Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim
Author's Notes: Thank you for reading and please enjoy!
(Back on the Planet Rhapsodize…)
[5 Years Ago]
He knew his death was most likely the outcome…
And yet Zim raced towards Spleen with all the confidence of an experienced brolga beast. Even though, every odd was in the enemy's favor. As the top Invader, Spleen had the best of the best at his disposal. The invader had conquered over 13 dozen worlds and was feared by all; there wasn't a single individual (Irken or otherwise) who didn't know his name. Even the Irken generals were eager to mentor and guide him. Hoping to influence the individual who would undoubtingly be the next Tallest.
So while Zim was no longer green in the ways of war, Compared to Spleen; he might as well be a newborn smeet. However, even with this thought in mind, Zim refused to just give up! He had come too far to back down now. He thought of all that he had risked getting to this point, all those who had already died and suffered for him to get this far. If Zim failed now it would all be for nothing!
Finally, he met the enemy in the center of the clearing, just in front of the bridge. His shoulder from the blaster burned with the intensity of a thousand suns, but he keep going. Zim dodged as Spleen slashed out at him with such raw anger it made his spine shiver.
"You will pay for this you worm!" He screamed. "I will drag you before our leaders and you will confess your crimes."
"Confess?" Zim asked, stunned. "You mean you didn't already tell them?"
The question actually makes Spleen stop, and what he does next seals his fate. "You actually think I'd waste my time? Like they would believe there precious pet was anything but loyal!"
Zim found a smile slipping on his face. "So the great Spleen thinks he can handle me all on his own?" he laughs as they begin to circle each other. "No back up? No one to point the finger at me if you happen to fail."
"Like I could fail at the hands of a defective like you!" Spleen spat and charged. He misses, as Zim dodges. His PAK legs retract, he knows exactly how to fix this. He knows how to win this fight. He just needs to make sure Spleen dies without harming him further. One slash of a PAK leg could be all the evidence the brains need to see him as the guilty party.
"Why did you do it?" Spleen suddenly screamed, surprising him.
"What do you mean why?" Zim asked dodging another blow, he needed to wait for the perfect moment to make his move. He sees what he is after, the crescent moon blades are attached to the weapons belt around Spleen's waist. Zim needs to get them without getting slashed by the PAKs legs. If he can make this clean and straight forward then the invader just might see past this horrible endeavor.
"You had it all!" Spleen screamed, PAK legs flying, desperately trying to connect with the wretched flesh of the enemy. "Our leaders' undying devotion, their favor, their trust, and you wasted it!"
Zim couldn't help it, he actually laughed. "Don't tell me you're jealous of me Spleen."
Again his words make the older invader stop, and in that moment, Zim sees it. All this time the older invader had tormented him out of envy. He had all their leaders in his pocket, Myuki, Spork, and now Red and Purple. In their eyes he was the perfect Irken, what everyone should strive to be.
"You think this is about them?" Zim scoffed. "This is about you Spleen!" He revealed making his move.
Zim's words have thrown the elder Invader off, so much so that he is slow to respond to the strike. However, to Spleen's surprise Zim does not try to kill him, instead he goes for the blades on his belt.
Zim smirks as he manages to pull them free and dodges as Spleen strikes again. He gets into a fighting stance, blades drawn.
Spleen instantly sees Zim's plan as if it was presented to him on a silver platter. "You really think they'll buy that?" Spleen challenged.
"Buy what?" Zim asked smirking. "There is nothing to buy here." They began to circle again. "Your plan went awry, no one knows why, but suddenly you called in the forces early. Knowing you would never do this unless it was serious I raced into battle to find you. I may not like you, but I value your experience, and what you bring to our cause. However, by the time I come to your aid I see it is too late. You have been cut down, I managed to disarm the enemy." Zim said gesturing to the blades in his hands. "However I am hit from behind by an unseen enemy by a blaster." He gestures to his shoulder, where Spleen had indeed hit him from behind moments before. "I turned to face my second attacker, but unfortunately I have forgotten the one in front of me. I am not sure what happened, but the next thing I know I am coming to, you are dead, and the enemy is gone."
"They'll never believe you." Spleen growled.
"Of course they will." Zim mused. "You said it yourself; I have them eating out of my hand."
"Why?" Spleen asks again, it's a desperate tone. "You could have it all, but you threw it away for them!"
Zim understands his struggle, why would anyone want to throw away such an opportunity? Zim could be living a comfortable life, milking the Tallests' friendship for all it is worth, but he wasn't. While Zim, had allowed his friends to mooch off of him for years, Zim had done little to return the favor. This is because he doesn't want to be in their shadow forever, he doesn't want everyone to think all he accomplished was thanks to them! Very few knew that their beloved Tallest had gotten where they are today by riding on Zim's back. However, now that they were in the spotlight, no one would miss Zim constantly being at their side.
No one would think that he actually deserved any of his success!
"I told you Spleen, this isn't about them." Zim hissed. "And this isn't about those wretched rebels that got away. This is about you! You threatened my position and treated me like a lowly service drone. You have been a thorn in my side for far too long, and now I am here to take everything that is yours!" Yes, this was what a true Irken would say. Not that he cared for the rebels, but that he wanted to sabotage his fellow invader.
"You did all of this to sabotage my name?" Spleen is floored. "You risked the safety and success of the entire Empire just to ruin me?"
Zim cackled. "Of course, and it was so easy to get the Tallest to play along. I even managed to get them to force you to change your original plans, forcing you to be here at this precise moment."
"And the rebels?" Spleen questioned.
"I needed someone to blame for your death." Zim revealed. "You should consider yourself lucky." He growled. "I was going to frame you for this whole mess." He admitted. "You should be thanking me for giving you an honorable death."
"Honorable?" Spleen howled. "You know nothing of honor!" He lashes out with his PAK legs again, but this time Zim is ready to end this.
He has never tried this move, but he had always wanted to. An Irken's most dangerous weapon was their PAK, and how to disarm them was still a mystery. Zim being the perfectionist he was; sought out the answer in hopes of stealing the advantage from his enemies. If he knew the only way to disarm his most dangerous arsenal then when the enemy went to do it, he'd see it coming and stop them.
Unfortunately, while Zim had found the weakness in theory, it was still just a theory. With no one to test it on Zim was not even sure this would work. He dives under Spleen and manages to connect his fingers to the enemy's PAK where a small control panel lies. He has seconds to act, this panel was used to manually access the PAK's storage compartment, as well as its inner circuitry. However, it also housed a manual reset, this button was meant to override a PAK that; for whatever reason was acting haywire. It was an uncommon occurrence, but sometimes, an older PAK would glitch. This could cause a PAK to lash out without the wearer's intent, or its legs could refuse to retract. Usually an individual would have to be reset by a control Brain, this button was supposed eliminate the hassle. Allowing the wearer to fix themselves with ease, to reach for someone else's reset button was unheard of.
If he pressed the wrong button now he would miss his chance, Zim's only advantage was that no one dared to try this before. No Irken would dare reset a fellow soldier's PAK, but for Zim this is his only advantage. Spleen is more experienced in every way, he was stronger, and faster too. Zim's only advantage was his coning and strategy, and as his finger brushed a button he prayed it was the right one.
There is an audible **BEEP** as the button is pressed, and Zim lets out a sigh of relief.
"What did you do?!" Spleen whorled around going to strike with his PAK legs, when they react against his will. "What the-" Zim doesn't let him finish. Usually a reset PAK would shut down and reboot, before coming back online. Zim however, Cuts Spleen down while he is still conscious. He had thought the reset would be faster, perhaps Spleen is trying to mentally override the command.
"You little snake…" Spleen hissed, before falling over. He's dead before he reaches the ground, and Zim falls to his knees.
He knows he can't stay like this, with blades covered in Irken blood, Spleen's blood; in his hands. He must move quickly, reaching behind him with one of the blades, he stabs himself deep in the side. This would be the blow that Zim "received from the Enemy" before blacking out. He threw the other blade far enough away; it would look like their attacker dropped it while making his escape.
If Zim woke up he'd tell the Tallest how he tried to stop them but failed. They would praise him for his efforts, and in order to cover up the failure they'd make it look like the planet had meant to be conquered not purged. They would enslave the people and Rhapsodize would become another piece of the Irken Machine.
'But at least they will be alive, and their planet will remain.' Zim thought as he began to succumb to his wounds. 'Luna…and Moon…they will still have a home…' He smiled at the thought. 'Maybe she'll be brave enough…' He thought. 'Brave enough to do what I never could…'
With that final thought fresh on his mind, Zim closed his eyes and allowed himself to embrace the darkness.
(Back with Luna…)
[Present Day]
It was like her world had drained of color…
Her savior, her hero, her knight in shining armor was the very Irken who enslaved them all.
"You knew?" She just barely managed to get the words to leave her mouth. The Computer Brain's screen had been static for some time now, and all three of them (Luna, Annabel, and Gir) had simply stared at it for some time.
"I knew he was Irken." Annabel's voice was a whisper. Of course, Luna already knew that she saw when she and Lard Nar met 'Kuha' the night of her rescue.
"Did you know he was Zim?" Luna's voice is harsher, but not out of rage, no this is frustration.
"Not until recently." She admitted.
"How could he…why?" Luna's world is falling apart, and the reason for it is simple. Like Annabel, she wants to understand why? Why would he risk his life to save them, only to fall back in line? It wasn't that she didn't understand what Zim did for her. If he hadn't intervened her entire race would have been wiped out. Still, if he had enough strength to defend her, why couldn't he do it for the rest of her people?
'Sometimes the best thing a leader can do for her people is simply survive.'
Suddenly she remembered what the Tallest had said to Zim during that dinner they were having together at the beginning of the memory.
"The Magladies are a powerful race with political connections to all of our enemies. If we allow them to live; their charisma and reputation might be strong enough to rally the other slaves. We could have a full-blown rebellion on our hands!"
"Why?" Lard Nar's question ringed through her ears. "Why even help us."
And Zim's answer was like a tidal wave.
"This is my revenge."
Maybe she'll be brave enough… to do what I never could…'
"Luna?" Annabel looks fearful, Luna has stopped talking; she looked lost in thought.
"I…I think I finally understand." Luna said surprising Annabel.
"Really?" Annabel asked. "Because I don't."
"He saved us because he wants us…wants me to stop Irk." Luna exclaimed. Her understandment fills her with new strength.
"And he can't because?" Annabel asked.
"Because he is Irk." Luna answered. "They all are."
Annabel still doesn't get it, and the evidence is all over her face.
"Don't you see? Zim is too afraid to stand against them, but he knows what they are doing is wrong. He also knows he's just as guilty as the rest! He thinks someone like me, someone pure, with power, and influence can rally everyone. That's why Zim kept slaves. Because Slaves under the right motivation…"
"Can become an army." And just like that all of the Invader's fence hopping suddenly makes since. Every time he did it, it was to get back at his people; he took slaves to fuel an army. He saved Luna and Moon to lead that army. Sure he saved Lard Nar because he was a friend but said friend had gathered several powerful enemies together.
"This is my revenge; I swear today they pay for all of it."
"Without him we would not be here, Zim wasn't just there for us on Rhapsodize…"
"He's been in our corner, helping us over and over again." Annabel wanted to scream, she wanted to take that Irken and punch him over and over again. "If he's on our side why does he keep going back to them?" She doesn't expect an answer, but she gets one all the same.
"I can't stand by and do nothing as others suffer…I don't know how you can." Lard Nar's voice rings out.
Annabel and Luna turn to Gir who is playing a recording from his data banks. It's the conversation Zim had with the Vort several days before.
"Easy." Zim's voice answered. "I don't watch."
"Your time of turning the cheek is over." Lard Nar lectured. "Don't you realize what will happen to your race if you don't help us change their ways?"
"The AIs will use their weapon to wipe us out." Zim said without missing a beat.
"So, you know then." Lard Nar sighed. "Don't you care?"
There is a pause and then…"Maybe my race deserves what's coming to them."
"He keeps fighting because that's what Irkens do, he obeys because he's too afraid." Luna said.
"Of what? Death?" Annabel asked.
"No rejection." Luna said, just now remembering Lard Nar's explanation about the defectives. "Think about it we're asking him to go against his entire race to save people who wants to wipe them all out." She shook his head. "Even if it's all an act, at least they accept him, he knows he has to do the right thing, and stop them. That's why he keeps helping us, but at the end of the day he goes back to them. Because all he really wants it to accept, just like Tak he's desperate to secure his place in the collective."
"He's torn…" Annabel realized. "Torn between the loyalty of his people, and what he knows must be done."
"It doesn't change the horrible things he's done." Luna reasoned. "But I think I am beginning to understand what Dib was trying to say." She admitted. "If we could just look past the horrible things he's done and forgive him. We can show him that this is worth fighting for…"
"Wouldn't matter." The Brian finally spoke up. "One rouge Irken cannot change Irk. There are laws that must be followed."
"If you are so adamant on following rules how come you haven't sold him out?" Luna questioned. "If you knew all along he was defective…"
"If my Master is defective then so am I." The Brain answered simply. "And all defective things must be…"
"Destroyed." Luna scoffed. "Self-preservation, even you brains would rather look after yourselves then rise against them."
"Pointless effort." The Brain argued. "Laws can only be changed by the Taller. All Master Zim would do by joining you is ostracizing himself from our kind forever."
"I'm beginning to see why Zim is so messed up!" Luna screamed at the brain. "You're poisoning him with these negative thoughts." Still she knew it was right. A thousand Irkens could rise up, but without the blessing of their future leader they would simply be cut down. Irk would never change.
But that didn't mean she was going to give up. No she was now on Team Dib when it came to Zim. He saved her life, sure he left his mother for dead, and he enslaved her people. But Zim saved her, he saved Moon, he saved Lard Nar, he alone was why their resistance was able to form in the first place. He deserved her thanks, and he deserved a chance to do the right thing.
And Luna would give it to him.
-To Be Continued