Okie dokie, chapter 35 of Abduction. I hope you liked the last chapter because I really don't remember what's included in this chapter. I don't even remember how many chapters there are left. I know the story isn't finished after the last chapter I've written but I'll worry about that later.

I am sorry this is so late. I've had finals and I had to move out of the apartment from school because of the college deal. Long story. Anyway, on with this story!

Words- Regular speech

Words- Thoughts

Words- Chapters and changes

(Words)- Bez speech

Chapter 35 –Friends Found and a Friend Dead

Zim's P.O.V….

I entered my room and stopped midway to the couch. "She called me by a nickname," I muttered realizing this just now. I was slightly astonished at it for some odd reason yet quite pleased. So much so that it warmed me just thinking about it. "Why the hell am I astonished by this? It was probably going to happen sooner or later!"

Rachel's P.O.V….

I had exchanged from my regular cloths, my uniform, for a pair of workout shorts and a sports bra. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail to get it out of my face like I had it back in school. I grabbed a towel, throwing it over my shoulders and headed out into the gym room. I came to a punching bag that was in a corner, away from everyone else. Taking my normal boxing stance, I threw a few punches to gain my rhythm for the workout.

Halfway through, I gave a hard punch. "Damn you James," I growled and punched the bag again. "Why the hell did you do this to me?"

Tears started to stream down my face and my punches became more fierce and erratic. Minutes later my breathing had become heavier and I just collapsed to the floor before the bag. I slammed the side of my fist against the bag and rested my forehead against it, letting it support my weight as tears started to trace patterns down my cheeks.

"Damn you James! Damn you a thousand times over," I muttered and sobbed into the bag.

A hand rested on my shoulder lightly. I looked up through my tears to see Curtis standing there. He crouched down and wiped a tear off my cheek.

"It's ok Rachel, please don't cry," He whispered. He took me into his arms and hugged me close. "It's ok," he repeated and held me close.

I buried my face into his chest and just let myself go.

Wren's P.O.V….

I stood at the door way of the gym. I felt a pang of loneliness as I watched Curtis hold Rachel as she cried. My instincts told me that more was going to come between them and this moment was what would tumble it forward and put things into motion. I turned and left the room to go to the mess hall knowing my place wasn't there.

I sat myself at a booth in the corner of the room with a cup of hot chocolate cradled between my fingers. The day was winding down so there weren't many people in the room; most had gone to their rooms to relax there. And many of those that were there were just talking in the hushed whispers of lovers.

I took a sip of my drink and looked out of the corner of my eye. "I was wondering when you would pop up," I muttered into my cup.

Rouk sat there and snorted. "Why do you say that?"

"You usually pop up when I need to talk," I replied and let her sip my drink.

"Oh, well, here I am. What would you like to talk about?" she replied licking chocolate off her nose.

"Anything. What conclusions have the other muses come to about a relationship with Zim?" I asked stirring my drink.

"They are all for it," she replied. "Even Ravwrin and Ravin NataEl."

"The homicidal twins?" I blinked, "Wow, why?"

"They like the glint in his eyes when he is being really evil," she shrugged.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Could have guessed that from them. I sorta like it too."

"Aww!" Rouk sighed dramatically and giggled. "You fell in love!"

"Bite me," I muttered from behind my cup before taking a sip of the drink. "I don't even know if this is love."

By now there were only a few chance people left within the room. Rouk and I sat in a comfortable silence half watching the space going by and half people watching. There was a couple in another corner speaking in low whispers and a few other people scattered through the room working on various small projects.

The silence was shattered though when CADIE and GIR burst into the room dragging Zim in by the arm and leg. He grabbed for the door frame but that came out unsuccessfully as they drug him farther into the room.

"Let me go you two!" he snarled loudly.

I raised an eyebrow as they came closer and rose my cup to my lips to hide the smile that was starting to grace my face. "Will you two let him go."

"No!" CADIE said clinging to Zim's leg as he was finally able to stand up.

"Yes," Zim growled trying to shake her off.

"No!" GIR said in his turn and attached himself to Zim's head.

"Yes, and that is a damned order from your Captain," I finally said firmly placing my cup down with a sharp click on the table.

CADIE and GIR started to pout but huffed a second later and let go of Zim. They sulked away out the door without a look back at Wren. Zim shot me a thankful look.

"Don't mention it," I said with a wave of my hand and a smile.

Rouk took that opportunity to steal my cup and finish what was left in the bottom of it. I shot her a small glare and she just grinned back at me before popping out of existence.

"Where in the world did she go?" Zim asked sitting down across from me.

I tapped the side of my head and frowned at my empty cup. "She went back in. She can't stay here too long in our world. The muses left in my head will take over if she does."

"That is just weird," Zim said shaking his head.

I grinned at him, "Why thank you! You should know by now anything dealing with me is weird."

Curtis' P.O.V….

I lead Rachel back to her room and sat her down on the couch. Making sure she was ok for the moment I went to the kitchen and got her a cup of hot chocolate. It seemed that hot chocolate always made things better on this ship. Sitting back down beside her quietly I handed her the cup.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said almost too softly for me too hear as she took the cup from me.

"About what?" I asked.

"About breaking down like that," she replied and carefully sipped the hot drink.

"It's ok Rachel. Everyone needs a time to break down," I said. "You time was just then."

She stayed quiet after that. And silence fell between us in a slightly uncomfortable drape. I looked down at my hands before deciding to speak up.

"Were you mad about the letter?"

"No, just mad about James," she replied not looking at me. "I'm really glad that you confessed though."

"You are?"

"Yeah, I needed to understand that there are others out there that will care about me. And that I shouldn't worry so much about things that have happened," she gave me a weak smile. "I should look to the future and not linger on the past. I can't let one guy ruin my future with another."

There was an awkward silence again between us because I didn't know how to reply to what Rachel said. We sat there, the quiet broken only by Rachel taking a sip of her drink every so often.

"Rachel, since you've read the letter would you ever consider going out with me?"

She paused, mid sip and looked at me for a moment. Her eyes flashed with emotion as she searched my face. "Are you asking me out Curtis?" she asked.

I paused myself. "Well, I-I was hoping. B-but if y-you really don't want to. I mean…" I stuttered.

"I just asked a simple question Curtis. I wouldn't mind a simple answer."

"Well, maybe."

She frowned a moment then smiled, "I wouldn't mind being your girlfriend Curtis, but not at this moment. Give me a little while to get over James more. But I wouldn't mind being known as your girlfriend in the future."

By now I was smiling from ear to ear. "Rachel, you will never be hurt again. I promise that. I can wait as long as you need." With that I hugged her close.

Narrator's P.O.V….

CADIE grinned at GIR. "Piggy commander, Mission objective three completed!"

GIR grinned back, "Monkee commander, roger! Let the last objective commence!"

CADIE became extremely serious. "Yes, the objective to get Zim and Wren together must continue."

"Yes, our whole mission will fail if they do not get together," GIR added just as serious.

Both started to laugh and ran out the door screaming. They left their little hidden room and headed straight to the gardens to cause havoc.

Next Day….

Wren was on the bridge looking at the planet they had come to. It was not Earth but there were life forms there. Apparently the planet was a type of planet for recreations. This one seemed, from the readings it seemed that it was mostly made of casinos and bars. There was also a large concentration of human and oddly enough Irken inhabitants. But there were more other species on the planet that we couldn't identify.

"Ma'am, what should we do?" Tsar asked looking up at Wren.

"This planet just doesn't seem right to me," Wren muttered, tail twitching uneasily. "Send two scouts down. But have them dress like the other aliens, not Irkens. I want an observation from them and I want them back in five kakes."

Two soldiers stood up. "We'll do it ma'am," they said at the same time and grinned at each other.

Wren nodded, "Alright you two. Get cloths from Bez and be careful. We do not need you two to go missing."

They nodded and headed for the lift.

Wren frowned again as Rachel came to stand beside her. "What is it?" she asked frowning herself at the look on Wren's face.

"I have a bad feeling about that planet. How many rooms are free on Bez?"

"We have about a hundred new rooms from the new levels. The third level was just completed only half a kake ago," someone from helm said slightly confused as to why Wren was asking.

"Good, we'll probably need them," Wren said giving to clue as to what was on her mind. "Rachel you have the bridge. If you need me I'll be in my office."

"Ok Wren," Rachel said with a nod. She turned to look at everyone on the bridge. "I want a careful watch on those crew members. If they disappear suddenly I want to know."

"Yes ma'am!" the crew shouted.

Wren smiled as the doors to the lift shut. Rachel knew how to give orders as easily as she did and knew how to hold her own. And as she ran a hand through her hair, her stomach gave an odd twist, the feeling of unease still not settling.

"Bez?" she asked suddenly.

(Yes?) came the reply.

"Settle down on the moon that's circling the planet and rest a bit. You've been adding a lot on lately and we don't need you wearing yourself down," Wren thought to him.

A sudden wave of pleasure and happiness came from the ship. (Thank you Wren, a rest would be nice.)

"You're welcome Bez," Wren said smiling to herself as the lift stopped and she headed for her room.

Five kakes later….

Wren was alerted from reviewing files and a cup of soup by a small beep. "Yes?" she asked. She was amused that we now had an intercom system instead of using the coms all the time.

"Captain, we have just received a message from planet side. It's the two crew members," came the reply.

"And what did they say?" she asked.

"Ma'am, they need our help."

Wren stood quickly with a hiss. "Get a crew ready. We are heading down planet side now!"

Wren almost dashed out of her room before remembering all of her equipment was there. Cursing under her breath she started to get into her gear.

Wren's P.O.V….

"Bez, put up a Red Alert! We are now in the red! I want a team ready for combat if anything goes wrong," I said and slipped my pak on.

(Alright, going to Red Alert,) Bez said and the lights along the halls and rooms started flashing red.

I took the emergency chute to the docking bay and stood ready to address my crew. A dozen Irkens came in by various chutes and doors. They all came to a stop before me, standing at attention. Rachel, Curtis, and Zim soon followed the able bodied soldiers.

"Ma'am, you aren't going are you?" Kina, a female soldier asked.

"It is my fault that they are down there so I will go down there and get them out of it," I replied. "There will most likely be other refugees down there also, that is why we are taking eight ships with us."

"Wren, each ship can only hold nine more people on them besides the pilot and co-pilot," Rachel said.

"We can collect seventy-two people then," I replied. "Saving seventy-two is better than saving only two."

I headed toward one of the ships and stood in the opening of the door. "If anyone has a better idea, you better tell me now."

"If we want to pick up a few more people," one of the female crewmembers said. "There are twelve ships. Each ship can be piloted by a single pilot. That'll give you four extra ships and those can hold ten each."

"We also have three Voot Cruisers to use and they hold five more people not counting the pilot. More if we leave the bombs they carry here," another spoke up.

"How many more?" I asked.

"Maybe nine, ten at the most, but that's pushing it," came the reply.

Zim came up beside me and whispered into my ear. "These people are willing to help. We need to think about all possibilities. But we also need to think about if we can house all those refugees."

"I believe we can," I said, "if we take ten on each ship that would give us a hundred and fifty refugees."

"But we only have space for a hundred more people on Bez," Zim said wit a frown. "That's how many empty rooms we have."

I patted his cheek with my hand and smiled at him. "It's ok Zimmy, we'll figure something out. We always do."

I watched as a light blush graced his cheeks. I smiled at him and turned to get on the ship. Behind me I heard Zim bark our orders to get all ships ready.

Narrator's P.O.V….

Planet side….

Four soldiers were left with the ships to guard them just in case. The Voot Cruisers had a self defense system that could help protect a small number of Bez's ships. The rest of the crew was separated into two groups to search for the two missing crew members.

Wren was leader of one group and Rachel of the other. Concealing their true nature they became a new species of alien with the help of their paks which made quick work of bringing a hologram up.

Wren had come up with the idea of the species in only a matter of moments so it was a given as to what they were. Dragons, or a form thereof of the beasts. The males were deeper chested that the females, though both were fairly even with muscle. Wings connected at the shoulder joints allowing the feeling they were all larger than they actually were. Their hands and feet ended with claws. Bipedal beings with varying heights and colors that seemed to gleam if the light caught them just so. They were jewels winking in a crowd of stones.

Rachel shifted uncomfortably in the open. The form that they had taken was getting them a lot of attention. She didn't like that so much attention was focused solely on them. So of course Rachel's grip on her weapon tightened. The wings of the disguise shifted and flipped onto her back unconsciously.

"Rachel, where should we start?" Curtis asked. The tail of his hologram twitched nervously.

Rachel shifted again and frowned, "The slave traders would be our most likely bet. If anything our boys would be there."

All the others nodded. And walking together in a slight formation they started towards what seemed to be the selling grounds for slaves. Other aliens scurried out of their path not wanting to know how dangerous these beasts were. Especially since their leader wore a very dangerous look.

Elsewhere….

Wren's group just started searching where ever they came to first. There were so many Irken slaves watching them as they passed. She leaned over to whisper to Zim, "Do you think they recognize the paks?"

"Maybe, but with these holograms I think they are just confused," he replied. "These disguises are amazing."

Wren grinned, "I know. Draconics are an excellent idea. I know for a fact there aren't any but the ones we project. So there is no chance of pissing off the original species."

"The things that come out of your head sometimes," Zim laughed.

Draconics were basically an anthro like form of a dragon. They each stood about normal height, ranging from 5'5" to 6' tall. Almost human in shape the only things odd about them were their hands and feet. They were like Irken hands with two main digits and a thumb. The feet had two toes each.

Their faces and jaws were streamlined and a ridge of fur lined from the top of the head down to the beginning of their tails. Their ears were like spines of the lion fish. Each of the crew members were brightly colored, ranging from bright sapphire blue to deep purple. And wings were set on the outside of each pak they wore, attached to their shoulders with a double joint.

Wren looked about for a moment until she spotted a bar. "Let's get some information and see where our guys are."

Rachel's P.O.V….

We stood in front of what the people of the planet called the Slave Barn. It turns out that the Slave Barn was just a bar and a slave trading center.

Curtis opened the door for me. I smiled at him and stepped into the room. The noise hit me first, then the smell, and finally the lights. I scanned the room and frowned at what was in it.

Humans and Irkens a like were being treated like animals. I watched as one Irken was kicked in the small of his back causing him to fall forward. Everything that was on his tray spilled out onto the floor. The ones who did it laughed uproariously as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

I had to hold out my arm to stop on of the crew from jumping in to help their fellow creature.

"Do not assist him," I snapped waspishly. "We can not help him right now." The last part was said so only the crew members could hear.

I started to move through the room to a large table that would hold us all. Curtis pulled out a chair for me and I sat down, careful of my tail and wings even though it was just a very good hologram. The others followed my lead and started to look about them for any hits as to where the missing crew members were.

"What now?" Curtis asked glancing at me.

I leaned back and angled myself so I could prop my feet up on his lap. I grinned at him. "We wait a few minutes and see about how many are here that we can free while we also see if we hear about anyone being freshly caught."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Zia, a female, said and followed Rachel's example of propping her feet up on one male and leaning against another.

"What is this, girls using guys as furniture night?" Glick asked as he was the one being used as a foot stool at the moment.

"Wren said that female Draconics were in charge above males," Fee said. "So we're making use of it. When will we get another chance like this?"

All of the men there snorted and rolled their eyes.

A small 'ahem' caught some of the group's attention. The rest of us paid attention when someone spoke up to Curtis's left.

"I said ahem."

I turned to look at the speaker and my jaw almost dropped. Standing there beside Curtis was a friend of mine from high school, Lacie. We had hung out together a few times. I hadn't actually expected to see her again, especially after everything that had happened. Of course I really hadn't thought much about before our abduction because we had been so busy surviving after.

"What would you guys like to have today? I haven't seen you around here before so I don't know what you'd like," she said smiling.

It was a weak smile. I could tell she was tired and probably underfed. She was rail thin before hand but she was even thinner now. Her hair looked a mess and her glasses were doping down her nose carelessly. Her smile never really reached her eyes.

Curtis raised a brow. "Got anything that won't eat us first, later pop out of our stomachs, or decide to eat us from the inside out?" he asked.

"Curtis," I hissed and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Don't ask that."

Lacie gave me him a strange look and I just grinned at her. "I don't think anything we have will do any of that. But…."

"But?" I asked.

"But I can't guarantee that there isn't something that will try and lay eggs in your brain," she replied with a shrug.

Glick leaned back into his seat a bit more. "Then I'm fine, thank you. Don't need a thing. Quite like my brain egg free," he nervously said.

A small chorus of agreements rose from around the table. I rolled my eyes at them before turning my attention back to Lacie. "Thanks for asking but I believe we won't be needing anything right now, at this moment."

"Uh, ok…" she said and turned to leave. "If you need anything just call me over."

I quickly motioned for Curtis to grab Lacie. She spun around and glared at us. "I'm sorry but I don't do any other favors but wait tables."

"Well then, we're set aren't we? I'm not asking for anything like that," I grinned while leaning toward her and resting on my elbows. "But there is something you can get us. Can you get us any information on how to get to Earth?"

She looked at me warily and then to the others. "Why would you want that? You're already a little too late to abduct people from it. Someone beat you to that. And if I could I would get you the information."

"Well then, since you can't tell me that, can you tell me who Rachel Cormentt is?"

"Yes, but who would want to know?"

I pouted, "I feel hurt that you don't know who I am then. I didn't think I was that hard to forget."

Lacie paused and blinked for a moment. "Rachel?" she asked frowning at me confused.

Wren's P.O.V….

Everyone in my group had sat down at a table leaving me standing. I walked over to the bar and leaned against it to survey the room. I frowned at the sight especially when I spotted a head hanging down from the ceiling about eye height. I snorted and glared at the bartender that was tending the bar.

"What's with the head?" I asked pointing to it.

The bartender looked toward it and gave a creepy wry smile. "That? Oh, that guy had insulted the guy who owns this bar's wife. So, the owner took his head as payment for insult."

"Oh, so the lesson here is never insult the owner's wife. Works with me," I said nonchalantly and studied the head a little longer before turning back to my table. It looked family, too familiar for my liking.

All the available chairs were taken by the other members. Zim was sitting so that his legs were out to the side instead of under the table. So I took the only seat I saw available. I sat right down onto his lap while slinging my arm around his neck.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm taking the only seat that was available," I replied with a weak smile.

He rolled his eyes but looped an arm around my waist and went back to the conversation at hand. My attention went back to the head hanging from the ceiling and I shivered. Zim frowned looking at me once again out of the corner of his eye. He saw that my gaze was shifted else ware and he followed my gaze. And I was still trying to figure out why the head looked so familiar.

"Wren, he looks familiar," he said in a hushed voice.

"I know," I said and buried my head into his neck. "That's James," I whispered.

Zim gave me a squeeze and rested his cheek against the top of my head. Neither of us wanted to say anything. What could we say?