One Way or Another

Irreparable Damage, A Seed and A New Target

Nooroo winced in fear as he watched Lila storm around her apartment in a rage.

"I can't believe that little hussy is pregnant," she sneered at no one in particular. "First, she manages to fix all of her designs in time for her show, and then she announces that she's pregnant? Where does she get off?"

Lila picked up a glass from the table and threw it against the wall. It shattered on impact and fell down to the floor. And she kept storming around as she muttered. "Marinette isn't good enough for Adrien. If it hadn't been for Ladybug, he would have dated and fallen in love with me instead. And I'd be the one married to him and having his kids." She stopped to snarl. "Ladybug. She destroyed my life."

And Nooroo felt more nervous as she locked eyes with him.

"Nooroo! I command you to tell me who Ladybug is!"

"I... I am forbidden..."

"Silence! Ugh, you're worthless," Lila sneered. Then she continued muttering to herself. "Where is Ladybug? Why won't she come out? There have been plenty of emergencies throughout Paris recently, but she hasn't been there. Where the hell is she?"

And completely frustrated, she threw herself down into a chair. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled, closing her eyes. "Okay, think. Why isn't Ladybug showing up? She hasn't been seen in weeks. She's still around because she was in that video about the power-ups, but she refuses to be seen in public. She has to know that I'm waiting for her, but is she really that afraid of me? She has Chat Noir and tons of other lackies on her side. But she still won't come out of hiding. What is going on?"

Opening her eyes again Lila looked at Nooroo, who quickly averted her gaze. And tilting her head to the side, a smile started creeping across her face. "Nooroo," she purred in a sickeningly sweet voice. "I know you can't reveal Ladybug's identity, but you can still tell me other things about her, can't you? I mean, as long as it doesn't compromise her secret, you're free to talk about them, right?"

"Yes Master," he replied nervously.

She stood up and walked over to him. "You have to tell me the truth, Nooroo," she continued in her fake voice. "Do you have any ideas why Ladybug isn't going out in public?"

"Yes," he said, unable to stop himself.

And her evil smile widened. "And why is that?"

"Ladybug is injured." And after saying the words, Nooroo wanted to cry.

Lila raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Injured?" she repeated quietly. "How was she injured?"

"She was hit by a cataclysm."

Her mouth fell open and there was a moment of pensive silence before she spoke again. "She was hit by a cataclysm. Well this is certainly an interesting development." Another moment. "But wait, even if she's injured, her suit would still protect her..."

Nooroo looked away again.

But unfortunately Lila caught it. "Nooroo, her suit would still protect her, right?"

"The suit was damaged too. You can see where she was hit."

A big smile. "I knew it. I knew that something was going on. That must be what that video was about. They don't need a new power-up, they need to fix her suit, and they must be getting desperate if they're asking for the public's help. That explains it, that explains why only Chat Noir came to confront me. No one can know that she's injured." She paused as she tried to contain her delight. "Thank you Nooroo, this information is exactly what I've been waiting for. With Ladybug being injured, now my revenge will be easier than I thought. All I need to do is find her."