Max and Markov are up in Max's room, trying to analyze the data that Markov got about Hawk Moth's lair - it's underground, but Markov can't pinpoint an exact location yet. And then there's a tapping sound on Max's window, and the two of them look over to see Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Dragon Fyre sitting there.
Max opens the window at once, asking "Ladybug, Cat Noir, Dragon Fyre, what are you doing here? Checking in on Markov?"
Dragon Fyre says "Partly. My brother here also had an idea."
Cat Noir says "I thought of a way to keep an eye on Hawk Moth, and what he's planning, but we'd need your help." Rather, Plagg was doing a bit of recon one night while Ladybug was on Patrol, discovered Nooroo, and the Butterfly Kwami told them Agreste Sr. is doing something related to being Hawk Moth on his computer.
Max nods, asking "What do you need?"
Ladybug says "This has to stay a secret, but...we know who Hawk Moth is, but we can't get to him at the moment."
Max stares at the two of them in shock, asking "You know who he is? Why haven't you told anyone?! The police, the American Superheroes, somebody?!"
Dragon Fyre holds up a hand, and says "At the moment, we have no proof. He covered his tracks by Akumatizing himself. And we can't ambush him either, that's been expressly forbidden. But…that doesn't mean we can't keep an eye on what he's planning. Also, he's got people around him that would be put in danger if we backed him into a corner. Right now, we're playing a waiting game...and he's got almost all the advantages there."
After a moment, Max asks "What do you need me to do?" He can see the logic in what they're saying - ambushing Hawk Moth, whoever he is, as a civilian could end up going so very wrong so easily. And if he's got civilians around him, he could use them as hostages. A cornered animal is the most dangerous kind, after all.
Ladybug says "We were hoping you could write a program that would send everything he does to our own phones. They don't exist when we're not in uniform, so there shouldn't be any concerns about security."
Max frowns, and then Markov says "We could put the program onto the same kind of flash drive we used for the anti-virus program, which would install it as soon as it's plugged into a computer. I recommend the computer be powered off entirely, to prevent any issues with any security programs."
Max frowns again, this is serious - writing a program like they're describing could land him in jail, usually for years. But, on the other hand, Hawk Moth is a magical terrorist - he's pretty sure that kicks 'usual' right off the table.
Dragon Fyre sees Max's frown, and says "If you're worried about getting in trouble, we'll vouch for you, Max. But we need some way of keeping an eye on what he's doing, some kind of warning in advance if he's planning something."
Max nods, then says "Alright, we'll help. It'll be ready in a week." He just hopes they know what they're doing. And that they're right about Hawk Moth's identity, to.
Sure enough, exactly a week later, Max and Markov have the flash drive ready for Cat Noir when he arrives. Adrien's waiting in his room, the only light being the moonlight streaming through the window - more specifically, he's waiting for Plagg to get back from taking out the generator he found.
Bloom's assured him the plan will work, and Gabriel Agreste won't have a clue until morning that anything's happened…but, still, he worries. He lives with Hawk Moth, of course he worries - he worries every time Plagg goes to scout the house out, he worries every time he hears a knock on his door or footsteps on the stairs, he worries every time he wants to get angry at the man.
If he got Akumatized…he doesn't know what his Lady or his sister would do. He sure doesn't know what he'd do if either of them were, after all. And then Plagg's voice says "I'm back, Kitten. The generator is set to go down in three, two, one..." And then the nightlight Bloom borrowed from Marinette, which he plugged in after Plagg left, suddenly goes out. Adrien slips the flash drive under the door for Plagg to take to the office - they had to cut the power to the building, as Gabriel Agreste is ultra-paranoid and has cameras watching his office as well as the hidden safe. If he watched the security feed the next morning and saw a flash drive floating in mid air - forget uploading a program onto his computer - he'd figure Adrien out in an instant.
They both just consider themselves lucky that Plagg's got night vision, as it's the only reason this plan is even happening.
Plagg slides the flash drive under the door, phases through the door, and snatches it up before heading to the computer. Quickly dropping the flash drive onto the desk, Plagg searches for the right port. He plugs the flash drive in, presses the button, and watches as the lights that suddenly appear drain down. Snatching it up as soon as the last light is gone, Plagg quickly makes his way back to Adrien's room - he'd dearly love to Cataclysm the flash drive to get rid of evidence, but he figures they'll probably need it again at some point. And then he's off to get rid of the evidence, delivering the drive to Kante's house.
Ladybug frowns as she scrolls through the data Max's program sent to her Bugphone - that's...worrying. Dragon Fyre raises an eyebrow at her expression, and asks "What is it?"
After a moment, Ladybug says "He's looking for something. Searching through ancient Chinese mythology for...shapeshifting superheroes."
Dragon Fyre frowns, then says "The Miraculous' are supposed to be of Chinese origin, since Longg told me the...Fairy that created them entrusted them to her Chinese apprentice...wait, you don't think...?"
Ladybug grimaces, and asks "That he's looking for another Miraculous? Probably."
Dragon Fyre frowns, and says "He just bought something from Shanghai...an antique Jade Bracelet..." Several warning bells sound in Dragon Fyre's head, almost literally, as soon as the image of the bracelet appears. Because Longg instantly swears, starting to panic at the sight of the face carved into the jade.
Ladybug says "Tikki, slow down, what do you mean? What's this about a key?"
Longg says Hatchling, we've got a massive problem. He's looking for the Prodigious, a kind of prototype created for our cousins, the Renlings. It's stronger than any single Miraculous, and if he gets it he'll be practically unstoppable.
Dragon Fyre and Ladybug stare at each other in horror, and then they start looking through the rest of Hawk Moth's latest business. Some - very little, actually - is related to his brand, which they ignore.
The round-trip to Shanghai, though, is most definitely important.
Ladybug mutters "Just in time for my Great-Uncle's birthday...Dragon Fyre, we're heading to Shanghai."
AN: Hey, everyone! Not much to say here...except that we're definitely heading to Shanghai! Can anyone else see similarities between Bloom and Fei? And, no, I didn't get any inspiration for Bloom from Fei...hadn't even watched the Special before starting the story. But, dear Kwamis, they're a lot alike. Even the names 'Lady Dragon' and Dragon Fyre...crazy coincidence, huh?
Anyway, enjoy! More updates coming soon!