Episode 9- The Enemy Within (Part 3)
(Back with Cadet Scamooch...)
Unbelievable...
That was the only way he could describe it.
"And how is it that you're not in chains, behind bars in some maximum prison?" He snapped at Josh who was miraculously sitting in their 2nd period class.
"Oh well it turns out the computer brain in my first period was defective or something, cause the one with the royal guard gave me a negative result." Josh explained in his annoying voice!
"Figures!" Cadet Scamooch rolled his eyes. "I should have known you weren't really capable of such things." He said sitting down beside him.
"Oh, come on we both know you did it!" Josh said. "So, there's no need to pretend."
"Actually, for once I am not involved." Cadet Scamooch answered honestly.
Josh scoffed. "Sure, whatever you say sir."
Cadet Scamooch rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Believe what you will." He snapped.
"Good I will!" Josh snapped right back.
"You seem pretty confident in those claims." Cadet Scamooch pointed out.
"Yeah well I'm not the only one who thinks so." Josh warned.
"I know your brother-" Cadet Scamooch cut in, but Josh cut him off seconds later.
"No, I mean the principal." Josh explained. "She thinks so too!"
And as if on cue some almost as annoying voice rang over the intercom.
"Will cadet Scamooch please report to the Principal's office? Will cadet Scamooch please report to the Principal's office?"
"Told you." Josh chimed as he appeared to be enjoying himself.
"Well this time I'm innocent!" Cadet Scamooch said as he got up.
"You innocent? Please!" Josh scoffed.
"Watch it Campbell because I will be right back! You will not get rid of me this easily!" Cadet Scamooch vowed, and with that said the cadet marched over to the Principal's office wondering how he could have gotten himself mixed up in this one!
It didn't take him long to get there, and with one large deep breath Cadet Scamooch knocked on the door three times, than waited to be addressed before walking in.
"Enter!" a voice snapped.
"Oh Irk!" Cadet Scamooch whispered, and for good reason, that wasn't Principal Razi's Voice!
"I said enter!"
Cadet Scamooch rushed into the room and gave a clumsy bow! "Sorry sir!" he exclaimed.
General Kazar shook his head knowingly. "So, I hear you've been up to some trouble again."
"Sir please I had no hand in this, honest!" Cadet Scamooch pleaded.
"I don't care if you did are not!" General Kazar growled. "We have more pressing matters." He went on.
"Sir what's going on?" Cadet Scamooch could tell something was the matter, it was definitely not like the general to let him off so easily.
"Koi is dead." General Kazar informed him.
"What! When? How?! "Cadet Scamooch was dumbfounded. How could someone kill Koi? He was an Amon after all.
"Koi was killed by a rogue Amon three days ago." General Kazar told him.
"You mean Zim don't you!" Cadet Scamooch snapped.
General Kazar did not answer right away, but after a moment of silence he nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so."
"You don't sound so surprise!" Cadet Scamooch hissed.
"Watch your tone!" General Kazar warned." And besides, I told you he wouldn't last long!" The General explained. "The truth is Zim did Koi a favor, I told you the end of the change would kill Koi!"
"He could have pulled through!" Cadet Scamooch argued.
"Do you know how long it took Zim to kill Koi?" General Kazar suddenly asked.
"No." Cadet Scamooch answered.
"Ten minutes give or take." The general said.
"Ten Minutes? How is that even possible?" Cadet Scamooch asked.
"Zim is very different from other Amons, he showed signs of the change at your very age!" the general pointed out.
"If that's true than what's taking so long?!" Cadet Scamooch snapped.
"That's the idea." General Kazar assured him. "The longer it takes the more likely you are to survive. If the change comes on too quickly your body won't have time to adjust, it will give out from shock, and you'll die. But the more time you have in between the first signs of the change, and the final stage, the more likely you will make it. Why even the Tallest themselves showed signs. Granted it took them two years after Zim, but still."
"So that's why no one has questioned your claims of me being an Amon?" Cadet Scamooch asked.
"Exactly." General Kazar answered.
"Speaking of what are we going to do?" Cadet Scamooch asked. "I can't be the next Tallest."
"You're absolutely right." Another voice said.
Cadet Scamooch turned to see...
"My Tallest!" The cadet bowed respectfully. "My apologies I had no idea you were standing there."
"Yes, well we are!" Red mused. "But to the point you're right we cannot keep lying to the masses any longer."
"Meaning?" Cadet Scamooch asked.
"Meaning we are here to tell you that this school day is your last day as an Amon, once you come home we will denounce you, and everyone will know the truth."
Everyone!?
Cadet Scamooch gulped at the thought. Everyone was going to know he was a big fake! His fellow cadets would eat him alive if they found out! "Sir I..."
"I am sorry Scamooch." General Kazar cut in. "Truly, but the production of new Amons is finally on the way, and soon our numbers will be replenished."
"You mean you've eliminated the virus?" Cadet Scamooch asked. "But I thought we all had it, and the Amons were just too young to fight it off."
"Yes, we received a new strand of Amon DNA from the Ancients, and they've assured us that this new strand will be immune to the virus." Purple explained.
"That's great!" Cadet Scamooch exclaimed.
"Yes, so it is." Red smirked.
Cadet Scamooch bit his lip as a certain Irken's words played back in his mind.
"Your leaders are the true traitors! Killing Other Amons just so they can stay in power. -"
Those were Zim's words, and with that sly smirk on Red's face Cadet Scamooch couldn't help but think...
NO! That traitor was just trying to create doubt in his mind! His leaders would never...
'Would they?'
"Anyway, we hope you can understand why we are asking you to step down." Purple said, his voice breaking into his thoughts.
"Of...of course my Tallest." Cadet Scamooch said softly. "I understand..."
"Then you are dismissed." Red ordered.
Cadet Scamooch bowed respectfully before retreating back towards 2nd period, but he never made it! Instead he escaped to the Cadets latrine where he locked himself up in a stale and cried his eyes out.
His life was over...and it was all that Irken Zim's fault!
'He'll pay!' Cadet Scamooch thought. 'One day he will pay!'
And that was a promise,
A promise that he planned to keep...
(Later that afternoon...)
"I'm sorry guys but I really don't think Tak is the mole!" Josh argued.
"Then who is?!" Mark snapped. "I heard Mrs. Bean myself! She said that they got their information from a source!" he reasoned as they all sat down for lunch.
They were alone this time; the rest of the group had been ordered to keep their distance from the oak tree until the heat died down a little. So only the five leaders of the group and Crystal were sitting under the tree.
"True." Joseph agreed. "But as much as I hate Tak it could all be a ploy."
"How so?" Crystal asked.
"Well the Tallest aren't stupid, they could have guessed that we'd try to take those weapons, and then laced them with residue." Joseph reasoned.
"And then what?" Crystal asked. "Have the teachers purposely plant rumors about some source spilling everything to them."
"Precisely." Joseph went on "After all we all know they suspect that some of this school is involved. So, to spread a rumor about a mole among our classes would get us to question each other's loyalty."
"But no one has anything to gain by ratting us out to the Tallest, except for Tak of course." Rachel said.
"Your forgetting about one obvious target!" Josh snapped.
"Who?" James asked.
"Me." Joseph said. "It's more likely that the Tallest would spread rumors about a fake mole so you would all start questioning my loyalty. Think about it! If the Tallest and Tak were together on this they wouldn't want rumors of a source getting out, because they wouldn't want to risk us Suspecting Tak!"
"Well when you put it that way." James said thoughtfully. "It does sound like something the Tallest would do."
"So, this is just a ploy to get us to question each other?" Rachel asked. "Are you sure?"
"About 90% sure." Joseph admitted. "With that said I think we should limit are contact with Tak for the time being."
"Yes, for now on Tak gets minimum knowledge about any of our plans, just in case!" Rachel agreed.
"So, we're keeping her?" Mark snapped.
"Slow down Zinger." Joseph warned. "I get it! Truly I do, I hate her with a passion, but Tak has proven her worth. Besides imagine if she is the mole, think of how useful that could be."
"Okay now I'm really confused." Rachel admitted. "Exactly why is it a good thing if she really is the mole?"
"Because we can feed her bad information." Joseph explained. "For example, if we told her only half of our men were going to a raid, and she told the Tallest..."
"Then we could bring double the forces and catch them off guard." Josh exclaimed realizing the plan.
"Exactly!" Joseph praised.
"But say Tak is the mole, wouldn't she catch on to that eventually?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah especially when our plans keep changing?" James agreed.
"That's the idea if she is indeed the mole, the Tallest will get tiered of the false information, and they'll relieve her of the duty all together." Joseph explained.
"Wow that's genius." James admitted.
"It is, isn't it?" Joseph said with a smirk.
"Alright Mr. Genius are you done patting yourself on the back or what?" Rachel teased.
"Ah give him a break." Josh said. "After all we all know his kind are best known for their scheming!"
"Yes, well that's better than being known as Earth monkeys!" Joseph pointed out.
"Hey I defended you!" Josh exclaimed.
"Your mistake, obviously!" Joseph teased.
Everyone laughed.
Josh smiled they hadn't all been like this in a long time, since before the invasion to be exact. Back when everyone all thought Zim was human, everyone but him. And to his surprise Josh found himself missing those days more and more. And he couldn't help but think how ironic it was that he'd give just about anything to get those days back!
To have a day where'd he'd wake up, and Dad was going crazy about some new idea, and Gaz was strangling him over drinking the last soda. Or to have a day were he woke up and this was all a dream, that his only mission today was screaming hysterically at Zim's front door knowing any second that the murderous lawn gnomes would drag him away and beat him to a pulp.
Yes, those were the good days.
And with each passing day he is founding himself wishing for them more and more.
It was crazy he knew, but it was how he truly felt.
Suddenly Joseph stopped laughing as something caught his eye.
It was Cadet Scamooch sitting under a nearby tree, looking somewhat defeated.
He jumped slightly as their eyes met.
Josh cringed as he noticed Cadet Scamooch as he started walking over to them, or more like stomping.
"Got a staring problem earth monkey?" He snapped at Joseph.
"Are you okay Sir?"
It was not an answer that he was suspecting, heck everyone was shocked by his words.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cadet Scamooch growled.
"It's just...well you look upset sir." Joseph said.
It was strange to say the least, but the boy actually looked genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. Maybe that's why he actually felt compelled to tell him the truth. "I just found out that someone close to me has passed away." Cadet Scamooch said softly. "And now my life...it's never going to be the same..."
Pain struck Joseph deeply.
"I'm sorry to hear that Sir." Josh said. "If you need anything..."
"Please don't act like you care!" Cadet Scamooch hissed. "Like you could possibly know how I feel."
"Look around sir each and every one of us has lost someone." Joseph said softly.
Cadet Scamooch froze at his words, he was right, they had; and it was all his people's fault. "Why? Why show me sympathy we took everything from you!"
"Because." Joseph said. " there are two things that no one can take away from anyone."
"And what's that?" Cadet Scamooch asked dumbly.
"Hope, and humanity." Joseph answered. "No one can take those two things away from me or you, but yourself. That's why we show sympathy, because it's the humane thing to do."
"Yeah we get it." Josh agreed, and it was true they all understood what he was going through; even Mark wasn't quick to show him away. Sure, they all hated the Irkens for what they had did, but to blame a child for the acts of those above him would be like punishing a child for the crimes of their father.
It was wrong, and unfair!
Besides Joseph was right the humane thing to do here is show concern despite how you may feel about that person. And if they lost their humanity now than what point was there? There wouldn't be, if they lost all their humanity than there would be no point in saving the humans, because without their humanity they weren't human at all. They were just monsters, just like the Irkens.
"Well I don't need your sympathy!" Cadet Scamooch snapped.
And then to everyone's surprise he sat down beside them. "But it is much appreciated." He whispered.
No one said anything after that, they just all sat there in their respective silence.
After all there was no words needed, for no words could describe this rare moment in history when both sides ceased fire; and just sat together...
In peace!
Episode 9- The Enemy Within (Part 3) END!