A/N: angst warning..?

also, we're nearing the end of this installment of the mothman & spaceboy series! in fact- I think the next chapter will be the last!

thank you all for all of your support so far- it keeps me writing!

with all of that being said- enjoy chapter 14!

When they entered the corridor, it was exactly the kind of disorganized mess that Zim had expected. The emergency lockdown program was definitely in place- if the sirens and flashing red lights were any indication. Irkens of all different ranks flooded throughout the hallways, panicked and confused. Tallers stood at the end of the hall, barking orders at the others to keep them in line.

"This is Emergency Protocol 5A! We're under attack and the security system is down! The lot of you, stay together and protect our Tallest!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Zim found himself being abruptly shoved backwards. Fruo suddenly jumped in front of him, with Dei right by his side. "Stay behind us, Zim. We'll cover for you."

"But-"

"Damn it you idiot, if they know it's you then they'll never let us through! We'll distract them long enough for you to find the Tallest and get the hell out of here!" Dei abruptly snapped.

Both Fruo and Zim stared at her, wide-eyed, astonished by her outburst. Dei let out a frustrated sigh. "Quit looking at me and move!"

Zim let out an undignified squeal as he was suddenly pushed even further backwards, his squad jumping in front of him as a means of protection. "Wait! We were supposed to stay-"

"Together," Darli said as he placed a hand on Zim's shoulder. "I know. Zena and I are coming with you. You can't take both of them on by yourself. I've already called the backup squads in to help here. So we need to move."

Zim nodded slowly before shaking his head to regain his focus. "Right… right! Yes! Of course! Come on!"

After making brief eye contact with Zim, Fruo let a dangerous grin slip across his face. Go big or go home, right? They had to know by now that they were under attack. With his mind made up, the Enian spread his arms out wide. "Hey, Irken scumbags! This is the beginning of the end for you!"

The Taller standing at the very end of the hallway, Marin, was the first to notice. "You," she hissed, "intruder! Enian filth… we should've known that your people would turn on us one day!"

The confused murmurs of the smaller Irkens slowly died down as all eyes fell on Fruo. "Yeah… and it's not just us either. It's the Vortians, too… the Meekrobs… the Heirians… it's every planet, every race that you've oppressed, slaughtered, and enslaved."

Marin deadpanned for a moment before suddenly erupting with boisterous laughter. "Oh, so that's what all of this is? A sad little coup d'état. Gotta hand it to you, you caught us off-guard. But guys… you have to know…" She trailed off, making a vague gesture in Fruo's direction, "this display? It's sad. It truly is. I mean, since becoming commander I've seen quite a few of these little… nuisances, but at least they were smart about it! I mean, really? This? This is downright suicide."

"Maybe," Fruo admitted, "but ya gotta admit, we got further than you ever expected, didn't we?"

Marin narrowed her eyes, confused. "What are you talking about? We have you surrounded!"

Fruo smirked, pointing to the end of the hallway, right next to where Marin stood. "Well, I'm just saying, I can guarantee you didn't see that Irken sneak past you just a few seconds ago, did you?"

Marin gasped, eyes widening to the size of saucers, her mouth falling open. She began frantically whipping her head in either direction, wildly searching for this supposed Irken. "W-Wha- impossible! You're bluffing!"

"Am I?" Fruo challenged. "I can tell by the look on your face that you don't believe that for a second- you know I'm not lying."

"B-But I would have- someone would-"

He scoffed. "What- these sad little servants you like to boss around so much? They're like puppets, you see- they don't move unless ya make 'em move. Not to mention, I'd say Zim blends in pretty well- that whole cloning thing you guys use actually turned out to be pretty useful after all."

The soldiers exchanged glances with one another, almost as if they were ashamed.

"Yeah, you heard me. Listen up shorties- this is the beginning of the end. Looking at all of you here, I can pretty much guarantee that the lot of you are going to end up serving her or some other stuck up Irken for the rest of your pitiful lives. Some of you here might be okay with that- but listen well, 'cause this is your only warning. Spread this message far and wide, with all the others. No. More. This time, the resistance strikes back. And if you wanna live, it'd be wise for the rest of you to do the same."

By this point, Marin was seething, her jaw locked tightly as her gloved hands clenched into fists at her sides. "How dare you try and manipulate my soldiers?! All of you, if you don't want to be thrown out the airlock for treason, attack them now!"

The soldiers took offensive stances, retrieving their weapons from their holsters. With the grin never leaving his face, Fruo shrugged. "Suit yourself." He reached into his pocket, pulling out his communicator. "Lard Nar, go ahead and send the next squad in. Looks like these idiots chose the Empire over freedom. Have fun getting pushed around for the next- how long do Irkens live? Oh yeah- six hundred years or so."

Fruo just barely managed to get the communicator back into his pocket before the first soldier charged at him.

When Zim heard the gunshots firing from just a few feet away, he fought the urge to go back. It wasn't what the others would've wanted anyway- for him to come back. They had a mission, after all, and going back would only jeopardize it.

"I've seen that look before," Zena said, "the look of a conflicted soldier."

"Please," Zim scoffed. "I just can't believe they're all stupid enough to take on the Empire."

"You realize that that includes you now, right?" Darli teased. "If we're all morons for trying to fight against the Empire, then so are you."

He smirked. Ah, well. He's been a moron all his life, right? Why stop now? "It's strange," he noted, "that these hallways are so empty. I'd expected them to have guards stationed in every hall, but… everyone's so lost, so confused. Since the Control Brains aren't functioning properly, I don't think anyone knows what to do."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Zena asked.

He shook his head. "No, it's not."

The Control Brains were, essentially, the guiding light of the Irken race. They knew all, saw all, and without them- there was no Empire. Not even the Tallest, who were regarded as gods, could ever hope to take their place.

"…I see," she replied, her voice almost somber.

Zim fiddled with the hem of his uniform as he walked, a nervous habit that he'd never quite figured out how to break. "Right now… for the first time… Zim is afraid."

"…So am I," Darli admitted quietly.

"…Me too," Zena added.

A tense silence followed afterwards, but it wasn't so much awkward as much as it was… understanding. Never before had Zim felt this kind of camaraderie, even all the way back when he was doing training in the academy. He had never been the kind to rely on teammates- after all, he'd found no need for a team. He'd lived his whole life by himself, nothing but him and eventually his SIR unit. Being surrounded by people who were there to support him was an alien feeling, but certainly not an unwelcome one.

"No sense in getting cold feet now," Darli said, breaking the silence. "We'll be fine, yeah?"

"Sure," Zim lied, a vague feeling of panic rising in his chest. "Yup. We'll be fine." He straightened himself, smoothing out his uniform and drawing in deep breaths to calm himself. "I heard their voices in this room up here. This is the Control Room."

"Guess they're actually doing their jobs for once," Darli quipped.

"And one more thing," Zim said as they approached the door, "let me do the talking. If either of you say anything you'll get yourselves killed."

"Right, cause you're such a great speaker," Darli muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Silence! I'm an excellent speaker. Now stand back, and let Zim handle this." He pulled his laser gun out of its holster and shot the fingerprint pad. Sparks flew and the three of them shielded their eyes, but heard the door click open in response. He then reared his leg back and kicked the doors with as much energy as he could muster. They came open forcefully, the light from the hallways spilling into the dim room.

Zena cleared her throat, stepping in front of Zim. "Almighty Tallests Red and Purple, by order of the Resistance, you are hereby under arrest!"

Large, Irken eyes blinked slowly- almost innocently- staring at the three of them as if they had lost their minds. Barely a second passed before hordes of guards flooded the entrance where they stood, pointing all kinds of guns and spears at them. "State your business here!"

Before Zim could so much as open his mouth to answer, he was interrupted by a voice he knew all too well. "Zim?" Red asked, peering at him from behind the protection of the soldiers. "Is that you?"

The urge to bow or wiggle his antennae surged deeply within him, but he managed to refrain- he would not show weakness in front of them. Never again. "The one and only."

Red narrowed his eyes before pushing through the crowd of soldiers, urging for his co-leader to do the same. "Leave us," he ordered.

"But sir, that would leave you defenseless!"

"I said leave us!" Red shouted, and the guards immediately recoiled, retreating to the other side of the room.

Purple watched as the guards stepped to the sides of the room to give them space. He wouldn't let them get too far, however. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was to never underestimate how dangerously stupid Zim was. "So Zim, uh... what are you doing here? Could you really not just... you know... stay away?"

"You could say that," Zim retorted.

"Let me just- get this straight: we let you live, and now you're back? Are you the one that's behind this little coup d'état?" Red waved his fingers in a disgusted motion.

"Me? Of course not- but you could say I had something to do with it, yes."

"...What is all this for? Revenge? Or are you really trying to redeem yourself by 'saving' all the people on the planets we've conquered?" He attempted to hold back his chuckles, but they kept coming before eventually turning into full-blown laughter.

Purple joined in right alongside him, slinging his arm around Red's neck. "Y-You know what? Go right ahead! I'd love to see you try!"

There it was again- he was met with the laughter of his superiors. Years ago he would've laughed right along with them, blissfully unaware that he was the source of their laughter. Oh how times had changed. "If you think this is about redemption, then you're sorely mistaken. For years I thought I was a good little soldier, carrying out the orders of my Tallest in hopes that maybe one day, one day, they would finally see me as something other than a huge joke. But now- now I know who I am, what I am, and if that doesn't terrify you down to your very core, then it should."

"…And why's that?"

"Because," Zim said as he carefully unhooked the pairs of handcuffs from his beltloop, his eyes never leaving those of his two former leaders', "if I was dangerous before, when I had no idea what I was doing… what do you think I am now?"

Min's quiet voice suddenly chirped up as the Tallest struggled to come up with a response. "My Tallest, please forgive me for the interruption, but… the breach is getting worse. More and more of the enemies have invaded the ship. We're trying our best to hold them off, but until reinforcements get here…"

"So this can go one of two ways," he said as he idly swung the handcuffs around on his finger. "You two can either come quietly, now… or this ship burns."

"You wouldn't dare," Red hissed. "Not with so many of your own soldiers onboard!"

"My soldiers will be fine, I can assure you. But you lot? Even if you all managed to escape… could the armada really afford the loss of the Massive?"

They weren't fools, despite evidence pointing to the contrary. Tallests Red and Purple knew all too well that if they were to lose the Massive it would be a major setback. It could, theoretically, hold them back for years. And if the Resistance kept this up, their resources were going to start dying left and right. The more movement the Resistance gained, the more the Empire ended up losing in the long run. They could threaten all they want, but it was starting to become abundantly clear to the both of them that their conquered people no longer feared the punishment for treason.

Zim walked towards them with a noticeable sway of hips, presenting his usual swagger in a way he never had before, at least, not in front of his former leaders. "And one more thing… just as a word of advice from an old friend… if you even attempt to put your hands on me, you can say goodbye to the Massive, and all the ships on it. That's… hm, probably quite a few hundred battle cruisers and escape pods, no?"

"He's lying!" Purple declared. "There's no way that's-"

"Sirs, foreign explosive devices have been found planted all over the inside of the ship… there are hordes of enemy soldiers heading towards this room… we're vastly outnumbered. Even if we could…"

Red looked between Min's panicked expression and Zim's taunting grin. Irk be damned, the bastard did it. He'd thought of every possible outcome and found a way to bypass it. If it weren't for the circumstances, he almost would've been proud of the little shit.

"Red, what do you want to do?" Purple asked in a hushed whisper. "We can run. There are escape pods just outside that door-"

"And leave the Massive to burn, or worse, in the hands of the enemy? No thanks." He turned his head back to face Zim, his expression completely impassive. "I think I'll take my chances with Zim."

"Red!"

"We'll be fine- er, mostly. Zim doesn't want us dead; if he did he would've tried to kill us by now," he reasoned. "We'll accept your terms, Zim, under the condition that the Massive stays with the Irken Empire. And- if you're hoping to get information out of us, then we expect to be treated like anyone else aboard the ship. Not like common prisoners. Understood?"

"Commander Zim!" Zena exclaimed. "We can't do that- the Massive could contain crucial data!"

Zim shook his head. "No. We don't need it anymore- it's served its purpose in this mission. All we need is these two." He approached them carefully, circling them like a hawk would circle its prey, before swiftly coming up behind Red and grabbing both his wrists. "You've got yourselves a deal."

As Zim moved to place the cuffs on Purple, Zena cleared her throat and prepared to speak. "Very well then. Former Tallests Red and Purple, you are hereby under arrest for murder, enslavement, wrongful imprisonment, theft, and- much more, I'm sure. You will both be taken into custody under the order of captain Lard Nar and the Resistance, where you will be thoroughly interrogated before facing a trial on Judgmentia for your sentence."

Darli reached for the communicator in his pocket and pressed the button. "This is Private Darli, the mission was a success. Tallests Red and Purple are both in custody. This is your verbal confirmation; you are to deactivate the explosives now."

"On it, Darli, sir."

"Min," Red barked over his shoulder, "until we get out of this, I'm placing you in command for the time being. I trust that you will be there to lead the others in our absence."

Min's eyes grew so wide she feared they would pop out of her head. "M-Me?! You want… me to be the Tallest?"

"It's purely temporary, but yes." Purple turned to address the crowd of confused soldiers that had gathered around the corners of the room. "You lot, listen well. Min is your Tallest, your Lady, until further notice. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal, sir!"

Zim pulled the communicator from his belt. "This is Commander Zim. The mission was a success. We… we can fall back now."

The first thing on Zim's mind when he climbed out of the ship was seeing Dib.

He didn't know why, if he was being honest. But ever since he'd walked out of that room with the Tallest in handcuffs, all he wanted to do was see him, showing off his captured leaders as if they were prized possessions. Besides, he'd imagined that Dib probably missed him, didn't he? Before they were due to depart Dib was fussing over his weakened state and newfound vulnerability- Zim had to keep reassuring him that he would be fine, even though he himself wasn't even sure of that at the time. And if he was being honest, he still wasn't. But he was fine now, in this very moment, and he was glad to be. Truthfully this is the first time he's ever felt the urge to celebrate with someone else, and he wanted that someone to be Dib.

So he walked with a little more pep in his step, faster than he normally would. When he approached the computer room, however, he was disappointed to find that Dib wasn't present. The Heirian, however, was still typing away, her fingers flying across the keys at speeds that Zim didn't even think Dib was capable of.

"Infera," Zim said her name with mild amusement, "you're still here."

Infera lifted her head up immediately, meeting his eyes. "Zim!" she exclaimed with a bright grin. She rose from her seat, her chair sliding out from underneath her. "Congratulations! Damn, can you believe it?! Thanks to you, we've got the Tallest in our friggin' basement! God, we- I- lots of people owe you for this, Zim. If it weren't for you, we might not have ever captured them."

Zim couldn't help but let her praise go to his head a little bit. He puffed out his chest in pride, smirking. "Well of course! Did you expect any less having Zim on your side? Without me your mission would've been a terrible failure."

She failed to stifle a laugh. "Right. Well, still, I owe you a personal thank-you. See… I don't know if you uh… get the significance of this, being Irken and all, but…" she trailed off, unsure of how to word her thoughts, "I've got a family back home, you see. A husband and five little ones. And thanks to you… I think I'll get to see them very soon. So… you have my sincere gratitude."

A family. Admittedly, he really didn't get the significance. There was no such thing as family on Irk. No mother, father, sister, brother- there was no need when they reproduced via cloning. Yet from his time on Earth, he had come to understand that to some, family was an extremely important thing. Dib had expressed what he would call love for his family multiple times. It almost made Zim wish he could feel that kind of connection to another person. He may have Dib now- but it wasn't the same as having a parent- or being one.

Then again, Earth babies are hideous, dumb, gross, and terrifying. Maybe it was for the best. Yup, definitely for the best.

"Yes, well… good for you. Zim…" he cleared his throat, his volume dropping to just above a whisper, "Zim hopes that you reunite with your offspring shortly."

Infera beamed, showing off her sharp white teeth. "Thanks. So, I imagine you're looking for Dib?"

The question seemed innocent enough, but something about the way it was posed suggested otherwise. Zim's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh- sorry, Dib sorta told me that you guys were together... uh… congratulations?"

Zim huffed- of course Dib felt the need to go spilling the details of their romantic lives to everyone. Then again- he was worthy of showing off. Perhaps it wasn't all bad…

"Well, anyway, if you're looking for him, he said he had to go talk to Lard Nar about something, so I would try his room or maybe Dib's."

"Alright." With an awkward wave, Zim quickly left the room, his excitement from earlier flaring up again at the thought of reuniting with his human.

"Don't be too loud, these walls are thinner than you think!" Infera called after him, and although Zim couldn't see her expression, he imagined that she was wearing that stupid fat grin she always wore. If he weren't in such a hurry he would've turned around and given her a piece of his mind.

The captain's room was closer, so he guessed he would try his room first. After turning a few more corners, he was met with a rather confusing sight. Just like Infera had said, Lard Nar and Dib were talking amongst themselves- but rather than in his room, they were standing right in front of the door, whispering quietly. What was so secretive that they felt the need to whisper?

It was probably nothing- at least, nothing that concerned him. Yet for some reason, Zim couldn't help but be curious. There was no reason for Dib to keeping secrets- not anymore. So with his mind made up, he pressed himself against the wall and quirked his antennae to listen closely.

"…she destroyed it, but I kept a copy of the blueprints just in case."

"I see. Atra had mentioned something about it when I interviewed her, but she never really went in depth about it. But I… I just don't feel right about using her invention when she explicitly said…"

"But we're ready this time!" Dib insisted. "If we make some tweaks and changes here and there, alongside an actual plan, we can do it! This time, we have the upper hand. Right now the entire Irken Empire is in shambles. And I think this chip is the key to taking it down completely."

The captain frowned as he scanned over the blueprints Dib gave to him once more. "But… to rebuild the chip again… it would take months! Not to mention that we don't have the technology for it on this ship!"

"Look, it's definitely gonna take some time- time that we really don't have. But I think we're in a good enough position that we can manage it-"

"Meekrob."

"What?"

"Meekrob," the captain repeated. "They have the technology. Besides, that's where it all started, isn't it? Meekrob!"

"Uh-"

"This is perfect!" Lard Nar exclaimed. "We'll stop on planet Meekrob, reconstruct the chip, and make our way to Irk from there."

"Y-Yes, exactly!" Dib said in agreement.

"Gosh, I knew there was a reason I recruited you! You're positively brilliant, you are!" Before Dib could protest the Vortian was pulling him into an awkward but tight embrace. Dib coughed, clearly embarrassed, but hugged him back as best as he could given their obvious height difference.

Lard Nar, as if snapping out of a trance, quickly pulled back, clearing his throat. "Ahem. My apologies. Yes. I'll announce it first thing tomorrow. Or- no. No. This can wait- at least for a little while. Tomorrow- we're celebrating."

"C-Celebrating?"

"Does this not call for a celebration? We've been through hell this past month- we all deserve to relax for a bit, no? Now come on, don't you have someone waiting for you?"

A wave of heat crashed over Dib's cheeks as he grinned sheepishly. "Y-Yeah, I do. Thanks for hearing me out. And… for recruiting me."

Lard Nar waved him off. "No need to thank me. But, you're welcome. Now go."

Dib laughed as he was practically pushed down the hallway. He'd never expected word to get around so fast- he figured that Infera wasn't the best at keeping secrets. Not that it was really a secret anyway, what with the constant looks the two shared, regardless of who was in the room with them. Still, he found himself… excited? He never thought he'd catch himself thinking about Zim like that, but he was- he was ecstatic to see his alien again. They hadn't been apart for very long yet Dib felt like it had been months since they'd last seen each other.

Just as he was about to turn the corner to head for Zim's room, he was pleasantly surprised to find the Irken standing before him- however, contrary to what Dib was expecting, Zim didn't look very happy to see him.

Dib swallowed as he locked eyes with Zim. Had he been there the whole time? "Zim!" he exclaimed. "God, I was so worried about you. Are you okay?" He reached forward to pull Zim into an embrace, but Zim promptly stepped backwards, like the very idea of touching him was disgusting.

Dib tilted his head, the relieved smile instantaneously dropping from his face. "Zim, what's wrong?"

"Don't play stupid with me," he hissed. "I heard everything. About the chip."

Finally- it was all starting to click into place. Zim had been there, and if he heard everything, then he most certainly knew…

Only two options presented themselves to Dib in this situation. Either start babbling out excuses and apologies, or run and hope that he was faster than Zim. Thankfully, his mouth made up his mind for him before he had to think too hard on it.

"I-I'm sorry!" he blurted. "Zim, please let me explain-"

"You said that you destroyed the chip. Yet here you are- saying how it was actually that wretched science drone and how now- now, you're proposing plans to use some new and improved version?"

"Zim-"

"I need you to do something for me Dib. Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth. Did you, or did you not, destroy the chip?"

"I-"

"Answer the question Dib!"

And Dib tried- oh, how he tried to look the Irken in the eye. But those big, scrutinizing eyes- full of so many new, raw emotions and untold stories- they kept his mouth sealed shut and his eyes pinned to his feet.

Dib finally felt his eyes freeing him as he quickly looked away, and when he looked up, his heart twisted to find that Zim had both hands on his hips, eyes closed tightly as if he were trying to prevent the flow of tears.

"So you lied, then. You had the chip this whole time and you didn't think to tell me."

Dib wracked his brain for an explanation. "Zim, please… you have to understand, we were just barely starting to be friends then, I still wasn't sure…"

"Right, and in all the time that we've been friends since then, you didn't think once that you could tell me?"

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal, Zim," Dib argued, feeling himself growing defensive. "Besides, it's not like I expected to see Atra again. I thought all of this would be over."

"Well, it's not, is it?!" Zim shouted. "Of course… why should I have ever expected someone who was once my enemy to ever trust me completely…"

Dib stepped closer. Why did it feel like Zim was getting further and further away from him? Even now- things still hadn't changed. He'd still chase him all over the universe after all. "I do trust you. Wholeheartedly. I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I… I was afraid…"

"Of what?"

"Of this," he whispered. "Of losing you. This… this is me losing you, isn't it?"

Zim didn't have an answer for him, kicking at the floor with the tip of his boot.

Dib ran a hand through his mussed dark hair. "I'm sorry," he said, as it was the only thing he could think to say. It was hardly enough, it may never be enough, but it was the only thing that came to him. Over and over again, repeating in his mind like a broken record.

"No you're not," Zim snapped coldly. "This runs far deeper than that infernal device. I am sure this is what you intended all along, is it not? Will you tell me next that your 'feelings' for me were a lie too?"

Dib met his eyes to find that the warmth in them was fading, reverting back to the cold cruelty that he'd become so accustomed to as a child. And for some reason, that hurt even worse than Zim's icy words, knowing that he was starting to look like he did back then- confident and merciless and alien. "No, Zim, I swear… I couldn't lie about something like that. Do you really think I could lie about falling for my mortal enemy, someone who I despised for years? That's not just some shit that I can make up- it's real."

"Well, forgive me if I'm having a hard time believing that right now," Zim retorted. A bitter, crooked grin somehow made its way across his lips, contorting his furious expression into something more akin to crazed anguish. The red rims around his glistening eyes, the unfit smile- the shaky, jittery laugh. "Ha… everyone that Zim has ever held in high regard has lied to him… first my Tallest, and now the Dib… ha…"

He wanted to do so much in that moment. He wanted to hug him tight, kiss the breath out of him, hold him while he beat on his chest and screamed and yelled about how he was a horrible person that didn't deserve anything. He would've gladly accepted that. And it killed him that he couldn't so much as speak- let alone move.

"My Tallest let me down… you let me down…" he paused to laugh dryly, "Even Gir has let me down."

"…Is there anything I can do?" Dib asked quietly.

"As a matter of fact, there is." Zim closed the distance between them until their faces were mere inches apart, before an almost animalistic growl tore itself from his throat. He jabbed a clawed finger in Dib's chest, and had it not been for the gloves he was wearing, his claw would've torn right through Dib's uniform- and possibly his skin too. "You will stay away from Zim from now on. If you ever come near me again I'll tear you apart, you got that?!"

A part of Dib wanted to fight back, to beg Zim to listen to him in hopes that he could appeal to whatever shreds of regard for him that he had left. But all he could do was nod obediently in the face of Zim's fury.

Zim lowered his finger, turned, and made his way down the hallway. And if Dib had had the strength to look up again, he would've seen the thick tears that now poured down the Irken's face in heavy streams.