Episode 10: Prisoner of War

Episode Summary- While Zim and Scamooch leave to find the Ancients; Jamie, Crystal, and the rest of the captured Rebels begin their lives as prisoners of war. Meanwhile, Dib tries to find a way back on Zec.

Disclaimers: I Do Not Own Invader Zim

Author's Notes: Another Chapter up! Please enjoy!

Yours Truly, RoxieDivine :)

Episode 10: Prisoner of War (Part 3)

(Back with Zim…)

He wasn't especially happy to be informed that Jamie had given up information so quickly. Still he understood that the human girl needed an edge if she was going to pull it off.

Scamooch was not as understanding.

"That stupid girl!" He whispered harshly as they approached the castle gates. He couldn't help the fear that surged inside of him as they approached the castle guards. "They know we plan to hit this place we have to turn back." He advised.

"They have already seen us." Zim still posing as Kazar hissed lowly. "If we run now we give ourselves away."

Within seconds they are before the guards.

"General Kazar." They stood at attention. "We were unaware that you left the castle." One said.

"I required a new drone." Zim said kicking Scamooch forward.

Scamooch grunted but thankfully remembered to keep his anger in check.

"I could have done that for you Sir." The other Guard said. "It is too dangerous-"

Zim cut him off with a scoff. "Dangerous? A defective? You assume too much. I am insulted that you think I need any protection from a joke such as him."

Scamooch had to bow his head to hide his smirk, Zim really was good at impersonating Kazar, perhaps even too good.

"Of course, your grace." The guard bowed. "I meant no disrespect."

"You're lucky I am far too busy to deal with such an insolent as you!" Zim growled as they walked pass the guards and into the castle. Once inside Zim switched his disguise to that of a common drone.

"I'm impressed." Scamooch admitted.

Zim smiled. "I always knew mocking him behind his back would pay off someday."

Scamooch stiffens as he notices they were headed the wrong way. "Why are we heading towards the throne room?"

"We need to make it look like we tried." Zim hissed. "Otherwise Jamie will be found out before we can even get the real attack off the ground."

Scamooch wanted to point out that this mess was the humans' fault in the first place, but decided better of it. Zim was crazy protective of his human comrades, not that Scamooch could blame him. He had showed Irk a century and a half of devotion, and for what? These humans had given him more than Irk ever could, and perhaps ever would.

His people's betrayal will always remain a chip on his shoulder and justly Scamooch found no fault in it. He just wanted to fix it, not just for Irk but for Zim as well. But how could he help Zim forgive them if their people didn't even act like they wanted to be saved?

He wasn't sure, but he knew he had to think of something and quick, because they were running out of time.

"And how do you suppose we pull it off without getting captured!?"

Zim smiled. "I know just the person for the job."

(Back with Dib…)

It took a lot of convincing, but finally Mrs. Hearting had convinced the other parents to join them in the conference room. She even convicted everyone to allow the Irken Rebels to join them. Granted all the Irkens remained on one side of the room and the humans to the other, but hey progress was progress all the same.

Still, he was unsure if they should have this meeting so soon. All the Renegades who were not captured or found out were stuck in their homes on lockdown. Which is where James, Mark and Rachel should be, but because the three were such close friends to Joseph and Josh they decided not to risk waiting to be found out. After all, if the Irkens got a hold of any of the Renegade Leaders it could put them in a bind. But that wasn't the point, the point was a lot of members were not here to be a part of this big decision making.

James tried to keep them informed through mass text on the communicator, but that was all they could do.

Elma gave Goalit an encouraging smile as he entered with Professor Membrane and Kornelius. The Four of them had been working no stop creating weapons out of anything they could find around the Dome. She was sure Zim would be furious of all the wires sticking out of the walls and the missing panes, but they had little options for materials.

Usually they would raid the trash heaps for parts thrown down from Zec, but with the heat so hot, they could not risk it.

"Look I came here because I want to know what you plan to do to get my kid out of prison!" _shouted.

Dib bit his lip openly luckily his father was able to save the parents and family of the captured teens, but they were far from happy about their children's predicament. "We have a plan." Dib assured _. "Our troops are going to organize an army from within and break out." He explained.

"How!" Robert Senior shouted. "They are just kids."

"We have allies on the inside." James told them.

"You mean more of them!" The enraged parent pointed at the Irken rebels. "It's their people who have caused us all this pain!"

"They know how you feel." Mark assured them all.

"How could they possibly understand?" Mark's father snapped.

Tesi stood as he spoke. "Our people have done nothing but oppress us." She said plainly, her tone steady and unthreatening. "They treat us like a disease because we do not wish to harm or invade other planets."

"Not all Irkens are treated as Equal." Goalit revealed.

"To be defective means to be not of Irk." Mai agreed. "In their eyes we are not Irkens at all."

"We understand this is your home and you are angry. You have every right to be." Goalit said. "We want to leave just as much as you want us gone."

"So, what's stopping you?" Samantha, Mark's mother demanded.

"Right now, the entire Irken Armada." Mai answered smartly. She knew she shouldn't be rude, but these humans just expected them to pick up the mess that they didn't even make like it was nothing.

"If we stand together we can win." Dib assured them all. "We need to put our heads together and find a way on Zec." He was doing his best to keep everyone on track. It was a task that was easier said than done.

"All transportation to there is cut off." Elma reported, deciding that the only way to get anything done was to be the productive one and hope everyone followed her lead. "Irken's aren't even allowed to come down, School has been canceled; even personnel from the decimated water factories have been called to Zec."

"This is good." Dib said.

"Good?" Mrs. Hearting asked.

"A lot of alien races surrender in exchange for water." Dib explained. "No Irken personnel there means those towers are not getting repaired."

"Which means the Resistys will have more troops to draft into the Rebel fleet." Rachel added.

"The Resistys?" James' father chuckled.

"They are a rag tag of alien rebels with terrible naming skills." James told him. "But they have declared War on Irk in a nearby galaxy."

This seemed to make the human adults excited.

"And they are holding up on their own?" Mrs. Hearting asked.

"Our contact, a Vort named Lar Nard tells us they are faring well." Goalit answered. "They are freeing as many imprisoned planets as they can to build their army."

"Once complete, they will attack Zec." Mia added. "But we must do all we can to get inside of Zec and help their efforts."

"Why?" Victor's Father, Seth asked.

"If Zim can force the Tallest into submission He will take over as their new leader." Dib explained.

"But every Irken on Zec will stand between him and them." Membrane added. "And no doubt the Irkens will set up a blockade around the planet once they catch wind to Lar Nard's plans."

"So, you see we need to attach simultaneously in order to have a fighting chance." Mark concluded.

"And once this Zim wins, then what?" Gwynn's Mother, Tabatha inquired perhaps the most obvious question.

"That's up to us." Dib said. "Do we want them leave? Do we want them to help fix the damage they have caused to our planet? Do we want them to stand trial for the War crimes they have committed?"

"I would like them to help." Mrs. Hearting said, surprising them all. "I know I cannot speak for our world leaders." This was mostly due to the fact that all of them had been killed in the Great War, it was one of the reasons why The Earth was so variable. With no worldly leaders or communication with other nations, they were not able to organize an attack on a large enough scale. "But this is our home, and it is all we have, if they can fix the damage they have caused, it won't make amends for the horrors they produced, or the lives they've ruined, but it will be a start in the right direction."

Several parents nodded their agreement.

Mia offered a gracious smile. "I will personally see that this request is met." She told them. "You have my word."

"And our children?" Seth dared to ask.

Now it was Dib's turn to defuse their fears. "I can't promise that no one will get hurt." He told them. "We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we started fighting back. But as kids we were taught to stand up for what is right, no matter the consequences. I know you are scared for them, but we are not children anymore. These soldiers…" He looked to Mia apologetically.

She nodded her understanding and he continued.

"They have been trained to be heartless and cruel, and they will not think twice about harming any of them." Dib said. "But we have survived worse, and as long as we work together and form a solid plan we know we can survive this. But if you really want them to make it, then we could sure use your help."

The parents all shared a look, each of them nodding once more.

"Then we will do whatever it takes." James father said.

"We must stop depending on others to fight our war." Harry His brother, Mark's father agreed.

Dib breathed a sigh of relief as Irkens and humans alike cheered their agreement. He pulled up a sciatic of the castle as well as a Map of Zec, both had been provided by Tak weeks ago.

"Then let's get started…"

(Back with Gaz…)

She wasn't sure why two drones had entered her quarters uninvited…that is until one of them spoke.

"You're serious?" The smaller one looks beyond angry. "We are wanted fugitives in the enemy's castle, and you think now is the perfect time to see your Girlfriend?"

Gaz looks to the other drone, she doesn't recognize anything about him, but his ruby red eyes is all she need to see to know. "ZIM!?"

"No, it's your other boyfriend." Scamooch hissed in annoyance.

Zim smiles holding open his arms. "Hey Gaz."

She wanted to strangle him, and kiss him at the same time, but she settled for the awaiting embrace.

Zim held her close smiling. This was what he was missing, just like that everything was right in the world again. "I missed you love pig." He admitted.

"You are the stupidest person I have ever met." She hissed crossly at him. "But I missed you too." She added.

"Oh, do please take your time." Scamooch hissed. "I know how much we want to get caught."

"But we do." Zim said turning off his disguise.

"We do?" Scamooch asked.

"Of course. The Tallest won't know we tried if someone doesn't spot us." Zim reasoned.

"So, you're not really after the Tallest?" Gaz asked.

"No, we have a date off world." Zim said slyly.

"She better not be prettier than me." Gaz warned.

"She's an Ancient Irken who is 932 years old." Zim informed her.

"Is she prettier?" Gaz growled.

"Irk no." Zim laughed. He really did miss this.

Gaz smiled. "What do you need?"

"A beautiful yet scary girl to cause a scene." Zim mused.

Just then Tak comes walking in, and well upon seeing Zim she screams. "Guards Intruders!"

"Well?" Gaz mused

"She's not pretty." Zim said bluntly. "But it will do."

"Can you stop flirting already so we can go?" Scamooch begged as he went for the window.

"Take the air ducks it will lead you straight for the docking bay and keep you out of sight." Tak hissed before yelling again. "Guards!" Seriously it was if they wanted the Tallest to die, and secretly they did.

Gaz knew she could yell louder, but the Tallest would no doubt be very angry when Zim escaped from right under their nose in one of their own ships. And naturally they would take said anger out on their troops. Allowing them a reason to Tak hers and Tak's offer of betraying them.

Zim jumps up to grab the air duck vent pulling it free before jumping down and lifting Scamooch up.

Scamooch crawls through, and Zim is right behind him.

He gives Gaz one final glance, no words are exchanged, but then again their never need to be. She knew what the gaze meant. He would be back, and soon.

She could hardly wait.

The guard finally come, of course Zim is already out of sight, long gone, with the vent back in place in the celling.

"You incompetent Fools Zim was right here!" Tak insisted. "He tried to take the girl!"

"Our apologies." The soldiers serve the room. "Where did they go?"

"Out the window." Gaz answered, gesturing to the open window.

The guard looks out it and nods. "They must have scaled the wall to that nearby balcony." He gestured to say balcony only a little way away.

"It is close to the throne room." The other Soldier hissed. "I will raise the alarm."

Meanwhile, Scamooch is doing his best not to rip the head off of his future Tallest. "I cannot believe you could be so reckless!"

"When will you start to believe that there is a method to my madness?"

"How about when you finally show me results!" Scamooch growled just a little too loud.

Suddenly Pack legs came shooting through the vents and Scamooch yelped as two of those legs grabbed him and Zim.

The legs pulled them down through the vents and to the ground.

Zim looked up to see Commander Diaz and knows that they are in trouble. As one of the eight fleet commanders of the Armada! She was known throughout the Irken Empire as the Commander of all females fleet! She was cold as she was deadly, and she knew nothing of Mercy or reason.

"Irken Zim, you were foolish to come here." She hissed.

Commander Reed comes out of the shadows along with several other Members of the Top Twelve. Commanders Squab, Ash and Flog. Of course, they were really the top eleven now that Koi was no more. Zim knew they would stand against him and the Tallest, but he had hoped to avoid a real battle as much as possible. Kazar is not among them which makes this encounter a little easier for them. And while these other Amons were lower on the power totem pole they still commanded respect.

"Still waiting for those results Sir!" Scamooch managed to wheeze out.

Zim had to applaud him for his brashness most would think twice before speaking to an Amon in such away.

"Don't think your status can save you now." Diaz hissed. "We Tallers know how to handle a Rouge Amon such as you."

"Yet you can't stand up to the real rogues?" Scamooch yelled.

"You would be wise to hold your tongue young one." Reed lectured. "You may still be able to survive this with your honor intact."

Diaz nods her agreement. "This defective has confused you child." She growled. "You can still come back from this."

Zim looked to the child knowingly, he wouldn't blame Scamooch for selling him out now.

However, as scared as Scamooch was he was not about to betray Zim. The Ex-invader had risked his life to save him during the defective exam. He saved his life when his fellow Irkens had left him injured out in the rain to die! He stood by him and gave him a chance when no one else would. He showed him that there was more to life then Invading, and taking.

Scamooch was not about to let him down now. "I'd rather die for what's right then join you cowards."

"You are little." Diaz goes to strike him with another one of her PAK legs.

Zim who has managed to get his hands free catches it effortlessly. "He is right you know; they are the one who need to be put down."

"Do you hear yourself?" Flog asked, his skin is almost grayish green, his blue eyes glowing as he drew out his own Pak legs.

"I know you won't see things the way they are." Zim stated. "But when I get away, the Tallest will blame you for my escape, and then you will see just how out of control they are."

"The Tallest sees us as equals." Squab yells. "To punish a drone in such a way is one thing, a Taller such as myself…"

"Is nothing but a weak Amon that wasn't strong enough to become a fully realized Tallest" Zim said plainly. "They consider the dirt under their feet more worthy."

Ash is the one to strike first, his eyes are strangely gray, his skin like an olive. He is the shortest of the Amons.

Zim smiles and uses his PAK reboot to cause an electric jolt. The jolt travels through Diaz and the pain forces her to release him and Scamooch. Zim then side steps Ash before he activates his own PAK legs and goes for Reed. He doesn't want to kill any of them if he can help it, but the door of opportunity was closing fast on their escape and five against two wasn't exactly the best of odds.

Scamooch dives for cover, he knows he's no good in a fight among Amons, but he has a better idea. If he could sneak away and get the ship he could dive back in and save Zim. He moves to act before fear can talk him out of it.

"Looks like your pawn is leaving." Reed laughs delivering a blow of his own.

"You're more confident when you got your fellow Amons around." Zim teased. He wasn't worried of being abandoned, knowing Scamooch he was already thinking ahead and getting the ship.

Scamooch reaches an air vent that is thankfully placed on a lower wall and climbs in just in time to avoid a mob of soldiers. He wastes no time to catch his breath as he heads for the docking bay. He knows Zim has no time for him to waste. Luckily Tak had been right, the docking bay was straight ahead. He opens another vent once he's arrived and jumps down to the floor.

Just as they hopped it's unguarded, as reckless as it seems. Jamie's and Zim's plan was working. No one expected that escaping the planet was really on the agenda. He knows the ship that is there is unlocked so he starts pressing side panel buttons on nearby crafts to see if the ship doors will open. It doesn't take long for him to find one that is indeed unlocked. He rushes in, and closes the door behind him.

Suddenly the ground quakes, no doubt its Tak ship! Which means their hour was already up. Again, Zim's Chaos proves useful as Scamooch chooses this time to Start up the ship and blast off through the ceiling just as the ground quakes for a second time!

Man, he hated to admit it, but Zim was starting to look like a genius. He smiled as he flew the ship towards his mentor.

Meanwhile, Reed curses inwardly as he continued to battle Zim, he hated that he had allowed the Ex-invader to get the better of him like that in front of his Tallest.

"You know if you let me get away again they'll show you no mercy." Zim pointed out.

Reed knows he's right, the Tallest were less then please of the fact that he had frozen in fear before a defective such as Zim. Still defective or not Zim was not like the rest of the Fleet commanders. He was a fully realized Amon who would be an easy match for the Tallest.

Yet he held back.

"You could me." He pointed out.

"And become the rouge you think me to be?" Zim shook his head. "I will prove to you that there is a difference between me and them."

"There is!" Diaz screamed joining the fight. "You're defective!"

Suddenly the celling caved in as a ship smashes through it.

Commander Diaz is knocked out by fallen debris and as the others dive for cover Scamooch opens up the cock pit doors.

"Get in Sir." He yelled over the Chaos. His entry had caused several parts of the castle to collapse in on itself.

Zim smiled as he calmly got in and sat down. "I assume the results were to your liking." He smirked noting the child's emphases on the word Sir.

"You are the craziest Irken I have ever met." Scamooch admitted as they took off.

Zim laughed as the ship shot of through the sky and out of sight.

"Are they mental?" Tak screamed as she watched them disappear. Thankfully, hers and Gaz's quarters were far enough away that no damage was done.

Gaz couldn't help the smile on her face. "Think the Tallest will buy it?"

Oh, Tak had no doubt they would.

Meanwhile, Zim typed in an access code into the ships communication systems and waited for an answer.

Moments later he gets one.

"Zim?" Dib looks surprised, but equally relieved. "You got the Ship!"

"Yes, we're leaving Earth's atmosphere now." Zim informed him.

"How's Gaz?" Dib asked.

"Safe, and living large." Zim joked.

"She would be." Dib shook his head, leave it to his sister to find a way to be Living it up in the END OF DAYS! Honestly though he was glad she was safe.

"How is Gir?" Zim asked.

Dib couldn't help the smile. "Awe you do care." He teased.

Zim rolled his eyes.

Gir shows up on Dib's head. "Why is your head so big?" He asked.

"My head is normal size! Now get off of me!" Dib yells.

Zim laughs openly. "Good Gir." He praises.

"Master tell Mary to be nice." Gir demands as he jumps off.

"Be nice to my Gir Dib." Zim growled jokingly.

Dib rolls his eyes. "You think you'll be fine on your own?"

Zim nods. Yeah he was sure, besides, he wasn't alone. He looked at Scamooch with a new since of respect. The Kid could have left him, but he chose to come back for him, that took guts. "What about you? Can you guys manage without me?"

Dib looked around, at the moment humans and Irkens alike were helping each other make weapons and plans for their next move. He smiled. "Yeah I think we'll be just fine."

And he really meant it, for the first time in forever, everything finally seemed to be going their way.

-To Be Continued