Chapter 15 - Rescue Mission.
Nobody speaks. Occasionally Lady Chaos giggles to herself at some hidden joke, but the room is mostly silent. Everyone is waiting for Cat Noir to come and rescue his lady.
"Enough," Hawkmoth growls. "He's not coming."
"He will, father," Adrien assures him. "He's in love with Ladybug, he'll come for her."
Lady Chaos laughs again.
"Please, Lady Chaos, do share the joke," Hawkmoth says irritated.
"Not just yet, old man," she titters.
"If you're with-holding information-"
"If you're with-holding your brain cells, old timer," she sneers. "Gee, I wonder why our love-struck kitten isn't showing up. It's such a mystery."
Adrien bites his lip. She knows. Of course, she knows. She killed him once. She would have seen his civilian form after he died.
There is a loud bang from somewhere within the house. Everyone jumps to attention.
"It seems stealth isn't Cat Noir's strong suit," Hawkmoth says coldly.
"Oh, I very much doubt that's Cat Noir, right, Adrien?" Lady Chaos grins at the boy.
Nathalie transforms into Mayura and rushes out of the room to find the source of the noise.
"It'll be alright, Adrien," Hawkmoth assures his son.
"Ladybug and Cat Noir haven't beaten you yet, why would they win tonight?" Adrien replies.
Lady Chaos laughs louder still. Her cackles verge on hysterical.
"Oh, you are too funny, Kitten, I could break your neck again," she cries gleefully. "In fact, I think I will."
She lunges forward, her hood flying away revealing a head of bright red hair. Hawkmoth jumps in front of his son and moves to punch her, but Lady Chaos dodges expertly and sweeps his leg. He crashes to the ground but gets up immediately.
"Oh, Gabe, you're so desperate to protect your enemy, it's sad," she grins. "You may as well transform, kitten. It could be your last chance."
"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yells.
"What?" Hawkmoth gasps.
Lady Chaos' laughter rings in the air as Adrien transforms into Cat Noir. He reaches for Ladybug but Hawkmoth grabs him and pulls him back.
"Father, please, she's not your ally," he screams.
A series of explosions go off within the house, it sounds like someone has set off a bunch of fireworks indoors.
"Ooh, that's not good," Lady Chaos chimes. "Wanna go check it out, Hawky? Adrien and I will get along like a house on fire, I'm sure."
"Please don't leave me with her," Cat Noir yelps as Hawkmoth releases him from his grip.
"Why don't you go?" Hawkmoth shouts to be heard above the fireworks.
"Such a big house, I might get lost," she pouts. "I might end up in the repository downstairs, where your comatose wife is. I might slip…"
"You wouldn't," Hawkmoth growls.
"There's not a lot I wouldn't do," she shrugs. "It'd be easy."
A portal appears beside Ladybug, who is struggling to free herself, and Ryuko's arms reach out and start to drag her through.
"Well, would you look at that?" Lady Chaos says gleefully.
"Father, come with us, you can help us stop her," Cat Noir pleads.
"I can't leave your mother, Adrien," Hawkmoth says. "Now go."
He picks up his son and flings him through the portal. As Cat Noir turns back he sees Lady Chaos hurl herself at Hawkmoth.
"Cataclysm," she screams and pushes her hand against his chest.
The portal closes behind them.
"No!" Cat Noir screams. "She'll kill him!"
Ryuko unties Ladybug while Pegasus calls the others to tell them their mission is successful. Viperion and Carapace are still sitting inside Shellter, underneath the Eiffel Tower. Only Rena Rouge and King Monkey are missing from the group.
"He's still my dad," Cat Noir cried. "He just wants my mom back."
"You're not actually trying to justify his actions, are you, Adrien?" Ryuko says. "Hawkmoth has hurt countless Parisians over the past two years."
"I'm sorry, Cat," Ladybug says soberly. "I know this is difficult-"
"Difficult?" Cat Noir spits. "You don't know how 'difficult' this is, my father is a supervillain that is currently being murdered by an even worse supervillain, and nobody will help him."
"Fine," Ladybug says reluctantly. "Pegasus, recharge Kaalki, Cat Noir and I are going back to Agreste Mansion."
"You mean that?" Cat Noir says.
"It's our job to protect Paris," she replies. "Viperion, recharge Sass and continue to standby, that was a good plan. All of you have done really well tonight, thank you all."
"And you're just gonna throw that away," Carapace says.
"I'm going to do my job," Ladybug says.