I know, the last chapter wasn't really my best…Hopefully, this one will be better.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Invader Zim or any of the songs. I am not claiming that I do.
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Chapter 4: Dark Silence.
Zim kept on staring at the spot where Ember vanished even though she was long gone. He still sat where he slid down after being smashed into the wall. He heard people approaching him.
Tallest Red was looking down at Zim. He stayed silent, waiting for Zim or Purple to say something.
All of the Invaders followed their leaders and were not standing a respectful distance behind them. They didn't know why the Tallests were acting the way they were. Wasn't this a good thing? Instead of an Irken being taken, some alien was.
Zim got up; he turned to his leaders.
"Aren't we going to go after them?!" Zim was trying not to yell, but he was also trying not to cry.
"We can't Zim…she's gone." Red's voice was just above a whisper. He didn't blame Zim for being upset.
"What do you mean?! We can still save her…if we catch up to their ship."
"We can't! The Massive was damaged when they attacked…like Lard Nar said. They disabled our defenses and our weapons…if we were to even try to go after them, we would be risking every Irken who's on here their life." Purple explained.
"But—"
"Forget about her Zim! She's just some alien who shouldn't have been here! And besides, it's better this way…" Invader Tenn held an uncaring tone as she said this to Zim. She smirked when she saw a lot of the hope in his eyes vanish.
Zim gave up. He walked past the Tallests and the Invaders. He headed towards his Voot Cruiser, trying to hold back the tears.
The Tallests watched him leave. They didn't want this to happen. Yes, they still hated Zim…but that didn't mean that they hated Ember.
Purple looked at Red. "What are we going to do?" He whispered, low enough so the Invaders wouldn't hear.
Red sighed. "I…don't know."
He then turned to the others behind him. The all looked up at him and saluted, waiting for their orders.
"All of you…go back to your assigned planets. We'll call you if anything new happens."
The Invaders all nodded and turned, they headed towards their Voot Cruisers.
---
Zim was now far away from the Massive. He still tried to hold back the tears.
Gir was still asleep; he actually slept through the whole incident. As they made their way through the Earth's atmosphere, Gir began to stir.
The base was silent and felt lonely without Ember. Zim felt that as soon as he parked the Voot Cruiser in the base.
"Where's Ember?" Gir asked. His voice wasn't as cute and annoying.
"She's….she's gone." Was all Zim said in the elevator.
Zim sat on the couch. He still tried not to cry. As much as he hated to admit it, the Tallests were right. The Resisty had grown since their last defeat; they were now much stronger and a lot more violent.
Gir walked in; the radio was in his hands.
He put it on the floor, turned it on, and left.
A song started.
I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don't bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok
But that's not what gets me
He could hear rain drops hitting the window. They were small and far between.
Zim couldn't hold it in anymore; silent tears built up in his eyes then fell down his cheeks.
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin' to do
Zim didn't know what to do; he knew if he went up against the Resisty alone, he would be killed.
He blinked several times to get the tears to stop, but they kept falling. He felt guilty…
Why did they even want Ember? What use was she to Lard Nar? Something told Zim that it had to do with her being his friend.
It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I'm doin' It
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone
Still Harder
Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret
But I know if I could do it over
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken
Zim sat back; he leaned his head on the back of the couch. Those tears were starting to stop…
What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
The rain had stopped; but the sun stayed hidden among gray and dark clouds.
What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
Zim sighed. 'Maybe Tenn was right…maybe I should just forget about Ember.' He thought. He didn't want to, but there was no way to save her. What was the point in stressing himself out?
Not seeing that loving you
That's what I was trying to do
The song ended; Zim got up and turned off the radio. He then went into the kitchen and headed towards his labs.
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Ember was thrown into a dark and cold cage. She didn't know where she was or what had even happened.
The alien who had tossed her into the cage said that she'd be wanted for questioning soon. Ember was scared…she wanted Zim.
She expected him to burst through the door the minute she was put in the cage…but he never came.
The headphones were still in her hands. Ember took the Zune out of her pocket and plugged the headphones in.
A song started to play.
From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight
Ember listened to the song.
She pulled her knees to her chest as she sat down against the wall behind her; she hugged them.
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
And I'm singing Amen
Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Ember refused the tears to fall. Like with her father, Ember wanted to show no emotion to these…beings.
And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
(I'm alive)
Ember could tell that there were others near her. Not in the cage she was in, but in their own cages around her and even above her.
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
Ember closed her eyes; she felt tired. But as soon as she realized that she was falling asleep, Ember opened them. She wanted to be on high alert.
And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
When nobody died...
The others were silent. Just as Ember couldn't see them; they couldn't see her.
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day when nobody died
As the song ended, the same alien that put her in the cage came into the room.
He walked towards Ember's cage and opened the door. It creaked as it was opened from it being rusty and worn.
"Come on! Our leader wants to see you!"
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And there's chapter 4. And yes, I know that Ember's moment in the cage was a lot like Zim's when he was in a cell….
Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 5 should be up soon.