Adrien ran through the streets toward the address Plagg gave him. It wasn't far; he could make it by foot while Plagg ate his cheese. As he ran, pausing occasionally to check for signs of Heartbreaker, his thoughts were focused on Ladybug. What could be taking her so long? he began to grow concerned, did Heartbreaker get to her before she attacked me? What if something happened to her?!

He began to consider a whole list of terrible scenarios that could have occurred. He felt angry, and he wanted to take out that anger on Heartbreaker. No, he reminded himself, it was my fault, I'm the one I should be angry with. He had tried to distract himself from it, but he was angry with himself, painfully aware of his culpability in Marinette's akumatization.

Soon he found himself at Master Fu's door, knocking a little too hard. He heard a voice answer and opened the door slowly.

"Come in, Adrien," Master Fu called out. He was sitting in a meditative position on the floor, his expression grim. Did he know what had happened?

"Master!" Plagg flew forward to speak to him directly, his voice extremely troubled, "I know I wasn't supposed to bring him here, but it's an emergency!"

"Yes, I know, Plagg," Master Fu answered with a sigh.

"Master," Adrien came in, closing the door behind him, "my friend was akumatized, and she's too strong for me, but Ladybug isn't showing up. Do you know what happened to her?"

"I'm afraid Ladybug will not be able to help you tonight," Master Fu sighed, closing his eyes, "It seems she has lost her miraculous."

"What?!" Adrien exclaimed, his eyes wide, "But… But how?"

"It's a long story," came a high-pitched voice. Suddenly a red kwami with black spots came flying up to him, "but don't worry, she'll find it soon, just not in time to help you tonight."

"Oh," Adrien blinked, "I guess you must be Ladybug's kwami?"

"That's right," the kwami smiled, her optimistic attitude shining through, "I'm Tikki. Nice to meet you, Cat Noir!"

"Nice to meet you, too," Adrien smiled, finding her optimism infectious, then he became serious again as he turned to face Master Fu, "Then what can I do?"

"You must choose an ally to help you," he said, getting to his feet. He went over to an old phonograph at the back of the room, pressing the front panel with both thumbs. Adrien stepped closer to see the panel flip open, revealing a series of unmarked buttons, which Master Fu pressed in quick succession. Suddenly the top of the phonograph flipped open as an octagonal box lifted out of it. Master Fu took this, then turned and knelt on the ground, indicating for Adrien to follow suit. He opened the box, revealing the treasure within.

"The miraculous," Adrien stared in wonder as he saw all the side drawers of the box slide open, revealing their precious contents. In the top section were the most powerful: the fox, the bee, and empty spaces for his own ring, Ladybug's earrings, the turtle, the butterfly, and the peacock.

"Adrien Agreste," Master Fu said solemnly, "pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll retrieve the miraculous from them."

Adrien's eyes focused on the two still in the main section: the fox and the bee. He didn't know who Rena Rouge was, but he did know Queen Bee, and he knew he could trust her as an ally in a fight. Her power of subjection would be just what needed to get the akuma from Heartbreaker. With a determined look, he pulled the bee miraculous from the miracle box.

Soon he was jumping through the city, with his baton to aid him again, but trying to remain stealthy to avoid drawing attention in case Heartbreaker was nearby. While he didn't see her, he did find evidence of her passage. He came across more victims wailing in the streets, some alone, others in groups. In the distance he saw a news helicopter, luckily far from his destination, which he hoped would point him toward Heartbreaker when it was time.

It wasn't long before he landed on the balcony outside Chloé Bourgeois' room. He quickly moved to open the door, then hesitated with his hand on the handle as he realized what he was doing. No time for embarrassment, he told himself with a shake of his head, I just hope she's not in the shower…

"Chloé?" he called out as he entered the room, looking around for her. He quickly spotted her sitting on her bed, dressed in a nightgown as she brushed her hair.

"Cat Noir?" she gave him a quizzical look, "What are you doing here?" Her tone was accusatory, clearly suspicious.

"I need help, Chloé," he explained, stepping forward, "and Ladybug isn't around to give it tonight, so you need to take her place." With that, he casually tossed the bee miraculous to her. She caught it deftly.

"I get to be Ladybug," Chloé exclaimed, excited by the prospect. She opened the small box in her hands, causing a yellow spark to fly out as Pollen materialized.

"You get to be Queen Bee," Car Noir corrected her, "but you'll be filling in for Ladybug."

"Hello, my queen," Pollen said, ever respectful, with a slight bow.

"That means I get to be the leader," Chloé stated, "We both know you can't make decisions yourself."

"Just transform already," Cat Noir rolled his eyes, then turned back to the balcony. From behind him, he heard Chloé confidently declaring, "Pollen, buzz on!" A moment later Queen Bee was standing beside him.

"Well? Let's go already!" she insisted. Seeing the news helicopter in the sky, she quickly tossed out her top and made a beeline for it, Cat Noir right beside her.