Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.
Chapter 25,
Klinger escorted the kids to the mess tent and Marinette stared through the clear fabric and watched the doctors and nurses take care of the seemingly endless ocean of wounded soldiers fighting for their attention.
"You know, I remember when I first got stationed here, and the sight of all that blood and suffering broke my heart." Klinger said, standing beside Marinette and he sipped his coffee.
"For me, it was a constant reminder that I was in a war zone and I could die at any moment. But you want to know what made me feel a bit better about it?" Klinger said and Marinette turned to look at him.
"What's that?" She asked and Klinger smiled.
"The doctors. Potter, Hunnicutt, and especially Pierce. I'll tell you what, if every doctor had Hawkeye's passion to keep people alive, there'd be a lot less sick people in the world. But then, if we keep having wars like this here 'police action', doctors will never have the time to research new medical practices and medicine." Klinger said and Marinette sighed.
"That makes me feel better." Marinette said and Klinger chuckled awkwardly.
"Sorry, I'm typically better with younger kids. Like the kids at the orphanage down the street. Granted most of them can't understand a word I say when I sing to them, or read them stories, or just talk to them in general; but I say some things don't need a translator." Klinger said and Marinette actually smiled at this.
"You know, I actually went to the orphanage yesterday. I gave them a bunch of... um, donations I thought they would like." Marinette said and Adrien perked up to this.
"Did you go alone?" Adrien asked and Marinette hesitated. What could she say?
"Well, not exactly. Cat Noir saw me, for some reason, and decided to help me out." Marinette said and Klinger smiled at her.
"And is Cat Noir friend, lover, or foe?" Klinger asked and Marinette got bashful.
"He's just your friendly neighborhood superhero." Marinette said and Klinger blinked.
"Superhero? You guys got superheroes?" Klinger asked and Adrien nodded.
"Yep, Cat Noir and, of course, the ever lovely Ladybug." Adrien said and Klinger smirked.
"Sounds like your a bit of a fanboy, kid. I bet you think Ladybug is the bees knees." Klinger said and Adrien's eyes widened.
"Um... well... she's..." Adrien hesitated, and he glanced at Marinette who giggled at him.
"Relax, Adrien. Klinger isn't asking if you are head over heels in love with Ladybug. He's merely asking if you appreciate her and find her pretty." Marinette said and Adrien hopes he wasn't blushing.
"Oh, right." Adrien said and for a moment, Marinette wondered if the girl Adrien was in love with, actually was Ladybug.
However, that was ridiculous. He doesn't know Ladybug enough to really fall in love with her. If he really did love her, it's only because she's saved him a couple of times.
"Well, don't sit there on your thumbs, I have always wanted to meet real Superheroes. The closest I've ever gotten is Hawkeye, which is a huge compliment, but it's not the same. Tell me all about them." Klinger said. Adrien and Marinette looked at each other to decide who should start.
"Well, Ladybug is really smart and creative and tough as nails." Adrien said and this was flattering, but Marinette bit her lip in concern.
"But she can also be stubborn and pigheaded when it comes to people she doesn't necessarily like. She would really be nothing without Cat Noir." Marinette said and Adrien paused.
"Well, Cat Noir can't do much goo without Ladybug. What's the point of having the power of destruction if he doesn't have Ladybug to fix everything up?" Adrien said and Marinette blinked.
"Perhaps, but you don't understand. You don't know what goes through Ladybug's mind when she's fighting. I, uh... I imagine that Cat Noir helps calm her down, and to believe in herself and he teaches her how to be more opened and accepting towards others. Sure his power might be destruction, but he is so warm and loving that Ladybug needs him more then she needs her own powers. Without him... Hawkmoth would have defeated her a long time ago." Marinette said wholeheartedly. Adrien was too stunned to speak, but Klinger whistled.
"Man, they sound like an unstoppable team. Who knows, maybe I'll get the chance to meet them. Any chance they'll be flying through these parts soon?" Klinger asked and then a nurse ran into the mess tent.
"Klinger, we need more help in pre-op." She said and Klinger sighed.
"Well, I hate to leave now, but the golden rule of comedy is 'always leave them wanting more'. I'll be back as soon as I can, but if you need anything, except good food, Igor is the one in the apron serving the powdered eggs." Klinger said and he swiftly left for the hospital. Marinette took a deep breath and she smiled at Adrien.
"Actually, I think I'll check out the camp a bit. You know, get a better sense of our surroundings." Marinette said, standing up.
"Alright, I'll be here, I guess." Adrien said with a smile and then she left. Adrien waited a few seconds and then he left the mess tent too.
Marinette quickly found a secluded spot and she then transformed into Ladybug. She emerged from her hiding spot and then she pulled out her yo-yo and she swung it up to a high wooden post and launched herself up into the air, and slowed down her falling by swinging the yo-yo above her head. She was hoping that a higher view would give her a sense of which direction the akumatized individual might be.
But all she saw was war, in every fathomable direction. She couldn't tell who was her allies and who she was suppose to fight. She saw a lot of smoke, a lot of machines/artillery, and soldiers running around. With a slight sigh of defeat, she lowered herself gently back down to the 4077th MASH.
"Any good news, milady?" Cat Noir asked, surprising Ladybug a little too much; which made her mad.
"Do you have to sneak up on me, Cat-" She looked at him and her voice faltered when she looked into his gorgeous eyes.
"Uh... um... thanks for keeping me on my toes Cat Noir." She said, bashfully rubbing the back of her neck. Cat Nour blinked at this reaction.
"Um... well, what do you suggest we do?" Cat Noir asked and Ladybug took a deep breath.
"This battle is too large for us to win a bunch of tiny battles. Somehow we need to find the source of all this, and put a stop to them." Ladybug said and Cat Noir looked around.
"It's a little hard to find a source here. We seem to be in the middle of a bloodbath. Maybe we should talk to those doctors when they are done in surgery. They probably have a better understanding of this atmosphere then we do." Cat Noir said and Ladybug hesitated.
"I don't know, Cat Noir. They'll be in surgery for many hours. It would probably be faster to try and logically pick a direction that the akuma might be, and fight the real villain. Then the doctors wouldn't have anyone to patch up." Ladybug said and Cat Noir hesitated.
"Well, that's only faster if you're right on the first try. If we pick the wrong direction, it might take us twice as long just to return to this staring point, much less trying to canvas the rest of this literal battleground. With all of the explosions, guns, and smoke, it's three times harder to find our way around. And I think we know Paris better then any other Parisian out there." Cat Noir said and Ladybug sighed.
"How about a compromise. If we go in one direction, and it turns out to be a wild goose chase, we will return here and wait to talk to the doctors about this, and let them help us." Ladybug said. Cat Noir couldn't help but feel uneasy about that idea, but Ladybug's face said it all. She wanted to do her best to stop any more people from getting hurt. Knowing this, Cat Noir sighed.
"Ok, what direction should we go?" Cat Noir said and Ladybug contemplated a moment.
"Let's see. This is a MASH unit from the 50's. There were MASH units used in the Korean War, right? So that war was between North Korea and South Korea. So... if we are surrounded by army members from the 50's, that must mean that this side is fighting the North. Perhaps if we head north, we'll find the Akuma." Ladybug said, and Cat Noir pulled out his baton and winked at her.
"Well then, north is that way, milady." Cat Noir said and Ladybug looked away from his loving gaze.
"Then... what are you waiting for, slow poke?" Ladybug said, swinging her yo-yo in the correct direction. Cat Noir chuckled and quickly followed her.
"So how did you know this MASH unit is from the 50's?" Cat Noir asked as they rushed northbound.
"I have a family member who is really into tradition. He taught me about classic military vehicles, and that's what these people are using." Ladybug said.
"Well, that's certainly helpful." Cat Noir said.
"You know, before I saw some horror movie icons running around. What do you think that's all about?" Cat Noir asked.
"I don't know." She admitted, with a shrug.
"I mean, you have horror movie icons, and all of these soldiers running around, but there doesn't seem to be a real objective to anything." Ladybug said and Cat Noir blinked.
"What do you mean?" Cat Noir asked.
"Well, where's the guy giving orders, and what are those orders? Is it someone who is trying to get a item that was robbed from them? Were they treated poorly and want revenge? Were they trying to prove they can do something? Are they standing up for someone else they care about? I don't see any of that. All I see is a bunch of pointless fighting, and no reason for it." Ladybug said.
But then, she felt a blinding pain in the back of her leg, and a half-second later, she heard the sound of a gunshot; and when she went down to the ground, she stayed down.
"Milady!" Cat Noir said, quickly turning around and running towards her. When he got close, he glanced up just long enough to see the barrel of a gun before he got shot in the shoulder. Which knocked him into his back. With a groan, he sat up, prepared to fight, but he saw a group of 5 soldiers pointing their guns at Ladybug. There was nothing he could do. Even if he tried to use his powers, they would shoot Ladybug before he finished saying 'cataclysm'.
"Il-eona!" One of the soldier's stood in front of Cat Noir and shouted. Cat Noir understood enough Korean to know this meant, 'Stand Up!', so he did.
"Il-eona!" A different soldier shouted at Ladybug and she tried to stand, but the pressure was too much and she fell back down. Wanting to help her, Cat Noir took a few steps closer to her.
"Mulleoseo!" The first soldier shouted at him and Cat Noir glared at him.
"If you won't help her, then I will. She can barely walk, man! So Either Move Out Of My Way Or Kill Me!" Cat Noir shouted and Ladybug gasped.
"Are You Crazy?!?" Ladybug shouted, but Cat Noir simply glared at the soldier before him. The soldier held his gun securely before glancing back at Ladybug. With a look of uncertainty, he nodded and stepped to the side.
"Geunyeoleul dowajuseyo." The soldier consented and Cat Noir didn't need to be told twice. He picked her up bridal-style, which hurt his shoulder, but he didn't want to risk her leg getting worse.
Together they were escorted to a nearby North Korean camp. They approached a barn-esq. building, and when they entered it, there were lots of metal torture devices and dried blood scattered around them. Before Cat Noir had a chance to think of a plan, or even fight back, they were sat down into two wooden chairs and tied together. A superior soldier walked up to Ladybug.
"Meosjin gwigeol-i. anaega seonmul-eul wonhal geos gat-ayo." He sajd right before reaching over and removing Ladybug's earrings.
"Wait! No!" She cried out, but it was too late. She reverted back to powerless old Marinette.
"Wa! Mabeob-ui gwigeol-i! Nae anaeneun ij-eo beoligo amsijang-eseo mueos-eul eod-eul su issneunji boja." He said with a greedy smile on his face.
"Beon-yeogganeun eodi issseubnikka?" He asked his unit.
"Geuneun Rgwa Re gassda" Another soldier answered him. Marinette stared at her beloved Miraculous, and she wanted to scream, but she suddenly felt so useless.
"Eo! Yeogiseo dahaeyahanayo? Chinguege oneun chinguga eobsneunji hwag-inhago najung-e geudeul-i aneun geos-eul hwag-inhagi wihae dol-aol geos-ibnida." Their superior said and the soldiers all left the barn, leaving Marinette free to panic.
"Oh My God!" She shouted and she started hyperventilating.
"Calm down, milady." Cat Noir said.
"I can't and I won't! Do you know what they did?!?" She shouted.
"I know, but-"
"They took off my earrings! I-I-I-I-I've never lost them before!" She shouted.
"We can get them back." Cat Noir said.
"You can, maybe. But I'm here, powerless!" She said, panting up a storm.
"Milady, relax-"
"This is it! This one mission we fail!"
"Mil-"
"We will have to get a new Ladybug, I can't wait go one doing the job, now that this has happened!"
"M-"
"But what if no one believes the new Ladybug, and then she decides to use her powers for evil, and joins up with Hawk Moth, and all of Pros will crumble, and it will be all my fault, and-"
"MARINETTE!!! Calm Down!" Cat Noir shouted, and for a moment, Marinette was as still as a statue and silent as a tomb. She turned her head closer to Cat Noir.
"W-What did you say?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir let out a deep sigh.
"I... I told you to calm down... Marinette." Cat Noir said, and she couldn't believe her ears.