Chapter 3
Bright flashes of lighting swam through heavy rolling clouds. The slivers of the sky that could be seen through the heavy blanket were pinkening in the early dawn. Making their way out on the street Blanco, Thorn, and Yogi splitting off as the first part of Druid Wasps plan commenced.
"Good luck everyone!" Ladybug shouted to the trio while her stomach folded into knots. The first step to defeating this world's Hawkmoth involved causing as much chaos and battle as many Akumatized villains for as long a possible.
Blanco hearing her turned back and waved his long sleeve in a silent good before continuing onward.
Meanwhile, Lil' Cricket huddle into the entryway of the school as the others moved and shouted to each other as they rushed to get for the rest of the plan. The small girl sniffled and huffed as her suite chirped.
"There you are." Cat Noir said before seeing and hearing her district "what's wrong?" He kneeled to get to her eye level.
Lil' Cricket pulled herself tighter into a ball not answering.
"Hey I know this is scary, but we're doing all this to help everyone." He poked her with a gloved finger "Not to mention it'll help you get home after."
"What about you?" The small girl asked him.
"Huh?" He tilted his head before remembering "Oh! Don't worry Ladybug and I will figure that out after you get home." He continued to smile.
Cricket sighed "Why couldn't you just be my dad?"
"I do I remind you of him that much?" He was slightly curious about her.
"I miss mom too, she going to never talk to me after this." Lil' Cricket continued.
"Of course, she'll still talk to you, she's your mother." Cat patted her head.
"Mom only fights with dad when it's about me keeping Ching-Ching." She mentioned her Kwami by name.
His encouraging smile dropped as a flickering memory of him lying in his bed as his partners shouted from a lower floor crossed his mind "They'll still love you." He got to his feet "Now stand up." Then lifted the little girl up by her arm guiding out to the rest of the group.
"There you guys are!" Ladybug jumped over to them as they approached.
"You kid's ready?" Weaver spoke to the group holding up a hand thin threads clearly visible as it grew taught and relaxed "Because we need to move."
Druid Wasp leads the way through the morning streets, the group moving with stealth as Paris awoke from the cold dark night before.
Marinette wondered as she moves close by Lil' Cricket she wondered if her family existed in this timeline if so she hopes that they were okay.
"What? no way!" Cat Noir narrowed his eye looking carefully at the street signs "Why are we heading to the Agreste house?"
Druid and Weaver stared at each other before looking at him.
He snapped before either of them could answer "You said we were heading to Hawkmoth's headquarters!"
Ladybug slowly reached down for her yo-yo. Her hand stopped feeling Lil' Cricket huddled close to her, the small girl was shaking like the ground below her was made of jelly.
"It is." Weaver said in coldly her fingers twitching as her spider threads pulled and whipped against them.
Cat shocked shook his head unwilling to listen. He could rationalize even in this other dimension that Hawkmoth would under his own roof.
"Hawkmoth has held up somewhere in there." Druid nodded looking at them his eyes awash with conflicting emotions "We sure in he's in there."
"Why!" The black-suited hero growled look down at them accusingly.
Weaver rubbed her mouth with something like guilt in her eye "It's best we tell you when we get there." The woman continued down the street.
Slowly Druid went after her the venomous colored woman leaving three standing confused.
Cat Noir looked at the other two girls staring at them for a long moment and Ladybug wondered if he would say something. Sadly, he relented running after the other Miraculous holders his body rigid.
Ladybug waited for her small companion to clam down before joining up with the rest of the group.
The Agreste manor stood stark and familiar to Cat and Ladybug. Though with its large windows boarded up windows and security wall smashed to make a clear pathway into the courtyard, it was clear that the building was taken by force.
Together they stood in front of front door staring at a pin lock beside the front door. "Do it, Weaver." Druid Wasp stepped aside to let the older woman see the keypad.
Weaver input a code several times then angerly slapped the door "He changed it!" Her expression quickly changed "Wait." She then ran her finger along the center of the plane pressing all the buttons in the center column. There was a brief sound of tumbling light and Weaver gave a weird smile "He didn't change that." She said smugly.
Carefully the team moved through the unlocked door moving in the grand entryway. Each of them a taking in the dusty shadows and broken furniture. "It's abandoned." Cat Noir said in astonishment moving around in a hesitant stride.
"Tread carefully," Druid whispered looking about readying to fight anything that jumped out of the shadows.
Slowly and cautiously the group moved around to investigate looking for any sign of their enemy. Ladybug stepped on a knocked over photograph, picking up the pictures she stared at the familiar and unknown faces "What happened to Adrien?" She points to his images with sharp thin feature and cold blue eyes. It bothered her as that the young man she has a crush on looked so gaunt and lifeless among the happy faces of her friends.
"Adrien?" Weaver looked at her concern "The Agreste's had one kid, Félix."
The certainty in the older woman's words it made Cat Noir look at her fully desperately trying to figure out who she was.
"He kind of shut down after his parents passed away." Weaver moved to look at the picture Ladybug held "He became consumed in persevering his family legacy." Her voice shook as her eyes teared up "Not just their professions but, their hobbies and all unfinished projects they had were just suddenly his cross to bear."
"Last time anyone saw him was when Hawkmoth hacked the airwaves." Druid continued for the woman "Félix was in the first group of hostages he took in order to subjugate the city."
"Cataclysm!" All eyes turned to Cat as he smashed in a wall destructive power swimming around his clenched fist. Then with another yell, he punched a deep hole his hand embedding into the wall. He huffed and looked at the wide-eyed expressions of even one else in the room. Then self-conscious of what he had done and pulled his hand out of the wall.
From the hole, there was a faint light giving a glimpse of the interior of the hole and lager the Cat Noir's fist.
Druid grabbed his paper yo-yo "Move aside." He flipped the toy and inset of it shooting out, it spiraled down into a pointed lance.
Cat only had a moment to registers before he jumped to the side letting the other male have at the wall he already greatly damaged. With agile speed and purposeful accuracy Druid drilled out at a large enough hole to for a person to crawl through.
Behind the hole lay a dim stairwell heading deep underground. "Where does it go?" Cat Noir peered into the hole.
"No!" The siren shirks of Lil' Cricket chirps matched her sudden frantic scream "I can't go I there!" the shook running upstairs disappearing into one of the upper floor rooms
"Cricket!" Ladybug chased after her using her yo-yo to quickly launch herself to the upper floor "What's gotten into you?" She flung open the door that Cricket had dived behind.
The little girl lay huddled on the floor her crying face buried into a decorative rug.
"Sh." Ladybug kneeled beside her gently rubbing the little girl's arm "It's okay." She spoke in a soothing voice.
Lil' Cricket heaved and cried "Don't let them get me!" she gasped shuttered "d-o d-d-nn!" the chirps overpowering her voice.
Ladybug felt sorry for the little girl. She wondered if was a side effect of the Miraculous Lil' Cricket had and the little wasn't ready to handle it. It made her thoughts on Druid Wasp's plan soured. Wondering how desperate the young man had to be to have a child's suffering be the key to the plans succeeds. "Sh, it okay." She said to the girl "Remember we promised to protect you, nothing is going to hurt."
The girl's chest heaved listening to Ladybug, yet wouldn't lift her head to look at her.
Ladybug began to hum and sing a wordless lullaby as she looked about the room. She recognized to the shape of the spacious bedroom to be Adrien's, but by the dull colors and formal furniture, it wasn't his room. This was the room of Félix, there was tomb-like stillness seeing how clean and untouched it was. 'If Hawkmoth was somewhere in this house where does keep his hostages?' She knew that freeing those captured would ease the hold he had over the city.
The feeling of Lil' Cricket hands wrapped around her made her stop singing. "Do we have gone underground?" The fear was still prevalent in her voice.
"No." Weaver's voice clipped from the entrance of the room "Wasp and Cat have already gone underground."
Ladybug jumped to her feet "What?"
"They are convinced that they can handle the last part of the plan themselves." Weaver sat down on the untouched "I'm going to stay with you two, just in case."
"No!" The red-suited heroin interjected "You stay with Cricket I'm going to help them!" she ran out of the room a spark of fury sending herself to the first floor. Her eyes trained on the dark hole unable to understand why they thought that only two of them would be able to handle Hawkmoth. After all, she was the only one that could heal and release akumas from corrupted objects.
Moving through the jagged maw she descended down into the dark of the subterranean stairs. Dimly lit tunnels branched out from the bottom floor there was a murmuring echo that set her on edge. She wondered how vase and deep the labyrinth could truly be. While at the same time pushed out that fact that something like might be in the exact same building in her reality. She picked the quietest tunnel moving as quickly and silently as she could the patting of her feet echoing faintly. Upon reaching the end of the path her breath caught surprised by the strange twist of luck that had to be.
The room was illuminated by the light of massive computer monitors. Casting long black shadows as images of stormy skies of Paris. In the middle of it all to stood Hawkmoth dressed in an imposing black suit, this man was clearly not the same foe that sent villains to plague her otherwise normal life. His face the fully covered the only with butterfly wing shaped visor that reflected the electric blue of the screens.
"Ah, Ladybug." The voice that came from Hawkmoth was notably distorted, yet it was the dark glee under his word that made her shiver "It has been too long since our last tête-à-tête."
She didn't move or say a word to even as he approached. Unsure how strong his combat skills were or how quickly an akumatized villain could be here to aid him if she stuck first.
"Why have you returned?" He stopped and Ladybug could see that Hawkmoth stood a full shoulder taller than her, which was significantly shorter then she thought her nemeses would be "Was be freedom from your simple life, not enough? Maybe that dirty alley cat finally revealed how disgusting feral he is?"
"You would have found us eventually." She answered looking away from him. Biding her time until the inevitable moment he realized that she wasn't the same Ladybug he had fought before.
"Indeed." Hawkmoth's fists clench "Though I have been true to my word have I not? Did I do something to force your hand?"
Ladybug slowly reached for her yo-yo then stopped seeing the outline of Cat and Druid hanging down from a ceiling air vent. "The hostages." She answered hoping to keep up the distraction.
The rigged posture of Hawkmoth changed drastically as he let out a laugh making the red-suited hero step back reflectively.
Noticing Ladybugs movement Hawkmoth shot out an arm to grab her.
Shiftily she doge and rolled in the room behind him then called "Luck Charm!" the second she got to her feet. Her power summoning up a polka dotted riot shield, which instantly became useful block a blow from Hawkmoth.
Seizing the opportunity Ladybug had given them the two heroes launched themselves out of their hiding places. The males using their weapon to lay into her attacker pushing him into the large shield.
Hawkmoth attempted to hold off the strikes he was receiving. Thought his attempt to defend himself failed as Chat smacked the black-suited Hawkmoth in the hard with from smack. The villain's body crumbled against the shield sliding to Ladybugs feet, his body shimmer as his Miraculous was to deactivate.
Druid Wasps smile of victory quickly devolved as the owner of the butterfly Miraculous was revealed to him "No." His breath hitched as he looked at the prone body.
Ladybug looks over to her feline companion her ears picking up on a small chirp from Lil' Cricket. Though the look of utter terror on Cat Noir face made her look down at the body at her feet.
In a formal white shirt and scuffed up dress pants and shoes. Ladybug gasped as the of blond-haired of teen at her feet making her reflexive discard the shield to closely examine the person he thought was Hawkmoth's first hostage.
Druid wasp got to him first lifting the limp body by the collar "How!" The golden hero slapped his face "Félix why!" His voice cracked with betrayal and a shattered belief.
Félix's eyes opened is dark blue eyes took in the room with a pained dreariness. Merely giving a self-aggrandizing smile and chuckle as he looked startled and disparaged faces of the heroes.
See the heir's expression made something in Chat snap "Answer him!" He ripped him forcefully out of Druid's hold "You were Hawkmoth! All this time!" He shook the pale blonde with violence.
The other Agreste stared down at him with pure hatred "Even with some else under that mask you behave the same Cat!"
Cat growled ramming Félix into one of the larger video screens, the force in which cracked the image on impact. "I could say the same to you!" He spat giving his soul doubleganger another shove.
"Chat!"
The smattering of voices that called to him was punctuated by the sound of a distressed Lil' Cricket. Making him release Félix tasking serval steps away from what in some way an alternate version of himself.
Félix coughed and gasped for breath as rubbed at the spots Cat grabbed him "Fine, I might as well confess!" He stood up straight as the shadows crossing over his smiling face "My mother was Royal Blue and my father was Atlas Moth." There was pain in his words "Their deaths not an accident, but the natural consequence of those who use any Miraculous."
"Lair!" Druid shouted in protest "You can't know that!"
Félix stared at him with grief and an icy judgment "Even if I'm wrong, the world is longer the place in which Miraculous can be used safely." He closed his eyes briefly as the corner of his mouth twitch "History has shown us the fables of the foolhardy, the one believes they could solve all troubles with the powers bestowed upon them."
Cat stood stupefied at Félix unable to listen to Ladybug and Druid's augments. They would have no effect on Félix. Weaver was more correct about him than she could of fathom because he knew himself. No imprisonment or brainwashing would convince Félix that what he was doing wrong. Grief had twisted the young man into something he feared to see in himself. Even now the villain in the street above would not stop on his behalf, for as long he was Hawkmoth. No, even without an army he would not stop on his mission.
With a sure sept his eye fell to the ground, he understood what he needed to do. Moving towards the mirror of himself he was sick of looking at.
Félix looked to him and he could see much of his father. This variation of himself truly the ice chip off the old block and that was the realization that hurt the most. He could hear the voice of Ladybug she was finally catching on and he wished he could stop time to explain to her what had to be done.
"Cataclysm!" He rushed at Félix as he felt the cord of Ladybugs yo-yo warp around his leg.
Lil' Cricket jump out of her hiding place "No!" She also to prevent Cats attack shove her little small between himself and Félix.
Despite the two girl's effort to prevent Cat Noir's attack. His claws were already in mid-swing his strike landing violently on Lil' Crickets side.
The girl screamed as an ear-splitting wail along with an explosion of light erupted from the impact. The blast sending everyone flying off. Tumbling lost the in hot wind of light in sound everyone could feel the floor and walls breaking around them.
Ladybug was the first to open eyes when the chaos subsided looking stared up a beautiful blue sky "What are we?" She looked around at the Pairs she knew and loved and wondered the why her heart was pounding like she had been in a fight.
"Where's Lil'" She turned her head to Cat waking up beside her confused and groggy.
She tilted her head at him "Who?" having a vague feeling that something important was going on.
Their Miraculous there showing signs of deactivation be either of them could ask farther about the off feeling they had. Forcing themselves to the part way even though there was something obviously wrong.
(Authors Note: This is the final part of my first Miraculous Adventures fanfiction. Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you thought of it if liked my writing check out my other fanfictions. I also have the link to my YouTube and FictionPress on my profile if you want to support me elsewhere. I enjoyed writing this and love writing entraining stories so helping me would be greatly appreciated. - AJ)
