Minion was heartbroken. How could Megamind have turned on him so easily? It wasn't fair. As he stood in the dark outside their evil lair, Minion considered going back inside once Megamind was gone and trashing the place, but immediately decided that that was far too immature. He instead waited until "Bernard" had taken his leave in the invisible car, then made his way back inside, though he wasn't sure what he would do once there.
It was so empty. Not only because Megamind was out on his date-bleah-or because all of the brain bots seemed to have vanished, but because the intensity of their argument still hung heavily in the air, and it drowned out everything else.
He wandered slowly through the lair, tidying up small messes he came upon and whistling an obscure tune he'd invented out of joy while concocting The Black Mamba. He remembered how thrilled he'd been with his design, and how excited he'd been to show his master his masterpiece. But Megamind had been distracted and indifferent, and his lack of appreciation of Minion's loyalty to him was what had hurt the most. He had completed the cape out of both his weakness for responsibilty, and his determination to show Megamind that he was the bigger person.
As he moved morosely through one of the less-used rooms, he came upon a lovely wooden cabinet that he had never noticed before. It seemed very out-of-place, and it flared his curiosity. One of the doors hung open slightly, and Minion couldn't help but peek inside. What he found made his heart sink even further. On the shelves there were pictures of Roxanne and "Bernard" on their dates, video tapes labeled as clips of Roxanne reporting on various things, and little gifts that Roxanne must have given to Megamind. Minion would have slammed the door shut right then had he not spotted what looked like a spare watch tucked away in a corner of the top shelf. It was then that he got an idea. If Megamind could parade around as someone else and benefit from that animosity, why couldn't he? While he knew he was superior in strength-and, secretly, cute as a button-as he was, he suddenly wanted very badly to venture into the city on his own and fit in for once.
"It will be fun." He said to himself, smiling. He grabbed the watch and went back out in front of the lair to wait for someone to come along, someone who he could scan.
It took longer than he would have liked, but finally a young man, seemingly lost, came along. He had never intended to use the forget-me stick for this purpose, but it was his only option.
He scanned the young man, rather liking the tasteful shirt and slacks he was wearing. After tucking him away in a remote part of the lair, he set out to discover what life was like as a non-gorilla-fish-robot. He had no idea where he was going, but decided to head to downtown, knowing from years of terrorizing Metro City where most worthwhile things went on. Where to start, he thought as he gazed up at the skyscrapers, suddenly in awe of their vastness and beauty.
Before long, he came upon a café with open doors, out of which a wonderful and slightly familiar scent wafted. He entered curiously, wondering how one went about discovering the whereabouts of such smells. He knew more about some aspects of the world than his master, but he didn't know everything, and they didn't exactly eat out often.
He watched from the door for a few minutes, observing other customers approaching the counter and giving the person behind said counter money. After making sure he could perform this task himself without any slip-ups, and after getting a few confused looks from the other people in the café, he went for it. He walked up to the counter with confidence and a small smile, and was about to inquire after the attractive smell when he caught a glimpse of the kitchen and the cooks…and what they were cooking. It was fish. Fish. Small fish, big fish, fish cut in half, fish without heads…it was terrifying. Minion backed up a few feet in horror, procuring even more confused stares, then fled from the building.
"They eat fish on this planet?" He asked aloud, pacing in front of the park bench he'd found himself near when he'd felt that he had gotten far enough away from that awful, fish-killing place. How he had missed this gruesome fact in all his years on Earth, he couldn't fathom. After calming himself sufficiently, he finally sat down on the bench and put his head in his hands. This was much different from what he had expected. His master made it seem so easy and wonderful, and wondered what made it so much better for him. What was he doing differently?
Then it hit him. Megamind had Roxanne. Roxanne who had lived on this planet her entire life and knew everything there was to know about being normal. That had to be it, he just needed someone to show him the ropes, someone willing to help him…without finding out who and what he really was. But where-
"Hey there, handsome! Where have you been?" A high, soothing voice called. At first, Minion didn't realize that he was the one being spoken to, but he got the message as soon as the young woman, the owner of the voice, came up to him, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips. Stunned, Minion froze, and could do nothing but stare as the young woman let go of him and looked around expectantly. There was an awkward pause between them before she finally spoke again.
"So…are we still on for the movie? If we don't leave soon we're going to miss the beginning," she pretended to pout, then laughed, waiting for an answer. Minion nodded vaguely, having no idea what to say, and simply did his best to keep up as she took his hand and led him down the street.
As the walked Minion tried to find his voice. He started by asking the time, to which she responded with her increasingly enchanting voice, "Time for you to get a watch. Oh, look at that," she giggled, holding up his wrist to show him the watch he knew he wore.
"Ah, yes, well…sorry," he stammered.
"It's just fine," She smiled up at him, laying her head on his shoulder as the continued on toward the theater.
When they arrived, Minion used the same tactics he'd observed in the horrible café. Luckily she'd given him a clue as to what to purchase.
"You get the tickets, I'll get the popcorn ok?" She said cheerfully, almost skipping away. After securing the tickets, she'd taken his hand again and they made their way into the theater.
The film was enjoyable, a romance. It was a topic that had become increasingly intriguing to Minion over the course of the evening. He watched intently as the couple on the screen spoke, kissed, held each other…he was so enthralled with the movie that it flew by as if it was only seconds long.
As they left the young woman laid her head on his shoulder again, and Minion did his best to suppress a blissful sigh. While they walked they talked, laughed, and joked. The feeling that swelled within Minion was wonderful and overwhelming, but he couldn't help thinking about how he and his master and left things. He looked down at his companion and knew that he was a complete and utter hypocrite. He knew that if Megamind ever knew what he was up to…he clamped a solid lid over the thought immediately. His master would be furious…possibly hurt.
"I'm sorry Sir…" Minion sighed quietly, sadly.
"What?" The woman asked, glancing up into his eyes. He looked back at her, guilt filling his heart.
"Nothing," He looked away. She stopped and faced him.
"Hey," she said quietly, putting a hand to his cheek. "Are you ok?"
"Really, I'm fine,"
"Now don't pull that bologna with me. We've been together for four years. I know you, and I know when you're not ok. What on your mind?" She rubbed his should reassuringly. Once again, all Minion could do was stare in horror. These two people had been together for four whole years! And here he was intruding on their happiness. He had no right, and he knew it. They had reached her apartment, and minion knew what he had to do.
"Ok, I'll tell you what's wrong, just…let's get inside first."
"Ok, come on in." She unlocked the door and they went inside in silence.
"So what's going on, David?" She said his name for the first time that evening. David? he thought. Well, ok, David then.
"Well, first of all…here sit down. Ok, first I want to know…what you think of Megamind." He said cautiously.
"Oh come on, David, you know this one. I think he's a jerk. I'd tell him that to his face too, 'm not afraid of him." She crossed her arms, her smile cocky.
"Uhuh, and his friend? The…fish?" Minion prepared himself for the worst. The phrase "guilty by association" flashed red in his mind.
"Oh, you mean Minion?" she asked, perking up. The way she said his name made him smile internally.
"Yeah, min-"
"He's the cutest!" She squealed. Minion's cheeks flushed bright red.
"Really? Uh…really?" He asked, flustered.
"Totally! I mean, sure he's Megamind's sidekick or whatever, but I don't think he's evil at all. I think he's a sweet little fish-gorilla-robot-person that is just eager the please someone he cares for." She smiled and continued on about him being adorable and worth getting to know until minion thought he might burst from embarrassment. He quickly, though reluctantly, cut her off.
"I see, well…this is awkward, and please don't slap me…what's your name?" He cringed. The woman's face fell.
"What do you…it's Tracey. You know that…" She teared up. "Why don't you know my name? What the hell is going on?" She backed away as Minion tried to take her hand and calm her.
"Please, just let me explain-"
"Yeah, you better! What…why…What the hell is this? Who are you?" Her expression suddenly changed from angry to frightened. "W-Who are you?"
Minion sighed, and fumbled with the watch on his wrist.
"I'm so sorry," He said as his body shifted from the comparatively small young man to his true form.
"Surprise, heh…" He said weakly. Tracey Shook her head and backed away. As her legs found the couch she stumbled and fell against the cushions, her hand over her mouth. Minion turned to leave, not wanting to frighten her any further, and assuming she'd be screaming at him to get out soon enough anyway. The sound of her voice stopped him.
"Why?" She asked quietly. "Why would you trick me?"
"I don't know. Well, ok I know, I'm just not…I didn't specifically mean to…ugh," He struggled for the words, wanting to tell her the truth but also not wanting to reveal the rather embarrassing reason behind his disguise. In his frustration he didn't notice her get up and approach him, and wasn't aware of her presence beside him until she started poking and prodding at his strange mechanical body.
"Hey, what…?" He spun around, startled, and Tracey continued exploring, messing with the knobs protruding from his back.
"This is…so…" She began.
"I know, I really am so very, truly sor-"
"COOL!" She exclaimed, cutting him off.
"How do you control it though? I mean, you are just a fish. Not just a fish of course, I mean, you're Minion! This is so awesome! Is this real? This is real right? Oh my god this is incredible!" Tracey fawned over him, completely amazed, as Minion tried to focus on calming her down rather than being completely won over by her generous praise.
"Um, Miss Tracey, please uh, calm down…" Finally Minion caught her hands gently and pushed them down to her sides.
"Like I said, I'm very sorry for being untruthful with you. I really must be going now." He turned to leave, not wanting to go back to the lair, but knowing it wasn't right to stay in her apartment either.
"Wait! You still haven't answered my question." She placed her hand on his shoulder and slowly turned him around.
"Why did you trick me? More specifically, why are you parading around as my fiancé?" She led him to the couch and they sat down while Minion explained the entire evening's events to her.
"So, like I said, I didn't mean to specifically trick you, your Fiancé just happened to pass by at the wrong time.
"And he's safe?"
"Yes, I promise, though we should probably go and get him before he wakes up in the lair."
Minion made sure to blindfold Tracey before driving her to the lair to get the real David and take him safely home. When they arrived back at Tracey's apartment, Minion Gingerly removed the blindfold and carried David inside. As he set him on the couch Tracey thanked him.
"I can't tell you how great it's been hanging out with you." She smiled. Minion smiled back, and attempted a final apology.
"You're welcome, and again I'm really sorry."
"Hey, it's ok, I forgive you." She took one of his massive robotic hands in both of hers and held it reassuringly.
"I know what it's like to feel alone and unappreciated. When people push you down for no reason, even if it's someone close to you, it's not worth letting it get to you." She patted his hand.
"I know you don't get out much, so I want you to know you have a best friend out here in the real world. Well, maybe a second best friend, I know Megamind is important to you."
"Thank you, Miss Tracey."
"Oh, and here," Tracey placed two fifty-dollar bills in his hand. "I also know you don't want to go home tonight, so here's some money for a motel room. I'd let you stay here, but when David wakes up, well, It would be ugly." they both laughed.
"Thank you so much, Minion. I'll see you around."
"You're welcome, Miss Tracey. See you around, too."
After befriending Tracey, Minion felt almost no shame in using David's appearance to safely get himself a room at a nearby motel. It was a small, cramped room, but it was just for one night, and Minion wasn't one to demand or expect luxury.
Overall it had been a very pleasant evening, and Minion was glad to have had his own adventure to take his mind off of Megamind and their fight.
"A friend," He said to himself gleefully. "I have a friend!" He swam in a happy circle and settled into bed.
He woke the nest morning to the sound of his TV blaring. He discovered the remote beneath him.
"Must've rolled over on it," He mumbled, fumbling with the power button. His huge fingers ended up pressing multiple buttons on the remote, and changed the channel to the news. Once again what he saw made his heart sink. The headline was Tighten, and the reporter was relaying the grave news of the destruction the new villain was unleashing upon the city. At that moment Minion realized that his master was going to need him today more than ever. He checked out of the motel, assumed David's appearance once more and set out to scour the city for Megamind.
After hours of searching, he finally found himself walking near the prison, past the spot where the school house had been. He stood there, remembering all the hardships he and Megamind had endured while there, then looked at the prison across the street. Odd place for a school house, he thought to himself.
Just then, a city bus pulled up and Megamind stepped out looking completely defeated. Minion realized that he was turning himself in, and rushed back to the lair as quickly as he could. The absence of the invisible car was an annoyance, but he was determined to help his master do what was right.
When he arrived back at the lair, the first thing he did was to check the watch for the Warden's disguise. It was pre-programmed in, and Minion wondered for a brief second why he had questioned it being there at all. Minion got to work setting up the flying motorcycle they had stored away about a year ago. He also had the brain bots create about two hundred more of themselves, and programmed them with the special intro he and Megamind had discussed a while back. After all of that was completed, he called on Tracey.
"Minion? Is that you?"
"Yeah, sorry," Minion said, reassuming his own form after traveling as David, just to be safe. "I need a ride to the prison."
"Sure thing." Tracey agreed the way over Minion turned on the radio to check up on the news, and heard the beginning of Tighten's personal Ultimatum for Megamind as the arrived at the prison.
Minion told Tracey to head home and stay safe.
"I've got it from here," He promised, and walked inside as nonchalantly as he could manage. As luck would have, the Warden was standing alone outside of Megamind's cell, watching the TV through the glass window. Minion snuck up behind him, grabbed him, and tied him up.
"I'm sorry about this, Mr. Warden sir, but he and I have something we really need to take care of downtown."
"I get it, I know. He would have found a way out eventually anyway, he always does. Do what you need to do."
"Thank you sir." Minion clicked the watch into place and stepped up to the window as Megamind began shouting for the Warden. After a heartfelt apology from Megamind, he revealed himself and smiled.
"Ah, Minion, you fantastic fish you."
"What are we waiting for? We better get going."
Tracey Had left as Minion has asked her to, and he decided that, at this point, his experience with the watch and his new friend would be too much for Megamind to comprehend while still effectively saving the day. So he kept his adventure a secret, and treasured the memory forever in his little fishy heart.