The alien lay in the containment cell for a short while before it came around and back to the conscious world. It sat on the lone chair bolted to the floor. It had had only one chance to defeat the human that had interrogated it, and the alien had failed. Now, it was unsure of its fate. Would the autopsy come after so many hours, or would it be interrogated once more? From behind the reinforced access hatch, the alien could hear the clicking of metal boots upon the cold blue floor. It shuddered with the very memory of how those human soldiers, clad in blue armour, had defeated it so easily where others had failed...

The stupid scientist was there, but now she had company. Two soldiers, grim-faced and seeming angry, stood shoulder to shoulder before her. One of the soldiers carried a long staff, just like the ones used on my body before. I was surprised my Pak survived the shocks they delivered. The other soldier carried what looked like a long tube with a small glass globe attached to it. The globe was partially covered with some purple matter on one end. What was this? A weapon or a tool? The scientist herself carried a lavender orb about the size of my head. She seemed to concentrate on the orb, and I felt the prickling of something strange in the back of my head.

After some thirty seconds, the scientist spoke. "I can't get anything from his brain." The soldiers looked stunned. I grinned in victory, only to have the grin fall from my face as she continued. "I do know, though, that these 'Irkens' are vitally dependent on their backpods, or Paks, to live and think. If the Probe could interface with a Sectopod or Cyberdisc, could it interface with Zim's Pak?"

The soldier to her left snorted. "Most likely, Doctor Gallagher. We've run some additional tests with these Probes." He paused. "Zim? What a stupid name. Sounds like something I'd name my dog..." He chuckled at his insult. Oooh, how I would make these humans pay for their insolence! And more...wait...how did that stupid scientist know about my Pak? How did she know I was an Irken, when I hadn't even...it must've been Dib!

All thoughts of the wretched human were wiped from my mind as the scientist known only as Gallagher probed me again with her orb, this time locking with my Pak. It was only ten seconds before she dropped the orb, screaming in pain. I smiled. A mind probe, then? Not as powerful as that witch Tak's psionic enhancements...psionic...enhancements...?

No! Nanex technology! Curse the X-COM Project to Dirt! They had access to the Imperiuum's tech base! I should have known! The soldier with the odd purple device didn't even need to see where I was before my Pak was probed again, this time by a hardened human soldier's mind. A device that could amplify psionic talent in people? Just like Tak's ocular enhancements, but portable? How had these stinkbeasts managed to devise such a horrific device?

The soldier stared at me, the purple globe glowing a bright magenta. His mind ripped into mine, and soon my secrets were spilling from my Pak like light from a Meekrob's corpse. My smeeting day, my encoding, all the training... He searched farther and faster, obviously skilled at reading minds. My days as a researcher, the death of Miyuki, the death of Spork... Faster and faster he searched... Devastis, Irk, Foodcourtia, Conventia...Earth...no!

He locked on like a Ring Cutter's fusion bombs and held fast. Within mere minutes, he had what he needed. He turned and spoke to the scientist, but I heard his words as if through a fog. I was barely conscious of myself, could barely bring myself to resist. The soldier handed the psionic amplifier to Gallagher, who held it with seemingly greedy hands; I couldn't tell in my mental fog. She spoke to me, a simple command I would have ignored if thinking under my own power. But I had been mentally dominated. Utterly enthralled.

Mind controlled...

"Now, Zim, tell us what you think of the humans. Tell us everything. Don't leave a thing out, now..."

I smiled, a slow, lazy smile on my blissed-out features. "Of course. I'll tell you everything..."