Hi, guys! SO SORRY I took so long of a break, but I've finally finished my TMNT fic "Akari"! Thank you so much for being patient! Sorry again!

I'm ignoring the Invader Zim comics so 777's kids don't exist in this story.

NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix later!

Back at the base, GIR hummed happily as he sat on the couch and waited for Zim and Dib to return, a pink party hat on his head. He had even set up a banner that hung above the kitchen doorway, and in big fat red letters it read, "WELCOME HOME MARY!". When he heard a car roaring down the street and toward the house, he excitedly hopped off the couch and ran to the door.

"EEEEE!" he squealed as he flung the door open and sprinted outside, forgetting to put on his dog disguise. "Welcome home!" He stopped running when he saw a black Jaguar parked next to the curb and a gravely injured Zim stepping out...without Dib.

GIR tilted his head in confusion. "Where's Mary?"

Zim said nothing as he limped past his robot and into the house, clutching his bleeding shoulder. He noticed the banner and he felt a fresh wave of tears coming, but he swallowed and blinked them away. With a pained grunt, he sat down on the couch. "Roboparents," he called out weakly.

In a flash, the robot parents were standing in front of the couch, staring at him with blank expressions. "Yes, honey?" Robomom said in a sweet motherly voice.

"Fix me," Zim commanded as he pointed to the gunshot wounds in his shoulder and leg. Robomom and Robodad immediately went to work, using all the medical knowledge within their databases to treat the holes. Zim winched as they began to stitch him up, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain that he was feeling in his heart.

GIR slowly walked up to his master and became worried when he noticed how sad the Irken's red eyes were. "Master, are you okay?"

"I'll live," Zim said softly without looking at him.

"How come Mary's not with you? I made a cake for him!" GIR ran into the kitchen and quicky returned with a whole cake in his hands. It had pink and white frosting with a sloppy drawing of Dib, Gir, and Zim on the top. Written in pretty cursive under the figures were the words, 'We luv u Mary!'

Zim felt his throat tighten and forced a smile for GIR. "It's beautiful, GIR," he croaked as he patted the robot on the dome of his head.

"When's he gonna get here?" GIR asked again.

The Irken closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then released it in a shaky sigh. "GIR, sit down," he patted the cushion next to him. GIR set the cake down on the table and climbed onto the couch. "GIR, I won't lie to you," Zim said as he pulled GIR closer to him. "Dib won't be coming home...ever."

GIR looked up at worried. "Why not?"

"He's dead," Zim said without hesitation, no emotion in his voice.

"...Huh?"

"Dead, GIR. The humans killed him."

GIR's cyan lights flickered for a brief moment as he processed all of this. Then tears started to leak from his eyes. "But...why?" he squeaked.

Zim somberly shook his head. "I don't know why."

"But it's not fair!" GIR cried as he hugged Zim. "I don't want Mary to be dead! I want him here!" He buried his face in Zim's tunic and sobbed miserably. "I loveded Mary!"

All Zim could do was soothingly rub the robot's back and the top of his shiny head. He was grateful that GIR couldn't see the tears building up in his own eyes. "Yes, GIR, I know," he said gently as his antennae flattened. "And...so did Zim."

Then his eyes narrowed into angry slits. "But I promise you, the humans will pay for this," he whispered with so much venom and hatred in his voice. "They all will."

...

He staggered off the elevator and made his way toward the computer's control panel. With a hiss of pain, he crawled into his chair. "Computer," he weakly called out to the machine.

Yeah?

"You are loyal to Zim, yes?"

Um...yeah?

"And whatever Zim commands, you do it without asking questions?"

Uh-huh?

"So if I commanded you to self-destruct, you would do it."

...WHAT?!

...

Patrol cars and SWAT trucks screeched to a stop in the cul-de-sac and all the officers jumped and surrounded the base with their guns drawn out. The curious neighbors peeked through their windows or stepped out of their houses to see what was happening.

A few officers stepped onto the front lawn and moved slowly toward the house. The security gnomes did not activate and attack them as they passed. They made it to the door and stood still for a moment, then one of them banged on the fake purple wood.

"Alien, we know you're in there!" he shouted. "Come out or we're coming in!"

After one minute of no response, he nodded to his comrades and was about to kick the door in when all of a sudden...

BOOM!

A great blue explosion blew all of them away and flipped their vehicles over. The base had been completely destroyed, and all that was left of it was a great bonfire.

One of the neighbors, a tall, lanky man with a five-o'clock shadow, blinked and scratched his butt. "Well, you don't see that every day," he mumbled.

Meanwhile, at Dib's house, something crashed through the roof and flew into the starry sky at the speed of light. It was Tak's ship, and its pilot was none other than Zim.

The Irken blinked away tears and sighed softly. Dib had always dreamed of flying into space, and he made it his mission to repair this ship so that he could finally make that dream come true. But now that he was...

He clutched the control panel as the anger coursed through his veins once again, the tips of his claws leaving some scratches on the metal.

From inside the ship, GIR looked out his side of the window and watched with sad eyes as the Earth got smaller. "Master, when we will come back?"

Zim stared stoically ahead. "Soon, GIR."


On Planet Vort, Prisoner 777 slept soundly on his cot. Tacky elevator music played softly through the speakers of the prison facility. His cubic cell, which hovered high above the floor along with the others, was made of pure energy and impenetrable, and Irken security drones supervised each cell.

A dark figure stepped into the large room and one of the drones swooped down to inspect him. It scanned the stranger and identified his Irken DNA. How may I be of service to you? it asked him in a deep male voice.

"Bring me Prisoner 777," the Irken said.

The Vortian's cell slowly lowered to where the Irken stood and landed softly on the ground before him.

Prisoner 777, wake up, the drone commanded, and the metal collar around 777's neck suddenly shocked him.

"AAAAH!" the purple Vortian screamed and jumped a couple of inches off his cot. "What?! What?! What?!" he franticallyshouted and looked around him and froze when he saw the Irken standing outside his cell. He blinked a couple of times before he rubbed his tired red eyes. "Zim?"

"Yes, 777," Zim said with a wicked grin. "It is Zim."

"I have a name, you know," 777 said in an annoyed tone. "What do you want this time, Zim?"

"I will explain the details on the way."

"On the way to where?"

Zim didn't answer his question and turned to the drone. "Release Prisoner 777 at once."

One of the energy walls turned off upon Zim's command, and the Vortian just stood there stunned. Was this really happening? He was free?

"I-I...what-what is this?" 777 stuttered.

"Well, are you going to just stand there or are you coming with me?" Zim snapped as he crossed his arms and impatiently tapped his foot.

The Vortian hestitantly stepped out of the cell with his crooked legs, and he yelped when Zim suddenly yanked him by his shirt and dragged him toward the exit.

Once they were outside the facility and standing next to the ship, Zim took the shock collar off 777's neck and tossed it aside.

777 rubbed his now bare neck and looked at Zim confused. "You're setting me free?"

"Not exactly," Zim said.

The dejected Vortian's shoulders dropped. "I knew it was too good to be true," he muttered.

"You have been freed from this prison facility, and so in return, you will pledge to spend the remainder of your life in service to Zim. What do you say?"

"Hmmm," 777 rubbed his chin as thought about this. "Let's see: spend the rest of my life in that dismal prison or waste whatever years I have left serving you?" He paused before he shrugged. "Eh, at least I won't have to eat carrots and jam every day. Very well, Zim, I predge my undying loyalty to you."

Zim nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent, because there is much work to be done." He and 777 stepped into the ship, and GIR was asleep on the seat, snoring loudly. Zim gently picked up the robot and handed him over to the Vortian. "Hold this for a while."

"Um, okay?" 777 sat down and placed GIR in his lap. As the ship took off, he looked out his side of the window and looked down at the prison, which was getting smaller the higher they went and eventually disappeared behind the pink clouds. It felt so good to be free. Once they reached space, he turned to the Irken, "Just what are you planning to do, Zim?"

"Well, 777-"

"Hold on. If we're going to be working together, you might as well call me by my real name, Marak."

Zim huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, Marak, we are going to overthrow the Tallest and take over the Empire."

"Ah, yes, good," Marak smiled and nodded. Then his eyes bulged out. "WHAT?!"

Marak's yelling awoke GIR, who jumped out of the Vortian's lap screaming and latched onto Zim's head. "HAIRY FROG'S GONNA EAT ME!" the robot shrieked.

"GIR, get off my face," Zim calmly ordered even as the robot's feet dug painfully into his cheeks.

Marak continued to panic. "Zim, are you out of your mind?! The Armada will squash us like tiny...six-legged...things, you know, uh...whatchamacallits...?"

"Insects?"

"Precisely! We're just one Irken, one Vortian, and one, uh...robot."

"Yes!" GIR squeaked happily as he jumped off Zim's head. "I am a robot! Hee hee!"

"I am aware of that, fool," Zim told the Vortian in an annoyed tone. "And that's why we need to recruit more soldiers, rebels who wish to free the universe from the tyrannical rule of the Empire."

"Zim, be reasonable," Marak groaned. "No sane person would dare challenge the almighty power of the Empire unless he had a death wish. We'll never find-"

BOOM!

Everyone screamed as the ship suddenly spiraled out of control. The alarms blared, warning them of the external damage that they just took from an unseen force outside. Once the ship stopped spinning, Zim turned on the monitors and located the source of the attack.

On the small screen in the panel, a huge battle ship was slowly approaching them.

Marak leaned forward to get a closer look. "Great Stars," he gasped. "I'd recognize that design anywhere! It is a Vort ship!"

"Truly?!" Zim yelled. "Then let's call them and let them know that we're on their side!" He quickly pushed a couple of buttons on the panel, and all they could do was wait for a response.

After two minutes of silence, an oddly shaped silhouette with glowing yellow eyes appeared on the screen. Surrender, Irken scum, a distorted, deep voice commanded. Or we'll be forced to destroy you.

"Who are you?" Zim asked.

We...are...the Resisty! the figure exclaimed. The Irken Empire's worst enemy, and your greatest nightmare.

Zim and Marak both blinked and looked at each other for a second before they threw their heads back and laughed uncontrollably.

And just what is so funny?! the stranger demanded.

"That is a ridiculous name!" Zim held his stomach and his eyes began to water.

"I must agree with my friend here!" Marak nodded.

GIR joined in on the laughter. "Hee hee hee hahaha! Why are we laughing?! hahahaha!"

The figure's yellow eyes suddenly went wide and he gasped. Wait a minute...Marak?

Everyone immediately stopped laughing.

"Eh?" Zim raised an eye ridge, then turned to the Vortian. "You know this guy?"

Marak merely shrugged.

On the screen, the dark figure's full form was revealed once the lights had been turned on in his cockpit. He was a grey Vortian that wore green goggles and sat in a large chair. He looked directly at Marak and whispered in his normal voice, "Brother?"

Marak gasped softly and grasped the control panel as he leaned in closer to the screen. "Lard Nar?"

The grey Vortian smiled big and stood up in his seat, raising his hands in the air. "Marak!" he shouted joyously. "Thank the Stars you are alive!"

"So are you!" Marak laughed and wiped a tear from his eye. "I feared the worst for you after Vort's fall."

"Where have you been all this time?"

"In prison. But I am free now." Marak scooted aside to let Zim into the view. "Thanks to Zim here."

The smile on Lard Nar's face dropped. "Wait...this Irken freed you?"

Zim nodded with a proud smirk. "That's right. I have freed your brother from the military research prison on Vort. No need to thank Zim."

The skeptical look on the grey Vortian's face did not falter and his brow furrowed. "Hmmm...why have you done this? What is your angle?"

Zim's expression became serious. "I require your brother's services. He is going to help me destroy the Tallests and take over the Irken Empire."

Lard Nar's eyes went big and the horns on his head twitched. "Come again?"

Marak scooted back into view and nodded with a grim look. "He is telling the truth...unfortunately."

"But...But I don't understand," Lard Nar said to Zim. "Why would you betray your own leaders?"

Zim's eyes narrowed angrily and he sneered. "Because they betrayed me first," he hissed. "We have a common enemy, and it is them. You wish to stop Operation Impending Doom 2? You will need my assistance. Let me join your Resistance-"

"Resisty," Lard Nar corrected him.

"...Right. Resisty. And I'll hand over the Armada to you. On one condition: I get to rule over the Empire as their new leader once the Tallest are dead. Deal?"

"Hmmmm," Lard Nar rubbed his chin as he contemplated this.

Marak silently begged his brother not to agree to this by shaking his head and mouthing, "Please no." He didn't want to be dragged into a war they couldn't possibly win.

GIR suddenly popped in between Zim and Marak. "We have cookies!"

At that announcement, a strange cone-shaped creature with a purple face called Shloonkapooxis appeared on the screen in front of Lard Nar. "COOKIES?!" he squealed. "Awesome! You're in!"

"Now wait a minute!" Lard Nar protested as he tried to push his comrade out of the way. "I'm the captain here! And I decide-" The transmission was cut off before he could finish.

Zim smiled at Marak and nodded with a grunt. "There you go. We have an army now."

Marak moaned in despair and slammed his head down on the panel. "We are dead."