A common trend in the comment section last chapter was: "I don't care about Lila! Save my babies!"
It made me smile.
(This story has some illustrations on Ao3)
Um…I cried writing this chapter…so really sorry in advance.
Trigger warning for…claustrophobia? Darkness? Oh, and blood. And bones. Just all over nasty stuff. I'll make sure to let you guys know when we're in the clear.
—
Unchained. Free from their cages. It was almost too much. They hadn't even gotten out yet and Adrien was already overwhelmed. He expressed this with a small whine in the back of his throat.
Marinette took Adrien's hand, her thumb rubbing over his knuckles. She wanted to tell him so many things. How much she loved him, how no matter what happened, they could handle it.
You and me against the world, right?
Adrien squeezed her hand back, seemingly understanding what she was trying to say.
They quietly made their way into the hall. It was long, and lit every ten feet with a little light by the floor, like a movie theatre. It was lined with several doors, all with vault locks on them. All but the room they had been in. She hoped they were just lucky in that respect, and that it wasn't some sort of trick.
So far, everything was quiet, as no one had noticed their escape. But they were both incredibly weak, and so they went slow.
The path to the torture chamber was well worn by now. Despite the halls being unmarked and dark, they still found their way there. The only problem was finding their way out.
They came to the door to the room, it only was open a crack.
It was time for phase two: retrieve the Miraculous.
Marinette peered inside. On the table on the far side of the room was the safe with the Miraculous. At least, she hoped they were still in there.
She nudged the door a little more, trying to see in the rest of the room. She could see the table with the computer, and the man named Harken sitting behind it. He had his arms crossed while he lulled his head in sleep.
The rest of the room looked empty.
Marinette turned to Adrien, making a 'V' shape over her eyes and gestured down the hall.
He nodded curtly, keeping watch.
Slowly, and ever so carefully, Marinette pushed the door open a fraction more, and slid inside.
There were a few cameras pointing around the room, and she made sure to stay out of their sight...though that meant coming closer to Harken.
The man wasn't snoring, and he had big reflective glasses on like Salo, so it was hard to tell if he was sleeping or not.
But he didn't move, so she made an assumption, and kept going.
Finally she reached the table, grabbing the safe and testing the lock.
It was locked alright, and Marinette had no guess for the combination.
Still, she scooped it up, and went back the way she came. Thankfully, the lockbox was like a briefcase and had a handle on it.
Her pulse throbbed in her ears, a silent clock in her mind, saying that all could go up in smoke at any second.
But so far so good.
Adrien was a step behind her, and he was slowly falling farther and farther behind.
She looked at him in question.
He was breathing harshly, but shook his head, gesturing her onward.
She only squeezed his hand tighter, and pulled him along.
Then they came to a fork, and Marinette hesitated. The lights on the floor stopped here, and there was no way to guess which way to go.
So she picked the right.
And ended up face to face with Pasolini.
"Hey!" He shouted, his voice much too loud in the infinite hallway.
After years of fighting, some things were still instinctual. With all the strength left in her trembling arms, she wound up, and careened the lock box into Pasolini's face, knocking him on his ass.
Then she turned face and tried to run down the other hall.
But Pasolini, disorientated as he was, still had half a mind to reach out, and grab whatever was nearest to him. Which happened to be Adrien's leg. His hand wrapped all the way around Adrien's ankle, with no hope of kicking it off.
Marinette pulled on him, trying to tug him with her, grunting. All the while, lights were coming down the hall from behind Pasolini, and she could hear Salo's voice.
"You have to let me go, My Lady." He croaked.
Her eyes widened, and she moaned in protest.
"You have the Miraculous! Go! Run!"
I will never leave you. She had promised him that only a few hours ago.
But he was right.
As his fingers slipped from hers, a tear fell from her eyes. She backed away, unable to tear her eyes from him, until the shadows swallowed her.
Then she was alone. And the weight of her actions fell solidly on her gut.
She would never see Adrien again.
She stumbled, wandering blind. Guilt crashing into her with each step. Maybe if she went back, maybe if she offered the Miraculous back, they'd spare him.
But he'd never forgive her for giving up her chance at freedom.
She glanced back, the flashlights from her tormentors were just dots in the distance.
The hall was long, old, and covered with sharp rocks. Each step was painful, physically and emotionally. Eventually, she came to an intersection, and she took a turn without thinking, then another, then another, just trying to put distance between herself and her tormentors.
She hugged the lockbox to her chest. I wish Tikki and Plagg were here.
Well, they kind of were. She just couldn't get to them. So she took a second to kneel and hold the box out. It was pitch black, but she felt along the box to find the opening. Then she felt along the floor for a sharp edge to hit it against.
She reeled up, and slammed the box down, hearing the Miraculous dingle from inside the box. But there was no give, so she slammed it again. And again. And again.
Her arms were so sore, and she knew she wasn't making any progress, but she was desperate to open it.
There were footsteps. Someone had heard her and they were coming this way!
She wobbled to her feet, took up the safe again, and ran.
Left, right, right, left. She just continued to duck and weave to throw off her pursuer.
Then her legs gave out.
Exhausted, scared, and guilt ridden, Marinette sat on the cold dusty floor, and tried to catch her breath. She didn't feel like she was making any progress. Where even was she? This building just kept going on and on like a Labyrinth. It was cold, and wet, and so so quiet, just like a grave.
Marinette took a sharp inhale. She…she couldn't be…
Once she caught her breath, she pushed back up on her feet and began her trek again. She had to find some kind of hint to where she was.
Since she was so weak, she had to use the wall for support, feeling the cold limestone on her palms. And then for a moment, it was smooth and flat, with little grooves carved into it.
Are these words? She wondered. She felt all along the flat square and tried to make out the letters.
Sous les murs de la pépinière
Under the walls of the nursery. What nursery?
But that was French! She had seen German earlier, so why now French? Except, this was carved in the wall, while the German had been painted. Could this be older?
So there was a chance they were still in France. Where though, she had only a hunch. And she hoped she was wrong.
Marinette could hear the echo of voices, disorientated as they bounced around the cavern. But she'd rather move than stand still.
This was the stuff of nightmares. Being trapped in the dark, with no idea where you are, or who or what was with you. Every step was unknown, unsure. The only sounds were her rapid breath, her heart pounding in her ears, or rocks skittering around the ground.
And then, the inevitable threat of her captors, or something even more sinister, held in the dark. Even the path was a mystery. Would the ground give out beneath her? Would she run into something, like a wall, or something sharp?
She took a turn too quickly and stepped on something round. She rolled forward and landed in a pile of sticks. She groaned in the pain from the fall, her knee and arm taking the brunt of it.
As she went to stand, Marinette realized she had flung the lockbox forward in her trip, and she began to feel around for it.
A lot of smooth sticks is what she found, all clattering around with each movement.
Then her hand rested on a stone. The perfect tool to help her get into the box!
But as she lifted it, she found it much lighter than a rock. It was smooth, and had little grooves on the top, but as she felt down, she felt a hole, two holes, a sort of heart shaped hole, and then some jagged pieces towards the bottom—
Marinette threw it away from her, realization dawning on her in horror.
That was a skull. And these weren't sticks, they were bones. An entire pile of bones.
It wasn't just a hunch anymore. She was in the catacombs! A maze of death, that went on for miles and miles under Paris!
She scrambled to her feet, and quickly found the lockbox among the bones. Then she backtracked away, going the opposite direction from them.
Being a native Parisian, she had heard the stories. People obsessed with the catacombs, venturing down through forbidden entrances, only to get lost and never heard from again.
It was a horror story that every child knew. Don't wander where you're not supposed to, or you'll join the 8 million remains under the city.
And right now, she very well could. She was so hungry, so tired, in so much pain…
She was lost. Utterly and completely lost. No light to see, no mouth to cry for help, barely any legs to stand on…
And no partner with her.
She just started crying. Like a toddler lost in the mall, helpless to figure out any solution, she just crouched and cried.
She had been staggering around for hours now, and all there was was darkness. Surely Adrien had met his demise by now. Even if she went back, there would be no saving him.
Not that she could find her way back anyway. She was lost in the depths of hell.
Part of her wondered why she was even bothering with escaping now. What was left? A lifetime of suffering from trauma and loneliness.
She had lost Adrien and Chat Noir. The two people who continued to stand by her side through everything. Her partner, her best friend, the love of her life.
Resigned, her head lulled back and hit the wall behind her.
God, if you're there, please…please help me. I don't want it to end like this.
She opened her eyes, and in the infinite blackness that surrounded her, there was a dot of light.
Daylight.
The first glimpse of it she had seen in what seemed like forever.
A hole in the surface, with fifty feet of concrete between them, with no way to get to it.
But it was a glimmer of hope in utter desolation.
It filled her with just enough hope for her to stand again, and start wandering.
She tried to push out all of the hopelessness in her brain that kept telling her to lay down and die. Yes, she had lost it all. Yes, she was alone…but once she got out, she was putting on both Miraculous. Then Salo would pay.
Wait, couldn't the Miraculous give her a wish? She could have Adrien back!
She hurried her steps.
Within an hour or so, she reached an end. A wall with a series of bars on it.
A ladder!
She slid the handle of the lockbox over her wrist, and then slowly began to climb.
She climbed and she climbed. The ladder just kept going, up and up. It was exhausting, but once she reached the top, she'd be free!
The ladder came to an end on a platform. In front of her, she could see a line of light on the floor, the underside of a door!
Right there! Right in front of her!
She ran to it, her palms resting on the cold metal. A door! Here! And daylight beyond it!
Tears overflowed as she was overwhelmed with joy in the first time in days.
What was she waiting for!?
She felt along the edges of the door, finding an old rusty knob. She turned it, only to have it jam.
Locked.
Of course.
But she was so damn close!
Marinette made a fist and pounded at the surface, her knocks loud and echoing throughout the cavern. Someone would hear her! Surely someone would!
—
On the outside, a two teenage boys, brothers, were walking home from school. The path led through Montparnasse, a path they had known all their lives.
And yet, they had never paid too much attention to the utility door between two old buildings.
Until today, when frantic pounding came from it.
"Did you hear that?" Asked the older boy.
"What?"
"It sounds like someone's knocking."
BANG BANG BANG
"Yeah…yeah, I hear it too. It's coming from over here." The younger boy wandered over to the side street. "Hello? Is someone there?"
The banging got louder, like two fists rapidly drumming on the surface.
"It's coming from this door." Said the older boy. "Are you in there?!" He called.
There was a muffled scream in response.
"Are you in trouble?!"
Along with the screaming came a much louder bang, like a rock or something hit the door.
"Alright, don't panic! We'll get you out!"
As Marinette had found, the knob was locked. "It's locked, we'll have to get something to break the knob off."
"Oh my god," said the younger boy. "Charlie, I just had a thought."
"What?"
"What if that's Ladybug?"
The older boy gave him a doubtful look. "I thought they said it's likely that they're in Germany. I bet this is just some utility worker that lost his keys."
The younger brother ignored him and asked. "Are you Ladybug or Chat Noir?"
The answer was an unintelligible squeal.
"One knock for yes, two for no!"
They waited.
BANG
"Oh my god…"
"We have to go to the police!" Said the younger brother.
"No, we need to…look, there's some real shit going down with this stuff. We need to go to Gabriel Agreste himself."
"Why?"
"Because the cops aren't doing anything, and I bet you fifty bucks a man like that has some PIs at work. Or something, I don't know!"
"You're right!"
From the other side came frantic screaming, and the pounding got louder and faster.
And then it stopped.
"Ladybug?! Hey, are you still there?!"
No answer.
"We're going to get help! We'll let you out! Just hang on!"
—
It was one of the unknown men that found her.
Salo hadn't introduced any of her lackeys at any point, but Marinette was well acquainted with them by now. This was a bald guy who usually operated a camera.
"She told us to check all the entrances. Said if you weren't at one, you'd probably be dead. And what do you know, this was the last one to check."
Marinette didn't even fight as he scooped her up. The boys weren't able to open the door, and she wouldn't be able to fend this man off long enough for them to find something to use.
"Now come along, Miss Bug. The Mistress has some words for you." He lifted her and flopped her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Then he descended the ladder.
As the man carried her back to the torture chamber, Marinette was saddened to find that she hadn't gotten very far. In all her twists and turns, she had doubled back on herself, and made little progress.
Still, it took about an hour to walk all the way back. But the man was walking at a steady clip, in comparison to her uneasy staggering.
And he had a headlamp so he could see where he was going.
"You know," he said, his tone a lot more gentle. "If I'm being honest, I was really hoping you'd gotten out. I'd like to let you go...but Salo always knows when you lie. And you never lie to them, you know? Or else you end up down here."
Marinette hummed with curiosity, latching onto that statement.
He seemingly understood and continued. "The place you've been, it's an old World War II Nazi bunker. Salo and Savauge have been using it for years as a...final punishment for people that betray them. Videos are recorded of their demise, and are mailed back to their families." He sighed. "You don't quit a job like this. You get to retire, when your debt is paid and they're confident you'll keep your mouth shut." He jostled her, trying to make her more comfortable as she laid in his arms. It didn't seem to take any effort to hold her. "I'm riskin' a lot telling you all this. If Salo finds out, I'm next in line after you. But I have to confess to someone. The guilt is eating me alive."
Marinette just listened as he spoke, holding onto every word.
"You know, it's amazing how willing people become when they have a family member on the line. My kid sister, just graduated from college, is my bartering chip. I love her to death, but she hasn't spoken to me since I went to prison three years ago. I can't blame her though. She was always a good kid. You'd like her, Ladybug."
It was a long walk, and Marinette found herself dozing slightly as the man spoke.
"You know, when Elise, that's my sister, when Elise was a kid, she watched The Little Mermaid all the time. At least ten times a day. I'd watch it with her, too. That sea witch, Ursula? She made me so angry, because she'd make these deals with people that sounded really easy, but then it would be too hard to come through on the payment. "Get a kiss from your true love in three days, and you can keep your legs permanently. Work for me for one year, and I'll have your record expunged, and then your sister will speak to you again."
He sighed. "I don't know if I'll be able to face Elise after this. I'm taking Ladybug, hero of Paris, to her death..."
He stopped walking, gave her a little squeeze of a hug and continued on. "Salo knows we're she lives, where my mom and my dad live...I can't. I can't help you, Bug. I'm sorry."
Fear was a terrible state to live in.
Then the halls changed from limestone to cement, faintly illuminated by floor lamps, and Marinette knew she was back.
Her gut twisted as dread grabbed hold with its icy grip.
"Well well well..." Salo's putrid voice cut through her despair. "Looks who's back. Ten hours is quite the long time to run. And a very long time to leave your kitten alone."
The man, who had wisely not given his name, set her on her feet.
"You've done well, I'll be deducting this from your balance."
"Thank you ma'am." He nodded.
"Now darling," Salo continued. "I must admit, I'm very impressed. I said I wanted to see you try to take your jewels back, and you did. You really did!"
The man handed back the lock box, as she inspected the outside. "Couldn't get inside though. That's a shame. Oh well, that's why I sprung for the industrial case!"
Was Salo just patronizing her now?
"I should have known eventually you were going to bend that ductwork to get out. I just assumed you weren't going to wait over a month to do so. But I guess that's what I get for assuming." She shrugged. "Anyway, there was a major flaw in your escape plan. You left the dead weight behind, knowing that you'd probably have to come back for him, or else the population would look at you like the monster you are." Salo led her over to the familiar room, where nightmares became reality, and Marinette was frozen at the sight she beheld.
There was blood everywhere. Splattered on the walls and even the ceiling. It pooled on the floor under a body sitting it a chair. Or the frame of a chair, at least. It had no back, and no bottom, but just enough edge to balance on it. He was bound by his arms and legs.
From the base of neck, to the back of his calves, his skin was torn to shreds.
A cat-o-nine tails laid on the floor nearby.
Marinette rushed to him, kneeling on the ground in front of him, and reached up to touch his face.
His eyes were open, dull, looking right through her like she wasn't even there. His mouth was open, the most painful sounding breaths leaving his lungs. He drooled.
"That would be one lash a minute, over the ten hours you were gone...so, 600? Does that sound right?"
"Technically 487, madam," Said one of the men in the room. He was shirtless, sweating, and spattered with blood. "We broke for lunch."
"Oh yes, I'm glad someone was taking count. You know, the science of lashings is very interesting. The more time you give the body between strikes, the more time it has to clot blood, and deal with pain. And if you spread out the lashes over more parts of the body, the less likely a person is to suffer nerve damage or organ failure. We did make sure to spritz him down with rubbing alcohol, so he shouldn't get infected."
Marinette was barely listening to Salo, as she just held Adrien's face, begging him to look at her.
Her time was cut short however, as Pasolini took hold of her arm and started to drag her backwards.
There was another chair waiting.
Her heart pounded as the ties on her gown were undone, and she was forced into her seat. She never looked away from Adrien as the ropes coiled around her upper arms and knees. She balanced on the edge of the frame, and made her hands into fists, waiting for the blows.
"We've wasted enough time on these two today. Let's get this over with."
Marinette's lashes were much faster. One about every fifteen seconds. They started at her back, making her groan out in pain. Each stroke went lower, the ones on her buttocks hurt the least, since she still had padding there.
But the first lash to the back of her thighs made her cry out, tearing at her stitching. It was a sensation she had never felt before, and wished never to feel again.
After about twenty, the pain started to increase, if that was even possible, and slowly, her body started to feel like it was on fire.
Her stitches were loose, letting her cry out freely and loudly. After a while, she couldn't even tell where the blows were landing, just that everything burned and she wanted to die.
Then it was over. Her whole body shaking, covered in sweat, and in absolute anguish. She unfurled her fingers from her fists, but even that took great effort.
"How many was that?" Asked Salo.
"150, on the nose."
"How do you feel, Little Piggy?" Asked Salo, rubbing her head.
Marinette knew the first thing she wanted to say once she was able to. A clue, if anyone was watching anymore. "…I have…a bone to pick…with you…" She managed between trembling breaths.
Salo smiled. "Oh honey…you're not doing anything to me. Even if I just stood here, unarmed, undefended…you wouldn't be able to hurt me. You're too weak." She snapped her fingers.
The ropes holding Marinette to the chair fell, and she almost sunk through the hole in the middle, if Pasolini hadn't grabbed her first.
"On your feet. Both of you."
Standing brought new pain to her whole body, as her skin stretched.
Adrien had yet to move.
"I said stand, dammnit!" Salo shouted in his face.
His leg twitched, as he tried to find his footing. His working arm pushed against the chair, trying to force himself to stand.
Salo, becoming impatient, grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet.
He staggered, barely catching himself.
"March!"
Marinette walked slowly, keeping her eyes on Adrien as they moved into the hall.
He was not doing good. His breathing sounded like an out of tune cello. His steps came slower and slower…
Until he collapsed completely.
"Ma'am, he's not going to make it." One of the men stated. "He'll probably pass tonight."
"No!" Marinette cried out for him.
"Ah…well, that's how it goes then." Salo unholstered her gun. "Might as well put the wrenched thing out of his misery, huh?"
Marinette grabbed Salo by the coat, and shook. "Don't! Please don't!"
"Bug, come on…you love him don't you? You're really going to let him suffer like this?"
Marinette knelt, grief and guilt swirling in her veins. "Here kitty kitty," she begged. "Please…"
Adrien heard her, as he pushed up on his arm. It wasn't much, but he sort of army crawled over to her, smearing blood as he slid.
Salo sighed and put the gun away. "Fine, you want to watch him die a slow and painful death? Be my guest."
She at least had enough humanity to have someone pick Adrien off the ground and drag both of them to their new cell. The very same closet they had spend their 'honeymoon' in. This time, Marinette sat down first, and Adrien was placed in her lap.
The door slammed and locked.
The longest night of her life began.
Adrien laid his head on her chest, as she snuggled him closer. Blood was oozing all over her, soaking her arms and gown.
"Oh Adrien…" She breathed. "I'm so sorry…I got so close. I was at a door…I heard some boys…" She wiped her tears off of his cheek. "But the door was locked. That's just my luck, huh?"
She pressed a kiss to his head, as he continued his slow breaths. She didn't expect him to respond.
"A boat on the water. Do you remember? That's what you told me. We'd…we'd go sailing. A silhouette on a mirror, with thousands of stars surrounding us." She shuttered with a sob. "But I think…I think you might have to go without me. I'll join you when I can."
In…
Out…
"You…you always take the hits for me, don't you? Well…I'm really sick and tired of watching you die."
In…
Out…
Marinette hugged him fiercely, desperate not to loose him. "You're my best friend…the best partner I ever could have asked for. I love you so much." She sobbed, clutching his head to her chest. "It's been an honor."
"Ladybug…Chat Noir…"
Marinette sat up straight at the foreign voice. The closet was cast into a soothing purple light.
"It's been a long time. We've all missed you. I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. It wasn't as easy as I had hoped. You've taken care of Paris for so long. Now let me take care of you. In exchange, I ask that you go home and get healed. No Miraculous required. What do you say?"
It was a voice she thought she'd never be happy to hear. She didn't even think, just responded:
"Yes, Hawkmoth."