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To My Readers:
This may come as a surprise, but I'm going to be gone for the next few months. I'm actually going into Boot Camp on August 6, so I won't be able to update this story for at least two months. No worries, I WILL keep doing the story, but I just want everyone to know that I will be gone for a while. I'm not going to leave it hanging, I will finish it, whether this story takes me up to a hundred chapters or not.
"WHOA, SLRISME, WHOA.
YOU SHOULD HAVE UPDATED WEEKS AGO."
YEAH?! WELL-
Shut up. :P
This chapter was extremely difficult for some odd reason. I'm not happy of it, but this chapter was supposed to be the one to fill in a lot of questions that some people had. Not all of the questions, but at least answer some of them. I hope that I'll get another chapter out soon and that this won't be the last one for awhile, but I still have to pack and such. So, who knows?
Thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows! :D I can't believe that this story had reached 80 reviews, I'm so excited! All of you are so nice and polite, I really can't believe that I'm getting love! Think we can reach to a 100 reviews? Huh? Huuuuuuuh? ;D No, but really, a big THANK YOU to ALL OF MY REVIEWERS for leaving a thing for me every chapter, I really can't thank you guys enough! I wish I could just send all of you your very own SIR Unit and a six pack of Poop Cola! You guys are the best and I wish I could be with you at InvaderConIII! (What? Don't know what Invader Con is?! I guess you got something that you need to Google!)
Quick Thing To Invader Johnny: O rly? :o I actually didn't know that, I was actually just trying to come up with a random name and I typed that out. I'm quite terrible at Spanish (lol and I live in Arizona, ohGodwhy), but I love random facts! Let's see if you're gonna be up this late at night once more. ;P
Long author's note- And yay for not reading over everything to make sure there are no grammar mistakes! Potatoes! :D
With further ado, let me begin. :)
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Not A Defect
…
(Vort Research Station 9, top floor)
…
"Air! Get back here, Air!"
Purple hissed, tugging at the neck lining of his Elite uniform, visibly annoyed over the fact that his unit was escaping once more. Unknown to him there was his future self and a human following right behind, neither one important for this situation. Tallest Purple scoffed when Dib was moving his head around rapidly as though he wasn't just trying to study every detail, but absorb it. Pfft- He acts like he had never been in the Tallest Tower that was placed on planet Vort!
Oh, wait…
"Where is that unit going?"
"Like I know, Meatbag! I know just as much as you do, which isn't very much! I don't remember any of my memories; I'm experiencing them for the first time like you are!"
"Air! Air! Get away from- Oh, no, no- Air!"
Young Purple was reaching outwards to grab the little SIR Unit, hands stopping a few centimeters away when the unit lifted up a hand to halt him. Fear was clouded all over the Elite member's face, wide eyes gazing in worry at the metal door the unit was leaning his head against. Dib also noticed that Tallest Purple paled himself, hand gripping the front of his robes with a tight grip. What was so important about that door? It only took a few seconds to notice that it was the only door on this entire floor, not a single soul wandering down the halls. Where the heck was everyone? Was this a secret door or something?!
A wicked grin spread across the human's face.
An Irken secret door?
"Air, this is Tallest Miyuki's Vortian chamber, you know-"
"Listen."
"Air-!"
"Listen."
The Irken grunted but followed his unit's instructions, silently slipping onto his knees to place his antennas against the door. Inside the chamber was silent until a loud slam was heard, Purple biting down onto his tongue to hold back a shocked cry. He hadn't gone through all of those years of Elite training to be scared by the littlest sound, right? Yeah, right! He narrowed his eyes at his unit and though no words were spoken his glare was saying a thousand of them. We're gonna get caught. This is wrong. Tallest Miyuki trusts us, Air; she placed us at the top of her security team! We can't do this! Air gazed back into his master's eyes, not daring to back down.
We must.
"I remember this."
Dib whipped his head around to see Tallest Purple glancing around the hallway, fidgeting in his own robes. Something was wrong. He knew this day, he remembered it. Or at least he could feel it all the way down in his squeedily spooch. He couldn't pull his eyes away from the sight of his younger self whispering to the SIR Unit, commanding him to do something. He was trying to find a way to see inside the room to make sure that Miyuki was alright. Drill a hole to place some weird camera-thingy-stuff inside the room and connect it to your head screen, Air! He knew everything that was happening, but he just couldn't remember it. It was bad though, today had been such a horrible day. Why though? Why?
"What?"
"I remember this day."
"Really?! What happens?"
The Tallest sneered, baring his teeth at Dib defensively.
"I don't actually remember, isn't that why you're here to help me out, Meatbag? If I remembered you wouldn't be here! I just… Everything he- I did back then I can remember as soon as he- I did it! I can't think of the dumb events that happened today! I know they were bad though. Really bad. Like Massive losing all its snacks bad. No, the entire universe losing their snacks bad!"
"That's really bad."
"I know, right?!"
"Good job, Air!"
A whisper broke through their discussion, Elite Purple patting the back of the unit with a grin spread across his face. A screen was popped out of Air's head, both unit and master watching the scene in silent amazement. Two Irkens were present on the screen, both very tall, both with their arms crossed over their chest, and both angry at one another. The taller of the two was a blue eyed Irken clad in Tallest robes, pressing her lips together in an effort to control her rage. The other Irken wasn't trying to hide his own disgust, yellow beady eyes slanted into a glare as he rapidly tapped his hand against his forearm.
"My Tallest-"
"I am not making this up, Spork! Something is wrong with the Empire, I know it! Please, just listen to me for a few moments!"
"I have been, but I can't anymore! This is insane, my Tallest! Almost-"
"Look at the signs! The Origin Code is not in Irken! What Origin Code do you know that is made up of three different languages? One of the languages is from the race of our enemies, Spork! Meekrob!"
"Shhh! Hush before someone hears you!"
Advisor Spork stopped right after his sentence, eyes instantly snapping towards the door. Younger Purple held his breath as he gripped his unit's arm within his grasp. This is how they were going to die. The both of them were going to be deactivated by Advisor Spork for listening into a very personal conversation. He knew this was wrong, but he couldn't just stop listening. This was deep. The very Origin Code of Irk was created by three different languages. And one of the languages was Meekrob. Was this one of the reasons why Miyuki had been acting so strange these few days?
"Meekrob. I remember this. It was Meekrob and-"
Tallest Purple had paled slightly when he heard Miyuki's voice once more.
"Vortian, Spork! Why would the Origin Code be created with three languages? The Control Brains are made with the coding! They are the very power and judgment of our empire! Why?"
On the screen Spork grimaced, shrugging a shoulder at her like the topic was just pestering him. With a wave of a hand and a turn on his heel he headed towards her chamber bed. Letting himself slip onto her blue covers, he leaned his arms on top of his knees, tilting his head backwards to gaze up at his Tallest. For a few moments he stayed silent, unknown to the Advisor that Elite Purple was holding his breath every second he didn't spoke. Say something, do something, help our Tallest out. Something is wrong.
Something has always been wrong.
"Okay, okay- Let's just think about this. What all have you gathered about the Empire?"
Miyuki couldn't hide the baffled expression even if she had actually tried.
"Who says that I have-?"
"I know you. You get obsessive about things once you get into them. Let's not talk about how you thought the Slookipans were placing acid substances into our nacho machine. How long ago was that?"
"I- I- Shut up, alright! I know they were! We were just never able to prove it is all! This is serious! Something is wrong with our Empire! The Origin Code that helped to build the Control Brains isn't even in our own language. It was done in three different languages!"
"Vortians helped to build the Control Brains. Come on, we have Vortian scientists all over Irk right now crafting our air crafts and creating our weapons. We even have some helping to big the Massive right now."
Dib noticed that both Tallest Purple and Young Purple flinched at the same time when Miyuki slammed her palm against the door. The small SIR Unit made an odd sound as he fixed the position of his camera, both unit and master passing each other an expression that looked worrisome. The Irken was fuming within the room, throwing a two fingered hand up into the air while her cheeks began to flush a deep emerald.
She was starting to look hysterical.
"And Meekrob? What about Meekrob, huh? Have we let them work on our ships and equipment too?!"
Yellow beady eyes narrowed as the Elite member's antennas went back defensively against his head. She was getting very, very worked up. Starting to not be able to control her actions and emotions. This was the sign of an Irken going defective. The human glanced over his side to look at the Tallest by him, Purple's lips tugged in a slight frown. He was shifting uncomfortably, like his own skin was some sort of plastic wrap that was only constricting against him. This was familiar. He knew that this entire situation was going to end terribly. Why though? What exactly happened that had emotionally scarred him that even without knowing what was going to happen it still terrified him?
Why?
"Simple. Meekrob and Vortians used to be in alliance before we came into the picture. Many Vortians know Meekrob and on Meekrob they still speak Vortian. Some Vortian who made the Control Brains probably put the language in there."
"Yeah? And why is there an extra chip in our Pak?"
The Advisor suddenly began to cough as though he had choked on the very air.
"Excuse me? What are you-"
"I have been examining Paks for a while, Spork. You know that I've been studying technology advancement in our science field; I know how we're made inside and out. I know everything there is to know about every single piece of technology we use, on our bodies or not. At least, I thought I did. There's an extra chip within the Pak that's hidden between the-"
"And you know this why? You- You didn't work on yourself, did you?!"
The Irken was now tensing as his eyes wandered all over the form of his Tallest, pushing himself so quickly off the bed like he saw something so disgusting he had to see it face to face. Elite Purple held back a growl deep within his throat, agitation tugging through him. How dare the Advisor look at his Tallest in such a way? This was a disgrace! Dib opened his mouth to make a comment towards Tallest Purple, but with a turn of his head he realized that Tallest was gone. Panic rose through him as he whipped his head back and forth, hissing the Irken's name until he finally saw him. The Tallest was only a few inches away from Young Purple and his SIR Unit AIR, hand reaching outwards and touching the cool metal of the chamber's door.
"Purple- Tallest Purple! Hey! What are you doing?!"
The Tallest ignored Dib, placing his forehead against the door now along with his other hand. Young Purple and Air didn't even notice that he was right by their side, only keeping their gazes on the screen with their current Tallest on it. Everything hurt. This time it didn't feel like he had seen this before, but he had actually been in this situation. He already knew what was going to happen before it did, not because he could remember, but because he had been through this. Miyuki was going to start getting defensive-
"You think that I would work on myself, Spork? That's a deadly and nearly impossible task, Spork! I probably wouldn't even live from that! How could you even think I would do something like that?"
And her closest companion would angrily hiss back-
"You haven't been yourself lately, Miyuki. Something is wrong with you and it's very obvious. You've been lying about charging yourself in rest mode, I know you have. Don't open your mouth! I've seen you walk down the corridors all by yourself at late hours! You keep checking into the Empire records and Control Brains for no reason at all! You are bluntly ignoring all requirements and regulations! You do not eat, you do not rest, and you don't even smile anymore. All you do is look into pieces of the Empire that aren't even there.
Why so surprised? Did you think that your own advisor and closest companion would not notice how you've changed? Everyone has noticed! Your own citizens fear you! My highest guard has even expressed worry over your welfare. Your own guard captain is terrified of you! Have you not seen the way his purple eyes widen when you talk of the mighty Empire that is falling to shreds only in your mind? The way you speak of horrors that aren't actually there? And don't even get me started on that twitch of yours. Irk knows you'll never explain to me about that no matter if your Pak lasts forever. None of this is real, Miyuki!"
If betrayal had ever hurt an Irken it was Miyuki who had been hurt the most from it.
"You have no idea what is real and no real! No one in the Empire does other than I! You just don't understand and you never will understand! This is real! I'm two different Irkens in one body! One side is a mindless Tallest that hasn't cared for her citizens properly in ages and the other side is an insightful, all knowing scientist. Do you remember that I was a scientist when we were younger, Spork? I don't. Not really. I'm not even sure what field I was in for science. I- I can't even remember my own past when I want too! I always feel like I'm being watched by them, like my every step is not my own, but their steps. I used to think that there was something wrong with me, Spork!
I realized that it wasn't me that was wrong, it was the Empire! It was the Control Brains and their insane laws! There is something wrong! There is! How can you not see all the innocent that is suffering? How can you not see that our home is just a planet that is creating devastation and destroying planets through the galaxy? There is no proof that we as Irkens decided on this plan! For all we know it could have been the Control Brains to decide this for their own gain! Look at how pathetic and insane we are! We pick a ruler because of height! I should not rule because of my height! I don't deserve the title of a Tallest! I deserve death by my own hands!"
Tallest Purple snapped his eyes open when the echo of a loud smack boomed through the corridor, never daring to look at the screen before his younger self. His narrowed eyes caught sight of green three-fingered hands knotting into fists, a deadly hiss escaping the Elite member. It was no surprise either. How dare some Irken look at the Tallest with disgust, let alone to even touch the Tallest? The little unit made a tiny hissing sound as by the glow of a dark red light he was in duty mode. The unit was pulled into the grasp of his master, both of them huddling against each other for comfort, neither saying a word nor needing to.
"Don't you ever say that again! I would rather kill you with my own bare hands than to ever let you take your own life! What if someone heard you? You know suicide is against regulations; it's even placed within the Origin Codes. This is what I've been talking about! You are going insane! You're- You're-"
Fear clouded his face, hand gripping the front of his robes as though something was going to rip right out of his chest if he didn't hold it down.
"You're acting like a defect and I can't stand it. Not you, Miyuki, anyone but you. You do not deserve such a fate as deactivation, you belong with us. Something is just wrong is all, but don't worry. We'll fix it, I promise. I will help you out any way I can. I have contacted the Control Brains dealing with the issues you have been having lately. You have a meeting with them later on; everything else in your schedule has been cancelled for you to attend the meeting. You have no way of getting out of it."
"No! Spork, please-!"
Had he sound that desperation when he had been crying out Red's name when he heard of his own meeting?
"No! No… No more trying to explain without making sense, no more of your insane theories, and no more of this talk of death. This is what you need. You need to confront your fears and actually talk to them. Maybe then you will realize that nothing is wrong with the Empire. You are everything to me, Miyuki, and I won't lose you. I promise I will help you. I will."
"Spork! Don't do this to-"
A siren began to blare out through the entire building.
The image of Tallest Miyuki sprawled out on her bed with tears brimming in her eyes with Advisor Spork towering over her was instantly gone. With a rough tug, Elite Purple began carrying his SIR Unit down the corridor as fast as he could. He didn't care that Air didn't even put the screen away yet, they had to run away from that door. It didn't matter where or who was there, just that they would get there now. The obnoxious noise helped to hide the loud steps of his beating feet, almost burying his face within the top of his unit's head. This was a terrible idea, he should have never been nosey, and he should have stayed away.
It was too late now though, so all they could do now was run.
"Come on, Meatbag! Hurry up!"
Tallest Purple hissed, tugging Dib by his collar as the two hurried after Young Purple, who was running down the stairs instead of taking the levitation padding. It might have been quicker, but it would have been suspicious if the pad to the Tallest's floor was suddenly gone for a bit. The human grunted, glasses falling to the edge of his nose as the Irken kept tugging him along. The younger Purple wasn't even breaking a sweat, probably because he was so scared to even process that he was sprinting so quickly. The other two following right behind him were having difficulties of their own though. Jeez- Why were there so many stairs?!
"Why are we…Gah! Running like this?!"
"Stupid- Meatbag… Always- Asking… Questions!"
The Tallest snarled back, though heavy breathing indicating that he wouldn't put up much of a fight. He really needed to get in shape more. Hovering for absolute years did that to you though! When Young Purple slipped through a doorway Tallest Purple was right on his heel, never once letting go of Dib as they sprinted. The poor human however was having difficultly breathing, the lining of his collar choking him as he was tugged along like some toy. He couldn't deal with this much longer! They had been sprinting at their fastest pace for well over ten minutes!
"Lose- Sight- Won't- Get- Memories!"
"What?!"
"You're- Dumber- Than- Zim!"
The teenager was far to tired to argue and was ready to just give up when the Younger Purple finally took a sharp turn and stopped sprinting. Were they on the first floor? Vort Research Station 9 had more than twelve floors! A Tallest wasn't supposed to run that much! Wasn't that against the rules or something?! The Irken Elite member pulled at his clothing and checked on the SIR Unit within his grasp, making sure the two of them had nothing out of place. Placing Air on the floor, he tugged his black mask upwards on his face, only covering everything that was underneath his eyes. The two headed halfway down the corridor to reach where a group of other Elite members were, all hanging around a light that was flashing red. A few moments later the siren was finally turned off, no longer blaring at them.
Tallest Purple plopped himself up against the corridor wall, head hung low for a few moments until he turned his gaze towards Dib. A nasty sneer made his lip twitch upwards, the human only glaring back at the Irken. They needed a few moments to relax before they would be able to hold a real argument. Letting his tall body slide to the floor, he rested his head against his propped knees, lazily turning his head towards Dib's direction.
"If we lose sight of my younger self, we lose everything. These are his- My- memories, not Miyuki's memories or anyone else's either. My memories are too good to belong to anyone else. If we lose sight of him- Me- We'll automatically wake up and this all would have been for nothing. We have to follow him- OhMyIrk- MY every step of the way!"
Young Purple obnoxiously laughed at something that Young Red had said resulting in the two smacking hands together in the air. The two turned away from the siren and other bodyguards as Tallest Miyuki and Advisor Spork approached them. Red started explaining what had happened; apparently the siren had accidentally been started up for no reason at all and everything was alright. Spork said something about 'checking out how experiments were going since we're down on this floor anyway' and the four turned away to walk all the way down the hallway.
"We have to follow every step?"
"Yeeesss."
Was all Tallest Purple whined back to Dib.
"I should have never promised Zim that I'd help him any way that I could."
The two pushed themselves upwards and took a single step-
Only to no longer be in the hallway with a roaring brown beast towering over them.
Dib gave a shocked cry, pressing himself up against Tallest Purple's side when the monstrous creature came into view. The Tallest pushed the Earthling off his side, wiping away the area he had touched as though dirt from some disgusting vermin had gotten onto him. It took the teenager a few moments to actually realize that the beast was actually behind a large glass screen, metal bars from top to bottom. His brown eyes wandered all over the new scenery, hand reaching outwards to place it against the cold glass that enclosed the creature. Purple gave a bored yawn, tilting his head to the side like he had better things to do than to gaze upon such a magnificent beast. This was nothing like Dib had ever seen before!
"Stop looking at that thing like it. You look like you want to mate with it. And that's creepy on it's own, let alone that it's you with that look."
"Hey! You know what?! You- You suck. Shut up. How did we even get here anyway? Weren't we just in a hallway?"
"Don't look so confused. These are memories. We're jumping from memory to memory; it's not going to be exact. If it was this was be, like, ten thousand times more boring. We're not here to get you a mate, so stop looking at that creature and come on! They're getting away!"
He tugged away from the glass and hurried after the Tallest, both of them hurrying towards the group that were slowly trailing around the research facility. Young Purple was positioned directly between Tallest Miyuki and Advisor Spork; making sure that if Spork even dared to even try and touch his Tallest again he would cut his hand off. Red was on the other side of Spork, the two exchanging glances when they noticed how cold and solemn Purple was acting. Why was he so tense? It was clearly obvious that he was more protective of Tallest Miyuki than usual, but why? Was it something Air had said?
The Elite member narrowed his eyes at the thought. Probably. That rotten little unit always did talk too much; no SIR Unit should be so obnoxious. So what if he was always right? He was still annoying and- And Red knew that he was simply jealous of how much Purple loved the little guy. He really wasn't so bad, he was one of the best units he had ever laid his eyes on, but still. Still. Something was off today and he was going to find out when he had the chance.
"What about this creature, Tallest Miyuki?"
The Vortian who was conducting the tour questioned the Tallest, tilting his head backwards to pass her a wide smile. The smile faded when she didn't even turn her head towards the creature, just gazing blankly into space. Her antennas perked up when she sensed that the group around her was staring at her, blinking a few times to refocus her eyes on the group. She didn't even let her lips twitch into a fake smile at the grinning Vortian, only tugging one eye lower than the other one.
"Yes? What is it, drone?"
Did Miyuki actually call someone a drone? And why do both Purple and Advisor Spork not seem surprised by this?!
"Oh- Uhh- I was just asking your opinion on the creature, Tallest."
She glanced at the pink object for a second, and then snapped her head to turn her attention back towards the Vortian.
"Does it truly matter? It's just another disgusting creature that'll be used by the Empire and serve for the Control Bra-"
"I think this is a remarkable creature, but not good enough. Show us some other ones."
Spork interrupted Tallest Miyuki, which Red had never seen him do before, but made no comment about it. Why would he? It wasn't his place, he was Spork's top guard, not Miyuki's like Purple was. He saw that his best friend locked his jaw, but said nothing as he locked arms with the Tallest, strolling away without a word. The other Elite member stayed by Spork's side, neither of them also not speaking a word to one another about what just happened. Tallest Purple and Dib weren't that far behind, purple eyes wandering all over the research facility.
He didn't remember much about Vort Research Station 9, just that it was way too creepy for his liking. He had always made Red go to this dinky place instead of him every time they wanted the Tallests to come down. There was no way that he, as the Tallest, was going to step foot into here when he didn't have to. Sure, Red was Tallest too, but he was the whinier and more demanding Tallest, so he didn't have to. Why had he refused to come here after all these years though? It was more than just the disgusting appearance and creepy creatures, if that had only been the reason he would never step foot on any other planet again.
Why had set him off all those years though?
"Mah Tallest! Oh, my Tallest!"
The human wiped his head away from the glass that his hands were pressed against, ignoring the three headed creature that was trying to claw its' way out to eat Dib. That annoying, obnoxious, mind-pulling voice- He knew that voice. For years he had both dreams and nightmares of that voice, every day and night that voice always haunted him. The owner of the voice was running towards the group, waving his hands around in the air like some sort of maniac. Even in a lab coat that overly gleeful expression at seeing the Tallest and stupid gestures had to be him.
Zim.
"What's he doing here?!"
"What? Zim? This was back when he wasn't as crazy. Well, actually, he was always crazy, but at this time we didn't actually know just how crazy he was. He was just destructive and slightly stupid at this time, but the Zim we know is really, really destructive and really, really, REALLY stupid. I remember when he worked here at the lab. Red and I used to like him back then, but then we actually got some brain cells and realized that he was completely insane."
Young Purple and Red waved at Zim as he proudly strode towards them, neither noticing the look of annoyance on Spork's face. It was this defect again. Hadn't they sent him here so they wouldn't have to deal with him? Tallest Miyuki gave a curt nod at the short Irken, not too bothered by the defect like Spork was, actually enjoying his presence slightly. Zim always knew how to get her mind off things, whether it was him destroying something or blowing it up, whatever he did work. And this was one of those times that she wanted her mind off things. The Vortian scientist who was giving the tour sneered, feeling bile come upwards in his throat at seeing the little Irken. Stupid Zim, always ruining everything!
"Tallest Miyuki! It's great to know that you're here today to see Zim's ALMIGHTY beast that I created all on my own! And I made sandwiches earlier, too!"
"Ohh- Sandwiches! Are there donuts?"
Zim gave an unsure look at Elite Purple, tugging at one side of his lab coat. It wouldn't be a good idea to make Miyuki's top guard unpleased, if that happened then she may not want to go and see his wonderful creation!
"Ehh- Did you want donuts?"
"… Yes?"
"Then of course the magnificent Zim made donuts for you! For all of you!"
"Yay!"
Purple and Red cheered together, no one in the group noticing, and not being able to see, the sour expression on Tallest Purple's features.
"Lying sack of sugar. I should have never followed for that lie, he never had donuts."
Dib rolled his brown eyes at Tallest Purple as the two began to follow behind the group once more, the human never missing the cold glare in the Vortian's eyes when Zim passed his view. The small Irken sneered at him, blowing a raspberry as he toured the group away towards the back of the research facility where his creature was at. Oh, his Tallest was going to be excited when she would see his monster! He expected nothing less than excitement though, it was impossible for no one to be excited about something the great and wonderful Zim created! The group suddenly halted before a large cage, Tallest Purple grunting when his tall body hit against Dib's body, knocking the human over. All he did was pass him an annoyed expression while Dib did the same, purple eyes glancing upwards to see why they had all stopped.
And for a single moment his Pak had stopped functioning.
A large, dark blue blob was within the large cage, the huge monster could barley fit into the fifteen foot prison. He was madly waving his tentacles from the top of his head around in his chamber, hissing and roaring at the sight of the Irkens before him. His large mouth opened to let drool travel down his bottom chin, reviling yellowed and dagger sharp teeth for all to see. A pink collar was around his neck, one of the tentacles tugging at it uncomfortably. When he realized that he wasn't going to get the Irkens he gave a pitiful growl, three green eyes blinking shut simultaneously. Purple didn't even realize that he had pressed his body up against Dib's for comfort, the teenage boy having no idea on what was happening to the Tallest. Was he having a panic attack? He didn't look like he was breathing anymore, wide eyes gazing onwards in fear at the creature.
"Tallest Purple?"
"By the past Tallest Miyuki- It's the Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob."
It was Dib's turn to stop breathing when Purple practically buried his face within the human's chest.
What was so important about this blob thing?
"Zim, what is that thing? It's hideous."
Advisor Spork spoke up when no one else said anything, having no idea what was happening right behind his back. The small scientist gave a smirk, passing a sandwich to Tallest Miyuki while Elite Purple and Red were eating away at their own sandwiches. Zim gestured a single hand towards the monster, trying his hardest to keep the rising grin off his face.
"Why, yes, my Advisor, he is ugly. Very ugly. Super-mega-Vortian-ugly. But he's also one of the greatest creatures ever created and it's all thanks to Zim! All hail the great ZIM!"
Elite Purple and Red rolled their eyes at him, not saying anything though since he had given them those sandwiches. He really was a great cook; he should have become a Frylord or something. Miyuki tilted her head back as the creature roared directly at her, not flinching one bit. Spork was right, it was ugly, but she had seen worse. Or had she? It wasn't like she could remember her memories all that well, maybe he was the ugliest creature she had ever seen. Perhaps.
"What's so great about him?"
"What's so great about him? Oh hoho, my Tallest, you have no idea what this amazing creature that Zim has created is capable of! My Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob is unlike anything ever done! He could defeat an army of Irkens without any effort! This creature has the strength of a million Irkens and the raw power of the entire Elite force! He can keep going forever, even our race must recharge themselves and we as Irkens are almighty and perfect! His energy is infinite as long as he is able to absorb the nutrients that he needs!"
"Really? That is impressive, Zim, but what is it that he absorbs?"
The wicked grin couldn't stop spreading all across his face.
"Everything."
"Everything?!"
"Ah, well, almost everything. Only thing he can't absorb is most metalloids, which is why he's perfectly fine in that cage, my Tallest. His favorite things to eat are chips, nachos, Irkens, sugar packs, and donuts. He-"
"What? What did you say that he liked to eat?!"
A certain look of horror crossed over Zim's eyes instantly when realization hit.
"… Chips?"
"Did- Did you just say that thing eats Irkens?!"
Now Zim seemed down right uncomfortable.
"Err- Yes, Elite Red, I did. It's not my fault though! Another scientist by the name of Frick had just suddenly fallen into his cage when he had said something nasty to Zim is all. No worries though! Frick was useless and I've taken over his part of the job, too! No need to thank me, my Tallest! It's all part of the job as a worker for the Empire!"
Purple and Red passed each other glances filled with ridicule, knowing that Zim, once again, screwed up and had done something to another Irken. Tallest Miyuki paid no heed to the other two or Spork, nodding her head approvingly at the creature.
"How do you control him though? What would happen if he escaped?"
"Simple enough, my Tallest! There is a remote we have that can make him stop in his tracks just by his collar! That's why Blob is wearing that silly collar, it is actually an ingenious controlling device incase he ever escapes! The remote controls everything! If only Zim knew where he had put it…"
"You have no idea where you put it?! What if he gets out?!"
Magenta eyes rolled, the small Irken annoyed at how dramatic Spork was acting.
"Please. He won't escape. That's IMPOSSIBLE. He can't get out of that cage unless someone of a high rank or a scientist gets into the panel and unlocks the cage. And I think Keva or Yama or what's-his-name has the remote control, so they'll be able to stop him by just a single press of a button. If not, someone can climb onto his back and just press the button on his collar. Pfft- You'd have to be insane to do something like that though. Now come, let Zim show you around the rest of the research facility! It was all my doing by the way that made this place so AMAZING!"
"Does he always have to scream?"
"Who knows? Zim's crazy."
"Yeah, you're right, Purple. Now come on, let's go, everyone is already walking away."
"No! Don't turn your back to it!"
Dib's heart nearly burst out of his chest when Tallest Purple cried from within his grasp, madly shaking out of his hold with a hand reaching outwards. He tried to grab the back of Young Red's clothing, but it was no use, his hand simply slipping pass the article of clothing. A sort of desperate terror was all across his features, hands shaking with panic. This couldn't be happening. Not twice. He couldn't go through this again! A hand gripped his forearm, body being forced to turn towards the figure that was gripping him roughly. The teenager was frowning deeply, refusing to loosen his grip on his forearms, eyebrows tugging downwards together in confusion.
"Calm down, Purple! What are you talking about? What's going to happen?"
"I remember this. After all these years, I can actually remember exactly what happened."
"Yeah?! What happens?"
"The blob that Zim created, it-"
Words suddenly halted when a loud clicking sound was heard, eyes widening in terror.
"It escapes."
All heads snapped around when the sound was heard, a cry of shock leaving Zim at the sight that was only ten feet away. The door to his cage was some how open, the blob reaching a tentacle outwards to touch the empty space that had once been occupied by the door that had enclosed him within his prison. When the situation clicked inside his head was when the creature roared like the monster he was, wasting no time in escaping his prison. Dib threw his entire weight against the Tallest to knock him over, using his body as a shield to cover the very tall Irken. The Tallest paled underneath his body, not even flinching when the monster went over their bodies like they weren't even though. Oh yeah, that's right, they really weren't there. Duh, Dib.
"Don't watch."
The human could do nothing else but just that.
He couldn't even feel Tallest Purple's fingers digging through his clothing and into the first layer of his skin as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes. Young Red wrapped his arms underneath Advisor Spork's arms and around his chest, dragging the Advisor along without question. He was screaming out commands like the Elite leader that he was, Dib couldn't tell you a single word he said though. His eyes stayed glued to Young Purple and Tallest Miyuki, a cold sweat creeping all along the back of his neck. Oh no, this couldn't be happening. There was no way that Zim's blob had… No.
No.
Young Purple was tugging his Tallest by her hand, sprinting with her hot on his heel, turning her head backwards to see where the creature had gone. He was only a few feet away, absorbing away large pieces from the ground where he touched and every time one of his tentacles smashed into something the object would wither away like nothing. From no where Zim was on the creature's back, a laser from his Pak shooting it in the head. The attack did nothing but anger the beast more, tentacles flying wildly and desperate animal instincts kicking in. A wicked laugh left his lips when he reached towards his creation's neck to press the button on his collar- Only to realize that his collar wasn't even there.
"WHAT?! Where is your collar you filthy, disgusting bea-!"
His sentence didn't finish when a tentacle smashed across his small body, flinging him backwards into the cage his creation had once been in. The small Irken slumped against the inside of the cage, body motionless as the human winced. Oh, that had to hurt! He gave only a split second thought to Zim when a cry broke through his thoughts. His head wiped around to see Young Purple bending over a fallen Tallest Miyuki, her leg caught under a piece of the ceiling that had fallen. The Blob caught the sight of the weak victim and gave off a roar unlike anything Dib had ever heard, bee lining directly towards the two Irkens on the ground. The human didn't even realize that he had pushed himself upwards until a tall body crashed down onto his shoulders, pushing him back down to the floor.
"NO! … No. You can't do anything. It's too late for her."
"Her?"
He choked out, letting himself slip to his knees when he realized just what exactly happened on this very day in Tallest Purple's memories. Red was still screaming for comrades to come as he threw grenades, but no attack worked. All the monster did was absorb every attack. Zim was right for once, this monster was great. Nearly perfect, all but one thing. His taste for Irken blood. Panic was all over Young Purple's face as he tried to open his Pak to get out his Pak legs to push the object off, but nothing was working. Why wouldn't his Pak open?! Why at a time like this?! He desperately tried pulling her body out from underneath the rubble; his only result was a cry of pain from her. The pair of purple eyes desperately met the pair of blue eyes, his Tallest only giving a single nod of her head.
Acceptance.
"Go."
"My Tallest! I can't leave you like this; I'm your top guard- Your partner! There has to be a way to get you out of here! The Empire can't go on without-"
"Yes, it can. Go."
"Miyuki, please!"
"GO!"
Young Purple didn't even realize that arms were wrapping around his chest till it was too late, his body unwillingly being dragged off by his best friend. The Elite member screamed at the top of his lungs while reaching his arms outwards towards his Tallest, Red keeping his eyes off what was going to happen behind his back. There was no way to save Tallest Miyuki, even if Purple had gotten her out in time and carried her. His calls weren't being answered, communication lines not being able to go through for some reason. There weren't enough men or time. The creature would have caught up in no time. The monster would have eaten both her and Purple. Red knew that it was his duty to protect both Advisor Spork and Tallest Miyuki, but not in situations like this when there was no winning scenario. He would have to just do his job as Advisor Spork's guard team Elite leader and save him and anyone else he could.
There was no way he could save the Tallest.
"My Tallest! Let go of me, Red, let go! She's going to die if we don't-!"
The Elite member stopped his frantic cries when the Blob was only mere inches away from the Tallest, stopping for just a few moments to gaze down at her. Through blurring vision he saw that his Tallest had proudly tilted her head backwards, not a single inch of fear across her features. Dib didn't even realize that Tallest Purple was still lying on his back, not able to feel anything at the sight of the defiant Tallest lying on the floor with no escape.
"You're not immortal and you will fall one day along with your imperfect Empire."
The creature gave a confused howl.
"Now, shut up and eat me."
The Blob did just that and he even ate up the rubble that had been on her too in one bite.
"MIYUKI!"
When Advisor Spork had cried her name from the other end of the research facility, the metallic doors suddenly exploded open, metal flinging all around the chamber. Elite Irkens were all rushing in at once, lasers flying every where and smoke now floating through the air. A laser shot against the Blob's head, resulting in him going into a fit of rage once more. The monster quickly spit some shiny object out of his mouth and rushed towards the wall of Elite members that were at the far end of the room. A shorter Irken was pulling Spork off the ground, eyeing him to make sure he had no wounds that needed immediate treatment.
"Forgive me, Advisor! Leader Red's communication link in his Pak kept breaking through and the doors refused to open, so we could not come sooner! What has happened?"
"… Miyuki…"
The Advisor did nothing else but wallow in his own self pity, letting the tears stream down his face unlike the proud Irken that he was. The short Irken looked rather uncomfortable by the display before he noticed that his Tallest wasn't in sight through the crowd of Irkens. No more words were spoken as the shorter Irken dragged the Advisor out of the destructive area, doing his job as an Elite member. Red lost his grip on Purple when his friend bit down on his hand, earning a sharp smack to the face and a yell of pain. Young Purple wasted no time though, sprinting towards where Miyuki's body had just been moments ago. He could hear Red bolting right behind him, dodging past other Irkens and vision not bothered by the smoke.
Through the mist of the fight Dib followed only a few feet away from the two, unconsciously aware that he was even moving at all. His own vision was being greatly bothered, but not by the smoke. He didn't even realize just how much the situation was affecting him, only gazing onwards as Red tackled Purple through the smoke onto the ground. The two began rolling along the floor until the fell into one of the many holes made by the monster's absorbing skills.
"I'm not going to lose you, Purple! You can't do anything for Miyuki now!"
"I saw that creature spit out something that belonged to her, Red! I have to get it! It's the only thing we have left of her! Please!"
The Elite Leader grit his teeth, loosening his grip on his best friend's shoulder, slipping his hand into the shaking hand that belonged to Purple. He should have been with the others trying to figure out what to do about this monster, but Purple needed him. He needed him. That monster was most likely still going to be rampaging all around Vort even after they found whatever was left of Miyuki. Purple's role model, teacher, and Tallest had just been killed before his eyes just mere moments ago. He could at least do this for his friend. So the two tugged forwards through the holes to find whatever was lost, the only light from the raging fire and lasers zipping pass their heads.
It didn't take too long to find out just what the monster had spit out. Young Purple stumbled towards the object numbly, ignoring his Tallest's wrist bands and hover belt that were lying their torn and worn out. Red spoke not a single word when he caught the sight of the object, staying a foot away from his best friend when the realization of the entire situation kicked in. Young Purple let himself fall roughly onto his knees, not even caring that he was going to have bruises on them tomorrow after he recharged. Trembling hands reached outwards, trailing over the metallic object that was covered in saliva.
It was Tallest Miyuki's Pak.
All Purple did was cry. He flung his body onto the Pak that had once belonged to his Tallest and cried like he had never cried before. He was so overly emotional that he didn't even realize that his own Pak was frizzing away, unable to control the rapid process of his emotional statement. His best friend was by his side instantly, arms wrapping around Purple so tightly that he heard his back crack. Purple didn't even acknowledge him however, only crying and screaming his rage and despair at the world. He should have saved her! He was her top guard and her very own student! This was all his fault! Everything was his fault!
"I'm so sorry, Purple."
Red had said that to his closet companion, but he wasn't the only to say that exact sentence. Tallest Purple turned his gaze towards Dib, so emotionless unlike his younger self. He gave a simple shrug at the human, lifting up his arm to pat the Earthling on the back. He made no mocking joke about the fact that Dib was nearly crying over someone that wasn't even his Tallest.
"She knew that she was going to die. There was nothing anyone could do, I know that now. We need to go through these memories; I know we're so close to figuring this entire situation out. I can feel it in my squeedily spooch."
"To go through this all over again though…"
"No. I'm glad I did, I realize something now that I didn't when she first died."
"What could you have possibly realized from this terrible incident?!"
The pair of purple eyes simply gazed downwards at the Pak of his past Tallest.
"I'm not a defect. They are."
…To Be Continued…
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NOT happy with the ending, but this chapter really wasn't falling into place as I planned. That's okay, I shall be doing many much more of the better chapters later on! I promise! :D
Please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!
Have a wonderful day, you guys! I hope to see you soon enough, but if not, I leave some biscuits and cupcakes out for you guys!
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