Chapter 3: " Outraging Control "

Sorry about this slow update, and I know there's going to be more in the future, mainly because school started up and I have to do that, and it really just slows down my process exponentially. So, sorry again, and I hope you enjoy.

" You let him in the house!?" Zim roared.

" He said he wanted to see you." Gir shrugged, almost apathetically. It caused Zim to become angrier. He clenched his hands into fists.

" Gir! He's my enemy you stupid—" Zim strained himself from saying anymore, and instead he took it out in his mindless outbursts. As they finally ascended Zim leaped over the lid of the toilet and landed on the same pose again, causing his knee and ankle to be strained once more. He groaned, ignored it, and stood straight. He saw the door closed and the table bare of…that damnable boy. The thought raced Zim's mind. He immediately dashed out the door and rammed it open. He ran out into the sidewalk and looked around the vicinity of the neighborhood, as far as his eyes would see. He analyzed quickly to see if Dib was anywhere. With his emotions ruling over his conscious, he expected to see Dib running away in attempt to escape, and when he didn't see any of his expected results, He fumed.

" You insolent idiot! He took my blueprints! Why do you never listen to me!?" Zim yelled, turning back to Gir. He flinched back and his hands came together over his chest. His antennae fell down behind his head.

" I-I thought he wanted to see you…I thought he was Mary." He said quietly. Zim marched back inside and his hands shook in his inharmonic anger. First the transmissions of the tallest almost a week ago…and now this? Zim held his head and tried to breath normally. He even began to walk in quick paces, walking back and forth. However sustaining his feelings only made them worse and he exclaimed out, and then turned his anger towards Gir.

" It's always your fault, Gir! You and your abominable stupidity!" He pointed. Gir held his hands still and his head lowered.

" Mary looks like Dib—"

" You idiot." Zim remarked and continued pacing. He was tired of all of the mistakes, and all of the unconditional occurrences that Gir would make because of his fundamental mind. All of his actions resulting to his primitive nature and naïve behavior. Zim took a few deep breaths, trying to figure out a way to solve this problem; both retrieving his blueprints from Dib and solve Gir's foolishness. After a few moments of thinking, he unintentionally thought of an idea; which soon began to make sense.

" It's your A.I….Your atrocious A.I chip! It's defective!" He remarked. Zim took a moment to realize that was the cause of all of his problems with Gir. Why he was so hard to deal with and how he couldn't listen to any direct orders. Zim stopped in his tracks and glanced at him. Gir saw the look in his eyes and realized what he was planning. His eyes widened and he backed away. Zim furrowed his eyes and turned his body to face him.

" Gir, come here. Gir—Gir!" Zim yelled, as Gir began to scream in terror. As he came closer, Gir tried to run away to the side, panicking for his life. Zim tackled the small robot and struggled to hold his chin in a locked position, as he was screaming and squirming around.

" Let go! Let me go!" Gir cried. They wrestled and fumbled all over the floor and there were times where Gir was able to squeeze out of his grip and Zim would have to tackle him or trip him again. When he realized his disadvantage, Zim worked more quickly to try and consume less energy, knowing Gir could do this all day.

" Stay down, Gir! Zim grumbled. There happened to be instances where Gir had elbowed him or kneed him and was starting to fatigue him.

" I don't want to! I don't want to die!" Gir screamed.

" Shut up! You're not going to die!" He replied and Zim quickly placed his hand at the top of Gir's cranium and was able to open the top cover. However the sensation ran all sorts of thoughts through Gir's mind; thoughts of death, terror and desperation. In his attempt to save himself, He impetuously activated the jet packs stationed in his feet from fear and before they could comprehend what had happened, they were launching around in the room, and they both yelled, and from Gir's attempt to wiggle free, collided into a wall. Zim cried out and his unrelenting grip at Gir's neck was alleviated. There was a silent pause for a few seconds, and smoke was clouding the room. The impact was loud and powerful; it wouldn't be surprising if anyone else heard it. Thoughts came slowly to Gir, and he wasn't able to understand what he was feeling until he remembered what happened a few seconds ago. The shock he experienced reduced his thought process.

Gir panicked momentarily after ten seconds of trying to figure out what happened, and wiggled his way out of Zim's arms. The blue sphere that acted as a joint for Gir's shoulder was crushed and prevented any fluid movements. The shape of Gir's head was also dented. But Gir was too appalled to find any significance to notice them as important. Zim's eyes were partially closed. His breathing came out in short raspy intakes and exhales of fear and shock.

" I…Gir…" Zim said, trying to speak. But the came out in quiet whimpers and painful gasps. Gir could see the disarrangement of Zim's own shoulder and there was a dark green liquid spilling from both that and the back of his head. The damage done was crucial; The drywall had cracked and was decimated completely. The revealing wood was also snapped. Pieces of the plaster was everywhere and the mix of the drywall powder and smoke only made it hard to breathe, for Zim.

The colors that flashed in a mere seconds and then the intense pain that came afterwards was confusing for Zim. When he was able to determine that he was looking at, Gir at a lower angle, he tried to talk, to make sure he was okay, seeing the metal fractures and indentations in his body; The trauma caused a large amount of fear and bewilderment, making him emotional. Afterwards, when he was able to focus again, the pain almost seemed to intensify when he was more aware of the injuries and the sensations made his eyes water profusely.

" Gir…help me." Zim strained, raising his hand at him. A sharp exhale left his gritted teeth when he tried to use the wrong limb; his shoulder shot pains of extremity and Zim wanted to yell from it all. Gir broke out into loud sobs and he fell onto the spot where he stood. It was likely he didn't understand anything. He wasn't able to understand why Zim was so uncontrollably furious at him. Why Zim tried to harm him. Why Zim was hurt…And from all of the events, he broke down and cried. Gir covered his eyes and rocked himself back and forth, trying to comfort his troubled mind.

And for the second time, Zim felt a feeling he couldn't recognize. One he couldn't name exactly. Seeing Gir cry and try to make sense of what happened, why the only person he cared for tried to kill him. Seeing at how little Gir could know, and how little thought that could process. He felt that same, agonizing heart pain again. Zim gritted his teeth, and his eyes watered again. Don't you dare. You let this pain bring you down? You lived on this, and grew upon it every day for the training life of an Invader! Weak, undignified! Get up! Get up now!

Zim held his breath and reached his arm out again, and he persevered to keep his cries of pain inside. He grabbed the floor and clenched at the carpet with all he could.

" Gir…" He managed to say. Gir immediately stood up again, as he saw that Zim was trying to stand. His face was covered in water, and he still had the shaken look. " I need your help." Zim wheezed. He cried out when he stretched his arm further, and the pain was beginning to stretch to his back. The drywall that had shattered and landed upon him began tumbling down to the floor when he lifted himself from the wreckage. Gir began to whimper, receiving thoughts that he was still in attempt to remove his mind.

" Gir…I…I won't—Agh!" Zim cried, from extending his should too much. As Zim inched a bit closer, Gir's mind struggled for stability; his mind countered that Zim was going to try and hurt him again if he helped, or that if he helped him, he wouldn't try to take his mind anymore and apologize. And everything would be better.

But Gir's fear was the majority of his emotions and mind, and when Zim extended his hand, He retreated again, screaming.

" Gir!" Zim called after. But nevertheless Gir ran in the kitchen and jumped on the toilet, and fell down into the tunnels, fleeing for his life. Just leave him. He won't be any good for you anyway; He did that to you in the first place.

" Dammit Gir..." Zim cursed under his breath at Gir and began to help himself from the wreckage. He used the arachnid legs from the PAK device to help him move. However it didn't ease the pain from his shoulder and the perpetual headache. Many times he collapsed and wallowed in his extreme agony, from the lack of concentration from the sensations. Zim managed to position himself in front of the television screen.

" Computer….analyze injuries." Zim strained, before he was prostrated once again to the ground.

"….Analyzing…Analyzing…extreme bruising of the left shoulder and left lower plane of skull. Skin has been ruptured, bleeding is apparent, however no arteries have been damaged. Anterior dislocated shoulder and head trauma and bleeding, No fractural injuries to the head or other major damages to the cranium. These occurrences may lead to symptoms like headaches, aching, soreness and swelling—"

" Computer…provide with…Augh! Strong anesthetics…Gauze and cold patches." Zim said, breathing heavily. Zim closed his eyes and gritted his teeth from the aching. He breathed a few moments before forcing himself to utter more words "…Relocate shoulder."

"…Warning: There may be substantial consequences without proper equipment—"

" That's an order." Zim commanded, before rising back with his PAK device. He positioned himself upon the couch and sat up. He had to keep the pressure from his back shoulder; even touching the couch would send stings of torment. Large mechanical appendages extended from the house, like metallic snakes, and grabbed Zim on to his arm and shoulder, extending it straight and outwards. He yelled out and shut his eyes closed; wishing dearly for his arm to be amputated.

" Applying anesthesia." The computer droned. Another snaky appendage appeared in front of Zim and held a few syringes of different colored substances.

" Of which maximal dosage?"

" Strongest!" Zim exclaimed out of pain, without even looking upon the offers.

" Side effects may include; nausea, dizziness, drowsiness—"

" NOW!" Zim yelled. The appendage reached for his shoulder and struck the needle in. Zim yelled out again and it inserted the serum. After a few moments of writhing in his agony, He was already feeling the numbness and effects spread throughout his body, almost like a poison. Then the appendages stiffened and Zim closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Immediately, the appendage holding his elbow thrust forward.

· · ·

Red entered the pilot room of the Massive and made his way to the main seats. He sat himself down and glanced around the room. He tapped his fingers and sighed countless of times. Red would reposition himself on the seat and try to contemplate clearly about things, which his nerving mind wouldn't allow. He got up a few times and he paced back in forth, with his hands behind his back. He would walk to the stairs and look out the window of the Massive. He hated how annoyingly nervous he was. Though nervous wasn't exactly the word for it; He would have to tell Purple about what he had done. He knew he would have to do it sooner or later, considering his impetuous outburst towards Zim. Restless was more appropriate.

The door's sounded and he knew Purple entered the room. A wave of chillness passed by as he took a silent deep breath, straightened his posture and turned around from the giant window towards the higher elevated part of the Massive. Purple looked around and saw him.

" You needed me?" He asked as he made his way down the stairs. Red nodded his head and turned his body.

" Yes. There's something I've been needing to tell you." Red remarked, and cleared his throat. Purple raised an eye in a slight disinterest.

" I was doing something important, you know. Why couldn't you have told me back at my quarters?" Purple said, crossing his arms. Red thought otherwise; that slipshod of a room couldn't contain anything that could be worthy of anyone's time. Let alone his snacks.

" I highly doubt managing your snacks in alphabetical and colored order doesn't classify as...important." Red raised his chin. Purple only smirked from being unimpressed.

" It's the small things in life, Red. That's something I've learned to appreciate." He said and exchanged momentary looks of vexation. Red cleared his throat and blinked.

" Zim knows." He said simply. Purple looked around and began to walk in a slow pace. He was assimilating the structural build-up of the Massive and turning his attention elsewhere from his lack of interest.

" Knows about what?" Purple said, with a sigh. He placed a finger against the wall as he walked by, slowly losing more interest. Purple was obstinate like that; If any subject or matter didn't pertain to what he was currently doing or wanted, he would express his disinterest by intentionally ignoring or taking his mind somewhere else. He would dawdle around and halfheartedly pay attention to anything. Red became annoyed slightly.

"...Our intentional plans for his death." He said, expecting his mood to exalt. Purple stopped in his tracks and for a few moments, didn't look at Red. It made him smirk slightly. Purple turned around with alarm; his eyes slightly widened. He had to think about what he said, and when he did, he thought over it and tried to process the information right. Dubious, Purple shook his head.

" That's not possible. There's no way that he could've ever have found out about it." He insisted. Red sat momentarily on the thought.

" I received his transmissions a few days ago...He talked about it." Red said. That wasn't entirely true...neither was it entirely a lie. Purple's hands raised to his head.

" How did he find out?" He asked. Before Red could answer, Purple began to pace around and speak out ways of how he possibly found the information. " Nobody knows about that but us!" He yelled. " We never spoke to anyone about it...Unless." He stopped and pensively raised his hand to his chin. "...Somebody overheard our conversations." The words came out, almost in a frightened way. Purple immediately began climbing up the stairs, talking about how it could be anyone of the invaders, or how they could've leaked their information with hearing devices, and how no one could be trusted.

" How the hell...Nobody made contact with him in ages!" He exclaimed, placing his hand at his head. Purple was obviously distressed from the news, and his overactive imaginations was getting him nowhere; however Red took small delight in this and he found it amusing. He waited a while more before he disclosed any further news. It helped clear out some of his tenseness.

" What motive would any other invader have against us? What would give them reason to conspire o-o-or spy against us? We've rewarded them with almost everything! Greedy, ungrateful bastards!" He cursed, as he made it to the top. " What are we to do? Now that Zim knows about our past plans, he could send any other invader of...No, wait, Every invader I know hates Zim...They wouldn't care if they found out we exiled him, and they would probably approve of it." Red sighed another breath before he spoke out again.

" I told him." Red said loudly. Purple stopped moving. There was a deathly silence held between the two and it shared a sense of ire, the entirety emanating from Purple almost like a gas. Then, Red heard a humorless chuckle.

"...You told him." He remarked. Another scoff escaped his mouth and he turned around and began walking back down the stairs more slowly. He was enraged; but he expressed it in his sarcasm. "...Now why in the hell would you do that?" He asked lightly.

" It came out as an insult—"

" Ah! Now that makes sense! You and you're notorious, undignified temper playing parts! You just couldn't help it." Purple pointed with a shake of his head. " You just had to have the feeling of hierarchy against a pawn."

" That's not what happened." Red countered.

" It doesn't matter how it happened, dammit!" Purple snapped. " You exposed confidential information to the one person who wasn't supposed to find out! One! I didn't think it would be that difficult of a task!"

Purple observed Red for a brief moment and scoffed once more. " Then again I speak to one who has the unholy habit of disregarding equanimity, of that of a defective." Purple spat.

" Speak for yourself. You're overreacting over confidential news that has no purpose of it being that in the first place." Red said. Purple laughed.

" Oh this is glorious! Who told me that it wasn't supposed to be shared to anyone? Hmm? And for what reason did he tell me why no one could find out?" Purple asked sarcastically. Red was beginning to feel annoyed. He furrowed his eyes and leveled his breathing.

" I spoke of it that time in that manner because it was necessary. We couldn't exactly be blurting out the plans to send him away while he was still in our presence. And we couldn't let Zim go to an actual assigned planet, not after what he's done; he's a threat to our planet and if not careful, he could even be one to himself."

" Oh please, the Irken isn't as smart as you think; He followed orders of stick-noted coordinates, and still set course to them. It was by the damnedest chance he was able to find a planet there."

" Exactly. Now that he's no longer here, the information is no longer important. It doesn't matter who finds out." Red said. Purple walked closer to him and put his hands behind his back.

" Oh then. Let's say another invader finds out about our past plans. They figure out that we exiled him on purpose, in disguise that he was on a mission. What's their initial reaction?; Fear. Paranoia. They're going to believe that could be the next target." Purple explained, gesturing. " By some far chance, they might even spread rumors." Red shook his head in disagreement.

" Rumors? Is that what you're afraid of?"

" Conspiring, Red. That's what I'm trying to avoid." Purple said firmly.

" Even if they did find out, They also know that Zim was a defective. The only chance of them being sent to die would be if they were one too. And besides, what you explained would only help our situation." Red raised his chin. Purple's eyes stared at his face for a few moments before he groaned. He pressed a hand against his head and folded his arm at his hip.

" Oh, here we go." He remarked.

" We need to step up the game, Purple. We need to lead by example, show them that we are serious leaders."

" Power and more power. Is that what goes through your mind? It's not enough that you already own a planet of militaristic individuals, and specialized weapons and technology. You want them to be your footstool. You want complete control."

" Control and power is what makes a system such as ours effective. For the lesser to fear us, would make us even the more superior. Rewarding them with snacks doesn't." Red remarked spitefully. Purple laughed hysterically; a reaction that was the very opposite of what Red was expecting.

" Then let's just give them the throne and our ranks!" Purple remarked. " Fear and Respect are two different things, Red. What's next? Are were going to limit their privacy and food storage? Are we going to force them to live in unsanitary conditions? We rule over them, Red, and we also give them what they need. We are not inhumane."

" Fear promotes respect. It also exalts they're want to be even effective and efficient. Food shortages and unhealthy conditions are only additives to that effect." Red said.

" Our military is already as effective as it needs to be. The invaders already have a considerable devotion and pride for their country and leaders. Fear would only corrupt this planet."

" Fear would make us more. We would rule with iron fists. We would be idolized and remembered." Red said, motioning with his hands. He aspired for those to be true; it would bring more than just pleasure in his eyes to be seen as a dominant leader. He could imagine erected statues in their honor.

" You contradict yourself, you know that Red? Here you become angry because Zim killed his own people, and yet you speak now about us revolutionizing our planet by putting them in fear. To make them suffer; murder them." Purple shook his head. Red wondered for a moment how he would've known about the argument that took place, but he resulted to thinking that his statement was an assumption.

" I never said I wanted my people to die, or suffer, for that matter. If they fear us, than we have their undivided respect and loyalty. There's nothing inhumane about that." Red responded.

" Power hungry fools always fall first and the hardest. To strike fear in the heart of enemies is what makes a leader efficient. However, what benefits would a leader gain if he strikes fear in the heart of his own people?" Purple remarked, and placed his hands behind his back. He was beginning to walk around again.

" He would gain the reputation that he expects. If an enemy sees a powerful man, so will the people he's leading." Red said, watching him carefully. Purple shook his head with a small smirk.

" They will see a man they fear. And Hate. If matters go so far, than they will probably even rear up a league to try and over-throne him."

" Only if he acts so imbecilic, then that he will deserve. One who knows how to lead will avoid that. However, if that does occur, then we will respond accordingly. We are more than well prepared for any attack of the sort." Red said. He made mental notes that Purple was circling around him. He wasn't exactly sure why, but from what he could tell it was a way of trying to emphasize his meaning and opinion.

" You sound paranoid, Red. You sound like you're expecting this." Purple mused.

" It's not that I'm expecting, Purple. I'm preparing. One must take precautions and over-thoughts when making a step so gigantic."

" Is it really that worth it? To...enslave your own nation?"

" Enslaving is inhumane. Refining with arduous protocols is..." Red paused, and glanced to the side. He decided for a moment what word to use and when one came to mind, he glanced back to Purple in the eyes. "...suitable."

Purple huffed and massaged his lower chin and stopped walking around. He looked down at the floor for a while and he sighed when he glanced back up at Red.

" Leader's are authoritative, prevalent and also fair, Red. Power will only go so far, far less than that of the lifespan of one Irken. If used well, then it will flourish. If bent to ways and heights unknown, then it will bring down the entirety of one. You do not understand what greed does to a person, Red." Purple remarked solemnly. Red was wanting to respond, but for a reason he bit back his tongue. It was until he realized that he was slightly perturbed by the way he said it, he felt an unnerving chill in the room. Red looked around, looking at the walls and structures of the Massive, and then back to Purple. He shook his head and a small, amused, smile formed on his face.

" Do not forget your position. We are not in control here."