Episode 8: Love and War
Episode Summary- The Tallest has Gaz test their new weapon against the Renegades. Can she gather enough information to save as many of her friends as possible. Meanwhile as the Leaders of the Renegades prepare for their inevitable defeat; forbidden love threatens to blossom once more as Kathy finds herself stuck with Cadet Scamooch as her science partner. Will these two unlike individuals fall in love?
Disclaimers: I Do Not Own Invader Zim
Author's Notes: And we are back with another exciting part of Invader Zim Renegades! Thank you all for all your comments and dedication to this series.
Hope you guys enjoy!
Yours Truly, RoxieDivine :)
Episode 8: Love and War (Part 1)
(Back with Zim and Dib…)
[Curfew]
{Location: Apartment building 243 Rm 008, On Zec}
He had forgotten how angry she could make him…
"Of all the things she could suggest!" Zim hissed as he beat his fist on the table at the news.
General Kazar smiled at the reaction, and rightfully so. His expression shows that the Irken before him is truly the same he has always been. Yes, Earth and it's humans taught him compassion and love, but some habits could not be broken. And it would appear his temper was one of them.
"So, the Computer brain can hack into you mind and just see whatever it wants?" Dib asked looking thoughtful.
General Kazar's attention shifted to that of the boy beside his future leader. He had heard great things about this boy. He was smart, conning, and could keep up with a well elite Irken soldier at the age of eleven! Such accomplishments made him stand out among the rest of his race. In fact, the elder Irken thought that perhaps Dib wasn't human at all.
However, Zim had assured him in private that He had looked into the same theory, and as unlikely as it sounded Dib was indeed human. However, his blood and cells showed obvious signs of tampering, Zim theorized that Dib's father must have done this to make him a successor worthy of following his footsteps.
Dib of course, had figured out the whole: "I must be some kind of super baby." Thing when he was still in diapers. Mostly because when he was 2 he was already spelling words like Aliens while other kids his age just drooled. As he got older he often wondered what kind of person he would have ben if his father had just left well enough alone. Then he found out he was actually a clone of his father and realized that if his father had left well enough alone than Dib wouldn't exist. Yeah, that news took a little getting use to, but Dib finally understood why his father was so disappointed that they weren't more alike.
Long story short, he had gotten over the news rather quickly and now it would appear he and his father were finally seeing eye to eye. All in all, things were looking good in the father, son department.
"It's a little more complicated than that." Zim tried to explain. "Sure, against a weak mind the brain could basically read it like a book, but it's not impossible to trick them. After all I did it during the trail after the fire."
"So, what do you got to do?" Dib asked. "Believe in your own lies?"
"Computer Brains designed to judge the guilty are different from those design to detect defectives." Zim explained. "For example, when you face a Judging brain your still conscious and have an easier time controlling your thoughts. However, What Red and Purple plan to do is the complete opposite. You're basically put in a dream state where you're more likely to follow instinct than think things through."
"A lucid dreamer could do it." Dib reasoned.
"Perhaps." Zim agreed. "But to hope all of our comrades are lucid is childish and a waste of time."
"So, this is it?" Dib asked. "We're finally going to lose one."
"It's just a battle my Taller." General Kazar assured Zim. "Besides I have already set in motion a way to use it for our favor."
"How?" Zim asked.
"After the incident with the execution of the scientist at the science camp the Tallest will be weary to kill another human, let alone children." Kazar explained. "I've arranged that they'll be stripped of their citizenship and placed with the unregistered humans on Zec."
"That's great!" Dib exclaimed. "More of our forces will be up here!"
"Under high security no doubt." Zim reminded him. "However, having some of our forces with the Undergrounders could be useful in executing our next move."
"Undergrounders?" Kazar asked.
"They are the humans the Irken worshipers captured." Zim explained. "The blind bandit came from their ranks. They lived underground liberating unregistered humans who were being used as slaves; there numbers are essential to this resistance."
"Plus; they're being treated like dirt!" James reasoned. He, Rachel, and Mark were also here. Now that Dib and Zim were minions they had privileges other humans did not have. One of those privileges was that they could have social events after curfew with whomever as long as they were inside of their residence. So, naturally Zim had set up a dinner date with his fellow Renegade leaders.
Zim knew it was risky to hold this meeting, if anyone of them failed the defectives test and the Tallest found out they were on Zec in this house…well the Tallest weren't stupid! Still, this meeting was important. For if there was anyone that they could not afford to get caught it was the humans sitting at this table.
"As unregistered humans they basically don't exist in the eyes of the Irken law. Which means their captures can treat them however they want!" Rachel pointed out the obvious.
"We will liberate them." Mark assured her.
"Yes." Zim agreed. "But first we have to focus on passing this test and preparing those who will likely fail."
"How?" Dib asked.
"We need to pick a leader." Rachel reasoned. "Someone who can gather our troops and the Undergrounders under one banner and take charge."
"We'll also need a way of communicating with them once they are inside." Zim added.
"I have that taken care of." Kazar reasoned.
"Go on." Zim insisted.
"Bec has been reassigned to crowd control at the encampment." Kazar explained.
"They're being kept in a camp!" Rachel sounded furious.
Kazar nodded. "Since the incident at the science camp and the recent stoppage of all Irken productions across the Empire the unregistered Humans are the new production line." Kazar explained. "They produce anything from snacks to weapons."
"And by keeping them up here the Tallest think we can't reach them." Zim finished.
"A successful attack on Zec will not only give us more troops but Lard Nar as well." Dib reasoned.
"Speaking of." Rachel began but Zim held up his hand to stop her.
"I know they are expecting me." Zim assured her.
"You're running out of time." Rachel argued. "If you don't see them and soon…"
"We have to fix this first." Zim reminded her.
"Then I suggest we do it quickly." Kazar cut in. With that he stood. "I must return to the palace." He said. "I will keep in touch."
Zim nodded and the General took his leave.
"I don't like him." Mark said once he was out of ear shot.
"You don't like anyone." James reminded him.
"No for once I must agree." Zim said surprising them. "Kazar is known for sitting on the fence and choosing the side he thinks will win. If the Tallest begin to regain the upper hand he may become a liability."
His fellow leaders nodded.
"We should get some sleep." Dib reasoned looking at the clock which read half past 10. "Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."
"How are we going to prepare for this!" Rachel asked.
"We must leave our school hours to our robotic doubles." Zim reasoned.
Rachel nodded, of course all the leaders of the Renegades had robotic doubles. It allowed them to warn off suspicion when it came to the spy drones. Whenever they were on a mission or at the dome the robotic doubles played out their lives for them. So that the spy drones would see them doing normal human things during these moments.
"For now, I have to teach you how to survive this." Zim continued.
"What about Scamooch?" Dib asked gesturing to the cadet.
Scamooch was sitting at the table in silence and hadn't even bothered touching his food.
"He'll be fine." Zim assured him. "Now get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be tough."
His fellow leaders nodded and got up to settled down for bed. Since it was past curfew they would all be spending the night here.
"Want to talk about it?" Zim asked as they left.
Scamooch shook his head.
"Look I know you don't want to work with a human outside of covert operations." Zim said, deciding to talk about it anyways.
"They already think I'm a human lover!" Scamooch hissed.
Zim smiled. "This will be good for you." He assured him. "By doing this you prove humans and Irkens can work together on equal grounds."
"And if she gets caught by the defectives test?" Scamooch reasoned. "How will that make me look?"
"Be as nasty as you have to be in public." Zim insisted. "Just remember humans have feelings too."
"I know that!" Scamooch snapped.
Zim's smile widen. "This has nothing to do with what your classmates feel does it?" He asked.
"I won't catch this love bug these humans have infected you with!" Scamooch growled.
Zim chuckled despite the obvious insult. "You could learn a lot from them." He told him. "Like the fact that love isn't a weakness."
"Is too!" Scamooch argued.
"Have you forgotten that it is love that started this war?" Zim asked. "A war we are currently winning?"
"Yeah until your girlfriend ruined it!" Scamooch lashed back.
"It is not ruined." Zim reasoned. "It's called a tactical defeat."
"What?" Scamooch was confused.
"Sometimes losing a battle is unavoidable." Zim reasoned. "But if you use that lose to your advantage it can ensure that you win the next one. Take Dib and I for example, we have both won and lost against each other, and with each win and failure we learned about the enemy. Dib would often begin to underestimate me closely after he won a battle. So, when I won the next one it reminded him that I was not to be taken lightly." He explained. "The Tallest will make the same mistake, they will be blinded by this win, and we will use it to liberate those they capture and increase our ranks while doing it."
"Still she couldn't have suggested a worse idea." Scamooch pointed out the obvious.
Zim smiled. "Betraying us got the group into similar trouble." He reasoned, "But it worked out in the end."
"That's reckless thinking!" Scamooch lectured.
"Humans are reckless creatures." Zim answered simply. "This is how they do things."
"And somehow they continue to prosper." Scamooch shook his head in disbelief.
Zim nodded. "They are living proof that everything we believe about defective is wrong." He said. "They are also the reason that I am beginning to accept that being defective is ok."
"Convincing the rest of our race of that will not be easy." Scamooch told him.
Zim nodded. "I know, and though I still feel like I'm not the one to be leading us into this new era." He sighed. "It would appear I have no choice."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Scamooch asked. "When you see the Ancients."
Zim smiled and nodded. "I think it would be good for you." He admitted. "But by disappearing you're making your position in this war very clear."
Scamooch nodded. "I can't hide behind the loyal student masquerade any longer than you can." He reasoned. "I chose you as my minion remember." He said standing. "And I vowed to stand by your side in that moment. I'm going through with this."
"The I suggest you get your affairs in order." Zim instructed. "Because we are leaving as soon as this mess with the Undergrounders is over."
"Why not just go now?" Scamooch reasoned. "We might not get another chance."
"I can not abandon my comrades." Zim reasoned as he kneeled down beside the cadet. "Besides I made a promise to Crystal." He added. "We will save her family then we will go, I promise."
Scamooch nodded. "Well for our sake I hope this doesn't cause a huge set back."
Zim nodded his own agreement, and with that the two Irkens retreated to get some much-needed sleep.
After all, tomorrow had promised to be one of their greatest challenges yet!
(Back with Gaz…)
[The Next Morning]
{Location: Somewhere On Zec}
She was running, getting as far away as possible.
She still couldn't believe she had escaped!
Gaz zig-zagged through the streets of Zec, desperately trying to get away. She had to get to him, to save him from their enemies.
Several spy drones and Irken soldiers pursued her, and yet somewhere in the back of her mind Gaz knew this was wrong.
How? Well, for starters the streets of Zec were empty, the sun was high in the sky meaning Zec should be crowded with several loyal Irkens that could stop her. But nothing stood in her way. It's then that she realizes she has no idea how she escaped the palace in the first place.
'This is all wrong.' She told herself. 'This isn't right.'
But why wasn't it right?
Gaz tried to remember…what was the last thing she remembered?
"When you go in try to remember it's not real."
Gaz came to a screeching stop as she realized why this was so wrong.
"Freeze human!"
Gaz placed her hands in the air and turned around slowly as the Irken soldier aimed his weapon at her. "This isn't real." Gaz said stepping forward.
"I said freeze!" The soldier warned.
Gaz placed her hands down. "No!" She said and charged.
The soldier fired off a shot.
It made contact…Gaz gasped…She was hit!
Gaz screamed as she woke up to a computer brain latched onto her head. She lifted her hands up and ripped it off her head, gasping for breath.
"You lasted longer that time." Tak told her.
Gaz looked down at the Irken female and just like that she remembered everything. They were testing the new weapon for weaknesses. "I still failed the test." She reasoned. "The brain knew exactly what I really wanted. It used my need to warn Zim against me."
Tak nodded. Thankfully the Tallest had trusted them to test the new weapon on their own, Not that it mattered. The empire was in a state of all out war, so they had more important things to worry about. Like how they were going to stop Lard Nar from stealing what was left of their labor force. Tak smiled at the thought. It turns out the Vort was becoming the perfect distraction.
"I need to notice it's a test from the beginning!" Gaz stated the obvious.
"Don't worry." Tak assured her. "General Kazar is feeding all of this data straight to Zim."
Gaz nodded. "But what good is the data if they can't practice going up against it."
"I think Zim plans to make a similar device." Tak said.
"But that won't save all of them." Gaz stated the obvious.
"No, We will lose this one." Tak admitted. "But by the Tallest wining think what that means for us." She reasoned. "They will no longer doubt us, which means we will have more freedom to begin converting what's left of the Irken soldiers on Zec."
Gaz knew she was right. This win would blind the Tallest to their next attack. "But I just feel so…filthy."
"Sometimes you've got to stab a few friends in the back to win a war." Tak assured her.
"Such a task might be easy for you Irkens." Gaz stated. "But the human heart can only take so much."
Tak frowned, it wasn't like Gaz to be so vulnerable. "This isn't your fault." She assured her. "You did the right thing. By getting caught more Renegades will have the perfect reason to be on Zec! Soon the Tallest will have willingly surrounded themselves by the enemy."
"They'll lose everything." Gaz reasoned. "Those who are caught will be stripped of what little rights humans have. Their families will be seen as providers of traitors! This will ruin their lives; they will suffer for the rest of this war."
"Then for their sake lets make it a shot one." Tak advised.
Gaz wanted to argue but found herself grasping desperately for a sense of solid ground. She had to get a hold of herself. Zim needed her to focus, they all did. She reached for the brain. "Let's go again."
Tak nodded and signaled the brain to start a new test.
They had no time to waste, in a time span as short as a week the Renegades would taste their first defeat. And how they handled said defeat would decide whether or not they'd still have a chance of winning this war.
They could not afford any distractions, or else it was game over for everyone!
Episode 8-Love and War (Part 1) END!