Shattered

37) Bluffs

Marinette's POV
"You're bluffing." Brady stated, trying to convince himself we would never resort to cold blooded murder.

And he was right, we would never kill anyone. This new approach came from the odd circumstance. We were so used to hand to hand combat, or just fighting to win a battle.

But this was different.

This boy didn't have an akuma, he didn't have enhanced strength or special powers. But he had something much better, an Agreste.

Going head on would do nothing except put Hugo in the hospital.

No, this called for a strategic approach. And empty threats and props seemed like the best way to win him over.

"We don't bluff, Brady." I reassured the boy, his confidence wavering by the second. "I will do anything for my family. Right now, I'm not the hero. Right now I'm just a desperate girl who wants you to let go of him. So don't you dare question what I will and won't do." I growled.

"Prove it. If you shoot any one student, I'll believe you. If you aren't playing hero, if you just want your kid, then one casualty won't make a difference. It's your choice... it's him, or one of them."

"Why don't I just shoot you and end this right now? What do I have to prove?"

"Your bluff."

I continued to act, putting on a desperate face for the audience, making them think their hero really was out of options.

"Fine," I cried, "but I trust that the moment you see what damage this can do, you'll put aside your death wish and let him go."

"Very well, Ladybug. Do it. Become the very monster you've sworn to fight. Destroy your reputation in front of the world, and then you'll get Agreste Jr."

I turned my gaze towards the crowd, watching them cower as I selected my victim. They really thought I would do it. My eyes locked with Alya's and I gave her a slight nod as if to say "trust me, just play along".

She got the message.

As I aimed towards her gut, she let out a frightened whimper to sell the story.

"Please, Ladybug. Don't do this! Please! I'm begging y-" She was cut off by the hissing impact of the paintball, the thud against her skin filling the room with fear.

Everyone backed away from the girl laying on the floor, red marking the "wound".

Luckily, in the chaos of it all, no one recognized the fake blood or her shallow breaths.

"You... you..." Brady muttered, shock overwhelming him. "No, you wouldn't..." he watched fearfully as I pointed the gun at him, making a show of my readiness to pull the trigger.

In the heat of the moment, he took a slight step back, announcing our window of opportunity as his grip loosened around the bomb's controller. The knife fell from his hand as he surrendered his prisoner, upholding his end of the bargain.

His moment of shock was brief, but Chat Noir was faster.

The crowed gasped as Chat's staff simply pushed into the teenager's gut, knocking him off balance. The controller, already loose in his grip, flung out of his hand before he had the chance to react.

"Adrien, now!"

"Cataclysm!" He yelled, destroying the trigger before it even hit ground.

"No," Brady whimpered, finally letting his fear overcome him as the four heroes began to surround him. "I beg you, please... please don't-" he was interrupted by a metallic bang as my future self grabbed her yo-yo and whacked him over the head.

"Sorry, I couldn't stand listening to him talk anymore." She admitted as the teen slumped into unconsciousness. "And if we're lucky... maybe he'll get a concussion!"

The three of us smiled before Chat and I released our transformations in front of the crowd, giving them a show before the course of the evening was forgotten.

The crowd looked in awe as I transformed back into my dress, Adrien into his tux, as we turned to face each other.

"Pound it!" The four of us said simultaneously, each met by our respective partner.

"Well," Future Chat Noir announced in front of the shocked crowd, still trying to explain what they had just seen, "we're very sorry for the inconvenience, and trust us when I ask you to just calm down. Meanwhile, Hugo. Now."

The next few minutes were a blur. As soon as his dad told him to signal Max, the whole of Mlle. Bustier's class, the twins, our future selves, Janson, Cole, Alyssa, Jessie, Adrien, and I began to hold in our breath. A thick gray mist filled the room, leaving seconds after it came.

The moment the room cleared, almost the entire student body was knocked out on the floor.

Within minutes they each came to their senses, all trying to remember the details of the night.

Around the same time, Max managed to unlock one of the side entrances to the building allowing medical and emergency personnel to flood into the school.

"Are you okay?" I rushed to Alya's side after checking up on the twins, still feeling guilty for the red paint which now stained her dress.

"I'm fine girl," she laughed. "Thanks for the heads up, by the way."

"I would never shoot my best friend without warning her." I agreed.

"But this will probably leave a mark." She hissed as she touched the point of impact, feeling the swollen and bruising skin.

"Sorry about that."

The rest of the evening was spent with students making phone calls, interviews, medical check ups, and witness reports as the police advised we all stay until the morning. One by one, we were called up to explain the course of the night to an officer and be inspected for any physical or mental damage.

"Kayla James?" An officer called out, as I made my way towards one of the many stands set up around the gym.

"Mlle. James, would you care to explain what you witnessed tonight?" His voice sounded unenthusiastic, probably bored from listening to the story over and over.

"Well," I began, following the plot created by the mind wipe, "We were enjoying the prom until Brady Mason jumped onto the podium around 9:30, and showed us he had an explosive. From there, he mocked, ridiculed, and threatened other students, specifically those more popular and privileged, and even held Hugo Agreste down with a knife. He told us to dance and have fun, but everyone was too nervous to even move." I put on a face of distress in order to sell my story, and I had to admit... my acting skills had improved quite a lot over just the last few hours.

"It wasn't until Ladybug and Chat Noir came that I knew we would make it through the night." I looked at my future self who was still in costume, currently helping her husband and a group of officers escort Brady Mason after removing the bomb from his jacket.

"They pulled off this amazing bluff, and they used a paintball gun to pretend to threaten him. They even shot a student to prove it! At the time, I thought that girl was dead. It turns out she caught onto their story and played along. Brady got scared, let go of Hugo and the knife, and Chat Noir took that opportunity to grab the control and destroy it. That was about it."

The officer finished typing out notes under my profile, still less than ecxited to report the same story he had heard for what must've seemed like the hundredth time that night.

"Thank you, Mlle. James, please report to the medical stand by the stage and use that time to call a parent or guardian. We recommend you be brief, and just explain that you're safe and will return home in the morning. Abigail Jennings?" He called the next name on his list as I walked to the line, excited to see most of my friends pooled up directly in front of me.

"Hello, m'lady." My boyfriend wrapped an arm around my waist as we waited for the line to proceed.

"Hi." I ignored the chaos and commotion surrounding us as I snuggled deep into his embrace.