Dlbn: hey everyone! We're back with another chapter! School starts for us later today (already Wednesday here for us), so we might end up being a little late on updates. But we'll try to keep the once a week thing up, okay?
Nbld: So before we have to go to bed now, we'll get to the Review Corner! Thank you to Achlys, Codelulu-chan, Princess-Of-Your-Doom95, kitty Tokyo uzumaki, ZimmieAmagir, and Guest for reviewing! Apples for you all! (Since it's fall now)
Achlys: You can say that again! No, Zim and Keyvine/Krill aren't chipped. She just never liked Krill and found the timing of Zim's disappearance suspicious. I'll probably have Keef see it later on and make a comment when he sees them next, but they won't see it directly. (Not in this chapter, anyway)
Codelulu-chan: Things are starting to go haywire here, no? ;)
Princess-Of-Your-Doom95: I always miss those somehow ^^" Thanks, I'll get onto fixing that after this update :D That's a good plan! Unfortunately, Zim isn't bright enough to figure that out. Well, he is, but he's just not thinking clearly at the moment ;) Gaz would have if there were no witnesses, you can be sure of that :D D'aw, loves you as well!
Kitty Tokyo uzumaki: She really is. I'm not sure if she's just evil or if she's just concerned for Zim.
ZimmieAmagir: He's in a bit of a jam at the moment, isn't he? :/ Glad you liked :)
Guest: Love the conspiracy. I could see her doing that, actually XD But no, she does have a heart. She just tries to hide it from the general population. But one thing we know, is that messing with Dib is her job, and she won't let anyone else have that privilege ;)
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Invader Zim or any related characters. Jhonen Vasquez does. I DO, however, own Keyvine/Krill, his SIR, and his Computer. I make NO money writing in this fandom. It's just fun.
000
After the club meeting ended, Zim and the Membrane siblings walked to Keyvine's base with Keef. The others elected to just go home and hear about it from them later.
"So what exactly happened, Zim?" Keef wondered. "I think there might be something you're not telling us."
"Well…" Zim started to explain.
"Wait, should we talk about it around Gaz?" Keef wondered.
"Why shouldn't you?" Gaz snarled, not looking up from her game.
Zim would have to ask her one day how she managed to not walk into anyone or anything while playing her game.
"She knows everything, it's fine." Zim informed.
"You told?"
"We had to explain GIR and Zim's ship somehow, didn't we?" Dib sighed. "Besides, she would've figured it out eventually."
"Well…okay…" Keef sighed. "So what happened? Why did he leave early?"
"My mother called him." Zim said simply.
"W-What?" Keef stopped in his tracks and clutched a hand to his chest. "Why did she call? How did she know where he is? What did she say? My god, is everything okay?!"
Gaz reached over and grabbed the worried redhead by the collar. "Shut up so he can answer you one at a time, moron." She ordered.
"Well, Zim?" Keef wondered softly, as Gaz let him go.
"She doesn't know where he is, first off." Zim said. "She said that since he hadn't reported-in in so long, they were concerned that he didn't at least give them an explanation for the absence." Zim went on and reported everything that the call had said; though he hadn't memorized it enough to have spoken word for word.
"So basically, he either reports in, or he gets labeled the worst kind of deserter, gets labeled a traitor, is banished, and has assassins on his ass. And, if it turns out he knows where I am-which he does-she'll blame him for both Operations and have everyone she can side with her to throw him under the bus." Zim finished.
They had reached Keyvine's front lawn a little while ago, but Zim had them wait outside until he could completely brief them on the situation.
"How could…?" Keef wondered. "But…Keyvine didn't…it's not like he kidnapped…traitor…banished…blamed…I don't…how could…" He was at a loss for words for a few moments. "How could your mother be so heartless?"
They approached the front door and Zim knocked before answering Keef.
"I don't know." He said. "I know she doesn't like Keyvine because she was convinced he was using me for whatever reason. But I still don't see why she would do that. As for being a deserter, I guess I can understand that slightly."
"But as far as she knows, he's dead!" Keef responded.
"His PAK would have sent a signal to the Massive upon the death of his body and/or PAK." Zim responded. "She knew he was alive because she didn't get a warning signal, and because she was able to leave him a message." He shrugged. "I don't see why she'd make him that level of deserter, though. I mean, he could have been a prisoner or something. That would have made it an honorable desertion, at most."
He still didn't see why his mother would threaten that. She knew there was a chance he was a prisoner and couldn't send out a distress signal. Then again, she probably believed that since the Slerks were a peaceful race, that automatically made them stupid.
Krill's front door opened with no one on the other side.
"He's in the lab." Computer said as the guests walked into the house. "Should I call for him?"
"No, we'll go down." Zim said. "Thanks, though, Computer."
"Welcome." Computer replied. "He's really upset about this whole thing."
"Wouldn't you be?" Dib asked.
"Yes, if I were able to actually feel such emotions and not just fake them."
Gaz snickered at that.
"Let's just go see him. What level, Computer?" Keef asked.
"Level four."
"Thank you!"
The five of them went to the hidden elevator in Keyvine's base's wall. Keef pressed his finger on a button hidden in a painting and the doors opened. SIR was inside, bouncing around.
"Doo dee, doo dee doo. Doo dee dee doo. Doo dee, doo dee doo. Doo dee dee doo Doo dee doo!" He sang repeatedly.
"Hi, SIR!" Keef greeted, wiggling his fingers at the robot.
SIR stopped bouncing and singing. "Keef!" He launched at the redhead, knocking him back slightly. "I missed you, other Master!"
Zim cocked an eyebrow. "We're going to find your Master." He informed. "Are you going to come?"
"Master doesn't let me into the Labs." SIR informed, rubbing his metallic head against Keef's.
The redhead gently pried the robot off and sat him on the floor. "You can just ride in the elevator with us." He offered.
"Don't you dare." Gaz glared at him.
"Okay!" SIR bounded into the elevator and bounced up and down. "Come on, let's go! Let's go!"
The group entered the elevator as well.
"I wanna push the button!" SIR informed.
"Four, please." Dib said.
The SIR stood on its toes and pressed the button with one finger. The elevator doors closed and the elevator began going downwards.
"I'm gonna sing the doom song now." SIR said. "Doom, Doom, Doom, Doom¸ Doom de Doom, Doom, Doom…"
"So you're who taught GIR that awful song." Zim's eye twitched.
The robot had begun singing it randomly the other day, and Zim had to shut him off to make it stop. SIR ignored him and continued singing loudly and bouncing around. Gaz's left eye twitched in irritation as the robot began singing the words in the form of stereotypical elevator music.
"This better stop soon."
"It's only four floors down." Zim informed.
The elevator stopped on the fourth level and dinged as the doors opened. The group stepped out into the Lab, leaving the singing and bouncing robot behind.
"Bye!" SIR stopped singing to wave enthusiastically at the others before the doors shut.
A hall led from the elevator doors to the main room of the level they were in. a large number four was on one end of the doorframe to the hall, signifying the Level they were on. They moved forward as a group.
"Krill?" Zim called into the spacious room at the end of the hall. "Are you down here?"
"Yeah…" Krill responded. His voice was soft, but it echoed throughout the room.
When they reached the end of the hall and entered the room, Zim noted that there wasn't much inside. It looked like a ship repair room or a planning room. Maybe a training room? There was one computer along the wall, but it wasn't a large computer like Zim expected, and had seen in pretty much every room in the Massive. Other then that and a small table near the console, there wasn't anything in the room. Krill did, however, sit in a chair in front of the computer. He had one leg hanging off of it and the other placed on the chair. His chin was resting on his arms, which were folded over his knee. The only light in the room came from the computer screen and some small overhead lights. The room was bathed in an eerie bluish glow. Krill stared at the screen, either watching something or hypnotized by the light.
"Are you okay, baby?" Keef asked, scampering to Krill's side. "Zim told us everything."
"I'll be okay." Krill sighed. "I just…don't know what to do."
"Whatever you think is best." Keef said, massaging Krill's shoulders.
He relaxed into his boyfriend's grip. "If I call and let her know where I am, she'll go after the Slerks for what they did, and then Earth just because it's here." He said. "But if I don't, she'll label me as a traitor and let assassins come after me."
"Bounty hunters, actually, and I don't think they kill…" Zim pointed out.
"Then they'll come after me and hand me over to her to do with what she wants." Krill snapped at the prince. "And then they'll find you."
"I'm more concerned about you being killed or something…" Zim answered.
Keef stopped massaging his boyfriend's shoulders to glare at the younger Irken. Zim put up his hands and backed away.
"Seriously, whatever happens to me happens." Zim said. "She's my mother. No matter how mad she is, I'll be okay."
"You might never see Dib again." Krill informed.
"I'll run away again." He smiled softly at Dib. "There isn't a force in the universe that could keep me away."
"Zim…" Dib trailed off, smiling at his lover.
Gaz gave Zim a look, but it went unnoticed by Dib and purposefully ignored by Zim.
"I guess." Krill sighed and detached one of his arms from around his legs. He placed his hand on top of Keef's. "Same here."
"Aw…" Keef leaned forward and hugged him tightly.
"I guess I just have to give this a little more thought is all." Krill sighed. "Can you guys go so I can think?"
"Me, too?" Keef asked.
"You can help me think." He said, before looking sadly at Zim.
Zim saw several kinds of sadness in the forest green orbs that were staring at him. Feeling a heavy ache in his chest, he nodded.
"We'll leave." He said. "If you want to talk, you have my number, okay?"
"Okay."
Dib linked his hand with Zim's. "Gaz and I are here too, if you want to talk."
"Come up with an alibi for me? For the rest of the club?" Keyvine asked. "And call me about it in the morning?"
"Sure thing." Dib nodded. "Phony excuses that sound real just happen to be my forte."
That had Krill smiling a little. "Thanks, guys."
"Later." Gaz said, turning on her heel.
Her brother and his boyfriend followed after her.
"Poor guy…" Dib commented. "I feel bad for him…"
"Me too." Zim said, pressing the elevator button.
"We'll get it figured out." Gaz shrugged.
"Don't you feel bad?"
"Sure, but feeling bad isn't going to help him." She explained. "We should work on making something up for the others."
Dib sighed, knowing his sister was right. He pulled Zim close and squeezed his hand. "I feel bad for Keef, too." He said. "I mean, if you were ever given an ultimatum like that, I'd die."
"At least you don't have to worry about me having to decide between safety and a dangerous move." Zim informed.
Gaz glared at him before leaning close. "You better tell him the truth. And soon."
Zim nodded, knowing she was right. But how could he break it to his boyfriend that, after everything Krill was going through now, they also had to worry about losing Zim to the Empire?
