"Minion!" Megamind bellowed with urgency while snapping his finger and pointing at the stricken villain. "Fix her."

Whenever he got a scrape or bruise, Minion was the one to patch him up. This was only a step beyond that, surely nothing outside of his Minion's area of expertise.

Minion pointed at himself with a befuddled expression.

"Yes, you. What other Minions are around here?" He clapped his hands together to emphasize the time sensitivity of the matter. "Now chop, chop. The longer you wait the harder it will be."

Megamind moved to the side allowing room for Minion to work.

Minion's uncertain steps brought him closer to the girl. He crouched by her side only to jump back and raise his hands after she began sputtering again.

"I didn't touch anything!"

Megamind slapped a hand to his face and dragged it down, forcing down a groan. Did he have to do everything by himself? He shouldn't even be in this position. But he couldn't just let a fellow villain perish, right?

He slapped his cheeks, getting the thoughts out of his head. He'd already made a decision, there was no use to backtracking now.

However, it was worth revisiting how to tackle the situation itself. The first thought to enter his head was the dehydration gun. It wasn't a solution but it would buy time. The problem was twofold.

The more immediate one was that she was…leaking. He couldn't dehydrate something that was spewing liquid all over the place.

The second, and more distant, was that he didn't actually know if there would be adverse effects of putting a person in critical condition under stasis. It was meant to get things out of his way, putting them back the way they were was a side effect born of his constant strive for protection. He knew it worked and was safe to use for organic organisms, that was why he dared use it on Minion all those years ago—but using it on someone with an array of life-threatening injuries?

Why would he have ever run the math on that?

He visually inspected the injuries again. The head wound and laceration to her arm were manageable. As for the bolt sticking out of her stomach…that was the largest issue.

His knowledge of human anatomy wasn't little, he could recite every bone and type of cell in the body. But he'd never had to apply that for medical purposes and he was finding it hard to reconcile what he read in books to what was lying on the floor.

Obvious part first then.

"Do you have your sewing kit on you?" It was rhetorical, Megamind knew Minion didn't leave the lair without it. "See what you can do about her arm first, then forehead. I'll handle the rest."

His eyes darted around, looking for a place to work. He settled for one of the nearby bleachers, on his way to it he spotted several other discarded bolts.

"But sir, I've only ever worked on costumes-"

Megamind cut off his protest while straddling the bench and putting his de-gun in front of him.

"Less talking more sewing. Think of the skin as untreated leather."

He said his piece, hoping it would be enough to get Minion moving. He popped open the side of his gun and began working on the internals. It wasn't a difficult adjustment, more of an unusual one. He didn't think he'd ever have to lower the power this far. It was questionable if the setting could be still called destroy.

Megamind was making the changes when he felt someone come up to his side.

"Yo," Regent opened up, still looking far too at ease for Megamind's comfort. One hand lazily held his rod and the other a cell phone. "Tats wants to talk."

Regent clicked a button and held it out.

"I'll cut through the usual bullshit." A female voice came through the speakers, it was distorted by a combination of the cheap cellphone and the other party being in some sort of vehicle. "You can stabilize her, right?"

He was focusing right now, he didn't need distractions. He responded anyway.

"Yes." He kept it short and wiped his brow, he was sweating more than he should.

"But you don't know for how long."

It wasn't a question and his anxiety spiked when he remembered he was dealing with a potential mind reader. He took a moment to find his head protection cube, rehydrate it, and fasten it on his noggin.

"Okay, shit. Regent filled me in. Bad news, from what he said she's in really bad shape but on the good side of things, she's not the only one." The voice continued, showing no change in response to his action. "The dog fight was a pre-show, they were doing regular old bum fights right after. Cricket and Stormtiger were there and one of them got hurt badly. "

She spoke rushed but it wasn't anything he wanted to hear. So she got even with one, what did that matter now?

Slapping the gun shut he rose and made his way over to Minion.

"How are you doing?" Megamind asked while his eyes raked her form.

Minion strung a needle through flesh. The size of the needle would have made it comical if not for the blood.

"Just about…" Minion pulled the thread and tied a knot. "Done? I brought my travel kit and it's mainly for fabrics like your cape. It doesn't work so well for tougher material…I might have lost a needle in there somewhere."

He made a note to keep her away from an MRI machine. Both smaller wounds had been stitched up, now he had to make a dangerous choice.

"Turn her on her side, did it go all the way through?" Megamind directed.

The girl had finally passed out which made Minion's manhandling of her simpler. Peaking out her back was the bolt, the exit point looked uncomfortably close to the spine and the movement they'd just subjected herself had probably made things worse in the short term.

Megamind neared her and reached down with his hand, he gripped the foreign object and pulled back. It slipped through his fingers and he landed on his backside.

"Oww." He got to his feet quickly and ignored the look Minion gave him. "Take two."

He wiped his hands off the lubricant and grabbed the bolt with both this time, with one tug he pulled it all the way through the exit wound.

He knew enough to say he'd just done something so heinous that the tenth doctor, who always seemed to disagree with his colleagues, would staunchly voice his opposition.

He'd ripped the 'probably' out with the bolt, there was no question that he'd just increased the damage.

But he was always more of a long-term planner.

He didn't waste a moment and his gun sparked to life. The blue beam of lightning seared into her skin, the odd smell of burnt flesh beginning to take root. He sealed both sides without a preamble and gave her a cursory check before his thumb flicked the setting and she was reduced to a blue cube.

Megamind mentally counted a few seconds and a load was put off his shoulders. Her not immediately rehydrating meant the odds of her doing so down the line were greatly reduced.

"Done? Good. Listen up." Regent had followed along with the phone, the intrusive voice blaring through. "A normal hospital isn't going to cut it, she needs something with more of a-" He heard the sound of a horn and swearing before she continued. "Sorry, you would not believe the traffic at this time of day. Where was I? Right, she's going to need a special touch. Luckily for us, I did my homework."

Not only was she being entirely long-winded, but her tone made it sound like she was doing them a favor.

"Minion, is it just me or is she taking too long to get to the point?"

He knew he wasn't in an optimal state at the moment so he decided to ask for the second most reliable opinion around.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything…" Minion rubbed the back of his container awkwardly.

Megamind raised a finger while his mouth began to move, his words proved unneeded as Minion turned in his tank and gave a small yelp. His Minion should have washed his hands before touching himself, now the back of his container was smeared with biohazards.

"That's just Tats for you," Regent said while walking over to the cube. He picked it up and shooed away one of the creatures that had now lost enough of its armor to be recognizable as a dog. "Loves to hear herself talk. I've gotten pretty good at tuning it out myself."

He was getting that impression.

"By the way, is there a reason you're wearing a literal tin foil hat? You know that's just an expression, right?"

Megamind adjusted his headgear, ignoring the comment. It looked fine.

"Regent, shut up. Megamind, we'll be square after this. In fact, I think we can help each other deal with certain problems. But that's for later, the point I was trying to get at is there's a healer on the way already."

"Who?" His curiosity won him over for a moment and he hastily followed up. "Never mind, how long until they get here?"

"Well, they're not going there exactly. Ready to dust off those kidnapping skills?"

—

The rumble of the seat underneath him provided some comfort although he would have almost preferred it not to.

"Are you sure you didn't want me to drive?"

The only other passenger in the Megamobile spoke. They'd ditched Regent at the warehouse, or rather he'd elected to stay behind. He claimed that if he tagged along there was guaranteed to be one Undersider dead by the end of the night. Either Bitch would succumb or her first action after recovering would be the murder of her teammate for daring to leave her dogs alone.

That line of thinking was extreme and Megamind didn't believe it. From his limited interaction with the boy, the more likelier of scenarios was that he simply didn't care enough to see his teammate's care through.

It was galling and made his gut twist whenever it came to the forefront of his mind.

Still, it meant less baggage to deal with. It wasn't like the cape would add any utility to their group.

"I've got this." He muttered his reply while taking a tight turn. Whether it was in regards to the driving or something else he couldn't say. "Do the Brain bots have anything new?"

They'd been sent to multiple locations that he'd been told were safe houses, a result of Tattletale's 'homework'. It had been an open question if the Undersiders were going to contend for 'territory' and he felt this recent piece of information verified it.

They were all ready to fight for the scraps of Lung's old haunts. That they'd settle for so little was indicative of how poor a quality a villain this world had.

Villains or heroes were two sides of the same coin. One existed to challenge the other. He'd known the title of hero in this world was thrown around a tad freely, but he hadn't realized how far the title had actually fallen. To have one come across a fight among villains and decide to sneakily attempt to kill one, was unthinkable.

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Quite literally, he could not comprehend what they could have been thinking with that stunt.

At least they hadn't stuck around to finish the job, he just hoped Tattletale was right and the Empire capes had managed to lose Shadow Stalker's pursuit.

"Don't worry sir!" Minion declared while waving Megamind's watch. "I'm keeping a close eye on them, I won't let you down!"

Minion's own watch wasn't linked up with the Brain bots so he had to borrow Megamind's.

"Minion, it's blinking." He said after seeing it from the corner of his eye. "Also, you're holding it upside down."

Minion tilted his head and a look of realization came over him,

"My mistake, I've never used this function before. Just give me a second to see what's going on." Rather than move the watch he opted to continue his rotation until he was upside down in his tank reading the watch. "Funny story, they did find something annnnnddd we should have taken the last left."

The brake was slammed and Minion's face pressed against the glass. It served him right.

Megamind shifted to reverse and hit the gas. With his eyes on the rearview mirror, he avoided obstacles until he came to the missed turn and shifted back to drive.

"Have them begin gathering at the location and send Tattletale a message."

She'd promised to meet them wherever they located the Empire capes. He didn't trust her but he also didn't see the harm of keeping her in the loop.

"On it," Minion replied while carrying out Megamind's request. "Also, go three blocks and then take a right."

Following his navigator's instructions, he soon spotted a sprinkling of blue lights hovering high above the street.

Why people who lived in a city of flying capes didn't tend to look up was a mystery. Metrocity had the same problem, compounded by the poor vision of its citizens. How many times had they misidentified Metro Man for a bird or even a plane? They weren't remotely close to the same shape!

They were at the edge of downtown now, with the block they were on being a mix of residential and commercial properties. It was the type where the first floor housed the shop and the second an apartment.

The nature of the block wasn't to the standard of the businesses further south but it was to the point that no self-respecting villain would set up a lair here. It was too put together, missing the aura of despair.

"Minion, let's do some remodeling."

"Yes! It's been on my mind for a while. I'm thinking of black drapes across the ceiling, like bats' wings. Then we can do some tasteful statues of you. I'm stuck between going with the classic Roman marble look or opting for a grittier style made of scrap metal.

"The second one obviously." Marble statues were for heroes. "But that's not what I was talking about."

The cars parked on the curb were flung aside and for the second time in recent memory, the Megamobile plowed through a storefront.

It went far better this time with the vehicle being built sturdier but he wondered if he should install a battering ram to the front.

"Uh sir, that was fun and all but what if she was on the first floor?"

He prided himself on accounting for all variables in a given situation but sometimes things fell through the cracks; that was why it was imperative to have backup plans.

"Then we enact plan B, or plan P I should say." Which was interrupting dinner time in the Dallon household. "Now let's get our healer."

He retracted the hood and small bits of debris rained on his head. Swiveling his head, he found several prone forms yet none looked like his target. He tagged them with debilitate as a matter of course.

"I think they're upstairs then," Minion supplied after hopping out of the vehicle.

Megamind had grown increasingly confident in the stability of the dehydration cube but he couldn't completely quiet the nagging 'what if' thought in his head. So they had to be upstairs.

Determined to prove himself correct, he switched on Death Ray and aimed up. The blue bolt landed on a ceiling tile and soon the entire section around it lit up before disappearing from this world.

He jumped out of the way as a little girl fell where he stood. He was about to question if they'd inadvertently attacked some family when he noticed the mask on her face.

That and the angry-looking blonde with a buzz cut slashing at him with a scythe. A second hole in the building was formed when Minion's detached fist found purchase on her stomach. It happened quickly and he noted how the one known as Cricket had tried to angle her body to either avoid or lessen the blow.

"I hope that doesn't make her unhinged." Minion retracted his right hand. "You know? Because she knocked the backdoor off its hinges."

"Nice work Minion." He patted Minion's side and withheld his comment on how weak banter that was. They couldn't all be winners. "Now who do we have?" His eyes scanned the two other figures, besides the child, who'd fallen when their floor had been atomized. Tiger mask and jeans lying face down? Nope. Red body suit with obscure Rune? Bingo. "Othala, how nice of you to drop in."

"Fucker!" The child from before was the one to respond, her high-pitched yell came off as a screech. "Do you have any idea who you're messing with?"

She had scrambled to her feet before crouching low and laying her hands on rubble.

"Yes? That's why I called her Othala." It was a dumb question and he wondered if she was still dazed from the fall. That might be why she wasn't standing fully. "Isn't it past your bedtime? What are you doing in costume?"

"I'll show you nighttime," She spat, and one of the pieces she'd laid her hands on sprung forward. It didn't have much effect as Minion swatted it down anticlimatically.

"The fuck hit me?" Stormtiger tried to push himself up. He failed to get up but was able to flop on his back. Megamind could see his arm, while injured, was knitting itself together. "You? Think-"

Megamind could feel the air ripple and cut off that threat with a quick debilitate. The man spasmed before slumping down.

"I think." He paused for effect. "You're outmatched." He pointed at the one-eyed cape. If he were being honest, the costume was well done. Even if the eye patch was close to being too much. "Now, you will do what I say or else."

The else was plan P.

Othala hadn't moved much since falling and remained on the ground. Her hair swayed as she took in the surroundings, no doubt realizing her predicament.

"Does the name Kaiser mean anything to you?" The child butted in again. "You stupid blue numbskull!"

Megamind's mouth opened in shock and his hand shot to his head, feeling for any abnormality and finding none.

"Numbskull? I'll have you know my skull is perfect and not in any way numb!" He stomped with some indignation and turned to his companion. "Why is this sassy child even here? Minion. put her in time out."

"You heard the boss." Minion nodded and pointed. "Head to the corner. Don't make me put you there."

Minion's foot was tapping and he looked expectantly at the girl who's jaw opened and closed. Her head moved between them and Othala before she erupted in anger.

"Is this fucker serious-"

"Rune!" Othala spoke for the first time. "Calm down, keep yourself grounded for now." The two shared a look and the smaller of them looked to bite her tongue before giving a terse nod. "You want my healing then? I'm willing to cooperate but I won't be going anywhere with you."

He hadn't mentioned why he sought her out but he supposed there were limited reasons as to why he would.

Taking her to a secure location would be better but if it meant not having to deal with her protest then he could meet her in the middle.

"Fine, but do anything funny and I'll show you what a real villain is capable of." With that comment, he fished into his pocket and reached the cube with Bitch. He approached the woman who watched him cautiously and placed it on the ground. He paused as he was about to rehydrate her. "Be quick, it's not pretty. Minion, watch them both closely."

The cube expanded into Bitch and he watched Othala's lone eye widen.

"Tinkers…" She grumbled under her breath and then shook her head. "My power only works on those conscious. I can't do anything with her."

"And you shouldn't! That's the Bitc-I mean the shitbag who fucked up tiger!"

"Language young lady," Minion rebuked her with his hands on his hips. "What would your parents think?"

"Like I give a flying fuck what those cowards-"

He fired into the air, regaining everyone's attention.

"Smelling salts." Tattletale had given him a rundown of how Othala's power worked and what she might attempt. "You have smelling salts. Don't try to play any tricks on me."

Even without them, he wasn't bereft of options to bring the girl conscious again, this was just the simplest of options.

"Pardon, I must have forgotten." The woman replied with a frown and reached into a pouch fastened by her hip. She broke the wrapper on the inhalent and placed it under Bitch's nose. The girl's eyelids trembled but nothing else. "There, I've applied my power but it may take some applications."

Megamind leaned low to watch the power at work. It was fascinating to see up close, the flesh rippling as the body healed itself at a rapid pace. The powers in this world were a strange breed.

He wasn't sure how long he had been absorbed in watching the process when the girl's eyes finally shot open full.

"Fantas-" A fist crashed against his face and he fell back clutching his nose. "Oww! Excuse you!"

Othala had leaped out of the way as Bitch lashed out while snarling. The girl looked around wildly with her teeth on full display.

"Sir, are you alright?" Minion asked while keeping his eyes on the room's other occupants.

"Noooo, I'm not." His voice came out nasally and he massaged his nose. "Do you know how much trouble we went through to help you? If we had left you for the so-called heroes you would have never made it."

The heroes, he was going to need to confront them about this. He wasn't sure how to go about it, he would need time to get his thoughts in place.

"He's right. We haven't seen any sign of them all night," Minion added.

It did little to appease Bitch and she held her right fist clenched while her other gripped where the bolt had been. She might not have been fully healed but the fire in her eyes said she was ready for a fight.

Suddenly they were bathed in light and a loud voice came from the street.

"This is the Procteracte! You're surrounded! Deactivate your tinker tech and leave your weapons on the floor. Then come out empty-handed."

Megamind gave his partner a flat stare.

"Minion."

"I know sir, I'll put myself in the corner when we get back."