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Miraculous Adventure in Joey Drew Studio.
Chapter 3 Pt 3: Rise and Fall of Demons and Angels.
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Team Psi cautiously walked out of the lift and made their way to the stairs. So far, there was nothing dangerous waiting for them, at least, the danger that could be seen. But so far... There was nothing...
They trooped down the stairs and noticed an Audio Log on a shelf that was practically at the bottom of the stairs. Max quickly pulled up the recording app, somewhat forgetting that the Video Log was still active. He held up his phone to the tape recorder as Adrien hit the play button. The familiar gravelly voice of Thomas Connor was heard when the Audio Log said, "These blasted elevators... Sometimes they open, sometimes they don't... Sometimes they come... Sometimes they keep on going to hell and back. I keep telling these people, if Mister Joey Drew keeps cutting corners like this, someone's sure to end up falling to their death. And it sure ain't going to be me. I'm taking the stairs." With that, the Audio Log clicked off.
"Seems like Mr Connor shared the same concerns as you, Max," Adrien said as Max typed the name and location of the Audio Log.
The bi-sceptical teen let out a huff when he said, "I'm not that surprised. Mr Connor seems like he's a cautious guy from what we heard. But it seems like the lift has been a problem back when the studio was open... So it makes me wonder why it hasn't been dealt with back then, and how much of a problem it is now."
Kim was the one to say, "Doesn't the phrase "Cutting Corners" mean the same as not doing a step or doing the minimum effort?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Max said as he finished with typing the name of the Audio Log ad closing the app. That was when he finally noticed that the Video Recording was still activated. "Oh, whoops, I left our Video Log on," Max said, now thankful that neither of the Kwamis said anything or that the others didn't mention the Kwamis.
Just as Max was about to turn the app off, Plagg flew out of Adrien's inner shirt pocket and waved his hands to stop. Adrien quickly said, "Wait! Don't turn it off!" When Max asked why the black Kwami made some hand signs for the blonde read, so his voice wouldn't be picked up on the Video Log. Adrien read the signs best he could when he said, "I think... We should keep it on for just a little longer. Clip it back on with the active camera facing forward, as you did back when we came in and when we were in the Music Department."
The others raised a brow at this as they looked at Plagg when Marinette asked, making sure not to mention the Kwami that couldn't be seen by any electronic eye, "Adrien, you didn't answer the question. Why should Max keep the Video Log running?"
As Max aimed the active camera on the blonde, Adrien wrapped his arms around himself when he said while watching Plagg sign, "I... Don't know how... But I feel like something bad is going to happen... And I think we should keep the Video Log on, to show the police once we get out of here with Boris."
"That bad?" Kim asked in a bit of a worried tone. Adrien only gave a nod, somewhat mimicking Plagg's frantic nodding.
Markov, not understanding what the blonde was talking about or seeing what the black Kwami was doing, asked, "How do you know if something bad will happen when you are not sure?" Marinette explained to the AI that Adrien's intuition must be warning him. When Markov asked how an 'intuition' works, Max explained that it was like an unusual feeling of premiss that doesn't have much of an explanation as to how it worked. Kim then brought up the maps that Lie-la tricked Alya into swapping their original maps without them knowing and how they felt that the maps were different but didn't know why, and how that was like how some instances of intermission somewhat worked. Satisfied with the explanations, Markov understood Adrien's feelings.
But if the Video Log was to remain on, then that meant that they couldn't talk to the Kwamis and the Kwamis couldn't talk to them during this leg of the adventure. Luckily, they could give the humans and cartoon wolf visual indications when they're not in their hiding spots, hopefully, better-planned ones. Max clipped his cell phone onto his suspenders with the active camera facing forward.
They made their way over to a wooden bridge and looked over the immediate area. On the other side of the bridge were large metal doors under what appeared to be a large Cartoon Alice Angel's face and hands, and in the hands of the cartoon characters was a banner that read "She's Quite A Gal!" Team Psi carefully crossed the bridge as the planks underneath their feet that squeaked ever so slightly with each step.
The moment all six members of the team gathered in front of the metal doors, they began opening with a loud metallic creak.
Boris then bolted ahead of the group as soon as he saw that the opening was big enough to fit through. The sudden burst of activity from the normally laidback cartoon wolf surprised the others, but they quickly recovered and ran after their friend. Plagg quickly darted back into his hiding spot as everyone raced through the twisting hallway.
"Hey! Boris! Wait up!" Kim shouted as everyone continued to race down the hallway, all managed to avoid colliding with all the sharp turns that they came across. However, the final corner they turned in to lead them to one of the most horrifying sights that any of them have ever seen. The shock of seeing this caused all of them to come to a screeching halt, literally.
Strapped to one of those surgical tables was another Boris. Except that Boris had his chest ripped open wide enough to see all the remaining organs and bones within. A pair of 'X' were in place of that Boris' pupils, indicating that that Boris was dead. Team Psi's Boris seemed to be staring hypnotically at the dead cartoon character.
"Oh! My-! Who would do something like this?!" Marinette asked out loud in shock. "Buddy? Are you all right?" the bluette asked the living toon as they took a few hesitant steps towards their friend.
When they did, they realized that the dead Boris wasn't the only corps of a cartoon in the spacious, ink-flooded room. There were more a few more Boris clones and other Ink Creature bodies, that looked similar to the Butcher Gang members, scattered around the area, all strapped to operating tables with their chests ripped wide open... All apparently tortured and operated on before they died... It was all just an utterly horrible sight, even if you didn't know that these toons were once human. This time around, Max puked his guts out over the railing. Thankfully, because the active camera was aiming at the ground as he leaned over the closest railing, it didn't get the action on the Video Log.
"Wh-wh-wh-what h-h-h-happened to all of th-th-them?!" Adrien manages to get out in a shaky tone. He couldn't believe what he was seeing with his own eyes. All of this was just far too gruesome to comprehend for the sheltered teen. He ended up joining Max in puking his guts over the railing.
Mariette rubbed Adrien's back while Kim rubbed Max's back, to help them calm down faster. Markov hovered nearby asking if they needed water to help ease their upset stomachs, more so to make sure that the two done purge any more food from their systems. The AI knew that if they had no food in their bodies then they would run out of energy quicker, which was not good, especially when they had to either fight or run from the Ink Creatures.
It took a few minutes but after the stomachs had finally settled down, they continued their quest, super cautiously. Marinette and Adrien were ready to transform into their hero personas, but then they remembered that their Video Log was still on, so they decided to hold off on transforming until the Log was off or there was the real danger. They were hoping for the former rather than the latter.
Boris looked between his clone and his team for a brief second before he timidly followed them.
Team Psi had to walk in a single line because the walkway was narrow. However, Markov was able to fly beside the group. As everyone carefully made their way over the ink-flooded room and past all the bodies of the Ink Creatures, they heard the Twisted Alice Angel tell them through the speakers in an almost sweet voice, "Look around. It took so~ many of them to make me so~ beautiful." Team Psi tightened their grip on whatever weapon they had in their hands, but Max who wasn't holding a weapon wrapped his arms around himself in uneasiness. The Twisted Alice Angel continued her monologue when she said, "Anything less than perfect was left behind."
Team Psi was utterly disgusted at these words and the tone that were used in those sentences. The Twisted Alice Angel was talking about murder and dissection like it was some kind of beauty treatment or something! Granted, the humans and AI have never had to experience this kind of thing with the Akumas, but it was this same fact that was causing this event to hit very hard.
The Twisted Alice Angel's voice broke through the groups' thoughts when she also added in an almost child-like manner, "I had to do it. She made me."
That line... Just sounded weird to the group... The Twisted Alice Angel practically admitted to murdering all the ink Creatures here to "Perfect" herself, but she claimed that someone else was making her do it? It just didn't make any sense.
Team Psi came to a corner of the ink lake with a desk, shelf, an Audio Log on top of the desk, and a plush of Alice Angel right next to the Audio Log. There was a coffin that was leaning on the wall near the desk. Just like the prior times, Max opened the recording app (while keeping the Video Log on) and pressed record as someone looked at the label on the Audio Log. "Another one of Susie Campbell's Logs..." Adrien said before he pressed the play button.
The happy voice of Susie Campbell's voice filled the area when the Audio Log played, "Who would have thought? Me having lunch with Joey Drew! Apparently, times are tougher than I thought. For a moment there, I thought I'd be stuck with the check. But I gotta say, he wasn't at all what I expected. Quite the charmer. He even called me Alice. I liked it." With that, the Audio Log came to an end with a click.
Max stopped the recording app and retitled the recording to have the name and location of the Audio Log. The bi-sceptical teen then said, "It's obvious that this was recorded after the first Ms Campbell Log we found but long before the Audio Log from the Angel Path. Also, from what it sounded like in this Log, it seemed like... Mr Drew was... *Looks at the rest of the team in confusion* 'Wooing' her? I think... But why did he call her Alice rather than Susie or Ms Campbell? I know calculating human factors isn't one of my strong suits, but... I kind of think it was weird that he did that."
The others glanced at each other in confusion. Boris just gave an unsure shrug. But they all had to admit that it was pretty weird.
"Hm? What's this?" Kim asked as he picked up a small sheet of paper off the desk that looked like a receipt. The tell teen raised a brow when he read what was listed out loud, "Joe's Fine Dining? 'For the finest quality at reasonable prices, Joe's Fine Dining cannot be beat!'? That must've been their catchphrase or something... *Looks up at the team* Any of you heard of Joe's Fine Dining before?" Boris just shrugged when Marinette said she didn't, Adrien shook his head, Max said he's never heard of it, and Markov told them that he has no access to the internet to check for that information. Kim thought for a bit before he said, "Must've closed between after this receipt was issued and before we entered this place if none of us has heard of it. *Looks back down at the receipt*. No refund accepted? That sounds cheap. Hmm... 2 Bacon Soup, 1 Linguini Alfredo, 1 Fillet Mignon, 1 Ice Tea, 1 Lemonade, and 1 Strawberry Cheesecake... That actually sounds like a pretty nice lunch... Huh? That handwriting looks familiar." The tall teen showed the others the receipt.
At the bottom of it was a handwritten note that read "Welcome Lunch for Susie Campbell. Quiet the Charmer." The handwriting DID look familiar to the group for some reason.
"Wait a minute..." Marinette said as she looks at the pen marks before asking Max if he could pull up the picture of the Company Memo. Max did, making sure that the Video Log remained active, and showed the pic to the bluette. She took the phone to zoomed in on the handwritten note at the bottom of the page and then looked between the receipt and the pic. Marinette gave a serious look when she said, "I thought so. The hand writings match. Guess this proves that Mr Drew wrote the note on that memo since I doubt that Ms Campbell would write that note about excluding her on the Company Memo. But... *Looks confused* Why would Mr Drew charm Ms Campbell before... I guess dumping her so suddenly, to put it simply?"
The only thing that they could think of was that Mr Drew was charming Susie to use her... Just like how Lila charmed the class so they would do what she wants... Kwami! There were so many parallels between the two that it was unsettling.
Everyones' thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Adrien played the Audio Log again.
"Uh, Adrien... What's wrong?" Markov asked in confusion, not understanding the actions of the blonde.
Adrien looked at his teammates when he asked, "Does her voice sound familiar to anyone?" Before he replayed the Audio Log.
Now that the blonde mentioned it... Susie Campbell's voice DID sound familiar... But then again... They have been listening to her Audio Logs...
Max placed his left hand to his chin before he said, "Markov, is you Voice Analysis functioning?" When the AI said that it did, Max asked, "Can you run a comparison between Ms Campbell's voice and any voice that we've come across since we've been here? Just find the closest probable match you can please." Marinette was moving the active camera between the two as they talked.
It took a few minutes for Markov to ran the analysis, but when he finished he said, "Umm... I found a 97.5368% match between Ms Campbell and another voice that we've come across... And... I think I now understand why Adrien found the Angel Path Audio Log so familiar."
That was when Kim asked, "Um, that's great Markov. So who's the match to Ms Campbell?" The tall teen was a little surprised by the uncharacteristic behaviour of the AI.
Markov seemed a little hesitant to answer the question. That in itself was unusual for the AI. Markov then finally answered, "The match for Ms Campbell's voice... Is the Alice Angel we're going to see shortly..." The AI didn't seem thrilled about his conclusive answer like he usually is. That was when he said, "I have also noticed that Alice Angel use a few of the near-exact words from the Company Memo, the one we found on the Angel Path when we were in the lift. The exact words were I quote "You're all interesting... So different. I have to say I'm an instant fan". Subtract the word "all" from the line and it is the exact line that Mr Drew used when he was talking about Ms Pendle in that Company Memo... Therefore, I theorize that the Alice Angel is Susie Campbell transformed and corrupted by the Ink..."
While it was true that Team Psi wanted to drop enough hints throughout their journey before they would to be able to "theorize" that the Ink Creatures were once human so that they won't have to explain how they had a Kwami with them, but… They certainly don't expect that they would be able to gather enough proof that the Ink Creatures were once human literally moments after they made their "Drop Hints so We can Make a the Theory of the Ink Creatures were Once Human" plan… They guess that shows just how twisted the studio actually is…
Max gulped before he asked, "Markov, how sure are you about that?" He knew the truth, but he still had to act out these parts to make it feel real for the Video Log. Marinette panned the active camera to Max, getting the unsure and scared look on his face.
Markov actually hesitated a few seconds before he finally said, "I am 97.5368% certain that Ms Campbell is Alice Angel... I am… Currently experiencing an emotion that I am unfamiliar with. I have checked the data four times and I know that it is as accurate as it can be, however… It seems like the data doesn't add up in a way…"
Kim was the one to respond with, "I think I know that emotion Markov..." but you can tell that he didn't seem thrilled to know. When the AI asked to tell him what the emotion was. The tall teen replied, "What you are experiencing is "uncertain". It's a state of mind rather than an emotion, and it basically means that you are unsure of something… I'm guessing that the thing you were uncertain about is the 'how' part of how Ms Campbell and Alice Angel are the same people..."
"You are correct in your statement, Kim," Markov replied in an uncharacteristically uneasy tone. The AI then stated, "I compiled a theory that she might have gone through the same thing that Mr Lawrence might have gone through but at a more advance stage than he was… However, I do not have enough data to confirm or deny that this is possible..."
Both Marinette and Adrien were quiet during this conversation. They kept glancing at their respective Kwamis, who have been floating next to them the entire time. They did this to more or less act as a buffer between keeping the Kwamis a secret from the electronic eye of the camera and acting as their translator when they need to add a detail or two.
That was when Adrien finally said in an uneasy tone, "Your theory is a bit more put together than mine when I thought the voices sounded similar… Anyone else a little unnerved that the original voice actors for Alice Angel seemed to have somehow "become" the character she played? Or at least seems to want to become the character she played?… Urg, this is actually 100 times worse than a close friend getting Akumatized."
Now Team Psi was really on edge. There was no point in hiding that.
Marinette gave Max his phone and he re-clipped it to his suspenders. Team Psi then trekked on towards their destination. They paused in front of a metal door, a few seconds later the door slowly opened with a rusty creak. Ten seconds later, the doors were open wide enough for everyone to walk through. They all walked down the twisting hallway, all clutching their respective weapons in hand, all ready to fight if they have to. Plagg and Tikki quickly darted to their usual hiding spots, more out of habit and not wanting to be seen by the Twisted Alice Angel.
It didn't take long before they saw the familiar figure of the Twisted Alice Angel, standing in front of some kind of control panel as machinery worked to keep a steady pace in the background. She seemed to be electrocuting a Piper, that was currently strapped to a surgical table, with an almost evil glee. Boris tried to hide behind Kim out of fear. The humans and AI tried to remain calm best they could but just seeing the so-called angel practically torturing another Ink Creature kept them in a state of uneasiness and fear. It was barely a relief when they saw that a glass wall was separating them from the twisted lady.
When the Twisted Alice Angel noticed them, the part of her face that could smirk did with glee. She then told Team Psi, "Hmm. Now we come to the question…" She then paused torturing the poor Piper in favour of turning her attention towards the group, and she continued by saying, "Do I kill you? *Looks at one hand* ... *Looks at the other hand* Do I tear you apart to my heart's delight? *Brings her right hand to her chest* The choices of the beautiful are unbearable. How's a girl to choose?" The Twisted Alice Angel let out a playful giggle as if she was flirting with a love interest. She then turned to glare at the poor soul strapped to the surgical table when she snapped angrily, "Take this little freaked for instance! *Points to the Piper as if he was some kind of disgusting plague*. He crawled in here… Trailing his tainted ink into my door! It could have touched me! *Her tone shifts into an angry echo* It could have pulled me back! *Now her tone changed into that of almost a frightened child as she hunched over making herself appear smaller* Do you know what it's like? Living in the dark puddles?"
Team Psi gave a sideways glance at one another at this.
The Twisted Alice Angel stood up of to her full length when she snapped angrily, "It's a buzzing, screaming well of voices! *Switches to a frightened child tone and posture* Bits of your mind, swimming... Like... Like fish in a bowl!"
Team Psi could not help but take a step back from the Twisted Alice Angel, all wondering if she was suffering from some kind of psychotic break or something along that line.
Twisted Alice then said as she stood up straight in a serious tone, "The first time I was born from its' inky womb, I was wiggling, pushing, shapeless slug. The second time... Well... *In an utterly blissful tone* It made me an angel!" She then shrank back into a fearful child tone and posture when she said, "I will not let the demon touch me again. I'm so close now. So... *stands up straight and in a more confident tone* Almost perfect." She then released a completely blissful sigh, almost like a beautiful dream was coming together for her.
Team Psi exchange confused glances at one another during this... Rambling monologue and strange behaviour... It kinda felt like the Twisted Alice Angel forgot that people were standing right in front of her like she was completely lost in her own little twistedly beautiful world...
"Yes, I will spare you," the Twisted Alice Angel concluded, remembering that she had "guests" in her lair. She was now focused on the group before her when she said, "For now. Better yet... I'll even let you ascend and leave this place. If you do me a few *Somewhat of a cute tone (at least in the Twisted Alice's opinion)* eensey, weensy little favours for me first. *Returns to her normal tone*. Return to lift my little errand boys. We have work to do!" And with that, the Twisted Alice Angel pressed a switch on the control panel in front of her which closed the shutters in front of the glass wall, blocking Team Psi's view of the two Ink Creatures.
The group was about to leave when they heard the Piper screech in agony behind the shutters as the Twisted Angel laughed with sadistic glee. Team Psi practically raced out of the room, dragging Marinette along, more so to prevent her from heroing-up and trying to save the Piper. It was already too late to save the poor soul, and the boys didn't want their female friend to agonize over not being able to save it. Also... They just wanted to get away from the Twisted Alice Angel.
Behind the shutters, the Twisted Alice Angel smirked with an evil glee when she said under her breath, "So, you finally returned to the studio."
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The moment Team Psi rushed out of the Flooded Morgue and though metal doors, they suddenly shut behind them with a metallic shriek. At the same time, a gate lowered across the bridge and blocking their path.
Through the speakers, the Twisted Alice Angel suddenly said, "My machines are hungry. Gather me some spare parts. You'll find the gears I need on Level K and here's a little something to help you." The panel next to the metal doors flipped around, revealing a pipe wrench. Marinette took the wrench off the panel, and that somehow triggered the gate in front of the bridge to rise.
Team Psi quickly scurried across the bridge, more along the lines of wanting to be as far away from the so-called angel as possible. Once they got to the stairs, the Twisted Alice Angel suddenly told them to the speakers, "There are so few rules to our world now. So little truth." The group quickly ascended the stairs and headed to the elevator as Alice continued, "But there is one rule that we all know and respect down here." Kim quickly pressed the button for the lift doors, and they opened with a ding. "Beware the Ink Demon," the Twisted Alice Angel stated as Team Psi hurried into the lift, and pulling Max along because he was still wiry about the lift. Adrien quickly pressed the button for Level K as the so-called angel continued with her little speech, "Stay out in the open for too long and he will find you. For if you see him, you'd better hide. *The lift moved upwards towards level K*. If you don't, well, I enjoyed our date. Now let us begin our work." The lift stopped at level K and the doors slid opened with a ding.
As Team Psi stepped out of the lift, more for Max's peace of mind. When they did they heard the Twisted Alice Angel say through the speakers on level K, "Have you met him? The Ink Demon? They say he hears everything. Every creak of the floor. Every rustle of paper. I wouldn't run so fast if I were you. You never know what will draw him in."
Adrien shuttered when he said, "I don't trust her one bit." Boris nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Urg, that's an understatement if I ever heard one," Kim commented as he fiddled with his pipe wrench.
Max pushed his glasses up with his left hand when he said, "After meeting her in person and having to walk through that... Flooded Morgue! She is actually making me miss Hawkmoth and his Akumas. At least they don't kill anyone and aren't sadistic..."
Markov then stated, "Technically speaking, Hawkmoth just wants the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir, not to harm or destroy anyone. And while the Akumas have caused mayhem and destruction, they haven't physically harmed anyone on purpose... But you are correct, Hawkmoth and his Akumas are certainly better company than Alice Angel... Should I find it worrying that we are indeed thinking that?"
That was when Marinette said, "Markov, it's normal to think that, especially in a situation like this, well, ones that aren't as twisted and horrible. It just means that we're comparing Alice Angel to Hawkmoth and are preferring Hawkmoth and his Akuma antics over, well, Alice and her... Stuff... Urg, I would rather deal with Dark Cupid's Anti-Love Arrows a hundred times rather than repeat going through that "Morgue" and interacting with Alice Angel again."
Kim couldn't help but say, "I feel a little conflicted about that. Considering I was Dark Cupid..."
Marinette quickly said, "Yeah, sorry about that, but considering that was the only Akuma Affliction I can remember off the top of my head, I had to say it. Dark Blade and the Pharoah being tied for second in my book." She knew she could talk about the Akuma Battles that 'Marinette' wasn't anywhere near as long as the Video Log was on.
With a conflicted look on his face, Max said, "I hate to be the one to bring this up, but... I don't think we have much of a choice but to do that "Angel's" bidding..." He then unhooked the phone clipped to his suspenders and looked at the screen. Max then asked as he paned the active camera at the rest of Team Psi, "Should I keep the Video Log on?"
Everyone glanced at each other before Marinette said, "Maybe we shou-"
"RRRWWWAAAAA!"
Everyone turned to the balcony overhead just in time to see a Piper hobble across towards the stairs.
"Oh shit!" Kim shouted as Boris coward behind the tall teen.
Markov quickly locked onto the Piper before taking careful aim at the Ink Creature's head before firing a bolt. The Piper staggered a bit from the impact before returning on its path as it hobbled down the stairs. Markov fired again and this time there was a confirmed result. The Piper fell down the stairs. When it hit the ground, it turned into a splatter of black ink. A metal clank of a silvery-yellow- gear hitting the ground got everyone's attention. Markov flew over, picked up the gear with his claw, and looked it over. The AI then flew back to the group and asked, "Is this one of the "Gears" that Alice Angel wants?"
Marinette took the gear from Markov and looked it over. Adrien looked at the item over the bluette's shoulder when he said, "Let's hope it is. So one down." Marinette then shoved the gear into her pack as Tikki poked her head out of the purse to see what was happening.
Max looked at his phone before he shrugged and reattached his phone to his suspenders with the active camera facing forward. Tikki saw this and quickly signalled Plagg that that Video Log was still active. The black Kwami looked at the phone before nodding. Markov noticed the Video Log being on and was a little disappointed about that since he won't be able to hear or talk the Kwamis until the other device was off.
They noticed a puddle of bubbling ink that wasn't there earlier, but since nothing happened, they walked passed the puddle to continue the quest. They trekked up the stairs and walked towards the hole in the wall. A Searcher suddenly appeared in the corner near the hole and crawled towards Team Psi. Marinette quickly slammed the wrench into the Searcher's head, the Ink Creature was reduced to a puddle after the impact.
Marinette stared at the puddle for a bit, then remembered that the Video Log was still on. She knew she had to drop the "Theory Seeds" to help ease into making people outside believe that the Ink Creatures were once human. The bluette turned to her friends and asked, "Hey guys, I've been thinking... If Alice Angel is Ms Campbell, then... Do you think that all these Searchers, Butcher Gang Members, and all the Boris, even our Boris, were once people too?" Max turned to the cartoon wolf, to get his reaction on the Video Log, but Boris could only shrug at the question because he couldn't remember any of his memories completely.
Adrien shuttered, even though he already knew this fact, before he said, "Urg, Mari, please don't bring that idea up! My stomach still hasn't settled from the Flooded Morgue or the meeting with that "Angel", and I really don't want to throw up again." The blonde queasily rubbed his stomach at this, which was caught on the Video Log.
Kim was the one to say, "Adrien, I get where you're coming from, but I understand Mari's line of thinking... Especially since our run-in with Mr Lawrance... And now Alice Angel... It's kinda hard not to think about it, you know?" They walked back into the toy storage area.
Markov understood what was happening as they walked through the hole in the wall when he vocalized, "It seems as though my theory on Alice Angel being her former Voice Actress Susie Campbell caused you all to make a parallel theory on the other Ink Creatures we've come across."
As Kim whacked an attacking Searcher that suddenly popped up in front of a panel box, Max told the AI, "It couldn't be helped. Your theory was a little too conclusive, especially since their voices were a near-perfect match..."
Adrien then opened the panel and saw the gear they needed. "Another down," the blonde said as he pulled the gear out and handed it to Marinette, who shoved it into her bag. The group then searched around the storage area for the next gear. They found a couple of the panels but those were empty.
They walked over to a corner of the area, that seemed longer to get to because of the shelves acting like labyrinth walls. Another Searcher suddenly appeared, blocking the panel. It tried to strike at the group, but Adrien took care of it with a single hit to the head. Kim opened the panel and found another gear.
The moment the gear was removed, they heard the Twisted Alice Angel tell them through the speakers, "Ah, that should be plenty. Return them to me. And try not to die on the way back."
Marinette glanced up at one of the nearby speakers when she said, "She's being pleasant. *Now in realization*. Wait! Is she watching us?!"
Max pushed his glasses up with his left hand when he stated, "Judging by how she knew that we have acquired the number of gears she needed... Yes, she has to be somehow watching us." He then glanced around the storage area, looking specifically where the walls met the ceiling for anything that might resemble a security camera. That was when Max said as they started heading back to the lift, "But it's strange that I'm not seeing any security cameras..."
Boris tapped his chin to think for a few seconds before he shrugged as they made their way through the hole in the wall. "So you don't know about how she does it either?" Adrien asked the cartoon wolf as they made their way down the stairs.
A Searcher suddenly sprang up from the bubbling ink puddle and crawled towards the group. Kim quickly acted and struck the Searcher in the head with a swing of his weapon. The Searcher burst into a splatter of ink from the impact. Kim made a wiry sound before he said, "Okay, this idea of the Ink Creatures being human thing is kinda making me more than a little uncomfortable with taking them out, even I know we have to because they'll attack us... But... Do you think that means that... Bendy was once human too?"
Team Psi glanced at one another at that question. It seemed... Strange to think about Bendy maybe being human for some reason... And no one in the group knew why...
Boris pressed the door button for the lift, and then they waited for the lift to arrive. They fidgeted for a bit as the seconds ticked by. They trooped into the lift when it arrived and the doors opened with a ding. They were anxious as the button for Level 9 was pressed.
"Sammy said I had talent," they heard the Twisted Alice Angel tell them through the speakers as the lift descended towards Level 9. She continued this... Sudden monologue when she said, "He was always a good liar. Still, he was once a very handsome man."
"That was... Weird, yet telling at the same time..." Marinette commented as the lift slowly descended towards the programmed location. The bluette looked at the rest of the team when she said, "But why is she telling us this? I mean, I know I would sometimes gush about crushes with the other girls before a certain someone came into the picture, but we usually had a conversation that leads up to that topic... Her's just seemed out of nowhere."
"Is that a girl thing? Talking about crushes?" Adrien asked with a small smirk.
Marinette shrugged when she said, "I wouldn't know what you boys talk about when you have your little gatherings, so I wouldn't know if it's just a "girl thing" or a "teenager thing". But I'm pretty sure there's always some kind of lead up before talking about a topic with you guys." She folded her arms in front of her chest as she returned the small smirk to Adrien.
Kim couldn't help but say, "Mari's got a point there. About the leading to a conversational point. I mean, sometimes we do see or think of something that could change topics, but how Alice Angel brought up her "crush" on Mr Lawrance was kinda out of nowhere..."
Max pushed his glasses up with his left hand when he said, "But this information seems to be further proof that Alice Angel is Ms Campbell. However... She seems to be... A little more unstable mentally than Mr Lawrance was..."
Markov couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of the two... Did this studio not have a policy about co-workers dating back when it was open? Because she seems to be implying that she and Mr Lawrance were romantically involved with each other." Boris couldn't help but give the AI a confused look.
Max gave a nervous chuckle before he said, "That's one way to put it..." Kim, Marinette, Adrien, and Boris couldn't help but glance at each other with a telling look. All can agree that while the information was helping to solidify that the Ink Creatures were once human, they couldn't help think that the sudden timing of receiving the information was strange...
The lift doors opened with a ding when it arrived at Level 9. Team Psi trooped out of the lift and headed back towards the metal gate with the giant Alice Angel head. When they stood in front of the doors, the Twisted Alice Angel told them through the speakers, "Very good my little errand boys. Place them in the box next to the doors." It didn't take more than three seconds to find what the lady meant, and it only proved that she was somehow watching them. Marinette took the gears out of her bag and pushed them into the box, along with the pipe wrench. The flap on it made a metallic squeak when it moved.
When the bluette walked back to the group the Twisted Alice Angel said over the speakers, "Have you seen them? The swollen ones! They're just stuffed full of extra-thick ink. It makes me sick! And yet... It's the perfect thing for keeping myself together. If you're going to catch them, you're going to have to learn to move quietly. You can find them on Level 11. Here's a little something to help you with collecting that Thick Ink." With that, the panel on the right of the metal doors flipped open, revealing a giant syringee with a rather sharp needle attached.
All the boys coward away from the needle. Marinette placed her hands on her hips when she looked at them and said, "Oh come on, don't tell me that you all are scared of a little needle? And one of you doesn't even have skin."
"No!" Adrien, Kim, Max, and Markov said at the same time as Boris tried to hid behind Kim again. Marinette obviously didn't believe that statement. That was when the tallest of the group said, "We're scared of a sharp, huge-ass needle!" Tikki and Plagg held their laughter as Marinette sighed before she took the syringe off the panel, causing the mechanisms for the panel door to close and the bridge gate to open.
Team Psi trooped back to the lift and Adrien pressed the button for Level 11. The lift slowly moved up and stopped at the designated floor. When the doors opened with a ding, they spotted a Searcher that looked... Thicker than normal... Almost twice as thick...
Markov couldn't help but comment softly, so not to alert the Swollen Searcher to their presence, "I calculated that it would've taken us a long time to find those particular Searchers."
Kim has to whisper back, "Ditto, but I'm not surprised, to be honest."
That was when Marinette whispered to the group, "Max, Markov, Kim, and Boris, you guys stay here while Adrien and I go after those Swollen Searchers."
"Why do you get to go?" Kim complained.
Max pushed his glasses up with his left hand before he whispered, "Considering that this errand involves stealth, and from what Alice Angel implied, it would be best to allow the individuals to have more adapted skills in it so the task can be completed efficiently."
When Kim vocalized a, "Huh?" Adrien explained quietly, "We can't be sneaky in a group our size and some of us aren't exactly good at being quiet."
Kim raised a brow when he asked softly, "Who on this team isn't stealthy?" It didn't take long before the tell teen noticed that the rest of the team was staring at him. Kim turned pink when he said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Ah, riiiiight..."
"Plus, it might be a good idea to have some of us stay by the lift, just in case something happens," Marinette said as he looked around the area to think of a plan to sneak up on the Swollen Searcher. There was also the fact that she and Adrien needed to talk to Tikki and Plagg.
Max placed his left hand on Marinette's shoulder when he said in a worried tone, "Be careful, both of you. We don't know what else is lurking here."
Marinette placed a free hand on Max's arm when she said, "We will, and we will stick together. If what we gathered from the Audio Logs is true, then we should be able to fit inside those Little Miracle Stations, just in case we run into the Ink Demon Bendy."
"You two better come back or else I'm searching for you myself," Kim stated in a serious tone.
"We know, "Marinette and Adrien said at the same time as they took a step out of the lift and quietly made their way towards the Swollen Searcher.
~}i{ Outside the Studio }i{~
"Time Heal!" Bunnyx shouted as she threw her umbrella into the air, and reversing the effects of the recent Akuma.
The recent victims were Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng, they were Akumatized into Were-Dad and Verity Queen respectively. Like Lady WiFi, they tried to get into Joey Drew Studios, but fail and went on a rampage because of it. The Temporary Heroes knew they had to try to keep their connection to Marinette on the back burner for now when they had to comfort her parents.
As Sabine and Tom sat on a nearby bench Madame Emerald picked up the object that was Akumatized, which looked like a letter of some sort. The Turtle Holder quickly read the letter, now knowing that it was an official-looking letter, "Dear Ms Marinette Dupain-Cheng, we are thrilled to inform you that you have won First Place in our Starry Night Themed "Style This" challenge. Not only did your designs excelled what we were looking for but you have succeeded in incorporating the Hidden Element that we asked for. Your design will be on the cover of our upcoming Annual Issue and your prize winnings will be sent to your address by an official from our magazine along with the verification of this contest win to add to your portfolio..." Madame Emerald couldn't finish reading the letter as she looked up at the Dupain-Cheng pair, looking as depressed as they felt.
"Our daughter entered that contest three months ago... She loved the theme and wanted to something that would make them feel like they were looking at the Milky Way on a cloudless night..." Sabine explained as Tom placed a hand on hers.
Tom then added, "We... Forgot about that contest until we got that letter today... And it... Reminded us when Marinette started sketching out rough drafts for it... She looked so happy when she did..." He looked at his wife, both just embraced each other when the taller said, "We wanted to show her the letter but... We remembered that she's..." That was when the tears flowed out of him.
Tears trickled down Sabine's face when she said, "We were holding the letter together when the Akuma entered it. By the time we realized it, Hawkmoth was already telling us that he'll give us the powers to rescue our daughter!"
The Temporary Heroes looked at each other. The parents just wanted their daughter back!
Urg now came the difficult part of being a hero...
Drak-Kon was the one to ask, "I hate to ask, but what else can you remember about your Akumatization?" Mitsubachi gave the Dupain-Chengs handkerchiefs to help dry their eyes.
"Not much," Sabine said as she dabbed her cheeks with the cloth. She then said, "He just said he'd give us the power to get into that accursed studio so we can save Marinette and her friends."
That was when Tom finished sadly, "And when we couldn't get in, we went, well... You saw..." He then blew his runny nose into the cloth.
That was when Viperion asked, "Wait a second, Hawkmoth just Akumatized you to save your daughter and her friends?" When the Dupain-Cheng pair nodded sadly, the Snake Holder then asked in a serious tone, "Did he ask you to find out about Ladybug and Chat Noir's locations in return?"
The parents thought about that for a bit before they looked at each other when Sabine said, "Now that you mention it... No, he didn't say anything about that or that he wanted something in return." That was when Tom added, "In fact... He just encouraged us to save our child, nothing else... Now that I think about it, it seemed rather strange that he did... He didn't even mention Ladybug or Chat Noir." Sabine nodded in agreement with her husband.
The Temporary Heroes glanced at each other with knowing looks in their eyes. It was looking like their theory about Hawkmoth being close to Team Psi was starting to become more plausible.
}{ A Couple of Minutes Later, on Top of the Eiffel Tower }{
"Considering that the letter was confirmed to have been delivered today and that they forgot about Marinette entering that contest..." Bunnyx said as she looked over their current list of suspects who could be Hawkmoth and Mayura.
Drak-Kon finished with, "It's safe to assume that the Duapin-Chengs aren't Hawkmoth And Mayura, since the whole thing wasn't planned." The Rabbit Holder used a red pen to cross off Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng from the Suspect list.
Mitsubachi then pointed out, "May I also add that their heights don't match Hawkmoth or Mayura. Mr Dupain is taller than Hawkmoth and Mrs Cheng is shorter than Mayura. And they also seemed confused about Hawkmoth's sudden lack of interest of Ladybug and Chat Noir once they realized it." She wanted to focus on those details, more to prove to herself that Marinette's parents aren't the villains plaguing Paris.
Viperion folded his arms when he said as he looked up at the clouds, "And considering we haven't released the fact that Hawkmoth changed his MO, it's safe to assume that they are indeed innocent." He didn't need to use his Second Chance to notice how the other heroes seemed to be as relieved as he was. 'Do they... Also know Marinette?' the Snake Holder thought to himself.
~}i{ Inside Joey Drew Studios }i{~
Adrien and Marinette managed to get some Thick Ink from the Swollen Searcher before they had to move further away from the lift. They cautiously walked down the hallway just in time to see another mutated member of the Butcher Gang.
This Butcher Gang Member looked like it had the rounded body of Barley that seemed to be in almost perfect in condition and wore what resembles a tight black suit. He wears a pair of boot-like shoes, and a wooden sign for a buckle from his belt which says, "LIAR" written in ink. He was also wearing a pair of white gloves sprinkled with ink and wields a unique wrench in his left hand. His neck is replaced with a wooden fishing rod, which allows his head to dangle by a thread similar to a fishing bobber. There is a wooden, fish-shaped cutout dangling from the top of the rod by the hook. Upon observing, this Fisher's head looked more similar to Edgar's head than Barley's, evidenced by the larger lips, a pair of fangs ending up merged as a result of deformity, a rounder head, and a much circular "forehead" part of the "black outlines" outside the face (opposed to Barley's which was triangular) to nearly match Edgar's appearance in the Butcher Gang's cartoon poster. From what the heroes could guess, the Barley's head was switched to an Edgar's head. Although it was a little hard to tell, with a cornpipe-like object punched above the upper lip for a nose. While his left usual-oval eye now resembles a large hole, his right eye is fairly different in comparison to Edgar's original eyes, looking small and rounder than oval-shaped, with an X-shape for a pupil. The squarish ears are ripped off. The left side of his face is covered with growth-like tumours sporting either white boils or warts. His big-lipped mouth remains open and constantly grimacing, and contains a small set of false teeth slightly resembling of the nutcracker.
Since they weren't sure if they were out of hearing range of the Video Log, they couldn't chance on having their voices calling out their transformation phrases caught. They had to fight this Fisher as civilians... Good thing they had experienced in fighting. Adrien and Marinette managed to kill the Fisher in five well-placed strikes with their respective weapons, three from Adrien and two from Marinette. The Fisher then exploded into a puddle of ink and leaving a rather big, thick blob of ink plopped on the ground.
Marinette stabbed the thick blob with the needle and used the plunger to suck the whole thing up. Two down, and who knows how many to go... But judging by how filled the syringee was... Maybe one more Swollen Searcher...
The duo continued down the hallway. It didn't take long until they came to an area with an ink- flooded hallway next to a Little Miracle Station in the corner. A Searcher suddenly sprang up and tried to attack the two, but a quick strike to the head took it out.
Suddenly, the Kwamis flew out of their hiding spots and pointed frantically at the Miracle Station. They didn't speak because they didn't want to risk being heard by the Video Log. Adrien and Marinette glance at each other in confusion before they saw inky webs appearing on the walls and the faint sound of a heartbeat echoed softly through the hallway. Those signs could only mean one thing!
Adrien and Marinette immediately darted to the Little Miracle Station. They squeezed into it with the Kwamis as the bluette quickly and quietly closed the door. It was a snugged fit like they thought it would be with two people, but it wasn't too bad. Marinette, Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg cautiously watched through the opening at eye level.
The area got grey and practically dripped with ink as the heartbeat sound started getting a little louder. When black nearly covered their vision of the area and the sound of the heartbeat was like it was next to their ears, the Ink Demon Bendy walked through an inky portal in the wall.
Adrien quickly grabbed Marinette's hand and squeezed it as he trembled. The bluette gently squeezed his hand back as she used her thumb to rub a soothing pattern on his skin as they held each others' hand. They watched as Bendy aimlessly walked by the Little Miracle Station, not even noticing that people were inside.
Guess the information about the Little Miracle Stations was true, Bendy wasn't interested in the Miracle Station at all.
But even if that was true, it was hard for the heroes to not hold their breaths when the Ink Demon was so close to them.
Suddenly, Bendy stopped walking and stood in front of the wooden structure that the teens and Kwamis were in. Both Marinette and Adrien could feel their hearts just racing in their chests at this. Plagg and Tikki trembled in fear. Bendy then turned his head towards the Miracle Station.
Did the Ink Demon know that they were close? That they were inside the Little Miracle Station? Did he even care? Did he want to rip the wooden structure apart to get at them? Did he want the Kwamis? Did he want to kill them?
That was when Bendy lifted his oversized gloved hand towards the wooden structure.
The fear in the heroes only rose, to the point that they forgot that they could transform to properly defend themselves. That there were Kwamis with them.
The gloved hand was placed on the top of the box with a soft thud. The ones inside the Miracle Station could only watch in terror as they waited for the Ink Demon to attack! To rip off the door! To kill them on sight!
Marinette, Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg closed their eyes in pure fear as they waited for the Ink Demon to act. This felt worse than Hawkmoth discovering their civilian identities and taking their Miraculous!
The seconds ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace.
And after waiting in the Miracle Box for who knows how long, they finally opened one of their eyes to see what was delaying their end. But the Ink Demon was gone! The ink webs were also gone and the heartbeat sound that was there was only in their chests.
What happened?
After waiting for their hearts to calm down, they slowly and cautiously opened the door to the Miracle Station. They carefully looked around the area, looking for any trace of the Ink Demon, but there was nothing...
"Not to be ungrateful, but why didn't he do anything?" Adrien asked as they all exited the Miracle Station.
"I'm... Not sure..." Tikki whispered as she looked back at the Little Miracle Station as Marinette closed the door behind her. Plagg looked around the corner for any signs of the Ink Demon or the ink webs but saw nothing.
Marinette stood on her toes to get a better look at the spot where the Ink Demon touched. She then reached a hand up and placed it where the gloved hand of the Ink Demon had touched. "Huh?" Marinette vocalized when she felt something on that spot. She pulled her hand back and looked at what was she found. When she did, she could only vocalize a, "Hm?"
Adrien looked over the bluette's shoulder when he asked, "What's wrong?" When Marinette showed the blonde what was in her palm, he replied with, "Okay, that is strange, but what does it mean?" Tikki and Plagg looked at what was in Marinette's palm too, but even they were confused at what they were seeing.
Marinette closed her hand into a fist with the object inside when she said, "I'm not sure, but the Ink Demon had it so it must mean something." She then placed what she found in her purse before she picked up the syringee and said, "Let's show it to the others when we get back to the lift, maybe they might have an idea."
That was when Adrien said, "But... Why did the Ink Demon have it in the first place? And why leave it here?" It just didn't make any sense to the blonde, but it also didn't make much sense to the bluette too.
Marinette scratched her head when she said, "Can't this place be straight-forward with something just once!"
That was when Plagg whispered, "Let's just get the last Swollen Searcher and get back to the others! The faster we're together, the faster we'll feel better." That the three could agree to.
With that, they walked through the flooded hallway, just to check to see if the last Swollen Searcher was there. When they came to the end, they spotted a light. They ducked behind the wooden barrels before they peaked over to see a tall humanoid creature that is almost completely covered in ink and notably has a projector as his head. Several long, hanging black wires (possibly film roll) are attached to his back and under his head, with the longer wire attaching to his right ankle, and another attached to his right arm. He has a film reel stuck in his left shoulder. This Ink Creature seems to wear clothing from what they could vaguely tell, with rolled-up sleeves for his shirt, and pants with a rolled-up left pant leg and a pair of large boots. He has a speaker sticking out from the middle of his chest. He's also wearing gloves covered in lines of ink. Adrien quickly pulled his phone out and quickly snapped a picture of the projector using Ink Creature before it disappeared, he then shoved his phone back into his pocket.
Plagg couldn't help but say quietly, "What the heck was that one?"
Tikki quietly replied with, "Some kind of inky projectionist?"
That was when the heroes spotted an Audio Log sitting on top of one of the barrels. Adrien picked up the Audio Log and read the handwritten label, "Another from Mr Franks." He placed it back on the barrel, pulled his phone out again, opened an audio recording app, quickly named the file Wally Franks, Level 11, Ink Hallway.' Adrien then said, "Well, let's hear what Mr Franks has to say in this," then pressed the record button on his phone. Marinette nodded as she pressed the play button on the Audio Log.
The Audio Log clicked on and the Voice of Wally Franks filled the air when he said, "I don't get it. Everyone's walking around here like grandma just died. Nothing but angry faces everywhere. These people got to lighten up. I mean hello! You make cartoons! Your job is to make people laugh. I'm tellin' ya, if these people don't start crackin' a smile now and then, I'm outta here." And with that, the Audio log ended with a click. Adrien stopped the recording app before he shoved the device back into his pocket.
Plagg placed his paws on his hips when he said, "I like this Wally guy, he keeps a positive outlook on things."
Tikki tapped on of her paws to her chin when she said, "True, but I'm a little more focused on what he was saying. He seemed to have noticed that the other workers of this studio were, umm, what's the right word to use? Well, he compared their feelings to what happens when having their grandmother just passing away."
Marinette placed her free hand to her chin when she said, "Angry and aggravated seems to be the right thing to use... But it's practically proof that the employees weren't exactly "happy" to be working at this place..."
Adrien leaned against the wall when he said, "Bugaboo, no offence, but it seems like Mr Drew wasn't exactly the best boss of the year or anything close. And given what we've found relating to him, it sounds like he was as manipulative as Lie-la." Marinette had to agree on that.
Suddenly a Swollen Searcher popped up in the ink near them. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, they took it out and sucked the Think Ink into the syringe. The moment the Thick Ink was completely in the syringee, they heard the Twisted Alice Angel tell them through the speakers in a rather angry tone, "How sickening! Urg, makes my skin crawl! *Back to her normal tone*. But the task is done. Bring me back my equipment, please."
'Seriously, how is she watching us?' Marinette, Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg thought at the same time.
"At least she said "please" this time around," Marinette said flatly as they made their way through the ink flooded hallway. The fashion duo stopped caring about their stained clothing. It didn't matter anymore since they always have to walk through ink or had ink drip on them, they've even gotten used to having ink in their shoes, even if that was still uncomfortable.
When they spotted the lift, they raced over to it with smiles on their faces. Kim pressed the button for the doors on the lift control panel. The doors opened with a ding. Marinette, Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg happily rejoined the team just outside the lift as Markov said, "We heard Alice Angel, so we can assume that you have completed the task." The Heroes and Kwamis noticed that Max didn't have his cellphone attached to his suspenders. The techy explained that he decided to turn off the Video Log because he noticed that the power to his cellphone was getting low. Tikki and Plagg sighed with relief, now they can talk to everyone again.
Adrien smiled when he said, "Yeah, wasn't too hard, but we had a little trouble on the way." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through it until he found the picture he took of the Ink Creature with the projector. The blonde showed Kim, Max, Markov, and Boris the picture.
Kim couldn't help but comment, "Whoa, that one looks like a walking projectionist or something. Did it see you?"
Marinette shook her head when she said, "No we ducked out of sight when we saw the light from the projector, but I don't think he would've seen us from where he was anyway... *Places her free hand to her chin* Projectionist... Markov, do you have any information on Norman Polk?"
Tikki tilted her head to the side when she asked, "The projection booth guy?" Marinette nodded as Markov searched his databanks for the information he needed.
Markov made a ding before he said, "Mr Polk went missing two years before the studio closed... His younger sister mentioned in the missing persons report that she suspected Mr Drew for her brother's disappearance and said that he kept saying in the letters he sent her that something weird was happening at the studio. She seemed certain that Mr Drew was behind her brother's disappearance, but there was never any solid proof of his involvement... Marinette? May I inquire why you are asking about Mr Polk?"
Marinette glanced at Adrien when she said in a serious tone, "I think that Projectionist character Chaton and I saw might've been Mr Polk." The bluette let out a sigh when she said, "But there's only speculation right now." It was obvious that she wasn't liking what she was saying. That was when Marinette said, "But considering all the evidence we have so far, it's safe to assume that the Projectionist character was someone from this studio..."
That was when Adrien said, "Speaking of evidence. Bugaboo, show them what you found from our run-in with Ink Bendy."
"YOU ENCOUNTERED THE INK DEMON?!" Max, Kim, and Markov shouted in shock while Boris gulped and then trembled in fear.
"Yes, but those Little Miracle Stations worked! But it still felt like a close call, especially when he was that close to us," Plagg stated with a worried gleam in his green eyes.
Marinette pulled out the small object that the Ink Demon left behind out of her purse and showed it to the rest of the team. Boris scratched his head in confusion when he saw it.
Max glanced at the heroes when he asked, "Did... The Ink Demon really have this?" Kim scratched his head in confusion, wondering why the Ink Demon had such an odd object on hand.
Marinette shoved the small thing back into her purse when she said, "Pretty sure, but the thing that's kinda bothering us, besides the whole fact that he had it, is why did he leave it where we could find it."
"He... Left it for you?" Kim asked in a strange mixture of confusion and shock.
Adrien shrugged before he placed his hand to his chin and said, "From his movements, probably... But... We're not sure if he knew we were in the Little Miracle Station or not. Or why he left the thing where he did... Man, that event was just... Weird." And that statement was way to true, Marinette and the Kwamis had to agree.
After taking a few deep breaths before they all walked into the lift. When they all were in, they heard the Twisted Alice Angel tell them through the speakers in an almost child-like innocent, "Once upon a time, there was an angel. And she was beautiful and loved by all." Max quickly pressed the button for Level 9, causing the lift to descend, as the Twisted Alice Angel continued, "She was perfect. *Cries out* No matter what Joey says!"
Team Psi glanced at each other at the last line. Seems like Joey Drew really did a number on Susie Campbell. But it did bring up how she became an Ink Creature variation of Alice Angel...
When the lift reached its destination, the doors opened with a ding. Team Psi trooped out and made their way to the Angel's Doors. Marinette shoved the syringee full of Thick Ink into the bin before they all stood in front of the metal doors. The gates blocked the bridge.
The Twisted Alice Angel then told the team through the speakers yet again, "I'll make this simple. Look for the valve panels on Level P. Turn the little wheels. Then bring me their power cores. Please don't make me regret sparing you all. I can always change my mind." The panel next to the doors opened, revealing a plunger.
This time Marinette squirmed away from the panel with a squeak when she shouted, "EW! You've got to be kidding me! We are not using THAT gross thing to fight!"
Adrien looked at the simple object when he said, "Umm, it's just a plunger."
Marinette cringed when she snapped in a huffy tone, "A plunger that we have no idea where it's been!"
"Oh," the guys vocalized in unison, now realizing that the bluette had a point...
Max looked up at the Alice Angel head and tried to see if this idea will work. "Um, excuse us, Miss Alice Angel."
"Yes? What do you want?" The Twisted Alice Angel responded in annoyance.
Okay, that actually worked. Max cleared his throat when he said in a slightly nervous tone, "Um, we kinda already have enough weapons to defend ourselves with, so would it be alright with you if we left the plunger here?"
After a few seconds, the Twisted Alice Angel finally said, "That's fine, I don't care either way as long as the job gets done. I don't see why you could've just stayed in those strange forms, at least the two of you that can."
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight... Marinette and Adrien were in their Hero Personas when they first met the Twisted Alice Angel...
Marinette came through when she said, "Those forms have a limited power source, so we can't be in those for a long time." She wasn't lying per se, but she had to be vague when she was telling the truth.
"Hm, very well. Now just finish the task before I decide to kill you. My patience is wearing," the Twisted Alice Angel said through the speakers. With that, Team Psi scurried away as soon as the gates lifted. "Have a fun time with your friends, Henry," the Twisted Alice Angel whispered menacingly into the speakers unknowingly.
"Huh?" Kim vocalized as he looked back at the Alice Angel head as he and the rest of the team climbed the stairs. When he was asked by Max what was wrong, the tall teen replied with, "I thought I heard Alice Angel say something, but I think I was just imagining things." With that, they entered the lift and pressed the button for Level P.
Once they arrived at Level P, they had to make their plan. They didn't know how many power cores they needed or how many of these panels they needed to look in, so... They had to split up... No one liked it, but... It was the quickest way to get the power cores... And they can keep in touch with the Walky-Talkies or the weapons that the heroes carried (which can be used as communication devices).
Boris will stay at the lift while the rest of the Team searches the area for the power cores. Marinette and Adrien quickly transformed into Ladybug and Chat Noir, more so so they can give Max the pipe to defend himself. The moment Chat gave Max the pipe they heard the familiar voice of a Butcher Gang Member approaching.
They turned to the sound just in time to see the worst of the mutilated Butcher Gang Members.
This Butcher Gang Member looked liked it had Barley's head attached onto Edgar's body along with few cartoon character body parts, like a hybrid. This is enough to make his appearance entirely unrecognizable and bizarrely different from his original form (Edgar) for comparison. The Barley's head looked heavily toned down from the other mutilations, with two shoelace-like straps sewn onto his forehead and sporting an extra mouth with chattering, maniacal teeth on the top of his head. The lower part of his face (mouth, cheeks, beard, and a nose) is replaced with somewhat darker-coloured cartoon lips sewn together whilst possessing only a few stitches. His right eyepatch was replaced with a movable human-like eyeball, placing in the right eye-socket with three straps, and a left non-mutilated pie eye gazed in a shocked emotion. it looked like the original Barley's ears were replaced with Edgar's small squarish ears printed by several white boils. The overall looks on Barley's both head and face give a faint resemblance to Edgar's. The four upper legs for Striker's Edgar body are replaced with three, thin arms ending with hands that wear two-darted white gloves, probably taken from some anonymous cartoon characters. However, his both left arms are fused into one with an extender bar which acts as his main weapon, with a hose connecting the bar to what seems to resemble some kind of "lips" opened wide. What remains for Edgar's body is a long pear-shaped stomach and two short legs with shoes. Because of both ankle disorder, his right foot moves awkwardly and drags his left foot when running.
Ladybug and Chat Noir leapt into action as the Striker-like Ink Creature attacked. Chat hit the Ink Creature twice while Ladybug got in three hits. When the Striker hit the ground, it fell to the ground like a ragdoll and dropping a power core an the ground. Chat Noir picked up the power core when he said, "Well... That's one less we have to search for." Ladybug nodded in agreement.
Now was the grouping of teams. Max and Markov would be with Chat Noir while Kim would be with Ladybug. They'll keep in touch if something happens and hide in the Miracle Stations if needed. With that, they separated to collect the power cores.
(Skipping this part because there is NO WAY in the inky bowels of the studio am I writing out THIS tedious part! It's annoying to do in-game and it'll be even worse to write!)
~}i{ Outside the Studio, Collège Françoise Dupont }i{~
Alix doodled on the piece of paper in front of her as she sat at her assigned seat. At least that's what it looked like to anyone but the pinkette. 'Hawkmoth has to have some connection to either Kim, Max, Marinette, Adrien, or even all of them,' she thought as she looked at her scribbles. Alix sighed as she looked around at her classmates. The missing teens' desks were still covered with gifts, flowers, and cards. A sad look appeared on Alix's face when she thought, 'I wish we could focus on getting them out of that studio rather than deal with Hawkmoth and his Akumas... Hold on...' She then looked back to the paper in front of her and thought, 'Other than Alya, no one else from our class has been Akumatized since Team Psi were tricked by that lier and all of us have been feeling a lot of negative emotion since then... So...'
'Why is Hawkmoth leaving our class alone?' Chloe thought as she pretended to read the book in front of her. She too was on the same thought process as Alix. The Turtle Holder turned the page when she thought, 'Everyone here has been utterly miserable since that horrid day, and while I'm not surprised that Alya got Akumatized since she was hit the hardest, I'm surprised that no one else here did. Even Miss Bustier hasn't been Akumatized despite her mood being as bad as everyone else.'
Chloe was right. Miss Bustier, who was always smiling, hasn't had her usual cheery self since Team Psi were tricked into going to the real location of the Joey Drew Studios. Heck, the redheaded teacher was normally so chipper that it was contagious, but now... She was as unhappy as her students since that day...
Nino was tapping a random beat on his desk when he thought, 'Is there a reason why Hawkmoth is leaving our class alone? Or is it because he didn't want to make Team Psi's friends suffer more? Especially if they fail to enter that studio? Dude's gotta have a reason for that.' The Dragon Holder then thought as he placed an elbow on his desk and rested his chin on his palm, 'I also wonder why that studio is keeping Kim, Mari, Adrien, Max, and Markov inside it? I mean... There's gotta be more going on inside that place beside the Ink Creatures.'
In the class next door, Kagami had come to the same conclusion that her teammates when she thought, 'Their class should have been targeted by Akumas more since they were the closest to Marinette, Adrien, and the odd pair. Besides their family members, of course. Yet up until Alya, Hawkmoth has left them alone...'
Passing by Dupont on delivery on his bike, Luka thought, 'Hawkmoth never cared about who he Akumatized so long as he gets Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous before that day. And from what Juleka told me about her class, they should be prime targets for Hawkmoth's Akumas. And yet, only Alya has been Akumatized. There has to be a reason why he hasn't sent Akumas their way...' The Snake Holder continued on his route.
}{ Agreste Manor }{
Gabriel Agreste was sitting at his desk as he stared at a framed photograph of his son and his classmate on the Liberty during a band rehearsal for Kitty Section. All were smiling happily at whoever was taking the picture.
The fashion mogul found this photograph on Adrien's desk in his room, after he was told that Joey Drew Studios was "preventing" anyone else from entering. At first, Gabriel thought that was insane, but after the Akumas who did get close enough to Joey Drew Studios weren't able to get in even with their powers... Gabriel HAD to believe them now...
He did try to use one of his butterflies to try to find an opening into the studio so he could direct his Akumatized Victims to it so they can get in and save his son and his friends, but...
Gabrial clenched his free hand into a fist.
Whatever was keeping watch inside that studio seemed to have known what those butterflies were and what they could do, and killed the butterflies as soon as they landed on the wood of the studio... Neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir ever thought to kill the butterflies, so the sudden loss of Hawkmoth's main sours of ability was... Not pleasant... And it was the reason why he was limiting how many Akumas he was sending out. However...
Gabriel stared at the photograph with a sigh.
While the villain was more focused on individuals with extremely high negative emotions at the moment, he... Couldn't bring himself to sending one of his corrupted butterflies to his son's classmates at the moment... Not when they brought his son so much joy, like in this picture... He only made an exception with Lady WiFi because her negative emotions were just too hard to ignore... He was also trying to avoid Akumatizing the parents and siblings of the other teens trapped inside of that studio too, but the strong sudden feeling of anger and despair from the Dupain-Cheng pair was just impossible to pass on...
Gabriel rubbed his temples in annoyance. He knew what those family members and Adrien friends were going through and he didn't want to put any of them through the utter pain of disappointment he feels when he fails to rescue his son and the rest of his team... But those Heroes kept getting in the way!
'Wait a minute,' Gabriel suddenly thought, now realizing something major that he overlooked. 'The Temporary Heroes! They don't know what I've been trying to do! As far as they know, they think that I'm trying to find Ladybug and Chat Noir to get their Miraculous!'
The fashion mogul quickly called Nathalie. He needed her help with his new plan to save his son!
~}i{ Back Inside the Studio }i{~
"You're quite the efficient little errand boys, aren't you?" The Twisted Alice Angel said through the speakers the moment Team Psi took the last power core. The teammates sighed in annoyance at the quip before they regrouped at the lift, where Boris was waiting for them. The cartoon wolf sighed in relief when he saw them and opened the lift doors for them to enter. Once all of Team Psi was inside the lift, the Twisted Alice Angel suddenly told them through the speakers, "There was a time people knew my name." Marinette pressed the button for Level 9 and the doors closed. For some incalculable reason, Markov decided to record this bit of dialogue from the so-called angel this time around. When the lift moved towards its destination, the Twisted Alice Angel continued talking to them through the speakers in an almost cutesy tone, " "It's Alice Angel!" they'd say. *Now in a normal tone* Feels like so long ago. But those days can come back. Dreams come true, Susie. Dreams come true."
"It seems... She had just confirmed my theory about her being Ms Susie Campbell..." Markov stated before shutting off the recorder and labelling it accordingly.
"But..." Chat Noir vocalized before he said, "It's making me wonder what happened to make her so... Twisted? I mean I'm sure there was the time after she was replaced and when the studio closed, so what happened to her between that period?"
Kim couldn't help but add, "Whatever happened, we're sure that the Ink was involved."
Ladybug held her yo-yo in front of her when she said, "I know you guess don't want me to push myself on this, but there has to be some way to help purify at least some of of the Ink Creatures." She then looked at Boris, who tilted his head to the side at the comment. "Or at least enough to allow them to leave this hellhole," Ladybug said with a small sad smile as the lift came to a stop.
Team Psi walked out of the lift.
"Mari-, er, Ladybug, we're going to save everyone but not at the expense of exhausting yourself," Max told the red-clad hero with a worried look on his face. That was when an idea came to him, "Maybe if we collected a sample of Ink from the specific Ink Creatures we've come across so far, we might be able to figure out how to find a purification method that might work for them."
Chat Noir nodded when he said, "It's an idea, but I doubt that they're going to stand still long enough for us to collect even a little bit of Ink pretty sure they'll attack us first... Urg, we might have to get the ink samples from their corpses..."
Markov was the one to say, "That would be the most logical assumption. But we know Boris will be a willing participant."
Boris looked at the teens before thinking for a bit. If this idea worked, then he will be able to leave the studio and never have to deal with the constant threat of the Ink Demon or the other Ink Creatures! Boris smiled and then nodded.
The teens and AI smiled back before they made their way to the Angel's Door.
~}i{~
Chapter 3 Pt 4: Rise and Fall of Madness' Decent.
~}i{~