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.

9. Chapter 3 Pt 4

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Gale-Dragon: A Holiday gift to my readers!

Alright, this is the final part of Chapter 3 (whoo-hoo!). I know a lot of people usually do a change to their Bendy and the Ink Machine stories when writing out Chapter 5, but for this story... Things are going to be altered starting in this part of the storyline. Hope you all like it and I hoped you noticed the little changes I made to the timeline of Joey Drew Studios, x_x.

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Miraculous Adventure in Joey Drew Studio.

Chapter 3 Pt 4: Rise and Fall of Madness' Decent.

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"Talking"

'Thinking'

(Author commenting)

*Actions within speeches*

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Team Psi deposited the power cores into the dropbox. When they stood in front of the metal doors, the Twisted Alice Angel told them through the speakers, "You see those grinning demons? Let's remove all of them from Level K, shall we? I've got just the tool to make this even more enjoyable." With that, the panel flipped open to reveal an axe. When Ladybug took the axe, the panel flipped close and the gates reopened. That was when the Twisted Alice Angel then said, "Make sure to bring back some of the pieces as proof."

Team Psi trooped back to the lift.

Suddenly one of Boris' ears twitch. The cartoon wolf turned his head down a short hallway. His ears twitched again as if he heard something coming from there. Markov noticed the odd behaviour from the cartoon wolf when he asked, "Boris? Is everything all right?"

That was when the Team heard what Boris heard. A sudden scuffle against a wooden door. Being the heroes they were, they rushed over to where the sound was coming from. It leads them to a boarded-up door at the end of the short hallway.

Chat Noir banged on the blocked door when he said loudly, "Hello? Anyone in there?"

The team went quiet, waiting for a response from the other side of the door. But after a few seconds they heard a voice from behind the door, it sounded rusty and weak when it said, "Hhheeeellllp mmeeee..."

Ladybug signalled the others to step away from the door when she said, "Can you move away from the door? We're going to break the boards off!"

"Yyyeeeesss," the voice from the other side of the blocked door told the heroes before the sounds of shuffling was heard.

Ladybug raised the axe and brought it down on the wooden boards. Hacking off one at a time at a quick pace. Once all the boards were off, she burst into the room to save whoever was trapped inside.

"Huh?" was all Ladybug could say in confusion as she stood in the doorway.

The guys looked over the red-clad hero's shoulders and sides to see what was confusing her, only to see a wooden office desk, a wooden chair with an Audio Log sitting on it, a few scattered wooden boxes, and a puddle of bubbling ink. There wasn't a soul inside the room.

Boris tilted his head in confusion when Kim asked, "Umm, where's the guy who called for help?" as the team looked inside the room.

Chat Noir squeezed past Ladybug to investigate further when he said, "We all heard someone in here, so where did they go? There's no other way in or out of this room."

Ladybug stepped inside the room when she said, "And since all of us heard someone's voice, then it couldn't have been our imaginations. Huh?" That was when she noticed an object on the desk and picked it up. "Wow, you don't see fountain pens like this anymore," the red-clad hero said as she examined the fancy-looking black pen in her hand. She noticed some ink on the pen and wiped it off. That was when she saw the gold letters etched onto the pen. "S. Lawrance?" Ladybug read before she looked at the rest of her team when she said, "As in Sammy Lawrance?"

"Wait, what's his pen doing here?" Chat Noir asked in confusion as he scratched his head before he noticed another strange object just laying on top of one of the wooden crates. The cat-themed hero picked it up to get a better look at it. He then said, "Odd place to put a pocket watch. It obviously needs a new battery." It was true, the silver-coloured watch was stopped at 11:47 and the second hand was paused on the 6. Chat Noir then flipped the watched over to look at the back, and what he saw caused his eyes to widen when he said, "Wait! This watch belongs to Norman Polk!" When Max asked how he knew, Chat Noir showed him the back of the watch and revealing the engraving that reads "Sneaking Time, to N. Polk from C. Polk". That was when Chat Noir said, "N. Polk has to be Norman Polk, and I guess C. Polk must be his younger sister."

Ladybug placed the pen on the desk and unhooked her yo-yo. She opened her yo-yo and pulled out the object that they got during their Thick Ink quest. It was a small silver pin in the shape of a feather. "First this feather pin, now an engraved pen and pocket watch?," Ladybug said before she looked up at her friends and asked, "Is someone trying to tell us something with these items or something?"

Max squeezed into the room when he said, "But the Ink Demon left the pin and we don't know who left the pen and watch here... Or even how they got in or out when the only way was blocked..."

Kim scratched his head when he suggested that maybe the Ink Demon just found the pin somewhere and just left it on the Miracle Station that Mari and Adrien just happened to be in because he had no use for it. Markov stated that the tall teen's idea was plausible. That was when Chat Noir said, "That's probably the best answer we can get out of that situation..." The black-clad hero handed the pocket watch to Ladybug when he said, "Weirdness aside, let's keep these items, just so we can give them to the family of the original owners once we're all out of here." Ladybug nodded as she placed the pin, pen, and watch into her yo-yo.

Now for the Audio Log. Max pulled his phone out and opened the recording app. Ladybug pucked up the Log and read the handwritten label on it. "Grant Cohen? I don't remember hearing that name during our research," the red-clad hero said before she looked at the rest of the team and asked, "Do you guys?" Chat Noir shook his head, Kim thought for a bit before he said that he didn't, Max asked Markov if he had any data on the person in question but the AI said that name was in the file of listed employees, and Boris simply shrugged. "Well, maybe we'll find out from this," Ladybug said as she placed the Audio Log back in place. When Max hit the record button, she pressed the play button.

Grant Cohen's voice, that sounded like he grew up in the southern area of America, emitted from the Audio Log when he said, "They say the real problem with Mister Drew is that he never actually tells us little people anything. Oh sure, according to him there's always big stuff coming, adventure and fame and the like. But I'm the guy, see, who has to make sure our budget doesn't go out of whack just 'cause genius upstairs went out and got himself another idea. *Sigh* Speaking of which, and this is top secret, apparently Mister Drew has another large project in mind now... And it ain't cheap." With that, the Audio Log ended with a click.

Max stopped his recording, labelled it accordingly, when he said, "Judging from what was said in this, it logical to assume that Mr Cohen was the studio's accountant. And from what it sounds like... It seems like Mr Drew wasn't his favourite person because of all the budgets he has to make for the "Ideas" Mr Drew comes up with..."

Markov couldn't help but add, "Considering that Mr Cohen was the head accountant of this place, he had to be one of the first people to realize where the studio was headed financially... Inquiry, why did Mr Drew ignore Mr Cohen's warnings? And from what I can speculate, that was given multiple times."

Team Psi glanced at each other at that. No one had an answer to that question other than Mr Drew just ignoring the facts, even though they were right in front of his face... Again, another parallel between Joey Drew and Lila. It was unsettling to realize just how much those two seem to have in common, and they don't even have all the information on Joey Drew. It was almost as if they were one of those Soul Twins or something...

Team Psi glanced at each other once again before they headed back to the lift. After pressing the button to open the doors, they trooped in and hit the button for Level K. The lift moved upward until it stopped at the assigned floor.

"So... Anyone remember how many Bendy Cutouts were on this floor again?" Chat Noir asked the others as they stepped out of the lift, then destroyed the Searcher that suddenly sprang up from the bubbling ink. It was a close call for Max since he was the closest to it, but it allowed him to collect a little of the Ink in one of the many small viles that Boris somehow found years ago.

Kim rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "I remember seeing them, but I wasn't keeping track of them. And to be honest, they kinda started blending into the environment since we've been seeing them a lot." The others couldn't help but think it was true. Markov commented that if he had known that they needed to keep track of the cutouts he would have, but like Kim, he found that the cutouts became part of the background.

Chat Noir sighed when he said, "So we're going to have to go over the entire floor looking for all the Bendy cutouts... Joy... *Glances off to the side*. I really hope we don't run into the Ink Demon while doing this task, who knows what'll happen if he sees us destroying those things..."

Ladybug shuttered when she said, "Let's try not to picture that, but let's keep an eye out for both him and the Little Miracle Stations, just to be on the safe side." She then glanced at Max when she said, "Speaking of... Max, it might be a good idea if you stay with Boris in the lift."

Max glanced down at his cast at this. He knew that it was the reason for the hero's concern. Since he could only use one arm, the force behind his strikes wouldn't be adequate to take out a Searcher or Butcher Gang Member and he also had trouble aiming at the right spot because he was trying to keep the weapon straight when striking... Even when breaking the cutouts... Max clenched the weapon in his left hand when he said in anger, "Even when she's not here, that Liar still gets in the way of things!"

Ladybug placed a comforting hand on Max's shoulder when she said, "Trust me when I say that I understand, and I know how frustrating it can be. And it killed me when I couldn't tell anyone why I thought she was lying about being "Ladybug's Best Friend" because of the whole Secret Identity thing, and I guess me overreacting to her smalls lies didn't help... But it did hurt that everyone believed that whole *Now in a mocking Lila tone* "Oh she's jealous because I'm just so~ close to Adrien" *Now back to her normal tone* thing, especially when more than half the time the implication didn't make any sense."

That was when Chat Noir said in a sheepish tone, "Yeah, sorry for being dense about your feelings, but in my defence, I wasn't taught social norms or social ques when I was homeschooled. *Gives a sideways glance* Apparently, Father thought those weren't important enough to learn. And can I also add here that I'm sorry about telling you to take the high road? I mean, it was because I'm more use to tabloids spewing that kind of thing and thought Lie-la was just like one of those... I wish I acted sooner when I realized that she was hurting others, and not just with her lies..."

Kim rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "Yeah, and I thought she was just telling tales until Max and Markov told me about her threatening Mari."

Markov glanced at Kim when he asked, "You were aware that Lie-la was lying before we told you? Why have you not informed us or the teachers when you did?"

Kim did look ashamed when he said, "Well, to be honest, at first I thought it was because she was the new kid and it was just her awkward way of making friends. I figured she would stop lying once she realized that we were good people and be more honest with us. *Sigh* But it never happened and *Now in a more serious tone* when she started talking about all her "disabilities" and "injuries" I started getting suspicious, but I wasn't sure if the disability stuff were real or not because, well, disabilities vary in severity and from person to person, so that part to me was a little grey. The injury stuff I knew was a lie because I've injured myself plenty of times. *Looked at the techy* Max, not a word on how many times, please. So I know some basic medical care regarding injuries and I noticed that Lie-la never did what is recommended for the injuries she claimed to have or was doing the wrong treatment, and I'll admit that it did bother me that she lied about being hurt when she wasn't, since well, at the time I couldn't understand why anyone would fake an injury. And when you and Max told me about her threatening Mari in the girls' restroom it made me realized that she wasn't just a liar. *Looks at Ladybug* I know I should've spoken up about my suspicions and took your side when you said that she was lying, but... *Sigh* I thought you were overreacting and she WAS that good with manipulating the situation." Kim took a deep breath before he said, "But I was really glad that I wasn't the only one who came around before this shit happened..." Boris placed a hand on one of Kim's shoulders.

Ladybug sighed when she said, "Yeah... I got apologies from the rest of the class when they realized Lie-la was lying, and just how much she was manipulating them... Except for Alya... *Sigh* Either way, I'm glad they heard my side of things after they found out about Lie-la being a bully and a lair before things got worst between us. *Looks at Chat Noir* And in a way, your "high road" idea did help them gather evidence against Lie-la so they could show her real character to the proper adults." This made Chat Noir smile a bit.

Max tucked his weapon under his right arm and used his left hand to push his glasses up when he said, "Well, at least we don't have to worry about that liar now, but we still have to deal with the other problem."

Right... The Twisted Alice Angel's task...

While he didn't like it, Max agreed to stay with Boris in the lift. Markov volunteered to stay behind to help with combat just in case a Searcher or a Butcher Gang Member appeared. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Kim readied their weapons and told Max to keep the Walkie-Talkie close so they can keep in touch.

There was a Bendy cutout next to the lift, in an outlet by the stairs. That one was easy to take care of. (For those of you who have played the Bendy & the Ink Machine game, yes I know this particular cutout is to be destroyed last during the task, but Team Psi doesn't know that and I already have that planned out, as you will read very soon).

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Kim trekked back through the hole in the wall and made their way back into the storage room, where they took care of a Searcher and three Bendy cutouts. There was a cutout right outside the storage room. They trekked back through the hallway and was forced to split up because of the two paths, and Ladybug went back down the Angel Path and the boys went back down the Demon Path, there were two cutouts each on the path back so they destroyed those. Once they regrouped in front of the start of the paths, they destroyed a cutout leaning against a barrel on the fork between the Angel/Demon path. They then made their way back into the Heavenly Toys Area, they were able to see eight Bendy cutouts, four on the left side and four on the right side. There was a Little Miracle Station, just in case something were to happen.

Ladybug let out a breath when she said, "Well, at least this task allowed us to let off some steam." She then glanced around when she said, "But it is strange that I don't remember all these cutouts being here though."

Chat Noir destroyed one cutout when he said, "Well maybe it's because they started becoming part of the background since we've been seeing them everywhere." Ladybug couldn't argue with that, so she joined him and Kim in destroying the cutouts.

Once they cleared the Heavenly Toys Workshop of the cutouts, the Twisted Alice Angel told them over the speakers, "Ah, now that was fun! Oh! But I forgot to mention... He HATES it when I do that." Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Kim could feel their hearts drop into their stomachs at this. The Twisted Alice Angel then added, "I would hide if I were you," and then ended with a flirty chuckle.

That was when the Walkie-Talkie beeped. Ladybug quickly answered the device just in time to hear Max say, "*Kshz* Guys! We just heard Alice Angel! Please tell me you're on your way back! *Kshz*"

Ladybug quickly replied, "Yeah, we're heading back now. We'll be quick." She then turned off the device and placed it back into her yo-yo. As soon as she did, black inky webs started appearing on the walls and ground. "Of course," Ladybug groaned out before she practically shoved Kim into the Little Miracle Station before closing the door, grabbed Chat Noir by the waist, and flung her yo-yo to the top of the structure of the Heavenly Toys' pillar/ink fall. Once it attached, Ladybug yanked on the yo-yo and it reeled her and her partner up onto the structure. Just in time too.

Ink Bendy walked out of the wall close to the right side of the stairs and looked around the area. He looked at the shattered cutouts as his teeth chattered before he looked around and then slowly started walking. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked down from their perch to see where the Ink Demon was heading so they can get Kim and get back to the lift before they have to run into this deadly foe.

Chat Noir carefully nudged Ladybug when he whispered, "I never noticed this before, but he's got a limp."

Ladybug eyed her partner before her eyes went back to the Ink Demon. The ink creature did seem to be favouring his right foot over his left. The red-clad hero then whispered back, "You're right. How did we not notice that before?"

Chat Noir shrugged when he whispered, "I think it's because we never saw him walking and we didn't see his legs when we were in the Miracle Station. I'm surprised he has a limp, considering how fast he is when he runs." Ladybug nodded in agreement.

The Ink Demon turned to the stairs and started walking over to it. Ladybug and Chat Noir ducked their heads back a bit but keeping their eyes looking over the edge of the pillar. They needed to watch the Ink Demon for a chance to retreat. So now they waited for the ink webs to disappear.

Suddenly, the structure that Ladybug and Chat Noir was hiding on top of started shaking!

The heroes looked down just in time to see the Ink Demon trying to shove the structure over. The structure shook again when the Ink Demon struck. Once it stopped shaking, the Ink Demon looked up right at the two heroes as his teeth chattered.

"Shit!" Both heroes vocalized before the Ink Demon threw all of his weight into his next attack on the structure. This time the structure was forced into a tilting angle, it wasn't a lot but it was enough to force the heroes off of the top due to the sudden incline. The heroes were able to land on the ground without much trouble, but now they were open to the oncoming Demon.

Chat Noir extended his staff while Ladybug twirled her yo-yo into a shield. They needed to get the Ink Demon away from the Miracle Station Kim was in. So, they tried to lure him away. It was a little too easy if the heroes were honest with themselves, but... The Ink Demon wasn't an Akuma. If he got the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to deliver the fatal blow!

It took an intense five minutes for Ladybug and Chat Noir to get the Ink Demon into the toy-making room, all while keeping the Ink Demon at a distance. It was a tough battle, even more so than what happened during Hero's Day or a 3 in the morning Akuma attack and it was a hell of a lot more frightening than the Sandboy event!

"There's nothing wrong with dreaming." Everyone froze when they heard the faint sound of the voice of Joey Drew.

"Wishing for the impossible is just human nature." The Ink Demon let out a terrifying roar before he stormed out of the toy-making area and just leaving the heroes without a second thought.

"That's how I got started. Just a pencil and a dream." It took Ladybug and Chat Noir a few seconds to realize what happened before they paled and chased after the Ink Demon.

"We all want everything without even having to lift a finger." But the Ink Demon was too far ahead of them and he was already five seconds away from the Little Miracle Station Kim was in.

"They say you just have to believe." That was when the Ink Demon rushed passed the Little Miracle Station, towards the area behind the wall. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood at the top of the stairs, baffled at what they saw.

"Belief can make you succeed." Kim came out of the Little Miracle station and bolted towards the heroes at the top of the steps in a burst of speed.

"Belief can make you rich." Once Kim reunited with the heroes, they quickly made their way back through to the Angel/Demon Paths. They were in such a rush to get away from the Ink Demon, they didn't care which path they took back.

"Belief can make you powerful." The Ink Demon found the athlete's cellphone, playing the recording of Joey Drew that was found on the Demon Path on the floor near the closed metal doors. He picked up the device with his right hand. Kim set the recording to go off as an alarm when a timer goes off.

"Why, with enough belief, you can even cheat death itself." The three charged through the storage area and towards the gate.

"Now that... Is a beautiful, and positively silly thought." When the audio ended, the Ink Demon let out a growl. Now realizing that he had been tricked he quickly rushed into the Heavenly Toys area. When he saw that the door to the little Miracle Station was open, his teeth chattered in annoyance. The Ink Demon then looked at the device in hand. He switched the phone to his over-sized gloved left hand and then tapped the screen with his right index finger, exiting out of the timer app. Once the app was closed, the background to the phone was completely visible. It was a picture of Kim with his arms playfully around Alix's and Max's shoulders, with Max on his right and Alix on his left.

The Ink Demon looked up towards the toy-making area as his teeth chattered.

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Max was pacing inside the lift, anxiously waiting for the rest of Team Psi to return. While Markov did try to help calm his best friends down and Boris trying to give the techie a shoulder rub, Max was still anxious. How could he not be? The Twisted Alice Angel literally sent them on a death mission with the Ink Demon at the end!

Suddenly, Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Kim burst through the hole in the wall. Max quickly pressed the Doors button when they reached the stairs. When the three rushing into the lift, Max pressed the Doors button again to close the doors.

"Is everyone functioning properly?" Markov asked innocently as the three sat on the ground, trying to catch their breaths. The AI was wondering why the three were in this state of exhaustion.

"Urg! Tikki, Spots Off," Ladybug groaned out. Then in a flash of light, she was back to Marinette as Tikki floated next to her head.

"*Groan*. Plagg, Claws In," Chat Noir panted out. Then in a flash of light, he was back to Adrien as Plagg floated next to his head.

Kim practically flopped to the ground as Max pressed the button for Level 9. "Damn..." the tall teen whined out before he said as he sat up, "I can't believe that idea worked."

"What idea?" Max asked in confusion as Markov used the question mark emoticon to indicate that he was also confused.

That was when the three explained what happened after they turned off the Walkie-Talkies. Boris gulped when the Ink Demon came up and just how formidable he was.

"One inquiry," Markov said as he raised his claw. He then asked, "Kim, how did you know that Mr Drew's voice would distract the Ink Demon long enough for you all to return here?"

Kim shrugged when he said, "I, uh, didn't... I thought he would get distracted when he heard a sudden voice so Mari and Adrien can knock him out or something like that." The rest of the team gave the tall teen an 'Of course' look when they heard that. Kim then folded his arms when he said, "But I didn't think he would get THAT angry from hearing Mr Drew's voice. *Looks at Marinette and Adrien*. I mean, you saw how fast he ran towards the voice when he heard it. He REALLY wanted to kill him."

Marinette nodded before she said, "Yeah, and the Ink Demon sounded pretty furious when he heard Mr Drew."

Adrien shuttered when he said, "Urg! Not going to lie, it felt like he hated Mr Drew more than wanting to fight us for breaking the cutouts."

Markov tilted his head to the side when he said, "That is... Rather peculiar... Why would something in the form of Bendy hate its creator that much? I know I could never process the thought of hating Max."

Everyone glanced at each other at this. The AI did pose a logical question. Why did Bendy hate his creator enough to want to kill him?

Max tucked his weapon under his right arm and used his left hand to push his glasses up when he said, "It seems the more Mr Drew comes up in this studio, the more we find about him being a terrible person." The techie then gave the others a worried look when he added, "I mean, if his own creation hated him then he must have done something pretty horrible."

It was quite a troubling thought... Even the Kwamis were a little unnerved by this as they ate their respective foods.

A second later, they arrived on Level 9. They trooped out of the lift and returned to the Angel's Doors. The Kwamis flew into their usual hiding spots, out of habit and to make sure that the Twisted Ink Creature didn't see them. Marinette shoved the cutout pieces into the dropbox. As soon as Team Psi stood in front of the doors, they heard the sounds of the Butcher Gang Members, it was faint, but they heard them. They all turned to the sound just in time for the Twisted Alice Angel to shout in anger and hate, "The disgusting wretches have wandered my halls, have gone unchecked! They're trying to drag me back to the darkness! Don't let them take your angel! Purge them one by one! Smash them into puddles! Kill them!"

That was when the Searchers started to appear and the Butcher Gang Members came in to view on the upper floor.

"Shit!" all of Team Psi vocalized (well, except Boris, but he had the "Oh Shit!" look on his face) before they went into battle-ready positions.

"Tikki/Plagg! Spots on/Claws Out!" Marinette and Adrien said at the same time, transforming back into Ladybug and Chat Noir. This was getting bad! They were running low on the snacks for the Kwamis! But they needed the weapons to take down this many enemies!

The Ink Creatures closed in on Team Psi.

~}i{ Outside the Studio }i{~

Dupont's field trip to the Louvre just didn't seem so much fun to Miss Bustier's class... Then again... It's been a while since they were smiles on their faces... They were all just so worried for their missing classmates that it was just hard to focus on being happy...

Ms Mendeleiev gave out the trip's assignment. Which was to find an art piece of an artist that has been randomly assigned to the students and snap a picture of the art piece with the students in the picture, two students per artist and they had to do the task as a team. They were to later write a brief history of the chosen artist. It wasn't a hard assignment, but it took some focus.

Nino stood in front of Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. It reminded him of Adrien's struggle with trying to get more freedom from his father and the hope that everyone on Team Psi could escape from Joey Drew Studios for some reason.

"It seems like we will be partners in this assignment." Nino turned towards the voice to see Kagami standing there.

"Oh, hey, Kagami," Nino said with a small wave. He then said, "I, uh, guess so. *Looks back at the painting*. Um, mind if I ask what your thoughts on this piece are?"

Kagami looked at the painting, stared at it for a bit, before finally saying, "It somewhat makes me think of Ikari Gozen, the female warrior part at least, but... It seems like it feels like hope for Marinette, Adrien, and the rest of their team in their endeavours to escape that accursed place."

Nino's eyes widen a bit before he chuckled and said, "That was my thoughts too. Um, about the hope for our friends part at least. I don't know who Ikari Gozen is."

Kagami eyed the cap-wearing teen when she said, "Maybe when we finish this assignment, I can tell you about her." Nino gave a small smile when he agreed to that.

Elsewhere, Alix was looking at a sculpture called the Seated Scribe. It wasn't by the artist she was given, but she couldn't help but admire it for some reason. When Chloe walked by, Alix saw a familiar person in the corner of the Louvre. The pinkette blinked a few times, to make sure she wasn't seeing thing before she thought, 'Could it be?' Alix then ran towards the person as she turned to leave. Chloe noticed, and out of curiosity, followed the pinkette.

When Alix rushed into one of the quieter and empty hallways of the Louve, she called out, "Big Me!"

The person stopped and turned towards the pinkette. Revealing that she was Future!Alix. The Time Traveler gave her younger self a small smile when she said, "Hey Mini-Me."

"What are you doing here?" Present Alix asked her future self in concern. That was when she asked, "Are you here to save Kim, Max, Marinette, Markov, and Adrien from that studio?"

Future Alix shook her head sadly when she said, "No. It's unfortunately not why I'm here."

Present Alix couldn't stop herself from saying, "But! You can help them! You can save them!"

Future Alix gave her past self a sad look when she said, "I wish that was true, but Minibug and Kitty Noir have everything covered."

"Huh?" was all present Alix got out in confusion. As far as she knew Ladybug and Chat Noir were at the Temple of the Guardians for training. How could they-. That was when Present Alix felt her stomach drop at the realization of that one sentence from her future self.

"Oh, God! Ladybug and Chat Noir are actually!" Alix's head immediately whipped around to see Chloe standing there, her face contorted in pure shock.

Present Alix paled when she snapped at the blonde, "How much of that did you hear?!"

Chloe scoffed when she said, "It doesn't matter. Gah! *Rubs her head in aggravation*. Why didn't that old man tell us the truth rather than that temple crap?"

That was when Future Alix said, "Had to keep their identities a secret. *Folds her arms*. The Guardian during this timeframe means well, but sometimes those so-called Guardian Rules get in the way of a more cohesive team. I'm sooooo glad Ladybug and Chat Noir remade those rules to be more beneficial to the team, well, they will remake them once they get out of that heck hole with Kim, Max, and the others and eventually become the Guardians of the Miraculous." Present Alix and Chloe were utterly shocked to the point that they could be mistaken as exhibits in the Louvre. Future Alix gave a shrug when she said, "Well, time for me to go. So see you in my time, Mini-Me, Mini Gem."

In a quick flash of light and a hop through a portal, the Future Bunnyx was gone.

"Did she just..." Chloe started with that shocked look still plastered on her face.

Alix finished the sentence with, "Confirmed who Ladybug and Chat Noir are and compromised both yours and my identities to each other? Yeah, she did... Wait..." That was when the pinkette fumed, "THAT'S why she came here?! Why?!"

Chloe groaned when she said, "I hate to say it, but I think we're going to have to figure that out..."

With that, both Chloe and Alix gave each other a look before they said at the same time in the same annoyed tone, "No one else is to know about this."

~}i{ Back Inside Joey Drew Studios }i{~

The last of the Ink enemies were destroyed and then everything went quiet. Well, except when the Twisted Alice Angel said over the speakers in an almost sweet and innocent tone, "So quiet. Like a welcoming grave. I like the silence, don't you?" Team Psi couldn't help but glare up at the Alice Angel head as they returned to the doors as the bridge gates fell closed, making the team wonder why she didn't just do that in the first place if she didn't want the other Ink Creatures to get her.

That was when the Twisted Alice Angel's temperament shifted to annoyance when she said, "I hate leaving work unfinished! Fortunately, I have you all to pick up the pieces. *Now in a normal (for her at least) tone*. But you'll have to go even deeper. Down, down, down into the abyss of Level 14. Take the lift down. Say hello to an old friend of yours while you're there collecting the items I need." Team Psi glanced at each other in confusion at that last bit, not understanding what the so-called angel was talking about. The Twisted Alice Angel continued with her speech when she said, "Sending you a little present. A little firepower. Take good care of it. It belonged to someone very special."

The panel flipped opened to reveal an M1928A1 Thompson submachine gun, or Tommy Gun for short.

"Whoa! Sweet!" Kim said as he swapped his weapon for the Tommy Gun (1) (2). The moment the gun was off the panel, the gates opened.

Ladybug couldn't help but ask as she pointed at the gun, "Uh, Kim, do you know how to use that thing?"

Kim demonstrated by firing the Tommy Gun at the wall. The tall teen grinned when he said, "Finally! Those trips to the firing range are being useful!"

Chat Noir couldn't help but say, "How long have you..." Kim happily told the rest of Team Psi that he and his family go to the firing range to shoot every month or so, as a family bonding thing.

Max couldn't help but say, "So, you know about gun safety and how to properly use a gun... I'm surprised that you can use that on your first try."

Kim couldn't help but say, "Who says it's my first time." There was no response to that but just Markov telling the tall teen to make sure he aims at the enemies and not any of them.

And with that, they trooped back to the lift and pressed the button for Level 14. The lift then went down a floor before stopping with a ding. Team Psi cautiously walked out of the lift and made their way into an area that was even larger than the Heavenly Toys area. It was a lot darker though. That was when they came across a Striker with a rather gruesome object in one of his hands.

"Urg! Please tell me that I'm just seeing things and that Striker isn't holding a heart!" Chat Noir said as his stomach churned uncomfortably. When Markov stated that the heart was there and no one was seeing things, the black-clad hero groaned as if he was going to puke. Max pulled a bottle of water out of his bag and gave it to the blonde, who chugged it down. When he was done, he took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down.

Kim couldn't help but say, "Um, grossness aside, did Alice Angel tell us what she wanted us to find? Because I really don't want any of us to wander over this whole floor aimlessly. It's a little too open."

That was when they heard the Twisted Alice Angel over the speakers when she said in an annoyed tone, "What are you standing around for? Bring me those hearts!"

Team Psi couldn't help but have an "Oh Gross!" moment when they heard those words. Boris quivered in fear at this before he pulled a picnic blanket out of one of his overall pockets. Ladybug/Marinette's fashion designer self kicked in as she pulled her travelling sewing kit out of her yo-yo and went to work on creating a makeshift bag for the hearts and a glove so they wouldn't have to touch or hold the objects. Due to her skills, it took her around five minutes to make. Although, if she wanted to she could've made it more fashionable, that would've taken more time and more threads.

The guys blinked in amazement at their female friend's work when Chat Noir said, "Wow, I think you'd kick my father's ass if there was a contest for making functional stuff out of random fabrics."

Ladybug smiled when she said, "Thanks, but I'm still going to kicking you dad's ass once we get out of here for his lack of parental sense. Uh, as Marinette, if I do so as Ladybug, then there's going to be a whole lot of issues that we don't need."

That comment helped lift the team's spirits enough to overcome the whole "Hearts" thing.

Ladybug put her makeshift glove on and picked up the heart. When she did, there was a sudden shriek that sounded like a film reel being forced off a running projector.

The Twisted Alice Angel then told them through the speaker, "Shhhh... There he is." Team Psi moved to look over the railing as the Ink Creature with a projector for a head was stalking about in the ink flooded room. The Twisted Alice Angel then continued by saying, "The Projectionist. Sulking in the darkness. You be sure to stay out of his light if you don't want trouble. Just bring me back the pieces I need."

Max tucked his weapon under his right arm and pushed his glasses up when he said, "For once, Alice Angel is being helpful. That Projectionist looks tough... *Sigh* It might not be a good idea to get an Ink Sample from him."

Team Psi watched as the Projectionist wandered out of one corridor and into another.

"The other hearts that Alice Angel wants are in there, aren't they..." Ladybug said in a flat tone. The rest of Team Psi commented that it was likey. Ladybug sighed before she said, "So we got to grab the hearts while avoiding the Projectionist and then head back to Alice once we get all the hearts... Sounds simple enough."

Kim clicked the Tommy Gun before he said, "I can always use this if necessary."

The rest of Team Psi glanced at each other at this, but since there was no other option... They all trekked over to the stairs and headed down the steps. When they got to the bottom, they waded through the calf-high ink.

Markov took note of the ink level when he commented, "This has to be the most ink in an area that we've been in... I wonder why this particular area is so flooded?" Boris only shrugged at the question.

Ladybug sighed before she said, "As annoying as it is to walk through the ink, I do have to agree with Markov on this being the most flooded place in the studio." She then placed a hand to her chin when she said, "But the Projectionist seems fine here..."

As they came to where they saw the Projectionist, they spotted an Audio Log on top of a wooden crate alongside a pair of broken headphones. Max tucked his weapon under his right arm and pulled his phone out. Once he opened the recording app, he pressed the red circle and Chat Noir pressed the play button on the Audio Log.

The familiar voice of Norman Polk filled the area when he said, "Now I'm not lookin' for trouble. It's just the nature of us Projectionists to seek out the dark places. You see, I've learned the ins and outs of this here studio. I know how to avoid being bothered by the likes of this... Company. That projectionist, they always say, creeping around, he's just lookin' for trouble. Well trouble or not, I see everything. They don't even know when I'm watchin'. Even when I'm right behind 'em." With that, the Audio Log ended with a click.

As Max stopped and then labelled the new log accordingly, Kim said, "Well, that explains why this Projectionist is down here. It's dark. Hmm, It also sounds like Mr Polk was good at sneaking around too."

Markov then added, "That would explain the "Sneaking Time" engravement on the pocket watch from his younger sister. She was well aware of her brother's tendency to sneak around."

Ladybug placed a hand to her chin when she said, "If that's true, then... He might've stumbled across something that he wasn't supposed to while working here..."

Now THAT made the rest of Team Psi wonder too. What did Mr Polk find, if he did, that Mr Drew didn't want to get out?

Suddenly, there was the sound of a film reel being forced off a working projector. Everyone turned to see the bright light from the Projectionist's projector shined in their eyes. That was when the towering Ink Creature charged at them with an eerie screech.

Ladybug and Chat Noi leapt into action to defend their friends. Now they were fighting against the Projectionist. It was tough but it was better than their fight with the Ink Demon. At least their hits seemed to affect the Ink Creature.

As Boris cowered behind a nearby wooden pillar, Kim tried to aim the Tommy Gun at the Projectionist. But since he was moving and the heroes were sometimes moving in front of the Tommy Gun's scope, he couldn't get a clear shot.

With another screech, the Projectionist launched an attack at Chat Noir, who dodged the oncoming attack with ease. However, the attack hit a wooden box and it broke into pieces. One of those pieces managed to knock the Tommy Gun out of Kim's hands. The gun fell into the ink with a loud plop.

That sound got the Projectionist's attention.

"Shit!" Kim swore before he quickly grabbed Max and tried to run, but he tripped over something under the ink and both teens fell into the ink with a loud splash as the Projectionist rushed over to them.

On instinct, Ladybug tapped her yo-yo, activating its purification feature, and leapt to intercept the Ink Creature.

"M'Lady?!" Chat Noir got out before he saw her hold up her yo-yo.

As the Projectionist charged at the red-clad hero, she held her yo-yo with the white light facing the Ink Creature with both hands when she shouted, "Time to Purity!"

The next thing the rest of Team Psi knew a bright beam of light shot out of the yo-yo and hit the Projectionist dead on. Boris and Markov watched in aw, while Kim and Max watched in amazement from where they sat, and Chat Noir looked on in shock.

Even though the beam of light seemed to paralyze the Projectionist from moving out of it, he still seemed to be able to move his arms. Ladybug clenched her eyes shut as she focused the Ink Creature before her, to both save her friends and save the poor soul trapped inside the ink.

That was when Ladybug thought she heard a ticking noise. 'Strange why am I... Hearing that?' she thought before she started feeling weak. 'Bunnyx?' She wondered before she seemed to fall into the darkness.

~}i{ Outside the Studio }i{~

Nathalie looked at Gabriel with a worried look on her face when she asked in concern, "Sir, are you sure you want to go along with that plan?"

Gabriel sighed when he said, "Yes... It's the only option that will allow the Temporary Heroes to help me save my son."

"And Emilie?" Nathalie asked, still concerned.

Gabriel looked out the window when he said, "Maybe if I explain what I was trying to do... Maybe they can contact Ladybug and Chat Noir so that they could make the wish to bring her back..."

With a small sad smile, Nathalie said, "Well, they are heroes, maybe they will." These words brought a little hope to the two.

~}i{ Back Inside Joey Drew Studio }i{~

"...Nette!" a soft echoing voice called out to the bluette from the darkness. "Marinette!" the echoing voice called again, this time it sounded a little louder. 'Strange... That voice sounds... Familiar... Why?' Marinette wondered as she slowly opened her eyes. Everything was completely blurry, like looking through an unfocused pair of binoculars. Marinette saw six burry figures when her eyes were completely open. Why was everything so burry?

"Good, she's waking up," a voice said, it sounded different from the first voice but it still sounded familiar to Marinette. "Markov, can you run a quick scan of her?" The voice asked one of the other blurs, the bigger of the two smaller blurs.

'Markov?' Marinette thought groggily as she slowly blinked her eyes in confusion. Her mind was a little fuzzy, but she could sware that she knew that name. Once the blurriness started fading away, Marinette was now able to recognize everyone around her. She glanced at the blonde when she said, "Chaton?" Chat Noir smiled as tears of joy fell down his face. Marinette then looked at the tall teen when she said, "Kim?" The athlete smiled as he sighed relief. She then looked over at the shorter teen with the worried look on his face when she said, "Max?" The dark-skinned teen gave her a small worried smile. Marinette then looked at the floating AI, who seemed to be taking her temperature, when she said, "Markov?" The AI happily stated an Affirmative before going back to his task. Marinette then looked at the little red sprite before she said, "Tikki?" The little Kwami quickly moved to hug her chosen's cheek. Then finally, her eyes landed on the cartoon wolf when she said, "Boris?" The toon relaxed his stiff posture when he realized that the bluette was fine.

When Markov gave his report, Max told Marinette, "While I'm sure you want to get up, I recommend that you say laying down for a while. *Sighs and then gives a soft smile*. You had us worried after that stunt of yours."

"Stunt?" Marinette questioned in confusion before the event came flooding back to her. The bluette groaned before she asked, "What happened to the Projectionist?"

Kim carefully moved Marinette into a sitting position to see the Projectionist sitting on the steps, the projection light off, and carefully caressing the silver pocket watch in his hand.

"What?" Marinette vocalized as she leaned on Kim, before she asked, "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

Chat Noir hugged Marinette when he said, "Everyone's fine, Bugaboo. You were able to bring Mr Polk back, mentally at least. But you nearly stopped our hearts when you fainted. You must've used up all your energy to purify Mr Polk's mind."

[New Team Member Has Been Acquired! Norman the Projectionist!].

"Is that why I feel so weak?" Marinette asked as she leaned into the black-clad hero's embraced. She just didn't seem to be able to hold herself up with her own powers.

Tikki was the one to say, "Yes, it took a lot out of both of us, more out of you than me though. I think you were able to do it because we had Mr Polk's pocket watch inside the yo-yo... But please don't do that again! You had all of us so worried!" Marinette grumbled an apology as Chat Noir carefully laid her back onto the floor.

The Projectionist. No, Norman glanced up from the pocket watch to look at the girl who brought back his mind. "Sh-Shee al-all-right?" Norman asked, his voice sounded just like his Audio Log but with a little static from lack of use.

Max looked at Norman when he said, "She'll be fine as long as she doesn't move too much, but that Purification took a lot out of her so she needs to rest."

"S-s-sor-rry," Norman got out in an apologetic tone. Boris looked over at the Projectionist before he stood up, walked over to the other Ink Creature, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Thank you," Norman said to the cartoon wolf before he turned his attention back onto his pocket watch. "Where did you, kids... Find my watch?" Norman asked, his voice now sounding clearer, his gaze on the still watch in hand. The Projectionist then said, "I... Thought I lost this when... I got it... Turned into this... Or that it was... Taken from me afterwards..."

Markov answered with, "We found it in a boarded-up room with an Audio Log from Mr Cohen. We have been puzzling over why it was there when, as far as we were aware, you were usually in the Music Department's Projection Room."

"I see..." Norman got out before he tilted this projection head to the side a bit before he asked the AI, "And... What are you, little flying one? I have never seen anything like you before. And I've seen a lotta strange things."

Max pushed up his glasses when he said, "Umm, before we can answer that efficiently, could you tell us what year you think it is?"

Now Norman was a little confused when he replied with, "Isn't it 1944? Wait... How long was I like this?" as he indicated himself.

Team Psi looked at each other with concern. How were they going to explain that it's been over 60 years since the projectionist was last a human? Well, it's going to be a delicate process, to say the least.

Chat Noir picked up the Heart Sack and glove when he said, "I'll get the hearts, you can explain what happened since Norman was... Out, I guess? And you can keep an eye on Mari while you explain." The two other boys nodded as Chat went to collect the hearts for the so-called angel.

As the black cat hero left to finish the task, Max, Kim, and Markov explained what happened since Joey Drew Studios closed. They talked about technological advancements, basic world history, and how society has changed. They did this slowly, so not to overwhelm the poor projectionist. (On this note, yes, Norman can see Tikki. He asked about her and the guys explained that she was a Guardian Sprite that helps protect others and choose Marinette as her partner. They explained that Chat Noir was the same but with a different Guardian Sprite. Don't worry, he was told that Guardian Sprites are supposed to be kept a secret, but circumstances within the studio forced a reveal).

"So... Markov here is what's called an Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short..." Norman asked, making sure he was getting the information right. When Max confirmed, the Projectionist then asked in a quiet and disbelieved tone, "And... I've been... Trapped here, as a... Monster for over 60 years?"

"Yeah... Guess it's hard to tell the time in this place..." Kim said with a weak smile.

Norman looked back at the pocket watch when he said, "My... My sister... Is she... Still?"

Max and Kim looked at each other before Max said, "We don't know. We've done our research on this place when our class was making our Joey Drew Studio themed Haunted House and she did come up when we found all the missing persons reports that were filed by the family of the studio employees, but... We never saught her or the others out, because it would've opened old wounds and we felt it inappropriate to include them in our Haunted House."

"I see..." Norman said softly as he opened the pocket watch to look at the face frozen in time. He then said, "Thanks for being honest with me, even if you knew it would hurt."

Kim huffed when he said sourly, "Considering a lie brought us to this place, we're not big on lying to others at the moment."

"I can... Understand that..." Norman said as he closed the pocket watch. He then said, "I can kind of guess how you kids got here. Someone tricked you into coming here by sayin' that this was the haunted house your class made, right?"

"That would be accurate," Markov said in an annoyed tone, before he added, "She was being petty because we refused to either believe her lies or let her do as she pleased. She even went as far as to break Max's wrist because he exposed her as the lying, manipulative brat she truly is." Max rubbed his cast at this.

"How did a girl break your wrist like that?" Norman asked in confusion. (Remember, he grew up during the 1920s/30s and was an adult during the 1940s, and while it might be considered a little sexist today, he doesn't believe a teenage girl could be so unladylike as to break another's bones).

Max cringed at the memory when he said, "She shoved me over and then stomped on my wrist with her foot. If it weren't for Andre, she probably would've done worse."

Kim then growled out when he said, "But that wasn't even the worst part of that story! She had the audacity to fake being the injured one and played the victim literally the next day! All while lying about how Max "fractured her ankle" and that "He was the one faking his injury"! The police had to get involved because she assaulted Max and there were eyewitnesses and solid proof of it."

Norman... Didn't know how to respond to that. And when Markov brought up how Lila had tried to manipulate their class into believing that Marinette was a vindictive bully, Norman was utterly dumbstruck. The bluette who had save him and seemed more worried about her friends than herself was suffering at the hands of a petty, manipulative liar at school just because she wouldn't go along with the liar's whims... That just wasn't right!

Markov quickly checked on the now sleeping Marinette, making sure that her vitals were functioning properly. Once he confirmed that she was fine, he happened to look over the railing near the stairs and saw a small outlet with a valve. Figuring that the valve would lower the ink levels, Markov flew towards it and turned it. Suddenly, the wall that held up the stairs started to slide open, revealing a small, hidden room with a small desk with an Audio Log resting on top of it. (3)

Kim looked over the railing to see what happened when he called to AI, "Hey, Markov, what did you find?"

Markov looked up before he replied, "I believe I found a hidden Audio Log. I'll record it and play it back for Max to record to add to our Audio Log collection." When Kim told him okay, the AI hovered into the small room and looked over the tape recorder. He found a handwritten label, but half of the name was smudge by ink. All the AI could read was 'Henry' while the surname was covered by ink.

'Could this be an Audio Log from the former co-founder of this studio?' Markov wondered before he switched on his audio recorder and hit the play button on the Audio Log.

A voice of a man, who was assumed to be Henry, emitted from the device when he said, "Only two weeks into this company and already it's gotten interesting. Joey is a man of ideas... And only ideas. When I agreed to start this whole thing with him, I thought there would be a little more give and take. Instead, I give, and he takes. I haven't seen Linda for days now. Still, someone has to make this happen. When in doubt, just keep drawing, Henry. On the plus side, I've got this new character I think people are going to love." And with that, the Audio Log ended with a click.

Markov labelled the recoding accordingly when he thought, 'I was indeed correct in my speculation. That was the former co-founder.' But for some strange reason, the AI thought that the Audio Log seemed familiar. 'But I have never met Mr Henry, therefore, I have never heard his voice before... So, why do I have the sensory bug about familiarity?' Markov wondered before he flew out of the secret room and rejoined Max, Kim, Boris, Norman, Tikki, and the sleeping Marinette.

Tikki worriedly fidgeted as she watched Marinette sleep. Kim noticed the look on the Kwami's face and asked her if she was okay. The little red Kwami couldn't help but say, "I'm just worried about Marinette. We still have to make our way through the studio and her being this low on energy... It just leaves her too open to attacks from the Searchers and Butcher Gang."

Max pushed his glasses up when he said, "That's not your only worry, isn't it. You're worried about Mari trying that Purification thing again on another Ink Creature in hopes of purifying it as well." Tikki's antenna dropped as she let out a small whine and gave a nod. Max then placed his left hand to his chin when he said, "That Purification is definitely something that shouldn't be done in either quick succession or when not fully recovered from the prior, given how draining the process is... And unfortunately, Mari has a rather, uh, bad habit of always putting others before her well-being... She's an amazing person, both as Ladybug and herself, but too much is too much and it's not healthy to have that much of a need to help others to the point to wearing themselves out..."

Kim rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "Yeah, Mari's has had a problem with telling people "No" and she doesn't want to let the people she cares about down... I'll admit to taking advantage of that sometimes, but now it's starting to become obvious that she needs to stop being so selfless as Marinette."

Norman couldn't help but say, "Sometimes being too pure can be a problem in itself. She's obviously has a good heart, but it seems like it can sometimes be the very thing that can cause her the most problems."

That was when Tikki said, "That's why there is always to be a balance, why there needs to be a little darkness within the light and a little light within the darkness. Good and Evil. Life and Death. Creation and Destruction. Yin and Yang."

That was when Markov said, "And why there needs to be a little selfishness within being selfless. Marinette needs to compromise when she should be selfless and when she just needs time for herself." That was something that they all could agree on.

That was when they heard the Twisted Alice Angel said through the speakers in a warped sense of gee, "Tell me. Were they still writhing in your hands?" Markov couldn't help but comment on how it was unnerving how she was always watching them. That was when the Twisted Alice Angel then said in a demanding tone, "Bring them to me. Now! I don't like to wait."

"She's a charmer," Norman said sarcastically. That was when Markov told him that she was once Susie Campbell turned into a twisted version of Alice Angel. "What?! What did Joey Drew do to her?!" was Norman's immediate response. When he was asked what he meant by that, Norman paused to think. Finally, the projectionist said, "I'm not sure... I don't even know why I made that assumption... But I'm sure Joey Drew is behind it somehow..."

That was when Chat Noir reunited with the group, with all the disembodied hearts (ew) that the Twisted Alice Angel wanted and he even found the Tommy gun. Kim, Max, Markov, and Tikki filled Chat Noir in on what he missed, namely their concerns about Marinette pushing herself too hard.

"Plagg, Caws In," Chat Noir said as he closed his eyes. In a flash of green, he returned to being Adrien. The blonde placed the heart sack and Tommy gun on the floor before he walked over to the sleeping Marinette. He then took off his Miraculous and held it in his hand as he removed the Ladybug Earrings from Marinette. Adrien slipped the Ring of the Back Cat onto her ring finger before he put on the earrings. "I know I shouldn't do this without her permission, but she needs to focus on resting right now," Adrien said as Boris picked up the heart sack.

That was when Norman asked, "Will you be alright with trading your little Guardians?"

Adrien smiled when he said, "Yup, we've done it before. Uh, except that was by accident." The blonde scratched his cheek when he said, "I should be fine this time around because know I'm expecting it."

Norman looked at his pocket watch before he held it out to Adren and said, "As much as I want to hold onto my watch, I think it would be best to keep it inside that yo-yo thing, just in case something happens to me."

Adrien nodded when he said, "Alright, I understand. Tikki, Spots on!" In a flash of red, he was now Mister Bug. He opened his yo-yo and then took the pocket watch. The blonde carefully placed the object inside the Miraculous weapon.

With that, they started to organize. Boris carried the heart sack, Mister Bug carried the Tommy Gun, and Kim carried Marinette on his back piggyback style. The bluette rested her head on the tall teen's shoulder with her face in the opposite direction of his neck. Plagg hid inside Marinette's purse, which Max was now carrying. And all the weapons were placed inside of Max's pack.

"Ah, right, how are we going to explain Norman when we make our next Video Log?" Markov asked as they made their way to the lift.

"Video Log?" Norman asked in confusion as he tilted his head to the side a bit.

Max pushed his glasses up when he said, "Remember when we explained about technological advancements? *Norman nods*. Well, because of those advancements, phones are wireless and can fit inside a pocket. *Pulls his cellphone out of his pocket to show Norman*. Cellphones, as everyone calls them, have an array of features. Two of those features being the ability to record videos and audios, similar to a miniature reel and tape recorder respectively." Max then shoved his phone back into his pocket when he then said, "We've been making Video Logs since we got trapped here, to have proof as to what happened when we get out and... To leave a warning for anyone else just in case we don't..."

Norman placed a hand under his projector when he said, "That sounds like something that would've made not only my job a little easier, but others as well." He lowered his hand when he added, "I would love to learn more about all these "technological advancements", but I would like to find out about my sister first. *Looks down at his hands*. And see if I can return to my original body if it's even possible by this point..."

"We'll find something out, so both you and Boris can escape with us," Mister Bug said as they walked up to the lift. Norman appreciated the notion.

Marinette opened her eyes a bit and asked what was going on. Kim told her that he was carrying her so she can rest. The bluette slowly mumbled an "Alright", but didn't really move. She definitely felt like she had no energy to do anything, but at least she was awake now.

When they entered the lift, Markov replayed Henry's Audio Log for Max to record and label. After everyone heard the Audio Log, the AI asked the group if they found Henry's Log familiar in some way. Norman commented that the voice was familiar to him because he was good friends with Henry back when he worked at the studio. While his memories were a little hazy on a few things, like Henry's features and surname, he remembered that Henry was a good person and knew a few interesting details about him that put a whole new twist to a prior interaction.

"Henry created Bendy?!" The humans, AI, and Kwami exclaimed in shock. Boris looked completely surprised at this news.

Norman nodded when he said, "Yup, Henry was the talent behind this whole thing." He waved his hands to emphasize his meaning. The Projectionist then said, "And he didn't just create Bendy, he also created Boris and Alice Angel." (4).

"That explains why the Ink Demon reacted the way he did when he heard the recording of Mr Drew's Audio Log!" Mister Bug said in realization as he looked at the rest of the team. The blonde then said, "Mr Drew stole the characters Bendy, Boris, and Alice Angel from Henry! He took Bendy from his true creator!"

Kim couldn't help but comment, "That's true, but... I don't know how else to say it, but I don't think that's the only reason why the Ink Demon hates Mr Drew so much."

Markov lit up the question mark on his visor when he said, "What other reason could make the Ink Demon hate Mr Drew that much besides the one we had just learned?" Kim mumbled he didn't know.

Marinette noticed that Max was oddly quiet. The bluette then asked, "Max, what's wrong?"

Max looked at his teammates when he said, "Nothing, but I couldn't help but think of another parallel to Lie-la. Both claimed credit for something that they didn't do or work on as their own..." Markov commented that the statement was certainly true. Norman noticed the look on Max's face. It seemed like something else was bothering the techie, so the Projectionist asked him. Max glanced to the side when he said, "Something about Henry's Audio Log just... Felt familiar somehow... But when I try to think why it seems like the whole Log was familiar to me... What was said... How it was said... Who was mentioned... And even... Henry's voice was familiar... And I'm at a logical lost as to why..."

The rest of Team Psi glanced at one another at this.

That was when Kim suggested as Mister Bug pressed the button to Level 9, "Maybe you've meet Henry somehow. Don't you remember any old men by that name?"

Max shook his head when he replied as the lift moved up, "That's kind of the problem, I know a couple of "Henrys" and close to half of them don't match the age range to have worked here. Plus we don't know this Henry's surname, so I wouldn't know if any of the Henrys I know are this Henry..." Markov did confirm this after he quickly searched through the list of Kanté family contacts. Max took a deep breath before he said, "It feels like I should know this Henry though... I think I should ask my mom about it when we get out of here, she might know..."

The lift arrived at Level 9 with a ding as the doors opened.

"Well, better give Alice her stuff," Mister Bug said as he indicated the heart sack with the Tommy gun. He looked at Kim and Marinette when he said, "Maybe you two should stay here, just so neither of you are moving too much."

Kim smiled when he said, "I don't mind, Mari's pretty light."

But that was when Marinette finally realized that Adrien was Mister Bug. "Hey! Why are you wearing my Miraculous?" Marinette asked in confusion, now realizing that she had Adrien's Miraculous on her finger. "And why do I have yours?" the bluette questioned. That was when Markov explained the team's worry for their female companion and they agreed to give her a break from being Ladybug so she can focus on recovering. " 'M fine," Marinette grumbled.

"Mari, you can't even move, you're not fine," Kim stated sternly. Marinette tried, and failed, to wiggle out of the taller teen's grip. Though, she was bearly able to wiggle. Kim sighed when he said, "See? You need to rest. No, if, ands, or buts about it. So we're going to be the ones to keep you safe."

Marinette didn't know how to respond to that.

Soon Mister Bug, Max, Markov, and Boris made their way to the Angel's Doors. Norman opted to stay with Kim and Marinette so he can protect them if necessary.

Once they reached the doors, Boris shoved the heart sack into the dropbox and Mister Bug carefully deposited the Tommy gun, so not to accidentally activate it. Then they stood in front of the door. When they did, they heard the Twisted Alice Angel say through the speakers, "It seems like we've reached the end of my to-do list, my little errand boys." That was a complete relief to Team Psi. In a rather pleased tone, the Twisted Alice Angel said, "I hope you all enjoyed our time together. I'll always treasure it. Return to the lift. It's time to go home."

The group was was at the Angel's Door made their way back to the lift, trying to contemplate on how they should ditch the Twisted Alice Angel's eyes so they can find the Ink Machine and shut it down to free everyone trapped inside this hellhole.

The moment Team Psi reunited in the lift the doors automatically shut behind them, and then the lift started to move upward at a steady speed.

"Have you ever wondered what Heaven is like?" the Twisted Alice Angel suddenly asked through the speakers, causing Team Psi to look at each other in confusion. That question seemed to come out of nowhere, more so than her other instances when she spoke to them in the lift. Oblivious to the Team's confusion, the Twisted Alice Angel said in an innocent tone, "I like to dream that it's quite beautiful. A soft valley of green grass, blanketed by a warm sun. I don't think Ill ever get to see it."

'Gee, I wonder why?' was the unanimous thought between the teens and AI.

Then the Twisted Alice Angel said in an almost sweet tone, "Are you ready to ascend, my little errand boys? The heavens are waiting."

Why did Team Psi think that that comment sounds so foreboding despite the sugar in the angel's tone?

The lift continued its steady path upward, as promised.

Suddenly, the Twisted Alice Angel started crying. Team Psi wasn't sure if they were hearing this because she left the speaker on by accident or if she was doing this on purpose to try to make them feel bad. The crying slowly turned into laughter, and then the laughter morphed into something more maniacal and remorseless.

What the hell was happening? Was the Twisted Alice Angel suffering from a psychotic break? Or was something else at play here?

That was when the lift suddenly started to plummet downwards and causing Team Psi's hearts to jump to their throats (minus Markov who was just suffering from a sudden shift in air pressure due to the sudden fall). Kim nearly dropped Marinette, but he managed to keep a hold on her.

The Twisted Alice Angel then shouted to them through the speakers in a strange mixture of anger and glee, "Did you really think I'd let you steal from me?! Did you really think I'd just let you go?!"

Boris started cowering as the rest of the Team regained their balance as Mister Bug gripped his yo-yo, ready to use the Lucky Charm.

That was when the Twisted Alice Angel shouted in rage, "No Henry! I know who you are! And I know why you're here!"

"What is she talking about?" Markov asked in utter confusion, before he told the others, "No one in this lift is named Henry."

"See seems to think so!" Kim said as Marinette tightened her arms around his neck.

The Twisted Alice Angel continued her rant when she shouted, "And you WILL NOT STOP what needs to be done! Now come down and BRING ME BACK MY BORIS and GIVE ME THOSE JEWELLERY!"

That was when Norman shouted back, "He's not yours and those belong to the kids!"

Mister Bug quickly shouted as he threw his yo-yo up as much as it could go without hitting the top of the lift, "Lucky Charm!" The glitter and little ladybugs sparkled out of the yo-yo.

"Don't you dare take me for a fool" the Twisted Alice Angel snapped before she angrily shouted, "It's the most perfect Boris I've ever seen and I've seen what those jewellery can do! I want them! I need them! I need it's insides so I can be beautiful again! And those jewellery can get rid of the tainted ink infecting me! Don't you get it?! Give them to me!" (5).

The Lucky Charm turned out to be a rather large inflatable raft. "What the heck is this? (6)" Mister Bug question with a raised brow.

"Or better yet, I'll take them!" the Twisted Alice Angel shouted in a malicious tone. She then shouted, "Once... You're... DEAD!" The lift started falling faster.

Marinette looked at the Lucky Charm, that pinged pink in her mind. She then looked at the interior of the lift, that turned pink in her mind. The looked at her teammates, all of whom turned pink in her mind. That was when the bluette quickly told the other's, "Everyone huddle together! Adrien, pull the cord once we're all together! Make sure to hold the Lucky Charm out in front of you, and pull the cord hard and fast!" Everyone did as Marinette told them to do, and huddled together.

Mister Bug then held the Charm out and practically ripped the cord out, causing the Lucky Charm Raft to inflate almost immediately. It wrapped around Team Psi in less than two seconds. And just in time...

A second later, the lift hit the ground with a sickening, metallic, crash.

The raft managed to take the bulk of the collision, allowing Tem Psi to survive the drop. But...

The force of the crash causes everyone to be ejected from the now broken lift. Marinette, Max, and Kim were lying unconscious just outside the broken metal doors of the lift. Norman and Markov were a bit further away from the three, also unconscious. Mister Bug pulled himself out of some rubble and make a few staggering steps towards his teammate, but not even a second later, his transformation came to an end as he collapsed to the ground. Tikki flew out of the earrings and just fell onto a metal pole that was sticking out. Boris somehow was thrown the farthest and got the least amount of damage was the only two awake.

Plagg phased out of Marinette's purse and flew towards Tikki with a macaroon in paw for her to eat. After eating the sweet, Tikki felt a lot better as Boris walked over to them.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Boris jumped as he turned towards the familiar voice. Tikki and Plagg gasped in horror at who was slowly walking to them.

The Twisted Alice Angel was in the hallway coming towards them. "It seems there was more to those jewelry than I originally thought, but that doesn't concern me too much," said the angel, that no longer had a hint of her former self, with an almost menacing glee.

Boris quickly looked around before settling on a bent pipe to use as a weapon to defend his teammates. Though, the cartoon wolf's legs were trembling as he tried to hold out the weapon to look braver than he really was.

Twisted Alice cackled when she said, "Aw, how cute, the cowardly wolf is pretending to be brave." She took a few steps forward as Boris took a step back.

Plagg floated up when he said, "Back off you wanna-be angel! If you don't I'll Cataclysm you!"

"Plagg!" Tikki tried to scold, but she was completely torn between defending themselves from the evil before them and what happened the dinosaurs. Yeah, the poor little red Kwami was certainly in a situation that either circumstance was terrible.

The Twisted Alice Angel let out an evil laugh before she took another step forward and said, "Aww, how cute, but in the end, you'll help be become perfect."

Boris, Plagg, and Tikki trembled as the cartoon wolf and black Kwami prepared for battle as the red Kwami shivered with worry.

This felt about 10x worse than what they would think when Hawkmoth found out their chosen' identities and getting their Miraculous.

Before the Twisted Alice Angel could take another step the only wall that wasn't obstructed by shrapnel turned inky black and the sound of a heartbeat echoed throughout the area.

Twisted Alice took a step back from the group when she realized what was coming. "The Demon!" she shrieked as she backed further away from the group. She then snapped angrily, "He's trying to pull me back! I won't be taken by the Demon again!" And with that, the Twisted Alice Angel fled, without so much as taking a second glance at Team Psi.

Now Plagg, Tikki, and Boris waited for the Ink Demon to appear. But after a minute or so of ink just seeping down the wall and the constant sound of the heartbeat, they thought something was up. Plagg and Tikki flew over to the wall and spotted what the situation was.

Close to the ceiling was a pipe that had an open hole pressed against the wall where the ink was flowing down and the sound of the heartbeat... "Isn't this one of those Sound Effect thingies that they use for some movies?" Plagg said as he looked over a tape recorder with buttons with icon pictures of specific sounds. The black Kwami pressed the button with the car icon and the sound of a honking horn sounded.

"Seems like it," Tikki said as she turned off the Effects Box as she and Plagg rejoined a very relieved Boris, who had sank into a sitting position.

Plagg sighed in relief when he said, "Man, that was lucky that that happened and that wanna-be angel thought it was the Ink Demon. I don't wanna know what could've happened if she got ahold of our Miraculous or Boris."

As they patched up the unconscious members of team Psi, Tikki wondered if it was really luck that scared away the twisted angel or if something else was at play.

~}i{~

To be Continued in Chapter 4 pt 1: Colossal Wonders of Visions.

~}i{~

1) To unlock the Tommy Gun, you need to morph the ink blob next to Shawn Flynn's Audio Log into a little ink machine, then take the Demon Path, and complete all of Twisted Alice's tasks without dying (which happened in this story). If you don't do any of these before you get to the Tommy Gun, it will turn into ink upon contact and Twisted Alice will say "Oops. I forgot. It's a little hard to get a hold of. Oh well. Better luck next time, *then laughs*"

2) Yeah, I'm pretty sure you are all wondering why I gave Kim the Tommy Gun rather than the others... Well... I kinda got this headcon that he and his family go to firing ranges to both teach the younger gen how to properly use a gun and for safety practices (What? If you don't know how to shot a gun, you'll hurt yourself by the blowback). And technically, Max can't use it because of him being in a cast. Markov can't hold a Tommy Gun. Marinette and Adrien, don't know anything about firearms. And poor Boris can't aim or handle the thing.

3) Yes, I know that Henry's Secret Audio Log is on Level P inside the secret stairway in-game. However, Team Psi wouldn't know to go to Level P for an Audio Log they don't know exists. So I moved where the Henry's Audio Log is in this story, so we can still get it while being on point with the story.

4) If anyone had read the Bendy and the Ink Machine Dreams Come to Life novel, you saw this tidbit of information coming the moment Norman joined Team Psi. If not, then I recommend you read it if you're a Bendy and the Ink Machine fan. The novel has been approved by the KindyBeast as canon. The novel takes place in the 1940s before Joey Drew Studios closed, and it reveals a lot of Bendy lore through the eyes of a new Employee of the studio. That's all I'm going to say about it because I don't want to spoil the novel for those who haven't read it, so I highly recommend you find it and read it on your own to enjoy learning the thrilling new Bendy Adventure between the pages. (Hehe, how'd my sale pitch go? 0:-))

5) Not sure if anyone has noticed how Twisted Alice refers to Boris as a thing in this moment rather than a person/cartoon in the original dialogue, but I wanted to point that out because it makes her seem like she objectifying a person as something to be possessed rather than to allow them to be a person/living thing. So this just shows how little she views the other Ink Creature and only sees them as annoyances or things that she can use to make herself more "perfect". Sounds like someone else (in the Miraculous) we know?

6) Bendy and the Ink Machine fans rejoice! You finally get to hear that line in this story.

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