Disclaimers: I Do Not Own Invader Zim
Author's Notes: Here we are again! The conclusion is coming!
Hope you guys enjoy!
Yours Truly, RoxieDivine :)
Episode 14: Prison Uprising! (Part 3)
(Back with Jamie)
The robotic drones attacked in a way that reminded her of bees swarming out of a busted hive. Already she feared for their lives. If Cho decided to cut them all down latter all would be lost, still Jamie did her best to keep a cool head.
They had had known Cho must have had a plan in place in case of an uprising. This was why Jamie was also on the floor. She was their insurance plan, if something unexpected happened, that made the plan go south. Jamie would be there to save the day, still now that the true threat presented itself she began to have her doubts.
To her relief all the prisoners surrendered, holding up their hands as the drones surrounded them, weapons drawn.
The Irken Worshipers got back to their feet as their captures released them, raising their hands as well.
"What now?" Megan asked Cho.
"We make an example out of them." Cho spoke coldly and the weapons prepare to fire.
Jamie doesn't miss a beat. "Cho if we kill all the prisoners we will have no slaves to work the line." She reminded her. "Weapons and supplies will be at a standstill."
"It would anger the Tallest." Megan seemed to agree.
"What is going on here?" Bek had entered the mess hall, no doubt the releasing of the drones had set off a silent alarm.
"It would appear my suspicions about this one was correct." Cho gestured to Jacob.
For a moment Jamie feels rage. Had Cho voiced her suspicions to Bek? If so why hadn't he told them?
"If you were suspicious of him you should have informed us." Tak hissed as she entered the room as well.
Jamie's rage leaves her, it would appear their Irken allies were just in the dark as they were. This did little to calm her fears. If Cho was keeping things from the Irkens did that mean she suspected them too?
"I did not wish to bother you with this minor concern." Cho informed her superior. "As you see I have it under control."
Bek nodded at this. "Yes, it would appear so." He agreed.
"How many are deprogramed?" Tak asked, rather annoyed.
"All but this one." Cho gestured to Jamie.
"Very well, we should place all the prisoners in holding cells until we can reprogram them." Bek ordered and the drones started to herd the prisoners that way.
"Of course, but first…" Cho gestured to a drone who turned from the crowd of prisoners, took aim, and fired….
Crystal heard the shot, but she did not see its target…and yet…she felt something…a numbness…a sense of dread.
"Jake!" Kathy screamed trying to catch him as he fell.
Crystal suddenly understands why she feels this way. Even with all his flaws, even with his betrayal; she still loved him as much as the day they first met.
A wet hand grabs hers and she knows it's covered in blood.
Jacob coughs. "Sorry." He told her, blood trickling from his mouth. "Guess I should have saw it coming." He admitted.
"You know why you didn't?" Jamie scoffed, only half remembering to stay in character. No doubt Cho did this to test her loyalty, to see if she was really still programed. "It's because you're defected, flawed, an imperfection that deserves to be erased."
Tears streamed down Crystal's eyes as she realizes there is no saving him.
"I'm sorry." Jacob said. He knew he was dying, but he had one more thing to tell her. "Your parents…." He began.
Crystal shook her head, she already knew. She maybe blind but that didn't stop her from noticing that their absents. As the leaders of the underground they would have been killed in hopes of creating obedience and fearfulness in the rest of them. "I know."
"I tried to…" He can't say much more, but he tries all the same. "I lov…yo…" Jacob grows still.
Crystal knows he's dead.
Jamie feels sick, but forces herself to laugh. "One less problem."
"You monster!" Mary yelled.
"Get moving!" Tak ordered.
The drones herd every one forward again, and Jamie turns away as Mary helps Crystal to her feet.
They have no choice but to leave Jacob were he fell, but if all went according to plan he would not be their long.
The group continues forward until the prison block comes into few. The cells had not been used since the beginning of the Great War. Once they were programed the prisoners were given better living conditions. Which explained why these cells were covered in dues, no one had used them for some time.
One by one the prisoners were led into an awaiting cell.
"How long will it take to reprogram them all?" Tak asked Jamie.
"I'm afraid they rewrote the whole program." Jamie revealed.
"So you knew?" Bek asked Jamie.
"I had just discovered their betray today, and had planned to tell Cho during the midday meal." Jamie reasoned. "But I am afraid that they must have suspected me."
"Explains why they attacked with only half of a plan." Freddy said.
"Lucky for us." Megan chimed.
"Yes." Bek mused lucky.
Finally, only Crystal remained.
The worshipers and their Irken counter parts led her to the final cell in the block; the door opened.
Cho should have known better, she should have seen it coming. She had been warned that she could trust no one, not even Irkens. And yet she was genuinely surprised when the drones suddenly forced her and her fellow worshippers into the cramped cell.
All but one…
Jamie smiled the cell door closed with her on the opposite of the swine.
"Traitors!" David yelled.
"Seriously?" Jamie asked. "I hate to burst your bubble but you are not Irkens! You are humans! And you are the traitors!"
"He was talking to them." Cho gestured to Tak and Bek.
Tak's eyes narrowed as she stepped forward. "You don't know what it means to be Irken." She growled. "And you never will."
"Leave them." Bek told her. "We need to inform the others that the Prison is now a safe haven."
"Tallest Red will stop you." Cho vowed.
"Tallest Red is gone." Jamie told her. "What's left of him is a murderous monster that must be stopped."
"Lies!" Cho screamed.
But Jamie walked away as the other cells opened. Her sisters embraced her as she came their way.
Crystal joined in and Jamie felt the guilt wash over her.
"I'm so sorry about Jake." She told her.
Crystal shook her head. "You had a part to play, and you did well."
"Yeah, looks like Zim chose well." Kathy agreed.
"Speaking of we should probably try to reach them." Bek said joining them.
"How? Tallest Red has blocked all communications from reaching him."
"Through Irken tech." Jamie reasoned. "But our communicators have no such restrictions."
Tak smiled. "I believe they were place in the prison's storage when you arrived." She said leading them that way.
"I'll talk with Zim." Jamie decided. "You call Dib." She ordered Crystal. "Bek lead the others to the Armory. We need to take up fighting positions around the prison just in case the enemy outside catches wind of what's really going on."
Everyone followed her orders without delay, an obvious skip in their step.
Yes, something had change, the tides of war were shifting in their favor, and now for the first time winning actually seemed possible.
Jamie had always hoped the human race would eventually win, but she thought it would take several years. That this war would exceed her own life time.
Not anymore…
'We could actually win this…' No they would win this!
Yes, very soon now this would all finally be over.
(Back with Dib…)
He almost jumped out of his skin when his communicator ringed.
The ship had just crossed into Zec when it happened and no doubt everyone thought the same thing he did. That some way or another they had been detected and they were now being targeted by advanced cloaked weaponry.
He closed his eyes ready to meet a quick demise.
"Seriously?" Rachel grabs his arm and holds up his wrist.
Dib notices Crystal's caller ID on the communicator and sighs in relief. He answers as Mark smacks him upside the back of his head.
"Idiot." Mark whispered.
"Scared us half to death!" Elma scowled.
Dib answered the call, ignoring them. "You have no idea how glad I am to right now." He admitted.
"Oh I'm sure my relief tops your." Crystal said. "How is everyone?" She asked hopefully, but her voice sounds strained to him.
"We made it to Zec." He informed her. "We lost one though." He admitted, thinking of Jee.
"Us too." She admitted. "Jake."
Dib's heart ached, he knew the guy had tried to trap them back when they first met, but he also knew Crystal's feelings for him. His heart ached for her now.
Crystal seemed to read his mind. "But we're okay. I'm okay…You?"
"Just need a place to land." Dib told her.
"The prison is ours." She announced.
"A prison?" Goalit said. "What a lovely place for a bunch of criminals to plot the down fall of their enemies."
Dib couldn't agree more as he sired the ship towards their new destination.
What a lovely place indeed.
(Back with Zim…)
Even though he had initially complained about it. The solution to the communications problem had been a lot easier to figure out then he thought.
Finding it impossible to make one single device that could detect the problem out of the vast possibilities had proven just as impossible as he had feared. There just wasn't enough parts to create such a unique device. Had he the time, and the resources perhaps he could have made something that could scan the thousands of components of the ship for the instrument responsible for the communications block.
However, his greatest challenge was that no two ships were alike. Every ship was unique, and made slightly different than those before it. This ensured that if one ship managed to be hack the enemy could not do it to others. So without knowing what was supposed to be in this ship, he could not make a device that could detect what shouldn't be.
So instead he had to do an entire scan of the ship's parts and inspect their components. Once complete he could decipher what each part did for the ship as a whole. It was a tedious task, so in order to quicken his pace he had recruited several others to help.
Many hours later it was Zim that had found the culprit. It was a small jamming device that had been attached to the inside wiring of the communication hub's outside antenna.
Zim only felt half stupid that he didn't look their first. He pulls out the device and yells to Lard Nar. "Try it now!"
Lard Nar flips the switch of the Communications hub on and instantly a voice can be heard.
"Zim…Zim do you read me?" It was Jamie's voice.
"Roxie." Zim used Jamie's code name. "What are you doing on the Irken comms?"
"I tried to call you on your communicator, but it wasn't going through." Jamie reasoned.
"I'm too far out." Zim told her what she had already expected. "They are not built with deep space communications in mind. And please tell me you encrypted this call before reached out to me."
"Of course we did." Tak voice screamed. "What are we stupid?"
Zim smiles, even though her tone is insulting. "What an interesting way to speak to your Taller." He mused.
Silence…and then.
"I mean…Of course we did my Taller, your forces are converging on Zec and await your arrival." Tak answered.
Zim laughed. "And the Dib?" He asked.
"They just arrived." Tak informed him.
Zim smiled obviously relieved. All the chess pieces were finally in place, it was time for the finishing move.
"Zim?" Jamie asked fearfully.
Zim's smile widen. "Tell Dib we're on our way…"
To Be Continued