Muffled clapping came from the side. It was nice, but also a given with this particular audience member.

"Excellent delivery, sir," Minion said from slightly behind him. "But, uh, isn't this a little early?" He turned in his bowl, realizing they weren't alone. "Oh. Hello! I didn't realize this was a group breakout."

Neither of the two seemed to know how to react to his partner, which was understandable, as they'd clearly never seen a proper minion. However, it might have also been Minion's current attire.

"Minion!" His shout caused Minion to stand at attention. "Why did it take so long to answer?"

The beacon planted within his stomach had worked splendidly. The level of scrutiny was unknown, but Megamind knew he would be subject to an initial search and then monitoring for his stay. However, there was no prison able to contain his wits, and so he'd planned ahead. It was a trivial effort for him, only requiring a slight retooling of existing inventions.

His beacon had already been designed around mimicking his biological signature. If it could convince reality itself that it was a part of Megamind, then there was simply no chance the prt's paltry scanners would be able to detect its presence. The only functionality he'd added was to be able to send out a distress signal in case of emergencies.

Megamind rubbed his aching stomach. That would have to be looked at again because it was not nearly as sensitive as it should be.

The teleporter's tuning had taken more work, and several fake Megaminds died in the service of its testing, but he'd gotten it to be able to transport his costume and gear over to him.

Before his minion could respond, he tacked on his next question.

"And why are you dressed like that?"

Minion lifted his mitts, and he did mean mitts, as the pink-thickly padded gloves covered his normal mechanical hands. They matched the frilly apron fastened to his front.

"I was baking a cake for your release party," Minion explained, placing his hands on his hips. "I found a great podcast that had a bunch of ideas and I was trying some of them out when you called. Will your new friends be joining us?"

Sharing cake with strangers? What a joker his minion was.

"Hold on a second," Leet said, watching as Minion removed his baking apparel. "If your hands are mechanical, why in the hell do you need to wear mitts?"

These were questions better not asked, and Megamind directed his attention elsewhere.

He brought his arm up, tapping on his holo watch. It took longer than it should have to communicate with the lair's computer. Was there perhaps some electronic interference? Jamming signals and the like?

His beacon was made to communicate across dimensions, and so it would never be blocked by the likes of that. On the other hand, his watch was not as sophisticated. He waited with a frown on his face. It took longer than he wanted, but the data streamed through.

The readings from the teleporter were solid. There had been no malfunctions on that side and a second delivery was possible. However, it wasn't without limitations. The time between activation and the amount being transported were both considerations. He wasn't a genius for nothing though, and sometimes the simplest solutions were the best.

Megamind reached into one of his belt pouches, retrieving a handful of cubes. He threw them out and Minion did not need to be told to put his spray bottle in action.

He was pushed back, mechanical monstrosities assaulting him from all sides.

"Did you miss Papa?" Megamind tried his best to evenly distribute scritches, but it was a bot-eat-bot world, and not all were given the same attention. "Did you?"

Their bops and beeps returned, affirming they had indeed missed their Papa.

"You know it hasn't actually been that long," Minion supplied an unimportant comment. "Where are we, by the way? This place looks very weird. The Feng Shui is really off."

It sounded like Minion was getting into his interior decorator mode, but he was right. The terrain in front of them had been warped. They stood in what used to be a hall, only it looked to have been stretched to an extreme degree. The angle it had been pulled up wasn't unclimbable, but it would slow any advance.

This was the work of Vista, another one of the junior heroes. Her powers had been listed as spacial warping, and he found that description woefully inadequate. He wasn't sure what, if any, limitations she had, but during the course of Minion's arrival they'd already been sealed off by a rising wall.

"Nice, we got mobs," Uber spoke while approaching one of the Brain Bots, who spun up a buzzsaw in threat. "Mean ones at that."

The meanest in existence. That was a Megamind guarantee. Since his encounter with Armsmaster, they had been properly equipped, and several sported De-Guns. They were stripped-down versions, each only having access to one or two settings. It was still a tremendous amount of firepower. The wall now blocking them would be made short work of. He could even turn around and simply go through the other side of the elevator shaft, blowing his way through steel and concrete. That idea was discarded for reasons he thought obvious.

"Minion, do you have your pen and paper ready?"

His minion reached into his fanny pack of evil and retrieved his writing instruments, clicking the pen.

"Always, sir, did you want me to jot down a reminder?" As if his incredible brain would ever forget something. There were a few memories that popped up to correct him at that, and he amended the thought to stipulate important memories. "Hand it to them."

Leet was distracted, looking closely at the Brain Bots, but Uber took them. He stood there awkwardly, clearly not knowing what to do with them.

"Be ready to make notes; you're about to see a proper villain in action. And don't worry about catching my good side with your camera; we have that covered."

One of the Brain Bots rose a little higher, waving a large recorder in its appendages. It was larger than it needed to be, but he liked the aesthetic of the bigger versions.

"Minion, you didn't forget the flag, did you?"

Its completion had been pending when he'd been captured, Minion having wanted to get it just right.

"I've got it right here," Minion said while taking a bundle of folded cloth from his fanny pack. He unfurled it, holding it for all to see. "What do you think? I thought of the logo all myself!"

Yes, that was clear. The words 'Megamind Rules!' were printed on it. Juvenile and uninspired, but the overall work still looked good. Thanks in large part to his handsome mug floating above it. It elevated even the poorest forms of art, making mere doodles equal to priceless pieces. And that wasn't just because he refused to sell them.

"We'll workshop that later," he said, not outright rebuking his minion. It was his fault; he should have known Minion's limitations. "Maybe we can get some more opinions. Have a real brainstorming session during game night."

Their thoughts weren't strictly needed. His were greater in quantity and quality, but he didn't see the harm in it. Yes, it sounded…nice even.

"Looking forward to it!" Minion responded with a grin, taking out a thin stick of metal that expanded, forming a pole for the flag. "So, where are we putting this?"

He fastened the flag to it and waved his face around, testing the way it flapped.

"How about up Armsmaster's ass?" Leet gave a crude comment, fist bumping Uber.

Really, these two were far too immature for their ages. They needed to be way more serious if they expected to ever be more than hacks.

"Wait and see, Minion; wait and see."

He was going to plant it on the top of the building. It wasn't meant to be a grand secret, but adding a dash of mystery enhanced his performance.

"Megamind," the voice he'd been ignoring on the intercom sounded again. "This is Director Piggot of the-"

He blasted the intercom with little thought. A mere director wanted to speak to him? No, it would be the president, chief, or someone with a title of similar grandeur to attract his attention.

Megamind grasped for another one of his pouches, retrieving several small beads. Refined smoke bombs, the originals being too large for his liking. He tossed them up and down, getting a feel for their weight.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

There was no doubt that he would perform an impeccable throw with them, but small details like this did not necessarily need to be done by himself. His eyes strayed to Minion, who would have his hands full with the flag and his deployable shield. There was another option…

"Think fast." He tossed the three spheres to Uber, who did think fast and caught them smoothly. "Aim them ahead of us, unless you'd prefer to resemble some variations of cheese by the end of this. Remember to wait for my signal."

His own safety was well assured, but as for those two, it would be every villain for themselves. He raised his gun; it had been set to destroy for his previous shot. It was pointed at the raised floor, acting as a barricade.

"Wait, we're not seriously going to charge-"

He paid no mind to Leet's incredulous words, squeezing the trigger. The obstacle glowed before erupting outward in a shower of debris. He brought the gun to his lips, blowing away the small trail of smoke it emitted.

Megamind walked through the cloud of dust, emerging like a fearsome specter. At least, that's how he was hoping it looked from their end.

The opposition arrayed against him was a group of armored prt personnel standing protectively around the Ward Vista.

"Oh, you poor little heroes. Did you really think genius like mine was so easily contained? How foolish of you to invite me into your inner sanctum. Now, I've learned all your secrets!" He hadn't due to being forced to act early, but he'd keep that to himself. "There's no use trying to stop me, but do try. Make this fun, why don't you?"

He spread his arms wide, a manic grin on his face. His chest was rising and falling with quick breaths, trying to regain the precious oxygen needed after yelling. Alternating his gaze between those at the top of the de facto hill, he strained his eyes.

Were their lips moving? He held his pose, tilting his head slightly to hear any potential rebuttals better.

"Psst," Minion whispered from behind. "I think you should have left their intercom alone."

Ah. In this particular instance, Minion was able to provide some valuable insight. This wasn't a problem for Metro Man; the hero could project his voice a great distance. His own voice was only able to be heard thanks to some of the bots amplifying it. It was the same tech he had Canary use.

No matter, he could work with it.

"Ha! Poor Lady Justice. Once only blind, now mute as well!" He brought his hands to his chest, swooning in false sympathy and then wiping a nonexistent tear from his face. "The first casualty of my reign of terror, but don't you worry." His voice turned deeper, enhancing the menace of it. "She'll be far from the last."

His hand whipped up, firing off the opening salvo. Taking the first shot was usually a privilege reserved for villains. It went wide, as intended, and before the bangs of their rifles could fill the twisted space, the area between them was enveloped with a blue smoke.

Acceptable throws, he gave the man a nod.

Rubber bullets ricocheted off of Minion's shield. He'd jumped in front and deployed it the moment the smoke concealed them. Megamind glanced back to the cameras. He couldn't decide whether he'd edit that out or not.

"Brain Bots!" He bellowed, flipping his cape back. "Advance!"

They clacked their jaws in agreement, charging ahead with reckless disregard for their own safety.

"I could do without the shooting!" Leet yelled, crouching on the ground behind them and covering his ears. "But fuck, robot charges are awesome!"

Uber laughed. He'd also taken refuge behind the shield, but had remained standing. His legs were spread wide, ready to sprint forward if needed.

"I know, don't you think they look kind of like servitors? He doesn't fit a tech priest, but I can see him rocking a commisar hat."

Many of those words didn't make sense, especially in that order, but he understood the meaning and he managed to stand just the slightest bit straighter. Having his greatness appreciated was always nice. He'd have to say no to the hat though; he wasn't a fan of concealing his most impressive feature.

He snapped his fingers, the pre-designated Brain Bots hovering low in front of him. Placing his left foot on one, he made sure its appendages properly secured him before stepping on the next.

They rose in union, and Megamind did not lose his balance; he simply waved his arms back and forth because he felt like it.

"Into the fray, Minion!" He ordered, a finger pointed up. "And don't you dare damage my face!"

He added the last part, just in case it was not abundantly clear how important the flag's safety was to him.

"You got it, boss!" Minion confirmed, breaking out into a lumbering charge as he scaled the corridor. Pitfalls and half-raised walls began to appear in their way, attempting to slow them. Minion's suit was deceptively agile and navigated the obstacle course with little effort.

"Ha." Megamind gave a short laugh. "These paltry tricks are beneath me!"

Figuratively and literally.

That was not all they had in store though, and soon cans began to roll down the hill, sliding under Minion's protective shield.

"Sir!" He called after kicking one of them away. It had exploded on contact, and foam started to sprout. "I think I stepped in it!"

They really needed to work on that. So much to do, but so little time. Maybe he should make another him to deal with it. Hmm, that sounded familiar…

Well, it probably wasn't important.

"That old trick?" Megamind switched modes on his gun. "It's overplayed!"

A blue bolt hit the substance and it bubbled up, changing hues before popping. Blue foam splattered out, and he made sure to avoid any of it getting on his costume.

His method went a step further than the grenade Leet created, fundamentally changing the structure of the substance. Not only would its consistency be akin to a liquid soap, but he had added an extra evil bonus.

"Is this-" Uber, who had been running behind them, wiped a finger across his cheek and then placed it in his mouth. "Blue raspberry?"

Yes! The worst of flavors! Invented so children may pester their parents and demand the insidious-

"Definitely," Leet said, coming up behind Uber. "That's my favorite flavor."

He was in the prime of his life, and yet that statement had made him feel oh so old. Megamind shook off the feeling; now was not the time for that.

With his mind centered again, he let the Brain Bots carry him forward. His gun absentmindedly fired in De-Foam mode whenever the foam tried to impede their progress. He was eager and ready to take the measure of another Ward.

Any second now, he'd burst through the smoke and deliver his next line.

Any second…

Megamind checked his watch, wondering if he had somehow lost his perspective of time.

"This-" Leet spoke between deep breaths. "Isn't working. The midget's screwing with us."

She was; the deformations in their path were enough to tell him that. However, what Leet said implied more than just putting obstacles in their way.

Megamind tapped on his wrist, bringing up the display of what the Brain Bots in the lead saw. The ground was rapidly stretching beyond them; even with their speed, they were making little if any progress.

He adjusted the camera lens, zooming into the perpetrator. She was wearing green body armor with a skirt going down to her knees. A visor obscured the upper part of her face, leaving her thinly pressed lips exposed. Her hands were flexing, as if kneading something.

It was a look of someone concentrating rather hard on something.

"Brain Bots! New target." His finger tapped on the screen, highlighting her face. "All bots open fire!"

Those with De-Guns turned at once, locking onto their new target. Beams and bolts of blue flew at the diminutive girl.

She reacted quickly, taking a knee and making her profile even smaller. The troopers surged forward, those with riot shields raising them to defend her. The bulky pieces of equipment resembled slabs of steel, and they intercepted the wild shots. Some took them well, barely being pushed back, while others were violently ripped from their user's hands.

The differing performance must have been due to the types of modes his bots were using.

Blown back or not, their colleagues by their side filled in the gaps, forming a shield wall around the girl. It was half decent coordination, but it wasn't enough for him.

Aiming was tricky without being able to see his target. He fired a test shot, seeing its effect on the screen. Megamind ran some numbers and then tried again. The results didn't match with what he calculated, which was to be expected with the laws of space being blatantly violated.

However, he was not a genius for nothing. What's more, he didn't have to be dead on.

Megamind typed quickly into his watch, adjusting the settings for his voice amplifier. Once done, he switched modes on his gun and, with careful aim, fired a shot.

"Boo!" He exclaimed into his watch. "Say goodnight!"

A decoy of him had sprung up behind their formation. It was a static image of him pointing his gun, but with his voice appearing to come from it, it prompted a hasty reaction from the troopers. One of them tackled the Ward to the ground, shielding her, while the others riddled his image with bullets and foam.

The disruption caused gaps to open, and troopers began falling to the fire from his bots. He'd thought that would be enough to collapse the entire formation, but they showed their training and held together.

Bullets started being returned, and they weren't rubber in nature. One of the Brain Bots was hit, and arcs of electricity spasmed out until it fell unmoving.

That didn't look like your standard round.

They were upping the ante, interesting. A smile overcame him and he switched back to destroy. He fired upwards, carving out part of the ceiling above them. Rubble rained down on them, furthering the building chaos.

Yes, now seemed like a good time.

"Light them up!" His order reverberated through the corridor, and the prt troopers started pulling back, tossing grenades during their fighting retreat.

He could see Vista struggle in their grasp, trying to free herself. In a way, it was poetic.

His bots finally responded, and streams of light came through the smoke. They flashed in a multitude of colors, changing rapidly. A beat started to play; it came directly from his heart. Specifically, from a mic attached to his chest. It was the closest he could get without opening himself up.

Megamind liked the idea of fighting to the beat of his own drum. His audience didn't agree and continued to pull back toward the staircase.

Destroy acted again, fully collapsing their path of retreat.

They huddled near each other, preparing for a last stand. He sent more copies toward them, overwhelming them with images of himself to such a degree that they stopped firing at him.

"Boss?" Minion yelled from the front. "It's getting a bit tight!"

He could see that. Up ahead, the walls had started to be pinched inward, narrowing their approach.

"You there," he signaled out a Brain Bot. "Hand me your gun." It did as told, and he was left holding one gun in each hand. "Minion, ready a long-range dehydrator and hand the flag to Leet."

The pole was thrust into Leet's grasp, who took it while his head swiveled. Minion reached into his pack, took out a rubber balloon, and filled it with water from his tank.

"Me?"

He was no doubt stunned by the great honor. It was only allowed out of necessity. Megamind flipped the modes on his gun again and turned to Uber.

"Throw me at their back line."

"Wha-"

He pointed the gun at himself and pulled the trigger. Things went black, and in his next moment of awareness, he was behind the armored group. Several turned his way, only to quickly look back toward the actively firing Brain Bots.

"Ollo," he delivered, squeezing both triggers. Troopers fell to the ground one after another, debilitate crackling over their bodies. Some tried to react, but he was too quick, and in a blink, only one remained standing. Both guns were aimed at the girl, who stood still. He had caught her at an angle, and her hands were behind her back. "All alone, whatever will you-."

A pin dropped behind her, and he caught a smirk before a bright light engulfed him, causing him to shield his eyes. He walked back, flailing his arms in front of him and blinking to clear his vision.

When he opened them again, the little blonde girl was wielding a gun nearly her size. Its muzzle seemed to line up right between his eyes.

"Drop it," she grunted, finger on the trigger.

With his own weapons still firmly held and ready, his smile grew. This was how it should be. There was just one small detail bugging him.

Didn't she have something more her size?