Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Marinette waited in undisturbed silence, wondering what immediate danger she would encounter today. She sat in the familiar white room that she had spent countless hours in over the years. This facility, known as GUARD, was the only place she felt genuinely safe and wasn’t constantly looking over her shoulder. GUARD stood for Government, Undercover, Agents, Remade, Division, and Marinette was quite familiar with what they did there, after all, she had spent the past three years alongside them.

The fluorescent beat down on her skin as she started to grow impatient. She sat in front of the plain white table, beating her fingers against the pale grain of the wood like a drum. The rhythmic tapping was the only thing that drowned out the deafening silence of the empty room.

The same white chair, same white walls, same white desk, same white door. It was all a routine. They would come in to give her the assignment and she would go to complete her mission. It wasn’t anything new. She had been here for three years and she knew the logistics. Being an undercover spy wasn't easy, but it was the only life she knew. It was lonely, a lot of scars, a lot of pain, but it was her life. This was her second chance, and she wasn't going to blow it.

Suddenly the door on the right of the small room crept open and three familiar faces appeared through the doorway.

The first to immerse through the narrow door was the tall redheaded woman called Tikki. She wore her usual pencil skirt and blouse. Her rich crimson hair just brushed her shoulders as she walked into the room. Her eyes were like two big blueberries that gleamed and she had a few faint freckles that spread across her cheeks.

She looks as stubborn and overbearing as ever, Marinette thought. She and Tikki had a rocky relationship to put it simply but things had been going well between them lately, so Marinette decided to behave and be patient, she wasn't going to risk disturbing the newfound peace the two of them shared.

Trailing behind Tikki was Plagg. The tall, green-eyed man was dressed in a dark trench coat whilst carrying a large tan, yellow file that was tucked tightly beneath his arm. Plagg was tall, very tall, and had broad shoulders. Strong and muscular but a true gentle giant.

He did have a frightening sense to him. Marinette knew there was no immediate threat to her safety from the man, but there was potential danger to whomever may cause him trouble. Luckily, Tikki, Nooroo, and Marinette never caused him any trouble, nor did they have a reason to. After all they were his oldest and dearest friends.

Some saw him as frightening and he did have that look to him. He had piercing eyes that seemed to look straight though you and his black pupils appeared to be an endless void. He was bigger than most people but he was fun to be around, Marinette especially enjoyed his company.

Unlike Plagg, Nooroo didn’t pose any type of danger. The only way he would be seen as a threat to GUARD is if his tongue slipped and he revealed one of their secrets. Secrets only he, Tikki, and Plagg know. Secrets that need to be kept buried.

Nooroo was skinny and wearing his usual shiny grey striped suit and purple tie that complimented his cool toned skin. He had hair as silver as polished iron and bright violet eyes that almost looked unnatural. He appeared somewhat like a child standing next to Plagg and Tikki who were both rather tall. Tikki was still a head shorter than Plagg but Nooroo stood far below his shoulders.

Personally, Marinette took a liking to Plagg but saw Nooroo as more of a colleague than a close friend. But he had saved her life a few times in the past so she couldn’t complain. He had a youthful face that made him appear to be in his early twenties instead of mid thirties. Unlike Tikki and Plagg who were field agents, Nooroo spent his time inside GUARD walls and did not have the scars that lingered on the skin after a battle.

After a long time of waiting, Marinette could not hold in her impatience anymore. Things at GUARD had been slow the past couple weeks and she was dying to go back into the field. “What do you have for me?” She asked the tall redheaded woman.

“Agent 1492058,” Said Tikki, staring down at a clipboard whilst ignoring her question. She only ever called her by her identification number ‘1492058’, when things were serious, Marinette started to grow worried but kept it hidden under her usual expression. The three figures peered down at her as Tikki rattled off question after question. Their bodies seemed to form a wall, trapping Marinette with her nervousness about the situation, cornering her until there was no means of escape.

“For the past 3 years, you have been serving here at the Government, Undercover, Agents, Remade, Division, program correct?” Tikki asked in such a matter-of-fact tone that took Marinette off guard. It was just so different from her usual gentle but authoritative voice.

“Correct” She answered, suspicious as to why they were asking questions they already knew the answers to.

Tikki clicked open a pen and began marking down her answers. “And is it true that you were subjected to genetic experiments from age 11 to 16 by Akuma?” The redhead questioned.

“Yes.” Marinette’s suspicions grew with every word out of the woman's mouth.

She honestly wished she could answer ‘no’ to the last question but there was no ignoring her past. The organization Akuma is a diluted group that will stop at nothing to gain power and is GUARDs sworn enemy. When Marinette was a child, she had been one of their guinea pigs for genetic weaponry. She had been ripped away from her family and had her memories stolen from her.

Part of her wished she could remember her life before Akuma, what were her parents like? Did she have parents? Any siblings? Pets? If Marinette could choose a pet she would want a hamster. Did she have interests? Hobby’s? Friends? Questions floated around her mind all day long, hoping somewhere in her mind there was a door with all the answers she needed, all she had to do was find the key and her past would be unlocked. But after years of searching for the nonexistent key, she decided it would be best not to wonder about the what if’s. Whatever the past held wasn’t her life, not anymore, that life belonged to a little girl she would never know, and frankly she didn’t want to know. Whoever that little girl was is gone and in her place is a generally engineered monster. And chances were that whatever her life was will only be a disappointment compared to what she had dreamed her childhood was like, but such dreams were not a reality. Her reality consisted of pain, death, blood, scars, and tears.

Luckily, Tikki and Plagg rescued her from Akuma, saw her potential and founded GUARD. GUARD was a government organization that used Marinette’s skills to help bring Akuma to its knees. If Tikki, Plagg, and Nooroo hadn't founded GUARD, she would have probably been put in a laboratory by the government. She would be left in the hands of scientists to be dissected and stitched back together as they attempted to understand the unique girl's anatomy and what Akuma had done to her over her years of experiments and surgeries. Or quite possibly, she would be deemed a threat and thrown into a prison cell. That thought almost made her laugh, there is not a single government cage that could hold her.

“Is it true that these experiments have given you telekinesis? And is it true you can move objects with your mind?” Tikki asked.

“Yes.” Marinette had the power to bend any item to her will and defy the laws of gravity.

Yes, she could force a door closed or grab a book from across the room, but she could do so much more than that. She was able to lift a jet with her mind and keep bullets from hitting their target. She was the greatest weapon to ever exist. Akuma had given her an extraordinary ability. But unfortunately, they had granted it to her with the intention to hurt people. In the process of making her they created a monster that was more metal than muscle, more machine than human.

“And you are the only living survivor of these experiments as far as we know?” Tikki asked, shaking Marinette out of her thoughts.

“Yes.” She answered.<

“Well,” The short red headed woman said, she finished writing notes and placing the clipboard off to the side and snapping her fingers. Plagg listened to the command and sat the thick file on the table. “Now that the formalities are out of the way, sorry about that, given the circumstances we needed to go by the book on this one. Take a look at your assignment.” She said, nodding towards the thick file.

Marinette opened the messy file, it had pictures and crumpled papers flying out of the folder in all directions. There were countless documents, hundreds of pages lined with computer code, and amongst it all was a picture of a handsome blonde boy.

“I don’t understand,” Marinette stated. “What is this?”

The three of them darted eyes at each other before they all pulled their chairs out and sat across from her, dismantling the wall that was pinning Marinette down and letting her tense muscles relax a bit.

“Listen Marinette, um,” Nooroo said shyly, his regular thin tone was replaced with hoarse and brittle words that caused him to clear his throat several times before continuing. “There's something we haven’t told you.” His unnaturally pigmented eyes filled with worry as he spoke, and as always, peeled away from her gaze and started darting around the room.

Marinette kept her eyes fixed on the papers she had now sprawled messily across the white table top. “What?” She asked with a growl through clenched teeth. She trusted these people and trust wasn’t something Marinette took lightly. You gain Marinette’s trust; it means you gain her respect, loyalty, and devotion as well. You break her trust, she’ll break you. Simple as that.

“Look, Mari,” Plagg said, folding his hands in front of him while calling her by her pet name. Only he ever called her ‘Mari’, no one else had gained such a privilege. “The day that we found you at Akuma… well let’s just say you weren’t the only thing we found.” He explained.

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked with a blank expression despite how anxious and upset she was. She was a spy, she knew how to hide emotion. It was one of her more lethal qualities.

“We call it ‘The Algorithm’,” Plagg added in his usual low, gruff voice which always made his words sound serious. Maybe that's why people were intimidated by him, Marinette thought. “When we rescued you from that Akuma facility we came across a room. The place was covered wall to wall with computer screens. All of them were displaying thousands of lines of code.” He reached over and picked up a stack of paper with black ink covering the white page with lines of random numbers and letters. “We have hundreds of files covered in code just like this, but the thing is that when we found that room, we were sure of just one thing.” He said, allowing his words to trail off before Tikki finished his sentence.

“Akuma is planning something.”

“Exactly,” Plagg agreed. “We had no idea what, but we had never seen another room like that in any Akuma base. Whatever they were planning must have been important and when we found you, we were certain of it. So, we copied the Algorithm and stored it on a hard drive. We started running the program as soon as possible.”

Marinette grinded her teeth and let out a halfhearted sigh. “And why didn’t you tell me? I was stuck inside Akuma walls for years, they trained me. Raised me! I know how they think. I could have helped.” Marinette was half-standing in her seat but Plagg put his hand up to stop her and she retreated back to her chair.

“I know you’re upset, but we had our best minds on it.” Nooroo explained while twiddling his thumbs. “There was nothing you could have done.” He spoke calmly but his steady manner only made Marinette's face turn red with anger and resentment. “We didn’t even know what it was before we called you in here.” He stated. Marinette repressed her resentment and spoke placidly.

“And what is it exactly?” She decided the best course of action was to behave diplomatically, arguing would only waste precious time.

Tikki leaned over and scrambled through the stacks of papers until finally she found what she had been searching for. She found the picture of the blonde boy and held it up for Marinette to see. It looked like the kind of photo you would see in a school yearbook. He appeared to be about the same age as Marinette. He had light emerald colored eyes and a sharp jaw. Handsome for sure. He wore a white button-down and a thin black tie around his neck.

“His name is Adrien Noir,” Tikki explained. “He's 19 years old, a university student at the Paris College of Arts. He is a part-time model and has an above average GPA. But overall, he’s one of Akuma’s targets.”

Marinette took the small photo and examined it a bit, based on what Tikki said he was smart and by the look of his picture strong too. She took one last look before handing it back.

“But why do they want him?” Marinette asked, puzzlement evident in her tone. Akuma usually targeted the wealthy or powerful in hopes to use their resources to further their cause. They had no use for kids who were fresh out of high school and drowning in student loans.

“Because,” Tikki said while glancing at Plagg. Her bright blue eyes seemed to ask if it was wise to share this crucial piece of information with the young spy. Marinette hated how Tikki thought she couldn't handle whatever it was they were hiding, luckily Plagg, per usual, had her back. He moved his head ever so slightly to indicate a nod which urged Tikki to continue. “We think Akuma is going to do the same thing to him as they did to you.”

And with those few simple words, Marinette's heart dropped.

Chapter Text

“We now know that The Algorithm is used to find ‘special’ individuals like Adrien. That’s how they found you and the others.” Tikki explained. “The Algorithm is used to search through hundreds of variables to find the perfect specimen for Akuma’s experiments”

Marinette’s head was spinning with this new information. “I don’t understand, what are you saying?” She asked, rage burning down her throat at the thought of her only being “special” just because she was able to survive the excruciating pain Akuma had put her through. But she swallowed her anger, she didn’t want to start an argument with Tikki, and a debate would just waste time they didn’t have.

“The Algorithm searches through the medical history, genetics, and physical properties of every child on the planet, looking for the perfect ones for that set of experiments.” Tikki elaborated. “You were one of those children. Less than an hour ago, the algorithm gave us Adrien's name then continued its search for more children. It took over three years for it to give us Adrien’s name so we have no idea if it will ever give us results again. But we do know that this kid is next on Akuma's hit list. You have to get to him before Akuma does, or they may possibly have a superhuman weapon at their disposal.”

Marinette didn’t have time to be bitter, if it were up to her, no one would be put through Akuma’s abuse. All the experiments, the training, the scars, the nightmares, the forgotten memories, it was all so senseless. Yes, she had been given amazing powers because of these experiments but the vivid memories of having her spine infused with metal still haunted her. Not even the comfort of sleep could block out the images of needles piercing her skin and blades slicing into her flesh. Marinette would give up her telekinesis in a heartbeat if it meant she could forget all they had done to her.

“Where is he now?” Marinette said quickly, she couldn’t waste any more time, Akuma could already be stuffing this kid with wires like a thanksgiving turkey for all she knew.

“He’s in Paris, we've arranged a meeting between you two,” Plagg said just as quickly. “We’ve created a fake identity for you under the name of Clara Hailey, a photographer. You will be meeting him for a photo shoot but, your real assignment is to get him to GUARD by any means necessary. Do you accept this assignment, Agent 1492058?”

“Yes.” Marinette responded without hesitation, she wanted to help. She needed to help, in any way that she could. She won’t let another person fall victim to Akuma's abuse.

After a few minutes of mission preparation that included a quick assessment of Marinette's health, a recap of her assignment, and a fast disguise, Marinette walked through a doorway into a small garage, inside was a little black Ford with tinted windows and a tall Plagg leaning up against it. “All black huh? Not suspicious at all.” Marinette said mockingly.

“It was either this or an armored truck, we thought this would be less conspicuous.” Plagg replied as he opened the car door for her. “I’ve got to admit,” He said in a sarcastic tone. “You can pull off blonde.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. Her usual deep midnight blue hair was hidden under an ashen wig with straight locks and bangs that hung to her eyebrows. The blonde was much too long, cascading down her back and past her shoulder blades until it met the small of her back. Marinette always kept her hair a little above her shoulders so it would not grow too heavy so the sudden height made her neck ache. The golden locks were thick and always managed to get in her face. She constantly had to push the hair behind her ears but the dense locks continually escaped and blocked her eyesight. Even Marinette, whose limited fashion sense consisted of jeans and t-shirts, knew that the bleached color did not suit her in the slightest. It made her pale skin look washed out and her naturally bold blue eyes appear dull.

“Anyway,” Plagg said, realizing that his joke towards her new hair color had failed. “Here's a commlink and fake identification.” He handed her a thin black bracelet with a small screen and a false ID that read ‘Clara Hailey’ along with a picture of her in the corner of the driver's license. Marinette wrapped the black band around her wrist, hiding it under her coat sleeve and placing the fake ID in her pocket, then climbed into the vehicle, the door closing behind her.

Plagg peered at her through the open car window and looked at her for a long moment before breaking the silence. He did this every time, while many viewed him as distant and cold, he always acted like a small kitten with her.
“Are you going to be okay?” He asked, his piercing green eyes laced with concern.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Marinette reassured him but in reality, it didn't matter what she told him, he was a nervous wreck whenever she left. There was no fixing that, so she didn’t think to try anymore.

Plagg pushed his jet-black hair that was peppered with the occasional streak of grey -that was probably caused by the stress he felt whenever she left- out of his face and sighed. “Just be sure you make it back here in one piece, okay?”

Marinette smiled as she put the car in drive. “You worry too much.” She said with a grin.

Plagg leaned back and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets as Marinette backed out of the garage. Plagg shook his head. “It's my job to worry!” She heard him yell just before she pulled out of the lot and up the low angled ramp into the meadow. “I care about you Mari. I don’t want to see you get hurt!” Plagg called out to the girl in the moving vehicle just before the garage door closed behind her but his words were out of earshot and all Marinette heard was the hum of the engine as she rode through the thin oak forest towards Paris.

Adrien sat at a park bench waiting for the photographer to show up while reading his book. It was a nice spring day with good weather, a bit cloudy but still warm. The place was empty, the playground swing gently rocked back and forth with the breeze and the tree branches shook slightly with the wind. Adrien loved a good day like this one, a nice relaxing morning outside was one of his favorite things. The blonde gently tapped his foot as his eyes skimmed the words on the page while he read. Overall, the area was peaceful, calm, and quiet.

Amongst the silence he heard light footsteps approaching and a warm voice ask. “Adrien Noir?”

Adrien looked up from the page to see a blonde haired girl standing in front of him. “Hello.” He said, shaking the girl's hand.

“Hi, I’m Clara Hailey.” The girl said. She wore dark jeans and a black fringe coat. Her hair and bangs hung loose, and she had a kind smile spread across her face.

“Nice to meet you.” Adrien said while stuffing his book into his leather satchel and slinging it onto his shoulder.

“You too,” Clara said politely, the abnormal, an almost forced smile still lingering on her lips. “So, I've just got some papers I need you to sign in order to make your contract with the magazine official.” She said, rummaging through her bag. She suddenly stopped, looking at him apologetically. “I'm sorry, I must have left them in my car.”

Adrien shook his head as he stood up. “Oh, no problem, it's fine.” He reassured her.

“I swear I'd lose my head if it weren't attached to my neck.” Adrien let out a small polite chuckle at the comment and they began to walk back to the parking lot.

“Man, it's such a nice day today.” Clara commented, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, it is.” Adrien agreed. Quite honestly, he saw Clara as a bit too bright-eyed and innocent. She was nice and polite and all, but she was just a bit too perky for Adrien to keep up with, and there was something off putting about her constant smile. But at the same time he tried to keep an open mind, reminding himself that first impressions are often wrong.

“Oh, that looks like a nice location right there,” She said pointing in the direction under a tree in the distance. “Good lighting, has a nice background, it could make for a nice pho-....” She cut off mid-sentence. Her blue eyes locked on the office building in front of her. Adrien followed her gaze trying to figure out what she was looking at. All he saw was a tall building covered in glass and metal, nothing special.

Adrien was starting to think this girl was a bit nuts. She just stood there, still as a statue, staring at the tall building behind him. Her eyes squinted and unmoving, her mouth slightly agape from her unfinished sentence. The ever present smile disappeared from her lips. Adrien was seriously concerned for this girl. Is she alright? Is she okay? What was she looking for?

He was about to ask what she was looking at when suddenly, her eyes widened with fear, and she screamed. “Get down!”

Chapter Text

Marinette's plan was simple. As soon as she and blondie got to the car, she would inject a nonlethal sedative into his upper arm, nothing harmful, just something to make him docile, and she would bring him back to GUARD without conflict. She admits it is rude to drug people, but she didn't have much of a choice. She couldn't break her cover, and she needs to get him to safety. She cannot let Akuma take someone else and make them a monster like her.

"Oh, that looks like a nice location right there," Marinette spoke in her giddy voice, pointing in the direction under a tree. Playing the stupid, innocent kid was killing her and holding the fake smile was exhausting, not to mention painful. Her cheeks and lips were tired and she wanted nothing more than to return to her usual indifferent expression.

"Good lighting, has a nice background, it could make for a nice pho-..." She stopped herself mid-sentence. Her entire life, or at least the little bit of her life she could remember, she had been looking over her shoulder. Every tiny flicker of movement, any slight sound, or shift in the shadows, Marinette noticed it all. It was an instinct that had been burned into her subconscious since childhood.

She saw a beam of light reflecting off the building in front of her. The sun maybe, but Marinette wasn't that naïve. 'Everything is a threat.' She had been told from a young age. She had had that thought drilled into her mind since she was only eleven years old and she was grateful for it, it had saved her life more than once.

The beam of light stood still; Marinette's eyes narrowed. Was it just her, or did that look like the reflection of a rifle scope? Her mind raced with every survival instinct she had known. Her eyes still fixed on the faint light. Sniper! Something in her mind screamed, drowning out every other thought.

"Get down!" She screamed. The sound of a gunshot raddled through the air as she grabbed the blonde boy and dove behind a nearby tree.

All Adrien heard was a loud scream. "Get down!" Before a loud roar rang through his ears. Next thing he knew he was sitting behind a tree, his legs sprawled across the grass, his back pressed against the rugged bark of the trunk, and next to him was Clara kneeling beside him while speaking into a thin black band that was wrapped around her wrist.

"This is Agent 1492058," She said urgently, but calm, holding the bracelet near her mouth. "I'm with the target, shots fired by what I suspect to be an Akuma sniper. Requesting immediate back up."

'Target', what did she mean by target? She paused for a moment before a woman's voice answered over the bracelet.

"We will send a squadron as soon as possible, your tracker is malfunctioning and we aren't able to get a lock on your location. Where are you?" A phantom voice said.

"Redwood park." Marinette responded in a low and even voice. They heard some quick clicking from a keyboard.

"Alright just stay where you are." The mysterious voice said. Suddenly another loud bang shot through the air. Adrien felt his muscles tense at the sound and a shiver ran up his spine.

"Yeah, that's not really an option right now." Clara said to the voice, she looked completely unfazed by all the chaos happening around her, meanwhile Adrien was curling in on himself. His breathing was shallow and quick, it felt as if his lungs were collapsing. His heartbeat was fast and erratic as well, as if it was trying to escape from the confines of his ribcage. The phantom woman's voice spoke once again.

"Just keep the target safe, we will be there soon, Siren." And with that the voice was gone.

'Siren'? Adrien thought. He was starting to panic. All the mayhem around him, the blaring sound of the gun shots, the strange blue-eyed girl, it was all too much for him to process. Throughout all the chaos he managed to focus on a single thing. A little silver rod that stuck out of the ground.

"What is that?" He pointed at a small metal cylinder poking out of the grass inches away from his right leg. These seemed to be the only words he could come up with in all the madness. The metal thing had red markings on it that the blonde couldn't quite make out along with a sharp metal needle that stuck out of the matted dirt and grass.

Clara looked over and gave such a blatant response it sent a shiver down his spine. "It's a tranquilizer dart." He only grew more and more confused and more and more afraid. What was happening? Why is there someone shooting at us? Who was this girl? And how could she be so calm through all of this?

"Okay listen to me." Clara said, looking him dead in the eye, all of this chaos seemed to have no effect on her. Her face was relaxed and her posture still and unshaken. She put her head forward and shook her blue locks free from the blonde wig and threw the bleached colored mess to the side. He noticed that her electric blue eyes now seemed much brighter. Adrien had to admit the deep indigo suited her better than the golden wig, he hadn't even noticed it was a wig but looking back, the blonde didn't seem like a good look for her. But why was she even wearing a wig in the first place?

"I need you to stay calm," She said, her voice soothing and tranquil. "Whoever is shooting at us is using tranquilizers so they're not looking to kill you." Somehow that comment only made Adrien more anxious despite the reassurance in her tone. "I know you've got questions, but honestly I don't have the time to answer them if you want to make it out of here, so I need you to do something for me. Okay?"

Adrien nodded, still unable to form an answer. "I need you to be quiet and follow my orders. Got it?" Another nod. "Good." Adrien was so wrong about this girl; she played the façade of an innocent kid so well. "We don't have much cover here, and there could be another sniper somewhere, so we're going to have to make a run for it. There's an apartment building about 140 meters west of us. We could make it in a hard sprint if we're lucky. You ready blondie?" She asked him, glancing over her shoulder every so often.

"Um- ". Another loud bang in the distance erupted through the air and rattled through Adrien's skull. His muscles tensed yet again. This time it flew less than two centimeters from Clara's waist before ramming its metal point into the dirt. The tree they were hiding behind was slim and didn't give much cover from the flying metallic needles that seemed to keep coming.

"We don't have time for 'um' it's do or die. Just stay to my left so you won't get hit and run like your life depends on it, because it does." She shot to her feet and held out a hand. "Ready?" He grabbed her outstretched hand and she yanked him up, nearly pulling his shoulder out of place.

"Ready." He said, the adrenaline finally hitting him. To be completely honest he wasn't ready in the slightest but his fear kept him compliant.

"Okay, assuming we both sprint at 25 kilometers per hour and the building is 140 meters away it will take us about 22 seconds to reach it. Think you can keep up?" She asked and he nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I think so." He said, his breath finally evening out and his voice finally permitting him to say more than only one word at a time.

"Stay close to me, we run on three." She directed him to a building with her eyes. They both stood next to each other while the tree protected them from the incoming darts flying through the air. Adrien was to the blue-eyed girls left which made him feel a bit better as awful as it sounded, having her act as a shield made it all easier on him.

"One..." Clara said with a bit of excitement edged in her tone. "Two..." Adrien bit his lip as Clara took a pause before saying the last number. "Three." And with that they sprinted for dear life.

Chapter Text

“One… two… three!” She took off running, Adrien close on her heels. The adrenaline pumping through their veins carried them as they ran through the grass. Their hearts beat hard and fast as they sprinted across the wet grass. Adrien nearly fell, tripping over his own feet, but Clara gripped his wrist so tightly that she pulled him along despite his clumsy feet falling behind them. They bolted across the park and into the street only to have Clara stop in her tracks.

She skidded to a halt. Another earth cracking bang ripped through the air followed by a metal dart flying past the blue-eyed girl's shoulder. Startled, they both fell to the ground. Adrien could taste the metallic flavor of blood lined his mouth as his face smacked against the concrete. While the air was knocked out of his chest, the girl quickly stumbled to her feet and pulled the blond up by his waist and directed him behind a blue minivan. Their backs pressed against the exterior of the car; silence hung in the air. Only the sound of their breathless panting filled the tranquility. Despite the madness that had ensued, it was quiet. Peaceful even. But peaceful doesn't necessarily mean they were safe.

“Where is that squadron?” Clara whispered with a growl into the bracelet, and once again the phantom voice replied.

“They’re on their way, are you still in redwood park?” She asked.

“Yes, we’re still in redwood park but there is more than one sniper and they have us pinned down with very little cover.” Clara replied with a look of fear in her eyes. It was the first time he had seen her genuinely afraid. She was terrified but her features still showed a calm and collected expression.

Adrien was almost afraid of her. Her blue bell eyes look petrified, but he could tell by her stoic expression that she would go down fighting.

She beat her fingers against her knee as she rummaged through her thoughts, debating over what the best course of action was.

“What do you mean there is more than one sniper?” Adrien asked abruptly. Clara jerked her head toward the building, signaling to him to look at the roof. On top he could see the faint silhouette of what looked to be a woman and the barrel of a rifle resting on the tower's edge.

“That's why I stopped running,” Clara explained. “I didn't see her at first, but chances are she isn't alone. There are probably others waiting to take their shot.”

Her head swivels around, taking in her surroundings. “Okay,” She said after a few moments “We have a few options but none of them are good. We either wait here for aid or we fight our way into that building.”

For some reason he trusted her. It was odd. He hardly knew her, but he still felt safe in her presence. Maybe it was the confidence she excluded that made him feel sure about her. Whatever it was, he knew he was able to trust her completely. So much so, he was willing to put his life in her hands.

“What happens if we wait?” Adrien asked, still trying to catch his breath.

“Chances are we will be pummeled with darts and I can't protect you from them all.” She answered quietly, some of her words were smothered by the sound of the wind that was slowly picking up.

“Well, what about you?” Adrien asked, she looked at him almost shocked. Like it was the first time someone has ever worried about her. Her eyes narrowed.

“I don’t matter right now, you're what they want.”

“So?” Adrien remarked. “You matter. What will happen if they get you?” Clara sighed.

“Look blondie, this is what I signed up for. Being shot at, fighting, dying. I agreed to it. You didn’t. If I don’t make it back then so be it, but you... you're innocent. You don’t deserve to die.” Adrien shook his head in protest.

“You don’t deserve to die either.” Clara scoffed at his reasoning.

“You’d be surprised.” She muttered under her breath; Adrien opened his mouth to argue but Clara interrupted.

“Ugh idiot.” She said to herself. “Fighting our way inside won't do us any good. It will just pin us down and with the sniper on the roof we have no escape. It will just give them a chance to catch us.” She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, trying to think of a better plan.

“Who's ‘them’?” Adrien asked, trying to get a sense of what was happening.

“Akuma.” She answered plainly.

“Akuma?” He echoed.

“Yeah, they’re a homicidal organization working to gain power and rule the world or whatever their demented minds strive for.” Adrien was a bit baffled.

“What do they want with me?” Clara looked at him with a sorry expression.

“Nothing good, trust me.” She turned her head away from him, to not look him in the eye, and sighed. “We need to make a run for that black van. It's a bit far but I think we can make it.” Adrien glanced over to the black vehicle, it was far-flung, but he trusted this girl. If she said they could make it, he would believe her.

“I wouldn't worry if they haven’t hit us yet, right? For snipers, their aim is a bit off.” Clara chuckled at his comment.

“It's not their aim that's off.”

“What?” Adrien asked.

“I'll explain later.” She pushed the question aside with a dismissive wave. “You should know that it's risky, we might get caught.” She explained with a melancholy tone. Adrien shook his head.

“We will make it; I know we will.” Clara gave him a weak smile, it was nothing more than a small tug at the edge of her lips to show him she agreed. But Adrien had figured out by now that all her emotion was only ever shown through her eyes. Her gaze was directed towards the ground. She was worried. Very worried.

They both took one last look at each other. Clara seemed terrified, not for herself, but for him. She gave a look that said, “I'm sorry”. What she was sorry for, he did not know, but he nodded as if trying to say, “it’s going to be okay”.

“Ready?” She asked.

“Ready.” Adrien answered, and they both took off running simultaneously.

This time Adrien was a bit calmer and could hold himself up as he ran. Another two darts were shot at them, but Adrien was getting used to the sound of the cracking gunshots. Both metal rods landed near their ankles and all Adrien was thinking about was what Clara had said before. ‘It's not their aim that’s off’ whatever that meant. All they heard was the sound of their feet pounding against the asphalt as they ran with the occasional boom of igniting gunpowder. Despite Adrien’s erratic heartbeat he was making good time. Clara was a full stride ahead of him, but he was keeping up.

Finally, they made it to the car, their ribs aching. They pulled desperately at the doors, but they were locked in place. Another gunshot fired and the metal dart missed Adrien's shoulder by only a centimeter. He got a closer look at the silver dart; its tip was broken from its impact against the concrete sidewalk. It had a long slender body and the needle, despite it being broken in two, was menacingly long and thick, along with some red markings that he wasn't able to read. Adrien didn't want to think of how much it would hurt to get hit with one, the thought of it ramming into his flesh made his spine itch.

Clara fumbled in her pocket for the key and quickly unlocked the car. They both yanked the car doors open and hurled themselves inside. The engine roared to life and without skipping a beat, she sped away from the park as fast as possible.

Despite the speed at which they were driving, things seemed calmer. She took tunes fast and slid along the road with terrifying force, but it was better than being shot at. Yet the pit in Adrien's stomach told him they weren't out of the woods yet.

It was quiet except for the hum of the engine and the sound of their slowly steading breath. But besides that, the road was empty. Every turn they took, the streets were bare.

“Why is no one here?” Adrien questioned. Clara took another sharp turn to the right.
“Akuma.” She answered. “They set barriers around roads, blocking off buildings, whatever they can do to cover their tracks. They try to get as few witnesses as possible.” She explained. Adrien’s head was spinning with questions that he had no answers to, but as luck would have it, Clara had read his mind.

“I'm sure you have questions.” She stated. Adrien sighed as he focused his gaze on the empty road ahead of them.

“Yeah, I do.” He responded.

“Then what are you waiting for? Ask.” She said blandly. Adrien sorted through his thoughts, not sure where to start. Finally, after going through the mountain of questions, he came up with one that had been prying in his mind for a while.

“Who are you?”

Chapter Text

“Who are you?” Adrien finally asked.

“Marinette, last name unknown, Agent 1492058, code name: Siren.” She said blatantly, her answer sounded like she had read it word for word, and maybe she had.

Adrien seemed a little disappointed in her answer. Last name unknown? Agent? Code name? Siren? He had heard the woman from the bracelet call her Siren, but what did it mean? Her answer had only left him with more questions.

“Your name is Marinette?” He asked again. She nodded in response. “Okay um…” Adrien began. “If you're not working for Akuma, then who do you work for?” Marinette’s gaze was locked on the deserted road ahead of her.

“GUARD, that stands for Government, Undercover, Agents, Remade, Division.” She answered calmly, almost like they hadn't been shot at a few moments ago. Adrien nodded in understanding despite the fact he didn't understand at all.

“Okay, so you're one of the good guys?” He asked. Marinette was quiet for a moment.

“I work for good people, that doesn’t mean I am one.” She didn’t say it menacingly but with a twinge of self doubt as if she didn't believe she was a decent human being, which Adrien didn’t believe to be true.

“You saved me didn’t you?” He responded, trying to persuade her. She sighed.

“Technically yes.” She commented.

“Then you're a good person as far as I see.” Adrien retorted.

“One good act doesn't make me good, besides you hardly know me.” Adrien shrugged at her response.

“I know you saved my life,” Marinette rolled her eyes, obviously irritated and tired of arguing.

“Next question.” Marinette uttered, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Okay, okay,” Adrien said in an attempt to calm the tension. He took a moment to think about what to ask next as he rubbed his right cheek. He bit the inside of his mouth when he fell on the concrete. The iron-like taste of blood had diminished but the flesh of his mouth was still raw.

“That bracelet-” He began to say.

“It's a commlink, allows me to communicate with my associate at GUARD.” Marinette interrupted, pointless questions seemed to rub her the wrong way.

“Alright,” Adrien sorted through his thoughts again. “You said your last name was ‘unknown’, do you mean classified?” She shook her head.

“No, I mean I don't know my last name.” Adrien was puzzled.

“You don't know your own last name?” She glared at him through the corner of her eye.

“Next question.”

“Okay, I won't ask about the last name.” The blonde said defensively then continued his line of questioning. “Got any family?” Marinette’s expression stayed cold and unchanging.

“Maybe.” She answered, her tone didn't sound as if she was answering indifferently but suggested that she genuinely didn't know the answer to Adrien's question.

“Maybe?” Adrien repeated.

“Next question.” Marinette said coldly.

“Note to self don’t ask about family or the last name.” The green eyed boy retorted.

“Look blondie, I don’t mean to be rude but I don’t know.” Marinette said combatively, her annoyance clearly evident. And she wasn’t the only one starting to lose patience.

“What do you mean, You don’t know? How do you forget your family and your last name?”

She didn’t answer and a blanket of silence surrounded them. They said nothing for a long moment, finally Adrien gave in. “I'm sorry, I won't ask again.” The blunette nodded.

“Thank you.” Was all she said.

He could tell he had hurt her. She didn't show it, she hardly showed any emotion, her face remained still and neutral. But he could tell by the way her eyes appeared distant and hollow as if she was searching for something in the distance but it was too far away to see clearly.

In the silence he still felt a lot of his questions unanswered. “Marinette?” He asked quietly. She glanced over at him briefly. “Where are we going?” She smiled at his question, it was probably the first real smile he had seen from her.

“Somewhere safe.”

Adrien smiled back.

“Are you gonna tell me where or are you gonna put a sack over my head until we get there.” Marinette chuckled. She had a cute laugh that filled the space with joy and contentment

“Well I thought you might want to chit chat for a bit before I bring out the sack.” They giggled for a moment, her chuckle obviously contagious. It felt nice to laugh after all that had happened the last 10 minutes.

They drove a few more blocks, the streets still bare and lifeless. Marinette looked rather calm but her knuckles were white from gripping so tightly to the wheel. She gave the occasional glance in the mirror, checking to see if they were being followed. It was during one of these occasional glances when she looked forward and slammed on the breaks. A spike strip laid flat across the road. The car skidded and all its weight shifted to the left. Their bodies jolted and Marinette’s head smacked against the side window. The vehicle rolled on its side as the tires passed over the jagged spikes. Adrien faded out of consciousness.

He was dazed for a moment before his blurry vision finally cleared and the black dots that danced in front of his eyes disappeared. He was hanging upside down, the only thing holding him in place was the seatbelt that was buried into his ribs. He felt a burning go though his spine and he grinded his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside. Adrien cricked his neck over to see Marinette fiddling with her seatbelt.

“Blondie?” She called.

“Yeah?”

“There is a knife in the glove box. Can you reach it?”

He opened the glove box and a small black backpack fell out. He rummaged through its contents, flint and steel, water bottles, dried food, first aid kit, wire, rope, flashlight, flares, compass, and so on. But amongst the items was a blade in a leather sheath. He passed it over to the bluenette and she banished the knife with skill as the razor sharp edge sliced through the seatbelt.

She fell to the roof of the car and crawled over to him. The side of her temple was red and bloodied from when her head collided into the driver side window. The scarlet liquid ran down her face and was smeared across her cheek bone.

“Are you alright?” Adrien asked, ignoring the pain in his ribs.

“I’ve survived worse.” She mumbled as she tugged at the strap across his chest and positioned the blade underneath. “You okay?”

Adrien was holding his breath to give her space to work the metal edge though the thick material. “I’m fine.” He answered between breaths. He had answered truthfully, besides a stiffness in his joins, he was alright. At last, the seatbelt was cut in two and Adrien toppled over to the roof of the car.

Marinette pulled him up by his waist, and guided him to the right side window. She resheathed the knife and packed it away in the backpack before swinging it over her shoulder. Then, she gently pressed her fingertips against the glass, and the sound of a gentle hum filled the air. Within moments the window shattered. Fragments of glass were spread across the asphalt. “How did you do that?” Adrien asked, stunned. All she did was touch it and the window broke into a thousand tiny shards.

“Long story. I’ll explain everything once you’re safe.” Marinette answered. She crawled through the small broken window and gestured for Adrien to follow. He pulled himself through the narrow opening, being careful not to cut his hands on the mess of glass fragments, and grabbed Marinette’s outstretched hand. Once again she pulled him up with enough force to pull his shoulder out of place. They both took a moment to look around. They were in the middle of a narrow road with buildings lining the sides. The buildings were tall, very tall. They were in the heart of Paris with banks and malls lining the sidewalks.

Up ahead was a four way. From directly ahead an army of masked men approached.

They wore dark armor from head to toe and walked in rows covering the entire road and flooding onto the footpath. There could have been hundreds. Their strides were in perfect unison causing a loud boom with every step.

Terror stuck like a bolt of lightning.

“Is that the squadron you called for?” Adrien asked, a bit of optimism lining his words. Marinette swallowed and shook her head.

“No.”

That one word was all it took to shatter all hope. That one word was enough to make Adrien's blood run cold. They turned their heads to see another army of masked men approaching them from behind pinning them down. They were boxed in and defenseless.

They both stood still, like a deer in headlights. As the army grew closer and closer, the sound of their steps grew louder and louder. They were only 500 meters away on either side. Adrien tried to speak to Marinette but his words were lost in the echo of their strides. Suddenly, the soldiers in the front of the mob lifted their weapons, menacing looking firearms, and the same loud gunshot went off. Marinette grabbed his hand and pulled him along into an unknown direction. He followed blindly. They heard a few more gunshots go off and a volley of metal darts landed near their feet. Once again Adrien’s mind went to the words Marinette had said before.

It’s not their aim that's off.

They bolted across the asphalt road and over the sidewalk and into a random building. Marinette thrusted the glass doors open, her hand still clutching his. Together they ran through what seemed to be an office lobby. The man at the counter yelled at them to stop as they ran past. They took off through a door labeled “stairs” before he was able to say another word to them.

Marinette and Adrien took off up the steps. They had just made it to the seventh story when, through his exhausted breaths, Adrien asked. “Where are we going?”

Marinette didn't bother looking back at him and just answered. “Not sure yet.” That statement didn't make him anxious at all.

Their legs ache from fatigue. They bent over their knees trying to catch what little breath they had. But their break didn't last long. The scent of lemon started to fill the air.

“What is that?” Adrien asked. Marinette glanced over the stairwell and looked down over the long spinning towers of stairs.

“Oh no.” She mumbled under her breath.

“What is it?” Adrien questioned as he joined her by the railing. He glanced downward at the mountain of steps they had just run up. Quickly rising to the ceiling was a could of yellow fog. The honey colored mist covered the steps and was towering up like a billow of smoke.

“It’s an airborne drug.” She said covering her mouth with her sleeve. “It will knock us unconscious if we breathe it in. Cover your mouth and nose. We have to keep moving.” Marinette said, turning away from him and continuing to scale the tall tower of stairs, Adrien following close behind her. They sprinted as fast as their legs could carry them but the citric smelling gas was rising fast.

Adrien's ribs ached with each stride but he forced himself to keep moving. One more step, he thought to himself repeatedly with every gasping breath. As Adrien struggled his way to the top, Marinette was urging him forward, eventually grabbing his arms and pulling him up the never ending staircase. Finally, the two of them stop at a landing in between two flights of stairs.

“Catch your breath.” Marinette instructed, her words muffled by the sleeve she held over her lower face. Adrien took the opportunity to suck in a few deep breaths which only intensified the aching in his ribcage. He decided to breathe through the pain but then the air started to taste sour. He glanced over at the lemon fog, crawling its way up the stairs. Slivers of mist climbed up like boney fingers reaching out to suffocate them. The golden smog flooded the landing where they stood and was rising just above their ankles, making it impossible to see their shoes through the thick layer of fog.

“We need to move.” Marinette said before grabbing his wrist and jerking him back up the staircase. Adrien placed his hand over his face, making breathing that much harder. A few more flights of stairs and they were finally at the top. A large metal door stood in front of them. Marinette pulled at the door knob but it wouldn't budge. It was locked from the outside. The lemon cloud was rising quickly and was making Adrien feel a little groggy despite the adrenaline he felt pumping through his veins.

He observed as Marinette got down on her knees and peered into the keyhole. She placed one hand a few centimeters in front of the door knob. The same humming sound he heard before the car window shattered filled the air. It was a hypnotic noise that rang though his eardrums like a pulsing purr. The gas cloud was now at Marinette's waist and slowly creeping up Adrien's legs, the heavy scent of lemon was suffocating and made his eyes sting from the potency. Suddenly the lock clicked open. How did she unlock it? Adrien thought to himself, but before he could ask her, she swung the door open.

They both ran onto the rooftop, slamming the door behind them, trapping the drug cloud inside. Marinette locked the door once again. They took a few steps back and watched as the honey colored smog leaked its way through the cracks in the door frame. Luckily the wind carried the fog into the east and away from them. Adrien took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh air that cleared out the overbearing scent of lemon. The aching in his abdomen had faded into a light soreness but his legs still felt weak and wobbly. Not to mention the stinging in his mouth that erupted whenever he spoke.

“Are you alright?” Marinette asked through her shaky panting. Adrien nodded.

“How is your head?” He questioned, his cheek throbbing with every word. She reached up to her bleeding temple and wiped the blood from her cheekbone, which left a red, jagged cut in the shape of the letter V on her forehead. Dark, sticky blood still slowly seeped its way out of the wound.

“I'll be fine.” She stated indifferent towards her own well being. Adrien got the sense that she was lying to make him feel better, so he pressed her.

“Are you sure?” He asked again. “You hit your head pretty hard.” Marinette shook her head.

“I’ve had head injuries before, it's just a cut, I'm okay.” She said a little more convincing this time, putting Adrien’s worries to rest.

Suddenly a loud bang came crashing against the metal door causing both of them to stumble backwards out of fear.

“Akuma?” Adrien asked, the work still felt strange coming out of his mouth.

“Yeah.” Marinette responded, her voice sour at the mention of the murderous group. Another loud bang rattled against the door.

“What do we do?” He asked, panic filling his voice.

“Come here!” Marinette called to him. She waved him over to the edge of the building.

“I don't think right now is an appropriate time to admire the view.” Adrien remarked.

“Just get over here.” She barked. Adrien obeyed the order, not seeing any other choice.

The two of them peered down the side of the building, making Adrien feel uneasy about how high up they were, but he had Marinette's hand gripping his arm tightly for support.

On the street below was an army of men dressed from head to toe in black armor. They flooded the streets, leaving no more than a few inches of space between them as they stood in organized rows. They looked like swarms of ants from up on the rooftop but Adrien still felt his stomach tighten with fear at their numbers. Marinette pulled him by the arm to the other side of the rooftop. There wasn't much of a view from this side, about a few meters in front of them was another tall building, a story or two shorter than the one they stood on now.

“Do you think we could jump to that building?” Marinette asked.

“What!?” Adrien was completely dumbfounded at her statement. “Are you crazy?” Marinette shook her head.

“We could make it.” She reassured him. Another crash against the door, making Adrien’s muscles tense up at the sound.

Before he could protest, Marinette grabbed his hand and pulled him to the center of the rooftop. She gripped his wrist tightly, digging her nails into his skin. Suddenly she sprinted towards the roof's edge, pulling Adrien along with her. He caught up to her and ran alongside the deranged girl. He didn't have time to listen to all the alarms going off in his mind, telling him to stop. He just ran, until there was no room left to run.

As they approached the ledge of the building they pushed off and fell through the air. After what felt like the longest eight seconds of Adrien’s life, they crashed onto the shorter building's rooftop. Adrien landed on his left shoulder which absorbed most of the blow. He grunted as he found his footing and got to his feet. His shoulder was aching but it could have been worse. He extended his hand out to Marinette who was still lying on her back, trying to suck in the air that was knocked out of her lung. She took his hand and Adrien lifted her up as she gasped for breath.

“Thank you.” She mumbled but it came out as a croak of syllables.

“You're welcome.” Adrien responded. After a moment he asked. “Now what?” The girl shook her head as she coughed.

“I'm not sure. We can't stay here.” Finally, her breathing began to steady.

“There is nowhere left to go.” He said as he searched for a means of escape. There was nothing on this rooftop. Not a door into the building, a ladder, a way to the ground. Nothing.

“We need to get to the ground,” Marinette explained. “The Akuma soldiers will have that door knocked down any second.” Adrien started to think about the banging on the door.

“How have they not picked the lock yet? It only took you a few seconds.” He asked, confused as to their slowness.

“I jammed the lock.” Marinette answered. “They will have tried taking the door off its hinges but the old things are rusted shut so their only option is to break it down. It's an industrial door so it will take them a while. But that doesn't matter. That army in the street will be making its way around the block so we need to get out of here before they box us in.”

Marinette jogged over to the rooftop edge. And peered over. The street was still bare but the army of ants would soon invade the area. “We need to jump.” She said plainly. Adrien scoffed.

“Just when I thought you couldn't get any crazier.” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“I'm being serious.” Adrien let out a half laugh, but Marinette did not join in. He stared at her, trying to see if there was an ounce of mischief in her eyes, but there was none. He could still hear the distant pounding on the metal door as she repeated herself. “We need to jump.”

“I saw rope in that backpack, could we use that to climb down.” She shook her head.

“It’s not long enough.”

They both looked at each other in worried silence. “Do you trust me?” She asked. Fear struck Adrien as he peered down at the ground which seemed to be kilometers away from where he stood. He glazed back up at Marinette and could honestly say that he did trust her. She had saved his life, what she saved him from, he had no idea, but she still saved him.

“Yes.” He answered.

“Good.” Another loud crash hit against the door. Adrien’s head snapped towards the sound. They were close. The industrial door must have started losing their integrity by now. “Adrien.” Marinette said, gripping his arm.

“Yes?” He asked, focusing his attention on her.

“You need to jump.” Adrien wished she was kidding before but he could tell by her stoic expression that she was dead serious.

“We’re at least fifteen stories up!” Adrien protested. “We will die if we jump!” Marinette gripped his shoulder tighter.

“I promise, we will make it out of here alive, and I always make good on my promises. Now please, we need to go now!” She begged. Another crash struck the door. Adrien's heart was beating out of his chest.

“Marinette?” He asked.

She was gone. He looked around the rooftop, she wasn't there, he peered down from the tall tower which made him dizzy for a few seconds but he quickly regained his senses. He saw what looked like her on the sidewalk. A small black and blue speck on the ground. She waved her arms and motioned for him to jump. How she survived was a mystery to him and he was baffled to see her still breathing. Another impact hit against the door and this time it flung open. The crash of the metal was enough to give Adrien the courage he needed.

He threw himself forward and flung his limbs around as he fell through the air. Pure fear and adrenaline filled his veins. His limbs were stiff from terror and his mind raced with worry. He fell through empty space for what felt like an eternity. That was until he felt himself start to slow to a stop. The ground was not yet under his feet. He just laid there, suspended a few meters above the ground. Floating on air.

Chapter Text

Marinette waited on the sidewalk hoping Adrien trusted her enough to jump. She had meant what she said, she promised him he would survive and she would make sure he did at all costs. She knew all too well what Akuma would do to him, she would not allow them to hurt him as they did her.

Marinette peered up at the tall building that laid in front of her, the marching of soldiers in the distance was growing louder with each step. Suddenly she saw him start to fall. He was nothing more than a small speck from where she stood but as he grew closer and closer to the ground his image became clear. She held her hand up toward him and focused on the thought of him stopping. She felt the nerves in her hand start to vibrate slightly inside her muscles as she uses her abilities. The hypnotic humming sound filled the air once again. Adrien’s descent started to slow until he just sat there, about three meters off the ground. Floating on a cloud of air.

Marinette lowered her hand and with it, Adrien’s feet steadily made their way to the ground, until finally, he stood on the solid pavement. His breath was shaken and erratic.

“How did- what just- you-” He stammered through his painting. He bent over his knees and glanced up at her, obviously waiting for an answer.

“I have telekinesis.” She explained. “I can control objects with my mind. That's why the snipers were never able to hit us. I kept moving the darts away. That's how I broke the glass, unlocked the door, and it's how I'm going to save your life.” Marinette shook her head. “We can't wait here. Akuma has soldiers coming our way. We won't last long if we stay.” Adrien stood up, he gave her a very disbelieving look.

“You can move things with your mind.” He scoffed.

“Yes. Did you not hear me? We need to go.” She barked. Adrien rolled his eyes.

“I don't believe you.” He said, his breath still short.

“After everything that has happened in the last twenty minutes, is me having telekinesis that big of a stretch?” He pondered her statement for a moment.

“Are you serious?” He asked.

“Yes.” Marinette was growing impatient and the steady marching was growing closer.

“Okay but how can you-” She held her hand up to stop him.

“We don’t have time.” She answered. Marinette wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pulled him back into the street. “Hello?” She said into the comlink.

“Siren?” The woman on the other side replied.

“Where is that squadron?! Akuma has us outnumbered.”

“They are on their way, we fixed your tracker and have a lock on your location, they will be there soon. Just stay alive.” Just stay alive, Marinette thought to herself, that won't be too difficult, I just need to fight off an mob of armed soldiers alone.

The odds were stacked against them. All they had was Marinette's powers and she could only use her abilities to a certain degree. Over the years she had grown stronger and had mastered the use of her powers but after a long period of time or a large amount of her strength was sapped, she would burn out. She could only hold off the swarm of soldiers for so long before the circuits and wires inside of her would overheat, forcing her into a fever-like sickness. Sweating, vomiting, dizziness, were all symptoms she would undergo if she overworked herself. With all the soldiers and weapons they possessed, Marinette would only last a short while against them all. Her mission was to protect Adrien, not defeat the army Akuma had sent after them so fighting the swarm of soldiers alone would be a last resort.

Marinette dragged Adrien to the small white vehicle parked lonesomely on the side of the road. The two of them crawled underneath on their elbows. The space between the ground and the bottom of the car bed was narrow and left them little room to move. In the distance, they could hear the synchronized marching of the approaching troops.

They waited a few minutes, their bodies laid flat against the rough asphalt as they peered into the street through the small gap of space between the ground and the car overhead. Soon they saw large black boots stomp past in perfect rows. Their feet rising and falling in unison with each steady stride. The feeling of their feet pounding against the asphalt sends the ground shaking. Small pebbles whirled across the ground with their firm march providing a beat for their chaotic dance.

Another few terrifying minutes passed and the repetitive strides came to a standstill. All at once, every soldier came to a halt. Marinette and Adrien were just able to see a little above their large, heavy, black boots. It became clear to Marinette that they had the building they had previously taken shelter in completely surrounded. They most likely thought they were still inside the building and we're going to find their unconscious bodies lying somewhere. Akuma soldiers probably searched the rooftop as a procession but didn't expect them to jump to the ground and hide just on the edge of their barricade.

The army only stood to their right, if they would be able, the pair could crawl out from under the van and run freely to the left but chances were they would be shot down by a sea of flying darts before they made it ten meters.

Sooner or later they would realize that their target was not in the building and would begin searching the perimeter around them and they would certainly be found. Marinette knew their only real hope was the squadron of GUARD troops to make it in time.

The army stood unmoving for what felt like an eternity. Adrien and Marinette's hearts were thumping out of their chests, so much so they worried the sound of their erratic heartbeats would alert the soldiers of their presence. Fortunately, the pulsing from their rib cage was drowned out by a strange sound. Marinette recognizes the whirling as helicopter blades spinning overhead. She glanced over at Adrien and he seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

The squadron had finally made it.

All hell broke loose. Screaming and gunshots rang through the air and were cut short by the gusts of wind from the helicopter's whirling blades. The once-still boots of the Akuma troops were running and kicking. The smell of potent blood made Adrien sick to his stomach. Grunging and crashing erupted from all sides as Marinette grabbed Adrien's hand.

“We need to go.” She whispered but Adrien could only make out the movement of her lips. They crawled out from underneath the car and onto the footpath near the street where men and women were fighting for their lives. The GUARD soldiers were easily identified. They wore army uniforms and splotches of green and grey. The camouflage would have given them an advantage if they were hidden in the wilderness but did little to conceal them in the city street. The fighting was in a contained space, the first wave of warriors battled while the rest waited a few paces behind, dragging the injured away from the bloodbath as others took the fallen’s place in the line of troops.

Adrien didn't have much time to see what was happening in the small battle taking place, he and Marinette were quickly surrounded by men and women in green and grey. They stood abreast, blocking their view of the battlefield and vice versa, blocking the Akuma troops from spotting him. The compact group ran along the sidewalk and to one of the many helicopters hovering in the air.

The flying steel birds had ropes falling from them, and more and more soldiers slid down the black cables to join their brothers and sisters in the small war. The look of determination in their eyes as they ran to protect their fellow troops was a look Adrien had never seen before. One of willingness to die for another. Adrien saw it as the largest display of nobility he had ever witnessed. Then a sliver of guilt pierced his heart as he realized he had seen that look in Marinette's electric blue eyes as she looked at him.

As they stood underneath one of the flying choppers, a rope ladder was thrown down to them. The lead soldier, a woman with short chopped hair that was hidden under a round helmet, told Adrien to begin his climb up and that they would be right behind him. He began his rise up the tethered ladder. It bent and shifted under his weight and the wind made it sway as he made his way to the top.

“Don't look down!” Marinette yelled, a few steps lower on the ladder than him. The group of soldiers remained on the ground, waiting until they were safely aboard the airborne chopper before they followed them up the coiled ladder. Adrien was not a fan of heights but his fear of falling was nothing compared to the fear of the battle taking place underneath them.

Adrien had made it about halfway to the chopper and had another 15 or 20 meters to go before he felt a jab in his left thigh. He looked down and saw the ground and how it appeared to be kilometers away but once again, his fear was not directed to the possibility of falling but to the metal dart with red markings sticking out of his leg. He had only felt the impact of the needle and his grip on the ladder loosen as the strength left his body. He fell helplessly through the air.

Marinette watched as the flying dart rammed into Adrien's leg, after a moment he collapsed from the coiled rope ladder. She outstretched her hand towards him and using her powers, slowed his descent until he laid flat on the ground, unharmed besides the needle logged in his thigh. She released her grip on the tether to the helicopter and jumped to the ground, her abilities stopping her just before her feet hit the concrete.

“Adrien?” She cried out to him, he was awake but his consciousness was fading quickly. She pulled the tranquilizer from his leg and a stream of sticky blood stained the blue of his jeans. Marinette looked up to see the group of soldiers that had been protecting them, all standing sluggish darts pointing out of their arms and torso. One man dressed in the clad had a metal needle nestled dangerously close to his neck. They were walking like drunks and couldn’t keep their balance. The group started collapsing one by one as they attempted to fight off the effects of the drug they had been shot with.

A gloved hand wrapped around Marinette’s mouth and nose, cutting off her cry for help. Adrien was being dragged away by two Akuma soldiers. Marinette struggled against the man, using her powers to pry off his hand but it was too late. He had jabbed one of the flying darts into her discept. Marinette pulled it out, causing a slow stream of blood to flow down her arm. Although the needle had not had time to inject all of the drugs into her system, she could still feel the effects pulling at her. It's not a tranquilizer, she realized, it was a sedative, designed to keep them dossel. She still fought to reach Adrien but the Akuma troops pummeled their fists into her body and even with her powers, her blurry mind made it impossible to anticipate the next hit and defend herself.

Marinette struggled to break free from the armored man's grasp as they pulled her along. She fought with him, hitting a kicking but her exhaustion and clouded judgment made her attacks ineffective. They practically dragged her bruised body to a black van. The two men thrust the doors open and hurled her inside. Marinette’s head smacked against the metal ground but she was stubborn. She wouldn’t let them beat her. She wouldn't fail her mission. She shot to her feet, ignoring how dizzy she felt. She found her balance but before she could land a punch she saw Adrien being thrown to the ground near her feet. She dropped to her knees, shaking him awake. A stream of blood was falling from his lip but other than that he seemed unharmed.

The van had metal walls and a door that led to the driver and passenger seat. A small window that rested at eye level on the door allowed them to see the two men waiting to pull forward and out of the war zone.

One of the troops climbed into the large van and gripped her wrist needlessly tight. He ripped the comlink off and hurled it into the battlefield that was waiting outside the black van. Marinette felt her hope start to dwindle as she watched the small band fly into the chaos. It was the only thing tying her to GUARD and now it was lost.

The soldier took her backpack that held a few small weapons, including the knife she used to escape the crashed car, and threw it alongside the commlink. Then, he grabbed her other arm and wrapped metal binders around them then did the same to the half- asleep Adrien. Then he left, the black doors slammed shut, locking the two of them inside. They could feel the vehicle pull forward. Marinette and Adrien were hurled around like ragdolls as the van swerved through the war going on outside. Eventually, the radical steering calmed and they were heading west out into the countryside. Marinette's body was aching, her limbs were beaten and bruised. She yearned for sleep to engulf her.

She propped herself up against the side of the van and closed her eyes. Marinette knew she would be put through hell when they finally arrived at their destination, she might as well sleep while she can.

A few minutes had passed and sleep was beyond Marinette. Every time she shut her eyes the darkness would be filled with the memories of her body being stuffed with metal and wires. She decided it would be best to stay awake.

Adrien was sitting in the corner, his legs sprawled out across the floor. His hair was a mess and his eyes were tired but he was holding it together quite well. He had wiped the blood from his lip which was now smeared on his sleeve. Marinette was impressed by his tranquility. She expected him to panic or freeze in the face of danger but he held his own. He just might have what it takes to make it through this.

Marinette kicked his leg to get his attention. “Hey.” She mumbled. “You alright?” Adrien gave a half nod. He was scared, she didn't blame him. She was terrified, but she forbade herself from showing it.

“Where are they taking us?” Adrien asked after a long pause.

“They’re taking me home…”

Chapter Text

“They’re taking you home?” Adrien repeated slowly, more to himself, trying to make sense of it. Marinette nodded while trying to avoid eye contact with the blonde boy. “Where is your home?” His question was innocent, but his words felt like a swift punch in the stomach. Marinette dropped her head and looked to the ground before answering.

“Akuma raised me.” She mumbled just loud enough for her words to be audible. Adrien seemed taken aback by her response, but Marinette continued despite his astonishment. “They stole me away from wherever it is that I came from, erased my memories and gave me my powers.” Adrien looked confused, as though he had more questions than answers, but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to pry on what was obviously a touchy subject for her.

Marinette kept her head down and focused on the bends in the road. She could feel the gravel path underneath them and the way the tires sank as they went over potholes. The vehicle's weight shifted back and forth over the uneven terrain. She had no idea where they were, Akuma had bunkers and underground facilities all over the world, they could be in Asia for all she knew. Over the past three years Marinette had seized many of Akuma's bunkers but there were still bases and fortifications that GUARD had no record of.

Akuma had powerful allies. Crime syndicates, corrupt politicians, and arms dealers all ran deep with Akuma. They helped fund the murderous organizations' rise to power. Marinette had captured and imprisoned quite a few of Akuma’s major partners as well as some minor supporters but despite her greatest efforts, she had only made a small dent in the steel armor that protected the head of the murderous syndicate.

Marinette knew of a leader, his name was unknown and she only ever heard whispers about his existence. But she knew if she could cut off the head of the beast, it would die and Akuma would fall. The loss of their kingpin would leave them vulnerable and give GUARD the perfect opportunity to strike all the bunkers they knew of.

GUARD knew about dozens of Akuma facilities but refused to lead an attack. They had little to no information on what weapons of army's may be inside the compound bunker and the resources and manpower they needed in order to subdue the facility would take months to acquire. So Marinette’s missions usually consisted of collecting information on Akuma or assisting in other government projects. Working as a protective escort for valuable people and information or doing what spies do. She would go undercover, sometimes for months, trying to gain knowledge on gangs, crime rings, and Akuma until she completed her mission or was discovered as a fake, which didn't happen all that often.

Marinette soon gave up on trying to figure out their location and focused her attention on the binders around her wrists. The bulky metal was tightly wrapped around her forearms and had glowing blue lights lining the edges. She tugged at the steel, trying to loosen its grip but her attempts had little to no effect. Marinette continued to pull and tug at the metal shackles hoping it would come loose just enough to slide her hand free from the metal shackles.

She attempted to use her telekinesis to break them but suddenly the blue lights started glowing red, sending a burning sensation through her nerves. The fiery pain shot through her arms until it met her heart. Marinette cried out in pain sending Adrien into a panic. She toppled over in agony as she tried to scream, crying out in pain, but it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. It felt as if her lungs had been filled with sand and her heart set on fire.

She could hear the two-armed men in the drivers and passenger seat snickering at her pain. Marinette gasped for air as Adrien tried to comfort her, he had scrambled to her side and was asking her what was wrong, but she was too focused on finding air to answer. She was coughing so violently that the sour, citric taste of stomach acid began filling her mouth. With every raspy hack Marinette let out caused a sharp, fiery anguish to ripe through her vein until it tore through her arteries and into her heart. Eventually the vinegar-like flavor of stomach acid was replaced with the metallic taste of blood.

Finally, the red lights glowed blue once again and the pain began to subside. Marinette caught her breath as the fire in her chest died down to a pile of smoldering ashes. She spit out the foul mix of blood and acid that filled her mouth and focused on the rise and fall of her chest with every desperate breath she took. The guards continued to laugh at her agony, which obviously upset Adrien.

“What is your problem!?” He barked at the soldiers.

“Adrien cut it out!” Marinette scowled through her gasps for air. She knew arguing with them would only lead to a beating, a beating she couldn’t protect him from.

The armored man in the passenger seat turned to face them even though they could not see his face through his dark helmet. “You should listen to your girlfriend.” He said with a spiteful tone. Adrien glanced down at Marinette who was shaking her head for him to stop. He obeyed and retreated to the corner in defeat.

“She's not my girlfriend.” He corrected the guard, trying to salvage some dominance. The armored men let out a half laugh.

“Oh yeah, she’s with that skinny kid, remember?” The one behind the wheel said, his voice rough and foul.

“That's right. The one she left to die.” Marinette clenched her jaw.

“That's enough.” She said trying to inject as much anger into her words as possible.

“What?” The driver said, his voice made it sound like he smoked a pack of cigarettes just before this conversation. “You don't like us talking about your boyfriend?” Marinette bit her lip to keep her from saying anything stupid. She let silence hang in the air for a moment before the other guard decided to taunt her more.

“It’s a real shame.” He muttered. “You two were cute together.” Marinette closed her eyes as if not being able to see them would block out the sound of their voices. “It's too bad you left him to die.”

“I didn’t leave him to die!” The words escaped Marinette's lips before she had a chance to stop them. The guards scoffed.

“Yeah, you did.” He corrected. “You left them all. You abandoned them and now they're dead because of you.”

And in that moment, Marinette snapped.

She lunged at the glass window separating them from the guards and pounded against it until cracks started to form. Little by little the glass grew weaker but that didn’t stop Marinette’s rage. She slammed against it again and again. With every fracture of the glass, it appeared like small spider webs were forming in the crystal. Marinette could feel warm tears fall from her cheeks, but she didn't care anymore. She banged against it repeatedly, using the metal around her wrist to her advantage. Fury burned down her throat as she swallowed a fragile sob.

If she had the chance, she would torture them, slowly, painfully, like they had done to her for years, and she would enjoy every moment of it, and for some reason that didn’t terrify her.

Marinette could feel her old self clawing her way out of the cage she had locked inside of her. She had fought so hard to drown this part of her, the part of her that was shrouded in darkness, the part that took others lives without mercy, but she couldn't control it anymore. She was ready to kill. With every pound of the window, you could hear the glass break a bit more and with it a piece of Marinette's humanity.

She had lost all sense of what was going on around her. All she saw were the images of those she had deserted. Marinette remembered their sulfur-stained faces as the world crumbled around them. Her closest friends and the boy she had loved were dead because of her. Their bodies smothered in smoke and ash. They were right. It was her fault. Marinette wanted nothing more than to shatter that glass and with it the memory of those she had lost.

Suddenly, she saw the shadow of the guard cast over her. She stopped pounding on the glass for a moment. Marinette glared at him through the cracked window hoping he would gather up the courage to unlock the door and battle with her himself. It didn't matter if she had her powers or if her hands were bound, she would make him beg for mercy and she would grant him none. He didn’t deserve her compassion or pity.

“Sit. Down.” He commanded. Marinette said nothing, standing firm in her persistence. He was taller than she expected, Marinette had to crick her neck to make eye contact, even though she could not see his face. All she was able to make out though the dark helmet was her own distorted reflection that shined across the mask. Silence hung in the air as the man waited for Marinette to back down, but she stood her ground. They may have been able to control her as a kid, but she wasn't a child anymore. “I said “Sit”.” He repeated. Again, Marinette said nothing. “Sit!”

“I'm not some mutt you can give orders to!” She shouted back at him through the cracked window, her throat burned with each syllable, but she didn’t care anymore.

The door swung open towards Marinette, causing her to stubble away from it. The metal frame scraped against the floor making an awful sound that sent an itch down her spine. Following the screeching noise of metal on metal was the echoing of the man's footsteps as he grew closer to Marinette. The door locked behind them and the armored guard stood in front of her. Again, Marinette stood her ground with her head high. “Sit.” He repeated.

“No.”

But before Marinette could say anything else, she saw his hand cock back and felt a hard slap against her right cheek, causing her to stumble for balance. The pain was numbing at first but then grew into a thousand needles prickling her skin until it erupted into a sharp stinging in her jaw. The man grabbed her by her throat and lifted a bit of the ground, enough that only her toes rested on the floor. He applied just enough pressure to prove his point. Marinette pulled at his wrist but with her hands still cuffed together, her efforts had little effect and his grip only grew tighter as she struggled. “Sit.” He growled as his thumb and pointer finger dug into her throat.

With Marinette's cheek still stinging, and breathing becoming more and more difficult, she spat on his helmet. She knew it was a bold move, he had the power to end her life in a second if he so wished, but Marinette had been their puppet for far too long. With a blind fury burning behind her eyes, she held her ground.

Using his free hand, the soldier wiped the saliva from his helmet and pushed her down by her throat. She fell to her ground, the skin on her neck was slightly red where he had pressed his fingertips but she wasn’t in any residual pain. Marinette quickly scrambled to get up, but the van was shaking and jerking around the road making it difficult to balance. When she finally stood up, she saw the man holding something. A small box type thing with buttons and switches. A remote of some kind. He held it up as some type of threat. Marinette scoffed.

“Go ahead, there is nothing more you can do to me.” The soldier laughed. He pressed a few buttons and Marinette tensed up, awaiting the pain that would soon engulf her, but none came. Instead, she heard Adrien scream from the corner of the small van.

He was toppled over on the floor. His limbs tense. The metal shackles around his wrists were glowing a crimson red. Marinette couldn't hear a thing over his inhumane shrieking. She began to panic. Marinette ran over to his side and tried to hold him still. Adrien was shaking, his entire body convulsing. Blood spilling from his nose and mouth.

“Stop!” Marinette cried but the sound of her screams was drowned out by Adrien’s howling. He sounded like a rabid animal fighting to stay sane. “Please!” Marinette begged. “Leave him alone!” She cried out for them to stop over and over. Whatever they were doing to Adrien was killing him. Tears formed in Marinette’s eyes, but she choked down her sobs and continued begging.

“Please! I'll do whatever you want, just stop hurting him!” Marinette stared pleadingly at the guard, hoping there was a man behind the armor and not another monster Akuma created. Marinette watched as Adrien’s eyes rolled back in his head which forced a sob to rise from her throat. Tears fell from her cheeks as she tried to appeal to what humanity the armored soldier might have left. Surely the sounds of Adrien screams sickened him too. Right?

Adrien began to choke on the blood filling his mouth, streams of red spilling from the corners of his lips as his body seized. “He’s dying! Stop!” Marinette begged. Despite the crimson liquid flooding Adrien’s throat, you could still hear the head-splitting screams emanating from his vocal cords.

“Please.” Marinette whispered. “I'm begging you. Please.” Finally, she saw him lift a hand and he pointed over to a different corner of the van. At first the gesture confused her, but when she saw him turn a dial on the remote, Adrien’s screams grew deafening and she understood when he meant. She scrambled over to where he had silently told her, almost tripping over her own two feet in the process.

She looked at the man pleadingly, and after a second, he pressed a button or two and Adrien’s convulsions ended. The unnatural screams grew quiet. He stopped shaking and finally laid still, whimpering like a wounded animal. She got onto her hands and knees crawling over to the blond boy, eyeing the remote in the man’s hand to make sure he wouldn’t try anything. Thankfully, he rested it in his utility belt, and just kept staring at them, an unseen sneer lingering on his lips.

With Marinette’s help, she got him propped up on his elbows and started coughing up the blood that was left in his lungs. The sticky red solution covered the floor and Marinette began to worry about internal bleeding.

“What did you do to him?” She asked but the soldier ignored her and went back to sit in the passenger side, the same horrid sound of metal screeching followed by the door locked behind him.

Finally, Adrien emptied his lungs of the vile liquid and caught his breath.

“Are you alright?” Marinette asked as she used the sleeve of her fringe jacket to wipe the blood from his face.

“I’m okay.” He said weakly, his throat still raw from the coughing fit. “You should try breaking the glass again you were almost through.” Marinette shook her head as she dabbed at the blood surrounding his nostrils.

“No, they almost killed you. I'm not risking that again.” Adrien pushed her hands away, coughed a few more times and wiped the blood with his already red stained sleeve.

“I don’t care.” He protested. “We could get out of here if you break it. Adrien was just as stubborn as her, if not more, but Marinette was not in the mood to argue.

“You are my mission; I cannot let you die.” She stated.

Mission? That’s what Marinette told herself, but the truth was she genuinely liked him, trusted him even. Having a fondness towards him was not going to make this any easier. She preferred being indifferent towards people because it was simpler, that way it doesn't hurt as much when an assignment goes south and people get hurt. Marinette had cared about people once before; she would even go as far as saying she loved them and look where that got her. An already broken girl left to carry the burden of being the only survivor. After their deaths Marinette swore to herself, she would never let her feelings get in the way of a mission again. Caring would only get people killed.

But he was just so easy to trust. So pure and untainted. How could you dislike something so perfect? It’s difficult to find someone who has seen the world in all its vile glory and still has a kind heart. Adrien was a different type of innocent. He wasn’t naïve or stupid like others she had meet, he knew very well what an ugly thing society was and yet he still had faith in people. Where he got such faith was beyond her, but Marinette's life had been filled with darkness. It was nice to welcome in a little light, but she still told herself to be cautious. Trust is a deadly game and one Marinette preferred not to play. She reminded herself of her oath to keep her feelings aside until they were safe, so she did just that. Marinette focused on their survival and nothing else.

Adrien's words broke Marinette from her thoughts. “But you said they were using tranquilizers. They don't want me dead, remember?” She sighed while trying to lock her emotions away.

“I was wrong, they were using sedatives, I’m not sure if they need you alive or not.” She explained. “But never mind that. We will find a way out of this, I promised you that we would make it out of here alive and we will.” Adrien nodded and gave her a weak smile, his lips still slightly tinted from the blood. Marinette smiled back before refocusing her attention on his injuries. “Where does it hurt?” She asked kindly.

“My head mainly but it hurts to breathe a little.” He explained. Marinette could tell by the repetitive rise and fall of his chest that Adrien’s breathing was steady but shallow and quick which only caused her to worry more about his health.

“Is your vision blurry? Are you dizzy? Nauseous?” She asked while pressing her fingers against his neck to read his pulse. His heart was beating fast but that was to be expected from the amount of trauma his body was put through.

“No, I'm fine.” Adrien answered.

“Okay that's good. I don't think you have internal bleeding or a head injury but I am worried about your breathing. Could you sit up straight please.” Adrien did as he was told, and Marinette pressed her ear to his chest. “Breath in.” She instructed. He obeyed her command. “And out.” Once again, he did as he was told. “I don't hear anything wrong, but a medic will check you out once we get out of here and back to GUARD.” Marinette suddenly felt embarrassed. “And by “check you out” I mean to see if you are fine and healthy. And by “fine” I was referring to medically, I’m not calling you attractive. I don't mean you aren't attractive; you are. I just. Um. Just nevermind. Just forget it.” Her cheek flooded red which only added to her humiliation.

Adrien giggled and smirked at her awkwardness.

“Shut up.” Marinette barked.

“I didn't say anything.” Adrien uttered, holding his hands that were still bound up in surrender, chuckling under his breath.

“Good.” She had to admit it was nice to see him smile. A small giggle escaped her lips before she shook her head and turned to go sit against the wall again. She stepped over the splattered blood they had both violently hacked up and dropped to the floor, her inability to sleep had disappeared. She and Adrien both fell into a dreamless and uncomfortable sleep.

A few hours rest was all they got. Marinette and Adrien waited a few more hours in silence with nothing but their own thoughts to fill the boredom, exhaustion still prying at their minds now that all the adrenaline of the day had worn off. Finally, they felt the tires slow to a halt.

“Welcome home.” The guard with the horrid voice said.

Chapter Text

The familiar honey colored smoke filled the van, causing the room to smell and taste of lemon. Adrien and Marinette's heads fogged and began feeling anemic as their eyes grew heavy. They were already exhausted and staying awake was a daunting task. Despite their efforts, tiredness won in the end. They both fell fast asleep, letting darkness consume them.

Marinette woke up to bright lights and the scent of plaster. The blinding white caused black spots to dance across her vision. The smell of drywall filled the thick dusty air. Marinette lifted her hand to her throbbing head only to feel the heavy weight of chains pull on her wrists. She was laying on a cot with her hands shackled to the sides. To her left were two small empty beds and to her right was the blond boy, laying on his cot, still asleep.

She scanned the room, quickly taking in all that was around her, but it made no difference, she knew this room all too well. It wasn’t the same room she grew up in of course. Tikki and Plagg had found them in Australia when she was 16 and brought her back to Paris with them before destroying the facility she had been trapped in. Marinette knew they had been asleep for a while but not long enough to make it to Australia. They had to be somewhere nearby. A small town or city a few hours out of France at the most.

The large room was a pale grey, almost white, with empty walls and a few games on the floor. These ‘games’ were all they had as children to entertain themselves. The games would change every now and again. The children would wake up and find puzzles or a checkerboard. Anything to keep them occupied during the day. A deck of cards, some dice, and paper along with pencils laid in front of the large metal door that was painted the same bland color as the walls. The door had a wheel-like lock that spun open. Marinette had tried for years to open that door but despite her best efforts it didn't turn a centimeter. Not even her abilities could pry the door open.

From ages 11 to 16 Marinette had been stuck in a room just like this one. She almost felt safe there. Nothing bad had ever happened to her in the ‘refuge’ as they called it. Not a hair on their head was to be hurt in the refuge. The refuge was meant to be a place for Marinette and the others to grow and learn to control their abilities. As kids they weren't all that good at it and fear and anxiety only made it more difficult. So Akuma kept them in the refuge, turning it into a safe haven of sorts. The only time they were hurt or beat was when they were taken out of the refuge. Sometimes they would be taken and would not be brought back to the refuge for weeks and other times they would stay in the refuge for months on end. Either way, once you saw the armored soldiers walk into the room, you knew what was about to come. You would watch them enter, batons in hand as they would take one of the kids and drag them into the blackened darkness that waited outside the door.

After they took you, they would bring you wherever they needed you. Sometimes they would beat you until you were on the ground bleeding in hopes you would learn to fight back, other times they would rip you open and stuff metal and wires inside of you. Being taken from the refuge was never a good thing. There used to be two other kids with Marinette, then they were taken from the refuge and returned as half dead. Rose and Max, they looked to be 9 and 14 when they died.

Rose was a small young blonde with short hair, deep blue eyes, and a kind heart. She lights up the entire room, always telling stories and laughing despite their horrible circumstances. Every night before bed, Rose would remind them that one day they would be rescued. At the time Marinette didn’t have the same optimism she did but as it turned out, Rose was right. They were saved, Marinette just wished she had lived to see it. They had only been in the refuge for five months or so, but one night after Rose reminded them they would soon be saved, she went to sleep and never woke up. Her body couldn't handle being ripped open and stitched back together any longer. At least it was peaceful, Marinette told herself. She could still remember Rose’s frail lifeless body being dragged across the floor by the armored men and out into the dark hallway, never to be seen again.

Max lasted a bit longer. He made it almost a year in the refuge before he was taken into the black hallway and never returned. At first Marinette held out some of Rose's optimism. She hoped that he would come back and keep her company. Maybe he had been saved? Marinette thought, No, he wouldn't leave me behind. He’s gonna come back.

But weeks soon turned to months and the little flame of hope Marinette had left burnt out. She cried for weeks and refused to eat, Max was like an older brother, he had protected Rose and her to the best of his abilities. He would go hungry to keep them from starvation, he had held them when they had nightmares, he comforted Marinette after Rose passed, he was all she had and now he was gone. Despite Marinette's loss, she had remembered all that Max had taught her. Stay healthy, stay fit, stay alive. Marinette was only 12 when he died and spent over two years in isolation, in those two years she decided to forget about Rose and Max.

But she had already forgotten so much of her life she couldn't lose more of what she had. So she took a page out of Rose’s book and told herself stories. Marinette repeated the stories over and over to herself until they were ingrained into her mind as real. She forced herself to believe Rose didn’t die, she had faked her death in order to escape and she did. She made it out and found her family. She was happy. Max was big for his age so Marinette told herself that he had fought off the soldiers and escaped, he found Rose and her family welcomed him in. Marinette never told anyone about Rose and Max, she had somehow convinced herself they were alive, if anyone asked about them she would say they were living and well. They were happy. But the stories could not be farther from the truth.

Marinette spent two years alone, with nothing but a few games and those stories to keep her sane. But all that would change when Marinette was 14 years old.

The Akuma facility in Australia had 6 wings, 5 of them are used to develop superhuman abilities, the 1st is used to hold the survivors of the other 5 wings. Marinette was in wing 2 where they developed telekinesis. Out of everyone in wing 2, Rose, Max, and Marinette, Marinette was the only one the experiments worked on. When Marinette was 14 she finally unlocked her abilities and was able to move objects with her mind. Then she was then brought to the 1st wing, it looked the same as wing 2 except the other kids there had different powers than Marinette.

They were all taken from different wings. There was a protective blonde chick from wing 3 who was able to emit the yellow gas from her palms that Akuma harvested and weaponized. A sarcastic and outspoken girl from wing 4 who had the ability to disappear from sight. A charming and quiet guy from wing 5 who could produce blue sparks that danced across his skin, and Marinette from wing 2 who could move objects with her mind. No one from wing 6 was ever brought to the ‘veteran refuge’.

The veteran refuge is what Akuma called the refuge in wing 1 where they kept all their working pets. In the veteran refuge the four of them all learned to use their new powers and finally began to understand what Akuma wanted them for.

Everyone in the veteran refuge had the same story as Marinette. The Algorithm picked them and a few other kids to be Akuma’s guinea pigs. They however, were the only ones the experiments worked on. All the other kids in their wings died while they were brought to the veteran refuge. After a few years in the veteran refuge, mastering their abilities, Tikki and Plagg saved them. But none of that matters anymore. All four of the kids from the veteran refuge were rescued but Marinette was the only one still living. She became the lone survivor once again.

Unlike Max and Rose, Marinette wasn’t able to lie to herself. She couldn’t pretend they were alive somewhere living happily as Marinette drowned in denial.

She had been the one who led the search party, hoping to find them alive but ended up only retrieving their bodies.

A small ray of hope was all that kept Marinette going. They dug through the wreckage praying they were somehow still alive under the mountain of rubble. Plagg’s group had found the girl from wing 3 first.

“Marinette?” Nooroo asked as Marinette used her telekinesis to move the large pieces of stone and concrete. As she turned to face him she saw the tear swelling up in his eyes.

“What?” Marinette asked, still latching onto the tiny bit of hope.

“They found Chloe.” He mumbled through a choked sob as he blinked back tears.

“Is she alright?” She asked quizzically, but the question was futile. Marinette already knew the answer but her suspicions were confirmed when Nooroo shook his head slightly.

“No, she’s-” He wasn't able to finish his sentence before the tears began to fall. Marinette ran past him, climbing over the piles of debris and across the desolate mine of destruction. A group of people circled around a dug up area of rubble. She pushed through the other members of the search party to find Tikki crying into Plagg’s shoulder. A body laying in front of them. The girl’s usual golden hair was laced with ash and dried blood causing it to appear a rusty brace. She laid limp and motionless, surrounded by people. Marinette watched as they covered Chloe's body with a sheet, her limbs lame, her chest unmoving, eyes unblinking.

Marinette turned tail and ran. She heard a voice calling her name but she kept running, letting the sound drift fade away in the wind. Surrounding the mountain of rubble was a thick forest. She ran deeper and deeper into the green thicket until her legs gave way. She tripped over a rotten log that was crawling with maggots and worms. Marinette crawled over to a tree trunk and sat up against it and vomited what little she had in her stomach. It wasn't the disgusting fallen tree that was infested with insects that made her gut wrench, but the way Chloe's eyes were left open even after death. Marinette had seen bodies before but had never seen their eyes. The icy blue that paired so well with her golden hair was still rich and full of life. But her body couldn't be farther away from living. Cut, bruised and bloodied, she laid motionless, looking directly at Marinette as if she was taunting her. “Why didn't you save me?” Her eyes seemed to ask.

Marinette emptied her stomach and sobbed, choking on the lump in her throat. Chloe was like a sister, annoying at times but still loving. She would be overprotective and constantly worry with Plagg over their safety and make a fuss over the smallest of injuries but her heart was in the right place. With each choked up sob she would whisper “I’m sorry” but it was completely inaudible.

Eventually her body succumbed to exhaustion from running and crying and as tears fell down her face and her body completely shut off. Marinette wasn’t sure how long she had been passed out for but a hand shook her awake. A GUARD agent she had never met.

“We found Luka and Alya.” He took a pause before finishing. Marinette's face lit up with the little bit of faith she had left. “They're gone.” He informed her, and in that moment all hope died.

“No.” Marinette mumbled so quietly it wasn't audible. “No, no, this can't be happening, not again.” She rose to her feet and the unknown man helped her keep her balance. “No, no, no.” She repeated in a daze.

“I'm sorry.” He said.

Marinette couldn't remember the way back to the search party, it was all a blur of tears and shock. The man she never learned the name of guided her back, never saying a word to her but kept an arm around her shoulder. To this day Marinette wasn’t sure if it was him displaying his condolences or the man trying to keep her upright. After all Marinette was a mess, her legs were weak and her vision blurred from the tears collecting in her eyelashes. It certainly didn’t help that the tall trees cast menacing shadows over the already dark forest. She tripped over stones and branches more than once and the man was all that kept Marinette from pummeling to the ground. She was lucky to have him there, holding her upright. If Marinette were to fall she wasn't sure if she'd be able to find the strength to stand back up.

Perhaps he was just trying to get her back to the search party before the sun disappeared under the horizon, but every now and then Marinette would feel him gently squeeze her shoulder as a sign of support.

Once they arrived, the two of them climbed over the rubble hills and over to a clearing in the grass near the massive berg like aircraft they had flown in. Laying on the ground was a blue tarp and on it were three sheets, each covering a body. The one to the far left was Chloe, her short build was visible though the thin cloth that was draped over her. Marinette wanted to see her one last time but she couldn't bring herself to look into her chilled blue eyes again.

Laying to Chloe's right was Alya, her taller stockier body made it easy to identify her. Marinette with a shaky hand gently lifted the sheet over her head. Thankfully her Amber eyes were shut. A cut sliced across her cheek to her chin, causing blood to cover over half her face and stain her chestnut hair.

As tears fell from her eyes, Marinette began to wipe at the blood with the grey sweater she was wearing. Plagg came over and pulled her away, covering Alya once again with the sheet.

“They will clean her up at the morgue.” He explained.

“No.” Marinette protested. “I can't leave her like that.” Plagg pulled her to her feet.

“We won’t but we have to go, it's getting dark.” He explained in a horse voice, obviously rough from crying.

“Can I see him?” Marinette asked.

“I don't think-”

“Please.” She interrupted. Plagg didn't say yes but he never said no. He let the silence hang and Marinette took that as him saying he doesn't approve but he won’t stop her.

Marinette walked across the blue tarp, wrinkling under her weight making a crackling sound as she stepped. She pulled the sheet down to reveal the face of the boy she loved. His jet black hair dyed blue at the ends was covered in ash. Sweat still sat on his brow. His olive skin was stained from sulfur. Marinette reached under the sheet until she found his hand and gave it a light squeeze even though his fingers were cold and stiff. “I'm sorry.” She mumbled, just loud enough to be hear. “I’m sorry I couldn't save you.”

At the very least Marinette wishes it had been peaceful like Rose, falling gently into the dark clutches of death. But it was quite the opposite. Their bodies were covered in cuts, and scrapped when they were buried. The autopsy said that Alya and Luka had died from lack of oxygen from being trapped under the rubble for too long and Chloe had fallen to her death. Marinette didn't want to think of what it would be like, stuck under the mountain of wreckage praying that you would be rescued in time or the idea of falling though open air only to be caught by hard pavement. Chloe's death was quick but full of fear while Luka and Alya were slowly strangled by rubble.

Plagg had kept his promise, they had been cleaned and dressed up for their burial. Luka wore a tucks with a little red rose pinned to his chest, Alya was put into a pine green satin gown. Marinette knew Alya would have never worn it while alive, she despised skirts and how they caught your knees while running. Chloe was the only one among them that actually had a taste for fashion, for her funeral she was dressed in a dainty, black, high neck dress with short sleeves and a skirt that passed her knees. She had a thin string of pearls dangling from her neck that matched the pearl studs earrings she wore. The blood and ash had been washed from their faces and hair, and Chloe’s eyes had been forced closed. In a way it was a blessing and a curse. Marinette didn’t have to deal with the gut wrenching sight but she still felt heartache at the thought of never seeing the icy blue again.

Marinette still visits their gravestones, leaving the occasional red rose on Luka’s gravestone and daisies from the meadow for the girls. The black marble only read their first names due to their inability to remember their past. Marinette wasn't able to make up stories or tell herself they were safe somewhere. She knew they had been stuffed into caskets and buried under her feet, left to rot in the cold ground. It was their death that caused Tikki and Marinette to drift apart.

They were once close but their grief causes quarreling between them. Tikki’s method of dealing with the loss was to act like it never happened. Diving into work and ignoring how empty it felt without them. Tikki acting like they never existed enraged Marinette. Now she realized that Tikki was just trying to cope but it was too late to mend the bridge Mari had so hastily burned. Marinette focused on revenge.

When she and the others had first joined GUARD, Marinette came up with the idea of a vow. They swore an oath to be better than the people who had used them as test tubes. They would not kill or murder like how Akuma took lives so easily. But in her grief, Marinette broke that oath.

She fought and killed Akuma soldiers but with every life she took the void inside of her grew bigger. No matter how many she murdered, it didn't bring them back. Unfortunately Marinette didn't realize this in time and now she was left to carry the guilt of the lives she had stolen.

“Marinette?” The blonde boy asked, pulling her away from the treacherous memories of her dead friends and the people she had killed.

“Adrien you're up.” The blonde boy groaned and held his fingers against the bridge of his nose while rubbing the tiredness from his eyes.

“Where are we?” He asked.

“It's called ‘the veteran refuge’,” Marinette answered. “Well, a copy at least. The real veteran refuge is in Australia, this is just a remake.”

She examined the chains around her wrists. A metal clasp was connected to the chains that were shackled to the cot. A bulky screw held the claps together. Using her right hand, she unhinged the screw on her left wrist. It took a moment but the screw finally bugged and she was able to unchain her left hand. After that she did the same to her right until she was free from the metal's grasp. Marinette noticed that Adrien was not bound to his cot, she assumed that it was because even in her groggy, half asleep, lucid state she still put up a fight. Akuma probably put the chains around her to stop her from resisting. She threw her legs off the edge and rested her hand on his shoulder.

“How are you feeling?” She asked with a gentle tone.

“Tired. Hungry.” Adrien answered with a yawn. Marinette only now realized how empty her stomach felt. The hunger only added to her exhaustion. She tried to think back the last time she had eaten but she had no idea when that was. Marinette had no sense of time. The lights were always on in the refuge and meals came at random. There was no telling how long they had been asleep. A few minutes might have passed or a couple of hours. Marinette’s gut told her it was very early morning and it was probably still dark out but she knew her instincts towards the time were unreliable.

Adrien turned to stand up, but she pushed him back down to the cot. If they were to get out of here, they would need all the strength they could get. “If you're tired, you should sleep.” Marinette instructed.

“I’m fine, really.” He insisted as he sat back up. His breathing was better, and it didn’t hurt much anymore.

“You said you were hungry.” Marinette stated while she scavenged for food. Fortunately, she found a wooden crate underneath one of the empty cots.

Akuma always did this. They would give the children a shipment of different foods, usually grain or flavorless broth, and they would ration it out very strictly. They didn’t know when the next package of food would come so they ate as little as possible without dying from hunger.

They learned that the hard way. When she first arrived at Akuma, they ate to fill the time but Max, Rose, and her ran out quickly. They spent the next few nights hungry, until they woke up to another crate filled with crackers and stale bread. They nearly died of starvation in their first two weeks there. Marinette could still remember their skinny malnourished bodies, covered in bruises and scars. So thin they could count their ribs easily.

On rare occasions, they would receive butter or cinnamon, something with actual taste. Once they found strawberry macaroons, they nibbled on them slowly, trying to savor the taste. Marinette absolutely loved them but hasn't eaten them since, the taste reminds her too much of her too much of Rose and how giddy she got while eating the dessert.

Marinette pried the lid of the crate off and rummaged through the contents, trying to erase the memory of her dead companions. She reminded herself of the stories she told everyone. They’re alive, she told herself, they’re happy.

A loaf of bread, mixed grains, soggy rice, a container of dried berries, and silverware filled the wooden box. She mixed some of the grain into the rice and gave Adrien a plum sized serving of it on a white plate. Marinette cut a thin slice of bread off the loaf and gave it to him along with some water from the bathroom sink and a handful of dried berries.

“Eat slow, this is the last decent sized meal you will get in here.” She stated as she gave herself a piece of the bread to nibble on. “The crates of food don't come regularly so we have to ration this one out for as long as we can. The water will keep us going most of the day. We only eat in the mornings and a small portion at night. Understand?” Adrien nodded as he sank his teeth into the stale, tough bread.

After they finished eating, Marinette put the food back into the crate and sealed it. Marinette knew how much of a problem food could become if people started getting greedy. Stolen strips of dried beef had almost destroyed the trust between her and the others in the veteran refuge. They had just misplaced the beef and found it after a few minutes of it being gone, but the veterans were so paranoid and worried about their own starvation they might have resorted to eating each other if it came down to that. Fortunately that was just a one time incident. They kept the rations strict and the food locked away. They lived off mostly water which never seemed to run dry from the first. Water was the only thing Akuma was generous with.

The others in the veteran refuge would never give you extra rations of food unless you just came back from the killzone. The killzone is everything outside of the refuge, whatever laid beyond the blanket of black behind the metal door. It is where the Akuma guards would take you.

Whenever someone returned from the killzone, they would get extra care for the next couple of days. More food, more water, more rest. It was the veterans way of apologizing for what had happened to you. No one really spoke of what took place in the killzone. They already knew what was done to you.

Marinette finished her bread but still found her stomach empty, she always had good sized meals at GUARD and hadn’t lived off scraps in a long time. When Marinette and the other veterans first arrived at GUARD they were all severely underweight, they looked like walking skeletons with sunken cheeks and limbs the size of twigs. The four of them ate until they were sick and even then they kept eating. Stuffing themselves into their stomachs couldn't hold anymore. Plagg and Tikki had to pry them away from the chicken bones they had gnawed clean. Over the past three years at GUARD Marinette had returned to a healthy weight but she knew the pounds would quickly fall off if they stayed here.

Marinette gulped down some water, trying to trick herself into thinking she had eaten well. She wiped the dripping water from her chin and took another look around the room. It was then she noticed they were in different clothes. Tan loose jumpsuits that cinched at their wrists, waist, and ankles. White socks and sturdy brown leather boots. Marinette hadn’t worn this uniform in years and she hated the feeling of it against her skin. She wanted to rip it off, wear anything else, if it were just her here she would have just gone naked but given the circumstances she reluctantly wore the uniform.

Marinette suppressed her anger and focused on getting her bearings. She looked underneath her cot and found some blankets and sheets. Underneath the cot Adrien was sleeping on, were a few changes of clothes. Identical to the ones they were wearing. A few extra pairs of socks and polish for the leather boots to keep them from cracking. Marinette wanted to light them on fire but that wouldn't do them any good so she just left them under the cot to collect dust.

Marinette took her and Adrien's dishes, brought them to the bathroom that had a curtain for a door and rinsed them under the faucet. “If you need to shower there is one in the bathroom to the right.” Marinette offered. “The water was always cold but at least we have plumbing.”

“I’m fine.” Adrien said.

Marinette shrugged and finished cleaning the dishes. Once she was finished, she packed them away in the crate of food and laid back on her cot. She forgot how boring it was here. Marinette had lived the past three years dodging bullets and jumping fences. It all seemed to quiet here. Too peaceful. But Marinette knew the peace wouldn't last long, and she was right. When she heard the crank of metal, her head snapped to face the sound. In front of her was the same door she had tried to open ruthlessly for years. The metal wheel on the center of the door was turning open.

Chapter Text

Adrien’s head snapped towards the door, the large wheel in the middle of it was slowly cranking open. The shrill cries of the metal turning sent an itch down his spine. He glanced over at Marinette who was a mess, he had never seen her so terrified. Her lip was quivering with fear, and her eyes were wide and terror stuck. He could hear her whisper the words “no please no” under her breath over and over in a pitiful chant. Marinette's reaction to the creaking door sent Adrien into a panic. This was the girl that wasn't fazed by jumping off a fifteen story building, and yet she was trembling. As the door finally swung open he heard a small whimper escape Marinette. Fifteen or so soldiers walked into the room, holding some sort of long baton.

Adrien could see the fear in her eyes grow with every step the men took towards him, their heavy black boots pounding against the vinyl floor. He felt paralyzed towards the terror growing in size within him, he felt numb towards his own dread. Adrien could only see her and her frightened state. He didn’t say it out loud, but hated seeing her in such a vulnerable form, he wanted to scoop her up like a stray puppy, take her home and care for her, tell her she was safe. But he couldn't. For a second he saw her swaying and holding her head, it worried him more than he expected, but she seemed to find her balance and his eyes went back to the soldiers who were coming evermore closer to him.

At that moment, Marinette's instincts took over. Despite her enormous dread. The need to complete her mission smothered the fear until it was only a faint cry. She bolted out of the short cot and stood in front of the small army of masked men. “Stay away from him.” She warned, but the small part of her that was still very afraid made her command sound hollow and weak. One of the men cocked his arm back and swung the baton, making a vicious crack as it smacked against her skull. Luckily, Marinette was able to move her arm up in time to shield most of her head from the blow. She toppled to her ground and held her now injured arm close to her chest.

Adrien had just now noticed the V shaped cut on her temple was gone, completely healed over, not even a scar lingered on her skin. He licked the inside of his check with his tongue, the once tender, bleeding flesh was back to normal. Adrien focused on his breath to realize the soreness of his lungs was gone. Had Akuma given them medical aid? No. They wouldn’t.

Adrien shook himself from his trance as he saw the man bring his arm up once again to smack her with the metal rod. Adrien jumped, well, more like tripped out of his cot, and threw himself over her, wrapping an arm around her waist while the other was met with the painful smack of the baton against his forearm as he shielded their heads. The hit hurt much more than he had anticipated, the red hot pain tore through his skin and muscle until it made his bone ache. Adrien cried out in pain but kept his body over Marinette, stopping any further attacks, though none came.

Adrien felt one of the other mysterious black armored men grab him by the collar and yank him to his feet. “Get up.” It was the same man from the van, the one with the awful sounding voice that was needlessly raspy. The guard with the strained vocal cords grabbed Marinette by her midnight blue locks of hair and pulled her to her feet. Adrien had expected her to fight back or at least pull away from him but she didn't bother defending herself. She just stood there with her head hung low, utterly defeated. She glanced up at him and shook her head slightly, as if warning him that any act of rebellion from this point forward would not be tolerated, and it was best to just follow orders.

Despite the vanquished look on Marinette's face she still found the courage to threaten the soldier with the unnaturally gravelly tone one last time. “You are not allowed to hurt us in the refuge,” She said, using the little boldness she had left and projecting it into her voice. “You will be punished for your actions.” The soldier coughed up an unpleasant laugh, the other soldiers joining in on his cackling. Adrien imagined him spitting everywhere if it wasn't for his dark helmet catching his saliva.

“Oh sweetheart,” He said before another round of violent laughter ensued. Adrien could tell by the way Marinette wrinkled her nose that she hated being called ‘sweetheart’, but the man continued despite her obvious detest. “Oh sweetheart, are you really that stupid? The refuge may have protected you as a kid, but you ain't a kid anymore.”

The crowd of men gripped their arms and formed lines. Adrien stood behind Marinette with two rows of soldiers at their sides, digging their nails into the thick cloth of the tan jumpsuits. All at once the armored men stepped forward, pulling the blonde and midnight blue haired girl with them. A curtain of black waited outside the door. Not even the light from the refuge made it the least bit visible. As they stepped into the darkness they felt the air get significantly damp. It wasn't cold but you could feel moisture prick your skin as you walked into the black… Room? Hallway? Adrien wasn't sure. He couldn't see Marinette, who was standing a foot in front of him a moment ago. The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the tunnel like shaft they were in. Amongst the reverbing sound of the soldiers' strides, he could hear the sound of the steel door closing them off from the so-called ‘refuge’.

They were trapped in the darkened corridor for almost fifteen minutes, but it only felt like a few seconds to Adrien. The darkness made it seem that with every step they made no progress. As if they haven't moved a centimeter. The only other thing he could hear was the sound of his own breath. Questions flowing through his mind. What were they planning to do to him? What have they done to Marinette? How is she the way she is? How are they going to get out of here?

Adrien began to worry about his sanity. He had no sense of depth. Shapes and colors were blocked from his vision. His eyes desperately searched for light amongst the black and he was starting to panic. Luckily, in all the darkness he was able to see a very distant blinking red dot in the distance. He focused his attention on it and finally he was able to tell the distance they had traveled. As the soldiers pulled him forward the red light grew bigger. Adrien was anxious of what was waiting for them, but he didn’t have time to think about that as the guards pulling him to a stop brought him back to reality.

The red light was blinking on and off above his head. He heard the cranking of metal as they turned the wheel lock on the door in front of them. The small red bulb gave off a little light. Just enough that Adrien could see Marinette's silhouette in front of him and the outline of the soldiers at his sides.

The door swung open with a creak. The bright white light burned his eyes, forcing him to look away. Black spots filled his vision as he was forced into the new room. Adrien, with his eyes still adjusting to the new found brightness, stumbled through the door. He and Marinette both closed their eyes tightly, making it impossible to see what was behind the door.

Adrien could hear the clanking of chains behind him and felt the cold links of steel bind his hands together. Suddenly the mechanical sound of gears grinding began to fill the room. Adrien felt his arms being pulled upward by the chains until they were secured above his head. The metal grinding stopped and the heavy door sealed closed.

Adrien slowly opened his eyes only to be met with the same bright lights that sent a searing pain through his skull. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his already blurry vision. After a moment his pupils adjusted to the luster of the room. He glanced up to see his wrists shackled together with a metal padlock securing the chain links together. The metal bonds ran aloof to the ceiling where a mechanical pulley system with gears and levers was mounted to the tall ceiling. That must have been where the loud willing sound came from, Adrien thought to himself.

He glanced to his left where Marinette stood about three meters away. Her arms bound and hanging above her head. The chain dangling from the ceiling where another pulley system laid. A padlock securing the steel links around her wrists. The metal dug into her wrists as she pulled at the chain, trying unsuccessfully to escape its grasp. “You’re not going to be able to break it.” Adrien explained. “Our best bet is you using your telekinesis.” Marinette let out a huff of frustration and gave up on tugging at the shackles.

“I can't use my powers, they don't work here.” Adrien looked at her puzzled but her attention was on the padlock securing her bounds.

“Weren’t you able to use them in the refuge?” He asked. Marinette answered his question without bothering to glance his way.

“Yes but as soon as they open the door something happens and I can't seem to control things anymore.” She stated while examining the lock. “I'm not sure how they do it but they were the ones who gave me my powers. It makes sense that they would know how to take them away.”

Adrien’s mind flooded with dozens of questions and figured they were stuck here, this was a good time to ask. “How did they give you your powers?” He questioned.

“Not entirely sure. I was rescued from the refuge by Plagg and Tikki, two government agents who were working on taking down Akuma. When they saved me they founded GUARD and used my abilities to help destroy this horrid group of murderers. One of the conditions of them training me was that no one could perform experiments or study my anatomy. They had figured we had been through enough.” Adrien wanted to ask about the ‘we’ part but she continued talking before the words had a chance to escape his lips.

“All we know is that they stuffed me full of advanced technology. Most of it is connected to my nervous system leading up to my brainstem. A few metal plates in my head and steel lining my rib cage. Somehow all that gave me my powers but the only test we ever performed on them was whether or not they were reversible.”

Adrien felt like he already knew the answer but felt the need to ask. “Is it reversible?” Marinette shook her head.

“They fused the circuits to my brain. If they were to remove them I would go into a vegetable state and never recover.”

“I'm sorry.” Was all Adrien was able to come up with. Marinette chuckled lightly to herself.

“Don't be, after all I’m stuck like this and have learned to expect it, I'm just trying to save you from the same fate.” Bells went off in Adrien’s mind as if the pieces of a puzzle were finally fitting together.

“Akuma is going to make me like you?” He asked.

“In a way.” Marinette answered. “There is no telling what kind of abilities they will give you. Maybe you can control the weather or walk through walls. That would be fun.” Adrien chuckled but still didn't see the harm in superpowers. Like she said, it could be fun.

“Honestly I don't understand why me getting powers is such a bad thing. I could help you.” He stated. Marinette sighed at his reasoning.

“I applaud your selflessness but the cost of these powers is heavy. I spent months on a surgery table having copper wires stitched into my skin while being able to feel everything. Soldiers would beat me until I learned to defend myself. Years in the refuge nearly drove me insane. Starvation was always an issue. The nights were long and without sleep because our stomachs growling would keep us up. It's not worth it Adrien, believe me.”

Adrien felt a wave of guilt fall over him for implying that he would enjoy going though what had scared her. “I'm sorry.” He said again, this time he made sure to add as much feeling into the words as possible so she knew he meant it.

“You didn't know. It's alright.” She said, giving him a smile to show she didn’t take offence. But he could see that distant look in her eye he noticed in the car ride when he mentioned her family. He had hurt her again and he couldn't feel worse about it.

“Besides,” She stated, refocusing her attention on the padlock. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I was supposed to keep you from being abducted but instead I managed to get us both captured.” Marinette was fiddling with the lock as she spoke.

“No,” Adrien said, frustrated at how she was taking all the blame. “This isn't your fault. We will find our way out.” Marinette opened her mouth to protest but decided that negativity would get them nowhere.

“You're right, we’ll find a way.” She agreed.

Adrien felt as though the conversation was over but still had one more question praying at his thoughts. “I just have one more question.” He said. Marinette glanced at him, waiting for him to continue. “Why me?”

“What?” She asked, confused by his reasoning.

“Out of the seven billion people on this planet, why did Akuma choose me?”

Marinette waited a moment before answering, pondering whether or not it truly mattered but decided he needed to know. “I'm not one hundred percent sure how it works but there is a program called ‘The Algorithm’. It chooses people who it thinks the experiments will work on and gives them powers. It's not always right though.” She explained. “I was one of three who had the telekinesis experiments done on them and I was the only one who could move things with my mind. It's just crummy luck that got us here.”

“Where are the other two?” Adrien asked.

“Hm?” Marinette questioned, confused at his phrasing.

“The other two, the ones who didn't get telekinesis. Where are they?” He repeated.

Marinette's eyes fell into the same distant stare and Adrien worried he had chosen a poor question to ask. “Well…” She began and the hollow look in her eye faded. “Once Plagg and Tikki rescued us they gave Rose and Max the option to go and live a normal life since they didn't have powers. They tracked down Rose's family and are living with them.” Adrien felt a wave of relief wash over him. He guessed that the reason her stare was filled with emptiness was because she missed them. If only he knew she was lying.

“That's good…” He said. “Did you have the choice to live a normal life?” Marinette thought about her answer for a moment before replying.

“I’m not normal anymore. A regular life wouldn't suit me. Besides, I wouldn't be able to rest until Akuma is gone for good.” Her last statement was lined with bitterness. Suddenly a small grin tugged at her lips. “I think I can pick the lock.” Before Adrien was able to respond she kicked her legs forwards and somehow wrapped her legs around the chain suspended above her head. She gripped the shackles tightly with her lower half, giving her a bit of slack around her wrists. Adrien watched in amazement at her acrobatics. She hung upside down, her hair falling messely towards the ground. With her wrists still bound together, she reached up towards the brown leather boots. She untied the laces and pulled a small metal object from her shoe.

Marinette let her legs fall back to the ground and Adrien was finally able to see what she had smuggled in her boot. A fork. She must have hidden it away when she finished washing the dishes after their bland meal. She tinkered with the utensil for a moment, trying to bend one of the prongs. After a few minutes, the thin metal began to bend until it lost all integrity and broke off. Marinette let the now broken fork fall to the ground with a clink. She would need both hands free for this next bit.

With nothing but the thin prong remaining, she grabbed the padlock with one hand and guided the piece of steel into the keyhole. She gently twisted it from side to side until all the pins were set in place and the lock popped open. She unhooked the padlock from the links of steel and the chains unraveled around her wrists and was left hanging from the contraption mounted to the ceiling.

Marinette then walked over to where Adrien stood with his arms above his head and began working on the lock binding his hand together. She had to stand on her tiptoes in order to reach the padlock and even then she was barely tall enough. Their faces laid centimeters apart and while Marinette was focused on setting the pins in place, Adrien had his attention on the young woman standing in front of him. Her eyes always seemed to carry that hollowness and Adrien wanted nothing more than to see her happy and smiling like they were joking in the car before the promise of safety was lost.

She was beautiful, to put it simply. Her dark indigo hair made her light brilliant blue eyes shine like stars. Her bangs hung to the side and perfectly framed her face. She had a small button nose and an amazing smile, but unfortunately her smile was a rare sight. She always kept her face still and unchanging.

Adrien's heart lurched at her sudden closeness to him and a warm, comforting feeling filled his chest.

Marinette had saved his life. She was brave, selfless, and a bit of a rebel which was exciting because Adrien’s life up till now had been relatively normal and not the least bit interesting. He wasn't sure if it was the mystery that seemed to linger around her like a shadow that enticed him. Adrien was naturally a curious person so having so many unanswered questions was all the more reason to get to know her. But then again, she was distant, he wasn't sure she would ever feel that comforting warmth toward Adrien.

She seemed so unattached and untrusting. Maybe someday, Adrien told himself, but for now, her being my friend will do, or at least acquaintance, anything is better than ‘mission’.

Still, the pleasant feeling in his chest lingered.

After a moment Marinette had the lock open. She unhooked the padlock and freed his hands from the shackles. Adrien dropped his hands to his sides in instant relief, despite the chains holding his hands in place, his arms were growing tired. He rubbed his wrists that still had a hint of redness from the chains pulling at his forearms.

Marinette threw the small piece of flimsy metal to the side and examined the room they were in. It was painted the same pale gray as the refuge and had the same door while a large wheel in the center that could turn open. Neither Adrien nor Marinette tried to pull at the door, they knew it was pointless. Instead Marinette started looking up at the mechanical gears that hung from the ceiling. “As a kid we were never able to open the door ourselves, but maybe we can break the lock with some of the stuff up there.” She said, pointing at the two large generator looking boxes mounted to the tall ceiling. They rested a good five or six meters in the air, only the chains hanging from them.

“Do you think you can get up there?” Adrien asked.

“Maybe, the chain is thin. I don't think it would support your weight but I think it can handle mine.” She explained.

Adrien worried that the chain wouldn’t hold her, at least not for long. It had supported her weight for a few seconds earlier but what she is suggesting is climbing up the five or so meter chain and staying up there while messing with the only thing holding the chain in place. He wanted to argue with her but he knew they didn’t have much of a choice.

“Be careful.” He said thoughtfully,

“Careful is my middle name.” She responded while stretching her shoulders. “Actually,” She said, puzzled. “I don't remember my middle name.” Adrien felt a wave of guilt and sadness strike him like a mountain of water during a storm at sea. He was saddened by how she knew nothing of her past and guilty for bringing up her name in the car. Marinette looked at him patiently before releasing the tension. “I was kidding.” She explained with a small chuckle.

“Oh.” Adrien shared in the laughter but his was not out of humor but relief.

“You need to lighten up.” She commented with a smile. The smile he had only seen once before this moment. So rare and so beautiful. Sadly, he only got to see it for a second before she ran over to the chain that was previously wrapped around her wrists and pulled herself up the steel rope.

It took less than a minute for her to reach the top. On top of the mechanical pulley was a panel that Marinette pried the lid off of, having the metal plate fall to the ground with a large clash. They both worried that there may be soldiers outside the door and the loud crash might have alerted them, fortunately nothing happened. They both thought it best if Adrien would catch the pieces Marinette threw down.

Now that Marinette had pried the lid off the container, she was able to see the internals of the machinery. Bolts and gears filled the entire contraption. A few wires were strung together to the left and a breaker box to the right. She decided that the breakers were not a safe bet and just focused on removing the gears and swears she could. One by one she managed to take pieces and toss them down to the blonde boy. He caught them easily, fumbling one or twice but always grabbed hold of the metal pieces before they hit the ground. Marinette had removed a good portion of the machinery, she even ripped a few wires from their homes. But unfortunately, while reaching for a lever-like piece of metal, her elbow bumped into one of the breaker switches on the right side. She felt the chain go loose and suddenly she was falling through the empty air.

Chapter Text

The chain detached from the contraption mounted to the ceiling, collapsing to the distant ground. Marinette fell with the slack of the metal coil, plummeting to the floor. The sensation of descending through thin air sent a wave of terror over her. Her first instinct was to use her abilities but she could feel an emptiness inside of her when the attempt was made. Her powers don't work outside of the refuge but she didn’t remember it in time.

Suddenly, when she was a mere second away from hitting the concrete floor, something caught her. With fear still fogging her mind, she searched frantically for breath realizing she had held it for the duration of the fall. She glanced over to see Adrien had been the one who stopped her from plummeting to the ground. He was pinned to the floor under Marinette's weight as he cushioned her fall, the realization hit that she had knocked him to the ground when he caught her. She scrambled to her feet. “I'm so sorry!” She exclaimed, frantically apologizing. “Did I land on you? Are you alright?” Adrien waved away her questions with his hand and took Marinette's outstretched hand. She pulled him upright, he groaned with the effort and as she looked him up and down for injury.

“Relax,” He said. “I’m fine, are you alright?” Marinette nodded several times, still not entirely convinced he was unharmed.

“Did I hurt you at all?” Adrien smiled at her politely.

“No, the concrete did hurt a little but I'll survive.” Guilt flooded Marinette.

“I’m sorry, I hit a breaker by accident and it detached the chain.” She stated, pointing to where the now bundled up metal rope laid in a messy pile like a coiled snake.

“It's alright.” He reassured her. “Now what? Do we have anything that can get us out?”

Marinette examined the pile of bits and pieces they had scavenged from the machine hanging above their heads. Marinette shook her head disappointedly at the scrap metal. “No, maybe if we had a battery but I didn't see any, all of these gears and wires won't do us any good on their own.” She said bitterly. She had known the chances of finding something useful up there were slim but they didn't have many other options, luckily Marinette did have another idea forming. “There were a few breakers in that machine thing, maybe one of them can cut the power to the door.” She stated while grabbing at the chain that had held Adrien.

“Wait!” Adrien protested, gripping her shoulder, stopping her from climbing. “You said you hit a breaker and it dropped the chain, we can't risk you getting hurt.” Marinette let out a sigh and gave him a weak, half hearted smile.

“It's a risk worth taking, besides you’ll catch me again, right blondie?”

“But what if I don't catch you? Or what if-” Marinette put up a hand to stop him.

“I trust you.” She said, giving him a real genuine smile and she began climbing up the metal coil before he was able to protest further.

She pulled herself up the long chain and pried off the cover to the machine with which the links of silver were attached too. She threw the metal plated cover to Adrien and he caught it before it crashed against the concrete floor. The inside of the machine was identical to the first. Wires, gears, and the breakers resting to the right. The only problem with Marinette's plan was that there were three breakers and she had no idea which one would drop her. “There are three breakers. Which should I turn off first?” She questioned.

“Whichever one doesn't release the chain.” Adrien retorted. Marinette rolled her eyes

“I'm not sure which one that is.” She knew her statement would lead to a protest from Adrien, but she had to take the risk, she also knew he would do his best to catch her in the event of her falling.

“You mean you didn't see which one you hit?” Marinette shook her head. “Great.” The blond said, rubbing his forehead out of stress and annoyance. Marinette decided to repeat her question.

“Blondie?” She asked kindly, causing him to glance up at her. “Which breaker should I flip?” He thought for a moment.

“The first one.” He said with little zeal, as if he wasn't sure of his answer. Reluctantly, and well aware of the risks, Marinette grasped the small breaker lever on the top and slowly flipped it to the right. Her body tensed as she heard the small click implying that the breaker was in place. As the lever was turned to the off position, the lights went out, sending them into darkness. Marinette flipped the switch back to the left as soon as possible and the room was flooded with light once again.

“It's not the first.” She stated. Fear swept over Marinette, not fear of falling to the ground again but fear that they only had one more chance. If they picked wrong they would be trapped here. “Which should I do next?” Marinette said, hiding the terror in her voice as best she could.

“I'm not sure.” The green eyed boy said.

“Adrien, please just pick.” She begged, her fear becoming more and more obvious with each word.

“The third one.” Adrien said, his tone was solid and sure but she knew he was just as scared as her.

She grasped the small lever and internally counted to three. One, two, three. She flipped the switch and waited for the inevitable fall. But it didn’t come. Marinette slid down the chain and met Adrien at the ground. “Did it work?” He asked.

“I don't know.” Marinette said while still short of breath. For some reason, they approached the door slowly, like you would a dangerous sleeping animal that they were afraid to wake. They grabbed the spinning wheel in the center and were amazed and relieved when it began to turn. It took both of them to open the door, and by the time they had spun the wheel enough for the door to swing open, their arms were burning with the effort.

The abyss of darkness on the other side of the door was only lit by the small red blinking lights. Adrien noticed Marinette hesitate. “What's wrong?” Adrien asked.

“I don't like the dark.” She responded. After years of abuse in that hallway, Marinette had grown accustomed to the belief that the dark was a dangerous place. Her mind had tricked itself into believing darkness brought death. She knew it was a silly fear, the kind children would tremble over, and had never voiced it to anyone but she knew Adrien wouldn't laugh at her.

Adrien placed his hand in hers. “I'm right here, you’ll be fine.” His words gave Marinette the reassurance she needed and his presence put her nerves to rest.

Marinette and Adrien, with their fingers linked, put their free hand against one of the tunnel walls. With nothing but the red bulbs that seemed to be placed kilometers apart, to guide them through the black tunnel, they moved blindly. Occasionally they would hear footsteps echo through the halls but they were distant and Marinette reassured Adrien that there was nothing to worry about. They continued down the blackness, their palms pressed against the cold stone wall.

Eventually they found one of the distant red dots. Underneath the blinking red bulb was another doorway but this one had a regular door handle. They opened it and their eyes stung as Marinette reached for the light switch. Adrien hissed as the blinding light flooded the room.

After a few moments, his pupils adjusted and he was able to see despite the black dots that reappeared in his line of vision. They were in some kind of armory. The space was filled with rows of racks. The bottom shelf provided a home for the large black boots the Akuma soldiers wore. The next few ledges held the black jumpsuits and dark armor while the top rack contained the helmets that shielded their faces from view.

“Just our luck,” Marinette started with some optimism. “We found the armory.” Adrien and Marinette quickly ditched the tan jumpsuits and leather boots and traded them for the dark uniforms the soldiers wore. They hid the clothes they had been given in the refuge in the corner under one of the shelves and went back out into the hallway, they didn't want to be caught loitering in the armory.

They found that their trip into the darkness wasn’t as dark this time. The helmets had some kind of technology that allowed them to see as if the hallway was completely lit. Marinette had never seen the tunnel like this before, it was plain and had stone walls with small blinking red lights widely spaced out. It had low ceilings and a few pipes running in and out of the walls. It was utterly normal, showing no evidence of the heinous acts that took place in it.

Marinette felt a constant feeling of discomfort as she walked. She wasn't able to find boots that fit her and didn’t have time to look for a smaller pair so she just stuffed an extra pair of socks into the toe of the shoes. Adrien was looking at her strangely, even though she could not see his face through his thick helmet. Marinette had not mentioned the fact she couldn't find the right size boots to wear, and she didn't want to complain so she stayed quiet.

“Are you alright?” Adrien asked, noticing the strange and uneasy pattern of her strides.

“I’m fine, just worried.” She bluffed, and to Marinette's relief, and surprise, Adrien did not question her further.

They had a couple of close calls when Akuma soldiers walked past them but they didn't pay them any mind. There was only one major difference between the two escaped prisoners and the real troop, Marinette and Adrien’s didn't have any weapons of their own. The soldiers carried large firearms and had a belt full of smaller, close combat weapons, like the batons, while Marinette and Adrien wandered around empty handed. Luckily no one noticed their lack of firepower and didn't give them a second glance.

After half an hour or so of walking through the twists and turns of the halfway, the emptiness of their stomach was becoming unbearable. They had eaten little in the refuge and their hollow stomachs ached for nourishment. Out of desperation, they ripped off the cuff of their pant leg and stuffed the rest of the fabric back into their boots. They chewed on the cloth, trying to trick their minds into thinking they had eaten. The chewing gave them about an hour before their stomach protested and demanded food. Once again, out of desperation, they swallowed the fabric that was wet with their saliva. It was relatively tasteless but was tough to chew through. They both knew the fabric would not give them any real nourishment but it would buy them time. They ripped off the other cuff and ate that as well, continuing on their long walk.

After another half an hour of mindless wondering, they stumbled upon another door. They had searched through each room they found so far, some being dormitories, others were bathrooms, and a few were just storage space. This door had a label which read ‘communication tower’. Marinette and Adrien both pushed the door open eagerly. Inside the walls were covered in metal sheeting and had counters laced in buttons and scenes. There was a single soldier probing at a few buttons and adjusting switches.

“What are you doing here?” The soldier asked, the voice sounded very feminine which led Adrien to believe the tall slender soldier was a woman.

“Change of plans,” Marinette said. “We will be taking over the communications tower from now on.” The soldier tilted her head slightly.

“Really?” She asked, her voice had a strong Liberian accent as she spoke. Marinette nodded. “Then what am I being reassigned to?” The soldier waited for a response but all she got was a shrug from Marinette and Adrien. The soldier shook her head and began walking to the door. “This can't be right,” she stated. “I'm getting the administrator.”

As soon as she disappeared into the formerly dark hallway, Marinette and Adrien bolted to the counter of buttons. Adrien watched as Marinette flipped a few switches and turned a few knobs, he guessed that she had used technology similar to this before and was familiar with it.

“We don't have long.” She said with a sense of urgency. “Akuma will realize we're gone sooner or later and they will lock the place down.” She continued to mess with the counter of controls until she got the right radio frequency.

“Hello?” Marinette asked. There was a brief second of static before they got a response.

“You are on a restricted radio wave.” Said the same phantom voice from the park with an aggressive tone to scare off people who used the radio signal.

“No, no, no It's me.” Marinette explained. “It's me, agent 1492058.” There was a moment of silence.

“Siren?” The woman said.

“Yeah it's me Trixx.” At least now Adrien had a name for the voice. Trixx spoke softly to someone at her side, telling them to get the founders before returning her attention to them.

“Thank goodness you're alive. We’re trying to get a lock on your signal. Is the target with you?” Adrien had a sneaking suspicion he was the target.

“Yeah Adrien is here with me.” Marinette said, confirming Adrien’s theory.

“Are either of you injured?” Marinette thought for a second, then it finally dawned on her that neither of them were, their hunger was beginning to rise again but the bruises and cuts had healed over.

“No, we're fine, how long have we been gone?” Marinette questioned.

“Four days.” Trixx answered.

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other worried, they couldn't see each other through the thick helmets but Adrien was sure she was just as frightened as him. He had a family who would be worried sick about him, a mother and father who would be scared for his safety. Of course they lived in Italy while Adrien went to school in Paris and would not notice his absence right away but sooner or later they would grow worried.

Suddenly an alarm started blaring and red lights swirled around in the air. “They know we're gone.” Adrien stated, his ears ringing from the rhythmic blaring of the alarm.

“Si-... wai-... we-... min-... Si-Siren… ah-...” Trixx words were interrupted by crackling static.

“Trixx?” Marinette asked, trying to get the signal back. “Ugh!” She slammed her first onto the counter in frustration. “They're jamming the signal.” Adrien gently grabbed her army through the thick fabric of the stolen uniforms.

“We have to go.” He stated, in a calm tone despite his growing anxiety. His words seemed to help her rein in her anger and focus on their survival. She sighed and shook off her annoyance.

“Okay, Trixx will get a lock on the communication tower signal and find us. But we need to leave this place before we're trapped here forever.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him into the hallway once again. Now that the helmets allowed them to see, Marinette had no problem entering the corridor. They bolted down the tunnel and bumped into a group of Akuma soldiers running at them in two rows side by side.

Marinette and Adrien moved to their right and as the group passed, Marinette grabbed the blonde’s arm and pulled him to the back of the two rows. They were now running with the small herd of soldiers, Marinette guessed that it would look less suspicious to be in a group then just the two of them running around mindlessly. There were about thirty troops jogging at a steady pace, weapons in hand, weapons that Marinette and Adrien were lacking. The rows of soldiers moved swiftly through the maze of twists and turns and after ten minutes or so of running they made it to their destination.

Marinette and Adrien’s ribs were aching and their mouths drier than ever. They had had nothing to eat or drink in hours and the sweat they had perspired while jogging did not help quench their thirst. They had arrived in a large garage, it was filled with storage creates and Akuma soldiers running wild.

“You two!” An armored man yelled while pointing at Marinette and Adrien. The blue eyed girl stood at attention while Adrien made a poor attempt to copy her stance, luckily the soldier didn't notice Adrien's clumsiness. “What are you doing standing around?” He scowled. “I need you to do a perimeter search! Get to the ATVs!” He ordered. Marinette and Adrien shot him a quick nod and moved to the far wall where a line of four wheelers were parked.

The group of thirty soldiers were climbing onto the vehicles and one by one, pulling out though the large garage door and into the desert. Marinette was wrong, this was the same Akuma facility where they had tortured her as a child. They were in the Great Victoria desert, and fear gripped Marinette's heart as she realized she might be trapped in that place again if they don't escape now.

The land outside the large opening was desolate, with nothing but a small sandy dirt path surrounded by weed-like grass. The ground was orange and the air was unbearably humid, only made worse by the thick, black uniforms Marinette and Adrien were wearing.

They both ran, even though their legs protested the effort, to the ATVs lined up against the walls. As they approached the vehicles, Marinette gripped Adrien's upper arm and whispered to him. “Listen, these soldiers are doing a perimeter search, once the group starts to disperse you need to stay close to me, we will break off and ruff it until Trixx gets a search party assembled to find us.”

“Get moving!” The hollering soldier from before yelled. Marinette and Adrien listened to the order and climbed onto the ATVs. Adrien had a little trouble in the beginning but the controls were self explanatory and soon he was trailing behind the herd of vehicles. They were widely spread out and Marinette was a few meters to his left while the rest kept their distance. Just as Marinette had said, once they reached a certain distance from the facility the soldiers broke off from the group.

Now that Adrien could see the facility from the outside, it looked almost invisible, it was painted to blend into the dessert so well. Large building was built next to a rock formation that could be seen as a small mountain and was masked in blends of orange and red. No wonder GUARD had such a difficult time finding them, they melted into the surroundings so effortlessly.

As the herd of four wheelers decreased in size, Marinette saw their opportunity. She waved her hand slightly at Adrien, he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and followed her as she broke off from the group. They drove over the sandy path and through thickets of tall weeds, until finally the vehicles ran out of gas and couldn't carry them any farther. “Now what?” Adrien questioned, removing his helmet, sweat dripping down his forehead which he dabbed away with his sleeve.

“Now we pray that that storm over there hits us and we get water.” Marinette said, gesturing to clouds in the distance that blanketed the sky in a thick grey. “Until then, I say we find shelter from the sun and wait until nightfall.” And that is exactly what they did.

They walked for a while, covering their tracks with handfuls of sand, until they found a cave in the middle of a rock formation. It was small, very small, they had to crouch into fetus positions while laying on their sides to fit. But it was dark and cool.

After a few hours, nightfall was beginning to hit and stars started to fill the pink sky. “It's beautiful.” Marinette said, as they watched through the opening of their tiny cave.

“Yeah, you can't see stars like this in the city.” Adrien responded. Marinette had always loved the stars, she could do without the darkness but anyone would be a fool to think stars were not magnificent. She remembers her first night free from the veteran refuge, the sky was a light navy and it was just her luck that a meteor shower was taking place. Comets shot across the outstretch of blue and the moon was a bright ball of light protecting her from the darkness she feared so much. Even without her memories she knew the stars existed but couldn't remember ever seeing them in person, only the word star was etched into her mind but now she loved them.

It was a bittersweet feeling when the dark, rolling, storm clouds covered the mix of pink and orange sky. On one hand, Marinette couldn't see the stars anymore and on the other, the storm would bring water which they desperately needed. They had grown used to the roaring of their bellies but their mouths were as dry as the sand at their feet and dehydration was on the verge of killing them. To prepare for the storm, Marinette and Adrien had set up their stolen helmets outside the cave walls to collect the life saving fluid.

After about an hour of heavy downpour, roaring thunder, and flashing lightning, Marinette and Adrien had had their fill of water and it was still being collected. Marinette had scolded Adrien a few times because he was drinking too rapidly and he needed to swallow slowly otherwise his body would reject the liquid. But after the third time of her reminding him, he got the message and took slower sips.

They had to spend the night without warmth, mainly because there were no dry materials for a fire and they couldn't start a flame out of fear that Akuma would be able to see the smoke. Adrien and Marinette never thought they would miss the heat until they felt the bitter cold of a desert night. Water from the storm had dripped through the cracks of the rock formation, making their stolen uniforms damp and all the more freezing. Darkness shrouded them like a thick blanket and Marinette wasn’t just shivering from cold, but fear. At one point Adrien figured this out and placed a hand on hers, which stayed there until morning.

They slept for a few hours and when the rain stopped, daylight was beating down on the desert floor. They spent the day regaining the sleep they had lost through the cold night. They took the occasional trip outside the cave to scavenge for food. Marinette and Adrien had ripped off some bark loose from a thin gum tree and chewed the dry tough wood until their stomachs were satisfied. They collected as much bark as they could from the small tree and returned to the cave to await nightfall.

Once night came they instantly started walking through the darkness. It was too humid to travel during the day and they would sweat off all the water they had just been given. Marinette had used the extra socks she had stuffed in her boots to make a sling. She had tied them together and connected them to the helmet so she could carry it like a bag and not have to lug around their water supply. Adrien had a similar strike of ingenuity and made a sling of his and Marinette's belts, making a similar contraption to Marinette's but his was more sturdy which was fair considering his helmet held more water than hers did.

In the middle of the night, they began their long walk to nowhere. The wind made the night even colder but it covered their tracks in fresh sand so Akuma wouldn't be able to follow them any farther than their cave. But Marinette still didn’t want to stay there. She couldn’t use her powers yet and that was her only defence out here in the dark. Akuma’s hold on her powers ranged for several kilometers and she knew that once she got them back she would be hit by a round of dizzy spells as the technology in her nervous system turned on but she knew that the dizziness would be worth it. She felt naked without her ability to protect them and the darkness only made her more uneasy.

After about two hours of walking aimlessly in the sand, the earth started to sway underneath her feet. Suddenly she was laying on the ground, her palms outstretched to catch her fall. Again, with no explanation, she was standing. It dawned on her that Adrien had picked her up. She was confused, cold, dizzy, and wet for some reason. She glazed down to see her helmet filled with the precious water had spilled onto the sand when she fell. She mentally kicked herself and told Adrien to just keep going. “We’ll be out of here soon, we just need to conserve that water for as long as possible.” Adrien wasn't so sure about continuing their journey with Marinette constantly shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked. She waved to her to dismiss the question.

“Yeah I'm fine, the boots are just too big for me and I tripped.” She bluffed.

They continued marching in the dark and Marinette wasn’t fine at all. She could see two silhouettes of the blonde standing in front of her that were constantly going in and out of focus, she continuously tripped over her own feet and her now wet uniform was making the already freezing night unbearable. After another hard fall into the dirt, Adrien insisted they take a break. They walked to a tall stack of rocks and leaned up against the stone. It was cold and the sun wouldn't rise for a few more hours so they would have to muscle through the shivering for a while longer. As horrible as Marinette felt now, she knew that soon her powers would return which gave her some comfort in the blistering cold.

“What's going on?” Adrien asked, no longer believing her story about the boots not fitting properly. “Did you get a concussion when you hit your head on the car window?” Marinette shook her head which was a mistake because everything around her started to spin like a top.

“No.” She answered. “My powers are coming back and it's making me dizzy.” Adrien reached an arm around her shoulder to try and steady her shivering body.

“Your powers are coming back, that's a good thing.” He stated. “And Trixx is looking for us so we will be out of here soon.” He was trying to stay positive but even he knew that in the heat of the day, their water would be depleted in less than a week, and the next storm might not come for months. They had little time left and the cold was making it all the worse. They still didn’t want to risk a fire in fear that the smoke would be visible and Akuma soldiers would see it so they had to live with the bone chilling air.

They rested for over an hour. They agreed to sleep until the sun came up then they would find a place to set up camp and stay there. Adrien had offered to take the first watch while Marinette slept. He scanned the desolate, dusty, earth in front of him for any danger. Nothing had changed his entire shift until he saw lights in the sky. Not stars but lights that were red, yellow, and flashing. He focused on them and finally realized it was a plane. “Marinette.” He whispered while shaking her awake.

“What?” Her head had cleared and the earth no longer spinning but she was groggy and wanted more sleep.

“Look.” Adrien side while pointing at the plane.

“It’s Trixx.” Marinette explained happily. “She found us.” Unfortunately, Marinette and Adrien did not have a chance to celebrate. From behind them they heard the sound of roaring engines but not from the aircraft in the sky. A fleet of Akuma soldiers on ATVs were approaching them from the left flank.

Chapter Text

With a fleet of enemy soldiers coming at them on ATVs, Marinette bolted into action. Her head was cloudy and her vision a bit blurred but her instincts were as sharp as an arrowhead. An idea formed as she surveyed the situation. Marinette started rummaging around in the rocks surrounding the mountain of boulders. She came across one that resembled flit and tossed it to Adrien. “Grab some of that dry grass and start a fire.” She instructed.

Adrien looked confused at her order. “But won't those soldiers see it? He asked.

Marinette continued to look through the pebbles and stones and found one that looked like pyrite. “Yeah, they will, but so will the plane.”

Understanding hit Adrien and he did as he was told. He uprooted a dried-out bush and placed it on a flat stone surface. Marinette tossed him a second rock, this one had a bit of a glitter effect to it and it shimmered in the faint mood light. Marinette didn't have to explain the rest to him, he slammed the rocks together continuously and sparks began to ignite that resembled small fireworks as they sprinkled down onto the bush.

Marinette held her hands up towards the tall tower of boulders and focused her attention on them falling. She knew that if she could make the giant stones fall, the soldiers would have to swerve around the wall of rocks. It would buy them a little time but Marinette was still having trouble with her powers, the familiar vibration of her nerves was gone. “Come on.” She muttered to herself. It wasn’t working and the ground started to sift under her feet. She leaned against the rocks for support and tried to clear her mind. She saw out of the corner of her eyes, a tongue of flame sparked to life on the bush.

The dried weed began burning quickly and Adrien picked it up by the stem. Marinette gave up on the idea of using her powers and just grabbed Adrien’s arm and took off running. The Akuma soldiers were still a ways away, about two kilometers, but now that they could see the flame they would soon catch up. Adrien started waving the makeshift torch overhead to get the attention of the aircraft.

The pilot noticed the light flailing about in the darkness. “Sir, Ma’am, could you come to the flight deck please?” He asked through the intercom. A tall man and a redheaded woman appeared through the door.

“What is it?” The man asked with a scowl that sent a wave of intimidation over the young pilot.

“There seems to be a flare of some kind in the distance.” He stammered, clearly daunted by the man even though Plagg’s grim expression and tone were unintentional. The woman leaned forward and her eyes widened.

“That's Marinette, land the plane.” She ordered.

“Tikki look.” The green-eyed man said while pointed past the two running figures to a herd of ATVs stampeding over the desert floor.

“Oh no.” The woman said under her breath.

Adrien and Marinette smiled bigger than ever when they saw the nose of the plane dip down towards the earth. Rescue finally seemed within reach. But as always, their celebration was cut short by the blood childing sound of gunshots. Marinette didn't have her powers to protect them from the fly sedative darts so their only hope was to somehow outrun them. The two of them were grateful for the rest they had taken after Marinette's dizzy spell, it gave them the strength to carry themselves as they sprinted across the dusty ground. The metal needles were falling short and missing them by at least ten meters but Akuma had horsepower while they were traveling by foot and the ATVs were catching up quickly.

The makeshift torch was burning fast and the flying sparks were scorching Adrien’s sleeve. The once small tongue of flame was an inferno burning out of control. Unfortunately, the heat of the flame caused his stolen uniform to catch fire. Marinette took the torch from him and stopped it into the earth until there was nothing but smoke billowing from the burnt grass, but that didn’t stop Marinette from kicking sand over it, just in case. Adrien beat at the flames engulfing his forearm with his free gloved hand. The black fabric was thick and didn’t burn easily so Adrien walked away unscathed with only a stream of smoke flying from the material, but they lost time with the whole ordeal and the soldiers were almost on top of them. Volleys of darts were arching in the air as they plummeted towards the ground. The sharp needle ends stabbing into the dried, sun beat, earth.

The plane had circled around and was landed now, about five hundred meters away. An opening dropped down from the back of the plane and two silhouettes of people were urging them to go faster. Marinette recognized the tall figure on the left to be Tikki while the even taller, broad-shouldered one on the right was Plagg.

Woefully, Marinette's body chose now to hit her with another dizzy spell. The sky started to blur into the ground and she had no idea where she was stepping. Her oversize boots step clumsily over loose rocks causing her to trip and she wasn't able to regain her balance. She hit the ground, hard, and Adrien had to pull her to her feet. As Adrien lifted her up she felt a thud in the back of her thigh, then again in her right shoulder. The spinning didn’t stop. The earth turned at an insane rate and colors began mixing together. She couldn’t tell the difference between the two figures on the plane anymore, they just looked like a smeared drop of ink on a canvas, all she could tell was that the weirdly shaped ink droplets were growing bigger. Another thud in her right leg, and again in her forearm. The world went black.

Adrien was dragging Marinette’s unconscious body along the dusty ground as dart after dart rammed into her flesh, somehow missing him completely. He had nearly been hit a few times but the soldiers firing while driving at such a speed threw their aim off. Adrien counted five needles sticking out of her like a pin cushion. The ATVs were catching up and he was caught a hundred meters away from the plane and a hundred meters away from the fleet of troops.

Two figures ran up to him. One a woman, the other a tall grim looking man. Adrien wasn't sure if he could trust them but they wore the same uniforms as the GUARD soldiers who had protected him in the street. The only difference between the two new soldiers and the ones in Paris was the color pattern of their camouflage matched the orange and tan of the desert plain, instead of the mottled green and grey.

The tall man picked Marinette up bridal style while the woman shot bullets into the ATV tires, causing them to burst. They lost control of the vehicles and a few even flipped on their sides. While the fleet was in chaos, Marinette, Adrien, and the two figures retreated into the plane. They ran in a hard sprint, a few darts landing near their feet. The redhead was hit in the forearm but the sharp needle merely ripped through the fabric of her uniform, leaving her skin unscathed.

Once they were on board the aircraft, they hastily shut the exit ramp.

As soon as the ramp was closed, a swarm of doctors and nurses swarmed around Marinette's unconscious body. The word ‘overdose’ was uttered by a woman in a white lab coat.

“What's wrong with her?” The redhead in camouflage asked while gently stroking Marinette’s hair as she laid unresponsive in the gurney.

“She has a lethal amount of suppressants in her system.” A nurse said while drawing blood from a vein on her upper forearm and hooking Marinette up to machines. Tubes were now attached to the backs of her hands and a clear plastic oxygen mask was placed over her mouth and nose which was fogging up with her shallow breaths.

“Will she be alright?” The intimidating-looking man said, except now he didn't look arcane, just concerned.

“We don't know.” The doctor stated urgently while removing one of the needles from the unconscious girl's leg and stopping the flow of blood from the puncture mark with a clean cloth.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” The tall redhead growled through clenched teeth. The grim man put a firm hand on the woman's shoulder and she stood down from her aggressive stance but her jaw remained locked in a stern line.

The doctors and nurses left in a swarm out the door, wheeling Marinette away.

The tall woman, who he learned was called Tikki, led Adrien to the cabin of the plane after a nurse had examined and patched up some of his minor cuts and bruises. He was dehydrated and hungry, but alive. Tikki left him alone to go talk to doctors after he was given a clean bill of health, or more accurately yell at the doctors since Adrien could hear her demanding answers as to the girl's condition but she finally seemed to calm down after she was told something by the nurses that Adrien could not make out.

The interior of the seating area looked like a first-class ticket seat that faced each other. It had a cream-colored seat, a wide aisle, and copious amounts of legroom but Adrien wasn't enjoying himself. He was tired, sweaty, sore, but none of that mattered to him. His mind kept racing with all that could happen to the blue-haired girl who saved him.

The cabin door swung open for the first time in three hours. Adrien shot up from his seat, hoping to be greeted by Marinette’s warm, rare, beautiful smile, but instead was met with the piercing green eyes of the tall man.

“Is Marinette okay?” Adrien questioned.

“She's stable.” He answered with an anxious tone. “We’ll know more when we're back at GUARD”

The red-headed woman walked past the tall man, much calmer now that the hysteria of battle was out of her system, and placed a tray of food down by Adrien’s seat.

“But for now,” Tikki said. “Eat.”

Adrien devoured the creamy potato soup and roast beef that was set before him, mopping up the leftovers with buttered bread rolls and downing it all with plenty of water just as the doctors had instructed him. As soon as he finished his meal, he began his continuous strand of questions to the two people seated in front of him. “Who are you?” He asked.

“I’m Plagg,” Said the grim, giant of a man. Tikki had brought him a small platter of cheese that he was working on while the redhead stirred copious amounts of sugar into her coffee, she obviously liked things sweet. “You know Tikki.” Plagg continued, gesturing to the woman seated next to him. “We’re the people who rescued Marinette from Akuma the first time around.” His tone went bitter at the mention of Akuma. “How did they even rebuild that facility after we bombed it, it was pure rumble?!” He exclaimed.

“I’m not sure,” Tikki answered, displaying the same anger she did with the doctors. “But once we have the resources we will make sure it stays rubble this time.”

Plagg turned his attention away from the frustrating subject that was Akuma and extended the cheese platter towards Adrien. “You want some?” He offered.

Adrien shook his head. “No thank you, I’m full.” He said, rejecting the tray of cheese as politely as he could. In all honesty, his mind was too occupied with worry to focus on food any longer.

Plagg smiled and returned the plater to his lap. “Good,” He stated while taking another bite of the cheddar arrangement. “Because I wouldn't have given you any.” Adrien smiled but Tikki rolled her eyes.

“That joke is getting old Plagg.” She said while dropping another sugar cube into the steaming mug and testing the flavor before adding another two sugar cubes to the mix.

“That joke never gets old.” He retorted. “It's like fine goat cheese, it gets better with age.” A smug smirk plastered on his face. Again, Adrien smiled, and again, Tikki rolled her eyes. But questions still swirled around the blonde's mind like a raging wind storm that would only settle when he received answers.

“Will Marinette be alright?” Adrien asked, the question weighed heavily on him and concern was evident in his voice.

“We hope so,” Tikki stated optimistically. “She's a fighter, always has been, but there is only so much we can tell about her condition while she's still asleep. We will know more when we get back to GUARD.” Adrien nodded, he was still worried but had a bit more confidence in her well-being knowing there were medical professionals at her bedside.

“Where is GUARD?” He asked and a small chuckle escaped Plagg and again Tikki shut her eyes in annoyance as if doing so would stop the bad joke that was bound to slip from the green-eyed man's lips.

“If I told you I’d have to kill you.” The grim man replied with a smirk. Adrien laughed, even though he was still dissatisfied with the answer, but thought it would be rude to press on about it.

“How long until we get there?” He asked. Plagg looked down at his wristwatch before answering.

“Twenty hours or so.” He said. Adrien nodded while wiping oily butter from his hands with a napkin.

“Thanks, Mr. Plagg,” Adrien stated politely but the grizzly man grumbled at his comment. “Is something wrong?” Adrien asked and Tikki started to chuckle.

“He doesn't like being called Mister, it makes him feel old. Which he is.” She answered, making a quick jab at Plagg’s age. But in all honesty, he was in his thirties and by no means old. After all, he was still as strong and capable as he was when he was younger, Tikki had only made the comment to get under the grim figures' skin.

“I'm not old.” The stern man protested.

“Denial doesn't look good on you Plagg,” Tikki smirked. Adrien chuckled before restating his earlier comment.

“Okay, Plagg?” He asked, making sure he didn't use the title ‘Mister'. The grim figure perked up at the sound of his name.

“Ah yes you called for my wisdom.” Adrien couldn't help but smile at his humor but the smile quickly faded when he asked his question.

“Is Marinette going to die?” Adrien's eyes were sunken and Plagg smiled softly at him.

“We're doing everything in our power to make sure that doesn't happen.” But Adrien still wasn't convinced.

“But what if-'' He began but Plagg put a hand up to stop him.

“She had survived much worse than a depressant overdose. She’ll make it through. Don't worry, for now just relax kid, you're safe.” Plagg leaned back in his seat, setting his empty platter of cheese to the side before continuing his comment. “Besides, Tikki would kill me if Marinette died.” The redhead took a sip of her coffee while replying.

“He's not wrong.” She remarked as she tipped the mug past her nose, finally satisfied with the sweetness.

Once again, Adrien smiled at the duo, they were obviously old and close friends. He leaned back and looked out the window. Clouds and stars adorned the darkened sky and for the first time in a week, Adrien felt truly free from harm.

Well... for now at least.

Chapter Text

It had been a long flight back to GUARD and Adrien had slept through most of it, as did Marinette and from what he had heard. She was still unresponsive and Adrien had only seen her twice since they escaped the scorching desert and both times it was just for a moment. The first was when they entered the plane and the doctors were hooking her up to machines and wheeling her away and their second meeting was just as brief.

Plagg had told Adrien to look out the window and the blonde, not being able to resist the curiosity building inside of him, stared out the aircraft window like a small child. They were flying over a large meadow, with bright green grass and dainty purple, pink, and yellow spring flowers. A vibrant blue filled the sky and was adorned with white fluffy clouds, along with a thick oak forest surrounding the meadow's edge. It was the type of place you would see in an oil painting, but this certainly didn’t look like a secret government base. That was until the ground split in two.

The meadow was cut down the center and the halves were pulled apart from one another until a large ravine was revealed with a runway in the center. The nose of the plane dipped down and they landed gracefully on the underground runway. Adrien continued to watch through the window as the two plates sealed back together, trapping them underneath the earth's crust.

“Welcome to GUARD,” Tikki told him as he watched in awe. They dropped the exit ramp and walked into a very large aircraft hangar. Planes, jets, bergs, and helicopters were spread out amongst the area. People were running around, doing maintenance on the different metal birds and unloading pallets of supplies from the bellies of some of the flying machines.

The place was well lit and had a mechanical buzz running through the air, along with the scent of oil. As Adrien took it all in, Marinette was whisked past him on a gurney surrounded by nurses and doctors. He only saw her for a moment, she had a plastic oxygen mask strapped over her nose and mouth and tubes running from her wrist and forearm. He only caught a glimpse of her dark hair before she was put on a lift and taken farther underground. Suddenly all of Adrien’s confidence that she would be alright faded away. The doctors were flustered and rushing which only brought Adrien more anxiety.

Plagg seemed to sense his worry and placed a massive hand on his shoulder. “She’ll be alright, kid.” He reassured him.

“Nurse!” Tikki yelled at a dark-skinned man trailing behind the group of doctors while bringing the equipment inside. “How is she doing?”

The man shrugged. “We’re waiting on test results, we don't know what they overdosed her on so we don't have a form of treatment ready. Right now is just a matter of keeping her stable.” After he gave his answer he ran off to catch up with the other doctor at Marinette's bedside.

“Tikki?” Adrien asked. “If it's alright, I would like to go with Marinette.” Tikki shook her head.

“Your loyalty to her is admirable, but there is nothing you can do to help her. We have a lot to brief you on about your new life.” She stated. Adrien dipped his head in disappointment but then he noticed her last statement.

“New life?” Adrien questioned.

“Everything will be explained to you. But first, I'm sure you will want a shower and fresh clothes.”

Adrien was taken in a lift and brought deeper into the earth's depths. He was led down a halfway line with walls the color of milk and doors on either side. Plagg gestured to a room on the left side. “This is your room, make yourself at home. Clean yourself up and meet us in the command center.” Adrien nodded but before he could ask where the command center was, Tikki and Plagg turned back and were headed for the lift. Confused, and lost, he entered his dorm.

It was plain and clean, simple and open. A bed in the corner with a nightstand and an alarm clock next to the lamp. A dresser to the side and a closet. A door in the corner held a bathroom. He took a shower, washing all the grease, ash, and sand from his hair. Feeling clean for the first time in days, he opened the dresser to find fresh clothes. He changed into jeans and a button-down shirt.

Now he was faced with the problem of not knowing where the command center was. He thought maybe he could go back up the lift to the aircraft hangar and find his way from there. He opened the door with a plan but as it would turn out, he didn't need one. In front of him was a middle-aged woman, short in stature, and holding a clipboard. “Hello, I’m Pollen. I’ll be giving you the tour.” She held out a hand and he shook it gratefully.

“Nice to meet you, Pollen.” The most striking thing about her wasn’t her incredibly ash-blond hair that almost spread as white as the walls, or her hawk-like nose, or sharp chin, but the fact that her eyes were different colors. Her left was a golden chestnut brown while the right was an icy grey-blue, creating two splashes of color on her pale face.

Pollen showed him around the dorms, there wasn’t much to see, all the rooms and hallways were the same, but he was pleased to find out Marinette's room was just down the hall from his. But then the thought of her sleeping in a hospital bed instead of her room made his heart drop. He was falling in love with her, he knew, and it was too late to stop it. When he first met her, he was standing at the edge of love, deciding whether or not he liked let alone loved her. But at some point, whether it was the hand holding in the dark tunnel or the way they nuzzled together to find warmth in the cold desert nights, he had stepped over the edge and was well on the way to loving her.

The rest of the tour consisted of multiple levels of the facility. The cafeteria, training arena, weapon champers, communication tower, library, wreck room, and finally, the command center.

It was a circular room with desks arched around the walls and a giant computer screen mounted above the counters. People sat with headsets, typing away at their desks as they worked and Tikki and Plagg stood awaiting his arrival.

“Glad you found your way here,” Plagg remarked.

“I had some help,” Adrien said, thanking Pollen before she left to go oversee some task Tikki had given her.

“Everyone out!” Plagg said in a loud enough tone to make his point. Everyone at their desks removed their headsets and left behind Pollen. They all seemed to have a high level of respect for the grizzly man and Adrien wasn't sure if it was because of his abilities as a leader or how he appeared almost threatening.

Despite being giant in stature he appeared to be a gentleman, while he saw Tikki as more of a top dog. She was confident, had an authoritative voice, and seemed to be just as respected as Plagg even though her build and face weren't intimidating but had a classic beauty to them.

“Sorry, I’m late.” A man in a suit said while walking into the room.

“Finally Nooroo, we can get started,” Tikki stated while ruffling through stacks of files.

“Where were you?” Plagg questioned the silver-haired man.

“I was out for a stroll,” Nooroo answered while shaking Adrien’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Adrien said.

“You too,” Nooroo stated. Adrien noticed a somewhat weak handshake, drawing his eyes to the man's wrist. Silver cufflinks shined over his grey suit.

“Nice cuffs.” Adrien complimented. He worked as a model so he was very observant of fashion. “Are they made to look like candle holders?” Nooroo unknowingly adjusted the cuff links now that they were mentioned.

“Roman lanterns.” The purple-eyed man answered. “And thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

After their short discussion on fashion accessories was over, Nooroo returned his attention to Plagg. “Where have you been?” The purple-eyed fox said. He wasn’t trying to be snarky, his tone implied he was just making conversation.

“We’re in the middle of a war Nooroo, not all of us have the privilege to take strolls.” He answered bitterly. “I'm sure you’ve heard Marinette was injured on her assignment.” Nooroo adjusted his tie and nodded his head, clearly taken aback by his comrades' hostile words. Adrien realized the reason for Plagg’s sudden animosity. He obviously didn't like the idea of people going out for strolls while Marinette was barely clinging to life.

“I was deeply troubled to hear what had happened to her. How is she doing?” Adrien felt extremely uncomfortable being in between these two, but felt that if he weren’t, Plagg would probably already have a hand wrapped around the smaller man's throat.

“If you’d bother to check on her, you would know.” The grim figure started coldly. Nooroo didn’t respond, he just directed his gaze away and nodded, accepting defeat without even putting up a fight. Plagg seemed to give up the battle, the realization hit him that arguing won't help Marinette in any way and it wasn’t appropriate to bicker in front of the kid. The tension in the room quickly cooled.

“Are you two done now?” Tikki uttered, tired of their childish antics.

“Yes.” The two men said in unison. Nooroo seemed to be the first to cave when it came to apologizing.

“I’m sorry Plagg, I didn’t mean to come off as insensitive.” He remorsed. Plagg shook his head.

“I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that. I'm just worried about her, you know?” Nooroo nodded his agreement.

“We all are.” He said, settling the disagreement.

The three of them then proceeded to explain everything to Adrien. How Plagg and Tikki had found Marinette when she was sixteen, or at least believed to be sixteen since no one knew her real age, in an Akuma facility. They found out what she could do, and how they could use it against Akuma. They did however leave Luka, Chloe, and Alya out of their story. The loss was still a heavy burden on them all. They went over the past three years at GUARD and how Adrien would need to stay here with them until they can guarantee his safety.

“But I have a family.” Adrien protested. “My parents are going to be worried.” Plagg put a hand up to stop the oncoming string of questions that usually exited Adrien’s mouth.

“Your parents live in Italy while you go to school in Paris right?” Adrien nodded. “You can call them anytime but you can't visit or tell them anything about GUARD. Understand?” Adrien already didn’t see his parents often but it still hurt to know he won't see them for who knows how long.

“But what if Akuma targets them?” He asked, concern evident in his words. Tikki smiled at him warmly.

“We put an undercover security detail on them. Akuma won’t dare harm them.” She explained.

“Now!” Nooroo said with enthusiasm. “Here is our favorite superhumans file, have a look, she will be your personal bodyguard and she will train you in some basic self-defense once she's recovered.” Adrien still had his doubts about Marinette's health and whether or not she would be okay but he appreciated his optimism. “Although,” Nooroo began. “Many of her past missions are classified.” The blonde nodded in understanding.

Adrien was handed a file made of thick pale paper. When he opened it, all that was inside were a few very official-looking pictures of the bluenette and a stack of paper. All of them had paragraphs of text but it was all covered in black marker, making it impossible to read. Only a few lines on the first page were left in the top left corner. What little text was left able to read was brief.

FIRST NAME: MARINETTE
LAST NAME: UNKNOWN
DATE OF BIRTH: UNKNOWN
ETHNICITY: UNKNOWN
AGENT NUMBER: 1492058
CODE NAME: SIREN
GENDER: FEMALE
HEIGHT: 165 CENTIMETERS
WEIGHT: 56 KILOGRAMS
EYE COLOR: BLUE

But it wasn’t the fact no one knew her full name that grabbed his attention, but instead, it was the small line written right underneath her eye color that read...

CONFIRMED KILLS: 431

Before Adrien had a chance to react to the kill count, the door to the room swung open. A woman with tan skin, whose face was covered in freckles and a mess of orange and red wavy hair barged in.

“Trixx what is it?” Tikki asked.

“Marinette.” She said breathlessly, she had obviously run to give them the message. Her voice matched the woman who had spoken through Marinette's bracelet. It was nice to put a face to the name, Adrien thought.

“What about Marinette?” Plagg asked urgently.

“She's awake.”

Chapter Text

Marinette awoke to the sound of the rhythmic beeping from the heart monitor. She slowly opened her eyes to see her surroundings. She was in a private room, lying in bed. Everything in the room was clean and smelled of chemicals and antiseptics. The walls were a pale beige and the floor a white tile. She tried to pull herself up, but there was something tugging on her arm. She glanced over to see plastic tubes, strung to her arm, filled with liquid dripping into her bloodstream. As Marinette's senses came back, she felt something on her face and removed a clear pipe that was wrapped around her ears and feeding her oxygen through her nose.

A short Asian woman with dark eyes walked up to her and asked her how she was feeling. Marinette recognized the woman as Dr. Duusu by her blue and purple striped hair that was kept neatly in a bun. “I feel fine,” Marinette said while sitting up straight. “What happened?” Duusu explained that she was shot multiple times by the sedatives and overdosed. That explained the badges wrapped around her arm, shoulder, and legs. Marinette's foggy memory was starting to clear and she remembered the plane, the herd of ATVs chasing them, the makeshift torch, blondie. Blondie!

“Where's Adrien? Is he alright?” She questioned a sense of urgency in her words.

“He’s fine,” Duusu reassured her. “A doctor examined him and he only had a few mild cuts, bruises, was a little dehydrated, and hungry.” Marinette felt a heavyweight life off of her shoulders and she sighed in relief.

“Can I see him?” Duusu nodded with a smile. She held the commlink wrapped around her wrist to her mouth and asked Trixx to bring Adrien, Tikki, Plagg, and Nooroo to the med bay urgently.

Adrien followed close behind the girl with the messy orange hair that almost resembled the tongue of flame that had saved him in the desert plains. As they came closer to her hospital room, he saw himself picking up the pace of his strides. By the time Trixx opened the door for him, he was sprinting to her bedside. He wrapped his arms around her so tightly, he worried she might break. “Good to see you too, blondie.” He heard her whisper faintly. Behind him followed Tikki, Plagg, Nooroo, and Trixx.

Once Adrien pulled away, Marinette was greeted by friendly smiles, but Tikki seemed focused on business more than anything. “We need to do an assessment of your powers once you're fully recovered.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I'm fine, thanks for asking.” Marinette retorted with a hint of bitterness towards Tikki’s indifference. Plagg sensed the growing tension and knew all too well that any small amber of a disagreement between the two of them would erupt into a bonfire if not extinguished.

“We’re glad to see you awake Mari.” He said, using his pet name for her hoping it would calm her temper. He placed a hand on Tikki’s shoulder as a way of saying they could talk about the matter of Marinette’s power at a later time but Tikki didn’t seem to understand the gesture.

“Can you use your telekinesis or not?” She asked, her voice filled with heat and impatience. Plagg felt that a flame of disagreement was already catching.

Without responding to Tikki’s question, Marinette stretched her hand towards a glass of water sitting on an end table near her bed and made it hover a few inches in the air. Then Marinette slowly moved her hand and the glass started flying higher over the heads of the crowd like a bird. First, it passed over Adrien, then Nooroo, then Trixx, until finally, it stopped, suspended over Tikki. Without warning the glass turned upside down and the water spilled out onto her red hair and to the floor, leaving her dripping wet.

“Whoops,” Marinette said, but it was evident by her smirk that the stunt was intentional. A stunned expression was still plastered on Tikki's face as Marinette returned the glass to its home on the side table. A giggle started to rise up Adrien’s throat which he hastily choked down, knowing it wasn’t an appropriate time for a shared laugh.

Tikki’s tongue formed a string of insults to hurl at the girl, but she had gotten used to taking the high road ever since she and Marinette had their falling out so she swallowed the harsh words and responded in a calm and diplomatic tone. “Perhaps it would be best if I got back to work.” She said before leaving the room to go dry off. Trixx and Nooroo had followed Tikki out the door. Both felt extremely uncomfortable, as did Adrien and Duusu.

“That was uncalled for.” Plagg scolded as soon as the door had closed behind Nooroo. Marinette held her hands up in surrender which was a mistake because it tugged on the tubes strung to her and Duusu had to come and make sure they were still in place.

“It was an accident.” She said, trying to play innocent but the small mischievous twinkle in her eye revealed that she felt no remorse for her actions. “Just been a while since I've had my powers is all.” Plagg shook his head in disapproval, he clearly was not buying her excuses.

“We will discuss it later.” He said firmly. “But for now you need to rest, let’s go kid.” The grim figure gestured for him and Adrien to leave. Adrien decided then that it would be best not to agitate the tall, grim figure. The blonde gave Marinette one more hug before leaving and promised to bring her lunch later in the day.

Marinette spent the next few days being picked, pocked, and prodded by doctors. She had said she felt fine a thousand times but no one seemed to believe her, which was probably justified considering how many times Marinette had claimed to feel fine while still being badly injured. Sometimes Plagg could check on her and bring her a get-well message from Tikki, or Nooroo would bring her flowers. Beautiful black dahlias, which were more of a burgundy color, with tear-shaped petals that formed little spheres around their stems like fluffy dandelions. The purple-eyed man claimed the flowers to be his favorite and Marinette could see why.

But in between chats with Plagg and talking about foliage with Nooroo, it was boring and the hours seemed to pass at half the usual rate. But Adrien started to visit more and more which was kind of him and made the long days more enjoyable. He would sneak her bread rolls or small positions of steak or pasta since she was only allowed Jell-O, oatmeal, and other soft foods during her recovery. It was during one of these visits that Adrien plucked up the courage to ask a question that had been gnawing at his mind since the plane ride.

“Marinette?” She simply looked up at him, unable to answer because of the crumbs from a graham cracker that Adrien had smuggled her falling from her lips. She had to stuff the entire thing in her mouth when a nurse walked by to write something on her chart. “Are we friends?” It seemed like a stupid question but all she had ever referred to him as was ‘target’ or ‘my mission’.

As Marinette tried to swallow the dry cracker she pondered the question. Her only true friend was Plagg. Tikki and her didn’t get along and she wouldn't call Nooroo a friend, just a coworker, they would talk and knew each other semi-well but their relationship never left GUARD. Plagg and Marinette would sometimes go for walks in the meadow above the underground stronghold or play pool in the wreck room, even though Plagg was much better than her and she never won. Everyone else she considered a friend was in a casket.

Adrien was smart, kind, and fun to mess with. He was also one of the few people she trusted which was shocking because trusting every new person she met wasn’t something Marinette made a habit of. From what she had heard, Adrien didn’t leave her behind when the dart hit her in the desert which branded him as loyal. She decided that having a friend at GUARD, especially one who isn't as busy as Plagg, wouldn’t hurt.

“Of course we are friends.” She stated. “If I didn’t have you, who would bring me bread pudding?” Adrien chuckled and was relieved that his title was no longer ‘target’. Friend was still a ways away from where he wanted to be but it was a good start and he was content with the relationship being strictly platonic.

After four days she was cleared from the med bay and was ready to start Adrien’s training.

The first day was the most difficult, in Adrien’s opinion. Marinette woke him up at sunrise and forced him to run alongside her as she sprinted around an indoor track. Marinette had a lot more experience and stamina than Adrien and was hardly breaking a sweat while the blonde was panting like a dog. Her time in the med bay had affected her strength and her running time was slower than usual but she knew with her exercise routine back on track, her running time would be back to normal soon.

“So what do you think of training so far?” Marinette asked while wiping sweat from her brow.

“I think you're trying to kill me.” Adrien joked between breathless intakes of air.

The running was followed by more exercise. Jumping, climbing, swimming, weight lifting, and to end the day, more running. By the time Marinette released him from this hell, he was drenched in sweat. He took a shower and flopped onto his bed. Every muscle in his body ached, muscles he didn't even know existed were sore.

The following day wasn’t nearly as bad. A light jog on the track was all they did and Marinette said she was going to give his body time to rest from their previous days' work.

“If we're not going to exercise then what are we going to do all day?” Adrien asked, grateful for the break as were his muscles. Marinette gestured for him to follow her as she left the gym area and brought him to a new room, one that had been left out during Pollen's tour, as was a lot of the facility considering its enormous size and the amount of tunnel it had.

Marinette had taken him to the lifts and they fell deeper underground and headed towards the shooting range. They entered a long room that had open stalls and each stall was facing the open concrete walls and floor. The back wall slanted down and up until it met and made a point like an arrowhead, Adrien didn’t know at the time but this was to keep bullets from ricocheting off the concrete. In front of each stall was a thick paper sheet with the outline of a man with a bullseye on it.

Marinette handed Adrien a pair of safety glasses and brought him into the center stall. The space was narrow and Marinette had to stand behind him. The blonde didn’t understand what they were doing in here until Marinette pulled out a small black case made of hard plastic. She lifted the lid and inside was a dark pistol. Marinette instructed him on how to handle it, taught him how to unload and reload quickly as well as clean it. But Adrien wasn’t entirely comfortable with the weapon.

“I don’t want to kill anyone.” He said, remembering how she had 431 kills to her name.

“Relax,” She explained. “It's an air pistol, there is no gunpower involved and you will be firing tranq darts, we can’t give a civilian a deadly weapon so this is just a precaution in case Akuma comes after you.” Adrien felt better knowing that whoever was on the receiving end of his pistol would not receive a lethal blow. But it still weighed heavy on his conscience that Marinette had the blood of hundreds on her hands. An accident maybe, but no one accidentally kills four hundred people. Self-defense? Possibly, she is a spy and in a dangerous line of work. But Adrien had seen her full rage while she attacked the glass barrier while they were being taken to Akuma after the soldiers had taunted her about a dead lover. It didn’t hurt the first time this other guy had been mentioned, he was dead after all, but he suddenly felt jealous. If Marinette had gotten that angry it meant she still cared.

All humanity seems to drain from her and a blind furry took control of her judgment. He worried that maybe the murders were intentional, that she had taken their lives in cold blood, and that he might be falling for a merciless killer.

“Marinette?” He asked, afraid of her answer. “Nooroo showed me your file and it said you had 431 confirmed kills, was that a typo or...?” He trailed off waiting for her to answer. Marinette looked to her feet, utterly ashamed. After the death of her close friends she lost it for a while, she was irritable and impatient. On missions, she killed hundreds of Akuma soldiers, thinking it was some kind of payment for what they took from her. Believing that if she killed enough of them, their ransom would give her back Alya, Chloe, and Luka. But she was wrong. She had broken her vow to them and the shame of that, the pain of the loss of her friends, the death of the boy she loved, and the guilt of taking hundreds of lives still weighed down on her to this day.

After a few months of the senseless killing, Marinette found herself in a room full of bodies sprawled out on the floor. Puddles of blood surrounded her like rain after a storm that children in yellow boots would jump in. The room had no doors, just concrete walls surrounded her like a cage. How did she get here? She wasn't sure, all she knew was that she killed the people in front of her, she could tell by the hot, crimson blood dripping from her fingertips. Marinette looked out at the sea of the dead, their bodies were clothed in the black Akuma uniforms, and their faces were covered by the masked helmets.

Something in the distance caught her attention, an instinct told her to move forward and without thinking, she followed her intuition. She stepped over the bodies, heading in an unknown direction. She stopped suddenly and glanced down at the body in front of her. Laying on its stomach, its limbs sprawled out. Marinette dropped to her knees and pushed the still figure over. She wasn't sure what her reasoning behind moving the body was but she did it without hesitation. It was heavy and limp but she managed to flip it onto its back. She glanced down at the dark mask it was wearing and she screamed.

Marinette jolted up from her dream and tried to erase the image of the cracked helmet and Alya looked at her through the broken mask. “I killed her,” Marinette whispered to herself as she rocked back and forth. “I killed her.” Frantic and hysterical, Marinette stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom to the right of her dorm. She splashed her face in cold water and reminded herself it was just a nightmare. She hadn’t killed Alya, she couldn't have killed her, Alya was already dead. Marinette remembered the image of her fingers dripping blood and she turned the faucet on and scrubbed her arms raw. Of course, there was no blood on her hands, it was only a dream, but in a way, there was blood on her hands. The blood of 431 people she killed without a second thought.

After seeing Alya in the uniform, the helmet cracked and her face showing, right after Marinette had killed her, she never took a life again. She couldn't, every time she had the impulse to snap an Akuma soldier's neck she saw Alya behind the helmet and released the soldier from her grip. It didn’t matter though, the damage was done. No matter how hard she scrubbed her hands, they would never be clean again. They were stained red with the blood of the 431 people.

Adrien watched Marinette's eyes grow distant and hollow as they did when she was reliving something painful. What she was thinking about, Adrien could only guess but he waited patiently for his answer despite the growing anxiousness in his gut. He needed to know but was afraid of what would come from knowing.

“It’s not a typo,” She stated in such a low voice it was almost a whisper. “Listen blondie, I’ve made some mistakes. I was in a dark place and wanted compensation for all they had taken from me and I thought that killing off Akuma soldiers would somehow make me feel better but it only made it worse. I regret it, I really do. But there is nothing I can do to change it now except promise myself I won’t break my vow again.”

“Vow?” Adrien asked. “What vow?”

“When I first joined GUARD I swore an oath to never kill, to be better than the people who gave me my powers. But I broke it and now I have to live knowing I've taken other people's lives. I’m sorry, please don’t think less of me.” Her head dropped in shame. Adrien had to admit it was off-putting to know she had taken lives but she seemed genuinely remorseful.

“I'm not going to think less of you.” He said truthfully. “The fact that you saw what you were doing was wrong and stopped doing it just shows that you learned from your mistakes. I'm not going to look at you differently because of it.” Marinette felt tears prick her eyes but she blinked them away. She didn’t want him to see her cry.

“Thank you.” She muttered before changing the subject. “Now let’s see what that air pistol of yours can do.” She flipped a switch that was connected to a controller dangling from the ceiling and the outline of a man with a target painted on his chest was pulled farther away. “That's a 100-meter target. Let’s see if you can hit it.”

Adrien adjusted his safety glasses and brought the barrel up, holding the grip in his right hand and supporting his wrist with the left hand. He focused on the center ring of the bulls-eye and while exhaling, began to apply pressure to the trigger. Slowly, his finger curled around it and the dart went flying with a bang. Adrien flinched slightly at the sound and jolt in his wrist but a sense of adrenaline and excitement filled his veins. Marinette flipped another switch on the hanging controller and the target returned to them. Adrien was able to see the hole where the dart ripped through the thick paper ring. He aimed at the bulls-eye but the tranq had hit a few centimeters to the upper right.

Marinette helped him adjust his aim until he was able to hit at least three centimeters within the center ring. In between gunshots and reloading the pistol’s magazine with tranquilizer darts, Marinette questioned him on his hobbies, family, friend, school, modeling, basic information any two friends would know about each other. Eventually, they got to the subject of relationships.

“So you do have a significant other?” Marinette questioned as he popped off another gunshot.

“What?” He asked, his ears were still getting used to the light booming of the compressed air pistol. It was hardly anything compared to the snipers that threatened them in the park but the sound still had some power to it.

“Do you have a significant other?” She repeated louder.

“No, well, yeah. I’m not sure.” He seemed genuinely confused as to his relationship status.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Marinette remarked, finding a new sense of interest at the new turn of events.

“Well I was seeing this girl, Kagami, but it was never anything serious.” He explained. “We would fight over little things then break up then get back together. She and I recently split and I expect us to just go back to normal but then you came along and brought me here so I don’t think I’ll ever go back to her. Which is probably for the best, she's a bit of the jealous type.”

“Well when you're dating someone as attractive as you I would see where her jealousy is coming from,” Marinette said and instantly regretted it. “I just mean with you being a model and everything, I'm sure a lot of girls would be interested.” She awkwardly stated, trying to retract what she said as politely as possible. Her cheek flushed which only added to her embarrassment. Adrien's face also flooded red but not from embarrassment but flattered at her calling him attractive.

As Marinette was searching for a way out of the uncomfortable space she had created, Trixx’s voice sounded over her commlink, saving her from further embarrassment. “Siren, you are needed in the mission repost room urgently.”

“I’m on my way,” Marinette responded, her blush beginning to fade. “Come on blondie. We have an assignment.”

Chapter Text

Marinette brought Adrien to the white room which she knew well. But unlike her last mission, she did not have to wait for Plagg, Tikki, and Nooroo to arrive. They reached the command center and walked through a door in the far corner of the room Adrien had not previously noticed because it was blocked by desks, computers, and workers typing away and filling out mountains of paperwork.

Marinette opened the door and was met with an explosion of white. The ceiling, the floor, and everything in between was a blinding white like a blizzard had left a fresh blanket of snow on every surface.

Sat on one side of the desk was the crimson-haired woman, the giant dressed in black, and the purple-eyed fox. Marinette gestured for Adrien to sit in one of the two chairs facing the three figures that almost seemed unnaturally unique.

Adrien hadn’t noticed before but in the pure white room, the three appeared to be some kind of phenomenon. From purple eyes and silver hair to a man of monstrous height, you could mistake him for a modern-day Viking. Tikki’s insanely red hair contrast to the extremely pale wall looked like blood seeping through white cloth, and these three weren’t the only ones who appeared so incredibly unique. Trixx had hair that resembled an open flame, Pollen’s eyes looked as though they belonged to two different people, and the doctor they called Duusu had a mane lined with blue and purple making it look like she had been dipped into messy paint. They were all so unusual. But then again, nothing about Adrien’s situation was usual.

Standing next to him was a girl that was able to defy the laws of gravity with only her mind. He stood kilometers under the earth's surface and was being hunted by an insane group of people who wanted to turn him into a superhuman. Adrien's life was nowhere near usual.

As soon as Adrien sat down Tikki started talking business. “We’re leading a sting operation. Marinette, you and a handful of field agents will go undercover as bidders and get us information about the illegal weapons auction. Marinette your assignment is to get inside and tell the GUARD soldiers that will be surrounding the building what to expect when they attack. So you need to make sure our troops know what they are getting into. The auction will be guarded and they are selling illegal weapons so we have to be prepared for anything.”

“This is a sting operation, why don't the police just handle it?” Marinette rebuild. She wasn't entirely interested in wasting her time when she could be hunting Akuma.

Tikki sighed but responded calmly. “Our goal is to arrest everyone inside, many of which are high on GUARDs list of the wanted. A few of them are even labeled as Akuma supporters.” That got Marinette's attention. Suddenly she was all for the mission.

“When is the operation taking place?’ She asked.

“Two months,” Plagg answered, his tone was serious but then again it always was.

“Where is the auction being held?” Adrien questioned. He knew it wasn’t his concern because he was not authorized to go on missions, and he wasn't sure if he would ever be authorized, but as Marinette’s pupil, he had to accompany her when she was being briefed on assignments.

Plagg looked over some paperwork sitting in his lap before answering. “A mansion in Germany. We’ve had suspicions that the owner of the estate has been involved in a lot of crimes, including tax fraud and bribery, but the police don't have enough evidence to prosecute him. For the next two months we will be preparing and giving you information as it comes available to us. For now, just go back to training.” And that's what they did.

Running, climbing, jumping, swimming, they did it all. Eventually, the day of Marinette's mission arrived and she seemed extremely calm, the same tranquil expression she held when they were being shot at and chased by soldiers. Adrien just chalked it down to experience. She was fully recovered from their time in the desert and the overdose. Her muscles were back to their usual amount of strength and her powers were working perfectly but most of her attention was focused on Adrien.

For the first time in weeks, Adrien was above ground and taking in the view of the gorgeous meadow that concealed the stronghold underneath the earth's soil. He was sitting high up in a tree, his legs dangling from the nock he had found in the branches.

He and Marinette had a training schedule starting from sunrise to sunset. They would wake up early, start training off with a run then go on to study the assigned subject. They would spend two weeks learning the subject in the morning and they would practice subjects he had learned in previous weeks in the afternoon. In the past two months, he had learned how to use the air pistol he was given, some simple self-defense, basic survival skills like purifying water and starting fires, as well as scavenging and snaring food. This week it was maneuvering through trees and underbrush.

Adrien took a moment to rest high in the trees surrounding the large, clear meadow while Marinette laid on a branch a meter or so above him. She was shorter and lighter than he was so she was able to stand and walk across tree limbs that would not hold his weight but offered no objection to Marinette's presence. Adrien was watched in awe on the first day of the two-week period he would spend in the forest as Marinette practically flew through the arms that stretched out of the trucks of the grand oaks. Skipping from tree to tree and climbing up the slender bark with seemingly no effort.

The first few hours up in the trees were spent picking slivers out of Adrien's hands and him trying to get over his fear of heights but eventually, he was able to move through the web of branches with some efficiency.

As Adrien was focused on the deer and the spotted fawns grazing the meadow, Marinette's attention was on something entirely different. Not far from where she and Adrien were perched on an oak tree was a clearing where black marble graves stood marking where the dead had been buried. Marinette had frequented the location many times but she didn’t want Adrien to see the rows upon rows of people Marinette had failed to save. Soldiers that had laid down their lives for others, it was a noble sacrifice but she didn’t need to scare Adrien, not that he was scared easily, he had the bravery to spare, but there was no point in showing him that his new life didn’t usually end in retirement but a cold casket. And chances were that Adrien already knew this.

“Breaks over blondie.” She said while standing up from where she laid and grabbing a branch that hung over her head for balance. “I want to get a few more minutes of practice before lunch.” This, of course, was just an excuse. She had been able to keep them from staggering too far from the meadow and too close to the graveyard but today they had ventured within a stone's throw of the resting place. “We’ll head north along the meadow then head in for Mexican.”

“Sounds like a plan.” The green-eyed boy replied. They both took off in a brisk smooth trot from tree limb to tree limb. The web of branches was thick and much of the time you could simply walk to the next oak by stepping onto one of its arms but as they headed north the forest became thinner and the branches became harder to reach.

Marinette still stayed a few meters overhead as she had reminded him so many times in the last two weeks that the higher branches are the safest. Her words seemed foolish to Adrien considering he wasn’t much of a fan of heights, he preferred to stay on his usual lower branches that could support his weight but over his time at GUARD he had found wisdom in thinking like prey.

In a way he was prey, being chased down by the Akuma predators. In Adrien's mind, the higher tree limbs were a threat because they were far from the ground but to prey, the elevated branches were far from the dangers that hunted them and moved along the forest floor. Adrien began seeing the good sense in staying high off from the underbrush.

As the two of them sifted their way through the thin tangle of wooden arms that seemed to be reaching to grab them from their spot in the leaves, the limbs that once threatened to pluck them from the branches were not becoming thin and scarce. Marinette had to move down from her high perch so the twigs would not snap under her weight. Adrien had to do the same as the once thick section of wood under his feet was now bending from his mass.

As Adrien made a small leap to a nearby tree branch, he heard a loud crack followed by a loud gasp pass through Adrien’s lips as he grew closer and closer to the distant ground and he was reminded why he preferred the lower branches. As he plummeted towards the underbrush he was met with the familiar and hypnotic sounding hum that rippled through the air. His descent slowed and his feet slowly met solid ground as he was lowered onto the soft moss. Marinette retreated to the solid trunk of the oak she was perched in and climbed down to meet him.

“You alright?” She asked, concern evident in her voice. Adrien exhaled the breath he had held for the duration of the fall and nodded his head in reassurance.

“I’m fine.” He stated as he tried to slow his rapid heartbeat. “I think I might stick to solid ground for a while.”

Marinette understood his reasoning but knew that trees were a safe and relatively easy place to hide in case of danger. “Relax blondie.” She reassured him. “As long as I’m here I won't let you fall.” Adrien smiled and they walked back to the meadow.

The deer that was once grazing there heard rustling from the thickets and bolted to the forest where they would be blanketed in safety and concealment. Marinette had taught Adrien where all the entrances that lead into GUARD were placed around the meadow and woodland edge. A large runway was located in the center of the plain that would split open to allow aircrafts to land. There were also garages that had ramps leading to the field. There was a small metal door that was hidden underneath the grass and small flowers that allowed you to climb a ladder down into GUARD but it was only unlocked if you had the authorization to leave, then it would be sealed again until you returned.

Marinette and Adrien walked to one of the entryways that laid a few meters from a large oak near the edge of the meadow. The oak had a significant knot in its trunk and a string of vines growing up its side made it very distinguishable but to any other onlookers, it would look like any other tree. Adrien knelt down next to a small rock formation made out of pebbles that marked where to lift the small square of metal up but once again, the pile of stones would be seen as unimportant to anyone who was unknowing of its purpose.

“We're back, Trixx. You can unlock the entrance.” Marientte said into her commlink.

There was a slight click sound of the lock opening and the blonde lifted the thin piece of steel to reveal a well-lifted shaft leading down into the stronghold. A ladder ran along the side of the pipe and Adrien gestured for Marinette to start her climb into GUARD.

“Ladies first.” He stated politely. Once they finished their descent and were inside a hallway and on their way to the cafeteria, Marinette called Trixx on her commlink. Over the past two months, Adrien had learned that Trixx was Marinette's personal assistant or something of the sort. She was the one who talked Marinette through missions and did the paperwork Marinette had no idea what to do.

“Trixx, Adrien and I are inside GUARD, tell security to lock down the entrance ladder,” Marinette said into the commlink on her wrist.

“Will do Siren,” Trixx responded. Adrien noticed that Trixx had almost always referred to Marinette as Siren, her code name. But Adrien did not know that there was a story behind the name.

As they finished up enchiladas and tacos Adrien’s mind was occupied by the thought of Marinette leaving in a few hours to go on a dangerous mission. He knew she was smart and capable but he still worried. Marinette noticed Adrien had zoned out and had an anxious look on his face.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked but her words were almost lost in the swarm of conversation around them that echoes throughout the large room.

“Hmm?” Adrien said unconscious to what she had just stated.

“What are you thinking about?” Marinette answered a little louder so she would be heard above the buzz of speech in the cafeteria.

“Oh. Just that weapons auction later. Are you sure it’s safe?” It was true that they had taken every safety precaution possible without being overly suspicious but there was always something that could go wrong.

“Nothing in this line of work is ever safe, blondie.” She answered. “But the risk is worth taking.” Adrien continued to pick at his food but never actually ate any of the remaining enchiladas on his plate. “You know,” Marinette said, breaking his gaze from the now cold food. “If it makes you feel any better, you could come with me.”

“Really?” He asked in astonishment. “But I haven't been cleared to go on missions.” Marinette shrugged.

“You can just stay in the car, out of harm's way.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, still uncertain of her words.

“Of course, clear your plate, we leave in an hour.” She answered while picking up her empty tray to leave.

Chapter Text

As a disguise, Marinette was taking the name Chandi Sóng, the daughter of a rich and well-respected man back in Japan. Marinette did have features that hinted at her having some Asian relatives somewhere in the family tree, but Marinette couldn't be sure what her heritage really was.

Chandi’s father had sent her to the weapons auction on his behalf. Chandi wore a traditional cheongsam that hung to her ankles. The Asian dress was a rich red and had embroidered cherry blossoms across the bodice and gold lining the hems. Because some of the people going to the illegal auction were Akuma sponsors and would most likely recognize Chandi as Marinette, she was to hold a black bamboo fan with the same cherry blossom and gold design over her face throughout the night. To help conceal her identity her deep indigo hair was pinned up and an excessive amount of make-up was applied to her already beautiful features in an attempt to make her look different from her usual natural look.

Two other Asian women, who were really GUARD field agents, were accompanying Chandi as her father's representatives. They wore matching cream-colored cheongsam with small pink and yellow details stitched into the fabric, not nearly as detailed or extravagant as the one Chandi wore but still very elegant and rich in culture. Their dark hair was pinned up similarly to Chandi’s, and milky white-colored bamboo fans shielding their mouth and nose as to not bring suspicion to Chandi’s face being hidden.

Acting as their chauffeur was Adrien in a tux. Marinette had invited him along without Tikki, Plagg, or Nooroo’s knowledge but he would be in the car the entire time and safe from harm. The body of the vehicle was bulletproof along with the windows so as long as he kept the doors locked, nothing bad would happen. He just had to be ready to drive like a mad man when the fighting started.

The plan was to send Marinette in under the name of Chandi and she would be able to get a read on what they were up against. There were GUARD soldiers waiting a distance away, ready to pounce once Marinette gave the word. It was her job to instruct them on the best course of attack since no one knew what to expect once inside. She was meant to wait until after the auction had begun and everyone was distracted to give the soldiers the all-clear to begin raiding and arresting.

They had flown to Germany and were approaching the large, regal home. It was long but only appeared to have one story and a tall roof. There were stone pillars and trimmed hedges and big lights illuminating the house in the darkness of the night. The mansion was pretty rural and there were no other buildings nearby which served as an advantage because the GUARD soldiers could keep a distance while still having a visual of the estate.

Adrien opened the door for the three women in the back seat and they climbed out, immediately flicking their fans open and covering their features. Adrien gave her a look of anxious worry. “Relax blondie,” Marinette whispered as she sneakily handed him a commlink. “You will be able to hear everything Trixx and I say. Keep the doors locked and don’t move from this spot unless I tell you otherwise.”

“Yes, Miss. Sóng” He replied using her fake name as instructed.

“Hey,” Marinette said. “I'm serious. Don’t die out here.” Adrien could tell by her tone that she meant business so he nodded his reassurance and returned to his seat behind the wheel.

The three women entered the large white stoned building and were met with a hoard of drunk, rich, and dangerous people sitting in rows of chairs. There was a giant ballroom with a stage and podium, as well as food and drinks being passed around by servants. The room was beautiful as light poured through the stained glass windows and detailed artwork hung on the walls. But before they could join the swarm of drunk, rich, and dangerous people, they had to make sure their name was on the guest list.

Plagg had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the name Chadi Sóng on that list and whether or not it was there was not a guarantee. The woman with hidden faces approached a thin man in a suit standing in front of a podium that was blocking them from entering the ballroom.

“Name?” The man asked.

“Chandi Sóng.” Marinette reapplied with her nose a little higher than before. If she was going to pull this off she would need to be arrogant. She was the spoiled daughter of a moral-less businessman after all.

The man flipped through a folder that laid in front of him and ran his finger along the names until he found Chandi Sóng. “Alright you can go in,” He said and added chipperly. “Enjoy the auction.”

Marinette merely nodded in reply, hardly acknowledging his presence. She entered the mob of men and women, the two undercover agents training close behind her. Marinette tried her hardest to keep her face covered without keeping her head low, she needed to act as if she was above the people around her, and dipping her head does not help give off that impression. An usher guided them to their seats and a few waiters and waitresses tried to offer her and her entourage champaign, shrimp, crackers covered in delicious smelling toppings, and steaming balls of meat that Marinette was extremely tempted to take but knew she needed to act indifferent to everyone around her, merely walked pass the servants and their trays of food without even glancing their way.

They found their seats but since the two women accompanying Marinette were not going to be bidding on any of the items up for sale, they were seated in the back row while Marinette was brought a few rows from the front and seated next to a man in a thick bearskin coat and his wife dressed in satin and had an obnoxious amount of jewels strung around her throat; Marinette's neck ached just at the thought of carrying that weight in pearls and gems. The other man seated to her left was very old, practically as ancient as some of the artwork, and was bobbing his head with tiredness.

As Marinette sat down the couple to her left started speaking to her in German, Marinette simply ignored them as they attempted a conversation in French and Italian. Marinette understood most languages spoken in Europe but thought it best to act indifferent, that was until they asked if she spoke English. She worried that if she continued to ignore them they would start speaking in Japanese, where she was said to be from, and she would be caught as a fraud since the language was a mystery to her.

“Yes, I speak English.” She said while keeping her eyes directed to the stage to show her disinterest in speaking to them.

“I am Luisa Müller and this is my husband Alexander Müller.” Luisa stated in a thick German accent. Alexander extended his hand to shake hers but Marinette offered him hers with her palm down to indicate she found herself superior.

“I am Chandi Sóng,” Alexander took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles before continuing the conversation.

“You look beautiful.” He said, causing a noticeable amount of annoyance to Lusia. “And young,” He continued. “Are you sure you aren't lost?”

“I am right where I need to be,” Marinette answered rather poshly, her face still hidden behind the black fan.

The Müllers continued rambling about how they had recently bought a vineyard of grapes just because they took a sip of its wine and were mesmerized by the taste but were now complaining about how long it would take to age the wine. Marinette had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at how pointless their rambling was and merely focused on her surroundings. There were no guards or soldiers, yet, so she had nothing to report.

A weasel-faced man walked to the podium on stage which seemed to shut up the Müllers, thankfully. The weasel welcomed everyone and announced that the auction had begun which was filled with thunderous applause from all, all except Marinette, she could not risk removing her fan.

One by one, weapons were brought out for the audience to see and a detailed explanation of the damage they could inflict. Misles, bombs, high-powered guns, swords, and double-bladed axes forged of the finest iron and steel. Hands shot up, all willing to pay prices that ranged in the millions. When the weapons were brought out a swarm of suited bodyguards came out with them and only a few were armed with pistols as far as Marinette could see. They were cocky and overconfident that they would not be caught in their illegal scheme that they only had twenty men or so men guarding the room. Marinette was waiting for the intermission where the guests would be served more drinks and food when she would be able to sneak away and talk to Trixx. Unfortunately, that time did not come.

When an underwater high-powered missile was brought to the stage, Alexander's hand shot up instantly and in his hurry to buy the weapon, he clumsily hit Marinette's fan out of her hand, sending it to the floor. Alexander bent down to retrieve it for her and hastily apologized but when he looked up at the blue-eyed girl, he did not see the girl who was known as Chandi but the genetically engineered weapon that escaped Akuma three years ago.

“Siren.” He whispered as Marinette took her fan from him, flicking it open and covering her lower face but she did not do it quickly enough because Alexander began screaming. “Siren! Siren! She’s here!” Confusion flooded much of the crowd but the few that recognized the name ran for the door. The weasel at the podium sprinted to where one of the bodyguards was standing and escaped somehow.

The people who did not know who this Siren was soon picked up that it was someone dangerous and began to flee. The once calm ballroom was now a stampede. Adrien watched from outside in the car, doors locked as he had been instructed. People flooded out of the doors. Men in suits and animal skins, women wearing their weight in jewelry and tripping over their heels. “Trixx!” Marinette screamed over the commlink. “I blew my cover. Send in the troops!” The distinct sound of glass shattering and Marinette shouting in pain came across the line.

Disobeying his orders, Adrien left the safety of the car and forced his way through the mob of people running for their lives. The ballroom was a mess, food, and drinks scattered on the floor, chairs tipped on their sides, and shards of glass from champagne flutes were everywhere. The two agents that accompanied Marinette were fighting off the bodyguards as she used her powers to throw chairs at their attackers. Adrien noticed she was bleeding from her upper arm and her once neatly pinned hair was a mess as stands fell from their place. One of the agents in a white dress fell dead to the floor as a bullet punched through her heart. Adrien wanted to run to the woman, he wanted to help her but something flashed in the corner of his eye.

A few bodyguards laid unconscious on the ballroom floor but one of them wasn’t entirely senseless. Adrien watched as he pulled a pistol from his holster and with a shaky hand pointed it at Marinette whose back was turned. The man was too far away to reach in time so Adrien did the only thing he could think of.

He ran to Marinette who stood in the middle of the ballroom, bleeding, and sweating. “Marinette!” He called. She turned at the sound of his voice but failed to notice the barrel pointed at her. He sprinted to push her out of the way of the bullet, he was five meters away from her, four, three, two, one. Then the familiar sound of a gunshot rang through the air just as he grabbed her waist; a piercing pain sliced through him.

“Adrien!” Marinette screamed in horror as his grip around her loosened as he toppled over. “Adrien!” She called again but with no response. Blood instantly soaked his white shirt and tux jacket. The GUARD soldiers that had waited for Marinette’s cue to attack stormed into the room but Marinette was too focused on Adrien’s falling eyelids to pay any attention.

“Adrien, come on, you have to stay awake.” She held his head in her hands and gently shook him. For a moment his red-rimmed eyes were pulled away from the sight of fighting soldiers focused on hers but Marinette’s eyes were too full of tears to notice. “I can’t lose you too. Come on, stay with me.” She pleaded.

Two soldiers dressed in camo came, dragged Adrien out of the war zone, set him on a gurney, and wheeled him away. Marinette was too numb to follow.

She sat on the cold marble floor, the white stone stealing the little body heat she had left. Tears slid down her cheeks smearing her make-up but she didn’t care. She wanted to run into the forest like she did when she saw Chloe's corpse. She wanted to hide in the shadows of the trees but all she could do was stare at the small pool of blood that stained the perfectly white floor of the ballroom. And without remembering how she got there, she was at the GUARD med-bay listening through the door to the sound of a heart monitor flatlining as Adrien lay on the operating table.

Chapter Text

Marinette sat on a hospital bed as Duusu cleaned up the cut on her upper arm, the sound of the heart rate monitor flatlining still echoed in her head like a constant and repetitive buzzing. She could still hear the doctors yelling and scrabbling to revive him and all Marinette could do was say that it was her fault. She had let him come without permission and now he was fighting for his life.

As Marinette listened with her ear against the door of Adrien’s operating room, Plagg had found her and dragged her to Duusu to have her cut looked at, and up until that point, she hadn't noticed she was bleeding. Marinette flinched slightly at the stinging of a needle piercing her skin as Duusu threaded the wound shut.

“The cut isn’t very deep.” The doctor said while pushing her mix of blue and purple hair out of her face. “It won't leave a scar.” To be honest Marinette didn't care about scars. Dozens of them lined her skin, showing the battles she had won, and some she had lost. Marinette saw it as a kind of diary that recorded her history. A thin white gash on her left forearm that was a few centimeters long had been earned when Marinette was hit by a piece of shrapnel while pulling a soldier out of wreckage. A blemish on her thigh was from when she was stabbed while undercover at a horse race. A scar at her waist was given to her when she had been shot by a rifle, and chances were she would have another scar to match if Adrien hadn't done what he did.

The only scars she hated were the ones that appeared during her time at the refuge. Jagged marks ran up from the base of her spine to the nape of her neck, giving her discolored gashes all over her back. The white scars gave the impression that an animal had clawed away at her flesh but in fact the short lines were given to her by scalpels and knives from having to rip her open over and over in hope that she would become the impossible, and she did. She got powers and the cutting stopped but her suffering didn’t. The scars became a permanent reminder of what was done to her.

As Duusu tied off the stitches, three familiar faces appeared in the doorway. “How is Adrien? Marinette asked before they even got a chance to say hello.

“He flatlined but they got him back and he's stable.” Plagg said. “They are hopeful that he will make a full recovery.”

“Only hopeful?” The blue eyed girl asked.

“Be glad they are hopeful.” Tikki stated bitterly. “What the hell was he even doing there? We never gave him authorization to leave.” Marinette understood what Tikki was trying to accuse her of but she was not in the mood to deal with one of her lectures. She knew she messed up and didn’t need to be reminded of that.

“Can I see him?” Marinette asked, completely ignoring Tikki’s presence in the room.

“He’s awake.” Nooroo answered. “He’s been asking about you. Once Duusu is done patching you up we can go see him.” Luckily Duusu had already finished up with Marinette’s arm and permitted her to leave. Marinette got off the bed and ran past her three superiors and through the hallways to Adrien's hospital room.

As soon as she set eyes on him, her heart sank. He was white as a sheet, sweating, had tubes sticking out of his appendages, and the heart monitor was only registering small, weak heartbeats. His shoulder was wrapped in bandages and his arm was propped up in a sling. “Adrien?” Marinette mumbled. Anemically, he opened his eyes which seemed to be a great effort on his part.

“Hey.” He managed to whisper to her and a small smile tugged at his lips. Marinette's eyes stung with tears but she bit her lip, not wanting to cry in front of him.

“I told you not to die Adrien, I specifically told you not to die, and what did you go ahead and do?” She retorted sarcastically and slightly angry that he disobeyed her orders to stay in the car.

“I died.” Adrien responded with a glint of humor in his eyes.

“I’m serious, blondie. Your heart stopped.” Tears threatened to fall from her eyelashes but she blinked them away, determined to maintain her composure. Weakly, Adrien tapped the heart monitor that beeped continuously with his pulse.

“It’s beating now.” He reassured her and Marinette couldn't hold back from hugging him. She wanted to hold him tight but worried about hurting him more, so she gently wrapped her arms around his collar.

“If you die again I’ll kill you.” She whispered into his neck and he chuckled.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He said while embracing her with his one good arms.

“I'm not kidding.”

“I know you’re not but how will you kill me if I’m dead?” He asked.

“I’ll find a way. But seriously,” She said, her tone empty of all humor. “I’ve been doing this for a while and… I can’t lose you too.” Adrien wanted to ask about the ‘too’ but Tikki, Plagg, and Nooroo walked in before he had time to form the question.

“You had us scared there kid.” Plagg stated with a smile.

“Sorry about that Mr. Plagg.” Adrien responded. He had learned when he first met the grizzled man that he hated being called mister because it made him feel old, so jokingly, Adrien would randomly add the honorific into conversation.

Plagg’s smile faded and he grumbled. “I’m starting to think we should have left that bullet in your shoulder.” He retorted, which got him a stiff elbow to the ribs by Tikki and he hastily said he was only kidding, which of course he was. Adrien was smiling, as was Plagg but Marinette and Tikki still had a business-like look on their faces while Nooroo seemed to be deep in thought and not aware of the conversation.

“My question is,” Tikki stated and all attention was placed on her. “What was Adrien doing in Germany?” She said while eyeing Marinette. Adrien had not known that Tikki, Plagg, and Nooroo were unaware of him going along but he sensed that Marinette would get in trouble, so he quickly bluffed.

“She didn’t know I was there until it was too late.” Adrien lied. “I was putting her gear on the plane to Germany and didn’t get off in time before take off. After we landed, Marinette didn’t want to leave me alone in an airplane hangar of a foreign country. So she told me to stay in the car but when I saw everyone running and screaming I knew something was wrong and disobeyed orders. I’m sorry, it was my fault.” Marinette was shocked at him lying for her but hid her astonishment under her usual expression as to not discredit his story.

“Is that how it happened, Marinette?’ Tikki asked, utterly unconvinced.

“Yes.” She responded nonchalantly. “And I’m lucky Adrien did disobey my orders because I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn’t for him.” She placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder and he smiled at her.

“Well we should probably let Adrien rest.” Nooroo said, finally paying attention to what was going on around him. The group left but not before Marinette promised to visit during lunch.

As soon as they entered the hallway, Tikki gripped the girl's arm tightly and dragged her into an unoccupied hospital room. “The hell are you trying to pull?” The redhead scolded, hands on hips and staring down at the shorter girl. “Did you honestly think you would get away with bringing him? He’s a civilian! What were you thinking?!”

“I wasn’t thinking, alright? I know I messed up. It won’t happen again.” Tikki sighed and rubbed her forehead out of stress and annoyance.

“He could have died Marinette.” The redheaded woman pointed out. “Sometimes it seems as if you like burying coffins.” Marinette balled her firsts in an attempt to resist slapping her. Tikki knew better than anyone how much she blamed herself for her friend's death, and to accuse her of enjoying watching her companions die was crossing a line.

“No I don’t,” Marinette said through gritted teeth. “I told you it won’t happen again.”

“It better not.” And with that, Tikki turned and left Marinette to stir in her anger and frustration. She knew it was her fault, she never denied that it was. She regretted her stupidity and overconfidence. She meant what she said. It would not happen again.

She also meant what she said about visiting Adrien at lunch. He was asleep when she arrived and she gently stirred him awake. He was given broth and mashed potatoes to eat but Marinette smuggled half a croissant. She had learned it was his favorite baked pastry and managed to sneak it past the nurses.

“You already got in trouble with Tikki once.” Adrien said while taking small bites of the fluffy bread to savor the flavor. “I don’t want you getting reprimanded over a croissant.”

Marinette shrugged. “You brought me bread pudding, I'm just returning the favor.” She smiled, one of her rare, breathtaking smiles.

Chapter Text

Marinette tossed and turned in her bed, the mattress hard and firm under her weight. She had been sleeping on a small stiff cot while in the refuge and could fall asleep on anything soft and light. The feeling of sinking into a mattress made her uneasy as if the blanket and sheet were trying to swallow her whole, so she settled for the inflexible bed. After a long night of restlessness, she finally drifted off.

A dream began to set in, she was walking through the pile of rubble that once trapped Alya and Luka underneath it. She staggered over to the blue tarp, the man who had helped her thought the forest was to her side but eventually split off from her path. Her surroundings here were the same as the day her friends had died and so far the events seemed to be in unison with what had happened that dreadful afternoon.

The sun was on the edge of the horizon when she finally stepped into the blue plastic tarp that had three ivory sheets covering the lifeless bodies. There was one major difference that stood out in her dream. On that day she had avoided the sheet to the far left that was draped over Chloe's lifeless body. She had steered clear of her because she could not bring herself to look into her eyes again. The eyes seemed to still be flooded with life and feeling while her face was permanently stuck in a terror-filled position. But in this dream, she fell to the ground next to the first sheet and removed the covering.

Underneath the thin white blanket, Marinette was met with a pair of eyes staring back at her. But the eyes were not Chloe's usual icy blue, but a piercing green.

Adrien laid still and lifeless, his face covered in ash and matted blood. Then he started to speak.

“Why didn't you save me?”

Marinette shook herself from the dream. A feeling of guilt, fear, and disgust washed over her. Cold sweat dampened her skin. The thought of Adrien, someone she was training, someone she considered a good friend, dying as the others have sickened her. She sprang out of the stiff bed, throwing the blankets to the side, and retreating to the usual place she fled to in order to escape the night terrors. The small bar where GUARD soldiers would drink, laugh, and occasionally fight when things got out of hand, was her domain.

It was a small, open area that anyone could walk into at any time, but that was never a concern of Marinette’s, the bar was the last place anyone would look for her. It was near the earth's surface and had shelves of liquor stacked behind the bar counter. A warm fireplace with logs of oak resting next to it and a soft couch facing it along with some leather chairs. The plain tan couch was decorated with blankets and patterned pillows that gave it a comfortable feel and the leather chairs had carved wooden armrests and legs.

Marinette sat at the bar counter with a glass in hand. She was above the legal drinking age and had tried alcohol before but never found it all that good. Instead, she stuck to water and tea, she had seen the way liquor had changed people. Once good and tactical troops had been thrown from the force because of drinking. They craved the buzz of the drink, the numbing buzz that diminished the pain of losing brothers and sisters while fighting against Akuma. Marinette knew better than to follow in their footsteps, although she must admit the thought that alcohol might dull the grief she felt was appealing. but whenever she had these thoughts Chloe's voice came to her.

Chloe, being the anxious and protective person she was, constantly kept Marinette, Alya, and Luka from drinking too much whenever they did indulge in the substance. The blonde girl had watched alongside Marinette and Alya as Luka fought off addiction, comforting him through relapses of his drug of choice. Marinette knew that if Chloe were alive she would never allow her to become a drunk, not after watching Luka struggle, and the thought of disappointing her, even after death, was too much to bear. And Marinette knew Luka would hate to see her fall into a similar cycle he had. So she only ever visited the bar because of the warm welcoming feeling the dim lights give off, never to drink away her sorrows.

She set a log on the fireplace and let the heat press against her back as she sat opposite to it, the faint scent of wood smoke filled the room before the soot and smog was sucked into the fan and released into the open air of the pine forest overhead. The buzzing fan would help disguise the smoke and keep attention away from the hidden base. But against the flickering flame and whirring fan, she heard faint footsteps in the distance.

She assumed it was just the janitors doing their night shifts, they had seen her resting at the bar some night but never paid her any notice. She was an adult and her being at the bar was none of their business so they kept their noses out of it. As the footsteps grew closer, Marinette noticed it was missing the accompanying sound of squeaky wheels as the janitors pushed their carts of cleaning supplies.

She grew suspicious, no one else was ever awake this late. Her mind raced with the possibility of an intruder but her fears were put to rest when she soon saw a blonde pass by. He stopped and stared at her, eyeing the glass in her hand.

“Relax blondie,” She said, immediately realizing his suspicion. “It’s just tea.” He seemed relieved by her answer but still uneasy. The dark clear liquid resembled rum and it didn’t help that the only cup Marinette was able to find was a textured whiskey glass.

Adrien walked over to the fireplace, accepting the warmth that came from the burning embers. “What are you doing up this late? And what are you doing at the bar?” He asked her, still not entirely convinced by her previous answer. Marinette knew he would never let it go unless she answered his questions, as futile as they may be.

“Couldn't sleep, and I like it here.” She stated. She loved the way the twisting fire would cast shadows on the reflective bottles that sat on the shelves, causing light to dance in the decorated glass. Some of the bottles were green, blue, brown, or purple making colors spin around the walls. The flickering flame and quiet fan also did a great deal to drown out the silence with its crackling and spinning blades.

“And why can’t you sleep?” He asked in a gentle tone but Marinette still got the feeling she was being interrogated.

“I think the better question,” She began turning on her stool to face him. “What are you doing up this late?” Adrien didn't seem fazed by the tables to be turned like this.

“I sometimes walk around when I can't sleep.” He answered truthfully.

“Why can't you sleep?” Marinette questioned. He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, assessing her behavior. She didn’t seem intoxicated but maybe he had caught her while she was still working on her first few drinks, just before the alcohol clouded her mind.

“I just can't stop thinking about that mission.” He finally said, his head dropping as he crouched beside the fire, watching the flames dance on the burning oak log.

“You were shot,” Marinette stated. “It's only been a few weeks, it will take some time to move on from something like that.” He shook his head.

“It’s not that. I watched one of the women who went with you die... Is it always like that?” Adrien asked, turning his head away from the flickering embers to look her in the eye. Marinette traced her finger around the rim of her glass.

“Sometimes.” She answered.

“Do you ever get used to it?” He asked.

Marinette knew what he wanted to hear but it wasn't the truth so she decided to put it delicately. “Not really,” She stated. “Your instincts become sharper and it makes it easier to focus on the task at hand. You kind of block out everything else that isn't important.” Adrien seemed disappointed in her answer but knew she was being honest about it.

“So why can't you sleep?” He asked, trying to change the subject.

“Nightmares.” She said plainly as she took the last sip from her glass.

“You get nightmares?” He asked.

Marinette nodded. “All the time, and when I do, I come here. It just had a warm feeling to it, you know?” Adrien agreed with her reasoning. The bar was cozy and comfortable, he was surprised he hadn't taken the time to visit it sooner. He had walked past it a few times during his insomnia-induced walks but the lights were always off and the fire extinguisher. The dim bulbs and burning oak logs gave the open space living.

“What are the nightmares about?” He asked, listening intently for slurring as she spoke. Marinette didn’t want to talk about it, especially since her latest dream had been about him, but she reckoned he would never drop it since she was in a bar, alone, at night, with a glass in hand. He would probably assume the night terrors were just a cover and think she comes down here every night to drink her sorrows away while everyone is fast asleep. So she bluffed.

“Well, the one I had tonight was about this one mission that happened a little over a year ago.” She began. “There was this Akuma facility at a mountain's edge. It was built to blend into the rough pikes of the mountain, kind of like the one in Australia and at first glance, it appeared to just be part of the cliffside. In front of the mountain was a large wheat field and surrounding it was a thick forest. We destroyed the facility and the remains poured out into the plains.”

Marinette was tired and was trying her best to describe what had happened without giving details about the friends she had lost or the dream she had had about him. “A few of our men didn't make it out before the building collapsed so we led a search party, to make a long story short I got lost in the woods.” Adrien nodded and made a small gesture with his hand for her to give more detail. “There was a man.” She said, “I never got his name, but he was tall, had dark skin, and short coiled hair. He found me and helped me back to the field where the rubble laid.”

Adrien looked at her puzzled. “That sounds like a good dream.” He stated and Marinette noticed the flaw in her bluff. In her tiredness, she had forgotten she was supposed to describe a nightmare, not talk about the kind man who had kept her upright as she sobbed quietly in the woods.

“But we never made it back to the field.” She said calmly, trying to salvage her lie. Honesty came naturally to Marinette, it was different when she went undercover, she was fed lies through her commlink, she didn't have to come up with them herself. “There was this log.” She elaborated. She decided to take another nightmare she had had some time ago and twist it to fit her story. “I tripped over it, it was rotten and full of maggots. The man reached over to help me up but he stepped on the log and it swallowed him.” Marinette remembered that dream vividly, the log had eaten her, not the man, and held her captive as the worms burrowed into her skin, eating away at her flesh as she tried to break free from the rotten woods grasp. It was her alarm clock that saved her from being trapped in that dream, and that fallen log forever.

“The log swallowed him?” Adrien asked.

“Yeah,” Marinette answered, still spinning her finger around the rim of her now empty glass. “He was gone and I couldn't find my way back to the field alone. So I wandered in the woods forever.” Her last statement did have some truth to it. In a way, she was still lost in the thick dark forest, trying to find her way to the wheat plains before nightfall, before darkness cast over her like a blanket of fear. But she could never escape. She was stuck wandering aimlessly through the woods, tears staining her cheeks, never able to leave the thicket of trees.

Adrien walked around the couch, past the carved leather chairs, and sat down on the stool next to her. They both turned to face the shelves of liquor and the firelight shining through them, making the colorful shadows dance.

“I trust you Marinette, I do.” He said sympathetically. “But you have to see how this looks. It's the middle of the night, you're alone in a bar and holding a whiskey glass.” Marinette handed the empty glass to him.

“I have nothing to hide.” She stated. She knew what he must be feeling all too well. She loved Luka. It killed her to watch him destroy himself. A constant worry ate away at her whenever Luka was missing and could not explain where he was or why he was late. Marinette empathized with Adrien and his concern, knowing from experience that it was out of care.

Adrien sniffed the glass and was finally convinced when he didn't smell the strong odor of alcohol but the simple scent of herb tea. He placed the glass down in front of her and sighed.

“Just tea?” He said relieved.

“I've never had much of a head for liquor.” She responded with a small smile, her face illuminated by the crackling fire.

Some might have resented the accusation but considering her past, many might have assumed she would turn to substances, such as liquor, for relief and Marinette guessed as much. Many saw Luka, one of the strongest among them fall victim to addiction, so it was not difficult to see Marinette follow suit. But people will think what they want. Adrien's calm, well-intended nature only gave more evidence that he was just trying to help. Marinette knew that if Chloe had found her like this her usual kind, polite demeanor would quickly turn to anger. She would question and ask why she would destroy herself with liquor the way Luka did with morphine, only to end up apologizing a thousand times over the next month when she found out it was nothing more than tea, and Marinette would forgive her in an instant. She was just being the overprotective mother-like figure she always was.

In the end, Marinette couldn’t blame Adrien at all, he had caught her in a rather compromising position. All alone with a glass in hand. Marinette knew if the roles were reversed she would have had the same theory.

They found a deck of cards under the bar and played a few hands of the games they knew. Eventually, they ran out of games and had to resort to go-fish.

“Do you have a 7?” Adrien asked.

“No,” Marinette answered while shaking her head. “Go fish.” She noticed Adrien rolling his shoulder where he had caught a bullet several times throughout the night. “Is your shoulder bothering you?” She asked.

“It’s just a little stiff, physical therapy is helping but I just want to get back to training,” Adrien said as he picked a card from the deck.

“Give it a week and you’ll be wishing you were still in the med bay instead of training with me.” She joked and Adrien chuckled lightly.

Over the past few months, Adrien had spent time at GUARD and had been in contact with his family. She had heard him mention his mother Emilie and his father Deric but didn’t know much about them and thought that now would be a good time to ask.

“Adrien?” She asked. “What is your family like?” The blonde shrugged.

“We’re just a normal family.”

“Okay, now suppose I can’t remember if I grew up with parents or siblings, and don't know what a ‘normal family’ is.” She stated sarcastically and Adrien hurried to answer her question after realizing his previous answer had been an unintentional jab at her forgotten memories.

“Well my dad is a film director and my mom is an actress, that’s how they met. They got married and had Felix and me and moved to Italy when I went off to college. Now they are enjoying an early retirement” He stated.

“Who's Felix?” Marinette asked, confused as she had never heard the name before.

“My twin,” Adrien answered.

“You have a twin? And here I was thinking someone who looks as good as you is one of a kind but turned out mother nature gifted us two of you.” Marinette said without thinking and immediately flushed red. But Adrien seemed to gloss over her embarrassing statement and simply answered her question.

“I had a twin,” He responded. “He went missing when we were five and no one has seen him since. My parents think he’s dead.” His face softened and shoulders slumped at the memory of his lost brother. He had given up on the idea of finding Felix years ago but still missed his twin dearly.

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said she couldn't imagine losing a sibling. She thought of Nino as brother and Alya, Rose and Chloe as sisters but they didn't grow up together or have shared blood so it wasn’t quite the same. “I shouldn't have brought it up.” Adrien dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t be sorry, you didn’t know.” And after they finished their game of go fish, which Adrien had won, Marinette returned to her stiff mattress but was still unable to sleep. Not because of the nightmares that threatened her at night, but the thought of Adrien’s twin brother. Marinette snuck out of her dorm again and made her way to the library.

After riding the lift up near the surface, she plopped down into a chair and typed the name Felix Noir into the search bar. A few articles about a missing boy who looked like what Marinette imagined Adrien to look like as a child popped up. But it didn’t seem right. Maybe she was being paranoid, but something in her gut told her to look into it. She didn’t have much to do since Adrien’s training had been postponed because of his injury and she had not yet received another mission. She decided that tomorrow morning she would call Mullo, an old colleague who had helped Marinette dig up information in the past, and have her look into it.

A few days passed from the night in the bar, Mullo finally called to tell Marinette that she had found something. They arranged a meeting late at night in the heart of Paris. Marinette left a few hours early to make the drive to the city.

Marinette arrived in the dark of night but wasn’t frightened because the streets were illuminated even in the latest of hours. It is the city of lights after all.

She saw Mullo sitting on a bus bench a little down the block and walked through the chilled night air towards her.

“Mullo!” Marinette whispered as she approached the girl. She had pale skin that practically glowed in the moonlight, was incredibly short, had snow-white hair and deep magenta eyes that were paired with a small sharp nose and light rosy cheeks.

“Marinette!” She whispered back in her high-pitched voice. “It’s great to see you,” Mullo stated as the two girls embraced, Marinette practically standing a full two heads taller than her.

“Did you find out anything?” Marinette asked a little impatiently, her gut had been nagging at her to find answers, but before Mullo could give her those answers a deafening bang rattled through the air.

Marinette didn’t realize it was a gunshot until Mullo fell dead onto the pavement.

Chapter Text

Marinette approached the tall grizzled man, a look of panic in her eyes but years of experience in dangerous situations forced her to stay calm. “Plagg, I need to talk to you.” She said while practically dragging him away from Tikki and out of the command center by the arm. She brought the giant of a man into the white room and locked the door behind them.

“Marinette?” Plagg asked, utterly confused as to the girl's erratic behavior. “What's going on?’ Marinette was pacing around the white table, and frankly, was making Plagg dizzy. She was mumbling quietly to herself, trying to make sense of her situation. The grim figure had to grab her by the shoulders to prohibit her from taking another lap around the table. “Mari.” He said sternly. “What is it?”

She pulled herself together and rummaged through the mess of thoughts and questioned piling up in her mind like sand at the bottom of an hourglass. But before she was able to voice her story to Plagg, he noticed the blood splatters on her shirt and hands.

“Are you hurt? What happened?” He asked while moving her hair and looking over her arms for injuries but Marinette just shook her head.

“It isn’t my blood,” Marinette explained and Plagg froze.

“Who’s blood is it?” He asked, concern evident in his tone.

“Mullo’s.” She answered, her head dropping a bit at the memory of the girl's lifeless body lying limp on the sidewalk.

“The private detective? Where is she?” Marinette shook her head at the dark-haired man.

“She’s dead,” Marinette responded with a harsh bitterness toward the unknown killer lining her words. “I asked her to look into an unsolved missing person case and when I went to meet her she was shot in front of me.”

“I’m so sorry Mari.” Plagg knew all too well that watching a comrade die with your own eyes is never easy. “What missing person was she looking into?” He asked, trying to take her mind off the death shed she had just witnessed. Marinette bit her lip, not sure whether or not she could trust him to keep it a secret. But this was Plagg and she knew he was worthy of her trust.

“Felix Noir.” She answered.

“Adrien's twin?” The grim figure asked.

“You know Adrien had a twin?”

“I know everything… And we may have run a background check on him.” Plagg explained with a dismissive wave of the hand. “Now why were you looking for Felix? It's been over a decade, the boy is probably dead.” He said rather morbidly. He wasn’t trying to be insensitive, but he needed to be realistic, most abducted children don't survive the first 24 hours let alone years.

“Adrien told me about it and I just got curious,” Marinette responded, thinking over what she had read about the child's disappearance. “Emilie went to pick up Adrien and Felix from school and he just vanished from the campus. No one saw him leave and the school cameras didn’t show anything. He just disappeared. It doesn't make sense.”

“A lot of things in this world don't make sense.” He reasoned. “The Bermuda triangle, area 51, the zodiac killer, Jack the Ripper, etc, etc.” Marinette rolled her eyes at his last statement.

“This is serious.” The blue-eyed girl scolded then her voice softened. “You don’t think Felix’s disappearance had anything to do with her death? Do you think it's my fault for getting her involved?” Plagg shook his head.

“No,” He reassured. “Mullo had a habit of digging up secrets that should have stayed buried. There are plenty of powerful people who would want her dead. I highly doubt an old missing persons case had anything to do with it.” Marinette nodded, he was probably right, maybe her death was a complete coincidence.

The next few weeks were pretty easy. Marinette had pushed out the memory of Mullo and Felix and only focused on her day-to-day. Adrien was almost completely healed and had been cleared to start training again but to hold off on afternoon sessions and let him rest, even though Adrien said he was fine the doctors demanded he not overwork himself. So Marinette and Adrien now spend their afternoons in the wreck room where Plagg always beat Marinette at the pool and as it would turn out, Plagg wasn't the only one who could best Marinette at the game. Usually, she would get bored of playing the same thing over and over, but she’s stubborn and was determined to play until she beat Adrien at least once.

“Are you sure you want to play again?” Adrien asked. “I’m getting tired of winning.” Marinette caught him smiling to himself as he chalked his cue and she shook her head.

“Shut up and break.” She remarked and Adrien sent the organized balls flying around the green felt-lined table and unsurprisingly, Marinette lost and she gave up on trying to win and just started swapping stories with Adrien while throwing darts, a game Marinette and Adrien were frailty matched in.

As they flung needles at the target hung up on the wall, Adrien couldn't help but be reminded of the metal darts that nearly killed Marinette and threatened his life as well. But he distracted himself by talking to the blue-eyed girl.

Marinette learned about how Adrien was only modeling to please his parents and how he was only going to college because he got a scholarship and didn’t think it was wise to give up an opportunity like that. At some point, they got to the topic of camping and how Adrien and his parents would spend the weekend at the lake when he was younger.

Marinette had spent quite a bit of time in tents, sometimes for missions, other times for recreation.

“One time I pitched a tent in the oak forest and Alya-” Marinette began to tell the story of how she once spent the night out in the woods surrounding GUARD to keep an eye out for an orphaned bear cub that had been spotted in the area.

Marinette was assigned to track the cub, tranquilize it, and bring it to an animal sanctuary where it would be able to survive without its mother. She was a little confused by it because Alya was the master tracker amongst the group and also the most stealthy. The amber-eyed girl's powers allowed her to move without being seen but she was also an expert in silence. She could walk over broken glass and not be heard so tracking came naturally to her. Apparently, when you are able to move without being noticed, you tend to see where others have not been so graceful.

But Marinette took the assignment anyway not knowing it was Alya pulling the strings behind it.

She took the opportunity to sneak up on Marinette while following the bear track and scared her so badly she let out a small yelp. She nearly used her powers to throw a rock at her head before she saw Alya buckled over, laughing hysterically.

But now that Marinette told the story, she stopped mid-sentence remembering that the tale involved her dead friend. “Never mind.” She said, trying to keep him from asking questions but it didn't work.

“Who's Alya?” Adrien questioned.

“Someone who I used to be close to.” She responded vaguely. She didn't want to touch on the subject but Adrien's overwhelming curiosity needed answers.

“What happened to her?” Marinette sighed trying to push out the memory of her death.

“She sacrificed herself for me... They all did.” She answered with the hollow stare that accompanied her sorrowful thoughts and memories. But before Adrien’s tongue had the chance to form another question, Trixx contacted Marinette over her commlink.

“Siren?” She asked.

“What is it Trixx?’ Marinette said into the thin black bracelet, the blank and empty stare disappearing from her eyes with work to distract her from whatever it was that was weighing on her mind.

“Tikki has an assignment for you and Adrien. She needs you to make an appearance in the mission report room.” She answered.

“Me and Adrien?” Marinette asked. “Tikki is letting him come on a mission?”

“Mhm,” Trixx responded. “She said something about it being a ‘very low risk’ assignment but she’ll fill you in on the details when she gives you the mission report.”

“Okay, thanks Trixx.” Marinette turned to Adrien, one of her rarely seen smiles on her face and Adrien shared the same expression. “Come on blondie,” She said. “Time for your first real assignment.”

Chapter Text

Marinette and Adrien waited in the white room for the three familiar figures to appear through the doorway and give them their assignment. Adrien was overflowing with curiosity and nervousness. There was a mountain of questions piled up in his mind that he was dying to ask but he had to wait until the three founders of GUARD came to give him answers. His leg was bouncing up and down with excitement and worry as he sat patiently behind the white table.

At one point Marinette grew irritated by the sound of his heel continuously tapping the floorboards, the rhythmic clap of rubber soles on vinyl was making it impossible to think. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of commotion. She was buzzing with happiness at the thought of Adrien coming along with her, missions were such a huge part of her life and she was glad to share it with him, but she was also bothered with uneasiness. The last time Adrien accompanied her he was shot in the shoulder and was still recovering, even after three months had passed since the shooting, she was worried that an even worse fate could entrap him.

Adrien's bouncing leg became an incredibly annoying tick, but she understood he was probably anxious. She gently placed her hand on his pulsing knee and flashed him one of her scarce smiles to show she didn't mean offense. He smiled back and the bouncing leg ceased its movement.

Adrien's mind was instantly put at ease by Marinette's grin. It was an extraordinary sight, he knew, and each time he saw it he appreciated it more. Seeing her smile was like seeing a rare bird fly overhead but you only witness the sight for a moment before its beautiful wings are lost in the thicket of trees. Adrien was determined to remember her smile forever.

At that moment Plagg popped his head into the room and looked at them quizzically. "What are you two love birds doing in here?" He asked, his statement earning him a look that could kill from Marinette while Adrien just looked confused at the tall husky man. "C'mon, Tikki needs us in The Closet." He said while ushering them out the door.

"What's The Closet?" Adrien asked no one in particular but received no answer, only Plagg's hand on the two young people's shoulders, urging them forward. The three of them took a lift a few floors up until the earth's surface was only a few meters overhead. Marinette had explained to Adrien that all of the less essential rooms and compartments were built near the top of the facility in case of bombing or attack, everyone would be evacuated to the lowest levels and all of the dorms, weapons, patients in the med bay, and food rations were safe under a mountain of dirt while the things near the surface were left to take the full effect of whatever was dropped on them. It seemed like a smart strategy, protecting the necessities and The Closet wasn't a necessity.

They walked through the white hallways until they found a door labeled "The Closet". Adrien was the last to emerge through the door but as soon as he entered the room he was met with an explosion of color.

The room was more like an auditorium in size, with high ceilings, shelves and racks, mannequins, and displays covering every corner of the large expanse. Wool, batik, cotton, silk, kente, and linen blanketed every centimeter like thick colorful curtains, and out of those curtains appeared two figures.

The first was a skinny man in a crimson blazer that paired well with his red hair that sucked upon his head like spikes on a mace. His eyes were so golden they could be mistaken for yellow, making him look like a dragon or snake. But his smile showed he lacked fangs and was not venomous in any way. He is just as bizarre as the others, Adrien thought without unkind intentions, he found the strange-looking people rather fascinating.

Behind the man in red was a woman, rather short despite her long legs, wide in size, with green eyes, a long nose, and a main that came in streaks of chocolate brown and cream. Even with her lengthy legs, she struggled to keep pace with the golden-eyed man who was walking rather quickly in their direction.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome." The spiky-haired figure said, his grin widening. "I'm so excited to be working with you again Marinette dear, on the last mission we merely picked a dress from the rack and stuffed you in it but today we get to make something from scratch. I'm thinking silk, no taffeta, no-"

"Excuse my husband," The green-eyed woman interrupted. "He is a little eccentric as you may have noticed."

"I'm merely passionate darling." The man retorted while keeping his eyes fixed on Marinette. Like most designers, he had rolls of endless fabric in his mind and thread of every color imaginable, and he was rifling through them all, searching for the perfect one to use on the blue-eyed beauty.

The miss-match-haired woman took her place beside the human incarnation of a dragon and shook Adrien's hand. "I'm Kaalki," She explained. "And this is Longg, we will be doing your designs for the upcoming mission."

"What is our mission?" Marinette asked, looking up at Plagg who stood at her side. But a third figure appeared from the meters of fabric. Tikki, Adrien realized, but she was trapped in stringy orange yarn, making it look like she just walked through a fleece spider web. The redhead was trying to escape from the snare but it only seemed to become more entangled around her. Plagg was the first to start chuckling, followed by Marinette who seemed to be enjoying the sight a little too much.

Kaalki quickly approached the woman knotted in a woolen thread, found the end of the string, and began rolling it back into a ball while helping the director of GUARD out of the cloth snare. Finally, once Tikki was free, she straightened her jacket and stood a little taller, trying to gain back some of her lost dignity.

"Your mission," She said in her usual gentle but authoritative tone. "Is to provide security for a senator's young daughter who is hosting a charity event. There have been rumors that some are planning to kidnap the girl and use her for ransom. It is your job to simply stand watch at the event, blend in, and stop any threat that might appear. As you know rumors can't be trusted but it's better to be safe than sorry. Longg and Kaalki will be having the three of you fitted for appropriate attire for the event. The event is to help raise funds for a new string of animal reserves so every guest is to dress as an animal of their choice. Longg and Kaalki have already finished designing and making clothes for the other GUARD agents accompanying you so all that is left is to get you three ready."

"When is the mission?" Plagg asked.

"Two days."

Plagg sighed and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Some fancy charity event, not sure I'll fit in too well Tikki, I might draw suspicion. Maybe it's best I stay behind on this one."

Of course, this was an excuse, and Tikki had known Plagg long enough to know he hated getting dressed up and having to behave all proper. So, in preparation for Plaggs' protest, Tikki had prepared a backup plan. "I know you don't like fancy dinner parties," She said slyly. "But I've heard they have shipped in some of the finest cheeses in all of Europe. It would be a shame to miss out on that."

Plagg's eyes light up. "Well, I suppose I would not come off as strange if I found someone else who appreciates fine cheese and discussed it with them."

Adrien always enjoyed watching the pair of GUARD directors toy with each other, but a single question was lying on his lips, waiting to be uttered. "Why are you letting me come?" He asked. He had only been training for a short while and last time he went on a mission he was shot in the shoulder and nearly bled to death.

"Because," Tikki said, "You need field experience and there is no reason for Akuma to go to this event so you will be safe from them."

Adrien shook his head. "But last time-" He began but was cut off by Tikki.

"Last time we thought you were still at GUARD. This time you will have a commlink and we will be fully aware of what is happening to you. Everything will be fine." She said reassuringly, but it was not Adrien she was trying to reassure. The boy had courage and loyalty to spare and was not worried about his performance in the field, Plagg and her had already taught him mission protocol. It was Marinette, who was still chewing the inside of her lip with anxiousness, that Tikki was trying to calm down.

Marinette still wasn't sure about this. She could not see him get hurt again. He turned her head to look past Plagg at the blonde boy but he was gone. She searched through the mess of fabric with her eyes until she spotted Kaalki taking him to a room so they could start the design process. Suddenly, Longg was bringing her to her own room as well.

The room had scissors, thread, and needles organized neatly on a table near a sewing machine and ironing board. The room was adequately sized and had good lighting. Sketches of skirts and jackets hung on the walls, all drawn with a gentle steady hand. Longg was rummaging through a file cabinet and pulled out a journal that was already half-filled with designs.

Besides the sound of Longg mumbling to himself, she could hear Adrien sneaking continuously on the other side of the wall. He had mentioned he was allergic to feathers and she snuffed out a laugh.

"So we need to make you look like an animal but which?" Longg said while tapping the end of a pencil against his chin. So far the page in front of him was blank but Marinette knew from numerous hours spent with Longg that soon the page would have a detailed drawing of flowing fabric and beautiful colors. "What are you thinking?" He asked Marinette who was looking over his shoulder at the empty journal page.

Marinette always liked how Longg would ask her what she thought, even though she knew nothing of fashion, it added a sense of personalization to the finished garment. Everything Longg made emanated him, you could see him in the folds of linen he created and the delicately stitched hem he threaded with care, but when he asked Marinette for her impute and ideas it made it feel like it emanated a little bit of her too.

"I'm not sure there are a lot of animals to choose from."

"I know!" Longg exclaimed. "A hummingbird, no. An octopus, no. A bear, no." Marinette put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Slow down." She said, "We have time, no need to rush, just focus on the page and it will come to you." She had seen him do it before, she didn't understand how but he was able to see ruffles and lace and sketch them down with immense skill. But today Long's mind was too full of stitches and kitting that he could fill the page a hundred times over. He needed to narrow down his ideas.

"What about fabric, what do you want to wear?" Marinette shrugged. Types of fabric and their best uses were beyond her. Longg chewed his pencil lightly. "What about color? Any ideas?" But before Marinette could answer he shot up from his seat. "Red! Of course, your color is red, it's always been red, red is amazing." Marinette could tell he liked the color based on how he was dressed, and she rather liked the color herself, but couldn't think of an animal who wore the color.

Longg left her alone for a few minutes before returning with rolls on rolls of red fabric and set them on the table. Crimson linen, maroon wool, burgundy tapestry, raspberry upholstery. Marinette's eyes were drawn to a scarlet satin. She rubbed the corner of the cloth in between her fingers. It was soft and light but still carried great depth to it. The color was matte but still shined when it caught the light. The deep red was perfect.

"This one." She said and Longg nodded his agreement.

"Good choice." He stated.

"But what animal will I be?" Marinette asked. "I can't think of anything red."

"Oh, I have a few ideas," Longg said, smiling. Marinette knew that if Longg wanted to tell her what he was thinking, he would, but he was keeping it to himself so he must want it to be a surprise.

Marinette tilted her head slightly in thought.

The flight to Russia wasn't too long, but three hours with nothing to do could drive anyone crazy. All of the other agents accompanying them were sleeping as they often did. They learned to sleep when they could because they never knew when they would need to stay awake for hours on end. That left only Marinette, Adrien, and Plagg amongst a field of empty seats. None of them were able to sleep through a rough patch of turbulence and decided to just wait out the rest of the flight.

Marinette was stretched out across two open chairs, tapping her foot in the air to an imaginary beat. Adrien peered out the window but the thick clouds made it so all he could see was endless white. Plagg was itching to do something. Anything. He shot up from his seat, startling Adrien who sat two chairs over and started looking through cabinets, cupboards, and overhead bins. To his luck, he found a chessboard.

"Do you know how to play?" He asked the blue-eyed girl who then sat up from her lying down position. She never recalled playing chess but somehow she knew how the pieces moved, she knew the rules but the strategy was lost to her. Sometime in her past, she must have played at least once.

"I know how the pieces work." She stated.

"Good enough," Plagg said while setting a small folding table in between them and assembling the pieces on their designated squares. Once all the pieces were in place on the checkered board, Plagg made the first move.

The game raged on, Plagg had seized four of Marinette's pawns, both her bishops, a knight, a rook, and her queen, leaving her with four pawns, a knight, a rook, and the all to the valuable king in her small army. But as any good chess player knows that it doesn't matter how many pieces you take from your opponent, it only matters who slays the king first.

At one point Plagg, per usual, said one of his snarky remarks. "Amazing." He said to himself as Marinette placed a pawn near his knight.

"Amazing how I almost have your knight?" She said smugly.

A sly smile spread across Plagg's lips. "No," he said. "It's amazing how you somehow manage to be worse at chess than you are at pool." And then he stole the pawn she was about to use to kill his knight with a cleverly placed bishop.

Marinette had taken three of Plagg's pawns and a rook; his garrison had taken some losses but was still fighting. It was Marinette's turn and just as she was about to move her last remaining knight, Adrien's hand gripped her wrist.

"I wouldn't do that." He said, relaxing his firm grasp on her hand.

"But I can take out his queen." She protested.

"That's what he wants you to do." He explained, Plagg glaring at him for revealing his plot. Adrien sat down next to Marinette and pointed to the board as he showed her the trap she had almost fallen into. "If you move your knight you leave the king exposed to this pawn and this knight. As soon as you move it he will call checkmate and you lose."

The rest of the flight consisted of Marinette taking whatever advice Adrien gave her, and to Plagg's dismay, Marinette won. Of course, the grizzly man could have claimed she cheated by using Adrien's knowledge of chess to her advantage, but he was more interested in playing against a real opponent. Adrien accepted his offer to play and Marinette sat back and watched, at times not understanding why they moved certain pieces until later when their play paid off. Adrien and Plagg never did finish their game, the plane landed in Kazan Russia and the event was in less than an hour.

A total of five agents were accompanying Marinette, Adrien, and Plagg on this mission. All of them dressed to suit the event. A woman covered in feathers resembled a colorful parrot, a girl with a skirt made of quills looked like a porcupine, a man in a grey suit and a black mask painted around his eyes was a raccoon, another man in a lime green suit covered in what looked like scales and a shell on his back was either a turtle or tortoise and a girl in a dainty tan dress spotted with white and a crown that resembles antlers was a deer.

They were on a strict schedule, every agent was assigned to enter the event at a specific time. It would look suspicious if a group of eight arrived all at once. Plagg and Adrien were the first to show up, entering the event as a pair.

When the two arrived, they were asked for their names and because the senator had requested extra security for his daughter, they had no trouble getting their names marked down.

The event was held outside in a giant garden, with trees and flowers. There were white marble pathways that guided you through the plant nursery. About thirty meters away from the clearing where people gathered was a hedge labyrinth that was sold off with a velvet rope. They walked through the greenery, their shoes making an appealing sound against the marble, and arrived at the clearing.

There was an open space in the center that provided a dance floor. There were two large white tents on either side of the tile floor where people directed as birds, fish, and forest creatures glided across in a graceful dance. The tent to the left held food and drink white the right had tables and chairs where antelopes and giraffes talked over appetizers.

Plagg, who was dressed in a white tux with black panther print gestured to a young girl standing near the dance. "That's the senator's daughter, the one dressed like a peacock, keep an eye on her."

Adrien nodded but it was hard to take him seriously. Everyone at the event was dressed way over the top, they did everything in their power to make themselves look like their desired animal. One man even looked as if he had tattooed tiger stripes on his neck, but that's wealthy for you. Plagg and Adrien were no exception to the insane dressing.

Plagg was forced to wear fake silver whiskers and fangs that made it difficult to speak without slurring. Tikki had gotten a good laugh out of it when she saw his new feline-themed face, she saw it as payback for him chuckling at her while she was trapped in yarn. His already electric green eyes had been altered by contacts to make the pupil resemble a cat, making him look more like a white panther than Adrien thought humanly possible. Kaalki had done a good job on both of them but if they dressed this way anywhere else, they would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

Sticking to the feline theme, Adrien was a black cat. His green eyes suited the role well but unlike Plagg, Kaalki saw no need to use contacts, she had however, put black fedora that was equipped with cat ears on his head, as well as attached a tail to the back of his belt, and for a little added flare, a golden bell sat where his bowtie should have been.

Plagg despised the clothing, constantly messing with his whiskers, scrunching up his lips because of the uncomfortable fangs, and pulling at the bowtie that he claimed was strangling him. During their fitting Tikki constantly had to adjust the crooked bowtie because of Plagg's fidgeting with it, but she wasn't here now so it slanted to the right. The suit didn't bother Adrien at all, he was a model and used to wearing ridiculous clothing that people considered to be fashionable. But in the midst of humans dressed as animals as if they were specimens in a zoo, Adrien looked rather handsome.

But their suits not only served as a way to blend in, they were designed to be tactful. Plagg's fangs were as solid as could be and in any event could cause quite a bit of damage to an attack, not that Adrien could see Plagg biting anyone, he was giant, he could simply tap someone on the forehead and they would drop dead. Adrien was given white dress gloves that had black claws pointing out of the fabric, they were steel and would prove effective in a fight. The two cats however, were yet to see what Longg had come up with for Marinette.

Adrien was curious, as was Marinette. After she chose the fabric Longg has forced her out saying he wanted to surprise her. But Adrien would have to wait to see her because she was scheduled to arrive last.

It was mid afternoon but it was already getting dark as clouds shrouded the sky. Only a pale light from the rising moon and lanterns hanging from the trees illuminated the dance floor. The GUARD agents present where to stick to their posts until their shift was over and another would come and relieve them, Plagg and Adrien had been separated when the grim faced panther left to take over the racoons position, so the black cat stood alone at the edge of the dance floor, scanning through the shadows of the trees and bushes for threats. But instead of potential danger, he saw Marinette and his heart jumped.

At first all he saw was a blur of red moving gracefully through the garden, but as soon as he saw the blue hair, he knew.

Her indigo locks were pulled back into a loose braid crown around her head except for a few strands that were curled and framed her face. There were small red pearls pinned into her hair that matched the color her lips were painted. She also wore black pearl earrings.

Longg had completely outdone himself with the dress. It had a shallow V neck but the little skin shown was hidden by black lace that covered her shoulders and turned into sleeves that reached just below her elbow. The black mesh sleeves were adorned in red spots. She had a dainty dress glove that cut off at the wrist that was made of the smale lace as the sleeves. The bodice of the dress was a plain scarlet red that cut off at the waist where a A line skirt hung. The skirt was the same red as the bodice but it had lace draped over it. This new mesh was the complete opposite of the one that adorned her upper body. It was thin and red with small black spots.

Marinette saw Adrien through the crowd staring at her and came to join him, as she came closer, Adrien noticed that there were no red pearls in her hair but small crystal ladybugs.

"Are you gonna gawk at me like that all night?" The red insect asked.

Adrien became aware of the fact he had been staring. "Sorry." He apologized hastily. He wanted to tell her she looked completely gorgeous but his mouth went dry as he searched for words.

"Black cat huh?" She said while toying with the bell around his neck as it chimed lightly.

"Kinda ironic." The blonde stated. "Black cats are a symbol of bad luck while ladybugs are supposed to bring good fortune."

"What do white panthers symbolize?" She asked as she saw Plagg standing near the edge of the garden as he stood watch.

"I bet you anything it has something to do with camembert." Adrien answered with a small smirk.

"Really?" The girl in red asked, puzzled. "I thought it symbolized someone who can't straighten his bowtie."

Adrien chuckled slightly. "Tikki isn't here to get on him about it." Marinette fell silent at the mention of Tikki. Adrien knew there was tension between the two ever since Marinette waterlogged her but never understood why they always seemed at odds. They seemed a lot alike, strong, independent, smart, stubborn. He wanted to ask her about it but felt it was the wrong time, still the question dug into him like a termite drilling into wood.

The night went on, Marinette and Adrien both took a shift for the watch but were relieved after an hour or so by the deer and parrot. Adrien watched near the large punch bowl, as the white jaguar and scarlet ladybug waltzed across the dance floor, not too graceful I might add. Plagg stood over a head and a half above the girl and stepped on her toes repeatedly, at times catching her skirt and making her trip into him. But they didn't stand out too much, with the open bar many of the guests were inebriated and stumbled across the dance floor just as poorly, if not worse, than the two spies.

Adrien smiled at the pair as Plagg stared down at his feet trying to avoid the red and black dress with his feet. While the black cat sipped on punch, a girl approached him. She was surprisingly short even with her massive heels, Adrien was surprised she would even be able to walk in them without breaking her ankles. It was obvious by the black markings under her eyes that she was a cheetah, and if that wasn't proof enough her short Cheetah skin dress was there to ensure you knew what animal she was impersonating.

"Hello blondie." The feline woman said, her voice slurred identifying her as one of the people at the party who took advantage of the open bar.

"It's Adrien." He corrected, he didn't exactly appreciate being called 'blondie' by some random girl, as far as he was concerned, only Marinette was able to call him that.

The cheetah extended her hand to him, palm down, her nails were excessively long and sharpened to a point, but unlike Adrien's claws, they would never hold in a fight.

The black cat took her hand gingerly and kissed it lightly. The intoxicated girl smiled slyly at him with her purple painted lips. "I'm Bianca."

"Pleasure to meet you Bianca."

Her smirk widened. "The pleasure is all mine, monsieur." She had picked up on his French accent and in her drunken state, started interjecting whatever French words she knew into her sentences or put on a phony accent during random moments.

As Adrien lost interest in their one sided conversation, he searched the dance floor for the two familiar faces but could not spot the giant or the blunette. Bianca, completely incapable of making a good decision, noticed that the black cat's attention was directed away from her and chose to earn it back in the worst way.

Adrien felt something pulling on the golden bell around his neck and snapped his head to see Bianca attempting to kiss him. He stepped back startled and in shock at her boldness but the cheetah kept a firm hold on the chime attached to his throat and continued to inch her face as close to his as possible. As Adrien searched for a way out he ended up pinning himself against the table holding the punch. Bianca's purple lips struggled to reach his mouth due to her short legs.

Then suddenly he was pulled by the arm away from the feline woman. Stunned, Adrien looked at his rescuer, and as always, Marinette had saved him.

"Excuse me," Marinette said gently but with a cold edge to her world. "Would you care to explain what you were trying to do with my betrothed?" She clung to his arm as if to show that they were in a relationship of some kind.

"Pardon me," Bianca apologized, still flustered in her intoxicated state. "I was unaware he was to be married."

"Well, no harm done. Have a good night." The ladybug replied hastily, taking Adrien's hand before pulling him away to where Plagg sat. "You alright blondie?" She asked once they were out of earshot from the spotted cat woman.

Adrien was relieved that the name 'blondie' was still reserved for Marinette's use only. "Oh I'm fine, she just took me by surprise." They joined the white panther under one of the tents and sat across the table from him.

"Even for a cheetah she moves fast." Plagg said.

"You saw all that?" Adrien asked, slightly embarrassed.

"It was quite a show." He answered which only earned him a glare from Marinette.

"It's not a joke Plagg." She growled, before turning back to Adrien. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine thanks to you." He reassured her.

Marinette nodded and then turned back to the man in white. "For goodness sake Plagg, fix your bowtie." She said, giving him one more quick jab.

Instinctively Plagg looked down at his bowtie, adjusted it but only managed to make it worse. Adrien just shook his head, smiling, Tikki had been right, he was a lost cause when it came to formal dressing. Marinette merely sighed in annoyance.

"Hey kid." Plagg said. "Mind grabbing us some drinks?" Adrien smiled and nodded before walking away towards the food tent. It was a simple excuse to get Adrien to leave so the grim man could poke fun at the ladybug sitting across from him.

"You ran to help him rather quickly." The tall white panther said. "For a moment I thought you might be jealous." Marinette glared from across the table.

"I wasn't jealous. He looked uncomfortable so I intervened."

"And about your wedding," He began. "Any chance I could get a plus one?"

"We're not getting married."

"So pretending to be his fiancée was just a cover eh?"

"You heard that?"

"I hear everything. Everything of importance that is."

"And by importance I suppose you mean anything you can use as blackmail?" A grim smile spread across the panther's whiskerd lips but never reached his eyes.

"Something like that. So," Marinette rolled her eyes but he continued. "What's going on with you and Adrien?"

"He's just a friend." She protested.

"Funny." Plagg smirked. "I remember you saying the same thing about Luka." Fortunately Adrien returned with his hands full of glasses, saving Marinette from further torment and conversation about her lost love.

"Thank you cat boy." Plagg said.

"You do realize we are both dressed as cats right?" Adrien retorted.

"I'm purr-fectly aware of that." The blonde took that as a challenge and Marinette spent the next hour suffering over cat puns. If it wouldn't involve making a scene she would have thrown her dessert at both of them.

The sun fell, the moon rose, and rain began to fall. All the guests retreated to the dry safety of the tents and the girl dressed as a peacock apologized to them for the inconvenience before giving a speech about how their donations will help save hundreds of animals. After she finished speaking, she encouraged her guests to enjoy themselves despite the weather.

Later that night Adrien approached the girl in the dashing red dress who, like everyone else, was under one of the tents hiding from the rain. "I didn't see you dancing with anyone besides Plagg." Adrien said. "Did no one ask you?"

Marinette shook her head as she continued to watch the empty dance floor for potential threats. "No, a few men asked me." That didn't come as a shock to Adrien, she was beautiful but tonight she was radiant, only a fool would miss the opportunity to dance with her. "But I turned down their offer."

"Why?" The blonde asked, puzzled.

"I have a mission to complete," She stated while glancing over her shoulder at Plagg who was pretty easy to find in the crowd due to him towing over everyone else, Plagg had been right, he did stand out. He stood at the buffet, filling his plate with cheese, while enjoying his time off from their scheduled watch shifts. "I can't get distracted by idle chit chatting with some stranger." Marinette explained.

Adrien extended his hand towards her and bowed slightly. "It would be an honor if M'lady would accept my offer to dance." He said with an overly sophisticated tone which made them both giggle slightly.

"I told you I can't get distracted with-"

"Idle chit chatting with some stranger." Adrien interrupted, his hand still extended, waiting for her to take it. "But I'm not a stranger and we don't have to talk bugaboo." He winked.

She rolled her eyes. "We're not supposed to draw attention to ourselves," The girl in red stated. "And we being the only ones on an empty dance floor doesn't exactly scream low profile."

Adrien shrugged. "We can hide behind the bushes in the garden, we can still hear the music and what's going on, and both of us are on break, come on. Just one dance."

"It's raining." She protested

"Funny," He remarked. "you're the first Siren I've ever met that's afraid of water."

"Ha ha" Marinette said sarcastically as she searched for another excuse, but then realized she actually would not mind dancing with Adrien. Unlike Plagg, Adrien would not step on her toes with his giant, clumsy feet. So she sighed, defeated and gingerly took his outstretched hand. "Just one dance." She said.

They hid near a small huddle of trees and bushes. The rain made a pleasant sound against the cold marble pathway. A lantern hung from one of the trees giving them plenty of light. They were still able to see through the tree branches and leaves to see all the guests huddle together underneath the tent. As the music died down and a new piece began, Adrien gripped the girl's waist and finally found the words he had been building up the courage to say all night.

"I know we agreed not to talk but I just have to tell you that you look beautiful." She smiled shyly as they glided across the marble.

"Thanks, you are too." She said, "Handsome that is. You look handsome." Her skin flushed red and she bit her lip in embarrassment.

"Your cheeks match your dress." Adrien teased.

"Shut up." She retorted while trying to rein in her blush.

Adrien had been too busy focusing on their conversation to realize what song they were dancing to. Most of the night classical music from the romantic and baroque were played, symphonies and concertos fill the garden but now a gentle piano sonata is played. Adrien recognized it as the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. His mother used to play it when he was a child. It was a dark and emotional piece, slow in the first movement that was playing now but would become rapid as time passed. Adrien could still picture his mothers delicate fingers dancing across the black and white keys as she made the piano sing. He longed to hear her play again, but knew it would be quite some time before he got the chance.

Marinette noticed the sorrow in his eyes as they performed the graceful steps across the marble. "Is everything alright?" She asked.

He blinked a few times, as if he'd forgotten where he was, and nodded. "Yeah it's just a sad sounding sonata." Marinette nodded her agreement and Adrien pushed out the thought of his mother.

While dancing, Adrien felt the brim of his hat growing heavy with rain so he tilted his head forward, causing a puddle to spill out onto his feet. Marinette giggled as Adrien smiled at her from under the fedora.

At that point they had somewhat given up on moving gracefully. Instead of moving their feet to the waltz, they kicked water up at each other like children playing in a puddle, splashing one another as they laughed, keeping their hands locked and their arms still in position to waltz. They laughed and laughed, not caring if the water wrinkled Adrien's shirt, or if it smeared Marinette's makeup. For the first time in a long time, the blue eyed girl could claim to be truly happy, and as far as Adrien was concerned, she had never been more beautiful. With wet hair sticking to her forehead and eyeliner running down her cheeks, her smile was enough to claim his heart. There was no going back now. He was in love.

As they danced and splashed in the rain, Marinette's heels slipped on the wet marble path, tripping backwards. She took in a quick gasp as she felt herself lose balance and start her descent to the ground. But instead of being caught by the marble, Adrien grabbed her waist with both arms and pulled her back to her feet. To onlookers it may have appeared as if he just dipped her as the sonata ended.

"Thanks blondie," She said. "Longg made the heels removable to I could run in them if necessary, it must have slipped off." As she fixed her black shoes, she heard glass breaking, screaming, and Plagg yelling orders. Instead of reattaching her lost heel he ripped the other off and ran back to the clearing, Adrien close behind her.

As they rounded the trees they could see the scene unfolding. A man held a knife to the peacock's throat while screaming in Russian for everyone to stay back. He dragged the girl back until he was at the sealed off entrance to the hedge maze. The man had no consideration for the velvet rope and pulled the girl into it, warning them not to follow him. Marinette however did not listen to his warning.

She ran forward. Using her powers to rip the knife from his fingers. As he stumbled through the rain, looking for the blade he had lost, Marinette ran through the crowd to meet him at the entrance to the maze. But something stopped her dead in her tracks. A familiar face drew her eyes away from her mission.

No. That's impossible, she thought. They had been gone far too long to be standing here now. Still, she couldn't keep from mumbling his name.

"Luka?"

Chapter Text

Without skipping a beat, Plagg directed the agents to seal off the entrance and exit to the labyrinth. The man had found his knife in the grass and dragged the girl into the maze. They did as they were told, running through the rain, searching the border of the square-shaped hedge puzzle until they found the exit. Two of them stayed behind to guard the entrance in case he doubled back. Plagg instructed Adrien, Marinette, and the remaining agents to come with him and search the maze.

But Marinette couldn't move, her eyes were glued to the boy in the crowd. Tall thin, messy black hair that was dyed blue at the ends. But her heart broke all over again when she realized it wasn't him, it was as if she watched him die a second time. The boy shared some of Luka’s traits but his eyes were so brown they appeared black against his ashen skin. Someone grabbed her arm. Plagg, she realized, was dragging her into the labyrinth and told her to turn left while he continued straight and Adrien went right with the other soldiers that accompanied him.

Mindlessly, she obeyed. Running in whatever direction her instincts told her. The rain-soaked her to the bone, shivering and with the image of Luka after he was pulled from the rumble fresh in her mind. She hit a dead end.

She couldn't run anymore, she curled up into the corner where the two green hedges met and buried her face into her skirt. Once again she was lost in the forest as she tried to run away from the haunting image. But this time it was so much worse. She was well and truly lost, with no one to pick her up and lead her back to safety.

I'm gonna die here, Marinette thought to herself, might as well, they won’t be there when I wake up so what's the point? If I die at least I can be buried next to them, that is if anyone finds my body. Maybe I’ll die of hunger, or the rain will give me hypothermia, either will get the job done.

As rain and tears soaked her dress, her body shook with the cold. She decided that hypothermia was her best bet.

She just wanted Luka to come and find her, take her home, but he didn’t. Plagg did.

He found her pressed into the wet branches of a bush wall after who knows how long. He saw her shivering and wrapped her in his suit jacket. So much for dying of cold, she thought. Plagg asked her questions like, what are you doing here? Are you hurt? What's wrong? But she answered none of them. For days she said nothing, she skipped training and didn’t answer the door when people knocked. Adrien would set food outside for her when she didn’t respond to his offer for lunch, but she never ate it. Every day, he would stop by and see the food he left the day prior still waiting on her doorstep. He stopped by the bar a few times to see if she had nightmares but it was empty and the fireplace stone cold.

Over a week passed and Marinette stayed hidden away, still lost in the forest, destined to never escape.

Hunger, she decided after her plan to die in the cold failed, would be her rescue from the dark woods. Even when the scent of food Adrien left outside slid through the door frame and her mouth watered, she refused to get up and take it. The little movement she made since coming back to GUARD was to slip off the wet, sticky dress and take the crystal pins out of her hair.

From what Adrien told her through the door, the man who tried to kidnap the peacock was taken into custody by the agents waiting at the labyrinth's exit. She said nothing in return.

No one knew what was wrong, no one knew what she saw that day. That was until Tikki forced her out of hiding.

The sound of knuckles on Marinette’s door had become a familiar one but she ignored it. Whoever was on the other side of the door knocked again and again, then bypassed the electric lock.

As Tikki approached her bedside she was horrified. Her skin was white as a ghost and she had lost weight, she resembled the scared little girl she met three years ago. The little girl who was cowering and crying when she entered the refuge, thinking Tikki was there to take her back into the darkness she feared so much. She had even deserted Longg’s dress in a muddy and wrinkled pill in the corner. Tikki knew under normal circumstances Marinette would never discard anything Longg made for her. But the thing Tikki feared most was her eyes. The hollow expression in her gaze had deepened. She was empty.

“Marinette, what's going on?” She said while sitting down at her bedside. Marinette had not looked at her once, her devoid gaze was locked onto something in the distance. “What happened?” No response. She worried she had died but the small rise and fall of her chest put her mind at ease. “You can talk to me, you know?”

I can’t talk to you, Marinette wanted to scream, don’t you see that? There's no point in us talking about the good old days when we were friends, those times are gone and they're never coming back!

“Plagg said he found you curled up in the maze crying. Why were you crying?”

Marinette clenched her jaw to keep a string of words from falling out. You wouldn’t understand. It’s not like you missed them, you didn’t even care, you just kept going. You act as nothing has changed! You never cared about them! You never cared about me!

“I’m worried about you. We all are.”

Just go away.

“Have you moved at all since you came in here?” No response. Marinette still had remnants of rain-seared makeup on her face and her hair was heavy with grease so it was obvious she hadn't bathed since she locked herself away. Tikki stood up and Marinette was happy to see her go, except she didn’t leave, she entered the door to the left of the room that held a bathroom and ran a bath.

She dragged Marinette into the bathroom, which wasn’t all that difficult since she had no energy to protest. Set her inside and held the door closed so she could not try to leave which was pointless. Even if Marinette tried to pull on the door, she didn’t have the strength. There was a hollow pit in her stomach and the cold from the rain never seemed to dry, as if the water had dampened her bones. She just sat on the white tiles of the bathroom, waiting for Tikki to leave. But she didn’t. She could still see the redhead's shadow through the small gap under the door.

Believing it would make Tikki leave, she complied with what she asked of her. She pulled off the sweater and sweatpants she had worn for the past week and got in the tub. The water was cold from Marinette’s time spent on the bathroom tile but she didn’t mind. Being cold was familiar now. She didn’t care anymore.

She submerged herself under the chilled water, hoping it would calm her empty belly. But it didn’t, her body longed for the food she refused to give it. She found the strength to wash her hair and scrub the remaining makeup from her face, and in her boredom, counted her scars. It had been so long since she last checked how many lingered on her skin.

Eighteen, as far as she could see, but she knew there was a volley of white discolored flesh on her back from the metal being fussed to her spine. She pulled herself out of the cold water, wrapped herself in a towel, and knocked on the bathroom door to notify Tikki she was clean and she could go.

“Get dressed.” The redhead responded while opening up the door a few centimeters and throwing clean clothes through to her. Complacently, Marinette dried off and put on the jeans and white T-shirt. She walked out of the bathroom and flopped back onto the bed. “No, we have a mission, let's go.”

Surprise, surprise, Marinette thought, you’re only here because you need something from me. All that talk of being worried was just an excuse huh?

Again, Tikki dragged her out of bed. Marinette had spent what little energy she had on getting clean and had nothing left in her reserves to fight off Tikki, so she allowed her to drag her wherever needed. She was brought to the white room where she faced Adrien and Plagg for the first time in over a week.

“Hey, Mari,” Plagg said in an unnaturally gentle tone as if the slightest hint of bitterness could cause her to flee back into her dorm and lock the world out again. “What’s going on?”

Marinette sat down across from Adrien and Plagg, Tikki soon joining them on their side of the white table. Pollen entered the room, set a tray of food down in front of the starving girl, smiled at her, then left. The smell of grilled meat and onion soup filled the room and it took everything Marinette had not to tear the chicken from the bone like a malnourished dog.

“Eat,” Adrien said, pushing the tray a little closer to her. She said nothing, she did nothing. Adrien urged the plate of food a little closer. “You need to eat.”

Just let me die.

“You need to eat,” Tikki repeated.

Marinette hurled the tray off the table, sending it flying with a clang as it hit the ground. A mess of chicken and soup spilled across the white floor. Marinette slumped back in her chair as the three figures in front of her sighed their annoyance, but their concern for her gave them patience.

“What happened in the maze?” Plagg asked. No response. “Are you hurt? Is that why you can’t talk or is it that you won't talk?” No response.

Plagg and Tikki hadn’t seen this type of behavior before. After the burial, she became short-tempered and vicious. There was always a cold edge to her words and then the temper grew worse and worse until finally, she broke her vow.

When Marinette was still young and didn’t know the full power she possessed, she made a promise, as did the others, to never kill. Killing would make them no different from the people who carved the scars on their backs. They were all determined to keep that oath, and three of them did, they died without taking a single soul with them, not a drop of blood was spilled by their hands. But Marinette was a different case, she was alone, she was angry. Anger was better than tears, better than grief, better than guilt. Anger was easier, and it made killing easier. And she hated herself for it.

Marinette never told anyone about the nightmare she had where she murdered Alya, it was like a flip had been switched. Marinette was so ashamed whenever she had the thought of killing someone. Her friend's lives had been taken unjustly, she would not do the same to someone else, not again.

But now, she closed herself off, she’d given up.

Tikki called Pollen back in over her commlink, the mismatched eyes looked sorrowfully at the spilled food and handed her another tray before scurrying off.

“Marinette please,” Adrien begged. “We can’t help if we don’t know what's wrong.” He looked deep into her eyes. The blue that used to carry the power and strength of the ocean was reduced to that of a dripping faucet.

“Mari.” Plagg stated gently, “We’re all here right now because we all care about you.”

Marinette’s gaze fell from Adrien’s eyes and went back to her folded hands that laid in her lap, her face stayed unmoving. “You say you’re here for me because you care about me,” Marinette said, her voice barely rising over a whisper. The three figures perked up at the sound of her voice. “But if that were the case.” She looked up from her lap and gave Tikki a bitter look. “She wouldn’t be here.”

Tikki looked taken back and her eyes instantly glossed over with tears. The last time Marinette saw her cry they had just dug Chloe out of the rubble and her empty stomach twisted with guilt. “I’m sorry,” Marinette mumbled with her head hung low. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Tikki waved off the apology and blinked away her tears. “If you want to show me you’re sorry, then eat.”

Reluctantly, Marinette put a spoonful of broth in her mouth. It was the only warmth she had felt in days and the pleasant heat spread throughout her body the more she ate. She knew that as she filled her stomach that her plans of starving herself were out the window, she didn’t have the willpower to resist food any longer.

I’ll figure something else out, Marinette thought.

“Now that you found your voice,” Plagg said. “Tell us what happened.”

Marinette whipped her chin with the back of her hand and tried to come up with a lie, anything that would stop her from admitting what really happened. She didn’t want to discuss Luka in any way, it broke her to think that she had him back only to realize he was never there. But Marinette by nature was an honest person, secretive at times, but honest.

“I thought I saw something. It was nothing, but it threw me off, I lost focus.” Plagg leaned forward so he could make eye contact with Marinette, whose gaze was glued to the bowl of onion broth.

“What did you see?” Marinette finally looked up at him and stared into the piercing green of his eyes. She bit her lip to keep the single word from escaping but it had already formed on her tongue.

“Luka…”

Plagg and Tikki both recoiled at the name, Marinette hadn’t brought it up and whenever he did come up in a story or conversation she would swiftly change the subject.

“Adrien,” The tall grim man said. “I think you should go.”

The blonde, utterly confused since the name meant nothing to him, reluctantly stepped out of the white room. As soon as the door closed behind him, Plagg shot out of his seat and started pacing, running his hand through his pepper black hair.

“What do you mean you saw Luka?” He asked.

“I thought I did. It wasn’t him, just someone who looked a lot like him.”

Tikki hung her head, holding it in her hands as she mumbled to herself. Marinette couldn’t quite make out her words but Plagg seemed to hear her.

“It’s not your fault.” He hastily snapped back.

Tikki dropped her hand and looked up at her colleague. “It is.” She began. “I let it go this far. You told me she wasn’t ready but I didn’t listen.”

“What are you talking about?” Marinette asked.

Plagg sighed and slumped back down into his chair. “After the funeral, I thought it best for you to take a leave of absence. I wanted you to have time to grieve.”

Marinette withheld a scoff. “I would never take a leave of absence.”

“It would have been mandatory.” The giant replied sternly.

“I disagreed with Plaggs' reasoning,” Tikki explained. “I used work to cope, to distract me from our loss. So I let you keep going on missions, thinking it would help you too. Then you got angry. You killed. Now I’m not blaming you for that, my hands aren’t exactly clean either, but you broke a vow that you all took so seriously. Before I even knew what was going on, you stopped. You quit killing all at once. I didn’t know why but I thought you had accepted their deaths and were moving on. I guess I was wrong.”

There was a long silence that followed, and the entire time Marinette wished she was still under the bathwater. The sound of the cold liquid splashing would be better than the unbearable silence. After what felt like an eternity, Tikki spoke.

“As of now, Agent 1492058, you are hereby suspended from all GUARD duties.”

“What!?” Marinette left out of her chair which clattered to the ground. “You can’t do that! You need me!”

“We can handle a few weeks without Siren. You are mandated to attend daily grief counseling until we see you are fit to go back into the field.”

Marinette was speechless. She could see Plagg thinking about benching her, but she didn’t think he would ever do it. It was just an empty threat. But Tikki, she would never. Sure they didn’t always see eye to eye, but there was still some level of respect between them.

All Marinette knew was that she could never defeat Akuma while under suspension. So, she asked Plagg for backup. He would never tell her no to something like this.

“No.”

“Plagg please, you can’t let her suspend me.” He shook his head.

“You’re not in a stable condition to be on the front lines.” Marinette clenched her firsts. She very much wanted to hit something, and she was tempted to use Tikki to fulfill her wish. But assaulting her superior would not help the situation. Anger was still coursing through her like hot blood and she couldn’t rein it in any longer.

She slammed her clenched firsts onto the table in a rage. “You can’t tell me neither of you has still fought while in an ‘unstable condition’!”

Tikki stood at full height. Marinette was a little above average but the redhead towered over her. The redhead spoke diplomatically, using her usual calm but a stern voice that carried a level of authority.

“Do you have any idea how many soldiers were lost under my command over the years?”

“Countless I’m sure,” Marinette responded.

“Not countless, counted. 2,821 brothers and sisters died by my side, under my authority. And in order to continue to guide my squad into battle, I needed to have a level head. And to do that I needed to grieve the ones I lost. So I did, each and every one of them. I admit, Chloe, Alya, and Luka’s death hit me harder than most, but I accepted it. Now it's time you did too.”

“I have done that,” Marinette growled, fists clenched once again and the urge to strike the woman in front of her continued to grow.

Plagg, sensing the tension, stood up and created a barrier between the two, protecting Tikki from a potential blow to the jaw. “So why are you seeing Luka when he's not there and shutting everyone out?” The tall man questioned.

As angry as Marinette was at Plagg for taking Tikki’s side, she could never bring herself to hit him. So she simply left the room, but before she had a grip on the doorknob, Tikki’s voice kept her stuck in place.

“Agent 1492058!” She called out. “Report first thing tomorrow morning to the med bay for grief counseling. If you miss your meeting with the therapist you will be reprimanded and punished.” Marinette clenched her jaw and spoke between gritted teeth.

“Yes ma’am.” Was all she left to say. Passing Adrien who was still waiting outside. He had felt the usage to eavesdrop when he heard Marinette's muffled yelling but knew it was impolite. He trailed behind the bluenette, asking questions, none of which he got answers to until they got to her dorm room and she locked him out again.

He stayed by her door for a few minutes, trying to gather up the courage to knock, he saw how frustrated she was, and an angry Marinette was never a good thing. Before he knew it, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Plagg.

“Don’t worry kid, she’ll be fine. Just give her a bit of time.” Adrien sighed and nodded. She would have to come out sooner or later, and he’d be there when she did.

“For now,” Plagg continued. “Tikki and I will take over your training. I admit we never planned on letting you on missions but you saved Marinette's life at the auction and you’ve shown your courage. The ball where we were all dressed like clowns was sort of a test run to see how you would do in the field and we were rather impressed. Once things with Marinette cool down and your training is complete, we might consider making you her full-time partner.”

Adrien was flattered by the praise, after what he had seen of Akuma he wanted to destroy it just as much as everyone else at GUARD, and he was happy to get the chance to. But he was still worried about Marinette.

Plagg left him alone and the blonde decided after some time to bring her more food, she had skipped meals for the past week or two and the little food she had eaten in the white room was not enough to get her strength back.

He stopped by the cafeteria, the workers had gotten used to Adrien taking two plates, once for himself and one for the bluenette no one had seen in some time. None of the employees stopped him from taking double the rations, Marinette was a familiar face and they knew the green-eyed boy would pass the food off to her.

He dropped it off the tray at her doorstep, fully expecting to see it sitting where he left it in the morning. But he didn’t.

She took the food, he thought, that’s good.

Since Marinette locked herself away, Adrien had been practicing old skills he had learned in training, but today Tikki was waiting for him outside his dorm.

“I'm sure you have questions.” She said.

“Am I going to get answers?” He remarked and the tall redhead smiled.

Without another word, she started down the hall to the lifts. She contacted security over her comlink and asked them to open the trap door leading to the surface. Adrien climbed out of the hole in the ground and before he could close the path leading to the ladder, Tikki was making her way past the old oak that marked the entrance and into the forest.

The blond followed close behind as they threaded through the undergrowth. After about half an hour of silent walking, they found a clearing.

A graveyard, Adrien released. Black marble slabs sticking out of the earth like stone flowers. Perfectly symmetrical rows filled over half the clearing. It was a small space and he guessed there were roughly twenty to thirty graves.

“When an agent dies,” Tikki began. “We usually send the body to the family. But every so often we come across one who doesn't have anyone outside GUARD to claim their remains. So, we lay them to rest here.”

They walked through the rows, passing graves with names Adrien didn’t recognize.

One specific tomb caught his eye. It had been dug recently, grass and plants were only now starting to take root on the earth again. Much like the other headstones, he did not know the name, but he knew the owner of the burial.

The woman in white who died at the auction.

Adrien could still see her falling to the floor in a pool of blood as the bullet ran through her, she was dead before she hit the ground. Even though he never knew her, it still hurt to think there wasn’t anyone outside of this place who could take claim to her remains. There was wilted primrose resting against the cold black marble stone and that gave Adrien a little peace knowing that she did have someone somewhere.

Tikki weaved through the stone slabs until she stopped in front of one.

Luka was written into the marble and Adrien recognized the name as the one Marinette had said before Plagg asked him to leave.

Unlike all the other graves, this one only had the first name, and sitting to the left were two others with only a first name to mark them. Chloe and Alya.

“Who’s Luka?” Adrien asked.

“Marinette wasn’t the only Akuma experiment we rescued.” Tikki knelt down and gathered the wilted daisies and roses that laid on the earth in front of the graves. “Marinette hasn’t been here in a while.” The redhead said while watching a dried rose petal crumble at her touch. “That figures.”

“So, Marinette wasn’t the only one who could move objects with her mind?” Adrien asked and Tikki shook her head in answer.

“No, they all had different abilities. Alya could turn invisible, Chloe could emit this yellow mist from her hands.” That sounds familiar, Adrien thought. “And Luka could control sparks of electricity. They were a team that we called The Guardians, that's how GUARD got its name. For over two years they fought Akuma together but then on one mission, Marinette was the only one to come home.”

“What happened?”

“Don’t know, Marinette was the last one to see them alive and she doesn't talk about it…”

Chapter Text

Marinette sat in front of the snake-eyed man, she hardly said a word in the past hour that had gone by. He asked her questions, and she replied giving as little information as possible. She was being difficult, she knew, but she didn’t want to be here so why act like she was enjoying herself?

“Alright,” Sass said. A slight sibilant seemed to fill his voice, making a hissing sound accompany most of his words. “Let’s play a small game. I say a word and you say what emotion comes to mind.”

Marinette nodded. No harm in this, she thought.

“The meadow above us,” Sass said. Marinette thought for a moment of the puffy white clouds against the perfect blue sky, the soft grass that deer would graze on, and the forest that protected it.

“Tranquility,” Marinette answered.

“Very good.” Sass seemed to have a habit of saying things like ‘great job’ or ‘well done' when someone did the smallest of tasks. “Next word, water.”

“Water?” Marinette asked, puzzled. Somehow her answer would give something about her mental state away to him but she could not see what. “I don’t know, cold?”

“Not what you feel physically, emotionally Marinette.”

“Okay, steady.”

“Water makes you feel steady?”

“Yeah,” Marinette answered. “The waves and the tide going in and out. It’s repetitive and stable.”

“So you like things to be stable,” Sass said while clicking a pen open and jotting down something. “So how did it make you feel when you lost the other Guardians and things weren’t as stable as they used to be?”

Marinette wanted to kick herself… and Sass. He always saw through words and found a hidden meaning, sometimes Marinette didn’t even realize they were there, and he was always right. But still, she would not answer any questions that included the words ‘how did it make you feel’.

Sass waited a moment before giving up. After an hour of nothing but stubbornness it was clear she would not open up to him, and for good reason. She had no reason to trust him and she clearly did not trust many.

He sighed. “Alright, next word, Death.” Marinette merely shrugged, the word meant nothing good to her. “Death scares a lot of people, does it scare you?” Marinette scoffed.

“I'm not afraid of dying. Pieces of me die all the time. Besides, dying is the easy part. The dead don't know the pain of being the only one left standing in a room full of bodies. Especially when the bodies belong to people you care about.” The words spilled out before she could catch them.

“I think you are suffering from a common case of survivor's guilt.”

Survivor, huh? Marinette never thought of herself as a survivor. Just a coward. It should have been her. Every mission, every assignment, she was ready to take a bullet for any of them. She would have laid down on the wire and let them walk across her. She would have run into a burning building for them. But now they're gone and she was left carrying the guilt. Marinette thought that if she ever had to make that kind of sacrifice she would do it without hesitation. But she couldn’t, she was a coward.

The only three people that could honestly understand what she had been through were gone. The three people she saw as a family were dead. She was alone.

“You’re not alone,” Sass said.

Uncanny. Since the beginning of this appointment, Marinette wondered if he could read her thoughts based on how well he understood her. She was a spy, she was trained to be hard to read, but he seemed to have no difficulty in the matter.

“What about Adrien?” He asked. “Couldn’t you confide in him? You trust him. Opening up will bring you guys closer.”

Marinette didn’t want anyone closer because it would only hurt more when they inevitably drift apart. Whether life takes them on separate paths or death tears them apart, it would be too painful.

She thought back to that moment where the bullet ripped through Adrien’s shoulder. Her crying as he laid in blood. She couldn’t lose anyone else, especially him. If the kind, gentle, and peaceful Adrien was gone then the wall she worked so hard to maintain would crumble and she'd never be able to rebuild it.

“When was the last time you visited the graveyard?” The snake-eyed man asked.

“It’s been a while.”

Before Sass could respond his comlink buzzed. “Looks like your mandatory appointment is over, we can chat longer if you like.” But Marinette was already on her way to the door. “See you tomorrow!” He called.

As Marinette walked through the underground hospital region of GUARD, she suddenly felt guilty. When was the last time she visited the graveward? Had to be sometime before Adrien came into the picture.

“Trixx?” She said into her commlink. “I’m going above ground.”

Adrien sat in front of the chessboard, thinking of his next move. Plagg was good and a worthy opponent but he had a habit of relying too heavily on his bishops. So, Adrien was working out a plan to seize them, leaving Plagg with limited strategy. Tikki had been busy the past few days, apparently, Nooroo had heard some rumors about where a few Akuma supporters could be found and the red-headed founder was working day and night to verify the tip. And due to Tikki’s absence, Plagg had taken over his training. The two green-eyed males were starting to get close. They bonded over cat puns and chess, as well as pool since Adrien was a better player than Marinette and actually posed a challenge.

The pair had just finished lunch and were taking a short break before beginning their afternoon training sessions. As the game raged on, Adrien was close to winning, but the blonde forfeit. He saw a quick pass of blue out of the corner of his eye and noticed Marinette walking down the hall. He waited a few seconds before following her, he didn’t think of it as stalking but just friendly following, even though it was technically stalking.

As she rounded corner after corner, Adrien followed a while behind, placing his weight evenly and stepping lightly to avoid making much sound. Quiet and unseen movement wasn’t his best skill but he could get by without being noticed. He walked in Marinette's wake until she climbed up the exit ladder and out into the meadow. He managed to slip out before the trap door locked again and tread through the oak forest.

Twigs and the first fallen autumn leaves made it difficult to stay silent but he was sure Marinette was too far ahead to hear a crunch or snap here or there.

Finally, they reached their destination. Adrien hid behind one of the black marble gravestones, trusting its mass to conceal him, while Marinette sat in the grass while mumbling to herself. If only Adrien knew that she was speaking to her lost friends and not herself.

She fiddled with a rose petal while speaking to them, naturally, they did not answer. She didn’t say much, just that she missed them. She didn’t want to reveal too much while Adrien sat back and listened. She had known he was there for some time, she just thought she would humor him a little.

Finally, she had a rose she had plucked from the bushes on the way to the graveyard positioned perfectly and placed it in front of Luka’s name. Next, she untucked the daisies from the meadow and put them on the girl’s graves. It was a ritual she had repeated over and over that it almost seemed instinctive.

“You know,” Marinette called out, deciding she would rather have Adrien’s company that let him continue hiding. “It’s not polite to stalk people.”

He cursed under his breath, up until that point he thought he had done fairly well at staying concealed, then slowly rose from his position behind the grave. “I wasn’t stalking,” He said. “Just following you in a friendly manner.”

“Uh-huh.” Marinette nodded. “Sure.”

“Sorry, I was just-” He didn’t know why he followed her. Just felt the need too. Concern? Jealousy? Mistrust? Curiosity? He wasn’t sure.

“It's fine blondie. Besides, I was kinda impressed with how quiet you were.”

“Really?” He asked, flattered by her praise.

“Yeah, you managed to stay hidden for all of 10 seconds.” That comment instantly reined in his blush.

“You knew I was there the whole time then?”

“Yeah.”

“And you just didn’t say anything?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

She shrugged.

Well, at least she’s talking to me, Adrien thought. This was the longest conversation they had had since their last visit to the white room.

Should I tell him? She thought. She contemplated what Sass had said about confiding in him and how she didn’t want to. But now, it didn't seem all that bad.

After a moment of silence, Marinette gestured to a patch of grass and Adrien sat gratefully, he didn’t expect her to let him stay. More silence followed before the blue-eyed girl spoke.

“I met them in the veteran refuge after I first got my powers. Just the four of us crammed in the room, trying to stay alive. Trying to figure out what was going on with us. Why strange things kept happening. Then we started to learn to control it. Started to understand why Akuma wanted us.” She could still remember the first time she used her powers, they were rationing out their food for the day when Chloe pushed Marinette's portion close to her but still a bit out of reach. A hum filled the room as the blue-eyed girl reached for her food when suddenly it came to her. It only moved two or three centimeters before she was startled by her vibrating nerves. She didn’t understand what it was then but now it was all too clear what had happened.

“Then one day,” Marinette continued. “Instead of soldiers coming in and hurting us, Plagg and Tikki came and saved us. Gave us food, clothing, shelter. We stayed in a military safe house for a while, then Plagg and Tikki got funding and founded GUARD. It was so small back then. Just a few rooms under the soil, look at it now. So much has changed since they left. I don't even think they have seen the Closet, Chloe would have loved it there.”

Adrien's mouth opened slightly in a question he stopped himself from asking. He snapped his jaw shut, but it was too late. Marinette had noticed.

“What is it?” She asked. He swallowed a few times before answering.

“What happened to them?”

The memories flashed in her mind like a record that kept repeating itself over and over in an endless loop. Before she could stop herself, she was recounting the story to Adrien.

It all started with a long and painstaking climb up a mountainside. Just the four of them scaled the granite rocks, searching for the base they knew was hidden somewhere in the peaks. It had been almost a week of stealth. And stealth usually meant slow. Alya, being the only one among them who could turn invisible, acted as a scout and directed them to areas where there was no surveillance, and as they got closer to the hidden facility, it became more and more difficult to stay concealed. Sentries, traps, and motion sensors all had to be avoided. Luckily their powers were still operational. They had noticed over the years fighting Akuma that not all of their fortresses were able to dampen their powers.

After making the climb up a particularly steep cliffside, they detached their tether ropes and continued hiking up the rigged path. Until the ground underneath them started to sound hollow. Alya went ahead of the group once more and searched for an entrance. After an hour or two she returned with the location.

They slithered through the rocks and debris like mountain goats. Alya still stayed a good distance ahead, looking ahead for danger. Once they finally reached the entrance Luka emitted blue sparks from his hands that looked like little lightning bugs which short-circuited the trapdoor, allowing them to enter.

After that, they split up. Alya and Marinette heading northeast while Chloe and Luka went southwest. Each pair carried a backpack full of small remote-activated explosives they were to place around the facility. Once they all were in place they would make their way down the mountain as fast as possible and once at a safe distance, detonate the charges.

Of course, they all had all taken their vow to never take a life, so Luka had his own mission. Find the communications tower and command all personnel to evacuate as well as place heat sensors along with the explosives to ensure everyone was out before detonation. The mountain was at a steep angle and all the debris would fall into the wheat fields below, so naturally, during evacuations, everyone would head upwards and down the opposite side. So the four guardians would spend a few days scaling back down and capturing any soldiers they might encounter.

Unfortunately, one of the explosives was faulty.

Marinette and Alya used a tactic they relied upon much of the time. Marinette would pick the lock with her powers if the door was in fact locked, and slam it open while Alya went in while appearing completely invisible. They both found what fighting a target you can't see is quite difficult. Once the room was filled with unconscious bodies, they set the charges. Small half-sphere with a red that emanated a blood-red glow.

This was the seventh room they rigged to detonate, not counting all Chloe and Luka had accomplished, and the pack of explosives was almost half empty. That's when Alya noticed one of the lights on the explosives blinking.

“Marinette.” She said with a terror-struck voice. “Run.”

“What?” Marinette asked, not sensing the danger.

“Run!”

Then an ear-piercing sound of igniting explosives made their heads rattle and the ground shook. The two girls managed to run out of the room and get away before they were knocked off their feet by the explosion. Smoke flooded out of the door frame and an orange glow emanated from the room. Something had caught fire.

“We need to go,” Alya said before contacting Luka and Chloe via her commlink to tell them they needed to retreat. The explosives were connected and set to go off one by one to ensure the mountain wouldn’t tumble down to the field with the facility. It would be less than three minutes until the next one erupted to life.

Alya helped Marinette to her feet, she had slammed rather hard into the wall due to the force of the explosion and was groaning in pain on the floor.

“That hurt.” She muttered.

“Come on,” Alya urged. “We need to get out of here.” Marinette tested her stiff muscles. They were sore but she could manage. They ran down the hallway, feet pounding against the concrete floor as they retraced their steps.

Then the alarms started to blare. Red lights flashed overhead. The entire facility was going into lockdown.

After each hallway two slabs of concrete would slide out from the walls and meet, creating an inescapable barrier. So far Marinette and Alya had run through seven but the eighth was closing fast. Explosions sounded off in the distance and the ground rumbled like thunder. They met an L-shaped turn and Marinette continued forward, making it through the sliding slabs of concrete with two meters to spare. She kept running for a few meters until she realized something was wrong.

Between the grinding concrete, earth cracking eruptions, and heavy breathing, Alya’s footsteps had ceased. Marinette looked back to see Alya waiting on the other side of the closing gap.

“What are you doing? Come on!” Alya shook her head.

“I’m still wearing the pack.” Her friend replied. The bluenette's eyes widened in fear.

“Get it off! It will ignite any second!”

“That’s the idea.” A meter of space remained between the closing doors.

“What are you doing?”

“Finishing the mission.” Alya slipped off the pack and opened a door lining the halfway. Marinette hadn’t known this but the room was labeled “power generators.” She hurled the bag inside with the explosives then sprinted for the closing doors. But she went the wrong way. She would have never made it to Marinette so she bolted to the other concrete barrier which still had a little less than half a meter and flattened her body against it and slid through before it crushed her.

Then both barriers closed. The pack exploded. All the power went out.

The darkness was complete and suffocating, Marinette felt her throat closing in panic, she was alone in the dark.

“No. No. No. No.” She began to say in a terrified chant. The blackness smothered her in fear. It was like being lost at night except much worse. There were no stars to give her even the faintest of light. There was nothing at all.

“Marinette!” Someone called. “Marinette, where are you?”

“Luka?” She called back.

Footsteps toward her voice, guiding him closer to her until he wrapped her in the safety of his arms.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. But Alya and I were separated.” Luka grabbed her hand and started pulling her down the hallway in the way he came.

“We can’t just leave her.” Marinette protested and a new voice spoke.

“We aren't.” Chloe said “Alya will already be finding her own way out. We need to escape and meet her above ground.” As much as Marinette hated it she knew it was best.

Another loud bang and the feeling of the floor crumbling beneath them sent them running through the endless tunnel of black. That's when the ceiling started to fall.

A little at a time at first but soon gravel from the mountain was leaking though, raining down on them like rock hail. Debris blocking the closing concrete door from shutting them in. Marinette was able to keep the rubble from touching them, but it was speeding up and the bluenette knew she couldn’t keep it up forever. They tripped and staggered over the wreckage, the only thing keeping them together was locked hands, Marinette clung to Luka who held onto Chloe.

Then they were tackled by Akuma soldiers. Their linked hands unraveled. Pain surged as fists made an impact against their flesh. As said earlier, Marinette and Alya had both found that fighting a target you can't see is quite difficult, especially in this darkness. So, Marinette searched for her friends despite the bruises that would soon rise from her skin.

Pain surged through them, blood tried down their nose, but above all, adrenaline flooded their veins.

Marinette linked fingers with Chloe, pulled them both to their feet, and when both her friends told her to run, she took off.

They ran until they found a sliver of light coming from the cracked ceiling. They pried at the roof until it crumbled enough to squeeze through. It wasn't until Chloe was through that Marinette realized Luka wasn't behind them. He told her to run knowing he would not follow.

The ground shook with a newfound viciousness. The rock split under their feet. Boulders tumbled off the mountainside. Luka was nowhere to be seen. Not even the sunbeams that cast down onto Marinette were enough to find the boy she loved. The blunette thought about going back through all the rubble, but seeing the rocks above her shift, and the light disappearing, she couldn’t bring herself to climb into the darkness.

She was out. Luka wasn’t. Alya wasn't. None of them were safe,

Marinette got up to her feet and tried to see through the dust that filled her view.

Every direction was clouded in smoke. Her breathing picked up and it took her a second to realize someone was behind her.

“Marinette, come on we have to keep moving.” It was Chloe.

“We don’t have Luka.” She objected. Then the rocks started to tumble down towards them.

As much as they might have wanted to go back down and get their friends, they couldn't help them if they were dead. So they ran.

They made their way down the mountain of concrete while piles of debris were quickly following behind.

Most of the dust had cleared and they could see farther ahead. Above everything happening around them, Marinette could distinctly hear the sound of helicopter blades. Looking up, the two girls felt a sliver of hope. They were almost out of the woods.

Chloe let go of the blue-eyed girl and she sped ahead. The rope ladder dropped from the door of the flying aircraft. Marinette’s legs carried her as fast as she could run. But soon they would run out of ground, and the pilot couldn’t bring the helicopter any closer.

The bluenette ran till her legs ached. With all the will left in her, she pushed her feet off the edge to give herself more momentum. Her hand gripped the ladder and it bent under her weight. She quickly got her footing and turned to face Chloe. There was enough space on the ladder for Chloe to make it but her foot slipped and she jumped too soon.

Marinette watched in horror as she tried to reach her friend’s hand, but to no use. It wasn’t enough and Chloe was falling through the air. The brunette tried to use her powers but the blonde was swallowed up by smoke. Tears stung Marinette's eyes as she was pulled into the helicopter.

“Luka was the name you mentioned in the white room. The guy you saw?” Adrien asked, breaking Marinette from the haunting image of her dead friends.

“Yeah. But it wasn’t really him at the dance.”

“He was more than a friend, wasn't he?” She nodded. “You must miss him.” She nodded again. Adrien couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, she obviously cared about him a great deal. The blonde wondered if he would ever be that important to her.

“What was he like?” He asked, trying not to focus on his envy.

“Smart, calm in any situation, he always knew what to say when I needed to hear it, he was good with strategy and was incredibly creative. For a long time, everything was perfect, or as close to perfect as you can get.”

“What changed that stopped it from being perfect?” As soon as the words slipped out he regretted them, he was prying too deep. But Marinette didn’t respond how he imagined. She simply answered him.

“About 8 months before he died he got hurt. He was burned in a chemical fire and had to get skin grafts on his left arm. Duusu gave him morphine and he never stopped taking it even after he was healed. He was in a rehab program for a while and was doing good but relapses kept happening so his progress was slower than normal. He died shortly after he got clean.”

Adrien didn’t know what to say. There wasn’t anything he could say that would make it better.

“Sometimes I wish I could forget all this too.” She muttered. She had never told anyone that before. It felt good to let Adrien know. “GUARD, Akuma, The Guardians. All of it. Start fresh.” But she knew that would fix nothing. The scars would still linger on her skin, questions would float around her mind like debris after a shipwreck, and frankly, they matter too much to just erase. “But I can’t, I won’t.”

There was silence before she spoke again.

“You know,” She said. “I can remember some things about my past. Nothing important but it helps.”

“What do you remember?”

Marinette couldn’t remember much that happened before the grey room that she lived in for 5 years. Her memories were there but names and places were beyond her. Faces were fuzzy and all recollection of time was whipped clean. Every once in a while Marinette would hear a name or sound that stirred up her forgotten memories. But she hated nostalgia.

All of her memories were within reach but were too slippery to grasp a hold of. Trying to remember them was like attempting to catch a slimy eel after it jumped out of water. As soon as she could recall a face or a name it was pulled away from her, like the giant sea worm had squirmed its way out from her grip and slithered back into the murky water of forgotten memories, never to be seen again.

There were only two things she could remember vividly. At first, Marinette thought they were dreams of the scared child she once was but she was able to hold onto them even now. The first was a name, Tom. In the beginning, Marinette tried to track down the name and learn more about herself but it was only a name and a common one at that. The second memory was just as useless. For some reason, she could recall mixing flour into batter. The scent of eggs and butter surrounded her as she beat the mixture into a thick, fluffy dough. She tried her best to ignore it but she had to admit it was nice to have at least a few memories to hold on to. Maybe she still was a scared child at heart, trying to remember her forgotten life before she was turned into a monster.

And she told all this to Adrien.

Warm tears threatened to slide down her cheeks without her consent. She had told him things she had bottled up for years and all the emotions that went along were rising to the surface.

Her vision blurred as she swallowed down a sob. Adrien put his hand on her shoulder and told her he was sorry. Some magnetic force drew her to him and she fell into his arms. The same arms that kept her warm in the cold desert nights, the same arms that kept her safe from the dark. For so long Marinette saw the veteran refuge as her safe haven, the place where no harm would come to her, but now it was him.

He was her new refuge.

Tears soaked Adrien's shirt but he didn’t care, and he didn’t care that Plagg would be angry at him for missing a training session. At that moment he didn’t care about anything besides her.

He held her close as her shoulder shook with sobs and long after she had dried her tears and fallen asleep with her head nuzzled into his chest. He bit his lip to keep the words he had been dying to say from spilling out. He so desperately wanted to tell her but was too afraid. What if she just wanted to be friends?

He sighed. He wanted to tell, he needed to tell her. It's not like she would hear him anyway. She was fast asleep and the soft snores only reassured him of that. The sun was starting to set and he knew Marinette hated the dark. She would not want to walk back at night so it was now or never.

“I love you.” He breathed so softly the words were barely audible. It felt so good to tell her, a new warmth filled his heart. He knew she wasn’t listening but he didn’t care, by saying those words to her, it made his feelings all the more real.

He gently shook her and watched as her heavy eyelids fluttered open. “It's getting late.” He said. “We should head back.” She briefly glazed back upon him before holding him tighter, she was tired and wanted to go back to sleep. Adrien had to admit he was comfortable and would be happy to spend the night with the blue-eyed girl curled up in the grass. But he knew that if she had a nightmare and woke up surrounded by shadows and blackness, she would be frightened. “We really should go.” She ignored him. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Uh-huh.” She said groggily.

“Wouldn’t you rather want to lay in a warm bed than here?” He didn’t want to force her into going back so thought it would be better to try and convince her.

“I’m perfectly fine where I am.” Then she opened her eyes and pulled away slightly. “Why? Do you want to go back?”

“No!” Adrien said a little too hastily. “No.” He corrected himself. “It’s just getting late and I think Plagg and Tikki would worry if we don’t go back.”

“You're probably right.” She thought for a moment before leaning back into the safety of his arms, instantly falling back asleep. Adrien shook her again and he sighed when she didn’t wake, she must be exhausted. He smiled and gently lifted her up, finally grateful for all those days of training. He felt her relax against him, and they walked through the forest, the blunette still resting in the safety of his arms as they made their way back to GUARD.

Once Adrien brought Marinette to her dorm and set her in bed, he closed the door slowly behind him so as to not wake her. As the blonde turned to go to his dorm down the hall, he came face to face with the grim giant and let out a small yelp.

“How long have you been there?” Adrien asked as he tried to regain his composure. Plagg was still snickering under his breath and Adrien’s unintentional fright.

“I’ve been following you two since you passed the armory.” He said. “What were you and Mari doing above ground?”

“Practicing tree climbing.” Adrien was slightly worried Plagg would be angry about him blowing off a training session so he decided to bluff and act as though he had been working on another skill. Plagg, instantly knowing the blonde was lying, decided to put a bit of pressure on him to get the truth.

“Really? I thought Mari wasn’t supposed to be involved in your training anymore. I'll have to bring it up with Tikki and decide if we should prolong her suspension for breaking the agreement we put in place.” Plagg turned to leave, acting as though he was going to go through with his empty threat until Adrien called after him.

“No, wait!” The green-eyed man let a brief smile cross his lips before reining it in and facing his new trainee. He knew Adrien cared about Marinette as much as he did and he trusted him to treat her well. Plagg had planned to confront him about his obvious feelings but decided now was not the time. So instead he would do with just knowing what they did in the meadow.

“Something you want to tell me, Adrien?” He asked.

“We didn’t climb trees.” He admitted. “We went to the graveyard.”

“You mean you stalked her as she went to the graveyard.” Plagg corrected.

“It's called friendly following,” Adrien said, dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand. “We just talked for a while then she fell asleep.” Plagg nodded, still holding his authoritative expression, he knew the intimidating effect he had on people and preferred to use it to his advantage at times like these.

“And what did you talk about?’ Plagg prompted. Adrien, relishing his failure to lie to the grim man minutes ago, decided to be truthful.

“Chloe, Alya, and Luka.”

That caught Plagg’s attention.

“What did she say?” He asked with some urgency. Adrien recounted the story to him and was shocked that the green-eyed man had never known what happened that day. Adrien knew the feeling of not knowing what happened to a loved one all too well. If he had the choice, he would want to know what happened to his brother, even if it was gruesome and scarring, there was no way the truth was any worse than not knowing.

Still, Adrien had been sure Plagg had known. The blonde could understand Marinette not telling Tikki, with their disagreements and all, but Plagg? They were so close, Plagg could have been an easy person to confide in.

Tears pricked both sets of green eyes as the story came to an end. But an idea also reached the surface of Adrien’s mind. One that might just change Marinette's life.

Chapter Text

Adrien had been tossing and turning in bed all night. An idea squirming in his consciousness like a worm on the end of a fishing line, making it impossible to fall asleep. Finally, he left his dorm and went for one of his midnight walks.

As he passed the bar he thought of how his heart jumped up into his throat when he saw Marinette holding the glass, how at ease he felt as they played cards, and thinking of how he wasn’t the only one who couldn't sleep at night, and how Marinette had asked him about his family.

Adrien lit the pine logs and the ambers began to glow, casting colorful strings of light through the bottles on the wall.

Marinette deserved a family of her own. He knew the blue-eyed girl had seen the other Guardians as much more than partners or even friends. He also knew Plagg looked at Marinette as a daughter of sorts. But she deserved to know the people she shared blood with.

Blood… That was it.

Adrien smothered the fire, only streams of smoke flying from the pine logs were left as an indication of his presence. He strode back to his dorm and made a mental note to mention it to Plagg in the morning. Finally, he could sleep fitfully knowing he could help the girl he cared so much for.

The next morning, the tall grizzled giant swung at Adrien’s jaw but he quickly evaded. That had always been Plaggs' downfall. He relied on brute strength and his bulky frame made it difficult to move swiftly, Adrien had obviously noticed and was using it to his advantage. Smart kid, Plagg thought, but he can't dodge Tikki and me forever.

The two directors of GUARD were working together to see how the young blonde would react to multiple attackers. He was handling himself quite well so far. He evaded strike after strike and only attacked when his opponent was off-balance and vulnerable. He knew hitting the two while they were standing firm would do nothing but wear himself out. Better to save his strength for opportune attacks.

Eventually, they were all in need of a water break. They sent Adrien to go fetch some along with their lunch waiting in the cafeteria while they rolled up the combat mats and moved on to another training subject.

But before Tikki could start putting away the equipment Plagg started toying with her. Punching her lightly in the shoulder or pushing her gently.

“Come on sugar cube,” He said. “When was the last time we had a one on one match?”

“Stop it Plagg.”

“Why not? Scared you’ll lose?”

“As I recall,” She stated. “The last time you and I fought you walked away with a broken nose.” Unconsciously, Plagg wrinkled his nose. It was slightly crooked thanks to the redhead, but it only managed to improve his looks somehow.

“Well, this time I’ll be sure not to leave my nose vulnerable.” With a chuckle, Tikki agreed.

She got three quick jabs in before Plagg picked her up like a ragdoll and dropped her onto the map, pinning her.

“That's not very sportsmanlike.” She muttered through clenched teeth.

“Since when has that stopped me?” Tikki managed to get a leg loose and knead him in the side. It wasn’t much but it was enough for her to escape his grip and stagger to her feet.

“I yield.” She said,

“Giving up that easy? Where is the fun in that?”

“I’m losing a battle to win the war, Plagg. What do you say to a fencing duel?”

“I say no.”

“Why not? Scared you’ll lose?” She mimicked. He scowled.

“Fine.” He reluctantly agreed.

They retrieved their gear and drew their blunt practice swords. Plagg was by no means graceful with a blade but Tikki wielded it with ease. The sound of clashing metal filled the room as the redhead took every available attack. If Plagg wasn’t going to play fair, why should she?

The giant stumbled through parleys as Tikki’s blade flew at him like a viper. At one point he left his ribs exposed and the blue-eyed woman went for the killing stroke.

But as she stepped forward, Plagg dropped his sword and scooped her up by the waist, and was spinning her around.

“Plagg stop.” She commanded but her order was weak because she said it through a ward of giggles. Her weapon clattered on the floor next to its companion as she pried at his arms, trying to free herself from the green-eyed python. Finally, he loosened his grip.

When was the last time I heard my sugar cube laugh like that? Plagg thought.

She dropped to her feet and scowled at him. But the edges of her lips still lingered with a ghost of a smile.

“You’re a jerk.” She said, not being able to think of a better insult.

“I think you mean handsome.” Plagg retorted.

Tikki tilted her head slightly, looking over his features. Square chin, sharp (and crocked) nose, piercing eyes. Maybe just a little handsome, she thought to herself.

Just then, the blonde returned with the water, food, and Nooroo.

“Hate to interrupt,” The purple-eyed man said. “But I need to speak to you Tikki.” Nooroo had got a lead about a potential Akuma supporter meet-up and apparently had new information to share.

“I’ll be right there.” The redhead replied. “Sorry, Adrien. I hate to walk out on your training sessions so much but- you know. There is work to do.” The blonde shrugged.

“Plagg can beat me up plenty well on his own.” They all chuckled slightly.

Once Tikki and Nooroo were gone, Adrien saw his chance to bring up his idea to the green-eyed giant.

“Plagg?” He asked.

“Hmm?”

“If Marinette has a family they would have reported her missing years ago.”

“Most likely.” The grim figure replied.

“So can't we just do a DNA test against Marinette and the people who filed missing person reports for a young girl around the estimated time Akuma took her?”

“We came up with the same conclusion some time ago and it's doable.”

“If it's doable then why don't you do it? We could give Marinette everything she's forgotten.”

“How do you know she wants to remember?” Plagg looked him in the eye with a sorrowful expression. “Mari has had years to think about what her life was like before Akuma. She’s not stupid, she knows we could have her entire history on file in seconds if she asked, but she doesn’t.”

“Why doesn't she?” Adrien couldn't fathom not remembering and passing up a chance at understanding his past.

“My guess is she's scared and I don't blame her. I would be too.”

“Scared of what exactly?”

“The unknown. Mari has been to hell and back. How do we know that whatever happened to her pre-Akuma wasn’t any worse than the refuge? How do we know she was taken by Akuma and not sold by human traffickers? How do we know that her memories won’t just give her more nightmares?”

Adrien didn’t want to believe her past was any worse than her time at Akuma. Fate wasn’t that cruel. Her entire life had been blanketed in darkness, and Adrien knew how much she hated the dark. She deserved a sliver of light. She had earned it.

“But-” Adrien continued until he was cut off by Plagg.

“We can’t rush her into this. It has to come at her own time and that time might never come.”

“I guess you’re right,” Adrien said sheepishly, it wasn’t a choice he could make for her.

“Aren’t I always?” Adrien rolled his eyes, an expression he had caught from watching Marinette and Tikki suffer through Plagg’s dry humor.

“I think we’ve done enough for today kid.” The director said. “You should rest. I heard you walking around last night, I doubt you got much sleep.”

“How did you know that was me?”

“The strides are longer so they came from someone tall. It was late, really late, so someone with a sleeping disorder. By the way, you should probably talk to Dussu about your insomnia. The footsteps were quiet. Even if someone was trying to be quiet, the tread of their boots was softer than usual, so they were wearing the standard boots trainees wear. And lastly, they passed by Marinette's dorm three times. Making it easy to single you out as the late-night wanderer.”

Adrien had never witnessed his deducing skills to such a degree. Then again Plagg always seemed to hear or see things that others didn’t notice.

“And I poked my head out the door and saw you.” Plagg finished. Again, Adrien rolled his eyes.

“For a second there I was actually impressed.” The blonde said, making his companion grin.

“Go get some rest.” Plagg rose to leave but Adrien stopped him.

“Where is Marinette anyway?” He asked, ignoring Plagg’s earlier statement.

“A supply run.” The tall man answered nonchalantly, unaware of Adrien’s inner turmoil.

“What?!”

“Whoa, kid. What's the problem?” Plagg asked.

“She's going on a supply run. Alone?”

“Yes. What's so wrong with that?”

“Everything Plagg!” The blonde yelled, running his fingers through his hair out of stress. Adrien didn’t seem to notice Plagg’s ginormous hands end up on his shoulders and his voice bringing him back to reality.

“Hey Adrien, calm down, breathe. It’s alright.” He said softly, trying to get his heart rate down.

“Alright?! Plagg, she’s out there, alone! No one is there to help her if she gets hurt. What if Akuma-” He stopped his rant when the grim figure put his hand up, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“Kid, she’s smart. If anything were to happen, she’d know what to do.” Seeing the absolute trust for the blunette in the man’s eyes did nothing to calm his nerves.

“But what if-” Again, he was cut off.

“Adrien, listen,” he took the blonde by the shoulders, “you are forgetting she has powers. Now you may have only seen them only in smaller forms, like stopping you from falling to your death, but she is a lot stronger than you think. Do you have any idea how she got the name Siren?” Adrien tilted his head slightly, his curiosity peaking.

“How?”

The grim man had to hold back a grin, he had known Adrien long enough to understand what grabs the boy’s attention, and usually, that included Marinette more than anything else. Seeing how his curiosity was outweighing his fear for the blue-eyed girl, he reckoned why not kill two birds with one stone?

As he started his story, more dramatic than would normally be needed, he saw how Adrien unconsciously moved closer to him, and this time, Plagg couldn’t hold back that smile.

A younger Plagg and Tikki cranked the metal wheel that locked the door in place until it finally turned open. The hinges whined their protest but the pair entered with weapons ready and prepared to fight.

Tikki had a trail of blood the color of her hair dripping from her nose and Plagg had more than a few bruises. The team of two had disobeyed orders in invading the facility and would most likely be court-martialed, but a sand storm had damaged the Akuma base allowing them an entrance and it was too good a chance to pass up. Their commander saw it as too risky to go in blind but the young friends knew the window of opportunity would not stay open. Fortunately for the four children trapped inside these walls, today would be the day they got their freedom.

The duo went in ready to fire off a slew of bullets, only to be met with four weeping children. Their eyes bulged with tears. The short blonde curled up under her bedsheets like a toddler frightened by thunder. The brunette girl buried her face in her knees and shielded her head with her arms. The only boy shook with terror as his lip quivered. Plagg dropped his weapon to the floor and Tikki followed suit.

As Plagg explained they were not going to hurt them and asked for names, Tikki slowly approached the blue-eyed girl who sat crossed-legged on her cot. Tears streamed down her face as an empty stare filled her eyes, her gaze locked on the darkness that waited outside the door.

“Hello.” The redhead cooed. “I’m Tikki.” The girl didn’t answer. Her hair was thin, her body unnaturally skinny making her look like a child instead of a 16-year-old, and her cheeks looked as hollow as her eyes.

Tikki slowly dropped her backpack from her shoulders. Glancing overhead she saw the blonde had poked her head from the sheets as Plagg worked to gain their trust. She took out a plastic bag and tore open the seal. Inside were dried food pellets about the size of a bottle cap, they tasted of butterscotch and felt like chalk in your mouth but they provided enough nutrients to fuel you for a few hours. They were supposed to be saved for emergencies but four starving children had to grant an exception. She placed three in front of the girl, popping one into her mouth to show her it was edible and set a water bottle in front of her.

The girl stood stock still, hardly blinking, until her hand shot out like a viper, grabbing the pellets and bottle and clutching them to her chest as if someone was going to wrestle them away from her. Tikki watched out of the corner of her eye as Plagg did the same, the blonde graciously accepting the food while the other two still showed signs of mistrust.

The blue-eyed one chewed the three pellets at once, grinding them to a powder before using the after to help swallow. She closed her eyes, although the flavor was weak she relished the taste of butterscotch, no matter how dry it felt on her tongue. A tear fell from her closed eyes, dampening her cheeks more. Tikki reached out a hand to dry her face but just as their skin brushed the girl shrank away, shielding her head like you would in a school drill. The redhead gingerly grasped hold of the girl's arm and pulled it down, wiping her thumb under her eyes as something changed in the girl's gaze. The hollow look was gone, replaced with questioning, curiosity, but above all trust. No one had treated Marinette with much care besides the other refugee mates, she promised herself she would one day repay her.

“What's your name?” Tikki asked.

“Marinette.” Her voice was a murmur. Tikki smiled softly at the young girl and Marinette relaxed her tense muscles. Seeing how she seemed a bit more trusting now, the red-head decided to push her luck.

“How old are you?” A frown appeared on the girl's face and she looked away. Tikki waited patiently, knowing it would be hard for her to open up.

“I don’t know.” Her voice came again, this time Tikki frowned, she didn’t know? How could she not know her own age? Had she really been here so long that she could no longer tell what time of day it was?

But she didn’t have much time to think about that, when the next thing she knew, Plagg was yelling at her to move as the Akuma agent standing right behind her, knife in hand, was ready to end her life.

Thankfully, though Plagg was larger than most, he was surprisingly fast, so before the man could move the blade an inch towards Tikki, he had him on the ground, the knife sliding across the room too far from his reach.

With Marinette out of her mind, Tikki quickly ran to the door and grabbed their weapons. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side today as she heard lots of footsteps coming for them. It seemed that Plagg had finally had the man unconscious, but they wouldn’t be able to defeat every agent on their own.

Looking back at Marinette, she could see the fear was back in her eyes, she didn’t even bother to hide it. This made Tikki enraged, she swore to herself that she wouldn’t ever let these people hurt her again. The red-head whispered something into Plagg’s ear, and seeing him nod once, Tikki ran over to Marinette.

She took the girl by the arm, gently, but firmly and got her to her feet. Marinette didn’t try to fight against her. Tikki pointed to the South-East corner, and Marinette, along with the others ran to the spot as the fight began.

Needless to say, both Tikki and Plagg would be walking away with bruises but not as many as the Akuma guard sprawled on the floor. They took the children into the dark hallway after a brief protest. The kids seemed more willing to go with them after being promised safety.

The kids watched as these people fought against the soldiers that kept flooding into the room. Plagg and Tikki were dangerously outnumbered, they had no hope to defeat them and Marinette knew it.

Then the sounds of footsteps filled the air.

Lots of them.

The two agents heard the multiple feet coming for them and gave each other a worried glance, but when the soldiers came through the doors, that feeling immediately vanished.

Help has finally arrived. They were now on an equal playing field. Tikki and Plagg pulled themselves away from the fight. As their commander practically screamed at them for disobeying orders and running off alone he asked “Please explain to me what was so important you risk your lives and abandon your squad?!”

“Children sir,” Plagg explained.

“What?”

Tikki and Plagg both stepped aside to show him the kids still hiding behind them. But there were only three.

“Where's Marinette?” The redhead questioned.

Then they heard the humming. Only a faint buzz until it started to echo off the walls.

“What is that?” Tikki asked.

“Marinette.” The three children chimed.

Plagg nor Tikki questioned what the sound was, they merely sprinted off in its direction.

It was odd. The song seemed to lure them in, guiding them to its source. Nonetheless, they found her. They looked down over a balcony, gripping the steel railings while searching. And there she was, in the center of a storage unit, metal crates scattered around in heeps, none of which were touching the ground.

“What are you doing here?!” Marinette called. “Go!” But they didn’t. They didn’t realize what was about to happen. Marinette knew Akuma didn’t care about the agents running around their facility, only their lost experiment. So, she would lure them out, distract them, and let the others get away. It’s what Max would have done.

Tikki and Plagg stood confused and shocked while the trio flung themselves over the railing. Plagg gripped Luka’s sleeve but he slipped through his fingers and Tikki gasped as they plummeted the 10 meters.

Despite the humming, they still expected to hear the distinct sound of bones cracking. But they didn't. Their descent slowed halfway through and they met the ground unscathed.

Impossible.

Tikki and Plagg stared at each other in a mix of disbelief and shock. In this line of work, you see a lot of things, but never, not even once, did Tikki see someone fall off a cliff from this height, and land without a scratch.

Gunshots were sounded out in the distance and the two field agents were snapped back into reality. They tightened their grip on their weapons and started the tread towards the noise.

Every 10 or 20 meters they would see an Akuma soldier lying motionless on the desert ground, but the rising and falling in their chests indicated they were breathing, Just…

Asleep?

They both looked at each other, the same question in their eyes, but despite their curiosity, Tikki and Plagg were focused on finding these kids. However, when they did find them, they did not expect to see them fighting almost 100 soldiers by themselves.

In a normal situation, they would have never stood there doing nothing. They were trained to fight, after all, but now, they just couldn’t bring their feet to move. The scene played out in front of them in pure chaos.

Dozens of soldiers charging the children. Spark danced in Luka's hands that for a moment they thought he would catch fire. Alya would vanish in a blink of an eye only to reappear on the other side of the room. Chloe stood in a pool of yellow fog, unconscious men at her feet. And Marinette, in the center, the hum rattling her bones, as she focused on holding their attackers back.

Then Plagg understood. She was a siren, coaxing bewitched sailors to her with her song until their ships were reduced to splitters from the jagged rocks. Leaving her to scavenge the wreckage and reap the reward. Only she hadn’t expected a reward when she snuck off. She expected to be caught, locked away in the dark, never to get her taste of freedom. And she was alright with that. Her friends would be safe, free, and happy. That was her reward.

But Plagg refused to let her suffer longer than she already had. They called in as much backup as they could spare. The kids were rushed away, but not before multiple people saw what they were capable of. They eventually escaped into the desert and were airlifted into safety.

The whole way there, all the kids could do was cling to the armrest of the chairs. Tikki had been in this line of work for a while, but she had never seen anyone so scared before. The blonde, who she recently learned was named Chloe, still had a few tears running down her face, but it was more out of shock than fear.

As they were finally reaching their destination, the plane hit some turbulence and Tikki could feel a small pair of hands wrap around her arm. Marinette had kept to herself the whole time only mumbling to herself every so often. Even though her petite hands couldn’t hurt her, the girl was stronger than she looked.

It took her a minute to pry herself from the blue-eyed girl's grip, but when she did, Tikki put her arm around her and pulled the cover-up over her shoulders. The plane touched the ground and Marinette tensed up, but the feeling of the redhead's hand gently rubbing up and down her arm made her feel safe for the first time in forever.

Plagg and Tikki watched from a distance as the four children were wrapped in blankets being asked question after question before they dropped dead sleep into the spare bunks/

“What they can do,” Tikki whispered as she watched them sleep. So small, so weak, so dangerous. “It’s not natural. Akuma may have more like them.” Plagg nodded slowly while his mind wandered. “What are we going to do with them? We can’t turn them loose and act as nothing happened.” The grim figure hardly heard a word out of the redhead's mouth. All he could mutter out was was,

“These kids are going to change the world.”

Chapter Text

Once training had run its course and the guys were drenched in sweat, Plagg said the words that had been resting on his tongue for a while.

“You love her don't you?”

“Excuse me?” The blonde asked.

“Marinette You love her.”

“Yeah, I guess. She's a good friend.”

“Ah denial. When will people just admit when they have feelings for someone.” At that, a certain redhead popped into Plaggs' mind, but he quickly shook the thought off.

Adrien let out a nervous laugh. Plagg was right of course, but he didn’t need to know that. So he shook his head and walked off but not before the grim figure called after him “Marinette has loved before and they all left. If you plan on pursuing her I’m expecting you to stick around. Understand?”

Adrien nodded. He had no intention of leaving. But then again, neither did Luka.

A few days later, Nooroo and Tikki were prepared to send a squad out to interfere with the Akuma meeting Nooroo had been following for weeks now. Only Marinette wasn’t on that squad.

“Tikki please,” Marinette begged. “I’m going to grief counseling, I’m getting better. I’m ready to go back into the field. You need me there.”

“You know,” Tikki stated. “Plagg and I used to battle Akuma without superpowers and we did just fine. We don’t need you there.”

“I’ll stay away from the front lines. I’ll be the backup!” Marinette offered, sounding more cheerful than she felt.

“No.”

The bluenette's temper was seconds from boiling over, so she left, resisting the urge to slam the door behind her. Acting out wouldn’t convince Tikki she was fit to work again.

As she walked to her dorm in a huff, Nooroo stopped her by the lifts.

“Marinette.”

“Nooroo.”

“Could we talk?”

“Sure.” The elevator doors opened.

“Ladies first.” He said, his purple eyes sparkling in the fluorescent light.

Once inside, Nooroo pressed the button for her level, and they stood in silence for a moment before he spoke.

“I want you on that mission.” He shook his head, his slim build tense and rigid as if he was nervous. “There isn’t anyone better suited than you. The truth is we have become rather reliant on your abilities. Tikki is acting foolish and out of spite. She is putting our men on the line to prove a point.” He wasn’t nervous. He was angry. “I won’t even try to mask how insulting it is that she didn’t even tell me she benched you until after the fact. I know I’m not as hands-on with missions as she is but I am a founder and should have been consulted about the decision. Not to mention that Plagg and Tikki’s relationship is bordering on unprofessionalism and they play favorites.” He sighed, letting out a pent-up breath he was holding for who knows how long.

“Marinette, I think we can both admit we aren’t the closest.” She nodded. “But keeping you at arm's length is better for everyone. It may seem like indifference but I’m just trying to do my job.”

“What is your job Nooroo?” She cooked her head to the side. He didn’t do much to her knowledge. He stood to the side, in the background, acting as a shadow.

“Keeping everyone alive. I calculate the survival odds of missions, I try to come up with the best strategies to bring everyone home safely. And I can’t do that if I’m only concerned with a few people instead of focusing on the big picture. It sounds cold, but having you there and risking another slip up has better odds than you staying behind.”

“Have you told Tikki that?”

“Of course but she's stubborn and Plagg is too distracted by her wit to do anything but agree with her.”

Unfortunately, nothing came of Nooroo or Marinette's attempts to convince Tikki. Nooroo shook with anger as he spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. “You are putting all of us at risk because of your own melodrama.”

“I said no and I’m not changing my answer.” The red-head replied.

“Just know that the lives lost on this mission are because of your idiotic

decision.”

And with that Tikki sent the troops out, leaving Marinette to do nothing but train on her own.

Until Adrien happened to walk past and join her on her run around the track. Marinette protested, saying she wasn’t allowed to train him anymore which we replied with “Plagg and Tikki are both up in the white room overseeing the mission. No one will know.” She smiled. She liked that he was trying to sneak in time together. It reminded her of the bread pudding and graham crackers she would smuggle into her hospital bed.

Until her smile started to fade. Sass said that grief had a way of making people feel guilty for being happy. And that was exactly how Marinette felt. As if she was betraying them in some way. She took a few steps to the left, trying to keep some distance between herself and Adrien. Like standing too close was some form of infidelity towards Luka. Which was stupid because Adrien was just a friend… Right?

Of course he was just a friend. Why would he want her anyway? She was scared, a lab rat, a broken piece of machinery, a monster.

Then tears started to fall and her legs slowed until it took all she had not to crumble to the floor like a discarded piece of paper that missed the trash can.

Adrien stopped running, a bit of sweat and concern laced on his forehead. He saw her hiccup a few times as she tried to swallow a sob.

Why did the idea of him not wanting her hurt so much?

“Are you okay?” he asked, grabbing her shoulders to keep her upright. She looked as fragile and brittle as glass.

Her red-rimmed eyes met his perfect green and she couldn’t hold in the tears any longer. His eyes were the grass in the meadow, warm and soft and so full of love, she wanted to scream that she didn’t deserve it. But all she could muster was “How are you able to do that?”.

“Able to do what?” Adrien asked, confused by her question.

“How are you able to look at me like there is something worth looking at?” Her voice broke mid-sentence as she choked on tears. She hung her head low, trying to hide droplets sliding down her cheeks, but Adrien could still see her face through her messy bangs.

He tilted her chin up and their eyes locked. He had never seen her cry before. He knew her shoulders shook with sobs in the graveyard but he never saw a tear fall. He remembers hearing her begging him to stay alive when he was shot but the memory was blurry and he wasn’t sure if there were tears in her eyes then. But there were tears in her eyes now.

Everything about her looked as hollow as her eyes. She was shaking and biting her lip to keep sobs inside.

How was he able to look at her like there was something worth looking at? The answer was simple. There was something in her worth looking at.

He hooked his fingers around the belt loops of her jeans and pulled her to him until they were close enough to feel each other’s heartbeat. He wiped at her tears with his thumb and she met his steady gaze, the hollow stare that made Adrien’s heartache in her eyes.

He was shaking too. He was terrified. But he had to say it. She needed to know.

“Because,” He said, bringing his lips centimeters from hers. “I’m in-” He was about to say ‘in love with you’ but was cut off by a blaring alarm and flashing red light overhead, which could only mean one thing.

They were under attack.

Chapter Text

Everything happened in fragments.

She was only able to hold onto flashes of what happened that night. Like a puzzle missing half its pieces.

But the small details didn't matter much anyway, they were all forgotten when the first bomb hit.

Marinette woke up to cold sweat and the sound of snoring. Adrien had been making appearances in her nightmares for some time now.

She glanced at the clock on the far side of the barracks. It was 5 AM, training would start for another hour. She rejected the thought of going back to sleep, the dream would just pick up where it left off, with Adrien dying and Marinette unable to save him.

“It was just a dream.” She reminded herself.

Still, it echoed in her mind...

She screamed as they dragged her through the darkness. Choked sobs echoed down the halls in a desperate cry for help. She thrashed and kicked but to no avail. She was only twelve and starving, what little strength she had did little to the soldiers surrounding her.

After what felt like hours, the Akuma troops finally got to their destination. A door opened with a metallic whine and they forced Marinette in despite her screams.

Cold pricked her skin. There was a dim light hanging from a cord which illuminated the room just enough for Marinette to see her breath fog. She was trembling, not just from the bone-chilling cold, but fear. Instead of her Akuma-issued uniform and leather boots, she wore nothing but a flimsy hospital gown. Her bare feet threaded across the concrete floor as she made her way to the single light bulb. She would do anything to get away from the dark.

As she put one foot in front of the other, she slipped. She fell to the floor in a puddle of liquid. It was warm and for a moment Marinette relished the feeling until she smelled the suffocating stench of blood.

Dozens of light bulbs on cords started to fall from the ceiling like bungee jumpers, forcing out the darkness and rescuing Marinette from the shadows. Little did she know what waited for her in the light was much worse.

Her hair was sticky with blood and the white cloth of the hospital gown was stained red. She searched the room for something, anything, to save her from whatever form of torture this was. But all she found was Adrien laying on the floor in a hospital gown, his back sliced down the middle and metal where there should have been bone.

Marinette was bathing in blood.

His blood.

Marinette shook off the dream. She wanted to sob, but she didn’t. She got up, careful to not wake the others in the barracks, and showered off the imaginary blood. It wasn’t the worst of her dreams, she once had one where his head was rolled across the floor to her like a bowling ball, or they were once chained together with his screaming how much he hated her while strangling her with the metal rope. When she woke she could hardly breathe as if the chain was still wrapped around her throat in a deadly noose, his words echoing in her mind like a sadistic cry.

“I HATE YOU”

“It was just a dream” She repeated.

A single tear fell but she wiped it away with a towel and got dressed. The training was a blur, it always was. Only flashes of what had happened that day accompanied her.

Alarms.

The whistling of bombs plummeting.

Adrien's hand in hers.

The stale air of the bomb shelter.

“Where's Plagg?”

After it was over they couldn’t stay at GUARD anymore. Everyone left alive was either re-stationed, discharged, or staying with the hundred or so soldiers regrouping at a decommissioned air hanger. Marinette missed GUARD and the meadow that was now a ravine of rubble, but the hanger was safe. She didn’t know anyone well though. Trixx was re-stationed and was currently in Alaska. Longg and Kaalki were discharged and in France. Duusu is working on rehabilitating those injured in the bombing and raid. And Tikki was barely on base anymore, too much fallout was left to her after everything was over. Nooroo was still dealing with the backlash of the mission Tikki refused to let Marinette go on. No one came back alive after a gas attack was triggered and he was left to take the heat. As for Plagg… Marinette didn't want to think about it.

The ground shaking.

Fire.

Quiet.

Still quiet.

Too quiet.

Akuma was inside GUARD.

She drove to a military base about two hours away that was holding the Akuma soldiers that were once held at GUARD before its destruction.

They allowed her in and within minutes Marinette was waiting in the interrogation room.

She crossed another prisoner off her list. Inmate #5295 knew nothing, either he didn’t know or refused to tell. What was the point?

“Inmate #5296 ma’am.” An armed man said while dragging a prisoner in by the arm. She was tall, thin, pale, and was named Nathalie. Marinette didn’t see her name in a file or arrest the woman herself, but she remembered her. She was one of the surgeons who split her open and stitched her back together. Nathalie. A man had called her Nathalie while a blade cut through 13-year-old Marinette's skin.

Rage bubbled up inside Marinette. The want, the need, to watch the life leak from Nathalie’s eyes was overpowering. A hand to the throat, that all it would take.

No.

She cut off the thought and stared down at the list of inmates she would be trying to pry information out of today. But it was too late. Nathalie had noticed her moment of vulnerability.

“You want something from me.” She stated.

“Yes.” The blue-eyed girl replied.

“And what would it be exactly?”

Marinette looked at her records. Nathalie had been arrested three months ago.

“I want Adrien Noir.”

Soldiers with butterflies on their shoulders knocking down the bomb shelter door.

Fighting for her life.

A pain in her skull.

Falling to the floor.

Black.

Waking up on a gurney completely alone.

Slipping away to go above ground.

No one was there.

The graveyard was gone.

All that was left of the guardians was gone.

“Siren?” It was Trixx on the comlink

“What?”

“Tikki needs to talk to you.” A short pause before the redhead spoke.

“You need to come 3 miles east of the meadow. We were moving the injured but you weren't there. Where are you?” She sounded scared... sad… tired...

“I came looking for you. Is everything alright? Are you okay?”

Tikki sniffled.

“It's Plagg, he's pretty beat up.”

Marinette started running.

“It's bad, Marinette, it's really bad.”

No. He can’t die. He just can’t. He’s Plagg.

“I’m on my way.”

But it was too late.

The damage had been done.

It wasn’t until Marinette's sobs subsided that she realized something was missing. A presence that should have been there was gone.

Her head ached.

Her cheeks were wet.

And Adrien was gone.

A glint of realization passed over Nathalie's eyes at Adreins name before she could rain it in.

“Who?”

“Don’t toy with me.” Marinette spat and after a moment let herself soften ever so slightly. “Look, I can call in some favors, I’ll see if I can get you an appeal.” The former “surgeon” analyzed Marinette for a hint of a lie but found none.

“What do you want to know?” She asked.

“Is he alive?” Please say yes.

“He was the last time I saw him.” Three months. Adrien was alive three months ago. Was he still?

“What exactly are you doing to him?” She didn't want to know, dear God she didn’t even want to think about what they could possibly be doing to him, but she had to hear her say it.

“We are giving him a gift, the chance to be something greater than humanity can possibly imagine.” Marinette clenched her first. All it would take is a hand to the throat.

“Don’t pull that crap with me. Tell me where he is.”

No response.

“If you don't answer me, I will use that ‘gift’ you gave me to crush your ribcage.”

Nathalie stiffened her jaw. But then she heard the hum and her torso restricted as it caved in. Marinette could kill her in a heartbeat, but with a hatred that bright burning behind her eyes, Nathalie knew she would make it last much longer. So she told her what she wanted to know.

A series of longitudes and latitudes spilled out of Nathalie's month. The arctic. He was in the arctic. She called the guard and Nathalie was brought back to her cell.

Finally…

Marinette allowed a few silent tears to spill. Tears she didn’t let herself shed when she lost him. For so long she was numb, emotionless. Completely alone for so long. But finally, after fourteen months, he was within reach. She could get him back. She cried with a smile on her face.

Soon she would have his hand in her again. Feel the pulse at the base of his neck when she hugged him. See his lopsided smile and gorgeous green eyes. Be as close to him as she had been when he grabbed her belt loops and pulled her to him.

She replayed that memory a thousand times. Wondering how it would have finished if that had had just a minute more.

“Because, I’m in-” His voice echoed in her head.

In what? Danger? Trouble? Love?

Love…

The answer hit her like a brick wall.

Because, I’m in love with you.

“He loves me?” Marinette asked, puzzled. “Oh, Adrien don't do that to yourself. Loving me is a death sentence. Just look at what happened to Luka.” She ran her fingers through her hair and dropped back into her seat. Love had only ever hurt her and the people she cared about.

“He loves me?” She asked again, but upon hearing it over, she knew it was true. “He loves me.” Of course he did, how had she not seen it? Sneaking her bread pudding, dancing in the rain, holding her while she cried.

I’m in love with you.

She suddenly craved the sound of his voice saying that one sentence that would mean so much to her. It would be different this time, no one would get hurt, she'd make sure of it. It would be okay. It would be perfect.

She went back to the air hanger with a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Hope.

Everything would be alright. She knew it. Somehow it would work.

When she got to her barracks she expected to see the normal hustle and bustle of two dozen people sharing a relatively small space. But it was quiet.

A familiar figure sat on her bed.

Tikki stood up and smiled. “Hey. I just wanted to check up on you. See how you're doing.”

“I’m good. More than good actually.” She nearly ran and plopped her bag onto her bed before beaming up at the tall woman and blurting out her news. Adrien would be home soon.

But Tikki stopped her.

“That's great and I want to hear all about it but first there's something you need to see.”

Marinette followed as she was led out back to an open landing bay. She didn’t get it at first. The sun was setting and all she could see was his silhouette. A figure leaning heavily on a cane, a wheelchair off to the side. She looked at Tikki for answers but she was smiling tiredly at the man. The kind of tiredness that came with fourteen months of loneliness, and the kind of smile that came when you were not alone anymore.

Marinette glanced back at the man and now his image was clear.

“Where's Plagg?” Marinette asked frantically. She just sprinted the three miles and no one could tell if the moisture on her face was sweat or tears.

Tikki wouldn’t meet her eyes as her shoulder shook with a silent cry.

Duusu was left to explain. “Plagg has experienced some brain damage. He stayed behind to make sure everyone got to the bomb shelter and debris hit him pretty hard when the first bomb hit.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s in a coma.”

“So he’s alive? He’s going to be alright?”

Duusu's lips formed a thin line.

“We don’t know when he’ll wake up... Or if he ever will.”

“Plagg?” Marinette asked in a whisper.

“Hey, Mari.”

Before she knew it she had her arms around his neck and was cursing at him for scaring her like that.

“Please don’t hit me.” He said, “Tikki already gave me a few bruises.” The redhead smiled. He was kidding, she hadn’t hit him. She did however stand stock still in utter shock before he limped his way towards her, grabbed her waist, and kissed her forehead before whispering “Hey sugar cube.” Then she cried. Crumbling into him like a piece of paper and he held her firm as she wept, like he never intended to let go again.

Once Marinette slid back down to her heels, she noticed Plagg was a little more wobbly than she remembered. She always saw him as a pillar, solid and unmovable. But now he walked with a cane on the occasions he did walk and wheeled himself around the rest of the time. He gratefully sat in the wheelchair Tikki pulled towards him.

“Thanks, that took quite a bit out of me.”

“You’ve been sleeping for fourteen months and you're still tired?” Marinette prompted.

Plagg shrugged. “What can I say? It’s exhausting to look this good.”

“You know it's times like this where I wish we pulled the plug on you.”

“I’m hurt. I accept apologies for secrets and cheese. Which will it be?”

“Secrets.”

Plagg raised an eyebrow, he expected her to say cheese and was a little disappointed that she didn't. But this was interesting.

“And what would that secret be?”

“Adrien's current location.”

Chapter Text

The immense joy in Marinette's eyes faded almost as fast as it had arrived. "I'm sorry Marinette," The redhead finally spoke, "but I can't let you go."

"What?" Marinette must have misheard her, that was all, Tikki would never stop her from bringing Adrien home.

"I said no." She repeated in a small voice that neither Marinette nor Plagg had heard from her before. "We're stretched out too thin. There aren't enough resources to storm an Akuma base when we don't know what we're up against. Your powers might not even work, we could be outnumbered 3 to 1, Adrien co-..." She stopped herself, not daring to say it, as if hearing the words would somehow make them come true.

"Adrien. Could. What?" Marinette prompted, venom dripping from her voice like syrup.

"Adrien could already be dead." She spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

"He's not," Marinette said, eyeing her superior cautiously.

"How can you be sure?"

"Nathalie told me he was alive. There wasn't a trace of a lie anywhere on her face."

"No, she said he was alive three months ago. A lot can happen in that amount of time."

"So we're just not going to help? We're going to leave him there to suffer alone in the hands of those monsters?!"

"Of course not," Tikki replied, trying to calm the fire in the girl's eyes. "Give me a few weeks, I'll call in some favors and see if we can make up a decent rescue operation. Then we will come up with a plan of action. You of all people can know what could happen if we run in premat-"

"A few weeks?!" Marinette shot out of her chair, Plagg gripped her arm but she pulled away from his touch. "If he's not dead yet he will be by then."

"I'm sorry Marinette. I want him back as much as you do but I can't take that risk." Please understand, I can't lose anyone else, I can't lose you, the red-head added silently.

"If you really wanted him back you would never give up on him so easily." No one tried to stop Marinette from storming off, but Plagg did turn up to talk to her after an hour when she had cooled down a bit.

The bluenette sat on her bunk, stewing over everything that was said.

"Hey, Mari," Plagg called as he rolled himself into the room.

"What?" She asked in a less than friendly tone.

The green-eyed man stopped shy just a few feet away from her and contemplated his next words. He was usually able to reason with Marinette, but this was different. He wasn't asking her to stay out of danger, he was asking her to leave someone she cared about in danger.

"I know how things may seem right now, but trust me, Mari, acting now isn't our best move."

She sighed and agreed with him even though none of what she was heart felt.

It didn't matter what he said to her, she had already made up her mind.

It wasn't as hard to sneak off base as she expected. She used her powers to distract guards and unlock doors until she was sitting in the pilot seat of a berg. Her mind wandered to when Plagg had taught her to fly a few months after she came to GUARD. She shook off the memory and tried to remind herself that this wasn't a betrayal. She was disobeying Tikki's orders, not his. He just agreed with said orders.

She waited until the guards switched shifts before lifting her off the ground. Once she did, alarms blared.

"You are making an unauthorized take-off," Trixx said over the intercom. "Identify yourself and land immediately."

"Tell Plagg I'm sorry," Marinette replied before cutting the com and ripping the tracker from its place in a ball of wires.

She didn't sleep much through the flight, letting autopilot glide them over the ocean. She did eventually drift off and when she opened her eyes again the blue waves were replaced with an endless sheet of white. A few more kilometers and she'd be on top of Adrien's prison.

She made a jerky landing and turned on the bergs cloaking. She grabbed the bag of supplies she brought along and dug out the Akuma uniform she had stolen when she and Adrien had been in Australia. She slipped on a bodysuit meant to preserve body heat and put the Akuma uniform over top, frowning at how big the boots were.

When her feet first hit the snow she knew the trek through would be long and cold, made no easier by her boots dragging in the white powder. Her backpack bit into her shoulders and the wind made her path frigid but she marched on, refusing to give Akuma an extra second to hurt the boy she'd come to love.

It took an hour until she was standing above the coordinates.

With numb fingers she dug through the snow, throwing it behind her like a dog searching for a buried bone. It didn't take long for her to hit solid ground, or rather, hit a metal trap door. And miraculously, her powers still worked. And even more miraculously, just hours before Marinette's arrival a snowstorm had shut down most of the compound's power, so she had time before her telekinesis disconnected and before Akuma realized she was there.

She used her powers to shift the heavy bolts in the trap door until she was able to swing it open. She was hit by a wall or warm air enveloping her. She slid through the door and down the stairs, her fingers and toes stinging from the blood rush. Because everyone's attention was on trying to get the power-up, no one noticed an out-of-place guard.

She'd been there almost two hours searching, going from door to door picking locks with her powers, looking for a sign he was there. So far nothing. But then she came across a door with rusted hinges.

She opened the door with a metal whine and was met with rows and counters full of empty beakers along with charts stacked away against the back wall. Boxes of surgical tools and files lay waiting while a layer of dust slowly draped itself over the room.

Marinette stood past the empty desktops and opened one of the forgotten boxes. It was only half full of paper and graphs, she recognized a few as blood tests, a growth chart, and what looked to be a sleep study. She was about to toss the box aside as unimportant when she found a photograph attached to a surgical file.

The patient was strapped down at the wrists and across the chest. A leather strap gagged them so they had something to bite down on while they screamed until they would inevitably pass out. Black dashes had been drawn around their shoulder socket, marking where the first incisions would go. Tears burned in Marinette's eyes as she stared at the picture. Hoping the longer she stared at it the less it would look like Adrien. But there was no denying how fearful his eyes were. She had seen that look too many times before to mistake it for anything else.

She threw the picture back into the box and closed the lid, locking the image away.

Please, please be okay, she begged over and over.

She sat hunched over the box for far too long before she pulled herself together again. She went to the next box, this one looked more recent, less dust had settled on the lid than the rest. She dug through until she found the file dating two weeks prior. Most of it was a medical language she didn't understand but the gist was that Adrien would soon be moved to the veteran refugee. Which meant he was alive. And whatever they did to him worked.

Marinette left and tried to understand what she read as she tried to find the next door.

"The test subject," Adrien. "Can now successfully decompose mass into a state of flotsam. Test subjects' heart rate increases dramatically when a physician or guard comes near them. The test subject will cry out repeatedly, 'Don't touch me!'."

She was still trying to piece it together when she got to the door. She unlocked it and found a room filled with random objects. Furniture, toys, books, mirrors, tapestries, and by far the oddest, piles of ashes everywhere. But nothing drew more of her attention than the mop of blonde hair she saw in a mirror reflection.

There he was. Lay beat and bruised on the floor, but so very much alive. She ran to his side, cradling his head in her hands. Tears stung her eyes but she couldn't break down yet, not until she knew he was okay.

"Adrien? Adrien, wake up." He didn't stir. She rested his head in her lap, dropped the backpack from her shoulders, and dug out the med kit. She cleaned his cuts, added a couple of stitches, and bandaged what she could. She had food, water, and something to help ease the pain, but he needed to be awake to take them. So she let her canine drizzle onto his face.

"Adrien?"

He woke up with a startle. He stared up at her for a moment, dazed, before his eyes went wide and he pushed her away.

"Don't touch me!" He cried as he backed into the wall.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Marinette lulled, taking off the Akuma helmet. "It's me, Adrien. It's okay. I'm here to take you home."

He gawked at her for a second before realization came.

"Clara?"