"You're kidding."
"No, man! Seriously. He comes walking out of there, this gigantic smile on his face like he's just won the lottery, hair all done up like a clown. Fixed his hair back in the car but dude, that smile stayed."
"Well, I'm happy for Ivan. I hope they work out."
"I'm happy for him too. She's working his vic's case so I bet they see each other again before the day's over."
"That's-"
"Agreste! Lahiffe!" A voice called from the doorway. "In my office."
"Yes, Chief." Adrien Agreste hurriedly closed his notebook and stood, his best friend and working partner Nino Lahiffe copying his motions as they both made their way out the door to follow their boss.
"Got an assignment for us, Chief?" Nino asked, a cheeky smile on his face as he clasped his hands together in a pleading manner.
"Like ya wouldn't believe, boys. Like ya wouldn't believe." Chief rubbed his eyes as he opened his office door and Adrien and Nino took a moment to glance at each other before Adrien took the initiative to check on his boss.
"You doing alright, Chief?" He questioned as he took the seat on the left of Chief's desk, Nino taking the one on the right.
"I'm gonna be honest with you kids." Chief answered as he slid into his desk chair. "I don't want ya to take this case. I don't want anyone in this office to take this case. I don't want anyone in this city to take this case."
"But why-" Nino began but was quickly cut off by the Chief's waving hand.
"Let me speak. And when I'm done, you decide if you take it or not. Got it?"
"Sure Chief. We're just confused." Adrien apologized, sharing another quick glance with his partner. What was Chief getting them into?
"Code Name: Ladybug." Chief dropped a thin manila folder onto his desk and Adrien stared curiously at the thing. The folders weren't usually so…small. "Intake date was a little over five years ago. A risk level one. Current age is estimated as early to mid twenties. Got her initial sighting on a security cam by the docks." Chief opened his laptop and pushed it across the desk, quickly pressing a button to let the video play.
Adrien watched as four men wrestled an unconscious young girl out of the back of a van, carrying her towards a small building at the edge of the screen. She had been in a fight of some kind and lost judging by how beaten her body appeared, even with the terrible quality of the security camera. A dark polka dotted mask covered half of her face, but Adrien could tell she was fairly young.
"Four men for a girl that size?" Nino questioned. "I thought you said she was a risk level one?"
"She was." Chief answered. "We didn't catch whatever fight caused all of those injuries," Chief gestured to the screen. "But we were sure she wasn't going to make it through the night. Bumped her up from a zero because she was injured but..wasn't worth sending someone in."
"Wasn't worth sending someone in? We just left her to die?" Nino frowned, eyes still glued to the screen. "Why?"
"She's one of Hawk's."
"No wonder-" Adrien murmured, eyes wide.
"You're sending us after Hawk for a level one!" Nino squawked, standing up and placing his hands on Chief's desk. "This is a suicide mission!"
"Lahiffe! Please, sit down. She was a level one five years ago. She reappeared a few months ago, down by the docks again. At first we didn't realize she was the same person, but after awhile…I've had eyes on her, boys. And they've requested we upgrade her to a level ten. They want her as our top priority."
"A ten..what happened?" Adrien glanced back at the monitor, at the girl's broken face. What could a girl that small do to warrant being made a top priority?
"I'm sure you've noticed Nathaniel's absence." Chief sighed, motioning to the office across the hall as Adrien and Nino nodded. "He's been watching her for me. He's found out where she's staying. For weeks he assured me she wasn't a threat. That she was thriving, even under Hawk's thumb. But last night.." Chief pulled his laptop across the table and pulled up a new video. "This is footage from Nathaniel's phone."
The video began and Adrien watched in confusion as the girl from before, Ladybug, appeared from a second story balcony window, crossing to the edge of the balcony and starting to climb across the side of the building. Her hands and feet appeared to instinctually find the right places to step and grab onto in the worn brick to keep her safe as she climbed to the street below. Her feet had just touched solid ground when a group of men, six if he had counted right, came around the corner and began to yell in her direction. Instead of running like Adrien had expected, the girl dropped into a fighting stance. The video jostled and cut off, startling Adrien and Nino into looking up at their boss.
"Nathaniel cut the video to call for backup. By the time backup arrived, they found six men unconscious and tied to a streetlight, but no Ladybug. Nathaniel reported that she fought them off alone."
"You've got to be kidding." Nino laughed in disbelief. "That's not possible."
"I would say the same thing. Except we got photos of her from a security camera two blocks over. She looks completely unharmed." Chief slid a few photos across the desk and sure enough, there she was, looking like nothing had happened as she entered a small massage parlor. "It's a mystery to me. It shouldn't be possible. I have no choice but to listen to Nathaniel and upgrade her risk level, not just because of the fight, but because this is extremely out of character for her. Nathaniel has reported her as calm, non confrontational, rational.."
"A behavior change this drastic.." Nino began, turning to his partner.
"She could be sick. Or in danger." Adrien agreed. "Those were Hawk's men she was fighting, right?"
"Yes." Chief answered with a sigh. "He's not going to be happy about her taking out his men. If he hasn't heard already he will soon. Nathaniel fears for her health but also her safety. We can't risk leaving her in the field any longer. Look boys," Chief rubbed at his eyes again. "You're the best I've got. But if you don't want the case-"
"We'll take it." Adrien agreed without a second thought. "We'll find Ladybug."
———
"Nathaniel! Thanks for meeting us, man. Long time no see." Nino reached across the table to shake hands with his old friend and Nathaniel blushed, shyly returning the sentiment.
"So you've been keeping tabs on our vic?" Adrien began, taking a sip of his coffee as he took in their surroundings. They'd decided to meet at a local bakery, one he'd never been to but found quite charming. The atmosphere was nice. Warm. Cozy. Like home. Adrien startled at that last thought, shaking his head slightly. This place was nothing like his apartment-
"Dude. You in there?" Nino nudged Adrien's shoulder, knocking him out of his thoughts and Adrien hurried to apologize.
"Sorry. Sweeping the area. You were saying?"
"No problem." Nathaniel pushed a small folder across the table. "I've been keeping eyes on her as best I can since Chief recognized her a few months ago. At first I figured she was like most of Hawk's girls. You know the type."
"Flirty criminals?" Nino questioned as he pulled the file off the table and began to flip through it.
"Exactly. And she is that. Kind of. Or I guess..she was? It's hard to say." Nathaniel sighed, taking a sip of his drink. "Honestly? She's the most confusing case I've ever worked on."
"How so?" Adrien glanced over his partner's shoulder at the file Nathaniel had given them and cringed when he saw just how little it contained.
"Most of Hawk's girls…it's the same story over and over, you know? Girl from the streets, girl in need, girl in a rough living situation..Hawk finds them, takes them in, makes them solely dependent on him, turns them into criminals, rents them out like property..it's disgusting. But the girls get used to it. It becomes a part of them. They hold onto him because he's all they know. They genuinely love him and want to be with him. Ladybug..she's not like that. I didn't tell Chief this because I was afraid he'd pull her case, but I think you should know-"
"Nathaniel. We can't keep parts of our case secret from Chief. He'll have our heads." Nino let the file fall back to the table as Nathaniel hurried to explain himself.
"Please, I think she needs your help more than any of the other girls he's got right now. She's..special to him."
"Special?" Adrien frowned. "Nathaniel this sounds like a lot you haven't told Chief. Maybe we should call him."
"No! She needs out soon and if Chief pulls her case-" Nathaniel sighed. "I like this girl okay? She's not like the rest of Hawk's girls. In the months I've been watching her, she hasn't committed a single crime. Hawk hasn't sent her on a single mission. Hasn't rented her out not even once. Hawk's girls are usually very active. She isn't."
"So either she isn't worth sending out..or he's holding her for something bigger." Nino pieced the puzzle together, looking at his partner with a worried frown. "If Hawk sent those men after her..the way she fought them off..there's no way she's a deadweight. Hawk would be using her for something."
"That's exactly what worries me." Nathaniel agreed, nodding his head slightly. "If she was a deadweight he would have culled her by now. He has a purpose in mind for her. I've seen the way he interacts with her. It's…strange."
"How strange?" Adrien glanced down at the file again. Who was Ladybug? And how did she get caught up in all of this?
"I think she might be his daughter..or his apprentice or something. She knows things. They talk in riddles I can't understand."
"If we take her in she might know enough to get Hawk taken in."
"And if you don't…she might be the next Hawkmoth."