"Vero? Xia!?" Voel gripped his communicator more tightly as he heard commotion in the background. Xia sounded angrier than he had ever heard her before. Her voice was trembling as she shouted at her co-ruler.

"Explain in the cells you fucking piece of shit." He heard Xia speak before the line went dead in his hand. Voel stood there for a moment feeling as if he was very far away from his own body, watching the static on the screen from somewhere above.

"Vero...? Xia...?" The sound of his own voice snapped him back to reality and he realized his hand was shaking. "No no no- Vero!?" He knew they couldn't hear him but he for some reason kept shouting into the dead device. "Xia don't hurt him! Vero!? VERO!?" The sound of fuzzy static was drowned out by the heavy, pounding of his cardiac-spooch. His face felt hot, and yet a cold sweat was clinging to his skin.

No.

Xia wouldn't do this- Xia couldn't do this! Not to her own Tube-Mate- not to Vero! This wasn't happening.

"Voel...?" Zim finally spoke to him but Voel almost couldn't hear him over that pounding in his head. "Are you-"

"I'm commandeering your ship." Voel cut Zim off as he turned to look at Sizz-Lorr who was standing quietly off to the side.

"Wait, what?" Sizz-Lorr blinked.

"Your ship, give it to me. I am going to the Massive."

"You can't go to the Massive, are you crazy!?" Skoodge very quickly interjected.

"Vero needs me. I am going to go get him."

"You will get killed if you do that. Think about it logically for a second." It was stupid to see short, tiny Skoodge daring to stand up to him. It would have been laughable if Voel had been in any mood for humor.

"I am not going to leave Vero there! She'll kill him! She is acting crazy!"

"And you are acting crazy too!" Skoodge wasn't backing down.

"Voel, please" Zim hesitated to speak, "just… listen to him." Stupid Zim, taking Skoodge's side. Had they not watched that whole exchange? Didn't they realize Xia was going power-mad already? If they left Vero there, she might- no- absolutely not. She wouldn't get away with it.

"I am getting my spear."

"Voel! No!" Zim grabbed his arm. "That is a terrible idea. Trust me. I know terrible ideas because I have to listen to Dib's all the time!"

"What? Hey!" Dib, like the rest of the room had been very quiet as the exchange had taken place. Only now choosing to speak once he had been insulted. "You are like the King of bad ideas, Zim!"

"No. That's a lie. YOU LIE!" He pointed past Voel, wiggling his finger accusingly at Dib. "All of my ideas are brilliant! BRILLIANT!" He dropped instantly back to a normal volume. "It isn't my fault your big head still has a brain too stupid and mushy to understand my genius."

"Am I the only one who felt Xia was really mad at me, specifically, for some reason?" Therron spoke up. "Is it because I am better looking than her... or...?" Therron trailed off as Voel reared back, whirling around, first making contact with the wall beside him. Everyone fell quiet.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Voel tried to shake Zim off of him but the smaller had a rather impressive grip. "I am going to get Vero- he's my smeet! I mean-" this was a frustrating feeling he couldn't put into words. "I mean he has my DNA!" More smeets could have shared some of his genetic code, this shouldn't bother him so much. But Vero and Xia were half his. They even looked like him. And for some reason the idea of Xia killing Vero was making his squeedly-spooch churn.

"He's your son, it's normal to be concerned for him." For some unknown reason Dib thought he had permission to talk to Voel about this. That human had no understanding at all about how he felt! "But Xia only said she was locking him in prison."

"Only until she puts him on trial. She could have him executed for treason..." Voel got into the human's face, inching closer to him. "Vero said before she was already enacting that punishment for even thinking we may be alive. With him actually helping us... why would she do this to him!?" His mind was racing.

"Why is it upsetting you so much?" Therron really didn't understand the anxiety that twisted Voel's organs into knots. "I mean, sure we're losing our contact but I'm sure Zeke has other sources. "

"I do." Zeke piped up.

"SHUT UP!" Voel whirled around, his teeth bared as he aggressively approached Therron. "Vero wasn't just an informant!" Sure Vero was annoying and an asshole but he was part of Voel! "He is my smeet!"

"You can make a new one..." Therron suggested, withdrawing slightly. Voel wanted more than ever, to strangle his former co-ruler.

"I don't WANT a new smeet! I want Vero! I need him to be okay I just..." his eyes stung, every part of him was trembling and he could hear the whirring and humming of his PAK going into overdrive in an attempt to regulate his emotions.

"Sounds to me a bit like someone still has their paternal instinct. I'm not surprised in general by the idea, just a tad surprised you, of all your pitiful little Irkens, have the trait."

Voel didn't recognize the voice, but he knew only one being here would dare speak to him with such derogatory condescension. Q was relaxing, lounging out across the table in its humanoid form. The voice he had been using was deep, almost entrancing- nothing like the one he had used before when the Syndicate had given him a voice.

"Why can we understand you?" Skoodge narrowed his eyes.

"And what the fuck are you talking about!?" Voel added, this was the last being in the universe he wanted to deal with at this moment.

"The Syndicate have used the translator for me before." That deep, melodic voice was making Voel incredibly uncomfortable. Q gestured to the bandage apparatus on his neck, the same one from the trial with the Syndicate High Council.

"Yes, but it didn't sound like that!" Therron looked just as weirded-out as Voel felt.

"It... um..." the medic spoke up, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It short circuited when Carrius and I were doing repairs and D3R1K hasn't gotten around to fixin' it yet."

"Well, it's terrible. I hate it." Therron retorted quickly.

"Oh, trust me, we all do. But now he won't stop wearing it." Lor crossed his arms over his chest.

"Come on, my new voice is nice~" the Parasite spoke in almost a purr.

"Oh Mothra!" Therron made a face of visible disgust. "It's so uncomfortably sultry!"

"What are you talking about, Q?" The idea that the Parasite had an uncomfortable amount of knowledge about his species was not something Voel liked to think about. Q was a disturbing creature made out of flesh and hate- the worst the universe had to offer. But his speech at the High Council summit indicated his knowledge on the Irken race delved deeper than anyone dared admit. He had been alive at the time of Tallest Dayleah- Irk's first Tallest.

"Back before the PAKs and the smeetery, Irkens did have family units. They were known to be very protective of their young. The instinct must still run deep in Irken blood. You're increased aggression could be a remnant of a much older time."

"How is any of this going to help Vero!?"

"I suppose it won't in the immediate future, but it is all interesting. Usually, as an Irken, you read like a machine- but when you are deeply... passionate like this, I can actually sense a very faint hint of an emotion." That serpentine grin slithered across his face revealing the needle like teeth. Voel grimaced, looking away.

"And that is supposed to make me feel better?"

"No. But I don't benefit if you feel better."

Of. Fucking. Course.

"I'm going to the Massive. I can't let Xia hurt Vero. If anything happens to him..." He straightened up, looking to the Tangean Captain who had been quiet during the whole exchange. "Give me one of your ships. The Frylord's ship won't be fast enough, but a Syndicate Ranger's vessel should be able to reach the Massive before the trial."

"That depends on how long a trial would take to set up. Even our fastest ship would be there in a month." The Captain remained calm despite how close Voel was getting to her. He was frustrated, no one seemed to want to help him- Vero was so stupid to get caught-

Xia can't have been serious.

"Give it to me anyway. "

"You know that I can't do that." She was driving him crazy with how she stood there, stone faced while chaos was unfolding on his home planet. Weren't the Syndicate supposed to be their friends!?

"Yes you can. You have the High Councilman's sons in your crew! Order anything and they will give it to you."

"If we do that, then everything we are working towards here on Earth is for nothing." Captain Rose replied, meeting his gaze with her icy blue eyes.

He stood there, towering over her (despite her impressive height) glowering down at the insolent fool who cared nothing about what was happening back home. He bared his teeth but she stayed stoic. "Fine." He practically spat the words in her face. "I don't need your fucking ship. I'll take the one from Zim's place."

"Voel-" Zim tried to protest but Voel ignored his attempts. He turned and bolted at full speed out of the Syndicate base. If no one was going to help him, that was fine. He could do this on his own. He was the Red Death after all.

He had his human disguise back on, though it wasn't like anyone could see him as he scaled buildings, running across dingy, cement rooftops turned a sickly grey by years of Earth's relentless pollution. His PAK legs were able to keep him balanced, latching onto rusted grating as he ran through litter-covered alleys as if they were obstacle courses back on Irk. It felt almost freeing to run and jump again the way he had back in his Elite days. None of the other Irkens would be able to catch him- the Kryptonian medic might be able to get him- but he doubted anyone bothered to follow. This planet was a nightmare anyway- he was glad to be getting out.

He reached Zim's place, going to one of the stupid little windows in Zim's crudely replicated Earth house. He reared his arm back to break it- he needed to get his spear from within- but the window popped open and he stumbled a bit. The door opened as well and Voel stood in the entry way, antennae straight up, trying to sense any vibrations from the ceiling.

"You aren't going to try to stop me?" He knew that defunct Control Brain and the Mad SIR were somewhere around.

"I do not see the point." Sure enough, the hologram shimmered into view. Voel walked inside, making a point to push straight through the hologram. "That was uncalled for."

"I don't have time to fuck around with defective toys." He found his spear still on the wall where Zim had placed it. He grabbed it whirling around to point it at CB who's body stopped short, just shy of getting impaled through the throat. "I thought you didn't see the point in stopping me."

"I do not." The robot reiterated.

"Then why were you trying to sneak up on me?"

"I was not. I simply wanted to tell you that you are acting irrationally and I didn't want you walking through me again because that is very uncomfortable for me."

"Shut up, bot." Voel didn't feel like dealing with CB's shenanigans any longer. He started toward the door again. This time he felt something on his leg. "I thought I told you-" he cut off turning to see CB still behind him. He looked down, GIR was clinging to him, looking up with bright, electric eyes, like headlights in the darkness of the empty house.

"Why are you so sad?" The SIR didn't seem particularly intelligent so it was unlikely that it actually knew Voel was upset- and more likely that one of its random phrases it enjoyed spouting off just coincidentally coincided with the current situation.

"I'm not sad," Voel growled, annoyed at these constant distractions. "I'm mad!"

"WHY ARE YOU MAD!?" the SIR repeated its question with a shrill shriek.

"Because his daughter locked his son away in prison and might try to kill him." CB's explanation only served to make Voel even more annoyed. These dumb computers were the bane of his existence.

"Ooooohhhhhhh." GIR nodded and released Voel's leg. "I GET IT!"

"No! You don't!" Voel was glad the SIR had decided to release him, but that annoying, squeal of a voice was grating his already non-existent patience. "You don't get anything! I made you out of scraps and shit I had in my pockets!" GIR blinked up at him tongue poking out of its mouth as it stared dumbly at the raging Irken. Stupid thing didn't even seem upset at being insulted. Instead, GIR's legs extended until he was tall enough to pat Voel on the head.

"I KNOW JUUUUST WHAT TO DO!" Before Voel could swipe at him, the SIR returned to its normal size and sprinted away singing a song about 'spleen pain'.

"Idiot." Voel turned back toward the door. The ship was in the yard still, poorly disguised as a car. He reached the door unopposed, surprised no arms came from the ceiling to stop him, or that the door didn't shut and lock in his face. He looked over his shoulder at CB who was fixing some of the wiring GIR had messed up. "You really aren't going to try to stop me?"

"It would be pointless." The robot did not bother to look at him. He walked back outside to the ship, opening the doors, getting to the pilot's chair. It was still uncomfortably small for him, but that didn't matter. He powered on the ship and it shuddered to life. He went to begin the launch sequence, when an alarm began to blare, reverberating around the already cramped ship. He looked for the source of the wail only to see the fuel was almost completely depleted.

Voel gave an angry cry, slamming both hands down on the ship's steering mechanism, causing more alarms to whine as he kicked and punched at the bulky, uncomfortable controls that were poking into him, smothering him. He kicked and screamed and clawed at the ship's stifling interior until he eventually just collapsed, heavily, over the steering wheel, listening to the blaring drone of various alarms that were predominantly masked by that unshakeable pounding in his head. He lay there for a moment, motionless save for the heaving in his chest as he tried to catch his breath. The alarms fell silent.

"You fucking knew there was no fuel, you ass!"

"I did. That is why I said stopping you would be pointless. You were never going to get far." That stupid AI answered him from within the ship. It figured that wannabe Control Brain was still lingering in the ship's computer.

"Fuck you."

"Your anger has been noted."

There was a knock on the ship's door. Voel thought for a moment it might be the body for CB, but then quickly remembered that the AI had never shown that sort of tact.

"GO AWAY!" Voel shouted angrily at the door. The doors swung open. "Son of a bitch, CB." Figures that AI wouldn't listen.

"Voel, you can't go to the Massive." Zim was standing at the door, Skoodge with him because of course he fucking was. Like always, Zim didn't wait for an invitation and instead, walked in the ship as if he owned it. Voel didn't bother picking himself up out of his slumped position over the steering wheel.

"Yeah because there's no fuel. Your AI let me figure that out on my own."

"Well yes, that is one reason. Another reason is that we need you here. If you go to the Massive, the Control Brains will make the Irkens attack you; and Voel is such a great warrior that a lot if Irkens would be killed trying to get you. They would still get you, and we would have to get Therron to be our figure head and tactician. Do you want to trust Therron to take down the Control Brains?" Zim lifted an antenna quizzically.

"Well... no..." Therron was smart, that was something easily overlooked. But Voel had military knowledge, he had experience with combat; when Impending Doom II was underway it was with Voel's strategies that they were successful. Therron was a different sort of intelligent. He was cunning and sly, he was great at winning over rival planets by saying whatever it was that they wanted to hear. Therron was ill equipped to lead a rebellion.

"And you heard Xia," Zim continued, repeating his earlier point, "Vero was going to be imprisoned. "

"I know that but for how long!?" Voel could feel that beating in his chest start all over again. "How long until the Control Brains convince her to kill him!? How long until she plays right into their trap!? How... how..." tears were burning in his eyes, his words became choked. "How could Xia do this to me?"

"Being betrayed sucks." Skoodge spoke up. "And it sounds like those Elites are pretty important to you so it makes sense that you are upset, but you're still the Tallest in the eyes of a lot of Irkens. A lot of Irkens who fought the call of the Control Brains to come all this way out to a miserable little planet called Earth."

"What do you know about betrayal!?" Voel narrowed his eyes at the fat Irken sitting at Zim's side.

"You strapped me to a bomb." Skoodge replied flatly.

"Fair point..." sure it was obvious Skoodge would survive that, but in retrospect that hadn't been very nice. Voel put his head in his hands. "I don't suppose you'll accept an apology?"

"I don't need one. If you guys hadn't been truly awful, I wouldn't have ended up here. I probably would have been one of those brainwashed Irkens trying to kill the Syndicate. Were you in the wrong? Yeah. Was that pretty fucked up? Definitely. But dwelling on it won't do us any good now."

"And Zim knows the feeling of deep, spooch-wrenching betrayal as well! I feel it every time I ask GIR or CB to do something for me!" Zim mused. Voel almost laughed.

"You are right... I have to be a good leader... for once..." he looked directly to Skoodge. "Or at least try..." he looked up at the ceiling of the ship. "It is sad, I never even wanted to be Tallest. I wanted to be a general."

"I remember that..." Zim gave him an empathetic little nod. "And you would have been a mighty general indeed! But that isn't how Mothra planned things."

"You're absolutely right, and that sucks. I want to help Vero but..." he took a deep breath, lowering his gaze till it fell on Zim. "Vero might be able to get himself out of this- he's an asshole and I think he's lazy as sin- but he's a clever, lazy asshole." He gave Zim a more reassured smile. "It's in his genes."

"Jeans?" Zim repeated, tilting his head in confusion. "Vero would look silly in jeans and I doubt he would even know what they are since I've only ever seen them on Earth."

"Yes Zim," a smile was playing on Voel's face, sad, but calmer, as he tried to hide his amusement with his hand. "That is exactly what I meant. Vero wants a pair of Earth-pants."

"It is a weird request but YES!" Zim hopped up into the window of the little ship. "WE WILL RESCUE VERO AND BRING HIM PANTS!" He cleared his throat, "once we are more prepared, of course, and once we get his pants size."

"He will be an extra long for sure, in whatever size we go with." Skoodge piped up. Voel was surprised he was playing along as the ex-leader was certain that Skoodge knew damn well they weren't really discussing pants.

The door to the ship slid open and GIR marched in carrying a plate with waffles stacked up higher than his head. "I BROUGHT YOU THIS SO YOU WON'T BE SAD!"

Voel doubted the SIR could be trusted to cook, but the thought was nice.

He still wanted to check on Vero, but the reality was that if Vero couldn't get out on his own, it was doubtful that Voel could reach him before anything happened. Captain Rose was right, even with the fastest Syndicate ship he was too far away. He needed to just trust that things were going to work out for the best. After all, he had a good group of Irkens (and Zeke?) working with him to try and save their home. He couldn't put it all at risk despite how much he wanted to.

Skoodge was right about him having been a bad leader in the past.

Now things were going to be different.

They had to be.

Voel looked to see Zim and Skoodge had both actually chosen to eat GIR's cooking. Poor choice in Voel's opinion, but he had made his own share of bad decisions today. He looked at both of them, finally relaxing just a bit. "Hey guys?" Zim and Skoodge looked up mouth full of sticky waffle and whatever else GIR had arbitrarily thrown in the food. "Thanks."


I am loving the comments by the way-! Please keep it up. If you need to slap Xia, I give you full permission. Shorter chapter this week, though, sorry about that! I was busy with the holidays.