Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim

Author's Note's: So here we are again my loyal readers, our favorite two star cross lovers and their impossible mission to defeat the Irken Emperor. Will they succeed? And will the Tallest be any help?

Find out NOW!

BTW: this chapter is kind of short…

(Back with Zim…)

He should have known this wouldn't be easy.

Nothing ever was for him!

Zim growled in frustration as they checked the eighth asteroid that night. They were running out of time, dawn would be approaching soon and it was only a matter of time before the Massive detected his PAK.

"Zim we've looked everywhere for them." Dib said as he jumped a small crater, he was wearing one of Zim's space suits, and he had to admit it was pretty cool.

Zim looked across the vast asteroid in defeat, there was no way they could have been blasted beyond the asteroid belt, it just wasn't feasible. However, no matter where they looked the Tallest were nowhere to be found. Zim supposed they could check Mars next, but the planet was so vast that it would take days to find them, maybe even longer.

And they simply did not have the time.

"You could always make Tak Tallest." Gaz reasoned as she spoke over the Comm line from within the Massive.

"I'd rather throw myself into the Sun." Zim admitted.

"But you promised her." Dib said.

"It's called a lie Dib ever heard of it" Zim snapped. "Besides I told her that if she found the Tallest, then she could be Tallest, but no here we are so no deal."

"That's cold, even for you." Dib said, looking over the vast, barren landscape.

"Please spare me the lecture." Zim said. "I can't stand her, and now you're asking me to work with her? I'd rather die."

"We just might if the Massive notices us." Gaz said.

Zim and Dib looked over in the direction of the Massive, it was right beside them…well not right beside them. It was closer to Mars then the asteroid they currently resided on, but it was close enough to see and that was the point.

Zim wasn't sure why his father had decided to move further away from the planet, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that his father might just scoop him up if given the chance. Then again he could just watch and see what he was doing out here, it was hard to tell the motives with that guy.

He took one last look at the Massive, and wondered if Skoodge was still on there, or if he had already been ported to Judgementia. He knows he should hate the chubby invader for what he said about Dib, and in a way he still did. However, he couldn't help but remember how Skoodge had always been there for him.

Zim shook his head, forcing himself to focus this was no time to remanence over lost friendships he had a job to do. And that job was to find the Tallest. "Fine let's get out of here." He said, disappointment laced his voice.

Dib shook his head, he could never understand how Zim could be so loyal to the Tallest, or his people as a whole. They had lied to him, banished him, used him, and hated him! And yet, here he was just as loyal as he had always been. Perhaps that was why he was born to be their leader, not because he wanted the power, but because no matter what he stood by them.

Even now as he stood against them, he did so in order to better them as a people. To form a new Irk where everyone got a second chance, even the Tallest.

"Hey we'll find them." Dib assured him.

Zim smiled, and looked back to him knowingly. "We'd better because if I have to make Tak Tallest I'm throwing our planet into the nearest black hole."

Gaz snickered over the Comm link. "You won't hear any complaining from me." She joked darkly.

"I swear your sister is supposed to be an Irken." Zim muttered.

"Please even they're angels compared to her." Dib whispered back.

"Ouch." Zim mused giving him a playful poke.

"We should get going." Dib said. "My Dad's expecting us at his office in three hours."

Zim sighed. "I'll send Gir to search Mars." He decided, sending Gir the orders remotely with his PAK. "Maybe he'll have better luck."

"Or not." Gaz said, sounding a bit too hopeful.

Zim rolled his eyes, but his annoyance was more out of sleep deprivation then an actual irritation for Gaz's open distain for his former leaders. "I'll find them." He vowed, just loud enough for the others to hear. "And when I do they'll get one chance to get out of this alive."

"Let's hope they blow it then." Gaz added.

"Gaz." Dib warned, but there was no need, in fact Zim was smiling.

"What's so funny?" Dib asked.

Gaz gave him an answer. "The Voot just picked up a homing signal on our moon." She growled in annoyance. "It better not be them!"

Zim chuckled and called Gir back, "Never mind Gir we found them, Meet us on Earth's Moon."

"You mean my moon." Gir's voice exclaimed over the Comm link.

"Gir we talked about this." Zim groaned. "I'm not taking over the planet any more so the Moon is not yours."

Gir began to cry over the Comm. "But I wanted to turn it into a Taco shack."

"You can have one of Irk's moons for that." Zim snapped as he started marching back to the ship. "Now get your robotic but over there!"

"OKAY!" Gir's voice exclaimed before the link ended.

"Zim!" Dib raced after him. "You really think it's them?" He asked.

"Only one way to find out." He said as they reached Gaz and the Voot.

"I hope its space hamsters." She said as they buckled up and took off.

"Space hamsters?" Dib said. "With PAKs to send out homing signals with?"

"It's better than the alternative." Gaz reasoned, and Dib had to agree.

Zim shook his head. Sometimes he could be so stupid, he really should have checked the moon first. But He had assumed that since the Massive had moved over here that this is where the Tallest had to be, but now it would appear he had mistaken.

"Let's just hope their homing signal doesn't tip off the Massive." Dib said.

"Idiots." Zim whispered.

Dib was surprised, Zim had never insulted the Tallest before. "Zim?"

"I would have found them eventually." Zim said. "Even now they have no faith in me."

Dib could understand his frustration, some people just never learn.

(Back with Red…)

[One Hour later...]

He had never been so humiliated in his entirely existence.

Ex-Tallest Red kicked a rock across Earth's moon in utter disgust. "We had it all Purple, everything at our finger tips!"

"I hate to say it." Purple said sitting in the dirt. "But I'm gonna say it, this is all your fault!"

My fault!" Red exclaimed. "How is this my fault?"

"Let's plot against a prince you said." Purple taunted. "Let's get him killed you said, let's make it to where he never becomes the Tallest you said."

"We'll why didn't you talk me out of it!" Red snapped.

"I tried!" Purple yelled back. "How many times did I say, 'I don't know about this?' or 'This doesn't feel right Red…?' Like a million times Red!" he snapped. "But did you ever listen?"

Red stomped his foot, and pouted. "No." he admitted.

"Now look at us." Purple hissed. "Where rock bottom." He said "Banished, forever to wither away into nothingness because you had to be power hungry, and I was stupid enough to follow your lead. And now worse still our only way back is through HIM!"

"You think he'll come?" Red asked, looking almost fearful. "I mean we haven't really given him a reason to."

"No, no we haven't." Purple snapped, he was still quite upset about the whole ordeal. "We'll probably be demoted for sure."

"Probably." Red seemed to agree. "Still it's better than wasting away on the rock."

Purple nodded. "I'm still mad at you." He told him.

Red laughed full heartedly, despite the situation, Purple could always hold a grudge, put maybe he could get some doughnuts as a peace offering once they got off this stupid rock.

"Hey it's you!" A squeaky voice said.

The former Tallest turned to see a deranged robot headed their way.

"Isn't that?" Purple asked.

"Yep." Red answered.

"Hello!" Gir exclaimed as he stopped in front of them. "I found you!"

"Yes uh very good...um." Red stopped realizing he forgot the SIR Units name. "What did we name him again?" He asked Purple.

"Something to do with Garbage." Purple said.

"Wow you two really are idiots." a voice said behind them.

The two turned to see...

"Zim!" Red exclaimed, and Purple elbowed him in the arm. "I mean Sir...I mean Sire..."

"Oh please just shut up!" Zim exclaimed. "And turn off your homing signal before the whole Massive is down on us would you!"

Red was taken aback by the tone he was given, and almost blew it for both of them.

Luckily Purple stepped in. "Of course your grace." He said elbowing Red in the stomach this time.

Red doubled over, and Zim had a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Thank you so much for rescuing us." Red gasped out, despite his shortness of breath. "We're sorry we stabbed you in the back."

"Yes we'll never do it again." Purple assured him.

"Oh I know you won't." Zim said allowing the smile to slip on his lips this time.

Red and Purple cringed, they did not like that smile.

Zim watched as they looked around for his ship, but there was nothing there.

"So uh are we leaving soon?" Purple asked.

"Yes." Zim said. "I have some where to be."

Red and Purple look relieved for a moment.

"However, I simple don't have room in my Voot for you." Zim went on. "It's already pact as it is with the search party."

"Search party?" Red asked dumbly.

"Yes I've been looking for you two idiots all night." Zim went on.

"Idiots?" Purple asked just as dumbfounded.

"Yes." Zim did his best not to burst out laughing, it wasn't easy, and he had to turn away so he could keep his bearings. "Now as I said I have somewhere to be, Gir keep an eye on these idiots would you?"

"Yes my Irken lord!" Gir answered, eyes glowing red for a moment, then changing back to blue as her looked at Red and Purple. "Now, who wants to help me make waffles?"

"You're just going to leave us here!" Purple exclaimed.

"Yes." Zim answered as he started walking.

"Why?" Red dared to ask.

Zim stopped. Oh no he did not just ask that! "Why?" He repeated.

"Why come here if you're gonna leave us anyways!" Red yelled.

"Because." Zim said turning to them, eyes narrow and full of hate. "Now you get to see what it's like to rot away on a rock somewhere, waiting for your leader to give a shit!"

Red and Purple stared at him dumbly.

"You mean we're being punished?" Purple asked.

"Of course I'm punishing you!" Zim hissed, as he march up to Purple's face, it was only then that he noticed, he was actually the same height as his former leader. "I trusted you, I worshiped you, I bowed down to you when it should have been the other way around and what did you do!" He screamed. "You stabbed me in the back!" He answered before Red could process his words. "You're lucky I don't kill you where you stand for treason!"

"We…" Purple struggled to gain his bearings, Zim never spoke to them like this, ever!

"Did you honestly think that I'd just forgive you for this?" He snapped. "That I'd take you power hungry monsters anywhere closer to Earth then you already are? You will stay here, and you will reap what you sowed, and I will return for you only when I feel you have learned your lesson!" he said switching over to look at Red this time.

"All you idiots had to do was leave me alone." He snapped. "Let me be and play soldier that was all I wanted! But no you had to go and ruin everything!" He stops as if realizing something, and the anger suddenly leaves him. "Thanks." He said.

"You're welcome…?" Red said, unsure of himself.

Zim smiled. "Good now Study this rock for me would you?" He asked as he turned to leave again. "I expect a full report."

"He's joking right?" Red asked hopefully.

"I don't think he is." Purple said. "He looked around. "Well I found a crater." He said.

"Then study it." Zim snapped. He was marching away again.

"You know I've got to give him some credit this has irony written all over it." Purple went on trying to measure the crater before him.

"Of course it does that's the point you idiot!" Red yelled at him.

"Red if you have nothing to report when I get back I'm leaving you on this rock!" Zim yelled.

Red got moving then, because there was no way he was staying on this rock longer than he had to. "Move over!" he ordered Purple.

"No find your own thing to study!" Purple argued. "The crater is mine!"

The two began to tussle on the floor as Gir shouted. "Fight, Fight, Fight!"

Zim couldn't help it any more, he burst out laughing as the Voot came into view.

Gaz was also laughing, while Dib just shook his head.

"I can't believe you had us come all the way out here just to banish them on this rock!" Dib shouted.

"I don't know." Gaz said. "I thought it was kind of funny."

"It sure felt good." Zim admitted as he got in.

"What I don't get is why did you thank them?" Dib asked.

He and Gaz had been listening to the conversation over the Comm link, and heard everything.

"Because." Zim said. "If I had never been banished to this rock, I would have never met you." He told him.

Dib smiled. "I'm glad you got banished too." He said.

"Get a room!" Gaz yelled, as they started to take off.

The two chuckled silently as they head back to Earth, Unaware of the danger standing right behind them.

(Aboard the Massive…)

[In cloaking mode…]

Laughter had filled the control room of the Massive as the soldiers watched the scene before them, and even Emperor Nax couldn't help, but chuckle.

At first they had followed the Homing signal with the intent to finish the former Tallest off, but now he decided his son's punishment was more fitting.

"You think he'll ever pick them up?" one of the soldiers asked from his station.

"No." Emperor Nax said. "At least not for the next seven years, otherwise it's not a fitting punishment." He said as they watched the two former Tallest still fighting over the crater.

Suddenly Purple stopped. "Hey you don't think he'll leave us here for as long as he was on Earth do you?" he asked.

"Oh he defiantly is." Gir said laughing hysterically.

Red eyes widen, and well for lack of a better reason he fell into an old habit, and shook his fist in the air. "Curse you Zim!" He yelled.

"Shut up you idiot!" Purple said throwing a rock at him. "His dumb robot will tell him everything."

"Don't call me an idiot you idiot!" Red said throwing the rock back.

The rock hits Purple in the head, and then the real war begins. "That's it!" He exclaims as he begins to throw more rocks back, only for Red to send them right back like some painful snow ball fight.

"Hey that almost hit my head!" Purple said.

"That's the point you idiot!" Red hissed.

"You're the one that got us in this mess!" Purple said, tackling Red.

"Fight, Fight, Fight!" Gir exclaimed.

The Massive erupted into laughter once more as the idiots continue to pummel each other.

"Nicely done Zim." Emperor Nax admitted as he watched the Voot Cruiser head back towards Earth.

'Nicely done indeed….'

Chapter End Notes:

Okay so that turned out to be as long as my chapters usually are, so yeah…

Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. (If you want!)

The Next update will be soon.

So until then this is Emily Signing off…