Chapter 19

Heart pounding in his ears, Chat raced after Spindra, gaining on her steadily. He could feel the urgency burning through him as he launched himself toward his enemy, his eyes occasionally flitting here and there, watching for the arrival of his Lady.

He could see the akuma in the distance, getting closer by the second. The sight of Marinette bound and being dragged to her death by Hawkmoth's vile puppet made his stomach drop. He had just gotten her back. He couldn't lose her again, especially not like this. The image of her smiling back at him as they had joked together the day before flashed through his mind.

"Hang on, Marinette. I'm coming." He uttered under his breath.

The hair on the back of his neck prickled when he realized where the akuma was headed. Agreste Tower. Spindra began her ascent of the Tower, prey in tow, as Chat caught up to her.

"Chat Noir!" Marinette called out to him from her silken prison, only to be quickly gagged by her captor.

"Quiet you little insect!" Spindra growled. "I'll silence your intolerable chirping for good!"

"Insect? Look who's talking." Chat quipped as they reached the pinnacle of the tower, and Spindra sneered at him. "Don't worry, Princess. I'll have you out of there in no time."

He shot a wink at her and was surprised to see that there was no fear in her eyes. Instead she seemed to be calmly calculating the situation. She nodded back to him, her eyes full of serious intensity that felt somehow foreign to his friend's usual soft countenance.

Chat made the first move, lunging at the seething akuma only to be dodged again and again. Spindra shot a volley of pins at him in a counter attack, which he effortlessly deflected with his staff. Something about her sloppy attacks were almost too easy. Chat's instincts told him Spindra must have something sinister up her sleeve, and he couldn't afford to let his guard down with Marinette's life hanging in the balance.

"Anytime now, LB…" Chat mumbled to himself as his eyes flitted about, searching for signs of his overdue partner.

He didn't notice the pain and frustration in the eyes of Spindra's prey as she thrashed against her bindings with renewed fervor. Marinette screamed his name through her gag, desperate to get his attention, to help him in the only way she could. Chat's eyes locked with hers and she jerked her head toward a large antenna that towered over them. Flexing his hand, he shot her a quick nod of understanding.

Lunging again, Chat resumed their dance of war, attacking and dodging as Spindra's rage began to boil. Swinging his baton like a baseball bat, he knocked several of her "legs" out from under her, causing her to lurch off balance. Seizing the window of opportunity, he called on his Cataclysm and slammed the inky, swirling ball of destruction against the antenna base. With a loud groan, it began to topple as Spindra's head shot up, eyes wide. She shielded herself as Chat launched himself at Marinette, colliding with her midair and shielding her with his body as they tumbled to the ground. Quickly, but carefully, Chat used his claws to free her. The split second he shredded through the silken cocoon, he scooped her into his arms and dashed toward cover.

With a clamor, Spindra heaved off the debris. Finding that her prey had escaped, she let out a piercing shriek. Eyes wild, she sprang at the fleeing pair. A swath of silk caught hold of Chat's neck, jerking him backward as Marinette tumbled forward across the rooftop. Quickly finding her footing, she sprinted away from the akuma, painfully aware of how useless she was to her partner in this state.

Ducking behind an electrical box for cover, she peered back to see Chat claw free of his noose just in time to barely dodge another volley of pins. He hissed when one grazed his cheek. Marinette's stomach twisted at the sight of the droplets of blood that trickled down her partner's face. She had to find a way to transform. She had to help him.

With a wicked smirk, Spindra's real feet landed on the ground. Raising the eight tattered shreds of her dress that had been serving as her legs, she launched simultaneous attacks from four directions. Chat hurled himself backward, using his baton as a shield, but he wasn't fast enough to block the attack from behind. Catching hold of his ankle, Spindra yanked him into the air before slamming his body against the ground. Chat let out a pained moan. Marinette's heart pounded painfully in her chest, her eyes locked on her partner as he endured the onslaught. Spindra readied another assault and a cry escaped Marinette's lips.

"No!"

Spindra's eyes locked with Marinette's and a wicked grin spread across the villain's lips. Marinette heard Chat cry out to her as she vainly scrambled to escape. Spindra caught her by the ankle, knocking her on her face and dragging the kicking prey back to captivity.

Chat leapt at Spindra, baton overhead, and struck her with enough force to make her stagger backward. He raised his baton to strike again when Spindra caught his arm with one silk shred and his baton with another. Ripping his baton from his grasp, she tossed it away as she quickly spun the hero into a binding silk cocoon.

"You think you can stop me from exacting my revenge, you pathetic cat?" She grinned maliciously, seething hate dancing in her eyes as she dangled Marinette upside down in front of him. "Now you'll get a front row seat to her demise."

A low growl rumbled in Chat's chest. His veins felt like they were on fire. He saw the horrifying glint in Spindra's eye as she suddenly launched Marinette through the air.

"NO!" He roared and he felt something inside him snap. The fire in his veins erupted into green electricity that crackled across his body. Spindra shrieked in surprise and pain as the shreds of her dress were burned away from her captive.

Forgetting the akuma, Chat launched himself after Marinette as she flew over the edge, grabbing his discarded baton on the way. Marinette couldn't hold back the involuntary scream that tore from her throat as she plummeted toward the ground, spinning and tumbling out of control. It was one thing to dive off a building when she had kwami magic at her disposal. It was something entirely different to be thrown off a building with nothing but her faith in her partner to protect her.

Pushing himself to his limits, Chat sprinted past the stunned akuma and dove off the roof. The moment he caught her in his arms, he used his baton as a wedge to stop their descent. Marinette clung to him, panting with heavy breaths. He breathed a sigh of relief as they dropped safely to the ground.

"You alright, Princess?" He asked, holding her steady as he looked her over, and she nodded.

"You should go hold her off until Ladybug arrives." Marinette said, her voice shaking slightly, but exuding an almost familiar authority. "I'll go find somewhere safe to hide."

From the rooftop, Spindra let out a piercing screech as she resumed her hunt. Marinette turned to escape but Chat scooped her up in his arms before she had a chance to protest and sprinted off. There was no way he would allow even a chance for that vile creature to get her claws on his princess again.