A/N: Back again, this chapter wasn't easy to write, maybe since I set myself up really big in the last one with how much I crammed in lol. Well anyways, I'm gonna kill my shit philosophy from the last story and continue to write, even if only one person sees this and reviews (appreciate you, SplitsShot) and hopefully keep up a normal-ish schedule with chapter posting. I've still got school and life stuff though, but I'll try my hardest.
The story may be a little confusing so far, but it'll at least make a little bit of sense later, I'm sure.
Hopefully.
The seemingly endless halls of McClay Enterprises looked different at night. The bustle of stressed workers and curious visitors was gone, and the lingering ambiance of the machines in the display room was absent as well. It almost made the place feel quite peaceful if it weren't for the mission that the duo was on, which tainted the appeal of the building.
Following Chad and Billy Bob down each corridor, they strolled in awkward silence for what felt like an eternity, before Ladybug finally decided to break it. "So...we're gonna be asking those questions soon. Are you...waiting on us?", she inquired, staying close to Cat Noir, who was stuck marveling at the display cases that he could catch a glimpse of when they passed by one of the main rooms. "Hm? Oh, no. I was just daydreaming about Beluga Whales. You should come to one of the empty rooms to have that chat though, just don't break anything.", he replied, before turning the corner in the hallway and opening the door for the duo.
Hesitantly, Ladybug motioned for Cat Noir to follow her inside, with Billy Bob and Chad following. They left the door open as if they knew she'd be suspicious. The inside of the room wasn't too impressive, just a decent-sized area with two sofas facing each other and a long brown coffee table in the middle. On the wall nearby was a large flat-screen TV, which looked relatively untouched, which was supported by a cabinet with several drawers. Taking a seat on one of the couches, Billy Bob stood in the corner as Ladybug and Cat Noir made their way to the sofa parallel to Chad, taking a seat slowly before the billionaire spoke up. "Alright, ask away."
Glancing over at her partner, Ladybug shifted in her seat for a moment, realizing she hadn't actually planned out the meeting portion of the mission. Still, she did have questions, and cleared her throat lightly before starting off. "Well, we first wanted to ask you about the weapons you seem to have created, despite what you keep telling people.", she began. "I spotted a drone of yours three months ago, it was strapped with small guns and tried to kill me when I went near it. And now we see that you have extremely high-tech weaponry that looks like something out of a science fiction movie. So we just wanted to know what was up with that."
Chad paused for a moment, and that intentful stare on his face soon returned, pondering his reply for a second as it worked through the gears in his head. "I do make weapons.", he said plainly, and for a moment, Ladybug perked up in her seat as he admitted his fault. "But they're not for malicious purposes. You see, it turns out the government likes to have their thumb in every inventors pie as of lately, so those weapons I've been creating were for them, and their tests. They're really none of my business, especially since there's probably thirteen of their agents hidden in this room right now.", he soon added, crushing the logistics of Ladybugs suspicions. "Oh…", Cat Noir murmured, as Ladybug fell silent for a moment, feeling like an absolute idiot right then and there.
Chad then glanced towards Billy Bob, who reached into one of the cabinets nearby and pulled out a large bottle of scotch, taking out a glass from the same spot and silently making his way towards him. Pouring him a heaping glass, the billionaire took both the glass and the bottle and downed his portion with a flick of the wrist. "Thanks." he said casually, right as Ladybug spoke up once more. "I guess your status just leads to weird assumptions. Say, you have any other family, Chad?" she asked.
Shifting in his seat, Chad paused for a moment and took a swig from the bottle, not even bothering to use his glass. "I hope the Lurkers didn't shake you up too much. I know they're a lot different from the colorful losers you all struggle to fight." he said sharply, taking a brief sip of his drink. "No, they were fine.", Cat Noir assured him, leading to yet another period of tense silence. Ladybug knew there was something deeper here, something she was missing. She remembered the memory she had three months back, with the armed drone. And that person had ambushed her again, the Enigma, with the soulless green goggles. A question did eventually pop into her head, but she opted to tread lightly, and asked as cautiously as she could.
"Chad...have you ever heard of The Enigma?"
Confused, Cat Noir looked towards Ladybug once she made her inquiration, matching Chads equally puzzled expression. "...I've heard a lot of questions people have asked me, things I kinda want to forget, but that's definitely up there with the weird ones", he replied. "No, I don't work with random crazies. I'm a professional, I don't linger with that crowd.", he added, pronouncing professional like 'professhEENEEL'. Maybe it was the alcohol. "Well, I think we're done here, unless you want to ask me about the shoebox under my bed too...which you didn't hear me mention just now."
Sighing once she realized the investigation was a bust, Cat Noirs emerald eyes didn't lose their glimmer of hope, and he hadn't given up like his partner. However, he opted to stand up alongside her, deciding that prodding further wasn't a smart move. "We'll leave now, Mr. McClay.", Ladybug murmured, turning around and heading towards the door, too ashamed to even look him in the eye. Cat Noir followed, and Chad took one more swig of his whiskey before standing up from his seat. "Alright, it was nice to meet you two. And remember, if you're got something worth pursuing-"
"...there will always be a place for you here.", Ladybug said, cutting him off before leaving with her partner. Raising an eyebrow lightly, Chad motioned for Billy Bob to shut the door tightly behind them, before the tall man gave the billionaire a silent, scolding look. "Lying to superheroes isn't going to look good on your track record, Mr. McClay.", Billy Bob pointed out, causing Chad to roll his eyes and set the bottle on the table. "What'd you expect me to do, tell them I was with the Enigma? I don't want to get beat up by teenagers again, Billy Bob.", he rebuked, laying on the sofa. "Besides, we both know that it'll be worth it in the end for me. I'm not about to give up just because they're looking for information."
Billy Bob stayed silent, simply tilting his head to the side and keeping his eyes on Chad, staring at his boss intently. A little confused by the eye contact, the billionaire looked away, like a child who got caught doing something they weren't supposed to do, and kept his eyes on the wall behind him. "...You know, avoiding my eyes isn't going to change anything.", he said bluntly, folding his arms, and Chad reluctantly turned around. "Alright alright look, we can both agree that we made the right decision here. Enigma and the Lurkers will take care of the rest.", the inventor said, which Billy Bob seemed to agree with, once his stare softened into his slightly less intimidating resting face.
Forcing himself off of the chair, he took one last big gulp of whiskey before screwing the cap on, and placing it carelessly on the TV cabinet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go to my penthouse. Gotta get some work done.", he said, straightening his pajamas like it was a suit before leaving the room. Squinting slightly at Chad, Billy Bob took the bottle and glass and set them inside the cupboard, where they actually belonged. He knew he wasn't actually going to do some work, he'd most likely play with those knockoff action figures he always kept around. Still, he didn't question it, because that was his boss, after all. His weird, shady boss.
…
Ladybug was silent for the whole trip back to their rendezvous point, leaving Cat Noir feeling very uncomfortable, as he tried to think of something to say that wouldn't result in her snapping at him. It wasn't easy though, the heroine looked like she either wanted to scream or punch someone in the face, which he definitely understood. They'd broken into a billionaires tower, got into a fight with a mysterious gang, and the investigation ended up being a bust in the end anyways.
Still, he had a feeling the silence was worse than being yelled at by his friend, so he waited until they reached their location before finally speaking up. "Well...at least he didn't call the cops.", he said humorously, but quickly swallowed his grin once Ladybug fired a stern expression at him. "I'm sure that we missed something, things definitely felt off at McClay Enterprises. I'm just not certain of what we could've been overlooking.", she said, hoping for something, anything, that could be of use to them.
Cat Noir followed her lead and pondered hard as well, since it would suck to have to abandon a possible case and leave Paris open to a dangerous threat. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of what happened three months back. Turning around to face the edge of the roof, he was surprised he could spot the McClay Enterprises skyscraper so far in the distance, with the blue glowing eye-like logo sticking out like a sore thumb in the darkness of the city. But despite the fact that Chad McClay was probably compensating for something, he couldn't get that logo out of his head. Something seemed terribly familiar about it, and the longer he stared, the more he felt dread building up in his stomach.
Finally, it hit him
Taking out his baton and clicking a small button on the side, Ladybug curiously peeked over Cat Noirs shoulder as a small screen was retracted from his weapon. "I know there's something on here, if I can just find the right image.", he said, swiping through his photos to find one that would be useful. There wasn't much on there, mostly landscape shots and weird selfies, but he still continued to swipe right in hopes of finding what he was looking for. This led to him accidentally clicking on a video of himself that he'd filmed, setting it at the highest volume possible.
"Hey, Ladybug. It's me, Cat Noir. I'm the cats meow. What was that, you want to go on a date with me? Heh, okay."
Cat Noir swiftly swipes past the video. "No no, ignore that, that's just me...yeah, ignore that.", he said, ignoring Ladybugs shocked expression. "Oh, found it!", he exclaimed, pulling up a collection of dark photos, each with the same eerie symbol as the McClay Enterprises Logo scrawled into a dusty brick wall. "These were the pictures I took in the basement of that nightclub Abel owned about three months ago, his little cult seemed to be really into these symbols. And I'm pretty sure they're the same design as the McClay Enterprises logo."
Admittedly, the discovery placed a feeling of impending doom inside of her. Somehow, McClay was connected to Abel and his cult, which definitely set off some alarms in her head, despite her not knowing what it all meant. "Jesus...Cat Noir, if Chad is connected to Abels cult, then it's pretty clear he's not as squeaky clean of a man as we thought.", she declared. "Wow, I really thought we were done with Abel once he died in that temple. If he left something behind, that's something we need to investigate further!"
For a moment, Ladybug was about to agree with him, but remembered who the biggest threat was right now...even if she didn't know much about them. "Cat Noir, I don't think I told you about The Enigma." she said ominously, leading Cat Noir to give her a look of interest, eager to hear what she had to tell him. "I met a trio of cursed miraculous users three months ago, they didn't get them from a guardian, Abel gave them the cursed ones he was trying to ship across the globe. They warned me of this person named Enigma, and said that they're here to kill me, and maybe even harm you as well. I feel like we should be focusing on figuring out who this person is and how we can stop them."
It was definitely a dilemma, both were important cases. An assassin of some sort was out for Ladybugs blood, but a man leading an empire that was connected to Abels wrongdoings wasn't something to be scoffed at either. For a moment, they fell silent, trying to figure out what they could do. "Alright, I'll tell you what. I'll help you with the Enigma, and we'll try and stop this person however we can. But I'll be investigating McClay on my own time, I'm sure that there's something shady he's hiding.", Cat Noir suggested, as Ladybug paused for a moment to soak in his info. If the events that happened three months ago had taught her anything, it's that it was dangerous to be apart during an era of crime and peril. But they needed to get this done before the game was changed on them, to hopefully keep Paris safe from a looming threat.
Nodding, she placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, with a small but genuine smile on her face. "I trust you, Cat Noir.", she said sincerely, a grin curling up on his lips as well. "We'll discuss more tomorrow, I'll see you then.", the heroine said, before hurling her Yoyo off into the distance and leaping off of the roof. Sighing deeply, the teenage boy glanced back at the McClay Enterprises logo off in the distance, wondering just how he was going to get the info he needed. He did have a plan, but it was definitely dangerous, and if he failed to complete it, who knows what would happen to him?
Still, one thing was for certain; the glowing logo on the skyscraper sure looked a lot more menacing at that moment than it ever had before.
…
As the sun rose over the horizon, only two items rested on the office desk of Gabriel Agreste. To his left was a large, heaping mug of black coffee, which the fashion designer hadn't even bothered to take a sip of yet. Across from it was a single blue Ibuprofen pill on a shiny silver platter, which had been left untouched as well. Rubbing his temple roughly and squeezing his eyes shut, he plucked the pill between two fingers and downed it without hesitation, reaching for his mug next and downing half the mug in one sitting.
Grunting lightly, he glanced towards the end of his office as the door was pushed open, and in came Nathalie, appearing as professional and pristine as she usually did, and entering the office with a tablet in hand. "Good morning, Mr. Agreste.", she said, her tone calm, yet flat, as she watched the fashion designer roughly force himself to stand from his chair. "I...guess you're not hungry?", she assumed, expecting that behavior after how the last few months had gone down. Sighing, Gabriel shook his head and removed his glasses, pulling out a small blue cloth from his pocket to clean off the clouding lenses. "Nathalie, I would rather not speak at the moment.", he said rather coldly, though her presence was rather calming.
Although her expression was often deadpan, a hint of worry flickered in her eyes, before returning to normal as she pushed the office door behind her all the way open. "I only came to see if you were willing to work today." she said, obviously not referring to his fashionista duties. "By the way things have been going lately, I assumed you would be hesitant." Grunting lightly, Gabriel made his way to the end of the room and scooted past Nathalie, who followed him across the mansion the moment he left the office. "I am.", he replied bitterly. "I haven't gotten close to succeeding in the last few months, every villain I have made has been one big failure, only outclassing the next one with a larger failure.", he grumbled, before turning towards her angrily. "Do you remember what the villain of last week was? It was a man who was sad that he dropped a baguette!"
Gulping slightly at his sudden outburst, Nathalie formulated her next words carefully, hoping to at least prevent the man from getting even more pissed off. "Yes...perhaps Baguette-Man was one of the lower points in your mission…", she admitted, causing Gabriel to growl in frustration and continue speed-walking. "But that's no reason not to try again, you shouldn't need to let one incident destroy a goal that has taken years to pursue.", she quickly added, as the two reached Gabriels elegant atelier; which was a long-stretching workshop with a large monitor in the front of the room. On the left and right walls were large boards caked with photography pieces of his son, with each more beautifully captured than the last.
In the back of the room was a golden portrait of his late wife, Emile, which the fashion designer began to approach with caution. "Abel promised me that I would get to see my wife alive again. I wanted to see her move again, smile again...laugh again...and he played me like a fiddle.", he grimaced, hesitantly stepping towards the painting and resting a shaking hand against it. Gliding his fingers over the smooth strokes of paint, they rested on the two little buttons hidden in the work of art. One press would send him down to Shadowmoths Butterfly Room, which he liked to call 'his real office'.
But he didn't touch them for longer than a second, and instead hopelessly rested a forehead against the surface. "I…" he mumbled, before shutting his eyes lightly, and pausing for what felt like an eternity. "I don't know if I can take another failure. It all just seems so hopeless." Instinctively making her way towards Gabriel, Nathalie placed a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder, though the man ashamedly avoided her gaze. "Don't give up, Mr. Agreste. Something will come up, something always comes up. And soon enough, you will have Ladybug and Cat Noirs miraculouses in the palm of your hand."
Blinking lightly, Gabriel nodded and turned away from the painting, knowing he couldn't bear to stare at it any longer. "It's fine, Nathalie. I won't give up, I'll never give up.", he said, a small smile curling up on Nathalies lips as the man stood up a little bit straighter. "How has Adrien been as of lately?", he asked, wiping the proud little expression from her face. "He has been maintaining his schedule well.", she responded, as the two walked into the main hall of the mansion. "Adrien has been showing noticeable improvements in his Chinese and Fencing lessons, as well as the daily photoshoots scheduled by Vincent. I would say he is doing exceptionally."
Although his sons progress in his studies definitely gave Gabriel great pride, the answer hadn't been the one he was looking for. "I meant...how is he feeling?" he asked, his tone turning softer. Nathalie paused, glancing over at the corner of the room, where the door to Adriens bedroom was, before returning her attention to Gabriel a moment later. "He asks of you often, Mr. Agreste, even more within the last three months. Perhaps you could spend some more time with him, if you ever find yourself to have a break in your schedule.", she suggested, expecting to be brushed off, as usual.
But it didn't happen, and instead, the brilliant fashion designer was left at a loss for words. On cue, Adriens bedroom door was pushed open, and the boy tentatively stepped out into the open(along with his Kwami, Plagg, who was hidden uncomfortably in the pocket of his jeans), before noticing Gabriel and Nathalie from across the room. "Good morning Father, and Nathalie.", Adrien greeted, meeting Gabriels eyes for a moment before standing up straighter and glancing away obediently. Hesitantly, the fashion designer glanced back at his atelier, which had been left wide open. Then, he turned his head back to Adrien, who stood there in silence, with a look of longing in his eyes. Gabriels mouth parted slightly, as if he was going to say something, before his lips formed a thin line instead.
After what felt like an eternity, Adrien finally broke the silence. "I'll get ready for school soon, sorry for bothering you, father.", he apologized, before walking past Gabriel and heading down the large staircase in the middle of the mansion hall. "Adrien, wait.", Gabriel spoke, catching his sons attention instantly, enough to have him turn around to face his father. It definitely took a moment to think it over for Gabriel, who almost glanced back in the direction of his atelier, but he soon decided against it. "Perhaps, if you're not too busy later...we could have dinner together tonight.", he suggested, his words coming out slower than usual, as if he was still deciding while the words came out.
But there was no room for a decision now, Adriens eyes immediately lit up once his father made the suggestion. They hadn't had dinner together in so long, neither could really remember when the last time it happened was. "Really? I would love to, father!", he replied enthusiastically, almost not believing what he was hearing. Moving towards his father to give him a quick, but genuine hug, Adrien practically skipped down the stairs of the mansion hall and into the kitchen, leaving only Gabriel and Nathalie in the room together.
Admittedly, the man almost smiled seeing his son so happy, it was very rare that he ever got to see him like that, or ever had the time to. "Should I prepare breakfast then, Mr. Agreste?", Nathalie inquired, as Gabriel turned towards her. "Yes...thank you.", he replied, a faint smile on his face.
…
Marinette had ordered a clock for her room about a week ago. Perhaps it wasn't the most sensible, or responsible of purchases, but it was nice to have some sort of ambience in the morning, or whenever she decided to stay locked up in her room.
Staying asleep wasn't as easy as it used to be for her, but being awake was far more comfortable than the alternative. After all, she did often try to be more productive, even if she often didn't get much done despite her early awakenings. As soon as the sun had risen, she was out of bed, while the Kwami in her room remained asleep. Changing into some halfway-decent clothes, she instinctively flinched as a police cruiser zoomed by her house, with its sirens echoing throughout the city.
Immediately sealing her trembling hands over her ears, Marinette shut her eyes tightly as traces of the noise still lingered painfully, before finally fading away. Letting out a distressed, faint whimper, her right hand came down to comfort her racing heart, the girls eyes darted around the room, as a sickly feeling began to constrict around her abdomen. Wonderful, she almost went through a whole morning without experiencing...whatever this was.
Luckily, a handy solution of hers always came into use around this time. Rushing to a large box filled with clothing in the corner of her room, she threw on a light blue hoodie folded neatly inside and rushed out of her room...which was basically the attic. Nearly tripping three times on her way down the flight of stairs in the living room, she finally made it down to the bakery her family-owned, which thankfully gave her the exit she needed to reach the sweet, fresh air outside.
But upon opening the door, a gust of freezing cold wind nearly blew Marinette off of her feet, leaving her clinging to the door handle for support. "Jesus, how did it get so cold?", she muttered, finally stabilizing herself before leaving the bakery. From there, she took a moment to take a breather, with that horrible feeling deep in her stomach. Luckily, Marinette had one last trick up her sleeve, and it always seemed to come in handy for times like this.
So...she began to run.
At first it started as a steady jog, though it was really more of a brisk walk. She never did start off fast, that always led to her being tired out too quickly, and not giving her the sweet sense of calm that came once she was finished. Keeping up a careful breathing pattern, Marinette released deep plumes of breath in the biting air as she continued to jog, leaning forward slightly and keeping her arms relaxed, she glanced to the right as she turned the corner of the block.
At this point, the route was all too familiar to her. Every morning would consist of the same schedule; wake up as soon as possible, throw on clothes, and run. It was almost methodical at this point, and whenever she woke up with...memories fresh in her mind, running was the only real solution she had nearby. And it usually went well, after a nice little jog, that feeling of hers managed to disappear, at least for a little while. Keeping her pace steady, her eyes were focused on the path ahead, with nothing breaking her focus until…
She heard that siren again, though there wasn't a police car in sight. Immediately, her pace quickened, with Marinette beginning to accelerate more and more by the second. Taking in deeper, more ragged breaths, her breathing pattern was thrown completely off as she struggled to keep her thoughts in check. But that noise continued, growing more and more unbearable until it felt like it was completely killing her.
Her legs began to burn the harder they were worked, and each breath she took felt more and more desperate. Soon enough she was sprinting around the block, eyes shut tighter than they ever had before, and beads of sweat began to form on her forehead even though it was freezing outside. Drawing in inhale after inhale, Marinette was finally forced to halt her run right as she reached the corner of the bakery, clamping her hands over her ears as she struggled to catch her breath. "It's only a moment, it's only a moment…", she mumbled, repeating the phrase over and over again to herself, until her mind was finally cleared.
As her beating heart began to slow, the girl removed her hands from her ears and exhaled deeply, tiredly glancing towards the bakery as her body began to grow fatigued. Right as she was about to trudge towards the entrance, three mysterious figures soared over her head and landed on the balcony atop the building, prompting Marinette to shove her exhaustion aside and race into the bakery. Heading up every flight of stairs within seconds, she eventually burst into her room noisily, which woke up every Kwami that was sleeping at that moment. A panicked swarm of colorful creatures emerged from the Miracle Box, each one shouting and screaming incomprehensible as they zipped all around the room.
Tikki immediately flew towards Marinette, in a blind panic just as chaotic as her fellow Kwami. "Marinette?! What happened?!", she exclaimed, startled and clearly half-asleep. Realizing what she'd done, Marinette sought out to grab whatever scared Kwami she could, gathering all the little creatures together in her arms so she could at least keep them in one place. "It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just...shitty at getting into my own room.", she said reassuringly, before letting the much calmer Kwami back into the Miracle Box. "Why are you up this early?", Tikki questioned, rubbing her tired little eyes as Marinette made her way towards the trapdoor above her bed. "...It's nothing, Tikki. Go back to sleep.", she replied, standing up the best she could on the mattress and climbing up towards the balcony.
Sure enough, she came face to faces with the three miraculous users she'd seen the other day, as she gripped the railing nearby to pull herself onto her feet. "Thanks for the assist.", she said sarcastically, as the three deadpanned as she shut the trapdoor. "We came to ask if The Enigma has made an appearance yet.", the woman said, causing Marinette to roll her eyes lightly as she tiredly took a seat on the chair she kept up on the balcony. "No, haven't seen the big, scary Enigma yet, I'm still waiting for him to show up, I figured he would've been here by now.", she responded.
Surprisingly, the woman was quick to cut in and correct her. "Not 'him'. It. We don't know who is behind the mask.", she said abruptly, catching Marinette off-guard slightly. "You know, you haven't exactly been giving me much information here. I haven't seen you three in months and now all of a sudden you're here, and there's a new threat Cat Noir and I have to worry about?", she questioned, growing a bit frustrated by the circumstances. Glancing towards her allies, the woman sighed lightly before turning her attention back to Marinette. "What would you like to know?", she asked.
She would've thought the questions would start pouring out, but her mind immediately went blank once the question was asked. Perhaps she just had so much to ask, but didn't expect answers so easily. Still, she did need to know some things, so she swallowed hard before finally speaking up. "Okay, first...who is The Enigma? And how do you know about him…it.", she inquired, correcting herself quickly. "We...don't know who the Enigma is, or where they came from. But we have other allies and associates of ours who found its name in the Grimoire, and passed the information along to us.", she explained. "That's why we advise you and your partner to stay alert, The Enigma could be anywhere, waiting to strike."
This definitely shocked Marinette, and the fact that the Enigmas name was in the Grimoire worried her. For all she knew, this could've been a threat that even the past guardians couldn't destroy, and if they couldn't defeat Enigma, how could she? Still, she didn't let her worry show, and decided to move onto the next question. "...Where have you been the last three months? You three just disappeared the night that…"
She trailed off, remembering the fateful night in horrifying detail. The thick, choking smell of smoke...the freezing gusts of wind...and the sirens. Those awful, awful sirens…
She blinked hard, pausing for a long moment before managing to choke out the last words of her sentence. "...That night.", she murmured. Although she still appeared stoic as ever, the womans eyes softened for a moment, once again glancing in between her two comrades before speaking up once more. "There are others.", the woman said softly. "Others like us, others like Tigre. We were traveling the world to find them, but to no avail. It's been our mission since we received these...these things several years ago."
Marinette froze, gazing at the three miraculous users intently, hanging on every word. "We're sorry we abandoned you, Ladybug. But our mission was not one that could be ignored." The heroine fell silent as the woman gave her the information she needed, turning away to take in all that she'd heard. A long period of silence soon followed; with the only ambience being the faint, soothing whistle of the wind. "We will continue to work nonetheless. If you need any assistance with the Enigma...we'll know.", the woman said, motioning for her two allies to follow her as they leapt off of the balcony.
She definitely had a lot to think about now, but The Enigma was the number one issue that was really bothering her. Whoever they were, she knew this wouldn't be an easy threat to take care of. Today would definitely be a Ladybug day, school could wait a little while. Whatever happened in Paris over the next few weeks was her and Cat Noirs responsibility. Luckily, that wasn't too different from a normal day. Crouching down to lift the trapdoor open, she was soon met with a collection of shocked Kwami right in front of her, each with equally bugged eyes and open mouths.
Tikki then hovered over the crowd, looking just as appalled as the others did. "We...heard...everything.", she squeaked, with the collection of Kwami nodding in unison. Sighing lightly, a faint smile made its way onto Marinettes face as she climbed back inside, sealing her fingers around the handle of the trapdoor. "Guess I'm gonna have to pitch the old stomach ache excuse to my parents... again.", she commented, before pulling lightly and shutting herself inside.
…
The school day had gone by quicker for Adrien than it ever had before. He'd been on cloud friggin' nine ever since his father suggested having dinner together, and once school was over, he could've ran home with how much glee he had been feeling. Once it was about the afternoon or so, the boy was happily seated in the dining room, sitting at the head of the long, wooden table. His bodyguard would be preparing the meal soon enough, and he could hardly contain himself, grinning ear to ear as he waited patiently.
His black cat Kwami, Plagg, fluttered and zipped around the room before halting his movements and taking a seat across from the boy, where a dish of cheese sat on display. "You know, I wouldn't get your hopes too high. Your father is always busy." he said honestly, with a mouthful of camembert. Adrien had come to expect this type of bluntness from Plagg, so he rolled his eyes and rested a head in his hand, taking his comment with a pinch of salt. "Just eat your cheese.", he replied carelessly. "Besides, father almost never makes these types of requests, he's always too busy whenever I ask him. That should be an indication that it'll happen."
Shifting around uncomfortably, Plagg gobbled up one last piece of camembert in silence, frowning slightly (partly because all of the cheese was gone). "Look, I...I don't want this to be a letdown for you, that's all. I know you take these sorta things personally, your dad is just one of those people, you know?", Plagg explained, his tone growing concerned. That was definitely a surprise to Adrien, who once again, decided against believing his words for a moment.
Still, his warning did manage to plant a small seed of doubt in Adriens head. His father had been busy lately, even more than usual. And whenever he did see him when they occasionally entered the same room together, he always seemed so...lifeless to him. He wasn't sure what was going on, and doubted that trying to find out would get him anywhere. Maybe the dinner was simply an olive branch; a means to fixing a relationship that was beginning to crack at the seam. "He'll come.", he declared, after a deep breath. His gaze wasn't so confident, and nervously stared down the hallway leading to the main hall of the mansion.
Beginning to shift around in his seat, Adrien silently glanced down at the surface of the table as he continued to wait once more.
…
Copious amounts of hair gel?
Check.
Loyal Bodyguard and Assistant nearby?
Check.
An emerald-colored suit that was expertly crafted by several skilled tailors who made sure that his outfit looked better than everyone else?
Check.
Chad McClay stood outside the entrance of the oh-so iconic Hôtel de Ville, the city hall of Paris, dressed even more elegantly than usual. The billionaire glanced to the left, where Billy Bob towered over him, wearing a jet black suit that matched his grim expression. To his right was Rosa, who'd taken the liberty of dressing up as well, flaunting a dark purple dress that matched her lipstick, with her hair put up in a neat bun.
Smoothing his hair back, the billionaire clutched his hands into fists before turning around to face his two allies "Okay you two, it's go time.", Chad declared, earning a pair of irritated glances from Rosa and Billy Bob. "Are you sure about that? You made us wait out here for 15 minutes while you were busy pacing back and forth and hyping yourself up.", Rosa pointed out, her Puerto Rican accent coming out thicker than it had on the tour. "...No. I mean...yes, I'm sure. We just gotta make sure everything goes according to plan. They'll show up soon enough.", he replied coolly, before turning back around towards the door and entering the building.
It was more beautiful than he'd expected, the ceilings were high-rise and the corridors they made their way down were crafted brilliantly with the style of French Renaissance architecture. Other well-dressed guests brushed past the three, with a large flock of visitors making their way towards the main hall. Eventually, Chad and his two allies managed to arrive at their destination, and they were definitely surprised by what they saw.
Technically, the massive, high-rise room had two levels. The ground floor was spread wide, with massive white pillars along the sides of the room, connecting to the gorgeously built ceilings and upholding the higher levels overlooking the room. Though they weren't accessible to any visitors, the higher level had enough space for someone to watch over the room, and had enough room for someone to fit inside. Next to each row of pillars were massive glass windows cloaked in bright red curtains, seemingly untouched for the time being.
The only thing that threw off the beauty of the room was the collection of well-dressed guests, laughing and talking with each other as they held fancy glasses of wine in their hands. Tables covered with stark white tablecloths were scattered around the room, each holding collections of alcohol and refreshments for the visitors. "I can see Mayor Bourgeois was serious about wanting a gathering, the place is packed full.", Billy Bob said, his voice monotone. Chad earned a collection of stares and glances from the people nearby, who immediately recognized the billionaire and flocked towards him.
Several hands were outstretched and greetings were thrown around, but Billy Bob quickly stepped in front of the billionaire, who glanced towards Rosa as they made their way into the middle of the room. "I don't like touching.", he said sharply, hoping no one tried to shake his hand again that night. Rosa, however, looked right at home, and plucked a glass of wine from a table nearby. "Well, I'm going to mingle. You keep an eye out for the Mayor, and make sure your...friends, make it here okay.", she responded knowingly, before separating from her boss and disappearing into the crowd as Billy Bob stood by Chads side.
The billionaires eyes darted around the room, taking great pride that he was at least better dressed than everyone else. A moment later, he realized he'd jinxed himself, upon spotting a man in the corner with a sparkly blue suit. Igniting a match and dropping it onto his outfit, the suit quickly burned away, dressing the man in a dark crimson tuxedo instead. Grimacing, Chad glanced towards Billy Bob, who nodded and cracked his knuckles before making his way to the man across the room.
He was on his own now, and the man grabbed a heaping glass of Chardonnay and turned around, before coming face to face with the mayor of Paris. "Ah, Chad McClay, what a pleasure it is to meet you!", he exclaimed, holding out a hand for him to shake. Normally, he would've walked away, but the billionaire instead opted to reluctantly shake his hand, taking a sigh of relief once he was able to pull away a moment later. "Mr. Mayor, you've got a...great party.", he said, taking a massive gulp of wine. "Everyone in Paris has been so welcoming."
That seemed to be exactly what the mayor wanted to hear, because his smile grew even wider. "Oh, good to hear! I'm excited to see what you'll be doing for Paris!", he exclaimed. "Are you here by yourself? Where is An-", he began, but Chad immediately cut him off. "It's just me, my bodyguard, and my assistant tonight, Mr. Mayor.", he replied, an overlaying intensity behind his gaze. The mayor didn't notice it. "Have you met our heroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir?" Chad almost dropped the fake smile for a moment, remembering his last conversation with the two the other night. "No, but they're...so...amazing.", he said, practically choking out each word. "Will they be coming to the party." Shaking his head lightly, Mayor Bourgeois grabbed a glass of his own and took a dainty sip. "No, I'm afraid they're too busy to attend parties.", he replied, a bit disappointed.
Glancing to the side, Chad widened the fake smile a bit and finished the rest of his glass. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you'll receive a special guest soon.", he replied. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Mayor. I'm gonna grab some more wine." Parting from Mayor Bourgeois, he made sure no one was staring at him in particular, before making his way to the corner of the room and took refuge behind the pillars, where he was shrouded in darkness.
Turning his gaze towards the crowd ahead, he paused for a brief moment, before speaking up in a much lower voice. "I know you're there.", he said, being met with eerie silence. "The mayor is clueless, there aren't any guards nearby. You and your Lurkers have time to put the plan in motion." Once again, he was met with silence, which creeped Chad out a little but he didn't mention it. "Let's just remember you'll honor my part of the deal. I'll lead you to every path in your mission that you need, and I want to make sure you remember what I requested."
Silence followed once more.
But this time, Chad smiled, letting out a small sigh as he leaned up against the pillar. "Good...thanks.", he said, waiting patiently for the Enigma to make its move, knowing full well that it wasn't going to be pretty.
…
The self-named Ladybug day hadn't been very eventful. It wasn't like she failed to be productive, there had been a few tasks to take care of here and there, and she did save a cat from a tree two hours ago. No progress was made on the Enigma, and the three miraculous users she'd spoken to earlier hadn't shown up. Maybe they were busy, or they were waiting for all hell to break loose too.
Honestly, Marinette was getting worried at this point, waiting for a threat to show up was even worse than facing it in the heat of the moment. What she needed was to call Cat Noir, then they could discuss the situation further, and maybe come up with something better to do other than just waiting. Taking out her Yoyo as a screen retracted from it, she had only begun to dial her partners number, a concerning news alert came up before she could do so.
Clicking on the notification, a live feed was instantly brought up, the camera gave the point of view from a police helicopter. The reporter was the iconic Nadya Chamack, who had a worried look on her face as she gripped the microphone tightly. "Mayor Bourgeois sent us a distress signal from inside the Hôtel de Ville, where an abundance of guests were taken hostage by a mysterious group, who we haven't exactly gotten a good look at yet.", she said, her voice sounding tense. "Although the identity of these terrorists are unknown, the police force is struggling to get inside safely, and are currently set up behind barricades as we speak. All we can do is hope that the hostages are out safely, and that Ladybug and Cat Noir will be here to save us."
Gasping, the heroine glanced to the left, knowing exactly where City Hall was. She didn't have time to call Cat Noir now, the citizens of Paris needed her. Ignoring that horrible feeling of dread once more, Ladybug threw her Yoyo as far as it would go, tugging slightly and being yanked across the rooftops, intent on saving the hostages.
…
It was complete chaos in Hôtel de Ville. The visitors knelt helplessly in groups placed near each corner of the room, with an abundance of Lurkers standing by them, making sure they weren't going to escape. Three police officers were also held hostage, glaring angrily at their captors with their hands behind their head. The rumble of the news chopper was faint, but noticeable, and the citizens feared it would be shot out of the sky if it drew too close. There were far more Lurkers than there were in the storage room the other night, with about fourteen menacing units looking over each chunk of hostages.
Standing next to Billy Bob and Rosa, Chad McClay glanced around the room, his posture more relaxed than everyone else's, for obvious reasons. "You know, this is a good chance for me to build up a good reputation.", the billionaire said, leaning to the side towards Billy Bob, who focused on staying quiet despite not being in danger either. Deciding to go through with his plan, Chad inched towards the Lurker at his left, who didn't seem to notice him until he nudged him lightly. "Hey, I have an idea. I'm gonna put on a little show and try to fight back, and then I want you to punch me in the face. Can you do that?", he whispered, with the Lurker tilting their head in confusion.
After a moment of pondering it, they nodded lightly, a smile spreading on Chads face before disappearing immediately, being replaced by a pseudo-serious expression as he dashed away from the group and faced the Lurker head on. "You...monster, I will save the people...in here!", he announced, though he was an awful, awful actor. On cue, the Lurker threw a punch across Chads jaw, an eruption of gasps ringing through the room as a result. "Hit me again, it's working!", he whispered, grunting loudly as a punch was thrown into his stomach without further question.
Across the room, two Lurkers were hurled several feet forward, the whizzing of a lengthy yoyo echoing through the area. As the tool returned back to the heroine, Ladybug stood triumphantly in its place, several pairs of eyes immediately landing on her once she made her appearance. "You thought you could make a mess in the city of Paris, Lurkers?! You've got another thing coming!", she shouted, an eruption of cheers following her heroic entrance.
Raising an eyebrow, Chad was floored by a thunderous right hook from the Lurker he'd been speaking to, groaning in pain as he held the side of his jaw. "Hey, I didn't even ask you to do it that time!", he protested, the sound of impact catching Ladybugs attention. It was definitely jarring to her, seeing the billionaire whom she'd thought to be suspicious in the hands of a Lurker. Perhaps she'd been wrong about him.
The moment of self-doubt left her open for one of the Lurkers to materialize a few feet in front of her, holding a thin, metallic cylinder in their right fist. A long, crackling black and green whip was released from the tip, right as Ladybug began to notice the ambush. Throwing their arm forward, the Lurkers weapon managed to reach the heroine, wrapping around her waist several times until it coiled tightly around her abdomen. Yelping as she was yanked off of her feet, she shouted in pain as she was lifted upwards and slammed onto the ground, before being tossed across the room and smashed into the wall back-first.
Even exhaling was a painful process, but Ladybug fought through the discomfort and peeled herself from the crater she'd left behind, as a blast from one of the Lurkers rifles struck the wall right as she'd moved out of the way. "Such hospitality! You all should throw welcoming parties more often.", she quipped, performing handsprings and flips across the room to dodge the several blasts that followed. Throwing her Yoyo across the room and hooking it onto one of the chandeliers, she yanked at a rapid speed across the room, intent on backing away from the hostile crowd. She was immediately cut off by a leaping roundhouse that struck her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and detaching the Yoyo from its anchor point.
Rolling onto her feet as she gasped for air, the Lurkers began to surround her and formed a large circle, with enemies ready to come at her from all angles. One Lurker lunged forward, catching her by the neck and slamming her onto the floor. Wrapping her legs around their back and wrestling them to the ground as well, she managed to get on top of the Lurker and swung several right hooks against their helmet before being pulled off of them by another. Receiving a kick to the side of her ribcage, she scrambled to her feet as a third Lurker walked forward, wielding one of the stun sticks she'd encountered the other night.
For a moment they traded equal blows, with Ladybug pulling off agile, defensive moves to counter the more aggressive brawling that the Lurker provided. She grew bold, attempting to leap up and bounce off of the Lurkers shoulders, but was gripped by the ankles the moment she was airborne and was thrown back to the ground as the group began to tighten around her. With widened eyes, she forced herself back onto her feet, confused as to how the Lurkers had gotten smarter over only a day. Ladybug glanced frantically around her, searching for something, anything, that would grant her breathing room. Backing away from the stun stick wielder, she hurled the Yoyo right at them at full speed, intent on knocking them off their feet…
...only for it to be sidestepped, and seized quickly once it had lost its velocity. As one Lurker gripped the edge of the tool tightly, the previous one slammed the stun stick onto the wire, electricity traveling across the Yoyo faster than Ladybug could prevent before a painful current of voltage shot through her body. Feeling as if she was paralyzed, she somehow managed to let go before she collapsed onto the ground, eyes widened as she attempted to stand up while the Lurkers loomed over her. Only one thought remained in her head as her enemies prepared to attack her.
Where was Cat Noir?
…
Straightening the collar of his suit, Gabriel pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, standing silently in his atelier as his eyes stared at the painting on the wall. His wife always looked so elegant in the artwork, the painter he'd hired to create it was definitely worth every penny. Though, he couldn't quite remember when that was exactly, the memory was really just a foggy blur.
The door to his right creaked open, and Nathalie entered briskly before closing it behind her, turning towards Gabriel once she was sure they were sealed inside. "Mr. Agreste, Adrien has been waiting for you for hours now. He's been wondering where you are, should I tell him you are coming?", she inquired, the reminder being a great shock to the fashion designer. "Oh...but I was only taking a look at the painting for a moment…", he protested, checking his phone briefly to see the time.
He'd stopped to stare at the piece of art at 4:30...now it was the evening. "Yes, of course. It was foolish of me to lose track of time.", he said softly, rubbing his right temple as he made sure every crease in his suit was flattened neatly. His son needed him, and Gabriel intended to keep his promise. He'd already been through enough as it was, and after sparing one last glance at the painting on the wall, he began to make his way towards the exit and reached for the knob of the door.
Then...he felt it.
It wasn't an easy sensation to describe, but he'd certainly felt it before. However, it had never struck him this strongly before, and his senses were instantly heightened once he felt it. Like a switch that was suddenly flipped inside his brain, the fashion designer immediately turned away from the door, making his way towards the painting. "Is something wrong, Mr. Agreste?", Nathalie asked, with her eyebrows raised slightly.
A smile had made its way onto Gabriel's face, curling wide until it was practically ear-to-ear. "I felt something, Nathalie, a negative emotion. Several negative emotions, but it is coming from one source. It's more intense than anything I've ever sensed, I must see what it is coming from!", he declared, the discovery causing Natalie's eyes to soften empathetically, glancing back towards the door as Gabriel began to lower himself down into the butterfly room. "But Mr. Agreste, Adrien is-"
But he didn't hear or, nor stay long enough to have her sentence be audible. He was in a moment of extreme focus, and nothing would ever break him out of it. Once the elevator had lowered him down, Gabriel clutched his miraculous as he made his way towards the butterflies, before shouting his next sentence louder than he ever had before. "Nooroo, Duusu, dual metamorphosis!", he uttered, being whisked away in a flash of light as he proceeded to undergo his transformation…
...before Shadowmoth stood in Gabriels place, his grin growing wider as he opened up his blue and indigo fan held in his left hand, which was coated with beautiful white feathers, matching the weapon Nathalie had when she wore the Peacock Miraculous. Opening his palm, a glowing white butterfly fluttered into his hand, before an influx of dark energy flowed into it, transforming the insect into a jet black Akuma. Releasing the Akuma into the air, he twirled the cane he held in his right fist before slamming it onto the ground, watching his creation leave through a gap in the observatory window.
"Fly away, my evil Akuma! And search for the source of emotion that I seek!", he exclaimed, his low voice booming through the room menacingly.
…
Whatever twinkle that Adrien had in his eye had been snuffed out. His head rested in both hands, as a weak frown tugged at the corners of his list, as he stared down at his spot at the table in utter silence. The chair wasn't very comfortable, his back had begun to ache painfully about an hour into his wait, but he'd refused to move nonetheless. Not that it mattered to him now, his father wasn't going to show, and the boy finally forced himself to accept that.
A flash of black emerged from his shirt pocket, with Plagg taking a gracious seat on Adriens shoulder. "Maybe...he's busy?", he suggested, but the well-intentioned comment didn't do him justice. "He asked me to do this...why wouldn't he show up?", he murmured, his voice strained as he glanced upwards, hoping to see Gabriel make his way down the hall, and apologize for making him wait. But it didn't happen, and that was what led Adrien to finally stand up from his seat. "I was stupid to think he'd have time for me. So stupid…", he mumbled, ignoring Plaggs faint protests as he made his way out of the dining room.
Casually glancing at his phone, he raised his eyebrows upon seeing several concerning news alerts in his notifications, which was definitely not something he saw every day. Clicking the link that was provided, he was immediately taken to a live feed from Nadja Chamacks helicopter. "Things are getting worse inside Hôtel de Ville, Ladybug entered the building recently, but we haven't gotten any word from her. Things are getting concerning now, and the citizens of Paris are hoping for a miracle that will hopefully bring these mysterious enemies to justice.", the reporter said, her eyes losing whatever glimmer of hope they once had.
Gasping, Plagg had the same mortified expression on his face, unable to believe what he was seeing. "I had no idea she was in danger…", he murmured, before his eyebrows furrowed into a look of determination, clenching his right fist as he turned to Plagg. "You know what this means.", he said, the cat Kwami letting out a deep sigh and nodding. "Well...at least I got to eat cheese for a little while.", he said glumly, as the model prepared to transform. "Plagg, Claws Out!", he exclaimed, immediately being transformed into his flashy alter-ego right where he stood.
Sprinting into the main hall of the mansion, he pushed himself out through the entrance and extended his baton, launching himself upwards as he set off to save his partner.
…
Groaning lightly, Ladybug gripped her left ribcage as the group of Lurkers stood over her; their emotionless goggles almost mocking her as she struggled to rise to her feet. Pain was shooting through her body, and she was definitely dizzy from all the blows that were dealt, but that wouldn't stop her from trying nonetheless. Glancing at each other, one of the Lurkers opted to step forward and tightened their grip around a stun stick, raising it for a split second and getting ready to bring it down onto the heroine in front of them.
Before the devastating hit could be struck, a loud whistle echoed from across the room, with the Lurkers and hostages alike turning to face the interruption. Standing triumphantly in the front of the room, Cat Noir raised his baton like a knight entering battle, before pointing it at the flock of attackers that waited for a move to be made. "Did somebody say...Cat Noir?", he shouted, receiving cheers and whoops from the hostages, despite his line being terrible.
Smiling lightly, Ladybug hurled her Yoyo into one of the chandeliers and pulled herself out of the crowd, landing gracefully next to her partner as the Lurkers realized what had happened. "You've already lost, Lurkers. You should call your boss and hope they can bail you out of prison.", she said cockily. The hum of their weapons charging up ended her taunting quickly, and both Ladybug and Cat Noir grew alert, dreading the blasts that would follow. "The second they shoot at us, we take off in opposite directions. And be careful when fighting them, they've learned from their last battle.", she whispered, receiving a nod of affirmation from Cat Noir. "You can count on me."
The humming soon turned into more audible pulsing noises, as a threatening green glow began to show itself in the bore of their rifles. On the other hand, the Lurkers wielding stun sticks and whips simply readied themselves, their weapons cracking menacingly. Tensing up, Ladybug lowered her eyebrows slightly and took slow breaths, beginning to twirl her Yoyo into a red blur as Cat Noir extended his baton, his grip around the weapon turning his knuckles white underneath the suit. The anxious mumbles and mutters of the hostages was the only other noise that remained, as the green radiance began to reflect off of the Lurkers' purple goggles. Unbeknownst to anyone else, an Akuma slipped inside and rose to the high corner of the room, perching silently to watch the battle unfold. Shadowmoth was watching...
Finally, the rifles released their pressure, emitting several blasts that shot towards the two like they were bolts of lightning. Ladybug performed a handspring to the side to evade the blast, while Cat Noir settled on a more simple roll to the left as the blast burned a hole into the wall behind him. From there, all hell broke loose. It was all a blur, really; with both heroes leaping and sprinting around the room as the Lurkers continued to put their rifles to good use, attempting to swing at them with their stun sticks if they drew too close. The beams of energy aimed at the heroes managed to slice the chandeliers off of the ceiling as Ladybug swung on them, the darkness of the room only worrying the hostages further.
Eventually, the two ended up taking cover behind a pillar as blast after blast was shot towards them, backing the heroes into both a literal and figurative corner. "You're right, they have learned.", Cat Noir mused. "There's a lot of them too. We can't fight them head on this time, especially with those hostages here." Ladybug agreed, taking a tentative peek out from the barrier of the pillar...before immediately moving away from the stun stick that struck the spot where her head was. A second Lurker with a stun stick appeared behind Cat Noir, surrounding the heroes in a high-risk scuffle that threw them both out of their safe spot.
Cat Noir ducked as one swing was thrown from behind him, Ladybug gripped the hand of the stun stick to try and wrestle it from their grip, before throwing them to the side, right as the second Lurker thrusted their weapon forward. Timing was on the side of the heroes, because the stun stick immediately struck the first Lurker, causing sparks to shoot from their suit as they shook violently, before falling unconscious and hitting the hard floor. Taking advantage of the Lurkers' distraught comrade, Cat Noir swooped towards them and swept their legs, lifting his heel up and slamming it onto their helmet. Curious, the boy picked up one of the stun sticks, examining the weapon with great interest.
That was two down, but the blows that they dealt definitely gave Ladybug an idea. "Okay, I might have a plan. But we both know we can't end this for real on our own.", she said, winking obviously to hint at what she meant. It took a moment, but it came to Cat Noir, and a confident grin curled up on his lips. "Ready when you are, Ladybug.", he replied, before the two made their way out from behind the pillar and back into the open, where the Lurkers were ready to strike. But Ladybug had other ideas. "LUCKY CHARM!", she exclaimed, throwing her Yoyo up into the air to generate an item she could use, flashes of red and black illuminating the area. Due to the effects of the Lucky Charm, her suit changed as well, with her hip, shoulder, and hands turning black; and the ribbons in her hair became longer and more stylish as well.
Finally, the tools she needed fell into her hands, covered in a red tint with black spots scattered around it. She had created two rubber gloves, and a puzzled look made its way onto her face. Luckily, this was only the first step. Eyes darting around the room, several things began to light up in black and red as she searched for what she needed. First, the walls of the room lit up, followed by the Lurkers, then stun stick Cat Noir was holding, and finally, the gloves Ladybug had created. "Of course!" she smiled, before turning towards her partner, who narrowly dodged another blast as she slipped on the rubber gloves. "Cat Noir, I need you to stand in that corner of the room, and bring that stun stick.", she instructed, with the boy only replying with a nod as he leapt over whatever Lurker got in his way.
Flipping to the side once one of the whips shot towards her, everything seemed to go in slow motion for Ladybug as she entered a whole other realm of concentration. Glancing at each wal and calculating her Yoyos trajectory, she threw her arm back before hurling the tool forward, watching as it bounced from wall to wall, sweeping each Lurker off their feet and binding them together, before the Yoyo finally returned to Ladybug after ricocheting across the room. Amazingly, each Lurker had been trapped in the elaborate web-like trap she had created, before Ladybug dashed over to her partner, who still held the weapon in his hand.
Extending her Yoyo further, a foot of the cord was displayed for Cat Noir to use, giving him all the info he needed to make his next move. Raising the stun stick, he brought it down onto the cord of the Yoyo, electricity spreading across the Yoyo and reaching the Lurkers, who led out raspy shouts of pain and frustration, before falling unconscious a moment later. Unharmed due to the protective gloves, Ladybug yanked the Yoyo lightly, immediately deconstructing the trap she'd set and dropping the Lurkers to the floor.
Once the Yoyo had returned to her, she threw it back up into the air, where a sparkling flood of magical Ladybugs emerged, swooping around the room and removing the blinds from the wrists of the hostages. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!", she shouted heroically, as the free citizens began to erupt into applause. Once everything had calmed down, the guests began to leave Hôtel de Ville, granting both Ladybug and Cat Noir grateful thank-yous as they left the building. "Pound it!", they said in unison, bumping their fists together victoriously.
Rosa and Billy Bob left a moment later, but Ladybug stepped in front of Chad before he could leave. "Well, Mr. McClay, I guess none of us were expecting the Lurkers to show up here, were we?", she questioned, eyeing him suspiciously. But Chad simply smiled, straightening his wrinkled suit and wiping a trail of blood from his nose. "I guess not. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go lay down in my penthouse and try to forget how much pain I'm in.", he replied casually, leaving the building a moment later.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Cat Noir combed his hair back into place using his fingers, as Ladybug struggled to catch her breath. "That was so much worse than an Akuma.", she commented, earning a light chuckle from her partner. "So, what exactly took you so long?", she asked, the question causing his smile to fade almost immediately. "I was...busy." he said vaguely, causing Ladybugs face to shift into a concerned expression.
But she let it slide, opting to change the subject instead. "Well, at least we won. Hopefully we can end whatever is going on here and lock up every Lurker in Paris.", she replied, noticing how dark it was inside the room. They would have to head back soon, it was almost 8:30, her parents would notice she was gone soon. Turning around to make sure everyone was out of the room, she set her attention on the shadowy area, in hopes of finding a straggler amongst the unconscious Lurkers.
And then...she saw them.
A figure loomed over the crowd of Lurkers, their dark suit making their pitch black surroundings look brighter than the sun in comparison. They were tall, easily six feet, and built slim enough to look agile, but muscular enough to look incredibly powerful. But their suit was the real show-stealer, looking so incredibly advanced that it almost seemed...futuristic. It even had a belt area with several pockets and holsters, not giving much thought into their right hand sealing protectively over one of them. The second she laid eyes on the being, her focus immediately broke, her gaze only fixated on the figure ahead of her.
Eyes widened so much that they almost bulged out of her head, Ladybugs breathing began to quicken, shifting from casual breaths into desperate, ragged gasps. Her fists tightened so securely that her nails began to dig painfully into her palm, and beads of sweat began to form along her forehead, but the chill that ran up her spine felt like it could freeze them into shards of ice. Mouth hanging open, she almost didn't notice Cat Noir catch her eye, noticing the figure across the room as well.
Even though she'd seen them before, it felt much different in this instance. She couldn't move, it felt like her limbs were stuck in cement, leaving her helpless in the presence of the being across the room. Shifting slightly, the figure began to turn their head, the visor they wore sporting an eerie green glow that only grew stronger the more it turned its head. Looking over their shoulder, the most horrifying sight that Ladybug had ever seen finally became visible to her at that very moment. Its goggles...they seemed almost inhuman. Meeting their eyes, it was familiar, in a horribly ghastly way, but her thought process went out the window once they began to stare her down…
...before Ladybug and her partner were absorbed by a blue glow, washing over the two like a blanket and sealing them inside. They weren't in that room anymore, but it wasn't exactly clear where they were, exactly. Finally having the courage to gasp for air, she looked towards Cat Noir, who was thankfully with her as well. They were surrounded by seemingly endless whiteness, looking as if they were standing on nothing at all, with no walls or objects to defy that feeling.
However, it wasn't completely empty, with hundreds of colorful, spherical vortexes plastered all over the area, right as Ladybug realized just where they were. "We're in a Burrow! Cat Noir, cover your eyes, I'll cover mine!", she exclaimed, not wanting to see the future, since that would probably lead to disaster. "A what? I don't understand-", he began, his hands moving forward to cover her eyes, as her palms sealed over his.
It was an awkward position, but it was thankfully over a moment later, when two large bowls were placed over their eyes. "Okay, good to see you two made it here.", Bunnyx spoke, placing a hand on both of their shoulders. Ladybug recognized the voice instantly, while Cat Noir tensed up, not recognizing the woman as quickly. "Bunnyx?", the heroine asked, hoping that it wasn't some freaky impostor working for the figure she'd seen earlier. "Yeah, it's me.", she replied, letting out a deep sigh. "There's...a lot we need to discuss."
Although they were blind, Ladybug and Cat Noir glanced towards each other, unsure of what was about to come next.
A/N: Okay, finally done. I'm finally starting to really get this story off of the ground, and it's taken a lot of plotting and planning to figure out how everything will turn out. Luckily, I believe I have it all mapped out, so you don't have to worry about it turning ridiculous as the last story did. Anyways, I hope you all liked the chapter, and I also hope you'll like the new posting schedule I have planned. If I can keep my progress consistent, there will be a new chapter out on the first day of every month, so you'll know when to expect the next bit instead of wondering when I'll post again. It's very ambitious, but it's worth it to give you all updates in a quick and easy way. Currently, you all got this chapter earlier than the deadline, but this will probably be a one-off occurrence anyways.
Until the next chapter...