Episode 19- The Evil Girlfriend of Doom

Episode Summary: The Renegades receive Intel from Tak that Gaz is going to be executed in the town square at dawn tomorrow. Fearing for Gaz's safety the Rebels set off to rescue her, but once they get there they are met with a nasty surprise!

Author's Note: This Episode is the sequel to Invader Zim: Renegades Season 1 Episode 18: Monsters in the Dark. So, if you have not already read it please do so before continuing. And if you are new to series entirely please start reading at the beginning with my Fanfiction Novel Invader Zim: The Beginning of the End.

Disclaimers: I Do Not Own Invader Zim

Yours Truly, RoxieDivine :)

(One week after Koi's death…)

[Time: 07:00 AM]

{Location: Josh's and Joseph's new house}

Normal…

He hadn't felt normal in a long time, and he thought he would never feel normal again.

In all honesty he had thought the change would have well…changed him, and it had physically. But deep down he was still the same, and it irked him, to say the least.

Joseph Campbell sighed deeply as he opened up another donations box, once everyone found out about the finalization of the new house all his friends and their families had made donation boxes for them to fill up their empty home. Anything from silverware to dishes, to sheets, and beds, a kitchen table with chairs, a couch, and even old dressers. They weren't the nicest sets of furniture, but it was something after all.

Joseph felt so grateful to have so many donations, and so many friends to give them. It was strange to receive a gift, and in all reality it was something he was not use to. However, ever since that night when he faced off Koi the other members of the resistance were trying extra hard to treat him equally.

It was…nice? Yes, it was nice to be finally treated with trust, and respect, even Mark had finally let his guard down. Sadly, only a small few of the other members of the resistance retuned once they heard he was back. Leaving only him, Dib, Mark, Rachel, James, the scientist they freed, Tak, Shyann, Kef, Mary, Jamie, Kathy, and Crystal, as the remaining members of the Renegades.

Of course, everyone promised to keep their mouths shut, but that was as far as they would budge. Joseph didn't blame them, they had joined the resistance to save the human race, not get more of them killed. He looked at the time. The clock read 07:00. 'I have time to unpack at least one more box.' He told himself.

"Hey bro my room is all set!" Josh exclaimed, walking down the stairs. "Man, it's nice to live in a real house again."

Joseph couldn't agree more. No more rooms divided by walls made out of bed sheets, no more sleeping on the floor. Heck their Landlord even let them take the TV which was the only nice thing about their apartment. "Will you help me unpack these dishes while we still have time?" he asked.

Josh nodded, and soon the twins are unpacking the dishes.

"It sure was nice of everyone to donate things." Josh said smiling. "How do you feel?" he asked his brother.

"Great." Joseph answered, and for once he meant it. No more headaches, no more hunger pains, no more strange cravings, and no more waking up in random alleys. He was completely balanced, finally the crisis of the change was over.

Josh smiled, he was glad Zim was doing better, for once everything was ok. Sure, they were all still enslaved by the Irkens, but hey one challenge at a time people. "Okay that's 10 pot, and pans, 10 cups, 10 plates and bowls, 10 of each set of silverware, a knife set, and a tea pitcher." He said counting the dishes.

"That should be plenty in case we have the guys over." Joseph said.

"Yeah, I think they all had that thought in mind." Josh agreed Showing off 10 different kind of cups, all showing off the favorite designs and colors of their friends.

"Beggars can't be choosers' bro." Joseph snickered.

"Yeah I guess so." Josh agreed. "I can't believe we still don't have adult supervision though. I mean I'm grateful and all, but I thought after you went to jail we'd get one for sure."

"Me too." Joseph admitted.

"I bet Scamooch had something to do with it!" Josh exclaimed, putting away the plates. "I mean think about it, if we got an Irken guardian you couldn't become his minion because we'd be put in the system."

Joseph also shared these suspicions, but shook his head. He didn't want to think about that cadet, not this early in the morning. "We better head to the bus stop." He said as he loaded up the last bit of the cups into the cabinet above the sink.

Josh sighed, but nodded, and soon they were out the door heading to meet their friends at the bus stop.

It wasn't a long walk, and Josh smiled as he saw Rachel waving them over.

Joseph smiled as well, the papers for their house had been finalized since last Friday, but it took a week to move all the new furniture in so they could actually sleep in their new home, so this was the first day at their new bus stop. Not that they needed help finding it, it was simply the bus stop at the end of the road.

"I can't believe we all live on the same street now." Rachel exclaimed as they joined her, Shyann, Kef, James, and Mark.

"It does make certain activities easier." Josh agreed, as Jamie, and her sisters Mary, and Kathy raced to join them.

"Oh, thank goodness, I thought we'd miss it for sure." Jamie breathed a sigh of relief.

Joseph smiled. "Don't worry we would have stalled for you."

Jamie smiled. "Thanks." She said.

Joseph returned the smile, for once he felt as if he belonged. These few humans knew who he really was under this mask, and they treated him better than his own people did. Finally, he belonged somewhere.

Josh couldn't agree more, finally the Renegades were on the same page. Sure, their numbers had dwindled, but if that was the price to pay for said peace then so be it!

Rachel winced as the bus came to a squeaky stop, it needed new breaks again. The 10 friends boarded the bus as the doors opened. James sighed another school day, where they had to deal with them! He couldn't stand the cadets, none of them could; even Zim found them utterly annoying!

And this bus ride, this last 5 minutes of peace was all the comfort they had before they were forced to face the horrors that awaited them.

Joseph took a huge breath and let it out, while he felt normal enough, he still had a beast inside of him, if he lost his temper he could turn. And be found out! 'Patience is key.' He told himself, as the bus came to a stop at the front of the school moments later.

The doors open, and the torture begins.

Joseph walks off the bus to see a smug Scamooch waiting.

Cadet Scamooch eyes him knowingly, their relationship was still a strange one. The boy had saved his life for which he was grateful, but treating him any better than any of the other unprivileged humans was starting to cause him trouble. His peers had told him more than once that maybe it was time to let Joseph be, but he couldn't! Not until he knew for sure that Joseph and his friends weren't really the enemy.

When the investigation for the Renegades had first started Vice Principle Mr. Gijon was certain that Joseph and his 19 lunch buddies were the culprits, but they all had strong alibies for every night the Renegades had attacked. And when Mr. Gijon had assigned Scamooch to spying on them Josh had discredited him by spilling his lunch on the cadet, causing a fight. Scamooch was sure the Campbell twins had planned that little incident, but he could not prove it!

Scamooch hissed in annoyance, he really didn't care about the resistance, all he cared about was finding Zim! He wanted to know why! Why had he betrayed them? Sure, they labeled him defective, but a real, and loyal defective would have died with honor. For they knew their death was what was best for their people. They were damaged, and unfit for the empire.

However, Zim did the complete opposite of any normal defective. He had gone against the Tallest! But Why? Cadet Scamooch was determined to find out, and he really wanted Mr. Gijon to be right about Joseph and his friends, but Joseph was the complete opposite of what a rebel child was supposed to act. In fact, out of all of them Josh seemed to be the only likely candidate. But Scamooch knew, Joseph would never let him do something so stupid.

So, it would seem Mr. Gijon was wrong about them, or so he thought. For you see the moment the cadet almost abandoned the idea was the moment it happened. After the Tallest had sentenced the 25 scientist to death, Joseph's large group of friends suddenly got smaller! Mr. Gijon had suspected them to be the Renegades because they had the same number of members in their lunch group as the Rebels did. And the rebels hadn't made a move since that day!

Was it a coincidence?

It could be, but cadet Scamooch doubted it. Then again he could be reading too much into this, after all a computer brain had probed Joseph's mind, if he was a member of the Renegades it would have known, and killed him on the spot. However, the brain had found him innocent, blameless of all charges; he was the perfect human. He was what all the humans should strive to become, and yet…

Cadet Scamooch couldn't shake the feeling that they were the Renegades, there was just too many hints screaming the notion to be true, and yet just enough doubt to make him second guess everything! He dropped his books into Joseph's hands when he came into reach. 'I will find you Zim.' He thought with determination. Of course, he had wanted to follow the renegades the next time they attacked, but no one knew about the Science Camp until after the attack.

'How do they do it? How do they manage to swoop in under the radar?' He wondered. It had to be Zim, he was the key to their success! 'But why help them! What does he see in them that he doesn't see in his own race?'

"Everything alright Sir?" Joseph asked, snapping the cadet back to reality.

"Oh yeah just thinking." He said.

Joseph nodded, but he wasn't a fool, he had notice ever since he got back last week that the cadet had been looking at him, and his friends a little too carefully. It made him feel uneasy, it made them all feel uneasy. Joseph shifted the tower of books in his hands trying to get a better view of the steps before him. Unfortunately, the cadet was still using his jail time as leverage to boss him around. Joseph resisted the urge to roll is eyes, it wasn't easy.

"So, Campbell I noticed your lunch group isn't as big as it used to be." Cadet Scamooch said, watching his reaction closely.

Joseph rolled his eyes. "Don't even get me started about that." He scoffed. "We formed the group to help our fellow students get through the day, because let's be honest you cadets aren't very nice!"

Cadet Scamooch nodded, of course they had a falling out, that was the logical answer, not that they were the rebels. "So, what happened?"

Joseph sighed remembering what everyone had rehearsed to say, everyone including the members that had left. "They're afraid that if we appear to be conspiring against the Irken Empire then a repeat of what happened on TV 2 weeks ago with those scientist will happen again."

"Do you think so?" Cadet Scamooch asked.

"I don't know you tell me!" Joseph snapped.

Cadet Scamooch was taken aback by his response. "What do you mean?"

"Don't get me wrong." Joseph huffed. "I understanding punishing the guilty, but those scientist didn't do anything wrong!"

"Campbell they stole weapons…" Scamooch began.

"No don't you dare try to justify it!" Joseph snapped. "The rebels stole those weapons not those scientist." He forced Scamooch's books back into his hands. "I'm sorry but I cannot respect someone who would defend others who killed people who did nothing wrong!"

Scamooch watched him stomp off, stunned. Of course, it was the response that a normal human would make in this situation, but the cadet actually felt guilty for defending his leaders' decision. This wasn't the first time Joseph had managed to get him to doubt his leaders either.

"You're a voice of the people, how can a leader run an empire without listening to their people? How do they know what you need? How do they assure you in times of fear?"

Cadet Scamooch shook his head, why did some Earth child have this effect on him? No one had ever made him question his people before, so why now? Heck if this kid had never saved him he wouldn't care one bit about what he thought, but he had, and he did. 'What has this child done to me?'

Joseph rushed into the bathroom and locked himself in a stall, so much for being normal. He could already feel his anger getting dangerously overwhelming. He could have snapped that cadet's neck without a second thought, but thankfully he had second thoughts. "Calm down…." He whispered taking deep breaths. "It's over…done with…do not dwell on things that you cannot change." Joseph smiled at those words, remembering the Irken who had taught them to him.

It was back when he was still in the academy, he had accidentally put too much uranium into the mixture of mercury, and sulfur. The result ended in an explosion of the east wing Lavatory, and out of all his instructors only one did not yell at him.

"Accidents happen Zim." Goalit had told him.

"That was my second one today." Zim had scoffed.

"Well sometimes they come in pairs." Goalit had informed him. "You're not the first to blow up my class room, and you won't be the last. So, take a breather, don't dwell on things you can't change. It's a waste of precious time and energy."

Goalit, his kind nature was the complete opposite to most Irken costumes and Zim remembered at the time thinking that such a character did not belong in the Irken Empire. Now he wished for nothing more than for every other Irken to be just like him.

But wishing that was a waste of time, he thought he could change them, but now Zim knew that the Irken race was just one of those things he could never change. So why even try?

With that final thought Joseph exited the bathroom and headed to his first period class.

(Back with Gaz…)

[Time: 09:00 AM]

{Location: Tallest Castle on Zec, dining hall}

Nothing…

That's what she felt like, Gaz Membrane felt as hollow as an empty crab shell, withering away on the oceans shore.

And she hated it!

"You should eat something." Tak urged her.

Gaz looked up at the Irken female across from her at the long table and shook her head. How could she eat when tomorrow she was sending Zim and the others to death? Sure, there hope was Zim and them would get away, but they had no sure way of knowing that they would, and they couldn't help them either.

"Gaz in order for this to work you have to pretend you don't care." Tak instructed her.

Gaz restrained from letting out a furious growl, but only just barley. How could she pretend not to care? There was a time perhaps long ago that she knew such an art. However, she no longer knew how to do it, she no longer knew how to pretend that she was emotionless.

"Zim needs us to make an army of Irkens who support his coming of power." Tak whispered, looking around just in case they had a spy drone watching them.

"He doesn't even want to." Gaz mumbled the obvious.

"He must!" Tak insisted. "We need him!"

"And what about what Zim needs?" Gaz asked. "Have you ever bothered to sit down with him, and ask him what he feels?"

No, she had not, and Gaz could tell.

"Well I know what he feels." Gaz said. "And he feels overwhelmed, he's got to be." She shook her head picking at her food with her fork as she ranted on. "Everyone looking at him to fix this mess, counting on him to save them all. He's just one guy of course his faith is going to waver. And the way your fellow Irkens are acting isn't helping, you're all too scared to go against them, no wonder he's lost faith in you."

Tak knew she was right, but that was why their plan was so crucial. "If we recruit enough Irkens Zim will realize that his take over won't be in vain. He'll realize some want to change, and then he'll change his mind again."

"And if no one joins us?" Gaz asked. "What if they rat us out instead."

"I've got it covered." Tak held up a device that liked somewhat like a laser pointer. "One flash from this light will erase the last five minutes from anyone's mind. Don't worry we'll be fine."

But that was just it, it wasn't herself and Tak she was worried about. No, it was them, Zim, Dib, Rachel, Mark, James. She knew at least they were all in the resistance, trying to get her back. And tomorrow she would be leading them all to their death.

"They will be fine, don't worry." Tak assured her. "I already have a plan in place. They will escape."

"When will you tell them?" Gaz asked.

"Tonight." Tak answered bluntly. "Now eat you'll need your strength."

"I don't think I can do this." Gaz admitted. "I mean once I do this, there is no going back, I have to play the bad guy for the rest of this war."

Tak sighed. "I know this is hard, but I need the old Gaz right now, so I need you to tune in to whatever tragedy that brought her out and forget everything else."

Gaz thought for a moment, what had made that Gaz her reality…

Her mother, she died…

Gaz allowed those feelings of loneliness, and abandonment to consumer her. She forced herself to remember all those lonely days sitting by the front door waiting for a mother who would never come how. Forcing herself to remember all those nights she woke up screaming from nightmares, and there was no one there to tell her it would be alright.

No one but Dib…

And that was the only person she should be focusing on. In order for their plan to work the Tallest had to believe that all she cared about was protecting her older brother from the death sentence that loomed over his head. As far as the Tallest knew Gaz blamed Zim for all of this, if he hadn't come to Earth, and tricked her, and used her, they would all be safe.

They would all be together.

And even though Gaz knew Zim had changed for the better, for the sake of their mission she had to blame Zim for everything.

"Gaz if you can't do this…" Tak began.

"No, I'm ready." Gaz assured her. "Besides war is all about sacrifices." And if she had to sacrifice her love for Zim to save the world then so be it.

Besides, it wasn't like he was going to stay here with her anyway. No, he was going back with his people, so it was better to break it off now.

After all it was for the best…

Episode 19- The Evil Girlfriend of Doom (Part1) END!