Chapter Sixteen: Foreboding

"So, you mentioned you went back in time to try and save everyone," said Adrien. "If you don't mind me asking, how did that go down?"

It had been a quiet journey across the city as Alix led the group to her mysterious ally. "It wasn't exactly an experience I want to relive," she muttered. "But," she said after a pause, "I guess I'm not doing you any favors by keeping it secret."

"It's okay if you don't want to tell us," Marinette told her. "If anyone understands how hard it can be to revisit your own past, it's the three of us."

"Maybe," she continued, "but someone once told me that the only way to conquer your demons is to confront them. And seeing as that's what we're going to do, I might as well fill you guys in. Anything specific you want to know?"

"You might as well start at the beginning," suggested Gabriel. "What exactly transpired that left you unable to change the past?"

Alix was quiet for a moment. "It wasn't exactly something that happened, it was more that Gabriel was always one step ahead of me. I'd steal the butterfly Miraculous before he could take it, but he somehow ended up with it anyway. I'd arrive ahead of time to stop him from killing Adrien, he ended up killing Marinette instead. I warned everyone ahead of time what he was going to do, but he just changed his plans and did something else. I even tried stopping Master Fu from losing the Miraculous to Feast, but nothing worked."

"How is that even possible?" Marinette wondered aloud. "I thought the whole thing with the timeline was that any little change could have a massive impact. But now it won't change despite everything you did?"

"I was confused too–and frustrated," Alix continued. "For the longest time, I thought it was the ITAA undoing my efforts just to keep everything neat and tidy. They have this whole thing about paradoxes, so it made sense. But looking back, I really don't think they'd go through all of that trouble to let Gabriel kill my friends, even if it's what was 'supposed' to happen."

"So then, who do you think is responsible?" asked Adrien.

Once again, Alix was silent for a moment. "I hate to admit it, but…the more I've seen, the more likely it is that my Gabriel is still alive. I don't know how, I don't know what's going on, but unless there's something else we don't know about going on, that feels like the only option."

Though Gabriel agreed, he didn't take comfort in being right in this instance. "However it may be, we will have to be cautious moving forward. If our enemy is capable of moving through time and space as well, there's no telling what traps may be in store for us."

If what Alix said was true, it meant that the mastermind behind the Ripplers had been one step ahead of them from the very beginning. Could it be that this unknown individual had been watching their every move this entire time? Gabriel was hesitant to think about it.

Alix stopped, and the others stopped with her. "...Uh, Alix?" asked Marinette. "Any particular reason we're at the Louvre?"

The glass pyramid stood before them, remaining untouched despite the scars the rest of Paris bore. It was almost a testament to the resilience of the city, even though it had nowhere near as many visitors as usual. "This is it: my old secret base," Alix said. She didn't sound very enthusiastic about being back. "With any luck, he'll still be here. Come on–and let me do the talking."

She led the party, still full of questions, down towards the entrance. 'Nowhere near as many visitors' had been an understatement, as the museum's wide interior was completely empty. It seemed that with their heroes gone, the citizens of Paris had better things to do than look at artwork, to say nothing of the lack of tourism such a thing would cause.

However, there was one single person present. He was difficult to make out from behind, but he had on some sort of long coat, and was furiously typing away on a tablet. "We're closed," he muttered, not even looking up.

"No you're not," Alix replied playfully. This caused the man to freeze. He slowly turned around: his face, though hidden behind glasses and a new beard, was one the others recognized, if slightly. "Hey, Jalil."

Her brother set down his tablet, walking up to his sister. "Uh…Alix. Hey. Is it…you? Y'know, my Alix?" She held out her arms, and the two slowly moved into a hug. "What…what exactly do I say here?"

"Beats me," she responded. "Just glad to see you're happy to see me."

"Of course I am." The two broke off the hug, stepping back to look at each other. "But I'm also more than a little pissed off! Where have you even been!? Nobody knows where you ran off to, I was worried you were still trying to change things!" It was then that he noticed the rest of the group. "And who are these guys!?"

Alix stepped back to be beside them. "Uh, it's kind of a long story. But what if I told you we might–emphasis on might–have a way to make everything better? Maybe not, like I said, it's just a hunch. But either way, I need your help."

He looked over the others before he replied. "So, you drop off the grid without telling anyone, make us worry you might be dead, and only come back to check in when you need something?" After a moment, his stern expression faltered, and he sighed. "Follow me."

Jalil silently led them over to one of the museum's wings. Making sure there wasn't anybody else around, he pressed on one of the wall stones, which slid further in. With the hiss of hydraulics, a hidden door appeared as the wall split open, revealing a stairway leading down. "Has this place always had one of those?" asked Marinette.

"Technically, yes, but only 'cause of Bunnyx here," he replied, nodding at his sister. "She had this secret base put in back when the museum was first built, so we'd have a secret base to fight back against Gabriel…for all the good that did us."

Noticing her brother's mood, Alix motioned for the others to go on ahead. "Uh, could you guys give us a moment? We'll be down in a few minutes."

"Of course," said Adrien. "Take all the time you need." He led the way downstairs into the secret base, leaving the two siblings alone.

Now alone, neither one was sure what to say. "So…" Alix said, breaking the silence. "Sorry about…y'know, going MIA like that. I would've come back, it's just that–"

"Just that what?" Jalil returned to his stony, almost bitter demeanor. "You couldn't face the world after everything, so you just decided to run away? This wasn't on you, you know. All the people that died, that wasn't your fault. Everyone else came back, despite everything–so why didn't you?"

She was silent for a bit longer. "I…" She wanted to use the ITAA as an excuse. She wanted to use the Ripplers as an excuse. But the truth was, she really had felt responsible. "I didn't think you'd want me back."

"Of course I wanted you back," he said, turning to face her. "You're my sister. I love you."

"I know, and I love you too, it's just…part of me felt like you didn't deserve to have me back," she said, looking away. "Like this timeline would be better off if I wasn't around to screw it up."

He looked at her for a while. "Do you still think so?" he asked.

She thought about it for a moment, and realized that no, she didn't. She had traveled from universe to universe, building up a team to help fight against the Ripplers. They had managed to outmaneuver the ITAA, even going farther than they had in stopping this crisis. Despite all of their setbacks and failures, they were still going, closer than they had ever been. "You know what? At this point, I think it might be the other way around!"

"That's what I like to hear!" The pair shared another hug. "Now, I don't know what it is you need, but why don't we fire up that computer and get to it? Ryujin's here already, so we can–"

"Wait-wait-wait…Ryujin's here?" asked Alix, concerned. "Like, here here? As in, down in the base, where they're going right now?"

Jalil blinked. "Uh, yeah. Why would…" He trailed off, realizing why that might be a problem. "We should probably go and clear the air, huh?"

Alix was already sprinting down the stairs, worried about what might already have transpired.

"Huh. This place is pretty high-tech," said Adrien, as the trio descended into the base. "And she built this all by herself?"

"With time travel on her side, she could probably do anything," Marinette replied.

Meanwhile, all Gabriel could think about was how much this place reminded him of his own base of operations. As Alix had probably discovered it some time after his counterpart went rogue, it likely wasn't a coincidence. They soon reached the bottom of the stairs, revealing a bunker-like room containing a large, multi-monitored computer.

Something about it looked familiar to him. "Hang on…this is the same technology that was being used in the Warren," Gabriel noted. "This must be how she intends to track them…"

"Yeah, it must be pretty handy to have something like this," Adrien said. I wonder why she didn't just bring us here in the first place? …Uh, Marinette? Is something wrong?"

The girl's gaze was fixed on a darkened corner of the room. She gripped her bat tightly, ready to use it at a moment's notice. Before she could, a voice emerged from the shadows. "What are you doing here?" Low and powerful, and dripping with cold anger.

Gabriel prepared to use his weapon as well. He recognized the voice, but that only made him more cautious. "It's me, Tsurugi-San. There's no need to–"

He was interrupted as something shot out from the darkness, barely missing him as it sailed to the opposite wall, where it was embedded. A crimson sword, recognizable as the signature weapon of the dragon Miraculous.

"Have you not already taken enough?" A figure slowly emerged from the shadows. She wore the same horned, crimson outfit as Ryuko, but she was far too old to be Kagami. In addition, her mask didn't reveal her eyes, instead having white lenses that concealed them. "Was taking my daughter not enough?!"

It was only now that Gabriel remembered that identifying himself as this universe's version of himself was not the best idea. "Tsurugi-San, wait! I'm not the Gabriel you know."

She was not interested in listening, suddenly turning into a surge of lightning that shot towards the trio. All three of them dove to the side to avoid it, and Tomoe reformed by her sword, tearing it free from the wall. "I know more than enough. I don't care how you still live, but I will be sure to send you back to wherever you came from!"

Ryujin lunged forward once again, but found her sword blocked by Blackbug before she could reach her target. "Tsurugi-San, he's telling the truth! We came from another timeline, all of us!"

"That changes nothing!" She shoved him aside, returning her focus onto Gabriel. "Murderer!" Her sword clashed with his, almost sending him back from the force of the strike. "After everything we accomplished together, how could you betray me like this!?" Even as old as she was, the power of the dragon Miraculous exceeded that of the butterfly when it came to combat.

Despite this, Gabriel stood his ground. "I haven't killed anyone! I'm here to help track down the one who did! Since you are here, you must know of Alix's attempts to alter the timeline, yes? You must know about the multiverse!"

Ryujin was no longer interested in talking, only in destroying the object of her hate. She knocked Gabriel's sword from his hand, following up with an overhead strike; he may not have survived if he hadn't blocked with his sheath. The two were locked in struggle once more, the tip of the sword inching closer to his head.

Marinette finally found an opening, racing in to strike the back of Ryujin's leg with her bat. Her costumed form meant the impact was barely felt, but it was just enough to knock her off-balance, allowing Gabriel to redirect her sword and retrieve his own. "Think about it," Marinette said, having finally got her attention. "Why would we be fighting on Gabriel's side? We were Kagami's friends, too!"

Far past seeing reason, her comment only enraged Ryujin further, causing her to attack. She thrust out her arm, which became a whirlwind that threw Marinette across the room. Luckily, Blackbug dove in to catch her before she could hit the ground. "I'd say you're falling for me, but we're probably way beyond that."

They had to dodge out of the way once again as Ryujin brought down her sword where they stood, having turned her other arm into water to increase her reach. She retracted the weapon to her, lunging in the direction of the pair.

At the last second, Marinette swung her bat, redirecting the sword. Adrien took this moment to grab Ryujin from behind, latching his nunchucks around her neck. She stumbled back, but was not trapped for long, turning herself into lightning to escape from his grasp. The electricity surged through him, sending him to his knees as she reformed.

"No more minions to hide behind," said Ryujin, resuming her approach to Gabriel. "Now, will you face me yourself, or are you too much of a coward to own up to what you've done?"

Gabriel held his sword at the ready…but his thumb hung just over the hilt. "If fighting is the only way to make you listen, then so be it!" He assumed a fighting stance, ready for her to come at him.

Come at him she did, charging in with startling speed and leaping into the air. Just as she did so, he opened the tip of his cane, sending an Akuma towards Marinette. She held up her bat, ready to assume its power just as Ryujin brought down her sword.

"Stop! Everybody, stop!" Bunnyx came barrelling down the stairs, with Jalil following close behind. Upon her entrance, everyone froze, Ryujin's and Gabriel's swords inches away from each other. Even the Akuma paused, hovering in place. "I leave you guys alone for five minutes and you're already picking fights!"

"Hey, to be fair, she's the one who attacked us," Marinette pointed out. "We tried to explain it to her, but she wouldn't listen!"

Knowing what had happened to Kagami, Alix couldn't blame her. "I'm sorry about all this, Tomoe. I imagine this is pretty confusing and upsetting, but they're with me. Don't worry–this Gabriel's on our side, no matter what you might think." For some reason, he was glad to hear her say that.

Tomoe took a moment to take all of that in. She looked–or, more accurately, listened–around at the trio, as though sizing them up. Eventually, however, she lowered her guard. "Open skies," she said softly. Her costume disappeared, with Longg appearing beside her. "Is that really you, Alix?"

"In the flesh," she replied with an awkward smile. "You both must have a lot of questions. You guys probably do too. How 'bout I start at the beginning?"

"Yes," said Tomoe, "I would appreciate that."

"...and then, we came over here," Alix finished. The whole group sat around the computer, listening as she recounted the events that had brought them all to this moment. "I'm sorry I left you two behind. Like I said, I was…ashamed. I didn't think I deserved to come back here after how badly I screwed up."

"If you are to blame, then we all are to blame," Tomoe responded. "We all did everything we could to reverse Gabriel's efforts, but for naught. But now you say you have found a way to reverse them?"

"No promises, but…we think he might still be active," she said. "Most of our evidence points to him being the one behind the Ripplers, but how and why exactly, we aren't sure. You guys might be the only thing keeping the multiverse from falling apart completely."

Jalil was filled with renewed determination upon hearing her tale, activating the computer. "With any luck, the ITAA still doesn't know we're in their systems," he said. "All we have to do is track their activity, and they should lead us right to him."

The other five watched with bated breath as he navigated through the ITAA's servers, maneuvering past their defenses to pinpoint exactly where they were heading. Considering the Ripplers' threat level, locating their source was their top priority, so they would no doubt be amassing on the timeline where they were originating from. Eventually, after a few tense minutes, he let out a triumphant laugh.

"Got it!" he shouted. "It says here that the ITAA is preparing for a mass assault on Universe #48129. You know where that is, right?" he asked Alix.

She shrugged. "No, but my Burrow hasn't failed me yet. C'mon, guys, get ready." She got to her feet, preparing to open a portal.

Adrien got up too, but for a different reason. "Hang on, we can't just rush in there," he said. "Whether it's Gabriel or not, whatever's behind the Ripplers has to be way too much for the four of us to handle. Especially if it is Gabriel–he nearly wiped out the entire Team Miraculous, what are we supposed to do alone?"

But Bunnyx was not to be dissuaded. "You really wanna place the fate of that world in the hands of the ITAA? You've already seen how incompetent they are, you really think they can handle this any better than we can!? I'm not sitting around while Gabriel goes around taking more innocent lives! Burrow!" she thrust out her hand, opening a portal. "Now, I'm gonna go over there and face him. You can either come with me, or you can wait until I get back. But don't try to convince me to sit around. I'm done sitting around." She turned and disappeared through the portal.

"She…she didn't even say goodbye," said Jalil, looking hurt.

Gabriel stepped forward. "Don't worry–we will make sure she returns unharmed. We have come this far, have we not? Alix is right, we cannot allow our enemy to hide from us any longer. Remember the things we have done. If anyone can bring an end to this reign of terror, it is us. Are you ready?"

Marinette got to her feet, slinging her bat over her shoulder. "Count me in," she said, pumped up.

Adrien shrugged. "Better to go down swinging, I guess."

"Excellent. Then we go!" Gabriel led the way to the portal, turning back to Jalil and Tomoe before they went. "Thank you for your help. And as I said, I will make sure Alix returns home."

Jalil smiled. "I'd appreciate that very much," he said. "Now go save the multiverse!"

Gabriel, Marinette, and Adrien vanished through the portal, off to the unknown that lay on the other side. Once they were through, the portal disappeared, leaving the bunker in silence. And that was how it stayed for a while, with neither of them knowing what to say.

"So, um…" Jalil eventually said. "What do we do now?"

"We hope," replied Tomoe. "We hope that they are able to find what they seek, and put an end to this crisis. That is all we are able to do."

Jalil looked over at the computer. He could access the entire database of an interdimensional task force, and yet he had no way to put it to further use. "I guess. But don't you feel so…helpless? Don't you want to do more to help?"

"I am quite accustomed to feeling helpless," Tomoe said bitterly, getting to her feet. "Perhaps there will come a time in the future when we will be able to aid them directly. But for now, all we can do is wish them luck–for I fear they will need it."