Hey guys! I'm on spring break! I get to work on my story more! I'm releasing this second chapter today because I won't get to put one out tomarrow. Thanks to all the people who are following and favoriteing and leaving comments! I love you guys!
Sorry that the story isn't moving very fast. Bare with me though!
Chapter 37 - Up Up and Invisible
"Can you see anyone?"
"Yeah there's one guard." A cord from Skoodge's PAK stretched out of the top of the tube poking out from the floor next to the wall. It was a camera that transmitted what it saw to Skoodge through his PAK.
"Where at?"
"Shhhh Quiet…. he's over by the far door. Facing away from us."
Zim stretched a cord out so he could see what Skoodge was seeing. The guard stood in a blue tunic with a rather intimidating weapon visible under his arm. Zim switched the freaquency of his camera. Infrared didn't show any laser grid. That's good. The camera turned to look over the room. It was a large room. Isn't this the main lobby? Zim wondered as he received continuous images from his PAK. Normally this building was full of Irkens running every which way. Some with orders to relay to officers, others headed to planning meetings.
But not today, the whole room held an eerie quiet as it sat empty. The entire building had been encircled by guards and even there was even a guard at the door. How much more security would be going up through the building? Zim retracted his cord and moved back a ways into the tube. Skoodge followed.
"In case you didn't think of this, there will almost definitely be guards up the stairs with the elevators turned off." Skoodge said as he watched Zim scratch his antennae.
"Right…" Zim said not really hearing what was said. He ran through the information his PAK had on center tower. He had personally never been there. He'd never been allowed in, even before Red and Purple had taken charge he had still been kept away. Turning to Skoodge, he asked, "Have you ever been in here before?"
"Once. After I had been alerted I was accepted to be an Invader. I came here to get my orders and pass onto the Massive for a ride to Conventia. It was so busy I can't believe how empty it is now."
"What are the upper floors like? My PAK is giving me a lot of Classified labels."
Skoodge didn't move as he went through the data from his PAK and his own memory. His eyes opened wide and his antennae perked up. "Huh… That's strange."
"What?"
"I'm getting the same blocks. It was never like that before. I still have what I remember from my trip here but that's limited. I took the elevator to the 73rd floor and headed down the hall to the conference room where I was to receive my orders. I have a backup of that floor but the rest of them are being blocked. Well they did know you were coming. Maybe they classified everything." Skoodge looked back over at Zim.
Zim moved back up the tube to take another look. He extended the camera from his PAK, but when he looked toward the door the guard was gone. "What the…"
"What?" Skoodge whispered as he came up.
"The guards gone."
"Really?" Skoodge extended his camera again. They both looked over to the door then around the room. It was clear. Zim moved first. He cautiously pushed the cover off of their hiding place. Using his PAK legs he quietly climbed out into the room. Skoodge followed him up right after. They replaced the cover then Zim pointed off to a nearby hallway.
They stuck to moving on foot to try and keep the noise down but they kept their PAK legs out just in case. They moved down a couple hallways not really sure where they were going. When their antennae picked up the sound of guards they would quickly move into an unlocked room. Zim turned to Skoodge during one of these times.
"Do you remember where the elevator is located at? Our best bet is to climb up the shaft without activating the elevator."
Skoodge agreed. Once the guard had passed they continued with Skoodge leading the way. Twice more they had to hide themselves from the guards. "The elevators are just up ahead. But these ones only go up to the 67th floor. After that we'll have to switch to find another way up. When I was here I took the stairs but we agreed that's out right?"
Zim nodded. "We'll figure it out once we get there."
They arrived in front of the elevators. Zim reached up to the full height of his PAK's legs and pulled out a laser to cut through the wall above the shaft.
"Wait." Skoodge whispered.
"What?"
"If we leave a hole in the wall they'll know which way we went."
Zim retracted his laser. "You have a better plan?"
Skoodge signaled for them to go hide in a nearby room. Once inside Skoodge explained the plan. Out of his PAK he pulled two Vortian Cloaking Reagent devices. "I just got these. They'll keep us from being seen."
"Hang on I used something like that in the past and it only made the machine it was attached to invisible. Will this work on us?"
Skoodge looked down at the VCR, looking slightly confused. "I have no idea. I haven't used them yet."
"Well how do they work?"
Skoodge lifted one up and stretched it back so that it connected with the top of his PAK. A light blinked on and Skoodge's PAK vanished from view. Skoodge lifted his hands and stared at them. They were still completely visible. "Well that's not supposed to happen."
"Here let me try." Zim took the second VCR and set it on top of his head.
"That's not how…" Skoodge ended his objection when Zim vanished from sight. His PAK was still completely visible.
"Did that work?" The invisible Irken asked his stunned friend.
Skoodge nodded. Zim returned to the range of visible light. "We're so tall it would be easier to get around by hiding our bodies rather than hiding our PAKs." Skoodge perked an antenna, and then moved his VCR to his own head. He had to activate it manually but he also managed to disappear from sight.
"Well that's interesting."
"Yeah. Well they work. What was the rest of your plan?"