Thanks to everyone who's been reading this so far! Sorry for the major lack of update as well, coursework sucks. I only own the character Zag. Enjoy!


Chapter 4

Into space

Tak stared desperately at the growing shadow that fell against the wall as the creature advanced towards her. She was completely frozen to the spot; the dread of her fate fusing her to the ground- her fear overwhelming.

She felt a slight tugging on the back of her clothes. 'Oh no, I've been captured!' she thought franticly, but before she could turn around to look at her captor she was being viciously dragged backwards, causing her to stumble. Just as she expected to feel the harsh floor slam against her back, she realised she was falling further than she should have been.

She landed relatively softly- she hadn't fallen that far. She looked around, trying to make sense of what had just happened to her. She was sitting in a very small, dark area, (about a metre lower than she had just been) with a small grate at the top- the one she had fallen through.

Confused, Tak shakily stood up, and felt someone next to her. She jumped, but a pair of hands kept her firmly to the spot. Tak saw a glimmer of light reflect off a pair of teal eyes, and knew instantly that Zag hadn't abandoned her- she had just saved her life!

'How could I have been so stupid! Not only did I just stand there and wait for them to catch me, but I thought Zag had betrayed me.' Tak thought guiltily.

Tak moved closer to the grate, so she could see the creature that had nearly caught her as it came into view. Gazing nervously through the metal bars, she could just make out a towering figure- a repulsive one. It was a grotty purplish colour, with an unusually contorted long face. Its face held four tiny eyes which glinted evilly, razor sharp teeth that poked out from its lips and stubby toes could just be made out from its huge feet.

Her heart skipped a beat as it paused right in front of the grate, searching the corridor for movement. Just when she felt sure they would be discovered the hideous Vortian moved on, back the way it had come.

Tak gasped, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. Zag gave her a smug grin.

"Thanks!" Tak said, still shaken by the event.

"Why were you just standing there anyway?" Zag inquired, proud that she had saved Tak.

"I...I don't know, I didn't think I could get away in time."

"Well if you thought you were truly done for you should have at least gone down with a fight! Come on, let's get out of here."

Careful not to make a sound they climbed out of the grate, and continued swiftly down the passage. Within minutes of running down long corridors and slipping silently through doors, they had finally reached their destination.

They stood before a tall metal door, it's large handle just above their heads. Cautiously Zag reached up, heaving down on the handle as the mechanism within the door clunked softly. As it slowly swung open, they stepped in, pausing to catch their breath.

"We...we did it!" Tak gasped.

"We're not out yet." Zag grinned, and walked on. They were in a huge cargo hold, cluttered with all types of ships. They were mostly vortian ships, which were just as big and ugly as their owners, but there was one vessel that particularly stood out from the rest.

It was a modern Irken voot cruiser, made from a beautiful lustrous metal, sleek and smooth for speed, and without even the tiniest of dents. Its paint was a exquisite shiny blue, which sparkled in the starlight.

"Come on, let's take this one!" Zag said staring intently at the ship. She eagerly began to fiddle with the lock, and by the time Tak was by her side she had the door open. It was a tight squeeze with both of them inside, but they had no choice.

"I'm guessing you know exactly how to pilot one of these?" Tak said confidently.

Zag just grinned at her. She fired up the little voot's engines and expertly manoeuvred the ship out of the port and into the Vortian atmosphere. It flew swiftly and speedily, soaring through the starlit sky.

Tak gasped in awe as she looked out of the window. She hadn't even glimpsed outside since she had been taken into the horrible prison, and now she couldn't get enough of the clear sky. However, suddenly her gaze turned to a much less inviting sight.

"Zag..." she whispered fearfully, "Zag! They're shooting at us!" Zag turned. The defences to the prison were firing at their little ship, large lasers barely missing them. No doubt they were programmed to destroy any ship that tried to leave if permission to depart was not given.

If they were hit, which seemed likely to Tak, they would most definitely be obliterated. Zag, seeing Tak's terrified expression said, "Don't worry, we'll get away no problem!" And with that she powered the ships engines to full speed and shot towards deep space, narrowly dodging the lasers.

Tak sat sinking her claws into the seat, holding back a wave of nausea as the ship dove and spun. When at last they cleared the planet and its weapons, she exploded with amazement.

"That was...it was...WOW! How did you learn to fly like that!?" Tak stuttered in admiration.

"Oh you know, same place most Irkens do!" she stated matter-of-factly. "So, where are we going?" Tak had to admit, she hadn't thought this far ahead. She had been sure that she would never see the stars again.

"I don't know, I hadn't really thought much about that..."

"Well, what were you doing before you were arrested?" Zag asked.

That immediately brought back all Tak's memories of how Zim had humiliated her, and how she had so badly yearned for revenge. She could feel the anger that had been replaced by fear and depression returning, and fuelling her confidence.

"Errr... you thought of something?" Zag asked nervously as she looked at the expression of pure hatred on Taks face.

"Zim." Was all she needed to say.

"Oh. You wanna go and get revenge after what he's done to you." Tak nodded.

"But it's not just that. I will prove myself to the tallest by showing them how easily I can destroy the planet by myself, and I will regain my honour as an Irken Invader by defeating Zim," she shuddered at saying the name, "for my Tallest."

"But I thought it was purely about revenge?" Zag inquired, inquisitive about this new side of Tak.

"No, they will catch me eventually. I need to show the Tallest that I am worthy or they will just lock me up in that place again, or worse!" she ranted, her fists clenched. "They are desperate to get rid of him. If I do that, they will pardon me for sure!"

"Wow, that sounds pretty good. Do you think I could help?"

Tak thought about this. She could certainly use Zag's great talent. After all, last time she had been defeated by Zim because he was helped by those pitiful humans. But there was no way he could beat her and Zag.

"It's just that all I ever wanted was for my talent to be recognised, for the Tallest to accept me. Maybe if I can prove myself they will."

Tak nodded. "I could definitely use your skill and resourcefulness. It's a deal!" Tak agreed.

"Well...there was another thing. I was hoping that we could pick up a friend of mine first."

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Somewhere, millions of miles away, Zim, who was completely unaware of the plot to destroy him, was dealing with problems of his own. He felt completely alone in this world- everyone either ignored him or bullied him. Skool had gone from boring to unbearable, what with all the detentions and homework. If only someone would explain this stupid maths in simple Irken!

He sighed heavily. All these problems, he'd never encountered them before. Especially the part about wanting a friend.

What was he going to do?


Once again, sorry about the delay, I'm going to try and go a little bit faster now! Please review!