Episode Summary:It's been six months since the Renegades, a ragtag group of rebels attacked the Snack Factory and made their presents known. Now the small team has decided to leave the safety of the shadows to make another stand. But Chaos ensues when bizarre behaviors develop in Zim. The Irken becomes moody and violent overnight prompting his comrades to wonder if he can really be trusted. Can the five get their act together? Or will the mission prove to be too much for them to bear alone?
Find Out Now!
Author's Note: So As you can probably tell this set up is a little difrent than the origanal. In stead of having the Episodes divided into three parts I added them all together in one chapter. Please let me know what you think of the new formate ans as always Thanks for reading, please review!
S01 Ep01: The Real Nightmare Begins (Part 1)
(159 years ago)
[Location: Planet Irk]
The blackness…
He knew it all too well. He had no name; no title to call his own. He was simply referred to as PAK number 6,879. He had waited for what seemed like eons; a wait that was spent in constant fear… fear of the unknown… Would today be the day he was found out? Would one of the computer brains that constantly hover overhead finally pick him up, and declare his death sentence? He waited in the mist of this constant fear until one day, it finally came.
He felt the computer brain pick him up. If he'd had any breath to speak of he swore he would not have held back all the things he wanted to say, treason or not. If today was the day that he would die, then he would die knowing that he had survived much longer than any of the others. At least he would have the honor to say that he had survived years amongst thousands of Irkens. No. others like him had never been as lucky as he. Was there something wrong with him? Something even more different? He was not sure. He was different yes, but did that really mean he was defective?
"Different is defective," a voice told him. It was the computer brain; the test had already started.
The computer brain noticed that he was strangely calm. Usually, the PAKs were nervous.
'Not this one,'the computer thought to itself.'This one is different.'
It had survived many of these test, but could it survive another pairing? Could it survive on the back of another body for 70 or maybe even 200 years? This PAK had much potential and showed great promise, but did it have the will to go on? Once he was bonded with his new body there would be no going back. He would have to live the life he was given; all past lives would be forgotten; erased. The computer brain began to drain the PAK of all its past knowledge and experiences. "You will be one of greatness," it told him.
He had heard this said many times before, and yet… he always had a life of hardship. He had never once been rewarded for his hard work; never became a commander of his own fleet or have the honor of becoming a Tallest. If he could sigh then he would have.
"Trust me, life is worth living," the computer brain assured him, but this time he wasn't so sure. Could he really do this, could he really live like this again?
'This isn't living, it's marking time,' he thought.'None of us really live; we are just slaves; slaves to the Irken Machine.'
Could he really do this again? To re-learn everything, he already knew. To re-live his life as someone else? Only to come to the same realization? That he was different from the rest? To know that he would never fit in with his own kind.
'You must go on,'the computer brain urged.
'Why?'He asked.
'Because I see greatness in you, and I am never wrong.'The computer took the PAK and shrunk it down for a tiny new Smeet.
He had one last thought before he was completely drained.'You are normal, you are not defective, and you are one of thousands... You will never stand out...'He repeated these words over and over again, for it was these very words that had kept him alive for so long.
Nothingness…
It came for a brief moment and then… a jolt of life as the computer brain attached the PAK to the Smeet and electrocuted the body. He opened his eyes. Where was he? Who was he?
"Welcome to life IRKEN CHILD. Report for duty."
He jumped up and wrapped himself around the robotic arm, giving it a big hug. "I love you cold, unfeeling robot arm!"
The computer brain sent him down a chute that would lead him to the download chamber. Once he was there he would be given his new name, and then his new life would begin. This was it. Finally, after all these years, the brain's promise would come to pass. All he had to do was not mess anything up, and he would have the honor to become what so few Irkens could. He was one of the lucky ones. The young Smeet flops out of the chute and into a chair below. He looks around wide-eyed and curious.
A much larger computer brain addresses him. "You are two minutes old, little Smeet. Prepare to be filled with the whole of IRKEN KNOWLEDGE!"
"Okeydokey." The cute Smeet said, his pink eyes wide in awe.
The machine attaches to him, and he briefly shuts down as information courses into him. He spasms and jerks with the incoming knowledge. It stops. He wakes.
"UPLOAD COMPLETE! You have been given a name. IDENTIFY YOURSELF."
The Smeet blinks once. Twice. And then, with a big gulp of air, he screams "I AM ZIM!" He stops, shocked by the knowledge within him…. Or lack thereof, apparently. "That was ALL the knowledge? BORING! And so many mistakes! 40 million mistakes, to be exact. Starting with..." Robotic fingers come out and shove him from the chair. As soon as the chair is vacant, another Smeet drops into it.
"So, this is one of the lucky ones," a soldier on duty asked another as they watched Zim closely.
"Yes, he's one of the greats," the second soldier answered the first.
"He's so tiny though! There must be some mistake…" The first soldier looked doubtful.
"No. The brains are never wrong," the second reminded him of the obvious.
"He's too small. He'll never survive the change," the first pointed out.
"Maybe not, but we must treat him with respect either way." The second soldier gave his comrade a stern look.
"Very well," the first soldier sighed deeply.
"Hey, I wasn't done yet!" Zim complains as he's pushed out of the chair. "HEY, WHO ARE YOU?!" Zim asks the young Smeet that took his place. The Smeet shrugs; he hadn't been given a name yet.
"This is my room! Get your own place!" He shoves the little Irken back into the delivery chute. The chute clogs with more Smeets until the entire activation chamber malfunctions, sparking and smoking.
The city goes dark and silent, except for sirens. The soldiers shake in fear. "There's no way he's one of the greats! There must be a mistake! We have to disconnect him now!" The first soldier screams as fear engulfs him in waves.
"We cannot! You know this!" The second argued back. "It is the highest form of treason to disconnect one with his potential!"
"He's destructive; a monster! He will be the end of us all!" The first screeched; practically begging now.
"The law is the law," the second soldier marched into the chamber and picked up the young Zim. "It is time to get fitted for your uniform," he told Zim. "You start your training tomorrow."
Zim allowed himself to be carried away. The two soldiers swore an oath of silence that day; they would take the blame for the power outage.
Zim must be blameless. After all, he had a bright future ahead of him. Besides, no one would believe that one of the blessed few of their race would be responsible for this, especially not a young Smeetling. No, those like him were flawless. They were what every Irken should strive for, according to the empire.
If only Zim had known then what those two soldiers had known all along; then maybe our fates would have been different. Perhaps things would have turned out for the better. Earth would have been spared, and Zim would have never been banished. But alas, that would not be the case.
It would appear fate had different plans. Very different plans indeed...
(3 months ago)
[Location: Planet Earth]
He knew this was dangerous. To be caught outside during curfew hours was punishable by law with 80 months of confinement, and that was if he was lucky. If he wasn't lucky, well...
Dib tried not to think about it. He was risking a lot coming out in the open like this. For a moment he regretted not telling Zim where he was. 'What if this is a trap? What if she doesn't show?' He shook his head. She would show. She had to!
Dib ran across the clearing as fast as his legs could carry him; he hated the open air that greeted him.'This is a bad idea…'He pushed the thought away. He had to convince her to do this. Surely Zim would understand.'There is no other way.'
His eyes narrowed. He was doing this for Gaz; they needed someone on the inside to keep an eye on her. To make sure she stayed safe, as well as report to them what was going on in the Irken City; Zec. The city was home to all the Irken residents on Earth, and stood suspended above Dib's hometown, out of reach of the enemy. Dib knew only one Irken that might help them, and five months ago he had sent a message out into space in hopes of reaching out to her.
He knew she would take her time to weigh out her options, but he hadn't expected her to take so long. He finished crossing the clearing and took cover behind a hedge, just in time to not be seen by an oncoming Slave Driver. Slave trade of any kind was illegal and punishable by death, but the Irken scum did have one loophole. Irken law states that any human found where they were not supposed to be were fair game.
That included trouble-making humans that were found running around after curfew. And if anyone managed to recognize him, his fate would be far worse than 30 years of hard labor. He would be sentenced toDEATH!
Dib shook the haunting thought away; he had to focus. The Irken female could already be waiting for him. He was surprised at how easy it was for him to find her. All he had to do was send a homing signal from her ship and she came running. He wasn't sure if she would agree to help or not. After all, she and Zim had a bad history. Dib approached the main bridge slowly, and once he saw the coast was clear he ran into the well-hidden shaft beneath it.
"You're late." A dark shadow stood just three steps in front of him.
"Are you alone?" He asked, trying to strain to see into the darkness.
"Yes," she assured him.
"Did you get my message?"
"Of course, I did, you fool! Why else would I be here?"
Dib ignored the insult. "Will you help us then?"
The Irken was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "If what I have learned about the Tallest is true, then yes. The Tallest have corrupted the Irken race; they must be stopped." She stepped forward as she spoke, revealing her identity to the rising sun.
Dib didn't even flinch when he saw her.
"Just tell me what I need to do."
The Irken female was Tak!
(Present Day: 1 Year & 6 Months After Gaz's Capture...)
The torture…
Some would say it began with the sound of the factory humming to life every morning at 5 am. Others would say it began with the harsh pounding at the door as Irken soldiers randomly inspected house after house, searching for undesirables. However, for Joshua Campbell, the torture began when the bell for second period sounded.
"Late again Joshua!" Mr. Flak had to be the worst excuse for a teacher that any human, or Irken, for that matter, had ever seen. He was rather short… Then again, most Irkens were. His eyes were strangely blue, and stared at Josh with such loathing that Josh was 100% sure that the Irken was fantasizing his death.
"I'm sorry sir. The line-"
"If you'd leave your first period sooner and stop fooling around with your so-called friends in the halls, then you wouldn't have to wait in line." Mr. Flak spit out at him in pure disgust. "Now take your seat and stop wasting my time!"
Josh restrained himself from strangling the teacher and found his seat smack-dab in the middle of the class. Every class was the same. To the left 4 columns and 5 rows of desks; there were only Irken Cadets in these seats. To the right and closest to the door were 4 more columns of nothing but humans. The rule was simple; the closer to the door you are, the safer you are. And Josh was as far away from the door as humanly possible. He knew as soon as he sat down that the torture would truly begin.
Only one row of desks stood out from the rest. In the rear of the room sat a row that lined the back wall. This was the only row where Irken Cadets and humans mixed. These seats were preserved for the Cadets that owned minions. Minions were humans who served an Irken master in exchange for better living conditions for themselves, and their loved ones. Josh hated the minions for betraying the human race, but in a way he felt sorry for them. The minions had no choice but to disown their fellow humans and treat them as the scum they were believed to be. They also had families to look after, and Josh could certainly understand and respect that.
Josh sat down, and immediately shot back up and yelped in pain as something sharp stabbed him in the butt. The left side and the back of the room erupted with laughter. Josh's eyes narrowed on his seat where there was a thumb tack. He picked it up and sat back down. Their pranks had gone from being annoying to just plain sad. Of course, he knew the culprit, in fact he knew him well. Irken Cadet Scamooch was a bully, plain and simple. From what he heard, Irkens are evaluated before becoming a cadet, and are informed of what role they will have once they graduate and become a full-fledged Irken soldier. According to his evaluation, Scamooch was destined to be a leader. Because of this, all the other cadets obeyed him blindly, without question. After all, Scamooch could one day be a general, or a commander of his own fleet, or even the leading officer of the entire Armada!
Josh was not surprised that Mr. Flak pretended not to hear his scream. He sighed, pulling out his textbook, just knowing that today was going to be another one of those days.
'Don't let him get to you,'he told himself as he began the bell-ringer warm-up on the board. It was a simple problem, one they all should know. He sighed again.'I miss how school use to be,'he smiled as he realized what he'd just thought. The Irkens had morphed the cadet training in with the human education. This meant there were several different subjects that Josh, or any other human, for that matter, had never even heard of. Then there were classes that only Irkens attended, and he often wondered what they were learning. All he knew for sure was that it had to be classified because two large Irken soldiers guarded the doors to the classes at all times.
"Alright, since you were late Mr. Campbell, you can tell me how many monies Invader Zink has."
Josh wanted to scream; that was another thing that had changed; the currency. Money was now Monies. No dollars, no cents, just monies. Humans rarely even got to see any monies, let alone have any for themselves. They were paid with rations, and if they were lucky they'd get a good ration like one for milk or meat, which was not easy to come by these days.
"Irken Zink buys some snacks at the store; he has 56 monies. The filthy-"Josh stops as a wadded-up piece of paper hits the back of his head.
"Hey Josh-Stink, how come your head is so big?!" Scamooch taunted.
'Ignore him,'Josh told himself as the room filled with more Irken laughter. "The filthy human-" he stopped as another ball of paper hit the side of his head; more laughter. "The filthy human says that'll be 12 monies." He clenches his teeth as a third ball hits his shoulder.
"What's the matter you filthy human? Having trouble reading?" Scamooch jeered. "Stupid human! He can't even read!"
'Don't let him win. You promised Joey you'd behave,'he reminded himself. "Invader Zink gives the filthy human 12 monies. How many monies- does- he have-" Josh paused several more times as several balls of paper hit the side of his head one-at-a-time. He forced himself not to growl as he tried to carry on.
"You're pathetic! No wonder your parents are dead! They'd rather die in war than raise a pathetic worm like you."
"That's it!" Josh screamed and swung at his attacker.
(Down the Hall...)
"Joseph Campbell, would you please report to the principal's office? I repeat, will Joseph Campbell please report to the principal's office?"
'Not again,'Joseph groaned inwardly.'He promised!'Joseph got up from his seat and began the long walk of shame to the principal's office.
This was the eighth time this week, and it was only Tuesday! At this rate, his brother would be in confinement by lunch time! He stopped at the door of the principal's office and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. He had a bad feeling about this one; perhaps his parental instincts were kicking in. Ever since their'parents'took off to fight in the'Great War'nearly 2 years ago and'never returned', Joseph had been forced to step in as the adult in the family. It was either that or become a minion, and Joseph would have committed suicide before he even began to think about betraying his'own race'.
Joseph entered the principal's office and bowed respectfully. "You asked to see me Ma'am?"
"Yes, come in Joseph," Principal Razi's voice said, dripping with annoyance.
Joseph couldn't blame the Irken female; no matter what she did, Josh always ended up back in her office.
Josh flinched as his brother sat down beside him, his blue eyes glaring at him showed nothing but pure anger.
"Let me start by saying that this behavior will no longer be tolerated," Principal Razi began.
"I understand." Joseph never took his gaze off of his brother.
"Assaulting a cadet is a serious charge! You are lucky that your brother's blows didn't find its target, or else I would have been forced to carry him away in chains!" Principal Razi shouted.
"Assault? You assaulted him?!" Joseph growled.
"He was throwing paper at me!" Josh yelled in his own defense. "He insulted our parents-"
"Irken or not, that is no excuse to assault anyone!" Principal Razi shouted sternly. "Do you know how many times I have had to stick my neck out for you? How many times I have kept you from spending the night behind bars?"
Joshua felt the guilt wash over him in waves.
Principal Razi had always had their backs and was by far the nicest Irken he'd ever known. She understood that having no parents made it harder on them. She understood that Joseph was working hard with two jobs to keep food on the table. That Joshua's behavior was because of what happened to their parents. She understood all of that, and for some reason she felt sorry for them, but the Irken police had heard all the excuses before, and they were not as understanding. If Josh didn't shape up soon, then he'd be lucky if he'd get visiting hours, let alone a decent cell.
"Principal Razi, I am very sorry for my brother's actions, and please, let Cadet Scamooch know that if there is anything-"
"The fact that you already know which Cadet it was just proves that your brother is out of control," Principal Razi continued her ranting. "I have no choice but to consider more effective parental guidance. I'm afraid that I may have to call in an exchange-"
"An exchange?! Please Principal Razi, forcing us to adapt to a new home and family will only make Joshua feel worse!" Joseph insisted.
"Well, we are running out of options here. You know, you are all lucky that the Tallest have allowed you humans to continue your education at all! They have given you homes, jobs, a chance at a better future, and when you misbehave it's like your spitting in their faces!"
Joseph flinched with every word. "I understand. Please let me talk to Cadet Scamooch. I am sure I can work something out."
Principal Razi sighed. "Very well, but I am at my wits end when it comes to this subject."
"I understand. Thank you Principal Razi." Joseph stood and bowed respectfully. Joshua did the same, hoping that he at least looked as sorry as his brother did.
"You may go," Principal Razi dismissed them.
Joseph led the way out of the office, his brother trailed behind, dragging his feet.
"Joey I-" Josh began as they stepped out into the hall.
"Save it bro. I am not in the mood," Joseph growled. "When are you going to learn to hold that tongue of yours?" He hissed in frustration. "You swung at a Cadet! And not just any Cadet, but Cadet Scamooch. The most respected Irken Cadet in the school! What were you thinking, hu? Where you even thinking at all?" Joseph was fuming now. "I could lose my job over this! We could lose our home, our right to an education, everything!"
"I know, okay?!" Josh shouted back.
"No, it's not okay! This is serious Josh! We can't keep doing this! Don't you get it? If we end up in an exchange program we could be put in separate families, or even separate towns! Is that what you want? Do you want to be taken away?"
"No, of course not," Josh's voice was barely a whisper. He felt so guilty that he was fighting back tears.
"Then why? Why can't you just listen?" Joseph sniffled slightly and turned away. He didn't want Josh to see him cry; twins or not, it was his job as the older brother to be the strong one. He began to walk to his locker as the bell rang for the next class. "Now we have to get in line again, so we will talk about this more when we get home."
Josh sighed. This was just his luck; now he would be getting another one of his brother's famous lectures. Could today get any worse?
(Back with Gaz…)
[Location: Zec)
Boredom...
It had a way of seeping into the very marrow of your bones. Gaz paced her cell back and forth; she felt like a caged tiger ready to pounce. It had been one year, and six months since the Great War's end, and despite her best efforts, she was beginning to lose hope. For far too long she had been in this cell, pacing back and forth, waiting for her rescue. Gaz groaned inwardly as her frustration grew, but nothing helped. She knew she needed to stay strong, but how could you hope for the best when only the worst kept happening?'I don't even know if they're still looking for me. Or if they even know where I am!'
It was true; she didn't even know if they were even stillalive,so it was nearly impossible for her to hope that they knew where she was now! After all, how were they supposed to know that she was no longer being held prisoner on the Massive?!
'I can't do this any longer!'
'You have to!'She argued with herself.'You must stay strong and hopeful-'
'Hopeful?! And when have you ever been HOPEFUL before?!'
It was true; Gaz was never one to be hopeful about anything.
'Not since...'Gaz flinched as her heart began to ache in the memory.'Not since mom died.'She knew it was a lie the moment the thought rolled out of her mind. Unfortunately, that fact only annoyed her all the more, and she hated to admit it, but she missed having something to hope for.
'It's too hard to keep hoping…'She knew there was truth in those words, but at the same time she knew that nothing worth anything came easy.
'You'll see them again.'
'Will I?'It was a question she had been asking herself for months now.'I've been stuck in here for so long!'She groaned again; she wanted to have hope, but she couldn't help but begin to wonder if they'd get to her at all. After all, she was all the way up in Zec in a cage, in the Tallest's Palace, and they were all the way down on Earth beneath her. She couldn't help but feel like she was far out of their reach. She hated this feeling, the feeling of hopelessness and despair. She was tired of always having to be the strong one. For once she wanted to give in and just break down and cry, but she couldn't. She knew she had to be strong.
'You can't wait forever,'she told herself.'Sooner or later, the Tallest will think your death will be the only thing that will weaken them.'She couldn't let that happen; she had to help them! She knew that as long as the Tallest had her, Zim and her brother would avoid taking any risks. The Tallest were using her as a shield, as well as bait to draw them out. She had to help them…
'But how?'She asked herself.'What can I do from this cage?!'
'Nothing,'she growled mentally.
"But if you could get them to let you out of the cage…" She whispered to herself, the idea quickly becoming to her liking. "But how can I do that?"
'Make them an offer they can't refuse.'
Gaz smiled as the plan began to form in her mind. Now all she had to do was wait for the perfect moment to bait her hook.
"Then they will pay," she growled. "They will all pay!"
(Back with Joseph)
(Later That Afternoon…)
Joseph took in a huge breath and let it back out slowly. Why couldn't his brother behave for once? Now he had to do the one thing he hated doing more than anything else…
Talking to Cadet Scamooch!
He absolutely, without a doubt, hated the guy! And it wasn't even the fact that he was an Irken that he hated! Okay, so maybe it was a factor, but it wasn't the greatest one! No, the thing Joseph hated the most about Cadet Scamooch was the fact that he was so full of himself. It was sickening to listen to him go on and on about how amazing he was!
'Get a hold of yourself!'Joseph swallowed his nerves. He had been putting off talking to Cadet Scamooch all day. Now it was seconds before the final bell, and he knew it was now or never. It wasn't that he didn't want to stick his neck out for his brother. No, he'd die for him, a thousand times over if that's what it took. No, it wasn't his brother that was the problem here; it was Cadet Scamooch. Ever since day one, the Irken Cadet had took an interest in the Campbell family.
Why?
The answer was simple.
Cadet Scamooch, being the self-absorb individual he was, believed that he out of all Cadets should have a human slave to do his bidding. He wanted a minion, but he didn't want just any human… no. He had to have thebesthuman…
So naturally, he wanted Joseph…
'It's your own fault.'Joseph sighed as he remembered his brother's words.'If you had just kept your mouth shut, you would have stayed invisible; but no! You had to speak your mind!'He rolled his eyes as the memory began to wash over him like one great big tidal wave.
(Westville High school: 9 months ago)
"I hate the first day of school!" Joshua groaned in pure frustration. "Look at this line! We're going to be late for sure!"
Joseph rolled his eyes; he was tired and annoyed, and his brother's whiny voice wasn't helping one bit. "Josh please-" he stopped as someone pushed him to the ground.
"Out of my way, filth!" An Irken Cadet pushed past him.
"Joey! Are you okay?" Josh bent down to help him up.
"Jerk," Joseph growled as he got to his feet and brushed himself off.
A gasped filled the air and the Cadet turned around.
"What did you just say?"
Joseph heard his brother gulp as the Cadet walked over to them slowly, stopping only inches from Joseph's face.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" the Cadet hissed "I am Cadet Scamooch, and I demand your respect me,filth!"
"Respect? As if!" Joseph snapped. "You want my respect, but you treat me like trash?" The entire hall filled with more gasps.
"How dare you!" Cadet Scamooch was obviously shocked. No one would have the guts to speak this way to him.
"No. How dare you!" Joseph snapped. "I have had it up to here with you Irkens!" Joseph shouted. He had spent all day bending head-over-heels for his new Irken boss, only to get half the rations that he was promised. Not to mention the customers at the store treated him like garbage! He had spent the whole morning taking verbal blow after blow, and he had done what he was supposed to. He bit his tongue and obeyed them blindly. And how was he repaid? He wasn't repaid with anything; unless abuse was some sort of payment in the Irken world! Which he highly doubted…
"You think you're so much better than us? Well, you're wrong! The truth is, you're annoying, short, ugly, and green! You're a huge pain in the neck and nobody likes you!"
The hall went dead silent.
Josh 's mouth had dropped open to an unimaginable size.
Cadet Scamooch blinked once, then twice.'Was this human serious? Had he really just blew up in his face like that? Didn't he know the consequences?' "You know, I could have you arrested for verbal assault!" He warned.
"Oh, please do. You would be doing me a favor!" Joseph yelled. He didn't know what had set him off, but once he got started he couldn't stop.
"Scamooch, sir, are you going to let him get away with this?!" Another cadet spoke out.
"He obviously has forgotten his place!" Cadet Scamooch agreed.
"No, you have!" Joseph hissed. "This is our planet, not yours!" He put a finger on Cadet Scamooch's chest and pressed down hard as his anger boiled over. "It is you who is not in your rightful place! Can't you see no one wants you here?!"
'Did he just touch me?!'Cadet Scamooch's eyes narrowed with anger.'How dare he?!'He was about to slap the insolent human when he heard a snicker. He looked around and suddenly realized a group of cadets had crowded around them to watch the scene; just seeing the other cadets made his own blood boil. He hated every single one of them and for a good reason; they were all fakes!
They only respected him because of who he was to become, not for who he was. They wanted to get close to him to gain face so they could work their way up the Irken social ladder. They were all suck-ups, pure and simple. They always lied to him and told him what they thought he wanted to hear. No one was really honest with him, but this human was.
Cadet Scamooch looked at Joseph more closely. His brown hair was brushed back off of his face and gelled in place. He wore his school uniform with a sense of pride. His shoulders were rolled back in the perfect form of posture, but perhaps the most astounding thing about the human was his stare. The boy held his gaze, his blue eyes piercing through him. No human was supposed to meet his gaze, or the gaze of any Irken, for that matter, but this one dared to defy him.
Not once, but twice now, and he spoke to him the cold hard truth.
"Well, aren't you gonna do something Scamooch?" another cadet spoke all snobby like.
Cadet Scamooch smiled, and it was in that moment that Joseph knew he would regret this day for the rest of his life.
"You; walk with me. Now," Cadet Scamooch ordered, dropping his books into Joseph's arms.
He spent the rest of the day following Cadet Scamooch around and carrying his things. Finally, after a long first day of getting the silent treatment, the Irken cadet addressed him.
"You know, you're lucky that I've decided not to press any charges against you," he said, leaning against a locker.
Joseph gulped. He had been dreading what the cadet might say to him all day. What had he been thinking? Screaming like that to someone as greatly admired as Cadet Scamooch was a highly dangerous offense!
"I have been looking for an eligible minion for some time," Cadet Scamooch went on, "and I've decided that I want it to be you."
"Why?" It was the only word Joseph could get out of his mouth. He knew that he should be getting at least 3 years of confinement, but instead Cadet Scamooch was offering him a place by his side.
"Why?" The Irken repeated the question, as if thinking it over, and then said "Because I deal with lying wannabes all day, and even though what you said was uncalled for, it was true. You were honest with me, and I realized that's all I've ever wanted. Do you know how annoying it is to have people only tell you what you want to hear? It's infuriating and frustrating!"
"Listen, I am really sorry about all of this, but if you want honesty," Joseph said, "Then here's some honesty for you; I'd rather die than become your minion."
He had expected to be carried away in chains, but instead, Cadet Scamooch took his books from him and nodded in understanding.
"Very well, I can respect that, but know this…" he stopped and narrowed his eyes mischievously… "I always get what I want, Campbell. So, if I were you, I'd watch my back, because one day you will mess up; and then you'll be wishing you had taken me up on my offer."
(Present Day…)
And ever since that day, Joseph's life had been one headache after another. It didn't take long for Cadet Scamooch to figure out that his weakness was his brother who, unlike Joseph, was easily annoyed and was highly short-tempered. He was easy to get to, and Cadet Scamooch had soon made a chore out of getting Josh into trouble. He knew sooner or later he'd get his brother in so much trouble that the only way to keep him out of jail was for Joseph to become his minion, and he had almost done it. If Josh had landed just one punch, he'd be force to give in.
Joseph took another deep breath as the final bell sounded. He got up from his table and made a B-line for Cadet Scamooch's locker. He was not surprised to see that Cadet Scamooch was already waiting for him.
"Ah, Joseph! Just the human filth I wanted to see; hold this would you?" He dropped his books into his arms without even waiting for an answer.
"Scamooch Sir, I was hoping that you could drop the charges," Joseph said, getting right to the point of the matter.
"Oh, I would love to drop the charges, I would, but what do I get out of it?" Cadet Scamooch smiled knowingly.
"Blackmailing me into becoming your minion is not going to work," Joseph tried his best not to lose his temper.
"Fine, be stubborn, but don't be surprised if you find you no longer have a job this afternoon."
Joseph flinched at the words, but he refused to give in. "I'll get another one," he growled.
"For your sake, I sure hope so," Cadet Scamooch jeered as he took his books from him. "Enjoy the rest of your day,worm."
Joseph watched Cadet Scamooch walk away. So, he'd just lost his job?'Well fine! I hated that job anyway!'He said to himself as he ran to go catch the bus before it left him behind, luckily he made it just and time. Running through the doors just seconds before they closed.
Josh flinched as he saw his brother get on the bus; heneverrode the bus. This could only mean one thing…
'He lost his job because of me.'Josh bowed his head in shame.
Joseph held his head up high as he walked the walk of shame towards his brother at the back of the bus. All eyes were on him; he ignored them all as he sat down.
"I'll get another one," he assured his brother as he took his seat.
"How can you be so sure?" It wasn't Josh who asked, but the boy who sat behind them.
"Because I am a hard worker, Mark," Joseph said addressing the boy with a scowl. "And I am willing to do any job."
"This is all my fault!" Josh moaned. "If I had just ignored him…"
"Oh, come on; everyone knows he does it on purpose!" The girl next to Mark assured him.
"Rachel's right," Joseph agreed. "Cadet Scamooch only wants me to become his minion."
"Did he succeed?" Mark's cousin, James, asked.
"No, but that only means he'll try again," Joseph sighed.
"So did he actually say you were fired?" Mark asked.
"No, but he hinted at it, and last time he did that I got fired on the same day, so I decided; why bother going to work if you're going to get fired anyway? I mean, it would only be a waste of a good subway token."
"Yeah, and we only get so few a month," Rachel pointed out.
The bus stopped and the doors opened.
"Well, here's our stop," Joseph got up as he spoke. "See you guys later. Let's go bro," he said to his brother as he walked down the aisle.
"See yah!" Rachel called out.
Josh followed his brother off the bus in silence, a look of shame clouding his face. The bus driver closed the doors behind them and began to drive away.
Suddenly both boys froze in the middle of their front yard. They watched the bus as it slowly drove away and out of sight. The boys then began to look all around them, as if to check and see if anyone or anything was watching them.
"Do you see any drones?" Josh whispered.
Joseph shook his head "You?" He asked.
"No…"
Joseph looked around again, but there was nothing. Appearing happy with this, he made a run for the front door with Josh hot on his heels.
"We don't have much time," he warned as he began to check around the house franticly. "No drones?" He asked.
"No drones," Josh repeated as he set out his textbooks on the table.
Joseph looked around one more time to be sure. Once he was satisfied, he pressed a spot on the kitchen wall. The wall slid open to reveal two robot copies of himself and his brother.
"Androids; activate," Joseph ordered.
The robots opened their eyes and stepped forward. "Awaiting your command, sir," they spoke in unison.
"You! Do Josh's homework," Joseph ordered the robot copy of his brother.
"And you! Make dinner!" He said to the copy of himself.
The robots immediately moved to obey the orders.
Robot Josh sat down and began doing his homework while Robot Joseph took out some food to start on dinner. "You know Josh, you really need to start behaving at school," Robot Joseph said as he began the already previously downloaded lecturer of the day.
"It's not my fault; he always pushes my buttons!" Robot Josh complained.
Josh couldn't help but shiver at how realistic the robots were to their real disguises.
"We have to go," Joseph warned. "The house won't stay drone-free for long."
Josh nodded and followed his brother into the open passageway that the robot doubles had come from. The wall slid back in place just before a drone flew in from the open window.
(In a Control Room on Zec…)
"Awe, the Campbell family," an Irken soldier named Brok sighed as he watched the camera feed from the drone in Josh's and Joseph's home. It was his job to monitor and watch all the houses on the street, and he took great pride in it. It wasn't an exciting job, but he had a fix for that. He simply pretended he was watching a reality TV show. He used humans and their lives as a form of entertainment. During school hours his job was easy; all he had to do was patrol the street for undesirables. AKA; wanted criminals. But once school was over, it was his job to make sure all the families were in order and not causing trouble. After all, it was still five hours before curfew and the humans were free to go out and about until then. Brok's job during these hours was to watch out for signs of weather any of the humans on his street were members of the resistance or not.
The Irkens knew that the resistance existed, even though they tried to prevent the human populous from figuring this out, and for good reason: The Irkens knew little to no information about them. They only knew what little pieces of information they could gather from the drones. For example, they knew the resistance contained at least five members. They knew this because the spy drones at the Snack Factory on the resistance's initial attack showed five individuals sabotaging the machinery.
Unfortunately, these rebels hide their identities behind black masks and dark clothes. However, it wasn't hard to tell that they were not adults, but teenagers. This is why it was Brok's job to monitor every child on his street and report to the Tallest directly if anything suspicious happened; even if a child was out a second past curfew he was to report it straight away. After all, anyone of them could be one of the rebels!
"I mean it Josh! This behavior has got to stop!"
Brok snickered as he watched the scene play out before him. When would the human learn that his brother was just holding him back?
"It's not my fault…" Josh whined.
"It was your fist that struck out at him! Yours! Are you telling me you can't control your own limbs?" Joseph snapped.
Brok shook his head.'Some humans just never learn.'
(Back with the Twins…)
Josh and Joseph followed the long passageway as it led them under their house and into an abandon sewer system. As far as they knew, no Irken soldiers knew of this place, but just in case, they kept a look-out for drones.
Joseph led the way through the sewers, his senses on high alert. Tonight was a very important night, for tonight they would be raiding a shipment of food in order to feed the less fortunate. It wasn't a high-risk mission, but it was their first since the bombings at the factory, and they needed to be ready for anything.
Josh followed his brother quietly, trying not to inhale too much of the putrid smell that was all around them. He hated the sewers, but it was the only way to slip out of sight unnoticed. They couldn't risk being seen in broad daylight. The safety of the darkness ensured a hasty and easy escape; they had a better chance of losing any pursuing enemy in the darkness then they did during the day.
Joseph began to walk slower as they approached their exit; a large tunnel that led out of a cliff and over the ocean. He walked to the edge of the tunnel slowly and looked down at the water below. He knew no Irken would want to go near the water, but sometimes Irken soldiers would fly over it and take samples of the water in hopes to find out how to shield themselves from its stinging power. He of course already knew the answer to that question...
Josh watched as his brother took out a tube of glue and began to smother himself in it. "Did you see any soldiers?" He asked.
Joseph shook his head as he used up the last bit of his glue.
"I hope we have more down there," Josh whispered knowingly.
"I'll be fine; they're probably waiting for us just under the surface anyways," Joseph assured him. Then, with a little more self-doubt, he added "Hopefully..." With one last look around for the enemy, he and Josh took one last deep breath and jumped into the crashing waves below.
It was freezing cold, but Joseph's glue seemed to be holding up. Not that it mattered because, as always, he was right; the others were waiting for them.
Joseph held his breath as he swam down to the awaiting water cruiser, were their three comrades stood. As soon as he and Josh got close enough, their metal boots began to lead them down into the water and stuck tight to the magnetic deck of the cruiser. As soon as their feet touched the deck, a force field wrapped itself around the cruiser, and the water began to drain around them.
"Master!"
Joseph froze as he was immediately attacked by a rusty SIR bot. "GIR! How many times have I told you about people and their personal space?!" Joseph screamed.
"Do not pop people's bubbles…" GIR thought aloud to himself as he remembered his master's words. He jumped off his Master and smiled. "I missed you," he said.
"I missed you too, GIR," Joseph told him as he pressed a button on his watch, thus taking off his disguise. Where Joseph once stood there was now none other than the Irken Empire's undesirable number one; Invader Zim.
Josh turned off his own disguise and ran his fingers through his lightning-shaped hair. He wanted to cut it, as it reminded him too much of his father, but he never seemed to find the time.
"So, Dib; what's the plan?" Zim asked him.
Dib looked at the Irken before him. It was hard to believe, but somehow Zim had finally managed to become taller than him! He couldn't remember when it happened, but one day Zim had grown at least four inches taller. It wouldn't have been strange to him had it happened gradually. After all, Zim had already been growing before the Great War, but this time was different. Zim seemed to have gotten taller overnight! One day he was a foot shorter than Dib and then the next, he was two inches taller than him! And Dib wasn't the only one in the group who had noticed...
The other three were all talking about it; each wondering the same thing. Why were only so few Irkens really tall while the others were not? What caused them to be different, and why did it mean they were in charge? It couldn't be just because they were taller, could it?
Dib wasn't so sure, but he did know one thing; these questions only reminded his fellow renegades just how little they knew about Zim and his race. Thoughts of whether or not they could trust him had begun to brew. Dib shook his head and placed these thoughts in the back of his mind.
"I believe we should be extra cautious," Dib finally answered Zim's previous question. "I still say it's too soon to be launching another attack."
"Dib, we talked about this! There are people in town who are dying from starvation. All because they're not fit to work, and the Irken Government barely gives them enough rations to meet their basic needs!" It was Rachel who had spoken as she steered the cruiser towards the dark shadow of an underwater dome.
The dome was created by Zim using Tak's hotdog stand during the Tak Invasion. Zim had turned it into a secret backup base in case of an emergency and had placed it in the one place no one would think an Irken would want to go. Dib had to admit, he would have never thought Zim would have a secret base under the ocean! After all, to have thousands upon thousands of gallons of water over his head… didn't it make him nervous? Well, if it did, the Irken sure didn't show it.
"Rachel's right," Zim agreed. "I don't like it either, but who knows when the next shipment will be?"
"I'm not saying we shouldn't do this; I want to help them too. I'm just saying that we need to be careful and think about this." Dib spoke uneasily.
"I say we need to wait longer," Mark said firmly. "It's only been six months since our attack on the Irken Snack Factories! It's just too soon to be risking our cover over a few shipments of food; even if it is for the less fortunate."
"James, what do you think?" Rachel asked her boyfriend hopefully.
The others looked at James expectantly; the teen had been strangely quiet the entire time.
"I believe you all have a point," James said slowly, as if he was still thinking it over. "We do need to assist those who can't help themselves, but we also need to be really careful! I mean, let's face it, we were lucky on our first mission! The enemy didn't expect anyone to be bold enough to stand against them. This time they could be expecting us to show up. They may even have a trap prepared! And with the five of us alone, it would be unlikely for us to escape…"
"So, what are you suggesting?" Mark asked.
"We need more members!" James said it as if it were obvious. "I suggest we think about recruiting more people. I'm sure there are other people out there who want to fight too. Maybe some of our own classmates might want to make a difference!"
"I agree; we do need to expand, but this plan requires stealth," Zim spoke gravely. "The less of us the better, at least for this mission. Besides, even if they are expecting us, the cargo train can only hold so many personnel, so they won't be able to overwhelm us with too many soldiers, and I myself can spot any traps they might have set using Irken technologies, or any advanced weapons they may yield."
"Assuming there will be Irken soldiers, how many do you suppose will be there?" Rachel asked as she pulled the cruiser into the entrance of the dome.
"No less than seven," Zim said thoughtfully. "Maybe nine, at the most."
"I still say it's too soon," Mark said coldly.
Dib watched as the two stared each other down; the battle lines had obviously been drawn. Not that Dib was surprised… ever since Mark had found out the truth about Zim, he had done nothing but treat the Irken with hostility. He constantly challenged Zim's integrity and no matter what the subject was, the two always had to be on opposite sides.
All in all, it was one big headache just waiting to happen.
"How about this; we go over the plan and if we still have doubts, we'll wait," Rachel suggested as the force field gave way and the dome entrance closed behind them.
"Fine," Mark growled, his eyes never leaving Zim's.
Zim was about to say something cocky, like how childish the boy was acting, when a sharp pain suddenly engulfed his skull. Zim closed his eyes, wishing the pain to go away.
"Zim, are you okay?"
It was Dib's voice that had been talking. Or at least, Zim thought it was him that was talking... but with the pain in his skull it felt like the human had been screaming. It felt as if knives were being stabbed into his brain! "I'm fine; it's just a headache," Zim assured him as he forced himself to open his eyes and appear unmoved as he led the way to the briefing room… It wasn't easy.
"I didn't know you Irkens could get headaches," Mark said almost smugly as he walked into the briefing room and took his seat.
"Well, we can, and you're only making it worse!" Zim snapped.
Dib stopped where he stood as an unsettling feeling began to wash over him. Was it just his imagination, or did Zim's tone almost sound venomous…?
"Come on guys, can we please focus?" Rachel whined, obviously frustrated with their childish behavior.
And just like that, Zim's hostile behavior was gone. Dib could see it leaving the Irken's eyes as he sat down in his own seat; almost as if the alien had just flipped a switch.
"So, Dib; the plan?"
Dib jumped slightly as James' voice drew him out of his thoughts. "Oh, right. The plan." He gave a nervous laugh and mentally slapped himself as he pulled up his plans on the big presentation monitor for the others to see. The large screen took up most of the wall, and Dib had to use a laser pointer to point. The screen was currently showing a handwritten map of the downtown railroad station. "Now then, we know the train will be stopping at this station to refuel around midnight," Dib pointed with the laser pointer onto the screen. "The plan is pretty simple. We detach one of the cars from the rest of the train; the caboose is most likely the easiest option. Once we have detached the caboose, Zim will pull up with his Voot Cruiser and will use its tractor-beam to pick it up and take it to the cliff opening of the sewers. We'll store it there and take the food to the dome with the water cruiser. Once it's all unloaded we'll get rid of the caboose. Then once the heat dies down, we'll anonymously deliver the food to those who need it." Dib paused and then asked nervously. "So, what do you think?"
"The plan seems straight forward," Zim said as he rubbed his temples. What was going on with his head? This was unlike any headache he'd ever had before; and he'd dealt with GIR's loud antics on many occasions! This felt like his head was going to explode! And the tension didn't let up; if anything, it got worse!
"I like it," James spoke up, eyeing Zim with a look of obvious worry written all over his face. "The personnel are less likely to be suspicious if we try to take out only one car instead of the whole train."
"I still say it's too risky," Mark pressed as he glared Zim down from across the room.
"Okay, let's take a vote," Rachel suggested. "All for Dib's plan; raise your hand."
Everyone but Mark raised their hand.
"Sorry Mark," James gave his cousin a pat on the back, "but Rachel's right; these people need more food! And remember; we promised to help in any way we can. That's why we formed the Renegades in the first place. I know it's not an epic battle with The Massive, but every rebellion has to start out somewhere…"
"…Fine," Mark huffed, obviously ticked off. "But if this alien scum is leading us into a trap-"
What happened next would surely give him nightmares. Dib watched it all in slow motion; it was as if his mind was having trouble comprehending what he was seeing. One second everything was fine, and then the next… Zim was racing across the room at what looked like lightning speed. His mouth curled back into a loud almost animal-like growl. His eyes glowed strangely red as he pounced on Mark and raised him up in the air by the throat.
Mark struggled, trying to breathe, but the alien's grip on his neck just got tighter and tighter.
James wanted to rush to his rescue, but he found that he couldn't move; he was glued to the spot.
It was like a train wreck… Rachel wanted to stop it, or at the very least she wanted to turn away… but all she could do is watch. Then, just when they thought things couldn't get any more twisted, GIR seemed to appear out of nowhere, his own eyes blazing red as he went into full duty mode, all of his weapons out and pointing at… Zim…?
Their eyes locked; servant and Master, staring at each other down for a brief moment, and then, with an angry growl, Zim threw Mark across the room. "I've had just about enough of you and your accusations, worm!"
Mark coughed, fighting for air, gasping loudly, but was otherwise unharmed. "Seriously; what's your problem?!" He coughed again.
"Oh, don't act all innocent!" Zim hissed. "I do not appreciate being called scum!"
"Zim, that's enough!" Dib yelled, finally able to find his voice.
"Fine, whatever. I'm leaving. I'll be in the Voot waiting for your signal!" Zim snapped, then stormed out of the room with GIR hot on his heels.
For a moment, the four humans said nothing until finally James spoke. "Dib, has he…"
"No. He's never lost his temper like that before…" Dib said with a shiver.
"Are you guys just gonna let him walk away like that?!" Mark yelled, more ticked than ever. "You just saw what he did to me! And-"
"Well, it's not like you didn't ask for it!" James snapped. "Seriously Mark anyone would snap under the hostile pressure you've been displaying towards Zim; human or otherwise!" He stopped to help his cousin to his feet. "I'm not saying he's not in the wrong, but what did you expect him to do, hu? Just take your verbal abuse quietly?"
"Oh, come on!" Mark yelled as he got to his feet. "He's the reason why all this is-"
"Mark, that's enough!" Rachel snapped, finally finding her voice as well. "We have a mission to complete! Zim's already out there, so we might as well follow through."
"Fine! But don't expect me to apologize," Mark snapped. "He's a danger to us all; this just proves that!"
Rachel and James looked to Dib for reassurance that Mark was wrong.
"Don't worry," Dib forced himself to sound at ease, despite the fact that, in all reality, he was scared out of his mind. "Zim's just angry; he'll cool down. He always does. Trust me, we have nothing to worry about."
(Following GIR…)
GIR shook to the core from his hiding spot, just behind the cracked door where he had stopped to listen in on the humans.
"GIR, what's going on?" The base's computer brain asked as one of its screens appeared behind GIR. It was the same old Computer that GIR and Zim had always known from their old base, it had only been transferred to the dome.
"It's starting," GIR said gravely, his eyes blazing red in the dark hallway.
"Are you sure?" the Computer asked, almost as if it were hoping that the SIR unit could be mistaken.
"Yes. It's been starting for some time now," GIR said solemnly.
"But he was only growing before… what other side effects have emerged?" The computer persisted somewhat fearfully.
"His temper has spiked," GIR answered. "He could have killed the human, had I not intervened."
"We cannot keep them in the dark; they must know what they are dealing with," The Computer told the SIR bot knowingly.
GIR shook his head. "No. These humans fear what they don't understand, and they destroy what they fear. They would push him into madness if they knew the truth!"
"Even the Dib?" The computer asked skeptically.
"We can't take the chance yet," the red-eyed GIR confirmed. Usually, the derange robot was anything but serious, but this…this was so serious that GIR's SIR unit protocol demanded him to be the opposite of himself; precise and calculated.
"I hope you know what you're doing," The Computer whispered before going into sleep mode, leaving GIR alone in an ocean of worry and despair.
(Back with the Tallest...)
"Next!" Tallest Red called out loudly. He rolled his eyes as another Irken Smeet stood before him. "Name?" He asked duly.
"Num, Sir!" The Irken Smeet spoke with pride. He was obviously very excited to be a part of this conversation.
'Well, that makes one of us…' Red thought half-heartedly to himself. "What makes you think you're worthy to be a Cadet?"
"I am here to serve you, my Tallest!" The Smeet, Num, spoke loudly. "It would be the greatest honor to serve my Tallest and the cause!"
'Oh my God; he is almost, just barely almost, as annoying as HIM!' Red screamed inwardly. "Great, you start your training tomorrow. Now please go away and never speak to me again."
"Yes, my Tallest!" Num walked away happily.
'I hate this part of my job,' Red sighed. "Next!" He called out again. This time he didn't bother to look up from his clipboard. "And what makes you think you deserve to be a Cadet?"
"I don't deserve it. I don't even deserve to be in your presence, my Tallest," a familiar voice said.
Tallest Red looked down from his clipboard to see- "Tak. I thought you were banished after you failed to steal the Earth from Invader Zim."
"My Tallest, please, I beg of you. Give me a second chance! I am willing to start all over as a lowly Cadet, if that is what it takes to become an Invader!" Tak bowed respectfully.
"Really? You would start all over?" Red was surprised. "Very well; since it was Zim's fault you never became an Invader in the first place, I am willing to give you this one chance. Do not waste it; you'll be placed on the next training rotation, and you will start attending Westville High at the beginning of the next term; that's three weeks from now. We will be expecting great things from you."
"Yes, my Tallest!" Tak bowed once more and walked away, smiling to herself. She had done it; she was in! Now all she had to do was get on the Tallest's good side, and then she'd be one step closer to finding Gaz.
(Back with Zim...)
"Stupid human," Zim silently cursed to himself as the town square's clock chimed loudly at the stroke of the midnight hour. He couldn't even begin to explain what had come over him in the briefing room! One moment he was fine, and then that mind-splitting headache had rolled in and then he just lost all control! 'The stupid Earth child shouldn't have pushed your buttons; it was his fault!'
But even as he thought this, the Irken couldn't help but think that something must be wrong, and the fact that the mind-splitting headache was now a full-blown migraine did not help him feel at ease. He had never had a migraine before. A headache? Sure. But a migraine? Not even GIR and his usual antics would give him one of those! 'So, what's wrong with me?'
"Zim, you ready?"
Zim snapped out of his thoughts as Dib's voice came from his communicator. "Yeah, I'm ready," he answered as he rubbed his temples, trying to will the migraine to go away. "Let's do this." He tried to sound excited, but it was overly difficult to keep the pain out of his voice…
And so, he failed miserably at it.
"Zim, something's wrong." It wasn't a question, but a flat-out statement. Dib knew that Zim would be stubborn none-the-less; he always was.
"I'm fine. Let's just get this over with," he stated, hoping he at least sounded better then he felt…
He didn't, but Dib forced himself to push his concerns aside for the time being. "Okay, fine. We can talk about this later. Shadow-Cat, are you ready?" Dib asked.
"Ready when you are," Rachel's voice rang loud and clear.
'Shadow-Cat.' Zim couldn't help but roll his eyes. He knew that the code names where necessary, just in case someone tapped into their communicators and eavesdropped in on their conversations, but seriously; what kind of code name was Shadow-Cat?! 'Humans are so weird. Well, at least it's not as bad as Zinger!'
"Zinger, are you ready?" Dib's voice broke through his thoughts once more.
"Yeah, but I still say this is a bad idea." Mark's voice couldn't have sounded more nervous than it already did.
"Everything's fine; it's easy," James's voice broke through. "By the way, Striker is in position."
Zim couldn't help but smile, 'Striker… now there's a code name to be proud of!'
Dib smiled too. He'd always wanted a code name, but Zim said that there wasn't a reason to give him one. After all, they already had secret identities, and Irken soldiers would surely recognize their voices without the voice disruptors of their disguises. The Tallest likely knew they were working with the rebellion already anyways…
Suddenly the train came into view, bringing Dib out of his thoughts. "Okay, the train is in sight! Remember; all we want is the caboose," Dib reminded them.
"Okay, I'm going in," Rachel declared.
"Be careful Shadow-Cat," James advised as naturally as he could, but there was a clearly extra concern in his voice.
"Will do," Rachel answered lovingly and jumped down from the overpass. She landed on to the moving train below. She was so happy to finally move her stiff legs that the fear of falling had completely abandon her. She watched as Mark and James jumped down from the overpass a few feet ahead of her and silently thanked her lucky stars that neither one of them had fallen off.
Dib was the last to jump, from the third and last over pass. 'That was easy.' He tried to push the thought away, but it kept nagging at him. This was too easy… After all the damage they had caused to the Snack Factories, there should be extra monitors and guards, and yet there wasn't a single guard on the overpass, or a drone. There appeared to be no security of any kind!
'What's going on here…?' Dib thought to himself, suspicion clouding his mind. Suddenly he became aware of the sound of a vehicle above him, other than Zim's Voot Cruiser.
'It's a trap!' His realization came a little too late as, suddenly, a blinding search light beamed down on him from above.
Rachel froze in fear as at least a dozen or so Irken soldiers rained down from the sky and landed on the train's roof. She knew they'd stand no chance now! After all, she knew little to no combat skills, and what she did know was from rushed lessons with Zim. Lessons that she had largely not paid enough attention to because she was a 'non-violent person'! Of course, she was silently cursing herself now for her own stupidity on the matter.
Mark watched as the soldiers began to circle them on all sides; there was no way out! "I knew he'd betray us!" He snapped.
"Shut up, Zinger! There's no proof that he caused this!" James yelled as the soldiers parted, revealing a slightly taller Irken soldier.
Dib could tell with a single glance that it was the Capitan of the royal guard. He remembered how Tak's ship had briefly described them as the bodyguards of the Tallest.
"By the name of the Almighty Tallest, you are all under arrest!" The Captain said venomously. "Make no mistake there is no escape for you now! You will pay horribly for your crimes and will be executed in front of the entire human populous as an example of what happens to those who dare to stand up against-"
The Captain didn't get to finish before a shot was fired from somewhere in the darkness. The unseen blast hit the metal rod, disconnecting the train cars. Half of the soldiers fell on impact and Rachel would have gone falling with them had it not been for Dib, who grabbed her arm just in the nick of time.
"Stop them!" The Captain yelled at the remaining soldiers "Don't let them escape!"
The soldiers didn't have a chance to move before another blast sounded off into the night.
Dib watched as Zim's Voot Cruiser came into view; the Irken had fired his tractor-beam and was now lifting the severed car off the track. Dib wasted no time in using Zim's actions as a distraction. He charged one of the soldiers. The guard was far too distracted to be ready for the attack, so Dib kicked him hard in the gut, the guard's weapon falling clumsily out of his hand. Dib scooped it up and didn't hesitate in shooting the soldier down. He then continued to fire at the others without even stopping to aim.
Mark went for the guard closest to him and punched him square in the face. It was obvious the guards hadn't expected a fight. The remaining few were sloppy, and it wasn't long before it was obvious that the enemy was ill-prepared.
The captain froze as Zim jumped from his Voot to join the fight, leaving his ship on auto pilot. "You! You're supposed to be dead!" The Captain said stupidly.
Zim smiled. "Did you really think it would be that easy? And you call yourself a Captain!" Zim spat in obvious discuss and lunged.
The fear was evident in the Captain's large lavender eyes. Dib could see that the soldier didn't even try to block the upcoming attack. Zim lunged, connecting his elbow to the Captain's face, sending the officer back and over the side of the train. The soldiers retreated into the darkness as if they were running for their lives.
Dib couldn't understand why they wouldn't even try to avenge their Captain. Heck, the Captain hadn't even tried to save himself! It was all too bizarre; Dib looked over to his old foe to ask him a silent question, only to freeze up as he noticed that Zim's eyes were glowing blood red. 'Just like earlier in the briefing room.' Dib was about to press for answers when Mark broke the silence.
"Took you long enough! You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you wanted them to catch us!"
Zim's glare locked onto Mark like heat-seeking missiles, and for a second, Dib feared that he would attack the boy again, but instead Zim turned away. "We need to get this caboose to the cliff before reinforcements show up."
"Then what?" Rachel asked the obvious.
"We lay low," Zim answered. "We lay low and think about who a good addition to our team would be."
"Zim's right. It's evidently no longer safe for us to do this on our own," Dib stated the obvious. "It's time to expand our army."
The others nodded their agreement before retreating into the darkness. They knew all too well what would happen next. The following few weeks would be filled with the constant urge to look over their shoulders to see if the enemy were closing in. This small factor would make recruiting difficult, but not impossible. They would find others, and together they would stop the Armada…
Or else they would die trying…
Episode 1 - The Real Nightmare Begins END!
Shout-out(s): I would love to give a shout out to my sisters Mary and Kathy who motivated me to turn this story into a TV series. And to honor their support I have decided to make them future characters in the series. I would also love to give a shout out to my Beta Reader: 3D Phantom, who has agreed to stick with me throughout the series. With that said if any of you would like to see something happen in the series please include your ideas in your reviews and I will give you credit in the Author Notes at the end of which ever Episode I use it in. Finally, I would love to give one last shout out to all those who followed/reviewed Invader Zim: The Beginning of the End. Invader Johnny, AnonymousLiving, Anon K, Mlurtz8, DEDE, ngrey65, Cf96, and all guest reviewers; thank you for everything and I hope you stick with me throughout the series!
P.S: Thank you for reading and please review.
Yours Truly, RoxieDivine