CHAPTER 8: INVADERS FROM IRK, PART 1
The home of Arnold Shortman is the jungle.
Born in the lush, green jungles of San Lorenzo, he was raised in the hostile concrete jungle of Hillwood as a boy, returning to the land of his birth during his teenage years, and returning to Hillwood once again as a young man. Regardless of what sort of jungle, as long as it flows with chaotic, noisy life and all its energy, Arnold is at right home and most comfortable.
As of now, he swings through the trees, like a modern-day Tarzan, taking to the air and the green, soaking his nostrils with the fresh air and smell of chlorophyll. The sounds of life around him, accompanied by the sights and smells of natural life, putting peaceful things in his mind to put it at ease.
For it dwells on regrets and anger, just as it has done for many months.
[Soundtrack Cue: Sevendust - Disgrace (Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live Version)]
What do you think of when you hear the word 'hero'?
Do you think of the simple four-colored man in tights and a cape, fighting the exaggeratedly evil villains planning world domination with fantastic weapons of mass destruction? Flying off into the sunset in search of another dastardly deviant to fight, having saved the day and off to save another?
This may seem like the archetype that many envision when they hear the word, but the reality is much simpler.
The real meaning of a hero is one who makes the right decision at the right time. Sometimes their decision may come at their own personal cost, or perhaps at the cost of another's, forced to make a decision that does not make everyone happy. Nonetheless, the hero stays by their conviction, adhering to what they know is right and fair.
For much of his life, this definition fit the young man named Arnold Shortman.
Growing up on the mean streets of Hillwood, he was the boy who always looked on the bright side, trying to see the positive in everything and make life better for everyone else around him. When he left this city and deprived it of his goodness, he doubled his efforts to heal the city, once again trying to make it a better place for everyone.
A Steven Spielberg idea... in a Martin Scorsese world.
But what he never counted on was his beliefs being pushed to their absolute limit.
During his youth, his challenges consisted of simple decisions of right and wrong, the most dramatic of which freeing an old turtle from an aquarium and inspiring another to run for office, and the smallest of which being an act of kindness for a friend, the latter of which he did often.
Even with his years in San Lorenzo being trained by Luz and the Green-Eyed People, he was not prepared for the worst of humanity thrown at him all at once, and slowly had it started to break down his sense of self, turning his once peaceful and kind nature to violence and rage, just like the rest of the world around him.
It is a heavy burden that lays on his heart, but none of it weighs so heavily as the one and only death he has directly caused:
Thaddeus 'Curly' Gammelthorpe, infamously known as 'The Freak'.
The exact ideological opposite of Arnold in every way, the Freak was dedicated to ending the good nature of the Green Eye, and, by extention, Arnold Shortman, all to make the point that no one human being is perfect and incorruptible by forcing the hero to kill him. Even with his methods towards achieving what he perceived as peace being taken to its greatest extremes, Arnold Shortman never gave the Freak what he desired...
...until the very end. When given a taste of Arnold's life and having a paradigm shift giving him a taste for good, the guilt of his actions led the Freak to die, living a life as Curly for just a few moments to know humanity. Dead at last, even after the drive for his mission was gone, the Freak had won.
And Arnold Shortman had nothing to show for his efforts but thousands of deaths, and the destruction of Hillwood.
The guilt gives him a greater connection to the Earth's pull of gravity, as if the world itself was calling for him to come home and take his place in the dirt. It makes the task of swinging through the trees much more challenging than it need be, for someone as trained as him should have no such troubles.
However, Arnold gives in to the feel of gravity, letting himself fall.
He knows that to come into contact with the ground will not kill him, though it could more than easily kill any normal man. Given the powers of a Spirit Master, he can more than easily survive the fall, and heal from whatever injuries he receives from the impact with the ground.
But he allows himself to fall anyway, using it as a self-imposed form of punishment for himself. He regrets the many mistakes he has made, pondering the lives that could still be present had he acted differently, if only he knew that any action he took would lead to the inevitable death of Curly.
He had been told that to kill him would be the only solution, and he repeatedly denied this claim, doing whatever he could to save as many lives as he could. None had lived in the wake of the Freak, and what success Arnold had in trying to prove a point was made for only a few seconds, a victory more Pyrrhic than even the Pyrrhic war itself, or at least so it felt to Arnold Shortman.
For what he mourns more than everything is not even the deaths, but the life of those who still lives:
Helga Pataki.
Engaged to marry the woman who loved him since they were but children, he did his best to become a positive influence on her, attempting to heal what damage was dealt upon her from the years of neglect that she suffered from her parents. He had made much progress on his attempts to make her whole again...
...but, in failing to save the worst of humanity itself, and struggling in his relationship with Helga all the while, he no longer felt worthy of her.
To be the person to heal her heart, to make her a happy woman again, to take away her anger; these are the dreams that Arnold Shortman had when he would become the husband of Helga Pataki. He had his doubts about his ability to set the world right in the past, but always had he managed to overcome his doubts, and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
But not anymore.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
A release of death is once again denied to Arnold Shortman as he grabbed a vine, his tight grip on the vine making his descent slow to a stop, keeping himself just an inch away from the ground. He has ridden the edge, hoping that he would find something that could make sense of his troubles or release him from them, only to have come into the normal flow of time once again in his rush.
And all that he has tried to fight back against is still with him, making him sigh in defeat.
His trek across the jungle leads him back to the Temple of the Spirit Master, coming back to one of the few places he can still call home. Surrounded by ancient knowledge and acquisitions of the Green Eyes and their Spirit Masters, there are some physical items to keep him comfortable, but they do not.
His walk across the room, moving past his collections and items, lead him to a bed, where he has a place to lay his head down and rest, allowing his body to recuperate from the work it carried out. He has made his best attempts to sleep for many nights, only to be kept awake with the troubles that still force him awake.
He does not take to anything in his room, choosing to simply sit on the floor in a meditative stance. Unable to sleep, unwilling to act, and with his mind overacting with guilt and emotion, the only way he can cope with his traumatized brain is to exert no more energy with it, closing his eyes and remaining deep in meditation.
It is but a small comfort, but it is a comfort that Arnold is almost thankful for.
Another presence in the Temple of the Spirit Master enters his room to try to be a better comfort for him, coming to Arnold as silent and as graceful as the wind itself. He knows that Arnold can sense his presence, so any attempt at surprise or stealth is of no use as it is unintended, leaving Arnold only to wait for him to speak.
"I have respected your decision to solitude for a long while now, child." Luz said.
"But you're not anymore." Arnold replied.
"Not now. Not until I speak my piece and know your thoughts."
"You can feel what I feel, Luz. Isn't that enough to know my thoughts?"
"It does not appear to be enough for you. You dwell on your emotions, but find no solution for what you feel. You are trapped in a battle that you yourself do not understand."
"And what exactly do you think will help, Luz?"
"A listening ear can be enough to relieve many troubles. My ears are open, Arnold, if you care to use them. But I must also open my mouth to what you have done, for it disturbs me."
"I didn't kill anyone, Luz. I warned them that what they would do would result in their deaths. They did it anyway. They only ended up killing themselves in the end."
"That is a perspective you had not previously held. The Arnold Shortman that I had known and taught for years proved even my lessons wrong, even when death seemed like the only answer to save more lives. Where was the young man who made a learned child of me?"
"I grew up."
"Then perhaps you should not try to mature yourself, but instead look through the world with the eyes of a child once again. Those young eyes were the ones that showed good towards others for nearly all of your life. Now, your eyes see only death and anger."
"Because there was nothing but anger and death in Hillwood! And I couldn't do a goddamn thing about it all! I failed, Luz! I failed everyone! Can't you just leave me alone?"
"You will listen to me, child, and you will listen now."
Luz's stern attitude silenced Arnold's sudden outburst, seceding to his authoritative manner like a child towards a parent. And like a parent, Luz walked up to Arnold, laying a gentle hand upon his head, continuing to speak softly to quell his troubles and find peace once more.
"Words cannot express the tragedy you have suffered, Arnold. You have seen the worst of humanity and stood with but a dwindling number of allies on your side. But your fight was indeed a noble one, and admirable for anyone looking with a understanding eye. Even those who would not agree with your decisions would understand your decisions, their judgements being made out of sympathy... but no one has judged your decisions more than yourself, and you do so with no sympathy. I have let you taken your time to collect yourself... but, where you let me help you once before, you refuse it now. Your self-imposed punishment does nothing to aide you, nor those lives that were lost. What's done is done. There is but only forward to go." Luz said.
Trembling under Luz's calming touch, tears welled up in Arnold's green eyes, feeling his heart melt with his teacher's sympathy.
"I can't do it, Luz. I can't do it anymore. Everything I did, I did it to try to make lives better. But all I've done is make things worse. If it wasn't for me, Curly wouldn't have had the power to do what he did. Maybe I should've stayed here in San Lorenzo. Maybe I should've never come here. Maybe... I should've jumped off the roof when you told me not to. I could've stopped it all." Arnold cried.
"But you did not. You are here and alive. And your works do far more good than they do harm. Most of all, what happened to Curly does not belong on your conscience. Sometimes, there are bigger games at play that you have no say in, and you are but a player. You played your part. You did what you knew to be right." Luz said.
Luz urged Arnold to stand up, leading him to the center of the room. He held his hands up in a fighting stance, holding one forward for Arnold to approach.
"You meditate with anger. Anger must not be merely sat upon. It only festers and builds. It must be released. With me. Now." Luz said.
Reluctantly following Luz's lead, Arnold stood up and held a similar stance to Luz, putting the back of his extended hand to Luz's. Remaining silent, the two stared one another down, keeping their focus directly on their training and each other, preparing for their exercise to begin.
Pushing his arm towards Arnold, Luz made his student move his own arm with it, which Arnold returned by repeating the same motion. The back-and-forth motion of their arms continued in their flowing motion. making their exercise something more akin to a dance rather than a fighting technique, but it is a display of martial arts skill nonetheless.
Luz's motions are smooth and flowing, but Arnold's are forceful and rash, visually demonstrating the difference in not only each other's approaches to martial arts, but the expressions also showed how their personalities differed; once, they were like-minded people, with Arnold carrying even perhaps a greater craving of peace and love than his teacher, who reinstalled this desire in him at a low time in his life...
...but, with his experiences in Hillwood, anger is all that exists in his mind, and anger is all he can express.
"Your movements are forceful and aggressive. You must act with accordance what you confront, not against it." Luz said.
The lesson seemed not to land in Arnold's mind, as he continued his forceful movements without caution or care. There seemed to be some greater coordination, as if he was attempting to try what Luz had instructed, but, with his focus in anger, it paid no dividends in his training.
"You are not letting out your anger, Arnold. You are merely stoking its flames. Surrender to the flow." Luz said.
"I can't surrender, Luz. You know that. I never have." Arnold replied.
"That is your flaw. You act as though you are the immovable object, but to be immobile is not a gain. To be immobile is to be old, to be dead, to be unlearning. To be mobile, to be young, to be learning, is how one goes through life."
"I've learned enough. I learned that the world doesn't make sense unless you force it to."
"You learned this because your time in Hillwood has taught you this. It has taught you how to be someone you are not."
"Maybe I was always like this and I never knew it until now."
"The person you are now drove away the woman you love."
Luz's statement made Arnold's movements even more aggressive now, with his anger stoked even greater.
"Don't go there, Luz." Arnold warned.
"Your decision to help only one man had cost you the lives of many, including your friends. What's done is done, but you did so with your own beliefs and convictions. Helga you drove away for nothing. You had nothing to gain from what you did. It did not bring back any lives. It did not make you any happier. All you had done was punish yourself, and punish an innocent woman whose only sin was loving you." Luz continued.
"I said STOP!"
Moving his hand toward Luz once more, he made contact with his chest, pushing him back.
[Soundtrack Cue: Linkin Park - Don't Stay]
Raising his hands up once more, Arnold's fighting stance now came with a pair of fists, along with enraged eyes looking straight upon Luz. Fully aware of his student's incoming attack, Luz kept his hands up as well, but kept his hands open, not willing to raise fists up to Arnold.
Letting Arnold approach forward, watching his first fist come towards his face, Luz opted not to strike back, but put up a pure defense against his attacks. Arnold came forward to Luz, yelling in rage as he ran towards his teacher, turning against the man who showed him care with rage that rejected his kindness.
That kindness had not disappeared, but was instead still shown as Luz blocked away Arnold's punches, pushing them away reminiscent of tai chi. Rather than try to forcefully push away Arnold's punches, Luz merely moved himself around the punches, swimming through his attacks harmlessly.
Continuing his smooth dodges and movements away from his attacks, Luz maintained no damage and dealt none back to Arnold, instead watching as his student mercilessly tried to attack him. He knows that, in his heart of hearts, Arnold wishes no harm upon him, and, had he a clear head, would greatly regret what he does now...
...but Arnold cannot think any longer, and Luz's only thoughts is how sad he is to see his student.
Unable to land a blow with his punches, Arnold changed his attacks to use only his elbows, hoping to bash Luz by getting closer to him and making a strike harder to avoid. Alas, Luz once more proved himself to be the better fighter, even when he chooses not to fight at all.
He bashes his elbow from above, he spins to land them in a side, he lifts them up to land them in a chin or chest, but nothing Arnold does lands a hit on Luz. Still does Luz move away from his attacks before they can hit; laying his open hands on his incoming elbows, he moves with the strikes to move away from them, rather than force them away, making himself one with the physics rather than apply a counter to them.
Yet still, Arnold does not give up. Changing his attack strategy to grabs, he kept his hands open with his fingers clenched in tiger's paws, attempting to grab onto Luz. Not allowing Arnold to grab his arms, Luz kept his arms back, instead moving the rest of his body to avoid the attacks.
His arms swing far and wide to try to lay a hand on Luz, trying to grip at anything he can, but Arnold cannot reach Luz. There are but glimpses at victory he makes as his hand touches a shoulder, only to have Luz shove his grip off with his shoulder itself, and another grip on his neck, and again is he denied as Luz snapped his neck back, pushing Arnold back with his chest.
Snarling in rage, Arnold now returned to his punches, but accompanied with kicks, now making use of his whole body in attempt to strike at Luz. Once more does Luz refuse to respond with violence of his own, swaying through his punches and kicks with movements as smooth and natural as water moving around rock, an analogy undoubtedly Luz himself would make were his student listening.
However, there is a point where Luz at last makes use of force to stop Arnold. Grabbing an incoming kick, Luz pushed his leg into the air, forcing Arnold back to fall on the floor. Enraged as Arnold is, however, he does not fall to the floor, but instead reach his hands to the ground, flipping himself upright to face Luz again.
Running and jumping into the air, Arnold began throwing roundhouse kicks, spinning in the air to try to land a harder kick onto his opponent. Again does Luz return to merely dodging and ducking away from the kicks, but it is with one incoming kick that he returns to grabbing, securing one of Arnold's legs in his hands.
Walking across the ground with Arnold's leg in his hold, Luz attempted to stretch Arnold out so he would not get close enough to attack, nor continue kicking. Going limp in Luz's hold, Arnold allowed him to carry him along, waiting for the moment where he ran out of floor to walk across.
Once Luz stopped walking back, Arnold jumped up once again, throwing his other foot forward in a kick. Forced to release Arnold's restrained leg to deflect the incoming kick, Luz blocked the attack with an open palm, taking the blow and letting it force him back against the wall.
Turning to face the wall, Luz began running up it, jumping off to land in the middle of the room, able to gain sufficient space to fight Arnold. Realizing the new position of his enemy, Arnold threw an elbow and a kick, only to have both blocked away, before turning back around to his opponent.
Resorting back to punches once again, Arnold ran forward in a blitzkrieg to try to overwhelm Luz, forcing him to deflect his blows while running back at the same time. The onslaught of blows does sufficiently take away much of Luz's attention, and, attempting to buy himself some time to think, Luz grabbed one punch, keeping a tight hold on Arnold's arm.
Jumping up in the air with his arm restrained with both of Luz's hands, Arnold threw a punch with his free arm, successfully landing a punch in Luz's face.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
Feeling the blow land in his face, registering the pain is not what takes Luz's full attention, but the fact that it came from his own student, who once looked to him with a reverence that never would have made room for a hand to be raised against him. It brings great disappointment in his heart...
...but, seeing Arnold rush back forward once again, Luz raised his hands up, facing his palms towards his student.
"ENOUGH!" Luz shouted.
The following force given by Luz is not anything physical, but psychic. In the very instant that Luz transmitted his thought towards his target, Arnold stopped in his tracks. He is immediately given the sense of disappointment and sorrow that Luz feels for Arnold in this moment in time, especially with the punch that he had stricken him with...
...and, in turn, Arnold feels a great shame, bringing and end to his attack.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Luz. I don't know what came over me." Arnold sighed.
"Your anger is what came over you. I have tried my best to channel your anger, Arnold, but there is still much of it in you, and you let it eat away at yourself." Luz said.
Bowing before Luz in apology, Arnold received Luz's kind hand on his shoulder, calming him down in his dire emotional state.
"Anger clouds the mind. You have known this throughout your whole life, and it has led you to make many mistakes. You have tried to heal the world's ailments since you were young. This is a trait found in others, but only in very few. But you are unique in that you shoulder these burdens by yourself. Moreso, you shoulder your own ailments. You choose to face your demons alone." Luz said.
"I am alone, Luz." Arnold sobbed.
"No. You are never alone, child. I am here. Your people are here. Your home is here. There are others here on this Earth... if you choose to let them in. You may take your time to be alone if that is what you believe you need, but, as you take your time, remember there are always others."
Luz's hand laid on Arnold's head, making him let out a sigh shuddering from his warm, calming touch.
"Remember you are never alone." Luz finished.
Arnold's cries softly let out from Luz's touch and kind words, taking a great burden off his heart. Seeing him willing to open up and become vulnerable once more, it gives greater hope for Luz that his student will find a resolution to the anger he feels, and find peace again.
For now, all Luz can give his student is but a taste of it, and hope it leads his way back to health.
A good deal of time passes in San Lorenzo, impacting the city of the Green-Eyed People very little. Isolated from the rest of the world, the Green Eyes have little troubles or concerns, living simple lives in their lost city, and living off the products of the jungle, achieving a healthy symbiosis with their environment.
It also makes little difference to Arnold Shortman, the honorary member of the Green-Eyed People, who also bore the name of these people to be a symbol of hope and justice for all. Just as it was since his return to San Lorenzo, he has little care or concern for himself or the rest of the world, wishing only to remain with the only people he still considers close in his life.
Though he is different than them in skin tone, he is accepted by them regardless, welcoming him as family. Like family, the Green-Eyed People are patient and sympathetic to his attitude, and give him all the time they can give him to heal, making all of his surroundings as therapeutic as possible.
To Arnold Shortman, this means very little these days.
He walks among the Green-Eyed People barely as another man, but more as a ghost. Nearly all of his concerns and joy have gone away, and he acts more like a man waiting to die rather than currently living. His eyes are seemingly always half-closed, and every word and action he takes being halfhearted. On this day, it would seem that he would continue his near lifeless existence without end...
...but, sensing other human presences in the jungle, most of them familiar ones, Arnold's eyes widened and glowed as he felt them.
Making his way to the gates of the city of the Green-Eyed People, he looked over the wall to see a familiar RV driving up, instantly recognizing it as the Thornberrys' Comvee. He wonders why he detects a foreign presence among the passengers in the Comvee, as well as why the Thornberrys have returned so soon...
...and both questions are answered instantly as Dib Membrane stepped forth from the Comvee, accompanied by Nigel Thornberry to approach the gates. Nigel makes the first contact with the Green-Eyed People to act as a diplomat, and he is given friendly greetings by the indigenous citygoers.
Soon after, the gates are opened and the Comvee is allowed to pull in, bringing the rest of the Thornberry family along inside. Following behind Nigel, Dib takes his time to observe the city of the Green-Eyed People, looking on it with an interest that bordered on pedestrian indifference and academic stoicism.
A seeker of the unknown as he is, he has one main purpose for being here, and he does not allow himself any distractions from his goal. He is fortunate enough to have Luz greet both him and Nigel Thornberry upon entering, expediting his goal by getting him one step closer to his target.
"Welcome back, Nigel Thornberry. And with you, I see, is Dib Membrane." Luz said.
"I'm familiar with what you people are capable of. If you know who I am, then you also know why I'm here. Where is he?" Dib asked.
With a single drop, Arnold fell behind the two, making his landing silent and his presence as of yet unnoticed.
"He, too, is aware of why you are here. But take heed; he is not as charitable as you once knew." Luz said.
"And I've heard your alien invasion pitch once already, and I wasn't buying it. What do you want this time?" Arnold asked.
Dib and Nigel turned around at the sound of Arnold's voice, looking back to see a young man as impatient as his tone sounded.
The urgency that Dib has exceeds Arnold's impatience and allows him to tell the tale of Zim and the Irken Empire, and the many fights they have had in defense of the Earth. Some stories are believable enough to those willing to believe, and some are absurd to the point that even a superman cannot fathom these tales being true.
But it is Dib's most recent event that catches Arnold's attention, and finally makes him take Dib seriously.
"The machine spoke of Zim fusing his body on the molecular level with a specimen that his defective S.I.R. unit retrieved. It came from the Skookumchuck River in Washington state, where it had been resting for some number of months in decomposition. When it was retrieved and brought back to Zim's base... it began walking on its own." Dib explained.
Dib has enough respect for Arnold to recognize the body in question, and he does quickly, looking back at Dib with an intense stare.
"Curly. This thing... found... Curly's body? And it's not dead?" Arnold asked.
"Well, yes and no. You explained how Rhonda Lloyd was previously dead, and her body was resurrected, but she only existed in a zombie-like state. The, uh, voodoo type of zombie, not the viral infection kind, big difference. Her soul hadn't returned to her body yet, and, in the case of Thaddeus Gammelthorpe, his soul was long gone and it wasn't coming back. So, it just did what it thought to do at that moment in time. And, as the Irken Armada was on its way already, Zim was able to usurp command of the empire with your enemy's powers, and he destroyed the Earth and enslaved whoever was left." Dib said.
"And you know all this because of... a robot that came from the future? That I sent to you?"
"That is correct."
"And you drove all this way here, but you didn't bring the robot with you to prove it?"
Recognizing that Arnold did not believe his story, Dib grew nervous in his attempts to convince him.
"The, uh... machine was in severe disrepair. It's basically being kept on life support in one of our labs. Bringing it would've been impossible." Dib explained.
"Forget it. I heard this idiot sales pitch before, and it's not any more amusing this time around, either. Trying to bring Curly into this to get my attention was a new low. I'd tell you to leave, but Luz is gonna say you're welcome to stay anyway. Do whatever you want." Arnold said.
Arnold walked away from the pleading Dib, heading into the Temple of the Spirit Master to leave behind the entire affair of aliens and time travel altogether. Frustrated with his apparent failure in securing Arnold's support, Dib groaned in anger, clenching his fists as he faced his loss.
"Damn it! The whole world's gonna end, Mr. Shortman! Don't you think you should do something about it?!" Dib shouted.
"Oh, yeah, try to save the world when it's ending. That worked real well for me last time, great idea." Arnold snarked.
Left with the defeating taste of sarcasm in his ears, Dib punched the Comvee in frustration, gaining a disapproving talk from Nigel Thornberry.
"Hey, now, that Comvee's a very expensive piece of equipment. Don't just go trying to break it." Nigel scorned.
"My dad'll pick up the bill for any dents, Mr. Thornberry. It doesn't matter anyway if Zim and the Irken Armada's going to blow the planet up. You know how many times I've tried to stop ZIm? What I've had to go through? Getting turned into a sausage and cleaning toilets in Hell?! Do you have any idea what that's like?" Dib ranted.
Comprehending the recounts of Dib's encounters with Zim as the delusions of a maniac, Nigel's hatred towards him became more pitiable, viewing him less as a threat and more as a genuinely unhinged individual. Nonetheless, there is still much disdain for Dib in his voice when he replies, and he does it concisely as he can.
"You are a very sad, strange little man, and to say you need mental help would be a massive understatement. But suffice to say, I have no liking for you, especially not how you threatened my daughter. I gave you what you asked for; the deal is complete. I'm going to take my family back to our job around the world, and we'll be dropping you off at the nearest airport, if you don't get on now before we leave." Nigel said.
Sighing in frustration, Dib stepped on board the Comvee, seating himself on the couch. With Marianne in the driver's seat, the rest of the family is at the dining table, and they look across at Dib with a glare, holding for him the same sort of disdain and lowliness as Nigel gave unto him.
But some are not above mocking him.
"Hey, me and the guys have been wondering: How much do clothes cost in the Matrix?" Tyler joked.
The Thornberries all snickered at the table, gaining the humiliated scowl of Dib looking back at them.
"Oh, wow, you're the 1 millionth person to make that joke." Dib said.
"Ooh, what do we win, the red pill?" Shane asked.
More mocking laughs were heard in the Comvee, some caught by Nigel as he prepared to enter. Before making his intent to leave become reality, he was stopped by Luz, allowing him a conversation with one friendly face before departing the city, and gaining one last chance to secure Arnold's cooperation.
"Nigel Thornberry." Luz called.
"Hmm? Oh, hello, friend, I'm terribly sorry we've wasted your time here. But you have to understand-" Nigel tried to explain.
"You believed your daughter to be under threat. No man who loves his children would have done any less. But rest assured, Dib's threat is an idle one. He never intended to harm you or your kin."
"Well, it's a moot point now, but thank god you said that. I was worried quite well for Eliza."
"Yes. You are a good father, and a warm and welcoming person. That is why I believe you may be the one to convince Arnold to go with you."
"Eh? You just heard the chap, he's not convinced in the slightest, and, for the most part, I'm not, either. I'm just getting used to the fact that my daughter talks to animals. Do you believe him? Er, can you... know if he's telling the truth?"
"He is. Or at least he believes to be. His mind is not well, but there is merit to his beliefs. Were his statements false, I still would implore you to speak to Arnold. Once, there was a shining passion in him to help, he was the best of man I had seen... but what he has lived through has darkened his heart. It pains me to see it as much as he is in pain. I believe he needs new cause to find what he believes to be right once again."
"I barely even know the boy. You've known him for a long time, and you say you've not gotten anywhere."
"Then perhaps you should make it your business to know, Nigel Thornberry. After all, he did save you and your family's lives. Is that alone not worth a moment of time to speak to him? A life saved, for a life saved. That is what we believe."
The point made resonated with Nigel, leading him to nod his head in agreement with Luz.
"You're right. I'll go." Nigel said.
Nigel's departure to the Temple of the Spirit Master gained the attention of Marianne at the driver's seat, stepping out and to the door to call to her husband.
"Nigel? Where are you going? We're ready to leave!" Marianne called
"Won't be but a moment, dearie! Just keep the Comvee running!" Nigel replied.
Without an answer from her husband, Marianne turned to Luz for an answer.
"Excuse me, um... Luz, was it? Where is he going?" Marianne asked.
"To help Arnold find his strength again." Luz said.
Making his first steps into the Temple of the Spirit Master, Nigel Thornberry is given yet another chance to explore the city of the Green-Eyed People, and this time from a place far more sacred and secretive than the very city itself, giving himself a privilege that he knows no others in his field can achieve, but also that he himself cannot share.
Were his studies made in humanities or history rather than zoology, he might have a greater appreciation for where he is, and question more of his surroundings to learn more about this culture, but his concern at the moment is not for the Green-Eyed People or their secrets.
It is for Arnold Shortman, and his willingness to fulfill a promise.
He finds the subject of his interest sitting alone in a room of the temple, guessing it to be a personal bedroom. Trying to maintain politeness, he knocked on the wall.
"Hello, er, Arnold, was it? May I come in?" Nigel asked.
Arnold gave no response to Nigel, leading him to awkardly step in the room, clearing his throat in an attempt to break the silence.
"I, uh, wanted to thank you personally. You saved my daughter's life. You saved all of our lives, and I'm extremely grateful. It was truly amazing, what you did." Nigel said.
"I'm not going with you." Arnold said.
"Pardon?"
"Luz sent you in to talk me into leaving. I'm not interested."
Nigel let out a silent, disappointed sigh, believing he had failed to fulfill his debt, but was not yet deterred from his goal.
"That's an interesting talent you and Luz have. What is it? Telepathy?" Nigel asked.
"Not exactly. That something you cover in your nature show?" Arnold asked.
"No, picked up some bits and pieces from the boys. They're big fans of 2000AD. I was always more interested in animals as a lad, save the occasional Doctor Who show on the telly. I was always very interested in nature and wildlife when I was young. These days, though, I've yet to learn there's a lot more to nature than I realized. My daughter, the one you saved, she's got powers like you, too. Talk to animals, the girl can. Don't suppose that's something you can do?"
"Not exactly."
"Alright... Well, then, what exactly is it like?"
Arnold's eyes glowed a bright green once again, looking at Nigel to focus his thoughts.
It's not like telepathy in the sense that you hear the words. Words are language. Language is something you have to spell out and write. The pure emotions are what I send. Anyone can receive, just like you. Arnold thought.
Receiving the message as intended by Arnold, Nigel held his hand to his head, letting out a surprised moan after experiencing the mental transmission.
"Wow... That was... That felt very raw. Like raw, naked thought. That's very interesting. But... That's not all you can do, is it?" Nigel asked.
"No." Arnold said.
"No, of course not. You're the Green Eye, you have lots of different talents. Heh... You know, it's funny. I never thought I'd live to see real-life superheroes, or to be standing and talking to one."
"Former superhero. If you can call it that."
"All the same. Hard to imagine, a man with a name as big as yours, and, behind it all, there's still another name. 'Arnold Shortman'. Say, er, I've been meaning to ask, you wouldn't happen to know a Miles Shortman, would you?"
Arnold's detatched interest in the conversation turned to full attention as he heard the second name mentioned, looking directly at Nigel as he listened.
"How do you know my dad?" Arnold asked.
"Miles Shortman is your father? Heh-heh-heh, what a small world after all! I should've guessed it, too, you've got the same hair." Nigel cheered.
The cheerful demeanor of Nigel was met with indifference by Arnold, and the former, noticing the reaction, returned to conversation to answer the question.
"I met your father a few times here and there. He was an anthropologist, I run into plenty in my line of work. Got down here in San Lorenzo before we could, that was an accomplishment. He was a nice old chap, bit of a clumsy one, but definitely a good heart. How's he doing now?" Nigel asked.
"Dead. Along with my mother. They lived in Hillwood." Arnold said.
As if having an armor-piercing bullet shoot through his perpetual cheeriness, Nigel responded to Arnold with sympathy and a somber face.
"Oh, I'm... I'm sorry. I really am. He was a wonderful man. If his attitude towards people was any indication of his character, I'm sure he was a great father to you." Nigel said.
WIth far too much to say regarding the subject, Arnold remained silent, turning his head away in reclusiveness. A father he is as well, Nigel is not blind to the pain that Arnold feels now, and he speaks to him as though he were his own son, in part paying his respects to an old friend.
His words are also backed up as he walked up to Arnold, kneeling down next to him.
"Look, son. I've seen my fair share of danger, but I'm just a nature documentarian. I haven't seen what you've seen, been where you've been. Nobody has. Of course, you can say the same about plenty of people, but they haven't seen what went on in Hillwood. I only saw the highlights on the news, and I knew you did what you could to set things right." Nigel said.
"You don't know the half of it." Arnold said.
"No, I don't, and, frankly, I'm not sure I want to. But I can tell you this much: That's no excuse to give up. However bad you think it all was, it could've been much worse if you weren't there."
"It happened because of me. Because I came here to San Lorenzo in the first place. It would not have happened at all if I just hadn't done anything. Like I said, you don't know the half of it."
Knowing that his line of thought was not working, Nigel readjusted to the tone, still not giving up on Arnold.
"Because of your powers?" Nigel asked.
"If I'd never gotten them, Hillwood would still be here. You know something else? If Curly's not really dead, then, maybe I can't die either. So not only do I have to live with what I did, I might have to do it until the end of time itself. You think I still would've taken it if I'd known that?" Arnold asked.
"Nobody knows the greater consequences of what they do in life. Even the smallest action can have the biggest reactions, changing the flow of everything. I know that much from what I've observed in wildlife."
"Suppose your actions were responsible for the destruction of an entire ecosystem. Would that be something you would be able to live with?"
The very thought of the idea disturbed Nigel, forcing him to reply in full honesty regardless of the consequences of the conversation.
"No. I don't think I could." Nigel said.
"So, then, how do you all expect me to live with what I did to my own home? You think I should still be out there, causing more problems out in the world? I've done enough damage. Better I just stay here and mitigate the damage." Arnold said.
Once again was Nigel forced to rethink his strategy, and, in a moment of unexpected brilliance, spoke out his next argument.
"I'm not a scientist, at least, not the kind that works in STEM, but... There is a certain belief that I have. Nothing happens in a vacuum. All the matter in the universe, it interacts with each other, and keeps things moving. Nothing really stays still. You might think that you're mitigating your influence on the world by staying here, but I can tell you that it's not working. You browse the internet or watch the news, there's almost something out there about you. Like it or not, you made your impact on the world, and you continue to move it in new ways all the time. And the ways you've moved it have only been for the best. Maybe you didn't save Hillwood, but plenty of others have been saved because you inspired people to save them. Even by staying here, you're still affecting the world." Nigel said.
This, at last, led Arnold to stay silent, beginning to rethink his approach towards life, and reconsider leaving with the Thornberrys.
"You really believe that big-headed weirdo when he says aliens are going to invade the world?" Arnold asked.
"I've just met a superhero and learned my daughter talks to animals in the past few days. I'm a lot more open-minded than I used to be." Nigel joked.
Arnold scoffed at Nigel's comment, and Nigel himself let out a chuckle.
"Maybe, if you're still here, and you're affecting the world whether you try to or not, then you might as well keep trying to make the world a little better." Nigel said.
Once more did Arnold's mind conisder what was said to him, finding the very idea of arguing against Nigel Thornberry to be an impossible one. His warm and fatherly demeanor make him susceptible to other ideas and points of view, and Nigel's has planted itself firmly in his mind now.
And, with that small glimmer, change occurs.
Marianne impetuously waited outside the Comvee, with Luz not too far away from her. The former has no idea on what her husband does or why he takes so much time to do it, making her lean against the Comvee in restlessness, while the latter held on his face an expression that seemed to hold a feeling of victory, in a way a proud father would have for his child.
Both see the rearrival of Nigel Thornberry, with Arnold Shortman accompanying him during the walk back. Seeing Arnold with Nigel, Marianne not only looks at Arnold's presence with surprise, but the rest of the Thornberrys look out the windows with the same expression...
...and Dib, anxious to see any hope for his mission to succeed, stepped back out to meet with Arnold.
"Mr. Shortman." Dib said.
"I don't care about your crazy future bullshit, Membrane. Just tell me one thing: You're going to make sure Curly is dead for good. If there's even a 1% chance that this story of yours is possible, I need to make sure there's never a threat of him again. Anything involving your alien or an alien invasion is less than none of my concern." Arnold said.
"And should you be convinced otherwise that I'm right?"
Arnold paused before replying to his question, still unsure of what to say with the recent change of heart he felt.
"We'll see. For now, don't push your luck." Arnold said.
Satisfied that he at last achieved his goal, Dib giddily hopped back on the Comvee, with Marianne following behind and Nigel right behind her. Arnold is next in line to follow the Thornberrys onboard, but he is stopped short by Luz's hand on his shoulder, prompting Nigel to stay and listen as well.
"Arnold." Luz said.
"You always knew when something was gonna happen. Stopped to rub it in my face?" Arnold asked.
"You know I have told you that there is no way back from the way of a Spirit Master. That it is a step in life that cannot be untaken."
"Yeah?"
"Well... What I told you is still true, from a certain point of view. Just as you cannot undo the actions you have taken in life, to become a Spirit Master is one such step. But to surrender your powers, to live as an ordinary man again... this, this is indeed possible."
Reaching to a necklace hanging alongside many others on his neck, Luz grabbed a select one and pulled it off, breaking the string and holding it in front of Arnold.
"What is it?" Arnold asked.
"An elixir. It removes all traces of the Spirit Master from within you. Drink it, and you will be just as you once was. With this, you can end the threat of Curly once and for all." Luz said.
Holding his hand over it, Arnold lightly caressed the vial, having new thoughts in his head emerge as he knew of its existence.
"Luz... You had this the whole time? And you never told me?" Arnold asked.
"I could not bring it to you in your battles in Hillwood, as much as I wanted to. However, it would have meant nothing if I did. The elixir does not work only by drinking it. You must want it to work. You must will it to work. Curly as you faced him before would have staved off its effects, but he will end as he is now, thanks to your efforts." Luz explained.
Still did Arnold keep his focus on the elixir, now with the recent thought he had developed take form in full, and contemplate another use for the liquid. A stronger empath than Arnold, Luz immediately recognized his thought, and, with disapproving wide eyes, snatched the vial away before Arnold could take it.
"No, Arnold. That is not why I give this to you." Luz said.
"You had a way out this whole time, and you never gave it to me? You forced me to go on like this? Who do you think you are?" Arnold asked.
"I think myself to be the only man with enough sense to stop you from making a terrible mistake. Who do you think you are to deny yourself? To try to snuff out what makes you who you are?"
"It's my own damn decision, Luz. Don't try to take this from me."
Stepping in between Arnold and Luz, Nigel reached for the elixir before the former could take it, ending any chance of a fight could ensue.
"Hold on, now. Don't forget, lad, there's a reason you're coming along. If this Curly of yours is as big a problem as you believe, you can't waste this on yourself and leave the world at risk. More importantly, Luz isn't the only one with a stake in your health. I knew your father. I might not have known him well as you did, but I know he would not want his own son to bring harm to himself. This will be on my persons for safekeeping." Nigel said.
Opening a pocket on his shirt, Nigel stuffed it inside, sealing it back up.
"A life for a life." Nigel said.
The echo of his statement brought an approving smile to Luz's face, but a disappointed one to Arnold's. Angered by the perceived betrayal of Luz, Arnold walked away without giving his mentor a proper goodbye, stepping onto the Comvee without looking back.
Before joining the family, Nigel bid one final departure to Luz in an attempt to lift his lowered spirits.
"Don't worry, now. I'll watch over the boy." Nigel said.
"Yes. In your hands, I know he shall be safe. Safe travels, Nigel Thornberry." Luz said.
Stepping onboard the Comvee, Nigel allowed the family to be reunited, fully loading the mobile home and making the family ready to depart on their journey. Pulling out of the city of the Green-Eyed People, the Comvee began driving into the jungles of San Lorenzo, heading to their next destination.
"So, now, we head to this alien of yours?" Arnold asked.
"Nope." Dib said.
"To get Curly's body?"
"Nope."
"Then where the hell are we going?"
"To get the rest of them."
"The rest of who?"
"The team."
"Team?"
"The robot gave me a whole list of people to find. You ran a team of superheroes and almost managed to save Hillwood from its demise. If we're going to do this, we need every name on that list."
"So where are we headed next?"
"Ocean Shores, California. Surf capital of the world."
"And how far is that?"
"About 2 days' drive from here." Marianne said.
The intermission introduced in the mission that Arnold accepted, he sighed in annoyance, taking to the couch and laying down to rest.
"Wake me when we get there." Arnold said.
"Uh, I was sitting there." Dib said.
"Not anymore."
Trying to find another spot to sit, Dib stepped towards the table with the Thornberry youths, who immediately rejected him.
"Don't even think about it." Eliza sneered.
Forced to awkwardly sit on the floor, Dib did so in a cross-legged manner, looking about in the manner of an animal infringing on enemy territory.
"So, you wanna hear the time Bigfoot used our belt sander?" Dib asked.
"No." Arnold said.
"Hey Arnold, don't take the red pill." Tyler snarked.
The Thornberry youths snickered at Dib, leaving him to fester in mockery as the trip continued.
[Soundtrack Cue: Kevin Manthei - Tak's Theme]
Concurrent to the preceding event, in a manner relative to the passage of time in the universe, there is yet another important player yet to be fulfill their role.
On the distant planet of Tarkopar, there existed a civilization of diminutive blue creatures that fed on sunlight, harnessing its energy to be redirected towards acts considered nothing less than magic. Their cities and infrastructure, reflecting their whimsical and esoteric culture, was a colorful landscape, with population centers that coexisted with the land rather than conquer it.
But the concept of conquest has not been quelled. It was living among their populace, simply waiting for the right moment to strike.
Ruins are all that remain left of the planet of Tarkopar, with its entire populace dead, and their bodies laid about the ground, not even given the dignity of a proper burial. Rubble lays all about the ground, polluting the ground, and smoke fills the sky, choking out all breathable air.
It is a tragic, horrendous sight of genocide that can be recognized by any form of sentient life...
...except the one responsible for this destruction, belonging to the destructive race of creatures known as Irkens. This Irken is much different than the majority of the species; it is a Defect, an Irken with a PAK that functions atypically from the rest, unique in personality and thought process that makes this one more dangerous than the rest.
Her name is Tak.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
Looking on the destruction of the planet she has caused, she smiled at the carnage and death. Some of it is by her own hand, but the majority of it was done at the hands of its own dominant species, turned against itself in order to bring extinction to itself and make it ripe for the Irken invasion.
Smiling on her work, Tak stands with her customized S.I.R. robot, given the name of MiMi, preparing to contact her superiors to speak of her success.
"[It was a good stroke of luck that brought us to this planet. After Zim had ruined my place with the Tallest once again, I was forced to make the best of a bad situation. I suppose this will be enough to please the Tallest, will it not, MiMi?]" Tak asked.
"[YES, MASTER.]" MiMi replied.
"[Yes, of course. Now, contact the Tallest. I wish to inform them of my success.]"
MiMi complied with its order by opening her chest, revealing a video screen. The screen displayed a feed of white noise, connecting with the Tallest to inform them of her success. Her wait to connect is short, and soon she looks upon the screen with the Tallest looking back at her, and she looked on them with great anticipation.
"[Yeah, whaddya want?]" Red asked.
"[Almighty Tallest, this is Invader Tak, sending my report from planet Tarkopar.]" Tak said.
The Tallest looked to one another in confusion, neither recognizing the Invader.
"[Who?]" Purple asked.
"[Tak, almighty Tallest. I had almost managed to drain the Earth and fill it with snacks for your eating pleasure! Remember?]" Tak asked.
Once again did the Tallest stand in unfettered confusion, with Red faking a recognition of the Invader.
"[Oh! Oh, yeah, Tak! I remember now! How's it goin', girl? Who the hell is she again?]" Red asked.
His final sentence was a discreet question asked of Purple, who shrugged and mumbled 'I don't know' with no attempt at words.
"[Despite the efforts of Zim to steal my mission from me, I have landed on this backwater planet called Tarkopar. I have already put the dominant species to extinction, and it is ripe for the Irken Empire to take under Operation Impeding Doom II.]" Tak said.
"[Huh? Oh, yeah, the... The Impending Doom thing. Yeah, about that... We, uh, sort of cancelled that old thing.]" Red said.
The news brought near devestation to Tak, who looked back to the Tallest with betrayal and defeat.
"[What?]" Tak asked.
"[Yeah. We're actually on our way to Earth to go blow it up.]" Red said.
"[But why? It was our greatest mission as the Irken Empire to overtake the universe and have it under Irken rule!]"
"[Yeah, and then Zim came along and messed everything up six ways from Sunday. So, we're sort of done with that asshole.]" Purple said.
"[Yeah. I mean, it's nice and all, the whole planet being taken over, but we've got bigger things to deal with now. So, you take care of yourself, okay?]" Red asked.
The video transmission ended, leaving Tak to face her own reflection in a black screen. Her expression still screamed of anger and defeat, feeling as though her efforts were entirely wasted, and left to fester in negative emotions and a drowning feeling of inferiority...
...but, with a new plan to win back the favor of the Tallest, a smile began to form.
"[MiMi, did you hear what they said about the Earth?]" Tak asked.
"[THE TALLEST EXPLAINED THEIR PLAN WAS TO ELIMINATE ZIM.]" MiMi replied.
"[How much closer are we to Earth than the Tallest?]"
"[IF WE WERE TO DEPART NOW, WE WILL ARRIVE BEFORE THEM BY SEVERAL OF EARTH'S DAYS.]"
"[Excellent. Then prepare the repaired escape pod for departure. If they want Zim dead, I shall deliver his body to them, and win back my place as an Invader in the Irken Empire at last!]"
"[YES, MASTER, I OB-]"
MiMi's obeisance stopped in its tracks, with its red eyes glowing blue, and its voice changing to that of a far goofier one, resembling GIR's.
"Sandwiches... Shamrocks and sandwiches... Chicken and peas make me feel good and warm inside..." MiMi babbled.
Annoyed with her S.I.R. malfunctioning, Tak bashed MiMi on the head, correcting her personality back to normal.
"[YES, MASTER, I OBEY.]" MiMi said.
[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - Sycophant]
Departing to the escape pod that Tak arrived to this planet in, the selfsame pod now retrofitted with technology and equipment commandeered from the planet, the Irken and her companion boarded the ship, sealing it closed to the environment. Taking to the controls, Tak prepared the escape pod for liftoff, igniting its engines.
The antigravitational technology suspended the escape pod in the air, and jets fired after, sending it up in the sky. A quick breach through the atomsphere puts them into the void of space soon after, sending them on their way towards the planet of their destination.
Inputting the coordinates to the lone living blue planet, the third from its sun, they are set for the course of Earth.
As they flew through space, Tak has images of revenge start to circle her mind, fantasies of violence to exact on the reason behind her life being as poor as it is now. Moreover does she see images of his head on a silver platter, and served unto the Tallest as a gift.
The fantasy rewards her with the feeling of being seen and approved of in the eyes of the Tallest, not unlike a child seeking approval from a parent. Perhaps it is irony or symbolism that Irkens are as small as human children, and can be as obedient and emotional as them...
...but, in the ruins of Tarkopar, that temperament has dire consequences, as her dire wrath upon Earth will soon be seen.
[Soundtrack Cue End]