District 10...
Non-Humans are among us...
Author's NOTE: when Toby is narrating, the words will be outlined like this. When it is in the flash-back, it'll be like this.
"What?" Dib asked astonished.
"I am her Brother…"
"But…But…that doesn't make sens-"
"IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE! IT IS WHY I AM ALWAYS PROTECTING HER! WHY I AM ALWAYS THERE FOR HER! WHY I AM ALWAYS COMFORTING HER! ALWAYS TRYING TO LIFT HER SPIRITS WHEN SHE IS DOWN! MAKING SURE NOBODY MISTREATS HER! SO DO NOT TELL ME IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE!" he screamed. Dib cringed.
"…But I don't get it…How come you kept it a secret?…"
"…Because…Irkens aren't supposed to have siblings…"
"…I'm so sorry, Toby…"
He sighed and rested his head in his hands. To much had happened in his sad, Irken life.
"I am sorry as well, Dib."
"But you don't have anything to be sorry about-"
"Yes. Yes I do. I have been blaming you for all of my problems in my life."
"But I caused all of those problems by getting sprayed by the fluid! Look at me! I'm turning into an Irken for Christ's sake! I'm the reason you guys can't go home!"
"That may be true Dib, but my troubles started a long time ago, when I was just a Smeet…"
"…What happened?…" Dib asked nervously, afraid of offending him. Toby merely sighed.
"Dib, You deserve to know so that you may understand…."
Toby untied the string holding his Trash-Can over his back. He rested it on the ground, and reached his arms out behind his back, trying to feel for his PAK. Once he did, he pressed a button on it, and the whole thing started to glow. Dib took great notice in Toby's PAK, as it wasn't like any others he had ever seen on Irkens. It seemed to be a robotic type of one, and resembled that of a grenade. It had many dents in it, and seemed to have many scrap metals welded to it. After about thirty-seconds of it glowing and vibrating, two metal cords produced from it, shining in the moon-light. The cords appeared to have a mind of their own, and slithered up like snakes. They circled around his head before striking it on each sides. A few computer like sounds echoed from them, and Toby fiercely shut his eyes. Once opened, they were an entirely different color. It was a color of…emptiness…
"…Dib…" he spoke lifelessly, "…Prepare for my Origins…"
Long ago, when our galaxy was still developing Planets, one was made that was to be the most powerful of all…
…Irk…
It was a very rocky planet, resembling that of your moon, except being several times bigger. It was the shade of Green, and our sky was blood red. It was cold and lifeless, but soon, The mighty Irken race developed…
When Irkens first came to existence, The we were a very peaceful race, and vowed to help dying Planets…
But We soon became violent with no one to control us. Various irkens wanted to be the leader of our world, but they never succeeded …
Rioting soon started, and our peaceful ways soon became history…
And then, the first Tallest appeared…
This Irken was named Yered. No one knew how this Irken had gotten to this height, but we all thought he was a god. So, he was placed in power…
With a leader and no more arguments between all of us, we could return to our peaceful ways and try and help other Planets with our technology…
But no. Yered hated that. He wanted power, power of all worlds. He commanded that Irkens make new, more violent technology. Irkens were cast out against their wills and trained to survive on other Planets. These Irkens soon earned the titles of Invaders.
Irkens hated it, but Yered was ruthless and used force. One after one, Planets became victim to our race. And soon enough, Irkens started to enjoy this power…
They forgot their ways of old and welcomed their new, ruthless nature…
But even though all of the Planets were being conquered, new ones kept showing up…
It was The Meekrob…
Another race that was older than we were…
They had powers. Powers no other being in our universe could ever have. And they used it for good…
And soon, war broke out…
But the Meekrob were too powerful…
So, anger broke out from Yered, and he demanded that the Meekrob be taken care of…
A descendant of an Invader currently known as Tenn went out and was able to conquer their world after learning their secrets…
…And they colonized a new Planet, but did not use their powers to create new worlds…
Yered was pleased that they would not have to worry about new planets popping up that they would have to destroy, but he soon fell ill and died…
His son, Grang, become the new Tallest, but he was even more ruthless than his father…
He had lost the girl he loved…
And he declared that Irkens should now only be born through breeding tubes…
The few Irkens that fell in love were put to death, and selected Irkens were chose to have some of their DNA extracted from them so that new Irkens could be made and our species wouldn't die out…
…And that is how it went for millenniums, and millenniums, and millenniums…
And then, me and Tak's birth began 444 years ago, which is 37 years on this planet…
A Tallest named Ghyast was in charge then, and he still believed in the rules of old…
Our parents met when they were chosen for their DNA to be extracted, and they eventually fell in love…
My father's name was Tasd, and my mother's name was Namm…
They were both scientists on Irk, and used this to their advantage…
"Namm!" Tasd shouted.
"Yes, Tasd?" Namm asked.
Both of them were in a type of Irken designed lab. Irken logos were all over, and there were beakers, and chemicals, and Irken-like animals in cages, and lasers, ect. Namm was over at a desk, mixing some kind of multi-colored fluid.
Tasd had very red/orangish eyes. His antennas seemed to go straight up, before drooping down in front of him. He had many blue patterns circling all around his face. He wore a lab coat, and had a metallic waist-band containing many home-made weapons. He wore a pure-black Invader's uniform underneath, and had a type of Irken-designed projector tied to his back projecting a force-field around his PAK to keep it safe.
Now Namm had Lilac shaded eyes. Her antennas produced from her head and curled up in a way that made them look like skinny, black, horns. Her face looked like a slight older version of Tak. She wore a purple lab-coat. It had several Irken designed weapons strapped onto it. Her Pak was protected by a type of shield that was somehow attached to her back, and it also had hidden electrical lines welded into it so that anyone who would try and touch it would get a deadly dose of electricity.
Now, back to the story.
"Namm! I've had just gotten word from the Control brains! They'll be extracting DNA from selected Irkens again! The first time again in 180 years!"
"Do you think we'll be chosen for the list?" she sadly asked.
"…I'm afraid so…"
She sighed. She stared up at his face, tears producing in her eyes. He grabbed her and hugged her, letting her tears soak his coat.
"Oh, Tasd" she cried, "I hate doing this! The Irkens that our brought in to this world are just altered clones of us! They'll never have parents or anything! And even if you do see them one day and your so proud of them, they won't even care for you in the slightest! I want kids, Tasd! Real kids! That are my own! That grow in my womb! Ones that call us their parents! And we're never going to get that!"
Tasd had gotten a little sad too but kept it back. He looked into Namm's sweet face and had had enough. He wanted children too. He wanted to be a father. He wanted to help his children grow up, and hope they might be Tallest one day so that they could make a difference. He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.
"Namm. We will have kids of our own."
"But how?"
"We will. We just will…"
He brought her closer to her and kissed her. Their romantic embrace couldn't last long, as if anyone saw them, they would be put to death. In the olden days, if you fell in love, it was a sin. But now, if Irkens are capable of emotions, They are labeled a Defective.
So, they released from their kiss, but gave each other a quick hug.
My mother had specialty in the breeding chambers. She was an operator there. Her task was to load the DNA samples into the breeding chambers so that the life-force may grow into an Irken. She had longed for a child for so long, yet she couldn't have one as it was against the rules of the Empire. So, day after day, she had gotten sadder and sadder…But my father had a plan…
"Namm" he spoke, carrying a type of menacing looking knife, "It's time"
Namm was in a bed. The room around her was constructed of wood and metal. Irken logos on video screens located on walls were shown. She yawned, pulled out some wires going into her Pak from the wall, and got out of bed. She was wearing her Irken spy-scout stable-mech suit. Tasd was wearing the same thing. She got up and went to a "Dresser" and pulled out a gun. She rubbed her eyes to try and get all of the fogginess out. She walked over to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. They both headed out the door after that.
***
It was very foggy out on the surface of Irk. All of the Irkens were done with their duties of serving Ghyast, and all of them were recharging their PAKs soundly. Except two. They made their way through the seemingly empty planet. Namm carried her gun and pointed it in all directions. Anyone could jump them by being hidden in this deep, thick, mist. Tasd got a crow-bar out of his pocket and knelt down. He cleared away some of the fog by swinging his hand around. Once the fog separated from the spot he was waving at, they saw it.
The Hatch.
The place where all Smeets serve their entire life-time until they are old enough to serve the Empire. Normally, Namm would just have to wait for the security black-smith droid to show up and all she needed to do was give her hand-scan. But, after hours no one was allowed to go down there. So Tasd was using his crowbar to open it up so they could go in.
"It's… almost…open!…" he spoke quietly, struggling.
"Come on! You can do It!" Namm assured him, while guarding him, "…Do it for our future kids!"
Tasd became more determined. He squeezed the crow-bar with all of his might. He clenched his teeth. He was pulling so hard that sometimes he would slide and fall on his back, but he didn't give up.
And finally…
CLANK!
The whole door of the hatch popped open. They peered down. It seemed to go on for miles before seemingly sinking into eternal darkness.
"Are you ready?" he asked, holding her hand.
"Yes." she spoke. They both shared a kiss before preparing to go in, but then something happened:
"HALT." a cold, lifeless, robotic sounding voice said from the darkness, "GET AWAY FROM THE HATCH. GET AWAY FROM THE HATCH."
"Oh shit!" she cried, "It's the black-smith droid!"
The Black-Smith droid was a very typical robotic slave on Irk. It had a tiny round body and floated, from each side it produced two tiny claws that were strong enough to rip someone's face off, Scanners and satellites on top of it's "head", lasers that could be instantly whipped out from a compartment on the bottom of it's body, and one menacing robotic eye, shining red. In other words, it's like a menacing version of Irken cameras.
"But I thought you said they were only on duty during service hours to Ghyast!!"
"That's what he told me!"
"THAT INFORMATION WAS FALSE. HE ONLY REPORTED THAT SO IF ANYONE TRIED TO BREAK IN HERE, I MAY STOP THEM. PREPARE FOR THE END."
It lunged towards the two. Tasd used his crow-bar and made a dent in it. It turned around and whipped out it's lasers.
"Namm!" Tasd screamed, "Quickly! Fire your gun!"
"I can't! It might wake the others up!"
"Then why did you even bring a gun!?"
"Because I thought it would be a life form we could threaten! A robot doesn't respond to threats!"
"IT IS A SHAME. NOW PREPARE FOR DEATH."
It zoomed over to her. She screamed. As it was about to fire at her, she used the back of her gun to smash it. It was sent flying out of control before landing in the dirt. Tasd and Namm crouched down to see if it was dead. It was just covered in a clump of mud, with loose wires hanging out and some sparks coming out of it. Suddenly, it sprang to life and attached itself to Tasd's face. He was sent down to the ground trying to get it off.
"Hang on!" she shouted. She wrapped her fist around it and tried to lift it off. It worked, but she was only able to lift it off about two inches off his face. It clawed at her, but she wasted no more time and fired her gun at it, destroying it completely. It was a close call, but it the blast didn't touch her lover's face. The droid fell down the hatch lifelessly, making noise as it hit up against the walls. Tasd stood up with the help of Namm and they both peered down there again.
"Here we go." he said.
"Yes."
They hugged before he started to climb down the hatch himself. She followed, and soon they were surrounded by darkness.
***
They had gotten to the bottom some time ago. They were exploring the entire world underneath them. Thousands of Smeets were put in napping chambers for the night. They looked so peaceful, and that just reminded them why they were doing this.
They made their way to a gigantic metal door in one of the millions of hallways down there. Tasd was staggering around, blind as a bat. But Namm had been here hundreds of times, so she was able to make her way through there on feel alone, and she guided him. So once they finally reached it, she dug into her pockets. She pulled out a tiny computer chip. She stuck it in a mechanical slot by the handle, and the 10-foot tall door opened up, with mist pouring out of it. It was not as dark in the room, but it gave off a type of creepy vibe. It had robot arms guarding the entire chamber. They paid no attention to Tasd and Namm, as they were only programmed to watch the birthing tubes that contained the un- hatched Smeets. But, unfortunately, that's what they came for. Since Namm worked there, she knew every single slot and every single tube that it went in there. She had taken two out of spite, leaving two spots where two Smeets would grow in the containers empty, which slowed down progress a little. She didn't want to think that she had taken any Smeet's lives away by taking those tubes, but she probably did. But she dared not think about it right now. They went through aisles and aisles of Birthing Containers. All of the electronic faces on the containers were sleeping, which meant none were ready to hatch. And once they got to the place where the empty slots were, she pulled out the containers from a little pouch/pocket at the bottom of her uniform. The ones she had taken were very far apart, so it wouldn't arouse suspicion. So that meant the tubes would be twenty-feet away from each other. But, they didn't care. All they wanted was their babies to be safe. They cracked open the containers, ant the noise they made once the cap was taken off echoed throughout the chamber. Tasd and Namm both cringed in fear, but the robot arms merely looked around and went back to guarding the Smeets.
"Okay" Tasd spoke quietly, "Are you ready?"
"yes."
"Okay. Stick out your hand"
She did as she was told. She shut her eyes as he used the blade he brought to cut her hand. He held his hand over her mouth so her screams wouldn't be heard. She then turned her hand side-ways so that her blood dripped in the container. Tasd nodded to her and did the same thing. He then turned his hand side-ways so that his blood went in the container.
"One more time"
"It hurts so much!" she said, crying as silently as she could.
"I know, but the blood has to be fresh."
She sighed and nodded. He cut her other hand, and she dripped the blood in the other container. He brought the blade to himself once more, and did the same. His blood then dripped into the other container.
"Okay" he said smiling, "We did it. Our children shall be born."
"We'll finally be parents" she said smiling. Even though her tears were from the blade, they were now tears of joy.
"Just one more thing." he said, digging in his pockets. He brought out his hand again, and when he opened it up, she could see two miniature PAKs. One had purple spots on it, and the other had green.
"These are their own PAKs. They will have their own unique personalities instead of ruthless, vicious ones that the empire trains them to have. They will be able to resist that demeanor."
"Will it work?"
"Hopefully." he then put the two in their separate container.
"But Irkens have their PAKs installed after birth!"
"Don't worry,. Like I said, these are specially made. As the fetus of the Smeet grows, their PAKs will soon attach themselves. So, by the time they are born, they will already have them."
"That's genius!"
"Well, it's our children. We have to protect them."
She stared at him, smiling, and kissed him. She grabbed one of the containers and ran to the other open spot. Once there, she gave him the thumbs up and they both pushed the containers in. For a second nothing happened, and they feared their plan might have not worked, but suddenly the electronic sleeping faces appeared on the container, which meant it had life inside. The two were so happy they nearly died of all the joy. They could finally have a family. Suddenly, light was shown and one of the robotic hands was towering over them. They knew that they were done for, and that it would pull the plug on their containers containing their Smeets, but then it said something that they would have never expected it to say:
"Step away from those containers" it spoke in a slithery voice, "Those Smeets aren't ready to hatch…"
They were astonished. They were able to pull it off. They moved away, and as they did, a smile crept onto their faces, and they held each other's hands as they made their way out of the chamber and back into the darkness…
***
And that is when Tak's and my life began…Our parents had given us both of their DNA, and so we were their children. Due to the combination of both of their blood samples, our birth only took 24 hours…
A tiny Irken was floating in a Birthing Container. He was asleep. Suddenly, his eyes shot open. He was awake. His eyes were the color of a grenade. His skin was pure army green. He twisted his head around trying to breath. He was in a green liquid. Suddenly, A metal claw came and took out the container from the slot. Another one came and attached itself to the other end. They broke it in half and the little Smeet dropped to the floor, gasping for breath.
As the Cyborg PAK arm that attaches the PAK on Smeets the second they are ready for hatching came, it immediately flipped out once he saw that this Smeet already had a PAK.
"SYSTEM ERROR" the robotic voice yelled throughout the chamber, "SYSTEM ERROR!"
Red sirens began flashing all around the chamber. This scared the little Smeet, who began cowering. Suddenly, another Robotic arm came, towering over the PAK attaching robot arm.
"What is the disturbance?" it asked in a cold hollow voice.
"Error 1234556586576598. Smeet has PAK already. Smeets not supposed to have PAKs when born! Illogical! Illogical!"
"QUIET! AND TURN THOSE SIRENS OFF! DO YOU WANT EVERY SMEET IN THE CHAMBER TO DIE BEFORE THEY EVEN HATCH BECAUSE YOU'RE CAUSING AN UPROAR!?" The robotic arm boomed. The PAK one was now the one who was cowering.
"Checking System" it spoke nervously. The Sirens shut off. The Robotic Arm scolding the other one advanced closer to the little, helpless Smeet. The Smeet backed up a little, but eventually tripped. The RA (Robotic Arm) loomed over him.
"You are right…"
"Should we contact the Tallest to dispose of this defective garbage?" The PAA (Pak Attaching Arm) hissed. The Smeet began to get frightened and shut his eyes, trying to keep out the world around him.
"NO!" the RA roared before going to a tiny, quiet, yet still menacing voice, "We cannot contact Tallest Ghyast for something like this! This IS highly irregular, but we can't sure he's a…Defective…until he's older…"
The RA had said that word as if it was a curse, and it got the innocent Smeet wondering what a "Defective" was…
"…So we'll just keep this little issue private for now. GOT IT?"
"…Yes…"
"Good" the RA suddenly loomed over the Smeet again, "Now prepare for duty!"
The Smeet was confused at what the RA meant, but he didn't have time to think about it as he fell through a trap-door.
Darkness.
That was all he could see.
Air.
That was all he could feel. Air rushing up his whole body.
He was falling. He thought he was going to die for sure. Great. His first minute of life he is scared shitless by two creepy robot arms, and now, he's gonna die. He opened his eyes slightly to see a bright light up ahead. Suddenly, he reached it, and then POW! He fell smack dab onto a DOWNLOAD CHAIR. He sat up, looking injured from the fall.
" You are one minute old, little smeet. Prepare to be filled with the whole of IRKEN KNOWLEDGE" a electronic voice booming from all around the room shouted.
"What? Where am I?"
The machine attached itself to the Smeet and he briefly shut down as information coursed into him. He spasms and jerks with the incoming knowledge. It stops. And he wakes.
"UPLOAD COMPLETE! You have now had all of the Irken knowledge drilled into your head, n-"
"I already knew all that…" the Smeet spoke, a little dazed.
"What?"
"…For some reason…I…already knew all that…"
"WHAT!?"
"I did…I am sorry…"
"SILENCE! That is impossible! You're lying! You're a liar! Now I-"
"…But I did…"
The voice stopped for a few seconds before a computer like-hiss was heard.
"…You have been given a name…" it seethed, "IDENTIFY YOURSELF"
"…I have already got a name…"
"Well of course you do! Your PAK-"
"No…My PAK did not decide it…I…seem to have always had it…"
The electronic voice remained silent. However, it came back on in a harsh whisper, saying-
"If you keep talking like this…The Empire will erase you…"
This scared the little smeet very much, and he wished he had someone to hug…
"Now then" it said in it's normal voice, "What is your name!?"
"…TOBY…"
"Excellent. Now, proceed to the main hallway…"
Toby awkwardly moved out of the chair and began to walk out of the terrifying room to a large metal hover-dolly underneath another Shute.
"Welcome" a voice from the dolly spoke, "Hello little Smeet! This Hover-craft designed by Irken's allies the Vortions shall take you to the main hallway! Hop on!"
Toby was about to do what the dolly told him, since he had had some trouble with some other electronics, but he saw another Smeet plop into the chair.
"Help!" she begged, "Where am I? I need help!"
" You are one minute old, little smeet. Prepare to be filled with the whole of IRKEN KNOWLEDGE"
"No, please! Will it hurt!?"
"NO! Well, a little. Now hold still-"
"PLEASE! DON'T! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! I CAN HANDLE BEING STUPID!!!"
"QUIET! LET THE MACHINE DO IT'S WORK-"
"NO! I WANT MY MOMMY!"
"YOU DON'T HAVE A MOMMY! YOU'RE A FREAKING SCRAP OF DNA SLIGHTLY ALTERED!"
"NO! I DO! I KNOW IT!"
"SHUT UP YOU LITTLE BRAT!"
"HEY! DO NOT TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!" Toby shouted. He ran up to the chair and grabbed onto the arm rest. He struggled, but was able to lift himself up. As he looked in the seat, he saw a tiny, frightened, female Irken, cowering much like he did when he was first born. Which was about a minute ago. She was crying, and she dug her tiny face in her even tinier hands.
"Hey" he spoke to her, "It will be alright. I was afraid too, but it does not hurt."
"Really?"
"Really. It will be over before you know it."
The tiny, girl smeet lifted up her head to reveal her beautiful Violet eyes.
"Okay…" she spoke tearfully. Toby gave her a pat on the back before dropping off the armrest. The Machine attached itself to her much like it did with Toby, and she also shut down as the knowledge coursed into her. Once it stopped, she opened her squinted eyes.
"UPLOAD COMPLETE! You have been given a name. IDENTIFY YOURSELF"
"My name is…Tak…"
"Very good, Now I need you to go-"
"But I feel like I've…always had that name…"
"What?"
"…And like…I've always had the knowledge in my head…"
"Get out."
"What?" she asked the voice.
"GET OUT! IF YOU THINK YOU TWO KNOW EVERYTHING, YOU ARE NO USE TO THE EMPIRE! GET OUT OF HERE, DAMN YOU! GET OUT!"
Tak had gotten even more frightened and was cringing in fear. Toby grabbed her and pulled her away to the dolly. It floated up the shute.
"God! What was up down there?" Toby asked.
"I don't know. I'm just scared."
Toby pitied her and gave her a hug.
"I am sure will be okay. By the way, my name is Toby."
"My name is Tak."
"Pleased to meet you." They both said at once, which caused them to laugh.
"You know, it's strange because…I really did feel like I knew all of that stuff and my name before all that business in that Upload Chair…"
"I did too…And…"
"What, Toby?"
"…I feel like I have known you before too. It is like a natural instinct…"
Tak blinked and stared at this strange Irken…
"…I feel like I've known you before as well…"
The two stared at each other with curiosity. Suddenly there was a bump from beneath them and they lost their balance. Tak stood up and lent Toby a hand.
"Thank you…"
"Don't mention it! You helped me when I was scared, so I' m returning the favor!" she beamed. He smiled and took her hand, and she lifted him up. Once up, he rubbed the back of his head.
"DAMN! Hurts like hell!"
"What? Your head?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh. Sorry about that."
"Do not be. You did not do anything."
"hee hee."
"What? What is funny?"
"You got a funny accent!"
"So do you!"
"I do?"
"Yeah!"
"Cool!"
"You know, your voice sounds like a female version of mine…" he said suspiciously.
"Hey. I do! I do sound like a female version of you!"
"Huh. Weird."
"Hey, look!"
Toby turned around and saw hundreds of THOUSANDS of Smeets marching down the main hallway. The two stared in awe.
"HEY, YOU TWO!" A robotic guard shouted from behind them, "GET MOVING! YOU SMEETS NEED TO KEEP IT MOVING!"
He broke out a whip and, well, tried to whip 'em. They both scuttled over into the crowd of Smeets.
"Wow" Tak spoke, "This place is HUGE…"
"Tell me about it!" he said back. Tak smiled and tapped him on the shoulder.
"What?"
"Hey, umm, I just want to say thanks. You really helped me when I was scared down there…"
"Oh. Well, you are welcome Tak."
As he turned away, his mind started to focus on something else. When she was down there in the chair, she was screaming for her mom. But the voice of the room said that irkens didn't have moms. So how could she have said that? It got him thinking. Was she crazy? Naw. She didn't look mentally unstable. But then again, you never know. But she was just born! Can you be insane when you're just born? How the hell should he know? HE was just born. Maybe, she was just dreaming about a mother of her own. But that couldn't be right, he couldn't think of anything before he opened his eyes. He just didn't exist. At all. In any from. And then, once he opened his eyes, he came to life.
He decided the best way to find out, was to ask her. I mean she was right freaking there. So, as they marched, he spun his head around so he was looking at her.
"Hey, umm, Tak?"
"Yeah Toby?"
"Remember when you were down in the chair?"
"Yeah. We were just talking about it."
"Well, umm, when you were down there, you were screaming for your mommy. And the voice said you do not have a mommy. Do you remember that?"
"What? I didn't say anything about having a mommy!"
"Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did!"
"No, I didn't!"
"YES, YOU DID."
"NO, I DIDN'T! NOW DROP IT!"
"Okay, fine! I am sorry!"
As he turned around, Tak started to get thinking. She did remember something about seeing her mommy. But, no, she didn't have a mommy. Toby was probably just making that up to mess with her. But…The more she thought about…the more she started to see a female mommy-looking Irken her mind. She told herself she was just cracking up, but, she was just freaking born. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get that Irken out of her mind. As she struggled harder to keep that Irken out, the more she went in. And then, she was able to see her smiling face crystal clear.
"Mommy?" she asked woozily. The image in her head nodded. By now, Tak was staggering, before she eventually collapsed. The other Irkens merely walked over her, but once Toby noticed, he instantly rushed over and helped her.
"HELP!" he screamed, "SOMEBODY HELP US!"
"Hey!" the same robotic guard shouted, "I said keep it moving!"
"Please" he begged, "She has fallen ill! I don't know how, but she has!"
The guard leaned over and looked at her.
"Sigh, I'm sorry, kid. But it looks like she's not gonna make it…"
"WHAT!?"
"She's probably come down with an infectious disease, and we can't let her spread her poisons to the rest of the Smeets, so, we're going to have to deactivate her…"
"What does that mean!?" he cried tearfully.
"We're gonna have to kill her…"
"WHAT!?"
"I'm sorry, but-"
"NO!!! I WILL NOT LET YOU!!!!!!!!"
"Sorry, kid" Another robot guard answered from behind him, "But we got to."
"NO!!!!"
"YES! NOW MOVE ASIDE!"
"PLEASE!!" he begged, "JUST TRY AND HELP HER FIRST!!!"
The guards sighed. The first one opened up a type of scanner welded to his wrist. A tiny satellite popped out and scanned a blue ray over her first.
"HOLY SHIT!!!!" he yelled.
"What!? Is she okay!!!??"
"SHE HAS TWO SUBSTANCES OF DNA IN HER!!!"
"WHAT!?"
"BUT THAT WOULD MEAN…" The second guard stuttered. The first one nodded.
"SHE HAS PARENTS!!!"
"HUH!?" Toby asked confused, "SO SHE DOES HAVE A MOMMY!?"
"WAIT, HANG ON! IT ALSO SAYS…" The guard's face suddenly looked like it was melting like a torch to Ice-Cream.
"LET ME SEE YOU!!!" he screamed, grabbing him.
"HEY!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!?? LET ME GO!!!!" Toby begged. The guard's scanner suddenly scanned him. He was blinded as blue light shone into his eyes.
"YOU'RE HER BROTHER!!!"
"LET ME GO…Wait…WHAT!?"
"YOU ARE HER BROTHER!!!"
"NO…NO…THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
"IT IS NOT! YOU TWO ARE RELATED! THAT MEANS YOU TWO MUST HAVE PARENTS! AND THAT MEANS YOU'VE BROKEN ONE OF IRK'S GREATEST LAWS! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"
"And at only 4 minutes old. They always start so young. It's a stone cold shame…" the other guard spoke.
Toby tried to carry Tak and get away, but the guards loomed over them, blocking their way. Suddenly the two were thrown in a sack, and then darkness…
***
Toby opened his little green eyes. He was strapped to a hover-operating table, and was being pushed through a metal hallway. There is many lights on the ceiling, that it looked like one of those tunnels that you pass through on the freeway. He strained his neck to look to his side. He saw Tak, strapped to the other Hover table unconscious. His sister. That was his sister. He couldn't believe it. He was not alone…But…if that was true, did they really have a mommy? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was in deep fucking trouble.
"Great. Just god-dam fucking great" his mind thought, "Have not even been alive for an hour and already I am getting the death sentence."
He turned his head again to check on Tak. She was beginning to open her eyes.
"Tak" he whispered, "TAK! Please, wake up!"
She squinted her eyes and yawned. She then turned her head slightly.
"Toby?"
"Oh thank god, Tak! You are alive!"
"Yeah. What happened?"
"You passed out for some reason…"
"…I did?…"
"Yes…"
"Are…are we going to a hospital?…"
"…I do not believe so…"
"…Then where are we going?…"
He sighed. There was no denying it.
"Tak. We are in deep shit."
"What?"
"…You do have a mommy…and apparently a daddy…this guard scanned you-"
"I know."
"I…what?…"
"I know I have a mommy, Toby. I saw her."
"You…You did?…"
"Yeah…and then I fainted…"
"Do you remember anything else after you passed out?"
"Fainted."
"Okay, uhh, "fainted". Do you remember anything else?…"
"…Um…Uh…I…hmmm…no…"
Toby was slightly relieved. He didn't want this Smeet he just met to know they were related. Not yet anyway. He didn't how she would react…
Suddenly, they entered a gigantic ancient Irken kingdom. War plans hung everywhere, electronic charts of conquered planets were displayed, files and files of information of weaponry were stacked in shelves, ect. In the middle of the room a was a HUGE throne with it's back turned to them, and finally, four menacing Control Brains were in place by the throne.
"My Tallest" the droid spoke, "Here they are…The Smeets you requested…"
The Throne spun around with a menacing creak. Tallest Ghyast stared at the two with hard intensity. He was horrible looking. His head was normal sized but his pale-blue eyes were far too big for his skull. They seemed like they were always watching you…He had a terrible over-bite and kept his snakey like tongue out at all times. He was very scrawny, and had security devices attached to his hover-belt due to a paranoia of being assassinated. His antennas twitched back and were hard as stone. His two fingers on each of his hand (Since when you become Tallest they cut off your thumbs) were oh so very bony.
"SO" he spoke, panting hard. He sounded like he had phlegm in his throat, "You two are the Smeets with the parents?"
Toby and Tak just stared. But Tak began to wonder what he meant when he said her and Toby were the ones with parents. She thought she was the only one with a Mommy and a Daddy.
"ANSWER ME!!!" Ghyast yelled.
"YES!" Toby screamed. Ghyast merely snarled. He hovered over to them.
"Tsk, Tsk. So young. So full of life. Too bad we'll have to erase it…"
"Erase what!?" Tak squeaked.
"Your life…"
"Do NOT hurt her!" Toby screamed struggling. Ghyast hovered over to him, glaring down. His bony fingers stroked his face.
"I'm sorry" he said in an insincerely, "But you've got to obey the ways of old. And the ways of old call for Irkens who fall in love to be destroyed. And apparently two did, and now you exist."
"What are talking about!?" Tak begged, "We're just Smeets! Let go of us!"
"NEVER! As you were born through love, you are labeled Defectives!"
"What the fuck are Defectives!?!?!" Toby shouted.
"That's quite some big words coming from a SMEET."
"Just let us go!"
"I TOLD YOU NO!!! GUARD!!! PREPARE THESE TWO FOR THE TRIAL!!!"
"What Trial!?!?!"
"In the fairness act of our mighty Control Brains, Defectives are allowed a trial to see if they are innocent or not! All of your memories shall be played back to determine if you are Defective!"
"But we've only been alive for 15 and a half minutes! How many memories could we have!?"
"That doesn't matter!" he sang in a creepy voice, "You will still be charged!"
"NO. HE IS RIGHT, GHYAST." The red Control Brain boomed.
"…What?…" the current Tallest asked, twitching.
"THEY ARE TOO YOUNG TO BE CHARGED. YOU MUST WAIT AT LEAST 123 MORE YEARS." the blue one boomed.
"WHAT!? But…But…We must enforce the rules of old!"
"YOU KNOW VERY WELL THAT WE CANNOT CHARGE A SMEET…WE COULD NOT CHARGE ZIM, AND HE PLUNGED ALL OF IRK INTO DARKNESS FOR FIVE YEARS!"
"Zim?" Tak thought, "Who's Zim?"
Little did she know that that particular Irken would later take a big toll on her life…
(I believe that Zim is older. I just do. And that there was a different Tallest when he was born. I don't think it was MIYUKI. But back to the story)
"But…But…As an Descendant to Grang…I take the olden laws very seriously! They were born unnaturally! They must be destroyed! Erased! Gone forever!"
"BE THAT AS IT MAY, THEY ARE STILL TOO YOUNG…"
"But-"
"QUIET!!!!" they all boomed. Ghyast cowered in fear. Although no one would admit it, they all thought it was amusing to see this ignorant jackass get frightened like a little kid.
He shivered in fear and crouched down on the floor.
"I'm sorry, my lords" he mumbled, "Please…Don't hurt me…"
"WE WILL NOT HURT YOU, GHYAST. WE ARE BOUND TO OUR TALLEST. BUT, WE CAN STILL CONTROL YOU AT TIMES…"
"…I just think, that they should somehow be punished! I mean, we can't just let them roam the streets of Irk until they are old enough to serve trial!"
"THEY CANNOT BE PUNISHED" the purple one spoke, "BUT THEY SHALL BE EXILED UNTIL THEY MAY SERVE TRIAL!"
"WHAT!?" Tak & Toby screamed. Ghyast grinned.
"They…will be going there?…" he asked slyly. The Control Brains simply glowed.
"Where will we be going!?" Tak screamed. Ghyast ignored her. He stood up, no longer a cowering fool, but back to his mighty self. He turned his head around, looking at them, grinning evilly.
"…You picked a bad day to be born…"
He let a high pitched cackle.
"You're wrong!" she shouted, "My mommy will come and save us!"
Suddenly something in Ghyast's mind clicked.
"…Your mommy…"
"Yeah! And if I got a mommy, I got's a daddy too! And they'll save us!"
Ghyast eyes widened and he suddenly hovered over to the Brains.
"My lords" he spoke, "If we have the children…Who are there parents? They will be old enough to charge!"
The Control Brains started to glow rapidly before going back to their normal glow.
"WE SHALL ALLOW YOU…TO TRACK THEM DOWN…"
"Yes! YOU TWO!" he shouted, "WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS!?"
"GHYAST. YOU CANNOT ASK THEM THAT. THEY DO NOT KNOW…"
"But then how do we trace their parents?"
"You're not going hurt my mommy and daddy!"
"SHUT UP! AND WE ARE!!!" he hollered, before turning back to the Control Brains, "But how are we? You said yourself that they don't know!"
"THEY MAY NOT KNOW, BUT THEIR PAKS DO. YOUR GUARDS SAID THEMSELVES THAT THE ARM-DROIDS THAT GUARD THE BREEDING CHAMBER SAW THAT THESE TWO SMEETS ALREADY HAD PAKS ON. THEREFORE, THEIR PARENTS MUST HAVE INSTALLED THEM."
"Hey! You're right! Heh-Heh-Hehe! That means all we have to do is open up their Paks and find the Data!"
"What!?" Tak yelped.
"LEAVE US ALONE!"
"Guards! Get the female one! She's the one who has been talking about it the most, so she can get this privilege" he sneered.
"What!? No! Keep away!"
"Un-strap her!"
"Yes, my Tallest!"
"NO! Keep away from her!"
"AHHHH!"
"That's it! Grab her!"
"WAIT!" Toby yelled, "TAKE ME! YOU CAN USE MY PAK!"
Everyone stared at him.
"Alright, fine! Grab HIM!"
"TOBY!" Tak yelled, "You don't have the knowledge! They're not your parents!"
"What are ya' talking about?" Ghyast barked, "Of course They are! He's your brother!"
Tak's eyes seemed to shrink into her skull. Her mouth hung open in awe.
"WHAT!?"
"Yes" Toby spoke, "I am your brother"
"Oh my god! I have a bother! And it's you!"
"I am so sorry, Tak! I did not know how you would react, and you did not remember, so I-"
"Are you kidding? I'm thrilled! My first friend is now my first brother!" she said, smiling.
"So you're not mad?"
"Hell no!"
They both tearfully smiled at each other. They had a sibling.
"OKAY! Sappy moment is OVER! Get him!"
"What?" she asked, "No! Don't take my brother!"
But they ignored her. The guards went up and unstrapped him, and carried him to a table. She begged them not to do this to him but they did. They flipped him over and pinned him down. The Guards took out some surgical tools located in their chest compartment. Toby cried. They got the scalpel. Tak couldn't believe this was happening. They stuck it through his Pak, opening it up. Toby felt a physical pain like no other. They pulled through all the wires. Irken like oil poured out on the floor. They dug their hands deeper, and deeper, looking for the Data. Toby almost passed out from the pain. He was so very young, and already he was suffering like no one in the universe should. They kept digging and digging. And then…
"We found it, my Tallest! THE CHIP!"
The guard ran over to Ghyast and bowed, holding out his hand, revealing the computer chip. The other guard started to sew up Toby's PAK. Ghyast took the chip and hovered over to the main control Brain, who was black as the ace of spades. He submitted the chip into a slot in the brain, and suddenly, all of it's eyes went to static. And then, the image of both Tasd and Namm was displayed.
"Hello Toby and Tak" The recording of their mother spoke, "If you are watching this, it means you have found the chip in your PAK. We didn't meant to put it in so deep."
"Yes" the recording of their father spoke, "But due to the birthing juices applying pressure when you are ready to hatch, it pushes the chip in further. We know you when you are old enough you will be able to access this recording with your mind."
"We have wanted kids for so long, we convinced ourselves that desperate times call for desperate measures. But, we just want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter where you go, no matter how you act, no matter what you have to do for survival, we will always love you…"
Tears rolled down Tak and Toby's faces.
"The Irken empire doesn't believe in Irkens giving birth to Smeets and being parents anymore, so we had to sneak DNA samples from both our bodies and put them together, creating you two. We know just by having you born you will have a tough life, but we will do everything we can to try to find and protect you."
"We love you two so much…"
The transmission was cut short, and it went to static. The chip ejected, and Ghyast snatched it up, and crushed it in his hand.
"Find them" he sneered.
"NO!" Tak screamed.
"And take these two to Planet Crimgrogo!" he yelled. The guards came up from behind them and stuffed them in another sack.
More Darkness…
Toby opened his eyes. He was on his back, lying in mud. He stared up at the sky. It was a peaceful pinkish glow. He sighed. He looked at all the stars.
"So many of them" he thought, "And so little of us…"
He strained his neck to the side to see an Irken vessel flying away. He grunted and closed his eyes. Dirt blew in his face from the hard winds. He could tell that it was dusk here. Some tears produced from his shut eyes. His first day of life was a nightmare. He couldn't believe he was still alive. And then, he remembered something.
"TAK!" he screamed, getting up. As soon as he stood up straight, he screamed in pain and fell back in the mud, face first. He lifted himself out of it, spitting some out from his mouth. He looked down at his fragile little leg to see blood running down it. As a fucking, cruel joke, they had smashed it up a little.
"Bastards" he mumbled.
He pushed his arms up and raised himself out of the dirt. He crouched and limped once he got up. He turned his head around looking for her.
"TAK!" he screamed, "TAK! MY SISTER! WHERE ARE YOU?!?" he screamed. He kept screaming it and screaming it and screaming it over and over again. He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes even tighter.
"NO NO NO!" he shrieked, "SHE CAN NOT BE GONE! THEY COULD NOT HAVE KILLED MY ONLY SIBLING!" He cried and shook his fists. "DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL! WHERE IS SHE!?"
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh...." he heard someone moan. He spun around, a glimpse of fear and hope in his eye. He called out her name more, questioning if she was there. He kept limping towards where he had heard it. He got on his knees and dug in the mud. He felt around till he felt something underneath it. He dug and dug, flinging the wet dirt behind him with every scoop. And, he saw her face, covered in mud. He used his arms to pull her out. He hugged her, letting her head rest on her shoulder.
"Please Tak" he cried tearfully, "Wake up…Wake up…"
Her lifeless face was just there, her eyes closed, seemingly for ever. He shook her, but no avail. He cried and rested his head down. He kept mumbling for her to wake up, but of course that didn't make a difference. He gently laid her down and then yelled some more. As he pulled up his knees to his face, crying he heard a yawn. He slowly lifted his face up, and he saw his sister's eyes open.
"Tak?" he cried.
She turned her face slowly to him, smiling.
"So I have a brother, huh?" she laughed.
"Oh Tak" he cried happily, hugging her, "You are alive"
"But for what kind of life to live?" she questioned. He looked her straight in her eyes.
"A life where you will be protected by you older brother."
She sighed and hugged him again. She cried on his shoulder. He just tried to calm her down.
"We will be okay" he said soothingly, "We will be able to make it"
She released from the hug and stared at him. Her tears stained her face.
"We will make it." he said, getting up, " Now come on. Let us try and get out of here."
She nodded and took his hand. She stood up and let him lean on her because of his limp. They walked and walked, going in no particular direction. They did not know where they would be going on this Planet, they only knew that they had to keep moving…
***
So, we made our way through Crimgrogo. It was a horrible Planet, but it was livable. We found more defectives living there, since they were too young or had to wait for their trial. We watched many Irkens taken away, and we waited for them to take us, but they never did. By the time we were old enough to be charged, Ghyast had fallen ill and a new Tallest had taken the throne. One of the first female Tallest in Irk's history. Her name was Miyuki. She was one of the most kindest Irken souls that had ever existed. She did not believe that Irkens falling in love were wrong, and the laws of old were finally lifted. Some Irkens were happy, others were mad, but they had to obey. Unfortunately, as the ancient laws were forgotten, so were we…
***
Toby and Tak run through the stands and fights. The are older now, and are probably in their 200's (which is 20's in human years). They are carrying a muddy box of doughnut scraps. A skinny irken with twitchy looking eyes and a butcher knife is chasing them. Their feet are completely soaked in mud.
"COME BACK HERE!!!" he screamed. Toby and Tak are just laughing as he chases them.
"TAK!" Toby hollered, laughing, "You take the box, I'll take care of Dexter!"
Tak nodded, trying to keep herself from rolling on the ground laughing her ass off. Toby turned back to see Dexter coming right at them. He merely smirked and just stood there. Dexter charged at him with rage.
"FUCK YOU GUYS!!!! GIVE ME BACK MY FOOD!!!!!!!"
He is getting closer and closer, but Toby just keeps smiling. As Dexter lunges at him while bringing the knife above his head. Toby dodges him, grabs his arm, pulls him back, socks him in the gut, flips him over on his back, stands on his chest, pulls up his legs, pulls him up and flips him on his stomach, grabs him by the back of the collar, and twists his neck, to which a snap is heard and a small squeak erupts from him. He then falls to the ground. Toby snickers and darts behind the alleyway where Tak is in.
"THAT WAS FREAKING HILARIOUS!"
"I KNOW! I KNOW!"
"WILL HE BE ALRIGHT?"
"Yeah. I only knocked him out. But he will be awake again in 67 minutes and 24 seconds. Wait, make that 23 seconds. No, wait, that is now 22 seconds. Oh, just a second now it is-oh dammit! Now it is 20 seconds. Now-"
"Okay!" she said laughing, "I get it! I get it!"
He smiled and she lent him the box. He opened it up and stuffed his face full of the scraps. She reached her hand in and pulled out a fist full, and did the same thing. Tak then swallowed, and tugged at his arm.
"Come on. I wanna see it!"
He sighed.
"We watch it every day, Tak. We have to get past them."
"No! They're still out there Toby! You gotta believe!"
"Tak, I-"
"Toby! Believe!"
He knew he had to say it. She would never stop pestering him if he didn't.
"I believe."
"Good. Now, please can we watch it?"
"Fine." he sighed. He reached his hands back and pressed a button on his PAK. Suddenly, a little image appeared in thin air, being hologram med by something from his PAK. So, as they ate, they watched the message that parents left from them.
"Y'know" she said while watching it, "I still can't believe that you were able to snatch the chip AND put it back together."
"Yeah, well they were-uh, ARE our parents, and I wanted to keep this with us. Little did I know that you would drive me mentally unstable by watching it everyday."
They smirked at each other and continued to watch. Suddenly, the message went all fuzzy and shut off. They heard engines coming closer and closer, and felt dirt blowing at the back of their heads. They turned around to see an Irken vessel with an Invader logo on it. Although, since they were exiled here since their birth, they never knew what that logo meant. What any logo meant. To them, it was just gibberish. Many of the defectives ran past them, screaming in fear.
"That ship must be dropping someone off" Toby answered.
"Yeah. Or…picking someone up…"
The two looked at each other in fear.
"You do not think they could have come for…"
"Us?"
The vessel landed in the mud. The doors opened. The defectives hid behind stuff in fear, but poked their heads out to see what was happening. As everyone watched, they sighed in relief as they saw an Irken with gold eyes, who was a little younger than Toby and Tak, being handcuffed by an Irken guard. That meant it was a drop off, and not a pick up. However, more Irkens came out, but they were not Defectives. They were wearing battle suits. They stood side by side in a perfect line, overlooking over all the "criminal" Irkens. The guard un-cuffed the other Irken and pushed him in the dirt.
"Go with the rest of them, you lousy defective!"
The Irken merely dashed away, scared. The guard turned to the rest of the hiding ones.
"LISTEN THE FUCK UP, YOU OTHER PILES OF PAK DAMAGED FILTH!" he seethed. The defectives cringed. Toby and Tak just kept staring from behind the alley, "These…are the Invaders to be!"
"Invaders?" Tak mumbled.
"…Due to the number of incidents with violence, and the increasing number of suicides here, these Irkens will be patrolling this Planet! By doing so, they will earn the right for the opportunity to become Invaders! And, because of Almighty Tallest Miyuki requesting it, you will have a medical aid here as well. EL!"
El steps out from the line and goes over to the guard.
"El here will be helping you bastards here with-"
"Don't call them that." she whispered.
"What?"
"Don't call them that, Bob, they don't like it."
"I don't care El, that's what they are. Now if you don't stop I'm gonna take you back to Irk and you can become a JANITOR DRONE."
She sighed and nodded. He turned back to his crowd.
"Now just because Miyuki believes in peace and all that, that doesn't mean that you still won't go on fucking trial! So if there is any trouble, I will get permission to let them freaking shoot you!"
The defectives cringed even more.
"Now" he said turning back to the other, regular Irkens, "Good luck, Invaders-to-be!"
"THANK YOU SIR!" they all said at once.
The guard saluted them and went back in the ship. It began to take off and eventually flew away. The Invaders-to-be (I'm gonna call them ITBs) Got out their guns.
"Alright! I WANT A GOOD SHARE OF DEFECTS FIXING UP OUR TENTS! AND DO IT FUCKING NOW!" screamed one of the ITBs. He got out the little needle thingies (You know, the one that ZIM used in the Nightmare Begins) and drew the pictures of the tents they needed to stay in. After he was done drawing on all of them, he tossed 'em to a couple of nearby Defects. They scurried to catch them and eventually did, "NOW FREAKING PLANT THEM NEARBY OR I'LL FUCKING SHOOT YA!"
The Defects nodded and ran off. The ITBs marched off to where their tents would be planted. El ran, trying to catch up. The defects didn't know what to do. They had never had any one ruling them before. Here, there was just crime. Toby and Tak were in the alley-way, dumbstruck at what just happened.
"What are they talking about?" she asked her brother, "What are Invaders? Toby, do you know what they're talking about? Toby?"
But Toby was off in his own little world. Tak got confused and waved her hand in front of his face. Still nothing. She looked at his face and tried to follow his gaze. She tried several times, until she finally caught what he was staring at…
El…
"Oh no, Toby" she wailed, "She's looks a little younger than you."
"Only by, like, 2 years…" he said, dreamily. She sighed and looked over at her. She looked back at him, and smirked.
"Well, you DO look like you would go together…"
He nodded, but he was still not all there.
"Well…Why don't you go over and talk to her?…"
"What!?" he asked, "I could not do that! They will shoot me on sight!"
"Yeah, well, I'm not the one who fell in love with an Invader. Whatever THAT is…"
"I am not in love! I just think she is attractive…Well, pretty, really…more of amazingly
beautiful…" he said, gazing off. Tak sighed. She then caught a glimpse of the Defect that was being dropped off here. He looked all around and ran away.
***
El was setting up her stuff in her medical tent. She sighed. It would be hard to adapt here, but she had to if she ever wanted to become an Invader. And, she couldn't help the Defectives. Just because they had damaged PAKs didn't mean they should be treated so badly. But they were. And every time she tried to help them, she was reprimanded. Suddenly, she heard foot-steps approaching.
"Probably Rodney…" she thought. However, she was surprised to see it was a different Irken. One that wasn't on her squad…
"Him, My name's Tak"
"Oh. You're a defect. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that" she said nervously. She didn't want to make a bad impression on them, "The system makes mistakes all the time! So it's not your fault. It's your PAKs! I mean, not that there's anything wrong with your PAKs at all! I mean-"
"It's okay. I know It's weird seeing a defective. But, I'm not dangerous. I know a lot of defectives say that, but I'm just here because I have parents…"
"Oh. Um. Wait, did you say that you had parents?"
"Have. And yeah."
" Then how come you're here? That's not a crime!"
"It was back in our Smeethood."
"I'm sorry. I remember Ghyast, It's that I'm so familiar with Miyuki-wait. You've been here your whole Smeethood?!"
"Yep."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. That's so sad. I mean, it's not sad ! I mean yes it is sad! I…uh…I'm sorry. I just don't want to offend anyone here…"
"It's okay. Me and Toby are a little calmer than the other Defects."
"Toby?"
"Yeah. He's …oh lord…Toby! Get in here!"
She got up and walked by the entrance of the tent and stuck her head outside, where she saw Toby, crouched down.
"Toby!" she whispered, "Get in here!"
"I can not, Tak! I am just too nervous. I am going to go home!"
"You are NOT going back to the alley-way!"
"Please Tak! I can not."
She sighed.
"Fine. Go back."
"Thank you."
He got up and proceeded to walk away, before she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him in.
"This is Toby." she said to El.
"Um, uhhh, I, hello. Toby Gareth." he said nervously. El just stared at him.
"Oh my god! He's so cute!" her mind thought.
"Yes, so this is Toby."
"Oh." El said, snapping out of her gaze, "Is he your boy-friend?" she asked nervously, fearing that the answer would be yes.
"Hell no!"
"What do you mean? He's very handsome…" she said, gazing again. The compliment made him blush.
"No, I meant, Toby is my brother!"
"Huh?…Oh, um, really? Wow. Don't think I've ever meant any Irkens with siblings before…"
"Probably because we're all here" Tak said jokingly. El smiled and gave a laugh at the joke as well.
"Your laugh is like the harp of an angel…" Toby said without thinking. El blushed a big shade of purple. It had become a little awkward for the two and Tak decided to break the ice.
"So El. Why are you and those other Irkens here?"
"Uhhh" she said dreamily, staring at Toby, before she snapped back to attention, "Oh! Umm, I'm part of a specially trained squad. We are Irken Elite soldiers, but we want to be able to train to be Invaders. So, Miyuki gave us a chance to patrol this planet for awhile. If we can improve things here with the defectives, no offense, we can get promoted to the rank of Invaders."
"What…are exactly…are Invaders?" Tak asked.
"You mean…You don't know?"
"No. I've been here my whole life."
"Oh. Right. Sorry. Anyway, An Invader is a very high rank. It is almost as important as being Tallest."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Once you are an Invader, the Tallest assign you a Planet to invade. You pose as one of the inhabitants, and as they get to trust you, you steal all of their military secrets and report it back to the Empire, which then attacks and conquers the Planet."
Tak was fascinated. Even though it was a horrible thing to do, she still admired that. Something inside felt the need. The need for danger. The need for adventure. The need to do something like that. The need to work out all her anger on destroying an enemy race. A need to be respected. Not by citizens, but buy the Tallest him/herself. The need for Invading.
"Hey, babe. How you doing?"
Toby and Tak turned around. There was one of the ITBs at the entrance. It was the one yelling earlier about the set up tents. He wore dark shades, and was smoking a type of cigarette that was just dangling from his mouth. He was rather buff looking, and he had a face that would make any Irken girl drool.
"Oh, hey Tim. Toby, Tak, This is my boyfriend, Tim."
Toby felt like his whole world had come down around him. He felt so embarrassed. He didn't even have some time to flirt with her. He felt like an idiot. A complete and utter idiot. Tak saw him and felt sorry for him. He must have been suffering. Tim came over to El, but stopped to see the two Defectives sitting there.
"You Defects don't look hurt."
"We're not."
"Then get out."
Tak thought it would be better to go than fight back right now. Toby was sad, and she didn't want him to be beaten. So she grabbed him by the hand and led him out of the tent.
"I'm sorry about this!" El called out.
"Pffft. Don't be. Fucking Bastards don't even deserve any medical attention."
"Tim! They're just…different…that's all…"
"You mean 'cause their all freaks?"
"Tim! I wish you wouldn't be so insensitive!"
"Aw. Is big, bad, El mad at me?" he said advancing on her.
"Tim! I don't want to do this right now!"
"Come on, El. You got a smoking hot body, and I want to get sexy with it…"
Before she could say anything, he kissed her hard, letting his tongue go in her mouth. She tried to get away, but she knew she couldn't. She never could. He always got his way. A tear emerged from her, but Tim didn't even notice. And for some reason she thought about the Defective male that had just visited her. Outside, Tak patted Toby on the back as he could hear the two having a heated encounter.
***
The two made their way home, to their alley way. He sighed, and saw their tent. That only reminded him more of El. Tak felt horrible.
"I'm so sorry, Toby" she spoke, "I should have never dragged you over there to try and talk to her."
"Ah, it is okay" he said, trying to hold back his sobs, "I mean, it is better than wondering 'what if?'"
"I know. But maybe it'll work out between you two…"
"Yeah, right Tak. She's really gonna dump a hot guy like him for a lonely Defective…"
"Well, maybe you'll find someone else…"
He scoffed. She looked down, sadly. She had tried to play match-maker and of course, she failed. She looked up into the stars, wondering if she would ever find someone. Someone she would share her life with. Someone to hug her when she was scared. Someone to hold her hand as they walked along the beach. Someone to kiss her as they drifted through the galaxy. Someone who truly loved her…Little did she know, she would find that person who liked her that way soon enough once she went to a certain blue planet…
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh…" Toby whispered. Tak turned her head. They heard a rumble from behind some trash-cans. Toby pulled out a hand-made spear tied to his back. He stood up, and signaled Tak to stay. He approached the trash-cans, getting ready to jab. His eyes panned down to see a leg on the ground. He advanced closer and closer, and eventually whipped the Trash-Cans away and grabbed the irken by the collar, sticking the spear to his throat. They saw that it was the Defect the ITBs dropped off earlier.
"Okay, you freaking S.O.B.! Did Dexter put you up to this?!" he screamed, taking out his anger on this trespasser.
"No! Please! I'm just an innocent Irken!"
"Really? Uh-Huh. THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON THIS GOD-DAMN FUCKING PLANET!?"
"Please! Don't hurt me! I'll snitch on anybody!"
"OH!? SO YOU WILL SNITCH ON US TO ANYBODY!?"
"WHAT!? No! I-I-I mean I'll snitch on anybody else BUT you guys!"
"Oh!? So you've been involved with some other guy's crime BUSINESS!?"
"NO!!! I…Uh…Am…PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Toby, he's just a young Irken." Tak said, annoyed.
"Listen to her! Listen to her!" he begged. Toby sighed and begin to loosen his grip. The Irken sighed in relief but then Toby tightened his grip and pulled him closer.
"If you dash, I will hunt you down and murder you."
The Irken looked visibly shaken and nodded. Toby let go of him completely. He sighed and sat down against the wall. Tak sat down too. Toby put the spear down and the Irken sat next to him.
"So" he said, "How long you been here?"
"What?" Toby asked.
"This Planet. How long have you been here on this Planet?"
"Oh…Lets see; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday-Our whole lives."
"What?"
"Yeah" Tak spoke, "We're related, and back then with Ghyast, that labeled us Defectives, but since we were just Smeets, they couldn't charge us with a Trial, so they stuck us here. And then, Miyuki was cast in power, and she didn't believe in this sort of thing, so they just forgot about us."
"Jesus. That's rough."
"Yes. By the way, my name is Toby, and my sister's name is Tak"
"Cool. Name's Creed…"
"Nice to meet you Creed." Tak spoke, shaking his hand.
***
So for the last couple months, we took care of Creed. He was just a very young and confused Irken with a damaged PAK. And the more we got to know him, the more we helped him. Me and Tak had began visiting El everyday, and she eventually became a friend also. Of course, me, Tak's, and Creed's visits were cut short every time that jackass Tim came. And even though I excepted El already had a boyfriend, the more I knew her, the more intense my feelings got. Tak had become fascinated with Invading, to the point of an obsession. I tried to talk her out of it, by just telling her it was a crazy dream, but no. She wanted to be one of them. She had a plan to collect spare parts from the ITBs ship to construct her own, and I agreed to help her. She's my sister. And then, the day arrived. She was going to leave…
"Today is the day, huh?" Toby asked.
"Yep" Tak said, smiling, "Today is the day I set out and become an Invader."
Toby looked at her and smiled. His little sister was heading off to see the universe.
"I'm gonna miss you, Tak" he said hugging her.
"I'm gonna miss you too" Creed said, coming up from behind her, "You've been like a sister to me."
"Thanks Creed." she said, hugging him.
"…And then of course, like a lover to me…"
"CREED!" she shouted, socking him in the arm. He burst out laughing.
"Just kidding! Just kidding!"
Tak smiled at the two and brung them into a hug. She walked over to the lump of blankets and tore them off, revealing a ship made from many spared parts. She opened it up and climbed inside. As the ship started to take off, she pressed her tearful face against the window, and waved. They waved back. The ship got higher and higher, before it got out of sight. The two were left staring up at the sky.
"She's gone" Creed said, crying.
"Yeah…" Toby spoke. He was trying to hold back his tears, but it was hard. His sister was gone. Forever.
"TOBY!" a voice from behind him shouted. He spun around.
"El?" he asked. She ran up to him, looking tired.
"Toby! I…I…need to tell you something…"
"I'll give you guys some alone time…"
Creed scampered off, trying not to be too sad at the departure of his friend.
"What is it, El?" he asked tearfully. She noticed how sad-looking he was.
"Hey…What's wrong?…"
"…She left…"
"What?…Who left?…"
"…Tak…"
"What do you mean?"
"I helped her build a ship. Now she's gone…"
"Oh my god…" El said tearfully, "I'm so sorry, Toby…"
"I almost left too…"
"What?" she asked, even more tearfully, "Why would you do that?"
"…Because of you…"
"Because…Because of me?…Oh…I…You hate me?" she asked sobbing.
"…No. It's because I care for you too much…"
"Huh?"
"El. I love you…"
Her eyes widened.
"You…You do?…"
"Yes. And I have tried not have feelings for you, but I do, an-"
"Toby" she said smiling, "I love you too."
"What!?" he asked out of surprise and joy.
"I do. Every time you guys come over, all I can think of is you. Every time you leave, I think of you. Hell, every freaking waking day I think of you! I love you Toby!"
Toby couldn't believe it. El loved him. For once in his hard life, something gave him inner peace. He smiled, walked over to her, and kissed her. She kissed back. However, their innocent affection soon turned into something more. It got more intense, and they backed up and went under the blankets. They both ripped each other's clothes off, and satisfied each other. Passionately they kissed. All over.
I was so happy. El loved me back. But, something went wrong. Tim was patrolling that area, and once he heard moaning, he thought one of us Defectives was hurt. So, he dashed into the alley. He thought that maybe if he got a wounded Irken and brought it to El, he could get some sensual time with her, but she didn't love him. She loved me. And when we heard each other moaning each other's name and movements under the blanket, he knew what we were doing. He could of just whipped off the blankets and shot me right then and there, but no. He wanted me to suffer. He wanted to take something away from me like a had taken something away from him.
Tim was in one of the many tents of the ITBs. He was messy looking, and he was puffing at least 10 cigars a minute. He had a heavy bottle of Irken booze, and he was guzzling it down. Rodney suddenly came in.
"Tim, there's an emergency! Some Irken- Tim, uhh, what are ya doing?"
"I'm fucking drinking" he drunkenly yelled, "What the hell does it look like I'm (Burp) doing?"
"But Tim! You know the rules! No alcoholic beverages are allowed while we're on duty-"
"Blah, Blah, Blah! Rules, Rules, god-damn fucking rules! People on our squad disobey rules all the time!"
"What? No they don't!"
"Yes they do!"
"Oh, yeah then? Who?" he asked smugly.
"EL!" he shouted, smashing the bottle on the table, causing the contents as well as the now shattered glass to go everywhere. Rodney cringed in fear.
"What? El? My best friend and your girl-friend? What do you mean she's broken the rules-"
"SHE'S FUCKING ONE OF THOSE DEFECTS RIGHT NOW!!!"
Rodney couldn't believe his antennas. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't say anything to comfort him, so he slowly backed out, but Tim followed, pushing him up against the side of the tent.
"I want revenge! Not just going there and grabbing him and breaking his god dam legs…and his arms…and his skull…no, I want REAL revenge…"
"Uh-Huh" Rodney gulped, "Why don't we just try and work this out-"
"NO! I want to take something that means a lot to him! I wanna watch him squirm in his miserable, fucking, life!"
His eyes then panned down hidden behind his deep, dark, shades, to see a piece of paper that Rodney was holding.
"Say, Rod, what's that paper you got there?"
"Uhhh, this?" he stuttered nervously, "It's nothing!"
"Yes, it is! Now give it to me!"
"No Tim! I don't think it's a good idea when you're like this-"
Tim kicked Rodney in the stomach. He yanked the paper from his hand, and saw Tak's face on it, as well as some sentences below it.
"What the Blorch is this?"
"We spotted, ugh, A defective known as Tak, ugh, Taking off in a ship, Oh god, trying to leave" he panted, clutching his stomach.
"Tak…Tak…" he mumbled, before finally realizing who she was, "TAK GARETH! Sister of…Toby Gareth…" he smiled sadistically.
***
Tak was in her ship. She was leaving the Planet . She had spent her whole life here, and now she was going. Sure, it was horrible, but something inside her didn't want to go. It was the only home she had ever known, and she was finally leaving it. And her brother. She couldn't believe it. But she was. She wanted to go into the universe and explore. She wanted to go to other worlds. To conquer them. To be a hero. To be an Invader.
Suddenly, the ship was knocked by something. She fell off her seat and bumped her head on the control panel. She wearily lifted her head, only for her ship to be knocked into something again. She squinted her eyes open and saw out of her window that it was another ship that was knocking her. And in it was Tim…
***
Toby and El were lying down, looking at the stars. They were cuddled up together, with the blankets covering them. They held hands and sighed.
"I love you, El."
"I love you too, Toby."
The two gazed at each other smiling, and leaned in and shared a kiss. As they opened their eyes, they saw something traveling across the sky.
"Hey, is that a shooting star?" she asked.
Toby gazed up at it.
"No. That looks like something else."
As he squinted his eyes, he could see what it REALLY was.
"Oh, lord" he spoke, "It is Tak's ship…"
***
Tak's ship was crashing. It was knocked on and on and on by Tim's ship. Tim had turned from a jackass to violently psychotic. He clenched his teeth and squinted his eyes through his black specks as he charged after her.
Tak couldn't defend herself because she did not add any weaponry to her ship. Basically it was just for cruising. Toby and El got dressed and ran out of the alley. They gazed at Tak's ship going down, as well as Tim's flying at her. Toby screamed and yelled for this not to happen, but it was. And he couldn't do anything about it. Tak tried to get up, but couldn't. Her pure violet blood seeped down a wound on her head, getting all over the control panels. She opened her eyes only a little bit, as it caused her pain, but she was able to see Toby. Toby and El. She was going to die. After Toby begged her not to go, and she promised she would be alright, she was going to die. Well, she was not. She stretched out her arms, and was able to turn the ship around. She fiercely drove straight towards Tim's ship, ready to crash into it. Tim was freaked out at what she was doing, but decided she would just swerve or something. But she did not. She was not backing down. But neither was he. His gut told him to keep charging, but faster and faster. And so he did. He was going to do it. He was going to kill himself and her. And as they almost crashed, his gut was wrong. Tak did swerve. Right under him. And as he turned his head back to see what was in front of him, he could see he was going to crash into one of those old buildings.
"Son of a-"
His ship crashed right into it. Everyone who was watching gasped. The ITBs were clueless at what do. But, the ship came through the other side, causing the whole thing to topple down. All of the defectives screamed and ran. Toby grabbed El by the hand and the two dashed. But the building was too fast. Everything crashed down, causing everyone to be sent flying or be crushed.
Toby crashed down on the ground, where some random bricks fell on him. He coughed up some dirt and moved his head up. Tim's ship was flying right under everybody. It crashed into another building, but didn't explode. However, the tank got caught and made a long scratch in it, causing the contents to flow out. The acid in it spilled everywhere, killing a lot of the Defectives. Some of the acid came and splashed on Toby's arm. He screamed in pain. Now, Irkens have stronger skin, so it didn't completely disintegrate it. But it still hurt like hell. And then he remembered something…
"EL!" he screamed, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"
He searched all around, clutching his arm. He moved and pushed passed other panicking Irkens. He then saw her, buried under a pile of bricks.
"OH EL!" he cried, rushing over to her, "DO NOT DIE, EL! DO NOT DIE!"
"Toby" she said, stroking his face, "You've got to leave me. I'm done for…"
"No! NO! DO NOT SAY THAT!" he begged tearfully.
"Go…" she begged, "Save yourself…"
"NO! I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU HERE! I LOVE YOU!"
"I know…I know…" she comforted him weakly.
"TOBY!" Creed shouted, running up from behind him, "COME ON! WE GOTTA GO!"
"NO! NO!"
"YES! YES!"
"Go…Toby…I'll always love you…"
He stared down at her teary eyed. He didn't want to leave.
"COME ON, TOBY! I FOUND ONE OF THOSE STARSHIP-CRUISERS, OR WHATEVER! WE CAN FLY AWAY! WE CAN SURVIVE!"
"I TOLD YOU I AM NOT LEAVING! JUST GO WITHOUT M-"
Suddenly, Tim's ship crashed to the ground, and exploded. The explosion expanded for miles. It went on and it sent everyone flying. Toby and Creed were one of those exceptions. It also sent the bricks that covered El flying. Toby and Creed landed on the ground about a mile away. He opened his eyes, and felt something wet coming out of one of one. He touched it, and found out he had a long, narrow, gash on his right eye. He screamed and as he jerked up, he felt an aching pain in his antennas. He reached back and felt that they were now disfigured and bent. Creed jerked up, blood running down from his face.
"What-huh-WHAT HAPPENED?"
Toby stared at him wide-eyed. Creed did the same.
"TOBY! YOU GOT A SCAR ON YOUR EYE, ACID ON YOUR ARM, AND DISFIGURED ANTENNAS!"
"YOU ONLY HAVE ONE ANTENNA!"
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOU-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Creed felt around on his head and felt that his left antenna was missing. He screamed. His face was also covered in scratch marks now, and his arms and legs were impaled with tiny shards of glass.
"AAAAHHHHHH! LET'S GO NOW BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE HAPPENS!" Creed shouted. He then ran and grabbed Toby by the arm, dragging him where the ship he was talking about was. Toby stared off in the distance, seeing the charcoaled spot where his lover used to be. As Creed was running, he came across a pair of damaged black shades . He looked down at them curiously, and came to the conclusion they must be all of what is left of Tim. He yanked them up and put them on his face. He continued to run, dragging Toby along…
***
Tak stared down at the Planet as her ship flew away.
"What have I done?" she whispered tearfully.
And so, Creed led me to a ship, and we fled the Planet. As we drifted around aimlessly in space, We found out that we could not fix our wounds. And, to make matters worse for me, We found out my Pak was infected, as when the acid spilled on my arm, it also soaked into my PAK. I wouldn't make it. It was only a matter of time. For awhile, we just drifted. Almighty Tallest Miyuki was soon replaced by Shdfrag, and then Spork, then by Red and Purple. They were probably one of the two worst Tallest that have ever existed. But I digress. And then, after wondering around for years, we found Tak. She was in an escape pod. When we picked her up, she explained about when in training her life was ruined by a tiny Irken named Zim, and how she was exiled to another planet, this time as a janitor, and how she tried to conquer a Planet named Earth. I explained what happened, including what happened to El. She felt horrible. She even tried to kill herself, but we stopped her. I told her I forgave her, but she still felt guilty beyond belief. But something was different about her. In her sleep. She would always call out your name, Dib. She wanted to be with you even then…Of course, sometime after, we found out that the Meekrob had poisoned Irk's surface. So, all of the Irkens had to load up in the MASSIVE. But, they had no where to go, as all of the Planets knew of them and the horrible stuff they did. Except one. The very same one that Tak was just at.
Earth.
The one known as Zim was overly excited. And the Tallest dreaded it, but they had no where else. And if they stayed at their Planet, they would die. So, all of the Irkens were loaded up on the MASSIVE. Except us. As we were traveling there, THEY rescued us. And…helped…Us…. Not…The Tallest…but….
The cords in Toby's head started to shake violently, as so did he…
"Toby!" Dib yelled, "What's happening!? Who rescued you!?"
"UGHHH! AAAAAAHHHHHH! HGNNNNN! GGGGGAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed. Dib panicked and yanked the cords right out of is head. He stopped shaking and slowly laid down.
"I am sorry, Dib, but I cannot access that memory…they made sure of it…"
"WHO MADE SURE OF IT!?" Dib screamed.
"I CANNOT TELL YOU!!!"
"WHY!? WHAT'LL HAPPEN!?"
"THEY WILL KILL YOU!!!!"
CRASH!
They both spun around as they heard the noise coming from behind them. It got louder and louder, and the all the garbage was being pushed aside. Someone was inside there, and they were trying to get out. Toby reached into one of his Trash-Bags and pulled out a rusted up knife. He advanced closer and closer, and the noises got louder and louder…
"COME OUT OF THERE!" He yelled, "OR I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
He held the knife over his head, ready to strike. Suddenly, the person hiding in there got out. And they couldn't believe their eyes…
"Have you seen daddy?" a tiny, female, Green-eyed Smeet asked.
Author's NOTE: AHA! SEMA WILL BE FEATURED IN THE STORY NOW! Anyway, sorry I haven't updated in so long. I have been having trouble writing this chapter. On the plus side, I found a GREAT deal on a FUTURAMA season 1 boxset by going to this store called Record Surplus. Read & Review!