Shatter Point
By: EDelta88
Rated M for language, violence, adult situations and concepts, and graphic imagery
[Insert disclaimer here]
Chapter 6: Backup
"Never again!" Chat Noir hissed as he reached his final destination, Orikko's thumb ring beeping angrily at him. Unless it was an absolute emergency? Never again! That was one of the most miserable superpowers he'd ever dealt with and he was in charge of the miraculous that dealt with bad luck!
"Putain de merde!" Nino hissed when Chat Noir stepped out of the shadows.
"Orikko, divide," Chat commanded, returning to his normal suit before turning to Alya and Nino. "Hey guys, a little help?" Chat Noir greeted with a wane grin, holding out a miraculous box to each of them.
"Chat Noir?" Nino wondered, confused. "But where's Lady-dude?
"Ladybug's not coming, Nino," Alya told him as she snatched her box and opened it.
"Alya," Trixx greeted, uncharacteristically serious as Alya slipped the necklace on.
"Trixx," Alya said with a nod. "You ready, buddy?"
"For this?" Tixx replied with a grin that was just a little too wide and showed a few too many teeth. "I am always ready!"
"Wait, no! Hold up! What do you mean, 'Ladybug's not coming?'" Nino demanded as he took his own box.
Alya refused to answer, trembling from head to toe with repressed emotion.
"Alya?" Nino prompted, staring at her. "Babe, you're scaring me."
"You heard what she said, didn't you," Chat Noir cut in, eyeing Alya critically. He hadn't been sure before, but now… she must have heard at least part of what Marinette had said to him.
Alya nodded jerkily.
"I guess the cat's out of the bag, anyway," Chat Noir sighed, shaking his head in resignation. He needed everyone to have their head in the game. Unanswered questions would be a distraction. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug."
The truth didn't register at first. Nino simply stared at them, his eyes bouncing between Chat Noir and Alya in a state of confusion. Then, slowly, ever so slowly it sank in and Nino's mouth fell open. "Oh, foutre," he breathed, eyes wide as he processed the situation. "She really—Cazzo! Oh shit! Oh, putain de bordel de merde d'encule de sa race!"
Chat and Alya stared on bemusedly as a truly impressive and absolutely vile string of profanities in five different languages spilled out of their friend's mouth.
"I didn't know you spoke Italian," Chat observed curiously once it looked like Nino had finished.
"I don't!" Nino cried. "Fuck! Fuck fuckity fucking fuck!"
"Fair," Chat allowed. "That might have been a bit extreme, though."
"You just told me that the crazy creative, wicked smart, super badass that has successfully fought akuma in her civies while surviving on three hours of sleep and spite just got extra superpowers and is an evil, stress-powered demon. You're lucky I haven't pissed myself!" Nino responded as he flashed the cat wonder a very rude hand gesture. "Hell, I might still piss myself!" he groaned.
"Please don't," Wayz pleaded.
"Just—just gimme a sec, okay?" Nino replied, taking deep breaths. "Oh shit. Oh fuck. Oh shit. Oh fuckity fuck!"
"…Are you swearing as a breathing exercise?" Chat wondered curiously.
Nino nodded, taking one last deep breath, eyes closed as he held it for a few seconds. "Alright, okay let's do this," he breathed out. "Wayz, Shell On!"
"Trixx, Let's Pounce!" Alya growled before turning to Chat Noir. "How are you so calm?" Rena Rouge demanded, eyeing Chat Noir as Carapace appeared in place of Nino.
"Calm?" Chat asked, his face splitting into a cold, mirthless grin as his tail flicked ominously. "Numbers one and two on my Do Not Allow To Be Akumatized list just turned out to be the same person who is currently running around with a set of superpowers that are as confusing as they are terrifying and an ax to grind roughly the size of Notre Dame. I am the farthest thing from calm, Rena."
Carapace shifted, glancing at Rena before eyeing Chat Noir nervously. "Hey, are you doing alright, man?"
"Not even a little bit," Chat Noir replied candidly. No, now that the denial and the panic had worn off, he was angry. As the reality of the situation had set in, he'd become angrier and angrier, pushing it down in favor of his mission, until it had become something sharp and dangerous, like the edge of a knife. Strangely, he was absolutely furious, more so than he had ever been in his life, it had settled over him like a blanket of snow, cold and unforgiving, giving him focus. "Come on, we have one more stop to make."
"One more?" Rena asked.
"I was saving you for last," Chat Noir explained. "Orikko, you ready?"
"Yes sir!"
"Plagg, Orikko, Unify!" Chat commanded, recreating the costume from earlier.
"Why save us for last?" Rena Rouge asked.
"Because I need backup to get Chloe."
Rena Rouge and Carapace shared a look.
"I thought we weren't using Chloe again?" Carapace ventured.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures… and Hawkmoth has made me very desperate," Chat replied cooly. Though, if he were being completely honest, he also wanted as many familiar faces as he could get, and Chloe was not only experienced but just happened to be his oldest friend.
Something hot and alien rose up, giving Chat the impression of pressure on his shoulder.
Chat swallowed the painful lump growing in his throat. "He might not be happy that he did," with a dangerous timber in his voice. "Come on, I don't want to leave the others alone any longer than I have to."
Rena Rouge blinked at that. "Others?" she wondered, then his words came back to her.
"We have one more stop to make."
They weren't his first stop. They weren't even his second. They were practically his last. Marinette had been akumatized more than an hour ago, nearly two. What could he possibly have been… then it hit her. "Chat… who else is backing us up?"
"Everyone."
Earlier…
Max yelped in fright as he was assaulted by the sensation of the bottom falling out of his stomach. Then he wasn't in Francoise Dupont For a moment there was an impenetrable darkness broken only by a disorienting series of disconnected images and then he was sitting in an otherwise empty bathroom stall.
Max blinked staring around.
What… what had just happened?
"Well, I can't fault his taste in comrades at least," a demure voice mused nearby.
Max jumped, wheeling around to find a little horse sprite staring at him boredly. "Kalkki?" he wondered. "What's going on?"
"Yes, tis I," the little Kwami replied haughtily. "As to the situation at hand? The fabulous Chat Noir has left instructions."
Max blinked. 'Chat Noir?' he wondered before looking down at the note.
You're in the Louvre. Suit up and make sure you aren't seen until I get there.
-Chat Noir
"Chat Noir is the one gathering allies?" Max wondered, his eyes flickering at random as the gears in his head started whirring a mile a minute. What could this mean? Was Ladybug occupied distracting the Marinette? No, that wouldn't make any sense. Strategically, Ladybug had to be protected at all costs in order to ensure she could bring back any casualties and repair the damages. So, normally, Ladybug was the one to gather the temporary heroes. Which meant something had changed. Something fundamental enough to change their strategy. The only other time someone else had done it was during the party when Wayhem had been turned into Party Crasher and that had only been because…
Because Ladybug had been…
Max swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat. "Ladybug?"
Kalkki seemed to wilt. "I'm afraid so."
Max shivered, his mind racing. This… this was serious.
Elsewhere in the building, Kim frowned down at the note before turning to his uncharacteristically serious Kwami. "How bad?" he asked in subdued tone as he ran a hand nervously through his hair.
"Really bad," Xuppu replied without his usual mirth. "She almost got Chat Noir on his way to get you and the others."
Kim blinked in surprise. Chat Noir was recruiting? Not Ladybug? That couldn't mean anything good. "Crap," Kim sighed, shaking his head. "This is going to suck, isn't it?"
"We will be lucky if everyone lives through this," Xuppu responded candidly.
Kim winced. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep fortifying breath. "Well, who wants to live forever, right?" he sighed, taking a deep steadying breath. And it wasn't like Ladybug's cure couldn't bring them back so… why the hell not? "You ready buddy?"
Xuppu gave a feral grin, flashing the fangs he rarely showed. "Always."
Kim mirrored the grin, adrenaline trickling into his blood. "Hell yeah! Xuppu, Show Time!"
"Rose Lavillant, this is the miraculous of the Pig which grants the power of jubilation," Chat Noir told her as he held out a beautifully styled jewelry box. "You will use it for the greater good and, when the job is done, you will return it to me or Ladybug. Do you accept?"
Rose stared up at Chat Noir, dumbfounded. She nodded.
"Good, I only have a couple minutes left," Chat muttered. "Suit up and stay hidden. I have a couple more stops to make, then I'll be back for you and the others."
Then Chat Noir vanished into the shadows.
"That is so cool," Rose muttered, staring at the space where he had just… melted away. Then, shaking herself, she turned to the box he had given her.
There was a flash of light and suddenly a little pink… something was dancing in the air in front of Rose.
"Greetings!" the little pink thing chirped.
Rose blinked, staring inquisitively at the floating pink… pig? It looked like a pig, kinda. "Hello?"
"I'm Daizzi, wanna be a superhero?"
Rose blinked again. "Um… sure?"
"Then say Daizzi, Rejoice!"
"Daizzi—"
"Wait! Wait, wait, wait! I need to explain your powers first."
"Oh Sorry."
"No, my fault, I… don't get out much. I haven't done this in a couple centuries and I'm out of practice."
"So… powers?"
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, back at Francoise Dupont, Mylene and Ivan were hiding together in an unused classroom.
"I hope Marinette's going to be okay," Mylene whispered.
"Marinette's tough, she'll be fine," Ivan told her. Then he winced as something occurred to him. "It's the rest of us that I'm worried about. Marinette can be scary enough without superpowers."
"No kidding," Mylene muttered, shivering. "I'm going to go get a snack from one of the machines."
"Try to stay out of sight?"
"Of course," Mylene replied as she stepped out of the room.
When the door closed, Chat Noir was standing behind it.
Ivan's eyes went wide. "Cha—" but then Chat Noir held a finger to his lips and winked.
"Yoink!" Chat Noir quipped.
Then Ivan was falling. There was darkness and a blur of images-
"Oh, I forgot to ask if you wanted… Ivan?" Mylene called from… somewhere far away. "Ivan!"
There was a blur of light and shapes and darkness… then she was in a closet somewhere.
"Hold tight for just a sec," Chat Noir whispered.
Then Ivan was alone.
Ivan blinked in the semidarkness. That… that had definitely been Chat Noir. He'd just been kidnapped (maybe?) by Chat Noir.
And there was a box in his hand?
What… what in the world was going on?
"Ivan!" Mylene called again. "Ivan? Where did you—"
"Sorry, but can I borrow you for a sec?" a familiar voice asked.
Mylene nearly jumped out of her skin as she spun to face Chat Noir. "Chat Noir? What—"
"If you start feeling queasy, just close your eyes, m'kay?"
"What?!"
Then she was falling—
Mylene slammed her eyes shut. What could only have been seconds stretched into hours passed and then Mylene felt her feet touch solid ground.
"You can open them now," Chat Noir told her gently.
"Mylène Haprèle, this is the miraculous of the Mouse which grants the power of multiplication," Chat Noir told her as he held out a black and red jewelry box. "You will use it for the greater good and, when the job is done, you will return it to me or Ladybug. Do you accept?"
Mylene stared. "M-me?" she wondered, sure there must have been a mistake.
Chat Noir grinned.
"Juleka Couffaine, this is the miraculous of the Tiger which grants the power of elation," Chat Noir explained as he held out a black and red jewelry box. "You will use it for the greater good and, when the job is done, you will return it to me or Ladybug. Do you accept?"
Juleka stared.
Chat Noir stared.
Roaar glanced curiously between them.
"Duuude, are you serious?" Juleka asked in disbelief, looking like all her dreams were about to come true.
"Like a heart attack," Chat replied. "Look, I even got you the perfect accessory and it comes with a tiger!"
Roaar looked Juleka up and down. "I can tell just by your color choices that we are going to get along just fine."
"This is so metal," Juleka breathed as she eyed the panjas bracelet.
"So, you accept?" Chat Noir prompted.
"Hell yes."
"Good," Chat Noir said, handing the braclet over. "Talk things over with Roaar before transforming. Then stay out of sight until I get back, yeah?"
"Sure," Juleka replied.
"Good, I gotta get Rena and Carapace," Chat Noir told her before literally melting into the shadows like some kind of ninja.
"So metal," Juleka muttered with a grin.
"If you think that little trick is cool, just wait until I tell you about what we are going to be able to do," Roaar boasted.
"He said your name was… Rawr?" Juleka hedged. "I'm Juleka."
"I am Roaar, Kwami of Elation, and it is a pleasure to meet you Juleka."
"Do I get claws?"
"Oh yes, you and I are going to be the best of friends," Roaar purred.
On the other side of the city, a shadowy figure slipped off the Couffaine house barge.
Luka Couffaine blinked, staring at the sight before him bemusedly. "Sass?" he wondered. "What are you doing here? Where's…" Luka's voice trailed off as he noticed the second box next to the open jewelry box on his bed.
"I'm afraid that the situation has become… complicated," Sass hedged.
"How complicated?" Luka demanded as an unsettling feeling washed over him. He was being trusted with a second miraculous? Why? For what purpose?
What in the world was going on?
"The Ladybug has been compromised," Sass explained without preamble. "Chat Noir believes, and I agree, that Second Chance will be indispensable in the fight to come. However, as I said, the situation is… complicated. You will see things today, learn things that cannot be unlearned. At my urging, Chat Noir and the Guardian have chosen to show an exceptional amount of trust in you and have granted you the use of a second miraculous. This will provide additional options in battle as well as an extra layer of protection to ensure that you yourself are not compromised."
Luka nodded slowly, clenching and unclenching his hands to keep them from shaking. "That's… a lot of pressure, Sass."
Sass nodded in agreement. "Chat Noir considered taking the responsibility on himself, but the Guardian advised him that wearing too many miraculous at once would drain his energy too quickly. Additionally, as he would be required on the front lines of the fight, my miraculous would be safer used at a distance."
Luka sighed pressing the heel of his palm into his aching forehead. "Second verse, same as the first. A little bit louder… and a whole lot worse," he muttered to himself. This was an absolute disaster.
Sass coughed, clearing his throat. "I have also been advised to provide you with two additional pieces of information as you will most likely discover them during the course of the day's events and we cannot afford for you to be surprised or distracted."
"Yeah?" Luka sighed. This couldn't really get much worse, could it?
"The akumatized victim is a friend of yours, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
Luka's face fell. Marinette? No… no, not Marinette!
"Furthermore, Marinette is the current holder of the Ladybug miraculous."
All color drained from Luka's skin as the enormity of what he had just been told registered. Marinette was—which meant—and they were going to have to fight—
"Take your time, my friend," Sass murmured soothingly. "The Guardian delivered your miraculous personally so that you would have time to process before you were needed."
For several long minutes, Luka was silent. He simply sat on his bed, eyes flickering at random as if watching a play that only he could see, his head canted to the side as if listening to a song only he could hear. "Marinette… Marinette is Ladybug," he finally spoke, letting the words roll off his tongue as if tasting them.
"Yes," Sass confirmed.
"And she's been akumatized," Luka continued.
"Yes."
"Well, it is what it is, I guess," he sighed before picking up the second jewelry box and opening it.
"Hi! I'm Ziggy the Kwami of Passion!" the little goat fairy chirped. "It's a pleasure to meet you! Though, I do wish it were under better conditions."
"That is certainly an understatement," Sass muttered.
"No kidding," Luka chuckled, running a hand nervously through his hair. "So, Ziggy, what do I need to know about your powers?"
"Well, there's the usual. The super suit, strength, durability—" Ziggy answered excitedly only to be cut off by Sass.
"The specifics, Ziggy," Sass grumbled.
"I was getting to that!" Ziggy protested.
Sass gave the goat kwami a look.
"Spoilsport, I had a whole speech prepared too," Ziggy muttered. "Fiiine. Straight to the good stuff. I grant my holders the ability, Genesis! Genesis allows my holder to conjure any single mundane object of their choosing."
Luka frowned. "That… doesn't seem that useful?" he muttered. It was just Ladybug's Lucky Charm but without the magic to make sure it was useful. What if he made a mistake?
"It is if you use it after activating Second Chance," Ziggy replied with a wicked grin.
Luka blinked, considering that for a moment before turning questioning eyes on Sass.
Sass nodded. "Second Chance resets everything, including the use of any miraculous abilities. Theoretically, there is no limit to how many combinations of objects or
"So, today's the day?" Alix asked as Fluff floated in front of her.
"It is!" Fluff chirped joyously. Then the little Kwami frowned, tapping their chin in thought. "Or is it actually yesterday? Which would make today tomorrow? But then the now would be then, but not the then then but the then then. Which would mean-"
"Fluff," Alix interrupted.
"Heh? What?" the Rabbit kwami asked. "What was I saying? Said? Or was I going to say something but hadn't said it yet?"
"Fluff, you're rambling."
"Oops. Sorry, the human perception of time as a linear concept is just so confusing!" the Kwami of Time whined, pulling at their ears.
"Not as confusing as you trying to talk about the human concept of time," Alix grumbled. "Now, come on. We have a job to do."
Fluff blinked at her. "But haven't I done this already?"
"Fluff!"
"Sorry, sorry," the little kwami apologized. "What were you saying?"
Alix sighed. "Marinette's been akumatized. We need to get to the burrow to find a way to help save her."
"Ooooh! Right, that time that liar girl tried to get her expelled!" Fluff said, realizing what she was talking about. "Oh! Oh! That was so exciting! Has she started evolving yet? What stage is she in?"
"What… stage?" Alix croaked, staring at Fluff in naked horror.
Fluff blinked, befuddled by the lack of response. "Yes, which stage? Her evolutions were so-so exciting! Is she using her second form? Her third?"
"She-she's in her first?" Alix explained, trying not to panic.
Fluff blinked again. First? That couldn't be right. Could it? There had been plenty of time, hadn't there? Or had she gotten her directions switched again? before "Oh. Oops," the tiny rabbit muttered, realizing that she might not have been supposed to say that. "Umm… Spoilers?"