Chapter 25: Battle
Red Robin's POV
"We need a plan," Batman says, as they run out of their hiding place after getting suited up, Robin and Red Robin behind him.
"We can't be sure the Joker is still in the ballroom," Robin says.
"No," Red Robin says, "But it is the most likely place he will hold up."
They run down a hallway on their way to a security room on the 67th floor. He had found all the security rooms in the building; one was on this floor a few meters to the left. The cameras of this building were low-tech and ancient in his opinion. Which was why they were going to the security room, they needed more information and the locations of the Joker's men, as well as Chat Noir.
"I can take Chat Noir," Robin says, "if we need to split up."
"No," Batman says. "We stay together. If Chat Noir gets away this time, then so be it."
They turn the corner and Red Robin sees a Red clad woman running towards them. She sees them and stops as they do. Robin pulled his sword at seeing the intruder, he looks ready to fight but Batman puts a hand in front of him. Red Robin and Robin notices that it's Ladybug.
"What are you doing here," Batman asks.
"Chat Noir's here. What do you think? And the Joker is bad news as I hear it? I can help," Ladybug says.
"We don't need your help," Robin says annoyed.
"Oh, I know, Robin," Ladybug says sarcastically. "But too bad. I'm here and I'm not leaving until it's done. Where are the Waynes?"
How did she know the Waynes were on this floor? She clearly didn't know that they were right in front of her.
"Why do you want the Waynes?" Batman says, narrowing him eyes.
"I just want to make sure they got out ok," Ladybug answers.
"They are on their way down to the lobby," Batman says. Ladybug looks relieved at the news; her shoulders dropping and exhales a long breath.
Red Robin looks at her suit and notices a darker, redder spot on her arm. Her suit may be red but that spot looked like blood. "Are you wounded," he asks, looking at her arm. He knew what blood looked like on a red suit, his suit was just as red as hers and it may hide the fact of a wound well, but he was well versed in blood on the red suit.
Ladybug looks defensive and steps back. "I ran into some trouble on my way here," Ladybug says, shielding her arm from view. "It's nothing. I'm fine."
Viperion rans up to them from another hallway, fear and terror on his face. "We have a problem," Viperion says breathlessly. "Som—Some THING is chasing me. An—And it's not friendly."
"Chasing you?" Ladybug says.
Wasn't Viperion a superhero, couldn't he take care of a few Joker goons on his own? But as Red Robin thinks that; a time wrath flies around the corner at them. Its arms out stretched and clawing at the air to get to them, half decaying flesh on its boney body. Its lower half looks like black smoke trailing behind it with its spinal cord hanging out.
"RUN!"
They all turn tail and run as fast as they can. Red Robin wasn't sure how a time wrath got here. There was no speedster here and they didn't fuck with time. Red Robin continues to run but his mind just connected the dots, Viperion can travel in time. Shit, what the fuck did Viperion do and why did he involve them in this? Didn't he know, you fuck around with time to much and you get burned. The flash knows this very well.
What were they going to do? They couldn't out run this thing and it would kill anything that got in its way. He looks over at the others and sees Ladybug pull her yo-yo out and open it like a compact. She puts her hand into the glowing yo-yo and pulls out a bracelet. Red Robin looks behind them and sees the wrath gaining on them fast, it arms about to wrap around Viperion throat.
"SHELTER!"
A green hexagon dome surrounds them and pushes the wrath back. This was larger than the one Carapace made, pushing the wrath out of view down the hall. They stop running, panting from their sprint.
Batman, Red Robin, Robin and Ladybug turn on the snake themed hero. They had all made the connection.
"Anything you want to tell me, Viperion," Ladybug says, her suit has changed with the new power and have green turtle like hexagons on it.
"What?!" Viperion says, looking defensive.
"That was a time wrath," Ladybug says, annoyed. She looks at Viperion and something clicks in her mind as she continues, "What have you done? You messed with time and now that thing is out to kill you for it. So, tell me, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"
Viperion looks dumbfounded but then looks down, knowing what he did. "It was only 15 minutes," Viperion.
"15 minutes of what," Ladybug says sternly.
"I had to save her. I'm sorry, Ladybug," Viperion says, shallowing hard. "I traveled back in time to a time when I didn't have my suit on."
Ladybug eyes widen with anger and fear. "Take it off, now!"
"What?!"
"Your Miraculous," Ladybug says. "Take it off NOW!"
Viperion looks afraid and confused as he looks over to the bats, unwilling to reveal himself to them. Reluctantly, he pulls off a silver bracelet from his arm. A flash of teal light and a man in a tuxedo stands there, his blue aquarian eyes stare down at the floor sorrowful and resolute of his punishment for breaking Ladybug's trust. A small cobra like creature flies out of it in a flash of teal light, it starts to fall to the ground, exhausted. Ladybug catching it before it hits the ground, and cradle the thing in her hands.
"Luka this is really bad," Ladybug says to the man, taking the bracelet. "You traveled back into your own timeline and attracted a wrath. I can never give you this Miraculous again. I told you how dangerous it was to travel into your own timeline. The Miraculous does more than just let you travel in time. It also protects you from time wraths, allowing you to pass by unnoticed."
"It was only 10 to 15 minutes," Luka says, trying to defend himself. Ladybug looks away heartbroken but unyielding.
"It doesn't matter how long it was, Luka," Ladybug explains. "One minute would have been enough. You have also damaged the Miraculous, it was slowly killing you the longer you wore it."
Luka step back dread in his eyes but then he shows his inner strength and holds his head high, saying, "So, there's nothing to be done. That thing is going to kill me."
"No, I won't let that happen, Luka," Ladybug says, as she puts the bracelet into her yo-yo compact. She pulls something else out and looks at Luka with firm eyes. "I just wish you and the other wouldn't be so reckless and think first about what you are doing."
Ladybug puts on a pair of glasses; they turn into sunglasses and her suit changes again. Ladybug's suit looks like a strange mix of a ladybug and a turtle with buckles. "Voyage," Ladybug says and a portal outs next to her on the wall. "Go."
Luka looks unsure and resistant to leaving as he looks at the portal then he turns to Ladybug and says, "I can pay the price of my own actions."
"No, you can't," Ladybug states and jerks her chin towards the portal. Luka looks down ashamed and steps through the portal. "You guys should leave too," Ladybug says, turning her head to them and taking off the sunglasses, her suit shifting back. "You don't want to be here when that thing comes back."
Ladybug stands alone in the hallway to face down the wrath. "I'll stay," Robin says. "You two can go to the security room without me. I'll catch up."
Red Robin looks at Robin, unsure what is going through his head. Robin was crazy to stay here with a time wrath on the way. Time wraths were nothing to fuck around with. They were the enforcers of the speedforce and guardians of time. They came for anyone who break the rules of the speedforce or the rules of time itself. Immortal beings with amazing speed and strength, they were intangibility so it's not like Robin could help fight it.
Red Robin looks to Batman hoping he will tell Robin to come with them. But too his shock Batman says, "Good luck, Robin." He turns to walks down the hallway to the security room. Red Robin looks at Robin and says, "Robin this isn't a good idea."
"Showing concern like a woman, again," Robin says.
"Fuck off, Robin," Red Robin says, walking off after Batman.
Robin's POV
"He's right, you know," Ladybug says. "You should leave too. And as the only woman here I'm a little insulted by your last statement."
Robin wasn't sure why but he felt like he needed to stay and face this threat with Ladybug. He felt that Ladybug would need back up and didn't think she was going to ask for it. He couldn't explain it to himself very well either. He just felt a pull, compelled to be here, a feeling that told him that he needed to be here by her side now.
Robin steps up next to her but Ladybug puts her arm up and says, "If you are going to stay here. Please stay slightly behind me and don't make any sudden movements."
He eyed her closely, seeing the resolve and strength in her posture. He was willing to let her take the lead in this. He liked to lead but in this he was out of his element, so for now he would do what she said. He didn't really know how to fight this thing and he had only heard of these things. He had never actually seen one, until now.
Robin stands at the ready behind her, sword drawn. Ladybug looks over to him, raising an eyebrow. "Put that away," Ladybug says. "It's not going to help against this."
"No," Robin says. He didn't like going into battle without a weapon.
"Fine," Ladybug sighs with an eye roll. "The wrath won't care anyways."
She pulls the bracelet from her wrist and says, "Get ready." The green dome recedes and the wrath appears flying fast at them. Robin widens his stance ready for battle but making no sudden movements, like Ladybug asked. The wrath claws at the air reaching for them but as it nears them, the wrath slows and a hundred voices says at once, "Guardian."
These things can talk? Robin didn't think they could, the Flash never mentioned these things talking. He was going to have a serious talk with the Flash after this.
The wrath crawls up the wall to their left, it's unseeing eyes stare in their direction. Its lower half scraping over the wall like nails on a chalk board, a spinal cord hanging out in a trail of dark smoke. "Where is the violator?" the voices say.
"There is no violator here," Ladybug answers. She stares straight ahead, her face giving away nothing.
"He belongs to us," the wrath says.
"No," Ladybug says, standing with her head held high, defiantly. The wrath moves closer to Ladybug, Robin moves into its path, shielding Ladybug. The wrath turns its head, noticing Robin for the first time, its spectral face with decaying skin and eyeless sockets staring at him. It looks like the face of death itself. Robin feels some fear deep in his bones but refuses to show it.
"Leave him alone," Ladybug says, not look in their direction. "Your quarrel is with me."
The wrath jerks its head back to her, saying, "You cannot stop us. We have his scent."
"You wanna bet," Ladybug says, matter-of-fact. The wrath sniffs at the air with it nonexistent nose, just a hole that use to be a nose.
"You are strong, but you are mortal," the wrath hisses in anger.
Ladybug stares defiantly ahead of her, not looking at the wrath to her left. The wrath growls at her and opens its mouth wide, showing sharp teeth. The wrath suddenly flips over their head to the other wall, to Ladybug's right, to hiss, "We may not be able to touch you, Guardian. So, we will take him instead."
The wrath starts to fly at Robin but Ladybug jumps in its path, arms out stretched. "No," Ladybug says, "He is my sentinel."
The moment Ladybug said the word 'sentinel,' Robin feels a steel rod shoot through his spine and jerks slightly. What just happened? He feels an overwhelming need to protect. Protect someone… He is confused for a moment before his mind whispers, Marinette. He needed to protect Marinette. He felt compelled to help Ladybug but he felt Marinette needed him right now. What was going on? The wrath hisses at her, angered. Robin shifts to be in a better position to attack the wrath. He feels the need to go found Marinette but strangely he knows she is nearby too. How? She was down in the lobby by now with Kyle and Brown. He could somehow sense that she was alive and that would have to be enough for now, he would find her soon. But first they had to finish this.
"You cannot protect everyone," the wrath hisses, moving closer. "One day soon you will die and you will not be able to stop us." The wrath reaches out a boney finger to Ladybug head, Robin slashes at the wrath's arm with his sword but it goes right through. The wrath vanishes seconds later and Ladybug falls to the floor, the wrath having succeeded in touching her forehead.
Robin bends down shouting, "LADYBUG." The need to defend Marinette, redoubling and seemingly transferring to Ladybug. Putting his sword down and picking her up slightly to check her vitals. He puts two fingers to her pulse, feeling nothing. Panicking he shakes her slightly and opens her mouth to check her airways, feeling no breath from her.
Something shakes the building under them and Robin looks around for a moment for signs of what it could be. But that not important now as he puts Ladybug back on the ground, he tilts her head back slightly and opens her mouth. Taking a deep breath, he puts his mouth to hers and breaths into her lungs. Then he starts doing chest compressions. After the second cycle, Ladybug coughs and jerks upwards into a sitting position, breathing hard.
Robin is relieved to see her breathing again but still says, annoyed, "Yeah, you can absolutely handle this all by yourself."
Ladybug looks over at him irritated at his tone, but thins her lips and says, "Thank you." She looks away and shakes her head a little to clear it. "We have to help the other."
Robin stands up and offer her his hand to help her up, taking it Ladybug stands a little unsteady. Robin taps his ear and says on the cons, "The wrath is gone. Where are you?"
"65th floor. Nightwing just arrived. Meet us in the South East corner of this floor. We will make a plan there," Batman says.
Robin relays the information to Ladybug, who nods and running in the direction of the North East. Robin grabs her shoulder stopping and jerks his head in the correct direction. They run side by side to the South East stairwell. Robin was a little concerned for Ladybug wellbeing after the encounter with the wrath. He needed to know if she was compromised.
"What did that wrath do to you?" he asks.
"Nothing important," she answers.
"If you're compromised and can't fight. I need to know," Robin says, commandingly.
"I'm fine. I'll worry about that later," Ladybug says.
"And that was?" he says.
They reach the stairwell and Robin rams the door open. "My death, of course," Ladybug says as she jumps over the railing and falls down the center of the stairwell, shooting out her yo-yo to stop her fall two floors down. Robin follows after her, flipping over the railing and down the steps. He looks over at Ladybug who stopped on the platform to the 65th floor. Robin looks at her curiously. She saw her own death and still she runs into battle with them like it was no big deal. He had underestimated her; she was stronger than she looked.
"Death comes for us all, we can only choose how to face it when it comes," Ladybug says, noticing his look. "The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can do want needs to be done to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I am a guardian this is what I do."
Robin couldn't help but respect her more for her words. They were the words of a warrior and a fighter. She was stronger than he would have thought. She was focused and trained on solving the problem at hand, not letting distractions deter her from her goal.
Ladybug opens the door and they run to meet Batman and the others.
Nightwing's POV
"On my way," Nightwing says in the Batwing. He sits in the cockpit and maneuvers the aircraft near the RCA building. Men fire at the jet from the 65th floor out the windows of the ballroom. Nightwing sees the Joker smiling from one of the windows. Nightwing would love to wipe that smile off his face and says in the cons, "Are you guys near the 65th floor ballroom? Are there hostages?"
"No," Red Robin says. "The Joker killed all the hostages and we are on the opposite side of the building."
"Good," Nightwing says and points the jet towards the windows and opens fires on the men and the Joker.
The men retreat into the building but some remain and to Nightwing's shook some jump out the window trying to grab the jet. He sees five jump but only one makes it, landing on the wing of the jet. What the hell was this? Why would these men sacrifice their lives for the Joker? He had seen some crazy guys fight for the Joker but this was another level of crazy.
He looks over to the man on the wing and notices that this wasn't a man at all but a green soldier. It was a life size toy green soldier that he uses to play with as a kid. As Nightwing watches, the toy soldier climbs up the wing and hits his engine with the bazooka attached to its arm. Shit. The jet starts to veer to the right with one engine out. The other engine tries to compensate but it is too much for one to do alone.
Nightwing tries to steer the jet to a safe location to land or more like crash. The soldier on his wing starts crawling towards the cockpit. Nightwing decides to let the jet spin on one engine. The jet spins around and around in tight cycles, smoke bellowing out the right engine. Nightwing feels the G forces of the spin and grits his teeth. The soldier flies off but the jet is too damage to selvage. It hits the side of the RCA building, embedding itself in it at what looked like somewhere in between the 55th to 60th floor. He had to get out quick, half the jet hangs out of the building.
Nightwing hits the eject bottom and the top of the cockpit flies off freeing him to jump out and into the building. He sees a half-destroyed hallways and offices to his right and jumps over debris and piece of jet to get to it.
"Nightwing, what was that?" Red Robin says.
"You know me, I just had to make a big entrance," Nightwing says, running down the hallway.
"Is the jet, ok?" Red says.
"It's in the building," Nightwing says.
"Nightwing, do you know how much work I put into that jet," Red says, angrily.
"In my defense they did jump me," Nightwing says, good-humoredly. "Not 100% my fault there." Nightwing replies, running into the stairwell, looking up and down the center. "Where are you?"
"65th floor, South East corner," Batman says.
"Great, I'm on the 57th floor on the South West, be there in a minute," Nightwing says, looking at the number on the door.
Nightwing runs up the stairs, jumping two or three at a time for speed. He rams the door to the 65th floor open and runs down the hall to the South East corner. As he nears to area, a red clad man rans out of the stairwell and Nightwing goes on the attack. He punches the newcomer, thinking at was one of the Joker's men. The goon hits the wall hard at Nightwing's attack and fall to the ground, but kick out at him, trying to defend himself. Not going to happen, not on his watch, he pulls back his fist to knock the goon out for good. But as he goes to strike, an arm locks with his elbows, hooking together, stopping his attack. Nightwing looks over to the one who stopped him ready to fight off two men at once.
Robin stands there looking livid and yells, "STOP!"
Nightwing was stocked as Robin bends down to help the goon to his feet. And notices for the first time that it was a woman. It was Ladybug. Oh crap. He felt really bad now, he could pick out the others with a quick glance but he didn't know Ladybug's suit that well yet.
Robin gentle takes Ladybug cheek in his hand to look at the injury he just inflicted. Nightwing is a little stock by Robin's show of concern for the Parisian hero. It wasn't like Robin to show this much concern for someone's injury, this was very uncharacteristic of him. Ladybug rubs at her cheek and stands up, glaring at Nightwing.
"Sorry," Nightwing says, realizing his error.
"It's fine," Ladybug says, upset but forgiving his mistake.
Robin on the other hand looks at him like he wants to kill him. What was going on? What was going on here with Robin and Ladybug? Nightwing knew he did a dumb thing by punching Ladybug but he didn't mean to do it, it was an accident.
As Ladybug turns to continue to their rendezvous location, Robin turns to him and grabs his neck in a tight hold, anger on his masked face. "Don't touch her again," Robin says, malice in his tone.
"Robin, it was an accident," Nightwing say, raising his hands in surrender at his mistake. Nightwing was shocked by Robin's sudden shift in attitude towards the other hero. Nightwing was sure that Robin hated Ladybug for being in their city and the whole Chat Noir threatening Marinette thing. "What?! You changing your mind about Marinette already for Ladybug?"
Robin jerks at his words and steps back confused. Robin looks unsure about why he is so angry about Nightwing accidently hitting Ladybug but says annoyed, "Don't be ridiculous."
Nightwing makes a mental note to talk to Robin after this.
Ladybug's POV
Ladybug rans into a small office to find Batman and Red Robin talking about options on how to fight the Joker.
"Joker is still in the Ballroom," Red says to Batman as she walks in. He types on his forearm, a small hologram of the floorplan of the building above his arm, dots highlight where the Joker is, in the ballroom and where they are, on opposite sides of the building. Nightwing and Robin come in a moment after her.
"Yeah," Nightwing confirms. "I saw him in the window."
"Did Catwoman get Marinette out of here," Robin asks. Ladybug jerks her head to him at his question.
"No," Batman says. "Marinette was not in the elevator when it reached the lobby."
"What," Robin says, upset. Ladybug was a little confused about how and why Robin and the others knew about her alter ego being in an elevator.
"Don't worry. Marinette is fine," Ladybug says. "Why was Catwoman going to pick her up?"
"Where are they now," Nightwing asks, trying to change the subject and distract Ladybug from her question.
"On the way to the cave to do intel for us," Batman says. "We may need to fall back. We are not equipped to fight these sentimonsters."
"No, we can't fall back," Ladybug says. She looks thoughtful for a moment then says, "Is Catwoman your lover?" All the men turn to look at her, shocked and confused by her unexpected question. Ladybug looks at them like the question was completely reasonable and valid. She wasn't an idiot. She had done enough detective work in Paris to deduce that Batman and Catwoman were close.
"What? I need to know," Ladybug says, answering their looks. "Marinette got some useful information out of the Joker and said that the Joker was planning to kill your Ladylove." Ladybug says pointing at Batman.
"How did you get this information from Marinette," Batman asks, narrowing his eyes on her.
"You talk to each other all the time. Marinette is a part of my team. We talk," Ladybug says with a shrug of her shoulders. All the men look at her unconvinced.
"Fine, be suspicious," Ladybug says, annoyed. Ladybug smiles to herself as she thinks of a clever plan to further throw the Bats off her scent. She takes out her yo-yo and pulls out a necklace and puts it around her neck. It a long necklace with an orange fox tail-like pendent on it, the fox miraculous. Her suit changes and has some orange stripe on her hips now.
"I'll call her and you can hear it from her," Ladybug says, opening her yo-yo again. She thinks hard about what she needs the fox miraculous to do. She needed the Bats to think she was talking to herself so, a small hologram of Marinette appears above her glowing yo-yo, about 4 inches high. "Marinette, would you mind telling the Bats what you told me?"
"And what would that be," tiny Marinette says. Hologram Marinette stands wearing her beautiful dress from the Gala, looking up at Ladybug and the others.
Robin moves closer to Ladybug looking closely at the tiny Marinette. "Where are you?" Robin askes in a harsh voice. Holo-Marinette looks at him for a moment but says nothing and gives him no insight to her location. Holo-Marinette looks back at Ladybug waiting for her to tell her what she needed. Robin looks annoyed by her lack of answer to his question.
"What you told me about the Joker killing Batman's Ladylove," Ladybug says.
"Ok," Holo-Marinette says. "As the Joker was dancing with me in the ballroom, he told me that he planned on killing someone Batman loves because he knows who Batman is under the mask. His exact words were, 'I killed his son, you know. Well, one of them. That didn't break him. I think this time I'll kill his Ladylove.'"
Ladybug says a quick thanks and goodbye to Holo-Marinette and closes her yo-yo after returning the necklace to it. Her suit returns to normal as well. "Joker knows who you are under there and is going after your lover," Ladybug says. "There is no going back. Was she among the guests in the ballroom?"
"No," Batman says.
"I can bring people back but they have to be in my proximity when I use my cure. If he is planning on killing her here, then we really don't need to worry because I could just use my cure to bring her back. But that not the case, is it?" Ladybug says. She looks at Batman for some clue to her question, but he gives nothing away. Batman must be the best poker player in the world in Ladybug's mind. "So, from my own research on your villains, the Joker is one of the smartest and most dangerous. And from the way he is acting, he is confident that he can and will pull this off soon. It's not like he can stay in that ballroom for too much longer and he knows that. Either he has some elaborate plan to get her here, so he can kill her. Or he knows he can kill her wherever she is and he knows it."
Ladybug looks thoughtful. Her logic was sound, the Joker was their worst rogue and he was smart. He could think of a plan that would kill Catwoman, whether she was here or not. Batman mentioned that Catwoman was on her way to the cave, so she wasn't here.
"He could just be fucking with us," Red Robin says.
"Red, do you really believe that," Nighwing asks a little sarcastically. Red Robin looks away, he doesn't. "His idea of a joke is killing people. So, when he says he is going to kill someone I tend to believe it. We have to get into the ballroom. I saw the ballroom and there are at least 10 men in there as well as a dozen sentimonsters. How many entrances are there?"
"Four doors into the ballroom," Red answers looking at the floorplan. "There are airducts in the ceiling and we could come up though the floor in one location but I wouldn't suggest that. There is a possibility of going through the wall by the coat check, as well."
"He will have the doors locked down," Robin says. "I think we should split up and go through the airducts and wall."
"The sentimonster will be the first line of defense, because they are expendable," Ladybug adds. "If we could get a hold of the idem with the Amok then they would become ours. I like his idea of splitting up." Ladybug says pointing at Robin. "I could go through the airduct pretty quickly. I am the smallest."
"We need to stop thinking logically," Batman says. Batman puts his hand to his ear and says, "Spoiler take Catwoman to the Cave a have her scanned for anything suspicious…. Don't argue with me on this, Cat."
"What you want to storm the ballroom," Nightwing says in disbelief to Ladybug's earlier statement.
"That could work," Ladybug says.
"No," Red Robin says. "That's suicide."
They argue for a few minutes, Robin was on her side, thinking that storming the ballroom was the best plan. While Nightwing and Red Robin were against it, they wanted to regroup and come back with some tech from the Batcave, a Batcave she wasn't invited too. She was not happy to hear that from Nightwing but she could understand, she wouldn't want someone to come to her secret hideout either. But she didn't want to waste time; she didn't want Batman to lose the woman he loved because a mad man figured out his identity. Batman was on the cons talking to someone in his ear, from the bits and pieces she could hear from Batman side of the conversation he was trying to find the devise the Joker put on or in Catwoman to kill her or figure out how the Joker planned on doing it and prevent it.
Finally, Ladybug gets impatient and says, "Lucky Charm!" A sword falls into her hand, it has a red blade with a black hilt no spots, which was strange in Ladybug's opinion. All of them stop talking to look at her as Ladybug examines her Charm. What was she supposed to do with this?
"I thought you couldn't make weapons," Batman says.
"Do you know how to use a gun?" Ladybug counters. Ladybug know Batman didn't use guns but at the same time she know he was smart enough to know how to use them in case he needed too.
"Yes," Batman answers.
"Well, I don't like getting weapons for Charms but I still know how to use them," Ladybug says. Well, she didn't know what to do with this one yet. She looks around think the ladybug spot will appear on something to help her figure this out. As she looks at Robin, he flashes ladybug spots, surprising Ladybug. She looks at the others, they do not. Strange what could that mean? Then a plan forms in her mind and she smiles. This was a good one, she thinks to herself, she could take care of two problems at once.
"I got it," Ladybug says. "Robin, I need you to complete this. We are storming the ballroom."
"What?!" Red Robin says. "You can't make that kind of call."
Ignoring Red Robin, she says to Robin, "Check your sword."
Robin looks confused but pulls his sword from his sheath. "What the hell," Robin says. His sword was rusted and old with chips in the blade. She thought so.
"This is why I told you to put it away when the wrath was coming," Ladybug says. "Time Wraths can manipulate matter sometimes. You tried to cut the wrath with your sword, didn't you?" Robin's sword was experiencing time acceleration from touching the wrath. It could have gone the other way too, time reversal, and turn his sword back to the original steel ore it was made from. Ladybug gives Robin her sword Charm to use for now. "You can use this instead. It should be the same as yours."
Robin takes the sword and balancing it in his hands, testing its weight and strength. After finding it satisfactory, he puts the new sword in his sheath on his back and stares at Ladybug curiously. His old sword discard on the desk.
"Now, I'll take care of the sentimonsters if you guys will handle the Joker's men," Ladybug says. She opens her yo-yo and pulls out the dragon miraculous, a choker with one bead, putting it around her neck. She transforms into DragonBug. "Red Robin can you disable the fire alarms, please," Ladybug says.
"You can't be thinking we will follow you," Red Robin says.
"Fine, do you have a plan," Ladybug says, looking at the others. "Didn't think so. It would make this easier if you would help me but I really don't need you to pull this off. The only one I need is Robin." Ladybug turns to Robin, hands on her hips, "Robin, would you like to come with me and storm the ballroom?"
Robin looks at the other, who stare at him like this was the craziest thing they have ever heard. Robin looks at Ladybug, thoughtful, then nods and walks to her side. "What's your plan," he says.
"You can't be serious," Nightwing says. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Robin."
Batman stands on the sidelines watching the whole interaction with critical eyes, his mind turning and calculating the situation from all sides.
"Thank you," DragonBug says with a smile. "Do you have any explosives?" He nods. "Great! Now, I will go through the airducts. They will not notice me, this miraculous gives me the power over water, air, and fire. I need you to come though the wall by the coat closet, after I handle the sentimonsters. I will clear a path for you. And after that I think you are smart enough to figure the rest out on your own. Do your worst, get as much blood on that sword as you want."
She didn't really like saying that, but she could tell Robin was a strong warrior and could do a lot of damage with that sword. She would of course use her cure after to being everyone back, but she needs Robin to really lay into the guys in the ballroom, especially the Joker, for her magic to work.
Robin looks at her, unsure. "Do you know what you are asking for," he says.
"Yes, I do," she says.
DragonBug and Robin turn to leave to execute their plan. "Robin," Batman says, stopping the heroes from leaving. Batman stares at Robin, he eyes intense like he is trying to see into Robin's mind. Robin stares right back, willing Batman to understand that he was willing to put his life on the line for this plan.
Finally, Batman says, "Red, turn off the fire alarms."
"WHAT!?" Red yells, waving his hands a disbelief. "The universe is caving in on itself. I fucking know it." Red Robin looks over at Nightwing, who has a similar look of shock and skepticism. "Are we really doing this?"
"It looks like it," Nightwing says.
Robin's POV
Robin watches as Red Robin sets the charge on the wall, they will be entering the ballroom from. Robin looks over at the coat check, thinking that he could have been in there with Marinette right now if not for the Joker. Red Robin mumbles to himself about how stupid this whole plan was. Robin really didn't care what Red Robin thought of the plan but he was grateful that Batman and Nightwing were willing to help him in this. He supposed that he was a little appreciative that Red Robin went along with it too.
Batman and Nightwing found another way in by the west entertain to the ballroom. The explosion from earlier had weaken the ceiling in that area so they were going to drop down from above. They had discussed the plan further and found that they should have two groups drop in so it would break up the Joker's men, flanking them on two sides. Ladybug was confident that she could handle the sentimonsters on her own and didn't need their help with that.
"This is the dumbest thing you have ever done," Red Robin says, after the charges are set.
"No, it's not," Robin says back. They both jump behind the counter of the coat check, taking cover from the explosion. "That was throwing my brother off a dinosaur."
Red Robin jolts, staring at him in shock as the charges explode and the wall come collapsing down. Robin jumps over the counter sword drawn and rushes into the ballroom to find Ladybug on fire.
Ladybug is in the middle of an inferno of flame as she runs around setting fire to all the senti-soldiers, melting the plastic men. She is strangely beautiful in her flames; she spins and dips like an elegant dancer in a dance all her own. Robin can't help but to stare for a moment before launching into his own attack on the men around him, killing two men as he runs into the room.
Her flames do not hurt the men or the Bats as they enter the ballroom, Batman and Nightwing dropping in at the same time. Ladybug had warned them not to fear her flames but the Joker's men didn't know that yet. They jump around confused and scared of the flames, making them easy pickings.
Red Robin runs off to his left like they planned he would take care of the men outside the east doors. Ladybug was true to her word; she opened a clear path for him to reach the Joker. Ladybug didn't say what she wanted him to do to the Joker, but Robin knows what he wanted to do to the Joker. Kill him, for hurting his 'iilaaha.
Robin charges at the Joker. Two more men with guns try to stop him but Robin makes quick work of them. He rises his sword to kill the Joker but something wraps around his blade, stopping him. He looks back to see Batman with a thin wire in his hand pulling his sword back. Ladybug stops her flame dancer and stands between Batman and Robin, looking confused by the situation.
"See, Batman will never let me die," the Joker laughs hysterical from his place on his knees. He pulls something for his pocket and stabs Robin in the side with it. Robin feels the pain in his side. Damnit, the Joker was quick. Robin was angry at himself for not moving quicker but with his hands over his head holding the sword, it left himself open to attack.
"Robin," Ladybug says, running over to him. Robin stumble to the side as Ladybug moves to help him stay standing. "Are you ok?" Ladybug asks as she wraps her arm around his back to help him.
"Yes," Robin says. It was just a flesh wound, he just hoped that there wasn't poison on the blade.
Ladybug looks at the Joker and says, "How are you planning to kill Catwoman?" They needed more information, thankfully Ladybug was smart enough to see that and not to focus on his wound.
"Oh, you want to know," the Joker says. "I put a bomb in her spinal cord years ago when we worked together. I really didn't know what I would use it for and I never told her about it. But I liked having the power to kill her at any moment I wanted. I can't tell you how many times I thought about just pushing the button and killing her."
"So, you have a switch," Ladybug asks.
"Hand it over," Batman says.
"Oh, but I can't," the Joker laughs. "What would be the fun in that. I rigged it to go off at midnight."
Robin pushes himself to stand on his own without Ladybug's help and looks at Red Robin who just walked up with Nightwing after knocking out all the men. Red Robin looks at his forearm and says, "11:47." Thirteen minutes.
"Find the timer," Batman says. "You lose Joker." Nightwing and Red Robin search the Joker and his men quickly.
"Have I," the Joker says, smiling up at Batman. 11:53. No switch.
"Where is it," Batman says angrily to the Joker, holding the Joker by his collar to glare at him.
"Oh, I didn't know," the Joker says, a Cheshire grin on his face. "The only way to save her is to kill me. And we both know you won't do that. So really you are the one who is killing her right now."
They were running out of time, 11:55. Catwoman's life was on the line and this mad man was never going to tell them where it was.
"You have it," Ladybug says, disbelief in her voice as she stares at him. "It's in you."
"She's so clever," the Joker. "You're right. The only way to save her is to kill me."
Robin understood now, the Joker wanted Batman to kill, to kill him. Something Batman would never do. Batman didn't kill. Batman didn't break or bend in his code. To kill the Joker would break something in him that he kept locked away. 11:57.
Ladybug meets his eyes as Batman yells at the Joker angerly. She gives him a quick nod and says, "Water Dragon." She turns into water and jumps at Batman knocking him out of the way with a punch of water to his middle. Robin waste no time severing the Joker's head from his body. The Joker's head lands on the floor of the ballroom with a thud his body fall forward soon after, blood flowing from his neck. 11:59.
Ladybug rematerialize next to him for her water form. Robin's side flares with new pain at his quick movement, and Ladybug wraps her arm around his back again to keep him standing. Robin looks at her, is this what she wanted from the beginning, him to kill the Joker. He stares into her sapphire eyes behind her red mask, trying to understand her intentions. Those eyes remind him of another set of eyes of the same shade. Marinette's eyes.
"Are you ok," Ladybug says.
"You asked that already," Robin counters.
"Well," Ladybug asks, annoyed at his lack of concern for his wound.
"I'm fine," Robin says. He wasn't so sure anymore; his vision was distorted now.
"Robin," Batman says, angered by Robin's actions.
"Don't," Ladybug says, her own voice rising to fight on his behalf. He didn't need her to defend him but it did feel nice to have someone on his side. Sometime, it was kill or be killed. Catwoman would have died if he didn't do what he did. "Check on Catwoman. Robin did nothing wrong. If you want someone to blame then blame me."
Red Robin was the one who open the cons to check on Catwoman condition. She was alive. 12:02.
"Did Spoiler find the device," Batman asks.
"Yes, she is removing it now," Red Robin says.
"Let me know when it's done," Ladybug says. She takes off her choker and her outfit shift to her normal Ladybug suit. She stays close to Robin as he stands on his own again. He was glad the others didn't see the wound the Joker inflicted on him earlier. He felt dumb enough as it was, he didn't need the others knowing that he made such a rookie mistake.
Batman stares at Ladybug, annoyed and angry. The silence in the room is heavy as they wait for news from Spoiler. Robin looks at the red clad heroine next to him. She had surprised him tonight. Her plan worked without any problems, nearly flawless. Except for Batman anger and interference at the end, it worked perfectly. Robin thought Batman would be angry about this for some time, but he also knew his father wasn't so filled with pride to stay angry for too long. Her plan worked and Catwoman was alive and safe.
Robin was impressed by Ladybug's skill to read people so well too. She had seen that he had no problems with killing and instead of hating him for it. She had used that knowledge to her advantage. After so long hating himself and feeling like his family hated him for what his mother and grandfather had drilled into him as a young child, it was refreshing to feel accepted for want he was. He didn't kill because he liked it or because he got a thrill out of it. But he was the type of man that understood that some time killing the bad guy was the only way to stop the bad guy form killing innocent people.
Ladybug saw this and accepted it and didn't hate him or shunned him for his opinion. He had voiced this to his father, once, when he first came to his father's house and was punished for it. He didn't like it but he wanted his father acceptance and maybe his love so he had backed down and stopped saying anything about it. Shutting that part of himself off and closing off a piece of who he was at the time. Ladybug didn't tell him to close himself off, but accepted it and used it to help save Catwoman and others.
"I'm sorry for asking you to do want you did," Ladybug whisper to him. "I can't kill as Ladybug and a needed the Joker's blood on that sword to do want I need to do to protect Batman and you probably." What was she talking about?
Nightwing informs them, that Catwoman is safe and that the device has been removed from her body. Ladybug holds out her hand, silently asking for the sword in his hand, he gives it to her. He would have liked to keep it, since his sword was reined.
She throws the sword up in the air and says, "Miraculous Ladybug." Thousands of ladybugs fly around the room fixing all the damage from the battle. The ladybugs fly around his wound and he vision clears and the pain disappears, his sword reappears in its sheath. Robin watches Ladybug closely as she stands next to him. She has her eyes close like she is thinking hard about something, as the people in the ballroom come back to life. The Joker's body is put back together and he kneels in front of them again, alive and whole.
"Your jet is on the roof of the building," Ladybug says before opening her eyes to look at Red Robin and Nightwing.
"Now as for you," Ladybug says, crouching down by the Joker. "You know, because of your insane mind I wouldn't be able to do what I'm about to do. But the ladybugs have your scent and your blood now, thanks to Robin." Ladybug's eyes glow with inhuman light, a brilliant blue. She puts her hand on the Joker's forehead and ladybugs come from her hand to in cycle the Jokers head. They start to glow and then quickly disappear back into Ladybug's hand. The Joker sits back a little dazed by what happened.
"What did you do," Nightwing says.
"I erased the Joker's memory of Batman's secret identity and yours in the process," Ladybug states as she stands back up. "I know how unsettling it must be to know your worst villain knows who you are so I made sure he doesn't know anymore."
"Can you make him not crazy," Red Robin asks, sarcastically.
"Sorry, but no. That is not in my power," Ladybug answers.
"Do you know who we are," Batman asks, hard and still angry.
"No," Ladybug says. "I can't see into someone's mind when I erase their memory. If I could that would help with all those secret plans the League of Assassins have, wouldn't it?" Ladybug tips her chin, thinking, looking like that sounded really cool if she could do that.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Ladybug says as the Joker stands up. Ladybug punches the Joker in the stomach. He doubles over with a groan, as she says, "That's from Marinette." Ladybug puts her hand in the Joker's pocket and takes back Marinette's necklace, putting it back in her yo-yo.
Ladybug starts to walk to the door of the ballroom looking like she will leave. "Where are you going?" Robin asks.
"To return this to Marinette. Chat Noir is not here anymore. He probably left in the chaos. Thanks again, Robin," Ladybug says, over her shoulder to him, as she walks out the door.
Ladybug's POV
Ladybug walks into the stairwell of the building. She is breathing hard and looks scared after everything that just happened. She had kept it together though the fight, but now she looks ready to fall apart at any moment. She didn't want the Bats to see her like this. She didn't trust anyone to see her like this.
She was scared, terrified really. Now that the current situation was over, her mind jumped back to what the time wrath had shown her. Her death. She had pushed the experience to the back of her mind so Robin wouldn't see how much it affected her. She had to save the people of the gala first before she could think about herself.
The vision the wrath had shown her was terrifying. Ladybug under a mountain of debris as her arm slowly disintegrates, her blood draining out of a hole in her abdomen. A dark figure over her, she thought it had to be Chat Noir.
She was no older than she was now in the vision. She was going to die soon. That was what the wrath had shown her. She couldn't say that the wrath was making this up, either. Time wrath couldn't show someone something that wasn't in the near future. They couldn't make a false future vision. This vision was as real as they come. How was she going to get out of this? Was there no way out? She could stop searching for Chat Noir. He would hurt her family if she did stop looking for him. She was so scared, she wanted to be a coward and run away, but she couldn't do that. She was Ladybug, Grand Master and Guardian. She had to fight, she had to face this, so others wouldn't suffer.
But how? Ladybug detransformed and Tikki flies in front of her face, saying something Marinette can't hear. She is to focused on the thought of her own death. Marinette falls to her knees holding her hands to her ears and screws her eyes shut, trying to block out the sensory input around her. Her eyes start to leak, even with how hard she is closing them.
She had already lost Damian. The man she loved tonight and now she was going to die too. Marinette knew she loved him after what happened tonight. After seeing Adrien and realizing how her feelings compare to her younger self. She loved Damian; Damian was her true first love, not Adrien. She never loved Adrien, she liked him a lot but never loved him. Not like this. She would die for Damian, she would live for Damian, she would do anything to see him right now.
And she would never see him again. She was going to the dark underground of Gotham and she didn't want him to be hurt. She may have enjoyed the thought of having one last night with him at the Gala, but that was lost to her now. She thinks of the last time she saw his face. The panic she felt as she saw the elevator doors close on him. Was he ok? Did he make it out ok? The Bats said the Waynes made it out, and that was all she would get for now. She would have to check the news to make sure. The Bats didn't have any reason to lie about that.
She was going to die soon. Her breathing accelerated and her heart felt like it was going burst from her chest. It feels like she is going to die right now as she falls to the floor. Tikki buzzing next to her ear. But Marinette can't hear her as oblivion overtakes her.
Batman's POV
"We should get out of here too," Batman says. "We will take the jet back to the cave."
The guests of the Gala were all looking at them now that they were live again. They looked uncertain of what to do with themselves. But, Lucas Fox steps forward and starts telling the guest that he has called the authorities and the fire department and police are on their way the handle the situation. Luke looks over at the vigilantes of Gotham with a short nod, telling the vigilantes that he will take care of the guests.
Batman knew he could trust Luke to handle this and was thankful for his presents here. He didn't even relieve that Luke was died over there among the other guests. Ladybug had brought him back too. Batman was still angry about the way she handled things but he had to admit that she had saved them all tonight.
He wouldn't have survived Selena's death. And looking over at Luke brought that home, that if not for Ladybug, he would have lost quite a lot of friends tonight. Luke was Batwing, after all. This city would have lost its mayor, police chief, prosecutor and so many others. Gotham would have been at a loss to find people to take their places and there was always a chance that the villains of the city would try to use this as a way to put corrupt people in those positions.
He starts walking out with his sons, Robin, Nightwing and Red Robin. He looks over at Robin and Red Robin looking at each other curiously. They better not start a fight right now, with the remaining anger he was feeling after Ladybug interferes, he wasn't in the mood to break them up. Batman didn't like that Ladybug had told Robin to release his assassin training on the men. Killing should never be an option in Batman's opinion, even if Ladybug can bring them back. He was a little afraid that Robin would grow to like killing, like his mother and grandfather, he never wants Robin to go down that dark path again. It wasn't that Batman didn't trust Robin, but he didn't want Robin to ever feel tempted by it.
"So," Red Robin says looking at Robin. "Are we going to talk about what you said."
"No, we will not," Robin says back, making it clear he would never acknowledge the subject again.
"Ok," Red says, drops the subject like that, but he smiles at Robin as he walks out. Robin giving him a nod in return.
That was almost friendly, Batman wasn't sure what happened but he was happy to see the two men getting along for once. "Did you see that too," Nightwing says next to him. Nightwing looks after his two younger brothers with a mixture of confusion and awe at the congenial interaction.
"Yes," Batman replies.
"I'm man enough to admit that I was wrong," Nightwing says. "When you said you were going to put them together, I really thought they would destroy the Tower before they came to an agreement."
They start walking to one of the elevators, Red Robin had already acquired one to take them up to the roof. As they walk Robin jerks and looks around wildly, like he can hear something they can't. Before he can ask what was wrong, Robin bolts off in the direction of the stairwell.
"Hey," Red says.
They all start chasing Robin as he runs to the stairs. What was going on? Why was Robin acting so strange all of the sudden? He needed to look into this and soon. If Robin was somehow compromised, he needed to know and take care of it.
Robin slams the door open and jumps down the stairs. As Batman catches up with him, he finds Robin crouching next to Marinette, who is unconscious on the floor of one of the landings in the stairwell. Robin looks irritated as he picks her up in his arms.
"What happened," Red asks. He moves closer to Robin and Marinette, taking her pulse and says, "Her pulse is irregular and too fast." He takes a small dart out of his utility belt and puts it in her arm. "That should help bring her heartrate back to normal."
"How did she get here," Nightwing asks. Batman narrows his eyes; he would like to know how Robin knew she was here more.
"I don't know. But the next time I see Ladybug I'm going to find out," Robin says threateningly.
Batman was sure he would. Batman looks at the unconscious woman and notices her earrings for the first time. She was wearing studs, just black ones. Not the choice Batman would have thought a fashion designer going to a formal gala would make. They didn't really match her dress, and as Marinette was a designer who notices those little details, he thought that was a little strange. It made him suspicious.
"Being her with us," Batman says.
"What if she wakes up," Red says. They all look at him like he's an idiot for the question. "Right, never mind." They all had propofol and anesthetics in their utility belts.
Robin carries Marinette bridal style up the stairs and to the elevators. Batman needs to keep a close eye in her from now on. He was sure there was something more going on with this woman then meets the eye.
Translation
'iilaaha – Arabic for Goddess
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