Broken Connections
I do not own Invader Zim.
Invader Zim © Jhonen Vasquez
Invader Vex and all unrelated names © me
---Writer's note-----
Okay, this story had a lot of Spanish in it. Most of it is translated by the speaker (Shojah-Re') or other characters. But, since I had to translate some phrases one word at a time, I know that some might be wrong. I also had to use the Microsoft office translator to translate. So I'm sorry and mean no offense if my wording is wrong.
Also. If you don't like reading about people going insane, then this is just a fair warning.
SOMEBODEH LOSES IT IN HERE!!!! WOOOOOOOOT!!!
---Chapter one- Party! -----
Red was startled by a knock on his door. He scrambled out of the bathroom and threw on a pair of baggy trip pants. He opened the door with one hand, the other held up his jeans. "Yeah?" He asked, breathless as he flung open the door. "9:00 pm, tonight! Be there or be square!" Red glanced down. A short alien of some sort was speaking to him. "What?" He asked puzzled, pulling up his pants. The bug-looking alien rolled his eyes, or as far as Red could tell he did. "The party! The party that you're in charge of! Remember? What, do you live under a rock!?" He sneered, looking at him with uncertainty. "Oh yeah. That party." He frowned. "Right, I'll be there." He slammed the door in the alien's face. He glanced at his clock. It was 6. Ol' Lardy was leaving at 8. He then took the time to zip and button his pants. He threw on a plain black T, and his silver Converses. He ran a comb through his black hair and left his dark room. He walked into the cafeteria, his hands shoved into his pockets. He spotted Vex eating lunch alone, and sat down in front of her. "Heya Vexie. What's cooking?" He asked. Vex was poking at her food doubtfully "Lard, apparently. The chef's on vacation, so he volunteered to cook. I think I've seen at least 8 people leave, running to the bathroom." She said. Red grimaced and glanced at her food. "Ugh! What IS that!?" He recoiled as if from a bad smell. "It's supposed to be a salad." She poked the glowing green gunk with her fork. "Uh. I'm going to have to take over." He stood. Vex looked up at him. "You cook?" Red nodded proudly. "I'm a professional certified chef!" He patted his chest. She giggled and watched him as he strode behind the bar to the kitchen. A moment later Nar was thrown out, He seemed to be smoking. Literally. Red came out with a fire extinguisher and shot the foam all over Nar's back. Nar yelped, startled, and turned and began yelling at him in Vortian. Red just shrugged and threw it at him. Nar caught it and fell backwards. The people remaining in the cafeteria cheered. Vex covered her mouth to hide her smile. She went back to the bar and within a half hour, new food was being brought out on Red's arms to the bar. The people 'ooh'ed and 'Aww'ed. The food was soon gone. As Vex threw her empty plate away, she heard several compliments to Red and his cooking. "The Emo cook. Who knew?" she giggled. Nar had stomped sulking back to the bridge. She was about to go see him when Red came bursting out. "Now I know that I can't make you stay, but where's your heart? But where's your heart? But where's your... and I know there's nothing I can say, to change that part. To change that part. To chaaaaaaaange!" He tore into an air guitar and ran over to her. "So many bright lights to cast a shadow! But can I speak? Is it hard understanding what men complete? A life that's so demanding, I get so weak. A love that's so demanding, I can't speak. I am not afraid to keep on living. I am not afraid to walk this world alone. Honey if you stay you'll be forgiven! Nothing you can say can stop me from going home." He sung quietly. Vex chuckled into her hand as he wrapped his arm around her. "These bright lights have always blinded me! These bright lights have always blinded me!" He hummed the rest as they walked into the bridge. Nar was shouting orders to the crew. "You heard me!! I want this place spotless before I leave! You there! Push those buttons! You! Pull some levers! Pull some levers!!" He commanded. The workers in the bridge were scrambling to feed Nar's wishes. Red scratched his head as he looked around. Spleenk was hastily scrubbing the floors with two mops, one for each pair of hands. Shloonktapooxis was giddily tittering while banging his head on a wall. "What's the hurry Lardy?" He called over the hustle. "None of your concern you mongrel- Oh… Red..." He bit his lip. "Sorry, I'm kinda on edge right now." Red snorted. "I'll show you mongrel you little-" Vex put a hand on his shoulder. Red chewed his tongue "Hey! Watch that wire!" He snapped at a bug-looking alien. "Baby," Red flinched. He wished she was talking to him.. "Don't you think you're going overboard?" She walked up to him. She hugged him. Red's lip twitched annoyingly. "No." He said pointedly. "Two of my cousins are coming over soon. I want them to be impressed. Not that…" He frowned. "They probably won't even notice.. " He rubbed his chin. "Oh well. I like a clean ship." Some of the workers began protesting when they heard this. "All right fine! Go screw yourselves then!" He grumbled. Red had never heard Nar talk like that. Obviously, neither had Vex. "You feel okay?" She asked worriedly. Nar smiled at her. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." He glanced at his watch. "Aww. Gotta go baby." He kissed her cheek. Red turned away huffily. "I'll be back soon, ok?" she nodded. Nar scurried out the door. An excited murmur ran through the workers. Red held up a hand. "Wait for it." An engine started. "Wait." He called. The crew was tense as the engine roared and began growing fainter. "Yes he-"Red held up a hand. He listened. "Hurry! Look like you're working!" They all scrambled around. A small ship flew past the window. Red could clearly see Nar looking at them. He smiled and then the ship blasted off. "Now!" The crew cheered, they threw up their buckets, sponges rags, and mops, then hurried to their new stations. "All right! Let's get this thing started!"
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"I'm gonna make you bend and break, it sends you to me without wait. Say a prayer but let the good times roll, in case God doesn't show… Let the good times roll, let the good times roll. And I want these words to make things right but it's the wrongs that make the words come to life. 'Who does he think he is?' If that's the worst you've got better but your fingers back to the keys." The music blasted out of the speakers. Red was on stage, singing along while pulling off his best moves. The crowd was going wild. Vex was dancing in the crowd, cheering him on. Red pulled a Michel Jackson and then did the splits. The girls roared. He pointed to Spleenk, who was serving as DJ, and he nodded. The words shut off. Red picked a rose out of a pot and put it in his mouth. "They say I only think in the form of crunching numbers…In hotel rooms, collecting page six lovers! Get me out of my mind," He beckoned to Vex as he sung the words. "And get you out of those clothes!" He held out a hand, she grabbed it and he pulled her on stage. "I'm a liner away," She joined in. Red was surprised, when Vex sung, she sounded like Amy Lee (from evanesance) "From getting you into the mooooood, whoa!" They took each others hands and began singing. "One night and one more time, thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great! 'He tastes like you only sweeter!' One night and one more time, thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories, 'He, He tastes like you only sweeter!" Another voice had joined them, two actually. "One night and one more time, thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great! 'He tastes like you only sweeter!' One night and one more time, thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories, 'He, He tastes like you only sweeter!"Red looked over. Two Vortians had made their way on stage.The lights made it hard to see them clearly. He shrugged. These must be Lard's cousins. "One night and one more time, thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great! 'He tastes like you only sweeter!' One night and one more time, thanks for the memories, thanks for the memories, 'He, He tastes like you only sweeter!" The song ended and the four went off stage. "He-ey, mi amigo¿Como estas?" One of the Vortians caught up with Red and Vex. The other wasn't far behind him. "Hola, amigos. ¿Como estas?" Red looked at him. He had a deep voice with a very thick Spanish accent. He was tall, a little taller than Red. He had long horns that ended just before they pierced his shoulders. His goggles made them look silver with white pupils. His skin was a dark gray, almost black. He had a scar over his left eye. He wore a fancy-looking brown leather jacket over a white t-shirt. He had on tight black jeans and black Vortian boots. He was smiling broadly, holding out his hand. "Umm…lo siento, Senor. No habla mucho espanol." Red tried to get the accent right, and said it slowly to make sure he said it right. The Vortian laughed. "Bien hecho, my friend! Well done! You speak Irken? English?" He asked in Irken. "I no little Irken. More English. " Red nodded, then said in English: "English will be fine." They shook hands. Red noticed he had a mechanical middle finger on his right hand."My name is Shojah- Re'. You can just call me Shojah. This is mi hermano-" He turned around. " Hey! Crete! Get over here!" The other Vortian scrambled up. "Siento-" Shojah said something to him in Vortian. The Vortian, obviously named Crete, nodded. "Phew. I don't speak Spanish or Irken!" He laughed. "My name's Crete! At your service!" He was young, but laugh lines were already creasing the corners of his eyes. His goggles made his eyes silver with white pupils as well. His horns were shapes more like Lard's, but were slightly shorter. He had on a high-collared black jacket over a white shirt. He wore faded jeans and black Vortian boots. He had a sideways lightning-shaped scar on the upper right side of his forehead. Red and him shook hands. Crete then shook hands with Vex. " You must be Lardy's co-captain! Vex. The one he's going to-" Shojah elbowed Crete hard in the ribs. "Oh yeah." He grumbled. They shared a look as if they knew something secret. Shojah shook her hand. "Oooh. Muy calente chica. I can see why he chose you.." He muttered something under his breath that Vex didn't hear. He kissed her hand. Vex giggled. "Gracias. You're not so bad yourself." Shojah smiled. "I'm Crete's step brother by marriage. He's Lard's cousin." Crete grinned. "Ol Lardy gonna tie the-" Shojah stepped on his foot. Crete winced. "I'll shut up now…" He muttered. "¿Te apetece tomar algo?" Shojah asked politely. Red knew what that meant. "Yeah, wine if the idiots have any…" He smiled. "Red or white? I personally prefer red…" Red scratched his chin. "Yeah I like Red. Speaking of which, the name's Red." Shojah laughed. "You're not serious." Red nodded. "Well, Rojo. It's a pleasure to meet you!" He walked over to the bar. "Dos vino!" Shojah brought back their drinks and they sat down. They all four talked for a long time. Red noticed that neither was very much like Nar, but there were a few likenesses in Crete. Red found out that most of Nar's family had shunned him because he wanted to rebel against the Irkens. They didn't like the idea of him startling an 'illegal' resistance. So when he did, they blocked him out. It was mostly just the older generations. His aunts, uncles, grandparents, even his own parents. But most of his cousins still like him. His family was strict on formality and traditions. That why, Shojah explained, they dressed up wherever they went. Most of the younger generation, himself, Crete and Lard for example, were not as strung up on the traditions as the older ones. Red also found that they were the youngest generation of their family. None of Lard's cousins had kids, in fact, very few were even married yet. But, Lard's sister had a baby boy on the way. After a while, they went their separate ways. Red sat down on a couch in the corner of the bridge. He watched the people dance as he sipped the last of his wine. "Hey Red." He glanced up. Vex smiled down at him as she sat. "Oh, hi." He said, looking away. "I want to ask you something." Red turned back to her. "What is it?" He asked curiously. "What do you like about me? Tell me the truth, and I'll skin you alive if you give me a damn perverted answer." Red was thrown off by the question. "Well, I umm.. I guess I.. Err…" He sat back and got his brain back in order before answering. "Well… you listen to me… and you don't force me to be someone else… you like me, emo and all… And… you help me with my problems… you give me a reason not to pull the trigger… but…" He stopped. Vex put a hand on his shoulder. "But?" Red shook his head. "Red, go on. You know I won't get mad." Red nodded. "That's another thing.. You don't get too angry when I screw up…" Vex gave him a look. She wanted him to finish. "But… I can't have you. There." He turned away, tears stinging his eyes. Vex looked down at the ground. "Red… I really do like you… really… But… I can't have you." Red looked at her. "You like me…?" He asked. He'd always liked her, but he'd never been sure if she'd felt the same. "I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't like you." She said. She was glad Nar was gone for what she was about to do. "And I wouldn't now." She stroked his face. He closed his eyes and a tear rolled down his cheek. He didn't know why he was crying, but it felt good. She rested her forehead on his. "Please don't cry, Red. I don't like it when you cry…" She wiped away the tear. Her lips pressed against his. She hugged him close. If he could, he knew he'd never let her go. But he would have to… It pained him. "I'm sorry, Vex." He whispered. "For what?" She asked softly. "For crying." Tears fell down his face. "It's okay. I'm sorry if I make you hurt." Red smiled, chuckling. "That sounded emo." He looked up at her. She brought him close, and their lips kissed. Red was so engulfed by Vex he didn't notice when the music stopped, and everyone froze. Nar gawked at the scene. "What? Carry on!" The crowd cheered and the music started up again. Crete and Shojah were the first to greet him. "Ah, my favorite cousins!" The three embraced. "We'll catch up in a moment, but have you seen Vex? I got the thing." He patted his pocket. "Oh! You're gonna do it here? I thought you might.." Crete shrugged. Shojah smiled. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled. I saw her talking to Red earlier on the couch over there. But then I got caught up in the crowd…" He trailed off, Nar was staring intently towards the couch. "He better not…" He pushed through the crowd. Crete glanced up at Shojah. "Was that the 'He'd better not be kissing my girl' tone?" Shojah looked grim. "I know that tone too well.. Oh boy, we'd better follow him.." They ran after him. Nar brushed past his crew until he saw them. He froze. They were kissing. Red had tears rolling down his face. He was murmuring something to her, it seemed like he was trying to pull away. He didn't have a hand on her. But she had her arms around him… then it hit him. All this time he'd thought Red was after Vex. But this sight sent up a spark of alarm. Maybe… Vex wanted Red instead of him? His body went limp. Red felt extreme sadness coming from someone in the crowd. He pulled away wiping his mouth. He looked towards the crowd. "Oh dear God." He whispered. Vex followed his gaze. A tear fell to the ground. Vex gasped. "Nar!"
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Nar threw people out of his way. Red grabbed his arm. "Nar! Please, I can explain! It's all my fault-" Nar grabbed his shoulder gruffly. Red flinched. "Stop taking up for her! Now I know what's been going on! I'm sorry for doubting you Red, you're a good man." Red blinked in confusion. "You've got it-" Nar pushed him away. "Shut up Red. I'll take care of her for you." he rushed up the stairs. "Nar wait please-" Vex chased after him. Red took a step towards them. He was blinded by a bright flash. He saw a black and white image. Vex was running after Nar down the hall. They had just stepped out of an elevator. She was screaming and crying, pointing at the elevator. Blood speckled their clothes. He was yelling something Red couldn't hear. Vex grabbed his arm. He turned and backhanded her. She stumbled backwards. Red saw out of the corner of his eye something incredulous happen. The elevator door got stuck. The shaft moved up. Vex tripped over her feet, and into the chamber. Then it was as if he got sucked back into reality. The party was raging around him. He saw Vex's feet and they travelled up the stairs. Nar was headed towards the elevator, to get to his room. "I don't want to hear it you two-timing slut!" He shouted. Red sprinted after them. "Vex, wait! Stop!" He rounded a corner. A chill passed through him. They were getting in the elevator. Another bright flash.
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Red picked himself off the ground. What the..? He looked around. He was in a hallway, the same one he'd just been in. He saw a clock. The clock was one minute slow. Or was it? "- Two timing slut!" Nar rounded the corner huffily. He threw something in the trash and walked through Red. Ah ha! He was in 'envoy mode'. He rolled his eyes as his lame-o term. Oh yeah, the elevator. Vex came around and went through him. Nar stepped into the elevator. " Nar, I can explain everything!" she cried, and jumped in. "Get out!" Nar snapped, grabbing her shoulders. Then lo and behold, he himself came past. Solid Red paused for a moment, blinked several times, and then continued running. That must've been when his envoy self rewound. He figured. Real-time Red dove, trying to get in. he landed in between the doors, just as they shut. Vortian elevator doors weren't the same as Earth elevators. Definitely not as safe. He winced as he heard his ribs crunch under the pressure of the metal doors. He could feel the sting. He patted his side. Wait… He remembered blood. Oh no.. "Open the doors! Open the door! It's gonna.." He wheezed. Nar was feverishly pressing buttons. "It's stuck! Oh no.." He grabbed Red's arms and began pulling. He saw green fingers on Nar's middle, so Vex must've been pulling to. Red howled as more of his ribs snapped. The elevator dinged. Envoy Red then realized what was going to happen. If the elevator doors didn't crush him first, the downward-bound elevator would slice him in two. Oh joy. He Ran over and tried to push the doors open. He put his back against one, and a foot against the other. He pushed with all his strength. The door slowly began inching open. Red gritted his teeth, pushing to his limit against the heavy metal. Almost… Nar had begun rapidly pressing the door button. "Ugh! Damn doors!" He jumped in between them and did the splits, one foot on each door. Red stared as Nar's hand landed through his head. He shivered. That was so weird… "That's using your noggin Narry." He muttered. Red on the floor was sobbing. Vex was saying something to him. Red wished he could hear her. Nar pushed with his legs and arms. The doors opened wider, and Vex pushed Red out. Envoy red stopped pushing. The doors closed a few inches. Nar jumped out. Vex squeezed through just as they started to close normally again. Envoy Red wiped his brow. They were safe, for now. Then, everything went black.