A/N: HAPPY YEAR ANN. FOR THIS STORY. MY GIFT TO YOU IS THIS LONG FING CHAPTER THAT REVEALS SOOOOOO MUCH! SOrry it's being posted so late I got seven mintutes beore I am too late. Sorry for mistakes. Uhhh Hey my goats gave birth this weekend, I've been with them the whole time it's been crazy as fuck around here. 8 goats in all now. 1 baby didn't make it in a litter of two, her name is now Angel since she is one and she did pass away in my arms, but I told her she was loved and that who ever was up there was going to give her better treatment then we could've. Very sad but we were blessed to get 4 healthy babies out of the two preg goats. It was a HUGE surprise...hehhhhh. Anyways No review responses since I am almost too late. LOVE YOU ALL. ENJOY THE CRAZY ASS REVEALING SURPRISE AT THE END I JUST DIDN"T EDIT OUT AHAHAHAHAH FML.

I OWN NOTHING.

~WHY 5 mins left!

"All trainees Invader examinations will be done tomorrow at exactly noon, be there or die!" The Sargent yelled at the young cadets. All invaders saluted, well expect me I was always kind of the outcast and at the moment my mind was on different things. "DIIISSSMISSED!" He concluded loudly, blowing a whistle and walking away from the crowd of Invaders. Everyone was now excitedly chattering and gathering in their friend groups, prepping each other with questions for their tests tomorrow. I was confident I was going to pass; I'd known about the test for nearly two months and hadn't stopped training since. I worked day and night (Well most of my night) on honing in my skills, though sneaking around didn't exactly sound fun, destruction seemed much more appeasing in my mind.

I kept to myself as I wormed through all the other taller invaders. Some tripped me or shoved me aside, or pretended to trip over me saying they didn't see me there. Normally, this would've aggravated me and another fight that I would most likely lose would break out. They always ganged up on me, it was never a fair fight, but that's ok because again, my mind was on other things.

Well maybe not a thing so much as a whom.

Just the thought made me smile a bit as I trotted through the masses of soldiers, heading back to my bunker that I was forced to share with all the guys. Though they were jerks and constantly tried to grope me, it still wouldn't dampen my mood. I was planning something big for the night, since it was a very special night.

I continued to think about it as I stepped into my bunker and headed toward my assigned bed, I'd have to pretend to be asleep before I could actually leave. But it was late anyways so I didn't mind.

I crawled in, making sure to curl into a ball so I wouldn't be groped in the middle of the night. I also slept in my coat, making sure everything was in it before completely settling down. The bed was uncomfortable and a spring kept poking me in the antenna but I just ignored the annoyance as all the guys filed in for the night and went to bed without bothering me! I was slightly suspicious of it, understanding that it wasn't normal to have a night of peace but not caring either way.

I waited another hour, making sure that no one was awake before sitting up and shoving a couple pillows under my blanket to make it look like I was there. I slowly slipped off the bottom bunk of the bed and snuck out of the bunker, sighing once I was out in the cool night air.

I had about half an hour before I was supposed to meet, but I knew she'd be there early so I wanted to be there early as well. I really liked this girl and I wanted her to know it, but we've just been talking and comparing life styles for the past few months I've known her. I can tell she likes me though, I just know it!

So I started sprinting off toward our place, feeling too excited to walk. I hopped the base fences and easily dodged any and all security cameras before coming out upon the edge of the woods separating the palace, the academy and the military base.

I took one last glance back toward base before huffing out a laugh and plunging into the woods. I knew what I was doing was forbidden to my Empire, but that's why it was exciting! It was dangerous and we could get in a lot of trouble if we were caught sneaking out to be together and from such different hierarchies too! It was so wrong but it just felt so right.

I was coming up upon our spot when I heard some bushes rustling. I knew it was her, she was always loud when trying to be sneaky, but to be fair she'd never had to be sneaky before so of course she wouldn't know how to mask sound. I on the other hand had experience with it and I LOVED sneaking up on her, it was like the highlight of my nights.

I crouched down and peered through some brush anxiously, seeing her pacing around in a circle, muttering to herself and bouncing up and down every once and a while. I contemplated the thought of just watching her for a while, wanting to see what she'd do if I was late but since tonight was special I don't want her to be mad at me.

I crawled on my stomach until I was just a few feet away from her, from there I slithered up behind a tree and peered around it, seeing her antenna perk. She must of sensed that someone was here. Before she could ask about me, I jumped forward, shouting her name and scaring the piss out of her. "YOU ASS!" She shouted, holding a hand over her heart while giving me a playful glare.

I on the other hand was on my ass laughing. I could never get over that little puppy dog yelp she'd let out every time I'd scare her, it was just amazing. She was no ordinary girl. "It's not funny Zim!" She protested, kicking my leg gently and glaring at me.

"Yes it is," I panted back, rolling over and grabbing her leg, ripping it out from under her and bringing her to the ground with me, "So was that."

"Jerk!" She teased, socking me in the arm and smiling, "I have exciting news tonight."

"Oh really?" I said, making a face at her and ceasing all laughter.

"Yes really," She scoffed, rolling her eyes at my face, "My sister was elected to be my guard today! She will be officially protecting me from now on!"

"You have a sister?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes, not by blood though. Her name is Tabitha, I think I've mentioned her before."

"Well sure you have, but you never mentioned her occupation or the fact that she's your sister!" I huffed, rolling onto my stomach and crossing my arms so I could set my face on them and look at her.

"I guess it just never came up in conversation, well anyways, Uncle Vex was beaming with pride but I had to wear this fancy dress and act all prim and proper, it was agonizing!"

"Oh so agonizing," I teased, smirking at her.

"It was!" She protested, "How would you like it if I put you in a dress and made you strut around with a book on your head to keep balance!"

"Well I'd feel like royalty," I rolled the word off my tongue; smiling at the death glare she gave me, "You know I have exciting news too."

"Oh please do share so I can mock you instead of the other way around."

"Now now be nice or Zimmy won't share his secrets."

"Oh shut, spill it, I want to know." She rolled her big blue eyes again, "Let me guess, you're amazing?"

"Ohhh close, but no cigar," I smiled, "Though I am fairly amazing."

"Just fairly?"

"Ok absolutely and completely A-MAZ-ING. But that's not it! I am taking my invaders test tomorrow! If I pass I have a shot of being in the elites and then I can go conquer planets!"

"You mean like leave? To conquer a different planet…won't that take a while?"

"Well sure, but I get to bring back gifts to my queen, won't that be nice?"

"I could never thank you for them, I wouldn't get the chance."

"Who needs the chance; we've got our spot and each other. Besides I don't need to be thanked, I am loyal to my Tallest!"

"I know you are, and you'll easily pass your invaders test, it's what you were born to be," A small sigh escaped her lips, making my antenna perk as we stared up at the sky together. I felt my stomach churn worriedly for a second as I thought about holding her hand. Maybe I should ask…would that be to cliché? Or maybe I should just 'Accidentally' have my hand slip into hers…

I Kept thinking of this until feeling her hand slip into mine, making my heart skip a beat. I intertwined our fingers, feeling my face heat up immensely as I tried to focus on the sky and the cool air around me, not the heat radiating between our hands. "What were you born to be Car?"

"Something I am not interested in," She mumbled back, "But maybe I was born for a greater purpose, like to…help you pass your invaders test! Or something."

"Nah, you were born for much greater things than either of those, I know it," I said sincerely, looking down and smiling so I didn't have to feel her looking at me.

"How do you know?"

"Because…" I thought for a second, finally gaining the courage to look over at her, though I blushed again when I did, great Irk I was a mess around this woman, "Because you have the power to choose your own destiny and you're beautiful and smart, you could be anything you want to be, do anything you want to do, see anyone you want to see."

"Except the invaders," She murmured, looking away again.

"Sure you can see the invaders!" I protested, "I'll always be around, just call me and I'll come for anything," She gave me a skeptical look, "Really I will! I promise," I squeezed her hand gently, making her smile and look back up into the starry sky.

"You're really something else Zim."

"Oh you don't say," She laughed, making me laugh, it felt good to laugh it felt great to be with her. I think I loved her.

"I'm serious! You are the first really respectful invader I've met, though I haven't met many. Uncle Vex catches the punk invaders trying to break into the castle though; it's fun to watch him in action."

"I'm now slightly frightened of this Vex character, does he know I exist?"

"Mmm no, but he knows something's up with me, I may have to be more cautious when I get out here to see you."

"Well, you don't have to EVERY night you know; I know you're busy with your duties and all."

"Yeah but you're more important to me than being a princess is. The perks really aren't that great, my dad and I get death threats nearly every day. They drive Uncle Vex crazy!"

"Do you really mean that?" I asked softly, smiling over at her and rolling onto my side so I could look at her when I talk.

"Of course I do," She answered, "you're the first real Irken I can talk to and be myself around! And you make me laugh. Uncle Vex can too but it's not the same. I don't blush as much around him as I do around you."

"You're pretty when you blush," I commented, "But thank you, I sometimes wonder if you just see me as a burden."

"How could I?" Cari scoffed, "You're too much fun to be around to be a burden. Plus you're interesting, I don't see many Irkens with such vibrant ruby eyes, I feel like you can see my soul sometimes."

"Maybe I CAN see your soul, and what if I told you it was just as beautiful inside as you are on the outside?"

"I wouldn't believe you because my heart is black and pumps oil," She grinned, scooting closer, "But thanks." She was silent for a moment, contemplating a thought before speaking again, "If I tell you something, will you be creeped out or would you still come see me?"

"Depends, what is it you want to tell me?"

"Um," She blushed for a second before glancing away, "I don't know if I should. I don't interact with enough Irkens to know when or when not to say what I am thinking."

"Oh come on; just tell me, I promise it won't throw me for a loop."

"Ok, but I totally warned you," She pointed out, leaning over and muttering in my antenna, "I really like you."

Ok…NOW I was really blushing. My face was burning hot and I was silent for a second, "Ok I lied that did throw me for a loop." She seemed a bit nervous at that, but I made up for it by doing the same to her and murmuring, "But I like you more, so I don't mind."

"You do?" Her antenna shot up and she looked at me full on for a second. I just smiled and scooted closer to her, sitting up and letting her rest her face on my shoulder while I leaned my head against hers, intertwining our antenna.

"Yeah, I really do."

Narrator's POV.

Zim's eye lids groggily popped open as he looked around, confused. The room was large and colored purple and red. There were pieces of machinery in every corner of the room and rows on rows of beds, surrounding him. It smelled like a hospital and the air around him felt heavy and tired.

His mouth and throat felt dry as he glanced toward a door. He hadn't a clue as to where he was or how he got there but as he tried to sit up, he shouted in agony and fell back down into the bed, clutching his arm and curling up around his stomach. Pain had exploded in his abdomen as soon as he moved and his arm felt as if it were on fire. He pried an eye open to look at it, only to gasp upon seeing dark green marks in a coil shape around it, going all the way up to his shoulder and cutting into the meat, leaving dried blood, swollen cuts and dark bruises in its wake.

Memories slipped back into his mind and he remembered the coil trap he was caught in…but he'd been left there to die for two days before he'd finally passed out. Though he was surprised the walkers didn't get him first. He remembered the deaths that'd happened and Cari being shot in the side, which agitated him like no other. "She must be around here too," He whispered hoarsely to himself, holding sore stomach and trying to sit up again.

He grunted in agony and clenched his teeth, panting through the as he grabbed the side of the bed to help him sit up at least. He was not successful in his attempts and quickly slipped back down into a laying position, angry at his sudden defeat.

His hand clenched into a fist and pounded onto the hard mattress as he let out an aggravated yell, snapping his head back into the cushiony pillow. The blankets were soft but too hot and they were sadly pinned under the mattress around him, leaving him stuck in the bind of heat. He could be on an enemy ship for all he knows, defenseless and wounded and where would that leave him? Dead that's where.

However that couldn't possibly make sense. Unless they intended to keep him for interrogation there was no reason to keep him alive. He was already nearly dead before, so why go to such an extent to revive him? It wasn't logically and especially wasn't probable.

"WHERE AM I!?" Zim snarled loudly, looking around at the other empty medical beds. He was pissed now, he couldn't get up on his own, he couldn't even figure out who had got him in here in the first place.

An angry but pained grunt slipped out of his throat when he strained his muscles to scream, it hurt worse now that the damage had been done. "If I am in a medic bay then there has to be a nurse contact somewhere here," He glanced around, hearing an annoying beeping that was making his antenna curl up angrily but no sign of a nurse alert button.

For a moment he relaxed into the bed, slipping his eye lids shut and taking in a deep breath to try and mentally work out his situation. Though it didn't help that when every time a calming thought wormed it's way in, that annoying beeping cast it away again. Now all he could think about was the word 'beep' in different shades, colors and fonts. It was annoying him like no other.

The sound was traced by his antenna to a pulse clip on his pointer finger, so glaring at the object; he ripped it off and chucked it at the now flat lining monitor. It was making an even worse noise, giving him more stress.

When he was about to explode at the inferior thing, the door finally twisted open and two worried looking Irkens came in. He had to admit, he was relieved that they were living Irkens but he was still pissed at the situation, "SHUT IT UP!" Zim snarled, pointing at the contraption with his good arm.

"Ok just calm down please," The female said, looking at him with minty green eyes covered in tons of black eye shadow and mascara. She hurried over to the monitor, heels clicking across the hard metal ground before unplugging the contraption and showing him the end of the plug, wanting to satisfy his anger.

Zim said no thanks, in fact, he said absolutely nothing until the male Irken piped up, "I am the doctor on this vessel and you sir are lucky to even be alive right now," again, Zim gave him no thanks or any recognition at all.

"Where am I?" He finally asked, "And how did I get here?"

"You're in a medical bay aboard the massive, the Tallest requested you had your own room, seeing as you don't exactly play well with others when you are angry," The doctor said calmly, looking over toward the nurse to address her properly, "Laya will you please administer him muscle relaxers and a pain killer?"

"Sure," The girl now known as Laya answered, smiling as if her race and whole world had never gone to hell in the first place.

She walked over to a drawer and pulled out a vile with a shiny blue liquid in it. The color reminded Zim a lot of Cari's Caribbean blue eyes, making a dull ache seep into his heart. Laya on the other hand continued to press a long needle tip into the vile and extract the blue liquid, flicking the end of the needle once she was finished with it and walking over to Zim, giving him a warm smile.

"You're not sticking that Irk awful thing in me, anywhere," Zim growled defensively.

"Zim, you need it, you're agitated and probably a bit scared and confused right now," She sympathized, "You really need this injection, if not to relax you then to make it so your body and PAK can heal you faster."

"Zim said no," He said stubbornly, "I demand to speak with the Tallest."

"Maybe when you're better," She smiled again, waiting to get a good moment to get the injection in successfully.

"How did I get here?" Zim continued, ignoring her completely.

"Some scouts had picked up on the high walker activity a few days before you were found, then they went to scope out the reason for such activity. They found you, nearly dead and starved to death caught in a trap like a mouse. They couldn't free you from the trap, in fact the ordeal only got worse, so they cut the trap above your shoulder blade and brought you back here, where we expertly cut off the bind and thankfully saved your arm, which I will need to be checking."

"Zim's arm is fine," He insisted, "Why didn't they leave me for dead."

"You were alive when they found you, and not infected so what else was there to do?"

"Leave me to die; it would've ended better for everyone."

"You are not the same person many people have talked about, but at the same time what they've said doesn't seem to be true anyways. You don't seem annoying as much as you are aggressive." Laya brought up, glancing toward the doctor whom was looking through his clip board at Zim's health notes and jotting down something's as the conversation continued on.

"My fellow Irkens do not know the real Zim," He hissed, glaring at her through slits for eyes and baring his canines at her, making sure his antenna were snapped back to show he was not pleased to have her company. His claws dug deep into the hard mattress as he continued to attempt intimidating her. He couldn't grab her without being sedated and he couldn't sit up to make himself any bigger than he was lying back in the bed.

"There is no need for that Zim, please let me administer you your injection now," Laya sighed, starting to grow impatient with the stubborn male before her. She moved and attempted to grab his arm, but he jerked it away and growled angrily toward her, "Zim please, all I want is to help you."

"I want my family back, where are they? Have the Tallest's troops invaded Moon's base yet? To free any of the slaves?"

Laya gave him a lost look, "Um, why don't we just get you something to eat and drink? That will make you feel better."

"You didn't answer my questions."

"I don't have answers for them," She simply explained, walking over to the doctor and whispering something that was not audible to Zim in his antenna. The doctor pulled away and nodded, glancing back toward his feisty patient with a calm, steady look.

She left not long later, leaving the Doctor and Zim in there, "Do you know where Zim's friends and family are?" Zim tried, looking over at the doctor fiercely.

"They're gone Zim, no one was with you when you were located. Maybe you were just dreaming it all up. You were intensely dehydrated and starved when our troops found you, so it would make sense that you had a hallucination," Now Zim gave the doctor a lost look.

"Were there no dead bodies anywhere near me?"

"As far as I know only some Vortarians that were mauled by walkers and a young male, he'd been shot twice. Did you kill him?"

"No," Zim said sadly, looking away, "he was a friend, was there not a female there either?"

"No," The doctor said simply, "Was there supposed to be?"

"Yes another close friend was killed by the forced hand of her best friend, she was shot through the head as well, she should've been there," He gave the doctor a helpless look, fearing the worst for Oniumare. The doctor fidgeted uncomfortably upon hearing this, looking toward the ground before sighing and meeting Zim's fearful gaze again.

"I'm sorry Zim, but by what you described, this girl you're talking about is now probably a walker roaming the streets of Irk. They must be shot through the PAK to be put down as our soldiers have found, but if not then they come back as…monsters." Zim's expression turned into one of horror at this, crumpling like a hurt smeets would as he went silent and turned away from the doctor.

"Zim wishes to be alone now," He barely whispered, feeling his sore stomach sink in grief. He knew the doc would not leave him, but all he could do was hope. Just the thought of Oniumare as one of those…those things made him give out a silent cry of agony. She did not deserve that, no Irken deserved that.

"I can't leave you yet until Laya comes back with your food, would you like to know your health status in the meantime?" Zim frowned at this, wanting to say he wasn't hungry but he really WAS hungry and couldn't remember that last time he'd eaten anything solid and was able to keep it down properly. He however did not answer the doctor, knowing the other male would continue to tell him anyways. "Your body was eating itself, since you were so starved and most of your vital organs were shutting down when you came in. Your arm there will have some bruising for a while, but with luck there will be no scarring. I noticed some open wounds that had previously been stitched before, where did you get them?"

"I was attacked by a walker, it pierced me with its PAK legs in my shoulder and hip," Zim briefly explained, glancing over his shoulder when he heard the door open once again.

"You survived a walker attack?"

"Oh please," Zim scoffed, "Don't sound impressed. I survived because my family saved me, they did what they could for the burns and wounds the legs left in me, but clearly I didn't exactly have any healing gel around to whisk the injury away in one swipe."

"Ah," The doctor said, not knowing how to exactly to answer, "Well, we did have healing gel and those wounds are no more, sadly because of the stitches you will have scars," Zim merely grunted in response, not caring the least bit, "You speak of your family a lot, do you understand it is forbidden to have such close relations such as family under a Tallest's rule?"

"That never stopped me in the past, so why should it stop me now?" He answered gruffly, "Plenty of Irkens have those relationships, the Tallest's are just too dull to see that."

"Please do not speak of our leaders that way Zim," Laya interjected, setting a tray of hot food down next to Zim's hospital bed, "They saved your life. They'll save all our lives."

"Please, don't humor me so," Zim scoffed sarcastically, "I know who will save our race and it will not be those pathetic rulers, it will be the Irkens themselves. Your scouts as you mentioned earlier are doing more than your precious Tallest could do in an eternity."

"Rebel huh?" The doctor asked, coming closer to help him sit up, "I've heard you had a bit of a touchy side when the Tallest came up in conversation. I can see my sources were not wrong." Zim, grunting as he was helped up looked toward the other male judgmentally. He knew these people thought of him as an insane defect, but he was so much more than that, he could do so much more, he was an Irken solider with a military background. He WAS chosen to be in operation impending Doom 1, but that had been just after Cari's disappearance and Blue's untimely demise. He had been insane then, wanting nothing more than to destroy the reality he was living, to find an escape route in something else, something that didn't remind him of the ones he loved so much and lost so quickly. He was bent on pleasing his Tallest; they were his only distraction, he was doing so to avenge and respect Blue's rule over the empire and it was the only thing giving him something to do so he wouldn't self-destruct himself.

He at one point remembered getting a lead that a female Irken named Tak had involvement with his love's disappearance. He had however not expected her to be taking her invaders test right when he was having a break down, trying to get a snack he and Cari shared zillions of times before. Though when he heard her crying out for help in her confinement, he made no move to help her. He truly believed she had something to do with his mate's disappearance and was therefore dubbed an enemy who only sought to hurt him. For that, he would hurt her back, right where he knew it'd get her the most. That was of course her being an experienced invader, and now look where she was, drifting alone in space somewhere, probably dead. That'd teach her to mess with the likes of Zim.

His thoughts were snapped back into reality as the doctor clipped something onto his antenna, piercing the sensitive stalk with a sharp point and locking in place. He yelp and snapped his hand up to see what it was, it was in fact a tag, "What have you done!?" Zim screeched, glaring at the doctor hatefully.

"You are being tagged Zim. This is so the empire can track your whereabouts after you're fit enough to be drafted into the army and help with the resistance." He said it like it was an honor, it only felt like a violation of privacy to Zim at this point.

"Take it off," He snarled, grabbing the doctors coat and bringing him down to eye level.

"I can't, the chip has been injected into your antenna already, the tag is just so the others aboard the vessel know what your occupation as of now is going to be."

"I am already an experienced military solider!" He shouted, shoving the doctor away and reaching up to try and yank the chip off himself, it would not budge, "I spent half my life training to be an invader, training to be the best of the best and what respect do I get, NOTHING, I was labeled as that insane outcast and defective invader to my race. I was in the elite army with the young Tallest's themselves for three years before they were labeled as advisors for Tallest blue! I believe I am FIT enough for your examinations of being drafted!"

"You are not physically well," the doctor tried to compromise, finding it harder and harder to deal with the hot headed Irken.

"That's a laugh, what's your next punch line? That I'm not mentally healthy either? At this point, I'd say I'd have to agree with you there pal. The love of my life turned out to be evil and I STILL love her, my pregnant best friend is being used as a toy to a psychopath, my family are now slaves to mass murders and I am here, getting treatment for my wounds while there is NO action being taken to find survivors with no use in the military."

"Laya get the sedative, he's having another break down," the doc said, calmly, pushing Zim's shoulder back down into the bed.

"You will NOT inject Zim with ANY sort of sedative!" Zim shouted, lashing out against the doctor as the other male tried desperately to hold him down, trying to keep his head still as Laya forcefully jammed the sedative needle into his jugular and pushed the orange liquid in with a fluid movement.

Instantly, Zim's thrashing arms became nothing more than limp appendages as his head lolled to the side. His jaw hung down slightly and his tongue drooped out since he no longer had the energy to pull it back in. His antenna had fallen limp and his hands previously clutching the doctor's shirt were now just resting against the other male's chest, barely digging into the fabric. He was completely slack any tense muscles were now being forced to relax and it was as much embarrassing as it was aggravating. Sadly though, Zim could not feel the anger bubbling around inside him as drooped back into the hospital bed and let his head fall back at an awkward position on the pillow behind him, "Should we inform the Tallest? It's the third time we've had to sedate him in the past week." Laya muttered, frowning slightly at the helpless sight in front of her.

"No, he won't remember this long conversation when he wakes up anyways. He'll just know he has one job and that's to serve his empire. Please do make him comfortable though, he can have his food later, until then I want hourly checkups on him and get that heart monitor working again, I need to know his vitals." Laya frowned slightly before obediently carrying out her orders, she lowered Zim's bed head down quite a bit and laid him back properly into it, pulling some of the covers from under the mattress and tucking them under his frail body, pulling them up over his exposed chest. He was out by now, not being aware of his surroundings as he slurred out little words every once and a while.

Laya sighed again; every time he was asleep he'd talk about someone named Cari. She once caught him purring and thought it was rather cute but made no move to wake him up as he squirmed and scratched at the air. She ran a hand over his antenna to smooth them out into a relaxed position on the pillows while smiling at the little purrs he unconsciously let out. He'd started twitching a bit and was pawing the air, so she had to grab his wrists and set them back onto the bed, under the covers where he would instead kneed the mattress.

"What ARE you dreaming?" She muttered to herself, grabbing his tray and slipping out of the room to let him rest. He'd get his drafting information when he woke up, and then be sent to training and his first missions within the next week. She knew it'd be the last time she ever saw him, it's how it'd been with all the drafted soldiers who were like him…those who had emotion would volunteer to fight the hardest for their race and would be abandoned by their own in the end, left for dead with the enemy. It was disheartening.

Narrators POV. 2

Zim wasn't the only one getting medical care, he was however the only one getting GOOD medical care. He was tended to by nurses and given food to help his condition whereas Cari…not so much.

She sat in a locked room, having to rewrap and clean her own bullet wound every day, sometimes she'd have to stitch it up again without pain killers. But she was alive and that was all that mattered. So for the third time in the past two days she sat, rewrapping her wound and sighing sadly.

She was so…lonely, she was not allowed to see the other slaves no matter what and now Moon hardly ever visited her. As much as she wanted him dead she did like to see the face of an Irken at least every once and a while.

Though she did have another Irken with her, she'd been taking care of this one too. It was Angel and boy was she more than a handful. In the middle of the night she'd constantly wake up screaming for Vex or Axel in her own smeet language but Cari was the only one there to soothe her back to sleep.

Cari knew the child was frightened, but she couldn't do much for her, it was hard enough to watch her as it was. Angel was quite the adventurous little child now that she'd grown a bit and could stumble around.

At the moment Angel was doing just that, wandering around the spacious room and rolling around on the floor just out of boredom, "Angel," Cari muttered in a depressed voice looking intently at the ground, "You're going to get yourself hurt if you keep rolling around where you please."

Angel just gave her a confused look with her head tilted slightly to the side before she rolled over to where Cari was and held onto her leg giggling and looking up at the older female. "Wan dad," She tried to say, playing with her tongue and speaking in natural Irken.

Cari was surprised at Angel's words, wondering how the young child even remembered how to say dad. Cari sure never said it around her, and she'd only recently started talking. I mean she'd said before that Angel's daddy would get her soon but never before had she ever said the single word "Dad". "Well you're just a smart little bugger aren't you?" She cooed, swooping her arms down and picking Angel up under her arms, "Soon daddy will be able to visit again."

Angel seemed content with this and clapped her hands together, smiling and moving her hands to place on Cari's face, "Ki ki," Cari gave her a confused look, wondering what she meant until Angel said it again making it a bit clearer this time, "Ki ki mis daddy too."

"Ah well…yeah I miss Vex too, just probably not as much as you do," She smiled for a moment until Angel gave her another confused look, "Ki ki miss daddy too." Again the child smiled. She glanced around for a second before squirming out of Cari's grip and making her way to the floor, rolling around some more while grabbing the nearest thing to play with which would be Vex's hat Cari snatched before she was taken away those many weeks ago.

"Daddy!" Angel shouted, putting the hat on, though it engulfed her entire body except for her feet, she was just THAT small.

Cari watched her play for another few moments before hearing the door hissing open. Her mood instantly dampened when Moon stepped in, looking bored as usual, "What now?" She grumbled, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Always nice to see you too Cari. I came here not for you but for the child, her father is off on good behavior and demanded to see his child, so I will let him for the time being."

"That's nice," Cari rolled her eyes, turning away from Moon and hauling her legs up onto the bed, "Just bring her back in one piece please."

"I won't be bringing her anywhere, Vex will be coming here."

"WHAT!?" Cari shouted, eyes widening as she snapped her gaze over to Moon, "Oh no, no, no, no, no! You take her somewhere to meet with Vex, do NOT bring Vex here."

"Why, if you're worried about the room then its fine, he can't kill you either I'll have video taps going and guards waiting to interfere if he tries." Moon said, tilting his head to give her a confused look, "But…that's not what you're worried about is it?"

"Don't act like you can't figure it out in that brain of yours," Cari spat back, "Vex and I are not happy with each other and we probably never will be again, so do not bring him here."

"Isn't it my job to make you unhappy?" He rolled his eyes, leaning against the door frame and watching Angel quietly play in her father's hat, "Would you rather me send him back to hard labor?"

"Of course not!" She snapped, crossing her arms and staring at the ground, "Just don't bring him here."

"Fine two choices then," Moon growled back, "Since you are being bitchy today you have to choose one or the other. Either Vex comes here, or I'm sending him back to hard labor." Cari glared at him for this, he ALWAYS made her choose between two choices she hated with a passion. Her hands clenched into fists as she glared at the ground, wishing she could just punch him in the face sometimes…or all the time.

"Fine, bring him here. Can I go somewhere else then?"

"Nope," Moon smiled walking over and taking the hat from Angel. Angel looked up at him with a very unhappy expression until she started bawling her eyes out, begging for her dad's hat back.

"Hey!" Cari shouted, standing up and wincing from the pain in her side, "Give Angel back Vex's hat! What is WRONG with you, picking on a helpless child who is just missing her parents? You really are pathetic Moon and I don't say that often but YOU…YOU are the MOST pathetic being I have ever come in contact with. And to THINK, I felt BAD for you when I saw what happened between you, Jax and the Vortarians, but now I am almost willing to say you deserved it!" She blew up, being tired of his harassment and being tired of Angel's crying and just being fed up in general.

Moon stood there for a second before calmly walking over to her and backhanding her as hard as he could across the face. Her eyes flew wide open in shock and her pupils narrowed as her face snapped to the side, "Don't you ever talk to me like that again. I can make your entire family perish with a single snap of my fingers, I have destroyed your kingdom princess, and I will not hesitate to destroy you as I did the city, or my little infected pets. In my life time, I created the massive's blue prints, I idealized tens upon thousands of Irken military weapons, I successfully cloned a smeet that no longer relied on a PAK or the control brains to make it function, until it was all ripped away from me. I shaped this empire, I even got the opportunity to speak with your oh so perfect father about military plans and where we should strike, how we should do it and how we can defend ourselves. Single handedly, I made a super virus to kill off your imperfect people to ruin them for not helping my clone and me when we relied on them the most. And what have you done princess?" He sneered in her face, "Become a pathetic runaway because some lower being took you for a ride one night? Hooked up with a defect and claimed you loved him oh so much, but willingly dumped him on his ass at the first command? What have you done for anyone but yourself Cari? You let dimwits such as Red and Purple rule your pathetic empire and what have they done with it? Conquered and enslaved good people, replaced beautiful and treasured landmarks with doughnut factories' and single handedly killed over 500,000 Irkens because they had the balls to speak out against a worthless idea. You have accomplished nothing but failure your whole life and you have the gall to call me pathetic. I have reason to live and at this point, I really don't think you do," He pulled out a small pistol from the side of his lab coat and grabbed her neck, pushing the gun under her chin and glaring hatefully down into her eyes, "No one deserves what Jax and I went through. I've suddenly changed my mind about wanting to keep you around for entertainment because now all you are is dead weight. You have three seconds to give me one damn good reason to not kill you right here, right now."

She hesitated, staring at him in a mix of anger, shame and fear, "Well?" He snapped, gently holding the trigger until the gun got hot enough to start burning her, "Where's my reason princess?"

"I…I have none," She answered, looking away and frowning.

"Then it looks like you better damn well shape up your bitchy attitude if you want to survive even another fucking minute on this vessel huh?" He spat, shoving her back into her make shift bed and glaring angrily at her, "Everyone has something that makes them special, makes them who they are. What makes you special, what shapes you Cari? You are nothing but pride when there is no pride left to own. You sold out your friends and family, let Zim die a prolonged death out in my trap, when I could've put him down easy and quick, you ruined your relations with everyone you once knew and will ever know and now you have no friends, no one to rely on. I suppose you could partially blame that on me, but if you look at it through a scientific view, you are at the heart of every equation that equals disaster. You have no right to even call yourself Irken anymore. An Irken would defend themselves no matter what, laugh in the face of death, sneer at their captors, not help the enemy, spit on the bodies of their foes and conquer everything they feel they need to control. You can't do any of that, you are a worthless being and that's all you'll ever be. Now I'm sure when Vex gets in here you'll start ranting or fighting with him, or putting on the teary eyed damsel in distress trick to get some sympathy and feel better about what I've just said. That just makes you more pathetic. I almost feel ridiculous to dub you worthy enough to be my personal slave now, you ignorant, narcissic, pathetic little bitch," Moon spat, finishing his rant before yanking her antenna forward and burning it in the middle of the end, "I'm marking you so I know you're on death row. If you don't have a good reason why I should keep you around by tonight, you're getting publically executed tomorrow. Good luck; whore."

He walked over and patted Angel's antenna for a moment before continuing and stopping at the door, "To think, this all could've been avoided if you had shut your bitchy mouth, sad isn't it?" He left seconds later, not waiting for a response.

Cari sat on the bed, trembling at what Moon had just said to her. Everything he said to her, it all felt true when he said it. She felt pathetic, she felt like a traitor to everything she's ever known, she felt like she no longer had a reason to live. He had succeeded in mentally breaking her which became apparent now when she started tearing up, then weeping, then crying, then feeling low enough to start sobbing and huddling alone in the corner of her make shift bed. She missed Zim, he made her feel special, he told her every day that she was beautiful, he wasn't her whole life, but he made her life whole, he was there for her when she needed him most. And where was she when he needed her, when he needed someone to make him feel special, or tell him he was handsome or make his life whole? She was out ruining his life and dumping him on his ass. 'What was I supposed to do let him die!? It was him or me and that was it at the time, none of the extras were ever supposed to be involved!' She thought, trembling in agony with each passing thought.

She decided something in that moment. She would say nothing to Moon tonight when he would ask why he should keep her around. And she would die tomorrow, because even death was better than being put through this kind of torture. To her, death sounded better than saving the world now and if Moon wouldn't do it for her, she'd do it herself.

Because at that point; even suicide sounded better than helping the bastard that ruined her life in every way possible.

A few minutes later Vex was escorted into the room to be reunited with Angel. The moment he saw her he shouted in relief and lunged down, wrapping his arms around her and tossing her up into the air, catching her with ease and holding her tightly against him while she squealed happily and grabbed at her dad's shirt. "Daddy!" She shouted, wrapping her arms around his face and nuzzling between his eyes affectionately.

"Since when were ya able ta speak!?" He said, pulling her away and giving her a good look over, "My Irk yer three times the size ya were when I last saw ya! Jesus how old are ya now like fifteen!? Oh lord I never thought I'd see ya again my little baby girl!" He spun her around and nuzzled her stomach as she giggled excitedly and kicked her legs around.

"Wak!" She spluttered, kicking her legs around and pointing at the ground, "Daddy wak!" He gave her a bit of a confused look before setting her down. She immediately got up and started walking to show him her newly discovered talent.

Vex looked like he was about to faint, "YOU CAN WALK!?" He shouted, throwing his arms up in the air as she jumped a bit and clapped her hands together, "HOLY SHIT, MY CHILD CAN WALK!" She squealed at his happiness and started tromping around in circles before ending with his leg which she clung onto and nuzzled excitedly.

"Luv," She muttered, hugging his leg tightly and staring up at him with her big exotic green eyes. Vex, staring down at her with his sharp emerald green eyes smiled softly and reached down to pick her up, cradling her and cooing at her about how big and beautiful she'd already gotten.

"Ki ki," She said, craning her head out of her dad's arms and looking over to where Cari was still huddled alone in the corner. Vex followed her gaze and tilted his head to the side a little bit, not understanding what Cari was doing exactly.

"Ki ki! Daddy! Ki ki miss daddy!" She said again, making the more signal with her tiny hands and smiling in Cari's general direction. Cari did not move, nor did she even address the fact that Angel was talking to her.

"Cari," Vex softly, bouncing Angel a bit to keep her calm, "Is everythin' alright?" He noticed she was trembling but she was trying hard to make sure her face was not seen nor were her sobs heard. "Cari," He said louder, trying to act like he was demanding an answer, "Turn around."

When she didn't he became slightly frustrated, he closed his eyes and internally growled before thinking it out and taking in a deep breath, "I'm not mad at you Cari, none of us are mad at you so if yer worried er whatever…don't be. All of us wouldn't have acted any different when faced with such a choice."

She still said nothing, so he sighed and looked down at Angel desperately, "I know yer mad at me and I don't blame you. I was mad at you fer a long time but sometimes that happens in a strong family. Sometimes they hurt one another and have a hard time apologizing fer it. So…I'm sorry ok, I never should've rubbed it in your face that you don't need me anymore, I never should've interrogated your fights with Riley back at my home. I just never should've broken into that tree house all that time ago with Oniumare and threatened to kill Tabitha. We never should've been reunited and I'm sorry. I know having a protective old man in your life can get annoying and I know it's harder every day having to go through all the shit the group threw at you when you left Zim. If we had known that you were trying to protect him and the rest of us, they wouldn't have been so cruel; they wouldn't have taken Zim's side, hell Zim wouldn't have taken his own side. I'm sorry I never once tried to stop what they were doing to you, or comfort you when I knew you'd go to sleep crying every night. I'm better than that, but I clearly haven't been toward you. So I'm sorry, you're my niece and I care about you, I jus don't want ya ta forget that." She still said nothing nor did she do anything. At this point Vex didn't know what to say to get her to talk to him, he couldn't force her to, and she clearly had no intention of talking to him so he was lost. "I…I uh thought you might wanna know that Tabitha will be givin' birth here within the week. The group an' I overheard Moon and Jax talkin' bout it to some guards when we were all allowed to get together. Sol's with 'er now, apparently Jax broke Sol's master's jaw just to get him fer the week. Burg is still in extensive care cuz his jaw shattered, I kid you not it shattered. That's how pissed Jax was about it. He apparently fractured Burg's skull, shattered his jaw, chipped a couple teeth, dislocated his arm and loosened a horn on the idiots head. How insane is that! Burg is HUGE and Jax…well Jax is Jax he ain't exactly the figure of the week in height but he took on a mammoth sized goat creature to get an Irken-not Vortarian mind you but Irken-doctor to help Tab give birth. And Tabitha knows Sol, which will make 'er more comfortable. I think that Tab's gettin' ta him somehow, we all do. I heard in a rumor that now Jax won't leave his room, he hardly meets with Moon anymore. He's absolutely engrossed with Tabitha and won't leave her alone but she's never had to go to the medical bay for any kind of treatment, as far as we know, he hasn't hurt her! I was more relieved than surprised to be honest because well…I really worry about you girls havin' ta stay with these jackasses and carry out their sick fantasies. I just don't want ya ta get hurt even though I know it's probably a little late fer that speech huh?"

He stared at her for a moment, expecting some kind of response, but she didn't move, she didn't talk she didn't even twitch an antenna. He didn't know what else to say, there wasn't much more news he could share with her through small talk. And seeing how it had suddenly become a one sided conversation he felt even more hopeless. "Oh and um, we need yer help." He started, swallowing a lump in his throat and shifting his weight from side to side, "Ya see, Liao came up with this plan an' if we play it right we can es-,"

"Shut up," Cari snapped, barely glaring over her shoulder as Vex gave her a completely shocked look, astonished to be exact.

"What? I have been talkin' fer the past ten minutes an' the first response I get is 'shut up'. I am tryin' ta let ya know that we can finally get out of this hell hole!"

"I said shut up!" She shouted, clenching her fists and thinking of the video and sounds taps that Moon said he had in the room. If Vex said anymore, he'd be taken and tortured until he told them the plan and then all their hope would be lost.

"Cari!" Vex snapped, frightening Angel slightly, "I would expect a LITTLE more respect than that from you! You do not tell me to do anythin' are we clear? I mean what has gotten into you? I told you we weren't mad, I told you Tabitha is being taken care of, that our friends-our family-is ok, we're alive, and I am tryin' ta tell you the most important plan and you brush me off like I am nothing? What did I do Cari!" He asked desperately, taking a step forward, "You told ME that you didn't need me anymore, so I made it clear that I will not be your support system anymore because that's what you said. And now you're pinning that on me. Not once had you ever said something so harsh to me. Even when I caught Zim sneaking into yer room all those years ago, even when I CAUGHT you two making out or doing whatever; I never once thought to give up on you as you have done with me. Do you realize how pissed off Zim made me, every night sneaking through MY watch to get into the palace to see you. That means if he could do it, anyone could and THAT bothered me. But Blue told me that you were not in danger of Zim and that you had found another support system other than us as your family. So I accepted it, I accepted it every night I heard him coming in, every night I heard you two gossiping or sneaking out to raise hell. I accepted it even when Tabitha complained about Zim taking you away from her. I accepted you no matter what challenge you threw in my face. So why can't you accept me when I have merely thrown a challenge you threw in the first place, back at you? That is what I wonder all the time. I don't wonder why you betrayed us, why you started working with Moon in the first place, why anything. I wonder why you can't just…just be a part of a strong family again. Cari, Zim is still alive," Her antenna perked at this, "Guards were talking about how part of the trap was gone when they went to check, he survived and he's probably striving to get to you right now. He's going against all odds to be with you again when all you did was push him away. So I think it's your turn to do the same for us. If you want what we had as a family back, prove it, show us your worth and raise hell, do what kids do best, piss off your elders, get under their skin, fight back. Don't sit there and wait for us to do it for you." He stopped when the door hissed open again and a guard walked in, looking unhappy.

"Time to go." He said simply. Vex made a noise of unhappiness before kissing angel's temples all over and holding her as tightly as possible before setting her down, knowing he couldn't take her with him.

"Daddy loves you Angel, take good care of Cari and I'll see you as soon as possible!" he shouted as the guard shoved him out the door and shut it behind them.

Narrators POV. 3

"LET ME OUT!" He shouted, pounding on the walls. He could hear screaming but it wasn't in fear or anything it was just in pain, like someone was trying to get his attention, "LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT I DEMAND IT!"

That…Thing was still with him, just sitting there staring at him with its head cocked to the side. He hadn't a clue as to what to say to it, in fact he was slightly frightened of it, seeing as he had no idea where it came from or what it wanted.

"Come on someone needs help! Let me out!" He screamed, yanking his antenna. He was going insane in here. It was pitch black except for the glowing colors of his and the other males eyes. And the silence was deafening, his antenna had been ringing the moment he woke up in this hell hole and he absolutely did not know what to do about it. Even his own voice could not send that absurd ringing away!

"Can't you hear them screaming! They need my help, something's wrong! Please, please just let me out! Or explain to me how I got here and how I can get out, what I can do! I want my family back dammit so let me out of this, this putrid grave yard!" He pounded on the walls again, shouting in anger and cussing in every language he knew. He wanted answers but not nearly as bad as he wanted out of this place, he was willing to fight for his freedom if that's what it took, but it was sort of hard to fight when there was nothing and no one to fight with. Also since he was just a see through being now it was kind of hard to touch something and not just fall through.

The walls no longer made him fall through though. He could phase through if he pleased, but they didn't shift anymore, or send him weird places. He'd spent a long time now screaming and pounding on any wall he could get both his fists on, demanding to be let out.

"COME ON! Someone needs my help! They're calling for me just please for Irk's sake LET ME OUT!" He screamed again, pounding harder on the walls until another person showed up. Of course he recognized this one, it was his little virus 'friend' always confusing him and teasing him about things he didn't understand. But tonight he looked frantic, his eyes were wild, his antenna were at attention and quivering and he was shaking all over, "YOU!" He shouted, glaring at the red eyed male, "I want out NOW, someone needs me!"

"No one needs you!" The red eyed male snapped, getting up in his face and glaring, "I am doing fine on my own if that ASSHOLE hadn't HIT me in the back!" He tilted his head slightly, looking at the other male in confusion.

"No one hit you…"

"Oh yes he did!" The male fumed, "I wake up, she's gone, she's panting and screaming, pounding on his door begging for help. Suddenly the door is broken, the lock to be precise and he is there. At first he didn't understand so when I got up to do something he got defensive you know, got in front of her demanding that I stay away or he'll hurt me. We start arguing ok, right? Then, THEN that son of a bitch grabs the nearest thing which just HAPPENED to be a lamp and hit me with it and NOW I'm here, not even that dumbass is out, I am OUT." He ranted, throwing his arms up in the air and making chocking motions with his hands, "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"MY FAULT!" He snapped back, "How is it my fault you hurt someone and someone else defended them!?"

"Because you stupid little fucker, you are still here, which means there is that slight possibility that you can get out and now that I am weak…" He trailed off, not really realizing he was sharing vital information.

This of course intrigued the other male, making his eyes glint in interest, "You're weak?"

"Yes you dumbass, I knew you were stupid but are you deaf too!?"

"Hmm and you said that if I kill you, I get out?" He slowly walked around, noticing that the other male was beginning to look see through and he was beginning to not be able to see through himself.

"I don't remember sharing this," The other male growled, rubbing the bump on the back of his head and wincing.

"And…that's my mate, asking for help right?"

"Yeah I guess but she's not technically yours anymore."

"Hm," He huffed walking around the other male in a circle, "But she's asking for me."

"No she's asking for me, we are one if you remember."

"Oh yes, yes. You know you're looking a little pale there bud," He smiled, cracking his knuckles slowly and lowering his antenna.

"Well I'm not exactly feeling great at the moment."

"Our…PAK still works right? Like PAK legs, lasers…you know?"

"Why is that relevant?" The other male groaned, faltering slightly before realizing something, "Wait a second. You son of a bitch you're thinking you're gonna-!" He was cut off to a solid upper cut to the face, knocking him flat on his ass.

A yelp flew from his throat as Jax walked up to him, a pissed off look on his face, "I want my mate back, and if I have to go through you to get her…so be it." Commanding his PAK legs out, he smiled sickly and stepped hard on the other male's throat. "Who's the pathetic son of a bitch now?"

A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHh Zim's alive, Cari's alive but wants to die, Angel is healthy, vex isn't mad at her, Moon's pissed and out mystry guy is in fact JAX! MUAHAHAHA Next chapter will be tab's birth, kinda grafic then a back in time chapter to explain every thing. 4 MINUTES LEFT GO GO GO.

ENjoy review I've been getting fewer and fewer every chapter so lets pick it up again we're right at the end of the story guys PICK IT UP!

LOVE YOU ALL. BLESS GOAT BABIES. BYE.