Get ready for some serious shit to happen in this chapter. This is why I rated this M for mature.
Chapter 24: Attack
Luka's POV
Luka watches his fiancé from a few feet away, she is in a business meeting with a few people here at the Wayne Gala. They were in a private sitting area on a raised platform on the outskirts of the ballroom. Kagami handles herself boldly and confidently with the older gentleman beside her. Even if she is only 23-year-old, she acts like a seasoned business woman, and she was really. She attacks the problem like a warrior. It was one of the things he loved about her. Luka wasn't good at this kind of stuff but he loved watching her command a situation like this.
Luka stand to the sidelines letting Kagami take the lead and not interfering with her business. He smiles to himself as she makes the competing business man across from her look foolish. She was guaranteed this man's business now. Kagami looks over to him quickly with a seductive smile on her lips. Hopeful this would be over quickly so they could enjoy themselves tonight. He really wanted to dance this his fiancé tonight, it was a perfect opportunity to practice for their wedding.
As Kagami looks back at the situation in front of her, Luka looks over to the dance floor, wistfully. He notices a couple, one he recognizes, Marinette and Damian. Luka smiles at seeing his old friend dancing with a man she likes. It was nice to see Marinette look so happy and loved. This man clearly likes her a lot and wasn't afraid to show it anymore, not like in the lobby. Adrien had kept Marinette on the hook for so long, giving her scraps of affection and attention for so long. Luka was just happy to see her with someone who could see how amazing she was and appreciate her love.
Luka didn't expect to see her here tonight. Marinette had informed him that she would be going into deep hiding as soon as her parents were out of the city this morning. He had done his duty like Marinette had asked, watching over her parents all week. Kagami was more than willing to cover for him when needed. She would have liked to help too as Ryuko but she understood that Marinette didn't want to many Miraculous out at one time.
Last week at their meeting to discuss what to do after Chat Noir's appearance in Gotham, Marinette had asked him to take the snake Miraculous for the time being. The silver snake bracelet felt heavy on his wrist, he understood how much trust Marinette was putting in him to hold a Miraculous long term and to protect her parents for her. Marinette had even told Kagami that she would make a good guardian as she talked about the problem of Chat Noir in their meeting.
As he looks at Marinette and Damian dance on the floor below, he notices how close the two have become. Damian whisper in her ear a few times and even laughs. They look very cozy together and if he was right, they were flirting quite a lot. Marinette spins out of his arms and look like she will leave the room but quickly turns to say something to the dark-haired man then walks away with a flick of her shirt and a wink.
"Geez, Marinette when did you get so bold," Luka say to no one but himself.
Suddenly men with guns rush into the ballroom from one of the entrances. Luka sees this as he looks around trying to think of what to do, but before he can think of anything an explosion sends him flying. Luka land on a table, 10 feet away from his original location. His ears are ringing with the explosion as he gets up with a groan to looks around. He feels pain in his head and back, one of his leg hurts so much he wants to scream from the pain of it. But he needed to find Kagami. She was closer to the explosion.
He turns his head, looking back to the location he was at seconds ago and see 8 bodies lying on the floor. Then, he sees want he fears the most, one of Kagami's shoes sticking out from under a table. Ignoring the pain, Luka gets up or tries to, but can't. He looks down at his leg, which is bleeding and has a metal pipe going through his calf. He limps over to the table and lifts the table as best he can with only one leg to help him lift it.
"KAGAMI," Luka screams as he lifts the table. Sass flies out of his pocket to see what is going on.
Luka tosses the table aside and Kagami's broken and bloody body lays under it. Her beautiful orange and yellow kimono stained with her blood. Half of Kagami's face is covered in blood with pieces of glass sticky out of her cheek, debris from the bomb scattered around her. And worst of all, a broken chair leg impaling her, penetrating her chest.
Luka fall to the ground next to her, tears stinging his eyes as he reaches for her face. "No! No!" Luka says, touching her face softly, "You can't leave me, my love."
His melody was died, no song sings in his head anymore. The silence in his head was deafening. Sass flies up next to him, looking at the scene in horror but say quickly, "Ladybug can fix this."
Luka looks around in a daze seeing people running in all directions then looks down at his arm, seeing the silver band on his wrist. He could stop this. He could save Kagami. He looks at Sass next to him, determination in his eyes.
"You can't," Sass says, at seeing his look.
"I don't care," Luka says, then, "Sass, Scales Slither!"
A green light envelops him and Viperion lays next to Kagami. He strokes her undamaged cheek and kisses her. He wasn't sure if this would work but he was older now and he hoped he had more power now. He thinks back to the moment he wants to go to and says, "Second Chance!" He feels the familiar pull of time and lets it over take him. Then, an unfamiliar feeling of dread that wasn't like the other times he used his power.
Luka stands untransformed next to Kagami just before she goes to sit at the table with the other business man. His eyes go wide as he looks around. The Gala is in full swing, no bomb or chaos and…
He whips his head to the side, Kagami stands next to him, alive and whole. She is unaware of his internal torment as he grabs her hand and pulls her away from her business meeting. Kagami looks at him curiously as he walks her out the doors of the ballroom and down the hall. But she makes no move to pull away or stop him, caring more about what has him so upset then her business venture.
"Luka, what's wrong?" she asks as they speed walk down the hall.
He says nothing as he walks with her behind him holding her hand tightly. He doesn't stop until they are three floors down and in another section of the building. He stops in a stairwell and turns to her fear and horror in his eyes from his earlier experience. He pulls her into his arm, holding her a little too tightly as he hears the bomb that killed her go off above. He shakes as he says in her ear, "I love you. I had to do it."
He knew he would have to deal with the consequences of him actions. He wasn't sure what they were yet but he would talk to Ladybug later. He knew he would have to transform and help Ladybug in a few minutes. But right now, he needed to reassure himself that Kagami was alive and safe.
"There is an attack on the Wayne Gala," Luka informs her. "I had to make sure you were safe."
Kagami looks surprised by his words for a moment before covering it and saying, "I'll get myself out of here. Now go, do what needs to be done, anata."
Luka pulls away reluctantly and nods at her, kisses her one last time before pulling away and walking back up the stairs.
Marinette's POV
Marinette is roughly pulled away from the stampeding people and towards the wall of the ballroom. People run in panic all around her. She looks behind her to see who grabbed her. She thought it was Robin for a moment, by the rough voice, but she sees Damian's angry and serous face with the single-minded focus of getting her away from the running people. They were just as much of a threat as the attackers of the Gala. She hears gun fire from her right, Damian running her in the other direction.
Damian hits the wall hard as more people run into them knocking them off balance. Marinette falls out of his arm and to the floor. A woman's heel stabbing her in her hand, the pain of the injury stings but Marinette adrenaline kicks in and the injury is soon forgotten. She looks around the room for the threat that caused the chaos.
Four men walk through the hall, three men have large guns firing at anyone who gets in there way, the other one has a large gas gun held in both hands. All the men wear gas masks. She looks to the other side of the room and sees soldiers rounding up guests in one corner. But they weren't human soldiers, but toy soldiers, the little green plastic ones just larger. Some hold guns while other hold bazookas, they can't seem to shot anyone with these weapons but they can hit them, hard. One of the toy soldiers hit a man who tries to escape, the man falls to the ground, head bleeding and eyes glossed over, died.
Marinette is horrified by the senseless killing, but Damian looks around like a warrior who has seem this kind of killing a hundred times before. He grabs Marinette by her upper arm and pulls her to her feet. He jogs her over to another man, Marinette looks away from the killing to see Tim fighting a toy soldier with some pretty advanced martial art skills. When did Tim become a martial arts master?
He turns to Damian saying, "West entrance to the hall, third door."
Damian nods quickly and pulls Marinette with him to the west door to the ballroom. But a bomb explodes next to the door. The door remains but debris block their path, the few people still running in the chaos lay on the floor, some groan while others lay still as the died, blood coating the floor below them.
She looks to Damian trying to figure out what his plan is, but she is grabbed from behind suddenly and a hand is place over her month, a cold sharp object to her throat. Damian turns quickly, murder in his eyes for the one who took her from him. He takes a step towards her but a woman's voice behind her says, "Oh no you don't. Not unless you want to see her blood on the floor too."
Damian stops and stands still, not wanting this woman to slice her throat. Marinette feels a sharp pain on her neck and a bead on liquid runs down her neck, staining the collar of her dress. This woman has a knife to her throat and didn't have any problem with using it.
Punchline stand behind Marinette and jerks her head to the right telling Damian to walk over with her and Marinette. They walk over to two men standing to the side of the ballroom away from the terrified guests on the other side, Marinette at knifepoint. Damian following beside the two women, Tim stopped fighting too at seeing Marinette's capture; following on the other side.
They walk up to Bruce Wayne's stern and serious face staring daggers into a man in a purple suit, Damian on her right and Tim on her left. The other man turns and Marinette recognizes the Joker, with his white face and wide smile. The Joker opens his arms in welcome to the approaching group. The Joker laughs and chaps his hands as he says, "Well done, Punchy. I sent you out to catch a little mouse and you come back with two little birdies too."
The Joker looks over his shoulder at Bruce and taunts the man by saying, "You really are a terrible father you know that, Brucey." He turns back to the Marinette and the two men beside her, Punchline still holding a knife to her neck. He continues saying, "Really, I knew this one was a lost cause but I expected better of you, Mr. Assassin, to hand yourself over for a woman. Your mother would be so ashamed." The Joker does a small spin, smiling like a mad man at the men around her and says, "I'm surprised that any of your sons survive to adulthood, Brucey, with a father like you." He turns to Bruce, with a sad clown face saying, "I tried to show you what an unfit father you were with Jason but here are two more casualties of your misguided world view."
Marinette could see what the Joker was trying to do. He was trying to enrage the Waynes. Thankfully the men remain stone faced at the taunts the Joker sends their way. The Waynes remain calm in the face of all this danger around them. She was sure she wouldn't be so calm if she was in their shoes, and at the moment she wasn't really, the knife holds to her throat with uncomfortably close.
The Joker steps closer to Marinette and says, "A curtain infuriating cat would like to play with you, little mouse." He grabs Marinette chin and looks into her eyes, the knife at her throat going a little deeper; the pain of it making her flinch. Marinette sees the madness in his brown eyes but also intelligence. She is unsure which scares her more, the madness or the sharpness of this man's insane mind. "But after seeing a curtain birdie's reaction to you. I may have to reconsider my agreement with him," the Joker says with a hoot. "I mean your cat friend is a complete idiot. I mean really a numbskull, grimy little fucker, a blond airhead with—"
"Joker," Punchline says, before the Joker can go too far into his angry rant.
The Joker's smile disappears for a moment as he looks annoyed at Punchline but then says, "Right," he says as he looks over at Damian, "How long do you think you can hold out before I can make you go as mad as me? I'm thinking of playing a little game with this mouse. How long do you think you can watch me torture her before you break?" The Joker pauses thinking as he puts his fingers to his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "I could slowly dismember her, but there a chance she could die before you go mad. Oh, I know! I know! I could let all my men have their way with her as you watch in chains. What do you think? Ooo, what if she likes it?" The Joker says gleefully, jumping around a little. "Having you watch her be taken by so many men."
Damian eyes darken with barely contained rage. Marinette barely hides her own fear at the prospect that the Joker describes. "I always wanted you as a pet you know" the Joker says to Damian, "You are the blood son, after all. And now this little mouse has given you to me."
The Joker makes a hand gesture to Punchline behind her and the knife at Marinette's throat drops, but she can feel Punchline behind her, this was a crazy woman with knifes and wasn't afraid to use them. Marinette was well aware of her presents behind her, and hated it.
"Now," the Joker says happily, "I would love to know what make you so special, little mouse."
Marinette remains silent and stands regally as she stares down the Joker, hiding her fear and uncertainty.
"Who am I kidding. You are just another whore like Selena. Aren't you? I mean that's the only kind of woman who will have the Waynes, right?" the Joker laughs hard at his jab at the men around him. His expression changes suddenly and he goes from laughing to a high lord telling his subjects, "The impiety that woman has done over the years. And yet Bruce Wayne lowers himself to her level."
"The only whore I see is you, with all that disgusting makeup on your face," Marinette says in French, specking of his white face paint with red lipstick and green ratty hair.
"She Specks!" the Joker says, excitedly, like a child who just found his favorite toy. "So, are you one of those French Whores I've heard so much about?" He turns to Damian saying, "What has she done for you, little birdie?"
"You fucking son of a horse's ass. You are nothing but a shitty fucking clown—" Marinette anger gets the better of her as she swears at the villain. But the knife is back at her neck as she says the insults. Marinette is tired of this and grabs Punchline's hand and uses her skills to jab the other woman in the abdomen with her elbow. Marinette turns on the other woman, rage in her eyes as she fights her, taking both her knifes and stabbing the other woman in the leg. Punchline falls to the ground, her upper thigh bleeding with a knife sticking out of it. She turns back to the Joker ready to fight him too, knife in hand. But she sees a gun barrel pointed at her head and stops.
"Now, Now," the Joker says, angered but interested in her now. "You wouldn't want him to get a ballet too, would you?" The Joker shifts his eyes to the right, turning to look, Marinette sees Damian surrounded but three men with guns pointed at him. They stand a few feet away from Damian instead of holding him with a gun to his head. Marinette was sure Damian could fight the men if they were closer but they were too far away for a quick strike to work without one of the other men getting a shoot off.
"Now, drop the knife, little mouse," the Joker says. Instead of dropping it to the ground Marinette throws it high behind her, it hits the ceiling of the ballroom. "I can see way this one likes you. There's more to you then meets the eye, little mouse." The Joker extends his hand to her and grabs her necklace, it's the mouse Miraculous she has taken to wearing, a simple looking pendant. "Could it be this?" the Joker says taking the pendent from her neck.
"You have no idea what you are messing with," Marinette glares at him. She was the guardian and the Grand Master at that, and this mad man took a Miraculous from her. She wanted to kill this man for touching her Miraculous.
Punchline is taken away by one of Joker's henchmen, still bleeding and staring at Marinette like she wants to kill her. Marinette glares right back at her, telling her to being it if you can. Marinette says quickly as Punchline is held off, "Harley Quinn was so much better than you, bitch."
"You think Ladybug will be mad? I've heard she has a temper," the Joker whispers for her ear only.
Three more men come up behind them and point guns at Damian, Tim and Marinette. Pocketing the pendent, Joker takes Marinette's hand and pulls her towards him, like he wants to dance with her. Marinette wants to fight but the men holding guns made her stop. She can't fight the Joker in hand-to-hand combat and stop the men from shooting Damian and Tim.
"I really must thank you, little mouse," the Joker says, pulling her into a dancing pose, one arm around her waist and the other holding her hand painfully. "You are the best gift I ever got and it not even my birthday," he says laughing harder.
The Joker looks dumfounded for a moment and then smack his head and says, "What am I doing! This is a ball, and no one's dancing. Come, Miss Mouse, let's dance." He spins her away in his embrace to the ruined dance floor. He starts to sing as his twirls her around the dancefloor.
"Spring is here, a-suh-puh-ring is here. Life is skittles and life is beer. I think the loveliest time of the year is spring. I do, don't you?" He sings looking at Marinette as he drags her across the floor. "'Course you do," he answers for her in his song. "But there's one thing that makes spring complete for me, And makes every Sunday a treat for me. All the world seems in tune. On a Spring afternoon, When we're poisoning pigeons in the park."
Marinette looks over to Damian, he is with his father now, the three men stand in a small group surrounded by armed men. The Joker drags her over to the other guests and continues his wicked song, "Every Sunday you'll see my sweetheart and me as we poison the pigeons in the park. When they see us coming, the birdies all try an' hide, But they still go for peanuts when coated with cyanide." The ball guests scream as they move closer and back away as a man holding a large gas gun aims it at them. Marinette's breath quickens as she watches, unable to stop the anarchy in front of her. "The sun's shining bright, everything seems all right, When we're poisoning pigeons in the park. La-la, la la-la la-la, doo, dee-dee, doo doo-doo," the Joker continues his song as Joker gas is released on the guests. The Joker dances them closer to the guest but moves away as the gas spreads.
"You know," the Joker whispers to Marinette as he spins them around in the dance. "I know who Batman is, do you?" Marinette's eyes go wide at his words. He knew who Batman was? She could only be horrified and afraid for Batman, to have a villain know your identity and come for your family was the nightmares that kept her up at night. "I killed his son, you know," the joker continues. "Well, one of them. That didn't break him. I think this time I'll kill his Ladylove." Holy shit, who was Batman's lover? Marinette didn't know, but she had to do something.
He throws Marinette to the ground hard in his evil dance, he is stronger than she would have thought. Grabbing her arm, he pulls her roughly up to continue the dance, "We've gained notoriety, and caused much anxiety in the Audidon Society with our games. They call it impie-," Marinette jerks away trying to hit him and free herself. But the Joker hits her in the stomach, Marinette doubles over from the blow. The Joker lurches her up into a dancing pose and says angrily, "You are raining the dance." Then continues his song, "They call it impiety and lack of propriety and quite a variety of unpleasant names. But it's not against any religion to want to dispose of a pigeon. So, if Sunday you're free, why don't you come with me, And we'll poison the pigeons in the park."
He moves back over to the Waynes and smiles at the men as he sings wickedly, "And maybe we'll do in a squirrel or two," staring at Damian and Tim. "While we're poisoning pigeons in the park." The guests start to laugh uncontrollably from the other side of the room, "We'll murder them all amid laughter and merriment, Except for the few we take home to experiment." He looks at Marinette as he sings this part; like he is getting some sick pleasure out of all this. "My pulse will be quickin' with each drop of strychnine we feed to a pigeon. (It just take a smidgen!) To poison a pigeon in the park!"
The laugher from the other side of the room starts to die down as the Joker finishes his sick song, telling Marinette that the guests are dying. Hearing the laugher die down made Marinette's head hurt, knowing that they were dying and there was nothing she could do about it. Her eyes started to water as she tries to kept her emotions in check. She had to transform and use her cure. But she couldn't reveal herself here in front of this madman.
Tim's POV
"I really must thank you, little mouse," Tim hears the Joker says, pulling her into a dancing pose. "You are the best gift I ever got and it not even my birthday," he says laughing harder. Tim and Damian are pushed over to were Bruce stands. They are surrounded by armed men with no visible way to escape.
The Joker looks dumfounded for a moment and then smack his head and says, "What am I doing! This is a ball, and no one's dancing. Come, Miss Mouse, let's dance." He spins her away in his embrace to the ruined dance floor, singing as he does so.
Tim looks over at the other two men. Both are angered by the insult throw at their women. Bruce was very protective of Selena and made sure no one dared slight her in front of him. Everyone know he married Selena and that she was a street kid and had to do some sex work to survive. The high society of Gotham only accepted her because of Bruce's influence.
Damian looks ready to kill everyone here as he watches the Joker and Marinette on the dance floor. Tim hated hearing the Joker talk about Marinette and Selena like this but he was sure the other two men were furious with rage after this.
"We need to find a way out of here fast," Tim says.
"No shit," Damian says.
They see the men on the other side of the room release Joker gas on the other guests. Tim is dismayed by the scene before him. He fears for the guests, but he is also afraid for Marinette. The Joker spins Marinette uncomfortably close to the spreading gas as the guest scream.
Damian starts to move towards the floor by one of the Joker goons fire his gun at his feet stopping him. Damian turns on the man ready the kill the man, but Bruce puts his hand on Damian's shoulder saying, "Wait, Damian. Don't waste Miss Dupain-Cheng's efforts to help us."
Both men look at Bruce confused. Bruce crosses his arms and discreetly points up to the ceiling. Tim looks up and see the large chandelier above the dance floor, the knife Marinette throw in the base of the chandelier. The weight of the chandelier was slowly detaching the chandelier from the ceiling. Clever girl.
"Did I tell you of the time Marinette escaped me but jumping out a 65th floor window," Tim says, putting his hand in his pocket for his phone and starts pressing bottoms to start hacking the buildings system. Damian looks at him annoyed. Tim shifts his eyes to the windows around the ballroom overlooking the Gotham skyline, a window washing carriage descending on Tim's command.
Marinette makes a hurt sound from the dance floor and three men look back to see Marinette on the floor, thrown there by the Joker. The Joker roughly pulls her back to him to continue dancing. Damian eyes flash with new fury.
"No, but I would love to hear about it," Bruce says.
"Tell it fast," Damian says, telling Tim to speed up the carriage.
The Joker moves back over to them with Marinette, saving her from the gas as the other guests start to laugh uncontrollably. The Joker's gas was going to kill them and there was nothing they could do about it. They didn't have the antidote, at least not enough of it. They all carried a dose of Joker gas antidote just in case. But this was way bigger than they thought the Joker's plan was. Tim didn't think he had the resource for this kind of attack but it looks like he had help from a certain cat, Chat Noir, judging by the toy soldiers. That or the Toy Man but that was unlikely.
The Joker passes by them singing, "And maybe we'll do in a squirrel or two," as he stares at Tim and Damian. What the fuck was he talking about? "While we're poisoning pigeons in the park." Was he really singing Tom Lehrer right now, as people were dying behind him? The Joker sicken him, Tim could hardly stand here and listen to the Joker's gleeful voice without vomiting. He was probably making a jab about killing Jason with that stupid squirrel shit. Tim stops listening the Joker's singing focusing on hacking the RCA buildings mainframe on his phone to help get them get out of here.
The Joker tosses Marinette to two men. There were 6 men surrounding them, now two were occupied by holding Marinette. So, only 4 to take out quickly and Tim thought Marinette could handle the two men holding her if given an opening.
Their opening comes as the chandelier falls, crashing to the ground seconds later. The men around them are distracted and Tim, Damian, and Bruce take full advantage of it. Tim knocks the man to his left out as Bruce takes out the two behind them. Damian quickly punched the men next to him and rans to Marinette's side to help her with the two men she was dealing with. She holds her own but she looked hurt. Did the Joker hit her?
Damian knocks out the men and picks up Marinette to take her to their exit by the window. Bruce was the first to reach the window, using a chair to break the window for them to jump out. Bruce stands guard as Damian with Marinette jump into the carriage. Tim follows after with quick look behind him. The Joker screams at his men to stop them and fires his gun at them, Bruce pushes Tim into the carriage and jumps in as bullets ricochet off the steel frame of the building, shattering windows.
Tim taps his phone dropping the carriage to a lower level of the building. Bullets rain down on them from above as Tim breaks the next window and they jump though escaping the rain of bullets.
"What floor are we on," Damian says holding Marinette protectively, shielding her from the bullets above.
"61," Tim says looking at his phone and typing quickly. They jump into a hallway on this floor. "There is a stairwell 200 meters to the right." They all start running that way. Damian having put Marinette down once inside the building.
Tim in the lead since he had the floor plan of the building. They run as fast as they can, but Tim hears a struggled sound behind him and turns to sees…
Bruce's POV
Damian stands in front of Tim, Bruce by his side as Chat Noir holds Marinette's neck in one hand, her back against the wall. "One step and I'll destroy her," Chat Noir says, malice in his eyes. Bruce was annoyed at himself for not being more aware of his surroundings.
"I expected better of you, Marinette," Chat Noir says looking at Marinette against the wall. "You said you loved me and you choose him." Chat Noir waves his other hand at Damian, angry and pain in his tone.
"If you're talking about when I was four-fucking-teen," Marinette says through clenched teeth, as Chat Noir's hand tightens around her throat. "I never meant it that way."
Was Chat Noir going to hold her to something she said as a young girl to a hero of Paris. Batman had a few people running all over the city trying to get a glimpse of him, fans of the bat. Hell, Dick as Nightwing had girls throw panties at him as he was patrolling. Fans were nothing new to the vigilantes of Gotham, but was Chat Noir really going to hunt down Marinette because she was a fangirl back in Paris.
Damian takes a step forward at Chat Noir's words and Chat Noir yells, "Cataclysm!" Marinette breath catches in a silent scream and she fight hard suddenly, kicking out her legs and hitting his arm. Bruce was well aware of Chat Noir's power to destroy anything he touches after saying that word. Bruce was sure he was going to have to watch her die and wasn't sure what he would do after that. Damian would kill Chat Noir and Bruce couldn't really blame him for it either.
"Stop fighting, Marinette. You can't win," Chat Noir's voice cut thought their shock. Marinette didn't disintegrate but Chat Noir's hand had black power bubbling around it as he hold her in place. Her blows not even registering to Chat Noir. Damian, Bruce and Tim stand as still as statues watching that bubbling hand.
"I learn a few new tricks in my years away. I no longer have the limitation of one touch. Now I can choose to destroy something after saying the word," Chat Noir says. "You betrayed me Marinette."
"You betrayed me first," Marinette says back. Then Marinette screams as her throat starts to turn black and crumbles, it's cut off by the dark energy destroying her vocal cords. It happens so fast that Bruce barely registers a green figure running up to grab Marinette's hand. Bruce grabbing the green figures back, unsure what it will be but if this was Viperion he could send them back in time. Bruce faintly hears, "Second chance." As a strange power over takes him.
Selena's POV
"I hate these things," Selena says. She stands in an elevator with Stephine. Selena wears an elegant black gown with deep V-neck line. Stephine in an elegant purple-blue beaded cape sleeve gown. "But it does have it's uses," Selena continues, holding up a beautiful diamond tiara she swiped for an annoying girl in a yellow dress.
"You have to return that," Stephine says, matter-of-fact.
"No," Selena says, off handedly. "Besides she was so annoying. Really yelling it the staff. Bad manners that one."
"Yes," Stephine sighs, understanding Selena's feelings. Selena had overheard the girl say some rude things to Stephine in the ballroom too. "Bruce will never let you keep it, Selena."
Selena puts the tiara on her head and leans against the wall of the elevator, a mix between a lazy cat and a femme fetal. "It looks better on me than it did on that tramp," Selena says.
"Who's calling who a tramp," Stephine says, mockingly.
"You're right," Selena says smiling. "I'm the biggest tramp here. But a queen deserves a crown."
Stephine signs but says no more on the subject. The elevator stops suddenly and the lights go out, seconds later the emergence light turn on. Both women look up at the ceiling of the elevator both wearing looks of displeasure.
"I think there is a problem upstairs," Stephine says.
"No kidding," Selena says, tiredly. "Can we have one night out without a crisis happening."
"We married these Motherfucker," Stephine says. "So, no."
"Oh, married who," Selena says raising her hand to her face in mock surprise. "Did someone-?"
Stephine looks over at Selena, giving her a bored look. "I'm not an idiot," Stephine says, "But I'm getting tired of waiting."
Selena deflates saying, "Damnit," letting the subject drop after that. Damn Tim will you just ask her already and get this over with, she thinks. Selena jumps up and grabs the top on the elevator removing the ceiling tile skillfully and jumps through. "Well, let get out of here and help our boys," Selena says holding out a hand to Stephine.
Both women open the doors to the floor above the stopped elevator and hop out. "Should we wait for them to contact us," Stephine says. Her phone beeps, she looks down at it and sees Tim quick text reading, 'Stay where you are.'
"Tim says to stay here," Stephine says.
"Good thing I don't have to listen to Timmy boy," Selena says licking her lips and walking down the hall to the stairwell. She easily jumps and swings down the stairwell gracefully. Stephine following behind her as well. It takes them about 15 minutes to reach the basement and their car. Selena knows Bruce would need his suit if this was what she thought it was.
Reaching the car, her phone rings. Selena answers it, she hears Bruce on the other end, "Selena?"
"Yes, dear," Selena purrs.
"We have a situation," Bruce rough voice says.
"I would assume so," Selena replies. "Are the guests getting to rowdy or do we have an uninvited guest?"
"The Joker. Where are you? Can you get to the car?" Bruce asks.
"Of course, my love," Selena says, watching Stephine pull out four large bags from the trunk.
"Good, take them to the east elevators and put them in elevator 3," Bruce commands.
"You didn't say the magic words, dear," Selena purrs again.
"Please," he says.
"You know me better than that."
Sighing Bruce says, "I'll let you keep the taira."
Selena's gasps and says happily, "You are so wonderful, dearly. Your suit will be in Elevator 3 in 5 minutes. Would you like something else in that elevator too? Say a certain half-dressed cat?" she says the last sentence with a seductive purr in her voice. She knew she would only be about half way dressed by the time she reached them in her Catwoman outfit.
"No," he says making Selena pout. "Damian will be in Elevator 4 on the way down with a person of interest."
"Oh?" Selena says.
"A wounded person of interest," Bruce replies.
"Don't worry dear. We'll take good care of it," Selena says and hangs up. She takes two of the large bags and informs Stephine where they needed to go. They throw the bags into the elevator and wait for elevator 4 to return to the ground floor with Damian and with this 'person of interest.' But as the elevator reaches them and open, they see nothing in it but a bloody scrap of cloth. Where was Damian?
Damian's POV
Damian watches in dread as Marinette's neck disintegrate in front of him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Marinette was dying before his eyes; his mind could barely process the information. Suddenly a light green figure blocks his view of the grim scene in front of him. It was a sight that would haunt his nightmare later.
He looks at the figure and notices that it is one of the French heroes, Viperion. He quickly reaches out his hand to grab the teal hero. He is unsure what he wants to do; push him away from Marinette or to jerk the heroes away from danger. Viperion was block the last time he would see his Angel and he didn't want to miss a moment with her if this was the last time. Even if the sight of her death would haunt him for years or more likely the rest of his miserable life.
But as he touches Viperion's back he hears him says, "Second chance." He feels his inside whip around uncontrollably and feels the need to vomit but he fights the urge hard, trying to remain alert. Then he lands back in the ballroom as the Joker tosses Marinette to two men. There were 6 men surrounding them, again. Two were occupied by holding Marinette and the other 4 were up to them to take out so they can run to the window washing carriage at the window. Viperion had used his second chance to give them another chance to stop Marinette's death.
This time Viperion stand behind them. He appears out of nowhere to the men around them but to Damian he has been there all along. The men around them are surprised at the newcomer and jerk away, as the Joker says, "Who the fuck is that?" One of the men has a quick trigger and fires his gun as the chandelier falls again.
Damian recovers quickly and jumps into fight mode, hitting the man closes to him and jumping to reach Marinette again. He runs over to her thankful to see her alive and whole after what Chat Noir did to her. He had to keep her close so Chat Noir wouldn't have the chance to kill her. He makes quick work of the two men next to Marinette, this time Marinette was of no help fighting them. As he reaches for her, he sees blood coming from her arm, as she falls to the ground wounded. The trigger-happy thug having shot her.
Quickly he picks her up in his arm and runs to the window where the carriage was waiting. His father having smashed the window again. Viperion and Drake already on it. They jump on quickly and before Drake can tell the carriage to go down; Bruce, Viperion and Damian yell for him to go up instead. Drake looks confused and annoyed by the orders but doesn't argue as he swipes his finger up on his phone. The carriage starts to move as the men below start firing at them. Damian was thankful that this window washing carriage had a solid bottom as the bullet ricochet off the metal below them.
They jump through a window on the 68th floor, this time. They are in someone office, a desk next to the window, paper flying everywhere in the chaos of the broken window. Damian puts Marinette down on the floor to look at her wound. Drake is on his phone hacking the systems of the building to find a way out. Bruce looks around for weapons while Viperion looks for something to wrap Marinette wound.
"Marinette," Damian says. She hasn't spoken or opened her eyes as they were making their escape. He was worried that maybe this was more than a flesh wound. He gingerly lefts her wounded arm to look at the area, it's not so bad. The bullet went right through her arm without hitting bone, thankfully. Marinette moans and opens her eyes.
He gets lost in her eyes for a moment as he looks at her. Seeing her sapphire eyes alive had a strange effect on him. His mind processes that he could have lost her moments ago if Viperion hadn't come when he did. He could have lost her forever.
"Damian," his father's harsh voice says next to him, breaking his dark thoughts and handing him a shirt from one of the drawers of the desks. Damian rips the shirt up into stripes and wraps Marinette's arm quickly. Marinette grits her teeth from the pain of it. He wishes he could be gentler with her but they didn't have time. They had to move and move quickly to get out of here.
"Can you get up," Damian askes Marinette. She nods and stands.
"Are you ok, Mari," Viperion says, "sorry for the poor timing."
"Viperion, I would rather have a bullet in the arm any day over a Cataclysm to the neck," Marinette says back in French.
"We need to move now," Drake says. "I locked down some of the doors and elevators leading up here. But this is an old building and some of the doors and stairwells are key lock only."
Tim opens the door to the hall and check the area quickly before running out. They all follow Drake, since he has the map. They reach a stairwell and start down the stairs. Marinette moves a little slower than the others but Damian stays close to her side helping her as much as she will let him. He would have carried her if she wasn't so stubborn.
Viperion puts a hand up stopping them from going any further and look down the middle of the stairwell. "Niquer," Viperion says and turns them back up the stairs and into the 67th floor.
"What?" Bruce asks.
"Chat Noir," Viperion says. "My suit can sort of sense him. He's coming up the stairs."
"How the fuck did he know we were here. He was 7 floors below us," Damian asks, angered.
"I know, he didn't come back with us. Only you three," Viperion says, pointing at Bruce, Damian and Marinette.
"Wait, come back from what and how did you get in the ballroom," Drake says annoyed.
"My Second Chance, long story," Viperion says.
"He's tracking you," Bruce says, looking at Marinette.
"What?! How?!" Marinette says.
Drake steps behind her and looks her over, Damian doing the same. Drake pulls something from the back of her shoulder and looks closely at the small device. "Here it is," Drake says. "It's not Joker's." Drake drops the device and crushes it under his shoe.
"We need a new way out," Bruce says.
They all start running away from the door to the stairwell Chat Noir was running up and into another hallway finally stopping in a vacant meeting room. Marinette's arm was still bleeding and Damian need to check the wound again and change the wrapping. He was afraid he missed something, maybe the bullet hit an artery, there was more blood than there should be.
They all took a moment to think and rest after running so much. Damian crouches in front of Marinette in a chair, tending to her wound. As the other stand around the table. Damian takes off his jacket and starts ripping it into stripes since he didn't have anything else. Noticing for the first time that the vest Marinette made for him was ruined with blood stains.
"Sorry for raining your vest," Damian says.
"I can make another one," Marinette smiles at him. Even with everything going on around them, Damian couldn't help feeling proud of his Angel. She was so strong and amazing in the face of all this danger. She stared down the Joker and his threat like a fearless warrior and give them an opening to escape at that. For someone raised in a bakery, she was uncreditable well trained in hostage situations. In his mind she had surpassed Angel and was now a Goddess.
"How did Chat Noir get that tracking device on you," Viperion says.
"I don't know," Marinette says. "It wasn't there when I got dressed."
"Who did you come in direct contact with?" Bruce asks. "Anyone stand out?"
"No," Marinette says. "Let me think… Damian."
"We can rule him out," Drake says.
"A man named Lucas Fox talked to me," Marinette continues not listening to Drake. "I talked to a lot of people when I first walked in earlier in the evening and there was a crowd." Marinette pauses thinking, "Nat stopped me," Damian growls at that, not liking the man. "Neal Adams, Carmine Infantino, a man named Jim Aparo and I think Frank Mills, no Miller, ummm, Kelly something." Marinette stops again looking down thinking hard, "George from the board meetings." Damian growls and clicks his tongue.
"Damian, will you stop that," Marinette says looking up at him. "You do not need to growl at the mention of every man I came in contact with. It the risk of sounding cliche, you didn't own me."
"Any man who has contact with you is my business, 'iilaaha," Damian says.
"Anyone else you can think of," Bruce says.
"I'm sorry," Marinette says. "I meet a lot of people tonight and some of the people I met I didn't get their names. And whoever put that on me could have just pass by me without me knowing."
"What about that blond asshole," Damian says.
"Oh," Marinette says, looking a little confused. "Oh! Adrien did tip me on the shoulder."
"Wait!? What!?" Viperion says, both eyes' brows raised. "As in Adrien Agreste. Son of Gabriel Agreste A.K.A fucking Hawk Moth," he continues getting more upset.
Damian turns to Viperion, watching the encounter with Marinette. Drake and Bruce stand to one side, Drake typing on his phone as Bruce calls someone on his. They trusted Damian to get all the important information from their conversation.
"There is no proof that he worked with his father," Marinette says.
Viperion rises both hand with a look of disbelief saying, "I know this is an unpopular opinion but I'm calling bullshit."
"Viperion, you can't hold the son responsible for the father's actions. He was a victim too. And I wish you would stop using French like it was some secret code. It's not, Damian knows French too, you know," Marinette says gentle.
"Fine but I'm sorry Marinette but I disagree with your first point, strongly," Viperion says. "There is no way his lived in that house for years and never notice that his father was a sadistic bastard and a psychopath. He was either too stupid to see it or he willingly turned a blind eye to his father's action OR in my opinion, he worked for his father. How many akumatization was he personal responsible for? Can you name one of his friends that wasn't akumatized, other than yourself?" Viperion stares at her waiting for an answer sarcastically.
Marinette looks ready to argue but then looks down unsure of her answer in the face of Viperion's words. "I'm sorry Marinette, but Adrien is bad news. My vote is that he put that tracking device on you. I'm not so sure that he's Chat Noir, but still." Viperion crosses his arms and continues, "And really, the more I think back on him in Lycee; the more I think he really did work with his father. He seemed like a nice kid; I'll give you that, but really, think about it. 'Marinette's just a friend.' Just a friend. Bullshit. Everyone knew about your feelings for him and could see it plain as day. No offense. But it was very clear to anyone with a brain," Viperion gets angrier as he goes on. "It always pissed me off that he played you for years giving you just enough attention to keep you on the hook but always saying that 'Just a friend' line. It was like he was trying to get you akumatized all the time."
"And don't get me started on graduation. He just 'forgot' to give you his new number, Bullshit," Viperion says pointing and gesturing to make his point clear. "I bet Hawk Moth was stewing in his lure that day, pissed off that you were to stronger to fall to his power and get akumatized."
Marinette looks away upset and angered by Viperion's words, but not disagreeing with him. Damian was going to kill that blond asshole the next time he saw him. He wished Marinette hadn't pulled him away when that little asshole accused Marinette of being a gold digger.
"Fine," Marinette angry. "Can we move on, please. We need to find a way out of here."
"Yes, but fair warning if I see Adrien, he's not going to have that pretty face for long," Viperion says. Not if Damian got to him first, Adrien wasn't going to have his life when Damian was done with him.
"We have a way out," Drake says and points to the door. They all get up and follow him. They stay quiet as they follow Drake to the elevators.
Henchmen's POV
"This sucks," Jerry says, as he walks up the stairwell. He was paired with Tom, as usually. The Joker called them Tom and Jerry but his real name was Aloysius. His mother was catholic and wanted to protect him by giving him the name of her favorite saint, the patron saint of youth. Yeah, that did him no good all his life. Kids teased him all his life for that name.
"Just shut up already," Tom says. Jerry was pretty sure Tom wasn't this man's real name either but Jerry couldn't be sure. You didn't really talk about your life and past with criminals. The only reason they got these names was because they arrived at the same time and the Joker took one look at them and started calling them Tom and Jerry.
Tom was a much larger guy then he was so that played a factor and Jerry was a small and skinny with mousey brown hair. The Joker didn't trust them yet with the more important stuff so they got stick with the leg work on stairwell patrolling.
The Joker was attacking the Wayne Gala. Jerry hoped they would get a lot of money out of the Wayne's tonight. He could really use the money right now for the drugs he needed. He was desperate and joined the Joker's gang right after the Joker escaped from Arkham.
"Get up to the 67th floor now Tom and Jerry," a rough voice says on the radio. Tom clicks the bottom on the radio and say back, "Ten Four."
Tom was more diligent than Jerry was, running up the stairs as fast as possible. Jerry thinks he was a retired solder or something before joining the Joker. Jerry moves at a slower pace up the stairs after him not really caring. Tom burst through the door and runs into the hall first. They look around the hall and surrounding area for what the Joker wanted, but Jerry wasn't sure what they were looking for.
"Aaaa," Jerry says looking at Tom confused. "What are we looking for?"
"God damnit, Jerry," Tom says angrily. "Where you daydreaming again. I'm going to get nowhere with you connected to me at the hip. The Joker said that the Waynes got away and where on this floor."
He did? Jerry didn't remember that, just the last part. Jerry wasn't a very smart man, he never was. But he didn't really care right now. He had shot up before coming here and was coasting though this. He trusted the joker to get the money. Tom looks at Jerry and says, "Are you high right now? Fucking A."
Tom walks over to the elevators looking around for the Waynes, as three men and a woman run down the hall to the elevator. And to Jerry's destress, a fuckin' huge snake. Jerry falls to the ground and hides behind a wall it the sight of the snake, his brain not processing the information. The small group not seeing him as he sits behind a cubicle wall. Jerry hated snakes and that was a huge fucking snake in his mind.
A dark hair man throws something at Tom, hitting him square in the face and knocking him down. The group stops in front of the elevators and Jerry hears, "Viperion, go check the east stairwell for Chat Noir."
Ding. Jerry hears doors sliding open and someone say, "Damian take Marinette downstairs."
"No. I'm not leaving."
"You two need to come with us."
"You need to leave now."
"No."
"Leave, Damian."
Jerry turns his head to the left thinking of going around the fire at them from behind. But he sees something that terrifies him to the very core, more than a giant snake. A decaying body fly towards him. Its head is bold and the flesh dark and grotesque, half rotted from its body with pointed teeth. The thing flies at him, arms out stretch as if to grab him and take him to the underworld; boney arms and fingers clawing it the air.
Jerry stares wide eyed at the approaching wrath, staring into its hollow eye sockets. He jumps from his hiding place and fires his gun wildly in all directions.
"What?!"
"Go now."
Marinette's POV
Marinette reaches for the elevator doors, trying to stop them from closing but she is too late. She sees Damian's stern face as he turns to face the attacker who fired at them. At the first sound of gun fire, he had pushed her in to the elevator and pushed the close door bottom, sealing her in the elevator car.
Marinette throws herself at the metal door, screaming and hitting it as hard as she can to no avail. Tikki flies out of her pocket, she puts herself between Marinette and the door, arms raised and a concerned look on her face. "Marinette, calm down."
"No," Marinette says, tears forming in her eyes. "I have to get out of here and help Damian."
"Marinette," Tikki says, flying closer. "We need Ladybug."
Marinette jerks like she been shot, breathing hard and panicked. She looks down at the floor as the elevator starts to descended. Tikki was right she needs to control herself and do want needed to be done. She could help Damian and save the people here if she was Ladybug, even if Damian was already died, she could save him. The thought makes she eyes water more and a pain assaults her chest, closing her eyes and centering herself she says, "Tikki, Spots on!"
Translation
Anata – you (The word "you" may not seem like a term of endearment in English, but it's quite intimate in Japanese. Culturally speaking, Japanese people often refer to each other by name or through implication, so Anatais very direct. The romantic usage of the word is primarily seen in older generations.)
Niquer – Fuck
'iilaaha – Arabic for Goddess
Autor's Notes: The Joker's song is a real song by Tom Lehrer called 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park' this guy is crazy. I think the Joker would totally listen to his music he is from the 1950s so if you want to know the melody look this guy up on YouTube or something. I basically listen to this guy the whole time I was writing the Joker's part, it got me into that crazy mind set.
So told me what you think that thing is, at the end. I know what it is but do you? It's explained in the next chapter.