Army of Love
Izuku ducked under the swipe of an arm before punching the attacker across the face. He spotted another one coming his way, catching it before throwing his newest attacker with a judo throw. He looked ahead of where he stood, noticing more coming their way. Their moaning was not far from where he stood. His eyes landed on the building next to him. The door was open and it was sturdy enough to give them a head start.
"This way!" Izuku swung his arm, getting Mina and Alya's attention.
Mina grabbed hold of Alya in a bridal style as she used her acid to skate towards the entrance. She went into the building before Izuku followed them inside, closing the door behind him. She placed Alya down on the floor as they rushed to the windows, pulling them down.
"You think we lost them?" Mina asked, closing the curtains.
"I don't know," Alya replied, closing the window. "But I think we lost th-!"
The window was shattered as a large grabbed hold of Alya's shirt.
Alya screamed in terror at the sight of the hand as it tugged at her like a vicious animal gnawing at a chunk of flesh. She looked before her at the owner of the hand as she was pulled out into the streets. She grabbed hold of the hand, trying to free herself before Izuku and Mina rushed in to help her.
"Let go, you creep!" Mina cursed before Izuku pulled out his taser.
Izuku used his taser, electrocuting the hand as Mina pulled Alya away.
Mina tugged Alya away, getting the reporter's shirt torn off, but freed from the attacker's grasp.
"You alright, girl?" Mina asked as Izuku blocked the window with a discarded board.
"Not as much as I'd like. I'm used to men and women trying to rip off my clothes, but most of them draw the line at flirting." Alya looked down at her favorite shirt. "Good thing he didn't get my bra, though. That's more for the bedroom." Mina helped her up as Izuku dragged an old couch in front of the door.
"Look for a backdoor! This won't stop them for long!" Izuku rushed to the next room with Mina and Alya right behind him.
Izuku looked around, finding an old rusted kitchen, covered in dust and broken dreams from a long ago moved family. He could only see a little bit in the kitchen from the pale light of the moon. He cursed himself as he looked for the back door. He was then joined by Mina and Alya as they heard the moaning and scraping at the door. Izuku cursed himself at their current predicament.
"Mon dieu mes amous! We gotta get out of here before we join that creepy sex toy's army of the undead." Alya picked up one of the pans.
"I honestly see her more as a puppet than a sex toy, myself. But I can see your point," Mina said, pulling out her weapon. "She does dress like a stripper."
"This way!" Izuku grabbed the backdoor's knob. "Hopefully the heroes will deal with her and her army. We need to take this information to Captain Kendo and catch the thieves before they get away." He opened the door, only to meet the army of zombies that they had been escaping from.
Izuku quickly closed the door before locking it.
"Our adoring fans?" Mina asked with an awkward smile.
Izuku nodded his head, hearing the moaning of the zombies just outside.
"I always wanted to be in a tight spot between the two of you, but this is a bit far from what I had in mind." Alya held up her pan in defense as the zombies started breaking the windows from the other room.
"Where are the heroes when you need them? I'd settle for Chat Noir at this point." Mina aimed her service weapon, feeling her hands getting sweaty with her acid.
She couldn't deny the temptation of using her Miraculous to give her partner and her friend a better chance. However, Mina couldn't get over the fact that the threats were still humans. Despite all the clawing at the doors and windows of the old abandoned home they'd scurried into, she knew that. She was up against humans that were no longer in control of their minds and bodies.
And Mina wasn't the only one that was feeling the strain of the situation.
Izuku narrowed his eyes at the door as his fists tightened into balls of flesh and bone. He needed a way to get away from the small group of 'survivors', for lack of a better word, and change into his costume. He had to get the information that he had found back to Captain Kendo and Detective Naomasa to stop one of the biggest heists in Paris's history. His mind drifted back to the point where it all began. Izuku couldn't believe that this was all the result of one seemingly simple assignment that turned into a zombie movie.
"Where did it all take such a nasty turn?" Izuku asked as the clock in the kitchen struck midnight.
Almost twelve hours and thirty minutes ago, Izuku and Mina sat at their desks finishing up the last bit of paperwork from their last case. They just had to sign the last part of the paper before them and they would be free for the rest of the day, going out on patrol like they wanted.
"Alright, now we're done." Izuku finished his report with Mina not being far behind.
"And not a second too soon, partner. I just got Alien Queen some new wheels and an oil change." Mina turned off her computer with a big smile. "Time to burn some rubber through the streets of the City of Lights. Hey, wanna know where my parents sent me a postcard from?"
"Oh, your parents? I thought they were still on holiday in the U.S." Izuku picked up his cap and put on his jacket.
"Yep, sending their best wishes straight from The Big Easy City, New Orleans." Mina smirked with a peace sign on her two hands. "I am so going there one day! Wanna come? I promise to make it worth your while~." Mina wiggled her eyebrows with a smile.
Izuku blushed at the idea of going to another city with his partner and downlow girlfriend. It was a big step in his mind and now he was being given a foot when most guys would only get an inch. He cleared his throat, trying to come up with the proper rebuttal to Mina's offer.
"Ooh~, can I come? I'd love to taste the local cuisine~."
Izuku and Mina turned around to see Alya bending over Izuku's desk, showing off her feminine wiles to the officers.
"But I suppose we can first have a decent date first. I mean, I did promise my mom that I'd find a nice man or woman before settling." Alya looked up, not changing the position of her body to maximize her allure. "Maybe dinner, then a movie, perhaps some shopping and then back to bed for a nice little dessert~. Only question would be which place should we crash?" She smiled at her friends, knowing that they had just imagined the whole evening in their minds.
Izuku's face turned red at the sight of Alya's closeness to his face as Mina blushed at the idea of the evening.
"I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to that evening, Alya~. But you'd have to slow down a bit," Mina said, smiling a sneaky smile at Izuku. "I think my partner here is about to pass out from the mental images." The two girls giggled silently.
Izuku snapped back to reality, looking away from the two girls. He could tell that they were loving the look on his face. But he couldn't help but blush or react to what was being said or shown to him. Izuku was a man and he had needs like any other man in Paris, if not the world.
"Um, uh, Alya, what brings you to the police HQ?" Izuku asked, changing the topic of the conversation.
"I got a call from Captain Kendo telling me to come here immediately," Alya replied. "It might have to do with my awesome articles. But I doubt you two have to worry about it."
Izuku raised an eyebrow, knowing that Captain Kendo was anything but easily swayed or have knee jerk reactions to news media articles. If she had asked Alya over, then there had to be a different reason for it.
Just then, Kendo's office door opened up.
"Ms. Cesaire, I was expecting you. Please come in, we need to discuss the matter of your visit." Kendo gestured to her office to which Alya followed. "Um, Midoriya, Ashido, you two come along as well."
Izuku, Mina and Alya looked at each other, wondering why Kendo was asking them in. They went inside where Kendo put on the best smile she could despite not liking what she was about to say.
"Now, Ms. Cesaire, as you may be aware, Mayor André Bourgeois and his posse have gotten the idea that the police need more exposure. As to show that we are still relevant and work well with Heroes and the public like in the olden days," Kendo explained. "Our PR office agrees with them and as such they allowed me to pick an influential investigative reporter to write the article."
"And you picked me because? I'm truly honored, Captain Kendo." Alya bowed her head in respect.
"You've earned it, Ms. Cesaire. Your latest articles about the police working with heroes and the skills of our officers speaks volumes. Now, I won't lie to you, I won't have you write a crazy action movie premise about how officers are some sort of Robocops that are an unstoppable crime fighting force. You will spend the day with officers Midoriya and Ashido as they go about their duties."
"I see no problem with this." Mina smiled.
"Midoriya, Ashido, this is a routine day. I want this to be the real efforts of the police," Kendo clarified. "Which means no shenanigans. No getting Shanghaied into some sort of crazy adventure."
Izuku could only scratch the back of his head in sheepish awkwardness with a small laugh. Mina and him were likely magnets for danger.
"You don't need to worry, Captain Kendo. I'm sure that these two fine officers won't do anything that I don't want to." Alya fixed her glasses making them shine with the light.
"Sure… Listen, the assignment isn't anything to write home about but you will follow Officers Midoriya and Ashido as they go through the proper channels and look into this case. I expect nothing more than the honest truth from you, Ms. Cesaire." Kendo added, shaking hands with Alya.
"Throw in a dinner and you'll get that and more." Alya replied, winking at the police captain.
Kendo blushed at Alya's flirts. She wasn't a prude by any means, she had dated in the past. But it had been a while since she had anyone come up to her and openly flirted with her. And what Alya wore was not helping her remain impartial and in control of the situation.
"Well, in any case, Midoriya, Ashido, I need you to look into these claims in the South side of Paris. Reports say that there have been strange noises coming from the catacombs and some say that there are people missing." Kendo passed the file to Izuku.
"You think this might be a copycat of the Beauties and the Beast gang? I thought they were still in prison." Izuku passed the file to Mina, trying to keep the file away from Alya's inquisitive eyes.
"They are. Also, this doesn't follow the same pattern. Only people missing are a few ne'er do wells of the area," Kendo replied. "Go down there and see what's going on. But no heroics."
Izuku, Mina and even Alya salute Captain Kendo before walking out of the office.
Kendo waited for her officers to make a mess of their exit like they had done in the last few chapters of their lives. However, they made a perfect and seamlessly harmless beeline to the elevator. She let out a sigh of relief, hoping that this would be a calm and simple day.
Izuku rushed out of the elevator.
"Sorry, sorry! Alya forgot her purse!" Izuku zoomed past the other officers, causing them to spin before jumping over the mail cart.
Izuku grabbed the purse before smacking a runaway felon with it. He ran back to the elevator just in time as it almost closed in on him.
"I knew it was too good to be true." Kendo sighed.
Izuku, Mina and Alya all got into Alien Queen before heading off to the South side of Paris. The area was a well known tourist attraction for many years, but the three Parisians knew that there was more to the place than it was shown to the tourists. They had heard rumors that the Catacombs had been repurposed by some old time villains into a hidden base of operations to battle the former Number One hero, All Might.
But the three friends decided not to jump to conclusions, with rumors being rumors and all.
"Alright my lovelies, time to start this article. So, what do you usually deal with in these types of calls?" Alya asked, pulling out her recorder. "With all the calls the police receive during the day, you must have pretty strict protocols to follow, right? Please be free to add in your own thoughts."
"Well, Ms. Cesaire, there are protocols that we must follow. Most of the time with strange noises there are logical explanations, we look into the area and see what may be causing the noise," Izuku explained. "Three to four times out of five the strange noises can be written off as normal events that happen at night."
"Yeah, we're talking sirens, car horns, dogs barking, some drunks singing like off-tune sailors. Things will be swell at the end of the day." Mina drove on, accelerating. "Now hang on for some action!"
Izuku grabbed on as Mina sped past different cars that almost seemed like the car was phasing through them. He grabbed the handle as two arms wrapped around him. He turned back to see Alya hugging herself to the back of his seat. His nose was struck full of the sweet aroma of her perfumed hair as she clung to him for life itself.
"Um, Alya?" Izuku started only for Mina to take a narrow curve.
"Sorry babe, but you are the safest thing I can cling to if I don't want to be tossed around like a ragdoll by Mina." Alya tightened her hold around Izuku's chest, almost climbing over to his seat. "Not that I'd be against you two doing that to me after this is all over."
"Bump!" Mina yelled, causing Izuku and Alya to hop in place.
Alya hopped so high that she was on top of Izuku for a second. She tried to climb back down but she found herself moving forward, blinding Izuku's face with her soft breasts. She blushed deeply as she felt his face moving around, looking for air. She tried climbing back but another bump had different ideas. Alya was dropped all the way forward, giving Izuku a very close look at her furry tail.
"Mina, drive slowly, girl!" Alya clung to Izuku's legs as Izuku grabbed hold of her hips and legs. "I love this position but I prefer it in bed!"
"Relax, Alya, I figured you'd want a preview of what our man can do!" Mina laughed as she drove on, making Alya very comfortable.
Alya's face lit up as Mina continued to drive.
"Alya, please help me get you upright. You should save thai for someone you're in love with." Izuku, blushing like a tomato in the middle of July, managed to pull Alya back up, much to her displeasure.
"You do know I love you both, right?" Alya asked before getting tossed back to her seat.
"What?" Izuku asked.
"I mean, I'm making it pretty obvious that I'm Bi and I love you both." Alya scratched her ear. "Honey, you gotta get up with your social cues."
"I did give him a hint, but I don't think he got it." Mina continued driving on as Izuku felt like the clueless policeman cliche.
Izuku felt like he was an idiot and couldn't shake the feeling that he deserved it. He should've picked up on Alya's flirty comments and asked before if she was serious. But a part of him always told him that she was doing it to be nice or because that was her personality. The idea that two-was it three now? Regardless, the idea that several attractive women were smitten with him was something Izuku hadn't thought possible. Katsuki had told him that he never grew out of having his kid fat and it only turned into a chick magnet. Sadly, that kind of thought didn't make Izuku any less desirable to some of the girls he tried to go out with. He never got the nerve to speak to them, let alone invite them over for a drink or ask them on a date. And now he was being wrapped around by three different women.
At that moment, Izuku felt like a thirsty man that found himself suddenly drowning. But he couldn't focus on that. There was a case to solve and that meant that his focus had to be set on it. Izuku was a cop after all.
After the rest of that awkward drive, Izuku, Mina and Alya arrived at the South side. They found a parking spot and were hit with the unexpected sight of what could be called a ghost town.
"Um, where is everyone?" Alya asked. "It's the middle of the day, shouldn't people be out and about?"
"Yeah, did we accidentally go all the way to Transilvania?" Mina added.
"No, we're still in Paris. This area has been recently so gentrified that many people have had to move," Izuku said before pointing to some of the stores and advertisements. "Just look at some of the stores and businesses." He pointed to the different ads and stores before them.
Mina and Alya followed Izuku's finger, noticing what he was going on about. They saw three large luxury stores with high end fine perfumes, clothes, and jewelry all side by side. They saw the street that was once full of people now only had a handful of people that couldn't afford stuff for them. Above their heads, they could see the ads were of brands that only very well off people could afford. Specifically, Mina and Alya saw a lot of Queen Bee merchandise that hurt their eyes.
"Wow, her stuff itself is tacky." Mina crossed her arms.
"Well, she's got to maintain herself and her image. Her numbers are down so her stuff has to sell," Alya said. "Say whatever you want about Queen Bee, but you can't argue that she's got a good sense for business and preparation of fans. Speaking of which, getting back to my article. Do you work with heroes often or do you mostly just call them to assist whenever it's necessary?"
"It depends on the case. Heroes often call us when they need help with transporting villains and criminals to prison or to aid in certain raids." Izuku took out the notes on where to go first. "We've got to check up with the people that have reported the noises first."
Izuku, Mina and Alya went on their way to the first address in the file. They wondered what they were going to get from the people. Even if it was nothing, they had to reassure the people of the neighborhood that the situation was under control. Most of the time, these noises were nothing serious, but they had a duty to uphold. As it was Alya's duty to ask questions and follow the two officers along.
They arrived at the home of an elderly woman who'd submitted the first claim.
"When did you say you heard these disturbing noises ma'am?" Izuku asked.
"It was late at night. I am a very light sleeper, and around twelve fifty I head this strange clanging noise just outside my window." She pointed to the window.
"Clanging like metal pipes?" Mina asked, looking out the window only to see the streets.
"Yes, which is odd because there aren't any constructions around." She fixed her sweater. "I think it was coming from the street though."
"Have any vehicles or heavy machinery moved around here lately?" Izuku asked.
"I think there was a big armored car that drove around for a bit." She pointed to the street. "I've seen it pass by more than once."
"More than once a month. That's strange." Izuku wrote it down.
"Like the type of cars that go around collecting money?" Alya added. "Sorry, just to clarify."
"Yes, I suppose so," the old lady replied.
Izuku, Mina and Alya shared a look of intrigue. The movement of heavy armored trucks moving around the same neighborhood over and over was concerning. Most of the time, those trucks only came around either the beginning or the end of the month to collect the earnings of the businesses. It did raise some questions for the group.
Their next stop was the house of one of the neighborhood musicians.
"So, there I was, minding my own business, walking home from being out with my mates and that's when I heard a bunch of people crawling and moaning about in the alleys." He described, cleaning his trumpet.
"Do you think that they were on drugs?" Mina asked.
"No one sober would've been making those sounds at that time." He assured.
"Where did you notice this? Was it close by or far away?" Izuku asked.
"It was like around two blocks from here. Near the entrance to the catacombs." He pointed to a map. "I remember it because I almost crashed into a signal that pointed towards it as I was running away from the creepy noises. I work at a bar near there and I've never had to deal with stuff like that."
"We also heard that some people have gone missing. Do you know anyone that's been reported missing?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, he does the dishes in the bar I play at. His name is Frankie Firer but he goes by Frankie the Fly." He finished cleaning his trumpet.
"Frankie the Fly as in the famous, or should I say infamous, safe cracker?" Alya asked, writing down the information.
"I remember him, he did eight years in prison for robbing several safes, right?" Mina asked her partner.
"Exactly. With his Miraculous, Fly Hands, he can crack any safe by using the hyper sensitive feelers in his fingers." Izuku recounted his knowledge.
"Yeah, creepy little guy. He didn't show up for work the last three days." The musician explained. "He claimed he came down with something, but I think he's just playing hooky."
This left the group with more questions about this strange puzzle. The following reports had spoken about strange noises in the middle of the night that ranged from machines being moved, and people going missing which included a known safe cracker. This meant that unless they found more information, they would have to ask for assistance from the Heroes or other officers.
Izuku, Mina and Alya continued on their route and checked the other claims people had made. Predictably, they received similar responses as they had in the beginning. Strange machine noises at night, criminals with a record for breaking and entering, explosives and safe cracking going missing. Which lead the one man two women team to a small bistro neatly close to the catacombs.
"Well, this seems to be pointing to one clear suspicion that something odd is happening in the Catacombs." Alya took a sip from her coffee. "Should we call for backup or a Hero?"
"We can't do that unless we have a good reason for it." Izuku grumbled.
"I mean, we could but then we'd have to give a pretty good damn reason other than just for the heck of it." Mina ate her scone. "Last time we did that, we ended up getting scolded by Captain Kendo and the previous Enginium. It wasn't our brightest moment."
"Are you guys talking about the Fish Market incident?" Alya asked, holding back a chuckle. "You guys looked amazing with the octopus in handcuffs."
"Hey, that slippery son of a fish deserved it!" Mina snapped. "My new haircut for work and it was ruined!" Izuku patted Mina's head, comforting her as she let out crocodile tears.
"There, there, Mina. It wasn't your fault. It was a mistake." Izuku calmed her down. "What we have so far is a bunch of different occurrences coming together in the same area and a proximity to the catacombs. Which means we may need to catch this in the act. If there is a conspiracy, we need evidence."
"Hm, it sounds like we need to go into the Catacombs then." Alya put down her cup.
"What?!" Mina jumped into Izuku's arms, shaking like a leaf. "We're going d-d-d-down there? A-a-at night? Alone?"
"Um, yes. Don't tell me you're afraid?" Alya asked, teasing.
"Mina, if you don't want to go down there, then I can go down and check it out." Izuku offered.
"Nope!" Mina switched her demeanor to a braver one. "Partners stick together no matter what."
"Then we wait for nightfall." Alya smirked. "I have to follow you, remember?"
Izuku and Mina both looked at each other, knowing that even if Alya was told not to follow them, she would find herself in the thick of things. They let out a sigh as their friend gave them a cheeky smile. The two officers were bound by their captain's orders and their friend's almost unnatural desire to find out a good story.
The three of them waited until the sun went down before looking into the area where all the events had taken place: The Catacombs of Paris.
Izuku, Mina and Alya stood at the entrance of the Catacombs with torches at the ready to inspect the macabre labyrinth. However, there was one amongst them that wasn't all that thrilled. Mina was shaking slightly as Izuku turned on his torch.
"Mina, are you alright?" Izuku asked.
"Oh yeah, every girl just loves to go into a spooky bone covered underground maze in the middle of the night. I mean, the thought alone is romantic, isn't it?" Mina blurted out. "The idea that we have to do this just spells out horror comedy movie."
"Calm down, girl. At least now we know what not to do." Alya wrapped her arm around Mina's shoulder. "Just remember not to drink any alcohol, no drugs, and, sadly, no sex. And we'll be fine."
Izuku didn't know how to feel about Alya's rules of how to survive a horror movie. This wasn't a work of fiction. This was a real situation that they were in. But he looked at how Mina was starting to perk up and get better at the idea of going into the catacombs. He gave them a thumbs up as he led the way into the darkest tourist attraction the City of Love had.
As they walked through the passages of the catacombs, Izuku couldn't help but agree with Mina's original feelings towards the maze.
The Catacombs of Paris were infamous amongst Dark Tourists for their macabre feel and dark history. The walls, ceiling and floors were covered and littered with bones of thousands of dead ancient Parisians that created a dark tapestry of the inevitable end of life for all to see. Extending from the sinister and aptly named Barrieré d'Enfer, Gate of Hell, this ossuary was created to eliminate the city's overflowing cemetery. It instead became an underground mausoleum filled with noble and peasant alike, akin to a collage in praise of death. Here, all the dead were not whole, but they formed part of a much grander, if not scarier, reality.
Izuku led the group as Mina and Alya followed close behind him. He kept his hand on his service weapon while illuminating the path with his torch. Izuku could only feel his finger getting twitchy at the lack of city noises. Him and his group were in a graveyard-like silence. But the silence of the catacombs was interrupted whenever he took a step, hearing the cracking of the bone pieces under his feet. He couldn't help but feel like he had just stepped into a dangerous lair.
"Alright, let's find some clues." Mina pumped herself.
They continued walking through the hallways and passages of the macabre catacombs, looking for signs of the missing people. They stuck together, not wanting to fall into the horror movie cliche of separating to cover more ground. Apart from the running of a few rats that caused Mina and Alya to jump back, they found no clear signs of anyone hiding in the catacombs.
They had been going through the catacombs for almost an hour, and still they hadn't found anything.
"Okay, if I were part of some creepy group of missing people, where would I be?" Alya asked, looking for any signs of movement.
"That's the problem, everything here is out of the ordinary. There are passages and hidden chambers all over these catacombs according to some records." Izuku looked around.
"Well that's just great." Mina struck something, causing a loud clang to echo. "Ow, ow, ow!" Mina held her foot in slight pain.
"Mina, are you okay?" Izuku ran to his partner to check up on her.
"No. Someone left a pipe just out there for anyone to either break a toe or trip." Mina snapped. "That's a lawsuit right there."
"Hang on." Alya moved the bone shards, revealing a led pipe. "This shouldn't be here. There aren't any pipelines that come into the catacombs." Alya followed the pipe up to the wall of the passage.
Alya narrowed her eyes, taking advantage of her vixen Miraculous, seeing in the dark just enough to notice a line between the bones. She scratched her chin before grabbing the piper with an idea in mind.
"Alya," Izuku began, only for Alya to lift the pipe, causing a hidden door to open slightly.
"One of the big rules of investigative journalism. When something's out of place, it's either a trap or a scoop." Alya pulled the hidden door open before turning to the two officers. "You guys coming?"
"I just hope we don't find Dracula in there." Mina sighed.
Izuku and Mina followed Alya deeper into the hidden passage. They kept their torches off, using the wall of the passage to guide their way to the end of the passage. They spotted a light at the end of their way. But there was something else.
"You hear that?" Alya's vixen ears fluttered.
"Music?" Izuku whispered.
"I hope we're not about to see some skeletons playing music for a speakeasy." Mina joked, trying to prepare herself.
Izuku, Mina and Alya made it to the hidden chamber to see who was behind the music and the lights.
The chamber was big enough to keep up to twenty people inside, lit by many candles with flames licking at the walls and ceiling. Maps and plans littered a white board with red string connecting the routes between the new luxury stores and the banks. The smell of perfume accompanied the music within the chamber as a singular female shadow danced around a circle composed of the missing criminals.
Dancing on top of a table with everyone observing, was a tall woman in her early to mid thirties, sporting a smile that sent shivers down the spines of those that saw it. She had pale green-bluish skin with a matching hair tied in a bun with two large hair pins in an 'X' form, matching with the red domino mask over her clear almost white eyes. She wore a black tight uniform that clung to her curvy ballerina body like a second skin. Her sleeves reached to her hands as fingerless gloves with torn at the elbows and forearms like time had taken its toll on the fabric. Her shoulder pads were puffy dark purple, matching the stitched dark purple heart on her chest. Her catsuit had a dark purple short skirt like that of a ballerina with small red hearts around her waist. Her black fabric on her legs was torn with holes popping around her thighs and shins. Her short heeled shoes were black with purple laces that made her look like a former dancer risen from the grave.
"Ah, my darlings, tonight is quite the evening to rejoice." She twirled to the sound of music. "Tomorrow night, when the trucks go out to do their rounds, we shall strike with our own little army."
"Um, boss, no disrespect, but why don't we just use your Miraculous to turn some of the guards into your ever faithful slaves?" Frankie the Fly asked. "You certainly have some good bozos to play the patsies."
"Because, Frankie, my sweet, as powerful and as fast spreading as my Miraculous might be, I can't control all the lovelies that I infect." She grabbed Frankie the Fly's face, giving him a lustful yet threatening glance. "Also, the trucks are guarded at night by Tsukuyomi tonight. I would prefer to catch them off guard without them being at their strongest."
"R-r-right, boss," Frankie muttered.
"Boss…?" She tightened her grip.
"Right, Boss Zombiezou." Frankie corrected himself.
The now named Zombiezou smiled at her minion. She patted him on the head as she turned to her other subordinates. She walked towards them with the same sensual and commanding stride to her steps. Like a queen of the damned, she held the attention of all her goons.
"Speaking of being at their strongest, have you boys gathered our little volunteers?" Zombiezou asked.
One of her men gestured to some of the people they had gathered. They weren't much to look at and most of them looked more desperate than willing criminals.
"Wonderful! These will do very nicely!" Zombiezou skipped from joy. "I wonder how the Heroes and the people of Paris will react to our little plan."
Back with Izuku, Mina and Alya, they had heard everything. They kept to the shadows, and low enough from the candlelight to remain hidden. They listened carefully to what Zombiezou was planning and they all agreed that it was very bad.
"Wow, now this is a scoop." Alya whispered, holding back her joy.
"We should call for backup," Mina suggested.
"We're too deep underground, and if we could alert them to our presence," Izuku whispered back, Izuku spotted a table full of papers and physical evidence for the call. "We need to get some evidence here to get the rest of the force and the Heroes to prepare a counter offense."
"Right, let's grab it before they notice and-Where's Alya?" Mina asked.
Izuku and Mina looked around for any sign of Alya, only to spot her… right next to the table. They silently gestured to her to return, but she continued crawling towards the table, keeping low. They kept their eyes on Zombiezou and her goons as she went over her plan with them. Izuku and Mina were thankful that the music was covering Alya's movements, but they knew that it would not last.
Alya reached up to the table with her hand. She felt around, getting a feel of what was on the table. She moved paper after paper until she caught the ones that she was looking for. Smirking, she pulled the papers off of the table. But she accidentally knocked a glass that was right next to the music player.
The music stopped, getting everyone's attention.
Zombiezou turned around, spotting Alya with her plans in hand. She narrowed her eyes like a disapproving teacher while Alya put on her best innocent smile.
"Well, it seems we've gotten some unwanted party crashers, don't we boys?" Zombiezou walked towards Alya swaying her hips like a dominatrix. "But it doesn't matter, we could always use one more volunteer. Would you like to join us to spread a little love, darling?"
"...Nope!" Alya took off running out of the chamber, followed by Izuku and Mina.
Some of Zombiezou fired at them, shooting at Izuku, Mina and Alya as they ran out of the hidden passage.
"That was your plan, Alya?" Mina asked. "Go in and then run like a bat out of hell?!"
"Like it, it was a spur of the moment thing?!" Alya replied.
"We gotta keep running!" Izuku pulled out his radio. "As soon as we're outside, we'll call for backup!"
"Why? We got them on the run!" Alya said.
"That's the problem." Izuku muttered.
Back at the chamber, Zombiezou was thinking the same thing. She clicked her tongue in displeasure. If her plans were exposed before they were ready then they could kiss their big score goodbye. She turned to her remaining henchmen and volunteers. She put on a lustful smile as she licked her lips.
"It looks like you'll get your wish, Frankie, dear. Time for the show to commence a little earlier than previously expected." Zombiezou walked towards one of the volunteers, cupping their cheek. "Make sure that you take some of the boys before you get caught up by my new lovelies." She kissed the volunteer in the forehead, leaving a black lipstick imprint on it.
"You heard her boys, time to get topside while the getting is good." Frankie The Fly got out of the chamber before becoming infected.
Zombiezou moved on to the next one and then the next one, leaving the volunteers with black lipstick on their faces. She smiled at the results of her Miraculous. All her volunteers got half lidded eyes with stares gazing at infinity and started moaning like they were drunk on love, life and the whims of their mistress.
"Kissou~!"
"Perfect, my lovelies~. Now, go and spread the love!" Zombiezou commanded.
Her zombies of love crawled away and into the streets. They moved through the sewers and into the streets as she led them out into the night for her plan to take shape. She jumped out into the streets as her zombies kissed and slobbered all around the South of Paris.
The zombies left the mark of their mistress on every one of their victims, spreading the power of her Miraculous like a plague. They pounced on unsuspecting victims like a ravenous, almost horny, horde of slaves. The zombies kissed people on the streets, leaving them slobbering kiss marks on them. They went into the homes of the people, into the restaurants, the cafés and any nook and cranny where they could be hidden.
No place was safe. Not even the bathroom with a locked door.
Zombiezou smiled as she saw her newly grown horde of love zombies. She saw them gathering around her with glowing eyes and love drunk voices, repeating the same mantra.
"Kissou~! Kissou~! Kissou~!"
"YES! Yes! Go forth my lovelies!" Zombiezou twirled on top of a car's roof before pointing to the Eiffel Tower that shone in the distance. "Time to unleash the power of love upon the citizens of Paris what it means to be truly the City of Love! The city where Zombiezou will rule supreme!"
Back with Izuku, Mina and Alya, they had just gotten out of the catacombs just in time to notice that there was something wrong.
"Did we lose them?" Alya asked.
"I don't think they're chasing us." Mina commented, noticing that they were alone on the street. "Where is everyone?"
"It's pretty late, but it's never this quiet. I'll call for backup." Izuku picked up his radio. "This is officer Izuku Midoriya, requesting backup on the South Side of the city."
"Acknowledged officer, please repeat the street name."
"We're at 1 Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy." Izuku heard the horde of love zombies coming towards them. "Request Hero assistance, we've got a big situation."
"What kind of situation?"
"How does a zombie apocalypse sound to you?!" Mina cried out as the zombies charged at them.
"...Lovely."
Izuku, Mina and Alya ran away, only for Alya to fall with her own feet.
"Damn it horror movie cliches!" Alya cursed as Izuku and Alya helped her up.
Now Izuku knew how everything had started and was cursing himself for not seeing the signs earlier. He should've known that Zombezou would've enacted her plan now that she was discovered. And now here he was with Mina and Alya, trapped like rats in an attic.
"That's it!" Izuku said.
"What's it?" Mina asked.
"If there's an attic, there's a chance we can get out through the rooftops." Izuku pointed to the stairs.
"I think that's another horror movie cliche we should avoid," Alya said, before a zombie arm broke the window glass, causing her to flinch. "Although we don't have much choice now, do we?"
"Good enough for me!" Mina ran up, pulling Alya along with Izuku behind them.
Izuku, Mina and Alya climbed up the stairs as the love drunk zombies broke through the doors, staggering like they had actually gotten out of the grave. They looked down as the zombies started climbing up after them. As Izuku and his friend and partner arrived at the top of the stairs, they spotted a large couch next to the stairs. Without wasting a single second, the three non-infected people dragged the couch up to the end of the stairs, blocking the passage.
"Isn't this a bit much?" Mina asked. "I could use my Miraculous to make the stairs slippery."
"Well, yeah, that's a better idea instead of dropping a large piece of furniture down on unsuspecting people." Alya agreed.
"Aim for the steps, not their feet." Izuku instructed, pointing to the steps.
Mina clasped her hands together, blasting her acid at the steps of the stairs. After all the close calls that she and her partner had been on lately, she had been growing in experience and expanding her use of her Miraculous. She bathed the stair steps as the love drunk zombies stepped closer to them. But as soon as they set foot on her acid, they began to fall. Mina high-fived Izuku and Alya, thinking that they had gotten out of that problem.
"Nice going, Mina." Izuku cheered.
"Thanks, partner! I got a little practice just to make sure that if push comes to shove my Miraculous will kick-" Mina was cut off by the sound of the stairs melting before breaking down and taking the zombies with them. "...ass."
"I think you might have overdone it, babe," Alya whispered.
Mina chuckled sheepishly before a hand shot out from behind the couch, causing them all to flinch.
The zombies were climbing back up, undeterred by the broken stairs. They felt no pain and were not going to stop until they spread the love that now fueled them. They shook off any pain they felt as they climbed on top of each other for their targets. High on the effects of the Miraculous they went on. Like a flu variant that was on the rise, the zombies chased after Izuku, Mina and Alya as they made it to the attic.
"What does it take to take these things down?!" Alya screamed as Izuku locked the entrance to the attic.
"Whatever Zombiezou's Miraculous might be empowering them. This could be some kind of virus type Miraculous, it starts with a host before spreading." Izuku explained. "Those Miraculous can only be stopped by one of two things. One, stop the Miraculous user at the source, or two wait for the effects to pass."
"How long do you think this'll last?" Mina asked, melting the opening of the lock on the skylight.
"Hard to say. It depends on a case to case scenario." Izuku led Alya out of the attic before following them. "But the longest recorded case was at least two days and that was before All Might defeated the villain Dark Blade."
"So the odds aren't in our favor, huh?" Alya asked before they looked down to see the hordes of the love powered zombies clawing at the buildings and the streets.
"Yikes!" Mina said.
"This way!" Izuku pointed to the next rooftop. "We can rush there to get back to Alien Queen and back to HQ."
Izuku, Mina and Alya started running from rooftop to rooftop, jumping between the few that had space between them. They dodged the chimney stacks from the rooftops as the horde, chanced and drunken with the Miraculous, chased after them from below. They noticed an end up ahead from where they were running, leaving them at the mercy of the zombies who were starting to climb up the walls of the buildings.
"Damn, why couldn't I have a flying Miraculous?!" Mina snapped.
"What are we gonna do?!" Alya asked.
Izuku didn't know what to do and he was getting desperate. They were cornered and at any moment they would be overwhelmed by the force of the zombies. Backup hadn't arrived and he was unable to fight to his full extent. He needed a miracle or at the very least. An idea popped into his head, giving him an opening. The buildings on the other side of the street weren't infected yet and he could use the dark of the night to change. But he couldn't leave Mina and Alya to their own devices. He'd have to take them with him and then think of something. Izuku reached for his grappling hook, not wanting to waste another second.
Just then four lovesick zombies jumped at the group, taking them by surprise.
However, just before the zombies could give them any sloppy kisses, three shadows jumped into action.
The first one got between the three survivors and the zombies. It landed a devastating kick to the stomach of the first zombie, leaving a rabbit foot imprint on their stomach. Accompanied by a mighty gust of wind, the shadow used the momentum to land a roundhouse kick, sweeping the second and third zombies at the same time. And for the last zombie, it received a brutal uppercut to the chin that knocked it back and away from the group of survivors.
"Now that's what I call the nick of time!" A rowdy feminine voice chuckled.
Everyone was shocked to see that it was none other than the Number Five Rabbit Hero, Mirko.
And she wasn't alone.
Down on the streets, a large black mass in the shape of a massive bird beast pushed back the horde of the infected with its massive black claws. This was none other than Tsukuyomi, the Number Eight Hero of Paris. With his Miraculous Black Shadow coated around him like a beastial armor, he pushed through all the zombies that came his way. He swiped his claws in a throwing motion, sending them flying with his brute strength.
"Nice going, Dark Shadow!" Tsukuyomi said, keeping his Miraculous on guard.
"I just hope that the wannabe princess does her part." Dark Shadow chuckled.
In the blink of an eye, a bright yellow flash of light struck all the zombies in the air and several on the ground. She hovered in the air with her royal wings fluttering as her hands glowed with her stingers at the ready. This was the Number Six Bee Hero, Queen Bee in her battle ready glory. However, she didn't sport her usual smug smirk. No, this time she had a very angry look on her face as the zombies were all paralyzed on the floor.
"I'm in no mood for this mess, you fashionless bird brain!" Queen Bee snapped with anime growling teeth. "Not only did I have to cancel my well deserved spa night after waiting months for an opening. But I come here to see all my merchandise and boutiques wrecked by this stupid villain and her stupid zombie horde!" She snapped pointing to all the broken perfume bottles, torn pieces of clothes, and gutted stuffed dolls of herself that littered the floor.
"Well, at least you're here to help." Tsukuyomi muttered as Queen Bee scanned for the perpetrator of this mess.
Back at the rooftop, Mirko couldn't help but laugh at Queen Bee's tantrum. She knew that the bee-themed hero had potential, but she also knew that Queen Bee thought herself the center of the universe. Seeing her lose her cool always brought a smile to Mirko's face. She turned to the survivors with her iconic grin.
"So, you're the officers that called this in?" Mirko asked.
"Um, yes, Officers Izuku Midoriya and Mina Ashido." Izuku and Mina saluted. "The villain seems to possess a virus type Miraculous that spreads through lip contact."
"Forget the formalities you two. Thanks for the heads up." Mirko spotted Alya. "You better get this civilian away from here. There's a fire escape ladder over there. Us heroes will deal with this mess, wait for backup and join if you can. Now watch this!" Mirko jumped down, spinning into a sphere before unleashing her momentum in a devastating ax kick, sending zombies flying.
All three stood speechless at the sight of the three heroes fighting side by side against the Horde of lovesick zombies.
"This is so awesome!" Alya took pictures with her phone.
"This is amazing! All three heroes are doing their respective thing and splitting the infected while making their path forward!" Izuku muttered with his inner fanboy taking the reins.
"As cool as this is, we should probably go now." Mina dragged Izuku and Alya away from the fighting.
High on the adrenaline from the chase and the close calls, Izuku, Mina and Alya climbed down the building, using the fire escape to reach the ground. They ran further away from the battlefield, hoping to get a good distance between them and the love crazed zombies. Their hearts were pounding against their chests as everything seemed to be getting livelier not far from where they stood. However, luck smiled upon them as Mina's car came into view.
"We should go now, the backup will be here soon." Izuku pointed to Alien Queen. "There's the car!"
"My baby! I've never been so happy to see you!" Mina hugged Alien Queen as if it was a giant stuffed teddy bear. "Now let's get out of here!"
"I'd love nothing more than to be one of the final girls here!" Alya getting into the car.
"W-Wait! If the heroes and the police haven't arrived, then that means the robbery to the trucks is still going down!" Izuku realized, pulling up the address from the files. "We need to head there!"
"We need to regroup with the rest of the force and then we'll deal with them," Mina countered. "Also, we've got to get going before any one of those zombies gets past the heroes and comes after us."
Before Izuku could argue, a zombie woman jumped at him.
"Kissou!"
Acting on instinct, Izuku caught her dress, flipping her to the ground. He pinned her to the ground as she tried to break free.
"Izuku!" Alya called out.
"Go! I'll catch up with you!" Izuku kept the zombie down before she could give sloppy kisses to any of the three.
"You better not be a slobbering kissing zombie!" Mina hated leaving her partner like that, but she had to do her duty.
She shoved Alya into the back of Alien Queen before taking off at top speed.
Izuku let out a sigh of relief at the sight of his partner and Alya leaving. He pulled out his handcuffs, cuffing the zombie to an iron pipe.
"Sorry, but you gave me a good opening." Izuku took off, passing the battlefield as the heroes made a beeline towards Zombiezou. "Now I can really put on my best clothes."
Izuku ducked into the dark shadowy back streets of the South side as the echo of police sirens approached. He fired his grappling hook to the top of a rooftop, reaching the top in record time. He looked down at the battlefield as Zombiezou noticed the battle turning and not in her favor. He narrowed his eyes as she started to flee the scene.
"I don't think so." Izuku spotted a gargoyle not far from where Zombiezou was running towards.
He aimed his grappling hook at the base of the stone beast. He fired at it with pin point accuracy, breaking part of the gargoyle's base. He pulled on the grappling hook's cord with all his strength, breaking apart the base completely. Izuku gave it one final tug, making the gargoyle come loose and fall, cutting off Zombiezou's escape just enough for the heroes to knock out the last of her zombies.
Izuku smiled as Zombiezou was caught by the heroes. He then turned his sights to the other issue he had to face, unaware that Tsukuyomi had caught a glimpse of him.
"It seems like there's more to this than we thought." Tsukuyomi rubbed his beak.
"Yeah, looks like we're not the only night creature here, huh, partner?" Dark Shadow chuckled.
Inside the dark storage building, the armored trucks were being picked one by one by Frankie the Fly and his fellow robbers while the guards were gagged and bound. They had opened every safe and gotten out all the bags of money with glee. With their plan in full swing and no heroes around, they only needed to get their hands on the loot of the last truck before going back to the rendezvous spot to meet up with Zombiezou.
"He he, now this beats washing dishes in that dead end job." Frankie the Fly used his Miraculous to open the locked box.
"Hey, Frankie, do you think you could hurry up with that?" One of the gunmen asked. "I ain't too keen on being caught here, by the heroes or the boss's love crazy zombies."
"Oh, grow a pair would ya?" Frankie snapped. "We're about to be rich. And maybe if we're good, the boss Zombiezou will give us a cookie."
The other goons smiled with glee and expectation for what their mistress would do to them if they got all the loot. They were all well aware that she believed in free love and was not shy about it.
"Well then, don't let me stop you Frankie. Get every last Euro." the gunman smirked, imagining what would happen next. "I can already picture those soft hands on me."
Just then, a metal kali stick struck the gunman in the back of the head, dropping his gun.
"What the heck?!" Frankie snapped, pulling out his gun.
All the gunmen looked around for any signs of whoever was attacking them. But they were too slow to stop the attacks.
Izuku came down from above, landing amidst the frightened criminals. He snatched his second kali stick from the floor before punching the first of the gunmen in the face. Ducking under the fire of another gunman, he swiped his legs under the attacker's bringing him down. Izuku shot up with an uppercut with his kali stick, loosening a few teeth before running behind one of the armored cars.
"Die you fascist bastard!" Frankie the Fly fired his gun along with the other two remaining gunmen.
Izuku watched from behind the armored truck as Frankie picked up one of the bags full of money. He narrowed his eyes as Frankie ran for the door and away from the fight. He narrowed his eyes as the bullets bounced off the truck. He pulled out a small black ball from his belt. Taking a deep breath, he smashed the smoke bomb, releasing a large cloud of purple smoke.
The two remaining gunmen looked keenly at the large smoke bomb for any sign of Chat Noir. They knew that whatever was coming from the smoke would be their man. Their eyes snapped as something came out. They opened fire as their target fell to the floor.
It was the jacket, with some scratches and marks from the bullets.
"Huh?!" the two gunmen snapped.
Just then, Izuku came up from behind them. He spun his kali sticks, hitting the first one behind the knee before tossing his kali stick to the second one, nailing him in the eye. Izuku caught his kali stick with his other hand before smacking the gunman's weapon away with it. Chat Noir didn't stop there, balling his free fist, punching the downed gunman over and over. He turned around and landed a roundhouse kick on the face of the second gunman.
Izuku turned around, seeing Frankie the Fly trying to open the door. He ran towards him as he managed to finally open it. With one mighty jump, Izuku landed a double kick on Frankie's face, breaking his nose.
A short while later, the police arrested Frankie the Fly and his associates after finding them tied and gagged like they had done to the guards.
Izuku had given Kendo all the information in his report.
"You know, when I put you and Ashido on a simple assignment, I never thought you'd deal with both a zombie outbreak and an armored truck robbery the same night." Kendo sighed. "So, where are they?"
"Oh, I told them to get away from here in case something bad happened," Izuku said. "Sorry, captain, I just didn't want them to get hurt."
"Your heart was in the right place. I just hope that this doesn't affect the article on the police force." Kendo grumbled just as Alien Queen skidded to a halt before her and Izuku.
"Partner! You're okay!" Mina tackled Izuku into a hug followed by Alya.
"We were so worried!" Alya added as Izuku was brought down by their combined weight.
Kendo sighed, seeing that this was going to be a pain to deal with. She just wanted the article to come out without looking like a script for an action movie.
Two days later, Izuku and Mina had been invited over by Alya to her apartment to read the article. The two officers were more than happy to go with her and read the article. However, they were slightly impressed with what they saw.
"Have another sip you two." Alya poured Izuku and Mina another cup of beer.
"Don't mind if I do!" Mina cheered as Izuku sheepishly paced himself.
Izuku and Mina were met with a 'We survived a zombie apocalypse' party alongside the publication of her article. They were surprised to see how her description and argument of the ways of the French Police were so well received. Alya had prided herself in writing the piece from an unbiased position and how she stuck to the facts on how the officers had to go through the process and how they've shown a humane side when talking to the people that needed them. Izuku and Mina were happy to know that they helped her do her job.
"I can't believe you didn't mention the whole zombie incident." Mina chuckled.
"Well, I decided to write another article about the whole thing." Alya took a sip of her beer. "My editor nearly did a backflip of joy." Her and Mina were slightly tipsy from all the drinks they'd have but not too much.
"I actually like the title you chose for the first article." Izuku pointed to the title. "'Walking the Blue Mile'. It has a nice humble feel to it."
"I wanted to go for something like 'Behind the Scenes of the French Police' but my editor, bless her, said a more artistic title would do the trick." Alya and Mina finished their drinks as Izuku took a sip from his. "I didn't waste any time, finished them both in record time."
"You didn't have to rush your work for us. You should take it easy, Alya." Izuku set down his drink.
"Aw, so considerate, isn't he, Mina~?" Alya swung her tail as a lecherous smile grew on her face.
"He certainly is, Alya." Mina pressed herself against Izuku.
Before Izuku could react, Mina and Alya had him pinned down with toothy grins on their faces. He got flashbacks of the night he made love to Mina. Although now he had a chance to talk his way out, as it would not just be their relationship or friendship that would be in jeopardy.
"Alya, wait, y-you can't do this. You need to remain unbiased and besides," Izuku said, struggling for words as the two girls looked at him like a delicious piece of meat, ripe for a meal. "Mina, are you okay with this?"
"Of course, me and Alya had a talk and we agreed to try a menage a trois." Mina kissed him on the lips. "So, you've got my permission. And who knows, maybe more~."
"Besides, my work is done. So, no one can say that I was incentivised to write a positive article." Alya kissed Izuku deeply. "You've always treated me with respect. Always looking out for me and trying to keep me on my toes is exciting. The way you're a knight in shining armor is just the cherry on top~. Now, it's time for your reward~."
Izuku gulped as Alya and Mina pulled off snuggled up on him with a flirty laugh and loving heart eyes.