Hello everyone! Looks like my work schedule is getting back to normal-ish so next week we'll be back to our regular Tuesday updates. The title this week is Schwarze Katze which is Black Cat in German. Now let's check in on our boy who has just gone back to the darkside.

Content warning: Confirmation bias, poor self care, obsession, experimentation, and injury.

Chapter 11

Schwarze Katze

As expected Varian didn't get much sleep that night much to Ruddiger's dismay. Still he supposed that couldn't be helped. As much as he wanted to run out the door and get to the testing site he felt the urge to talk to Adrien before he left. He knocked on the other boy's door nervously, but why was he nervous?

"Come in." Adrien answered.

"Hey I just wanted to stop by and tell you-Oh wow you look awful." Adrien rolled his eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night either.

"Gee thanks." Varian quickly back peddled.

"Ah, sorry about that. I guess you didn't get much sleep last night either. Anything wrong?" Adrien turned away trying to think up an excuse. He didn't notice Varian glancing at his hand. Upon seeing the usual ring in place he let out a silent sigh of relief.

"No nothing wrong, just a late night on social media promoting my farewell song. It's been released to the fans from the charity concert and it goes on sale to the general public in three days." He let out a small laugh to mask his distress. "Even when I was a model I didn't wake up looking perfect." He pointed to his bed head hair and made a face causing Varian to laugh.

"So I just wanted to stop by and tell you I'll be away for a few days." Adrien blinked in surprise before he remembered something about the project starting back up again.

"You said something about a breakthrough?"

"Yeah it looks really promising. If it works it could really help my Dad." The boy looked happy about it but also sad at the same time. Adrien was kind of feeling the same way.

"That's great but does this mean you might be going back to Germany afterwards?" Varian paused as if realizing this for the first time.

"I-I don't know. I was hoping we could move here, there's not much I'd miss but…anyway I'm getting ahead of myself. It looks hopeful but there's still no guarantee." There were a lot of conflicting emotions on the boy's face.

"Maybe then you can tell me what this mysterious project was all about." Varian visibly flinched.

"Ah…yeah, maybe." He'd like to. A large part of him wanted to confess even if that meant losing a friend and a brother. He felt so guilty for taking the ring but he knew he'd never be forgiven for it. But it was too late to turn back now.

Adrien was conflicted as well. With the loss of his ring and Plagg he'd really like someone to talk to and he'd grown so close to Varian since he started living here. But he also knew this was very important to him and he didn't want to get in the way of that.

"Well I wish you the best of luck. Let me know how things are going." Varian paused and smiled back at the other boy.

"Sure, we'll keep in touch." After Varian left Adrien pulled out a notebook he had shoved under his bed. He had been working on a plan all night since there was no chance of him getting any sleep. Ladybug was the one with the big ideas and plans in their partnership but that didn't mean he didn't have any of his own.

Fortunately he knew her patrol schedule and where was the best place to meet her. He ran to his closet and pulled out a black outfit and ski mask. He had to get to her before Shadow Moth released another Akuma. He just hopes he'll be able to make it on time.

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True to his word Gabriel had set up a test sight for Varian in the abandoned subway tunnels he and Ladybug used to fight the red rocks. There were plenty of black rock and amber to test the ring on as well as a safety wall to help protect himself if there was shrapnel.

The man left to get started on his plan to get the final Miraculous while Varian held the ring in his hand finally ready to use it. Ruddiger hadn't said much beyond making sure to start the tests small and work his way up when he had more control. Varian agreed, as much as he wanted answers, playing with the rock was dangerous and needed to be done carefully.

Having everything ready he hesitated no longer and put on the ring. Plagg immediately popped out expecting Adrien to be there. He wondered why he had taken his ring off; he usually kept it on and let him roam around his room when he came home from battle.

He tried calling but the name was caught in his throat. Something was wrong. He turned around to see Adrien's brother staring at him while wearing the ring. He also spotted the Raccoon Kwami hovering behind him with a worried expression. He quickly put two and two together and realized Varian was Tanuki, and had been all along.

"Cata-"

"Silence!" Varian commanded, making the Kwami unable to speak. "You are not to use your powers without a holder and unless you are commanded to. Is that understood?" Plagg glared at the boy but he could do nothing about it. His powers were bound to him now. He nodded and Varian released him from the silencing spell.

"So you're Tanuki? My new Master?" he hissed out that last word and Varian tried not to flinch.

"For the time being. I'm going to need your help." Plagg scoffed.

"Help you? You've got to be kidding. I'm not helping you or your Master achieve that wish." The reality was he really couldn't stop them but since he was alone it meant they didn't have Tikki yet so there was still hope. If nothing else he wasn't going to make it any easier for them.

"That's what I'm hoping to avoid." Plagg gave him a curious look. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Well you're doing a bang up job."

"I mean it, I'm trying to save someone. I don't need the wish, at least I don't think so. I just need your power of destruction."

"Kid, how's the power of ultimate destruction going to save anyone?" Varian went over to a large piece of amber covered with a tarp. He ripped it off revealing a terrified white cat trapped within the rock. Plagg's eyes widened.

"Is that?" Varian bent down touching the rock with his gloved hand.

"Poor thing. It got caught in the Amber when Ladybug and I used it to stop the red rocks." He looked back up at the Kwami.

"These rocks are from my world.'' The cat Kwami blinked. He knew the boy's history from Adrien. Sure he was suspicious that there were a lot of holes but now everything was starting to fall into place. "I tried to stop them there but my experiment was…interrupted. My Dad is now encased in a rock just like this cat here. Your power is the only thing that's been able to break it at all. I need to master it enough to free this little one here. It's been in there long enough to die naturally but if it's still alive, and I can save it, I can finally free my Dad and make up for the biggest mistake of my life!"

Plagg could sympathize, he really could. It was always painful to lose a good holder even if it was just to time. Human lives were so short yet they still clung to them, maybe because they were so short.

"Look kid-"

"Varian."

"Look Varian, I believe you when you say you're trying to save your Dad but these things," he pointed to the rocks. "Are dangerous! You shouldn't be playing with them, especially with my power." Varian's face hardened. He had tried to be nice about this and he knew very well how dangerous the rocks can be. But sometimes nice just didn't work.

"Too bad you don't have a say in this. Plagg, claws out!" Ruddiger watched as his boy transformed for the first time using a Miraculous that wasn't his. His new outfit was a black coat and pants with the Black Cat symbol on the front. He also had a fur lined hood with a set of cat ears on top and a pair of shades covering his eyes, like he was trying to hide.

"Varian you-

"It's Schwarze Katze in this form." He said examining his claws and the small rock pieces he picked out for the first test.

"Just be careful." Ruddiger said as his boy prepared to test out his new powers.

"Cataclysm!" He used a single finger and touched the smallest rock in the room. He then quickly ducked behind the safety wall and watched as it exploded into smaller shards just like the video. He transformed back and then walked over to the shards now littering the floor.

"I hate that." Plagg complained. "It feels…" Once again he didn't seem to have the words to describe the strange feeling. "But see, if you did that with a living creature inside-"

"I know. That's why we're going to do it again." Plagg frowned.

"But you just saw-"

"It's called training. No skill or experiment is perfect the first time around. We're going to do this until we've mastered it." Plagg almost admired the boy's tenacity but this needed to stop.

"Well, we can't until I've had a chance to refuel."

"I know," he said casually as he walked over to a table covered with trays. He opened up several displaying a large variety of food for the Kwami to choose from. "Help yourself."

Plagg found himself staring at the biggest pile of cheese he's ever seen. He wanted to resist but the smell made his stomach betray his will. As Plagg ate his fill Ruddiger came up to Varian who was taking notes.

"You should eat something too. If you're going to be transforming a lot it's best to keep your strength up." He continued writing.

"I will, let me just do a few more tests first and I'll have a meal." Ruddiger sighed. Worried his boy was losing himself all over again.

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Ladybug waited impatiently for her partner. He had left yesterday before the battle was even over and now he was late for patrol. She tried calling and leaving a message but he still hasn't gotten back to her. Just as she was starting to worry something might be wrong she felt a presence behind her. She turned around and was relieved to see her partner twirling his staff like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Chat Noir, where have you been?"

"Abologies Milady, I had some issues in my civilian life that I needed to take care of." She was still annoyed but she also understood.

"It's fine, let's just get on with patrol. I wanted to make sure that building on the west side is still stable." She swung her yoyo to the building across the street as she leapt across. She didn't see the evil smirk on her 'partner's' face.

"Right behind you." Shadow Moth echoed through his Sentimonster as it followed Ladybug unaware of the danger she was in.

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"Cataclysm!" Schwarze Katze shouted as he destroyed yet another set of rock with pretty much the same result as every other batch. "Claws in." He sighed frustrated as he continued to make more notes wondering what he could do to make a precise cut not just an explosion.

Plagg wandered back to the cheese platter still having plenty left wondering how much longer was the boy going to keep going. They had been at this all day. Ruddiger had finally managed to wrangle the kid to sit down long enough to eat something. Plagg found it a little strange that the villain would keep him better fed than himself.

Varian ran a hand through his hair as he picked at his food. Ruddiger had warned him some Miraculous worked better with specific holders. He could use the ring of the Black Cat but he was having trouble adjusting the power level. He'd seen the footage of Char Noir using it and he knew it could be powerful or small depending on what he needed. He wasn't about to give up though he just had to keep trying.

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Adrien had underestimated how long it would take him to sneak out of the house and make it to Ladybug and Chat Noir's meeting place. By the time he got there she had already left. He cursed to himself knowing there was no way he was going to catch up with her now.

Instead he circled back to the last stop on their patrol since it went around the city in a circle. The problem was it was on the roof of a privately owned building. Easy to get up there when you have super powers. Without them…this was going to be tricky.

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After countless attempts and trying as many alternatives as he could think of, Varian still couldn't get a hold of the Black Cat's power. He paced back and forth furiously scratching out so much in his note book it looked like a redacted F.B.I. file.

"OK clearly this isn't working but what else can I do?" Plagg's response was a burp. He had eaten so much cheese he was almost sick of it, almost.

"A break would be nice. I like cheese as much as the next Kwami but this is a bit much." Ruddiger floated up to Varian looking him in the eye.

"A break would help you clear your mind." The boy relented but instead of relaxing he got up to mix more of the amber solution. They had broken most of the amber in the room save for the one the cat was still trapped in. He definitely wasn't ready to try and free it yet.

He knew he might have trouble with a different Miraculous but it was so easy when he used Ruddiger's magic. It was like an advanced form of alchemy, he understood it. Why couldn't the power of destruction be a simple as-he paused. Looking at his latest vile of amber solution he got an idea. He could make this work after all.

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Ladybug liked to think up complicated but brilliant plans to achieve what she wanted. Adrien liked going with the more simple approach. He asked the building's owner (without the ski mask) if he could come in to scout the roof for a potential photo shoot for his father. He may not be a model any more but his father was still a famous designer.

There was enough space on the roof to hide but still close enough for Ladybug to hear him. All he had to do was wait. As it turns out he didn't have to wait long; it just wasn't who he expected.

"Who goes there?" Adrien turned to see Carapace standing there with his arms folded. He supposed he did look suspicious since he was dressed in black from head to toe with a mask covering his face. Nevertheless he was glad to see a fellow holder out and about.

"Carapace, am I glad to see you!" The turtle hero flickered. Wait flickered? It must have been the light.

"Yo-you are?" the hero said, a little confused.

"Yes, you have to help me."

"What for? What are you doing up here stalking around the shadows like a criminal?"

"It's me, Chat Noir!" The green clad hero laughed.

"Wow, that's a bad cosplay. Let me guess, lost your ring?"

"No." Adrien said seriously. "It was stolen." The hero stopped laughing and seemed to glitch for a moment.

"What do you mean stolen?"

"It was Tanuki!" he seethed. "He grabbed it from me yesterday after the Akuma attack and I need to let Ladybug know."

"How do I know you're not just saying that to get close to Ladybug." Adrien gave a frustrated grunt.

"Then tell her for me if you don't trust me to get near her." Carapace seemed to consider this for a moment. It could be a trap but they couldn't ignore the possibility that this guy could be telling the truth.

"Wait here." was all they said before they disappeared off the roof. Adrien slumped against a poll hoping Carapace would at least tell Ladybug. He honestly didn't know what else to do.

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Rena Furtive dropped the illusion and the image of Carapace disappeared. She had seen a shady figure in black along Ladybug's patrol rough and had hoped to scare them off. Then they drop that bombshell.

She quickly contacted Ladybug hoping this was all a sick joke.

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Ladybug was in the middle of her patrol when she heard the alert.

"Just a second Chat Noir!" They both paused and landed on an isolated roof. "I've gotta take this." The fake hero smirked.

"Take your time." she nodded and took the call from Rena Furtive. She didn't usually call during patrol unless it was an emergency. Chat Noir still didn't know Rena Rouge was still active as Rena Furtive and they had to keep it that way.

"I'm here, go ahead." Shadow Moth smirked through the sentimonster. Ladybug was distracted now was the perfect time to grab the other Miraculous.

"Chat Noir? Well yeah, he's here with me." She had her back turned and without warning he pounced!

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After discovering she was all alone Rapunzel searched frantically for the door she had just come through. She found no sign of the door or the House of Yesterday's Tomorrow. The few doors she found just led to a few shops with patrons who took one look at how she was dressed and started staring.

She quickly made her way out and returned to the area where she had first come through hoping to find that the door had reappeared. It hadn't, and there was no sign of Varian either. Had she'd been tricked? That was seemingly more and more likely.

She wandered aimlessly, not sure where to go or what to do. She only had Pascal with her and while she was grateful for his company she felt more lost and alone then she had ever been.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the News!" Rapunzel stopped as she heard a voice coming from…a wall? A magic mirror? She wasn't sure but the citizens weren't panicking and some even turned to watch the strange woman on the wall so she figured this must be normal here. Wherever here was.

"Former Model Adrien Agreste released his Farewell song three days ago to the fan who attended the charity concert that helped raise money for the displaced citizens of Paris who have suffered during the invasion of the black rocks." Rapunzel blinked. So this was Paris? As in Paris, France? But it looked so different from the books she's read. And the black rock attacked recently? This was all very strange but her thoughts were interrupted when the lady continued and she caught something very important.

"The song will be on sale tonight to the general public with all proceeds going to charity. Adrien's brother Varian made a surprise debut at the same concert filling in for Adrien who unexpectedly became ill."

Rapunzel's eyes widened when she saw Varian in strange clothes playing a piano and singing on the screen beside the woman. So it wasn't a trick, he was here.

"His song is available right now and like the one from Adrien all proceeds go to charity.

Rapunzel's heart was lighter. She smiled up at the boy who was so eager to help others like he had tried to help her when they first met. Her Dad was right, he had turned over a new leaf. He was helping a charity and from the sounds of it he might have found a new family as well.

She was happy for him it sounded like he really had turned his life around. She wasn't sure how he had gotten here in the first place but she could ask him that herself when she saw him. He was sure to help her now.

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"I'm here, go ahead." Ladybug said to Rena as she paused her patrol.

"Hey Ladybug, so this is going to sound strange but I just confronted a guy dressed in black at the end of your route claiming to be Chat Noir. Didn't he go with you on your patrol?" Ladybug glanced back at her partner.

"Chat Noir? Well yeah, here's here's with me." She pretended to turn her back but in reality she was keeping an eye on him. He had been acting strange during her patrol but nothing too suspicious. A moment later she saw him move.

She swung her yoyo hitting the fake hero in the head disorientating him long enough for her to tie him up. Seeing the jig was up he the Sentimonster looked up and growled at her.

"Ladybug? Are you there? Hello?" Ladybug picked the communicator part of her weapon back up making sure the fake was secure.

"I'm here. Sorry about that, I was just attacked but who I thought was Chat Noir."

"Are you OK?"

"I'm fine but if this one's a fake-" At that moment Shadow Moth released the Sentimonster from its existence revealing a toy plush cat smiling up at them mockingly. "That means that the real Chat Noir's ring was stolen."

For a seemingly uneventful fight the realization that they had just suffered a horrendous loss was starting to sink in.

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Adrien was supposed to be hiding in the shadows but he just couldn't stand it. His partner was in danger and Nino was the only one who could give her the message in time. It was getting near to the time when their patrol would normally end he hoped she was OK.

"Chat Noir!" Adrien jumped hearing a familiar voice.

"Ladybug? Are you OK?" She paused for a moment looking down at him sadly.

"So it's true then." Adrien looked down sadly.

"Yeah, my ring has been stolen."

"And it was Tanuki? Are you sure?" When she had heard from Rena Furtive that a man claiming to be Chat Noir Stole had his ring stolen by Tanuki she had her doubts. Why would Tanuki turn on them so suddenly when it seemed like he was giving up the villain life.

"Of course I'm sure! He set a trap and grabbed it like it was nothing." He was still seething at that. "He's been playing with us all along." Ladybug frowned. Was he right, was all that a lie?

"I guess that explains the fake Chat Noir I just fought." Adrien's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait? A fake Chat Noir?"

"Oh right. Shadow Moth sent a sentimonster of you to try and get the earrings as well." Adrien scowled.

"So Shadow Moth knew Tanuki had my ring then. And for a while I thought those two had split up." He cursed to himself. He felt like such a fool. Ladybug didn't feel much better, she was so sure Tanuki was changing. She still didn't think all of that was an act but what could have made him turn so suddenly?

But the truth was he had. And now their enemies had one of the two most dangerous Miraculous in existence. She couldn't afford to give him the benefit of the doubt any more. He was their enemy and she had to treat him as one. She had to get that ring back no matter what.

"Chat Noir?" It felt strange calling him that out of his superhero persona. "Does Tanuki know who you are?" She had to ask, he could be in danger if that was the case. He shook his head.

"No, I was under a pile of rubble at the time. He didn't seem interested." That was the part that was bugging him the most. Why not learn who he was and use that against Ladybug? Maybe the villain was just being arrogant and overconfident.

"That's good at least." She turned to her partner with a sad expression on her face, not liking what she had to do next. "I'm sorry about your loss. I know losing the ring and your Kwami must be hard for you." It was indeed. Without the ring he felt helpless. Without Plagg he just felt lonely.

"It is but I'll be OK, MiLady." He was trying to be brave and not show just how scared he really was.

"That's good. Listen, I think it's for the best if you just lay low for a while."

"Wait what?" Was she serious? She was benching him now?

"It's too dangerous for you without a Miraculous."

"We can't afford to be a man down now." he protested. "What if you give me another-"

"I can't risk that." she said sadly, cutting him off.

"But…Tanuki never saw my-"

"What if it was a trick!" she exclaimed. "What if he was waiting around and saw you leaving. I…I can't risk you getting hurt." She turned away not wanting to see the hurt expression she knew would be on his face.

"I accepted the risks when I first put on the ring. Miraculous or not I…I want to help. I want to stay by your side. Please MiLady!" He begged knowing what her answer would be.

"I'm sorry." she said as she used her yoyo to swing away. Adrien fell to his knees refusing the tears that threatened to fall. He didn't know how but somehow he was going to get his ring back from that blasted raccoon and make him pay for all of this.

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Eugene cursed to himself trying to figure out how he had gotten separated from his friends again. He blamed Casandra for running off; he must have taken a wrong turn again. He was just as worried about Rapunzel as she was but blindly running around in this not-fun house wasn't going to-Crash!

He ran into something big, injuring his nose again.

"Ow! Again with the nose!"

"Horace, is that you?" Eugene looked up confused to see a tall one armed man with an ax looking down at him with a sense of astonishment.

"Ah, sorry pal. It's Eugene, you must have me mistaken for someone else." He didn't know who this person was but he felt he should probably avoid angering a man with an ax.

"Oh, I'm not mistaken. After all, I named you." OK, the man with the ax is crazy. Good to know.

"Ah, well Horace is a nice name." The man slung his one arm around him (ax and all) and smiled.

"I'm not surprised you don't recognize me, Horace. You were only a baby when I had to send you away." Eugene blinked, still stuck in the mad man's grip.

"You sent…wait hold on. Just who are you?" The man finally let go looking a little sheepish.

"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? I am King Edmund of the Dark Kingdom. And you Prince Horace, are my son." Eugene's brain seemed to short circuit at this new piece of information.

"Son? Yeah-no no no." This had to be another trick the house or Mathewes was playing with him. But the…King was convinced. Just as Eugene was about to make a run for it back the way he came a pair of figures brandishing weapons appeared behind him.

"Oh hi, Adira. Since when are you and the wild man friends again?" Hector growled, readying his knives but ceased when his king held up a hand.

"It's alright, you two." He grabbed Eugene in a hug again. "Prince Horace and I have been reunited!" he said with a smile oblivious to the look of shock on Adira's face and the even more murderous look on Hector's.

"Horace, I'd like you to meet Hector and Adira. Members of the Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom."

"We've met." Hector grumbled not taking his eyes off the newly discovered prince.

"They're also your Aunt and Uncle!" Everyone but the King looked a little green at the idea.

Eugene couldn't help but think if this was a trick someone was having a little too much fun.

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Rapunzel had been searching for the Agreste home that Varian was supposed to live at all day long. She kept coming back to where the door opened up hoping Eugene and the others would find her but this was a big city and she was hopelessly lost.

She turned to a patch of black rocks. Her journey started when she touched them back home and they had been leading her ever since. There was no path to follow in this strange new land but what would happen if she touched them here? Something was telling her that was a bad idea but she was alone and running out of options.

Slowly she reached out her hand.

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Three days had passed since his confrontation with Ladybug. Adrien was disheartened to see her out with other holders more often. He knew he shouldn't be mad. With the loss of the ring this was an expected safety measure. He still felt bitter about it, like he was being replaced. He had tried going back out in disguise once or twice but she just ignored him and pretended she didn't know who he was. That stung but he wasn't giving up.

He had tried calling his brother Varian when he got a little lonely and needed to get out of his own head only to remember he was off working on that stupid project he and his father still had going on and couldn't get through. He tried talking to Nino and it was good to just talk to a friend but he had to be extra careful what he said around him since he was the one who saw him on the roof in disguise.

He had just hung up with him and was about to head down for dinner when a rumbling shook the manor and knocked him off his feet. He wasn't hurt but the sounds of car alarms and sirens in the background jolted him for a second time. He quickly turned on the local news and his worst fears were realized.

"This is Nadja Chamack with this late breaking news. We have a new update with the black rock invasion that started plaguing our fair city not too long ago. While after the initial invasion they had become dormant until just a few minutes ago. While no new rocks seem to have sprung up, several of the existing ones seemed to have grown and changed their possession to form a path leading to the Louvre Museum.

"We will keep you updated as this situation unfolds. Stay tuned." Adrien was about to throw his shoes on and head out when there was a knock at his door.

"Adrien it's Nathalie, may I come in?" He sighed but relented. "Are you alright?" she asked, eying him up and down. She was wearing some new medical tech on her legs that seemed to help her walk. He wasn't too sure what to make out of it at first but it seemed to be helping her get better so he figured it was fine.

"I'm fine Nathalie. It felt lighter than the first time."

"Nevertheless I'm to take you to the new house shelter until we're sure it's safe." Adrien bit his tongue. He couldn't think of an excuse to leave in the middle of an emergency but he really wanted to get out there and help. But there was no getting around the woman when it was her job to protect him.

They spent the night in the shelter which wasn't that bad. There was plenty of food, some light entertainment, a comfortable bed for everyone and surprisingly decent cell service. It was also designed that even if 3 out of the 4 support beams were damaged it would still hold up.

Adrien had asked more than once if his father was coming to join them or if Varian was OK only to get a cryptic answer from Nathalie. He tried to sooth his worries by contacting his friends making sure everyone else was alright. Thankfully the damage seemed a lot less saver than the first unexpected attack. Most of the areas were closed off to the public and so far no casualty. There were still some injuries however so that could change.

After a restless night the door to the shelter opened with his Father standing just outside. Adrien was relieved at first until he saw the state the man was in. His normally fine pressed suit was dirty and torn in some places. He could see a bandage on his arm with a hint of red seeping through. His glasses were bent with a broken lens and for some reason he couldn't fathom he was carrying a small white cat who meowed weakly in his arms.

"Father!"

"Gabriel" Both him and Nathalie said at the same time both startled by his appearance. But before they could ask about his condition the man broke in with his own bad news.

"It's Varian…" Adrien felt his blood run cold at the tone in his father's voice as he spoke about his brother. "There's been an accident."

Adrien felt like the floor had just given way.

To be continued…

Next time: What happened to Varian?