Megamind hummed a tune as he ascended the enclosed staircase. He glanced at his watch, if everything was going right then she should be starting soon. It was a big step, her first official act as a villain under his tutelage.

She'd have to take it on her own. Hmm, that wasn't accurate. She had her minions by her side. They'd been bonding better than expected and he was certain that after this trial their cooperation would only grow.

On his part, it was a balancing act. He needed to be a gentle hand, too much and he'd come off as overbearing while too little would leave her without direction. Today was her show, victory or defeat would rest on her shoulders.

Either was acceptable, in fact, he found himself hoping for the latter. The growth one underwent from facing and overcoming failure was something precious. Sacred even, a villain he may be but that is one thing he wasn't willing to steal.

Of course, he wasn't leaving her to the wolves. He was nearby and ready to shield her from the worst of outcomes. Not that he was sitting on his hands and merely waiting to be called, no there were better ways to spend his time.

As he took another step up, he spotted the number three next to a heavy door.

If his campus map was right, this should be it. He swung it open and entered the wide hallway. There was a scruffy-looking boy wearing headphones and nodding along to something.

Their eyes met.

The kid froze. A smile crept on Megamind's face and both his hands flashed outward.

"Boo!"

A book clattered to the ground and the kid bolted away.

"Hahahah," Megamind wiped a false tear from his face. It was moments like these that made it all worth it.

"Everything okay sir?" Minion's voice buzzed in his ear.

Megamind skipped forward, arms folded behind his back.

"Code; Just fine, I was having fun with one of the locals. How are things on your end?"

The hallway had doors evenly placed on each wall. He peered through the embedded window of one, seeing nothing of note, and then skipped to the next.

"Great! I'm in the elevator but should be there soon." Minion's eagerness was infectious and added an extra spring to his step. "I'm not sure what type of materials I'll be able to collect but seeing the different designs in person will be worth it. We need to keep your look on the cutting edge after all."

Personally, he was skeptical about what the Broken Bay University's Fashion Design Department could contribute to his image but he would leave that in more able fins.

As for him? Places of learning such as these tended to have more specialized equipment. It helped that some departments received funding from local businesses. He glanced through another window and was already walking by when he paused and took swift steps backward.

He reached for the handle and tried to twist it open; it didn't budge. For its offense of blocking his path, it soon sported a new hole where the locking mechanism was and he strolled into the room/laboratory.

An ion chromatograph, a high-powered microscope, a spectroscope, a chromatography system…

He said a silent thank you to Medhall for their generosity and began dehydrating anything that suited his fancy. Which was everything, including those things bolted down.

"It's awfully quiet without anyone around…" He mumbled to himself. "Well, we all have our own jobs to do."

Even the Spider Mites and Spider Bot had their objective, which was to cause a fuss in the docks together with a projection of yours truly.

Then and there he decided to begin brain bot construction after this caper. He needed more hands on deck. While they were rising to the occasion, the Spider Mites were meant for scavenging and not causing distractions.

He finished collecting the last of the cubes, he was ready to leave when he noticed the large whiteboard sitting at the back of the classroom.

Adorable.

Finding a marker of an appropriate color, his hand moved animatedly across the expanse of the board. It didn't take long and he was caught up writing a taunting note at the end when the creak of the door sounded.

"You've got to be kidding," Laserdream, wearing a sweater and jeans entered behind a screen of purple light. "I thought that guy was kidding…"

The source of the forcefield followed closely after. Unlike her younger copy, she was dressed professionally in a white body suit with a purple starburst on her chest. A tiara sat on her head, reminiscent of Glorly Girl.

"This is why I tell you to always be prepared," Lady Photon spoke in a lecturing tone. "you never know when you'll be needed."

Laserdream looked like she wanted to roll her eyes but stopped the reaction, keeping her focus on him.

"If it wasn't for the PR event with the School of Optical Science you wouldn't be wearing yours," She grumbled, pacing away from her mother and hugging the wall separating them from the hallway. Her mother gave her a stern side glance and the girl crumbled. "I guess I can start packing one."

They were spread out and he took note of how they were positioning themselves.

"Oh now this is just precious," Megamind opened with a grin on his face, his De-Gun pointed at the younger of the two. "I didn't realize I'd hurt your feelings so badly that you'd call your mommy for help."

Minion must have overheard his words as his voice piped up.

"Is something wrong sir?"

He considered that. While there were two of them, both had similar abilities and ones he now had experience against. In addition, they were indoors right now which negated many of the advantages that came with flight.

Outnumbered? Yes.

Outmatched? Far from it.

Their presence was unexpected but they would make acceptable starter heroes for his protege, only he could already hear Minion's protest if his 'rival' was stolen.

"Code; No issue." He pressed on the watch to transmit his voice and the women opposite him tensed. "Code; Although, you might want to join me. If you're not busy."

He kept the identity of those who opposed him a secret, the smile of surprise on Minion's face would be a welcome sight.

"Actually sir, I have a bit of a situation here-" Minion's voice cut off for a moment before returning in a hushed tone. "But don't worry. I have it handled."

A pang of anxiety hit him before he forced it away. If Minion said he was fine then he'd have to trust him.

"For the record, my mom kicks ass. As you'll find out soon enough."

"Language." The woman chided, it seemed more like a reflex than a genuine chastisement.

"Saying my mom kicks butt is way lamer. Anyways, whereabouts is your friend? Sure he can't join us?"

Fishing for information? As if he'd be that naive.

"Don't worry about him, he's doing evil elsewhere." He gestured towards the opposite direction of where Minion actually was. "I'd be much more concerned about yourself. They say the third time is the charm…but I think we both know how this will end."

Officially, he would not admit to being the one responsible for the boardwalk break-in but everyone here should be on the same page.

"Sorry, the third time?"

Or not? He swiftly moved to set the record straight.

"Yes."

"No."

Her denial overlapped with his confirmation.

"Let's just take him down, Mom." Laserdream took an aggressive step forward, light coalescing in her hand. "The administration will understand."

Lady Photon remained alert but didn't move to match her daughter.

"I'd like to hear more about this third time first."

Blonde hair waved back and forth as the girl shook her head, dismissing the claim.

"It's nothing, he must have me confused for someone else."

"Liar!" Megamind puffed his chest out, giving a sense of grandeur to his proclamation. He aimed the De-Gun lower. "Should I light your pants on fire?"

The older cape's stare hardened in reaction to him, she studied him for a moment before her eyes sneaked a look at her daughter.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Crystal Eve Pelham," Her voice laced with something he couldn't identify. "have you been sneaking out at night?"

"Can't we focus on what's important here? There's a villain standing right there."

Laserdream pouted, stomping a foot and pointedly not meeting her mother's glare.

"He's not going anywhere." Lady Photon's no-nonsense voice replied. Her right foot shifted back and she angled her body to face them both. "And don't try and distract me, did you or did you not go on an unscheduled patrol."

Megamind saw a chance to throw in more fuel and spoke up in an accusatory tone.

"Not just her! It was the smaller one as well. The Shielder! Neither of them had the decency to be in costume."

Laserdream's face briefly blanched at the revelation before narrowing dangerously in his direction. Or he thought that was the intent, it didn't come off very intimidating to him.

"You dragged your brother into this?" Hands on her hips now, Lady Photon berated. "You can't keep things like this from me. I raised you better."

"The little tur-I mean he followed me out. And it was an emergency! Vic texted me, it wasn't like I was out looking for a fight."

"Victoria was there too?" Lady Photon's foot began tapping and her expression had soured completely. "Why am I only hearing about all this now?"

"Ah well," Laserdream cringed, hunching in slightly before continuing under her mother's withering gaze. "Vic didn't want to worry anyone. You know how Auntie gets whenever she gets hurt."

"Victoria got hurt!?" A note of panic rang could be heard. "How?

A finger was wordlessly pointed at him and the pair of heroes stared at him with incredulity.

"Why are you taking notes?" Laserdream opined, her tone conveyed how much of a question that really was.

"No reason." The pen he was holding in his lips fell to the floor and he tucked the notepad into his belt. Hopefully, it would be legible. He had to get creative with only one available hand but he didn't want to forget the interaction, discipline was important and he felt he could get some pointers out of this interaction. "Please feel free to continue."

"I think that's enough," The older hero said to the palpable relief of the other. "Wipe that smirk off your face, young lady. We're discussing this as a family at home." She turned fully towards him. "Now, what are you doing here Megamind?"

"I can ask the same of you."

His plans hadn't factored in heroes being already present on the scene. It wasn't unmanageable but he'd like to know the reason. Something about PR?

"Frankly? Subsidizing a ludicrous tuition rate for a daughter that lies to my face."

"Hey!" Laserdream cried indignantly. "I said I was sorry."

"I didn't hear one." Megamind scolded. Was it because she was a child or this world's version of a hero that she lied so easily? And to her mother's face!

"He's right," Lady Photon nodded in agreement. "All I heard were excuses."

"Well, I meant to."

Laserdream flipped her hair back and rolled her shoulders, loosening up. Megamind's grip on his gun tightened, ready to spring into action.

"Seeing as ONE of you was honest." At least he felt Lady Photon was being sincere. "I'll have you know I happened to be in the area and thought I would pop in and see what all the fuss was about. If what I've seen so far is any indication, this place is doing a fine job of robbing its students without my intervention."

Just because she was truthful to him didn't mean he'd return the favor. Canary should be getting into the swing of things right about now but no reason to raise alarm bells over here. Not that they'd have a lot of luck doing it. This entire area was currently a dead zone with no calls going in or out. It was another precaution he'd taken to buy her a little more time to get through her set.

"That doesn't justify your actions. You've done massive property damage, endangered the lives of numerous citizens, and used deadly force. This ends today."

"Justify?" He gave a deep laugh, swinging his cape back. He wore a victorious smile on his face, like he'd already won the day. "I am the antithesis of justice. A champion of evil! Villainy incarnate! You say this is the end? How wrong you are, this is a beginning!"

A little bird would flap its wings for the first time today. It was his duty to bear witness and be ready to catch her in case she fell. Which meant, he couldn't be held up here.

They regarded him with a mixture of caution and sureness. Laserdream flashed a small forcefield, it twisted into shapes and came into and out of existence at what appeared to be random intervals.

Her mother replicated the action and they shared a nod.

A code of some sort? Creative, he would give them that.

Minion's shield could probably accomplish the same feat should they ever find a need to. His Minion had been silent during the exchange, he must have been fairly busy.

Perhaps his minion had foolishly bitten off more than he could chew but was too stubborn to ask for help? Such a silly Minion, he needed to check up on him.

No more stalling then.

His finger squeezed the trigger.

—

Minion switched the feed to silent.

"Sorry about that," He'd been ruder than intended but he couldn't help to worry sometimes. As the perfect Minion, it was his job to bail his evil overlord out whenever he got in over his head. "Where were we?"

He spoke to the diminutive figure in front of him. Blond curls sat skewed on her head, hints of black locks peeking through the mess. She wore a piece reminiscent of the Victorian period; it had loose strands and from the way it hung, he could tell it had been put on hastily. A porcelain white doll mask stared back at him.

"Loving the costume by the way," He added when she didn't say anything. Complimenting someone was a great way to break the ice. "The creepy doll aesthetic really suits you."

The sheets of fabric orbiting her wavered for a moment.

"That's…not what I was going for. It looks better when I'm not rushed."

He did knock before kicking down the door but perhaps he should have waited longer?

However, he did pause once he noticed the floating fabric blocking off his view.

"My mistake then, I'm sure you look very villainous once it's all put together. Was I interrupting you, did you call dibs already?"

He pointed at the beautiful industrial sewing machine still humming in the center of the classroom. He couldn't identify the model but it looked new and he was sure he could make good use of it.

"I'm not a villain."

His mind screeched to a halt, processing that piece of information.

"Oh, oh!" His feet lightly tapped in place. How foolish of him! He should know better than making assumptions. "A hero then! Sorry, let's start over. I'll just step out for a moment and then barge back in. Then we can have an epic battle."

Hopefully, this would be enough to salvage the situation. He didn't want to disgrace his boss's name. The door was hefted up and he was backing up to put it in place when he was interrupted.

"No! I'm not a hero."

He shifted the door so that he could see the girl. That wasn't enough and he dropped it with a thud, eliciting a step back from the girl. He brought out a microfiber and wiped his container, blinking his eyes for good measure. Nope! She still looked the same.

"But you're wearing a costume?" He searched for other possible conclusions, recalling something he'd read about. "I see, you're one of those cosplayers. Is there some convention in town? They sound interesting."

He wasn't particular about the characters but the concept seemed fun.

"I'm not playing dress up." The fabrics swayed protectively, moving in between them. "I'm a rogue."

The term rang a bell. That was what they called Canary for a while. It was also an area they were starting to straddle themselves, with selling services to others. The boss still wasn't sold on the idea but was warming to it. The other party being professional enough to have multiple secret lairs with an underground one to boot certainly helped.

"Okay, I met another one recently but she's moved on. Or is trying her best to? It's a work in progress. What's your name then? I'm Minion."

He probably should have introduced himself a while ago.

"Parian. I'm not looking for trouble, I'm just a designer."

What luck! He'd never been able to talk shop with another. It was hard, constantly trying to one-up greatness all by his lonesome. But his boss entrusted it all to him and he would never let him down.

"Me too! Do you have a catalog? I'd love to take a look."

A feeling of loss welled up within him. He should have brought his own! If only he'd known ahead of time. No, that was no excuse. He needed to be better prepared in the future.

"Please?" He tacked on after receiving silence. It was difficult to judge what she was thinking with that mask on.

"I have a binder at home that has more finished stuff, " She hesitated before walking behind a table and hefting a book bag up. Her hand stopped on the zipper for a moment before opening it and retrieving a sketchbook. "but this is where I usually work."

It was carried to him by a rolling piece of satin and he retrieved it gratefully. He pulled out a chair from a nearby table and sat to better look at it. Gently, he leafed through the pages.

It was alot of unfinished work. Which was normally fine, that was part of the process. Aesthetically, they looked fine. However, fashion was more than looks. It was about sending a message. When he constructed his boss' suit, and now Canary's, he was communicating a specific emotion from them. Both for the wearer and the observer.

What he got from this…

"I'm not saying it's bad." He continued to go through the pieces, each one confirming his thoughts. "But is this what you want to do?"

"It is." Her voice was soft. He might even call it tired.

"Are you sure about that?"

He didn't really need to ask. The art spoke for itself. She was indecisive.

"I was." The words came out hollow, missing a certain drive."Lately, I'm not sure. It's not going how I imagined."

He closed the sketchbook, placing it back on the piece of fabric.

"I can see that. It's bleeding into your work." His statement had a visible impact on her, her small form slumping. That wasn't his intention. "Why don't we talk about why you decided on design in the first place? Maybe we can see why your motivation is waning."

He patted the table, pointing to the chair opposite of him. Her mask tilted to the chair, him, and then the empty space where the door had been. Slowly, her feet carried her to the chair and she joined him at the table.

"Take your time." He encouraged, despite a small part of him wanting to check in on his boss. "We have plenty of it."

They didn't but it didn't hurt to give her the illusion of it.

"There was a guy…" Minion perked up. Was this real life? Was he about to live out something that went on in his soaps? Was he ready for something like this? "He was in my old major. Things went kinda bad, he just wouldn't take no and I sorta blew up on him." Blow up as in a bomb or emotionally? Either was a possibility. "I ended up burning a lot of bridges there and I couldn't stay." He was leaning towards bomb. Maybe she would get along with that Bakuda character. They'd not heard anything about her recently. Did she take the boss' advice to heart? "Fashion was the polar opposite of what I was doing so I fell into it."

This was tricky. It was easy with himself, he knew his purpose. He'd been created to take care of his boss.

His boss also had a clear purpose, to defeat Metro Man, conquer Metrocity, and keep being the best supervillain out there. However, they were special cases. Not everyone was as lucky as them to have such a strong direction.

"If you're not happy with what you're doing then maybe it's time for a change." He loved his job and took pride in it. The smile that graced his boss' face when Minion got the eggs just right, he lived for those moments. "Don't be afraid to try new things. College is time for experimentation."

That's what TV said, and he didn't think they'd be dishonest about it. She fidgeted in a flustered manner for a moment before speaking again.

"It's not that easy. I already disappointed Mom by switching, what am I supposed to say? Sorry, but I changed my mind. There's enough stress at home without me adding to it."

"Yes?" Minion didn't understand her reluctance. "That's what family is for right? I don't know what I would do without my boss."

He knew their relationship not to be a traditional family but it was special in its own way. They stuck with each other through thick and thin.

"It's not that simple."

"I believe you." He said sincerely. She knew her life better than him. If she said it was complicated, then that was what it was. That being said, he didn't want to leave it there. "I can only speak for myself. But without my boss, I'd be a lost fish. Wandering aimlessly in a dark ocean. I don't think anyone's meant to swim alone."

He nodded to himself. It wasn't something he often thought about but it sounded right when he said it out loud.

What did not sound right, was the explosion ringing in the distance. He dug into his memory, reviewing the itinerary. Was there meant to be a pyrotechnic display in Canary's performance?

He didn't think so. That needed to be checked out.

The explosion had failed to gain the girl's attention, her mask not giving anything away.

Right, one last thing before he left.

"Here is my email." Without a writing instrument, he carved it with his finger into the desk. "Feel free to reach out if you want to chat."

He didn't have to luxury to wait for her reply and he rose to his full height. Towering over the surroundings, he approached a wall. His fist reeled back and then shot forward, crashing through the brick. He repeated the action, carving a hole to poke his head through.

The campus filled his line of sight.

Huh. He couldn't remember that being on the pre-crime presentation slides.