Miraculous Adventure in Joey Drew Studio

by Gale-Dragon

It was just supposed to be a fun Halloween event. All they were going to be doing was going through each class's Haunted House. The only condition made was that they never go to the original location of that studio. But thanks to Lila, they were in Joey Drew Studio. Now Mariette, Max, Adrien, Kim, and Markov must survive the studio and escape, all without blowing their identities.

7. Chapter 3 Pt 2

~}i{~

Miraculous Adventure in Joey Drew Studio.

Chapter 3 Pt 2: Rise and Fall of Analyst.

~}i{~

Ladybug opened the door so she, Chat Noir, Kim, Max, and Markov could enter. The room was chock-full of Alice Angel memorabilia. Cartoon posters and cardboard cutouts of Alice Angel were all over this room. There was a banner over a window that read "SHE'S QUITE A GAL!". Still a bit on edge, Team Psi cautiously walked in. They were about to look around when the overhead lights suddenly turned off.

Ladybug and Chat Noir immediately went into "Protect the Civilians" mode as they huddled around Kim, Max, and Markov, to both stays close together and to protect each other. The black-clad hero extended his metal pole and the red-clad started twirling her yo-yo in a circle. The civilians readied their weapons. All were now on high alert.

All the monitors suddenly blinked on before they all showed the face of Alice Angel as her theme song cheerfully echoed through the room.

"I'm the cutest little angel, sent from above, and I know just how to swing... I've got a bright little halo, and I'm filled with love... I'm Alice Angel!"

The only light that they had in the room came from the flickering tv monitors, but even those were rather dull from lack of use. It was putting the group even more on edge as they huddled closer together with their respective weapons ready to hit whatever threat may appear from the darkness.

"I'm the hit of the party, I'm the belle of the ball, I'm the toast of every town... Just one little dance, and I know you'll fall... I'm Alice Angel!"

Despite the cheery song singing in the room, Team Psi just couldn't bring themselves to relax. In fact, this only made them tenser than they already were.

"I ain't no flapper, I'm a classy dish, and boy, can this girl sing."

Something just felt... So forboding right now... Team Psi could just feel it.

Suddenly a spotlight shined into the window, revealing that there was a door on the other side. There was a golden star with a halo on the top point on the door and under the star were the words ALICE ANGEL.

Team Psi's attention was drawn to the door on the other side of the window because it was the only thing that was lit up.

"This gal can grant your every wish..."

That was when a young woman that looked like a humanoid replica of the Alice Angel character with straight medium-length black hair, thin eyebrows, and black lipstick. She wore a semi-broken angel halo that melted into the left side of her head and had a pair of short, realistic-looking demon horns. She wears a black flapper dress in the 1920's style with a white bow tie resembling Bendy's. Her entire arms are coated with ink-black colour to resemble sleeve-like gloves, but she does not wear white gloves like the original Alice Angel cartoon character. Also unlike the original Alice character, she wears a pair of black tights for her legs and Mary Jane style shoes. She also has a white bow on the back of her dress that has straps, which the original Alice Angel character didn't have. The iris colour of her right eye is bright yellow, and she has a beauty spot on the right side of her face along with a small mole. The left side of her face resembles melted like wax, with half of her teeth exposed and an empty left eye-socket with few ink-like tears. On her neck there appeared to be a slit oozing with one drip of blood-like ink suddenly slammed against the window and shouted, "I'M ALICE ANGEL!"

This made Team Psi jump right out of their skins in fear. But before the heroes could even act, this Twisted Alice slammed both of her fists into the glass with another shout. The lights went out at the same time as the impact and leaving the group in darkness yet again.

Ladybug held her yo-yo like a garrote (1) while Chat Noir activated his Night Vision, both keeping watch and listening for this new enemy to attack in the pitch darkness. Kim instinctively kept close to Max, to protect him better. Markov activated his inferred vision and readied his gun.

That was when they heard a woman's voice speak to them through the speakers, "I see you there. A few new flies in my endless web." Chat Noir's eyes darted all around the room, trying to find this new enemy. There was no one but the group inside the room. The voice continued, "Come along now. Let's see if you're worthy to walk with angels."

With that, the lights turned on slowly, allowing the groups' eyes to re-adjust to the light, revealing the window had a large crack in the centre of it when the Twisted Alice Angel smashed her fists against it. That was when they saw all saw a new opening that wasn't there before. The group glanced at each other before they lowered their respective weapons, Ladybug rewrapped her yo-yo around her waist. They cautiously followed the new pathway.

No one said a word as they trooped down the path. Even Chat Noir didn't even try to crack a joke to lighten the mood... They were all still creeped out by what transpired in that room...

It wasn't until they came to another fork in the path that something was finally spoken. There was a simple wooden directional sign with two wooden arrows pointing in opposite directions. Inside the arrow pointing to the left read "THE DEMON" with little devil horns poking out of the "O". Inside the arrow pointing to the right read "THE ANGEL" with a halo over the "G".

"So which path should we take?" Chat Noir finally said, breaking the tense silence. The black-clad hero then said, "To be honest, neither really sound appealing... Especially..." Yeah, he wasn't going to say it, he knew it was pointless to do so, the rest of the team saw it.

The rest of Team Psi grumbled in agreement.

But now they couldn't be sure which path they should take. They used the periscope feature of Chat Noir's baton to peer around the corners to see into the Demon's Path and saw an office dripping and flooded with ink, there was a desk a few chairs, and an Audio Log sitting in one of the chairs. The group then glanced at each other before the group used the same method to peer into the Angel Path, it was ink-free and rather cosy looking office with an Audio Log resting on the nice-looking couch.

"Judging by the colour pallet of the decor and considering the age of the building... I am 78.69% sure that this office belonged to a female employee," Max finally stated after analyzing the room. Markov agreed with the statement as Ladybug looked between the two paths.

That was when Kim asked, "So which should we take? I mean, don't they both lead to the same location? Besides, the only difference seems to be how much ink is in them..."

Chat Noir watched Ladybug move back and forth while using his baton to see into the offices without going in when he said, "Something tells me that that might not be the whole story... Like the rest of this place... Maybe... *Looks up at the signs* The paths trigger something different..."

That was when Ladybug stopped moving back and forth to look at the two rooms to ponder about this decision. "This might be crazy... But..."

~}i{ Outside the Studio ~}i{~

The Temporary Heroes were currently fighting against Lady WiFi. Well... It's more them trying to chase down Lady Wifi...

"Something is off about this Akuma," Mitsubachi commented as she, Madam Emerald, Viperion, Bunnyx, and Drak-Kon leapt from building to building, following the visible electric ball riding through the powerlines.

Drak-Kon bit his lip before he said, "If memory serves me right, I think this Akuma is Lady Wifi."

That was when Bunnyx said, "Alya Césaire got Akumatized again? Man, that's the last thing she needs!"

Viperion raised a brow when he asked, "Do you know her?"

Bunnyx smoothly replied, "I know everyone, or rather, I'll know everyone soon enough. Plus, who hasn't been following the Liar Rossi Case?" There was a symphonious cringe among the heroes at this.

But they had to focus on the task at hand. Namely capturing and purifying the Akuma.

That was when Madame Emerald looked at her teammates as they kept their chase up and ask, "That rotten news aside... Does anyone find it a little strange that Lady WiFi doesn't seem to be interested in us? I mean, doesn't Hawkmoth want us to spill the beans on where Chat Noir and Ladybug are to get their Miraculous? Even though we don't know where they're training."

"That is what felt off!" Mitsubachi stated as she looked at the Turtle Holder and added, "Madame Emerald is correct in saying that this Akuma isn't interested in us."

Madame Emerald blinked in shock before she said, "I am? I mean, I just thought it was weird that she wasn't even trying to attack us, she had plenty of opportunities to do so."

Drak-Kon thought for a bit when he asked, "You think she's luring us into a trap?"

Viperion readied his Miraculous when he said, "I'll give you the heads up if it does happen." He looked at the others when he said that. When they nodded in response, they continued with their chase.

It took two minutes before Lady WiFi leapt out of the powerline at the edge of Paris and the heroes learned what her real goal was. "Joey Drew Studios?" All five heroes said at the same time when they saw the Akuma running towards the dilapidated-looking building.

"Did she get Akumatize..." Madame Emerald stated in a rather shocked tone.

Bunnyx finished the sentence with, "To save them?"

Viperion looked at his fellow heroes when he asked, "Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but... That place has been shut down for over half a century and certainly doesn't have modern telecommunications equipment that she could use, and from what I heard contact was lost when those four teens fell through the stairs while trying to run from an Ink Monster..." What Viperion left unsaid was there when communication was lost with his mother and sister. That was when the Snake Holder added, "So how was she planning to get in, find them, and then get out with them while avoiding all the monsters within?"

Mitsubachi watched the Akuma trying to break the main door to the studio when she said, "I don't think she will." Then cringed when she saw Lady WiFi tried to kick the door but ended up falling to the ground due to the sturdiness of the frame and door. "That is an oddly strong, well-made door for a building that old," Mitsubachi commented with a raised brow.

Drak-Kon let out a sigh as he shook his head and said, "I don't think she planned that far ahead... *Realizes something* But... Why would..."

"We still need to capture and purify the Akuma," Bunnyx said in a bitter tone. She then said with a sigh, "It's pretty obvious that she can't get in either..." The other heroes watched as Lady WiFi kept trying to smash the door down with both her fists and her abilities, but the ability did not affect due to there not being any good wifi signals in the area.

Yeah... They still had to stop her...

The heroes cautiously walked up behind Lady WiFi and snatched her phone as she banged on the firmly shut door. The Akuma didn't even notice that her object was taken until Bunnyx said, "Bye-Bye little butterfly," and that she was back to being Alya. The ombre-haired girl just sank to the ground when she realized what happened. She kept facing the door of the studio as the heroes moved closer to her.

Drak-Kon rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh before he said, "Hey, uh, listen, I get that you wanna save the group that's trapped inside and all. I mean, we wanted to help too, but... I'm not sure if you heard or not, but this studio's got a mind of its own and well... It doesn't want anyone else to enter... Don't know how or why..." The Dragon Holder couldn't help but think, 'Damn, this is harder than I thought.'

That was when Mitsubachi stated in a stern tone, "Even if you were successful in your attempt to retrieving the trapped group inside, it wouldn't fix everything that has happened. Both before they entered and after." The Bee Holder knew what Alya was going through and while she wasn't one of her favourite people during the past few months, she knew that Alya was deeply regretting everything that has happened. 'She is letting her guilt take her over,' Mitsubachi thought as she watched Alya lower head.

Madame Emerald looked at Mitsubachi when she said, "Okay, I know this is ironic coming from me but aren't you being a little too harsh? She's obviously going through some problems that she needs to deal with and those words aren't helping."

"Yeah, that is ironic," Drak-Kon muttered as he scratched his cheek.

"Actually," Viperion vocalized before saying as he looked at the Bee Holder, "Please continue, Mitsubachi." This earned a gasp from the other heroes. That was when the Snake Holder said, "Trust me on this."

With that Mitsubachi continued with her speech to Alya by saying, "Just saving the group inside isn't going to fix what happened in the past, the scars will still be there to hurt them." Alya slumped a bit at this. "While I may not know the group trapped inside, I do believe that they had classmates that were also your friends, correct?" Mitsubachi asked Alya, more along the lines of trying to hide the fact that she knows Miss Bustier's class than anything else.

Alya nodded be before she said glumly, "Yeah, they're my classmates too... And they were willing to forgive me for what I did... But I don't deserve their forgiveness... I'm a terrible person... And a terrible friend..."

That was when Mitsubachi snapped, "You are not! You made some mistakes and are facing the consequences of those mistakes, but that does not mean that you are a terrible person! That Lair Rossi is a terrible person, but not you. You were gullible and naive, and that didn't help the fact that that Lair was a good manipulator." The Bee Holder knelt to Alya's level when she finally said, "Listen, I understand that what happened was horrible, but if your classmates are willing to forgive if you try after all that, then you are not a bad person."

This made Alya's spirit finally lift after being down for so long.

Mitsubachi then added, "But the first step you need to take is to start taking initiative and earning your classmates forgiveness. Then you'll eventually forgive yourself."

With that, the heroes left the site and brought Alya home to her worried family. They embraced their middle daughter the moment she arrived home. The heroes left the family for a meeting Drak-Kon wanted to have.

A couple of minutes later, they were at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Horseshoe was waiting for them.

"Alright Drak-Kon, what do you want to talk about?" Bunnyx asked as she leaned against the wall of the observation deck.

Once he was sure that all the other heroes were listening, Dark-Kon asked his question, "Has anyone noticed a pattern with the recent Akuma attacks?"

This made the other heroes think for a bit.

"Besides their outfits looking as horrible as usual, nothing off the top of my head at the moment," Madame Emerald stated as she tapped her chin, trying to recall all the Akumas they have fought since they got their new Miraculous.

Viperion carefully thought over the Akumas that they have fought since they took over for Ladybug and Chat Noir, and that was when he realized what Drak-Kon was talking about. "None of them were interested in us or wanted to get information on Ladybug and Chat Noir. That was something I assumed Hawkmoth would want to do," the snake hero stated as he folded his arms with a serious look on his face.

Horseshoe placed a hand to his chin as he asked the heroes if this was true. Now that the other heroes thought about it... Yeah, none of the Akumas ever tried to attack them on sight or tried to get their Miraculous. The Akumas might've attacked them out of retaliation for interrupting their plans but they never went out of their way to do anything else. Horseshoe use Voyage to quickly get a map of Paris and a couple of stickers and coloured pens. He carefully laid it on the floor, used a few stones to keep the map in place in case the wind decides to swing by, and asked the team to mark where the Akumas were first spotted and what directions the Akuma was going before they encountered them.

Bunnyx easily opened a Burrow to watch the Akumas, this allowed the team to mark where they first appeared. They then watched where the Akumas were heading.

As they marked their data, a picture was starting to form. Adding Lady WiFi's data just solidified the picture to the team.

"They were all heading to Joey Drew Studio?" Mitsubachi stated in confusion as she looked over the map, looking at all the directional arrows the Akumas were pointing at. The Bee Holder then looked up from the map when she asked the other heroes, "Why? As far as I know, only Alya had any direct connection to the group trapped inside."

That was when Drak-Kon brought up the next issue that he wondered about earlier, "Exactly! And I couldn't help but wonder why Hawkmoth would allow any of his Akumas to go to a location that might not allow them out or in. Especially since his main goal was always trying to get the Miraculous from LB and CN. So here's my next question, Why would he suddenly change his MO so suddenly? Especially since it doesn't benefit him in any way, unless..."

"Unless?" Madam Emerald repeated, not liking where the Dragon Holder was going wit this conversation.

The younger heroes missed the older hero gulp in worry as he wondered if they or Hawkmoth somehow found out Ladybug and Chat Noir's civilian IDs.

That was when Drak-Kon finished with, "Unless Hawkmoth has some civilian connection to the group trapped inside Joey Drew Studio."

That was when Bunnyx said, and completely missing Horseshoe's breath of relief, "Wait? Are you saying that you think you're saying?"

Viperion was the one to say, "If Drak-Kon is implying that Hawkmoth is somehow connected to the group trapped inside Joey Drew Studio, then yes. And I'm starting to agree with him."

Madam Emerald thought about the theory quickly before saying, "That IS out there, but if Hawkmoth is literally ditching his MO to try to save them, then... He must be someone close to either one of them or all of them..."

That was when Horseshoe realized something from the past. The older hero then said, "If I may put my 2 euros in... Ladybug had a theory a while ago about Mr Agreste being Hawkmoth, but that was dismissed when Mr Agreste was Akumatized."

Mitsubachi was quick to respond with, "But it is possible that he might have Akumatized himself to throw suspicion." Horseshoe did reluctantly nod at that. But the Bee Holder then added, "However... We cannot "Jump the Gun" on this theory until we gather enough evidence to prove it. There is also the fact that the Dupain-Chengs, Kantès, and the Lês are also suspects in this as well. And any family friends of theirs."

Viperion then said in a slightly bitter tone, "You have a point, Mitsubachi... But like you said, we need solid evidence before we make accusations."

All the heroes agreed on that.

Master Wang Fu couldn't help but look at the mark on the map for Joey Drew Studio and think, 'Ladybug, Chat Noir... Please... Escape from that building as fast as you can... Even if you have to reveal your identities to each other and the others of your group...' Now Horseshoe looked at the group of heroes that he managed to gather. He watched them make their plan to gather evidence on who Hawkmoth could be, even when they were in their civilian ids. Master Fu took a deep breath before he thought, 'It would be a shame to take their Miraculous away once Ladybug and Chat Noir return... If they return... No! They'll remain heroes! No matter what the Rules of the Guardian say.'

~}i{ Back inside the Studio }i{~

"You want us to take BOTH paths?!" Chat Noir, Kim, Max, and Markov exclaimed in shock.

Ladybug held a hand up when she said, "Let me explain a little better. Both paths are through narrow rooms, if all of us go into one we'll be on top of one another, which might not be a good situation to be in if a Searcher pops up. So we'll split in half and each takes one path each. I know splitting up isn't a good idea, but it's going to end up happening in one way or another, as much as I don't want to think about it, especially since we had to split from Boris..." The others weren't happy to think about that particular fact either, but at least the wolf missed the bedwetting scare from that Twisted Alice Angel. Ladybug took a deep breath before she said, "I don't like it either, but we need a chance to be able to defend ourselves."

Kim nodded before he said, "I understand that, and I can defend myself pretty well as you've seen."

That was when Markov interjected with, "But Max is in a cast, he isn't going to be able to defend himself as readily as you, Ladybug, or Chat Noir." Max immediately glanced down at his right hand at these words. The AI had a point...

That was when Ladybug said, "Which is why you'll be in the same group as Max. Plus, we have the Walkie-Talkies, just in case the paths do lead somewhere different." With that, she opened her yo-yo and pulled out the device to show the others.

Max carefully tucked the pipe he was holding under his right arm as he pulled the device's mate out of his bag and added, "Sounds like a solid plan, if we have a way to talk to each other, and alert the other team if they run into Boris." That was something the group could agree on.

That's when they made their teams. Chat Noir, Max, and Markov would go down the Angel Path. While Ladybug and Kim would go down the Demon Path. When each of the teams stood in front of the path they were going to walk through, they gave each other a nod before they took a step inside. They followed their respective path into the offices.

}{ On the Demon Path }{

Ladybug and Kim passed the posters advertising some of the cartoons that Bendy stared in. They passed the ink-covered desk and glanced around the room. A Bendy cutout was standing next to the other exit to the room. Thick lines of black ink slipped down from the ceiling. An old artist desk was propped next to the regular office desk. A Bendy plush was sitting on top of the artist desk as a small lit candle sat on the bottom layer.

"Yuck! This place is more swamped with ink then we thought," Kim commented as he and Ladybug trudged through the ankle-deep ink. The tall teen then looked at the red-clad hero when he added, "Wonder why this path is so filled with ink when the other wasn't?"

Ladybug shrugged as she responded with, "I'm not really sure we should be worried about this kind of small factors would we have bigger things to worry about."

Kim nodded in agreement before he turned his attention to the Audio Log sitting on the chair. The athlete quickly pulled his phone at his pocket, pulled up the recording app, and then said, "Since Max is collecting all the Audio Logs we come across, I might as well get the ones that he'll miss." When Ladybug nodded before Kim hit the record button and then played the Audio Log.

The voice that emitted from this Audio Log was unfamiliar to the two, and the tone of the voice sounded like a man that was certainly zealous about what he was talking about, "There's nothing wrong with dreaming. Wishing for the impossible is just human nature. That's how I got started. Just a pencil and a dream. We all want everything without even having to lift a finger. They say you just have to believe. Belief can make you succeed. Belief can make you rich. Belief can make you powerful. *Kim and Ladybug give each other a sideways glance at these words*. Why, with enough belief, you can even cheat death itself. Now that... Is a beautiful, and positively silly thought." With that, the log ended with a click.

The only sounds that were made were the sounds of the ink dripping down from the ceiling as Kim stopped the recording app on his phone.

Ladybug was the one to break the silence when she said, "Well... That was... Weird..."

Kim couldn't help but reply, "Yeah... Even weirder than Mr Lawrence's Log after he went crazy... ... ... Umm, what's the word for biased or misleading information that's used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view?"

"Propaganda," Ladybug responded in a flat tone, before she said in a relatively serious tone, "But it fits with what this Audio Log sounds like." The red-clad hero then picked up the Audio Log and saw the handwritten label printed on it in big fancy letters. "Joey Drew?" Ladybug read with a raised brow before she glanced at Kim and said, "So that's the voice of the guy who was in charge of this place."

Kim renamed the new recording, logging the name of the person and where the Audio Log was found, when he said, "I know this is the first time we found a log of the guy, but... *Finishes with naming the Recording Log* Something seemed... Off about his Audio Log."

"Off how?" Ladybug asked with a raised brow as she placed the Audio Log back on the chair.

Kim shrugged as he slipped his phone back into his pocket when he said, "I don't know, it's just... Something was off about it... Like it didn't seem real, and I don't mean about what he was saying."

The two gave each other a worried look before they trooped out of the ink flooded room.

}{ On the Angel Path }{

As Chat Noir, Markov, and Max walked into the Angel Path they passed two Alice Angel posters and saw graffiti written on the wall in front of them as they turned to the right that read "DREAMS COME TRUE_". After that, they walked into the plush office.

"Wow, this office is paw-sitivily com-fur-table," Chat Noir said as they looked around the nice office. The couch looked like a good place to not only relax but also catch a few Zs. A large closet. An Alice Angel cutout. A draw. A coatrack. One of the soup vending machines. An Alice Angel plush was sitting on the couch next to an Audio Log and a lit candle. And there were sticky post-it notes all over the wall, all blank.

"That didn't long for the puns to start back up," Max commented as he tucked the pipe under his right arm and used his left hand to push his glasses up. Markov couldn't help but agree.

Chat Noir gave the two a cattish grin when he said, "What can I say, I cat stay down in a paw-ful mood fur long." The puns caused Max to roll his eyes before shaking his head as Markov tilted his head to the side. That was when the black-clad hero noticed the Audio Log on the couch and asked with the catish smile still in place, "Shall we log the Log?"

Max rolled his eyes as he took his phone out of his pocket. He pulled up the recording app and then nodded at the black-clad hero. The moment Max hit the record button, Chat pressed play.

The familiar voice of Susie Campbell filled the room, but this time around she sounded distressed and miserable as the Audio Log played, "Everything feels like it's coming apart. When I walked into the recording booth today, Sammy was there with that... Allison. Apparently, I didn't get the memo. Alice Angel will now be voiced by Miss Allison Pendle. *Chat, Max, and Markov looked at each other at that this*. A part of me died when he said that. *Susie, now in a distressed and desperate tone* There's gotta be a way to fix this!" With that, the Audio ended with a click.

Max stopped the recording on his phone and started labelling it when he said, "That... Actually explains why we didn't know of Ms Campbell's existence before we entered the studio... She was replaced without being informed of the news..."

Markov tapped his claw to under his visor when he said, "I am not sure I understand the motivation of replacing a talent without informing them of it for no given reason. Other than purposeful malicious intent..."

Chat Noir sat on the free space on the couch to think when he noticed a folded paper, yellow with age, sticking out from between the cushions on the couch. "Huh? What's this?" the black-clad hero wondered out loud as he plucked the old paper out from its spot and unfolded it. There were typewritten words on the paper with a note at the bottom of the page. "Oh wow..." Chat vocalized before he asked Max if he finished with organizing the log. When Max said that he was, the cat-themed hero said, "Then open a new recording, this is something that you need to log."

Max blinked in confusion before he said, "Um... Alright, but you might want to read that out loud as Adrien rather than Chat Noir." And then did as was requested, but didn't hit the record button just yet.

Chat Noir nodded before he said, "Plagg, Claws In." And with that, he was now back to Adrien Agreste. Plagg was now floating next to the hero. "Ready?" the blonde asked his friend, who nodded in response as he hit the Record button. Adrien took a deep breath when he said, "We just found this Joey Drew Studio staff memo on the Angel Path, next to the Susie Campbell Audio Log that is here. My best guess is that Ms Campbell found this staff memo some time after she recorded the Log found here. I'll read what the memo says.

*Takes another deep breath*. From: Joey Drew. To: All Staff. Please give a warm welcome to Allison Pendle, Joey Drew Studios' newest employee. Allison is a talented voice actress with lots of dreams. In her spare time, she loves to cook and invent recipes. I know that as soon as you meet her, you'll be taken with her beautiful voice and charm. She's so interesting, so... Different. I have to say, I'm an instant fan. Effective immediately, Allison will be the new voice of Alice Angel. We believe this restructured in voice talent will lead to a more cohesive character list-and more success for our dreams. Allison will meet Sammy Lawrence after lunch to discuss recording Alice Angel's dialogue. Then I will bring her around to meet everyone.

Now here's the kicker to this memo. A note at the end written by who I assume was Mr Drew that says "Distribute immediately to everyone except for Susie Campbell"! (2)

Can you believe that! The guy just... Just! Replaces the Voice Actress for Alice Angel without warning after meeting this new voice actress just once! And! And! And! It was plainly obvious that Ms Campbell really adored her role as Alice Angel! And to just give the part to someone else with no explanation or notice like that! That's just cruel! Even my father wouldn't have done something that underhanded without a proper reason! Even when he took that Lying Spy's word over everyone else's, despite them working for him longer! I can't believe he would actually think that Lila would tell the truth about anything!"

"Umm, Adrien... You're anger level's are increasing at an alarming rate," Markov commented in a tone that was both innocent and worried. Max looked like he was worried about preventing a murder from happening.

Adrien snapped out of the moment to look at his friends. He apologized as Max stopped the recording. Once the Kwami was sure the phone wasn't recording the audio, he looked at his chosen and asked, "Listen to me, Kitten. You're reading it from that Campbell girl's viewpoint! Of course, she'll be upset over something like that, but that doesn't mean you have to be too." Max and Markov nodded at these words. That was when Plagg stated, "But you are right about something being fishy about that memo. Remember when you started dabbling in voice acting? You were told to start a Voice Reel once you finished with that Ladybug and Chat Noir movie. And this Drew fella hired and replaced his existing voice actoress for Alice Angel after meeting this Pendle girl just once. Yeah, something's not right with what happened and I think that that Drew fella KNEW that and went with the whole scam anyway."

Max moved closer to the blonde hero when he said, "That does seem a little strange when you think about it, and it makes you wonder if any of the other employees thought so too... I mean... Someone had to have wondered about that decision... Um, you mind if I take a picture of the memo, just because there's no such thing as too much evidence."

Adrien held the memo out so it could be clearly seen. Max snapped a picture of it on his phone and quickly labelled it accordingly.

"Something's just not right..." Adrien muttered under his breath.

Markov heard and replied with, "I most certainly concur with your statement, but we do not have all the data needed to properly state that it was intentional or not. Although, from what we currently have now, it is logical to think that it might have been intentional... For whatever reason that we are unaware of..."

The group looked at each other with a worried look on their face before they made their way through the path.

~}i{ Elsewhere Inside the Studio }i{~

A soft chatter echoed throughout the chamber of a room. A light flicked weakly in the room. The furniture inside the room looked as old as the building itself and was nearly falling apart from constant use, apparently.

"Wwwwwaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttt ffffooooorrrrrr mmmmmmeeeeeeee... BBBBBBeeeee thhhhhheeeerrrreeee sssssooooooonnnnnn," said a voice unused to speaking. It sounded rough and cracked, but it was still able to make out what was said.

Ink practically seeped through the closest wall, now making it a wall of the thick black goo.

"Sssssssooooooooooooooonnnnnnnn," the voice said before melting into the inky wall.

~}i{ Back With Our Heroes }i{~

Both teams trekked down paths that mirrored each other. When each team came to a door, they heard something on the other side. Adrien quickly transformed into Chat Noir and everyone readied their weapon, expecting the worst. They quickly opened their respective doors and were immediately relieved when they saw the other team coming out of their door from the parallel wall.

"Guess the paths did lead to the same location," Ladybug said as they all entered the new corridor and looked around.

That was when the teams exchanged information. Kim played the recorded Audio from Joey Drew that was on the Demon Path so Max can record it, everyone agreed that something sounded off about that particular Audio Log but no one was sure what. Chat Noir told Ladybug and Kim about Susie Campbell's Audio Log on the Angel Path and Max showed them the snapshot of the company memo.

"What kind of scumbag would fire someone from something that they adore like that for little to no reason?" Kim could help but comment when he heard the Log and read the Memo.

They looked at each other before they all said the same thing at the same time, "Lila!"

That was when Markov stated, "While I can draw parallels between Mr Drew and Lila in this instance, let's not forget that it's only one thing that links them. We have no other solid facts that Mr Drew is like Lila in other ways." The humans grumbled that the AI had a point.

Soon they spotted another door and they went through it as it creaked open. As they walked through, a Bendy cutout poked its head out from around the only corner in the small hallway, startling the group as they continued to cautiously walked to the corner.

When they came to the corner, their moods immediately improved when Chat Noir said with a cattish smile, "Boris! *Relieved sigh*. You scared us to death!"

"Urg! Please don't say death," Kim complained as he gave the cartoon wolf a big hug.

The rest of the team followed suit, happy to be reunited with their friend. "It's good that we found you, Buddy!" Ladybug said happily as their group was now back together.

Boris smiled at his friends, happy to be back with the group.

After Team Psi calmed down from their sudden excitement, Max asked the cartoon wolf, "I don't suppose you found anything you can use to protect ourselves with?" That was when Boris held up one of those Gent Pipes. "That will do," Max said with a smile.

"Gent?" Chat Noir questioned as he read the brand name out loud. He then asked, "Isn't that the name of the company that Mr Connor worked for?"

Markov quickly looked through the data he had before he responded with, "That is correct. Mr Drew hired the Gent Company to help streamline his studio, or so he claimed," That was when Max pointed out that a lot of the machine and machine parts they've come across had the Gent Logo branded on them. Markov then stated, "So that part of Mr Drew's statement from the files we gathered before entering the studio is determined to be true... But there are still so many unanswered questions regarding the state of the studio... Especially all this ink, and the other employees and other unfortunate individuals that we now believe to be trapped here..." Boris nodded in agreement, even though he seemed to understand some of what was said.

Kim couldn't help but ask, "Is it me, or do we keep circling back to how the Ink came to be? I mean... I can understand why, but still... You guys think Mr Drew requested that the Gent Company make that Ink Machine thing?"

Max was the one to say, "Can't say that it's not something that may or may not be true, but... At the moment, we don't have enough evidence to either prove or disprove that theory. Hold on, I just remembered something!" When the others asked what it was, Max responded with, "Guys, how are we going to Log the fact that the Searchers, and the Ink Creatures by extension, were once human without solid facts to support that?"

That was when Kim replied with, "But Max, Tikki was the one to tell us tha- Oh... I see what you mean."

The heroes then glanced at each other at this. Ladybug was the first to say, "Max has a point, Tikki was the one to discover that horrible tragedy. And since we can't exactly tell anyone outside this group about her, we literally don't have any proof that any of the Searchers we've faced were human at one point."

Chat Noir placed a hand to his chin when he added, "Yeah... Maybe if we keep recording all the Audio Logs and find a place where we can safely make our own Log we might be able to find something that might hint or mention that the Searchers were human."

Markov filed through his memory banks before he stated, "Technically, we have already Logged a couple of moments that hinted that the Searchers might have been human. When we found Mr Jack Fain's Audio Log, Adrien said that Nino researched the lyricist and discovered that he hasn't worked on anything after "leaving the studio" and the only thing that was found "after the studio" was a missing person's report filed by Mrs Fain. Kim mentioned that he thought all the missing person reports were made to add to the "Lore" to this studio and then adding that he wondered if something else "happened" to them. We also have a recording showing the "retreating behaviour" of the "Hard-Hatted Searcher" that we encountered in the same location, proving that there was a "different characteristic" in that particular Searcher. And lastly, Max did catch Mr Lawrance on his phone before he turned it off, proving that he was somehow affected by the Ink." Max rubbed the back of his head at that, feeling the small bump that Sammy made when he hit him with the dustpan. That was when Markov suggested, "If we keep Logging all of these "Hints" then we will eventually be able to "put together" a "theory" that we can "look back on" during our quest. So when we later find solid proof that the Ink Creatures were once human, we don't have to tell anyone about Tikki." The AI was quite proud of the plan that he made.

After a good minute of the humans and cartoon wolf thinking about that plan, Ladybug finally said, "You know, that's a pretty solid idea and like you said we've already had a few instances were we did voice and Logged our thoughts about the issue before we knew about it."

Kim clapped his hands once before he said, "We just need to keep it up!"

That was when Max interjected with, "But we do have to time them accordingly. If we find an Audio Log that doesn't tell us much, then we can't use it to help us plant the "Theory" seeds we need." Kim rubbed the back of his neck when he mumbled something along the lines of agreeing with the shorter teen. Boris nodded in agreement with everything, this time he understood what was being said.

Chat Noir couldn't help but think about the Susie Campbell Log from the Angel Path, something about it seemed familiar but he couldn't put his finger on what.

"Chatton, is everything okay?" Ladybug asked her partner, snapping him out of his thoughts. That was when the red-clad hero asked, "Do you not agree with the plan?"

Chat Noir shook his head when he said, "No, I think it's a paw-sitiely brilliant plan. It's just... Something seemed familiar about the Angel Path Audio Log and I just can't put my paw on it... But it feels like it's staring me right in the face and I'm not seeing it."

That was when Max said, "Besides the connection to your father and Lie-la?"

Kim and Ladybug gave the blonde a confused look at the comment, but Markov created a text on his visor that read "Don't Ask" while making sure Chat didn't see it.

Chat Noir nodded when he said, "Yeah, besides that... Damn! It's going to bother me for a while, isn't it?" Kim couldn't help but comment a "Probably" at this.

Team Psi glanced at one another in concern before they went through the creaky door behind the cartoon wolf. They passed a small hallway and walked into what appeared to be the storage or sales floor for the toys that were made. The wooden floor was nearly covered with ink, about 80% covered according to Max. There where plushies of Bendy, Boris, a lot of Alice Angel, and the Butcher Gang stored on some of the shelves while the Bendy Clocks were mounted on the walls, all ticking in unison. And, of course, the Bendy Cutouts were scattered about.

"Wow, Mr Flynn wasn't kidding about the Alice Angel dolls not being a popular item. I mean, look at all of them," Kim commented as he pointed at a shelf stocked full of the Alice Angel doll.

Ladybug tapped her chin when she said, "I'm not sure if that's what it was... But this is still a lot of toys to just leave lying around, even for something that supposedly didn't sell well. Also... Shouldn't they have tried to at least clear those out before they made more or something along that line?" That was when the group looked over the toy storage area, and sure enough, there were quite a lot of toys still laying around. It did seem a little strange that so many toys were left behind, but then again... The machine that made the toys still worked and could be turned on at any time by anyone... The puddles of bubbling ink did worry Team Psi a bit, but nothing emerged from them.

Boris couldn't resist grabbing a plushie of himself and squeezing it, not that anyone could blame him.

It didn't take long for them to find a metal door with a fuse box with the words "DOOR RELEASE" written on it next to the door. The fuse box had two blinking lights, one light had the letter "A" under it and the other light had the letter "B".

Max tucked his pipe under his right arm and used his left hand to put his glasses when he looked at the box and said, "Looks like to open this, we're going to need to throw two levers at once." He then looked at the lever next to a Bendy Statue, and then he noticed powerlines running from the lever to around the corner down the opposite end of the hallway. He then raised a brow and stated out loud, "That seems a little inconvenient for an animation studio to have."

Kim couldn't help but comment, "I'm just starting to think that this place is just riddled with weird stuff that's meant to keep secrets, or to just annoy us."

Group glanced at each other before Ladybug said, "Alright, Boris, you and Max stay here with this lever. The rest of us will find the other."

But Markov opted to remain with Max and Boris, stating that it would be better if he kept armed and ready to react to any danger just in case. Max looked down at his cast, knowing that was the reason why he had to stay behind. The glasses-wearing teen gently rubbed the ink-covered cloth limb as he kept holding the pipe in his hand when he thought, 'Seems like Lie-la keeps getting in the way, even when she isn't here...'

They agreed to throw the levers on "Go" once Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Kim found the other lever. With that, that group followed the cable down the hallway.

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Kim turned the corner and came to a dead-end where the lever was, as well as a poster advertising a Bendy cartoon episode featuring the Butcher Gang. The members of the trio were featured clearly on the poster along with their names.

Charley, the tallest of the gang, was a nearly bald humanoid whose species currently unidentified, triangular-shaped teeth. He has large ears, oval-shaped head, a black animalistic nose, hair-like sideburns, and a beard with a resemblance to Bendy's horns. He wears a tailcoat and vest, black-tie, white gloves, and black shoes.

Barley, who appeared to be a cross between a pirate and a sailor with a white beard, wearing an eye patch for his right eye, a hat and a belt with a square buckle, a pair of white gloves, and holding a corn-cob pipe with his mouth. Even though he is a human, Barley strangely sports "black outlines" around his face but under the mouth similar to Bendy.

Edgar is a spider-like creature with large lips, small ears, and a pair of pointed fangs. Unlike actual arachnids, he sports only six legs instead of eight.

"Well, there's the lever we're looking for," Chat Noir said as he pointed towards the lever on the left wall near the Butcher Gang Poster. He then placed a hand to his chin when he added, "But it's a weird place to put it if you ask me."

Kim couldn't help but comment, "Well, they did put a switch behind a shelf back in the Music Department." Ladybug couldn't help but say that that was true. That was when the tall teen said, "I mean when you take away anything related to the Ink, it kinda feels like this whole place was just designed strangely if I'm being honest."

Ladybug walked towards the lever when she said, "That is a good point to make... But that means that Mr Drew had to have done it on purpose because I'm sure he had to oversee the blueprints of this place. And remember back when we were starting on our Haunted House when Ivan-"

Suddenly, a twisted and mutilated version of Charley burst out of the Butcher Gang poster with a loud "RWWWAAAA"! Causing Ladybug to scream in shock as she fell back and causing the boys to scream in shock as well.

As this twisted Butcher Gang member crawled out of the poster, he fell to the floor, flat on his face and giving Ladybug enough time to scramble away from the Ink Creature. As this twisted Charly pushed himself back to his feet, the three got a good look at this Ink Creature. This Charly had his right eye gouged out and filled with some kind of ink with an unnatural-moving socket area inside it while sporting an X-shape for the left eye. Instead of originally circular, the shape of his ears strangely resembles those of a human. His mouth was wide open as if screaming, with human-like teeth instead of usual triangular ones. He wears a single black shoe on his left leg and has a plunger pegleg for his right leg. His arms are long and skinny, and he wears a white glove on his right hand and held a pipe wrench. His left arm looks stiff in position, and he is also missing his entire left hand. His tailcoat is slightly worn out with the right sleeve shorter than the left, and a hole is located from the bottom left of his stomach to reveal his innards. The mutilated Charly limped towards Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Kim.

Chat Noir quickly leapt into action and struck the Pipe wielding Ink Creature on the head with his baton. The Creature lurched back from the shock of being struck and giving the cat-themed hero a chance to hit him in the head a second time. This time, the Pipe wielding Ink Creature fell back towards the wall he came out of. When he hit the ground, his head burst into a splatter of ink and was now motionless.

"What happened?!" Max shouted as he rushed towards his friends to find out. When he saw the fallen Ink Creature he stuttered out, "I-is th-that! But-! Where-! Is everyone all right?!"

The heroes calmed down a bit before Ladybug said, "We're fine, but that Butcher Gang member just came out of nowhere. He startled us pretty bad."

Chat Noir collapsed his baton and placed it back on the mount on his costume when he said, "But I took care of it..." He then glanced at the body of the fallen Ink Creature. Ladybug placed a comforting hand on her partner's shoulder, knowing what he was thinking.

That was when Markov pointed out that it was in self-defence. The Piper had attacked them first. The group wirily agreed to that, even though was still some guilt being felt.

They quickly flipped the levers in unison and went to regroup at the now open door. But...

"Where does this lead?" Markov questioned as he noticed a passageway between the corner and the metal door the team needed to go through.

Kim, Chat Noir, and Ladybug peered down the passageway as the taller commented, "Weird that we didn't notice this as we passed by it to the lever."

That was when Ladybug said, "Well, we were focused on the power cables on the ground, or the levers opened this passageway as well... Should we?"

That was when Chat Noir said, "Well, we might find something to help with "planting our theory", plus this kitty is curious."

Ladybug nudged Chat Noir when she said, "You know what they say about curiosity and cats?"

Kim groaned when he said, "Please don't say it." Causing Max to give a wry smile as he signalled Boris to follow them into the passageway.

They passed a "Work Hard Work Happy" poster and a few trunks. On the trunk that was flat on the ground was an Audio Log and a lit candle. "Perfect!" Max said as he tucked his pipe under his right arm and pulled his phone out of his pocket. The techie quickly pulled up the recording app as Kim moved towards the Audio Log. When Max hit the record button he nodded at the taller teen, who hit the play button in response.

This time around there were two voices, Thomas Connor and Wally Franks. The Audio Log played as such,

"Wally: Alright, let's go over this again. If the pressure goes over 45, I screw the safety bolt tighter, right?

Thomas: No! For the last time, you do that, you'll blow every pipe in this place! If it reaches 45, you unhook the safety switch.

Wally: You sure? You know, this sounds harder than comparing ear wax to bees wax!

Thomas: Look, it's not that difficult! Just keep an eye on the gauge!

Wally: Look pal, if you think I'm doing my job AND your job, I'm outta here!" With that, the Audio Log ended with a click. Max stopped the recording and logged the voices and where the Audio Log was found.

Ladybug picked up the Audio Log and looked it over before she said, "Seems like this wasn't meant to be recorded. This is the first Audio Log we've come across that doesn't have a label." That was when she notice Boris staring at the Audio Log and asked, "What's wrong, Buddy?"

Boris scratched his head in confusion before he pointed at the Audio Log and then pointed at his mouth as he opened and closed it. He then tapped the side of his head.

Markov seemed to catch on to the signs first when he asked, "Are you indicating that the voices in this Audio Log sound familiar to you?"

Boris nodded. He then tapped his chin in thought before scratching his cheek in confusion.

Markov then translated, "But you don't remember where you heard them or who they are." Boris sadly nodded. The AI couldn't help but say, "It seems like this Ink, might interfere with the memories of whoever is exposed to it for a long period of time."

"That's a comforting thought..." Kim stated sarcastically. Luckily Markov was able to pick up on the "sarcasm", so there was no need to explain that. That was when a thought hit the tall teen, "Wait, if that's true then that would explain that weird moment with Mr Lawrence."

"Dare I ask "Which" weird moment? The guy had a few," Chat Noir couldn't help but ask.

That was when Kim said, "The one where he said that Max looked familiar. If Mr Lawrence has been trapped here for over 50 years then there's been more than enough time for the Ink to mess with his memories, since we know that he's never met Max before we even entered this place."

Max couldn't help but say, "Kim is right, I've obviously never been here before we were tricked to come here and that immediately proves that I've never met Mr Lawrence either. Therefore, I couldn't possibly "Look Familiar" to him. His muddled memories from the years of Ink exposure might be causing him to think I look like someone he knew."

Ladybug thought about the whole thing as she placed a hand on her yo-yo when she said, "Wonder if I can purify the Ink in some way..." Max suggested that they wait until they found a good safe place to ask Tikki that question. Ladybug nodded when she said, "You're right, Max... *Glances to the side*. I wonder if I can convince Master Fu about letting some of the other trusted heroes in on our identities, I mean... As Chat said, it's out of the bag now. And let's be honest, it's been a little easier working with each other."

Chat Noir couldn't help but say, "Cat complain about that M'Lady. But when you say trusted..."

Ladybug sighed when she said, "Since he broke up with Alya... I think it would be safe to tell Nino. Heck, I think he does deserve the reason why you have to bail on him during Akuma attacks."

"That is a sound point," Max said with a wiry smile.

With that, Team Psi continued down the passageway until it split into two paths. As they were about to decide on which to take, they heard the sound of chains creaking, as if they were lowering something big. The sound came from the path to the right, so the team quickly followed the sound until they reached a dead end that had a metal fence. And beyond that fence, they saw the machine from the blueprints being lowered down deeper into the depths of the studio. Before any of the teens or AI could even ask a single question, Boris seemed to have some kind of reaction to seeing the strange machine. A positively fearful reaction.

"Boris, what's wrong?" Kim asked, trying to calm the panicking cartoon wolf down.

"Buddy, it's okay, it's okay. You're with us," Ladybug said softly as she gently rubbed his back.

it took a while, but Boris managed to calm down enough to tap out a morse code on the closest wall. Chat Noir translated the code, "Ink... Ma-chine... Bad?"

Max looked at where the machine was, but now only the chains were seen and then looked back at the cartoon wolf when he said, "Is that what that thing is called the Ink Machine?" Boris visibly nodded, but you can tell he was struggling to not think about it. Max placed the tip of his casted hand to his chin when he said, "Something tells me there's a lot more to that Ink Machine than we originally thought." When Markov asked, "how so?" Max answered, "Remember the people who commented about it in the Audio Logs? They expressed annoyance about it, but Boris is expressing fear, meaning something bad happened to him that involves the Ink Machine, right?" Boris reluctantly nods at that.

That was when Ladybug said, "If that's the case... Then... We can't leave that thing running! We need to shut it down! And maybe... Maybe it can undo what has happened to everyone who's trapped here, or undo it enough for me to purify! And then Boris leave this place with us!" Team Psi agreed, they'll save everyone who was trapped here by the Ink. But...

"What about... The one's that..." Chat Noir got out in an uneasy tone.

Ladybug thought about that for a bit before she said, "Then maybe we can at least set their souls free so that they can move on (3)." That Chat Noir can agree to.

With that, Team Psi resumed exploring the passageway. This time, they went down the other path. As they walked towards an open powerbox that had its door hanging to it by a bolt in the lower-left corner, they passed graffiti on the right wall that read "THE CREATOR LIED TO US..." Then they went down the doorway on the right that leads them down to a Miracle Station that looked like it had the door ripped off. The door was leaning against the left wall, splattered with black ink. Inside the Miracle Station where two words written in black ink.

"Feel Familiar?" Markov read out loud in confusion. He then asked, "I do not understand the implication of this inquiry. Do any of you?" When the others commented or motioned that they didn't, they headed back to the metal door that they needed to go through. They all thought that that particular Miracle Station was just weird. The words that were written inside it and the fact that it was destroyed... Weren't they suppose to protect whoever was inside from the Ink Creatures? Or was that one a defect? It was just... Weird...

They gathered back at the now open metal door and walked through. They trooped into room, saw the giant hole in the wall, and passed through that as well. They passed all the strange machinery that moved to their own tune, and then they passed through another giant hole in the wall.

The next thing Team Psi knew, they were on an indoor balcony that overlooked an old lift. To their right was what looked like restrooms and a Little Miracle Station in the corner next to said restrooms. They looked over the railings a spotted another Miracle Station near the liftgate.

"Well, there are enough of those Miracle Stations for four of us to hide in... And I think the lift can work as a shield if the doors are closed in time..." Ladybug commented as they moved to the lower level as they passed the restrooms, which read Gents and Ladies. She then noticed a sign on the wall parallel to the lift. "Level K?" the red-clad hero said out loud.

"It's the name of the floor level we're on," Max stated before he guessed, "This studio must use letters instead of numbers. Not sure if it was because the staff just remembered letters better than numbers, but it's the most logical sense that I can think of."

Chat Noir pressed the button for the lift and quickly investigated it after the door opened. That when he noticed the button panel. "Seems like you're half-right, Max. This thing goes to five floors but they're named for letters and numbers. Take a look."

Team Psi trooped over to the lift and looked at the button panel. One button was labelled for the doors, best guess for that was to just open and close the doors. The rest were labelled K, P, 11, 9, and 14. With the K and 11 being on top, P and 9 in the middle, and 14 below them. The button for the doors was under the other buttons. As Kim commented that it was weird that they were using both letters and numbers for their floors, Max looked around the lift, noting it's current structure and wears.

Max tucked the pipe under his right arm before he pushed his glasses up when he asked, "Is it a good idea to use this old thing? It doesn't look like it's been properly maintained in a long time. I have my doubts about it working..."

"I know I agree with you, but we don't have much of a choice," Ladybug said with a soft sigh. "Tikki, Spots Off..." the red-clad hero said. In a flash of light, She was back to Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Tikki was floating next to her chosen. Chat Noir then followed suit and turned back into Adrien Agreste as Plagg floated next to him.

They stepped away from the lift, more so that Max has a peace of mind when they talked to the Kwamis.

After being asked if it was possible to purify the Ink or those affected by it. Tikki thought about it best she could before saying, "I know you want to help the ones that are trapped here, but... There's too much of a verity degree of Ink exposure that we can't possibly account for, and they're very different from the Akumas you've been purifying... And I'm not sure if you'll be able to purify any of the Ink creatures the same way you purify the Akumas..."

Marinette looked at her Kwami when she asked, "But I can try, right? And there is a chance to purify them?"

Markov quickly analyzed what the bluette was implying and then quickly interjected with, "Marinette, I suggest you stop there! If you insist on doing that, then you will have to engage in experimenting on Purifying the Searchers or other Ink Creatures, all of whom have a different level of Ink exposure that we cannot take note of! And since you do not know what level of purification will work, you will have to do a "Trial-&-Error" experimentation on who knows how many Ink Creatures and for how long! And lastly, there is absolutely no guaranteed that any of those experiments will even succeed! And lastly, we don't even know if the purification will last, especially inside this place with all the Ink everywhere!" The AI did have a point... And what everyone could tell that went unsaid was that these were lives. The guys knew that their Ladybug would end up a wreck if she had to do THAT kind of experimentations...

Kim then placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder when he said, "Not to mention you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself if you think you're the only one who needs to do this. But you're not alone in this, you have us to help. All of us."

That was when Marinette looked around at her friends, all were smiling at her with small smiles. Adrien hugged the bluette when he said, "You're not alone in your endeavours Purr-incess. You got all of us by your side now, especially your kitty." Marinette closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek as she hugged the blonde back. The Kwamis looked at each other with a smile as Boris playfully hugged Max and Kim. Markov's eyes lit up with "happy eyes" icons.

Marinette pulled away as she wiped the tear away and said, "Thanks guys, I guess I really needed that."

"We'll find a way to save everyone here, together as a team," Adrien said with a genuine smile. Marinette smiled back.

"Table for two for LadyNoir~," Kim teases with a snickering smirk. Max elbowed the taller teen in the guts at that. Boris and Markov just chuckled at the antics. Both Marinette and Adrien turned rosy red at the comment as Tikki giggled and Plagg smirked happily. That was when they all laughed before they just smiled at one another.

Max handed his pipe to Adrien as he pulled out his phone and said, "Since it's been pretty quiet here, how about we make a Log Update? It might be a good idea to at least make note of the Butcher Gang member... Piper right?"

Kim responded with, "It was a mutilated Charly. Why are you calling it a Piper?"

Max responded with, "You saw the mutilated Charly, but I just saw an Ink Creature with a pipe. And since it's easier to just say Piper, we'll call that Ink Creature that." Kim grumbled a "makes sense" as Max started his Log. Marinette and Adrien voiced what happened during their run-in with the Piper, what it looked like, and how it suddenly burst out of the poster advertising the Butcher Gang.

They walked into the lift, all but Max. With the Video Log still active, the bi-sceptical boy said, "I really don't feel comfortable taking this old thing... It looks like it could fall at any moment."

"Max, we understand your concerns, but we don't have a choice," Adrien stated before he moved over to the injured teen and added, "It's literally the only way forward," before he pulled Max into the lift.

The moment Max entered the lift, the doors closed automatically. Before anyone could ask who pushed the button, the voice of the Twisted Alice Angel was heard through the speakers on the lift. "You're all so interesting... So different," she said with interest as the lift started moving down. The Twisted Alice Angel continued speaking, "I have to say I'm an instant fan."

"Huh?" Team Psi said in unison and confusion. 'Where have I heard that line before?' they wondered as they huddled closer to each other.

The Twisted Alice Angel then said gently as the lift continued its slow descent, "Looks like you've got a date with an angel!" For some reason, that didn't sound so comforting to the Team. The ink angel continued in an almost seductive tone, "Come to me now. Level Nine. Just follow the screams."

"That's comforting," Kim grumbled to the rest of his team with a shiver. They all were a more than a bit unnerved by the words of that Ink Creature. Even more so now that they knew that she had some kind of control over the lift.

It didn't take long before the lift stopped at Level Nine.

When the doors opened with a soft ding, the Twisted Alice Angel's voice came through the speakers again when she said in that same seductive tone, "Come on, step out of your cage. There's a whole twisted world out here." She ended her sentence with a short small chuckle.

Team Psi kept close together as the Kwamis quickly scurried to their usual hiding spots. Seeing that they didn't have much of a choice, they all walked out of the lift cautiously. They knew that dangers were lurking in the shadows.

}i{

When Team Psi was in the Level K lift area, they didn't notice that one of the bathroom stall doors was slightly cracked open or that they were being watched.

It was interesting in the little strange creature that floated at the strange words, but not as much as one of the humans in the group. However, it knew that it couldn't act now, so the being just watched and listened to what the group was doing.

It was a very good decision. It learnt a lot from just listening.

The girl wanted to save everyone trapped here in the studio, even though she didn't know them, the boys and that flying orb too. But what was truly valuable was learning how the children interacted with each other.

The boys worried about the girl overworking herself over whether or not she could save everyone, while the flying orb said some critical things it was still obvious that it had concerns for the girl as well. They all smiled at each other, and it wasn't the forced kind of smiles, these smiles were... Real... The smiles were genuine...

Then the strangest thing happened... The yellowed haired boy wrapped his arms around the girl and pulled her close to his body, and the girl... Welcomed it... She even wrapped her arms around the yellow-haired boy... Both seemed at ease... They were... Relieved?...

Then the tallest boy said something that made the others look amused while the yellow-haired boy and the girl turned red. Where those two mad? No... They weren't they're expressions didn't match with being mad or angry... If they weren't mad then... Why were their faces red?

Then they all started laughing. They were happy? How strange...

The being watched the group until the lift door closed when That Angel took them to her lair.

Perhaps it should've acted before they entered the lift... No... If they saw him, then they would've fled into the lift anyway...

"Sssssssoooooooooooooonnnnnn," the rough and cracked voice whispered as the door closed quietly as if no one was there.

~}i{~

To be continued in Chapter 3 Pt 3: Rise and Fall of Demons and Angels.

~}i{~

1) A garrote or garrote vil (a Spanish word; alternative spellings include garotte and similar variants) is a weapon, most often a handheld ligature of chain, rope, scarf, wire or fishing line, used to strangle a person. Ladybug isn't going to strangle anyone in this (Unless it's Gabriel because of his treatment of Adrien, but that's for later and out of her hero persona), it's just the way she holding her yo-yo and it's more for defence than attack.

2) The memo Adrien is reading out loud is actually from the Bendy and the Ink Machine Employee Handbook, not from the game itself. The book is basically an official guide to the game, so it's also a strategic guide as well. But it also has a few extra game notes and extra information about the Bendy story lore. It's been pretty handy when having to type out the Audio Logs. I figured I add some of the Studio Storyline from the Employee Handbook to fill in a few blanks in the game.

3) Well, technically true. The souls of all the Joey Drew Studios employees are trapped inside the studio, unable to move on as they would like. Whether it be for reincarnation, ascend to Heaven, or descend to Hell (Not naming names in the studio though).

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