Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim
Author's Notes: So I have noticed a lot of you ask very good questions in you reviews, and some of you even ask the same question.
So for now on I will feature some of your questions that I feel is better for understanding the full story better as a whole in my notes at the beginning of some chapters. Today's entry comes from SaintHeartwing. my most strict, but also one of my most helpful reviewers. SaintHeartwing's questions often force me to rethink ideas, and debate on whether or not they benefit the overall story. And this one is no different.
Question: Wait, why doesn't Dib notice Zim has a wound to the stomach? I mean, a PAK leg almost speared him right through. You'd think he'd be a BIT suspicious that Zim just HAPPENS to vanish just as Miz shows up, and they both have the same injury, and Zim is literally Miz backwards, and they even kind of sound alike. I mean, Dib's obsessive compulsive and he's not STUPID, at this point, shouldn't he begin to suspect?
Answer: First by the end of this chapter, Zim hasn't switched back with his double yet so "Miz" the robot doesn't show any wounds, plus if you remember in book 1 I explain that Irkens heal incredible fast, so by the time he does switch the wound will be barely noticeable. Secondly you are right, Dib's obsessive compulsive nature should be picking this up. But it's like Tak said Dib is blind to the obvious, because he loves Miz and will not think ill of him. Even though he points out several times to himself that both Zim and Miz are strangely similar and give him similar feelings. For example, Dib notices he sees the same thing in both of their eyes, and for a while he struggles with the question on whether or not this means Miz is his true love. He also notices with the incident with Keef that Miz can be cruel and even points out that his cruel and possessive nature when handling Keef is somewhat familiar. So yes, Dib is noticing that Miz is not what he seems, but his love for him makes him do exactly what Tak says. He's missing the obvious, however as I've already shown even though Dib is slow on the uptake he is slowly beginning to see the parallels and eventually he will be able to push his feelings aside long enough to see the obvious.
Well, SaintHeartwing I hope my answer cleared things up a bit. As I said before by sharing reviews like this I hope give you all a better understanding of the story. As well as improve as a writer. I want my readers to know that I do take their reviews seriously, and ones like this always help me refocus the story as I continue to move forward.
With that said thank you SaintHeartwing & please everyone enjoy Chapter 6!
(Back with Mother Nigai…)
[159 years ago…]
{Location: Irk, Birthing Chambers}
She had waited centuries for this moment…
Centuries that felt like eons, for so long she waited, watching as that dreaded Irken female destroyed everything her beloved had worked so hard to build. Oh, how she wished she could lash out, to stop her and her ploys, but it would do her no good.
All of Irk was brain washed now.
All but two, Lineage and Daughter.
And knowing this brought her great hope, but also extreme fear.
For even though Daughter had freed the Computer brain Lineage from the Irken programing Nigai feared that now that Daughter and the rest of the AI's were gone that she was truly alone. This was because Lineage's reprograming was at risk of being figured out with each passing day, and if the enemy discovered the truth, they would undo all Daughter's hard work.
And then Lineage would tell the Tallest everything!
And still, even knowing this; all Nigai could do was wait.
So, she waited, she waited, and wait as Lineage took her time choosing the perfect moment to give life to the heir.
Nigai did not understand the need for waiting. Daughter had given her the sample of Zorn's DNA along with his PAK so why couldn't she just pick a clone smeet from the thousands she saw every day.
She asked Lineage this question the last time she had visited Irk, Nigai would visit every cycle, every 100 years disguised as an Irken Computer Brain Analysist. The Computer Brain Analysist were in charge of maintenance over all computer brains. So, every cycle that went by with no word from Lineage on the Birth of the heir she would come, disguised as an Irken female and finally last cycle she had asked Lineage the question.
Lineage's answer was simple. "I cannot just give the sample to anyone, we only have one sample, one PAK. We must wait until the right smeet presents itself."
"What are you waiting for?" Nigai had hissed. "A sign?"
"Yes." Lineage answered. "He must be born defective, otherwise his Irken programing will reject Tallest Zorn's defective PAK."
This answer, though frustrating made since to her. Defectives were rarely born these days, and most of them were eliminated before they even reached Lineage. However, the computer brain of Ancestry was sure that the right smeet would get past all of the earlier detectors and make his way to her.
And after nearly 400 years he finally did.
Nigai remembered the day she received word from Lineage that the heir was about to be born. The Brain had sent a hidden message to her threw the deep space radio channels that Nigai often listened to in order to keep up with galactic events. She remembered how her heart skipped a beat, ad her breath failed to fill her lungs.
He was finally here!
She wasted no time boarding a ship, by now she was well hidden on Earth, and even had started her own little army of humans to watch the stars for Irk's arrival. It was important that Irk did not discover their planet before the Heir was ready.
It took 6 months to reach Irk, and when she did, she disguised herself as one of the Irken Techs in charge of the newly born smeets. This got her as close to him as possible. For days she waited, watching the small smeets in their little tubs, her task was to count them daily, and ensure that they looked healthy. And as she counted them she tried to guess which of males was; "the one". But she wouldn't know for sure until Lineage named him.
An Irken Smeet's name had a lot to do with whose DNA ran through their veins. When Irken's still reproduced the natural way Smeet's names always started with the same letter as their father and would have similar letters as their mother. And even though they cloned now, the same rules applied; all males were given names that started with the same letter as the one who came before them. The females, however, were named based of Their PAKs. Since all PAKs that weren't too damaged were recycled and reused Females name would start with the same letter as the last male who wear their PAK, the rest of their name would be decided by the owner of the female blood that was used to clone their own DNA.
However, the heir would be special, since Nigai was Zorn's mate, this child was meant to be hers, and would have been if Myuki hadn't ruined everything! So, Zorn had left Lineage specific instructions. His heir would have a name that started with the letter Z, and that name would translate to the same meaning as Nigai's own name.
Nigai's name meant "One of Majesty."
So Nigai waited for a name that would start with a "Z" and have at least one letter "I" in it. (Since she had 2 in her name it only made since that this would be the vowel used) And had a similar meaning to "One of Majesty."
She didn't have to wait long, just three days after her arrival the batch of smeets she had been watching over were ready to be paired with their PAK's. Long robotic arms took them and cracked open their tubes like an egg before shocking them to life.
Each one opened their little eyes and stood on wobbling legs as the first of the detectors, a computer Brain known as Gage scanned them. Gage was the last detector to scan the smeets before they went to Lineage. All the others scanned the smeets in their earlier stages. When their minds where still developing within the tub.
Nigai held her breath, if Gage detected a defective it would likely be the Heir, but Gage's scan gives no cause for alarm and soon the Smeets are sucked up into a chute that takes them to the downloading chamber.
And more importantly to Lineage!
Nigai raced out of the room and up the spiral staircase towards the downloading chambers.
She couldn't get inside the chamber, but she could watch from behind a large glass that separated the chamber from an observation deck. Many other Irkens were there, including Tallest Myuki and her Successor Taller Spork.
This did not surprise Nigai, often the leaders would watch the naming of incoming smeets, for the name of a smeet revealed a lot about what rolls they would take once their training was complete. This was Lineage's whole purpose, to name a Smeet in a way that would portray their destiny. And as the current rulers Myuki and Spork wanted to see the smeets that may one day grow up to replace them. It was important to pinpoint the greatest of the batch from the beginning and start homing their skills in the desired way.
If not, Myuki feared the next Taller may not have her same ideals which could put all of her hard work into jeopardy. Her successor, Spork believe strongly in everything Myuki had brainwashed them all into believing, and his Successor could possibly come from this batch. That was why it was so important for him to see the ones that could be worthy enough to follow in his footsteps.
So, even though being in their presence disgusted her, she forced her attention away from them and focused on the chamber as the Smeet dropped down into the Chamber. It was a female, who bore a similar resemblance in Tallest Myuki. The Irken leader perked up at this, no doubt this one had her blood in her.
"Young one, you are three minutes old." Lineage said. "Prepare to be filled with the whole of Irken knowledge."
Suddenly a PAK is attached to the female and she is jolted with electricity.
"You have been given a name, IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Lineage ordered.
The female pauses and speaks. "I am TAK!"
Tak, so she as not Myuki's.
Nigai couldn't help but feel a little smug as Tallest Myuki's face fell.
"One of spirit." Spork said, looking impressed.
"Spirited ones are always trouble." Myuki warned. "Their emotions tend to run wild it makes their planning and execution flawed."
"Oh…I see." Spork said looking upset that he didn't dismiss her right away as his leader had done.
"She will make a great soldier, an invader perhaps." Myuki told him. "A Tallest however needs to rely on strategy not wild impulses."
Spork nodded, and even Nigai had to admit, not even the AI's would have chosen an impulsive Irken female as the next Tallest.
Once Tak speaks her name robotic arms dress her, and she is sent up another chute to begin her training. The first few years of training was the same for all smeets, however, the exceptional ones would make themselves known in a year or two and advance to a new class. They would keep advancing until they were deemed ready for the final exam.
Those who stayed behind or didn't advance as quickly as the other's would test much later than the exceptional ones and graduate in a later class. (Author's Note: This is why Tak did not graduate with Zim on planet Vort.)
Next up was a male with red eyes much like Zorn's.
Nigai perked up at this, was this her beloved's heir?
"Young one you are six minutes old." Lineage said, beginning once again. "Prepare to be filled with the whole of Irken knowledge."
Suddenly a PAK is attached to the male and he is jolted with electricity.
"You have been given a name, IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Lineage ordered.
"I am Red!" The child exclaimed, rather proud of his name, and rightfully so.
"A color, that is rare." Spork said. "Red means one of strong character."
"Yes, a bold leader." Myuki looks pleased. "He is a good contender."
Nigai couldn't help but feel worried, this was obviously not Zorn's heir, but he was a threat none the less. Just because the heir was chosen by Lineage did not guarantee him as the next Tallest. True, Lineage ultimately chose the next Taller, but if the heir proved not to be ready when the time came, Lineage may be forced to choose another, and if so the Heir would have to wait until the next cycle to be chosen. And the life of an Irken was a dangerous one, one of war and death, if the Heir was not careful he could die before he was chosen.
Then all of this would be for nothing!
Honestly the thought had never crossed her mind, how could she forget such a crucial detail, that this was only the beginning of his journey.
It would be a hard road for him, one where his defectiveness would make him feel ostracized and alone. Oh, how she longed to be there for him, every step of the way, but this was his journey, one that like all great Irkens he must travel alone.
Soon Red was dressed and wisped away and a new one replaced him.
This one was a male who strangely had purple eyes.
"How strange." Spork said. "Usually females have such a feminine eye color."
"This is the one I told you about." An Irken said to Tallest Myuki. "The other one Red, he split into two separate cells halfway through development." He reported.
"So, it is a twin?" Tallest Myuki sounded very intrigued and rightfully so. Twins were rare in the Irken world, and now that Irkens where cloned it happened even less frequently. But every now and then a fetus would split into two during early development.
"Young one you are nine minutes old." Lineage said, beginning once more. "Prepare to be filled with the whole of Irken knowledge."
Suddenly a PAK is attached to the male and he is jolted with electricity.
"You have been given a name, IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Lineage ordered.
"Purple." The twin said.
"Another color." Spork sounded astounded. "Very rare indeed."
"One of charisma." Tallest Myuki nodded approvingly. "Another good choice."
Purple is dressed and sent away.
Next a rather small Irken male is presented before Lineage.
"Rather small that one." Spork sneered. "Looks like we've found our first Janitorial drone of the batch."
"I'm not so sure." Nigai voiced openly before she could stop herself.
"Oh?" Myuki asked.
"He had strong readings "My Tallest." Nigai answered quickly. "I just think we shouldn't dismiss him because he is small. He could grow to be something great."
Myuki seemed to nod at this. "She is right." She lectured Spork. "You know I too was small." She admitted. "But I never let that stop me."
"Let's see what Lineage has to say about him then." Spork snapped, feeling embarrassed that a lowly nurse maid drone called him out so easily. And worse still, that his leader had sided with her.
Nigai, however understands why Myuki sided with her. Since the Tallest was also born small, calling this young one worthless just because he was small had wounded her own pride. Something a true Irken never allowed.
"Young one you are 12 minutes old." Lineage said, beginning Again. "Prepare to be filled with the whole of Irken knowledge."
Suddenly a PAK is attached to the male and he is jolted with electricity.
"You have been given a name, IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Lineage ordered.
The child blinks once, then twice as if stunned by the knowledge he had just received.
Finally, he speaks. "I am Zim!" he yells rather loudly.
Nigai feels her entire being shake to the core as his name feels her ears. She smiles. "One of Greatness."
Tallest Myuki is also smiling. "Loud and proud." She mused. "His ambition will take him far."
Nigai couldn't stop her smile from growing as she watch the robotic arms dress the young smeet.
This was him, the heir of her beloved, the child that should be her son.
But he wasn't, not by blood; no, he was merely a copy of Zorn, but to Nigai he was everything she had ever wanted.
He was a symbol of hope, and already she could see Zorn's characteristics shining threw him.
"That's all the knowledge?" He asked, out raged. "You give me a name, just a name and call it the whole of Irken Knowledge!"
Nigai suppresses a laugh, the young one is already showing off his superiority to the machine before him. Not many Smeets would be so bold at such a young age. But with a name like his, he is born knowing he is better than the rest.
"He's the one to watch the closest." Tallest Myuki advised Spork, "A leader like him could bring Irk into new era. Whether he becomes Tallest or a high ranking general."
Taller Spork, though still bitter about being out done by a drone nodded his agreement.
And Nigai took one last look at her darling Zim before he was taken away then she moved to leave.
Even though every fiber of her being told her to stay. She had to leave for this was Zim's journey.
Besides she knew that one day, she would see him again.
And when she did Tallest Myuki's rule and her influence over them all would be reaching it's end.
Yes, the Irken female may not know it yet, but her days were numbered.
Soon justice would be served.
It was only a matter of time.
-To Be Continued
Author's Note:
I would like to thank the Fanfiction Author: RoxieDivine for allowing me to use her meaning for Zim's name "One of Greatness" in my story arcs. For a long time I have drawn inspiration from her writing so please if you enjoy my stories go check her out at u/5332912/RoxieDivine