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I.
Once upon a time he was nothing. He was less than nothing, his name not even worth remembering. His one claim to fame was being a sidekick of a teen hero wannabe. Even now, in his throne where his word was absolute and his power unquestioned, he could remember the pull she had over him.
He had followed her all throughout his foolish childhood, and a fool was what he was then. He trailed after her like an abused dog heeled for its master no matter how many times it had been kicked. Scraps of attention was what he lived for and that had seemed enough.
One afternoon had changed everything. She wanted to infiltrate a convention of weapons and the villains that used them. It was, he conceded, a well thought plan. Information was never a bad idea and the more you could get about your enemy the better. Naturally, he went with her in a horrendous disguise. It was embarrassing, but that was what he was given so he wore it.
It had been going well. No one was the wiser to their presence. She spotted a well known foe and charged forward without a second thought. He wasn't entirely sure what happened next, something about a helmet and itchy feet, but it didn't matter. His eyes were open and a world of possibilities was laid out in front of him if he only took it.
Taking what was rightfully his was harder than he originally thought. He had to crawl to get any control. Once he did have a decent foothold over his actions it was still not enough. There was nagging voice in his head, screaming at him to stop. It was impossible to shut it off. His mind was in turmoil with the imbalance.
Shego was no trouble to handle. Her powers were nothing to his even if his were mostly dormant. He wasn't worried about that. He was worried about his past taskmaster. His transfer wasn't complete and she was the only one who stood in his way of his takeover. He had to be on his guard with her, especially if his conscience kept buzzing his mind's ear. He had to plan something big.
Granted, the mega-weather generator wasn't the biggest and greatest but it would have to do with the time constraints. It wasn't like she didn't know where he was or she would wait.
The voice was in fine form that day. It took all of his will to stay on top. Even then he didn't have complete control. He couldn't stop laughing or ranting about some sort of Mexican fast food. When she came the buzzing in his brain got louder, the voice was screaming. He managed to pull it off like nothing was wrong but it was difficult.
Towards the end he almost didn't hear the second intruder until it was too late. The formally blue scientist came around the corner and tried to put something on his head. If he had been a second slower, if the voice had been a decimal softer he would have ceased to exist. A second decided his fate and he was victorious. He knocked the helmet to the ground where it shattered beyond repair.
She still tried to stop him but that was her one chance and they both knew it. He escaped. The lair and his machine exploded but he felt no remorse. It wasn't his lair and he felt no attachment to the machine as it was something he threw together.
He hid himself away and waited. He waited until he was sure he didn't have another close call. He had no idea if she was going to come back with another of those devices. There was no way she could put the first one back together but he wasn't going to cut out the impossible. He knew her too well.
He had a plan for world domination but he held off for a little longer. There was still a few thing he needed to accomplish and he still wasn't fully himself. He built another device, this one more elaborate. After all, large doomsday devices and complicated death traps was what she expected and he would hate to disappoint her. This time, though, the death trap wasn't so complex and he made sure it didn't fall through.
She came to him again. She was sure she could talk him out of himself and gain the return of her pathetic sidekick. There were moments of weakness, that he would admit, but he hadn't spent the past weeks preparing himself for the encounter for nothing.
As he watched the light fade from her eyes he felt the last of the voice fade away with her.
II.
Everything else he needed came in time. A rival for his power challenged him and gave him the missing half. An old sensei thought to destroy what he had become and brought him his blade. Despite having all the mystical power the sword no longer obeyed his demands. It was an acceptable concession; he didn't need the weapon and if he found he wanted one the blade's edge was still lethal. All else that came to stop him met swift ends.
His power complete and the very world in his grasp he shed the comic book villain's costume and name. The clothing he now wore was much more simple and dignified. No cape or goggles and black pants instead of tights. The blue tinge to his skin seeped and settled inside him until it seemed to drain all other color.
As for the name, he had no name. He needed no name. He was their ruler, their king. Their lord.
III.
It was the place everybody knew but few actually saw. Dark empty hallways echoed footsteps and voices. No decorations filled the rooms, only shadowed figures stood with their heads down, awaiting orders. It was their lord's stronghold and it was here that Henry was brought, his arms held in the grip on a man he thought he could trust.
They had worked together in the same line in the same factory. They weren't friends entirely but Henry had covered for him on multiple occasions, from their foreman to his wife. He had thought they shared a camaraderie from mutual misery. Apparently not as he found himself being accused of treason from the very man.
Their outfits didn't breathe well, which might have accounted for the sweat. It was on odd jumpsuit of off-center blocks of green and black. He had heard it was originally that of their lord's first assistant. She had thought it was out of appreciation but she soon learned the truth. It was for benefit but it was to remind her that she was no different from the masses he controlled. She was gone now but no change seemed necessary. They were always the same to his lord's eyes.
The door to the inner chamber opened. If Henry was nervous before it was nothing to the sheer terror he felt at that moment. The quiet in the hallways had nothing to the hush here. He dared not breathe.
The lord's face was hidden in the shadows. He leaned back in his throne. If Henry didn't know any better he would say he was lounging. His chin was resting on one fist while the other hand was on the armrest, the fingers tapping.
He became aware that the other man was talking. He was telling their lord that Henry had been planning to overthrow their lord. He began giving 'facts' and 'evidence' that Henry was traitorous. Henry tried to plea his case. "No, my lord. Never…I would never!" It wasn't the best defense but it was all his brain could come up with at the moment. He had heard rumors of people that an audience at this place. He heard the rumors from others because those people were seen again.
His former coworker was still talking. Henry was still pleading when he noticed their lord stopped tapping his fingers. He was now tugging on one of his gloves. The leather removed from his skin, a hand raised towards them and a gust of rotting wind rushed past Henry. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his accuser fly backward toward the stone wall. There was a crack of his spine snapping or his head splitting or both. Henry didn't know but he stared a the man's broken body even as a muttered word from their lord had a figure scurrying to clean up the mess.
"I just spared your life." Henry looked back to the throne. He cast his eyes downward when the lord stood. "Aren't you grateful?"
Henry immediately fell to his knees. His hands were slick against the metal floor. He bowed his head so far his neck ached but a little pain in the neck was much better than losing it. "Yes, of course, my lord. You are most benevolent."
"Do you know why I did so?"
Henry considered the best way to phrase his answer. Sounding like he questioned his lord's motives was not in his best interest. It was better to admit ignorance. "No, I do not know the cause of my good fortune."
He heard soft footsteps descend. Henry stayed as he was, his breath coming in sharp gasps. The footsteps were slow and padded gently. Faint pats of the glove against an open palm were as loud as gunshots to Henry.
"I spared your minuscule existence because I saw fit to do so." The voice was getting much too close for comfort. Of course, being anywhere in the building was too close.
"I knew he was the one that was plotting against me, not you. How did I know, you may ask?" It was a rhetorical question. As soon as Henry opened his mouth he was cut off. "I knew," he had begun pacing "because I always know about the plots against me."
The dictator paused in his pacing and began to hum. It was four short beats in a tune that Henry didn't recognize. "Even now there is a gathering in the east discussing how best to kill me. I'll destroy their plan and them when it is time; when they are sure of their success. Only then when they realize all their hard work, all their planning, all their intelligence meant nothing will I end it. Every last one of them thinks they're smarter, better, but I teach them that they are worthless."
He stood in front of Henry and placed his hand on the cowed man's head. The gloved fingers scraped against the scalp and ruffled the hair. Henry held his breath until the hand lifted. He then couldn't help but stare at the opposable toes on hairy feet. They weren't natural. "I might have waited this time. He wasn't even close to ready. The trouble was he had a leak and panicked. He had so much time left but to lie to my face." The removed glove was squeezed into a fist. "That does not amuse me."
Now he knelt. His bare hand curled under Henry's chin, forcing him to look up. The fingers were cold and hard. The power was tingling under the skin's surface. Henry barely noticed as he looked at the face few ever did. His own eyes widened. "I know who does his duties and who is indolent." He had never seen eyes like that. They were pure evil, entirely black as night. "I know who is complacent and who is a revolutionist." They say the eyes were the windows to the soul. "I know who is loyal and who is a traitor." Henry only saw twin never-ending pits. "I spared your life," He was staring into the abyss. "because I know all." And the abyss was staring back. "Isn't that reassuring, my faithful servant?"
Henry could only nod. His lord's lips peeled back into a mockery of a smile. The facial muscles forgetting the correct placement made it crooked. It only emphasized the sharp upper and lower canines. The hand was removed and Henry watched him stand and walked away, his long slender tail twitching.
Once upon a time he was nothing. Now he was their everything.