Chapter | Nineteen
Nadia Ivanov wasn't much from the small town she came from, always deemed someone intellectually gifted but not really making strides in life. That was until she met Lucas Valentino at a convention when he was Italy and he gave her the one opportunity she needed in order to make a mark on the world. For years she studied the technology used for the Winter Solider in HYDRA and took notes on the complex idea of the Red Room.
It took years to develop the idea of project Dollhouse, and even longer to develop the technology that would carry out the ideology of her vision. It was her scientific breakthrough, and it had been tested on multiple variations of animals and humans. There were multiple failed experiments, but she finally had her break through two years ago and had been having trials after trials to see how much further she could push her experiments. The results were promising from what she could see in her scientific variables.
All her years of hard word brought her to this very moment where she stood in front of Lucas and was showing him around the underground building that held her facilities. Nadia was proud of her work and how far she had come, almost flaunting the work she had done.
Lucas on the other hand was looking around the new laboratory he paid for, feeling himself be slightly impressed as he took it in for the first time. "You've out done yourself this time, Nadia. Are you going to tell me what exactly it is you have developed?"
"Project Dollhouse is a complex theory that I developed inspired by HYDRA's Winter Solider and The Red Room's widows. Both had amazingly advanced technology before the Avengers intervened." Nadia ran her fingers over a advanced chair that had a green glow to it. "The issue that they faced was that they suppressed the memories behind chemicals and electric shock, but what if you could theoretically take a person's personality away?"
"And how would one do that?" Lucas raised an eyebrow in question.
"This chair right here is very special." Nadia says, "Once a person sits in here we can make their minds in a state of Tabula rasa."
"A blank slate?"
"Precisely." Nadia nods, "Once a person's mind is in a blank slate, we can put together the perfect personality, make the perfect person."
"How is that possible? What makes this project different than the ones before it?"
"After many trial and errors, I found that implanting a chip on the subject helps keep the subject submissive and in line. The chair itself will do the initial wipe for the person, but the chip and chair talk to each other. The chip will take the initial personality, memories, and store them. If the subject shows signs of remembering their original self, the chip as a remote control. Once press of a button will electrically shock the subject as if they were in the chair, acting as if it were a rest button." Nadia explains, handing Lucas a remote designator.
"Is this the control? It looks like a car remote." Lucas doubtfully eyed the keychain.
Nadia gave him a look, "Small enough to keep on you without drawing attention. That one is the control for Marinette's chip once she's active. Which brings me to my next question, who exactly do you want her to be?"
Lucas stared hard at the remote, "Is it possible to mix personas?"
"Theoretically, yes. Has it been tried? No." Nadia sighed softly, "That idea runs the risk of identity confusion, which can cause a potential glitch and trigger a regain of self consciousness."
"But it could be possible?" Lucas gave Nadia his full attention, "I want it done."
"Mr. Valentino-"
"Now Nadia." Lucas coldly says, "I'm the one paying you and funding this experiment, and I have told you what I've wanted done."
Nadia gave a tight lip smile, "Of course Mr. Valentino. Who do you want her to be?"
"Who can she be?" Lucas asks, and Nadia could tell the question was more for himself as he tried to decide the answer to the question.
"She can be your partner, help you with what you wanted her here for. To change the world." Nadia offers, knowing the was the main goal of obtaining Marinette to begin with. Why would plans suddenly change?
"How successful is this machine in long terms?"
"Very successful." Nadia confidently replies, "The experiments have been having no issues with their knew personalities the past eight months, and of course if you find you're having an issue then we will fix it immediately."
"Even though she the guardian of the miraculous and now enhanced? Is there a chance because of those factors this won't work?" Lucas's question is in the air as Marinette's unconsciousness form is carried into the room and strapped down into the chair.
"The chip being implanted in her neck was specifically made for Marinette in mind in the case she did remember sooner than other subjects. The chip will allow a quick charge to shock her mind into confusion so you can bring her back here to get a more longer fix with the chair."
"I just want her to change the world in my favor, do what needs to be done." Lucas mused, content with the answer he received.
Nadia retorted, "Like a solider?"
"Like my sister." Lucas, "She would have changed the world."
Nadia frowned at that, looking at him with calculating eyes as she took in how he looked at Marinette, how he watched her. He had always been interested in the girl, as weird as it was. He kept up on her social medias, her life and he even got mad when he lost sight of her. It was an obsessive behavior, Nadia's PhD could prove it too.
"Your sister?" Nadia wasn't even area Lucas had any siblings.
"My grandfather was tied in some bad things, bad people- my whole family was really. They sent my younger sister to the Red Room, but she was terminated on a mission." Lucas nodded as he went up to the chair the teen laid in, "I can keep Marinette close by and she would be my secret weapon."
"So you what? Want me to give you sister 2.0?" It was weird, even for Nadia. That he would even request something like that.
"Not exactly." Lucas gently touched her hair, "I want her the same, but modified. To know she hates me, but physically can't do a thing against me. She listens to me and my commands. Give her the primal urge to protect me. To have no will physically, but mentally she's there- locked away in her own mind."
Nadia knew she got paid good, but not enough for crazy people like this. Humming to herself, Nadia went to work on modifying Marinette's morals and core structure. Lucas wanted a weapon and a puppet, that was fine. Nadia could work with that just fine, and she did. It took all of twenty minutes to make the new identity. Without saying anything to Lucas, Nadia went ahead and lowered the chair into the green lights of the chair.
Effortlessly Nadia's fingers slid over the key board, punching in different codes and variables into the computer. There was no warning when the green light got brighter, or when Marinette's body went rigid as she arched her back. Nadia let the electromagnetic waves do their magic work on her brain, running the erase program two times to make sure Marinette was a blank state. Then the green light claimed and Marinette's chair rose up, her eyes were still closed.
"There are three flowers in a vase, the third flower is green." Nadia says the words clearly, watching as Marinette's blue eyes fluttered open.
Marinette's eyes fluttered, then blinked a few times as they looked around the room. "Did I fall asleep?"
"You've had a long day Anya." Nadia kept her voice soft, friendly even. "Lucas came to pick you up and take you back home."
Marinette's eyes moved and looked at Lucas, "Home?"
"Yes, home." Lucas offered his hand, watching as Marinette slowly placed her hand in his. It finally seemed like she accepted him, knowing it was under an influence it was still nice. It was just another step closer to gaining what he wanted in the world. "We have to get ready for the meeting we have tomorrow in Venice."
Marinette gave a small laugh, "Silly me, I always forget your stupid meetings. You'll have to remind me what it's about again."
"Of course. We need to get some very important codes. I'm going to need your help." Lucas began to walk away with Marinette and Nadia just hoped this actually worked. He wanted someone to devotedly follow his every whim who was powerful, she just hoped it didn't blow up in their faces.
The last place Adrien ever thought he would be was in New York, let alone in the tower that Tony had built for the Avengers. The past few weeks had been a lot more eventful than he expected, and it was starting to get hard to keep up with everything going on. It all just seemed so real now, and it was suffocating. Was this how Marinette felt? If it was then he had no clue how she kept up with it so long.
Just a few weeks ago they were fighting Hawkmoth, still protecting Paris and now Marinette was missing, her identity was compromised, and they were in New York for the sake of their own protection and identities. It was something he was still trying to wrap his head around, and he knew the others were as well.
Chloe had been silent the whole trip, not wanting to say much as she stared out the window of the high tower they were now in. New York, one of the cities that never slept. This was where her mother was at, still up on her high horse as she took care of her company rather than contact her own daughter. It left a bitterness that Chloe tried to push down in her heart, but it was there nothing less. The whole time Audrey hadn't even contacted her after her father's arrest and part of Chloe knew that was the last straw.
She didn't need her mother's approval or even her presence in her life anymore, she had never been there to begin with. Chloe had accomplished her own achievements without her parents, sitting in the Avenger's Tower proved that. Chloe wanted to be the best person she could, and the only way she felt that way was with Pollen and helping other people. Maybe with her knowledge in politics, she could help change the world for the better. It was an idea at least, but first she wanted her friend back.
Luka on the other hand had taken the time to talk to Peter Parker, and maybe it was the jealousy deep inside him or maybe it was the need to make sure he was worthy of her. He knew it would never be his place, but Marinette was someone special to him. As hard as he tried to be there for her, he ended up inflicting pain on her open wounds. He accepted that they were just friends, and would remain as such but he wanted to make sure Peter was someone who would love her unconditionally and be there to help pick up the pieces.
Then he realized Peter Parker was the literal male carbon copy of Marinette's personality, it was why they got along so easily and so quickly. They were two peas in a pod, and there was no chance for anyone else. Peter and Marinette were two halves of a whole, he had been there for Marinette when no one else wasn't. he was the shoulder she cried on, he was the one she came back to New York with and practically lived with him after her parent's death. Peter was her rock, the constant she needed to thrive and function. He was the one who probably really understood her.
"She doesn't know your Spiderman, does she?" Luka asks, turning to look at Peter- who was getting ready to head back home after a long plane ride and helping settle the others into their new home.
Peter was a little thrown off by the question, mainly because the whole time Luka had spoke to him on the plane felt more like a gentle interrogation. He understood that there was a reason, and seeing how every question was about Marinette gave Peter the idea that it was a test for his character.
"I was planning on telling her, but then with her parents passing the timing wasn't right. I didn't want to overwhelm her more than she already was." Peter admits, not really caring if the others listened in. "Then she went missing and I just want to bring her home where she's safe."
Luka stared into Peter's brown eyes, never once seeing anything that said anything to go against his words. Luka wasn't sure what it was he was looking for, maybe it was just the fact that Peter had good intentions, and Luka could see Peter did. He could see the anxiety and worry in his eyes, and Luka understood why Marinette would want to stay here in New York even before the incident with her parents.
Nodding, Luka put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "We'll find her and bring her back home."
"Everything will be more than different, and that's what worries me." Peter tells Luka, "I've seen her cry in her sleep from nightmares, held her while she fell apart. I'm worried that she's going through things she'll never come back from-"
"Marinette is strong, she always has been and stubborn." Luka reminds Peter, "I think out of everyone in this room, you're the one that truly knows her. The real her she didn't hide. As long as you're here when she comes home I have no doubt that everything will be okay."
Chloe turned her head away from the window, surprised to hear Luka say something like that to Peter while knowing how much Luka adored Marinette. It seemed to surprised Adrien as well, and even Kagami. Alya looked a little lost, and Chloe knew it was because she wasn't up to date with events of Marinette's life and Nino looked like he understood the concept enough as if he had cliff notes. He probably did via Sabine and Tom before their untimely passing when Nino helped around the bakery.
Peter nodded his head, taking a step back. "She never really spoke about any of you." He says, and something about that sentence not only hurt Luka, but Chloe. "She was hurting enough where she didn't want to talk about Paris, and yeah I understand that the whole superhero and kwami's were something she couldn't speak about, but she still hardly mentioned friends. Then Tony exposed Ladybug and Chat Noir and she broke down into her first panic attack. That type of pain, it cuts deeply. It's not something someone can just move on from, no matter how much they convince themselves they have."
"You love her." Adrien observed, and for the first time he really wondered what it was Peter had gone through with Marinette. Yes Adrien had gone through some shit with Ladybug, as Chat Noir, but as Adrien he was still breaking through the walls of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Even Chat Noir didn't get too far past Marinette's walls, not the ones she put up for her friends. It made him wonder how much they knew Marinette for once, even though he though they knew her there was one thing he realized.
Marinette had never been too open about any emotion that wasn't a smile or being optimistic. Even at the funeral for Tom and Sabine, Marinette held back her emotions. She held back what she felt and offered small smiles with a twitch of her lips. Even as Ladybug he rarely saw her get frustrated, only annoyed at his puns but that was it. Her facade up front had always been professional, and maybe in that way him and her were the same.
Peter looked him in the eyes, "More than anything."
"We'll find her." Adrien promises, "We'll bring her home, here in New York."
"You guys should get some sleep. Mr. Stark stays your training starts in the morning." Peter wasn't sure how to act with the other teens, and maybe that was because for the first time in his life he was feeling judgemental. Maybe he really just needed sleep too, but realistically he knew his sleep would be plagued by nightmares of Marinette again.
Gina Dupain would let anyone know that the person who changed her life the most was her granddaughter, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The moment that Tom and Sabine had found out they were pregnant with Marinette, their lives had changed and the secrets had started. Gina had taken the time off work with S.H.I.E.L.D in order to come and help her son and daughter-in-law as they awaited the birth of their daughter.
Then one day midway through her pregnancy, Sabine started having dreams. Gina remembered vividly about Sabine confiding in her that somehow Marinette would be special. Gina didn't doubt that her granddaughter wouldn't special, it was how special she failed to realize she would be.
Once Sabine reached her eighth month of pregnancy was when everything really changed and Gina learned something she kept to herself for many years as she continued to work under S.H.I.E.L.D. She learned of the world where magic was real as she was, and in order to keep her granddaughter safe she had to keep that secret safe.
"I don't know Gina, I just feel it in my core that this baby is going to do something great. She has a purpose." Sabine tells her mother in law as she rubs her swollen belly. "And I know every mother says that about their kids, but I truly mean it. She's going to change the world."
Gina chuckled, smiling at her daughter-in-law, "I said the same thing about Tom, and he's the greatest baker this world has ever seen. I am sure this bundle of joy will make strides and help shape this world."
"What if I'm not a good mother? Or if I fail her in someway?" Sabine's inner and deepest fears come to surface, "What if she doesn't live a good life-"
"Deep breaths Sabine." Gina reminds her, "You can't think of the negatives, only the positives. As mothers, we can only try our best to provide for our children no matter what. We make sacrifices to make ends meet and do our best to make sure our children are happy. I have no doubt that you will be an amazing mother."
Sabine looked at Gina with a grateful smile, tears in her eyes as she let out a laugh. "I don't even know why I'm tearing up. All the hormones have been making me more emotional."
"And who are you?" Gina asks as she wished she had her gun on her still.
The woman offered a small smile, "I am The Ancient One and while this visit is out of the normality of my actions I had to stop by."
"The Ancient One?" Sabine repeats, a small frown. "You opened a portal into my home. Why would you need to feel the need to 'stop by'?"
Gina was also frowning at the woman in robes, because she seemed to be an enhanced being. She had something that looked different on her, what it was Gina didn't know but there was a power coming off of the woman- this Ancient One. When the woman took a step forward, Gina moved quickly to stand in front of Sabine.
"You came here for a reason. Why?" Gina's eyes narrowed, because these were types of situations usually dealt with by S.H.I.E.L.D. It has always been one of Gina's biggest fears that her work would follow her home or worse, hurt her family. The woman here was someone unknown to her, unpredictable and Gina didn't like that.
"The child you carry is special, chosen even." The Ancient One says, motioning towards Sabine's stomach. "Very rarely does a soul get reborn, even more rare to be reborn within the same bloodline. You, Sabine, I have seen. Your family dates make many centuries, one of the original bloodlines stemmed from those who helped create this world."
Sabine crosses her arms, "And what does that have to do with my child?"
"Her destiny is intertwined with the goddess Eurynome. She's to be one with the mystic arts and creation." She gives a small smile, "I have seen the different ways her life can go, but one sticks out the most. It starts by easing your fears of motherhood and following your instinct when it comes to her. She will be one of the greatest people this world can ever have."
"Is that why you're here?" Sabine raised an eyebrow, "To ease my fears?"
The Ancient One chuckled softly, "You will be the greatest mother to that child, and in turn the child will come out the way she is destined for. Do not fret in her later years, she will help many people and create many things."
Gina knew she hadn't been there for much of Marinette's life, and perhaps that was one of her biggest regrets. She had been so wrapped up in her work that it was hard to separate that and her family life. It had gotten to a point where her work got dangerous enough that Tom requested she stay aways from visiting, only birthdays and holidays. She understood, but it never eased the ache of what she missed out.
Of course when Gina would visit Paris when the akuma's started she knew that Marinette was Ladybug, as did Tom and Sabine. They worried for the young teenager, but Gina always knew that Marinette being Ladybug was just part of what was in story for her granddaughter. It was part of who she was, and that was why Gina never reported the incident to S.H.I.E.L.D. She knew somehow Nick Fury would make a mess of Paris, and she could never let Marinette get dragged into that mess. It would stain her like it did everyone else pulled in, but inevitably Marinette had been dragged into the mess, as did ever other holder in Paris because of Tony Stark.
Checking in on Marinette, Gina found that Marinette had been in New York for an internship. Her fate had been intertwined somehow with an Avenger or all of them. She wasn't sure of it yet, or how but she knew somehow it was what it was. Marinette had slowly been stepping into the shoes she was born to run in.
Then her son died, as well as her daughter-in-law. The official report was death by carbon monoxide poisoning, but she knew her son and his wife. It wasn't a possibility they forgot to turn something off, they always doubled checked everything. It had been a habit they picked up when Marinette was born, being too paranoid as new parents.
Yet she still hadn't reached out to Marinette after her parent's death, and then she had gotten a message from Natasha Romanoff.
Marinette is missing, taken by a man named Lucas Valentino. He was the one she commissioned for her internship, and might be the reason behind the deaths of Tom and Sabine. We are looking for her currently. - B.W.
And so was Gina, and luckily for her she used to excel in computer engineering. Was a grade A hacker, used to change her grades all the time in her classes. Even in college, it was what gotten S.H.I.E.L.D's attention in the first place. It was also how she found a meeting that was to take place in mere hours due to time difference in Venice, Italy.
I should be doing Chem homework but here I am! Haha I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I promise we will slowly branch out so the other MLB characters have plots of their own as well as Marinette.
I honestly thought I wouldn't be posting as frequently but maybe I can do this with school and work! 😂😂
Stay safe everyone and thank you for the support on this story! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
