Sorry this chapter took me so long to get out! BookCasanova was breathing down my neck. I'm surprised people like my story that much :D Hahaha! Woo I'm special! It also took me awhile cause the website seems to think I did something wrong. Not sure what though... I hope I don't get banned or something...

Chapter 34 – Don't Let Friends Be Stupid Alone

Skoodge flinched with every echo their footsteps sent through the long hallway. There were 27 rooms in the smeet education underground. Large rooms filled with all smeets, each in a room with their own yearlings. The rooms were spread in a circle under the city. Hallway after hallway spread out between and around them for trainers, mechanics, Commanders looking for perspective recruits. The hallways were always busy ever since Impending Doom 1 had failed. So many soldiers had needed replacement after that disaster.

Skoodge's yearlings had in general become great soldiers, with acception of Zim, they had all made good names for themselves. Even Skoodge had done his part… until the Tallests launched him out of a canon at Blorch that is. He didn't really care though. Zim said he could help him get revenge but Skoodge didn't really want revenge. He thought it would be much funnier to see the Tallests faces when they saw how tall he and Zim were.

He and Zim had been the troublemakers of the smeet years, in comparison with Their Tallests who had been the perfect Irkens. In fact the reason there were only 27 rooms was because Zim had managed to get into several fights with Red and destroy three of them in the process. Skoodge had always sided with Zim not because he was gullible like everyone thought, ok maybe he was a bit, but it was mostly because like Zim he was also bored after 10 years in Smeet Education. Red and Purple had been bored too though they would never say it.

Zim's footsteps died at some point while Skoodge was leading them through the unused tunnels. Turning around he saw Zim staring at a melted gash in the wall.

"What was this from? The third or fourth?" Zim asked running his hand along the melted metal.

"Third. That was the time you cheated off of Red while building lasers. I really thought we were going to die that time."

Zim laughed. "I guess I did cause a lot of trouble for you guys." Skoodge was shocked by Zim's tone as he said this. He sounded like he felt bad. Zim never felt bad. Not even that time he caught Zee in the crossfire and she had to be rushed to the hospital ward to get her antennae re-attached. It was weird seeing Zim looking depressed. Even if most of Zim's plans did fail, they were easy to go along with because he always seemed so confident. Zim's drooping antennae were starting to make Skoodge feel nervous.

"Hey. Remember that time Larb was giving a presentation on battle plans for when outnumbered?"

Zim's antennae perked, "You mean when you modified his pointer so it set the screen on fire?"

"That's the one." Skoodge nodded, "I never did tell you why I did that. It was because Larb had been the one that made your cruiser malfunction when it crashed and broke your arm."

Zim stared at Skoodge. "I bothered you for weeks to find out why you did that, and NOW you decided to tell me… wait he what?! I thought I was a bad mechanic because of that! Red and Purple never let me hear the end of it! ...well until Impending Doom 1 anyway. But you got back at him for me? Why?"

Skoodge shrugged and continued walking forcing Zim to rush to catch up with him. Skoodge hadn't told Zim why he'd done it for the same reason he wouldn't now. He was pretty sure he was the only one that considered them friends.

For a while they walked in silence. Skoodge's maps were indeed up to date. Many of the hallways that had been destroyed during the pair's time at the school had been repaired. They had been forced to backtrack and move farther from the tower in order to avoid guards. Then there was one time they were forced to hang from the ceiling, with help from their PAKs, in order to avoid a civilian passerby.

"This should be it." Skoodge said pointing at a large escape tube. "We're right under Center Tower now."

"hey… Thanks for the help. You should probably leave here now."

Skoodge looked back at Zim. He was staring at the floor with a serious look on his face. Confused, Skoodge just stood there.

"I… I can't promise that this won't be dangerous… and… and if you come you could get hurt."

"Yeah I figured that much out when I came with. If you didn't want me coming why did you talk me into it in the first place?"

Zim continued to stare at the floor. His hands were clenched tight and his antennae were pressed flat to his head. What up with him? Skoodge wondered, but when Zim didn't give a reason Skoodge turned to step into the tube.

"I already don't know where Dib and Kark are. The only reason Kam had to leave earth was because of me. I just don't want any more friends getting hurt."

Skoodge turned to face Zim. This was the second time Zim's attitude had surprised Skoodge. He thought he had Zim figured out long ago but this day was proving him very wrong. Zim had actually called them friends.

Zim was ready to stop Skoodge as he had just turned and headed for the tube again.

Skoodge sighed. "After all these years, I guess I really still am the same gullible smeet that always went along with your crazy plans. You're worried about the human and vortian right? Well if they're in trouble the best way you can help them is to get done what you have to." Zim's antennae twitched. "We can't do that if we're standing here. Besides, with how much worrying you've been doing, do you really think a friend would do any less and then just let you go alone?"

Skoodge didn't look back to see Zim's face when he said that. Irken's aren't supposed to show too much emotion, but a smile crossed his face when he heard Zim mutter, "Thank you," and follow him into the tube; they headed for what they were both sure would be a long fight to the top floor.