Miraculous
Chapter 18: Capturing the Traitors
(At Avalon Park, Tikki grows disturbed.)
TIKKI: Marinette! I felt a negative aura. Adrien’s in danger!
MARINETTE: Wait. I didn’t tell my new friends about the news! They’re probably after Adrien again! No time to lose!
(She takes out the flight magicaroon and feeds it to Tikki.)
MARINETTE: Power up!
(Tikki’s wings and antennae turn blue.)
TIKKI: Space Tikki!
MARINETTE: Spots on!
(She transforms into Cosmo-Bug and flies off. At the mob circle, several of Zeta’s eagle soldiers drop campfire logs. Frank nervously lights a match and sets them on fire.)
LUNA-TK: This will teach you not to betray the people you pretend to care about!
ADRIEN: Wait. I can get Marinette on the line!
(Adrien attempts to call Marinette.)
MARINETTE’S VOICEMAIL: It’s Marinette. Leave a message. Beep! He-he!
(He looks up nervously.)
SAM: Rope them!
MABEL: Cage them!
(The mob closes in.)
ADRIEN: Marinette, I don’t know if you can hear me, but you forgot to tell your new friends about Lila, and they sentenced us to death.
(Flying over Eight at East Apartments, Cosmo-Bug eyes her yo-yo and locates Adrien.)
LADYBUG: Florida Mall parking lot. Hang on, Adrien.
(Meanwhile, the Minions toss a huge net over the group. Standing on the cage, the Trolls wrap their hair, Growly Pete his mustache, around the group’s wrists, ankles, and necks, then the Minions start to drag them backward with the net’s ropes.)
ADRIEN: You need to answer eventually, or we’ll all be destroyed!
(A long way down the highway, Cosmo-Bug flies past the Arepa Station. The humidity starts to make her sweat and run out of breath. Fighting against the restraints, Adrien tries to call Marinette again. The Wolf pups and assist by scratching and snapping at them.)
ADRIEN: Come on.
MARINETTE’S VOICEMAIL: It’s Marinette. Leave a message. Beep! He-he!
ADRIEN: Come on, Marinette. Answer.
(The Minions and Trolls continue to drag the group toward the cage.)
ADRIEN: (STRAINING) I’ll never give in!
(The group shoots forward, tripping the Minions, but it doesn’t last long as they quickly regain control of the ropes.)
ADRIEN: What could you possibly be doing that you can’t pick up right now?
(Cosmo-Bug now huffs and puffs past Orlando International Airport.)
LADYBUG: I… can’t… stop. No… matter… what.
(The group continues trying and failing to resist their restraints.)
(At the back, Tom squeezes Henry the Minion against the rear of the cage. As the Trolls attempt to close it, the door bonks Adrien’s head.)
ADRIEN: Hey, there’s a limit.
(Meanwhile, Cosmo-Bug stops and struggles to catch her breath.)
COSMO-BUG: (DEHYDRATED) Okay. I need to get a water for the road.
(Meanwhile, the caged captives suffer abuse from the Crossover Characters. The Wolf Pups poke at them with spears. The Minions strangle them through the narrow openings. The Royal Woods and Great Lakes City students electrocute them with tasers.)
(Cosmo-Bug stops at a 7-Eleven off the airport highway exit and de-transforms. Now as Marinette, she goes to the fridges in the back and picks out a 20-ounce Aquafina bottle. At the front, she attempts to swipe her card at the pin pad, but it reads, “NOT ACCEPTED”.)
MARINETTE: Come on.
(She tries more times, faster, then slower, but still gets the same result each time.)
MARINETTE: Fine. I’ll pay with cash.
(She passes the cashier five dollars. Later, she leaves and continues flying. Meanwhile, Adrien struggles to make another attempt at escaping, but is yanked backwards by the Minions. The Trolls manage to lower the cage opening, then Terence and Brick hold it closed.)
(Walking over, Luna-TK receives the lucky charm from Branch, who had dug into Adrien’s bag, then walks away.)
ADRIEN: You’re making a mistake.
LUNA-TK: Who’s ready to watch the traitors perish?
(Everyone cheers. Meanwhile, a rehydrated Cosmo-Bug flies over Oceaneering Entertainment Systems. She hears the commotion in the Florida Mall parking lot ahead. In the cage, Adrien watches helplessly as Luna-TK puts her hand over the strengthening campfire.)
ADRIEN: No!
(Cosmo-Bug flies toward the mob and watches Luna-TK drop the charm.)
ADRIEN: No!
(Cosmo-Bug extends her yo-yo and catches the charm just before it falls in. The mob notices her as she lands and storms over to them.)
COSMO-BUG: What are you guys doing?!
LUNA-TK: We were about to burn the traitors’ good luck away and then kill them so that they wouldn’t…
COSMO-BUG: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Kill them? Spots off.
(She de-transforms, shocking the travel group.)
MARINETTE: I wanted them sent back to Paris, not murdered!
(Terence and Brick release the cage. The Minions do the same with the ropes, then lift the cage door open, releasing the travel group.)
MARINETTE: “Lila Rossi’s reign over Paris continues to grow. Ladybug and Cat Noir nowhere to be seen to stop her.” I know they’ve wronged me in plenty of ways, but torture and murder is not the answer. We have to go back to Paris and take the city back.
(Everyone looks at each other.)
LUNA-TK: Okay. We’ll follow your lead.
(Marinette looks up at Luna-TK.)