"TROUBLING IRKEN SMEETS, YOU HAVE ONLY TWO MINUTES TO GET TO YOUR DESTINATION," a robotic voice echoed across the underground tunnel. One smeet heard this and turned to another smeet looking about in curiosity.
"Come on Skoodge," the shortest smeet said, "I'm not going to stay here and eventually have my collar electrocute me because of you."
"Fascinating," Skoodge looked at the wall of the tunnel, which would often be seen having electricity surge through it, "it seems they do a great job making this area really secured so we don't escape again. I'm sure if we ever tried digging out, both our punishment collars AND the the wall would electrocute us to death. Very professional..."
The short smeet groaned in frustration.
"Fine. Get electrocuted, why do I even bother helping you out?" He walked off. Skoodge however blinked back to what he was suppose to be doing.
"Oh wait right, first day of our new school! Wait for me, Zim!" The thicket one scurried after him.
It didn't take long for the duos to reach their destination, since the tunnel has only one direction. There was an old sign with a blinking light that says:
"SFTS: School For Troubling Smeets".
A huge door below was already opened, that shows an empty tiny classroom. By the look of its worn out feature, it seems it hasn't been used for years
"Uh, are we really in the right place?" Zim questioned.
"10 SECONDS LEFT. ENTER NOW AND TAKE YOUR SEATS."
Without hesitating, they entered the classroom, the door quickly shutting tightly behind, and they took a seat right next each other. The two smeets grunted in surprised when straps came out from the floor and strapped them against the chair so they won't attempt to hop out of it.
"LET THE SIMULATION TRAINING BEGIN."
Holo-visors dropped down from the ceiling until they were dangling in front of them. Skoodge happily grabs one and puts it on.
Zim sighs,
"Welp back to doing boring stuff," he grabs a visor, "but Atleast I can be more professional on doing the military simulation now that I took a good quick look at the surface."
He puts the visor on, expecting to see a battlefield and given equipments like he normally experience. But what he noticed instead was a lab table in front of him and potions sitting about.
"Wait a second..." he processed and takes the visor off, "this is a simulation for scientist trainees. Hey um, computers?"
He looks about the room,
"I think this holo-visor is broken. Can you get me a new one?"
"HOLO-VISOR IS WELL OPERATED."
"No it's not well operated!" He narrows, "I'm preparing to become an invader, not a scientist!"
Skoodge takes out the visor in confusion on what's going on as the computer answers,
"BECAUSE SMEET-IN-TRAINING ZIM IS THE MAIN PURPOSE FOR THE HORRIBLE PAINFUL OVERLOAD DAY PART II, HE SHALL BE RELOCATED TO DOING MILITARY RESEARCH."
"But I don't WANT to do do science!" He exclaimed in frustration, "I wanna be an invader so I can prove to the world that I can be a great tallest."
"SMEET-IN-TRAINING ZIM MUST CONTINUE SIMULATION."
"But I don't wanna!" He kept complaining, "science is even MORE boring than military simulation! Now fix this thing and give me-!"
His body jerks and and quivers when the collar on his neck sends shockwaves across his body. He slips out of the chair, the strap letting itself loosen, and falls flat on the ground, his body sizzling a bit.
"Zim?" The taller smeet looks down in worry.
"SMEET-IN-TRAINING SKOODGE MUST CONTINUE SIMULATION."
He blinks in shock and made a quick glance at the smaller smeet struggling to get up as he looked back up at the ceiling.
"But Zim could be hurt."
"Eeeeehh, this nothing!" Zim attempted to shake off the pain and looked back at the ceiling, "I will not put on the visor until you fix it!"
"SMEET-IN TRAINING ZI-"
"JUST FIX THE VISOR AL-"
A shockwave surged Zim's body again and he collapsed back on the ground.
"Zim-gah!" Skoodge's body jerks from the electricity.
"SMEET-IN-TRAINING SKOODGE MUST CONTINUE SIMULATION."
"Y...y-yes. Right away."
He put the visor on and continue his duty.
"W-wait fool!" Zim's body quivered from the pain, But was still determined to fight back his argument, "I'm n-not done yet! You think t-the great Zim will-!"
He gets electrocuted again.
But even so, no matter how many times he gets inflicted by the punishment collar, he kept on trying to win the argument. The other student can do nothing but continue his simulation and keep listen to the small smeet yelp in pain every few seconds.
—-
The simulation class lasted three days endlessly. If it wasn't for the fact that they do not require sleep, they would have knocked out just few hours after the class started. Skoodge had his arm wrapped around the other sizzled smeet as they entered their cell and let him settle by the bed.
"Stubid stingy robods," Zim muffled, "whad do dey zink deyre doin mezzin wiff zhe fuchere talless?"
"Well I'm sure they-oh wait you have a small flame on your antennae."
Skoodge went ahead and licked his finger before pinching the flame out of Zim's antennae
"Oh...righd. Zhanks."
Skoodge made a quick fond smile,
"Don't mention it. Anyways, I'm sure there's a good reason they're relocating your position for now. Maybe...well..."
"Cauz I blagoud zhe planed twize?"
"No, I'm sure...wait, you caused a blackout before?"
"Clog ub zhe smeeds zhat cauz explodiezz and cauz zhe plaz tuu blag oud."
"Huh...no wonder I was never assigned a nursery cell with someone. But besides that, I think they just don't recognize you. After all, what you did back there was quite brave!"
Zim shook the sizzled appearance out of his body.
"Ofcourse I should be brave! A future invader, and tallest, should always be brave!"
Skoodge chuckled,
"Yeah.." He sighed softly smiling as he looked down, "I wish I was that brave."
"PFFFT!" Zim rolled his eyes, "it's easy smeesy! You'll get over your fears in a flash eventually. That is if you decide you want to be brave."
"I can try!" Skoodge chirped, "after all, were ten years old. We should be seeing the surface very soon."
"Uh...yes well-"
"Oh that's right!" The taller irken turn to the smaller one in complete interest like a curious child would, "you were able to see the surface, right?!"
"Yep!" Zim smiles in pride, "if it wasn't from your good tactics, I would have never been able to."
"What was it like?!" He leaned closer, "Did it really look like what our irken knowledge says?!"
Zim chuckled and crossed his arms in pride.
"Well, foolish Skoodge boy, what i saw was a pitiful world. But that is only because I haven't taken my position as leader again. But besides that, the surface is warmer than it is underground...and bright and noisy. Even so, its a pretty and stupid world to live in!"
The pudgy smeet's eyes sparkled in awe.
"Woooaaah...that makes me even MORE excited!"
"I know right?!" Zim's child instinct kicked in, "I can't wait to see the look on the tallest's face once she finally meets me! She would HAVE to make me an invader and make me drive the massive!"
"Yeah! Maybe when she assigns me to a planet, I hope it's a place with the most comfortable couch!"
He paused.
"Though thinking about it make me want to sleep," he begins climbing onto the top bunk bed.
"Mm? Wait! I haven't even gotten to the part on what I will name my SIR unit! And besides, you don't need to sleep!"
"But I WANT to sleep," he yawned, "after all, the cell can get dull enough to make you wanna sleep. But if you're curious on what I would name my SIR unit, it will probably be based on my favorite snack. What about you?"
"Welp! I thought long and hard, but I know already a special name for it: Zim Junior! Pretty cool name, huh?"
He heard no answer.
"Skoodge? ...Skoodge."
...he hears snoring.
"You feel asleep didn't you? ...fine. But let me know when you're awake."
He looks away and crossed his arms as he just gazed out emptily.
"...gnight."
He blink in surprise when Skoodge muffled those words. He looks away.
"Alright fine-"
—-
"-Goodnight."
Zim's antennae's twitched as he was waking up from the couch. He wasn't sure where the noise was coming from until he realized it was coming from the living room's television. Blinking awake, he sat up and saw Gir watching tv. What made him shoot up in alert was the fact that Gir was watching a time when Zim was a smeet and was settling in a cell with Skoodge.
"My past...but wh-?"
He paused. He slowly turned to his back and notices wires attached to his Pak. He gasps and sharply turns to the ceiling narrowing.
"COMPUTER! Didn't I ever tell you to play my memories on the television?!"
"Well what was I suppose to do?" The computer complained, "your SIR unit wouldn't stop going on about wanting to see you as a smeet!"
Zim softly squinted for a short while.
"Just next time, only listen to your master."
He pulled the wires out of his PAK, causing the monitor to go out.
"Awwwww!" Gir frowned, "I was gonna see the best part!"
"GIR!" The robot quickly turned to his master when he heard him call out his name, "you should know that my PAK is NOT a toy! There are lots of data in there that should REMAIN hidden! You understand?"
Gir stared...then snickered.
"Gir, are you listening?" he grew impatient.
Gir just continued giggling until he pointed to him,
"You were going to call me Zim Junior."
"...Yes. Yes I was. Until you chose your name first. Even so, DON'T mess with my PAK again! You understand?"
"I don't."
"Thank you."
He sighed and relaxed back on the couch, his hand relaxing on his stomach. He then took notice the moment he placed his hand on it that his stomach feels a little bit bulgy. Which was a bit surprising because it's been three days since he learned of the egg developing within him.
"Hm," he looked at it and slightly poked at it, "it seems the smeet is growing faster than I thought."
Gir gazed at him master in confusion. Zim gave unamused look at him.
"...the baby," he corrected.
"AWWWW!" Gir squealed, "GROWING BABY!"
Zim sighed again and looked back down at his abdomen,
"I can't keep dozing off like this, I need to get back to work and tell the tallest on my new progress."
He slipped out of the couch and turned to the monkey portrait.
"Computer, contact the tallest. I must tell them of my great new experiment!"
The computer didn't complain or say anything this time and the monkey portrait flipped away to be replaced by a monitor screen. The screen was brought to life with a static before it instantly cleared up to see the two tallest talking.
"So what we need to do is to inform him that he will be given a great reward for his effort at Hobo 13. When he does come, we will tell him that his last assignment will be being launched into another planet, but this time more deadly than the other planet he was assigned in. Those monsters should put an end to him once and for all."
"Hey," Purple smiled, "that's not a bad idea at all. I'll let the commanders know that he'll-"
"My tallest?"
The two almighty tallest quickly turned to the sound and their eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh! Zim," Red cleared his throat, "we weren't informed that you were going to call us."
Zim chuckled and rubbed the back of his head,
"Yeah, maybe I should have called you both the moment I found out."
Purple's eyebrow raised,
"Found out about what?"
"Oh right!" Zim smiled, "you will not believe this, but I have discovered how irkens use to be born. They actually do grow inside an irken's stomach! But, they are growing inside an egg thats being incubated and nurtured by the irken's nutrients. So when they're about to hatch, the irken gives birth to them and they hatch shortly after!"
"Oh um," Red tries to find a way to respond, "Well done, Zim. Is that all you wanted to inform us?"
"Oh no no no no! That's not even the best part. In fact, I have made a rocket to bring back a random irken's blood and insert it inside my body. So now I have a natural smeet growing inside me!
The duos stared blankly.
"...I'm sorry what?"
"I know, right?!" Zim said in excitement, "I told you both you would be excited."
"You never told us th-"
"As of right now, I'm about a week and three days along and already I feel a little bump in there," he looked down and rubbed it while saying it.
"Uh...that's...nice, Zim. But-"
"I even did an ultrasound and took a picture of the growing smeet as proof!" He took out a picture and showed it to them.
"See?! It even looks like a deformed peanut."
"Zim," Red rubbed his eyes in a bit a stress from trying to process all of this, "this is...interesting and all. But question one. Who is the parent? Question two. When will it be born? And question three. Why would you even do this to yourself?"
"And question four," Purple whispered to Red, "is giving birth to a natural irken even legal?"
"Heck if I know," Red shrugged, "but if it's not, the control brains will not be happy about it."
"Ok, I'll just say the answers all at once so it won't be a mouthful," the small irken continued.
"I don't care who's the parent, in about less than two months, and I'm just loyal to you both that I'm willing to make you proud by making something new."
"I see...very interesting," Red tried his best to give a smile of interest.
"Yeah," Purple said, "in fact we're so interested, we'll tell the control brains about it."
"Awww shucks," Zim blushed in pride, "I'm just glad I'm making the empire better."
"Yes. Well...keep up the good work."
"Will do, my tallest!" He saluted.
The monitor went off.
"See?" Zim looked at Gir, "I told you they would love it!"
Gir blinked. Then smile.
"Can I give the baby tummy a hug-?"
"No," he immediately answered with still a smile on his face.
—
"Red, come on, we have to tell the control brains!" Purple smiled, "if it's true natural irkens are illegal, we can eliminate Zim once and for all!"
"You remember what happened in the trial Purple," Red narrowed, "were not letting them do that attempt again."
"Oh right," Purple frowned and looked down at the ground, not even want to think of the result Zim's PAK temporarily did to the control brains.
"Hey," Red place his hand on the other tall irken's back, "cheer up. Sure we had tons of bad luck with every killing attempts we made. But I can be sure there HAS to be a way to get rid of him. Somehow, we will find it no matter how long it takes!"
Purple smiled,
"Heh yeah. I guess you're right."
"But I agree that we should inform the control brains about the smeet. But first, we'll take care of-"
Thudding sounds are suddenly heard from within the walls until it became distant. Red sighed.
"Can someone PLEASE take better care of the ship's functions? I swear, this is the second time I heard it today!"
—-
Another few days later, Zim and Gir are inside the space station located outside of Earth. The pregnant irken is seen repairing minor problems of the space stations engines, his bump now starting to become noticeable.
"Are you done yet?"
"No."
"Are you done yet?"
"No."
"Are you done yet?"
"Wait."
Zim made some last screws and took one last look at it. He closes the engine door and opens up a monitor on the wall next to it typing.
"Stay still Gir," Zim told his robot.
Soon after he said this, he tapped on the monitor and lasers filled across the hall.
"Good. Security lazers are up and running again," the technical invader said as he turns them off again.
"I'll just have to make sure I turn them back on before we head back to the base."
As he was wrapping things up, his PAK vibrated.
"Hm. Must be Minimoose calling."
He takes the communicator device out of his PAK and produces a hologram that showed Minimoose gazing at him with the usual derpy look and smiley face as always.
"What is it, Minimoose?"
"Nyah!"
"An intruder? Where?"
"Nyah."
"And you sure you don't know what it is?"
"Nyah."
Zim groaned in frustration,
"Must be either Dib or a human wandering into the base again. We'll be right over."
He turns off the communicator and put its back inside.
"We have to get going," he told his SIR unit, "Minimoose is reporting a sound coming from the basement."
"Can I see the lasers again first? They were pretty."
"Now," he told him and started walking back to the small ship. Gir was a bit upset, but followed anyways.
—-
Once Zim and Gir put on their Earth disguises, they used the elevator to head to the basement floor. Minimoose was there looking at the piles of boxes. Zim walked up to them saying,
"You sure you heard the intruder behind those boxes?"
"Nyah."
Zim sighed and grabbed a rake.
"I'll take it from here."
He walks close to the boxes.
"You, intruder! Step out from the piles of boxes! Zim knows you're hiding here!"
There were silence.
"If you don't step out I'll...I'll poke you with this rake! A deadly weapon, you're lucky my enemy didn't teach it to you!"
There was still silence.
"...oookay? I guess we'll do it the old fashion way!"
He grabbed the rake tightly, ready to attack the intruder with it. But right before he did so, a fly came out from a porthole ceiling. Zim and his other servants watch in awkward silence as the fly disappeared behind the pile of boxes. There was a three second pause.
"...eh-hoo, WHA?! GET AWAY, GET AWA-!"
The pile boxes were suddenly shoved and they started falling forward towards the gang. They all made a short scream and got out of the way. During in which Zim hugged his belly in a protective instinct and remained doing so even after he was able to dodge the fallen objects. Dust covered half the room for a moment and it took a short while of keeping the unborn smeet protected that he turned to look closely. The dust cleared off and he can tell there is a curled up figure behind the fallen boxes.
He stood up, his hand still resting on his abdomen, as he cautiously walked up to the intruder. He then heard the intruder groan as it started crawl pass the boxes. The dust finally cleared and the small alien blinked in surprise when he saw the intruder was an irken. But it was not just any irken. It's body appeared to be wider and pudgier then himself, followed by his short and separated ruby eyes. It was also wearing an invader uniform with stains at the front of it and is wearing pink gloves and boots.
The moment Zim realized who it was, the irken looked at Zim. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled.
"Heheh...it's...nice to see you again."
