Fanfic: Behind the Facade: Chapter #5
****
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! Loud shockwaves tore through the water, starling Minion awake in the most unpleasant manner imaginable.
"Sir, please don't tap the glass."
The child just gave Minion an apologetic look, then held a picture he'd drawn against the helmet of the suit. A rather crude yellow bus.
"You… want to go to school? I'm… not sure that's such a good idea, sir."
Megamind looked a little crestfallen, but nodded. The expression was more than enough to melt Minion.
"Well, if you really want to go… I don't think I'd get to go with you this time."
At once, the child's expression changed from crestfallen to terrified. No, he most certainly did not want to go if Minion couldn't come with him. He needed Minion. Minion smiled and reached out, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and was rewarded with a small, timid smile.
The moment was short lived, however. A few beats of Minion's hearts later, the phone rang and caused Megamind to just about jump out of his skin. Alarmed, the child looked around for the source of the noise.
"Don't worry, sir," Minion said, picking the cellphone up off the shelf delicately to avoid crushing it, "It's just the phone." He flipped it open, and hit the button (not an easy task given the size of his fingers), "Hello?"
"This is the Chief of Police. Is Megamind there?"
Minion glanced down at the kid, who was studying him silently with those wide green eyes, "Um, he's not available right now."
"Well, he'd better get available; the Tailor just stole the clouded leopard from the city zoo!"
"I'll tell him right aw--," Minion started to respond, but the battery died. Great. Now how was he going to get a hold of Wayne to let him know? He felt a tugging at his arm, and looked down to see Megamind gazing up at him with big, worried eyes.
"Everything's fine, sir. Don't worry."
Megamind scowled at him for that one. Obviously nothing wrong with the kid's bullshit detector.
"I, uh, I need to go take care of something, Sir. You stay right here, okay?" Minion dug something out of his pocket, and handed the odd little mechanism over to the kid, "This red button will unleash the Brainbots. If the bad lady comes back, they'll protect you."
He started to head over to the elevator to go back downstairs, but was stopped by the sound of little footsteps following him. He turned; Megamind was right behind him. "No, you need to stay here."
The kid just looked confused and a little upset.
"It's just a quick errand, and then I'll be right back. Just stay in your room, and if that lady comes back, push that button, lock the elevator and stay up here, alright?"
Biting his lip, Megamind nodded despite the distressed look on his face. Minion turned and headed down to the invisible car. This would only take a few minutes, and Megamind would be fine here. He was a smart kid. Besides, he didn't want him to see the school house and get the wrong idea.
****
The odd one felt a terrible pang as he watched the car drive away. Minion was gone. Minion had gone away. His hearts raced frantically, and panic clawed at his throat. Why would he go away like that and leave the odd one all alone? What if something happened? He needed him here! Where was he going?
No. Calm down. He could handle this, he just had to wait for Minion to come back. He was probably coming right back. The odd one just needed to.. to do something. He should just distract himself.
Still radiating distress in all directions, the odd one headed over to the kitchen. Maybe some food would help. He opened the fridge, grabbing a jar of green objects floating in some sort of liquid. Carefully, he pried off the top and pulled one of them out, taking a tentative bite. It was sour and crunchy and tasted like vinegar. Not sweet enough for his tastes, not nearly sweet enough, but it would do. He crunched one down, then pulled a few more pickles from the jar.
Halfway through his snack, though, his stomach started to groan is protest, making the odd one think that maybe eating these wasn't such a good idea. Maybe they were meant for Minion instead of-
Minion! The odd one ran back over to the window, looking out to see if Minion was back yet. His eyes strained against the horizon, willing the car to come back into view, but there was no sign of him. What was taking him so long? Where did he go? What if he wasn't coming back? The odd one needed him here. He hated being alone; the only thing worse than being stared at was being alone.
Once again, the odd one shut his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. If he panicked he might do something dumb and get hurt. He… he should probably do something else, something fun. Like.. like drawing. The odd one picked himself up and headed over to the planning area, pausing when he saw the fish tank. A very fluffy fish was darting back and forth, chasing the smaller fish around. He swallowed hard, watching her go; except for the fluffy fins, she looked just like his friend. It was too much.
Ten minutes after Minion had left the lair, Megamind slipped out through the secret entrance to go looking for him.
****
Wayne was down in his bathroom, "shaving" with a belt sander, and listening to the voice on the radio chatter about the thunderstorms coming tonight. Despite the sound of the radio, he recognized the sound of the approaching engine easily enough--hard to miss something so distinctive. He quickly grabbed a pair of pants, and hollered up for Megamind to come on in.
When he walked into the sitting room, though, he was a bit surprised to see Minion waiting for him. …Oh, wait, that's right. His agreement with Roxie. Wayne'd half forgotten about that already.
"You have a very nice place here," Minion said, giving him a polite grin.
Wayne couldn't help but smile back, "Glad you like it. I've been meaning to dust, but I haven't gotten around to it. You know how it is."
Minion frowned a bit at that, but shook it off, "Miss Ritchi talked to you earlier about the boss's current condition, right?"
"Yeah," Wayne nodded, "Any luck with that?"
Minion heaved a sigh, "Not yet. But Miss Ritchi said you asked for a disguise watch so you could help." He held the device out, and Wayne took it, carefully fastening it onto his wrist.
"How does it work?"
"You just turn the dial here…" Minion demonstrated, and a moment later Wayne was standing there as Megamind.
He gazed at his hand, wiggling the fingers, "That is way past weird."
"And just so you know, the Tailor just stole a clouded leopard from the zoo and they're expecting Megamind to do something about it."
The Tailor? No. "Wait, who? I didn't sign up for-"
"She won't know it's you, Mr. Scott, you can take advantage of that."
Wayne's thoughts flickered back to that miserable encounter; the intense vertigo and disorientation, the loss of his flight. With physical effort, he forced back the rising sense of panic. "It's not that simple, Minion."
"You have to at least make an effort. Unless you want Megamind to go back to jail."
"They're not going to lock up a ki- …Oh, right."
"You need to do something," Minion said, fixing him with a hard look, "And I need to get back home before something bad happens."
Wayne heaved a sigh, "Alright."
Little buddy so owed him one when this was over.
****
"Sir, I'm home!" Minion called, getting out of the car. He frowned a little when there was no response; maybe Megamind was sleeping? He walked over to the elevator and headed up to the room, only to find it empty as well.
Oh no. Minion ran down stairs, quickly checking the security footage for any sign of an intruder. If- if someone had gotten in-- No, no, Megamind had just left on his own. Minion stared at the security tape in disbelief. He'd told him to stay put! How could he be so stupid! Who knew where he was, or what had happened to him?
Minion hit a button on the control panel, summoning the Brainbots. This was now a search and rescue operation.
****
The Tailor sat in her lab, giving her new prize a thoughtful look. So many glorious possibilities. She couldn't help but wonder what she'd get if she combined a leopard with one of those nice strong bulls they used to kill matadors. Getting such a bull might be tricky, but the final product would be worth it. Or maybe-
The door to the lab opened, and she looked up, more than a bit started to see Megamind there, looking nervous as hell. Really? He'd gotten in that quietly? Unbelievable. What the fuck were the landsharks doing?
"Did my landsharks just let you in?"
Megamind gave her a smug look, and replied in one of his cheesier voices, "They bit off more than they could chew."
What? "Landsharks don't chew," she explained, frowning a bit at him, "They rip off pieces small enough to swallow."
Megamind just looked annoyed, "I know, that's not what I-" he broke it off, heaving a sigh. "I'm here to get the leopard you catnapped."
Then it dawned on her, "Oh, I'm sorry, you were trying to banter! Did I spoil it?"
"Yes you spoiled it!"
"My apologies. I'm new at this, you see," she replied in a conversational tone, looking him up and down. She hadn't seen him wear that particular outfit since--well, since she cut it off him on her dissection table. He'd really gone to all the trouble of making a new one exactly like it? And where the hell was his DE-gun? "Would you like to start over? I'm sure I can do better this time."
"No, I don't want to start over. You already ruined the mood. Just give the leopard back and nobody gets hurt."
"Okay, even if I did that, how are you planning on moving it? You're not even armed."
"I… uh…" the 'oh crap' look on his face was too cute.
Oh, for fuck's sake, she thought, rolling her eyes. "Minion, go home."
"But I'm not-! …Yeah, okay. Can I take the leopard with me?"
"No. If Megamind wants it, he can come get it himself. Not send a fish in a disguise. I'm bored with fish now. You're not interesting anymore."
"Alright," Minion-as-Megamind said, turning to go. The Tailor shook her head a bit, watching him leave, then turned her attention back to the cage.
The leopard was gone. How the fuck had he done that!?
****
Thunder crashed overhead, but the odd one didn't flinch at the sound. He was too cold and tired to flinch. Instead he just curled up smaller, shivering. The slide was at the right angle to shield him from most of the falling moisture, but that didn't make being out in the cold and wet and dark any more pleasant. He had never been out in the rain before, and after this was over he never wanted to be out in it again.
He glanced down at the "Brain-Bot" that was curled up by his feet. He didn't like them much, but in this case he was glad for the glow. The sun had gone down hours ago; and he had been sitting here alone in the dark until it showed up. In an odd sort of way, the gently pulsing of the Brainbot reminded him of his binky; that alone was enough to be comforting. It kept looking at the odd one's face with its glowing red eye, but he got the feeling it was looking more at his bruised eye than at him.
The odd one gingerly touched his growing shiner, then quickly pulled his hand away with a wince. He didn't have a mirror, but he was sure it probably looked bad. Minion would be so worried when he saw what that other kid had done. Minion. The thought was enough to make the odd one want to cry. He wanted Minion and he wanted to go home.
The Brainbot started bowging excitedly at something, and the sound of heavy feet crunching on pavement hit Megamind's ears. He looked up, saw the huge silhouette of the approaching gorilla suit, "Sir? Sir! Are you alright!?"
The odd one ran over, feeling more relieved than he could ever remember feeling before. He latched on to his friend's arm, burying his face in the warm fur. Minion wrapped an arm around him, picking him up in a hug. "I am so sorry Sir, I forgot how hard separation was when we were young. I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?"
The odd one looked up at his friend just as a flicker of lighting arced across the sky behind him, illuminating the fish's skeleton through his skin. The effect was spooky, an the odd one couldn't help but shiver a bit.
"Come on, sir. Let's get you back home where it's safe."
Chapter #6: Day Jobs
If you read, please leave a comment letting me know what you liked and what you didn't. :) Constructive criticism is how I improve. Short, fluff comments are also appreciated; :) I'm always happy to know I've got another reader.
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! Loud shockwaves tore through the water, starling Minion awake in the most unpleasant manner imaginable.
"Sir, please don't tap the glass."
The child just gave Minion an apologetic look, then held a picture he'd drawn against the helmet of the suit. A rather crude yellow bus.
"You… want to go to school? I'm… not sure that's such a good idea, sir."
Megamind looked a little crestfallen, but nodded. The expression was more than enough to melt Minion.
"Well, if you really want to go… I don't think I'd get to go with you this time."
At once, the child's expression changed from crestfallen to terrified. No, he most certainly did not want to go if Minion couldn't come with him. He needed Minion. Minion smiled and reached out, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and was rewarded with a small, timid smile.
The moment was short lived, however. A few beats of Minion's hearts later, the phone rang and caused Megamind to just about jump out of his skin. Alarmed, the child looked around for the source of the noise.
"Don't worry, sir," Minion said, picking the cellphone up off the shelf delicately to avoid crushing it, "It's just the phone." He flipped it open, and hit the button (not an easy task given the size of his fingers), "Hello?"
"This is the Chief of Police. Is Megamind there?"
Minion glanced down at the kid, who was studying him silently with those wide green eyes, "Um, he's not available right now."
"Well, he'd better get available; the Tailor just stole the clouded leopard from the city zoo!"
"I'll tell him right aw--," Minion started to respond, but the battery died. Great. Now how was he going to get a hold of Wayne to let him know? He felt a tugging at his arm, and looked down to see Megamind gazing up at him with big, worried eyes.
"Everything's fine, sir. Don't worry."
Megamind scowled at him for that one. Obviously nothing wrong with the kid's bullshit detector.
"I, uh, I need to go take care of something, Sir. You stay right here, okay?" Minion dug something out of his pocket, and handed the odd little mechanism over to the kid, "This red button will unleash the Brainbots. If the bad lady comes back, they'll protect you."
He started to head over to the elevator to go back downstairs, but was stopped by the sound of little footsteps following him. He turned; Megamind was right behind him. "No, you need to stay here."
The kid just looked confused and a little upset.
"It's just a quick errand, and then I'll be right back. Just stay in your room, and if that lady comes back, push that button, lock the elevator and stay up here, alright?"
Biting his lip, Megamind nodded despite the distressed look on his face. Minion turned and headed down to the invisible car. This would only take a few minutes, and Megamind would be fine here. He was a smart kid. Besides, he didn't want him to see the school house and get the wrong idea.
****
The odd one felt a terrible pang as he watched the car drive away. Minion was gone. Minion had gone away. His hearts raced frantically, and panic clawed at his throat. Why would he go away like that and leave the odd one all alone? What if something happened? He needed him here! Where was he going?
No. Calm down. He could handle this, he just had to wait for Minion to come back. He was probably coming right back. The odd one just needed to.. to do something. He should just distract himself.
Still radiating distress in all directions, the odd one headed over to the kitchen. Maybe some food would help. He opened the fridge, grabbing a jar of green objects floating in some sort of liquid. Carefully, he pried off the top and pulled one of them out, taking a tentative bite. It was sour and crunchy and tasted like vinegar. Not sweet enough for his tastes, not nearly sweet enough, but it would do. He crunched one down, then pulled a few more pickles from the jar.
Halfway through his snack, though, his stomach started to groan is protest, making the odd one think that maybe eating these wasn't such a good idea. Maybe they were meant for Minion instead of-
Minion! The odd one ran back over to the window, looking out to see if Minion was back yet. His eyes strained against the horizon, willing the car to come back into view, but there was no sign of him. What was taking him so long? Where did he go? What if he wasn't coming back? The odd one needed him here. He hated being alone; the only thing worse than being stared at was being alone.
Once again, the odd one shut his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. If he panicked he might do something dumb and get hurt. He… he should probably do something else, something fun. Like.. like drawing. The odd one picked himself up and headed over to the planning area, pausing when he saw the fish tank. A very fluffy fish was darting back and forth, chasing the smaller fish around. He swallowed hard, watching her go; except for the fluffy fins, she looked just like his friend. It was too much.
Ten minutes after Minion had left the lair, Megamind slipped out through the secret entrance to go looking for him.
****
Wayne was down in his bathroom, "shaving" with a belt sander, and listening to the voice on the radio chatter about the thunderstorms coming tonight. Despite the sound of the radio, he recognized the sound of the approaching engine easily enough--hard to miss something so distinctive. He quickly grabbed a pair of pants, and hollered up for Megamind to come on in.
When he walked into the sitting room, though, he was a bit surprised to see Minion waiting for him. …Oh, wait, that's right. His agreement with Roxie. Wayne'd half forgotten about that already.
"You have a very nice place here," Minion said, giving him a polite grin.
Wayne couldn't help but smile back, "Glad you like it. I've been meaning to dust, but I haven't gotten around to it. You know how it is."
Minion frowned a bit at that, but shook it off, "Miss Ritchi talked to you earlier about the boss's current condition, right?"
"Yeah," Wayne nodded, "Any luck with that?"
Minion heaved a sigh, "Not yet. But Miss Ritchi said you asked for a disguise watch so you could help." He held the device out, and Wayne took it, carefully fastening it onto his wrist.
"How does it work?"
"You just turn the dial here…" Minion demonstrated, and a moment later Wayne was standing there as Megamind.
He gazed at his hand, wiggling the fingers, "That is way past weird."
"And just so you know, the Tailor just stole a clouded leopard from the zoo and they're expecting Megamind to do something about it."
The Tailor? No. "Wait, who? I didn't sign up for-"
"She won't know it's you, Mr. Scott, you can take advantage of that."
Wayne's thoughts flickered back to that miserable encounter; the intense vertigo and disorientation, the loss of his flight. With physical effort, he forced back the rising sense of panic. "It's not that simple, Minion."
"You have to at least make an effort. Unless you want Megamind to go back to jail."
"They're not going to lock up a ki- …Oh, right."
"You need to do something," Minion said, fixing him with a hard look, "And I need to get back home before something bad happens."
Wayne heaved a sigh, "Alright."
Little buddy so owed him one when this was over.
****
"Sir, I'm home!" Minion called, getting out of the car. He frowned a little when there was no response; maybe Megamind was sleeping? He walked over to the elevator and headed up to the room, only to find it empty as well.
Oh no. Minion ran down stairs, quickly checking the security footage for any sign of an intruder. If- if someone had gotten in-- No, no, Megamind had just left on his own. Minion stared at the security tape in disbelief. He'd told him to stay put! How could he be so stupid! Who knew where he was, or what had happened to him?
Minion hit a button on the control panel, summoning the Brainbots. This was now a search and rescue operation.
****
The Tailor sat in her lab, giving her new prize a thoughtful look. So many glorious possibilities. She couldn't help but wonder what she'd get if she combined a leopard with one of those nice strong bulls they used to kill matadors. Getting such a bull might be tricky, but the final product would be worth it. Or maybe-
The door to the lab opened, and she looked up, more than a bit started to see Megamind there, looking nervous as hell. Really? He'd gotten in that quietly? Unbelievable. What the fuck were the landsharks doing?
"Did my landsharks just let you in?"
Megamind gave her a smug look, and replied in one of his cheesier voices, "They bit off more than they could chew."
What? "Landsharks don't chew," she explained, frowning a bit at him, "They rip off pieces small enough to swallow."
Megamind just looked annoyed, "I know, that's not what I-" he broke it off, heaving a sigh. "I'm here to get the leopard you catnapped."
Then it dawned on her, "Oh, I'm sorry, you were trying to banter! Did I spoil it?"
"Yes you spoiled it!"
"My apologies. I'm new at this, you see," she replied in a conversational tone, looking him up and down. She hadn't seen him wear that particular outfit since--well, since she cut it off him on her dissection table. He'd really gone to all the trouble of making a new one exactly like it? And where the hell was his DE-gun? "Would you like to start over? I'm sure I can do better this time."
"No, I don't want to start over. You already ruined the mood. Just give the leopard back and nobody gets hurt."
"Okay, even if I did that, how are you planning on moving it? You're not even armed."
"I… uh…" the 'oh crap' look on his face was too cute.
Oh, for fuck's sake, she thought, rolling her eyes. "Minion, go home."
"But I'm not-! …Yeah, okay. Can I take the leopard with me?"
"No. If Megamind wants it, he can come get it himself. Not send a fish in a disguise. I'm bored with fish now. You're not interesting anymore."
"Alright," Minion-as-Megamind said, turning to go. The Tailor shook her head a bit, watching him leave, then turned her attention back to the cage.
The leopard was gone. How the fuck had he done that!?
****
Thunder crashed overhead, but the odd one didn't flinch at the sound. He was too cold and tired to flinch. Instead he just curled up smaller, shivering. The slide was at the right angle to shield him from most of the falling moisture, but that didn't make being out in the cold and wet and dark any more pleasant. He had never been out in the rain before, and after this was over he never wanted to be out in it again.
He glanced down at the "Brain-Bot" that was curled up by his feet. He didn't like them much, but in this case he was glad for the glow. The sun had gone down hours ago; and he had been sitting here alone in the dark until it showed up. In an odd sort of way, the gently pulsing of the Brainbot reminded him of his binky; that alone was enough to be comforting. It kept looking at the odd one's face with its glowing red eye, but he got the feeling it was looking more at his bruised eye than at him.
The odd one gingerly touched his growing shiner, then quickly pulled his hand away with a wince. He didn't have a mirror, but he was sure it probably looked bad. Minion would be so worried when he saw what that other kid had done. Minion. The thought was enough to make the odd one want to cry. He wanted Minion and he wanted to go home.
The Brainbot started bowging excitedly at something, and the sound of heavy feet crunching on pavement hit Megamind's ears. He looked up, saw the huge silhouette of the approaching gorilla suit, "Sir? Sir! Are you alright!?"
The odd one ran over, feeling more relieved than he could ever remember feeling before. He latched on to his friend's arm, burying his face in the warm fur. Minion wrapped an arm around him, picking him up in a hug. "I am so sorry Sir, I forgot how hard separation was when we were young. I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?"
The odd one looked up at his friend just as a flicker of lighting arced across the sky behind him, illuminating the fish's skeleton through his skin. The effect was spooky, an the odd one couldn't help but shiver a bit.
"Come on, sir. Let's get you back home where it's safe."
Chapter #6: Day Jobs
If you read, please leave a comment letting me know what you liked and what you didn't. :) Constructive criticism is how I improve. Short, fluff comments are also appreciated; :) I'm always happy to know I've got another reader.