Episode 6: The Ghosts of Your Past (Part 1)
(148 years and 3 weeks ago)
This was it…
The moment they had been waiting for since they first stepped into this cursed training room.
One final test and they would be graduating! And the best part was that this test was taking place outside!
"We're finally getting out of this hell hole!" Cadet Koi, a young Amon with blue eyes exclaimed. "Zim what's it like out there?"
Cadet Zim rolled his eyes, ever since he and Cadet Skoodge had snuck out to the surface everyone asked them the same question.
And Zim always had the same answer.
"It's big, loud, pathetic; and begging to be fixed!" Cadet Zim snapped.
The small group of cadets had been waiting by the door in a straight line all morning and everyone could understand why Cadet Zim was irritable; they all were.
"So, what do you think the last test will be?" Cadet Skoodge asked.
"I hear it's supposed to test our flight or fight instinct." Cadet Koi said.
"How do you know?" Cadet Red questioned.
"Yeah have you been ease dropping on the instructors again?!" Cadet Purple yelled.
Koi gave his best innocent smile. "It's not my fault they talk loud enough for me to hear them." He said sweetly.
Cadet Zim couldn't help but snicker, out of all the other Amons in the class, Koi had to be the only one besides him that wasn't afraid to crack a joke or two. Cadet Zim sighed and looked around. There weren't many of them left; just eleven years ago there was 30 Worthy Smeets, and now there were only five: Zim, Koi, Red, Purple, and one other cadet: Cadet Nine.
The others had died from illnesses.
It was strange really the Amons were supposed to be the stronger breed of the Irkens, and yet only a few of them actually survived to see age 11. Many of the cadets and instructors where surprised to see that Zim was one of them. With his small size he should have been an easy target for any disease, but he surprised them all by becoming one of the last five left.
Zim looked at his fellow Amons one by one. They all seemed to share a mutual respect for one another, but Zim knew that while all of them respected each other, they also secretly wished for the other's failure. It was to be suspected, after all they were competing with each other for the top score of the class. And one day soon they'd be competing for something more important than a petty score.
The role of the next Tallest!
"So, what are they going to do to test our fight or flight instincts?" Cadet Nine asked.
"Not sure they didn't say." Cadet Koi admitted. "But-"
"Then what good are you?!" Cadet Nine hissed! "What kind of ease dropper doesn't get all the details?"
"Well if you'd let me finish I'd tell you that the members of The Top Twelve will be watching us Amons carefully!" Koi went on.
"The Top Twelve!" The cadets exclaimed in unison.
The Top Twelve consisted of eight fleet commanders, who usually took command over a fleet of at least 2,000 and some odd Irken soldiers. These commander's and their fleets reported to the General of the Armada; who reported to the last remaining three of the top 12.
Of course, Zim knew that the last remaining 3 of the top twelve usually consisted of the Tallest, their future successor, and finally a Taller who showed great promise in reaching the final change. For example, Miyuki was the Tallest, and her next in line was Taller Spork; who happened to be the leading officer of her royal guard. And the 3rd would turn out to be one of the remaining 5 Amons.
And Zim was hoping that Amon would be him!
"That's right!" Koi said with a sly smile. "This is our chance to give them a reason to choose us as one of their successors in the Great Mentor Assigning!"
The Great Mentor Assigning, was the next stage of the Amons training. While the Shews went off to the military academy to learn to be common soldiers. The Amons would be chosen by one of the Top Twelve to be their future replacement.
A loud gush of wind enters the room as the door opens, the cadets are greeted by their daytime instructor: Sargent Gales, a short stubby Irken female with green eyes.
"Cadets it is time for your final test!" Sargent Gales declared. "A test of Flight or Fight!"
"Told you!" Cadet Koi whispered.
Cadet Nine rolled her green eyes.
Cadet Zim did his best to ignore them, after all he had a lot to prove; due to his small size.
"Follow me!" Sargent Gales ordered.
The cadets followed Sargent Gales in a single file line.
Zim's squeedlyspooch hammered in his chest, this had to be the most suspenseful thing he had ever done.
Even sneaking out hadn't created such an adrenaline rush!
This was it! The final test!
If he failed he'd be deactivated and labeled defective!
It was a cadet's greatest fear, Shews and Amons alike; no one was immune to the possibility.
Zim gulped, because deep down he already knew he was defective.
He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did; and so far he had done a good job of hiding it.
Zim squinted as the bright light from Irk's twelve suns hit his face. Zim wanted to cures those suns, but he knew that the number 12 in The Top Twelve was decided by the number of suns their planet had. And to curse the suns was to say you cursed the Top Twelve members of the Irken race.
Which was not a wise idea to say the least.
Sargent Gales led the cadets down into a large canyon.
Zim noticed an observation doc above them with 12 figures looking down on them, but his still developing eyes couldn't make out their faces. So, he could only guess that it was the Top Twelve looking down on them as promised.
"Wait here." Sargent Gales ordered and walked out of the canyon.
As soon as she disappeared out of sight a large roar filled the canyon, and the ground began to shake as loud thunderous footsteps stumped towards them.
Several cadets screamed and shook, but otherwise everyone stood their ground.
That is until the owner of those footsteps came into view.
It was a Hog Beast!
The monstrous foul beast stared down at them for several moments, no one dared to move.
Suddenly the creature screeched loudly, and everyone turned and run…
Everyone but Zim!
Zim extended his PAK arms and struck at the beast doing his best to stand his ground.
The beast hissed as the PAK arm stabbed into its eye drawing purple blood! It swung at Zim clawing off his left antenna.
Zim screamed as the force from the blow sent him plummeting to the ground. Dark spots began to fill his vision, but it didn't stop him from seeing what happened next.
As the beast lifted up its claw to deliver a deathly blow to Zim's throat a PAK arm stopped it in its tracks.
"Purple I'll attack from the front while you attack him from behind!" Cadet Red exclaimed as one of his PAK claws stabbed the beast's other eye; blinding it.
The beast swings its claws blindly but doesn't land a blow.
And Purple jumps up from behind it and stabs his staff into its neck severing the spine.
The beast falls to its death.
Zim blinks in disbelief as Cadets Red and Purple stand over him.
"Zim can you hear me?" Cadet Red asked as he bent down beside him.
"His antenna broke!" Cadet Purple exclaimed holding up the broken antenna.
"We can stich it back on Purple." Cadet Red told him.
"You know he's lucky to be alive!" Cadet Purple said.
"Yeah what were you thinking Zim!" Cadet Red yelled. "Why didn't you run?"
"Sargent Gales said to stay put!" Cadet Zim said through coughs.
Cadet Red laughed. "Well at least you followed orders."
"And look where it got you!" Cadet Purple joked.
Zim groaned as his world went dark.
"Zim!" Cadet Red yelled.
"We have to get him to the infirmary!" Cadet Purple screamed.
Zim faded into the black void; he was sure he'd never wake up again.
But to his surprised he came to, to Cadets Purple and Red wrapping a bandage around his left antenna; which had been sowed back on.
He tried to move, but was immediately scowled by Cadet Red.
"Hold still!" Cadet Red growled as Cadet Zim squirmed in pain.
"But it hurts" Cadet Zim complained as Cadet Red tried to wrap his broken antenna.
"I need to wrap this up so it will heal properly."
"I don't need your help!" Cadet Zim growled bitterly.
Cadet Red knew he had a right to be bitter; after all he was the only one of the Worthy Ones that hadn't started growing yet. Not to mention he was the only one to get injured in the final test.
"I failed didn't I?" Zim asked.
"Actually, you're the only one who officially passed." Cadet Purple told him.
"What?" Zim was surprised. Did he hear them right? Had they just said he passed?
"You were the only one who followed orders and stood your ground." Cadet Red explained. "Purple and I redeemed ourselves by going back to save you."
"And the other's?" Zim asked.
They failed, but this test wasn't worth much, so it didn't affect their final score; they'll all graduate with us tomorrow." Cadet Purple answered.
Zim sighed as tears began to fill his eyes. "What's the point in passing me? It's not like anyone is going to choose me at the Great Mentor Assigning!"
"Zim you must stay positive." Cadet Purple advised him. "You'll catch up eventually."
"Yah you're just... a..." Cadet Red tried to come up with a good reason to keep his spirit up. Not because he liked Zim, no he hated the annoying Smeet, but at the same time he couldn't stand seeing his tear-filled face. The cadet has earned at least some of his admiration after today's events. You could say what you wanted about Zim, he was loud and annoying, but he followed orders, no matter what.
And what future leader didn't want a soldier like that?
"You're just a late bloomer!" Cadet Purple cut in as he tried to help hold Cadet Zim still.
"What do you care? None of you even like me!" Cadet Zim growled.
"At least we're helping your sorry hide!" Cadet Purple said harshly.
"He's right Zim we could have left you out there, but we didn't!"
Cadet Zim knew he was right; in all reality he should have died today! 'If I were taller I could have fought it off on my own!' he thought bitterly.
Cadet Red smiled as he finished his work. "There, now it will be good as new before you know it." He said trying to lighten up the mood.
Cadet Zim looked into his eyes expecting to see the usual smug look that Cadet Red often gave him. But instead the cadet's eyes showed only respect and admiration.
"You know you could have died out there, you knew you were too small to fight that thing on your own, but you held your ground and followed orders anyway." Cadet Red said.
"It's true even Red and I followed the instinct of flight first." Cadet Purple admitted. "If we hadn't of turned around when we did, we would have never known that you hadn't started running."
"You're a good soldier Zim, and if the Change does kills you then the Irken Empire will lose one of its best." Cadet Red sighed.
And that was when Zim knew…
This was the very moment that he knew he wanted them to become the Tallest.
Cadet Zim realized that even though the cadets teased him, Cadet Red and Cadet Purple still looked after one of their own. Not only that, but they praised him for his valent efforts to do the same; even though he failed to do it alone. Cadet Zim suddenly felt a since of admiration wash over him. He swore then that he would try to follow their example; to protect his people no matter what.
And even though he would fail many times to keep this promise. Fate knew that someday, in the not-so-distant future, Zim would honor this promise at the cost of his own life.
(Present Day)
"What do you mean you haven't found them?!" Red screamed throwing his throne in a fit of rage.
Captain Ogre dodged the throne, with little ease. As the new leading office of the Royal guard he was having a hard time trying to tread lightly around the Tallest's tempers.
"You had one job!" Red continued to rant. "Catch them!"
"But my Tallest we found no members of the resistance on the street yesterday afternoon, and Lt. Razi said all of the students at the school were accounted for."
"Then how did all that stolen food get passed out on the street?" Purple asked, again he was hiding behind his throne. Doing his best to stay out of Red's tantrism path.
"We don't know!" Captain Ogre rasped. "That's what I've been trying to tell you! The only enemy the spy drones picked up was the defective SIR unit. The rest of the members were not seen."
"So, it's possible that the human members were not there at all!" Purple said thoughtfully as he stood up. "So, our theory about the school could still be correct."
"It doesn't matter if it is!" Red hissed. "Don't you see, even if it was just the SIR, the masses will believe that it was the resistance as a whole, and once the information about all the students being in attendances leaks; we'll be forced to withdraw our soldiers from the school. Either we do that, or we risk an uprising which would probably increase the resistance numbers."
"So, they have us cornered?" Purple asked.
"Yes, either way they will win this round." Red growled at the thought. "But if they think they will win the war then they have another thing coming."
Purple nodded his agreement.
"You leave us!" Red ordered Captain Ogre.
Captain Ogre wasted no time, but raced out of the throne room as fast as his legs could carry him; simply thankful to get away.
"We have to do something about that Zim!" Red screamed once they were alone. "Now that he has increased in height he might actually have a chance to survive the change!"
"But there's two of us and one of him." Purple reasoned.
"It doesn't matter, I will not wait for him to come to us!" Red snapped, cutting him off.
"The Girl!" Purple exclaimed suddenly.
"What about her?" Red asked.
"We asked Tak to gain her as an ally." Purple reminded him.
"So?!" Red hissed.
"We promise the Girl her brother will be spared; we can send him to a work camp of some kind. Her brother is all she has left in this world; we can even promise her that she can go with him once Zim is dealt with."
"It's a thought, but it could take some time to sway her, especially if she's still hopeful of rescue." Red said thoughtfully; his temper forgotten for the moment. "We'd be much safer using this as a plan B!"
"Then what's Plan A?" Purple asked.
"I may be able to help with that." Tak said as she suddenly appeared in the corner of the room.
"TAK!" Red hissed his anger brewing again.
"How long have you been in here?" Purple asked.
"Long enough to hear everything" Tak answered. "I've been in camo this whole time."
"You've just signed your death wish." Red hissed as he approached her.
Tak stood her ground, "No you won't kill me." She said.
"And why not?" Purple asked slightly intrigued by her response.
"Because I'm one of them." Tak answered.
Now that got Red's attention. "What?" he asked, freezing were he stood; just inches away from her.
"I'm a member of the resistance!" Tak answered.
"What!" Purple and Red screamed in unison.
"Before I returned to you Dib had contacted me to spy on you." Tak admitted. "I agreed."
"Traitor!" Purple screamed.
"I only agreed so I could spy on them for you!" Tak yelled over him. She paused then waiting for their reaction.
Red smiled. "We're listening."
"I wanted to tell you sooner, but I have nothing to share with you about them. I have no names, or any idea what they look like." She explained. "I met Dib under the main overpass the day before I first addressed you. We've had little contact since then, and I never met him face to face after that."
"How do you communicate?" Red asked.
"I get a call on this communicator he gave me." Tak showed them the communicator on her wrist. "I try to track the calls, but he always keeps them too short to do much with."
"What do you talk about?" Purple continued with the questioning.
"He asked about Gaz." Tak answered plainly.
"Just Gaz?" Red snapped.
"Yes, my Tallest."
"And you never saw him again?" Red asked.
Tak bowed her head, "Yes, that is until yesterday after school, in the empty hall by my locker I was approached by five cloaked figures. One took off his hood, it was Zim."
"He was there!" the tallest screamed.
Yes" Tak answered. "It turned out Dib had not told them about me, so they came to question me."
"Who else was there?" Purple pressed her.
"The rest of the four-stay hooded, but I recognized Dib's voice." Tak answered, "As far as I can tell, Dib and Zim must be using some kid of high-tech technology to conceal their true Identities, because none of the school security feeds show them entering the school."
"And no drones where around when they addressed you?" Red asked.
"No, my Tallest I'm afraid not," Tak said looking defeated.
"Only five, they must only been the top-ranking members." Purple thought to himself out loud.
"My Tallest please let me be your plan A." Tak begged as she got down on her knees.
"You missy will be lucky to sur-" Purple began.
"Now Purple let her speak." Red hushed him, then to Tak he said. "Go on."
"If you let me leak a little information to them, they'll begin to trust me, and in turn they will share things with me that I can in turn leak to you." Tak said meekly. "And then once we've gained their at most trust, and learned all we can we set a trap, using Gaz as bait."
Red and Purple smiled to one another, it was the perfect plan.
"Very well Tak we will use this plan of yours, but if we find your loyalty has wavered even the slightest you will pay with your life." Red warned.
"Yes, my Tallest!" Tak said rising to her feet.
"Good now leave us!" Purple ordered.
Tak bowed once more, before taking her leave.
"Can we trust her?" Purple whispered.
"We can't ignore the fact that she kept us in the dark for so long, but this is the best plan we've had since this whole mess started."
"So, we wait and see?" Purple asked.
Red nodded. "It's all we can do for now. Though I can't see why she'd betray us, she hates Zim probably as much as we do. So, her knowing that he's a worthy one shouldn't change that."
"I suppose you're right, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful, after all their latest scheme has already proven that they're a force to reckon with."
Purple nodded his agreement, but the truth was the two didn't know the half of it!
(Back with Zim)
Depression…
They say it runs deeper than any other emotion in the galaxy, that it is so strong that it can sever its victim from all other feelings; like happiness, heart ache, even love cannot seem to penetrate its harsh walls!
Zim sighed, rolling over in his bed; the stench of the Irken blood on his clothes clouded his senses. And yet even the fear that came with last night's events could not shake this sense of depression in him.
If anything, it made him even more depressed!
'What was I doing in that alley anyways?' Zim wasn't sure, the last thing he remembered was feeling dizzy, and falling onto the bed. 'I must have passed out, perhaps the change mixed with all this stress finally exhausted me.' He thought, but it still didn't explain why he woke up in an alley covered in Irken blood…
That wasn't his own!
Zim focused hard trying to remember any events from last night, but nothing came to mind. After he had woken up in the alley, he had raced home, it had taken him all is strength to climb into his bedroom window, which had strangely been opened!
'Did I sneak out last night?' he sat up suddenly trying harder to remember. He had woken up from a nightmare of some sort, he was sure of it; but said nightmare began to fade the moment he woke up. He had no memory of what it was about, besides the fact that he was scared out of his mind.
He groaned in annoyance, 'I don't have time for this!' he lectured himself. 'I have more important things to worry about!' This much was true, Zim had a very big decision to make; and it wasn't one he could just take likely either.
'They're out of control, they must be stopped!' The Dome Computer's words rang through his mind loud and clear, but could he really do it? Could he really kill them!
'They are rogue, and they must be put down! You have no choice in the matter, this is Irken law; and you are the only one capable of doing it!'
"But…" Zim touched his left antenna absently, it didn't look much different from his right one, but if one where to look closely enough they would see the scar. Zim grimaced; in all reality he should have died that day! The instructors had thrown them into a great big canyon with a monstrous hog beast. It was to test them and see how they would respond to a real threat on their lives. Most of the cadets, Amons and Shews alike had ran from the beast; but Zim had tried to fight back!
It was a decision that had almost cost him his life, the beast had clawed his left antenna off completely, and was ready to deliver a deathly blow, when they had come for him. Red and Purple had come back to save him, and Zim had sworn to do the same; to protect his people no matter what.
It was a promise that he had intended to keep, and nothing was going to stop him from keeping it now; not even them.
Zim sighed and reached under his bed for something, it was a small cardboard box full of pictures not even a foot in diameter. He put it in his lap and riffled threw them. Most of them were pictures of him and Dib in their disguises with two adults, a man and a woman who had been photo shopped into the frame. These where supposed to be fake pictures of their fake family, but if you held the pictures under a special light another picture was revealed.
Most of the real pictures underneath were of Zim and Gaz, with the occasional scolding Dib; and an over excited Gir. But Zim pushed those aside for the picture at the very bottom of the stack. It was an old and wrinkly photo of him, Josh, James, Rachel, and Mark. Zim turned on his special blue light on his communicator and couldn't help but smile.
The light revealed five young cadets standing side by side, it was his graduation photo; he had taken it with his PAK on his eleventh birthday! Finally, after ten years of being stuck with the Shews the last five remaining Amons were moving on up to a brighter future.
Young cadet Zim stood in the middle of the photo with his left antenna still wrapped up from his injury. Cadet Red was to his right and Cadet Purple was to his left. Cadets Koi and Nine, who had been slightly taller at the time; stood behind them. All five of them wear expressions of obvious excitement, each of them wondering what their futures might hold.
But never in his wildest dreams had Zim thought he'd end up here.
He wanted to believe that the young versions of the Tallest still existed, but he knew that was a lie.
"Their killing them Zim!" Tak's voice echoed in his mind. "The worthy ones, their killing them all!"
Zim's eyes turned red, and he crumbled the picture up in a tight fist at the thought. 'They won't get away with this!' He promised.
And it was a promise he planned to keep…
-To Be Continued