Author's Notes: Okay Part 2 is up, enjoy!

Yours Truly, RoxieDivine :)

Episode 1 - The Madness (Part 2)

(Back with Joseph hours later…)

[Location: Westville High school]

Madness…

He had never seen it in such a raw form.

It made his Irken instincts hum with excitement, but he forced that feeling down. That was not who he was anymore, he was not a mindless machine; addicted to insanity and chaos.

No he was a high school student with a very big problem.

Yes, that was it. He had to play the role of the innocent child who just so happened to be freaking out over an Irken History test he had no time to study for.

And Cadet Scamooch thought it was a riot. "Awe I never thought I'd see the day that Joseph Campbell was ill prepared for anything." The cadet sneered.

Joseph smiled, they had been doing this too frequently lately, but no matter how many times his people punched him in the gut he still seeked their company.

Surprisingly no one blamed him, which was strange. He was sure that Gaz's betrayal would tear them apart, forcing them to go back to the time where they were hostel towards each other, but things had changed.

Their agenda had changed.

Back then it was about saving the human race, now it was about saving everyone! Anyone who was ever a victim of the Tallest, and their depravity. Gaz's betrayal did not weaken them, it made them stronger. It proved to them that anyone could be the enemy human and Irken alike, just like they proved to each other that humans and Irkens could work together towards a common goal.

So the fact that Joseph and Cadet Scamooch spent their lunches together on the monkey bars did not anger any of his friends. No it was important that they converted as many Irkens as possible; for one day Irk would have a new order.

"Can you blame me?" Joseph snapped. "Look at that chaos!" He pointed over the school yard fence towards the people rioting in the streets, with several Irken soldiers trying to get them under control.

Trying being the key word, it was strange everyone was so convinced the rebels took down the water factory due to the deaths of those scientist. So much so that every time the Irkens fought the rioters back violently it seemed to only add more humans to the mix.

"So this isn't normal human behavior?" Cadet Scamooch asked.

"Oh no it's normal." Josh said. "We're just not use to seeing it so close up." He was sitting to Cadet Scamooch's left the three of them seemed have become lunch buddies. Which was surprisingly an easy pill for everyone to except, well almost everyone.

"So where's your posy today?" Joseph asked, looking for Cadet Scamooch's mob of suck ups.

"Oh I ditched them." Cadet Scamooch admitted. "It's nice you know to sit here around people who are not trying to gain something from you."

Joseph winced, he knew the feeling. "Well we want nothing from you." He said. It was true, while the twins were trying to convert the younger Irken they did not expect him to fight a war. He was still so young. Sure most of them were kids, but they made the choice to fight on their own.

And Cadet Scamooch deserved to make that choice for himself as well.

"But aren't you scared of what they think?" Josh asked.

"Not really, besides our instructors are actually encouraging us to be nicer to you humans in hopes of getting all this madness down to a low roar." Cadet Scamooch admitted.

Loud gunshots can be heard in the distance.

"I don't think it's working." Joseph stated the obvious.

"Gee you think?" Cadet Scamooch scoffed.

The three boys break into a fit of laughter.

Joseph smiled it was thanks to Cadet Scamooch that his feelings towards his people were mending once again. At first he was reluctant to continue helping Josh slowly convert their Irken classmates. After all what happened to those human scientist still cut him deep, and yet here he was. It took a lot of convincing on Josh's part, but Joseph decided to continue their mission. And in the end the time spent with the young cadet before them had mended his wounded heart.

Yes, it would appear no matter how many times his people stabbed him in the back, he would always go back to them. Why he had such endless devotion he would never know. But was that devotion enough?

Would his devotion make him a better Tallest then their current ones?

He wasn't sure…

There was a time when he thought they'd never change, but some had already done so, and others would follow. Joseph believed in that now, what he couldn't see is himself leading them.

Was he really the right choice for the job?

After all he was a defective, perhaps his people deserved better.

Joseph sighed, maybe his life would have been so much easier if he never found Earth.

If he just kept traveling off in space, he wasn't stupid, he knew the Tallest hated him, but he wanted a chance to prove his worth, and he thought they had given him one.

He thought that deep down they were still those cadets who had once risked their lives for him.

The small scar on his antenna burned at the memory for deep down he knew the truth.

They weren't those cadets anymore.

None of them were, all three of them had changed. Him for the better, and them for the worse!

And that was how it had to be.

"So what are you going to do about this test?" Cadet Scamooch asked breaking him from his thoughts.

"I guess I'll wing it." He mused. "It seems to always work out for my brother."

"Yeah you might want to study a little more." Josh advised.

Cadet Scamooch snickered. "Yee of little faith. I on the other hand doubt Joseph will have a problem, if anything he's just extra nervous because he didn't study as much as he liked. It has nothing to do with whether or not he can do it."

Joseph smiled, the child always thought so highly of him. It made him feel special, for you see it was quite a challenge for anyone to gain an Irken's favor, and that included another Irken. It was strange, when he saved the boy's life he expected no change, and voiced it.

And even after they nearly got Josh killed in that fire Joseph still could not find the will to hate him or any of the cadets involved for that matter.

Why?

Because they could not help the way they were raised, for them this behavior was the norm, but the older Irkens, the soldiers; they knew better. They knew what they were doing was wrong, they were just too afraid to fight back.

But Joseph would silence those fears soon enough.

He stops as a flash of movement interrupts his thoughts. He turns to follow it, and wish he hadn't.

"Well I'll see you worms later." Cadet Scamooch chuckled jokingly, before making his leave.

"Well that went well." Josh said.

"Yes I would seem so." Joseph said, obviously distracted.

"Problem?" Josh asked.

"We've got trouble." Joseph whispered gesturing with his eyes to the right.

Josh looked, and what he saw made his veins run cold.

Rachel was talking to a very familiar and old friend of hers.

Josh gulped. "Gaz!"

(Following Cadet Scamooch…)

"Enjoy your lunch?"

Cadet Scamooch froze as Vice Principal Gijon blocked his path. "Mr. Gijon Yes it was most informative."

"Do tell." Mr. Gijon hissed.

"Sir I'm only trying to follow orders and set an example by not showing hostility towards my human classmates." Cadet Scamooch said. Of course this was only a half truth, the cadet was still hanging on a small thread of hope that the Vice Principal had been right about them.

That Joseph and his friends were in the resistance.

After all, he had to see Zim, he had to know why he went against everything he was ever taught. He had to know what made him side with the humans.

There had to be a reason.

"You still think it's them?" Mr. Gijon asked.

"If it is then they are better actors then I ever thought possible." Cadet Scamooch admitted. "All they did was stress over a test the whole lunch period."

"Keep trying, they'll slip up eventually." Mr. Gijon told him.

"I will sir." He assured him, and then to himself he said. 'But if it is them I will not tell you, not right away.'

Yes, he knew withholding information like this would get him into trouble, but Zim had saved his life. Cadet Scamooch was sure of it, he had sensed the Amon's presence that day, and when he met Zim during the rebel's raid of the school the sent was the same.

It was Zim, he had saved him, and he had also ordered the humans to give the cadets miner injuries, instead of inflicting real harm. Why do that in less he cared?

Everyone was made to believe that Zim was the bad guy, but Zim saved him when his own people tried to kill him. The Tallest hung him out to dry by admitting he wasn't really an Amon, but Zim always went of his way to help them.

All of them.

If he didn't care then the rebels would not use unlethal tactics, they would just kill them off without remorse, but they didn't.

'I need to know why.' He thought.

And he would one way or another.

(Back with Goalit…)

[Location: Underwater Dome]

He had not been expecting his call…

"Aw Goalit my friend how are you?" Lar Nar asked.

Goalit grimaced at his old friend's words.

"I'm sorry I know her betrayal has cut deep." Lar Nar said.

And he was right it had, but it made no sense. "She was enraged about what the Tallest did to the worthy ones." He said. "She was the one who gave us that information without it our ancestors would not be preparing for war."

"Maybe the Tallest got to her." Lar Nar said.

"I'm not sure." Goalit said.

"What do you mean?" Lar Nar looked confused.

"Call me crazy." Goalit said. "Or desperate, and maybe I am, but what if Tak betrayed us to gain their trust."

"What?" Lar Nar asked.

"I know Tak, and their escape was too easy, Tak would have expected their back up. And no mere student should have been able to catch her by surprise and shoot her." Goalit reasoned.

"You think her and Gaz are playing the Tallest as fools?" Lar Nar asked. "For what purpose?"

Goalit shook his head. "I don't know, I may be wrong it's just she said something to me. Something to make me doubt all of this."

Yes, Tak had said something, it was back when the Tallest publicly killed those scientist, he told Tak that Zim was done with them all for real this time.

Tak had begged him to get Zim to change his mind.

"Promise me you'll find a way." She had whispered.

"Tak why do I have the feeling you leaving us." Goalit had asked her.

"I'm about to do something really stupid." She admitted. "And it might make Zim feel more hatred towards us."

"Tak don't do anything rash." Goalit had ordered.

"Just promise me you'll find a way." Tak whispered.

He promised, and in the end he had found a way to get Zim to stay, and along the way he seemed to get over his anger towards the Tallest.

He always marveled at his will to forgive others, he had the unconditional forgiveness that a leader needed. He was the perfect leader, one that they needed desperately, but convincing him of that was proving to be impossible.

"Well whatever it is it does matter." Lar Nar said pulling his friend from his thoughts. "Not now."

"Somethings Happened?" Goalit asked.

"I know who took out the water factory three months ago." Lar Nar said.

"What?" Goalit was amazed. "Who."

"A group of defectives that managed to escape the empire before being killed." Lar Nar said. "They say they have an urgent message for Zim. That it is the upmost important."

"A group of defective rebels?" Goalit said. "Are you sure they're legit?"

"It's no ploy." Lar Nar assured him. "The Tallest have been keeping them quiet for five years now." He explained. "I offered them a place in the Resisty, but back then they were few in numbers, and too fearful to try."

"But they're ready now." Goalit said.

"Ready and daring." Lar Nar laughed. "I mean they attacked the most important string of factories on the planet. That's quite a statement."

Indeed it was.

"Very well I will inform Zim of their presence." He told his friend.

"What will I tell them?" Lar Nar asked.

"Tell them that if Zim wants to speak with them then the rebels will make their whereabouts known to them." Goalit said.

"How." Lar Nar was confused.

"They'll give them a sign. Goalit said.

"A Sign?"

"They'll know it when they see it." Goalit assured him.

"Is that all you can give me?" Lar Nar asked.

"I'm sorry but after this betrayal we're all very warry to go meet someone on their own turf." Goalit explained.

"I understand. I'll let them know." Lar Nar says. "And Goalit."

"Yes?"

"Peace be with you." Lar Nar said.

"And with you as well." Goalit said before ending the transmission.

"Something has happened?" Elma asked.

Goalit nodded. "It would appear the Renegades will be making a reappearance very soon."

"Do you think their ready?" Professor Membrane asked.

"They'll have to be." Kornelius added. "The world needs them to be."

"But what about what they need?" Professor Membrane asked looking worried.

"I know you are worried for your daughter, and Dib." Goalit told his friend. "But Zim will not let any harm come to them."

Professor Membrane seemed to be assured by his words. "You're right all we can do is be here, and help them the best we can."

Goalit nodded. "Then let's get to work, we've got weapons to replicate."

Seconds later the dome is buzzing with the sounds of inventing.

It was a slow going with all the scrap parts but soon the Renegades would have enough weapons to fuel an army.

And then the real battle would finally begin…

Episode 1 - The Madness (Part 2) END!

Author's Notes: Tune in next week to find out what happens next! Thanks again for reading and please review!

Yours Truly, RoxieDivine ;)