Chapter 28: Decisive actions
The silence filled the room with only the faint sound of flapping of small wings competing with the slow beating of a cold heart. The covers of the circular window opened, letting shafts of light penetrate the dim room and bounce off the wings of hundreds of white butterflies swarming around a tall man in a dark purple shirt and black pants. He stood without moving, barely breathing, icy blue calculating eyes peering through his silver mask.
Hawkmoth watched the destruction of Paris.
It has been over 24 hours since he sent out his latest akuma. The Protestor impressed him with his ability to take down Chat Noir, but Ladybug's absence disturbed him. She was late in joining the fight against the Mailman and only arrived yesterday to save Chat Noir. Since then, neither has come out. If the so-called heroes do not come and fight his akuma, how was he going to capture their Miraculous?
The Protestor has been rampaging through the city throughout the day with no one to stop him. Not the outcome Hawkmoth was looking for. He saw no benefit in meaningless destruction. Paris was his city, too. Some damage to the city was acceptable to get his heart's desire, but anything beyond that was a wanton waste.
Time for decisive actions.
The mansion had a multitude of rooms, bedrooms, studies, guest suites, and entertainment areas. Every room had its own private television or computer screen. There was even a private movie theater linked to local networks and the internet. With multimedia options all around, why had Natalie insisted on placing herself in front of Adrien's television?
Shortly after Adrien changed, Natalie came to check on him. Satisfied he followed his father's orders, she sat herself in front of his television to follow the news. Natalie was a busy woman, and sitting in Adrien's room did not stop her from spending most of her time fiddling with her tablet while giving the television some courtesy glances. It was very obvious to Adrien that his jailor would not let her prisoner escape.
They had Lunch in his room, eaten with only a few casual comments. He felt better, as Plagg explained earlier:
"Being a Miraculous holder enhances your normal healing abilities. Not as instant as 'Miraculous Ladybug', but your cuts and bruises should feel better by tonight and disappear within a few days. A broken rib, well, that takes about two weeks." Adrien prayed he hadn't broken a rib.
Adrien failed miserably at doing school work, received the lowest scores ever on his handheld game console, and spent most of the time staring through the television into the bleakness of nothingness. Someone at the news station must have pressed the 'loop' button since all they spoke about was the akuma rampaging through the city. The Protestor caused an immense amount of property damage, the hospitals were overflowing with the injured. Five people died.
Ladybug and Chat Noir were nowhere to be found. Speculation abounded as to what happened to them. They had footage of Chat's fight with The Protestor, showing Chat's embarrassing defeat. It ended with Chat flying above the city, then abruptly pulled to earth and out of sight. The consensus was that Ladybug saved Chat and the two of them were regrouping.
The police attempted to stop the akuma themselves and suffered an ignominious defeat. Many were critically wounded but, fortunately, no more fatalities. They needed to hold on for Ladybug's magic.
Natalie was not the only reason Adrien didn't transform. He knew his next step would be to go to Master Fu and tell him what happened, how Ladybug had somehow taken over Marinette's body. He did not understand how that happened. For himself, he was Chat Noir and Chat Noir was him. At first, he thought Marinette was Ladybug. It blew his mind that his partner was near him all this time. He could see Marinette as Ladybug. She had all the right qualities. At least the old Ladybug. This new Ladybug was something else completely, and she was not Marinette.
He would need to confront these discoveries when he met with Master Fu. He would then give back the ring, quit being Chat Noir. It was the right thing to do. He failed and must pass the ring to a more worthy holder. Knowing it is the right action does not make it any easier.
The extent of his failure overwhelmed him. People have died because he failed to stop the akuma. Now he was sitting at home playing video games because he was scared of his father. His father was right, he was an immature child. He needed to get past his insecurities and go to Master Fu. He stood.
A bright flash on the screen caught his attention. He focused on the fancy animated text screaming: "News Flash".
"Just in, we have confirmation that Hawkmoth has shown himself. His first public appearance in many years. Keeping with tradition, he's situated himself on the Eiffel Tower. The akuma, The Protestor, is with him. Our reporters are heading for the scene to update the public on this latest development…"
Natalie shot to her feet. Profound shock marred her pretty face. She did not notice the tablet falling to the floor.
"I... em... I need to check up on... em... something," she walked to the door. At the door, she turned around and said as an afterthought, "Adrien. Do not leave your room. Now more than ever." Then she shut the door behind her.
"Yay," a squeaky voice called from Adrien's bed. "I thought she'd never leave. Can we head out now?"
Adrien looked at Plagg. Hawkmoth is out in the open. This was their chance to end this. Beat Hawkmoth once and for all.
"Plagg, claws out."
Chat Noir was out the window in a flash, heading to the roof of the mansion. Movement below caught his attention. A short, old Chinese man wearing a red and white Hawaiian shirt stood at the gate.
Master Fu's appearance bothered Adrien. Why did Master Fu come to the mansion? Did he come to take the ring back? Has he already got the message Adrien was giving it up? How? Adrien has not even told Plagg. This will save Adrien the trip to the Master's house. He should hand over the ring now, pass the responsibility to someone else, someone better.
No. The window of opportunity has closed. There isn't time to find someone else. Hawkmoth has come out to the open, and Chat Noir and Ladybug must take him down. There was no other option. It was time for decisive actions.
Chat turned away from the gate, jumped off the roof and headed towards the Eiffel Tower.
Chat watched the police hold back the crowd of onlookers. The novelty of seeing Hawkmoth, after so many years, has driven the brave and stupid to come and watch. Chat could not understand what they were thinking! They had friends and family to go back to. Why risk their lives to satisfy their curiosity when they had so much going for them?
The Protestor was restless on the first floor of the tower, pacing along the edge. Every few steps he looked at the other sharing the platform. Hawkmoth, calm as a sweet water lake, stood straight as a pole with his hands clasped behind his back. The strangely familiar stature sent shivers down Chat's spine. There stood a man who believed he controlled the world, and at the moment, it was not so far from the truth.
It was a hopeless fight. He failed to take down the akuma by himself. Against the two of them, he did not have a chance. Neither did he have a choice. There was nothing left for him. He will fight until he couldn't. Even if he doesn't win, he would weaken them enough that perhaps the police could finish the job. No one else was coming.
Chat landed on the opposite side of the Seine river, looking over at the tower. He ignored the shouts from the onlookers and walked to the tower, trying, unsuccessfully, to hide his limp.
Halfway across the bridge, he felt Hawkmoth's gaze on him. He could not see his eyes from such a distance, but he could feel the cold, menacing stare. The villain has not moved, standing in the same pose as before, a slight tilt of his head. Chat kept his eyes on Hawkmoth as he crossed the bridge, although, in retrospect, he should have been more aware of his surroundings. In his defense, he's been having a terrible week. Thankfully, his magical powers and years of hero work have given Chat quick reflexes. He threw himself down with a grunt, pain flaring from his injured rib. Flattened on the concrete, he wondered why he did so. A breeze blew through his hair as something large passed above his prone position, followed by a loud crash and panic screams from the crowd.
Flying cars! Again! The concept of flying cars has always appealed to Adrien, picturing a cool future where commuters traveled in cars both on the ground and in the air. Traffic was a thing of the past, with the sky as the limit. He lost the appeal when said cars were flying at him, attempting to knock him senseless.
Determined to overpower the akuma, Chat sprinted towards him, watching his every move.
"You lost before," The Protestor glared at Chat, "and you will lose again." He used his sign to send waves of power at Chat.
In one fluid motion, the superhero rolled to the side to avoid the attack, pushed off the ground onto his feet and continued running. The akuma turned his attack towards Chat's new position, looking to knock him down. Chat anticipated the attack, pushed his baton against the sidewalk ahead of him to the right and extended the baton. The rapidly lengthening rod propelled Chat sharply to the left, out of the line of fire. Chat hit the ground running, sliding the last few meters to avoid an attack aimed at his head. The Protestor let out a grunt as the baton hit him in the sternum. Chat flipped over the akuma swinging the baton, grinning at the satisfying crunch as it connected with The Protestor's head.
The akuma's response attack blew the smile off his face and sent him crashing into a tower leg. Despite the super-suit absorbing most of the force, Chat stumbled to the ground with an aching back. He wondered if the cut had reopened.
Chat changed tactics. Armed with a baton and deadly aim, he propelled a rock at the akuma's head, opening a gash on his forehead. The retaliatory attack found empty space, Chat having moved before the rock hit. Next Chat sent a crushed can spinning through the air like a shuriken while he ran to circle the akuma. The Protestor bellowed when the can smashed into his chest. His attack once again missed the moving superhero.
Chat continued to run, bombarding the akuma with anything he could find. Rocks, litter, signs, anything lying around. The akuma deflected most of them with his power, although a few got through.
Going for an aerial attack, Chat used the baton to propel himself upwards and towards the tower. A car crashed where he stood the second before and knocked the baton from underneath him, leaving him hanging in midair. The momentum sent Chat over The Protestor, head tucked in, Chat rolled on the ground ending between two parked cars.
The cold road pressed against Chat's cheek, leaving red squares where the gravel pushed into his face. He heaved with both hands, brought himself to a crouch, slowly rose and searched for the akuma through the car's windows, and worked hard not to be spotted. He needn't have bothered; the akuma walked off to the side, looking between the cars parked a hundred meters away. The Protestor miscalculated where Chat landed.
Seizing the opportunity, Chat sneaked up on The Protestor, keeping at least one car between them, ready to duck if he showed any sign of turning. Two cars away, Chat called his "Cataclysm" destruction power. The rush of power flowed through his body, centering on his right hand until a black aura surrounded it all the way to the wrist. Chat crept the last few meters, hand leading the way, ready to touch and destroy the sign. He must capture and confine the butterfly, a problem for later. Step one, stop The Protestor.
Rounding a car, within reach of the sign, Chat lost his balance. His leg stopped behaving as a leg should. Instead of supporting his weight as he readied himself to pounce, it slid to the side, causing him to topple over onto the car. Chat reflexively shot his hand to the side, supporting himself against the car. The moment his hand touched the car, the power burning in his hand discharged and spread from his hand, covering the entire car, turning it to dust.
Chat jumped back in surprise. Less than two meters from him stood Hawkmoth, casually leaning on his cane.
"So much for your power. Such a waste," Hawkmoth sneered.
Hawkmoth! Adrien screamed in his head. Hawkmoth was standing right beside him with all his evil glory. Distracted by The Protestor, he forgot Hawkmoth was around. The lapse in concentration cost him.
"Hawkmoth," Chat regained his composure and faced his adversary. "We meet again. Nice of you to drop in."
"Yes," Hawkmoth's lips lifted on one side in a half-smile. "Although dropping seems to be your specialty," he indicated the car with his eyes.
Chat didn't lose his balance, Hawkmoth tripped him.
"Protestor, you can thank me. You're safe now," Hawkmoth said.
"Nowhere is safe with you about," Chat accused Hawkmoth. His ring beeped its warning.
"Then you should go to Nowhere. It sounds like a wonderful place to be. It could be a great tourist attraction for Parisians to go on a break from this disaster city."
Chat responded without missing a beat: "The way you're dressed, you've already been to no wear."
They both froze, staring at each other in surprise.
Then, Hawkmoth, his head tilted to the side, asked, "Adrien?"
"Father?"
A/N Next chapter: The end of Chat Noir