Gale-Dragon: This turned out longer than I thought. But I hope you enjoy it.
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Miraculous Adventure in Joey Drew Studios.
Chapter 5 Pt 5: The Last Reel of Secrets Unearthed.
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~}i{ Outside Joey Drew Studios, Police Department }i{~
The police showed the Temporary Heroes the video files and listen to the audio recordings that they pulled from Max's phone and the images that they pulled from Kim's phone. They pretty much had the same reaction as the police and family members, but the Temporary Heroes had a hunch that there was some "Miraculous Action" happening off-camera. The skit about the Lucky Charm in the Boris' Safehouse was the giveaway to the Temporary Heroes, and seeing how Kim, Max, and Markov laughed at the inside joke was also proof that they knew that Ladybug and Chat Noir were trapped with them.
Okay, that was good. That means that there was no need to worry about letting anything about ids slip during the rescue. But...
Drak-Kon took a deep breath before he said, "Okay, let's go over what we know before we start making our rescue plan. So we can make any changes if needed." The other Heroes nodded in agreement alongside a few police officers. The Dragon Holder placed a picture of Marinette, Adrien, Kim, Max, and Markov in the centre of the table they all were gathered around when he said, "Since they were grouped together for that Halloween event under the Psi symbol, let's call then Team Psi to refer to all of them, okay?" Everyone nodded. Drak-Kon then said as he moved the pictures between a quick sketch of a roller coaster and a doodle of a safe house, "Alright, Team Psi are probably deep under Joey Drew Studios, where specifically is still up for debate. That's going to be the biggest challenge to this mission."
Madame Emerald then placed three pictures onto the table next to the images of the four teens and AI when she added, "And let's not forget that Team Psi aren't the only ones trapped inside." She then reveals that they were pictures are an image of Buddy Boris, a still-shot of Norman, and one was a still-shot of Tom Boris and Allison Angel. The Turtle Holder tapped on one of the images with her index finger when she said, "According to the Missing Persons Files, it's safe to assume that Norman Polk has been trapped inside the Studio the longest of these four. But we don't know how much of that time he has been in that projection-headed form." She looked down at the image of Norman when she said, "Also, according to his file, he went "missing" about two years before the Studio was investigated for "hazardous working conditions, harassment, and excessive backpay" in 1946. The place then permanently closed down in 1959 when it went bankrupt..." She raised a brow in realization before asking the others, "Anyone else find it a little weird that no one in that studio found out that he was still there for the 15 years that it was open before shutting down?"
Viperion looked at the picture of Norman before saying, "Even if he wasn't in that projector form, it be pretty hard to hid an adult in a place that's usually constantly full of people... Unless..." He clicked his tongue before he stated bitterly, "Joey Drew had a spot already in place for such a thing." Viperion placed a hand to his chin before he asks, "I wonder if this same place is also where Norman and the Connors were... Turned into these Ink Creatures... And maybe is also is where the other "Living Toons" were created."
That was when Mitsubachi said as she looked at Viperion, "Given that he was reported "missing" either at or on the way to Joey Drew Studio and he was found inside the studio long after being reported missing... I believe it is safe to assume that this "Place" is also inside the studio." The Bee Holder then moved a photo of a sheet of blueprints, that was on Max's phone, into view when she added, "Considering that Team Psi has talked about this "Ink Machine" thing a lot in their Video Logs and they mentioned that this Boris *points to the picture of Buddy Boris* had a rather fearful reaction when seeing it being lowered. I think it's safe to assume that this Ink Machine thing is the catalyst of all the Ink Creatures' transformation."
That was when Bunnyx said, "Speaking of, they also mention that they were planning on shutting down the Ink Machine and saving everyone trapped inside the studio, whether they're dead or still alive. So we might need to find a way to add that to the plan."
All the Temporary Heroes nodded as they held their tongues for a few seconds. They so wanted to comment "of course they would", but the police were there and they did not want to accidentally hint that they knew Team Psi personally.
Horseshoe then added, "That's a good idea Bunnyx, but we're forgetting one important factor." When he was asked what it was, the Horse Holder placed a photo on top of the table when he said, "This." He moved his hand to reveal that the photo was a still-shot of the Ink Demon. Horseshoe then added seriously, "For what little information we have on this "Ink Demon Bendy", there's a good possibility that he is going to be one of or the biggest threat inside the studio. The Searchers and those Butcher Gangs might pose a threat if there are too many at once, but one on one, they should be rather manageable. But bring an extra weapon just in case." But even though he was serious with what he was saying, he wasn't sure if that was true or not. Horseshoe saw the Ink Demon first-hand in his attempt to get into the studio the first time, and... He couldn't help but think that there was something else going on with that Ink Demon creature.
The other heroes nodded before Madame Emerald said, "Okay, let's get to the planning before we jump into action." She then looked at a photo of an elderly Henry Stein, that Mrs Kanté gave them for the Joey Drew Studio Investigation. The Turtle Hero slid the photo closer to herself as she turned it so it was facing right-side-up in front of her. Madame Emerald raised a brow a bit before she asked, "I know this isn't part of our mission, but considering it has to do with the Investigations... Does anyone else think it's more than a little weird that the grandson of the "True Creator" was a part of the group that acted as the catalyst to all these investigations involving Joey Drew Studios?"
Everyone looked at one another at this. Now that the Turtle Holder mentioned it... Yeah, it was a little weird...
Drak-Kon couldn't help but say, "I'm not sure if anyone believes this kinda thing, but do you think that it might've been... Destiny that Team Psi were the ones to unearth everything that's been happening inside that place..."
Mitsubachi place a hand on Drak-Kon's when she said, "Then let's hope that Destiny will also allow us to find them and save them, all of them."
That everyone could agree on.
An officer burst into the room and declared loudly, "Sir! We got a development in one of the Joey Drew Studios Investigations!" When asked what it was, the officer said, "Joey Drew himself! But... You're not going to like what we've found."
Wait? What the heck does that mean?
~}i{ Inside Joey Drew Studios }i{~
The Ink Demon brought Team Psi to a rather large, spacious room with four metal pillars. From the layout of this room, it seemed like this was used as some kind of lab in the past. Though, no one wanted to know what kind of experiments were done.
As the Ink Demon hobbled over to the back wall, Allison Angel asked, "I know you said that you'll tell us later on who you really are, but... How much later?"
The Ink Demon chattered his teeth before he used his right hand to knock on the back wall as if he was knocking on a door. Team Psi glanced at each other in confusion at this, wondering what the Ink Demon was doing. The Ink Demon then took a step back from the wall before ink started oozing from where the ceiling met the wall and started dripping down the wall. It took all but a few seconds before half the wall was completely covered in black ink. Team Psi took a step back out of instinctual fear, expecting something to just burst out of the ink.
But nothing happens, save for the oozing ink from the wall.
The Ink Demon looked at Team Psi before he made a 'Follow Me' motion with his right hand before he limped towards the ink wall. Team Psi watched at the Ink Demon stood in front of the ink painted wall, looked over his shoulder to see if they were following him, made the 'Follow Me' motion again, and then he walked into the inked wall. Team Psi glanced at each other in a mixture of confusion and unsureness. But in the end, they followed the Ink Demon's lead and slowly walked up to the ink wall. Chat Noir poked his left hand through the inked wall first and when he didn't feel the "wall" on the other side of the ink, he pushed his arm in further, eyes closed, until he literally walked right through the ink as if it were a thick, watery stream that was just flowing over a hidden cave.
"Whoa," Chat Noir got out as Marinette, Tikki, and Kim walked through the ink wall next as he looked around the area. Norman walked through next, then Sammy. Allison Angel and Tom Boris walk through together. Markov zoomed through the ink wall, more so that he didn't get any ink in his circuits as he was closely followed by Buddy Boris. Now every one of Team Psi gasped in amazement from what they were now seeing.
The room looked like some kind of high-end security surveillance headquarters out of a cheesy villain's lair from a 1980s' movie that had a couple of modern computers and 20 data servers, with an inky decore. The area has three levels, all of them were completely active with something. The Ink Demon was standing at the bottom of the stairs that lead from the third level to the second level. Team Psi was currently on the third level. This was definitely... ... ... Bizarre... More so than the rest of the studio.
"Is this..." Norman got out as he looked around in amazement before he finishes by asking, "What "Today's Modern Technology" you kids talked about look like?" Sammy looked over the railing at the edge of the third level to get a better view of the area with Buddy Boris beside him, both awestruck by what they were seeing. Tom Boris and Allison Angel were looking at one of the data servers, both wondering what it does and how it worked.
Markov quickly scanned the area as fast as he could before he replied, "While this technology is categorized as "modern", these specific pieces of technology haven't been sold to the public in close to a decade." Kim couldn't help but comment that all this tech still had to have cost a lot, especially if it was bought new.
"So modern but outdated," Chat Noir stated as he looked at the AI, who nodded. The black cat hero then scratched his head when he asked, "So why is this place so high-tech compaired to the rest of the studio? And what is it being used for?"
Marinette followed up by asking, "And how did they get all this into the studio without alerting any of the Ink Creatures lurking all over the place? I mean, look at all this!" She waved her arms around to emphasis the technology in the area before she added, "These aren't exactly laptops you can fit into a bag! It had to take at least two, maybe three, people to move just one of all of these into this area and put into place! Meaning it had to have taken at least a crew of people to bring all of these inside!" Tikki floated by her Holder's side, just stunned by the tech in this place. The bluette then commented, "But I agree with Chatton on the what is all this tech being used for in this studio? And who is using it?"
That was when Kim looked down at the Ink Demon from where he was standing and asked him, "Was it you who..." Looked around at the tech when he finished, "Got all of this stuff in here?" The rest of Team Psi turned their attention to the Ink Demon too.
The Ink Demon made a slight show of it when he shook his head from side to side. Okay, he wanted to make sure there wasn't any kind of miscommunications.
That was when Markov said, "If it wasn't you then the logical assumtion is that you found this area, correct?" The Ink Demon gave a nice, clear nod. That was when the AI quickly calculated sinarios and noticed an inconsistancy. He then asked with a raised virtural brow, "But... How did you find this place?"
"We found it by accident a few days after he helped break me out of one of those accursed pods," said a voice that flowed out of a room on the second level, right behind where the Ink Demon was standing. Team Psi gathered around the stairs just in time to see an inky figure walk out of the room as the Ink Demon turned to look at it.
This Ink Figure had a slight silhouette of Bendy, mostly because of the tied-back hair seemed to have strands poking up like Bendy's horns, white gloves on their hands, appeared to be wearing what looked like black ankle boots, legs that were either black because of the ink or was wearing black leggings, wore a black dress that went to the knees and covered the arms completely, an elderly face that seemed somewhat familiar, and dark eyes sitting behind a pair of red-framed glasses.
No one on Team Psi have ever seen an Ink Creature like this before, yet... Why did this Ink Creature look so familiar? ... ... ... ... What's going on here?
The Ink Creature folded their arms in front of their chest when they said in a clear feminate and elderly voice, "You came earlier this time around."
Team Psi looked at each other in confusion. What was this Ink Creature talking about? What did they mean by "this time around"? What was going on here?
The Ink Creature then said, "We have some tea being boiled. It should be ready and safe to drink in a couple of minutes." They then indicated towards the lowest level when they added, "Shall we move to the more comfortable part of the Ink Machine Storage so that I may explain this whole thing again?"
Okay, now Team Psi was even more confused when they all got out (those who could anyway), "Again?"
It took a minute or so to get to the bottem level of the area, but when they did... They saw Max watering some tea plants, that were potted in bacon soup cans, with a make-shift watering-can.
"Max!" The teens, AI, and Norman exclaimed when they saw their friend. Buddy Boris looked both shocked and excited to see Max.
Max looked up from what he was doing and waved with his casted right hand when he said, "Hey guys!" The next thing the techie knew, he was engulfed in a group hug with the teens and Buddy Boris while Markov hovered close by. Max tried to wiggle a bit when he said, "Um, guys as much as I'm also happy to see you all again. But I'm having a hard time breathing with all of you hugging me at once."
The group hug broke slightly, so Max could breath yet they kept contact with him. Norman walked over to the group when he asked, "Max, what's going on here? And-"
A whisteling pirced the air. Everyone turned towards a tea kettle, blowing steam due to reaching the boiling point, in what looked like some kind of break room.
The Ink Creature turned it off the stove and moved the kettle off the heat. They then turned to Team Psi and said, "How about we talk about that over some tea."
~}i{ Outside Joey Drew Studios }i{~
"And why did you call the police?" one of the investigating officers asked the land-lord of a modest apartment building complex, making sure to take copiouse notes so nothing slips by in this.
The land-lord shrugged when they said, "Because Mr Joey was at least a year behind in rent and I wanted him out of my building."
The officer raised a brow when they asked, "If he was that far behind in rent, why did you let him stay in your complex for so long without paying?"
The landlord huffed in annoyance when they responded, "I became landlord two-and-a-half months ago when the prior one retired. Not sure how he placate my predecessor with the rent for so long, but he wasn't doing it to me. Especially when I looked over the payment books for the other tenants, you know, to see if they were up-to-date or caused any trouble in the past so I know what to expect. The books showed that Mr Joey hasn't paid his rent the past year. So last month I warned Mr Joey that if he didn't pay what he owed before next due rent, then I'm kicking him out and selling what's in his unit to get what is owed." They then thumbed at the other officers, who were interviewing the other building tenants, when they added, "I called the police in case the guy got violent or wild. I mean, while I knew that Mr Joey was one of the older tenants, you just never know what might happen so it's best to be prepared." The landlord cringed when they added, "Just not for what we found..."
The officer nodded as they wrote down what was said before asking, "I can imagine, but why are you calling him Mr Joey?"
The landlord raised a brow when they explained, "He wrote his name as Drew Joey on his lease, but from what you're implying, I'm guessing that's not his name."
"His real name is Joey Drew," the officer stated plainly before shaking their head before saying, "Can't say I'm surprised he would do such a lame thing, but I guess in a way it did work to avoid being reported."
The landlord shrugged when they said, "I saw the news report about Joey Drew Studios, and I admit that I thought that Mr Joey might've been the former owner of that place. But I wasn't sure if he was just unlucky enough to have a similar name or that he might've been involved and was trying to poorly hide his connection to the studio. I technically didn't have enough proof that he was either or, and I didn't want to ruin someone in case I was wrong so I didn't report him until I made the call to kick him out."
"Something tells me that he was counting on that..." The officer muttered under their breath as they wrote what was said onto the pad. The officer then asked, "Did you see Mr Drew with anyone or had any visitors to his place?"
The landlord thought about it for a bit before saying, "I never saw anyone in particular. Although... I have heard him talking to someone in his unit a few times." When the officer asked to elaborate on that, the landlord said, "Sometimes when I pass his unit... I hear two voices coming from his unit. The doors and walls aren't that thick, so sound can travel through them..." The landlord pauses for a bit before saying, "Come to think of it... Joey's neighbours have called me a couple of times to get me to talk to him about keeping his and his guest's voices down. You can ask them to confirm."
The officer raised a brow before asking, "And you've never seen this "guest" of Joey Drew, right?"
The landlord nods before saying, "I might've missed this guy, but the security cameras we have would've caught him coming and going. I'll give you access to the security tapes for your investigation to go through."
The officer nods a thanks before asking, "Can you at least described the voice?"
The landlord nods when they replied, "Sounded like a guy, that I'm sure of, and..." They pause a bit to think, trying to remember the voice, before finally saying, "I think he might've had some kind of breathing problem. He kept wheezing every couple seconds or so."
The officer raised a brow again when they asked, "Like he had asthma?"
The landlord shook their head in an unsure manner when they replied, "I don't think so, or at least about having asthma. It just sounded like... He wasn't use to breathing on his own like he's been on a respirator for a while or something..."
The officer made a note of that before asking, "Anything else in particular you heard?"
The landlord nodded before saying, "Yeah, this guy seemed to like saying "How very interesting", because I've heard him say that line practically every time I hear him over. Not sure what he thought Joey was doing that was interesting though."
"Hmm," The officer hummed as they wrote what was said down, wondering if this "guest" was also Joey Drew's partner-in-crime.
~}i{ Inside Joey Drew Studios }i{~
Why did the tea taste sooooooo good! It was like a warm cup of a hug from inside. At least that's what Team Psi thought. None of them could remember the last time they've had tea.
"Glad to see that you all are enjoying the tea," The Ink Creature said as they sipped their tea from a mug.
"How were you able to grow plants in here?" Allison Angel asked as she looked at the tea in her mug and then looked around this area. She didn't understand how there were plants here, especially since there was no sunlight or dirt that could be used for plant growth.
The Ink Creature explained in a calm yet sad tone, "A lot of the people who ventured into this place had tea bags and others had some reading material on hand, some of those were on gardening." They took a drink of the tea before saying, "I still debate on whether or not it was lucky that some of those materials were for teaching children."
Adrien, who de-transformed so Plagg could enjoy the tea, raised a brow when he asked, "Why would you think that?"
The Ink Creature looked over at the Ink Demon, who was looking over the plants and picking off the decaying leaves he found. Team Psi followed their gaze to the Ink Demon. Tom Boris placed his non-mechanical hand to his chin as he watched the Ink Demon 'garden' when the Ink Creature said, "He's the one who has been growing the plants long before I came here. He used to empty cans to scoop up soil he finds and then used them as pots." Team Psi watched as the Ink Demon checked the lighting for the tea plants as the Ink Creature said, "Despite what the negative energy in the rest of the studio does to him, he's aware enough to collect the items that he finds on the unfortunate people who venture in after they..." They paused for a bit before adding softly, "Fall prey to the Ink..."
That caused everyone to pause in silence, to both give a moment to mourn the soul now trapped within this place and realized what was said.
Norman was the one to ask, "Wait, items found? Are you talking about things like clothing and medicine too?" When the Ink Creature nodded, the projectionist couldn't help but say, "So does this mean that the Ink Demon... Was also our Mysterious Helper?" Buddy Boris' expression quickly morphed into a 'Wait? What!' look at these words.
The Ink Creature set down their now empty mug when they said, "We both are. He collected them while I placed them where you could find them easily enough without the Ink interfering." When Marinette asked how the Ink Creature demonstrated. An inky black hand slowly sprung up from the table, took the mug, and then retracted with the mug in grip. A gentle tapping noise got their attention, they looked up to see the same inky hand softly tapping the mug against the sink's faucet, then the hand just carefully placed the mug into the sink.
Marinette then looked at the Ink Creature with Tikki when she said, "So you have some control over the Ink."
The Ink Creature nodded when they said, "I do and I have enough control over it to know that someone else is controlling it as well. This person was the one who fixed the door you tried to destroy via the Ink. The one that separated Maxie and Kimmy from the rest of your group."
That was certainly tel- Wait! Maxie? Kimmy?!
Kim blinked in confusion when he got out, "Kimmy? The only person who had the gulls to call me that is-." He paused as his eyes widen in realization. Kim's gaze quickly moved to Max, who only gave a nod, knowing what the taller teen was thinking. Kim slowly shook his head from side to side when he said in shock, "No! No! It can't be her! She's! She's in a coma! Outside the studio!"
Max used his left hand to push his glasses up when he said, "I'm just as surprised as you, but..." He then looked up at the Ink Creature when he added, "She knew things that only she would know. She knew about my original plans for Markov! That's how I knew she was my Grandma Lin!"
"Wait?!" Norman and Sammy gasped at the same time before they got out, "LINDA?!" as they both exclaimed in shock.
The Ink Creature pushed her glasses up, in the same manner, Max did when she said, "Yes, it's me." She then took a deep breath as the Ink Demon walked over to the group and then said, "This isn't how I thought I would see you two again." The Ink Creature, Linda, then looked at her grandson with a sad look on her face when she said, "I also never thought that my little Maxie and his friends would have been subjected to the horrors of this place..." Max placed his left hand on his grandmother's arm, to try to comfort her in a small way. At the same time, the Ink Demon placed his right hand on her other shoulder, similar to how Team Psi has done with each other. The rest of Team Psi was rather surprised by this, but not really shocked.
The Kwamis floated over to Linda to get a better sense of what she is now. Plagg couldn't help but ask, "Kim mentioned something about you being in a coma outside the Studio... What's that supposed to mean?" Tikki moved closer and realized what happened to Linda. The red Kwami's antenna drooped as she covered her mouth when she said in shock with wide eyes, "Oh my! You're a Soul that's been forcefully removed from its respective body! Their STILL LIVING body!"
Team Psi gasped in horror as Max squeezed his grandmother's arm when he said, "So that's!-" The techie looked up at her when he added, "I knew something was wrong with that "car accident"! You never speed and you were always so cautious while driving!"
Linda wrapped her arm around her grandson when she said, "I never knew I was even in an accident until you told me... Or what happened after I..."
The Ink Demon growled a bit before he got out, "Mmmooonnnssstterrrr huuurrrt aaaallll!" He then coughed a bit before he rubbed his throat.
Linda looked over to the Ink Demon when she said, "Yes, he did..."
"Wait! Are you saying that..." Sammy got out before he said in horror as he indicated Linda's appearance, "That Joey did this to you?! Same as Norman?!" He then looked at the projectionist, who seemed to be reeling in shock as well. Allison Angel covered her mouth with her free hand in shock as Tom Boris clenched his non-mechanical fist.
Linda shook her head when she said, "Not the exact same process, but..." She then looked to the ground when she added, "The end result was the same..."
Markov, not understanding what the Kwamis were talking about or how Grandma Lin was in two places at the same time, was the one to say, "I do not comprehend the implication. Unlike computer programs, humans cannot have their "Core Data" copied or transferred into another "body". How can this person have Grandma Lin's "Core Data" when the original Grandma Lin is in a hospital?"
Oh this was going to get a little complicated. How do you describe the concept of a "Soul" to an Artificial Intelligence who was still learning about human emotions?
Tikki was the one to explain best she could to Markov, "A Soul, or "Core Data", isn't meant to be taken out of the body it was already occupying. The Soul has already made a connection to the body and range of motions, like knowing how to use the limbs and automatically knowing the sense of balance. Understanding so far?" Markov nods and asks the red Kwami to continue. Tikki did with, "Because of this connection to the body, the Soul is used to how it works and just instinctively anchors itself to the body."
That was when Markov said, "Ah, so if the Soul is programmed specifically for a body, then it wouldn't want to transfer to another body. That is similar to a program that is made to work with a specific type of machine and does not function well when used for a different machine."
"Uh, yes, that's correct," Tikki said, rather glad that the AI was understanding what she was saying. That was when the red Kwami continued to explain, "And since the Souls are anchored to the body, they can be damaged if they are forcibly separated."
Markov couldn't help but ask, "Even if the process is done carefully?"
Linda shuttered when she said, "Oh trust me on that one Markov, having your Soul being forcibly removed from your body is more than just painful, whether it's being done carefully or not." Now the AI was experiencing the emotion that he had categorized as "Guilt" and apologized for bringing it up. Linda then looked at Tikki when she said, "Not to mention having said Soul forced into a body that's very different from the original body is..." She paused for a bit to hunt for a word that best described that particular feeling. When Linda found the right word she said, "Rather unpleasant. Plus there are times when I have a difficult time making this body move the way I want. I've been lucky on that recently." She then glanced at an ink stain on a nearby wall when she added, "And if I'm being honest, it sometimes feels like it's easier controlling the Ink than moving around in this body..."
Everyone was quiet for a bit before Max asked, "But, Grandma, why did you come here? You knew enough about what happened here to avoid it."
Linda shook her head when she said, "I never said that I stepped foot in Joey's studio. Heck, I didn't even know I was in this place until..." She then glanced at the Ink Demon when she finished, "He helped break me out of of the Ink Pod I was in. I recognized who he was supposed to be even though I haven't seen an image of Bendy in decades."
Kim raised a brow when he asked, "You made an assumption based on that?"
That was when Marinette said, "I guess it does makes some sense. All the research we did said that Bendy and his friends were only owned by Joey Drew Studio, so it's not too hard to think that seeing those characters would make one think they are in Joey Drew Studios."
Allison Angel then said, "I remember Archgate trying to buy the rights to all of the characters from Joey Drew Studios after the studio closed, but then that scandal happened and those plans fell through. It happened a year or so after I left Archgate, but I was still questioned about it by the police."
Adrien couldn't help but say, "Oh yeah, I brought that up after Sammy told us how Mr Drew tricked him into thinking that he got Ms Campbell a job at Archgate." Sammy lowered his head at this, but Buddy Boris placed a hand on his shoulder to help comfort him. The blonde teen then said, "But I didn't know what that scandal was since neither my Mother nor my Aunt ever went into any more details than that."
Allison Angel quickly explained that the scandal at Archgate mostly had to do with bribing officials and employees. She also mentioned something about a financial investigation that dug up some instances of blackmail, extortion, and exploitation. The teens couldn't help but let out a "Yikes!" when they heard. Tom Boris could only shake his head in disgust when he muttered something along the lines of "Glad they got away from that when we did".
"Wait a minute," Norman said suddenly before asking Linda, "You said that you never step foot in this place, yet here you are. So my question is, how did you end up here if you never intended to come here? And you mentioned Joey, so he was involved somehow, right?"
Linda folded her arms in front of her chest when she said, "Of course he was involved! It was his place I went to!" When she was asked why, she responded with, "To tell him to stop sending letters to Henry! My dead husband! It was just... Aggravating that he kept sending letters asking for Henry to come to the studio for some "surprise", despite me writing back telling him to stop and that Henry wasn't going back to the Studio!" The nearby ink stains started bubbling as if they were being boiled before spikes protruded from them, like... The ink was reacting to Linda's state of emotion. That was scaring Team Psi a bit.
The Ink Demon placed his hands on Linda's shoulders when he got out, "Caaaallllllmmmm! Iiinnnk aaaccctiiinng oonnn yyyoouu!" He only coughed twice this time. The Ink Demon then got out, "Mmmiiight hhuurrt fffrrrieennnds!"
That last sentence got Team Psi's attention pretty quickly. Linda too, as started to calm herself down. When Linda calmed down, the spikes in the nearby ink stains retracted. She quickly apologized for her outburst, Team Psi accepted it and mentioned that they don't blame her for reacting that way.
Linda took a deep breath before she explained that she drove to Joey's address, that she got off the return address from the letters he had been sending, to tell him to stop writing to Henry, as she explained earlier. She explained that Joey kept interrupting her before she could tell him that Henry passed away years ago. She said that Joey kept telling her that he couldn't wait to show Henry his surprise. Linda then said as she rubbed her temples, "Before I could snap at Joey, someone from behind covered my nose and mouth with something, a rag I think. Then I got woozy and then passed out... The next thing I was aware of, I was in some kind of black void hearing Joey talking to someone and... I was looking at my own body..."
That was when Adrien got out in shock, "Wait! You mean that That Monster had someone actually helping him with this whole thing!?"
Linda huffed in annoyance when she said, "Apparently so. But..." She glanced to the side when she said, "I don't recall seeing anyone else inside Joey's place when I visited him nor did I hear anyone enter while I was there before..." Linda sighed again as she rubbed her temples again before she said, "Only things I can remember about this guy was that he had a hard time breathing for some reason and had a fondness for the line "How very interesting". He also didn't seem all that concerned with Joey shouting at him for "failing again". Didn't know what that meant at the time but now..."
"Mr Drew's goal of bringing the Studios' characters to life?" Markov stated, understanding what was being implied.
Linda sighed when she said, "Yes, that's pretty much it." She then shook her head when she added, "Can't say it took me long to figure THAT out in this Machine, especially when you look at everyone trapped in those Ink Pods." Linda then looked at the Ink Demon when she said with a small, "I really am glad that you came along when you did. I'm not sure how long I would've been able to keep my mind if you hadn't." The Ink Demon chattered his teeth before he made a knocking motion with his left hand. Linda nodded when she replied, "Yes, I guess both of us hitting the pod at the same time on both sides caused it to break."
Marinette placed a hand to her chin before she asked no one in particular, "But why was Mr Drew so obsessed with bringing Henry's creations to life? The whole thing is just way too risky even if you don't count the souls thing. Granted even if the whole thing actually succeded, he would take all the credit. But... There would be way too many questions and concerns regarding the "characters". Plus there's also the issue regarding their "employment and pay" since technically they would be working for him..."
Adrien tapped Marinette on the shoulder when he said, "Bugaboo, no offence, but trying to put logic to something that was made by someone with a one-tracked mind is going to give you a headache. That Monster obviously wanted to have "Living Toons" as a way to make money and to gain fame. Doubt the bastard even considered the consequences of this "Idea", or that there would even be any when he thought about how well it would work for him "when" it succeeded." There was a reluctant surge of agreement from the other members of Team Psi.
Max looked up at his grandmother in concern when he asked, "Grandma Lin, you mentioned earlier that you would explain the rest of the important stuff when the rest of the team arrives again, but... What do you mean by that? This is our first time here, right?"
That was when Marinette said, "Come to think of it... You also mentioned that we "arrived earlier this time around" and that you would "have to explain this whole thing again"... What do you mean when you say these things?"
That was when Kim added in a confused tone, "Yeah, it kinda sounds like you're saying that we've been through this before, but we know we didn't..." The tall teen then looked at the rest of Team Psi when he asked, "Right?"
That was when the Ink Demon got out, "Haarrd toooo exppllaaiinn wiithh jjuusstt wwoorrdss. Shhoowiinng thheemm beetterr." He then coughed as he rubbed his throat. It didn't sound as bad this time and he didn't have as much trouble speaking, so that seems like he was getting more use to talking without it hurting his throat. But... What was he talking about?
Linda stood up from her seat when she said, "Come we'll show you what we're talking about and the reason why this section is more "modern" than the rest of the Ink Machine, and the rest of the studio in general." She and the Ink Demon started walking towards a closed-door, Linda moving at a slower pace than the Ink Demon.
Team Psi glanced at each other before they followed the two. Plagg was the one to ask, "Anything that's going to make our guts churn?" "Plagg!" Was Tikki's immediate response to that. Plagg shrugged when he said, "Oh, come on Sugurcub, it makes sense to ask after all the shit we've been through so far." Tikki pouted in annoyance when she realized that the black Kwami had a point.
Linda looked over her shoulder when she said, "I'm not sure about gut-churning, but I do know that some of the things you're going to see is..." She glanced at her grandson when she added, "Unpleasant and rather frightening. So I guess, be prepared for that." The Ink Demon looked over his shoulder and nodded in agreement.
Team Psi paused as they glanced at each other wondering what Linda was talking about... But they followed her and the Ink Demon, knowing that they'll find out soon enough.
That was when the curious thoughts struck them... Why are they so quick to assume that they would find out soon enough? Why were they already so trusting of the Ink Demon and Linda? If this is Linda... Come to think of it... Team Psi was a little too at ease with these two... Why? ... ... ... ... Why do they suddenly have the feeling of Deja Vu?
'What was going on?' Team Psi thought at the same time as they followed Linda and the Ink Demon into a room.
Team Psi glanced around as soon as they entered this room. It was pretty spacious, which was good because all of them could stand comfortably, and looked like some kind of security office/room. Wait... Were those monitors mounted on one of the walls? Yes, there were easily twenty monitors onto the wall parallel to the door they entered and under the monitors was some kind of large control panel, probably to control what was seen on the monitors. All the monitors were on and showing what was happening in all the areas inside the studio.
What the Hell?!
Linda walked up to the panel when she said, "What's on the monitors now is a live feed of what's happening in the studio."
"How?" Adrien got out before he said, "We never saw anything that remotely resembles a security camera, anywhere!"
Linda calmly answered, "They're there. They're just being obstructed by the ink. The cameras are black so they're easily missed when there's ink splattered around them." She had a point there... Linda then commented, "I don't know how those things were installed or how the feed is coming in so clearly."
Tikki couldn't help but say, "So THAT was the feeling of being watched that Plagg and I kept noticing!" She zoomed up to one of the monitors when she said, "Wow! You can see everywhere inside the studio with this."
That was when Buddy Boris snapped his fingers in realization. He quickly pointed at Allision Angel before he used his left hand to stretch the left side of his face, making it disfigure a bit, and then he pointed at the monitors in a rather vivid motion.
"You're right Buddy!" Max said when he realized what the Boris clone was indicating. The techie then said, "Ms Campbell was able to see everything we were doing during her tasks. Does that mean that she somehow hacked into the security feed?"
Linda turned her attention to the control panel. She typed on the keyboard section a bit before one of the monitors' images switched to the interior of a room similar to this security officer, though it was a lot smaller. That was when Linda explained, "I'm just speculating on this, but it seems like Ms Campbell found the prototype security room and decided to use it as her own base of operation." She then pulled up a recording of Twisted Alice watching the screens in the prototype security office on the same monitor.
Linda typed again and the voice of Twisted Alice was heard from the monitor saying, "Ah, that should be plenty. Return them to me. And try not to die on the way back." On the monitor, Team Psi saw the smirk on Twisted Alice's face as she spoke into a microphone that looked like it was somewhat falling apart, yet it appeared to be working just fine.
"So THAT's how she was watching us!" Marinette exclaimed after the recording ended. She then paused, raised a brow, and then asked Linda, "Wait, you were recording the whole studio while watching us?"
Plagg couldn't help but comment, "Well, recorded and watched you guys. Kwamis can't be captured on cameras."
That was when Markov said, "I can concur, I can not see either Plagg or Tikki."
"And you Kwamis can't be heard on film either," Linda commented as she looked directly at the two Kwamis. She then said, "I was certainly confused when I saw and heard everyone seemingly talk to the air through the cameras the first time."
"Wait? They can't?" Norman questioned as he looked at the AI and added, "But Markov can hear them just fine. He can't see them, but he can hear'm."
That was when Max realized, "Ah, it must be because Markov is a Sentient AI, he's aware of the things and people around him and is capable of independent thought. Cameras only capture things that they can see through a lens and don't even have a thinking process."
Kim couldn't help but comment, "So, does that mean that Tikki and Plagg DIDN'T have to play charades while we made our Video Logs?" The teens, Kwamis, and AI were quiet for a few awkward seconds after hearing that.
"Wait a sec... First time?" Tom Boris asked suspiciously with a raised brow. That was when the mechanic asked, "What aren't you telling us?"
The Ink Demon looked at Linda as she typed on the keyboard. Linda then said as she pulled up the moment where Marinette, Adrien, Kim, Max, Buddy Boris, and Markov were about to board the old lift for the first time on one of the monitors, "Watch this closely and tell me if you notice a difference."
Team Psi glanced at each other in confusion, not understanding what was being implied. But they watched the scene unfold on the monitor. For the first few seconds, everything happened the way the teens, AI, and Buddy Boris remembered. But the next thing that they saw on the video, were the Ink Webs appearing on the walls and the Ink Demon appearing into the camera's view.
"Wait? The Ink Demon never appeared there," Adrien commented as he and the rest of the team watch the video versions of him, Marinette, Kim, Max, Buddy Boris, and Markov dash towards the old lift as the video Ink Demon move closer to them.
Markov responded with, "I can confirm. My memory files show that the Ink Demon never showed when we first went on the lift." Question mark emojis appeared on Markov's visor when he asked, "But why is this recording contradicting my memory files?"
Marinette quickly went through the facts that they got so far... The words being used by Linda since they got to this area. The fact that Linda and the Ink Demon seem to already know what is going to happen. How relatively calm Team Psi was despite meeting Linda for the first time. Now, this video showing what appeared to be an alternative event... Marinette's eyes widen when she got out, "Oh Kwami!" When Sammy asked what was wrong the bluette answered with, "We've been in some kind of time loop!"
"WHAT?!" was all the other members of Team Psi could say (those who could at least).
"You caught on faster this time around," Linda said before pulling up the prior loops and showed them on the monitors for Team Psi to see.
As they watch the loops play on the monitors, Adrien couldn't help but ask in shock, "How... How many Loops have we... We been through?"
Linda turned to Team Psi when she said, "This is Loop #9. And so far this is this Loop is the one you all did the most progression in."
That was when Max stuttered out as he practically jumped to Linda's side, "But! But! Grandma! We've been stuck inside this studio for at least two weeks! There is no logical way that this whole thing would be a Time Loop!"
Linda placed a hand on her grandson's shoulder when she explained as calmly and logically as possible, "This studio is the only thing that the Time Loop is affecting. This Ink Machine and the rest of the world is unaffected by the Time Loop."
"Just the studio?" Allison Angel asked as she watched the prior 8 Loops played on the monitors.
The Ink Demon nodded when Linda said, "Yes, and before you ask. No, I don't know why the Time Loop doesn't work on this Ink Machine." She then motioned at the Ink Demon when she added, "Though I guess that's a good thing for us, somewhat." When she was asked why Linda explained that she couldn't leave this Ink Machine for whatever reason. She stated that she had tried to leave this Ink Machine in any way she could think of, but the Ink seemed to be preventing her from leaving.
"So you couldn't even leave when Borkis..." Norman asked as he looked at Max. No one who knew was going to say anything, more because of it... Really hit them hard.
The ink pools nearby started boiling when Linda said in an eerily calm tone, "I almost destroyed this office out of anger when I saw what happened. I nearly tore apart the entranceway when the Ink stopped me from even taking a step outside this machine." Spikes grew out of the boiling ink puddles. Linda then said as she tried to calm herself down, "I don't know who this person is that controls the ink as well, but they have far more control over it than I do... And they don't want me leaving this Machine for some reason..."
Team Psi was quiet for a bit as the Ink Demon placed a comforting hand on Linda's shoulder.
Once the spikes in the ink retracted, Sammy asked, "Linda, how does is this Time Loop start? I mean, what triggers it to make the loop?"
As she explained, Linda pulled up the moment on the control panel and showed it on one of the monitors, "Putting The End reel in the dock that's hidden in that chair in that Throne Room is what triggers the next Time Loop to start, sometimes." She pulled up one of the Time Loops, more specifically, a moment when Marinette, Kim, Max, Markov, and Adrien slid The End reel into the now revealed dock in the chair. This had to be one of the first few Time Loops if it was just the teens and AI. Team Psi all watched as The End reel began to spin in the video, then all the tv screens inside the Throne Room started flashing the frame THE END as beams of light trailed out of the tv screens. Team Psi also watched as the teens and AI in the video started looking confused as the light from the tv screens got brighter and brighter, and then they covered their eyes as the light became too bright. Team Psi watched as the light faded and saw that the teens and AI were laying on the ground in the Altar Room, near where they found the Music Department! They then heard the Marinette in the video groan out, "Ugh, oh, my head... What happened?" as the other teens in the video started coming to.
Linda cut the video feed and looked at Team Psi, to see their reactions when she explained, "Everyone who has entered this accursed place has experience this Time Loop and every Loop has been recorded and stored in this area."
"I have so many inquiries now, yet I am unsure if I even want to ask them," Markov said, finally broke the silence.
Max did some quick calculations before he said, "Including the time it took to get from location to location... I believe that we have spent in this Time Loop is roughly two weeks, so the best estimate is that the other Loops took about roughly the same amount of time. But if only the Studio is affected by the Time Loop and the time outside flows normally... A week is 7 days, so 2 times 7 is 14... And 14 times 9 is 126 days... That's a little over 4 months that passed outside the Studio!" The other teens and AI couldn't help but utter a short chorus of 'Yikes' when they realized just how long they were actually trapped inside the studio.
That was when Norman said, "And here I thought tellin' time in this place couldn't get much harder... But this Time Loop thing is just..." He shook his head before he added, "What's the whole point of it? Beside makin' everyone suffers a heck of a lot more than needed."
Linda shrugged when she said, "Your guess is as good as mine. I also don't know why Joey or his helper wanted to record all the loops ether." She then sighed before adding, "But you guys keep catching one a lot faster than everyone else that got this far... At least the ones that make it this far..."
That was when Tom Boris said in an uneasy tone, "I hate to ask, but what do you mean by that? Because you're implying that it takes them longer than 9 Time Loops to find out about it."
Linda shifted her weight uncomfortably when she said, "If you're asking about the ones that do notice, then it usually takes them over a hundred Loops." Major Yikes in the minds of Team Psi. She then pointed towards the door they came through when she said, "You saw those Data Servers Storages when you came in. Those can hold at least 10 Terabytes of data, and they've been storing all the recordings since they've been installed. At least that's what I've found out." She looked at Max, gave him a small smile, and said, "I guess it was a good thing you taught me how to use a computer or else we wouldn't have figured out as much. Huh, Maxie?" Max couldn't help but smile back at his grandmother.
Norman, Sammy, Allison Angel, Tom Boris, and Buddy Boris couldn't help but ask what a Terabyte was and how much storage is that. Markov quickly explained that Bytes were the name of the data that a computer uses to reads and stores. The AI then explained that a Terabyte could hold roughly 250 movies or 500 hours of HD Video (1).
Allison Angel placed a hand to her chin when she said, "So if this Terabyte can hold 500 hours of video, and there are 10 Terabytes in one of those Data Servers. That's 5000 hours of video in just one of those Servers."
Tom Boris then added, "And there are 20 of those Servers then that means that there can be a maximum of 100000 hours of video!"
"The Data Servers were only started keeping the recordings within the last decade and a half, according to the dates listed on the files," Linda stated as she turned her attention towards the Ink Demon, who was standing next to an old wooden door. The Ink Demon then opened the creaky wooden door, relieving a flight of stairs leading down to some kind of warehouse of media storage. Linda then added as Team Psi looked into the humongous warehouse, "Any recordings older than that were stored on earlier recording storage media. External computer storage, flash drives, jump drives, DVDs, VHSs, and film reels, basically anything that can keep the video on it."
"Wow! This is like a timeline of recording media!" Adrien could help but say as he looked over the sight of shelves of the recording media in question.
The shelves closest to the stairs held the External Computer Storages that appeared to be labelled and organized by date. The shelves after those held flash drives were also labelled and organized by date. Basically, the type of media storage regressed the farther the shelves were from the stairs.
That was when Plagg said, "At least in reverse from what we can see..." He quickly zoomed overhead to get a better view of how much space there actually was in this "Recording Warehouse", only to realize that he couldn't see the parallel wall to the door they came through. "Uhh, you know what, I think we've learned by now that asking "how this was built" is completely pointless," Plagg commented as he zoomed back to the group.
Tikki tapped her chin when she said, "Still, having just enough general space just for storing all the recorded events in this Studio up until the Terabyte Servers... That can't be a coincidence..." Her antenna half dropped when she added, "I don't think this was done by human means..."
Linda couldn't help but comment, "You have said that every time you've seen this the "first time", Tikki."
The little red Kwami figured as much when said with a cringe, "And considering what's on all those recordings." She shuttered. "What monster wants to keep THAT kind of horror?" Tikki whimpered as she flew to Marinette for comfort.
"I can give you one guess to that," Tom Boris grumbled in aggravation as he folded his arms.
They all trooped out of the Recording Warehouse, the Ink Demon closed the creaking door behind them.
"So, everything just resets when the Time Loops start? Even the memories of those affected?" Norman asked, trying to figure out just how the whole thing works.
"That's what we've been able to deduce from watching the recordings," Linda said honestly. She then added, "But sometimes some of the individuals are able to remember some instances from the prior Loops." She then looked at the teens and AI when she said, "It was more obvious with you, considering how drastically different each of your Time Loops are save for a few major events."
Team Psi looked at each other as the Ink Demon moved until he was next to Linda again.
"Can you... Show us the 8 prior Time Loops, so we can see what you mean?" Marinette asked Linda after the other members of Team Psi nodded in agreement.
Linda nodded when she said, "I can. However..." She moved back towards the control panel when she added, "Some of the events that you'll see... Might not be pleasant for a few of you."
That was to be expected.
~}i{ Outside Joey Drew Studios }i{~
With the combined powers of the Horse and Mouse Miraculous, Alix quickly made her way towards Joey Drew Studios. She would have used the Voyage, but she figured that it would be best to keep that saved as a last resort. Alix skidded to a halt in front of the gate leading to the dilapidated building. Her hero outfit was mostly grey with some brown splotches randomly scattered over her suit, her boots were a dark shade of grey while her elbow-length gloves were a dark shade of brown. A grey whip-like weapon was wrapped around her waist, letting the whip hang off like a rat's tail and a silver horseshoe mounted on her back in easy reach of both of her hands. The Horse Miraculous covered the upper half of her face.
Alix tapped the earpiece she was wearing when she said as she walked past the gate of the building, "Micro Mare here. I am in front of the Studio."
Viperion's voice came through the earpiece when he said, "10-4. It might be difficult, but try to find some way inside. If it's small, just shrink down and squeak through it. And remember to make sure that at least one of your Multi-Clones keeps the Charm Horseshoe gave you."
Alix, Micro Mare, nodded when she tapped the earpiece when she responded, "I know, and don't worry. I'll make sur- Wait a second!" She stopped to double-check what she saw. The wooden door that leads into Joey Drew Studios was slightly ajar and a sliver of the interior could be seen. Micro Mare quickly activated her earpiece when she exclaimed in shock, "GUYS! The door is Open! Actually Open!"
"WHAT?!" Everyone on the other end exclaimed in shock, nearly blowing Micro Mare's eardrum, but she couldn't care less about that due to her own shock.
"You're kidding?!" Madame Emerald managed to get in over the earpiece.
Micro Mare galloped up to the door and gently pushed it open. It swung open with a loud creak. She tapped the earpiece when she said, "I'm just as surprised as you guys..." She then peeked into the Studio cautiously but not taking a step into it. Micro Mare raised a brow in suspicion when she tapped the earpiece and told the others, "Okay, this is beyond weird. This door, the only entrance to this studio, hasn't opened by any means since Team Psi entered over four months ago, and now it's literally just... Open! And without a fuss..." She paused for a bit as she glanced at what she could see inside the studio before telling the others through the earpiece, "Something's going on with this place, and I'm not talking about what's inside with Team Psi."
That's when Micro Mare heard Drak-Kon say, "Dudette, you might want to keep one of your weapons in hand, You know, just in case something's waiting for you."
Micro Mare already had her Tail Whip ready to go when she replied, "Way ahead of you on that, Drak." She glanced inside again before she said as she adjusted the setting on the earpiece, "I'm going in, and I'm leaving the com-link on."
"Understood," the other Heroes responded as Micro Mare took a step into the studio as she kept a critical eye out for anything.
~}i{ With Team Psi }i{~
They watched all 8 prior Loops. And now they knew what Linda meant by the "differences" in each Time Loop.
The 1st and 2nd Loops were almost identical. The whole event in the Music Department was the same. The Kwamis revealed themselves after Sammy left the teens and AI as sacrifices for the Ink Demon. They meet up with Buddy Boris afterwards. Spend a week in Buddy Boris' Safehouse. Meeting Twisted Alice Angel, but with Buddy Boris staying in the Flooded Morgue. They develop the theory about Twisted Alice being Susie Campbell. The tasks Twisted Alice made the teens, AI, and Kwamis do. Them running into Norman in his pre-purified state down in Level 14, but in these instances, they outmanoeuvred him to get the hearts before returning to the lift. Twisted Alice dropping the lift to try to kill the teens, Kwamis, and AI, and then being saved last minute with the Lucky Charm. But in these, she manages to get Buddy Boris... The events leading up to entering the Haunted House in BendyLand was pretty much the same as they remembered, except in Loop 1 Marinette, Adrien, and the Kwamis were the ones having to sneak past the second Projectionist and in Loop 2 it was Adrien, Plagg, and Kim that had to sneak past the Other Projectionist. In both Loops... They had to take down the mutilated remains of Buddy Boris, or Brute Boris as Twisted Alice called him... Twisted Alice was stabbed through the heart by Allison Angel. Allison Angel and Tom Boris hold the teens and Ai in their safehouse for close to a week. They still bearly escape the Ink Demon via the barge, and The Hand in the Inky lake. Fight Sammy Lawrance in Lost Harbor, where Tom Boris put an axe to the former Music Director's head (Yikes on that to Team Psi watching this the first time). The teens and AI get separated from Allison Angel and Tom Boris on the way to the Administration Offices. They get all the Thick Inks to get the pipe pieces and get into the Film Vault. Find their way to the Giant Ink Machine, but the teens and AI had to leave Allison and Tom Boris behind when they couldn't find a way for the two to wad through the ink that surrounded the Giant Ink Machine, even with the Lucky Charm. The teens and AI find The End reel and figure out how to open the hidden dock in the chair, place The End reel into place, and then the Loop begins again. (Basically, the canon storyline to Bendy & the Ink Machine but without Beast Bendy).
The 3rd Loop was almost the same as the first two Loops. Except for Marinette, Tikki, and Markov having to deal with the Other Projectionist, the Ink Demon appearing before they entered the lift for the first time, and they start talking about Purifying everyone affected by the Ink when they get to the Administration Offices after finding out the truth of the Ink Creatures.
The 4th Loop... Did not end so well... Twisted Alice managed to take Buddy Boris, Plagg, and the Miraculous of the Black Cat but Marinette managed to wake up before she could take Tikki and the Ladybug earrings... The fight with Brute Boris ended with everyone dying... Yet, they seemed to re-spawn in front of the Bendy Statue... Strange but no one was complaining. The rest of the Time Loop ended the same as the prior Loop.
The 5th Loop was where Buddy Boris started becoming more "active" in his interactions with the teens, Kwamis, and AI during the Twisted Alice tasks... Before he was taken by her... Marinette tried to suck some Ink into the yo-yo to try to purify it, but that failed...
The 6th Loop was when Linda and the Ink Demon started leaving the helpful items (thanks to memorizing the recordings and guesstimating when the team would be where) and preventing Twisted Alice from taking Buddy Boris, the Miraculous, and Kwamis with the pipe and the sound effect box. This was also the Loop where Ladybug did the Purification for the first time, during their battle with Sammy Lawrance in Lost Harbor. As expected, Marinette was out cold for a day and Adrien swapped their Miraculous. Sammy felt an immense amount of guilt for what he'd done and tried to do. Allison Angel and Tom Boris were reluctant to trust Sammy when Marinette suggested that they give him a chance. Trusting Tom Boris and Allison Angel took a lot longer to do in this Loop than it did in the 9th Loop. This Loop was also when the Lucky Charm turned into a boat so Allison Angel, Sammy, and the two Boris' could get to the Giant Ink Machine without touching the Ink. This was also the Loop where they met Linda "for the first time" and learned that the Ink Demon wasn't as "evil" as they originally thought.
The 7th Loop was mostly the same as the prior Loop, but with Team Psi finding more items from former employees of the studio. They found Sawn Flynn's old tool belt, Susie Campbell's compact mirror she got from her mother, and Grant Cohen's favourite calculator. Marinette tried the Purification on a Searcher on the balcony before they found the hoard of Lost Ones during their trek to BendyLand, but that didn't end so well for the Searcher and Marinette was out for a couple of hours. Luckily, the cosy room was a nice place to nap while hiding from the Ink Demon and Twisted Alice. Trust still came longer to get with Allison Angel and Tom Boris in this Loop but it was quicker than the prior Loop. (After watching this, Marinette quickly transformed into Ladybug to see if the items found in that Loop were in her yo-yo. They were to Team Psi's surprise and amazement).
And finally, the 8th Loop was where Norman got Purified for the first time, but Marinette was out for a good three hours afterwards. Adrien swapped Miraculous during her nap. Adrien also Purified Sammy Lawrance in this. Though it seemed like it took less time with trust in this Loop, but still longer than Loop #9. Also, it took Tom Boris longer to get his voice than the 9th Loop but he still managed to tell the team about Benji when he got his voice.
The monitors switched to live feed when the Loops finished playing.
"This is just..." Kim let out as he placed a hand on his head, before he added, "Just, wow!" He then looked at Linda when he asked, "All these happened, right? Even though we don't remember them?"
Linda nodded when she said, "Yes, it all happened, despite all of you not remembering." She glances to the side when she said as the Ink Demon made a small chirp, "I should also mention that in the prior Loops that we've "met" that we all tried to think of something that could help with retaining the memories from the other Loops."
"Did either of you have any luck with that?" Sammy asked with a nervous grip on one of his overall straps.
Linda sighed softly when she shook her head and stated, "None, unfortunately." She sighed again when she added, "The idea of leaving one of your cell phones with me wasn't a bad one, but since they couldn't get any signals this far down under the studio..."
Max pushed his glasses up with his left hand when he finished, "They essentially wouldn't be of any use for communication..." He clicked his tongue before saying, "Dang! That could've worked... I know hearing Grandma's voice would've convinced me about the Time Loops before coming here..."
Markov couldn't help but ask, "There must be something we can do? Something that can assist in retaining these memories?" The AI then lowered his gaze when he admitted, "It is... "Unnerving" me that something is interfering with my memory bank... I don't like it at all."
Kim couldn't help but say, "Yeah, we completely understand Markov. And to be honest, I think we feel the same." He glanced at the Ink Creatures when he added, "I think some more than others..."
Adrien was the one who said, "We need to find something that'll help us not only remember what happened in the Prior Loops but also shut down the Ink Machine and save everyone trapped here." He looked at Norman, Sammy, Buddy Boris, Allison Angel, and Tom Boris when he said, "I know that if we had remembered our previous interactions, we could've helped you all earlier, trust you all earlier!"
"I know I wouldn't have done the things I did if I remembered..." Sammy muttered as he slumped his shoulders. It wasn't hard to understand what the Former Music Director was referring to...
Linda and the Ink Demon wirily glanced at each other before Linda finally said, "Actually..." She sighed before adding, "Shutting down the Ink Machine is... Easy on paper, but hard to achieve in actuality..."
Ladybug couldn't help but say in shock, "Really?! How?!"
Linda was about to say when the control panel starting making a beeping noise, grabbing everyone's attention. Max and Markov quickly went to the control panel. The techie quickly hit the button that was glowing in sync with the beeping and one of the monitors immediately switched to the Artists' Area, where the teens and AI were when they first entered the studio. That was when everyone in the room saw that Micro Mare was walking cautiously through the area she was in with her whip ready to go if needed.
"Friend of yours?" Allison Angel asked the teens as they all watched the scene play out.
Ladybug looked over Micro Mare from the monitor when she saw the Miraculous she was wearing. The bluette then said, "She's wearing the Mouse and the Horse Miraculous? But... Thanks to the Glamour we can't see who she is."
Plagg was the one to say, "Well, we know that she's gotta be someone that Master Fu trusted." He then placed a paw to his chin when he looked over Micro Mare's appearance and then thought for a bit before he said, "But who would he trust that is short and has pink hair?"
Ladybug, Adrien, Kim, Max, and Markov looked at each other the moment Plagg said that. They then said in unison with somewhat of a smile, "Alix!" Plagg then let out an 'oh yeah when he realized that they were right.
Max pushed his glasses up with his left hand when he said, "She's Bunnyx, so Master Fu would've trusted her with the Rabbit Miraculous." He paused before looking back at the monitor when he said, "But I don't know about two Miraculous at once."
Adrien couldn't help but suggest, "Maybe he asked Alix to help us out in here."
Before anyone could add any more to the conversation the ink splotches nearby started bubbling without anyone realizing it. More specifically, the ink splotches near where the Ink Demon was standing.
Kim suddenly smelt something. He cringed before covering his nose and asking in disgust, "Gross! Who cut the cheese?"
"Cheese!?" Plagg exclaimed in delight as he looked around.
The others noticed the smell too, they cringed before covering their noses. Buddy Boris covered his entire snout while Tom Boris pinched his nose. Norman covered the area under his projection lend. Sammy and Allison pinched their nose with their index and thumbs while covering their mouths with the rest of their hands. Ladybug, Adrien, and Max covered their noses with their left hands. Markov commented that he doesn't have anything to use as smelling receptors. Linda and the Ink Demon covered their noses(?) with their right hands. The moment Plagg realized that they weren't talking about cheese and what the smell was, he quickly covered his nose with both of his paws when he got out in disgust, "EW! Gross! Who did that?!"
When everyone looked around to see who was trying not to show their tell, they quickly realized that no one was. Upon realizing this, Linda's eyes widen when she shouted, "Shit! EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM THE INK!" But it was too late...
Two inky claws with elongated fingers quickly wrapped themselves tightly around the Ink Demon's ankles before the ink splotches grew in size until they were practically a puddle under the Ink Demon. As soon as the ink puddle was large enough, the ink claws suddenly dragged the Ink Demon down!
Team Psi gasped in shock and horror as Linda tried to launch towards the Ink Demon in order to save him. She quickly shouted at the Ink, "You bastard! Leave him alone for once!" She reached out a hand for the Ink Demon to grab, but he was too far into the ink to even get his arm out enough.
Soon, the Ink Demon was gone and Linda punched the ground where he once stood as she shouted, "Damn it! Why does that bastard do that every time someone enters the studio?!"
Before anyone could ask/say anything, Max quickly typed on the control panel as fast as he could with one hand, memories of how to work it just flooding back to him. He quickly pulled up what he could of the Artists' Area onto the monitors. Now Team Psi could see what happens there.
And there they saw the Ink Demon being forced out of the ink portal on the wall a few halls away from where Micro Mare was. Then they saw all the negative energy in the area suddenly being drawn to the Ink demon. They watched in horror as the Ink Demon clenched his head as he tried to resist the negative energy.
Tom Boris quickly turned to Linda when he asked in a frantic tone, "Is there anything we can do to get him back and away from the negative energy?"
Linda sadly shook her head when she said just as franticly, "That area is far out of my range! That other person who controls the Ink is well aware of that! And they just!" She growls in frustration as the ink splotches started bubbling. Linda then got out, "The bastard just yanks him to that area as soon as someone enters the studio! Every damn time!"
So many questions rose as soon as Team Psi heard that, but right now...
In the area the Ink Demon now stood, the Ink Webs started appearing and the sound of a heartbeat faintly echoed through the air. The Ink Demon's arms then dropped to his side when the Ink Webs were solidified and the sound of the heartbeat was audible.
"No..." most of Team Psi got out when they saw this. All were helpless to stop what was about to happen.
The Ink Demon started moving, now completely affected by the negative energy of the studio. And he was heading right towards Micro Mare, who had no idea just how close she was to danger.
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To be continued in Chapter 5 Pt 6: The Last Reel of Plans.
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1) Yeah, I looked this up to use specifically for this story! But the more you know~ the smarter you use it~. And just in case some of you want to get an external drive that's a Terabyte or two.
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