It's Never Too Late

By: Moojuice Nne of the Mayonaisse!

Once again, many thanks to the reviewers! The newest reviewer is ckret2! After I read your review, ckret2, I ran and hid in the corner for a while. :( Eeep…how can I update if you kill me? AND KEEP MY FRIENDS AND PEN PALS OUT OF THIS! HOW DID YOU KNOW I HAVE A PEN PAL? HUH? Erm, sorry. I'm really glad you liked PMM so much, though! Thank you for reviewing…I'll update soon. Just, please, let me get the finals out of the way! NNE CANNOT FAIL!!

SKOOL IS OUT FOR NNE!!

So, how many of you have gone out and bought the new Zim DVDs? I'm getting them SOON—cannot wait! That'll make my second set…the first I got off of eBay! :) :) I couldn't live without Zim for that long!

BTW, have any of you noticed that there is a severe shortage of new IZ fanfictions? I was browsing through the site, and I noticed that many of the people who had reviewed PMM had last updated their own fics two or three years ago! :( Come on, people! ZIM ISN'T DEAD!!

Here is the fifth chapter. Please keep reviewing—I appreciate everything!

Chapter Five: The Plan Is Foiled

Red cruised down the hallway, keeping one hand on the wall to guide himself. The pungent odor of a light solution of formaldehyde wafted through the air. The loud rumbling of the Massive's engines shook the hallway, and the loud clanking of the engine room could be heard even in this secluded section of the ship. Red looked around, trying to remember where he was.

Suddenly, the sound of clanking glass caught his attention. The Tallest followed the sound, walking forwards hesitantly. The air was cold; his breath left puffs of white condensation in the stale air. The darkness scattered, and suddenly Red was face-to-face with a door. A huge keypad was situated in the middle of the door, and Red stepped up to it and, raising his hand into the heat-sensitive pad, pressed his two fingers up to the device. The door swung open, and a rush of even colder air blasted into his face. The room was dark, but in front of him, a wall of sparkling glass set dim flashes of light onto the floor. Red swallowed hard. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see test tubes. And in each of those tubes, the dim shape of a Tallest lay in death.

The Tallest steeled himself and reached out, groping on the wall. He felt a light switch and, with a hesitant finger, flicked it on. Instantly, the room was ablaze with light: it danced on the glass, bounced off the walls, reflected on the floors. Gleams of bronze mixed in with the barrage of light in front of Red; he was almost blown over by the explosion of light. However, he was temporarily blinded and stood with his head bowed and his arm over his eyes. The thrumming of the engines was what caused the test tubes to clank together; it had led him here.

Keep on going, Red.

The Tallest took his arm away from his eyes. He took a step backwards as he saw the gruesome display in front of him. Tallests, preserved in test tubes like choice specimens. Tallests whose eyes were all different colors, faded and dim; their spark was long gone and they stared blankly. He gritted his teeth together. "This shouldn't exist," he said, his voice sounding weak in the huge room. But his stomach flopped over as his eyes traveled down the line and spotted Purple, still and erect as the others. Tears welled into his deep crimson eyes and rolled down his cheeks spontaneously. His partner, here. He approached the test tube, looking up at Purple's still face.

Keep on going.

Purple was still in his prestigiously clean Tallest's uniform; he was propped up in the test tube by two wires that ran from the top of the tube to the backs of his thin arms. Red's mouth turned up in a small smile when he noticed a shriveled, fuzzy curly fry floating at the bottom of the tube. It probably been in his pocket, and the mortuary Irkens didn't bother to clean them out. Surprisingly, Purple didn't look much different than when he was alive. Purple's skin was gray and slick looking, however, but it was his eyes that caused Red's to well up with tears. They used to be so dark, so mysterious and deep. Now, they were cold and shallow, and Red couldn't see the spirit behind them.

"Mainly because it's not there," Red said aloud, looking around. "Well, this graveyard is sort of a nice place. A little lonely and damp, but…spacious. You always liked larger rooms."

No answer, and Red reached up and fingered the bronze plate at the bottom of Purple's tank. "They only state your name here," he said to his partner. "It looks like you didn't live long enough to do anything important." His lips curved up in a gentle smile. "You big asshole. At least I'll be remembered for doing something, eh?"

Still no answer, and Red's heart and mind began to show signs of despair. His dark crimson eyes began to spill over with held-back tears, and he had to struggle to suppress a sob. He shook his head and turned away, hiding his face in his claws. "I…thought you said you would…be  there for me," he said, his voice cracking. "So…so why is it that I can't feel you any more? Your presence…it's going away. And I can't…I can't…"

Purple's forehead clinked against the glass container that he was in, and the liquid that he was preserved in vibrated, causing ripples on the space at the top of the tube.

Red turned to look at Purple. Then, he noticed something he hadn't noticed before, and probably should have noticed, on Purple's body. Purple's back pod was still on.

Peprik leaned over the microscope in the Medical Center's lab, squinting her eyes. Underneath the lens, a small slide labeled "Disease" was being inspected. Even though Red didn't want her practicing in the medical field any more, Peprik had been working on identifying the virus that had killed Purple since the day she had taken the sample from him. She hadn't gotten anywhere yet, but she had infected some donor organs with it, just to see what they would do. So far, they were only in the preliminary stages of infection; she couldn't draw conclusions from them yet.

She sat back, pouting. She had come here to escape the quiet atmosphere of Red's office. Almighty Tallest Red had been gone for only a week, and she already missed him. She wondered if she was beginning to really like him. She smiled. "It would be nice to have Red as a mate," she giggled. "But then again, how many has he already had?"

Suddenly, a small red light began flashing on the panel in front of her. Peprik sat up and looked at the screens that were situated in front of her. One of them was blinking spastically, and Peprik's face lit up. "Great! Some action!"

She enlarged the screen. It was the lung sample. Peprik leaned forwards, her hands clasped under her chin. The sample had been infected with the disease the longest, but it had shown no action until now. Now, it was convulsing and twitching, much like Purple had in his last hours. Peprik felt a pang of remembrance, and her eyes began to grow misty. "Not now," she muttered, wiping at her eyes. "I need to see what's going on without any distractions."

The lung sample's activity slowed down, and Peprik was about to close the screen when the dark spores leaked out of the grey tissue and began tearing away. Yeah, yeah. I know what happens now. It rips the lung apart and suffocates the victim. But what haven't I seen?

Sure enough, bits and pieces of the lung were ripped off. Peprik let out an exasperated yell and kicked the console in front of her. The projection flickered, then disappeared. "I give up," she sighed, jumping off of the chair and exiting her small basement office. Upstairs, she grabbed her normal coat off of the basement door and hung up her lab coat. Slipping her arms through the sleeves and flicking her antennae upward, Peprik the doctor disappeared and Peprik the secretary came to life again. She trudged down the hallway, her eyes straight forward. What could have killed him? she thought, furrowing her eyebrows. I'll have to come back tomorrow.

Back in the lab, the lung sample was being completely covered with the white part of the Osodo-Jacker Virus. The process was quick and lethal, and soon the sample was completely covered. But, the Osodo-Jacker virus began wrapping around itself, weaving small silver threads in a tight pattern. Soon, the white blob looked like a tiny replica of a white lung. And slowly, slowly, it began to turn red.

Where…where am I…?

I don't…remember…a thing.

…

Who…am I?

Wait…am I alive? Is this real?

"I thought you said you'd always be there for me…"

Who is that?

"So why is it that I can't feel you any more?"

He sounds familiar.

"Your presence…it's slipping away."

Is that…

Is that…Red?

It is Red! It is…but…why does it sound like he is crying? And do I know him?

Why do I remember his name, but not my own?

Is Red a close friend of mine?

Is my name…

Is my name…

…

Uh-oh. Something is wrong/right/confusing! What is the real purpose of the Osodo-Jacker Virus? When are the Board of Advisors going to bring Irk to its knees? Is Peprik going to bring the mystery to a close? Is Red going to jolt a certain someone's memory back into existence? It all happens in the next chapter and those following it! The story is just beginning! Please read and review!