"Okay, quick recap. Zim is here, we're holding his SIR unit hostage, he's going to send an object back in time to replace the knife he killed Kezk with, and bring Kezk back." Pby said, leading me quickly downstairs. "It was, of course, all Mui's idea," he added, his voice showing a slight bit of what the humans called resentment- or jealousy. I couldn't tell which one.
I blinked, stupefied, and stood there for about five seconds before he grabbed my arm and pulled me downstairs. Mui was waiting, sitting next to the control panel, pressing buttons according to orders coming from Zim, who was completely concentrated on his work. Her human eyes had the maniac black glint in them that she always had as an Irken again- thinking to myself, I realized that I had almost forgotten that that was how she was always distinguished from other Irkens. She nodded quickly at Kezk and me and then went back to pulling levers and typing.
"Okay, it's set up.. one more thing we need, the thing that'll replace the knife. I don't think we have any rubber piggies, Zim," Mui said offhandedly, spinning her chair around to talk to Zim.
"Anything small and lightweight should work," Zim said in a resigned, stale voice.
"My moose!" Gir yelled from his cage in the corner. He took his plush moose from inside of his head, squeezed it fondly, and threw it to Zim. "It's a small lighty objecty, mas-teeeerrr!"
Mui grinned at me, Zim rolled his eyes, putting the moose inside of a small hole in the device that he and Mui assembled. The device lit up, beeping.
"Transport device enable NOW." Mui said to the computer.
"Transport device enabled."
-+Mui+-
I typed the string of commands to transport the.. moose to exactly the right time and replacing the knife. I pressed the button that submitted the commands to the computer, which lit up. I turned around in my chair again, to see Pby, his eyes darting around the room at everything that moved. Kylon's eyes had turned from the dull grey they had earlier that week to bright blue, and oddly, they had the same predatory glint that all Irken eyes seemed to have.
We sat there for what seemed like forever, doing that, looking at each other oddly, impatiently- when we heard a noise from behind the door, and the door opened.
Kezk appeared in the doorway, looking around at us with his bright eyes glinting happilly. Kylon immediately ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck.
-+Kylon+-
"My god, how much I've missed you.. I love you, Kezk.." I said quietly.
"I love you too," Kezk murmered back to me.
"Cute. Rather corny, but cute." Pby said, grinning at us. I let my hands drop from his neck and he moved on to hugging Mui and Pby in turn.
"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about him not having both memories, he doesn't seem absolutely confused as to what in hell is going on," Mui commented.
"Why are you doing that?" Zim asked me.
"Doing what?"
"All of you, why do you do this.. this hugging and such? What benefit do you get out of it?"
"It makes our emotions better, it makes us happier."
"Happier? Power makes you happy, praise makes you happy. You do not know happiness," Zim spat.
"And you, Invader Zim, do not know friendship, you do not know loyalty, and worst of all, you do not know love."
"And if I wanted to learn of this- this love you speak of, this friendship and loyalty, what would I do?"
"You would simply tell me and I could get you the power to know all of that."
"..What would you do, inject me with something that makes it so my brain can sense all that?"
"Basically, yes. There's two ways, one is that- changing the structure of your brain, only slightly, of course, so that you have the human emotion."
"And the other is?"
"Turning you into a human."
"Which would you suggest?"
"Are you serious about this?"
"Yes, I am.."
"Okay, do you want to join us? It could bring more respect, more honor than being even one of the Tallests. Because the Tallests will be overthrown, and we will be the new rulers of the Irken Empire!"
"Join you? And become one of the enemies of the Tallests? I would never do that, Kylon. Never."
"Then you would want to stay an Irken, with the modified DNA that we four were born- or, more accurately, created- with."
"I'll do it."