch with them, especially Marinette.
Behind them, Alya kept whispering to Marinette. "Can you believe how lucky we got? I can't wait to post this video to the blog and that interview we got. I'm going to get so many new hits!" She was staring at her phone wanting to play the video again.
"Alya, not now please. I can't get another detention right now! Do I have to remind you of our obligation to the school council?" Marinette hissed. Ms. Bustier came in the room to begin class. The teen quickly sat up straight taking out her homework. In doing so; she felt a tiny twinge of pain in her right ear. Shaking her head, she stared at the teacher.
By the time lunch came around Marinette had a few more twinges in her right ear, but thought nothing of it. It was probably nothing to worry about, besides, she was having lunch with Adrien! "I can't believe I'm about to have lunch with Adrien!"
"Hey don't get ahead of yourself girl. Nino and I are going to be there too and I apparently Adrien has something he wants to tell us. Come on, we're supposed to meet them at that new café two blocks from here. I'll race you." Alya took off running with Marinette right behind her praying that her ladybug luck would keep her from tripping.
Alya slowed down and tripped Marinette on purpose, watching as her best friend landed in Adrien's arms. She smirked as Marinette stuttered an apology before asking if Adrien was okay. He was, and like a true gentlemen, he held out the seat for her. "I knew that would work," she whispered to herself.
"So Alya, what's with the running? I thought you had a scoop to share with us, not going out to get one." Nino wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. She pushed him aside and took her seat. "Okay, I get it, let's get something to eat. I'm starving. Then maybe my main man here can tell us why he's so moody today."
Adrien shot Nino a dark look, but said nothing. The DJ just gave him a grin. It was fun messing around with Adrien's mind. After they got their sandwiches and drinks Nino pushed Adrien's buttons again. "So, what's got you so moody? If I didn't know better, I think you're embarrassed about something."
"I AM NOT!" The blond moaned as he held his face in his hands as the others giggled and laughed at him. They had never seen him embarrassed before so it was quite the treat. "Okay, maybe a little embarrassed. My dad's exclusive mid-season fashion and accessory line fashion show is coming up."
"I heard about that! A mid-season line is a make or break moment in the fashion world. You have to account for the current season as well as make it functional and comfortable for the season to come," Marinette squealed in delight. Her eyes sparkled as she dreamed about what kind of outfit she would make if she was designing that kind of line.
Adrien laughed a little. Marinette's enthusiasm about fashion was one of the things he liked about her. "Well modeling this line is a bit different. The theme is Animal Symbolism. The reason I had to get home is my dad wanted me to take a quiz to figure out what outfit I should be modeling." He looked a bit downcast and the others had a feeling he didn't get the animal he wanted. Adrien went on to explain that the animal he wanted and tested for, the cat, was already assigned to someone else. "I think my Dad didn't want me to be connected with Chat Noir. He's mixed on his feeling about him and Ladybug. Sometimes he likes them other days he doesn't."
"How can he not like Lady ummm ummm?" Marinette covered her friend's mouth before she could go into one of her long winded speeches about how great the superheroes were. "So if you're not a cat then what are you going to be?"
"Badger, I'm stuck with being a badger, ugh!" Adrien complained. He could tell they were surprised by how he was acting. He always came off as a perfect gentleman. To say they were shocked, to see him acting like a normal teen, was different.
"So what if you're a badger? I admit they're not my favorite animal. I can't imagine digging in the dirt all the time looking for worms, but hey you'll rock it man. If you can score us some tickets, we'll be there for emotional support. How does that sound?" The blond looked at his best friend and the girls. Knowing they were eager to help him, he promised to get them some tickets no matter what.
Since they were done talking fashion Alya shoved their food off to the side and laid her phone down. "Okay, two nights ago there was a disturbance at a hospital and rumor had it that it was an Akuma! I couldn't believe it after so long another one showed up!"
Nino rolled his eyes. "Why is that a reason to celebrate? That dude Hawkmoth is back, I was hoping Ladybug and Chat Noir had stopped him for good."
Poking her boyfriend in the forehead Alya exclaimed, "This Akuma attack was different. I interviewed a visitor who was there that night and caught the attack on their cell phone. You wouldn't believe what it showed." Pushing play on her smartphone they all watched the fight. Neither Adrien nor Marinette noticed the other wincing at the fight, remembering how much it hurt.
When the video finished, Alya read them the interview she gotten. "Okay so, according to the witness Ladybug didn't have to do anything, the akuma came out on its own and the woman just reverted to normal. That's not normal."
Nino had to agree wondering what had happened. "Dude that was unreal. Maybe Hawkmoth made a mistake or something. Do you think that's why Ladybug picked up the remains?" His fist was supporting his head shuddering to think what that villain was up to. "No matter what's happening, I'm sure that Ladybug and Chat Noir on it. All we can do is be cautious." Silently both heroes agreed with him.
That night Marinette was having a difficult time doing her homework as she kept turning her head towards the returned remains of the butterfly. According to Ms. Mendeleev, the remains belonged to a species that lived in the south parts of France and at mountain altitudes. Also it was too soon to be seeing adults. The teacher had been greatly puzzled and asked Marinette to keep a lookout for more.
Tikki flew up to Marinette to give her a stern lecture. "You need to focus Marinette. If you want to keep your grades up you need to finish your homework, even if its physics."
Putting down her tablet Marinette sighed. "I can barely concentrate on physics in the first place. Now it's impossible with the Akuma remains sitting there. You heard what my teacher said, that butterfly shouldn't be here."
Tikki knew that and she was worried about Nooroo. She knew that if Hawkmoth was experimenting to increase his power, then the little Kwamii must be in serious trouble. "I know it's hard to concentrate, especially with Hawkmoth's latest akuma. Still, you need to finish this homework." She floated over and landed next to the remains. "Let me worry about this for now."
Marinette bit her lip. "Are you sure? I could really use a break." She winced and her hand went up to her right ear again. This time, she felt a slight throbbing. Ignoring the pain, she returned the attention to Tikki. "It's my duty as Ladybug to figure out what the bad guy is up to."
The Kwamii opened her mouth to protest when she started blinking red. Picking up a pencil, she started to write furiously on a clean page of Marinette's sketch pad. When she finished, she ripped the paper out and handed to her chosen. "A message from Peace Keeper. She's just checking in."
Peace Keeper had kept her promise to check in on the heroes. Using Tikki and Plagg's Kwamii Charms, she was able to connect to them and send messages through the link to them and turn the Kwamiis would relate them to their chosen. It was the safest way to communicate without leaving a trail or accidentally exposing Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities.
Dear Marinette, I thought I check in with you seeing as how I am in Europe again. Right now, I'm busy assisting with an ongoing peace mission. I'm hoping to complete my mission soon and visit Paris again. I haven't been able to see any news footage or get on the Ladyblog because our systems are down where I am. As soon as they're fixed, I'll catch up. You and Chat Noir take care. Sincerely, Peace Keeper.
Tucking the note into her special box, the teen wondered where Peace Keeper was exactly in Europe. Each time she got one, she forgave the women a little more. There were some trust issues to work on, namely Peace Keeper being vague about where she was and what she was doing. It made the designer wondered if Peace Keeper was trying to keep her safe or if she had an alternative motive.
Looking at the clock on her computer, she knew if she didn't start cracking down on homework, she'd never finish it in time to get some actual sleep. Tikki was right. She needed to focus on her homework. She had to trust that her Kwamii would figure things out.
With Plagg and Adrien, the cat Kwamii was annoyed. "You can't keep me from my beloved cheese! I need my precious food to keep up my good looks!"
"What good looks? Come on Plagg, you need to be serious here. I know you hiding something. What do you know about that strange akuma?" the model demanded as he held the cheese high up.
Frustrated, Plagg gave him a grumpy look. "If I tell you my suspicions, will you give me my precious cheese?" Adrien nodded as he sat down on the bed waiting for an answer. "Remember how our bond grew strong enough that you could finally hear me even when I'm stuck in the ring?"
After receiving a nod Plagg continued. "Using an analogy, just like it takes time to mature and create the perfect smelly cheese, your powers increase slowly over time. Imagine you're a wheel of Camembert. To become a wheel it took the proper ingredients from the type of milk used, to added ingredients and ripening to become whole."
Adrien rolled his eyes. Only Plagg would think of using cheese to explain that over time a Miraculous users powers grew. Still it made sense in a weird way. "So Hawkmoth powers have increased so he can create Akumas out of anyone correct?"
Plagg shook his head. "Not quite, the Butterfly Miraculous is one of the trickier ones to increase powers because it takes a lot out the user when used correctly. With Hawkmoth using it for evil, his powers should have been stunted. I think he's experimenting and forcing his Kwamii to reveal information ahead of time." Thinking about Nooroo the cat shuddered at the thought at being at the hands of a chosen who controlled him without mercy.
Adrien absorbed this and wondered what information Plagg was keeping from him. He asked the Kwamii once if he could sense other Kwamiis. The cat creature had admitted he could, but he was bound by his Miraculous not to reveal where they were or who their chosen was. "If Hawkmoth's forcing his Kwamii to take a shortcut, what does that mean for Ladybug and me?"
"One word. Trouble."
The sun had just started to rise as its hues of many colors sparkled against the glass of the healing center. In the healer's work space Master Fu and Wayzz were meditating to increase their strength. Just because the Great Guardian was a hundred and eighty six years old, didn't mean he couldn't use a computer. Indeed, he kept up with the Ladyblog to keep an eye on the young champions he'd chosen to wield the Miraculouses. After the latest video was uploaded, he knew that he might have to step in sooner than he thought. He also had concern for his beloved apprentice, Peace Keeper, (who he would always fondly think about as Ning), who had only just begun her apprenticeship.
Opening his eyes, Master Fu moved over to his counter and started drinking a special fruit and veggie power drink. Wayzz levitated over and took a small sip before eating his breakfast of baby carrots. Neither one spoke despite the thoughts in their minds. Finally, they set down the remains of their breakfasts to have another traditional dispute before opening the clinic.
Wayzz sat down on the edge of the table, kicking his little legs and he looked up at his friend and chosen. "Nooroo's master is experimenting with his power. Even under the best circumstances, the Butterfly Miraculous chosen shouldn't attempt this, until they've had their powers for at least three years." The little turtle antenna flopped down in sadness.
His "brother" Nooroo was not a weak Kwamii or overly emotional like the Peacock Kwamii. Plagg had a tendency to be lazy and indifferent, but he loved Tikki. She tended to be an eternal optimist and sweetheart that helped balance out his own seriousness, especially when the Fox Kwamii humor got out of control. That's when the Bee would step in and force them to all do some hard work. Nooroo personality tended to lean to being happy and helpful. He must feel so guilty about what he was doing.
The little turtle blinked his eyes before speaking again. "I feel Nooroo weaken a little more each day. I don't know how much longer he can hold out. He must be freed and soon!"
"Old friend, you're right, but do you truly believe that Ladybug or Chat Noir have the maturity and wisdom, to take on Hawkmoth face to face? Despite having some of their innocence stolen, they are still not strong enough to handle the worst case scenario."
In Fu's long life he had seen both the good and evil humans were capable of. He had fought monsters and nearly lost his life a hundred times. As the Great Guardian he had done things he wasn't proud of to protect the Miraculous Box and its contents. When he imagined the young teens having to make their hard choices, he shuddered fiercely. "No, they are not ready."
"What about distributing the other Miraculous? With the extra help I'm sure they could find Hawkmoth faster." As soon as he finished saying that he felt the still dormant Kwamiis use their Charms to connect with him. It was too soon and there wasn't a person who matched them and was strong enough to handle their responsibilities yet. Not to mention they still had to find and retrieve the Peacock Miraculous whereever it was.
The two partners also knew that they had to save their strength for the right moment. Sea Green Turtle had not made an appearance in twenty three years. That's why Ladybug and Chat Noir had been picked, because they were young and didn't have a back problem. With the rising trouble, the partners knew they might have to step in physically, which explained why Master Fu had started this new health regiment.
"The only way to swing the pendulum back towards good is to hope your apprentice is ready for the next level of training." Despite the years apart and only starting her official apprenticeship a few weeks ago, the young woman had shown the makings of a prodigy.
Her perfect memory allowed her to read and remember the history of the Miraculous with ease. She had gained the trust of the Kwamiis she encountered so far and had mastered his Kwamii Charm, and was nearly there with Plagg's and Tikki's. Her belief in magic was strong and she was a natural protector who loved the world with all her heart.
Even though she was a prodigy, she still had a lot to learn before she took her place as the Great Guardian. "Agreed. A great darkness is coming, one I fear threatens our young heroes. My apprentice might be the only one who can help the duo. It will take great courage and trust if the darkness grows stronger. We shall contact her after we are done with today's sessions." Wayzz nodded his little head as he helped his friend set up for appointments today before hiding in his little bed.
On the island of Cyprus, a UN Peace mission continued at its normal pace. The UNFICYP had been established in 1964 to prevent fighting between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. After the coup d'état and invasions in 1974, along with the illegal claim that the north part of the island belonged to the country of Turkey, the UN mission continued with new orders.
With the political situation unstable and travel between the two sides of the island shut down, the UNFICYP had built a buffer zone that had been taking down a few years ago. Now they concentrated on ensuring cease fires, humanitarian aid, and support missions of good office issued by the Secretary-General. When the reunification talks resumed in May 2015, the members of the team were assigned to offer assistance to the diplomats, in order to reach that goal.
In the UN headquarters in Nicosia, there were several techs working on getting the computer system back up and running. It was important to stay on top of world events especially what was going on in Turkey itself, with the illegal invasion and continuous displacement of the Turkish Cypriots.
"How much longer until the system is restored," the Head of the Tech Department asked.
"Almost there, we just need to replace a few more pieces of hardware. Irene, can you pass me the new RAM?" a techie asked.
"Si. Here's the new RAM. I have an extra processor if you need one," a beautiful woman from Spain replied. She was medium height with long curvy legs and flawless skin. Her long brunette hair was up in a high ponytail. Her hazel eyes sparkled in delight, despite the small scar under her left eye. "Is it fixed?"
"Yes, thank you for your help Irene."
"De nada, it's why I'm here remember?"
A messenger entered the room whispering something to the Head of the department. He frowned as he yelled, "Ms. Tapia, you have another long distance call. Did I not tell you twice now that our private lines are not meant for family calls?"
Irene, nodded and apologized. She promised to tell the party that. "I'll have it transferred to my phone. It won't happen again." The young woman hurried to her room and as soon as the call transferred, she started to speak. "Hello, Irene Tapia speaking."
"Is that what you're calling yourself today Ning?" Irene, (who was really Peace Keeper using another alias), raised her eyebrows. Locking the door to her room and after a quick sweep for any type of listening/recording device, she started speaking Chinese into the phone.
"Master, I wasn't expecting to hear from you on the phone. Why not use our traditional method?" When he replied what he had tell her was too important and very detailed, she knew trouble was rising. "What's going on with Paris?"
"Hawkmoth has begun experimenting to increase his powers. He unleashed a new type of Akuma that took over a sleeping woman in the maternity ward and forced a persona on her." He let his words hang for a few minutes, giving his apprentice a chance to absorb the information. "There's more. The akuma released its control as it went through its death throws. I can tell you it wasn't the normal species used and it should be around in Paris or now."
Peace Keeper's concern was growing. Fingering the glamoured Kwamii Charm necklace around her throat, she could sense the general worry from the Kwamiis. "Poor Nooroo, Hawkmoth will destroy him at this rate. What can I do to help? I can't leave Cyprus for another few weeks!"
"Then you must figure out a way because we need you here. There are things that I must teach you in order to help Ladybug and Chat Noir. Hawkmoth isn't going to stop until he's captured."
Sensing how tired and worried her master was, she told him not to worry. While it would take time to arrange for an early departure and permission to go to Paris, there was still something she could do here to help the heroes. She had an idea how to narrow down the identity of Hawkmoth. Promising to call him back Peace Keeper hung up. It was time to get to work.