Episode 20- The Evil Girlfriend of Doom2 (Part 3)

(Back With Tak…)

[Time: 05:30]

{Location: Tallest's Castle located on Zec}

They had not been happy to hear about her failure…

Then again Tak was expecting as much.

In fact, the Tallest had been so furious that as soon as her wound was stitched up, she was hauled off to the throne room.

"Give us one good reason why we shouldn't throw you out of the air lock right now!" Red hissed as she stood before them.

"Because I have plan that I know will work." Tak insisted.

"Go on." Purple said, half interested.

"For the first time ever, the Renegades were thrown off balance, last night they were off their game." Tak pointed out.

"So?" Red asked.

"So, let's use that to our advantage, allow Gaz to join me at school. We know the Renegades are posing as high school students." Tak explained. "Gaz would know who would be most likely to stand against us, besides if Zim and Dib are posing as students as well she's bound to notice them, even while they're in disguise."

Her words grabbed the Tallest's attention.

"We haven't thought of that…" Red admitted. "Very well we will look over your previous failure, but just remember our patience is running thin when it comes to you."

"Yes, my Tallest." Tak bowed before making her leave.

"Well you almost didn't make it out of that one."

Tak froze to see General Kazar blocking her path. "You could have backed me up you know." She whispered lowly.

"And get even further in their line of suspicion?" General Kazar scoffed. "I think not, remember all I care about is ensuring my position."

"I hope he kills you." Tak said plainly.

General Kazar had her pinned against the wall in seconds, his eyes glowing orange, and his fangs dripping saliva. "I may let your human pawn get away with saying such things." He hissed. "But is because he would kill me for touching her, you on the other hand mean nothing to him."

Tak couldn't help but flinch as his claws rested against her throat.

"So, watch your mouth!" General Kazar warned, before backing off.

Tak fell to her knees, gasping for breath.

"Now do your part, and I'll do mine!" General Kazar went on, not even missing a beat.

Tak simply nodded finding it impossible to speak.

Seeming to be pleased with this, General Kazar left, it was only until he was long gone, that Tsk managed to find her strength. She forced herself on shaking feet, and took a few test steps, it took a few more seconds, but she was eventually able to get the jelly out of strive.

Her spooch lurched as her mind caught up with her body in an instant, she just learned what happened when you challenged an Amon. She was almost dead just then, Tak pushed that feeling of dread aside as she forced herself to carry on.

After all she had more important things to worry about…

(Back with the Renegades…)

[Time: 08:30]

{Location: Westville High, 2nd period}

Betrayal…

It cut them deeper than they had ever imagined.

Word of Gaz's betrayal had ripped through the remaining population of the Renegades like a wildfire. And the news did little to strengthen their bonds.

If anything, it produced several new cracks in their beliefs, as well as their will to fight on.

Josh flinched as the moment he relayed the news to his father, played back in his head for the hundredth time today.

He could remember his father's hopeful face when they arrived, he had been standing in the docking bay waiting for them. A look of pure joy spread across his face, however the truth slowly dawned on him as he realized Gaz wasn't with them.

"Dib where's your sister." His father looked like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. No doubt he feared that the Tallest had executed her before he could get to her.

However, it was far worse, far worse indeed.

"They got to her…" Dib remembered struggling to explain, but having a hard time finding the words.

"What?" His father asked fearfully.

"She betrayed us…" Rachel managed to blurt out from beside him.

"It was all a set up." Zim had said, before locking himself up in his lab.

Dib remembered his father falling to his knees in shock, unable to believe their words. His daughter had betrayed them? Gaz had turned their back on them all? Professor Membrane couldn't remember a time when his daughter was against him in any way! Sure, they had their disagreements, but never to this extreme.

Dib could feel his pain, for like his son, Professor Membrane was also obsessed with something. His addiction had been "Real Science" And like Dib he was consumed by it, only seeing his kids a few days out of the year. However, this time it had been different, this time Dib, and Gaz had been his main focus, only for fate to spite in his face.

Why?

Hadn't they all suffered enough?

Apparently not!

"Watch it Pest!"

Josh yelped as a cadet bulldozed by him, causing him to be rammed into the lockers to his left. Usually he was more focused about his surroundings.

However, today he really didn't care much about anything.

And he wasn't the only one.

Rachel wiped the tears from her already puffy red eyes, she didn't want the cadets to see her crying, but she just couldn't stop. How could Gaz have done this? Why was their suddenly such a divine purpose in her to turn on them all?

'They had to of blackmailed her or something.'

Rachel was sure of it; however, she could think of nothing that would convince Gaz to come back to them.

Nothing short of winning this war, which is something they couldn't do with her in the way.

Yes, she knew the Tallest would use her as a shield, as well as a dagger to stab them with repeatedly. And Rachel already had enough gashes to last a century…maybe even more.

And yet, she still could not believe it…

She thought she knew Gaz, she thought she knew the girl that she had claimed to be one of her closes and dearest friends.

Had she mistaken?

It would appear so!

James peeled his eyes away from Rachel as he pressed on to his first period. Part of him wanted to comfort her, the other part wanted to go hide in a closet. Sure, he and Gaz hadn't know each other long, but between her, and the constant demands of the rebel life he could feel his will starting to break.

However, at least he could gladly say that he had gotten the lesser part of the blow.

He wished he could say the same for Joey…

Joseph suppressed a hiss as he dodged the same cadet who had ran into his brother moments later, he was sure the little swine was purposefully bumping into human students. Still, he could do nothing about it, no none of them could do anything. They were powerless, just as always! Man, he would have loved to stay home today, but the Irken Police often checked houses for kids trying to skip school. And after last night's bombshell Joseph was sure that anyone who missed school today would be the first ones the Tallest looked at.

So here he was, shuffling through classes trying to pretend nothing happen…

But something had happened, something huge!

Gaz had betrayed them, no worse…Gaz had betrayed him!

It was like his mind was on auto pilot, like his body was trying to tune out the shock the best it could. Everything felt numb, and yet everything felt like it was on fire at the same time! And still the facts remained!

What were they supposed to do now?

Gaz was gone! They had gotten to her, and now the Renegades had been forced into another code of silence. Another period of waiting for the heat to die down each of them wondering the same thing.

How would they handle Gaz when the time came?

Would they even be able to plot against her?

No…

Joseph sighed as he entered his second period class, and sat in his usual seat.

Cadet Scamooch noticed his mood almost instantly. "Oh, come on Campbell I haven't even started to ruin your day yet." He teased.

"I'm not really in the mode today Sir." Joseph mumbled honestly. He felt like there was a brick in his chest, making it hard to breath.

Mark winced at his appearance; Joey looked absolutely horrible! His hair was unkept, his uniform unpressed, and his attitude reeked of failure; and Mark had thought that was physically impossible.

"Rough day?" Cadet Scamooch asked curiously. He couldn't help but feel somewhat worried for the boy beside him, though feeling anything for anyone beside himself was still quiet alien to him, the boy had managed to worm his way into his constant concern.

"Rough night." Joseph admitted staring down at his desk.

"Well perhaps it will get better." Cadet Scamooch suggested, trying to encourage the child out of his rut.

However, he couldn't be more wrong!

"Class I would like to introduce our new student." Mrs. Bean said, capturing all of their attention. "Class welcome Tak's new minion Gaz Membrane!"

His Spooch lurched into his throat as Gaz walked into the room.

Joseph watched as time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Tak and Gaz appeared before the class, just inches from his very desk in the front row.

Mark suddenly felt the need to vomit, as if last night wasn't bad enough now they were rubbing it in their faces at school.

Yes, it was very clear that the Tallest were playing hard ball; however, the Renegades were having a hard time serving the ball back in their favor. Luckily for them though someone else had their back today.

Suddenly a large quake rippled through the school as an explosion was seen erupting from somewhere out the window, deeper within the city.

It looked like one of the water harvesting factories had exploded.

Panic ensued all around them, but neither Mark, nor Joseph found the will to move, or acknowledge the chaos around them. Uniformed soldiers came storming in, holding up weapons, and knocking out students, both human and cadet alike.

If Joseph had been in his right mind, he would have wondered why that was, but he was still staring at Gaz, like none of the madness around him was happening at all. Finally, with a hard blow to the back of his head, he fell out of his desk and to the floor.

Mark watched stunned, what was going on? One of the Soldiers had even knocked out Mrs. Bean! And who had attached the factory, surely after Gaz's betrayal no Renegade would dare to make such a risky move so quickly. And he was right, the Renegades were not responsible…not this time.

"We missed one." A soldier said, pointing to Mark.

"Don't try anything stupid." Another said, before walking up towards him.

Mark watched as the soldier lifted up his beating stick, he had just enough time to gasp before it came hurtling down on him.

He was out cold before he hit the ground.

"Is that everyone?" The first soldier asked the second.

"Yes, that everyone." The second informed him.

"Good, I'll have the movers' transport the humans back to their homes." The first said. "And the cadets back to their dorms on Zec, everyone is on house arrest until we get this sorted out." He pressed a button on his uniform, and soon more soldiers came in picking up the students, and hauling them into vehicles. Once loaded, they would transport them home.

Where they would wait until this mess was cleaned up.

"I can't believe one of them would surface after all this time." The second whispered, keeping his voice low. "How did they even manage to get on the planet?"

"I don't know but we've got to find them, or the Tallest will have our heads." The first warned.

The second shivered at the thought, it was bad enough that one of them had gotten away in the first place, but now they were reemerging after five years of hiding.

It was madness, absolute madness!

And things could only get worse from here...

(Somewhere down town…)

A Small purple eyed female Irken forced herself to run faster as the sirens grew louder, and louder around her. She knew this had been a risky move from the start, but she had to get the resistance attention somehow. She dodges behind a building just in time to be missed by an Irken patrol.

The streets had come alive like an angry nest of bug beast attacking anything that moved. The female watched as both Irkens and Humans were brought down by the soldiers. Had it really come to this? Why was the Tallest so desperate to keep this a secret?

The female allowed herself to run a finger along the scar that decorated her face.

She had suffered much for this secret, and she knew that she would suffer more; much more before she finally drew her last breath. She could only hope that today's efforts had not been in vain, surely the Tallest would blame the Renegades for this, and with any luck they would seek her out.

Until then she would have to go back into hiding, her body suddenly quaked with hunger. So much so that she nearly losses her footing, if she fell now she doubted that she would have the strength to get back up. 'You have come too far to back out now.' She thought, forcing herself to remember the long hours she had spent stowing away in a cargo ship just to get to Earth.

No, she had not spent six months of slowly starving to death for her body to give out now, still her PAK maybe capable of some great feats, but even it could not keep her alive without food much longer. However, stilling stealing food tonight would be impossible. Suddenly an abandon cart of doughnuts cross her path, she jumps behind it, and stuffs as many of the chocolate covered treats into her Pak as she can manage.

It would appear things were looking up already.

And yet she could not afford to let her gourd down now, for she was one of the last of their kind.

"Did you make it?" A voice asked her silently from her communicator.

"I am almost there Tesi." She assured her comrade.

"Please hurry." Tesi begged, fear reflecting openly in her voice.

She did not blame Tesi for her fears, they were all on edge ever since that day five years ago when they had learned this horrible secret. A secret that had gotten three comrades killed. However, Taz, Vec, and Chen had not died in vain that day. For their discovery had may have cost them three comrades, but in the months after they gained hundreds more.

Yes, despite the Tallest's best efforts their secret was out!

"I see you, you're just a couple of yards away." Tesi assured her.

She smiled, feeling relief rush threw her, she had done it; she had cheated death once more. Before that day five years ago she had begged for it, but now each moment of pain was a victory for it kept the dream alive!

Mai's smile grew as Tesi came into view, the small Irken female with her strangely gray eyes was the youngest of them all. However, her age did not hinder her skill, nor did it slow her down.

"You made it." Tesi sounds relief.

She should, Mia is now the highest ranking of their group, and no one is anywhere nears ready to take her place.

"Have you seen Lirk? Or Syl?" Mia asked hopefully looking around for them.

"I sent them ahead of us to scout the way." Tesi informed her.

"Then let's go, it's only a matter of time before our luck runs out." Mia ordered.

Tesi nods and soon the two defectives are on the run again, they were always on the run, yes some things never changed. Sometimes they wished they could stop, but their mission came first.

And that mission was to expose the truth, and rescue as many defectives as possible. A mission that had felt impossible.

And for the longest time that had been it, however a new name had spread through the under grounds of Irk like a speeding comet.

The name of a powerful Irken defective that had taken their mission to the next level.

And that Irken was named Zim, and Mia planned to find him.

And absolutely nothing would stand in her way!

Invader Zim Renegades: Season 1 END!