Chapter Text
Natalie gawked at Gabriel.
He had a glass of red wine in one hand, gripping his desk with the other. As soon as he noticed his assistant in the doorway, his usually pursed lips curled into a grin.
“I’ve found it! I’ve found the perfect way to get those jewels,” he said, setting down his glass. “They can’t get away this time, they just can’t!”
“This won’t put Adrien at risk, will it? He recently joined his school’s chess club, they have a meeting this afternoon,” Natalie reminded him. He often overlooked certain aspects of his plan before putting it into motion, especially when it came to Adrien.
“He’s still a good father,” she told herself. “He just needs time to bring Emilie back. He’s doing it for Adrien, he’s fixing his family.”
“Adrien will be exactly where I want him to be,” Gabriel said. “Françoise Dupont has a bomb shelter built directly underneath.”
“Bomb shelter?” Natalie asked, visibly surprised. How big was his attack on Paris going to be? And, most importantly, how strong of an akuma would he have to make to require a bomb shelter?
“I’ve been looking at everything the wrong way. What a fool I was, I’ve barely even scratched the surface of what I can accomplish by simply akumatizing myself,” he muttered. Turning around towards his wife’s painting, he told Natalie one last thing before disappearing into his lair:
“Make sure Adrien doesn’t leave his school under any circumstances."
- - - - -
Shadow Moth cackled to himself; it was all just too perfect. His plan was simple: Akumatize himself, cause chaos until Ladybug and Chat Noir show up, then fight them both with the help of his power of choice. Lucky for him, he knew the perfect way to lure out both heroes.
He glanced at the display case holding his wife; perfectly preserved except for the decay gnawing at her fingers. All of the skin past her nails was discolored and peeling away.
She was starting to rot.
“We’ll be together again by dawn, Emilie.”
And with that, he set his plan into motion.
- - - - -
The first asteroid hit the Seine.
The people of Paris looked up in horror as it descended upon them. It hadn't shown up on any radars or satellites, which could only mean one thing:
This was the work of an Akuma.
“Citizens of Paris,” a voice boomed, echoing throughout the city. “I am Shadow Moth. These attacks will rain down until Ladybug and Cat Noir show themselves and hand over their miraculous.”
He stood atop the Eiffel Tower, basking in the midday sun as dozens of asteroids rained from the sky.
“We will be reunited soon, my love.”
- - - - -
Marinette heard the first bang. It came from the Seine.
She was sketching in her room, as usual when the attacks started. She could hear a muffled voice coming from outside, but she couldn’t make out what it was saying. She turned to her window, about to peer outside and see what was going on.
Before she had the chance, the roof caved in.
The young designer was knocked to the ground, vision spotty. She could hear muffled screaming and blaring sirens but was too confused to register them.
She tried getting up but something heavy was pinning her legs to the wooden floor.
She turned to her side, attempting to reach the phone on her table, only to find the other half of her room had a gaping hole in it. Inside the hole sat a rock, no, a boulder the size of a school bus.
“Mom… Dad…” she whispered, before fading out of consciousness completely.