Episode 2: Welcome to the Resistance (Part 3)
(Back with Josh)
The pressure…
It was eating him alive!
Joshua Campbell fidgeted in his seat as the seconds ticked by, one eon at a time. Of course, he knew it wasn't really eons going by like sand through an hourglass, but it sure felt like it!
'What if one of them turned their letter into the Principal's Office?! Or what if they just throw it away and one of the Irken authorities on campus find it?!' Josh's mind was frantic; he had been like this since he passed out those letters during his free period. Now he only had three minutes until the final bell. If he could just survive 180 seconds then, just maybe, he could get out of this place alive!
"Joshua!"
Josh snapped back into attention as his Irken History teacher Mr. Kizo called his name for the eighth time. "Y-yes, Mr. Kizo?" Josh stammered, which only earned a chorus of laughter from the Irken cadets to his left.
"For the eighth time, Mr. Campbell, I asked you about the Great 100 Year War that took place during the early years of the Irken race," Mr. Kizo snapped, obviously annoyed.
"Oh," Josh stammered, his eyes never leaving the clock. 'I better hurry up and answer. I only have 60 seconds,' he thought. "The Great 100 Year War was between the Irken race and a far less superior race, the Kygu, but what they lacked in technology they made up for in numbers and will power. Finally, after 100 years of constant war, the Great General Kazar claimed the capital of his enemy's people and vanquished their leader, thus ending the war." Josh breathed a sigh of relief as the bell sounded around him.
Mr. Kizo shook his head disappointingly. "Class is dismissed! Now all of you get out of my face!"
Josh gathered his books and raced to the door.
"And Mr. Campbell…"
Josh froze and turned to the teacher slowly. "Yes Mr. Kizo?"
"Next time you zone out in my class, I will not hesitate to make your suffering existence all the more so. Are we clear?"
"Yes Sir," Josh answered as respectfully as possible.
"Good. Now get out!"
Josh raced out of the room as fast as his feet could carry him, eager to put some distance between him and the brute as fast as possible.
(Back with Jamie)
The letter...
She didn't know how it got in her locker, but there it was, staring back at her.
Jamie Rogers picked up the red envelope and couldn't help the shiver that ran down her back. It held no address and no stamp. She knew that the wisest thing was to throw it away, but her curiosity got the better of her. She turned the letter over and saw 11 big block letter words...
DO NOT READ THIS INLESS YOU ARE SURE YOU ARE ALONE!
Jamie looked around the hall franticly and stuffed the letter into her pocket, running for the only place that still possessed any privacy; the restroom. Jamie ran into the bathroom and quickly locked herself in a stall, then ripped the letter open with shaking hands and read it in haste.
Dear Jamie,
You are hereby invited to join the Renegades, a self-made team of individuals whose sole purpose is to protect and defend mankind from all forms of terror, whether foreign or domestic.
If you choose, you will swear on your life to defend your fellow humans from any threat, including the most current and obvious one to date: The Irken Race.
Do realize that this is not a decision to take lightly. If you chose to agree, then you are promising to brake the current laws of our Irken overlords, a crime that can and will be punishable by death, depending on your future actions. You will live a double life, constantly being hunted down by the Irken Authorities. You will be tasked with sometimes life-threatening missions, where some of your comrades will not make it out alive.
Because of this, we ask you to consider why we may have chosen you. Ask yourself; do you have what it takes to fight back? We think you do. We think you have the drive, the skill, and the means. But please, do still consider carefully.
If you do choose to become a member, then report to Warehouse 18 12:00 AM for your initiation.
Forever fFghting,
~The Renegades
Jamie couldn't believe her eyes. 'The Renegades want me to...' Of course, Jamie knew about the resistance. The rumor about them had been going around since the Snack Factory bombings a couple of months ago. 'Should I do it? Should I even consider it?'
'Of course not!' She told herself knowingly. 'Do you know how much danger you'd be putting your sisters in if you joined some rag-tag team of criminals!?' She balled up the piece of paper and left the stall, heading for the trash can. 'You can't afford to get involved!' She went to throw it away and stopped...
"Behave? How can you say that?! Don't you want to do something, anything, to get things back the way they were?!"
"Of course I do, but we just can't, okay?"
"But if we could, if someone gave us the chance, would you?"
"Of course I would, but the chances of that happening are slim to none."
Jamie held the letter to her chest. She had answered Kathy's question without hesitation, so why did she doubt herself now?
'This has to stop, and you've been given the chance to help make that happen, so what are you waiting for?'
Jamie looked into the mirror and gave herself a small nod. She was going to do this! After all, she had promised her sister that she would, and that was a promise that she planned to keep!
(Back with Gaz)
Solitude…
It had a way of playing tricks on your mind, eating away at your brain until there was nothing left but a shell of what you once were. Gaz Membrane paced her cage back and forth; she swore she saw something flash by at the corner of her eye. She turned to cry out Zim's name, to rejoice in the fact that he had finally come to save her, only to find that no one was there.
Was this to be her fate? Was she to stay up here on Zec, locked away from the world she once knew and loved liked some caged dog in the pound? Was this her punishment for torturing her brother since the day of her birth? Was this her penalty for trusting her heart and falling in love?
She wasn't sure. Heck, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. Did she really think that they'd take her out in a jiffy? That she wouldn't stay in the clutches of the enemy long? Of course she did! Like a stupid idiot she thought that Zim would be back seconds later to rescue her and sweep her off her feet. Oh, how many hours did she play the scenario of her rescue in her mind?
'It's not going to happen,' she told herself. 'Your best bet is to wait for your moment of opportunity to present itself, and then rescue yourself!' She knew that deep down she was right but waiting for that moment felt like an eternity. 'You must stay strong. The moment will present itself; it just has too!'
Gaz let out a deep sigh and curled up into a ball to get some sleep, praying to whoever would listen that, just this once, she was right…
(Back with Mary)
Mary Rogers tip-toed quietly down the hallway and toward the stairs of her house. It was exactly 11:30, which meant she only had thirty minutes to get to the warehouse. At first she decided to tell her sisters about the letter she had found in her locker after fourth period, but after much thought she decided against it. After all, she was only 13, and hardly rag-tag criminal material.
"Mary?"
Mary froze as her sister Kathy appeared from out of her room at the other end of the hall. She was dressed in all black, just like she was, and a letter was clasped in her hands.
"No way! You got one too?" Mary whispered. The shock was evident on her face.
Kathy nodded.
Mary sighed. "Okay, fine, but if you wake up Jamie then it's every girl for herself!"
Kathy nodded her agreement and the two sisters slowly crept down the stairs, and stopped dead in their tracks as they were met with their older sister; who was at the moment busily putting her thick brown hair into a bun.
"Jamie?" Mary whispered.
Jamie jumped up in surprise and turned to see her sister dressed in all black. 'OH NO!'
"Please tell me you two did not get a letter too!"
Kathy and Mary looked at each other and then held up their letters guiltily.
"No. No. No! This is not happening, this is not…you can't go, it's dangerous!" Jamie shouted quietly.
"So what? You want us to stay here, and worry about whether or not you will return?" Mary cried.
"Yeah," Kathy said, backing her up. "What if it's a trap you'll need us to back you up?"
Jamie looked at her two sisters and nearly screamed. She wanted to argue with them, but deep down she knew they were right. If this was a trap then she wouldn't stand a chance alone. And besides, they were both old enough… even Mary… to make this important decision on their own. It would shape their entire lives from here on out, and she couldn't simply say no if this is what they wanted…
"Fine, but if either one of your grades slip, or you misbehave, or embarrass me in any way, then you're out; agreed?"
Both of her sisters nodded. "Agreed!"
He knew that if he was wise he'd turn back now...
Then again, Keef Larson was never known to be the wisest kid on the block. Keef gulped as he neared his location; Warehouse 18. He had been fighting with himself about this all day, about whether or not he should go. Finally he had decided that he had to do this. It was the only way to avenge his sister and honor her death. She had died trying to defend the Earth from the Irkens, and now, in her memory, he would do the same!
"Stop!" The voice was but a whisper and it came from directly behind him! "You should be more aware of your surroundings. If I were the enemy, you would be dead by now," the voice continued as the owner of the voice began to search for him.
Keef stayed perfectly still, obviously deep in thought. 'His voice sounds familiar to me…' Keef suddenly found a smile slipping on his face. "Zim?" He whispered softly, but the owner of the voice gave him no answer. He continued searching, only stopping to speak again once he had completed the search.
"You are to walk through the front door and give your letter to the one standing guard. Now go!"
Keef was suddenly pushed forward. It wasn't a rough shove, but he was surprised enough to almost fall to the ground.
The owner of the voice sighed behind him. "We've got a lot of work to do."
Keef blushed in slight embarrassment as he continued forward and entered the warehouse. He was immediately met with the view of a large open room, filled with at least 15 or so people.
"Letter!" A voice shouted to his left.
Keef turned to see a kid a little taller than him dressed in all black and wearing a mask. 'This must be the guard Zim was talking about.' The funny thing was, he knew this guy's voice too. He knew he did! Keef pulled out his letter and handed it over, watching as the guard held it up towards the light.
Suddenly, an almost invisible watermark appeared. It was the Irken insignia, crossed out with a big fat red X.
"You can join the others," the guard answered.
Keef moved on and joined the group of people, only to turn back to the door when the guard shouted...
"Next!"
Keef's heart literally skipped a beat as he saw that it was Kathy and her sisters! He looked around the room and realized in an instant that all the people here were the same people who ate lunch with him earlier that day, and it wasn't long before those around him began to notice it too.
Jamie saw it coming from a mile away, and it wasn't long before she figured out the truth. 'Those kids that invited us to lunch...'
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!" A girl dressed in black appeared on top of a stack of crates that were stacked into what appeared to look like a stage. The girl took off her mask and smiled.
"It's Rachel!" Kathy whispered.
"Now, I'm sure you've all figured it out by now," Rachel continued, "But before you start pointing fingers, I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight. It took a large amount of courage on all of your parts, and to be honest, that's exactly what we're looking for."
Keef looked around; no one looked angry, just shocked.
'"I know this is a bit shocking to you, but this is no joke. We are the Resistance, and to prove it, I have an individual with me who everyone would fully expect to be in the resistance." Rachel took a deep breath.
'This is it; the moment of truth. After this, any of them could destroy our forces completely if they betrayed us. But we have to trust them to earn their trust in return…'
So, without further ado and with a wide arching motion of her arm, she motioned to the side. "Everyone, we'd like you to meet Dib Membrane."
Dib stepped onto the stage, into the harsh spotlight, and stood in front of his future comrades with a look of determination. And to his surprise, everyone began to cheer.
'Of course they're cheering,' he told himself. 'After all, you knew about the Irkens before they even got here; with you they think we stand a chance.' Dib waited for the cheers to die down before speaking.
"Everyone, I'd like to start by saying it's an honor to see all of you here, but before you get invested into the fold, we have to make something very clear to you."
Kathy coughed. Was it just her own paranoia, or did the room suddenly feel heavy?
Zim tensed. He was hiding on the other side of the stage, waiting for his introduction. He knew they'd reject him, and after hearing them at lunch earlier that day, he couldn't blame them.
"There is one member of our team that is not human," Dib continued, only to stop as the crowd began to whisper softly. Finally, one of them spoke up.
"Not human?" Audra yelled. "That means they're Irken?"
"Yes," Dib admitted. "Is that a problem?"
Everyone looked at Audra as if waiting for her to be the first to object, thus allowing them to agree.
Audra seemed to think it over. Finally she answered. "I can tell the Irken race is cruel even to their own kind, and I find it hard to believe that they all agree with the ways of their people, but how do we know we can trust this particular Irken?"
It was a good question, one that Dib had an interesting way of answering. "You already have."
"What?" Audra was confused.
"He was the one who checked your pockets before you entered the building," Dib told her bluntly. "But even more so, you walk by him every day at school, just like you walk by me every day."
"But how? You're a wanted criminal!" Jenkins pointed out. "How are you able to hide in plain sight?"
"We hide in plain sight the same way we gather intelligence on our targets for attack. Both are provided by..."
"The Irken!" Gretchen interrupted him. "And why would this Irken betray his people? What is his reason for siding with us?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself?"
Keef watched as the guard from the door pulled off his mask; it was Mark!
"Well, go ahead, tell them!" Mark yelled, knowing good and well that Zim heard him the first time.
Zim silently cursed and stepped onto the stage; the room immediately filled with gasps. Zim cleared his throat; his nerves were on a high edge, and ready to jump into gear at any moment.
"My name is Irken Zim, and I betrayed my people in the hopes to right the wrongs that I have caused."
"You caused all of this!" Kathy yelled. It wasn't a question, and Zim could see the pain in her eyes. "You're the reason why my parents are dead!"
Zim flinched and swallowed down the urge to run for cover. "Yes. I have no excuses for my crimes towards any of you. I was assigned by my leaders to come to Earth and live among you, hiding in plain sight. I learned everything about you, all your strengths, weaknessed, and reported all my findings back to my leaders."
"So why turn against them?" Audra asked the million-dollar question.
"Throughout my entire life, I have been victimized by my people, and set up for failure. I was taught to know only hatred, and pain, and for a long time I never knew there was anything else, but… one of you showed me otherwise. I have been on this planet for seven years now, and I know it better than my own home world. In my years here I have seen that this planet isn't all filthy and chaotic, as it seems at a first glance. This world is beautiful, and though you humans thrive in chaos, I have learned that there is a strategy to your madness." Zim stopped as if waiting for someone to boo at him or threaten him, but no one did.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look," he said, "I'm not asking you to trust me, and I'm not asking you to let me stay when all this is said and done. No. What I am asking is a chance to show you that we are not all bad. Most of us could care less how many unconquered worlds are out there. We are simply subjects following orders, some out of respect and others out of fear, but in the end, it all falls back on the fact that we are just doing our jobs."
"Why do you fear them?" Mary asked.
Zim froze at the question, and Dib swore that he saw fear in the Irken's eyes. The alien seemed to ponder on how much he should share; finally he spoke again.
"There are some things about my race that you would not understand. You humans fear what you can't understand, and you often destroy the things that you fear. I am sorry, but there are some things I am not yet willing to share with you."
"Why?" The question came from Mark. "Why are you unwilling to share?"
"Can you blame me?" Zim asked. "Who's to say you won't give me the boot the moment I tell you everything you need to know?"
"So you don't trust us either?" Kathy asked.
"No, I do trust some of you, but I also know that not all humans are the same. There's a saying you earthlings have. I believe it's that 'trust must be earned'. I am willing to earn your trust, and promise that if I do earn it, that I will try to trust you as well," Zim vowed.
"Try?" Shyann asked.
"No one's perfect," Zim told her with a half-smile.
"Well, I guess it makes sense to have someone from the inside," Audra said thoughtfully. "I mean, how else are we going to stand a chance?"
"We wouldn't," James said as he eyed his cousin. "We wouldn't stand a chance at all. Zim is a valued member of this team and will be in charge of most of your training."
"That is, if you still wish to join," Rachel cut in.
All the recruits murmured their agreements.
"Very well then. Everyone, please raise your right hand and repeat after me," Rachel ordered.
Zim watched as every single one of them raised their hand, and he couldn't help the smile that found its way to his face. They were willing to stand, even if it was with an Irken, as long as it meant that one day they'd be free. 'Maybe they're not as helpless as I once thought,' he said to himself. 'Maybe we do have a chance.'
"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Human Race against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that I will obey the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so help me God!"
Dib smiled as every last one of the recruits repeated after her, and a since of pride seemed to wash over the room in waves, but there was also something else there too...
'Hope,' Dib realized it in a second. 'They have hope once again; hope that someday the world will be right once more.'
Zim smiled as well, and as the oath came to a close, he stepped forward to speak, and with every word a new since of purpose filled the original five members. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the resistance."
The twenty recruits shouted their approval and raised their fists to the sky, screaming their cries for war and justice. Sure, there was only a handful of them, twenty-five if you counted the original members, but one day there would be thousands of them…
'And when that day comes, the Irkens will rue the day that they chose to mess with planet Earth…'
Episode 2: Welcome to the Resistance (Part 3) END!
Author's Notes: And there you have it folks, the resistance is growing but their numbers are not the only thing that is rising. Zim's bizarre symptoms seem to be increasing, and the lies of our enemy, the Tallest are multiplying by the second. Lies that have been hidden in the dark for over one hundred years. Which causes you to wonder who these Amons are? And what makes them so special?
Tune in next time to find out!
Shout-out(s): I would like to give a shout out to all those who reviewed Episode 1-Cami, Invader Johnny, and AnonymousLiving; thank you for your reviews and I hope to see more in the future.
Remember: I am open to suggestions, if you would like something to happen in the series please let me know; and I will give you credit at the end of whatever Episode I use it in. I would personally like to thank you for reading and ask that you please review. Your support is greatly appreciated.
And if you wish to become a future member of Resistance Please let me know. You can use your own Name as others have done, or you can make up your own character. All credit will go to their respective owners.
Thanks Again, I hope to see you all in the next episode!
Yours Truly, RoxieDivine