Chapter 1
Three Heads Are Better Than One

"Yes..."

Maximus I.Q.'s whiskers twitched with excitement as he brought his finger to the button. But this was not just any button. It was the button of ultimate destruction. One push of that button, and Maximus's Hyperspeed Ultra-Destructo Ray 2000 would activate, reducing the solar system of Allusia to nothing more than a singed piece of coal.

"Goodbye, Allusia!" purred Maximus, "Nobody will miss you! Mwahahahahahahahaha!" And with a firm blow, Maximus slammed his fist onto the button, activating the ray! Maximus cackled with triumph as his Hyperspeed Ultra-Destructo Ray 2000 warmed up, and...

Suddenly, the power of the ray flickered and went out. "Mwahahahahaha—what!?" Maximus stopped laughing instantly. "What the!?" he exclaimed, furiously, "What's going on!?" He pummelled the button, but no more than a spark emitted from his ray. Maximus looked around furiously, then caught sight of something out the window. He peered out and his face contorted in fury.

It was a starcruiser. A red starcruiser. A red starcruiser belonging to a Galactic Guardian. But not just any Guardian. The Galactic Guardian and Defender of the Cosmos, and nemesis of every supervillain in the universe, with Maximus being personal.

Maximus I.Q. stamped his foot and screamed in fury at the fact that he had completely missed Atomic Betty fly in with her tools, defuse his device and make off with the main power source while his back was turned. And he knew why, too. Usually, Maximus relied on Minimus to warn him when Atomic Betty was approaching. He was excellent at it, too, which was why Betty never managed to get the element of surprise on Maximus. But this week was different. Minimus was off on vacation for a week, surfing the terrific waves of the planet Ainrofilac Ubilam, and Maximus had no right-hand man to scream out when Betty approached. And that was why his plot had failed.

As many people will know, being sidekick to Maximus required preparation for a long, hard slog. Minimus had to wait on him hand and foot, and do just about anything for him when he couldn't be bothered. Not to mention those extremely high levels of verbal and physical abuse, as well as the fact Maximus only gave him one week off work every twelve years.

If one didn't know Maximus, they would think that very cruel indeed. But for those people who did know Maximus, they would know that one week off every twelve years was positively kind. By his standards, that is.

Maximus sighed, deeply, and plotted a course into his ship for his headquarters in V Quadrant. There was no point in staying. Betty had his power source, so now his plot was busted.

Again.

Back at his citadel, he relaxed in his chambers and racked his brains for another plot. That Betty was such a pest! Why couldn't he just get on with his evil plans in peace!? Was it too much to ask that she just leave him alone while he plotted to destroy the universe!?

Maximus sighed, mostly because his plot was foiled, and also because he wished Minimus was back. He fingered his whiskers and remembered the conversation he and Minimus had had before he had left for Ainrofilac Ubilam.

"Maybe you say I'm your worthless sidekick, master," his evil face had grinned, "But wait and see! You're going to stagger behind in your schemes without me here to bail you out! Mwahahahaha!" before leaving for the hot sandy beaches of Ainrofilac Ubilam.

Maximus had laughed and laughed. He was certain that with Minimus out of the way for a week, his evil plans would all but flourish.

But Minimus had been totally right, and Maximus totally knew it. Three heads were better than one. Like today, for instance. Minimus was unintelligent, but he was sharp-eyed, unlike Maximus, who (not that he would ever admit it) frequently missed things right in front of his eyes. Hiding in plain sight, that was what they called it, and it worked on him like a miracle, which was why he wished his toady was back.

Maximus hated to admit it, but he was starting to miss the compliments Minimus gave him to avoid being smacked on the head or thrown across the room. He especially missed being able to hit Minimus on the head and watch it spin round for ages. To be honest, he was even starting to miss the sarcastic put-up and smart remarks from his other face. He had considered purchasing a time machine and preventing Minimus from getting any days off in the first place so he could have blown up Allusia successfully, but had thought the better of it. He had heard that time-travel could be very dangerous. If even the slightest detail about the past was changed, it could end up altering the future for worse.

Besides, where was he going to get a time machine at this time of year?

A/N

This chapter was a bit short, I know, but it was meant to be more of a prologue than a first chapter. Now—fast forward to the next morning: Chapter 2 is where the story properly starts!

I do NOT own Atomic Betty or any characters.