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Shattered Mind Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

The brainbots' distress call brought Minion to the Glenfield housing estate.  He parked the invisible car outside a normal-looking house. He got out and looked around.  There were only a handful of people out in the street; children were happily playing in the sun and some adults were out walking.

Minion recognized the woman in the house next door; she was kneeling on the grass.  Looking up after a while the pale-skinned, navy-haired woman smiled sweetly, then continued with weeding her garden.

He looked down at a small portable computer in his hand that showed him the brainbot in question was in house number 28; he looked up at the blue door and slowly walked closer to it.

Minion was wondering why was Sir out here?  He got to the door and noticed that there was no handle or keyhole.  Confused at first, he then remembered something Megamind had been working on a short time ago. He moved the computer closer and pressed a key on it and the door opened.

Hastening for a moment, he pulled it open and stepped in.  He could tell the space was large but all the lights in the building were off.  

From out of the darkness, a soft blue glow could be seen as it came closer. The fish saw that it was a brainbot; it was very odd looking but still a brainbot.

The two eyes glowed blue, reflected on the white metal from the mouth and silver dome.  The brainbot flew over to him. He was shocked when the little cyborg spoke with Roxanne's voice.  "Welcome, Minion."

"Err, hello," he replied.  "How can you speak?"

"I'm a first gene AI brainbot; my descanted name is Roxy. Master made me two years ago." The small bot flew a little closer and spoke in a relaxed tone. "I was expecting Master.  Is he well?"

Minion now knew he was dealing with a very intelligent machine; his friend had outdone himself here.  He briefly wondered why there were no more, but that question was for another time.  The fish grinned slightly trying to figure out what to say, so he settled for the truth.  "Well, Miss Roxy, Sir's not very well at the moment."  

"Master's unwell?  What is the matter with him, Minion?"

He looked around the dark space, then back at the small robot. "Some old emotional wounds have been ripped open and it's affecting him."

"Oh that's just terrible."  The two eyes nodded up and down.  "I hope Master recovers soon."

"If I know Sir, he'll bounce back better than ever.  Now, Roxy, I picked up your distress call.  Since Sir can't come, I did.  I have to say I wasn't expecting to find you here, so what seems to be the matter?"

"Well, Minion, Newton's got into a fight and he's been hurt and I wasn't sure what to do."

"Who's Newton?"

Right at that moment, the lights flicked on and Minion looked around the large open space. A sound behind him made the fish turn in his bowl and look down to see a young silver tabby cat on the floor.  His eyes widened.

Newton stood there for a moment.  Minion could tell that his front right paw had been bitten.  The cat also had a number of deep cuts along it's right side. Newton came closer and started rubbing around one of his large legs.  The cat started to purr, looked up and let out a pained  "Miaow."

"Agh! A cat!"  The fish panicked.

"Do not worry, Minion," Roxy replied and added, "Newton's very well trained."

Not trusting the word of the brainbot, Minion moved away from the cat slowly but it followed.  Roxy laughed.   The sound didn't come out right.

Minion realized there was more happening here than what he first thought.  He looked at the bot.  "Miss Roxy, can you tell me why Sir was out here?"

"Oh, of course."  She flew over to a work desk and he followed the little cyborg.  "Master was planning on helping that human, Bernard Harrison."

Minion's eye's widened with surprise, he thought It's been months since anyone had heard from him right?  He looked at the white brainbot.  "What's Bernard got to do with any of this?"

Roxy turned slightly to him.  "Master was helping his mother."  She turned away from him.  "This is Master's work desk.  Take what you like."

~~~

While Roxy was off feeding Newton, Minion stood near the desk.  He started by turning the computer on.  While he was waiting for that, he looked over all the blueprints and notes written in Megamind's scribble. In the corner of his eye, the fish noticed the computer had opened the very last thing that was opened before; it was the security files from all the cameras around the house.

Minion started viewing some of the logs; it wasn't long until he found the video of Megamind meeting Wayne the first day Behemoth had appeared. Wayne was at the front door.  Minion listened to the conversion between the two, and he smiled at hearing his friend's words. Then he moved to the second video opened that day and he saw the odd video from shortly after the machine exploded.

He watched as a bolt of lighting hit the cat and the blue alien and both fell to the floor and didn't get up.   Slightly panicked, he was about to fast forward the video when suddenly Megamind's body sat up right and walked off camera.

Minion turned away from the desk and walked over to the machine Megamind had been building, holding some of the blueprints in his hands. Guilt filled his mind.  His closest friend had been hurt and it was his fault.  He turned away from the remains of the machine.

If only he had deleted the virus in the battle armour when he had the chance.  His friend was now suffering from headaches and who knows what else. He rushed over to the desk again and gathered all the paperwork, then looked at the computer.  He would need that back at the Lair.

He turned to see Roxy hovering close.  "Can you help move this to the main Lair?"

"Of course. "  Her eyes flashed twice, then suddenly a hidden trapdoor in the ground opened and four normal-looking brainbots flew up.  Roxy spoke.  "Brothers, Minion wants this computer taken to the central Lair."  The other brainbots flew into action.

~~

If the cars passing by the rundown gas station 25 miles north out of Metro City bothered to slow down or stop with their windows open, they might have heard a classical song, "Ride of the Valkyries".  Sadly, none did.

Also, if any of those cars had stopped they would have found someone who had been missing for seven days.
The first two days since he had gone missing, both Wayne and the military had their hands full trying to deal with Behemoth. Jeremy Autumn was no longer human.  His DNA was too far gone to be reversed; Behemoth had been randomly destroying parts of the city.
Later, on the third night, there was another sighting of the tall, shadowy figure.  He didn't come to the assistance of any of the military or Wayne and yet he wasn't doing any damage.  The shadow just seemed to stand back and watch Wayne fighting the large lava monster.
Megamind's normally bright and excited personality had been dulled with lack of sleep by the third and fourth days. He had been avoiding sleep because of dark nightmares.  He ran away from the others, fearing something bad would happen to them because of him.
He been awake for the past 4 days with no sleep and hardly any food.  It was now turning out to be a slowly losing personal battle with fight fatigue. In all the years of him being labelled as the Villain, he had never felt so on edge and fearful of something unseen. Something was driving him away from everyone and everything he loved and cared for.  He didn't understand it.  He was confused. Part of him wanted to fight and help, and then there was the darker yet calmer side of himself that wanted to run.
On the 5th day he used his watch and scanned some random citizen, not worrying about whether this person would get arrested.  Driving on very little reason, he had broken into a drug store and had stolen four of the largest bottles of strong caffeine tablets to keep himself from sleeping.  He was doing this while his mind was constantly reliving the past, both of being around Doctor Henri Wallace for those 9 days back when he was 14 years old and the years as the city's villain.
The confused hero still had those headaches but it was the most recent problem that had him even more on edge; for that last week he had been having black outs and waking up in the mornings with no memory of what happened, but he felt like he had no sleep.
It was on the 6th day, shortly after a strong headache hit, that he blacked out and a few hours later woke up in a new place within Metro City limits. He was glad that the time was still very early and no one had woken yet.
It had been days now since he had seen Minion entered the eastern Lair.  Using the disguise that he would use to steal the tablets, Megamind had watched his lifelong friend enter the house, then after an hour come out with five brainbots and a hurt cat.  The fish had taken everything he had been working on.  Where would he go?
At the time, the calm voice within his mind returned and told him to leave and come back later.
He stood in the shadows of a bus stop, mumbling getting some odd looks from others around. In a lower tone he said "Why should I stay?"  He turned and spoke to the open air.  "They're my friends."  He stepped away from the bus stop only after Minion had gone. Still mumbling, "I've been shot.  Why should I trust them?"
This comment seemed to get the attention of someone waiting at the bus stop. "Hey, man, are you alright?"
The disguised Megamind turned to this man in a dark suit, eyes wide. "All you humans disgust me."  He turned and ran down the street.
So now, on the seventh day, the lost blue hero sat on the cold ground of the gas station with his back against the wall of shelves, hugging his legs close to his chest, chin resting on his knees. He was staring at nothing but the far wall; confused thoughts filled his large brain. He wanted to go and help everyone but at the same time he wanted to stay away and hide in the shadows.
The classic music was coming from a radio close by.  He had made it by using old parts.  That in itself would have been normal for him, but the signal it was picking up was from far out of the Metro City area.
Daylight poured in the dark space, half lighting Megamind's face where he sat.  
Sometime later, he slowly lifted his head as the song played. Daylight was slowly fading and he found darkness dragging at his vision.
~~
As he slowly woke, he felt the warm sun on his skin and he moved so he could look around himself. Realizing he wasn't in the gas station but a field of golden grass he slowly stood noticing his legs seemed shaky as if from running too far.  He had that feeling that someone was watching and he looked around the large open fields and out to sea.
His eyes widened.  The sea.  The gas station was on the other side of the city.  That's why his legs felt like that. Looking around, he knew there was no one but him and the 'schoolhouse' which seemed to call him.

He entered the build and walked down the long hallway.  He came to the large metal door to Wayne's home. He remembered the last time he had been here, before the defeat of Tighten.  The memory of that moment in his life flashed within his mind.  It seemed that history was in some way repeating itself. He placed his hands on the door and opened it.

He looked around the space; the lights were still on.  He called out, "Wayne, Wayne I need-" but there was no reply or any sounds, telling him that his former rival hadn't been here in a long time.

He walked over the white sofa and sat heavily.  "Why am I hiding like this?"  He let out a sigh and sat back.  "I really should call Minion.  He really must be worried."

As sat alone in the room, he could make out someone whispering in his ear.  He turned his head but saw no one. The whispering continued, getting slowly louder and louder.

The calm voice kept repeating in a whisper *Listen to me.  Listen to me.*

He grabbed the sides of his head and bent forward.  He yelled out at the room "ENOUGH!"  He grabbed the TV remote.

The whispering stopped and he looked up.  He wasn't sure why he had turned the TV on but he just stared at it, Megamind frowned and lent forwards on the sofa and turned the volume up.

He didn't hear the reporter's name; all he was fixed on was the background as he saw Behemoth tearing through a building. "- the city's not seen this kind of destruction not since the defeat of Tighten and even then not on this level. I'm handing you live to our reporter at ground zero."  The image of the news reporter calmly sitting in the studio changed to show Roxanne.

"Hello, Metro City -" behind her Megamind noticed Minion and hundreds of brainbots.  His eyes widened in shock.  His lifelong friend was fighting Behemoth alone.  Seeing Minion hit by a giant hand but caught by brainbots, his mind was filled with rage, but he also felt calmness within the rage.

He stood up.  His hands were tight fists.  His skin started to darken. He tilted his head to one side just in time to see the large metal door, which he had left half open, hit the wall with a soft clang.  In the doorway stood Wayne.

His ex-rival's voice sounded surprised. "What are you doing here, litt-" but he stopped dead as he glanced at the TV and back at Megamind's face.  He failed to notice the lamp lights of all the cases flicking.

Green eyes widened in shock then they narrowed. "Why aren't you helping Minion?"

Gray eyes watched him. "I could be asking you the same; he's your friend."  Wayne noticed that Megamind was still wearing his battle armour and it was at full power.  How long has that been running? He remembered Minion at some point in the past seven days telling him that the armour could be playing with the blue alien's mind.

Slowly he stepped forwards into the room.  "He told me to get Roxanne out of the city.  Behemoth had started coming closer to were we all were."

At those words she stepped from behind the part-time hero and into the room. The moment she saw him she called out with relief, "Oh, thank goodness, Megamind, you're all right."

As she started to come closer the whispering changed to a loud chattering.  It entered his mind.  It was like the worse headache he had ever felt coming on. He reached up with his hands to touch his head,  It felt like the room was tilting and spinning at the same time.  He became dizzy but no darkness came. The lights within the room flicked at a madding speed and he then grabbed at the closest thing to him, which happed to be one of Wayne's guitars.  He held the neck tightly.  It broke in his hand.

Wayne moved closer, not reading the warning signs. "Hey!"

The reporter on the TV was talking about how no heroes were coming to the city's aid.  Hearing that, something within Megamind's mind snapped and once calm emotion within those greens eyes died, leaving rage to boil over.

Both Roxanne and Wayne watched as there blue friend fell to his hands and knees, panting in great pain.

The rage was overflowing, Megamind could still hear the TV and he could make out Wayne coming closer towards him and the look in Roxanne's eyes.  He simply didn't care. As the rage over took all reason within his mind, his eyesight was darkening and tunnelling, but he was still very aware in what was happening around him.  It was like he was watching life through one of his monitors.  All feeling had left him.  He could no longer feel his body and he panicked at this.

Roxanne moved from behind Wayne.  She slowly stepped closer to her fallen hero.  "Mega-"

Suddenly the room was bathed in pitch black; the only source of light came from the open door as light poured in from the hallway.

Wayne and Roxanne stayed within the light from the doorway.  She was starring at Megamind on the ground.

His attention was also drawn to Megamind.  He called over, "Little buddy?"  The very feeling of the air had changed.

He watched as the dark shadow that was Megamind slowly rising up off the ground, he turned his back to them. He let out a sigh and held his hands up to the light; then slowly he looked back over his shoulder at the duo and spoke in a calm tone, "Well, we finally meet in person."

Roxanne could instantly tell that this wasn't their Megamind, as she looked into his bright violet eyes.  He was taller than Megamind, too.  It hit her: this dark figure was the shadow that had been running around the city for weeks now; she took one step closer.  "We've had sighting of you around the city."  She stepped into the dark room and demanded, "Who are you!"

He fully turned to face them he titled his head.  "Oh I see why he loves you so much."  He grinned.  "The girl's smart."  He came closer to them and stepped into the light.  He watched as her hands flow to her mouth in shock.  He noticed Wayne's eyes widen, too.

He looked at a mirror on the wall not far away.  He was still blue, but it was now a dark cobalt, not like his normal baby blue skin. It was his face that had changed most dramatically.   The lower half of his face had shapeshifted into a vaguely feline muzzle, although his chin still had the goatee.  There were little tufts of fur at the hinges of his jaw, and his ears were tremendously elongated and sharply pointed.

Deep within the blue alien's mind Megamind studied his appearance, but spoke with the same mouth. "Ah, I always wondered about my ancestors' DNA.  That blast that hit me and Newton must have mixed our DNA together."

A very calm "Oh? I see." was the next thing to leave his mouth.

Megamind was about to say more but noticed the shocked duo stood near the door just staring at him, a confused double toned voice called out, both excited and eerily calm. "What?"

Roxanne got over her shock first.  "Megamind, are you feeling ok?"

The personality of eerily calm voice said "Not very sure, still a bit unstable." He looked at the TV and walked to it, knowing all power was off.  He raised his hand to the screen and it came to life again.  He watched Behemoth.

Wayne looked down at his broken guitar at the other's feet, then up at the newcomer. He looked at Roxanne, who was briefly looking back at him.  Then she looked back at the shadowy blue figure.

Wayne said "Well, you're clearly not Megamind, so what do we call you?"

Rising an eyebrow, the unnamed figure stepped away from the TV and it flicked off once more.  Violet eyes glowed. "Oh I am Megamind, in a way, that is."  He tiled his head in the dark, his voice dropped and became more threatening.  "If you don't mind, can we have this little chit-chat later?  Minion needs help."

Wayne took a step closer.  "No! We talk now."

The figure hissed out in annoyance, "Did you not hear what I said?"  He stepped closer to them.  "Minion is in danger, so when I say later it means LATER!" he shouted that last word with controlled venom.

He kept walking closer to the duo and the door.  Roxanne hadn't noticed when she'd seen this figure before, but she now saw that his hands had sharp black claws that had torn his gloves.

As he was passing by Wayne, the former hero turned and grabbed his upper arm but just as fast Wayne found himself being thrown back; he ended up side down on the other side of the dark room.

Roxanne's gasped and her eyes had widened in shocked and looked back and forth between him and the door.  This new Megamind had vanished.

"Wayne, please, don't fight him he's only-"

"That's not Megamind, Roxanne."

"Wayne I don't know what's happen to him but I'm sure he's on our side."  She sighed and looked to the door. "I'm sure he's gone to help Minion."

Wayne's eyes narrowed he turned from her and vanished leaving Roxanne alone.  Her mind felt like a hurricane.  What had happened to her Megamind?  What happened to change him into that dark, animal-faced figure? Then her mind flashed back to that street two weeks ago.  He had been shot. Her mind screamed at her.

Seconds later all power in the room came back on and she looked up in wonder.  He could control electrical power?

Then she turned and walked over to the TV showing her an image of Behemoth in the street.  A wicked smile crept on her face; then she spoke out loud. "Give him hell, boys."  By now, she was grinning madly.



To be Continued
Chapter 8

Author's Note: well here's chapter 8, I'm working on the last chapter of Shattered Mind before I end this and start work on my new story Master of Alchemy.
© 2011 - 2024 Kayju7
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