No, Metrocity reminded herself. Mechanico is dead. He's been dead for nine years. They found his body and buried him—in a cemented casket, no less. So what could it...
"Come on!" Metrocity said suddenly, leaping up and grabbing Bernard by the wrist. He stumbled after her as she rushed out of the forest, flapping behind almost as if he were made of the same material as her cape.
"What's going on?" he asked, trying to keep up with her.
"I don't know, but I can tell it's bad! Quick, reach into my cape and grab the motorbike!" Bernard reached out with his left hand, his right being the one Metrocity had grabbed a hold of, and dipped it into one of the inner pockets of the cape and withdrew a small blue cube.
"Here!" he shouted, handing it over. Metrocity took it in her right hand, the one not attached to Bernard's wrist, and deftly tossed it into the river, leaping after it and landing right in place. She took a second to let Bernard get adjusted and hold on to her before she sped off again, racing through the skies.
"How can you tell something's wrong?" the boy inquired.
"I just...I just can!" Metrocity called back. "I can't really explain it. Hold on tight!" she added, and Bernard grabbed her around the waist as she leaned forward, sped up, and flipped the motorbike upside down so they could just make it through a tunnel overtop a truck. Bernard squeezed his eyes shut, but Metrocity's eyes were wild with excitement and concentration as they sped through the tunnel, then out.
Metrocity righted the vehicle, then stopped dead, both her and Bernard lurching forward with the sudden cease in motion. Dread filled both their throats.
There, at the center of town, was a giant, firmly-stationed robot with a clear cockpit. Who she saw in that cockpit made her sick. Very sick. For two reasons. The first was Mindy.
The second was her brother.
There, in the cockpit, at the forefront, was Damion, his large silver head unmistakable in any setting. Behind him, her hand resting on his shoulder, was Mindy. They were dressed in villains' attire, different from her father's and hers in several ways. Damion's had a lower collar, though it was still taller than usual collars were.
Instead of a blue lightning bolt on a leather suit, Damion wore spandex with a scarlet X through the middle, and Mindy... To say the least, it was black leather, skimpy, and extremely distasteful. Damion spotted her distinctive blue skin nearly as quickly as she spotted his silver.
"Hello, Metrocity, it's wonderful that you've come to join us—and you've brought your boyfriend too!"
"Shut up, Damion!" Metrocity snapped as Bernard hopped onto the roof of the nearest building, and her hand immediately slapped over her own mouth. She had never told any of her siblings to shut up before, and it made her blush. They'd all been raised in a loving home with loving parents and ample space of their own. Not one of them had shared a room since they were three. Privacy had never been an issue. When they were angry, they didn't need to hand out ill-tempered words to vent, they could just go to their respective rooms and disintegrate their trash until they felt better.
"MWOOWAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!" Damion cackled into his megaphone (no relation, of course). "My Henchgirl was right! It does seem to strain your nerves, sister dearest!" he cackled, turning the last two words into a jeer, heavily laden with sarcasm and oozing sardonicism.
"What are you doing, Damion?" Metrocity demanded, inching forward on her motorbike, but the giant robot raised a hand and index finger, imitating every move Damion was making.
"Ah, ah, ah, Metrocity. If you come even a millimeter closer..." The stomach flap began to rise from the robot, and Metrocity gasped. Within a huge pink circle, strung by their feet, were five of her nine family members. Megamind, Master-Mind, Blueberry, Oobermind, and Mark were tied and gagged, and every time they tried to move, Metrocity could see a bolt of electricity come at them, making them writhe with pain.
"What—Damion! How could—What are you—" Confusion shot through Metrocity like—well, like a bolt of lightning. Why would Damion tie up their family? What was he planning? What was going on?
Damion laughed into the megaphone again.
"Oh, it looks like Metrocity is confused! Well, Metrocity, I'll tell you, since you're about to die anyway. My plan is simple; Step one, gain a Henchman or Henchwoman; check. Step two, finish my giant robot and imprison all things blue and alive within; check. Step three, kill Metrocity, and thereafter kill one of my family every week until they're all dead; soon to be put in progress. Step four, kill the family of your close friend Bernard! Step five, take over Metro City...and then the world!" Metrocity's eyes widened.
"You're—you're—"
"Yes Metrocity, citizens of Metro City, I'm evil. I'm very evil. And I plan to let nothing stand in my way. And when I finish killing our blue counterparts, youngest to oldest, I'll find Mother and Song...And they'll die too."
"And how do you plan to kill me?" Metrocity demanded, standing up on her motorbike. Even from where she was, Metrocity saw the evil smile flit across her brother's face.
"Like this," he said, and the robot's hand came down suddenly, slamming into Metrocity and her skybike, sending them whizzing through the air in a clearly damaged state, one end over the other, spinning so fast they seemed almost to be one.
"METROCITY!" Bernard screamed as he watched her disappear into the center of a large crowd only yards away from where he now stood. When the crowd crowded closer to where she had disappeared, his heart seized up.
His worst fear had finally been realized.
Author Comments:
OMG, IS METROCITY DEAD! Who will save Metro City! Will Damion and Mindy win! Will Bernard rise up to be the hero, or stay in hiding? Is all hope lost? 'Tis a dark day in the life of the fanfic...