"I hope he will be okay," Ladybug said after Buddy crawled down the pipe.
"I'm sure that he will be fine, M'Lady," Chat reassured her. "He has been surviving down here for years. I'm sure he will be fine."
"Right," Ladybug replied as the door opened. "We just have to keep moving forward. One step at a time."
Chat chuckled. "At least neither of us are in a suit of armor... holy cats, we're in a Philosopher's Stone."
"Is this spoilers for Brotherhood? Because I'm only at- what the flip?"
Chat looked around at the room with the large sign in the middle proclaiming the area to be 'Heavenly Toys.' He finally said, "I thought this was an animation studio!"
"Maybe they were trying to keep everything in house?" Ladybug offered, before shaking her head. "Never mind that, we've got to find an exit."
The pair made their way through the warehouse, past Bendy cutouts, forgotten wooden toys, and a ridiculously large stuffed Bendy Ladybug was going to try to take later, and an even larger stuffed Boris she thought she saw Chat eyeing. They then went up a flight of stairs and found themselves in an area with what could only be a toy machine.
"This place is a mess," Chat observed.
Ladybug hummed. "This looks like the aftermath of the time a monkey got loose in the bakery."
Chat shot Ladybug a wide-eyed look. "Was there an akuma I was unaware of?"
"This actually happened the month before you joined our school," Ladybug clarified. "I haven't seen Jo for a while, she stopped coming by. I hope she's okay."
"Okay, putting a pin in that for later," Chat answered, before lifting a shelf full of toys of the rails and setting it to the side. "I think we go through here," he added.
The next room was filled with Alice dolls, arranged on shelves behind glass, as well as a couple of posters. The main part of the room was an enclosed area with a door leading to who knows where.
"You know, if these things were in better condition, they would be worth a lot," Chat said. "I believe there's a good market for these things."
"I've got an Alice doll myself," Ladybug offered. "My grandma got me it from one of her trips to America. She said it was a steal."
Chat paused. "Was she being literal?" he finally asked as music began playing. "Because I met your grandma, and I think it could go either way."
"Who knows." Ladybug listened to the music. "I must admit," she said, "this song is pretty cat-"
"I'M ALICE ANGEL! HAHAHAHAHA!"
The woman behind the glass was nothing like Alice Angel. With normal proportions, she looked human enough. However, here face was distorted, the left side of her face melted, revealing her teeth, and her blind left eye leaking ink. A pair of horns and a broken halo stuck inside her skull completed the grotesque look.
The woman laughed maniacally and smashed the glass, somehow causing the lights to go out. Now in total darkness, Ladybug was forced to rely on her hearing.
"I see you there. New flies in my endless web. Come along now. Let's see if you're worthy to-" WHACK!
The lights came back on slowly, revealing the fallen angel lying on the ground out cold with Chat Noir standing above her, staff on his shoulder and a big grin on his face.
A grin which Ladybug returned fully. "Have I ever mentioned that I love your night vision?"
Chat buffed his nails on his chest. "Oh, once or twice," he said.
-MToLaCNBatIM-
Susie (Alice! She was Alice Angel!) woke up to a thundering headache. She blinked her eye, only to see a bleary vision of a moving wooden floor. Suddenly, it stopped, causing a fresh wave of pain to ripple through her skull. She tried to raise a hand to her head, but found herself bound tightly. She was then lifted off the shoulder she had been slung over, and the ringing in her ears faded, and she started hearing conversation around her.
"-okay, kitty," she heard as she was set against the wall. "My leg doesn't hurt at all. Besides, if worst comes to worst, I have Buddy with me."
"Okay. I don't like this, but I trust you. Stay safe, Mi'Lady." By then, Susie's vision had cleared up enough so that she could see properly. In front of her was a Boris holding a wrench nervously, while a man in black clothing went around a corner. A third person looked her up and down.
"So you're awake," she said.
Susie stared. Sitting in front of her was a young girl, or a very short woman. She had black hair tied up in pigtails and was dressed in a skintight suit that was quite... scandalous...
Susie was sure that if she still had blood, she would be blushing.
But finally confusion won out over embarrassment. "Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm called Ladybug," the girl answered. "Who are you?"
"I'm Su-Alice. Alice Angel."
"Okay," Ladybug nodded. "Wh-"
"I must be Alice Angel," Susie (Alice!) continued, speaking faster and more frantically, "I have to be Alice Angel, Joey said I am Alice Angel, poor Susie was melted down to make Alice Angel, who am I if not Alice Angel, I am Alice Angel, I AM ALICE ANGEL, I AM ALICE ANGEL!"
And then she threw up.
"Alice" coughed as the remains of her last meal finally came out of her mouth. She became aware of hands holding her hair back.
"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked, concern on her face.
That was good question. She was an Angel, Sent From Above a young woman from Brooklyn, seeking her future. She had been denied her chance in the spotlight betrayed by someone who loved his studio too much. She was... she was...
She was so confused.
But in other ways, it felt like she was thinking clearly for the first time in years decades.
She was shocked from her musing by a Piper hitting a nearby wall upside down. It stuck to it for a moment before dissolving into ink.
A moment later, the black-suited man returned. "That one nearly got the drop on me," he said. "By the way, the elevator's working again."
"Is that the one we're looking for?" Ladybug asked, turning to the Boris. The wolf took out a note book and scribbled down a message which he passed to her.
"Wrong elevator," Ladybug said after reading the note. "We got to find the frieght elevator.
"That elevator is broken," she said, an idea forming in her mind. "I took apart the lift mechanism for my machines."
"Just great," the cat boy muttered as the Boris palmed his face.
"I can fix it," 'Alice' continued. "All I ask from you is one eensey weensey favor from you."
Ladybug narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"
"Take me with you."
AN: Hello again. It's been a while. Sorry for the wait, I've been dealing with computer problems and medical issues. But I'm doing better now, and hope to post more often.
Stay well and stay safe.
-LibraryNexus