Chapter 8
Decisions
The hallways of the skool suddenly filled up with kids, as they all jetted towards the lunchroom. However, as for Zim and Rogue, they took their time for two reasons: One, they both can't "eat" the food anyway, and two, Zim was lecturing Rogue about want she did back in the classroom.
"Do you realize what you all most did back there?!" Zim shouted. Rogue glared at him and clearly showed that she could care less.
"No…what?" She answered sarcastically.
"You nearly almost exposed yourself to the enemy!" Zim shouted again.
Rogue looked at Zim with a blank stare. "Expose myself? Ha! For your information, I have been on plenty of these kind of mission and assignments, so I KNOW what I'm doing. And just to let you know, if you were the only other person in that room at that time, I would have vaporized that droning human."
Zim just gave her a look. "…I know you were send here you view my actions, BUT as the invader in charge of this planets fate, I order you to NOT do that again, EVER!. Its endangers my mission, and Gir gives me enough trouble already."
With that said, the Irken walked ahead of Rogue going for the lunchroom entrance. He got to the door, then turned to look back at Rogue again, standing just about a feet away, staring at him with those sharp eyes of hers. He raised his nonexistent eyebrow, thought for a moment and said,
"…You know, now that I think about it, if I WAS the only other person in the room at the time, I would have helped you vaporized the teaching human...she gets on my nerves as well." He then walked right into the lunchroom.
The female alien stood where she was, cocked her head to the side and just thought for a moment.
'It still makes me think...' She thought. 'He doesn't act like any of the other targets I ever faced. Why do the Tallest want him gone so bad? They could have told me the reason…' She shook the thought out of her mind.
"No!" She said out loud. "I can't think that. The Masters said he has to go, then he HAS to go!" Then with a dark look, she added, "And he will go tonight…"
~ The sound of kids eating and the smell for the human food nearly made Rogue sick as she followed Zim to the lunch line. She plugged her "nose" and held her breath as the lunch lady practically "thrown" the food on her tray. Zim glanced at her and remembered that is how he acted the first couple times with the human food.
He lend over to her and whispered, "Breath through your mouth."
Rogue, who couldn't hold her breath much longer anyway, took her fingers away from her nose and inhaled deep, making sure just to breath with her mouth so she didn't smell the food.
As they started walking to the same empty table that Zim always sat at, just a couple tables away, Dib was at a table with his sister Gaz, who was playing her GameSlave, as usual. And, as usual for Dib, he had a lock-on stare on the two undercover aliens. The minute they took their seats, he pointed his finger at them.
"See that? You see that, Gaz?" Dib said. Gaz didn't pay attention as Dib started rambling on again. "Rogue is sitting right NEXT to Zim! No one EVER sits next to Zim! Now you can't tell me that isn't the LEAST bit weird, right?! " Dib continued to keep talking and talking, and Gaz slowly started losing her cool.
Back at Zim and Rogue's table, both Irkens pushed away their food trays with a disgusted look. They both glared around the room, watching all the other human children eat.
"Filthy human worm babies." Both said at the same time. They suddenly glimpsed at each other with wide eyes…then just looked away.
A few quiet minutes passed with just Zim and Rogue watching everybody else in the lunchroom. The male Irken started tapping his finger on the table, staring off into space. Rogue secretly peeked at him again, seeing the boredom in his face.
'…Hmm…He doesn't have anything to do at human eating time, does he?" Rogue said to herself.
"…Hey, you know what?" Zim suddenly said. Rogue's eyes perked, snapping out of her own little world there.
"…What?" She answered.
"…We invaders are given a SIR unit to help us in our missions…" Zim started. Rogue right away wasn't that much to listen, but let him continue anyway. "…And the reason only ONE is assigned to a planet is to spread out in the universe. …The Tallest were wise to let me in this SECRET mission, and I'm doing my best, my GREATEST to please them…but…"
"…But what??" Rogue said.
"…Perhaps things would go faster if I had help, not that I would need it, but as things go now these days…it's rather…NICE to have another Irken on this planet I hate so much. Another I can trust and talk to, you know?"
Rogue was suddenly surprised to hear that. She has got Zim to finally put the trust she's been waiting for into her. But still…she wish she knew why Zim was wanted by the Tallest to be done away with...
Meanwhile, Dib was still rambling on about Rogue, and Gaz just about had it. She grit her teeth and started to quiver with anger. She finally lost it when she grabbed and yanked Dib by his spiky hair, immediately making him shut up. She gave him a nasty glare and said, "Your yapping is making it VERY HARD for me to play my game, and I'm almost at the final level, so if you make me mess up, I WILL make the rest of your life a LIVING HORRENDOUS NIGHTMARE!"
Dib was silence for the rest of lunch.
~ After lunch, it was time for recess. A bunch of screaming kids came running out of the skool on to the skool's playground. Some headed for the jungle gym, others headed towards the kickball court.
Rogue and Zim came walking on of the skool building. Rogue took a deep breath of fresh air, glad to be out of the foul smelling lunchroom. She stared at all the Earth children playing, showing a confused look in her face. 'I wonder why these "creatures" act so foolish around this time?' She thought to herself, not understanding the point of "recess".
She turned to look at Zim, but he wasn't next to her anymore. Looking around the playground, she spotted him sitting on the bench, swinging his legs and watching the children with a glare. She then shrugged and made her way towards him. 'I better sit with him again, to keep the trust going…'
However, she stopped when she noticed someone coming up from behind for him. It was Dib. The human quietly walked up behind Zim with something in his hand. It was a cup full of water.
'What's the Dib child doing?' Rogue thought, not knowledgeable about what water does to Irken skin.
With a smile on his face, Dib dumped the water on Zim. Rogue watched in shock as she witnessed burning steam coming off of the victim's green skin. Zim jumped from his sit, screaming in pain, and began running around the playground with the other kids watching and laughing.
Rogue then turned and see Dib laughing harder then the rest of them. She turned back to Zim. He was now on the ground, on his back looking at the other kids. They just kept laughing.
The female Irken's face when blank. She was suddenly confused. Should she start laughing too? Something was out of place. She thought she felt like she could start laughing, and be glad want Zim was going through, but, for some reason, all she could do was feel almost...sorry for him.
Maybe its because Zim is a Irken, like herself. Seeing another one of your kind in pain was natural, right? But something then surfaced in her mind, something she remembered hearing a long time ago.
*…Even at times, you might have to take a assignment that will involve your own kind. If the reasons are clear and logical, then you MUST do what the Tallests order. No exceptions.*
"…But…I don't know all the reasons…" Rogue said to herself. "…Why does this other Irken have too…"
The words of her "Masters" suddenly came to mind:
"We have a new assignment for you to do, Rogue. If you fail us in anyway, well…you know what will happen, so DON'T mess up."
"I will NEVER fail you." Those were the words she spoke after the Tallests said that. "…I can't fail this…I was born to serve them…I am their perfect fighter…one mistake…"
Suddenly, the skool bell rang, causing Rogue to snap out of it. All the kids began to head towards the skool building. Zim came walking up, still giving off steam a bit, with a nasty scowl on his face. Rogue didn't say anything as he walked by. She shook off her thoughts and followed him in.
~ The rest of the day went on like earlier, with Ms. Bitters freaky lectures. This time, Rogue made sure she didn't lose it like last time. By the time the final bell rang, Rogue was thankful to get out of there.
Her and Zim got up and heading out the door when Ms. Bitters said, "ROGUE! Are you forgetting something?"
Rogue was given detention, but it just so happens that Rogue didn't know want detention was. Zim walked out the door, but Rogue stopped just outside the entrance and looked at Ms. Bitters.
"I've given you detention. Your staying here!" Ms. Bitters hissed.
Rogue gave her a look. "I'm not staying here. I have things to do." Rogue said with no fear.
"YOUR STAYING!!" Ms. Bitters shouted.
"No." Rogue said blankly and headed right out the door. Ms. Bitters grit her teeth and gave out a loud growl. All the kids started cheering at Rogue's valor.
"SILENCE!!!" Ms. Bitters shouted angrily. Everyone went quiet. "If this makes you think you can overpower me, your wrong!" She said all creepy like. "Rogue WILL get triple detention for that! Now all for you, beat it!"
As all of the kids started heading out the classroom door, unknown to Zim and Rogue, the sky outside was starting to get dark with rain clouds…
In the hallway, all the kids were running and screaming while Zim and Rogue just took their own sweet time to get out of the building. But one of the kids happened to run into Zim, knocking him on the floor. Rogue looked to see none other then Dib. And that push wasn't a accident. Dib stopped in front of them and glared at both aliens.
Zim got back up, not surprised at all to see Dib standing there. "What do you want now, you smelly worm?!" He said shaking his fist at Dib.
The human boy glared right back at Zim. "I've been watching you and Rogue here all day, and I can tell she is NOT human. I'm I right?" He looked at Rogue, who didn't care what he know about her. She just stared back at Dib blankly.
"And what IF she was Irken then, uh? HM!?" Zim answered.
"Oh, come on Zim! I can see RIGHT through her. She may have a WAY better disguise then you, with the fake colored skin and all, but I've notices some things." Dib said.
"Like what?" Zim said sarcastically.
"Well, for one thing, she can't eat the skool food." Dib said with a glare. " And second, I noticed something important on Friday. She doesn't have ears, just like you!" He said pointing at his own ears in effect. "And don't say its a skin condition, because it isn't!"
Rogue clapped her hands in a slow and dull manner. "…Well done, human DIB, you seen to know a little more then the other life forms in this place." She said this in a rather disturbing way.
"That's because I've KNOWN Zim was coming and I've been watching him ever since. That's why the planet isn't in attack or taken over." Dib said with a smile.
"Yet, you mean" Zim said.
"Oh, about the ear thing…" Rogue said. "…I could have added ears to my human look, but I didn't."
"Why's that?" Dib asked.
"They only make you humans even uglier."
Zim immediately broke out laughing, while Dib just stood there with a sour face. Rogue then smiled at her nice comeback.
"Laugh all you want, Zim. But from now on, I'd be careful if I was you." Dib said. "With two aliens I know about now, it only doubles my chances."
"I'd like to see you try it, you hideous creature. Come, Rogue." Zim walked towards the skool entrance.
However, as they headed for the door, Dib suddenly shouted out, "Oh, and Zim? You better get home, it looks like RAIN!"
Zim stopped in his tracks then looked out the glass plated door. The sky was now pitch black, just waiting for a sudden deadly down pour. His eyes went wide at the really dark storm clouds.
Rogue on the other, wasn't grasping the situation, since she didn't know what "rain" was. "What's the problem?" She asked Zim when she noticed his abrupt facial expression. Without saying anything, Zim ran out the door and started running down and on the sidewalk faster then Rogue would have figured he could go. With more confusion on her face, Rogue ran after him, shouting. "What is rain?!"
It didn't take long before Rogue caught up with Zim, still running now in a panic pace. They were half way to Zim's house when the sound of thunder hit the sky, the signal that the RAIN was coming.
"What is your problem?!" Rogue shouted in Zim's nonexistent ear. The male invader cringed but didn't answer. Rogue just about had it. "Fine then…I'll see you later." Saying that, Rogue displayed her natural yet usual speed and "flew" pass Zim, leaving him in her dust.
Within seconds, Rogue was at Zim's door, placing her hand on the doorknob. But a second and louder sound of thunder stopped her. She finally looked up and noticed the black clouds. She didn't know what they meant, but she suddenly had a nasty chill go up her spine.
"ROGUE!"
Zim into the lawn and saw Rogue just staring at the sky. The rain then began to sprinkle down.
"WATCH OUT!!" Before she who what hit her, Rogue was pushed inside the house, her body swinging the door open. When she opened her eyes, she saw Zim right above her.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OFF ME, YOU ROTTEN-" But her words were cut off when the rain started really down pouring. The door was still open, so both saw as the drops of water came down to the earth, already creating small puddles on the dirt and grass.
"If we were out there any longer, the burns from that dreaded RAIN would have done us in for sure…" Zim said out loud.
"…Rain can burn??" Rogue said, still on the floor. Zim got up and slammed the door close. He then turned to Rogue. "The one thing you should have known about Earth is water and rain. To humans, it's part of their lives, and they use it in many ways, but to Irkens, it's DOOM!"
"…So…it's like acid…" Rogue now knew what Zim was hit with earlier that day. The sudden image of that came back, and without warning, she was hit with a odd feeling, a mix between pity and…something else, but she couldn't put it to words…
"It's a good thing you didn't get wet. If the Tallest knew I let that happen to one of their…uh…what are you again?" Zim asked Rogue.
Rogue's head shot up, knocking her out of another mental trance. "What? Oh, I help the Tallest with the checkups on other invaders, remember?" She said that, knowing it wasn't true, and for the first time…it didn't feel right to her.
"Right! Say, did I get any extra points by getting you away from the rain??" Zim asked out of the blue. But before that was answered, the door swung open and Gir came skipping in all wet and blacken to a crisp. These drew attention of both Irkens.
"Gir? Where have you been?" Zim asked.
"Outside. IT'S RAINING!!" The robot answered, like it was the greatest thing in the world.
"Yeees, it is, and what did we say about rain, Gir?" Zim asked, crossing his arms.
"It's EVIL!" Gir said. "But watch THIS!!" He ran back outside and stood in the middle of the empty street and waited. In a few minutes, a flash of lightning come right down at stunk the SIR's little antenna, throwing Gir backwards and into a wall. He didn't move for a moment, then he jumped back up and when at it again. After about five to six times, he came back in, with Zim's say.
~It was later that night when Zim was in the lab and Gir was now taking a nap in the couch in the living room upper base. The robot was still smoking from the lightning play, and smelled like burned fish. Zim INSISTED he stayed at upper base.
In the quietness of the lab, Zim was typing away on his computer for various things, human and earth things. But what he didn't know was the location of Rogue at the time.
In the wire and tube covered ceiling, the female alien was hiding in well shadowed conceal. It was the perfect time to do what she really came for. She had the perfect shot, the best view of Zim from behind, but the one thing she didn't have right then was the perfect state of mind.
Questions were still floating around her head, questions she didn't bother asking herself till now. She always felt that she should know as much information about her jobs before she did them, but for a while now, she never even dared asking her Masters of such things.
There were a few missions she knew inside and out about, like one that involved a possible planet good for the empire that was one invader short for Impending Doom 2. She handle it with ease, but since then, many if not all of her jobs were very hush-hush, even to her.
"Why don't the Tallest tell me everything…" Rogue whispered to herself. "…Could they be hiding something? Why would they do that, I am their most trusted fighter!" She continued this solo conversion in her head…
'Not asking questions and doing what I'm being told is something I've been doing for all my life! Why would this start bothering me now?! …I swore that I'd never go back on their word, even if it meant my life. I HAVE to follow their orders! If not…'
She thought about the power they had over her, yet another thing she never let trouble her…but…
'…they'll have me killed and deleted.'
Rogue silently raised her arm and aimed at Zim with gems slowly warming up. This was it, the moment and reason she came to this filthy planet. One shot, that's all it will take, then these questions and useless wondering will disappear from her mind, right?
However, one last thing came back to haunt her.
'…Did he…save my life?'
Back with the rain. The amount that was coming down then. If Rogue in it for just a few more seconds, the heavy downpour could have most likely burned her to the bones. And Zim, he jumped right in just in time. He could have been caught in the rain too, but he risked it. He knew what it was, and that's why he was so scared running home.
'Does any of that manner now?!' Rogue yelled in her own mind. 'He doesn't even KNOW he saved me, that idiot! He's the most thickheaded, most self-thinking Irken I've ever met! Maybe THAT'S why the Tallest what him dead!'
Rogue stopped in her one person conversation. Was that it? Because of the what Zim is? His actions and somewhat half thought ideas? Is that grounds for death?
'…He's a fool…but he doesn't even know it…'
Then it happened again, that unnamed mixed feeling that hit Rogue twice already today. One part of it was some breed of pity, which didn't do well with Rogue in the first place. Feeling pity was a sign of weakness, as she was told many times before. But there was something else in there. Something was holding her back from powering up her laser all the way and firing that fatal shot.
She finally surrendered to herself and lowered her weapon. She hung her head down with shame.
"…I can't…do it."
TBC………
Decisions
The hallways of the skool suddenly filled up with kids, as they all jetted towards the lunchroom. However, as for Zim and Rogue, they took their time for two reasons: One, they both can't "eat" the food anyway, and two, Zim was lecturing Rogue about want she did back in the classroom.
"Do you realize what you all most did back there?!" Zim shouted. Rogue glared at him and clearly showed that she could care less.
"No…what?" She answered sarcastically.
"You nearly almost exposed yourself to the enemy!" Zim shouted again.
Rogue looked at Zim with a blank stare. "Expose myself? Ha! For your information, I have been on plenty of these kind of mission and assignments, so I KNOW what I'm doing. And just to let you know, if you were the only other person in that room at that time, I would have vaporized that droning human."
Zim just gave her a look. "…I know you were send here you view my actions, BUT as the invader in charge of this planets fate, I order you to NOT do that again, EVER!. Its endangers my mission, and Gir gives me enough trouble already."
With that said, the Irken walked ahead of Rogue going for the lunchroom entrance. He got to the door, then turned to look back at Rogue again, standing just about a feet away, staring at him with those sharp eyes of hers. He raised his nonexistent eyebrow, thought for a moment and said,
"…You know, now that I think about it, if I WAS the only other person in the room at the time, I would have helped you vaporized the teaching human...she gets on my nerves as well." He then walked right into the lunchroom.
The female alien stood where she was, cocked her head to the side and just thought for a moment.
'It still makes me think...' She thought. 'He doesn't act like any of the other targets I ever faced. Why do the Tallest want him gone so bad? They could have told me the reason…' She shook the thought out of her mind.
"No!" She said out loud. "I can't think that. The Masters said he has to go, then he HAS to go!" Then with a dark look, she added, "And he will go tonight…"
~ The sound of kids eating and the smell for the human food nearly made Rogue sick as she followed Zim to the lunch line. She plugged her "nose" and held her breath as the lunch lady practically "thrown" the food on her tray. Zim glanced at her and remembered that is how he acted the first couple times with the human food.
He lend over to her and whispered, "Breath through your mouth."
Rogue, who couldn't hold her breath much longer anyway, took her fingers away from her nose and inhaled deep, making sure just to breath with her mouth so she didn't smell the food.
As they started walking to the same empty table that Zim always sat at, just a couple tables away, Dib was at a table with his sister Gaz, who was playing her GameSlave, as usual. And, as usual for Dib, he had a lock-on stare on the two undercover aliens. The minute they took their seats, he pointed his finger at them.
"See that? You see that, Gaz?" Dib said. Gaz didn't pay attention as Dib started rambling on again. "Rogue is sitting right NEXT to Zim! No one EVER sits next to Zim! Now you can't tell me that isn't the LEAST bit weird, right?! " Dib continued to keep talking and talking, and Gaz slowly started losing her cool.
Back at Zim and Rogue's table, both Irkens pushed away their food trays with a disgusted look. They both glared around the room, watching all the other human children eat.
"Filthy human worm babies." Both said at the same time. They suddenly glimpsed at each other with wide eyes…then just looked away.
A few quiet minutes passed with just Zim and Rogue watching everybody else in the lunchroom. The male Irken started tapping his finger on the table, staring off into space. Rogue secretly peeked at him again, seeing the boredom in his face.
'…Hmm…He doesn't have anything to do at human eating time, does he?" Rogue said to herself.
"…Hey, you know what?" Zim suddenly said. Rogue's eyes perked, snapping out of her own little world there.
"…What?" She answered.
"…We invaders are given a SIR unit to help us in our missions…" Zim started. Rogue right away wasn't that much to listen, but let him continue anyway. "…And the reason only ONE is assigned to a planet is to spread out in the universe. …The Tallest were wise to let me in this SECRET mission, and I'm doing my best, my GREATEST to please them…but…"
"…But what??" Rogue said.
"…Perhaps things would go faster if I had help, not that I would need it, but as things go now these days…it's rather…NICE to have another Irken on this planet I hate so much. Another I can trust and talk to, you know?"
Rogue was suddenly surprised to hear that. She has got Zim to finally put the trust she's been waiting for into her. But still…she wish she knew why Zim was wanted by the Tallest to be done away with...
Meanwhile, Dib was still rambling on about Rogue, and Gaz just about had it. She grit her teeth and started to quiver with anger. She finally lost it when she grabbed and yanked Dib by his spiky hair, immediately making him shut up. She gave him a nasty glare and said, "Your yapping is making it VERY HARD for me to play my game, and I'm almost at the final level, so if you make me mess up, I WILL make the rest of your life a LIVING HORRENDOUS NIGHTMARE!"
Dib was silence for the rest of lunch.
~ After lunch, it was time for recess. A bunch of screaming kids came running out of the skool on to the skool's playground. Some headed for the jungle gym, others headed towards the kickball court.
Rogue and Zim came walking on of the skool building. Rogue took a deep breath of fresh air, glad to be out of the foul smelling lunchroom. She stared at all the Earth children playing, showing a confused look in her face. 'I wonder why these "creatures" act so foolish around this time?' She thought to herself, not understanding the point of "recess".
She turned to look at Zim, but he wasn't next to her anymore. Looking around the playground, she spotted him sitting on the bench, swinging his legs and watching the children with a glare. She then shrugged and made her way towards him. 'I better sit with him again, to keep the trust going…'
However, she stopped when she noticed someone coming up from behind for him. It was Dib. The human quietly walked up behind Zim with something in his hand. It was a cup full of water.
'What's the Dib child doing?' Rogue thought, not knowledgeable about what water does to Irken skin.
With a smile on his face, Dib dumped the water on Zim. Rogue watched in shock as she witnessed burning steam coming off of the victim's green skin. Zim jumped from his sit, screaming in pain, and began running around the playground with the other kids watching and laughing.
Rogue then turned and see Dib laughing harder then the rest of them. She turned back to Zim. He was now on the ground, on his back looking at the other kids. They just kept laughing.
The female Irken's face when blank. She was suddenly confused. Should she start laughing too? Something was out of place. She thought she felt like she could start laughing, and be glad want Zim was going through, but, for some reason, all she could do was feel almost...sorry for him.
Maybe its because Zim is a Irken, like herself. Seeing another one of your kind in pain was natural, right? But something then surfaced in her mind, something she remembered hearing a long time ago.
*…Even at times, you might have to take a assignment that will involve your own kind. If the reasons are clear and logical, then you MUST do what the Tallests order. No exceptions.*
"…But…I don't know all the reasons…" Rogue said to herself. "…Why does this other Irken have too…"
The words of her "Masters" suddenly came to mind:
"We have a new assignment for you to do, Rogue. If you fail us in anyway, well…you know what will happen, so DON'T mess up."
"I will NEVER fail you." Those were the words she spoke after the Tallests said that. "…I can't fail this…I was born to serve them…I am their perfect fighter…one mistake…"
Suddenly, the skool bell rang, causing Rogue to snap out of it. All the kids began to head towards the skool building. Zim came walking up, still giving off steam a bit, with a nasty scowl on his face. Rogue didn't say anything as he walked by. She shook off her thoughts and followed him in.
~ The rest of the day went on like earlier, with Ms. Bitters freaky lectures. This time, Rogue made sure she didn't lose it like last time. By the time the final bell rang, Rogue was thankful to get out of there.
Her and Zim got up and heading out the door when Ms. Bitters said, "ROGUE! Are you forgetting something?"
Rogue was given detention, but it just so happens that Rogue didn't know want detention was. Zim walked out the door, but Rogue stopped just outside the entrance and looked at Ms. Bitters.
"I've given you detention. Your staying here!" Ms. Bitters hissed.
Rogue gave her a look. "I'm not staying here. I have things to do." Rogue said with no fear.
"YOUR STAYING!!" Ms. Bitters shouted.
"No." Rogue said blankly and headed right out the door. Ms. Bitters grit her teeth and gave out a loud growl. All the kids started cheering at Rogue's valor.
"SILENCE!!!" Ms. Bitters shouted angrily. Everyone went quiet. "If this makes you think you can overpower me, your wrong!" She said all creepy like. "Rogue WILL get triple detention for that! Now all for you, beat it!"
As all of the kids started heading out the classroom door, unknown to Zim and Rogue, the sky outside was starting to get dark with rain clouds…
In the hallway, all the kids were running and screaming while Zim and Rogue just took their own sweet time to get out of the building. But one of the kids happened to run into Zim, knocking him on the floor. Rogue looked to see none other then Dib. And that push wasn't a accident. Dib stopped in front of them and glared at both aliens.
Zim got back up, not surprised at all to see Dib standing there. "What do you want now, you smelly worm?!" He said shaking his fist at Dib.
The human boy glared right back at Zim. "I've been watching you and Rogue here all day, and I can tell she is NOT human. I'm I right?" He looked at Rogue, who didn't care what he know about her. She just stared back at Dib blankly.
"And what IF she was Irken then, uh? HM!?" Zim answered.
"Oh, come on Zim! I can see RIGHT through her. She may have a WAY better disguise then you, with the fake colored skin and all, but I've notices some things." Dib said.
"Like what?" Zim said sarcastically.
"Well, for one thing, she can't eat the skool food." Dib said with a glare. " And second, I noticed something important on Friday. She doesn't have ears, just like you!" He said pointing at his own ears in effect. "And don't say its a skin condition, because it isn't!"
Rogue clapped her hands in a slow and dull manner. "…Well done, human DIB, you seen to know a little more then the other life forms in this place." She said this in a rather disturbing way.
"That's because I've KNOWN Zim was coming and I've been watching him ever since. That's why the planet isn't in attack or taken over." Dib said with a smile.
"Yet, you mean" Zim said.
"Oh, about the ear thing…" Rogue said. "…I could have added ears to my human look, but I didn't."
"Why's that?" Dib asked.
"They only make you humans even uglier."
Zim immediately broke out laughing, while Dib just stood there with a sour face. Rogue then smiled at her nice comeback.
"Laugh all you want, Zim. But from now on, I'd be careful if I was you." Dib said. "With two aliens I know about now, it only doubles my chances."
"I'd like to see you try it, you hideous creature. Come, Rogue." Zim walked towards the skool entrance.
However, as they headed for the door, Dib suddenly shouted out, "Oh, and Zim? You better get home, it looks like RAIN!"
Zim stopped in his tracks then looked out the glass plated door. The sky was now pitch black, just waiting for a sudden deadly down pour. His eyes went wide at the really dark storm clouds.
Rogue on the other, wasn't grasping the situation, since she didn't know what "rain" was. "What's the problem?" She asked Zim when she noticed his abrupt facial expression. Without saying anything, Zim ran out the door and started running down and on the sidewalk faster then Rogue would have figured he could go. With more confusion on her face, Rogue ran after him, shouting. "What is rain?!"
It didn't take long before Rogue caught up with Zim, still running now in a panic pace. They were half way to Zim's house when the sound of thunder hit the sky, the signal that the RAIN was coming.
"What is your problem?!" Rogue shouted in Zim's nonexistent ear. The male invader cringed but didn't answer. Rogue just about had it. "Fine then…I'll see you later." Saying that, Rogue displayed her natural yet usual speed and "flew" pass Zim, leaving him in her dust.
Within seconds, Rogue was at Zim's door, placing her hand on the doorknob. But a second and louder sound of thunder stopped her. She finally looked up and noticed the black clouds. She didn't know what they meant, but she suddenly had a nasty chill go up her spine.
"ROGUE!"
Zim into the lawn and saw Rogue just staring at the sky. The rain then began to sprinkle down.
"WATCH OUT!!" Before she who what hit her, Rogue was pushed inside the house, her body swinging the door open. When she opened her eyes, she saw Zim right above her.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OFF ME, YOU ROTTEN-" But her words were cut off when the rain started really down pouring. The door was still open, so both saw as the drops of water came down to the earth, already creating small puddles on the dirt and grass.
"If we were out there any longer, the burns from that dreaded RAIN would have done us in for sure…" Zim said out loud.
"…Rain can burn??" Rogue said, still on the floor. Zim got up and slammed the door close. He then turned to Rogue. "The one thing you should have known about Earth is water and rain. To humans, it's part of their lives, and they use it in many ways, but to Irkens, it's DOOM!"
"…So…it's like acid…" Rogue now knew what Zim was hit with earlier that day. The sudden image of that came back, and without warning, she was hit with a odd feeling, a mix between pity and…something else, but she couldn't put it to words…
"It's a good thing you didn't get wet. If the Tallest knew I let that happen to one of their…uh…what are you again?" Zim asked Rogue.
Rogue's head shot up, knocking her out of another mental trance. "What? Oh, I help the Tallest with the checkups on other invaders, remember?" She said that, knowing it wasn't true, and for the first time…it didn't feel right to her.
"Right! Say, did I get any extra points by getting you away from the rain??" Zim asked out of the blue. But before that was answered, the door swung open and Gir came skipping in all wet and blacken to a crisp. These drew attention of both Irkens.
"Gir? Where have you been?" Zim asked.
"Outside. IT'S RAINING!!" The robot answered, like it was the greatest thing in the world.
"Yeees, it is, and what did we say about rain, Gir?" Zim asked, crossing his arms.
"It's EVIL!" Gir said. "But watch THIS!!" He ran back outside and stood in the middle of the empty street and waited. In a few minutes, a flash of lightning come right down at stunk the SIR's little antenna, throwing Gir backwards and into a wall. He didn't move for a moment, then he jumped back up and when at it again. After about five to six times, he came back in, with Zim's say.
~It was later that night when Zim was in the lab and Gir was now taking a nap in the couch in the living room upper base. The robot was still smoking from the lightning play, and smelled like burned fish. Zim INSISTED he stayed at upper base.
In the quietness of the lab, Zim was typing away on his computer for various things, human and earth things. But what he didn't know was the location of Rogue at the time.
In the wire and tube covered ceiling, the female alien was hiding in well shadowed conceal. It was the perfect time to do what she really came for. She had the perfect shot, the best view of Zim from behind, but the one thing she didn't have right then was the perfect state of mind.
Questions were still floating around her head, questions she didn't bother asking herself till now. She always felt that she should know as much information about her jobs before she did them, but for a while now, she never even dared asking her Masters of such things.
There were a few missions she knew inside and out about, like one that involved a possible planet good for the empire that was one invader short for Impending Doom 2. She handle it with ease, but since then, many if not all of her jobs were very hush-hush, even to her.
"Why don't the Tallest tell me everything…" Rogue whispered to herself. "…Could they be hiding something? Why would they do that, I am their most trusted fighter!" She continued this solo conversion in her head…
'Not asking questions and doing what I'm being told is something I've been doing for all my life! Why would this start bothering me now?! …I swore that I'd never go back on their word, even if it meant my life. I HAVE to follow their orders! If not…'
She thought about the power they had over her, yet another thing she never let trouble her…but…
'…they'll have me killed and deleted.'
Rogue silently raised her arm and aimed at Zim with gems slowly warming up. This was it, the moment and reason she came to this filthy planet. One shot, that's all it will take, then these questions and useless wondering will disappear from her mind, right?
However, one last thing came back to haunt her.
'…Did he…save my life?'
Back with the rain. The amount that was coming down then. If Rogue in it for just a few more seconds, the heavy downpour could have most likely burned her to the bones. And Zim, he jumped right in just in time. He could have been caught in the rain too, but he risked it. He knew what it was, and that's why he was so scared running home.
'Does any of that manner now?!' Rogue yelled in her own mind. 'He doesn't even KNOW he saved me, that idiot! He's the most thickheaded, most self-thinking Irken I've ever met! Maybe THAT'S why the Tallest what him dead!'
Rogue stopped in her one person conversation. Was that it? Because of the what Zim is? His actions and somewhat half thought ideas? Is that grounds for death?
'…He's a fool…but he doesn't even know it…'
Then it happened again, that unnamed mixed feeling that hit Rogue twice already today. One part of it was some breed of pity, which didn't do well with Rogue in the first place. Feeling pity was a sign of weakness, as she was told many times before. But there was something else in there. Something was holding her back from powering up her laser all the way and firing that fatal shot.
She finally surrendered to herself and lowered her weapon. She hung her head down with shame.
"…I can't…do it."
TBC………