Flashes: Miraculous Ladybug (complete)

For Better or Worse

They landed silently outside the mansion, and Cat Noir took the lead. He pushed open the front door. The entrance hall loomed dark and deserted, radiating danger. They exchanged looks.

Ladybug could tell questions were brimming in her companion's minds, but no one dared speak.

Her partner beckoned the others to follow. He led them to the left and through a door, into Gabriel Agreste's office, and stopped in front of the portrait of his mother. Ladybug came up beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. Cat Noir gave her a pained look.

After a second he closed his eyes, stepping forward and pressing a combination of hidden buttons on the canvas. "We'll have to go one by one. Ladybug?"

She nodded. "I'll go first."

"Okay. Stand right... there, you got it."

The moment she was in place, she was lowered into the ground. And then she was under the mansion. There was an enormous walkway suspended above water (why was there water?) And at the far end, a small island with bushes and a strange cylindrical structure. Hawkmoth was nowhere in sight. Cautiously she stepped out of the lift. It rose back upwards on its own.

Next down was Reena, then Carapace, Queen Bee, and finally Cat Noir.

"So what now?" The fox hero whispered. Ladybug looked at her partner.

"I don't know, I never came down here. There must be another room... somewhere he can release akumas. I'll bet that's where he is."

They looked around for a minute.

"Okay, but... how do we get there?"

"I don't know!"

A faint tapping sounded above them, and Cat Noir looked up. Everyone went silent.

"Maybe that's him. There must be some way to use the lift, but it's too risky going one by one..." He mused.

Ladybug studied the ceiling thoughtfully. "What if you used your Cataclysm? You could hide behind those bushes to recharge your kwami."

Cat Noir hesitated. "I don't like the idea of being left behind. I want to help."

"You can. It should only take a minute, right?"

He glanced up with a sigh. "Yeah. Yeah, okay, that makes sense."

Ladybug reached out to squeeze his hand and turned to the others. "Get ready. Who knows what's waiting for us up there." She nodded to her partner, stepping back.

"Cataclysm!" he cried, using his baton to launch himself upwards. Moments later, a large section of the ceiling crumbled away, just enough for everyone to jump through at once. He was halfway down the path by the time she registered that.

"Go!" Ladybug yelled. Her team charged through the opening, standing battle ready on new ground as dust settled around them.

The room was circular. A large window yawned on one wall. In the center, watching them with an unreadable expression, was Hawkmoth.

"I see you got my invitation," he drawled. "However, you're quite early. If I'd known, I would have invited some friends of mine." A malicious grin stretched across his face. "No matter."

Cat Noir leapt up beside them. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing much," Ladybug scowled. "Mr. Flutterby being a smart-alec."

"So glad you could join us, Cat Noir. You're going to make this much easier for me."

"I don't know how you came to that conclusion, and I don't plan on finding out. Just give up and hand over the Butterfly Miraculous," he snapped.