Chapter Text
"Tikki, spots off!"
Marinette landed haphazardly in a familiar alleyway near her home that was tucked between two restaurants. It was one of the best places for her to detransform after an akuma battle when she was rushing to get home. She had done it hundreds of times over the years, why would she think that day would be any different?
"I'll get you cookies as soon as we're home. I'm sorry I ran out! After this morning's akuma I didn't restock. He doesn't usually attack twice in one day," Marinette apologized to Tikki, but luckily she was an understanding little goddess.
"Monarch was busy today, that's for sure," Tikki agreed.
Marinette smiled, grateful for her companion's understanding, and walked to the opening of the alleyway.
But she didn't make it.
"Little..." step, "little..." step, "Ladybug." A low, humored voice echoed behind her.
Marinette froze, shocked still.
That was...
His hand wound itself in her hair and she was pulled backward and held against a hard, large body.
Marinette screamed and, thinking clearly in the spur of the moment, pulled her earrings from her ears and tossed them onto the ground. She ignored the sting of the earrings' pull and fought against the man's hold on her.
"Tikki, go!" she ordered.
The image of Tikki holding on tightly to the Ladybug Miraculous and disappearing around the opening of the alleyway would give her the strength she needed for whatever came next.
"No!" Monarch cried out.
Her feet were lifted from the ground and she was thrown onto the concrete. She landed on her back and her head knocked against the ground painfully. All of the air in her lungs escaped. Without any pause in his assault, Monarch's cane connected with her cheek and her head ricocheted against the ground once again. He stepped on her chest, rendering her immobile under the force. His strength was fueled by the Miraculous power he was weilding, making his attacks much more powerful than a normal man's.
"You cretin!" He kicked her side and she rolled away, feeling out of control and boneless.
"Kaalki, voyage!" Monarch growled, his anger tangible, as he brought forth the special power to transport.
Marinette felt the briefest moment of relief when she realized he was leaving. She was correct... but her relief shattered when it became clear she was leaving too. A weak, verbal protest was all she could manage when he grabbed one of her arms and pulled her through the portal beside him.
Their new location was cold and dark. She landed on concrete once again, and noted the stone walls and high ceiling. They were inside a large cavern of some sort. She tried to look around as her eyes adjusted to the change of lighting, but wasn't able to fully survey the area before he kicked her a second time. His boot connected with the side of her ribcage, and she thought she felt something crack. She curled in on herself and squeezed her eyes closed, whimpering in pain, unable to stay quiet. In that moment she was nothing but a teenage girl, without a super-charged defense or extra strength. Being hit hurt.
"Get up, you useless thing." Monarch sneered down at her and nudged her with his boot, not quite kicking her. "Playtime is only just beginning!"
He grabbed her by the arm again when he realized she wasn't going to stand on her own and started dragging her. She felt useless, like a rag doll, dazed and unable to move or protest.
He dragged her a significant distance, gaining her a multitude of scratches and burns from the friction, until he stopped in front of a large, wooden door. He wretched it open and the corner of the bottom of the door nicked her arm, creating a large scratch across her forearm. He paid no mind and pulled her roughly by her wrist, straining it. He thrusted her into a small, dark closet with walls of stone and slammed the door shut. A line of light was visible from the bottom of the door's threshold, but otherwise it was completely dark, cold, and damp. She heard the lock click into place.
Finally she allowed herself a moan of agony and dared to try to move her body. It hurt terribly. Her head was pounding and it hurt to move. Every limb felt heavy. Her eyes watered when she shifted her torso; she swore she felt the bones in her chest grinding. Had he broken her ribs?
She sobbed one time before stopping abruptly due to the pain that vibrated up her chest when she did it. She couldn't even cry about her pain without causing more pain. She was terrified.
She rolled onto her back and was shaking from the cold by the time she was able to position herself in a way that felt moderately tolerable. She lifted her hand to her face to mop the dampness away and survey her head. The liquid on her fingers was thick: too thick to be sweat alone. It was too dark in the closet to see what color now stained her fingers.
Luckily, her limbs seemed in good shape. Where her torso and head were beaten and aching, her arms and legs seemed relatively unscathed. If she didn't twist her body in the process she felt no pain when her legs and arms bent. But the pain in her chest was significant: something was definitely wrong.
She lay on the cool ground, trying to breath and stave off her anxiety. She was alone, for now, and that was better than the alternative. She wondered where Tikki escaped to; hopefully she made it to Chat Noir. He would be alerted and… try. Try something. She considered the circumstances and how very little information Chat would have to go off of. They had no clue who Monarch was, let alone where he was.
Her parents would be wondering where she went. It was getting late and she always arrived home before dark or checked in before the sun fully set. It had to have been long enough now that her parents were worrying. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was missing. Ladybug was gone. What if Monarch decided to attack her home? Who would protect her family? She had been adamant about keeping their identities secret and now, alone in a closet and unmasked to Monarch, she was regretting the decision.
There was so much she could have done differently to prevent what was happening... what would happen. She didn't sob, but she cried. Her tears rolled down her cheeks and her nose started running.
When the door opened she jumped, unable to hide her fear. She shied away from Monarch, whose shadow was illuminated by the light behind him. His shoes were in her direct line of sight, so eyes trailed along his legs and up to survey the man. He was tall, lengthy, and large; his transformed suit was well made and not nearly as tacky as some of his previous villainous designs. The man squatted down beside her, surprising her and causing her to gasp at the nearness. Without warning he started removing her clothing.
It was terrifying and humiliating in a way Marinette had never thought possible. She tried to fight him away but when he pushed down on her sternum to keep her stationary she felt excruciating pain and screamed louder than ever, jerking away from him and the contact. He noted her weakness immediately and threatened to "cave her chest in completely" if she tried to fight him again.
So she didn't. And instead she cried, tears soaking her face and making her neck wet, while he peeled off her shoes, socks, pants, blazer, and shirt. She was left in her underwear, shivering even more than before from fear, cold, humilation, and pain.
He slammed the door shut again and she was left alone in a worse state than before, despite the fact that he hadn't attacked her at all.
The second time the door opened, he gave her a choice: "You will stand and walk yourself out of this room, or I will drag you."
She groaned. She had managed to scoot herself into a sitting position with her back against the wall, so she used the wall for support to try to stand. She made her way to her feet slowly.
"Faster!" he snapped.
She gritted her teeth and pushed herself to comply. She didn't want to be dragged, which would only make her injuries worse. She needed to survey her surroundings since she hadn't been able to on the way in. She forced herself to stand, clenching her jaw through the pain, and stepped forward. She kept one hand on the wall to assist her balance.
When she stepped out of the closet the first thing she noticed was a metal bin with smoke billowing out the top. The flames and fire crackled. She saw the remnants of her pleather blazer in the ashes. He had burned her clothes. She crossed her free arm over her chest, trying to retain some margin of modesty.
They were in a hallway completely carved from a stone. She wondered if they were in a cave or underground, based on how dark it was and the drip, drip of water she could hear in the distance. It was a very peculiar place.
She followed Monarch slowly and he led them into a new room. It had the same stone walls but was large. Built into the wall across from the door was a fireplace. She resisted the urge to walk up to it to seek relief from the cold; she had to stay focused on Monarch. She was starting to believe she was in an underground castle. But where? Kaalki could have transported them anywhere; the possibilities were endless.
Monarch shoved a single piece of paper under her nose and then dug his fingers into her hair at the crown of her head, pulling harshly. He shoved her face into the paper. She whimpered as she was forced to bow slightly and her chest was jostled too hard, too fast.
"You are the guardian. Translate this immediately," Monarch ordered.
Marinette recognized the content of the paper instantly. It was a random page from the grimoire that she had a full digital copy of, and had already translated with the help of the kwamis. This page featured an image of a person in a tomb. Marinette did not recall the exact details of the page.
"I can't without the Creation Miraculous. It creates translations," Marinette said honestly.
He would never get his hands on said Miraculous anyways, so giving him minor details about the earrings was of no consequence. She also didn’t need him to know that she had translated the grimoire on her own and had a copy at home. She could save that leverage for later, if in dire need of a bargaining chip.
The slap across her face was unexpected and, therefore, she wasn't able to brace herself for the impact. Marinette fell backwards against the wall and hissed in pain at the contact.
"Translate it," Monarch said gravely.
Marinette frowned and shook her head. "I can't. I don't know what it says without the Creation Miraculous!"
Monarch loomed over her and Marinette cowered, expecting another assault.
"Where did your creature go?" Monarch asked.
"I-I don't know," Marinette said honestly, again. She tucked herself against the cold wall, unsure of when she was going to be struck next but knowing it was coming.
"Put this on and remove the rest of your original clothing." Something was thrown at her and it fell to the ground. Marinette squatted to pick it up carefully. She held it up and saw it was a long, plastic hospital gown. It looked like it was sized for a fully grown adult, not a fifteen year old, petite girl. She gave Monarch a terrified look.
"But... what are you going to do with me?" Flashes of being strapped to a medical gurney and experimented on like some kind of Frankenstein’s Monster had her heart pounding in her chest.
"I'm burning the evidence you were ever here," he said plainly.
Marinette thought it sounded like the truth since she had seen her other items burning in the bin. She decided she didn't have much of a choice and that this battle was not one to fight, so she draped the gown over her body, using it as a cover while she maneuvered out of her bra. She let it fall to the ground and pushed her arms into the holes of the gown, finishing by tying the string near her hip. When she felt fully covered she looked up and stared at Monarch for his approval.
"Remove all of your original clothing," he repeated darkly.
Marinette stared at him, on the verge of trying to defy his orders.
"You can do it yourself, or I will do it for you," he threatened her and took a step forward.
Marinette whimpered and gave up. She didn't want to wrestle with him again and be hurt further, so she quickly peeled off her underwear and stepped out of them. She was completely nude except for the flimsy gown and she hated every second of it.
When she was finished Monarch gripped her shoulder and pushed her. There was another door on the far side of the room where he was directing her. They entered what looked like a rudimentary science lab.
"Make me power ups," he ordered.
This, Marinette could do. Instead of moving she stared at the table and frowned.
"I don't know how," she lied. "Tikki wou-"
His hand wrapped around her throat and he pinned her against another wall. Once again, her head was slammed against the hard surface. His fingers dug into her neck, limiting her air supply. She kicked out, fighting to breathe. Although her feet connected with his body none of her kicks seemed to effect him. The magic of his suit was more than enough to protect him from any attack Marinette was capable of.
"You will make me a power-up," he growled into her face while she suffocated.
He held her still against the wall and she pulled at his hand, trying to remove it so she could breathe. When he decided she'd had enough, he released her. She slumped against the wall and slid down completely, nearly unconscious.
"Get up."
She tried and fell.
"Get up!!! " He yanked her upwards by her hair and she shook terribly, unable to support herself. She was crying and still trying to catch her breath.
"Please let me go," she begged in a small voice.
"Make me power-ups and I will release you," he said.
"You will?" she dared to ask. Why, she didn't know. He could lie, he could tell the truth, he could say anything.
"I will release you to your new owner," he grinned smugly and pulled his hand from her hair. Marinette managed to stay standing on her own, but her eyes went wide in fear.
"Owner?" What kind of person owned humans?
"Oh, Ladybug... Marinette..." She inhaled sharply when he said her true name aloud for the first time. It was undeniable now: she wasn't anonymous to him - he knew who she was.
"Marinette, you weren't foolish enough to believe that I would keep you, were you?" He spoke in a low, sarcastic voice.
"Who... what will...?"
"I do not know and I do not care,” he said dryly. "Make me my power ups and you will be released."
Marinette stared at him and, despite whatever bones were broken, and whatever he had done to her already... she was terrified at the idea of leaving him. Chat would be looking for Monarch, and what was that saying about the 'devil you know'?
"No." She dared to defy him. If she could delay making power-ups, it would give Chat more time.
The twitch of a muscle in his cheek was the only warning she had before his cane slammed against the side of her face. Finally, finally, she fell unconscious.
Tikki headed straight to Chat Noir. She zipped through the open window and bombarded Adrien without a warning.
"Monarch ambushed her as a civilian! She removed the earrings and ordered me to leave. I had to listen. I couldn't allow him to get the Miraculous," Tikki said desperately.
Adrien immediately transformed into Chat Noir and followed Tikki to the scene of the crime. It was near his school. The alleyway was empty and innocent, and there was no sign of Monarch or the girl who was Ladybug.
Chat was terrified.
"I don't know where Monarch is! We don't know how to find or contact him!" he nearly yelled at Tikki, who said nothing.
"Why would you abandon her?!" Chat asked frantically.
It was easier to blame someone else for how hopeless he was feeling. Tikki looked heartbroken but Chat was too overwhelmed to apologize. He needed help, and Master Su-Han was only available when he decided to show up, Chat did not know how to reach him.
The only hero idenity he knew was Carapace. It only took a second to decide to go to Nino. He vaulted himself to his best friend's house and arrived in record time. Chat knocked urgently on Nino's window. It was minutes after sunset and the sky wasn't fully dark, but time was trickling by and soon they'd lose daylight. Searching for Ladybug would be more difficult after dark.
"Chat Noir??" Nino opened the window and stepped aside to make room for the superhero to enter. Chat climbed through, unsteady.
"Monarch took Ladybug! He took her as a civilian! I can't find her, I need help!" He gripped his friend's upper arms.
"Calm down, dude, we'll figure something out!" Nino patted Chat Noir on the back and led him to his bed to sit down.
Tikki floated between the two boys, still holding the earrings.
"You were Carapace, you know how to be a Miraculous holder. I need you to be Ladybug until we find her," Chat said, distressed.
"Of course, dude!" Nino accepted immediately.
"I'm Tikki, the kwami of creation. Do you, Nino Lahiffe, promise to honor and uphold the integrity of the Miraculous and use it for the greater good?" Tikki sounded sad, but recited the necessary words.
"I accept," Nino said, and took the two jewels from Tikki. Luckily his left ear was pierced, so he would able to affix the Miraculous into the one pierced hole he had.
"Here..." Tikki clapped her hands and suddenly the two earrings were merged into one plain silver stud earring. It was subtle.
"What do we do? How did he get her?" Chat looked to Tikki for answers.
"He appeared right when she detransformed. He may have followed her. For all we know he could been following her for days," Tikki said.
"It doesn’t matter how he found her. What matters now is how to find Monarch. Wherever he is, so is Ladybug," Nino said. Dwelling on the past wasn't going to save Ladybug. They needed to focus on how they could save her now.
"We should go back to the scene of the crime," Nino said.
"I just came from there. I checked everything!" Chat stood up and started to pace the room.
"Dude, you're freaking out. It's easy to miss things and two heads are better than one. Plus, it's all we have..." Nino said.
"Okay, fine," Chat agreed, unable to come up with anything new. He walked towards the window.
“I need to eat,” Tikki said guiltily, knowing she was delaying their rescue mission.
“What do you like?” Nino asked.
“Cookies or sweets,” she answered. Nino raced out of the room and Tikki was left alone with a panicking Chat Noir once again. He was clicking on the phone embedded in his baton.
“Maybe I can send Monarch a message," Chat suggested. “But he’s not in my contacts. How do I initiate that if he blocked me?”
“Plagg can overpower that but sending a message will give Monarch access to your location whenever you send it. You need to be careful,” Tikki said worriedly.
Chat Noir growled in irritation and closed his phone. He couldn't send a message from Nino's bedroom, but it was an option for later once they relocated. Nino returned and offered Tikki a wafer cookie, adding a few to his pocket just in case.
“I’m ready,” Tikki said in record time.
Nino felt little guilty for how excited he was feeling.
“What are the transformation words?”
"Spots on," she instructed. Nino nodded and took a deep breath.
"Tikki, spots on!" A red glow consumed him and he was transformed. The suit had solid red legs, and he was given black ankle boots. The top of the suit was littered with black ladybug spots. Over the suit was a black vest with a hood attached. He had a mask like Ladybug's. It looked similar to his outfit when he was Carapace with a Ladybug twist.
After taking a moment to indulge in the excitement of it all he was ready to follow Chat's lead, and the new duo headed back to the scene of the crime.