7:36 PM
"Um, guys?" Danny said as he looked up. He might not be a dragon expert by any stretch of the imagination, but he'd spent enough time with Dora—and Jake, really—to be able to pick out the sound of giant wingbeats above the general noise of the city.
"Not now," Jake hissed at him, pointing with his free hand to his cell phone. "I'm still on with Trixie."
"No, Danny's right," Nino said, and he must have followed Danny's gaze. "We need to move. Now."
There was a squeak from beside him that was probably Haley. Randy had already seen the dragon, after all. Both of them were looking up, too, and must have seen Susan fly past quickly enough that she was hardly more than a flash of deeper darkness against the cloudy sky. Nightfall worked in Jake's favour, at least. It was hard to see much of anything up there from street level.
"Here's the plan," Nino said, and Danny turned to him. "Get in the air. Follow her. Stay invisible, and keep us posted via these things." He tapped his Fenton Phone. "Randy and I will transform. We'll be distractions, since I'm assuming we'll still be easy targets in the dark." Haley nodded, and he continued, "Once you're invisible, you can get close to her and grab her necklace. Just take it and get out of there, as far as you can. Don't break it until Jake hears back from his contact about something to contain the akuma."
Danny hadn't exactly tested how well being invisible at night helped combat a dragon's magical sight, but he didn't have to heart to say that right now. He still had a better chance than the other two. In theory, at least.
"What about me?" Haley asked.
"Dragon," Danny reminded Nino. It was easy to forget. Jake might argue it, but Danny didn't think Haley pulled off fierce very well.
"You'd be too much of a target."
"Just because I'm younger than you, it doesn't mean I'm useless! You said you wanted distractions."
"Distractions, not bait." Nino pulled a face. "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't want you to get hurt, and—"
"You don't even know what I can do!"
"Let her do what she does best," Danny suggested. "The cute little girl schtick. Sic her on McFist and Rotwood. If Trixie and Spud don't end up fetching something from the shop, they can help her when they get here."
Nino frowned down at Haley. "Does Rotwood know who you are?"
She shrugged. "He's met me. He mostly focuses on Jake so he might not remember me. I might just be like any other cute little girl he's seen." She flashed a smile.
"I'll give her some weapons," Randy said. "Just a sec." No doubt still wary of cameras, he ducked behind the dumpster and reappeared a few seconds later as the Ninja, holding out some throwing stars and different coloured balls. "These should help you keep them distracted without giving that Rotwood guy evidence of dragons." He glanced in the direction Susan had flown and then amended, "More evidence of dragons, anyway."
"I don't have my backpack," Haley said, eyeing the weapons that were overflowing from Randy's hands.
"Here, you can take my sweater," Nino said. He shot a worried glance at the mouth of the alley and then pulled off his hoodie, making sure to keep his back to the street. "I won't need it as Chat Noir, anyway."
The hooded sweatshirt swam on Haley, but it did the trick, and Randy made sure her pockets were full. "Aren't you worried about McFist realizing that's all Ninja stuff?" Danny asked as Nino crouched behind the dumpster to change.
"He's bound to already know the Ninja's in town. Or at least that a Ninja's in town. If I'm lucky, he doesn't realize it's me and not, like, the Ninja of New York City."
Danny wasn't entirely convinced, but it was Randy's neck, not his. Besides, his enemies all knew his real identity, and they hadn't all used it against him. Just…most of them. He would almost swear that Technus had hacked into the school's mainframe last time he'd attacked and figured out when Danny had major exams scheduled, as he or Skulker would invariably show up, and—
"Here, take one of these, too," Randy said, handing one last ball to Haley. "Just be extra careful with that one. It's a Ninja Bee Ball."
She looked at it warily. "McFist's not allergic, is he?"
"I have no idea. But he'd have health insurance. He'll be fine."
She didn't look convinced, so Danny added, "The paramedics working the venue tonight would still be on site. Too many people are hanging around for them to have packed up and gone home. I don't think they'd be able to just leave mid shift anyway."
"Why is she even worried about that?" Randy asked in a loud whisper as Haley tucked away the Ninja Bee Ball and trotted to the edge of the alley, looking both ways before darting off to join the thinning crowd and find Rotwood and his new Ninja-destroying friend. "I never worry about that, and it's always worked out for me!"
Danny shrugged. "I personally have more of a thing against ghost mosquitoes and giant hornets. If she doesn't use it, she doesn't use it. The important thing is that she buys us time to deal with the dragon."
"Do you think Jake's mom'll even pay attention to me? She didn't before."
"You weren't with me before," Nino said, and Danny jumped. Geez, that guy could sneak up on people. Danny was far more used to sneaking up on people and scaring them than having it happen to him—mostly because of his ghost sense, but also because Tucker—
Someone shouted something made incomprehensible by distance. They all glanced in the direction it had come from, despite not being able to see anything, and waited for the screaming to start.
It didn't.
Had no one spotted the dragon coming back? Someone must have been looking. Had she flown high enough? Or simply cleverly enough, avoiding the majority of the sightlines? Did she have some power that most dragons didn't, something they hadn't seen her use yet? Danny wouldn't put anything past someone who could use magic like that, not after his experiences with Desiree.
Nino was the first to look away and call their attention back to him. "She's clever, even more so since she has all this existing knowledge of dragons. We need to be careful, and need to take her out fast."
"So we just, what, come out swinging?" Randy asked. "Or, ooh, how about I use my scarf to get on her back and ride her? That would be so bruce, being a dragon rider."
Nino stared at Randy for a few seconds. His ears twitched. (Danny was pretty sure he hadn't just imagined that. Magic would surely make it possible for the cat ears to move on their own.) After a beat, Nino said, "Well, it would be a distraction, I guess. But she'll try to protect her necklace at any cost. She might've been ignoring you earlier, but she won't if you're that close it. And you can't fly."
Randy laughed; Danny wasn't even sure if he'd been paying attention to Chat Noir's warnings. "This will be the cheese! The Nomicon's bound to teach me how to do the Ninja Dragon Fist after that."
"Wait," Danny said, remembering the term from earlier. "The Nomicon. That's that thing that gave you that advice, right?"
Danny didn't need to see Randy's face to know that he was frowning. "The super unhelpful advice? Yeah. I mean, c'mon. To cleanse the soul, one must first clear the mind. I've figured it out now. It's telling me to focus. As if I'm not focusing already. I mean, dragon. Super bruce. Definitely focusing on that. And trying to stop the whole panic and chaos thing from happening."
"It's not telling you that you need to focus," Nino said slowly. "It's telling you that we can get through to her."
"What?"
Danny wasn't entirely sure what Nino meant, either.
"Hawk Moth's magic is a corruption of what it should be," Nino said, as if that explained anything. "To free her of it, we need to help her clear her head. Snap her out of it."
"By breaking the necklace and releasing the butterfly?" Randy prompted. "Isn't that how it works?"
"But we might not need to," insisted Nino. "You already said she's different." He hesitated, then amended, "At least, even if we do have to break it and free the akuma, if we can get through to her, she might be strong enough not to fight us. That would make your job a lot easier, Phantom."
Danny wasn't going to bet that anything would be easy, but he'd take easier if it wouldn't blow up in their faces. Which it almost certainly would. His luck was terrible, Jake's was obviously no better, Randy's couldn't be great if this McFist guy had shown up, and Nino, well…. Bad luck was following him around right now, even if it didn't usually back in Paris—although the fact that he was a masked hero no doubt meant it did, even though this Hawk Moth guy not having what he wanted yet was definitely a point in cat boy's favour.
Maybe a whole bunch of awful luck mixed with effort, skill, and desperation would let them come out on top.
"Might as well try it. Worst that happens is that it doesn't work," Danny said. "You guys head out; I'll fill in Jake and catch up."
They both nodded before jumping into action, Nino extending his staff and immediately disappearing to the rooftops and Randy darting across the street before swinging up to climb a fire escape on the other side. Danny drifted over to Jake, who didn't look particularly happy. He held up one finger and kept talking to Trixie.
He finished, flipped the phone closed with a groaned, "Aw, maaaan," and Danny didn't need to ask.
Instead, Danny said, "Nino thinks Randy's Nomicon thing might be saying we can get through this without freeing the akuma. He's not sure and was hoping you'd have something to deal with it, but I'm guessing not."
"Yeah, not. It's not like I have Pandora's Box just lying around."
"It's in the Ghost Zone," Danny reminded him.
"So you say." Jake sighed. "G can't think of anything we have that won't eventually be affected by the corrupted magic."
"How soon of an eventually? Could Nino get back to Paris with it?"
"It would be more likely to get out while he was still on the plane, and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Fu's got Marty on guard duty at the shop, at least, but he can only pull so many strings, and I don't know if he can get something to us in time." He hesitated. "Do you think we could use your Infi-Map? That's how you got here, isn't it?"
"It's not exactly my map," Danny said slowly. "I can't really control it. It takes you where you need to be more often than where you want to go."
"But wouldn't you and Nino need to be in Paris to get Ladybug's help?"
"Probably," Danny allowed, "but we're just as likely to wind up somewhere else. If it were that reliable, we could use it to find this Hawk Moth guy and fight him instead of your mom. Besides, Nino and I wouldn't both need to be back in the NYC, and how's Nino going to explain how he got home if he disappears here? Or if the map takes us somewhere else entirely? I can fly, but he would not be comfortable piggybacking that way for a long trip, even if I went intangible."
Jake frowned. "Fine. What about one of your parent's ghost-catching thermoses?"
"It contains ghostly magic. It might work. I dunno. It's not like I've ever tried it. Does Spud still have the one he made?"
Jake nodded and flipped his phone back open, already typing as he said, "He should. I'll text him. He can grab it, just in case." He met Danny's gaze for a second, adding, "I'm assuming we need to be fighting now, since the others are gone."
"Nino might be right, you know. If Rotwood's here and you show up, he'll have a field day."
"As if he's not going to already?"
"Haley's going to try to distract him and this McFist guy. Did you put Trixie and Spud on that, too?"
"She's going to do a quick scout of the shop in case Fu or Gramps forgot anything, but Spud's going to come and do that, yeah. Well, I guess he'll head home for the thermos and then come do that. They'll both come, anyway. Just not right away. And Haley said Sun's going to start doing damage control for us instead of being another set of eyes. She figures that'll be of more use. Which I guess it is, since Mom—" Jake's voice broke "—I mean, the dragon came back. I know G was talking about spreading rumours of this being something it's not, but honestly Sun will be better at that kind of thing than he is."
Danny bit his lip. "You're not going to sit this out, are you?"
"I'm the American Dragon. You know I can't." He waved a hand in the general direction of the ruined gala and added, "The fire was my fault, Mom getting akumatized was my fault, and the fact that this Hawk Moth guy has been active in Paris is basically our fault, too. Dragons are supposed to protect the magical world, and the French Dragon hasn't been replaced since the Strigoi got him."
"Too few in number, huh?"
Jake just grunted. He probably didn't care about the politics of it all. He would just care that people were getting hurt. And that Hawk Moth was giving magic and magical creatures a bad name at the same time as convincing a lot of people they existed.
"You dragon up. I'll stick with you and keep you invisible for as long as I can. When I get an opening, I'll grab the necklace—and hopefully your appearance will be enough of a distraction if Randy and Nino aren't."
"Remember that dragons can touch ghosts," Jake said, as if Danny didn't remember all the inconvenient things about dealing with living dragons. Still, truth was, they needed to surprise Hawk Moth more than Susan. She might know a lot about dragons, but it was highly unlikely he did. "And even when you're invisible, if I'm really looking, I can see you. Sorta. In the right light."
"Yeah," Danny said. Eye of the Dragon could be inconvenient sometimes. "I remember."
This wasn't the first time he'd worked with Jake. If they pulled this off, it likely wouldn't be the last. It was nice, knowing he'd have a magical ally he could call upon if things ever got a particular type of tricky, and…. And it would be nice if the others decided they felt that way, too, when this was all over, however it ended up.
7:41 PM
Haley wasn't sure she looked as cute as she possibly could while wearing Nino's oversized hoodie with its pockets stuffed to bursting, but she still had a smile that would melt anyone's heart. The plaza was easily well lit enough for people to see it, too, which helped. Showing her smile instead of her fear meant most people didn't give her a second glance.
The first task was getting through the crowd without being stopped, so she employed the usual tactic of attaching herself to the nearest adult whenever someone noticed her. It was easy enough to pretend to be part of someone else's group for a few seconds, either as a daughter or a family friend. People didn't question it; they didn't expect someone her age to be alone, so they saw what they wanted to see, especially when she kept the worry off her face.
When she needed to keep moving, she'd look for someone going in the direction she wanted to go and follow them, just closely enough that it looked natural but not so closely that they'd get that sense of being followed unless they were really good. In her experience, most people weren't, especially old white men like Rotwood and McFist—and there were enough of those around a place like this, often accompanied with women wearing dresses that could amount to her mom's yearly salary.
Haley never specifically called out for any parents, of course—it wouldn't do for heads to turn and no one's face to light up with recognition or relief—but she did occasionally raise her hand to wave to someone who wasn't there, banking on the fact that anyone who noticed would think she was waving at someone else. She never answered anyone else's call for someone with coming, but she would make a show of perking up and moving in that direction if it were where she wanted to go.
It was the little things. Young children on their own in a place like this? Suspicious. Curious youngsters exploring rumours of a dragon sighting who accidentally got separated from their parents, but not straying far enough that they couldn't be found again? Much more likely.
Nino's hoodie might actually help her in that respect. It just screamed having a big brother, even though it still smelled new and the forgotten tail of a plastic tag sometimes poked the back of her neck.
Haley stopped where she thought Rotwood wouldn't notice her. He and McFist had stopped themselves and were talking; she couldn't make out their words without resorting to ear of the dragon, but that was risky if Rotwood recognized her despite having her hood up.
Her job was to distract them while the others found and fought—saved—her mom.
She could do that.
If her usual cuteness failed her—that is, if Rotwood recognized her—then she'd simply lead them away and keep them busy with everything Randy had given her.
Haley glanced skyward one last time, took a deep breath, and then walked over and tugged on McFist's arm. "Excuse me, mister?"
He glanced down at her, annoyance melting into confusion. "I'm, ah, not whoever you're looking for. I'm in the middle of a business meeting. Maybe you could talk to someone else."
It was a politer version of 'get lost, kid' than she'd expected, but she stuck out her bottom lip and let it quiver. "I'm scared."
He frowned at her. "Of the dragon? I don't know if it's coming back."
They hadn't noticed Susan's return. Haley tried not to let her relief show on her face. "I hope it doesn't," she whimpered, edging closer to McFist as Rotwood dropped into a crouch.
"You saw this dragon?" he asked, and she saw him blink in startled recognition even as she turned her face away. "Wait. I have seen you before. You are Jake Long's sister!"
She cowered behind McFist's leg, burying her face in his jacket, but Rotwood didn't buy it. He grabbed her arm and pulled, ignoring McFist's surprised shout. "You see this girl?" Rotwood said to McFist, brandishing the arm he still held and shaking her enough that her hood slipped down. She guarded the full pockets with her free hand, trying not to lose any of the ammunition she'd need to use sooner rather than later at this rate. "She is a dragon!"
"Right," McFist said, and Haley knew from Rotwood's souring expression that she wasn't the only one who'd caught McFist's quick glances to the side.
"I am telling you the truth!" insisted Rotwood. "She is a dragon, just like her brother!"
Rotwood had nothing on him to force a change on her—he would have pulled it out already if he had—so Haley let out another whimper of fear. Whatever she might tell the others later, it wasn't faked. She had to put on a brave face, especially around Jake or he'd have sent her home with loud complaints about regretting asking for her help, but she knew exactly how scary this was and exactly how much was at risk if the situation got much worse.
She didn't know for sure that McFist had been in the crowd earlier, but she didn't think Rotwood would still be talking to him if he hadn't been, which meant McFist had seen her mother. He'd seen the dragon. If Rotwood couldn't convince him that dragons were real after that—
"They hide," Rotwood hissed, shaking her again. Haley looked around, but no one else was looking their way. If anyone saw anything, they were ignoring it. She swallowed back the bitterness in her throat. She hadn't wanted to be seen, but it still hurt. How could people just ignore this?
"Hide." McFist's voice was flat. Good. Maybe he didn't believe Rotwood after all. That would work in her favour. That would—
"They wear human skin. This is just how she looks as a human!"
Rotwood gave her another violent shake, and Haley felt one of the throwing balls Randy had given her slip out of the hoodie's pocket and past her fingers.
It hit the ground, bounced once, and rolled to a stop between them.
Rotwood stopped shaking her, staring with McFist at the little blue ball that now rested on the cobbles at their feet.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then McFist said, "Wait, is that—?"
Ice erupted, frosting the street within a five foot radius, and Haley jerked free of Rotwood's arm. She clamped one arm around her waist to contain the rest of her weapons as she bent down and shot a small flicker of fire towards her shoes, thawing it enough to wrench her feet free.
She only took two steps before another hand caught her arm, strong metal fingers digging into her through the thick fabric of the hoodie.
"Where, exactly," McFist said, in a low growl that told her he'd be shouting if it wouldn't have drawn more attention to them, as if the ice at their feet weren't suspicious enough, "did you get a Ninja Cold Ball?"
7:41 PM
"That's Chat Noir." Hawk Moth's voice rang in her head. "I need his ring."
Susan could see the ring in question as easily as she could see Chat Noir himself. He was surefooted, running with ease where others would hesitate and wobble and balance precariously, and he used his staff as an extension of himself, vaulting through the air without needing to think about where he positioned it before he leapt. That spoke of talent, skill, and oh so much practice.
This was far from Chat Noir's first fight, which meant Hawk Moth hadn't yet managed to best him.
Hawk Moth's search for power had brought him here, to find a way to conquer his enemies. It was laughable that his enemy—one of his enemies?—had found him. Even if it were mere coincidence, it hardly boded well for his venture.
"Focus," Hawk Moth hissed. "If you cannot focus, perhaps I'll need to find a way to draw out your son."
"A trade, then." It was not something she should be contemplating. "My son for this Chat Noir."
"We have already struck our bargain, Dracona." The name sent a shudder through her, and she lost a bit of height as she spasmed. "You've already agreed to fetch me Chat Noir's ring, just as you agreed to tell me about this city's heroes."
Tell, but not sacrifice. Tell, but not necessarily turn against.
She could fulfill their bargain to the letter, but she didn't need to fulfill the spirit of it if she could find a way around it. She could still save her son. She could still keep Haley from being involved. She could still—
She couldn't save Chat Noir without endangering Jake and the others.
Not if Chat Noir crossed her path.
She'd only agreed to fetch his ring if he crossed her path.
She banked abruptly to her right, hearing a surprised, "What the juice?" from the Ninja as he pulled up short.
There was more shouting behind her, no doubt as Chat Noir joined the Ninja, but she didn't look back.
"Dracona."
She could feel his threat reverberating in her bones.
"You cannot break our agreement. Now turn around and fight them!"
The heat was rising in her belly. Each wingbeat was becoming more strained, weighted by her foolish promise. How could she have sacrificed anyone's freedom for her own? And yet— How could she give this up, now that she'd tasted it? If Chat Noir had fought people like her before, he'd know exactly how to take all of this away from her.
She didn't want to let him do that.
She didn't want to give Hawk Moth any reason to try to use Jake against her. She was sure he still didn't quite know, didn't quite understand, but he knew and understood enough. He knew she considered Jake a hero, knew he'd fought against people much like Hawk Moth before, and he— He might even know that Jake was special—magical—even if he didn't know why.
But Jake would be here soon enough whether or not Hawk Moth tried to deliberately draw him out.
She was circling back before she realized what she was doing. She dodged a fireball shot at her by the Ninja and sent one at him in return. She could deal with him easily enough if he became a problem, but ultimately, he wasn't her concern. He wasn't one of this town's heroes. He wasn't Chat Noir. She didn't have to…. She could spare him.
Chat Noir darted in front of her, joining the Ninja. She could hear his frantic whispers, about Hawk Moth, about what he thought he knew about her. He was a fool, just as she'd been a fool.
She couldn't protect Chat Noir. Certainly, she couldn't protect him if she wanted to protect Jake. She'd have to get this ring. She could feel how much Hawk Moth wanted it. It was real, tangible, so much more useful than information he couldn't easily apply. If she succeeded in this, he might be satisfied.
Chat Noir and the Ninja split up. She focused on her target, whose acrobatics were better than some of the Huntsclan initiates she'd met—about as good as Huntsgirl's had been before she'd only become Rose and never one of the Huntsclan.
Behind her, the Ninja's latest fireball rolled harmlessly off her scales. She adjusted her wings and weight and whipped her tail in his general direction, spinning into a roll with the additional momentum. Even though she didn't hit anything, she heard a yelp behind her. She shot forward at an angle to Chat Noir, keeping him in her sights. He danced away from her, staying just past what he must think was the reach of her flame.
Pity he'd misjudged the distance.
The plume of fire she sent at him was still short of how far she could send it, if necessary, but it was long enough for what she wanted. Her goal was to cut him off and force him to his left; nothing more. He flipped away from the fire, and she started to follow his movements, but a hand-shaped wave closed around her flame and turned to steam, neatly providing a screen for Chat Noir's escape.
Seems she hadn't done enough to knock the Ninja off his game after all.
She hadn't wanted to involve him, but she wouldn't have a choice if he insisted on involving himself. She needed to finish this quickly, before Jake tried to get involved. She wasn't sure she could protect him if he came.
Besides, it wasn't as if she intended to hurt Chat Noir or the Ninja. She didn't. She simply wanted Chat Noir's ring. Now, if they got hurt trying to stop her, well, she could hardly pull all her punches and expect to finish this soon enough to avoid Jake's interference.
A few heavy wingbeats brought her higher and forced the Ninja and Chat Noir to brace themselves. Chat Noir had planted his staff against the rooftop, and both he and the Ninja were hanging onto it, heads together. Indistinct murmuring reached her ears, but rather than focus to figure out what they were saying, she sent a blast of fire at them and drove them apart.
They spiralled in opposite directions. The Ninja reached into his pocket to pull out another one of those ice bombs of his. He lobbed it in her direction, and it caught the tip of her foot as she moved away. She shrieked as not ice but electricity erupted from it, racing through her body and causing her to drop. She hit the roof, something snapping beneath her weight, and the Ninja conjured another fist of water and threw it at her. Before she had time to blink all the water from her eyes, he'd tossed more of those Ninja Electro-Balls at her.
Chat Noir vaulted back into view before she'd found her feet, no doubt hoping the Ninja's attack had incapacitated her. She waited and caught her breath, more than happy to pretend that all those Ninja Rings and Ninja Throwing Stars the Ninja was hurling her way hurt more than they did. He clearly had no idea how much her scales protected her, and she felt no need to correct his assumption right now.
Now that the electricity had dispersed, Chat Noir was coming at her in a zigzagging run. He split his staff into two as he went and then threw one half. She twisted her head out of the way—it had been aimed for her eye—and sent a stream of flame at his other hand, intending to heat the metal before he could throw it.
She saw the Ninja's scarf wrap around his torso and jerk him backwards before her fire could reach him. The Ninja gave Chat Noir a handful of coloured balls and then sprinted behind her and out of sight, considering she wasn't about to take her eyes off Chat Noir. She thrashed her tail, hoping to knock the Ninja off his feet even as Chat Noir took aim and began to throw.
To say that the first explosion stung was an understatement, and she gave up her pretence of helplessness as two more followed in quick succession. She was recovered enough now, and she didn't like being made the fool.
Her first step forward proved to be a mistake, as her foot slipped out from under her in a pile of marbles. She sent her full force of flame at Chat Noir then, but the Ninja was back with his staff, and he'd rejoined the halves and was spinning it to dissipate her fire.
They were talking again.
She was getting so tired of them talking. Planning. Plotting. She just needed Chat Noir's ring. She simply—
The Ninja's suit burned red with magic, her split-second warning that another fireball was coming her way. She met it with her own, raising herself up with a roar and using the wind from her wingbeats to try to knock them off their feet again. This time, the Ninja toppled, unprepared, though Chat Noir crouched and managed to keep his feet.
"You must get his ring," whispered Hawk Moth in her head, "but do not let him touch your necklace."
They were fighting her from a distance.
For them, that made it a fairer fight.
But she didn't have to fight fair.
She could get close to them without letting them get too close to her.
She sent another blast of fire towards them as cover before flying over the flames and diving toward them, talons outstretched.