Red eyed his new co-Tallest's un-gloved hand with a smug grin, watching as the medics were patching his new wound up. Domino was part of the Empire now, and there was no way he could go back. Now Red had the help he needed in the Empire's new repopulation mission. He would make sure that something like this wouldn't happen again, no matter how many years it would take. As for Zim, he had the most horrendous execution in plan for the Irken. All he had to do was wait as his assassins tracked him down.

"Remi, tell me if you have any word on Kyo and Rhas." Red commanded, glancing to an adviser next to him.

The female looked down at her PAK and took out a holographic clipboard, turning it on and reading the feeds. "Yes My Tallest. They're tracking him towards the Milky Way galaxy."

Domino watched the exchange carefully, frowning. So they did think it was Zim…

"Back to that sinkhole of a planet we sent him to… I should have guessed." Red got up and shooed away the medics. "Domino, we have plans. Come with me."

Domino stood up and moved to snap his gauntlets on, wincing when it brushed over the still-raw wounds. "So much for avoiding this…" He sighed to himself.

The ship had landed inside the factory yard, Avery not waiting a second longer until he jumped out of the door and ran towards an entrance. He knew the laboratory inside and out, and he knew where exactly he was supposed to go. Dib cried out from behind, falling face first on the ground before crawling to his feet and stumbling after him. "Avery!" He shouted, following him through the rubble and through narrow spaces. Avery finally stopped when they had reached a hallway that was caved in.

"The basement… Dib, don't hold me back." He snapped, grasping the sides of his head and shutting his eyes.

Dib was shaking, looking around frantically when he realized the whole building was moving. "A-avery we'll be crushed!" He shouted, instinctively grasping onto him.

The touch didn't break his focus, forcing the rubble to break apart and allow a crack. A cry was heard, but Avery caught it, throwing a falling piece of concrete out of their range. "Make this quick before they settle." He grasped Dib's wrist again and led him through the narrow crack, both of them having to struggle slightly before they ended up on the other side.

It was dark, in fact Dib had wondered how long it was since the entire area had seen any source of light. He pulled out his cellphone and turned it on, allowing the screen to be their flashlight. "How much air would we have down here?" He asked quietly.

"We don't need air, we need the files." Avery, too focused on what he wanted at the moment snatched the phone away and led him down the steps to another hallway with rows of rooms, having been untouched by the explosion that destroyed it all. Avery knew each and every room, so much that it made him shudder. Dib noticed it and tentatively reached to touch his shoulder, having his own memories of rooms and what they inflicted on him.

Avery didn't say anything when he felt the hand on him, leading them to the room at the end of the hallway. Hesitantly he reached out, his hand hovering over the door knob for one moment before he reached forward and opened it.

There was a cave-in.

At least, that's what they both assumed, when the sound of falling concrete made them both leap into the room.

"DIB!"

The all-too familiar voice broke him out of his panic, the light becoming more prominent when a beam of light evaporated the fallen rock from the stairwell. Out from the opening a figure moved like a shot and bashed themselves into a piece of collapsing ceiling. Dib opened his eyes as the figure landed in front of him and Avery, the shine of the weapon in her hand revealing it to be Runa. "R—Runa?"

"Dib-stink! You think you can flee to this trash heap with that alien filth without me knowing?" Zim marched down the steps, his spider legs retracting back into his PAK. "It's a good thing my pet knows what that brother of hers is thinking, or else we wouldn't have caught up."

"Avery…" Runa frowned, realizing what this place was. "I was trying to hide this."

The sibling in question ignored her and sat up, glaring. "I have to know. I have to know what that bastard wanted to do! If we weren't Richard Bloodstone's children then who the hell do we call father?"

Dib could hear Avery's voice breaking as he spoke, looking at Zim and frowning before getting up to follow Avery into the room.

"Richard Bloodstone is our father, Avery it doesn't change anything. Zachariah…he's the one—"

"I don't want them to know anything else!" Avery snapped, the floor shaking. He narrowed his eyes at both Zim and Dib behind them, "It's not their business, it's ours and ours alone."

"Too late, Avery-trash." Zim growled, moving up to take Runa by the arm. "I already know everything. Your sister is more loyal to the great Zim than to her own blood."

The alien's words made Avery's glare move to Runa, in which the woman looked away in shame. "I can't lie to him, Avery… He's my contractor! I tried to keep it secret but—"

"But nothing." Avery stated darkly, turning to the wall of file cabinets at the opposite end of the room.

Zim found Avery's reaction amusing, stepping closer and grinning from cheek to cheek. "It's amazing to discover that you were once an experiment bent on human desecration. I mean, the human race is completely tainted in stupidity but this one Zachariah Genesis had the idea to eradicate the race by using two of its own? I wish I was able to meet the human so I can pick his brain."

"That's not just it." Avery shouted. "That man killed our father, stole him away from us! We were infants! Then he went and started loading us with countless chemicals that fucked with our brains. He had a sick goal and used us to get to it. I was just the lucky one who killed him in the end."

There was a silence that followed Avery's words that made Runa and Dib shiver. They stepped away from the two, already knowing the rage Avery held. Slowly, he turned to face Zim, his right eye twitching. He reached out to grab the Irken by the collar and pulled him close so suddenly. The grinning alien was face to face with the angry hybrid, not at all scared.

"You are stepping into something that will tear you apart like it did me." He whispered, the look on his face smoldering. "I mean that too, I will tear you apart. I will reach inside that scrawny green body of yours and use my hands to tear you inside and out. I will grab your organs and extract them. I will strangle you with those organs and laugh as you bleed to death. When it's over I will tear out your eyes and mount them on my wall."

When Avery was done there was an applause. All eight eyes trailed over to a doorway where two heavily armed Irkens were grinning happily.

Only then Zim looked quite scared.

"That sounds absolutely fantastic." The female purred, her lime colored eyes glinting mischievously, "Though My Tallest has a better idea for the traitor."

"Runa, defense mode!" Zim shouted out at once.

"Who the hell are they?"

"RUNA!" Zim practically screamed, scrambling to hide behind Avery.

It was like a switch, and Runa was on one of the Irkens immediately with her sword to his throat. She was pushed back immediately.

"They're all in on it!" The male shouted, caught off-guard, "Fire!"

"RUN!" Zim practically stabbed Avery with his spider appendage, forcing the other forward while Dib scrambled out of the way of the laser shots and ran as fast as he could up the stairway. Avery was practically dragged by Zim, but a hook was launched forward, embedding itself into Avery's leg. The Hybrid screamed out and fell to the floor.

"AVERY!" Runa cried out while battling the other Irken, and as much as Zim wanted to leave Avery laying there on the floor his mostly absent conscience got the better of him and he launched himself for Avery.

The woman only laughed, taking out another gun and firing out an electrical wave. When Zim took a hold of Avery the electric current hit him in the PAK, causing the alien to scream and collapse over the other male.

Runa growled out and advanced on the male, looking almost livid she charged at him, only to be shot back by the male Irken's gun.

Dib was too late, having doubled back when he realized that no one was behind him, only to witness the two Irkens grab both Avery and Zim and teleport out of the area. "Z—Zim—Avery!" He ran at them, throwing himself just as their images disappeared from sight. He fell to the floor hard, coughing and stumbling to his knees. Runa was unconscious in the corner.

"What the hell just happened?" Dib cursed to himself, crawling over to Runa to check her pulse. "Damnit…" He looked down to the open wound on her side, wincing. At least she was alive. "Where did they go?"

"Where…" Avery only remembered two things, a piercing agony and a blinding light. The next thing he knew he was inside an empty tube. Glancing next to him he saw Zim, slumped over unconscious in a tube of his own. Avery winced, looking down and finding that his leg was still bleeding. He leaned onto his good one for now, "H-…hey!" He called out, pounding on the glass. "Hey! What the hell is going on here—"

Before he could end his sentence both tubes whirred, a green liquid filling up the spaces like a flood, engulfing both of them until they were floating weightlessly inside of it. Avery coughed at first, trying to breathe until a tube had extended down from the top of his container, waving in front of him teasingly. He took it immediately and breathed into it. The air was stale and recycled but he wasn't going to complain.

Avery looked over to the other tube, seeing that Zim hadn't roused from the sudden flood. It looked like he was able to breathe in the fluid… no, why would he care anyway? Avery touched the glass again, scanning the area outside of it. From the looks of the glass they were in space. He cursed that. There was no way in hell he could get out without potentially suffocating himself. Avery tried to think of another way, taking another breath and making a fist in attempt to break the glass.

An Irken made her way into Avery's view, folding her arms and laughing to herself. "Unbreakable Irken technology, human. You'll sooner shatter your hand than escape."

Avery narrowed his eyes at her,

'Why am I here?'

The Irken's eyes widened in shock, staring at Avery and glancing around. "Did you—"

'Telepathy you idiot, why am I here?'

Her antennae twitched at the insult and she turned back to him, "Not many species can do what you do…this looks like a good haul. The Traitor Zim and an advanced species in one day. That will earn us some snacks."

Avery kicked the glass with his good foot, 'I don't give a damn about what you're saying. Tell me why I am here? Who are you? I demand answers.'

The Irken only chuckled, "Ah…excuse me." She bowed mockingly. "My name is Rhas, I'm an Elite Assassin with the Irken Empire. You're here under the assumption that you are working with the Traitor. Although, for your sake you better not be… our Tallest has been wanting to spill more than just a small amount of blood." She left him alone after that, laughing a little gleefully at the thought of bloodshed.

Avery looked at Zim again and thought about his situation. It was a good chance to opt out of whatever they were planning for him and happily watch the asshole go up in proverbial flames. If it wasn't for Zim, his sister wouldn't be the way she is. His past would have stayed the same. He'd have his laboratory and most of all,

'Dib wouldn't be bothering you.'

The voice came from outside the tube, showing an exact image of himself observing the electronics. 'If Zim wasn't in your hide that Dib wouldn't have looked to you as an obsession. But you liked that, did you? You enjoyed someone so concerned with you that they put their own self aside.' The visage laughed lightly. 'Poor poor mistreated Avery, finally getting something he wanted… and if you play your cards right, that alien will die and Dib will never speak to you again.'

Avery's eyes fell at the thought and he sighed, leaning against the glass and glancing at the floating body in the other tube. 'He'd loathe me.'

'But isn't it what you want?' Avery's image smirked, 'You want that solace. You want to remain alone where it's safe and no one can touch you. Dib is only a thorn in your side, that alien is a horrible nuisance.'

Avery continued to stare at Zim, trying to make up his mind. He hated this. He hated having to hold that gun again. He hated having to choose whether or not to pull the trigger.

Eventually Avery decided to not decide, letting himself go limp in the tube and leaning his head on the glass. There was nothing he could do. He didn't want to choose. He didn't want to play God again.

Hours seemed to pass between his momentary surrender, and along the way he had fallen asleep. Eventually some loud shrieking brought him back to reality.

"AVERY!"

The voice was cracking between screams.

"AVERY!"

He rose his head slowly.

"SHUT HIM UP!" Kyo growled, hitting his glass tube. "The little shit has been screaming for an HOUR!"

"AVERY!"

"What the hell is an Avery? Someone just give him an Avery!" Rhas was tugging her antennae in frustration.

"I'm Avery…" The rudely awoken male grumbled in irritation, glaring at the still-screaming Zim.

Rhas slammed her fist on a button and the containers emptied out all of their green liquid, draining into a grated floor around it. Without a word she took a pipe to his tube and shattered it open, dragging Avery out and cramming him in the tube with Zim. "THERE! Have your Avery and shut up before I shoot your head off!"

"Is it good to put them in the same tube?" Kyo asked, frowning.

"I don't care, just if it shuts the idiot up!" The female shouted, going back into the cockpit.

Kyo stared at the shattered tube and sighed, pressing a button on the wall that replaced the glass and leaving.

"AV—" The Irken's screaming was cut short when the male was thrown on top of him, Avery making a move to hit the Irken straight in the face before settling into the other side of the cramped spot. "Hey!"

"I was doing perfectly fine in my own fucking tube!" Avery shouted back, and soon he was punched so hard the back of his head hit the glass. "You sonofa—"

Kyo peeked back to the holding cell and laughed, "Yo Rhas you did something nice, those two are going at it."

"Good, I hope the thing kills him before we do."

An Irken raced through the hallways, pushing himself through the gathered crowds and making his way to the lunchroom. At the very back of the room he could see a very hungry Red and a bemused Domino sitting in their VIP seating, a bunch of snacks in front of them. "My Tallests!" He cried out as he skidded to a stop before the table.

Domino was the first to rouse from his own thoughts, quirking an antennae before jabbing Red in the gut to get his attention. The smaller Irken didn't catch the two exchanging loathing glares at each other before Red stood up. "What is it?"

"The Elysia made its capture. They're on their way back and along with Zim they caught a human with telepathy abilities."

Domino's interest was piqued but he didn't show it.

The word 'telepathy' rang a bell in Red's head and he made it quite obvious that he was interested. "That's a rare trait for species these days… Did they say that human was a partner of his?"

The Irken shook a little. He was nervous, and of course one would be when Red leaned over him looking like he could devour him any moment. "Uh—they—they don't know yet sir. They want you to—as—as—assess—the human for yo—yourself."

The gears in Red's mind were turning. A creature with Telepathy was pretty much rare, especially since they took the initiative to erase those with such an ability from the universe. He regretted that, wiping the more advanced species off the map so they could rise above them—only to be almost wiped out completely. He had an idea for this human. And if it had anything else 'special' about it then he was going to keep it.

Domino noticed Red's calculating expression and how it was scaring the little Irken. He sighed and got up to pat the Irken's head. "Good job, okay? Shoo before my colleague looks any creepier."

The Irken looked quite shocked that he was touched that way and beamed, nodding and running off.

Domino chuckled a little and Red turned to glare at him. "A Tallest doesn't touch lessers like that, are you trying to make us look less menacing?"

He shrugged, "What is so wrong with a little positive reinforcement? Just because they're smaller doesn't mean they're not just as hard working."

Red looked angry at that and grabbed the other's arm, showing him his own hand. "THIS means that you're better than the rest of them. Don't forget that you're on my turf Domino, and what I say goes. Your beliefs aren't valid anymore." He hissed, pulling him closer. "You are a Tallest now, and you belong to me."

Domino didn't cower at the words, but rather he matched glare for glare. "If you think you can control me then you must be dumber than you look. We're not in the academy anymore, Red. You are not my master and I have quit being your slave."

Their words were an octave below a whisper, fully aware of the other people in the room. It didn't stop them from trying to win the battle for dominance. Finally, Red yanked on Domino's arm hard, leading the second Tallest to the nearest broom closet where they began to punch and bite each other. Thankfully it was big enough for a battle.

"That mark on your neck means you're still mine Domino!" Red punched him in the abdomen, but reeled back when Domino went for his face.

"What makes you think that treating me like garbage for half my life would ever make me submit to you? I am not your—AH!"

A harsh bite to his antennae caused him to collapse to the floor. It was a pain that wasn't like any other, as well as a cheap shot. Red took that moment to grab him by the throat, squeezing down. "Fighting back is only going to make it worse for you."

Domino was losing consciousness, clawing at Red's hand desperately. When it released his color flooded back into his face and he gasped out for breath.

Red only grinned wickedly. "I can do what I want to you, just like the old days."

"We aren't—in the academy. Purple is dead and you lost your mind!" Domino shouted, his eyes narrowed. "You're losing it, going through all these extremes. You never needed me! The empire doesn't survive on two Tallests! You're losing your sanity and you want someone to take with you!"

Red stayed quiet for the most part of it, and when Domino was finished he grinned and kicked the other hard in the middle. When The Tallest was down he knelt beside him and took a hold of his antennae. "I may be, and I will drag you down until you don't know what you believe in anymore. By the time I'm done this Empire will be perfect again, and you will be kneeling at my feet." He jabbed at the other's jugular with his free claw then, "Mention Pur again and I will slit your throat." He let go of Domino then and left the room, whistling.

The other Irken waited a while before stretching out with a groan, letting his aching body relax against the metal floor. "I was afraid this would get difficult…" He said to himself, reaching for his chest plate and opening it, pulling out a small microphone. "You guys be careful. Red's lost it."