Chapter 12: Robot Down
As though there was a boundary between them, the rest of the class returned to Room 423, more divided than ever.
While Alya, Nino, Rose, Juleka, Mylene, Ivan, Kim and Max were on Lila's side, Luka, Zoe, Marc, Nathaniel, Alix, Chloe and Sabrina believed that Marinette was innocent. So that she wouldn't have to face the ones who opposed her, Adrien persuaded Marinette to go to bed early: he would keep an eye on her.
It was all very pitiful: Juleka and Luka, two siblings, were at odds; and all the people Marinette had helped were flocking to Lila, who had only joined their class a few months previously.
"Come to think of it," whispered Adrien to Plagg, as he peered out of the glass door, "Lila's tales seem to be rather far-fetched."
"All the more reason not to believe her," said Plagg.
"That's right," said Adrien. "But I know Marinette would never kill anyone. I just know it. She organises events for the class; she's always around to lend an ear; she may not be Class Rep, but she may as well be. She's got a huge heart, that girl."
Girl in question was curled up in her cupboard, snoring quietly with a strand of hair in her mouth. Adrien watched her, wondering how she could be suspected of a crime.
"Well, at least now the two of you are an item," said Plagg. "You can be her knight in shining armour!"
"I sure hope so," said Adrien.
The following day, the class went for a dip in the hotel pool. Undeniably, it cooled everyone down somewhat - literally and metaphorically. Marinette secretly wished Lila didn't make people wait on her at the poolside (Lila had claimed that she'd sprained her wrist).
Afterwards, they went back to the hotel and had lunch. On the way back to Room 423, Marinette and Zoe talked.
"I'm sorry about how things have turned out," said Zoe. "And I'm sorry I didn't stick up for you earlier."
"That's okay, Zoe," said Marinette. "I'm just confused. Why would people start accusing me of such a severe crime? They don't even have solid proof!"
"I know," intoned Zoe. "Some people will believe anything they hear. Y'know, I haven't known her long enough, but Lila's stories seem a bit off. They don't really sound all that realistic."
"That's what I was thinking," said Marinette. "Who knows? She might be -"
Everyone's thoughts were interrupted by a scream of despair.
Upon entering Room 423, they saw what had happened: Max was knelt on the floor. At his feet was a mess of nuts and bolts.
Someone had destroyed Markov, Max's robot.
"You!" shouted Max, pointing at Marinette. "You destroyed Markov, didn't you? So that you could destroy evidence of your crime!"
Marinette didn't bother defending herself.
"YOU'RE SICK, MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG! YOU'RE A MONSTER IN DISGUISE! THAT'S RIGHT, KEEP QUIET!"
All of a sudden, a purple butterfly entered through an open window, and perched onto Max's suspenders.
He was immediately possessed.
"Technoclysm," said Hawk Moth, "I am Hawk Moth. One of your creations has been destroyed, so you can get your back by destroying all the technology in sight! All I ask of you is Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses!"
"We have a deal, Hawk Moth," said Max.
Instantly he grew ten times his size. He turned into a large, black sphere with two white stripes on the sides. At the front of the sphere was a laser.
"May all the technology be destroyed!" proclaimed Technoclysm. "And may Marinette be the first to go!"
But before he could do anything, Marinette kicked open the door and bolted, not wanting to be reduced to ashes. She made an immediate beeline for the janitor's cupboard, where she transformed herself into Ladybug.
Ladybug emerged from the cupboard; Cat Noir was there.
"Good of you to show, Kitty-Cat," greeted Ladybug. "Now where could that Technoclysm be?"
Her question was answered by Technoclysm's laser flashing along. All the CCTVs in the hallway fell to pieces.
"Looks like we've got a baddie to cat-ch," said Cat Noir.
"Yes, and many people to get out of harm's way," said Ladybug.
"Be careful, Techno-guy," said Cat Noir. "We're gonna purr-nish your crimes!"
Technoclysm set off down the stairs, bumping with each step. Ladybug and Cat Noir ran after him, watching as all the CCTVs were reduced to dust.
"Everyone, evacuate the lobby!" announced Ladybug.
"Children first, adults follow! There's a villain on the loose."
The holidaymakers and the staff didn't need to be told twice. Within the minute, everyone bolted out of the hotel and took shelter elsewhere.
The battleground was clear.
"Time to get a grip, Technoclysm," said Ladybug.
"Lucky charm!"
And out came a red-and-black lug wrench, with four ends.
"What will you do with this, M'lady?" said Cat Noir.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," replied Ladybug, frowning. She leapt to avoid a laser released by Technoclysm. All of a sudden, the idea came to her.
Ladybug tossed the wrench like a frisbee. Technoclysm rolled towards the lift, blocking the doors. He was about to move - when Cat Noir shouted "CATACLYSM!" and destroyed one of the white stripes on Technoclysm's round body.
"Good work, Chaton," said Ladybug. After the purification of the akuma and the Miraculous Ladybug fixed everything, she and Cat Noir returned a grateful Max to Room 423. Then, they hid themselves and transformed.
"Alright, Marinette," snarled Alya, as Marinette sauntered back into Room 423. "We know you've been up to something fishy. Where the hell were you while Max was akumatised?"
"Leave me alone, Alya," said Marinette irritably.
"Save it," said Mylene crossly. "You destroyed Markov first, then you took advantage of him getting possessed so that you could commit another nefarious act! This isn't the Marinette we know!"
"THERE IS NO OTHER MARINETTE!"
Everyone turned. Adrien, the calm, collected model, was shouting.
"YOU'RE ALL BEING BLOODY IDIOTS!" he yelled. "MARINETTE IS NOT THE SORT OF PERSON WHO WOULD JUST KILL ANYONE - AN INNOCENT MAN WHO'S DOING HIS JOB - JUST LIKE THAT! YET WHEN LILA" - he pointed a trembling finger at her - "OPENS HER MOUTH, YOU LOT FLOCK TO HER LIKE EVERYTHING SHE SAYS IS GOSPEL! GODDAMMIT, YOU HARDLY EVEN KNOW HER! HAVE YOU TAKEN THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT SHE SAYS? OH NO, IT'S ALL, MARINETTE IS A MURDERER AND LILA'S AN AWESOME GIRL WHO'S BEEN ON ADVENTURES MOST OF US CAN ONLY DREAM OF!"
"I have to agree with Adrien," snapped Luka, stepping up. "I mean, Juleka, you're my sister and I love you, but you're being silly here! How long have you known Marinette? And don't you know her personality well enough? She is not a killer, and we can tell. This goes for all of you - Rose, Ivan, Mylene, Kim, Max, Nino - and you, Alya! Aren't you supposed to be Marinette's best friend?"
"I was," said Alya testily, "until she became a ruthless murderer."
"You don't understand, do you?" said Zoe, speaking up. "What Adrien and Luka are saying is that Marinette's innocent, and in short, Lila's talking complete and utter bullshit!"
"I stand with you, Zoe," said Nathaniel.
"Besides, do you really think a peasant like Lila Rossi can afford to ride with Michael Schumacher? Or have dinner with the Queen? Her tall tales are ridiculous! Utterly ri-diculous!" intoned Chloe.
Lila burst into tears.
"I j-just want to be your f-friend," she sobbed. "Is that t-too m-much to ask? And h-here you are, accusing m-me of a c-crime that only n-nefarious people would c-commit!"
"There, now, Lila," said Rose, enveloping her friend in a hug. "Those mean people aren't our friends anymore!"
"Are you happy now, Marinette?" said Ivan.
"You'll have the police on your tail soon," murmured Juleka.
"Hope you enjoy jail!" jeered Kim.
Adrien took Marinette by the hand and led her outside. There weren't many people around. Adrien and Marinette, still holding hands, walked down to the lobby of the hotel. A pianist was playing near the gymnasium.
The new couple sat down. Marinette rested her head against Adrien's, while he put an arm around her back. They listened to the musician as he played a rendition of 'Can't Help Falling In Love With You'.
Adrien noticed that the music had a relaxing effect on Marinette. So much so that she was starting to drift off. Adrien caught her before she fell to the floor in a heap.
"Hey," he laughed.
"Whoops, sorry Adrien," smiled Marinette. Her expression was serene, a far cry from her fearful frown that he'd seen since morning.
"Thanks for bringing me out here," she said. "Helps to get away from all the worry."
"I never thought our friends could be so stupid," said Adrien bitterly.
"Not all of them," said Marinette. "Zoe, Luka, Nathaniel... heck, even Chloe can see through Lila!"
Adrien held Marinette close to him. He loved seeing his new girlfriend happy and peaceful, and he wanted to make sure she stayed that way.
"Max did have a point, though," said Marinette quietly, as Adrien stroked her hair. "Whoever who destroyed Markov must be the same person who killed Fabio."
"Perhaps," said Adrien thoughtfully. "It was Markov who scanned the systems, remember? So the killer must be trying to get rid of evidence!"
"You're right," said Marinette. "Well, that would probably mean the murder happened in cold blood."
"Let's talk about something else, shall we?" said Adrien. Marinette nodded. They spent the rest of their evening recounting childhood memories, bonding over their favourite TV shows (both were fans of The Flash, it transpired) and listening to the pianist's music.
It wasn't for a while that the new, loving couple returned. It turned out that each side of the Marinette/Lila divide was so angry at the other, that the people who supported Marinette had moved to Chloe's suite. Adrien and Marinette entered Room 422, where Nathaniel, Marc, Zoe, Alix and Luka were sitting in a circle on the floor - Sabrina was watching TV while Chloe slept.
"Glad you two got away," said Alix.
"How are you feeling now, Marinette?" asked Zoe.
"Much better," said Marinette, "thanks to Adrien."
"You two were made for each other," complimented Luka.
"Agreed," said Nathaniel. "But I wish the class wasn't so divided. It makes me wish I wasn't the Class Rep."
"Hey, come on, Nate," reassured Marc. "You're doing a good job."
"I can attest to that," said Adrien.
"Well, guess what Adrien and I thought of?" said Marinette. "Whoever who destroyed Markov must have been the killer - they must have been destroying evidence!"
"That's actually a good point," said Luka.
"So, I was thinking: do you reckon we could get permission to look at the CCTV footage and get some potential evidence?" said Marinette.
"And present it to the police? Isn't that the hotel's job?" said Alix.
"They don't seem to be doing anything about it," said Marc.
"Well then - I guess that's alright, then," said Nathaniel decisively.
"Lu, are you coming with us?" Zoe asked her boyfriend.
"Nah," said Luka, "I was thinking of talking to Juleka. She's not normally that gullible."
"I was thinking of writing something tomorrow morning," said Marc.
"I also wanted to rest," said Alix.
"That's settled then: Zoe, Marinette, Adrien and I will be going out to check the CCTV cameras tomorrow," said Nathaniel.
"Sounds good," said Adrien.
Will we find out who killed Fabio Chapdelaine?
Stay tuned for Chapter 13!