Behind The Facade, Ch. 1 (Sequel to Nemesis Theory!)
****
I am going to be in so much trouble, Minion thought as he quietly guarded the entrance to the castle. What had he been thinking!? Well, that answer was easy enough--he hadn't been. Then again, he hadn't really realized what he and Sideways were doing until it was all over; it's not like he'd had any sort of sex ed. He glanced back at his… girlfriend? Mate? He was sentient, but he was still a fish, so which term was accurate?
Sideways remained over the nest, serenely fanning the eggs with her fins to keep the water circulating around them with fresh oxygen. She didn't seem to share a bit of Minion's distress over what had happened; right now she was just focused on taking care of their new little family. Wow. If they hatched, that meant that Minion was going to be a dad. He couldn't remember anything having ever been more scary or exciting in his whole life.
After a moment's hesitation, he started to swim over to get a closer look at the nest, but Sideways responded by flaring her fins aggressively and turning from violet to jet black. ::Stay away::
That hurt, but he backed away anyhow, and her colors returned to normal. For now, the castle entrance was as close as he was going to get to them. She flashed him an apologetic look before her attention was once again consumed by the new life in her nest.
Their nest? Minion wasn't sure.
****
*Click*
"Hey Layla, this is, uh, this is Wayne. I.. uh.. I know things kind of ended on a sour note last time we saw each other, but… um… I was just hoping you could give me another chance. If not, um, that's alright, I totally get it, but I figured it couldn't hurt to, y'know, call so… uh… just call and let me know. Talk to you then, I guess. Bye."
****
"Feeling any better, Minion?" Megamind asked as he entered the planning area. Minion was still vividly pink, and was once again floating in the entrance to the plastic castle. Maybe being told he's a 'royalfish' went to his head, Megamind thought in amusement. Minion nodded and swam a little closer, and the amusement faded when he realized his companion was looking at him with an expression approaching panic.
"…Minion? Is everything alright?"
"O-of course everything's alright why wouldn't it be alright everything's fine!"
Megamind arched an eyebrow, "Minion."
The fish laughed nervously, "Yes?"
"What's going on?"
"N-nothing! Really!" He forced a grin, and Megamind couldn't help but feel exasperated. He and Minion had been together long enough that he knew 'Minion is freaking out' mode when he saw it.
Idly, Megamind noticed a patch of algae starting to form on the inside of the glass near the castle, and reached in to wipe it away; best to nip these things in the bud. Half a second and one rather foul word later, he was trying to dislodge Sideways from where she had clamped down on his hand. Thinking quickly, he pulled his hand out of the tank, holding it above the water. When the air hit her gills, the little female released him, quickly darting back inside their little plastic lair.
Biting his lip a little, he inspected his hand; she'd more or less destroyed the glove, but she hadn't broken his skin. Scare- er, startled him, but no actual harm. But still, the principle of it! Biting the hand that feeds you! "What was that for!?"
Sideways didn't re-appear to answer, so Minion did it for her, "There's, uh, eggs, Sir."
"…Eggs." What? Minion simply bobbed up and down in the water in what served for a nod. At first, Megamind didn't make the connection; after all, he quite liked eggs and the kitchen was usually well stocked with them. He didn't see what breakfast had to do with Sideways bite- Oh. Oh no. Wait. "Fertilized eggs?"
The fish simply let out a nervous laugh.
"Minion! How many are there!?"
"I-I didn't count, Sir."
"Give me a ballpark guess. A dozen? Three dozen? I kind of need to know how many tanks I'm going to have to build!"
"Well, some of them might not hatch…"
"What were you thinking?! At least the odds of me and Roxie producing any offspring are infinitesimally small!"
Minion flattened his fins, "Don't worry Sir, a lot of fish fry end up getting eaten. I eat the little guppies and mollies all the time."
Megamind folded his arms, giving his friend a skeptical look, "So you're saying you're just going to sit there and let the other fish eat them?"
"Well…no."
"Well.. uh.. you're grounded!"
Minion just stared at him, "From what?"
"I don't know! A little warning would have been nice!"
"I turned pink!"
"How was I supposed to know that meant you were going to do this?"
"How was I supposed to know?!" Minion countered, "I've never been around a girl before!"
Megamind sighed. "We'll get something figured out. Now come on, there's something I need to show you!"
****
"UGH!" Galaria snarled in frustration as she looked at herself in the mirror, "Why does it keep coming out with yellow fur and orange eyes!" Lip curled in minor disgust, she took off the disguise watch and flung it behind her onto the bed. The toss was immediately followed by a startled hiss and an angry rattle. You'd think Servant would be better at dodging randomly thrown objects by now.
"Misss, really, I-"
"Shut up, you should've ducked."
"Not that," came the cold reply, "I wass about to ssay that trying to usse hiss own technology againsst him would be… ill-advissed. Even if you do get the damn watch to work the way you intend it to, the oddss of you mimicking Misssritchi'ss appearance clossely enough to fool him-"
"This was your stupid idea to begin with."
Servant yawned widely, flashing her venomous fangs in a casual way, "If sshe actually doess love him, the little earth-monkey could become our ally in retrieving Ssarinth to hiss rightful place."
Galaria just shook her head. Servant could be so stupid. Hadn't the snake seen how cute Sarinth was? No way in hell that furball he was with would want to give him up. Oh god, those eyes. Even when he was mad they were adorable. Oh, wait, Servant was still talking, wasn't she?
"…fter all, on earth he isss a prissoner, forced to fight the dangerouss criminal element jusst to keep ssome ssemblance of freedom. If sshe iss made to underssstand that he iss royalty, and would have a much better life with uss--"
"I don't get how telling her his standard of living is inferior would help us."
"Sshe knowss him besst, I think. Ssso sshe would know what besst to ssay to break hiss heart and make him wissh to leave."
"No, his servant probably knows him best."
Servant just flicked her tongue in response, "Yes, but I do not think we would be able to turn him againsst hiss masster'ss wisshes."
"So… get the chick that's the reason he's staying to kick him off the planet? Okay, my idea is awesome. Way better than your idea with Sarinth's stupid watch thing."
Servant just stared at her.
"What?"
"Nothing, Misss. Perhapsss we ssshould refine your remarkably clever plan sssome more, now that we've disscarded my foolissh one."
"Right. …Aren't humans kind of skittish? I don't want to get bitten or kicked or whatever if I show up at her house."
Servant shook her head, "Call to arrange a meeting, ssaying you wissh to sspeak with her. Be calm, resspectful, and polite."
"Okay, calm, respectful, and polite. I'm all of those things anyway, so this should be a snap!"
"…….Perhapss it would be besst if I went insstead."
"What? Why?" It made no sense to send Servant. She was cold and aloof and would just screw everything up. Servant had no tact at all.
"While I may not have your ssocial grace or natural diplomacy," Servant hissed, bowing her head deferentially, "Sshe iss unlikely to be asss, ah, defenssive towardss me. Sshe may view you asss competition for hiss affectionss."
"That makes sense. Servant, when we go back in a few months, I want you to go talk to that furry little creature for me. Understood?"
"I ssshall do whatever you wissh, Misss."
****
Minion stared at the giant laser, mouth gaping a bit. "Sir, what is it?"
Megamind darted over to it, climbing to stand on top of the contraption. He spread his arms wide in a grandiose gesture, "It's my newest favorite invention! The Reset-A-Ray! I don't know why I didn't think of it before--the button was impossible, but the ray design should work like a charm! And think how much faster this will be than just rewinding our VHS tapes!"
"Sir...I'm not sure that's a good idea...."
"I know!" Megamind enthused, hopping back down, "It's a great one! And since it just returns things to a prior state, you can't even break anything with it! There's absolutely no way that this can backfire on me!"
"Sir, maybe the reason the Reset Button didn't work wasn't just because it was a button...."
"You know, we could probably fix up Sassy with this!"
"Or turn her back into three different cats."
"Huh?"
"Never mind, sir. Look, I really don't think this is such a good idea."
Megamind rolled his eyes, "Don't be such a pill, Minion. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Sir, every time you say that-"
"Oh! Let's test it on Brainbot #362! She hasn't been quite right since her run-in with Titan!"
A few minutes later, they had tied one squirming, nervous looking Brainbot to the bull's-eye. Every now and then her eye would twitch erratically to the side, like a nervous tic.
"Sir, she's scared," Minion said, hoping to dissuade him with emotion since logic had obviously failed.
"Oh, nonsense, she's just twitchy," Megamind responded as he carefully started to line up the laser, "Now come on, stand behind the device. It wouldn't do to accidentally turn your suit back into a heap of scrap."
No sooner had Minion stepped out of the way than Megamind fired on the Brainbot. Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on how reflective their domes could be, and a heartbeat later one glowing green pulse was ricocheting around the lab, bouncing off every shiny surface it came across. In one horrified instant, Minion realized it was coming straight towards him, and dropped flat to avoid it. He slammed uncomfortably into the back of his helmet as the suit hit the ground; the blow was a dizzying one, but he'd had worse.
Just then, Minion heard Megamind's yelp of pain and astonishment, and frantically tried to right himself. Had Megamind been hit? The alien fish managed to right himself just in time to see the bottom of one of Megamind's boots disappearing under one of the many storage racks. Half frantic, Minion ran over, kneeling down to look under it.
"Sir? A-are you alright!?"
Chapter #2: Shackles Leave Bruises
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.
I am going to be in so much trouble, Minion thought as he quietly guarded the entrance to the castle. What had he been thinking!? Well, that answer was easy enough--he hadn't been. Then again, he hadn't really realized what he and Sideways were doing until it was all over; it's not like he'd had any sort of sex ed. He glanced back at his… girlfriend? Mate? He was sentient, but he was still a fish, so which term was accurate?
Sideways remained over the nest, serenely fanning the eggs with her fins to keep the water circulating around them with fresh oxygen. She didn't seem to share a bit of Minion's distress over what had happened; right now she was just focused on taking care of their new little family. Wow. If they hatched, that meant that Minion was going to be a dad. He couldn't remember anything having ever been more scary or exciting in his whole life.
After a moment's hesitation, he started to swim over to get a closer look at the nest, but Sideways responded by flaring her fins aggressively and turning from violet to jet black. ::Stay away::
That hurt, but he backed away anyhow, and her colors returned to normal. For now, the castle entrance was as close as he was going to get to them. She flashed him an apologetic look before her attention was once again consumed by the new life in her nest.
Their nest? Minion wasn't sure.
****
*Click*
"Hey Layla, this is, uh, this is Wayne. I.. uh.. I know things kind of ended on a sour note last time we saw each other, but… um… I was just hoping you could give me another chance. If not, um, that's alright, I totally get it, but I figured it couldn't hurt to, y'know, call so… uh… just call and let me know. Talk to you then, I guess. Bye."
****
"Feeling any better, Minion?" Megamind asked as he entered the planning area. Minion was still vividly pink, and was once again floating in the entrance to the plastic castle. Maybe being told he's a 'royalfish' went to his head, Megamind thought in amusement. Minion nodded and swam a little closer, and the amusement faded when he realized his companion was looking at him with an expression approaching panic.
"…Minion? Is everything alright?"
"O-of course everything's alright why wouldn't it be alright everything's fine!"
Megamind arched an eyebrow, "Minion."
The fish laughed nervously, "Yes?"
"What's going on?"
"N-nothing! Really!" He forced a grin, and Megamind couldn't help but feel exasperated. He and Minion had been together long enough that he knew 'Minion is freaking out' mode when he saw it.
Idly, Megamind noticed a patch of algae starting to form on the inside of the glass near the castle, and reached in to wipe it away; best to nip these things in the bud. Half a second and one rather foul word later, he was trying to dislodge Sideways from where she had clamped down on his hand. Thinking quickly, he pulled his hand out of the tank, holding it above the water. When the air hit her gills, the little female released him, quickly darting back inside their little plastic lair.
Biting his lip a little, he inspected his hand; she'd more or less destroyed the glove, but she hadn't broken his skin. Scare- er, startled him, but no actual harm. But still, the principle of it! Biting the hand that feeds you! "What was that for!?"
Sideways didn't re-appear to answer, so Minion did it for her, "There's, uh, eggs, Sir."
"…Eggs." What? Minion simply bobbed up and down in the water in what served for a nod. At first, Megamind didn't make the connection; after all, he quite liked eggs and the kitchen was usually well stocked with them. He didn't see what breakfast had to do with Sideways bite- Oh. Oh no. Wait. "Fertilized eggs?"
The fish simply let out a nervous laugh.
"Minion! How many are there!?"
"I-I didn't count, Sir."
"Give me a ballpark guess. A dozen? Three dozen? I kind of need to know how many tanks I'm going to have to build!"
"Well, some of them might not hatch…"
"What were you thinking?! At least the odds of me and Roxie producing any offspring are infinitesimally small!"
Minion flattened his fins, "Don't worry Sir, a lot of fish fry end up getting eaten. I eat the little guppies and mollies all the time."
Megamind folded his arms, giving his friend a skeptical look, "So you're saying you're just going to sit there and let the other fish eat them?"
"Well…no."
"Well.. uh.. you're grounded!"
Minion just stared at him, "From what?"
"I don't know! A little warning would have been nice!"
"I turned pink!"
"How was I supposed to know that meant you were going to do this?"
"How was I supposed to know?!" Minion countered, "I've never been around a girl before!"
Megamind sighed. "We'll get something figured out. Now come on, there's something I need to show you!"
****
"UGH!" Galaria snarled in frustration as she looked at herself in the mirror, "Why does it keep coming out with yellow fur and orange eyes!" Lip curled in minor disgust, she took off the disguise watch and flung it behind her onto the bed. The toss was immediately followed by a startled hiss and an angry rattle. You'd think Servant would be better at dodging randomly thrown objects by now.
"Misss, really, I-"
"Shut up, you should've ducked."
"Not that," came the cold reply, "I wass about to ssay that trying to usse hiss own technology againsst him would be… ill-advissed. Even if you do get the damn watch to work the way you intend it to, the oddss of you mimicking Misssritchi'ss appearance clossely enough to fool him-"
"This was your stupid idea to begin with."
Servant yawned widely, flashing her venomous fangs in a casual way, "If sshe actually doess love him, the little earth-monkey could become our ally in retrieving Ssarinth to hiss rightful place."
Galaria just shook her head. Servant could be so stupid. Hadn't the snake seen how cute Sarinth was? No way in hell that furball he was with would want to give him up. Oh god, those eyes. Even when he was mad they were adorable. Oh, wait, Servant was still talking, wasn't she?
"…fter all, on earth he isss a prissoner, forced to fight the dangerouss criminal element jusst to keep ssome ssemblance of freedom. If sshe iss made to underssstand that he iss royalty, and would have a much better life with uss--"
"I don't get how telling her his standard of living is inferior would help us."
"Sshe knowss him besst, I think. Ssso sshe would know what besst to ssay to break hiss heart and make him wissh to leave."
"No, his servant probably knows him best."
Servant just flicked her tongue in response, "Yes, but I do not think we would be able to turn him againsst hiss masster'ss wisshes."
"So… get the chick that's the reason he's staying to kick him off the planet? Okay, my idea is awesome. Way better than your idea with Sarinth's stupid watch thing."
Servant just stared at her.
"What?"
"Nothing, Misss. Perhapsss we ssshould refine your remarkably clever plan sssome more, now that we've disscarded my foolissh one."
"Right. …Aren't humans kind of skittish? I don't want to get bitten or kicked or whatever if I show up at her house."
Servant shook her head, "Call to arrange a meeting, ssaying you wissh to sspeak with her. Be calm, resspectful, and polite."
"Okay, calm, respectful, and polite. I'm all of those things anyway, so this should be a snap!"
"…….Perhapss it would be besst if I went insstead."
"What? Why?" It made no sense to send Servant. She was cold and aloof and would just screw everything up. Servant had no tact at all.
"While I may not have your ssocial grace or natural diplomacy," Servant hissed, bowing her head deferentially, "Sshe iss unlikely to be asss, ah, defenssive towardss me. Sshe may view you asss competition for hiss affectionss."
"That makes sense. Servant, when we go back in a few months, I want you to go talk to that furry little creature for me. Understood?"
"I ssshall do whatever you wissh, Misss."
****
Minion stared at the giant laser, mouth gaping a bit. "Sir, what is it?"
Megamind darted over to it, climbing to stand on top of the contraption. He spread his arms wide in a grandiose gesture, "It's my newest favorite invention! The Reset-A-Ray! I don't know why I didn't think of it before--the button was impossible, but the ray design should work like a charm! And think how much faster this will be than just rewinding our VHS tapes!"
"Sir...I'm not sure that's a good idea...."
"I know!" Megamind enthused, hopping back down, "It's a great one! And since it just returns things to a prior state, you can't even break anything with it! There's absolutely no way that this can backfire on me!"
"Sir, maybe the reason the Reset Button didn't work wasn't just because it was a button...."
"You know, we could probably fix up Sassy with this!"
"Or turn her back into three different cats."
"Huh?"
"Never mind, sir. Look, I really don't think this is such a good idea."
Megamind rolled his eyes, "Don't be such a pill, Minion. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Sir, every time you say that-"
"Oh! Let's test it on Brainbot #362! She hasn't been quite right since her run-in with Titan!"
A few minutes later, they had tied one squirming, nervous looking Brainbot to the bull's-eye. Every now and then her eye would twitch erratically to the side, like a nervous tic.
"Sir, she's scared," Minion said, hoping to dissuade him with emotion since logic had obviously failed.
"Oh, nonsense, she's just twitchy," Megamind responded as he carefully started to line up the laser, "Now come on, stand behind the device. It wouldn't do to accidentally turn your suit back into a heap of scrap."
No sooner had Minion stepped out of the way than Megamind fired on the Brainbot. Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on how reflective their domes could be, and a heartbeat later one glowing green pulse was ricocheting around the lab, bouncing off every shiny surface it came across. In one horrified instant, Minion realized it was coming straight towards him, and dropped flat to avoid it. He slammed uncomfortably into the back of his helmet as the suit hit the ground; the blow was a dizzying one, but he'd had worse.
Just then, Minion heard Megamind's yelp of pain and astonishment, and frantically tried to right himself. Had Megamind been hit? The alien fish managed to right himself just in time to see the bottom of one of Megamind's boots disappearing under one of the many storage racks. Half frantic, Minion ran over, kneeling down to look under it.
"Sir? A-are you alright!?"
Chapter #2: Shackles Leave Bruises
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.