CHAPTER 7 : The breach
5 Weeks after the disappearance of Adrien/Chat Noir... In the Sentiworld:
Adrien took the remote control and turned on the television. He found that his partner had been on patrol every two days for a week. She was always accompanied by the illusion of her feline teammate and made sure that they were always filmed by television cameras or passers-by. In this way, the evening News broadcast the images, professional or amateur, taken earlier in the day.
It was his moment of comfort, to turn on the television, and to notice that Ladybug was doing her best to make the Parisians see their two heroes investigate. She did what was necessary to ensure that she didn't fail in her mission and also that citizens felt safe.
He was so proud to have such a dedicated, enterprising and reckless partner. He was blindly trusting her, and would never cease to believe in her strength and courage. If anyone could get him out of here, it was Ladybug.
He was absolutely convinced that she was moving heaven and earth to get her hands on Hawkmoth and Mayura. No matter how difficult and complex the problem, he had always seen his Lady find a solution. And that thought, that realization, swelled his heart with hope.
However, even if he kept faith, he had to recognize that the time spent here was becoming more and more unbearable. He missed Ladybug, but also Plagg, Marinette, Nino, Alya... He was even missing the few telephone exchanges he had from time to time with Chloé, who is in New York. He was even missing his long photo shoots that he hated more and more. Because at least these shoots allowed him to enjoy the outside world, to take some fresh air and to see the daylight.
He sighed at length, wishing with all his heart that his release would be only a matter of hours or days. He began to wonder how much longer he could hold on, cut off from all social life and freedom, before he began to lose his mind. Because even with the best of will and with hope, he was aware that his living conditions were inhumane, and that every human being had a breaking point. A breaking point he hoped he would never reach. Adrien was an Agreste, of course, but never would he look like Gabriel. He would never be allowed to fall into such a madness. NEVER.
This thought provoked a wave of disgust and deep disappointment in his mind. When they were all out of here, the tabloids were going to storm him for this whole story and whether he likes it or not, his name would be affiliated with it. This idea was not very appealing to him, and it was at that time that he made an important decision: once out of here he would change his name. Adrien Graham de Vanily, it was perfect. Perfect to turn the page, perfect to start a new life, perfect for his Lady.
Adrien began to blush and blink quickly, had he just really thought of asking Ladybug to marry him ?
He shook his head and focused on the screen he had turned on. To his surprise, he recognized the familiar faces that were on television. It was his old friends from high school. But why were the images that were being broadcast right now leaving a bitter taste in his mouth? Why did he feel a pinch in the chest? Why did he feel his intestines twist and tie painfully in his belly?
They were all there: Marinette, Nino, Alya, Alix, Kim, and Luka... It was this vision that had just given him stomach cramps. More precisely, Luka's arm passed around Marinette's shoulders and the closeness that he had with the beautiful young woman.
Then he saw the sweet Marinette speaking, and disregarded the presence of Luka. He was hanging on the lips of her as if nothing else mattered. He listened to her words with the greatest attention.
'Where there is a will, there is a way: Today our will is to show our friend Adrien that hope, determination and fighting can accomplish great things. You are not alone against the world Adrien, we are here for you, and we will always be.'
Again, his friend was able to overwhelm him and surprise him with her selflessness and her infinite goodness. They had all come together thanks to her, in order to convey a message to Adrien, in the hope that he could see and hear it. Knowing her, she certainly wanted him to see that his friends were not giving up and were thinking about him, wherever he might be.
'We all miss you. We all hope that Mr. Agreste will find his reason and reverse course. Nothing is irreversible and there is still time to make the right decisions before doing more harm than has already been done.'
Marinette had just finished her speech, and for some reason, Adrien had the impression that it means some much more than it looks. She had first addressed him, but the second part of her speech was addressed to Gabriel Agreste. She had expressed herself in the same way that Ladybug could have done before against Hawkmoth.
He moved a hand and placed it on his heart, which was beating rapidly in his chest. Marinette was, with Ladybug, the only woman able to make him feel such intense emotions. Seeing her show the same strength of character as his Lady, and especially for him, left him speechless and totally admiring.
Marinette was amazing. She really was his everyday Ladybug. He was not at all surprised that his heart had been playing a ping-pong match between the two women for several months.
Suddenly, Adrien heard a scream echoing in the Manor. He took the remote control, turned off the television and got up quickly in order to go out into the hallway. Again, he heard shouting, this time, very clearly.
"Water! Adrien, if you hear me, bring immediately some water to Nathalie's room!" he heard his father's voice, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Adrien heard the distress in Gabriel's voice, and thinking only of Nathalie's health, he rushed to carry out his request.
Less than a minute later, and out of breath, Adrien suddenly opened the door of the room where they were both. Gabriel Agreste was sitting on the bed, his assistant's head resting on his lap. He gently caressed one of the young woman's cheeks while whispering something to her.
When the young man approached, he observed with relief that Nathalie was awake. But this appeasement was short-lived when he heard her cough and moan in pain. Her features were marked by suffering, her body was stretched and she clung to Gabriel's shirt by planting her nails in it as if he were the last lifeline that could save her from drowning.
Adrien was completely paralyzed with fear and worry by the scene that was playing before his eyes.
"Adrien! You plan to take root and become a three? Give me that glass of water!" Gabriel shouted at his son's unreactivity.
He shook his head, coming out of his lethargy and handed the glass to Gabriel. At the same time Nathalie coughed once more and blood came to dye her pale lips with a scarlet red.
"We must help Nathalie! We have to get out of here! We have to take her to the hospital! Do something! That's enough, Gabriel!" yelled Adrien, angry and deeply worried.
"I have no orders to receive from a teenager! No one will get out of here!" he answered harshly, while slowly bringing the glass of water to his assistant's mouth.
Nathalie trembled and Gabriel tried, not without difficulty, to make her swallow small sips of water. She eventually pushed the glass back with a gesture of her head, and with a faint whisper, her breath ran out, she tried to pronounce the name of the man holding her.
"Ga...Gab...riel," she begged, painfully, coughing up a new squirt of blood.
Adrien clenched his fists so hard that he felt his nails piercing the delicate flesh of his palm. The young man opened his mouth, ready to protest and repeat his request, but Gabriel shot him with his gaze and interrupted him abruptly.
"Not a word! It's enough! Get out of here. Nathalie needs some peace and quiet!"
"But…" tried to object Adrien.
"GET OUT!" screamed Gabriel, ending the dialogue.
Adrien put his anger and hatred aside. He was not a selfish man, not like HIM. He wasn't like that monster. For Nathalie, and only for her and her well-being, he carried out and went out of the room.
Gabriel sighed with relief and leaned toward Nathalie. With the back of his sleeve, he wiped the blood on her lips. She had closed her eyes but the contact made her open her eyelids again. She planted her pleading turquoise gaze into the man's impassive gray marble.
"Stop..." she begged.
The moment this word had crossed Nathalie's lips, Gabriel saw the window facing him become all blurred. A slight white glow emanated from it, as if an outer light was trying to make its way inward.
"Damn it! There is a breach in the Sentiworld!" He muttered with frustration and anger.
He turned his attention to his assistant and caressed his face again. "Please, Nathalie, hold on. You can do it. I'm here, everything's fine. Everything will be fine. Don't try to fight the Amok," he whispered into her ear.
"I... I... Fine," ends up surrendering Nathalie, out of breath.
"Thank you Nathalie, thank you," Gabriel blew, dropping a furtive kiss on her forehead.
The next moment, Nathalie slowly closed her eyes.
Adrien slammed the door of his room.
What right did Gabriel dare to play like that with the life of a human being?! Did he really have no ethics? Not a single ounce of humanity in him anymore?
In a muffled noise, his fist smashed to the top of his piano. "Merde!" he screamed in fury.
He lowered his eyes to his bruised fist, then suddenly he raised his head. Something in his room had just moved and caught his attention.
"What does..." He strangled himself when his eyes were placed on an unusually familiar figure.
He blinked a few times, then folded them to try to see clearly, but it didn't work and the image in front of him was totally blurred and constantly oscillating. He was unable to see clearly.
The figure sat on his bed and looked in his direction. "My L...? Marinette?" He whispered his question in a breath of confusion.
He really wasn't sure what he was seeing. Why would Marinette be in my room?
His mind must have played a bad trick because he had seen the young woman on television a few minutes before.
He advanced quickly, but the further he advanced, the less he distinguished the person in front of him. So he stopped.
Then he saw one of the walls of his room also become blurred and sparkle.
He opened his eyes, beginning to understand what was going on. The Sentiworld was collapsing.
He hurried to the wall, which seemed to disappear, and ran into it. He hurriedly turned to the silhouette which disappeared instantly before his eyes.
"No!" he screamed, falling to his knees on the ground.
It was a breach, he was convinced! Nathalie had faltered, and the Sentiworld had started to crack, giving a short glimpse of the real world.
If it was Marinette, what was she doing there? Was she there with all the others? Looking for clues or preparing for his return? Probably. It was typical of the determined behavior of the young woman.
Unless he's wrong, unless it's not Marinette. Unless his mind mixes the two women who hold his heart. Unless it's... Ladybug?
Yet he had not distinguished the slightest sign of a red suit stained with black. Could she be in her civilian clothes in his room? Was she closer to the truth and to finding one solution?
He let his head fall into his hands, letting out the tears he had held for too long.
"I want to get out of here," he whispered, sobbing. "My Lady… Marinette… don't both abandon me."
On the same day, in the real world:
Marinette observed Nadja Chamack put away her equipment. She sighed with relief: a good thing done. She was hoping that in the Sentiworld created by Mayura, Adrien would have a way to see that his friends thought about him and supported him.
She jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder and exert a strong pressure on it. Immediately, she turned around
"Luka? I thought you were gone by the end of the interview," she exclaimed.
"No, not at all. I was actually waiting, because I have to talk to you," replied the musician.
"Ah... Uh... Of course."
Marinette beckoned to Alya and Nino to wait for her, then she turned her attention to Luka.
"I'm listening, Luka," she said, confused.
"I would like to ask you if you would agree to go out with me, tomorrow night. A movie or a restaurant?" he asked.
The young woman widened her eyes in surprise and gave him a completely astonished look.
"I... Uh... You mean, as friends?" she asked, fearing the guitarist's answer.
"Mari..." said Luka.
He delicately placed a hand on the cheek of the young woman who jumped again.
"I love you, Marinette and you know it. I'd like to invite you on a date."
She shook her head slightly and moved out from his touch.
"Luka, I'm sorry, we... we've already tried you and me for a few weeks. You know perfectly well that I love Adrien and that you and I, it can't work..." she replied.
"But Adrien is no longer here," Luka whispered, taking a step forward to reduce the distance between her and him, and then leaning towards her to try to kiss her.
Marinette took a step back and pushed him away. From the corner of her eye, she saw Alya rising from the bench where she was sitting and she beckoned her not to intervene.
"As long as there is someone to keep hope, Adrien will always be there! Ladybug and Chat Noir will find him. I will never stop believing it! I won't give up!" she declared in a sharp voice.
"It's been a month now, Marinette... And if he really comes back one day, what are you going to do?" asked the young man bitterly.
"What I should have done long ago. Tell him the truth," whispered Marinette. "I'm sorry Luka. You're my friend and nothing more. Have a good night."
Marinette turned away from the musician and hastened to join her two best friends. Alya immediately took Marinette in her arms and offered to accompany her back home. Nino hugged Marinette, kissed his girlfriend, then separated himself from the two young women by recommending them to be careful.
Marinette and Alya both transformed themselves into a small alley, away from prying eyes: it was the quickest and easiest way to get to the Manor and enter directly through the window of Adrien's room, without being spotted by his bodyguard.
A few minutes later, Ladybug and Rena Rouge landed inside the room, one after the other.
"Will you be okay?" asked Rena Rouge.
"Yes, don't worry. I just didn't expect Luka to do something so... quickly.. I mean, it's only been five weeks since Adrien disappeared."
"It was unrespectful, I didn't expect it from him," exclaimed the fox heroine.
"Neither did I," replied Ladybug.
The heroine, dressed in red and black, dropped her transformation and collapsed on the bed. Rena Rouge gave her a worried look and decided to change the subject.
"Have you thought about what you learned in Tibet?"
Marinette stood up and sat on the bed. She circled her knees with her arms and brought them back against her chest.
"I keep thinking about it, and I don't know what to do. Tikki and Plagg say it's too dangerous," she replied, sighing.
"What do you think? Do you think it's too dangerous?" asked Rena Rouge, in a calm voice, without judgment.
"I don't know... The Grand Gardien told me that the purity of my intentions could certainly reduce the consequences of the wish. But there is still a price to pay," she said bitterly.
"And that price scares you, doesn't it?"
Marinette turned her head to the photos on the bedside table. She contemplated them for a moment, before turning back to her best friend again.
"Yes. It could hurt Adrien, or change him forever... He could lose his memory, or on the contrary be haunted forever by the Sentiworld... it's too random... I still need time to weigh the pros and cons."
She tightened her knees a little harder against her bust, and hid her face in it.
Rena Rouge put a reassuring hand on Marinette's head and gently caressed her hair. "It is a hard decision, take the time you need," she said softly.
Marinette lifted her head up and forced a half-smile.
A few moments later, Alya waved to Marinette before launching herself on the Parisian rooftops in order to reach her home.
The young woman stood for a moment on the bed, thinking and confused. Her heart and her head were in conflict. Her heart whispered to her to make the wish, tonight, right now. But her reason, told her that it was a bad idea and to give up this solution. She tried to sort and keep balance between all her contradictory thoughts.
She needed a little more time to make the right choice. If she must take such an important and dangerous decision, she had to make sure that she would explore all eventualities first. She had to make sure that this risk-taking was fully considered.
Suddenly, a short, muffled sound echoed through the room and she raised her head. She looked away in the room, but she didn't see anything.
Until she heard a low noise again. It was a voice. A familiar voice that spoke.
She raised an eyebrow, the noise was muffled and seemed distant, then she heard a distinct cry: "No!"
She suddenly jumped. Then she distinguished blond hair and a blurry lightning, falling down just in front of her, but this one disappeared almost instantly.
However, as fast as the events that had just happened, there was no doubt for the young woman about the identity of the person who belonged to that voice and that shape.
"ADRIEN!" she screamed as she got up from bed.
To be continued...
In the next chapter (8), Memories :
"The last time this kid came here, he only caused trouble. He even stole and befouled my Camembert,"
"Tikki? Plagg? Did you hear that?" she hastened to question them. The two kwamis nodded in approval. "The noise came from the piano,"
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I hope you're all enjoying the new season !
Miraculous kisses to all !