When Your World Comes Tumbling Down

by Mr. Alaska

What would happen if Red and Purple told Zim the sad truth? What will Zim do when he finds out his mission was a fake? What will he do when everything he lived for is ended right before his eyes? Tak comes back for revenge. But will she get it? R&R! ZATR!

11. Where are They?

Rating: T

Pairing: Zim/Tak

Author's Notes: Well, I got some good news and some bad news. Bad news, because FanFiction is going through some upgrades or something, I am unable to update many of my stories. That's the bad news. Good news is that this was one of the stories that I am able to update. So lucky you, you all get another update…. Don't really know what I'll be able to update any of my other stories, but whatever. Here's another chapter. Last chapter, we went through the stressful, intense moment Zim and Tak have been waiting for. To see if the Council of the Elder Mirikians will grant them permission to live on their planet. It seemed as if it wasn't happening, but after discussing it among his fellow councilmen, Elder Gleek happily granted the two runaway Irkens citizenship. But meanwhile, back on Earth, things are going down the drain. The Tallest invaded Earth with an army of Invaders, wanting to find and destroy the two Defectives once and for all. How will everything pan out? Will they figure out where Zim and Tak are? But just as a heads up, this entire chapter will mostly be about what is happening back on Earth. We'll see what Dib does now that his planet has been Invaded? Find out here! So sit back, relax, grab something to snack on and enjoy the ride. Peace!

Chapter 11: Where are They?

"This is where you two will be living," Elder Gleek stated, as he led Zim, Tak, and Mimi to where they will be living. To get to where they would be staying, Elder Gleek needed to take them just outside the city. That was were a large majority of the civilians lived. It was a large community, similar to a residential neighborhood on Earth. There were houses of all shapes and sizes, with children running around playing games. There were trees, grass, and other forms of vegetation growing in the residents' yards, much different to the barracks every Irken was forced to live in, Invader or not.

"The city was primarily built for big business and military use," Gleek continued, as they neared the front gates. "And while civilians were more than welcome to go into the city for any reason, not too many actually lived there. The city is mainly for military training and tourism." After walking a couple of more blocks, Gleek finally arrived at Zim's and Tak's. "Aw, here we are," he said, pulling out the key to their house. "Your new home."

When they saw where they were going to stay, Zim's and Tak's eyes snapped open with awe. Their house was bigger than most houses. Their front lawn was easily 40-50 yards long, with nice, green, well kept grass growing in it. The house itself was around two stories high, and painted a nice shade of blue. Gleek handed the key to Tak, before leading them up the small stone pathway up to the front door. When she unlocked the door and opened it up, they both were in for another surprise. The inside of the house was incredibly clean. The first room was the living room, covered in soft red carpet. It had a large, comfy couch, with a large television screen about 15 feet in front of it. There was a couple of book shelves on either side of the couch, with books both from Irken culture and Mirikian culture. In between the couch and the television was a large glass coffee table. Next was the kitchen.

Compared to the small kitchen in the barracks back on Irk, the kitchens here was humongous. There was a large refrigerator/freezer to one side of the kitchen, which was filled with recently purchased produce and meats commonly found on Mirikia. Beside it were cabinets filled with different sizes of silverware, plates, and cups. Next to that was a recently cleaned cover. Above that was a spice rack, filled with different Mirikian herbs and spices. And in the middle of the kitchen was a dining room table.

"Upstairs is the bathroom, bedrooms, and in case you ever have any visitors, you have a couple of guestrooms," Gleek informed, letting out a tired sigh before taking a seat in a chair beside the dining room table. Still speechless from their amazing house, Zim and Tak took a seat across the table, looking around in disbelief. When it was clear that the two were overjoyed about their new home, the old Mirikian chuckled. "So, what do you think?" he asked, already having a good idea of what their response will be.

Tak slowly shook her head, trying to get back in touch with reality. "I-it's simply amazing, Elder Gleek," she answered breathlessly, looking back at the generous Mirikian. "These are the kind of homes not even high ranking Irken generals can afford. It's beautiful… But I have to ask you something." Curious, Elder Gleek leaned his head towards her and lifted one antenna. "Why are you giving us such a nice home? I mean, we've only just arrived today, and had only been permitted to stay here but mere hours ago."

Elder Gleek let out a soft, warm chuckle, causing Zim to turn around. "My dear girl, I know this is hard to believe, but the reason we are giving you two this house is because we feel you two deserve it." When his answer left Zim and Tak looking at him with confused expression, he explained further. "Out of all of the Irken refugees that have come to our planet, you two have had the most horrible experiences we have ever encountered. You both were completely loyal to the Tallest, but they ignored those qualities and tried to have you both killed. Most stories Irken refugees tell us are about how they aren't happy with the positions given to them."

Gleek let out another pleasant smile at the two before continuing. "And we all know you two made none of it up. While you two were telling us your reasons for being here, your vital signs were being monitored." This got a surprised look from Zim and Tak. "You see, in the center of the room where you were standing was a device that was measuring your heart rhythm. Whenever someone lies, there vital signs increase by a certain degree, letting us know how honest someone is being. But neither of you two set off that kind of a reading, telling us you both were being completely straight with us."

Zim scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "Umm… Not that I mind or anything, but are those the only reasons you gave us this place?"

Again, the elderly Mirikian smiled. "Well, those was their reasons. There were a couple reasons I suggested giving you two this house." Zim and Tak looked at each other questionably, before looking back at Gleek. "One of the reasons was because of Zim's participation in Operation: Impending Doom I," he answered, getting a surprised look from Zim. "We were unprepared for a invasion that big at the time. But thanks to Zim screwing it up for them, it was delayed, giving us enough time to ready ourselves. So I thought it would make for a nice "Thank you" gift from Mirikia to you two."

Hearing that he was one of the reasons they got such a amazing house, Zim snickered proudly. "And the second reason," Gleek added, with a sly smile on his face, "is because this was one of the few free houses that was built to house a couple." The two Irkens blushed when they heard the second reason. "Most of the Irken refugees who come to Mirikia are alone. So if they do qualify to live here, they get a smaller house. But seeing as you two are obviously mates, we felt that a bigger house would fit your needs much better."

Tak blushed and looked down to one side nervously. "Umm… Th-thank you, Elder Gleek," she replied awkwardly, feeling a little strange after the "mates" comment.

"Please, you can just call me Gleek," he replied humbly. "You don't have to address me as "Elder Gleek" unless you are a soldier on official business. We don't cling to titles or ranks like in the Irken Empire." After thinking for a second, Gleek remembered something. "Oh! That reminds me," he said, looking back at Zim and Tak curiously. "Do you two have any idea what type of jobs you want?"

The two Irken refugees smiled and nodded their heads. "Well, I guess. I was thinking I could try applying to join the Mirikian Military," Tak answered. She than pointed at Zim with his thumb. "And Zim was thinking about putting his scientific creativity to good use." Zim nodded his head, agreeing with what she said. "We feel that since the Tallest tried so hard to have us killed, the best way to get back at them is to join the fight against them."

Gleek took a minute to think about their request. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, stroking his long beard. "Well, I don't see any reasons that can't happen," he finally replied happily, before pulling himself up. Zim and Tak smiled. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, why don't you two get settled in. I'll have Hickash swing by here with you Spittle, in case you have any belongings still aboard."

Meanwhile, Back on Earth….

By the time Did, Gaz and their father made it to the city. But when they actually saw the city, their hearts fell with dismay. The city practically resembled the scene from a movie where it was taking place after a nuclear holocaust. Large groups of people were being led into the center of the city by weapon carrying Irken Invaders and mutated experiments. Dib looked up into the sky. The sky was gray, with VOOT Cruisers and Spittle Runners zigzagging back and forth across it. 'Wow, Zim wasn't kidding when he said the Tallest were after him and Tak,' Dib thought, as they neared the middle of the destroyed city. 'What the hell could Zim have done to get THIS many enemies? I mean, the guy was a little irritating. But come on, his entire race wants him dead? What on Earth could he have done?' Finally, they reached the center off the city.

There wasn't a building standing within a 50 square block radius. Now, it was all smoldering mounds of rubble. Restaurants, shopping malls, post offices, everything. When the Massive landed, it smashed down everything. But in doing so, almost every person in the city was herded into many different groups with guards surrounding them. He and his family was thrown into a random group of civilians, numbering around 400. He looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

'What are they doing?' Dib thought, not knowing what the Invaders were doing. 'They invaded our planet, defeated our military, and took over our city. But they aren't doing anything.' He then saw Irkens combing through all the crowds, with a small video monitor in their hands. When he figured out what they were doing, he chuckled. 'Ha! Those idiots must be looking for Zim and Tak,' Dib thought. 'Too bad he isn't even on this PLANET! You morons will be looking forever.'

But, to his surprise, he noticed that they weren't looking for Zim or Tak. No. They were pulling out children. His classmates, to be precise. 'What the-?'

"You, big-headed kid!" Dib's eyes shot open when he heard that name. He and his family turned to see a different Irken Invader, who had pushed through the crowd of civilians surrounding them. He was wielding a Plasma Rifle, with a long purplish staff attached to his PAK. "The Tallest wish to meet with you, meat-sack." The Invader reached back and pulled out the purple staff from his PAK. "So come with me immediately, or I'll…" But suddenly, Professor Membrane stepped in between Dib and the Invader.

"Don't you dare lay so much as a finger on my children, alien," he growled, with his folded across his chest, and looked down sternly on the green being. "If your leaders wish to speak to anyone here, it might as well be me. My name is Professor James Membrane. I am considered one of the greatest scientific minds of my generation, and the head scientist at Area 51. If it is our technological advances in alien technology you want, then…."

ZAP!

All of a sudden, the end of the staff started to spark with electricity. Without warning, the Irken Invader pressed it against Professor Membrane's side, causing him to tumble to the ground unconscious. Dig panicked, and rushed to his father's side. "He'll wake up in about five to ten minutes," the alien sighed, pointing the staff directly at Dib. "But since the Tallest want to see you, I have been informed that I am NOT to shock you. But if you give me any lip like your old man did, I'll claim you were trying to kill me." He moved the tip of the staff closer to Dib's face. "Do we have a understanding, meat-sack?" Dib looked at the electrified staff, which was only a few inches from his face, gulped, and nodded his head. "Good. Now come with me." The Invader got behind Dib and pressed the barrel of his Laser Rifle against his back… But all of the sudden, the Invader chuckled, pulled the barrel away and pressed the end of his staff to Dib's back. "Never mind. I like doing this too much."

"Wha..?"

ZAP!

Ten Minutes Later….

"Oh… My head," Dib groaned, as he came back to consciousness. He felt like he was drained of all his energy. His head was spinning, his limbs were numb, and his stomach felt as if it was doing back flips. "I feel like I just went on an all day Bloaty's Pizza binge. How many freaking volts did that damn thing hit me with?"

"He's awake." Dib stopped complaining about his head when he heard the familiar voice. Was that who he thought it was? "Hey Dib? Are you alright?" As his energy started returning to him, Dib slowly started opening his eyes. When he looked up, he saw Zita kneeling beside him, with a damp washcloth in her hand. ( You know who I'm talking about. The girl with the spiky purple hair, black hair band, wears a purple and black striped dress? Yeah. That one. I decided to make this story a DAZR (Dib and Zita Romans) as well. Whatcha think? ) As he looked up at his classmate, he noticed she had a panicked look on her face. "You've been out for almost ten minutes. I thought you were in a coma or something." she said, wiping the sweat from Dib's forehead with the damp washcloth.

Confused, Dib stiffly turned his head to see where he was. To his surprise, he saw all his other classmates. And after inspecting his surroundings, he figured out that he was at Skool. For some reason, the Invaders were gathering him and his classmates up and tossing him into Ms. Bitters' now empty classroom. "Aw, what's going on?" Dib asked, trying to stand up on his own.

"I don't know," Zita answered, helping Dib to his feet. "They didn't tell us. They just threw us in here and won't let us go. Then their leaders, the "Tallest" came in and asked all of us about what happened to Zim and Tak… And even though we keep on telling them we didn't know where they were, they refused to let us go." Zita pointed at the window. When Dib turned around, he saw that there were multiple armed Invaders marching back and forth in front of the building, ensuring no one would escape. He then looked outside the classroom window, and saw two Invaders guarding it. "They have the entire Skool surrounded," Zita continued, sitting up against wall. "They said they won't let us go until their leaders talk to us…" Zita scratched the back of her head, and looked down to the ground timidly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Dib said, turning back around to face her, "I was just zapped was all. But thanks for your con…" His sentence was cut short when he saw Zita's dress. There was a large amount of dried blood staining it, right underneath her collar. Bib looked at Zita with a startled expression, alarmed at the blood on her clothes. "Oh crap! Are you alright Zita?"

Zita looked at her bloody dress, and nodded. "Yeah. I'm not hurt or anything," she answered, rather quietly. "This isn't my blood. It's my…" She paused, and looked down to the ground. Dib watched as Zita suddenly clenched her fists, and bit down on her bottom lip. "It's my p-parents' blood…" Zita started shaking. "Wh-when the aliens tried to t-take me away with th-them, my parents tried to st-stop them." Dib watched as tears started to building up in Zita's eyes. "Th-then, when my p-parents refused to give m-me up," she continued, trying her best not to cry, "they p-pulled out their guns a-and shot th-them in th-the…" Zita took in a sharp breath, and decided not to finish the sentence. "They shot them r-right in front o-of me, a-and…" The poor girl couldn't take it anymore. Zita fell to her knees and started crying into her hands.

Dib's heart broke when he witnessed this. Zita was without a doubt, in his mind, one of the toughest girl's he has ever met besides his sister. She gets into more fights with both boys and girls than anyone else in the Skool. Whenever someone got "smart" or "smug" with her, she'd make it clear that she wasn't going to tolerate it. Sometimes, Dib would find Zita a little bit more scary than Gaz. But only on rare occasions, though… Mainly when it was him who she was mad at. But seeing her actually cry in front of him was something he would've never thought he'd ever see.

"M-m-my parents a-are d-dead," she whimpered, with tears pouring down her face, soaking the collar of her dress. "Th-they shot th-th-them right in th-the head… R-right in f-front of me." She was biting down on her bottom lip so hard, she was close to drawing blood. Dib scratched the back of his neck, trying to figure out what to do. On one hand, besides Zim, Zita was the runner up in Dib's Most Annoying Enemies list. She was always making fun of him for believing aliens were coming, about him seeing Big Foot in his garage, about Zim being an alien, everything. They've even got into a physical fight once ( Started by Dib, obviously ) where Zita knocked him out, resulting in him being ridiculed for the two weeks that followed.

But on the other hand, he knew she was going through a lot right now. Zita had just witnessed her parents get shot and killed right in front of her. Normally, when someone he hated was in such a vulnerable state like this, he would take advantage of the moment. But now? Right after her parents had just got killed? 'No… I may not like her, but that would be going WAY too far,' Dib concluded, as he walked up behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Zita."

All of a sudden, the doors were kicked open. The two Irken Invaders that were guarding the door walked in, with Tallest Red and Tallest Purple following behind them. Red, with a sour expression on his face, looked around the classroom and shook his head. "My Irk, Purple. Isn't this the most pathetic sight you even did see?" he asked aloud, getting everyone's attention. "I mean, their entire army fell within a mere few hours to our Invaders. It's just sad, isn't it?" Purple nodded his head and smirked, as the two leaders stood in the front of the class.

"So try, Red," Purple agreed, "so very sad indeed. Even the Glaknorchs of the primal planet of Feariliana put up more of a fight. And they only used stones and spears."

Zita looked up at the Tallest with a tear filled glare. "You bastards! You murdering bastards," she cried, as Dib held her back from blindly charging at the guarded Irken leaders. "What do you two want from us?" Zita asked furiously, as she clawed wildly at Red and Purple with the intent to kill. "Out of all the people in the city, you want to talk to us! Why? What the hell do we…" Her sentence was cut off when one of the guards pulled out another stun staff, and thrust it at her. But Dib pulled both of them back, just far enough to get out of the reach of the electrified end.

"Calm yourself, little Earthling," Red said, as he signaled the guard to back off. Zita continued to glare daggers at the Tallest when Dib finally convinced her to stay calm. "We are just here to get some answers is all. All we want to know is where Zim is. Then, we'll leave."

"But we keep on telling you the same thing," another student shouted. "We don't know where that freak Zim is! Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Yeah! None of us even liked him to begin with," agreed another. "Why would we know where that weirdo is? He never bothered telling us where he would go."

Red shook his head and chuckled. "You're right, little Earthlings," he answered. "We know of Zim's uniqueness. And we kinda figured most of you didn't know that Zim was actually an alien." Everyone looked at one another, surprised. Red raised a eyebrow and put his hands on his hips. "The guy had green skin, no nose or ears, three fingers and a lizard-like tongue… Are you guys seriously telling us that none of you thought that was slightly odd?"

Before any of the students could say anything, Dib cleared his throat. "Okay, before I tell you were Zim is," he began, getting everyone's attention, "I'd like to say something first." Looking at each other curiously, Red and Purple nodded their heads. So, Dib walked up to the front of the class, turned, and faced the others. "Ahem… I TOLD YOU HE WAS A ALIEN! HAHAHA! I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU!" Dib started gloating ecstatically, pointing at the others and doing a victory dance. "I kept on telling you he was a alien, but none of you listened! But I was right! Hahahahahahaha!" Finally, after almost a full minute of gloating, Dib calmed himself. "Whoa… That felt good."

"Okay, enough of this." Suddenly, Tallest Red reached out, grabbed Dib by the collar of his shirt and lifted him into the air. The tall Irken ruler looked up at the human boy with a angry glare, and tightened his grip on his trench coat collar. "Okay Dib," he growled, "we know you knew Zim was a alien. And since you seem so obsessed with exposing him, it would be logical to assume that you know where he and Tak went to… So, either you tell us immediately, or we start killing your classmates." All of the other students gasped and looked at Dib.

Dib grinned mischievously, and opened his mouth to answer. But after thinking about what to say, Dib's eyes snapped open. He didn't remember what lie to tell the Tallest. He couldn't remember the name of the planet Zim told him to tell them. 'Oh damnit! Where was it?' Dib thought, looking back and forth nervously, with both Red and Purple still staring at him curiously. 'Was it Planet Mathesh? Planet Mirakia? Planet Mashesh? Planet Mesheth?'

"Hmmm… Seeing as you are having trouble remembering," Red snarled, narrowing his eyes at the stalling Dib, "maybe we should help jog your memory." He looked at one of his guards, and nudged his head at Zita. Understanding what his leader meant, the Invader nodded his head, and withdrew a Plasma Pistol. "If you don't "remember" real soon," Red continued, as the guard pressed the barrel of his gun against Zita's head, "then your little friend there gets her pretty little head blown off."

Dib looked back to see the smirking Invader pressing the end of his Plasma Pistol against Zita's temple. He looked at Zita, and saw that she had her eyes snapped close, with tears of fear rolling down her face. 'Crap,' Dib thought. 'What do I tell them? What do I do?' He looked back at Red, who had on an "all powerful" smug grin to his face. But then, remembering something, Dib was struck with an idea. "Oh. I remember where he is," he lied, getting a satisfied look from Red and Purple. "He said he was… *Cough!* *Cough!* He said he and Tak were going t… *Cough!* *Cough!* They were going to M… *Cough!* *Cough!*" Before Dib could tell the Tallest where Zim and Tak were, he started coughing violently and uncontrollably, interrupting his sentences.

"What's wrong, Earthling?" Purple asked, rolling his eyes.

"W-w-water," Dib gasped, " I n-need *Cough!* w-water." The Tallest looked at one another. "I-I'm de-*Cough!* dehydrated… I n-need *Cough!* water. P-please."

"Oh, for Irk's sake," Red growled, smacking himself in the face. He turned his attention to all of the other students. "Does anyone have any water with them?"

"I-I have some." Everyone turned their attention to Zita, who timidly raised her hand. She looked at the alien leaders with a nervous gaze, with sweat rolling down her forehead. "There's s-some in my b-backpack… I-I can go get it, if th-that's okay." After exchanging glances, Red and Purple nodded. Reluctantly, the Invader pulled the Plasma Pistol from the side of Zita's head. Dib continued to "cough" violently as Zita walked to the back of the room to fetch her backpack. But the guards kept their pistols aimed squarely on the girl as she walked up to the front of the class.

"Th-thanks Zita," Dib thanked, as Red lowered him down so that he could accept that water bottle from Zita. When he grabbed the water bottle from Zita, he took a large drink. Dib's cheeks swelled up with water, getting a few curious looks for both the Invaders and his classmates. Dib then looked at the Tallest with a sly smirk. "This might sting a little," he gargled, before spraying out a mist of water at the Tallest and the one guard.

HIIIIIIISSSSSS!

"AAAAAAHHHHHH! OH MY IRK! THE PAIN!" All of the Invaders cried in agony and fell to the floor blinded, as Dib was dropped to the ground. Without even missing a beat, Dib swung back around and sent the last of the water at the last guard. SPLASH! HIIIIISSS! The guard let out a agonizing scream and fell to the ground, his skin boiling and smoking. Everyone watched in amazement as Dib grabbed the electrified staff from one of the Invaders and pressed the button, electrifying the end. "Lights out," he growled, taking a large, circular swing, smacking all of the four aliens.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

In one foul swoop, the end of the staff smacked against Tallest Red, Tallest Purple and the two guards. All four Invaders fell to the ground unconscious. "Quick," Dib barked, turning to Zita and the rest of his classmates, "grab the Plasma Pistols, Plasma Rifles and staffs. We only have five to ten minutes before they wake back up. Follow me and keep quiet. If we keep out of sight, we can sneak to my garage…"

"What are you talking about Dib?" Dib's orders were cut off when he heard one of his classmates. "We aren't going out there. We'll get killed out there. Are you insane?" All of the other students agreed, all except Zita, who did grab a Plasma Pistol. "We aren't going outside just to get massacred."

Dib stared at his classmates, not believing what he was hearing. They wanted to stay here, and not try to escape? "What are you guys talking about? We need to get out of here," Dib growled. "If you stay here, you'll all die."

But when he suggested that, another classmate stood up. "No, you'll be the one who will die," he corrected, pointing at Dib. "Because you were the one who attacked and knocked out the alien leaders. We didn't do anything."

"…" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Even though he was proven right about Zim being an alien, even though he had just knocked out the Tallest and their guards for their freedom, they didn't want to come with him. Dib looked at each one of them, getting all the same looks. "You can't be serious," he sighed, messaging the bridge of his nose. "You guys are seriously going to stay here and hope that the Tallest will be merciful?" Everyone nodded. "Okay. Fine. Stay here and die," he groaned, sneaking up to the door. 'God, there guys a retarded,' he thought, making sure his Plasma Rifle was charged. 'I can't believe they can be this stupid! Sure, they are stupid. But this is a whole new le…'

Then, he noticed that he wasn't the only one that was up against the wall next to the door. He turned and saw Zita, with a Plasma Pistol drawn. When he was about to say something, she cut him off. "You were right Dib," Zita began, looking down at the ground. "You were right about everything. About Zim being an idiot, about aliens coming to invade us, everything… That's why I'm going to stick with you."

To Be Continued….

Hmm… Things are getting interesting. Zim and Tak are getting a whole new and better life, while things are only getting worse for Dib and the rest of Earth. But it seems that Dib was forced to fight back against his aliens enemies. But, luckily, he won't be doing it alone. Another one of Dib's enemies will be helping him, Zita. And just a little heads up. The next chapters will be mainly about Earth's struggle against the Irken Invaders. There will be some parts about Zim's and Tak's new life that will be mentioned, but the main focus will be on Earth. But how will all this turn out? Until next time. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF ANY OF YOU SEE ANY SPELLING OR GRAMMAR MISTAKE, SO I CAN CORRECT THEM IMMEDIATELY!