Marinette's Fateful Trip To Gotham (~Damienette~)

Chapter 8

They couldn't get a taxi or uber, as their large suitcases would not fit, so they had to walk. Sighing, Chloe pulled out her phone and opened google maps, typed in the hotel, and pressed start. "It is going to take us half an hour to walk there, it's not too far," she said tiredly. They were appalled at the irresponsibility of their teacher – sure, they knew she was stupid, but they didn't think that she would be that stupid as to leave them alone in the most crime-ridden city in America.

"You've got to be kidding me", Chloe fumed, "this is ridiculous! Utterly ri-diculous!".

They reluctantly started their journey to the Wayne Hotel, all of them drowsy from their long flight.

They trudged along the streets of Gotham, their suitcases bouncing on the uneven ground behind them. Chloe held her phone in his hand, Google Maps open and the direction to the Wayne Hotel displayed as a blue line.

"Ugh, how long left now?" Adrien groaned, his feet dragging across the ground as he made his way forward in a zombie-like state. They were all severely jet-lagged (it would be 2 pm in Paris, but it was 8 in Gotham when they landed, so it is now half past 8), and they had a long day ahead of them.

"10 minutes," replied Chloe, her voice devoid of any emotion. Her eyes were droopy, and her posture slack.

Even ever-cheerful Marinette was grumpy and tired. However, as they walked, a shop caught her eye. "STARBUCKS!" Marinette gasped, sprinting over to it, dragging her suitcase bumpily behind her. The others followed close behind, eager to get some caffeine to help them gain energy.

Once they had ordered and later received their Venti (that's the largest size btw) coffees, they headed out, now much happier and more energetic than before.

With wide eyes, they began to take in the streets of Gotham. They had all expected the city to consist of dark alleyways and wannabe gangsters, and although that may be somewhat true in sketchier parts of the city, the streets they were currently strolling down were bright and full of life.

They arrived at to what seemed to be the main square, with a large concrete fountain in its centre and lively shops surrounding the plaza. The Wayne hotel could be seen a street or two away behind the shops, so they continued onwards.

The people in the square seemed so happy and carefree, despite the looming fear of the many villains that plagued the city. The friends smiled at each other, their spirits lifted, now genuinely excited to soon call this city home.

However, it seemed they spoke too soon. It all happened so fast – one second everything was fine, and then the Riddler somehow appeared, capturing a random girl with a gun to her head.

Surrounding him and the girl, were over 20 men, all wearing angry glares, black clothing and many weapons. 5 of these men also held civilians in their arms, all sorts of weapons pointed at them threateningly.

MG looked at each other, before carefully walking towards them.

The Riddler looked around at the many people in the square, before shouting boldly "Why hello people of Gotham. Today I am going to be asking one lucky person 5 riddles," he grinned manically. "If you get it right, one of these civilians will be released. If you don't, then one of these innocent civilians will die," his smile deepened, and everyone's faces paled at what he was hinting at.

"I have this lovely little contestant here, however, if you think you can do better, I will allow you to take her place. So, is anyone feeling like playing hero today?" he asked.

Marinette looked at her friends, who nodded gravely. Marinette had an IQ of over 200, and even if she didn't get the question right, she could probably take down the Riddler before he shot her anyways.