Nekhbat leapt over Paris's rooftops, cursing that her prize was taken from her by that Dolphin Bitch! She was sure that she had gotten her last night, but if she was wrong then she had lost the witch, and what was worse was she didn't have anything to show for months of work! I was sure I had tracked that old harpy down, but I must have lost her in that station after all! She probably jumped when that door was opened over that bridge, it's the only thing that makes sense! Or she's dead and this is a new one, but then how did she know how to awaken the Kwami after I killed the old hag? But He will not be happy about this, that's for sure. She thought as she moved, letting her mind wander as she traveled to her goal.
Thought deep in thought, she never stopped looking around as moved ever nearer to her destination. Finally she reached a rundown area on the outskirts of Paris, swiftly moving along the rooftops until she landed on a particular five-story building. Once she was sure no one could see her she dropped down into it, landing in a decaying room with a broken mattress with the springs exposed, a chair with three legs and a door that was only had the bottom half of it with the handle still connected. She wasted no time in moving through the door and jumped through the open part, landing in a roll that she leapt from it to a wall she then kicked off it and started to jump from wall to wall going downward, after a while, she finally reached the basement.
She looked around, smiling as she saw a few old signs of her past here, marks that she had made in a battle against some of the SSS's 'Super Aryan' when the Seven had led them into a trap here. She still wondered sometimes about a few remarks the scum had made, but it wasn't important. She moved behind a broken couch and dropped down a hole, landing in a cavern. As she hit the ground she released her transformation and her civilian form was revealed crouching.
As she stood up she shook her head, freeing her from the hood, revealing her long blond hair and as she moved her hair from her blue eyes, a cackling came from her hood and she frowned. "Nekka, do you have to laugh so much, I'm going to have a hard enough time asking for more Legions!"
"I can't help it hatchling, after all these years of us picking off lone groups of 'Supers', luck finally beats us! I mean with how you were so happy to let loose, I expected this!" Nekka said as she glared at her parent. Nekka is a white Kwami with a slender neck, a bald 'head' with a silver beak.
"So then you failed?" A deep guttural voice asked and the two of them went still and turned towards where the voice had come from as saw two golden eyes glaring at her. "After all that talk you failed, the Dolphin is still active?"
"I missed the Dolphin, if I had some help to track her down the first time then maybe I wouldn't have!" Nekka spat and looked at the eyes as they floated around the room in the darkness. As the teen looked around, trying and failing to find who she was looking for.
"If you're looking for Keos, don't. He's sleeping until tonight's meeting, you were able to get in contact with him at least Iris?" The voice asked and the teen, Iris, nodded, casting her gaze around the chamber for a few moments.
As Iris stopped looking around Nekka sighed and landed on her wielder's shoulder as Iris started to speak. "I expected that all of the others wouldn't be here, but where are Envy and Greed?"
"Envy sent us a message, something about tracking down a lead to setting an old score and Greed is in Italy, something about finally getting something back from those who stole from him," Bemm said and Iris sighed and shook her head, she could understand what they were both after and she wished them well, after all they still had time until their target date. And the steps Greed and Envy were needed for the plan weren't ready yet, not even close. It might have been easier if he was here, and with the few gemstones Envy gave her the last time they met up, they hall all the chips needed for her and Wraith could make a deal or treaty with Hawkmoth.
"Wait, what about Lust and Pride, where are they?" Iris asked and Bemm snorted from the darkness, away from where the voice came from the first time, forcing both human and Kwami to turn and try and find the source, just as Bemm wanted, forcing them to move to show his displeasure.
"Pride said something about tracking down another one in Russia and Lust still hasn't made contact with us yet. She probably has a new target she's looking into, or her cover needed her to stay away until she could sneak away and contact us I guess," Bemm said bitterly and Iris nodded, knowing how her sister still didn't trust Pride and was trying to find a replacement with the will to stand, now all whoever she chooses had to have a mindset willing to kill others for their goal.
"Well, I'm going to sleep for a few hours, I expect he ordered the firefly to stay by him right, good. Don't be too loud you two, I need this!" Iris said and walked away, leaving the two Kwami alone. As Nekka floated there she heard light laughter from the shadows and glared into the darkness.
"Must you always be this way!?" Nekka demanded and she was met with silence.
"Yes vulture, I must! This blunder will have costs, one we can't pay!" Bemm snarled and Nekka drew back before scowling towards the voice.
"Oh what do you know you old Lizard! My flight leader is every bit a cunning and savage warrior! So we missed the Dolphin, so what!? Does it truly matter that much?!" Nekka demanded and she was met with silence.
"Yes, because now the others know about us! When the Dolphin tells the others our history, they will try and track us down and destroy us just like that last one we fought said! Letting the rest of them think we're the Mage of Light's last works, that is what will keep us alive!" Bemm snarled and Nekka winced as she looked away.
The two stayed silent for a few moments before Nekka flew over to a TV and turned it on, turning the volume down and switching on subtitles as Bemm just floated in the darkness.
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Adrien walked into Marinette's room and closed and locked the door down and sighed. He heard the voices of Alya and Sabrina laughing as well and he smirked.
"What'd I miss?" Adrien asked as he saw Marinette and Tikki before Marinette's computer, with Marinette shaking her head in surprise as Tikki giggled.
"Adrien!? Bro that you? We were worried when you were so quiet man!" Kim's voice caused Adrien to rush to the computer and look over Marinette's shoulder, seeing the others with Kim, so he quickly realized where Roi Singe had gone.
"Kim!? I was not expecting you were Roi! And by the way Marinette's reacting, Master Fu was the one to choose you didn't he?" Adrien asked and Kim laughed.
At the room Kim and the others were in, he smirked as he looked at Adrien and Marinette and laughed.
"Yeah, and it's great to see you and Mari man! After Mari got thrown out unlawfully, well I guess Max already told you about that right? But I swear that Owl is corrupt man!" Kim asked with worry and Adrien put his hand on Marinette's shoulder as she nodded. Part of Kim was happy that his little sister was finally starting to loosen up around Adrien, but how do you give the 'Shovel Talk' to somebody with the power of freaking Destruction with a capital D?
"Yeah, he did. And thank you Kim for going to bat for me," Marinette said from the screen and Kim grinned.
"Anything for my friends Mari…well, anything that's morally right at least! So let's talk about the big Monkey in the room?" Kim asked and Fu nodded and coughed, causing everyone, from the teens to the Kwami to look at him.
"Yes, how was the battle? How was it, did you figure out who the new Super was?" Fu asked and Alya started to look angry and Chloe started to giggle. "What's the matter?"
"Alya's just a little mad that she can't publish the two new Miraculous wielders that appeared at the battle, and she can't even report it on the Ladyblog," Chloe said and Fu nodded before whipping his head to look at her.
"Yeah, I'll need to try and find a way to get footage even if I'm a hero… think you could help me with a commission Max?" Alya asked and Max nodded as Markov hovered nearby.
"I think so, I mean that project is almost ready for field testing… and a few of your failed bodies might work Markov… we would just need to make sure they're not normal wireless….. maybe a handshake program in case someone steals them…" Max said as he started to look down and Markov hovered nearer, recording everything Max said for them to go over later.
"TWO!? Who are they?" Fu exclaimed in shock. He had thought all the other Miraculous had been destroyed by Feast; if they weren't then where had they been all these years? Who had used them, and were they used for good or evil, had he people like the NAZIS and other dictators been helped by his action all those years ago?
"We don't know, Ladybug and I went after one of them when she left the battle but then we came back after she escaped, and she called herself Nekhabet," Sabrina said as she shrugged and looked around the room, the others nodding.
"Yeah, that was this woman with a scythe that caused one of the Akuma victims to turn back but he fell unconscious and she had these monsters that she summoned from these fleshy eggs! And the other was this girl who destroyed the eggs with the command Disharmony…." Alya began when Xuupu suddenly interrupted her
"Disharmony!? Oh, my little dancer is alive!" Xuupu exclaimed and Lonng sighed and shook his head, a small frown on his face.
"That's wonderful my friend, but I worry what kept her and the others who were sent out so long ago, especially him," Longg said and Trixx laughed.
"Come on Dragon-boy, you mess that old serpent don't you?" Trixx needled Longg who only shrugged.
"Yes, well he did play a mean game of…..!" Longg began before he suddenly couldn't talk,
"Who are you all talking about? What's happening to you all?" Sabrina asked as Barkk fell into her hands as the other Kwami with holders all went to them.
All the Kwami looked at each other, and by the way Adrien and Marinette had turned their heads the same thing had happened to Plagg and Tikki as well.
"What happened to you all!?" Chloe asked as she hugged Pollen to her checks. The others were just as bad as she was each of them holding their Kwamis and trying to figure out how to help them, all while Fu looked around with confusion on his face before anger overtook him.
"The Order!" Fu exclaimed and looked murderous for a few seconds.
"Fu what is this!?" Marinette demanded and Fu looked down, ashamed as he tried to figure out.
"A…..command by the Holder of the Miraculous can last longer than they hold them…. And I found something when I translated a part of the book, the same book that Adrien's father has," Fu said and looked up with a hard look in his eyes. "So that's what, 'A law passed by the Celestial will last until a Celestial releases it' means."
"What are you talking about!?" Chloe demanded and Fu deflated as the sorrow he now felt was almost too much for him to bear.
"After you said I was a… cult baby, I looked over all my notes on the copy of the Book of the Guardians, the same book that I had for only a few hours before... Marinette had to return it," Fu said and looked at Adrien sighed and nodded.
"Then who had it, girl? If we can track down who could have seen it, then maybe we've found Hawkmoth!" Alya said and Marinette looked away and Chloe looked at Adrien with her mouth hanging open in shock.
"My dad had it," Adrien said suddenly and everyone looked at him as he looked down.
"Your dad!? Gabriel!?" Chloe demanded and Adrien nodded as Alya.
"Plagg found it in a safe he had, and I took it to school, Lila took it and that was why I was sent back to homeschooling. Marinette found it, gave it to Fu and then Collector and we were back to square one again," Adrien said and frowned as the others looked at him. "I think he's Hawkmoth, everything fits but we don't have any proof!"
"What fits, I mean he was Collector, what don't we know?" Alya asked as she looked at Adrien as he looked at Marinette who smiled at him.
"I'll tell this part, Adrien. A while back Bunnix came and took me to a future, a future that was destroyed by an Akumatized Chat Noir," Marinette said and everyone was shocked and Fu was horrified. "I saved him, but the last words he said was our love did that to the world. I did something that let Adrien figure out who I was and we think we started to date in our civilian forms, something and then Akuma Chat Noir."
The others looked at her, Sabrina and Kim trying to wrap their minds around the fact that a Miraculous lets its users and others travel through time, Alya wondering when Marinette and Adrien met her in the first place while Chloe slowly but surely got madder and madder as things made connections in her head.
"That stupid, idiotic bastard! When I get a hold of him….. Aunt Emilia, that has to be the reason he even thought of doing this! But wait how did they get the Miraculous in the first place?" Chloe demanded and Fu shrugged as the others looked at each other.
"And even if he is Hawkmoth, how will we find evidence? He does make jewelry in the shape of the Miraculous," Sabrina said softly and looked around at the others when they turned to look at her. "I… like to bead when I have some free time on the weekends, so I follow the jewelry scene, he came out with a Peacock broach two years before all this started."
"Let me see what I can find…..Got it! Wow, I mean Gabriel's jewelry section has animal-inspired items, a new one is a whale pin of all things," Max said and Fu frowned and looked around at the others who all had strange looks on their faces. Marinette meanwhile looked down, her mind going many places, and then she frowned and looked up, she realized something by the look in her eyes, something that caused her to look at Fu.
"Fu, I have a question for the Kwami, will Nooroo and Dussu know what Barkk's powers are?" Marinette asked and the Kwami all moved their hands away from their mouths and nodded, Wayzz acting as Spokes Kwami.
"Yes, all of us who were grouped in the same box know what the other's powers are…. But why do you?" Wayzz asked but Sabrina gasped and looked at Chloe who paled as the others looked at them as Adrien stared at them and sighed.
"Then Hawkmoth will force Nooroo to tell him what he knows," Fu said gravely and Alya winced.
"Then Hawkmoth might try and find a way to command his Akuma from another location or something else, and if it is Gabriel then he won't make it easy to find evidence right?" Alya asked and Fu sighed.
"Yes, but we've gotten off-topic, the Kwami. As I said this was something that was done to them, I'm not even sure they could tell us what was done to them," Fu said and the way the Kwami hovered not moving, his guess was on target. As he released a sigh he started to curse himself as he went over everything he had learned so many years ago in the order, seeing them from the new direction his thoughts took, the darkness that was hidden was revealed by looking back.
"Then how do we fix this?" Marinette asked and Fu sighed and looked at the book with a hard look.
"There was mention of a ritual to free them, one of the things needed is a clear view of the moon overhead," Fu admitted and the others looked at him with a confused look.
"That's a long time from now, I mean the full moon was barely a week ago," Sabrina said and Max nodded.
"Exactly 5 days ago tonight at midnight to be exact. What else do we need to do to stop this….violation," Max asked with a hard look in his eyes.
"I need to figure out a few ingredients, I mean seaweed was recorded as ' a branch from the dragon king's garden'… some of them I have ideas and I just don't know what the rest could be, but we all have time to find out," Fu said and looked up at them. Chloe looked like she was going to say something and frowned, Sabrina had closed her eyes as Max started to mutter to himself as Markov landed on the table while Alya got out her phone.
"So it needs to be somewhere we can control, a place where we can we can escape fast or make a fighting retreat…. The tower is out," Chloe muttered and Alya looked up.
"Yeah, a flying Sentimonster or Akuma would own the sky and battle … the school courtyard maybe? No, the basement runs alongside the sewers, a breach there, we could station a guard, no…" Max muttered his thoughts out loud and Alya nodded.
"The Le Parc des Princes stadium," Sabrina said and blushed when everyone looked at her. "Well, Max could operate the roof, open it at the last minute and we can ask the police to guard the Tower, Rena could hide at the School and use her power to make it seem like we're doing it there while the rest of us are at the stadium. And if we need to we can have someone be a lookout for Alya and a guard… and with that grey woman we probably should."
"Good idea," Alya said stunned and Sabrina blushed as Chloe beamed at her. Chloe was glad that her old friend was finally breaking free and speaking up for herself, she needed to be able to do that, she really did, their fathers had hurt them a lot with how they believed people should behave. "But how can we get the police to help us?"
"I did promise to talk to Commissaire Laborous tonight, Chat and I could bring it up, see what he says," Marinette suggested and Alya nodded before she went still.
"Hey, the new girl, the one who helped us? She promised to meet us at the 'Tower tomorrow night!" Alya said and the others looked at her and she blushed and looked away.
"Who should go besides Alya, Marinette, and Adrien?" Sabrina asked and Chloe looked at them and smirked.
"Nobody. Alya's flute would probably let her turn on the comms function discretely and then Max could drop us right on top of the 'Tower if this is a trap. After all, if the enemy tries to trap you just turn it into a target-rich environment," Chloe said with a dangerous tone to her voice as she smiled viscously and Max coughed and Kim grinned as well.
"Good, then soon the hex will be off all the Kwami!" Adrien exclaimed and the others all nodded in agreement.
Sabrina suddenly went still as suddenly something went through her head, she made connections that the others hadn't. "All the Kwami? Even the one's Hawkmoth and Mayura enslave?"
The others went still and Marinette looked at something the others couldn't see and Adrien closed his eyes as Fu looked at her in shock before putting a hand on his chin and started to think as the others looked at each other.
"I need to check over the book, try and figure out what everything means first, I think there was something about time being a factor for it to unravel, maybe it was a hundred years or so…" Fu said and Kim grinned.
"So we have time then, how many years ago did you lose them dude?" Kim asked as the others all grinned as well, all but the Kwami, Adrien and Marinette. Adrien looked at Marinette and
"170 years ago," Fu said and as the others all looked at him he shrugged. "Long story about how I'm so spry at my age, I'll teach you about it later. For now, I'll look over the pages, try and find out anything and we'll talk about this when I have something, anything else we should share?"
"I promised officer Rodger to stop by the station and explain today's attack, what should I say? I know the Superhero Liaison Officer will have words for us about this," Marinette said and Fu looked up, a frown on his face. Fu had often thought that politicians that gained power over those with abilities always tried to use them to advance their agenda, but the European United Heroes actually had less government oversight than he expected, but then there were always exceptions.
"Could you swing by my place when you're done? I think we need to talk and clear the air so to speak," Chloe said and Marinette nodded after a few moments before she turned off the call on their ends.
"So you want this and him back, right?" Kim said as he started to pull off the Miraculous still in disguise mode but Fu shook his head.
"No, you can keep him for now," Fu told Kim with a grin as Kim smirked as Xuppu laughed and somersaulted in midair. "Now remember he loves barriers to eat, you must have some to recharge before you can transform again fast."
Max looked around, a strange feeling going through him as he tried to remember what he was forgetting when he suddenly went still. He had forgotten about what he found out about Lila, and why he had wanted to go and talk to Fu first… but with everything that happened so far. A beeping from his phone caused him to look down and wince as he saw the reminder. Oh, I have to go and meet mom for a late lunch, I hoped I would have more time, and then…. Tomorrow, I'll have to talk to him tomorrow. Max thought and took a deep breath. "Master Fu, I originally came here to ask for advice but with the attack and an appointment that I can't miss would it be alright if I come back tomorrow?"
"Of course my boy, of course. Good day to you all, and I'll call you all when I've found anything," Fu said as he bowed and Marinette and Adrien turned off their chat window. As the others left Fu looked at the Kwami that remained and sighed. "You all can't tell me what's wrong, can you? And that means a lot is wrong."
The Kwami stayed silent and moved to him, each of them looking at him with expressions of hope and sorrow. They were hopeful that Fu would break the bindings on them, but they were filled with sorrow that their old friend was having all his notions on the Guardians destroyed.
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Adrien looked at the dark screen and shook his head, he had a few ideas about what Chloe wanted to talk to Marinette about, and he was happy that Chlo had finally found her way back. As Adrien looked at Marinette he suddenly remembered something Tom had told him. "Marinette, your parents said that supper would be around seven today, I think maybe we should talk to the police before then, you can go and see Chloe after that."
"Smart, and if you play Mecha Strike with my parents when I leave after a few rounds, you can help me protect my identity," Marinette said and Adrien nodded and gestured towards the roof entrance. Adrien looked back at Marinette who looked down, a strange look going over her face.
"Something wrong Marinette?" Adrien asked and Marinette looked up and nodded.
"No, I just had a thought. If time is a factor, then maybe the Eagle Kwami, Liiri would be free of it, then maybe we could ask her and Eagle if they know anything?" Marinette asked and Adrien looked at her as Plagg ahhed as Tikki beamed at Marinette.
"Good thinking bread, that old bird should be happy to tell you anything we can't, and if she can't maybe those people could help out anyway," Plagg said and Tikki nodded.
"And since Max has been there before, we could travel there if they need to talk to us about it," Tikki spoke up and Adrien suddenly looked at them in shock as he suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, Uncanny Valley knows who we are, the Miraculous Glamor doesn't work on her! If we could show her a picture of Hawkmoth and my father, she could tell us that they're the same person, right?" Adrien asked and Marinette shook her head.
"It doesn't work that way, I asked her and she told me that she can only break our masking if she sees us in the flesh, a recording doesn't work, unfortunately," Marinette said and Adrien scowled until she put a hand on his shoulder and he looked at her with such love and respect in his eyes that she almost became a blushing mess.
"Of course, you've already thought about that?" Adrien asked with a note of wonder and M
"I asked her if she could figure out who Hawkmoth was just after everything
"Shall we Milady?" Adrien asked as he bowed as Plagg laughed and Marinette grinned.
"After you kitty!" Marinette said as they all looked up at the roof hatch. "Tikki, Spots on!"
"Plagg, Claws out!" Adrien called out and a moment later after they transformed the two left the room after Marinette locked her door down into the apartment.
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Outside the movie theater, Alya looked at Max as he walked away then looked away before coming to a decision. She dashed towards Chloe and Sabrina and reached them before they got into Chloe's limo. "Hold it, if you're going to go to town on my girl I'll!"
Chloe held up a hand and sighed, looking away as Alya stared at her. "Look, there's a lot of….personal reasons to why I act the way I do, and well only half of them have to do with my mom, okay? Sabrina knows most of it, Adrien a bit more and well, the whole story is complicated. After I talk to Marinette if she wants to she can tell you, but she deserves to know first."
"So all you're going to do is talk with her?" Alya asked and Chloe nodded and Alya looked at her for a few moments before nodding as Trixx poked his head out of Alya's pocket. "Fine, but you try anything I will make a nightmare with Trixx that will destroy you!"
Chloe nodded as Alya walked away, slipping into the limo as Pollen and Barkk came out of hiding. I deserved that but man is that girl really something, I mean my dad employs her mom and she still talked to me like that after everything I did….. good. That's what happened to mom, she just never had anyone to fight her. I need people around me to push me, to make me think. And I have to stop that, I'm me, not her. As Chloe thought Sabrina looked at her and smiled, happy that her oldest friend was slowly starting to open up.
"That was brave my queen, I'm proud of you," Pollen said and Chloe smiled. Sabrina looked on as Barkk smiled and chuckled.
"Yeah kid, you might have your fangs bared, but you've got a good heart," Barkk said and Chloe looked at them before looking out the windows to hide her tears.
Chloe kept silent as the limo moved on, her mind going strange places as she looked back over her life and saw everywhere that she had taken the wrong path. Ever since she had her epiphany, she had hated who she had been. She would change how she acted, not for anyone but herself, she would be a better person than her mother if she had to work at it until she died!
As the Limo sped away Alya ran after Max, a bad feeling going through her as she ran. She knew Max was going to look into Lila last night, and with everything that they knew about the little witch, she just knew it wouldn't be good.
"Hey Max, wait up!" Alya called out and he turned and looked at her, sighing as he saw her face.
"Alya no, I can't say what I found until I talk to Master Fu, please give me a day,"
"Lila right, you found something?" Alya said and she sighed and looked away. "Fine, but if it's that bad, make sure to tell Marinette so she can tell the lawyer about it."
"I will, I will," Max said as he turned away and walked off, Markov and Kaalki both looking up from his bag, both of them having learned what Max did, and both of them worried about what it meant about Lila.
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Ondine walked into the hospital wearing a hat and a hooded gray jacket and black pants, looking around and barely keeping from fingering the Miraculous around her neck as she moved towards the front desk. She noticed a few police officers around the room and barely kept smiling as she reached the front desk and looked at the person behind it. "Hi, I'm looking for Melisa Giascorn, I'm her niece and we just figured out she was here."
"Okay, Melisa Giascorn….. she's old, too old to be your aunt," The receptionist said and Ondine shrugged.
"She's my great-aunt, but we just call you aunt, no one likes old age you know?" Ondine explained and the receptionist looked at her before nodding.
"Yeah, I've got a few relatives like that, oh. She said that whoever came would need to answer a security question, and well it sounds weird….." The receptionist said and Ondine felt more than heard someone coming towards her and she smiled.
"That's my Aunty, so the question?" Ondine asked as she reached for the counter and smiled at the receptionist, and tried not to let her nerves show. She had to give off the impression that she was who she said she was, that everything was normal. If she had even the single chance of pulling this off, then she couldn't show a hint that she wasn't who she said she was. As she waited she wondered if maybe she should have taken Acting classes, and as she looked at the receptionist who frowned and looked up with a befuddled expression.
"What is the Dolphin's name?" The receptionist asked with a raised eyebrow and Ondine looked down but felt Bottla press against her and smirked, realizing just what Melisa meant.
"Bottla," Ondine said confidently and the receptionist nodded and waved off whoever was there.
"Thank you, she was very insistent and as the victims don't know what hit them…." The receptionist trailed off and Ondine nodded.
A few moments later Ondine walked through the hospital, seeing members of the Akuma Taskforce around told her how the police were treating this like an Akuma or something Super related. If that was enough to handle the Seven or scare them off, more power to the police as far as she was concerned.
As she stepped into the elevator she pushed the button for the floor Melisa was on the doors started to close before a hand blocked them. As it opened two police officers, a man and a woman stepped in, the woman pressing the 'CLOSE DOOR' button and smiling at Ondine.
"Sorry kid, needed to get up there to talk to somebody…. Oh we're going to the same floor," The woman said and Ondine nodded and stepped to the back as the two police officers talked with each other, both of them making small talk and Ondine kept quiet until the doors opened, as they left the elevator the two officers watched as Ondine moved towards a room before going towards a meeting room.
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As Melisa sat in the bed, she sighed and hoped that she would be able to get out soon. She had to find a way to track down the girl she gave her old friend too, she had done something to free her from Sloth's power but she needed to know everything! She hated what her mother taught her, but if they ever got her friend, she didn't want everything they had been able to discover about the scum over the years, with all the rest they found out too. But she had to hope this girl wasn't with the so-called Guardians that her ancestors had written about, if she was then Melisa didn't want to think about what her old friend was going through.
A commotion from the door caused her to frown and sighed. Another doctor or nurse to look at her, to poke or prod her for something that she knew and she suspected they knew they weren't going to find anything but they had to try and find something to explain what happened to everyone. But instead of anyone working at the hospital, a teenage girl walked into the room and closed the door tightly behind her and started to look around.
"Hi aunty, nice question using the name of the dolphin at that ocean park!" The girl said and Melisa frowned but when Bottla pocked her head out of the girl's pockets she sighed when she saw the happy smile on the Kwami's face.
"Well, I felt a little… mischievous girly, wanted to make you think. I hope it wasn't too much trouble," Melisa said and Ondine giggled. Melisa looked at the girl as Bottla floated around the room, and for once she was happy that his kind couldn't be detected by modern cameras. She made a few motions with her hand and Ondine moved closer to the bed.
Bottla sank into the walls and Melisa grinned, this was a trick they had used to check for recorders and spy tech over the years the two had worked together, and she hoped that the new girl wouldn't need the more…..sensual tricks that her mother had taught Melisa before she had died.
"Oh Aunty, do they know anything happened to you all? Any idea at all?" Ondine asked and Melisa shook her head and winced before Bottla came back towards them with a smile and nodded. Melisa released her breath, they
"We're clean M, and this calf did okay, but we did work with the locals," Bottla said and Melisa winced and looked.
"Fuck, if they're with the Order then…!" Melisa snarled and Ondine looked confused and Bottla sighed.
"The kid didn't have a choice, we met in the sewers, two of the part-timers; they might not be following the orders commands at all. I mean it's been a long time since we last fought those scum," Bottla said and Ondine looked between them, confused beyond words.
"What Order are you talking about, and why didn't you tell me about them Bottla?" Ondine demanded and Bottla sighed.
"It's a long story kid. See over the years other Miraculous holders beyond our group would meet us, and after that these Monks would show up and try and take me and mine by force," Bottla said and Ondine looked at them, shocked beyond words as she realized that Ladybug and Chat Noir were connected
"But there have to be others who use Miraculous beside you right? I mean Hawkmoth and Mayura are proof right?" Ondine asked and Melisa nodded.
"Yes, but we've only found single Holders in other countries around Europe, I mean grandma had stories about someone active in England during WW2 that held back some Nazi Supers. But whenever we've run into other holders besides the Seven, most of the time we always find monks after a while, and whenever two groups of Holders fought in the past, the monks and their Order were always behind one group trying to steal the others in the name of Balance." Bottla spat and shook, remembering all the ways those scum had treated her holders and chosens over the years, when they stopped over a hundred years ago, she had always looked over her shoulder waiting for them to attack.
Ondine looked at them in shock, a million ideas forming and dying behind her eyes as she tried and failed to figure out what this could mean for Paris. The first thought was that one of the two groups had the backing of this Order, maybe Hawkmoth giving how he wanted the Miraculous, but Ladybug and Chat Noir had how many others to help them?
"When this affair started in this city, I stayed away because I knew that at my age I couldn't handle a backstab as good as I did when I was younger….. but then I discover that one of the gangs these bastards control were sending men into the towns around Paris, outside of Hawkmoth's range, we had to go," Melisa said and Bottla looked at her former chosen with a sorrowful look, the way she was talking about it, she wanted Ondine to take over her calling, but then the woman had fought for years and some of the hidden things in their 'Carry-Space' would help the newbie out.
"I…that's… you want me to keep Bottla, don't you," Ondine said, in a moment of complete surety, somehow understanding about why Melisa was telling her this. Melisa nodded and Bottla sighed and hugged her old friend's face. Melisa had fought for years, and the girl was new and so totally outside of anything that might link to her, it was her best hope to pass Bottla on to someone
"Yes, I've been made by them. The best thing for me to do is to escape from here and go to ground for a while in a safe house in England. With the Star Train, I'll be able to slip away, and then this little one can tell you my handle on Telegram and I'll be able to drop a few things. I'm sorry to drop this on you, but I felt something when you found me, something that told me you'd be able to do this," Melisa said and Ondine looked at her and then glazed at Bottla.
The Kwami was floating then with her hands crossed, looking at her with a questioning look but she didn't say anything. This was Ondine's choice and hers alone, but she had to admit that Ondine was right; there was something about the girl that…called to the Kwami and she could only wait for Ondine to make a choice, a choice that would affect both their futures.
"I'm not saying yes right away, I'm not but what's their end game, the Seven? What are they after?" Ondine asked and Melisa sighed and looked away, a hard look on her face.
"Wish I could tell you, kid, I truly do. They've got years of life stored up, maybe even centuries! The smart play would be to hide away, maybe move to a different continent, but they keep trying to get me, I don't know why," Melisa said and Bottla looked away unseen by the two humans.
Bottla knew why they were after them, they were power hungry and couldn't let a single chance that someone might be able to stop them exist out of their control, but something told her that she and her klan were being hunted for another reason. She looked on as Ondine and Melisa talked, and once again the Dolphin Kwami felt that there was a secret that not even she knew that explained everything about why they were being hunted.
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As Chat Noir led the way he somersaulted over a street as Ladybug followed behind him, a wild grin on his face. He lived for this, just letting his loose and trusting in his instincts to keep him alive, his Lady with him as they danced across Paris. He loved the fact they finally knew who each other was, but he was still worried that they might let their emotions call an Akuma but he knew that they would handle it.
A few moments ago Ladybug had dropped into an alley and he almost turned around but she had jumped back to the rooftops and she seemed to be embarrassed so he hadn't said anything and put on a burst of speed, leading the way with a laugh as she joined in, just a few feet behind him. As they jumped over another street he saw the police station in the distance and smirked as he landed on a rooftop in sight of the station and waited for Ladybug who caught up a moment later and he grinned at her. "I win!"
"We didn't race, and if I hadn't thought I saw a mugging I might not come in second!" She said with a laugh and he frowned.
"Thought you'd seen a mugging?" Chat Noir asked and Ladybug looked away.
"It was a bit of roleplaying for…. Romance," Ladybug said with a blush, and Chat Noir looked at her before he blushed as well and looked away.
"Oh, one of those," Adrien squeaked and looked around, seeing people happy and a few yelling at each other in places that the mayor designated 'anger zones', so far they let people release steam after Hawkmoth's attacks. And he had come across a few of those attacks himself since he became Chat Noir and it was always embarrassing. "Please tell me it wasn't one of those reverse seduction fantasies?"
"Male seducer to a female thief and I still feel a bit…..dirty for seeing it," Ladybug said and Chat Noir winced.
Suddenly a high-powered light shined in their eyes and they both covered them Chat Noir could hear a laugh from across the way and he sighed and smiled. "Got us again Chief!"
As the light died Ladybug grinned at her partner and they both heard the laughter die down before they jumped over and landed before the source. Commissaire Bertolfo Laborous was an Italian man around forty-five years and liked to walk the streets when he wasn't doing paperwork. His blond hair had a few streaks of grey in it and he had a scar on the left side of his face below his eye, he said it was a souvenir from a super-villain's minion, and that was all he would ever say about it. He was dressed in a general police uniform with his badge of office on his right shoulder and a tan trench coat with a hood over it.
"I got you again kids, you need better awareness to survive this gig, trust this old soldier, I know. Sometimes it's the little things that keep you alive, the instincts and attention for detail that trump ray power," Commissaire Laborous said in a lecturing tone and Ladybug sighed as Chat Noir grinned. The Commissaire was kind of a mentor to him, and he always helped people escape from Akuma and had helped the two of them escape from mind-controlling Akumas in their civilian forms. Marinette knew him as an old friend of her grandmother and someone who she had interacted with outside her mask and tried to keep from being too familiar with him as Ladybug. "So what happened at the park today, that roar scared the citizens and my men had a hard time restoring order. And that's not even talking about the newbie Hawkmoth sent in that you and the ….Dog I think, chased after?"
"She wasn't with Hawkmoth, she attacked both us and the victims and then another Miraculous Wielder appeared. And there were people found unconscious and couldn't wake up last night?" Chat Noir asked as he took the lead as he usually did when they talked with the Commissaire. Laborous looked at them and then nodded slowly, a frown growing on his face.
"Yeah, they woke up a few hours ago, after the attack but before the ladybugs, one of the newbies then, the one you chased Ladybug?" He asked and Ladybug nodded. "Fuck. Thought it wasn't our favorite magical criminal. Our favorite idiot is already up in arms about it downstairs; he said something about sending a report to his superiors about it, and how this might be connected to an old case file of theirs before WW1, know anything about that?"
Chat Noir and Ladybug looked at each other as Laborous merely waited and looked at them with his arms crossed. He trusted these two, but they were Magic users of a kind that from what he had been able to pierce together seemed to be dependent on non-human entities for their abilities, and while he wanted to believe that the kids had a handle on them, part of him was worried. He had a few scars left from the last time he had tangled with things that weren't human, and he hoped that he was just being overly cautious but better safe than sorry.
"Yeah….. there's something else. To find the information that might explain a few things we need to commandeer a building within the next month, at night," Ladybug said and Laborous looked at them as Chat Noir shrugged.
"This important then?" Laborous asked and Ladybug nodded solemnly and he sighed and shook his head.
"The person who we chased said she made her Miraculous and before WW2….. maybe she did maybe she didn't, but we need to do something, and to do it right we need the building," Ladybug said and Laborous looked at Chat Noir who nodded. "To make a long story short we need to do what we plan to move forward."
"Yeah…. We'll talk to you about the particulars but think Trojan," Chat Noir admitted and Laborous looked at them and grinned evilly.
All in all, this seemed perfect for him. A full mobilization would let him do three things, 1; put the task force through its paces, 2; keep a closer eye on a few 'spies' that he thought were reporting to someone in city hall or maybe Hawkmoth himself and 3; they might be able to get a look at Hawkmoth himself, finally find a clue to track him down.
"Perfect, I think I know just what you plan on doing, this would help out the department a bit, show everyone at City Hall that we're up to snuff. Just give me about a week or so warning so I can get ready," Laborous said and Ladybug nodded before a commotion from the doors caused them all to wince. "And that would be the warning I set up, get out of here you two, and remember to tell me what's the what when you can."
The two heroes nodded and jumped away, Laborous shaking his head as he turned back towards the door down as it flung open. He sighed, he just knew that who was going to give him trouble about the attack today, he just knew it. "But what those kids told me, he might be right for once. What's happening to my city?"