Miraculous X: Red, Black, and Blue

by RockmanPrime

In pursuit of a reality-warping Maverick, X finds himself trapped in a world where magical heroes and villains fight for the ultimate power. X's past rears its head, and he finds that no matter where he is in the multiverse, there's always something to fight for. With so much on the line, can our heroes overcome their barriers and save both worlds? (Spoilers for Miraculous Season2)

2. Dark Owl and Ampere Albatross

A/N

To the reviewers: Thank you, it means a lot that you guys are enjoying this! And as for your speculations… maybe. Wait and see.

I'm planning to have this span the second season of Miraculous, so there will be multiple time skips. This episode involves a short time skip and a flashback to a point within said timeskip. My apologies if it gets confusing, I just think it flows well this way. I've skipped over Gigantitan, for reasons stated within the story. I'm going with the airing order of the episodes, unless there's a glaring flaw in the timeline. (I was, and still am, angry at the Party Crasher episode for spoiling several new heroes before their debut.)

As a little side note, Italics is meant to represent dialogue over transmission.

Anyway, here's another chapter of Miraculous X: Red, Black, and Blue!

Chapter 2: Dark Owl and Ampere Albatross

The Grand Paris has seen many important guests in its time, from rock stars like Jagged Stone to royalty like Prince Ali. However, never in history has there been a superhero taking up residence there. Until now, that is.

The elevator dinged as the doors slid open, and out walked the Hotel's latest guest. Appearing to be a teen in blue armor, this was none other than Paris's new robotic superhero, X. In his arms he held a cardboard box filled with mechanical tools and parts, which should have been heavy, yet he carried it with ease.

He very quickly reached his door and set down the box of parts to get inside. Entering his suite, his optics flicked to the corner to make sure that the dormant Warp Wasp hadn't gone anywhere. Sure enough, the Maverick was standing upright suspended by a few tethers from the ceiling. Satisfied, he set the box down again and flopped onto the bed tiredly.

The past few weeks had been a rush. Ladybug and Cat Noir had explained his predicament to the mayor, who happily set aside a room in the hotel so he could have a reasonable home base. He even allotted Parisian government funds to help with the construction of a portal device. After all, X had rescued his daughter from rampaging cars, so it was the least he could do. (Not that X remembered doing so; the yellow-jacketed teen must have blended in with the other humans he had saved. And honestly, he had never seen a more corrupt government official, but he wasn't complaining.) Now, it was there at the hotel that he was trying to build a portal to get home. It was only recently that his custom-ordered tools arrived; he could finally begin working.

Deciding to relax a bit before he got to work, he reminisced about one of the more interesting things that had happened to him. After saving reporters from every news helicopter in Paris, everyone in the city knew about him. They had taken to calling him the "Blue Bomber", which he felt misrepresented him, but at least it was positive publicity. Every news network was scrambling to get an interview, or any information whatsoever, but it was Nadja Chamack who got to him first.

[Weeks earlier]

As the network logo faded, every screen in Paris was graced by the image of Nadja Chamack sitting across from none other than the Blue Bomber himself. The former was as composed as usual, while the latter seemed a little out of his element. Nadja opened the show with her signature catchphrase. "Don't be bemused, it's just the news. This is Nadja Chamack reporting in with an exclusive interview with the one and only 'Blue Bomber'. Welcome to the show, Blue."

X nodded his thanks and fought to not look at the cameras. "Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here. And please, call me Mega Man X, or X for short."

Nadja smiled and proceeded with the interview. "Will do. X, you seem to have come out of nowhere. The question on every Parisian's mind: are you a Miraculous hero like Ladybug and Cat Noir?"

X chuckled a bit. "Actually, I'm not. You may find this difficult to believe, but I'm a robot."

Nadja gaped at that. "But you're so lifelike!"

X rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "Heh, that's exactly what Ladybug said. My creator designed me to be able to think, feel, and make decisions on my own. The human-like face is just to make me more relatable."

Without missing a beat, Nadja continued. "It's amazing that we haven't heard of you yet. You'd think scientific advancements like that would be announced with fanfare. Were you made specifically for heroics, or did you take to it on your own?"

He had to think about that one for a second. "I was actually designed with no specific purpose; I had the potential for anything. That's where the 'X' comes from; the mathematic variable. Anyway, I could have chosen anything, but I ended up on the path of threat-elimination, so I guess I've never really thought of myself as a hero. As for why you haven't heard of me, well, I'm from an alternate universe."

Nadja's jaw dropped further, if that was possible. She composed herself and proceeded. "Amazing. That would definitely explain it. So, you've never been to Paris before now?"

X shook his head. "Never. I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist where I'm from."

"What's your favorite thing so far?"

X smiled to himself as he thought about his experiences in the city. "Besides the people, it's got to be the architecture; especially the Eiffel Tower. I've seen impressive skyscrapers in my day, but that thing is an architectural marvel. I've already been up and down the elevators about a hundred times."

Nadja smiled at his enthusiasm. "We're glad you like it. Do you know how long you'll be here?"

X frowned slightly as he thought about it. "I actually have no idea. I was tracking down a… robot villain, we call them Mavericks, from my universe who could warp space and time. Some of you might have seen him; he was wasp themed. Anyway, I've defeated him but now I need to reverse engineer his technology to warp back home. I'm not sure how long that'll take, but I'll definitely enjoy my stay."

"We're certainly glad to have you. It seems you've missed an Akuma or two since your debut versus Robostus. Any reason why?"

X sighed at that. "Well, Ladybug and Cat Noir are a lot faster than me over long distances. By the time I got to where they fought Gigantitan, they had already dealt with him. If I was here long term I would try to set up a teleportation network, but for now I'm just stuck with running everywhere I go."

"Well, we hope to see you in action more often. Anyways, can you tell us anything about your powers? Many Parisians have been speculating, but we would like to hear it from the man, or bot, himself."

"I'm glad you asked. I'm equipped with an acceleration module; I can jump a good fifteen or twenty feet in the air, and my dash gear can propel me horizontally faster than most vehicles. But the main event is my X-Buster." With a flurry of shifting panels, X formed his buster without activating it. The Production team behind the cameras were thoroughly wowed by the quick high-tech transformation. "This thing can not only condense energy into plasma blasts but can also partially replicate the abilities of robots I have the blueprints of. I've just about deciphered Warp Wasp's blueprints into a format I can use."

"Wow, that's certainly impressive. So, tell me what you think about Ladybug and Cat Noir?"

"Well, when I first met them, I actually thought they were robots. See, where I come from, there're these robots called Reploids that have become pretty ubiquitous. Fun fact, their foundational engineering is actually based on me. They were the only explanation I had for a humanoid with abilities like that."

The interview went on for a time, with X giving descriptions of his home universe and showing off the holograms he could project from the crystal on his helmet. By the time it came to a close, the city of Paris was much better acquainted with its third hero.

[Elsewhere]

Gabriel Agreste watched the interview with rapt attention, his fingers tapping the desk incessantly. He began to rant to no-one in particular; the butterfly-like creature beside him knew better than to interrupt. "This 'X' is extremely powerful. He will certainly get in our way. In fact, our mission may be impossible while he's here. Two superheroes is one thing; but with three, and one always on duty…"

The designer rested his elbows on his desk and rubbed his temples. He couldn't see a way around this besides-

Besides finding a way to Akumatize X himself. Robostus, as a robot, had been one of his most powerful Akumas, so the idea had merit. X was obviously more powerful in his natural state and would make an incredible Akuma. However, he appeared to be far more advanced and would likely prove even harder to control. That idea would be placed on the backburner for now; at least until he could figure out how to do it safely and successfully.

He was so deep in thought that he missed the end of the interview and was interrupted from his musings when Nathalie brought in a plate of dinner for him. He was about to thank her when she gasped. "Monsieur, look!"

He glanced up and saw, on his computer screen, a wireframe face over a black background. It appeared to be a bald man with a strong chin; he had triangular shapes under his eyes and a circular shape in his forehead. Gabriel stood and glared at the screen in surprise. He was supposed to have the best security in all of Paris, both physically and digitally. This thing shouldn't have been able to hack his system. Suddenly, a deep baritone voice filled with static emanated from the speakers. The wireframe's mouth moved almost perfectly with with the audio. "Greetings, Hawk Moth. It brings me immeasurable joy to finally be able to contact you."

Gabriel stepped back in alarm, then composed himself into his usual steely demeanor. "What are you talking about!? I couldn't possibly be-"

The face narrowed its eyes smugly. "Let's not play pretend. I have spent the past week investigating your identity; there is no point in hiding from me. You need not fear, as my intentions are not malicious; I would like to propose an alliance."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "I'm listening."

The figure smiled. "Good. My name is Sigma, and I am what you would call an artificial intelligence. You are worried that X will throw a wrench in your plans, correct?"

"Indeed. And you have a plan to deal with him?"

"I do. I am from the same dimension as X and possess the technical know-how to create robots more powerful than him. Combined with your Akumas, they should overwhelm the heroes with no problem. You will get the Miraculous in no time."

"And yet you require…"

Sigma cackled. "You're a sharp one. Should you accept, I will send you a list of materials to purchase in bulk. Once they have arrived, I will personally see to the construction of the most powerful army you will ever know, as well as a body for myself."

Gabriel thought it over. Having an ally would be very nice. He didn't know whether he could trust this 'Sigma', but he didn't have many other options. He just wanted Emile back so badly…

He smiled sinisterly. "Consider it done, partner."

Sigma smiled back, and the transmission ended.

[The present]

X was unpacking his box of tools when he heard a knock on the door. Wondering who could possibly know he was there, he went and answered it. On the other side of the doorframe stood quite the sight. He was tall and dressed in a black leather suit with gold epaulets. His black hair was dyed purple at the ends, and he wore a touch of eyeliner. But the most bizarre thing about him was the crocodile he had on a leash.

X broke from his stupor and greeted him. "Hi, can I help you?"

The man posed majestically. "Hello, new neighbor! I was about to take Fang for a walk and decided to finally say hi! I've been on tour for a while and haven't had a chance to meet you!"

X regarded him curiously. As bizarre as he was, he seemed nice. "Well, uh, mission accomplished?"

The guy laughed heartily. "Haha, that's a riot! Wait, you don't know who I am, right? Being from another dimension and all. That's so rock-and-roll! That means you're unbiased! A fresh perspective on my music! I'll have to show you a new song I'm working on. Anyway, I'm Jagged Stone, the biggest rock star in all of Europe. Welcome to Paris, my friend!" The crocodile tugged on its leash. Jagged began moving further down the hallway. "Duty calls! I'll see you later, neighbor!"

"See ya!" X grinned whimsically as the musician retreated down the hallway. A new friend, it seemed.

Now left to his own devices, he locked his room and finished unpacking the box of tools. Finding the one he needed, he approached the dormant Maverick in the corner.

When X told the Miraculous heroes that it took an experienced scientist to reactivate a Maverick, he wasn't lying. He just said nothing to imply that he was capable of just that; he had helped create the first few Reploids after all. However, reactivating Warp Wasp was far from his intentions; he planned to dissect him.

X retrieved a stepstool and used it to gain the height he needed to reach Warp Wasp's main chassis. Tilting the Maverick's head to the side, he reached down underneath its collar with a tool to begin disassembly. With a resounding click, the first catch released. He did the same with the shoulders and the solar plexus until the breastplate came loose. X set it to the side; he could reuse the metal for another project, or perhaps even the frame for the portal. When he lifted the frame away from the internal components, the sight that greeted him took his artificial breath away. He had studied Warp Wasp's blueprints and synthesized a usable weapon for his variable system, but that was nothing compared to seeing the real thing. The sheer complexity within was nothing short of spectacular. It was elegant. It was concise. It was genius. It was a shame X was about to dismantle the whole thing.

Getting into the real meat of the work, he turned on the news in the background. The voice of Nadja Chamack accompanied footage of a large man in an owl costume. "We now know the true identity of the man who has proclaimed himself as Paris' new superhero. The Owl is non-other than the principal of Françoise Dupont High School, Mr. Damocles!"

X chuckled, shook his head sadly, and got to work carefully removing high-tech components from Warp Wasp's chassis. He had heard about this 'Owl' character, and really felt bad for the guy now that his identity was out in the open. He knew how much the man was being ridiculed as the clumsiest hero in Paris, and now he wouldn't be able to escape it.

Not thinking too much more about it, he continued his work. He figured he could reuse most of the components for the Warp Gate, but he would have to synthesize new ones to alter the method with which the warp-energy was utilized. The trick was figuring out which ones…

[That night]

"Citizens of Paris, listen to me very carefully! With just one slight movement, I can release a rope holding onto a city bus and all the animals inside will crash down upon this poor helpless little kitten! Muahahaha!"

X looked up from the assortment of components he was working on in alarm. Sure enough, his cooking show was interrupted by footage of a bus-full of assorted creatures suspended above a kitten. X set down his tools and stood to fully face the television screen. He had seen higher stakes quite often, but still… "That's a problem."

The screen changed to show the whole Eiffel Tower, now with rows of strange cannisters installed in the ironworks. X, however, caught a little bit of lightning among the clouds, and he swore he saw a large… almost birdlike silhouette. The voice continued before he could ruminate on this. "And if anyone should be 'tempt to come and save the animals, beware! It is all rigged! Liquid nitrogen will automatically douse the feet of the Eiffel Tower, freezing them to negative seven-hundred degrees, and making them more fragile than glass! They will collapse, and the bus will flatten our cute kitten friend! Muahahaha!" The screen then changed to depict what X could only assume was Paris' latest Akuma. "Ladybug, Cat Noir, the only way you can save these sweet animals is to come and hand your Miraculous over to me! And you only have 10 minutes! Follow the Owl-Signal!"

And with that, the transmission ended. X furrowed his brows and exited the doors to his balcony. This Owl-guy seemed like the kind of thing Ladybug and Cat Noir could handle on a daily basis, but the silhouette he saw in the video made him slightly worried. He didn't usually go out of his way to rescue simple animals, but this Akuma was giving him an odd ominous feeling.

Not wanting to miss this battle, he leapt out into the night.

[A few minutes later…]

X spotted Ladybug and Cat Noir standing on a rooftop overlooking the stadium, where the Akuma had set up his signal. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop until he was standing side-by-side with them. He smiled jokingly. "Aw, you guys waited for me?"

Ladybug nodded and turned to face him. "We had a funny feeling about this one. We figured we'd need your help."

Cat Noir kept looking up and around at the sky. "Yeah, there's been thunder every now and then and I keep hearing this whooshing sound; almost like…"

X thought back to the silhouette he saw on the video. "A really big bird?"

Startled, the feline hero raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, how'd ya know?"

X put a finger to his chin. "I thought I saw a silhouette of something in Owl-boy's video. It looked like a bird, but I figured it was a trick of the light. We should keep our guard up. Do we want to split up? One of us handle the animals?"

Ladybug shook her head. "No; we need to take down the Akuma as fast as possible. The Miraculous cure will get those animals back to their rightful place."

X sighed in relief. He didn't want to be stuck on animal-duty. "Good. Do you have a plan?"

She opened her yoyo and pulled a USB cord out of the storage compartment, holding it up to X. "I do, but we need communication. Do you have any kind of comm system you could synch with ours?"

Reaching up to the red-and-black earpiece on the side of his head, X nodded. "Yeah." He twisted it, and it disconnected from the rest of his helmet. Accepting the cord, he plugged it in to the Universal Port on the side of the earpiece. Microscopic wires from his universal port fixed themselves to the important data-transmission bits in the cord from the yoyo. While his earpiece did its thing, he glanced over to where Owl had his definitely-not-a-trap set up. "So, what do you have in mind?"

Ladybug squared her shoulders and turned to face the two of them equally. "Cat Noir, you'll move in as a distraction. X, you take the high ground and provide cover fire when I move in. Don't reveal yourself until I give the signal. I'll try to sneak up on him and get the detonator."

X and Cat nodded as X unplugged his earpiece from her yoyo and reinserted it into his helmet. Without another word, they all leapt off to their respective tasks.

Just like the last time, climbing up the wall of the stadium was a cinch. Sticking to the shadows, he managed to get a fantastic vantage point overlooking the Akuma's setup. There was a big shipping container, but that was all X could see at the time. He zoomed his optics to get a better look as Cat Noir waltzed in and engaged the Akuma in banter.

Ladybug spoke over the comms as she snuck closer. "Grappling iron, boomerang, utility belt. The Akuma must be in one of his weapons."

Cat whispered his reply in order to not alert the Akuma (now identified as 'Dark Owl') of their conspiring. "Yeah, but which one?" He quickly re-engaged the Akuma with more banter. Honestly, X was impressed he could keep up with both conversations.

X pondered for a moment. "Well, I've done some research on Akumas. Their Akuma object is usually the item they use to activate their powers. We may just have to wait and see how his powers work."

Cat spotted an opening when Dark Owl held up the detonator to emphasize the stakes. "There's an opening! Try and grab his detonator."

"On it." In position, Ladybug flung out her yoyo and nailed the back of Dark Owl's hand, forcing the antihero to release the detonator. "Over to you, Cat Noir! X, cover me!" The punning feline deftly caught the little buttoned box, and X began raining buster shots down onto the Akuma's general area. Ladybug moved in for hand-to-hand while Cat Noir tried to figure out how to disarm the detonator. Dark Owl was quite the martial artist, but Ladybug was very formidable with her yoyo. He nearly got her with a few boomerangs, but X shot them out of the air as he slowly descended the stairs of the stadium. As Dark Owl began losing ground, a butterfly-shaped halo appeared in front of his face.

Hawk Moth's Lair

You never said this would be three-on-one! I only prepared for Ladybug and Cat Noir!

Hawk Moth stood in the center of his lair. Behind him, in the shadows, a bare-basics unfinished robotic skeleton hung supported by an assembly of standard robotic factory arms. Only one of the skeleton's arms was even a little bit functional; the rest of its limbs hadn't been started yet. Within reach was a laptop with lines upon lines of binary code gliding up and down the screen.

Hawk Moth frowned at the turn the fight was taking. "I thought it was implied. Sigma, do you have a Maverick ready? We need to separate X from this fight."

The eyes of the skeleton glowed as its one arm began typing on the keyboard. "I already sent one out. I will now command him to engage."

The moth-themed villain grinned. "Not to worry, Dark Owl; help is on the way."

The Stadium

The plan was working. Cat noir had disarmed the countdown and joined Ladybug against Dark Owl. Together, the three of them formed a flanking triangle around the Akuma. One-by-one they targeted his gadgets, and even the emblem on his chest, but each time there was a distinct lack of purple butterflies. After what felt like a whole minute of combat, Ladybug decided it was time to end it. "Allright guys, cover me! Lucky Charm!"

As X and Cat Noir fully engaged Dark Owl to cover their teammate, what looked to be a fountain pen dropped into Ladybug's waiting hands. "Huh, a fountain pen?"

Cat grinned as he blocked several blows from the Akuma. "What are you going to do? Ask him to sign you an autograph?" His distraction cost him, as Dark Owl managed to land a roundhouse in his gut. The detonator flew out of the hero's grasp, spinning as it tumbled through the air.

While Cat Noir was winded, Dark Owl swiped the detonator and reactivated it easily. "Ha!" With a deft hand, he tossed it precisely on top of the shipping container. "Hoo-Oops! Time flies! This is your last chance to save that helpless kitten!"

As Cat leapt after the detonator, X narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right. Why would Dark Owl throw away his biggest source of leverage? Then it hit him, in tandem with one of Dark Owl's boomerangs. As the projectile sliced his helmet and the ENRG within him repaired it, he called after his companion. "Cat Noir, wait!"

It was too late. Dark Owl sent a net-boomerang after the indisposed hero, which Ladybug tried to intercept. However, it was then that the Akuma made his move. "Albert, activate the hatch!" Suddenly, a trapdoor opened and in fell the Miraculous heroes, who, without proper footing, were both snared by the net on their way down.

"Guys, don't worry, I'll get you out!" Worried for his friends, X dashed towards the container, but was intercepted by something completely unexpected. With a boom of thunder, a massive shape dropped from the clouds, and humongous metal talons pinned his arms to the ground. In the background, Dark Owl began advancing on the shipping container with the heroes inside, spouting something about holograms and whipped cream. X struggled for a moment before looking up at his aggressor and gasped as he saw who- or rather what- it was.

"SO WE FINALLY MEET, X. SORRY TO SAY, I'M A BIT DISSAPOINTED." It was a Maverick; there was no mistaking it. It was modeled after a large bird with a long slender beak, with a navy blue and electric yellow color scheme. Its massive chassis was eight times the size of X, and its wingspan was easily at least thirty-five feet; its weight was so heavy that he had to use a slight amount of ENRG to keep his arms in a usable shape. Thrusters lined its underside, likely for it to be able to leave the ground at all. The mechanical beast craned its neck around to peer at X with one of its huge optics. The reploid engineering was incredibly distinct, but the violence in its optic betrayed its deviant nature.

X wasn't sure which emotion was more apparent on his face; shock, disbelief, anger, or dare he say it fear. There was no way another Maverick could have come to this world from his; Warp Wasp was one of a kind, and he had been thoroughly under the control of Robostus the entire time he was here. This guy couldn't have been from his world; he was constructed here.

The Maverick virus had found a host. Somehow, from the time Warp Wasp had come here and the moment he had been destroyed, the maverick virus had spread. But to what? And how did it find the resources to build a Maverick so quickly?

Those were questions for later. For now, he had a threat to deal with. X glared up into the massive optic the size of his head and tried to pull one of his arms out from underneath a talon to no avail. "Stand DOWN! Leave this world ALONE or there WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!"

The Maverick grinned with its massive beak and tightened its grip. "I THINK NOT. I, AMPERE ALBATROSS, WAS CREATED SPECIFICALLY TO DESTROY YOU. I WILL ENJOY RIPPING YOU APART PIECE BY PIECE. I THINK I'LL LEAVE YOUR HEAD INTACT AND FORCE YOU TO WATCH AS I DESTROY THE CITY!"

X glared defiantly at the Maverick as he accessed his weapon database. "I think not! Warp Stinger!"

With a flash of light, the change was instantaneous. Prevoiusly various shades of blue, he was now yellow with black highlights. Under Ampere Albatross's talon, his buster had stinger-like prongs. When he fired, the space by the Maverick's head seemed to twist, forming a portal. Several stingers launched out of the warp with a whistling sound, striking the Maverick hard.

X began pulling himself out of the ground as Ampere Albatross stumbled back, clutching his face with feather-like fingers as its own ENRG performed instant repairs. X leapt to his feet and brushed himself off, reading for combat. He hadn't had to fully engage his combat protocols yet; he had just been using some trajectory-calculating software to avoid seriously injuring the human they were fighting. Now, however, things had become dire. No more holding back.

Ampere Albatross roared at him before firing up its thrusters. With a few flaps of its great wings, it took to the sky and began circling X. Not wasting a moment, X began circling the stadium himself, jumping up and using the bleachers as higher ground.

He soon found that Ampere Albatross wasn't named 'Ampere' for nothing. As it passed over X, it opened its beak and released a massive bolt of lighting. Not expecting that, X took the full force of the attack and got slammed into the stairway, creating a crater. X reasoned that the lightning must have been loaded with plasma in order to have that kind of punch. As the ENRG flowed through him and repaired his essential systems, he spared a glance towards Dark Owl and the shipping container. His first thought was to go and help his allies, but he remembered that all of Paris was in danger from the Maverick he was currently fighting and decided to give it his undivided attention.

X pulled himself up shakily, his software acting a little glitchy after that lightning strike. The hit had drained him of nearly all his remaining ENRG, so he activated his second Sub Tank, leaving him with another two. He needed to end this fast; he didn't have enough sub-tanks to survive many more of those lightning strikes.

X readied his buster, watching Ampere Albatross circle around him. The Warp Stinger was likely one of his strongest weapons yet; he could instantaneously open portals between the business end of his gun and anywhere within a one-hundred-foot area. By firing stingers through that portal, he could shoot in any direction from any direction. It was very convenient that he had this weapon in this fight; without it, he would still be pinned under Ampere Albatross possibly getting his components ripped out.

Speaking of the devil, said Maverick was getting ready to make another pass. X picked a coordinate to fire from and let loose a barrage of stingers, while also trying to dodge the incoming lightning. The streak of energy just barely nicked him, still dealing considerable damage. However, the Warp Stinger hit its target dead-on. X thanked his lucky stars that the Albatross's hull seemed to be extra susceptible to piercing.

Now that he had identified a pattern to the Maverick's behavior and figured out a counter, it was just a matter of rinse-and-repeat.

[Somewhat Earlier, in the Shipping Container]

Dark Owl cackled at the reveal of the kitten falsehood. "You knaves, it was a hologram all along! So how does it feel to lose for once and be humiliated? Did you really think I would hurt a kitten? This next trap, though, is very real. The room you're in is filling up with whipped cream as we speak! Whipped cream's too thick to swim, but too runny to float on!"

Cat Noir smirked at the predicament, hiding his slight nervousness as he pulled against the net. "I hope it's lactose-free, at least."

Dark Owl continued. "And don't count on that meddlesome Blue Bomber; he is currently indisposed with a mechanical friend of mine. You're going to drown! Softly, but surely unless that is you accept defeat and give me your Miraculous!" A small mail-slot-like compartment slid open, just perfectly large enough for a pair of Miraculous.

Ladybug glanced around, trying to formulate a plan. She spotted Cat Noir's ring, the net, the pen, and the only camera in the room. "Cat Noir, Cataclysm the net!"

"Will do, Milady. Cataclysm!" As the net disintegrated, Ladybug advanced towards the camera and uncapped the pen. As she blotted out the lens with the ink inside, Dark Owl scoffed.

"Do you really think it'll make a difference if I can't see you, Ladybug? There is no escape! That net insured that your Cataclysm is wasted, and nothing else you possess can break you out! If you don't give me the Miraculous now, I'll simply take them after the Owl Cream has buried you!"

Cat Noir punched the door on the side in despair. "He's right, we're done for!"

Ladybug shook her head and whispered, "Not yet, we're not." She turned back towards the camera, which probably also had a microphone. "You win, Dark Owl!" She faced her partner with a very serious expression. "Close your eyes, and no peeking."

Cat Noir was stunned as he realized what she had said. "We can't do this. We don't need to; X will stop him. X, you there?"

Over the comm, X was panting hard. "Can't, a little busy right now. Giant lightning bird trying to kill me."

Ladybug sighed and placed a hand on Cat Noir's shoulder. "Trust me, ok?"

Cat Noir nodded and closed his eyes, with Ladybug following suit. Together, they called off their transformations. The distinctly un-gloved hand of Marinette Dupain-Cheng placed a pair of red earrings and a black ring into the waiting tray while Adrien Agreste faithfully kept his eyes closed.

[Outside]

X had been given a run for his money. Ampere Albatross's ENRG was getting low, but X was dangerously close to needing another Sub Tank. It certainly wasn't helping that Dark Owl seemed to have acquired the Miraculous and sent them off in a drone. X's 'heart' sank as he realized his friends had been defeated, but he re-steeled himself as he was currently in a life-or-death situation. Albatross had just finished a pass, and now X was readying himself for another.

[Hawk Moth's Lair]

"They are mine! Ladybug's ability to create and Cat Noir's power of destruction! Whoever succeeds in merging these two Miraculouses together shall be granted a wish that can change reality! And erase the past!" He tore open the box like a child on Christmas and dumped the Miraculous into his waiting hand. However, something immediately caught his eye: small imperfections, a few spots of flaking paint, and a lack of the glow from the black cat's green paw. They were extremely well-made, but…

"This cannot be! NOOOOOO! Dark Owl, Ladybug and Cat Noir tricked you! These are fake Miraculous!" He tossed them to the floor and ground them to dust with his boot.

Nearby, Sigma cackled. "A wish. Is that why you want them? How very… human of you. Ladybug and Cat Noir may have bested your Akuma, but the game is not over yet. Let us see how Ampere Albatross fares against X. If my creation should succeed, he will then target the other heroes."

[The Stadium]

X cursed to himself; he had missed a few too many shots, and now was dangerously low on ammunition for his Warp Stinger. To make things worse, the X-Buster's plasma blasts weren't accurate enough at long range to hit even a large target like Ampere Albatross. He would have to find a way to get close.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir had Cataclysmed the roof of the container. The two miraculous heroes were back to fighting Dark Owl. X spared a grin; their ruse had even duped him. "Hey, you guys doing allright?"

Ladybug was the one to answer. "Yeah, we'll finish off Dark Owl and see if we can come help you!"

X shook his head as he tried to get higher ground. "No, I don't want you guys on this thing's radar. You take your bad guy, I'll take mine. Divide and conquer, right?"

On the other line, Ladybug sighed. "Allright. Just let us know if we can help you."

X glanced over and caught a glimpse of Cat's baton extending. "Well, now that you mention it, I need to get in close to this thing. Cat Noir, think you can spare me a Cat-apult?"

X could hear Cat's smile through the comms, as well as Ladybug's groan. "Only if you're feline up to it!"

After dodging a bolt of lightning, X leapt down to where the other heroes were fighting. Cat Noir extended his baton about twenty feet to where X was; after X had crouched down and stepped on his end, Cat Noir swung with all his might in the direction of Ampere Albatross. At the apex of the arc, X kicked off the pole and sailed through the air. He intercepted the maverick with a metallic clang, grabbing hold of one of its armor plates. Immediately switching his other arm from the Warp Stinger to the X-Buster and his blue colors, he started pelting its hull with fully charged blasts.

"GET OFF ME, WHELP!" Ampere Albatross began climbing further upward into the air, twisting and writhing to angle hits beak's lightning strike at him, but to no avail. High above Paris, the city lights below them were splayed out like a starry sky; if it wasn't for his combat protocols, X would be too awe-struck to continue fighting.

The energy readings he was receiving from Ampere Albatross told him he was almost there. Just a few more shots and the Maverick was done. As X let loose the final blow, Ampere Albatross released a roar of fury as its power core ruptured, destabilized by the sudden lack of ENRG. A violent explosion rocked the skies of Paris that night.

The trace amounts of ENRG remaining from Ampere Albatross flowed through the crystal on X's forehead, giving him the Maverick's complete blueprints. Then, as X began to plummet alongside the bits of debris, he realized he hadn't thought far enough ahead. The ground was coming fast, and he was dangerously low on ENRG. In their flight, they had strayed away from the stadium. A little too far to do X's buster-recoil-trick to get there, so he did a quick scan for other landing zones. He locked on to the River Seine and recoil-angled himself that way instead.

With a boom, he impacted the surface of the water. The flowing liquid managed to cushion his fall quite well with minimum damage to his hull, and he smoothly sank to the bottom. He only had a single unit of ENRG left, so he activated his second-to-last sub tank; it was good to be prepared for any eventuality. He climbed out and tried to contact Ladybug and Cat Noir. "I've beat my baddie. How are you guys holding up?"

Cat Noir Answered. "The Akuma's object is offsite, which is actually pretty clever. Ladybug is going after it, and Dark Owl is chasing after her. He has a Jetpack for crying out loud! I'm trying to keep him busy."

Ladybug spoke up, sounding a bit winded. "X, do you know Collège Françoise Dupont?"

X nodded, consulting what he remembered of the city's layout. "It's the number one site of Akuma attacks, right?"

"That's right. Meet me there!"

"On my way." X had seen maps of Paris from time to time, and a literal photographic memory was just one of the perks of being a robot. He quickly charted the fastest way to get to the school and began dash-jumping from building to building. As soon as he arrived, he saw Dark Owl swooping in towards a window on one side. X hurried there as fast as he could but was nearly too late. By the time he got there, Dark Owl had taken out one of Ladybug's earrings. X crouched in the windowsill indecisively as he surveyed the scene.

A high-tech computer with a facial display sat on a desk with wires stretching out all over the room. Dark Owl was about to go for the other earring. Ladybug's suit was halfway dissolved, and X's facial recognition was bugging out worse than it ever had before; it kept switching between telling him that she's Ladybug and identifying her as a stranger. He himself knew logically that she was Ladybug, but his software couldn't decide. He called out to her to let her know he had arrived. "Ladybug!"

She seemed panicked, which made sense as she was about to lose for the first time in… well, ever. "Shoot the computer!"

X immediately formed his buster and complied, the resulting low power plasma-shot obliterating the device before Dark Owl could react. The little purple butterfly emerged from its smoking remains as Dark Owl began losing his Akumatization. Ladybug snatched her earring and reinserted it, restoring her transformation so she could begin the process of purifying the Akuma.

Just then, Cat Noir joined X on the windowsill. "Did I miss anything?"

X chuckled as he stepped fully into the room. "Only the action. Nice job stalling him, though; if he had gotten here any sooner, he would have nabbed the other earring before I arrived."

Cat grinned at the praise before fully realizing what had been said, his face twisting into shocked horror. "Wait, he got an earring!?"

Ladybug finished her "Miraculous Ladybug!" and approached the two boys as Mr. Damocles regained his senses. "Yeah, but we got it back. I'm not too thrilled either; we'll have to up our game. There were too many close calls tonight for my taste. Pound it?"

They all went in for the traditional fist bump and spoke in unison. "Pound it."

Mr. Damocles, still in his owl costume, looked confused about why the three superheroes were in his office before the realization dawned on him. "Oh no, was I Akumatized? I'm terribly sorry for any inconvenience I might have caused. Perhaps if I had been there to help…"

Ladybug and Cat Noir shared a look before the latter moved in for his natural role as a victim-consoler. "It's nothing we can't handle. Ladybug, X, and I have got the heroics covered. You don't have to lift a finger."

The principal looked slightly downcast as he nodded and listened but perked up as Cat Noir continued. "Although, maybe you could be a hero in your own way."

Ladybug seemed to understand where he was going and added her two cents. "Paris is always in need of more volunteers for community service."

X joined in as well. "And simply doing good deeds is a heroic act in its own right."

Damocles pondered for a moment before standing up and smiling at the trio. "Yes, I think you're right! Perhaps I've been going about this the wrong way." He struck a heroic pose. "I, the Owl, shall continue in my heroics, spreading goodwill and ensuring that justice is served on a smaller scale! Hoo hoo!"

Cat Noir and Ladybug beamed as they started towards the window. Ladybug readied her yoyo as Cat addressed the Owl one last time. "That's what I'm talking about! Catch ya later!"

As they leapt out the window, Ladybug called her signature "Bug out!"

As the other two swung and vaulted away, X stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Well, uh, I'm not on a timer. I'll just go out the front door, if that's alright."

The principal seemed bewildered at X's 'normal' approach to a superhero exit and simply nodded. "Go ahead, it'll lock behind you on its own."

X backpedaled to the door to leave the office. "Thanks. I don't have a clever exit phrase, so goodbye, I guess."

Damocles watched him leave before shaking out of his stupor. Looking down at himself, he realized he was still wearing his Owl costume. "I should probably get out of this thing."

[Hawk Moth's Lair]

Hawk Moth was clutching his cane tightly; his knuckles would have been white if they weren't gloved. "We were so close…" He rounded on the unfinished form of Sigma, his fists shaking slightly and his eyes. "What exactly happened out there!? X managed to defeat your robot, that cost a fortune might I add, with EASE!"

Sigma's eyes glinted; if he had more of a face than a half-finished metal skull, he would have smiled. "Now now, dear Hawk Moth, you'd best calm down. We wouldn't want you to get akumatized, now would we?"

Hawk Moth scowled, and Nathalie barely managed to keep her straight face. A light "Pfft" escaped her lips, and Hawk Moth looked at her in shocked surprise. "You think that's funny?"

Nathalie straightened up best she could and assumed her usual expressionless demeanor. "Not at all, sir." Which was a lie.

Sigma began typing into his keyboard again, which activated a set of assembly-robots which resumed their work on his newest body. "That was but one of eight, and it did its job, did it not? It kept X away from the fight, and Dark Owl nearly succeeded. Imagine eight Mavericks at once, and you will have a threat to which X will surely perish. As for your financial concern, the Miraculous Cure perfectly repaired the late Ampere Albatross. You will find him dormant in his capsule in your basement. I took the liberty of teleporting him directly there."

Hawk Moth calmed down at that, releasing his transformation with a "Nooroo, Dark Wings Fall." He and Nathalie stepped onto the elevator as the latter typed a command into her tablet. "Very well. Continue with the construction of your 'Mavericks'. I will let you know if I need them." He paused before going down, a look of mild curiosity on his face. "Whatever happened to that little… vessel of yours?"

Sigma tilted his head slightly; a motion that carried some unclear emotion due to the current lack of facial expression. "That machine's processor was… uncomfortable to exist within. It was different enough from the standard Reploid hardware and operating system that I needed out in order to function properly. As soon as I built a processor to my specifications, I released it back to its previous existence; it now serves as a secret contingency should this body ever fail."

Satisfied, Gabriel nodded to Nathalie to lower the elevator. As soon as they emerged in his office, he collapsed onto his desk chair. "Nathalie, do you think it wise to trust Sigma?"

Nathalie looked conflicted before answering. "I don't think we have a choice. I suspect that X could defeat most Akumas singlehandedly. Without Sigma's help, X's presence would make our goal unattainable."

Nooroo piped up from the salted caramel he was eating to recharge. "I sense… strange emotions from him. It feels like… like a flicker. It's sometimes rage, sometimes amusement, but most of the time it's just nothing. It's quite unsettling how hard to read he is."

Gabriel regarded the Kwami curiously. Nooroo had never willingly helped him, so it was a mystery to him as to why he had suddenly contributed actively. "I sensed nothing like that."

The small creature sighed after popping another treat into his mouth. "As the bearer of the Butterfly Miraculous, you have empathic abilities. I, being the source of your power, have a far stronger attunement to the emotions of others."

Gabriel 'Hmm'ed, gesturing for Nathalie to leave for the time being and for Nooroo to make himself scarce. He had a lot to think about, and a master plan to create. Fashion week was still some ways off, but he had quite the plan for a certain yellow-clad critic. If he played his cards right, she would be explosive.

[Le Grand Paris]

X sat on his room's bed, his processor moving a mile a minute. It was worrying that the virus had created a Maverick so quickly, but it was far more worrying that it had found a host. He didn't want to think about what that meant for this world; their level of tech was primitive compared to his own and wouldn't survive the resulting destruction of a Maverick uprising.

Deciding he was too restless for stasis (his version of sleep), he decided to roam the Hotel. He left his room and quietly shut the door behind him, beginning a slow wander. This really was a very nice hotel; X was surprised that the owner would reserve a room just for him, though he supposed it was just the man's way of thanking him.

As he walked, he thought long and hard about the fight between him and Warp Wasp. What had the maverick come into contact with that had a powerful enough processor to house the virus? There were tons of cars during that fight, but none of them would have had the capacity to hold the virus. Ladybug and Cat Noir were not Reploids, so it couldn't have been them. He didn't know a lot about that little propeller-ball-thing, so he didn't rule it out. And it was that green-shirt kid that was Akumatized, right? The whole event went by so quickly that X couldn't determine any possible answer.

In his roaming musings, he happened upon a lounge-area with a Piano. X sighed as he ran his hand across its wooden surface. It had been ages since he had picked up a musical instrument; he hadn't so much as touched one since the first Maverick Uprising. Running the Maverick Hunters with Zero took up all the time he had. Deciding that he needed a distraction and that now was as good a time as ever, he pulled out the bench and opened up the key-cover-thing. He searched his database for something to play and settled on one of his favorites.

The song had a contemplative tone, containing an inner warmth of some uplifting emotion. X didn't know the meaning behind it, or why its composer had written it, but he regarded it as one of the greatest pieces of all time.

When he finished, a voice sounded behind him. "That's quite the song, mate." Startled, he jerked around to see none other than Jagged Stone with a guitar case on his back.

X was slightly embarrassed, and rubbed the back of his neck as he stood from the Piano. "Oh, uh, thanks? It's called 'Prototype's Requiem'."

Jagged sat down on one of the couches and leaned back. "I don't think I've heard anything quite like it. Did you write it?"

X sat back down on the Piano bench. "No; it was written by one of my predecessors."

The Rockstar began taking his guitar out of the case and tuning it. "It's kind of bluesy; I like it. Even if it isn't rock-and-roll, it's still Rock-and-Roll, if you know what I mean."

X was puzzled for a moment before deciding to let it be. "Uh, sure? Say, what are you doing wandering around this late at night?"

Strumming a few chords, Jagged hummed a bit. "I could ask you the same thing. As for me, well, I had a fantastic idea for a song, and I wanted to get it down before I forgot it. Fang was asleep, so I decided to find somewhere else to play. You know how crocodiles need their beauty rest. Did you know that this room is soundproofed? That was because of me. I come here a lot."

The robot 'ah'ed his understanding. "I had a lot on my mind, so I started to wander. I found this room by accident."

Jagged smiled at that. X was surprised to find that the Rockstar was a lot less energetic than before; perhaps it was just the nighttime atmosphere. As Jagged stone started experimenting with melodies, he looked over to X curiously. "I didn't peg you as the musician type."

X sighed as he leaned back onto the Piano. "I used to be, when I had time for it. I wrote music; my nickname was Rockman X, can you believe that?" He sighed sadly. "Now I'm just Mega Man X, the Maverick Hunter. Killer of defective robots. Sad, right?"

Jagged nodded sagely. He tried something on the guitar, but the notes clashed and he scowled. He tried a few more times, but nothing sounded the way it was supposed to. "I just can't seem to get that part right."

X turned back around to the piano. "How's this?" He played the bit that Jagged had down, and then hit the last bit. Much to both of their surprise, it sounded pretty good. Eyes wide, Jagged responded with a riff of his own, which X accompanied with some improvised background piano. (Think 'Armored Armodillo')

The rockstar clapped his hands excitedly. "Crikey, I think we've got something there!" He sat forward and looked X in the eye. "I think we should do an album together."

Widening his optics in surprise, X shook his head. "No, I couldn't, I'm no rock star, I-"

Jagged interrupted him, too stoked to take no for an answer. "Just think how Rock-and-Roll it would be! Rock Star Jagged Stone and Superhero Rockman X, with their new hit album: Album name! It's a working title, but we'll figure something out! We can get Marinette to design the cover and costumes and debut the whole thing at the music festival!"

X sighed with a smile. It seemed there was no getting out of it at this point; but then again, did he want to get out of it? As he thought, he realized that no, he didn't want to escape it. He needed something like this; something to help him maintain a feeling of fulfillment. His primary focus would still be the Warp Gate, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun on the side. "Allright, let's do it."

Ecstatic, Jagged Stone shouted out a "So Rock and Roll! I've got to tell Penny!" and rushed off to tell Penny, forgetting that it was well after midnight.

[Elsewhere]

The Agreste and his offspring were asleep, and the staff had retired. Sigma had the house to himself. When he punched a few commands into his laptop, the assembly arms ceased what they were doing and bent around, becoming spider-like legs. Sigma moved the assembly-station he was suspended on over to the elevator and activated it. He sent it to the one place the Agreste had attempted to deny him access; the chamber underneath the house. As the elevator came to a stop, he typed in the command to begin moving his assembly-station forward down a metal walkway.

The setup that the Agreste had here was interesting to say the least. The lighting and the greenery and even the way the room was structured drew all attention to a capsule on the other side of the room. Sigma advanced on it, before reaching forward to press the button to open it. His eyes glinted dangerously as his grinning skull grinned wider. "This is his ultimate goal? What an… interesting development."

Having gotten what he came for, he closed the capsule and went back through the elevator. This time, he directed it to the hidden warehouse where the Agreste stored his 'less than honorable' purchases. It was here that Sigma was building his personal army. Various crates piled against the walls, and in the center of the room, numerous capsules of varying size formed a circle. He looked over the Mavericks in various stages of completion and chuckled. "Soon, my friends; soon. This defenseless world will be ours."

A/N:

And done! I'm really proud of this thing, it's practically writing itself at this point. I was looking forward to writing Dark Owl, it was one of my favorite episodes.

As for that bit with Jagged, I wanted X to have something to do during the music festival, so I decided to hit a bunch of birds with one Jagged Stone. I have a great plan for this little side-plot.

As of now, I've decided not to ship X with anyone. I've had multiple ideas, but none of them really stick or flow with my jive, ya know?.

I plan to release a chapter at least once a month, with about maybe twelve chapters total. Ben 10,000 used to release weekly, but each chapter was only about 3,000 words if I remember right. These chapters are closer to 10,000 words each, and thus take much longer to complete. I'll also try to have as much of a buffer as possible.

Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated, and I'll see you in the next one!