Megamind was crazy Swiftshadow decided. She absolutely did not want to have a confrontation with Julien. The events of the previous encounter still lay bare and sore. The nightmare still clawed its way into her mind. Shockwave's hand reaching out to squeeze the life out of her. It was only by the aid of Crawford that she managed to escape that hell.
The Spider-bot lurched as it leapt over the edge of a five story building. She clung to the railing as the Spider bot landed on the pavement. She ducked beneath the dash of the machine. She absolutely did not want to be seen. She just hoped she had the strength to pull off one more illusion.
"Are you the one they call Julien?" Megamind announced bombastically. His voice echoing on the loudspeaker. Swiftshadow focused on her magic, pulling it from her core. She focussed deeply on what she needed to be.
"I am. May I ask as to why you hail me?" Julien retorted back. Snobbish stuffiness coated every word.
'I am nothing,' Swiftshadow told herself, ignoring the multitude of gawking eyes now locked on Megamind and Julien, 'Nothing but air, unseen and unnoticed,'
"I was wondering if you knew anything about the disappearances?"
Swiftshadow felt the magic begin to shroud her. It felt like she was wearing a thin delicate glass shell. Prone breaking at the slightest touch. It took all her concentration just to barely maintain it. Her breath fell into shallow steady rhythm. In and out. In and out.
"I do not," Julien answered back, "As I have been in this city for only a day,"
Swiftshadow carefully crept off the Spider-bot. Taking care to not to shatter the illusion. It was like trying to walk with a coat made of flower petals sewn together with the thinnest of spider threads. The snapping of a single thread could lead to the whole thing unraveling.
"I have a source that says you have a connection to something that is,"
The Spider bot lurched forward. Swiftshadow slipped. The pavement felt hard against her back. The illusion shattered in a flurry of silver.
"You!" Julien stared at her with shocked fury, "What lies have you filled his head with?"
"I also wonder at how many lies he filled your head with," Swiftshadow rose to her feet bracing herself on a power pole. She cursed inwardly at herself. She absolutely did not want to get in a fight with him. She hoped she could talk her way out, but it diminished when she noticed the darkening shadows. they crept and slithered in the corners of the street. Malic's power swirled around her like a storm cloud.
Cold blue eyes burned into hers, "I warn you to stay out of my way,"
Swiftshadow narrowly dodged the dark spike as it cut the power pole in twain. Wooden splinters scattered across the sidewalk. The pole crashed into the street as pedestrians fled. Its wires twanged as they snapped, the frayed ends nearly whipping Swiftshadow in the face. White hot sparks showered down on her shoulders. Electricity zinged down her spine.
Megamind fired his de-gun at Julien only for a shadowy barrier to deflect it. The ray rebounded, turning a parked car into a shimmering blue cube. A dark blade shot out. The Spider bot tried to skitter to of the way but it was too slow. Its severed leg fell to the ground with the clunk. The robot staggered trying to regain some form balance. Its remaining legs barely managing to grip the ground.
Swiftshadow ducked under another sharp tendril, transforming as she did so. She could feel the electricity arcing between her scales. She didn't need lighting. She needed soul fire.
Julien was retreating, shrouded in a cloak of darkness. Megamind was dodging the tendrils with surprising nimbleness. He fiddled with various buttons and levers on the Spider bot with minimal effect. The Spider bot launched a grey canister the size of a pop can out in the fray. Megamind shouted something at her before it exploded in a brilliantly blinding light.
Bright dancing stars filled her vision as she staggered, blinder than any bat. The dark shadows screamed in cacophonous agony. She regained enough vision to see Julien blindly sending a wave of tattered shadows straight at megamind. She dredged up the power that lay buried at her core, manifesting it as fire. Electricity arced between her wings. A great silvery bolt of lightning escaped her jaws. The shades were shredded like clothes in a rag factory. Unholy shrieks filled the air.
Swiftshadow blinked. In that moment everything went silent. Her vision cleared up enough to see a ruined street, a badly damaged Spider bot, and Megamind clutching a gash on his arm. He stared at her with wide green eyes. Julien was nowhere to be found.
"Swiftshadow? What was that?"
Wilson nearly had the containment device finished. He used a low powered laser beam to solder another microchip in place. It still ended up a weird looking thermos. But it had the capacity for two gems. Its black and silver metal casing sparkled in the work light. On a whim he etched in The Wolf Spirits crest on the side. He secretly hoped that it would be enough to contain some of Malic Korvoths energy.
"Will any of these suffice?" Minion set down a box full of microchips and Arduino boards. Wilson found Minion a dream to work with. Clever and resourceful, and very practical. He asked about every components function with keen interest. Wilson answered as best he could. Whatever Wilson asked for Minion would magically have it in hand within a couple minutes.
"Lets see here," Wilson dove into the box sifting through the components. He pulled out a small chip the size of his for talon, "This one will do,"
"I wonder how Megamind is doing," Minion said absentmindedly. His fins fluttered slightly in his tank.
"I don't know about Megamind," Wilson started. He knew that Minions question was rhetorical but he felt compelled to answer, "But do know that Swiftshadow has a but a good head on her shoulders. She knows how to wriggle her way out dangerous situations,"
"Megamind has also wiggled himself out as almost as many disasters as he creates," Minion chuckled, "But I still worry every time,"
"I know what you mean, But still-" Wilson halted, as if unsure whether he wished to say the next words aloud, "But still I can tell that she doesn't tell me everything. I know she's allowed to have her secrets but there is something she burying deep in side and i'm not sure what,"
Minion pondered for a minute, "In my experience, the best thing you can do is wait until she ready to talk about it and be an open ear when she does. Forcing the matter would only end up pushing her away."
"I think I understand what you're saying," Wilson continued his work on the device, fixing the chip in to place.
"I still can't believe you did that," Swiftshadow's voice echoed across the lair. A faint growl noted every word. Her tail swished in an agitated manner.
"We did gain valuable data out of the whole debacle," said megamind nonchalantly. White gauze was wrapped tightly around his bicep. The Spider bot limped sadly behind. One of its eyes was hanging on by a couple of wires and sparks spat out of the cuts in its armour. A swarm of brain bots trailed behind carrying the spider bots severed leg.
"Well, I certainly didn't learn anything new, outside of Flash bangs being semi effective weapons against eldritch horrors,"
"Sir? what happened out there?" Minion darted up to the Spider bot and started petting it affectionately. The Spider bot whimpered in response, "There, there, we'll get you all fixed up in no time," He cooed.
"What happened was dingledorf here decided it was a good idea to antagonize Julien of all people,"
Wilson felt his inner mechanisms freeze at the name. His feelings on Julien were complicated to say the least. He remembered holding him as newborn infant, his mother celebrating his first steps, watching him grow into a bright young individual with vast future ahead of him. His recent actions have left him concerned and confused. The news of his mothers diagnosis had saddened him greatly as she was truly a kind and caring woman. He wished he could take her illness and shove it on his elder brother, just so there was one less murderous son of a bitch in the world.
"Who's Julien?" Questioned Minion.
"Long story," Said Swiftshadow.
"Which you can tell as we build you some gear," Proclaimed Megamind.
"Wait? What?" Was her only response.
Roxanne flicked through the miles worth of documents. If what looking for was here it would be here. And yet she could find nothing. Absolutely nothing. She looked in every filing cabinet, folder and digital file. But there was nothing. Not even so much as a newspaper clipping.
She briefly considered someone forgetting to document the demolition, but she knew the city's bureaucrats were nothing but meticulous. They were paid handsomely to ensure every T was crossed and every I was dotted. So unless that building was illegally demolished right under the city nose, it stood to reason that there was something strange was afoot.
"I don't know why you're so obsessed with this missing warehouse," Complained Calvin as he flipped through a stack of documents, "I mean, don't buildings in this city often get levelled during superhero smackdowns?"
"Yeah but there's always a record of it," noted Roxanne, "And I cant help but feel that it may be related to missing persons case,"
"Really? And how'd you figure that?"
"Call it hunch," She answered. After a moment of thought she continued, "I think we need to go back to the location. Hopefully we can find out more there,"
"Your funeral," Calvin shrugged.