Chapter 41:
Henry flipped the next switch, opening the last door. They went over to it, but Henry stopped them before going through.
"Alya, Nino, I want you two to stay here," Henry said. Alya began to protest, but Henry cut her off. "No arguing. The last room was incredibly dangerous and this one could be even more so. I know you two are tough, but we don't have any weapons. Marinette is infected and another transformation could result in the same thing happening to her what happened to Adrien. I don't know exactly what's in there, but I know a smaller group will have a better chance. So please, just stay here where I know you're safe."
"Okay," Alya nodded, swallowing down her worry. "Just don't take too long or we'll be coming in after you!"
"We'll count on it," Marinette smiled, giving Alya's shoulder a squeeze before turning towards the door. She and Henry walked through. They passed several posters of Bend in a train and the words "Choo Choo" scrawled on several walls. They passed through an open hatch and walked further in, only to jump in surprise as the hatch shut behind them. Henry went back to try and open it, but there was no handle on their side.
"This isn't good," Henry muttered as he stepped back. "We're trapped in here as well as whatever else might be lurking around."
"At the very least Alya and Nino should be able to open the door from the other side," Marinette reasoned. "Should we just wait?"
"We might as well find the switch first," Henry decided. "After that, we can worry about the door."
With a sense of foreboding, the two walked away. They came to a set of stairs heading down into an ink flooded room with a Miracle Station up on the top. They started going down but stopped when they heard something moving through the ink. The backed up in surprise and fear when they saw a familiar beam of light.
"How is the Projectionist here?" Marinette whispered in confusion as the watched him slink by. It was hard to make because of the distance and the dim lighting, but Marinette swore she could see a bite mark in the reel in the Projectionist's shoulder.
"I don't know…" Henry murmured, as he watched. "But we'll have to get past it…"
They slowly made their way down the stairs once the Projectionist was out of sight. Coming to the bottom of the stairs, they were able to see that there two train engines being stored in the large room. They could see the Projectionist heading down the side of the left train. As quietly as possible, the two followed after projectionist. They stayed far enough back that they couldn't be seen, but they were able to make sure they weren't caught by surprise. At the end of the left train, they found a flight of stairs, though it was blocked by a lift piled high with bags. Looking around, Henry spotted a switchover by the end of the right train. There was also a tape recorder nearby, but with the Projectionist in such a small room with them, they didn't dare listen to it.
They waited for the Projectionist to start heading down the side of the right train before slowly moving towards the switch. They watched the Projectionist turning down the far corner as they went and flipped the switch. The lift began to rise and the two hurried towards the stairs. They heard the Projectionist screech as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Henry and Marinette hurried up the stairs, thinking they'd be safe, only to see in horror the Projectionist coming up after them. They turned and ran in fear, hurrying around the balcony in an effort to stay out of the Projectionist's reach.
"There's the switch!" Henry shouted, spotting the switch around the next corner. "We just need to pull it as we run by and then try and get to the Miracle Station!"
Marinette nodded in determination and they both increased their speed. Rounding the next corner, Henry reached forward to grab the switch, preparing to move on as soon as he flipped. But as soon as the switch clicked into place, the room was plunged into darkness and they could no longer hear the Projectionist coming. After a few moments, the lights came back on but there was no sign of the Projectionist, even as they looked down into the training room. It was as if the Projectionist just disappeared into thin air.
"What the heck just happened?" Marinette wondered as she looked around.
"At this point, I've given up understanding what's going on here," Henry sighed, leaving the balcony. "Come on, let's see if the door is open."
Marinette and Henry made their way back around the balcony and down the stairs where they once again found the tape recorder. Seeing as the danger seemed to be past, the two decided it was safe to listen to it.
"I believe there's something special in all of us," came the voice of Joey Drew. "With true inner strength, you can conquer even your biggest challenges. You just have to believe in yourself and remain honest, motivated, and above all, who you really are… Ok, let's stop right there. I can only do so many takes of this trash a day. And tell the guys in writing I want more use of the word dreaming in every message. Keep railing on that, get it? Dreaming! Dreaming! Dreaming! People just eat up that kind of slop. Hmm… What? It's still on? Well, turn it off, damn it!"
"There's the real Joey I loved to hate…" Henry snarled, much to Marinette's surprise. She wasn't sure, but for a moment, she thought she saw his eyes flash yellow. "Always using motivational nonsense to get his way. He never cared about any people… he just used them! He is going to pay for all the pain and misery he caused."
Henry threw the tape recorder against the wall in anger, shattering it into pieces. Henry took several deep breaths to calm himself before turning to the exit, barely glancing at Marinette. "Let's go."
Henry and Marinette headed between the two trains towards the stairs. But the moment they reached the base of the stairs, the terrifying screech of the Projectionist was heard and the light shined from behind them. There was no time to think, they just ran up the stairs. Henry pulled the door open to the Miracle Station and he and Marinette scrambled inside. Henry was able to close the door once Projectionist got to the top of the stairs. It paused in front of the Miracle Station, tilting its head to the sides as if it was confusing. Then it stepped forward and reached for them.
Marinette and Henry barely had time to gasp in fear before Henry's vision warped. The Projectionist screeched and turned to the side to look at something out of sight. A moment later, a black figure jumped forward and began fighting the Projectionist, slashing a deep wound in the Projectionist's side. At first, Marinette thought it was the Ink Demon, but then she saw blonde hair between the horns.
"Adrien…" Marinette whispered as she watched the fight. He was using his claws to continue slashing into the Projectionist, but he was a lot less wild than the last time she had seen him. A lot more in control… After getting punched by Projectionist, Noir growled and held out his hand, allowing inky darkness to gather into it. He lunged forward, pressing the darkness into the chest of the Projectionist. The Projectionist let out a shriek as his body dissolved away and Henry's vision returned to normal.
"Adrien!" Marinette shouted, bursting from the station and embracing Adrien. He was solid and warm… He was truly here…"I was so worried about you. I'm glad you're back."
Noir paused for a moment before wrapping his arms around Marinette as well. "I'm sorry I worried you my Lady, but I'm back now. And I'm not going anywhere…"
AN: Do you know how hard it was not to say anything when so many of you were correct in guessing what was going to happen!?