Author's Notes: I do not own Invader Zim, Jhonen Vasquez yadda yadda MOO!

I bet you're all happy that I'm getting these chapters up. I've had free time since my mother left me and I'm stuck in this stupid little house with my insane stepfather! Anyway here are a couple notes to my fans lol.

Invader Johnny: You've been reading this fic (and the FIRST Human to Irken) since day one, thanks man. I give you kudos!

GipsyChan: Thank you for support, I love the support.

MistressMoonDemon: I know I'm evil...whatcha gonna do about it huh HUH HUH? lol just kidding I have love for you too haha.

Ch 11 – Memories of Before (Reaching the Tower)

Silently they walked toward the castle to face Blue. Yet their morale was rattled and beaten. The loss of Zim affected the entire group, but not as much as it did to Gaz.

Dib glanced behind him and noticed his sister walking slowly behind everyone, her arms crossed and her head slightly hung down in depression. She stomped the ground with every step she took. He turned his head to Tak and sighed.

"I'm going to talk to her." He muttered weakly

She gave him a nod and watched him go and walk beside Gaz.

He walked alongside her, searching for the right words to say. He reached out with his hand and tried to put it on her shoulder; she quickly knocked it away and glared at him with fierce eyes.

"Don't touch me." She growled, her voice sent chills up his spine like when they were younger.

"Gaz I know you're upset but you need to get a hold of yourself. Taking your anger out on me won't make Zim come back."

She brought her hand up ready to smack him, Dib threw his arms over his head to deflect the blow, but when none came he lowered them and realized she was looking at him with a defiant stare, her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Your voice is stupid Dib..." She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, "...why do you have to have such a big head."

Dib smiled, he took her hand and pulled her into a hug, she didn't pull away.

"I promise we'll avenge Zim, but you have to stop being upset and focus. Zim wouldn't like seeing you this way."

She nodded, "I'll kill Blue."

Dib let go of her, "You have to be careful Gaz, don't rush into things."

She gave him a small grunt and pushed him, "You worry too much, I can handle it."

She walked with Kirei and Zion. Dib sighed and looked one last time at the area where Zim was. The crater seemed smaller now that they were at a distance. Memories returned to his mind, times when he had tried to stop Zim from destroying the World.

He chuckled at the memories, but his favorite one would have to be when they were 15, when they sat on a large hill, towering over the city. He remembered sitting on the edge of the cliff, and Zim on the branch of a tree, laid back and staring off into the city lights.

"So you're not gonna take over Earth huh...?" Dib looked above him at the green teenager, his disguise was off, and Dib watched as Zim's antennae bounced in the gentle wind.

Zim didn't respond, he pulled a lighter from his pocket and stared at it. Its black metallic shine was beautiful, with a red Irken Symbol smack in the center. He flicked it open and ignited it. They both watched the flame flicker from the breeze.

"A flame only has so much time...before it burns out." Zim muttered under his breath.

Dib stared at him, wondering what he meant.

Zim continued to watch the flame with his red eyes, speaking gently as if in a trance.

"It burns for a long time, feeding on fuel, taking in all of the natural resources of its home, until there is nothing left, then it burns out. Fire does this because that is its destiny, to consume its need until full. Considering myself as a flame, I have burned with the desire of destroying Earth as my fuel, only burning because I thought it was my destiny. But when I was told I was banished, my destiny was no longer my destiny. The desire, the fuel, to take over the Earth was no longer my goal. Therefore..." He shut the lighter and the flame disappeared, "...I burned out."

Dib nodded, still unsure of where Zim was going with this. He watched him stand on the branch and throw the lighter at him. He grabbed it and looked at it, then stared back at Zim.

Zim looked at him and smiled, "The flame no longer has a purpose to burn, just like a flame, I have no purpose to take over Earth, and you need not worry anymore Dib."

Dib opened his eyes and sniffed the air, the scent of ashes filling his nostrils. He turned and followed the group, catching up to Gaz.

She looked at him, "Were you having another one of your moments or something?"

He reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a small rectangular lighter, its sleek black feel still there. He turned it over and looked at the blood red Irken symbol.

"I was just remembering."

"Remembering? Remembering what?"

"Remembering..." He mumbled, taking the lighter and lighting it, he watched the flame dance in his hand, "...that as long as we have a destiny to take care of, we won't burn out."

Gaz raised an eyebrow at her brother, "You feeling alright?"

Dib nodded and closed the lighter, putting it away in his pocket.

A loud crack of thunder emitted from the skies. But there wasn't a cloud in sight. They looked around wildly for the source of the noise.

"VALCYRARIUM CONTUBERNALIA GLADIARA!"

They looked up at the voice and saw Blue standing above them at the very top of the tower. He grinned at them as his robe blew in the wind,

"How can he speak A.I?" Tak yelled angrily, she then noticed he was holding a black leather-bound book in his hand, it was glowing brightly.

"That book, he's reading from that book!"

Blue smirked and raised his hand into the sky, bellowing loudly.

"VENUTO! MILLE ARMADA, ESERCITO DI SAGITA!"

A loud rumble began to stir beneath the group. Suddenly Blue was joined by hundreds, thousands of Irken warriors. Each one holding a weapon that they were masters of.

Tak looked at the others, "It's nearly impossible to stop them; we'll have to send them back with our powers!"

Gaz yelled, "FINE BUT WE DON'T HAVE POWERS!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot..." Tak mumbled.

Dib ran in front of them and watched the Armada rise. He turned to them with a fierce stare.

"We'll just have to hold them off until Zim gets here!"

The four others looked at him in surprise. Zion looked at Dib like he was nuts.

"Even if we can hold them off, you saw what happened to my dad! He was blown into a zillion pieces!"

"You can't prove that! We didn't find any part of his body, and if he was destroyed then you and your sister would have vanished from history!"

Zion thought for a moment, "That is true; Kirei and I are still here."

"So he's still alive?" Gaz screamed, hoping the answer was yes.

"I'm pretty sure..." Dib uttered, he then felt the lighter in his pocket and cleared his throat, "...no...I'm confident Zim is alive!"

Tak smiled, "Okay as soon as he gets here, the two of us will send this army back to sleep!"

They all agreed and stood before Blue and his oncoming battalion. Tak pulled out her guns, Zion and Kirei did the same.

"What about us?"

Zion looked at Dib and Gaz, they were weaponless. He then got out 2 pairs of gloves from his bag.

"Mom made these, the future mom I mean! These are still prototypes but they should be effective!"

Dib pulled the white gloves on, they began to send off an electric spark, the gloves expanded and created armor around his body, covering him from head to toe. He held out his right hand and made a fist, sending off powerful waves of 10,000 volts to form in his grasped.

"HAHA THIS IS AWESOME!" He grinned at his power

"You're telling me!"

Dib looked at his sister. Gaz's armor was pure black and much more appealing on her body. She pounded her fists together, making the ground around her shake and rattle from the power.

"Time to kick some ass!"

Blue glared at them, "Do all you can to protect yourselves! You're only preventing your demise for the time being." He raised his hand out toward them, "VERTENTIS IONEM!"

The armada rumbled and jumped into the air, straight for the group.

I'm working on CH 12 after I take a quick nap; I hope you enjoyed this fic. Sorry that it had no real action. Oh and the part about the flames and whatever in Dib's memories, I made that, haha. Review if you can, kudos.

Translations for A.I.P (ancient irk power):

"VALCYRARIUM CONTUBERNALIA GLADIARA!" – I CONTROL THIS ARMY!

"VENUTO! MILLE ARMADA, ESERCITO DI SAGITA!"- COME! THOUSAND ARMADA, TO MY SIDE!

"VERTENTIS IONEM!"- ATTACK THEM!