It's Never Too Late
By: Moojuice Nne of the Mayonnaise!

I have informed myself that I spelled "mayonnaise" incorrectly in my bio. DEEPEST APOLOGIES, readers! I did not mean to be an identity thief...wait, I didn't steal anything. Who am I? Waaaauuuggg!

Toboe: While she's getting her head on right and remembering who she is, here's the third chapter of her fanfiction, which you have begged her for. Woof!

Nne: THANK GOD FOR THE READERS! There, I'm done with my daily praise the reviewer chant.

The FIRST REVIEWER (besides me) IS...CRUSADER ARI!! CONGRATULATIONS, YOU GET THE DIRT CAKE OF THANKS!!

Erm...if any of you have problems viewing this fanfic, please tell me. I have a sneaking suspicion...

Go back to Chapter One if you want to see my disclaimer!

Chapter Three: Liftoff to the Path from Hell

Mim stood at the entrance to the hotel where Red was staying, rubbing her shoulders with her hands and stamping her feet to keep warm. She had on a long fur coat that wrapped around her body several times and went all the way up to her nose. Her green eyes flashed like light on water as she stared up at the closed windows and drawn curtains. "Where the hell is that bastard?" she hissed. "He should've been here by now."

The advisor busied herself with playing with her handheld transmission device. "He shouldn't know what's coming to him yet," she said gleefully. "Hopefully we'll be able to pull it off."

She smiled. The plans weren't all set up yet, but the end results would be the same: Red would die, the Advisory Board would take control of Irk, and the planets that were being controlled by Invaders would be placed under strict dictatorship. Mim heaved a big sigh. It was all happening so fast. The Board hadn't expected Purple to die so fast from the virus. Bumping Purple out of the picture made it easier for them to get at Red, who was easily manipulated by his emotions.

Mim heard the door open and close. She turned to the Tallest and saluted him. "My Tallest, good morning! I expect you're ready for your journey?"

Red walked right past her. "I didn't expect a welcome wagon. Go away."

Mim clenched her fists and ran up behind Red. "But, sir, I have a transport here to take you to the Massive!"

"I don't need it. I can fly by myself." Red threw his briefcase into his voot and climbed into the craft. "Besides, I need to say goodbye to someone."

Red gunned the engine, and the voot roared away from Mim, who flicked the Tallest off and stomped towards the transport she had brought. The pilot looked back at the livid advisor. "Well, Mim? What happened?"

"Get to the Massive!" Mim snarled. "We need to leave."

On the other side of town...

Red opened the cockpit of the voot and stepped onto the capital's roof. On the edge of the roof, sitting with her legs crossed and her arms balancing her body, was Peprik, looking at the Massive, which was shrouded in the early morning mist. She looked back at him, her yellow eyes filled with strange flashes of light and tears. "Hello, sir."

Red hovered over to be at her side. "Today's the day." he said quietly.

"Yup." Peprik drew her knees up under her chin. "It is, isn't it?"

Stony silence continued between them. Red waited for a while longer, then turned around and went back to his voot. "See ya. Oh, and keep the office neat for me. I'll be back in a year."

"Red?"

Peprik turned around. "Promise me...you'll be careful, okay?"

The Almighty Tallest's mouth turned up in a small smile. "I can't promise you anything, Peprik." Then, seeing her eyes grow even bigger and watery, he corrected himself. "—But I'll do my best and come home for you. Who knows, you might try to launch yourself out of a ship's airlock again."

Peprik smiled nervously, stepped down from the roof, and walked over to Red. "If you don't come home, I'll eat your secret stash of curly fries." She managed to laugh, then, her mood swinging again, she sniffled. "I just wish you could trust the advisors more."

Red rolled his eyes, knelt down, and pulled Peprik into a quick hug. "There, okay? Feel better. I don't like to see girls cry."

The Tallest straightened up, jumped into the vootcruiser, and flew off before Peprik could see him blush. Peprik watched the voot race off in the direction of the hovering Massive.

"Please help him..."

Red slammed on the brakes in the hangar and grabbed his briefcase. The Massive was waiting on the launch pad outside; the hangar was deserted. The Tallest dropped out of the craft and looked around. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was going back up. Worse, he was going back up alone. Even worse than that, he was going back up alone with traitorous Advisory Board Members. Of course, Ren and the other higher members would not come up, because "their main power was on Irk, they would take care of things there."

The Tallest cruised towards the side door of the hangar. Several guards were there to escort him to the ship. They opened the doors, and Red was greeted with a wave of colored light: three huge crimson flags waved above the army ranks, which were lined up in straight rows in front of the Massive. Red looked down, and tears sprang immediately into his eyes. The carpet, leading to the Massive—it's color had not been changed: half blood- red, half dark violet. At the very end, the colors merged into a swirling pattern of the Irken symbol. He took a tentative step, then another, and finally cruised slowly down the carpet, on his own side, trying not to look at the dark purple streak traveling with him. The army ranks bowed their heads as the Tallest passed, realizing his discomfort. Red made it to the very end of the tapestry, where an open door in the side of the Massive awaited him. He turned around and cleared his throat. "First off, I want this fixed," he said loudly, pointing to the carpet. "Then, I wish you all long life, prosperity, et cetera, until I get back! Don't let Irk fall into the hands of our enemies, or else. See ya in a year."

Red turned around and stomped into the Massive. The Irken national anthem blasted behind him. "Stupid music," he muttered, traveling past the small group of Advisors and up the stairs. One of the Advisors called after him. "Sir, where will we stay?"

Red turned around. "I don't care! Find a room and sleep in it."

He left the advisors to sulk and traveled into the Control Room. "All right, let get her fired up. Engine One, start."

The first engine roared to life, spewing fire.

"Engine Two, start."

The second engine began thrumming.

"Engines three, four, five, and six start."

Simultaneously, the four engines blasted into high power, shaking the Massive with their energy. Red walked up to the platform that he and Purple had stood on only two years before. "Check the flaps."

"All are working fine, sir."

"The Power Core is go?"

"It is go, sir."

"Begin initial thrust." The four minor engines slowly angled down, forcing the Massive up and away from the huge landing pad. The ranks of soldiers bent against the wind as it roared around them. The flags snapped around wildly on their flag poles. The Massive's rose high above the rank's heads, then hovered there, thrumming and roaring. Instantly, from two smaller hangars on either side of the huge ship, floods of flagships and vootcruisers filed out of the hangar doors. Red saw them race past the Massive's main window and station themselves just above the launch pad. One of the Irkens below Red looked up. "Shall I give the signal?"

"Go ahead."

The Irken pressed a button on his console, and, from the Massive's upper deck, a white flare was launched into the sky. The Fourth Armored Division chased the flare up into the sky and disappeared into the rolling clouds. Red watched them disappear. Then, he leaned down and whispered, "Hey. Launch a red flare."

The officer looked at him. "Huh? But red is for emergencies."

"Just do it. And aim it for the capital."

The officer pressed a series of buttons, and the Tallest heard a crimson flare rocket out of the Massive and saw it arc towards the capital. "Goodbye, Peprik," he whispered.

"What?"

Red straightened. "Nothing. Let's go!"

A series of shouts followed Red's command.

"Main engines on full power!"

"Secondary engines on full power!"

"Adjusting flaps for ascent!"

The Massive rose quickly into the air, higher and higher above the pad. The army retreated back into the hangar; the wind kicked up by the Massive's engine had already blown away several soldiers. The full power of the engines could produce devastating results if precautions weren't taken.

Red clenched his teeth and gripped the railing fiercely as the Massive rocketed into the upper atmostphere of Irk. The Irkens sitting at their control panels were securely strapped to their chairs, but the force of gravity was so great that they could barely lift their arms.

"Steady!" Red called to the pilot. "We don't want to shake her to pieces."

Clouds fled in the wake of the Massive as she broke through their cover. The stars flashed merrily as the ship plunged out of the atmosphere and raced to rejoin the Fourth Armored Division. Red relaxed his grip on the metal rail and flexed his fingers. "Whew...that was harder than last time."

I'm going to have a lot of fun watching you fall.

Red shook his head. This is no time for hearing things, he groaned to himself. He pointed to where the Division was. "Okay, people, let's make this journey short and sweet! Full speed ahead, and never look back!"

The Massive screamed past the Fourth Armored Division, forcing them to follow. Watching streaks of light from the stars race by, Red's lips turned up in a smile. "Well, here we come. Hopefully now I'll get to spend some more time up here than down in the Medical quarters."

Back on Irk, Peprik watched the Massive become a small red dot in the distance, flashing and weaving. She hugged herself, protecting her body from the cold. Suddenly, she heard a shrieking sound, coming closer and closer. She looked up and screamed, barely diving out of the way of a red flare bearing down on her. She pushed herself off of the ground and stared at the flare. Then, she started laughing. "That little bastard! He's gonna get it when he gets back."

As the Massive and the Fourth Armored Division raced into deep space, the selected members of the Advisory Board congregated together in the cafeteria, sitting in a large booth. "Well? When is Ren going to get in touch with us to start Plan Two?" someone asked.

A blue eyed advisor looked up. "Patience, my friend. He'll get to us as soon as he feels it is necessary."

"Nim, we have orders to follow. When may we start carrying them out?"

Nim lowered his hood. His cerulean eyes, large and square, scanned the area. "Not now. We must wait."

And so, the lesser members of the Advisory Boards waited to start their mission.

In the lowest levels of the Massive, in a huge room, buried in darkness, the rumbling of the engines caused glass containers to bump together, clanking loudly. The containers on the very end, having the freest motion, triggered their own illuminating systems. At the very top, a Tallest with once-bright orange eyes was illuminated. It started a chain reaction of lights to go off on the ends of the rows. The Irken below the orange Tallest was illuminated, showing that he was a fat green-eyed Irken, and the one below him was blue-eyed. Near the bottom, still some two rows up, the last occupied tube lit up. The light, not as old as the other ones, shone bright on a limp Irken, whose head rested against the front of the tube. His antennae laid flat against his head, and his mouth hung open a little. His skin, once healthy and green, was gray and shiny looking. The Irken's dim purple eyes stared at the dark floor in front of him. The label at the bottom of the tube shone a cheerful bronze color and seemed to announce to the room: "Here Rests Almighty Tallest Purple."

Nothing more told about his life, Purple rested in eternal sleep, appearing to have lived a full life and die a natural death.

Three is done...More action in Chapter Four!