Revving Engines
His heartbeat was beating faster by the second. His ears were blocking all other noise around him as he ran from rooftop to rooftop. His head moved from side to side, looking for the next attack. The heat of the sun was making it hard for him to keep his mind cooled. He was out of his element, standing out like a sore thumb amongst the pristine hands of a model. He needed to get to the shadows or the sewers where he'd be able to disappear from the eyes of the people and the one that was hunting him.
Spotting a large thick stack, he sidestepped behind it, feeling his heart and lungs about to explode. His mind was still reeling from what he'd been through in the last couple of minutes.
Had it been minutes? It felt like hours.
Izuku looked over his shoulder as he tried to keep the beating of his heart from deafening his other senses. He took in a deep breath, trying to think of a way out of this situation. He couldn't stay there in the open. He looked around his surroundings, trying to pinpoint where he was. Feeling out of breath, he managed to spot the name of a street near where he was.
"There's a sewer entrance three-no two blocks from here." Izuku panted, pulling himself up to his feet. "I should be able to lose him in the sew-"
Boom!
Izuku's eyes widened when he heard the sound barrier being punched through. He'd heard that noise many times on videos and a few patrols. But he never thought he'd be on the receiving end of them. He felt a shadow cast over his face. He turned up to see the hero that had been hunting him since earlier that day. His blood ran cold as he saw what he was about to do.
Just above Izuku hung the Speed Hero himself, Ingenium. The armored hero had blue flames coming out from the back of his legs, meaning he'd used one of his signature moves to catch up to the vigilante. His left leg was pulled back farther than his right one. It was only for a second but that was all that Izuku had to guess what the seventh hero of Paris was about to do.
"Recipro Burst!" ingenium swung his left leg at Izuku.
Izuku dropped down to the ground, getting his hat knocked off of his head as the speed hero's leg barely missed his head. He was blown forward as Ingenium's leg shattered the brick stack that he was hiding behind. As pieces of brick, concrete and warm steam blasted behind him, the vigilante rolled and spun to a halt on the edge of the rooftop. He dug his feet on the rooftop, skidding to a halt.
Izuku only had a second to look up as Ingenium turned to look at him. He held up his arms as Ingenium charged at him, tackling him into the next rooftop.
"I've caught you, Chat Noir! You're under arrest!" Ingenium called out as he ran so fast that he knocked the air out of Izuku's lungs.
Izuku needed to get out of this hold and get to the sewer entrance before he was unmasked and taken in cuffs. He looked around for anything that could help him. He thought about punching or prying Ingenium off of him, but with the speed of the tackle and the armor hold he was in was far too strong to break. He felt Ingenium running on the rooftops, crashing into whatever bits of trash and leftover construction to keep him from freeing himself. He tried to reach for his grappling hook or one of his Kali Sticks, but the pressure of the wind bent him in half. He looked around for anything as Ingenium began slowing down.
Izuku's mind worked overtime remembering all he knew about Ingenium's Miraculous and its drawbacks. He could hit super speeds within seconds that could reach 300 miles per hour, but between each burst the hero has to have a few seconds to rest. The smoke coming from his exhaust was a dead giveaway that he needed to slow down. Izuku had to use this chance or else he'd be unmasked. With what little oxygen he had in his system, he turned to see a chimney not far from where they were going. But he needed something to free himself. Then he spotted it.
Izuku's hat had been knocked away from his head and shot forward by the steam of the Recipro Burst. But now it fluttered next to him like a final wild card for him to use. He reached out, trying to wring himself out of the hold of the hero. He snatched his hat out of the air and pressed it on Ingenium's face, blinding him.
"What the-?!" Ingenium snapped.
The hero tried to knock the hat off of his face, but Izuku pressed it harder against Ingenium's armored face. Ingenium tried to move his face but all he got was blackness. He slowed down, trying to get the vigilante with the whiplash.
"Ingenium stop! There are people in front of us!" Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs.
"WHAT?!"
Ingenium grabbed Izuku's hand, pulling off the hat from his face.
"There's nothing there-!" Ingenium realized that he was being tricked a little too late.
Izuku used this brief moment of freedom to knee Inenium's face. He dug his heels on the rooftop, feeling his feet burn against the roof. He turned, using the momentum to toss the seventh hero off of him.
They both rolled to a halt, only for Ingenium to skid back to his feet.
Izuku grunted, pushing himself up as he saw the edge of the rooftop behind him. His back was killing him from the pain. He held his stomach, feeling the bruises forming underneath his clothes. He put on his hat as he heard the armored hero walk up to him with a defiant and sure step.
"I gotta say, that was a rotten move, vigilante. But quite resourceful, I'll give you that." Ingenium walked as the smoke from his engine legs followed him like a pair of black wings. "Blinding me, getting me to drop my guard and then using the brief cooldown time I need to get away. You really are as crafty as people say. But this is not a dark alley fight or a battle against low level thugs you can spring up on. As a member of the heroes of Paris, I need to uphold myself to a higher standard. And that is why, I don't care about the bounty on your head. If you come quietly, I'll make sure you get a fair trial for your crimes!"
Izuku grunted as he stood back to his feet. He knew that Ingenium wasn't lying. Getting praise from him was the highlight of his day. But, he couldn't get himself caught just yet. He had much work to do. This case needed his full attention and thus he had to lose the fastest hero in Paris. He slowly backed away towards the edge.
"Wait, careful with the edge!" Ingenium held out his hand.
"That's the idea." Izuku fell backwards from the edge of the rooftop, leaving Ingenium up there.
Ingenium rushed to the edge, jumping after Izuku using his speed to close up the distance between them. He went over the edge, reaching out for Izuku's hand, only for the vigilante to pull out one of his smoke bombs.
Izuku tossed his smoke bomb at Ingenium's face, covering it with smoke, blinding him. He used this chance to grab onto a drain pipe, slowing himself down as the hero landed on the ground coughing. Izuku knew that even if Ingenium landed in a bad posture his armor would've protected him from any permanent damage. He pushed himself forward, landing on the street with a roll. His head snapped to his right. His ears picked up the sound of police sirens coming towards his location.
"Damn, I gotta work fast." Izuku looked around as Ingenium managed to get back to his feet.
Izuku looked around for what he needed. His eyes landed on the manhole that led to the sewers. He rushed towards the manhole, prying it open. It was heavy, but he only had a few seconds before Ingenium got the smoke out of his face. He lifted the manhole slightly just as Ingenium walked out of the smoke, spreading whatever was left.
"You will not get away! No matter what tricks you pull, I will uphold justice!" Ingenium glared at Izuku with red watering eyes.
Ingenium rushed towards Izuku at top speed, giving the vigilante only seconds to get away.
Time seemed to slow down to a crawl between Ingenium running towards Izuku and him pulling up the manhole cover. The speedster hero got closer and closer to Izuku, reaching out to grab him once more. Izuku could almost see the whites of Ingenium's eyes when he finally managed to get the cover open just enough.
Izuku slipped into the manhole, closing it behind him.
"NO!" Ingenium skidded in a turn. "Damn it!"
Izuku ran through the sewers, knowing that Ingenium's armor was too thick and too big to get in through that entrance. He wasn't a fan of the smells of the sewers of Paris, but at that moment he needed to get out of sight and put as much distance as he could between him and the fast hero. His feet dug into the wet ground, pushing him forward as his body ached from all the punishment it had just endured.
Izuku managed to find a dry enough spot to rest after running for what felt like miles. He panted, pulling up the face portion of his mask to get in more oxygen to his body. He looked back and forth, making sure that he was alone in the sewers. Letting out a sigh of relief, he felt his heart finally ease up for what felt like the first time that day.
"Damn, Ingenium really earned his nickname, the Silver Bullet." Izuku winced. "He tackled me like a bullet train. It was a good thing he didn't have much of a running start or a solid enough surface to put his whole power into it, or else he could've snapped me in two." He held his stomach feeling the big bruise that was forming under his clothes.
His moment of reflection was cut short by his communicator coming to life.
"Izuku! Partner, do you hear me!" Mina's voice echoed in Izuku's ear, a blessed change from his jack rabbit beating heart.
"Y-Yeah. I hear you, Mina." Izuku began walking. "You have no idea how much your voice is a sound for sore ears."
"Well I am worried. According to the radio you got chased by Ingenium himself. Are you okay?" Mina asked.
"I've been better. I managed to lose him at the last second by a cat's whisker." Izuku looked around for signs of where he was. "I feel like I've run a marathon with weights."
"Well that's what you get for wearing all black in the middle of the day. What happened?" Mina asked.
"I'll tell you, it might be shaky but I've got to keep moving. Ingenium is probably looking for a way into the sewers to look for me." Izuku let out a sigh. "I need to prove my innocence by catching the actual thief before they strike again."
"You got any leads?" Mina asked.
"No sound. Not even a whisper," Izuku replied. "Here's how it happened…"
Izuku woke up with Alix wrapped around his body, her head resting on top of his heart. He caressed her head as he remembered how wild she'd been on Valentine's day.
"You certainly need three girlfriends, kitty~." Alix moaned. "I've never felt this good in years."
"I'm glad," Izuku said sheepishly.
The idea of him having now three girlfriends that were all very active in bed was a new thing for him. How could anyone blame him for trying to be humble about it?
Alix kissed him on the lips as his phone started ringing in his pants.
"Duty?" Alix asked.
Izuku looked at the screen of his phone, noting the caller ID.
"Nope." Izuku answered the call. "Bonjour Mina. How's it going?"
"Bonjour Izuku! We just wanted to check up on you and Alix, making sure she didn't steal all your stuff in the middle of the night to have a wild night of her own." Mina said over the phone.
"Tell her she can relax, I won't be going anywhere any time soon~." Alix licked her lips. "Kitty here kept me occupied every step of the way and I gotta admit that you girls are some of the luckiest ones I've ever come across to have snagged such a hunk before me."
"Did you get that, Mina?" Izuku asked, as his blush crossed his face.
"We got it loud and clear, darling~. And in your face, Alix!" Alya added her own view on the situation.
"Guess we stole him before you did~." Mina sang.
"But I did kiss him before either of you," Alix countered with a sly smirk of her own, making both Mina and Alya trip on their words. "However, I'll let that one slide since you two are going to need all the help you can get to satisfy Izuku here." Alix hugged Izuku from behind, pressing her breasts against his back as he tried to put on his pants.
"Why you!" Mina snapped in anger.
"Alright, you wanna go?! Let's go!" Alya growled and hissed.
Izuku couldn't help but feel like he was a doll or a prize being used in a tug of war between three different women. Often he wondered what went through the minds of the men that had lots of lovers or were constantly chasing after women after women with a lust unlike anything a normal man would have. He thought that he'd never be in a situation like those of comedy harem animes or old comedy shows that he and his parents often watched together. But now that he found himself in that kind of position, he could only feel happiness and a sense of serenity that felt like a step towards enlightenment.
His mind, however, reminded him that there was something to be made of Mina's call.
"Um, Mina, don't we have work to do today?" Izuku asked, cutting off the bickering of the three women.
"Huh? Oh merde! You're right, partner, we gotta move!" Mina snapped remembering they were on duty. "I'll pick you up and get to the station!"
After Mina hung up the call, Alix released her hold on Izuku's body. She had a smile on her face. She didn't have that many friends apart from Mei and a few others, so to have such a conversation with Mina and Alya was like a welcomed change.
"Want some coffee? You might have a long day." Alix asked.
"Um, sure. Thank you, Alix." Izuku bowed his head.
Alix found him adorable but also very desirable. As they both prepared a quick breakfast, she couldn't help but think back on their night together. This was probably the first night she ever saw her lover as an equal in more ways than one. She frankly wouldn't mind having him over more often or even have him take her out on a date. Too bad her Valentine's Day gift was given to her last night. But she was more than happy with what she got.
After a nice breakfast with Alix, Izuku was picked up by Mina for another day of work.
"Good morning, Mina." Izuku said.
"Good morning, Izuku." Mina kissed Izuku's cheek. "You do know that Captain Kendo will tan our hides for being late, right?"
"Yeah, I know." Izuku groaned.
Izuku and Mina drove to the Police Headquarters, making sure to get there on time for Captain Kendo not to realize that they were both five minutes late. They tiptoed to their desks, avoiding the gaze of anyone that could tattle on them. They ducked under two other officers as Captain Kendo made her way into her office with a cup of coffee in her hand. They snuck into their chairs before letting out a sigh of relief.
The two officers were given two seconds to savor their success, like a couple of kids that had snuck in past curfew.
"Midoriya, Ashido, my office, now." Kendo called the two officers from inside her office.
Izuku and Mina sighed as they knew their ruse had been discovered. Like two scolded kids, they walked into their captain's office as though it was the principal's office while the other officers snickered behind their backs. Once the two officers were inside the office, they were expecting a scolding from their captain and they got one.
"You two are late. Care to explain why?" Kendo sat down on her chair.
"It was my fault, captain. I slept in and Mina was the one that had to wake me up." Izuku bowed his head apologizing. "It won't happen again."
"I decided to drive according to the letter of the law, ma'am?" Mina added, hoping to get some of the heat off of Izuku.
"And I'm sure that all the Parisians in this city thank you, Mina. But that still doesn't change the fact that the two of you thought you could just sneak in like nothing!" Kendo scolded them. "You're lucky that I'm in a good mood because your work led to the capture of Dark Cupid. Which leads me to another point that I wanted to address with you two."
Izuku and Mina looked at each other wondering what their boss wanted to talk to them about.
"There's a theory that I'd like you both to look into. What I say doesn't leave this room, got it?" Kendo asked, making sure that her words were crystal clear.
Izuku and Mina nodded, understanding that what they were about to hear was important. They felt a nervous sweat roll down their backs as Kendo let out a breath after holding it in, mauling it over.
"After Naomasa's death, Chat Noir approached me with some information that I didn't quite understand nor know if I could trust. He believes that the Parisian kingpin known as Hawkmoth has influence over the villains that tend to pop up from time to time, keeping normal crime from getting picked up on." Kendo explained.
"So you want us to look into it?" Mina asked.
"No." Kendo shot down Mina's question.
"Then what's the theory that you wanted us to look into?" Izuku asked.
"I want you to look at the heroes that had been called to face off against the villain attacks of the last couple of months. Anyone that's been getting too much activity may be a threat to Hawkmoth or someone of interest." Kendo explained.
"You think the PSC is involved, ma'am?" Mina asked.
"As of this moment, I've only got a suspicion that someone in that organization is working for Hawkmoth, a mole of some kind." Kendo narrowed her eyes. "You'll be looking into this under the pretense of improving relations between the police and the heroes while looking into anything that they may need police expertise in. I'm counting on you two to be as discreet and as professional as you two are capable of. You report whatever you find to me and me alone. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Izuku and Mina saluted their captain with serious expressions on their faces.
"Remember, no shenanigans." Kendo dismissed the two officers.
"We understand boss, no nonsense from us." Mina smirked.
"We will make sure that everything is followed by the letter." Izuku opened the door only for him and Mina to step into the closet.
Kendo let out a tired sigh at their action.
Izuku and Mina stepped out of the closet with sheepish grins.
"No shenanigans starting now." Izuku opened the door, hitting an officer, knocking down his paperwork and the drink he had with him.
"AH! Tea, you've betrayed me too!"
"We told you to stop bringing hot beverages to work!"
Izuku could only wince as he jumped to help the other officer that he'd knocked back. He quickly picked up the paperwork before handing the officer a towel for his face. However, he ended up slipping on the leftover tea, causing him to throw the papers along with the towel at the man.
"I'm so sorry!" Izuku tried to pull the man up but ended up falling on him before Mina jumped in.
"Hang on, partner!" Mina pulled him back to his feet along with the towel and paperwork and the other officer's wig.
"Why?!"
Izuku and Mina looked at Kendo as her fists trembled with annoyance.
"No shenanigans starting, now!" Mina took Izuku and ran away from the scene before something else could happen.
Kendo looked at the mess as she reviewed her life choices.
"Those two will kill someone one of these days," Kendo said, rubbing her temples.
Izuku and Mina were sitting on his desk, preparing what they knew and who they'd be tackling.
"So, where do we start, partner?" Mina asked.
"We need to narrow this down. Tackling all ten heroes won't get us anywhere." Izuku rationalized. "This could be our own way of chasing after the mole within the heroes or maybe inside of their agencies. We can make this work if we apply what we know and what we can find out."
Izuku and Mina looked over the list of all the active heroes from the top ten that had been called upon to fight villains over the last three months. They had pictures of all ten heroes that had been active, and knew that they had been fighting villains over the course of those three months. They needed to cut down on until they had a manageable number of suspects. After looking at the number of reports, they found that only a handful of heroes received over fifty calls each month.
"Alright, taking out normal crime and team ups, we have five heroes that have been called the most these last three months," Izuku said. "Ingenium, Mirko, Foxthrob, Freezerburn and…"
"Dynamight," Mina finished.
"...yeah. They all have strong connections to these crime rates and were called away to face a villain in their areas." Izuku tried to use his head. "Or had plenty of reason to battle any present villains."
"Right. So, you want to remove someone right off the bat?" Mina gestured to Dynamight's picture.
Izuku looked down. He didn't want to think that his childhood friend was actually working for a villain. He'd followed his friend's career since his debut as a hero, and despite his vicious persona in battle, and butting heads with some heroes, he always worked in the straight and narrow. But the officer knew that he had to approach all this with an unbiased view of the situation. Whatever call he made, he'd have to follow the line that logic dictated him to follow.
"Let's first cross out the heroes that have a history of being in the right place at the right time. Mirko is known to hop around Paris most of the time and uses her ears to pick up on any activity around her." Izuku explained.
"And most of her calls to action were made by her being there if the records are correct." Mina looked at the reports. "So, she's not our mole." She crossed Mirko's name off.
"Freezrburn is the number one hero, which means that he only deals with some big villains. His calls often have to do with him being asked to aid other heroes, and a few for possible damages made to structures because of his powerful Miraculous." Izuku analyzed. "And thus making the possibility of him being the one we're looking for not a likely one."
"Why?" Mina asked. "Anyone would bend over backwards to do anything for the number one hero."
"Exactly, if you were a mole or working in secret, you'd want to keep a low profile but be popular enough to have sway over the PSC. Being at the top puts too much pressure and puts too many eyes on you." Izuku explained, crossing him out.
"That leaves us with Ingenium, Dynamight and Foxthrob." Mina pointed out. "This might get awkward."
"Yeah. But that's the job. We need to start with the lowest ranking and go up from there." Izuku suggested.
"I'll drive!" Mina cheered, causing Izuku some concern. "What? If we're going to go talk to the fastest hero we need the fastest driver."
Izuku couldn't fault her logic, Ingenium had been known to patrol a big area of the city thanks to his speed. He also wouldn't lie and say that he didn't want to face his best friend first. He needed to be a hundred percent sure before opening that can of worms, and that also included going after his girlfriend.
The idea that one of the top ten heroes was actually working with the man that had killed Naomasa brought a foul taste to Izuku's mouth. Not just because he'd dream of being a hero like them, but because this meant their actions, actions that were praised, were all sourced out of something false. A true hero rose out of adversity and did what was right. To be at the services of a villain like Hawkmoth was all the contrary.
As Mina drove, she looked at Izuku as he kept bouncing and analyzing the thoughts in his mind. He muttered under his breath, making her worry about his mental health.
"You worried about what we'll do about the mole once we find them?" Mina asked, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts.
"...Yeah. I know that this is just a theory, but we need to be sure." Izuku tried to steel himself.
"So, who don't you want it to be?" Mina asked. "We've established that you don't want to point fingers before being absolutely sure. So we can at least see who amongst the top ten heroes you don't want to see on the chopping block."
Izuku sighed. He wanted to say that none of them were the mole. But the only name that came to his mind was his best friend's.
"Bakugo." Izuku sighed. "He worked so hard to get where he is. I just can't see him letting someone like Hawkmoth get away with what he's doing."
"Alright, that's the Izuku fire I was looking for! So that scratches him off the list." Mina smiled, accelerating.
"Huh?" Izuku looked at Mina.
"Something all good detectives and officers must have is a good gut feeling!" Mina smirked as she drove past all the other cars. "You can go out and follow the lines of logic all you want, but if you don't have the guts to go out and take a wild swing once in a while, you may never get the answers you need." She passed a red light, drifting past the other cars with her mad driving skills.
Izuku smiled. She was right. He couldn't always rely on logic to dictate his movements. Hawkmoth was making the game harder and that meant that he needed to go with his gut feeling when things seemed bleak. Though he was always one to follow his head, some situations called for him to follow his gut and-
"You there! Stop this vehicle at once!"
Izuku and Mina turned to see Ingenium's face stuck to the passenger's window, looking at them with a serious expression while casting a slightly intimidating facade. The two officers couldn't help but scream at the sight of the hero looking at them through the window.
Mina stepped on the brakes, spinning the wheel of Alien Queen. She accidentally caused the back of the car to hit Ingenium in the back, sending him rolling to one of the garbage cans like a bowling ball against a bunch of pins.
Izuku and Mina watched as the seventh hero was covered in garbage bags before their eyes.
"Oops." Mina let out as Izuku's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"You two should be more careful about your reckless driving!" Ingenium scolded Izuku and Mina, swinging his arm in a karate chop motion as if he was trying to drill his words into her head.
After helping Ingenium back to his feet and putting all the garbage back where it belonged, the hero quickly got into a long speech about the dangers of reckless driving in a prestigious city like Paris. The two officers couldn't help but feel that they were being scolded by a teacher or a student representative for running in the halls or not turning in their homework. It was both funny and very embarrassing at the same time for them.
"Despite your level of driving skills, you must adhere to the rules of driving in the city. Which include not going at speeds equal to mach 1!" Ingenium added.
"Um but don't you drive at speeds far faster than that?" Izuku pointed out.
Ingenium stopped for a moment as though he was a kid that had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"...I'm not a car and I do not go at those speeds all the time." Ingenium countered. "Who are you two anyway? I should take you to the police immediately."
"Um, actually, Ingenium." Izuku and Mina pulled out their badges much to Ingenium's shock.
"You're both officers of the law?!" Ingenium bowed upon the realization. "I apologize for not seeing it sooner! I didn't mean to stop you from getting to your location! Though it would be avoidable in the future if you had a siren or a flashing light on your vehicle."
"Too bad Captain Kendo confiscated it." Mina pouted.
Izuku couldn't help but stifle a laugh at Mina's childish reaction. He turned his sights to the hero.
"Please, you don't need to bow, we were in the wrong." Izuku bowed, apologizing to the hero. "We were actually on our way to your agency."
"In that case, allow me to escort you. I believe the police could shine a light on something that's just come up." Ingenium said.
Izuku and Mina looked at each other, wondering what Ingenium meant.
A short drive away, Ingenium's agency resided in a large white building with the logo of the Ingenium name on top. The building was slick, the halls were filled with pictures of fast cars, heroes running and accomplishments made by the past Ingeniums. The agency resembled a professional racing office and a high speed traffic monitoring room.
"Welcome," Ingenium said. "to the Ingenium hero agency." Ingenium took off his helmet, revealing his short dark hair and glasses.
"Whoa, the pictures of this place don't do it justice." Izuku watched with awe.
"I like the racing theme you've got going. Is that the National French Formula One Team? Alpine F1?" Mina looked at the picture with stars in her eyes.
"Yes, we worked with them to stop the Bat back when he tried to sabotage the racetrack to dig out stolen mafia loot." Ingenium explained.
"I remember reading about that. He destroyed two of the team's vehicles and the equipment before you were called in, making it seem like the field was haunted to dig out thirty thousand Euros worth of gold hidden there by the Flambe Family." Izuku explained.
"Yes, you are correct, Officer Midoriya. The team manager and some of the engineers have connections with our agency and called us in." One of Ingenium's assistants came up to them with an envelope. "Thank you, Yoshi. Now, onto the matter that I've asked you here. We received this envelope yesterday."
The envelope had a challenge card on it, written with a very fancy looking calligraphy addressed to Ingenium.
"Monsieur Ingenium,
My name is of no concern, but I write this letter to challenge you to a little game. Your biggest accomplishment was stopping three bank robberies in a few minutes. I challenge you to do it again and arrest me while you're at it. Tomorrow I will rob three banks over the course of the day. You have until the stroke of midnight to catch me.
Yours truly."
"Huh, kinda fancy." Mina pointed out. "Has it been dusted off for prints?"
"It hasn't. At first, I thought it was a joke, but I started wondering. I've been getting similar calls that were false, so I thought it best to have it looked at by the authorities." Ingenium explained.
"Interesting. How many of these false alarm calls have you received, Ingenium?" Izuku asked.
"Sadly, I've gotten similar calls from time to time. Sometimes the calls lead me to being on the other side of the city before a villain attacks or to go to locations where there was supposed to be an attack and there was nothing." Ingenium sighed.
"There was this one time he crashed one of Queen Bee's perfume commercials." Yoshi commented, causing Mina to snicker.
"Um, yeah. Do you know which banks this person will be robbing?" Izuku asked, hoping to save Ingenium from any more embarrassment.
"Yes, there's a list under the note. If this is a real call, I'll never forgive myself for not taking it seriously." Ingenium expressed, bowing his head in a humble gesture.
"You can count on us, Ingenium!" Mina and Izuku gave him a salute, putting the note on an evidence bag.
Izuku and Mina dropped off the note and envelope back at the forensic lab back at HQ. They told Captain Kendo about the calls and how this person might be taking advantage of the false alarms. She gave them the case, and they were off once more.
As Mina drove, Izuku started to look into the different calls that had been made to the Ingenium agency. He matched it with the ones that led to him meeting up with other heroes. He could only think that the calls were meant to aid in the rise of normal crime around Ingenium's area. There was one bit of information that he could use to solidify the information he'd gotten ahold of.
"You know which banks this mysterious thief is planning on hitting, Izuku?" Mina asked.
"I do. They are the same banks that Ingenium caught those bank robberies. Banque Palatine, HSBC and KBC Bank." Izuku read the list.
"Those are far from each other." Mina pointed out. "Anything else you've got from our conversation with the speedy hero?"
"Yes, all the calls had been made anonymously and through private numbers. But here's the kicker, the calls were made to the Special Emergency Number." Izuku pointed out.
"The what?" Mina asked.
"The Special Emergency Number is a number that is used between hero agencies, to better coordinate in case of villain attacks going from one area to another." Izuku explained. "Or anyone that works in the agencies."
"Which means that whoever sent most of those calls could be the mole we're looking for." Mina pointed out. "They could be a member of staff or an assistant that got ahold of the numbers."
Izuku nodded in agreement as they made their way to the first bank. As they drove, his mind wandered with the information that they had just uncovered and what it could mean. This sadly didn't narrow the pool of suspects, it only increased it. The vigilante knew that the agencies of each of the heroes of Paris had plenty of staff, ranging from assistants to analysts to reception front desk, each agency had around twenty to fifty people working around the clock.
Izuku had to find a way to narrow the number of suspects down once more. Whoever was making these calls had to have access to more than just Ingenium's number to make all the heroes move around to the areas that they wanted them to. But in order to do that, the mole would have to sneak in and out of the agencies without so much as a soul or a camera catching wind of them. Izuku theorized that maybe the mole just had an invisibility Miraculous, or a vanishing one or a chameleon one. However, he quickly threw that out since many of the cameras were given heat detection tech as a way to prevent those types of Miraculous from running rampant. But if it wasn't a Miraculous that made people invisible, then what could that mean?
Izuku's mind quest for answers was cut short as they arrived at the first bank on the list.
The bank was a small spot on the edge of the building, but it carried itself with praise and well standing. It was one of the oldest banks in Paris and was standing with a new modern look to match the century that it inhabited. The entrance was guarded by a security guard and the desks were full of people getting their money or making movements from one account onto the next one.
"Here we are, partner." Mina parked the car. "Banque Palatine. Nice place, huh?"
"Yeah, this bank must have a back entrance of some kind. The front would get any thief too much attention." Izuku pointed out.
"Why do you think they'll go for the back and not the front?" Mina asked. "Maybe they're a huge thief that likes to bust down doors."
"No, the note that was sent to Ingenium made it sound like the thief isn't the kind to break down doors and take the money at gunpoint. No, this thief is making this a challenge and he plans to make sure every step is taken with the precision of a clockmaker." Izuku narrowed his eyes. "I'll take a look around. The thief might be looking for a way inside."
"Alright, I'll keep my eyes set on the front door." Mina suggested.
Izuku nodded as he got out of the car. He started looking around for a place to change. Spotting an empty and cameraless spot, he changed into his vigilante costume. Normally, Izuku would've waited for the nighttime to change into his other set of clothes, but he wanted to be ready in case the thief was around.
Izuku climbed up to the rooftop and looked around for any signs of a thief. His only experience with thieves was limited to only Alix, but he felt confident that the thief would try to play their game smart instead of pure power and strength. He looked around, noting the very silent place where he found himself in. Looking through his binoculars, he spotted the back alley behind the bank.
His eyes spotted something that he wasn't expecting, a slightly ajar door behind the bank itself. He narrowed his eyes before dropping down and looking at the door. Just as he approached the door, he saw the remains of a busted camera next to it. Not good. He slowly opened the door, walking into the back of the bank, hoping to find a trace of the thief or catch them in the act.
He walked into the back of the bank wondering how there wasn't a single alarm going off. On his path, he found signs of broken security locks and pads. His gut was filled with a strange sense of dread. He went down the stairs to the room where the vault was located wondering where all the sound had gone. Pulling out one of his kali sticks, he rounded up the corner where he found three security guards gagged, blindfolded and tied together before the large open bank vault. He pulled the gag out of one of the guards.
"What happened?" Izuku asked.
"Mon dieu, I don't… don't know. It all happened so fast." The guard coughed. "One second we were doing our rounds and the next-"
Izuku didn't get to hear the rest of the guard's explanation.
A loud alarm blared through the room as though bloody murder had been let loose.
Izuku spun around, looking at the blaring alarm box that was just above him. He didn't understand how the alarm had just now gone off. But one thing was certain, he had to get out of there. He ran back the way he came, not bothering to untie the guards. He cursed himself for not paying attention to the lack of noise.
Izuku kicked down the door he had snuck in from, running into the alley behind the bank. He'd never had to deal with being caught by alarms or being seen by cameras in the nighttime, but now he couldn't berate himself for his carelessness. He needed to get away from the scene before anyone saw him. At the very least since the cameras were out, he wouldn't have been seen going into the bank from the back.
"Stop right there!"
Izuku turned around and his eyes went wide in shock.
Ingenium stood on the other side of the alley. The hero looked at the broken door and the busted camera on the back of the bank. His fast mind quickly put two and two together in a way that only ended badly for Izuku.
"Chat Noir? You sent me that note and you just robbed the bank?" Ingenium pointed at the vigilante. "Stop, you're under arrest!"
Izuku couldn't get caught at that moment. He ran away, pulling out his grappling gun and fired it at one of the rooftops. He flew up into the air only to feel a gust of wind behind him. He turned his head just in time to see Ingenium shooting towards him with his leg thrown back.
Izuku pulled his legs to his stomach, blocking the kick. He winced as he felt the full force of the kick sending him flying. He groaned in pain as he flew past the spot he planned to land. His ribs felt bruised and his legs felt like he'd just been struck with a metal rod. Through his gritting teeth and pained shaky legs, he looked at Ingenium glaring at him.
As he flew through the air, he looked around for somewhere soft to land. His eyes landed on a drying line. He tugged at his grappling hook, unhooking it from where he'd fired it. He tossed it at the drying line, using it as the perfect swinging spot. Swinging through the air, he looked back to see Ingenium running after him.
"Stop this instant, vigilante!" Ingenium called out.
Izuku grunted, knowing that a fight with Ingenium would not be in his favor. He swung himself towards the rooftop just as the speedster hero ran up to catch him. Using his momentum, Izuku landed a backflip, planting his two feet on Ingenium's side. He kicked him on the ribs, using that as the stepping stone to get back to high ground.
Izuku watched Ingenium spinning in the air before landing on his feet. The hero skidded to a halt before looking up. But Ingenium didn't find a single sign of the vigilante.
"You won't escape me, Chat Noir! You had the nerve to cast down the gauntlet and by my honor as the heir of Ingenium's name, I shall pick it up!" Ingenium called out, raising his fist in a heroic pose. "And now that I know where you're going, you'll be easy pickings!" Ingenium took off, running up the wall to intercept Chat Noir.
Back in the present, Izuku kept on walking through the sewers, making progress to the next spot in this case. He sighed as his legs still felt the sting of the kick that they'd block. If he'd gotten the kick in full swing, his legs would've been broken in two, but only if he was lucky. He rubbed his legs as he finished filling in Mina on his situation.
"Wait, you're going to the next bank? Pourquoi?" Mina asked. "That's where Ingenium will be going."
"As well as the thief. I have to assume that he doesn't know that I've been caught in this cat and mouse game." Izuku spotted the opening to one of the rivers ahead of him. "Which means that he won't be expecting me. And with Ingenium's attention centered on me, I'll try to lead him there and catch the real criminal."
"Okay, I get the logic behind it. So, how can I help?" Mina asked. "I can't just sit pretty in my car all day."
"I need to know why the alarm only sounded when I was there. The whole robbery seemed to have taken place already and several of the pieces of equipment had already been destroyed." Izuku fired his grappling hook, flying into the mouth of another sewer entrance. "An alarm should've sounded a lot sooner than that."
"You think it was hacked or tampered with?" Mina asked.
"Ask the guards what they remember and look at the security cameras, those should give us a clue as to what happened." Izuku replied. "I must've missed something."
"You got it, partner!" Mina hung up the call.
Izuku tried to think back at what he'd seen back at the bank. Everyone had been working like it was just another normal day, meanwhile someone had broken in from the back and stolen money from the vault? Why hadn't the alarms sounded off when the cameras were taken out? Why hadn't the guards been alerted to the presence of an intruder? Those questions bounced in Izuku's mind.
He could discard the idea that someone with brute strength or speed had done the deed. The scene had no marks of excessive strength or burn marks from fast running, plus someone would've noticed those kinds of Miraculous going around and alerted everyone. His mind returned to the broken cameras and busted the keypads. Which meant that the job was planned to blind the security and snatch the money before anyone knew it.
But the alarm had still gone off as soon as something went wrong. Izuku kept on walking while also wondering about the lack of sound when he entered the hallway of the bank and the vault. That was strange.
Izuku soon found himself under another manhole, climbing up to it before poking his head out into the street. He looked around, hoping that Ingenium wasn't up there waiting for him to make a mistake. Jumping out once the coast was clear, he fired his grappling hook up to one of the tall buildings to get a better view. His eyes spotted the next bank on the list.
"Time to catch a thief," Izuku said. "And this time, it'll be the real one!" Izuku ran towards the bank with determination.
Meanwhile, back with Mina, she was looking at the security guards with an angry glare with an intensity that could've melted them faster than her acid. She was tapping her foot, waiting for the security guards to explain the situation. SHe just couldn't believe what they had told her.
"So you're telling me you didn't hear anything and the next thing you know you were all out, blindfolded, gagged and tied up?" Mina growled.
"We're telling you that's what happened," The guard replied, feeling guilty enough. "We didn't even know someone had entered the vault until it was too late."
Mina pinched the bridge of her nose as she took statements from everyone and got other officers to the bank to see what had happened. She wished that Izuku was with her but she knew that he had his own problems. She needed something, anything to help him figure this out before it was too late.
"Do you know how much was stolen from the vault?" Mina asked.
"The manager just finished counting, around thirty to forty thousand Euros are gone from the vault." The guard replied.
"What about the security cameras? They must've caught something." Mina suggested.
"This way officer." The manager gestured.
Mina watched the feed from the back entrance only to see it empty. She frowned as she fast forwarded up until before the alarm sounded when the camera went black.
"What happened?" Mina asked.
"It must be the time when the thief broke the camera." The manager said.
"What time was that?" Mina asked.
"Approximately, 1:50 pm." The manager read on the feed.
"But that's half an hour before the alarm sounded. You mean to tell me no one noticed that?" Mina asked. "What about the inner cameras?"
"It seems to be a similar story." The manager played the feed before Mina.
Mina narrowed her eyes, watching at the feed slowly showed what happened before turning black. But just before the cameras went black, she noticed something being tossed into the hallway, followed by a brief light purple wave coming from it.
"Stop. What's that thing?" Mina asked, pointing to the object.
"I don't know, it wasn't around the area when we looked." The manager replied.
Mina rushed to the area where the camera had caught the strange object. She paced herself until she found herself right underneath the busted camera that had caught the object. She looked around the floor, hoping to find out what it could have been. She turned her gaze to the floor around her, hoping to find the object she saw.
Mina never wished she had Izuku with her now more than ever. However, her eyes caught sight of a small object on the side of the hall. Taking out a pair of gloves, she picked it up to observe it with care. It looked like a metallic purple guitar pick with a black exe in the middle of it. But this piece was a little too big and thick to play any form of musical instrument. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed the strangeness of the object.
"What is this?" Mina muttered, looking at the piece carefully before noting something written in the back. "'Sound Neutralizer'? Okay, this isn't normal stuff to leave."
Mina didn't know where to check the piece she found. This looked like a support item that a hero would use when in combat. But she didn't even know what this was supposed to do. It looked like a gadget that girl, Mei–.
"Of course."
"Well, take a look at this little baby." Mei observed and looked over the Sound Neutralizer.
Mina drove up to the Broken Clock Bar as soon as she was able to get out of the bank. As much as she wanted to go to the next bank and support Izuku, she needed to get answers about what she found. And Mei was the only one she knew could figure it out as fast as she needed. Even if that meant dealing with Alix.
"Yeah, I found it in the middle of a case. Normally I would go back to HQ to get answers but I'm in a little bit of a rush here." Mina sighed.
"Is our boy in trouble?" Alix asked.
"He's being hunted by Ingenium for a crime he did not commit," Mina said. "Which means the longer we take the less time he's got before he's caught."
"Geez, just when I think he can't get into anything crazier." Alix smirked remembering their night together.
"Really? You know that he's done it with me and Alya too, right?" Mina asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, but I bet I can make him not want to get out of bed." Alix challenged.
"This thing is amazing!" Mei smirked widely. "This support item is all high end quality. Why would anyone leave it behind? With this you can so make a lot of noise and a lot of no noise."
"What's all this about?" Mina asked.
"This piece is like a mini-maga speaker stereo. It can be used to make any sound increase up to thousands of decibels." Mei explained, showing off the item. "And I'm talking so loud they can rip the clothes off of any hot date."
"Hey, don't get any ideas, Mei. The last time you played with noise you shattered the windows and the glasses of the bar." Alix scolded her friend.
"But how does this work with the case I'm working on?" Mina asked.
"It's been modified to aid in the suppression of noise, almost like helping in creating a vacuum that sucks up the sound around it." Mei explained. "My guess is that whoever is using this piece must have a Miraculous that is sound-based."
"A sound-based Miraculous?" Mina muttered.
She looked at the piece and started to wonder about the time between the appearance of the support item and the time the alarms went off. She looked down in thought, tapping her chin as she started thinking about how they weren't coincidence.
"How long does the battery last?" Mina asked.
"Well, based on its size and the materials that were used to make it, I'd say around 30 minutes to two hours depending on the range between the user and it." Mei handed the support item to Mina.
"Thirty minutes. Guess that checks out." Mina left the bar. "Thanks for the info girls. I'll make it up to you two."
"Anyday, Pinkie!" Alix and Mei waved at Mina. "She's got a nice body."
"Boss, you've got it bad and I'm talking very bad for those three." Mei giggled.
"You can't blame me." Alix blew a raspberry at Mei.
Izuku approached the second bank, the HSBC from across the river. He knelt between the air conditioning generators on top of the buildings across from the bank. He didn't know how much time he had before Ingenium made his way there or if the thief was already there. He did know that he had to make sure to cover all his angles and find anything that stood out to him.
"Where could he be?" He muttered to himself.
He wasn't dealing with someone that wanted to stand out, but also someone that had enough confidence in themselves to go around robbing banks in broad daylight. This challenge was both a way to strike at the pride of Ingenium and a way to make a name for themselves. But the knowledge and precision of the strikes was tied to the possibility that the thief had someone helping them.
Izuku looked at the bank, noting that it was a slightly bigger building than the last one. It was made out of beige colored stone with a big entrance with four columns behind the glass doors. On top of the door, the name of the bank was written in bright red letters with people walking in and out of the bank without paying it much mind.
However, his eyes landed on someone walking into the bank like nothing. The man wore a long beige trench coat with a fedora, far too much for a hot Parisian day.
"What in the-?" Izuku muttered, spotting the large bag that the man carried.
Izuku didn't think it was possible, but he couldn't take anything for granted. He fired his grappling hook to the bank building, landing on the roof. He spotted a large glass dome that gave him a look down at what was happening inside the bank. The vigilante looked for the man in a beige coat. He found him by the entrance of the bank.
As he narrowed his eyes, he saw the man touch his chest, causing his body to briefly glow with a light purple light.
"What was that?" Izuku asked himself as the man pulled out a small gun out of his coat.
Izuku gasped as he expected everyone inside the bank to swarm the man in the trench coat. But bafflingly and almost astonishingly, no one noticed as the man fired his pistol over and over again. His jaw stretched out his mask as he wondered why no one was noticing the actions of the man. His eyes were glued to the man as he watched him walk around everyone, keeping close to the wall.
Izuku followed the man's path as he dropped something small as he walked under all the alarms. He narrowed his eyes, noticing that the small objects glowed a light purple. His mind raced, wondering how everyone inside the bank didn't realize the sketchy actions of the character even when he was behind them.
His mind went back to what the guard had said: They hadn't heard anything.
The vigilante kept following the man on the trench coat as he slipped into the offices and the location of the inner vault.
"You won't get away this time." Izuku rushed to one of the windows, looking for an exit.
He climbed down, spotting a window on the third floor. He tugged and tugged, trying to pull the window open, making sure that no one heard him. He grunted slowly opening the window, hoping that he could go in and stop the villain.
"Halt villain!"
Izuku's heart leapt out of his chest as he almost lost his grip on the building. He looked back to see Ingenium running towards him at top speed.
"Are you kidding me?!" Izuku jumped into the bank through the window, shattering the glass.
However, as soon as he landed inside the bank, he noticed that the broken glass hadn't made a sound. Izuku looked around, wondering if anyone had even noticed his actions. But no one even bothered to look up. Izuku felt like suddenly he and everyone else had gone deaf, and were made completely unaware of what was going on around them.
"This is freaky." Izuku muttered.
Izuku looked around for signs of the man in the trench coat. He didn't have long as Ingenium was biting at his heels already. He ran down the steps just in time to see the alarms going off, flashing their lights. But no sound was coming from them.
His eyes landed on the man as he calmly walked out of the bank with his duffle bag. He could only guess that he planned to walk out the front door with his ill gotten loot. Narrowing his eyes, he ran after him, only for the doors to open up, revealing Ingenium.
"Stop right there villain!" Ingenium called out, making Izuku curse under his breath.
The man with the trench coat looked at Ingenium in shock, only for the hero to not look at him directly.
"Come quietly and face the consequences of your actions!" Ingenium pointed at izuku, making the man in the trench coat look in shock.
"Wait, Ingenium, let me explain! He's the man you want!" Izuku pointed to the man with a trench coat only for Ingenium to run towards him, tackling the vigilante.
"You will not pin your actions on an innocent bystander!" Ingenium called out as Izuku was solely focused on the man in the trench coat.
Izuku saw the man turn around, giving him a good look at his face and what he wore. The bank robber had light blue skin with bright green eyes, wearing a large purple and black helmet with a black mohawk fin, a growling face guard and yellow drawn spikes and bumps on headphone-like ears. Izuku could've sworn he was giving him a smug smile under his helmet as he walked away.
He would not let him escape and leave him holding the bag.
"Tell me something Ingenium, where did I put the money I supposedly stole?" Izuku asked.
"What?" Ingenium asked, giving Izuku the chance he needed.
He swiped one of Ingenium's legs with his foot before wrapping his arms around his waist from behind. Izuku lifted the armored hero, tossing him over and away from him with a kick.
"Sorry!" Izuku called out as Ingenium crashed.
But he didn't get much respite.
Izuku dropped a smoke bomb, coating himself.
"Not this time!" Ingenium ran around the smoke, creating a tornado, clearing the air.
Izuku was trapped, feeling the air in his lungs being pulled out. Suddenly, the alarms went off, getting Ingenium's attention. Izuku didn't need another second. He fired his grappling hook at the glass dome above them, getting out of there, coughing for the lack of air. He broke through the glass, taking in a deep breath of fresh air.
He needed to run. He jumped from the rooftop to the bottom of the street. But he didn't see much of where to go. Ingenium would catch him if he didn't do something and fast.
SQUEEEEELLL!
Izuku turned back to see Alien Queen skid to a halt behind him.
"Hey handsome, need a lift?" Mina poked her head from the driver's seat.
Izuku smiled under his mask before jumping into the car, before Ingenium got to the back alley.
Mina drove away, blending into the street traffic. She didn't know where Ingenium was or if he had seen her drive off with Izuku all suited up in the back seat, but she wasn't taking any chances. She quickly broke off from the main streets and drove into the back alleys, snaking through smaller streets and keeping Alien Queen from being spotted. She made a sharp turn into an alley, letting the cars behind her drive on, leaving a coat of dust to cover her tracks.
Mina let out a sigh as she looked back to her partner and passenger.
"Hey Izu. How was your day today?" Mina asked.
"Exhausting." Izuku let out. "I can still feel my heart beating all the way up to my throat." Izuku pulled off his mask.
"Well, it seems we lost Ingenium before he could've seen us driving off." Mina smirked. "Miraculous or not, no one can beat my mad driving skills."
Izuku smiled, knowing that Mina's skills were nothing to sneeze at. He was happy to no longer have to make due with only his two legs or the sewers for transport. But despite the respite that he was having at that moment, he remembered that the thief had been able to elude him.
"He was there." Izuku said.
"Ingenium?" Mina asked.
"Yes, but I was referring to the challenger. The one that robbed the first bank and this one as well." Izuku changed into his normal uniform as he caught his breath. "I only caught his face for a little bit, he was wearing a modified biker helmet. And he seemed to have a kind of support item that nullified any sound. Too bad I couldn't snatch one of them to look into."
"I've got you covered there, partner." Mina pulled up the evidence bag with the item she'd found. "I gave it to Mei to look at. She said that this thing is used as an extension of the user's Miraculous. It can last up to a few hours depending on the range of the user."
"A sound-based Miraculous? That explains how he managed to move around without anyone noticing him. Mina, you're a lifesaver." Izuku praised Mina before picking the bag. "If the bank robber can somehow cancel out sound or silence it, then his actions are almost invisible. Even in a silent spot as quiet as a bank, someone that can't make any noise would be able to slip past security after silencing the alarms."
"Great. So, the guy is a walking mute button. But how do we beat this guy and clear your name?" Mina asked.
"Catching him in the act would be my best guess. Sadly, he now knows that Chat Noir is involved in this case," Izuku said. "But he must know that I'll be going after him."
"Did you notice anything on them? Like an idea of where they might be stashing the money?" Mina asked.
Izuku pulled up a map on his phone. He knew that the amount of money was being carried in duffle bags, but someone carrying several empty bags would've raised a few eyebrows. Also he had to consider that now they would need to change their disguise after being spotted by him and Ingenium. Izuku punched the three addresses of the three banks.
"The thief has been careful to keep out of the way and fly below the radar of Ingenium, using his support items and his Miraculous. But now that he's been so close to being caught, he'll try to come up with a different disguise to break into the last bank." Izuku looked at the area between the banks. "Which means he'll need to go to a safehouse, where he'll store his loot."
"But where would we even start looking? There's got to be several locations where he could be hiding." Mina tapped her chin. "His whole thing is silence, and it would be a spot that wouldn't come into view of Ingenium or the other heroes. Do we know the location of the calls that turned out to be false alarms?"
Izuku pulled up the list of calls. He found the time and from what number they came from, but there wasn't anything about the location of the calls. He shook his head as he wondered what he should do next.
However, an idea surged in his mind.
"If we can't find their hiding spot, then we will just have to follow them there." Izuku proposed.
"Huh?" Mina asked. "But I thought you said that this guy was the slippery kind?"
"At first, yeah. But now, I know what to look for." Izuku said. "Let's head to the next bank location. I've got a plan."
Mina nodded, driving off to the third and final bank in the silent thief's radar.
Izuku was suited up once more, using his binoculars to look out for any signs of the man he was waiting for. He stood high on top of the bank, keeping an eye out for the man he was looking for.
"Anything on your end?" Mina asked through her communicator.
"Nothing yet, but he won't hesitate to finish his challenge." Izuku replied. "Anything on your end?"
"No one that matches your description of the man. But there's a good chance that they are looking for a way out without catching any attention." Mina said, looking out through her own binoculars. "The man must be taking his time on this. Why not do this when everyone least expects it?"
"He's doing this to make a fool out of Ingenium, what better way than by robbing the banks that made him famous in broad daylight?" Izuku scanned through the crowd.
The last bank, KBC Bank, was no different from the one that HSBC had been like, but this one was slightly more crowded. Spotting someone amongst the people was not an easy task. Which was the one thing that this villain had in mind. The bank didn't have any back entrances and no windows to go in through either. Which meant that the only way in was through the front door.
Time was running out and Izuku and Mina were feeling the strain of waiting. The sun began to go down and the people started coming out of the bank.
Mina was starting to feel like the world was going at a snail's pace. She had been wanting action but she was now forced to wait and keep watch. But she then thought of the kind of day that Izuku had been through. Some waiting wasn't much compared to what her partner had to deal with.
Just then her eyes blinked, spotting someone suspicious.
"Izuku, there's someone walking out of the bank. He's wearing the same coat and hat you described to me." Mina communicated. "He's going down the street to the right."
Izuku looked down from where he was and narrowed his eyes at it.
"I see him." Izuku nodded. "That's the man I saw."
Through the binoculars, he managed to catch a glimpse of the robber's face. He narrowed his eyes before taking after the man that was trying to sneak away. He kept his distance, hiding his presence through the noises of the city. He looked at the thief with the attention of a hawk as he made his way back to his hideout.
Izuku hopped over any distance there was between the buildings, never taking his eyes off of the bank robber. Despite most of the day being spent running and hiding from the fastest hero, he now had to move as carefully and as quietly as a Tai Chi master or a cat hunting for its prey.
The bank robber made a turn into a back alley, slipping into the darkness. He smirked under his helmet mask as he turned his sights to a small closed down music store. He pulled out a single key, opening the side entrance to the very location.
Izuku watched everything from the shadows, narrowing his eyes as the bank robber snuck inside.
"I'm going in. If I don't come out in a few minutes, call for backup." Izuku whispered.
"You got it, partner. You sure you don't want me to go in with you?" Mina asked.
"I'm sure. Your safety is my priority, Mina." Izuku replied, earning a blush and a heart skip from Mina.
"You know that you're earning a lot of points with me, right? Take care, Izuku," Mina said.
Izuku silently dropped down to the alley. He slowly walked into the music store, tip-toeing as quiet as a mouse that wanted to get all the cheese without alerting the people of the house. He ducked behind a shelf full of guitars as he spotted the bank robber taking off his coat and hat.
The villain wore a black and purple bodysuit that matched the helmet he wore. The arms and legs were black while the torso and inner thighs were purple with yellow outlines around the purple parts. He had yellow stripes above the knees and on the sole of his shoes. His palms were purple with a yellow line around his wrists. And on his chest there was a spiked black sound recording with horns and spikes.
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"It is done, mistress." He said. "Your information and your knowledge of Ingenium's patrol patterns worked like a charm."
"Wonderful. That's just what I like to hear, Silencer."
A distorted female voice came out from the phone.
Izuku pulled out an old recorder he had, recording everything that was being said.
"I wasn't sure you would be able to pull such an ambitious move on your own without any members of the syndicate but I'm glad that you were able to use the support items we graciously gave you." The voice spoke with a condescending tone, like a cat playing with a smaller creature it found amusing. "There were no complications, I hope?"
"Actually, there was one unexpected complication." Silencer coughed. "Chat Noir was at the second bank."
"That vigilante has been an annoyance for our master for a long time. Why didn't you kill him?"
"Ingenium was on the other end of the bank. If I pulled out my gun, then he would've attacked me instead." Silencer explained.
"Instead? What happened?" The voice turned sharper, with an edge of malice.
"Ingenium charged at Chat Noir, passing by me without so much as a look." Silencer explained. "He must think that Chat Noir was the one that robbed the bank."
"Hmm, it would seem like we were lucky. The vigilante got there at the right moment at the right time, taking all the blame for your crime." The voice mused with a sinister smile behind the other line. "Who would've guessed that he would be working to help Hawmoth's goals unknowingly. And to think that the master offered him a Miraculous of his own. What a waste that would've been."
"Yes, the man is a complete fool. No doubt he's still running from Ingenium as we speak." Silencer snickered. "He must've gotten lucky or unlucky! To think that he wants to fancy himself a hero, what a joke! And now I'm filthy rich, around 120 thousand Euros worth!"
Izuku fought the urge to close up his fists and grit his teeth at the words of Silencer and the mysterious woman on the other end of the call. He was used to mockery before, all those that told him those things only fueled him to keep on moving forward. But now his rage was focused on the voice on the other end of the conversation.
Izuku couldn't tell if the person on the other end was actually male or female, but the way they were talking was feminine. Everyone spoke differently and that often gave away who that person was, their age, education, and social standing. It could be disguised, but the way she was using the voice modulator didn't hide anything like that. So Izuku swallowed his pride and his frustration, letting his recorder catch all the conversation.
"Shut your mouth, Silencer." The voice snapped, shutting up Silencer. "Don't think that you've got anything to be proud of. Fortune favors the bold and you haven't done anything bold. Hawkmoth is the only one that has the right to be at the very top. Your pocket change winnings aren't only yours. Remember a quarter of those winnings is Hawkmoth's."
"B-But that's like taking away the whole first bank?" Silencer stuttered.
"You think just because your Miraculous is pathetic Hawkmoth won't take it if you try to skim any profits for yourself." The voice made it clear. "I'll expect the drop under the Eiffel Tower at dawn by the pond closest to the Rue Buenos-Ayres. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," Silencer said as she hung up the call.
Izuku stopped the recording as Silencer scoffed at his situation. The vigilante needed to put an end to this while he still had the upper hand. He kept his eyes on the villain as slowly got up from where he stood.
Creak.
Izuku snapped his eyes at the floorboards. They creaked against his shifting weight. He turned back at the villain, but he was already gone. He pulled out his kali sticks as he frantically looked for the villain that he'd tracked. The money was still there, which meant he hadn't made a run for it after hearing him.
He turned around, just in time to spot Silencer aiming his gun at him. He ducked under just as the silent shot flew through the air. He rolled out of the way as the villain fired round after round of his bullets, shooting down the remaining musical instruments. He dug his heels, throwing one of his kali sticks at the pistol. His weapon knocked the Silencer's weapon out of his hand.
"The lack of noise threw me off." Izuku charged at the silent adversary, punching him in the stomach. "But you're a thief, not a fighter!"
Silencer let out a gasp of pain before he pulled out another gun.
Izuku, however, didn't give him a chance to fire. He picked up his other kali stick and started swinging them against him, pushing him back. He struck at the villain's helmeted face, arms and legs, making him wince. But just as Izuku was gaining the upper hand, a loud gunshot echoed in his ear.
Silencer had given his gun the noise once more, firing a shot next to the vigilante's ear. It didn't take off his ear or wound Izuku in any visible way. But the damage had been done in a different way.
Izuku's ears rang as he gritted his teeth in frustration. His legs struggled to find balance as he kept his eyes on Silencer, who took advantage of the situation.
Silencer tackled Izuku to the wall, pinning him against the shelf with the guitars behind him. He kneed him on the side, forcing him to drop one of his kali sticks. He pressed his elbow on his throat as he tried to fire another shot at his head. But his hand was caught by Izuku's strong grip. He pointed his gun at Izuku's face, trying to pin him to the wall. But Izuku didn't give him another opening.
Izuku slammed his kali stick on the side of Silencer's head, cracking it. He smacked it over and over, breaking the helmet enough to see a better opening. His leg shot up, landing a kick between Silencer's legs.
Silencer screamed in pain, giving Izuku a chance to turn the weapon up into the air. He fired his weapon up into the ceiling.
Izuku kicked Silencer in the stomach, pushing him back. He picked one of the guitars next to him, and swung it against the face of his opponent. Shattering the guitar and the helmet of his enemy, Izuku stood ready for another attack. But his opponent was down with his eyes closed.
"Freeze!" Mina came in with gun in hand, aiming at whoever was around.
"It's alright, officer. We got him." Izuku calmed her, though he didn't look away from Silencer.
"Phew, I was worried there. I heard the shots and got worried." Mina put away her pistol.
"He caught me off guard for a second. Do you have any handcuffs I could borrow?" Izuku asked sheepishly, taking his eyes off the Silencer for a second.
"Sure I-LOOK OUT!" Mina snapped.
Izuku looked back only to find Silencer back on his feet, aiming a gun at them both. The green haired vigilante jumped towards Mina, trying to protect her from any of the shots the villain could fire. He cursed himself for not checking to make sure that Silencer was completely knocked out. He intended to take whatever shot that was sent to kill, his partner and lover's life was more important to him.
But the sound of gunfire never came.
"RECIPRO TURBO!"
Ingenium bursted through the blocked windows at supersonic speeds. Breaking the sound barrier, Ingenium made it to the scene. The metal was bent and torn by his speed. The glass was shattered to smithereens as he broke into the store with only one goal.
Silencer only got one second to see Ingenium winding up one of his signature kicks. But that's all he got.
Ingenium swung his kick at Silencer's arms and face. His kick destroyed the gun and sent Silencer out of the very store, completely knocked out. As a large cloud of dust and broken rock coated the street while Silencer became embedded on the building outside, Ingenium skidded to a halt.
"I finally caught up to you, Chat Noir-uh huh?" Ingenium realized that he had struck someone else.
He saw Izuku protecting Mina while Silencer had been the enemy.
"I'm sorry for my tardiness. But it seems like the vigilante, Chat Noir, wasn't the bank robber I was looking for." Ingenium bowed, apologizing. "Forgive me for jumping to conclusions."
"Don't worry about it." Izuku replied with a deep voice.
"Yeah, everyone makes that mistake." Mina smiled.
"Still, I must take you in. Not for the bounty but because you are breaking the law, Chat Noir." Ingenium pointed at Izuku with some regret in his voice.
"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Izuku dropped another smoke bomb, blinding Ingenium.
"Damn!" Ingenium looked around, only to see Izuku missing. "He is truly a master of the disappearing act."
"That and others." Mina smirked.
Half an hour later, Izuku had returned with backup right on time to arrest the bank robber and recover the money. He and Mina shook hands with Ingenium as he thanked them for their assistance.
"Thank you for your help, officers." Ingenium shook hands with Izuku and Mina.
"We're just doing our job, Ingenium." Izuku smiled, feeling happiness that a hero was thanking him.
"But if you want to really thank us, could you get me to drive in the Alpine 1. Only one or two laps, no need to represent the team or anything." Mina smirked, imagining herself as a formula 1 driver.
"I can't make any promises." Ingenium felt a sweat of fear at the idea of her driving such a fast car.
The seventh hero of the top ten didn't know that the whole city shared his feeling.
Captain Kendo walked around the top of the Police HQ building, waiting for Chat Noir. She found it cliche, but she wasn't going to have him dropping by her house every night. Looking at her watch, she sighed.
"Where is he?" Kendo muttered.
"Sorry for the delay, Captain Kendo." Izuku came out of the shadows.
"After the day you had, I can't really hold it against you." Kendo took a sip of her coffee. "You said you found something?"
Izuku handed her a copy of the recording he'd made.
"It's a copy of the recording I made of a conversation between the Silencer and a mole we suspect is in the top ten heroes." Izuku explained. "The voice had information about the patrolling patterns of Ingenium, and many of the calls some of the heroes had been receiving have been from their personal or emergency numbers."
Kendo pulled the recording up to her ear and began listening to it. She didn't know how to feel. One of the heroes had been playing them all like fools, and what was worse, they were being praised by everyone else.
"Any clues as to who it might be?" Kendo asked.
"Narrowing down the list. I do know that they are of high confidence between the heroes." Izuku started to walk away. "And their lies are hurting people to keep Hawkmoth in power. All special or villain crimes must pay a hefty percentage to Hawkmoth, and those that don't pay up end up like the Bubbler or worse."
"This will not stand. Time to look at these heroes with a magnifying glass. And find this damn lying mole." Kendo tightened her fist. "They've been covering their tracks so far, but we'll catch them as soon as they slip."
Later that night, Izuku had gathered Mina, Alya and Alix to play the recording for them. He made sure to let them hear the voice of the mole.
"It's a woman, no doubt." Alya commented. "The manner is that of a femme fatale."
"If we're considering that the voice modulator isn't all that, then yeah. But we need to be certain." Izuku agreed.
"Then all we have to do is get more information about the mole." Mina pointed out. "We know they can move in and out of the agencies depending on the relationship and positions they've got."
"Well, that narrows it down. So, what about the drop off?" Alix asked.
"As soon as the news got ahold of the arrest they blew it out. Captain Kendo did put a team surveilling the location, and found a lockbox but it was empty." Izuku explained. "That means that whatever loot was there was already taken. We believe that there are boxes like that all over the city."
"So, did you guys tell her?" Alya asked. "About the mole?"
"...Yeah…" Mina muttered. "She wasn't happy about it."
"Can't blame her though, but we've got to get in closer to the heroes and find out whatever we can and their connections to Hawkmoth." Izuku planned. "That'll be the link that brings the mole into the light."