Against the World

Seeing Double

"Chloe that's not-" Cat Noir didn't know how to get the words out without spilling his identity. His pause gave Chloe her opportunity.

She yanked his head up as far as she could and leaned in,"What do YOU know!" she screamed in instant incandescent rage. She flung his head back down, bouncing it off the stone table then stalked across the room, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms in a new sulk.

Cat Noir tried to pick through this mess to a solution, that reaction had him believing this was the real Chloe. Chloe was fussing with her jacket, picking at invisible lint and muttering to herself. "Chloe, Shadowmoth is just using you. He messes with people's minds. This isn't the real you. We can still get through this."

Chloe rolled her eyes,"Duhh, of COURSE Hawkmoth is using me. I'm using him too. He has what we want and so we're going to make a trade.". She walked back over to Cat, patting his shoulder affectionately,"you'll just have to bear with it for now. As for the real me. She should be back soon. Then I just give her this." Chloe held up a an old coin,"And we go have a little talk with the dumb bird."

"Is that the amok?" Cat seized on the one concrete part of Chloe's ramble. He shifted again, testing the restraints for any sign of weakness. His hands were even bound palm up. He couldn't cataclysm anything that didn't fall into them.

Chloe acted shocked that she was even holding the coin, stuffing it back into her pocket quickly,"So what if it is? Going to break it and send me away?"

Cat had to switch gears, following her twisted responses had him second and third guessing who he was talking to,"It's your amok? Then if you're holding it you can make your own choices. You don't need to obey anyone else."

"I don't?" That childishly innocent tone again. The senti-Chloe, her ChloeN Cat Noir dubbed her, pulled the coin back out and looked at it. Then she leaned over and tapped it to Cat Noir's cheek, his nose, then his lips. "I can do whatever I want." She mused.

The ChloeN climbed up onto the table Cat was strapped to. The low ceiling meant she had to hunch over but only for a moment. She dropped down, straddling him with a gleeful giggle. Cat tensed, her leg was right by his hand. He could cataclysm... but then what? A maddened ChloeN and him still trapped. There was always the risk this was the real Chloe still too, and even if for none of that he still wasn't sure he could do it. The thought of a cracked and broken Chloe, even a fake one turned his stomach.

She was playing with his hair again. She leaned down and whispered, her breath warm against his ear,"Who says I'm not?" Another giggle.

"Am I interrupting?" Chloe's voice came from somewhere in the room above Cat Noir's head.

The ChloeN eeped and looked up,"What, Jealous?" But climbed off the table nonetheless.

"Can I be jealous of myself?"

"I might be, from time to time."

Queen Bee stepped into Cat Noir's field of vision, pulling off her goggles and flight cap,"Not this time, at least not of you." She grinned at the ChloeN but now with them together Cat Noir was even less sire which was which. He gave up trying to separate them.

"Oh, this for you." Chloe pulled put the coin again and passed it to Queen Bee.

"Thank you for keeping it safe.". Queen Bee smiled, pocketing the coin.

"Well it's more than a little important to me don't you think?"

"To both of us." Queen Bee reached out and cupped Chloe's cheek.

Chloe tilted her head into the touch,"Kitty's been good overall. Lots of questions, no cataclysms. He did mistake me for you though."

Queen Bee turned and leaned on the table, her folded arms by Cat's head, bringing her face close to his. Those same deep blue eyes, that same inner light,"Well that's just rude. I'm so much cuter than I am. You should never mistake me for myself at any time.". She grinned broadly. Chloe stifled a small giggle of her own and moved out of sight behind Queen Bee.

Cat was at a loss. Who was he looking at? How should he respond? Did it even matter at this point? He wished he could think of some way, any way to get a message to Ladybug. He had to keep buying time,"I know it may sound cliche but what do you intend to do with me? And can we make it one at a time? One Chloe is intense, stereo might be more than I can handle."

"Nothing really.". Queen Bee said, her eyes drifting up and one gloved hand moving to tousle Cat's hair just as Chloe... the other Chloe had done. "We just need your miraculous for a little bit. Hawkmoth wants it."

"You can't give it to him!" Cat struggled again, still without luck.

"Yes we can!" came the cheerful yell of the Chloe he could no longer see. A moment later she stepped back into sight beside Queen Bee, a syringe in her hand. She frowned at it,"The instructions on doing this by hand are ridiculous."

"Just do it. The ring will protect him some, right?" Queen Bee tugged the blanket back over Cat Noir. He started to protest but a sharp jab at his neck sent him spiraling down into paralysis and unconsciousness again.

Queen Bee pulled the ring out from under the blanket, as she did a little black kwamii spiraled out of it and flopped onto the blanket, rolling about sickly. Queen Bee prodded it,"Up you."

It's name is Plagg." Chloe shared. She poked him too.

Plagg floated a bit and grumbled blearily,"I'll cashcls'm all sx 'f yu."

"No you won't. Kitty is laying on a bomb that'll turn him into kibble." Chloe help up a little remote,"I don't think you want to take your chances. So fly off instead. Go tell Ladybug he's still alive. If she behaves, he stays that way."

"Ooo, you sound just like a movie!" Queen Bee snickered and gave Chloe a little shove.

Plagg tried orienting himself but failed, instead he floated straight up, disappearing into the ceiling.

"Think he'll do it?"

"Definitely. It's a hero thing. We should get moving, don't want to keep Hawkmoth waiting."

"Should we switch?"

Queen Bee tilted her head,"Are you sure? It'll be more dangerous."

Chloe picked up the flight cap and put it on,"I know. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Hey." Queen Bee covered Chloe's hands with her own, taking the straps for the cap out of her hands, she finished buckling the cap on for Chloe. "That's my line."