Megamind, Roxanne, and Minion stared in disbelief at the monitor in front of them. On the screen was a video feed from the brainbot patrol that had been sent to scout out what caused the earth-shattering explosion.
The high-definition video transmission showed a crater where a warehouse had once stood, just a few blocks away from where the Evil Lair was nestled in the Industrial Park of the city. In the center of the crater was a very tall, half-buried, cigar shaped, black metal object. Or, more accurately, a metal tower. The part of object that was not buried rose a good ten stories into the sky above the ground, looming above the various low-lying warehouses and factories. Its obsidian surface glinted in the rays of the late afternoon light, sometimes catching the sun's rays with a glaring effect.
Several surrounding buildings had been wholly or partially destroyed by the impact. Because of those levelled structures and a couple of parking lots beyond them, Megmind realized from the visuals the Brainbot was sending that there was a clear line of sight from Evil Lair to the obelisk.
"That's not yours?" Roxanne asked hesitantly after a few moments of tense silence, adjusting the bag of ice on her head. She prayed that it was, fear gripping her.
"No," Megamind answered, unable to tear his eyes away from the display.
The surface of the tower was contoured but not decorated, with ridges and bumps of varying sizes protruding from it at seemingly random places. There were no windows that they could see from their vantage point.
Another two monitors flickered to life with alterative views from different angles as additional brainbots reached positions further out from the first. Each monitor showed more of the same, endless stretches of smooth, black, metallic surface.
As the two aliens and the reporter stared at the displays in shock, studying the mysterious object, a fourth monitor lit up as one brainbot started to slowly ascend and circle the object, providing a closer view of the object. There was no sign of seam or rivet in the surface, the entire object appeared to be wrapped in a contiguous metal skin. Here and there lights blinked, but otherwise the seemingly random and contoured features of the surface were barren, without any adornment, marking, or decoration.
"What is it?" Roxanne breathed softly as before.
"I...I don't know," he answered for the second time with frustration. He hated not knowing, and despised having to admit it. The unfamiliar feeling of ignorance left him feeling insecure and uncertain.
Suddenly one of the brainbot's video feeds of the onyx tower was disrupted by a flash of white. The three jumped as one, gasping in shock.
The vision of Metro Man in all his costumed glory greeted them.
"Megamind, what dastardly plan has your twisted mind concocted this time?" the hero asked the brainbot with a sour frown, knowing that it would relay his words to Megamind. His voice boomed with a sharp and scolding tone.
Megamind frowned as he glanced at Roxanne, sharing a concerned glance with her. He stepped forward to grip a microphone arcing out of the needlessly complex control panel, pushing its red button that lit upon contact.
"That's not mine," the blue villain answered with a nervous voice, the brainbot on the other side producing his voice on a speaker hidden within it.
Metro Man looked shocked by his life-long adversary refuting credit for what the muscle-bound man had thought was to be the blue villain's opus. For the first time, the invulnerable man was apprehensive. If this monstrosity wasn't Megamind's then...what was it?
Both in the lair and at the site, silence followed Megamind's denial of responsibility for this massive artifact. Roxanne hugged herself with her one free arm, as she held the ice bag to her wounded head with the other. A feeling of foreboding filled her as the deathly quiet stretched out. The empty feeling chilled her to the bone as all of them were clearly at a loss.
The stillness was shattered when a series of loud clanging sounds issued from the obsidian tower. Metro Man spun about, his cape and tassels fluttering as he put his back to the brainbot to face the tall structure in a ready stance.
Back inside Evil Lair, the displays showed the brainbot's camera angles moving around wildly as the cyborgs searched the massive structure for any sign of change or the source of the sound.
Suddenly, the clanging sounds changed in pitch and tone as three protrusions, equidistant around the diameter of the object, began to extend from the body at a point about two stories above ground level, eight below its peak. Because of the depth crater, the extensions were a good five stories above the very bottom of the bowl the object had created with its impact.
The two villains, the reporter, and the hero watched in awe as the extensions grew steadily, the mechanical grinding noise filling the air at both the site and in the lair as the brainbots continued to transmit their feeds. All four of the observers' faces were pictures of awe as they watched, waiting to see what would happen next.
Metro Man tensed himself, setting his jaw as he watched this unknown thing put forth the mysterious arms. He sensed that it was unfriendly, and readied himself for anything.
The three in Evil Lair watched the scene unfold on the display screens. Minion looked on with wide eyes, his mouth agape as the strange arms extended outward from the dark tower.
Megamind studied the displays intently as the object's arms reached their full extent. He furrowed his brow when the lengths, which had been perpendicular to the body of the tower, began to lower slowly, bringing the extended ends down towards the rim of the crater below. The blue alien's eyes took in everything, his curiosity and natural inclination to analyze taking over as his brain desperately tried to figure out what the device was doing. He frowned slightly as a dawning realization began to grow on him.
Roxanne watched with a steady scowl, fear welling up in her gut. She put the ice bag down on the console and hugged herself, suddenly feeling too chilled to keep using it, in spite of the throbbing lump on her head. A sense of foreboding washed over her, unpleasantly helping distract her from her wound.
"I don't like this," she said with worry, causing Megamind and Minion to glance over at her. She cast a gaze at the two aliens, her eyes filled with apprehension. The expressions she saw on their faces showed her they shared her worries, leaving her even more unsettled.
Glancing back at the display, the trio watched the arms touch down on the rim of the crater. One of the three lengths touched down fairly near to Metro Man, the hero having watched warily as as the extension descended. He clenched his fists at the ready when it came to rest on the ground. The metallic grinding that had accompanied the arms' descent stopped with a loud clang when they came to their final position. Then, there was again silence.
The air at the site became heavy with the stillness that followed. Metro Man watched the tower silently, waiting to see what would follow.
Evil Lair was quiet enough that they could have heard a pin drop, leaving the dark and cavernous building with an overwhelming feeling of eerie emptiness. Three of the four displays were fixed upon the points of the tower where the three protrusions extended from. Each display showed only the dark, motionless surface of the tower above the three arms.
One of the displays suddenly brightened as a door opened in the surface at the point where the arm met the body, bright light shining out from within the fourth brainbot turned its camera back from the tower to show Metro Man as he stepped forward towards the base of the sloping arm, looking up at the opening with concern.
All watched with anticipation as the bright light darkened with the silhouette of a humanoid figure stepping into the opening. With no point of reference, it was impossible to tell how tall the door or the figure was. The entity carried a staff in its one hand, pausing at the exit from vessel.
At the sight of the figure, Metroman started to walk towards the ramp that lead to the entrance.
Feeling a sense of panic well up, Roxanne impulsively stepped forward and grabbed the microphone that Megamind had used, surprising the blue alien. Pushing down the button, she spoke into it, "Be careful, Wayne..." She failed to see Megamind's scowl as he misinterpreted her warning to be that of a girlfriend showing concern for her beau.
Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. Unbeknownst to the blue alien, Roxanne was not the superhero's girlfriend, nor had she been, nor did she ever intend to be. Still, the hero was a dear friend to her, and she was very worried about what this newest alien was and what threat it likely posed.
Metroman looked back over his shoulder in surprise when he heard the woman's familiar voice coming out of the brainbot's speaker. "Roxanne?!" he asked, his brow furrowed. "What are you doing there with Megamind?"
"I was kidnapped, what do you think?" she replied with a slight grin, trading an amused glance with Megamind in spite of the circumstances. The blue alien smirked back at her, their eyes meeting once more.
Stepping forward, Megamind spoke into the microphone. "I was getting ready to call you out when this in-tehrloop-ar landed," he explained to the befuddled superhero, who furrowed his brow as Megamind mangled the word interloper. Megamind glanced over at the one monitor that showed the open door, noticing that the entity in question had emerged and started to walk down the ramp. "We can talk about that later...it looks like our visitor wants to come and see you..."
Metroman frowned as he turned back to witness the alien striding down the long ramp, the staff tapping with every other step.
"Do you know anything about this fellow and his ship?" The gleaming white hero asked over his shoulder as he stayed near the base of the ramp.
"No," Megamind immediately answered, watching intently as the stranger came into view as it moved far enough from the bright light which had masked the creature in silhouette. The figure was wrapped in a brown hooded cloak, its hands covered in brown gloves. The cowl completely covered its head, nothing could be seen within. The staff was black, slightly taller than the creature itself, and apparently made of the same material that coated the surface of the ship he had just exited. The top of the staff was adorned with a red crystal that seemed to glow dully.
"We can see it on the brainbot's cameras," Megamind said further, the other 2 brainbots turning their cameras on the humanoid as it strode down the lamp. "But we can't make out much...the creature's clothing covers it completely. Except for the gem on top, the staff is plain, maybe made of metal...possibly the same as covers the tower."
Minion and Roxanne exchanged glances as they watched Megamind voluntarily offer up assistance to Metroman, his sworn rival. The fish shrugged, but smiled slightly with a hopeful gaze that was reflected in the eyes of the woman standing next to him.
"Think it's friendly?" Metroman asked over his shoulder as the stranger reached the halfway point down the ramp.
"Not likely," Megamind answered, his gaze fixed on the monitors, "This wasn't the most polite of ways for him to introduce himself if the intentions were not hostile, but we shouldn't rule it out until we're certain. " He glanced back over his shoulder at Minion and Roxanne, both of whom were smiling beatifically at him. Their expressions surprised him.
"What?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. His reaction wiped the smile off Minion's face, but only made it grow on Roxanne's
"Nothing," she answered with a mischievous grin, in spite of everything. "It's just good to see you boys helping each other, instead of fighting."
Megamind blinked at the realization brought by her words."I, well...that is..." he stammered and hedged, only causing Roxanne to grin even more. Finally, he blurted out, "if this is a new villain, I can't have him trying to take over my turf." He smiled wickedly at the woman, clearly proud of his answer. "What more villainous of a way to handle it than to let the hero do all the work for me?"
Roxanne lifted an eyebrow at the blue alien, clearly not buying a word of it.
"Uhuh," she answered simply, her cocked eyebrow defying his explanation as she crossed her arms. Megamind stared back at her, attempting his best poker face, but it faltered more by the second. When her lips curled up into a bigger smirk yet, he scowled and turned back to the monitors, muttering, "insufferable woman..." She giggled behind his back, but the amusement faded quickly as she looked back at the displays.
The three returned their attention back to the monitors, watching as the alien continued its descent. Metroman walked forward as the strange alien reached the bottom of the ramp. The stranger stopped just before the ground upon which the slope's base rested, and the hero stopped a good ten to fifteen feet from there. At this distance, it appeared to be no taller than Metroman, if not shorter.
"Greetings, visitor!" Metroman began with a booming voice, standing in one of his classic hero poses, with his feet slightly apart, his fists on his hips, and a dazzling smile plastered on his face. "From your ship I can see you've come quite the distance to arrive at our fair planet! What brings you all this way?"
The stranger stood silently for the space of several moments, the air growing thick with tension. Metroman stared at the alien, his smile holding steady though the look in his eyes started to harden as he grew to expect the worst.
Then it spoke.
"This world is no longer your own," it told him coldly with an inhuman voice that sounded somewhere between organic and electronic. "Submit, or be destroyed."
Back in the lair, the three shared deeply worried glances at this, then looked back at the display.
"Sorry, friend," Metroman answered in the same cheesy voice, but this time with a serious edge to it. "I'm afraid that just won't work for us. It's a shame you came all this way just to be disappointed, but it'd probably be best for everyone if you just packed up that nice little ship of yours and headed back to where you came from. No harm, no foul, if you do so...right now.
The laughter that answered his words echoed through the open air, sending a chill down the spine of any who listened.
"You were warned," the alien stated simply. Moving quickly, it lowered the staff head, leveling it at Metroman. A red beam of energy shot out to strike the invulnerable man, sending him hurtling backwards at a high speed, to the shock of the three watching the video feeds from the brainbots.
Megamind furrowed his brow at the sight of it, calculating almost instantly the endpoint of the hero's trajectory. He turned around just in time to watch the far wall erupt with Metroman, the bricks and mortar slowing his velocity so that the hero fell to the floor, tumbling a few times. Roxanne shrieked in shock at the sound as she spun around to look with wide eyes, not having realized just how close the ship was to The Evil Lair. Minion turned in his dome and glanced back at Metroman with raised eyebrows, watching him for a few moments before he glanced back at the monitors with a worried eye.
Metroman tumbled into a crouched position, then slowly stood as he dusted himself off. "Crabnuggets!" he muttered to himself, "That sure packed a punch."
After taking a moment to get his bearings, he glanced about and furrowed his brow. Turning around, he saw the three standing by the control panel and its displays of the ship. For a few moments, they all just looked at him and he at them.
"Hi there," he said after a moment of silence, smiling at them as he put his fists on his hips, lifting an eyebrow. Fixing his gaze on Megamind, he smirked. "So this is where your hideout's been all these years, huh?"
The blue alien glowered at his adversary, frowning. Evil Lair had been his sanctuary for over two decades, the one hidden and secret place that he could find refuge from a world that hated him. Metroman finding it was not only a serious problem, but also left Megamind feeling somewhat violated.
"Brilliant deduction, hero," Megamind answered bitterly, his voice filled with sarcasm. "It only took two decahds and a second villain for you to blunder into it!"
"Which only shows how good will always triumphs in the end, even if its path is not the most direct," Metroman answered haughtily, unable to resist his reflex to respond to Megamind's jabs.
"But the GPS of Evil will lead Good astray so that it never finds its final destination!" Megamind snapped back being equally compelled to reply, though his voice was somewhat acid, rather than the usual undertone of suppressed glee at the back and forth.
Roxanne rolled her eyes and groaned as the two of them dove into their usual round of banter, in spite of what they faced.
"Boys, please!" she cut them off with an exasperated tone before Metroman could rebut. "I really don't think this is the time!"
"You're right, Roxie!" Metroman said, spinning around, ready to fly back to the alien that had sent him hurling here in the first place. "Please excuse me while I go take out the trash!"
During that brief exchange, Minion had kept a keen eye on the brainbots' video feed of the crash site. Just after the red beam had blasted Metroman into the Evil Lair, the fish had seen something else emerge from the black tower. It was much larger and appeared to be running on all fours. It raced down the ramp, quickly reaching the unknown alien. The humanoid at the end of the ramp leapt onto its back when the creature reached it, and the two of them then charged the distance towards the same far wall that Metroman had been hurled through.
"Actually, they're coming to us," Minion said.
Just then, the rider and beast leapt through the hole, landing half the distance between the wall and where Metroman stood.
The creature that the humanoid alien rode upon was the size of a large bear but with longer limbs, an equally long neck, completely covered with shaggy white hair, and a lengthy tail. It's paws looked half like hands, having opposable thumbs and sharp talons. Its large head had a long snout that was lined with razor-sharp teeth.
The humanoid rode the creature bare back. The brown cowl still covered the humanoid's head, leaving its appearance a complete mystery. Its gloved hand still clenched the black staff with the red gem atop of it.
The two looked rather formidable, Megamind had to admit to himself as he drew his de-gun. He noticed that the stone on the end of the staff was glowing brightly now. Instinctively, unthinkingly, the blue alien stepped forward and put himself between Roxanne and the enemy. She blinked in shock at this show of protectiveness on the part of Megamind, even as she was recovering from the fright of seeing this strange new pair of aliens leap into the Evil Lair.
"Minion, code: defend Evil Lair!" Megamind ordered as he released the clasp of his cape and tossed it to the side. Minion had already taken a couple of steps to pick up a large looking rifle from a nearby table.
"Right, sir!" He cheerfully answered as he powered up the weapon with the throw of a switch, an electronic hum following his action.
"No need, boys, I've got this," Metroman answered with a cocky voice, soaring into the air and diving back down at the alien, swinging his fist at the rider.
To everyone's surprise, the rider proved far more nimble than expected. It dove off of its mount as Metroman reached it, dodging the fist that would have likely sent him back hurtling out of the lair. As it twisted away from the hero's punch, it spun round to bring the tip of its staff swinging. The red tip struck Metroman with minimal force, but the red gem flashed brightly upon contact. The hero cried out in pain at the impact, dropping suddenly to the ground as the strange alien tumbled in a controlled roll and spun to its feet
"Fuck!" Metroman cried out roughly. "That hurt!"
The three deeper inside the massive room looked on with stunned expressions, as much by his foul language as his claim of being hurt. Never had Metroman experienced pain that any of them could remember. For that matter, he'd never cursed a day in his life.
The hero stood up with some difficulty, turning to face the new alien and its vicious looking mount, which growled at him. Metroman frowned and set his jaw, jumping to take to the air...
...only to fall back to the ground, landing on his face.
Megamind, Minion, and Roxanne gasped in shock at what they saw, the three of them turning to look at the mysterious alien as its laughter filled the room. They watched in dawning terror as it held its staff with both hands and rose from the ground, flying as easily as the hero used to be able to.
"Oh no," Roxanne breathed as they all realized what had happened.
The new alien had stolen Metroman's power of flight.