Chapter 18: Deception

As this happened, Caline Bustier was having the very same thought as the old master. On that Saturday, she had decided to have lunch with her sister Louise, in a small restaurant near her house, where she was already a regular and she knew was a calm place, where they could have a calm and pleasant time. When they went in, an Akuma attack happening while they were eating, was the last thing on their minds.

But it happened. It happened just right after their meals were delivered by the waiter, when the strange swishing sound made by the Jackal-like creatures of Ammit's army was heard by everyone in the restaurant. Everyone inside the establishment tried to figure out what it was, where it came from, and more importantly, what was doing it. And the answer came in a gust of wind and sand, which blasted the restaurant's door open. There stood one of those horrible creatures, eyes-glowing red, snarling and grunting, as it chose who was going to be its next victim.

Because the Bustier sisters and the waiter that had just served them their food were the ones closest to the door, they were seen as the appetizer for that creature. Before they could react, the creature grabbed the waiter and Louise and began to drain their hearts. Caline immediately jumped from her seat to her sister's aid, and tried to free her from the creature's claws, by frantically pulling her.

"Hang on, Louise!" -Miss Bustier exclaimed, as she tried to free her sister.

"Caline, help!" -Louise yelled, as she began to feel weak.

Before her eyes, Louise's heart was pulled out of her, as she turned into stone. Once the creature devoured it, it split into two. At the same time, two more creatures burst into the restaurant, growling at the ones that until moments ago had been just one, who snarled back at them, as if telling them that that was their turf and they ought to find another place to get a meal. Frightened by what was happening, peopled panicked and tried to run, looking for an exit. Plates fell to the ground, tables and chairs turned; chaos ensued, with an every man for himself situation. And Caline Bustier was no exception. She too looked for a way out of there, before she suffered the same fate as her sister. But instead of going for the backdoor, she ended up entering the ladies' room, locking the door behind her. Leaning her back against the door, in case those creatures tried to enter, the young woman could feel her heart pounding against her chest.

"T-Those things… poor Louise…" -Miss Bustier thought to herself, while at the same time, she tried to catch her breath. –"She and everyone else in the restaurant were turned to stone." -she thought, as she heard someone screaming. –"And if I don't find a way out of here, I'll be next."

But how was she going to get out of there? That was the question ringing in her head. There was only one way out of there and that was through the door she was blocking, right then. There was also a window, but the only way one would be able to get out through it, would be if it was the size of a sparrow. She tried to calm herself, but it was not easy, because of all the growling and screaming. And then, her cell phone rang, startling her. Taking deep breaths, she pulled it from the pocket in her jeans and saw it was master Fu.

"H-Hello?" -Miss Bustier answered the call.

"My dear, I'm sorry for calling you, but we have a problem." -Master Fu apologized.

"I already n-noticed it, master." -Miss Bustier told him.

"From the sound of your voice and your breathing, I can tell that you must have already seen those horrible creatures with Jackal heads." -Master Fu declared.

"Seen them? Y-Yes. And I also saw one of them turn my sister into a statue, before it split into two separate creatures." -Miss Bustier stated.

"I'm sorry to hear that, my dear." -Master Fu declared. –"I, myself had a run-in with one of them a few moments ago, and had to make a dash for it. They're incredibly strong." -he admitted. –"Also, did you hear Hawk Moth's speech?"

"I'm afraid I must've been too busy trying to avoid those uglies." -Miss Bustier replied. –"But why? What did he say?" -she asked, as she continued to hear the creatures thrashing the restaurant, in search of new victims.

"He challenged the Miraculous Team to a fight, at the Hotel de Ville, where he has mayor Bourgeois hostage." -Master Fu answered her.

Upon hearing the old master say that, the first thought that came to her mind was that if the mayor was in danger, Chloe would do anything to save him, even if that meant doing something reckless, like endangering herself. The second thought was that it had to be a trap for the whole team, and she feared that whatever nefarious trap the villain would have prepared for them, it would be one that would put them all in danger.

"That's… That's not good." -Miss Bustier said, as she continued to imagine what Hawk Moth would have in store for her students.

"No, it's not." -Master Fu said. –"We need to help them." -he told her.

"You mean, we…"

"Yes." -Master Fu acknowledged. –"I wish you would've had more time to prepare for this kind of situation, especially since I still have much to teach you. But sometimes the universe wants to test us, before we're ready." -he said.

"I understand, and I'm okay with it." -Miss Bustier told him.

The truth was she was not. She did not feel prepared to go into battle to assist the heroes. For some reason, "Running Up that Hill" from Kate Bush crossed her mind, as if to tell her that if she went ahead and joined the battle, it would not only be a risky decision, but also one that she would regret. But it did not matter if she did not feel prepared. Deep inside her, something was telling her to ignore that fear she had. That something was the promise she had made, not only as a keeper of the secret, but also as a teacher, to be there for her students and help them, whether it was answering any doubt they had in the classroom, or fighting alongside them in the battlefield.

"Then, find a secluded place to transform and meet me in front of the Hotel de Ville." -Master Fu said.

"I will." -Miss Bustier sighed, as she ended the call. –"But first I need to get out of here. I could transform here, but I don't want to risk being seen by anyone who might still be in the restaurant and that hasn't been turned to stone." -she thought to herself.

She knew the risk was quite low, but even being quite low, there was always the risk. If there was one thing, she had learned from reading so many comic books and mangas, was that a hero's true identity was its greatest secret, and must be kept at all costs, not only to protect itself, but also those who were closest to him or her. Leaning her head against the door, she listened to the creatures that were still inside the restaurant. The screams and yells had ceased, and the only sound that was heard did not come from any human.

"Not a moment to lose." -Miss Bustier thought to herself, as she gently turned the knob and opened the door.

Caline did not have a plan, but she knew what she wanted. She wanted to get out of there. And to do that, she would have to pass those awful creatures that looked straight out of a Mummy or a Scorpion King movie, and get to the street. Beng careful not to make any sudden or loud noises, she tiptoed from the ladies' room, making her way to the restaurant's dining room. Just before entering it, she peeked over the jamb, to see what she had to deal with. The whole place was a mess, It looked like a tornado had passed through there, thrashing everything in its path. Everyone that was in the restaurant when the creatures showed up had been turned stone, with one of them being her sister. As for the creatures, there were three in the dining room, and from the sound of it, there were many others in the kitchen. She could see through the establishment windows that things outside did not look good either. But whether they were as bad as they were in there, at least outside, a person might stand a chance of escaping those creatures.

"Three of them between me and the exit. I have to make them either go to the kitchen, or outside." -Miss Bustier thought to herself, as her eyes looked around, looking for anything that could help her.

Her heart was beating like the heart of a nervous hummingbird, while at the same time she felt a lump in her throat. Taking deep breaths, she hoped that would calm her down enough to go through with her escape attempt. Sneaking on all fours, she held her breath as she managed get to one of the overturned tables and hide behind it. And as she hid, she heard a snarl that made her believe she had been discovered. This not only made her fear the worst, but also made her heart stop momentarily. Turns out, the snarl she heard was from one of the creatures to another. As Caline did her best to not have a heart attack, time felt like it had slowed down to a halt. Seconds felt like hours.

"Calm yourself down… Calm yourself down…" -Miss Bustier kept mentally telling her.

Repeating those words to herself, over and over, she managed to calm herself down and think of what her next move was going to be. Looking down, she looked for something she could use to cause a distraction. There forks, knives, broken plates. But what caught her attention was a glass that somehow had remained in one piece. Grabbing it, she decided to use it to get the creatures that were blocking her path to investigate a noise coming from the opposite side of the exit. Looking over the table, she waited for the right moment, wanting to see if none of the creatures was looking in her direction.

"Here goes nothing." -Miss Bustier thought, as she threw the glass.

Throwing the glass as far as she could, she hoped the noise would be enough to draw them away from the exit. When the glass hit the floor and shattered, the sound startled the Jackal-like creatures, who swiftly looked for its origin. They all moved towards the kitchen, leaving the path clear for Caline to get out of there.

"It's now or never!" -Miss Bustier thought to herself.

Quickly getting up, she began to run towards the exit. She was just about to leave through the door, when her eyes looked at the petrified body of her sister, and she stopped cold on her feet. Looking at her, she could see the expression of fear on her face. Caline wondered what her last thoughts were, as she was turned to stone, and feared that they were something like her not being able to help her. But she was quickly brought back to reality, when she heard a loud roar. Looking over her shoulder, she saw one of the creatures staring at her, just as it was about to charge against her.

"Cheese and crackers!" -Miss Bustier cursed, as she dashed out the door.

Already out the door, Caline began to sprint out of there, as the creature came out of the restaurant and hit its head against a parked car, damaging it and making its alarm go off. The incessant noise from the alarm quickly alerted others to what was going on. But the young teacher focused on getting away, not even daring to look behind, afraid that more of those creatures had joined the one that was chasing her.

"Don't look back…. don't look back… just run!" -Miss Bustier kept telling herself.

While running for her life, she saw many other victims of Ammit's army, who just like her sister and everyone at the restaurant, had been turned to stone. This made her realize that whoever the Akuma that had produced those creatures was, he or she must be incredibly powerful. Looking for a place where she could transform without anyone seeing her, she found herself in front of her building.

"Looks like a good place as any other to do this." -Miss Bustier commented, as she crossed the street, while looking for the keys to the door inside her purse, at the same time.

Finding them in almost record speed, Caline kept hearing the growls and snarls from those creatures lurking behind her, as she made her way to the building's door. With the key in hand, she inserted it into the lock, and turned, opening the door, and closing it a second later. She continued to hear the creatures, but ignored them, as she made her way up the stairs. She did not know if they would break the door and follow her, but she was not going to stay there to find out. Climbing the stairs, the adrenaline in her veins made her pass by her floor, and to continue up until reaching the last flight of stairs, which led to a door that accessed the roof. Taking deep breaths, she tried to slow down her heartrate, while also clearing her thoughts.

"I… I need to get going. The master will be expecting me." -Miss Bustier said.

Taking a deep breath, she then looked down the stairs, to see if there was anyone in sight. Once she was sure that there was no one, she placed her fingertips over the bracelet's jewel and recited:

"Miraculous Bracelet, transformation!"

Upon saying those words, Caline's whole body was engulfed in a bright light. She felt her clothes change. Once the light began to dim, it revealed she was now wearing a Renaissance armour over a teal leotard. The armour covered her arms, shoulders, upper torso, and legs. She was also wearing a teal mask around her eyes. When it came to her weapons, hers were two cutlasses. Not wasting a moment, she kicked the door in front of her, gaining access to the rooftop, and rushed to meet with the old master.

"Next stop, Hotel de Ville." -Must Bustier said, as she ran over the rooftop.

In front of the Hotel de Ville, a large number of the Jackal-like creatures had assembled, after turning everyone that had the unfortunate luck to be there into stone. The way they had assembled reminded the Nazi army parades in Germany, during World War II. Those who were indoors, and had the luck of not having been attacked by them, feared that they would be their next victims. But inside the Hotel de Ville there was no one who feared that. Mostly because they had all been turned to stone, after the creatures stormed inside the building and devoured everyone's hearts. The only ones left were mayor Bourgeois, the prime-minister and the CEO of Hedyloidea Enterprises, Aldéric Meunier. When Ammit's army burst into the building, they were finishing their lunch. The three of them were enjoying their desserts, when numerous Jackal-like creatures burst into the room, scaring them off their pants. The prime-minister's security team did their job, but ended up turned into statues. The creatures were scary enough, but after seeing what they were capable of, they ran for their lives. Their initial idea was to try and make it to the street, but when they saw their path blocked, the mayor had the idea of finding refuge in one of the upstairs rooms.

Climbing up the stairs, with the Jackal-like creatures right behind them, the mayor looked for the first unlocked door. After a couple of tries, he and his two guests found sanctuary in a small room. Locking the door, he hoped that would be enough to prevent them from entering. But that did nothing to stop them. Crumbling into sand, this one passed from underneath the door, only to reconstruct themselves inside the room. Roaring at the three men, each of the creatures grabbed one of them, broke down the door and exited the room.

"W-Where are t.-they taking us?!" -André shouted, as the creature continued to drag him.

"H-How s-should I know, André?!" -the prime-minister shouted back at him.

Terror filled their hearts and their minds, as they kept being dragged by the horrible Jackal-like creatures through the corridors. But even terrified, the three men wondered where they were being taken, and more importantly, why were not they turned to stone, like everyone else. They were taken down to the stairs, and into the building's main entrance hall, as they passed by other Jackal-like creatures and their victims. The hall had been thrashed. The hall's reception desk was torn to pieces, the flags that were on twin banners beside the staircase had been torn down and shred to pieces, the suits of armour that adorned the entrance door were now scrap metal. But none of that truly mattered. The only thing it mattered, was the man that stood in the middle of the entrance hall. A man that was wearing a dark purple dress shirt with a black butterfly-shaped lapel on the centre of the collar, and black dress pants, along a dark indigo cane. But its most striking detail was a silver mask, which covered his head and neck.

"Oh, no, it's him…" -André spoke.

"It's Hawk M-Moth…" -the prime-minister stuttered, as he and the other two were dropped by the creatures, in front of the villain.

"P-Please! D-Don't hurt us!" -André begged him. –"I-I am sure we can c-come to an agreement…" -he said.

"Silence!" -Hawk Moth shouted. –"From this moment on, you will not dare to speak a single syllable, unless I address to you." -he declared, with a cold voice.

The way that threat came out of Hawk Moth's lips, made the three men quiver in fear. They had all seen what the villain could do. And if he was telling them to keep quiet, the best thing to do was to obey him. With the Jackal-like creatures observing them, they remained quiet, as Hawk Moth seemingly remained in the same place, looking at the main entrance's doors. But this did not last long, as they began to whisper between them.

"We have to get out of here." -André whispered

"No. We must remain calm." – Aldéric told him.

"Calm?! How can you even ask us to do that?! He might kill us, if we stay here!" -the prime-minister shouted, in a hushed voice.

"And he might kill us if we try to run." -Aldéric pointed out, with a calm voice.

"He'll kill us, anyway! He's a psychopath! Do you really think he'll let us go, if the Miraculous heroes show up?"

"I don't know. But there's no point in risking ourselves." -Aldéric said. –"Besides, there are also these creatures, who can just as easily rip us to pieces.".

"I'd rather take my chances!" -the prime-minister said.

"But I don't! Unlike you, I don't want my obituary to be in tomorrow's newspaper!" -Aldéric stated –"The best thing for us to do, is to stay here. Plus, if Hawk Moth wanted us dead, we would already be dead." -he said, trying to reason with the man.

Hearing them bickering that way, the mayor remained silent, wondering what was going to happen. But more importantly, he was thinking about Chloe, and wishing that unlike the people he saw being turned to stone, that she was alright, and safe. He also wondered if he would ever see her again, or not. His train of thought, as well as the bickering between Aldéric and the prime-minister were put to a stop, when Hawk Moth thumped his cane against the floor, startling them and causing the talk to stop. He had not spoken a single word since he arrived at that room, and just kept pacing around, while keeping an eye on the three men, who grew more terrified by the minute.

And then they heard Hawk Moth's voice echoing everywhere. But his lips were not moving. What they were hearing was Hawk Moth's message to the Miraculous Team, using his swarm of black butterflies. Upon hearing the message, the mayor's heart skipped a beat, in the worst kind of way.

"I'm a goner…" -André thought to himself.

Outside, standing on top of one of the buildings facing city hall's square, Chat Noir, Louve Grise, Queen Bee and Forest Doe analysed the situation and wondered what they were going to do next. There was no sign of Hawk Moth or his henchmen anywhere, and that alone made all that feel weird. They were expecting the welcome mat to have teeth, but other than the army of Jackal-like creatures that were standing on the square, as if awaiting orders, nothing else was happening. All that felt suspicious, to say the least.

"So? What do we do?" -Forest Doe asked. –"Those guys down there… I don't like how they're just waiting for someone to order them around." -she said.

"Me neither." -Chat Noir agreed.

"I say, we use your invisibility, sneak in and save Chloe's dad, and whoever's still inside." -Louve Grise suggested.

"That's a good and solid plan. I like it." -Chat Noir admitted.

It was a good and solid plan. There was no doubt about it. But Queen Bee was not in the disposition for being sneaky. She had promised Ladybug that she would not do anything brash that could endanger her, but the fear of something happening to her father, was going to make her do the complete opposite. Some would say that it was just her being herself right then. But the truth was, she just did not want her dad to get hurt by Hawk Moth, and the best way to do it, was to make herself a target for the villain.

"And I say we go in through the front door and let us announce ourselves!" –Queen Bee exclaimed. –"Hang in there, daddy! I'm on my way." -she thought to herself, as she jumped out of the roof.

"Chloe, wait!" -Louve Grise shouted, as she saw the bee heroine leave.

"She's going to get herself killed, and us as well…" -Chat Noir sighed. –"Come on, girls. Let's go after her." -he told Louve Grise and Forest Doe, when he heard a scream. –"Uh?! What was that?"

It was a scream. And he had not been the only one to hear it. Louve and Doe also heard it. It was a cry for help, and it seemed like it came from one of the apartments beneath them.

"I'll go check it out, and join you in a bit! You two just make sure that she doesn't get herself killed." -Forest Doe said, as she dashed out of there, intending to look for a window to gain access to the above apartments.

Not wasting any time, Louve and Chat jumped out of the roof and followed Queen Bee, as she flew towards the Hotel de Ville's main entrance. Flying close to the ground, some of the Jacka-like creatures tried grab her, but her speed while in the air, made it nearly impossible for them to even touch her. Chat and Louve were not so lucky, and were forced to use their powers to open a path. As for Bee, she forced her way in, by using her trompo to blast the entrance doors open. She was expecting resistance, just like outside. What she did not expect was to find Hawk Moth waiting for them, right there. Still, she did not allow anyone to see how surprised she was. All that mattered was that she did not have to look for him, as well as her father.

"Surprise, Hawk Douche!" -Queen Bee shouted at the villain, as her eyes landed on her father. –"Dad seems to be okay. He doesn't look hurt." -she thought to herself, as she heard Louve and Chat arriving, behind her.

The villain looked at them with a cold, almost neutral expression on his face. It was hard for them to imagine what he was thinking about. They all expected for him to either order the Jackal-like creatures to attack them, or for any of his henchmen to show up, in the most extravagant way, to fight them. But instead, he just stood there, looking at them.

"I was expecting more of you." -Hawk Moth said, finally breaking the silence. –"I thought that the life of the mayor of Paris would worth a lot more to you all." -he commented. –"No matter. Taking care of you, will be an appetizer for what's to come next."

"Nothing's coming after this, Hawk Moth!" -Chat Noir taunted him.

"Only you getting your butt kicked!" -Louve Grise shouted.

"That's right! The only thing is going to happen is that we're going to mop up the floor with your face!" -Queen Bee shouted at him. –"And now that you've got us here, you let go of mayor Bourgeois and those other two, right now!" -she ordered.

"You are in no position to give me orders, young lady." -Hawk Moth told her, with a cold voice. –"As I see it, I hold all the trump cards, while you don't." -he said.

"What's he doing? I know he likes the sound of his own voice, but still… By now, he should've ordered those creatures to attack us, at least once." -Chat Noir thought to himself. –"Is he waiting for us to attack, so he can himself strike us?" -he wondered.

Queen Bee wanted to go toe-to-toe with Hawk Moth. But the fear of having him use the mayor as a shield, or worse, was preventing her from fighting the way she always did against an enemy. She needed to get him out of there. And so, she quickly came up with a solution.

"You get my dad and the other two to safety." -Queen Bee whispered to Louve and Chat.

"What?" -Louve Grise asked.

"I need him to be safe, or I won't be able to focus on the fight. So, get him and the others out of here." -Queen Bee whispered back.

"And what about you?" -Chat Noir asked her.

"I'm going to teach this psycho what happens when he messes with a queen bee." -Queen Bee answered, as she began to swing her trompo.

"This isn't the plan." -Louve Grise pointed out, fearing what the bee heroine's next step was going to be.

"It is the plan. You get the hostages out. I buy you guys the time to get away." -Queen Bee said.

Both the cat and the wolf heroes did not like the idea. But they both silently nodded and went with what her friend told them. Firing their attacks at the creatures, they gave the bee heroine the chance to throw her trompo at Hawk Moth's face. It seemed she was going to hit him square in the nose, but he dodged it at the very last second. Still, that made him focus on Queen Bee, which allowed Chat and Louve to go straight for the hostages. The black cat hero grabbed the mayor, while the wolf heroine grabbed Aldéric and the prime-minster.

"Hang on, mister mayor." -Chat Noir said.

"We're getting you all out of here." -Louve Grise warned them.

That was their plan. But like most things in life, it would be easier said than done. The Jackal-like creatures attacked them, forcing them to get creative with their powers to keep them at bay. Chat's Cataclysm reduced the creatures to ashes, but they quickly regenerated. Louve's freeze breath was able to slow them down, but that was it. Still, even if they could not destroy the creatures permanently, that was enough to open a path outside. Unfortunately, the hostages were not making their lives easier, by screaming and yelling, either at them or at the Jackal-like creatures.

"Get away!"

"Watch it! That thing almost bit me!"

"Get me out of here, this instant!"

The first one to exit city hall was Chat Noir. Managing to use Cataclysm to disintegrate the last creature between them and the outside, he was welcomed by the creatures that were awaiting him in the square. These charged against the feline hero, who once more used his signature move to once more turn them to dust. Even though he was being defended by Chat, mayor Bourgeois was scared out of his wits.

"Don't let them get too close, please, Chat Noir!" -André begged.

"Don't worry, sir. You're in good hands." –Chat Noir told him, after defeating another of Ammit's army creatures.

"Look out!" -André yelled.

One of the Jackal-like creatures was about to grab Chat, when Louve Grise saved him and the mayor, by using her ice breath, freezing it, and then allowing Chat to use his staff to break it.

"Better keep your eyes open, kitten!" -Louve Grise told Chat with a jesting voice.

"Hey, only a certain person gets to call me that!" -Chat Noir chuckled. –"Thanks for the saving." -he told Louve.

"My pleasure." -Louve Grise told him.

"See you in a bit." -Chat Noir said, as he used his staff to propel himself and the mayor out of there.

"Ditto." -Louve Grise said, before using her ice breath to create a small ice wall, to keep the Jackal-like creatures away.

Carrying the mayor, Chat knew he needed to find a place where he could leave him, knowing he would be safe. He owed that much to Bee. So, he decided the best place to leave him, was somewhere where those creatures would not go, in search of victims. And that place was one he knew well; the top of one of Notre-Dame's bell towers.

"He'll be fine there." -Chat thought to himself. –"He might need a little help getting down, but he'll be fine there. I don't think those creatures will think of looking for a victim on top of a cathedral's bell tower." -he thought.

As for Louve Grise, after managing to get out of the square, she quickly looked for a place to drop the prime-minister and Aldéric. Unlike Chat, who was concerned for the well-being of the mayor, she was more concerned with Queen Bee, than with the two men she had just saved. Dropping them on a nearby rooftop, Louve dashed back into city hall to help out her girlfriend. She knew she was going against the plan, but she did not care. She was not going to let the blonde fight Hawk Moth and those creatures alone. She was going to get in, get her and leave, just like they had promised Ladybug earlier.

"Hang on, Chloe. I'm on my way!" -Louve Grise thought to herself.

Inside, Queen Bee was busy fighting the Jackal-like creatures, as well as Hawk Moth, who wasted no time in striking her. He was allowing the creatures to do most of the work, but every time he saw an opening, he went for the killing. Months earlier, Hawk Moth had showed her and the rest of the heroes that they were still no match for him in a one-on-one fight. But things had changed, and not only their powers had grown, but they had all learned more tricks. And Queen Bee wanted to show him what she could. Not only because he had threatened to hurt her father, but also because if she stopped him there, that nightmare would be over.

"What's wrong?! You usually let your henchmen take care of things!" -Queen Bee exclaimed, as she tried to kick him in the chest. –"You're not even allowing these creatures to do your dirty work!" -she said.

"There are times where one must deal things with his own hands, young lady!" -Hawk Moth said, as he dodged another of the heroine's attacks and used his cane to strike her.

"Whatever, you psychopath!" -Queen Bee said, when she felt someone behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw one of the Jackal-like creatures stretching its arm to grab her. –"Oh, no you don't, ugly!" -she shouted.

Using her size-shifting ability, Queen Bee shrunk herself, escaping the creature's claws, only to return to her regular size and use her trompo to create a small tornado, to throw it against the wall. She also tried to do the same with Hawk Moth, but this one was faster than her other opponent.

"Dang it!" -Queen Bee thought to herself.

The fight changed places, as they went up the stairs, and eventually made it to the Salle de Fetes. Hawk Moth, accompanied by a few more of those Jackal-like creatures that were drawn by the sound of the battle, continued to fight Queen Bee, who by then, was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. But not even for a second, did she show any sign of needing help.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do?! Why don't you call the Akuma that created these things to help you out?" -Queen Bee taunted Hawk Moth, as she repelled one more of his attacks.

"I do not need any help to finish a brat like you!" -Hawk Moth shouted at her.

Using her trompo, Queen Bee created one more tornado, to blast everyone that was around her. This time, the tornado was powerful enough to not only to throw everyone against the walls, but also to destroy most of the furniture and shatter the windows. The Jackal-like creatures turned to sand. And as for Hawk Moth, he ended up on the ground, from which he got back up.

"I'm beginning to get tired of these tricks of yours, little bee." -Hawk Moth snapped at her.

He was about to strike her, when the sound of a rope being cut was heard, followed by the sound of something falling. Looking up, Hawk Moth saw one of the many chandeliers in that room coming down on him. And before he could dodge it, it fell on him, like a ton of bricks. Wondering if she had anything to do with what happened to the villain, Queen Bee quickly saw that that had not been the case. The one responsible for it, had been Louve Grise, who had used one of her fans as a boomerang to cut the rope holding the chandelier.

"What are you doing here?!" -Queen Bee asked her, as the wolf heroine stopped in front of her.

"I came back to get you, because you're too stubborn to stop fighting the bad guy, even when you were told not to!" -Louve Grise scolded her. –"Now, let's get out of here, before he gets back up and those things pull themselves together." -she said, as she grabbed her by the wrist.

But they had not even taken a step when Hawk Moth's left arm appeared from among the debris of the chandelier, followed by the rest of him. His eyes glared at the two heroines.

"You're going to regret doing that!" -Hawk Moth yelled at the wolf heroine

"Stay away from us you psycho!" -Louve Grise shouted, as she used her fans to shoot icicles at Hawk Moth.

Hawk Moth used his cane to deflect the icicles, but one of them struck him right on the chest. The icicle pierced his chest, which made him yell in pain, as blood gush out of it. The first reaction of both Queen Bee and Louve Grise was one of shock. Seeing their enemy hurt, they were both shocked and thrilled at the same time. This was the first time that they hurt the villain like that. Falling on the floor, Hawk Moth kept yelling in pain, trying to get the icicle off his chest, while also coughing up blood. Seeing this, Bee and Louve wondered what they should do. Should they help him? Should they leave him to suffer? Those were the questions that were echoing in their minds. But before they could decide, Hawk Moth began to change. His outfit lost its purple colour, and was replaced by a leather jacket and pants and a red shirt. But most importantly, his face also changed. Little by little, it assumed a reptilian features, revealing that Hawk Moth was not who he was.

"Reptile!" -Louve Grise exclaimed, as the lizard man ripped the icicle from his chest and got back on his feet.

"I should've known something was wrong. Hawk Moth usually keeps his calm, when fighting, and doesn't like to dirty his hands, unless he has to… unlike this lizard." -Queen Bee thought to herself. –"Plus, he never used his energy blast attacks, because Reptile can only copy a person's appearance, nothing else." -she thought.

It was then that the two heroines realized that Hawk Moth had made them believe he would be the one waiting for them at city hall, but instead, it was his lizard henchman disguised as him.

"Where's Hawk Moth, lizard breath?!" –Queen Bee asked him, demanding an answer.

"Yeah, where's your master?!" -Louve Grise insisted.

"You'll find out in a moment…" -Reptile smirked, after coughing up some blood.

What a cliffhanger! I bet you guys weren't expecting it, right?

This chapter was written in a jiffy, and I can only hope to be able to write the following one as fast as this one, because this fic is going to rock the status quo of this alternate universe. but I might take a day or two to relax, given that I've been having a few problems at work.

Regarding season 6, I already saw the first episode, and I must say that I enjoy the new animation (it's closer to the movie animation, which I loved), but regarding the writing, sorry, but that team of writers keeps doing the same mistakes over and over... I mean, it's bad enough that they kept dong them for five seasons, but to start this new story arc, with the characters beng poorly written (namely Marinette and Adrien, but not just them). Is it that hard for people to do a proper job? Anyways, that doesn't matter... we'll see what happens from here on, and what I'll be able to use in my fics.

This chapter is dedicated to my grandma Adelina, who, if she was alive would've celebrated her 94th birthday, yesterday. I miss her so much...

As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this and/or future fics. You know I always like to know what you think, and that you all have a saying on how this AU of mine might evolve.

P.S. Liehl-Lyn is working on something new for me, so expect new illustrations of this AU, very soon. :)