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.

17. Chapter 5 Pt 3

Gale-Dragon: The next part of Chapter 5 is up! Hope you like what I've written/changed in this~.

~}i{~

Miraculous Adventure in Joey Drew Studios.

Chapter 5 Pt 3: The Last Reel of Battles.

~}i{~

Team Psi cautiously entered the Film Vault.

Despite being filled with ink moments ago, it was relatively clear. There were boxes upon boxes scattered about inside the vault. Team Psi stared at all the boxes before Norman finally asked, "So... What are we lookin' for exactly?"

Ladybug, Chat Noir, Kim, Markov, and Sammy looked at each other before the AI vocalized, "The Hidden Message we found only stated that "It" is in the vault with no indication of what "It" is..."

"I hope we'll know what "It" is when we find it," Allison Angel said as they started opening boxes.

Chat Noir opened a box on the left side of the entrance and found an old radio. He blinked a few times as he stared at the device. He then pressed one of the buttons. It switched on with a click and soon the sound of a soft melody accompanied by the voice of a young woman singing. It was a bit low quality and hard to hear, so everyone stopped what they were doing to turn to the music and listen. It was a cutesy song with a nice melody, something to hum if you wanted to (1).

When the song ended, Sammy said softly, "That's... Lonely Angel/I'll Be Your Angel... Susie... Susie sang that as an intro song for Alice Angel... I... I helped her with... The tone of her singing for... Parts of the song..." The former Music Director couldn't help but look back on that memory. How delighted Susie was when she got the pitch just right for that moment of the song as he complimented her. It was a better time...

Sammy snapped out of his memory when a gentle hand touched his shoulder. He turned to see Allison Angel. She smiled softly at him as she gingerly squeezed his shoulder. Sammy gave a small smile in return. There were no words between them, there wasn't a need for it. But it was comforting nonetheless. It was just something that was needed.

Soon, their search for "It" continued... Why were there still so many boxes in this vault?

~}i{ Outside Joey Drew Studios }i{~

Green eyes slowly blinked open.

Those eyes slowly scanned the room she was in from the position she was in. It looked like a hospital room... Why was she here?

She sluggishly pushed herself into a sitting position to get a better look at the room. That was when she noticed that she had a roommate, or at least someone was occupying the bed next to her. Green eyes slowly moved into a better position to see the other person in the bed. From what she could see, the other person was an elderly woman with greyed black hair, wearing a pair of hospital robes, gently tucked under the covers, with an IV drip stick into her exposed arm, and appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

Green eyes blinked in confusion as she continued to stare at the elderly woman. Did she know her?

"Emilie Agreste?" a voice of an elderly man called from the doorway of the room. The blonde, green-eyed woman turned to see Horseshoe standing there. The older man walked over to the young woman when he added, "How are you feeling Mrs Agreste?"

It took a few seconds for the green-eyed woman to register that the elderly man in the hero costume was addressing her, or that Emilie Agreste was her name. She rubbed her head before she responded with, "I... Feel a little... Off, I think... Like I'm not all here right now..."

Horseshoe gave the woman a small smile when he said, "It's normal to feel like that after waking up from a magic-induced coma." Emilie blinked in confusion. What was this man talking about? Horseshoe placed a gentle hand on her shoulder when he said, "You used the Peacock Miraculous when it was damaged, Mrs Agreste. It caused a bit of a backlash that drained you enough to go into a coma for over a year."

That was when everything started flooding back to Emilie. She started hyperventilating a bit before she said, "My! My son! My husband! Nathalie! Are they!"

Horseshoe rubbed her shoulder when he said as gently as possible, "Madam, calm down. Take slow, deep breaths." Emilie slowly complied, and after a good minute of slow deep breathing, she was calm. That was when Horseshoe explained, "As I said before, you've been in a coma for over a year due to overusing a damaged Miraculous. Your husband has tried to... Undo the effects on his own, however..."

Emilie let out a sigh when she said, "He's done some questionable things? Right?"

"I'm afraid so," Horseshoe responded. He took a deep breath before he said, "Your son, Adrien, had no idea where you were being kept or what his father was doing... But... Recent events made your husband realize that he needed the help of the other Miraculous Holders, myself included."

Emilie sighed as she nodded slowly, taking in this new information.

Horseshoe patted her on the back of her hand when he said, "I'll leave you be for a while, so you can get your motor skills back and to give the doctors time to alert your husband and Nathalie that you are awake."

Emilie raised a brow when she asked, "What about my son? Adrien? He should know that I'm awake too."

Horseshoe lowered his gaze in sadness before he said, "It's... Complicated right now... But I would suggest that you rest and focused on getting better." Emilie reluctantly nodded before the Horse Holder walked over to the unconscious person in the other bed. The blonde woman looked at the elderly woman before she asked, "Is... She in the same position as I was?"

Horseshoe shook his head before he said, "No, in fact, she's in a worse situation than you were."

Now Emilie was confused. She has been in a magically induced coma for over a year, away from her family and friends. What did this other woman go through that this Holder deemed worse?

"Excuse me," a new voice from the doorway called. Emilie turned to see Claudie Kanté standing there.

Horseshoe was surprised to see the woman when he asked, "Mrs Kanté! May I inquire what you're doing here? I asked the doctors to contact the family of Mrs Stein."

Claudie walked into the room when she said, "Linda Stein is my mother. May I ask why you're suddenly interested in what happened to her?" The Horse Holder and Emilie were surprised by the response before he looked over the elderly woman in the bed, and realized she and Mrs Kanté did have a striking resemblance despite the age difference.

That was when Horseshoe asked in a serious tone, "How long has she been like this?" Claudie responded, "It'll be two years in three months." Horseshoe then asked, "How did this happen?" Claudie responded with, "Originally, it was thought to be a car accident." "Originally?" Horseshoe asked with a raised brow. Emilie was looking between the train conductor and the Horse Holder during this conversation.

That was when Claudie explained, "The car accident mum was in was pretty bad and the doctors said it was a miracle that she survived even though she's in a coma, so the police did an investigation to see if it was driver error or mechanical error." Horseshoe placed a hand to his chin when he asked, "And what did they find out?" Claudie rubbed her left arm subconsciously when she said, "They found that the car was tampered with. Her breaks were cut, there was a big rock on the accelerator, and they found a security camera that caught mum's car before the crash and they saw that she was already unconscious at the wheel... So foul play... They still haven't figured out who would want to do such a thing to my mum and tried to make her death look like an accident... I... I never told Maxie about the police's findings."

"Oh my! That's terrible!" Emilie vocalized as she covered her mouth.

Horseshoe thought about what he just heard. That was when he decided to call in the doctor for Linda Stein so he could tell the doctor and her daughter what he theorized. Plus, Mrs Stein's doctor was also the doctor assigned to Mrs Agreste, so that's one less thing he had to do.

~}i{ Inside Joey Drew Studios, Film Vault }i{~

"Anything jumping out at anyone?" Ladybug asked as she opened another box, before sighing when she saw more cans of bacon soup. Why were those even in a film vault?

Tom Boris opened another box with Markov looking over his shoulder when he said, "Couldn't that Hidden Message be more specific on what we need to find? Or at least more of a general description of what it looks like."

Kim couldn't help but respond with a "Ditto," as he opened another box full of bacon soups. He raised a brow in confusion when he vocalized, "Okay, was this supposed to be a Film Vault or a Bacon Soup Vault? Because this is the 3rd box full of that canned bacon soup I've found."

"Oh good, I'm not the only one who's been findin' them. I've found four boxes," Norman said as he opened another box. He shook his head when he said, "Make that five."

Buddy Boris opened another box. He raised a brow before he pulled out a can of bacon soup. Buddy Boris then scratched his head in confusion as he looked at the can before he looked over the boxes he opened, which happen to be more bacon soup cans.

Ladybug looked at the box she just opened when she said, "Yeah, I'm with Kim, isn't this supposed to be a Film Vault? And we've found how many boxes with bacon soup cans in them?"

Allison Angel opened another box, but it was empty, when she said, "Quiet a number of them... I mean, we found more boxes of bacon soup than boxes of film reels and empty boxes combined."

That was when Chat Noir asked no one in particular, "Seriously, how could anyone love canned bacon soup THAT much? I mean, we've found them EVERYWHERE in this place! Heck! We've even found a vending machine full of the stuff!"

Sammy opened another box when he said, "Yeah, I don't get the obsession over bacon soup either. But Joey loved the stuff and he always seemed to find a store that sold them at low prices if you buy them in bulk."

The teens, Markov, Allison Angel, Tom, Buddy Boris, and Norman paused in their search as they glanced over at Sammy, who was currently looking through the box of film reels. Ladybug cleared her throat to get the former Music Director's attention before she asked, "So... The reason why there are so many cans of bacon soup was that Mr Drew had a rather large, unhealthy obsession for it?"

Sammy glanced at all the boxes full of bacon soup cans, thought about what was said, and they finally responded with, "I guess when you put it that way... Yeah, he did." He then thought of something before he glanced at the teens when he asked, "Did this Lie-la person also seemed to have an obsession for bacon soup?"

Ladybug, Chat Noir, Kim, and Markov looked at each other at this. The red-clad hero shrugged as the tall teen said, "Bacon soup wasn't on the school's lunch menu very often. I'd say maybe once a month or so, but even then it's just a side dish." Markov did comment that he noticed that when Lila was in school, she's always got bacon soup if the school served it. It took a few seconds before the black-clad hero said in a thoughtful tone, "Oh yeah, during the photoshoots when we had to order lunch or dinners, she always asked the person getting the food if the restaurant the staff were ordering from had any bacon soup. Kept bragging that bacon soup helped keep her "youthful appearance", or something like that. I tend to either tune her out or focus on getting away from her clutches." That was one commonality that the teens and AI didn't think the two liars would have... But it was certainly one of the stranger ones.

Markov gave Chat Noir a worried look when he asked, "Uhh, Adrien, because you know that, I have to ask. How often were you forced to model with Lie-la?"

Chat Noir couldn't hide his annoyance when he said, "Well, Father just "HAD" to "pair us up" for nearly all the photoshoots for the brand because of our "Chemistry". *Growls* What a load of crap! The only "chemistry" that I know that's been happening between us was me trying to stop myself from exploding on set! All the other staff and models knew this and they couldn't understand why Father would put us together!"

Kim rolled his eyes when he said, "Betcha those photoshoots Lie-la had with you were your dad's "payment" for her spying services." Chat Noir couldn't help but comment that he wouldn't be surprised if that were true.

"Spying Services?" Norman, Tom, Allison Angel, and Sammy vocalized in confusion while Buddy Boris raised a brow. That's when they all asked at the same time (well, those who could), "What do you mean by that?"

(Insert the teens and Markov telling/explaining to the Ink Creatures that Gabriel, Adrien's Father, hired Lila to spy on his son's classmates and anyone he comes in contact with. Lila's job was supposed to be to "keep an eye on Adrien and report if there are any negative influences", and as payment for her "services" she gets to be a model for the Gabriel Brand).

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Norman said as he waved his hands in the air before he asked, "Didn't she molest you durin' that last photoshoot you had with her?"

"Unfortunately," Chat Noir growled out in annoyance before hissing out, "I wanted to punch her but that would've been worse for me if I did."

That was when Norman asked/exclaimed, "And she's been clinging to you practically every time she's with you?!"

Ladybug gripped out in annoyance, "Yeah, but replace the word "Clinging" with the words "feeling up". Even Rose told her that she was being a little too handsy with Adrien, and she's the one who sees the positivity in everything."

Norman folded his arms when he nearly growled out, "Assuming that your more likeable co-workers have a workin' brain, I'm pretty sure they informed your dad about this Lie-la's behaviours, even if she was "suppose to be keepin' an eye on you". I'm also sure if he's getting news from his, I would assume are, his trusted staff about his little "spy's" attitude he wouldn't be so willing to have her work with you. Heck, I'm sure he'd fire her."

Kim scoffed when he said, "Yeah, any reasonable and loving parent in that bastard's shoes would've. But this is Gabrel "I have a son?" Agreste. He's too occupied with his company to even think about the well-being of his son. I mean, to be honest, I think it makes more sense for Adrien to call either Nathalie or that tablet she carries around "father" than that guy. However, I think your bodyguard would be a choice for dad material since the dude knows you a lot better than Nathalie and Gab, minus the Hero thing." Ladybug and Markov nodded in agreement.

Norman let out a low hum when he asked, "Alright, and how did you find out about Lie-la being a spy for your so-called dad?"

Chat Noir scoffed when he said, "Lie-la told me "comply with me or I tell your father that you're acting out, and I doubt he'll let you hang out with your idiot friends". To. My. Face." The black cat hero let out a loud sigh before he said, "I... Figured she was lying again to get me to comply with her demands and I didn't think my father would do such a thing... I assumed he finally trusted me to be on my own..."

Chat Noir sighed again when Ladybug continued, "But given the circumstantial evidence, what we witnessed ourselves, and prior behaviours from Mr Agreste, we and our classmates who knew that Lie-la's a liar decided to lay a trap. More to prove to us that while Mr Agreste can be a hardass, he would at least trust his son more than some so-called spy."

"I take it he failed?" Norman stated in a not so surprised tone.

Kim rolled his eyes when he said, "Big time." Markov then stated, "Nino decided to make up some band that he can "mention" to Adrien while Lie-la is in hearing range while they pretend to listen to one of the band's "songs" and see if it gets back to Mr Agreste. Which it did."

Ladybug rolled her eyes when she said, "Considering we have 3/4th of a music band and a music enthusiast in our class, you'd think Lie-la would realize that we were making it up. Especially considering the not so subtle name they came up with for the "band", and the "song name" they went with." She then pinched the bridge of her nose at this.

Kim shrugged when he said, "I thought we went with those names to send Gab a message as he finally realized that Lie-la was both a terrible spy and a no-good liar, as well as being a poor excuse for a dad." He then smirked when he added, "I so wanted to see the look on his face when Lie-la told him about the song 'My World is Burning Down Around Me' by 'F-ck You Dad' (2), or at least a picture of his face."

"I can tell you that I was more than disappointed in him when he confronted me about that "music" I was supposedly listening to..." Chat Noir got out softly as his cat ears dropped as he looked at the ground. He then added, "It felt even worse when he shot me down when I asked how he would even know what I listen to when I never played anything inside our home that he didn't approve of, especially by a specific song and a band that I know he's never heard of... It just... It just felt like he cared more about protecting Lila as his spy than bothering to spend even a little time with me..." He shook his head before he growled out, "He also told me to apologise to Lie-la for "overacting to her casual touches" and scolded me for "Leaving the set when there wasn't an emergency"! He believed that liar over me! And I told him where she was touching me and I didn't want to work with her anymore! He brushed me off! When I needed him to act like a father, he brushed me off and scolded me for removing myself from a bad situation! *Sighs* I might as well just be just another employee for the Gabriel Brand rather than the guy's son."

Tom, Allison Angel, and Sammy were pretty horrified at what they were hearing. After a good half-minute of silence, the former Music Director finally said, "That's... Just wrong on so many levels... He believed this Lie-la over his son AND employees?" Chat Noir quickly listed off the types of employees they had on set. Camera crew, models, make-up, security, and interns. Chat Noir said that at least one person from each of these groups had told Lie-la that her behaviours were inappropriate and they told him that they filed a complaint about her to their boss. The black cat hero then added that he doesn't understand why his father never took ALL those reports seriously, especially if he was getting them so frequently. Ladybug then commented that even Lie-la couldn't spin that all of those reports into them being "jealous" of her.

Tom Boris and Allison Angel glanced at each other before they nodded and muttered in unison to each other, "We're adopting him."

Markov, meanwhile, looked over all the opened boxes to see if anything looked out of place or noteworthy. Except for the bacon soups. The AI failed to understand why there were cans of food in a vault made to store film reels. That was when Markov realized, 'There are only three boxes worth of film reels, and 86% of them look like they have not been used yet.' Then he had another thought. Markov quickly pulled the Seeing Tool to his visor and looked around again through it, and that was when he spotted another Hidden Message. Markov quickly called attention to it before he read the Hidden Message out loud, "The Demon has it" He then realized when he vocalized, "Oh, I should have used the Seeing Tool when we first entered the Film Vault."

Kim patted Markov on the side when he said, "You didn't know, and there's a reason why we're calling them "Hidden" Messages. I guess that means that the Ink Demon has something we need, not just Max." He then raised his eyebrows in confusion when he asked the rest of Team Psi, "But why would the Ink Demon want It? Whatever It is."

Ladybug placed a hand to her chin when she suggested, "Maybe... This thing is important, but... Is it important to us freeing everyone from the studio? Important to the Ink Demon? Important to shutting down the Ink Machine? Or could it be all of the above?"

As everyone thought about it, Markov's visor landed on a closed metal door off to the right side of the vault (why it was there is anyone's guess). Through the Seeing Tool, he saw the words "THROUGH HERE TO THE INK DEMON'S LAIR! THEY'RE WAITING FOR ALL OF YOU!" in bright, glowing gold letters. Markov quickly called attention to the door before he paused and realized the wording of the Hidden Message.

"Markov? What's wrong?" Norman asked when he noticed the AI's sudden silence.

That was when Markov said, "There's a Hidden Message written on the door. It says "Through here to the Ink Demon's Lair. They're waiting for all of you"... Who do you think the message is referring to when using the word "They"?"

Sammy was the one to say, "I'm hoping it's talking about Max and the Ink Demon."

That was when Chat Noir said as his cat ears pressed against his head, "But with this place... Let's air on the side of caution in case there's a "surprise" waiting for us."

Everyone nodded before Allison Angel looked over the door before she said, "It won't be easy to open." Tom Boris then looked at the door when his wife added, "We need to find three gears, a crowbar, and some kind of counterbalance..."

Suddenly, Tom Boris punched the metal door with his mechanical arm. The door busted open with a metallic clank.

"Huh, I guess that works too," Kim said with an impressed look on his face. Buddy Boris nodded in agreement.

Team Psi cautiously trooped through the broken door. It didn't take more than a glance around their new area for the teens and AI to realize something odd.

"This looks like... The area we saw when we entered the studio," Ladybug said as she looked over an old artist desk, similar to the ones she and the boys saw when they thought they were in their Haunted House.

Markov scanned the cartoon posters before he said, "Agreed, even the posters are similar."

Chat Noir scratched his head when he said, "Okay, I admit this has become a repetitive question, but why? Urg, you know what, just forget I said anything."

Sammy looked around when he said, "It does look like we're in the artist area, but... How does the Film Vault connect to that area?"

"This place's layout stopped makin' sense when we found the Amusement Park," Norman stated as he looked at a rough draft drawing of Bendy.

Soon they continued down the path. it didn't take long before they came to a hallway with a large glass window separating one section of the hallway from another. Why this was here, no one knew and frankly, no one really cared. Suddenly, the ink webs appeared on the other side of the glass before being followed by the sound of a heartbeat. Everyone froze as the Ink Demon's shadow appeared on the wall parallel to them. No one uttered even the tiniest sound as the Ink Demon finally appeared, just casually walking down the hallway on the other side of the glass and not noticing Team Psi.

After ten intense seconds, the Ink Demon was gone, everyone sighed in relief.

"Something tells me we're going to have to "run into" that Ink Demon again," Tom Boris stated as he looked in the direction they were heading. On the wall that leads to another turn was the word "DEATH" written on the wall in black ink with an arrow pointing in the direction of the hall. Tom Boris frowned when he said sarcastically, "That's welcoming." Everyone agreed with that.

But they had to continue. So they did.

The next thing Team Psi knew they came to an enormous cavern with what looked like a building-sized version of the Ink Machine, with an entranceway built-in front, and surrounded by a moat of back ink. The Ink Machine that the teens and AI saw throughout their adventure being set on top of the building-size Ink Machine by the chains that lowered it. The moment the two Ink Machines made contact, steam was released from one of the many pipes of the bigger Ink Machine.

"Wow! I've never seen this before!" Allison Angel gasped in amazement as she took a step towards the edge of the inky moat.

Norman spotted the entranceway on the building-sized Ink Machine before he said, "And it looks like it's our next destination. You think that's where the Ink Demon has his lair?"

Kim couldn't help but say, "If it is, then he definitely has some kind of control over the Ink Machine, or at least knows how it works."

Markov then added, "Logical assumption, but we still don't have enough information to work with."

Chat Noir stared up at the gigantic Ink Machine when he said, "Guess there's only one way to find out." He then looked down at the ink moat and said, "Damn! Markov and fly over this while Ladybug, Kim, and I can wade through this but..."

Buddy Boris gulped as Ladybug said, "Anyone who's already affected by the Ink will be pulled back if they touch the Ink for too long, especially this much at once." Yeah... That was a problem... Half the team was affected by the Ink so they couldn't wad across.

Allison Angel looked around the immediate area before she said, "I don't see any other way around... There's nothing to use to get us across."

Tom Boris then said, "And nothing to use to make a raft, even for one person."

Ladybug thought about the situation for a bit before she said, "Maybe I can fix that. Lucky Charm!" She quickly tossed the yo-yo into the air. In a surge of sparkly ladybugs, a red rowboat with black polka-dots appeared (no oars though)! Everyone scurried away as the Lucky Charm fell to the ground with a thud. Team Psi quickly looked over the boat and saw that it could fit five adults easily.

"Perfect!" They all said with joy before they pushed it to the moat. They needed to work quickly, now that Ladybug's five-minute timer was on the countdown. Once the Lucky Charm was halfway in the ink moat, the Ink affected members of the team carefully piled into the boat. Once they were completely seated, Ladybug and Chat Noir pushed the Lucky Charm all the way into the inky moat. The boat-shaped charm worked like a boat perfectly! Kim quickly followed the heroes as Markov flew overhead. The inky moat came up to around the teens' lower chest. The teens kept at least one hand each on the Lucky Charm while they carefully guided it to the building-sized Ink Machine.

And apparently, the Ink Machine was further away than it appeared. Ladybug's Miraculous beeped, signalling the four-minute warning as they got a few paces away from the shore. When they got to around the halfway mark Ladybug's Miraculous beeped again, signalling that she had three minutes left. When they got 3/4th of the way to the building-sized Ink Machine, they started worrying as the two-minute warning beeped. The teens wadded a bit faster, they had to get to the Ink Machine before Ladybug's transformation and the effect of the Lucky Charm would end. Meaning if they don't make it to the Ink Machine before the Miraculous' effect ends, then the boat will disappear and the Ink Affected members of Team Psi will fall into Ink and be pulled back into the dark inky void. Everyone held their breaths as the final warning sounded as they got a few paces away from the Ink Machine.

When the Lucky Charm ran aground on the Ink Machine, Norman, Allison Angel, Tom, Buddy Boris, and Sammy quickly but carefully trooped out of the boat while avoiding coming into contact with the inky moat. The teens walked up the stairs while Markov hovered overhead. Once all of Team Psi were solidly on the ground (minus the AI who was flying), Ladybug's Miraculous timed out. The Lucky Charm vanished as Ladybug turned back into Marinette.

Tikki flew out of the Miraculous and flopped into Marinette's hand with a hungry groan. Buddy Boris pulled out a can of Ready-to-Eat Bacon Soup from his bag and opened it. Marinette took the can with one hand while still holding Tikki in the other hand, and let the little red Kwami eat the bacon soup from the can as Team Psi walked up the stairs.

"Bleck!" Tikki vocalized before saying in a grossed out tone, "I know purifying this stuff makes it safe to eat, but it still tastes bad."

Marinette placed the red Kwami on her shoulder when she said, "I know, but it's only for the energy and hopefully we won't have to eat it for long." She quickly looked at Buddy Boris when she said, "No offence, Buddy, I know you like the stuff but it does taste pretty gross to us." Buddy Boris smiled when he made a motion that said 'Don't worry about it'.

As soon as they entered the Ink Machine, they walked through a long narrow hallway. It was so narrow that they had to walk through one at a time. Chat Noir felt a chill go down his spine before he said, "I hate to say this but... I think I'm starting to feel what Plagg's been picking up on..."

"That's not a good sign..." Norman grumbled as they continued following the hall.

Soon, they finally came to a section of the hallway that widened enough for all of them to stand side-by-side in, but... This area had what looked liked chambers built into the walls that only had glass separating whoever was inside with the rest of the studio. Lost Ones were sealed in these chambers as the ink was being poured over them at a steady pace. One of those Lost Ones looked more like a Boris...

The teens looked around when Marinette said, "This must be where everyone was turned into an Ink Creature."

Kim gulped when he said, "You guys don't think we were... Lured here. Do you?"

Chat Noir glanced around when he said, "I certainly hope not- Norman, you okay?" The black cat hero noticed that the projectionist was looking pretty shakey, almost as if he was about to have a seizer.

Norman was still shaking when he got out, "Oh God! I remember this place! This place was... Was...!" He then clenched his head in pain, whole body shaking as he backed up to the wall, when he shouted in horror, "Was where Joey killed me!" The rest of Team Psi gasped in shock as Norman's back hit the wall. He then slid down the wall as he whimpered out, "He... Just... Killed me... And all he... He could... Could think about... Was... Was his damn ink project! And that it wasn't coming together!"

Team Psi quickly moved to comfort their friend, making sure they asked if it was alright if hugging or any touch contact would help calm him down. When they got the okay, Buddy Boris did give Norman a comforting hug. Tom Boris placed a hand on Norman's shoulder.

Tikki gingerly patted Norman on the cheek/side of his head when she asked, "Norman, I hate to ask, but... Can you tell us what happened?"

Norman took a good deep breath before he said, "Yeah... I can..."

}i{ Flashback, Norman's POV }i{

I was in the Projection Booth, as usual when I heard that strange noise again. It sounded like it was comin' from under the floors, that I knew. I knew tellin' Joey would've been pointless, he would've just told me that I was just hearin' things and there was nothin' makin' noise under the Projection Booth.

Well, I had enough of his crap that time around! I was gettin' to the bottom of that noise! And as soon as I saw a chance, I took it.

I just followed the sound once I was in the basement, which was almost under the Projection Booth. The closer I got to the sound, the clearer it got. And it... Kinda sounded like a combination of somethin' bangin' and scratchin' on metal. It didn't have much of a rhythm, so that got my suspicions on what was making the sounds. It didn't take long before I came to a metal door and the sound was comin' from the other side of it.

"Is someone in here?" I said as I knocked on the metal door in a short pattern. I didn't hear anyone say anythin' but whoever was on the other side of the door repeated the knock I did back. That meant that they could hear me. I remember trying to open the door before I asked, "Can you open the door on your end? Two knocks for a "yes" and three knocks for a "no" if you can't talk." I was just hoping whoever was on the other side of the door understood what I said, but when I heard that person knock three times on the metal door, I was glad they understood me.

That was when I realized something was up and I asked them, "Did someone lock you in here?" When I heard only two knocks in response, I felt my stomach drop. "Against your will?" I asked in dread. I felt like puking when I only heard two knocks. That was when I asked as I tried to open the door while remembering how long I've been hearing the noise, "Were you locked in here recently?" I heard two knocks in response. "Around three and a half months ago?" I asked as I started looking around for some kind of key. When I heard two knocks again, I knew I was right about the sounds.

Whoever was locked in there was the one makin' all the sounds I heard from the Projection Booth the entire time I heard them. I remember thinkin' who the hell would do this to another person? I know I told the person, "I'm gonna get you out of there! I just need to find-"

Then I remember somethin' collidin' with my head and then followed by a sharp pain as I fell to the ground. I remember seein' Joey holdin' a long pipe or somethin' like that when he said, "If you had listened to me, then this wouldn't have happened." Then everything turned black.

When I came to, I was in one of those pods those Lost Ones here are in. Took a while for me to realize it though since my head was pondin' and still bleedin'. But when I did, I tried to get out. And joey was just standin' there goin' on about how I should've listened to him and how it was my fault I was in this position. Only heard some of it because of the glass and my throbbin' head, guess that was a good thin' to be honest.

Next thin' I heard was Joey talkin' about me becomin' apart of his "Grand Achievement" before he pressed a button on a panel on the wall, and then ink was suddenly dumped on me.

}i{ End Flashback }i{

"I was kinda in and out of consciousness afterwards before everything just faded away," Norman finished with a sigh. The then added as he shook his head, "Heard that bastard saying somethin' about me makin' his masterpiece fail." The rest of Team Psi mumbled and grumbled something along the lines of "Bastard" or "Rotten Bastard". Norman glanced at the pods, not seeing the panels that were once on the walls, and sighed when he said, "Never did find out who Joey had locked up in the basement... Probably either dead or an ink creature by now..."

While the rest of the Team was huddled together near a wall, Tikki quickly looked at all the trapped Lost One and Lost Boris, to find a way to free them from the pods but couldn't find any. She suddenly felt something watching and quickly looked around the immediate area. Tikki's antenna dropped when she didn't see anything that could work like a camera, window, or even a scope. 'I think I'm starting to understand how Plagg was feeling whenever he feels that bad vibe,' Tikki thought before returning to the Team and ducking into Marinette's bag.

The bluette noticed as she peered into her ink-stained purse when she asked, "Tikki, what's wrong?"

The little red Kwami whined when she said, "I think I'm starting to feel what Plagg was feeling, and it feels like we're being watched!"

Chat Noir glanced around before he said cautiously, "Yeah... Me too, but... Maybe it just feels stronger because we're inside the Ink Machine." He knew he was feeling something, but he still couldn't pinpoint where and what it was. Chat Noir then stood up when he added, "And as much as I hate to say it... We're going to have to keep moving deeper into this machine so we can shut it down."

Sammy patted the projectionist on the shoulder when he asked, "You feeling good enough to continue?"

Norman nodded before he said, "I'm better, but that memory's going to haunt me for a while."

Tom Boris clicked his tongue before he said, "I don't blame you on that. The damn bastard was more concerned with that damn ink project than someone's life." Buddy Boris nodded in agreement. Tom Boris then put his non-mechanical hand to his chin before he said, "But... How'd he get the Ink Machine working again? Let alone make one this size?"

Markov was the one to ask, "Mr Connor, you seem to be implying that the original Ink Machine was somehow damaged and the blueprints for it were somehow unavailable. May I inquire what you know?"

That was when Tom Boris explained, "Before I left Joey Drew Studios with Allison, I made sure to remove the power adapter to the original Ink Machine and took some of the more important sections of the multi-part blueprints, so the damn bastard wouldn't try "Using Souls to Make his Creations More Lifelike" thing after he realized I wasn't going to help him. I later destroyed those items in a fire. I'd figured that that was the end of things... Clearly, I was wrong."

Allison Angel placed a hand on her husband's shoulder at this when she said, "You did the right thing, Tom. But he somehow fixes the Ink Machine and made one even bigger..."

Marinette couldn't help but say, "Wait, did anyone else help with the construction of the original Ink Machine?" Tom Boris shook his head when he said that it was mostly him working on it and that Joey Drew didn't help at all. That was when the bluette asked in a serious tone, "If that's the case then... How did Mr Drew "Fix" the original Ink Machine and then "build" the one we're inside?"

Team Psi looked at each other at this question. And yeah, it raised a helluva lot more eyebrows.

Kim gulped when he said, "Something tells me that we're not going to like the answers when we find out... If we find out." Everyone pretty much agreed on that.

And soon, Team Psi continued on their mission as they pulled down the lever to the next area. They were going to shut down the Ink Machine, rescue Max, and save everyone trapped inside the studio.

~}i{ Outside the Studio }i{~

"Are you sure you about this?" Alix asked Luka/Viperion in a concerned and worried tone.

Viperion slipped on the Horse Miraculous. Master Fu was currently wearing the Fox Miraculous. The current Snake Holder then said, "I'm not completely, but we have to test this out before we do anything else." He took a deep breath before he said, "Sass, Kalki! Unify!" And in a flash of light, the Snake and the Horse Miraculous were now controlled by the same holder.

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

Team Psi gasped in amazement when they entered what looked like some kind of throne room with a dozen old television screens playing the old Bendy cartoons clips and a chair that resembled a throne was in the centre on top of a pile of what was best described as "trophies" and Thick Ink. Large gears worked as steps to the throne, and on the top "step" leaning against the throne was an Audio Log. One of the armrests of the "throne" looked bigger than the other side, but it looked like it had another purpose. Another metal door was off to the side, but that was sealed shut, for now.

"Didn't think the Ink Demon would be this... Dramatic about his lair," Allison Angel commented as they trooped towards the throne.

Tikki peeked out of Marinette's purse when she said in a wiry tone, "Maybe that Audio Log has a clue as to how we can shut this thing down. I'm getting the hibby-jibbies just being here."

Marinette nodded before she said, "Hopefully, and Tikki, be ready in case I have to transform." The red Kwami nodded as they gathered around the Audio Log.

Markov switched on his recording app as Kim pressed the Play button. The Audio Log's tape winds forward and causing everyone to hear a familiar and unwelcomed voice of Joey Drew. The Audio Log played as such, "It's simply awe-inspiring what one can accomplish with their own hands." Everyone rolled their eyes (that can be seen) at this. The voice continued, "A lump of clay can turn to meaning... If you strangle it with enough enthusiasm." That sounded rather... Unpleasant, especially when you think about what the man did to others. The Audio Log continued, "Look what we've built. We created life itself, Henry!" Team Psi glanced at one another at this.

Did Joey Drew... Leave his message for Henry Stien?

Joey Drew's voice continued playing, "Not just on the silver screen, but in the hearts of those we entertain with our fancy moving pictures." Was Joey Drew... Trying to butter up Henry in this message? That was then the Audio Log played in a slightly sad tone, "But... When the tickets stopped selling... When the next big thing comes along... Only the monsters remain... Shadows of the past." There's the kicker. That was when Joey's voice cheered up when it said, "But you can save them, Henry! You can peel it all away! You see, there's only one thing Bendy has never known. He was there for his beginning.., But he's never seen: The End." With that, the Audio Log ended with a click.

"The End of what?" Kim asked cluelessly as he looked at the others in confusion. He then said, "And why would this "End" thing stop the Ink Demon?"

Norman snapped his fingers when he said, "The Ending Credits! Joey must be talking about The End Reel!"

Sammy tapped his chin when he said, "Not sure how that's going to stop the Ink Demon or save everyone here, but how are we going to find one specific film reel in this place?"

Allison Angel then said, "I remember seeing it once, it had a handwritten label that read "The End" on it, but I don't think there was anything else that distinguished it from the other reels."

That was when Chat Noir noticed a void on the seat of the throne. He traced the void's outline with his right index finger as he looked at it. The shape looked familiar somehow... That was when Chat Noir realized when he vocalized, "Norman, is a film reel's circumference the same size as this void?" He pointed at the void.

Norman looked over the void before he said, "Yeah, that the right size for one." He then tapped the space when he added, "That means that a reel was here, and given what Joey said in that Audio Log, my best guess is that it was The End reel."

Buddy Boris scratched his head when Markove asked, "But where is it now?"

Allison Angel was the one to say, "It has to be somewhere in here. Hopefully, close by."

That was when everyone thought, 'Great, more backtracking...' But they were going to save everyone trapped inside the studio and if that reel was the key to doing so, they'll find it!

"Cllllloooosssseeeeerrrr thhhaaaannn yyyoouu thhhiiinnnk," a rusty voice from behind Team Psi suddenly said and causing everyone to jump. When they turned towards the voice they saw that the owner was holding a reel with the label "The End" written on it. However... It was who was holding the reel that Team Psi couldn't believe they were seeing.

~}i{~

To be Continued in Chapter 5 Pt 4: The Last Reel of Revelations.

~}i{~

1) The location of Chapter 5's Hidden Radio! Again, this is completely missable in a playthrough, so I'd figure I let you all know where it is to get the "Toe Tappin'!" Achievement for Chapter 5, and the "Gold Record" by extension for listening to all 5 radios.

2) ... Yeah... I have some explaining to do after pulling this reference... But I'm going to assume that most of my readers are under 18, so I'm going to sidestep this. (If you're over 18 and comfortable with foul language, foul mannerisms, sex, blood, gore, and hell... Vivziepop has made some pretty sweet animations on youtube, if you're over 18). Viziepop and her crew make great animations and it's nice to have more variety to the animation class of entertainment than just segregating it all to just "kids stuff". Just be aware of what you're comfortable with before you watch their stuff.

~}i{~