She wasn't at all surprised when her boss gave her an odd look when she handed in her request for leave. When asked why she was taking time off for such a long amount of time, she shrugged, and had told him she had worked hard and had accumulated all of that annual leave so she might as well iusei it before she lost it for good. Roxanne had smiled at him in that sweet little way some women could pull off, and the boss had begrudgingly agreed to allow her the time but only after the big interview with Watson Crane, the mogul who was being suspected of embezzling millions.
"Hey c'mon chief, this is me you're talking about. You think I'd let some big wig like him get away Scott free?" she asked as she set a hand on her hip. "Good luck!"
"That's m'girl, Roxy. Had me worried you were leaving us to pursue something greater." He said as he filed the paperwork away into his 'out' tray, to be handed into human resources so they would know that she hadn't skipped town and had just taken some well earned leave.
Things were going relatively well for Roxanne. All her years of training, studying, and doing over time had carried her from a simple intern at the channel KPMG 8 news station to the lead anchor, who was known for always getting out there on the field, unafraid to get her expensive pumps dirty. She loved the work, the hours, and the people she surrounded herself with. Well, maybe not all of them… her newest cameraman, Hal, was a bit of an… Iinterestingi kind of guy.
She had the sneaking suspicion that he had a crush on her but was either too shy or socially retarded to do anything about it. Roxanne, not wanting to embarrass or hurt him, simply didn't take any notice of it. If he ever actually asked her out socially, she would be sure to let him know that it was as friends and as nothing else. After all, she already had her eye on somebody even if the chances of scoring him was well and truly infinity against.
Wayne Scott could have any woman he wanted, or woimeni, so why would he take notice of a mousy brown haired, blue eyed, big hipped women like her? Sure, they had enjoyed some time together as friends but little to nothing else. Whenever he ended up on the news he always insisted she be the one to interview him, or to be one of the many reporters at the reviews when it came to talks on how well his business and charities were going. It was quite touching really, but she had the feeling that the one man she Ididi want to have interest in her simply wasn't looking… at least for any kind of relationship that came with a happy ending involving commitment and a ring. Scott came across as the kind of guy who would sleep with a woman, then unfortunately forget all about her. Not that he was callus, or rude, it was just that he had a family business to run and he couldn't afford himself the luxury of a real, steady relationship.
At least, that's what she told herself. Besides, was she truly ready for a steady relationship? She didn't know.
The weather was perfect, on the day of her big interview on the steps of the legal firm that Watson Crane would be exiting from. What she called an interview was normally known as the dog and the rabbit, she being the dog constantly chasing the white rabbit until she got answers. She wore proper shoe support today, along with a nice little red dress number with a black thin jacket over it since there was a bit of a chill in the air. There was Hal, ready and waiting, outside her apartment block's door and no doubt getting a ticket from that sticker licker for double parking.
Away they went, as Hal shoved the parking ticket into the dirty glove compartment, and Roxanne talked about what kind of angel she was going to try and go when going after Watson. Not too aggressive but not a door mat either. As she expected, Hal agreed with everything she said. While she had anticipated this, being told that her ideas were great was always a boost for her self esteem.
"Ready?" Roxanne asked as she readied the microphone in her hand as Hal shouldered the heavy camera on his right shoulder.
"Ready as ever." He replied with a grin around his chewing gum.
The interview slash chase went surprisingly well. Hal got a few hands to the lens which would no doubt leave smudge prints on the final edited film but that always gave things are more edgy look to them. Roxanne followed him like a pro, asking him questions and holding the microphone out as the massive tower of a man glowered and answered with the usual 'No Comment' as the smaller, weaker men around him talked into mobiles and wore expensive sunglasses.
"That went better than I thought…" Hal, who was considerably out of shape, wheezed as he held onto his knees, forehead hanging forward and sweat dotted his forehead.
"At least he admitted to it being a train ride to Hell!" Roxanne said positively, punching the air with her fist and a big grin.
"Oh yeah, that's… always great…"
Roxanne was about to make a comment about him eating things that weren't deep fried or smothered in chocolate when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Since they were in the city centre, tall, impressive buildings were on all sides of them. Most of them were reflective, and while she could still see the fair blue sky above her in one of the buildings reflective surfaces she saw thick, black cloud seemingly coming out of nowhere.
"What is… Hal get your camera! Turn it on, turn it on!" Roxanne ordered, waving her hand. "Something's going down!"
"Huh?" Hal obeyed her, confused for a moment until he saw the black clouds. They were spreading like wild fire across the fair blue skies, blocking out the sun and sending the middle of the city into almost pitch blackness. Roxanne turned around on the spot, the hairs on her neck and forearms standing up, feeling that something definitely huge was going to happen.
Was it the Doom Syndicate? When did they have the power to do this? Psycho Delic may have been able to give off fumes of hallucinogenic powers but this was beyond his scope. Maybe it was the Destruction Worker, with a new machine that spewed out black smoke? But it was so high, how could he-
"Roxanne look at that!" Hal shouted, pointing upwards.
High above the city was the source of the black smoke. It looked like a blimp, but it had no means of control. Sticking out of it in odd intervals were long metallic spikes, and from those spikes came the smoke. Roxanne realized the smoke wasn't just forming lazily, it was moving in a shape. It was becoming a crescent mood, surrounding and swallowing up the buildings in its wake as if they were nothing to care about. The way it floated and moved… it was like gravity didn't matter at all.
"Are you getting this?" Roxanne asked.
"I am, I am!" Hal replied shakily, fighting every urge in his body to drop the camera and run.
The urge doubled when lightning bolts suddenly began to rip out of the black clouds, striking at the ground. When they struck the ground, bits of pavement, or cars (whatever the bolts decided to land on) sent skywards in retaliation. Roxanne covered her ears and shut her eyes, the flashes incredibly bright. So bright she was sure she could feel her bare exposed arms being sun burned despite the darkness. The people who had been out on the street were screaming in terror, rushing around in an attempt to avoid the bolts of lightning. Car wheels screeched and Roxanne could hear the crunch of metal against more metal as accidents happened around her.
One car even jumped the side walk and plowed into a fire hydrant, sending water gushing upwards into the sky.
No, this was definitely not the Doom Syndicate.
Then, when it felt like things couldn't get any more strange, or dangerous, something else came out of the black fog. They were small hovering robots, from the looks of them. All of them gave off an eerie blue glow, held red singular metal eyes that blinked rapidly, and large bear-trap like maws that hung wide open… obviously hungry. They barked, or made a noise similar to barking, and began chasing the people around them. It was like watching a bunch of dogs heard frightened sheep, they swooped and swerved, barking continuously at the terrified people.
Roxanne quickly noticed that they were herding people away from herself and Hal. That sinking feeling in her stomach became as heavy as lead and she began to slowly back away from Hal. Just as she was beginning to turn two of the floating robots leapt up in front of her. She screamed and backed up, before falling over backwards. Hal then swung the only thing he had on hand at the floating monsters, his camera, and sent both of the machines flying. They crashed to the ground, the domes of their heads smashing open and their death screams shattered nearby glass as tiny arcs of power erupted from their cracked glass.
The first thing to flash through Roxanne's head was "Oh my God he broke the camera!" before she realized he had, most probably, just saved her from something. She opened her mouth to thank him when a high pitched roaring noise ripped through the air. Any and all glass it came in contact with erupted with a force so powerful it sent shards of glass flying, then falling, to the streets below. Roxanne and Hal both got down and covered their heads, in a vain attempt at shielding themselves from being ripped to ribbons but they didn't have to bother.
It was like there was an invisible shield above them, and as the glass struck that shield it bounced off and landed innocently on the ground around them. Shaking, Roxanne slowly lifted her gaze and looked skywards.
What she saw hovering in the ground just above her was the last thing she ever expected to see.
He looked human enough, but the imagery was shattered when she realized his skin was sky blue. His eyes, a beautiful green, were staring straight at her. His skull was larger than any she had ever seen before, round and bulbous but she could see obvious scarring above one of his temples. His outfit was like a mash between KISS, Ozzy Osborne, and Alice Cooper. It was all black, skin tight, possibly a mesh of both leather and spandex. Upon his feet were the biggest heeled boots she had ever seen a man wear (outside of the Goths she saw hanging around the city), they had spiked front steel toes, straps covering the laces, and stopped just beneath his knees.
His gloves were just as spiked, silver plating over the knuckles and ran their way up his forearms stopping short of his elbows. Beneath his gloves was the skin tight spandex, hugging closely to his almost sickly thin frame. He had obvious muscles but in that black clothing, being that tight, he looked like he needed a good feed. Upon his shoulders were the kind of shoulder pads Alice Cooper would be proud of, with sharp, metallic spikes jutting out of them that were at least ten inches tall in some places. To top it all off, he wore a cape, black as nightmares that billowed out behind and above him.
Roxanne's mind raced. Who could this be? Could this be M? No, this couldn't be M. M was the vision the city had of a hero, a man who stood up to people like this… if this was even a person to begin with. She had a strong, sneaking suspicion, that he wasn't.
"Who the Hell are you?" Hal voiced everyone's thoughts at the floating blue man. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
Those green cold eyes turned their attention from Roxanne to the red haired man besides her. A second later, Hal had appeared to be punched by an invisible foe since he went flying and landed on the pavement with a startled, pained grunt.
"Hal!" Roxanne shouted and made to run to him but found herself incapable. She could feel hands on her, holding her still, and yet she saw nobody around her. Her had snapped back and she stared at the blue man again, her blue eyes narrowed in anger. "Who are you?" she asked finally, fighting to ignore the shaking in her voice and falling miserably short.
"Me?" the blue skinned man asked, as if he had been pointed at while surrounded by people in a crowd.
"Yes you! Why are you doing this, are you with the Doom Syndicate? Who are you?" she asked, the timbre in her voice becoming firmer the more questions she asked. Asking questions always helped. It stalled for time, it bought information.
He suddenly erupted into a laugh that sent chills down her back. His laugh was hollow and empty, and echoed of pain effortlessly. But he stopped just as quickly as he started and came down, so he landed on the ground ahead of her. Taking a step towards her, his boots crunched the glass underfoot, and set a hand to his chest. "I Iamithe Doom Syndicate. I am the evil that has gripped this city like a tumor growing on human tissue. I am the one who has watched you from the darkness. I am IMegamind."i
"Megamind?" she echoed the name, and tried in vain to recollect if she had ever heard the name again. It wasn't a name she had ever come across and already her mind was racing, and she had a job for knowing names of bad guys. And what did he mean by ibeingi the Doom Syndicate? How did that make any sense?
"I see you have many questions, my dear." Megamind said sweetly, but in a way that was any way but sweet. "Don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to ask them. But if I'm in the mood for answering them, you'll have to wait and see."
Roxanne began to argue when she suddenly felt herself leave the ground. Oh my God, she was floating. How was that possible? Was he doing that? He had a huge brain, who's to say that he wasn't capable of doing things that human brains couldn't? Despite it, she struggled, as if trying to free herself from invisible bondage but found it impossible. The blue Megamind moved closer to her as they continued to move skywards, and leaned in so close she could feel his breath against her cheek.
"I have dreamed of this day. And it is every piece as glorious as I imagined." He whispered before he pulled back and burst into more of that spine chilling laughter that seemed to echo in the black fog that they were vanishing into. Roxanne shuddered, and shut her eyes tightly as the cold enveloped her. She just prayed that M would show up, loathe as she was to be helpless like a new born kitten even she knew that she couldn't distract this guy with a purse.
"Attention Metrocity!"
The voice spontaneously exploded over every mobile, iPod, iPad, radio station, television, and internet broadcast in the city. It startled many people, and while they attempted to either fix their machines or stare in horror at them, the voice continued.
"Please, don't bother attempting to adjust your station or press 'next' on the little electronic doo-dad you may be holding in your sweaty palms. This is the voice of Megamind. I have managed to tap into every electronic wave and resource this miserable city has to offer and let me tell you it was like tying my laces. You security drones need to work on your defenses more and less time on how sparkly and shiny you can make things look. You make the electronics genius in me SICK. Anyway, back to the task at hand. I am looking for M. You all know who I'm talking about. The mysterious goody two shoes who has been flying around bothering my boys and girl in all their wrong doing. I'm calling you out, M. And just in case you get cold feet, and decide to turn tail and run, I have in my possession one Roxanne Ritchi. If I do not hear from you in the next hour… well. Let's just say it's not going to be pretty. Not one bit. So, just to summarize, I am Megamind, you all make me sick, come and find us, M, and I've got Roxanne Ritchi."
And then there was silence.
Megamind sat back in his leather chair, and the Brain Bot which had held the microphone for him obediently flew away. Taking a deep breath, he held up an empty glass and another Brain Bot, this one carrying a bottle of something, poured the clear liquid into the glass before, it too, flew away.
"Well I must say so far this has been a very eventful day." Megamind said cheerily to himself before turning in his large leather chair to face the woman who was presently strapped down on a metallic, spiked, operation table. He watched as she attempted to break free of the restraints, but found herself incapable of doing so. Watching this gave him that burning feeling at the pit of his stomach again, and he wanted to go over and touch her face, to whisper that it would be all right and she'll be fine. But this side of him lost out to the stronger half of him, who kept him rooted to his seat.
"Eventful?" Roxanne asked, eyes narrowed at the blue man. "You call this eventful!"
"For my first foray into this kind of thing, so far I'm feeling pretty good about myself." He admitted as he slowly got to his feet.
"Why are you doing this, what are you trying to prove?" she demanded, fists clenching as he approached her. Oh God. Was he going to touch her? Was he going to…
"This city needs to burn." Megamind whispered in her ear once he was close enough. "This city, is a disease… and I am the cure. Too long have I lay hidden beneath the surface, pulling puppet strings and keeping my hide safe. It's time to act, and act I shall."
"Sir, please!" Minion pleaded, as he lumbered into the room. Roxanne's eyes widened even more when she saw the robotic monstrosity, and looked back to Megamind as the fish spoke. "You don't have to do this, it's too soon, and it's too dangerous!" he pleaded.
i"Minion."i Megamind groaned, turning to glare at the robot. "What did I tell you about disturbing me while I was enjoying myself with Roxanne?"
"To not bother you." The fish said weakly.
"Exactly. Why are you suddenly turning on me like this? Why are you questioning me? You've never done this before, and in front of Roxanne! How am I supposed to intimidate her with you whining at me like this?" the blue alien demanded as he stormed up to the fish, and jabbed his finger in the fake fur.
"Because it is too early, Sir. If M came along now, how will you protect yourself? How could I protect you?" the fish asked, voice shaking. "We know almost nothing about his abilities, we-"
"Just because you know nothing does not mean I do not!" he spun suddenly and stormed back to Roxanne's side. "I have placed security cameras all over this miserable city. I have seen him in action when he thought he was safe and protected. I have seen him and I know who he is. And he will fall, he will crumble and he will DIE by my hand and nobody else's!"
"You're mad." Roxanne said venomously, "You're completely mad!"
i"THIS ISN'T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO!"i Megamind suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, shocking Roxanne and causing Minion to go running from the room. "You weren't supposed to talk to me like that! You weren't supposed to HATE me! Why can't you smile for me, at me, like you do on the news? Every time you blink it tells me how you feel WHY ARE YOU DENYING ME NOW?" the blue alien was shaking, and in reaction to this, the room itself seemed to shake. A light hanging from the ceiling shook, then suddenly broke loose and fell to the floor and shattered on impact, sending shards of glass in all directions. Even the glass in his hand exploded. "It's him, isn't it? You have him. Everybody loves him. It doesn't matter who or what they do, doesn't matter what they've gone through…"
Roxanne had never been so terrified in her life. This man, this alien, was so twisted and insane he could barely talk straight anymore. He could move things with his mind… That much she could tell. But not only that, but he could idestroyi things with his mind too. She looked at the broken glass in his hand and shuddered to imagine he would do the same to her. What could she do? She could speak nicely to him, to at least calm him. It would buy her time, at least until M would show up. He ihadi to show up.
"Wh-what have you been through…?" she asked shakily. "What happened… to… to you?"
It felt as though the silence had sucker punched the room for it was a painful, awkwardly still moment. Megamind, his expression moments ago being of complete rage and turmoil, was now one of wide eyed wonder and innocence. It was like time had reversed, and he was a child all over again… unknowing of the anger of the world outside, unaware of what the doctors had in store for him. It was all a game. All of the tests with the flash cards, math, science, and everything else that School taught him. It was feeding his growing brain, being absorbed like a sponge in a sink full of water, and he couldn't get enough of it.
"Nobody… nobody's ever asked me that before…" he said quietly.
"First time for everything, am I right?" Roxanne asked, the shake in her voice less now. She prayed he continued to act this way, even though it was just as terrifying as seeing him scream and cause glass to explode, he was less threatening this way. At least that's what she told herself.
"I was. I was experimented on." Megamind slowly said, giving voice to the pain he had experienced all his life. "I had mental tests first. See how smart I was. The doctors… they were amazed… I could talk and walk only at a month old… I knew numbers, colors, letters, everything and just after a few short lessons… they had never witnessed anything like me. I was special. I was unique. I was the last of my kind." He touched his chest, as if searching for his skin but found himself incapable of doing so because of his leather and his layers. "But then they started testing. They… they hurt me… always with the needles… I'd wake up with scars I didn't remember getting… there'd be a drain, in my skull, iin my skull…"i he trailed off, voice shaking.
"Why were they doing that to you?" the woman asked.
"Because look at me." The alien replied, looking at her now, his expression one of pain and exhaustion. "I came from another world. I was found, while the other who arrived with me got away. He sent me off course… the government found me, and felt it best to keep me in isolation. To study, test, investigate, learn everything they wanted and you know what?"
"What?" Roxanne asked quietly.
"I thought that was all there was to my life. I never argued." He slid his hand along the metal table she was strapped to, eyes staring vacantly ahead. "I thought it was all there was to the world. But then I remembered Minion. I remembered the sky. Minion came to me, he did. They never saw him. He helped teach me what I could do, and I tried to break out. Do you know what happened?"
"Well you broke out?" she hazarded a guess, since he was standing there before her.
Megamind snorted in an amused kind of way, and suddenly got off the table and bent over, and began to un-strap his boots. Roxanne's mind raced, as did her hearts. Was he undressing? Why was he undressing? She thought she had been doing so well! She had been stalling for time, and it almost felt like they were getting somewhere, but now he was taking his clothes off. Oh God. She was going to be…
But when the boot came off, he didn't continue. Instead he turned and slammed his foot onto the table and Roxanne found herself staring in shock. His leg, from the knee down, was not flesh and blood like the rest of him. It was a metallic leg. The metal was various shades of gray, silver, and black. The foot was articulated like a regular normal foot, five toes, but without toe nails.
"My first attempt sent me falling down an elevator shaft. I thought I could fly myself out. Instead I broke both my legs and all but shattered my spine. The doctors, once they found me, removed my legs. I was awake during the operation. Claimed it was a lesson, but also a test. Test on how far I could manage pain. Do you know how old I was?" he asked quietly, having spoken at a low, leveled tone.
"How… how old…?" she asked, eyes still stuck on his leg.
"Thirteen years old. They thought removing my legs and leaving me to suffer in my room would smother any further attempts at escape. I made them believe the drugs they were feeding me left me brain dead and complacent. Human beings are… so easy to fool and trick. I tried again, four years later and I got out. I got OUT! And I blew half of them to fucking Hell in the process!" Megamind spat, pulling his foot back off the table and onto the floor where it made a metallic clank noise as it hit the floor. "Then I hunted down all the rest, all of them and killed them all! And you know the genius of it? Nobody ever knew! It was brilliant, it was amazing!"
An alarm went off in the back of Roxanne's mind. She remembered all her days investigating the scientists who had died in their homes. All of them had been natural deaths, all of them either committing suicide or suffering brain aneurisms or heart attacks. She always knew something was wrong with it and now she knew why. These were the scientists who had worked on this poor, twisted, sick individual. They had taken what had once been, possibly, a healthy and happy child and turned it into this crazed man she now saw stood before her.
"I've almost gotten them all." Megamind said as he suddenly bent and pulled his boot back on, lacing it quickly and strapping up the small belts just as quickly. "Only one remains hidden, but I'll find him. But tonight, I have somebody else I need to deal with. M."
"Why are you against him? Roxanne asked shakily, the mention of the hero bringing back the small shred of hope she had that he could find her in time before whatever it was Megamind had in mind for her could happen. She prayed, whatever it was, that it was quick and painless.
"He is the reason the government found me. You see, we both started life on our own planets. Oh yes. M is an alien. A very human appearing one. Unlike myself. When we were just in your atmosphere the little adorable baby that was M decided, as fun, to knock my own pod out of its course. I landed in a freaking iprison yardi where the government picked me up like I was a piece of produce in a market. Yet he got away scot free. As if the rules didn't apply to him. HE. HE got to live a life! He got to see the sun! He got to throw a football! He got to experience EVERYTHING while I was subjected to… to… HELL."
Roxanne turned her head away as he screamed again, the noise hurting her ears. If he continued on this course he would become enflamed with anger and hatred, and yearn to hurt something. She was the only one in the room, so she tried to calm him. But how could she? She could offer no words of sympathy, no promises of things getting better. How could things get better for him? He couldn't enter society again, if he did the government might swoop in again and pull him back underground. Or worse, he could be all out killed for what he had done in order to escape, for his madness, and his callousness at attacking the city as well as his ties to the Doom Syndicate.
Oh god, she actually felt sorry for him.
"So, my dear." Megamind set his hands to the table and leaned over, looking down at her. "Now that you know my little story you understand why I have used you as bait to call out M. I saw him, loitering outside your apartment a few nights ago that gave me the realization he had something to do with you. He is either a lover, a friend, a brother, isomethingi to make him check on you personally."
"Wait, you've been watching me?" Roxanne suddenly felt repulsed, the pity she felt before melting faster than a snow flake in July.
"Not ithati closely." Megamind replied casually, before continuing on the topic at hand. "But either way it was that moment I realized that was how I could draw him out. You would the lure, the worm on the hook that I cast into the ocean that is this miserable city and land me a big fat M." he daringly reached out, and put his hand to her knee and the contact sent sparks of disgust through Roxanne's being. "You're my pawn in a game of Chess I intend on winning."
Roxanne shut her eyes, and tried to displace herself. She tried, in vain, to imagine herself anywhere else but here. She was supposed to be starting her time off, right now. Roxanne should have been packing her suitcases and going to the airport, buying a ticket spontaneously for anywhere in America. It didn't matter where, just as long as she wasn't here in this city. But fate had spat in her face and now here she was, strapped to a table, with a crazed split personality, megalomaniac psychopath using her to bring down the greatest hero that Metro City had ever seen.
She felt like she could cry.