Investigations
Flesh, bone, and sinew impacted with a grunt as the blond thrust his fist into the face of his opponent again and again. It wasn't much of a fight, seeing as the bare-fist boxer had nearly twenty kilograms on his opponent. The man swayed, blood flowing over his upper lip and chin, mixing with the black of his scraggly beard. Another jab, another grunt, and the man staggered back against the wall before the blond's fist impacted his abdomen, sending his upper body forward. His next hit impacted the man's temple, sending him to the ground. "Pathetic..." he spat.
"Xavier," a man called out to his side, stepping into the dim light, "you're being summoned." He was dressed in an official vest and black breeches, his dark blue shirt flowing down his arms while his black boots shimmered in the flickering firelight. A mustache graced his upper lip, going out to points a few centimetres past his lips. A pair of dark gray eyes narrowed at the younger man while a scowl twisted his lips.
Glaring at the man, he scoffed before going back to pummel his opponent. Rolling him over, the blond straddled his waist, and proceeded to rain down blows to the man's face, his fists coming back trailing blood with each impact, a smile of delight on his face, before he finally stood up. Turning, he headed in the direction of the man who spoke to him. "Clean that up." he ordered.
The messenger glared at the younger man, a sneer on his lips. "I don't work for you, little boy. Now run along to "daddy" before he gets any angrier."
Clenching his hands into fists, the slender, toned male scowled at the one who delivered the message. Without even bothering to clean his hands, he stalked off toward where his father awaited his arrival. It wasn't long before he was standing in front of the man. His father sat among a collection of young women in various states of undress, with one rather comely blond resting her head on the older man's lap. Naked from the waist up, he saw her side as she pressed her bosom against the side of his father's chair, but she refused to cover up. Her long blond hair was pulled away in a pair of pigtails that stopped at her rump, while his father's left hand caressed her back. Even in the dim light he could see her blank, vacant stare.
Under an open black robe, his father's white outfit of breeches and vest was accented by a pair of brown boots and a pink shirt. His light gray receding hairline was only made more obvious with the addition of the mustache under his nose. Around his neck rested a thick golden chain, while a gold ring rested on the middle finger of his right hand. It was the same hand that swirled a bit of red wine in his goblet. "When I summon you, I expect you to drop everything and come immediately." the male ordered.
"I was finishing up with my stress relief," Xavier smirked at his father, "as I'm sure you were with your own." He motioned to the blond who was even now nuzzling against his father's abdomen. When the older man didn't say anything, he sighed. "What do you want now?"
"We're running low on the "Servile" and I need you to get more from the Alchemist."
Letting out a frustrated sigh, the younger male shook his head. "You have hundreds of guards, why can't one of them go out and talk to that creepy bitch?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You know I hate going to see her."
"Only about fifty of my guards know about all of this, Xavier, and I can't just send anyone or my already tenuous grasp on their loyalty will wane." He shook his head at his son's question. "Besides, how would it look to have a guard of Paris's judge going out to a woman of known questionable morality?"
"You could easily make up some excuse..."
"No! I'm in need of that new batch of "Servile" and you are the one who's going to get it for me, Xavier." It was no longer a request, but an order.
Xavier knew that tone, and knew better than to argue with his father when it was used. "Fine, but I want something in return."
His father narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Some of my men tried to take a young woman from across the Seine," Xavier's lips twitched up on one side in a cruel smirk, "two of them came back with a report that she was saved by a man in black... I want both of them. The girl for my personal "toy" and the man for training." Clenching his right hand into a fist, he impacted his other hand with a wicked smile.
He watched as his father stood up, closing the distance between them. "Are you trying to tell me that you sent men into Agreste's jurisdiction after a young woman?"
"Yeah. What's the big deal?" he asked seconds before a punch, to his abdomen, from his father sent him to his knees.
"Stupid, arrogant, ignorant boy!" his father spat. "I can do nothing to protect them now!"
"Wh-What do you mean?" Xavier gasped as he held his abdomen with tears in his eyes. "You're the judge of Paris..."
"Gabriel Agreste doesn't allow anyone in his jurisdiction to be prosecuted for nearly a month! No matter what, while they're being held, he will conduct his own investigation, and that will pry into our business!" He glared at his son, as the latter started to stand, still relearning how to breathe. "Tell me they don't know about me and the Alchemist."
"I... um... may have given one a pouch of "Servile" to..." another punch to Xavier's abdomen sent him to the floor again.
"YOU IDIOT!" His father roared. "I only had three pouches left! Tell me you didn't give him the full one!" The silence from his son was all the confirmation needed. "You will go to Sasha, and get a full month's supply tonight, or I will use you as my personal punching bag until you look like one of your practice dummies! Understood?!"
Xavier breathed out, barely able to get air into his lungs again. "Yes..." he answered when he could breathe again, coughing at the same time. "I-I'll go right now..."
"See that you do, and try not to screw everything up worse than you already have." He glowered at the young man. "No matter what the Alchemist asks for, give it to her!"
His body rebelled against moving at all, but he knew how bad his father's rages could be when something wasn't going his way. "Y-Yes, father..." Picking himself up, he staggered out on shaky legs. Wrapping an arm around his abdomen, he grumbled "I can't believe I'm related to that ass." under his breath. The pain lessened and then disappeared as he pulled on a shirt, and his purple vest. Leaving the dungeons, and found himself near the upper east side. It was a five minute walk to where the alchemist set up shop, and although he didn't want to go, it did give him an opportunity. 'I can check on my target...'
Little did he know that his target wasn't to be found this evening.
oOo
Back at the Dupan-Cheng bakery, they had just cleared away the dishes, with Marinette dancing, hugging and kissing her parents with her every step. Sabine giggled at her daughter, smiling at how happy she was, while Tom could only smile and shake his head. When she finally entered her room, the young girl flopped down onto her bed, her hands over her rapidly beating heart. "Well?" Tikki asked, making sure to keep her voice low, and out of sight of the parents.
"Oh... Tikki, I'm so happy." she lay there, practically squealing with joy before the little creature brought her back to Earth.
"I'm happy for you, Marinette, but aren't you forgetting about Black Cat?"
Sitting up, she blinked. "I... oh no... Black Cat! I completely forgot..." Tikki nodded. "He's going to be heartbroken now that Adrien's asked to court me..." The sound of a slap to the Kwami's forehead met Marinette's ears, causing her to turn and look at the red and black creature.
With a shake of her head, Tikki sighed. "I meant, aren't you supposed to be meeting with Black Cat on Notre Dame tonight to search for those missing girls?"
"Eek! You're right!" Marinette leaped out of bed and exited her room, only to see her parents heading for their room.
"We're heading off to get some sleep, honey. Don't stay up too late." Sabine suggested.
"Okay, mama, papa." She gave them both kisses on the cheek before going into the kitchen area. "I'm just getting a drink of water, and going to relieve myself before bed."
"Alright, honey." Tom remarked, giving her a kiss on top of her head. "See you in the morning."
"Sleep well." With that, Marinette went to get a small drink, before entering the small room meant for their latrine. After a few minutes, she returned to her room, climbed out the window and got several feet into the forest before she whispered "Tikki, spots on." Leaping away, she made her way toward the cathedral, and her partner.
Minutes later, crouching on the cathedral of Notre Dame, Ladybird Beetle gazed out over the city. It was hard for her to believe a time before the cathedral existed since construction began in 1163 under the supervision of Bishop Maurice de Sully, and completed 182 years later on the central island of Paris. Towering over the various houses, it signified the skill, ingenuity, and dedication of the human spirit to show their worship of god. One of it's most famous designs, the Rose Window, filled with colored glass could send sparkling light into the cathedral, as if it were the eyes of god and his angels watching over his faithful. Outside the building, the eyes of the various statues that stood on the various tiers of the great church seemed to stand guard over the very grounds, watching for sinners and deceivers.
To all of Paris, Notre Dame was their Lady, beautiful and full of those seeking hope. Marinette, however, had a different reason for loving the cathedral, for it was where her parents had her baptized by Bishop Damocles, who she looked at as a kindly grandfather. Her own grandparents had died shortly after her parents married when they attempted to open a new shop in the Northern town of Amiens, and the British invaded. She never had a chance to meet them, and always mourned that they never got a chance to truly know the young woman their granddaughter had become.
She was starting to feel a bit melancholy when the tell-tale sound of someone landing behind her brought the young woman out of her internal thoughts. Looking back, she saw Black Cat crouched with his staff retracting into his hand. "It's good to see you again, Cat." she remarked, easily, a pleasant smile on her face. "I've been gazing out over the town."
Walking up, he nodded. "You said something about checking out a place close by?"
"Yes." she sighed. "One of the places is a building on Port de Montebello." She motioned to the building in question. "It's a warehouse and home for a ship captain from La Rochelle."
Black Cat nodded, "The men seemed to be taking the young woman in that direction, but do you really think they would have a place so close to where they were abducting people?"
"I don't know." Ladybird Beetle answered honestly, "But I do know that it's one of the places that Madam Bustier mentioned, and the coincidence cannot be overlooked."
He nodded. "There is one more thing that I think we're missing." Cat countered, "The men mentioned "injections" which makes me think that they're using something to either knock young women unconscious, or make them more submissive, something that they might get addicted to... or could possibly die from." He watched as she nodded at his comments.
"Do you think you could go speak with the militia? Ask them what they determined from their questioning? Possibly see if they've found out anything about that little pouch one of the men had?" she asked cordially.
Bowing with a flourish, Black Cat smiled. "It would be an honor, and a privilege, milady."
She smiled as he turned, vaulting away. 'Ever the gentleman. I... almost feel guilty for accepting Adrien so quickly.' A sigh escaped Ladybird Beetle's lips as she left her perch to leap across Notre Dame. Once she was close enough to the ground floor to land without hurting herself, the young woman lunged until she landed on the bridge. Running across the span of stone, she leaped when she was close enough to the port. Flipping in the air, she landed only twenty meters away from the building in question.
Approaching the building, she only got within ten meters when a voice called out "Halt! By what right do you trespass?" the voice was male, and although she couldn't see anyone due to the shadows a slight movement near the corner of the building caught her eye. Holding her hands to her side, she motioned that she held no weapons.
"My right to trespass only extends to my search for the young women who were kidnapped in these past few months." she offered as an explanation.
Stepping out of the darkness, a slender, black haired young man with light aqua blue eyes shot a glare at the young woman. His white shirt was open to reveal a lithe, toned chest and abdomen, while his black vest with silver trip was also open. A pair of dark blue breeches and black boots completed his attire, while a short, curved bladed sword colloquially known as a cutlass was held in his right and left hands. "Then you have no business here. Leave!" although his voice was soft, there was obvious malice in his tone.
Heat colored her cheeks, and it took her remembering Adrien to calm her racing heart. "I will leave if you wish, but I really am only here to ask questions."
"What kind of questions?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"First, what do you know about the disappearances of the young women?"
"Nothing." he bit back, his eyes glaring again. With a shake of her head, she let a breath go. "Are you considering me a liar?!"
Narrowing her eyes, she shook her head. "No, but this isn't going to be any easier if you're on the defensive. I really am only searching for information, but if you're going to consider every question as a personal attack, it's just going to make me suspicious."
"Stand down, Luka!" A female voice called out as an older woman stepped forth, emerging from the darkness. "I am Anarka Couffaine, this is my eldest, and I apologize for his uncharacteristic rudeness. He's very protective of those he loves, so I hope you can understand his posture." They watched as he dipped his swords low, but didn't return them to their scabbards.
"I understand quite well, for I too am protective of my family." she remarked. "My name is Ladybird Beetle, and I'm currently investigating the disappearances of young women after one was nearly taken only two dozen meters away from here."
"Then why come to us?" Anarka asked. Dressed in a long black sailor's coat with gold trim, the older woman looked back at her with sky blue eyes, her graying hair braided down her back. Under her coat, she wore a red vest over a white blouse, and a dark blue skirt over wide hips, her brown boots going up to her calves completed her clothing ensemble, but on her ears she wore a pair of golden hoop earrings, while several rings rested on her fingers, and bracelets complemented her wrists.
Ladybird Beetle gave her a gracious curtsy, bowing her head. "I have two reasons. First, the kidnappers were coming in this direction, although I admit they may have been going for the bridge, and second, I was directed here by Madam Bustier of..."
"Of course! You can tell that worthless whore we..."
"Luka!" Anarka yelled, silencing him, before her voice became conversational again. "What did you ask to have her direct you to me?"
It took her several seconds to answer, having to remember exactly what Caline had said last night. "I asked if there were people who would defame her, in order to end her place of business."
Anarka nodded. "Then you have mistakenly been sent here by asking the wrong question." She glanced to the side to see her son's jaw set. "Madam Bustier and my family do not see eye-to-eye."
"Because of her chosen profession?" Ladybird Beetle asked.
"No," Anarka sighed, "because my daughter has chosen to work in that profession."
Reaching up, she rubbed at her chin. "I see." she looked at the pair. "My apologies for bringing all of this to you. I guess I should've asked a better question..."
"Yes, you should've." Luka retorted, still glaring. "If you really are here to help bring the young women home, then you can start with Juleka."
"Juleka?"
"My daughter." Anarka answered. "She left months ago with a friend of hers, Rose, and we learned that they gained employment at..."
"The Rose Petal Inn." she nodded, "Yes, I have met them."
Both of the Couffaine's looked stunned. "You've seen Juleka? How did she look? Was she well? Can you..?" Luka asked, his anger disappearing, only to be replaced by a hopeful curiosity.
"Please, calm down. She's fine, and I saw no indication of any coercion, or force on Madam Bustier's part to keep her there." Ladybird Beetle stated as a matter of fact. "If anything, she seemed to be healthy, although she also looked as if she wasn't happy to see me there, at least until I mentioned I was there to talk about the missing girls."
"I..." Luka suddenly looked embarrassed, "that may be my fault."
Turning to her son, Anarka blinked. "What did you do?"
Looking away, he sighed. "I... you were on the ship, mom, and I may have gone there to... save her..."
"What happened?" both Ladybird Beetle and Anarka asked.
"At first, I walked in like a customer, and saw Rose. She recognized me, and Juleka stormed over to tell me to leave..." he shifted uncomfortably, "I grabbed her, saying that we were leaving, and she fought back. That's when the guards outside grabbed a hold of me. She ordered them not to hurt me as they threw me out of the building." He sighed. "She then came over, and told me never to return, before walking back into the inn."
"Luka..." Anarka sighed at her son, "why did you do that?"
"I wanted my little sister back." Closing his eyes, Ladybird Beetle watched as Anarka wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, mom."
"Being the man of the house doesn't mean you get to force your will on your sister."
"Unfortunately, I have to agree with your mother, Luka." she sighed. "I'm sorry for all of this, but I do have a few more questions."
Anarka nodded. "You have nothing to apologize for, although my son clearly does... to his sister at the very least."
"Mom..."
"Tomorrow, I will go to the Rose Petal Inn with you, and I want you to apologize to your sister for your actions, but for right now, go inside." Anarka ordered. They watched as Luka returned his cutlasses to his scabbards and turned around, heading into the house. "You've caught him when he's not at his best, but please do not judge him too harshly."
"Quite the contrary," Ladybird Beetle countered, "I agree with him on a fundamental level, but I also wouldn't want someone making a decision for me without my consent." She then looked back at the woman. "Would you know where someone could have another brothel?"
"There are a couple, but each one is a valid place of business, and I doubt they would traffic in kidnapped girls." Both women spoke of the other places that Madam Bustier mentioned, and although Ladybird Beetle partially wanted to check each one out, she doubted they would offer any further information than what she already had.
Shaking her head, she sighed. "Unfortunately, that only brings me to my last question." It was a long-shot, but there was nothing more to do than ask. "One of the men mentioned an injection of some sort to make the young woman more submissive, do you know anything about what they might have been talking about?"
"I'm... not sure..." Anarka rubbed at her chin. Looking up at the woman, she took a deep breath and let it out. "There... may be someone you can talk with about that, but I will warn you she is a dangerous and secretive person. Not many know about her, and those that do usually have their hands in something illegal."
"Oh?"
"People call her "the Alchemist" because that's what she does. She mixes strange concoctions together in order to see how they affect the body." Anarka crossed her arms under her sizable bosom. "I have brought shipments to her, and although she pays well, some of the exotic ingredients she asks for..." a shudder of revulsion was clearly visible, even in the waning light of day, "I've seen islanders across the sea using to... horrific effect."
Ladybird Beetle blanched at that, her head nodding. "Do you know where she can be located?"
"No, but I did just return from a trip with a recent shipment for her." Anarka answered. "She normally sends a courier to pick up her purchase, pay the final amount, and they, I presume, bring the cargo back to her."
"When do you expect this courier?"
"I'm usually here a full week before they arrive, unless I've been told the purchase was urgent, so they might show up at any time." Anarka shook her head.
"Thank you, I will keep an eye out." Giving a cordial bow to the woman, Ladybird Beetle left the waterfront to rejoin her partner.
oOo
Black Cat arrived at the militia barracks at about the same time Ladybird Beetle was making Luka's acquaintance. When he arrived, a guard started to pull his rapier, only to stop and welcome him forward. "Do you have to come dropping out of the sky like that, Black Cat?" the male asked.
"No, but I can always land a block away and come walking up if that would make it better for you."
"That would be very much appreciated." the soldier commented. "I presume you're here to ask about the prisoner?"
"Yes, have they revealed anything?" Cat asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Very little." Motioning for him to follow, the two walked to the side, where a gated door opened to reveal stairs down to a collection of holding cells. "We managed to determine that these two are Simon "the Snake", and Percival Pete, a pair of petty criminals, but we're not sure why they've changed to kidnapping."
"What do you mean?"
"Simon's a pickpocket, while Percival would shake people down for money." He shook his head. "The latter was the one with the short sword. He seemed to be the one in charge, but he's also the one who refuses to talk the most."
"Okay, so what about that pouch he had?"
"That's where we find something interesting." the guard led him to the collection of vials, each with a small version of a hat pin poking into a cork sealing the liquid inside. There were four such vials, each with a viscous liquid of a light purple color. "We haven't determined what this is yet, but one of the theories by Captain Raincomprix is that the Alchemist is working again."
Looking at the guard, he blinked. "Who is the Alchemist?" Cat asked, cocking his head to the side.
"I'm not surprised you don't know about her." The guard walked over to pull out a large leather book full of loose paperwork. When he dropped it onto the table, Cat could see the words 'Most Wanted' in scrawling script on the front. Opening the book, he saw hundreds of pages, but the guard only needed to turn one before he saw the image of a woman, her angular face, and spiked up hair filling the image. She might have been attractive if it wasn't for the scowl twisting her lips, causing the beauty mark below her nose to look more like an ink smudge. "Her name is Sasha Mendeleiev, formerly the spouse to Count Thomas Mendeleiev, and a woman that was wholly interested in illegal sciences Bishop Damocles considered sacrilegious."
"Like what?" Cat asked.
He shook his head. "She tried to disprove the belief that we have a soul." A shiver of revulsion coursed down his spine. "I was a squire when we first arrested her, and the way she desecrated bodies was... horrific." Cat watched as the guard paled considerably. "We never found all the pieces, which led some of the men to think that she was... cannibalistic."
'Yeah, now I'm going to be sick.' Lightly touching his abdomen, Cat sighed. "I didn't need to know that part."
"Regardless, she has no problem using human test subjects... living, human test subjects."
Nodding at the comment, Cat sighed. "Then I'm glad those men never managed to get a hold of the Dupain-Cheng girl." Looking at some of the information, he blinked. "It says here that her last known residence was in prison."
"That's right. Although it's possible that she may still be there. I believe Judge Ross sentenced her to the oubliette for the rest of her natural life." He looked at the traveling hero. "Captain Raincomprix has sent a formal request to investigate her cell, and interview her." The guard shook his head. "I'm just glad he never asked me to go with him."
"Has he already interviewed her?" Cat asked.
"No, but that's not unusual. Sometimes it takes a couple of days or so before a request goes through the bureaucracy, and finally gets into the proper hands." he shrugged. "It's not perfect, but it's what we have."
Cat nodded. "At least, if he gets an interview we can determine whether she has anything to do with the disappearances." Something finally came to his mind. "When they were attempting to kidnap the Dupain-Cheng girl, one of them mentioned something about a brothel..."
"We've already investigated all the legal brothels over several months, both in and out of Paris, but none of them have any of the missing girls." The guard sighed. "That's a dead end as far as we know."
"I was so sure that was what he said." he then blinked, "Wait. You said "legal brothels". Are there any illegal ones?"
Watching the guard look at him for a few seconds, he saw the man's eyes look down before turning away. "I... only know about what I've heard... and usually don't put much stock in gossip." Closing the book, he replaced it in the file shelf. "There has been rumors of an illegal brothel or two where... darker desires can be sated, but every time we get some hint of where one might be, we organize a raid only to find nothing except a rat infested hole." The guard then sighed. "About the only similarity to the rumors is that they're all on the East side... in the Rossi's District."
Reaching up, Cat rubbed his chin, his green eyes closing as he thought it all through. For more than a few seconds he just stood there, thinking, before he opened his eyes and nodded to the guard. "Understood. I'll take this information back to Ladybird Beetle, and see what she's found out. My hope is that we discover that this Alchemist is still behind bars, because if she's not... then this investigation just got a whole lot more deadly."
With that said, he made his way back outside. Once under the curtain of the night sky, he pulled out his staff, and vaulted back to Notre Dame cathedral.