Arco XI
Juelia and Lisher had gone over the situation they were in very well. One thing bothered the tall irken though, where was Zim. He was captured too, but she hadn't seen him for hours now.
"I hope Zim's all right," she said, pacing the room.
"Who?" Lisher asked, becoming seemingly worried by the name.
"Zim."
"This just keeps getting better and better."
"Will you quit saying stuff like that, and help me try and find a way out of here."
"Alright." Both beings walked around the interior of the cell until a noise caught their attention.
"What was that? It sounded horrible," Lisher said a little unnerved.
"I think I know," Juelia said with a smile.
"Meow." Lisher jumped the second he laid eyes on the animal that slipped in through a crack in the ceiling.
"Max, come here," Juelia said as she walked over to where the tiny cat dropped from. The feline purred as she picked him up. Juelia looked up at the crack and grinned, knowing, now, a way out.
"Come on Lisher, boost me up to that hole up there," she whispered, to make sure that unwanted listeners couldn't hear. The inteligente decided to listen to the order and provided two cupped hands.
"Go for it."
The irken set down Max and quickly leaped up onto Lisher hands, then shoulders. Having a good knowledge of irken ships, she knew most had weak metal placed for a ceiling, only recently had stronger been used. Being this was an older ship, she had no problem tearing a wider opening for her and her cellmate. Climbing up into the opening, she turned to pull Lisher out along with Max. Once safe in the ceiling all three travelers made their way, thanks to Max, to the air vents; which provided a more sturdy path. While this went on, Dib and Red sat wide-eyed at a full course meal being laid out in front of them.
The smell of freshly baked bread, salad dressing, honey glazed ham, baked potatoes, and chocolate chip cookies nearly drove them up the wall. However, they knew they could not eat it for it was laced with the smell of poison. So instead they laid down on the soft ground and ignored the delicious food. Suddenly, a door slid open from the side, allowing a blinding light to enter the room. Dib looked up and blinked a few times before he realized who it was.
"Zim!" He shouted in excitement, relief, and joy. Red looked up as well and she too reacted in a similar way toward the little irken. They both got up, as fast as they could in their exhausted state, and ran for the door. When they reached the exit, both noticed that Zim was holding something in his hands.
"What's that?" Red asked. Zim didn't answer.
"What's wrong?" Dib questioned, again no answer followed. The irken raised the object to reveal it as a gun. Dib read Zim's expression like a book. It was the look you'd give a beloved pet, that was suffering before you ended its life. Dib was shocked and almost hurt. 'Was Zim trying to help or hinder.' The pale-faced boy looked at the irken one more time and knew it was a betrayal. Dib's face hardened into a scowl, narrowing his eyes. Red could tell that Zim was not there to free them from their prison. She wasn't sure now if it even was Zim.
"I'm . . . sorry," the irken whispered shooting both with a dart-loaded gun. Both humans slowly slumped to the floor as the tranquilizer didn't take long to work on their already tired bodies.
"See that wasn't so hard," Qui's sinister voice replied from behind Zim, as guards came in and quickly dragged the human pair out. He turned to face her, which by this time she had moved down the hall.
"Come on, now the real fun begins."
Zim followed, a little reluctantly, but still trailed her through the hall. What neither of them expected was an alarm to go off warning of intruders. Both Zim and Qui ran to the main control room, where Qui pressed a screen which in turn showed a picture of Gaz sneaking down a hall.
"You didn't tell me she was here, Zim."
"I didn't know."
"Oh, and look, she brought some friends too," Qui smiled, gazing at the two newcomers on the screen. Then she saw something that would make her life easier, Gir.
"Zim, I see that's your sir down there, I wonder why he's helping the enemy." Zim shrugged nervously, knowing that this couldn't be good.
"Why don't you tell him to capture the enemy?!" Qui shouted. Zim decided to just do as she said and pulled the microphone from his pod.
"Gir!" The sir stopped as so did the group of humans. The little robot pulled out his head top projector and displayed Zim.
"Master!"
"Zim!" Gaz exclaimed with concern, "Are you okay?"
Qui prodded Zim to continue his deed and so he did.
"Gir capture the humans and drag them to me."
"What!" Gaz shouted this time in shock.
"Yes master, I obey!" Meanwhile Dib and Red sat back to back in a large arena. They both felt sick, not to mention frustrated.
"I can't believe this, I really can't," Dib said absentmindedly.
"Yes, it's like an ever-livin' nightmare, Please get me out of here, Lord," Red prayed. Both rested their heads up against one another's tired and beaten. They were now shoeless, coatless, not to mention they hadn't eaten or even had a chance to use the bathroom for a day.
"Dib, stand up," a voice boomed from a loudspeaker. The human boy sighed and groaned in pain, but he knew if he didn't do what he was told something in the form of punishment would more than likely follow. Standing up, he glared down at the ground.
"Listen up. I want you to run on this."
A treadmill slowly rose up from the ground.
"If you don't run fast or long enough, your family and friends will die." Dib, on hearing this quickly raised his head to see Chris, Gaz, and his father tied and gagged sitting in a cage on the far side of the arena.
"Don't drag them into this . . . why don't you just kill me and get it over with," Dib yelled in frustration.
"Because it's more fun this way. Besides, Dib, this more than compensates for the pain and humiliation I had to go through, for letting you go the first time."
"What are you talking about?! The invasion? Of course, I got away, but that wasn't my fault, I had to save Earth!"
"Yes, there's that small matter as well. However, this is different, little one, in fact, you were quite a little one when it happened."
"What do you mean?!" Dib screamed, tired of tests and trials, confusion, and pain.
"It really doesn't matter. NOW RUN!"
"Why should I? What is all this?"
"If you don't run, they die, it's simple, Now RUN!" Dib looked back at his family and the machine and placed one of his feet down on the mat. No sooner had he done this than the treadmill started up. Now his first reflex was to jump back, but in remembering the bonds he was locked into, he jumped up on the mill and ran at its quick pace.
"This is how it works, human. If the weight upon that thing becomes too low, such as in the event you fall off, one of my guards will signal out and shoot a member of this cage."
The intercom erupted into a fit of laughter before shutting off completely. Red quickly ran over from where she was to the machine, just as Dib started to lose momentum.
"I have an idea, I'll run for you," she said.
"Okay . . . will . . . take . . . turns?" Dib gasped.
"Yeah, we weigh about the same, that's all that matters," Red explained. After a few moments, the girl hopped on while the boy dropped off. After a few minutes of running, Red dropped off and Dib was back on. This continued until both were starting to run out.
"We can't keep this up," Red complained as she ran with all her strength. Dib nodded in agreement, but there wasn't anything he could do. What neither of them knew was that Qui was steaming with anger just a few yards away, watching through a one-way mirror.
"I can't believe this," she shouted. Zim stood back a ways as she began stomping around.
"He's supposed to do this on his own, not with help. This is going to ruin everything I've suffered for, worked for."
"You have to remember that he is just a human, they're not that capable . . ." Zim began.
"He's the Arco, he is to be capable!" Qui shouted turning her rage on the other.
"Hey! That isn't my fault, so don't yell at the powerful Zim for your misjudgment."
Qui's anger seemed to subside, but not enough where she backed down into serenity.
"Fea, get in here!" She yelled, to which a guard responded.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Bring Lisher in here, this was his horrible creation, so he should know what's wrong with it."
Zim gazed out the window to see that Dib had now replaced Red's place on the treadmill. He could see the exhaustion on the two's faces, not to mention the pain and stress they were enduring. Maybe this was a bad idea, but it was too late now to back out of it. Dib, Gaz, Red, nobody would trust him ever again after this. Just as he was on the verge to tell Qui the deal was not good enough for him the guard, Fea, responded to Qui's request.
"I can't, Lisher and the other irken prisoner have escaped."
"What?!" Qui screamed in rage.
"It wasn't my fault. . . I think it was um . . . Cwer's turn this time," Fea sputtered.
"Who's in charge of guard duty?" Qui stressed.
"Um, I am," Fea answered with near panic entering his voice.
"You're also in charge of who is at guard, right? So you as well as Cwer are in for punishment."
"No please, I can do better I promise," Fea said with the tone of a child in trouble.
"You said that last time, take him away," she ordered, waving for the other guards to pause Fea out.
"Ted, you're the new head guard," she said over Fea's yells and pleas. Ted just gulped and stood at attention.
"Find the prisoners now! And I want them alive."
"Qui, ma'am, it will be done," the irken responded in a deep voice before taking off on his mission.
"It's so hard to find good help these days."
"Yeah, I know," Zim said as he gave Gir a sideways glance at the sir bounced into the room.
"Anyway, it's time to move on. I tire of this test. Let's try a maze instead," Qui said looking out at the two children.
"Look Qui, I have something to tell you," Zim began as he watched her pull down a control panel from its position above them. Qui looked at him and smiled evilly.
"Say no more, you want to do the honors," she said swiveling the controls over to him. Zim froze for a moment. He didn't know what to do. Should he continue with his intentions to tell her the deals off, or should he keep going?
"Just press the red button, please," she said again.
"Um . . . " he paused, not wanting to make such a quick decision. But before he had time to think, Qui kissed him, sending the irken into complete confusion and chaos.
"Oooooh," Gir said playfully. Zim quickly jumped back almost tripping over a garbage disposal unit.
"What's wrong?" Qui asked. Zim just stared at her in disbelief. That was the first time that ever happened to him. Sure, he knew what it was, but why did she do that. Nobody in the Academy would even talk to him let alone kiss him. Did Qui love him? With this thought floating in his mind, all other thoughts were pushed aside.
"Um . . . I don't . . . understand," Zim asked, finally. Qui looked at him funny, not quite understanding his actions either.
"I . . . I thought . . . so you didn't think," Qui began, trying to find the right words to say.
"Well, there was just . . . How about I just push the button," Zim said pressing the red control without thinking. Before he could think twice, a rumble came from under them all. Both irkens looked out the window to see the two humans sway back and forth on the treadmill, that had now stopped. Then suddenly walls of steel began jutting out of the ground forming walls and rooms, hallways, and dead ends all around the human pair. Qui smiled as her little plan worked smoothly. She looked at Zim and frowned a little, however. She didn't know that Zim wasn't ready for that yet, or she wouldn't have done that. Now an uncomfortable atmosphere surrounded them, leaving her in a pool of doubts.
The alien beside her felt strangely ill at the moment. He was in an array of different thoughts and feelings, all of which played against one another. He was a traitor in the eyes of the humans, a hero to his home planet for bringing down the Arco, and still hurt for what his leaders had done to him, while thankful for what the humans did for him. However, this was nothing compared to the fact that just came to light. He glanced at Qui for a moment until their eyes met in which he turned away quickly. More confused than ever, he wished he could have time to think it all out.
"Well, Zim, um will be reaching the end of the testing soon, then it's on to glory. The Tallest can't ignore this," Qui said, breaking the thick silence
"You know, Qui, I don't think . . . I don't think this is a good idea," Zim finally blurted.
"What do you mean," Qui asked raising an eyebrow. However, before Zim could answer a small familiar noise startled them.
"Meow."
"Max! I swear you're everywhere," Zim shouted in surprise. The small cat bounced out from it's hiding place behind the door and rubbed up against Qui.
"I remember you, somehow," Qui said staring down at the feline, "but where you are, gives me the impression so is someone else." Max just purred and flipped his tail while looking back up to the irken. Meanwhile, in the arena, Qui's assumption was correct. Juelia and Lisher had managed to sneak around the guards through the air ventilation system, and now we're drilling a hole into the side of the cage Gaz, Chris, and Membrane were in.
"Hurry, they check on us every two minutes," the now un-gagged Gaz whispered as she watched the two aliens tear at the irken metal.
"Believe me, I'm going as fast as I can," Juelia said.
"Wow, this is so cool. I mean first spaceships and aliens. Then we get captured, this is like a movie," Chris stated with excitement.
"Yeah, only it's real," Gaz said flatly.
"There," Juelia said as the hole was now large enough for all three to escape.
"Where is my son?" Membrane asked trying to see over the walls of the maze.
"Look, professor, we have to get out of here first," Juelia said climbing back into the air vent by way of Lisher's cupped hands.
"Come on, let's go then," Lisher said waiting for the rest. Gaz went first, then Chris, who nearly fell several times before making it in. The professor made it just in time for the guards to come in.
"Hey, you! Stop!" One irken yelled at Lisher.
"Sorry, gotta go," Lisher replied hopping up into the duct. When he reached the safety of the vent the obvious reaction had already been taken. All five of them took off down the long passage.
"All of them got away? I am so dead," Ted said from his spot next to the useless cage. In the meantime, Dib and Red wandered around the maze due to the fact they had to. Every time they wanted to take a break the walls would close in or the floor would slowly drop out from under them. What seemed the most frustrating was the dead ends and endless hallways.
"Dib . . . I can't keep this . . . up," Red huffed leaning up against the wall as a crutch.
"I know . . . " Dib sighed, also using the wall as support. Then as if something clicked, he knew where to go. As they were walking in and out of dead ends and long hallways he noticed a strange pattern. Every right turn followed by a left was another wall in the face, but every three lefts followed by a right was open. Just like the rhyme of a marching army. Left, left, left, right . . . left.
"That's it, it has to be," Dib said, leading down a long tunnel.
"Got what?"
"If I'm right we might make it out while remaining sane!" Dib stressed as he turned left. So far he was right. " Left, left, left, right." The hall was free of dead ends or blockage.
"You're doing it, I get it now. Left, left, left, right then left," Red commented.
"Right," Dib stated.
"No, left," Red smiled, in spite of the situation. Dib smiled too, happy to see not all hope was lost, but no longer had he thought this, hope was shattered by the sight ahead of them. The exit was clear to see, but two mean obstacles lay in the way. Two venomous rattlesnakes sat guarding the door, irritated by the presence of the two humans.
"Oh yeah, this is so much fun. Disney has nothing on this, but I bet a root canal sure does," Red yelled, making sure that her voice was loud enough for Qui to hear. Upon hearing the girl's dismay, Qui smiled.
"They must have found the surprise," the irken laughed. Max had a different reaction to his master's call. Before anyone or thing could make a move to stop him, the tiny animal bounded out of the room and in his own cat-like ways made it into the arena. He clambered up to the sight of Dib and Red backing away from the enclosing snakes.
Hiss! Max hissed at the two serpents and arched his back. Raising the fur of his body, extending his claws, and baring his teeth in a snarl he was ready to fight off the two reptiles. The cat also had experience with snake killing and knew his target was the head. Both snakes turned on the new threat to their territory. Red and Dib watched in fear as the small feline dodged the strike by leaping straight up and out. Then, with his claw-tipped paw, Max swung a blow to the rattler's head. However, this did not intimidate either snake and both lunged for the feline. Max again bypassed and attacked by biting at one snake's middle. Then with a quick motion, he moved to the serpent's head and bite down hard, killing the snake. However, the other reptile eluded the cat's sight and moved in behind him.
"Max! Look out!" Red shouted. However, the cat was unprepared for this sneak attack. Dib knew this too, and without thinking quickly ran up and grabbed Max away from the strike. Unfortunately, now the pale boy was in striking range and panicked to the point where motion was not an option. The snake recoiled for its second assault. Max struggled to get out of the boy's grip but was getting nowhere with it. Dib stood petrified. The rattler sprang out at the boy, but before it had a chance to penetrate its fangs into anything it received a swift kick, from Red, in the side; sending it into the wall.
It was here that Dib's legs finally gave out and collapsed. Red in seeing what she just had done with her bare feet had to regroup herself. Max wasted no time getting out of Dib's arms and finishing the viper off with one blow to the head. Then, as if nothing happened, the feline began licking his paws and washing his face in a calm manner.
"What!?" A sinister, angry voice boomed as the walls of the maze slide down. Dib looked up to see Qui and Zim heading their way. As they drew near, he noticed the enraged Qui and what appeared to be a regretful Zim.
"Stupid CAT," she barked, rearing her foot back and kicking at the animal. Max didn't flinch, just blinked up at the mad irken.
"Stupid, Girl," Qui said stepping past Red with a sneer.
"But you," she spat grabbing Dib by the collar of his shirt and raising him up to face her, "are just plain sad."
Then she let go of him, sending the weak boy to the ground. Max hissed in the irken's general direction, which Qui's response to was kicking the cat in the side.
"Hey! What's wrong with you, you idiot," Red snapped as she picked up her stunned cat.
"Don't start with me. You, humans, are all the same. Weakened by emotions and . . . and," Qui paused for a moment.
"And mindless of reality," Zim added blandly.
"Yeah, why not, mindless, brainless creatures."
Dib glanced up at the evil irken and glared.
"At least, were decent," he spat, "Where I'm from this is inhuman, not that your kind cares, right, Zim?"
Qui looked back at the human with disgust.
"Zim doesn't care about your petty human logic. Irkens are superior to all races and it would be wise for you to remember that," Qui stated.
"Superior, ha, try arrogant," Red said under her breath. Qui's temper began to flare at the two humans' disrespect. They were under her control, but they still insisted on insulting her; she could have them killed just like that, but she could not kill that spirit and this enraged her. Zim, on the other hand, thought about what Dib and Red said. It was true, most irkens were pompous, but not by choice. It was embedded in their minds to think their way was the right way and the only way.
"I don't know what you want or why you want it, but you're not getting it from me," Dib replied coldly.
"I only want one thing," Qui said with strain.
"What! What is it then?!"
Qui pulled a laser from her pod, and both humans became alarmed by the sudden presence of the weapon. Qui aimed the barrel at the pale boy's head, and even though he had come close to death on several different occasions, his body still reacted by perspiration on his brow and fear in his eyes.
"This is the end of the line," she smiled, pulling the trigger. What happened next was quick and confusing. Zim charged the female irken, crashing into her with surreal force. The beam of deadly heat was misguided, but not enough to miss its target completely. Dib fell backward hitting his head on the ground and stunned by the shot. Red screamed and quickly ran to the boy's side, as so did Max. Qui looked up to see Zim looking down on her with disgust in his eyes, but also confusion. He had no doubt that what he just did was correct, but he knew also that it wasn't Qui's fault she acted the way she did.
He remembered those days of wanting to destroy and kill anything that was less than perfect, less than irken. In fact, for a moment he had actually reverted to that time in his thinking, but now he knew what to do. He picked up the fallen laser and crunched it in his hands, which wasn't that difficult for him. Then he ran over to Dib to check on the harm done. Red was a little wary of letting Zim check on the boy, but there was nothing she could do, so the girl allowed the irken to see him.
"Come on were getting out of here," Zim announced motioning for Red to help him carry the unconscious human, who now had a wound on his right shoulder.
"Oh, I don't think so," a voice from behind them said. Both turned around to see an odd sight. Juelia, Gaz, Chris, and Professor Membrane stood with their hands raised in the air. They also noticed that Qui had stood up, but made no movement towards them.
"Who said that," Zim asked.
"I did." Lisher stepped out from behind the group armed with Juelia's laser.
"You're a . . . an intelligente!" Zim exclaimed.
"No kidding. Now, stand away from the boy," Lisher spat waving the gun at the pair. The irken stood and backed away from Dib's still form, however, Red didn't budge.
"You too, human."
Still, the girl stayed along with Max, who was tenderly tending to the young boy's injury. She glared at the alien before moving her attention to Dib. Tearing the sleeve from her long-sleeved shirt she slowly bandaged the now stirring Dib.
"That's enough, now step away."
Without saying a word the young girl stood up and placed herself between Dib and Lisher. Zim, who was standing the closest, was anticipating another shot to ring out, but instead, he heard Lisher's laughter. Everyone was shocked by this sudden outburst, and all eyes shifted to the alien. What they saw surprised them even more. Gir was latched around Lisher's middle by his android legs and tickling the evil one.
"Get . . . this thing . . . off," Lisher cried.
"Good work Gir," Zim shouted as he ran up to gain the laser. However, before he could reach him, the tables turned once more. The intelligente knocked the little sir unit off and shot the poor robot's head, cutting Gir offline.
"Gir!" Zim cried as he watched his little insane robot slump forward. Then he growled in Lisher's direction.
"Now, it's really personal."
The irken reached out and nabbed Lisher's throat, knocking the gun from his hands. Juelia quickly ran up and grabbed the weapon. Gaz, Chris, and Membrane ran to Dib's side. The struggle between Lisher and Zim was now growing more fierce as each lashed out with rage and anger. Zim was small and fast, but Lisher knew more about combat moves that seemed to keep the irken on his toes.
"Don't move," Juelia spat as she held the gun at Lisher. The irken and intelligente froze in a position of chewing the other's limbs off.
"Guards, take Lisher away now!" A familiar voice shouted.
"No. I'm not going back, Qui," Lisher said standing away from Zim.
"Yes you are," Qui stated as she walked in closer from her spot just behind Juelia.
"No, I'm not!" Lisher shouted as he charged Juelia and in a blink of an eye, took the laser and aimed it at Qui. Her horror-stricken face seemed to please the intelligente as he aimed more for her head.
"I'm leaving, and I'm taking him with me. Your race will come to its knees once I get to Earth and exploit these beings. I'll train them to be irken destroying machines. Too bad you won't be around to see the day the Irken Empire falls," Lisher snarled.
"And how are you going to get there? You know as well as I do, that I'm the only one with the correct coordinates to the planet," Qui retaliated.
"Not anymore, it seems these guys know exactly where Earth is," Lisher said referring to Zim and Juelia. Zim, who had his fill of talk, decided to take action. In one swift move, he dove down and took Lisher off balance just as he fired. Again the gun was dropped and again Juelia regained control of it. Luckily the misfire had hit nothing but the side of the arena. Zim took the liberty of tying the intelligente up so the trickster couldn't pull another stunt.
Qui, however, saw the save in a different light. Zim had saved her life, and by Irken standards, she was in debt to him. Unfortunately for her, Zim and Juelia knew this as well. The guards filed in at this point and began the process of taking Lisher away. The intelligente glared at the group but continued with the guards in silence. The irkens then tried to proceed by taking the others captive, but Qui held up her hand and stopped their action.
"Zim, what do you ask for," she asked, already knowing what his dreaded response would be.
"You know now what I want. Let us go back to Earth, in Peace! I never want to set foot on another irken ship again, nor do I want to go to Irk," he demanded walking up to Qui.
"Very well then," Qui grinned, "but the boy stays, or no deal."
"I will not leave without the Dib-human!"
"And I will not let you leave with him!" Juelia decided to remain on guard. She wasn't going to be captured alive again, and she wasn't going down without a fight, no matter how many soldiers were there. The humans had managed to have Dib regain consciousness. They didn't want to move him in fear of further injury, but they had to if they wanted to get him out. What was really troubling was the fact that the small boy was losing blood so quickly. Red's makeshift bandage was already damp and growing less useful. Gaz decided to do the same and tore her sleeve to provide another bandage to Dib's wound.
"What happened?" the pale boy murmured as his fuzzy vision sharpened.
"Don't move," the professor said, applying the bandage to his shoulder.
"I'm . . . I'm bleeding! Where's the shot, am I going to die?" Dib asked, panic creeping into his voice.
"Keep still, ya big baby, you're going to be fine," Gaz stated. Dib drew in a long deep breath and laid his head back down on the cool ground, which was just as well, for now, he had a headache. He tried to stay focused but for some odd reason, his mind and body wanted to rest. Slowly closing his eyes, he was startled when Red shook him slightly.
"Stay awake, we don't know how bad this is," she said.
"Oh yes . . . okay, I'll stay up."
This was easier said than done as the boy kept involuntarily falling to sleep. However, Rosa was always there to wake him up and keep him talking as the others either watched the fighting irkens or tear off clothing to help Dib's shoulder.
"You must give up this stupid quest, Dib is smart yes, but harmless to the Irken Empire," Zim stated.
"I can not go back to my Tallest empty-handed. I will once again be known as the failure," Qui shouted.
"Listen, who says that you have to go back," Zim said.
"That's treachery, I would never . . ."
"Look back. When you let the infant boy go, what did you feel? Was it not treachery by irken standards or more correctly, the Tallest standards," Zim shouted. Qui was confused and shocked. Sure, she had let the human go, but that was a mistake, right? One she should correct, or should she? She could remember letting the child and its mother go and how it felt so right. However, she was soon to find out that it was wrong, but by whose standards?
"I don't know . . . I . . . just don't really know," She cried in despair. Everything was in question by her one act of kindness and treachery.
"Put yourself in their shoes, anyone's shoes. How would it feel if your home was being destroyed, or your family, friends, life was torn by our race? It's hard to tell what's right sometimes, but I know Irk is wrong dead wrong."
"Zim, Juelia, and even you humans," Qui finally said from the pit of her throat, "you may go. I Never want to see you Again, Ever." There was a silence that enveloped the room that almost suffocated the occupants of the arena. The guards were stunned by this decision and just stood ideal, not knowing what else to do. Juelia and Zim seemed to be in a nonmoving position too.
"Qui?" Zim asked.
"What?"
"Can I ask one thing?"
"I know, I know. The boy. I'll get him some medical attention, fine, now go!"
"Yes, that, Thank you, but what I want to say is Thank you," he said calmly.
"You're welcome," she murmured.
"Me too, thank you," Juelia said. Qui looked up at the two who were standing in front.
"Yeah, thanks for not shooting me," Chris blurted out.
"Thank you," Red said bravely. Qui was more stunned by the young girl's gratitude than the past three. She had been so cruel, and so horrendous to this human. Any irken would have spit on her given the chance, but she thanked her.
"Thank you," Gaz said lowly. The professor just nodded not feeling much like talking. He never wanted to see this, and he never wanted to believe it, but there was no denying it now.
"Thank you for saving my mother and me," Dib rasped more from a subconscious state of mind.
"And I'm sorry," Qui whispered, before lowering her head,"Now, go."
... but test everything; hold fast what is good. 1Thessalonians 5:21
The End
*~ That's it. Hope you liked it. And Thank you all for the nice reviews on this and my other stories. Reviews are really what the author runs off of. Enjoy! :-)