Chapter 8: Lady Wi-Fi

"What?" A shocked Nino asked Alya and the blogger could tell by looking at Marinette and Adrien the both of them felt the same.

"I suspect Chloé Bourgeois is Superbug." Alya said like she was making a guess about the weather.

Nino, Marinette and Adrien looked at one another and then at Alya and started laughing. "Get real, dudette." Nino said. "I simply cannot picture Chloé as Superbug."

"I get it." Alya commented. "It's hard to believe someone you knew for years can be a superhero's secret identity but I'm sure it's her."

"Alya, that part about knowing her for years is one of my reasons for not believing Chloé Bourgeois could be Superbug." Marinette commented. "Superbug cares too much about secret identities to be her."

"True." Nino agreed. "If Chloé were Superbug, she'd have already broadcasted it to the whole Paris."

"The whole Paris?" Marinette scoffed. "Chloé would have told the whole world."

"Told the whole world what, Dupain-Cheng?" Chloé asked as the topic of conversation revealed her presence to the others.

"Alya thinks you're Superbug, Chloé." Adrien explained to her longtime friend.

"What?" Chloé was shocked but soon recovered herself. "Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous! What gave you that idea I'm her instead of just another fabulous blonde?"

"You didn't have enough time to make a derby hat like the other contest entrants." Alya commented.

"I just didn't want to do the dirty work myself, Alya." Chloé explained. "Everyone here knows I wouldn't put any effort into doing something I can pay others to do for me."

"Even when it's wrong." Marinette muttered.

"Marinette, my Dad already explained it wasn't against any rules." Adrien pointed out.

"I still think it doesn't feel right a designer wouldn't make a prototype by themselves." Marinette commented.

"Whatever." Chloé shrugged. "My advice to you, Alya, is to keep your theories to yourself or I'll blame you if Hawkmoth targets my family because of them. Why do you think whoever is behind Superbug's mask remains secretive about it?"

After Chloé walks away, Alya addressed the others. "So much for bragging." She commented.

"What?" Nino asked.

"You said Chloé would let everyone know if she's Superbug but, instead, she supports the secrecy, Nino." Alya said. "Not to mention she seemed to take some time before saying "ridiculous"."

"Alya, considering the reasons she and Superbug brought up for secrecy, don't you realize you shouldn't expose her identity regardless of you being right or wrong?" Marinette asked.

"You're only saying that because you hate Chloé and don't want her to receive the praise she deserves." Alya accused Marinette.

"A praise she obviously doesn't want or at least not to the point of making herself a target for Hawkmoth and his akumas, Alya." Marinette reminded Alya.

"She's just needlessly worried, Marinette." Alya dismissively replied. "She'll thank me later. Several heroes in America don't have secret identities."

"None of them has a Miraculous the last time I checked." Marinette tried to argue but Alya simply walked away.

"I'll go talk to her." Nino said as he went after Alya.

Later on, Chloé and Sabrina were having lunch and the former told the latter about Alya's findings. "Does she think I'm Catgirl as well?" Sabrina asked and everyone who overheard the conversation assumed it was a joke on Alya's theory.

"If she has any theories on Catgirl's secret identity, she's not sure enough to share any of them, Sabrina." Chloé answered.

"If at least I didn't bring the hat, maybe then Alya would just dismiss it as you not wanting to show anything other than the design." Sabrina lamented.

"Don't blame yourself, Sabrina." Chloé comforted her friend. "It'd make no difference to someone who'd make the leap of logic Alya did."

"You tell her, Chloé." Plagg whispered, earning a glare from his wielder.

After they finished lunch, Chloé and Sabrina went to the locker room to pick up some of their stuff when they noticed Alya filming Chloé's locker. "Alya Césaire, what do you think you're doing?" The Mayor's Daughter asked.

"Finding proof you're Superbug, Chloé." Alya triumphantly replied while taking a red yo-yo from Chloé's locker. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have her yo-yo."

"Just because that yo-yo is red it doesn't mean it's Superbug's." Chloé argued. "And I don't think a superhero would place their weapons in a place so unprotected as a lockless school locker."

"You said it, Chloé." Sabrina added in support.

"I'm so glad Chloé isn't Superbug." Marinette whispered to Nino. "A bully like her doesn't deserve Superbug's powers and fame."

Chloé and Alya were brought to the Principal's office. "Principal Damocles, I didn't do anything wrong." Alya pleaded.

"Violating a student's privacy is a serious crime by itself even without taking into consideration how attempting to announce me as a superheroine's secret identity would put my family, friends and myself in danger." Chloé replied while crying. "Hawkmoth could be watching."

"You're overreacting, Chloé." Alya said. "And how do you explain a red yo-yo with black dots?" Alya asked.

"I'm a fan of Superbug and seeing her in action rekindled my desire to play with yo-yos, Principal Damocles." Chloé explained.

Unbeknownst to the girls and the Principal, other students were listening through the door. "True." Kim commented. "I also started playing with a yo-yo after Superbug made herself known and, had I not lost the bet to Alix, I'd have probably dared someone to outdo me."

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind playing with yo-yos now that we have a superheroine who uses one." Nino added. "I probably would use the excuse of trying to teach Chris how to play but still…"

The doors then opened and Alya ran in tears. "What happened?" Adrien asked.

"She's got a two-week suspension, Adrien." Chloé replied. "She's got lucky for staying out of jail."

"If that's the person behind a superhero's mask, I wonder who's behind Hawkmoth's." Alix commented.

"Claude Frollo?" Kim suggested and everyone stared at him. "What? He's a French bad guy and, based on the Disney film featuring him, he's even worse than a school bully like Chloé."

Later on, Chloé and Sabrina were being driven to the former's home in her limousine when the Mayor's daughter heard her smartphone. "Daddy?"

"Chloé, I'm glad you're safe." The Mayor commented. "The school has been attacked by an akuma!" He said and sent his daughter a picture of the akuma holding Principal Damocles hostage.

"Alya?" Both Chloé and Sabrina asked at the same time.

"She's calling herself Lady Wi-Fi now but yes, that's Marlena Césaire's daughter." The Mayor answered, afraid his daughter would demand him to fire Marlena for it.

Meanwhile, back in school, Alya was demanding Principal Damocles to confess his "wrongdoing". "Admit it! It was because of Chloé's father's money you suspended Alya Césaire!"

"No!" Principal Damocles replied. "You violated a student's privacy and almost endangered her and her family by suggesting she could be Superbug. And even if Superbug happens to be somebody I know personally, I find it hard to believe it'd be her of all people."

All students forced to watch nodded in agreement. "I know she's getting better lately but I still don't see her as hero material." Nino commented and then turned his attention to Adrien. "No offence."

Tired of the Principal's denials, Lady Wi-Fi swiped a pause symbol at him. "And now that the opening show ended, I'll go to Le Grand Paris and prove that Chloé Bourgeois is…" The transmission was then interrupted. "What happened?"

"Catgirl cataclysmed the school's Wi-Fi tower, Lady Wi-Fi." Superbug answered, revealing her presence inside the Principal's office. "So, mind explaining what the Mayor's daughter did to make you hate her to the point of having people think she's me?"

"Why do you think I'd have to hate you to want your identity exposed, Chloé?" Lady Wi-Fi asked in confusion.

"I'm Superbug." Superbug replied. "And anyone exposed as me, regardless of really being me or not, will be in danger from Hawkmoth."

"Sounds like Chloé to me." Lady Wi-Fi argued.

"I sound like Chloé and everyone else with enough common sense." Superbug argued. "Do you really want your big scoop so much you'd allow a supervillain to know their enemy's identity?"

"Other superheroes have their identities known." Alya tried to argue but was hesitating.

"Superheroes who neither live in Paris nor oppose Hawkmoth, Alya." Superbug replied, calling Lady Wi-Fi by her real name as part of a plan to reach out to her. "They don't have to worry about Hawkmoth going after them since there's nothing for him to gain."

While Lady Wi-Fi was distracted by Superbug's speech, Catgirl snuck in. "Cataclysm!" She shouted while grabbing Lady Wi-Fi's phone.

"Lucky Charm!" Superbug shouted and got a red pendrive with black dots. "Figures." She shrugged and used her yo-yo to purify the akuma. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouted and tossed the charm to the air, undoing all damage, including the one caused by Catgirl.

"What happened?" Alya asked, not remembering anything she did as Lady Wi-Fi.

"I'm free!" Principal Damocles exclaimed.

"Then I trust you can take over from here, Sir." Superbug said. "Catgirl and I must go. Bye."

That night, Chloé was at her room talking to Tikki. "That's so confusing." She commented to her kwami. "I know she had it coming but I can't help but feel sorry for Alya."

"That's called empathy, Chloé." Tikki told her wielder in approval. "You care about that girl since she's your friend. But I agree that she shouldn't try to expose your secret."

Somebody was heard opening the door and Tikki quickly hid herself. "Chloé, somebody wants to see you." The Mayor said, revealing Marlena.

"You're not asking me to get Principal Damocles to undo Alya's suspension, are you?" Chloé asked.

"After how she risked your life by suggesting you're Superbug, I'm thanking you for not having me fired." Marlena replied.

"Uh, you're welcome." Chloé replied after thinking over what to say.

"Thank you again, bye." Marlena said and left in a hurry.

"Daddy, was she really worried that I'd have her fired?" Chloé asked her father.

"Well, until recently, you used to resort to this as a threat." The Mayor pointed out. "Honestly, I'm glad you're getting over that obsession of being like your mother. Acting like her won't bring her back."

"Okay, Daddy." Chloé replied.

"Dinner's in 30 minutes." The Mayor said and was about to leave when he remembered something else. "Chloé, the Louvre is about to receive artifacts suggesting there was a ladybug-themed heroine who wielded Superbug's Miraculous in Ancient Egypt. Would you like to have a private view before it's all open to the public? You love our superheroines so much you made a hat in honor to the both of them."

"Yes, Daddy." Chloé happily replied.

After the Mayor left the room, his daughter addressed her kwami. "Tikki, are we really talking about a former wielder of yours?" Chloé asked.

"It's possible, Chloé." Tikki answered. "I did have a wielder back in what today's humans call Ancient Egypt."

"Should I worry about Hawkmoth using any of those artifacts to have an edge against us?" Chloé asked.

"Don't worry, Chloé." Tikki reassured her current wielder. "The earrings are the only magical thing my past wielder had and Hawkmoth cannot learn anything useful from artifacts of the time he doesn't know already. 'Not to mention things he probably forced Nooroo to tell.' She thought.

"Should we bring Plagg and Sabrina along for the private tour?" Chloé asked. "Speaking of them, did Plagg have a wielder fighting alongside yours back then?"

"We're seldom deployed without the other, Chloé." Tikki answered and her wielder felt it was the closest thing to an answer the kwami felt comfortable giving.

End chapter.