Author's Notes: The Next Episode is up! And for those of you interested this episode covers Chapters 14-15 of my original story, Invader Zim Renegades and it is dedicated to the Fanfiction Reader/Author: 3DPhantom! When I First wrote this story back in early 2015 it was full of grammar mistakes and spelling issues; because of this it got little to no reviews. 3DPhantom, volunteered to edit the original version of this story and her dedication to this series is one of the main reasons it has evolved into the popular series it is today!
With that said, Thank you all for reading and please review!
Yours Truly, RoxieDivine
S01 Ep07: The Beginning of the End
Episode Summary: Zim and Gaz have realized their feelings for each other, just in time for the Tallest to arrive! Now as the Irken Armada stand posed against an unsuspecting world Zim, Dib and Gaz must fight for their own survival as well as Earth's. It's the End of the world as we know it, and times is not on our side!
[Back with Gaz]
She sighed, feeling as if she was walking on a cloud, and she hated it. What was she going to do? She had fallen in love with Zim, the alien who swore to bring Earth to its knees. 'Stupid heart,' she told her useless organ that was beating rapidly in her chest. 'How could you betray me? Why did it have to be Zim?!' She sighed again, feeling defeated. What was she going to do? It's not like Zim had the same feelings. Her brother was probably right; he was probably just using her. 'But if that were true, then why didn't Zim kiss me?' Gaz shook her head. She felt a headache coming on. "Maybe I'll just go home and play some video games."
"Why play a silly old video game when you can do it for real?" Zim appeared as his Voot Cruiser uncloaked itself, hovering just slightly above the ground with the hatch wide open. He was back in his usual Irken uniform, but his disguise was gone, revealing his red eyes and antennas. GIR, who was sitting beside him, waved at her happily. Zim stretched his hand out to her as he gave her a warm smile. "Will you come with me?" He asked.
Gaz froze. She could think of a thousand reasons why she shouldn't, but those reasons where overpowered by a wave of excitement and… something else… happiness? She wasn't sure. She hadn't felt truly happy before, not in a long time. 'Not since mom died,' she realized. She had cast out all feeling all emotion out long ago, but every time she was with Zim they bubbled back to the surface. They always did that when someone tried to get close to her, and as soon as those fillings started to show Gaz would push them and that person away. Because of her fear, and the fear of losing again. With a father as busy as hers, she only had one constant in her life. Her mother. She had always been there and now she was gone.
The only constant she had now was Dib and Zim fighting all the time. She wanted to push the thought away, to run away now before her heart was damaged once more. Her heart could not possibly handle another blow; it was already a spider web of a thousand cracks. Just one more heart break and she was convinced it would surely shatter, but she knew in her heart that no one deserved to be alone. It didn't matter that he wasn't human; everyone needs someone. At least Gaz had Dib, he had always looked out for her, but where was that for Zim?
What was happening to her? What had caused this sudden concern for Zim? Did she really love him that much? She looked at Zim, with his green skin and big red eyes, and wondered 'What do I see in you? Why has my heart chosen you of all people?' She wasn't sure, but she did know one thing; Zim was lost in a void of darkness, and she knew she only had so little time to save him before... she shook her head, not wanting to remember the time she nearly allowed herself to be lost in her own void of darkness. Dib being there for her had saved her from the same dark empty fate. Now it was her turn to pass that kindness on to someone else. She reached out and took Zim's hand and he pulled her in.
Fulfillment…
Zim smiled as he started up the ship's engine, and blasted them up into the sky, past Earth's atmosphere and into space. He had not felt such success in so long. Today he got to do something he hadn't done for a very long time. He got to be himself, without fear, without ridicule. With Gaz he wasn't a failure, and he wasn't an outcast. He was Zim, plain and simple. With Gaz he had learned more about Earth then he had in all the years of his mission put together. And with this new knowledge, he had learned a new side of the planet he had never known before… It's beauty.
Zim looked at the planet that was below him now, and the place that he once saw as a mud ball of filth had now transformed and had earned a new name: 'Home.'
"Where are we going?" Gaz asked him.
"You have shown me the wonders of your world, and now I will show you, my universe." Zim gave her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, we'll be back. I promise."
Gaz believed him. Somehow, she could feel it; he was telling the truth.
Zim pulled out his hyper-drive controls and said, "okay GIR, I'm only gonna do this once so you better enjoy it."
"Yeah!" GIR screamed. "Do it, do it, do, it now!"
"Do what?" Gaz asked.
"Hold on," Zim warned as he activated his H-drive and sent his ship into hyper-speed.
GIR shouted his approval as the ship pushed onward into the unknown.
Zim counted to 15 slowly and then deactivated the hyper-drive.
The ship came to an abrupt stop. GIR rammed into the windshield of the ship.
"Let's do it again!" He screamed.
Zim laughed. "No, GIR. We're here."
"Where is here, exactly?" Gaz asked.
"I'll show you." Zim handed her a spare of one of his space suits. "Here, this will protect you from the vastness of space."
Gaz put it on, still unsure of herself. Where was this going?
Zim waited until her suit was on before activating his own air bubble of protection and then he opened the hatch. "GIR, stay here and watch the ship."
"Yes, My Lord!" GIR's eyes glowed red with obedience.
Zim held out his hand. Gaz took it and held her breath, hoping to whoever was listening that this wasn't a trap.
Zim guided her out of the ship and onto a nearby moon.
'This is it,' she thought, looking around at the void of nothingness. This was the beauty he was talking about.
"Wait for it," Zim told her, as if reading her mind. "Just wait for it." He tightened his hand around hers and pointed at a collection of stars. "Watch," he whispered.
Gaz watched as one of the stars seemed to get closer and closer, and then it came into view and as it flew by them in incredible speed, she realized it wasn't a star at all.
It was a comet. In fact, all of the stars Zim had been pointing at where comets.
"They're pieces of ice from Saturn's rings," Zim explained. "The gravitational pull from the nearby planets pulls these pieces away from the others, causing them to race by at outrageous speeds. The closer they get to the sun, the faster they get, and the brighter they burn."
"It's beautiful," Gaz leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder. Zim wrapped his arms around her. He wished they could stay like this forever. He wished time would freeze and forever be frozen in this one moment. He didn't mean to do it, but there was no mistaking it. He was in love. His eyes met with Gaz, and he smiled.
Gaz smiled back. This moment was perfect. For once in her life, everything was looking up.
"You know, Gaz, you're not so bad for a, Earth-Monkey," Zim admitted.
Gaz laughed. "You're not so bad yourself," she admitted as another flash of ice caught their attention.
Zim held her close, never wanting to let go. Nothing could ruin this moment, and what ever happened tomorrow… well, he could care less. All that mattered now was this one moment, and as far as he was concerned, the entire universe could implode tomorrow, and he wouldn't care. All that matter was Gaz. He sighed as he watched the comets fly by, here one second and gone the next. If only life wasn't as fleeting as these comets, then maybe, just maybe, they would at least stand a chance. Zim tried to force the thought away, but he knew the law. This love was forbidden; this would only end badly. It was only a matter of time.
(Back with Dib on Earth...)
Dib's anger was like a furnace. How could he let this happen?
He growled in rage as he looked around his lab, which was nothing more than the family garage. Not only had he lost his own sister to the enemy, but now he had lost his best friend to his own obsession. "This day couldn't get any worse," he mumbled. Suddenly the lights went out all around him and Tak's ship began to glow.
"Take a good look around, Dib," Zim's voice echoed around him. "The world as you knew it will never be the same."
Dib looked around him, trying to find the source of his enemies' voice. "You'll never get away with this," he shouted.
Tak's ship veered up-right, and Zim's face popped up on the screen. "The Armada will come, Dib, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Zim's laughter filled the room as the ship's leg rises up slowly and it stabbed at Dib. "My victory begins now!" Dib dodged it just in time and ran out of the garage screaming, the door sliding down just in time to trap the ship and its claws of doom.
Dib fell to his knees; relief washed over him. He was safe… safe. He froze.
"Gaz!" He reached for his communicator that he always carried around his wrist. He could only hope Gaz was wearing hers. He dialed her number. "Please answer, please answer," he begged.
"What do you want?" Gaz said as her face appeared on the screen.
"Gaz! It's Zim! He," Dib froze, seeing Zim and GIR sitting beside her in a cockpit. "Wait, where are you?" He stopped, realizing the answer to his own question. "Are you in Zim's ship?"
"Yeah, so?" She asked, annoyed.
"We're in space!" GIR shouted.
Then it suddenly hit him; if Zim was with Gaz, then how was he controlling Tak's ship?
Dib walked slowly over to the garage and opened the door. A small chip fell off the damaged machine. It was a pre-programing device.
"This means Zim recorded this message and used this device to make the ship attack me…"
Zim suddenly appeared on his communicator. "What do you want, pig-stank?"
"Bring my sister home now!" Dib demanded.
"Fine, we were on our way back anyway," Zim told him matter-of-factually.
"You better not have hurt her," he warned. "Or I'll-''
"I'm fine, Dib. Really." Gaz appeared beside Zim. "I'll be home in a minute," she promised before she cut the transmission.
Dib looked at the pre-programing device as he held it in his hands carefully. Zim must have planted this on Tak's ship when it was in his possession after Dib had downloaded his own personality into the ship. Then he prerecorded this message with the demands to have the ship attack him. It had been here all these years, waiting.
"Waiting for what?" Dib asked himself, shivering in fear as he looked up at the stars in the night sky.
"My brother's really mad at you," Gaz stated the obvious.
Zim smiled as he handed her the controls. "If Dib isn't angry at me, then that is when you will know the world has truly ended," he joked. "Here, take the wheel, see what it feels like in real life."
Gaz's eyes widen as she eyed the wheel. "Are you sure?" She asked, not quite sure of herself.
"As sure as I'll ever be," he assured her. "Come on, Gaz. Live a little. Besides, I promise the thrill you will get behind this wheel will out-beat any of your silly games," he grinned at her knowingly. "Unless you're too afraid to take it," he mocked.
Gaz snatched the wheel from him. "I'm not afraid of anything!"
Zim smiled. He loved her when she was mad. In fact, when Gaz was angry, he secretly found her absolutely adorable. Of course, he'd never tell her that. "Now," Zim took his place behind her, suddenly taking charge. "What you want to do is turn on the thrusters as soon as we reach the stratosphere." He guided her hand to the thruster controls. "Then you want to guide her gently down into a slow landing."
Gaz followed his instructions perfectly. Zim had no doubt that she was a natural, but still he kept his hand on hers, guiding her every move.
Gaz smiled. She remembered how those hands felt as they wrapped around her in the fire as he pulled her to safety. Warm, gentle, and caring. It was hard to believe such things belonged to the hands of the one that would destroy everything she knew and loved. Then again, how could they destroy everything she loved if she also loved Zim? If Zim destroyed everything else, the whole Earth even, would she still have love for him? She shook the thought away.
The ship landed in the clearing just a few yards from her house, snapping her out of the trance that his hands held her in.
Zim got out of his ship and helped Gaz out as well. Usually, she would not have accepted his help, but things had changed. She had changed.
'I have changed,' Zim realized. He was no longer the Invader that was bent on ruling the human race. Instead, he had found a place of his own here, with GIR and new friends like James, Mark, and Rachel… and Gaz. He had found Gaz.
They stopped as her house came into view.
"We should part ways here," Zim advised. "I have pestered your brother enough for one day."
Gaz nodded her agreement.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Zim turned to leave.
"For what it's worth, I like the real you better."
Zim froze at Gaz's words, then turned slowly until their eyes met. She smiled. "This… this is the real you," She took his hands in hers. "Why… why do you burry it inside? Why do you hide it from the world?"
"Gaz," Zim sighed. "I come from a world where hate and greed is our only guide to success. A world that hungers for power and destroys all that stands in its way."
"But you're different. We have something, I can feel it. Don't you?" She searched his eyes hopefully.
He should tell her no; tell her that he was using her, and that she fell for a lie. But those words where no longer true, and he could not bear to see the tears in her eyes and know that he was the reason for those tears. "Gaz, we belong in two separate worlds. We can't," he stopped as her lips touched his, demanding his silence.
Gaz wrapped her arms around him, and to her surprise, Zim didn't push her way. He kissed her back, sending her head spinning.
If he could be trapped in time forever, he'd choose this moment. With Gaz, Zim was finally at peace. No more war between his mind and his feelings; feelings that he wasn't supposed to have but did. Why couldn't life be as simple as this? Why did it have to be so complicated…?
(Back on the Massive...)
Gasps filled the control room as the Tallest and the Irken Army watched the seen play before them. The spy drone zoomed in as Zim held the human female close.
"He has committed the ultimate form of treason! Zim can no longer be one of the collective." Purple spoke darkly, then turned to Skoodge. "Bring him to us. Alive."
"And as for the human?" Skoodge asked.
Red gestured to some soldiers. "You there, kill the human girl and her brother. They know too much."
"Yes, My Lord," the soldiers bowed in respect.
"Now go," Purple ordered. "The hour of conquest is almost at hand. Earth's freedom will soon be no more!"
(Back with Zim...)
Zim froze as his PAK beeped. He frowned as he broke the kiss in confusion. It only beeped like that when it was receiving a message.
"You, ok?" Gaz asked, her arms still around his neck.
"It's nothing, my Little Gaz." He kissed her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Gaz smiled back, then stopped. "Wait," she took off her skull necklace and gave it to him. "Wear this," she told him.
"But Gaz, this is yours." Zim said as he held it in his hands.
"I know, and I want it back," she told him.
"Then why-" his words were stopped from the sudden motion of her grabbing the necklace and snapping it around his neck.
"Just in case, okay?" She looked him in the eyes knowingly. "For luck." She didn't know why, but for some reason she had the strangest feeling that he needed it more than she did.
Zim held her close, giving her one last kiss. He knew all too well what that beeping meant. He not only knew it was a message, but because his brain and his PAK were connected, the message was received instantly. It was only two short, but deadly, words…
"IT'S TIME."
The Tallest were here. He didn't want to let her go, but he knew he had to. Dib would protect her. No doubt Tak's ship had already attacked him; he had programed it to attack only when the massive had reached the atmosphere. That must have been what Dib was so worked up about when he called, which meant they had arrived an hour ago. The Invasion had already started.
"You must go now, Gaz. Find your brother and run, and don't stop or look back. Find a safe place and hide."
"So, there is something wrong." Her eyes widened. "It's happening," she realized.
"Yes, Gaz. Now go!" Zim urged!
"Zim," Gaz pleaded, "come with us!"
"No," he shook his head. "I must face the judgement of my people. Now please, go," he begged.
"They'll kill you."
"Maybe, but if I'm lucky they will not know. I can fool them unless they have proof of my betrayal. Then the worst they can do is banish me." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Now please go." Gaz gave him one last kiss on the cheek and ran.
Zim watched her go. When she was out of sight, he turned to GIR. "Come, GIR. It is time."
"Yes, My Lord!" GIR ran alongside his Master as they raced home on foot. No doubt the Tallest would have pressed the controls, sending all models identical to his ship to return to the mother ship. Luckily for Dib and Gaz, Tak's ship was a newer, more advanced model, and since the Tallest didn't know they had it, they'd be safe.
"I hope," Zim whispered the prayer to whoever was listening. They ran up his driveway and opened his door, "Hurry GIR! We haven't much time!" Zim screamed in surprise as two robotic tentacles suddenly stretched out to ensnare him. The robotic tentacles pulled Zim and GIR into the house and forced them to their knees.
"Greetings, Zim. We have been waiting for you," an Irken Invader spoke sinisterly as several Irken soldiers surrounded the room, their features all dark and sinister.
"Skoodge?" Zim asked, almost recognizing the small green soldier at once. "What's the meaning of this? What's going on?" Zim looked around, outraged. "This is my base! You can't just barge in and-" Zim stopped as the tentacles squeezed tighter.
"Invader Zim, you are under arrest for crimes against the Collective!"
"Fools! I am Invader Zim!" Zim screamed. "You can't do this to me!" He had to calm down. 'Play the role,' he told himself. 'Relax. They know nothing!' "Call the Tallest! They'll clear this all up."
"They are the ones who sent us," Skoodge said. "Now, come quietly and you will reserve what little honor you have left."
Zim screamed in pain as his restraints tightened around him, preventing him from defending himself. Skoodge snapped his fingers, and the soldiers began to beat him violently.
"Because of your crimes against the collective, you will forever be known as a traitor, and will pay the ultimate price… Death!"
Zim tried to scream again, but it was too late. The darkness had started closing in. His final thought was of Gaz, and how he may never see her again. Before he could draw another breath, the blackness had consumed him.
GIR watched his Master fall to the floor in horror, tears filling his eyes as the robotic tentacles carried them away. All hope was gone; lost forever. Truly there was nothing else they could do! Surely there was no way of stopping the over-powering enemy! GIR sobbed.
This was it. It was finally happening.
It was the beginning of the end for planet Earth.
[Sometime Later]
(Location: Aboard the Massive)
"Welcome, planetary conversion team! Welcome to Earth, the latest addition to the Irken Empire and the most important planet to fall victim to our latest effort at universal conquest: Operation Impending Doom II!"
Cheers rang out from the vast assembly of enthusiastic Irkens below.
"The Almighty Tallests rock!"
"As you know Earth has now been labeled as one of the crown jewels of all the stars and planets of the galaxy. Because of that we must protect it at all costs," Purple informed them.
"We shall enslave the remaining organics on Earth and entrust it in the hands of our most capable soldiers ." Red gestured to the Irken soldiers behind him. "However, first, let's introduce ourselves to the latest citizens of our empire!" Red smiled evilly as the cameras flashed all around him, sending a transmission throughout the entire planet. Every TV on Earth turned on at once, each projecting the same image of the Almighty Tallest.
Dib burst into his front door just in time to see the TV flicker on by itself, revealing the transmission.
"Planet Earth! We have a little surprise for you!"
Dib's eyes widened at the screen as his world froze around him. "No," he whispered as the image of the Tallest showed, standing tall and proud in the control room of their massive ship. It was too late! He had come too late; it was already happening! He approached the couch slowly, wobbling all over as if the ground was shaking violently. He fell on it as if his legs could no longer support him; he thought this day would never come. He had hoped he could stop Zim way before this ever happened.
"We'd like to acknowledge the contributions of one very special soldier," Red announced on the big screen for the entire planet to see, "without whom this victory - and those surely to come - wouldn't be possible!"
"Invader Zim!" Purple announced.
Dib gasped as he watched Zim being led into the great room by two large guards. He was beaten, gagged, and had a large scratch running across the left side of his face, a discoloration of bruises littering his skin.
"Dib, we have to go! We don't have much... Is that Zim?" Gaz asked as she appeared beside him. "Dib, what's going on?!" Dib couldn't speak; what was going on? The Tallest just announced that they owed their victory to Zim! So why was he being treated like a criminal?!
The Guards ungagged Zim, allowing him to speak.
"My Tallest, what is the meaning of this?" Zim sounded outraged.
"You will not treat our leaders with such disrespect!" One of the guards forced Zim to his knees as the other jabbed him with an electric rod.
"My sincerest apologies, My Tallest. It's just that… I don't understand! I have given you Earth, I am the soul reason why Operation Impending Doom II is such a success! So why?"
Red cleared his throat. "Zim, do you remember when you showed up at the Great Assigning?"
"Yes, My Tallest. I remember…"
"And do you remember what we gave him, Purple?"
"Yeah! A sandwich!"
Red nodded. "Yes – wait - NO! A mission, stupid! Ugh. Anyways… that mission, Zim, was fake. We lied to you." Red said this as if it were a common daily occurrence. He showed no regret.
"But we also gave you a sandwich too," Purple interrupted.
"Fake?" Zim stopped, shocked, and then he suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh, I see, this is one of your jokes! I get it!" He held up his chains to one of the guards. "Okay boys, joke's over now. Take these things off, will you?" Zim had to keep up the act; they had no proof of these crimes, so if he played his cards right, the Tallest would see things in his favor and then he could help Gaz from the inside.
"No, it's not a joke. We sent you on a wild goose chase; there was no planet. You weren't supposed to find one either! You were supposed to just keep traveling the vast space forever so you would be out of the way for Operation Impending Doom II. And that SIR Unit," Red pointed to GIR, who stood beside Zim. "He isn't advanced. Purple and I pieced it together from the garbage!"
"My Tallest, why do you say these things?" 'Don't panic,' Zim told himself. 'They still have no proof! The worst they can do is banish you.'
"You're a nuisance to the empire!" Red yelled.
"You are a disgrace!" Purple agreed. "You can't do anything right! You're a spineless fool!"
"You nearly destroyed our planet three times, plunged it into darkness for over 9 years, AND you completely ruined Operation Impending Doom I!"
"But I pulled through in the end! I have finally done some good! Surely this success has allowed my other crimes to be overlooked," Zim urged, trying to ignore the pain their words brought upon him.
"You need thick skin to be an Invader; a backbone."
"B-but- I am an Invader-"
"You are no Invader! You're classified as a food service drone! We banished you and you should have stayed there!"
"This joke isn't funny anymore," Zim clung to one last bit of hope. He had to act like his old self if he wanted to pull this off, blind to the truth and loyal to the end.
"Don't you understand?! We LIED to you! We lied so you would be out of our way and so that the Irken Armada wouldn't have any more problems! We lied so our planet would stay intact! We lied so we wouldn't have to hear your annoying voice all the time! Get it through your tiny little brain that we lied; you are not an Invader! You're a defect! And you will be treated as such."
Zim's eyes widened, and tears filled them; his worse fear had come to pass. He had known it for a long time; every time he messed up; he was reminded of the fact. He had tried to hide it from the others, but he had failed.
"Please, My Tallest," he begged, grabbing at one final straw. "What have I done to deserve this?"
Red smiled and, with a wave of his hand, a spy drone appeared. "Show him," Red ordered.
The crowd of Irkens gasped as the image of him and Gaz kissing showed on a holographic screen.
"Irken Zim, you have fallen in love with the enemy, and have given her knowledge of our technology! For your crimes against the collective, you will forever be known as a traitor, and will pay the ultimate price…. Death!" Red declared.
"You kissed Zim?!" Dib was shocked.
"Now's hardly the time for this, Dib!" Gaz said, turning the volume up on the TV…
"Irken Zim's ID PAK is damaged and has led to a corrupted data path. He is a defective," Purple announced. "Do you deny your crimes?"
Zim bowed his head in shame. His eyes fell upon Gaz's necklace; he still had it on. He suddenly force himself to his feet. "No," he answered. "I deny nothing!"
Some Irken soldiers gasped while others hissed in disgust.
"Irken Zim's data is not allowed into the collective! His PAK will be removed and erased!" Red decreed. "Invader Zim will be forgotten; permanently!"
Dib found himself shaking violently as he watched a large computer brain take Zim's PAK off. He saw Zim's eyes fill with terror as a large screen appeared, counting down from 10:00 minutes to 09:59… 09:58… 09:57… and so on… The numbers counted down the seconds until Zim's death, and suddenly, his blinded eyes were opened. Dib now understood why Zim was so obsessed with destroying Earth. This mission was his last and final chance to prove himself to his leaders; to be accepted among his brothers and sisters of the Irken race. And he had failed… which meant that Zim was going to die…
"Any last words, Zim?" Purple asked.
Zim wanted to curse their names; call them monsters. He wanted to tell them that there was nothing wrong with him, and that they simply feared what they could not explain. But he swallowed his pride. He had to keep playing the role; they mustn't expect a thing. Even if he was to die, at least he was buying Gaz time. "Please, My Tallest! I can do better! I am not a Defective! I am one of the flock! Surely no other Invader is as loyal as I! Please, give me another chance…. Please…." Zim begged.
"We're sorry, Zim, but you've had your chances. It's over; you're through! In less than 9 minutes you will be no more than an unpleasant memory." Red then gestured to the guards. "Take him away and throw his PAK with the rest of the damaged ones."
"No!" Zim struggled, but it was no use. His strength was already failing him.
"Master!" GIR exclaimed and kicked one of the guards across the room.
"No, GIR! Run! Escape while you still can!" Zim pleaded.
"Seize him!" Red ordered.
"GIR, it's too late for me! Please, go now!" Zim ordered.
GIR looked at his Master with sorrow-filled eyes. He could see the enemy from all sides charging at him, but he did not want to leave his Master… he could not leave his Master. "No. GIR protect!"
GIR struck down another foe as more came at him.
Zim watched as the chaos rang around him, and then his eyes fell on his life clock: 08:45… 08:44… 08:43… he closed his eyes, fear filling him. He swallowed hard. He had to be strong… for GIR...
"GIR, please, listen to me," Zim forced himself to his feet, only to fall on his knees before GIR. "Please, GIR, just stop." He threw his arms around him. "GIR, please. I can't lose you too." GIR stopped fighting, the other guards standing around them, hesitating to avoid being hurt as the others had been.
GIR wrapped his own arms around his Master, tears filling his eyes. "I love you, GIR. It has taken a long time to see that, but it's true. You've been here the whole time. You are my true family. I wish I had realized sooner."
"GIR loves you too," GIR sniffled. "But GIR can't live without Zim!" He cried as the enemy closed in cautiously, inching closer and closer.
"You have to GIR. Go; save yourself. Find her; find Gaz and tell her to run!" Zim pushed him towards the computer brain. The brain slashed out its tentacles, hitting GIR at full force, sending him through the shoot to join the defective PAKs.
Zim watched him disappear; tears flowing from his eyes. "I love you GIR," he whispered as the guards finally closed in, grabbing him by the arms and dragging him to the dungeons below.
Dib watched in horror as they pulled Zim away. He didn't struggle, and he didn't cry out in protest. Zim only bowed his head and let the guards take him to his fate.
08:25… 08:24… 08:23… his time was running out; he had given up.
It was all over.
"No."
Dib suddenly stood up in rage, his fears melting away. He had to save him! Sure, this was all Zim's fault, but the Tallest had just made an enemy of one of their own. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Dib told himself. "If I save Zim…" He froze as a hand touched his shoulder. Dib turned to see Gaz holding a metal baseball bat.
He nodded, suddenly understanding. "If we save Zim, then he will help us. If he helps us then someday, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, Earth will be free once again!" He exclaimed as explosions echoed all around them.
"We got to go," Gaz told him. "Zim warned me; he said we wouldn't be safe here."
"We'll take Tak's ship!" Dib grabbed her by the hand as Irken soldiers began to bang upon their front door. "We have to hurry! Zim will die in less than 8 minutes!" They ran to the door in the kitchen that led to the garage.
"That doesn't give us much time," Gaz told him as they crammed themselves into Tak's ship. They were able to hear the front door give way from their current position.
"I know, but it's all we have!" Dib started the ship up just as the Irken soldiers appeared.
"Freeze, humans!"
Tak's ship launched into the air, sending them high up into sky with incredible speed.
The Irken soldiers ran back out the door and fired at the ship, trying to shoot them down. The shots whizzed by without successfully connecting to the ship.
Dib sighed in relief as they flew out of range. "Hang in there Zim," he whispered as the Massive came into view. "We're coming. Just hang in there for a little longer." They would save him; they had to! The fate of the world depended on it!
Author's Notes: The Earth's Doom is at hand and things are looking bleak for our heroes. Can Dib and Gaz save Zim before it's too late? Find out next time on Invader Zim: Renegades.
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