Disclaimer: I do not own Megamind, the characters belong to Dreamworks.
What did you think of the last chapter? Good! This chapter isn't extremely interesting, but...well, I like it, so it stays! :) Enjoy!

The stall clerk cowered to the ground in fear, his eyes squeezed shut. Megamind apathetically regarded the frightened man as he shielded his greying head with his hands, his words muffled by his starched shirt as he begged, "Please, don't hurt me! I-I have a family! Two kids, and a sick wife!"

Megamind didn't acknowledge his plead; he had heard similar stories before, and he was immune to such pathetic blubbering. The villain turned his back on the fuming newsstand and drawled cruelly, "Grammatical accuracy is one of the few merits that journalists possess. Be sure to tell your publisher that Megamind has no space in it." He tucked his ray-gun into the holster at his hip as he sauntered away, leaving the tiny newsstand billowing with smoke. Giving the front page of the paper a lazy look, he tossed it to the ground, water from a nearby storm drain seeping into the paper instantly. He was in a foul mood, and he needed to engage in some intelligent conversation. Megamind withdrew a cellular phone from his pocket and quickly dialled the lair.

Minion was painting the interior of the lair a rich navy blue in a matte finish, a job he had been putting off for weeks as he planned his master's escape when the phone rang. Dropping the roller brush into its paint tray, he raced to the phone, picking up after the second ring.

"Hello?" Megamind smiled as the voice of his minion and closest friend filled the lonely gap at the other end of the phone line. It was time to unveil his newest evil plot.

"Change of plans, Minion," Megamind said, skipping the chitchat as he marched quickly down the street. "We won't be redesigning the Brainbots tonight." Minion's shoulders fell in disappointment; he had been looking forward to this all day. There was nothing more fun than playing with the Brainbots while his master altered the blueprints. It was like playing with puppies…granted, most puppies didn't have laser beams that shot out of their foreheads, but only very rarely did anyone get hurt.

"Why not?" Minion asked, trying not to whine as he rested his bionic hand tiredly on his hip. Megamind was about to respond when he witnessed a golden opportunity: a man carrying a tower of boxes was trying to negotiate his was through the throng of people flowing down the sidewalk just feet away from him. The villain stopped abruptly and stuck his foot out, tripping the man and sending the stack of boxes tumbling into the open doorway of a florist's shop. Stepping quickly around the mess, Megamind continued on his path and replied, "We'll be too busy executing the kidnapping of Roxanne Ritchie."

"Isn't that a little risky, sir? I mean, you only got out a few days ago," Minion cautioned as he cradled the receiver between his fishbowl and his shoulder, his voice expressing concern. Megamind pondered this for a moment, then the image of Roxanne's satisfied smirk popped into his head again, her certainty, her attitude; hardly the picture of a helpless captive. He would set that straight. His brows lowered and he said curtly into the receiver, "Villains have no inhibitions. Make sure the paint job is complete by the time I'm done at Rosaline's Café, then meet me at the fountain by city hall with the invisible car. Oh, and Minion…"

The fish perked up, waiting for a simple thank you, maybe even a compliment. It had been a long time since he had gotten any appreciation, because even though the Brainbots were sweet, they had a limited vocabulary, not to mention synthetic emotions.

"Iron my good cape and take it with you. This is a special occasion, and I must look my best." Minion's shoulders sunk even lower and his fish bowl drooped downward, his hopes for a little appreciation dashed.

"No problemo, boss," Minion chirped with feigned excitement as he raised his roller brush, sighing as the phone clicked off in response. "I still think it's a bad idea," he mumbled as he set the phone down, then continued coating the wall before him with the dark matte paint. Minion noticed a Brainbot floating idly by him, and he held out his hand to pet it, whistling to get the robot's attention. The Brainbot suddenly emitted a loud siren sound and aimed its laser at him; the room quickly filled with other Brainbots that heard the signal, each pointing a red laser at him. He raised his hands in defence and called out, "Minion!"

The voice recognition must have worked, because the Brainbots were on standby again, floating peacefully around the room like leaves in a light breeze. He released a gush of air in relief and returned to his painting, muttering, "That was close. I forgot they were oversensitive to high pitched sounds." He would remember not to whistle Bye Bye, Birdie anymore, or else it could be bye bye, Minion. He frowned at the partially painted wall, realizing that if he was going to finish in time, he would need an extra set of hands…

Or maybe a robot army. He smiled to himself and turned to face the swarm of Brainbots that flitted about the room. His chest puffed out like a commander, Minion straightened his posture and ordered in a booming voice to the Brainbots, "Let's get this place painted! Come on, move it!"

The Brainbots swiftly obeyed, each taking up a spare brush and painting the bare patches on the walls. Minion nodded proudly at his authority and returned to his own task, humming this time to avoid startling the Brainbots. He would have to remember to recalibrate their sensors tomorrow, or else it could spell out disaster. Megamind, he knew, liked to whistle in the shower.