Against the World

Seeing Double

Author's note:From this point on I will be using Italics to indicate when one of the two(?) Chloes is speaking to help distinguish them. Which one is which will remain consistent throughout a particular scene, but expect no continuity between scenes. It is only fair for the audience to be as much in doubt as everyone else. :)

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Cat Noir, no, Adrien, woke up slowly and painfully. He was in darkness but there was a light. His eyes focused enough for him to discern he was under a blanket. Angry protests of pain caused him to try and flex his limbs, but that was a no go. He was restrained to a surface, stone from the feel of it. He still had his ring, but he was definitely de-transformed. Calling on Cataclysm had set his timer ticking and then the ambush.

Adrien groaned in unabashed pain, whatever he'd been stuck with was still burning its way through his body and if it could knock out Cat Noir then it was a wonder he was still alive without his powers.

"Is the kitty awake now?" Chloe. Adrien tugged at his restraints but kept his mouth shut. He didn't know if she'd already seen him, but if not his voice would be a dead give away. She answered the unspoken question herself,"You've still got your miraculous. I'm not a monster."

She laughed,"Not THAT kind of monster at least."

He decided to risk it, speaking the command words,"Plagg, Claws out." The transformation was uncomfortable while restrained, but it worked, and almost immediately the venom still in his veins seemed to fade into impotence.

The blanket was pulled back and Cat Noir blinked into the dim light. He was in a low ceilinged stone room, everything smelt damp. Light was provided by LED strips hooked to a quietly purring generator.

"Good morning kitty." Chloe was sitting beside him on a folding chair. She had a jacket and cap added to her usual attire to ward off the damp,"Sleep well?" Her voice was cheerful and airy, completely at odds with the situation.

"Chloe. I saw two of you." he tugged at his restraints experimentally, but they seemed up to the task of keeping even Cat Noir in check,"Queen Bee, is she a sentimonster?"

"Oh no. She's not the monster, I am." Chloe crossed her legs and rested both hands on one knee. Her casual quippy delivery was more than a little unnerving.

"You? Then Chloe made you to cover for her. To be seen while she was out as Queen Bee."

"Cover?" Chloe's innocent delivery rose to new heights,"Oh no Cat Noir. I've been a monster since long before there was ever a Queen Bee. She rocked forward and whispered to him,"Just ask everyone. I don't think you'll find any dissenters."

Cat Noir's sinking feeling returned. Still he held out hope,"Chloe, you need help. Maybe Shadowmoth's gotten to you again. Do you still have the charm?"

Chloe stood and patted him gently on the head. Her fingers paused and curled gently in his hair,"Kitty you're being ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." she admonished tenderly. "I think maybe I hit you a little too hard. Don't worry. She'll be back soon."

Cat Noir's mind was spinning. He felt even less sure of who he was talking to than when he began. They'd talked around the Ladybug sentimonster from evil to good before, but he had to know if this Chloe was one before he tried that angle. "Chloe, Do you remember Adrien? I spoke to him about you when we were hunting for clues to Queen Bee's identity. He didn't talk about you like you were a monster.

"Adrikins?" Chloe's voice rose in childish glee, but then dropped immediately,"You mean Adri-nobody."Her fingers curled painfully in Cat Noir's hair and she gave a petulant tug,"He pretended to be my friend, but he ditched me as soon as my Half-a-sister showed up."