Here it is, Chapter 7. I've been having a bit of writers' block lately not to mention being busy with work :P Don't you hate when life gets in the way of writing? Thanks for all the reviews people!
Update: I just did a little edit of things that I noticed weren't quite right. Ch8 is in the making but damned writers' block persists
Disclaimer: Megamind and Friends are not mine!
Chapter 7
Megamind pulled the invisible car up outside Roxanne Rogers apartment block and stormed up the stairs, de-gun in hand. If he was lucky Hal would be there. If he was gone then Megamind would make the stupid woman tell him where Hal was. He set the barrel to 'de-stroy' and shot at the door lock. Megamind kicked the door in and then slammed it shut behind him.
"Where is he, Roxanne Rogers?" he shouted. There was no answer. All the lights were on in the crappy apartment. The microwave door was open and there was a half-eaten bowl of spaghetti on the coffee table. "Miss Rogers I'm running out of patience!" he shouted and walked through the apartment, kicking in doors as he went. He got to the bedroom and turned the light on.
"Miss Rogers! I demand to…" the words died on his lips.
Her naked, broken body lay sprawled across the bed. Her face was battered beyond recognition and the bed sheet was tangled around her throat with her hands still clutching it in death.
Megamind slumped at the sight of her. Damn you Hal! And damn me for not getting to you sooner! His first ever dead body made his stomach churn uncontrollably. With trembling hands he took out Bernard's old cell phone and dialled the MCPD. He dully gave his code ("Code: Dead body at the Rogers apartment"), looked over at her again and took off his cape. She may have been stupid and naïve but she hadn't deserved this. Megamind draped the black fabric over the girl.
The apartment revealed nothing of Hal's whereabouts but Megamind had a hunch. He got into the car and drove to the industrial precinct where Hal had taken Roxanne and Barbie in the afternoon.
Hal followed the little private road out away from the city in Roxanne's…Rachel's shit-box of a car muttering to himself. He wasn't sure what he was saying most of the time. It was mostly a mixture of 'stupid whore', 'fuck you Roxanne' (which Roxanne he meant he didn't know), and 'gonna get you for this, Megamind!' This was all his fault. Prison. Rachel's death. Roxanne hating him. If it weren't for the blue freak none of this would have ever happened. He would have his revenge tonight though. He glanced at the fuel gage on the dashboard and then at the petrol can he had in the front seat. He hoped he wouldn't have to use any of it just to get to Megamind's house. He barely had enough to do the job as it was.
He killed the headlights of the car as soon as he could see the house, praying he wouldn't drive off the edge of the cliff in the dark. Then he got out of the car and decided to walk the rest of the way.
There were a few brainbots patrolling the grounds but they didn't spot him in his dark clothes. He ducked behind shrubs as he got closer to the house and barely avoided falling into a pond of some sort. The petrol can was getting heavy. He swapped the petrol can over to his other hand and took up the crow bar with the other and then hid in the bushes near the front door as a brainbot, a pink one with spiked fins, hovered past bowwing to itself. It stopped near him, looked left, right and then hovered away. He waited a few minutes until he was sure the coast was clear and ran over to the garage door. Using the crowbar he pried the door open, wincing at every sound, and managed to lift the door two feet off the ground. He pushed the petrol can inside and then rolled under the door himself. He looked around. It was dark and he saw the shape of that stupid flying motorbike. He glared, remembering the fish in the robot suit who rode it, and took the cap off the petrol can.
"I wouldn't if I were you. You've done more than enough damage for one day." Said a deep voice from the darkness. Hal jumped but managed to avoid peeing his pants again.
"Who's there?" He demanded. The lights came on and a huge guy with a beard in the garage with him. Hal blinked.
"Metro Man?" He exclaimed, voice squeaking, before he calmed down and laughed. "Whatever. You already pulled that trick on me once and it didn't work Megamind!" he snarled and swung the crowbar at the giant's head.
BANG! Hal howled and dropped the crowbar, pain shooting up his arm.
"Music Man, actually, it's a long story. Not one for you though." The giant said conversationally, not even flinching from the blow to the head. The crowbar was ruined. Hal glanced down at the petrol can again, wondering if he was fast enough to knock it over, light the match and get out before Metro Man could stop him. "Again, I wouldn't." he said, this time with an edge to his voice. Hal looked up at the man.
"Are you going to arrest me?" he asked. Metro man shrugged and rubbed his beard.
"No. That's not my job anymore. You should go now." He said. Hal stared, unable to believe his luck. He reached for the petrol can.
"Leave that here." The giant suggested. Hal didn't have to be told twice. As Hal got down to roll under the garage door he spoke again.
"Megamind is looking for you. Don't expect the same treatment from him." He said. Hal's lip curled.
"Fucking blue loser. I'm not afraid of him." He spat. "Say 'hi' to Roxy for me. I'll be seeing her soon."
"I doubt it." Metro Man said simply. "And if you're not afraid of Megamind then you're even dumber than you look."
"Go fuck yourself." Hal said and ran away, taking one last look at the huge man. The bulging muscles. Those powers…everything Hal had lost.
One more thing to hate Megamind for.
He ran back to the car and drove for his abandoned car park, the last hideout he had left.
Hal stumbled into the dark opening of the car park past the 'Do Not Enter' and 'Condemned' signs, the car having run out of fuel a mile or two away from his destination. Down and down he went to the lowest level where he had an emergency lair of sorts. He pulled up and eyed it distastefully in the glow of his flashlight. It wasn't fancy. Just a mattress, a few blankets, a bucket and a few days' worth of snacks that he'd stashed down here in case Roxanne/Rachel kicked him out (like she ever would have; the dumb slut had been completely devoted to him!). He took the flashlight out of the glove compartment and got out of the car, exhausted. He needed some sleep. Tomorrow he'd hold up a convenience store and figure out his next move…maybe send Roxy another bunch of flowers…
He took a wizz in the bucket and flopped down on the mattress, his right hand reached under the blanket and felt the cool metal of the object he had stashed there, his meal ticket, and his eyes slowly drifted closed.
"We meet again, Hal Stewart." Megamind's voice rang out in the darkness. Hal jumped and sat bolt upright, heart hammering.
"Megamind!" he called out, trying not to sound afraid. It was just Megamind after all. A skinny, blue, big-headed alien with no special powers or abilities at all…and he certainly wasn't bulletproof. He was no threat on his own.
"Correct." Megamind replied. "We have unfinished business, you and I."
"Can it wait 'til morning? I'm kinda tired." Hal stalled, fumbling for the gun under his blanket and trying to see through the darkness. He flicked the flashlight back on and waved it around but he couldn't see Megamind.
"Ordinarily I'd play this game with you, Hal Stewart. I myself played it for many years with my predecessor. We followed the rules. We consulted on times and dates occasionally. It was a gentleman's game." Hal whirled around when the voice sounded as though it were behind him, but missed him again. "You however are no gentleman. You tried to rape Roxanne Ritchie." He hissed.
"She wanted it deep down."
"You killed Roxanne Rogers."
"Rachel Rogers. She was a fake." Hal saw a flash of blue this time and fired his weapon It clicked. Shit! The safety was still on.
"She was a person!" Hal felt a slap at the back of his head and fired again. This time there was a loud 'crack', his hand stung from the recoil and his ears rang.
"She was a brain-dead skank. Your Roxanne is a whore. And you? You're too dumb to realise this is all your fault."
"Pray tell, how do you work that one out?" Megamind asked. Hal screamed, dropped the gun and jumped back when the blue man appeared right in front of him. He stood with his arms crossed, all in black leather with no visible expression on his face.
"You put me up on a pedestal and stole the only thing that mattered to me. Then you rubbed it in my face. You're marrying her? She was mine! And then, oh yeah, YOU LET ME OUT OF PRISON! Stupid retard. How is this not your fault?"
Megamind paused, for the first time unsure of himself. I made you a hero! You did the fool part all by yourself, he heard himself say. And it was true. Hal was the fool who squandered the power of the gods. He chose to hurt. He chose to kill.
So why was it so hard to think of something to say?
Megamind did the only thing that came to mind. He lunged forward and grabbed a handful of greasy, ginger curls to bring Hal's head down to meet his knee. Hal grunted and staggered backwards.
"That was for Miss Perkiss, the photographer you hurt." He stepped back into the shadows. Hal straightened and waved the flashlight around again looking for him.
"Come here and fight me like a man you coward."
"I'm a coward? You're the one who beats and rapes women with their hands tied." Megamind commented and stepped into the light again before driving his knee into the man's groin. "That one's for Roxanne. I believe she'd prefer to do it herself but I'm sure she'll forgive me this one time." He took possession of Hal's flashlight and shone it in the man's face. His face streamed blood from the nose and mouth and he was doubled over in pain. Megamind's lip curled and he punched him again, and again, sending Hal stumbling to the floor and curling up into the foetal position. Hands aching and heart racing with bloodlust Megamind glanced down at the gun his boot had just bumped into. It was odd to think that in all his years of villainy he'd never so much as held a traditional firearm. He bent slowly and picked it up. It was heavy and clumsy compared to his de-gun, but he was sure it would do its job adequately if he were to use it.
He so wanted to. It would mean Hal would never be able to hurt anyone again, but how could he do such a thing and still claim the title of 'hero'? Or live with himself afterwards?
To this day Megamind had never killed anyone, even accidently. He wanted to keep it that way.
Instead of shooting the man in the face he tossed the gun aside and stood over the trembling mass of flesh. His own hands shook with fury and he knew he had to do something quickly or he would still be tempted to kill him again. Megamind stepped over to the man's sleeping area, picked up the bucket and dumped the stinking contents over Hal's head.
"That's for your girlfriend." He spat. Hal choked and spat, then Megamind dropped the bucket on his head.
He didn't move anymore after that. After making sure he was still breathing Megamind took his phone out again to call for the police and an ambulance ("Code: I found Hal Stewart"). He flicked the lights of his car on so he could keep an eye on Hal and make absolutely sure he didn't escape this time.
And he didn't. The police were there within twenty minutes or so, followed by the ambulance.
The police took his statement and no mention was ever made of the beating Hal took. Megamind stomach churned at the thought of being accused of brutality and maybe losing his job, but if anything the police seemed sympathetic. Even the ambulance officer looked down at the unconscious man with disdain rather than concern, and then politely inquired as to whether Megamind's hands needed any medical attention. The police taped off the whole carpark and sent Megamind home with words like 'thanks' and 'great job, sir!'
He drove home letting the autopilot part of his brain take over, playing the scene in his head over and over again, each time ending it differently. He killed Hal. Hal fought back, won and went to claim Roxanne as his prize. He felt sick to his stomach, and as he pulled up in his driveway he jumped out of the car and vomited. He hadn't eaten much since earlier on today so he retched repeatedly on nothing. Finally he was able to stand up and wipe his mouth.
"Rough night huh?" a deep voice said from behind him. Megamind managed not to jump.
"You could say that." He said and looked up. The sky was starting to turn silver in the East.
"He's dead then?" Wayne asked. Megamind looked at the man and saw no judgement on his face.
"No. In prison." He answered and slumped to the ground. Wayne sat down beside him.
"I'm proud of you buddy. I'm not sure I could have done that if it was me."
"I beat him up." Megamind admitted. His hands hurt.
"Good for you."
"No it's not! How can I call myself a hero after this? You never hurt me. Well, never any more than you had to." Megamind said. Wayne shrugged.
"You never hurt anyone. If you had things might have been different. I roughed up a few other criminals. Real bad guys."
"Really?" Megamind stared up at the fading stars.
"Yup. We're only human…well not really but you get the idea. We're not perfect. Sometimes we lose it."
"I guess." He said. There was a pause. "Was this all my fault?"
"How so?" Wayne asked.
"I made Hal who he is. He never would have hurt anyone if I hadn't changed him."
"Really? You think he would have just been happy to sit back and admire Roxy from a distance forever? Besides, he's a coward. Blaming you for what he did…that would be like blaming me for that time you put laxatives into the water supply." Megamind laughed in spite of the situation.
"That was a bad time for all concerned. I never thought to have our own backup supply handy." He admitted. Wayne laughed and stood up.
"Cheer up. The day after tomorrow you'll be a married man."
"Yeah."
"It'll get better. Go inside, get some sleep. Shiyounin's throwing you a real party tonight and I am not going to let your moping ruin my night of booze and strippers." He clapped Megamind on the shoulder. Megamind couldn't help but laugh.
"Okay, thanks Wayne." He said and went inside.
He showered, threw his filthy clothes in the washing hamper and climbed into bed.
With Roxanne. She was in a deep sleep. He curled himself around her and breathed in deep with his nose buried in her hair.
Warm, comfortable and knowing she was safe, his eyes began to close.
