MIRACLE QUEEN'S AFTERMATH
Chapter 9: Protecting What's Mine
by Bill K.
Atop the roof of College Francois DuPont, Lila looked down on the battle raging in front of the school with mixed emotions. Although she was pleased with the sudden turn of events, that being Ladybug taking an arrow from Dark Cupid and turning into an angry, hateful terror before everyone's eyes, she chafed at the fact that she wasn't responsible. Her dislike for Ladybug ran too deep to be satisfied with her humiliation at the hands of someone else. And her current role as Catalyst gave her nothing to contribute to Ladybug's defeat other than boosting the power of Hawkmoth.
Or did it? Was there a way to use her powers as Catalyst for her own purposes. As she watched, Lila's brain began to do what she did best: find ways to help herself.
Down on the entryway to the school, Cat Noir and Queen Bee stared in horror as a malevolent Ladybug glared back at them. Her black lips were curled down into a snarl and she began to spin her yo-yo menacingly. Queen Bee fired off three stingers, but the ever-nimble Ladybug easily evaded them with several leaps. One leap suddenly put her within striking distance of Queen Bee and her foot lashed out before Queen Bee could evade it. The heroine went down onto the steps in a heap. Ladybug raised her yo-yo up to smash Queen Bee, but Cat Noir grabbed her arm and jerked her away. Ladybug landed on her feet and crouched to attack.
"I can't hit her, Cat Noir," Queen Bee said. "She's too fast! And I'm about to change back!"
"Yeah, me too," Cat Noir replied. "Get to safety. I'll try to change her back."
"Do you have enough time?"
"I have to try," he said. "Even if I change back and reveal myself - - I can't leave her like this! Not her!"
Ladybug was set to lunge, but stopped when Silencer moved in.
"Let me help you, Dark Ladybug," Silencer said in Miraculer's voice, his attention squarely on Cat Noir and the retreating Queen Bee. "He can't use his attack if he can't speak."
But Dark Ladybug turned on Silencer and savagely struck the villain with her yo-yo. Silencer fell to the sidewalk and Dark Ladybug was on top of him, viciously kicking him.
"WHO ASKED FOR YOUR HELP?" she raged. "I DON'T NEED YOU! I LOATHE YOU! I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU, YOU SIMPERING LITTLE WEED!"
Diving at her, Cat Noir shoved Dark Ladybug to the side. They both tumbled to the ground and rolled. Unnoticed, one of her kicks had damaged part of Silencer's costume. The akuma fluttered out and back to its roost, while Silencer changed back into Luka Couffaine. Luka lay on the sidewalk, battered and bruised and fortunately unconscious.
"Oh, this is too good!" Catalyst thought from her observation point. "Dark Ladybug is a better adversary than all four of those akuma villains combined! I hope little miss nosy Alya is getting some good shots of her hero!" She crouched on the edge of the roof for a better look. "But how do I use this to my advantage?"
Cat Noir rolled up into an attack crouch. He saw Silencer revert back. With two villains down and the other two effectively neutralized - - at least until Queen Bee's venom wore off - - all he had to worry about was Dark Ladybug - - and his transformation fading.
Yeah, that was all.
Dark Ladybug was in a similar attack crouch. She glanced at Cat Noir's hand and smiled coldly.
"Looks like I don't have to expend much energy on you," she leered. "You're down to, what, two dots?"
"M'lady . . .!"
"Choose, Cat!" she growled. "Fight or flight! Because I win either way!"
And without warning, the school doors burst open. Out of the school ran Viperion, holding a fencing rapier from the gym storeroom. She leaped off of the top step and landed feet from Dark Ladybug, her rapier at attack position.
"I see you have been infected by Dark Cupid," Viperion said cooly. "I do not wish to harm you, but I will prevent you from harming others."
Cat Noir was surprised by this, but he was even more surprised by Dark Ladybug's reaction. The girl began to shake with a welling rage that neither he nor Viperion could have imagined her possessing. Dark Ladybug rose to her feet.
"You?" Dark Ladybug hissed venomously. "You have the nerve to say that to me, after everything you've done?"
The yo-yo shot out, aimed directly for Viperion's head. But the heroine skillfully parried the shot with her rapier. Cat Noir recognized the stance Kagami always used to battle him to a standstill in fencing class. Again and again the yo-yo shot out and again and again Viperion parried it. If anything, Viperion's enhanced strength and speed made Kagami even more formidable with a rapier. But he wondered how long she could keep it up against the onslaught of Dark Ladybug, because Dark Ladybug was fighting with a fury born of absolute hatred.
Dark Ladybug lunged. Viperion leaped aside. She leaped again and again Viperion dodged. Knowing Kagami as he did, Cat Noir knew she would want to attack. But Dark Ladybug was amazingly fast and she wasn't letting Viperion get an opening. If only he could do something. Cat Noir glanced down at his ring. There was only one dot left. Part of his mind tugged at him to go now while he could. But he stayed.
And saw Viperion lunge with her rapier. The razor point slashed across Dark Ladybug's ribs, tearing the costume and exposing a paper thin line of blood. Enraged, Dark Ladybug swung her yo-yo at Viperion. But Viperion swung the rapier around and severed the string. Bereft of a weapon, staring Viperion's rapier in the face, Dark Ladybug began to back up.
"Surrender," Viperion said without emotion. "I have no wish to hurt you, but this will not continue."
"Viperion . . .!" Cat Noir exclaimed.
"If she surrenders, I will not harm her. If she tries to attack or escape, I will act."
"Uh oh," Catalyst thought from above. "I think I better get down there."
Leaping down, Catalyst landed gracefully on the grass and headed for Dark Cupid. Her intent was to boost Dark Cupid's power, freeing him from Queen Bee's venom, and watch him corrupt Cat Noir and Viperion. That was the intent.
But Cat Noir had seen her. As she reached for Dark Cupid, a flash of black shot across her field of vision. Her hand touched black leather. Horrified, Catalyst stepped back and watched Cat Noir's costume grow patches of yellow so that the black in his costume formed stripes.
"Yeah!" Cat Noir exclaimed, glancing at his ring and seeing it fully recharged. "Make way for Tiger Noir!"
Taking advantage of the confusion, Dark Ladybug leaped up to the roof of the school.
"Get Miraculer's baton and destroy it!" Tiger Noir yelled to Viperion. "That'll get your powers back. Then clean up here! I'm going after M'lady!"
A powerful leap took the hero up to the roof and in moments he was gone. Catalyst made an attempt to touch Miraculer, who was still unconscious from when Silencer landed on her. But a rapier point stopped her short. Catalyst stared into Viperion's merciless eyes."
"You will not move," Viperion said coldly.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Catalyst replied.
Max worked at the computer in his bedroom, analyzing wavelength patterns. The patterns had been downloaded from his robot friend, Markov. Markov hovered over his shoulder, looking at the wave patterns inch across the screen. Max continued to type in commands and with each command the display would change.
"What are you looking for, Max?" Markov asked, for curiosity was a growing part of his artificial intelligence program.
"A particular wave pattern that would indicate the presence of telepathic communication," Max replied. As he spoke, he was narrowing the display of wave patterns.
"Why?" Markov asked.
"Hawkmoth attempted to communicate with me this morning," Max said, narrowing the parameters further so he didn't have to think too hard about the incident. "I'm hoping you were able to record the electromagnetic wave pattern of his communication."
"Why are you looking for such a record?"
"If I can find the proper wavelength to search for," Max explained, "I can try to build a sensor device to pick up the wavelength and triangulate onto its location. And through that process, I can trace Hawkmoth to his location."
"Hawkmoth is evil, correct?" Markov asked.
"Hawkmoth is very evil," Max muttered.
"Noted," Markov replied. "How would you construct such a device? You are still in debt to your mother for two hundred and sixteen francs for parts she purchased in order for you to build me."
"You don't have to remind me," Max said with some chagrin. "Chloe Bourgeois is going to buy the materials for me."
"Chloe Bourgeois is evil, is she not?" Markov asked.
"No," Max replied with a small smirk. "She's just a spoiled brat."
"Noted," Markov said.
"Markov," Max said suddenly. "Analyze displayed wave pattern and cross-reference against known electromagnetic brainwave patterns.
"Analysis complete."
"Is that a human electromagnetic brainwave pattern?"
"The cited example is within the parameters assigned to human brainwave patterns," Markov answered.
"And the time stamp fits," Max added. "Markov, this could be it!"
"Proximity alert!" Markov declared suddenly. "Unauthorized life form detected!"
A white substance resembling a spider's web shot out and struck Markov, slamming the robot against the wall and adhering it there. Max turned around with a start and saw Anansi clinging to the ceiling. He tried to bolt for the door, but only took one step before he found himself wrapped from chin to ankles in sticky webbing. Max plummeted to the floor, the impact knocking his glasses off.
"You heard, Scarlet Moth?" Anansi asked no one visible as Max stared up in shock from the floor.
"Everything," Scarlet Moth replied. "Destroy the computer."
As Max watched helplessly, Anansi brought two of her right arms down on his hard drive and smashed it into broken plastic and crumpled metal.
"Now destroy the robot."
Turning to where Markov was stuck to the wall, Anansi reared back and slammed two fists into the side of the robot. Sparks flew as the outer metal casing bent. Anansi continued to beat on the robot until it was a pile of twisted metal stuck to the wall. Then she turned to Max.
"What about the boy?" Anansi asked and Max's heart stopped momentarily.
"Spare him," Scarlet Moth told her. "We're not barbarians. And someone has to pass our message on to Miss Bourgeois. But bring him with you."
Obeying, Anansi leaped up onto the ceiling and skittered out the window, Max's cocooned form in tow.
"Hawkmoth?" Catalyst thought as she stared down the body of a very sharp rapier. The expression on Viperion's face told her that moving would not be a good idea at the moment.
"The name is Scarlet Moth," she felt him reply. "What is it?"
"I'm in a tiny bit of a jam right now," Catalyst thought back. "Could you do something? Anansi ran off and the other four were defeated - - and Viperion is about to catch me!"
"I suppose that wouldn't do," Scarlet Moth thought back. "Give me a few moments."
Catalyst waited nervously. Viperion just stared at her.
"You really don't want to do this, do you?" Catalyst began. "Hawkmoth forced me to do this. I'm a victim . . ."
"You are a menace," Viperion said flatly. "You will remain still and make no move to either escape or attack."
Then out of the corner of her eye, Catalyst saw a black and violet butterfly headed for Viperion. She smiled. An akumatized miraculous holder could come in very handy.
But Viperion saw the butterfly before it could land on her. Jumping back, she whipped her rapier down in a crossing motion. Pieces of the butterfly floated to the sidewalk. But in the time it took her to slice up the butterfly, Catalyst leaped up to the roof of the school. Immediately Viperion went to her Second Chance bracelet.
"No!" she thought in frustration. "I didn't have a chance to reset the bracelet! I can't use Second Chance!"
Exhaling in frustration, Viperion leaped up to the roof in pursuit of Catalyst. What she didn't notice was Catalyst hiding behind one of the school chimneys. In moments, Viperion was out of sight and Catalyst was able to breath again.
"Scarlet Moth," she thought. "Thank you for the assist. There's something else you should know! Ladybug was struck by one of Dark Cupid's arrows! She's rampaging through the city now! Cat Noir's chasing after her!"
"What excellent news," she felt Scarlet Moth think. "That should keep them busy enough for me to complete what I need to do. I might even be able to coerce her to working for me."
"That's wonderful, Scarlet Moth," Catalyst lied. "Now, if you don't need me anymore, could you change me back into Evanesce? I think I like that identity."
"No, Lila," Scarlet Moth replied. "If you're no longer Catalyst, then I'll no longer be Scarlet Moth. And then Dark Cupid will revert and the corruption of Ladybug will wear off. I'm afraid you'll have to continue in that identity for now."
"Yes, Scarlet Moth," Catalyst sighed.
She leaned against the chimney and watched Sabrina Raincomprix reunite with her father on the school steps. This wasn't getting her any closer to Hawkmoth. Since agreeing to work with Hawkmoth, Lila had coveted his power. But it remained out of reach, tantalizingly out of reach. No matter what story she seemed to come up with, he kept her at arms length, like he suspected what she was after. It was the same way with Gabriel Agreste. The two were shrewd. Bamboozling them would take more skill than bamboozling those morons at school. It would be very challenging.
Fortunately, Lila liked challenges.
Tom Dupain peered out the window of his bakery, searching with waning hopes of spotting a petite girl with black hair and pigtails. By the cash register, Sabine looked at him, her own worry submerged by worry for him.
"I don't understand it," Tom said. "The news said that the people who disappeared yesterday returned. But nobody saw Marinette! If she vanished because of that villain, why didn't she return? And if she didn't vanish because of that villain, then where is she?"
"The police are looking into it," Sabine tried to reassure him.
"The police," huffed the gigantic baker.
"Well, if we'd moved to China like I suggested . . ."
"That's not exactly a better place right now," Tom scowled. A thought galvanized him. "I'm going to look for her."
"Tom," she began, ready to try to reason with him. But the look of desperation she got from him melted her logic. "A-All right. Be careful. I'll hold down the shop."
Bounding across the rooftops, Tiger Noir continued his pursuit of Dark Ladybug. Within moments, he found his quarry. She was atop a building, using her reborn yo-yo to smash a billboard advertising the Agreste cologne "Adrien".
"Smug little pretty boy!" Dark Ladybug raged as she pounded on the rubble of the billboard. "Two-timing little JERK! DIE! DIE! DIE!"
"Wow," Tiger Noir swallowed, stopped in his tracks. "Remind me never to get her mad at me!" But a smile bloomed on his face. "Oh, but even when she's a raving psycho, she's the hottest female on Earth."
Using his baton to launch himself, Tiger Noir arched over the scene of destruction and landed at the edge of the roof. Dark Ladybug whirled and eyed him suspiciously.
"Yeah, I always thought he was overrated, too," Tiger Noir grinned. He approached Dark Ladybug non-chalantly. "Still, all of this wanton destruction of property? That's really not like you, Bug-a-boo."
Dark Ladybug uncoiled and took an insouciant stance. Her lips curled into a knowing smile.
"Oh?" she purred. "And just what AM I really like?"
"Kind; generous; big sense of justice," Tiger Noir said as he continued to amble up to her, his eyes locked with hers. "And an overwhelming desire to kiss me."
"Oh, you've seen right through me," Dark Ladybug said with a coquettish lilt. "It's true. All I've ever done is pine for you. And now you're here."
"Then why wait?" Tiger Noir replied. He knew that the way to reverse Dark Cupid's effect was a kiss. It was the best mission he'd ever had since gaining a miraculous.
"Why stop with a kiss?" Dark Ladybug asked, her eyes hooded and her voice breathy. "I can give you - - so much more."
Inches apart, Tiger Noir leaned in to take her in his arms and kiss her. That's when Dark Ladybug struck. As the force of her momentum knocked him on his back, her hands closed around Tiger Noir's throat.
Continued in Chapter 10