Megamind shared a look with Minion, who merely shrugged, conveying his shared confusion at the blast. There was no use dallying any longer, and with great strides, he forged ahead. Exiting the lobby, he was now in the main hallway of the theater. There were doors on either side, but he knew his destination was the set of double doors at the end.

  A part of him wanted to run, but that would have showed a level of urgency he was loath to display. If he was going to do this right, he needed to portray every bit of the level-headed supervillain he was.

  He knew certain revelations would necessitate him to go off script, but his initial opening should still be usable.

  It felt like an eternity before he reached his goal, and a flick of his wrist had his gun pointed up. The doors were blasted back, and he walked through the smoke, fighting the urge to wave it away.

  "Thank you for keeping it—" Megamind paused in his delivery, taking in the state of the main theatre.

  The door he'd entered from was elevated compared to the stage, and rows of seats flanked the single route forward. They weren't all intact, with sections randomly ripped out and replaced with bits and pieces of what he'd expect to find in a workshop. The stage itself was decently proportioned and the front portion of it had similar work areas, albeit these were pushed to the side in order to leave the center free.

  It was past the limply hanging curtains that there was a slight hitch. That being the lack of a wall and the pile of crates on fire.

  "I kind of like it," Minion muttered next to him. Given they were at the start of a confrontation, Megamind gathered his minion was talking to himself. "It really opens the place up, but is an open floor plan what we'd want? I'll have to check the latest issue of Home Decor to see what's in."

  Oddly enough, Megamind agreed. Obviously, not with the floor plan comment, but he did think the burning edifice served as an appropriately menacing backdrop. Of course, only a true villain could make the most of it, and who stood before it wasn't that.

  Even with her back to him, Bakuda was easy to spot. There were colorful cords draped across her. The wires were yellow, black, and green. Which was a disappointment because her branding should have been in line with the ABB's green and red. It was a sloppy mistake.

  The rest of her gear was more utilitarian in nature, consisting of a kevlar vest, combat pants, a bandolier, and boots. It was the type of getup you would throw together at a military surplus store, and it made him appreciate Minion's craft more.

  She turned to face him, and he took note of how her mask had changed. There were red-tinted goggles covering her eyes and a metal mask beneath. It looked as if a gas mask apparatus had been attached to it. There were no surprises here, as that was what she wore for her videos.

  With the reminder, he discretely moved a hand to his wrist and pressed a button, signaling the Brain Bots to enter and begin their recording.

  "Hold it," Bakuda barked at him. She brought a controller out of her pocket and began pressing buttons. One of them caused the lights to turn out, bathing them in darkness. A few seconds passed and then two spotlights blinked to light, shining their light on Bakuda's figure. "Well, well, well, look who decided to show their ugly mug. Couldn't stay away, could you? Can't say I bl—"

  Her speech was cut off as one of the lights flickered before the sound of metal groaning could be heard. There was a snap, and the light broke free of the stage rigging and fell to the earth, crashing through the floorboards.

  "Fucking piece of shit," she cursed, and then her head whipped to the side of the stage. "Which one of you dumbasses was responsible for setting that up?"

  The lights turned back on, and he was able to see several figures rising from their position on the floor. Two were roughly forced to their feet, with guns pointed at them. There was another thrashing on the ground, and it took the efforts of three people to hold him there.

  That was… Triumph?

  "Did we come too early?" Megamind found himself asking. He'd given her plenty of time to set up, and yet she still seemed to be lacking. He elbowed Minion and leaned over. "Do you think we should offer a redo?"

  Had this been another, he wouldn't have had to ask. Given what he'd seen thus far, he found himself questioning what courtesies he should be providing, if any.

  "Season finale is tonight," Minion whispered back. He didn't specifically say not to, but he knew his minion would want to see it live.

  That was reason enough to proceed.

  "Forget it," Bakuda interrupted whatever explanations were being given. "You already ruined it. And asshole on the ground, stop struggling before I flip a coin and decide which of your parents is getting a bullet to the eye."

  Triumph stilled, and the ones on top of him untangled themselves before pulling him up. He jerked his shoulder slightly, trying to shake off a hand. His muzzled face turned, and his eyes snapped onto Megamind.

  Even from this distance, Megamind could see the myriad of emotions come over his face. They were shared by the other hostages and made him feel funny.

  "Minion, you didn't try anything new with my last meal, did you?" he asked while clutching his stomach. He didn't feel queasy, but it was an unfamiliar sensation.

  "No, sir," Minion denied with a shake of his head. "I know better than to get creative before outings."

  Whatever it was, it wouldn't be allowed to distract him. With Bakuda's opening in tatters, Megamind retook the spotlight.

  He meant that literally, as an industrious Brain Bot maneuvered the remaining spotlight on him. The effect was lessened with the floodlights still active, but they were focused on the stage, so it was an improvement.

  "If it isn't the wayward Bakuda," he said while leaning forward and placing a flat palm over his eyes as if he were having trouble seeing her down there. "I thought that was you. Having trouble since your boss was imprisoned by yours truly? Well, it seems your luck hasn't improved because you're standing in my new satellite base." He straightened his back and leveled a taunting smirk while dismissively waving his hand. "Feel free to leave now. And don't worry about your equipment. I want the place as is."

  He had to maintain appearances, but he wasn't letting her off that easily. His words and actions had been crafted with that in mind, and he knew she would not flee after experiencing them.

  "You think Lung getting captured was bad luck?" she asked before erupting in a small fit of laughter. "That was my big break! I had to promise to try to get him out to get Lee in line, but after that, I had full reign of the place."

  Her hands were spread wide, and the hostages, plus her gangsters, flinched as the launcher was inadvertently pointed at them.

  "And I can see you've done a wonderful job at that," Megamind stated, leveling a pointed look at the flaming pile behind her. "You've outdone yourself, bravo." He clapped slowly, enunciating his words carefully. "You've turned the ABB from common criminals into common scum. No one else would have been able to accomplish that in such little time."

  An unintelligible noise came out of her mask that he interpreted as a sneer.

  "Better watch your words, or I might stop being nice." He raised an eyebrow at the baseless threat. "I've taken this gang big time. I got the whole city by the balls and the PRT hasn't been able to do shit about it. The Empire is being a bitch, but I'm cooking something special for them. And the place looked fine before I had to deal with some creepy bug crawling around."

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  With the state of the building, he found it hard to believe there weren't hundreds of the things hiding out of sight.

  "Big time?" he asked with a befuddled look. "Is that what it looks like to you? Because from up here, it looks all so small. Isn't that right, Minion?"

  Small enough that they'd cease to exist after today.

  "Yes, sir," Minion responded seamlessly. "I can barely see it."

  Another sound came from her mask. It was animalistic, like a snarl. Her fist clenched, and he kept an eye on her trigger finger.

  "You're suicidal," Bakuda said, a mocking tilt in her voice. "That's the only reason I can think of why anyone would be stupid enough to come in here and talk that kind of trash. Or is it jealousy? Yeah, that must be it. I've had national coverage. Everyone knows my name; they're on the edge of their seats waiting to see what I do next. Meanwhile, you're still a joke."

  Megamind exhaled from his nostrils, cooling his temper. He was a professional, and now was not the time to let it run free.

  He stole a glance at the hostages, remembering his purpose. His win conditions were Bakuda's humiliation and Triumph's 'escape'. The former took precedence and would result in the latter.

  "Do you want to hear a real joke?" he asked with an innocent tilt of his head. He scanned the stage carefully before spotting what he was looking for. "Knock, knock." He mimed the action and then put a hand to his ear. "Who's there, you say?" He put his hand down, straightening his non-existent tie. "Super. Super who?" He paused for a second, allowing the question to sink in before answering it in a boisterous voice. "Super Villain!"

  He waited with bated breath for her response, resisting the urge to blurt out his next.

  "Is that supposed to be funny?" Bakuda said flatly. "I don't get it."

  A smile split his face, and he rested a hand in his bomb-carrying satchel. He brought his chin low, making sure she knew he was looking down at her.

  "That," he spat out the word with as much condescension as he could muster, "has been made abundantly clear."

  Bakuda stilled, and he could imagine the rage building on her face. It was a shame her mask covered so much of her face.

  Her free hand extended, and a snap caused her goons to jolt to attention. Others who had been hiding out of sight walked out, weapons drawn. A finger was pointed in his direction, and her robotic voice sounded.

  "Kill them both."

  How unimaginably boring. It was a wonder she had made it this far.

  By the time the sound of the first bullet reached his ears, his hand had already tossed up a U-shaped object. It flipped in the air, rotating at an increasing speed as streams of electricity ran over its form.

  There was an unheard zip as the rifles unleashed their payloads. Bullets flew in his direction, only to arc upwards, missing him entirely. The magnet was pushed higher as lead, and only lead, riddled its reinforced frame. It had been tricky to get right, as lead wasn't magnetic, but he wasn't MediumMind.

  He was Megamind, and he didn't want his gear flying all over the place.

  The gunfire petered out, replaced by empty clicks as the amateur gangster tried to call upon more bullets. He saw several reach for spare magazines and decided to act.

  "You are right about one thing," Megamind addressed Bakuda in a loud voice. "People seem reluctant about recognizing my brilliance. How about we try to change that up?"

  He tilted his head again, and the light reflecting off it hit a reloading gangster, causing him to clumsily raise an arm to shield himself. Megamind maneuvered his head, hitting multiple gangsters. It was less effective than his Megalight, but that wasn't the point.

  This was to show how in control of the situation he was. Every movement of his was planned! There was nothing she could do to change it.

  A second object was tossed out, and the Russian nesting doll landed at the feet of the first one he'd blinded. It shattered instantly, the concussive blast knocking the gangster backward. From the blast, another doll flew out, impacting the next man in the chest. Successive blasts quickly sounded as gangster after gangster were incapacitated by the flying dolls.

  He was being extra careful in using non-lethal methods. He would act as if they were all true ABB members, but the possibility they weren't remained in the back of his head.

  Bakuda's head whipped from one to another, and she aimed the launcher toward him.

  "Lucky you," she grumbled. "I'll make sure the book they write about me mentions you."

  There was a thump as a projectile was lobbed in his direction. Megamind could have let it land, but he was feeling exceptionally petty and his De-Gun fired a death ray, removing the projectile from existence.

  "Say, Minion, do you know where that went?"

  Minion scratched his container in thought.

  "No, sir? Was that a new teleporter?"

  It was an intriguing thought. Zapping things and teleporting them away would be useful for future heists. He filed that away for later.

  "I'm afraid not. In fact, we'll never be able to see what that grenade could have been." He turned back to Bakuda, making sure she knew this part was for her. "But don't worry. Your career will soon keep it company."

  There was a commotion to the side as Triumph tried to seize the opportunity and break free of his captors. Only one of them was still standing after the dolls and they wrestled across the ground. Despite his shackles, it looked as if Triumph would be victorious.

  Bakuda scoffed and unhooked a grenade from her vest, tossing it over. Megamind watched with wide eyes as the canister bounced once on the ground before rolling over. The shock of the action delayed his response, and it burst.

  The effect was immediate, and howls of pain erupted. Hostage or ABB member, there was no differentiation between them as the cries melded together. Everyone in the radius of the bomb writhed on the ground. A few started convulsing; others were foaming at the mouth. Faces turned red, and veins bulged, threatening to rupture.

  Failing to secure the hostages was her fault, but he could still almost understand an emergency restraint option. This was… barbaric. There was no better word that fit better. He could conceive of hundreds of better methods. She hadn't even spared her own followers, but why would she?

  Each time he drew a line, this world seemed determined to pass it.

  He switched modes on his gun, and he dehydrated each one, causing an unsettling silence to fall on them.

  "What was that for?" Bakuda said, a disturbing undercurrent to her voice. "Don't tell me you care about those idiots?"

  That was preposterous. Why would a villain care about the well-being of civilians? In his previous outings, he'd sent many running in—

  No, that wasn't the same. He hadn't set out to hurt them specifically.

  It was different. Wasn't it?

  "Hey, earth to… huh. You're actually an alien, aren't you? Well, you claim to be at least." Bakuda's voice jarred him out of his state, and he stared at her. He blinked to clear his sight, as for a moment he thought a twisted version of himself stood on stage. "Heh. If that's the way it is, you better get on your knees, or I'll blow the heads off of every hostage I have."

  Megamind checked his watch, seeing the confirmation that all other hostages were accounted for. He pressed a button, alerting his bots to dehydrate the lot.

  He gave it five seconds before pointing his gun at her and sending a low-powered destroy into her shoulder, throwing her back. She cursed from her position on the ground, her vest smoking. Her foot stomped up and down, appearing like a child having a tantrum.

  "What the fuck?" she yelled while getting to her feet. "Why isn't it working?"

  Oh, was that meant to accomplish something? She must have programmed the action to activate something. Presumably that was the explosion of the hostages.

  "They're gone," he said in a dry voice. He smacked his lips, bringing some moisture back into them. "As the ABB will be. As you will be. As will anyone who doesn't fit my standards of villainy will be."

  She didn't agree with that, and her launcher was leveled in his direction again. A grenade was launched into the ground, and it skipped up the aisle toward him. It was unceremoniously death rayed.

  "And who put you in charge?" Bakuda seethed. "You know what? Doesn't matter. That loser you rescued, Triumph, well I took his power to the next level. In a few minutes, the entire city will listen to a song that will make Shatterbird look like a two-bit reject. Then everyone will understand why no one fucks with Bakuda!"

  She had prepared a failsafe? That was… responsible. He didn't think she would have the competency to put one in place. If it was based on Triumph's power, the resulting soundwave could wreak havoc on the city. And his lair. Wait, his priorities should be shifted: lair first, city never. He needed to find it. There was no way she would have kept it here; that meant—

  The pile of flaming trash trembled, and something tumbled out of it. The Spider Mite rolled like a disk before stopping. It rose on shaky mechanical limbs, teetering back and forth. Its carapace was dented, and several eyes were non-operational. The ones still functional locked on toward a small tower of metal. Its gun fired, and the structure lit up before disintegrating into dust.

  That wasn't a dehydration, or any mite-approved de-gun mode.

  His eyes narrowed at the bot, who slumped down. One of its twisted limbs angled up and pointed toward Bakuda, resembling a rude gesture.

  "What the? Do you know how many weeks that took to build!?" she shouted, her words barely recognizable. Had she really kept the failsafe in the same room as her? "I thought I scrapped you already!"

  She what?

  Without conscious movement on his part, he blasted her through the remains of the wall.

  "Minion," he voiced, looking in his sack at the surplus of bombs he had left. He hadn't even used the birthday cake.

  "Yes?" came the expected response.

  He glanced around and tapped on his watch. His Brain Bots could handle setting the scene and rehydrating the hostages. An extra command was made to ensure Youngest was retrieved safely.

  "Can we go home now?" he asked, looking up at his faithful companion.

  Fishy eyes stared down at him, their presence a welcome comfort.

  "Sure thing, sir," Minion hefted him up, carrying him bridal style. He couldn't find it in him to complain. "I'll make you some cocoa when we get back."

  That sounded nice.