"How does it feel?"

Minion slowly lifted one leg and then the next.

"Better than ever sir!"

"Really?"

"...."

"Minion…" He crossed his arms, one finger tapping away as he leveled his 'I'm disappointed in you' look.

Predictably, his fishy friend withered under his gaze and sheepishly replied.

"The right leg is a little twitchy."

"Minion minion minion." He chided while crouching down. Without prompt, Minion shifted his weight to the left allowing him to safely make repairs without the risk of a couple of hundred pounds of exo suit collapsing on him. "You have to tell me these things, how else am I supposed to know what needs fixing?

"Sorry sir."

He reached through the fur, finding the seam and allowing him to slide it off. Then he popped open the calf panel, inspecting the parts again.

"Leg up" He spoke while watching intently. Minion did as he requested.

"Stop!" There. "Lower it again, slowly."

He grinned. Repairing without his scanners was a tedious practice. Iterative in nature, it required constant testing and troubleshooting. They'd been at it for hours. And he enjoyed every second of it.

The suit was a mess when he'd retrieved it. Riddled with countless, 377 to be specific, problems. Some large and some small. None beyond him, even with his limited tool set. The quality of that Lord's goods was questionable but they were enough for what he needed.

He used his pliers to first snip and then strip the offending wire. The action repeated with another wire and he swapped the connections. It got the job done, despite not being his most elegant of solutions.

"Try now" He didn't reseal the leg yet, wanting to see if any other problem would dare show its face to him.

"It's fixed!"

Minion showed off his regained agility by performing tippy taps. Megamind took a step back, nodding at his good work, and then collapsing back onto a wooden crate. He rubbed his eyes, fighting the drowsiness that threatened to overtake him.

After making it back to the repair shop, he'd tried to get some beauty sleep. Tried being the operative word. He twisted his back, earning a series of pops. The Megamobile may be a fine chariot but it was not a fine bed. He'd woken in the early morning, when it was still dark, and took the opportunity to recover Minion's suit.

With hindsight, he should have repaired it on the spot rather than haul it back. The whole ordeal made him briefly consider hitting the gym. Briefly.

He took a sip of a sports drink, thankful he'd seen fit to stuff them and a box of granola bars into his sack during the heist.

His eyes drifted to his gun sitting on the table. He hadn't repaired it yet. It was of a more delicate design than Minion's suit, requiring a lighter touch. It also required the power cell the Megamobile was using. He'd have to create another and soon.

For now, he had another task. He forced his aching body up. Evil didn't rest so neither would he.

He sat on the Megamobile, taking the laptop that was resting on it. He'd connected it to charge after confirming the cable was compatible with his power cell. Not much wasn't.

"What are you doing sir?"

Minion approached and peeked over his shoulder.

"Trying" He fought back a yawn. "to find out which way Metrocity is."

Hmm, this OS was unfamiliar to him. He clicked on what looked to be a browser. A little dinosaur popped up with a message.

"It looks like we don't have a connection here." Minion pointed out the obvious.

"Yet, Minion. We don't have a connection yet." He turned the device off and flipped it. "Go get me an antenna from somewhere, there must be an old one in one of the adjacent buildings."

"On it sir!" Minion readily replied, clearly happy to once again be of some use. His bulky form quickly vacated the premises, allowing him to study the machine he'd stolen. The make of it, was peculiar? It wasn't particularly, good and he fought the itch to start making modifications. It was simply different.

Minion came back surprisingly quickly, carrying an antenna the length of his body. He held it out for his approval.

"Will this work sir?"

He leaned in, running a hand on it. It wasn't ideal for the type of signal he was trying for but again, he could make it work.

"Good work Minion." He patted him on the shoulder, it was good to have him back in full.

He made some quick adjustments.

"To the roof!" He declared, charging out of the hole in the wall with newfound energy. It was time to finally get to the bottom of this.

He stopped at the brick wall, Minion passing him and easily scaling the building's facade. He made it to the roof, staring at Megamind who'd stayed in place.

Slowly, he spread his arms out and Minion tilted his head at him before his eyes lit up with realization. He set down the antenna, hopped down with a thud, and scooped the super villain up, carrying him to the top.

He had his fair share of manual labor for the week, no the month!

"Careful Minion!" He cautioned as a part of the roof buckled. "Step on the supports! Or do you want to bring the whole thing down?"

"No?"

Megamind rolled his eyes. "There'll be time to collapse buildings later."

"You're the best sir!"

Sometimes, even the most obvious things were better said out loud.

He sat on the rusted metal sheeting. Flipping open the laptop again, he searched for a signal. The wind blew by, with the sun and added layers, it wasn't an issue.

"Minion, raise it higher." He called while focusing on the available networks.

"Like this sir?" Minion held the antenna at waist level.

"No, higher." The laptop flung out of his hands and he shot to his feet."NO! Too High Too High!"

"Sorry!"

He caught the dangling device, wishing he'd had a longer cable to connect to his improvised signal booster.

"Okay, To the left, slowly this time." Nothing. "To the right."

"Walk with me Minion" He rose and carefully stepped forward, conscious of the short length he had to work with.

Behind him, the roof continued to groan under Minion's steps. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they traversed.

"Stop!" His voice came out hurriedly. He didn't look back, merely raising a hand to reinforce his words. "Don't move a muscle."

He didn't worry about whatever it was named, the point was he had a signal. He clicked on it and it prompted him for a password. Fiddlesticks. He'd be able to create a program to bypass it but he was quite fed up with the delays.

An errant thought passed his mind. He typed 'password'.

"Ha ha! We're in business-" He'd turned back to look at Minion who was mid-step, wobbling slightly to maintain his balance. "This is no time for games Minion." He chastised and turned back to the computer.

The apology didn't reach his ears as he hesitated for a moment before typing 'Metrocity' in the search bar. The page took its time to populate and his eyes hungrily devoured the contents when it completed.

His fingers clicked in the middle of the word, pressed the space bar, and then enter. The wheel spun, taunting him.

The results appeared and his face got increasingly stony.

'Megamind'

'Metro Man'

'Roxanne Ritchi'

'Minion'

The results were not what he expected. No, that wasn't true. He was a genius.

The structure in the distance stood there, mocking him.

He'd seen the signs. He just didn't want to believe them.

His eyes clenched shut. It didn't make sense. He'd designed every inch of the emergency teleporter himself. He'd done all the math.

"Did you find out which way to Metro City?" Minion asked innocently.

He let out a breath.

"There is no way." His voice came out steady, without inflection. "The teleporter, it sent us further than I predicted. We're no longer on our earth."

"How is that possible?"

It wasn't. He knew the science. None of this made sense. Even with Metro Man's explosive entrance that wouldn't have caused them to be marooned in another reality. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say.

"Sir?" Minion's soft voice brought him out of his own head.

He looked at his friend. His friend who was watching him. Expecting guidance. Answers. He didn't have any.

His sight descended, lowering completely before snapping back to Minion's form.

Yet.

He didn't have any yet.

Who was he? He was Megamind? So what if he didn't understand how it happened? Just like the suit, he'd find one problem, solve it, and move on to the next. He'd keep at it. Never relenting.

He'd crack the science and return to his world. Return to Metrocity. Defeat Metro Man. And rule with an evil blue-painted-iron fist!

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

He stood on the roof, his sight taking in this alien world. This alien city.

"Minion!" He felt his friend straighten. "We're staying longer than planned. We'll need more supplies. More tools. I'll rebuild the teleporter and take us home. Understood!"

"Sir yes sir! Minion saluted him.

Silly Minion, he'd never been in the military.

"Uhh, one question" Minion shyly raised a finger. "If this isn't our world, doesn't that mean no one knows who we are?"

"Why of-" He nearly bit his tongue, only now working through the implications.

No one knew them here. It was a fresh start. His name carried no preconceptions.

"Off the roof!" He ran past Minion. "Get out of sight! Now! Quick!"

This was terrible! His cape was ruined and the rest of his ensemble was an assortment of random clothes with no consistent theme! It was one thing to be seen like this by the citizens of Metrocity. They knew him. Knew to fear him.

You only had one chance at first impressions! He couldn't afford to mess this up! Not unless he had enough amnesia spray to cover a city!

Minion finally sensed the gravity of the situation and thundered behind him. A loud groan and then a snap was heard. He managed to turn and see Minion's apologetic face before they both tumbled down.

—

A horn blared as a car skidded out of the way of the Megamobile. Stop signs were for suckers.

"You know the plan, right Minion?"

He should by now, but Megamind had learned it never hurt to double-check.

"Yes sir, smash and grab. Take the loot and don't let anyone see us."

Megamind nodded.

"Exactly. No one can know it's us. Remember, if you have to refer to me. Use the name Blue Lightning. We can't have them connect your use of 'sir' with me later. Have you thought of your codename yet?"

"Well, I was thinking of Ol'Chum."

"Denied." He quickly asserted. There was a reason he'd never let Minion name any of his inventions.

"I'll keep thinking…" Minion sulked in the passenger seat beside him holding a piece of paper. His size was such that he overflowed into Megamind's space.

He'd need to add Megamobile upgrades to his growing to-do list.

The operation was a simple yet critical one. It was absolutely vital it went off without a hitch, or else all would be lost. It was the dead of night now and he hadn't added anything to his arsenal, choosing to sleep most of the day. It was important to be on his A-game here. Besides, he had Minion by his side.

"Right here." Minion had drawn a crude map on a slip of paper. Megamind didn't think it needed, their destination being quite obvious.

Up ahead, he spotted pillars meant to prevent any vehicles from passing. He pressed on the accelerator. There were shouts as he blew past the obstacles, the Megamobile sliding nicely between them.

Their ride began to rumble as it raced over wooden planks. They zoomed past rows of storefronts. The city was kind enough to provide a detailed map of the place so they knew exactly where they were going.

He supposed they were tourist of a type. Only they'd not be paying for their souvenirs.

"Over there!" Minion pointed. Megamind followed it and saw the glass storefront displaying their wares. Soon to be his.

Rather than press on the break, he maintained his speed.

"Brace yourself!" He yelled right as they crashed through, the Megamobile plowing through the simple door.

He shook his head, getting his bearings.

"Quickly now!" He jumped out with his loot bag. "Grab everything you can!"

He followed his own orders, claiming item after item. They'd be essential in the coming days.

A voice broke out and he quickly dove into cover.

"Wow, you are unlucky. You know if Vic wasn't late I'd be long gone by now?"

They were both hiding behind columns, able to see each other but not the speaker.

"You know I can see you? That column barely hides your body."

Was she calling him fat?

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm a healthy weight!" Minion's voice cried out.

Ah, yes Minion had gained some pounds recently. He really should see about that diet.

Megamind spotted a broken piece of glass. His foot outstretched and he dragged it towards him. Gripping it with hands, he angled it so he could see the speaker. It was a child? Or young woman? He couldn't quite tell in the darkness. Her outfit was another matter, she wore a white costume with an arrow and red lines.

She held her arms loosely by her side as she sized up Minion's disguised form still trying to hide. He'd have acted by now if it wasn't for the fact she was hovering a foot or two off the ground.

Was she like Metro Man?

"New?" She questioned and then nodded to herself, somehow coming to a conclusion. "Definitely new. Tell you what. Step out quietly, turn yourself in, and I might put in a good word for you."

Minion seemed lost on how to proceed, they'd never gone over what would happen if they'd been caught in the act.

"Okay." The woman spoke slower. "How about we start with names then? I'm Laserdream. You're.." She trailed off waving for Minion to answer.

"Uhh. I'm Mi-" Megamind frantically made x motions with his hand. Thankfully minion caught his gesture and corrected himself. "Mini Man?"

Unthankfully, his naming sense was still horrible.

"Mini man?" The girl let out a snicker. "You're like as tall as my dad." She collected herself and continued. "Okay Mini Man, let me tell you how this is going to go. You're going to surrender now. The PRT, who are probably only minutes away BTW, is going to take you in. I'm going to go on a quick patrol. And we all get to walk away. Sound good?"

It did not sound good. It did not sound good at all! He wasn't sure what this PRT or BTW was but he didn't want to stick around to find out. His mind raced to find a way out. Did he take the risk? He wasn't prepared to fight a copy of Metro Man. Not with what he had on him.

He took his fist and slammed it against his palm in frustration.

"Okay s- Blue Lightning" Minion's voice caused him took look up. Seeing his friend with a wild grin.

"Why don't you" Minion stepped out from the column, dragging a clothing rack behind him.

The girl's eyes widened upon seeing him.

"Try this on for size!"

"What the-" She didn't get to finish as the clothing rack was hurtled towards her. Something red flashed and the rack halted before reaching its target. Clothes were tossed in every direction.

From the corner of his eye, he watched Minion charge the hero. He didn't pay too close attention, taking the chance to scramble out and towards the Megamobile. His bag was hefted in his seat when he remembered the one Minion had. He'd come too far to leave it behind.

"Wait you-"

He couldn't hear the rest of her words as there was another crash. Damnit Minion! They were going to have words later.

He found the discarded bag and hurried back to the driver's seat. He slammed on the reverse, peeling out.

The girl had flown higher.

"I thought you wanted to…hang out!" Hangers flew out of Minion's hand. Streaking like stars in the night. The girl dodged some and that red flash intercepted others.

"Mi-ni Man. Time to go!" He needed to install a horn on this thing.

"But"

He frantically gestured for him to get into the Megamobile.

Minion's form clambered aboard and he could smell burnt fur. He thought he'd already gotten rid of that. He hit the accelerant just in time to see a ray coming from the rearview mirror. He swerved, dodging it.

"She's chasing" Minion yelled, being able to look behind without turning his body. He hit the turbo.

From the mirror, he could see it wouldn't be enough to outrace her. Minion was definitely going on that diet!

"Take the wheel!"

He didn't wait for a confirmation before twisting himself back. Getting into a fight with a hero BEFORE his costume was finished was what he was trying to avoid!

He took careful aim and fired his launcher. The hot sauce impacted that same forefield. He tried a few more attempts but they similarly failed.

This was bad!

"This is so fun sir! Thanks for letting me fight for once!"

"Codenames Minion! We can't let them know our true identity!

"But"

"No buts. We've had enough buts!"

Butt? The car butt! Uh, the car rear. He crawled over to reach the bumper. He struggled to not get thrown off as the car made twists and turns as it raced through the streets. Minion was lucky he didn't get motion-sick.

He'd just disassembled what he needed to enact his plan when he looked up, noticing their pursuer growing ever distant.

Strange.

Did she realize how outmatched she was?