Arg… sooo sorry it's taking so very long to update. I'm the only one taking care of my very demanding injured family member atm, so it's hard to juggle with this new set of pins. Please enjoy! =P
New game plan
"You want me to do what," Roxanne gasped in horror at the blue man before her.
She had just come back from a short and very unusual court meeting to get her citizenship card, when she was ambushed by Mr. DuPont, to whom she had been introduced the day before. She followed him to his house where he started explaining in detail what he and Megamind had been doing all this time. They went down to the 'basement' where they found Megamind, and Roux told them about the new plan he had come up with earlier this morning.
"Just think about it Miss. Ritchi. Instead of scrounging around for parts that are pretty much useless, you could use your reporter skills to seek out and pin point where they keep all their spoils. Then we send in the retrieval team and acquire the parts we need to finish off the transporter. You'll get to go home just that much sooner," Roux looked so excited as he explained why he wanted her to 'infiltrate' Old Towne.
"No," Megamind dropped what he was doing, "It's way too dangerous for a woman to go waltzing around there. You might as well throw her to the razorbacks!"
Roxanne felt a trill of anger run down her spine, "so, you're not going to let me go cause I'm a weak little woman, is that it?"
Megamind mentally face-palmed himself, "No, wait. That's not what I-."
"Yes, it is what you meant, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much. If I want to go, I'll go."
"Just don't go alone at least, Miss. Ritchi," Megamind pleaded.
"Who said she was going there alone," Roux raised an eyebrow, "I'm not senile just yet Mr. Megamind. I'm sending several people whom have been there before."
He handed Megamind a list of four people. He read them off, "Roxanne Ritchi, GregoUrhines , Ahi Tibbs, and Amudd De'Wart."
Megamind rolled the names around in his mind while fingering the recently recovered De- gun on his hip. He traced the delicate filigree on the hilt with his thumb, carefully considering his next line of action.
"Would it be possible to accompany them on their journey," Megamind questioned.
"Well," Roux petted his beard in thought, "I would rather you stay here, but I suppose they could use a strategist. What do you think, Miss. Ritchi?"
Roxanne looked between them quickly, "I guess it couldn't hurt. The more the merrier."
0o0o0o0o0o
Metro Man looked out over the austere city bathed in night. It gleamed in its autogenic illumination while its citizens walked about below like busy ants going about their business. He sat atop the ledge of Metro Tower like a somnolent gargoyle, immovable as the mountain with a grimace plastered on his face. This was his city. He was its protector, its golden hero, and yet he could not bear to move from his perch. He heard his city crying out with his sensitive ears. It beckoned him to help the tiny isolated disturbances that marred the shining city like pox marks.
He had attended Roxanne's funeral this afternoon. Her casket now lay in the cold earth, void of anything but some memorabilia that had been placed there to make up for the lack of corpse. Her mother's bawling still echoed in his mind. She had hit his rock hard chest with seemingly feather light punches while she sobbed about how incompetent of a hero he was, whereas in the background Metro Man had heard the ecstatic celebration of Megamind's death. It had a little more gusto than he was comfortable with. It's not like Megamind had hurt anyone, so why couldn't he get some sort of respect?
It had only taken the police two weeks to declare that they were dead, even after Metro Man had implored them to look harder. He was the only one to escape the burning building, once the plastic wrap had melted away in the heat of the blaze. He had searched the city himself high and low but no signs were found. The fourth week was rolling around and the excitement had already died down. People were starting to miss the battles that had made this city so unique and Metro Man found the normal, everyday crimes lackluster. He started to sink into depression slowly as a result. He would no longer have those chats in the coffee shop with Roxie that had made people believe they were dating in the first place, nor those fearless verbal sparring matches he shared with Megamind. No one would daringly challenge him like they did.
Metro Man hung his head and cradled his forehead in his gloved hand. "You can't really be dead, can you," he asked the sighing wind, but it gave no answer to the crestfallen hero.
0o0o0o0o0o
Roxanne was eyeing Grego and Ahi as they readied themselves to leave the safety of the village's walls. They were intimidating to be around, she admitted to herself. Ahi was a lanky young man with horrible scars maiming his umber flecked flesh and many piercings along his long floppy rabbit ears. He was quiet and observant, his carful eyes watching every movement. Roxanne caught the glint of the twin blades that his steady hands never strayed far from. Grego was loud and obnoxious as he strutted about showing off the beefy muscles in all four of his red furred arms. The minotaur was so full of himself that he had 'Ladies Man' tattooed across his bare back, among many other douche bag tags. Megamind was scowling at Grego almost nonstop. He definitely was not fond of his lack of self-control.
The odd collection of companions set out into the jungle with Wart leading the way through the trees. His excellent sense of smell, direction, and familiarity with the forest made him the perfect guide.
"Watch yourself round these parts, young ones," Wart called back, "don't disturb the forest, she sleeps now. This part of the woods crawls with all sorts of nasties, just like Grego there be demonstratin'."
Grego froze for a second, raising a thickset hand to smack the roach/spider thing.
"Don't," Squeaked Wart, "if that thing bites ye, death will be slowly findin' ye!"
Wart coaxed it from Grego's forearm, releasing it into a tree where it crept off.
They started off again, "The smell of death is not somethin' ye want in this neck of the woods."
They traveled further, soon passing stone ruins as they went. The devastated alabaster building must have been beautiful at one time. The style reminded her of an Egyptian temple with its crumbling pylons and decorative columns. A toppled statue resembled an angular rat standing on its hind legs. Wart stopped to pull some strangling vines from its fractured face. Putting his palms together he bowed respectfully to the ruins, and continued as if they had never halted.
Roxanne caught up with Wart, "uh- I'm sorry to bother you, but may I ask what that building was?"
Wart shifted the pack on his shoulder, "What ye had held in witness was the Temple of the Dead. A sacred and protected place built in remembrance and destroyed in contempt. It's one of the last bits of my culture that haven't been claimed by the forest just yet."
"Just what happened to it?"
"The last prince sealed the inner sanctum so that the Asuki couldn't collect our treasures. In anger the Asuki leader devastated every solid structure on the island and left us to fend off the criminals they sent in exile. With so many tenderfeet using up everythin' they could get their grubby hands on, the Razorbacks started to starve. Them bein' as smart as they are, they came together in huntin' packs and killed many people. Blood lust became second nature to 'em in no time, and their numbers swelled. In order to protect themselves, the off-worlders built a monstrous metal fence around their city. My people either got mixed up in the corruption of Old Towne or headed off to the smaller island to the west."
Roxanne took advantage of his short pause, "and your one of the unlucky ones that got stuck here?" It was more of a statement than a question.
Wart nodded sadly, "Aye, that I am. I tried to salvage what I could of my culture, but in the end the drink kept me in its pubs and passed out in its gutters. It's a tale that many a Tikus live with, but I'm one of the lucky ones. The Doc came across me lyin' in an alley outside a bar, nearly bled out from a fight. He took me home, patched my wounds, sobered me up, and dragged me along with him to New Town."
"Wow, that's really something, Wart. How long have you been clean?"
"Twelve years it's been. I swore to never touch the bottle again."
"Hu. So what's their story," Roxanne pointed to Ahi and Grego.
Wart smirked, "surprised you don't know Grego's tale yet. With the way he blathers about every little thing I'd have guessed you heard about it by now," he cleared his throat, "Grego was an up and comin' commander of a small fleet of pilots, who were captured and tortured before bein' left here. The council wasn't sure they wanted him there, for reasons yet unknown, but the Capitan of the Guards convinced 'em that Grego would be a 'fine addition' to our growing city. Load of codswallop I reckon."
Roxanne smiled in agreement.
"Now Ahi I don't know much about, other than he is wicked fast with those blades. I found him 'bout two years ago much the same way I found ye three, only bloodied and bruised and half dead. He doesn't say much, quite the shy fella."
She fell behind to walk beside Minion and Megamind, leaving Wart to sniff out the trail.
They were all bushed by the time they started to string the hammocks high up in the great trees around the hanging stove. The suspended beds were airy and could be pulled around the occupant to prevent bugs from biting them. Roxanne sleepily admired the breath taking view the tree top gave her. The huge twisted tree rested near the edge of a cliff that jutted over the land like the bow a sinking ship. The red and orange stained sky leached the color from the earth, turning the world grey then black as night fall set in.
The scuffle of nocturnal beasts below them set her on edge and robbed her of precious sleep. Roxanne spied the soft blue glow of Megamind's ornate De-gun as it lay on his chest. His eyes were closed, and face relaxed as he breathed slowly. Roxanne peered at him through the mesh of the hammock. She had never seen him without some sort of wild expression on his elastic face. Seeing him so still was a little unnerving. She caught herself wishing she could see his bright verdant eyes that were now shielded by the blue lids and long black eyelashes.
She was surprised when he spoke in a low husky voice, "You know, it very difficult to sleep while you're staring at me like that," his eyes slid open and he propped himself up on his elbow to look back at her, "Do I have something on my face or did you finally realize that you're 'desperately in love with me'?" He dramatized the last part with an exaggerated gesture.
Roxanne became red in the face, partly because of a blush and partly in anger. "No I was calculating just how I could smother you in your sleep."
"Oh, feisty aren't we," he said with hooded eyes, "but I don't think I'll be sleeping a wink while those things are circling us, Miss. Ritchi, so you'll just have to wait. In the meantime, I don't think I would mind your- close company much." He said it suggestively and sarcastically while he raised his eyebrows almost hopefully.
Roxanne's eyes narrowed and cheeks flushed further, "cheeky basterd," she muttered as she rolled over violently.
"What was that, Miss. Ritchi?" He cupped his ear in his hand with a sleepy, playful smile knowing exactly what she said.
"Good night, Megamind," Roxanne said irritably.
She heard a quiet chuckle and a barely audible murmur, "pleasant dreams, Roxie."