A/N: Here is chapter five. As a heads up I should mention trigger warnings. A bunch of talented writers have told me recently that I should always use them. So there will be strangling and cursing. But on a plus side, I think this chapter has a nice canon feel to it in some parts. It's a lot like the Nightmare Begins, and you'll see why.
...
Skoodge wandered aimlessly through the dark halls of the Pike of Judgement. It wouldn't have surprised him if he were the only soul there, but what was that shadow that passed by in his peripheral vision?
He turned around and inspected the corner where he was sure he saw... what did he see? He shrugged it off, telling himself that Irken ghosts do not exist, and carried on down the halls.
He had to find her. Invader Tenn had to be here somewhere. He heard voices in the hall up ahead, and stopped short in case they were guards.
"It's just so sad. Tenn and I were so close. I don't think she even knew who I was back there. We stuck with each other through Invader training you know. Not many Irkenettes made the final cut for Operation Impending Doom II after all."
Irkenette? What was that? An Irken female? How stupid. There was no separate terminology for the males and females of Irk. Apart from smeet, that was the only other term. The sexes were equal in terms of strength and capability. They were an androgynous race for a reason. So why did that clearly female voice refer to herself as Irkenette?
Skoodge only remembered one Irken (or Irkenette) who did that during training, and he narrowed his eyes. He peered around the bend, and there she was, Invader Zee; an Irken who humiliated him multiple times during training (though not as much as Zim).
Zee had been talking to a tallish Irken male, who looked down at her considerately. He seemed to be using some power over her, or at least he thought he was, like a charm.
"I'm very sorry, Zee. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like to lose a dear friend. Well, actually, I could. I've known so many Irkens who have died during war. Even during training. But it was the ultimate sacrifice they made for our Empire that prevails. No one said galactic conquest would be easy..." the tallish male said in a soft, buttery voice.
"Thank you, Skoodge. You're such a good friend. You really have changed since training. I don't know why, but since you conquered Blorch, you've grown taller and less ugly. Shame Tenn's too delirious now to see what you've become. You had no chance back then, trust me."
The real Skoodge's eyes popped out as he got another good look at Zee's friend. Well, well, if it wasn't Invader Grappa — the poster boy for Operation Impending Doom II. So, Grappa took up his entire identity now?
"Well I have been working out..." Grappa said.
Skoodge growled, and emerged from his hiding place. "Excuse me," he said, "but could either of you fine soldiers tell me where I can find Invader Tenn?"
Grappa's eyes bulged out once he saw him. Wasn't the real Skoodge dead?
Zee gave him a dirty look. "Who are you?" she spat.
"Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm the real—"
"Invader Tenn you ask, sir? She's just down the hall in room 7b, next to the cafeteria!" Grappa pointed the way.
"Thank you," Skoodge replied, giving him a death glare as he walked on by. Grappa started to sweat.
"Wow, he was short, and ugly. Kind of how like you used to be, Skoodge," Zee said, way before Skoodge was out of range.
"Yes, thank Irk those dark days are over. I sure improved..."
Skoodge ground his teeth. Not usually one to lose his cool, he walked straight back up to Invader Grappa and grabbed his shirt.
"No, not the face!" Grappa cried. "Please, I need it!" All that fame and fortune got inside his brain meats after all.
"I conquered Blorch! Me! You hear? So wipe that smug look off your stupid, handsome face!" Skoodge yelled, but he soon turned back to his gullible, old self. "Well, not if you don't want to... Good day!" He let go of Grappa's shirt and straightened his uniform.
Grappa fell to the floor as he covered his face (no wonder he never made the cut for Operation Impending Doom II).
Skoodge met Zee's confused, questioning gaze then. He gave her a salute, and marched off to room 7b.
"What a loser. Who was that anyway?" she asked.
"Just my past..." Grappa replied.
"Hmm, I never knew your past could threaten you at the hem of your standard-issue Invader shirt," Zee remarked, staring down at Grappa with a look of suspicion.
"Just help me up, please. It would be much obliged."
Zee rolled her eyes and pulled Grappa up to his feet. What an Irkenette. Grappa may have the look of a true war hero, but truth be told he was a coward. Invader training was brutal, so how he survived was a mystery. Skoodge was obviously made of tougher stuff.
Skoodge didn't know why he lost it back there. Just hearing Grappa with his horrible, buttery voice claiming credit for his hard work made him feel... well, not like a happy, hoppy bunny.
"Those bunnies..." Skoodge growled. From now on, Skoodge was a doormat for no one.
He saw an ominous, glowing sign for the cafeteria ahead, and walked over. There it was, on the cafeteria's left, room 7b, with large guards flanked on either side of the door
How was he going to get inside there now?
...
Red shivered. "That voice. It haunts us..."
"It can't be. Not again," Purple covered his eyes in fear of what had to come.
"Wait! Hold the trial!"
A small something ran through the crowd, bumping into Irkens along the bottom row.
"Hey, watch it!" one shouted.
"He stole my fun-dip!" a girl cried.
"I didn't even know they still made those!" another said.
"Waaaiiit! I have a proposition!" the voice of the small creature yelled once again. A hand waved over the stage.
"A proposition?" the centre Brain said.
"This is rather unorthodox," uttered the right Brain.
"What does that mean?" asked the Brain on the left.
The creature finally climbed up on stage, and the whole crowd gasped. It was Zim. He held a fun-dip in his hand, licking the sherbet off his mouth. He did look adorable.
"Well, this is familiar..." Purple said.
Red nudged him with his elbow. "We really should have considered that exploding head planet."
"Then let's book the next space flight out..." Purple's face was humourless after he said that. Red watched him strangely. Suicidal Purple? How very untall of him.
"My Tallest. You have to listen to me!"
"Irken Zim? The most incredible Irken to have ever lived?!" all three Brains exclaimed.
"Aw, how sweet, but enough praises!" Zim waved a dismissive hand at those giant, talking brains.
"Sweet is a word we do not know," the right Brain said.
Purple hovered before Zim. "Why are you even here? We thought we banished you on Earth. Why hasn't all the love destroyed you yet?!"
"Yes, but here I am once again in your tall, glorious presence, my Tallest," Zim bowed out of habit.
"What is it now, Zim?" Red asked, irritated. "Just so you know, we're only asking this to humor you."
"And I expected far less of you, my Tallest. It's about Tak." Zim pointed at Tak.
The Irken locked her eyes on him next, as she lay on the floor dazed. The guards were still pinning her down, but she seemed to come to once she saw Zim. Seeing him holding that... that fun-dip ignited a painful memory.
"You!" she yelled.
Zim glanced the opposite way, giving a small, wry smile. "Hi Tak..." he said.
She growled. "Don't "hi" me, you worthless runt. I can't believe you're not dead yet!"
"I've been dead, thank you for asking. But I came back. Zim is back!"
She never said anything after that. She just glared while he stood there defiant.
"What about Tak?" Red asked now, moving his eyes between the two. What was even happening?
Zim glanced in her direction. Her spiritual companion had left. Where? Inside of her PAK? It made him feel cold. She was definitely herself again, that's for sure, though more demented than the last time he saw her.
Red pushed on. "Well?"
Zim shook his head, coming back to himself. "Yes, my proposition. As you all now know, Tak and I have a long, complicated history."
Tak continued to glare. Her antennae were pulled back, as her purple eyes shimmered.
"After all, I am the cause of her many downfalls. So you can imagine that she really, really hates me. So much..." Zim added, squeezing his fists for effect.
Tak gave a harsh laugh. "Please, Zim, don't sugar-coat it. I loathe you with every fibre of my being! I wish you would die a horrible, gruesome death!"
Zim sighed. "Again, been there... Now, for all the wrong that Tak has caused to me, and to you, my Tallest. And to the rest of the entire Irken race!" He directed his arms to the audience next, waiting for a reaction.
"Boo!" that one crowd member shouted.
"Yes, get on with it!" Purple yelled, impatient as ever.
He continued. "I propose that you withhold her trial."
Tak's eyes widened. "What?"
"And give her a fate worse than death..."
"And what would that 'fate' be, Zim?" Purple asked carefully.
Zim stared up at him. His eyes sparked for the tiniest moment. Purple took a float back. He was just so crazy.
"That she comes back to Earth with me, where her suffering will be even more unbearable."
"N-no..." Tak gasped.
"Yeeesss..." he purred.
"No!"
"... Yes!"
"Stop it!" Red yelled. "An interesting proposition that you give us, Zim."
"So, what do you think?"
"We shall consider it."
Zim was desperate. He had to get a glimpse of that apparition again: the one that looked eerily Irken. It terrified him more than the concept of a human spirit.
He turned to the Brains. "Well, what do the Brains think?"
"The most incredible Irken to have ever lived has asked us a question," the centre Brain said.
"Do we give him what he wants?" asked the right Brain.
"Yes! We will stop Irken Tak's trial in favour of Zim's proposition for no reason. Ha-ha, monkeys!" the centre Brain yelled. It finally lost it.
Tak started to panic now; she was delirious. "No, I... I changed my mind. Finish the trial! Give me all I deserve. Just don't send me to Earth with Zim!"
Red produced a cruel sneer. "I see that this is killing you, Tak," he asked, voice lilting as always.
"Why didn't we think of this ourselves?" Purple said. "Zim, despite your psychopathic qualities, you're a genius!"
He chuckled. "I sure am. Now, take her to my ship. I must leave for Earth at once!"
"My Tallest, I beg of you. Please, don't send me to Earth with him!"
"Guards, escort the traitor to Zim's ship," Red ordered, enjoying the troubled look on Tak's face.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She started breathing heavy as her peripheral vision grew cloudy.
A green spark exploded in her eyes like fireworks, and then she cried out. "Noooo! I will kill you, Zim, you f**king twit!"
"Uh-oh, here we go again," Purple said. "What manner of word is 'f**k'?"
"It's a disgusting Earth word, my Tallest, that should never be uttered in the presence of Irken royal—"
Zim's airway was cut off. Tak had lunged for him, and fastened her chains around his neck by using her bound hands. The fun-dip fell all over the floor, scattering the sherbet everywhere.
Purple shrieked, spouting nonsense about how insane she was, and that she was going to kill Zim. He was too freaked out, he forgot how much he actually hated Zim.
"Guards! Seize her!" Red commanded, knowing all too well he was sparing Zim's life, but it seemed the right thing to do at the time. No need for unnecessary bloodshed.
The guards grabbed Tak and pulled her away from Zim. She kicked and scratched the air, screaming and growling his name.
He glared back at her as he clutched his neck, wishing he could inflict more pain on her, until he saw it again.
Purple eyes did not look back, but dark green. The same type of green that flashed across her eyes.
The mysterious Irken stared back, fuelled by Tak's anger and hatred for Zim, as if it gave it, no, her life. It was female. Dark green was an Irken trait that had been bred out years ago.
"I will destroy you, Zim. I will have my revenge! It was always about revenge!" she screamed in her own voice. This thing had partial control over her. But for how long.
Red was furious. "Where's the medic? Inoculate her with anaesthetic. This insanity has gone on long enough!"
A medical drone ran onto the stage and gave Tak a shot. Her flailing and scratching limbs soon came to a halt, as she slumped to the ground.
"She should be out for several hours, my Tallest, but she won't be so pretty when she wakes again," the drone warned.
Red didn't care in the slightest. "Well that's not our problem. Guards, take her to Zim's ship."
The guards lifted the lifeless Irken like a ragdoll, waiting for Zim. He was still a little distracted by it all. Tak just flopped down.
Red pulled him away from his thoughts next, but his words were muffled. There was a strange ringing like an alarm going through his head.
"Zim, you are now the sole custodian of an Irken criminal. By all means, never let her escape your base, or Earth. If you fail to keep her under control, we will punish you. Take it as a warning. You may now leave."
"Thank you, my Tallest," he said gratefully, and marched the way to the Voot. The guards followed.
Up in the balcony, Dib stared wide-eyed at the stage. Did that whole spectacle really just happen? He shook his dazed head and looked around nervously.
"Yeah... I should probably get going," he said to an Irken on his right. The Irken gave him a strange look.
The Irken that was Dib gave a toothy, zipper smile, and ran out of the balcony to meet Zim downstairs. He met him at the door, huffing and puffing.
"That was... quite the show... you... you put up back there, space... Zim."
"Not now," Zim muttered. "Just follow my lead."
Dib looked back at Tak's unconscious form in the arms of the guard. She was so lifeless, he wondered if she were even alive. He arrived with two Irkens, and now he was leaving with one more...
"Wait, what about Skoodge?" he asked next.
Up on the stage, Red watched the strange little Irken that joined Zim.
"Who's that? He's kinda puny-looking," Purple said. He finally came out of his fear-induced coma. Tak was just terrifying. Trust Red to be the one who remained calm.
"Who cares, he's not important now. Well, let's go and eat food. I'm starving."
"It sure has been a long half of a day..."
The Tallest were beamed up to the Massive. Now the show was finally over. All the Irkens were ordered to leave the Pike of Judgment so that the janitorial drones could get to work.
...
Skoodge came before the guards and gave a salute.
"Invader Skoodge, sirs!"
The guards looked down at him.
"Weren't you just here before?" one asked.
"Yes, he was, and he was skinnier," said the other.
"And less ugly..."
"Yeah, I put on a little weight."
"In the last fifteen minutes?"
"The cafeteria food, hey... "
The guard was confused, but he shrugged it off. "Very well. What may we grant for you, Invader Skoodge? The conquer of Blorch deserves that much."
"Access into room 7b, sir!" He saluted again.
The guards watched him strangely. Why does he always salute? "Okay, in you go."
The guards moved aside and the doors slid open. Skoodge took a deep breath and entered the room.
The doors shut behind him, and he yelped in surprise, feeling confined in the tight, cramped room. There were too many wires, and a strange humming sound.
An electronic voice soon asked: "Who enters?"
Skoodge froze. There he saw the large Control Brain in the centre of the room. It had many eyes, unlike the three in the main room, and they were all locked on him. But there, in front of the Brain, was an Irken figure with lowered antennae.
"Tenn!" he shouted.
The Irken never stirred.
Skoodge ran up to her and gasped. She stared ahead with eyes that held no shine. It made him want to cry.
"What happened to you?" he asked, helplessly.
"I asked you a question: who enters?" said the Brain again.
Skoodge answered but he never took his sad eyes off Tenn.
"S-Skoodge. Invader Skoodge..." he croaked.
Tenn stirred at the mention of his name. She moved her head slowly in his direction. He felt his heart stop at that moment.
"Skoodge..." she whispered.
"Yes, it's me..."
Her eyes lit up as the shine almost returned. Next, she put her arm and foot forward, reaching out for him, but she tripped. Luckily, the Brain steadied her back on her feet with one of its tentacles.
"Have you come to say your goodbyes, Irken Invader Skoodge?"
"I... no. I'm not here to say goodbye, because you're not taking away her PAK. She's not damaged!"
Tenn looked up at him again. His antennae dropped as he felt her eyes boring right through him. His heart was pounding.
The room turned quiet as the Brain mused over Skoodge's words. Its musings gave off the sound of an electronic hum, reverberating through both of their bodies.
"She possesses many exceptional memories; her record is almost perfect. But I am afraid she has deteriorated since her rescue from the planet Meekrob."
Tenn recoiled from the word. Skoodge noticed.
"No. I won't believe it," he said.
"I have seen the damage myself."
"She can get fixed. She will be a redeemable soldier once again!"
"You make an interesting hypothesis. What evidence do you have to support your claims?"
He remembered what Dib told him then before they entered the planet's orbit. Earth was all about second chances...
"I can't tell you, but I can only show you. You claim to require the whole of Irken knowledge, and that of any other species we have conquered. But there is more to the universe than just the Irken race. I've seen it. I've lived side by side with them."
"Are you referring to an undiscovered alien race?"
"Yes, but they're not undiscovered anymore. Look into my PAK, and see these creatures for yourself. There you'll find the answers you seek."
"If that's what you command." The Brain's arms snaked across to Skoodge and connected to his PAK. He was lifted from the ground as Tenn stared up horrified.
The Brain's eyes glowed as it assessed the data from Skoodge's PAK, and released him once again. Skoodge looked a little sick.
"Human beings..." the Brain echoed. "Is this the proof you show me?"
"Yes."
"The little fair-haired child is very refreshing."
"She is. Her name is Molly. So, what do you think?"
"A destructive species, but... they are something. They have fought many wars."
"Yes..."
"With each other."
Skoodge sighed. "I know."
"But they possess a certain quality. This 'caring' phenomenon is not something we Brains are accustomed with. And is it that you 'care' for Irken Invader Tenn?"
Skoodge stopped as his face turned hot. Tenn was right next to him. "I—"
"And with this ability to 'care', you can restore what was once a skilful soldier back to her former glory?"
"Yes," he said. "I can."
The Brain considered all it had been taught. "Out of curiosity, I will allow you, Irken Invader Skoodge, to take Tenn into your 'care' and restore her back to her former self. If what this 'little girl' has taught you is any indication, then you should do well on your task."
Skoodge was speechless. "Th-thank you... I don't know what to say."
"Your thanks are sufficient enough. However, if you fail to restore Irken Invader Tenn, then the Evaluation will commence once again."
"Oh... okay," Skoodge replied, disheartened, as he felt the weight of his new task on his shoulders.
"If I may be of assistance, I suggest that you carry out this restoration process back on Earth."
"No," Tenn said. "I... I will not go to another alien planet."
"It's okay, Tenn. Earth is safe. There's not much that our skin can't handle. Human arsenal is pretty harmless."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I live there now."
The weapons were safe enough, but Skoodge thought it best to avoid telling her about many of the foods and liquids of Earth.
"And you're not dead, or damaged..."
"No, I'm much better!"
Tenn considered his claims. "So you think you can fix me?" she asked, tired.
"I hope to."
"Why? Why do you want to help me?"
Skoodge looked down at the floor, silent.
She seemed to understand. She gave a shaky sigh next. "Okay, I... I will go with you, Skoodge."
"I think that's your cue to leave now, Irken Invader Skoodge. Your wish has been granted, from both parties."
"Oh... Well, this turned out better than I anticipated."
"I would recommend that you leave the planet before the Tallest hear of this. I hear they've already boarded the Massive to eat junk food. I rather want to see this restoration process work, merely out of curiosity. We Brains are immune to this 'caring' phenomenon..."
Skoodge grabbed Tenn's arm, but she flinched from his touch. He felt guilty about his thoughtlessness next. What was he thinking?
"Sorry, I should have asked first if I could take your arm, but we have to leave. Zim's ship is at the docking bay; we can make it in time before the Tallest get here."
"O-okay," she replied, nervously.
Skoodge took her arm again and ran out the door and past those guards.
"Thankyouforgrantingmeaccessintoroom7bmuchobligedbye!" Skoodge yelled all in one.
The guards watched him run away, confused.
"You think we should go after him?" one asked.
"Is it in our jurisdiction?" the other replied.
"Well we were told to guard the room during Invader Tenn's Evaluation."
"Where is Invader Tenn now?"
"She just ran out the room, with Invader Skoodge!"
"Oh... Then I guess we should go after them."
The guards were about to run after the two until a tentacle came through the door and pulled them inside the room.
"You're off duty now, guards. Invader Tenn's restoration process will now shortly commence."
The Brain must really want to see Skoodge's proposal right through to the end. But out of curiosity. Nothing more.
...
"In there!" Zim indicated inside his ship to the guards. They climbed inside that cramped space and tied Tak to the seating area at the back with electric chains.
The guards emerged again. "The prisoner is secured safely. Now we must leave. Our services are required elsewhere."
"Yes, now be gone with you, for I must leave this abominable planet!"
The guards stared him daggers after that, and then walked back to the Pike of Judgment. Who did he think he was? Giving them orders? And Judgementia was not 'abominable'.
Zim climbed up into the ship.
"Zim, I really think we should wait for Skoodge," Dib said, looking around the docking bay. Other Irkens were leaving the planet; a bunch were leaving on a space coach to various drone planets.
"It's too late for Skoodge now, Dib. I'm sorry. I know you two had formed some weird bond the past ten months, but this was Skoodge's decision. You will have to make peace with that." Zim was almost forlorn. Would he miss his chubby friend?
"We never even gave him a chance! For all you know, Skoodge could be right on his way."
"Yes, with Invader Tenn in tow! Dib, I know you're still only a child, but this story does not have a happy ending. Your optimism is precious, but there is no way that Skoodge—"
"Excuse me coming through!"
Skoodge came bounding onto the scene next, making a beeline for Zim's Voot. Invader Tenn followed behind. Skoodge was fast for one so chubby.
Zim was knocked out the way by their oncoming force, falling beside Dib.
Dib looked down at him unamused.
"You were saying?" he said.
Zim glared up at him from the floor. "Just get inside the Voot, Dib!"
Dib smiled in victory, and climbed up into the Voot. It was going to be quite the squeeze in there now with four Irkens and one pretend. A little unorthodox, but it should work.
Zim was about to join them inside until Tenn jumped out the Voot, knocking Zim to the floor again. Skoodge's head popped out concerned.
"Tenn? What's wrong?"
"It's... at the back... I'm not sitting inside a ship with that war criminal!" Tenn demanded, trying to erase Tak's unconscious image from her mind. A war that surely cost her life, and there inside that outdated vessel sat an Irken who sided with the very people who captured her.
Skoodge was confused as he looked inside and saw Tak. He jumped out and joined Tenn. They ran inside the Voot so quickly that they never noticed the war criminal lying unconscious at the back.
"Zim, why is she here?" Skoodge asked.
"Well, Skoodge, not that it's any of your concern—"
"It is my concern. She's a criminal and highly dangerous! She is not coming back with us."
"Oh, and who gave you permission to bring back Tenn! Please do excuse my manners, Tenn. You remember me, Zim, from the battle of Meekrob? I played a major part in your rescue."
"Uh... hello..." Tenn greeted.
"Right, where were we?" Zim continued. "Oh yes. Who gave you permission?!"
"The Control Brain," Skoodge replied smug, folding his arms. "Who gave you permission to bring back her?"
"The Tallest and the Control Brains. Beat that!"
"Huh..." Skoodge sighed, "Look, Zim, we have to get Tenn back on the ship before word gets out about her escape. Do you think you can help?"
"Well, if the Control Brain allowed it, then you have nothing to worry about. They do make most the rules."
"But it's the Tallest! If they found out I was on the planet and sabotaged—"
"Just get inside, Skoodge. I'm sick of Tallest this and Tallest that! They don't care! You know it!"
"Fine. Then could you please inform Tenn that she has nothing to fear. That Tak won't hurt her."
Zim met Tenn's gaze. "Tenn, Tak is now my prisoner by the command of the Tallest. If she tries anything, I will punish her severely. Now get inside the ship!"
"... You don't have to yell," she muttered, joining Skoodge inside and keeping a far distance from Tak, as far as far goes in a tiny ship.
Now all were inside the ship as Zim sat in his chair. "I've been on Earth family road trips that ran smoother than this."
"When were you on a road trip?" Dib asked.
"Last fall with Molly and her family. Skoodge puked nonstop."
"Oh, okay. I bet they had no idea they took two aliens out for a ride."
"Yeah, you're probably right."
Dib shook his head. His own species will always be ignorant.
Zim started up the Voot, and they finally took off and left Planet Judgementia.
Now en route to Earth. Let's hope the journey runs smoothly.
A/N: I hate to say this, but I may give up on this site soon, so that means I will give up on this story. I should have finished it all before I posted, but I got too confident and wrote all eight chapters. I'm still currently half way through chapter nine (not a good sign since it's been weeks), and it's not helping that I get fifteen readers as soon as I update and none of them review. Well except for Invader Johnny, who reviews every time. I can always count on you. Ngrey and my guest reviewer have left kind reviews too, and I'm grateful for your help. I don't beg for reviews anymore because it is petty, I agree, but you need reviews to show that people actually like what you write, chapter by chapter. A linear line on a graph isn't much help (correlation doesn't always equal causation, if you know what I mean).
Constructive reviews always help. Stuff about my use of adverbs would me beneficial (which are all over the place), and spelling, grammar, and all that other jazz. You don't actually need an account to review. Be kind enough, if possible. Trolling is just horrible, but it's still flattering if you choose to troll me.
This sounds like a threat, "I'm deleting this if I don't get reviews," but it genuinely isn't. It's just a fact that I will lose interest, eventually. There are many sites for original stories that people are willing to read. My head is a hive of story ideas right now. Got three, four maybe, that are waiting to be written.
IZ has gone quiet in recent years. Back in 2010 it was booming. And in 2011 when I uploaded Clairvoyance. Yet I do sneak a peek at other stories uploaded recently, and some have nearly a 100 reviews! It doesn't bother me when they're good stories, I can make peace with that, but when they're bad I die inside. We all have different opinions on what makes a good or bad story, bear that in mind. It's just even worse when you can't judge your own writing. A writer's peril!
Maybe I should try other fandoms; I bet Frozen is booming right now. Yeah, go to what is popular, a great moral. IZ was popular once though. Probably still is, just not my stories. I just love IZ, and if someone loves Frozen that much, maybe too much, so be it.
I'm such a moaner, but I will get on with things in this chapter now. There's not much to read.
Grappa is a whimp who deserves to have bad things happen to him (and his face). I root for the real Skoodge, not the fake one who didn't even make the cut for OID2.
Purple's suicide joke is just that, a joke. Like how you would say "kill me now", or "I hope the ground swallows me up", because here comes Zim.
On that topic, the exploding head planet thing in IZ is a reference to JtHM when he's in heaven. A planet of exploding heads, or an afterlife? Which is better or worse...
Red is my favourite Tallest, but he has remained calm in desperate situations in the show, like in Backstreet Drivers. So sorry if Purple is your favourite. Red came off better here, again. I'm too biased to pass judgement, but Purple is okay too. Yeah, he great... I do think I keep them more in tone with the show here than when I did Clairvoyance. See, this story has one thing that Clairvoyance didn't have. Closer to canon Tallest. A positive.
I think it was a bit about revenge. Come on, Tak. We get that you're determined and only want to succeed as an Invader, but you did enjoy ruining Zim's base a little, if not a lot!
Notice how the Brains refer to Skoodge and Tenn as Irken Invaders, but Zim and Tak as just Irken? I love the irony.
Aliens would be appalled at the things we do to each other, unless they're like us. If it's fair, animals fight too, always have, about many things. Just humans are more complex. We're not really animals anymore. Genus Homo and species sapien. Forget all that. Its just a classification used by scientists to see where we stand in the Animal Kingdom, or used to stand...
On a lighter note, I hope to see you next week.
Toodle pip!