Chapter Notes

Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim

Author's Note's: Okay guys we're almost done with this series! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks for reading and please review!

(Back with Zim...)

Death…

It was the end of all things, and yet it was woven into his destiny. Form the day he was born he had been told death would mark his path to victory. It was a victory he chose not to have, no Zim would not kill his father for he did not wish to have his throne. Of course, the same was often said when it came to Maz. Zim, had been completely fine with giving his brother the throne, however now things had changed.

Maz was dead, killed by his own hands, and Zim was once again cleaning up a mess that he himself had caused in the first place. Zim shook his head knowingly as he and the other's moved along the corridors of the Massive. Several soldiers blocked their path, but the only thing they did was slow them down.

Dib was surprised to see that his Irken comrades did not hesitate to injure a fellow Irken soldier. Zim showed no slowness in his stride as he plowed through them, not even bothering to look back to ensure that they had fallen. They were nothing but a distraction, a tool used to slow them down so that Emperor Nax could stall for time.

It was just like his father to do this, which is why Zim had expected it. The ex-invader fired his blaster at another oncoming soldier. If he had taken the time he might have recalled the poor saps name, however for obvious reasons he turned a blind eye. This was what he hated most about his people. That in order to climb up in the world you had knock down anything that got in your way, including another Irken.

Zim allowed himself to chance a look at his mate, naturally Dib was holding up his own. Sure the attack with the Spiders had shown he was rusty due to their long period of peace. However, the past few days of war had sharpen him like sword. Dib was now ready for everything, and still Zim could not stop worrying about his wellbeing. He had to make this end and quickly, and yet a part of him wanted it to never end.

Why?

Because a part of him knew what winning this war would mean. It would mean that Zim would be the new Emperor of Irk, and where would that leave him and Dib. Was it far to ask Dib to leave with him? To abandon everything he knew and love with no guarantee that they would ever come back?

Would the humans even want them back?

Probably not, sure they had done well so far on keeping the majority of the human race finding out what was going on. However, Zim knew that Professor Membrane had to tell at least the human ground forces that an attack was possible. After all if they failed Earth's own military defenses would be its last hope. And the chances of them allowing Irkens to land on Earth's precious soil once more, especially after this mess was slim to none.

Could Zim ask that Dib? To completely isolate himself from his own people for what every well could be the rest of his nature life span?

Dib could feel Zim's eyes on him, but he did not allow that to distract him from the mission. Years of fighting Zim had taught Dib how to handle any soldier that came his way. It was weird, he never notice how much he learn by having Zim as an enemy until he was forced to fight another Irken. He moved at a speed he didn't think possible, and executed moves that seemed to happen as if on instinct. And he could tell that his grace and flowing movement impressed the Irken soldiers around him.

Zim smiled, Dib was already proving to be the perfect mate, he fought like any capable Irken warrior and he was beginning to feel silly for worrying about the human at all. Had Dib not proven his worth time and time again already? Had he not stop his every scheme and foiled his every plan of conquest? And still, even after all they had been through together, Zim still had the audacity to doubt him.

Meanwhile, Tak was also holding her own in the battle. The four comrades had made it swiftly through the maze of the massive and were closing in on the main observation deck. It was there that the Tallest and their pilots would usually sit. No enemy had ever gotten this far on the Massive before which only went to prove how dangerous a rogue Irken really was.

The empire was actually going to lose, and strangely at the same time by losing it would gain so much more. A new leader, A new Tallest, and a fresh start in a new path; irk was about to be remolded before her very eyes and all she could think about was her.

Gaz…

It just now occurred to Tak that she may never see her again even if they won. If the massive landed back on Earth it could be seen as a declaration of war. There could be chaos and panic, such a realization was beginning to wear on her and now she was starting to regret leaving Gaz on Earth. She could remember how hurt Gaz looked when she was forced to stay behind, and for the first time ever Tak realizes that she may have indirectly insulted the human female.

By forcing Gaz to stay put she was implying that Gaz was not strong enough to fight alongside her. Which was not the case. Tak kicked herself mentally as she realized this all a little too late and yet at the same time she told herself that it was for the best. She couldn't possibly allow Gaz to leave with her, which is what the human female would insist on doing. And Tak would not let her leave behind everything she knew for her. Especially since the two of them was not entirely sure what they even had.

For Zim and Dib it was obvious, they were mates. But as Gaz had openly pointed out She and Tak were not that far I their relationship. It was still more of a friendship then anything close to something intimate and personal. And to ask Gaz to leave everything she knew just to find out if they could be more just wasn't fair. What if they left together only to figure out that they would never be more than friends? Gaz would have left home for nothing and would have no way to get back.

Sure there was a chance she could come back, but Tak could not predict how the rest of the Humans would react to this. Surely the Membrane family did not think they could keep this battle quiet from their entire planet. To do so would to leave them unprepared and vulnerable, Now that Professor Membrane could no longer deny the existence of aliens he'd have to tell the public of the pending threat.

To not do so would be leaving Earth unprepared for another potential attack by another more powerful race. And once Earth knew about aliens, well she doubted they'd be friendly; humans often acted hostile towards the new and unknown. Heck they had a problem with not being hostile towards other humans much less entire different species.

All and all it was best to leave Gaz on Earth and never look back, however just the mere thought of doing so left a hole in her chest. She remembered how painful it was to leave Gaz the first time when she returned to planet Dirt. How many times was she tempted to turn back?

Too many to count, and now she was about to do it again. The question was did she really have the strength to do so. Could she continue to live with the questions of "What if?" Could she go the rest of her days wondering what would have happened if she had given this thing between them a chance?

Skoodge dodged an oncoming blast of a plasma riffle and disarmed the soldier in on swift movement. They were almost to the main observation deck once through there they would reach the bridge where no doubt the Emperor and the Tallest were waiting. He couldn't believe this mission was already over, heck he couldn't even believe that they had gotten this far. And yet despite all the odds against them the four pressed forward like an unstoppable machine. It amazed him, they were actually going to overthrow the strongest and most feared emperor in the known universe.

Skoodge couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as they pressed on ever deeper into the enemy's domain. He would be forever known as one of the few to change Irken history for years to come. It was a powerful feel especially since he had expected to be the first to die in their last battle. And yet against all odds the six who had started this war were now joined by hundreds of members of enslaved slaved races that all wanted the same thing.

Freedom!

Still, Skoodge wondered what would become of Irk once this War was over. If Zim freed all the enslaved races as he promised what would Irk do instead of concurring worlds? For as long as Skoodge can remember they had been invaders. What if they couldn't find a new niche? What would they do then? Skoodge shook the thought away as the entrance to the observation deck came into view. He had to have faith that Zim had a plan for them, and focus on the battle at hand.

They were so close now, and could not afford for his thought to waver. Zim and Tak needed him to pull his own weight and get them inside. For each of them had their own battle to win, one that could never begin if Skoodge and Dib could not help them get through that door.

The last soldier in their path fell and the four comrades stopped at the entrance to the observation deck to catch their breath. No doubt all hell would break lose the moment they opened this door.

"This is it." Zim rasped. The fight here had winded him slightly. Of course, that was the point; by tiring himself out Zim was at a disadvantage in his fight with his father. A strategy that only proved just how unfair his father's methods were. Still, Zim was use to impossible odds fighting Dib for all these years had given him an endurance he had never thought possible. He could only hope this endurance would be enough to see him through. "Skoodge you and Dib clear us a Path to the Bridge and shut down the command center."

Skoodge and Dib nodded.

"Once the command center goes dark Lard Nar and his fighters can finish their fight with little to no effort." Tak added.

"You just have to hold out long enough for me to finish my father." Zim continued. "Once he's gone this war is over."

"Alright let's do this." Skoodge said, trying not to lose his nerve.

"Zim…" Dib whispered.

Their eyes met for a moment and then the moment was gone replace by a look of determination.

"Good luck." Dib finally manage to say.

Zim smiled. "You too."

And with that the doors opened and chaos ensued…

(Back with Gir and Mimi…)

This was perhaps the most fun Gir had ever had…

At the moment he and Mimi were head to head in a contest of stealth and wits. Several Irken soldiers had tried and failed to bring both the shield generator and the super weapon back on line. And they failed because Gir and Mimi would attack them the second they got to close to completing their work.

On their first attempt a few Irken technicians had managed to heave the heavy generator back into the control room where they began their repairs. However, Mimi had not let them get far before she ordered the attack. Within seconds Gir and Mimi were taking down the Irken techs each eager to defeat more than the other.

"I defeat 3!" Gir declared proudly. "Praise me!"

Mimi laughed, Gir was actually kind of fun, sure his methods were ludicrous at best but she had to admit turning everything into a game or a challenge did make a fight more interesting. "Good work Gir!" She praised. "But I got 4." She bragged.

"Aw you so much smarter than me." He cooed. "Mimi wins!" he declared.

"Now on to round 2." Mimi advised.

Gir nodded happily and ran off to his next hiding spot.

The mission went like that over and over again, each time a group of technicians came in they'd pick up where the last team left off. After a while a few soldiers started to join them in hopes of keeping the bots at bay as they completed their work. However, their efforts were in vain, because Mimi still had the power conductor for both the shield and super weapon. Of course, the enemy wouldn't figure that out until they completed one of them.

A task Gir would not allow them to complete. Every time the enemy got close Gir would swoop in out of nowhere and rip the generator or super weapon from the floor and throw it down the hole all over again. A task that the Sir unit had declared "Bonus points" however, it was obvious that the Sir unit simply thought it was funny to ruin all of their hard work.

Within the hour the two Sir units were all tied up in points and itching to settle the final score.

"You'd think they'd give up." Mimi said as she watched more soldiers enter the control room.

"No techys." Gir pointed out. "How they gonna fix the machines with no Techys?"

"I think they want to get rid of us first." Mimi reasoned.

Gir frowned. "Aw man no more bonus points." He whined.

"Nope." Mimi said with a smile. "Just regular points."

"I had the mostest fun with you today." Gir told her before giving her a big hug.

Mimi allowed the hug to last for a second and then pulled away. "This looks like our last stand." She told him.

"Yah final round!" Gir cheered happily.

Mimi had to admit that she was equally as excited, but for other reasons. The Sir Unit was eager to get back to her master. It was her job to assist and protect Tak when needed, and to be away from her in the mist of battle made the droid feel a bit nervous.

"They'll be fine." Gir told her suddenly, as if he just read her mind. "Our masters are invincible!"

Mimi nodded, perhaps it was just his child likeness that was to blame, but she envied the fact the Gir seemed to have no trouble with being blindly confident in his own master's abilities. In fact Gir didn't seem to worry about Zim at all as if he just knew there was no way his master could possibly lose. To have that much faith in him, Mimi could not begin to comprehend. Every second she was away was another second Tak could be I trouble. It wasn't that she doubted her master's skills.

No Tak was one of the best even if the Tallest could never see it! However, Mimi could not help but fear for her survival. No one had ever defeated the Irken Emperor before, and while their team had gotten further than any one had ever done before. She couldn't help but fear the worst was yet to come.

"Let's finish the game and get back to our masters." Mimi insisted. Yes, surely Tallest Mookie would see this as a lost cause after this final battle. After all, as Gir had pointed out he didn't even bother to send any technicians.

"This Mookie is a terrible Tallest." Gir declared.

Mimi smiled. "My Tak will do much better." She assured him.

"I hope so cause this is sad." He said and then added. "Now let's destroy them all!"

Mimi nodded and in an instant the Sir units made their final stand…

(Back with Gaz…)

She could not stand to wait any longer…

No now that the war above was in full swing her task on the ground was useless so without a word to her father she strapped herself into a fifth prototype fighter jet. This one was being created just in case Zim called for reinforcements.

'Well he's getting back up whether he likes it or not.' As she began the starting up sequence.

"Daughter please stay with me." Professor Membrane begged. He couldn't bear to have both of his children out of reach.

"Don't get soft on me now dad." Gaz warned and then softened. "I got to go, Tak needs me."

Professor Membrane sighed but nodded. "Just make sure your brother makes it home for dinner." He warned.

Gaz smiled. "Thanks dad."

Professor Membrane nodded and backed away and with one last fleeting glace at her father Gaz lifted off into space and towards the chaos above.

End Notes

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The next update will be soon! Until then this is Emily signing off :)