I may be greasin' the wheels in a noisy factory...

[hvymetalheroics]

CHARACTERS: Megamind and whoever is going to scream at him for 'scavenging' and 'nest building' in engineering.
LOCATION: THE EVIL LAIR -- or rather, it's tiny sibling-- in Engineering.
WARNINGS: Megamind is going to troll you.
SUMMARY: Megamind has been staying away from people, for the most part. This is why. He's finally getting to a place where

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[thats_asbestos]

There was another man on the search for a lair, or rather he was just on a search for anything interesting since The Tranquility was mammoth, begged to be explored, and not at all unlike Aperture. ...Except Cave didn't own this place. He could certainly act like it though, especially after picking up a most unfortunate core-turned-human and now his personal assistant for everything.

"After that I think we should make an updated list of potential test subjects. A to Z with full list of credentials. Have you been keeping an eye on these little communication recorders?" Cave rambled aloud to said most unfortunate core-turned-human as he trailed behind, and waved said 'recorder' around for emphasis. "There's tons of qualified test subjects on this ship."

Dark, desolate and foreboding as this ship was, for someone like Cave that meant it just meant endless opportunity. Who knew what he might find around the next corner?

"Might have to coax them with the positive rewards of science and their generous contributions to humanity if there's no currency in this place."

[fourpartplan]

If there was one good thing that had come out of his recent appointment as Cave Johnson's Brand New Personal Assistant, it was that he was getting a lot of walking practice in.

Wheatley still wasn't very good at it, of course, and found himself tripping and stumbling more often than not as he tried to keep up with Cave, but MAN this was hard. Made doubly hard, of course, by the fact that the CEO seemed to want him remembering an awful lot of things. He imagined it would be easier if he could write things down, but that whole affair had proved to be an incredible struggle. FINGERS, MAN.

"Yes, Mr. Johnson."

Keeping track of the more puzzle-inclined crew members, at least, was one thing he had done, simply by virtue of itching to proctor some tests again (ha ha). Besides, the faster they got some semblance of Aperture running, the faster they could work on putting him back in his proper body.

"Made a note of quite a few, actually. Well. Not a physical note, seeing as, uh. Me. Writing. Is still a bit of a work in progress, but I could give you some names."

[hvymetalheroics]

There was a rattilng above them. Clank-clank, over catwalks and struts; this place really liked it's flying buttresses, even in a space that didn't really need that sort of thing. But Megamind had chosen well; he could hear most anything that was going on in the area below him up here.

"Hey!" he called down. "Go find your own lair! This one's mine!"

Territorial? Of course. What super-villain isn't. Already he was grabbing hold of one of the ladders and sliding down it, feet braced and his gloves protecting his hands. Little by little he was mixing parts of his costume (like his gloves and boots) with his 'generic suit'.

At least he had the good sense to hide most of the gloves under his sleeves, though. Spikes tended to advertise villainy. Besides, they were short and pretty blunt.

[thats_asbestos]

Suddenly! Blue men! Well, not the first strange looking individual he had encountered on this ship, and probably not the last. Appearances and whatever names Wheatley were about to list off were quickly cast aside in favor of what this very blue person was prattling on about so defensively. Cave took a gander around his nest of metal and scaffolding.

Clearly, in-progress metal nest. "You sir, are a very ambitious individual. If I had any interest in your lair I'd buy it from you, bury it underground and pay you to build a bigger and better one on top. For science, of course."

That said, Cave was interested in his lair as it was more interesting than anything else he had come across yet, evident by his wandering eyes.

[fourpartplan]

Wheatley, unfortunately, did not stop walking when Cave did, and smacked right into the CEO before he remembered to halt.

He knew there were aliens on board, but hadn't actually seen many of them, yet, so suddenly having Megamind stomping about on the catwalks was incredibly surprising. "Bumping into Cave" swiftly turned into "Cowering behind Cave" as the new arrival slid down the ladder to greet them.

"Auuohhgod what are you supposed to be!?"

Super tactful.

[hvymetalheroics]

Stepping away from the ladder, the heels of his boots ticking over the hard metal floor, Megamind approached with swagger. This was his, by God, and they were going to know it!

"Smarter then you," Megamind replies tersely to Wheatley, before he looks up at Cave. There is a moment of staring, before he says, succinctly, "I'd build you two lairs but keep the best for myself. You understand."

Of course he will. He seems the type.

[thats_asbestos]

Thankfully for Wheatley's tiny, miserable little stature, Cave was not thrown off-kilter by the rear fender-bender. There was no reply for a few moments, but a slow grin started to crawl its way onto the old man's face.

"Ha ha! I like your style. You're an honest man! An honest blue man... just what the heck are you anyway?"

[fourpartplan]

Ooh, Wheatley already didn't like this guy. Then again, he often disliked people who took potshots at his intellect, especially within the first two sentences they ever spoke to each other.

"Rude," he scoffed, still half-hiding behind his much taller boss, "that's what he is. Flinging about insults right off."

[hvymetalheroics]

That's alright, Wheatley. Megamind doesn't like you either. You scream 'lackey'. That's why he's talking to Cave! Cave seems like a guy who is with it! Smart! Knows a genius when he sees it!

"An honest blue man is a good start," Megamind replies, skirting the subject of the 'what the hell is that guy' as smoothly as his big blue head allows him. "You, however, seem like an astute man with a good eye for character! What are yo looking for down here in engineering? Maybe I can help you!"

And find out if I CAN EXPLOIT YOU -- he does not, in fact, mwa-ha-ha, but you can bet he's thinking it.

[thats_asbestos]

Ding ding VERY KEEN, THIS HONEST BLUE MAN.

"Science." Science is always the answer. "Or at least anything relating to."

Cave felt this was the best moment to make an introduction and does so, holding out his hand. "Cave Johnson, CEO and founder of Aperture Science. And this here is my new assistant."

...Who's name eluded Cave at this very second but he was very sure it started with a 'W'.

"Wheaton."

[fourpartplan]

"Wheatley," he corrected with no small amount of petulance. "It's Wheatley, actually." Seriously, Cave, his name wasn't that hard to remember.

Of course, he very rarely stopped talking at one word (or sentence, or paragraph), and at the mention of Aperture Science, launched himself into further explanation.

"Very important research facility, Aperture. Very important science."

BETTER THAN YOUR SCIENCE, BLUE GUY.

[hvymetalheroics]

"Well, sadly, this places-- well, look at it. Under used, probably filled with rats. Not a lot of science or engineering being DONE," Megamind says with an expansive wave of his hand. "...which is of course why someone should fix that."

He takes that hand, and says, "I am called Megamind! I am Metro City's foremost leader in creative applications of science!"

He stops and he realizes, Wheatley -- Wheaton? -- is talking. He peers at he funny looking little man before he looks right back at Cave, and says not a damned thing to Wheatley. SNUBBED!

"Are you looking to start doing things on the ship? It needs more science, very badly. Maybe then we can find a way off this barge."

[thats_asbestos]

Man, what a snubber, this Megamind guy. Cave never noticed.) Either way, Megamind certainly had enough of a big blue cranium befitting of such a name. At mention of the words 'creative applications' and 'science', Cave was of course, very interested.

"Metro City?" Must of been somewhere down in Florida next to Wilton Manors. Who cared; he had the same sentiments Cave did.

"That's right I am. Whitney here claims he was once a robot. As you can see, he is obviously not a robot but I figure that could be fixed with a little experimentation and willpower... along with the space-time continuum disruptions and mass confusion running amok on this ship. Would you believe it I ran into another fellow who claimed he already met me? I never met him. Unless I was cloned, in which case I might have to find and kill said clone. This place could stand to use a few quantum space holes to fix things back to their proper order and get back home."

Then again, when was Cave ever going to get the chance to do some science out here in space?

[fourpartplan]

"Wheatley." He was just going to keep repeating himself until Cave got it right. "And I am a robot." Wheatley was also really sick of people not believing him when he said he was a robot.

"AI, actually." The statement was accompanied by an emphatic gesture to Cave. "Aperture built me. After his time, obviously, but I figure if anyone can get me back in my body, it's Cave Johnson."

RIGHT CAVE

RIGHT!?

[hvymetalheroics]

"You look like the average fleshy meatsack human to me," Megamind said, never even looking at Wheatley to deliver his SCATHING OPINION. But then he thinks of something, "All the other people who have been robots in the past were much better set up. Handsomer, certainly. I bet you're just trying to hide your crippling insecurity by claiming that really you're an awesome robot!"

Please note, Megamind keeps saying that "ruBAHT".

BUT NO MATTER! He gestures, leading Cave-- and Wheatley, one assumes-- onward. "I've found several tools have been made available, and certain parties are starting to explore things. It behooves us to be involved on every level!"

Yes, they're now an 'us'. Cave's a sharp fellow. He'll be useful. Not sure about the wannabe robot, anyway.

[thats_asbestos]

"Damn right I will. I'll make you a better robot than you ever were or claim to be." It's not that Cave didn't believe Wheatley, but it was just as likely that he was crazy and only believed himself to be an AI. Cave was perfectly fine with either option.

Thus, Megamind's jabs at his personal assistant were not taken very personally at all. "He'll be perfect when I'm through with him." Cave clapped a hand on Wheatley's shoulder. There was only the future to look forward to. Forward and onward, as leaded.

"That's fantastic. What kind of tools? I read about those two former residents of this ship--the Captain and the engineer. They didn't seem to have a clue of what was going on either."

Ergo, not useful. Like Megamind.

"They probably don't even have a clue what's going on down here."