Free Despicable Me by Annie Auerbach, Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio Page B

comes down and surrounds Gru, forming an elevator that leads to an underground lab. He spots a minion—one of his workers—and barks, “Assemble the minions!”
    The minions are small yellow creatures who wear blue overalls and goggles. Some have only one eye. They work hard for their hero and creator, Gru.
    Gru can hardly contain his anger as he heads toward the lab’s center. In the massive steel lab there are numerous workstations. There’s a minion break room, a minion gym, and even aminion water cooler. The minions have a whole world down there.
    Passing it all by, Gru heads straight for the stage he has set up for his speeches. In a matter of minutes, all the minions have gathered. When Gru climbs up onstage, they can’t contain their excitement. Applause and whistles echo throughout the underground lab.
    “Hello, everybody!” says Gru, a lone spotlight illuminating him.
    The minions explode with more cheers and screams. It’s like a rock concert. “Gru! Gru!” they chant.
    “Simmer down, simmer down,” Gru says.
    Finally, the minions quiet down. Gru takes a deep breath and makes an announcement: “Now, I realize that you guys probably heard about this other villain who stole the pyramid. Apparently it’s a big deal. People arecalling it the Crime of the Century and stuff like that.”
    Gru coughs and then continues. “But am I upset? No, I am not,” he says. He sighs and adds, “Well, a little.”
    The minions look a bit sad.
    Gru continues. “But we have had a pretty good year ourselves, and you guys are all right in my book.”
    A roar of applause erupts from the minions. Then one raises his hand.
    Gru looks right at him and shakes his head. “No, no raises. You’re not going to get any raises.”
    The minion shrugs and puts his hand down. He figures it didn’t hurt to ask.
    Attempting to boost morale, Gru shouts, “What did we do? Well, we stole the big screen from Times Square! Nice, huh? That’s how Iroll. Yeah, you all like watching football on that, huh?” He gestures to the giant screen that is hanging behind him.
    “Wa-hoo!” shout the minions.
    “But that’s not all,” continues Gru. He motions to his chief scientist, Dr. Nefario, a bald man with very large goggles and even larger ears. He wears a white lab coat and black rubber gloves.
    “Thanks to the efforts of our very own Dr. Nefario,” says Gru, “we have located a Shrink Ray in a secret lab.”
    The minions go crazy as the huge screen displays the Shrink Ray.
    “Once we take this Shrink Ray, we will have the capability to pull off the true Crime of the Century. We are going to steal…”
    The minions go wild, cheering and clapping.
    “Wait, wait!” shouts Gru. “I haven’t told youwhat it is yet!”
ZOOSH!
One minion shoots a rocket off into the air. “Hey, Dave,” Gru says, pointing to him. “Listen up, please.”
    Gru clears his throat and presses a button. The platform he’s standing on begins to rise. “We are going to steal—
pause for effect
—the moon!” When his platform reaches its highest peak, he pushes another button, and a panel in the ceiling opens up, revealing the moon.
    “And once the moon is mine, the world will give me whatever I want to get it back. I will be the greatest villain of all time. That’s what I’m talking about!”
    RIIIIING!
    Gru furrows his brow as he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket. It’s Dr. Nefario calling from down below. “Yes?”
    Dr. Nefario’s voice is very serious. “Gru, I’vebeen crunching some numbers, and I really don’t see how we can afford this.”
    “Hey, chillax,” replies Gru. “Don’t poop on the party. I’m on this.”
    Dr. Nefario hangs up, wondering just what Gru has in mind….

CHAPTER THREE

    “We wouldn’t want
to spend the weekend
in the Box of Shame,
would we?”
    —Miss Hattie

    Meanwhile, in another part of town, the three little girls arrive home. Or at least it’s their home for now. Miss Hattie’s Home for Girls