The voice bellowed out across the room. It wasn't the voice from Chat's head. It was different. More sinister. Before the cloud of butterflies even moved to reveal the man, Chat knew who it was.

"Hawkmoth." Chat growled, his tail starting to whip back and forth, his ears going down instinctively. He was afraid. He was terrified of this man, this man who could turn the most innocent of people into the most evil of monsters. Chat was terrified, yes, but he couldn't let his fear show. He tapped into his anger, thinking of the names of everyone he knew that Hawkmoth had hurt, either by turning them into an akuma or that akuma attacking someone else.

Nino. Nathanaël. Alya. Chloé. Sabrina. Kim. Max. Myléne. Myléne's father. Alix. Ivan. Rose. Practically the only person Hawkmoth hadn't hurt was…

...Marinette. He hadn't hurt Marinette yet, and Chat would do his best to protect Marinette from any harm. Chat used all of this rage, this pent-up anger, but he needed more. I can't show any fear to this man, Chat thought, and he had to dig deeper. Not just as Chat, but as Adrien. What made Adrien angry? Frustrated? That was easy. His father and Nathalie. They abandoned him unless they were dressing him up and pushing him in front of a camera. Chloé, who'd gone from the sweetest girl he'd ever known to a spoiled brat, because her father let her get whatever she wanted.

Back to Hawkmoth, Chat had thought, letting his anger boil up in his chest. Hawkmoth had made so many people miserable. He'd nearly killed…

He'd nearly killed Ladybug. Multiple times. Chat had jumped in front of every single blast, but what if he hadn't? What if Ladybug got hit instead? That was the last straw in Chat's mind.

"I hope you're prepared to pay for everything you've done," Chat snarled. "For everyone you've hurt."

"Who's going to make me pay?" Hawkmoth smiled, cocking his head to the side. "You?"

Chat nodded, frowning, gritted teeth showing. He couldn't wait any longer. Ladybug wasn't here, no, but if Chat could take Hawkmoth down here, Paris would finally be safe, and he wouldn't have to worry about putting himself in front of any more attacks. He raced forward, his staff extending as he took the metal stick and went straight for Hawkmoth's head with it. Hawkmoth dodged to the side and tried to hit Chat in the head with his cane, but Chat dodged down, rolling away and jumping onto the wall and into the air.

I'm ending this.

"Cataclysm!" Chat's hand gained an aura or pure darkness and destruction, and went straight for Hawkmoth's chest. I don't want to kill anyone, but this man has almost killed several people. He's a danger to Paris and he's a danger to me, but most importantly, he's a danger to Ladybug.

Chat charged forward, but was met with a flurry of attacks from Hawkmoth's cane. He tooks blows to the face, head, chest, and legs and rolled backwards to dodge away, choosing to charge low this time.

Hawkmoth dodged to the side once more, and Chat hit the ground then whirled to face Hawkmoth, going for his chest again, before feeling great impact on the side of his head, making him lose his balance and drop his staff. Chat teeter-tottered trying to regain his lost balance when a blow to his face on the side of his cheek sent him backwards, where he fell onto his side.. Cataclysm disappeared from Chat's hands as he fell to the floor, and then felt Hawkmoth's shoe, slowly but firmly, come down on his head, pinning it to the floor.

"If you have any shred of sense," Hawkmoth boomed above him, "you'll lay right there and let me take that ring."

"Never!" Chat said, struggling to get his hand under his body, to protect it from Hawkmoth's grasp, but yet another blow to the head from Hawkmoth's cane shocked him enough that Hawkmoth had a window. He moved his foot from Chat's head, using it to kick Chat in the stomach and roll him over. Hawkmoth stepped on Chat's chest, leaning on him with his full weight. Chat struggled to put his hand under his back as he struggled to breathe, his lungs being pressed under Hawkmoth's shifted weight. Hawkmoth pulled Chat's arm out from under his back and held his wrist with a tight grip, placing his cane on the ground to free his other hand, then gently starting to pull on the ring.

"I believe this is mine." Hawkmoth smirked. "Or at least it's mine now." He smiled as Chat weakly tried to put up his other arm to stop him, but it was too late. Light washed down over him, and Chat Noir disappeared, leaving a bruised Adrien under Hawkmoth's feet, and an exhausted Plagg next to him on the floor.

Hawkmoth looked at the boy in pure shock. Why is he looking at me like that? Adrien asked himself. Does he know me? Adrien then slightly shook his head. Of course he does, Adrien. Your dad's plastered your face all over Paris. He knows you're Chat Noir now… He could release your identity to the whole world! You'd never have peace again.

"You…" Hawkmoth's shock lasted but a second, and then his free hand disappeared into his vest along with Adrien's ring. When it emerged again, it was empty before it picked up Hawkmoth's cane on the floor. Hawkmoth took his foot off of Adrien and grabbed the boy behind the neck, ensuring he couldn't escape., picking him up. "Your Miraculous is mine, Adrien Agreste. And now, you are my prisoner." Adrien weakly got up, going with Hawkmoth's motion, the feeling of the man's cold, gloved hand sending shudders down his spine. But he couldn't do anything but comply. There was no use trying to fight anymore. His head was swimming, and he was bruised all over. He could barely keep his balance, and he felt like passing out. Before he got up all the way, however, Adrien picked up Plagg with his free hand, cradling the kwami to his chest. Plagg looked like hell. Adrien probably did, too, but that didn't matter. Adrien had been careless, and now Plagg was paying the price.

Hawkmoth led Adrien to the platform down into the dark room, then into the elevator. He pressed the top of his cane with his thumb, and the elevator responded with a ding! as the doors shut. Adrien simply stared at the elevator walls, at the panel he'd ripped off earlier. His gaze was empty and emotionless as he thought of how stupid he had been. He was a failure. He'd gone off on his own, investigated where he wasn't supposed to, ignored reason, and hadn't even been able to hold his own in a fight. I deserve this, Adrien thought to himself, as he looked down at Plagg. But Plagg… he doesn't. And now he's getting punished because of me. My family is in danger. My father, Nathalie, possibly even my school!

Adrien looked up at the display of the floors the elevator was on, when a number showed on the display he'd never seen in an elevator before.

S-1.

The doors opened to a dimly-lit hallway as Hawkmoth jerked Adrien forward and started to walk. "Welcome to Sub-Level One," Hawkmoth bellowed, his voice echoing down the hall. It was empty, except for around ten doors on either side of the end of the hallway, five doors per wall. The resembled old jailhouse doors, with bars in a small rectangle and sliding panels to shut that space closed. Hawkmoth walked Adrien towards the doors at the end of the hallway, and the boy glanced around as he walked. Most were bare, but the two doors at the end of the hallway had symbols on them in black below the bars on the door. One was a picture of a cat's paw, like on Adrien's ring. The other was five black spots inside a circle, like Ladybug's earrings. Hawkmoth turned Adrien towards the one with the cat's paw.

"Welcome to your new home, Mr. Agreste," Hawkmoth mocked, pushing the boy into the cell. It was almost nothing like an actual jail cell. There a door leading to a bathroom instead of the toilet being out in the open. There was no window, but there was a TV in the top corner of the room, facing the bed across from it, where the remote sat on the pillow. A box for a deck of cards sat at a small, lonely table with one chair.

"Awfully nice jail cell you've got here," Adrien muttered sarcastically. "Kind of surprised you're giving me a five-star room, considering the circumstances."

"Oh, please," Hawkmoth said, waving his hand as if to dispel the thought. "I may be evil, but I'm not cruel. However…" He eyed Adrien's chest, where the boy was cradling Plagg. "I'll be taking your little cat, if you don't mind."

"Never," Adrien scowled, gritting his teeth and tightening his grip around the kwami, but being careful not to hurt him. "Y-You'll hurt him."

"Oh, please, Adrien," Hawkmoth said in a way that made the boy's blood boil. "Not even ten minutes ago, you tried to kill me with ancient destructive powers, and still I have the grace to give you a nice room with a nice television and a nice bed. Yes, that little cat has caused quite a bit of trouble for me, but I won't hurt him, and I won't hurt you." Hawkmoth frowned, starting to step towards the boy, who stepped back instinctively. "Unless, of course, you decide not to hand him over. Then, I might have to resort to more..." Hawkmoth twisted the top of his cane from around eight inches down and pulled, and the top moved up, revealing a blade. "Persuasive measures."

"If you want to even touch Plagg, you'll have to… You'll have to…!" Adrien stuttered, backing up against the wall.

"I'll have to what? Kill you?" Hawkmoth pulled the rest of the cane out, flipping the long part sheathing his blade off and tossing it behind him onto the floor. It clattered loudly before finally becoming still. Hawkmoth held his blade out in front of him, and smiled down at Adrien. Silence and tension electrified the air as Adrien, terrified and shaking, held Plagg closer still. Hawkmoth leaned forward, his face near Adrien's, and cocked his head to the side, staring straight into Adrien's eyes. Into his soul. "Ask yourself one question, my boy. Do you really think I won't do it?"

"Adrien…" A weak, high-pitched voice came from between Adrien's hands. Adrien opened his grip just slightly and looked into his kwami's green eyes. "Just hand me over. Don't let yourself get hurt any more."

"I-I can't," Adrien muttered. Hawkmoth stood over him, but he didn't care. "I can't let him take you."

"Don't be an idiot, Adrien! I'm supposed to protect you!" The kwami looked up at him angrily, before calming down and sighing. He couldn't even lift himself out of Adrien's hands. "Give me to him, or it'll only be worse for both of us."

Adrien could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes, and opened his hands up, holding Plagg's small body out towards Hawkmoth. "Okay."

Hawkmoth smiled, leaning back and lowering his sword. "What an obedient young boy." He mocked Adrien once more as he picked up Plagg by his tail. He stuffed the kwami into the pocket of his pants as if Plagg was just a worthless piece of paper; a note to be thrown away later. Hawkmoth turned on his heel to leave, picking up the end of his cane and sheathing his sword, twisting the top to lock it in place.

"I'll bring you breakfast later. See you later, Chat Noir… Hawkmoth turned and shook his head at the door, correcting himself. "Oh, I'm sorry. Adrien."

"Don't call me that," Adrien muttered as Hawkmoth started to shut the door.

"I can call you whatever I want, Agreste. After all, without your ring…" Hawkmoth smiled. "You're not Chat Noir, now are you?" He slammed the door, leaving Adrien alone in his cell.