Fifteen Years Ago
Sirens wailed in the far distance as a young, blue skinned alien ran as if his life depended on it. Wearing a garish orange prison uniform he was sticking out against the green natural environment and he always got a little flush of fear that he would be easily snatched up by the prison guards. Small chest heaving, hearts racing, and blood pumping in his purple ears, Megamind ran as fast as his skinny legs could carry him. He had to reach the safe point, where Minion would be waiting for him.
It had been easy enough to break out of prison this time, he had acted calm, collected, in control and pleasant. The guards had become soft, vulnerable to his young teen years and felt as if they weren't too harsh on him he would continue to be a decent prisoner. How wrong they were. Whilst their backs had been turned he had been stealing cutlery from the kitchen cafeteria, as well as various other objects (including a toilet brush and a Bible) in order to rig another device to break him out of jail.
Smuggling it was easy enough, since it was small and compact, the perfect size despite the bristles itching and tickling at his right leg as he did. Carrying a stack of books he had made his way to the prison library, acting as if to return them like the good teenager he was. Depositing them on the bench of the library, the man grunted and scanned the books to make sure they were the right books, and that Megamind had taken them out.
"Peter Pan?" he asked, lifting up the last book. "Ain't you a little old for fairy tails, Jude?"
Megamind hated that name, Jude. It wasn't who he was at all! That was the stupid human name that the Warden and everyone around him had given. Such a horrid name, it was even printed on legal documents, even on his prison record! Didn't they know his name was Megmas first, and then Megamind? But he dare not tell them that he remembered his birth name, that he could recollect his father and mother's voices and the touch of their hands against his skin. It was none of their business, that was private for him, and him alone.
"I keep telling you, it's Megamind now." replied the alien testily.
"Right, right. Megamind. What was it again?" the man set the book onto a trolley full of other books. "Incredibly..."
"Incredibly handsome criminal genius and master of all villainy." Megamind recited, "You and everyone here shall soon fear to speak my name!" he declared, pointing his finger dramatically to the sky with amazing flair that would one day be his calling card.
"U-huh. So you wanna borrow more today Jude?" asked the man.
Scowling, Megamind made his way through the library, picking up random books. He had already read through the entire library in here, since it was certainly lacking. Back when he had cared too much about stupid things he had begged with the Warden to get more books, since those he had read were either deemed too adult for him or not in his interests. Of course, more books meant more money. And the only books they could get their hands on were second rate donated ones whose covers were missing, pages ripped and torn, and sticky tape in places where they should not be along with mysterious stains on some pages.
Yet the younger Megamind had still read them as if they held valuable secrets, and, in a way they had. Books had showed him the world he wasn't a part of, they taught him how people acted and treated each other. It showed him how trains, cars, and bikes operated. Their simple mechanics basically laying out before him on a page, it had been so exciting at the time.
Now a days though the library held no joy for the alien. Instead, today it would work as his great escape.
The guards, in the main prison block, had just been enjoying a game of cards with some of the calmer prisoners when sirens began to wail. It had accompanied a distant boom that caused glasses to rattle and dust to begin to fall gently from above. Like good guards they grabbed their guns and batons, and ran towards the library where it had happened only to find strewn books everywhere, collapsed bookcases, and smoke everywhere.
"Is it a fire?" shouted one of them,
"Naw if it was the sprinkler system would-" replied the other, but he was rudely interrupted by the sprinkler system suddenly coming and rain came pouring down on top of them.
While the prison was in a state of panic over whether or not they were on fire, Megamind was running. He kept low to the ground as he did, and after what felt like an eternity he made his way to the drainage ditch which was connected to the city's sewer system. Megamind leaped and landed on the dirt then rolled a few times, and landed with a splat in some mud and water.
"Ugh, wish I brought some wipes." Minion's voice said from above, and Megamind lifted his mud-covered face to see the cheerfully smiling fish standing above him. Being a fish, Minion's ability to get around was normally hindered. Within the prison he was reduced to getting around in a small ball, like a pet hamster in a hamster ball. Megamind felt that this was too degrading, so on their second prison escape (back when he was ten) he had began designing robot bodies for his friend.
This year's model reflected that of a small monkey, simple in design, with a long metallic tail that the fish could use to grab at things like any ordinary monkey. Seeing how he was a fish, again, Megamind had built a filtering system onto the back of the monkey body, a series of pumps and devices that continually cleaned the water in Minion's little dome head. It was all very ingenious, and Minion had done a very good job of praising his boss with creating such a device for him.
"Up you get, Sir!" tiny robot hands tugged at Megamind's sleeve and Megamind got to his feet, wiping at the mud on his face once he was to his full height and spat on the ground.
"I always hate this part." Megamind said bitterly, the taste of mud still in his mouth and staining his vision.
"As much as I'd love to hang around and discuss the horribleness of mud, Sir, don't you think it's best we get running? We don't want to get caught out just yet." Minion pointed out helpfully, while he had began the slow process of climbing up his boss' back. This was also an added feature. Minion, in this body, only came up to Megamind's waist so if the two had to escape a situation quickly he would no doubt be left behind. So instead of abandoning his friend, Megamind had made it so the small robot body could hang off his back like a backpack, and that long tail would wrap twice around his middle to ensure Minion would not go tumbling off. Like the first time.
"Yes yes you're right. We must always stay one step ahead." mumbled Megamind before he ran towards the sewer systems large, gaping entrance. Fumbling in his pocket he pulled out something else he had created in prison, something that looked like a World War 2 gas mask. Just how he had made this in a prison was a guess for anyone, but he wasn't about to give away all his secrets. Strapping it over his mouth and eyes the two aliens vanished into the sewer system, off to their secret lair.
"In other news, local criminal Jude Doe has escaped from the Metro City Prison for Gifted Criminals. Authorities had advised if you do see Jude, do not approach him and call for the Police straight away. Jude Doe is roughly four foot six, wearing a prisoners uniform, bright green eyes and skin the color of blueberries-"
"It's not blueberries!" Megamind spat at the radio that had been set up in their underground lair so the two could monitor and listen in on news up above. Not only that, but they had a big rig radio, as well as a police one stolen from a cop car on their last escape. After all, wasn't it best to know what your enemies were up to? Especially when it involved moving in on your location.
"It certainly is not Sir. I'd say you're more the color of the sky in spring, when a man's thoughts turn to-"
"Mayhem and destruction!" cheered the alien as he held up the completed plans that he had been working on. "Look Minion, I found this scrap in my old cell under my bed. The foolish guards must have not have seen it slip under it. Look,' Megamind held out a drawing for the fish to take.
Minion took it into his small hands and looked at the old picture. It was at least ten years old and showed, the paper beginning to yellow, but the image drawn on was as clear as ever. A round shape in the middle with at least four long spindly legs coming out of it, though it had very nasty looking jaws coming out of its round head. Within the dome of the head there were blue and pink sparks, like those balls you put your hand to and the electricity seeks out the heat of your finger and tingles you. "Oh! Uh. How. Artistic?" Minion guessed.
"No Minion, they came to me in a dream years ago and I let them slip away from me! This, Minion, is what we are missing!" Megamind insisted as he looked over his new plans, and Minion hopped up besides him on the workbench (a subway bench, stolen of course) to peer at the drawings. They were a far more detailed version of the little sketch Minion now held, showing schematics, measurements, formulas, and small diagrams.
"Oohhhhh..." Minion whispered in awe, before blinking. "What is it, Sir?"
"It's to become my new minions!" Megamind replied, but when he saw the look of horror and dismay on Minion's face he back peddled quickly. "Oh no no, I'm not replacing you! Crazy fish, I could never replace you! No, these are to be our underlings! Both yours and mine! They'll guard our lair, see off any intruders, and double as smaller henchmen to bring on my evil plans! You see? We are only two, now Minion. With a few of these," he looked back to his design, grinning widely. "...we could be much more."
"U-huh." Minion said, narrowing an eye. While his heart felt less worried about his position in his boss' hearts, this still seemed iffy. "So how do they work exactly?" he asked, and ultimately regretted it.
Megamind launched into a long, winded, and detailed speech about artificial intelligence, advanced robot technology, nanobots, and all sorts of things that went way over the small fish's head. After all, his brain was the size of a walnut. That didn't mean Minion was stupid, far from it, he had a deep insight of things that his boss didn't have, but these kinds of things normally weren't for him to think about. He was more about helping with creating, such as doing the welding, putting plans together. The actual brainstorming of said plans all fell onto the shoulders of his friend. Once Megamind had completed his long detailed talk he stood before Minion, grinning fit to burst. "Isn't it all just so fantastic?" he asked eagerly.
"What fun!" Minion replied enthusiastically despite the raging headache he now had from all of Megamind's fifty-dollar words but didn't want to bring down his boss with a little thing like that. "So when are we going to begin production?" he asked.
"Right now!"
And so they did. Over his eight years of breaking out of prison, Megamind had broken into various stores across the city. He raided scrap yards, technology stores, foundries, and had even managed to get away with stealing a whole high school's metal shop in order to make more of his own things in private. Learning how to drive illegally and four years before one really should normally made raids much easier for the two aliens. Naturally, with Megamind being so short, he had to have a few telephone books underneath him and special big-heeled shoes upon his feet to reach the pedals.
Speaking of, the black car they had 'borrowed' from an impound lot was just off to the side and was currently under going a make over. Spikes were slowly being added to the hood, and many other places. But on top of all that, Megamind was in the middle of devising a way in which to deflect light off of the car, making it seem invisible to everyone around it. It was a delicate process and no doubt he would go back to working on that device once he had created his new minions with... er... Minion.
"Sir what gave you the idea of re-start this plot with more minions?" Minion asked as he soldered some large, dangerous looking jaws onto a bolt.
"Well I heard about that villain guy in that other city," Megamind said as he was working on the small microchips that would be placed within the mainframe of the small robots brain. "Gru. He used to be, like, the greatest Super Villain and it's known he has his own army of Minions. I mean, hundreds of the little guys!" went on the alien, gesturing wildly. "Genetically created, so they're always in ample supply. I thought, if somebody like Gru can get around with little guys doing everything he says why not me? I'm going to be even bigger than Gru ever was, but I still want to pay homage you know what I'm saying-OW." Megamind pulled his hand back and blew on his blistering finger. That would teach him to talk and work at the same time.
"Oohhh. I get you now, Sir." replied the fish with a toothy grin.
The two ended up working well into the night, and it wasn't long until the two of them had fallen asleep at the workbench. Megamind was the type who could sleep anywhere, and had actually fallen asleep sitting up and Minion had, at some point, curled into his lap like a lap dog. On the table before them were two robots, and they looked similar enough save for some differences like longer eye stalk on one of them, and a larger maw on the other. They lay dormant, awaiting the spark of life, when it came in the form of the light high above them on the ceiling suddenly blowing out.
Tiny sparks flew from the now deceased light and landed, just by chance (or fate) upon the open circuitry of one of the robots. At first it appeared to have done nothing, but then it very slowly began to lift its lone eyestalk. Blinking its metal lid it looked around as small electrodes began to spark within its blue dome of a head. If suddenly lifted up out of the sky, the red eye blinking still and looking around with wonderment. It opened his spring-loaded mouth experimentally, and seemed quite pleased with itself.
Then it spotted its 'dead' counterpart on the table. Making low, rusting, growling noises it hovered down to it and touched its dome with one of its thin-clawed arms. No response. So, it began to fix it. It only took a few seconds tampering and a joining of their circuitry for a split second and the other bot lifted up into the sky too. It was a twin of the other, the two looking upon each other for the first time with what could be joy...? It was hard to tell since they had no face for true emotions.
They then flew away, chasing one another like dogs in a park. They ducked, weaved flew in circles and crashed into each other on more than one occasion. It was almost a shame Megamind was a heavy sleeper and could sleep through a prison raid, complete with sirens wailing and prisoners shouting, since no doubt he would have loved to have witnessed his creations coming to life. Alas, he just sat there, sleeping still with a hand on Minion's dome.
"Bowg bowg." announced one of the robots, as it inspected more scraps of metal laying around. It was obvious Megamind had a plot to make many more of these, but the creation of these two alone had worn him out. Tapping at the metal the robot turned its red eye to its twin and they shared the same notion at the same exact time.
Morning soon came, though it was hard to tell down here underneath the sewer system where Megamind and Minion called home... for now. They could never stay in one place for long, since the police normally found them out and dragged Megamind kicking and screaming back to jail while Minion would slip away to see his boss another day. While Megamind was away in prison, Minion would be the one slowly transporting things to a new hide out so when Megamind would finally escape again the fish would point him in the direction of their new lair.
This one was well underground and out of sight, something they had learned was quite valuable when you were blue skinned and easily recognized by the populace. Yet either way, it was now morning, and Megamind was slowly beginning to wake up when he heard a noise he hadn't heard before.
"Bowg, bowg bowg bowg!" it was saying, before being answered by a chorus, a sea of replies.
Megamind lifted his hands, the strange noise stopped instantly, and rubbed at his eyes. Had he been dreaming? No, he could always remember his dreams and this night he had dreamt of a giant man coming down upon him, crushing him under his foot then wiping him away as if he was gum on the side of the sidewalk. Yawning, Megamind opened his eyes and then yelped loudly, swung his arms line a windmill, and fell over backwards onto the floor. Minion yelped at suddenly being awoken and his robot body clanged away before rolling to a stop.
What, exactly, had startled Megamind into falling over like this? Well, if you woke up to find over twenty red eyes staring at you, hovering above the table you were working on the night before, wouldn't you be a little surprised too? He had landed on his back at first but the size and scope of his head kept his fall going so his feet soon eclipsed his head and he was now flat on his face.
"BOWG! Bowgbowg bowg bowg!" the chattering clanking noise was back again and he felt the presence of the twenty or so robots hovering around him, metal arms prodding at his body and those massive maws almost gently nudging his head. They were checking on him, seeing if he was all right.
Megamind instantly got to his knees and stared at the twenty floating robots. They all looked alike, save or various differences. Some had seemed to design little 'flairs' that touched on each other. Some had tiny spiked Mohawks, whilst one had a giant one. They had even gone to the trouble of making one pink one, and she hovered amongst them all, like a pink flower in a sea of blue ones. He took in a deep breath and let it out, allowing all of this to sink in. Something must have awoken them, but he and Minion had only made one. Now there were twenty.
"You're capable of creating more of you...!" he said, realization dawning on him. "My God I'm a genius!" Megamind squeaked, his childish glee managing to fight through his exterior shell like a chick wanting to break free. But he reigned it in, trying to appear professional. Coughing, Megamind got to his feet and the twenty bots moved with him, lifting themselves higher and hovered around him obediently, the soft glow of their heads lighting up the place.
"Ah, yes. Hello! I," Megamind put his hand to his chest, "I am Megamind. Incredibly handsome criminal genius and master of all villainy and your master. It is I who created the first of you, but I see you're pretty adept at making more of you! What an understatement huh?" he asked, giving out a laugh and clapping his hands together. "Ohhh, you guys are amazing look at you!" he reached out to the closest, whose red eye looked at his hands, then back to his face. Megamind touched the glowing dome and the small electric sparks within the glass leapt and touched his fingers. He could feel the tingles in his fingertips. "Wow. Oh wow." he whispered, unable to help but be in awe of both his handiwork, and their own.
Minion watched as Megamind began to laugh with an almost childlike glee as he moved from one brain bot to the other, examining them, seeking out the differences in their appearance and design. Some had larger jaws, others shorter limbs, it was all so amazing that not only had the original two created more but had made changes to their appearance. It was individuality within a sea of conformity. Megamind laughed all the more as some of them began to nuzzle at him like over grown, metallic dogs. The blue boy had never had pets in his life, and he certainly didn't count the police guard dogs that growled at him whenever he approached them.
Seemingly caught up in the moment, Megamind suddenly grabbed a wrench. From the safety of his cell, one day, he had seen a guard throwing a stick for one of the meaner dogs. Megamind had watched in wonder as this deadly, vicious animal that always treated him like a snack suddenly became a whole different dog, all because of a stick. The dog had ran after it, grabbed it, ran back to the cop and the two had tussled on the grass outside the prison. Maybe it was that distant memory that had Megamind grab a wrench, and suddenly hold it up.
"Who wants the wrench? Who wants the wrench?" he asked enthusiastically. All of the bots suddenly barked in their metallic way in absolute joy, and if they had tails no doubt they would be wagging as their little bodies jostled and bumped against one another in excitement. "Go get the wrench!" Megamind hurled it down one of the many cave like entrances to the lair and he watched as they all flew off after the wrench.
"Oh just look at them, Sir." Minion smiled, finally approaching his boss and watched as the bots began to fight amongst themselves over the wrench. "They're amazing. What are you going to call them?" he asked, lifting his gaze to his boss.
Megamind frowned. He could very well name absolutely every single one of them, after all he had a knack for remembering names and faces even to things that did not have faces. But they needed a basic name, one that would refer to all of them when he would need to call them. As he was thinking three bots, all of them with their jaws clamped over either one another or the single wrench, came flying back at him and deposited it noisily to his feet. Laughing, Megamind bent and picked up the wrench again and was impressed to see the metal was slightly dented from their teeth.
He looked at their glowing heads, their single red eyes, and their metal parts. Smiling, he held the wrench up into the air again.
"Get the wrench for Daddy, get the wrench!" he said and fake threw it in one direction, before throwing it in another. The robots barked at one another as they bumped and collided, before taking off in the real direction.
"Sir?" Minion asked.
"Brain Bots." Megamind suddenly announced. "Their names are going to be Brain Bots."
"Brain Bots." Minion echoed the name, before grinning. "I like it!"
"So do I, Minion." replied Megamind as he watched the lone pink Brain Bot jostle a few of the blue ones out of its way to get to the wrench. "So do I."