A/N: Bah, me and disclaimers so do not get along....
Disclaimer: I don't own it! Lord of the Underworld can't you get it through your skulls!?
Twins of Irk
The barracks for Invaders in Training lit up slowly as the morning arrived. Tired eyed Irkens sat up in their beds trying to remember where their uniforms were.
Down at the far end Tin pulled on his pants and tried to get his shirt on. His antenna twitched lazily as he heard footsteps approach.
"Private Tin?"
Red eyes turned to find another pair of the same shade looking back at him. "Yes?"
"Come with me." The male Irken handed Tin a paper. "You have officially reached the height requirement for a Taller."
The barracks feel silent watching the scene.
Tin gawked down at the paper. It was official with the present Tallests' private seal stamped on it. "I what?" He asked.
The Irken blinked slowly. "You are officially a Taller."
"Go Tin!"
Tin barely recognized Gigs' voice. The rest of the barracks broke out in cheers and applause.
"If you'll come with me." The Irken motioned towards the front exit.
Tin got up carrying his gloves and trying to make sure this was real. His comrades where cheering and wiggling their antenna as he passed. He waved dazedly at them and found himself grinning.
Once outside the Irken that had retrieved him lead Tin to a Runner that was waiting for them. "You're very lucky. Not many from that gene class get as tall as you."
"I know." Tin said sitting down and strapping in. "Where am I going?"
"To the Great Hall to make this all super official. You'll meet the other one there and the both of you will go to receive your new training at the."
"Wait." Tin interrupted. "The other one?"
The Irken nodded. "Yes. His name is Pid I believe." The Runner started to lift off. "Odd thing is, you two seem to be the same height."
* * *
"Is that him?" Pid asked seeing the tall Irken in Invader dress enter the Great Hall with another that was taller than him but obviously older.
Fer blinked. "Hey, that's the one from the bar the other mmmph.."
"Quiet, you want the Archivist to know we went to a bar?" Pid asked clapping a hand over Fers' mouth. He took it away slowly.
"Sorry." Fer said looking a bit sheepish.
Pid sighed. "Just, never mind, thanks for being here for me anyway Fer."
"Hey, we're from the same hatchery room, you might be taller than me but I know you're just a lucky oddity of genetics."
Pid lowered his eyelids. "Gee thanks."
Fer smiled brightly. "No problem!"
"Ah, Pid." The old Irken said leading the Invader Irken over to Pid and Fer. "There you are."
Tin met eyes with this 'Pid' and recognized him. "I've seen you."
Pid looked startled. "I, er, perhaps you have." He said quickly.
"Well." The old Irken said. "You two talk for a bit, I'll go get Kilew. Fer if you will accompany me."
"Of course." Fer walked with the old Irken.
Tin glanced around the hall. "Not much of a 'Great Hall'." He said.
"Well, this isn't the main hall, the rest of it stretches about a mile off." Pid said motioning down one corridor. "It's not exactly impressive to look at but its size is what makes it 'Great'."
"Oh. The weapons are nice though."
"Those are from our more ancient times. Most are recreated, all are usable. We lined every wall with weapons starting from the first hunting tools to the last type of blade used to this date."
"You know a lot." Tin said. "You always talk like that?"
"I am from the Thinker Class. I'm supposed to."
There was a pause.
"It was you I saw at the bar." Tin said, it was a statement, not a question.
"Well, I. Just don't talk about it, I wasn't supposed to be there. Fer and I just needed to get away from our studies for a night and." Pid paused. "If the Archivist found out I'd be in some trouble."
"What kind of trouble can you be in? You're a Taller now, just like me."
"You're an Invader right?"
"Training, I haven't had a mission yet. And doesn't look like I will have one."
"Oh." Pid watched Tin take a long blade-ended staff off the wall. "What are you doing?"
"Just looking." He held the weapon with a comfortable ease. "This is nice workmanship."
"Yes it is, now please put it back."
A smirk crossed Tins' face. He turned the weapon on Pid. "Protect yourself."
"What?"
Tin lunged, he meant for it to be a play move and was amazed to find his staff pinned to the ground with a triple pronged Ghala blade. The hand that held the blade was owned by Pid.
"How did you?"
The blade was pulled from the floor, Pid flipped it in his hand. "You think just because I deal with history and thoughts I don't know how to protect myself?"
Tin blinked. "Well, I mean. I've never seen one from your class doing anything like that."
"Most won't, he's just paranoid."
Both Irkens turned to find the old one and an older female walking towards them. She had violet eyes and wore a Nursery Blue uniform.
"Nursery Watcher." Pid said nodding to her.
Tin didn't know what to do and mimicked Pid.
"Kilew will be witness to your official measurements." The old Irken said.
"Where is Fer?" Pid asked.
Kilew waved her hand. "Young Fer had to run an errand, you will see him later I'm sure. Now to measure." She pulled a small disk from a pocket and took a few steps towards Tin. "Stand straight."
Immediately Tin stood at attention not moving a muscle.
Kilew pressed a button on the disk. It glowed and hovered from her hand then zipped to the ground at Tins' feet. It scanned him all the way up and all the way down.
"You're turn." She said to Pid.
Tin watched Pid pull up straight but not as stiffly as he had.
"You can relax now."
Tin turned to Kilew then realized he no longer had to act like an officer anymore. He turned back to Pid just as the disk finished scanning him.
Both Kilew and the old Irken looked over the results muttering to themselves.
"Well?" Tin asked. He felt a bit impatient.
"You are, officially." Kilew turned the two readings to the new Tallers. "The exact same height. Congratulations Tallers."
* * *
"What do we do now?"
Kilew, the Nursery Watcher, sighed. "We do nothing."
A raise of voices fluttered through the small room where a handful of Tallers sat around a table. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I am." She said in a hard tone. "Unless any of you can go against your own programming and kill one of them it is our only course of action."
"What do we do with them?" A red-eyed female asked.
"Have them both subliminally trained to be Tallest. Should one them actually perish the other will be there to take his place."
"And if they both survive?" A rare green-eyed male asked.
"Then we have the unthinkable. We have two Tallest."
* * *
Tin looked longingly at the holo-clock on his desk. He wanted out of here and outside. He glanced at Pid. The other new Taller seemed to be doing all right. He was farther along in the reading than Tin was.
"Invaders are not made to be behind desks." Tin said quietly.
Pid looked up. Under normal conditions a Teacher or the Archivist would have scolded Tin soundly for speaking like that in a learning environment. But this was not the Archives.
"It's not much, really." Pid said. "I've had harder reading assignments when I was in Early training."
"You were doing THIS sort of thing in Early training? I was jumping through hoops and fighting my way through throngs of Sketter Rats with my platoon in Early training!"
Pid shrugged. "Not my fault."
Tin groaned. "This is horrible, I had no idea being a Taller could be so, so."
"Utterly and ferociously boring?" Pid asked not looking up from his screen.
"Couldn't have put it better myself. But I thought you liked this stuff."
"I'm programmed for it, but I hate it." Pids' screen continued to scroll down.
"That's strangely pathetic."
"You should try living it." Violet eyes turned up to crimson ones. "The reason I trained myself with a Ghala was so I'd have an excuse to get away from this torture."
"Yeah, you seemed pretty handy with that."
"I pinned you didn't I? Mr. High-Invader."
"How did you know about that?"
Pid snorted. "Everyone in the Archives knows what all the other Classes are doing. Why do you think it's called an archive?"
Tin shrugged. "You want to go and do something?"
"Yes." Pid said nodding slowly. "Yes I do."
* * *
"So where's that little guy, Fer was his name?" Tin asked as his drink slid out of the hole in the table. They had found a table free in 'The Flaming Nacho'.
"Fer has been transferred."
"To where?"
"Anywhere away from me." Pid sounded almost depressed.
"What? Why?"
Pid blinked. "I'm not sure. I heard an elder talking about it, something about him being a bad influence. They never seemed to care about that before now."
"Why would he be a bad influence?"
Pid took a sip from his drink. "Look, we're very tall right?"
Tin nodded. "Yes."
"You're not supposed to be as tall as you are and I'm only marginally supposed to be as tall as I am, right?"
"Right." Tin said nodding again.
"Doesn't it seem odd to you that the both of us are exactly identical in height, right down the millimeter?"
"I never really thought of it. Some are the same height like that back in the barracks."
"But Tallers are almost never identical in height." Pid said keeping his voice low but with a hint of urgency. "I think." He paused moving his drink on the table. "I think we're getting to be taller than they expected."
Tin cocked an 'eyebrow.' "How do you mean?"
"You know how tall the Tallest is?"
Tin shrugged. "Not really."
"He's six feet seven inches three centimeters and two point three millimeters tall."
"That's tall."
"You and I." Pid said motioning between them. "Are five feet three inches and seven centimeters exactly."
"And that means?" Tin asked not fully under standing.
"That means, you and I are three heights from being the Next-To-Tallest. And that, my friend, is a precarious position to be in."
Disclaimer: I don't own it! Lord of the Underworld can't you get it through your skulls!?
Twins of Irk
The barracks for Invaders in Training lit up slowly as the morning arrived. Tired eyed Irkens sat up in their beds trying to remember where their uniforms were.
Down at the far end Tin pulled on his pants and tried to get his shirt on. His antenna twitched lazily as he heard footsteps approach.
"Private Tin?"
Red eyes turned to find another pair of the same shade looking back at him. "Yes?"
"Come with me." The male Irken handed Tin a paper. "You have officially reached the height requirement for a Taller."
The barracks feel silent watching the scene.
Tin gawked down at the paper. It was official with the present Tallests' private seal stamped on it. "I what?" He asked.
The Irken blinked slowly. "You are officially a Taller."
"Go Tin!"
Tin barely recognized Gigs' voice. The rest of the barracks broke out in cheers and applause.
"If you'll come with me." The Irken motioned towards the front exit.
Tin got up carrying his gloves and trying to make sure this was real. His comrades where cheering and wiggling their antenna as he passed. He waved dazedly at them and found himself grinning.
Once outside the Irken that had retrieved him lead Tin to a Runner that was waiting for them. "You're very lucky. Not many from that gene class get as tall as you."
"I know." Tin said sitting down and strapping in. "Where am I going?"
"To the Great Hall to make this all super official. You'll meet the other one there and the both of you will go to receive your new training at the."
"Wait." Tin interrupted. "The other one?"
The Irken nodded. "Yes. His name is Pid I believe." The Runner started to lift off. "Odd thing is, you two seem to be the same height."
* * *
"Is that him?" Pid asked seeing the tall Irken in Invader dress enter the Great Hall with another that was taller than him but obviously older.
Fer blinked. "Hey, that's the one from the bar the other mmmph.."
"Quiet, you want the Archivist to know we went to a bar?" Pid asked clapping a hand over Fers' mouth. He took it away slowly.
"Sorry." Fer said looking a bit sheepish.
Pid sighed. "Just, never mind, thanks for being here for me anyway Fer."
"Hey, we're from the same hatchery room, you might be taller than me but I know you're just a lucky oddity of genetics."
Pid lowered his eyelids. "Gee thanks."
Fer smiled brightly. "No problem!"
"Ah, Pid." The old Irken said leading the Invader Irken over to Pid and Fer. "There you are."
Tin met eyes with this 'Pid' and recognized him. "I've seen you."
Pid looked startled. "I, er, perhaps you have." He said quickly.
"Well." The old Irken said. "You two talk for a bit, I'll go get Kilew. Fer if you will accompany me."
"Of course." Fer walked with the old Irken.
Tin glanced around the hall. "Not much of a 'Great Hall'." He said.
"Well, this isn't the main hall, the rest of it stretches about a mile off." Pid said motioning down one corridor. "It's not exactly impressive to look at but its size is what makes it 'Great'."
"Oh. The weapons are nice though."
"Those are from our more ancient times. Most are recreated, all are usable. We lined every wall with weapons starting from the first hunting tools to the last type of blade used to this date."
"You know a lot." Tin said. "You always talk like that?"
"I am from the Thinker Class. I'm supposed to."
There was a pause.
"It was you I saw at the bar." Tin said, it was a statement, not a question.
"Well, I. Just don't talk about it, I wasn't supposed to be there. Fer and I just needed to get away from our studies for a night and." Pid paused. "If the Archivist found out I'd be in some trouble."
"What kind of trouble can you be in? You're a Taller now, just like me."
"You're an Invader right?"
"Training, I haven't had a mission yet. And doesn't look like I will have one."
"Oh." Pid watched Tin take a long blade-ended staff off the wall. "What are you doing?"
"Just looking." He held the weapon with a comfortable ease. "This is nice workmanship."
"Yes it is, now please put it back."
A smirk crossed Tins' face. He turned the weapon on Pid. "Protect yourself."
"What?"
Tin lunged, he meant for it to be a play move and was amazed to find his staff pinned to the ground with a triple pronged Ghala blade. The hand that held the blade was owned by Pid.
"How did you?"
The blade was pulled from the floor, Pid flipped it in his hand. "You think just because I deal with history and thoughts I don't know how to protect myself?"
Tin blinked. "Well, I mean. I've never seen one from your class doing anything like that."
"Most won't, he's just paranoid."
Both Irkens turned to find the old one and an older female walking towards them. She had violet eyes and wore a Nursery Blue uniform.
"Nursery Watcher." Pid said nodding to her.
Tin didn't know what to do and mimicked Pid.
"Kilew will be witness to your official measurements." The old Irken said.
"Where is Fer?" Pid asked.
Kilew waved her hand. "Young Fer had to run an errand, you will see him later I'm sure. Now to measure." She pulled a small disk from a pocket and took a few steps towards Tin. "Stand straight."
Immediately Tin stood at attention not moving a muscle.
Kilew pressed a button on the disk. It glowed and hovered from her hand then zipped to the ground at Tins' feet. It scanned him all the way up and all the way down.
"You're turn." She said to Pid.
Tin watched Pid pull up straight but not as stiffly as he had.
"You can relax now."
Tin turned to Kilew then realized he no longer had to act like an officer anymore. He turned back to Pid just as the disk finished scanning him.
Both Kilew and the old Irken looked over the results muttering to themselves.
"Well?" Tin asked. He felt a bit impatient.
"You are, officially." Kilew turned the two readings to the new Tallers. "The exact same height. Congratulations Tallers."
* * *
"What do we do now?"
Kilew, the Nursery Watcher, sighed. "We do nothing."
A raise of voices fluttered through the small room where a handful of Tallers sat around a table. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I am." She said in a hard tone. "Unless any of you can go against your own programming and kill one of them it is our only course of action."
"What do we do with them?" A red-eyed female asked.
"Have them both subliminally trained to be Tallest. Should one them actually perish the other will be there to take his place."
"And if they both survive?" A rare green-eyed male asked.
"Then we have the unthinkable. We have two Tallest."
* * *
Tin looked longingly at the holo-clock on his desk. He wanted out of here and outside. He glanced at Pid. The other new Taller seemed to be doing all right. He was farther along in the reading than Tin was.
"Invaders are not made to be behind desks." Tin said quietly.
Pid looked up. Under normal conditions a Teacher or the Archivist would have scolded Tin soundly for speaking like that in a learning environment. But this was not the Archives.
"It's not much, really." Pid said. "I've had harder reading assignments when I was in Early training."
"You were doing THIS sort of thing in Early training? I was jumping through hoops and fighting my way through throngs of Sketter Rats with my platoon in Early training!"
Pid shrugged. "Not my fault."
Tin groaned. "This is horrible, I had no idea being a Taller could be so, so."
"Utterly and ferociously boring?" Pid asked not looking up from his screen.
"Couldn't have put it better myself. But I thought you liked this stuff."
"I'm programmed for it, but I hate it." Pids' screen continued to scroll down.
"That's strangely pathetic."
"You should try living it." Violet eyes turned up to crimson ones. "The reason I trained myself with a Ghala was so I'd have an excuse to get away from this torture."
"Yeah, you seemed pretty handy with that."
"I pinned you didn't I? Mr. High-Invader."
"How did you know about that?"
Pid snorted. "Everyone in the Archives knows what all the other Classes are doing. Why do you think it's called an archive?"
Tin shrugged. "You want to go and do something?"
"Yes." Pid said nodding slowly. "Yes I do."
* * *
"So where's that little guy, Fer was his name?" Tin asked as his drink slid out of the hole in the table. They had found a table free in 'The Flaming Nacho'.
"Fer has been transferred."
"To where?"
"Anywhere away from me." Pid sounded almost depressed.
"What? Why?"
Pid blinked. "I'm not sure. I heard an elder talking about it, something about him being a bad influence. They never seemed to care about that before now."
"Why would he be a bad influence?"
Pid took a sip from his drink. "Look, we're very tall right?"
Tin nodded. "Yes."
"You're not supposed to be as tall as you are and I'm only marginally supposed to be as tall as I am, right?"
"Right." Tin said nodding again.
"Doesn't it seem odd to you that the both of us are exactly identical in height, right down the millimeter?"
"I never really thought of it. Some are the same height like that back in the barracks."
"But Tallers are almost never identical in height." Pid said keeping his voice low but with a hint of urgency. "I think." He paused moving his drink on the table. "I think we're getting to be taller than they expected."
Tin cocked an 'eyebrow.' "How do you mean?"
"You know how tall the Tallest is?"
Tin shrugged. "Not really."
"He's six feet seven inches three centimeters and two point three millimeters tall."
"That's tall."
"You and I." Pid said motioning between them. "Are five feet three inches and seven centimeters exactly."
"And that means?" Tin asked not fully under standing.
"That means, you and I are three heights from being the Next-To-Tallest. And that, my friend, is a precarious position to be in."