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Ew. Gross. Author's note.

Dark-Rose: Oh. My. God. OhMyGodOhMyGodOHMYGOD! That picture was the best thing ever! I am in love with the picture you made for me! I can't believe you actually liked the last chapter so much that you actually made a picture for me! Would it be fanfiction pressure if I told everyone to go look at it and love it as much as I do? ;P Thank you for making it for me! :D

KraZiie: Yup. Boot Camp. Terrified out of my wits that I leave in less than four/five days, but it's all good. This is the career path that I wanted. :P And yes, InvaderConIII is for 2014! :D I probably won't be able to go since that'll be my first year in the Navy, but I hope some of you guys get too! I heard that both InvaderCon I and II were awesome!

Thank you to all my reviewers/silent favorites/my stalker- I love you guys! I hope some of you would be less-than-silent, but hey, I'm glad you still come along to steal some cookies. ;) Thanks again for the reviews, everyone! I love them and it means the world to me that you took your time to leave a review!

Now, I want this chapter to be the last chapter I do before I come back. I want this to leave on my hiatus with a big (or above average, probably above a C+. Okay, guys, maybe a D+, Gawd!) BANG. Hopefully I can do that with this chapter, but who knows? Maybe it'll be the best chapter yet, maybe it'll be the worst. I'm hoping for the first option. :) This chapter may be really long (not completely sure since I haven't started) so fair warning. :P

Let me begin the last chapter that I'll be doing till I come back!

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It Only Takes A Smeet

…

(Planet Irk, Few Months Ago, Smeet Facility)

…

"Be glad that I don't have to say the usual-"

First it started with words that should have been spoken with love, not with rage and misery. The smeet made no movement though and didn't even know that he had even said those words. What sort of person who was presumed dead would be able to hear? Would a creature be counted dead if they had never taken their first breath though?

"Welcome to life, Irken Child. Report for duty."

Then there was life. The fateful words that the Control Brains had said to over billions of Irkens had been spoken once more, but not from them. From an actual Irken. Her Pak began whirling away at once, powering up her mind and her body for the first time ever. It had not been some machines that had brought her to life, but an actual Irken.

"- To you. This isn't the time to be apart of the Irken race."

And finally there was a breath. She began breathing and after a few moments the little smeet opened her red eyes to the world. The first thing she didn't see was the looming walls or the creepy, dim lighting of the smeet facility. Nor did she even notice all of her brethren that surrounded her that one day would not be born for their time had already passed. How was a smeet to know this? Her Pak may have given her a higher intelligent that most full grown men, but there was a limit that a Pak could teach you. And this was one of those limits. She would learn of pain, suffering, and disasters later on in life. That was not for today though.

No, today was meant to experience her very first of many things. Her first breath, her first emotion, and the first thing she ever saw. A very, very tall Irken was rushing away from where she laid, his shoulders slumped and arms wrapped around himself. All she was able to see of him was his red robes and bent antennas, but that was all she needed to know. Every Irken knew certain Irkens by the clothing they were, it was something that was programmed into your Pak. She snuggled closer to the blanket that had been wrapped around her by the tall Irken, her first smile forming on her face.

Her Tallest.

It had been her Tallest who had welcomed her into the world, not some machines.

Tallest Red.

Admiration was the first emotion the little smeet had ever experienced.

…

(Planet Meekrob, Count Mephisia, Present)

…

"And we're sorry for bothering you, but this could work… If we were able to have your help with it."

Lard Nar was awkwardly bending down on his thighs before the three royals of Planet Meekrob. Countess Zort and Express Mort were nodding their heads eagerly, glancing at each other with gleaming eyes. This was too good. There was no way this Vortian had actually offered this idea. Vortians were cowards and had been under Irk's control for absolute years. Every species knew that they were little wussies when it came to defying Irk. Heck, even the leader of the Resisty was counted as a hero to the Vortians and all he had done was ruin their snacks and write on the Massive.

Ohh- The chills!

"I think this idea is GREAT! We should AGREE to it!"

"I must agree with Mort, we must. It's time to take down those who have done us wrong."

Queen Port hovered before Lard Nar, who had a grinning Shloonktapooxis on his right side and trembling Spleenk on his other side. Both of her arms were positioned behind her back, a scowl on the face of someone who never wore one. When the glaring eyes of the queen met his eyes it took all the courage Lard Nar had to keep his back straight, never breaking eye contact with her. He wasn't as cowardly as he used to be, he knew that. He could feel it. He hadn't felt any actual fear in months, he thought the cocky and mighty feeling would have faded by now, but it hadn't. Whatever had been controlling him was now permanently gone. He was proud, he was intelligent, and he was strong.

He was Vortian.

"You want our help because you believe that we will be able to help you greatly in this battle, correct?"

"Oh, yes, Queen Port! We know with your help we could do this! And we also wanted you-"

"Ah, of course you want us. You want our resources. Just like all of the other planets. You think our power is limitless and we are immortal. I have terrible news for you, little Vortian. We are not all-powerful beings and we are not perfect. We do not pretend to be as intelligent as Vortians. We do not pretend to be the image of perfection like the Irkens believe they are. We are Meekrobs. We are a dying race and we won't be able to help you out too much. You will be the second member of a different species to see what is happening to our planet."

The queen removed her left arm from behind her back to life it up to his face, only earning gasps from her sisters. Her hand was nearly gone; flickering a few times with a very dull image of what had once been a properly working Meekrob hand. Spleenk gave a girly shrill as Shloon stopped grinning stupidly, both realizing the desperate need of this planet. Where had their power gone? What had happened to their source of energy? All heads bent downwards in shame except that of the Vortian, his eyes never tugging away from the sight.

"We. Are. Not. Immortal."

Lard Nar slowly blinked for a moment, unsure how to respond to the enraged queen. For a few moments he stayed silent until he opened his mouth to calmly state-

"And we also wanted you because you deserve to be apart of this more than any race. You are Irk's greatest enemy and have never fallen under their control. You have seen first hand what they have done to planets. Your planet, Meekrob, is one of the only planets to have ever faced Irk and not taken over by them. It is not only the Vortians or Meekrobs that need you, the entire universe does. You may not be immortal, but no race is. Vortains aren't, Berottens definitely aren't since their life span is only about six hours, and even the mighty Irkens are not. While they still exist though and are ruining the lives of those who are still exist. This isn't just about us; this is about the entire universe. You can't just sit here and wallow in your own self-pity about your planet dying.

Our planets many years ago had once been great allies. Vortians and Meekrobs used to work side by side until the Irkens came along. They tore us apart when the Meekrobs had stayed strong and the Vortians had just fallen under their control. I, Lard Nar, am here today as the leader of the Resisty and a Vortian to ask for your help. If you accept, this isn't just an alliance for a single battle, but for a lifetime. You know as well as I do that the alliance between Vortians and Meekrobs had been a mighty one. If we succeed, I shall help you to figure out a way to save your planet. This I promise you."

He stood before the queen's hovering form, no longer bowing like some sort of minion.

He stood there as an equal.

"It is time to stop them, Queen Port. If we can't save you, don't you at least want to do something with the last moments of your life though?"

Queen Port simply gazed out through a window at the far end of the chamber.

She had to do what was right for both her people and all of the other species that had been taken over by the Irkens.

The need of the many outweigh the need of the few- Or the one.

"… I accept, not just to join you for a single battle, but for an alliance for the rest of my life. The life of Meekrob. No matter how much time I and my people have left. Let us go and see if we can directly contact Planet Vortian, I heard they had been having communication problems for a while now. We must prepare for the destruction of planet Irk and Tallest Red."

Many miles away from Planet Meekrob, in a small ship, ex-Advisor Tenn was curled up into a ball, sobbing to herself as the ship's coordinates were set in to send her back to her home planet.

…

(Planet Irk, One Day After Birth, Smeet Facility)

…

Loud sounds brought the little smeet out of her own world.

Her little dark green hands stopped their movement, glancing upwards at the ceiling, trying to not lose her balance on the chair in the process. The lights on the ceiling shook for a second, but then they had stopped just a moment later. With a shrug she went back to work, tugging at the large cable till she finally connected it to the power outlet. She slowly slid herself off the chair, making sure to actually touch the ground with her tiny legs before heading off to another spot in the facility. The little smeet came before a tube with a green smiley face lit up on it, her own smile lighting up her own features. This little guy was ready to be hatched.

The room around her began to shake once more.

The little smeet may have been very advanced and stronger than most species that had been born just a day ago, but even she could not stay up during this situation. Her legs tumbled under her, wide red eyes looking upwards as she arched her neck to see the ceiling once more. Lights were swinging high above, some debris falling to the bottom floor, and the top floor even started to chip away at everything that was happening. She was not scared though, just confused and curious. What were those sounds? After many moments of just listening her Pak finally helped her to process what the sounds actually were.

Lasers. Shooting. Screaming.

Many Irkens screaming.

"Attention- Irken citizens! Attention! Irk is under a national planetary lockdown! Everyone must go in doors to the nearest building possible! Stay calm, everything is under control! Please do not resist or you will be marked down as defective! Every one that is marked down shall be given the punishment of execution! Plan Dust is now activating! Repeat- Plan Dust is now activating!"

Plan Dust? What was Plan Dust? That plan was no where in the information her Pak held.

She gave a shrug once more and went to her previous task. The little smeet tugged and tugged the other end of the cable that wasn't connected to the panel in the wall. The red eyed Irken hissed when she tripped slightly over her clothing that was too long for her little legs, but she still didn't stop her task. The cloth she had been lying on when she had been born had been so warm that she found a metal clip to turn it into a- A- A dress, her Pak informed her, a toga actually.

Oh. A To-ga. Okay!

"Plan Dust has been authorized by the Tallest. Every Irken except those who were personally appointed will be kept stationed indoors until further notice. At least two soldiers will be placed in every sector. A solider will always be with an individual or a group, there will always be a soldier there… For your safety. Force fields are being placed all around to keep yo- Enemies out. Irk had been hailed from planet… Sekaroo not very long ago, they planning on an attack against Irk. We are trying our best to protect everyone with the lack of energy our planet has."

Planet Sekaroo? Oh, no! Hopefully everyone was indoors! Good thing the Tallest was watching out for everyone! Feeling- What was she feeling? Safe! Now that she was feeling safe knowing that there were no disasters outside, she was finally able to connect the end of the cable she had to the tube with a green smiley face on it. She was almost trembling in joy when her little body had actually completed the first part of the task. Now came the next difficult part of the plan.

Getting back on the chair.

She skipped towards the metal chair, grunting and hissing when she kept tripping over her to-ga along the way. Something seemed wrong with everything around the birthing facility. First, she had tried to relay the simple things in her Pak- The job she was destined for, Irken history, even her name- Nothing came up though. She didn't even have a name. Earlier today she also noticed that when the smiley faces on the tubes went green no arms came out to power up the chambers like they were supposed to. In a matter of hours the green smiley face was gone and the smeet had never been born. Why though? Was something wrong with the power? Her worry had faded away instantly when a thought came to her, leaving her in a fit of giggles when she had first started her big task.

She had power! Her Pak was full of power, probably enough to supply the machines up a little more just to help some of the smeets! Maybe all this place needed was power is all! That's why Tallest Red was the one to do her welcoming; it was because the Control Brains needed a break!

Finally back on top of the chair, after many failed attempts and unspoken curse words that someone her age should not know, she was ready to begin. Finding another open outlet she opened her Pak to let a wire slip out of it, connecting it to the same outlet that the other cord was on. At first there was nothing, and then a gasp of shock left her lips at a sudden feeling. She had just been shocked! Something had shocked her! At once the panel began absorbing the power from her Pak, her little hands pressing buttons at a rapid speed, not knowing what she was really doing.

Whatever it was though, it seemed to have been working!

"Only certain individuals will be able to step outside anytime in order to maintain peace. A warning signal will go off if someone that is not the chosen individual goes outside. This lockdown will not be kept for long; it'll only remain till the situation is fixed. Do not resist. Do not go outside unless permitted. We are trying our best to solve the issue."

The little smeet didn't hear any of the words though, eyes only glued to the scene before her.

Metallic arms came out of nowhere as they began turning the tube, taking it out of the chamber in the wall it had been stuck in. Simply breaking the tube in half, the lifeless smeet fell to the ground, hunched over in an uncomfortable position. From the ceiling, another mechanical arm reached downwards towards the smeet, a Pak within the grasp of that arm. The sound of drilling was the only sound that was heard, after holes had been placed into the smeet's back the Pak fit nicely into the open wounds. The other smeet tried to not let a smile cross her face when the other arm zapped the smeet directly on the head, supposedly powering up the Pak and activating the smeet. The arms disappeared back upwards into the darkness of the ceiling, the wire connecting to the panel being pulled out as the smeet slipped off the chair to stumble towards the lying smeet.

Nothing happened though.

The smeet was still in the position that it had been left in on the ground.

The smeet was unmoving.

But why? What had gone wrong? The living smeet sniffled pathetically as she lowered herself by the side of the other smeet, placing a hand on the shoulder. She didn't even realize that the walls were still shaking and the screaming had never ceased the entire, simply moving the smeet to lie on its' side instead of staying in that uncomfortable position. She sat there for a few moments, letting her eyes fill with tears as she swam in- What was this? Despair? In despair for the first time ever in her short lifetime. Her hand brushed against the antenna, went over the light green cheek, and stayed on the cheek. Having no other idea on what to do, the little smeet spoke both her very first words and the first words she had ever heard-

"Welcome to life, Irken Child. Report for duty."

"This is all for your safety. Do not panic. Everything is alright."

Red met purple.

The two smeets just gazed at each other for many moments, neither moving. The red eyed smeet took in every single feature about her companion lying before her. Light green skin, curled antenna, slightly dark purple eyes, long and dark lashes- Clearly female. The two said nothing until the purple eyed smeet suddenly growled, pushing herself upwards to sit in a criss-cross position to look at her fellow smeet in the eye. Few more moments of silence and that's when she finally scowled.

"Well?"

The red eyed smeet blinked.

"Well what?"

Purple eyed smeet hissed.

"What duty do I need to report to? What's my name? And who the Irk are you?"

Red eyed smeet sneered for the first time since she had been born.

"Aren't you a nasty little smeet? I don't know what your duty is, it's just the words I have to say to you to start up your Pak, I guess. I don't know your name and- I don't have a name."

Her last sentence was a little unsure, tugging the red toga that was tied around her body in a nervous manner. Purple eyes traveled down the smeet's body that was before her vision, never had the red eyed smeet seen someone look so bored. Well, this was the first person she's seen face to face, but still. That wasn't the point. After a few seconds the little smeet clicked her tongue rudely, her high pitched voice breaking though the silence of the room.

"What color are my eyes?"

Another slow blink, just as confused as the one before.

"Umm- Purple. A shade of Violet, I guess."

"Yeah? Great. Your name is Red and my name is Purple. Now, what's our duty?"

The other smeet, who was now dubbed Red, let her mouth fall open in shock at the smeet before her.

"What? Red and Purple? Those- Those are the names of our Tallests! We can't have those names!"

The youngest smeet, Purple, only gave a mocking laugh at her.

"Then be proud of the fact that you've been named after your Tallest! Most Irkens would cut off their antennas to be named after such powerful people! I named you Red and you will like it! You can- I don't know- Change your name or something later. Find a way to change your eyes and outfit a different color. I mean, seriously, if you didn't want to be called 'Red' you shouldn't wear so much red."

Huh, well- That was a good point. A very sarcastic and rude point, but still a point none-the-less.

Red and Purple it was.

"Oh, alright, fine. Just for now."

"Great, horrible to meet you, Red."

"Displeasure to meet you, too, Purple."

"NOW- What. Is. Our. Duty?"

"I told you that I don't know what our-!"

Her sentence suddenly halted.

Purple gave an annoyed look, glancing over her shoulder to see what the other smeet was gazing at with wide eyes. There were thousands of tubes towering all around the two, but one single tube stood out from the rest. It was a single tube that was way too high up for the two smeets, the green smiley face on it lighting up rather brightly through the slightly dim facility. She tugged a non-existent eyebrow upwards at the sight, letting her head lazily fall to her shoulder to give a dull look at Red.

"What?"

"Our duty is to figure ways to hatch all of these smeets since the Control Brains can't right now."

Shock was apparent on Purple's face, the first time she had ever experienced the emotion.

"What? All of them?! But- But-"

"Nope. You asked what our duty was and you got it."

Purple hissed when Red stuck her tongue out mockingly.

"We don't even know that many names though! Look at how high that tube is! I can't do this!"

"We'll just make some up. We'll figure out a way to get up there. Come on, it is our job as Irkens to help the Empire out any way we can. The Control Brains aren't working and something is happening top side that is making the Tallest too busy to come down here and check out things. We can do this. Tallest Red hatched me, I hatched you, and you will hatch the smeet up there."

Her antennas dropped downwards slightly.

"Please, Purple, I need your help. I want you to do this with me as a friend."

The other smeet glared at her, but finally gave a sigh as her high pitched voice huffed-

"Fine, Red, fine. But I want a dress thingy like you have."

"Yeah, okay, I'll see if there's anymore cloth left over, I think there is. If not, I'll find you some. It's called a to-ga by the way."

That's when Red and Purple shared a smile for the first time.

…

(Floating In The Galaxy, The Massive, Present)

…

"This was too easy."

"It was because the amazing ZIM was the one to do this mission! I never fail my Tallest!"

"No, I mean, seriously, this was too easy. Something is wrong."

Gaz stated, lifting her arm outwards so Zim couldn't walk pass her. This had all been too easy. All the guards had been so busy with their own self pity and panicking over Irk's resources that no one even knew that they were on the ship. What useless guards. Along with that, nothing had been set up to set them from getting on the ship! Zim hacked a few things, landed the Voot Cruiser, and they walked through all of the hallways until they found a suspicious door. Opened the door and there it was, a Pak. Miyuki's Pak, to be exact, Zim said that he knew that had to have been Miyuki's Pak. It even still had some of the blob's spit on it from all those years ago! No guards to stop them, no defenses were up, nothing.

She did not get into her 'Vampire Piggy Hunter 6: Ninja Piggies Attack' outfit for nothing.

There needed to be at least one person she could beat the snot out of.

"Disgusting Gazling, no task is too difficult for Zim. Job well done once again! Now move, get your little Earthling hands out of the way."

The Irken reached forward to touch the Pak that was propped upwards on a little stand, but the human smacked his hand down away from it. Zim hissed, grabbing his hand like he had just been hit by his mother, narrowing his maroon eyes. Gir was coming up behind them from the hallway, bags of chips and donuts within his arms and head opened wide open, showing the world that his head was filled with nacho cheese. The little unit giggled when he saw his master get hit, snuggling up against Gaz's leg when his master glared down at him.

"What now?"

"I said this is too easy, Zim. There's probably a trap or something set up."

"Oh, that's it? Okay."

Before a shocked cry could leave her lips a screaming Gir was suddenly thrown against the Pak, donuts and chips flying in the air. Zim didn't even blink as he automatically reached a hand in the air, caught a donut, and brought it down to his mouth so he could take a bite. The little unit kept screaming even after both him and the Pak were on the ground, nothing happening. The human pushed Zim away with a sneer, hurrying towards Gir to make sure he was alright. The Irken waved his hands behind her back in a mocking way, but realizing that it was to no use.

"What if that had set up a trap, Zim?! You could have destroyed all of us! I can't believe how stupid you are!"

"Hmm- What was that, Gazling? Zim couldn't hear you over the sound of his own greatness."

"At least someone thinks you're great."

She gave a harsh laugh at her retort, earning a hiss from the Irken that was still standing by the closed metallic door. Her hand reached forward to grab Gir, but instead her finger tips brushed up against the Pak's outer edge. Stupid Gir and being covered in cheese! He was so slippery! Before she could reach for Gir again a wire shot out from the Pak, wrapping around her wrist instantly. Gaz tried to tug her hand away but had no luck, a cry escaping her lips when more wires began shooting out of the Pak. Zim instantly come forward to help Gaz, pulling at the holster on her leg to get her laser.

"What's happening?!"

"I don't know! I've never seen a Pak do that ever! Even when there had been that mutated Pak virus- Which Zim did not create for the fun of it- Paks still didn't do anything like this!"

"Do something NOW or I'LL END YOUR EXISTENCE WITH A FIERY FIST OF DOOM!"

"Fine, fine! I'm going! Pushy meatbag!"

Zim would never admit this, not in his entire lifetime, but he was actually slightly-itty-bitty-tiny-bit worried about what was happening. No matter how many wires he was shooting off more and more kept coming, some slicing across his own skin. The Pak wasn't after him or Gir though, it was trying to get Gaz and only Gaz. Both the laser and his hand were moving rapidly, pulling off wires like his life depended on it. Movements stopped abruptly, magenta eyes widening for a second until the tall Irken slumped forward on top of his own body. Dark purple blood was now traveling down the back of his neck, fingers randomly twitching here and there.

The Pak had electrocuted him till he had passed out.

"Zim!"

The teenager cried out, reaching a hand outward for a wire to latch onto it, wrapping both of her arms behind her back. She whipped her head back and forth until she felt something fall against her thigh, glancing downwards to see that Gir was sparking. A gasp left her lips as she tried to keep fighting off the Pak that was climbing up towards her back. Nothing she did help though, she couldn't even protect herself, let alone make sure that Zim and Gir were alright. A snarl overtook her features, not willingly giving up until she felt three sharp tip points touch her back.

Pain she had never felt before suddenly overtook all of her senses.

The Pak had pushed itself through the thick leather of her clothing, three prongs making a perfect triangle shape in the middle of her back. Her screams were only halted because she bit her bottom lip roughly, ignoring the taste of blood. Oh God, what was happening to her?! What sort of trap was this?! It felt like she was being electrified from the inside out, this was insane. A few moments, which felt like hours to the Earthling, had finally passed and there were no longer any shocking currents. She moaned as the pain lingered on longer than she liked, gripping the side of her head with her palm to try and press down on the headache that was now forming.

What on Earth had just happened?!

'I've been waiting for a mind like yours.'

Ember eyes widen at the soft, feminine voice that rung through her head.

Not her voice, someone else's, a voice that she had never heard in her entire life.

'Whoa- Excuse me?'

'Hello, unknown creature. I am Tallest Miyuki, a pleasure to meet you.'

'Oh. Hell. No.'

…

(Planet Irk, Few Days After Purple's Birth, Smeet Facility)

…

"Uhh- Reef?"

"No, I want better."

"Mip?"

"No. Better."

"Hiktor?"

"No! Better!"

"Ehh- Uhh- How about… Rimapoke?"

"What? No! That's a terrible name!"

"Your name will be Razz and you will LIKE IT! Report for duty, moron!"

Green eyes narrowed, arms crossing over his little chest.

"Yeah? And what if I don't?"

"I'll beat you up and eat your antennas, that's what! Now, get! I have things I have to discuss with Red!"

The male smeet, who was now called Razz whether he liked it or not, frowned, but gave a nod. He hurried towards a few other smeets that were setting up a large machine in the middle of the room, wires and cords all over the place. Purple slanted her eyes at the group, holding back a sigh of annoyance when she saw a magenta eye smeet tumble over wires, body getting tangled in them at once. Others hurried away from their positions to help him, laughing and joking to help lighten the mood. By Irk, that Zimlyminotopin guy was going to be the death of everyone one day, Purple just knew.

Red and Purple turned towards each other with a grin.

"That Razz guy is gonna be trouble, can't believe he tried to argue about his name."

"Ah, well, it happens. No worries, I just want him to help us out is all."

"So, report for today, Red?"

"We now officially have eight smeets, ten including the two of us. Min and Kiba went farther back into the facility today and found a lot of different supplies. Fabric to make actual clothing, more circuits to connect the internal wirings of the machine, and some more food. Apparently the workers that had once been here had an addiction to donuts, chips, soda, and pretzels. That's alright though; we shouldn't be stuck with the same food for too much longer though. There was also-"

"When are we going to go top side?"

The smeet tilted her head over to gaze at her rather blunt friend, a weak smile crossing her lips. The same question had been on her mind for a while now. When will they go to the top side where they belonged with the rest of the Irken Race? Would it be tomorrow? Today maybe? She had finally come up with an answer to the question finally when she saw the other smeets working on the machine in the middle of the facility.

"When we get the machine built and working properly. Our duty is to make sure that the smeet facility is running on its own and won't need an Irken's Pak to power it up. We can do this, Purple, we can. It'll take no time at all and I have a feeling that this… This is our actual duty to the Empire, whether it was placed into our Pak or not. This is why we were born."

"Pfft- Getting all wise and stuff. That's lame. But yeah, I get it, it is our job to do this for the Empire and I'm glad I get to do it with you. Come on, let's go and get some chips before Zimlyminotupin finds a way to destroy them. Poor guy, he's such a klutz, keeps messing things up."

"Ha! Right? Poor Zimlyminotupin! Yesterday when him and Trapinch were connecting the outer wires he electrocuted himself when he accidentally got his antenna stuck in the socket. What is it that we say all the time though?"

"Oh, that Zim!"

The two giggled as they hurried back towards where everyone else was, going to help out the group with their task.

…

(Planet Irk, Control Brain Headquarters, Present)

…

He should have known from the beginning.

He should have known that it was him who did this.

He should have known that, of course, it was him.

It always him.

And yet, he didn't know.

In the shadows a tall figure was leaning forward in a hovering chair, glaring red eyes glued to the screen that was inches from his face. Playing was the same video that he had seen over millions of time. This time was different though. This time he finally knew who took Purple. How could he have not known? Yeah, he was taller, much taller. A lot taller. So tall that the Tallest himself was slightly impressed with his height and- Dare he say it to himself even when he was alone?- And even a little imitated. Not imitated by the Irken, but the height of the Irken. He wasn't supposed to get tall, than again, he wasn't supposed to still be alive after all these years, was he? Yet he was and there he was on the screen.

It was always him.

He should have known. Why didn't he even think that it could have been him?

Well, that was easy enough to come up with answers for. Because the Irken on the screen was tall and not a single ounce of cockiness was on his features, that wasn't the Irken he had banished. The Irken dropping towards Tallest Purple at rapid speed was brave, willing to do anything for his Tallest, moves were so precise- Not the moron he knew. Clothing on the very tall Irken no longer fit him, but the annoying creature he knew had that same outfit and it had fit him perfectly years ago. Sure, he hadn't actually paid attention to how much the Irken changed over the years, but why should he?

On screen during their transmissions he was still cocky, still moronic, and still very, very annoying. Maybe he should have paid attention a bit more, but he didn't blame himself for not looking very hard at him during transmissions. He wasn't supposed to change. He didn't change. Yet there the Irken was- Very tall, very mighty, and very much in control. Something must have been wrong with the screen. There had to be something wrong with the screen he was watching from.

Because on this screen was a worthy Irken, not the defect he knew so well from the Massive's screen.

He knew the defect.

Not that Irken.

Still, he should have known.

Now came the part that still hurt to watch. The image on the screen showed Tallest Purple falling through the air, his mouth opened wide in a screaming motion. Only about fifty feet away from the Tallest was a tall Irken with his arms pressed against his sides, speeding through the air like a bullet to reach towards his Tallest. Purple caught the sight of the Irken and his screaming halted for a few moments, wide eyes gazing at him for many moments. When something clicked inside his head he opened his mouth to scream in shock and horror-

"ZIM?!"

The Tallest on screen wasn't the only Tallest to scream the defect's name though.

The enraged leader began knocking items off the desk all around him, shattering items in every single direction in the chamber. Of course it was Zim who took Purple! Of course! Wasn't it always that defect?! His fists slammed against the panel board by the screen, not caring that he crushed it to pieces. Zim, Zim, ZIM! That stupid defect! He should have just executed him with his bare hands when he had the chance! Dark purple blood trailed down the sides of his hands, but he didn't care. This pain didn't even match the emotional and mental pain he had been going through for months. Why did Zim keep Tallest Purple to himself? How did that defect come out of no where like he knew something wrong was going to go down?! Why? WHY?! What hurt the most though?

The fact that he should have known.

HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!

Breathing heavily, the Tallest mindlessly wiped his blood off on his robe, not even looking around the room that he had completely destroyed. He had never figured out a way to save Irk. He never fixed the smeet birthing facilities; he had never found a different power source to keep Irk going without the Control Brains, and he hadn't even found a way to repair the Control Brains to restore all off their coding and Irken history. His citizens were no longer his citizens, Irkens could no longer be hatched so there would be no future generation, and even his highest officers could not be trusted. At least one thing was going right though. Just one single thing.

He could get his best friend back. Maybe Purple would help fix everything.

"Sic."

Tallest Red spoke to his communicator on his wrist, on purpose not using the Irken's rank.

"Yes, my Tallest?"

"Contact the Massive. I want the ship sent to Irk. Now."

"My Tallest?!"

"I did the job that you were supposed to do. I found where Tallest Purple is located. I'm taking the Massive and going to get him. Personally."

"… Tallest Red, you can't! What about Plan Dust? What of our power resources, our birthing facilities, and everything else that hasn't been fixed? We are running out of food supplies and basic needs! We can't even recharge all the way since the power is almost completely gone! You have Irkens locked into buildings with no way to leave or go to their jobs! You have your own citizens in quarantine! You-"

"Get me the Massive, Sic."

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO YOUR OWN-!"

"I just did. You have no idea what Irk needs. Look at you, you tried to run off with your little mate and run away from your own home planet. I'm finding ways to fix it and all you're doing is crying like a smeet to yourself. Contact the Massive now or I'll deactive Gig right here and right now."

"… You're not that Tallest you used to be, Red."

"Yeah? And you're not the Commander you used to be, especially since you don't even have the rank of a Commander anymore. Shame, too, you were one of my favorite Irkens, Sic. You used to have honor and all that other stuff no one actually cares about. You had to go and put your own pathetic needs into this situation though. Now, I believe I ordered you to do something."

All the Tallest received on the end of the line was static, the ex-Commander doing as his Tallest ordered.

Tallest Red stared into the darkness of the room, no longer watching the screen for the fact that he had broken it during his rage fit. Was Sic right? Was he different? Thinking over the entire situation he did seem a bit… Crazier. He was forcing his own people to stay indoors, was there even a point to that? He had known Sic since both his and Purple's academy years, never once had Sic done something to harm either Tallest. If Zim had Purple, then he was probably safe. Zim wouldn't hurt Purple; he was too far loyal for that. Maybe he did need to stay on Irk too-

Red didn't even realize that he had twitched.

Sic was a moron who didn't know what he was talking about. Just another stupid Irken who was crying in his own misery and not helping out Irk. As Tallest he couldn't have everyone running around Irk like idiots, they would just waste more power and time. It was for their safety. Zim might not intentionally hurt Purple, but he was known to screw things up. Getting Purple back would take no time at all. He would come back with Purple and they would fix everything together. Maybe the other Tallest had ideas that he never even thought of. Irk was his top priority. He was Tallest, he knew what was needed and not! Tallest Purple was needed. Fixing the power supply was needed. Birthing smeets was needed. Getting the coding back was needed. Plan Dust was needed.

Control was needed.

…

(Planet Irk, Few Days Ago, Smeet Facility)

…

"Purple, report every smeet that was have now in chronological order."

"What?"

"… What?"

Red questioned back to her closest companion, antennas bending downwards at the baffled expression.

"I didn't even know what that word means!"

It took every ounce she had not to smack herself in the face.

"Just tell me everyone from oldest to youngest, including us."

"OH! Okay. Jeez- Could have just said it like that. Reporting in all smeets! Red, Purple, Zimlyminotupin, Min, Kiba, Tiff, Trapinch, Rust, Kem'mon- Who's after Kem'mon…? Oh, yeah! Razz, Shleet, Larkz, Woorb, Meeno, Skooter, Yeena, Heath, and Nacho. There are exactly eighteen smeets including you and I, Red!"

A smile graced Red's face at the sight of all the smeets standing at attention behind Purple, and though some of them weren't doing it properly, each one was saluting. She gave a nod at the group, saluting back until they raised all their hands downwards at the same time. Strolling towards Purple's side, the two girls shared a look and then turned their attentions back towards the group. She may have been counted as the leader, but even after all this time (which wasn't much mind you, for she was only a couple weeks old), she still felt really awkward talking before the group of smeets. Their leader put on a smile anyway, not showing how nervous she actually was about the entire ordeal.

"Today is the day."

Who knew such simple words would start a load of chaos?!

"What?! TODAY?!"

"Finally! I'm so excited!"

"OW! Stop jumping, you stepped on my foot! Today though, really?"

"Is it finally here?!"

"No way! NoWayNoWayNoWAY!"

"This is the greatest thing EVER!"

"Who would have believed…?"

"Are you sure it's all ready?"

All eyes turned towards the quiet voice, some gazes narrowed, few others with wide eyes, and one smeet just simply gazed at him. He took a step before the crowd, tugging nervously with a light green hand on his very high white collar, no one being able to tell if he was frowning or not because of it. Both antennas and eyes lowered at the expression most of the other smeets were giving him, shuffling his hands into his white laboratory coat.

Red had always liked his eyes the most out of everyone else's eyes. They were a metallic color with white marks randomly through them, the result of slipping with some random concoction he made first day he was born. Thank the almighty Tallest that he didn't go blind. He was such a spazz; one of his antennas was bent more than the other because he had broken it when he fell on some wires. Even if he was a klutz he was the most intelligent one out of all of them, it was him that came up with the idea for a machine to power up the entire Smeet Facility.

It was so hard for her to not be drawn in by Zimlyminotupin.

"Why would you ask such a thing you-"

"Don't even start, Razz! You've had a mouth since the first day you were born and I'll happily smack that mouth if you harass Zimlyminotupin one more time!"

The green eyed smeet immediately closed his mouth at his leader's hiss. Soft red eyes turned back towards oddly colored metallic eyes, a smile tugging at her mouth. She didn't need to see under his popped collar to know that he was smiling himself, shifting his hands out of his pockets.

"You know it's ready. We've been working on this project this entire time and your plan is flawless. The blue prints were perfect! It's ready!"

"What if one of the wires is wrong though? What if we didn't connect something properly and it explodes? I don't want it to go off and hurt everyone here if it explodes!"

"Explode? Come on, Zim, you know it's going to work fine! Have faith in yourself! It's not like-"

The obnoxious noise of a loud click interrupted their conversation.

All eyes turned towards where the sound came from, all mouths falling open at the sight. Kem'mon was taking a few steps away from the large machine in the middle of the room, head tilted upwards to give it a once over. Turning his magenta eyes back towards the group he gave a simple shrug, smirk crossing his lips.

"What? Someone needed to press the button and it wasn't going to be you two."

The group of eighteen smeets huddled together when the lights of the machine kicked on, blue and yellow colors now shinning all over the chamber. Red didn't even realize that she was tightly gripping both Purple and Zimlyminotupin in her grasp, large eyes never pulling away from the machine. Turners began to whirl away and the machine cried out for the very first time in a high pitched whine. Had this been a silly idea? Was this going to work? Both Zim and her had agreed that perhaps connecting the machine power outlets to unused Paks would help power up everything, but maybe they were wrong. Perhaps the Pak needed to be connected to an Irken to be used; Red had just thought that maybe if they could use a Pak without the Irken then maybe, just maybe, there would be a new power source.

Not an unlimited power source for the facility, but a new one to help just a bit.

Cheers of joy erupted like a volcano when metallic arms began the process they had done so many times before. Unscrew the tube with the green smiley face out, break it in half, put holes into the smeet, and then place the Pak in through the holes. When arms retracted was when the leader of the group slipped forward towards the unmoving smeet, a smile tugging at her lips at the pale green skin. She was so very tiny, itty bitty, with a single long and dark eye lashed on each closed eye. She was perfect as the nineteenth smeet to join their colony.

"Welcome to life, Irken Child. Report for duty."

Dark purple eyes met red orbs.

"Hi, I'm Red. You don't know me, but you will. We're all here to help show you around and to be your companions. Your name will be Device, is that alright with you?"

There it was- What Red looked for every time she talked to a new smeet.

That smile.

"Yes. I'm happy to be here, Red."

At once all of the smeets gathered around the newcomer, chatting away non-stop and pulling her into the first hugs she had ever received. The leader slipped out of the crowding group, heading towards the machine in the middle of the room. Purple and Zimlyminotupin joined each side of their leader, none of them uttering a single word as they simply gazed at the machine. Not needing to say a word all three of them raised their hands in the air to pass each other a high-three, each of them giddy and giggly. It was Red who was jumping in her spot slightly, turning her attention towards Purple to give her a wide grin.

"Do you get what this means?!"

"Yes! No! …No. Yeah, I mean, no, I don't. Not really. What?"

"We have just created a new power source for Irk! The birthing facilities are going to be fully running again!"

There was no way that the little leader would know that their new invention would power more than the birthing facilities- Unless Irk collapsed within itself first from corruption.

…To Be Continued…

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What?! No look into the rest of Purple's memories?!

Lol no, I'm very tired and have much too pack up, so here are some answers on what happened to the little smeet from many chapters ago. :D

So, please review! Tell me what was liked/disliked, all that jazz!

Love all of you guys and hopefully I'll be able to update soon! Till next time, everyone, have a great day!

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