Hey guys, sorry for such a long wait. I'd just like to say this chapter is unfinished, there's much more to be said in this, I've lost my current train of thought for this story. NO I AM NOT QUITTING, LORD NO I LOVE THIS STORY TOO MUCH! I am going to rewrite this chapter probably and definitely make it longer, more detail. I just wanted to get it out there for now, just so you know I haven't abandoned y'all or this story. So yeah, unfinished chapter, life's bull, the usual sob story or something. Had a lot going on in my life these past couple months and haven't been able to write. Anyways, here's the unfinished chapter ten of this story, I WILL update it as soon as I finish rewriting and replotting this chapter. Thanks to all your favourites, follows and reviews, it's all so greatly appreciated. Enjoy what's made of this chapter, and I hope you all have a good day. (Or night!) -IsraBrine
The next few days in the base went quite slowly. Zim and Storm usually spent most of their time in the planning room, perfecting most of their strategies to take over the United States and the rest of the world. Zim told Storm that he wanted to do this right, not just 'sending a mass invasion force,' like the Humans would like to believe.
"My Tallest, are you sure you'd like to do this?" Zim asked, as they were going over the final details of the plan with Red and Purple, the Guards, the Scientists, Professor Membrane and his children, for whatever reason.
"For the last time, Zim. Yes! I did this kind of thing when I interviewed Membrane over there under the alias, John S. Irk!" Storm replied, annoyed with saying it for the literal hundredth time.
"But are you sure?" Zim asked again, prompting Storm to slam a hand to his forehead.
"What are you smiling about?" Gaz asked Dib, who was smiling a lot more than usual. In fact, this was his biggest smile he had ever put on in his lifetime.
"Cause I got a surprise." Dib replied, not taking his eyes off of Zim and the two entrances to the Conference Room.
"Last time you had a surprise, I tasted only Pork for a week and was tested on by Dad." Gaz said, shuddering at the memory.
"Don't worry, Gaz. This time, is for the better. They should be arriving any moment now."
"They? Who the hell is th-" She was cut-off by both entrance door being blown off their hinges, prompting the Irkens and Humans in the room to look on in surprise. Zim and Storm drew their own blasters while the guards in the room aimed their own into the smoke. Suddenly, from out of the smoke came multiple syringes that seemed to be Tranquilizer Darts, hitting each Irken, Zim and Storm included.
"Irkens down! I repeat, Irkens down! Felix, grab the Membranes! I'll get the Scientists!" Came a voice from the smoke in the right doorway.
"You got it, Ryan!" Came a second voice, from the other doorway.
Two agents walked in, moving to their respective group of people. Each one was dressed in black Spec Ops gear with the Swollen Eyeball Network Logo on their shoulders and on the top left of their Uniform.
"Professor Membrane, your son, Agent Mothman requested a quick airlift out of here. Our only orders were to subdue the Irkens and rescue the Humans. Please, take your children and follow me. Mothman, I am SEN Special Forces Agent Felix Waterschlick, my Partner over there is Special Forces Agent Ryan Jackson. Please, follow me."
"Felix, there's a TON of cool tech in here. Maybe I'll just-"
"NO! We're here for a job, not the tech. Let's get the humans and go!" Felix yelled, escorting the Membranes out of the room.
"Of course. Always the job, never the cool shit. Thanks, Felix." Ryan sighed, holstering his gun. "Alright, all of you, follow me!" he yelled to the Scientists, who quickly trailed him out of the room, leaving all the Irkens alone and unconscious.
"How the hell did these primitive Earth-Tranquilizers work on our SUPERIOR bodies?" Zim yelled, after watching the security camera footage of the rescue for the fourth time.
"It was the Swollen Eyeball. That password Dib gave you was probably some kind of emergency access code, not his login." Storm replied, examining a syringe.
"We need to get those Earth-monkeys back. Without them, our knowledge on Earth research is useless!" Zim exclaimed, slamming his hand on the Ziminite Table in front of him, the table denting and reforming, good as new.
"Don't worry, Zim. This is a minor setback. We'll get the humans back and as soon as we 'Rescue' them, we can set the plan in action." Storm tried soothing the enraged Irken.
"Now I'm worried about how much they know of our plans! They knew exactly where we were at that exact time. Computer! Scan for any foreign signatures on the base's network." he ordered.
"Quick Scan complete. No foreign signatures detected." the computer replied at once.
"Check again! Run a full scan! I want no data left unchecked. If they have a bug, it could ruin everything!" Zim yelled, Purple shrinking back a bit.
"Zim." Red called, holding up a doughnut. "Here. You look like you need it." he said, handing Zim the doughnut.
"Thanks." Zim simply replied, chomping down the doughnut in one bite.
"Zim, we need a plan. You've got four Royal Elites at your disposal along with me. I'm sure Red and Purple wouldn't mind helping out, would they?" Storm said, looking over to the two Advisors.
"Pfft. Of course we can. We were Tallests. We received all the training you did, Storm."
"Even though we never used any of it!" Purple chimed in, mouth full of doughnuts and other snacks.
"That's eight of us. Good enough for an Irken Squad. I'd like ten. My Tallest, are Invaders Tenn and Skoodge available near Earth?" Zim asked, bringing up a map of the SEN Headquarters.
"I can summon them. Give me a moment." Storm replied, his PAK making a whirring sound. "There. They have been told to come to these coordinates as soon as they can. I'd expect them within the hour. They were quite close."
Zim's antennae perked up to the sound of beeping and lasers being fired from a corner in the room. He looked over to see none other than Gaz, sitting down, eyes focused on her Gameslave. There were several Poop! Energy Drink™ cans laying around her.
"Gaz? What are you still doing here?" Storm questioned, brushing back his antennae.
Gaz just shrugged, her Gameslave saying 'You Win!' as she closed it, and put it in her pocket.
"Aren't you supposed to be rescued? Shouldn't you be with your family?" Red asked, genuinely confused.
"It's better here. Dib is annoying and Dad is just stupid." Gaz replied simply.
"I- Okay then." Purple said, sitting down.
"Well Zim, what are you going to do when we recapture the Humans?" Storm asked, turning back to Zim.
"Well, the Dib-shit will be imprisoned, and Membrane and the Scientists will continue to work for the Almighty Zim!"
"Heh, I like that. Dib-shit." Gaz laughed, leaving the room.
"Did she just..?" Red trailed off, confused even more.
"I think she..?" Zim replied, also trailing off.
"She just smiled AND laughed. That's not normal!" Storm exclaimed, squeezing a ball of Ziminite. "Man, this is a good stress ball!"
"Yes, the Ziminite is great, just like the Mighty Zim!" Zim exclaimed, jumping on the table, beaming like a maniac.
"Red, Purple. I'm thinking of retrofitting the Massive with Ziminite. What do you-" Storm's PAK beeped. "Oh, they're here. Zim, Skoodge and Tenn are here. Let's go greet them."
"Yes, my Tallest. Let's head to the hangar and brief them on the mission."
"Thanks for the rescue, guys!" Dib exclaimed, talking to Ryan and Felix in an armoured truck.
"No problem, Mothman. Darkbootie wanted to apologize for not believing you about Zim. Once we sent him the Camera Footage we got from the base, he nearly fell over." Felix replied, taking off his NVG from his head.
"Say, Mothman. Where is your sister? She was rescued too, wasn't she?" Ryan asked, Dib's eyes shooting wide open.
"Gaz? Gaz! GAZ!" Dib yelled, freaking out. "Shit, we left her at the base! Oh god, I can't imagine what Zim's doing to her right now! We have to go back!"
"Mothman, sit the hell down. We can't go back right now. Zim will be ready. We'll get her back. I promise you." Ryan soothed him, strapping him back in his seat. "Remember. We're the division of the SEN that are actually full-time professionals, bounty-hunters on the side." Ryan said, almost robotically, handing Dib a business card. "Sorry, force of habit."
"I'm just so terrified for my sister. What could Zim be doing to her now?" Dib wondered out loud.
Zim and Gaz were staring at each other, locked in a battle of wits and bluffing. Zim slammed his hands down on the felted table in front of him, laying his cards for all to see. "Flush." he said simply.
Gaz looked forlorn in defeat before placing her cards gently on the table, flipping them all with one hand, smirking evilly at Zim. "Royal Flush." Gaz replied, grabbing the massive pile of chips in the middle of the Poker Table.
"Finally, that's over!" Storm said, standing up.
"What on Irk was that stupid game for, anyways?" Invader Tenn asked, repeatedly punching the Ziminite block in front of him.
"It's a card game, It's literally a exact copy of Superior Irken Poker, just with slightly changed terms." Storm replied, taking a sip of Irken Soda.
"Zim, I still can't get over the fact that you're so Tall!" Skoodge exclaimed. "You used to be even shorter than me!"
"Yes, yes. I am amazing, aren't I?" Zim said, looking around at the looks of annoyance from the Irkens around him. "What? What did Zim do wrong?"
"Egotistical little prick." Tenn muttered, smirking.
"Pfft!" Storm snickered, covering his mouth.
"Hey!" Purple yelled, everyone turning to look at the former Tallest. "Zim, what's the plan? You said we were gonna brief these two." he said, motioning to Tenn and Skoodge, shoving another doughnut into his mouth.
"Yeah, Zim. What's the plan? We barging in or going stealth?" Storm asked, standing up.
"Hmm, barging in would be fun, but going in stealthily we'd be able to…" he trailed off. "I say we go in loud." Zim said, raising his arm up.
"You sure, Zim?" Storm asked, not really caring either way. "I mean, we do have Irken weaponry and all, but-"
"Fine, fine. We'll go quiet." Zim interrupted, waving the subject off. "Gaz-beast, do you want in on this plan?" Zim asked, surprising both Gaz and Storm.
"Zim, I've got nothing against Gaz, but are you sure you'd want to bring her? If we want to just get in and get out with the prisoners, a human would just slow us down." Storm said, cringing under the glare that Gaz shot at him.
"Yeah, Zim, I'll go. Just to spite that idiot." Gaz replied, pointing at Storm.
Tenn instantly jumped in in between Gaz and Storm. "How DARE you treat the Tallest with such disrespect!?" Tenn yelled, PAK legs lifting her off the ground.
"Invader Tenn," Storm warned. "I know you're just defending my Title, but be careful. This girl is not to be messed with." Storm said, wincing as he touched his lower back from where she elbowed him the week before.
Tenn just narrowed her eyes at Gaz even further. "Watch yourself, Human. I am a mighty Irken Invader! Your glare do not scare-" she was cut-off by being sprayed but a mist of Poop Cola. "AAGGGHHHH!" Tenn screamed, running out of the room.
"The Tallest warned you!" Zim called after her. He motioned to Skoodge. "Skoodge, bring some healing gel to her, would you?" he said, handing the short Irken a bottle of Healing Gel.
Skoodge saluted faster than any Irken could ever salute. "Yes, Sir! Zim, Sir, Zim!" he said, running off toward where Tenn ran screaming.
"Storm, did you give him his Invader Status back? When you first unbanished me, he was a service-drone. What happened?" Zim asked, turning to The Tallest.
"As stupid as he can be, he did conquer Blorch after all. I thought he could be a valuable asset to this mission." He explained, a beep coming from his PAK. "Hmm? What's this? A message from the Control Brains!?"
A beep came from Zim's PAK as well. "Huh? Me too?"
"Dear Invader Zim and Tallest Storm. Return to Irk as convenience allows. Blah blah blah, Zim must return for evaluation." Storm read mindlessly. Zim just stood there in shock.
"Hey Zim, you alright?" Red questioned, walking up to the taller Irken. "Hello? Invader Zim? Advisor Red to Invader Zim, do you copy? Or make any brain function at all?"
"Red. Purple." Zim said, still in shock. "You two are in charge of reclaiming the Humans from the Swollen Eyeball Network. Any extra Humans not killed bring back for assimilation. Especially those two agents. The Tallest and I must return now." Zim explained simply.
"Zim? What are you talking about?" Purple questioned, setting down his bag of crisps. "Invader Zim, answer us Advisors!"
"Purp, calm down," Storm advised. "You're not speaking to just an Invader anymore."
"Wait, you mean..?" Red trailed off understanding his meaning.
"Yep. Zim has now become a Taller. Once he receives Tallest Training, he shall reign over the Irken Empire by my side, just as you two did." Storm explained. He looked over to Gaz, who strangely had a confused expression. "A Taller, Gaz, is a Tallest-in-Training."
"Dib is gonna piss himself when he finds out about this." Gaz said, smirking.
"Come on, Zim. Best not keep the Brains waiting, eh?" Storm said, resting his hand on Zim's right shoulder.
Zim just nodded, following Storm towards the Hangar.
"Come on, Purp." Red said seriously. "You heard the Taller. Let's get his Humans back."
"You're actually gonna listen to him?" Purple said, surprised.
"You saw what he almost did to me. Zim isn't so small and defective as he used to be. Sure, his PAK still labels him as Defective, but he seems to not have his annoying tendencies." Red said, sitting down and holding his head in his hands. "Irk, I feel terrible. The Irken we tried to kill so many times is about to become Tallest, and he spared my life. You know the rules of Irken Debt. I gotta respect that."
"Well, that's stupid." Purple said simply. "Anyways, we need a plan. We just lost two of our squad members. I- hey what's this?" Purple cut himself off, picking up a business card off the ground. "Well, isn't this something."
"What is it, Purp?" Red asked, standing up to look at the card.
"Turns out those two SEN Agents are bounty hunters on the side. Whaddya say we, recruit them?" Purple asked, snickering at the foolishness of the Humans.
"Sounds like fun. I've got an idea. Follow me." Red said, also snickering.
"So, Taller Zim. How's it feel?" Storm asked, once in the safety of Storm's transport pod with his guards.
"You mean about how I'm probably about to lose the one mission I've been working on for five Earth years just to become Tallest? Pretty good, actually." Zim replied, not looking up.
"Zim, you alright? I thought you'd be more excited. I mean, look! You're about to become one of the Tallest to rule with the only Irken that EVER took you seriously. Surely I get some credit for that?" Storm said, playfully punching Zim in the arm.
"Hmm. You are correct in that assumption. You are the only Irken besides Skoodge that ever took Zim somewhat seriously...I guess." Zim mumbled, still not looking at Storm.
"Never seen you like this, Zim. Cheer up! Surely the COntrol Brains will allow you to continue your mission on Earth. They may even consider it your Tallest Training." Storm reasoned.
"Taller Zim." a Guard spoke up. "If it may help, I have extra Irken headache solution, if you'd like to use it."
"No, The Almighty Zim needs none of your Superior yet Inferior Irken Medicine. Zim has his own." He said, spreading his own solution across his forehead.
"Blabble, no one wants your Headache Solution. It doesn't work, and it just makes everything worse." Storm said, grabbing the vial of solution and throwing it into the airlock. "Also, guards, Seize Blabble!" Storm yelled, the three other guards grabbing on to the fourth guard.
"Stupid Meekrob Assassin. You think we wouldn't notice you?" Zim asked, smirking devilishly.
"I- How? How did you know?" Blabble asked, still not taking off the disguise.
"Well, for one, you've got WAY too much chest armour for an Irken. The one weak-spot of the Meekrob. Also, that vial looked NOTHING like an Irken Headache Solution. It was too green." Zim explained, ripping off the chest armour, showing the glowing underbelly of the Meekrob Assassin.
"How can it be too green? It was seventy-five red, one-hundred-fifty-four green!" The Assassin yelled, finally changing back to a Meekrob form, the three guards holding him chuckling.
"HAHAHAHA! You FOOL! IT'S SEVENTY-SIX RED AND ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-THREE GREEN!" Zim screamed, the other Irkens going quiet and cringing at the volume of his laughter.
"Zim, take care of this pest." Storm said simply, sitting down.
"Gladly." He pulled out a Standard-Issue Irken Invader Blaster Pistol from the holster on his side. "Goodbye, Meekrob scum." He said, pulling the trigger sending a wave of energy straight into the Meekrob's chest, yet he didn't explode like they normally do.
The Meekrob chuckled. "Heheh, you didn't think I wouldn't come prepared, did you?" A Meekrob Blaster shot forward, hitting Zim directly in the right-shoulder.
"AHH! THE PAIN!" Zim screeched, falling on the floor.
"You dirty Meekrob bastard." Storm growled menacingly, ripping the blaster out of the Meekrob's hand. He motioned to the Pilot. Take us to the Massive. I will let the Control Brains know of this little, Interruption." He said, punching the Meekrob in the face for emphasis. "I'm gonna have fun experimenting on you. Every one of your pain-receptors will be screaming out in unimaginable pain. Do you understand?" Storm asked vilely, almost matching Gaz in intensity. The Meekrob looked indifferent while the guards holding said Meekrob looked horrified. Storm was a lovable Tallest, and nobody ever really saw this side of him.
"THE PAIN IN MY SUPERIOR IRKEN BODY! OH THE PAIN!" Zim continued to scream.
"You see that?" Storm asked the Assassin, pointing at Zim. "That's what a tickle will feel like." Storm said, as they landed on the Massive.
The doors opened, and immediately four Irken Prisoner Escorts seized the Meekrob while five Irken Medics began working on Zim's shoulder as they carried him to the Medbay, Zim yelling obscenities and uttering screams of pain all the way.
That's when Storm noticed something strange, INSIDE the Meekrob. "Aw, for the love of Irk, EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Storm yelled and the Meekrob was release and he turned to face the Tallest and wink, as he blew up into a million pieces, blasting a huge hole in the side of the Massive. "Grab onto something! I don't want to lose any more Irkens!" Storm yelled, pulling a piece of Ziminite from his pocket, the one he was squeezing earlier. "Zim, I hope to Irk this stuff works." He mumbled to himself, stretching the ball into a square plate about the size of Dib's head. "Here goes nothing!" he yelled, dropping the Ziminite to the gaping hole in the ship.
The Ziminite instantly reacted, quickly Expanding and growing itself to fit the huge hole in the Ship, attaching itself to wires and the floor in the Massive, quickly and effectively sealing the hole. Irkens cheered as they surrounded the Tallest, cheering and thanking Storm for his quick thinking.
"Hey, don't thank me. Thank Taller Zim. He's the one that created that material." Storm said, the cheers instantly stopping.
"Wait, the same Zim that ruined Operation Impending Doom I and was exiled at the start of OID II?" A random Irken soldier questioned. "The Defective one?"
Storm cringed at the word. "Yes… The Defective Zim. Taller Zim has created the material that saved our lives. Be grateful." Storm said slowly, eyeing each Irken's reactions.