Mind Over Matter
Chapter 5
Author's Notes: I am so very sorry for the delay, but certain chapters can be hard to write, and I was distracted by my graduation. I'm hoping to speed up the pace from here on out, and if I don't, feel free to badger me! I hope you enjoy, and I appreciate any reviews
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After working for several weeks with the hospital and various media outlets, everything had been arranged to Roxanne's liking for the revealing of Megamind's Memory Gun. Naturally, she alone had exclusive reporting rights (one of the benefits of having Metro City's hero as a husband), but several other television stations were there with cameras and newspaper reporters milled around with cups of coffee, waiting for the big announcement to take place in the main conference room of the Metro City State Psychiatric Hospital. The blue alien and his wife, however, were still preparing in a side room, which is why the conspicuously large man simply ignored the fact that the door was locked and let himself in.
Hearing the crunch of the doorframe being warped, Megamind's instincts kicked in and he simultaneously moved in front of Roxanne and reached for the De-gun in his holster. However, upon seeing who the visitor was, he relaxed immediately.
"Wayne!" The couple exclaimed.
The ex-hero was dressed in street clothes, but nothing could hide his supernatural physique. Megamind smirked, knowing exactly what it was like to stick out like a sore thumb. He couldn't blame the man for trying to blend in. "You could have just knocked, but I suppose you just had to make some kind of dramatic entrance, hmm?" The teasing was only half-hearted.
Wayne did his best to put the door back in working order and closed it. "Sorry to startle you guys. I just wanted to wish you luck before the big event. Can't stick around once the cameras are rolling, you know, because of obvious reasons." He gestured at his person.
Megamind blinked. "No, of course not. You wouldn't want to divert the attention away from me, now would you?" The bravado didn't quite ring true. In an effort to accommodate the ex-hero's wishes, Megamind had only divulged Metroman's living status to higher authorities, a necessary step in order to assure that the former villain would be placed in the government's good graces. The unsuspecting public, however, was still under the assumption that Metroman had been destroyed, much to Megamind and Roxanne's chagrin, but they both knew that if the former hero were to reappear, the demand to have him reinstate his role as the city's protector would be overwhelming. Wayne wouldn't have a moment's peace.
Roxanne came around Megamind to address the larger man. "Thanks for being here, Wayne. You know it means a lot to us to have your support." She reached down to grasp her husband's hand, who nodded in agreement.
"No problem. I'm so proud of you two." Wayne's smile was genuine, conveying all the gratitude he had for the couple who had risen to the occasion in the face of his own shortcomings. "Say, little buddy," he added, addressing Megamind. "It's about time that we had that beer. Do you want to aim for some time later this week?"
Megamind's first instinct was to spit out a retort in response to Wayne's use of 'little buddy,' but it stuck in his throat like a lump. He didn't have it in him to keep up the sarcastic banter when his ex-rival was being nothing but genial. It was at times like this that he just didn't know what to do. Ever since that fateful day when he stepped forward to fill Metroman's shoes, Megamind had attempted to be friendly with his childhood nemesis. Friendly, not friends. With a history such as theirs, how could Wayne expect anything more? Yet here he was, offering yet again the hand of friendship. Somehow Wayne knew that Megamind would need to worn down, knew that someday Megamind would accept his offered hand. But it was not today. "We'll see," was the reply after a short pause.
A knock came at the door and the muffled voice of Roxanne's cameraman was heard "We have ten minutes, Megamind, sir."
"That's my cue to take off, then, you two." Wayne pointed a thumb back in the direction he came. "Give me a call if you need anything."
Roxanne nodded, smiling. "Thanks."
Wayne opened the door, and in the space of a blink, he was gone, employing his super speed to avoid the eyes of the growing crowd.
Roxanne turned back to her husband, who was fidgeting with his gloves, obviously nervous. She helped him straighten the collar of his cape. "Don't tell me that you suddenly have stage fright, Megs." He had never minded an audience before, and in fact encouraged their participation during his more Vaudevillian world domination attempts.
Megamind bit his lip, a little embarrassed by his visible anxiety. "This is different."
Roxanne didn't need explaining to understand what he meant. It was easy enough to put on the mask of a villain or a hero. It was easy to perform heroic feats when adrenaline was pumping and there was no time to think of anything else save the next action. This, however, was a project of personal significance, and Roxanne knew that Megamind's image was on the line if it didn't prove to be successful. She leaned forward and embraced him, resting her cheek against his. "I'm proud of you no matter what, you know."
His reply was soft, but full of total assurance in what she said. "I know." There was a quiet moment where they both just stood there, enjoying each other's closeness. Then, out of the blue, he added, "What do you think of Clarence?"
Roxanne pulled back, revealing the disgusted expression on her face. "What, are you trying to pick out unattractive names on purpose?" He simply waggled his eyebrows at her, so she lightly punched him in the arm in faux retaliation. "Now, go out there and knock 'em dead… but not literally."
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"And... Five, Four," The cameraman finished the countdown with his fingers and pointed to Roxanne, poised with her news-worthy smile.
"This is Roxanne Ritchie, and we are here live at the Metro City State Psychiatric Hospital where today history will be made. Before our very eyes our city's defender, Megamind, will reveal new technology that holds the promise to heal those suffering from traumatic brain damage." The camera panned out to reveal a large crowd, anxiously awaiting the demonstration. From behind a makeshift curtain, the hero of the hour emerged. Megamind bowed humbly to the audience, somehow acknowledging that that day was one where his narcissism was unnecessary, that the device under the sheet spoke for itself.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Metro City, I thank you for being here on this momentous occasion." Megamind looked down at the podium where his speech was written down for him on neatly printed cards. He picked them up, flipped through them idly, then promptly tossed them over his shoulder. The papers fluttered to the ground and the reporters started scribbling wildly on their notepads. "Can I be frank with you?" Megamind leaned languidly over his podium, addressing the people directly below him as if on a personal basis. "Two years… Two years ago, if you would have told me that I would be the hero of Metro City, that I would be married to the hottest reporter on the planet," he motioned over to Roxanne, smirking at the fact that she was now blushing madly, "that the inventions that I intended for evil could be redeemed and used for good? Well, I would have said that you were crazy with a capital T!"
Everyone expected for him to continue, but instead they were left hanging in the wake of his own personal contemplation for a long minute.
"Anyway!" The hero blinked and was back on track. "I now present to you the Illiteracy Beam, now reborn! Behold, the Memory Gun!" The sheet was removed and the invention they were all there to see was revealed. "This Memory Gun was designed both to identify neural pathways that were no longer functioning and to create new pathways that bypass the nonfunctional ones. It can rewire the brain and heal what was damaged. In short, it can restore memories and essential brain function."
There were an amount of gasps from the crowd, and immediately hands shot up from eager reporters with burning questions. But Megamind waved them away. "Now, now, we don't need to head into questions quite yet. We have plenty of time for that. Right now, I would like to bring out a very special patient from this hospital who will be our lucky first subject to receive treatment. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to John Smith."
A side door opened and the man in question was ushered into the room by several psychiatric nurses. He blinked at the bright light. His gait was stilted, and it took some assistance for him to ascend the two steps to the stage, settling in the chair that was center opposite of the gun's barrel. Even as his wrists were secured to the arms of his seat, no fear or comprehension seemed to settle on the man's bleak features.
Megamind switched on the gun, and a high-pitched hum vibrated through the entire room. "I am just going to perform a preliminary scan, displaying the results on this screen just above the stage." A blue light emanated from the barrel of the gun, and a grid illuminated on John Smith's skull. A moment later a full-resolution scan of his brain appeared for the audience to see. Megamind seemed satisfied with the results. "As you may have noticed," he said as an extendable pointer materialized in his hand. "I've already improved upon the modern scanning methods. This scan isolates every single neuron branch and displays in real-time its impulse receptivity. This is something that is already achievable with the machinery that is currently used, and I plan to distribute the upgrade schematics to hospitals all over the world within the next week."
The crowd broke into applause, and for a moment Roxanne was certain that her husband's humility would crack. She could see a smirk forming on the corners of his mouth, but he quickly mastered himself and put a hand up to quiet the questions being thrown in his direction. "I would like to direct your attention to the scan, if you please." He turned his back to the crowd and used his pointer to indicate a scan section of the patient's brain. "The dark areas that you see are areas where no electrical impulses are being received. In shorter terms, these areas are damaged. This brain damage has severely debilitated John Smith. Not only has he suffered total memory loss, but he has lost his ability to speak."
The pointer was tucked away and Megamind spun back around, letting his cape swirl dramatically. He quickly stepped back to the gun, making some adjustments. Roxanne directed her cameraman to zoom in, knowing that the moment was at hand.
Without further ado, the alien flicked the last switch with a flourish and pulled the trigger. The Memory Gun let out a low drone and the directed blue light burst forth and enveloped the secured patient. The beam was brief, but blinding. By the time everyone's eyes had adjusted, the procedure was complete, and the scan that was still populating the screen was blinking with new activity. It was obvious to all that pathways that were once dull were now pulsing, and areas of the brain that were once dead started to glow with electrical activity. Then the scan completed its cycle and the gun powered down. All eyes were on John Smith.
Everyone, including Megamind, waited with bated breath as Dr. Hannegan approached the subject. He loosed the restraints and checked for any physical damage. Seeing none, the doctor stepped in front of the man's line of vision and was taken aback when the pale eyes locked on his, no longer unfocused but sharp and discerning. "I am Doctor Hannegan." He extended a hand out to show that he meant no harm. "Do you know who you are?"
The patient looked around the room, taking in the reporters, Roxanne clutching her microphone, and a remarkable blue man wearing probably the most ridiculous costume he had ever seen, and directed his gaze back to the doctor. "My name is Damian." The voice was scratchy with disuse.
The reporters erupted with cheers, and Megamind himself was gob-smacked, as surprised as anyone that he was successful at his first attempt. Roxanne abandoned her post and ran up onto the stage to plant a kiss on the side of her husband's cheek, throwing her arms around his neck and breaking his trance.
The clamor was so loud that hardly anyone noticed the question that Damian directed at Dr. Hannegan.
"Could you tell me where I am?"