Chapter 22: Ghosts of the Past
"So, zees new fancy beeg shot Enigma ees gazhering up all the ozher villains to pull off….somezhing," Gru surmised as he looked at Lucy and Megamind, who were currently sitting across from him at his kitchen table, "You don't know what kind of somezhing, only zat eet would probably be bad for….well, everyone."
"That's the short and long of it, yeah," Megamind confirmed with a shrug and a nod.
"So, what exactly does zees all have to do with me?" Gru questioned, his brow furrowing as he glanced between Lucy and Megamind.
"Well, what we were hoping is that you would go undercover for us," Lucy explained, "Join the Syndicate and figure out exactly what they're up to."
"Why me?" Gru inquired, his expression confused, "I'm not exactly a superhero."
"That's precisely why we're approaching you for this," Lucy explained, "Despite being somewhat retired, you're still a known entity in the villain community, while at the same time, hopefully having sympathetic leanings towards our cause."
"Who gave you zat crazy idea?" Gru asked with a bemused snort.
At this, Megamind cleared his throat, prompting Gru to look at him in confusion.
"I think both of us know that we were never the worst of the worse," Megamind said as he gave Gru a meaningful look, "We lived by a code. It's because of that code that I ended up becoming the hero that I am today."
"I'm not like you, Megamind," Gru said as he looked away and shook his head, "I'm pretty despeecable."
"I don't think a despicable person would adopt three little girls," Megamind countered with a smirk.
Gru made no argument against this point, though Lucy did look at him thoughtfully for a moment. Then, reaching into her bag, Lucy pulled out a manilla envelope and placed it on the table in front of Gru.
"What ees zees?" Gru questioned as he took the envelope and opened it.
"Incentive," Lucy answered, "If you successfully perform this mission for us, the AVL is prepared to offer you full immunity to prosecution for your previous crimes."
Gru blinked in surprise before he began flipping through the folder, checking to make sure what Lucy was saying was true.
"Perhaps the hero thing isn't for you," Megamind commented with a shrug, "But if you do this for us, not only will you be doing a good deed, but you would also guarantee a peaceful life with your girls. No more looking over your shoulder."
A pensive expression crossed Gru's features as he thought over the offer.
"But I weell have to look over my shoulder eef I do zees," Gru stated thoughtfully, "What's to stop zese Syndicate guys from coming after ze girls eef I get found out?"
"Well, does anyone know about the girls?" Megamind inquired.
"Ze only person who knew I adopted zem was Vector and he's….well he's not around anymore," Gru explained, "But zat deedn't stop ze two of you from learning about zem."
"Indeed," Lucy agreed with a nod, "That's why we're willing to take the girls into our custody while you're undercover. We have a secure location where no one will be able to get to them."
"Well, zat's probably somezing I should talk with the gurls about," Gru stated uncertainly, "I won't be able to give you an answer until I know zat zees ees something they're okay with."
At that moment, the front door to the house slammed open and the trio of girls came charging into the kitchen, Riley and Tip following in their wake.
"Gru!" Agnes shouted, "Is it true you're going to be working with superheroes!?"
"Um, where did you hear zat?" Gru questioned as he blinked at the girls in surprise.
"Riley told us!" Edith explained as she pointed at the girl in question, "After she was finished beating up all those bullies."
"You beat zem up by yourself?" Gru inquired as she looked at Riley skeptically.
"It's no big deal," Riley replied with a shrug.
"Yeah, when you're a superhero," Margo countered as she smirked at Riley.
"Ah, so you told them?" Megamind inquired with a grin.
"Well, I'm sure they were going to find out one way or another," Tip answered with a shrug of her own, "We figured it was better to let them in on everything on our way here."
"Well, in that case, I suppose I should properly introduce myself," Megamind said as he stood up and stepped in front of the girls, "Because while I may look like an ordinary citizen."
As Megamind spoke, he touched a button on his watch, causing his image to return to its natural state.
"I am actually the superhero, Megamind!" he declared bombastically, causing Lucy to roll her eyes.
"Wow," Agnes said as she looked at Megamind with wide eyes, "You're very blue."
"Dude, your head is like twice as big as it is on TV," Edith commented with a chuckle.
Margo, for her part, remained completely silent as she stared at Megamind with wide, shocked eyes.
"What's the matter, little girl?" Megamind questioned as he looked at Margo and flashed her a charming smile, "Dazzled to be in the presence of a superhero?"
"You're Megamind," Margo stated, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes," Megamind confirmed with a slightly awkward tone, "I did just say that."
"Um, guys," Anger spoke up in Riley's head as she started to sense a burning anger radiating off of Margo.
"You're the one who created Titan," Margo said as her hands clenched into fists.
"Uh, yes," Megamind replied as her face fell, "I am."
"Margo," Riley spoke up as she began reaching out towards the girl.
"You're the reason my parents are dead!" Margo suddenly screamed before she lashed out and punched Megamind in the gut as hard as she could.
The blow completely knocked the wind out of Megamind's lungs and he wheezed in pain as he doubled over. The attack caught everyone else completely by surprise and by the time Gru had risen to his feet, Margo had already turned and ran out of the room.
"Margo, come back!" Gru called fruitlessly, before he sighed as his shoulder slumped.
"What was that about?" Tip questioned as she looked at Gru in confusion.
"I feel like that should be fairly obvious," Megamind coughed as he straightened up, wincing in pain as he did.
"I get the sense that she's not going to be on board with this plan," Lucy stated as she looked at Gru.
"I should go find her," Gru stated as he moved to follow Margo.
"Why don't you let me?" Riley suggested as she stepped in front of Gru, "This seems serious and, well, I'm pretty good at talking to people."
Gru looked at Riley wearily for a moment before sighing.
"Well, you've already proven yourself once today," Gru admitted with a shrug, "Sure, why not?"
"Come on," Edith said as she began heading in the direction Margo had run off in, "I think I know where she went."
With that, Edith and Agnes left the room, prompting Riley and Tip to follow them. Gru watched them go for a moment before he slumped back into his seat.
"Are you okay?" Gru questioned as Megamind retooks his seat, still nursing his bruised stomach.
"I'll be fine," Megamind replied, "She packs quite the punch though."
"I take it she's from Metro City originally?" Lucy inquired as she quirked an eyebrow at Gru.
"Eet ees as you zeenk," Gru confirmed with a nod, "She has nightmares about what happened there."
"Just another thing I have to make up for," Megamind muttered, an unusually bitter note in his voice.
"I know you deedn't eentend for what happened," Gru said as he placed a hand on Megamind's shoulder, "We all make meestakes, right?"
Megamind didn't say anything in reply, though his expression made it seem like he did not agree.
"Speaking of mistakes, does anyone smell something burning?" Lucy inquired as she sniffed the air inquisitively.
"My cookies!" Gru exclaimed as he sprang to his feet and raced to a different part of the kitchen.
Meanwhile,
Following behind Edith and Agnes, Riley and Tip walked into what was obviously a living room. However, it was easily the strangest living room that the two girls had ever laid their eyes on, with a couch made out of a hollowed out crocodile, a chair constructed from a similarly gutted rhinoceros and what looked like an iron maiden tucked away in a corner along with a cannon that hung suspended from the ceiling.
"You think she went in here?" Tip questioned as she glanced around the room, spotting no sign of Margo anywhere.
"Sort of," Edith answered as she jogged over to the rhino chair, "Come over here."
Following Edith, Riley and Tip watched in confusion as she and Agnes climbed onto the rhino chair. Looking back at Tip and Riley, Edith gestured for them to join her and Agnes as they stood on the chair. Tip glanced at Riley in confusion, but the blonde merely shrugged before she climbed up into the chair with Edith and Agnes, prompting Tip to do the same.
Once all four girls were standing on the chair, Agnes pushed a button on the control panel that was built into the armrest. As she did, the seat suddenly detached from the rest of the chair and glided into the center of the room. A moment later, two columns that had been built into the wall detached, turning into robotic arms that grabbed hold of the hanging cannon and planted it barrel first onto the seat, before opening up, revealing that the cannon had been a disguise for a clear, plastic tube of some kind that the girls were now all standing in. As this was all happening, the floor beneath the part of the room with the couch and television began to rise up to the ceiling, revealing a large metal shaft leading beneath the house. Once the shaft was fully revealed, the arms placed the tube on a waiting pedestal in the shaft, which began to lower into the depths below.
"You know, there was a point in my life where I would have been surprised by this sort of thing," Tip commented sardonically as the tube was lowered down the shaft.
The shaft led into a cavernous chamber beneath the house, easily a dozen or so stories in height, with numerous bridges and platforms crisscrossing at various heights. What caught Tip and Riley's attention though were the creatures that occupied this underground bunker. They were largely humanoid in shape, though they were cephalothorax, with no distinction between their heads and torsos. They were short and stocky, averaging around three feet, with bright yellow skin, and black hair that grew short and sparse on their heads. All of them were dressed in matching, blue denim overalls with black stylized Gs on the front, along with black gloves and goggles, though the girls noticed that while some of the creatures had two eyes, others possessed only one.
"What….are those?" Riley questioned as she and Tip stared at the creatures with wide eyes.
"Oh, those are Minions," Edith explained nonchalantly, "They're Gru's….well minions. They do all the grunt work for him."
"Yeah, but what are they?" Tip asked with emphasis.
"We have no idea," Edith admitted with a shrug, "All of us have different theories. I think they're mutated corn."
"I think their fairies who got put under a curse by a magical unicorn," Agnes spoke up.
"I'm pretty sure Margo thinks they're some kind of like evolutionary offshoot," Edith stated as the platform reached the grey, metal floor.
"Are they dangerous?" Riley questioned as she glanced around wearily, watching as the Minions walked to and fro, going about their business.
"No," Edith replied with a shake before she amended, "At least, most of their time they're not. Intentionally, at least."
Tip and Riley shared a quiet, uncertain look.
"Hey!" Edith called as they stepped off the platform, "Kevin, Stuart, Bob!"
As she spoke, a trio Minions, a short one, a tall one, and a medium sized one with a single eye, stopped walking and turned their attention towards the girls.
"Oh, bello," the tallest Minion greeted with a small wave.
"Yeah, hi," Edith replied, "Did you happen to see Margo come down here?"
"Margo?" the tall one questioned before he glanced at the other two Minions, who shook their heads, "No, Margo, no."
"Okay, well, we're worried about her," Edith explained, "So, could you get some of the others and look around for her?"
"Da, certo," the tall one replied with a nod, "Budj looka autour."
"Thanks," Edith said with a small smile, "Let us know if you find her."
With that, the three minions nodded before hurrying off, babbling to others of their kind as they went.
"What were they speaking?" Tip questioned in confusion.
"Minionese," Edith answered with a nonchalant shrug, before gesturing to the others, "Come on!"
"Ask stupid questions," Tip muttered to herself before she followed along the others.
With Edith in the lead, the girls made their way through the winding hallways and large chambers of Gru's secret base, finding no sign of Margo as they went.
"This place is huge!" Tip said with a sigh as they came to a stop at a crossroad of hallways, "How are we going to find Margo at this rate?"
"Well, there are a couple of places I think she might likely be," Edith explained as she stood at the center of the crossroads, "And they're in each of these three directions."
"So, should we split up?" Tip questioned.
"That's what I was thinking," Edith confirmed with a nod before she began pointing in the three directions available to them, "I'll go this way. Agnes, you take Tip and head that way. And Riley…."
Edith trailed off as a look of realization crossed her face.
"Actually, if I send you off by yourself, you're probably going to get lost, aren't you?" Edith pondered aloud as she looked at Riley.
"Don't worry," Riley replied with a shake of her head as she started heading in the direction Edith had chosen for her, pointing at her own temple as she spoke, "I have my own way of getting around."
"If you say so," Edith said with a shrug before she turned away and headed down her hallway, prompting Agnes to start leading Tip down theirs.
Walking down the hallway, Riley soon found herself in what appeared to be a laboratory of some kind. Computer panels and workbenches sat along the walls, and bits and pieces of equipment were scattered all about the room.
"This reminds me of Hiro's workshop," Riley mumbled with an amused smile.
"What are you doing here?" a gruff voice with a British accent asked from behind Riley.
Turning around, Riley found an elderly man standing behind her. He had Caucasian features and a build that was drooping and sagging with his advanced years, leaving him not much taller than Riley herself. He was dressed in a white labcoat over a yellow sweater and red pants along with a pair of black safety gloves emblazoned with stylized yellow Gs and black boots. The top of his head was completely devoid of hair, and his eyes were obscured by a pair of black goggles.
"Who are you?" the man asked, his tone impatient, "How did you get in here?"
"I uh, I'm Riley," she stammer in reply, "And, well, I just met Margo and her sisters a little while ago, but Margo ran off and we were worried about her so we came looking."
"Well, she's not here," the man answered gruffly, "So, if you would be so kind, do bugger off."
Riley's eyes narrowed at the rudeness of this comment and she was about to say something in reply when her powers picked up on a presence. Somewhere behind the man and just out sight, Riley could sense a mixture of anger, fear and sadness radiating off of someone.
"I don't think you're telling me the truth," Riley said as she looked at the man evenly while pointing at something past him, "I think she's over there somewhere."
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," the man replied, Riley having clearly caught him off guard, "You need to-"
"It's alright, Dr. Nefario," Margo's voice drifted out from behind one of the machine's that took up most of the laboratory's space, "I'll talk to her."
The man, Dr. Nefario, looked uncertainly between Riley and the spot Margo's voice had come from for a moment before sighing and stepping out of the blonde's way. As Riley began making her way over to where Margo was, she couldn't help but notice Dr. Nefario watching her warily.
Reaching the machine, Riley peaked her head around it and found Margo sitting on the floor with her back against the machine and her knees tucked into her chest. Margo was currently staring at a spot on the ground and didn't look up as Riley stopped next to her.
"Uh, hey," Riley greeted awkwardly.
"Hi," Margo replied tonelessly, still not looking at Riley as she spoke.
"Well, this is off to a good start," Disgust muttered.
"Can I sit?" Riley inquired as she pointed at an empty space on the ground next to Margo.
"Sure," Margo answered with a small shrug.
Wordlessly, Riley settled onto the floor, sitting cross legged next to Margo.
"So, I know we kind of just met, and so I don't really want to pry," Riley stated, her tone uncertain, "But, you seemed pretty upset in the kitchen."
"...Y-Yeah," Margo confirmed after a moment, "Yeah, I was."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Riley suggested.
"You sound like a therapist," Margo commented with a morbid chuckle.
"Well, I've been seeing one for awhile, so I guess I picked up a thing or two," Riley replied with a shrug.
Margo blinked in surprise at this and turned to look at Riley for the first time since the other girl had located her.
"Aren't you worried people will think you're crazy?" Margo inquired, practically whispering the words as if she was afraid someone would overhear.
"Margo, I've already told you that because of my powers, I regularly hear voices in my head," Riley said with a bemused expression, "By most people's definition, I am crazy. So why should I care if people know I go to a therapist?"
"I don't think you're crazy," Margo mumbled.
"I know," Riley replied with a reassuring smile, "And I don't think that most people who visit therapists are crazy either. I just think some people need help some time. Like, going to the dentist or something."
"Now, you really sound like a therapist," Margo pointed out with a smirk.
"I've been getting that a lot lately," Riley replied with a helpless shrug, "And since that's the case, I guess I'll ask again. Do you want to talk about it?"
As Riley spoke, the smirk melted off of Margo's face and she turned her attention back to the spot on the floor. Sighing, Riley began to mentally berate herself for pushing the other girl too hard.
"I grew up in Metro City," Margo mumbled, causing Riley to blink in surprise, "Born and raised. I remember once when I was about Agnes' age seeing Metro Man fly past my window while I was laying in bed one night."
Riley said nothing as Margo paused to collect her thoughts, trying to be as quietly encouraging as she could.
"We were coming back from dinning out when it happened," Margo went on, "When….When Titan attacked the city. My dad was driving, and I remember talking to my mom about….God, I'm not even sure. It's weird that I can remember so many details from that night but I can't remember what we were talking about."
Margo trailed off and Riley waited patiently for the other girl to continue.
"I don't really know how he even hit us," Margo continued after a moment, "I was looking out the window, watching the street lights pass by when suddenly something slammed into us and the world turned upside down. There was screaming and breaking glass and that terrible shrieking noise of metal being ripped apart. I think I blacked out for a moment because the next thing I remember is hanging upside down, my seatbelt holding me up with the car laying on its roof. My glasses had fallen off somewhere, so I could barely see, and everything smelled like smoke."
"I called out to my mom and dad, but they didn't answer," Margo went on as Riley listened, "It wouldn't be later until I found out that they were already dead. After awhile, I managed to get myself unbuckled and crawled out of the remains of the car through a broken window. That's when I saw him."
"You saw Titan?" Riley questioned in surprise.
"Well, sort of," Margo admitted with a shrug, "Like I said, I had lost my glasses in the crash, so all I could see was this big, floating shape. But I remember being able to see his eyes, because they were glowing bright red, like the coals of a dying fire. I still see those eyes sometimes when I'm asleep."
"What happened then?" Riley inquired.
"He left," Margo replied with another shrug, "I'm not even sure he ever even noticed me, or meant to crash our car. It just happened and he moved on to destroy something else without a second thought. He ruined my life and he didn't even notice."
There was a long pause as tears welled up in Margo's eyes, causing Riley to wipe at her own eyes as she felt the waves of sadness wash over her.
"Can you imagine what that must have been like?" Joy whispered sadly.
"We don't have to," Sadness stated.
"God, Margo, I'm so sorry," Riley whimpered as she reached out and put a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Margo looked at the hand in confusion for a moment before turning her gaze towards Riley's face. Looking into Riley's eyes as tears started to run down her cheeks, Margo sensed that the other girl did truly understand what she felt. Turning fully towards Riley, Margo wrapped her arms around the other girl's shoulders and embraced her, the brunette's shoulders shaking as she quietly cried.
After a few quiet minutes Margo pulled away, removing her glasses so that she could wipe away her remaining tears.
"Geez, sorry about that," Margo apologized as she put her glasses back on, "That was….embarrassing."
"You really should not be embarrassed," Riley said with a shake of her head, "That sort of thing needs to come out. Trust me I know."
"I get that, but still, like you said, I only met you today," Margo explained with a chuckle, "Now here I am crying in front of you like I've known you forever."
"It's kind of an effect I have on people," Riley replied with a shrug, "It's one of the advantages of being an empath."
As she finished speaking, Riley suddenly hissed in pain and clutched at the side of her head as images of her drowning flashed through her mind. After a moment, the images stopped and Riley turned her attention back to Margo, only to find the other girl clutching her head as well.
"Oh God, Margo!" Riley exclaimed, a stricken expression on her face, "Are you okay? I'm so sorry."
"What was that?" Margo questioned with a wince.
"A drawback to my powers," Riley explained, looking away in embarrassment as she talked, "Sometimes I don't have the best control of them and they can affect people around me. They've been on the fritz since last night."
"Does this have to do with that group of supervillains you told us about?" Margo inquired.
"Yeah, one of them is another psychic who hit me pretty hard," Riley answered, "What she did to me last night has really messed with my head and my powers along with it."
"These Syndicate guys sound like bad news," Margo commented.
"They are," Riley agreed before sighing, "Which is why we need Gru's help to take them down."
Margo fell silent at this as she looked away from Riley, a troubled expression on her face.
"Can you promise to keep him safe?" Margo questioned quietly.
"I think that you know I can't," Riley answered with a shake of her head, "This stuff is dangerous and even I know there's never a guarantee we're going to make it back when we go out in the field. I'm sorry."
Margo went quiet again as she digested this information, hugging her knees to her chest.
"These Syndicate guys," Margo spoke up again, "They're going to hurt a lot of people if some doesn't stop them, aren't they?"
"They already have," Riley answered grimly.
At this, Margo's expression set into a look of determination.
"Then we have to stop them," Margo said firmly, "Whatever it takes."
"Now you're starting to sound like a superhero," Riley commented with a smirk before she rose back to her feet and offered Margo her hand, "Now, I think it's about time we go and find the others."
"Right," Margo agreed as she took Riley's hand, chuckling as she rose to her feet, "And could you imagine me as a superhero. Seems pretty ridiculous."
"A year ago I would have said the same thing," Riley commented with a shrug as they began walking together, "But if everything that's happened has taught me anything, it's that it's impossible to guess what the future has in store for you."
A/N: After having some action in the last chapter, it was nice to get back to some character focused stuff, as well as some more introductions. As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!