It's Never Too Late
By: Moojuice Nne of the Mayonaisse
Thank you all so much for reading this fanfiction! It's because of you that this fanfiction lives! I'm really excited about this chapter, 'cause guess what? It's the second to last real chapter in this sequel! And, compared to all the other chapters, it's going to be a HORRIBLY LONG ONE! Don't worry. I tried as best as I could not to make it boring.
I'm notorious for quick fanfictions. I'm sorry. (heavy sigh) However, I'm making more, so stay tuned after the end credits roll by for the titles of upcoming fanfictions! Now, here's the only question I need to have answered by you guys: Should it be humor or angst?
Many thanks to Ashsemaand Crusader Ari for your reviews! You two have been with me since the beginning of the fanfiction, and I don't know what I would do without you.
I just got back from a friend's house, where we watched all three Matrix movies in a row. Xo I'm just slightly more insane than usual now.
THERE IS NO SPOON.
Okay, I think its time to type!
Toboe: Enjoy this chapter! Nne put a lot of heart into this one. Woof.
Nne: Thanks, Toboe! And I'm sorry if I keep pronouncing your name wrong!
Toboe: Toh-bo-ay! AY!
Oh, before I forget…In the last chapter, Mim resorted to using the old Irken language to express her anger. Translated, genne taton areo roughly means, "Damn him to hell!"
In my little made up world, translations really work.
Chapter Eleven: Advisory Waterloo and Here's To Goodbyes
Tallest Red pushed past the Advisors, restraining himself from letting his emotions show with some difficulty. However, as soon as he set foot on the gathering platform of the dock, his antennae pricked up. Tension ran thick in the air. He looked down, a quizzical look on his face; a congregation of high-ranking officials stared up at him. He felt hatred radiate out of their eyes like heat.
"What's their problem?" he asked, as he slowly descended the stairs that led to the lobby. Suddenly, a cry rang out from below.
"There is the traitor!"
As the Tallest reached for the doorknob, a laser hit him in the hand and knocked his arm to the side. Red looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed with rage. He slowly let his hand drop to his side, dripping blood. The Irken who held the laser was none other than Mim. Her lips were twisted into a smug smirk. "My Tallest, you are positively clueless," she said in her lilting tone. "I will give you credit for figuring us out so early. I am sure, however, that you won't have power for much longer."
Red's hand began to tingle faintly. "I should kill you for that remark," he said in a dangerous voice, and turned to go back up the stairs.
"Oh, but you can't," Mim said sweetly, and she snapped her gloved fingers. Instantly, two Guard Irkens were at Red's side, pressing lasers to his back pod; one of them was pulling handcuffs out of his pocket. "You are under arrest, My Tallest," one of them said in a severe voice, "For criminal charges."
"What the hell do you think I did now?"
The Guard Irken that hadn't spoken jabbed him in the back with the nozzle of his laser. "Watch it, My Tallest."
"Tallest Red, you are under arrest because you are charged with the murder of Tallest Purple."
Red's mind snapped into focus. Memories began rushing back to him.
"Red, you and I are two of a kind. Of course, you're a moron, and I'm a genius, so really we don't match. But we're still two of a kind."
"A pair? We have to be a pair? But I hate Red!"
"I guess working together will be okay."
The trip…
"Stupid, that's a moon…"
"I'm going to have a lot of fun watching you fall…"
The sickness.
"He wants you to come down."
"You have to hold onto his soul…"
The last days…
"I wasted four months of your lives."
"I'll be backing you up."
Something inside Red snapped, and before he knew it, the spider legs that were kept inside his back pod were unfolded and were holding the two Guards over the railing of the gathering platform by their necks. Then, a large laser gun raised itself out of the pod and perched itself over Red's shoulder, swiveling around like a snake's head on a circular pivot. The Tallest himself was raised up on the two remaining spider legs, looking around the room threateningly. His mind was clouded with angry confusion.
"Which one of you believes I killed Almighty Tallest Purple?" he cried out, holding the Guards higher. They kicked and squealed as they saw the ground lurch under them.
And, in an astonishing amount of disloyalty, every singe high-ranking official raised their antennae and then flattened them against their skulls; then, in a singular, collective movement, they all turned their backs to Red. The Tallest's blood boiled. Their first act, by itself, was only a symbol of disapproval, but the second had never been done to a Tallest before. Turning your back to a Tallest while your antennae were flattened meant that the Tallest was dishonest and was not worthy of their trust. A Tallest was always to have the trust of the Irkens to have any power whatsoever. "So, you think I would slink as low as killing my own partner? Do you really believe that I'm that worthless?"
No one answered. His laser raised itself higher, preparing to fire. But Mim's voice, iced with contempt, stopped him. "Careful, My Tallest. We wouldn't want you to have more charges put against you than necessary. You're already in the Advisor's custody, so nothing you do is going to convince me that you're innocent. I suggest you calm down and let us handle it from here."
She was pointing both of her laser guns at him, her eyes dancing in the yellow light that poured down on them from above.
At this point, Red's waning strength was spent. The anger flooded out of him, and he withdrew the two spider legs that held him up, and swung the two Guards back onto solid ground. The laser folded up and tucked itself back into the back pod. Red staggered back and pressed his back against the wall, raising his profusely bleeding hand up to his face to look at the damage. He turned his eyes up to the ceiling, and barely heard Mim when she said, "Restrain him and take him back to the capital to be tried."
He felt a stinging pain in his arm and looked down to dimly see that one of the Guards had injected him with a weak tranquilizer. Then, he was led down the stairs, past the lobby, to walk amongst the congregation of Irkens that had rejected him. Mim and the rest of the Advisors followed. Red allowed himself to be roughly shoved around as he got to the bottom of the stairs; there, the Irken officials separated themselves to make a small pathway that led to the side door of the dock. They all stood stock-still, with their backs turned and their antennae flat. Red kept his eyes glued on the floor. The tranquilizer was making him drowsy, but he was still alert enough to know that he was being insulted in the highest degree—and he was alone to bear it all. He didn't have the spirit in him to argue that he didn't murder Purple.
"What did I do to deserve this?" he asked himself.
"Hey, you!" one of the Guards called. "No muttering!"
Don't listen, my good friend.
Red raised his eyes from the ground. Purple's voice was there again, whispering in his ear. He clenched his teeth. Stop bothering me! You're dead!
Don't listen to them, my good friend.
Red closed his eyes. Purple, why do you keep doing this to me? I don't know what you want.
As he made his way down the narrow pathway, Red was being watched by Nim and Potluck, who were standing on the gathering platform. "What are they doing to him?" Nim asked in horror.
Potluck squinted down at them. "They…they're insulting him! Look at how everyone's got their backs to him!
"But why would they do that to him?" Nim asked, and even as he asked the question, he knew. "It's Ren. He did something that made the Irken people turn against the Tallest."
Potluck's eyes began to tear up. "What can we do to help him?" she blubbered.
Nim whirled around and grabbed Potluck's hand and ran down the stairs to the lobby. "We need to get to the Capital and tell everyone about what Ren is planning!"
"Ow ow ow ow ow! Hey, I'm still hurting here, you know!"
As the pair made their way towards the exit of the platform, Red was being shoved into a vootcruiser and flown straight towards the Capital. His expression held the distant, dreamy look of a prisoner being taken to an execution; his mind was elsewhere. He was remembering the photograph on his desk in the Capital—the photograph of Purple and him, standing with the Advisors. His heart ached to be two hundred years younger, when it was close by Purple's, however far apart their minds where at that moment.
"Red, stop complaining about my color when your color is the girly one!"
"Violet is for assholes like you!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
"I called you an asshole!"
"I can't believe a complete JACKASS like you could've ever made it into PreTallest stage!"
"SAME GOES FOR YOU, BASTARD!"
"YOU'RE THE CRAZY DICKHEAD!"
Tallest Red leaned against the window of the vootcruiser and looked at the Capital with troubled, sad eyes; they truthfully conveyed his feelings to the world.
"I miss you, Almighty Tallest Purple. I wish you could be here with me, because I depended on you to keep me going." He laughed shortly and added, "And anyway, you're still the crazy dickhead, no matter what you say."
I hope they execute me.
"Hey!"
Red turned around and looked down. A soldier was standing there, a knife pressed against Red's side. "I thought you were told to stop muttering!"
I hope they execute me so I can be with you.
Red blinked slowly. "Sure. Whatever the hell you want."
He turned back to the window.
If you can't be with me, I'm coming to you.
No matter the cost.
The vootcruiser came to a sudden halt on the roof of the Capital. Red recognized it as the last place he saw—and spoke—to his secretary Peprik.
"Okay, Tallest Red, time to face the truth."
Red was shoved out of the vootcruiser, handcuffed, and roughly led into the building. Behind him, the Advisors lined up in twos and followed him in. The solemn group passed silently through the halls on their way to the auditorium, where Ren was supposedly waiting. Red, with a crushed ego, walked with his head high and his antennae upright. He would not let the others know how he felt.
They passed Peprik's office, then Red's. Red's eyes wandered to the side, to see if he could catch a glimpse of his secretary through the slightly open door. No one was there. Red's heart sank.
"My Tallest!"
Peprik's voice! It came from behind them. Red whirled around to see where she was; his sudden move startled one of the guards closest to him. Impulsively, the guard whipped out his close-combat blade from out of his leg pocket that roughly thrust it into Red's uncovered thigh, which wouldn't have been accessible if he was still wearing his leg armor. Red went down heavily on one knee, his attempt at clamping his good hand over his thigh unsuccessful because of the handcuffs. "I've been shot and skewered and insulted today," he said between tightly closed teeth. "What next—infected?"
"That's…what they were…planning to do to you, my Tallest," Peprik's voice panted. She sounded weak; her words were beginning to slur themselves. Red put his wounded hand against the wall and stood up slowly. Seeing over his escort's heads, he saw his secretary, standing behind the line of Advisors. She held a small disc in her hand. She smiled weakly, her eyes showing a spark of happiness. Obviously, she had not seen that he had just been stabbed. Something was wrong with her. Red could sense it; it seemed so familiar.
Mim's face was a mixture of hatred and surprise. She stepped away from the head of the double lines of Advisors and marched towards Peprik. The yellow-eyed Irken looked on, tired, as the Advisor approached her. Mim raised her hand and brought it, with full force, across Peprik's face. Red's secretary was knocked to the ground. Mim lifted her foot and pressed it against Peprik's neck. "I should have gotten rid of you long, long ago." She said in a dangerous voice. "Now, you're going to pay for all of the trouble you've c—hey!"
Tallest Red had seized Mim by the back of her elegant gown with one of his spider legs and was holding her at his eye level. The dazed soldiers and other Advisors looked on stupidly: Red had moved so quickly that they didn't have time to react. Red glared at Mim, his eyes growing darker. "I really hope you have life insurance," he snarled, "because I'm going to mess you up real bad."
"Oh, come now, Red! Why so violent?"
Red threw Mim against the wall and whirled around. Ren was standing behind him, garbed in a great silver trenchcoat, his antennae dripping with white-colored rings. Red's temper exploded. Here was the root of the problem.
"Ren, you'd better have a damn good explanation for what his whole shitty operation! You know, I have no clue why the hell I'm in these God damn handcuffs and why the HELL am I being arrested for something that I DIDN'T DO! And if you think otherwise, you and your perverted Advisory staff can go SCREW YOURSELVES!"
Ren winced. "Come now, my Tallest, Surely you don't fell this way about us. We're only doing what's right."
"If you were doing what's right, I wouldn't be in handcuffs, my secretary wouldn't be comatose on the ground, and my freaking ship wouldn't be in pieces in a hangar that wasn't blown up!!" Red snapped cynically.
Ren sighed. "My Tallest, you are under arrest. We have all found you guilty of murdering Tallest Purple. You are on your way to a trial right now."
"No…"
Red looked down on the ground. Peprik was pushing herself off of the ground. Blood was dribbling out of her mouth. "No, My Tallest…you did not kill Tallest Purple."
Red knelt down on one knee and put his forehead up to hers. "Pep, you don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
"What…happened to you, Red?" she asked, her eyes traveling over his battered body. The gauze that was covering Red's shrapnel wound was coming off; the blood had soaked through most of the layers, and Red's hand and leg were dripping blood on the carpet. "What have you gone through?"
"Hell and back, Peprik. But you don't look too good, either. What happened to you?"
Peprik wanted to tell him everything, but she knew the Advisors wouldn't give her time. Instead, she staggered to her feet and held up the disc she had in her hand. "I have something that will prove your innocence, Red."
Red stood up, favoring his wounded leg. "Oh, really?"
Peprik stared at Ren. "I would like to show it at this so called 'trial', if you don't mind."
Ren eyed Mim, who was looking at Peprik with a hateful expression on her features. "What is this all about?" he asked her calmly.
"I don't know, sir," Mim said in a short voice. "I'm sure it's just some false information. Nothing to be afraid of."
"Then I'm sure you won't object to my overruling your request, secretary," Ren said coolly, "if you are just going to show me false information."
Peprik blushed. "It's not false."
Ren's patience waned. "It is if I say it is."
"Wait a minute," Red stepped in. "I'm still in control here. You haven't truthfully proven that I killed Purple, have you?"
Ren opened his mouth, then shut it. Red continued.
"So Peprik has a right to show this little piece of information to the public. Innocent until proven guilty, right?" Red flashed one of his famous, 'oh, boy am I gonna mess with you!' grins at Ren.
Ren's mouth became a hard little line. Mim got up and brushed herself off, roughly pushing past Peprik. "Well, then, let's go," she said icily, in the same voice that she had used when she said, "Careful, my Tallest," when they were on the gathering platform. While Red was watching her stomp down the hallway towards the auditorium, a group of guards gathered behind him and prodded him forwards. Peprik followed, holding the disc protectively against her body. She tried to get closer to her Tallest, but the soldiers that crowded around him pushed her backwards from him. She gave up after a while, and settled for looking at the back of his head.
She squinted at him. He was walking with a weak limp, due to his shredded thigh; when she looked down at the floor she could see the trail of blood droplets that he left behind. His antennae were once again limp against his head. She moved against the wall, so she could at least see the expression on his face. His eyes were half-closed, his mouth an undefined line on his face. He seemed distracted and uncannily calm.
"He's like a prisoner," she whispered, "going to an execution."
Red's antennae pricked up, and he turned his head over his shoulder. "Did you say something?"
Peprik shook her head hurriedly. "No, Red. Just keep walking. I'll get you out as soon as I can."
Red smiled. "You work too hard. How many vacations have I given you?"
"None that I can remember, sir. But I enjoy working for you."
A guard jabbed Red in the back with the butt of his laser gun. "Keep your mouth shut."
Red turned to the front without a complaint.
Is there hope for life?
What was Peprik trying to pull? Did she really have the evidence to prove he was innocent?
It doesn't matter anyway. If the Advisory staff has already told the Irken population of their "findings," it's all over for me.
"Here we are, my Tallest."
Ren's all too chipper voice broke Red's train of thought. They were standing before the side door of the auditorium's stage. Looking through the small, rectangular window above the handle, Red could see a small audience, but he couldn't see exactly who they were.
"Who's in the audience?" Red asked.
Ren smiled and pushed the door open. "Oh, no one too special. It's only the High Board—you know, Yuro and the rest of the gang?"
Red froze. Yuro.If the Tallest was the marionette leader of the Irkens, then Yuro and the High Board were like the puppeteers that pulled the strings. Yuro and the High Board—oh, God, there was no hope for him if they suspected that he killed Purple. Red swallowed hard and limped onto the stage, keeping his eyes ahead and his antennae alert. He couldn't let the High Board see him in a state of confusion. He was led to the center of the stage, where he turned towards his royal audience and raised his antennae in salute.
Ren walked confidently onto stage and stood before Red. "My most esteemed High Board," he began in a slow, mellow voice, "I bring before you the accused murderer, Tallest Red."
One of the High Board members stood up. His long black cape dragged on the floor, and he wore a dress-like piece of white clothing that loosely hung around his body and dragged on the floor around his feet. His hands were gloveless, with only one ring on his right forefinger, to signify his rank. He was an ancient Irken, with sagging, pale green skin and long, hanging antennae. Irken antennae grew like fingernails; not as fast, but as they aged, they became discolored and lengthy. The only thing that looked relatively down-to-Irk about him was his eyes: bright orange in color and very deep. Red bowed respectfully, anxiety rising in his throat. Yuro. Possibly one of the oldest Irkens alive, Yuro was also the wisest member of the High Board. And he was judging Red.
"Almighty Tallest Red," Yuro said in a feeble, shaking voice. "Why do you not bow with your hands in front, as is the custom?"
"My Lord, roe nostreu, I can't put my hands in front of me because I'm handcuffed."
Red's voice sank into a moody growl as he spoke the last words. Yuro looked on, amusement dancing in his eyes. "It's been a long time since I've last seen you, Rieon. You were only a Tallest candidate when we met, correct?"
Red bowed his head, alarmed at hearing his real name uttered after so many years. "Yes, my Lord."
"Please remove the handcuffs from Tallest Red," Yuro called, and a guard came from the side of the stage with a key and unlocked the handcuffs. Red flexed the fingers in his good hand, and hid his wounded hand behind his back again.
"The Advisory Board tells me that you are guilty of the murder of your partner in leadership, Almighty Tallest Purple. I want you to answer truthfully, Rieon. Did you kill him?"
"I did not. Tallest Purple died of a disease that he picked up along the route we were traveling in the Massive."
Yuro nodded, musing. Then, he turned to Ren. "Head Advisor Ren, why do you accuse Red of the crime?"
Ren stepped forwards and bowed respectfully. "Our evidence points directly towards him, Yuro. Would you like to hear the charges?"
Ren cast a glance at Red, then turned his eyes back to the solemn audience.
Yuro turned around and consulted with the other members of the High Board. Then, he sat down, and another High Board member stood up.
"We would, indeed."
On the Massive…
Tallest Purple brought his fist back and slammed it against the glass walls of his prison again. The unforgiving walls didn't budge; not even a crack showed. He cursed inside of his head. If I don't get out of this damn thing soon, I'm going to die.
He punched the glass again, and a large bubble of air escaped his mouth. His lungs were almost completely functional; his back pod was doing most of the breathing for him…but with every breath, his lungs grew stronger, and soon they would start working.
I'm going to break my foot off in the ass of the person who put me in here, he mentally snarled, watching with despair as his fist cracked against the glass for the millionth time. If I ever get out of here, that is…
He brought his fist back and slammed it into the glass, and, surprisingly, it made a small snapping noise. A crack that could have been mistaken for a scratch appeared on the tube. The exhausted Tallest took a breath to sigh, but suddenly he was swallowing more liquid. As he began choking, he looked over his shoulder. His back pod was glowing dim violet; suddenly, it blinked twice, and the color disappeared. Oh, shit, I'm dead.
His lungs were working.
Frantically, Purple punched the glass again. The crack grew bigger. He was running out of air, out of energy, out of time. He desperately thought of a faster way to get out, and suddenly an idea slapped him in the face. My spider legs!
As the spider leg folded out of his pack pod and poised itself to smash against the glass, Purple's mind clouded over with the lack of oxygen, and he passed out, propped awkwardly against the tube. But, the metal leg's command was still running strong in the Tallest's brain, and it slammed into the crack. The glass shattered. Glass and liquid gushed out of the hole and cascaded onto the immaculately clean metal floor below.
But Purple kept breathing in. The water level wasn't low enough to where he could lift his head and breathe in oxygen, and gradually, he began the slow, slow process of drowning.
The liquid kept flowing.
Back in the Capital's Auditorium
Tallest Red sat in the small wooden chair behind Ren, nodding off to sleep as Ren dictated Red's innumerable false charges of hatred of his partner, cheating on the leadership portion of the job, et cetera, to the High Board. Yuro and the others listened patiently, but Red could see a trace of boredom and maybe a little disbelief in Yuro's clear eyes. He passed his time by watching the pool of blood beneath him grow as his wounds kept leaking.
"…With the evidence being as straightforward as it is, I deem it necessary to punish our Tallest appropriately for the heinous crimes he has committed against Irk and its inhabitants." Ren finished in a booming voice, impressed with his speech.
Yuro turned to Red. "Rieon? Do you have anything to say about this?"
Red stood up. "Uh, yeah. All that stuff that Ren just said is bullshit. Thank you."
He sat down again. Ren turned and looked at the Tallest scornfully. "That is a pitiful argument."
Yuro sighed. "Well…with the evidence being as it is, we have no choice. Tallest Red, you are sentenced to—"
"WAIT!"
Peprik came running onto the stage. "I object to every single one of the statements made by Ren!" she cried. "I have proof that he's innocent!"
Saying this, she waved the disc in the air. Red looked at his secretary. "Man, she's got guts," he muttered. "Most ordinary Irkens wouldn't set foot before the High Board…"
Peprik halted when she was quite close to Ren; only then did she turn to the audience and bow. "My High Leaders, I have proof that Red didn't kill Almighty Tallest Purple. May I show it to you?"
Yuro nodded. "Insert the disc into the control panel behind you."
Peprik turned, winked at Red, and ran to the wall. Pushing the disc into the slot, she pressed a dark green button on the console. A large screen lowered from the ceiling and halted in the space between Red's chair and the wall. The lights above them dimmed, and the disc began playing. "This is a transaction between Advisor Mim and another alien, My Lords." Peprik said triumphantly.
Mim ran onto the stage to get a look at the screen. She squinted; the picture was not quite clear. But the voice was. She recognized it immediately, and knew that the Advisor's plans had just been ruined by a second-rate secretary.
"Why did I not kill her when I had the chance?!" she wailed, dropping to her knees.
Red had turned around in his chair and was looking at the screen with disbelief in his large, dark eyes.
"…Intend for you to be deceived. You asked my comrades to deliver the disease directly to Tallest Purple, and that is what they did. You did the research, you knew that the virus did not kill our people. It is a mere coincidence that it affects Irkens the same as Planet Jackers!"
"Well, you should have warned me that this would have happened! It being a 'mere coincidence' is nothing but a farce. You knew that it would happen. If Tallest Red finds out, I'm going to get killed, and so are you!"
The High Board members looked at each other in awe. There, on the screen, was the face of a Planet Jacker. And Mim was having a conversation with him. The disc continued to play.
"You see, My Lords, the Advisory staff was planning this from the very beginning," Peprik said. "They killed Tallest Purple using the Osodo-Jacker virus. They were planning to make Tallest Red weaker by taking away his best friend, infecting him with the same virus, and sending him on the same route that he and Purple took when Purple died. They were planning to take over Red's empire, High Board! They might be planning to take over Irk!"
No one spoke.
"Tallest Purple is probably as dead as any other Tallest in that Massive ship you have. As long as no one finds out, we are all save from the truth."
"All right. But I'm warning you. If anybody finds out about this Virus's flaw, it's your fault."
Mim was the first one to speak. "How…how did you get that recording?" she asked, her voice monotone.
Peprik looked grim. "After you infected me with the Virus, I went and did some research on the computer. That transaction was pulled up after I did a broad search on 'Osodo-Jacker'. All dialogues are recorded in the Capital."
Mim's eyes grew wide with terror. Her gloved hands dropped to her sides. Peprik smiled with satisfaction, letting Mim see that she had finally won. "Now I can…"
Suddenly, two words rang in her ears, dimly, reminding her of an unfinished job. Virus's flaw."Oh, my God! I have to save Purple!"
Peprik ran off the stage, coughing hollowly and putting her hand to her stomach. I have to last long enough to get him out of there! What if it's too late?
Mim got off of the floor. She could feel Ren's unforgiving eyes burning through her skin. "GO." She heard him hiss, and then she was off, running after Peprik. She was going to die after this. She knew it. If Ren could possibly save himself and make the plan work after all, she was as good as dead.
The High Board was stunned. Tallest Red, however, had gotten out of his chair. He hadn't heard what Peprik—or anyone—had said after he heard the first few sentences of the dialogue. The Planet Jackers.They were in on this. It all started the day when they had that damn conversation in the Meeting Hall, with the Demoralized Blob and the two Planet Jacker representatives. And finally, Red knew who was behind it all. Ren.
The Tallest loomed over Ren, his eyes burning with loathing. Quick as lightning, he reached down and snatched the Advisor off of the floor and threw him against the opposite wall. "YOU BASTARD!"
Ren collided with the wall and slumped onto the floor. Red, forgetting his pain, stomped over to the cowering Advisor and picked him up again. Holding him at arm's length, Red punched Ren in the face with his bloody hand, sending the silver-eyed Irken arching through the air and through the curtains on the other side of the stage. He heard a small moan escape from Ren's lips.
He was about to unleash a barrage of laser shots at the downed Advisor when Yuro's voice stopped him.
"RIEON! Calm down, my friend! All charges against you have been dropped! You don't have to be so angry!"
Red looked at the High Board. "I don't care…about me," he panted. His blood splashed loudly onto the stage. "He killed my partner!"
Red stopped and turned towards the rumpled curtain. Ren was nowhere to be found.
"Aw, damn it!" Red snarled. "Look what you did, you old fart! You let him get away!"
Red limped off the stage, in hot pursuit of the Advisor, who had fled. Yuro watched him leave, a slight smile on his wrinkled lips. "Rieon…ah, Rieon, you have not changed."
Red wasn't thinking as he charged out of the auditorium. He barely knew where he was. He didn't know where Peprik was, either; it was like one minute she was there, and then she vanished. Red turned the corner, and accidentally bumped into Potluck and Nim, who were staring down the hall with confused looks on their faces. "What are you looking at?" Red asked impatiently.
"It's Ren! He just took off down that way!" Potluck pointed down the hall. "It looks like he's going back to the Massive!"
No! He's after Peprik!
Red ran down the hall, calling back over his shoulder, "You two! Find Commander Yoma and tell him to get ready for an attack!"
Nim and Potluck watched as the Tallest disappeared into the distance. "Wow," Nim sighed, playing with one of the rings on his antennae, "this is really getting messed up."
"It's going to be even more messed up if we don't hurry! Now, come on!"
Potluck, her hand clutching Nim's wrist, led the Advisor down the opposite hall.
Okay! We're Back on the Massive!
Peprik sprinted down the main corridor of the battered Massive, gasping for air. Fortunately, the Osodo-Jacker Virus hadn't begun to tear apart her vital organs yet, but it had done enough damage. She stopped at an intersection. "Where do I go, where do I go?" she said nervously. "Oh, damn it, Peprik, just think!"
She heard a voice drifting towards her. Mim's voice; it was dripping with fury and sarcasm. "Pep, come here. I just want to talk to you."
And Peprik heard the click of a gun. She took off at a stumbling run down the hallway to her left, and soon came to an elevator. She dove into it and slammed her fist into the lowest button. The elevator began to descend. However, halfway down, it stopped with a jerk. Peprik pressed herself against the side of the elevator and squeezed her eyes shut. The machine began to go up. Mim was already at the elevator!
"DAMN!"
She pulled the emergency brake. The elevator stopped with a screeching noise; Peprik raised herself on her spider legs and pushed open the escape door on the elevator's ceiling. The shaft was musty and hot; Peprik looked around frantically for an escape route. There was an air vent, covered with a grate, right above where the elevator had stopped; Peprik pried off the grate with her spider legs and slipped into the vent. She could hear the second elevator going up behind her. Mim was so close…
She crawled along the vent until she could see an exit. She dropped down from the ceiling and looked around. She was in the storage room. The Vaults were right down the hall, but she had to hurry.
Looking around, and seeing she was alone, Peprik ran. She kept close to the walls, and made sure her breathing was muffled. She hoped Mim didn't know where the Vaults were. However, she didn't know if she could remember the exact location of the room; the last time she had been in the Vaults was over five months ago.
But the memory was still strong, and soon the little secretary was standing outside the door that led to her Tallest. She swallowed heavily, and opened the door.
The tubes that the Tallests were propped in were dark, and the room was cold. Only one tube looked strange, and Peprik heard the slow drip, drip, dripping of preservation fluid. She felt along the wall for a light, found the pad, and pressed it.
As soon as the room was lit up, she screamed.
Tallest Purple's tube was shattered; the pressure of the leaking fluid had forced the hole that Purple had already made to become bigger and more jagged. The remainder of the liquid he had been preserved in was dripping into the shallow lake on the floor. The Tallest himself was hanging awkwardly by two tubes connected to the backs of his arms. His pack pod was blinking frantically.
"PURPLE!"
…
…
…
Who…
…Who is calling…?
…Are they calling…
…My name?
Peprik raced over to the tube and raised herself up on all four of her spider legs. Purple's eyes were closed, his skin was ashen. Sobbing, Peprik ripped out the tubes that led into Purple's arms and caught his limp body in her arms. "Hang in there, Purple!"
BLAM!
A bullet exploded by Peprik's head, and Peprik and the body of the Tallest fell heavily to the ground. Purple bounced into the shallow lake and skidded to a halt, face up, halfway across the room. Peprik got off of the floor and blinked the preservation fluid out of her eyes.
"How many holes do I have to pump into you before you'll listen to me?" Mim roared, standing in the doorway, holding a stout black gun.
Peprik ignored her and ran to her Tallest. "Purple, you gotta wake up! PURPLE!"
That name is familiar.
Where have I heard that before?
Peprik, tears falling freely from her eyes, began to attempt to revive her Tallest. She placed her hands on his chest and began to perform CPR. "C'mon, Purple! You have to wake up! We need you!"
Mim bit her tongue and raised her arm. "Silly little girl." She fired.
The bullet entered Peprik's arm and stayed lodged there. Peprik cried out in pain, her blood and tears falling onto Purple's face. But she did not stop her CPR. "T…Tallest Purple, you have to wake up! It's me! It's Peprik!"
The Tallest did not respond.
Mim blew into the nozzle of her gun. "He's not coming back, honey."
"YOU! YOU DID THIS TO HIM!"
Mim smiled. "Of course I did, sweetie. He deserved it. They all deserved it."
Peprik pressed down harder on Purple's chest. "WAKE UP, DAMMIT!"
"Ren will make this empire a much better place. I will be his right hand woman, and I will make you pay for making the Head Advisor doubt me."
She fired again. The bullet missed and glanced off the tiles next to Purple's head.
"Purple did nothing to you! And neither did Red! They were a wonderful team, and no one can tell me otherwise! THEY ARE THE TALLESTS!"
Red…and Purple…
Tallests?
Peprik's big tears splashed onto Purple's eyelids. "You gotta wake up! TALLEST PURPLE, WAKE UP!"
Mim smiled. She loved every moment of Peprik's pain.
"You know, I should tell you now…Ren had a grudge against Purple for getting his son kicked off of the PreTallest selection. That's why he has such a hatred for the current government, because his son isn't leading it."
Peprik's attempts were weakening rapidly. "I…don't…care! Tallest Red and Tallest Purple led the government just fine. They were partners. THEY WERE FRIENDS!"
Tallest Red and Tallest Purple…
Friends…
Partners…
Tallest Purple…
"PURPLE, TALLEST RED NEEDS YOU!"
Red.
RED!
I remember him!
I REMEMBER MYSELF!
I AM ALMIGHTY TALLEST PURPLE!!
As Peprik pressed down one last time, Purple's eyes flew open. He immediately rolled onto his side and vomited a huge amount of liquid onto the already soaking floor. He gasped for air, and then retched again. Mim watched with horror. "He's really alive?!?!"
She pulled the trigger, and another bullet ripped into Peprik's body, this time through the side of her neck. The secretary sighed and dropped to the floor; on her face was a genuine smile. Purple coughed hollowly, his throat constricting as he emptied himself of the last of the preservation liquid. Then, he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up with one hand—his left arm was limp as a wet noodle, due to the absence of blood; it was his only appendage that was embalmed. He looked around, amazed at the gruesome sight of the room, then he fixed his eyes on the broken test tube at the end of one of the rows. He didn't seem to comprehend where he had just come from.
"Oh, man, do I feel like crap." He groaned.
He raised his dripping antennae, then turned his head to the side, where Peprik lay, looking at him blissfully. He coughed and sniffed, and then said, in his own, honest, high-pitched, gentle voice, "Peprik?"
Peprik smiled, her tears rolling down her cheeks and mixing with her blood. "…Purple. You're back."
"NO! It can't be!" Mim screeched, firing her gun again and again. "YOU NEED TO DIE!!" But her aim was decreased by her trembling hand, and her mind was beginning to plunge into confusion. Purple bent over Peprik and gently picked her up with his good hand, cradling her head in the hollow of his shoulder and neck, and stood up, if a bit shakily. He then turned towards Mim, looking at her with calm, clear, dark violet eyes.
"Hello, Mim. You know, I never liked you."
His back pod opened up, and a spindly cable with a thick metal box on the end raised itself above Purple's head. There were six holes in the front of the box, and Mim could dimly see gleams inside of the holes.
She hardly had time to react, however, for as she raised her gun to fire again, six razor-sharp needles shot out of the metal compartment and impaled her against the far wall, one needle in each arm and leg, and two in her heart. She looked at the two Irkens in the Vaults of the Leaders with glassy, beautiful emerald colored eyes, and she smiled grimly.
"What…do you know…the good guys…really do…win…"
Blood dribbled out of her mouth and onto her glittering jade gown, and she was dead.
Tallest Purple looked down at Peprik, who was bleeding all over the front of his uniform. He had no clue what was going on. "Pep? Peprik, where do I need to go? Come on, Peprik, don't go to sleep on me now."
Peprik stared at him with half-closed eyes.
"You must save Red."
I knew you guys would be happy with this chapter, because MIM DIES! But now that Red's all beat up AND he's going after a potentially CRAZY Advisor, I don't think he'll make it to the Epilogue! Uh-oh! Will the newly-arisen Purple be able to save his partner and Peprik? Or will Purple wake up just to see all of his loved ones slip away before his very eyes? Stay tuned for the Finale of It's Never Too Late: A Sequel, and for the Epilogue! I'm SO tired, I must sleep now. I love you all very much, but I just typed NINETEEN pages in one sitting…ouch…