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Chapter Text

            As Jessica entered her room, after returning home from a crazy day of fighting Techno Pirate alongside Ladybug and Cat Noir. She closed the door behind her and took the talon pendant off her neck, letting her transformation dropped as the small creature manifested in front of her.

            “Hello again! Fledgling,” Liiri chirped cheerfully as she flew around Jessica’s head, making the girl chuckle.

            “Hello there,” Jessica greeted, smiling. “What’s your name?”

            “I told you my name already, it’s Liiri,” the kwami said as if it was already obvious, which it was.

             “Wait I thought that Liiri was just a part of the transformation phrase. So, that is actually your name,” Jessica realized, feeling more interested about the mysterious creature in her room.

            “What is your name, mistress?” Liiri asked politely.

            “Uhm, there is no need to call me mistress, Liiri,” Jessica said awkwardly.

            “What would you like me to call you then? Fledgling?” Liiri said while flying around Jessica head cheerfully as the girl leaned on her study desk.

            “Well, my name is Jessica, but my friends mostly call me Jess,” Jessica introduced herself. Jessica felt that it was a little weird to be conversing with an ancient magical being. “So, what are you, exactly?” Jessica asked out of pure curiosity.

            “I’m a kwami of freedom,” Liiri explained.

            “Uhm… I’m not sure I understood you,” Jessica said blankly.

            “I’m an embodiment of the concept of freedom,” Liiri explained after seeing the puzzled look on Jessica’s face.

            “For short. You’re a mystical being,” Jessica said after hearing Liiri’s explanation.

            “That is one way to put it but not quite correct,” Liiri said.

            “Whatever. Are you hungry?” asked Jessica. “Ladybug told me that you would be hungry after I detransformed.”

            “Oh yes I am. Kind of you to ask,” Liiri chirped while floating and settling down on the desk.

            “I have some biscuits here, if you know what biscuits are,” Jessica offered as she opened the drawers beneath her desk and taking out a small pack of biscuits.

            “Well, I haven’t been released nor fed for a long time so have no idea what is this ‘biscuit’ that you are talking about,” Liiri said. “Well, I don’t mind, as long there is something to eat.”

            “Here, eat up,” Jessica coaxed as she opened the wrapping and handled a biscuit to Liiri.

            “Thanks, Jessica,” Liiri thanked while it accepted the rectangular biscuit, which was slightly larger than it.

            “Gosh Liiri, you are strong,” Jessica exclaimed after seeing the small being hold something bigger than it with ease.

            “Don’t be shocked, that’s normal of beings like me,” Liiri said casually before taking a small bite of the biscuit.

            “I keep on forgetting you are a godlike being,” Jessica muttered. “So, what else you can do?” Jessica asked as she sat down on her chair, in front of Liiri who was busy munching away on the biscuit.

            “Well there is a lot of things a kwami can do,” Liiri explained. “I can give you powers, I can phase through things…”

            “Well, you are typically a god, so I’m not surprised anymore,” Jess said resting her head her arms, watching Liiri eat. Jessica yawned from the tiredness.

            “Tired?” Liiri asked concerned.

            “It had been a long day,” Jessica answered as she stretched herself and rested her head on her crossed arms.

            “Aww… she’s cute,” Jessica mumbled tiredly as she watched Liiri eat.

            “Mmm… thanks, Jess,” Liiri said, chuckling after the kwami had heard Jessica. “I think you are quite cute too.”

            “What! You heard me?” Jessica shot up in surprise, making the kwami laugh even more.

            “You’re blushing!” Liiri chirped cheerfully.

            “No, I’m not,” Jessica denied. “Okay, maybe I am,” Jessica admitted after her kwami gave her a knowing look. “People just don’t go around saying that I’m cute,” Jessica blurted awkwardly.

            “Well, I do think that you are cute,” Liiri replied.

            “Liiri!” Jessica groaned, making Liiri chuckle.

            “You remind me of Gilbert,” Liiri said, recalling the time she spent with her previous master.

            “Gilbert? As in Gilbert du Motier?” asked Jessica, feeling a little surprised.

            “Yeah, he was my previous holder,” Liiri revealed.

            “Wait, you are immortal?’ asked Jessica.

            “Well, concept don’t die do they?” asked Liiri with a little hint of sarcasm in her voice.

            “Oh, who knew kwamis know sarcasm,” Jessica said making Liiri chuckle.

            “Must be hard to accept your holder’s death every time,” Jessica said, thinking about how many holders Liiri had been through.

            “Well, their death is always sad for me, especially those that I’m close with, but after experiencing it for so many time… I tend to just move on… Knowing that they would want me to move on,” Liiri said, recalling her previous holders, remembering them.

            Jessica sympathized her kwami. Unknowingly, Jessica’s hand moved over to pet the kwami’s head, in her attempt to comfort her. Liiri felt Jessica touch, it was warm and friendly, and let her continue.

            “I’m sorry for your loss, Liiri. I really am,” Jessica said.

            “Don’t worry Jess. It is in the past. Now, I’m ready for you to become my new holder,” Liiri chirped as she brightened up.

            “Gosh, you are quite a cheerful kwami aren’t you Lir? Can I just call you Lir?” Jessica asked.

            “You can call me however you like it, fledgling,” Liiri answered as she continued to eat the unfinished biscuit as she curled up in Jessica’s hand.

            “Jess, it’s me Aeon,” Jessica heard someone knock the door.

            “Come in, Aeon,” Jessica called out while Liiri was still in her hands. “What is it?” Jessica asked as she looked at Aeon who had just entered.

            “Nothing, I’m just curious about who you were talking to. Someone named Liiri?” asked Aeon curiously. “I don’t remember any of your friends with the name Liiri.”

            “Oh, it’s my kwami. She is in my hands,” Jessica said as Aeon closed the door and walked forward and craned her neck to get a better look at what seems to be nothing.

            “Uhm… Jess. I see nothing in your hands except an eaten biscuit,” Aeon said.

            “Can’t you see her?” Jessica asked confused.

            “All I see is a biscuit that is somehow getting smaller as if it is being eaten by something invisible,” Aeon said unamused.

            “Can’t you see her at all?” asked Jessica, feeling puzzled.

            “No,” Aeon said, not understanding Jessica.

            “Lir, what is going on?” asked Jessica.

            “What type of species your friend is?” Liiri asked.

            “She is an android,” Jessica answered as Aeon was getting confused, not knowing why Jessica is seemingly talking to her hand.

            “An android?”

            “A robot,” Jessica explained after realizing that Liiri won’t know what an android is.

            “Umm… what?”

            “She is not human,” Jessica said, not knowing for to explain further to a being that have been living inside a pendant for the past 2 centuries.

            “Well, kwami can only be seen through natural means,” Liiri said.

            “So that means you can’t be seen by cameras,” Jessica realized, grabbing her phone from her pocket.

            “Jess, what is going on?” asked Aeon confused.

            “Bingo, I can’t see you through my phone camera,” Jessica said holding her phone over Liiri who was still in her other hand.

            “What is this thing?” asked Liiri curiously as she looked at Jessica’s phone.

            “Uhm… seems like you have a lot of catching up to do,” Jessica realized.

            “Can you please tell me what you are talking to now?” asked Aeon.

            “It is my kwami, apparently you can’t see her, because they can’t be seen by technological means,” Jessica explained.

            “I see… that is logical. I can’t read magical things,” Aeon said. “So, I assume she is the one that gives you powers?” asked Aeon.

            “Something like that,” Jessica said as Liiri finished eating and flew around Aeon, looking at the so-called android curiously.

            “Jess… she looks like a normal person to me,” Liiri said, not understanding Jessica.

            “Yeah, she does. Welcome to the future Lir,” Jessica quipped.

            “I got so many things to learn and know,” Liiri said as she floated and looked around the room.

            “Liiri, I can’t see you but let me introduce myself. My name is Aeon Hill, and I’m a friend of Jessica Keyes. Nice to meet you,” Aeon greeted friendly.

            “Nice to meet you too, Aeon,” Liiri chirped.

            “Lir says nice to meet you too, Aeon,” Jessica passed the message on.

            “Well, I think conversations with me and your kwami is going to be quite a chore,” Aeon said.

            “We will find a way around it, right Lir?” asked Jessica.

            “I’m sure we will, Jess,” Liiri chirped as she perched on Jessica’s shoulder.

            “So, what we do now?” asked Aeon.

            “You mean you are not sleepy?” Jessica asked as she fake-frowned.

            “I’m an android, Jess,” Aeon reminded, not because Jess didn’t know about that.

            “Oh, I forgot,” Jessica said sarcastically, making Aeon chuckle.

            “I get your implications Jess. I will let you have your rest, goodnight Jess, goodnight Liiri,” Aeon said before leaving the room and closing the door.

            “Well, I need to take a shower before heading to bed. Wait for me here, Lir,” Jessica said. Liiri flew off her shoulder and landed on the desk. “Sure thing, Jess,” Liiri chirped as she nicked some of the remaining biscuits from the pack.

            After a while, Jessica came out with her hair let down freely and sat on her chair as she dried her hair with a hairdryer.

            “What is this?” asked Liiri curiously.

            “This is a hairdryer. You know, to dryer my hair quicker,” Jessica explained.

            “Wow, humans have created a lot of new things,” Liiri realized.

            “Yeah, some of our creations and inventions are good, some others, not so much,” Jessica said as she put down the hairdryer and prepared for bed.

            “Liiri, aren’t you coming to bed?” asked Jessica as she noticed that the kwami was still on the table.

            “Won’t I take up your place?” asked Liiri.

            “No… I don’t mind. My bed is quite huge anyway,” Jessica said.

            “Thank you, Jess,” Liiri chirped as she floated over to Jessica who was already laying on the bed and landed on a pillow besides her.

            “Welcome,” Jessica said before yawning and turning of the lights.

            “Goodnight Lir.”

            “Goodnight Jess.”

Chapter Text

            It was quiet. Jessica Keyes and her new companion, her kwami, Liiri, slept peacefully. Then, the silence was disrupted by the ringing tone of the phone’s alarm. Jessica tried to open her eyes tiredly as she rolled around in her bed. She was tired from burning the midnight oil the night before writing a tune she had in her head, which both Liiri and Aeon greatly advised her to not do.

            Liiri however was the opposite. She woke up upon hearing the alarm and sat up on the pillow for a short while before flying up and towards Jessica who was still rolling about.

            “Wake up, fledging, you need to get ready for school,” Liiri cooed as she buzzed around Jessica’s head.

            “Another five minutes, Lir,” Jessica groaned as she turned over.

            “You know your mother doesn’t like it when you are late,” Liiri reminded as she nudged Jessica face. “C’mon, Jess, time to wake up.”

            “Alright… alright,” Jessica said tiredly as she got up and sat on the bed dazingly for a while before reaching out towards her phone on the table and turned the alarm off.

            “Gosh… so tired,” Jessica said before yawning.

            “Well, I told you-” Liiri said chuckling.

            “Yeah, yeah, I know. But I didn’t want to lose the tune, it was just such a good one,” Jessica said.

            “I’ll admit though. You do have some talent for music,” Liiri agreed as she remembered the tune. Jessica yawned before plopping back on the bed.

            “Get up, Jess. Don’t you know? The early bird catches the worm?” asked Liiri jokingly as she tried to pull Jessica up. “Or perhaps in this case, the early eagle catches the worm.”

            Jessica chuckled at Liiri’s joke as she sat up on the edge of the bed. “Always humorous as usual, Liiri,” Jessica said as she petted the kwami that was now sitting beside her. Still tired, Jessica got up and walked towards the bathroom, “I’m going to take a bath. If Aeon or my mom comes by and ask, tell them for me,” Jessica said.

            “Sure thing, Jess,” Liiri chirped. “Don’t fall asleep in there, I am you wouldn’t want me to intrude on your privacy to wake you up,” Liiri joked.

            “Ha, very funny,” Jessica chuckled sarcastically. “I won’t.”

            Jessica got out of her room and walked towards the dinning room while Liiri floated behind her. When Jessica approached the table, her mother and Aeon’s mom were already at the table chatting.

            “Morning, Jess,” Olympia Hill greeted after noticing the girl.

            “Morning,” Jessica said.

            “Morning ladies,” Liiri chirped brightly, making the blond superhero chuckle.

            “Good morning little birdie,” Olympia answered smilingly. “Gosh, she’s cute, isn’t she Barb?”

            “So cute,” Barbara agreed. “Full of energy. Perhaps she will influence Jess to stop brooding around and be more cheerful.”

            “I don’t brood!” Jessica protested jokingly.

            “Um… Kwami’s like me don’t have genders,” Liiri corrected awkwardly.

            “So… it?” asked Olympia confused.

            “Well, I don’t mind being referred as a female,” Liiri answered as she continued munching on the biscuit in her grasp.

            “It’s you and Aeon’s turn to patrol tonight,” Barbara reminded as Olympia was having a conversation with the kwami. “Don’t forget.”

            “I won’t,” Jessica answered as she dug into her breakfast.

            “You look tired Jess, are you alright?” asked Barbara concerned.

            “Was working on a tune last night,” Jessica explained.

            Barbara sighed smilingly. “Jess, you have your talents for music, I know. But you really need find a way to balance your life between being a student and a heroine before things starts to get rough,” Barbara advised.

            “I know,” Jessica answered. “New villains?” asked Jessica as she gestured towards the files her mother was holding after seeing some of the pictures in the files to be new faces.

            “Yeah, they keep on coming, brings a lot of trouble, especially some of the newer ones,” Barbara said.

            “Wow, as much superheroes New York has, it also has it’s fair share of villains,” Jessica said sarcastically.

            “The numbers of villains have increased drastically in the past month though,” Barbara said.

            “What do you think this means?” asked Jessica curiously.

            “I don’t know. On one hand, this could all be unrelated. But on the other hand, this could be the work of a synchronized group,” Barbara said. “Just try to be safe alright?”

            “I will.”

            Later, both Aeon and Jessica walked into their class and towards their seats. It was 15 minutes till class starts but the classroom was already almost full. Jessica and Aeon placed their bag down on their seat before joining their other friends, Emily Rodriguez, Aaron Walker and David Ford.

            Emily Rodriguez was a blond girl with her hair always kept in a ponytail, an outgoing and active girl. Emily is one of the closest girls with Jessica other than Aeon. Aaron Walker, the brown curly haired guy, is the artist of the group and likes to draw a lot. David Ford is the smarts of the group, one of the ace students of the class. The black-haired boy also shared Jessica passion for music.

            “Hey girls,” Aaron greeted, leaning on his desk.

            “Oh, you two finally arrived. You two are usually the earliest to be here, why are you two late today?” asked Emily curiously.

            “Jess slept late last night working on a new tune,” Aeon revealed as Jessica was about to say something.

            “Typical for Jess,” Emily commented.

            “It was really good one alright? Would hate to let it slip,” Jessica said.

            “Can’t wait to hear it,” David said smilingly at Jessica. David was like Jessica, a music enthusiastic. Jessica couldn’t help but fidget her fingers shyly. Then, Jessica caught Aeon looking at her smirkingly.

            “I will send it to you when I complete it,” Jessica said.

            “By the way, I managed to snap another clear photo of Eagle last night,” Emily interrupted.

            “Really? Let us see,” Aaron said.

            Emily’s photo was a clear shot of Eagle standing on top of a building. Jessica tried not to cringe in embarrassment.

            “Wow, how did you get this photo?” asked Aaron.

            “She landed on top of the building, I could see her outside the windows of the apartment,” Emily said.

            “I’m really digging this girl’s look, she looks hot. Way better than her being Sparrow,” Aaron commented.

            “I agree, I always thought Sparrow was a male, who would have thought Sparrow was actually a girl? A cute one too,” Emily said.

            Jessica could see Aeon looking at her bemusedly as the native American was cringing so hard now from hearing her friends talk about her alter-ego. Jessica had only been Eagle for not even a week and her alter ego had already become a hot topic in her class.

            “What about you Jess? What do you think of Eagle?” asked Emily curiously.

            “W- Well, I think she’s fine, would like to see how she fare against the bad guys though,” Jessica answered.

            “What about you, bro?” Aaron asked David.

            “Well, I’ll admit she does looks good. Her suit looks very similar to native American clothing so I’m betting she is one,” David said as he looked at the picture. “But I agree with Jess though, would like to see how she would do fighting against the bad guys.”

            “You two are the same, really,” Emily chuckled. “What do you think Aeon? What do you think of Eagle?” asked the blondie.

            “Well, I think that as Eagle is still new, chances of her being able to go up against a villain alone and win the fight are 66.8 percent,” Aeon evaluated.

            “There you go with the statistics again. Well said though, wonder when we can see her in action,” wondered Emily. Aeon had hung out with the group long enough for them to get used to her way of talking.

            Soon, class started. Jessica was able to escape the discussion about her alter ego that made her cringe. As Jessica and Aeon returned to their seats, Aeon reminded the native American that she would probably need to get used to others talking about her alter ego in front of her. Both Sparrow and Uncanny Valley wasn’t that popular before there were announced to be official members of Untied Heroez during the parade. They had certainly drawn a lot of attention to themselves, to Eagle in particular. The news that Sparrow was a female was quite a surprise to the citizens of New York city.

            The rest of the day was like usual for Jessica. Nothing much had happened during classes and recess. After returning home, Jessica got on with her school work. Then, she spent the rest of her afternoon in her room on her guitar.

            “So, this is how your day goes by every day?” asked Liiri as she watched the girl do her school works.

            “Something like that,” Jessica answered.

            “Hmm- Didn’t know that children nowadays are so busy,” Liiri commented while flying over the book and looked at it while Jessica continued to focus on her works. “Can I ask you a question Jess?” asked Liiri as she looks at the portrait on Jessica’s study table.

            “Hmm?”

            “Who are the people in that picture?” asked Liiri as she flew towards it. “I noticed you seems to look at that picture a lot.”

            “Oh, that is my family photo, me, my mum and dad,” Jessica said as she pointed to the people in the picture.

            “You look really young in this, how old were you?” asked Liiri.

            “Around 4 or 5 I think,” Jessica said as she held the picture.

            “Wait, I thought Barbara was your mum, she doesn’t look anything like the person in your picture,” Liiri realized. “Oh, I’m…”

            “No worries Liiri, it’s not surprising that everyone thinks that Barbara is my mum,” Jessica said.

            “She took you in?” asked Liiri.

            “Adopted me after my parents died, during a big fight that rocked and destroyed a huge part the city,” Jessica said, tears forming in her eyes as she remembered that scary day.

            “I- I shouldn’t have brought it up… I’m sorry,” Liiri apologized.

            “No… It’s fine, I’m just, remembering,” Jessica said.

            “You alright?” asked Liiri concerned.

            “I’m fine really,” Jessica assured as she wiped the tears off her face and continued doing her work.

            Soon, it was night. Jessica and Aeon headed out to the area around their school to patrol when they saw someone jumped across the roof.

            “Are you seeing this?” asked Eagle, not believing a man could just that far.

            “Yes, not reading him off any wanted list, he must be new,” Uncanny Valley said.

            “Let’s follow him,” Eagle said.

            The duo followed the man and watched him stop on top of the museum. The man kneeled and seemingly cut a hole in the roof and jumped down.

            “Why this museum keeps on attracting bad guys?” Eagle muttered to herself as she watched.

            “What should we do now?” asked Uncanny Valley.

            “We take him,” Eagle said confidently.

            Eagle and Uncanny Valley jumped down the hole and saw the man standing in front of an exhibition.

            “Freeze!” Eagle commanded. “You’re surrounded.”

            “Am I now?” asked the man amused.

            “What’s so funny?” asked Eagle confused.

            “Umm… Eagle? I’m reading high heat signatures coming from his body,” Uncanny Valley informed.

            At first, Jessica thought that she and Aeon would be able to take on this seemingly low-level thief as they pounced in to take him. They soon realized how wrong they were as the thief turned around chuckling, his palms glowed red before spewing fire out of it.

            “Yikes!” Eagle exclaimed as she dodged the flames.

            “He seems to be able to conjure fire,” Uncanny Valley said as she examined the villain.

            “Yeah, that’s kind of obvious,” Eagle answered sarcastically as she tried to dodge another blast of flames from the villain, shielding her eyes from the smoke caused by the flames

            “Girls,” the man said in a villainous voice. “Call me Flame.”

            “Welp, that’s a lame name,” Eagle muttered as she backed near Uncanny Valley in midst of the smoke caused by the fire.

            “I agree with you, Eagle. 100 percent,” Uncanny Valley agreed.

            “Uncanny, contact the adults, we aren’t going to be able to handle this,” Eagle said as she tried to think of a plan. “And we should probably call the firefighters too,” Eagle added as she noticed the flames getting bigger.

            “I suggest you two girls move, wouldn’t want to get your pretty little faces scorched right?” Flame said as he chuckled and spewed more fire.

            Eagle and Uncanny Valley moved from their spot quickly and rushed towards the man. Uncanny valley shot a few blasts as Eagle attempted to land a few hits on the villain.

            “Why aren’t they here yet?” shouted Eagle as she dodged a blast from Flame.

            “I’ve just contacted them,” informed Uncanny Valley. “We need to hold him off for just a bit longer!”

            “Easier said than done,” Eagle answered sarcastically as she tried to land a hit in the enemies face as Uncanny Valley shot a few blasts at the villain, who managed to dodge and block them easily.

            “Well, to be honest, I’m kinda disappointed to face off against two children rather than New York’s real superheroes,” Flame taunted as fire spewed from his gauntlet, shooting towards Uncanny Valley.

            Eagle eyes opened as she saw what was happening. “Not again,” she thought as she quickly jumped in front of the android and shielded themselves from the blast by forming a shield by spinning the weapon in her hand. Eagle could feel the heat radiating as she shielded herself. The smoke from the flames set off the fire sprinkles, raining water down on them.

            “Perhaps this is a good time to retreat,” Uncanny Valley said as she looked around, trying to find her way out of the situation.

            “Go!” Eagle said gratingly as she strained to block the flames.

            “But…” Uncanny Valley said doubtfully.

            “Just go!” Eagle urged. “I’ll catch up.”

            Uncanny Valley nodded before flying away through the hole of the roof. Eagle then walked backward before she stopped spinning the weapon and jumped away from the blast. Eagle then jumped up the hole in the roof. Uncanny Valley was outside, waiting for her.

            “We should go,” Eagle said as she held onto Uncanny Valley as the android flew up.

            “Ah ah, where do you think you girls are going?” Flame called up as he flew through the hole of the roof and shot a fiery blast at them. Eagle spun her weapon and tried to block the blast but failed. The blast caused Eagle to lose her grip and fall back onto the roof of the building as Uncanny Valley crashed down beside her, seemingly unconscious.

            Groaning from the impact, Eagle tried to get up. The girl saw the android crash down beside her, not getting up. “Uncanny!” Eagle called out worryingly. Then, the girl watched as the villain jumped up and landed in front of her, kicking him before getting up and running away from Uncanny Valley as she tried to lead Flame away from the android.

            Flame then shot a blast at Eagle, making her fall on the floor, chuckling as she approached the girl who was backing away from him.

            “I’d hate to hurt a pretty girl like you,” Flame said as he grabbed the weapon from Eagle’s hand on tossed it aside, prompting Eagle to back away from him helplessly. “You have heart, you want to do what’s right, why don’t-”

            The villain never got to finish what he wanted to say as Eagle quickly kicked him off balance and landed her fist in the man’s stomach and grabbed the man and threw him across the roof and hitting the wall hard, which in doing so, Eagle ripped the man’s right sleeve, revealing a tattoo. Eagle then quickly grabbed her weapon and stood up.

            “Save the talk, Flame,” Eagle said. “Liberation!” Eagle said as she released a feather, sending it towards Flame.

            “What are-” Flame looked in puzzlement as the feather seemingly entered him.

            Eagle could sense Flame’s fears and all negative feelings that could be the key to make him stop. “He surely has a deep hatred for superheroes?” Eagle thought to herself as she tried to use her powers.

            “Flame, you are limited and blinded by your hatred for superheroes. I therefore release you from your hatred!” Eagle said. Eagle had expected the man to stop whatever he planned to do, but his reaction was not what the superheroine had expected at all.

            The man clutched his head, seemingly in great pain, his body trembling as he yelled. Eagle was confused at what was going on, her powers should be working like this. As Eagle tried to get closer to the villain, she heard him cackle evilly.

            “Nice try. Trying to take over my ‘limitation’. But there is where you are wrong girl. Our hatred for supers is what makes u-” Flame never got to finish what he wanted to say as Majestia flew in from behind and tackled the villain, knocking him out.

            Eagle sighed in relief at the sight of Majestia. “Thanks goodness you arrived, Majestia!”

            “Sorry for the delay, something interfered with the coms, you two did a great job holding up this long,” Majestia said. “Where is Aeon?” Majestia asked after realizing the absent of the android.

            ‘I’m here,” Uncanny Valley said she walked up towards the two.

            “You’re alright?” asked Eagle concerned.

            “One of my thrusters seems to be damaged but otherwise, I’m 100 percent operational,” Uncanny Valley informed.

            “Alright then, you two better head back home. Doorman will take over the patrolling of this area of the city. I’ll drop this guy off in jail,” Majestia said. “Are you sure you can make it back home dear?” asked Majestia looking at Aeon concernedly.

            “I’m a 100 percent positive,” Aeon confirmed.

            “Alright then,” Majestia said as she picked Flame up and flew up. “See you girls back home,” Majestia said before flying away.

            “Well, let’s go, Eagle,” Uncanny Valley said as she offered her hand. Eagle nodded and held onto the android hand, flying away from the museum. As they flew away, Eagle could see the damage done by the battle against Flame, feeling guilty and wondering what if she was stronger and better. “Ladybug’s power would probably be useful to fix all this damage,” Eagle thought to herself.

            After reaching their apartment, Jessica let down her transformation in her room after making sure that Aeon will be alright. Liiri buzzed out of the pendant and sat on the table was Jessica plopped down on the chair tiredly. Jessica opened the drawer and took out a packet of biscuits and opened it, laying it in front of the kwami.

            “Thanks, Jess,” Liiri thanked before nibbling on the snack. Jessica just sat down; her mind was obviously thinking about something.

            “Is something wrong?” asked Liiri concerned for Jessica.

            “I’m just wondering… if Ladybug made a mistake giving me this miraculous,” Jessica wondered aloud.

            “Nonsense! I’m sure Ladybug saw something in you,” Liiri assured.

            “I couldn’t even use ‘Liberation’ properly just now and Aeon got hurt because of me,” Jessica said.

            “I know, Jess. But not everyone is perfect, and you’re just starting out,” Liiri said. “It’s normal for people to make mistakes and fail.”

            “I just don’t understand why I couldn’t use my powers on Flame,” Jessica said, thinking about what had happened.

            “His willpower and hatred for superheroes is quite strong, trying to liberate a person like him is admittedly harder than normal people,” Liiri explained. “But to be honest, I never felt someone who had such strong willpower.”

            “Maybe it’s just because I’m not good enough,” Jessica said.

            “Jessica Keynes! Don’t you ever think that. I had seen you defend your friend, knowing that you might get yourself hurt. That is what a true and good hero does, care for others. What you have done tonight is a true display of a hero,” Liiri said. “You’re good enough for me.”

            “Aww~ Thanks Lir. You certainly know who to encourage others,” Jessica said smilingly, petting the kwami’s head affectionately.

            “Wait, I have a question,” Jessica said, thinking about the time when she first got the miraculous.

            “Hmm?”

            “Why Techno Pirate had wings when he used you?” Jessica asked curiously. “It would probably be helpful so that Aeon doesn’t need to drag me around the city all the time.”

            “Well, you’re still a teenager. Certain abilities of the miraculous can only be used after you become an adult,” Liiri explained.

            “Wow, that’s a bummer,” Jessica said. “And when is that?” asked Jessica.

            “After you come of age,” Liiri answered before taking another bite of the biscuit.

            “Well, gives me something to look forward to in the future,” Jessica said.

            “You don’t need wings to become a good hero Jess, you already have good heart,” Liiri assured. “Don’t let anything change your mind.,” Liiri encouraged. “You still have a long path ahead of you.”

            “Yeah, I do,” Jessica agreed as she stood up, stretching herself and yawned.

            “You’re really tired, Jess. Get some sleep,” Liiri advised.

            “Yeah, I’m going to do that. After I take a quick wash,” Jessica said as she grabbed her clothes and towel from the closet.

            “Don’t fall asleep in there,” Liiri reminded jokingly.

            “I won’t,” Jessica answered chuckling.

            After a while, Jessica came out of the bathroom and sat down on the chair as she dried her hair. Liiri just finished the biscuit and threw the wrapper into the dustbin beside the table. After finishing drying her hair, Jessica then walked towards the bed and sat on it while setting her phone alarm.

            “Goodnight Lir,” Jessica said as she laid on the bed.

            “Goodnight Jess,” Liiri said before turning the lights off and resting herself on the pillow besides Jessica.

            It certainly has been quite hard adjusting to being an official heroine of the United Heroez and a miraculous holder. Jessica also knew that she still has a long way to go, at least she won’t be alone.

            Flame opened his eyes, and looked around, he was cuffed and restrained to a chair in the middle of the cell. In front of him was Majestia and Knightowl, who was brandishing a new suit.

            “Majestia and Knightowl, my pleasure to meet you,” Flame said calmly.

            “What were you doing at the museum?” Knightowl interjected coldly.

            “What do you think I was doing? Stealing stuff obviously,” Flame said sarcastically.

            “United Heroez’s coms went down the same time you broke into the museum, we are inclined to think that there is something bigger at play here,” Majestia said.

            “Hmm… You’re smart,” Flame said.

            “Smarter than you,” Knightowl said. “Your plan was a flawed one from the beginning, what made you think you could break into the museum and get away with it?”

            “Oh, I wasn’t expecting to get away with it,” Flame said snickering. “In fact, I wanted to be captured.”

            “And why is that?” Knightowl asked.

            “I bring a message,” Flame revealed. “The days of supers are numbered, the end for them is near.”

            “Fat chance of that happening,” Majestia said.

            “Kronos is coming for you all, and there is nothing that you can do to stop it,” Flame said as his mouth twisted into an evil smile.

            “Kronos?” Knightowl asked curiously. “Is that your buyer?”

            The superheroines didn’t get to hear whatever the man said as an explosion rocked the cell, filling the cell with smoke and dust. When the smoke finally cleared, the man was gone.

            “How did this happen?” asked Knightowl puzzled. “This prison is supposed to be impenetrable.”

            “Look,” Majestia said after noticing a card on the chair where Flame had been. Majestia picked it up and looked at the note.

            “Till the next time we meet”

• Kronos

Chapter Text

10 YEARS AGO

            Sounds of people screaming and shouting could’ve been heard as the building shook violently. Outside, there was an ongoing battle with Majestia and Ignoblia that caused chaos throughout the once peaceful city of New York. The ongoing battle between the two aliens were causing damage across the city as they pummel into a building after another.

            “Jess… everything will be alright… don’t cry,” A woman comforted the crying girl as the man tried to navigate their way through the debris inside the building.

            “Watch out,” the man said, guiding the woman and the young girl through as the building shook once more and debris crashes down behind them. The girl’s cries grew even louder from the shock, screaming even louder in fear as she watches the ceiling collapse.

            “Jess don’t cry… don’t cry, everything will be alright,” comforted the woman. “Don’t-”

            The building shook even more violently now as Ignoblia and Majestia crashed through it. The building was about to collapse. Both the girl and the woman cried in fear as the man wrapped his arm around them, comforting them, urging them to move.

            Then, the family saw two people, masked, running towards them. “We are here to help, calm down,” the bigger person, Knightowl said.

            “Knightowl?” the man asked, his voice full of hope.

            “Yes, just calm d-”

            The building shook once more, and debris fell on the family. The young girl closed her eyes, silently accepting her fate, not expecting a force to push her out of the way as the debris fell on her parents, crushing their legs.

            “Dad! Mom!” the young girl screamed.

            “Take her and go!” the man pleaded. “Keep her safe!”

            “Dad! Mum! No!” the young girl began to cry as she knelt in front of them.

            “Don’t cry Jess. No matter what happens, daddy and mommy will always be with you, everything will be fine,” the woman comforted despite the pain of debris crushing her legs.

            “We love you Jess,” the man held the young girl’s hand. Then, the man looked at Knightowl and nodded.

            “Sparrow. Take the girl and go!” said Knightowl urgently.

            “What about-”

            “Take her and go!” Knightowl ordered as he tried to lift the debris off the couple’s legs.

            Sparrow nodded and picked the young girl up and jumped out the window, gliding down the building and landing smoothly on the debris surrounded ground.

            Suddenly a loud crashing sound could be heard and both Sparrow and the young girl watches as the building they were in crumble to the ground. Sparrow immediately picked up the crying girl and ran as fast as possible, away from the collapsing building. It took a while before the dust finally cleared.

            When the dust finally cleared and the screaming stopped, the girl ran back towards the building where her parents were and knelt before the remains of the building, sobbing. “Mum… Dad… no…”

            Sparrow mustered the strength to follow the girl back to where Knightowl was. She has hoped that he would be alive, but that was wishful thinking. As Sparrow stood beside the crying girl, tears began to flow down her face as she mourns Knightowl, her father’s death. “Father… No…”

            Barbara broke down as she hugged the young crying girl as they look at the remains of the building that once stood.

PRESENT DAY

            For Jessica and Aeon, everything had been a first since they became official heroes of the New York team. As they enter the United Heroez Headquarters, they were just in awe at how high tech to place was and how spacious it was. Of course, they had came here for a meeting regarding the recent rise in the numbers of attacks from metahumans.

            Jessica and Aeon both entered the meeting room, which in there was a large round table with each hero or heroine’s symbol on the chairs, Jessica couldn’t help but feel that some of the other heroes hadn’t welcome them just yet. Noticing their cold looks at them. Jessica and Aeon sat down quietly, mostly because they just want to look good in front of the other heroes when were nervous. After all, it has barely been a week that they were promoted, and in the eyes of the other heroes, they were definitely still the newbies in the team.

            “I think there is no doubt that everyone here knows about the series of attacks across the city in the past week,” Camilla said as the meeting begun,

            “Not to mention the damages they caused,” a woman dressed in white added.

            “And that is why we’re here today Cynthia,” Camilla said. “Because I highly believe that we are dealing with a threat bigger than anything we ever dealt with.

            “How so?” asked Dean curiously.

            “Well first, after throughout investigation of the footage we were able to get on them. We discovered that they all had the same tattoo on their right hand,” Camilla said as the screen showed a black tattoo in a shape of a ghostly face, on it, it was seemingly forming 3 letters, N, O and S.

            “This symbol has also been seen drawn on wall throughout New York prior to these attacks, although we hadn’t been able to track the people who drew them.

            “Of course, other than just photo proof, we have witnesses that saw the tattoo,” Camilla added as murmurs grew. “And we also have an interrogation footage of Olympia and Barbara questioning one of them.”

            “Really, that’s interesting, pull up the footage then,” Swift said.

            Once the footage was shown on the screen, Jessica immediately recognized the man to be Flame. Flame sat seated in the middle of the room and bounded.

            “Majestia and Knightowl, my pleasure to meet you,” Flame said calmly.

            “What were you doing at the museum?” Knightowl interjected coldly.

            “What do you think I was doing? Stealing stuff obviously,” Flame said sarcastically.

            “United Heroez’s coms went down the same time you broke into the museum, we are inclined to think that there is something bigger at play here,” Majestia said.

            “Hmm… You’re smart,” Flame said.

            “Smarter than you,” Knightowl said. “Your plan was a flawed one from the beginning, what made you think you could break into the museum and get away with it?”

            “Oh, I wasn’t expecting to get away with it,” Flame said snickering. “In fact, I wanted to be captured.”

            “And why is that?” Knightowl asked.

            “I bring a message,” Flame revealed. “The days of supers are numbered, the end for them is near.”

            Jessica gulped as she heard the words that Flame has said. “Whatever this threat is about, it looks serious.” Jessica thought.

            “Fat chance of that happening,” Majestia said.

            “Kronos is coming for you all, and there is nothing that you can do to stop it,” Flame said as his mouth twisted into an evil smile

            “Kronos?” Knightowl asked curiously. “Is that your buyer?”

            An explosion rocked the cell, filling the cell with smoke and dust. Jessica jumped a little from the explosion. When the smoke finally cleared, the man was gone from the camera’s view.

            “And that was all. He seemingly vaporised into thin air,” Barbara said.

            “We check everything, no traces of how he managed to escape,” Olympia said.

            “He managed to escape out of our holding facility?” Dean asked in surprise. “No way.”

            “Impossible,” A young woman in red said. “Me and my sisters had already upgraded the security systems. “It should be failproof.”

            “Evidently not,” Barbara scoffed at the younger girl.

            “What about the security cams around the place?” asked the woman dressed in blue who sat in the middle of her sisters.

            “Nothing, not even a single footage shows how he got out of the place,” Olympia said.

            “Kronos is coming for us,” Swift muttered. “Does this name rings anyone’s bell?”

            “No. We checked the records. Kronos, whoever he or she is, is new,” Camilla confirmed.

            “He said ‘The days of supers are numbered, the end for them is near’,” Cynthia repeated. “They are planning to take us down?”

            “If they are really planning to do it, then they must have thought this out well,” Dr. Bush said.

            “But if all the attacks in the past week were really orchestrated by this person, what was the purpose?” asked the man wearing green. “For all I know, they all escaped with nothing.”

            “Yeah, I fought a speedster like me, he attacked the bank and ran away with nothing,” said Swift.

            “This is confusing then, what was the purpose of all these attacks then?” wondered Olympia.

            “No… I don’t think these are random attacks,” Olympia said. “I mean, they could be, but I don’t think so.”

            “I agree with my mum, there is a 75 percent possibility that this was a staged assault,” Aeon interrupted.

            Other than Barbara and Olympia, the other adults just looked at them in some sort of weird way, Jessica had noticed their looks before Camilla spoke again, drawing the attention away from them.

            “But… for an attack to be this organized, the enemy must have a goal in mind,” Camilla said.

            “Perhaps they want to keep us thinking, you know, mess with our head?” asked Swift.

            “And reveal their existence? Seems like an ill-thought-out plan,” the young woman who was clothed in yellow said.

            “Perhaps this is what they want us to think.” Cynthia suggested.

            “I think we’re overthinking this,” the man in a lab coat said sceptically. “Maybe they are just some gang looking for thrill.”

            “I don’t know. For a group of metas to pull a show like that, quite dumb actually,” Camilla answered.

            “Oh, and another thing. They all seem to have elemental related powers. Look,” Cynthia interrupted as she projected her tablet screen on the big screen in front of the meeting table.

            “This is who Eagle and Uncanny Valley encountered, Flame, who he called himself, he had pyrokinesis powers,” Cynthia said as a footage of Aeon and Jess fight against Flame was shown on the screen.

            “And this is the unnamed speedster that Mercury fought,” said Cynthia as the video playing shows a red lightning streak rushing past civilians and knocking some of them down purposely as a blue streak chases him.

            “Yeah, he even shocked me before running off,” Swift recalled. “And his lightning was red, never seen that before.”

            “I take it that he has electric based powers,” Cynthia said. “And then this is the meta who have aerokinesis, at least, based on what Hurricane could recount about fighting her.”

            The video clip showed a footage of white-grey haired woman with a slim figure flying in the air, seemingly conjuring small tornados and manipulating the air around her with ease, uprooting trees and flipping cars.

            “And Agent Red, Blue and Yellow fought with someone who had cryokinesis,” said Cynthia. “Until I managed to reach the Ford’s estate and defeat her before she escaped.”

            The footage shows Snowflake and a white-haired woman shooting ice blast at each other before the woman seemingly disappeared in a flash of bright yellow light.

            “Not to mention the guy who literally summoned a rock golem to punch me in the face,” said the man in the lab coat, Dr. Bush.

            “Oh yes, Thorn fought with him with the help of Majestia,” Cynthia said as she plays a video of Thorn fighting a rock golem. The rock golem was damaging things as it attacked Thorn, sending him flying with a punch.

            As video clips of each of the other fights played, Jessica and Aeon felt quite grateful that they dealt with Flame rather than the others, which seemed way more dangerous than what they had faced that night.

            “I don’t like this at all, where are all these metas coming from?” wondered Camilla. “Has there been another lab explosion?”

            “No, the last one was last year, in Kansas, but the FBI had covered that up,” Bush said. “And we dealt with the results. “Of course, there is a possibility of mutation. Or someone is experimenting and creating metas.”

            “Well, either way, we need to do more patrolling if we are going to tackle this new threat,” said Barbara crossing her arms. “I had already arranged my police forces.”

            “Good,” Camilla said approvingly. “Of course, we will need more people more one shift as well. At least until this threat had been dealt with.”

            “What about running their faces through facial recognition?” suggested Dean.

            “I did,” Barbara interrupted. “And surprisingly, we got nothing. There are no records of these people, whoever there are.”

            “I think we should consider the fact that this group managed to take out our coms, leave us scattered in the dark as we fought them, almost defeating some of us in the process quite impressive if not scary. They weren’t even trying to steal anything,” Cynthia said. “If they wanted to take us out of the picture, they could have managed it easily.”

            “Cynthia’s right, they could. Plus, we don’t even know if there is more,” Dr. Bush agreed.

            “Hasn’t any of you managed to have a conversation with the enemy, or did you all just get down to fighting?” asked Dean curiously.

            “Well, if they did say something useful, I’m sure someone would have said something now,” Swift shrugged.

            “Actually, to think about it, I did,” Jessica said nervously, drawing attention to herself.

            “You may speak, Jessica,” Camilla said.

            “When I tried to use my powers on Flame, I could sense his hatred for superheroes,” Jessica said, feeling a sense of awkwardness as she spoke. “And I remember saying on the lines of their hatred for supers make them strong,” Jessica recalled.

            “Well, that didn’t help a lot,” Swift shrugged, unimpressed with what Jessica had to offer.

            “At least we know their motivation,” Dean said positively. “They hate supers.”

            “Doesn’t all bad guys do?” asked Swift.

            “Yes, nobody hates someone without a reason. They aren’t criminals. They haven’t fought us before, why would they hate us?” Dean posed a question.

            “Regardless of whatever reason, they are still out there and there could be more,” Cynthia said.

            “But none of what we discussed answers how did they managed to cut off our coms that night,” the young woman wearing red said.

            “Esther is right,” the blue-dressed girl said. “Plus, the security systems we set up should be unbreakable to any hackers.”

            “Well, now we know it’s not,” Swift said.

            “No, Esther and Alice have a point,” Camilla interrupted.

            ‘Meaning?” asked Dr. Bush.

            “There might be a spy among us,” Camilla said. “That spy took down our systems that night.”

            “But who would be capable of such?” asked Dean.

            “Look, I don’t believe that any of us here would sell us out like that, we’ve been fighting side by side for years now, why turn on us now?” asked Olympia.

            “As much I don’t want to believe it, all the things that happened that day seems to be pointing towards the evidence of a spy in our midst,” Camilla said. “We must be alert of the people around us.”

            “If all these assumptions are even true, then this… Kronos, whoever he or she is, must have been planning this for a very long time, we need to be careful,” Cynthia said.

            By the time the meeting was over, it was already quite late, and Jessica and Aeon returned to their apartment.

            “We just embarrassed ourselves just now,” Jessica groaned as she plopped on her bed, waking up the kwami who was sleeping on her pillow as Aeon sitting down beside her. “Sorry Lir,” Jessica apologized embarrassingly.

            “Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Liiri said as she flew and perched on Jessica’s shoulder.

            “Firstly, I think that is an exaggeration,” Aeon said. “You did offer some valuable information.”

            “I didn’t,” Jessica said as she covered her face. “Urgh… this is so stressful; did you see the footage?”

            “I did. And I have to say, their abilities are quite frightening,” Aeon said.

            “How are we supposed to face those guys if we can’t even handle Flame,” groaned Jessica.

            “Well, you did manage to hold Flame down,” Aeon said.

            “Barely,” Jessica snorted. “He was resisting me.”

            “Well, you still managed to stop Flame from heading towards populated areas,” Aeon said.

            “Correction, your mom came in and helped,” Jessica said.

            “But still, you managed to delay him.”

            “Aeon… just… I know what I did, but all these is obviously not enough… If I don’t master the miraculous powers well enough in time, if an attack happens under my watch and innocent people get hurt or even worse…”

            “Jess, just relax, everything will be fine, there are the adults, they will be able to handle these threats,” Aeon assured. “I think you better get some rest, after all, we both have to attend school tomorrow,” Aeon said as she left for the door.

            “Goodnight Jess.”

            “Goodnight,” Jessica answered standing up.

            “Are you alright?” asked Liiri.

            “I’m…”

            “You know what, you should take a shower, and refresh yourself first, calm yourself down, then we can talk about whatever happened during that meeting,” Liiri advised as she flew off Jessica’s shoulder and landed on the bed.

            “Yeah…” Jessica answered half-heartedly. “Never mind, I’m really tired, we can talk about this some other time.”

            “Sure,” Liiri chirped.

            But that night, Jessica kept on turning about in her bed. Thinking hard about everything she learned from the meeting. She couldn’t let her mind settle down as she was worried of this new threat. Jessica remembered all the time she thought she was ready to fight bigger threats, to help, but now, just hearing about this new threat had her worried, what if she isn’t ready? What if people get hurt or even worse just because she couldn’t save them in time?

            “Jess?” Liiri asked as she got up after noticing that Jessica wasn’t sleeping. “Is something bothering you?” asked Liiri concerned. “You looked bothered ever since you returned from the meeting.

            “Well… nothing much… just… worried,” Jessica said as she turned over to face Liiri.

            “About what?” asked Liiri.

            Jessica didn’t answer, debating whether she should tell her kwami.

            “You know, you can tell me anything,” Liiri encouraged. “If you don’t want to tell me, I understand too.”

            “It’s just, do you remember that day we fought Flame?” asked Jessica.

            “You mean the day you first fought as Eagle after Ladybug left me in your care? Yes,” Liiri said. “Why?”

            “Did you have to say it like that?” Jessica chuckled softly as she nudged Liiri lightly. “It was like two days ago Lir.”

            “So, what happened?” asked Liiri brightly.

            “They discovered that Flame is a part of a larger group, under the leadership of someone named Kronos,” Jessica explained. “And he wasn’t the only one that attacked last night.”

            “What? Really?” asked Liiri in surprise. “That’s sounds dangerous.”

            “There is a bad guy with ice powers, there is a bad guy with wind powers, there is even a bad guy with electric powers,” Jessica said. “And the worst of all, there might even be a spy in the team.”

            “Hey, Jess, don’t stress yourself-”

            “How could I not stress myself Lir? I saw those footage and they were way more extreme than Flame. If I couldn’t even use my powers on Flame properly, how am I even ready to take on them?” Jessica ranted.

            “Hey, Jess. You might not be ready; you might need more time to master the miraculous. But there is one thing about you that is definitely ready, your heart,” Liiri said. “You want to do good, to help, to protect. I haven’t seen someone as strong-willed as you for a long time.”

            “I… “

            “Just relax yourself Jess, everything will work out,” Liiri assured comfortingly, petting Jessica head lightly. “Just sleep, you still have school tomorrow.”

            “You know, Lir. It is nice to have someone as wise as you to talk stuff to,” Jessica said, smiling calmly, although her worries hadn’t gone away yet. She felt calmer.

            “Anytime,” Liiri said warmly. “Now you should sleep, don’t think too much.”

            “Goodnight Lir.”

            “Goodnight Jess.”

Chapter Text

            Jessica was pacing back and forth impatiently in the lift as it went up. It was a Sunday, and she was supposed to hang out with Emily, one of her friends. The girl was already late enough as she woke up late due to the patrol shift the night before which took quite a toll on her.

            “There you are, for a minute, I thought you got caught up in another attack,” Emily said as Jessica stood at her door looking at the girl, who was panting. “Been waiting for you for quite a while now.”

            “Sorry, schedule shifted,” Jessica panted. “Let’s go.”

            “Alright, well, I know you are eager to see David,” Emily teased, changing the topic.

            Jessica eyes shot up upon the mention of David. “Wait… what do you mean that I’m eager to see David?”

            “Uhmm... did you short circuit your brain? The group is hanging out today? Did you forget that?” asked Emily mockingly.

            “Wait, I didn’t know you called the boys, let’s go now!” Jessica eyes widened as Emily mentioned David.

            “Alright, calm down Jess,” chuckled Emily as Jessica dragged the blonde out of her apartment.

            Meanwhile, Aaron and David where already at the café, sitting at a table casually. David was looking around as Aaron was sketching as usual.

            “Hey, can you chill bro? The girls should be here soon,” Aaron said after noticing that David was unsettled.

            “Yeah, there are usually earlier than us,” David said.

            “You worry too much,” Aaron scoffed. “They will be fine. Oh, they there are,” Aaron chuckled as he noticed their friends. “Waving at the two girls, catching their attention.

            “Hey Em, hey Jess,” David said as the girl joined the two boys at the table.

            “Oh, thanks David,” Jessica said as he handed her the menu.

            “Where is Aeon anyway?” Aaron asked curiously, noticing the lack of their statistical friend. And why on earth are you girls so late today? I thought you were always the one to be biting us off for being late?”

             “Jessica had a last-minute change in her schedule,” Emily chuckled as she patted Jessica’s shoulder

            “Yeah,” Jessica affirmed. “And Aeon, she is at home, not feeling too well,” Jessica lied, knowing that Aeon is spending time with her mom, Olympia.

            “Well glad you two could make it then,” David said smilingly as the two girls took their seats.

            “Oh, you two haven't ordered anything yet?” asked Emily as she noticed the menu on the table.

            “Nah, was waiting for you two,” Aaron shrugged casually as he set his drawing tab and pencil aside.

            “That is quite kind of you, Aaron, and I thought you are the impatient one,” Emily chuckled.

            Aaron scoffed and said “Oh relax Emily, besides, we agreed that it’s your turn to pay” Aaron said chuckling.

            “Ah, did we?” asked Emily purposely.

            “Pretty sure we did Em,” Jessica added

            “Ah dang it,” Emily groaned. “I don’t think I brought enough cash on me Jess,” Emily sighed.

            “And you are gonna borrow money from me again huh?” asked Jessica knowingly.

            “Well, you’re loaded right?” asked Emily patting her friend’s shoulder.

            “Ah fine,” Jessica chuckled as she wrote her order on the order slip and passed it and the pen to Emily. “Here.”

            “Don’t sorry Em. Next round on me,” Aaron offered.

            Oh nice,” Emily chuckled.

            “So how was your day? Jess?” asked David casually as the other two took their orders

            I’m doing fine thanks David. I’m just a little tired that’s all I work during the night right now. I kind of got a new job” Jessica said.

            “Ah, what kind?” asked David curiously.

            “Yeah, you never told me that you got a job?” said Emily curiously.

            “I uhm... work part time as a waitress,” Jessica lied, again.

            “Ohhh that’s cool...wait isn’t your mom like loaded or something” Aaron asked. “She is chief officer at the police station, right?”

            “Can't this girl go about making money for herself?” asked Jessica with sarcasm in her voice.

            “Yeah, plus, David is the one to talk about being loaded,” Emily joked. “His father is a top businessman, yet he still insist on getting a part time job.”

            “At least you have work” David said. “My father wouldn’t even let me, says that I’m too young.”

            “Hey chill bro, like I said, at least you're loaded,” Aaron chuckled as he passed the order slip to the waitress. “Why go through all that trouble to earn money when you’re so young? You should relax bro. You got the good life.”

            “Probably the same reason Jessica took up the job,” Emily shrugged.

            “What is with you two? I never get the way you two think,” Aaron scoffed smiling. “It's like you are not satisfied or something.”

            “Oh, don’t flatter yourself Aaron. Besides at least It’s nice to have some responsibility” Jessica said as she looks at her purse

            “Oh, I personally won't trouble myself with this kind of unnecessarily responsibility,” Aaron scoffed. “I’m happy with what I have, and I don’t want to do more than needed.”

            “Whatever Aaron, not everyone thinks like you do,” Emily chuckled. “What about you David? Up to anything other than music these days?”

            “To be honest I’ve been burn out on some ideas” David said as he palms his head in frustration. “I stayed up last night to experiment but so far no budge.”

            “There he goes with his music again,” Aaron chuckled.

            “Oh wait, I didn't forget to send the files to you, did I?” Jessica realized in horror.

            “I think so,” David tried to recall. “I don’t think I got your email.”

            “Ah, probably did forgot,” Jessica sighed. Remembering that she was indeed on patrol the night before. “I will send it to you once I get home.”

            “What files are you two talking about?” asked Emily curiously.

            “Oh, just some music I’ve been working on” Jessica said

            “Ah, thought so,” Emily chuckled. “But then again, how do you even have time to focus on so many stuffs. It's not like life in this city is not a headache.”

            “What are you talking about?” asked Aaron curiously.

            “Well, I mean, school is hectic enough, what more to say with all these bad guys going around. And did you here the news recently, a guy that controls fire, ice, wind. I swear this is freaking Avatar or something,” Emily groaned.

            “Yeah, Emily got a point, this is getting crazy, ever since that Ladybug, a weird name for a superhero by the way, came to this city, things has been growing cuckoo for some reason, don't you guys agree?” asked Aaron.

            Yeah...to be honest I don’t like Ladybug” David said as he looks into his phone, swiping something away before looking back up.

            “Oh, why so?” asked Jessica curiously, remembering her interaction with the protector of Paris herself.

            “I mean do you have any idea how materialistic she is back in France?” David asked. “This kind of fandom is out of control.”

            “Well, probably because she can fix the damage from the fights,” Jessica said, remembering as she watched thousands of magical bugs flew across the city and fixed everything.

            “Yeah, and we don’t have any hero who can fix stuff...that sucks,” Aaron sighed.

            “Tell me about it, the damages that is caused by the fights are costly,” David sighed.

            “Well not ever hero is perfect” Jessica sighed.

            “Of course, plus if the heroes haven't intervened, things might have gone worse,” Emily added.

            “Ah, well at least your father is contributing, a good man,” Aaron chuckled.

            “Yeah, I know but I hope there’s a way for the heroes to be more careful,” David pointed out.

            “Wait, what do you mean?” asked Jessica curiously, she didn't like where this conversation is headed but she needed to know.

            “I mean look, heroes protect us from these bad guys, I get it, but would they be as much bad guys in New York if there aren't any supers in the city? Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the supers or anything but just a thought,” David said. “Plus, remember what happened with Ignoblia and Majestia?”

            Jessica sighed. He just had to bring it up again. Her fist clenched upon remembering that day, it was a hard day. “Yeah why?” asked Jessica her voice strained.

            “Who doesn't?” Emily scoffed sarcastically. “That battle that tore New York into pieces.”

            “It was ten years ago anyway,” Aaron scoffed.

            “No, hear me out, would Ignoblia come here if Majestia haven't? Think about it. I'm all in for a super like Majestia protecting the city but, there is that question always lingering about,” David said.

            Jessica was now quiet, thinking hard about David's question.

            “What if Majestia never came to this city?” David asked.

            That made Jessica shudder a bit as she thinks of who really caused her parents death, if she thought about it, it all went to Majestia, if Majestia didn’t came to Earth, Ignoblia wouldn’t follow her here.

            “Well, I mean, to think about it, supers only began appearing after Majestia came so, it's a good thing, I guess,” Aaron said.

            “As well as a number of villains,” Emily interrupted thoughtfully.

            “You know what I think?” Jessica interrupted. “I think we shouldn't totally blame it on supers, bad guys like Techno Pirate or Fl- I mean, eventually, supers or not they will always come, and someone has to rise up and protect the city from them. So, stop putting the blame on supers alright? You don’t know what they have gone through!” Jessica said firmly.

            The table went silent as the three looked at Jessica curiously.

            “Ok uhhh, Jess? Are you alright?” asked Emily concerned.

            The table went silent. David, Aaron and Emily just looked at Jessica, her fist were clenched tight and placed firmly on the table, as if she was angry about something.

            The brunette was about to answer before she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, it was a man, who looked oddly familiar, it didn't take long to recognize the man after noticing the half-revealed tattoo on his shoulder. “No…” Jessica muttered softly. “I, uhm, I am fine, sorry, uhm its nothing, I need to go to the washroom for a bit.” Jessica said before rushing off.

            “What was that about?” asked Aaron.

            “I don’t know she’s been acting like this for a while now...” Emily said. “I may have to ask her what the matter is” Emily said as she looks at the group as the waitress arrived with their shakes.

            Inside the rest room Jessica was taking deep breathes as she remembers the events of that day. The day her parents died. She knows that Majestia came out of the blue fighting with Ignoblia as if they gotten into an argument and had the entire city pay for their fight. But that wasn't the point now, Flame was here, in the cafe, he was in the cafe! Jessica knew what to do, she needed to contact HQ and inform them.

            “No more damage, I can do this on my own” Jessica said to herself as she opens her purse to reveal her Kwai

            “No,” Liiri said firmly.

            “What? You heard what they said,” Jessica protested.

            “Listen Jess, you're great, but Flame is powerful, he could burn down this place in an instant,” Liiri reasoned. “You know bad guys, they don't cooperate. At least call in someone who can put fires out,” Liiri suggested.

            “Ok I think I know who...” Jessica said as she places her communicator to her ear.

            “Who?” asked Liiri.

            “Cynthia,” Jessica said before patching in. “United Heroez, do you read? This is Eagle, I repeat this is Eagle, I’m sending my location now, I spotted Flame. Requesting help, please send in Doorman and Snowflake.” Jessica then ended the comms.

            “So, what we do now?” asked Liiri.

            “We wait for Snowflake to come, she is probably able to take Flame out quickly,” Jessica explained.

            “Wait, aren’t you going to help?” asked Liiri.

            “I thought you said I am no match for Flame?” asked Jessica.

            “No, what I meant was that you should call someone to help if you want to take on Flame,” Liiri explained.

            Jessica soon realized that her kwami was indeed right. “Yeah, sorry, I was just… Uhmm not in the right mindset.”
            “Look Jess, being a hero can be tough, the responsibilities is big, if it give you any comfort, I understand what you are going through,” Liiri said sympathetically.

            “Thanks, Lir,” Jessica said smilingly, patting her kwami head. “Now let’s get back to Em and the others before they get suspicious.”

            Meanwhile, Aaron, Emily and David were still talking as they waited for Jessica to return from the rest room.

            “Is it me or Jessica is taking too long” Aaron said.

            “Yeah, she has been acting... different since Ladybug showed up to be honest, “David commented thoughtfully.

            “Well, she said she’s been working too hard so that could be a variable,” Emily suggested.

            “Yeah, just never seen her so tense up like this, well, I mean, I known her for a while,” David said.

            “Ah, you worry too much, there she is,” Aaron pointed out.

            “Hey guys, I'm back,” Jessica greeted, trying to put up a cheerful look despite knowing what was about to happen.

            “Everything alright?” Emily asked.

            “Yeah…I think I want to go home now” Jessica asked. “Well hang out another time.”

            “Wait... Jess, I everything alright?” asked David curiously. “You are not yourself, you know, that right?” asked David. “Come on, you can tell us, we’re your friends, and we are concerned.”

            Right before Jessica could say anything, a familiar looking super walked into the cafe, Cynthia was already here. Jessica gasped, she was already in her Snowflake form, ready to attack. Doorman walked in besides him.

            “Ahhh what the!” Aaron shouted and pointed at Snowflake “Wooah guys, it’s Snowflake and Doorman!” Aaron said, apparently her wasn’t the only person that noticed that.

            “Let me guess a villain trouble?” Emily said as she rubs her temples.

            “Okay, I think that's our cue to leave,” Jessica muttered. Then she noticed that Flame, got up. Snowflake seemingly noticed it too, she shot a cold blast of ice right at the man.

            “Wait what is she doing?” asked David confused. “She is attacking a man.”

            “Never mind that we got to get to safety go!” Jessica said, get out from the back!” Jessica ushered quickly. “I will be behind you, don’t worry!” Jessica said to her friends, who nodded before running away as the café was turned into a scene of chaos as people ran everywhere in panic, knocking stuff over. Through the commotion, Jessica was able to slip back into the restroom. Meanwhile, Dean was trying to evacuate as much people as possible, but it was so much chaos that everyone didn’t seems to bother heading towards him.

            “Ok perfect timing” Jessica muttered after slipping into a secluded corner, her kwami flew out of her purse. “Liiri, Wings of Liberty!”

            Meanwhile, Snowflake was busy shooting ice blast at Flame, who was not fighting back at all, letting her hit him, while obviously not affected by it not matter how much ice Snowflake blasted at him. Instead, the man began chuckling maniacally, prompting Snowflake to stop firing.

            “What is so funny?” asked Snowflake curiously.

            “So, Ice lady, do you know what happens when ice and fire mix? Flame asked as a grin spread across his face as his hands started to glow.

            “Why?” Snowflake asks.

            “Fire wins, always,” Flame said smirking as he raised his arms, fire soon came right at snowflake, Cynthia immediately conjured an Ice barrier but Flame immediately melted it, blasting her away. Cynthia managed to stay in place before shooting a couple of ice shards back, which Flame managed to dodge.

            “Funny how you attacked me when I wasn't planning on doing anything,” Flame chuckled. “You’re looking really bad in the eyes of the public.”

            “Don’t get to comfortable Flame!” Eagle yelled as she ran towards the man.

            “What?” Flame muttered as he turned and saw Eagle charging towards him. “You again?” Flame growled as he shot a string of fire at the girl who spun her, blocking the flames.

            Snowflake soon realized that Eagle was opening up an opportunity for her to strike, she fired a concentrated blast right at Flame, slowly freezing him up in a block of ice as the glow darkened. Both Cynthia and Jessica thought it was over before Flame started lighting up again, and suddenly, the block of ice exploded, shooting ice shards everywhere, Eagle managed to shield herself from the blast, however Doorman wasn’t as lucky. The shard pierced his shoulders, he slumped onto the floor, unconscious.

            “No!” Eagle said horrified.

            “Well, this isn't a fair fight, is it? Two against one?” Flame chuckled. “Let's make it fair, shall we?” asked Flame.

            “No one needs to get hurt, just surrender peacefully,” Snowflake said firmly as she moved towards Flame cautiously.

            “Hmmph, not gonna happen,” Flame said as he shot flames at Snowflake.

            “No!” Eagle yelled as she jumped into the blast, spinning her bullroarer as she blocked the flames, despite the fact that she could feel the heat. “Snowflake, get out!”

            Then suddenly a huge wind blow through the café, blowing everything around, prompting the people inside save for Flame to grasp onto something. Once the wind cleared there was a grey-white haired woman standing next to Flame.

            “I was wondering when you would make your move,” Flame chuckled as he looked at the white-grey haired woman.

            “Well, you said you wanted to make this a fair fight, right?” asked Tempest smirkingly.

            “Right indeed sister, let's get them done with,” Flame said.

            “Hey, leave Snowflake alone Flame, this is between you and me!” Eagle says as she strokes a pose to wait for any further attack.

            “Hmm... Tempest, deal with Ice lady there. This bird and I have some issues,” Flame chuckled before he his hands glowed, then his entire body was shining as flames covered his body. Jessica was horrified as she watched the transformation occurred in front of her eyes.

            “What is this? Ghost rider?” thought Jessica. “Snowflake call for backup!” Jessica shouted right as Flame blasted at her, pushing her back, the blast was more powerful than before.

            “Got that- Ah!” Snowflake was about to patch into the comms when a huge gush of wind blew Snowflake through the windows of the café, smashing her against glass and all the way to the other side of the street.

            “Will do brother,” Tempest answered before sending another gush of wind, blowing Snowflake through the windows.

            Meanwhile, David, Emily and Aaron managed to escape the building. All finding each other in the middle of the messy crowd and situation. Despite Doorman appearance, there were still some people who didn’t make it into the portal and went the other way.

            “Wait! where is Jessica?” asked David frantically.

            “I thought she was behind us,” Aaron asked confused.

            Emily then realizes she needs to look her best friend, who was probably on the other side of the building.

            “I’ll go check, get to safety!”  Emily shouted over the noises.

            “Wait! Emily!” Aaron shouted but Emily was already off, running to the corner and the other side of the building which was at the corner of a street.

            As Emily turned around the corner, and she is standing right across the street where she could see Snowflake trying to protect herself against Tempest. It was pure chaos. Ice shards were flying everywhere as strong wind blew.  Snowflake tried to shoot attack the grey-haired woman who managed to block off her attack and sent her flying right at Emily.

            “What the hell! Ah!” Emilie dodged some of the debris as Snowflake crashed down not too far from her, as if she were a volunteer at for knife thrower...against her will!

            “Stay out of the way girl, I don't want to hurt any civilians more than necessary,” Tempest warned as she flew past Emily towards Snowflake who was groaning, from being thrown around multiple time.

            Meanwhile, Flame as literally burning the place as he and Eagle fought. Eagle was in a difficult position as she could not touch Flame long before burning herself.

            “Oh, what’s the matter girl...can’t handle the heat?” Flame says as she fires another shot of fire at Eagle.

            “Shut up,” Eagle growled as she tried to block another blast as she ushered a civilian to get out of the place.

            Emily was distraught as she watched Tempest lifted an empty car with just wind, hovering it over to Snowflake. Emily was horrified, she was going to kill Snowflake. Emily could not stand it, looking around, she picked up a rock and threw it at Tempest, knocking her in the head.

            “Hey! You little brat!” Tempest growled as she turned around. That was the break that Snowflake indeed sending a blast of ice right at the back of Tempest, knocking back quite a bit before Tempest flew right back at her.

            “Come on, girl, where had all that energy gone?” teased Flame as he blasted Eagle crashing into the counter of the café.

            Shut up!” Eagle growled as she kept on pushing closer towards Flame. “Not so brave now huh?” asked Eagle gruntingly.

            “So, you can block my fires so what? You haven't seen what I can truly do yet,” Flame chuckled before shooting another blast right at Eagle.

            This time, the brunette had not had the time to respond, the fire hits her, burning her exposed sending her crashing into the windows and across the street, crashing against the wall of the building on the opposite side of the streets.

            Eagle crashed down right beside Emily, who immediately turned and ran towards the Native American, ignoring Tempest and Snowflake. “Eagle? Are you alright?” Emily asked worryingly. “I’m fine… I found Jessica,” Eagle said weakly. “She is safe, now you get to safety Emily,” Jessica said groaningly.

            “How did you know-” Emily stuttered.

            “She told me, just go!” Jessica pleaded, the last thing she wanted to see was her friends get hurt.

            Meanwhile Flame was running towards Tempest, returning to his human form. “Now!” he shouted.

            Tempest nodded and a dust began to collect as the air current around her began to change, forming a whirlwind around her. The whirlwind caused the atmosphere to be covered in dust blinding everyone around it. Everyone covered their eyes as dust filled the air and strong wind blew as if there was a windstorm, but soon the dust dispersed. Flame and Tempest were nowhere in sight. Snowflake looked around dazed, only to see Eagle, laying on the pavement, winding in pain.

            “Eagle? No,” Snowflake soon realized what happened. “United Heroez HQ this is,” a loud buzz interrupted Cynthia. “Not again,” the woman muttered as she looked around her, an aftermath of another battle.

            Jessica laid on the white bed, groaning as Dr. Bush treated her wounds.

            “Uhhh!” Jessica groaned in pain, wincing as the doctor did his work.

             “Young lady you would’ve gotten severely hurt or even worse. You are lucky that your suit protected you,” Dr Bush said worried.

            “I did what I had to do to help, they were going to kill Cynthia,” Jessica said groaningly.

            But right before Dr. Bush could say anything, Barbara came bursting into the med bay, furious. “Of all the irresponsible actions you did!? You didn’t even bother to contact me?” Barbara shouted.

            “Hey! This is a medical room,” Dr. Bush interrupted.

            “No, you don’t,” Barbara said. “You knew things were getting out of hands, and yet you didn’t think to call for backup?” asked Barbara shaking in rage.

            “How was I supposed to call for backup and I got my hands full fighting a person who is literally trying to burn me to death?!” asked Jessica angrily. “And what were you all doing? Didn't HQ got alert that there were an attack happening? I thought the sisters were on surveillance?” Jessica asked.

            “Snowflake told me everything...you saw Flame and the villain had backup” Barbara said, “You knew about this didn’t you?” She asked, “You knew you saw the villain and you went out on you own?”

            “What are you talking about? The first thing I did was to call Snowflake! I only joined in because she was about to get melted by Flame!” Jessica retorted angrily. “And I had no idea of the other woman was there.” Barbara looked at Jessica skeptically. “You don’t believe me,” Jessica grumbled.

            “You were always a hothead,” Barbara said.

            “And you were always assuming the worst of things. You know what? If this is what I get for trying to help, I’m out of here,” Jessica said angrily as she got up from her bed, much to Bush’s surprise.

            “Jessica, you’re still injured, you shouldn’t-” Dr. Bush protested.

            “What is going on in here?” Cynthia asked as she walked in. “Jessica, how are you doing?”

            “Better,” Jessica grunted. “Excuse me,” Jessica said as she walked out the medical room with her purse, not looking back.

Chapter Text

            Eagle jumped across the roofs of building, running back to her home. All kinds of emotion filled her mind as she ran, anger, misery, hatred, all coming in at once. And all it took was a little misunderstanding to spark it all. Eagle landed in front of the apartment, before walking into the house, she detransformed as she walked angrily back into her room. Liiri wanted to confront Jessica about what happened but decided that she let her owner cool down before she tried anything, getting back into Jessica’s purse.

            Jessica forcibly opened the door and slammed it shut. Jessica has not felt this frustrated and angry in a long while. Not since a certain secret was revealed to her. Jessica’s breathing grew heavier as she puffed.

            “Arghh!” Jessica lashed out, she threw her purse onto her bed in rage, not noticing that Liiri was inside the purse.

            “Ouch!” Liiri groaned as the purse hit the bed, before phasing out of the purse, floating up to Jessica at eye-level, crossing her limbs.

            “Oh no! Um… sorry Liiri,” Jessica said in horror of what she just did. “Are you alright?” asked Jessica concerned.

            “I’m fine, I’m a kwami, remember?” asked Liiri dryly.

            “Oh yeah, yeah,” Jessica sighed.

            “Look, you’re a good person Jess, but what you did just now was just rash, Gilbert would never do something like that,” Liiri said frowning.

            “What do you mean? What did I do wrong out there? I called for help, it's not my fault that Flame had help,” Jessica argued. “Alright, maybe I could’ve called in someone with more firepower but there was a crowd of people!”

            “Even though, I thought you have Doorman?” asked Liiri. “He should be able to evacuate everyone in time.”

            “Well, I called in Doorman, and it’s not enough!” Jessica said. “There were already enough casualties already, imagine if I called in Olympia!”

            “Well, why you didn’t call in your mom then?” asked Liiri doubtfully.

            “Are you kidding me!? She would be burnt to crisp. Urgh, don't even get me started on her, she just scolded me off for no reason just now,” Jessica said.

            “Is that what you think she is scolding you for? You didn’t take the proper precautions you know,” Liiri said

            “What do you mean? I did everything I could, okay maybe, calling for the wrong supers to help is wrong, I get, but not calling for backup, I mean you know what happened out there,” Jessica said, her voice showing anger.

            “Wrong supers? Really?” Liiri asked

            “Well, I didn’t know that Flame could withstand Snowflake’s attack,” Jessica argued loudly.

            “You think that was what your mom was scolding you about?” asked Liiri.

            “Oh, please do tell me,” Jessica scoffed crossing her arms.

            “Look Jessica, sometimes you have to ask for help. And your mom was just trying to tell you not to rush into things,” Liiri said. Jessica just scoffed and turned around angrily. “I think you were just trying to prove yours-”

            “Seriously? Liiri? After all these times, you still think I’m a brat trying to prove myself?” asked Jessica shaking in rage. “Let us get one thing straight… I don’t care about the fame. What I do care of… is the safety of the citizens.” After a short while, Jessica realized that she was going overboard with her emotions. “Sorry… Liiri… I was…”

            “No… I’m sorry… I shouldn’t accused you of that,” Liiri sighed before floating towards her owner. “Either way, you shouldn't have left the headquarters like that,” Liiri said. “Your mother might be wrong, but you are still injured, you shouldn't leave.”

            “I’m still fine Liiri I can still walk,” Jessica said scoffingly, it’s just my hand that is a little burnt.”

            “You should lay down, your hands are pretty bad,” Liiri said concerned as she flew next to Jessica.

            “I’m fine!” Jessica snapped in anger, before he facial softened and she sighed. “I’m so sorry Liiri I just...I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I was so focused on protecting the people” Jessica said

            “I know,” Liiri said. “I know that you jumped in line of fire to save Snowflake, then your friends. It is admirable but, you can't always save everyone,” Liiri said.

            “At least I have to try,” Jessica said, clenching her fist.

            “May I ask a question?” asked Liiri, she didn’t want to ask much, but the kwami needed to know.

             “What is it Liiri?” Jessica asked, still in a bad mood.

            “What happened to you, at the cafe? With your friends?” asked Liiri. “I saw it, you were all tensed up as if you were about to hit someone,” Liiri recalled worried.

            “I.....don’t want to talk about it,” Jessica hesitated. She has been trying times and times again to forget about it, yet fruitlessly failing.

            “Jessica, it was affecting you and the choices you made,” Liiri said. “Please Jessica, if this is affecting you so much, you need to talk to someone, you can tell me,” Liiri urged.

            “I... I can’t tell you” Jessica turned away from Liiri.

            “You can you just don’t want,” Liiri urged on.

            “Leave me alone Liiri,” Jessica said angrily. “I’m fine.”

            “You’re not,” Liiri said, frowning. “Look, you need to tell me,” Liiri pleaded. “I can tell you’re hurt, not just from today’s attack,” Liiri said. “You’re hurt on the inside.”

            “I said leave it Liiri” Jessica continues to avoid the kwami that flew towards her.

            “Please just tell me who hurt you, and what did that person do” Liiri persisted for like the umpteenth time, and it was enough for Jessica to finally crack.

            “MAJESTIA TOOK AWAY MY PARENT AWAY FROM ME! OK?!” Jessica yelled. “NOW LEAVE ME ALONE OKAY!?” Jessica bellowed in both rage and grief before sitting back down on her head, burying her face in her palms.

            “Jess... I'm, so...,” Liiri stuttered, everything was beginning to make sense now. Jessica’s parents being gone. Barbara adopting the Native American. Jessica's actions that day, it all made sense. However, there was just one thing that Liiri couldn’t make sense of, but now, she knew better than to pester the girl.

            “I'm sorry, Jessica, I, I wish I could help...” Liiri said as she watched her owner slump down on her bed. Liiri looked at her owner, she knew that she shouldn't have pressed on the question earlier, turning around to fly away from the bed and onto Jessica's study table, she stopped when Jessica spoke, breaking the silence.

            “It was years ago,” Jessica began, her tone calmer now, sitting back up. Liiri floated back towards her owner, knowing that she needed the emotional support. “Around 10 years ago.”

            “We… we were just a normal average family, and we finally had the chance and came to New York City. Me, my dad and mom were having so much fun in the city. We were staying at a hotel, we never thought that would be the last moment of us having fun together.  Then he heard a loud crash, the skies darkened and all we saw were two mad ladies, Majestia and her sister, Ignoblia flying through the skies, crashing into buildings after buildings. We watched as the building not too far from us collapsed. Then, our building shook, we were about to get out but then, debris fell and… the door got blocked, it was chaos outside, and we thought we were dead. it hit ours... I... Knightowl and Sparrow, I meant the Knightowl and Sparrow then, came into rescue us. Then… the building shook again, I watched as the ceiling fell on my parents, crushing their leg. Barbara, she took me and saved me, however, Knightowl and my parents, they weren't so lucky,” Jessica said, tears streaming down her face.

            “I- I'm sorry,” Liiri stuttered, realizing what Jessica has gone through. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

            “I know Olympia was trying to save the city, or at least she was trying to protect herself,” Jessica continued, ignoring Liiri. “I know, it’s been 10 years, and I should’ve moved on and forget about it and forgive Majestia… But, how can I? My parents could’ve been alive now if it wasn’t for… god damn, Majestia and Ignoblia. I spent years… living and knowing Olympia, I never knew that she was the one and only Majestia that was responsible… of all of this. I wished that… Olympia never came to this world,” Jessica said gritting her teeth in anger.

            “I… know you don’t expect me to understand loss, Jess. But I do, I’ve seen many of my owner come and go, while I’m immortal,” Liiri said, sitting on her owner’s shoulder.

            “No… I know, life and death is a normal cycle, what angers me that all the innocent lives that were taken on that day, and what happened in the end? Ignoblia was gone, and Majestia was welcomed…. As a heroine who… saved the day,” Jessica spat angrily.

            “Jessica, I’m sure Olympia didn’t mean to kill anyone, can’t you see that?” asked Liiri.

            “They could’ve fought someplace else! Literally, anywhere else! Why New York City! Why in a place so populated?” asked Jessica angrily.

            “Jess, sometimes… they are things… events that you can’t control, you have to know,” Liiri said concerned. “Life doesn't always turn out the way you would want it, Jess,” Liiri said.

            “And how would you know anything about that?” asked Jessica sarcastically. “You’re a kwami. You’re a literal god.”

            “Hawkmoth,” Liiri reminded.

            “Oh,” Jessica answered plainly.

            “I remember that feeling, my conscious was overtaken by this certain darkness,” Liiri remembered before floating in front of the girl. “Look, Jessica… I know you blame yourself for a lot of things, but you’ve to know that what happened… happened, you have to stop wallowing on the past… or else, it will affect you,” Liiri advised. “The best you can do is learn from it.”

            “And I am. Ever since the day I knew everything, the truth, the day I took the mantle of Sparrow, I swore that I would never ever make that mistake,” Jessica said firmly.

            “Like you said Jess, heroes aren’t perfect, sometimes… although you won’t like to hear this… not everyone can be saved,” Liiri answered.

            “Urgh… sorry Liiri, I know I’m probably not making any sense now,” Jessica buried her face in her palms once more, sighing. “I know. It’s just… Barbara… My mom has been taking care of me, like her own daughter, ever since my parents died… but I still miss them so much… and I wished that they never died… is it weird… to feel that?” asked Jessica, her voice cracking with emotion.

            “You already have a family,” Liiri reminded warmly.

            “I know… but what happened to my parents… was just unfair…” Jessica sighed as tears poured out of her eyes. Liiri sat on Jessica’s shoulder, nuzzling her cheeks as the girl sobbed, overwhelmed from mixed emotions and feelings of guilt, regret, despair, anger and hatred….

            Meanwhile, back at the Heroez United headquarters, Cynthia was talking to Barbara who was still in a bad mood.

            “Look… Barbara, Jessica didn’t do anything wrong, you didn’t need to scold her like that,” Cynthia urged.

            “She went against protoc-” Barbara argued.

            “And she put herself in line of fire, she protected and saved many people, risking her own,” Cynthia said. “Look, I know, we know that what she did was wrong, but does that matter?” asked Cynthia. “Jessica didn’t deserve to get scolded like that.”

            Barbara just stood there silently, she knew Cynthia was right, and she herself has overdone it, again. She hurt Jessica, again.

            “Is Dean alright?” Cynthia asked Dr. Bush.

            “He is healing, but I’m afraid he won’t be able to be on field anytime soon,” Dr. Bush said.

            “That’s unfortunate,” Cynthia sighed. “Can I see him?”

            “He needs rest,” Dr. Bush declined.

            “Understood,” Cynthia nodded as Dr. Bush went into the medical room.

            “Come on, Cynthia, Camilla is expecting us,” Barbara said turning around.

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION

            A man was sitting on an office chair, looking through what seems to be files until his phone buzzed. The man took it out and set it on the table, and a hologram appeared before him.

            “Everything is going according to plan sir, and Doorman is down,” another male voice said.

            “Hmm… good work Thorn and remember to do your job when the time comes,” the man said.

            “Understood,” the man said before the man pressed a button on his smartphone, hanging up the call before calling another person. This time, a black, long-haired woman answered his call. “Dr. Grey, how is progress on the enhanced?” asked the man.

            “Going good Kronos, everything is on schedule,” Dr. Grey answered confidently.

            “And the weapons?” asked Kronos.

            “Primed and tested, they are ready.”

            “Good, then the attack will happen as planned,” Kronos said smirking.

Chapter Text

           It has just been a few hours since the attack. Despite her hands still injured, Jessica was punching the punching bag in her room, wearing boxing gloves on her hand. It was already evening, and Jessica has been punching the bag energetically

           “Hiyah!” Jessica grunted as she landed a swift punch on the punching bag, striking it mercilessly as she moved around it. Her eyes burning with flames fuelled by her internal rage and unsettledness. Jessica hasn’t felt peace since she returned home  Jessica was in her normal attire with her hair tied into a ponytail.

           Meanwhile, Liiri was in the same room just eating a cracker, and watching her owner vent her frustration out on the punching bag. Liiri was very worried for her owner, at this point. Liiri has already tried a lot of things, talking to her, trying to help her relax, but it was all no use, Jessica was still very much affected by the events earlier that day.

           “Jess,” Liiri tried to get her owner’s attention but Jessica was too engrossed in inflicting hits on the punching bag as if she was beating a real person up. Jessica looked angrier than usual and sulked through the rest of the day. It was already close to evening and Jessica was still in a bad mood.

           Liiri then floated on top of Jessica, looking at her owner concerned “I think that’s enough for today,” The eagle kwami said, but Jessica took no notice.

           Jessica continued hitting the bag, ignoring Liiri. Liiri sighed and flew in front of Jessica’s face. “Come on, you have been at this for almost the entire afternoon,” Liiri said worriedly.

           “Leave me alone Liiri!” Jessica yelled out in frustration, making the kwami wince in fear.

           “Hey, alright,” Liiri said, trying to keep herself calm as she floated aside, looking at the girl, concerned for Jessica’s mental health.

            As Jessica landed every punch, she felt the pain growing numb on her hand, reminding herself that she is training to get better, to best Flame and those who have beaten her before, but in reality, she was just venting out her emotions. Jessica imagined herself inflicting pain on the alien who caused her parent's death, Majestia, Olympia.

           “Jessica, please, you haven't eaten anything yet,” Liiri said after a long while, remembering that her owner hasn’t eaten lunch yet.

           “Not hungry,” Jessica dismissed as she hit the punching bag aggressively.

           At this moment, a knock on the door could be heard despite the loud noises Jessica was making while she punched the bag furiously. “Come in!” Jessica said loudly, focusing on the punching bag.

           “Jess, my mother made some food for you, it’s your favorite, chicken and- ” Aeon said as she walked towards Jessica for the plate to fly up in the air as Jessica moved and knocked the plate out of Aeon’s hand as she was so focused on hitting the punching bag that when she realized what happened it was too late.

           Liiri was the first to react, zipping up to catch the plate and catch the falling food back on it, before bringing it back down to Aeon, supporting the plate on top of her. Aeon was initially surprised to see the plate of food floating in the air towards her, but then she remembered that Jessica had a magical being staying in her room.

           “Thanks, Liiri,” Aeon said to the entity invisible to her.

           “No problem Aeon,” Liiri said back, although Aeon couldn’t hear the kwami’s response.

           “Jess, that was very rude, my mother made it for you,” the android said.

           “Just leave me alone, alright? I'm not in the mood,” Jessica snapped angrily, glaring at Aeon before turning back towards the punching bag.

           “Jess isn’t your hand hurt?” asked Aeon concerned. “I heard from my mother that-”

           “I’m fine!” Jessica answered impatiently, feeling more irritated upon hearing Aeon mention Olympia.

           “Jess, are you feeling down from the attack today? If so I can call my mother in, she will know how to-” Aeon said, trying to help the girl.

           “NO!” Jessica bellowed angrily before turning back furiously.

           “Is something wrong?” asked Aeon.

           “What do you think?” Jessica scoffed sarcastically as she punched the bag.

            “Maybe you should talk to my mother about this” Aeon said

           “Yeah, talk to your mom... that will fix everything,” Jessica scoffed, clenching her fist even tighter. “I'm not talking to her.”

           “Jess, you’re upset with my mother, aren’t you?” Aeon asked, puzzled.

           “Oh, you think so?” asked Jessica sarcastically as she turned around, eyeing Aeon. “Don’t you know what your mom did?”

            “Uhhh no,” Aeon said plainly as she got close to Jessica.

           “Oh, of course, she never told you,” Jessica grunted as she continued punching. “I mean why would she?”

           “Jess, please, if you have any unhappiness with my mother, just talk to her about it,” Aeon urged.

           “It’s not that simple Aeon,” Jessica grunted.

           “Well, you must at least try. Your mom is planning on proposing soon and-” Aeon revealed before Jessica quickly turned around and glared at the android.

           “What did you just say?” asked Jessica, her voice holds anger that was about to be lashed out.

           “Uhhh… Uhhh nothing,” Aeon lied, knowing that she said something that she shouldn’t have.

           “I heard that you know,” Jessica frowned, crossing her arms. “You might as well tell me everything.”

            “This morning, my mother updated some of my hardware, added some tech. I can hack stuff now. She wanted me to try out hacking the laptop, for educational purposes,” Aeon explained, causing Jessica to scoff in disbelief. “And then, I took a peek into your mom's email… I know it’s wrong! I won’t do it again. I kinda noticed a payment, for a diamond ring,” Aeon said awkwardly, knowing that Jessica was probably going to be mad at this too.

           Jessica clenched her fist angrily. “Arghh!!!” Jessica beat the punching bag, unleashing her anger onto it once more. In her mind, Jessica thought that the day couldn’t get any worse than her getting injured, but now, she was proven wrong, yet again.

           “Is something wrong?” asked Aeon curiously.

           Jessica landed a hard hit before turning around. “Fine, I’ll tell you!”

           “Sure,” Aeon said positively. “What is on your mind?” asked the android.

           “Your bitch of a mom killed my parents!” Jessica said out loud, her voice filled with rage as she spoke.

           “W- What?” Aeon stuttered.

           “Your mom was a fucking killer!” Jessica said angrily, venting out her emotions verbally.

           “I don't understand,” Aeon said perplexed. “My mom is Majestia, she saved New York countless times. She is a heroine,” Aeon said firmly. “She would never do that.”

           “Oh, she would never do that huh?” asked Jessica laughing sarcastically. “You have no idea. How she and Ignoblia threw each other through the entire city, tearing down buildings, killing and hurting people as they fought their personal petty battle!” Jessica shouted. “And after all that? She got to be free after being locked up for not even a year. And now? She became New York’s head supers! Everyone is forgetting that she was a murderer!”

           “No, she isn’t!” Aeon said, defending her creator. The android couldn’t believe that her mother would do something like that. It was impossible.

           “Tell that to my dead parents!” Jessica shouted angrily.

           “What?” Aeon was even more confused, wanting to understand better. “Jess, you’re not-”

           “Is everything alright here?” Olympia said, walking into the room worried, from all the commotion going on. Upon looking at Olympia, Jessica immediately turned red, her eyes burning with even more anger as she sees the person that was responsible for her parents' death. She stomped forward, glaring at the older blonde.

           “Don't talk to me,” Jessica said firmly, pointing her finger at Olympia. “You know what you’ve done,” Jessica reminded, her voice holding back from straight-up bellowing at the blonde.

           “W- What?” asked Olympia, stuttering, not knowing what was Jessica talking about.

           “I HATE YOU!” Jessica bellowed, not able to hold back the anger in her anymore. “I HATE YOU FROM THE DAY YOU DESTROYED ALMOST HALF OF NEW YORK! AND KILLED MY PARENTS!” Jessica bellowed, making Olympia wince while Aeon’s mouth just gaped in surprise.

           “After learning that I’ve been living with my parent’s murderer, I have spent the past five years, pretending to not forget, and pretending to not hate you! I begged my mom not to team up with you and she liked you somehow! Now she’s planning on marrying you! FUCKING MARRYING YOU!” Jessica shouted, “I can already see the only closest person I have to as a parent is going to make me start calling you “mom”. The very monster that took my parents away from me! I wish my mom never fell in love with you... You know what? Scratch that...I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!” Jessica yelled, her eyes red as she finished, overwhelmed with emotions she held back, for years.

           “I... I... “Olympia said as tears filled her eyes. “Look, I wish someday you will forgive me,” Olympia said before leaving the room, tears leaking from her eyes. Meanwhile, Aeon just stood there speechless, not even sure what to do at this point. Running through all the possible solutions to this conflict and the possible outcomes.

           “I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!” Jessica yelled out as Olympia left her room.

           “Jessica! Please calm down!” Liiri pleaded. The kwami was too shocked at her owner’s outburst.

           “You know what? I’m done holding back!” Jessica said. She didn’t want to stay there any longer, wanting to leave and go somewhere else. Jessica eyed Liiri, who was floating on top of her bed.

           “Wait, Jess-” Liiri stuttered

           “Liiri, Wings of Liberty!” Jessica shouted,

           “Wait wait...” Liiri said before getting sucked into the pendant.

           “Jessica!” Aeon called out worriedly. “Where are you going?” Aeon asked urgently as Eagle climbed out her window, standing on the stills, ready to leave.

           “Don't come after me,” Jessica warned before jumping out the window.

            “Jessica come back!” Aeon called out but Jessica was already gone, gliding down their apartment and down towards another building.

           Aeon was confused and worried now, she wanted to go after Jessica but she remembered what the girl had said to her, and realized that it was probably better if she left her alone for a while before finding her. But now, her mother needed her more. Aeon quickly turned around and walked briskly towards her mother’s room, knocking on the door before entering.

           Olympia just sat there, wiping her eyes with tissues, crying. Aeon didn’t know what to process, the fact that Olympia was accused of killing and hurting by Jessica stunned her as Aeon always thought that her mother was a hero. But then again, she didn’t know much about her creator and mother yet, after all, she was just three years old although she had a teen's body.

           “Mom?” asked Aeon worried as she walked into Olympia’s room, are you alright?”

           “Oh, Aeon, I’m… I’m fine,” Olympia sniffed as she turned to look at her creation, her daughter. “Just remembering some stuff,” Olympia said sighing.

            “So, what Jess said, was it true?” asked Aeon curiously.

           “Yes,” Olympia said defeatedly.

           “You killed?” asked Aeon, her voice surprised.

           “Not willingly.”

           “What happened?” asked Aeon curiously. If she were to find out the best solution, she would have to know everything.

           “When I first began, experimenting my powers, my sister, she thought she lost me, she came to Earth, looking for me, and we had some… disagreements, so we fought,” Olympia recalled as she spoke. “I was trying to stop her, but I didn’t beat her… until it was too late.”

           “Why would you fight your sister?” asked Aeon. “Isn't she family?”

           “It’s complicated,” Olympia sighed. She wasn’t really in the mood to explain all of this to her daughter.

           “Can you explain then? I don't understand,” Aeon said straightforwardly.

           “You will understand, Aeon. Someday...I just need to be alone right now,” said the blonde woman sighingly.

           Aeon then realized that asking more was just going to make her mother uncomfortable, she decided to leave. “Okay, Mom. If you need me around, just call me,” Aeon said. “I hope you feel better mom.”

           “Thank you, sweetie,” Olympia said, with a small-pained smile on her face, her mind back to all the things she has done in the past, the destruction she unknowingly caused during that fight.

           Not too long later, it was evening, close to nighttime. Barbara just came back from the police station, late from clearing up the mess earlier that day. As she opened the door, she was expecting to see the love of her life cooking or reading. “Oly? I’m home,” Barbara said as she walked into the apartment, looking around before hear someone sniffing, sobbing.

           “Oly?” asked Barbara as she walked to their room, just in time to see Aeon walk out of the room.

           “Oh, hello. Mrs. Keynes,” Aeon greeted.

           “Hey, Aeon, what happened?” asked Barbara worried, knowing who was crying.

           “My mother is having… a hard time,” Aeon tried to explain.

           Barbara quickly rushed into her room, towards Olympia, clutching her hand. “Olympia, what’s wrong?” Barbara asked worryingly. “Why are you crying? Who did this to you?” asked Barbara urgently.

           “I...” Olympia couldn't even form words as she broke down and cried. Barbara felt pity for the blonde woman, holding her, giving the blonde woman warmth.

           “There there,” Barbara comforted. “Just let it all out, you will feel better,” Barbara said as she embraced Olympia. Aeon just stood there quietly, deciding that it was best if she didn’t interrupt the two adults.

           It was night. Eagle stood in front of a large marble slab, looking at it solemnly. She was at the memorial site for the people who died in the battle between Majestia and Ignoblia, the battle that was so devastating. There weren’t many people there so it was quite quiet. Giving enough peace for Jessica to try and calm herself down. Jessica remembered the life she had with her parents, there weren’t many memories since she was as young, but there were few, remembering them always brought some warmth to her heart.

           But then, she noticed the statue of Majestia at the back of the slab. Soon, she was quickly reminded of why she was at the site in the first place. It was because of them. If Olympia never came to Earth, her parents would be alive and they would have a happy life. Eagle clenched her fist in anger as she thought about that, emotions came running through her once more.

           “Mom… Dad. I… wish… I could’ve saved you…” Jessica said, her voice cracking from her emotions. “I wish… you were alive right now.” Jessica placed her hand on their names as tears ran down her cheek. She knew that she wasn’t alone, that she still had Barbara and Aeon. Jessica just felt so guilty about everything that happened. Of course, she couldn’t have done anything to protect her parents at that time, but there was still this sense of guilt in her, as there were this anger and hatred she had for Majestia.

           “I sense much pain in you, Eagle,” Eagle then heard a man said behind her.

           “What do you want?” Jessica half-consciously wiped tears from her cheeks.

           “I’m just a citizen, who looking out for the city protectors,” the man said. Eagle turned around, partly in frustration, to face an old man

           “Please, leave me alone, sir,” Eagle said, her tone slightly aggravated.

           “I’m just paying my respects to my daughter,” The old man said, bowing slightly.

           “Oh... you lost someone too? I'm so sorry,” Eagle stuttered awkwardly. “I shouldn’t be so rude.”

           “Ah, I understand,” the old man said smiling. “No need to apologize…. I take that you lost someone too?”

           “Yeah...my parents,” Eagle revealed. She probably shouldn’t be revealing so much, but she needed to talk to someone that had the same experience.

           “I’m sorry to hear that… It’s hard when you lose someone very dear to you,” the old man said sighing, walking up, standing beside Eagle.

           “Yeah,” Eagle agreed. “There are times... I wished that I could’ve saved them… back then,” Eagle said, with pain in her voice.

           “I still think the same about my daughter, every day,” the old man sighed as he placed a hand on the marble. “But… life moves on. And I soon realized that I should as well.”

           Eagle looked at the old man before turning back. “Yeah...” Eagle sighed. “It’s not that simple.

           “They would want us to let go and move on,” the old man said.

            “How am I supposed to let go? Those monsters were responsible for their deaths,” Eagle said, feeling frustrated.

           “Ignoblia?” asked the man curiously.

           “No, Majestia,” Eagle said.

           “Didn’t you used to work with her?” asked the man.

           “Well, I had to pretend,” Eagle sighed.

           “Look, Eagle. There is no point in being angry at her. She was trying to save New York,” the man said. “You know, back then… I spent almost a year drinking my sorrows away, but eventually, I realize that I can’t stay like that forever. As for you, young lady, I assumed that you’re holding that grudge for years?”

           “How did you let it all go?” asked Eagle, not answering the man’s question. “I want to forget. really, but I can't.”

           “Instead of focusing on what you lost because of her, think of what you’ve gained, and you’ll be thankful, and eventually, you will forgive her,” the man said.

           “It's just hard to forgive,” Eagle sighed. What the man said to her was nothing new, not at all.

           “I know...believe me...but I learned, and you should too.” The old man continued. “That’s the choices I made almost led me to a dark path...ask yourself what would you do? If you don’t forgive? It's not easy, trust me, it's hard but necessary.”

           “I… see,” Eagle said awkwardly. “Well, I better get going, thank you, sir,” said Eagle.

           “No, thank you, for your services Eagle,” the man said smilingly.

           Eagle nodded with a smile before she walks away into the night, to clear her head somewhere else.

           The old man just stood there, looking at the marble slab. Until he could hear sounds of someone walking towards him.

           “Hey, Grandpa Roy, you’re here too?” asked a voice, sounded like a teenage boy.

           “David, you know I always come here to visit your mom,” the old man said smiling.

           “It’s been 10 years already,” David said sighing as he stood in front of the slab beside his grandfather.

           “Yes… yes it has.”

           Barbara was pacing up and down, as Olympia was calming down, not crying anymore. “Where could she have gone to,” Barbara said worriedly.

           Aeon then comes inside with some food for her mother. “Here mom,” Aeon said bringing in the tray.

           “Thank you, sweetie,” Olympia said smiling.

           “Feeling better now?” asked Barbara.

           “A bit...I just never realize how long Jessica has suppressed her emotions about this… about me for... years. Barbara, it’s not good to go here,” Olympia said worriedly.

           “I know... but... can't exactly blame her, we knew this problem would surface someday,” Barbara sighed. “I'm going to go looking for her,” Barbara said as she was about to turn around, her phone rang. Barbara sighed before picking the phone up.

           “What is it?” asked Barbara. “Oh, Dr. Bush, what? Camilla wants us there? Suited up?” asked Barbara confused as Olympia looked at her. “Can it wait… we’re… now? Alright fine,” Barbara sighed as she hung up the call.

           “It’s Bush, he said that Camilla is wanting the team there,” Barbara said.

           “What about Jessica?” asked Olympia. “Someone needs to find her,” Olympia said.

           “I’ll go, mom, don’t worry,” Aeon suggested. “With all the upgrades, I’m sure I’ll be able to find her.”

           Barbara looked at Olympia before they both nodded. “Fine, Aeon, we trust you with this.”

           “You can count on me,” Aeon said before transforming into Uncanny Valley, flying out of the window.

Chapter Text

           Uncanny Valley was flying through the city, looking through the city for any sign of Jessica. It was already late and Jessica was still nowhere to be found. “Come on, where could you be?” wondered Uncanny Valley as she flew through the skies, looking down below at the busy traffic in the city.

           After a long while of scouting, Aeon deduced that Jessica must have gone to the city outskirts. She ran a couple of possibilities through until she then realized something. “Of course, how could I have not realized it,” Aeon thought to herself smiling as she flew towards the outskirt of the city, where the memorial site that Jessica would visit from time to time was. But, unknown to the android, she was being followed. The man eyed him from the ground, an old man with long grey hair stared at the android that was flying through the air.

           As Aeon flew towards the memorial site, she scouted the area. Other than seeing a familiar face there, David, with someone that presumably looks like his grandfather. Aeon did not see any signs of Jessica anywhere. The android was now even more perplexed, she wasn’t even sure where else to look as her eyes scanned the area, as she flew, before she noticed a figure sitting on top of a building not too far from the memorial It was Eagle. Uncanny Valley couldn’t felt more relief as she saw her friend, who was sitting on top of the building, looking at the memorial site from afar, seemingly so deep into her thoughts that she didn’t notice that Aeon landed behind her.

           “Eagle,” Uncanny Valley said, attracting the Native American’s attention.

           Jessica turns around surprised to see her android friend. “Aeon?”

           “Remember, we are transformed now,” Uncanny Valley reminded as she looked around carefully.

           “U.V.” Eagle greeted as she stood up, looking at the android.

           “It’s Uncanny Valley,” Aeon corrected.

           “Nah, U.V. sounds a lot catchier,” Jessica chuckled dryly. “So, my mom and the monster sent you to find me?” asked Jessica plainly as she turned away, looking at the memorial site once more.

           “My mother is not a monster,” Aeon persisted strongly before realizing that she shouldn’t be angering her friend now. She was tasked with bringing her back home, and she will. “Are you feeling better now?” asked Aeon concerned.

           “I’m… not sure to be honest,” Jessica sighed as her eyes were fixed on the memorial site.

           “What is this place?” asked Aeon curiously.

           “You don’t know?” asked Jessica surprised.

           “You clearly know that for me to have an experience that a normal human would, my mother didn’t input all the information into me, giving me a chance to explore and learn things,” Uncanny Valley said.

           “Ah, I keep on forgetting that,” Eagle said. “What do you know of this place?”

           “Some type of memorial site? I looked at the map,” Aeon said.

           “This is the memorial site for the people that died during the battle, between Majestia and Ignoblia,  years ago,” Jessica explained, with pain in her voice.

           “So… my mother… really did it?”

           “What?”

           “Did she… kill?” asked the android nervously.

           “She did… in a way,” Jessica sighed solemnly, as Aeon walked up, standing beside the girl.

           “What exactly happened?” asked Aeon concerned

           “Your mom and your aunt fought. I don’t know what was the fight even about,” Jessica said with frustration in her voice.

           “A fight?” asked the android.

           “A fight would be an understatement, they turned the city into a literal war zone,” Eagle remembered how scary and disastrous the scenery of the city that day looked.

           “I don’t understand. My mom never told me any about this,” Aeon said puzzled. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

            “Don't know, don't care. Well, now you know,” shrugged Eagle.

           “Jess, I mean Eagle, I think you should forgive her,” Aeon said carefully, not wanting to cause Jessica to become angry again.

           “No, that’s never happening,” Eagle said firmly.

           “At least return home, your mother and mines are both very worried about you,” Aeon said.

           “And? What? Do they expect us to talk it out and expect me to be okay at the end of it?” asked Eagle with sarcasm evident in her voice.

           “It would be a logical start,” Aeon pointed out.

           “No, forget it, I feel like staying out here,” Eagle scoffed, turning away from Aeon.

           “Jess, you hurt my mother, she would want an apology,” Aeon reasoned with the girl.

            “Does she even deserve one? Look Aeon stop trying to ask me to go back, I'm not in the mood,” Eagle said frustrated. “Your mom was responsible for thousands of deaths, or at least half of that! And what did she get? She became the acclaimed heroine of New York!”

           “Jess, you know that my mother has done a lot for us, including you,” Aeon reminded. “She took you in, as a family and-”

           “Sure, she did a lot for my mom,” Eagle scoffed. “Look you weren't even there when it happened. You didn't even know how devasting it was!” Eagle said loudly before sighing. “Sorry, Aeon. You know… for shouting at you… you didn’t deserve that… Just I need some time out here,” Jessica sighed, looking around.

           “Look, if you're not going back, at least I can be some company?” asked Aeon suggestively.

           “Yeah...I could use a friend” Jessica says

           “Perhaps....a sister?” Uncanny says

           “you’ve always been like a sister to me, you know that,” Eagle said smiling.

           Meanwhile, Knightowl and Majestia flew through the skies towards the outskirt of the city. Majestia was flying naturally while Knightowl had a jetpack strapped on his back.

           “What could it be now?” asked Majestia as she flew through the skies of New York.

           “Don’t know, but if Victory called a meeting, it has to be something important,” Knightowl responded as they flew.

           Soon they arrived at the Heroez United headquarters in the middle of the patch of woods not far from New York City. The two heroes touched down on the ground. They walked towards what seems to be a power station. Entering the room, everything inside looks like a normal power station until they walked towards the back of the room. Knightowl then pressed a part of the wall which was revealed to be a panel. Soon, a be of green light moved over them, scanning them.

           “Identify confirmed. Welcome, Knightowl and Majestia,” a robotic voice said before the doors opened revealing a huge elevator. The two supers walked into the elevator and the door closed.

           Knightowl looked at Majestia as the elevator descended below. He soon realized that there was something still bothering Majestia.

           “Olympia,” Knightowl asked. “Is everything alright?” asked the masked hero.

           “Just thinking about… Jessica, you know…” Majestia sighed as the doors opened and they walk out. “Come on, let’s hurry, they are waiting for us.

           The two women then transformed back as they ran towards the meeting room. Barbara knocked on the door before opening it. Seemingly all the members of the te were already there waiting.

           “Barbara, Olympia, we've been waiting for you,” Combee said frowning.

           “Sorry, I know. We were caught up in something,” Barbara said awkwardly.

           “Are Jessica and Aeon not coming?” asked Cynthia curiously.

           “They have other matters to attend to,” Olympia answered.

           “No worries, we can continue without the two kids then,” Combee said dismissively as Olympia and Barbara sat down at the table. “So, why did you call for the meeting?” asked Combee casually.

           “Who?” asked Barbara.

           “You,” Combee answered confused. “You called all of us here,” the woman said.

           “Yeah,” Swift said frowning.

           “What? I got the news that you called for a meeting,” Barbara said.

           “But the news we got was that you called for a meeting,” Cynthia interrupted.

           “What I never called for a-,” said Barbara right as the light turned dark and the base shook violently as if something exploded nearby. There was a commotion inside the meeting room as all the heroes inside were confused as to what was going on.

           “What kind of sick prank is this?” asked Combee furiously. “Barbara!?”

           “I swear is not me!” Barbara stood up as she tried to look around. “Olympia,” Barbara said urgently.

           “On it,” Majestia was about to rush out the room before a blast knocked the door open, sending it flying towards Olympia, knocking her back, and crashing into Knightowl. Soon, the lights turned back on. It was dim, but enough for the heroes to see what was going on.

           A group of people walked through the open doorway, facing the heroes. None other than the group of enhanced that terrorized the streets of New York in the past week. Knightowl’s hand move to press a button on her gauntlet as the four people walked into the meeting room.

           “Well, well, look who we have here,” a familiar voice said. Flames burning on his palm, lighting up the place a bit. As three more figures stood beside him, Voltra, Tempest, and Ice.

           “You have done well, Thorn,” Flame said smiling, looking at the doctor.

           “D- Dr. Bush?” Victory stuttered in disbelief.

           “Well, I would like to let you know… that all of this,” Bush said as he walked over to Flame, joining the 4 enhanced. “Is personal.”

           “We trusted you!” Combee bellowed.

           “Then you all were foolish to do so. Just because I was one of the founding members, doesn’t mean that I will stand for the monster in our ranks,” Thorn said.

           “Urgh… so you were the one who sabotaged everything!” Knightowl said angrily, getting up as loud footsteps could be heard.

           “Yes, I was the one,” the doctor said as he changed his form, green morphing onto his skin as vines replaced his skin.

           Soon, cyborgs came pouring in, all with the N.O.S. insignia on their right shoulder pads. They were all holding weapons. An army, designed to aid N.O.S. endeavors and missions. The army of cyborgs stood behind the five enhanced.

           Knightowl and Majestia looked at the enemies as their suits covered their bodies in a wave after a press of a button. The United Heroez suited up, ready to fight, to defend.

           “You can’t hope to win,” Flame said smiling. “Doorman is down. Surrender peacefully… No one needs to get hurt.”

           “Never!” Combee said firmly as the other heroes stood up, ready to help.

           The cyborgs marched forward, aiming their guns at the heroes, ready to fire at them. And right at that moment. Knightowl and Majestia stood up.“Majestia now!” Knightowl shouted.

           With a deep breath, Majestia blew back the cyborgs, and the five enhanced, leaving an opening for them to get out of the meeting room. The troops of N.O.S. were blown back, crashing against the walls, and sprawled across the floors.

           “Everyone go!” Victory said as she held her shield up and ran forward.

           “Don't let anyone escape, especially those that Kronos specially requested!” Flame shouted over the wind.

           The other four nodded and charged towards the oncoming wave of supers. Tempest unleashed a freak storm inside the base, throwing things around as Voltra sped forward at frightening speed and lunged towards Mercury who was about to reach the emergency exit.

           Mercury rushed towards the exit before being thrown back by a bolt of red lightning. “Sup,” Voltra said smirkingly before attacking the blue speedster. They too soon engaged in a fast-paced duel throughout the building.

           Meanwhile, the heroes were trying to make their way and escape from the chaos. Knightowl turned around and soon realized that Majestia and a couple of heroes were not with them.

           “Wait! Where are the others?” asked Knightowl over the wind.

           “I can’t see anything!” Victory answered loudly.

           “I’m going back in!” Knightowl said.

           “Are you crazy? You seriously want to- ARGH!”

           “Victory? Victory?” Knightowl said before coming across Victory, kneeling on the floor as she clutched her hand shivering. Knightowl quickly helped Victory upright as the blue-haired woman walked out of the dust, seemingly ready to blast them.

           Snowflake then came forward firing a blast of frost at Ice, knocking her back for a while before she bounced back into the attack, forming two ice daggers in her hands. Snowflake dodged the blades before blasting Ice back.

           “I got this! Go!” Snowflake said.

           Meanwhile, Flame fired a blast of heated flames right at Agent Red, Blue, and Yellow, knocking them out easily before turning around to face Tempest. “Where is the alien?” asked Flame loudly.

           Tempest looked at the man before looking around, setting her eyes on Majestia, who was throwing cyborgs around the place.

           “I’m on it,” Tempest said flying towards Majestia.

           Majestia turned just in time to see the grey-haired woman flying towards her and immediately attempted to blow her back. But being able to manipulate the air around her, Tempest flew through and pushed her up against the wall.

           “Oh, I have dreamt of this moment,” Tempest said smiling as she pushed Majestia into the wall.

           “Then… dream on!” Majestia shouted as she kicked Tempest in her torso, sending her crashing onto the floor, leaving a crater in its wake. But despite all that, Tempest was able to get up and fight Majestia.

           “Argh! This is getting irritating!” Knightowl said as he turned to fight another one of the cyborgs, punching his way through the wave of them as she tried to protect Victory.

           “Knightowl! I’m fine,” Victory said groaningly as she stood up and held her shield.

           “Fine huh?” asked Flame as he walked out from behind the cyborgs. “Let’s see about that.”

           “Go! I’ll hold Flame back!” Victory said as she charged forward using her shield to protect herself from the blasts of fires that the man blasted at him.

           Knightowl nodded before turning around to face a couple of cyborgs, priming their blasters, ready to attack him. Knightowl quickly moved forward, dodging the fires as he kicked a blaster out of a cyborg's hand before taking it. Firing at the other cyborgs, taking them out as the cyborgs fell one by one.

           “Argh! I'll have you,” Majestia growled in frustration as she lunged at Tempest, punching her back, but the other woman bounced back with full force, knocking the alien against the wall.

           “Hmph… weak,” Tempest chuckled.

           Olympia let out a roar as she pushed through the strong wind before letting out a huge gush of wind, knocking Tempest back.

           “Knightowl, we need backup!” said Olympia over the comms urgently as she knocked a cyborg out easily.

           “I already sent a distress signal,” Knightowl answered as he dodged a punch before moving to attack. Right as he was about to land his fist something green wrapped around him, vines.

            “Fools, you think I will let that happen?” asked Thorn as the vines wrapped even tighter around Barbara, cracking her suit. “No one will hear the call. I’ve blocked all signals,” Thorn revealed as he moved the vines to tighten their grasp on Knightowl.

           “Arghh!” Knightowl groaned out in pain as she felt she was being crushed.

Majestia and Tempest were exchanging blows, turning the entire place up as they fought while Knightowl was struggling to break free from the vines that were wrapping around her.

           “Let him go!” Majestia shouted in anger as she flew through the building, landing a hard punch and knocking Thorn back, making him momentarily lose control. Majestia quickly tore through the thick vines, freeing Knightowl from them. Knightowl fell to the ground choking as he finally felt a release.

           “Are you alright?” asked Majestia worried.

           “I’m fine I’m- Watch out!” Knightowl said loudly as he pushed Majestia aside, dodging a blast from the cyborgs as the army advanced towards them.

           That momentary distraction was enough the for Tempest to blow a gush of strong wind in the direction of the two heroes, pushing them up against the wall as the inside storm slowly calmed down, the dust settling, revealing that the rest of the heroes, lying unconscious on the floor as the five enhanced walked towards the two carefreely, all smirking at their victory.

           “You can't escape, might as well surrender,” Tempest said as she blew the two up against the wall, giving them a perfect view of the results of the chaotic battle, which made them realize that they were the only two left standing as the goons stood in front of them. The rest of the heroes were either tied up or unconscious.

           “N- Never!” Knightowl growled angrily.

           “Well, not like you have a choice anyway,” Flame said chucklingly before looking at Voltra, he nodded.

           Tempest stopped the strong flow of air, letting the two supers drop onto the floor. Right before any of them could retaliate, a blast of red lightning shot towards them, shocking the two women. Red lightning shot from Voltra’s hands as he electrocuted the two women, making their skin burn but not enough to knock them out.

           Majestia gritted her teeth as she stood up, moving towards the group as sparks burned on her skin. Attempting to fight back. But with the electricity coursing through her, it was proving difficult as pain shot through her body. Majestia tried to push forward but then a swift red light flash before her and on her hands were a pair of red handcuffs. Majestia immediately felt her body going weak as she slumped to the floor, panting. They knew her weakness too.

            “Majestia no!” Knightowl said in horror as the blonde woman fell to the ground, struggling to stand up.

           “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Olympia muttered weakly as she struggled.

            “That's right, we know,” Tempest said smirkingly as she moved forward to pick Majestia up forcibly.

           “Ah!” Majestia groaned in pain as Tempest pulled her up before pushing her towards Thorn, who wrapped her up with Thorn-filled vines.

           Majestia let out a loud piercing scream as thorns pierced her skin a little, adding more pain for her to endure.

           “It’s so nice to finally see you weak, and vulnerable,” Thorn chuckled, wrapping her up even more., causing the alien to scream in agony as blood trickled down a little.

           “Hey, stop it! We have ordered,” Flame said firmly.

           “Relax hothead, I'm not killing her,” Thorn smirked, enjoying the torture. “I’m just making her feel the pain I felt.”

           “Backstabbing… undignified wretch!” Majestia yelled out, glaring at the green figure.

           Seeing that they were all distracted, Knightowl immediately got up and pulled out a knife from her belt, and rushed forward pressing the blade against Flame’s neck. “Let her go!” the hero growled in rage.

           The other four quickly turned towards Knightowl but Flame raised his arm, motioning for them to stand down. A wide smirk grew across his face. “Go on kill me, my brothers and sisters will make sure that the alien suffers,” Flame said chuckling as he pointed towards Thorn, whose vine was dipped in red liquid, a sharp end, prepared to impale Majestia, who was struggling to break free.

           “No,” Knightowl breathed.

           “It’s no use… Mrs. Commissioner, you can’t win,” Flame said, making Barbara shudder in surprise. “Oh yes, we studied you all long enough to know everything, your weaknesses, your strength, everything,” Flame’s voice was cool as he spoke. “So go on… kill me.”

           Barbara turned to look at Olympia as the red tip moved closer towards her, about to touch her. Barbara took in a deep breath, she lowered her hand, dropping it on the floor. She knew there was no way out. Any move she made will end with Olympia getting hurt, worst-case scenario, dead.

           “Hmph… thought so,” Flame chuckled. “Voltra.”

           The other man nodded before electrocuting Knightowl, knocking him back with full force, crashing against the wall. Barbara fell motionlessly on the floor, unconscious.

           “Knightowl!” Majestia cried out, her voice breaking as she watches Barbara fell down. Tears leaking from her eyes as she looked up at her captors.

           “That’s for my father,” Voltra growled before turning towards Flame.

           “Well, let’s load up and leave,” Flame said smirkingly. “Voltra, everything in order?” asked Flame as he looked around, smiling at their success.

           “Yes,” Voltra said.

           “Get ready to blow it up after we leave,” Flame said grinning.

Chapter Text

Special thanks to Dinobot king for helping me out with writing this chapter and to  Breemarie12256 for helping with the editing!

           Far away from all the chaos, Jessica and Aeon were in their civilian forms walking down the busy streets of New York City. The roads were packed, the streets were filled. 

           “Are you feeling better now?” asked Aeon curiously, concerned for her friend's well-being. “You’re still angry,” the android commented.

           “How can I not be angry Aeon?” asked Jessica sarcastically as she walked. “Things used to be simple, you know? Remember those times?” asked the Native American sighingly. “The times… ahh… memories,” Jessica sighed as she closed her eyes momentarily before opening them. “I remember making this joke with a… friend of my babysitter… we called Majestia… Moojestia… hah,” Jessica chuckled dryly as Aeon looked at Jessica confused.

           “That is not funny,” Aeon pointed out, looking at the girl.

           “Uhmm… Moo? Cow?” Jessica asked.

           “My mom is not a cow Jess,” said Aeon plainly, not understanding Jessica’s joke. 

           “Ah, you won’t get it,” Jessica scoffed as she shook her head, continuing to walk forward.

           “Why don’t you try explaining?” asked Aeon curiously.

           “Alright then… Did you know that your mom used to be overweight?” asked Jessica smirking, to which Aeon gave a cold response. “You know what forget it, you won’t get it,” Jessica sighed.

           “Jess, I know you hated my mom and still do. You don’t have to be that mean,” Aeon pointed out. “Plus, she is trying to make it up to you, can’t you tell? She has always been trying to.”

           “Aeon, it was just a joke alright?” asked Jessica shruggingly. “Plus, I don’t care. It’s not like she can bring them back to life or anything.”

            “First of all, that is just mean,” Aeon said plainly. “Secondly, Jess, you need to learn to forgive,” Aeon said.

           “Hmph, easy for you to say, what do you know of hating someone?” asked Jessica curiously. “Actually, do you even feel hatred?”

           “I’m not programmed to understand these feelings… yet,” Aeon said. “Why would I hate or dislike someone?” asked Aeon curiously.

           Jessica just looked at the android and sighed. The innocent android still has much to learn about the cruelty and reality of the world. “Well, you will… someday Aeon. You will learn that in this world, there is much to hate.”

           “That does make sense. I’m just 2 years old after all,” Aeon agreed as she looked around.

           Aeon and Jessica were now walking in the quieter parts of the city. Where there weren’t that many people around. Jessica than just sighed as she looked around. Aeon looked around, then on the opposite side of the streets, something clicked in her programming and she stopped, looking at the man across the street.

           “Aeon? Why did you stop? Aeon?” asked Jessica as she walked back to the android.

           “Look,” Aeon said, subtly pointing to the man standing right at the opposite of them. Two big-sized people were standing next to him, presumably bodyguards. The man has short grey and black hair, carrying a white fan that has a detailed yellow and red pattern on it. An Asian man. Chinese to be accurate.

           “He does look familiar,” Jessica muttered. 

           “Cash wanted in Shanghai,” Aeon said as she ran through her databases. “Suspected of illegal smuggling in the States.”

           “Hmm… sounds like an easy opponent,” Jessica smirked as she looked at the man fanning himself casually. “Why is he carrying a fan? That looks so weird,” the girl commented. “And who calls himself ‘Cash’?” asked Jessica, thinking that the whole thing was just ridiculous. “Well, either way, this could be the break I need,” Jessica piped up as she walked away into an alleyway nearby.

           “Wait, Jess. You shouldn’t be doing this,” Aeon reasoned.

           “What do you propose I do? Continue sulking and doing nothing?” asked Jessica with sarcasm in her voice. “Liiri, what you think?” asked Jessica curiously towards the kwami sitting in her purse.

           “Cash was a dealer, and now presumably the leader of a smuggling ring. He has many men at his disposal. Are you sure you want to engage him?” asked Aeon, sounding frantic.

           “Aeon. He can’t be that bad. Not like he got powers or anything,” Jessica scoffed carefreely as she eyed the man from the alley. “Plus, he looks too skinny to pose of threat,” the girl chuckled.

           “Still-” Aeon was about to say something Jessica interrupts her quickly after seeing a limo stopped in front of Cash.

           “Liiri, Wings of Liberty!” Jessica said, a flash of light blinded Aeon momentarily before the transformation finished. “Let’s follow him,” Eagle said before swinging up the building with the help of her bullroarer.

           “Wait, Jess!” Aeon tried to reason but Eagle was already swinging up the buildings. Aeon just looked around before transforming into her Uncanny Valley form, flying up after Eagle. “Eagle! Wait!”

           “Try and keep up U.V.,” Eagle said as she jumped onto the roof, running across it before jumping onto another, keeping the limo insight as Uncanny Valley flew after her. “U.V., keep an eye on the limo!” Eagle said as she jumped and swung across to another building.

           Eagle and Uncanny Valley then spent the rest of the night following the limo that Cash was into the outskirts of the city. They followed as the vehicle turned and moved, trying to keep up while keeping themselves out of sight of Cash and his goon.

           “Eagle, we need to be subtle. If-” Uncanny Valley reminded cautiously.

           “I know, I know,” Eagle interrupted impatiently as she kept her eyes on the car, making sure not to lose sight of it. “Where are they even going?” Eagle wondered aloud. She couldn’t help but find it strange that the limo was driving to the outskirts, places where it was not that well developed. Finally, the car came to a stop in an alley.

           “They’re finally stopping,” Eagle muttered over the comms as she landed on top of the roof, overlooking the place while Uncanny Valley just flew behind her. “Hmm… interesting, “Eagle muttered as she watched the man step out of the limo as men came out of the vehicle and stood around the car.

           “U.V., scan for life forms,” Eagle said as she spun her bullroarer carefreely, not at all intimated by the number of men.

           “The limo is empty. There are quite a lot of people in the building,” Uncanny Valley informed Jessica as they watched Cash walking into the building.

           “We’re going in,” Jessica said.

           “I don’t think that is such a good idea Eagle,” Uncanny Valley protested.

           “Then what is?” asked Eagle impatiently. “I’m not in the mood of waiting!”

           “We should observe first,” Uncanny Valley suggested.

           “And then what?” asked Eagle. There was a certain harshness in her voice, given that she felt that they were wasting time.

           “And come out with a plan,” Uncanny Valley said.

           “Plan? There is no time!” Eagle hushed as she looked at the scene going down below. 

           "Eagle, you need to calm down," Uncanny Valley pointed out,

           "I am calm!" Eagle hushed as she looked at the limo. Trying to devise a plan.

           And right at this moment, both Eagle and Uncanny Valley heard the sound of something creaking behind them and soon a low voice spoke.

           Eagle and Uncanny Valley turned around in surprise to see someone looking at them from above. "Now the miraculous of the eagle has been found, it must return to the box it belongs to. I've come a long way to be here, so give it back with no fuss child, I'm not in the mood," the man said firmly, holding out an open box, inside, there was more jewelry which the girl assumed were other Miraculous.

           Eagle looked at the man in disbelief. 'Who is this old man to tell me to give it back?' Jessica thought to herself frowningly. She isn't having this. then, she noticed the box in the man's hand. A quick thought passed her mind.

           "Negative. Eagle has proved that she is a worthy miraculous holder!" Uncanny Valley said as she reasoned with the old man. 

           Eagle then jumped up and landed in front of the man as Aeon flew up after her. "Why don't you stay here? We could create a new generation of heroes together!" Jessica suggested excitedly. A group of heroes that could relate to her, a group that can understand her. A group of people that she could work with other than her stubborn mother and monster Majestia!

           The guardian hummed, considering Eagle's suggestion. "Why do you suggest this?"

           "To get more help of course," Jessica answered plainly.

           "Ah... But the United Heroez has more than enough heroes, don't they?" asked the old man raising an eyebrow.

           "What?" Jessica was confused now.

           "Ever since I found out about you, Eagle. I have been following your life closely," the man revealed.

           "Hold on, who are you?" asked Eagle confused now. And a bit weirded out that an old man was stalking her like that.

           "I'm the guardian of the miraculous box the Eagle Miraculous belongs to," the old man said humbly.

           Jessica had many questions in her mind that needed to be answered. She remembered the fact why she was in this area of the city in the first place, tracking down Cash.

           "U.V., let's go in. Sorry guardian, we will talk later. I have a person to catch," Jessica said before jumping back down onto the other roof while Uncanny Valley looked at Eagle.

           "Hmm, interesting," the guardian muttered to himself as he watched the pair.

           "That was weird," Eagle said as she turned around just as she heard a shot being fired, shocking her as she dodged the bullet. They have been spotted, all thanks to the interruption by the guardian. "Shit, take cover!"Eagle shouted as the four guards began pointing their guns towards the pair, which backed away from the area.

           "Are you alright?" asked Eagle concerned for her friend.

           "I'm fine. What do we do now?" asked the android as gunshots were repeatedly fired at them.

           "Well, since the cover is blown. Let's take them!" Eagle cracked her fist as she looked at the android. "We need to take out the men first," Eagle said.

           Uncanny Valley's arm began to change as soon, a blaster unsealed and replaced her left arm. "Luckily, my mom upgraded my hardware," Aeon said smiling as she raised the blaster. "Don't worry it is set to stun," Aeon assured.

           "Frankly, I don't care, just take them out," Eagle shrugged. "Go!" Eagle shouted as she ran out of her cover, jumping off the roof, creating a diversion as the guards were now focused on shooting at her while Uncanny Valley aimed her blaster at the guards before firing a shot, stunning a man unconscious.

           Eagle slid down a wall quickly before spinning her bullroarer, using it as a shield, blocking off all the gunshots, protecting her as she closed in on the men. "Whoa! This is amazing!" Eagle exclaimed as she pounced forward kicking one of the guns out of the guards' hands. Eagle quickly threw her bullroarer forward before pulling one of the guns out of the men's hands before knocking him back while Aeon took out another man after stunning him a few times. Eagle got up, just in time to see the large-sized man lunge forward at her. She quickly dodges the man before letting Uncanny Valley stun him unconscious.

           The guardian watches as he looks at Eagle fighting the men. "Hmm.. much better than Ladybug I suppose," the old men muttered to himself before leaping off the water tower.

           Eagle knocked out a guard with a kick before throwing the unconscious body at another guard swiftly before she heard a gun click, a guard was pointing a gun at her. "Do not... move," the man said slowly, holding Eagle at gunpoint.

           Uncanny Valley saw the danger her friend was in pointed her blaster at the man, sending a shock that took the man out. The man dropped to the floor, unconscious.

           "You know I had him," Jessica told Aeon as the android landed next to her, frowning.

           "I will let you have your chance next time," Uncanny Valley said smiling,

           Eagle was now looking up at where the old man was. "Hmm..." Jessica hummed. "I wonder... what is his deal?" Eagle wondered aloud.

           "Well, if you want to catch Cash, we can think about the guardian later," Aeon said as she looked around, scanning the area. "He is still inside," the android confirmed.

           "You're right U.V. We can't let this man get away!" Eagle said loudly before running towards the door, kicking it open. 

           "Right!" Uncanny said, following Eagle into the suspiciously dark building.

           As they walked into the dark building, Eagle was confused. She was so sure that she saw Cash walk into here. Where were all the people that Uncanny Valley identified? "U.V.? Are you sure your scanners aren't broken? I don't see anyone," Eagle asked curiously as she looked around.

           Right at this moment the door behind them closed and the lights turned on. The two teenagers were surrounded by people, all pointing their guns at them, ready to end them if they made a move.

           "Well well well, isn't these United Heroez's newest heroes," Cash chuckled as he walked out of a room, holding his fan in his hand, gloating.

           "We've been heroes long enough," Eagle answered smirkingly as Uncanny Valley's hand turned into a blaster once more.

           "Ohh, the confidence," Cash chuckled, humored. "How do you think I evaded capture in Shanghai and manage to stay out of jail for so long?" asked the Asian smirkingly as he eyed the two. Eagle was about to make a move before Cash interrupted her. "Ah Ah, don't even think about it baby," Cash said smirkingly. "You wouldn't be much of a hero if you are dead, would you now?" The message was obvious, while rather cryptically.

           All of a sudden the lights went dark, Aeon and Jessica both nodded and pounced at the enemies. Eagle had trained to fight in the dark before, so this was nothing for her, while Uncanny Valley had her night vision on. The men were all in disarray as chaos broke out. But they weren't the only ones fighting. There was someone else fighting on their side. Soon, the lights were back on, with Cash the only one left standing in front of the two girls while all the hired men laid on the ground, either knocked out or groaning in pain.

           "Hmph... Didn't expect you to help," Eagle said as she realized the man who helped them.

           The old man, the guardian just looked at Jessica and nodded before turning towards Cash.

           "So...you were saying?” Jessica asked smirkingly. "Just surrender," Jessica said as Aeon pointed the blaster right at Cash, preparing to stun him unconscious.

           Cash evilly smirked. "Oh, it's not going to be that easy baby," the man chuckled as he whipped out a flash grenade blinding their vision.

           ”Not if I got something to say about it," Eagle yelled back at him, as she knew she had to do it. "Liberation!" Eagle didn't know where the man was, she just decided to use her abilities, in the hope to stop the man from whatever he is doing.

           Soon, Jessica's mind was invaded by the thoughts of the very greedy man. So much, that it was a bit overwhelming, and it was beginning to hurt her head. Eagle struggled to hold her control over the man. "Cash... Your greed for... urghh... money is holding you... back... from..."

           "Hahaha, baby, how hilarious!" Jessica could hear Cash's voice. "My greed... holding me back?" This was all Jessica heard before she fell to the ground, losing control of the feather while she heard something fell onto the floor with a thud, Cash's phone.

           Soon, their vision was restored, and Cash was long gone from view, leaving the three. Eagle got up, rubbing her temples as she looked around. "Where is he?" asked the girl frustratedly.

           “He seems to have escaped,” Uncanny Valley said as she looked around as she could see again after the blinding light messed with her sight a bit.

           “Gah!” Eagle groaned in frustration as she looked around. “Well, at least he left something,” the girl said as she noticed a phone on the ground. “Try to hack into this when we get back,” Jessica said tossing the phone to Aeon.

           “Alright,” Aeon said as she turned the phone over, looking at the peculiar symbol at the back of the phone.

           “So, guardian,” Jessica greeted cockily. “What do you think?” asked Eagle sarcastically, not noticing that her miraculous was beginning to flash.

           The guardian just looked sternly at them before his facial expression softened. "I'm impressed."

           "Wait really?" asked Eagle surprised. She had expected the man to say the complete opposite.

           “Eagle, I have been watching you. You have the skills and heart. But you have to control your emotions,” the guardian pointed out as he looked at the young girl. “The way you two handled yourselves was impressive. But you need to be wiser in making decisions. You are… quite rash,” the guardian said. “There is an imbalance in your emotions… Something is troubling you. I can feel it.”

           Jessica wasn't going to have this conversation for the third time that day. "I assure you, I'm fine, Guardian," the girl said turning around, walking away. “Keep in contact I guess?” asked Eagle as she walked out of the room. “U.V. come on!”

           “Coming,” Aeon said rushing after the girl.

            "Perhaps she is less mature than Ladybug," the Guardian says under his breath, not loud enough for Jess to hear. The old man watched as the girl left.

           “You contacted the police forces yet?” asked Eagle, although very well knowing that Aeon would have done it already.

           “Done,” Aeon said as she followed Eagle. “We should go home now,” Uncanny said.

           “Fine,” Eagle said reluctantly crossing her arms as Uncanny held her hand out.

           “When we get home, you have to apologize to my mom though,” Aeon pointed out as Jessica took her hand.

           “Can we stop talking about that!?" asked Eagle. "Geez, I'm finally in a good mood and you want to spoil it for me?’ 

           “You did call her a lot of mean things,” Aeon pointed out. 

           “Well, she did kill my parents!” Eagle snapped back. “U.V., not now, alright?”

           “Fine… Let’s go home,” Uncanny Valley said as her thruster fired, taking flight, holding onto Eagle’s hand as the guardian looked at the pair flying away into the night. 

Coming next: Chapter 9: Revelations

Thanks for reading!

This story will be updated sporadically. So do be patient.

Feel free to comment on your thoughts and theories.

I'm still new at writing fics so nothing too harsh :)

If you wanna chat about my fics, have any suggestions or requests or stuff. Feel free to find me on Discord Tenudakin12345#7702

Chapter Text

Special thanks to Dinobot king for helping me out with writing this chapter and to Breemarie12256 for helping with the editing!

            Uncanny Valley looked around and scanned the area for any signs of them. "There's nothing here!" Uncanny Valley reported.

            Eagle pulled her phone out and dialled her mom's number. And quickly she soon realized that her mother wasn't answering.

            "Uncanny Valley... did they tell you they were going anywhere else?" Eagle asked as she felt nervousness climbing up in her veins.

            "Yes, they said they were going to the HQ. For a meeting." Uncanny Valley said, now remembering what their moms had said before they both went out.

            "Let's go there then. Liiri, Wings of Liberty!" Eagle shouted, calling out her transformation. 

            The two heroes made it to the HQ or what's left of it. The power station above it was replaced by a huge crater, the building below was visible in ruins burning.

            "A- Uncanny Valley... are you..." Eagle stuttered.

            "Oh no, where is everyone?” Eagle asked, desperately looking around more as Uncanny Valley frantically repeats Jess’s, Eagle’s, action.

            "Mother! Mom! Mom! MOM!" Uncanny Valley shouted. 

            "Mom!" Eagle called out desperately as she rummaged through the rubble, "No! No! Not like this! No!" Eagle remembered what she told her mother just hours ago. She can't go like that, not like that. Then she saw it, the cracked helmet of Knightowl, sitting right beside the flames.

            "No" Eagle screams, holding back her tears as she stared at the helmet in shock and despair. "Who would do this?!” 

            Eagle tried, so hard, to process the situation, but Uncanny Valley’s panicking was not helping. She then clutches her helmet and screamed louder for anyone in the city to hear.

            "Mother! Please be alive... any of you." Uncanny Valley said as she scanned the area, but there were no signs of life, only debris, and destruction.

            "No... No..." Eagle broke down as she cradles her mother's helmet, crying.

            "Jess... there are no... life signs..." Uncanny Valley said stutteringly

            "GRAHHH!" Eagle screamed again, starting to tear up.

            "Eagle, it’s okay, there could be an explanation!" Uncanny Valley said, clearly reading the room very well.

            "An explanation!? Look around you! Look at... this!" Eagle held up her mother's helmet. "They had a meeting here... and... and..."

            "Maybe they escaped?" asked Uncanny Valley.

            "HOW!? THE BASE IS LITERALLY GONE!" Eagle yelled in rage, before breaking down again, kneeling on the charred ground.

            "Jess... we need to go home first... it's not safe here..." Uncanny Valley said worryingly.

            "No... No..." Eagle muttered as she heard vehicles stopping above them and footsteps.

            "Eagle, come on, we have to go!" Uncanny Valley heard the footsteps growing closer to them. “Whoever is up there is approaching! Fast!” 

            "No... " Eagle was overwhelmed with grief.

            Aeon looked around she knew that they had to leave. Who knows who these people were? She quickly grabbed Jessica and flew up the crater and away from the place.

            Aeon and Eagle landed on a building wondering what to do next, now that the HQ was on fire and the heroes were nowhere to be seen.

            UV landed on top of a building not far from the remains of the base. "Eagle? The department of security here?” Eagle muttered under her breath as she looked at the symbol on the vehicles

            UV landed on top of a building not far from the remains of the base. "Eagle?”

Eagle was still grieving, holding the Knightowl helmet tight to her.

            Aeon then looked at the scene, her opticals zooming in and looking at the scene. "Jess... is the department of security-”

            “I can’t believe it...it’s all gone!” Eagle looked down, not even bothering to glance at her friend.

            “What should we do?” Aeon asked her, feeling the fear rise in her system.

            "What do we do?" Eagle asked, her voice breaking in desperation. "If what you said was true, all the heroes might be gone, who knows where, or even worse dead!" Eagle said loudly. "There is no hope."

            “Eagle, I have scanned the building and I assure you there isn't any blood nor anything that would signify corpses,” Aeon observed. “We have to figure this out.” 

            "How?!" asked Eagle. "There are no more heroes out there... none! no one!" Eagle said blatantly. "We can't possibly .... do this by ourselves.” 

            "Look, Eagle, I know you're sad, but we need to get back home first," UV said as she looked at the remains of the HQ.

             “Yeah, let’s go home...it’s not the first time my mom has been in this kind of situation,” Eagle muttered, getting up from where she knelt on the ground.

            Eagle said that, but in her heart...She wasn't sure, she was just pretending to be tough. "Let's go?" asked Aeon extending her hand. 

            "Sure," Eagle said as she took Aeon's hand. Aeon flew up, carrying Eagle with her as they flew back to base.

            Eagle and Uncanny Valley landed in the empty apartment, another reminder that the adults were gone. Jessica just detransformed and plopped on her bed while Liiri looked on at her with pity.

            "Jessica, we need to stay strong; we are literally the only two heroes left,” Aeon advised her.

            "I'm not worried about that, I'm worried that our mothers have been captured!" Jessica exclaimed.

            Jessica was still holding the Knightowl helmet in her hands. Clutching it to her chest tightly. As this would be what remained of her mother if she was really... gone.

            "Jessica... you don't think that they are...?” Aeon said trailed off, knowing that Jess would understand what she was trying to ask.

            "No... no... they aren't right?" asked Jessica.

            "Maybe they are fine,” Aeon said, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

            "Aeon, just leave me alright? I got too much stuff on my head now," Jessica groaned.

            "Yeah, you’re right, it is late.” Aeon began to stroll to the doorway.

            "Yeah..." Jessica just laid on her bed, as Aeon walked out of her room and towards her port in Olympia's room when she realized something, an open compartment, embedded in a nearby wall. 

            "What’s this?" Aeon asked herself, as she looks into documents. "United Heroez files?" Aeon read the front of the holder. Inside Aeon found a device, a hologram projector along with files of documents.

            "Hey Jessica, you might want to see this?" Aeon called out as she brought the stuff and carried them to her room.

            "What is it now!? I told you to leave me alone!" Jessica groaned in frustration before realizing. "Uhm... sorry, just... conflicted," Jessica said sheepishly as Liiri floated in front of her. 

            "What are you holding anyway?" Liiri asked, looking at what Aeon was holding. Even if Aeon couldn’t see Liiri, Liiri was still curious.

            "Liiri asked what you are holding," Jessica said gruffly. 

            "Some files from our parents. I can’t believe I did not see this.” Aeon gestured to her hand, holding up the files.

            "Files? What is that device in your hands?" Jessica asked. 

            "Not sure." Aeon replied. "let's play it.” 

            Aeon pressed the button, and light began to flicker, and the image of Barbara and Olympia soon projected out of it in blue light.

            "A hologram," Aeon said.

            "Of what exactly?" Jess asked as the holograms began to speak to them.

            "Jess, Aeon, if either of you is watching this. This means one thing, we're both.... gone," Barbara spoke first.

            "No," Jessica muttered. 

            "And if you managed to find the recording, you would find files of all the threats documented." Barbara had said. 

            "We tried to be as prepared for this moment, but this is the best we can do to keep you informed." Olympia finished for Barbara. 

            Jessica's hands automatically clenched in anger as she heard Olympia's voice. Even with her gone, she still felt a certain hatred against her.

            "Jess, I'm sorry, if I haven't been a good enough mother figure to you. But truth is, I'm proud of you Jessica, I always was, I watched you grow from a... brat... Hmph... to a hero," Barbara said, clearly pained by having to say goodbye to her daughter.  Jessica chuckled a bit as tears were streaming down her face.

            "Aeon, I know you are still new to this world, but I am proud that you are my creation. And I love you dearly." the Olympia hologram said, smiling at the camera.

            "Mother," Aeon muttered. 

            "And lastly, to Jess," Olympia started.

            "What?" Jessica muttered.

            "Jessica, I am sorry about your parents. I'm sorry that I killed them by accident. Ray and Miriam were good people, and I’m sure that they would be proud of what you become,” Olympia said.

            "You don't even know them... you liar... you monster!" Jessica shouted in rage as she was about to stomp on the device. 

            "Stop!" Aeon says as she pushed Jess back, away from the holograms.

            "Jess, are you out of your mind!?" asked Aeon as she stopped the recording.

            "How dare that bitch talk about my parents!" Jessica said angrily, shaking in rage. "She didn't even know them, and she got the audacity to talk as if she knew them at all!" growled Jessica.

            "Jessica! STOP!" Liiri yelled at her.

            "I won't stop until that monster stops telling lies about my parents!" Jessica said as she stormed off. Leaving Liiri and Aeon to themselves. Aeon just shakes her head in disappointment.         Jessica made it to the hallway of her home, muttering to herself.  "What does she know of my parents...they are dead because of her!" Jessica yelled as she looks into Olympia’s room.

"Argh!" Jessica sighs as she went inside, running into the room in rage as she began to grab a lamp in her room, smashing it against the wall in anger.

            "Jess... You are being a bit-" Liiri began as she floated behind her.

            "What?!" Jessica snapped at Liiri, clearly irritated.

            "I know you are mad... But... Did you have to do that?" Liiri asked her holder, glaring at her.

            "I'm tired of holding it in! AGH!' Jessica pounded her fist on the desk in anger. “I have enough! ENOUGH!” Jessica grunted as she grabbed a vase and smashed it on the ground in anger. somehow reveals a small compartment built into it.

            “What is this?" asked Jessica, examining the secret storage space closely for any signs of it being a trap.

            "Uhm Jess is it really good to go through someone else's stuff...?” Liiri asked, starting to get nervous.

            "First, I don't care that it's Olympia, second, as long it helps with a clue of what happened to my mom, I'm game," Jessica snapped at the creature floating before her.

            "Jessica..." Liiri began but was cut off by her holder.

            “SHUT-” Jessica was cut off when she found some sort of… journal? Why does Olympia have a journal? 

            "Huh? What's this?" Jessica looked closer and sees Ray and Miriam in a picture on a random page she was on.

            "Mom... Dad..." Jessica mumbled.

            Jessica then opens the journal and sees the date back even before she was born and sees handwriting. 

[I had some doubts about working with this family, which my dad recommends, but after a few days thus the family was very fun to work with! O. H.]

            "Huh?" Jessica murmured. "Work with?"

            "What's this?" She asked herself, looking at another entry on the page.

            "O.H? Olympia Hill...she used to work with my parents!" Jessica said, as she flipped the pages and sees a picture of a teenage Olympia and a picture of Jessica’s parents. 

            "So... she did know them...Why...She never told me!” Jessica questioned, reading further. 

            Jessica then flipped to the last pages and sees an updated entry of the date Jessica became Sparrow. 

[Ray...Miriam I... I don't know what to say. Your daughter is just amazing, and she is growing up. I'm just so happy that Barbara has taught her well and how Barbara became the mother she wanted to be. I hope I can be a mother to your Jessica. I just hope she can forgive me for what happened to you. Jessica will find out someday who I am, and what I caused. From what it’s worth, I promise to take care of Jessica like how you took care of me. I love you and I hope you and my parents are in peace. O.H]

            Jessica pursed her lips. "Why would my parents work with Olympia? and what for?" Jessica asks as she flip through the book. It was obviously Olympia’s journal of some type. "Hmm. let's see what she wrote in her youth," Jessica said, going to the very first entry. 

[Dear diary, my friend Brandon is having his 13-birthday next week, but dad said I can’t go. He is scared that I'll get hurt at night for some reason. I mean, I just turned 13 myself, and for some reason, I do not look like the other girls. I keep getting picked on how I'm still short and that I'm still flat-chested or that I have not grown up enough. I wonder why. My mom told me that I'm a late bloomer and soon I'll have the boys knocking down my door...although I hope girls as well.]

            Jessica laughs a bit. "Well, that explains the height problem.” 

            “What height problem?” Liiri asked her holder. 

            “Well, Olympia - never mind,” Jessica sighed, as she flipped to another page to find another entry, very much interested in all of this.

[Dear diary, my dad said that I’m going to be away for a while when I start high school. He said that I’m going to be taught by a friend of his named Roger...I mean I really do have a taste in electronics, and small handheld devices. Perhaps I can learn to make one myself. The worst part of puberty is that I don’t know my own strength sometimes. I got into trouble when Kate made fun of me again? and I got mad and pushed her. I was sent to the office, and my dad defended me while my mom comforted me. I love my parents so much...even though I was adopted.]

            "Should you be going through Olympia's stuff?” Liiri asked, starting to get nervous that maybe Jess is looking at something she shouldn’t be looking at. 

            "What about the day?” wondered Jessica aloud, the day that the city of New York was changed forever, ignoring Liiri.

            Jessica opened the page shakily. But... There wasn't an entry, nor a day after that and that, all until the date a month after the claustrophobic event that rocked the city. There was an entry.

[Dear diary... I finally found you, after so many days, I thought I lost the only link and memories to my family and friends, before Ignoblia, my sister I never knew I had come for me, and wanted to take over the Earth, I defeated her, but it came... at a great cost. Lives were lost, alliances were torn, heroes against heroes, people against people, all because of me.]

            “Hmph… you think?” Jessica mumbled.

            “Today, Ray and I had discovered a new form of metal or a substance much like my bracket. My dad told me not to take off....” Jessica read. "They said... It was to keep me safe.” Jessica continued. 

            "This is all interesting,” Liiri said.

             “I know... I wonder what the bracket Olympia is wore?” Jessica wondered, continuing to read through another paragraph. 

            "I don't know, read on maybe," Liiri asked. 

            Jessica then began to read more on Olympia’s life hoping to find some answers. Or maybe even some form of closure if she could find enough information. 

            [Dear diary, today Ray and Miriam brought their daughter around, Jessica, she is such a cute girl, a beautiful one for sure. Their family always looks so lovable, kinda reminds me of the one that I should have with my real parents, but that is behind, now I have a family who adopted me and cares for me, and that is enough.]

            2 hours have passed, and Jessica then kept reading the entries, and as she reads, she was tearing up from her eyes as she read about her parents. 

            They were even an entry of how Olympia took care of Jessica when she was just a baby. Olympia did care for her. And she returned her care with hate.

Another entry, Olympia talked about how she was on the run from Barbara, who was the new Knightowl trying to kill her. Then Combee came by and practically risked her career and life for her. Even how Olympia and Barbara teamed up to save Combee from Knightowl’s most dangerous archenemy - Jester. Giving her a chance of redemption but was under maximum security. 

Another journal entry is how Barbara kept an eye on Olympia. There were entires of when Olympia fell in love with Barbara from just first glance, but Barbara still hated her. Olympia did what she could to win her heart. There were moments where Olympia does not want to make Barbara uncomfortable and was ashamed where Olympia kissed Barbara. Barbara threatened to tell the United Heroes about it, but Barbara decided to give her another chance. As Majestia she was watched over by Knightowl, who was her partner. To which Knightowl hated it, but she had to. Over time Majestia talked to Knightowl about her wanting redemption and to be a hero. Knightowl was still angry with her. Yet Barbara wanted to love her.

            "There is so much... I never knew," Jessica sighed.

            "Jess... Are you sure... you should read that?" asked Liiri.

            "I probably shouldn't have.... but... I'm not sure what to feel of Olympia anymore.” Jess said, her voice suddenly growing quieter.

            “Well, you should understand how complicated Olympia’s life was...I mean she was very different growing up!” Liiri said, while also processing what she had just read with her holder. 

            "She is very different," said Jessica. "But still... Is it bad that I'm still not sure what to feel about this?"

            "What do you mean? Olympia and your parents were friends." Liiri said, not completely understanding what Jess had asked. 

            "I know... It's just... I spent so long hating Majestia, then Olympia..." Jessica sighed. “She still killed my parents, even though it was an accident.”

            "For once, Jessica. You need to learn how to let go follow that old man's advice and let the past go," Liiri sighed. 

            Jessica then looks at all the pictures and letters and sees just how Olympia was connected with her parents "I... think I'll try" Jessica said, sighing. She may not know what exactly to think any more of the woman who had killed her parents. Maybe she could at least try to follow the advice the old man gave her. 

            "Look... I understand it is not easy for you," Liiri started. "But you need to. For your good." Liiri finished, genuinely wanting Jess to at least try to let all of this go and move on. If she can’t let all of this go, then how is she supposed to continue to fight for those they lost? 

            "I'm... sorry Liiri... I know I was a jerk," Jessica sighed.

            “Yes, I’ll admit you were a little, too far. But at least you were able to recognize your mistake. You should apologize to Aeon. That’d be a good start.” Liiri advised her. 

            "Yeah, you are right," Jessica said as she held the journal tight to her chest and walked out of the room. She soon found Aeon, sitting on the couch watching the screen.

            "Aeon... What are you doing?" asked Jessica trying to sound curious.

            "Jess... Well, just trying to, in your words, take my mind off the situation we are in," said Aeon.

            Jessica looked at her. "How?" Jessica asked, as Aron looks into the photos of her birth and sees how Olympia introduces Aeon to Barbara and Jessica. 

            "I'm sorry," Jessica sighed.

            "For what?" Aeon asked her, while not genuinely confused. She knew very well what Jess was apologizing for. 

            "For making fun of your mom and blaming her for my troubles. I held this anger and rage for most of my life. I just didn't realize how your mother’s life was complicated." Jessica spoke further, bowing her head down in shame. 

            "She is not completely innocent in this so... You have the right to be angry at her," Aeon said.

            “I kinda still am… somehow,” Jessica sighed as she looked out the window.

            "It's not going to be easy," Aeon said in a more serious tone than what she normally uses. 

            "Hey, we've been through worse!" Jessica exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

            "Have we?" asked Aeon, raising a skeptical brow at her sister. 

            "Hawkmoth,” Jessica said bluntly. 

            "That wasn't that bad, compared to what we are dealing with now." Aeon pointed out. 

            "Debatable,” Jessica said, shrugging her shoulders. "Come on let's start looking for some help!”

            "Wait... How?" asked Aeon.  

            "It's time for... reinforcements," Jessica said, glancing down at the Eagle Miraculous. 

            "Wait... We are building a team?" asked Aeon, still not getting it.

            A picture of young Jessica and two teens older than her caught Jessica’s eye, but she shrugged it off. "Yes," Jessica said. "We need to look for the guardian first.” Abruptly, an explosion was heard.

Thanks for reading!

This story will be updated sporadically. So do be patient.

Feel free to comment on your thoughts and theories.

If you wanna chat about my fics, have any suggestions or requests or stuff. Feel free to find me on Discord Tenudakin12345#7702

Chapter Text

   The  A loud explosion sounded through the night, lighting up the area as a group walked out of the bank, carrying bags of money.

    "Oh we are gonna be rich!" one of them, seemingly younger said.

   "Pipe down!" another man said. "We should get moving."

    Jessica and Aeon saw the robbery and they prepared for action.

   “Come on let’s do this!” Jessica shouted.

   "Wait!" Uncanny Valley hushed. "Let me check." The android scanned the area.

   "What do you see U.V?" Jessica asks as Aeon stops scanning.

    "Armed... We need to be careful... Wait... those weapons..." Aeon trailed off, noticing that these men were all fully armed.

     Jessica took a closer look and sees that the robbers got their hands on some riffles “Okay, time to test out that magnet feature your mom gave you.”

    "Hmm... Let's see," Aeon raised her hands.

   "Ready?" asked Eagle. "Now."

   Eagle swooped in and said, "Hey put that money back or get ready to face pain!"

  "Huh... Oh, it's the girl," One of the men chuckled. "What are you gonna do huh?" asked another man. "shit on us?"

    "Kill her," a man said as he raised his rifle.

   Then all of a sudden their rifles were pulled out of their grasps and flew away.

  "What the..." one of the men shuddered.

   "Who cares? GET HER!" the leader commanded angrily.

   Then Eagle uses her bull roar and subdues the two men trying to hurt U.V. She swung the roped weapon and hit the leaders head.

    “It’s over.” Eagle said coolly.

   The men rushed towards Eagle. Who jumped over them easily and kicked one down before landing on another. She swept her feet across the ground knocking down another. Meanwhile, two guards rushed towards UV, she stunned them, knocking one out.

   Suddenly a brute grabbed Eagle from behind. U.V. notices this, and in a quick second, she swooped in and pushes the man grabbing Eagle. The man knocked U.V. back, sending her crashing backward.

   "Let me go!" Eagle struggled. "This is insane!"

   "So, Eagle is it?" asked the leader smirking before slapping the girl across the face. U.V. saw this and punched the guy in the face. "Let go of her!"

  The brute grabbed Eagle into a tight grasp as Aeon raised her hand, ready to stun the brute, she fired a blast but the brute didn’t seem to be affected. Jessica was beginning to choke.

   Then the brute lets go of Eagle and the man fell to the ground "Ugh, I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir had it tougher than us" Eagle muttered, cringing at the thought of Ladybug and Chat going through something worse than this.

   "Mmmm, no they don't." Aeon bluntly said.

    "Gah..." Eagle panted.

   "Freeze!” the leader now pointed a gun at Uncanny Valley, holding her in place.

   “That’s it!  Liberation!" Eagle cried. 

    The feather sunk into the man. Eagle’s head was soon filled with his thoughts, the thoughts that were holding him back. "I’m not a murderer... I need the money... Why can’t they leave us alone... What do they know of anything? They have everything and we have nothing..." voices filled Jessica's head.

    Seeing a moment of opportunity, Aeon quickly unleashed pair of handcuffs and subdued the man, who was still being controlled by Jessica, who was trembling as she struggled to control her powers. Once seeing the man subdued, Jessica let's go, dropping onto the ground, panting heavily as her talon began to flash.

     "Eagle... Are you alright?" asked Aeon as sirens began to blare, getting closer towards them along with sounds of police cars coming.

    "Yeah, I’m fine. How about you Aeon?" Eagle asked, slowly getting up.

    "100% operational!” Uncanny Valley said as a van stopped alongside the police cars.

   "Oh boy," Eagle muttered as her talon flashed, with her not noticing it.

   "Come on we have to get out of here..." Jessica said, before the press shows up.

    "Eagle, what can you tell us of today's events?” A reporter asked.

    "It is nothing, just a gang of robbers.” Uncanny Valley had explained, as Eagle felt her vision going blurry.

    "Yes, we have apprehended the robber and now we need to take our leave." Eagle said, before suddenly, another voice spoke up.

    "What is your comment on the recent attacks?" asked another newscaster.

   "Sorry, we are in a bit of a hurry.." Eagle said. Even if when deep down she was not taking it well.

   Aeon knew that something was really wrong with Jessica. She immediately grabbed her tight and flew up into the air, leaving the scene quickly.

  "Eagle... Are you okay?" asked Aeon.

    "I’m fine U.V. really... just need to...rest," Jessica groaned.

   "These attacks are becoming more frequent," Aeon said, ever stating the obvious.

   "Get back home first, don't get... seen," Jessica moaned.

   "Oh, I forgot!” Uncanny gasped, as she carries Eagle back to the apartment.

   They landed in a secluded area before making their way to the apartment, then transforming back. Once she transformed back, Jessica collapsed clutching her head.

    "I'll get you some water," Aeon went to the kitchen to do so.

   "Yeah, thanks. Liiri... here.” Jessica said, feeding her kwami some crackers.

    "Jess... are you okay?" asked Liiri, worried for her holder.

    "What-- What am I feeling...? This... pain... urgh!”

     "You have yet to completely master the power of Liberation, sometimes diving into other's mind can be... Overwhelming," Liiri explained, as Jessica rubbed her temples.

    "Uhhh it was like reading an entire library," Jessica pointed out, glancing at her kwami.

   "Yeah, something like that... Are you sure you're okay?" asked Liiri.

  "Why didn't something like this happen the first time I used the miraculous?" asked Jessica.

    "You were releasing them from control, you weren't diving into their minds. Remember Flame?" asked Liiri. "You have yet completely control the power of the miraculous yet!”

  "This is going to get a lot of used to," Jessica sighed, leaning back against the couch cushion.

  "Don't worry, with more practice, I'm sure you can handle it," said Liiri.

     "I do hope so," Jessica sighed when Aeon came back with them a glass of water.

    "Here, I hope this helps." Aeon said, handing her the glass before sitting next to her on the couch.

    "Thanks... Ahhh," Jessica groaned as her hand shook a bit. "Is this... like this for your previous owners?"

    “You wouldn’t believe how things were back then,” Liiri says as she rubs Jessica's hair comfortingly.

    "Ahhh!" Jessica groaned.

   "Just... stay calm..." Liiri advised her.

    "Jess, are you alright?" asked Aeon, suddenly feeling worry cloud her mind.

    "Can't...stop...thinking" Jessica muttered, grasping her head.

   "Jess... just sleep.. we still have school tomorrow," Aeon said.

    "Ahhh school," Jessica groaned.

   "David will be there~!" Aeon teased her, knowing that Jessica’s crush on David would do the trick. Well… at least she hoped it did.

   "Still... urgh... not sure," Jessica said.

   "Don't worry, get some rest, I will patrol tonight," Aeon said.

    "No Aeon, stay... please there are other heroes outside of the area I'm sure they can handle the patrol," Jessica murmured.

    "We aren't even sure if there are," Aeon replied as Jessica fell asleep before her.

    It was morning. The skies were still dark, as the sun was about to rise. Jessica laid sprawled over her bed, still sleeping when her phone's alarm began to ring.

    Jessica’s eyes shot open, looking over her shoulder at her phone which was still ringing as if to say “wake up Jessica!”. She groaned, sitting up and pressing the “snooze” button.

     Jessica yawned, stretching her arms out as she turned around and sat at the edge of the bed. “Good morning Mom-“ She froze. “Oh...  right. You aren’t here.” She muttered, before standing up from the bed and going to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast.

    Liiri was already awake, sitting on top of her pillow before deciding to follow her.

"Jess, are you alright?" asked Liiri, worried.

    “Yeah, Liiri, I’m fine. I just..forgot that my mom wasn’t here anymore.” Jessica said, looking down at her feet. “I’m so used to saying “good morning” to her, that...I accidentally said it when..she isn’t here anymore.”

   "Don't talk about it like that. I'm sure she is out there somewhere, don't say as if she is..." Liiri was about to say something but decided to stop.

   “...Dead?” Jessica finished, even if she felt a strong pang in her chest when she said that word. It hurts when someone says that word about someone who may not be..away from the world, but it still hurts thinking your mother may not return from wherever she may be soon.

   "No, don't think about it like that, Jess. " Liiri said, realizing that she shouldn't have said something like that. Jessica was clearly still feeling down after everything that happened. She shouldn't even have brought it up.

   “I know not to, Liiri, but..it still hurts nonetheless,” Jessica said, clutching her Eagle talon necklace in her hand.

  “The things I said to my mom...Olympia..they were really hurtful and I shouldn’t have said them. And...something I even think I’m not as worthy of the Eagle Miraculous as Ladybug thought I was. She trusted me with it, and here I am, not making so much progress.”

   "Hey, we've talked about this before alright? You're still new to this. It takes time, you shouldn't rush yourself, " Liiri reminded. "Don't think badly about yourself, you need to believe, that you can achieve something, it will help you, Jess, it really will," Liiri said as Jessica looks at the stove blankly.

   “Why should I think something that’s not true at all? I can’t just achieve anything by thinking about it - I have to actually do it. And...I failed in doing it. Because of me, the entirety of the United Heroez are gone, they are god knows where, and there is no one left to defend New York from Kronos but me and Aeon. .” Jessica said, slamming her fist on the counter in frustration.

    "I..." Liiri was at a loss for words. She knew that Jessica was right on some points. She also knew that a girl like Jessica shouldn't have this kind of stress and pressure at such a young age. "What happened to them, is not your fault, Jess, you can't blame yourself for that."

   Jessica dryly chuckled. “I already am, aren’t I?” She asked her kwami. “Let’s face it. Kronos is times more powerful than two heroes! We. Can’t. Beat. Him, Liiri!”

   "We rally our team, Jess, like what you said," Liiri reminded.

    Jessica groaned in frustration. “Yeah, but doing that takes a lot of work. I don’t know if the Guardian will approve of it, Liiri! He probably won’t think it’s a good idea.”

  "Well, you still have to find him and ask him first," Liiri suggested right as Aeon walked into the room.

  Jessica plastered a fake smile on her face. “Hey, Aeon. Good morning.”

  “Yeah but he’s hard to track down,” Jessica whispered to Liiri.

  "Good morning Jess. Are you ready for a new day at school?" asked Aeon.

   "Well, he did say he will be watching you, so chances that he will drop by," Liiri whispered back.

  “Yeah, I am. Ready for another day of keeping my identity a secret because that’s just..great.” Jessica said, saying the last word rather sarcastically. She turned back to Liiri shortly after.

  “Wow, stalker much of him? Where would he even drop by?” She whispered back to Liiri.

  "Well, he is the guardian. So probably anywhere," Liiri whispered back.

    "Are you talking to Liiri?" asked Aeon.

  “Yeah, Liiri’s here. It’s too bad you can’t see how cute she is.” Jessica said, petting Liiri on the head.

     “Yeah, but does he have a specific place where he watches me-“ She was interrupted when she heard an alert on her phone signaling that school starts in minutes. “Oh, crap...Aeon let’s go! School starts in 20 minutes!”

   "That was what I was about to tell you," Aeon said.

   "Well, just tell me next time, would ya. Crap..." Jessica quickly grabbed some bread from the table and began eating as she rushed towards her room to change and grab her stuff.

   Jessica then began to make a sprint for the doors. With Aeon following close behind her, as they both had rushed off to school.

   “Ugh! We’re not gonna make it in time!” Jessica groaned

    "Well, we have to explain to the teachers then," Aeon said.

     "Wait," Jessica looked at Liiri who just caught up to them as she was about to open the door.

    “Liiri, what do you say about catching a shortcut?” Jessica asked, smirking at her kwami.

   "Don't make this a thing," Liiri sighed nodding.

    “I’m only doing this for one time, don’t worry. We really need to get there in time.” Jessica said, patting Liiri’s head.

    “Liiri, wings of liberty!”

    "Aeon, you probably need to transform too... oh you're already transformed," Jessica said as she looked at Aeon, already in her Uncanny Valley form.

    "Let's go," Aeon said.

   Jessica, now Eagle, nodded. Pulling out her weapon and throwing it at one of the buildings, jumping up and running across the rooftops to where their school was.

   Aeon, now Uncanny Valley flew after her, while at the same time making sure she doesn't fall on accident.

   “Okay, we have 20 minutes! Plenty of time to get there.” Eagle said, continuing to run. “I just hope Emily doesn’t take another embarrassing photo of me.”

   "Well, speaking of Emily, there she is," Uncanny Valley said as they were close to their school.

   "Oh great," Eagle sighed as they jumped onto the roof of the school building before swinging down into a secluded alley.

   She then let her transformation fall. “Liiri, wings down.” And with that, Liiri flew out of her miraculous.

   Jessica turns around to see Aeon transformed back as well.

  "Oh nice, 15 more minutes," Jessica said looking at her phone.

   “That’s more than enough time to get to class. C’mon Aeon! Let’s go meet up with the others.” Jessica said, grabbing Aeon’s hand and dragging her align into the building.

  As Jessica and Aeon rushed down the hallways they soon saw Emily walking into class. She was on her phone as usual. They entered right after Emily, who had heard them, and turned around.

   "Oh, hey Em," Jessica said, panting.

   “Hey Jess, Aeon. Good to see you made it on time.” She said teasingly. She put her phone in her pocket. “Have you seen the boys around?”

     "Wait, they aren't here yet?" asked Jessica curiously as she walked up beside Emily towards their usual seats.

    “Nope. Looks like they’re running late today.” Emily said, shrugging. “It happens to everyone sometimes, but... a little out of character for them.”

   "Yeah..." Jessica said as she slumped down on her chair, panting a bit.

  “Did you run a marathon or something?” Emily asked, raising an eyebrow at Jessica. “You’re really out of breath. Which is… unusual.”

   "Yeah, well, I... well... nothing, just ran a bit just now," Jessica stuttered as she attempted to find a suitable reason while Aeon just looks at her.

   Emily looked suspicious of Jessica for a second, before letting it go. “Okayyy..anyway - did you guys study for the test in chem today?”

   "Wait what!?" Jessica nearly jumped "There is a test today!?"

   “...Yeah? You didn’t know?” Emily asked. “Never mind. Stupid question. Of course, you didn’t know or else you wouldn’t be asking!”

   "Oh gosh," Jessica facepalmed herself in frustration. How could she forget? Or rather, how could she not forget, with all the things that happened, she was bound to mess up school at some point.

  Emily chuckled. “Don’t worry, chem is the sixth period. I can get you up to speed during lunch. Though, I’m sure Aeon would help too.”

  "Ohh thank you Em, you're such a lifesaver," Jessica sighed in relief.

  "Yeah, I will," Aeon said brightly, looking at the two.

   “Thanks, Aeon, you’re a lifesaver too.” Jessica smiled at them both. “Now let’s just get in our seats before the teacher gets here..you know how he is if we aren’t seated by the time he comes in.” She said, shivering at the thought.

  "Yeah, you probably right... Oh, there is one of the boys," Emily said looking at Aaron, who has just walked into the classroom.  "Sup dude, you're later than usual. Where is David anyway?"

   “I think he’s getting some sort of breakfast shake from the cafe,” Aaron said, shrugging his shoulders.

  "Interesting, he's usually earlier than the rest of us," Emily said.

   “Eh, it happens to all of us. Hey Jess! Do you have any notes I can borrow from yesterday? I kinda forgot mine at home.” He said, scratching the back of his neck.

   "Yeah sure, what notes?" asked Jessica as she rummaged her bag.

  “About some guy named Lafayette something… I forgot his name,” Aaron said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I need a bigger brain.”

 "Yeah sure, as if your head isn't big enough," Emily joked.

   "Oh shit," Jessica muttered as she realized that her notes weren't in her bag.

  “Hey uh...Aeon? Can you see if you can copy and scan my notes from your memory?” Jessica whispered to Aeon so that the others couldn’t hear her.

  "Don't tell me you forgot your notes, Jess," Aeon whispered back.

   Jessica nervously chuckled. “Would you be surprised If I said I did?”

  "Don't make this a thing," Aeon sighed shaking her head.

  "Yo, Jess?" Aaron asked as he sat down on her seat at the back of her. "Your notes?"

  “Yeah, in a sec. I think they may be somewhere else in my bag. Aeon, can you help me look?” Jessica said, clearly using this as a ploy to give Aeon some time to print out Jessica’s notes.

   "Sure Jess," said Aeon.

  "Seriously, Jess. What's up with you today?" asked Emily as David walked into the classroom.

   “Well, well, look who decided to finally show up,” Emily said, looking at David with a stern look. But they all knew she was saying that jokingly.

  "Hey, just went to get breakfast," David shrugged as he sat down on the seat beside Aaron, while Jessica and Aeon were busy. 'Hey, Jess."

   Jessica was barely paying attention, but she still stopped to say hi. “Hey David, sorry, me and Aeon are trying to find my notes.”

  "Here it is," Aeon said, pretending to take it out of Jessica's bag. "Here you go, Aaron."

  Aaron gently grabbed it from her hands. “Thanks! I’ll give them back after class. Jess, you lifesaver!”

   "Sure," Jessica said in relief. "Thanks," Jessica whispered to Aeon as the bell rang.

  The students all sat in their seats as their first-period teacher entered the room shortly after the bell rang for the first class of the day.

 “Good morning, class. I hope you all had a good night’s rest because today is a big day.” The teacher said.

  "What day is it now?" Jessica whispered to Aeon rubbing her temples.

   “Today, you will be taking a quiz on chapters - in your textbooks. Do not talk during the quiz or you will get detention. Overall, good luck and TAKE YOUR TIME.” The teacher said while the class groaned.

  "Don't tell me you forgot about this too," Aeon whispered before taking the paper.

   Jessica groaned as she laid face down on the table, mentally scolding herself how she forgot so many things in one day. Her day was already off to a terrible start.

           
  The students were out of class (finally) and were now free for lunch break. Jessica, Aeon, David, Emily, and Aaron all stood outside in the courtyard.

  “Okay, we need to figure out where to go,” Jessica said. “And NO CHINESE FOOD!”

  "Chill, girl~" Emily chuckled. "The usual?" asked Emily.

   Jessica sighed. “Yeah, the usual. I’m getting a milkshake too because I need SUGAR.”

  "You do look tired Jess," David pointed out as he and Aaron walked up to the girls.

   “Yeah, I just didn’t get much sleep last night,” Jessica said to him and the others.

   “I was up most of the night caught up in reading some book I found in my room. Nothing really important though, I would’ve told you guys if it was serious.”

   "Yeah, you better," Emily said. "I could tell that you forgot a lot of stuff today. You forgot chem test, history test, you forgot another couple notes," Emily counted off her fingers.

   “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m just... kind of out of it because I didn’t get my morning caffeine.” Jessica said, remembering she rushed out the door and didn’t have time to get any coffee.

   "You sure you're alright? You aren't usually this messed up," Emily asked. "Aeon, you live with her, how is she living?"

   “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just... honestly tired right now.” Jessica said, sighing. “No big deal though. I’ll probably feel better later.”

   "Still, Aeon. How is she doing at home?" asked Emily curiously as the group walked towards their usual place.

    “She is 98% okay! Which is good, but not 100% since she is tired.” Aeon said, activating her statistics mode.

   "And there she goes with the statistics again, but that is good," Emily chuckled.

   “It would be out of character for Aeon to not have statistics,” David said, smirking light-heartedly.

   "Same, as weird as she is. No offense," Aaron added.

   Aeon shrugged. “None taken.”

   "Ah, finally here, " Jessica groaned as they approached the cafe.  "Oh, shit.. chem test... urghhh.”

   “I am going to die in hell and no one will save me,” Jessica said to the table they were at, as she buried her face in her arms.

   "Hey girl, chill. You brought your books?" asked Emily concerned as she passed the order slip to Aaron.

  Jessica grumbled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I forgot them too.”

 "You didn't right?" Emily asked as Jessica looked through her bag.

  "Amazing... why am I not surprised," Jessica plopped on the table.

   “Of course I fucking forgot them!” Jessica screamed in frustration.

  The group of friends just looked at her, then at each other. "Aeon? Are you sure she is alright?" asked David concerned.

   “...Fine, I was lying earlier. Jess is 67% alright.” Aeon said, sighing as she shared the real statistics.

   “AEON!” Jessica yelled at the AI as she revealed the truth… which was supposed to be not revealed. But Aeon wasn’t programmed to lie for that long.

   "Jess, look, we are your friends, you can tell us what is going on you know that right?" David asked concerned as the others nodded.

   “I’m fine! FINE! Just fine. So if you guys would just shut up and let it go, that would be great. THANKS!” Jessica screamed at them.

  "Jess... calm down... you're in a bad mood, I get it," Emily said, looking surprised. She has never seen her friend so walked up in all the years she has known her.

  “Oh, I am more than just in a bad mood. I am FURIOUS. I wake up to first find out my mom is dead, second, I find a journal written by my other caretaker, third I found out that I am just so fucking stressed and I. Can’t. Do. Anything. About. It! All of it IS A MESS! And I doubt any of you could ever be able to lend a hand.” Jessica ranted, not paying attention to anyone as she just blindly vented and didn’t see some sort of object approach the school.

  "Wait wait wait wait... your mom is dead!?" David asked.

  "Jess!? What!?" Emily stood up surprised.

   "Oh fuck," Jessica muttered right as the ground shook violently.

   “Uh..guys? Do you see..that? Approaching the school?” Jessica asked, pointing to what she was seeing.

   "Why does something fucking happen when we come here," Aaron muttered.

   "It's... a... I don't even know - what is that?" Emily stammered as the group turned. It wasn't just them who realized what happened. The crowd of people in the cafe began to realize what was going on.

   “We… should go hide somewhere. I’m sure the heroes would take care of it anytime now.” Jessica said when really, she was making up an excuse to go transform.

   "Wait... maybe... he or she or it whatever, maybe a new hero?" Emily suggested.

   "Are you kidding me Em?" Jessica said loudly, almost shouting. "We gotta hide now!"

  Right at this moment, the behemoth raised its hands and slammed down on the ground, causing the ground the shake violently.

   Jessica was able to hide in one of the storage rooms. Opening up her bag to let Liiri out. “Liiri, we got a huge problem. ..And I mean huge.” She said, feeling the ground shake more and more as the mystery enemy of sorts approached their area.

  "You shouldn't have yelled at them you know?" asked Liiri. "We will talk about this later."

   “I know I shouldn’t have… it’s just... too much stress right now, Liiri. But I’ll apologize to them later. Liiri, wings of liberty!” Jessica said, as she transformed into Eagle and headed out the back so that her friends wouldn’t suspect anything.

   It was chaos outside, people were running while the behemoth was walking down the street, roaring as it smashed some cars.

   "U.V. Where are you at?" asked Eagle as she looks around for her friends, she spotted them running down the streets away from the monster.

   “Good. They’re getting away.” Eagle murmured, as she threw her weapon at the monster hoping to grapple to it. But to no avail...

   “Uncanny Valley, if you can hear me, I can REALLY use the help!” Eagle yelled as she continued to try to fight the villain of the day. But it was so strong, she effortlessly got tossed aside.

   A roar sounded as Eagle tried to land a few hits. But as she got close, the monster suddenly turned around and grabbed her by her hand, and swung her down the road full force.

   Eagle screamed as she was thrown, trying to regain her footing as quickly as possible. But she failed to do so, as she crashed onto a roof.

   "Urghh... U.V.? Where on earth are you?" groaned Eagle as she got up.

  "On my way, I was saving some civilians just now," Uncanny Valley said over the comms.

  “Okay, so this guy is obviously really strong or else we wouldn’t be thrown around like rag dolls like I was just now. No weapons. No backup lackeys. He’s on his own.” Eagle observed, as she dodged an incoming attack.

   "The creature is not on my database," Uncanny Valley said as she flew around in the skies watching the scene, making sure the civillians are out of harms way.

The behemoth roared once more before picking up a car, glaring at Eagle.

  "Eagle, it is looking at you," Uncanny Valley notified.

  “Is it after me specifically?” Eagle asked, as she and Uncanny dodged more attacks.

  "I don't know," Uncanny said right as the monster picked up the car, ready to throw it at Eagle.

  “WATCH OUT!” Eagle yelled as she got out of the way before it could hit her.

  The car landed, crashing onto the roof of the car she was on as Eagle rolled onto the road. Civilians were panicking even more now as the behemoth marched towards Eagle.

 "U.V.! Why does it looks like it is attacking me specifically now?" asked Eagle.

  “Because it is, Eagle! I think it may be after you, not us!” Uncanny yelled back to her.

   "Oh... god..." Eagle muttered before dodging another flying car. "Someone is going to get hurt!"

   Meanwhile, Emily, Aaron and David were running before they realized the absence of two of their friends.

  “Guys! Where are Jess and Aeon?!” Emily screamed, panic present in her voice as the ground grumbled more. The monster was in their line of sight now, and was getting closer. Civilians were all in a panic as they ran for their lives.

   “I wish the Guardian was here when we need him!” Eagle tried to land a hit, but her leg was caught, and she was thrown away once again.

  "I'm going back to look for them," David yelled.

  "Are you crazy?" asked Aaron.

   "I'm coming," Emily said.

   Eagle screamed as she flew through the air, now crashing against the wall, falling down as debris collaspe around her. "How the hell am I alive right now," Jessica groaned in pain.

   “Jessica.” A voice said from behind her.

   Jessica turned around swiftly to find the Guardian standing there. Her eyes widened.

   “Guardian! Oh thank god, I thought I was gonna die if you didn’t show up!” Jessica exclaimed, as he helped her out of the debris.

    "What should I do?" asked Eagle frantically as the monster now seemed more agigated at the appearance of the man appearance.

  “You must stay calm, Eagle. You cannot fight without a clear head.” The Guardian said to her. “One of your weaknesses is impatience. You have to embrace it, and control it to win the battle. If you don’t, then all of us are doomed.”

  "Calm? Oh you got to be kidding me," Eagle groaned as the behemoth roared again.

   "Eagle?" Uncanny said over the comms. "He is coming your way, again!"

   "Jess! Aeon!" Emily called as the trio made their way through the crowds.

   “Remember Clear your head, and then come up with a plan.” The Guardian advised her.

   Eagle closed her eyes. But all she could think off was chaos, troubles, the situation, the dire situation she was in. There was no way to clear her head as all the memories came back to her. The behemoth roared and threw another car right at them.

    "Eagle!" U.V. shouted.

   Eagle’s eyes shot open as she saw the car coming. “GRAHHH!” She screamed in frustration, wrapping her weapon around the car. She was able to cut through it and into pieces. Eagle felt her anger rise inside of her more and more as she charged at the monster aimlessly.

   "Eagle!" the Guardian shouted but she was already attacking. He sighed as he hid in the now empty building taking out the miraculous box he has, looking at it.

   "Jess! Aeon!" David shouted as they looked through the crowd, coming through an opening as they got closer towards where the behemoth is.

  "Oh god, he is ugly," Aaron muttered.

   The Guardian looked at all the available miraculouses. -the wolf, the bear, and the thunderbird. He looked back at the three friends of his apprentice. They would be the perfect holders.

  "Not in this condition," the Guardian muttered as his hand move towards the Thunderbird before retracting, he changed to grab one of the miraculous on the side, underneath it a symbol of a pair of wings, the Falcon Miraculous.

   "Eagle! What are you doing?" asked Uncanny Valley as she brought civillians to safety before turning around, seeing their friends running towards the danger as Eagle and the behemoth fought on the streets, debris fell around them as they knocked into lamps, and stalls. The andriod was about to fly towards them before being knocked back by the behemoth.

   “What the hell was that?!” Eagle screamed, as she witnessed something new happen since the past few minutes she’s been fighting this thing.

   “What... is that thing holding the monster back?!” Eagle asked Uncanny, as the behemoth engaged in its fight with the monster… android… whatever it was.

   Something soared through the skies and held the behemoth back. The monster was angered even more at this point, letting out a loud roar, as the ground shook.

   "U.V., U.V? Do you read?" asked Eagle frantically when she realized that the android wasn't responding, looking around. Then, she looked up at the monster roaring as it fought someone.

   "The guardian?" Jessica thought to herself.

  "Is that a new hero?" asked Aaron as they stood close to the battle scene.

   ‘Why is the Guardian wearing a miraculous?’ Eagle thought, as she dodged another attack. ‘And what is that miraculous? I’ve never seen it before.’

    Then, Eagle saw them, her group of friends getting to close to the danger. Suddenly, the behemoth stomped, and the ground shook. Eagle watched as the cracks on the ground formed and the roof where her friends were under was about to fall.

   “NO!” Eagle screamed, launching to where her friends were and wrapping her weapon’s string around all of them, pulling them safely out of harm’s way.

   All except of one. A loud yell of pain came as the roof collapsed. David's feet got caught underneath the debris while Emily and Aaron fell onto the ground, scratched, but safe.

   "Bro! Are you?" Aaron asked frantically.

    "I'm fine I'm fine just get me out of here!" David groaned in pain.

    Right at this moment, when the monster grabbed ahold of the guardian and slammed him onto the ground. Before letting out one final roar, wings sprouted from behind it before it flew up into the skies disappearing from view, leaving destruction and injuries in it's wake.

   “Guardian!” Eagle screamed, running over to him and helping him up. “I’m so sorry..this is all my fault… THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!” She exclaimed, feeling tears leak out of her eyes.

   "Hold on, bro," Aaron said frantically as he tried to lift the debris off David's feet, but failed. "Help! Someone Help!"

   Eagle then turned around, still conflicted with everything that just happened. Not just to see the people she care about hurt, added more pain to the lost. She ran towards them lifting the debris easily, helping David up.

  "Urghh...," David groaned. "Has anyone seen Jess or Aeon?"

  “I got them to safety earlier. Maybe they both ran to the other side of the city to avoid..all of this.” Eagle said, before turning around to see the entire area demolished.

  She took in a deep breath. “Oh man…” she murmured. “This is too much damage for any of us to fix, and it’ll take months for repairs.”

 "Eagle!" David groaned. "Thank you." Eagle just looked at her group of friends, the fact that they came back to look for her and Aeon, and got hurt because of her, was touching.

           
   The sounds of siren soon came closer, which reminded her off someone else, "U.V.! U.V.! Where are you," Eagle asked frantically but still no response. Then she saw the android, laying in a pile of debris.

  Eagle’s eyes widened. “UV!” She yelled, sprinting over to where Uncanny Valley was and unloading the debris from her.

   “U.V.” Eagle whispered.

   Uncanny Valley looked… horrible. She looked like as if she were actually human and lifeless to a fault. Eagle blinked back her tears, hurting by the thought of losing Aeon too.

   "No no no!" Eagle stammered as sirens blared, ambulances and police cars were getting closer.

   The guardian looked at them and walked towards them. "Eagle, we have to go."

   “SHUT UP!” Eagle snapped. “I have to save her! She needs help! I have to… I have to… I HAVE TO SAVE HER! Before… before it’s too late...” Eagle whispered the last part.

   "You can save her by bringing her back home," the Guardian pointed out.

   "Well, I can't fly!" Eagle shouted as she was panicking inside. “I can’t fucking walk either. Or else it would definitely be too late then!” Eagle said, waving her hands around frantically. “And the city still needs to be repaired and..so many people were hurt. Some were even killed. And it’s all my fault.” Eagle said, finally letting her tears fall. She sniffled. “Honestly, where’s Ladybug when you need her?”

   "Give her to me," the Guardian said. "I can take her back," the Guardian said. "Quickly, let me take her."

   Eagle hesitantly nodded, giving him Uncanny Valley and stepping back. Not really knowing what he’ll do next.

  The guardian picked the android up carefully. Eagle watched as his wings spreaded and he took flight into the skies. Right as he left, van stopped as reporters poured out of the vans.

  "Not now," Eagle thought to herself frowning. She has too much to deal with already. Too much.

  Eagle jumped onto one of the higher buildings and sat down on the edge, perched on it as she stared down at the heavily damaged city she swore to protect.

  She watched as ambulances and paramedics rushed to help people as policemen and women examined the scene. It was all her fault, the destruction, the injuries, and presumably, the deaths.

   Eagle sighed. “Great. Now everything is damaged, and Aeon is down, which means it’s just me and the Guardian. And he’s probably super pissed off at me for snapping earlier. My friends are all worried for me, they don’t know I’m even a fucking superhero, and now I’m all alone once again! Yeah, this is fine, TOTALLY FINE.” Eagle vented.

   Eagle then thought about her friends, who risked their lives just to find her, and even got themselves hurt. Jessica sighed as she stood up and walked away from the scene. She had no intention to return to school, she needed to return home first, to see if Aeon was alright.

   Jessica took the shorter route home, which was also a shortcut. She did this to avoid her friends, because she was honestly too ashamed of herself to face them right now.

    Jessica sighed as she opened the door to find Aeon on the couch and the Guardian sitting in one of the other chairs in the living room.

   “Hey..” She said softly, closing the door behind her.

  She looked at Aeon, she was awake, but some of her hardware was definitely damaged from the fight as the Guardian looked at Eagle.

   "Liiri, wings fall," Jessica sighed as she lets her transformation drop.

   “I’m sorry about earlier… I acted out of turn and… I nearly got all of us killed because of it.” She hugged herself tightly. “It’s just...too much to handle. I am so stressed, tired...I-I wish I could just rest without having to know that the world could end any day now and there’s no one else to defend this city but us since Aeon is out of commission! There’s no one else we can turn to for help…we’re alone! We always will be..”

  The guardian just looked at her as Jessica stood there. "Where are the others?" asked the Guardian.

  Jessica looked at him, confused. “...What?”

    "I thought there was a team protecting the city?" asked the Guardian.

   “They’re all gone… nowhere to be seen. When me and Aeon got to the HQ, it was burned down. No hero or heroine in sight. Everything was gone.” Jessica explained, sitting down on the edge of the couch so that Aeon had more space.

  "Wait... so they are..." the Guardian said, not wanting to say the last word.

   “Well… I think they are… yes.” Jessica said. “It’s been just me and Aeon left to fend for ourselves and the city the past few days now. And now, just me," sighed Jessica, tears filling her eyes.

  "I'm still operational, Jessica," Aeon said, her voice crackling a bit.

   “Aeon, you’re battered up and in no condition to fight!” Jessica pointed out. “That debris hit you harder than you think… you’re lucky the Guardian was able to do something or else... or else I would’ve lost you for good.” Jessica said, looking down at her feet.

   "It's not your fault," Aeon said.

   “Yes! it IS!” Jessica snapped. “I let my emotions get the better of me! You saw me back there - I was reckless and angry and… I wanted to kill that thing! So that no one would get hurt and that we both could just be able to breathe knowing that there was maybe still hope out there. But I was so naive.” She dryly chuckled. “There’s no hope left. Not even the slightest. And everything is going to crumble at our feet… just watch Aeon! This entire city is going to FALL and guess whose fault it’s gonna be?! Mine!”

    "Jess-" Aeon wanted to say but her voice crackled.

   "Stop! Don't! Leave me alone! Liiri! Wings of Liberty!" Jessica shouted, and in a flash of bright light, the girl was gone once more.

Chapter Text

     Eagle sat on the edge of another higher building she had picked. Unable to even think one thing clearly before letting so many mixed emotions enter her head - anger, sadness, fear... panic. It was all there. She couldn’t steer clear of her feelings because her feelings were unreadable to even herself. She was truly alone, trapped in her own world with no one to turn to. No one to talk to. No one who truly understands her.

    She finally understood what Olympia felt , or wanna of those heroes. Being a protector isn't all that easy, it wasn't something one could control at all. And the realization of that hurt her even more, realizing that she hated Olympia, all these years, for something that she shouldn't have. Then, a flash of light appeared behind her.

   "Tikki, Kaalki Divide."

   “Eagle? What are you doing up here?” The voice asked her, slowly approaching where she sat.

    "Huh? Who... Ladybug?" asked Eagle surprised. 'W- What are you doing here?”

    “I... heard about what happened on the news. Came to check it out for myself.” Ladybug surveyed the city. “Part of me regrets it, part of me... is happy I came here anyway.”

   "What... were you thinking... when you let me keep the miraculous... What were you thinking? Please, be honest with me, Ladybug," asked Eagle desperately.

   “Oh no, you’re having the second thoughts.” Ladybug sighed, remembering when she was in the same place as Eagle when she first became Ladybug.

   “I think the real question here is what are YOU thinking, Eagle.” She said, sitting down next to the other girl on the edge. “I watched the broadcast... a friend showed it to me. You seemed really on edge.”

   “On the edge in an understatement," Eagle scoffed sarcastically. "My couldn't stop the monster, I let people get hurt, probably killed, and all the damage. And worse of all, my friends came looking for me, and got themselves hurt. And I couldn't help them... I couldn't stop it. I couldn't save everyone... I'm so useless... What were you thinking... when you asked me to keep it? Why!?" Eagle's voice was cracking with emotions as she sat on the edge of the building.

   Ladybug sighed. “You really wanna know what I was thinking?”

   “What does it look like!?" Eagle snapped. "Sorry... I'm just...”

   “It’s fine, you’re going through a lot right now. It’s understandable if you snap at me.” Ladybug said, leaning back on her palms.

   “When I trusted you with a miraculous, I didn’t see someone who was unfit for the role - I saw a girl who wanted to prove herself worthy of going off on her own... not the monster you currently seem to see yourself as. What made you fit for the Eagle Miraculous is that you possessed bravery, courage... the want to reach your full potential. And you did, when we were trying to get the adult heroes back. That’s what made you worthy of a miraculous in my eyes. And your mother seemed to agree.”

   “How? How do you balance it all?" asked Jessica.

   “The truth? I don’t do it alone. Sometimes you have to just leave it to someone else to carry the burden with you.” Ladybug said, shrugging. “Of course, you don’t have to. But really - is it easier to have someone help you or deal with it alone and suffer more than you already are in your own world of isolation?”

   “Well, at least you have the United Heroez," Ladybug said. Ladybug sensed Eagle’s lack of a positive reaction. She lacked a spark of hope that was once there.  She frowned. “... something happened, I can see it in your eyes.”

  “They are... gone...” Jessica sighed, tears leaking out of her eyes again.

   “Wait... gone as in missing or... gone as in...” before she could finish that sentence, she was Interrupted by seeing Eagle starting to break apart.

   “I don't know... I don't know... I found the base... in ruins! Burning! Gone!" Eagle couldn't hold it in anymore. "Someone attacked it... And I have nowhere to start! Just suspicious! Now... I might be the only one left... and I can't do anything right! I...” Eagle just broke down in front of the Parisian superheroine.

    Ladybug slowly pulled Eagle into a tight hug, letting her finally let her bottled up feelings out for the first time in... pretty much a long time. “Take your time...” Ladybug said to her softly.

   “The team... is gone... my mother is gone... me and U.V. are the only ones left... And even if some heroes survived that night, they didn't come... U.V. took a hit today... I'm literally the only one left standing...And see what good it did the city?" Eagle asked, her voice straining as tears ran down her cheeks.

   “Eagle, look, I get what it’s like to blame yourself for everything that happens to your city. Trust me, I’ve been there. But what you’re forgetting is that... you don’t really see anything from a realistic perspective - being a superhero isn’t easy, and there is so, so many burdens to carry, especially since the fate of everyone is in your hands. But... this?” She gestured to the wrecked city. “You’re in the middle of a war with some mysterious and extremely strong enemy. You’re going to take hits. You’re going to make mistakes. This is what you signed up for. But what matters is HOW you’re going to fix your mistakes, not WHEN. Every problem has a solution... you just don’t trust yourself enough, and refuse to find those solutions.”

    “I...” Eagle sniffed. "I don't know if I can do this... I really don't," Eagle said.

  "You don't have to do it alone," Ladybug said. "I'm sure there are a lot of people in the city willing to help."

   “There is always going to be someone out there who would be willing to make a sacrifice for you if it means that you will get yourself out of your isolation and grow from it.” Ladybug said, gently rubbing Eagle’s shoulder.

  Eagle just stayed in Ladybug's embrace for a while until she finally calmed down, wiping a drop of tear from her eyes as she sat back up.

   "Are you feeling better now?" asked Ladybug.

   Eagle nodded. “Yeah... I am. It’s just... so much. Too much.”

   “Trust me... I understand," Ladybug sighed. "Maybe what you face... is bigger than what I face."

  "But... could you reverse all the damage here, like you did before?" asked Eagle.

   Ladybug looked down. “I’m afraid I can’t.” She said, looking at Eagle sympathetically. “My Magic only works to reverse damage caused by a specific villain who was taken under the influence of Hawkmoth. When it comes to the enemies you face, it won’t work.”

   “So... there is no way to...” Eagle stuttered.

  “Fix all the damage caused by whatever the hell that thing was?” Ladybug finished, chuckling. “There is... but it will take time. If anything, time heals all wounds.”

   “I... was hoping that your powers could work on this... guess I shouldn't have got my hopes up," Eagle sighed.

  “It’s fine... it happens to all of us sometimes.” Ladybug shrugged. “Sometimes people just... hope or wish something would happen to help cope with whatever it is they’re going through. You are no exception.” Ladybug sighed.

  “False hopes and lies do nothing but hurt people, but sometimes... you just feel like that’s all you got. And you cling onto it, just... wishing that one day your hopes would be answered.”

   “I... see...” Eagle said, her hand on her other arm.

  “I can stay here for a while if you want. I’ve got time.” Ladybug smiled. “I know Chat would call me if there was something to deal with. But since he isn’t right now, I’ve got some time to spare.”

   “Well...I don't want to trouble you, plus, I know what I need to do now," Eagle said as she stood up.

  “Maybe you should take some more time alone to really gather your feelings. You still seem troubled by everything.” Ladybug said, gently sitting Eagle back down.

  “Remember time heals all wounds. Your wounds are far from mended.”

  Eagle just looked at Ladybug and nodded.

   Ladybug sighed. “Has the Guardian tried to help you through any of this? At least try to help recently?”

  “How did you know about...well, he is trying... I think," Jessica sighed.

  “So there is a Guardian.” She hummed. “Interesting. What has he done so far to help?”

   “Just came in to help me just now during the fight. Not like I listened to him... So... It is my fault," Eagle cringed at the memory.

  “Well, your reasons for that may be because you haven’t sorted out your feelings yet and let them control you more.” Ladybug observed. “Maybe he’s trying to help get a kick start on it.”

   “He is... I wasn't willing to listen to him earlier...” Eagle sighed.

   "It's not too late," Ladybug said. “He’s being very patient with you. The least you can do is try to listen to him more for... future reference. Has he put you through training sessions or anything?” Ladybug asked, rather out of curiosity of how Guardians in different countries were like.

   “No nothing yet," Eagle said.

   Ladybug raised an eyebrow. “So, he may not be training you for replacing him in Guardianship then.”

  “Wait what?" asked Eagle raising her head. "He will do that?"

   Ladybug shrugged. “Up to him. The Guardian of the Miraculous in Paris trained me for it. Who knows? You may be the future Guardian of New York’s Miraculouses. But... the responsibility itself is a huge burden that he probably doesn’t think you’re ready for yet.”

  “No... never...I never want to take up that responsibility... This is already unbearable enough," Eagle shook her head.

  “I’m sure he understands, or else he wouldn’t be concerned for your health right now.” Ladybug said, sighing. “Quite frankly, I think everyone is at this rate.”

 “What... should I do now?" asked Eagle.

    “... Actually. I have an idea.” Ladybug said, smiling. “The next time that monster or something else attacks the city, let me know, and I can come and help fight it. If I’m included in the fight with the specific villain, I’ll be able to use my lucky charm and also use the cure on the city.”

  “How do I let you know? It's not like I can call you or anything," Eagle sighed.

   “You can, actually. I set up a private number for when I’m transformed so that Chat, the other holders, or the police could get a hold of me. Maybe it would be the same with you.” Ladybug said, taking out her Bug-Phone and giving Eagle the number on the screen. “Type this into your phone’s contacts.”

  “My phone contacts? Sure," Eagle said. "But if you are in a middle of an attack over there...”

    Ladybug shrugged. “Usually, it takes almost less than an hour to deal with them. So I could come when I can.”

  “Oh... are you sure I'm not like troubling you or anything?" asked Eagle.

  “If you were troubling me, Eagle, I’m pretty sure I would give a hint.” Ladybug said, rolling her eyes but smiling. “Plus... you are my friend. I don’t want you to feel more alone than you already do... you need someone right now. And you feel like no one around you understands you... well, I do. I know what you’re going through.”

  “Thanks... Ladybug...urgh... I feel like I'm wasting your time now," sighed Eagle.

   “Eh, I had some free time anyway.” Ladybug said, shrugging. “Plus not to mention I was worried when the other heroes didn’t show up... just wanted to see if everything was okay over here. Turned out it was the opposite of “okay”.”

  “Yeah... it was terrible," Eagle sighed.

  “Speaking of other heroes... How’s Uncanny doing? You know... with all of this?” Ladybug asked. Since Uncanny Valley was never once mentioned by Eagle during their conversation.

  “She...took a bad hit earlier," Eagle sighed, feeling even worse now. Another reminder the results of her rashness.

  “Oh no... is it as bad as when Chat almost deactivated her for good last time?” Ladybug asked, cringing at that memory.

  “It’s...better than that... if it was like that, I would have probably killed myself by now," Eagle sighed.

   “Well, that’s partly true. No one really blames you for feeling a shit ton of grief about what happened. Having the city you are protecting being wrecked during a battle and not being able to do much to fix it is a valid reason to be angry or sad or... both.” Ladybug said, placing a comforting hand on Eagle’s shoulder.

  “I’m sure that my Cure would be able to fix most of the damage if I come here next time this strange enemy attacks.”

   “Yeah hopefully," Eagle sighed.

   "Anyway... I should probably check on my friends."

   “You sure?” Ladybug frowned in concern. “You already dealt with a lot today.”

   “One of them is badly hurt because of me now... I have to visit him," Eagle said with guilt.

   Ladybug sighed. “Okay, but be careful. Meanwhile, I’m... going to go meet up with Uncanny since I do know her identity... from last time.” She said, shivering at the memory.

  “Wait... you know where she lives?" asked Eagle.

  “Of course I do... Jessica.” Ladybug said, revealing that she knows Eagle’s identity by saying her real name.

   Eagle watched as Ladybug jumped off the building, swinging away towards her house.

  "Huh," Eagle breathed before turning towards the hospital, it was close to evening. She sighed before running in the direction. David's injuries were her fault, the least she could do is to pay a visit

   When Eagle landed on the ground near the hospital’s entrance, she sighed and called her detransformation. “Liiri, wings fall.”

   “Jess, are you alright?" asked Liiri worried as Jessica passed her a piece of cracker. She could feel Jessica's emotion.

   “I’m... feeling a little better. From what I knew from all those months ago, Ladybug was always the strict one with the plans... but I saw a new side of her today. And she helped me...” Jessica admitted, feeling the weight on her shoulders grow lighter.

  "Let's go, Liiri," Jessica said as she gestured for the kwami to come forward. The  kwami then flew into her purse before she walked out of the alley.

  David was laying on the hospital bed with Aaron standing next to him. His leg was wrapped with bandages.

  "Dude you're doing okay? How is your father taking it?" asked Aaron.

   “I don’t know. He’s probably gonna freak since I’m the only one left. Mom died when Majestia and that other woman fought, and... I’m the only one left who’s living besides him.” David said, looking down at his lap.

  "No surprise there. He has been always protective of you. He visited you yet?" asked Aaron sighing as he looked at his friend.

   David shook his head. “Not yet. But he texted me and said he’s gonna drop by sometime tonight after work. He’s really busy since, well, almost half the city is destroyed.”

   “Uhmm... actually, I think just a street at most," said Aaron. "But regardless... nothing new from your old man."

    David shook his head. “Nope.” He then noticed that Jessica was awkwardly standing in the doorway. “Hey Jess! You made it out! Good... I thought something happened to you...”

   “Where were you? We were so worried about you," David breathed in relieve.

  "Yeah no kidding, he and Emily ran back in there just to look for you and Aeon," Aaron added.

   Jessica looked surprised. “They did?!” She did know they did that, but she kept that a secret since she didn’t wanna reveal her identity.

   "Yeah, I told them not to... well...” Aaron said.

   "What are you talking about? Jess is our friend." David answered.

   Every moment there Jessica listened. She felt even guiltier, seeing it happen was heart wrenching enough, now hearing it again just added more.

   She wished that she were visiting as Eagle rather than her civilian form. Plus, not like it would be suspicious. She could just say she was checking in on civilians who were hurt during the attack or were at risk but not injured.

   “Jess... are you alright?" asked David concerned after looking at the girl just staring blankly at him for a while.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, sorry. I’m just... shaken up by all of this. None of the United Heroez besides Eagle and Uncanny showed up to deal with that thing ... whatever it was... and -I guess I’m just worried if that’s gonna happen again.” Jessica sighed.

   “Yeah, we should be worried, Eagle did a really 'good' job today," Aaron scoffed.

   "Come on, you're being too hard on her. She is new after all," David said.

  Jessica sighed as she heard what her friends say. Aaron was right, she did a terrible job. Suddenly, a question passed through her mind. The absence of a certain friend.

  “Hey... where’s Em? I haven’t seen her since I got back.” Jessica asked, now noticing where their other friend was missing. Did she already visit?

  “Oh, she just left. She said she was actually heading to your place. Didn't you meet her on the way here? I think she is actually reaching there now," Aaron said.

   Jessica’s eyes widened. Ladybug was there too! If Emily and Ladybug both saw each other it could risk, her identity getting revealed! Or not? She knew Ladybug was good and more experienced in... superheroing with a miraculous to back her up. Maybe Ladybug would be able to cover for her.

  “O-Oh really? She didn’t have to do that!”

   “Well, you disappeared without a trace or a call, so we were all worried about you," David said.

 "Again, you said your mother is... gone?" asked David in concern.

  This was not a question that Jessica wanted to answer now. There was a lot going on in her head. Aeon was unable to transform back to her human form, the Guardian and Ladybug was there. It will be a very difficult thing to explain if Emily saw all that.

   Jessica shyly chuckled. “Yeah... sorry about that. I saw the monster heading my way so I had to run away before it could crush me.”

   “And... yeah. She’s gone. I don’t know where she went or if she’s even alive, but she’s not at the house and I asked the police for help and they didn’t find her.”

   “Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. We didn't know," David said surprised. "It must've been hard. Hopefully, she will be found. After all, your mom might be on some business, she is the police commissioner after all."

   Jessica's hand moved to her pocket, trying to find her phone. She fumbled around frantically before realizing that she forgot to bring her phone out with her. Another stupid mistake. Jessica was thinking hard whether to head back to warn them before Emily reached her house or not. She might make it in time. She might not.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll be able to handle myself until then... hopefully.” Jessica said, whispering that last part. “Hey, can I borrow your phone Aaron? I need to call someone at home who’s looking after Aeon.”

  “Wait who is at your house?" asked Aaron as he handled her the phone.

  “A doctor. She was at our house after the attack happened to give Aeon a checkup and I wanna make sure everything’s okay.” Jessica lied, as she dialed Ladybug’s number given to her earlier.

           
   When Jessica finally got home, she noticed that Emily was already there, and waiting for her to respond to her calls.

    "Jess?" a familiar voice came.

    Jessica panicked. She wasn’t de-transformed, and Emily was there already. On the other side of the door. And she barely had enough time to release Liiri from the necklace before then.

   “Liiri, wings fall.” Jessica said, but not before the door shot open.

   “Jess, there you... what the!" Emily stumbled backwards as she saw a flash of light and Eagle destranforming.

   “Uhhh... heyy Em. I didn’t... didn’t see you there!” Jessica said, now starting to get nervous.

   “What... what...you didn't answer your calls... I called you thousands of times! And what the hell is that!? What the... what is going on!?" Emily stammered as she looked at Jessica.

   Jessica sighed. No point in hiding now. “... Alright, fine, you caught me. Em... I’m Eagle. I have been since a few months ago.”

   “The attack... you... ohhhh... OHhhhh It makes so much sense now," Emily clutched her head in realization. "Why?"

  “Why? Why did I keep it a secret you mean?” Jessica asked.

   “What else!?" Emily asked loudly, a bit overwhelmed by the fact as she sat down on Jessica's bed.

    Jessica sighed. “It’s not that I don’t trust you guys. It’s just that... being a superhero means that I cannot tell anyone who I am or else bad things may happen to them. And I didn’t want that for you guys! I didn’t want you to have to carry a burden you would end up getting killed with keeping!” She said, her eyes welling with tears.

  “I’m sorry... I really am. I wanted to tell you guys, but... I was given the orders not to. Not by the person who gave me my Miraculous, but... by Knightowl.”

  “Wait wait...If you are Eagle... and were Sparrow... Your mom is gone... Knightowl...don't tell me... She is...” Emily tried to process as she muttered.

    Jessica nodded. “She is.”

  “Oh no... Jess..... " Emily sighed as Jessica sat down beside her weakly. "This is... kinda cool... but... sad at the same time... knowing that my best friend is a super," Emily smiled conflictedly.

   “Yeah, well, said friend needs a fucking break. And while Ladybug helped in some parts, something inside of me still blames myself for what happened. It didn’t help that Aaron talked bad about me today when I visited David at the hospital.”

  “Urgh... now I feel so stupid," Emily said. "I literally went back in to rescue a super... Ohh" Emily groaned.

   Jessica laughed. “It’s fine. No one expected you to know.”

   "But seriously... are you alright?" Emily asked, frowning in concern at her best friend.

   Jessica sighed. “... No. I’m not. I’m... so stressed, and tired, and I wish I can just crawl in a hole and live there for the rest of my life.”

   “Wait... why didn't the United Heroez help?" asked Emily. Realizing that not once did Jessica mention the superhero team.

   “Because all of them are gone.” Jessica said. “When me and Aeon went to the HQ, it was destroyed. Burned down to the ground. And no superhero was in sight. Not even... Mom.”

   “All I could find of her... was her damaged helmet," Jessica finished.

  "Jess... You should've told us... or me at least. I could have helped," Emily said.

   “How would I have been able to tell you if I was supposed to keep my identity a secret?! I can’t just go around saying “oh hey my mom who is Knightowl fucking died in a fire along with the other United Heroez and now I’m alone. Oh by the way, I’m actually Eagle!”” Jessica said sarcastically.

  “So you never planned to tell us?" Emily sighed. "I can't imagine how hard it was for you." Emily now looked at her friend. There was so much she didn't know. Her friend held these secrets and responsibilities for so long. And she didn't know. She didn't help.

  “Was? Was?! It still IS! Of course you couldn’t help with something you didn’t even know about!” Jessica snapped. “Ever since all of this happened, I’ve been on the fucking edge. I’ve been so tired. I never got any sleep at night, and whenever I managed to get at least an hour, that hour was filled with nightmares! Nightmares containing my guilt, my FEAR, of not being able to do anything to stop whoever keeps attacking the city and who attacked the HQ!”

    “Jess! Jess!" Emily stammered. "Calm down, alright... just... calm down," Emily immediately pulled her friend into a tight hug as Jessica begin to break down. "I'm sorry alright? For being insensitive... I didn't know... Look... If it means anything to you. I want to help," Emily said.

   Jessica felt those lingering feelings that were always in her mind since the attack begin to boil inside of her as she pushed Emily away from her.

   She felt that anger and sadness and guilt rise up to the surface, and it was showing through her facial expression. “Get out...” Jessica said, not loud enough for Emily to hear.

   “What?" Emily asked confused. "Look... I-"

  “GET OUT!” Jessica screamed at the top of her lungs.

   Emily stammered back a little, looking at her friend. She isn't blaming her for the outburst. She knew that Jessica needed time. She got up, nodding, before leaving Jessica alone in her room.

   Emily walked out of the room to see an old man and a familiar looking android sitting on a setup in the living room with Ladybug there.

    “... Let me guess - she kicked you out of her room?” Ladybug asked, as the Guardian was tending to Aeon.

   “Yeah," Emily said before noticing Aeon. "Aeon... hey... are you... you look... bad," Emily sighed as she approached the android.

   “I... am fine. Well, I will be.” Aeon said weakly.

   “She’s had a lot of inner damage, but hopefully she’ll be able to be fixed up completely soon enough. His words, not mine.” Ladybug said, pointing to the Guardian.

  “Is it weird for me to be kinda surprised. Even though you always speak like one," Emily smiled conflictedly at Aeon.

    “Nope. I am 100% certain that it’s valid to be surprised but also amused by it.” Aeon said, going over her usual statistics.

  Emily couldn't bring herself to smile anymore. "I want to help," Emily said to Ladybug firmly "I can't just be an outsider and do nothing. I can't, especially after knowing all the shit my friends go through."

     Ladybug smiled sympathetically at Emily, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I get it. It’s hard to witness your friends breaking apart before you and being able to do little to nothing to aid them. I’m not denying your help, Emily, but what Jess needs right now is just some time. She’s... still trying to process everything, and keep her secret on top of all of that. But... Jess knows she can lean on you any time, so keep reminding her by showing you’re there for her.”

    “I'm talking about helping her fight in battle," Emily said firmly. "I can help. Granted if I don't have powers. I want to help. I will do anything to help her. She can't handle this alone."

    Ladybug frowned as she quietly and closely studied Emily. This girl was Jess’s best friend right? Well, she definitely has a lot to say about herself.

   When she looked at Emily, she saw sheer and unshakable determination, along with compassion... and empathy... and her ability to care for others when she thought that they needed her help. And she also knew when to stop and draw a line when someone else was uncomfortable.

  She has a great potential to be a Miraculous Holder. But which one suits her?

  “Perhaps... there is a way," the Guardian finally spoke after being quiet for a long time. "A way for you to help." The guardian then took out a miraculous box from his cloak.

   “She has great potential to become a miraculous holder. I believe you agree with that too, Ladybug," the Guardian nodded.

   "Wait what is going on now?" asked Emily, confused.

    Ladybug sighed. “Emily. You said that you are willing to help Jess even if you weren’t exactly a superhero. You don’t expect people to be impressed by that desire, but... we are anyway.” Ladybug placed a hand on Emily’s shoulder.

  “Your sheer determination, your compassion, your kindness and empathy, are all qualities that we look for in a miraculous holder. And you just happen to fit all of the requirements.”

   “Wait... what is this miraculous thing you all are talking about?" asked Emily, still confused as she watch the old man open the box in his hand, revealing to be holding something that looked like a set of jewelries.

   “It’s a special piece of jewelry that gives you powers.” Ladybug smiled. “Kind of like how mine gives me the powers of creation.”

    “Soo... if I understand this right. This is the thing that gave Jessica her abilities?" asked Emily curiously, her eyes focusing on the old man who picked something out of the box, a feather charm.

    “Yes. The Eagle Miraculous is the talon necklace she currently wears. Her power is of freedom, and she has the ability to free people of what is holding them back from reaching their true potential.” Ladybug explained.

  “Without the miraculous, Jess wouldn’t be Eagle.”

   “I see... wait... so does this mean," Emily said looking at the Guardian. She knew what was about to happen. It was about to change her life for good.

   Ladybug nodded, confirming what Emily was thinking. She turned to the Guardian. “Would you do the honors?” Ladybug asked him. “It’s your box after all.”

  “Emily Rodriguez, this is the wolf miraculous, it houses the kwami of Solitude. It will give you all the powers required to help Eagle," the Guardian said as he handed the charm to Emily. "Will you accept this responsibility? It won't be easy."

    “You don’t have to accept if you don’t want to.” Ladybug added.

   Emily stared at the charm in her palm. She was getting a miraculous... and helping her best friend fight evil?! This was like... a dream come true! It felt like this was all a dream and that Jess wasn’t Eagle, but... this is reality. And she gets to help reality. And her best friend. Emily nodded. “Count me in.” She said, putting on the charm. And then there was a bright, white flash that made her cover her eyes.

  “Hello there, girl," a white kwami came out of the charm. "I'm Loona, the kwami of solitude."

   “Hello. I’m Emily... your... new holder - I guess. According to them...” Emily glanced at Ladybug and the Guardian. “You grant me powers, right?”

  “Yes I do," Loona said brightly. "You have much to learn."

  “Like…?” Emily trailed off. “Sorry, I’m not used to seeing flying creatures in front of me that come out of magic jewelry everyday.”

   "Heh, get used to it," Loona chuckled. "To transform say, Loona, Fangs out! And to detransform, it's Fangs In."

  Emily nodded. “Got it. And uh... do you eat?”

  “Hmm... I do... to recharge after being used. I usually like to eat meat," Loona said brightly.

   “Well, I would say yes," the Guardian said. "Someone should go and talk to Eagle though."

   “Well, she doesn’t wanna see Emily right now, that’s for sure.” Ladybug said, remembering that Emily confirmed it a while ago.

   “Well... what you think we should do?" asked the Guardian. "Let her be alone?"

   “I... don’t know. Jess is... going through a lot right now, and she’s in that state when she believes that no one truly understands her and her struggles. Leaving her alone may not be the best option, but so is constantly pestering her about her feelings.” Ladybug said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Hmm... maybe leave he alone... let her rest... She had a rough week," the Guardian said looking at Jessica's room.

  “Yeah... I should get back to Paris soon. Or Chat is gonna be worried. But Jess has my number from my hero form, so she’ll have a way to contact me if something happens and she may need help.” Ladybug said, turning back to him. “I’ll make sure that checking in with you is the first thing I do before taking care of her.”

   “Thank you for coming, Ladybug. Great to see anyone Guardian. Granted... a young one," the Guardian bowed humbly as Ladybug nodded.

   “I’ll visit again soon.” Ladybug said, before pulling out the Horse Miraculous from her yo-yo and putting it on, releasing Kaalki.

  “Tikki, Kaalki, unify.” She said, as she transformed into the combination of the two miraculous.

  “Voyage!” She called out, opening a portal back to Paris.

   Before she went through it, she turned back to the Guardian. “Good luck. Au revoir!”

   The guardian nodded, smiling as the portal disappeared along with Ladybug.

   Emily just watched it all happen. She has just stepped into the crazy world of superheroes, that she is sure that will change her life forever.

   In a dimly-lit room, a man sat in a office, looking through files and focusing on the screen in front of him. Out of a sudden, his phone began to ring. The man calmly pressed his phone and a woman appeared on his screen.

   “Dr. Olsen,” the man nodded. “I take it you have news for me?” asked the man.

  “We need more time, the machine is extremely complicated to perfect,” the woman said shakily.

   “Understandable, take all the time you need. Without the United Heroez, no one in New York can stand up to us,” the man said.

  “Sir… what about Eagle?” asked the woman curiously.

   “From the intel given by Thorn, we have her identified. And the attacks and fights against her have proven that she is no threat to our plans.”

   “So, you do not intend to capture her?” asked the woman.

  “There is no need. For now, she is…. After all, still a kid,” Kronos sighed. “I believe you know my stand on that.”

  “What about the new hero that appeared today?” asked the woman frowning.

   “He will be dealt with,” Kronos said as he opened a tab, showing the footage of the attack earlier, from the view of the monster. The footage of Eagle pulling three teenagers to safety right as the roof collapsed, saving them.

   “Do we need to release the monster again?” asked Dr. Olsen,

   “No need, we now know who are left. Based on the intel by Thorn, this new hero is most likely staying with the girl… Send Ice to get him. Do not hurt Eagle or her friend.”

   “But why?” asked the woman confused.

   “Just do as I say!” Kronos said firmly, glaring at the screen.

   “Understood,” and the call ended.

Chapter Text

Special thanks to Breemarie12256 for writing this chapter together with me ！ And to Dinobot king for coming up with some of the plot points as well.

            Emily took out her phone and swipe though the contacts before pressing a contact, bringing the phone to the side of her face. “Mom?” asked Emily.  “You there?” Emily asked as she looked at Loona chewing on meat while the guardian was still fixing up Aeon while she gave him pointers.

            “Hey sweetheart.” Her mother answered. “How’re Jess and Aeon doing? Are they alright?”

            “They are fine. I...  am at their place now. Actually, I will be staying over for the night? Is that ok?” asked Emily curiously.

            Her mom sighed. “Okay, but make sure you’re up in time for me to pick you up. Big day tomorrow!”

            “Don't worry...  I won't forget,” Emily said frowning as she actually forgot. “By the way, how is Alex doing?” asked Emily.

            “He’s doing fine, just resting up a little bit. Took him to the doctor’s today, and she said he should be able to completely recover over the next couple weeks.” Her mom explained, while cutting up an apple on the other line with her phone rested up against her ear.

            “Good,” Emily sighed. She remembered being so worried when she heard her younger brother was caught up in the attack earlier in the day. “Well, I will see you all tomorrow. Take care,” Emily said as she leaned on the counter.

            “Alright honey. Tell Jess and Aeon I said hi!” Her mom said, before Emily hung up the call.

            The guardian stood up, placing the tools aside. And with a flash of light. Aeon then changed back to her human form again.

            “You know, for an old man, you are quite good with tech,” Emily said surprised.

            “Well, at least I was able to fix that for now,” the guardian said smilingly. “Plus, it was a good thing that whoever created her left these notes, helps quite a bit,” the guardian shrugged as he held a book up.

            Emily walked over to Aeon. “So, she is okay now?”

            “She should be, within a few days she will be able to transform back into Uncanny Valley.” The guardian said. “Just in time to figure out what that monster was and why it was after Jessica specifically.”

            “Wait...  the monster was after Jess?” Emily questioned. “It was kinda already attacking before Eagle even showed up,” Emily pointed out curiously.

            “We had not found out until later when it kept attacking Jessica specifically, as it got rid of Uncanny Valley first, and headed straight for Eagle once again.” The guardian explained, frowning. “Whoever created this mysterious creature, has an obvious goal.”

            “Hmm...  perhaps not just Eagle. It did take out Uncanny Valley first...  Perhaps...  just spitballing here, whoever sent it, sent it to...  attack the supers specifically?” Emily asked.

            The guardian hummed. “If that were the case, then we are all in grave danger. Not just Eagle and the rest of us in New York.”

            “All more the reason to get started,” Emily said as she looked at Loona. “Are you done eating?” asked the blonde.

            Loona shrugged. “Almost. I haven’t eaten in years!”

            “She just got a big appetite for meat,” the guardian chuckled. “But, young one. Before you get started, you should know, that you must keep your identify hidden at all cost. The miraculous are powerful, fallen into the wrong hands, it could result in terrible consequences.”

            “Yeah, I can see why.” Emily said, recalling what Jessica had told her earlier about the United Heroez.

            “Why do the heroes even have their identities run free here? Isn’t that like... dangerous?!”

            “I believe it was a mistake for the United Heroez to choose to do that. Although, not all the supers do that,” Aeon said her voice still fizzling a bit.

            Emily chuckled. “At least people like you, Jess and Ladybug keep your identity secret. Or else people would be clamoring over you to get the Eagle Miraculous and the others that came with it.”

            “Yes, indeed,” the guardian said.

            “Loona, are you done yet?” groaned Emily. “You have ate like, meat thrice your size.”

            “Yes, I’m done.” Loona said, flying back over to Emily. “Ready for a spin?”

            “Hell yeah,” Emily said. “Loona, Fangs out!”

            A grey suit with white stripes covered her clothes as her hair forming into a high ponytail as her hair turned greyish white as two blades appearance on her back, diagonally crossed in straps as black covered her hands. The light continued down as a grey coattail formed till her knees as black covered her legs.

            Emily, now transformed, looked to the guardian. “So... can you give me a rundown of what... these are?” She asked, holding up her blades.

            “They are blades, your weapons,” the guardian explained.  “To help you in a fight against an enemy.”

            “Cool,” Emily said as she swung the blade around smiling. “So, let's see now, Hmm,” Emily looked around before jumping up, it was only then she realized how much her abilities were enhanced.

            “Whoa! Is wielding a miraculous always like this?!” She asked, as she was able to jump up to a wooden beam inside the living room and perch herself on it.

            “Just the tip of the iceberg. Though you want to calm down before you-” the guardian said before he was interrupted by the sounds of Emily crashing into something. “Get yourself hurt.”

            Emily groaned, slowly getting up from the floor and feeling the slight pain she felt slowly being reduced. “Wait... How come I barely feel any pain?”

            “The miraculous protects you from harm. Even in extreme conditions,” the guardian said.

            “... Okay, that sounds so unrealistic but also kinda cool.” Emily admitted, dusting herself off. “Anyway, uh... should one of us go check on Jess?”

            “What is going on with all the commotion out here!?” asked JEssica groaningly as she walked out of her room frustrated.

            “Oh... hey... Jess! Didn’t... see you there! Ow!” Emily said, while pulling a twig out of her hair. How that twig appeared on the top of those beams? No one knew.

            “Emily? Is that you? What did you all do!?” asked Jessica sounding a bit furious. “Guardian! You roped her into this!?”

            “Technically, I chose to come on my own.” Emily said, shrugging her shoulders. “They offered me the miraculous. And I decided that... I wanted to help you, Jess. In and out of the mask.”

            “No no no, why...urghh! “ Jessica groaned. “Em! You have any idea what you are getting yourself into!?”

             Emily sighed. “Of course, I do. They warned me... but I took it anyway.”

            “I can't comprehend this right now,” Jessica groaned, covering her face.

            Emily sighed. “Jess, look, I’m sorry. But... you need help. Like... REALLY need help.” She said, walking over to her best friend and placing a hand on her shoulder.

            “You aren’t gonna get through this alone like you thought you have to! You have me now.”

            “Em...  I...  You know how bad I am...  I wouldn't be able to live with it if you got killed because of me....” Jessica shook her head in denial of the scene she is seeing right now

            “Jess, if I got killed in the battle field trying to protect who I love, who I care about, I wouldn’t be killed because of you. I... chose the life I’m about to live. Which means I know what I signed up for.” Emily replied, almost as if she was giving out a speech.

            “I still...  wouldn't be able to forgive myself...” Jessica sighed. “Fine...  just...  what do we even do now?” asked the Native American.

            Emily shrugged. “In all honesty? I should get used to having my powers first before making a debut.” She said, looking down at her Miraculous.  “Plus, this Guardian and the other Guardian could both help out. Well, the other one could occasionally, if she isn’t busy saving another city in France.”

            “You can't...  do you even know how to fight?” asked Jessica dryly, looking at her friend in disbelief.

            “The Miraculous gives you enhanced skills. That’s why Ladybug and I are able to jump higher, run faster, and do this! Watch.” Emily explained, before demonstrating her powers by jumping higher onto the same wooden beam from before and doing a backflip off of it and back onto the floor. Landing perfectly without any errors.

            “Yes...  I know that,” Jessica rolled her eyes. “But even with all that...  you still need combat skills, duh,” Jessica pointed out. “Don't forget that I've been doing this longer than you Em.”

            Emily smirked, and caught Jessica off guard with a firm and rather hard round-house kick to the face. “You were saying?”

            “Ahh!” Jessica fell to the ground. “Oh, are we doing this now?” groaned Jessica. “I'm not even transformed that is not fair!”

            “You two...  shouldn't fight in here...” Aeon pointed out.

            “Yeah, well life isn’t fair, my good friend.” Emily said, smiling as she held out a hand to help Jessica up.

            “Yeah...  I know!” Jessica groaned. “But still...  let's see if you can keep up when I'm transformed.” Jessica smirked darkly.

            “Oh, you’re on.” Emily said, watching as Jessica let Liiri out from her hiding spot.

            “Jess, you shouldn’t do this just because of-”

            “Liiri, relax, we’re just gonna... spar.” Jessica said, as the kwami looked at her in disapproval, but let it go. “Liiri, Wings of Liberty!”

            A flash of light covered her and soon, the Eagle costume replaced her clothes. She stood in a fighting stance, ready to spar.

            “Guardian...  should they really be ...  doing this?” Aeon fizzled.

             “It is good practice.” The guardian said, shrugging. “But you two should really take it outside-”

            Before he could finish his sentence, they were already launching at each other with sharp battle cries. “... too late.” The guardian sighed.

            Eagle threw Emily backwards with a kick. The girl crashed against the wall behind her before getting back up quickly, running forwards before jumping over her, locking her legs around Eagle's neck. Eagle quickly threw the girl down before getting up wrapping her with her bullroarer.

            “Huh, told you so,” Eagle chuckled.

            Emily growled, grabbing the weapon by its string and pulling on it, dragging Eagle towards her before she lands a solid kick to her shins.

            “Argh!” Eagle groaned as she fell down. She quickly picked herself up before sweeping her leg, knocking Emily off her footing.

            “Shouldn't you stop them?” asked Aeon.

            “Nope,” the guardian answered briefly.

            Emily quickly bended her legs and hips backward, before using the momentum to launch herself back up on her feet. Getting back into fighting stance.

            “Hmph...  you got moves,” Eagle chuckled as Emily gripped the blades in her hand. Eagle then raised her fist.

            Emily used the blades to block her fist when it came at her, using the distraction to swipe her leg at Eagle’s feet, knocking her off balance.

            When Eagle regained her footing, she didn’t expect Emily to suddenly kick her upside the head and then she landed another kick at her gut.

            “Gah!” Eagle was thrown back. She hit the wall behind her hard.

            “Not so bad huh?” asked Emily smiling.

            Eagle scoffed. “Bitch.”

            Emily’s smile widened into a grin. “You love me.”

            “Yeah...” Eagle groaned as she got up. “You're lucky that I do. I was going easy on you.”

            “Were you?” asked Emily chucklingly.

            “YES!” Eagle protested.

            “Admit it, I had you there.” Emily said smugly, helping Eagle sit on the couch. “Sorry if I hit you too hard.”

            “Wings fall,” Jessica said as she let the transformation drop. “I can't believe...  you beat me...” Jessica groaned, covering her face.

            Emily rolled her eyes at her friend. “Jess, it’s not a big deal.”

            “How is it not? It means...  that I'm weak!” Jessica got up and stormed back into her room.

            “Jess, you're just not in the right mindset right now. It's not-” Liiri tried to reason.

            “Don't...  I'm gonna sleep,” Jessica said harshly before slamming the door of her room shut

            Emily sighed. “Loona, fangs in.” She said, releasing her transformation as her kwami reappeared in front of her. She turned back to the guardian.

            “How are we supposed to have Jess believe in herself again? We need her at the top of her game in case that thing comes back!”

            “She needs rest. If we talk to her now. It would make things worse,” the guardian said. “But for you. I see that you have potential. Not as good as Eagle, but definitely, potential,” the guardian said.

            Emily scoffed. “Yeah. Thanks.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

            “Maybe I should call the boys and tell them that she’s not gonna be at school tomorrow... ? Or maybe Aeon can call her in sick? She needs more than rest.”

            “I...  can...  try...  I need to call in sick...  too...” Aeon said.

            “Ohhh... right. I forgot she’s a robot.” Emily said, facepalming to herself.

            Emily nervously turned to the guardian. “Would... you mind filling in as our uncle?”

            “Sure, I can help. They both need rest.” said the guardian. 'What are you going to do?” asked the old man.

            “I... have to text someone. Real quick.” Emily said, pulling out her phone. And then she went to another room. “I’ll be right back!”

            Emily went to Jessica’s room, slowly creaking the door open to find her best friend and possibly now co-worker of sorts hunched up against the headboard of her bed. Her face was buried into her hands as her shoulders shook with shivering sobs.

            She slowly closed the door and walked towards her, sitting down beside her friend. It was heart wrenching to see her friend this crushed, especially after what she tried to do to help her made it worse. “Jess.”

            “Go away, Em! I don’t need your pity.” Jessica said, her voice muffled by the fabric of her jeans.

            “Jess...  look...  You're not weak...  okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone that hard on you,” Emily tried desperately to make her friend feel better.

            “Yes I am! It’s not just shut that, Em! It’s about how I wasn’t able to do anything to stop that... thing from destroying nearly half the city! I’m to blame for all of it, no one else! I’m so emotionally wrecked that even Ladybug can’t leave me alone!” Jessica said, not looking up from where her head was rested.

            “Jess...  you just need to take a break, rest up,” Emily said, still not getting the hint that she should really stop and leave her friend to calm herself down.

            Jessica growled. “Go away...” she grumbled under her breath, just barely loud enough for Emily to completely hear.

            “Look...  I just wanna help you. You're my best friend. It hurts to see you like this...” Emily continued on, not hearing Jessica.

            “Didn’t you hear me?!” Jessica yelled at her. “GO AWAY!”

            Emily stammered a bit before, getting up, looking at Jessica, who was now glaring at her furiously.

            “Leave...  my ...  room...  NOW!” Jessica repeated fiercely.

            Emily stood aback, clearly shocked by how feral Jessica was acting compared to last time they both sat down together and talked about feelings. “B-But Jess-”

            “You want me to make you leave!?” Jessica got up clutching Emily's collar pushing her against the wall, next to the door.  “I said LEAVE!” Jessica shouted.

            Emily was being held against the wall so tightly, she swore that she was starting to be choked due to the lack of circulation she felt. “Ack...  Jess...  Jess,” Emily struggled as she tried to break free. It was only until Jessica let Emily go, letting her drop onto the floor, then she managed to be free from her grasp.

            At this point, Jessica just realized what she did, she almost hurt her best friend. Her eyes widened, realizing what she had just almost tried to do. She gasped, stepping back and looking at her hands. The hands she used to nearly choke her best friend. The hands she nearly killed with. She... was a monster. Jessica felt tears spill out of her eyes, collapsing to the ground as she let more and more fall. “Just... leave me alone...”

            At this point, Emily knew she has to leave. She looked at the girl, her friend, her heart ached even more to see her like that, knowing that everything she tried made it worse. Emily sighed before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her, walking back into the living room, where Aeon is standing up now while the guardian was continuing fixing her.

            “I'm not going to say I told you so,” the guardian said.

            “Good. Because I don’t wanna hear it.” Emily said, sighing as she sat down on the couch and sulked.

            “You need some rest too,” the guardian said. “You still have school tomorrow.”

            Emily nodded. “Right. Is there any extra rooms I can use?” She asked, looking towards Aeon.

            “Well...  there...  is...  my mom's, if you don't mind...” Aeon said., pointing towards the room down the hallway.

            Emily slowly nodded, remembering that Jess and Aeon’s mom was a touchy subject for them right now, and for good reason.

            Emily then looked outside. The sun was just setting. It was still early. She knew that she couldn't sleep that soon. Plus, all the emotions she is feeling now, she needed some way to forget about them, and calm herself down.

            “Loona, wanna go for a tour?” asked Emily

            “I think you should rest like the guardian said. Let it go for now, Em. Try to take care of yourself too.” Loona advised her.

            “Urgh...  even you too? Fine,” Emily sighed as she walked towards her room. “See you all tomorrow morning then?” asked Emily before going into the room where Aeon pointed to earlier. When Emily got to the room, she dropped her stuff on the edge of the queen sized bed, and sighed. Letting Loona out from her jacket.

            “Well... I guess this is... home sweet home for now.” She said to Loona. “Just make sure you don’t go scavenging for meat right now or else the guardian would probably be pissed at you.”

            “Nah, he doesn't care,” Loona said flying around, looking around the room. Then, the kwami realized that Emily was looking out the window, thinking about something presumably

            Emily smirked. “Hey Loona? What would you say if I said we can go on a test run right now?”

            “Wait wait, what? The guardian told us to stay put,” Loona reasoned.

            “Yeah, well, we’ll have to risk it this time. I wanna go for a real test run.” Emily said, clenching her fists. “Loona, fangs out!”

             “Wa-” Loona never got to say what she wanted to say as she got sucked into the charm in a flash of light.

            Emily was once again transformed. She looked around before looking out the window once more, looking down on the streets.

            Emily took a deep breath, stepping onto the window sill and leaning over the edge to view her surroundings. She saw a flight of stairs next to the window, and jumped onto them. Using the railings as momentum to reach the rooftop.

            Emily soon managed to reach the rooftop, She looked around in awe as she tried to think of what she could do next. Then, she saw the building next to the building she was on, and the blonde got an idea.

            “Parkour time.” Emily murmured. “Thank god I’m passing PE right now.”

            Emily ran forward towards the building before jumping right on the edge. She couldn't believe it, she was practically flying across the gap before she landed on the other building. “Oh my god,” Emily breathed in excitement.

            “This... is amazing.” Emily said, as she began to run towards another building with a gap between the one she was on and the building itself.

            Soon, Emily was leaping from buildings to buildings, in the pure excitement of discovering her abilities. She then travelled further and further away from Jessica's apartment.

            “Okay, I’m getting the hang of this.” Emily said, as she continued to travel across the city.

            Emily ran and leap, then ran again, until she came towards a bigger gap this time, twice as big as the gap before.

            She stopped in her tracks. “Whoa... how am I supposed to get that far?” She asked herself, looking around for anything that may aid her.

            “Hmm...  let's try anyway,” Emily thought to herself as she looked at the blades in her hand. She moved backwards, before running forward as fast as possible before leaping. She flew through the air, but soon, she realized too late that she wasn't going to make it

            Emily gasped, realizing she was in mid-air and was about to fall. Oh no...

            “Ahh!” Emily screamed as she fell down onto the road. She felt the impact, but it didn't felt too painful, more like nothing. All she heard was sounds of car honking, presumably at her.

            Emily got up, holding onto her side as she walked away from the car. But not before turning around and saying sorry to the person who was honking at her. Emily quickly ran towards the side of the streets, which she was now aware that people were looking at her in a peculiar way. Most possibly curious as to who she was.

            “Shit, shit, shit!” Emily muttered under her breath, as she ran faster on the way back to the Keynes’ apartment.

            She was dodging people around her as she ran. Then as she turned a corner, she bumped into a man.

            “Oh! Sorry sir...” Emily said, before circling around him and continuing to run back to the apartment.

            “Wait,” the man said, making Emily stop in her track, she was panicking inside now as she turned around. It was only then when she realized that the man was none other than the famous Killian Ford, who was also the father of David. “You're a new super huh? Who are you?”

            “Uhh... technically not a superhero yet. And I’m...  Lupa.” Emily said, making up a name on the spot.

            “Hmm...  nice to meet you… Lupa,” Killian said. “Excuse me, I have to visit my son, he is in the hospital.”

            “Right... I’ll leave you to it then... sir...” Emily, or Lupa, said. Awkwardly walking away from Killian before starting to run again. She has to get back to the apartment before the guardian could question where she was! Then she realized something, if she were to get back to the apartment faster, she would have to scale up the building. Jumping across buildings would indeed be more faster than navigating her way through the crowd.

            Emily found another fire escape on a nearby building, climbing up on top of it and then jumping across the gap onto the next one. And then the next one. Until she saw the apartment up ahead.

            “Ah finally!” Emily sighed in relief as she was about to jump onto another building before she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. There was someone else on top of the building too. “Who... is that?” Emily whispered to herself. The figure began advancing forward towards her quickly. And at that point, Emily knew that she was screwed.

            “Oh sh-” She was cut off when the figure ran faster toward her, and suddenly, there were ice shards coming her way. Emily took out her blades, cutting through them quickly so that she had some time to run and get help.

            Then, Emily realized something. She couldn't possibly go back. She would be revealing Jessica's and Aeon's identify if she did. She was on her own. She had to be. Emily turned back and sae that the grey haired woman was walked towards her with a eye cold glance.

            “Okay, judging by how you’re looking at me like... that, and throwing ice shards at me, you’re definitely one of the United Heroez’ enemies.” Emily said, getting into fighting stance. The grey-haired woman just looked at the girl coldly before throwing more ice shards at her before sending a blast of ice in her way. Lupa groaned, dodging the incoming shards and studying her surroundings so that she can see what exactly to use. Her eyes stumbled on these nearby soda cans that were piled up next to a recycling bin. She then ran to where the soda cans were and used her blades to cut them up and make projectiles out of them. Throwing them at the woman to distract her.

            “Just surrender, you can't hope to win,” the grey haired woman said coldly as ice blades formed in her hand before she threw them again.

            “Tsk. Yeah right, Killer Frost. Get over yourself. Do you really think that all supers would be gone by this one guy who’s a coward that he never showed his face to us one time?” Lupa sassed back, pulling out her blades and throwing them like a boomerang at the shards before they landed back safely in her hands.

            “Hmm...  arrogant, “ the woman said before firing another blast right at her before her palm touched the floor, a blue pale sheet of ice spreaded across the floor, moving towards Lupa quickly.

            Lupa took a deep breath, and jumped up into the air. She threw one of her blades near where Ice was standing, and landed near it, swiftly connecting her hand with the handle and using the blade’s stiffness on the ice to slide her feet across and land a solid kick to Ice’s legs.

            “Ah!” the lady fell a bit before swiftly grabbing onto Lupa's neck, her palm turned blue and Lupa could feel the coldness wrapped around her neck. “Not so brave now hmm?

            Lupa choked in her hold, of course she did, since anyone would in her situation. But while Ice was choking her, she took out a blade and was able to slash at Ice’s left arm

            Ice let out a scream of pain as the blade cut through her limb, letting go of Lupa . Emily then looked around, she knew she has to lead Ice away from Jess's apartment, taking a deep breath, she ran away again. Ice was now breathing heavily as her limb slowly grew back in a form of a pale blue ice. “You're so going to get it,” the lady growled before running after her.

            Lupa sighed. “Here goes nothing.” She whispered to herself, before looking over her shoulder at Ice, who was still a far distance from her. “Catch me if you can!” Lupa yelled back. “FLASH!” And with the calling of her power, Lupa was already moving  times faster than her human speed. Starting to run around the city rooftops.

            “What the,” Ice muttered as she watch the girl sped away. “Voltra, the target is running at high speed, get her!” Ice said over her comms.

            Lupa came speeding back to Ice in a mere second, pulling out her blades again and circling around her, slashes repeatedly as she sped in all her directions. You could say it’s like how a hurricane is like... sort of. Lupa then reappeared behind Ice, jumping over her and slashing at her hand before she could fire another blast.

            “AH! “ Ice screamed in pain as her limbs were cut off, a clean cut, leaving a bleeding stump before it turned blue. “Voltra!”

            Suddenly a flash of red light came speeding in, knocking Lupa off her course. “So, this is the brat that defeated you?” asked Voltra cracking his fist, looking at Emily smirking. Lupa got up, recollecting her blades and pointing them at him.

            “Strange. Last time I checked, I’m more than a brat since I managed to cut up your Killer Frost over here like it was nothing.” She charged at him, attacking him with a flurry of kicks at her enhanced speed. One minute and, seconds left. Let’s do this. She used her blades to slash at his knees, chest, arms, and stomach. Before reverting back to the front.

            Or at least she thought she did. A sudden  blast of electricity from her back pushed her of course. “Seriously, you  think you could injure a speedster like me with a knife?” asked Voltra smirking before rushing towards her.

            Soon, both Lupa and Voltra were engaged in a fast paced duel, running through the city as they fought fiercely.“Say, Reverse Flash. I know better than to listen to your taunts. You’re nothing but a stereotypical villain.” Lupa said, blocking his speed-enhanced attacks and swiftly kicking him in the gut.

            She wasted no time, as she landed several, and literally several, punches to him. Starting with his head, then his groin, and then ended with his neck. Steering him off course, as he stumbled back. When he was at his lowest, she kneed him, and took his wrist and threw him over her shoulder.

            “Argh!” Voltra groaned as he crashed against the wall behind him. “Why you little...” Voltra groaned as he got up.

            Lupa twisted her blades in her hands, scanning the area for anyone else approaching. There was no one, until she noticed Ice approaching from the left side.

            She didn’t miss a beat, swinging her blade at Ice and slashing at her side this time, before the blade came flying back to her. She growled, running forward and slashing at both of Flash’s legs. Completely knocking him off balance.

            “This is so op,” Lupa chuckled. Sudden she felt herself slowing down. The time was up. She stopped, nearly stumbling.

            She looked back at the defeated duo, placing her blades back where they are to be stored on the back of her waist. “See you, losers!” She called to them, before jumping off the rooftop they were all on, and going back to Jessica’s apartment.

            Emily looked around cautiously, making sure that she wasn't followed at all as she quickly ran back to the apartment. Soon it was in sight again, this time she landed down in an alley, hiding herself in the dark before she detransformed. “Fangs in.”

            Loona flew out of her miraculous, as Emily sighed heavily, plopping onto her spared  bed. “That... was a wild ride.”

            “Yeah it was...That was crazy,” Emily groaned. “Not doing that again though. It was risky enough.”

            “You were amazing out there, Emily!” Loona said, smiling at her new holder. “You got used to your powers so quickly, and you used Flash in such creative ways! I have never seen any of my past holders do moves like that.”

            “Well, I was lucky I guess,” Emily sighed. “Though now I know one thing for sure, whoever sent the monster or whoever those guys are, they are tracking us.”

            “We should tell the guardian. If they manage to track Eagle or Aeon when she fully recovers, we may have a mess on our hands.” Loona reasoned.

            “Tell him? Are you sure? He would probably be so mad at me,” Emily chuckled. “Though I am sure I handled myself well,” Emily smiled as she laid on the bed.

            “Emily, it’s the only reasonable decision we have. If they track down Eagle and Uncanny to this apartment, then all of our lives are at risk!” Loona said to her, with an urgent and serious look on her tiny face.

            “You're right. Let's talk to him now,” Emily nodded as she stood up and walked out of the room with Loona floating after her.

            The guardian was still looking after Aeon when he noticed Emily enter the room.

            “Emily, what are you doing up? I thought you went to bed!” He then noticed how tired and worn out she looked. “... Are you alright?”

            “I...  uhmmm...” Emily didn't know how to start as she looked at the guardian.

            “... Okay, please don’t be mad at me when I tell you.” Emily said, noticing how he looked at her skeptically when she said that. “No, really, please don’t.”

            “You snuck out, didn't you?” asked the guardian sighing. “What did you do?”

            “I did nothing but tried to get a hang of my powers. Then this lady with ice powers suddenly appeared, and attacked me. I defeated her, don’t worry. Then her buddy showed up and he and I fought, and I defeated him too!” Emily said, talking so fast that the kwamis could hardly understand what she was saying, but the guardian and Aeon did.

            “Wait...  so...  you snuck out, and people were after you already!?” asked the guardian frowning.

            “No, well, I think they were just walking about when they found me,” Emily said, recalling what Jessica had explained to her before she had locked herself in her room one time.

            “I heard what you said and ran through my database, you just fought against Ice,” Aeon said her voice fizzling. “Presumably… allies of Flame… Kronos…”

            “Whoever they are, we must be careful, you weren't followed back here right?' asked the guardian.

            “I left them both pretty beat up on a rooftop several miles from here.” Emily said, shrugging. “Even if they may have recovered after I left, it would be hard to find us with several apartments in this area of town.”

            “It is too close of a call,” the guardian said frowning. “Don't do that again.”

            Emily sighed, bowing her head. “I won’t. How’s Jess? Did she come out of her room when I was off fighting crime?”

            “No, she is still crying,” Aeon said.

            “Really? She’s been crying for...” She checked her watch. “30 minutes?”

            “Yeah...  well, nothing we can do,” the guardian sighed.

            Emily looked down. “I just really hope that maybe someday she’ll feel better. We need Eagle if we’re ever gonna get a chance at stopping this Kronos guy.”

            “Just get some sleep, hopefully everything will be better tomorrow,” the guardian said. “And don't go running around again!” the man warned.

            “I won’t, I won’t!” Emily said, holding out her hands in fake surrender.

            She walked back to her room, seeing Loona phase through the door as she closed it.

            “An eventful day much,” Loona said as she held a piece of meat in her tiny hand.

            “You’re telling me.” Emily said, sighing. “I really hope Jess is gonna be okay.”

            “Well, you kinda goofed it up but-” Loona pointed out. “I'm she will be fine. Just get some rest.”

            “Yeah... you’re right.” Emily said, falling backward onto her bed, as she pulled the covers up to her neck. “Goodnight, Loona.”

            “Goodnight Em,” Loona said as she sat herself on the pillow beside Emily.

------------

            “Can anyone care to tell me, how did you two let a random super beat you up!” asked a booming voice, whose face was covered with darkness. “Voltra! You can run fast, how did she beat you?”

            “She can run fast too! Ok?!” Voltra grunted loudly as the doctors checked on him. Voltra and Ice were seated on black chairs, as a few people operated on them.

            “It would seems like Kronos’s theory is correct,” Flame said, who was leaning against the walls of the room as he watched his colleagues. “There is more out there.”

            “It would seems so,” another man, wearing a lab coat, Dr. Bush said.

            “You said that little brat and that useless robot was the only ones left,” the grey-haired woman eyed Dr. Bush angrily. “You didn’t say nothing about a speedster or a birdman.”

            “I didn’t know about them,” the doctor sighed as he placed the equipment down on the table. “They are new in the field. The girl you fought earlier is most likely new. As for this… Birdman… We managed to catch him appearing during the monster’s attack,” Dr. Bush explained.

            “Ok… so what?” asked Flame impatiently as she looked at the video footage being projected on the wall before Dr. Bush paused the video, focusing on the old man, the guardian.

            “He is the Birdman, and quite possibly, the one who has been giving out these… tools,” Kronos explained as the screen in front of the group shifted. “I want you to track Jessica Keynes, don’t hurt her, she is still a kid… I want you… to get this old man,” the man said firmly. “But it has to be subtle, not in the heart of the city.”

            “Consider it done, Kronos,” Dr. Bush said smirkingly as the screen flashed before him, before turning towards the rest of the group. “Sounds like we got the plan, let’s make our move

Thanks for reading!

This story will be updated sporadically. So do be patient.

Feel free to comment on your thoughts and theories.

If you wanna chat about my fics, have any suggestions or requests or stuff. Feel free to find me on Discord Tenudakin12345#7702

- Tenudakin

Chapter Text

The next morning, Emily woke up and turned off the alarm on her phone. Sitting up in the bed and stretching a little bit. But that seemed to startle Loona, who was sleeping beside her on her pillow. 

Loona shot up from her spot on the pillow, but relaxed when she saw Emily wide awake beside her. Loona smiled at her holder. “Good morning, Em!”

“Hey, Loona, slept well?” asked Emily smiling as she looked around the room. She felt fresh, almost forgetting all the events that went down yesterday.

“Yes, even if what we went through last night was pretty crazy.” Loona said, floating up from her spot as Emily got up from her bed. 

“Soooo...what’s on the agenda today?” Loona asked, as Emily started gathering her things for school. 

“Well, I have to go to school, or else my parents will kill me, and I won’t get an education.” Emily said, chuckling.

“Oh well, they couldn't if they wanted to,” Loona said as she flew beside her. 

“You know what I mean,” Emily chuckled as she took out the spare change of clothes.

“Oh? You slept here?” asked Emily, obviously forgetting that she is an android.

Aeon sighed. “I am an Android. I don’t sleep.”

“Oh right,” Emily facepalmed herself. “I forgot,” Emily chuckled. “Were the guardian anyway?”

“He is. Actually, I am 100% not sure where he is.” Aeon said, now entering Robot Mode. “Is he in the other room?”

“I haven't seen him around,” said Emily. “Is Jess up yet?' asked the blonde sighing.

“Scanning the house for Jess.” Aeon said, as her eyes turned a bright yellow, indicating that she’s using her scanners in her eyes to detect Jessica’s location. 

“She is. still in her room.” Aeon said, sighing as her she’s changed back to their usual colour.

Emily immediately felt an urge to go into her room and talk to her, but she remembered what transpired the day before and dropped the idea. “Still not used to the fact that you're a robot,” Emily chuckled. “Kinda cool.”

“I am 100% flattered by your compliment!” Aeon said, smiling at her brightly. 

“Anyway, how are we supposed to explain to the principal why Jess is out of commission?”

“I thought the guardian got that handled?” asked Emily.

“I..do not know. We’ll have to see how he handles it.” Aeon said, suddenly concerned for exactly how the Guardian will convince the school to let her and Jessica be absent for the day. 

“I cannot go either. Do you have an excuse for us in case David and Aaron ask?”

“Uhm, other than sick, what other reasons I can use duh,” Emily scoffed.

Aeon then grew worried. “What if they come over here and see me like this?!” Aeon pointed out, referring to her torn up form.

“Well, you don't look that bad,” Emily chuckled dryly. “And yeah... I didn't think about that... Gahhh,” Emily rubbed her temples as Loona flew over to the table to munch on meat as Emily sat down on the table.

“I need some way to explain everything at school, and if they decide to come here and check on you guys. Jess may have an excuse because technically she was telling the truth when she said Knightowl was dead or missing, but Aeon doesn’t. She’s a robot, for god’s sake! If they see her like. that, they’re gonna suspect something!” Emily told Loona, who was munching on her meat beside her.

“The way I see it, it is simple, tell them they are not at home or something,” Loona said carefreely as she ate.

“Wha- isn’t it OBVIOUS they’re home?! If they come over, they would see them nonetheless!” Emily pointed out, looking at her kwami like she was crazy.

“Well, stop them from coming here then,' the kwami reasoned.

“Oh yeah, Loona, and how am I supposed to do that?” Emily asked her kwami sarcastically. “Text them saying “hey guys, Aeon and Jess aren’t home, even if they’re like. really sick! See you at school tomorrow!”? Fat chance they’re gonna believe it.” Emily scoffed.

“Well, you can bring them here and show them and tell them the truth if you like,” Loona scoffed.

Emily paused for a moment, and then groaned. “Great. Just great. The world is slowly coming to an end, Jess is busy. grieving, Aeon is MIA, and Kronos is starting to lean toward us more and is sending his henchmen and... women, to track us down.”

“Well, I think you're being over dramatic here,” Loona said relaxingly. “But seriously, just keep them out of the house, I can't be that hard.”

 Emily sighed. “You’re right. I’m just. worried. These people are good trackers! They could track me down when I go to school and connect the dots then!”

“As long they don't see you transform, your identify is definitely safe,” Loona said.

Emily shrugged. “I guess. Come on, Loona, we have to get going or else we’ll be late. And my first period teacher HATES tardiness.”

 “Take care,” Emily said worried, looking at Aeon. “If there is anything, call me,” the blonde said.

Aeon nodded, smiling at her friend. “You got it!” 

Emily nodded back to her, grabbing her bag, and running out the door to where the school was.

Aeon got up, trying to keep her balance as she walked. The attack yesterday really took a toll on her. She walked towards the room where the Guardian should be.

“Aeon, good to see you are. doing a little better.” The Guardian said, noticing how Aeon was still off-balance.

“Thanks to you,” Aeon said, her voice still fizzling a bit. “What are you going to tell the school?”

“That you and Jessica are currently sick and need some time to heal. Though, I am not sure how long Jessica is going to stay in her room.” The Guardian said, glancing back at Jessica’s room, which has the door closed.

 “If she's even in her room,” Aeon added, looking at the wall. Jessica really had it hard.

Meanwhile, Emily was practically jogging towards school as she made her way through the crowds of people.

“Excuse me! Sorry! Uh, pardon me sir!” Emily muttered to the people she bumped into, as she swore under her breath at how late she’d probably be if there are more crowds up ahead.

The blonde girl ran quickly as she dodged a few people. In her mind, she was thinking that the miraculous would probably be some help in this situation, she could just dash right towards school now. A momentarily loss of focus caused her to bump into another guy.

“Gah!” the familiar voice said as he tried to get up. “Emily, can't you see where you are going?” asked Aaron.

Emily gasped, freaking out as she helped Aaron up. “Oh, sorry Aaron! Didn’t see you there...where’s David?”

“Knowing him, he is probably at school already,” Aaron groaned. “Damn, that hurt.”

 “Again, I’m sorry.” Emily said frantically, still feeling guilty about not watching where she was going even if she has enhanced eyesight with the miraculous.

 “God, Why are you even rushing anyway? Are you running from another attack?” Aaron asked sarcastically.

Emily scoffed. “Shut up, you know that there’s been no sign of attacks ever since that...huge thing. WHATEVER he was.”

 “Then, I wonder why you were running, not like you were going to be late for school,” Aaron scoffed. “Look where you're going next time Emmy.”

Emily dryly chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, let’s go before the teacher gets mad at us.” She said. “You don’t want to see him when he’s mad, right?” She asked rhetorically, shivering at the thought.

“Not that I care. Not a scaredy cat like you Emmy,” Aaron teased.

“Stop calling me that,” Emily scoffed as she walked towards the school.

Soon, both Emily and Aaron reached the school, there weren't late, and the teacher haven't entered the class when they arrived.

Emily sighed in relief. “Okay, good, free time.” She said, pulling out test materials.

“Oh hey,” David greeted, looking at them. “Uhm... anyone know where Jess are... and Aeon?” asked the brunette curiously.

“Oh, uh...not actually.” Emily faked a concerned frown. “Maybe I can text them after class.”

“Really? Maybe, I should call, her, she hasn't been answering any of my texts yesterday,” David said pulling out his phone.

“Maybe she’s...sleeping?” Emily asked, shrugging.

 “Nah, not like Jess to oversleep this much,” David said as he swiped through his contact.

Emily internally panicked. She hoped Jessica would respond to him soon so that nothing drives them to go over to their house after school. 

She took out her phone. “Let me try.” She said, while texting Jessica a message. 

‘David ‘s worried because you didn’t answer his texts. Can you maybe...text him so he’ll not be as worried and come over to your house later?’

Emily sighed. Jessica is probably still in her room, laying in her bed right now. Little did she know that it was completely the opposite. Jessica walked out of her room, her eyes red and hair messy as she walked into the dining room, and she saw Aeon and the guardian there.

“Hey...guys.” Jessica whispered, loud enough for them to hear. 

They’re both surprised to see her come out of her room so suddenly, but they were also relieved. Since this is the first time, she’s come out of her room ever since Emily beat her in their sparring match.

“Jess? Good to see you out of your room,” Aeon said.

“Yeah, yeah gotta get to school,” Jessica grumbled, obviously still in a bad mood.

“No need. I already called you in sick.” The Guardian said. “But yes, it is nice to see you out of your room.”

“Wait... you did what?” Jessica asked in disbelief. “What did you do?”

“I called you in sick. So, you don’t have to go to school for now.” The Guardian repeated, noticing how agitated she was getting.

“W- Why? “ asked Jessica, her anger rising.

“Jessica...you are in no condition to go. Physically and mentally.” The Guardian said. “You need rest. Time to heal.”

“I'm in no condition!? I'm perfectly fine!” Jessica said loudly, her hands trembling in rage.

The Guardian shook his head. “You are just proving my point by getting angry at me when I’m only trying to help you.”

“Don't... Don't... Don't Arghh! I have to go to school don't you see!?” asked Jessica.

 “Not in this...condition. You need to rest, Jessica.” The Guardian said, as Jessica’s anger rose more and more by every second.

 “You... I can't believe all of you!” Jessica growled. “You didn't even think to consult me first!?”

The Guardian sighed. “This is for your own good, Jessica.”

 “It is not about that! Why didn't any of you asked me first!?” Jessica shouted.

 “Jess, please...just. rest.” Aeon said from the couch. “Your stress levels are shooting high. You have to calm down!”

 “STOP TELLING ME... TO CALM DOWN!” Jessica yelled shaking violently.

Aeon took a deep breath, before suddenly getting up and walking to Jessica. Wrapping her arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug (not tight enough to crush her though). 

“Jess...please...rest. Not just for us, but...for the people you care about.”

“I... I...” Aeon felt Jessica fall limp in her embrace.

“We all love you, Jess. We care. And… you keep beating yourself up after just one fight! Remember that...you still have years of training. You’re still the better fighter, nonetheless. I’m sure if Emily were here right now, she would say the same. Please...take care of yourself.” Aeon hugged her tighter.

“I... I... am sorry... I'm sorry,” Jessica mumbled repeatedly as tears poured once more as the guardian looked at the pair sympathetically.

“It’s okay...I’m just...glad you aren’t dead.” Aeon chuckled. “You had us worried when you didn’t come out of your room ever since then.”

“I'm sorry... I'm so... messed up... now... I don't know anymore... I really don't know...” Jessica sobbed in Aeon's embrace.

Aeon awkwardly rubbed her back. “Jess, it’s fine, really. We’ll figure it out...together.”

It was lunch break Emily, Aaron and David were sitting in a cafe, getting lunch.

“Seriously, what is going on with Jess?” asked David curiously.

“I don’t know. She didn’t answer my texts from this morning!” Emily said, once again faking her worry.

“Should we pay her a visit later... I'm really worried,” David sighed.

“Let's not forget the fact she said her mother was... gone or something,” Aaron added.

‘Oh, dear lord. Now I really wish some random villain showed up so that no one goes to anyone’s house.’ Emily thought, as she snapped back into reality. 

“I’m sure she’s fine. Jess is tough, she can handle herself...right?”

“Usually, I would agree...” David sighed. 

“Are we going to forget the fact she literally shouted at us yesterday?” asked Aaron.

Emily sighed. “I don’t think any one of us will forget that. But...who knows? Maybe she was stressed over something else prior to her mom’s...passing? I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“All more the reason to pay her a visit,” David sighed.

“Dude... why do you even care so much?” asked Aaron scoffingly.

“Why would we not?! Jess is our FRIEND. David is valid to be worried about her!” Emily said, not believing what Aaron had just said.

“I know... sorry, that didn't came out right. Of course, I care, but like, can't you tell, that she needs some space?” asked Aaron correcting himself.

Emily sighed. “Yeah, I know...but...we still have a right to get that worried for her.”

“Sorry, that didn't come out right,” Aaron rubbed the back of his head. 

“Still, should we visit her later?” asked David.

“Maybe we should just...leave her alone for now. She’s going through a lot, and I’m sure she knows we’re here for her if she ever feels like talking or...anything.” Emily said, looking down at her feet.

“Yeah, perhaps you are right,” David sighed. 

Emily just sat there in relieve, at least she got the idea out of the boys head, she didn't have to worry much anymore for now anyway.

Meanwhile, Jessica was just sitting at the dining table, poking at her food aimlessly.

“So… what’d I miss?” Jessica asked the Guardian and Aeon. Who sat across from her at the table.

“A lot actually,” the guardian said, looking at the girl. “You know... we understand if you need time.”

“No, go on,” Jessica said.

Aeon took a deep breath. “Emily snuck out last night to give her powers a test drive, and when she came back, she told us she ran into two people who were tracking her down. They both work for Kronos. She was able to defeat them, but at a close call. One thing is for sure now - they can track us down without us knowing and can connect the dots from there.”

“Shit... she went out?” Jessica facepalmed herself. “Yeah, sounds like Em.” Jessica couldn't believe it. “So, the monster gotta be from Kronos, it is the only thing making sense now. Who did she run into anyway?” asked Jessica.

“She officially ran into the woman with the ice powers. The other one was the speedster...his name was Voltra, according to Emily.” Aeon reported.

“This is bad,” Jessica groaned. “We need to be careful, really careful. How did she even get away from a person who can freeze you to death and a person who is practically fast?” asked Jessica.

“She...has speed powers too.” Aeon revealed. “It’s one of her powers given by the Wolf Miraculous.”

“That's kinda op,” Eagle chuckled dryly. “Still... something doesn't adds up here. They could've sent their monster to do the job, why didn't they?” asked Jessica frowning.

“Maybe the monster was a ploy for a bigger plan.” Aeon said, shrugging.

“But... for what purpose... We know they are hunting down supers... if Kronos could send the goons to do it... why the monster?” Jessica rubbed her temples.

“We don't know, but still, try to rest, the city is safe for now, don't worry too much,” the guardian sighed.

Jessica sighed. “Alright, but if I hear that Em sneaks out again and comes back with a black eye or worse, I won’t rest anymore until I find those sons of a bitches!”

 “Maybe you should tell Lupa not to run about like that,” the guardian said.

“Would she really listen to me?” Jessica asked, scoffing. “Em’s as stubborn as me! She’ll do anything to just feel the thrill!”

“Is she?” asked the guardian smirkingly.

“Yeah actually. Look, you don't know her as well as I do,” Jessica sighed. “She is a superheroes fanatic, now she is literally one.”

“So now since she’s legit a superhero, she’s gonna start acting too much like one! Meaning that equals more injuries and much more sneaking out to fight crime. She’s gonna get herself killed!” Jessica said, rubbing her temples.

“I think you're overreacting,” Aeon commented.

Jessica’s eyes widened, before she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Sorry. But my point still stands...she can’t do this that much when she’s still in training.”

“I'm just worried about her, alright?” Jessica sighed.

“We understand,” Aeon said.

Jessica just poked at the food aimlessly as her mind wandered on what Emily could possibly be doing now.

Meanwhile, Emily was transformed as Lupa, and running on the rooftops. While making sure she kept an eye out for Ice and Voltra, who were nowhere to be found...yet. 

When she saw Jessica’s apartment in sight, she quickly ran to an alleyway and landed in it. Looking in all directions to see if anyone followed her and are watching, which there weren’t. As she dropped her transformation. “Loona, fangs in!”

“Em, what are you doing? School is over already?” asked Loona confused.

“Sort of. I told the principal my mom was calling me home for a family emergency, so I can come here.” Emily said, walking out of the alleyway and towards the apartment. “C’mon Loona, no time to lose!” She said, as Loona hid in her bag. 

Emily got to the apartment, and opened the door, peeking her head inside to see the Guardian and Aeon...talking to Jessica. Jessica was out of her room! 

“...Jess?”

“Em? Wait... Is school over already?” asked Jessica confused.

“No...” Emily sheepishly scratched the back of her head. “I maaay have lied to the principal and said there was a family emergency and that my mom needed me at home.”

“Wait... What... Why?” Jessica groaned. “Em... You didn't have to...”

“Of course, I did!” Emily snapped, catching Jessica off guard. “S-Sorry. I mean...I felt like I needed to...check on you. But you’re out of your room! So..good!”

“Yeah... wait... you aren't going back to school today?” asked Jessica curiously.

“No..I-I wanna stay here. With you.” Emily said, smiling at Jessica. “You’re my...best friend, Jess. Best friends are supposed to be there for each other, no matter what!”

“Still... why did you come back here all of a sudden? What would your parents say?” asked Jessica, still in disbelief. “You should be in school now... And... wouldn't David and Aaron get curious?”

“I told them that I would check on you and that they don’t have to worry.” Emily said, shrugging. “Easy.”

“Em... urghh... At least you didn't use the miraculous to come here, did you?” asked Jessica sighing.

Emily nervously laughed, knowing that Jessica would be pissed if she got the message correctly.

“You did didn't you,” Jessica facepalmed herself.

Emily chuckled. “Maaaybe.”

“Seriously... Even after what happened yesterday?” Jessica sighed.

Emily shrugged. “I couldn’t help it. Having powers is SUPER cool. No pun intended.”

“Em... I... have no words... Are you sure you weren't followed?” asked Jessica frowning.

Emily nodded. “Don’t worry, I have extreme hearing and sight. I didn’t hear or see anyone suspicious.”

“Just... don't do that again, they could be following you for all we know, and if they finds out who you are, who I am, your family lives could be at risk, your life could be at risk!” Jessica said. 

Emily froze in her place. Thinking over the possibilities that Jessica had just laid out for her to hear. Her eyes widened in fear. “MOM!”

“Gosh, don't scare me like that,” Jessica groaned as her heart pumped, shocked by Emily. “Just calm down, don't do it again.”

“I won’t, I won’t, I promise! I’m just...just really excited to have powers. Like...ACTUAL powers!” Emily said, moving her hands around frantically.

“I'm sure you are... I still can't believe you ran all the way here to check on me,” Jessica groaned. “What are you planning to do now anyway?”

“Stay here...?” Emily asked, sheepishly grinning at her best friend.

“Wouldn't your parents be worried about you?” asked Jessica.

“I’ll call them and tell them that I came to check on you and bring you soup. Since they’re under the guise that you’re sick, they would believe it.” Emily said, smiling.

“You really don't have to do this... I'm fine... really just...” Jessica mumbled. “Anyway, how are the boys?”

“I want to do it, Jess. You’re my bestie! And they’re fine. Worried about you, but...they’re fine.” Emily said, plopping onto the couch

“How is David? His leg...” Jessica asked.

“Doctor said he’s set to make full recovery in about a couple weeks. So, he’s fine, as long as...he doesn’t get into any more trouble.” Emily said, cringing at the thought of Ice or Voltra attacking again.

“So, he uses crutches now huh...” Jessica sighed, remembering that it was her fault that he was in this condition.

“Talking about David, he was really concerned for you,” said Emily.

“oh?” asked Jessica.

“Yeah, he was talking non-stop about how you’re worrying him since you didn’t answer his texts yesterday, and well...he was about to come over here and check on you if it weren’t for me telling him he shouldn’t.” Emily explained.

“That was... kind of him I guess,” Jessica shrugged, while on the inside, she was this fluttering feeling.

Emily smirked. “Say, Jess, you wouldn’t happen to...like-like David, wouldn’t you?”

“I thought I made it quite plain with you Em, why are you even asking this question. I told you before,” Jessica groaned in embarrassment.

“She is 100% attracted to David,” Aeon added smiling.

“You know...I could set you up on a date~” Emily sing-songed.

“It is not like he likes me like that,” Jessica groaned smilingly. “Seriously, I told you before, don't meddle with my love life Em.”

“You meddled with Marinette’s.” Emily said bluntly, recalling the poor girl who got set up with her crush and was said to be a blushing mess around him.

“Yeah, that was... a mistake,” Jessica facepalmed.

“Look. Just...tell him how you feel anyway! Who cares if he rejects you? You guys are still on really good terms anyway!” Emily said, giving the best advice she could.

“Really? I just don't want to change things between us, you know? Plus, it is not because that he cares for me, which means that he likes me like that,” chuckled Jessica dryly

Emily scoffed. “Really? That’s not what I see. Whenever you’re not looking, he’s always a blushing mess.” She rolled her eyes. “Hell, whenever he comes over to my house, he talks about you non-stop for HOURS...okay, maybe not HOURS, but he does talk about you a lot.”

“Nah... that is wishful thinking... Plus... this life is complicated enough...” Jessica sighed. 

“Just, give it a try,” Emily sighed as she sat down beside Jessica.

“Besides, I’m pretty sure Ladybug and Chat are together, and they still fight crime no problem.” Emily said, smirking. “They CLEARLY love each other. I feel jealous, Chat’s kinda hot.”

“Maybe.... but I have no idea... how would this even work?” asked Jessica.

Emily giggled. “Well...if you think about it, David seems suitable for a miraculous. I mean, he wanted to help even if he was risking his LEG to find you! And he got hurt finding you! That is a true hero and gentleman right there. He’d make a fine husband.”

“You're not going to drop this anytime soon, are you?” asked Jessica groaningly. 

“If I may interrupt,” the guardian said.

They both screamed, startled by his sudden presence. “When...did you get here?!” Emily exclaimed.

“Uhm... I was here like the whole time,” the guardian said, unamused.

“...Good point. Anyway, why are you ‘interrupting’?” Emily asked, using finger quotes.

“Training starts today,” the guardian said plainly.

“...My training or...?” Emily trailed off.

“Mostly you, but Eagle has to be there too,” the guardian said.

“I’ve had years of training, but I guess I can be a good sparring partner.” Jessica said, smirking at Emily, who shared that smirk.

“If I remember correctly, I whooped your ass last night,” Emily said.

“Before you have a go at each other, I would like to tell you that I have a better place to do this,” the guardian interrupted again.

“Which is...?” They both asked in sync.

“Come on, we are going out,” said the guardian as he gestured towards the door. “To my place.”

Chapter Text

When the crew had gotten to the Guardian’s hideout, or..whatever it was, Jessica and Emily, along with Aeon who had tagged along, were surprised to see it was more of a training facility than a house. Well..only partly surprised.

"Woah, this place.... you live here?" asked Emily curiously as she looked around. It didn't look like a place someone would live in.

The Guardian nodded. “Yes. Now come along, we have much to discuss..and do.”

"Hmm, sounds about nice," Emily said, smiling,  as she walked forward. "What are we doing?"

The Guardian placed his hands behind his back. “First, Jessica, we must work on controlling Liberation to its fullest.”

"Wait what?" Jessica stuttered. "I thought Emily is the one that needs training?" she asked surprised.

“Well, yes. But Liberation is a very powerful power, Jessica. That is why you are struggling to grasp onto it. As for Emily, well, she seems to have a good use of hers since it is basic. But she still needs improvements on its usages during the two minutes she uses it.” The Guardian explained.

"But... I.." Jessica then remembered all the struggles, the pain she experienced whenever she has tried to use her powers. "Fine," the Native American shrugged.

“One of the embodiments you need to have complete control over your power is your patience. You must learn how to be levelheaded when using your power, and remain focused. You have to fight with a clear head...or else someone can easily use that to their advantage.” The Guardian said, sitting down on the mat. 

“Emotions can grant strength..but it is at a large cost. You, Jessica, need to turn those emotions into willpower. You must reach your inner strength to remain level-headed during a battle.”

"So... What do I do?" asked Jessica."Not that it is even easy to stay calm during a fight," Jessica said remembering the past few fights she was in.

“One of the most incredible things about mistakes, is that they show you what you need to grow as a person. As a fighter.” The Guardian smiled. “The only way you would be able to dig deep into Liberation, is if you grow the strength to clear your mind at moment’s notice.”

"I see... that is not very... whatever... so how am I even going to practice?" asked the girl curiously as she looked around the room.

“Focus on what I am doing. Close your eyes, and think of the pain, the misery you had to endure.” The Guardian instructed.

"So... Meditation?" asked Jessica curiously as she watched the guardian kneel down on the ground, following his actions, placing her hands on her lap. "Yes," the guardian nodded.

“Now, as I was saying before, close your eyes..and try to..reflect on all of those times you have struggled.” The Guardian said, in a calming and also firm voice.

Jessica closed her eyes and all of it was coming back to her. Memories filled her mind. That very fateful day of the devastating battle between Olympia and Ignoblia. The dark room crumbling down as her parents hugged her tight before handing her to Sparrow.

“Do you see them now?” The Guardian asked.

Jessica's hands began to tremble as she remembered all of it. The destruction the trauma that happened back then."Y-Yes," Jessica stuttered as she tried to focus.

“Don’t give up. Walk yourself through it all. Remember: turn those emotions into strength.”

"Urghhh..." Jessica felt discomfort as the events happened in her mind. She remembered watching the tall building collaspe as Sparrow carried her down to safety. "No... No..."

“Jessica. Take your pain..and turn it into power. Face that memory and break through it. Don’t push the pain to the back of your head, use it!”

"I- I can't..." Jessica stuttered as the painful memories raced through her mind. She remembered all the trauma, how she was taken.. how she held that hatred for Majestia, then the truth revealed that she has been living with her parents murderer.

“You can! Jess, you were never the one to give up on one thing even if you didn’t get it the first time. You NEVER gave up on who you cared about in your life. If you were able to not give up on all that you’ve been through and are still standing here, you can do this!” Emily chimes in. “Cmon Jessie..take that pain and boost yourself using it! Use it to make that ladder you need to make it to the top! You. Can. Do. This!”

Jessica let out a groan of frustration as she remembered seeing all the chaos, the destruction, the remnants of the base. She remembered how she took her mother's helmet in her arms as tears began pouring down. The cold truth that there was no one left except for them shook her once more.

“Those moments are all over..release the fear.” The Guardian advised her.

"Come on, Jess," Emily muttered as Aeon stood beside them.

Jessica then suddenly felt a warm feeling in her chest, as the weight got lighter when she had released her tears, her fear of losing anyone else, the horrible visions of her parents dying. She then felt nothing of the sort. She only felt..calm.

Jessica fell forward, her breathing calmer now, her expression softened as calmness slowly took over. "She is doing it," Aeon said.

Jessica’s eyes opened, and her eyes looked calmer rather than on edge. She felt..freer than before. “I-I think I did it.” She said, amazed by how she managed to get through all of that.

"You did. But do ever be reminded that, these memories will always come back to haunt you. All you need to do, is to stay calm, stay focused. This was, you can reach your full potential," the guardian said smilingly.

Jessica nodded. “Should I..transform and give it a try then? I..feel ready to see if I can do it now..may need more practice, but..I think I am willing to try what I couldn’t do before with Flame.”

"Maybe you take a bit of break while we focus on Emily now," the guardian suggested. Jessica looked a little bit impatient, but she let it go and nodded.

"So, what should I do? Sparring?" asked Emily perhaps a bit too excitedly.

“Emily, while you have made incredible use of your powers and weapons during your fight with Ice from what Loona told me..you can still use improvement on your fighting skills in general.” The Guardian explained. “I know that you lack proper training, which is why I am starting your training today.”

"Ohh nice! So do I transform?" asked Emily smiling, looking at her kwami who was floating beside her.

The Guardian shook his head. “No, we shall start from when you are de-transformed. Imagine if Ice or Voltra finds out who you are. And you don’t have your miraculous. You will need to learn how to fight as a civilian too.”

"Okay, okay, sounds good, so what do I do?" asked Emily, nodding.

“Well, first, you must learn the basics. Show me your current fighting stance.” The Guardian said, as Emily walked up front and center. 

"Current fighting stance? Alright then," Emily said she shifted her footing and raised her fist, as if preparing herself to fight an actual villain.

The Guardian hummed, observing her stance closely. “Not bad. But also not as good either.”

"How do you mean?" asked Emily curiously as she eyed the guardian.

“Well, first things first, your left foot should be the one that is in the back. Your right foot should be in front.” The Guardian listed down .

"Ok... ok..." Emily mumbled as she shifted her stance. "Is this alright?"

The Guardian nodded in approval. “That is better.”

"Ok, so what do I do now?" asked Emily.

“Now, you must learn the basic moves.” The Guardian said, while turning to Jessica. “Jessica, do you feel like demonstrating?”

"Sure why not?" Jessica smirked as she stood up and walk over to the blonde(edited)

Emily nervously chuckled. “Do we..do we really have to bring her along? I mean..I’m just beginning!”

"What, are you scared?" Jessica smirked as she stood in front of the blonde.

“What? No, no, I’m not! Just uh..just..” Emily stuttered.

"Jessica, focus, we are educating her," the guardian reminded.

Jessica rolled her eyes and smiled. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Which move should I do first?”

"Your choice, nothing too complicated," the guardian said.

Jessica nodded, before getting into a fighting stance and doing a simple roundhouse kick. “There. That shouldn’t be too hard..I hope.” 

"Wait wait wait, I can't keep up, could you go slower?" asked Emily blinking.

Jessica raised an eyebrow at her, not expecting Emily to say that, but she complied nonetheless. This time, she made sure she went slow enough for Emily to see how she did it.

"Ok... ok... so... like this?' asked Emily before she tried to imitate what Jessica did, raising her feet in the air.

Jessica chuckled. “Not exactly. But you’re close. Lift up the right foot, your dominant one, like this.” She said, picking up Emily’s left foot and lifting it in the air.

"Woah!" Emily stumbled as she fell, taking Jessica with her.

“...Okay, that’s..a good start, I guess. Needs a lot of work, but hopefully we have time.” Jessica said, getting off and dusting herself off. She turned back to the Guardian. “..we do have enough time right?”

"We have plenty of time, take your time," the guardian said, as Jessica helped Emily up.

“Kay then..let’s try again.” Jessica said, holding out a hand for Emily to take.

 "Alright... how does it go again?" asked Emily sheepishly.

“Like this.” Jessica said, while demonstrating where they left off once again.

 "Ok ok... here I go!" Emily grunted as she lifted her leg quickly, spinning a bit as she tried to imitate Jessica's movement, this time managing to land on her feet, stumbling a bit. "How did I do?" asked Emily.

"This is going to be a long day," Jessica muttered, sighing.

 “Can we..take a break?” Jessica asked the Guardian. “I think we all need it.”

 "Come on, we are just getting started," Emily said. "I'm still good to go!" She protested. 

 “Em, you’re barely standing up.” Jessica pointed out, facepalming. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at Emily bluntly as she was getting up on her feet. 

 "What? I just got knocked down. No biggie," the blonde shrugged as she stood up.

 Jessica groaned. “Whatever. Let’s just..take 10.” She said, going over to her bag and getting out her water bottle. She let Liiri out and allowed the Kwami to  lounge with them. 

“So, Jess..are you ready to see if Liberation is getting stronger?” Emily asked, as she sipped her own water.

 "Who am I even supposed to Liberate? You?" asked Jessica sarcastically. But she didn’t know that Emily would take that seriously. 

“Wellll...” Emily trailed off, which was good enough for Jessica to get the message. 

Jessica’s eyes widened. “Wait..what? Seriously? You actually want me to Liberate you?”

"Yeah, who else? I don't know, maybe Liberate yourself?" asked Emily. 

"What do you even need Liberating of?" asked Jessica.

Emily smirked. “Why don’t you stick inside my head and find out?” She asked smugly. 

Jessica rolled her eyes, calling her transformation. And when she did, she called her power. “Liberation!” 

Then Jessica was now digging into Emily’s mind. 

What she saw was Emily. Alone on a battlefield. And crying over a figure who turned out to be Eagle herself. 

“Eagle..J-Jess..I’m so, so sorry. I- what you and the Guardian taught me wasn’t enough. It wasn't enough. And that..cost me your life!” Emily sobbed. “I’m sorry. I-I’m so sorry.”

 Jessica shuddered a little as Emily's thoughts rushed into her mind. She was shocked. "Em..." Jessica sighed as a tear slid down her cheeks. Soon, the negative emotions began filling her once more, as she tried to remember what the guardian has taught her to do.

 Eagle took a deep breath, and focused her attention back on Emily. The Guardian’s words ringed in her head: turn the fear into strength. 

 “Emily, your fear is of not being good enough to fight alongside us..I..release you from that fear!”

Jessica lowered her hand as her head slowly cleared, her breaths slowed down. "How... How do you feel?" She asked, placing a hand on Emily’s shoulder. She was worried that it didn’t work and that Emily was still drowning in her guilt and shame of not being enough for anyone. Which was..unexpected to say the least. Jessica never expected her friend was actually more than worried for her - she was terrified, and not just for her..Eagle..she was scared of not being useful or worthy of Jessica’s friendship. Or anyone’s friendship. 

Emily sighed, feeling a little lighter than what she was at before. “It’s..still lingering. Only a little bit though. That means that Liberation is getting stronger.”

 "I... I see," Jessica said, as she still felt that lingering feeling of dread inside her, just smaller now. 

"So... you saw that? Didn't you," Emily said smiling weakly.

Eagle screwed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath, before calling off her transformation. “Liiri, wings down.” 

She transformed back into Jessica. Who was..more emotional to say the least. She launched herself forward and hugged Emily, clutching the other girl to her tightly.

 Liiri and Loona looked at each other then at their owner while Aeon just stood there in silence, watching it all unfold. 

"I'm sorry... I didn't know," Jessica said softly.

"It's fine... I feel a bit better now," Emily said.

 “It..didn’t seem like a fine thing to hide.” Jessica said, looking down as she remembered the weight she had carried before sharing the truth with Ladybug. 

Jessica sighed. “Look, Em, If we’re gonna be working together for now on, we..we need to start opening up more. That goes for both of us, not just you. There..is so much I regretted not sharing with you before I did.”

 "It's fine... I understand... From now on, we are in this together, got it?" asked Emily. "Promise me."

 Jessica smiled, nodding and holding out her hand for Emily to shake. “Promise.”

 "Well done, Eagle. You still have a long way to go. But you have improved," the guardian nodded approvingly.

 Jessica screamed, not expecting the Guardian to suddenly appear where they are. “Jesus Christ, STOP DOING THAT!”

"What do you mean?" asked the guardian, smirking at his student. Or associate. Or whatever he calls the trainees for the miraculous. 

"I... ughh... nevermind," groaned Jessica awkwardly.

 “Let’s..let’s just continue before something bad happens and..wait..do you guys hear that?” Jessica asked. While hearing the sound of..crackling. 

Jessica frowned. “Aeon, can you scan the area?”

"Affirmative," Aeon said as she looked around.

"What the... " Jessica exclaimed in surprise as she hid behind the table. "Aeon, what do you see?" asked the brunette.

“It is Ice, the villain who attacked Emily the other day. She is currently attacking our area of the city.” Aeon reported.

 "Wait what!? Now!?" Emily groaned. "Oh, well, I would love to cut off her limbs again," Emily smirked.

"Wait, you did what?" Jessica asked surprised.

 “Oh no! I didn’t completely cut them off. I meant slash at them.” Emily said. “Y'know..using my blades?”

 "Still..." Jessica eyed Emily.

"Wait, why would she attack here, this place is literally  nowhere," the guardian mumbled. "Unless..."

"Who cares," Emily said. "Loona, Fangs out!"

 “Liiri, wings of liberty!” Jessica called out. They both transformed into Lupa and Eagle in a mere second, ready to fight. They turned around to see that Aeon is Uncanny Valley once again. 

“UV! You’re back!” Eagle exclaimed, hugging the robot dramatically.

"Not 100% back, but you need my help," said Aeon. The guardian was now looking around worried, his hand holding his cloak.

“We uh..may need some extra help with Ice covering the entire city in ice.” Eagle said, shivering at the thought of having to fight villains in cold weather.

 "Actually, she is just circling this place," Uncanny Valley corrected.

“Yeah, but she can STILL freeze the entire city to death if she wanted to!” Eagle pointed out, waving her hands frantically. Then the guardian's voice came from behind them as he transformed. With the Falcon Miraculous around his neck.

"We need to move now," the guardian said.

They all nodded. Taking the back door as an exit to not be suspicious, as they saw Ice terrorizing the area with a cruel and heartless smirk on her face.

 "Ahh~ There you all are," the grey-haired woman said as she noticed them walking out of the door. "I was wondering when you would show. He said that you would. And he was right."

Emily, now Lupa, smirked, grabbing her blades. “Hey Ice Queen, ready for round 2?”

 "Hmph... you are too confident of yourself," Ice said, smirking at the group.

"Well, it is 4 against one, what chance do you have?" asked the blonde super-heroine confidently.“Besides, you don’t wanna end up like last time, don’t you?” Lupa asked, seeing Ice slightly flinch when she mentioned “last time”. But Ice quickly replaced it with an ice cold glare.

"So... what do we do now?' whispered Lupa curiously. "Eagle?"

“Maybe I can use Liberation on her. Find out what her motive is.” Eagle whispered back.

 "So, you think just because you have me outnumbered, you can beat me?" asked the grey haired woman mockingly. “How cute.” 

"Yeah, that's called logic," Lupa scoffed.

 “For a Middle Aged woman, you sure are a dumb fuck.” Lupa sassed her, before nodding at Eagle.

 "Well, come at me then," Ice chuckled as she blasted the ground with ice, before quickly making her way, running away from the group.

Lupa acted quickly, stabbing one of her blades into the ground and making the ice crack. They all ran after her on one of the rooftops in all directions, in hopes of ambushing her somewhere. But first..they needed to find a place to surround her. 

“Eagle, use your weapon on that pipe she's running to!” Lupa called out, not really loud enough for Ice to hear.

"Gotcha!" Eagle said as she threw her bullroarer forward, wrapping around the pipe before pulling it. 

Meanwhile, Uncanny Valley was in the skies, watching as Ice jumped from buildings to buildings with ease. However, despite being repaired a bit, there were some things that were still glitching.

 “U.V. Are you still functional enough to fight?” Eagle asked through the comms, as she and Lupa continued to run with the Guardian after Ice. 

Lupa threw one of her blades at a nearby pipe, making steam come out of it as Ice jumped directly into it.

 "Gah!" Ice groaned as the steam hit her, she stumbled and fell from the height, crashing on the ground.

"I'm 67% operational!" Uncanny Valley answered.

 “..Okay, that may be uh..a problem later. But we’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.” Eagle said, as she landed down on the ground where Ice was and wrapped her in her bullroarer's string. Lupa landed next to her, with her blades at the ready in case Ice tried to escape.

"Well, it seems like you are captured," Lupa gloated as she jumped down in front of the woman smirking only to hear her cackle. "What is so funny?"

 “You really think I came here alone?” The woman asked, with a cruel smirk on her face. “Think again. Because Voltra has your little mentor friend.”

"Wait what!?" Eagle said as she turned around. "How..."

"Plus, things are going to get green around here," Ice smirked as the ground began to rumble, huge vines sprouted and broke through the ground.

“Ugh..Eagle, let’s just use Liberation on her before we’re all doomed.” Lupa said. “I’ll take care of Reverse Flash over here.”

 "Flash!" Lupa shouted before she sped away.

Eagle looked around frantically as she watched the vines growing towards her. "Well, this should be easy," a man's voice said, walking out of the shadows, revealing his face.

"Dr. Bush. What is going on?" Eagle asked, as she was getting extremely confused now.

“Kronos is attacking, it seems.” Dr. Bush said. “But focus on her - use Liberation. See what you can find out.”

Thorn then wrapped his vines around the grey haired lady, holding her in place while Ice struggled, holding her in front of Jessica, free for her to use Liberation.

"I... I don't get it... What happened to the base, how are you alive?" asked Eagle, skeptically looking at Dr. Bush. "Where is everyone?"

Meanwhile, Aeon was in the sky looking down on everything that was happening. She watched as two streaks rushed around the area. Lupa and Voltra were rushing through the streets, with Voltra carrying the old man while Lupa chased after him. The android felt her vision going blurry at times as she zoomed in to look at the ground. She then flew to aid Jessica.

"Urgh... this is getting really old!" Lupa grunted as she threw her blade forward after turning a corner, piercing Voltra in the shoulder, making him fall forward, dropping the guardian.

Emily rushed over to break him free from the bounds. "Guardian! This is so weird... Don't you have a name," Emily muttered as she tried to break the bounds.

"There was a...an attack...I was the only one to escape" Dr Bush says with a hint of deceit and betrayal. 

"You're the last one to escape right?" Eagle blurted out and got in-front of him "Where is my mother?"

 "Dead! Gone, all of them, I am the only survivor!" Thorn said as he blocked the others with his vine. "No traces of them left."

"Why did you not find me until now?" asked Jessica frowning. Something wasn't right at all.

 "I was damaged and I had to seek help from the outside to heal my injuries after all that..I just had to go into hiding" Thorn says as he pulls out a knife behind him. 

 "Right, and you went into hiding, and you didn't tell me anything, just tell me the truth Thorn, who are you?" asked Eagle, spinning her bullroarer. She was certain of it, there was no other explanation at this point.

 "Oh...Jessica...you just had no idea just how similar we are!" Thorn said, his face slowly morphing into a much more grim expression as he held up the thorn like knife, pointing it straight at her head ready to strike. 

"Why.. Why do this to my mother?! You and her were close! There’s no reason to kill her!" Eagle asked, while also feeling her blood boiling from inside of her. 

"Hmph, foolish child.  You are young, innocent, inexperienced. You have no idea how I wanted to get rid of Olympia. She was nothing to me, and even in death, she still is a worthless bitch who I wished I killed a long time ago." Dr. Bush rose,  a vine wrapping around Eagle. “And now I get to take the pleasure in killing her beloved daughter.” He cackled, as the vine wrapped around Eagle tightened around her. 

"What.. Do you want from me?" Eagle choked.

"Like I will tell you," Thorn darkly chuckled. "We just want the old man, stand down, Kronos has specific orders."

"You are not getting your hands on the Guardian.." Eagle growled, as she prepared her bull-roarer. “I will make sure that you go down with me if I ever die today.” 

 Thorn sighed. "You made me do this Jess. You are a good girl, you know? I thought after all you went through, you will understand."

 Eagle clenched her fists. “Oh, don’t give me that bullshit. I didn’t make anyone do anything, you chose to side with Kronos all on your own, and you made your choice, so I choose mine, I am not helping some scumbags do their Master’s dirty work. And I already made that clear!” She said, throwing her bull-roarer at Thorn, wrapping it around his waist. But he managed to escape by causing vines around them to go haywire. Knocking her to the ground. 

"Quake, she is yours," Thorn turned Eagle around, wrapping the vines around her, she was struggling, facing a giant rock monster about to slam his fist down on her. 

Jessica closed her eyes in fear as the fist came down on her, ready to feel the impact, but it never came. "What the?" Jessica asks as she was locked in a rock like cage 

"Damn it let me out!"

Thorn sighed. "If you are not going to stand down, we have no choice," Thorn pressed his comm link, contacting Voltra. "Voltra! Where are you?" The doctor asked over the comms. "What is your status?"

"Lost the guardian, that girl is here bugging me," the man answered as he sped around the place. "I have eyes on her."

"Well then  get the guardian!" Thorn shouted.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on him," Eagle said angrily.

"I am afraid that it is not up to you," Thorn chuckled.

"Not if I have something to say about it," Uncanny Valley's voice came, landing in front of Thorn and quickly stunning him.

 "U.V BEHIND YOU!" Eagle shrieked in alarm,  as the earth titan swatted his arm and pushed U.V aside. 

"I'm okay!" U.V shouted back at Eagle,  as she began scanning a weak spot into the titan trapping Eagle in its arms (Which could easily deactivate Uncanny if she weren’t careful). 

Quake let out a loud roar as he slammed his fist on the ground, trying to knock U.V. out. Aeon jumped out of the way, feeling her gears crank a bit as her repairs weren't fully complete yet, her circuits sizzling.  Aeon quickly shot a blast of lasers at Eagle's cage, breaking it.

"Thanks U.V.!" Eagle threw her bull-roarer at a nearby lamppost and jumped up, swiftly landing on the giant and desperately looking around for anything that she could use to at least slow it down. 

"No problem!" U.V gets back into fighting stance, as Eagle lands beside her, twisting her bull-roarer in her hand, prepared for any attack that would come at any second. 

When there were surprisingly no attacks coming their way from Quake, Eagle sighed and stopped twirling her weapon around. She then switched her train of  thought to Thorn, and how he was still on the run with the others. Probably going back to Kronos by now. 

"Come on we need to get to  Thorn, maybe he can lead us back to where Kronos could be hiding!" Eagle says as she and Uncanny turn back to the empty streets and start going in the direction he ran away in. 

Lupa was trying to untie the guardian frantically, as she watched Voltra sped closer towards them. She was panicking, these knots were hard to untie, she was stuck. 

"Shit shit shit!" Lupa muttered as Voltra came close.

"Lupa, take this miraculous box and go!" the guardian urged as he rolled over, revealing the miraculous box that was hidden beneath his cloak.

 "No I can't just leave you or take something that is just out of comprehension!" Lupa said, her voice raising as she got even more nervous and scared, since her enemy was only a few feet away. 

"Just go...they'll take me, not the miraculous...go" The Guardian yelled. 

 Lupa closed her eyes in frustration, taking the box. "Flash!" and with a burst of light. Lupa sped off, attracting Voltra.

"I see you little brat!" Voltra said as he ran after her.

"Oh shit.." Lupa murmured, as she dodged the bolts while carrying the box under her arm.  Voltra fires a bolt, flanking Lupa as she loses her balance and falls to the ground. 

As Voltra was going to fire another bolt, the guardian stepped in front of Lupa and deflected the bolt with his hawk themed weapon. 

"Go, hurry!" The guardian shouted at her as he tried to build up enough strength to hold off Voltra’s attacks. 

"How did he..?" Lupa muttered, as she stood up, rushing towards Voltra, knocking him back with a full speed punch, the man's body slammed against a wall, the wall cracking behind him before the roof began falling down on him.

"Oh... no," Lupa gasped as she realized what she just did, looking at the pile of rubble, hoping for  movement, but there wasn't.

Lupa  went into a fighting stance, and kicked Ice before Ice swung an ice rod at Lupa’s face, knocking the Wolf holder down . The  guardian comes charging in front of Lupa, and strikes Ice with his staff.

 Meanwhile, Eagle and Uncanny Valley were fighting Quake, the rock monster that was twice their size. Uncanny Valley fired multiple blasts of shocks at the golem but it wasn't doing anything

"A nuts and bolts!" U.V cursed,  as Eagle looked at U.V with a surprised expression. 

 "Woah, never heard you say that before." Eagle mused, as she swung her bull-roarer, and struck a weak spot on Quake’s upper back. 

"I am frustrated," U.V. said, shrugging,  as she fired another blast. 

"Where are the guardian and Lupa at?" asked Eagle frantically, as she looked around for any sight of them. 

"I do not know but there looks to be a fight in progress not far from here" U.V states. 

Meanwhile, the blonde's blade clashed against Ice's ice knives, clanging together as she tried to run off. The guardian flew up and landed a kick on Ice, knocking her back.

"Quake! I need your help," Ice shouted over the comms. 

The rock golem headed the call and looked at the two superheroines. "You two are lucky..or perhaps unlucky." Quake grumbles, and turns to dust, disintegrating into thin air. 

 "Wait... what just happened?" Eagle asked, still phased by what just happened in front of their faces. It’s not everyday you see a man turn to dust in front of you..actually, in their case, it shouldn’t be an everyday thing. At all. 

"Come on, we need to find the others," Uncanny Valley said as she flew away from the site, picking Eagle up and going up into the skies.

"You have eyes on them?" Eagle looks around for any sight of the duo. 

"Yes, we have to hurry!" U.V says as she grabs Eagle and flies toward the direction of the fight, which was causing a lot of damage in the area, mind them. 

 Lupa slashed her blades across Ice's flash, drawing a cut. 

"Damn it girl, you are really making out to be a murderer hmm?" Ice mocked as she pushed off the guardian, blasting him back with a cold blue beam.

“Well, unlike Eagle, I’m not afraid to cross the line.” Lupa said, drawing out her other blade from behind her back and pointing it at Ice. Her posture straight as an arrow and her eyes staring right into the older woman’s. 

“You do not have the nerve to kill. Admit it, girl.” Ice said, raising her hand and preparing another beam of ice. 

Lupa laughed, drawing out both her blades. "Well, I just killed someone so, wouldn’t I?" asked Lupa as she pushed forward, landing a hard kick into Ice’s gut.

"Wait, this cloud of dust is going towards them!" Eagle realized.

 "We have to hurry!" U.V says as she went faster, hoping to get to the others in time before Ice or Voltra could do anything to them.

"Quick!" Eagle exclaimed.

 Ice quickly grabbed Lupa, pressing the blade against her skin. "So much for all that big talk hmm?" The grey haired woman chuckled. "Stand down. We want the old man and him only."

 "Over my dead body!" Lupa says as she grabs the blade and tosses it aside and Lupa kicks Ice.

Lupa landed her fist, knocking Ice back. Ice stood up, raising her palm firing a long ice spear right at the blonde, knocking her back. Soon, a cloud of dust surrounded them.

"Ah! Finally! Took you long enough!" Ice said in relief.

 Quake then manifested into two arms and grabbed Lupa "AHH, let me go!" Lupa cried.

 "Not her you dumbo! Him!" Ice shouted, pointing to the guardian, who laid unconscious on the ground, still out from the blast from Ice.

"Oh sorry.." Quake says as the golem uses the ground to scope up the Guardian and Ice hopped onto Quake’s back, as he starts to turn into a sand storm, hitting Eagle, Uncanny, and Lupa with a cluster of sand as he and the ice-themed villain disappeared before their eyes.

 "See you around blondie," Ice chuckled as she flew off with the guardian.

"No no no!" Lupa said as she stood up.

"Wait... what is... they got the guardian!" Eagle said.

"On it!" Aeon answered.

The guardian woke up, struggling. He knew that he couldn't let them get his miraculous. "Wings off!" He shouted before yanking the miraculous off him. The man threw it off him, letting it fall down below.

"Wait.... is that... " Jessica said.

“Eagle, get the miraculous!” Uncanny called out to her.

"I can not leave you!" Eagle saus as U.V got frustrated.

"Just go get it!" U.V snapped.

Aeon lets Eagle drop, as she glides down from the skies towards the woods.

"You are definitely like your mother." Thorn commented, as U.Vs eyes turn  blood red. 

Thorn was in the skies, standing on vines, crossing his arm. "And to think that a monster's child would be anything different."

Thorn was in the skies, standing on vines, crossing his arm. "And to think that a monster's child would be anything different."

U.V just stared at Thorn as he continued to talk badly about her mom. She felt the anger and despair rise up through her artificial veins, as she screamed in frustration at the villain. 

"That is it!" the android fired a blast of electricity at the man, hitting him square in the chest. "No one talks bad about my mom! She is a good person! She loved and cared for the ones that repeatedly pushes her away" U.V yelled at himx as she remembers reading of how Barbara pushed Olympia away before Barbara fell in love with her back. 

"Yeah, continue telling yourself that robot!" Thorn said as he stumbled from the shock.

Meanwhile, Eagle glided down into the woods, trying to find the miraculous that supposedly landed there, but it wasn't in sight.  No one was there, except for a few late-night trekkers.

"Come on, where is that miraculous?!" Eagle asks to herself as she couldn't see anything, but she kept looking around nonetheless. 

Suddenly, someone bumped into her. Shocking her, "Gah! Em- I mean Lupa, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" groaned Eagle.

"Sorry about that" Lupa says as then they heard screaming from Thorn. 

"Eagle, we have to check that out, we will look for the miraculous later come on!" Lupa said, grabbing Eagle by the wrist and dragging her along. 

"What about the guardian?" asked Eagle, looking at Ice in the sky. "We have to do something.” She said frantically, shaking Lupa’s shoulders. 

"Look, we can't fly, and U.V. needs our help," Lupa urged. 

"…Okay, okay, come on" Eagle says as she lifts Lupa and as they got close to U.V.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Thron screamed in agony, as U.V used a energy saw on Thorn’s shoulder slicing the arm off. 

"Uhh since when could she do that?" asked Lupa nervously.

"Stop! U.V STOP!!" Eagle shrieked, as she took a look into U.Vs eyes and they were colored red, and far more different than her usual eye color. 

Thorn unintentionally lowered himself down as his arm was left with a bleeding stump, kneeling down before Uncanny Valley, whose eyes were glowing red.

"Okay, U.V that's enough!" Eagle cried. 

"Not enough... Traitor!" U.V.'s voice was becoming mechanical, as she raised her blade about to sink it into Thorn.

"U.V. we don't kill!" Eagle screamed in terror as she held the android back as Lupa immediately felt guilty about what she had done earlier. 

"Please stop, this isn't you! Your mom wouldn't want this!" Jessica cried, hoping to get through to the girl who she grew up to knowing as a sister of sorts. 

"My... mom is gone... bzz..bzz... of him!" Aeon persisted as Thorn stumbled back in fear.

Suddenly the sky lit up and a ball of fire threw the three teens back.

"Fancy seeing you again, Eagle," Flame said as he walked out of the flames.

"You’ve  got to be kidding me!" Eagle groaned in annoyance, as she made a pose as U.V was about to unveil another saw weapon and Lupa made a panicked expression. 

Flame picked Thorn up. "Well, we will see each other soon. A word of advice. Kronos doesn't want any of you. Stand down and nothing will happen to you." And in a burst of fire, both of them were gone.

Eagle and Lupa looked at each other. "Oh great, this just got worse." Eagle sighed. 

Chapter Text

Jessica opened the door, and Emily and Aeon walked in after her. She was not just frustrated. She was miserable, she has failed again.

 “Damn it!” Jessica growled as she tossed a chair across the room and into the living room “The guardian is gone!” Jessica says as she sat down on the clutch, and Emily walked up to her “I...I failed”

“Jess, it’s not your fault!” Emily consoled, placing her hand on Jessica’s shoulder. 

 "Damn right it is!" Jessica cried in frustration. "And what were you doing!?" Jessica groaned.

“I was trying my best Jess, but Voltra was too strong for me.” Emily responded, crossing her arms over her chest as Jessica stands up and towers over her.

“You could’ve done better!” Jessica cried out. “Now the only one that’ll teach us how to properly use our Miraculouses is gone, and now...” Jessica continues until she looks at Aeon, whose eyes are still red.

 “Jess, you know that we all tried, we were outnumbered and... I tried to stop them, I... killed Voltra..." Emily confessed, feeling tears well up in her eyes as the memory clouded her mind. She had killed a person, a real person, and the worst part of it is that he was a villain.

"And you... Aeon... what the hell were you thinking? We do not kill!" Jessica said firmly, shaking now.

Aeon did not say a word as her eyes continued glowing red.

“Aeon, are you okay?” Jessica says with concern as the Android was making an enraged face that sent shivers down both Jessica’s and Emily’s spines.

 "Aeon?" asked Emily as she touched the robot’s back, as if to ask her if she was okay, but without speaking.

"Wait, you said... you killed someone?" asked Jessica.

 “It was an accident...” Emily whispered, her voice becoming more meek and quiet. “I didn’t mean to kill Volta I must’ve slipped or....” Emily trailed off.

“She deserves to die.” Aeon says in a static voice.

 ”Aeon!" Jessica said in shock. "And Emily, how... did you manage to kill him?" asked Jessica.

"I punched him against a wall, and it collapsed on him..." Emily said.

 “I’m sure...he is okay..I mean, most villains can survive that kind of damage.” Jessica says in an unsure tone.

“Wait, what about the Miraculouses?” Jessica asked, remembering that they had lost two miraculouses when they were fighting Ice and the others.

 "Well... here... all except the one the guardian was wearing," Emily said, holding the box.

“Okay, better than nothing.” Jessica sighed. “Okay, our current objective is to find that miraculous then we’ll..well...Aeon help me out over here” Jessica turned to Aeon, who still hasn’t snapped out of her phase of anger.

"Someone needs to take a look at Aeon," Jessica stated the obvious, pointing at the android in front of them.

 "I think you should talk to her Jess.." Emily suggested, burying her face in her hands out of stress and the sheer amount of anger she felt towards herself. This was all her fault, she had caused Aeon to go crazy and kill Thorn.

“Aeon?" asked Jessica unsurely. She sighed. "Come on."

Jessica then helped Aeon towards her usually charging port, helping her stand into it, connecting her, before turning the power on. Emily just looked as Jessica plugged Aeon in.

"Woah! it's like plugging a video game!" Emily fangirled,  as Jessica breathed in and out, feeling a small amount of anxiety for her teammate and technically sister.

"You should see what her room looks like." Jessica mused, chuckling at the image of Emily fangirling over how awesome and technologically advanced Aeon’s room is. But that was no surprise, since Aeon is a robot after all.

“Ehh, more or less so," Jessica said as she walked away from Aeon as her eyes closed, seemingly asleep. "Don't you have to get home? It’s late."

"Let me take a breather." Emily said, taking a moment to herself, as she sits down and rubs her temples.

"So what now?" Emily asks Jessica a few minutes later, breaking the silence between them.

 "To be honest... I don't know," Jessica sighed as she plopped down on the couch.

"Well, let's think for a sec," Emily suggested. "We have the miraculouses, why don't we get more heroes?"

Jessica scoffed. "Yeah, as if it will be easy," she rolled her eyes at the thought of having to run around and look for potential candidates for the Bear and Thunderbird, now that the Eagle and Wolf were in circulation, and currently fighting for their lives while trying to keep up with school.

"It can't be that hard!" Emily exclaimed, as she opened the miracle box. But that thought was out of the window when she saw all of the miraculous jewels that were out of commission.

"Woahh, that’s..that’s a lot of jewelry." Emily sighed, but she couldn’t help but marvel at it, because while these jewels were actually magical, they sure did look like the usual antiques you see in poshy stores in London, or Dubai, or any other place in the world that has luxury shopping.

 "You really think we can go out giving miraculouses to everyone we see?" asked Jessica, frowning at her best friend with a judgemental expression.

"Well, what do you suggest? It's obvious we can not deal with this mess ourselves!" Emily exclaimed, waving her hands in the air as frustration began to build up inside of her.

 "I know, but you can't go out giving miraculouses to people like that, what if they end up in the wrong hands?" Jessica pointed out, referring to how Techno-Pirate turned into Miraculonizer by wearing the Eagle Miraculous.

"..Yeah, good point," Emily nodded. "Anyway I have to get back. My parents are probably getting worried." Emily says as she stands up and reaches up to take off her miracle jewel. But that was before Jessica stopped her.

"Keep it," Jessica said. "Just... don't transform to get back home and make sure you are not followed."

 "Sure thing." Emily says as she packs her stuff and heads for the door.

 "T- Thanks, Emily," Jessica sighed. "Just... don't tell anyone, you got it?"

"Not even the boys?" asked Emily.

 "Im....thinking about it." Jessica murmured, as she looked at the box.

 "For now? Don't tell them," Jessica sighed. "I hurt them once, I am not going to rope them into this."

Emily frowned at her friend."You do know that they will do anything to help right? I mean David just ran into the battlefield searching for you," the blonde pointed out. "Aaron, maybe not."

"Look, I am already risking you, I am not going to give them a chance to risk themselves, because so far, I can't seem to keep any of you safe," Jessica sighed.

 "I understand that, but is there anyone else that can help you?" Emily asked.

"I don't know, most of them are gone," Jessica sighed.

 "Well you can not deal with this on your own!" Emily said, opening the door and about to walk out, before she looked at Jessica over her shoulder.  "I'll see you tomorrow...i'll send you the homework answers if you did not get the chance."

Jessica smiled, grateful for Emily’s help. "Yeah, thanks," Jessica sighed. And Emily was off, headed home.

Emily walked down the streets, she then approached her house, the lights were still on. She walked up to it and was about to ring the doorbell when the door opened.

"Emily! Oh god, where were you? We were calling you, so worried about you!" Emily's mother, a blonde like her, with wavy hair pulled the younger blonde into a hug.

 "I'm sorry mom, there was an attack and me and Jess had to stay low for a while and get through security." Emily explained, leaning into her mother’s touch.

 "There was an attack tonight? And you were caught in it?" her mother asked worriedly. But then again, it was understandable.

"We were at the memorial," Emily lied. "The outskirts of the city, you know? And then it happened," Emily said. Well, she wasn't completely lying, the attack did happen on the outer edges of the city.

"I am just happy that you are safe," the older blond hugged Emily again.

 "Yeah..thanks mom. Anyway, what's for dinner?" Emily asked, as she put her bag down on the couch in front of the TV.

 "Well, you are kinda home late, we saved you some stuff," her mother said as Emily walked in.

"Are the twins asleep?" asked Emily looking around.


"Yes, they are, they were so worried about you!" Emily's mother said, gently rubbing her daughter’s shoulder.

 "What about dad?" asked Emily, sighing. "Is his hand getting better?"

"He is, but it's not that easy Emily." Emily's mom said, as she brought some carrots to the table.

"I know, the attacks on this city is really a thing huh?" Emily sighed as she turned on the TV. Knowing that it was about time for the news report.

 "I'm sure it will get better" Emily's mother says as a news broadcast came on, with camera footage of Eagle and Uncanny Valley being shown on the report.

"Tonight, there have been reports of a large-scale battle between what seems to be New York's newest heroes, Eagle and Uncanny Valley, with an unknown figure,  against an unknown group. Our reporter, Mrs. Lilian, is on the scene, with one of the witnesses, Mrs. Lilian." The news broadcaster had said, as the camera transferred to another woman who was standing in front of  the scene with her microphone in hand.

 "Where are the other heroes?" Emily's mother asks herself.

 "I am sure they are busy," Emily sighed, knowing exactly what had happened, but she couldn’t just tell the rest of the city what Jessica told her.

"Thank you William, I am here on what was the battle scene, and the damage done is drastic. Witness reports seeing vines growing and streaks of lightning and, oh, here is one of the witnesses. Miss, what actually happened here?" asked the reporter, the camera pointing towards a young woman, quite petite with long hair.

"There was a giant rock like monster that attacked Eagle and another hero that looked like a dog" the woman says

 "A.... dog?" Emily scoffed in disbelief as she ate the carrots.

"I see, and what do you have to say for the certain rise in criminal activity in this city? And the absence of the older and more experienced heroes?" asked the reporter, before moving the mic back to the woman.

"Where is Knightowl? He is supposed to help us, not the young heroes!” The witness had exclaimed, clearly more alarmed than mad at the younger heroes for having to step in and not Knightowl or Majestia.

"Indeed, the absence of heroes and our president is worrying indeed. What do you think about the job that these new heroes are doing?" asked the reporter. "Do you think that they are taking up well after the heroes?"

“I’m...not so sure if they are doing a good job of it.” The witness said to the reporter, as Emily slowly ate her dinner, fully interested in the report.

"I mean, it is great that there are new heroes, but there is always that question, is more heroes really a good thing? I mean these threats only started rising much more because of the appearance of supers, in a way, so would it truly be better?" asked the young woman.

“Well, that is interesting because as more heroes come forth, the more villains comes as well.” The reporter commented.

"Indeed, a worrying sight. However, the worst of it all is the damage they do, which I am sure everyone knows. The attack here today, if it was in a more populated area, people would get hurt or worse," sighed the woman. "I was fortunate enough to get away from the scene without any injuries."

“That is true,” the reporter nodded. “We are all having trouble and suffering, even before the incident with Hawkmoth.”

The reporter nodded. "Thank you for your valuable insight on the situation. Is there anything else you would like to add?"

"I just hope that Knightowl and Majestia return." Said the eye witness.

"Well said, back to you, Miss," the reporter said before the screen cut back to the newscaster.

"There you have it, the latest reports of the enhanced activities in the city of New York. And most likely connected to all of these, there still have been no sightings of any other known heroes of the famous team, United Heroez, which leads to rumors of Eagle sabotaging the team herself," the newscaster said.

Emily spat out some of her drink at that last line.  "Wait..WHAT?!”

"We are happy to have vice president, Mr. Ford himself, to address what he thinks of the disappearance of our protectors. Mr. Ford, given your reputation, working with Mrs. Hornbee for quite a while, what do you think of the latest development?"

Emily looked at the television towards the man wearing a tuxedo. He was David’s father, Killian Ford.

"Good evening, there have been a lot of words going around that I know what actually happened. Well to be honest, I know nothing, I have no hand in managing this group of heroes, Camilla always did. They never even told me the location of their base of operation to be honest, so I don't know anything. As for these claims against Eagle, well, to be honest, I don't know much about her either, but these claims might not be out of the question, but regardless, New York City, in the hands of heroes like her so far, has suffered," the man said.

"Wow, that's a good sign of hope." Emily remarked sarcastically, scoffing at how much of a bad president David’s dad was going to be once he got into office.

 "What is it honey?" asked the older blonde as she walked into the room.

"I see Mr. Ford, do you have any clues to what happened to them?" asked the newscaster.

"Well, I have no idea frankly. Other than the heroes themselves, and probably the FBI and the department of security, no one else is allowed to know where their bases are. But all I know, enhanced people like them usually make powerful enemies, and sometimes, these enemies can cause troubles, hopefully they are still out there, but the lack of news from them is indeed worrying," the man said.

"Tell us something we don't know." Emily snarked.

 "I see, what do you think of the sightings of these new... heroes?" asked the newscaster.

"Well, I wouldn't call them heroes yet. Eagle has seemingly assembled a new group, as it would seem so. But... so far, they haven't helped much. I am sure I am not the only one that thinks that way. Eagle has good intentions, but as young and new as she is, she can be... misguided."

"Well....okay, a bit...but she is still a good leader...most of the time." Emily sheepishly admits to herself.

 "Hmm, interesting point of view you have. One last question?" asked the newscaster.

"Of course."

"What do you think about the possibility of you becoming the next president if Camilla is declared missing?" asked the woman.

"Oh, you are not the first to ask me that. Well, Camilla was always the better leader, she taught me a lot... and frankly, I am not sure I can be better, but I will try to be better. I do hope that it doesn't come to this. Of course, there is only 5 days left before the changes have to be made."

 "Mom, remind me again why Combee selected Ford to be the vice president again?" Emily asked her mom bluntly, clearly done with this bullshit.

"What was your reaction when Combee revealed herself to be a well known hero?" The reporter asked, pointing the microphone at Ford’s face.

"I thought you said the last question?" asked Ford, smirking before chuckling. "It's fine. Anyway, what did I feel? Well, I would say... I felt shocked, because heroes were a new concept at the time, and we all know what happened 10 years ago."

"I see, well, thank you for your feedback," the newscaster said.

"Well, he is more of a politician than Combee could be," the older blonde said.

 "Really? I just thought Combee chose him to even the odds with her opponent." Emily quipped, scoffing at how Ford could possibly be better than Hombee after what she just saw on TV.

"You are still young. Politics is very complicated, but... to be honest, I agree with what he said," her mother sighed as she looked at the screen.

"Except, that part of Eagle? Well, more or less she just needs some help. that's all." Emily said,rolling her eyes at how her mother is just as blind as everyone in the city besides her friends and herself.

 "No no, I agree with him," the blonde said. "Think about it, the past few attacks, has she actually been able to handle those bad guys at all? They all escaped if I remember correctly."

"Yes, I know, but she's all we got...and I heard a new hero is in the case, you know?" Emily propped her head onto the pad of her hand.

"Yeah, a bit white, blonde hair, blue eyes?" the woman recalled.

"Uhhh... yeah?" Emily sweated a bit from those all-too-recognizable features.

 "Yeah, kinda saw her, she even ran into Mr. Ford a few ddays ago," the blonde woman said. "Said her name was... Lupa?"

"Yeah, I believe so." Emily nodded, before finishing her dinner and getting up from the table.  "Anyway, I'm going to do my homework now. Thanks for the food!"

The next day, at school. It was still early, Jessica and Aeon walked into class to find Emily already there.

"Em? You sure are up early," Jessica said, surprised.

"Good morning Emily!" Aeon greeted cheerfully.

 “Good morning y’all! Did you guys see the news last night?” Emily whispered to them, as she looked around to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. 

The class was empty. There was no one else there but them.Which means that the trio is steered clear of anyone maybe misinterpreting what they say, and they won’t get into trouble..hopefully.

"See what Em?" Jessica asked with zero energy in her voice. The blonde could tell that the brunette had a rough night. "Aeon freaking tried to kill me last night."

"I am sorry Jess," Aeon said.

“Woah.. Aeon did what?” Emily asked as Aeon guiltily looked down at the ground. Despite it not being entirely her fault, she is still ashamed of herself.

"Yeah," Jessica groaned as she rubbed her temples, where there was a bruise. "I tried unplugging her and she freaking punched me and stunned me."

"I am really sorry Jess, I thought that-"

"Yeah whatever, what’s the news Em?" asked Jessica. Even though she sounded calm, it was obvious that she was in a bad mood.

 “Well...” Emily hesitated and thought about sharing what Eagle was seen as by the public. “Just some words about Mr.Ford..” Emily said, scratching the back of her head.

 "You mean David's father?" asked Jessica, perking up. "What about him?"

“Well... he said that he’ll be the new president soon.” Emily reported, as she sat down at her desk.

"Uh huh, that is not a bad thing... right? Why are you saying it as if it is a terrible thing?" asked Jessica confused as she looked at the blonde.

 “I don’t know, but I have a bad feeling about this..” Emily commented, feeling the slightest bit of anxiety over the whole situation building up inside of her.

"Are you not telling me something?" asked Jessica, not fully convinced..or interested, for that matter.

 “Well ..you were kind of made fun of on TV..” Emily said sheepishly, twiddling with her thumbs as Jessica raised a skeptical eyebrow at her.

"Wait... wait do you mean? What do you mean?" Jessica asked in confusion. "What do you mean made fun of?"

"Well some said you being Eagle is.. kind of bad." Emily says as she remembers how the interview went. And also how her mother sided with Ford on the entire thing.

"Uh huh... well they are not wrong, what else did they say?"
Jessica sighed. She was crushed, sure, but she knew that they were right.How can she possibly blame them?

"What other bad news you gotta tell me?"

Emily cringed. "Well...Ford is going to be the new president in a few days."

"Okay... I see where this is going , let me guess, Ford threw dirt on me?" Jessica sighed. "What did he say exactly?"

"That's the thing..Ford doesn't know what is going on with the heroes!" Emily exclaimed, waving her hands around frantically.

 "I thought he was the vice president? Camilla didn't tell him anything?" Jessica frowned. This is already sounding like quite a bad situation they could get into.

Emily shook her head. "No.. I don't think so."

"So... the public hates me now huh?" Jessica sighed. Honestly, a part of her saw that one coming.

 "They don’t hate you, they’re just not used to you yet!" Emily encourages.

 "Really? Tell me, did I even do a good job?" asked Jessica, doubtful of herself.

"Well, you are doing a great job," Aeon said.

"Yeah Jess, I mean ...news is biased these days!" Emily scoffed, rolling her eyes at just how stupid people can be when posting things on the internet.

 "Any other things they said about me other than me being a terrible hero?" asked Jessica, facepalming herself.

"Hmmm.. no I think that's it." Emily shrugged.

 "Urgh... I am terrible," sighed Jessica as she pounded her head on the table in frustration.

"Yo girls, whassup?" asked Aaron, walking into the classroom with a group of other students.

"Eh, nothing much, just talking about what Ford said last night." Emily said, slouching over in her chair and propping her head on her palm.

"Ohh right, David's father is becoming the president. Well, good for him I suppose," the brunette said as he slumped down on the chair. "And by him I mean David, with all those privileges. Hey Jess, why the long face?"

"Nothing, just everything is peachy." Jessica said sarcastically.

 "Well, tell me sister, what is bothering you?" asked Aaron quipping.

 "Just.. things, I guess." Jessica said, shrugging her shoulders. “..I guess.”

 "Ahh I see, well, no need to get all sulky over it, trust me, life is so much more when you don't care so much," Aaron shrugged. "Oh hey! There is the son of the president," Aaron said as David walked in.

"Hey guys, what's up?" David asked casually.

"Hey there, president junior,"Aaron quipped.

"Not yet, my dad for a while," David corrected.

"Well it is just like a few days, it won't be long," Emily shrugged. "Bet your dad is happy about this."

"Well... he kinda is, but he is also hoping that Camilla returns," David said. In his head, he really hoped so too.

"Hey Jess, how are you?" David asks as the Eagle Miraculous holder looks at him.

"I am... fine," Jessica sighed.

"Weird, you don't look fine, have you been sleeping late? What happened to your face?" asked David, pointing towards the bruise on Jessica's cheeks.

"I fell, and slipped, and hit my head." Jessica lied, rolling her eyes. “Wow, what a day.”

 "Oh it looks bad..” David sighed, as he got close to the girl, staring at her wound. Aeon was trying to look away from the awkwardness, given that she was the one that punched Jessica in the face.

 “I’ll be fine, Dave, really!” Jessica protested, as David took out a bandaid and stuck it onto her face, where the bruise was.

"No... you probably didn't treat the wound... I got this," David said.

"Why do you carry a first-aid wherever you go bro?" asked Aaron, confused.

"Well, you know how my dad can be overprotective of me," David shrugged as he treated the wound.

 “Well, your dad taught you well.” Jessica said, smiling at him, when internally she was gushing over how sweet he was and how he was a complete gentleman.

Jessica was blushing as David touched her face. "T- Thanks," Jessica smiled weakly.

"No problem...anyway, I have to go make a speech for my dad being president soon." David sighed. "It's going to be boring.”

"Make a speech, why do you have to do that?" asked Emily. "Isn't that like... your dad's stuff?"

"It is, but I'm making a speech just to show my support to my dad." Davis said, shrugging.

"Oh for what though, he asked you to?" Aaron snarked.

 “..Yes.” David sheepishly said. “But I am happy to help him, it's just I keep getting a lot of comments and backlash.”

“Oh why is that?" asked Emily.

"People think I'm a privileged prick" David said bluntly, rolling his eyes at the snarky looks he got from people everyday.

 "Well, they are not wrong, you are privileged, nothing against you though," Aaron said. "You aren't like those rich kids, you know?"

"Yeah I know, I’m just tired of all the comments and what people think of me." David confessed. “I feel like that one stereotypical mean guy in those high school drama movies, and it’s not fun.”

 "I am sure it will all work out," Emily said, comfortingly patting David’s shoulder.

"Yeah, everything will be fine, David," Aeon added.

"Yeah ...thanks guys.” 

“Anyway, what do you think your dad is gonna do with those villains still running around?” Jessica asked. “I mean...Camilla was a super heroine, so she at least did something in both hero and civilian form. But what about your dad, who isn’t a hero?”

 "Well.... that is kinda a thing, he doesn't know what to do, that is why he wants to find Camilla, but something tells me that it is going to be hard. They just disappeared... with no trace," David sighed, leaning back.

 Jessica groaned. “Okay, let’s just lay down the facts then. All the supers are gone, the United Heroes HQ is blown up to pieces, Eagle and Uncanny Valley are trying to help but these stupid villains are outnumbering everyone because they are obviously stronger, and no one knows who these villains even are!” She counted off her fingers, before slumping back. “We’re all doomed if no one can stop those people from harming the city.”

 "Hey, you watched the interview last night?" asked Aaron.

Emily's heart dropped, she knew that this was bound to be brought.

"What do you mean?" asked Jessica.

"The interview with David's father of course," said Aaron as if it was obvious.

"What about it?" asked Jessica, folding her arms. "I had an accident, I couldn't care less for something like this."

"They are saying that Eagle may be responsible for the heroes’ disappearance, ya know?" Aaron said.

 Jessica raised an eyebrow at him. “And how would they know for sure? There isn’t any concrete evidence for any of those claims.”

 "Well, these days, people will believe anything unfortunately," Emily sighed as she looked at Jessica. She could tell Jessica was furious about this. "Aeon what do you think?"

“I think that Eagle is 0.% responsible for the Heroes’ disappearances.” Aeon explained, smiling at them. “If Eagle really was against all of us, then she would’ve attacked the city by now.”

 "Yeah that is true indeed," Aaron shrugged. "Even though, public opinion is pretty much against Eagle and her bot at this point."

"Come on Aaron, you know it is not fair," David sighed.

 Aaron scoffed. “Life isn’t fair. Also, I’m just being realistic here - not everyone is going to be on the hero’s side despite them saving all of our asses /. Plus, the politicians in this city besides Camilla aren’t superheroes! They are going to take advantage of the state the city is in to spread their own doubts!”

 "Either way, the city is vulnerable," Aaron finished.

Before Jessica could say something the bell rang. "Guess we can continue this conversation later then?" Emily interjected.

 “Yeah, sure..if the school isn’t attacked.” Aaron said, shrugging his shoulders. He obviously didn’t mean that, but eh, could happen.

Later, it was lunch break and the teens were in their usual spot in the cafe, waiting for their order patiently.

"Hmm today seems peaceful enough," Aaron shrugged as he laid back.

 “Yeah, especially since outside of this place there’s chaos happening at every turn.” Jessica sighed. “Imagine people who are just coming to New York having to be caught in the crossfire like we are.”

 "Well, you don't have to imagine it because it literally happened," Aaron grumbled.

"Hey bro, why are you so... I don't know, moody today?" asked David confused. "You are usually the fun guy of this group, you know?"

"More like the thickheaded guy," Emily scoffed under her breath.

 “Oh, I don’t know David, maybe it’s because my father was injured during that last attack and no one was able to stop it from happening?” Aaron said sarcastically.

 "Look Aaron, can you understand a bit? I am sure Eagle is doing everything she can," Jessica answered.

 “Oh? And by “everything she can” you mean just standing there while that huge monster destroyed half the city? Yeah, kind of hard to understand.” Aaron said, crossing his arms over his chest.

 "Dude, she saved me, remember?" asked David.

"Well, your leg did get crushed first right?" asked Aaron.

"Well, I am okay now, still healing but I can still walk," David retorted.

 “All the more reason why I don’t really trust Eagle yet. She just..hasn’t proved herself to me.” Aaron explained. “Hell she may never prove herself because she hardly shows up to stop anything from happening!”

 Emily could feel Jessica moving uncomfortably beside her. "Jess, just stay calm," she whispered.

 “How could I when he’s right?” Jessica whispered back.

 "Just... Uhm guys, me and Jess are going to take a walk," Emily voiced out.

"Sure, feel free to Em," Aaron said smiling.

 Emily and Jessica both exited the cafe, and walked out onto the streets where they saw construction workers trying to rebuild the damage that was caused by Ice and the others. 

“...Do you think Aaron may be right?” Jessica asked suddenly.

 "I... Well, you did what you can, don't blame yourself Jess," Emily sighed. "Look, you have it rough, honestly, I would be a wreck right now if I were you."

 Jessica chuckled. “You’d all be wrecks too, if you had known who I was earlier.” She said, looking down at her feet. “I just hope we can somehow cripple whoever Kronos is and defeat those people soon. Then I won’t have to worry about any more danger and just live a normal life.”

 "Will you be able to ever have a normal life though?" asked Emily. "This hero thing doesn't seem like a one off stuff... and... it is just you, me and Aeon now."

 “Actually, not really.” Jessica smiled, remembering that they do in fact have other allies.

 "Oh? What do you mean?" asked Emily curiously.

 “Have you heard of the Parisian super duo in France?” Jessica asked, even if she knew that was a dumb question since Emily is a huge superhero nerd.

 "Uhm... who doesn't, the ones who gave you that. So you are looking for their help now?“ Emily frowned. "I mean, it is not a bad idea, but, what can they do?"

 “Well, Ladybug’s got healing powers for a specific villain. She said she can help when they attack again and maybe restore at least half the damage.” Jessica said, shrugging her shoulders.

 "Hmm... but that would mean that she has to be here, what happens if something attacks Paris, I mean, it is no secret that Paris is constantly plagued by attacks, even more worse than New York."

 “She has a teleportation miraculous . Meaning she can teleport here and back to Paris at any time.” Jessica said. “So maybe if she has no attacks to deal with, she can help when she can.”

 "Hmm... I don't know Jess. I mean, She is already hands full, we are asking a lot from her," Emily frowned.

 “She did offer, I didn’t even ask for it.” Jessica sighed. “Look, I’m not gonna force anything on her, but she is here to help whenever she can. And that’s all that matters right now.”

 "I see... So what are you going to do?" asked Emily.

 “For now? Try to find some other way to stop whoever these people and Kronos are. I may not be able to stop them for good, but I’ll at least be able to knock them down a peg.” Jessica said. Starting to regain some of her confidence.

 "Now that is the Jess I know," Emily chuckled, nudging her as her phone rang. Emily picked up the call. "It is the boys... oh Aaron... hold on... What is it?" asked Emily.

 “Hey uh..guys? The school’s being attacked.” David said over the phone. 

“Yeah, can you get here soon? We don’t wanna get any of you guys hurt this time!” Aaron’s voice boomed from the other line.

 "Wait what? Are you being serious?" asked Jessica, groaning. It can't be happening again. An attack just happened the night before and now this? It was getting frustrating. Jessica exchanged looks with Emily.

 “We’ll be there.” Emily said, while nodding at Jessica, telling her through her look what they need to do.

 "Sounds like another one, what does Kronos want anyway with all these attacks?" Jessica grumbled as she began walking towards the cafe.

 “I don’t know, Jess, but whatever it is, it’s obviously not good.” Emily said, as she let Loona out of her purse.

 "Well obviously," Jessica scoffed as she looked around. "Don't let her out like that! Thorn knows who I remember?"

 “Shit!” Emily made Loona go back into her purse. “Okay, we may need a better approach to this.”

 "Plus, the boys are waiting for us, they already run after me once, you want that to happen again?" asked Jessica as she hurried down the streets.

 “I sure hope we don’t make them like how they were last time by just being gone already.” Emily scoffed, as she followed Jessica back to where the boys were.

 Jessica and Emily rushed back into the cafe, to find the boys and Aeon waiting for them.

"There you two are, David was about to go out to find you two," Aaron said.

 “Well, he doesn’t have to do that anymore. Nice of him, though.” Jessica said, shrugging while smiling at her boyfr-uh friend.

 "That is what friends are for," David nodded.

Jessica was staring at him for a bit before getting back into focus. "Anyway, how did you all hear about the attack?" asked Jessica.

 “...Because there’s a huge monster standing outside!” Aaron screamed, pointing out the window to see a huge monster that was currently surrounding the school, trying to find anyone to attack.

 "What the crap!" Emily jumped. "Not that monster again!"

"Shit, you guys better run!" Jessica said.

Aeon just looked at the monster, scanning the surroundings with her eye. "It is not alone."

When Aeon had said that, they all saw that Flame had appeared, fighting alongside the unknown creature. As it continued to wreak havoc across the courtyard.

 "Don't worry, there is no need for panic, they don't seem to be interested in attacking the ca-" Aeon said right as a huge ball of fire flew towards them, the glass shattered, causing the people inside the cafe to panic.

 “...You were saying, Aeon?” Jessica snarked, while peeking from behind the wall to see that Flame was starting to get closer to where they were.

 "Em, we should really get going," Aaron said as he grabbed the blonde's hand, pulling her slightly.

"You two boys get out of here first, we will be behind you," Jessica said.

 “Are you sure Jess? Last time was a close call.” David asked, giving her a concerned look.

 "Look, I will be fine please just-" Another fireball flew towards them quite close this time, lighting up the area in front of them.

"Just run!" Emily said as she stood up and ran towards the backdoor.

 Aaron and David both exchanged a look, before running off to find help while Jessica and Emily were both left alone. 

“You go left, I’ll go right?” Emily offered with a knowing smile on her face.

 "Just hide and do your stuff, he probably knows who I am, not you," Jessica said softly as Flame advanced towards her from behind.

 Emily nodded. “I’ll see if I can hold him off.” She said, going to a nearby bathroom that was out of Flame’s sight and letting Loona come out of her purse for real this time. “Okay, let’s do this.”

 "So little girl, not hiding anymore?" asked Flame chuckling as he walked towards Jessica. The cafe was empty, burning with fire while outside, chaos ensued with the huge behemoth moving around.

Meanwhile, Aeon hides behind a table and transforms, flying out into the streets to help rescue the people outside in danger from the behemoth.

“Loona, fangs out!” Emily said under her breath, as she transformed into Lupa and quietly sneaked out the back of the building.

 "Liiri, Wings of Liberty!" Jessica transformed and stood in front of Flame firmly. "I have no reason, you all clearly know who I am at this point."

 Flame darkly chuckled. “You’re starting to get smarter. Good for you.” He said, before firing a ray of fire at her.

 Eagle dodged quickly as the flames hit the ground where she stood. "So Kronos wants me dead now?"

"Nope, well not yet anyway," Flame shrugged before blasting at her.

 “Hmm..how unsurprising.” Eagle said, as she continued to dodge his attacks with ease. She took out her weapon and used it as a shield to block out more of the fireballs being sent her way.

 Meanwhile outside, the behemoth was attacking furiously, it was destroying the road, throwing cars around. Uncanny Valley was already having a hard time keeping up.

"U.V.! You doing good?" asked Lupa as she shouted from below as the android helped a person down.

"I'm fine," Aeon says as she prepares her arsenal. The the heroines are ready for battle against the behemoth

Meanwhile inside the cafe, Eagle was facing off against Flame. "Damn  it!" Eagle grunted as she threw her bullroarer forward. "What do you monsters want!" Eagle shouted.

"Our goals are beyond your understanding," Flame said smirking before blasting a string of fire at her, pushing her back.

“I am % operational, Lupa.” Uncanny Valley said, as she had lowered herself to the ground. 

“Okay good, I don’t know what we would do if you weren’t operational.” Lupa smiled, before turning to Eagle, who was currently trying to face the behemoth head on. 

“Eagle! Are you okay?” Lupa called out.

 "If you call this okay then yeah!" Eagle shouted as she tried to jump and climb onto the monster. Suddenly she felt heat as Flame landed in front of her.

"Ah, ah, what are you doing brat?" Flame taunted.

 Eagle growled. “I am so not in the mood for this shit.” She grumbled under her breath, as she charged at Flame, sending a kick to his shin before delivering a roundhouse kick to his gut.

 Flame grunted as he almost lost his footing. "Not bad, I am," Flame chuckled as he grabbed Eagle and held her by her hand, ready to drop Eagle. He was standing on the shoulder of the moving monster. "Now tell me, where is it?"

 Eagle glared up at him. “Where is what?” She asked, even if she already had a pretty good idea. “Be more specific, fire-fly.”

 "Okay," Flame chuckled as he looked at the girl. "Where is the box? The box that the guardian had. Where is it?"

 Eagle groaned. “I don’t know. He never led me to it. Lupa came on her own!” She lied, hoping that he would at least buy some of it.

 "Huh right. You seriously think we didn't look, nor search? We searched that goddamn apartment, where is it?" asked Flame.

 “Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you!” Eagle said. “What kind of hero tells her enemy what her secrets are? A dumb one? Because that’s apparently what people portray us as with people like you around! Also, tell Kronos he’s a coward for not even showing his face if he’s really as strong as he seems. He clearly doesn’t know real strength.”

 "Oh ho, you have no idea, little bird. Oh well, guess if you aren't willing to tell me, I guess I could end you now... But I will not. You better be thankful that Kronos needs you for something," Flame chuckled as his hand glowed, before blasting Eagle back, dropping her.

 Eagle groaned in pain, slowly sitting up and facing the enemy. “Oh? And what in the name of hell could he possibly need ME for? I’m just a Miraculous Holder who started out a couple weeks ago. I don’t know how much of a help I could be to some random shithole trying to threaten people like me!”

 "Ohh you will see," Flame chuckled.

"U. V. I have a plan," Lupa said and she looked at the hulking monster. "How much force do we need to take the monster out?" The blonde said, looking at her miraculous.

 Eagle growled. “Liberation!” She screamed, throwing a feather at Flame, who didn’t really have enough time to dodge it. 

She felt her head tabbing into his, reading his feelings/thoughts to herself - 

The boss is always correct. The boss is always correct. The boss is always correct. Supers are murderers, they don’t deserve mercy. Supers are murderers, they don’t deserve mercy.. 

‘He’s too focused on worshipping Kronos. That’s been his downfall the entire time..so maybe I could release him from it?’ Eagle thought, as she continued to use her power. 

“Flame, your worshipping of the man who you think truly understands you has led you down the wrong path. I will free you from it!” Eagle exclaimed.

 "No... No.... They have to pay! They all have to pay! We will save the world!" Flame shouted as Eagle almost lost her footing.

"A lot why?" asked the android.

"Just asking, Flash!" Lupa shouted and in a flash of light, she ran far down the street.

 “I FREE YOU FROM IT!” Eagle repeated, feeling her power rising up inside of her body as she fought to control it, and maybe even make it work on him.

 “Okay, I need some sort of point that I can lead it to so that we have a better chance at getting it by surprise.” Lupa said, speeding ahead the city. She groaned. “But where?!”

 "Argh!" Flame clutched his head. He has experienced this before but this was so much more stronger, much more than the last time. He soon stopped struggling, just glaring at Eagle.

 "You are really... ugh," Emily grabbed the brooch and pinned it on his clothes as something flew out of the brooch, glowing bright. "There, was it so hard?"

 Aaron was shocked when he saw a literal god appear in front of him. “Whoa..who are you?” He asked the creature, which appeared to be a bear.

 The kwami gave out a lazy yawn. "Urghh... who am I, who are you?" asked the kwami lazily as it turned around.

"Turri, let's be serious now," Liiri said as she flew forward.

"Ohh... another holder huh?" asked the kwami as he flew towards Aaron.

 “Yeah, and one more.” Emily said, raising her hand to make herself known. “We’re making a superhero team, and this is your new holder.”

 "Oh all that again huh? Whatever... I am Turri, the kwami of courage," Turri said.

"Kwami of courage? What does that even mean? Your power is courage or something?`` Aaron asked, confused.

 “I grant you your power, which is strength. You also have Bear-like features, meaning you have enhanced senses. Along with enhanced speed, agility, and fighting skills.” Turri explained.

 "Strength? You know Jess, that would have been helpful against the behemoth," Emily said.

"I am sorry, am I the guardian? I don't even know what is in the boxes," Jessica scoffed.

 Aaron grinned at Jessica. “Well, you’re lucky you have the powers of strength on your side now.”

 "Yeah... you still need to train before you can go out in the field," Jessica recalled as Liiri nodded.

"Training?" asked Aaron.

 Emily and Jessica looked at each other, yet again unamused by Aaron’s obliviousness. Emily smirked. 

“Yes, training, when we get you set up for the field by making you get your ass kicked by us all day!”

 "Oh welp, why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Aaron chuckled nervously.

A few moments later....

"Oh god! Stop okay!?" Aaron laid on the ground of the gym of the apartment, with Emily standing in front of him.

 Emily cackled. “Oh, this is too fun! Jess, get this on video!”

 "Shit... how are you hitting so hard," Aaron groaned as he got up.

Meanwhile the kwamis were with Jessica, sitting on the side, watching Aaron, holding her phone. "I am, for research purposes of course," Jessica chuckled.

 “Aww, looks like the high and mighty Aaron isn’t as tough as nails as he thought!” Emily taunted, getting back into the fighting position.

 "Yeah right, let's see who is laughing when I kick your butt," Aaron challenged as he ran forward at the blonde who easily dodged him and kicked right at his knee.

 Aaron yelped, falling right to the floor as Emily, once again, stood before him and mockingly posed in victory. 

“Aaron, you’re such a baby.” Emily laughed. “Well, not a baby, just..inexperienced.”

 "Fuck, urghh," Aaron cursed under his breath as he stood up. "Oh this is humiliating," Aaron groaned as he rolled over.

"You haven't even fought Jess yet," Emily chuckled.

 “…A part of me doesn’t, considering that Sparrow is able to pull off tough shit with a skateboard.” Aaron said, shivering at the many feats Jess can pull off without a Miraculous aiding her.

 "So this is going to be my new holder?" asked Turri unimpressed.

"Don't be so hard on him, come on," Liiri said. "He is still new!"

"Yeah right, I mean, my holder is already beating him up like that,"  Loona scoffed.

 “Right back at you, Loona!” Emily said, giving her kwami finger guns. “Anyway, Jess, you wanna take the floor?”

 "Hmm... sure, why not?" asked Jessica, smirking.

"Don't kill him, Jess,” Liiri quipped.

 Jessica chuckled, patting Liiri on the head. “Don’t worry, Liir. He’s my friend, and I don’t hurt my friends..not on purpose, anyway.”

 Liiri smiled as Jessica walked forward. "You know what your problem is Aaron?" asked Jessica.

"What is it?" Aaron grunted.

“You keep letting your emotions get the better of you, and because of that, you act up all the time. In a real fight, you have to keep a cool head under pressure.” Jessica said, speaking from her past experiences and also what she’s seen of fighters like the Guardian and Ladybug.

 "Yeah, like how 'cool' you were?" asked Aaron chuckling as Emily just frowned.

 “No, I’m talking about other fighters I’ve met too.” Jessica said, shrugging her shoulders.

 "Yeah right, I act up. Do enlighten me, how do I act up?" asked Aaron scoffing as he stood up, reading to fight.

 “Just now proves my point. You’re letting my words get to you. In a real fight, when that happens, it will lead you to losing your shit. Trust me, I know what that's like.” Jessica said, shivering at her earlier days as Sparrow.

 "Oh course you do," Aaron chuckled. "Anything else you would like to tell me?" asked the guy sarcastically.

 “Oh yeah, one more thing. You’re an idiot for believing me.” Jessica said. And before Aaron could even ask her what she meant, he was kicked to the ground by Emily. Who was smirking down at him.

 "Ouch! What the hell was that for?" asked Aaron, groaning.

 “To prove that you let people’s opinions on you get to your head, idiot!” Jessica said, placing both hands on her hips. “You need to learn how to not take their bullshit and show that you don’t believe in anything they say!”

 "Alright, so maybe I shouldn't believe in what you say then?" asked Aaron a bit frustrated now as he got up, his fist flying towards Jessica

 Jessica swiftly caught his fist, using it to twist him over her shoulder and send him down to the ground. “I’m saying, don’t let anyone get to your head when you’re fighting them. If you show your enemies that they got to you, you automatically lose your fight.”

 "Ouch! How am I getting beaten by two girls!" groaned Aaron as he raised his legs, kicking Jessica back.

 “Because us girls have more training than you!” Jessica retorted, sending a roundhouse kick to him.

 "Urgh!" Aaron grunted as he was hit again, laying on the ground now.

"You haven't gone up against Aeon yet you know?" asked Jessica pointing towards the android sitting with the kwamis.

 Aaron scoffed. “Aeon is a robot! She isn’t a fair opponent!”

 "Life is not fair Aaron," Emily said. "Aeon, wanna try?"

"Oh, I am getting ganged by girls now, great," Aaron chuckled dryly.

 Just when Aaron was going to protest against a literal robot fighting him, a huge worm hole appeared in front of all of them.

 "What the frak is going on now!" Aaron stumbled back.

 “Relax, it’s just Ladybug.” Jessica said, rolling her eyes, as the other superheroine herself stepped through. 

“Tikki, Kaalki, divide.” Ladybug called, as her Fusion outfit disappeared to just her default one as Ladybug.

 "Hey there Ladybug," Emily smiled.

"What do I owe this visit?" asked Jessica.

 Ladybug mockingly bowed at her. “Oh I’m sorry, a girl can’t visit her friend?” She smiled, hugging Jessica. “It’s good to see you, Jess.”

 "You too, Ladybug... you know, it is weird that I don't know your true identity yet," JEssica commented.

 Ladybug tsked. “Maybe when Hawkbitch is finally defeated, I’ll consider.”

 "Haha sure," Jessica smiled.

"Wait so this is it?" asked Aaron, getting up from the floor.

 Ladybug raised an eyebrow. “..I believe introductions are in order.” She said, glancing at Jessica. 

“I’m Ladybug, one of the two superheroes in Paris.”

 "So, like.... A hero?" asked Aaron confused as he got up.

"What just happened here?" asked Ladybug.

 “Training session.” Jessica said simply. “This guy is a new Miraculous Holder..in training.”

 "Oh you got a new recruit already?" asked Ladybug, lifting an eyebrow.

 “I didn’t expect him to be some random twink.” Ladybug said bluntly. “But okay.”

 "Hey I am not a twin-" Aaron protested.

"Well, he is... a friend," Emily said,

 “He seems..interesting.” Ladybug said, as she had just gotten here and didn’t see him fight yet.

 "More like... pathehic," Emily muttered under her breath.

"Yeah well, he is new," Jessica said.

 Ladybug snorted. “Still a twink.”

 "Look I am not liking this," Aaron groaned .

 Ladybug sighed, entering the floor where he was. “Alright, alright, fine. First of all, your stance is all wrong. Your left foot should be in the back when your right is in the front.” She said, helping him get into the position she was describing him. “And your weapon is..actually, what is his weapon?” Ladybug said, looking at Turri.

 "Uhmm... It's been so long... I forgot," Turri yawned.

 "Turri!" Liiri groaned.

 Ladybug groaned. “Great.”

 "So what do we do now?" asked Emily looking at the kwami.

 “Maybe he can transform and see for himself.” Ladybug suggested, turning to Turri. “What’s his transformation phrase?”

 "Uhmmmm..." Turri tried to remember.

"You gotta be joking," Loona groaned.

"Fur on?" Turri said unsurely. "Or was it-"

"It's Fur On," Liiri groaned.

 “Alright, then uh..” Ladybug looked at Jessica. “What’s his name again?”

 "Turri," said Loona.

 “No, I mean the twink over here looking like an idiot sitting on the floor.” Ladybug said, as she helped him up.

 "Wow, is she usually this rude," Aaron scoffed.

 “She’s not being rude, Aaron, this is her sense of humor.” Jessica said, rolling her eyes.

 "Wow, that is still rude," Aaron scoffed.

"Wait, what are we doing now?" asked Jessica. "Are we going to ask him to transform now?"

 Ladybug nodded. “Yeah. Aaron, right? To transform, you have to say “Turri, fur on!”.” She instructed.

 "Okkk? That is weird," Aaron mumbled.

"Just do it," Emily scoffed.

"Ok ok, Turri, Fur on!"  In a flash of light, brown covered his clothes as they spread, resembling a fur clothing as an axe appeared in his hands. "Woah, this is trippy..."

 “Well, that’s an..effective choice of weapon.” Ladybug raised an eyebrow. “I guess your miraculous was really built for war.” She joked.

 "Haha more like winter," Aaron said as he raised his arm. "How am I not feeling stuffy now?"

"Uhmm magic?' quipped Emily.

 “To put this the short way, the magic protects you from that. Like how when you get sick or something, the magic protects you from spreading anything when the suit is in use.” Ladybug explained.

 "Wait, can it do that?" asked Emily in surprise.

"So in short, it protects me from... anything?" asked Aaron.

 “Yes, anything. Including keeping people from recognizing you when you’re suited up. That’s why you guys weren’t able to find out Jess was Eagle before she detransformed.” Ladybug chuckled. “Complicated, but kind of impressive.”

 "Oh that makes sense... I am still wondering how I didn't recognize Jess at all," Emily chuckled. "Considering that the suit didn't do much to cover her face."

 Ladybug shrugged. “It does more than just making your face look unrecognizable. Like for instance, Aaron right now looks taller and he has a different hairstyle that’s completely the opposite of what it’s like in civilian form.”

 "Yeah right... since when do I have braids?" Aaron said, touching the back of his head. "And this axe? I look like a barbarian or something," Aaron said looking at the axe.

"So... what do we do now?" asked the android.

 “I guess we will find out what his powers are and try to fit in as much training as we can before something else could happen.” Jessica said, shrugging.

 "So... we are doing this here?" asked Aaron, swinging his axe around a bit before accidentally letting it fly out of his hand. And the next thing that could be heard as a loud crashing sound.

"You are paying for that you know?" asked Jessica dryly as Emily and Ladybug frowned at Aaron.

 Ladybug sighed, facepalming. “This is gonna be a long day.”

 "Oopsie," Aaron chuckled awkwardly.

"Can we take this somewhere else, I don't want the bear to destroy my apartment," Jessica suggested.

 Ladybug and Emily both nodded in unison. 

“Yup..sounds fine to me.” Ladybug murmured. 

“Probably for the best.” Emily advised.

 "Where can we go though?" asked Aeon. "Kronos is most likely hunting us now," Aeon reminded.

"That is true, we already lost the guardian..." Emily remembered.

"You what?" asked Ladybug, surprised.

 “…Right, I almost forgot you weren’t there.” Jessica said, chuckling. “Some sort of strange monster attacked us all during school, and when I was dealing with one of the elemental villains, they managed to take the Guardian with them. So now I’m the only one left to guard the Native American box.”

 "Oh my god," Ladybug mumbled. This is so bad," Ladybug sighed. "You can't train outside here."

 “Yeah but..where are we supposed to go?” Jessica asked. “There’s nowhere else in New York that’s top secret or immune to letting villains in. HQ was the only place for that, and now it’s burnt to pieces!”

 Ladybug cringed, since she remembered Jess telling her about all of that as Eagle. But she kept that part out. “Oh no..this may be a problem.”

Jessica nodded. “Yup, a huge mess. And the worst part - we don’t have a complete team! I still have one more miraculous to hand out, and I don’t know who to give it to!”

Ladybug frowned, folding her arms. “Well..who do you think is suitable for the Thunderbird? Someone in class? Someone you know personally?”

Aaron scoffed. “Like she would hand it out to some random classmate.” he pointed out.

Ladybug shrugged. “Eh, fair point.”

Jessica then thought of the perfect person for the Thunderbird - David. Why? Because David possesses the kind and powerful heart that the Thunderbird Miraculous looks for in its holders. David is also trustworthy, and open-minded, and- okay, Jess, fangirl later! You have to get this miraculous out and fast!


Jessica smiled sheepishly, pulling out the Thunderbird Miraculous. “Let’s just say..I have another hero in mind.”

 "Wait... Jess, you doing this now?" asked Emily unsurely. "Are you sure? I mean... He is in one of the most secure places now, he has good security around him. And with Kronos watching, you specifically, his identity would be easily outed."

"Wait, what do you mean, watching Jessica specifically?" Ladybug asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow at Emily.

 “One of Kronos’s lackeys, Flame, said that he wanted me for something. We don’t know what, but he wants me alive.” Jessica said, sighing. “I need all the help I could get. I need an entire team to take with me. And David is the only one left.”

 "David... as in David Ford? You are roping him in this too?" asked Aaron frowning.

 “I don’t have a choice. Plus, David has all the qualities for the Thunderbird already - he’ll be a good fit nonetheless.” Jessica shrugged, before turning back to Ladybug. “Maybe we should take the time to get our things together.”

 "Wait... how are you going to get the miraculous to him, and leave the house without anyone finding out? His father is the freaking president," Aaron asked.

 “We can use the Horse Miraculous. How I got here. Its power is teleportation. All we have to do is give it to him, secure him, and we can leave back to Paris through the portal and explain everything there.” Ladybug laid out a plan.

 "And his father will know that he is gone, and worse, how does he explain if he disappeared like that?" asked Aaron. "We are trying to hide our identify right?" asked the brunette. "Going in like that, what if there is someone else in his room? it is going to be hard to explain and all!"

 Ladybug groaned. “I sure wish Doorman was here to make things less suspicious.” She said, rubbing her temples. “If we were to just go in and be like “hey we need to borrow your son!” and David never comes back, things will be more suspicious than they already would be with us suddenly appearing anyway.”

 "Exactly, my point!" Aaron said. "Look, Jess, I get you want to get David, but doing this now? Is it really the wisest thing to do. And if the dude is keeping tabs on you, we will be outing his identity already going straight into his house like that," sighed Aaron.


Both Jessica and Emily both looked at each other, and then turned back to Aaron, smirking mischievously. Which made Aaron look at them with a confused look. But honestly? A part of him knew it wasn’t good and didn’t want to bother.

“What’re you guys doing?” Aaron asked them slowly.

Jessica and Emily both smirked at him. “Whatever you say, twink.” They said in unison.

"Wow... the disrespect is real in here," Aaron scoffed. "So, what now?" asked Aaron as he held his axe up again.

Ladybug snatched his axe from his hands before he could slash it again, holding it out of his reach. “No axe for you until you actually control where you THROW it. Anyway, I was thinking since you guys really need outside allies..I could reveal my civilian form to you.”

"Fine…" Aaron said dryly. "Uhmm... how do I get out of this thing?" asked the teen.

“Usually it’s the opposite of what you say to transform. So it should be something like “Turri, fur off”.” Ladybug explained. “At least I hope.” She muttered.

"Okk what if it's not?" asked Aaron nervously.

"Then you will be stuck like that unless you use your powers, which you don't know how to use either," Loona said plainly, evidently impatient at this point.

Jessica groaned. “Greaaat.”

“Oh welp, here goes nothing, Turri, fur off," Aaron said, and in a flash of light, he was back.

Ladybug sighed in relief. “Oh thank god.”

Chapter Text

“Some friends you have,” Ladybug said.

Jessica shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, they are..unique in their own ways, but they’re fun to have around once you start to get to know them. Plus, it’s funny to see Aaron and Em pining for each other.”

“Oh? What do you mean?” asked Ladybug, with an amused glint in her eyes.

“Well..whenever we aren’t looking, Aaron is always looking at Em kind of like how you look at that other boy who was stuck in between the electric doors with you.” Jessica said, sighing. “If only Em would notice that he does genuinely like her..in more ways than one.”

“Well, give them time... I guess.” Ladybug said, shrugging her shoulders, as she had nothing else to say about it. 

“Yeah..I guess.” Jessica sighed. “I just want Em to be happy..I mean, she’s one of my first ever friends, and the first one besides you to know my identity first. I trust her with my life, and I don’t want her to think she can’t live a normal life just because she’s a superhero now.”

“You know, it is not like you can't live a normal life at all, you still can to Jess... you just... never really thought about that? i guess. I can't imagine what your life is like. From Sparrow to Eagle...” Ladybug sympathized, frowning at Jess in slight concern.

Jessica sighed. “I trained for years to just be Sparrow, the legendary sidekick to Knight Owl, the duo that was passed on from generations to generations. I never had much time to just be a normal kid my age and make friends or anything..until my mom enrolled me in the school I go to now.”

“I... see...” Marinette frowned. 'And Aeon?”

“Aeon’s a robot, so she’s inexperienced in how humans interact with each other. She never had that much luck with making friends since everyone was weirded out by her, but..it didn’t matter at that time. It was Jess and Aeon - superhero sisters who had each other.”

Meanwhile, Emily and Aaron were bantering a bit at the door of Jessica's apartment.

“You really need to stop thinking about food Aaron... No surprise why we went with the Bear for you,' Emily scoffed.

Aaron scoffed. “Yeah well, food is something we may not be able to have that much anymore if Kronos takes over the world, so might as well just start now!”

“Right yeah, you are like always, worried for your own ass,” Emily answered. 

“Are those two always like that?” asked Ladybug, as the three girls, well two girls and one android, approached the two.

“No..” Jessica groaned at Ladybug’s blank look pointed at her. “Okay fine, yes they always were like that. Even from when they first met, they were already at each other’s throats about everything. It never stops, just warning you.”

“Kinda entertaining,” Ladybug smiled.

“Yeah, well, I’m hungry. So…let’s just maybe whip something up here.” Aaron groaned. 

When they all were done eating, Ladybug, Jessica, Emily, Aeon and Aaron all met in Jessica’s bedroom. 

Ladybug crossed her arms over her chest, gazing at all of them.  “David’s dad isn’t here right now, and the villains are nowhere in sight from what we gathered from Aeon’s patrol earlier. So, since no one is around him but us right now, I think it’s safe to give him the miraculous.”

Jessica kept looking out of her room, at David who was asked to wait in the hallways, still confused as to what was going on.

“So what do we give him?” asked Aaron as he looked at the box in Aeon's hands.

“Don't ask me, I am not the guardian of this box, Jess?” asked Ladybug.

“The guardian did say the Thunderbird is the most powerful miraculous, I say, if we are going up against Kronos, we need the best,” Jessica concluded as she grabbed the miraculous from the box. “I think... it is best, if I talk to him... alone,” Jessica said looking at the group.

Ladybug nodded. “Understood.”

“So what do we do now?” asked Aaron.

“What else? Jess is going to give David the Miraculous. Not against his will, of course, but for now he is our best candidate. So..all we really need to do is wait.” Ladybug said, shrugging.

“Okay?” Aaron asked unsurely. “So what? We just sit here and wait?” asked Aaron.

Marinette rolled her eyes and walked towards Emily. “How can you guys stand him?”

“Well, he is entertaining,” Emily chuckled.

Jessica walked towards David, who was as confused as ever. “David, I know... you think that this is all very confusing.”

““Very'' is an understatement. I think weird would suit this more,” David chuckled dryly. “What is this about Jess? I know you don't usually mess around a lot.”

“Well..thing is, I’m not messing around.” Jessica said, sighing as she looked down at her feet. “There’s..something I’ve been keeping from you lately. And everyone else knows but you yourself, so..this is when I tell you.”

“I know you aren't.” David said, looking at the shorter girl. “So... everyone was in this except me?” asked David. “You know, I kinda feel hurt about that... but what is it?”

“David..I..am Eagle.” Jessica said, taking out her necklace from underneath her shirt. Showing that it was, in fact, the Eagle Miraculous that Eagle wears all the time.

David stumbled back a little, looking at the necklace in surprise before looking up at the brunette. That look of surprise turned into a look of realization. “So... that was why...”

“I always ran off and never really showed up again until the villain was defeated? Yeah..you could say that.” Jessica said, before sighing. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wanted to, but..it wasn’t a good time to tell at that time.”

“Why wasn't it?” asked David, his voice was calm but Jessica could feel the unsettledness in it.

“Because that was when United Heroez HQ was destroyed..and Mom..she died.” Jessica said, blinking back her tears at the memory of her finding Knight Owl’s helmet in the ash and rubble.

“Oh-h my....” David stuttered in realization, starting to piece together everything that happened in the past month, from Jessica's emotions and to her unexplained disappearance. “I... am so sorry,” David sighed as he pulled her into a hug. “I didn't know.”

“It’s fine, Dave. You couldn’t have known.” Jessica said, hugging him back. “Losing Mom was hard for me, but..I think I’m ready to move on and keep fighting for her now.”

“You are a strong person, always have been... but now... knowing the truth... it is unbelievable... I can't imagine what life has been for you the past month...” David sighed as he stood back. “Honestly? I kinda feel stupid though, running into a battlefield to look for you... and Aeon. So... she is Uncanny Valley?” asked David.

Jessica nodded. “It has been hard, if I’m being honest here. And yeah, Aeon is Uncanny. Em is Lupa.”

“Who is Lupa? You mean... that girl who has white and grey hair with two blades in her hand?” asked David before sighing. “

Jessica nodded. “Yuuup, that’s her. You should’ve seen Em when she fought one of those elemental villains by herself the first night she spent as a hero.” Jessica chuckled. “Okay, I wasn’t there for that either, but she managed to strike the news articles with that fight.”

“Obviously not, not like the news is giving you good light either... What actually happened? Tell me everything, please, no more secrets?” asked David.

“..There’s this guy who is in charge of those elemental villains that are attacking us. His name is Kronos, and he wants to destroy every superhero there is all around the world. Since New York is a hot spot for supers, he decided to attack us first. There was an insider for him inside of the United Heroez HQ, and helped tear the place apart. When me and Aeon got the report of the HQ being destroyed, we went to check it out and..god, it was horrible, Dave. Horrible!” Jessica said, now starting to show more emotion as she sat down on her bed. 

“Bodies were sprawled everywhere, fire was burning everything, and..The worst of it all is that I found Mom’s mask. Sitting in the ash and rubble. And I had to carry the weight of my mom being gone ever since then. I was in bad shape, I was out of sync, I-I wasn’t able to hold myself long enough to fight that monster that attacked the diner that day! The only reason why I succeeded was because of the Guardian, and he’s gone now, and-”

“Hey hey, calm down,” David said as he hugged her once more as Jessica got emotional, tears beginning to leak. “I understand why you didn't want to tell me now. You didn't want me to get hurt?”

Jessica sniffled, looking up at him. “I-I didn’t want to put you at risk and make you lose the only family you had left..because of me.” She said, wiping her tears away.

"I understand... I really do... Hey, don't cry, just calm down," David soothed. "It will be fine..."

Meanwhile Aaron was pressing his ear against the door, listening. "Wow... seems like they are getting emotional inside there," Aaron said.

"urghh, come here," Emily groaned as she pulled him away.

“Is he always like this?” Marinette asked Emily, raising an eyebrow at how he just casually eavesdrops on private conversations.

Jessica hugged him tighter. “Thanks..and..there’s another thing I have to tell you..or give you.” She said, before pulling out the Thunderbird Miraculous. 

“David Ford, this is the Thunderbird Miraculous, you were personally chosen to wield this by me and the others after showing incredible potential. Will you accept, and..be a part of my team?” Jessica said, trying to contain her blush.

"I will. After all that happened to you? Of course I will," David nodded firmly as he took the miraculous. "So... Thunderbird?" asked David as he examined the miraculous. "Interesting."

Jessica nodded. “It’s the most powerful in the entire box.” She said, while placing a hand over his. “So don’t screw this up, or I will kill you.” She joked.

"Huh... the most powerful? And you are giving me it? Why not use it yourself?" asked David curiously.

"And don't bluff, you owe me, remember?" David quipped.

“Are you sure I do?” Jessica asked, a playful smirk showing up on her face.

"Uhmm~ maybe not," David chuckled, remembering how Jessica saved him from the crushing building. "But seriously, if it is the most powerful, why give it to me?"

“Because you’re worthy, duh.” Jessica said, rolling her eyes and nudging him in the ribs. “You proved yourself mostly when you sacrificed your leg for me though..thanks for that, by the way. Even if you did get hurt.”

"Are you not? You could have taken this for yourself though," David pointed out. "I mean... you have been  Sparrow for years, then Eagle... you are clearly trained, you should be the first pick to wield something like this."

Jessica shrugged. “Eh, I mean..you’re not wrong. But I chose to be Eagle because I just fit the traits for it. Plus, I didn’t wanna let Miraculnizer keep the miraculous so I snatched it after Ladybug threw it to me.”

"I... see," David said. "What makes this so powerful anyway?" asked David curiously.

“Uh..well..you’ll have to ask your kwami about that.” Jessica said, scratching the back of her head.

"What is a kwami?" asked David curiously.

"Hey there!" Liiri popped out of Jessica's purse.

“AH!” David screamed. “T-Talking..bug..mouse..birdy..THING!” David screamed. 

“Okay, relatable.” Ladybug said, having heard David scream from where she and Emily stood.

"Hey calm down! Gee... couldn't tell that you were that much of a paranoid," Jessica chuckled. "Liiri, don't scare him," Jessica said. "David, this is Liiri, my kwami."

"So... that is a kwami?" asked David. "So my kwami will look like that too?"

“Uh..no. Your kwami is gonna look like a, well, a Thunderbird.” Jessica said, shrugging.

"What is Thunderbird anyway?" asked David curiously. "Isn't it like some legend?"

Jessica chuckled. “Yeaaah, I don’t know either. It just came with the box, so I don’t know exactly what kind of powers you’ll have.”

"So... how do we find out?" asked David looking at the hair tie. "Wait... so I wear this? Like you?" asked David

Jessica smirked. “Yeah..not gonna lie, you’ll look good with your hair tied back.”

"Nah, you are bluffing," David chuckled as he tied his hair back a bit, fixing the hair tie as a bright light came out of it, a bird like kwami with lightning stripes came out of it, floating in front of David.

"Greetings! My name is Storm, the kwami of Power," the creature bowed humbly.

“Wow, that's oddly specific.” Jessica said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It should be," Storm said. "So, are you my new holder?" asked the kwami looking at the guy.

David nodded. “Yeah, I’m David Ford. Nice to meet you, Storm!” David said enthusiastically, patting the kwami on the head.

"Nice to meet you too," the kwami nodded.

"Hmm still don't get it, what makes you so powerful?" asked Jessica frowning, thinking about what the guardian said.

“I can grant my user the ability to use super strength, or to use his own strength to power up someone else.” Storm explained.

"Okay, that is seriously overpowered," Jessica gasped after she heard it, thinking back to the guardian words.

"Kinda... but... a power like that, doesn't it have any side effects or anything?" asked David.

“Nope. Other than your transformation after using your special power.” Storm said, shrugging his tiny shoulders.

"What do you mean?" asked David.

“Basically, after you use your special power whatever it is, there’s a timer on your miraculous that goes off, telling you how many minutes you have left before you transform back to civilian form.” Jessica explained.

"That is actually a smart way to control these miraculous holders' powers I suppose, a limit," David said, folding his arm, looking at the kwami. "Okay, I can work with this."

Storm nodded. “When you’re ready, all you have to say is “Storm, claws out!” To transform, And “Storm, claws in!” To detransform.” Storm explained, smiling at his new holder. 

“Oh also, Kwamis all have to eat to recharge before you transform again.” Jessica added.

"Oh I see... so kinda like... owning a pet, in a way?" asked David.

Jessica hummed. “..Yeah, technically.”

Jessica grabbed his hand. “Come on! Your new teammates are waiting for you~!”

"Woah, calm down Jess," David said as Jessica pulled him towards the door.

Jessica opened the door to see Aaron fall forward onto the ground with Ladybug, Emily and Aeon just looking at them.

“Uh ..hey.” Emily said, awkwardly waving at them.

"So, this is the team huh?" asked David looking at his friends.

"Yep," Jessica said.

"So what now Jess?" asked Emily.

And right at that moment, a loud siren sound could be heard along with a roar, an oddly familiar roar. 

"Are you serious right now? It is like night!" Aaron groaned as he rubbed his face.

"Well, at least... this time we got Ladybug," Jessica said.

David raised an eyebrow at them. “What’re you talking about? Isn’t Ladybug back in Paris?”

Ladybug cleared her throat, drawing his attention to her. “Hello? I’m right here!” 

"The behemoth is at the outskirts of the city, advancing forwards," Aeon interrupted.

Jessica and Ladybug groaned. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” They both said in unison.

"Woah the bug curses, who knew?" asked Aaron sarcastically as he got up.

"I guess that is our cue?" asked Emily.

Ladybug gave Aaron a severe glare before sighing. “Yes, it’s our cue. Everyone get ready.” 

"Liiri, Wings of Liberty!"

”Loona, Fangs out!"

"Turri, Fur on!"

"Storm, claw out!"

Aeon just looked at them before pressing a button on her wrist, letting her transformation take place.

“Okay, let’s do this and get it over with before I lose It.” Ladybug said.

It was night, at the outskirts of New York City, a behemoth was walking down the vacant streets alone, roaring and stomping. Hitting the ground as it moved, causing it to tremble

“Okay, if this is what you guys deal with all the time, then I’d rather fight the akumatized villains in Paris, who are LAME by the way.” Ladybug said, getting out her yo-yo.

"Yeah, get used to it. This thing escaped like dozens of times, getting old," Eagle said as she spun her bullroarer.

"So... What do we do?" asked Thunderbird.

"Based on my analysts, there is no weakness on this thing," U.V. said as she looked down.

"Easy, just go in and give it a huge blow," said Grizzly. The brunette quickly jumped down from above.

"Wait!" Lupa shouted.

“Goddammit..Grizzly! Whatever your name is! Get back here!” Ladybug yelled at the other heroine.

"Yeah!" The bear's miraculous holder jumped onto the behemoth, his axe sinking down on it, enraging the monster even more. The behemoth began to move more violently.

"Shit," Lupa grunted as she looked around for civilians. "Luckily this place is not crowded at night," she muttered.

"What now?" asked Thunderbird.

Ladybug facepalmed. “Well, he just caused the..whatever that is, to go haywire, so the only option we have left is to fight back I guess.”

"I am going in!" Lupa said as she leaped forward.

"W- Wait!" Eagle called but the blonde already jumped, falling down onto the monster, slashing  her blades down its back.

"Oh my gosh... this is a mess," Ladybug groaned.

“Alright, first of all, you three get BACK HERE!” Ladybug instructed. “We don’t know enough about this thing yet, we need a chance to see what exactly it is.”

"I don't think they can hear you," Aeon said as she flew up, scanning the road. "If we let this creature continue forward, there are civilians in the way!"

Eagle facepalmed herself as she watched Aaron and Emily attacking the monster fruitlessly.

“Yeah well..they’re doing it the most not-so-strategic way. Wow, they’re really made for each other.” Ladybug said, rolling her eyes. “We need to do something, but we also need to see if we can get a good idea on how to beat this thing too.”

"This is not the first time we went up against this thing, nothing works, trust me," Eagle said.

"Everything has a weakness," Thunderbird said as he watched.

"They are getting closer," U.V. reminded them.

Ladybug groaned. “I may need some extra help.” She said, opening up her yo-yo to take out a choker with a red gem.

“Greetings, Ladybug-san.” Longg greeted. 

Ladybug smiled. “Hey Longg. Ready to work?” 

Longg nodded, sharing her smile as Ladybug put on the Dragon Miraculous. “Tikki, Longg, unify!”

Eagle looked at Ladybug in surprise. "Woah! You can do that?" asked the brunette.

"Honey, there is much for you to learn," Dragonbug chuckled before turning towards the monster.

Dragon Bug called on one of the elements. “Water dragon!” And when she called out the power, she had made a huge bubble full of water appear around them, acting as if it were a force field. 

"Woah!" Thunderbird looked around. "Amazing."

"So what do we do now?" asked U. V.

“Find what the hell this thing is made of maybe? If we can at least get one single clue, we can find out if there is a weakness.” Dragon Bug said, always and forever being the strategist.

"Right and how do we do that?" asked Thunderbird.

"Get a sample of it, a small piece, and I can analyze it hopefully," said Aeon.

“So apparently we need to find a part of its body that isn’t attached to it? Easier said than done.” Dragon Bug scoffed. “Uncanny, is it possible for you to scan it for any human parts like organs or veins?”

"I tried, it is practically... Unknown, impossible to scan, as if the thing is alien, it isn't on my databases... And taking a piece of it wouldn't help either," U. V. said.

Meanwhile, Lupa dodged the ax that nearly hit her.

"Watch where you swing that buffoon!" Lupa shouted.

Dragon Bug sighed. “Okay, so the analysis is out of the frame. We need a plan B…and someone please stop those two from hurting each other.”

"The best we can do is bring the thing down and try to pin it down," Eagle said quickly.

“Depends on what your idea of pinning it down is, Eagle.” Dragon Bug said, pulling out her sword in case she needs it.

"What are your other powers, Dragon Bug?" asked Eagle quickly.

“Other than default? I have a wind dragon and fire dragon. Unless this thing isn’t as inhuman as we think it is, I don’t think any of those would work.” Dragon Bug explained.

"urgh... Think!" Eagle hammered herself. "Do you have any ideas?" Eagle sighed, giving up.

Ladybug gasped. “Wait..the Dragon ISN'T the only miraculous I need besides my default one. I need another.” Dragon Bug said, pulling out the Bee Miraculous from her yo-yo. 

“Longg, Tikki, divide!” Dragon Bug turned back into Ladybug, as she put the Dragon Miraculous back into..wherever the jewels go when they’re put inside her weapon. 

“Pollen, Tikki, unify!”

"Woah, how is she..." Thunderbird said in awe before being distracted by voices coming down from below, civilians.

"Shit I am getting them out of there," Thunderbird leaped down.

“Eagle, see if you can draw its attention away from me. I’m going to try to use Venom and see if the miraculous works on it.” LadyBee said, seeing if there were any potential spots she could hit.

"Gotcha." Eagle said as she jumped off the building, landing down on top of the hulking creature before  waving her hand in front of it. She knew she got its attention when it began to move forward, away from Ladybug.

Meanwhile, Thunderbird was busy protecting the people in the street, shielding them as he helped them move away from danger.

"Everything is going to be fine... Alright?"  Thunderbird assured.

LadyBee swung around using her yo-yo string, trying to find a good angle that she could attack from that is direct and a direction the monster..whatever it is, couldn’t see her coming from. She looked over at Eagle, who was trying to distract it by flying around on her bull-roarer, and Lupa and Grizzly were also attacking it recklessly. 

LadyBee sighed. “Okay, Eagle is distracting it, Lupa and Grizzly are not helping with their pointless attacking, and Thunderbird is helping out citizens with Uncanny. I need a good time to attack.” She murmured to herself.

"Try to hit his neck," the android said and she flew forward, joining in distracting the behemoth by trying to stun it.

“Uncanny, you said that it’s body is causing your system to fail to recognize where it’s from. What if we actually have to go inside of it and not just attack from the outside?” LadyBee asked.

"Wait... Are you suggesting that we hit it from inside? Through its mouth?" asked the android as she watched Eagle trying to distract the behemoth, and it went towards  a building.

Meanwhile, down on the streets Grizzly was chomping at the monster's legs, swinging his ax, but nothing was working." Gah! This monster skin is thick. That is it! Strength!" And with it, he glowed before the light died down.

"Woah... This power... Feels.... Strong!" Aaron chuckled as he pushed the feet of the behemoth, making it stumble a bit.

“If we can get inside of it and see if there’s any clue to what it’s really made of, I can use my powers as Dragon Bug on it.” LadyBee said, nodding at Uncanny.

Then the monster began to fall forward, its fist crashing into a building. Ladybee and Thunderbird immediately turned as the civilians panicked in fear. The building may have been empty but it caused enough commotion.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Lupa shouted.

"Woah!" Jessica almost fell off the monster as it shook.

"There is only one way into it," Uncanny Valley said. "Are you sure that you want to go into its mouth?"

LadyBee chuckled. “I ran into a T-rex’s mouth before and that was dangerous enough.” She said, as she called on her power. “Venom!”

Eagle looked down to see the chaos that was going on underneath. Aaron was trying to push the behemoth with his super strength but he is pushing the completely wrong way. "Stop!" Eagle shouted as she stumbled almost falling down the monster.

"I am pushing it down genius!" Grizzly snapped.

"Well, you are pushing it the wrong way!" Lupa shouted.

LadyBee charged at the behemoth, with Venom at the ready as she jumped high enough that it could lose sight of him briefly. And landed on top of its neck, hitting him with Venom, and hoping that it would paralyze it. 

When the trompo hit the behemoth’s neck, it immediately began to be, well, immobilized. 

“Okay, Uncanny, I’m going in!” LadyBee said, before jumping off of the neck and then swiftly jumping into the mouth.

"Ohh man, that is gross!" Grizzly said, looking up as he pushed.

"Wait... It is not moving, Hey stop pushing!" Lupa shouted but she was too late. With a strong push, the behemoth fell down crashing into a small building in front of them.

LadyBee has entered the behemoth’s body, seeing that it was in fact not some sort of alien technology..if that even existed. But in a world where Magic exists and magical terrorists attack your city, it kind of is believable. 

“Tikki, Pollen, divide!” She transformed back to Ladybug and took off the Bee Miraculous.

“Thanks Pollen. See you soon!” She said, smiling as she put the comb back into her yo-yo and then took out the Dragon Miraculous once more, releasing Longg. 

“Alright Longg, let’s do this!” Ladybug said, before calling on the transformation. “Longg, Tikki, unify!”

"Hey! What are you doing?"  asked Thunderbird in shock as he ran over to Lupa and Grizzly. "You just destroyed a building... Wait, where is Eagle?"

Eagle laid on the ground, groaning from the impact as she crashed into the building along with the frozen  behemoth, looking at the debris around her as she got up.

“U. V!” Eagle screamed, realizing that someone was missing. “Where's Ladybug?!”

"She went into the monster," the android flying towards her. "You alright?" asked the girl in concern.

"Well, I just crashed into a building, and I am alive so... yeah, I am fine," Jessica grunted as she looked down from the building. The damage wasn't small, the behemoth took out a huge chunk of it, and the building was crumbling as the behemoth leaned on it.

"Look at what you did!" Lupa shouted.

“It’s not my fault! That thing just stopped moving all of a sudden!” Grizzly clapped back. 

Meanwhile, Dragon Bug was navigating her way through the monster’s body, trying to find a source or some sort where its power was coming from. She went through everything really - blood streams, veins, hell, even inside the stomach (which she gagged at when passing through), and had no luck so far. 

But that was before she came across a tube that had some sort of glowing liquid flowing through it. She frowned, going forward for a closer look.

"Well you shouldn't have pushed it in the first place!" Lupa shot back angrily.

"Hey you two enough!" Thunderbird pushed them both apart as he walked towards the building.

"U.V. is this building clear?" asked Eagle, worried as she looked around.

"I scanned the building. It is clear," said the android.

"Good good..." Jessica sighed. "Take me down."

Dragon Bug walked forward, looking closer at the glowing liquid, it was red. She grabbed onto the tube, trying to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. She looked around her, seeing the tube sinking deep into its inner flesh. She tried to yank the tube once more, pulling hard, but it still wouldn't move.

Dragon Bug hummed. “Maybe I can follow this liquid to a potential weak spot.” She thought aloud, continuing to go through the behemoth’s body, as she followed the streams of the glowing red liquid to..wherever it was all coming from.

After a while of scouting, she saw the red streams connecting to a huge machinery, gears. The heart of the monster presumably. 

"Bingo," Dragon Bug smiled as she gazed at it, and quickly navigated herself to it.

U.V. brought Eagle back to ground in front of the other 3 , stumbling a bit before standing up.

"What just happened?" asked Eagle dryly. Of course she knew what happened, she was on the verge of lashing out but wanted to stay calm.

“Uhh..the monster’s paralyzed now apparently.” Grizzly said, shrugging. “Dunno why that happened, but I’m not complaining.” 

Uncanny chimed in. “That is the work of the superpower Venom. Which Ladybug, with the fusion of the Ladybug and Bee miraculouses, has done.”

"And can someone tell me... how on Earth... that monster crashed into the building in the first place?" asked Eagle, anger rising. Grizzly and Lupa both looked at each other, before they were at each other’s throats again. 

“This was YOUR fault! You swung that ax around like a damn toy!” Lupa scolded her new teammate. 

Dragon Bug took a deep breath, before raising her sword and slashing at the “Heart” of the behemoth.

"My fault? How the hell is it? For all I know, you were the one that didn't do anything," Grizzly retorted.

"Oh god... this is getting old," Eagle facepalmed trying to keep herself calm.

Dragon Bug watched as the gears broke off, the red liquid emitting less light, dimming down as some poured out from where she just struck.

Dragon Bug then summoned one of her elements. “Fire dragon!” She exclaimed, as she turned into a single but rather massive flame, wrapping around the heart, and hoping it was enough to burn it down to some degree.

Thunderbird looked up, he could see the center of the monster glowing a bit. "Uh guys, what is that?"

Eagle and Uncanny Valley looked up as well. "Oh what now?" asked Eagle, sighing.

"Ladybug is still in there," the android said.

"Get me up there," Eagle said as she raised her arm, letting Uncanny fly her back up to the monster.

Dragon Bug turned back into her normal form, looking at how she had done - the heart was a little destroyed, but she needed something..sharper. 

Her eyes widened as she then remembered that Lupa and Grizzly both had particularly sharp weapons, so maybe they can help destroy it! 

“Wind dragon!” She called, as she turned into a cloud of wind and flew back up to where the behemoth’s mouth was, leading her back outside, where Eagle and Uncanny were standing.

"Ladybug! You okay?" asked Eagle, worried for her friend. Ladybug smiled at her, glancing back at the heart, which controlled everything the monster was doing.

"Yeah! I'm fine," Ladybug said. "I need Lupa and Grizzly up here now."

"On it!" Uncanny Valley said as she put Eagle down and went down for the other two.

"This is a mess," Eagle sighed.

Dragon Bug smirked knowingly at Eagle. “Not for much longer.”

"Let's hope," Eagle sighed as Uncanny Valley brought Lupa up first.

"So... LB, what you want?" asked Lupa as she looked around the open mouth.

“I may have somewhat managed to destroy half of the Heart of this thing.” Dragon Bug said, knocking her fist against it. “But I need something more sharp to break through it more. And that’s where you two come in.”

"Oh no no no! Don't you drop me in here!" Grizzly grunted as Aeon dropped him onto the tongue of the monster. "Ohhh that is gross!"

"So... we need to head into it?" asked Lupa.

"Yep," Ladybug nodded.

“Thankfully, I know a shortcut so we don’t have to go through the stomach..again.” Dragon Bug said, cringing at what she had previously experienced.

"Doesn't make it any better," Aaron groaned. "Gross!" Grizzly winced.

"You better move fast before the effects wear off," Eagle reminded.

Dragon Bug nodded. “Right. Wind dragon!” She exclaimed, taking them both with her as they all turned into a cloud of wind, going through the behemoth’s entire body again all the way to where the Heart was. Eagle looked at them as they went sighing as her eyes turned towards the damage they did.

"You alright?" asked the android.

Eagle chuckled. “Being honest here? No, not really. A part of me just..hates that I’m barely able to do anything but sit here. Just like Mom always told us to do.” She said, looking down at the damaged streets and buildings that had been the cost of the behemoth attacking the city. 

“Honestly Aeon? The only thing I am right now is an amateur who doesn’t know how to control her powers. And with the Guardian gone, there’s no one left to teach me how.”

“I got this team. And it is doing nothing to help. I mean look at this. Ladybug is doing everything. Really goes to show that I am useless," Eagle sighed. "I can't even come up with a plan to work with. This 'team‘ is a wreck... Well I am already a wreck," Eagle chuckled dryly as she looked down.

"Woah! That is trippy," Aaron gasped as he reached the heart of the monster, looking around. "Oh! Gross!"

"You don't hear me complaining," Lupa groaned.

“You do realize that Ladybug can actually teach you right?” Uncanny asked, earning a confused look from Eagle. 

“Jess, Ladybug knows about the Miraculouses more than you do. Maybe she can help if you just ask!” Uncanny added.

“Look, all you have to do is just stab your ax and blades into this part right here.” Dragon Bug said, pointing to the central valve. “That should be enough to wreck it.”

"Alright," Grizzly said as he raised his ax as Lupa gripped her blades. "Here goes!"

"I know, U.V. I know. I know she can teach me. But I feel... I am too dependent on her. Look at tonight," Jessica sighed

“Well maybe you should ask Ladybug about it and see how she feels. You know that she cares for you Jess.” Uncanny said, knowing very well that Marinette would most likely help Jessica with her powers. 

Lupa struck the heart with both her blades, causing more of the glowing red liquid to spill out of the holes they’re making.

"I know," Eagle sighed, looking into the mouth of the monster.

"That is working!" Dragon Bug said excitedly. "Grizzly."

The bear's miraculous holder struck the heart with her ax, and more spurted out from the crack.

“Okay, looks like we’re making progress.” Dragon Bug said. “But we don’t have much time before Venom wears off. Let’s make this quick - lightning dragon!”

"Woah!” Grizzly dodged as the shot of lightning rushed forward, striking the crack, and soon, the wall in front of them was sparkling.

The lightning bolt then turned back into Dragon Bug, as she saw that her plan had worked..somewhat. Since the walls weren’t completely cracked yet. But they will be soon, as she summoned another element. “Wind dragon!” 

She turned into a cluster of wind and flew inside of the Heart through the cracks, before calling off wind dragon and called upon fire dragon, as fire erupted from the openings and the flame had escaped just in time to see the heart was starting to crack open from the top.

"This is so op," Grizzly said surprised.

"Uhmm... looks like it’s gonna.. blow.." Lupa said nervously as Dragon Bug came out of the crack, as the wind dragon, bringing them out with her.

In a flash, the others had returned, and appeared next to Eagle and Uncanny. Surprising them both as a second after, the entire behemoth had exploded.

Eagle, Uncanny Valley, Ladybug, Lupa and Grizzly were flung off the monster as it blew, crashing down onto the ground below.

"Urgh... what the..." Grizzly groaned as he looked up, seeing himself covered in red substances. "Ew!"

Dragon Bug groaned, as she got up from where she had been blown off to. Dusting herself off as she surveyed the damage caused by the explosion. 

She sighed. “Longg, Tikki, divide.” She said, as she transformed back into Ladybug and caught Longg as he was about to fall. 

“I’m sorry Longg, I shouldn’t have used your power so many times!” Ladybug said, looking at the kwami in her hands with genuine concern.

The kwami was exhausted in her hands. "It's fine," Longg said tiredly, barely able to get up.

"This mess... eww..." Eagle groaned as she shook her hand.

"What is this?" asked Lupa as she looked at the red substance, it was still glimmering.

“It seems like..a monster version of blood.” Ladybug said, cringing at the substance sticking to her suit. “As long as it was flowing through those tubes, the entire thing was still operational. That’s something we should note in case they make another one.”

"Yuck," Grizzly groaned.

"So what do we do now?" asked Eagle. "About the damage?" She asked as she forgot what Ladybug could do.

Ladybug hummed. “I may be able to do something. Lucky Charm!” She exclaimed, as the spots on her suit turned pale white. She threw her yo-yo up in the air to summon..a soda bottle? 

When the bottle of soda dropped into her hands, Ladybug was seen wearing an entirely new outfit than her default or her outfits as LadyBee and Dragon Bug. She now had more black, circling around her waist and making vertical lines down her thighs, kind of looking like she was wearing shorts. Her gloves turned black, and her shoes now had black soles. Her hair also grew longer, going down to her upper back.

“Kinda my fault?! You’re the one who recklessly charged in and slashed your blades around wildly without thinking SOMEONE could get hurt!” Grizzly said, frantically moving his hands around. 

Ladybug rolled her eyes at their banter as she closed her eyes trying to focus. 

She saw that one time in school she learned about how soda is used by the police to wash blood off streets if any car crashes happen that resulted in a death. She also knew that whatever that strange liquid was, it acted as a type of blood to this monster. She opened her eyes, looking back at the soda bottle. 

“I think I know what my Lucky Charm is trying to tell me.” Ladybug said, opening up the soda bottle. 

“When a car crash happens that results in severe injury or even death, the police use soda to wash off any blood on the streets or any other property that was affected. I think my Lucky Charm is trying to tell us that it’s the same case here. This strange..whatever it is, acts like a sort of blood to this weird..golem.”

”So... What are you going to do? I mean, cleaning this up is going to take a while,” Thunderbird frowned looking around. “Plus the damage around here is... Quite serious... How can we fix that?” 

“I estimate that cleaning all of this up will take... Around  hours if we operate at high efficiency,” the android said after scanning her surroundings.

“Yeah right, not like we don't have school tomorrow, oh right! We do,” Aaron scoffed. 

“Wait, Ladybug, couldn't you just restore everything back to normal? Like you did before?” asked Eagle curiously as she turned sharply towards the Parisian. “You can do that right?”

Ladybug nodded. “I can, but I have to use this first to do that.” She said, frowning, before she decided to try it out and see if it works. She poured some of the drink onto her hand, and then wiped it around her forearm, which resulted in the blood-like substance immediately washing off.

She grinned.“I was right, it does work!”

”Ok... So what now?” asked Eagle, confused.

“Ooh let me see, we can use that small bottle of soda to clean this huge mess, and remind Lupa, this is not my fault,” Aaron quickly shot back at the blonde.

“Can those two stop,” David groaned before turning towards Ladybug. “This is going to take a while I assume?”

“Not necessarily,” Ladybug smiled.

“What do you mean?” asked David confused as sounds of alarm could be heard blaring through the night.

Ladybug growled. “Quick, everyone take some of this.”

”Ohh okay?” Grizzly said unsurely as Lupa pushed him forward. 

“Shit, I don't feel like answering the press about this right now,” Eagle groaned as the sounds of car driving came closer.

”Yeah, let’s just hide somewhere and do this.” Ladybug said, nodding and closing the bottle so that it wouldn’t spill if they’re going to be jumping over buildings.

”Ok let's get out of here then,” Thunderbird said.

The group quickly scaled the building, landing on the roof, hidden from view as vans, police cars, firefighters and more cars came rushing in.

”Okay, let’s make this quick.” Ladybug said, reopening the soda and then practically spraying it all over everyone including herself, as the red and glowing liquid slowly detached from their suits.

”Oh that actually worked,” Grizzly shrugged as he cleaned himself.

Soon everyone was clean, now all was left, was a messy street, and a couple of damaged buildings.

“Ok... So what now?” asked Lupa as she stood by Jessica's side looking down at the people below, all confused as to what happened with the press interviewing the civilliand nearby.

Ladybug smirked, glancing knowingly at Eagle, who nodded to her. 

Ladybug threw the object in the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!” She screamed, as the Lucky Charm dispersed and the magical ladybugs split up, repairing the damage all around the city.

”Woah!” Grizzly looked around him as the wave of pink washed over the building, restoring them in a flash.

“Amazing,” Thunderbird said, surprised as he looked around, his eyes following the wave of ladybugs.

“What now?” asked Jessica curiously looking at the Parisian.

“Wait... What is the time now?” asked Lupa. “I have to get home before my mom starts worrying... Again.”

Eagle nodded. “You can go. Don’t worry, we have this under control.” She said, as Lupa nodded and headed off to detransform.