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The entire room goes silent. Crowds separating wordlessly as a single figure walks through. Several people look around for someone specific to step in but he doesn’t. No one does. The figure had to have noticed. She knows him well enough to know that there is not much he doesn’t notice. He’s very observant and intuitive. He would probably be pretty good at her job or as a detective. Though that is not likely. Still, he continues as if nothing is happening. Trapped in his own world and taking in the room around him. Roxanne isn’t sure what to make of this. Megamind is usually so predictable but she couldn’t have seen this coming. She might have expected it from Minion, who is known to show up here and here, running errands. People don’t mind Minion as much since he’s actually really nice and polite. Roxanne never really understood why he stuck around the blue alien or what their relationship was. All she knew was, Minion did not seem particularly villainous. Neither did Megamind but he did at least know how to act like a jerk sometimes.
In any case, seeing Minion in public isn’t so unusual. Seeing Megamind…well, this would be the first time. Megamind never shows his face in public unless he's in the throes of battle with Metro Man. Otherwise the villain is rather reclusive, giving all the errands to his hench fish. But here he is, making his way around the room and looking at the exhibits. Even seeming to read all the information about them. Roxanne glances over to Wayne who seems to give her a shrug but others. That doesn’t really help. Sure, Megamind isn’t doing anything but she didn’t expect him to show up. Or not like this. She expected a kidnapping, being strapped to that chair or some machine and Megamind through the door with an evil laugh. Instead, he just calmly walked in and started looking around as if he forgot who he was. Maybe he had. Some malfunction in the layer and hit his head too hard. But there isn’t any bruising. He looks fine. Strange, but fine.
And that’s another thing. He’s not in his villain regalia. He’s wearing actual clothes. And actual suit and tie, which is also kind of weird. Sure, it’s the opening of the Metro Man museum but it is not that fancy. Business casual at best and that is mostly for since she’s working. But Megamind decided to go straight to formal. A well tailored suit that, if she’s not mistaken, Minion made. She learned during one of her kidnappings, that Minion makes all of Megaminds outfit and that he is pretty decent at sewing. She still can’t help but smile at the image of a six foot tall gorilla ape suit with a fish in a fish bowl for a head sitting at a sewing machine and sewing little lightning bolts into the material. She has to hand it to him though, the suit looks professionally done and looks good on Megamind.
After a while of wandering the room Megamind walks off in search of a different room in the museum. Making a decision, Roxanne follows after him to sate her curiosity. And technically, this is big news, an interview wouldn’t hurt.
When she finally catches up to him, she sees him in the area devoted to Metro Man's enemies. Most aren’t that big and are usually one offs. There are a few that will show up again here and there but there is a reason Megamind is Metro Man’s arch nemesis so most of it is designated to him. Maybe that’s why he’s here, he wanted to make sure this section was done right to his own ego. There are old new clippings of the first sightings and mentions of him. When he first showed up, when he started kidnapping her, so on. There are bits and pieces of old inventions that were never recovered by the villain. And one exhibit in particular is a hanging blue planet. Evidently, NASA thinks that that is where the blue alien came from. It’s hanging over a fenced off area that’s meant to look like Metro City Prison for Criminally gifted. Right in the middle of the area is a round metal orb. Supposedly, the spacecraft Megamind arrived in. Right inside it is a model of baby Megamind himself.
A few people were looking around the area but left the moment the villain entered. Megamind ignored them, Just like he had ignored everyone else. He only seemed skim over the newspaper clipping and bits and pieces of his old inventions, not at all really interested. He then stopped at the exhibit with his spacepod, a far off look in his eyes. Roxanne looks between the villain and the exhibit, a thought coming to her mind. Megamind is not here to fight, that much she knows. But he’s not here out of ego either. She straightens her shoulders and walks over to the villain.
MM
Megamind knew this was a bad idea when he walked through the doors. He knew it was a bad idea even before Minion told him so. It didn’t stop him from jumping into the invincible car and coming all the way here. The first thing he thought when he heard that they were actually building a museum in Metro Man’s honor was, why does everyone keep falling for that idiot's charm? The second thing he thought was, how can I ruin the grand opening? He was planning for months until he happened to learn that there would be a part of the museum devoted to him. He didn’t really, it made a difference to his plans. Until they started to mention what some of the exhibits were and that they were receiving information on him by an anonymous source. It didn’t take him long to find out that it was Minion, after scolding the fish, he went back to work. But something kept nagging on him. He knows that nobody really cares. That they're only making an exhibit for him to make Metro Man look better but he still wonders what all Minion told them. How accurate will it be? If…If he’ll have any chance in any way of seeing home again.
Home.
That’s the first thing that came to mind when his eyes landed on the blue sphere floating over the prison. He never thought he’d see it again. His memories, few as they are, are one of the few things he has left of that world. He’s immediately drawn to it, reaching out as if, if he could just touch it, everything will go back to the way it should have been. He and Minion, his mom and dad. That one memory he has of everyone together. They were in the nursery dancing, singing, and playing. Not a care in the world. The day before everyone died. The last of his perfect memories where everything was good and he wasn’t alone. He’s thought of trying to travel back in time, fix everything but it wouldn’t work. The science is impossible. Not the time travel part but the fixing everything part. There are too many variables.
He tears his eyes from the planet, knowing that if he stares any longer, he’s not going to leave. Instead he looks at the pod. His pod, the real one, was confiscated when he was a baby. This one looks identical but he’s certain whoever had it wouldn’t just donate it to the museum. Would they? That would be pretty stupid for a number of reasons. But then how did they get it to look so accurate. They had to have consulted with whoever has it. There is no way Minion could have described it so well from memory. Megamind couldn’t, not for the lack of memory though, because he wouldn't know how to describe it without going into all the specifics of how it works. It would go over the humans heads. So maybe he could ask the curator or somebody who knows. Then he can find his real pod. He knows that a lot of information was downloaded into it that he never got to see. He knows a decent bit about his homeworld for someone who left when they were eight days old but he doesn’t know that much. Yes, find the pod and bring it back to the lair. That will justify this entire mission to Minion that doesn’t make his friend think he’s falling into another depression.
“So what do you think?” Megamind tenses immediately and his eyes swivel for an out. He knows that voice anywhere. He wouldn’t mind talking to Miss Ritchi, except she’s working. She’s searching for a story and he really doesn’t want any of this getting out to the public. Unfortunately, he doesn’t move fast enough as Miss Ritchi appears right next to him, looking at him expectantly. The only thing he can do now is try to throw her off. He squares his shoulders, wishes he was in his usual villain regalia, and resumes the role of villain. At least they're both used to this.
“I can’t believe they would build a monument to that idiotic sack of muscles. It’s pathetic really.” So maybe not his best line but it’s not too far off from his real thought so at least the emotions are right. Miss Ritchi just smirks like she can see right through him. It infuriates him when she does that.
“Uh-huh, is that why you came to this exhibit specifically? To get away from, what do you call him? Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes?” Megamind squints in a sort of half glare half accusatory stare. She’s prodding for information, honestly he’s not that stupid. In fact he’s a genius. He won’t fall for her nosy reporter skills.
“I just wanted to make sure they were accurate in their findings. I would hate to be made a fool of.” He assumes a look of pride and bravado that he does not fully feel. It’s not why he came here. He doesn’t really care what they put in the museum because his plan was to blow it up anyway. No, he just wanted a chance to see it again. If only just one last time. It was a bad idea, he knows, but he had to.
“Right,” Miss Ritchi replies sardonically. She looks around at the various exhibits and stands of information and looks back at him. “So did you find it all satisfactorily accurate in showing what evil and twisted being you are?” Now Megemind just gives her a tired glare. He doesn’t want to do this. After all the memories that were brought up, he just wants to change into his pajamas, curl up in bed and drink hot coco. Everything feels better with chocolate. Maybe some brainbots will curl up with him and he can read a good book. He has a few new ones lined up, something leisurely, not informational. He wants to relax and forget.
“Yes, I have,” he answers instead of bantering with her more. His mind is still thinking of old memories of a blue planet with being just like him. It won’t be long until his mind catches up with him and he remembers why he rarely ever visits said memories. “Now that that is finished I will see myself out,” he says as he walks around the reporter and to the door. “My compliments to the curator.” He waves, not slowing his trek. Maybe he can convince Minion to let him eat in his room. Minion doesn’t want more work to do when cleaning but he might be convinced to make an exception this one time.
“Megamind, wait!” He stops right at the door. Was she calling out to him this whole time? She seems pretty desperate and her voice echoes through the room. He turns a little toward her and she seems worried? Why would she be worried? “Why are you here? Really? Off the record.” His eyes rove over her face but he sees no signs of deceit. She seems honest, genuine. Still, his next moves are cautious. This is a bad idea, just like coming here was a bad idea. But he can’t stop himself before he starts talking.
“This is the first time I’ve seen my home planet since it was destroyed almost thirty years ago,” he admits. His eyes fix on a place on the floor. Whenever he talked like this in the prison, whenever his homeworld was brought up, there was a collective pitying look among the inmates. He hates that look and he refuses to see that look on Roxanne Ritchi’s face. Nothing happens and the room is dead silent except for the small gasps of Megamind trying to hold back tears. He remembers that day. He’ll never forget. He never forgets anything. He remembers sirens, panic, shaking, pain, love, regret, sorrow, loss, hope. His parents watching him with so much open honest emotion. His last memory of them before– He jumps. Jumps back and his back smacks into a wall. Roxanne is watching him with a startled expression. He slides down and curls in on himself. Arms wrapped around his leg and head to his knees. He’s embarrassed but his eyes are filled with too many tears to care.
“Megamind?” a soft, very soft, too soft, voice questions. It’s how Minion says his name when he’s like this. Though not that name, not the evil one he assumed for his destiny. This role. No, his real name, the one his parents gave him so long ago and he can’t hear it from anybody but Minion. Humans can’t even make the sound needed for his real name; only Minion can say it. Only Minion can call him that, or he would never be able to hear his name again. But the way Roxanne said it, gentle, and with a soothing affection, she almost might as well have called him by his real name. But he doesn’t like it, that name is meant to be him as the villain and strike fear into the hearts of people of Metrocity. She can’t say that name like that.
“Syx,” he corrects in a pathetic voice that cracks. He hates this. He needs to call Minion.
“Six?” Roxanne questions, as if she doesn’t understand what he meant. Maybe she doesn’t. There isn’t a lot about his early life. Maybe Minion never gave them the name he went by.
“Mm-hmm, with a ‘y.’ That’s what the designation on my prison jumpsuit was so everyone called me Syx.” He can’t see her face, his head still rests on his knees but he hears a ruffling and feels a weight sit down next to him. He finally looks up to meet her eyes and the look is not of disgust, anger, or even pity that he’s used to seeing. If he looks into her eyes, it is a sad look. But there’s a gentle reassuring smile. That looks much too genuine to be pity.
“Syx,” she says, testing the name with a slight smile. “Like the band?” Megamind huffs a laugh. That is where he got the decision to turn the ‘i’ into a ‘y.’
“Did you know that it actually comes from the river that the dead cross to reach the underworld in Greek mythology?” Now Raxanne, laughs. It’s more of a chuckle really, but it is so much better than the painful silence between them.
“I did, actually.” The room goes quiet for a while. Megamind can’t help his eyes wandering back over to the exhibit. The blue planet and the little space pod that carried him from there to here. His home is gone and he’s the last of his kind. Minion was right. This was a really bad idea.
“Listen, I’m sorry for earlier. I guess none of us really thought about what all of this could mean to you. But if you want to talk, I won’t report any of it. It’s just…nice, seeing a different side of you.” He looks at Roxanne consideringly. He knows better than to trust her but he does. He can’t help it, that he does. She’s the first person that he’s met that didn’t treat him like an outcast. The inmate may have accepted him as one of their own but there was still a disconnect between him and them. Roxanne took one look at him and didn’t bat an eye. She was curious as to why he looked the way he did but she never treated him anything less than a person. She doesn’t even fear him, which is both annoying and relieving. He doesn’t care if she doesn’t actually like him. She hates the villain persona but she doesn’t actually care about what he is. It’s… refreshing. Maybe that’s why he begins to talk. He could never talk like this with anyone but Minion. She’s different.
“I have what you humans call an eidetic memory. I never forget. Which means I actually remember my homeworld, or what little of it that I got to see. I was only eight days old.” He glances over at Roxanne and sees that her brows are all the way up to her hairline. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is hanging open. In spite of the shock she just nods and lets him continue. He gives a small chuckle before doing just that. “I remember it was a world entirely covered in oceans and my people built is-lands on top of it. And cities on top of the is-lands. We lived above and below the sea and it was all so amazing. The technology was far beyond anything you could imagine here on Earth. And my–my parents. They were so happy and loving. They started teaching me the moment that I opened my eyes for the first time. Everything was new and amazing. And for eight days, eight wonderful, beautiful, glorious days, everything was perfect. That is until…”
The memory sneaks in and he can’t keep track if he is still talking or not. He doesn't want to remember but he’s already there. A room, similar to that of a baby's nursery here on Earth. One wall is just a giant window looking over the futuristic alien world. Floating tracks with fast paced metal machine moving materials and people to and fro. Spire of metal buildings, so bright and clear they reflect the sun in the day and the star at night. The architecture is so unique one might wonder how they are standing. How one tower can get wider the higher it goes. Another, a giant oval covered in windows. There are a few pyramid shapes and several that reach toward the sky tube, dunk into the ocean and follow the floating tracks and pathway down below. The tubes are filled with water so that their fellow sentient fish-like species can travel above the surface as well. And though he’s never seen it, he knows that the city continues beneath the surface. Under the water is the same landscape. Well sort of. Attached to this island is an inverted city, sort of like an iceberg. Coming up to meet is the rest of the city spanning from the reef down below. Much of the reef area is more like farm land. They are the only species that can survive above water, so all of their food has to be harvested below until they can be genetically altered to do otherwise but doing so could make them inedible. There are reefs, plural, land belonging to farmers with their own metal cavern like homes. Just above their heads could be considered a more suburban area, where home of both his kind and Minions kind live. They’re like metal domes with thick glass. Outside of the sitting and deeper in the sea is where they mine the materials they need.
And from where he sits staring out after the world in front of him, he watches this amazing world and all of its movement around him. It’s far more interesting than the room he’s trapped in. With an alien look, a crib, a changing table (he can’t wait until he doesn’t need that anymore,) storage cabinets. And the fish that will soon come to be known as Minion, dancing around in a large water filler tank that takes up half of the other wall behind him. Two more of Minions kind swim around with him, albeit a little bigger. The room is scattered with various alien toys. Devices that he can take apart and put back together like puzzles, though far more complex than a simple rubik's cube. One project holograms of different places or information about his home. That one is one of his favorites. Another one of his toys zips around in front of him. It doesn’t do anything but it’s soothing to watch. He’s currently sitting in a chair designed to support his neck and back with a drink of milk in his hand. He hears the automatic door to his room open and a soft almost whimpering noise. He makes a soft noise to get the person's attention. He hates that he is not physically capable of talking yet but he is able to understand language at least. Soon enough, his mother comes into view with a sad smile on her face. He makes some funny noises to cheer her up and succeeds in making her laugh a little. He loves making his mom happy.
“Thank you. I love you so much.” She picks him up and snuggle him close to her chest. He smiles widely at his mama, happy that she is feeling better. He has no idea what could make her so upset but he hates hearing his mama cry. Abruptly, he lets out a long yong and scowls his little baby face. He’s not tired. He hates being tired and he doesn’t want to sleep. He refuses. Unfortunately, it seems his mama won’t let him get away with that. “Oh, I know. I don’t like sleeping either but we all have to sleep. Especially little babies who need to give their big brains a rest.” He scowls again. But the look only makes her chuckle again. She kisses his forehead and begins dancing around the room with him. Noises come from her mouth, their language but more musical. They started from the sea so their language would have to be able to communicate in water. More like clicks and whistles, like a dolphin, or the singing of a whale. At least that’s what it sounds like in the air. In the water they don’t hear so much as feel the vibrations through the water. As if the ocean itself is humming. He can feel those vibrations pressed to his mama’s chest. But with his ears he hears the whistling of her lullaby. Like birds sing, but the tone is much lower and slower. More drawn out and beautiful. When he is older he will translate the song to english.
Ocean and air, guide us home.
Meet in the middle.
Swirl and swirl.
Violent, dangerous, and free.
When all is clear and calm.
We will see the sky.
Each twinkle of the star reflected on the sea.
Showing us where we belong.
Follow its guide and don’t lose your way.
Ocean and air guide us home.
No matter how hard he fought his eyes kept getting heavier and heavier as the song went on. He doesn’t know how he got here in his little crib, with his binky, but he’s too comfortable to move and too tired to remember. Above him, the warmth in his mama’s eyes halts any protests. He’s safe, there’s no need to fight. “Goodnight night, my little ‘ocean jewel.” He loves his name said like that. He never knew why they named him something that roughly translated to ‘ocean jewel’ but he never cared since it was always said with so much love.
He can still feel the warmth of her touch. The safeness of her arms wrapped around them. He breathes in and he smells her scent. Except, that’s not her scent. That’s a very human scent surrounded by very potent chemicals they use in their perfumes. The smell is actually rather nice then overwhelming like most scents are to his hypersensitive nose. But then he realizes that the warmth he feels from his mama’s arms, is’t his mama at all. It’s still warm and nice but the only person who holds him like this and gently massages his skull like this is Minion. And whoever this is is obviously not Minion. He shifts and quickly pushes out of the persons his eyes go wide and he feels his cheeks flush in embarrassment. Miss Ritchi was holding him. Miss Ritchi who he kidnaps and tries to scare and is a general inconvenience toward. And while his mind is protesting and telling him to move, to run. His body remains firm, unable to go anywhere.
“Sorry,” she says quietly and he stares at her wide eyes. “You were starting to talk about your home and your mother and then you started whistling like the most beautiful sound bird I have ever heard. That was your mom’s lullaby and then there were tears in your eye and you were making these pitiful whimpering noises and I thought… Well, when I went to hug your arm wrapped around me so fast there was nothing I could do. I guess you were kind of lost in the memory?” Megamind just nods dumbly. He hugged her? She hugged him? She? Roxanne Ritchi? Voluntarily, without prompting, hugged him? And she doesn’t even seem upset.
“Miss Ritchi…” he says hesitantly. His voice is small and hoarse and he hates it. Fortunately, he was able to change to the right vocal cords to speak english. He always hated the sound of himself crying, like some kind of kicked puppy. Pathetic. He clears his voice before continuing. “Please don’t tell anybody about this. Please.” Great! Now he’s begging! But then he feels a soft hand touch his shoulder and Miss Ritchi is giving him an open and honest smile.
“Of course. Believe it or not I’m just as good at keeping a secret as sharing news. Besides, this is personal. I would never share something so personal to anyone with that person's consent.” Megamind can’t help but look at Roxanne like she’s a whole different person. He was never giving these options. Only Minion ever showed him this much kindness. Maybe he’s going too far. Maybe he’s pushing his luck, but he doesn’t think he wants to leave anymore.
“Thank you, Miss Ritchi,” he says, honestly grateful.
“Roxanne.” His eyes widen. Did she says what he thinks she just said? “You can call Roxane. We know each other well enough by now.” Megamind smiles and decides not to question it too much. He did ask her to call him Syx. Even the Warden doesn’t call him that anymore. It will be another thought that will keep him up late at night, wondering the implications. But for now, he’ll just enjoy it.
“Thank you, Roxanne.” She smiles genuinely at and a light blush forms on her cheek. It's almost as confusing as her insistence in calling her Roxanne. Something else to add to those thoughts.
“If I may ask. What was your mom crying about? What happened?” All at once Megamind’s face darkens and he only knows this because Roxanne's eyes immediately go from serious to sorry. Megamind takes a deep breath but decides to tell her. Right now, in this temporary truce, he trusts her.
“Our star collapsed, or it was going to.” He can tell that she knows exactly what he means and her hand goes to her mouth in surprise. He continues with his story, if he doesn’t finish now, he never will. “My parents had rather important jobs on my homeworld. I guess they were similar to your Earth scientists. They knew before almost anyone else what was going to happen and I think they were in charge of trying to stop it. The problem was, there wasn’t enough time. No matter our technology or advanced minds. There was no way to escape in time. I guess finding no other option my parents focused on just saving me. They were rushed so the pod they built was not the height of my people's technology but it would take me and Minion from my homeworld to the nearest habitable world with life. Yours. The pod was only just finished when the star finally collapsed. There was little time for escape as we were rapidly approaching. My parents sent me off with the bare minimum and I watched as my homeworld was consumed by that darkness. Then I plummeted through space and landed in Metrocity’s Penitentiary for the Criminally Gifted.” It was a last minute decision not to mention Metro Man but he didn’t want to think about his rival right now. One pain at a time.
MM
“I am so sorry…” she honestly wishes she could say more. But here is an alien, with emotions as real as her own, and lost his entire home and race. She reaches out again and wraps her arms around his shoulders. She feels him tense, unlike last time, he must be fully aware of what she is doing. After a long moment, he finally relaxes. There are some whimpers coming from him and he is shaking but after a moment they quiet down. She can’t help but smile at the little noise he makes. They are so adorable and beautiful. The song he sang was one of the most beautiful things she has ever heard. Even though she knows that will be the last time she hears it, she desperately wishes to hear it again.
After a moment he pulls away again and looks over to the exhibit. That look that holds so much pain and longing, in his eyes again. He stands up and walks over to the exhibit a little unsteady but confidently. After a moment, she follows him and looks at the pod that he is staring at so intensely. He glances over to her, mouth opening and closing like a fish. She wonders if he sort of in a way, come to think of it. His people lived above and below the water, he must be an amazing swimmer. She blushes at the image of Mega–Syx, she has to remember that, in nothing but swim trunks and doing laps in the Metro City pool. She looks away, trying to hide any semblance of that day dream.
“My pod was confiscated after I came here. I have no idea what they’ve done with it but this one looks exactly like it. I have been looking for it, there is a lot of information about my people stored in it and I always…I always wanted to know what it would have been like to… to grow up there. Miss… Roxanne, would it be too much to ask if you–if you could–if you know…” Roxanne grabs his hand gently, he’s not wearing any gloves. His skin is smooth and soft and cool. And she’s mesmerized by it for a few seconds before she remembers what she was going to say. She looks up only to notice that he is looking at their hands with just as much amazement. The thought occurs to her that he probably hasn’t had a lot of human contact. He grew up in prison. The only one who probably ever hugs him is Minion, and there’s only so much warmth that a mechanical gorilla body can give. Maybe that is the real reason for the face fur. What was she going to say? Oh, right!
“I’m pretty sure I can convince them to hand it over to you. It belongs to you.” Syx’s eyes snap up in wonder and more hope than she has ever seen in anyone's eyes. How much of Megamind was really an act. Suddenly she is very curious how he became the villain. He would never hurt anyone, she didn’t have to spend much time with him to figure that one out. Maybe, much like Metro Man, it's a role that he’s forced to play. But why? By who? She’s going to have to go home and do so much research after this. One thing she knows for sure, Syx should not be forced to play the villain.
“Really?” he questions. And she doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the disbelief in his voice. It’s sweet and soft and she would love to hear him speak like this more often, without the depressing topic.
“Of course! Wait here, I know exactly who I need to talk to.” She eagerly turns to leave, certain she knows exactly who has Syx’s pod and she is bound and determined to give it to its rightful owner.
“Roxanne!” She stops at the door and turns to meet his fearful eyes. “Please don’t tell anyone,” he squeaks and she just smiles reassuringly.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody. I promise.” Syx smiles broadly at that, more confident than she has ever seen him.
“I know. I trust you.” Her heart warms at that. She’s not entirely sure why but she feels so happy that Metro cities' resident villain trusts her. But he’s not a villain, not really. Today proved that he’s sweet, and caring, and interesting, and smart, and beautiful. She blushes as she finally catches her thoughts and rushes to find Metro Man.
Wayne Scott, AKA, Metro Man is in the center of a large crowd of people. She lives in a city and is a reporter, she’s used to crowds. She doesn’t like them but she’s used to them. They seem to all be venting their concerns about Megamind being here. She rolls her eyes. After the talk she just had, these people just sound insensitive and ridiculous but she has to remind herself that they only know Megamind the villain. Not Syx the sweet lonely alien. As soon as she makes it to the center of the crowd where Wayne is she pulls the both out. As soon as they are out of the crowd's clutches, Wayne super speeds them to a quiet place they can talk. As much as she trusts Wayne, she doesn’t want to tell him everything she learned from Syx. She promised and he said he trusts her. So she just explains that Megamind wants his pod back and that he will likely leave as soon as he gets it. Metro Man quickly agrees, probably to prevent a mob from forming to eradicate Megamind. She heads back over to the villain part of the museum and is really thankful she is wearing flats instead of heels. Syx is still there, staring at the planet but there doesn’t seem to be as much pain in his eyes.
“I never forget,” he says abruptly as she enters. “I can’t. But I don’t always like to remember so I distract myself until I have to. I let myself remember at least once. Once a year. To honor them. Usually, I remember them the day they died but sometimes… sometimes I remember them eight days earlier. On my birthday, wishing that they were there with me. I’ll never get to see them again so remembering is the best thing I can do.” He turns his head to look at her dead in the eye. His smile, not reaching his eyes. “That’s why I came. I wanted to remember for today. I wanted, was hoping, that somehow, they’d be here.”
“Todays your birthday,” Roxanne breathes, a donning realization. He just nods sadly.
“December 17,” he says and smiles at her. “Thank you Roxanne, for helping me remember.”
Wayne returns shortly later with the pod. The mayor, evidently, kept it locked up but was willing to hand it over so long as it prevents Megamind from causing trouble. Syx is almost brought to tears again as he sees the sphere that brought him to this planet. He has brainbots come to retrieve and as promised does leave. But not with one more hug and smile from Roxanne. He smiles back shyly before climbing into the invincible car and zooming away.
Later that night Roxanne does a ton of research on Syx and resolves to do whatever she can to help him. Afterall, he can’t be a villain forever and she desperately wants to get closer to her friend. Because that’s who he is, her friend. She will fight anyone who claims otherwise. She publishes her findings but doesn’t mention anything about what Megamind told her. Hopefully the truth about their resident villain will change things around. As she falls asleep that night, she can’t get an alien song out of her head. So beautiful and soothing.
MM
Megamind was so thrilled to see his pod that he mostly ignored Minion to go right to his workshop and investigate. Today showed him something he never believed possible. Roxanne seems to actually like him. Not just have no fear of him but like him. He isn’t sure what this means for the future but for the first time in his life, he is genuinely hopeful about what’s to come. Later the next day he shows up at Roxanne’s house, not kidnap, just to talk. And it’s the start of something wonderful. Maybe, he was destined for something other than evil. Maybe he was destined for greatness.