CHAPTER NINE
The question all of us face is…why?
Why do people do the things they do?
It's not just one thing that makes us do it. It's a number of factors. Ultimately, both the people that surround us and that which lies within us define what we are.
WHO we are is something else entirely though. Many are defined by traits like courage…sincerity…kindness…
But what enough people don't realize is that they are also defined by what they are NOT…
I am defined by what I am not. What I am not…is a human being. I am a half-human, half-chaos energy freak and I'm very much just trying to live my own goddmn life without people interfering. I just want to enjoy myself.
Yet…for some reason I can't lately…
Maybe it's because I feel bad for all these experiments in the news who keep getting attacked.
Could I actually have a heart?
White put the "Time" magazine down with a SLAM on his desk and laid back in his chair, looking at the ceiling tiles.
"It used to be I didn't give a flying f—k WHAT happened to most of those furry idiots. Now I can't stop THINKING about them." He sighed deeply. "Spending all this time around Nick's started to get me…sentimental."
"SENTIMENT?"
White turned his head. Alex was standing there, leaning against the door. "So…does that mean you're starting to feel BAD about rejecting my offer before, you bloody idiot? We could have used your help, y'know."
"I feel so…EXPOSED, with you in my office." White laughed.
"I'm not interested in seeing you "Full Monty"." Alex remarked. "Now the Hierophant wants us all to get together to investigate Ace and Spectra."
"So it's come down to that, then?" White asked quietly.
Alex nodded his head and White walked over to a nearby desk, looking at a photo of him and a black-haired girl who's hair was tied into a ponytail. He held onto it for a few moments.
"…okay. I'm in." He said. "But only because of the pay you're offering, got it?" He turned his head. "If word got out I was goin' soft, I'd lose a lot of street cred."
Alex grinned. "I shan't tell a soul."
"I knew it, I KNEW it!"
Alex and White turned around to see Echo coming towards him, holding up a large book. "I KNEW I'd seen ya somewhere before and when I was looking through one of my books, look what I found!"
Echo pulled the large book entitled "Blue Hawaii: On the Set" open to a bookmarked page and it showed a large group of people preparing the set of "Blue Hawaii" for a scene. There, helping to move a camera, was Alex Hardie himself.
"I read this thing all the time because I got his hee-uuuuge crush on Elvis." Echo explained. "What are you doing on the set of Blue Hawaii?" She asked him. "You don't look a day older than ya were in the photo. Some kinda superhero magic?" She wanted to know.
"I thought I destroyed that film!" he shouted at the book. Looking up, he saw Echo and White staring at him. Scratching the back of his neck "Eh he, I've got a lot of explaining to do ain't I?" he asked nervously.
"You've just got me a LOT more interested in you." White remarked, grinning at him. "So by all means…tell us."
"Yeah, what's the dill-io?" Echo wanted to know.
"Okay, oh GOD, where to start?" Alex remarked, shaking his head.
"Well, do you want to know exactly what I am, or just why I was there?"
"Telling us what you ARE is all we need to know." White said, shrugging. "I'm chaos energy given physical form in a human shell. My emotions are LEFTOVERS from Nick...I'll never be my own man." He remarked quietly. "What's your story?"
"I am a composite of two minds who were somehow separated. One ended up in a world similar to this one" he said, spreading his arms out. "Turned into an experiment that surpassed even Stitch. The other, I'm not gonna tell you, it's personal, but he gained reality warping powers. Eventually they met, and became one again. Now I have enhanced versions of ALL the original gens experiment powers, plus the ability to warp reality. On top of that, I'm immortal and have enhanced regenerative powers. But the reason I was in 1961 is entirely different" he said looking down at Echo.
"Being immortal sounds...sad." Echo remarked quietly, looking apologetic. "Gee, I'm real sorry to hear that. But why were you in 1961? Did you wanna get Elvis's autograph?"
Alex gave a short laugh "Not exactly. You see, I can travel through dimensions, the universe and time under my own power. And since I don't injure the time stream, I can get away with a lot. I was actually aiming to visit the universe like this I had already visited, but I overshot and ended up here and in 1961, and just decided to help out, really hard to get a job on a film at 15. Grabbed a few souvenirs there as well!" he stated proudly. "You wanna see what I got?" He asked Echo.
"White grinned and rubbed his chin."Hmm. Well in that case...do you remember May 10th, 1961?" He inquired, giving him a large grin. "The sky was slightly cloudy that day...the weatherman erroneously predicted it would rain..." He went on enigmatically.
"And how could I forget a pink eyed being of living chaos like you Michael, walking into a strip club!" Alex laughed. "Yes, I saw you then, sensed you. It would be hard NOT to."
Michael grinned. "Those were the days they did strip clubs RIGHT." He said, giving Alex a thumbs up. Then he looked down at Echo. "Oh. Sorry, kid." He apologized.
"It's okay. Last week I found this magazine and I had to ask my dad what "spooning" was. Very little stuff related to sex surprises me."
She walked out of the room and Michael leaned in to whisper into Alex's ear. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry." He admitted.
"Michael, I find you sick." Alex remarked coldly. "Pity she left, I was going to give her this." he said, pulling a crystal from the pocket of his jacket.
White snatched it out of his hands and smiled."I'll give it to her. Don't worry, I'll tell her it's from you." He lied. And with that, he was gone, already teleported away.
Alex smiled briefly, reached into his pockets again, and drew out a second crystal, almost identical to the first."Thank you Crystallene! As if I would take out the real crystal from Elvis' final concert suit whilst he was around. Enjoy your chunk of GLASS, Michael." And with that he faded away too.
…
…
…
…it was an enormous, crystalline hall. At the far back was a throne…but nobody was sitting in it at the moment. Large tapestries hung down beneath beautiful stained glass windows that let the sunshine stream in peacefully and crystal chandeliers hung from the tall ceiling as candles on long stands lined the walls to the side. There was a large glass dome at the top of the palace and the place was packed to the brim with the people.
About fifty feet from the throne was a large podium on a stage that had been set up, and speaking at it was a light-green/yellow skinned alien with a single eye and a small antennae on his head. He had long, three-digited fingers and was wearing a fancy blue uniform. He had a katana strapped to his back attached by a bandolier and boots, with tipless gloves. Age had matured Wendy Northcut Pleakley slightly, and he was now an officer in the Niihau Guard, designed to protect the islands of Hawaii at a minute's notice.
Niihau had originally been experiment-only, and if a human arrived…they didn't come back unless it was piece by piece. That was because of Heatwave and Heartwing's first child, their only son, Chibisuke…better known as Senkoukura, Dragon Lord of Flame and Light. He had felt that humanity was too…flawed. He had WANTED to believe the best in them, but it had simply seemed impossible, so he had wanted to keep his people on Niihau separated from humanity and had killed those humans who'd been living on the island.
He'd done great wrongs but had atoned for them and had been hard at work in improving human and Experimental American relationships. He was preparing for a speech, in fact…
"As you all know, next week on Monday there will be an important meeting. We've invited news crews and heads of state alike here to come here. The broadcast will be seen in places as far off as Timbuktu!" Pleakley bragged. He grinned broadly and went on. "Senkoukura has been hard at work with his speech and is proud of the effort everyone here has been putting in to get the place spruced up for the upcoming visit. Finally…"
Pleakley turned his head to gesture at a white-furred, triangular-earred experiment with beautiful white fur, green tattoos all over his body and a blue headband on his head. He had a small silver nose and a silver belly, with golden eyes. "Makani has an announcement."
Makani stood up and addressed the podium. His voice was as gentle and refreshing as a zephyr, and his appearance was like that of an experimental ADONIS. "As you all know, we of Niihau must prepare for the upcoming visits. But we are not merely inviting heads of state or fancy news crews. Ordinary people are to be welcomed in, and we shall greet them as lovingly and compassionately as we would greet our dear old grandmothers." He grinned. "Also, anybody who wants to complain to me about injuries sustained during the field expedition to Egypt last week to deal with those psychopathic Succubus-class experiments will simply be wasting their time."
Makani nodded and stood down as Pleakley took the podium again. "The eyes of the entire GALAXY are going to be watching us." The cycloptic alien told them all. "We must be absolutely nothing less than fabulous."
…
…
…
…memories…
Pleakley was thinking of a good memory he had had so long ago. Another time when he'd felt…inspiring.
It had been during his time volunteering as an orderly at an institution.
…
…
…
… "So she was just left with this note?" Pleakley asked the doctors as he walked down the hallways, one eye glaring down at the note which read "Please take good care of my darling. God knows I certainly cannot."
"Yes, she was five when we found her." The doctor said, leading Pleakley to a door that had a large window in it. Pleakley looked inside to see a human girl within. She had a yellow and purple-haired pair of ponytails, blue hair falling down the sides of her head and dark skin with beautiful cyan eyes. She was wiggling her fingers nervously as she walked around, mumbling to herself. She wore a jacket that was too big for her body that was covered in food which she had failed to get into her mouth properly and had a funny expression in her eyes like she'd just been hit in the face.
"She's…very heavily autistic." The doctor said. "We cannot really get anything out of her and the previous orderlies have had NO patience with her. Furthermore, the Director is simply…" He shivered. "He's been horrible to her. If YOU could aid her somehow…it would be most appreciated."
Pleakley nodded. "I'll be GLAD to help!" He said happily. He opened the door up and the girl turned her head. "Hello! I'm Pleakley."
She blinked at him. "No nose." She announced.
Pleakley blinked back at her. THAT was the first thing she noticed? Well…it WAS a change. He adjusted his orderly outfit and sat down in a nearby chair as she sat down on the floor. The entire room was painted a lovely blue color. "So…you haven't talked much with the doctors."
"This room is blue." She announced.
"…yes, yes is! Cyan, specifically."
"Air force Blue, Alice Blue, Azure, Baby Blue, Blue, Brandeis Blue, Carolina Blue, Cerulean, Cobalt Blue, Columbia Blue, Cornflower Blue, Cyan!" The girl spoke.
Pleakley had a feeling she knew every single shade of every color that ever was. "Do you have gumdrops?" The girl asked. "I don't like the red ones."
"…yes…I do." He remarked, pulling out a small yellow box and putting some gumdrops in his hand. "They're my favorite snack."
YOINK! She took them out of his hand and began chewing with her mouth open. She had ZERO table manners. "Haaaahhh." She honked out as she chewed with her mouth open.
Pleakley waited until the girl was finished, then popped a question. "What's your name?"
The girl blinked. "Ahh…ahhh…." She concentrated, banging her fist on her head. "It's-it's…it's…" She stopped, remembering. "SARI! Yeah, Sariiii!" She announced.
Pleakley blinked, then smiled. "I'm going to be taking care of you, Sari. Alright?"
"This room is green." Sari remarked, twitching her fingers.
"Alright?"
Sari nodded and Pleakley smiled more broadly. "Okay…so what do you want for lunch?"
…
…
…
…Grey could remember when he'd first met Zim.
He had been spending a LOT of time with Kila, helping her move things around the laboratory she worked at. And he enjoyed listening to her explain about the different technologies that Star Command used…
They'd also found that Grey was a natural with dimensional gate technology. He understood the theories no problem and had even made a small, window-sized "window style" portal that looked into another dimension made entirely of salami.
It was on one day at Star Command that Grey was looking around for Kila to sit with her at lunch and he saw…a rather lonely-looking Irken. Small…maroon eyes. Sharp antennae that went down at the end in almost scythe-like tips. He had on the usual Invader's outfit beneath his labcoat, but there was something in his front pocket…a silver medal of some kind.
He was looking over the meal and poking it, looking rather disgusted. "Ecchhh." He announced. "Surrounded by staatel! Filthy otherworlders…touching my coat and getting it all dirty…trying to touch ZIM'S medal!"
"You okay?" Grey asked, looking concerned.
Zim looked him over. "This is none of your business, dog-thing." He remarked. "I am trying to eat my lunch in peace."
"You…haven't touched anything. Is something wrong with the food?" Grey inquired.
"Nonsense! I'm simply stuffed to the brim with this FIIIILTH…" Zim curled his gloved claws. "That I couldn't eat another bite!"
"Wait, you're Irken, aren'tcha? I'm "The Strength" of the Major Arcana, "The Hierophant", Darth, is an Irken and he's told me you guys REALLY like sugary stuff?"
Zim's eyes went wide. "Yes…why?" He asked.
"Weeeelll…" Grey pulled something out of his pocket. It was a "Lik-A-Maid" candy. "I got this out of the candy machine…last one! It's pretty much pure sugar-"
"Give to ZIIIIIM!" Zim howled.
Grey handed it over and Zim downed the entire pack of sugar-dip in one gulp. Instantly his pupils widened and a stupid smile came over his face. "That's a nice feeling…yur a gud kid…" He remarked stupidly, grinning happily.
"Uh, thanks. Mahalo." Grey remarked.
"I fell really gud…" Zim announced in that stupid tone.
Grey laughed a little and helped Zim up. "Come on, let me get you outta that sugar rush. What's your poison?"
"Got any-oop!"
He tripped and his silver medal fell out of his pocket. The dainty thing went flying through the air and his eyes widened as he was SHOCKED out of the sugar rush…
THWUP.
Grey snatched it before it broke apart and he handed it gently to Zim. "Here."
"…th…thank you." Zim said quietly. "This is very…this is a very important medal of mine. It's been with me for years."
"Your name is Zim, right?" Grey asked.
"Short for "Zerinim", but it means "World Destroyer" and is the equivalent of naming an Earthling child "Adolf"…so I prefer "Zim"." Zim insisted.
"My name is Grey Nicholas Pelekai. Nice to meet you." Grey said happily. "Now then…where do you work here?" He asked.
From then on, the two eat together. Grey would bring in various snack foods at lunch and Zim would tell Grey stories about his glorious years in the military of the Irken empire before going into Star Command, and during the mornings Grey would work with Kila in the lab before going back home to Kokaua Town.
It had been a good life. Not a perfect one, but…in it's own way, a very good life. And if he had kept doing what he'd done, perhaps…perhaps he and Kila would have been boyfriend and girlfriend. Life would have been very different for all of them.
But instead it had changed when Grey suggested that Kila not eat in the laboratory one day but with him and his friend, Zim…
And from that moment on…everything was very, VERY different.
Grey sighed deeply as he walked down the sidewalk, blinking the tears from his eyes, trying to forget those memories. He had honest-to-God tried to get over his fury over Zim taking Kila from him…he'd TRIED to love Zim and forgive him, but sometimes it got so HARD, and he DID care about Kila, he well and truly did. He only wanted her to be happy, yet another part of him screamed and tore at himself, insisting she'd be happiest with HIM…
What would it have been like if they'd married?
"We…we might have been happy…we honestly could have been." Grey whimpered, tears brimming in his eyes. He covered his face and began to cry…he knew it was selfish, but why, why had he allowed himself to become so vulnerable, so stupidly open?
Why did I have to fall in love with Kila Freakin' Jookiba…
But then a horrid, TERRIBLE stench struck the nostrils on his face and his eyes shot wide, making him jolt out of his self-pity.
Salty-iron…
BLOOD…and close by!
…
…
…
…the room was dark, with a large window casting light down on a chair. Sandy sighed and took a deep breath before he spoke.
"I suppose I just wanted to talk to you about Mom and Dad." Sandy mumbled. "With all the problems that have been going on lately on the island…it was hectic trying to get a funeral together, but I wanted it to be here, with you. And…"
He sighed. "Through all the death and horror and wonder I've seen in my life, I've been trying to hold onto that shining, unshakable hope…that hope that when the chips were down, I would prove I could be a good leader. That I could…fill dad's shoes. That I could live up to his expectations." He bit his lip. "But I feel so…overwhelmed and nervous…and I shouldn't. I mean, my life is pretty straight and safe now. I love G…she's amazing and sweet and I love her more than I love my own life, but…I don't think I'm…I…"
He bit his lip more deeply, chewed, then his head sank down into his paws. "I don't like what I've become. I have the power to lift objects 3000 times bigger than I do and can sing as beautifully as my mother, I can SURF like an expert and know the loopholes of laws to keep my friends from being thrown in jail for things as lowly as traffic violations and yet…I can't talk to my wife about the things that matter most. Not even my friends…"
"Wow." An experiment with a teal pot belly and a large, rounded nose wearing a black jumpsuit folded his thick arms as he looked Sandy over. His claws and fingers were thick, a sharp contrast to the slim and smooth female experiment next to him. Her butt was a 9.2 out of 10 on the rating scale, and she had a perfect pair of breasts. Her red fur was well-groomed and she had a light orange belly and chest, visible due to the fact that her jumpsuit had an open space that resembled an "X" on the front, showing off her chest balloons quite well. Kuko, Sandy's brother repeated his exclamation. "Wow."
"You've had a lot to get off your chest." Peleka, Sandy's sister agreed. "I think you came to us just in time."
…
…
…
…Esmeralda turned the phone off and turned to Pele and Hiaka. "I talked with the Wyrd Sisters." She said, nodding her head at them. "They're going to set up shop at Niihau and remain cloaked and off the radar as hard as they can."
"Good, Jack'll like that." Pele said, smiling.
Esmeralda frowned though. "I don't like keepin' this secret from Eclipse though."
"You'll tell him EVENTUALLY though, won't you?" Hiaka wanted to know.
Esmeralda's yellow eyes blinked "…I WANT to." She admitted.
…but COULD she?
…
…
…
… "The reason I want to talk to you is because I'm concerned with Patch." King told Vassago, walking down the hallway of the Major Arcana headquarters. "She's one of my best and most valued students and she's becoming very knowledgeable about magic."
Vassago's fiery red hair glowed visibly along with his neon-esque green eyes. "Ah, she is quite a nice girl, isn't she?" He nodded. "But why are you concerned?"
They reached King's study, a yellow-painted laboratory with many tables and a HUGE chalkboard that showed off various alchemic seals and mathematical formulas. King walked up to the chalkboard, to a part that WASN'T scribbled on, and drew up a picture of Patch. "She says she's been bleeding from her body but is too nervous to go into details. She also says she's been feeling "All oogy" and "very tired"." He turned around. "And there's something I've seen in her eyes…a white shine in them that wasn't there before. I believe she might be channeling a spirit. Malignant or benign I cannot be sure of yet."
Vassago rubbed his chin, the chains on his pants jingling as he came to a stop. "You want me to examine the girl and find out if she's got a spirit in here?"
"Yes." King said, nodding. "And get it OUT of here if it's an evil one."
"Why not Jude?" Vassago inquired. "He's a priest. Ask him to perform an exorcism."
"I want to know HOW a dark spirit got into a little Experimental American girl." King said, his golden eyes narrowing. "I DON'T believe that this new change in health is a coincidence at all. Not with all that's been happening." He went on, crushing one chalk piece in his three-clawed, scaly green hand.
The prince from Hell looked the snake magus over, then nodded. "Fine." He lifted his arm up to his mouth and opened wide, growing a pair of fangs, which he used to carve a diagnoal line into his arm. "I'll make the pact." He said, handing it to King, who took his own fangs and marked another line, making an "x". "I'll examine the girl and find out what you need to know. If I do not, may my mind be stripped from my very body. But I want you to assist me in dealing with a coup that's been going on in the Northern Regions of Hell."
"I always honor my word, as I trust you will honor YOURS." King said, nodding.
…
…
…
…Pleakley stood by Dr. Jumba's side as they looked at Green through a one-way window. Zim and Kila were standing there as well, and they saw Green was looking at a girl with maroon pigtails and a big smile. She wore a blue raincoat that had splotches of pudding on it and had drawn cartoons in pen all over her hands and arms.
"This room is green." She announced to Green. "You're green."
"That's my name too." She said.
"Greeeeen." The human girl remarked, grinning broadly. She then reached out and squeaked Green's nose. "HONK!"
Green blinked a few times.
"You got a gum drop? But not a red one, I don't like the red ones." The girl asked quietly.
"I don't know why you had to do this here." Kila remarked. "I know most children like these have hearts as big as their oversized foreheads, but…it still makes me somewhat uncomfortable seeing Green in here."
"This place is designed to unlock the mysterious of the brain. We've already tracked down the gene that causes the Autism Spectrum Disorders." Pleakley explained.
"Indeed." Jumba agreed. "There is nothing for you to be worrying about, my child." Jumba said, gently placing his large hand on Kila's shoulder. "I set up this institution here to HELP people like Sari and to get her and the other patients out of that horrid home of corruption."
"Yeah, the things that director DID to her…" Pleakley said hatefully, single eye narrowing to a slit.
"…mmph." Kila mumbled.
"So you have been looking after this "Sari" since she was FIVE?" Zim inquired of Pleakley. "Besides her obsession with colors, she does not seem-"
"I wanna go to the BLUUUUUUUE room." Sari announced in a slightly robotic tone, twitching her fingers nervously.
"…hmm." He frowned. "And you said that she's a mathematical genius?"
"Yes, Sari is quite a clever girl." Jumba said, nodding his big head. "And she has not been the only one we've been looking after. I know it was with reluctance that you left your daughter in my care if only for a short while, but I have learned much from her…and ABOUT her."
He held up a packet of papers that had many charts and graphs upon it, handing them to Kila, who looked them over while Zim walked into the room that Green and Sari were in.
"There were some serious anomalies in the blood test results we did on Green." Jumba Jookiba informed Kila. "Right now, her brain is burning sugar TWENTY TIMES faster than normal. It is literally on FIRE…almost as if a SUN is growing in your daughter's brain, hence she is having very new and considerably big thoughts and ideas. It is…" He rubbed his chin. "How am I going to put this?"
"She's developing her experimental powers. Her body is changing, going through "ability puberty"!" Kila realized. "Puddingsack…" She rubbed the little plant-thing that emerged from around her and patted it's head. "This was my first change to my body, but it wasn't natural…"
"Though I am cute!" Puddingsack spoke up.
"You sure are." Kila said happily. "But THEN I found I could generate the temperature of an eight-bar electric heater from the bones in my paw and create small flames just above my paws! That was when I realized I'd hit the mark." She said, holding one paw up and making it glow bright and HOT. A small flame then appeared in the air, dancing around. "Chibi started out as Puff the Magic Dragon and look how HE ended up. Grey, for his sins, became Tony the Tiger on Barbiturates!"
"And now your daughter's thoughts are thinking thoughts and she's generating some solar radiation in her sleep…" Jumba mused.
"You're green!" Sari announced as she poked Zim for the umpteenth time.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, EARTH CHILD?" Zim hissed, whacking her arm away.
Sari blinked. "But-"
"No! Shut up!"
"But-"
"No, shut up, I said! I order you to shut up!" Zim snapped, holding his clawed hand over Sari's mouth.
She pulled it away. "…But Zim!"
"WHY WON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY?"
She shut up. Zim smiled. "Ahhhhh."
"Ummm...Zim?"
Zim frowned. "…WHAT?" He snapped.
"…you're head is green!"
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Zim howled. "Green come on, let's get you home. I don't like you being around a filthy huuuuuman."
"They're not ALL bad." Green insisted, holding up her hands. "Just because some birds are black, it does not follow that all birds are blackbirds. Thinking like that is a fallacy."
Zim blinked in surprise. Green had NEVER talked like that before.
Something WAS going on inside her head. Something very big.
…
…
…
…Grey's black claws curled, and then he scraped it down the wall as he looked at the body lying on the floor. He'd been stabbed right in the back of the neck and blood pooled around his body, fouling the air with it's salty-iron taste.
Clyde…how? HOW?
A sense of fury filling him, Grey did his best to keep it under control and carefully got on his knees, sniffing the air. He could smell…brimstone…fire…
…COCO. By Chanel.
Pele and Hiaka wore that scent…and Esmeralda always had that tiny scent of brimstone to her. Grey was horrified. How could they be involved in something like this?
He sniffed the air again. It was hard to sort through the smells but-
…no. Oh no.
That faintly sick smell of bad lemons…that smell belonged to Jack.
"I knew I'd find you here."
A sharp pain jabbed him in the back, and something went into his system. Grey HOWLED to the sky, arching back in agony as Jack stood there, with the girls by his side. He tossed and turned on the ground, then began to growl. "Yyyyrrrr aaahhhhhsss aaaahhhhkkkkk frreeeeeaaaakk…"
"Is that…LANGUAGE? Are you trying to articulate, Grey?" Jack laughed. "Insult me, even? Look at you. Remember when you used to look HUMAN in the mirror?" He smirked, his purple eyes glinting. "Then you devolved when you inherited your father's bestial self. His animal self and you are one and the same. That's all you are…a zoo animal"
"Why…are…you…DOING THIS?" Grey hissed, getting up to his taloned feet, claws clenching and unclenching. "That was…your FATHER, damn it! What was his…his sin?"
"He was going to TELL on my mother and get the Clan thrown in jail. Loyalty, Grey. You CAN'T break a bond of trust." Jack told him. "But that's not the only reason I've been killing. You see…you can't try and reason with me. I'm not someone who can be bullied or negotiated with. I'm not in this for wealth or profit. I'm just somebody who wants to see the world BURN!" Jack cackled, throwing back his head and laughing. "When you get right down to it, I'm just exposing you all for what you really are."
"How…DARE you." Grey hissed. A cold fire was going through his veins but he fought against it, even as blood oozed out his nose and mouth. "How…DARE…YOU…"
"Deep down, nobody's really good. When all law is stripped away, we're all just BEASTS deep down." He insisted. "Lilo just tried to cover up with hugs and love and sweet words what Stitch was always meant to be…a killer."
Pele and Hiaka looked at Jack. "Want us to hold him down?" They asked.
"No, remember, this thing won't kill him. Me and Ezzie can handle this." Jack insisted as Esmeralda nodded. The two girls left the room as Jack went on. "Ezzie here does whatever I say because she's seen enough of people's darkest lusts. She knows what I'm saying is true. And she'll get her boyfriend on my side soon enough."
"You're sick…need…help…" Grey growled, getting on his knees and coughing madly.
"YOU'RE the one who's on his knees." Jack remarked. He raised up a small little black inhaler. "This is Hypercortisone X." He informed Grey. "I've have Gizmo do some research for me and wouldn't you know it…he came up with a fine new steroid." He inhaled it and breathed deep, expelling some light pink gas out of his mouth. "Makes you feel like you're a movie star being directed by God, on location in Heaven."
Grey took deep breaths, trying to steady himself. "Drugged…up…"
"I'm the worst nightmare of any human, you know. A very angry, vengeful experiment on DRUGS. Kinda like Chopsuey was." Jack laughed madly. "It enhances my entire body for five hours straight. Wanna taste, you mongrel?" Jack asked, smirking at Grey.
"…YOU!" Grey suddenly summoned forth a burst of power and jumped forth, knocking Esmeralda away and pinning Jack to the ground. His fur bristled and his hair got thicker along with his fangs, talons and claws as his eyes gleamed down at Jack.
"You're RIGHT!" Grey snarled. "Every day I look in the mirror and I compare myself to how I used to be! I have the body of a beast! So why don't I just eat you alive right now? Make you SCREAM as I peel the flesh from your face?"
He pressed his forehead against Jack's, getting VERRRY close, fangs bared angrily. "Shall I tell you why? It's because I believe in music and love and kindness and the DECENCY of people! It's because when I hold a claw to my arm and cut, my blood…is RED! I AM A HUMAN BEING AND WE DON'T BELIEVE IN THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE!"
SCHLORK!
Another needle went into his back and Grey gasped in pain. Falling to the ground, off of Jack, who panted heavily. "That…was a close one." He told Esmeralda. "Why didn't you inject him sooner?"
"I wanted to hear his point." She explained. "So where do we dump him?"
"…somewhere he'll cause the most damage. Let's make it the middle of town…" He remarked, rubbing his paws together.
Outside the window, a pair of eyes glinted behind a pair of sunglasses. Green hair bobbed in the breeze…and then the form leapt up and away…
…
…
…
… Skoodge frowned as he sat in his chair, looking at those strapped into the Nightmare Generator.
The girl, Lilo, was sobbing tearfully. Apparently she was forcibly reliving her parent's deaths over and over. The boy, Nick, had a look of horror and sorrow on his face that made Skoodge's body chill over. What was he SEEING?
Snizzi, calmly leaning on the side of the wall, twitched his bladed tail, looking somewhat amused. "Poor thing. He's dreaming about seeing Earth die in front of his eyes. Well, not Earth so much as every living thing on it, magical and otherwise. Old, young, man, women, child, angel and demon and all in between…" He sighed. "That was MY home reality he saw die, and it was because of his appearance. A single stone cast into a pond creates ripples. His interference, his attempt to turn that which was evil GOOD, created a new, stronger evil in it's place…"
"And it killed everyone?" Tenn asked softly.
"Everyone and everything, including itself. Except Nick." Snizzi remarked, gesturing at Nick, who was now silently crying.
"…he was fourteen." The imp added. "He couldn't really HANDLE what he was seeing. Thankfully, the situation righted itself, but for him, in this world you've strapped him into, there IS no deus ex machina to aid him now."
Tenn was unable to stand looking at them and was digging her gloved claws into Skoodge's shoulder as she looked at them. "Oh IRK, this is too cruel…" She whispered.
"…we can't do this." Skoodge decided. He carefully walked over to Nick and Lilo, holding up a tranquilizer gun. He raised it their necks and pumped them full of enough knockout juice to send them to Dizzytown for a good, long vacation, then took the machine's hooked tentacles off their head.
"You're letting them go?" Snizzi asked quietly.
"Yes." Skoodge said, nodding his head. "I can't do this to them anymore. I'm going to let them all go, once…" He bit his lip. "Once I work up the courage…"
"One bit at a time." Snizzi said gently, lifting Nick and Lilo over his shoulders and grinning. "One bit at a time. Us three are the only ones who know exactly who came after Rupert and Ariel and I won't tell anyone if YOU don't." He laughed.
He quickly made his way out of the lab and deposited Nick and Lilo in their hammock, outside of their home. "I can't tell if I'm being merciful to you, spiteful of Zim or just trying to make things interesting." He remarked, shrugging a little.
He then thought about it…and gently placed Lilo's arm over Nick, allowing them to hold each other close in their sleep. "Sleep well, my beloved." He said gently, patting Nick's face. "Sleep well."