It's Never Too Late

By: Moojuice Nne of the Mayonnaise

To all who read this fanfiction: I'm sorry I was so long to update! I was grounded from all screens (GC, TV, and Computer), so I had to play Telemann's concerto a million times. My fingers are about to fall off.

Wow, I'm tired and bored and my cousins just left after a week of visiting. This means that I got:

No sleep. No peace. No privacy. No neatness. No sanity

…For SEVEN DAYS.  But I love my young cousins. The good thing was that we got to go to the beach! DESTIN, FLORIDA, BABY! Suntans, blue water, and hot guys!

Toboe:…Who didn't pay any attention to you.

Nne: You will shut up now.

It's been raining forever here…blech. Nne doesn't mind it, but when it keeps her from hackey sacking with her cow hackey sack, she gets MAD!

Thanks to Ashemaand Crusader Ari for your reviews! I'm glad you like it!

Well, here's Chapter nine.

Chapter Nine: I'm Not Broken.

In a smooth, white-sheeted bed in the Massive, Potluck rested with her head cushioned by a starched pillow. Her uniform was open, and her stomach was tightly wrapped with gauze. Her eyes were closed; her mouth hung open a little. A nurse sat by her bedside, reading a fashion magazine and looking up once in a while to watch the heart monitor. The lights were dimmed in the Recovery Room, a soft bulb that hung from the ceiling illuminating only Potluck, the nurse, and a few other sleeping patients.

The Massive began to tremble, causing the light bulb to swing back and forth on its electrical cord. The nurse looked up worriedly, closing her magazine and getting up from her chair. "What was that?" she said in a low voice, looking down the darkened hall. The Massive trembled again, this time knocking the power out of the light for a few seconds. The nurse gripped the handrail with one hand. "This isn't right."

"Oren?" a weak voice asked. "What is happening?"

Oren looked towards the cot. Potluck had opened her amethyst eyes halfway and was staring drunkenly around at the room. "Where is Tallest Red?"

Oren returned to the bedside, pulling the white starched covers up to her ward's chin. "Lie back, Potluck. There's probably just something wrong with the transmission of the Massive. Our Tallest will fix it."

Potluck shifted uncomfortably. "Where…where is he?"

"Tallest Red is up in the control room, Potluck. He's not here right now."

The Massive's walls rumbled dangerously.

Potluck squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Oren, I'm scared. What's going on up there?"

The nurse looked down the darkened hall again, then at the other patients. "I think there's a small problem," she said brightly, putting on a fake smile to ease Potluck's mind. "We've probably run into some enemy ships. We'll be all right."

"I hope Red will be okay." A tear slid out from beneath Potluck's eyelid.

Oren sat down at her patient's bedside. "Did I tell you that my best friend worked with Tallest Purple when he was sick? Her name is Peprik."

Potluck shook her head. Oren smiled. "Well, Peprik didn't always have it this easy when she began her work as a nurse. In fact, I gave her a hard time myself when she first started…"

Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway flew open. A dark, billowing figure came towards Oren and Potluck quickly, making no noise. Two dark blue eyes reflected light towards the nurse and the patient. Oren stood up hesitantly. "Who are you?"

The Irken stepped into the light and lowered his hood. "My name is Advisor Nim. I have some bad news. We're being attacked by the Elite Force Division."

Potluck raised herself from her cot. "You're one of the bastards that have been plotting against Tallest Red!"

Nim looked at Potluck helplessly. "Miss, I'm sorry to say that I am part of the group that is planning to overthrow Tallest Red, but I am in no way associated with their evil doings. I have come here to warn you. You need to get out of here as soon as you can."

"What are you talking about?" asked Oren, placing herself between Potluck and Nim. Nim's heavily ringed antennae flicked backwards with annoyance.

"You are in no danger, Nurse Oren. But Potluck knows about my traitorous comrade's plans, and the Advisors that are on this ship are plotting to kill her. She must be hidden."

"I don't believe you." Oren said stubbornly.

"Please!" Nim looked exasperated. "She needs to get out of here. They will be coming any second!"

Potluck looked deeply into Nim's worried cerulean eyes. She blinked and sighed. "I guess I'll have to believe you, since they already stabbed me. It's alright, Oren. I think I'll be safe with him."

She tried to get out of bed, but her stab wound paralyzed her body with pain. She bit her lower lip harshly and mumbled, "I think I need some help."

Nim blushed deeply and looked at Oren. "Do you mind?"

Oren rolled her eyes. "If you're lying about this whole thing, I'm going to rip your rings out of your antennae and shove them down your throat. DON'T you think I won't."

Nim smiled thankfully. Then, slipping one arm under Potluck's legs, and the other under her neck, the blue-eyed Advisor lifted the wounded Irken gently off of the cot. "Don't worry about her, nurse Oren. I'm taking her up to the Control room. She'll be safer there, and Tallest Red's worries will ease a little."

With these words, Nim flipped his hood over his head once more and hurried into the shadows of the hall. At the very end, the door opened, and Oren saw the two figures slip out through the narrow space.

"Everything's going wrong," she sighed, moving over to another patient and sitting down in a chair next to their cot. She picked up her magazine and began to read again, a troubled look crossing her features.

In the Vaults…

WHERE THE HELL AM I?!?!

 Tallest Purple's body was showing violent signs of life. His back pod was flashing bright white light from the lavender circles on it, signaling a reactivating signal. His eyes were bright, a spine-chilling difference between them and the dull eyes of the hundreds of dead Tallests on the walls. One of his hands was pressed against the front of the tube, like he was bracing himself against an impact; the other hung lifelessly at his side. His troubled memory was just reviving itself from its slumber, and the only thing he could remember was his partner's name.

Who did this to me, Red?

HELP ME WAKE UP!

The Massive suddenly rocked to the side, and loud screams were heard from several floors above. Purple's eyes automatically focused on the ceiling. Then, he began to press his hand more firmly against the glass. He arched his back slowly, and then threw his entire weight against the tube.

Get me out of here.

The glass began to crack. Purple pressed harder, his muscles aching horribly because of their year's worth of neglect. Suddenly, Purple's eyes lost their spark, and he let out a small moan—the first audible sound that he had made since he woke up. Familiar darkness closed in around him once again. His hand dropped from the glass, his antennae trembled weakly, and he appeared a dead Tallest once more. The bright light that emanated from his back pod cut out like a burned out light bulb. His newly constructed organs were growing idle with unuse, also; this was backfiring on Purple's still healthy body. Usually the Osodo-Jacker organs needed to be put to use immediately after the subject had woken up—Purple had been awake for almost a month. His lungs were the only organs that weren't fully developed, but when they were, his brain would order them to start breathing.

If he didn't get out of the test tube, Tallest Purple would die.

There would be no second chance for him.

Back on Irk…

Chief Advisor Ren flung a heavy silver robe around his wide shoulders, checking his appearance in the mirror that hung on the back of the door to his office to see if he looked presentable. Pulling thick black gloves over his hands, and fastening a shining golden belt around his waist, the Advisor was ready for a public appearance. He reached up and smoothed his velvety antennae, flicking them up once to test the air. Ren pulled the silver hood over his head and marched deliberately out of the room. A small group of higher ranking soldiers were waiting for him in the quiet hall, their heads bent as a sign of respect.

"Advisor Ren, your audience awaits you."

Ren began to walk down the long hallway, towards the auditorium, the soldiers in a single-file line behind him. Standing in front of the doors to the auditorium, Mim stood in a forest green evening gown, holding a small notecard in her elbow-length gloves. Three rings in each of her antennae gave them a heavy, weighted appearance. Her dark green eyes were slightly worried as she read the card. Ren came up and stood next to her.

"Are they all here?"

"The Generals are here, and so are the League of Invader's leaders. Sir, I don't think this is going to work."

Ren glared darkly as his underling. "What do you mean?" he hissed dangerously.

Mim chewed on her lip, fanning herself with the index card. "They all know that Purple died of natural causes! How can you possibly convince them that Red…murdered him?"

Ren's lip curved in a smirk. "I don't think that you get it, my dear. I'm the one doing the convincing. There is no possible way that they won't believe me."

Mim wrung her hands together. "But…but…but what if Red comes back? What if he proves that he didn't kill Purple?"

Ren adjusted the cape. "He won't, because when the Empire's trust is in me, I'm going to kill him. Now, go introduce me."

Mim straightened her gown and opened the door narrowly. "I still don't think this is going to work, sir," she muttered as she slipped into the auditorium.

Ren eyed the other Advisor's back as she disappeared behind the door. "Colonel Neo," he said in a low voice.

"Yes, my lord?"

Ren pulled the hood further over his head. "If Advisor Mim begins to doubt the plans, I need you to dispose of her. She will be of no more use to us if she does not have total confidence in my abilities."

"Yes, my lord."

"I now give you the Second-in-Command after our Tallest Red, Chief Advisor Ren."

The doors in front of Ren flew open, and suddenly the Chief Advisor was staring into the dim faces of a hundred high ranking Irken officials. They all stared at him skeptically. Ren made a stately entrance, flanked by the soldiers, his face hidden in shadow. Mim was standing at the podium, a glass of water in one hand. She thrust this at Ren as he walked by, and hurried out of the auditorium.

Ren looked towards the audience, a grim look on his face. "My fellow Upper-Level Officials, I come to you bearing shocking news. Its nature has had the devastating effect on the Advisory Board's minds, and that is why we feel that it is so important to announce it.

"You see, we have been investigating Almighty Tallest Purple's death ever since he was lifted into the Vaults of the Leaders. We have come to a shocking conclusion. Tallest Purple did not die of a natural death."

Murmurs rippled through the crowds, but no one stirred. Ren continued, shrugging his shoulders to lessen the tension in his neck. "No, Tallest Purple did not die of natural causes. He was murdered."

This time, voices erupted throughout the room. "By whom?" "Who could have done it?" "This is an outrage!" "Are you sure?"

Ren waited until the pandemonium wound down, then he leaned over the podium, his hands grasping the sides of the wood fiercely. "By whom, you ask? Well, we have done much investigating, and when we reached the answer, we had to go back and go over our research again, to be sure. But, the truth is inevitable, and we must tell you this news with heavy hearts. Almighty Tallest Purple was unmistakably murdered by his partner, Almighty Tallest Red."

On the Massive

The Massive was being rammed by the Elite Force flagships repeatedly as it hightailed away from the battle scene. Red had blood running down his face from the base of his antennae, and his arms looked like he had thrust them into a paper shredder. All around him, consoles were exploding, pilots were screaming; the Massive was falling apart. His brilliant improvisation plan hadn't worked as well as he had hoped, and he had resorted to fleeing. It was a cowardly move to Red, but he had no other choice. Now they were being chased through space by the agile and experienced EF Division. As Red steered the Massive towards the distant glow or Irk, his mind wandered back to when he was unconscious. Purple had been there. Purple had stood next to him. Purple had spoken to him. But he couldn't have been there, because Purple was as dead as Operation Impending Doom I, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"I'm going crazy," he mumbled, swallowing the blood that was gathering in his throat.

The Massive was rammed again, this time from two different sides. The breach alarm began to shrill. Red's eye twitched. "All we have to do is make it back to Irk!" he called to the rest of the terrified staff. "Keep her together until then!"

"But how?"

"Tell the mechanics to keep the engines running on full power, no matter what! We need to get back to Irk as quickly as possible!"

More explosions inside the control panels rendered the Massive's defense shields useless. Red threw his arm over his eyes as the console he was standing at began to spit sparks. He cursed loudly and shoved the engine throttles to their maximum. The burning mothership limped into overdrive, leaving the Elite Forces behind. The Massive's hyper drive was powerful enough, but it strained the engines in normal conditions; now, the engine room was an inferno of engine fires and smoke and flying metal pieces.

"She's going to blow!" was the cry that echoed throughout the Massive. Red laid his bleeding antennae flat against his head and braced himself against the hyper drive's force. He was dimly aware that his ship was falling to pieces all around him.

You need to stop. Purple's voice was in his ear.

Red looked around. The pilots were all bracing themselves against chairs or walls, grinding their teeth in order to keep awake against the Gs they were pulling. The Tallest shook his head. "I am going crazy."

Suddenly, Red saw, in the near distance, a murky, lavender-colored planet. It was surrounded by a thick metal ring. Conventia! We're home!

"That was quick," he breathed, as he eased back on the throttle. "I thought it would take us another month and a half to get here."

"Sir!"

Red turned around quickly. Standing by his side was an Advisor carrying a weak-looking female, who was staring up into Red's face with concern in her large purple eyes.

"Potluck!"

Red snatched Potluck out of Nim's arms and gave her a long, welcoming hug. "I'm glad you're safe," he whispered to her.

Potluck gasped for air, blushing as she saw all of the pilots marvel at what Red had just done. "Sir…I can't…breathe…."

Red cleared his throat, embarrassed and blushing also, and put Potluck down. Nim coughed politely and bowed to the Tallest. "I'm glad to see you're in such a good mood, My Tallest."

"Well, you're wrong. The good news is, we're back home."

Nim looked out of the front window expectantly. He squinted, then frowned. "My lord, that is not Irk."

"Of course it's not," Red claimed proudly. "That one's Conventia. Irk should be right over…there…"

Red's voice trailed off as he pointed to a place left to Conventia: it was just space. "Where did Irk go?" he asked, puzzled.

Nim sighed. "My Tallest, that isn't even Conventia. It's a warning planet. This is probably a battlefield left over from the last war."

Red nodded. "Oh, I see."

Then, Red looked closer at the battlefield, and his eyes widened considerably. "O-hhhhh, good."

"What, My Tallest?"

Red leaned back against the platform's railings and folded his arms over his chest. "It's a field, all right. A flippin' mine field!"

The entire squad in the control room looked at each other.

"Now what are we supposed to do?"

Hmmmm…now that the Massive is stuck in a mine field in God knows where, what'll they do? And while Ren tries to persuade the higher ranking Irken officials, what will Mim do, now that Ren doesn't trust her any more? Will Purple die again, without Red knowing that he was alive? Will Peprik ever figure out a way to save her Tallests before she falls victim to the Osodo-Jacker's effects? Even I don't know! I guess we'll have to wait until the authoress posts Chapter TEN!. :)