Four to three, their opposition was outnumbered. He compared the Wards in the elevator with what he'd read online.

There was Aegis, in a rust-red costume. With the exception of the area of skin around his eyes, it covered his entire body. His symbol, that of a shield, was etched in silver on his chest. He was their leader, with the ability to fly and display superhuman strength. Neither of which were remotely close to Metro Man.

To his right was Clockblocker. He was in an all-white skinsuit, inlaid with grey clocks that ticked away. His entire face was concealed, with a smooth white mask giving no hint to his expression. He had power over time itself, being able to freeze anything he got his mitts on.

The most intriguing was the one on the left. Gallant was in a silver and gunmetal set of power armor. It resembled a suit of armor one might find in an old castle, with the blue lights being the key differentiator. A tinker of some sort.

All in all, the Protectorate had done a good job dressing these for the part of hero. He'd been wanting to meet them. They would be the future of heroism, and he needed to see if the seeds had been properly planted or if the tree of justice was doomed to wither.

Child or adult, once someone took on the mantle of hero, they must be prepared for the responsibilities associated with it.

"Return to your cells," Aegis spoke with a commanding voice, pointing and rising a few feet into the air. He advanced slowly, stopping right outside of the elevator and less than a dozen meters from Hookwolf. "The rest of the Protectorate and PRT will be here soon."

His two subordinates did their best to spread out, hugging each wall. The area may have been wide for a hallway, but it looked all too narrow for a fight. However, as heroes, dealing with unfavorable terrain would be a common occurrence. The villains were the ones who decided when and where to strike.

Hookwolf laughed, pulling up his front limb. There was a plop as it freed itself from the foam and landed on a patch of unfoamed floor. His now-free paw curled inward, eliciting a disconcerting screech as metal scraped across metal.

"Think I'm going to take orders from a spic like you?" The beast spat, his body bristling with knives and hooks. "Now be good boy, and step the fuck aside."

Aegis' fist clenched, and he remained in place, blocking the path in defiance. Galant slid a foot back, putting his fist up in a fighting stance. As for the third…

"Racism aside," Clockblocker said with a tilt of his head. "You do realize you're the one shaped like a dog, right?"

Hmm, he wasn't sure what spic meant, but Clockblocker's retort wasn't too shabby. It could use some work, but it was the closest thing to banter he'd seen from a hero thus far.

Hookwolf admitted his loss by swinging an arm. From his claw, a wad of sludgy foam hurtled toward Clockblocker. It didn't make contact as Aegis flew to intercept, smacking the mass to the side. Gallant made a motion, and a nebulous orb blue-tinted energy formed. The bowling ball-sized sphere flew at Hookwolf, who took the hit head-on, not budging an inch. Whether he took the hit out of arrogance or because he could not maneuver out of the way was unknown to Megamind.

With an unintelligible roar, Hookwolf surged toward the trio. He tore completely free of the foam, rapidly eating the distance between him and the costumed teenagers.

"You think we'll get more clicks if we include a viewer discretion is advised warning?" Uber vocally pondered, playing with some controller.

Megamind noticed the camera behind them reposition itself. There was some automation involved in its casting, but it looked like Uber was overriding it to get a better look at the upcoming brawl. He approved of that; angles were important.

"I'm more worried about whether they'll pin this on us. Who contracted you to get him out, anyway?"

Hookwolf swiped down at Aegis, who moved laterally through the air, avoiding the blow but not retaliating. Gallant worked his way around Hookwolf, multiple blasts hitting the metal creature. They seemed to nudge him slightly, but did little else.

"Since when do we vet clients? Besides, he gave me the in to spring you. Even if his directions were a little wrong."

He grumbled that part, displaying slight unhappiness at the detour. His words indicated the presence of an inside man. That was curious. Why would someone in the prt want Hookwolf to escape?

A tail lashed out towards Gallant, who ducked beneath the spiked appendage. Aegis flew into Hookwolf, pushing him back. There was the sound of ripped fabric as the young man retreated. His costume had been partially shredded, and he floated in front of a silent Clockblocker.

Hookwolf didn't recklessly charge like Megamind expected. Instead, his claw dug into the floor, and the collected metal plating was launched towards the duo. Aegis took the blow again, this time with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Shouldn't you two be doing something?" Megamind asked, seeing neither of the two had moved to help their nominal ally. Personally, he was currently in more of a spectator role. With the disparity in numbers and experience, it wouldn't be sporting to get involved. "Won't your viewers get upset?"

They weren't even providing commentary. Clearly, they still had a lot to learn about putting on a proper performance.

"Nah," Uber waved off his concern. "I got plenty of good stuff during the infiltration." He elbowed his partner with a grin. "Oh, man. You should have seen this dude I choked out; it was hilarious. The guy was totally spazzing out at the end."

"Sounds sick. Did you put the normal announcement up on our feed?" Uber nodded, and Leet continued. "Cool, we'll need to rush the edit but should make the deadline if we get back to the lair soonish."

They lost points for confirming they were not in fact live; however, calling their lair a lair added some back.

Leet frowned, crossing his arms. His hand holding the pistol stuck out under an arm, bobbing up and down.

"But I would be super lame if all I do is play the captured princess. I should do something to help."

Correct. Image was important; it was why he made sure Minion was always in the background and not at the forefront during his encounters with Metro Man. Many of his escape attempts were with the aid of Minion but they were usually followed up by grand displays, reinforcing the threat he posed.

Leet needed to do the same and show some backbone. Charging into the fray would be a decent start. As a tinker, Gallant would be the preferred target.

Hookwolf shook his head wildly, and the erratic motion caused his tail to swing out again. It caught Gallant unaware, slamming him into a wall. The metallic dog ran forward, looking to barrel through Aegis. The teen looked to brace himself before moving out of the way at the last possible moment. It left his teammate behind him exposed, and Megamind was about to call foul when Hookwolf abruptly stopped. He slammed into something, his body spilling over the sides of some immovable object. From his vantage point, it was difficult to tell, but Megamind thought he saw a sheet of white.

He'd been stopped by a piece of paper? It might have been frozen in time, but that did little to diminish how embarrassing that was. Megamind would never be stopped by a printer sheet.

Clockblocker looked to have been waiting for the moment, his fingertips stretching towards Hookwolf.

Brute he may be, Hookwolf showed some battle sense and violently leaped back, the strength of his retreat causing his back to hit the ceiling and tear a length of it off. He did not waste much time after landing, and his head alternated between Gallant and Aegis before choosing the latter again and charging. The canine's powerful hind legs propelled him forward.

"I got your back if you want to third party these losers." At Leet's confused expression, Uber grinned. "We only got paid for opening the door. They didn't say anything about making sure he made it all the way."

Leet looked unsure, glancing back at the fight where Hookwolf was attempting another swipe at Aegis. The young cape managed to dodge it but bumped up against the wall in the process. Hookwolf was lifting his other paw up when he staggered to the side, being shoulder-checked by Gallant.

It didn't do much, and the tinker received a backhand for his effort. Clockblocker rushed forward as soon as his paw was fully extended, attempting to seize the opening. Grasping for his prey, it seemed his ally's intervention was about to pay off when his shoulder jerked back, the lock on his shoulder fracturing.

Megamind glanced at Uber's raised gun, the silent shot having saved the one he'd just been talking about betraying.

This was starting to get confusing. Taking advantage of your fellow villain was fine, as was kicking someone when they were down, but actively helping the heroes stay in the fight was a stretch.

"What?" Uber cared little for his pointed look. "Their health bars are still way too high." The stunt did not go unnoticed, and Aegis' head snapped to them. "Might have drawn some aggro."

Aegis seemed to hesitate, and that quickly proved to be a mistake as he was slammed into the ground. Hookwolf's claw held him there and the metal beast was hit by more of Gallant's blast. They did little to move him, but the cape swayed for a moment. He looked to have been dazed and Clockblocker ran forward again. He stopped just short of the cape, his hand almost hovering above him.

Megamind was wondering why he'd not used his power when Aegis gave a yell, forcing the claw off him and extracting himself.

"Now!"

Knowing what was about to happen, Megamind watched Uber line up another shot when a thin beam came his way, forcing him to move out of the way. Gallant was the one responsible. He was on a knee and holding his hand out, having fired the beam from his fingertips.

Megamind had been about to compliment their teamwork when his thoughts were stopped cold.

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"That is gnarly," Leet commented. Megamind wouldn't say he looked at ease but he also wasn't as revolted as he should be. "And the perfect thumbnail for the video."

Aegis floated a little above the ground. His hand was placed on his stomach, fingers held wide. The front of his costume, along with the young man himself, had been torn by the jagged metal claw. Bits and pieces of flesh dangled off his body, fighting gravity to stay attached.

Clockblocker approached, looking ready to freeze the young hero. It was denied with a shake of the head.

"It looks worse than it is." Aegis garbed out, a piece of flayed flesh slipping through his fingers. "Now return to your cells; I won't ask a second time."

Megamind looked around; he could not be the only one skeptical of that claim. This... wasn't this a bit too far? He admired the heroic attitude of not letting the villains go, but if there was ever a time to let them escape, now would be it.

Clockblocker kept stealing glances at the boy, clearly sharing Megamind's same concern. Gallant was impossible to read with the full helmet, and Uber was much the same as Leet, slightly disturbed but not willing to back down.

"Now wait just a moment," Megamind called, holding his hands out in a time-out gesture. He knew their older counterparts did not honor it before, but given it was to their advantage, he was hoping they'd acquiesce. "Are you sure you don't want to get that looked at? Heroes are meant to have guts, and yours are spilling."

Was there anything else that needed to be said? He was in no condition to fight. Someone had to be the voice of reason. That it had to be him was an indictment on everyone in the room.

"He's a shitty Alexandria package," Uber informed, a knife now in his hand and held underneath his pistol. "But he can take a lot of hits and keep coming. Sort of like a zombie, only a headshot might not work."

With the slight movement of his gun, Megamind suspected he was willing to test that theory. This was not great; he wanted to see some heroism in the group, but he'd gotten more than he'd bargained for. These kids were far too reckless. It was fine if they were able to take the punishment, but it was clear they could not and were stubbornly pushing ahead.

"Your concern is appreciated Megamind," Gallant intoned, his voice having chivalrous edge to it. Megamind wondered if he practiced that. "Please stay out of the way while we subdue these two."

The words were said despite his teammate's state. It reminded him for a moment of Regent's reaction to Bitch, but this had a different quality to it. He didn't think it was a lack of care. Instead, it spoke of trust in his team's ability.

Overall, this seemed like a good bunch. He wasn't sure what to expect with the likes of Shadow Stalker in the group, but these three had reacted appropriately at every turn. Maybe it was too early to tell, but they really did seem like an earnest group of young heroes.

In that case, even in a situation like this, they deserved to be shown the proper respect. The switch inside him was flipped, and he planted his feet wide.

"Mwahahaha," he cackled, fist clenched by his side. "Stay out of trouble, you say? I'll have you know trouble is an essential part of my diet. Why, if I don't get my daily dose, I'm likely to break out in hives. Now, Mi-" He caught himself, forgetting he was missing his dutiful partner. "Uber and Leet, clear a path!"

He declared, finger pointed toward the door. Neither moved, and Uber rolled his eyes.

"Unless you're paying, you don't make the orders."

That…wasn't exactly wrong. He was the senior villain, but that did not give him the authority to dictate to those below him. Still, the man could have read the room.

"Speaking out loud here," Clockblocker raised a hand. "But is it cool if I sit out and dog sit? Fido here isn't housebroken."

Megamind had no qualms about letting the cape continue to contain him. Uber and Leet shared another look, nodding. Fantastic; at least they could all act civilized on one point. Now if they could convince the disemboweled kid to sit out a round as well. Unfortunately, there was a fire in his eyes that looked nowhere close to being extinguished.

"Gallant, take Uber," Aegis ordered. "I got Leet."

The first shots were fired from Uber, and a dull thud was heard as the rounds impacted Aegis' already badly held-together torso.

If there was a roll of duck tape around, Megamind would be tempted to start wrapping the boy with it. The only thing that made him feel slightly better about the boy's state was the mangled innards themselves. They might have resembled organs thrown into a blender, but Megamind still had enough knowledge of the human body to know they did not look right. The three livers was a pretty glaring tell.

Gallant returned the gunfire with nebulous blasts of energy, causing Uber to hold his fire.

Aegis' flight speed was quick, and more shots rang out as Leet frantically emptied the clip before being swept off his feet by a flying tackle.

With the injuries Aegis was sporting, Megamind was expecting Leet to put up an even fight. He could not be more wrong, as he was picked up and tossed against the wall with nary a bit of resistance.

Aegis went to grab him again, eyeing an open prison cell. He did not make it far as his finger was blown off; it was followed by two others until the hand looked next to useless.

"Gallant?" He gurgled, turning and bringing his arm up to defend against the slash of Uber's knife, its wielder having crossed the distance in a blink. "Tch."

He grunted as the blade cut through his costume and flesh. Megamind cringed at the additional wound. It felt like he should be calling time out, but he couldn't exactly help a hero, could he?

No, that was preposterous.

It was the duty of the other heroes in attendance to provide aid. He looked to Gallant, and his cringe deepened, shaking his head in disappointment. They had started off so strong, but things were beginning to crumble. Aegis had been able to fly over the remaining foam, but Gallant was not so lucky. He plodded through the dough-like substance, but despite his urgency, it was slow going. When not being used to balance himself, his hands aimed toward the pair, but they were too close and so the level of assistance he could offer was minimal.

Megamind took note of how the camera was focused solely on the ongoing struggle. Whistling an innocent tune, he paced down the hall with his hands behind his back. He was heading to rest his aching muscles on the wall when one of the empty grenade canisters coincidentally got in his way. As a villain, none shall bar his path, even if it was an inanimate object. He kicked it in a random direction.

In a freak accident, it fell in Uber's path. Aegis seemed to somehow sense where it was and used it to his advantage, leading Uber into and causing the man to lose his footing.

Megamind's attention was stolen as Hookwolf sprang to life. His movement was stifled, held down by clumps of foam held in time.

"Fu-"

He barely got a word out before being frozen again. Megamind could find no sympathy for him. By the time he turned back the fight, it seemed his interv-innocent mistake had been for naught. Uber's knife had nearly severed Aegis' right arm and he chased after him, searching for the second.

Technically, he should have no complaints, as they were all doing what their roles dictated. He'd been close several times to killing Metro Man. Well, he was sort of close. The probability was non-zero that the do-gooder would have met his end to any one of his various contraptions. That was in no way a problem either; it was just a risk heroes took. This felt different. These weren't two great rivals; ergo, they did not need to go to the lengths he went with Metro Man.

However, he kept running into the same roadblock. This was everything he believed in, so what right did he have to intervene?

Could there perhaps be more nuance in the dynamic between hero and villain than he knew?

Heedless of his internal thoughts, the battle continued around him. Uber continued to pile trouble onto Aegis. The flying cape had made several attempts to turn the tables, disregarding his own safety in favor of injuring the knife-wielding infiltrator. However, Uber was no slouch and was able to avoid those attempts while retaliating. In contrast, Leet was now moaning about his arm as he'd taken one of Gallant's blasts. He rather weakly returned fire. It looked like he would rather be doing anything else.

"Hey!" Clockblocker yelled, gathering their attention. Even Uber and Aegis took a moment to catch their breaths. "Can we, uh, not? I mean seriously. Piggy is going to kill us, and we already got the nazi. So let's just, you know, be smart about this. None of us have anything to gain by fighting here."

Was he missing something, or were animals secretly in charge of the Protectorate? It was a thought for later, as Megamind had to capitalize on someone speaking sense.

"Oh, is that surrender I hear?" He rushed, not giving anyone time to respond. "Accepted, we'll be on our way then. There's much villainy to be done and no one else to do it."

He gave another look at the two tag-alongs. This was the perfect out for all three of them. Uber looked at Leet, who was staring at the ground.

"What do I care?" Leet responded in a despondent voice. Had he lost his nerve that quickly? He'd call it a shame, but for now it served his purpose.

"Shake it off, Leet, that guy's messing with your head," Uber gestured at Gallant, who stood still in the foam. "But yeah. I think we've schooled these losers long enough. Maybe we'll let you try again when you guys level up."

Finally, they were back on track. Without waiting for any other commentary, Megamind trudged forward, into the foam. He kept a wary eye on the heroes, conscious of potential trickery.

They proved better than their older allies, making no moves to stop him. The only one to stand out was Gallant, who'd seemed to want to say something. Whatever he was about to say had been lost when Hookwolf reanimated again, giving a howl of rage before Clockblocker froze him once more.

Their silence was broken upon fully entering the elevator.

"Okay, genius," Leet said, returning to his earlier combative mood. "What now? This is a tinker-tech elevator. Odds are those doors aren't opening and we're trapped."

This was the type of information that should have been shared before they'd walked in, but it was no great obstacle. Megamind pointed up at the emergency hatch.

"Uber, use your knife and cut your way through. We'll make our way up the old-fashioned way."

The uniformed man gave it an evaluating look before jumping to it, using one hand to hold his weight while the other took the knife and sawed through the lock. It was quicker than Megamind expected, showing the knife was a tad better than what you'd find in any old kitchen.

With a hiss, the hatch opened and Uber scrambled through. A hand reached out and Megamind went first, with Leet following close behind.

Standing on top of the immobile elevator, Megamind strained his neck up, seeing an empty shaft stretch upwards.

"I know what floor the exit is on," Uber took the lead. He walked up to one of the walls. There was an indent there, and he placed his hand inside of it. "Follow me."

He scaled the wall at speed, leaving both of the more tech-minded individuals behind.

"Fuck, this day just turned suckish," Leet grumbled before attempting to copy his companion.

He might have been scrawny, but he clearly had some conditioning because he was able to make his way up, if slowly. Not one to be outdone, Megamind followed suit.

He wasn't sure how long it was until a hand reached from above and hauled him to the ledge. Panting and leaning against it, he realized what their hang up was.

The door was heavy, and Uber had no super strength to speak of. Thankfully, his assistance was not needed as Leet had already pulled apart a panel and, with shaky fingers, was at work. Doors slid open, causing Megamind to fall on his back to floor. He took deep breaths from his position, still trying to regain his strength. Cardio was not his thing, nor would it ever be.

"Ah," Uber commented, gripping his pistol in a fidgety manner. "That's why they let us go."

Megamind rolled onto his stomach, lifting his chin to see what the matter was. Ahead of them was a steep ramp that seemed to only get longer the more he looked at it. At the very top were a collection of figures, one much shorter than the rest.

"Why does the middle schooler look like a final boss?" Leet asked nervously, giving a weak laugh.

No one responded to him, and Megamind laboriously got up. There would be time to rest later. This was an obstacle, but not one capable of stopping him.

"Uber," he addressed, displaying strong conviction in his voice. "Punch me in the stomach."

In the next instant, he found himself struggling to breathe, holding a hand out and grasping on the man's uniform to prevent himself from falling to his knees.

"Who," he breathed, his stomach reeling. He may have been durable, but that had still hurt! "Who just does that?!?"

There had been no hesitation!

"Heh, nice one," Leet commented unhelpfully.

Megamind ignored him, along with the voice coming from the intercom. They could wait. For any second now…

Why wasn't anything happening? Had he not been hit hard enough? He grit his teeth for what had to come next.

"Okay, do it-"

He didn't get to finish, doubling over again and gasping.

Seriously! At least let him get the words out.

"Should I do it again?" Uber asked genuinely, and Megamind could not back up from him sooner, shaking his head. "Okay, what was that for?"

A good question. The answer had better not be for nothing. If it was, Minion was going to have the sternest talking to when he got back.

Seconds ticked by, his annoyance rising with each one, until brilliant arcs of light lit up around him. With his hands held out in front of him, he watched as the blue light coiled around him before a small burst of air was expelled outward.

Gripping his gloved hands, he tossed his cape back. His worries faded away as he felt the familiar snugness of his costume and the weight of his utility belt. Minion being placed properly at his side was also a consideration.

"So," Uber ventured, eyeing the both of them. "You're a magical girl."

It may have been a joke, but Megamind responded with the utmost seriousness.

"No, I'm Megamind." He thumbed his de-gun, removing it from its holster. "And it's my turn."