Episode Summary: -Loyalties are tested when the Renegades realize that someone is leaking information to the Enemy! Meanwhile Zim tries to come to terms with what he has done, as he tries his best to focus on yet another mission!

Author's Note: Thank you for reading and please review!

Episode 9- The Enemy Within (Part 1)

(Three Days Ago)

"Dead! What do you mean he is dead!?" Red hissed.

Captain Ogre cringed at his leader's words, he absolutely hated being the leading commander of the Royal Guard!

Why?

Because this meant everything was his fault!

"Captain Koi knew the blind girl would go looking for the Renegades to finish her assault on the factory. So, he waited there in hopes of finishing Zim off once and for all." He explained to his leaders.

"And you let him go!" Purple slashed his claws across the fools face with a loud growl. "Do you realized what you've done?!"

"My Tallest I…" Captain Ogre tried to speak but soon found Red's fingers around his neck.

"He was the only Amon here going through the final metamorphosis!" Red howled. "He was our last hope of having a successor."

"And there are no more Amons to start fresh with!" Purple cut in.

"If the masses find out that there is no future leader our people will go into a panic!" Red said squeezing Captain Ogre's neck slightly.

"What about Cadet Scamooch Sir?" Captain Ogre rasped, trying to breath.

"He is not a real Amon you twit!" Red screamed, squeezing harder. "And now because of you everyone will figure that out!"

"Yes, it was already hard enough to keep up the charades when we put him with the other Shews down on Earth instead of a private class here on Zec." Purple snapped.

"But interaction with other Irkens is essential for a developing Smeet!" Captain Ogre's reasoned.

"We know that you idiot!" Red growled. "That's why we risked it in the first place!"

"But now it's gone too far! We can't tell the masses that a Shew is going to be the next Tallest, it would anger them, especially if they accidentally found out the truth about him." Purple exclaimed. "They'd catch us in a lie, they'd find out the truth about everything!"

"You could consult with the Ancients." Captain Ogre suggested. "Maybe they could provide us a new sample of Amon DNA."

"No, those traitors would say we already have a successor, and tell us to welcome him back into the fold." Red growled.

"You do? Who?" Captain Ogre asked, looking confused.

"Zim you idiot!" Purple hissed.

"Oh?" Captain Ogre whispered, getting it now.

"What do we do?" Purple asked Red, hopefully.

"The only thing we can do." Red told him. "We tell the Truth about Scamooch, and we replicate our own DNA."

"The computer brains won't accept Rogue DNA." Purple whispered.

"Then we will do it ourselves." Red snapped. "I will not go down as the Amon who wiped out the superior breed of my race all just to satisfy my power!"

"Fine, but what are we going to do about Zim?" Purple urged. "He's becoming a really big problem Red. You saw what he did to Koi, he's almost done with the final stage, and then he'll be coming after us!"

"Calm down." Red insisted. "You saw the security feed from the factory, Zim only defeated Koi because Koi underestimated him. He thought Zim wouldn't have it in him to kill another Irken, to fulfill his duties as an Amon. And in the end he paid for it dearly!"

"Yes, I know that! And it's not my concern!" Purple yelled. "My concern is if Zim isn't afraid to kill Koi then he won't be afraid to kill us!"

"Then maybe it's time we use our secret weapon." Red said, releasing Captain Ogre.

"You mean the girl?" Purple asked.

"Yes, we know the resistance is in that high school, and since her brother is one of the leaders of the rebels she should be able to recognize him even if he's in a disguise." Red explained.

"How?" Purple asked.

"She is his sister, they've known each other since birth, and we know all humans have a distinct personality." Red went on.

"So, you're saying she should just know." Purple asked.

"Well sure, not to mention I have no doubt that Zim is also in that school, and this emotion called love is supposed to be a very strong connection."

"So, what your saying is: if she starts to feel something for one of the boys at school there's a chance it could be Zim or her brother?" Purple asked.

"Yes, now is it a small one sure, but it's a chance. And seeing the very girl their trying to save free and in reach is going to be hard to ignore. They might try to be friend her, get close to her." Red continued.

"So, we let her go, under the careful watch of Tak?" Purple asked.

"Yes, I think Tak has proved her worth after all we would know nothing of Last night's events without her." Red stated the obvious.

"But can we really trust this Gaz?" Purple asked.

"If she knows what's best for her brother she will corporate." Red assured him. "Now as for you!" he said turning to Captain Ogre. "Leave us!"

Captain Ogre raced out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him.

"You should have killed him." Purple told him.

"Maybe so." Red agreed. "But we just killed the last one not too long ago, and we already have bad news to share."

Purple sighed. "I see your point."

Red nodded and pressed a button on his throne. "Someone send in TAK!"

Moments later Tak appears in the doorway.

"You called my Tallest." She asked with a bow.

"Tak we have decided that due to the recent loss of Koi that your plan is our only hope." Purple told her.

"We want you to turn Gaz against them." Red ordered.

Tak smiled. "It's already done." She assured him.

"Oh really?" Red asked. "And how can you be sure?"

"Trust me my Tallest." Tak said, getting to her feet. "She'll do just about anything to get out of that cage, and as long as you assured her that her brother will be safe in some camp somewhere she will give us Zim."

"Then it's settled." Red said. "We shall use the girl to defeat the resistance once and for all."

"Speaking of them." Tak said. "I finally have some useful information for you."

Red's brow rose. "Really?"

"They took your bait. The Renegades will be attacking the weapons shipment in three days' time." Tak informed them.

"And you're just now telling us?" Purple hissed.

"Now Purple let's hear her out." Red advised.

"My Tallest they always tell me things at the last minute." Tak explained. "I think they may not trust me fully."

"Well at least they took the bait." Purple said, his temper easing.

"Which means we'll finally know how many we're dealing with." Red concluded. "Good work Tak."

"So, wait you mean we're going to let them take some weapons?" Purple asked.

"No, we'll fight them tooth and nail for said weapons, but if they do manage to get away with a few it wouldn't hurt us." Red assured him. "Besides, you've got to lose some of the battles in a war. That is how you learn the enemy's strategies now isn't it?"

"Very well." Purple reluctantly agreed. "We shall go through with this plan, but if Gaz doesn't pull through for us you will pay for it with your life." he warned Tak.

Tak bowed once more. "You will not be sorry my Tallest" she promised.

"Then go!" Red ordered.

Tak got up and left the room with a large smile on her face. It was about time her sucking up started getting them somewhere in their plans. 'Soon Gaz will be free, and then we could finally start destroying the enemy from the inside out.'

Yes, everything was going according to plan, and soon the Tallest would fall!

It was only a matter of time…

(Present Day)

Midnight…

Human or not, the hour seemed to play tricks on your mind. Dib shook his head as he forced the thought out of his brain. He had to focus on the task at hand. If he got captured he'd be killed without a second thought. 'Gaz needs you, she's probably going out of her mind by now.' He knew that was probably true. Dib looked down from the roof of the warehouse cautiously. He could see the bridge from here, and the number of Irken guards didn't exactly give him any encouragement. He hoped his plan worked.

"Okay the diversion is ready." A voice spoke from behind him.

Dib turned just in time to see a boy named Ryan walking out of the shadows. "You know you don't have to do this." he said.

"I know." Ryan smiled.

"I't be dangerous." Dib warned him.

"I know, but I don't care. I lost everyone I ever cared about, to the war. And it's about time I did something about it!" Ryan said as he stood tall.

Dib nodded he understood after all he wasn't just fighting for the Earth; he was fighting for family too. 'Hang in there Gaz once we have enough troops and enough weapons we'll be strong enough to bust you out.' He looked down just in time to see a light flicker on and off. it was the signal! Dib turned on his light and flashed it back off in response.

"Dib's ready." Rachel whispered to James as she notice the flashing light from the warehouse across the street.

"About time" James joked as he stole a kiss from her. "Just in case." he said as he pulled away.

She nodded secretly hoping that it didn't come to that. She wasn't sure she could move on without him. James had been her strong hold for so long that she had forgotten how to live without him.

She forced herself to move, to leave him there and move forward to her position, it wasn't easy.

James watched her go he couldn't help but wonder if this would be the night that he lost her forever. Every single one of the Renegades were wanted dead or alive; would today be the day one of them lost the fight? He forced the thought out of his mind he had to focus, once Zim gave the signal they would move.

(With Zim…)

Guilt…

The feeling oozed from every pore in his body.

How could he do that?

How could he kill one of his own people?

'You did what you had to do, there was no saving him.'

Those were the words that he tried to use to comfort his increasingly troubled mind, they did not help though; no, they didn't help one bit!

Zim shook his head and forced himself to focus on the matter at hand, it had been four days since Koi's death. Four days since the Irken's plans for worldwide mind control had been foiled. Surprisingly, there wasn't as big of an uproar from the enemy as they would have expected. Zim reasoned that the Tallest probably wanted to keep their plans of mind control a secret from the human populist.

Of course, that didn't mean the Irken leaders forgot about the incident! The Irkens lied to the public stating the rebels had destroyed another source of work for low class humans. It was obvious the Tallest were out to make the Renegades look like a bunch of terrorist, and it was working; much to their dismay.

Zim, however, was not a surprise; humans were adapters after all; it was the key to their survival. So, the fact that most of the human race had begun to accept their role under the Irken rule was not surprising to him. Yes, they were settling for what they had, they even considered themselves lucky. As they should for Zim knew that most planets got cleansed of all their native inhabitance and reimaged into whatever the Tallest desired; while others were simply destroyed all together! Yes, it was very rare for the Irken race to keep a planet the way they found it; and if it hadn't been for the much-needed water supplies they probably would have altered the Earth as well.

Still Zim was beginning to wonder how much longer the Tallest would supply their enemies with water. Most of the time an agreement such as this would last a month or so, but it had almost been two years now since the invasion of Earth; the fact that it lasted a single year was rare, but two? Zim wasn't sure what the Tallest were planning, but he knew it couldn't be good.

'Perhaps they fear the rebels of deep space would rise up against them once they stopped supplying water.'

It was a likely answer, after all Zim knew the Tallest only won that War because they had a planet with an ample supply of water.

He shook his head once more, focusing on their current mission.

At that moment he, and four other members of the resistance stood hovering over the main bridge just above the Irken soldiers who were slowly crossing the bridge with the weapons in tow. Zim was waiting for the perfect moment to give the signal; he wanted the enemy to be dead center on the bridge. He had to admit Dib's invisibility jacket did come in handy at times. He watched from above as Rachel, Mark, James, and Dib began to lead their own teams of four towards the bridge surrounding the enemy from all sides. And with his own team hovered in the air just above the bridge; the Irkens would have no way to escape.

Once the Irken soldier grew closer to the center of the Bridge Zim paused, wait for the sound of music, that's what Dib had told him to do. His superior Irken hearing would pick up the music from the Rave before the rest of the Renegades began to hear it. Once he heard the music he knew the rest of the Irken Guards would too, and once the Guards moved far away from the weapons he'd give the signal.

Zim smiled as he heard the music and despite his growing depression his face broke out into a wide evil grin as it got louder, he had to admit that Dib did have his useful moments.

"You hear that." One Irken Guard said causing the group to stop dead center on the bridge.

'Beautiful.' Zim thought to himself.

"Sounds like music, but where's it coming from?" Another asked pricking his antennas in all directions.

"It's coming from the storage unit over there." the first pointed at the warehouse as he spoke.

Zim watched as a good handful of the guards began to move forward to investigate. 'Wait for it…' He told himself. 'Wait for it.' He waited until the last of the guards had stepped off of the bridge then he gave the signal.

A loud whistle filled the air, the guards turned back towards their shipment of weapons to see a large force field fall over the bridge. They ran towards it trying to outrun the force field, but it was too late. The force field was down, and they were not on the inside. Zim counted the number of guards that were still in the force field: nine, they were sill outnumbered, but at least now they had a chance.

Another whistle filled the air, and Zim and his men charged. They stayed invisible so they could have an advantage over the nine guards that were still inside. Upon hearing the second whistle Dib and the other teams of four charged from all sides taking on the guards on the outside. The battle raged on both sides of the force field; Zim tackled one of the larger guards and used his PAK claws to throw him against the force field wall. Dib used one of his father's many inventions; the Super- Mega ray to take out a few guards of his own, the gun was light in his hands, and with a few adjustments made by Zim; it now had the force of two Irken lasers combined.

The Teens from the rave ran out of the warehouse and into the night, they came from all directions at least 40 or so. They added confusion to the mixture of the battle, and it wasn't long before the enemy began to show signs of wearing down.

Zim swung another guard towards the force field wall and watched as he slide down it and fell to the ground unconscious. They were running out of time; if reinforcements showed up they would be no match.

The teens from the Rave seemed to be thinking the same thing, because they made a run for it. Zim couldn't blame them; besides, they had done their part. He whistled for a third time and his team began to grab weapons as he took down the force field.

This was it; the moment of truth, Dib blasted all the guards in his path as he made a run for the bridge. The others did the same, each grabbing as many weapons and as much ammo as they could carry before disappearing into the night.

Sirens filled the air and Zim knew that the reinforcements were finally on their way. They were running out of time, there was only one way to slow them down. "Clear the bridge" he screamed. His team obeyed and as soon as every human was off the bridge Zim used the lasers from his metal PAK arms to cut the bridge. The sounds of the sirens were drowned out by the falling bridge as the Renegades scattered into the shadows.

Only one Irken soldier managed to get off the bridge alive. He fell to his knees breathing heavily, finally he looked up just in time to see one last Renegade before he disappear into the night.

And that Renegade was the Irken Zim!

-To Be Continued