Episode 12: Welcome to Zec (Part 2)
'One wrong thought and it would all be over!'
Joseph shivered at those words and for good reason. The human court system was nothing compared to that of an Irken trial.
There was only one judge, one jury, and one prosecutor!
Joseph suppressed another shiver as he was led into the Irken Court room.
Like a Human court room, it had a section for an audience to attend, and Joseph could see that it was filled to the brim with Irkens. In the front of the room stood a podium much like the one a human judge would sit at. But this podium was not for the judge it was for him!
Joseph allowed the guard to lead him to the podium where he sat down showing no resistance. To his left at the far side of the room stood 12 chairs. These seats where not for the Jury but for the 12 most important figures of the Irken race. Joseph examined them out of the corner of his eye. He could see that the chairs for the Tallest where empty: They had yet to arrive! But at the moment he could care less about them.
For one of the 12 was watching him like a vulture waiting for his moment to strike.
General Kazar sat right beside the Tallest's empty chairs, and one empty chair rested to his right.
'That's Koi's seat!' He realized. Guilt threatened to take hold that was until General Kazar caught his eye!
Joseph couldn't stop himself from tensing up 'Does he recognize me? Have I been found out?!' was he really that easy to read! 'No!' his mind screamed as he forced himself to relax as he turned away. He had to stop thinking like himself, or they would find out who he really was; and it would all be over!
'You are human! You are a worthless worm!' Joseph clinged to those words for he knew they were the only words that would keep him alive. Yes, he knew what was coming!
Any other human or Irken for that matter would be unprepared, but not Joseph! No, he had full knowledge of what would happened next for he had already lived through this before! He eyed the door to his right knowingly; yes, he knew all too well what would be coming out of that door, and it wouldn't be some Irken Judge in black robes.
An Irken service drone stood distracting him from his thoughts. "All rise for the arrival of our All Mighty Tallest!" The service drone boomed loudly.
The door to his left opened and the very source of his hatred entered the room!
Red and Purple basked in the glorious chanting of their Irken followers as they walked to their seats.
Joseph suppressed a growl…..
It wasn't easy. They were the objects of his very rage and anger. The ones that had taken away the love of his life and used her as a pawn against him!
'How could I have trusted them?! I stepped down for them!' Joseph could feel his anger boiling over and somewhere deep inside the beast was stirring! 'I gave up everything for you! My free will, my status! I served you with my life and you did this!'
Joseph closed his eyes in fear as he realized the truth…
It was happening again! The beast inside of him was trying to take over, he had to calm down now or else he'd find himself waking up in a nightmare!
He shivered as he remembered the last time he lost the fight with the monstrous beast! He had killed Koi! And somehow he knew something similar would happen right now if he didn't get control of himself and soon!
Joseph forced himself to swallow down his rage.
It was far from easy, but he managed. He forced himself to push the beast into the further regions of his mind. He didn't like it, but he had to pay attention to the matter at hand before he ruined everything!
'Focus' he warned himself 'Once it enters the room the judging will begin!'
"Human Joseph Campbell" Red spoke as he read Joseph's name from a slip of paper. "You stand here before this court room accused of various crimes, crimes that include being out of your home of residence well past curfew, street fighting, and assaulting two cadets."
"How do you plead?" Purple asked in a booming voice!
Joseph closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.
"I plead guilty..." Joseph's mouth felt like sandpaper. "I admit that I was out past curfew on the night in question, I was involved in a fight, and I did assault two cadets."
The audience gasped at his response.
"You do understand that by admitting to these crimes you could spend the next 3 months in prison?" Red asked.
"Yes, your grace I understand." Joseph answered.
"Then why admit?" Purple asked the obvious.
"With all due respect My Grace to deny the truth would only make my case worse." Joseph answered humbly. It wasn't an easy pill to swallow!
"Very well, if it were up to me I would throw you in the darkest cell in our prison for assaulting one of our own, and I would never let you out! But sadly, it is not up to me!" Red growled.
Joseph knew he was lying If it were up to Red he would be killed. 'I bet that's what you wanted to happen when I messed up Operation Doom I. You wanted them to sentence me to death but instead I was banished!'
"Do you have anything to say in your defense before the judging begins?" Red asked breaking through his thoughts.
"My Grace with all due respect my home was destroyed by those cadets! A home that's been in my family for generations! Not to mention that my brother, my own flesh, and blood was still inside when they set it a flame!" Joseph tried his best not to shout.
Red on the other hand did not! "THIS trial IS NOT ABOUT WHAT THE CADETS DID TO YOU! IT IS ABOUT WHAT YOU DID!"
Joseph bowed his head "My action was out of anger of losing my home and my brother! I thought he was dead!" tears streamed down his face as he spoke.
"Well see about that!" Red hissed. "Let the judgement begin!"
Joseph looked up just in time to see the door to his right open.
'One wrong thought and it would all be over!' He stiffened as a computer brain entered the room.
The Brain wasted no time and Joseph couldn't help but gulp as it stopped before him.
"Human Joseph Campbell you are by far the most well modeled human that any Irken has ever seen. But I know an act when I see one, nothing can be hidden from me!" The Brain spoke in a booming voice. "I shall search deep within your mind child; all of your thoughts and secrets shall be open before me. And if I sense even one treacherous thought about the night in question I will sentence you to live the rest of your days behind bars. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I Understand…" Joseph forced himself to only play thoughts about that night over and over again in his mind. He knew what would happen if the computer brain found out who he really was, or even worse; WHAT he really was!
He knew all he had to do was truly believe he was human and that he was Innocent! He knew this would work because he had use this method once before a long, long time ago!
Joseph shivered as the Computer Brain wrapped its tentacles around his head and the next thing he saw was darkness!
(Back with Gaz somewhere in Zec...)
She knew she shouldn't be thinking this, but she couldn't help it…
Zec really was an amazing place!
Gaz looked at the city that was all around her in obvious awe. Buildings towered over her as she walked the clean streets of her new home. Irken vehicles sped by her as Tak led her into the next store on the block.
Gaz was never a girl to love shopping, but she literally owned nothing but the very clothes on her back, clothes she had been wearing for an entire year!
'So, this is Zim's world?' She asked herself as she looked around the store. Irkens of all ages and sizes were shopping all around her. Some who were obviously cadets were looking at the school uniforms that were on display.
"You'll need a few of those." Tak said as she followed her gaze.
Gaz only nodded as they began to look for a uniform in her size.
"Listen I know you won't want to hear this, but if you want to get out of this city and back in your own hometown you have to prove to the Tallest that you're committed to the cause." Tak said in a low whisper.
"How do I do that?" Gaz asked.
Tak pointed at a human girl with long black hair to their right. "Do you see the Irken insignia on her shoulder?" she asked.
Gaz nodded the girl had a small purple Irken insignia tattooed on her shoulder.
"All minions of all races bare an Irken insignia on their right shoulder." Tak explained.
"What about him?" Gaz asked Tak as she pointed to a picture of an Irken male standing tall with an Irken insignia tattooed into his chest. "What does his stand for?"
"That is a picture of an Irken soldier, you can tell because the insignia is place on the left side of the chest right on top of the squeedlyspooch." Tak explained. "Every Irken has an insignia tattooed on their skin somewhere and the location of said insignia tells everyone where they belong in the Irken social ladder."
"So, where's yours?" Gaz asked curiously.
"I don't have one, Cadets do not receive their insignias until after the final exam." Tak explained.
"The final exam?" Gaz asked giving her a weird look.
Tak sighed. "After the Irkens are born they're hastily thrown into training. Amons and Shews alike are thrown into a training room."
"Amons?" Gaz asked.
Tak looked around as if to see if they were being watched. "I shouldn't be telling you these things, but I understand your curiosity." Tak sighed. "Our people are divided into two separate breeds. I am a Shew." She explained. "We are smaller, than the Amons."
"Is that the only difference?" Gaz asked.
"No, the Amons are the pure breed of the Irkens, the Shews were an accident. Any ways after 11 years the Shews are thrown into a military academy while the Amons are mentored by one of the 12 most important members of our society. After 10 years in the academy the Shews are given a Final Exam. A computer brain attaches itself to the cadet and judges them deciding their worth. The Brain looks deep within them and examines them thoroughly. They analyze their weaknesses and their strengths, then base on their analyses the Cadet is place into the class of society that is best suited for their skills. That is when we finally receive our mark." Tak explained.
"What about these Amons?" Gaz asked.
"For the Amons everything is different…" Tak sighed. "Many things about them and their training is left unknown. All I know is once they are chosen by one of the twelve they are trained to replace them. Once the Amon has replaced the said individual they receive their respective insignia."
"So, either way an Irken gets marked?" Gaz asked.
"No not all Irkens are marked." Tak spoke gravely. "An Amon can step down and disown their worthy statues at any time. Once they do they only have one choice, to start their training all over again in the academy as a lowly Shew.-"
"But once they take the final exam all the Shews get marked right?" Gaz asked interrupting her "So either way everyone-"
"No…" Tak growled "If a cadet takes the final exam, and there appears to be something wrong with them. Then they will be labeled defective. The computer will then disconnect them from their PAKs and erase them from existence."
"You mean just because someone's not perfect the computer erases them?!" Gaz was discussed and it showed. "Is that what Tallest meant when they called Zim defective? That he wasn't perfect, so he deserved to die?"
"No, they had to be lying." Tak assured her.
"How do you know?" Gaz rasped finding it hard to breathe. "How do you know they were lying?"
"Because Zim couldn't have become a soldier without taking the final exam. The Computer brain would not have labeled him as an Invader if something was wrong with him. If he was defective the computer Brain would have sensed it and he would have been deactivated." Tak assured her. "Trust me Gaz, Computer brains are never wrong. And since they are attached to your brain during the exam they can hear your every thought. Which means the brain cannot be fooled, if the cadet is defective the Brain will detect it."
"And you are sure nothing can get passed them?" Gaz asked still unsure.
Tak nodded "A Computer Brain cannot be fooled. It knows every secret you are hiding, and they show no mercy. If you are defective no matter how much you plead they will destroy you."
"So, if that's true why?" Gaz asked, "Why label him as defective?"
"Because the Tallest were desperate to get rid of him." Tak explained. "It's the only explanation."
Gaz nodded her agreement after all Tak was an Irken and if she said the Computers could not be fooled then she should know… Right?
Tak sighed "Anyways like I was saying if you really want to prove you're committed to this getting a minion insignia would be a good start."
Gaz knew she was right, but the idea of being mark as someone's property made her feel like she was nothing but garbage.
Tak seemed to read her mind "I know how it must make you feel, and the other humans at the school will hate you for it but believe me when I say it will all be worth it in the end."
Gaz forced a smile. "Your right this is for the best. I will receive the minion insignia willingly."
"Good the Tallest will be pleased to hear this. Well go right after we are done here." Tak stated as the two continued to look through the school uniforms.
Gaz forced herself to swallow her doubts…
It wasn't easy but she knew Tak was right. If she wanted this plan to work then she had to let go of her pride. Otherwise she would never get out of this city, which meant she'd never see her brother or Zim ever again.
Her heart skipped the beat at the thought of Zim, the love of her life. 'Just hold on a little longer please!' She begged. 'I'll find you and once I do I will make them pay for what they did! I swear they won't get away with this…'
'Because I won't let them!'
(Back with Rachel at the Hospital...)
He felt like his skin was burning…
Josh coughed as the flames licked all around him. There was smoke everywhere making it hard to see. He closed his eyes as he ran through the house blinded by the smoke. His lungs where screaming for air, he needed to breathe; he needed to breathe now! He burst out the door and into the cool night air finally he was safe, finally he could breathe a sigh of relief; but no air would enter his lungs!
"Josh!" He heard someone scream his name, it sounded like Joseph. He felt himself fall to the ground. "Josh stay with me!"
He fought to speak to assure his brother that he was okay, but with the lack of air he found he couldn't speak. So instead he continued to fall deeper into darkness...
Josh jumped up in his hospital bed gasping for air.
"Josh it's okay, you're okay!" Rachel exclaimed as she tried to calm him down.
Josh looked around the room franticly. Where was he?
"You're in the hospital." Mark assured him as if he could read his mind.
"Everything's going to be okay, just breathe man!" James ordered.
Josh forced himself to obey. "How? -" he tried to speak but his throat felt like sandpaper.
"The Irken police brought you to a hospital in Zec. Principal Razi brought us here to see you because we're the closes thing to family."
That got Josh's attention his eyes widen "Where" he rasped. "Where…is…"
His friends bowed their heads unable to bare the look of dread in his eyes.
"Where…is…he!" Josh forced himself to ask.
"Josh your brother is in court for assaulting the cadets that burned down your home." Rachel said through tears.
"But…they…" Josh tried to defend his brother but his throat couldn't manage it. "He…was…only…"
"We know but it doesn't matter he still assaulted them." Mark said the obvious.
"But…if…they…find out…about…" Josh went into a coughing fit, but they was no need to finish for they already knew what he was going to say.
"That's what has us so worried." James sighed "Josh it's been two days since he was taken away and we haven't heard anything."
"Do…you…think…they…know?" Josh rasped through coughs.
"No, we can only hope for the best!" Rachel said wiping away her tears.
Josh couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down his back. 'If Zim was found-' he shook his head as an even scarier thought occurred to him. 'If I'm found out!'
Dib couldn't stop the fear from creeping in. If either of them were found out then it would all be over! Everything they had worked for would be all for nothing!
"It's going to be okay; he'll pull through he has to." Rachel assured him.
Dib wanted to believe her, but he could see her doubts as if they were big neon lights shining brightly and he couldn't blame her. Things were definitely not looking good for the resistance…
No, they weren't looking good at all!
-To Be Continued