"We need to talk, Adrien."

Chat Noir sank to his knees. Ladybug's eyes bristled with tears for her partner and boyfriend, but she could not let her emotions get the better of her. Not now.

"This can't be happening." The boy trembled. "How did you find out?"

Scarlet Moth waved the question away. "It doesn't matter. What does matter, son, is that your mother is alive." That drove Chat to his feet in anger.

"That's a lie!" He spat. "We buried her! We mourned her! My father may be a cruel at times, but he would never stoop that low. Besides, Nathalie would have told me-"

"What you wanted to hear?" All heads pivoted as yet another figure emerged from the shadows.

Ladybug growled. "So, you must be Mayura?"

Mayura continued as if Ladybug hadn't addressed her. "We faked her death, Adrien. Your father and I placed her into a medically induced coma. It was for your own good as well as hers." Her eyes began to mist over. "Emile was sick; you should remember. Nothing that we tried worked. Until," She unveiled the Guardian's tome. "Until we discovered magical objects that could grant the bearer any wish." The teens each placed a hand over their Miraculous.

Scarlet Moth stepped forward, gesturing excitedly. "You see, son? With your combined Miraculous, we can save your mother! We can be a family again!"

Chat shook his head, tears etched on his face. "But at what cost? I don't know if you read in your little textbook there but magic ALWAYS comes with a price. Maybe we could save Mother, but we'd be stealing someone else's life! Is that what she would want you to do?"

"SHE WOULD WANT TO BE WITH HER FAMILY!" Scarlet Moth screamed. "I have done ALL of this for HER! For US!"

A thought suddenly appeared to Chat. "Mon Dieu…" He whispered. He looked at his father. "Father.. all those people… What- what have you done?"

Seeing he was unable to appeal to his son, Scarlet Moth straightened his sleeves. His voice took on a chill. "Well, if you won't give me your Miraculous willingly, I guess I will have to take them by force."

"Not if I take yours first!" Chat Noir shouted. "CATACYLSM!"

The invisible walls keeping the heroes penned in crumbled. Chat lunged at his father, snarling. Ladybug leapt to join him but was suddenly restrained. She cranked her head around.

"Hiya Lady Loser!" A masked girl smiled malevolently. "I'm Catalyst. Ready to hand over your Miraculous?"

"Never!" She growled.

Catalyst sighed. "Fine by me. Makes this more fun! Mayura? Want to join me?" The older woman approached the girls, cracking her knuckles.

"Absolutely."

xXx

Chat mentally berated himself for failing to see that Paris' greatest villain slept under the same roof! He recoiled as Scarlet Moth swung his cane as the boy's head. Instinct took over as he quickly raised his staff to block the blow. He smirked.

"Maybe you should have rethought all of those fencing lessons, Father." His smirk was quickly wiped from his face as his opponent shoved the staff away to attack again.

"Don't forget, boy," The man snarled. "I'm the one who introduced it to you." Yelling, Scarlet Moth lunged at the hero.

The duo parried back and forth, their weapons blurring together. Chat began to pant. He wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. While he was an award-winning fencer, his father was clearly the master of the subject. Gritting his teeth, Chat ducked and attempted to sweep Scarlet Moth's leg. The villain leapt into the air. Chat's eyes went wide as the man landed on his outstretched leg. The boy screamed in pain, dropping his staff.

Scarlet Moth grinned, swinging his cane up. It caught Chat in the chin, sending him flying several feet. The blonde grimaced in pain, doing his best to crawl away from the man he once called 'father'.

"We could have done so much together, Adrien. Once I have your Miraculous, I'll have to do something about this disobedient streak of yours." Scarlet Moth tsked. "We can't have you upsetting your mother, now can we?" He crouched over the splayed body of his son, yanking his head up by the hair. "How are my girls faring against yours? I know how skilled Nathalie is, but seeing that Lila girl in action takes the cake. Maybe she's the one for you, son." He chuckled.

"Li-la?" Chat Noir moaned, eyes drifting shut. Things were starting to click into place. He needed to protect Marinette's secret identity from Lila. If she managed to get away, who knows how much havoc she would wreak with that knowledge?

"Oh, would you look at that. Look like my ladies beat yours." Chat slowly opened his eyes. The sight made him sick. It was literally his worst nightmare.

Ladybug's hair had come undone from their usual pigtails and it wasn't only her suit that was spotted. Big, ugly bruises dotted her entire face. Chat saw blood dripping from her split lip. His heart plummeted as she attempted to stand.

"Stay down, LB." He muttered. He shut his eyes again as Catalyst slammed her foot onto Ladybug's back and she cried out in pain.

"What should we do with the Bug, sir?"

"Toss her with the others. I will collect her Miraculous from her body once I'm done disciplining my son." Catalyst clapped her hands giddily.

Chat pushed himself to a semi-standing position. With the others? Had his father really killed his friends? Or was he merely keeping them prisoner on another level of the Eiffel Tower?

"No." He desperately limped forward as he saw what Catalyst intended to do: throw Ladybug into the street 18 stories below. The girl grabbed the heroine by her hair, dragging her to the exposed edge of the platform.

"Chat.." Ladybug whimpered. She struggled, but Catalyst's grip was too tight. "Chat! Chat I'm sorr- aaaaaAAAAHHHHH!"

"NO!" Chat screamed as he reached for thin air. There was nothing else he could do except scream.

xXx

Time seemed to slow. Her screams swirled in the air with Chat's.

Chat. He looks so sad. Ladybug thought. As tears flew up into the air, she gave him one last smile. The girl closed her eyes, wishing she could have done more as Ladybug. She hoped Tikki would find a worth successor.

"OOF!"

She jerked as her decent suddenly ceased. Opening her eyes, Ladybug found herself incased in a green sphere. She winced as the bubble made its way to ground level. The girl took in the destruction of her beloved city. It hurt Ladybug to see Paris covered in fires and to hear her peoples' screams. The sphere disintegrated as it made contact with the ground. Ladybug immediately found who had saved her life.

"Carapace," She whispered before passing out.

"Bee!" Carapace coughed as he collapsed next to Rena Rouge after using Shell-ter. "Is she-"

Queen Bee dragged herself towards her fallen friend. She sighed with relief. "I've got a pulse. It's weak, but she's alive." Bee squinted her eyes as Ladybug was enveloped in a bright light. Where Ladybug once was, now lay Marinette.

Tikki weakly emerged from Marinette's earrings. The kwami lifted her tiny body to check on her Chosen. She cried as she saw how much damage Marinette had taken.

"Tikki." Bee whispered. "She'll be okay. She's just… tired right now. You two need to rest. I'll watch over her."

As the kwami reluctantly settled on Marinette's chest, Queen Bee glanced to the first viewing platform of the Tower. "Please be okay, Adrikins," She whispered.

xXx

Chat sighed with relief. Carapace's Shell-ter had saved Marinette from falling to her death. She was safe. From what he could see from his vantage point, the rest of the team was beginning to stir below. His family was safe.

His heart turned cold as he remembered that one part of his family stood behind him. Chat felt a hand grab his legs and drag him to the center of the room. Without any energy to move, he let himself be dragged. As long as Marinette was safe, his father could do whatever he wanted to him.

What about Plagg? Chat gritted his teeth. No way was he letting this scum corrupt his kwami. Maybe he could summon enough energy to throw his ring over the edge…

"Son." Chat's attention returned to the scarlet-clad man looming over his prone body. "All I am asking you to do is help me save your mother. Why do you insist on causing yourself further pain?"

An old feeling of guilt and shame overwhelmed the boy. There was a time when all he wanted to do was please his father. Why is it never enough? Chat screamed in his mind. "I didn't cause this." He croaked. "Please, Father. Stop this."

Scarlet Moth crouched to his son's eye level. "There's nothing left to stop. I've won, Adrien. Your little girlfriend lies broken below, her Miraculous ripe for the taking. I might as well help myself to your friends' Miraculous as well. Your mother should have some choices to pick from when she wakes up." He stood, contemplating something. "And if any of them are still alive… well…" The man shrugged. "There's not much they can do against me, is there?"

In that moment, Adrien's heart was filled with such hopelessness, fear, and pain. Scarlet Moth smiled as he released the akuma he had hidden in his cane. It fluttered for moment before entering the bell on Chat's costume. He went limp as he was engulfed in the purple ooze.

When the boy opened his eyes, they were no longer green. Instead, they were pale blue. A vacant expression dominated his features. The new creature stood, awaiting orders.

"Ah! My son," Scarlet Moth clasped his shoulders. "You are now Chat Blanc and you will be the perfect obedient son. Your mother will be so proud!"

"Would you like my Miraculous, Father?" The zombie boy raised his white gloved hand. The Ring of the Black Cat remained dark. Before Scarlet Moth could speak, however, Catalyst shrieked.

"Scarlet Moth! That Lady Loser! She's still alive!" She leaned as far over the edge as she dared, squinting. Her mouth dropped before turning to her boss. "Oh. This is TOO DELICIOUS! Turns out, Ladybug is Adrien's actual girlfriend, Marinette."

The man smiled as he addressed his newest creation. "I don't need your Miraculous yet, my boy. Bring me Ladybug's earrings first.

"By any means."