FYI: This Story is A ZADR AU of the original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, all characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim

Author's Notes: This chapter is for all of you doubters who thought the story would simmer down once the relationship started. I'm looking at you MockingVenus! This series has no plans of slowing down, and yes I said series, 5 books so far so be happy people!

Shout Outs: lol MockingVenus do not feel bad by that comment I love your reviews they really make long hours of writing in between work and classes worth it. Thanks a million times over! Also for all of you wondering if Tak will replace Zim as the defective idiot in the story this chapter is your answer!

Thanks for reading and please review!

Chapter 38: Your Crimes Against Me! (Part 1)

Tak's eyes narrowed as she watched her enemy from afar…

The horrid defective was talking idle with one of the natives, one for which had an abnormally large head. Oddly enough his head was not his only abnormal feature, the boy also had black hair shaped as a lightning bolt, and large round glasses. And his attire didn't help Tak's already growing negative opinion of him, plain clothes with a large trench coat didn't exactly say brilliance, and yet.

Zim listened to him ramble on as if the child had the tongue of the Tallest.

She moved in closer to get a better look, and hissed as another four legged vermin came her way. Irk she hated dogs, she could handle cats, but dogs were slobbery beast with no since of personal space. Not only that, but they were too dependent on their owners. This was why Tak had given Mimi a CAT protocol for her disguise. Cats were independent, resourceful, and far cleaner, making them the better companion.

Tak shook her head, and forced herself to focus, as Zim and that human moved further down the road. She had been watching them for days now doing her best to gather information in the hopes of getting the drop on her enemy. Oh how she would love to just attack him right now, out in the open, but several reasons prevented her from doing so.

The first of course, was a common enemy that both she and Zim shared: The Swollen Eyeball! Tak knew very little about them, only that they had somehow managed to identify her as a possible alien from that stupid picture in the London papers. They had come looking for her after seeing it, she knew this because she they had asked her about it. Of course she had chosen another disguise by then, and the asker had no idea it was her, that is until she had cornered them in a dark ally and had Mimi drained their mind for information.

Mind draining was not the idlest way to retrieve information but it was the quickest, and it bared results. For example, Tak learned that the ones looking for her knew of her because of the picture in the newspapers. She learned they called themselves: The Swollen Eyeball, that they were a secret group of investigators who dedicated themselves to protecting Earth from Aliens as well as other supernatural threats. She also learned that unlike most humans this secret organization was actually competent.

Yes, The Swollen Eyeball was not a force to underestimate. This was their home turf which in itself restricted her movements.

The other reason was Zim himself, as much as she'd like to say he was an incompetent defective, she knew that said statement was only partially true. Yes Zim was defective, but he was far from incompetent. This point was made entirely by his own survival, no incompetent defective would have survived this long. Plus, she already had firsthand experience on what he would do if she tried to prove his defectiveness to their superiors.

Tak felt her hand subconsciously trace a thin line along her forehead, in her human disguise it was less noticeable, less defined. But if one were to see her without her disguise they would see a large scar across her forehead. This alone was a testament to Zim's power. Not just anything can leave an Irken with a scar, most acts of harm had to be repeated several times over to leave a lasting mark. However Zim had done this in one blow!

Yes, he was a formidable foe indeed, which is why Tak was having trouble understanding why the defective was wasting so much time with this rabbling buffoon! And after watching them do the same thing over and over again for days she could feel her focus slipping. All they did was walk to school and hang out afterwards playing video games, or bowling and going out to the movies.

Where was Zim's since of purpose for the mission?

As far as she had seen the Irken had made no move towards the enemy!

Of course that could be because they are already watching!

Tak's spyware zooms in on a housefly with mechanical wiring, a spy bug. This could only mean one thing, the enemy was watching this boy, but why? Of course Tak knew who he was, he was the boy who had uploaded the video of Zim online. The one she had seen, and use to track Zim down.

Dibson Membrane the 2nd; it was possible that the enemy believed the video to be legit, and was watching him in the hopes of catching the alien from the video. Yes, surely they believed Zim would silence the boy for revealing his presence on Earth. So what was Zim waiting for! Tak already noticed that Zim deleted the video, so he knew it had existed, but as far as she could tell this was the only action he took.

Surely, the scourge of 9 galaxies had a better plan then this! And Tak was determined to figure out what, she had too Zim was her only way in! If she could just find a clean way to eliminate him then she could replace him, and the humans that he had integrated himself with would be none the wiser. She had no other choice then this, the enemy already believed that aliens disguised themselves as humans to spy on them, so no doubt they looked at new comers under a huge microscope.

This of course would explain Zim's restriction for movement, it's possible he was using the boy as part of his cover. Yes, knowing Zim's record the defective has already found himself within the ranks of the enemy. Yes, he thrived on pretending to betray the Tallest, in fact he past his final by joining and betraying a real group of renegades on Vort to Tallest Myuki herself.

Yes, destroying the enemy from the inside was his specialty, which means if she could replace Zim she would finally have a way into the Swollen Eyeball, she could finally know everything they knew, and the best part was the ground work was already done for her. She had her way in, and all she needed to do was get rid of Zim.

A task easier said than done, Tak winced, despite herself as she allowed herself to remember the unfortunate events that lead her to this very moment…

(Conventia, the Convention Hall Planet, 138 Years ago…)

[Operation Impending Doom 1: The Trails!]

{Back to Zim's POV}

This was perhaps the most exciting, and scariest moment of his young defective life.

Zim bit his lip as Tallest Myuki stood before him and the others, there were 100 of them in all, but Zim knew that after today only 10 would remain.

The trials, were like a golden ticket to an invader, a chance for them to show off their skills in a risk free environment only for Zim the risk were there, and they were all too real.

"Now for those of you who are still confused about what is about to happen." Tallest Myuki said, as she began to address them. "What you see before me is the Control Brain known as Veraicon." She paused as the brain moved closer, it's long tentacles swaying in the way that suggested that it was in a search for prey.

Zim eyed those long tentacles knowingly, these would be the weapon of his destructions, if he was not careful!

"Can anyone tell me why she is named this?" Myuki asked.

A young Female with Purple eyes, and a purple uniform raised her hand.

"Yes Tak?" Tallest Myuki asked.

Zim allowed the female to take his full attention, she after all had a reputation of her own. Tak was an Alpha female, and the first to graduate from the academy in as less than 1 year. Somehow this female had fit a four year curriculum in less than a year!

"Veraicon as one word means nothing." Tak answered proudly, "But if you separate the words Vera and icon you are left with the definition of her name which is "true image" or "true self." She is named this because that is what she does she reveals to a person their true self."

"Very good Tak." Myuki praised. "Now can anyone tell me what she is usually used for?"

Zim raised his hand.

"Yes Zim?" Myuki looked at him with a rather fond look, one that Tak did not fail to notice. It was obvious to everyone present that Zim was the class pet, the favorite of the bunch. And that got under her skin in more ways than one. Mostly because Tak despised males, and found them useless, and stupid. So finding out that a male was considered better than her was baffling, but his reputation spoke for itself.

Sure Tak graduated faster than any Invader Trainee, but her's was simple an evaluation. Zim had uncovered a real threat against the empire and had infuriated it, and destroyed it. Meaning Zim had done on Vort what real invaders do every day. Which meant in many Irken's eyes Zim was already a true invader. True invader of course meant that he had already had his first assignment, and not some rookie fresh out of the academy.

"Yes." Zim said. "Veraicon is one of the three control brains that resides on the planet Jugementia, at the Spike of Judgement. Her primary function there is to reveal an Irken's "true self" during their Existence Evaluation. An event where the Control Brains determine whether or not an Irken deserves to either be remembered in Irken History, or to be erased and deactivated, deemed a 'Defective' and forgotten forever."

"Excellent Zim!" Tallest Myuki praised. "Now does anyone know how she does this?"

Skoodge raised his hand, and Tallest Myuki gave him a nod. "Skoodge?"

"Veraicon presents the Irken with a series of random challenges, and projects them on her screen for viewers to watch. The challenge had no significances to the viewers, but they speak volumes about the Irken she is testing for example, one trail my to force the tester to face ones fears, or to defend ones honor."

"Correct." Tallest Myuki praised. "Final question." She said adding a pause. "How does her process identify an Irken as a defective?"

Zim raised his hand, he knew this answer all too well.

"Yes Zim."

"Since Defectives are Irkens who can resist Irken programing, Veraicon presents the Irken with a few challenges that solely focus on that aspect." Zim explained. "A true follower of Irken programing will believe what the programing tells them. And when it comes to the trails the programing will tell the tester that the trails are real. This of course is done in the hopes of getting the idlest results so an accurate score can be given. However, a defective will be able to tell that the trail is not real, and will be able break certain laws that those believing themselves to be in a real situation could not."

"Like?" Myuki asked.

"Like Flying without the proper gear." Tenn exclaimed. "Or walking through solid objects in order to avoid the situation."

"Exactly." Tallest Myuki said with a nod. "Defectives can cheat the system, because they can resist the program. While a normal Irken may believe that these trails are real, a defective will see it for what it is. Another Irken program trying to sniff them out."

Zim stiffened at those words, yes, that is exactly what Veraicon was, another means to end him, and anyone else like him. Luckily Zim was not completely green in this matter; no thankfully he had someone who cared to look out for him.

Lard Nar had warned Zim about the trails soon after Zim had refused his offer to stay on Vort after the final exam. Revealing to his Vortainan Friend that he wish to return to Irk and be an invader. It was then that Lard Nar had told him that the trials were designed to test invaders readiness for field work, and would decide whether or not they were chosen to on the Great Assigning. However, it also revealed to the masses if the tester was defective!

Of course Zim had been terrified to learn this, however Lard Nar insisted that it shouldn't be too difficult to overcome. After all Defectives had Irken programing, they just chose not to listen to it. However, Zim was different in the fact that he chose to listen despite his own personal beliefs.

"Just do what you do every day and you should do just fine." Lard Nar had assured him.

Zim grimaced at his memory, even a year after his betrayal the young Irken could not get the bitter taste of guilt to leave him.

"Now each of you will receive 4 trials all in which will test your skills as an invader, as well as your loyalty to this empire!" Tallest Myuki went on. "Your performance will determine your score and your score will be ranked. The ten top scores will receive a key role in the Great Assigning. Are there any questions before we begin?"

No one dared to raise their hand now, all had been explained any further questions would be dubbed a waste of time and could get you booted before the trails even began.

"Very good; Zim since you have the most experience you will go first." Tallest Myuki said.

Of course he would!

Zim did his best not to appear nervous as he approached Veraicon, her tentacles reached out for him, as if to beckon him closer, and he obliged. Moving closer and closer until her tentacles suddenly reached out for him and wrapped around him. Suffocating him, as if forcing him into subconscious, Zim reminded himself to relax, that this was just a reflex in case the testy decided to make a run for it at the last minute. Finally one tentacle uncoiled to attach to his PAK, and that was it, Zim felt himself easy into subconscious.

"Wake up Zim!"

Zim's eye instantly snap open to the sound of Veraicon's voice. It is then that he notices he is no longer in the testing facility. Instead he is in an all too familiar setting, it's the testing room back on Vort, Lard Nar lays on the floor to his right, and to his left is a table of deadly instruments made to cause harm.

The scene is almost perfectly identical to the real thing, there is just one difference; the four walls around him are not walls but mirrors.

Zim examines his reflection thoughtfully, and it regards him the same way it always does: Disgust!

"Chose!" His refection said, but his voice and not his own, but that of his Irken Programing. This display spoke volumes to Zim, it meant Zim saw his programing as an alternate version of himself. A mask, as shield that his true self hid behind. He could only hope someone in the audience did not notice this.

Zim looked down at the weapons before him and noticed that the gun he had originally used was gone, in fact all of the less messy weapons were gone.

"Chose!" His reflection repeated.

Zim chose a jagged blade, and approached his target.

"Kill." His reflection ordered.

Hesitation would cause him instant death, so Zim obeyed, and stabbed Lard Nar several times, only the victim was no longer Lard Nar, but himself; his true self. Yes, by choosing to hurt Lard Nar he had killed a part of himself that day. Zim forced himself not to panic, it was obvious that Veraicon was simply testing to see if he really had been telling the truth that day. That he had no real intention of betraying the empire, that it was all a ruse to earn Lard Nar's trust.

Zim allowed himself to feel the anger he often felt for himself. Why couldn't he just be like everybody else? Why did he have to be different? Why was he made to bare this awful existence? Zim continued to stab his thoughts spinning. Veraicon thought she was so cleaver, but Zim would not fall for this ploy, Lard Nar was his past, and if the Tallest asked him to kill himself, then he would gladly do so.

The Tallest needed no reason to order their death, Tallest Myuki's words were law.

"But what gives her the right to do so?" Lard Nar asked as his image appeared in the place of Zim's along the mirrored walls. "What gives Irkens the right to purge an entire race?"

This was much harder than Lard Nar had made it out to be, Zim was already going tiered of these endeavors. And without his Programing their now he could feel his true self creeping up again. It was obvious that Lard Nar was representing this, his true self, his true values, had taken the form of an enemy. Because that was what Zim was deep down inside: The enemy.

Oh yes, Veraicon was most clever indeed. By cutting him off from his programing, Zim was now guideless.

Any other defective would lose it with Panic, but Zim had been pretending to be a real Irken for so long that he didn't need the programing to naturally know what to do.

"Why give up, why give in?" Lard Nar said and then sighed when he received no answer "All you irken's do is take and take and take. But it's not enough it never is."

"We take because we can." Zim said simply, he was still stabbing the Zim before him. Why? Because he had not been told to stop. "We will go on until the very end."

"And as will I." Lard Nar said.

"YOU ARE DEAD!" Zim yelled stabbing harder now.

"No…" Lard Nar said. "I am here always, just beneath the skin and I will go on until the end."

Yes, His true self would always be there…However.

"It's not enough." Zim whispered. "You're not enough you, and your kind never will be enough. We take because we are strong and you are too weak to stop us. We take because we can!" His limbs were feeling tiered now, and Zim allowed this to be so. This was supposed to feel real after all. And Zim did his best to stay in the now, he must do okay, after all Veraicon had yet to end his life so he must be doing alright.

For now…

Suddenly, Lard Nar looks down, as if noticing for the first time what Zim was doing. "LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE."

Zim looks down, and he sees it. His true-self is unrecognizable now, a bloody mess of gore, and horror. "I don't care." Zim said. "That Zim, the one you knew was a lie!"

Suddenly the room changes and Zim is surrounded by darkness, he looks around wondering. However he sees nothing.

"Here I am." Lard Nar's voice said.

Zim does his best to resist the urge to turn around It would be so easy to fall apart completely at this very moment. He could feel Lard Nar coming closer, and he longed to turn around and fall into his arms. Lard Nar was always stronger then he was. Compared to him Zim was weak, Zim was a coward, a fraud, a joke. Still to give in now when he had come so far seemed pointless, so Zim ignored him. Only to be rewarded by several more Lard Nars surrounding him. Creeping closer, into his thoughts and into his head. Again panic threatens to rise. Still Zim gather's himself, he is not lost, true his programing is not here, but it matters not. For he knows what it would tell him.

"It's over, you had your moment as a defective, and now it is gone. It died with yours and Lard Nar's friendship. Those days have come to an end, and a new life has already began."

Zim could feel the air growing colder as the realization hit him, this was a new life. Vort had changed him, and the old him was gone, and there was no getting him back.

Did Zim want him back? Did he regret leaving Vort? Did he regret his actions there?

The Lard Nars morphed back into one and reached out their hand.

"Choose." Zim turned to the voice, it is the Irken program still posing as himself, he presents a gun to him.

Zim takes it, turns back to Lard Nar, and fires…

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: incase it wasn't obvious the trials in this chapter are based off of the Aptitude Test from the movie Divergent. I did this because I explained in an earlier chapter that being defective was like being a Divergent. It also gives you a visual aid of the constant war that is never ending within Zim's own mind as he struggles to find purpose as well as his role in the collective.

PS: This chapter was inspired by the song: Until the End By Breaking Benjamin so give it a listen!

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter as always I thank you for reading and ask that you please review!