Work Text:
Emilie Agreste coughed and wheezed and pounded on the door of her confinement. How long had she been in this glass... coffin? There had to be someway out. She kicked and hit and...
CRACK!!
Once the first crack formed in the glass, it wasn't long before more joined it. She held her breath as she gave one last finally kick, and the glass shattered around her, covering her in sharp shards of freedom. Emilie worked her way out of the coffin, weak from unused muscles and dizzy from depleted air. Looking closer, she realized there was some type of generator providing air to the coffin. It was off, though there was no obvious sign of foul play.
Moving on, Emilie found herself walking a long, narrow bridge, then up an elevator... to Gabriel's office. The lights were on, and the first thing she noticed was the stark silence of the room. The entire building. A soft hum of electricity. But nothing else. Quietly, she walked through the room towards her son's room. Emilie had to know if Adrien was okay. She couldn't remember anything since... ... what could she remember? She wasn't sure.
She opened his door, and walked into a spacious room. It was nothing like she remembered it. A basketball hoop. A rock climbing wall. Sparse. Cold. Empty... Large windows showed Paris. Dark and looming. The sun was setting, but the sky was like fire. Smoke billowed in the distance, and her heart twisted in fear.
Where was her son? Where was her husband?
She turned to search the room further, taking in pictures Adrien had left beside his bed. He had grown so much. How much time had passed? She moved to the desk, finding her own face staring back at her. A picture stretched across his desktop.
"Mrs. Agreste? Emilie?" A voice called from behind her, and startled, she turned to see a girl dressed in red and black polka dots literally hanging onto the window frame.
"Yes. I'm... confused. I..." She replied. Her cracking voice barely worked from what she could only gather was years of disuse.
"I'm Ladybug. And there is something we need to talk about." The girl paused. "You will want to sit down for this..."