AN: Chapters 4 and 5 have been updated to include the new stuff.
Chapter 10:
Henry led the way down the hallway, holding his axe carefully at the ready in case there were more of those half-formed ink monsters around. Alya and Nino were right behind him with Ladybug and Chat Noir bringing it up the rear in case any monsters attempted to surprise them from behind. Without a current threat though, a slight awkward tension filled the air between the two usually in synch superheroes.
"So now that we know each other's secret identities…" Chat finally spoke up, whispering quietly to Ladybug and flashing her a dazzling smile. "How about we go out some time to really get to understand each other without all the secrets between us?"
"Um… I… I love you!" Ladybug blurted out nervously before pulling herself together. "I mean I'd love to. But now isn't really the time for this Chat. How about we concentrate on getting out of this nightmare of a studio first and then we can work on getting to know each other."
"Sounds good to me my lady," Chat replied with satisfaction, making Ladybug blush. The two focused back on the others just in time to hear Henry say that Sammy's office was just ahead. But once they got to it, they could see the doorway blocked by another puddle of ink.
"Well there is the pump switch alright," Henry confirmed as he peered through the window of Sammy's office. "But that is one hell of a leak blocking the door though. If we can just find some way to stop that ink from flowing, maybe we can get in."
"And Maybe that tape recorder has another clue about where that switch could be," Alya said, pointing to a small shelf across from the door.
"Good eye kid," Henry complimented as he waded over and grabbed the tape. Once he was back he was back with the others he pressed play for them to hear.
"So I go to get my dust pans from the hall closet the other day and guess what?" The familiar voice of Wally Franks filled the air. "I can't find my stupid keys. It's like they disappeared into thin air or something. All I can think of is that they must have fallen into one of the garbage cans as I was making my rounds last week. I just hope nobody tells Sammy. Because if he finds out I lost my keys again, I'm out of here."
"Typical Wally," Henry chuckle sadly as the tape finished. "He was a great guy and janitor, but he was always a little forgetful."
"So there's probably a switch in the closet," Nino concluded, glancing over at the closet door next to them. "We just need to find those keys."
"Will they really still be there after all these years," Marinette asked, slightly skeptical.
"It's worth a shot," Adrian replied, getting a nod from the others.
"If we do find the keys it probably means he didn't get out of here before whatever madness fell upon this place," Henry sighed as they began to walk back to the main area. "I wonder what happened to him and the others… Doesn't matter. We just need to get out of here."
The others looked at each other in concern. They wanted to say something to comfort Henry but couldn't think of anything. With quiet sighs, they just focused on finding the keys. Luckily, the keys weren't hard to find as they were in one of the wastebaskets in the main room. They quickly made their way back to the closet only to be disappointed to discover there wasn't a switch housed within. Instead, they found another tape recorder.
"It feels like we're just going on a wild goose chase," Henry muttered as he grabbed the tape recorder. "But we don't really have much of a choice but to go along for the moment. Hopefully, this contains another clue."
"Every artistic person needs a sanctuary." Sammy's voice filled the air. " Joey drew has his and I have mine. To enter, you need only to know my favorite song. The drum thunders in triumph. The bass fiddle sings with deep articulation. The piano delicately calls. The drum thunders once more. Sing my song and my sanctuary will open to you."
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Nino said in frustration when the tape finished, throwing his hands up in the air.
"It seems like some sort of code," Alya said in thought. "Like we need to play all these instruments in order or something…"
"It's exactly like a code," Ladybug agreed, turning to Henry. "Is there a place where we can find all these instruments."
"The band room," Henry replied immediately, following their logic. "It's right over this way."
As Henry lead them back to the main room, another monster appeared from a puddle and lunged towards them. Henry quickly dispatched of it with his axe and the group looked around for any other monsters. Fortunately, it seemed like that was the only one and the group continued it's way to the and room.
"This place is cool," Nino couldn't help but say in awe as they entered. The others agreed as they took in the large room and all the instruments still scattered around.
"Yeah, this place was always pretty lively," Henry agreed, briefly thinking back. "With the band trying to match the music to the cartoon and Sammy yelling whenever someone hit the wrong note… Anyway, let's see if we can find this sanctuary of his. We've been here for too long already and I don't want to risk more monsters finding us."
The others agreed and they split up into the different instruments the recorder had mentioned. First Chat and Nino banged on the drum followed by Alya plucking at the bass fiddle. Ladybug then played a few notes from the piano with the drums being played once more right after. The group waited patiently as the last note faded away, but nothing happened.