Chapter 10: Debts and History Pt.1

A pair of green eyes watched the bustling street in front of her, gaze searching for a moment to cross the street. Monarch let a sigh escape from her lips, She had changed out of her 'work clothes', and was now wearing a Jagged Stone hoodie, torn jeans, and a pair of black and white sneakers. All in hopes of fitting in with the general population and find Ray. Why another team couldn't deal with something like this, she didn't know. All she knew was that Huntsman wanted her to find Ray and bring him back to home base.

As the light turned red, the many bystanders began to cross the street. As Monarch did the same she continued to think about herself and her role in the Court of Miracles. Why did she, a squad leader have to personally find and deal with Ray and his scarfed goons? Her gaze scanned the surrounding buildings, to her right sat many restaurants and dining areas. To her left sat many businesses, stores, and lead to an old residential area known for its shady characters.

She turned left and made her way into the neighborhood, a frown on her face the whole time. Monarch made her way down the sidewalk before something caught her eye, a bald man with a blue long-sleeved shirt, business pants, shoes, and a brown scarf. He had a cigarette in his mouth and was resting against the side of a building in an alleyway.

Monarchs frown deepened as she reached her left hand into her hoodie's pocket to warm her hands for a moment. She closed the distance between herself and the bald man, and with a determined gaze grabbed the man's attention.

"Excuse me, have you seen Ray recently?" Monarch asked with a kind, but determined gaze.

The bald man, upon realizing whom he was talking to tensed slightly, "Last I saw he was on his way to the brasserie down the street."

Great...

"Thanks, I'll be back soon." She told the man with a deadly glare.

She turned on her heel, made her way down the street, and toward the closest brasserie. She gave the bouncer her ID and soon entered the brasserie, gaze scanning for Ray and the brown scarf he never took off. Within moments she saw Ray's messy blonde hair, black jacket, and scarf. He was currently set up at the bar with several empty glasses nearby.

With a small groan, Monarch crossed the bar and sat down on the empty stool to the right of him. The bartender quickly took her order before leaving to grab what the needed, in the meantime, the brunette turned to Ray with a small frown on her face, "Good morning Ray, how have you been."

With a loud sigh, the blonde turned his head to look at the woman. He had a wild look in his eyes and a flush over his face, "How are you Monarch, I've been pretty good myself…"

Oh my god, he is drunk.

Monarch rested a hand on Ray's shoulder, and a small smile formed on her face, "How long have you been drinking?"

"Too long." Ray answered honestly, "I'm guessing that I'm needed at the warehouse?"

Monarch nodded, "Huntsman wants to see you, he wants to address all of the squad leaders."

"Shince when have I been conshidered a shqaud leader?" Ray asked, his head now wobbling slightly.

At this point, Monarch's drink had arrived, which she quickly chugged down, "Let's go, Ray, we need to get to work." She reached into one of Ray's pockets and left a hefty sum of money on the counter.

With a small groan from the man, Monarch hoisted him up and off the stool and began to drag him out of the brasserie. With a loud sigh, Monarch headed back the way she had come, eventually making her way to the edge of the river Seine.

The two were soon met by a small canoe with a man wearing a black long sleeve shirt, cargo pants, and black combat boots. Upon reaching the shore, Monarch and Ray climbed in. As the canoe slowly moved down the seine and Ray looked out toward the moving water, Monarch turned her head toward the ferryman and gave a single nod, Which was quickly returned.

"So…" Ray began, turning his attention back toward Monarch, "I assume you were sent to bring me to Huntsman."

"You sobered up quick," Monarch noted, "An yes, you're right, I was sent to bring you to Huntsman."

"But why?" Ray questioned with a groan, "My groups been getting ready for a big raid but you guys just had to get in the middle of things huh!"

Monarch let out yet another sigh at the man, "I don't know what to tell you, you have your mission we have ours!"

Ray's mouth went agape for a few moments, before a scowl overtook his face, "My mission is to create as much chaos as possible! And with a Secretary of State missing and explosions on the streets, it's a little hard to carry out an operation without getting destroyed by police and other law enforcement."

Monarch opened her mouth to speak but was stopped when the ferryman shushed them both, "We have arrived."

While the two had been arguing, they had failed to realize that they had entered a small hidden tunnel underneath the oldest bridge crossing the Seine, the Pont Neuf. From here the two made their way off of the canoe and into the stone walkway beside the water, as the two walked Ray gazed over his shoulder at the Ferryman a look of confusion on his face.

"Who is he?" Ray asked, turning his head back toward Monarch's.

Monarch, who was leading the two reached out and pushed a piece of stone further into the wall. Within moments a segment of the wall sunk beneath the ground and revealed a staircase.

Monarch turned to look at the man behind her, "He is part of the court, someone who helps to bring squad leaders to home base."

Without giving Ray a moment to absorb the information, Monarch began to descend the staircase. As did so, Ray began to note how old the stairwell felt. The air smelled old and dusty, the stairs themselves seemed worn with the edge being smooth and rounded from thousands of feet using them throughout the cities history, even the walls were worn, with them turning to dust, falling apart or ending up out of place.

As they finally left the staircase they entered a candlelit room. The room had six pillars holding the roof up, with four torches on each pillar. On the edge of the room sat several sarcophagi, some were open revealing skeletons while others were still sealed shut.

As Ray noticed the sarcophagi, he took several steps backward, "We're in the catacombs aren't we?"

Monarch grabbed a nearby torch off a pillar and looked over her shoulder, "An isolated area but yes, we are."

Ray quickly crossed the room until he was beside Monarch, "Then what about the warehouse awhile back?"

Monarch let out a small hum as she looked for the correct pattern on a nearby wall, "We needed an area to quickly, and discreetly interrogate Theaddus Ross." She pushed an out of place stone back into place and watched as it parted into another pathway, "But now that we've made our presence known, we've begun to move back here."

They began to make their way through the pathway, Ray gazing at the walls with amazement. Many skulls lined the walls, similar to something you would read in a book about magic or medieval times. As they walked through the tunnel a small amount of light began to filter through a small doorway in the path.

The door was large, metal, and had a keypad next to it. Ray was a little confused as to how they got electricity down this far but decided that hasn't been the weirdest thing he's seen from this group.

Monarch stopped just before the doorway, turning her head to look over her shoulder and toward Ray, "You cannot speak of what is beyond this door, ok?"

Ray nodded, "Don't speak about the secret lair, got it!"

With a small nod, Monarch turned back toward the door, press five numbers on the keypad before pressing the enter button. Within seconds the door had begun to slide open, revealing the inside of the Court of Miracles, their people, and their operations.

The room was filled with a wall of computers that showed different artifacts from different museums, Ladybug's earrings, Chat Noir's ring, and Gabriel Agreste's prison. Other than the wall of computers the room featured a table with files, a map of Paris, and a map of New York and the surrounding areas.

Ray continued his gaze across the room, eventually finding two figures off on the far side of the chamber. One of them, Huntsman, stood nearby the center table holding a file labeled Gabriel Agreste. The other figure was a woman with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, grey eyes and a determined gaze. She wore a brown zipped up Jacket with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a golden brown bracelet around her wrist. She also wore black jeans and brown knee-high boots. Ray didn't recognize her.

"Ah, Monarch, Ray, welcome to our little part of the Parisian Catacombs!" Huntsman greeted upon noticing the two.

Monarch waved at the old man, "Found Ray drunk, he sobered up quick though."

"Thanks for the compliment," Ray responded, making his way inside the room.

The unknown woman waved at the two, "Thanks for showing up nonetheless."

Monarch shrugged, "No problem Athena."

Ray, realizing who she was, took in a breath before turning toward Athena, "So you're the person who fought Chat Noir! What was it like?"

Athena shrugged, "It was… all right I guess, he fought pretty well… was a little predictable though, why?"

"I'm a little bit of a fan of his style." Ray admitted, "Anyway, what are we doing here?"

The three turned toward Huntsman who had made his way to the wall of computers, he turned to look over his shoulder, "We're gonna make a move on the miraculous."

Ray's jaw dropped to the floor, "We're gonna what?"

"Not directly, of course, we just need to bait them in." Huntsman began, turning his gaze toward the screens once more, "If we bait them out into an enclosed space and ambush them, I'm sure it would work."

"All due respect sir, but the miraculous are unparalleled when it comes to their power," Monarch protested, "How are we supposed to fight them when the entire team is there, we barely one last time?!"

Huntsman turned toward the group, jaw practically hitting the floor. He glances at his comrades as a frown took his face, "Do you really have that much doubt in me?" He lifted his robe, revealing three golden figures. The same ones he had shown Ross the previous day, "I have enough power to create life, the three you fight beside I created!"

Athena let out a small gasp, "you're telling me…" she couldn't finish her thought, it didn't matter though. Huntsman knew what she meant.

"Yes Athena, the three you know as Grav, Shiro, and Shockwave were all created by using the magic I've known since many years ago." He paused for a moment, taking in the groups reaction, "There is an old saying, beware an old man in a profession where men die young."

He took a breath and looked down at the table, using his staff to stand. Ray glanced at the two women before stepping forward, "You've been paying my gang handsomely for supplying you guys with what you need, but judging on how you've invited me here I guessing there's something you want me and my outfit to do."

Huntsman nodded, "I want you and your group to free Gabriel Agreste from his prison."

Ray let out a small yelp and the prospect, "Huntsman, I know you have a lot of faith in us, but regardless of the miraculous the security is too tight for a group my size."

"That's why Monarch, Athena, and I will assist where needed," Huntsman responded.

Athena stepped forward, "Why do you even want Gabriel Agreste, he's not that great of a villain anyway."

Huntsman seemed to smile, "He's the bait."

Monarch frowned, "The bait for what?"

"The miraculous." Ray realized, "He wants the miraculous." He suddenly looked up at the old man in front of him, "Why would you want the miraculous anyway?"

"Let's just say that there are… mistakes from my past that I want to rectify." Huntsman's gaze fell to the floor for a few moments before bringing to back to the three, "But never mind that, we need to focus on steps to acquire the Miraculous."

Monarch raised an eyebrow, "How will we do that?"

Huntsman moved his staff and pointed the tip toward a prison located on the outskirts of Paris, the one that was holding Gabriel Agreste, "If we want to get the miraculous, we'll need to draw them out into the open." He moved his gaze back to the group, "If we succeed we'll have Gabriel and at least one miraculous holder, preferably Ladybug or Chat Noir."

Monarch let out a confused sigh, "Why do we want Gabriel back out, hasn't he caused enough problems for Paris already?"

Huntsman let out a small laugh, "That's exactly why he needs to be freed," Huntsman began, "if we take him alongside Chat Noir or Ladybug there's a chance that we could learn about where the Guardian is hidden."

"You keep mentioning this guardian, who is he?" Ray questioned the old man in front of him.

Huntsman nodded his head to Ray's question, "Sorry Ray, I forgot that your not as involved into this organization as the other two here," he took a breath before continuing, "For as long as this organization has existed we have had one singular goal, to attain the Miraculous from the Guardian." He began to make his way around the table, "The Guardian is a secretive man or woman who guards the miraculous against outside threats, their also the one who decides when someone deserves and get to use said miraculous."

"How do you know about the guardian then? Ray asked with a questioning tone, "They have to be very secretive to avoid the likes of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I've been… involved with the guardians in the past, but times have changed and we are enemies." Huntsman answered, "Now enough questions, let's get on to the specifics of the plan."

A pair of brown eyes slowly pulled themselves apart, revealing a tan ceiling with dark grey floral print. Tony raised a hand to his head, it was pounding as if someone whacked him with a hammer.

A faint scent of herbal tea drifted through the air and soon grabbed the avengers attention. Tony moved his gaze across the room and took in his surroundings. He was currently on a bed that was located in the center of the room, however, as his gaze moved Tony took note of a few of his surroundings. The first of which was a phonograph that sat atop a dark brown dresser. He noticed other things as well, a pair of small potted plants that lead to an outdoor balcony and a door leading outside of his current room.

Tony let out a small groan, his head hurt like hell. Whoever shot lightning at him was a very powerful person, he may even need to call backup. Thoughts of backup soon brought on thoughts of the battle itself, the way it had played out, and most importantly the villain's goals.

Their team had been totally unprepared for the villains, they definitely had experience. It was almost as if they were puppets to their own skill, especially when it came to Grav, Shockwave, and Shiro. Those three had complete knowledge of how to fight in a group or by themselves, but where had they gotten their abilities?

For Shockwave, Tony remembered seeing the speakers and headphones. Thus Tony believed that her skill set was all mechanical based, how much energy used, how heavy the equipment will be, etcetera etcetera.

Then there was Grav, she had completely immobilized him for the majority of the fight. It was as if the weight of the earth had stopped him from moving, maybe she was able to manipulate gravity. From what he saw, her only weakness could possibly be hand to hand combat.

Shiro was a completely different matter entirely, he had no powers from what the Avenger could see. However, from the limited glimpse he got while pinned against a rooftop, Shiro was an amazing hand to hand fighter. One who could probably threaten Cap on a good day. Tony's gaze fell to the floor, he was still bruised from Siberia, inside and out. He picked his head back up as soon as he heard the echo of voices as they drew closer to the room he was currently in.

Tony turned his body toward the door just as it swung open, revealing the short Tibetan man from the night prior. He wore the same Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and shoes. In his hands he held a cup of steaming tea, he quickly noticed that Tony was staring at him and moved away from the doorway, towards the avenger.

As he did so, Tony was able to catch a glimpse of Chloe Bourgeois. She seemed to be clutching her right side, a sour look on her face, and a defiant glare in her eye.

"I'm happy to see you awake Mr. Stark." The Tibetan man began, "Tea?" He held the cup out towards Tony, who grabbed the cup almost immediately.

"So where am I, the secret base for the Miraculous team?" Tony took a sip before continuing, "Because it looks like an old house to me… the decor's pretty nice though."

Fu smiled, "It is an old house, my house to be exact." He smiled before continuing, "While I would like to talk about interior decorating with you, We have something else to talk about."

Tony took another sip of the tea, "I assume it's about the group we lost against."

Fu nodded, "Correct, it's about them." Master Fu stood up, and glanced at Chloe, "Mainly about their leader, Huntsman."