Gris sighed as she watched her various clones run off to different directions, slumping against an empty can of cat food.
It's been two hours since Marinette became Banshee.
There was no sign of Ladybird and with Queen Bee out of commission, Gris wondered if they were even able to take this Victim down.
While Master Fu assured her that things will work out, Gris couldn't help but feel-
"Mice have been deployed. How are things on your side?" Gris said into her comms, waiting for her partners' updates. She let out a deep breath, watching it merge with the fog.
She can't let herself lose hope...not yet.
"It's difficult to ensure that no one will get swept up by my plan." Ryuuko spoke. "Because I have thought of one."
"There aren't any civilians in the streets in our area at the moment. Carapace and I just confirmed that." Chat managed to answer. "So if you have a plan, go ahead and try what you have in mind."
"On it." Ryuuko said, the girl looking at the fog covering all of Paris. "Wind Dragon!"
She watched herself turn into the wind, flying up until she bursted through the layer of fog. Returning half of her body into her original state, Ryuuko summoned her katana, only to find out it had turned into an epee.
It reminded her of the one she often carried in her civilian form, a fencing sword that had been passed on from her grandfather to her mother, and then to her. The only difference between the two were the colors. While the family heirloom was red in color, the one in her hands is black.
Only the handle and button were two other colors. The tip was now white while the handle was decorated in gold and white.
Realizing she was distracted by her epee's elegance, Ryuuko meditated for a while before her eyes shot open.
Letting out a battle cry, Ryuuko let out an attack, the slash not making a single effect at the dense fog beneath her.
Returning to her wind form, Ryuuko decided to move on to Plan B.
Stretching out her hands, she focused her strength and summoned gusts of winds, the streams of wind circling around all of Paris.
"Ryuuko! What are you doing?" She heard Chat yell at her through the comms. "If you continue to do that, you'll-"
"Do not worry Chat. I'll make sure to not exert myself." Ryuuko promised. With an 'alright, be safe' and a click, Ryuuko went back to work.
-----
Wally didn't know how long he was sitting on the cold ground, still trying to process what the hell happened to him.
"-y! Wally! Can you hear me?" Wally managed to recognize Barry's concern, pulling his hands out of his hair and instead wrapped them around himself.
He was still shaking.
He can't give them a reason to barge in...even if he -and possibly the Miraculous Team- were in dire need of help. "Wally." He heard him say again.
Tiredly, Wally chose to finally answer him.
"I'm alright." Wally tried to assure. He hated how he was able to hear his own scattered heartbeat despite talking through the comms.
"Wally. We know-"
"No, you don't know what's going on here." Wally growled, trembling as he attempted to get up, only for his legs to give in.
"Wally, we do."
"No, you don't."
"A miraculous wielder going out of control is not something to be trifled with." He heard Diana say in the background along with what seemed to be chairs slightly scraping the floor.
"Do...do you have me on speaker?" Wally asked, his anger slipping out.
"Wally. It's all over international news." He heard Barry say, Wally feeling his heart stop and anger dissipate.
Was it always on the news? He was pretty sure Amira-
"She's the one who was in charge of blocking the media." Wally muttered, getting up from his spot on the ground. "Amira was doing damage control all this time and-" Wally let out a groan and a huff. "Barry, I need to go."
"Wally. Don't you-"
"Amira is in trouble and you guys aren't allowed to help because some people decided it was a good idea to force her to join the Justice league..." Silence came from the other end of the comms. "But even if you guys aren't allowed in Paris, I know of a few who are."
"Wally, please-"
"I know what I'm doing. They're the only ones who can help Amira right now." With that, Wally turned off the comms and took a deep breath. "Forgive me, Amira."
-----
Barbara dropped the cup of coffee in her hand, the chair she was in toppling over when she quickly got up. She listened as fine china got crushed with each hesitant step she took towards Tim.
"Amira...Amira got what?"
"Babs, listen. Amira-" Tim started, only to be grabbed and made to face Barbara.
"Isn't that bad? To be akumatized? At least that's what B's reports say-what exactly-"
"What happened to Amira is none of your business." Dick replied for Tim, Selina following right behind him. Judging from their getup and the duffel bags slung on their arms, they were heading somewhere...but she knew where.
Paris.
"Let me go with you." Barbara demanded, setting Tim down. "Please, Richard. Let me help you. Let me help Amira. She's-"
"I don't think that's a good idea." Selina cut off.
"Please!" Barbara begged. "Amira is my friend, we need to-"
"We," Dick said, gesturing to himself and Selina, "will be the only ones who will be going. You and Tim are to remain-"
"No." Barbara said, taking in a deep breath. "I'm going with you."
"Barbara. You and Amira didn't exactly end on good terms. If you go and she sees that you're-"
"So that's why you don't want me to go." Barbara stated, curling her hands. "You think I might agitate her more and cause her to cause more damage if she sees me." She took his silence as a yes. "Then at least...at least let me help you through the comms. After all, you're going to need as many eyes as you can in this mission."
Richard looked over his shoulder, Selina's huff and smirk being enough to let him know her opinion.
"Alright. But you are to listen to all my instructions to a 't,' understood?" Dick commanded, Barbara wanting to grin at her small victory.
"Yes!"
Tim watched as the trio walked to the zeta beam, Selina graciously setting the coordinates to the one in Paris.
Within a few seconds, they were on their way to rescuing Amira.
-----
Carapace hit the back of his head against the brick wall as he leaned back to take a rest.
"Where the hell can she be?" He asked himself, wondering where Banshee hid Lila.
He had already checked all the possible places she would have hidden her, but didn't find the missing girls.
The school was empty.
The bakery was empty.
The park was empty.
The zoo also held no clues.
All of the museums had no sign of Lila being there nor Banshee.
Not even Grévin Museum, Marinette's favorite place to go during her free time.
He had looked at every possible place Marinette had gone or visited in Paris and he hadn't found Lila, not even a single clue that could lead to finding her.
Carapace went to reach his comm to update the team about his dilemma, only to find his hand simply hovering over it.
"Why exactly did you choose me, Ladybird?' Nino asked her one night, Ladybird looking at him in curiosity. "Why me when there are so many other people who are more well equipped for this?"
He watched as Ladybird hummed, her eyes seeing something he could not.
"Not every person who I saw as a candidate was as loyal and protective as you were. Half tried to stand their ground, only to give up. Some quickly backed down when they realized the possible consequences if they kept trying to defend their beliefs or friends. But you," Ladybird smiled at him. "You stood your ground while doubt circled around you. You remained undeterred and firm when others criticized your choices. That's why I picked you."
"Because you had the courage to protect what was important to you." Carapace reminded himself, frowning at himself.
He couldn't just give up...he had to keep looking.
Surging with new confidence, Carapace decided to update the others. "Still got nothing on Lila or Banshee. I'm going to start checking other locations, but if anyone else has any ideas on what other places-"
"What places have you checked? Perhaps we can help." A new voice said within their comms, startling the team. For Chat, it sounded oddly familiar.
"Chat, what's going on?" Ryuuko asked, Chat realizing that she asked him through her miraculous' comm.
Who was this? And...English? Chat thought as he went back to answer the newcomer.
"Identify yourself." Cat Noir demanded, wondering how this person got into their system.
"Who we are doesn't matter. We came to help you." Another voice joined, Chat wondering how many had hacked into their system.
"How do we know you aren't on Hawkmoth's side? How can we trust you if you-"
"Marinette is my friend. I can't just sit by and do nothing while I know there is something I can do." The second voice said, Gris being able to hear the frustration in her voice.
"Chat, it seems like they actually want to help us." Chat heard Gris tell him through her miraculous.
"That isn't enough to convince me that you're on our side." Chat told the newcomers.
"We know how her powers work." Another voice joined in, this time, male. He sounded as if he was around their age. Perhaps a year or two older than them.
"So do we."
"We also have an idea of the item where the akuma is hidden." Another male voice said, causing Chat's mind to come to a halt. Why did it sound familiar? "Adding on to the akuma power, those are the two main facts we have to help bring Marinette back."
Carapace waited with baited breath as he awaited for Chat's response, wondering what exactly was going through his mind.
"Seems like you're on our side. But even if you don't want to drop your names, at least give us some code names we can refer to each of you." Ryuuko heard Chat say, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
So they're allies.
"Alright. I'm Corvus." The familiar male voice replied.
"Osprey." The first female voice said.
"Oriole." The other male responded.
"Felis."
"Alright then." Chat replied, quickly changing over to the miraculous comms. "Team, we have new allies. We'll be using our translators while using the regular comms to ensure our communications go smoothly and prevent confusion."
"How exactly do we-"
"Don't worry. I'll explain it right now."
-----
"Do you think we got through to them?" Wally asked, watching Barbara not lift her eyes for a second from the monitors in front of her.
Her hands moved quickly across the keyboard, not leaving a single room for error as she hooked up a program to hack into the Parisian street cameras and home security cameras.
Wally had hesitantly agreed to letting Barbara use Amira's computer to hack into the team's comms and then this.
Hope Amira didn't mind.
"I hope we did." Dick confessed. "Also, why Oriole?"
"Well, you started with Corvus and then Barbara said Osprey so I said Oriole to keep with the bird theme." Wally replies, hearing Selina's chuckle through the comm. "Of course, I should've known-"
"Corvus." Dick heard Chat say, Wally annoyed that he was interrupted..
"Still here."
"Welcome to the team...now, let's review what each of us know about the situation while Carapace and Gris continue to search for Banshee."
"Alright."
-----
It was cold.
It was dark.
She hated it...and that's saying something from a Gothamite who's used to the dark.
Amira lifted her eyelids, watching as she climbed stairs she never once climbed. After all, she always used to just zip to the top. She tried to stop herself, but could barely control her own body.
"Banshee." A voice whispered to her. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.
"Hawkmoth." She acknowledged, stopping mid flight.
"How are things going?"
"Wonderfully." She answered back...but she knew it wasn't her... "Lila is getting what she deserves just as we speak. That harlot will pay for-"
"As wonderful as that sounds, there is still one part of the deal that is yet to be completed."
"Don't worry. I'm working on it. Just be pa-" She heard herself snarl when she felt a ring pang through her head, causing her to fold over.
She clutched her head between her forearms, wanting the pain to go away as it intensified with each passing second.
"Were you just about to say patient? Must I remind you who the one in charge here is?"
Banshee let out a whimper as she felt her body stiffen. "I suggest you hurry up and keep your end of the deal. After all, I kept mine."
Banshee growled as Hawkmoth released his control over her, allowing her to relax. But just as she had been let go, she could feel something whirl within her. It was frustrated, annoyed, pissed...hurt.
In that split second, Amira could actually see what was in front of her.
She was able to feel the vile power running within her.
Looking down at the pitch black dress on her, Amira let out a horrified gasp, feeling all the memories surge up into her mind at once. She didn't register the tears that ran down her face nor her raspy breaths as she brought her black laced hands closer to face.
She could feel the rapid rises and falls of her chest as she slowly observed how vile the black felt on her. How disgusted she was in herself.
She finally let out a scream, wrapping her arms around her, not thinking about anything else but the consequences of having shown her emotions earlier that day.
How naive she was to believe she could handle being a vigilante...
How wrong she was...
No wonder...
No wonder her father said those things to her...because he saw...
He saw how flawed she was...
How immature she had grown to be...
How stupid she was to think she was in the right all these years when in reality...he was the one who was right...
Who is right...
She really wasn't prepared...
Not prepared at all...
She was no hero, not even a vigilante...
She was a damn failure from the very start...
-----
"-also check places where- what the hell is going on?" Corvus whispered into the comms as he stopped himself from jumping onto the next building. As much as he feared the shaking ground, there was something else that he feared.
The fog beneath him was starting to thicken even more, spots that were lights were now dimmer, almost invisible. He couldn't move any further with all of this!
"Everyone! It seems like-" Ryuuko was about to speak, only to be cut off by a shriek in the comms.
"Oriole!" Osprey yelled, Gris hearing screams and things being thrashed around heard in the background through Oriole's side. "Oriole! What's going on!"
"Osprey! What's-" Dick could feel his panic rising.
"Oriole -he just - he just collapsed and started screaming, calling for...Mimi. He won't stop-" She was cut off by some static, the team wondering what the hell was going on.
'Mimi? Must be some dear to him.' Gris thought to herself, but she couldn't help but notice how quiet the Birds and Cat Team got, wondering why they weren't worrying over their teammate.
That made her wonder...
Why were they willing to help them to try and help Marinette so badly? What exactly is their relationship with her? Because as far as Gris knew, Marinette didn't have many friends.
But then again, even with the friends she did have, Marinette wasn't exactly open with them either. Yes, they've known her for roughly four months, but even then, they didn't know much about their beloved friend.
"It's Banshee." Gris heard Ryuuko said shakily. "She's enhancing her strength by using her own powers against herself!"
"We have to stop her!"
"But how?"
"Leave that to us." Ryuuko heard Felis say.
"Is Oriole-" Chat started, only to get cut off.
"He's alright. But he also confirmed one of our theories that would help us to counter Banshee's power." Chat heard Felis say.
"Counter? How exactly-"
"Don't worry about the how. Worry about the when." Chat heard Corvus say.
"When? Don't tell me you plan on going right now?"
"Of course not. If my team heads now, then we won't be able to know where Rossi is hidden." Chat listened as a glass clinked together on Corvus' side. "We'll wait for Carapace, Gris or Oriole to locate the girl first. When we know she's safe, that's when my team will strike.
We need to make sure that Rossi is safe or else our entire plan will fail."
-----
Lila clawed at her throat, trying to scrape away the itchiness within her. To try and get rid of the dry lumps that were growing by the minute.
She couldn't breath. It hurt. It burned.
Her eyes continued to sting, Lila feeling the tears continuing to pool beneath her. They hurt even with the low amount of light around her.
The only thing that had managed to ground her a bit was the cold ground her body was so desperately against.
A cold embrace that gave her a break from the endless insults thrown her way for the past...hours? Days?
Lila froze when she heard a sound in the distance, curling into herself. She covered her face with her arms, trying her best to not let out a single whimper.
She bit her tongue as she heard the sound get closer to her, daring herself to sit upwards.
She listened as the sound began to become clearer...listening as footsteps drew near to her.
Lila didn't dare to lift her head to see whether it really was someone coming or not. She wasn't going to risk to keep seeing the illusions, the hallucinations she's been hearing all this time.
After all, compared to all that she had been going through, this was a nice change of pace.
She listened as the footsteps grew louder, each step echoing throughout the dim place she was in.
She listened and listened, each passing second causing her heartpace to quicken.
Then they stopped.
Stopping right in front of her.
They placed a hand on her shoulder.
So it wasn't just another nightmare. This was real.
Slowly lifting her head, Lila had wished this was just another nightmare because the minute she saw that needle in the man's hand, she felt her heart stop.
Letting out a piercing scream, Lila tried to get away from the person in front of her, but her legs gave in.
Lila screamed and tried to claw herself away from the person who pulled her closer to them, but all that she managed to grasp was the gravel that dug into her palms, blood seeping from the wounds.
She continued to scream even as she was then pinned down beneath the man, feeling something stab her arm.
As soon as the needle pierced her skin, Lila felt a wave of relief. A peace so needed, Lila relished in the ecstasy, feeling herself drift to sleep.
-----
Bruce looked at the girl beneath him and then at the syringe in his hand.
To think that Amira was the one who caused all this. And to think that worked perfectly against Banshee's powers...
He had to report back. Taking out a phone, Bruce quickly typed into it and then tucked it away.
He looked at the girl who was now peacefully sleeping on the ground, knowing that he had to leave soon despite wanting to take the girl to a safer location.
Squeaks started to become audible, Bruce taking that as his cue to leave.
-----
"Gris! We have a possible clue to where Rossi might be!" Carapace heard Osprey exclaim.
"Where?" And how? She wanted to ask.
Carapace and her had tried every possible way to track Lila, Carapace having checked different surveillance cameras while Gris deployed all of her clones to search for her, only for their efforts to be in vain.
How did they easily find her within an hour?
"She's in the catacombs." Gris sucked in a breath. The catacombs? As in-
"Are you sure that's where she's at?" Gris managed to calm herself, sending a signal to the closest clone to check it out. Why the catacombs of all places?
"Yes. Some home security cameras managed to capture when Banshee took Lila there through one of the many entrances scattered throughout Paris."
"I'm on my way!" Gris reported, switching perspectives from her original form and the one closest to the catacombs.
She ran down the dusty steps, running past the narrow tunnel that felt like it could come crumbling down at any moment. But when got to the end of that tunnel, Gris froze.
Is this why?
Is this why Banshee kept Lila down here?
Gris stood face to face with a wall of human skulls and bones, arranged in symmetrical patterns. Skull, bone, bone, bone, skull. Each skull was placed equally away from each other, the bones in between neatly arranged to be pointed in the same direction.
The musty air and debris free floor kept Gris from moving forward, but she knew she couldn't just stand there. She had to find Lila and now.
Taking a step forward, Gris let out a wail as she mustered the courage to take the other.
But the stare of the eight foot wall of skulls looking back at her...
Prying her eyes from it, Gris ran past the wall, turning corners only to face another structure with the soulless remains of those before her.
Columns, arches, pillars and even crosses appeared before her, causing Gris to feel goosebumps emerge on her skin.
If that wasn't enough, every corner that Gris took, she just couldn't seem to get out of the loop she placed herself in. She even tried to stop and recollect herself only to realize that each fork in the path looked the same. Each corner and pillar she passed looked just like the one before.
Was...
Was she lost?
"-is! Gris! What's going on? You haven't talked to us in the past half hour. Gris!" She finally heard Chat saying, Gris coming to a halt.
Half an hour? She had been running around this maze...for half an hour?
Dropping her transformation, Sabrina slumped to the ground and brought her knees to her chest, letting out a shuddering breath out.
"Sabrina." Mullo coaxed. "Are you alright?"
"Gris. Are you still there?"
"I...I can't..." Sabrina sniffled out, digging her head further into her knees. She held back a wail, biting her tongue in hopes to shift her attention from her thoughts. But it failed. "I can't..." A hiccup escaped her as she hovered her hand over her comms.
"Gris...where are you?" She heard Carapace ask her a second before she turned off her comm, not wanting to hear anyone at the moment. "I don't know about you, but I asked Ladybird why she chose me." Sabrina jumped when her burner phone talked, Sabrina taking it out to see the message flashing across the screen.
Chat said Ladybird had planned on giving it to her the next time they met, but Chat saw it just to give it to her now.
A phone especially created by civilian Ladybird just for those that were part of the team.
Team...like if she even belonged in it.
"Sabrina, we have to keep-"
"What's the point Mullo?" Sabrina wiped off her tears, letting out another sniffle. "I'm useless. Worthless. I should've been able to track down Lila's location, but I couldn't. Osprey, on the other hand, was able to locate her in less than an hour! Don't you see Mullo? I'm supposed to be the brains of the team like Osprey, but I messed up! I messed up even more when I got lost, mocking Osprey's hard work of finding Lila's location. What's the point of continuing if I'm just going to keep holding everyone ba-"
"Snap out of it!" Mullo yelled, Sabrina feeling paws rest against her hand. "This isn't like you Sabrina! Not one bit!" Sabrina pursed her lips, throwing her head back into her knees. "Sabrina! Don't you remember why Ladybird chose you? You, the girl that no one sees?"
"Well, thank you for the-ow!" Sabrina yelped, retracting her hand from Mullo's mouth. "Why did you bite-"
"Ladybird didn't choose the quitter sitting in front of me! She chose the girl who's ambition to make friends through kindness caught not only her attention, but heart as well. The girl who's info gathering and intelligence flourished and allowed her to achieve the goal she wanted. A selfish girl disguised as a selfless, ambitious one." Mullo nuzzled against Sabrina's cheek. "Ladybird needs you to help the team and keep them moving, we need you to make this fight a victory and as for Marinette," Mullo looked straight into Sabrina's eyes, "Marinette needs you -her friend- to save her."
Sabrina watched as Mullo smiled at her. "So then Sabrina...what's your decision? Will you continue to mope around here or continue to fight alongside your friends to save a friend? Which will it be?"
Sabrina looked down at the mouse miraculous around her neck, placing the pendant in the palm of her hand. The silver locket was opened with ease, displaying Sabrina and her father on the left side while a picture of her, Chloe and Marinette were on the other.
"Isn't it obvious, Mullo?" Sabrina got up shakily. "Mullo, get squeaky!"
-----
"-not picking up." Osprey heard Chat say through the comms, wanting to say something to comfort them, but what can she say?
She didn't know them, neither as the vigilantes they were now nor their civilian forms. What can she say to comfort them in a time like this? When a friend is the force they're up against?
"Sorry everyone. Had to replenish for a bit. But I found Lila! The target has been secured! Quickly transporting to the designated destination."
Felis heard an audible sigh of relief echoing within the comms, letting herself smile at this tiny victory. After all, this was just one step towards the big one.
"Phase one has been completed. You know what this means." Corvus relayed.
"Ryuuko, you're up." Chat cleared up.
"On it."
-----
It was cold. Colder than usual.
Heavy fog was sitting all around her, but Banshee didn't care.
Banshee looked at her hands, finding them covered in tears. Frowning at them, she shook them off before continuing her ascendance up the stairs, smiling at the fact that she was able to make Lila feel the same pain as she did.
But her victory was short lived.
The high whistling of wind snapped her attention, her eyes narrowing when she watched the fog starting to gather near the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, watching as the accumulated fog swirled in circles.
She snarled when a large hole in the cloudy sky appeared, allowing that morning's sunlight to pierce through, dispersing the fog into nothing.
The city of Paris is now clear of her terror.
Now there, hovering in the air, was a single hero.
A hero...a ray of hope.
Banshee gritted her teeth together, feeling her annoyance starting to spike.
"Banshee. It seems as if they're onto you. But this is it. Takes this chance to engage them and take their-"
"Banshee!" A voice called out, a voice that sounded...familiar...
Banshee remained still while her eyes darted around to see who dared to face her. As she scanned the area, she found them. Standing a flight above her was a man cladded in black, the only color on him was the blue domino mask across his face. Escrima sticks were prying from behind him.
"Who are you?" Banshee asked, not moving a step.
"Who I am shouldn't matter. What should matter is the fight that is about to happen!"
Banshee scowled as the man charged at her, Banshee managing to dodge all of his attacks. But she wondered, why didn't she want to touch him? Why did she hesitate to place a hand on him?
In that self monologue, she must've gotten distracted, feeling a hand connect with her stomach, causing her to stumble, her side hitting the railing beside them. She felt bile daring to rise to the surface.
"Mi!" The man yelled, grabbing Banshee by her wrist, his hand over-
"You let your guard down!" Banshee grinned, twisting and clasping her hand over his palms, causing the man to let go of her and slump. She watched as the man cowered away from her, murmuring incoherent sentences.
"Corvus!" A voice yelled, a woman now appearing, wearing a skin-tight unitard, Banshee feeling something in her head begin to ring. She watched as the woman took out a needle with what seemed to be clear blue substance. She began to inject it into the man, something clicking inside Banshee.
"Dad. What's that?" Amira asked her father, watching as he packed away some vials into his utility belt. It was another day of keeping Gotham safe, Amira already planning on bringing some homework to keep her company while she awaited for her father's return.
"Antidotes that work against Scarecrow's Fear Toxin." She heard her father say, watching as he double checked his equipment.
"Have...have you ever been...hit by it?" Amira dared to ask, already knowing the answer to that.
"I have...it's one of the worst feelings in the world." Bruce said, placing his belt back into its case.
Amira watched as her father ran a hand over the case before turning his attention back to Amira. "Why don't the two of us go see if Alfred needs any help in the kitchen? How does that sound?"
"He'll probably kick us out. Remember what happened last time?" Amira referred to the last time her father tried to help Alfred make pasta. She watched as her father let out a laugh, a laugh that made her follow along and laugh as well.
Banshee was snapped from her thoughts when she felt something mere inches away from her face.
She tried to avoid the incoming fist coming at her but noticed a whip constricting her movements. So instead of taking a step back, she took a step to the side, connecting her heel with the back of Corvus' head and twirled her way towards the woman.
Making it seem as if she was about to use her leg again to attack, Banshee let out a laugh when the woman prepared to block her kick only for the two to connect foreheads. With the slight release of hold, Banshee freed herself and held the woman's hand between her hands, grinning as the woman looked at her with tears pooling in her eyes.
"Mi!" Banshee clicked her tongue as she watched Corvus come for her again, the two exchanging blows, Banshee dodging all of the blows her way but not being able to land one herself. "Mi! You have to stop this! Fight it back!" Corvus yelled, Banshee noticing that he was by the woman's side, administering the same needle she had seen just moments ago.
"My name's Banshee. I'm not this Mi you speak of."
"Mi, try to remember! Remember!" Corvus yelled, this time taking out his escrima sticks, Banshee taking a step back when she saw the tips of them spark. "Mi, I don't-"
"I'm not Mi! I'm Banshee!" Banshee yelled, charging once more, feeling her mind muddle even more.
She kept fighting, exchanging blows with Corvus and avoiding the woman. She often got close to landing a blow on either of them before someone in the distance would interfere.
Glaring at the hero in the distance, Banshee knew she wasn't going to be able to win this fight unless she thought of something...and fast!
When Corvus once more charged towards her, she tried to grab him again, only to be grabbed by her wrist and pinned down.
Banshee squirmed as the woman approached Corvus, Banshee glaring at her as she did.
"Felis. Give the signal." Corvus told Felis, Banshee remaining still as she watched Felis talk with someone else on the other end of their comms. "Banshee. No...Mi. Just wait a little longer. We'll get you out of this-"
"Fools, the lot of you." Banshee said, grinning. "You two were so worried about being touched by me that you forgot one thing."
Corvus let those words sink in as he watched Banshee look down to her hands that were-
"Don't do it!" Corvus yelled, watching as Banshee clasped her hands together, letting out a shriek so deafening, it caused both Corvus and Felis to collapse, their screams scattering into the wind.
-----
Just when things were turning for the better, it went back to square one.
Seconds after Corvus and Felis had managed to take down Banshee and gave orders to commence the next phase, Chat watched as fog started to pour down from the top of the Eiffel Tower followed by a piercing screech.
"Corvus, what the hell is going on?" He demanded, but got nothing on his end. "Corvus! Give me a-"
"He's down!" Osprey replied, Chat hearing rustling in the background. He could also hear clicking and glass clink against one another.
"What's going-"
"Banshee used her power against herself, meaning she revitalized her control on those she's touched. In other words-"
"She managed to escape our hold." Chat gritted his teeth.
Just when they were so close! "We need to hurry and-"
"Don't you dare go after her right now." Osprey threatened.
"You can't-"
"If I remember correctly, Lila wasn't the only one affect by Banshee's power. Wasn't there someone else?"
Chat froze.
How did he forget about Chloe? And not only once, but twice! "Guessing by your silence, there is. I'll be going to your location to drop off an antidote that's been confirmed to work against Banshee's power."
"Antidote? Confirmed?" Chat whispered.
"Remember how we told you that Oriole was touched and had relapsed? Well, back where we come from, we face a villain with similar powers, but without the magic. When Oriole told us how Banshee's power worked, we wondered if the antidote we made would work in this case. Corvus managed to prove our theory correct. They do indeed work the same way."
Chat remained stunned, soaking in the new information.
They weren't Parisians? They fought against people who were just as powerful as Banshee...but without magic? "Oh! Carapace is right here! I'll just send Carapace your wa-"
"No. He'll be giving the straight to both Lila and the other victim." Chat found himself saying, crouching towards the floor.
He couldn't face Chloe right now...he just couldn't.
"Sure?" He heard Carapace asking him.
"Yea."
"With that settled, I'm going to be moving to Plan B. Meet you at the rendezvous!"
With that last order from Osprey, Chat got back up and let a single tear fall down his face.
He's supposed to be the one in command and yet here he was, just sitting at the sidelines, doing nothing.
"Just what kind of leader am I?"
-----
"Amira." A voice whispered to her, Amira wondering who was calling her. "Amira." There it was again, and as much as Amira wanted to know who it was, she couldn't open her eyes to see who it was. She couldn't move a single muscle, not being able to respond to the voice that kept calling her. A voice that begged her to wake up.
A voice that she's never heard before but for some reason, she felt as if she's heard it once before...many, many years ago.
-----
Banshee felt heavy, exhausted, watching another tear drip off of the tip of her nose and join the pool of tears by her hands.
She never registered the yells and shouts of Ryuuko attempting to get rid of the new fog surrounding the Eiffel Tower.
"Amira." A voice called out, causing Banshee to look up, noticing the lack of a neon purple mask around her face.
Was it not Hawkmoth who called out to her? "Amira."
There it was again. "Amira."
"Who's talking?" Banshee yelled out, getting up to see no one in front of her nor behind her. She walked up the stairs, hearing the metal creak beneath her feet.
"Amira, did you forget me already?" The voice called out, Banshee turning to see who spoke to her.
"Ja...son?" Amira could feel herself losing herself when she saw him in front of her. "Jason...what are you doing here, in Paris?"
"Amira...why are you doing this?" Jason asked her, stepping closer to her, causing Amira to step back.
"Sta-stay back! I might hurt you!"
"You say that and yet there's already so many you've already hurt before me." Jason told her, causing her to freeze. "Or am I wrong?"
Amira felt her voice stuck in her throat. "N-No! I didn't-"
"Are you really going to deny hurting Selina? Dick? Are you?"
"N-no! I-I! It wasn't me! It was Hawkmoth! He-"
"He may have given you the power, but in the end, it was your decision on whether or not to use it. And you decided to use it against not only your family, but on friends as well...like Chloe...and Wally."
Amira hung her head, feeling the tears spilling without her permission. "I didn't-"
"Stop making excuses, Amira! Open your damn eyes!" Jason yelled at her, shaking her shoulders. "Are you even Amira? The Bat's daughter, my sister?" Jason asked. "What happened to the Amira I knew? Where did she go?"
"I-I!" Amira tried to find the words, but none came out. "Jason, listen, I- Jason?" She called out when she saw no one in front of her. All she saw was her akumatized bracelet on the floor in front of her.
"-chance Banshee! Use this to get Chat Noir's mira-"
Had she been hallucinating this entire time? Didn't matter, she had something far more important to think about.
"NO!" Amira yelled, disgusted by the neon purple mask hovering against her face. "There's no way in hell I'm going to help-"
She collapsed to the floor once again, her head on the verge of exploding.
"Banshee! I am the one who gave you your powers so you are to do-"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Banshee screamed as her head began to ache, a ringing that wouldn't dare stop.
"How dare you defile me! I'm the one who gave you power, I'm the one who is allowing you to-"
"You...gave me...nothing." Amira snarled between waves of pain. "All you've done is manipulate me. Nothing more, nothing less. You took advantage of my anger and rage, took it and made it into a weapon.
A weapon you had planned to use against Ladybird and Chat Noir. Using me to gain some measly-"
"Oh dear child. That's where you're wrong." The neon purple mask hovering over Banshee's face flowed even brighter, allowing Banshee to see in front of her. "Ladybird and Chat Noir's miraculouses are more than just magical pieces of jewelry.
When placed together, they grant a single wish. As for what wish, you will know it once I get-"
"Get your hands on? As in, on the miraculouses?" Amira chuckled. "Well, guess what? I won't let you." Amira declared, getting up. "I won't let you hurt my friends anymore for your own goal, I won't let you get your hands on those miraculouses! I won't let you win, Hawkmoth! I wo-!"
Amira screamed as she fell to the floor once again, resisting the urge to clutch her head to soothe the pain.
"Foolish girl! You don't-"
"It's you who is the fool!" Amira reminded, sitting up, almost falling back down as her arm almost gave in. She watched as the neon purple light around her face flickered. "You may think you are the one in charge, but you aren't. I am!" Amira yelled, grasping the neon light mask hovering above her face, causing the mask to shatter to glass piece and for her to writhe in pain.
She continued to kick around as her heart was being wrung, silent screaming escaping her as she gasped for air.
She watched as she continued to flail, wondering if anyone would get to her in time.
She wonder if this is how-
"Amira!" She heard someone yell, but she couldn't turn to see who it was. Didn't matter as Wally's face soon made it to her vision, Amira feeling her chest hurt even more when she saw how red his eyes were. "Amira, don't worry! We'll-"
"Smash it." Amira found herself saying, looking over to where Wally had barely missed stepping on the akumatized bracelet.
"What?"
"Step...on..it..." Amira said again. "Then take my earrings." A wince. "Tikki will help from there." She managed to say in two breaths.
"But what-"
"Hurry!" Amira wheezed out, hating how her vision kept swinging between pitch blackness and her tunneled vision.
At least she was able to hear Wally crush her bracelet and Tikki's voice before finally succumbing to the darkness.
"Amira!"
-----
"Don't be bemused! It's just the news!
After seven grueling hours, our heroes have finally done it!" The news channel showed off the Eiffel Tower, free of fog and a swarm of ladybugs gathering at the top. "They've placed evil back into its place!" Then, the ladybugs dispersed, many Parisians watching how little there was this time around compared to other fights. "They've once more proven to be a team to be reckoned with.
Thank you. Thank you for keeping us safe, Miracle Team. You guys are truly Paris' pride and joy...our heroes!"