Chapter 9
Resurfaced Memories
The very next morning, Zim was all set for Skool. He marched into the living room where Gir was sitting on the floor, watching the T.V. A few minutes later, Rogue gradually walked in the room, passing Zim, but not saying anything.
She could not stop thinking about what happened last night. She was so confused and upset all at once. For the very first time in her life, she wasn't sure what to do. She had never encountered a situation like this before.
In her mind, the same question kept coming back to her, more puzzling then before, 'Why? Why couldn't I kill him?'
Zim observed Rogue and her sudden odd behavior as she headed to the door. He raised his nonexistent eyebrow.
Before going to open the door, Rogue just rested her forehead on it and sighed deeply. "…I wish I didn't have to go to that "Skool" thing today." She said out loud, forgetting that Zim was in the same room.
"If you want, you don't have too."
"Huh?" Rogue said turning her head to look to Zim. "What do you mean?"
Zim walked up to Rogue and opened the door for himself. "You can stay here for today. Besides, I feel better when someone I know is watching the base for me."
"…But…doesn't you're SIR…?" Rogue started, and then stopped, knowing the answer to that one already. "…Ok…but what if they ask where I am?"
"I'll tell them you're sick." Zim answered.
"Sick??" Rogue said.
"When human children don't want to go the Skool, that call in sick." Zim explained. "I do that whenever I have too much work to do here."
"Oh…alright." Rogue said, not quite sure what to say.
Before Zim left, he whispered to Rogue, "And whatever you do, if Gir says anything about playing with the weasels, tell him I said NO!"
Rogue shot one heck of a confused expression. "…Ok?"
~A few hours passed since Zim left, and the whole time, Rogue just sat on the living room couch, her head so full of more questions then answers. The more she reflected on last night's circumstances, the more she couldn't bring up a correct answer. It was too…weird for her.
"*sigh*…I'm so confused!" She said.
"Really? I do that too!"
Rogue's head shot up to see Gir staring at her on the floor. She forgot he was still there. He's BEEN there the whole time. She just gave a sour look and turned the other way. But that didn't work as Gir then got on the couch and got right in her face.
"What are you doing?!" Rogue shouted. She jumped off the couch and started backing up, but Gir just followed her. "Stop that! It's annoying!"
The little SIR did stop, but then showed the most pitiful face Rogue has ever seen. It was enough to have the guise on Rogue's face change to perplex.
"…When Master isn't here…I get lonely…" Gir said.
Rogue grit her teeth, grumbled something under her breath, and turned to walk away.
"DON'T LEAVE MEEE!!!" Gir shrieked, and glomps Rogue from behind. That was enough for her. She violently swung around, causing Gir to let go and hit the wall in the nearby kitchen.
"WHAT IS YOU'RE PROBLEM!?" Rogue yelled. "What kind of SIR acts like this? Why doesn't that Zim just-"
But Rogue's harsh words were cut short by the sound she next heard. Peeking in the kitchen, there was little Gir, sitting in the floor, crying his metal blue eyes out.
Rogue was at a complete lost for words. She has never seen a SIR unit response like this in anyway. How could something "made", not born, display sad emotions? That kind of thing wasn't designed for Retrieve Units…
At this sudden state, a long forgotten memory sparked within Rogue's mind. The way Gir looked back at her with his crying face, reminded her of…
(Note: Flashback from Rogue's POV.)
'It was one of my biggest missions yet! I was given the chance to single-handedly wipe out a planet of its life for the Empire, a task which is normally for invaders only. My leaders said it would be a great way to test my full power to them. I was ready to make them proud of me…
When the day came, I was given my orders, told where the planet was, and that was all. I got in my Voot and flew to my prime target, a huge planet full of blue colored flora and other forms of planet life. I was also told that there was a race living there, and if possible, I was to take a few of them for potential slaves on the other Irken invaded planets. That might get me some good points…
I landed on the planet and took a minute to look around. It was a forest area, with plants in their full bloom. I knew I wasn't there to check out the landscape, I had a different job.
I got right to work, blasting away all the vegetation and foliage I could find, burning it to the ground, and clearing the way for the Empire's new planet. I got the whole thing cleared within less then a few hours, but there was still more to be done.
I knew I could never get a full Organic Swipe done barehanded, so I started using one of my laser's features, my Pulse Cannon. By combining and fusing both my hands and gems, I doubled my laser's powers and could burn off more ground.
As I went on, I saw the first few people that inhabited the planet. They were beast-like and looked uncultivated. As I wondered weather or not any of them would make reasonable slaves, I suddenly got a direct call from the Tallest themselves, the transmission build into my arm.
They asked me how I was doing. I answered them, and then told them about the life forms I have discovered there. They had called to give me a new order: Wipe out all the life, including the beast creatures.
I was…rather surprised by this command, and asked why. They just say that if they wanted it, then I mist to it, no questions asked. I nodded. Still confused about it, I shut the transmission off.
The rest of the job…I had a weird feeling I the pit of my guts. Maybe I shouldn't have thought of a sudden change of plans as strange, but for some reason, I couldn't shake it off. I…never really felt like that before…
At the finally stretch, you might say, I had made it to the last remaining settlement of the planet's people. So far, I have wiped out every thing that was in my way. A thought then stuck me…this was the first time I was told to kill off so many living breathing things. But…it didn't feel like what I thought it would be…I didn't like it…
I went into the area, blasting everything to cinder, trying not to hear the animal-like screams coming from last living beasts of this planet. It was starting to become unbearable, I was losing my focus.
Then…I saw it. I child of the planet's race, huddled in the corner of what used to be the side of a building. I horrifying thought crossed my mind…I had to get rid of all of them…no questioned asked. I had to…kill all of them…by the order of my leaders…
I felt sick. I wasn't enjoying this at all, I wanted to stop, but I had already gone too far. If I didn't get it done now, I was willing to end it for myself right there.
My body went tight; I had to force myself to raise my arms. I formed my Pulse Cannon again. I shut my eyes, feeling the tears bleeding through, I had to...I didn't want to…I fired the biggest blast I could perform…
Later…when I was back on Irk and waiting for the Tallest's clarification, I was in the state of numbness. I couldn't believe what I just did…that wasn't a job for an invader…it was for a blood craving madman. What were the Tallest testing me for? What do they really what from me!?
They hovered into the area where I waited for them; they had a somewhat odd smile on their faces. I just looked up then bowed down on one knee, as I was a custom to do.
The words they told me next were like a hot laser through my chest…
"…Excellent job, Rogue…you better get used to it…"
(End of Flashback)
Coming back to the present, back from a memory the female Irken had kept locked away from so long that she herself had forgotten about it, Rogue suddenly fell to her knees, her eyes wide and filling with tears.
"…I…I forgot…that day…all those lives…" She was in a state of personal shock, forgetting that Gir was watching her as the tears feel from her face. "..I didn't…never wanted to take this job…but the Tallest…they…"
"They what?" Gir asked. He was back in her face like before, snapping Rogue out of it. She jumped back and stared at Gir, who wasn't crying anymore, but still, seeing his sad face just brought it all back.
'…I was so willing to do anything for them…' Rogue thought. '…that was when I took the job as an Irken secret assassin. At first, it was a struggle everyday, it got to the point where I had to lie to myself saying I liked this, that I loved it…and…I guessed it worked…for a time being…'
"Are you ok??" Gir asked with big eyes.
Rogue didn't want to answer that. Of all times, such a painful recalling had to resurface in her mind, the beginning of her curse to service the Tallest.
"…Why?" Rogue mumbled out. Gir cocked his head to the side. "…Why don't I stop this? Why don't I just stop what the Tallest tell me to do?"
*We will dispose of you if you refuse or fail us…*
Another statement from the past. The reason for this madness was simple: kill on order, or be killed if declined.
Rogue finally stood up, her face in a blank expression. The feeling in her body was going again, the same numb feeling she had when this whole thing started. She looked back down at Gir, staring away at her. Without another word, she walked passed the SIR and over to the kitchen trashcan. She opened it, jumped inside, and rode the secret elevator down to the lab.
'I can't escape this…I caused this to myself…' Rogue thought as she stood in the elevator. '…And I have to finish what I came here for.'
The doors opened and she stepped out into the main computer area of Zim's lab. She gazed up at the huge screen. There was still the matter of last night…
'…I can't stop thinking about it…I have to know more about this Zim!'
Kneeling down and opening a metal panel under the computer monitor, she peeked inside and examined all the different wires and circuits. When she found what she was looking for, she reached her cybrogic arms inside and started messing with the wiring. A few tweaks and so did the trick, she hacked into the computer's main data bank.
The screen flashed on and display numerous files and information, most of it basic stuff; Facts and details about the Earth, the humans, and so on. But Rogue's plan was slightly more complex then what was on screen.
"Alright, now for the real hacking…" Reaching back in and yanking out some of the important wires, she looked down at her hands to perform another one for her talents. Both gems elevated out from their metal sockets, exposing Rogue's personal array of cables and circuits. Taking the correct wires from the computer, she carefully hooked them up to her hands.
The monitor made a quick buzz noise, and the computer's voice suddenly boomed in the room. "WARNING! WARNING! UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS!!"
But with a tweak or two, the com voice began to slowly die out and disappear. She had full control now.
"Ok…" A small sweat drop fell from her forehead as she started to search through hundreds of data, some of which Zim may have not known about. Being completely connected to the CPU, Rogue was able to speed read through anything she came across, like a program going through system check. Yet another gift she had.
"…I'm not finding what I want…" She stopped for a moment to think for herself. '…Maybe…I could use this connection to…'
Plan B. With total control at her fingertips, she proceeded to do even more hacking, this time, using the computer to open a link to another data bank, the main Irken Information Mainframe, or I.I.M. back on Irk.
It wasn't an easy task to do. It took a good half hour, and after running into plenty of safety measures, she was finally in.
"Alright…search for…Invader Irken Zim." She thought this out loud as she scrolled down countless names and ranks in the invader files. Her eyes were moving at a fast pace speed, but to her surpirse, nothing came up. "…That's strange…there should be something on him…"
Out of curiosity, she redid her search, this time not adding the word, "invader". That hit the jackpot.
"…What the…" Reading through the info on this one Irken, Rogue's eyes got bigger and wider the more she went on down the list of things and event's that have happened in the past thanks to Zim's actions. There was the time roughly 85 to 90 years ago went all the power on Irk just shut down for a few years tops, and then the same thing repeated itself a short time later for even a few more years. Smaller blunders flashed on the screen, some that, on their own, wouldn't be that much of a problem, but there were just so many of them…
Then, the BIG ones came into Rogue's view, the ones that seemed to top them all.
"…Responsible for the untimely death of both…" Rogue's eyes went as large as they could go. "…Miyuki and Spork!?"
She had to stop right there. That was the last straw, she couldn't read anymore. "…He did ALL of this…and they have not done ANYTHING to stop him?! …Then what is he doing on this planet, in the middle of nowhere?"
The Tallest have not informed Rogue about a few other things about Zim, like the fake misson they gave him to see if they could be rid of him for good. With what she knew right then, her decision seemed clearer.
"…He HAS to be destroyed!"
Just then, Rogue's long antenna's could hear the sound of a door slamming in the upper level, and then the sound of Gir welcoming someone. "…He's back." She worded. "I'll finish this now!"
TBC………
Resurfaced Memories
The very next morning, Zim was all set for Skool. He marched into the living room where Gir was sitting on the floor, watching the T.V. A few minutes later, Rogue gradually walked in the room, passing Zim, but not saying anything.
She could not stop thinking about what happened last night. She was so confused and upset all at once. For the very first time in her life, she wasn't sure what to do. She had never encountered a situation like this before.
In her mind, the same question kept coming back to her, more puzzling then before, 'Why? Why couldn't I kill him?'
Zim observed Rogue and her sudden odd behavior as she headed to the door. He raised his nonexistent eyebrow.
Before going to open the door, Rogue just rested her forehead on it and sighed deeply. "…I wish I didn't have to go to that "Skool" thing today." She said out loud, forgetting that Zim was in the same room.
"If you want, you don't have too."
"Huh?" Rogue said turning her head to look to Zim. "What do you mean?"
Zim walked up to Rogue and opened the door for himself. "You can stay here for today. Besides, I feel better when someone I know is watching the base for me."
"…But…doesn't you're SIR…?" Rogue started, and then stopped, knowing the answer to that one already. "…Ok…but what if they ask where I am?"
"I'll tell them you're sick." Zim answered.
"Sick??" Rogue said.
"When human children don't want to go the Skool, that call in sick." Zim explained. "I do that whenever I have too much work to do here."
"Oh…alright." Rogue said, not quite sure what to say.
Before Zim left, he whispered to Rogue, "And whatever you do, if Gir says anything about playing with the weasels, tell him I said NO!"
Rogue shot one heck of a confused expression. "…Ok?"
~A few hours passed since Zim left, and the whole time, Rogue just sat on the living room couch, her head so full of more questions then answers. The more she reflected on last night's circumstances, the more she couldn't bring up a correct answer. It was too…weird for her.
"*sigh*…I'm so confused!" She said.
"Really? I do that too!"
Rogue's head shot up to see Gir staring at her on the floor. She forgot he was still there. He's BEEN there the whole time. She just gave a sour look and turned the other way. But that didn't work as Gir then got on the couch and got right in her face.
"What are you doing?!" Rogue shouted. She jumped off the couch and started backing up, but Gir just followed her. "Stop that! It's annoying!"
The little SIR did stop, but then showed the most pitiful face Rogue has ever seen. It was enough to have the guise on Rogue's face change to perplex.
"…When Master isn't here…I get lonely…" Gir said.
Rogue grit her teeth, grumbled something under her breath, and turned to walk away.
"DON'T LEAVE MEEE!!!" Gir shrieked, and glomps Rogue from behind. That was enough for her. She violently swung around, causing Gir to let go and hit the wall in the nearby kitchen.
"WHAT IS YOU'RE PROBLEM!?" Rogue yelled. "What kind of SIR acts like this? Why doesn't that Zim just-"
But Rogue's harsh words were cut short by the sound she next heard. Peeking in the kitchen, there was little Gir, sitting in the floor, crying his metal blue eyes out.
Rogue was at a complete lost for words. She has never seen a SIR unit response like this in anyway. How could something "made", not born, display sad emotions? That kind of thing wasn't designed for Retrieve Units…
At this sudden state, a long forgotten memory sparked within Rogue's mind. The way Gir looked back at her with his crying face, reminded her of…
(Note: Flashback from Rogue's POV.)
'It was one of my biggest missions yet! I was given the chance to single-handedly wipe out a planet of its life for the Empire, a task which is normally for invaders only. My leaders said it would be a great way to test my full power to them. I was ready to make them proud of me…
When the day came, I was given my orders, told where the planet was, and that was all. I got in my Voot and flew to my prime target, a huge planet full of blue colored flora and other forms of planet life. I was also told that there was a race living there, and if possible, I was to take a few of them for potential slaves on the other Irken invaded planets. That might get me some good points…
I landed on the planet and took a minute to look around. It was a forest area, with plants in their full bloom. I knew I wasn't there to check out the landscape, I had a different job.
I got right to work, blasting away all the vegetation and foliage I could find, burning it to the ground, and clearing the way for the Empire's new planet. I got the whole thing cleared within less then a few hours, but there was still more to be done.
I knew I could never get a full Organic Swipe done barehanded, so I started using one of my laser's features, my Pulse Cannon. By combining and fusing both my hands and gems, I doubled my laser's powers and could burn off more ground.
As I went on, I saw the first few people that inhabited the planet. They were beast-like and looked uncultivated. As I wondered weather or not any of them would make reasonable slaves, I suddenly got a direct call from the Tallest themselves, the transmission build into my arm.
They asked me how I was doing. I answered them, and then told them about the life forms I have discovered there. They had called to give me a new order: Wipe out all the life, including the beast creatures.
I was…rather surprised by this command, and asked why. They just say that if they wanted it, then I mist to it, no questions asked. I nodded. Still confused about it, I shut the transmission off.
The rest of the job…I had a weird feeling I the pit of my guts. Maybe I shouldn't have thought of a sudden change of plans as strange, but for some reason, I couldn't shake it off. I…never really felt like that before…
At the finally stretch, you might say, I had made it to the last remaining settlement of the planet's people. So far, I have wiped out every thing that was in my way. A thought then stuck me…this was the first time I was told to kill off so many living breathing things. But…it didn't feel like what I thought it would be…I didn't like it…
I went into the area, blasting everything to cinder, trying not to hear the animal-like screams coming from last living beasts of this planet. It was starting to become unbearable, I was losing my focus.
Then…I saw it. I child of the planet's race, huddled in the corner of what used to be the side of a building. I horrifying thought crossed my mind…I had to get rid of all of them…no questioned asked. I had to…kill all of them…by the order of my leaders…
I felt sick. I wasn't enjoying this at all, I wanted to stop, but I had already gone too far. If I didn't get it done now, I was willing to end it for myself right there.
My body went tight; I had to force myself to raise my arms. I formed my Pulse Cannon again. I shut my eyes, feeling the tears bleeding through, I had to...I didn't want to…I fired the biggest blast I could perform…
Later…when I was back on Irk and waiting for the Tallest's clarification, I was in the state of numbness. I couldn't believe what I just did…that wasn't a job for an invader…it was for a blood craving madman. What were the Tallest testing me for? What do they really what from me!?
They hovered into the area where I waited for them; they had a somewhat odd smile on their faces. I just looked up then bowed down on one knee, as I was a custom to do.
The words they told me next were like a hot laser through my chest…
"…Excellent job, Rogue…you better get used to it…"
(End of Flashback)
Coming back to the present, back from a memory the female Irken had kept locked away from so long that she herself had forgotten about it, Rogue suddenly fell to her knees, her eyes wide and filling with tears.
"…I…I forgot…that day…all those lives…" She was in a state of personal shock, forgetting that Gir was watching her as the tears feel from her face. "..I didn't…never wanted to take this job…but the Tallest…they…"
"They what?" Gir asked. He was back in her face like before, snapping Rogue out of it. She jumped back and stared at Gir, who wasn't crying anymore, but still, seeing his sad face just brought it all back.
'…I was so willing to do anything for them…' Rogue thought. '…that was when I took the job as an Irken secret assassin. At first, it was a struggle everyday, it got to the point where I had to lie to myself saying I liked this, that I loved it…and…I guessed it worked…for a time being…'
"Are you ok??" Gir asked with big eyes.
Rogue didn't want to answer that. Of all times, such a painful recalling had to resurface in her mind, the beginning of her curse to service the Tallest.
"…Why?" Rogue mumbled out. Gir cocked his head to the side. "…Why don't I stop this? Why don't I just stop what the Tallest tell me to do?"
*We will dispose of you if you refuse or fail us…*
Another statement from the past. The reason for this madness was simple: kill on order, or be killed if declined.
Rogue finally stood up, her face in a blank expression. The feeling in her body was going again, the same numb feeling she had when this whole thing started. She looked back down at Gir, staring away at her. Without another word, she walked passed the SIR and over to the kitchen trashcan. She opened it, jumped inside, and rode the secret elevator down to the lab.
'I can't escape this…I caused this to myself…' Rogue thought as she stood in the elevator. '…And I have to finish what I came here for.'
The doors opened and she stepped out into the main computer area of Zim's lab. She gazed up at the huge screen. There was still the matter of last night…
'…I can't stop thinking about it…I have to know more about this Zim!'
Kneeling down and opening a metal panel under the computer monitor, she peeked inside and examined all the different wires and circuits. When she found what she was looking for, she reached her cybrogic arms inside and started messing with the wiring. A few tweaks and so did the trick, she hacked into the computer's main data bank.
The screen flashed on and display numerous files and information, most of it basic stuff; Facts and details about the Earth, the humans, and so on. But Rogue's plan was slightly more complex then what was on screen.
"Alright, now for the real hacking…" Reaching back in and yanking out some of the important wires, she looked down at her hands to perform another one for her talents. Both gems elevated out from their metal sockets, exposing Rogue's personal array of cables and circuits. Taking the correct wires from the computer, she carefully hooked them up to her hands.
The monitor made a quick buzz noise, and the computer's voice suddenly boomed in the room. "WARNING! WARNING! UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS!!"
But with a tweak or two, the com voice began to slowly die out and disappear. She had full control now.
"Ok…" A small sweat drop fell from her forehead as she started to search through hundreds of data, some of which Zim may have not known about. Being completely connected to the CPU, Rogue was able to speed read through anything she came across, like a program going through system check. Yet another gift she had.
"…I'm not finding what I want…" She stopped for a moment to think for herself. '…Maybe…I could use this connection to…'
Plan B. With total control at her fingertips, she proceeded to do even more hacking, this time, using the computer to open a link to another data bank, the main Irken Information Mainframe, or I.I.M. back on Irk.
It wasn't an easy task to do. It took a good half hour, and after running into plenty of safety measures, she was finally in.
"Alright…search for…Invader Irken Zim." She thought this out loud as she scrolled down countless names and ranks in the invader files. Her eyes were moving at a fast pace speed, but to her surpirse, nothing came up. "…That's strange…there should be something on him…"
Out of curiosity, she redid her search, this time not adding the word, "invader". That hit the jackpot.
"…What the…" Reading through the info on this one Irken, Rogue's eyes got bigger and wider the more she went on down the list of things and event's that have happened in the past thanks to Zim's actions. There was the time roughly 85 to 90 years ago went all the power on Irk just shut down for a few years tops, and then the same thing repeated itself a short time later for even a few more years. Smaller blunders flashed on the screen, some that, on their own, wouldn't be that much of a problem, but there were just so many of them…
Then, the BIG ones came into Rogue's view, the ones that seemed to top them all.
"…Responsible for the untimely death of both…" Rogue's eyes went as large as they could go. "…Miyuki and Spork!?"
She had to stop right there. That was the last straw, she couldn't read anymore. "…He did ALL of this…and they have not done ANYTHING to stop him?! …Then what is he doing on this planet, in the middle of nowhere?"
The Tallest have not informed Rogue about a few other things about Zim, like the fake misson they gave him to see if they could be rid of him for good. With what she knew right then, her decision seemed clearer.
"…He HAS to be destroyed!"
Just then, Rogue's long antenna's could hear the sound of a door slamming in the upper level, and then the sound of Gir welcoming someone. "…He's back." She worded. "I'll finish this now!"
TBC………