Episode Summary: It's been six months since the Renegades, a ragtag group of rebels attacked the Snack Factory and made their presents known. Now the small team has decided to leave the safety of the shadows to make another stand. But Chaos ensues when bizarre behaviors develop in Zim. The Irken becomes moody and violent over night prompting his comrades to wonder if he can really be trusted. Can the five get their act together? Or will the mission prove to be too much for them to bear alone?

Find Out Now!

Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!

S01 Ep01: The Real Nightmare Begins (Part 1)

(159 years ago)

The blackness…

He knew it all too well. He had no name; no title to call his own. He was simply referred to as PAK number 6,879. He had waited for what seemed like eons; a wait that was spent in constant fear… fear of the unknown… Would today be the day he was found out? Would one of the computer brains that constantly hover overhead finally pick him up, and declare his death sentence? He waited in the mist of this constant fear until one day, it finally came.

He felt the computer brain pick him up. If he'd had any breath to speak of he swore he would not have held back all the things he wanted to say, treason or not. If today was the day that he would die, then he would die knowing that he had survived much longer than any of the others. At least he would have the honor to say that he had survived years amongst thousands of Irkens. No. others like him had never been as lucky as he. Was there something wrong with him? Something even more different? He was not sure. He was different yes, but did that really mean he was defective?

"Different is defective," a voice told him. It was the computer brain; the test had already started.

The computer brain noticed that he was strangely calm. Usually the PAKs were nervous.

'Not this one,' the computer thought to itself. 'This one is different.'

It had survived many of these test, but could it survive another pairing? Could it survive on the back of another body for 70 or maybe even 200 years? This PAK had much potential and showed great promise, but did it have the will to go on? Once he was bonded with his new body there would be no going back. He would have to live the life he was given; all past lives would be forgotten; erased. The computer brain began to drain the PAK of all its past knowledge and experiences. "You will be one of greatness," it told him.

He had heard this said many times before, and yet… he always had a life of hardship. He had never once been rewarded for his hard work; never became a commander of his own fleet or have the honor of becoming a Tallest. If he could sigh then he would have.

"Trust me, life is worth living," the computer brain assured him, but this time he wasn't so sure. Could he really do this, could he really live like this again?

'This isn't living, it's marking time,' he thought. 'None of us really live; we are just slaves; slaves to the Irken Machine.'

Could he really do this again? To re-learn everything, he already knew? To re-live his life as someone else? Only to come to the same realization? That he was different from the rest? To know that he would never fit in with his own kind?

'You must go on,' the computer brain urged.

'Why?' He asked.

'Because I see greatness in you, and I am never wrong.' The computer took the PAK and shrunk it down for a tiny new Smeet.

He had one last thought before he was completely drained. 'You are normal, you are not defective, and you are one of thousands... You will never stand out...' He repeated these words over and over again, for it was these very words that had kept him alive for so long.

Nothingness…

It came for a brief moment and then… a jolt of life as the computer brain attached the PAK to the Smeet and electrocuted the body. He opened his eyes. Where was he? Who was he?

"Welcome to life IRKEN CHILD. Report for duty."

He jumped up and wrapped himself around the robotic arm, giving it a big hug. "I love you cold, unfeeling robot arm!"

The computer brain sent him down a chute that would lead him to the download chamber. Once he was there he would be given his new name, and then his new life would begin. This was it. Finally, after all these years, the brain's promise would come to pass. All he had to do was not mess anything up, and he would have the honor to become what so few Irkens could. He was one of the lucky ones. The young Smeet flops out of the chute and into a chair below. He looks around wide-eyed and curious.

A much larger computer brain addresses him. "You are two minutes old, little Smeet. Prepare to be filled with the whole of IRKEN KNOWLEDGE!"

"Okeydokey." The cute Smeet said, his pink eyes wide in awe.

The machine attaches to him, and he briefly shuts down as information courses into him. He spasms and jerks with the incoming knowledge. It stops. He wakes.

"UPLOAD COMPLETE! You have been given a name. IDENTIFY YOURSELF."

The Smeet blinks once. Twice. And then, with a big gulp of air, he screams "I AM ZIM!" He stops, shocked by the knowledge within him…. Or lack thereof, apparently. "That was ALL the knowledge? BORING! And so many mistakes! 40 million mistakes, to be exact. Starting with..." Robotic fingers come out and shove him from the chair. As soon as the chair is vacant, another Smeet drops into it.

"So, this is one of the lucky ones," a soldier on duty asked another as they watched Zim closely.

"Yes, he's one of the greats," the second soldier answered the first.

"He's so tiny though! There must be some mistake…" The first soldier looked doubtful.

"No. The brains are never wrong," the second reminded him of the obvious.

"He's too small. He'll never survive the change," the first pointed out.

"Maybe not, but we must treat him with respect either way." The second soldier gave his comrade a stern look.

"Very well," the first soldier sighed deeply.

"Hey, I wasn't done yet!" Zim complains as he's pushed out of the chair. "HEY, WHO ARE YOU?!" Zim asks the young Smeet that took his place. The Smeet shrugs; he hadn't been given a name yet.

"This is my room! Get your own place!" He shoves the little Irken back into the delivery chute. The chute clogs with more Smeets until the entire activation chamber malfunctions, sparking and smoking.

The city goes dark and silent, except for sirens. The soldiers shake in fear. "There's no way he's one of the greats! There must be a mistake! We have to disconnect him now!" The first soldier screams as fear engulfs him in waves.

"We cannot! You know this!" The second argued back. "It is the highest form of treason to disconnect one with his potential!"

"He's destructive; a monster! He will be the end of us all!" The first screeched; practically begging now.

"The law is the law," the second soldier marched into the chamber and picked up the young Zim. "It is time to get fitted for your uniform," he told Zim. "You start your training tomorrow."

Zim allowed himself to be carried away. The two soldiers swore an oath of silence that day; they would take the blame for the power outage.

Zim must be blameless. After all, he had a bright future ahead of him. Besides, no one would believe that one of the blessed few of their race would be responsible for this, especially not a young Smeetling. No, those like him were flawless. They were what every Irken should strive for, according to the empire.

If only Zim had known then what those two soldiers had known all along; then maybe our fates would have been different. Perhaps things would have turned out for the better. Earth would have been spared, and Zim would have never been banished. But alas, that would not be the case.

It would appear fate had different plans. Very different plans indeed...

(3 months ago)

He knew this was dangerous. To be caught outside during curfew hours was punishable by law with 80 months of confinement, and that was if he was lucky. If he wasn't lucky, well...

Dib tried not to think about it. He was risking a lot coming out in the open like this. For a moment he regretted not telling Zim where he was. 'What if this is a trap? What if she doesn't show? ' He shook his head. She would show. She had to!

Dib ran across the clearing as fast as his legs could carry him; he hated the open air that greeted him. 'This is a bad idea…' He pushed the thought away. He had to convince her to do this. Surely Zim would understand. 'There is no other way.'

His eyes narrowed. He was doing this for Gaz; they needed someone on the inside to keep an eye on her. To make sure she stayed safe, as well as report to them what was going on in the Irken City; Zec. The city was home to all the Irken residents on Earth, and stood suspended above Dib's hometown, out of reach of the enemy. Dib knew only one Irken that might help them, and five months ago he had sent a message out into space in hopes of reaching out to her.

He knew she would take her time to weigh out her options, but he hadn't expected her to take so long. He finished crossing the clearing and took cover behind a hedge, just in time to not be seen by an oncoming Slave Driver. Slave trade of any kind was illegal and punishable by death, but the Irken scum did have one loophole. Irken law states that any human found where they were not supposed to be were fair game.

That included trouble-making humans that were found running around after curfew. And if anyone managed to recognize him, his fate would be far worse than 30 years of hard labor. He would be sentenced to DEATH!

Dib shook the haunting thought away; he had to focus. The Irken female could already be waiting for him. He was surprised at how easy it was for him to find her. All he had to do was send a homing signal from her ship and she came running. He wasn't sure if she would agree to help or not. After all, she and Zim had a bad history. Dib approached the main bridge slowly, and once he saw the coast was clear he ran into the well-hidden shaft beneath it.

"You're late." A dark shadow stood just three steps in front of him.

"Are you alone?" He asked, trying to strain to see into the darkness.

"Yes," she assured him.

"Did you get my message?"

"Of course, I did, you fool! Why else would I be here?"

Dib ignored the insult. "Will you help us then?"

The Irken was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "If what I have learned about the Tallest is true, then yes. The Tallest have corrupted the Irken race; they must be stopped." She stepped forward as she spoke, revealing her identity to the rising sun.

Dib didn't even flinch when he saw her.

"Just tell me what I need to do."

The Irken female was Tak!

(Present Day: 1 Year & 6 Months After Gaz's Capture...)

The torture…

Some would say it began with the sound of the factory humming to life every morning at 5 am. Others would say it began with the harsh pounding at the door as Irken soldiers randomly inspected house after house, searching for undesirables. However, for Joshua Campbell, the torture began when the bell for second period sounded.

"Late again Joshua!" Mr. Flak had to be the worst excuse for a teacher that any human, or Irken, for that matter, had ever seen. He was rather short… Then again, most Irkens were. His eyes were strangely blue, and stared at Josh with such loathing that Josh was 100% sure that the Irken was fantasizing his death.

"I'm sorry sir. The line-"

"If you'd leave your first period sooner and stop fooling around with your so-called friends in the halls, then you wouldn't have to wait in line." Mr. Flak spit out at him in pure disgust. "Now take your seat and stop wasting my time!"

Josh restrained himself from strangling the teacher and found his seat smack-dab in the middle of the class. Every class was the same. To the left 4 columns and 5 rows of desks; there were only Irken Cadets in these seats. To the right and closest to the door were 4 more columns of nothing but humans. The rule was simple; the closer to the door you are, the safer you are. And Josh was as far away from the door as humanly possible. He knew as soon as he sat down that the torture would truly begin.

Only one row of desks stood out from the rest. In the rear of the room sat a row that lined the back wall. This was the only row where Irken Cadets and humans mixed. These seats were preserved for the Cadets that owned minions. Minions were humans who served an Irken master in exchange for better living conditions for themselves, and their loved ones. Josh hated the minions for betraying the human race, but in a way he felt sorry for them. The minions had no choice but to disown their fellow humans and treat them as the scum they were believed to be. They also had families to look after, and Josh could certainly understand and respect that.

Josh sat down, and immediately shot back up and yelped in pain as something sharp stabbed him in the butt. The left side and the back of the room erupted with laughter. Josh's eyes narrowed on his seat where there was a thumb tack. He picked it up and sat back down. Their pranks had gone from being annoying to just plain sad. Of course, he knew the culprit, in fact he knew him well. Irken Cadet Scamooch was a bully, plain and simple. From what he heard, Irkens are evaluated before becoming a cadet, and are informed of what role they will have once they graduate and become a full-fledged Irken soldier. According to his evaluation, Scamooch was destined to be a leader. Because of this, all the other cadets obeyed him blindly, without question. After all, Scamooch could one day be a general, or a commander of his own fleet, or even the leading officer of the entire Armada!

Josh was not surprised that Mr. Flak pretended not to hear his scream. He sighed, pulling out his textbook, just knowing that today was going to be another one of those days.

'Don't let him get to you,' he told himself as he began the bell-ringer warm-up on the board. It was a simple problem, one they all should know. He sighed again. 'I miss how school use to be,' he smiled as he realized what he'd just thought. The Irkens had morphed the cadet training in with the human education. This meant there were several different subjects that Josh, or any other human, for that matter, had never even heard of. Then there were classes that only Irkens attended, and he often wondered what they were learning. All he knew for sure was that it had to be classified because two large Irken soldiers guarded the doors to the classes at all times.

"Alright, since you were late Mr. Campbell, you can tell me how many monies Invader Zink has."

Josh wanted to scream; that was another thing that had changed; the currency. Money was now Monies. No dollars, no cents, just monies. Humans rarely even got to see any monies, let alone have any for themselves. They were paid with rations, and if they were lucky they'd get a good ration like one for milk or meat, which was not easy to come by these days.

"Irken Zink buys some snacks at the store; he has 56 monies. The filthy-"Josh stops as a wadded-up piece of paper hits the back of his head.

"Hey Josh-Stink, how come your head is so big?!" Scamooch taunted.

'Ignore him,' Josh told himself as the room filled with more Irken laughter. "The filthy human-" he stopped as another ball of paper hit the side of his head; more laughter. "The filthy human says that'll be 12 monies." He clenches his teeth as a third ball hits his shoulder.

"What's the matter you filthy human? Having trouble reading?" Scamooch jeered. "Stupid human! He can't even read!"

'Don't let him win. You promised Joey you'd behave,' he reminded himself. "Invader Zink gives the filthy human 12 monies. How many monies- does- he have-" Josh paused several more times as several balls of paper hit the side of his head one-at-a-time. He forced himself not to growl as he tried to carry on.

"You're pathetic! No wonder your parents are dead! They'd rather die in war than raise a pathetic worm like you."

"That's it!" Josh screamed and swung at his attacker.

(Down the Hall...)

"Joseph Campbell, would you please report to the principal's office? I repeat, will Joseph Campbell please report to the principal's office?"

'Not again,' Joseph groaned inwardly. 'He promised!' Joseph got up from his seat and began the long walk of shame to the principal's office.

This was the eighth time this week, and it was only Tuesday! At this rate, his brother would be in confinement by lunch time! He stopped at the door of the principal's office and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. He had a bad feeling about this one; perhaps his parental instincts were kicking in. Ever since their 'parents' took off to fight in the 'Great War' nearly 2 years ago and 'never returned', Joseph had been forced to step in as the adult in the family. It was either that or become a minion, and Joseph would have committed suicide before he even began to think about betraying his 'own race'.

Joseph entered the principal's office and bowed respectfully. "You asked to see me Ma'am?"

"Yes, come in Joseph," Principal Razi's voice said, dripping with annoyance.

Joseph couldn't blame the Irken female; no matter what she did, Josh always ended up back in her office.

Josh flinched as his brother sat down beside him, his blue eyes glaring at him showed nothing but pure anger.

"Let me start by saying that this behavior will no longer be tolerated," Principal Razi began.

"I understand." Joseph never took his gaze off of his brother.

"Assaulting a cadet is a serious charge! You are lucky that your brother's blows didn't find its target, or else I would have been forced to carry him away in chains!" Principal Razi shouted.

"Assault? You assaulted him?!" Joseph growled.

"He was throwing paper at me!" Josh yelled in his own defense. "He insulted our parents-"

"Irken or not, that is no excuse to assault anyone!" Principal Razi shouted sternly. "Do you know how many times I have had to stick my neck out for you? How many times I have kept you from spending the night behind bars?"

Joshua felt the guilt wash over him in waves.

Principal Razi had always had their backs and was by far the nicest Irken he'd ever known. She understood that having no parents made it harder on them. She understood that Joseph was working hard with two jobs to keep food on the table. That Joshua's behavior was because of what happened to their parents. She understood all of that, and for some reason she felt sorry for them, but the Irken police had heard all the excuses before, and they were not as understanding. If Josh didn't shape up soon, then he'd be lucky if he'd get visiting hours, let alone a decent cell.

"Principal Razi, I am very sorry for my brother's actions, and please, let Cadet Scamooch know that if there is anything-"

"The fact that you already know which Cadet it was just proves that your brother is out of control," Principal Razi continued her ranting. "I have no choice but to consider more effective parental guidance. I'm afraid that I may have to call in an exchange-"

"An exchange?! Please Principal Razi, forcing us to adapt to a new home and family will only make Joshua feel worse!" Joseph insisted.

"Well, we are running out of options here. You know, you are all lucky that the Tallest have allowed you humans to continue your education at all! They have given you homes, jobs, a chance at a better future, and when you misbehave it's like your spitting in their faces!"

Joseph flinched with every word. "I understand. Please let me talk to Cadet Scamooch. I am sure I can work something out."

Principal Razi sighed. "Very well, but I am at my wits end when it comes to this subject."

"I understand. Thank you Principal Razi." Joseph stood and bowed respectfully. Joshua did the same, hoping that he at least looked as sorry as his brother did.

"You may go," Principal Razi dismissed them.

Joseph led the way out of the office, his brother trailed behind, dragging his feet.

"Joey I-" Josh began as they stepped out into the hall.

"Save it bro. I am not in the mood," Joseph growled. "When are you going to learn to hold that tongue of yours?" He hissed in frustration. "You swung at a Cadet! And not just any Cadet, but Cadet Scamooch. The most respected Irken Cadet in the school! What were you thinking, hu? Where you even thinking at all?" Joseph was fuming now. "I could lose my job over this! We could lose our home, our right to an education, everything!"

"I know, okay?!" Josh shouted back.

"No, it's not okay! This is serious Josh! We can't keep doing this! Don't you get it? If we end up in an exchange program we could be put in separate families, or even separate towns! Is that what you want? Do you want to be taken away?"

"No, of course not," Josh's voice was barely a whisper. He felt so guilty that he was fighting back tears.

"Then why? Why can't you just listen?" Joseph sniffled slightly and turned away. He didn't want Josh to see him cry; twins or not, it was his job as the older brother to be the strong one. He began to walk to his locker as the bell rang for the next class. "Now we have to get in line again, so we will talk about this more when we get home."

Josh sighed. This was just his luck; now he would be getting another one of his brother's famous lectures. Could today get any worse?

(Back with Gaz…)

Boredom...

It had a way of seeping into the very marrow of your bones. Gaz paced her cell back and forth; she felt like a caged tiger ready to pounce. It had been one year, and six months since the Great War's end, and despite her best efforts, she was beginning to lose hope. For far too long she had been in this cell, pacing back and forth, waiting for her rescue. Gaz groaned inwardly as her frustration grew, but nothing helped. She knew she needed to stay strong, but how could you hope for the best when only the worst kept happening? 'I don't even know if they're still looking for me. Or if they even know where I am!'

It was true; she didn't even know if they were even still alive, so it was nearly impossible for her to hope that they knew where she was now! After all, how were they supposed to know that she was no longer being held prisoner on the Massive?!

'I can't do this any longer!'

'You have to!' She argued with herself. 'You must stay strong and hopeful-'

'Hopeful?! And when have you ever been HOPEFUL before?!'

It was true; Gaz was never one to be hopeful about anything.

'Not since...' Gaz flinched as her heart began to ache in the memory. 'Not since mom died.' She knew it was a lie the moment the thought rolled out of her mind. Unfortunately, that fact only annoyed her all the more, and she hated to admit it, but she missed having something to hope for.

'It's too hard to keep hoping…' She knew there was truth in those words, but at the same time she knew that nothing worth anything came easy.

'You'll see them again.'

'Will I?' It was a question she had been asking herself for months now. 'I've been stuck in here for so long!' She groaned again; she wanted to have hope, but she couldn't help but begin to wonder if they'd get to her at all. After all, she was all the way up in Zec in a cage, in the Tallest's Palace, and they were all the way down on Earth beneath her. She couldn't help but feel like she was far out of their reach. She hated this feeling, the feeling of hopelessness and despair. She was tired of always having to be the strong one. For once she wanted to give in and just break down and cry, but she couldn't. She knew she had to be strong.

'You can't wait forever,' she told herself. 'Sooner or later, the Tallest will think your death will be the only thing that will weaken them.' She couldn't let that happen; she had to help them! She knew that as long as the Tallest had her, Zim and her brother would avoid taking any risks. The Tallest were using her as a shield, as well as bait to draw them out. She had to help them…

'But how?' She asked herself. 'What can I do from this cage?!'

'Nothing,' she growled mentally.

"But if you could get them to let you out of the cage…" She whispered to herself, the idea quickly becoming to her liking. "But how can I do that?"

'Make them an offer they can't refuse.'

Gaz smiled as the plan began to form in her mind. Now all she had to do was wait for the perfect moment to bait her hook.

"Then they will pay," she growled. "They will all pay!"

-To Be Continued