Stepping Out, Ch.9
Title: Stepping Out, ch. 9
Author: ladyspock
Word Count: 6000 (appx)
Rating: sort of R-ish, because of some violence. Also slight swearing. (Does anyone here really need to worry?)
Summary: Fifteen year old Megamind has had it with prison life, and decides to strike out on his own. With Minion, of course.
Chapter Summary: Some hangin' at the lair. A trespasser. Another attempted heist. Then Megamind discovers that he's not the only villain in town.
I am not sure what has happened to my little tale of good natured teenage hijinks. Now there's all this drama, and angst. Come to think of it, that's what being a teen is all about. Hope everyone had a good summer! Happy Labor Day!
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8
"How would you like your own aquarium, Minion?" Megamind asked, paging through the sketchbook. There was a loud clatter as the broom hit the floor and Megamind looked up in surprise.
"You wouldn't put me in a tank, would you Sir?" Minion cried, face full of dismay. And it was a face that had a lot of room to be dismayed in.
Megamind chuckled. "I'm not going to trap you in it," he said. "It would be a really big aquarium, for you to go into and out of whenever you liked. See? I've drawn up a few plans."
Minion clumped over to the table and looked over his shoulder. Megamind excitedly flipped through the pages. "Here's the lock mechanism, just like a canal lock, that'll rise up to the height of your containment unit, so you can swim into it, and it'll lower you down. Unless you happen to like jumping in and out of your robot suit, that's always an option."
Minion's eyes widened at the elaborate drawings. The tank was the size of a small swimming pool. It was big enough to hold fifteen thousand gallons at least. Here and there were waving plants, and rocks, and castles on a pebbled floor. There were some rooms attached to the inner walls. On one end of the aquarium was the lock, on the other end was a filtration system. The beach ball was a nice touch.
"These are the buttons that you can operate yourself from the inside, with your nose or your fins, see, to control all the features of the lock, filters, lights, and temperature. You could decorate it anyway you want, do you like the castles? We could even put some live fish in it, if you ever felt like hunting down your own dinner!" Megamind laughed. Minion still hadn't said anything. Megamind glanced at him, feeling a touch uneasy. Had he overstepped some unspoken boundary? "Well, Minion, what do you---"
"It's beautiful!" Minion cried, grabbing Megamind in a bone-crushing hug. Megamind squawked.
"OH! Sorry, Sir!" he said, hurriedly dropping him. "My own tank!" he said, beaming at the drawings.
He had hated it whenever they stuck him in that rotten aquarium in the warden's office. It separated him from his beloved friend and master, and there was no more awful feeling than that, and yet...and yet...in the secret recesses of his heart it was a little bit nice, just a little bit, to have room to swim back and forth, even in the rather smallish tank, to get out of the confines of the containment unit and move around under his own power, to stretch his fins, without the robot suit. Which was an excellent suit, no one could have provided him with a better means for getting around in this land-locked world. But this aquarium was going to be sweet.
He was so touched that Megamind had been planning this great undertaking just for him that he almost hugged him again, but he curbed his enthusiasm. He didn't want to break anything.
Megamind coughed and straightened his shirt, grinning. "Yes, well, it'll be a while before we can get it installed. I still have to figure out how to get running water for this place."
While Minion, humming, went to heat up some leftovers for supper, Megamind ripped out the pages for the aquarium and tacked them to the overflowing bulletin board. Several clippings from magazines and newspapers, featuring himself as the subject, hung from strings in the ceiling and spun gently in the air currents.
The van was repainted black. They'd spent an enjoyable, if cold, few days changing the spark plugs and brake pads, fixing the struts, and basically making it into a vehicle worth owning. Minion once muttered something about 'wasting time on a piece of junk' but Megamind scolded him. His first genuinely owned vehicle was special. Anything he didn't have to hot wire was his. He had the keys for it, therefore he owned it. The manner in which it was obtained was just circumstances. And the rust hole on the driver's side was a little one. He should really get around to welding a metal plate over it, though.
He sighed. A welder was another item on his ever-growing list.
There were a few other projects that were coming along, and one or two that were complete and needed a workout. He wandered over to one of the workbenches and picked up the electro-whip. Megamind pressed the button and turned it on. Minion glanced over at the sound of the crackle.
"Tell me again how that thing is any better than a taser," he said dryly.
Megamind snorted. He flicked the glowing strand through the air. It made a very satisfying whine. "It's a lot cooler, for one thing, and intimidating! This'll get people hopping!"
"Just keep it away from me, that's all I ask," Minion muttered. Megamind was too busy attacking the mannequin to pay attention.
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Later, Megamind sat with his head propped on his hand, watching critically as Minion handled the knitting needles.
"So...what is that again?" he asked, grinning.
"Well, it's supposed to be a hat," Minion said, holding his handiwork up to the light. Megamind's smirk faded. He was going to have to deflect another attempt to bundle him. So far he had successfully fended off the scarves, the mittens, and the ear muffs. While Minion's fashion sense was really quite good, he was being extremely single-minded in his pursuit to keep Sir warm, and fashion did not figure in Minion's calculations in this particular case. Megamind had to concede, though, that sometimes scarves came in handy when they needed to hide their identities.
He watched Minion for another few moments, frowning. He could hear a faint creaking coming from the robotic hands and they didn't look as nimble as they ought to. He walked over, grabbed Minion's hand, and looked closely at the fingers. Corrosion was visible in the joints.
"These will have to be cleaned out," he said. He found a toothbrush and a metal scouring pad.
"Well, can't I finish the hat first?" Minion protested.
Megamind trapped one metal arm under his armpit and began scrubbing.
"No," he said curtly. "This junk has got to go. You'll have much better range of movement."
Half an hour later he was still scrubbing. He scowled and moved the metal fingers one by one. Minion twirled idly in his bowl atop the suit and hummed a little. "Is it going to be much longer Sir?" he asked.
"How old is this thing anyway?" Megamind muttered to himself. The suit itself was not very old, but the metal it was made from was getting rusty. He should have made a new suit for Minion a long time ago.
"A new robotic body is just the thing, Minion," he said. "And I know a place that'll have some of the stuff we'll need for it." There was a great deal he could do for himself, but some computer circuitry was easier to steal than to produce. He'd been wanting to see what that new electronics company would have for him anyway. This was the perfect occasion to pay them a visit.
He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it, Minion?"
"You've been awake for over thirty-two hours, Sir," Minion said, a little reproachfully.
"I didn't ask that, I asked what time it was," Megamind said haughtily. He felt smug. He could stay up as late as he wanted now. There was no one to shout "Lights out!" and make him go to bed, though Minion tried, of course.
"Almost nine, I guess," Minion said. "P.M.," he added.
"I'm going to sleep," Megamind announced, and threw himself down on the cot. Minion went to his corner to power down.
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Stan pulled into the back of the Polar North Warehouse. It was after ten o'clock already, he noticed with annoyance. The boss was getting after them lately to cut down on the overtime, but sometimes you had to put in the extra hours to get the deliveries finished. He'd just come all the way back from the Southdale Mall, after unloading eight freezers. If Hugo got on his case again, he was seriously thinking about quitting.
He went to the back of the delivery truck to remove the straps and pallets. He began to pull out the pallet that was closest to the door when a noise from deep within the truck made him jump. Someone was snoring back there!
Stan climbed in and stared at the man for a minute. He edged forward and made a face. The guy reeked of alcohol. Where did he come from? He had left the truck wide open for, oh, maybe twenty minutes or so, while he chatted with the clerks over how sucky the job market was. He felt no embarrassment over the fact that he could have gotten back to the warehouse well before ten if he hadn't been gabbing. Complaining was a job perk that was practically a right.
But now this drunk had wandered right into the truck and passed out! There was a bar and grill next to the department store. Is that where he'd wandered in from? Stan roughly shook the guy's shoulder. Groaning, he rolled over and blinked at Stan.
"You can't sleep here, man," Stan said.
The drunk groaned again. "'Kay," he murmured.
Stan shook his head in irritation. This guy must have come from that bar and grill, which meant that he must have parked there, too. Stan wasn't about to drive all the way back to Southdale just to drop this guy off at his car. Maybe he should call him a cab.
"Hey, you want to wait inside?" Stan asked. "I'll call you a cab. I gotta clock out."
"'Kay," the man murmured again, but made no move to get up. Stan hesitated, then unloaded the pallets. He went inside, clocked out, and turned in the truck keys. When he came out again, the drunk was gone. He looked up and down the street for a minute, then gave up and went home. He couldn't help but feel a little concerned, but what could you do? He couldn't go wandering around the maze of streets looking for some stranger. That guy was on his own.
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Logan staggered down the block. This street looked sort of familiar. If he could just find Connie's place, he was sure he could explain everything, if, if, if she would just listen for once, and that woman had to understand what a man needs, it was biology, it was natural for a guy to look around a little...
Logan struggled on, wondering why none of the dang sidewalks had been shoveled.
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"Connie! Connie-ee-ee!"
Megamind swam up from the depths of sleep to the woeful sounds of Logan's call. He raised his head, then as the banging on the front door continued, he sprang up and dizzily bumped into the nearest floor lamp and turned it on. Minion was blowing bubbles in his sleep.
"Minion!" Megamind hissed, scrabbling around the debris on the table for the de-gun. Minion continued to drift, oblivious. Megamind walked over and smacked the metallic chest. The sharp noise finally woke Minion up.
"Wha---" he gurgled.
"Someone's outside!" Megamind whispered fiercely. "Are the doors locked?"
"Think so. What is it, police?" Minion said, blinking and shaking himself so his fins fluttered.
The pounding from upstairs was a steady beat as they hurried up the stairs to the main floor.
Megamind's head felt full of cotton balls and it was hard to think. He'd barely dropped off to sleep and now this fool was outside bleating like some lost...lost fluffy thing.
"How long has he been out there?" he demanded hoarsely. From the dim light that shone through the translucent window he could see his breath clouding the air. Already the tip of his nose felt cold and his fingertips were tingling.
"I dunno Sir, I was asleep," Minion said. The door rattled as the man tried the handle. "He sounds drunk, Sir. Maybe he'll go away soon."
Megamind paced around, tapping the de-gun against his thigh.
"Come on, Connie! Lemme in!" the man brayed.
Megamind tch-ed in annoyance. "The idiot is clearly lost. There aren't any dwellings around here!"
Minion shrugged.
Megamind ran back downstairs. When he returned he had the electro-whip in his hand.
Minion blinked in alarm. "Sir, wait, I really think we should just wait for him to go away. If he sees..."
"I'm not waiting for him to pass out on the doorstep!" Megamind said grimly. He headed for the back door. "Don't worry, Minion. He won't see me." He gave an evil grin, but Minion was, somehow, not reassured.
Megamind opened the back door just enough to slip outside. Even so, the hinges creaked and groaned alarmingly. The snow was packed down hard. There was no wind, but the frigid air penetrated his clothes almost immediately. He cursed himself for not thinking to even put on gloves. He stretched the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. The fabric was pulled tight, didn't help at all, and made the rest of the shirt ride up his armpits. Impatiently he yanked it off again.
There was a narrow trail through the crusted snow of the alley that he and Minion had made the last time they'd inspected the building, and he stepped carefully in the old footprints, trying to avoid the crunchy bits.
He needn't have worried about alerting his prey. The drunken fool was unaware of his approach. He flattened himself against the wall and peered around the corner. The man had left off pounding on the door and was stumbling up and down the sidewalk, slapping his hands against his arms in an effort to warm himself. Megamind wondered if the man were a ruse to draw them out, but who would try such a thing? The cops didn't operate like that, they were always so obvious and official with their bullhorns and flashing lights, as if to make absolutely, positively sure that the criminals had a sporting chance, and that everyone knew where they stood on the game board.
A ruse by some criminal gang? Somehow this level of cleverness---and it was sub-level, really--- seemed beyond the mental abilities of the average Metrocity criminal. He and Minion had a few near encounters with muggers, but once a mugger got close enough to realize that the intended targets were the fugitive aliens, he unfailingly turned into a non-mugger, casually becoming an innocent passer-by out for a walk, heading in the opposite direction. Neither Megamind nor Minion were fooled. Having been on the receiving end of hostility, they could spot the predatory approach, the aura of threatened violence, and would brace themselves for trouble. Usually all that was needed was for the potential attacker or attackers to get a good look at who they were stalking, to see Minion clenching his fists, and to see Megamind casually reaching into his pocket, for them to decide that they really should look for an easier mark.
Once a man leaped out of an alley at them with a gun. He hadn't known who he was attacking, and to find himself suddenly confronted by Minion's bulk and Megamind's incredibly handsome features almost did a back flip in mid-air, so anxious was he to rectify his mistake. Minion took advantage of his surprise and ripped the gun out of his hand. The man took a second to count his fingers, then fled.
A few times they even saw men they'd known from the prison, but they were not on friendly terms with any of these particular ex-cons. After some mutual glares from a distance, they went their separate ways without speaking.
Drug dealers were more annoying, and pushier, and Megamind had to dehydrate a few of them to send a message to the rest that he was not interested in buying their wares.
If this drunken lout was part of some trick, it seemed awfully sloppy. He scanned the surrounding buildings, and the street. All was quiet.
Megamind pressed the button on the electro-whip. He grimaced a little at the slight whine it made as it was activated, but when he glanced around the corner again, his prey had not seemed to notice it. He waited until the man's back was turned, then stepped quickly around the bend and struck. The tip of the whip snaked through the air and caught the man squarely in the back.
"Waugh!" the drunk yelled. His body was surrounded by a brief burst of light, then he collapsed.
"YeeeeeeEEEEEESS!" Megamind crowed, jumping into the air and pumping his fist. He pounded on the front door. "Open up Minion! I have immobilized the trespasser."
The door squealed and complained as Minion came out. No door stayed closed if Minion wanted it open. Megamind crouched down by his victim and pulled out a wallet from the man's back pocket.
"Is he all right? He's all right, isn't he, Sir?"
"Of course he is, Minion. He's breathing. Volts don't kill people, amps do. The electro-whip has only a fraction of an amp, to deliver the charge," Megamind said. He wrinkled his nose. The man stank of cigarettes and beer. He rifled through the wallet until he found the driver's license.
"Logan Wannamaker. 1208 Peach Tree Street, Metrocity. Where do you suppose that is?"
Minion scratched his dome. "Suburb maybe?"
"Maybe," Megamind said. He stood up and looked up and down the street. "So where's his car?" The street was devoid of any motorized vehicles. They took a brief walk around the neighboring buildings, including the old fire station, but didn't find a car.
"How did he get here? He couldn't have fallen out of the sky!" Megamind cried, shoving his frozen hands under his arms. He and Minion both automatically looked up. Any mention of flying always brought thoughts of their super-powered nemesis, but it bordered on the ridiculous that this drunken sot could have any relation to Wayne Scott. He marched back over to the unconscious man and shot him with the de-gun. He picked up the little cube.
"What are you going to do with him?"
"Oh, I don't know! I'll figure it out later. I'm certainly not going to leave him out here until the spring thaw! He'll just re-hydrate, as drunk as ever, crying for this Connie person. I want to try to get some more sleep."
"Y'know, these old buildings do sort of look like houses, Sir," Minion said thoughtfully. "I remember reading once in the paper, this one guy, this drunk, he actually broke into some stranger's house and got into bed with the guy's wife and passed out!" Minion laughed. "He was so drunk he didn't even know where he was. I think he got shot in the leg."
"The only proper fate for trespassers," Megamind said righteously.
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Two nights later they were all set for a raid on Tanaka Industries.
"Why do you have to bring all this stuff, Sir?" Minion complained. Megamind was trying to figure out where to put the de-gun. All his pockets were full. The shoulder holster he'd hoped to use put the gun at the perfect angle to jab his armpit with every other step, so he threw it out.
Minion was going to be carrying four empty suitcases, though they would not be empty when they came back to the hideout. Megamind didn't want to dehydrate anything they might find at the robotics lab, which would then need to be re-hydrated later. It would be impossible to judge exactly how much water to add. He might end up with a lot of sensitive equipment sitting in damp puddles.
Impatiently, Megamind adjusted the tool belt. It was already heavy with the key-o-matic and lock picks. He tried shoving the gun through the belt but found that he couldn't even sit down. The pockets of the parka were stuffed with the smoke bombs, the grappling hook gun, and the electro-whip. And a few snacks. And two sets of small screwdrivers. And a pocket notebook and some pens, in case he got any ideas. It was a twenty-five minute drive, anything could happen.
"We got backpacks," Minion pointed out.
Megamind cast a dubious eye over to the packs in question. They were camping backpacks, each one nearly as tall as he was. Minion had casually schlepped them all over town during their wandering period. On Minion they looked like knapsacks. Megamind had a feeling that, should he don one of them, he'd look like an overloaded Sherpa.
"I'll keep that in mind, Minion, the next time I'm off to conquer Mt. Everest. You can carry the gun," Megamind said. Minion looked at the suitcases piled in his arms, but Megamind opened the side panel in Minion's robotic suit. The de-gun just fit. He sealed the panel. The hidden panel had been quite helpful during their prison days, until one guard, a bit brighter than the others, had the realization that there were a lot of places on a robot body that could hide things. After that, Minion's suit was regularly searched for contraband.
"There! In easy reach, though I doubt we'll need it," Megamind said. "I want to see what effect my electro-whip has on those dim-witted security guards!"
"What about the trespasser?" Minion asked. The cube was still sitting on the fridge.
"Hmph," Megamind grunted. He pocketed it. "Oh, we'll just drop him off at the emergency room. It's on the way."
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Tanaka Industries had a complex of buildings on the north side of town, its own compound, on a new road. There was room for other companies to build on but for the time being, Tanaka Industries was alone, surrounded by open areas of white fields, with a few stands of trees that would probably be torn down as soon as other businesses moved in and began building.
They parked the black van by some convenient trees and climbed over the chain-link fence. It was a big place. There was even a park with a walking path. The company wanted its employees to be fit and happy. It took a minute to reach the main building. Megamind was beginning to wish they had cut through the fence and driven straight up.
Megamind and Minion rounded the last corner and stopped short.
Three men were grouped around the back door.
They were not security guards. They were wearing ski masks.
One was sitting with a laptop on a little stand. Wires led from the computer to the door. One man was wearing a dark blue outfit with white racing stripes down the sides. The third man was all in black, with a mask that showed only his eyes, like a ninja. He uncrossed his arms in a decidedly non-casual way.
"Oh. This is...awkward..." Megamind said, taking a step back.
"Freezer Burn! Get them!" the ninja barked.
The guy in blue and white lifted his arms. Beams of white shot from his hands. Minion dropped the suitcases and shoved Megamind to the side and out of the way of the beams. Even so, Megamind felt the force of the freezing rays, like frostbite on his bare face. Minion was hit in the chest. Ice encased his torso, and the side panel.
Minion grunted and staggered back. From deep within the robotic core there was a high-pitched whine as the temp regulators kicked into overdrive.
"Haugh!" Minion coughed. Then he snarled and charged. Shards of ice broke and fell from his massive arms and shoulders in his own private avalanche, which is how he descended on Freezer Burn.
Megamind stared in surprise. He'd known his design was good, but Minion was showing some unexpected resilience.
The man in black was coming. Megamind backpedaled, digging in his pocket for the electro-whip.
Freezer Burn yelled as Minion grabbed him. Ice rays shot wildly in all directions. Ice formed, broke, and fell around Minion. Frost spread and crackled over his containment unit, but he looked very determined to do some damage.
Ninja guy was forced to dodge the occasional ice beam, but he was closing in on Megamind fast. Megamind yanked the whip free, lit it up, and struck. The man dodged. Electricity snapped as it hit the ground where the man had been standing. The man rolled and leaped. Megamind whirled but the attacker was already beside him, knocking the whip out of his hand. It clattered against a wall.
Megamind ducked the swing aimed at his face. Crouching low, he immediately struck at the man's groin. When you're the smallest guy in the yard, notions like 'keeping it above the belt' tend to be the first casualties. Unfortunately, ninja guy seemed to have graduated from the same school of dirty fighting. He turned aside from Megamind's attack and received no more than a glancing blow on the hip. Megamind barely twisted out of the way of the incoming kick. He ducked another blow, then faked throwing a punch and dodged to the side. What did he have? Smoke bombs. If he could get behind---
The man's foot shot out and hooked Megamind's ankle, tripping him up so he staggered. The next blow caught Megamind in the solar plexus and the wind was knocked out of him.
Bam! Wham! Two more hits to head and face sent him sprawling to the ground. The man in black yanked him to his feet and twisted his arm behind him, and Megamind felt the edge of a very sharp knife pressed to his throat. He couldn't see it, but he sure could feel it. It felt like the kind of knife that could cut you if you even looked at it. He was pinned against the bigger man's chest.
"Your buddy's name Minion?" the man asked in a low voice over his head.
"Y-Yes," Megamind gasped.
The man forced Megamind to turn so they were both facing the embattled Minion and Freezer Burn. Freezer Burn was screaming. Minion was shaking him like a rag doll.
"Hey Minion!" the ninja bellowed.
Minion whirled in his bowl, and stopped in mid-snarl. Megamind would never forget the look of horror on his face, though he often tried.
"Let him go," the man ordered. Put your hands up."
Minion dropped Freezer Burn and raised his arms. Freezer Burn sat groaning on the ground. After a moment he scooted a bit further away from Minion and slowly got to his feet.
"Brad, get over here," the man said.
Computer guy had wedged himself in the doorway during the fight. He stepped out and came over quickly.
"Empty his pockets."
Brad's shaky hands pulled everything out of Megamind's coat pockets. He took out the notebook. The screwdrivers. The smoke bombs. The snack packs. The grappling hook gun.
As item after item was produced, the man snorted. "Where's the kitchen sink?" he said.
Brad sniggered. Even Freezer Burn, rubbing his head, forced out a chuckle. Ah. A clever joke from the boss, Megamind thought sourly.
"Under his coat, too," the man ordered. Brad unzipped the parka, unbuckled Megamind's tool belt, and held it up.
"Put it down over there," ninja man ordered.
Under the man's instructions, Brad awkwardly patted Megamind down, fumbled in Megamind's jean pockets and emptied them as well.
"Get that whip," the man said. Brad dutifully picked it up from where it lay by the wall. He touched the button that turned it on. It gave a little whine and a spark, but didn't activate. It was broken.
"Let me see that stapler thing," the man said, nodding at the key-o-matic. Brad held it up and inspected it. "So what does it do?"
"I don't know Shadow, I never---"
"I wasn't asking you, I was talking to our little friend here," Shadow said. Megamind shot a panicky look at Minion. He couldn't tell this guy about his inventions. It was his stuff. His eyes cut over to the panel that hid the de-gun. It was completely iced over. So close. So useless. The gun itself might even be frozen. Minion would never get to it in time.
Shadow was not happy with his hesitation. "You have three seconds to answer," he said quietly. "One. Two."
Oh crap. He was going to have to give in.
"It's a...a..." he managed.
The man cut him. Megamind yelped and nearly jumped out of the man's grip, but Shadow tightened his hold.
Minion cried "NO!" and stepped forward.
Brad took one look at the blood and fell down in a dead faint.
"Don't move!" Shadow roared, nearly deafening him. "Get back!" he shouted at Minion, "Or I'll cut him again!"
Minion was leaning forward, looking like he might leap right out of his bowl. With effort, growling, Minion took a step back and raised his hands again.
Shadow said, "It wasn't your jugular, genius. If it was you'd---"
"That wasn't three seconds!" Megamind blurted. "You forget how to count, you sadistic---" He clamped his lips shut, too late. Outrage had momentarily taken control of his mouth.
There was a brief, heavy silence.
"Do you want to die?" Shadow said in a low voice.
Is that a rhetorical question? Megamind thought wildly. Blood was soaking into his collar.
"It's a key-o-matic, it opens locks and disables the security system," Minion said loudly.
"Now we're getting somewhere." Shadow said. "Was that so hard? Was that so difficult? Goddammit! Freezer Burn, get your ass over here and wake him up."
Freezer Burn made a wide circle around Minion and hurried over to the recumbent Brad. He turned him over onto his back and roughly shook his shoulder. "Hey. Hey, man, wake up."
Brad groaned and sat up. He glanced at Megamind's bloody neck and hurriedly looked away again.
"Get over there. Sit down and put your head between your knees," Shadow said disgustedly. "Useless. The both of you. I have to do everything. Useless." Freezer Burn shuffled around a little and looked at the ground.
"Not my fault," he mumbled. "How'm I supposed..." His voice trailed away under Shadow's withering glare.
Eyes averted, Brad scuttled back to the safety of the doorway. Shadow sighed. For a few moments he was lost in thought, then he said, "All right. I'm in a forgiving mood. I can tell you're new at this, boy. I guess even little blue freaks have to go through an awkward teenage phase."
Brad began a strained chuckle, but seemed unable to decide if laughter was expected at this point, and gave it up.
"I'll tell you what," Shadow said. "I'm going to let you and your goon off the hook. Just get out of here and go home. Leave your things. I'm sure I'll find uses for them. I'll let you leave with your precious little lives, okay? Okay. Go home and put yourself to bed like a good boy. Minion, you go first. Keep your hands up and get going. Now."
Minion walked past them. Shadow turned to face him, turning Megamind with him at knife point. After Minion was well past, Shadow addressed his captive.
"When I let go, start walking and don't look back or I'll kill you."
He let go of Megamind and he jerkily started forward.
"Hold on, wait a sec," Shadow said, grabbing his collar. Megamind froze. Slowly, deliberately he wiped the knife blade clean on Megamind's sleeve.
"Okay. Now you can go," Shadow said, and smacked him on the butt. Megamind could hear the smirk on the man's face. He obeyed, operating on automatic. He and Minion left, leaving the field of battle to the winners.
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After they rounded the corner and passed the first of the outbuildings, Minion burst out "Who does that guy think he is! Son of a bitch. I can't believe he took everything. Have to get you home."
Home. God, yes, he just wanted to go back to the pri--- to the hideout. He held one shaky hand over the streaming cut. His head and cheek ached from the blows. His legs barely worked. All his muscles seemed to have been replaced with rubber bands. He moved forward in a sort of high-speed lurch under the burning power of sheer humiliation. The ease with which Shadow had taken him out was mortifying. He wanted to say something nonchalant, to show Minion that it didn't matter, that he could just shrug it off, but he had no energy for it. He was still trying to re-learn how to breathe.
"We'll need some Bactine," Minion muttered miserably. "Band-aids. Hope you don't need stitches. I can't believe he took everything. Don't you worry about it, Sir, you can replace all those things."
Megamind gingerly removed his hand from his neck. The bleeding had stopped. There probably wouldn't even be a scar but it stung and throbbed like hell. It would take a far worse wound than this to leave a mark. Oh God. That was so close. If the knife had cut a little more to the side...
He just wanted to go back to their hideout. He had no stomach for anything else tonight. Back to the hideout, then, where it was safe.
He slowed to a stop. It had started to snow again, tiny hard flakes that bit where they landed. He stared into the whirling snow. The night sky was black, as if it were a ceiling covered in crows. He could almost see the fluttering of their wings...
Minion looked at him, worry creasing his forehead.
"What is it, Sir?"
They were on a winding sidewalk, lined with old-fashioned street lights. The van was around the next stand of trees. Safety beckoned. Megamind couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about the way that Shadow insisted that he go straight home. It made him want to do absolutely anything except go home.
He went over to the pool of light cast by one of the street lamps and pulled out his empty coat pockets, examining them closely. Nothing left in them except lint. Minion watched in puzzlement.
Megamind looked hard at the wrists of his coat sleeves, feeling every inch. He ripped off his coat and peered at the collar, where Shadow had grabbed him, and there he found it, a little gray square hidden under the tag, clinging to the fabric like a tick.
A tracking device. He carefully peeled it off. Minion gasped. Megamind shot him a warning look and made a chopping motion with his hand to keep quiet.
He turned it over. A tiny red light, like a firefly's glow, was on the underside. Megamind couldn't tell if there was a microphone in there or not. He looked around. There was a garbage can about half a block away. Megamind found a paper cup that was more or less on top of the refuse and carefully placed the tracking device in it. His first overwhelming urge was to crush the thing, but destroying it might have sent some sort of signal. A slow burn of rage grew in his chest.
He touched the neck wound as they continued their walk to the van. The image of the fox from his nightmare surfaced, looking like roadkill, how it had whimpered, the blood trickling from its neck, but it was a frickin' dream, it didn't mean anything, he wasn't going to go scampering home because of some damn dream. He was seriously ticked off.
There was a girl in that dream, and not long afterwards he'd literally run into a girl who looked like her, but so what? Lots of girls had brown hair and blue eyes. That was just coincidence.
When they got to the van he asked, "The laundry bag in here, Minion?"
"Yeah, behind the seat." Megamind got in the back and kicked off his boots. He stripped off his clothes. He didn't think Shadow could have slipped any more tracers on him, or that fumble-fingered Brad, but he was not taking any chances. He was too agitated to conduct a thorough search for more tracking devices. He flung the clothes at Minion.
"Get rid of these. The coat, too. Oh, don't look at me like that! I'm sure you'll find me another one that's equally large and coomb-ersome." The blood stain on the sleeve was a humiliating reminder that he would just as soon get rid of anyway. He rooted around in the laundry bag until he found some things that weren't too horrible and got dressed.
Minion smacked at the ice still clinging to his torso, cracking it and knocking it off. He popped open the panel in his side and carefully took out the de-gun. Megamind shoved his feet into the boots and hopped out of the van. He took the gun from Minion and inspected it. It was ice cold but appeared to be intact. The BINKEY power source inside it gave off its usual glow.
"Get in," he ordered. Megamind climbed behind the wheel, reeking slightly of old clothes. Minion got in the passenger side.
"Home, Sir?" Minion asked.
"Of course not," Megamind snapped. "Let's find their vehicle. They probably parked around---"
"Sir! Let's just go, you found the tracer, let's go back!"
"I am not going to go traipsing back to the lair with that guy looking for us, trying to track us down!" Megamind said.
"Sir," said Minion. "Please. That guy is dangerous."
"I can be dangerous, too, Minion," said Megamind, baring his teeth. "He beat me up, stole my inventions, he cut me, he practically felt me up, HE THINKS HE CAN PUSH ME AROUND WELL I AM GOING TO SHOW HIM THE ERROR OF HIS WAYS!"
Minion was trembling. "But what are you going to do?!" he wailed.
Megamind smiled his old evil smile. "Don't worry, Minion, I merely wish to recover what is rightfully mine. I'm certainly not going to cut his throat! I can be merciful. I shall simply turn the situation back on him. He robbed me, so I shall rob him. Whatever it is that he's stealing from Tanaka Industries, that shall be mine as well. Then HE will have to live with the sting of humiliation!"
It didn't take long to find the SUV. They parked the van a good distance away, and waited for Shadow and his gang to come out.
Author: ladyspock
Word Count: 6000 (appx)
Rating: sort of R-ish, because of some violence. Also slight swearing. (Does anyone here really need to worry?)
Summary: Fifteen year old Megamind has had it with prison life, and decides to strike out on his own. With Minion, of course.
Chapter Summary: Some hangin' at the lair. A trespasser. Another attempted heist. Then Megamind discovers that he's not the only villain in town.
I am not sure what has happened to my little tale of good natured teenage hijinks. Now there's all this drama, and angst. Come to think of it, that's what being a teen is all about. Hope everyone had a good summer! Happy Labor Day!
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8
"How would you like your own aquarium, Minion?" Megamind asked, paging through the sketchbook. There was a loud clatter as the broom hit the floor and Megamind looked up in surprise.
"You wouldn't put me in a tank, would you Sir?" Minion cried, face full of dismay. And it was a face that had a lot of room to be dismayed in.
Megamind chuckled. "I'm not going to trap you in it," he said. "It would be a really big aquarium, for you to go into and out of whenever you liked. See? I've drawn up a few plans."
Minion clumped over to the table and looked over his shoulder. Megamind excitedly flipped through the pages. "Here's the lock mechanism, just like a canal lock, that'll rise up to the height of your containment unit, so you can swim into it, and it'll lower you down. Unless you happen to like jumping in and out of your robot suit, that's always an option."
Minion's eyes widened at the elaborate drawings. The tank was the size of a small swimming pool. It was big enough to hold fifteen thousand gallons at least. Here and there were waving plants, and rocks, and castles on a pebbled floor. There were some rooms attached to the inner walls. On one end of the aquarium was the lock, on the other end was a filtration system. The beach ball was a nice touch.
"These are the buttons that you can operate yourself from the inside, with your nose or your fins, see, to control all the features of the lock, filters, lights, and temperature. You could decorate it anyway you want, do you like the castles? We could even put some live fish in it, if you ever felt like hunting down your own dinner!" Megamind laughed. Minion still hadn't said anything. Megamind glanced at him, feeling a touch uneasy. Had he overstepped some unspoken boundary? "Well, Minion, what do you---"
"It's beautiful!" Minion cried, grabbing Megamind in a bone-crushing hug. Megamind squawked.
"OH! Sorry, Sir!" he said, hurriedly dropping him. "My own tank!" he said, beaming at the drawings.
He had hated it whenever they stuck him in that rotten aquarium in the warden's office. It separated him from his beloved friend and master, and there was no more awful feeling than that, and yet...and yet...in the secret recesses of his heart it was a little bit nice, just a little bit, to have room to swim back and forth, even in the rather smallish tank, to get out of the confines of the containment unit and move around under his own power, to stretch his fins, without the robot suit. Which was an excellent suit, no one could have provided him with a better means for getting around in this land-locked world. But this aquarium was going to be sweet.
He was so touched that Megamind had been planning this great undertaking just for him that he almost hugged him again, but he curbed his enthusiasm. He didn't want to break anything.
Megamind coughed and straightened his shirt, grinning. "Yes, well, it'll be a while before we can get it installed. I still have to figure out how to get running water for this place."
While Minion, humming, went to heat up some leftovers for supper, Megamind ripped out the pages for the aquarium and tacked them to the overflowing bulletin board. Several clippings from magazines and newspapers, featuring himself as the subject, hung from strings in the ceiling and spun gently in the air currents.
The van was repainted black. They'd spent an enjoyable, if cold, few days changing the spark plugs and brake pads, fixing the struts, and basically making it into a vehicle worth owning. Minion once muttered something about 'wasting time on a piece of junk' but Megamind scolded him. His first genuinely owned vehicle was special. Anything he didn't have to hot wire was his. He had the keys for it, therefore he owned it. The manner in which it was obtained was just circumstances. And the rust hole on the driver's side was a little one. He should really get around to welding a metal plate over it, though.
He sighed. A welder was another item on his ever-growing list.
There were a few other projects that were coming along, and one or two that were complete and needed a workout. He wandered over to one of the workbenches and picked up the electro-whip. Megamind pressed the button and turned it on. Minion glanced over at the sound of the crackle.
"Tell me again how that thing is any better than a taser," he said dryly.
Megamind snorted. He flicked the glowing strand through the air. It made a very satisfying whine. "It's a lot cooler, for one thing, and intimidating! This'll get people hopping!"
"Just keep it away from me, that's all I ask," Minion muttered. Megamind was too busy attacking the mannequin to pay attention.
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Later, Megamind sat with his head propped on his hand, watching critically as Minion handled the knitting needles.
"So...what is that again?" he asked, grinning.
"Well, it's supposed to be a hat," Minion said, holding his handiwork up to the light. Megamind's smirk faded. He was going to have to deflect another attempt to bundle him. So far he had successfully fended off the scarves, the mittens, and the ear muffs. While Minion's fashion sense was really quite good, he was being extremely single-minded in his pursuit to keep Sir warm, and fashion did not figure in Minion's calculations in this particular case. Megamind had to concede, though, that sometimes scarves came in handy when they needed to hide their identities.
He watched Minion for another few moments, frowning. He could hear a faint creaking coming from the robotic hands and they didn't look as nimble as they ought to. He walked over, grabbed Minion's hand, and looked closely at the fingers. Corrosion was visible in the joints.
"These will have to be cleaned out," he said. He found a toothbrush and a metal scouring pad.
"Well, can't I finish the hat first?" Minion protested.
Megamind trapped one metal arm under his armpit and began scrubbing.
"No," he said curtly. "This junk has got to go. You'll have much better range of movement."
Half an hour later he was still scrubbing. He scowled and moved the metal fingers one by one. Minion twirled idly in his bowl atop the suit and hummed a little. "Is it going to be much longer Sir?" he asked.
"How old is this thing anyway?" Megamind muttered to himself. The suit itself was not very old, but the metal it was made from was getting rusty. He should have made a new suit for Minion a long time ago.
"A new robotic body is just the thing, Minion," he said. "And I know a place that'll have some of the stuff we'll need for it." There was a great deal he could do for himself, but some computer circuitry was easier to steal than to produce. He'd been wanting to see what that new electronics company would have for him anyway. This was the perfect occasion to pay them a visit.
He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it, Minion?"
"You've been awake for over thirty-two hours, Sir," Minion said, a little reproachfully.
"I didn't ask that, I asked what time it was," Megamind said haughtily. He felt smug. He could stay up as late as he wanted now. There was no one to shout "Lights out!" and make him go to bed, though Minion tried, of course.
"Almost nine, I guess," Minion said. "P.M.," he added.
"I'm going to sleep," Megamind announced, and threw himself down on the cot. Minion went to his corner to power down.
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Stan pulled into the back of the Polar North Warehouse. It was after ten o'clock already, he noticed with annoyance. The boss was getting after them lately to cut down on the overtime, but sometimes you had to put in the extra hours to get the deliveries finished. He'd just come all the way back from the Southdale Mall, after unloading eight freezers. If Hugo got on his case again, he was seriously thinking about quitting.
He went to the back of the delivery truck to remove the straps and pallets. He began to pull out the pallet that was closest to the door when a noise from deep within the truck made him jump. Someone was snoring back there!
Stan climbed in and stared at the man for a minute. He edged forward and made a face. The guy reeked of alcohol. Where did he come from? He had left the truck wide open for, oh, maybe twenty minutes or so, while he chatted with the clerks over how sucky the job market was. He felt no embarrassment over the fact that he could have gotten back to the warehouse well before ten if he hadn't been gabbing. Complaining was a job perk that was practically a right.
But now this drunk had wandered right into the truck and passed out! There was a bar and grill next to the department store. Is that where he'd wandered in from? Stan roughly shook the guy's shoulder. Groaning, he rolled over and blinked at Stan.
"You can't sleep here, man," Stan said.
The drunk groaned again. "'Kay," he murmured.
Stan shook his head in irritation. This guy must have come from that bar and grill, which meant that he must have parked there, too. Stan wasn't about to drive all the way back to Southdale just to drop this guy off at his car. Maybe he should call him a cab.
"Hey, you want to wait inside?" Stan asked. "I'll call you a cab. I gotta clock out."
"'Kay," the man murmured again, but made no move to get up. Stan hesitated, then unloaded the pallets. He went inside, clocked out, and turned in the truck keys. When he came out again, the drunk was gone. He looked up and down the street for a minute, then gave up and went home. He couldn't help but feel a little concerned, but what could you do? He couldn't go wandering around the maze of streets looking for some stranger. That guy was on his own.
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Logan staggered down the block. This street looked sort of familiar. If he could just find Connie's place, he was sure he could explain everything, if, if, if she would just listen for once, and that woman had to understand what a man needs, it was biology, it was natural for a guy to look around a little...
Logan struggled on, wondering why none of the dang sidewalks had been shoveled.
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"Connie! Connie-ee-ee!"
Megamind swam up from the depths of sleep to the woeful sounds of Logan's call. He raised his head, then as the banging on the front door continued, he sprang up and dizzily bumped into the nearest floor lamp and turned it on. Minion was blowing bubbles in his sleep.
"Minion!" Megamind hissed, scrabbling around the debris on the table for the de-gun. Minion continued to drift, oblivious. Megamind walked over and smacked the metallic chest. The sharp noise finally woke Minion up.
"Wha---" he gurgled.
"Someone's outside!" Megamind whispered fiercely. "Are the doors locked?"
"Think so. What is it, police?" Minion said, blinking and shaking himself so his fins fluttered.
The pounding from upstairs was a steady beat as they hurried up the stairs to the main floor.
Megamind's head felt full of cotton balls and it was hard to think. He'd barely dropped off to sleep and now this fool was outside bleating like some lost...lost fluffy thing.
"How long has he been out there?" he demanded hoarsely. From the dim light that shone through the translucent window he could see his breath clouding the air. Already the tip of his nose felt cold and his fingertips were tingling.
"I dunno Sir, I was asleep," Minion said. The door rattled as the man tried the handle. "He sounds drunk, Sir. Maybe he'll go away soon."
Megamind paced around, tapping the de-gun against his thigh.
"Come on, Connie! Lemme in!" the man brayed.
Megamind tch-ed in annoyance. "The idiot is clearly lost. There aren't any dwellings around here!"
Minion shrugged.
Megamind ran back downstairs. When he returned he had the electro-whip in his hand.
Minion blinked in alarm. "Sir, wait, I really think we should just wait for him to go away. If he sees..."
"I'm not waiting for him to pass out on the doorstep!" Megamind said grimly. He headed for the back door. "Don't worry, Minion. He won't see me." He gave an evil grin, but Minion was, somehow, not reassured.
Megamind opened the back door just enough to slip outside. Even so, the hinges creaked and groaned alarmingly. The snow was packed down hard. There was no wind, but the frigid air penetrated his clothes almost immediately. He cursed himself for not thinking to even put on gloves. He stretched the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. The fabric was pulled tight, didn't help at all, and made the rest of the shirt ride up his armpits. Impatiently he yanked it off again.
There was a narrow trail through the crusted snow of the alley that he and Minion had made the last time they'd inspected the building, and he stepped carefully in the old footprints, trying to avoid the crunchy bits.
He needn't have worried about alerting his prey. The drunken fool was unaware of his approach. He flattened himself against the wall and peered around the corner. The man had left off pounding on the door and was stumbling up and down the sidewalk, slapping his hands against his arms in an effort to warm himself. Megamind wondered if the man were a ruse to draw them out, but who would try such a thing? The cops didn't operate like that, they were always so obvious and official with their bullhorns and flashing lights, as if to make absolutely, positively sure that the criminals had a sporting chance, and that everyone knew where they stood on the game board.
A ruse by some criminal gang? Somehow this level of cleverness---and it was sub-level, really--- seemed beyond the mental abilities of the average Metrocity criminal. He and Minion had a few near encounters with muggers, but once a mugger got close enough to realize that the intended targets were the fugitive aliens, he unfailingly turned into a non-mugger, casually becoming an innocent passer-by out for a walk, heading in the opposite direction. Neither Megamind nor Minion were fooled. Having been on the receiving end of hostility, they could spot the predatory approach, the aura of threatened violence, and would brace themselves for trouble. Usually all that was needed was for the potential attacker or attackers to get a good look at who they were stalking, to see Minion clenching his fists, and to see Megamind casually reaching into his pocket, for them to decide that they really should look for an easier mark.
Once a man leaped out of an alley at them with a gun. He hadn't known who he was attacking, and to find himself suddenly confronted by Minion's bulk and Megamind's incredibly handsome features almost did a back flip in mid-air, so anxious was he to rectify his mistake. Minion took advantage of his surprise and ripped the gun out of his hand. The man took a second to count his fingers, then fled.
A few times they even saw men they'd known from the prison, but they were not on friendly terms with any of these particular ex-cons. After some mutual glares from a distance, they went their separate ways without speaking.
Drug dealers were more annoying, and pushier, and Megamind had to dehydrate a few of them to send a message to the rest that he was not interested in buying their wares.
If this drunken lout was part of some trick, it seemed awfully sloppy. He scanned the surrounding buildings, and the street. All was quiet.
Megamind pressed the button on the electro-whip. He grimaced a little at the slight whine it made as it was activated, but when he glanced around the corner again, his prey had not seemed to notice it. He waited until the man's back was turned, then stepped quickly around the bend and struck. The tip of the whip snaked through the air and caught the man squarely in the back.
"Waugh!" the drunk yelled. His body was surrounded by a brief burst of light, then he collapsed.
"YeeeeeeEEEEEESS!" Megamind crowed, jumping into the air and pumping his fist. He pounded on the front door. "Open up Minion! I have immobilized the trespasser."
The door squealed and complained as Minion came out. No door stayed closed if Minion wanted it open. Megamind crouched down by his victim and pulled out a wallet from the man's back pocket.
"Is he all right? He's all right, isn't he, Sir?"
"Of course he is, Minion. He's breathing. Volts don't kill people, amps do. The electro-whip has only a fraction of an amp, to deliver the charge," Megamind said. He wrinkled his nose. The man stank of cigarettes and beer. He rifled through the wallet until he found the driver's license.
"Logan Wannamaker. 1208 Peach Tree Street, Metrocity. Where do you suppose that is?"
Minion scratched his dome. "Suburb maybe?"
"Maybe," Megamind said. He stood up and looked up and down the street. "So where's his car?" The street was devoid of any motorized vehicles. They took a brief walk around the neighboring buildings, including the old fire station, but didn't find a car.
"How did he get here? He couldn't have fallen out of the sky!" Megamind cried, shoving his frozen hands under his arms. He and Minion both automatically looked up. Any mention of flying always brought thoughts of their super-powered nemesis, but it bordered on the ridiculous that this drunken sot could have any relation to Wayne Scott. He marched back over to the unconscious man and shot him with the de-gun. He picked up the little cube.
"What are you going to do with him?"
"Oh, I don't know! I'll figure it out later. I'm certainly not going to leave him out here until the spring thaw! He'll just re-hydrate, as drunk as ever, crying for this Connie person. I want to try to get some more sleep."
"Y'know, these old buildings do sort of look like houses, Sir," Minion said thoughtfully. "I remember reading once in the paper, this one guy, this drunk, he actually broke into some stranger's house and got into bed with the guy's wife and passed out!" Minion laughed. "He was so drunk he didn't even know where he was. I think he got shot in the leg."
"The only proper fate for trespassers," Megamind said righteously.
------------------------------------------
Two nights later they were all set for a raid on Tanaka Industries.
"Why do you have to bring all this stuff, Sir?" Minion complained. Megamind was trying to figure out where to put the de-gun. All his pockets were full. The shoulder holster he'd hoped to use put the gun at the perfect angle to jab his armpit with every other step, so he threw it out.
Minion was going to be carrying four empty suitcases, though they would not be empty when they came back to the hideout. Megamind didn't want to dehydrate anything they might find at the robotics lab, which would then need to be re-hydrated later. It would be impossible to judge exactly how much water to add. He might end up with a lot of sensitive equipment sitting in damp puddles.
Impatiently, Megamind adjusted the tool belt. It was already heavy with the key-o-matic and lock picks. He tried shoving the gun through the belt but found that he couldn't even sit down. The pockets of the parka were stuffed with the smoke bombs, the grappling hook gun, and the electro-whip. And a few snacks. And two sets of small screwdrivers. And a pocket notebook and some pens, in case he got any ideas. It was a twenty-five minute drive, anything could happen.
"We got backpacks," Minion pointed out.
Megamind cast a dubious eye over to the packs in question. They were camping backpacks, each one nearly as tall as he was. Minion had casually schlepped them all over town during their wandering period. On Minion they looked like knapsacks. Megamind had a feeling that, should he don one of them, he'd look like an overloaded Sherpa.
"I'll keep that in mind, Minion, the next time I'm off to conquer Mt. Everest. You can carry the gun," Megamind said. Minion looked at the suitcases piled in his arms, but Megamind opened the side panel in Minion's robotic suit. The de-gun just fit. He sealed the panel. The hidden panel had been quite helpful during their prison days, until one guard, a bit brighter than the others, had the realization that there were a lot of places on a robot body that could hide things. After that, Minion's suit was regularly searched for contraband.
"There! In easy reach, though I doubt we'll need it," Megamind said. "I want to see what effect my electro-whip has on those dim-witted security guards!"
"What about the trespasser?" Minion asked. The cube was still sitting on the fridge.
"Hmph," Megamind grunted. He pocketed it. "Oh, we'll just drop him off at the emergency room. It's on the way."
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Tanaka Industries had a complex of buildings on the north side of town, its own compound, on a new road. There was room for other companies to build on but for the time being, Tanaka Industries was alone, surrounded by open areas of white fields, with a few stands of trees that would probably be torn down as soon as other businesses moved in and began building.
They parked the black van by some convenient trees and climbed over the chain-link fence. It was a big place. There was even a park with a walking path. The company wanted its employees to be fit and happy. It took a minute to reach the main building. Megamind was beginning to wish they had cut through the fence and driven straight up.
Megamind and Minion rounded the last corner and stopped short.
Three men were grouped around the back door.
They were not security guards. They were wearing ski masks.
One was sitting with a laptop on a little stand. Wires led from the computer to the door. One man was wearing a dark blue outfit with white racing stripes down the sides. The third man was all in black, with a mask that showed only his eyes, like a ninja. He uncrossed his arms in a decidedly non-casual way.
"Oh. This is...awkward..." Megamind said, taking a step back.
"Freezer Burn! Get them!" the ninja barked.
The guy in blue and white lifted his arms. Beams of white shot from his hands. Minion dropped the suitcases and shoved Megamind to the side and out of the way of the beams. Even so, Megamind felt the force of the freezing rays, like frostbite on his bare face. Minion was hit in the chest. Ice encased his torso, and the side panel.
Minion grunted and staggered back. From deep within the robotic core there was a high-pitched whine as the temp regulators kicked into overdrive.
"Haugh!" Minion coughed. Then he snarled and charged. Shards of ice broke and fell from his massive arms and shoulders in his own private avalanche, which is how he descended on Freezer Burn.
Megamind stared in surprise. He'd known his design was good, but Minion was showing some unexpected resilience.
The man in black was coming. Megamind backpedaled, digging in his pocket for the electro-whip.
Freezer Burn yelled as Minion grabbed him. Ice rays shot wildly in all directions. Ice formed, broke, and fell around Minion. Frost spread and crackled over his containment unit, but he looked very determined to do some damage.
Ninja guy was forced to dodge the occasional ice beam, but he was closing in on Megamind fast. Megamind yanked the whip free, lit it up, and struck. The man dodged. Electricity snapped as it hit the ground where the man had been standing. The man rolled and leaped. Megamind whirled but the attacker was already beside him, knocking the whip out of his hand. It clattered against a wall.
Megamind ducked the swing aimed at his face. Crouching low, he immediately struck at the man's groin. When you're the smallest guy in the yard, notions like 'keeping it above the belt' tend to be the first casualties. Unfortunately, ninja guy seemed to have graduated from the same school of dirty fighting. He turned aside from Megamind's attack and received no more than a glancing blow on the hip. Megamind barely twisted out of the way of the incoming kick. He ducked another blow, then faked throwing a punch and dodged to the side. What did he have? Smoke bombs. If he could get behind---
The man's foot shot out and hooked Megamind's ankle, tripping him up so he staggered. The next blow caught Megamind in the solar plexus and the wind was knocked out of him.
Bam! Wham! Two more hits to head and face sent him sprawling to the ground. The man in black yanked him to his feet and twisted his arm behind him, and Megamind felt the edge of a very sharp knife pressed to his throat. He couldn't see it, but he sure could feel it. It felt like the kind of knife that could cut you if you even looked at it. He was pinned against the bigger man's chest.
"Your buddy's name Minion?" the man asked in a low voice over his head.
"Y-Yes," Megamind gasped.
The man forced Megamind to turn so they were both facing the embattled Minion and Freezer Burn. Freezer Burn was screaming. Minion was shaking him like a rag doll.
"Hey Minion!" the ninja bellowed.
Minion whirled in his bowl, and stopped in mid-snarl. Megamind would never forget the look of horror on his face, though he often tried.
"Let him go," the man ordered. Put your hands up."
Minion dropped Freezer Burn and raised his arms. Freezer Burn sat groaning on the ground. After a moment he scooted a bit further away from Minion and slowly got to his feet.
"Brad, get over here," the man said.
Computer guy had wedged himself in the doorway during the fight. He stepped out and came over quickly.
"Empty his pockets."
Brad's shaky hands pulled everything out of Megamind's coat pockets. He took out the notebook. The screwdrivers. The smoke bombs. The snack packs. The grappling hook gun.
As item after item was produced, the man snorted. "Where's the kitchen sink?" he said.
Brad sniggered. Even Freezer Burn, rubbing his head, forced out a chuckle. Ah. A clever joke from the boss, Megamind thought sourly.
"Under his coat, too," the man ordered. Brad unzipped the parka, unbuckled Megamind's tool belt, and held it up.
"Put it down over there," ninja man ordered.
Under the man's instructions, Brad awkwardly patted Megamind down, fumbled in Megamind's jean pockets and emptied them as well.
"Get that whip," the man said. Brad dutifully picked it up from where it lay by the wall. He touched the button that turned it on. It gave a little whine and a spark, but didn't activate. It was broken.
"Let me see that stapler thing," the man said, nodding at the key-o-matic. Brad held it up and inspected it. "So what does it do?"
"I don't know Shadow, I never---"
"I wasn't asking you, I was talking to our little friend here," Shadow said. Megamind shot a panicky look at Minion. He couldn't tell this guy about his inventions. It was his stuff. His eyes cut over to the panel that hid the de-gun. It was completely iced over. So close. So useless. The gun itself might even be frozen. Minion would never get to it in time.
Shadow was not happy with his hesitation. "You have three seconds to answer," he said quietly. "One. Two."
Oh crap. He was going to have to give in.
"It's a...a..." he managed.
The man cut him. Megamind yelped and nearly jumped out of the man's grip, but Shadow tightened his hold.
Minion cried "NO!" and stepped forward.
Brad took one look at the blood and fell down in a dead faint.
"Don't move!" Shadow roared, nearly deafening him. "Get back!" he shouted at Minion, "Or I'll cut him again!"
Minion was leaning forward, looking like he might leap right out of his bowl. With effort, growling, Minion took a step back and raised his hands again.
Shadow said, "It wasn't your jugular, genius. If it was you'd---"
"That wasn't three seconds!" Megamind blurted. "You forget how to count, you sadistic---" He clamped his lips shut, too late. Outrage had momentarily taken control of his mouth.
There was a brief, heavy silence.
"Do you want to die?" Shadow said in a low voice.
Is that a rhetorical question? Megamind thought wildly. Blood was soaking into his collar.
"It's a key-o-matic, it opens locks and disables the security system," Minion said loudly.
"Now we're getting somewhere." Shadow said. "Was that so hard? Was that so difficult? Goddammit! Freezer Burn, get your ass over here and wake him up."
Freezer Burn made a wide circle around Minion and hurried over to the recumbent Brad. He turned him over onto his back and roughly shook his shoulder. "Hey. Hey, man, wake up."
Brad groaned and sat up. He glanced at Megamind's bloody neck and hurriedly looked away again.
"Get over there. Sit down and put your head between your knees," Shadow said disgustedly. "Useless. The both of you. I have to do everything. Useless." Freezer Burn shuffled around a little and looked at the ground.
"Not my fault," he mumbled. "How'm I supposed..." His voice trailed away under Shadow's withering glare.
Eyes averted, Brad scuttled back to the safety of the doorway. Shadow sighed. For a few moments he was lost in thought, then he said, "All right. I'm in a forgiving mood. I can tell you're new at this, boy. I guess even little blue freaks have to go through an awkward teenage phase."
Brad began a strained chuckle, but seemed unable to decide if laughter was expected at this point, and gave it up.
"I'll tell you what," Shadow said. "I'm going to let you and your goon off the hook. Just get out of here and go home. Leave your things. I'm sure I'll find uses for them. I'll let you leave with your precious little lives, okay? Okay. Go home and put yourself to bed like a good boy. Minion, you go first. Keep your hands up and get going. Now."
Minion walked past them. Shadow turned to face him, turning Megamind with him at knife point. After Minion was well past, Shadow addressed his captive.
"When I let go, start walking and don't look back or I'll kill you."
He let go of Megamind and he jerkily started forward.
"Hold on, wait a sec," Shadow said, grabbing his collar. Megamind froze. Slowly, deliberately he wiped the knife blade clean on Megamind's sleeve.
"Okay. Now you can go," Shadow said, and smacked him on the butt. Megamind could hear the smirk on the man's face. He obeyed, operating on automatic. He and Minion left, leaving the field of battle to the winners.
-------------------------------------------------
After they rounded the corner and passed the first of the outbuildings, Minion burst out "Who does that guy think he is! Son of a bitch. I can't believe he took everything. Have to get you home."
Home. God, yes, he just wanted to go back to the pri--- to the hideout. He held one shaky hand over the streaming cut. His head and cheek ached from the blows. His legs barely worked. All his muscles seemed to have been replaced with rubber bands. He moved forward in a sort of high-speed lurch under the burning power of sheer humiliation. The ease with which Shadow had taken him out was mortifying. He wanted to say something nonchalant, to show Minion that it didn't matter, that he could just shrug it off, but he had no energy for it. He was still trying to re-learn how to breathe.
"We'll need some Bactine," Minion muttered miserably. "Band-aids. Hope you don't need stitches. I can't believe he took everything. Don't you worry about it, Sir, you can replace all those things."
Megamind gingerly removed his hand from his neck. The bleeding had stopped. There probably wouldn't even be a scar but it stung and throbbed like hell. It would take a far worse wound than this to leave a mark. Oh God. That was so close. If the knife had cut a little more to the side...
He just wanted to go back to their hideout. He had no stomach for anything else tonight. Back to the hideout, then, where it was safe.
He slowed to a stop. It had started to snow again, tiny hard flakes that bit where they landed. He stared into the whirling snow. The night sky was black, as if it were a ceiling covered in crows. He could almost see the fluttering of their wings...
Minion looked at him, worry creasing his forehead.
"What is it, Sir?"
They were on a winding sidewalk, lined with old-fashioned street lights. The van was around the next stand of trees. Safety beckoned. Megamind couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about the way that Shadow insisted that he go straight home. It made him want to do absolutely anything except go home.
He went over to the pool of light cast by one of the street lamps and pulled out his empty coat pockets, examining them closely. Nothing left in them except lint. Minion watched in puzzlement.
Megamind looked hard at the wrists of his coat sleeves, feeling every inch. He ripped off his coat and peered at the collar, where Shadow had grabbed him, and there he found it, a little gray square hidden under the tag, clinging to the fabric like a tick.
A tracking device. He carefully peeled it off. Minion gasped. Megamind shot him a warning look and made a chopping motion with his hand to keep quiet.
He turned it over. A tiny red light, like a firefly's glow, was on the underside. Megamind couldn't tell if there was a microphone in there or not. He looked around. There was a garbage can about half a block away. Megamind found a paper cup that was more or less on top of the refuse and carefully placed the tracking device in it. His first overwhelming urge was to crush the thing, but destroying it might have sent some sort of signal. A slow burn of rage grew in his chest.
He touched the neck wound as they continued their walk to the van. The image of the fox from his nightmare surfaced, looking like roadkill, how it had whimpered, the blood trickling from its neck, but it was a frickin' dream, it didn't mean anything, he wasn't going to go scampering home because of some damn dream. He was seriously ticked off.
There was a girl in that dream, and not long afterwards he'd literally run into a girl who looked like her, but so what? Lots of girls had brown hair and blue eyes. That was just coincidence.
When they got to the van he asked, "The laundry bag in here, Minion?"
"Yeah, behind the seat." Megamind got in the back and kicked off his boots. He stripped off his clothes. He didn't think Shadow could have slipped any more tracers on him, or that fumble-fingered Brad, but he was not taking any chances. He was too agitated to conduct a thorough search for more tracking devices. He flung the clothes at Minion.
"Get rid of these. The coat, too. Oh, don't look at me like that! I'm sure you'll find me another one that's equally large and coomb-ersome." The blood stain on the sleeve was a humiliating reminder that he would just as soon get rid of anyway. He rooted around in the laundry bag until he found some things that weren't too horrible and got dressed.
Minion smacked at the ice still clinging to his torso, cracking it and knocking it off. He popped open the panel in his side and carefully took out the de-gun. Megamind shoved his feet into the boots and hopped out of the van. He took the gun from Minion and inspected it. It was ice cold but appeared to be intact. The BINKEY power source inside it gave off its usual glow.
"Get in," he ordered. Megamind climbed behind the wheel, reeking slightly of old clothes. Minion got in the passenger side.
"Home, Sir?" Minion asked.
"Of course not," Megamind snapped. "Let's find their vehicle. They probably parked around---"
"Sir! Let's just go, you found the tracer, let's go back!"
"I am not going to go traipsing back to the lair with that guy looking for us, trying to track us down!" Megamind said.
"Sir," said Minion. "Please. That guy is dangerous."
"I can be dangerous, too, Minion," said Megamind, baring his teeth. "He beat me up, stole my inventions, he cut me, he practically felt me up, HE THINKS HE CAN PUSH ME AROUND WELL I AM GOING TO SHOW HIM THE ERROR OF HIS WAYS!"
Minion was trembling. "But what are you going to do?!" he wailed.
Megamind smiled his old evil smile. "Don't worry, Minion, I merely wish to recover what is rightfully mine. I'm certainly not going to cut his throat! I can be merciful. I shall simply turn the situation back on him. He robbed me, so I shall rob him. Whatever it is that he's stealing from Tanaka Industries, that shall be mine as well. Then HE will have to live with the sting of humiliation!"
It didn't take long to find the SUV. They parked the van a good distance away, and waited for Shadow and his gang to come out.