Earthquake

Chapter 7 - What if the Department of Health and Safety suddenly appeared?

Screams.

Screams and crying.

What's happening?

It was getting louder. A little more and she'll be deaf.

Quiet!

'Marinette! Marinette, wake up!'

It hurt. Someone, clearly not conserving their energy, was slapping her cheek. If she was feeling this, then it meant, that...

She's alive?

'Enough, stop,' she mumbled, feeling an unpleasant taste of an old water in her mouth. So, it wasn't a dream. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times to get used to the room's brightness. She was on something, that could be recognized as a makeshift bed, which was standing beside the smaller version of the Eiffel Tower. They still hadn't got out of the laboratory.

An unknown boy was leaning over her. He was about a few years older than she was. His shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes made him look like a surfer. At least, she was always imagining them like that. When he noticed, that she's looking at him, his face flooded with the feeling of boundless relief.

'How good it is, that you woke up, Marinette,' he sighed, falling onto the edge of the bed. 'I was thinking, that I came too late.'

He called her by name. Does he know her?

'Who are you?' no other question came to her mind.

'Sorry,' the boy smiled encouragingly. 'I'm Farra, I'm the holder of the Dolphin Miraculous. This place,' he waved his hand at the surroundings. 'It's my doing.'

She was speechless. From one side, she was happy that she knows something more about this mysterious finding, but, from the other, it meant that...

'You wanted to kill us?' she asked. 'Where are the others?'

The feeling of guilt started to flow out of the boy's posture.

'Listen,' he started. 'I'm from Australia. I'm learning there, living there, I have family. When I received a mysterious message from Master Fu three years ago, who asked me to appear in France, I was really shocked. I didn't know what to do. Then Drach appeared. He came to my house and we had a long conversation, that explained everything about Miraculous. In the end, ours are a pair. We flew here together, I met Fu. Then it turned out that mine is damaged. I spent half of the year in this place, experimenting and trying to fix it, without anyone's knowledge. I did it, but the knowledge that I acquired was enormous. I couldn't leave this place without security. Destroying it wasn't an option. What you have been dealing with today are the pitfalls I have set to prevent anyone from finding out anything about the Miraculous and the Kwami. I'm really sorry. I didn't think that someone would ever find this place.'

'If you're from Australia, what're you doing here?'

'I promised Drach that I'll move here, when I finish my studies,' this time on Farra's face appeared a smile. 'Despite that from that moment half a year has passed, just in the last week I managed to take care of everything and here I am. First, I was in his house, however it turned out that it's empty. I tracked you down. I was really scared to find out what was happening. My Kwami, Spuzzo, took care of rescuing Plagg, and I took you out before you drowned. I don't even want to think about what would happen if I wouldn't make it on time.'

'And Drach?' she asked. 'We heard his screams.'

'Drach has an amazing luck, as always,' the boy rolled his eyes. 'He fell into the room, in which was a mechanical guardian programmed to kill. It just so happens that he built it. Destroying his own creation wasn't a challenge to him. He probably flew to you a moment after he noticed what's attacking him. Both him and the rest are okay. They're waiting for us outside.'