S02 Ep02:Welcome to the Resistance
Episode Summary: After the near miss on the train the Renegades scramble to find more recruits for the cause. Meanwhile Zim's behavior continues to spike suspicions in his allies. Can the Renegades pull themselves together for the good of the mission? Find Out Now!
Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!
(149 Years Ago)
[Location: Irk]
"1 – 2 – 3 – 4… 1 – 2 – 3 – 4…."
'This is so boring!' Cadet Zim growled in frustration as he tried to carry on with his training session. He copied the moves of the military combat training simulation perfectly, but none of his instructors seemed to notice. 'It's been ten years and I'm still doing the same thing...' Cadet Zim growled again. Was he ever going to be allowed out of here? He and the others were not allowed to leave this room for any reason.
Why?
He wasn't sure why, exactly. He just knew it was forbidden.
Cadet Zim removed his hollo-visor and looked around, irritated. The other Cadets busily performed their own training simulations. There were seriously hundreds of them, and all of them were wearing their own visors as Computer brains download new data into their PAKs. Cadet Zim shook his head and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes. It was the same boring routine every day…
Every morning, the Cadets would wake up to the sounds of loud shouting. Then they would jump out of their sleeping bags on the far side of the room before wolfing down a quick, slimy breakfast. Then they'd work training simulation after training simulation for hours upon hours until they were given another slimy meal. This was always a meal that they'd once again wolf down, only to get right back to training. The training wouldn't stop until the arrival of the final meal, which sometimes never came at all! Then, once they ate their dinner, the Cadets would crawl back into their sleeping bags on the hard steel floor and fall asleep, only to wake up a few hours later to do it all over again.
Cadet Zim found it all very dull and very exhausting, to say the least.
"Ten years and we're still in this education plug! When will we get to see the planet's surface?" Cadet Zim whispered harshly to the Cadet next to him.
The Cadet, a young Irken with big red eyes, gave Cadet Zim a stern look. The Cadets weren't supposed to talk to each other during their training, which was most of the day. "Zim, you're going to get us in trouble again!" The Cadet almost whined in frustration.
"Just ignore him Red," another Cadet, one with big purple eyes and a high-pitched voice spoke in a soft whisper. "You can't afford to get in trouble again."
"It's not my fault Purple; he's the one that started talking to me!" Cadet Red complained.
Cadet Purple rolled his eyes. "We're supposed to be an example to the others," he reminded both of them. "Or have you both forgotten?"
"What's so great about being one of the "Worthy Ones" if we're just treated like common Cadets anyways?" Cadet Zim said. "We're supposed to be better than them, more superior, so why are we treated the same? When I become the Tallest, things will be different!" Cadet Zim vowed.
"You, a Tallest?" Cadet Purple couldn't help but laugh. "You're crazy!"
"Yeah, just look at you! You're the shortest Irken ever in the history of our race!" Cadet Red agreed. "You'll be lucky to reach the final stage of the change, and even if you do there's no way you'll survive it."
"Yes I will!" Cadet Zim growled. He hated the other Cadets, especially Cadet Red, who always made fun of his height. "You're not much taller than me," he whined. "The citizens of Irk must know of my power! Skoodge!" He turned and pointed at a fat-looking Cadet, who was working on his training behind them. "You look impressionable." Cadet Zim knew everyone hated Cadet Skoodge, especially Cadets Red and Purple; in fact, that was the only reason why Cadet Zim wasted his time with him.
Cadet Skoodge walked over to them happily. "I sure am," he said, agreeing with Zim even though he had no idea what he was talking about. In all honesty, he didn't even care. It was a great honor for an ordinary Cadet like himself to be spoken to by someone with Zim's, Red's, and Purple's potential.
"Then escape with me to the surface!" Cadet Zim ordered.
"Sounds terrifying, but okay," Cadet Skoodge agreed. "When do we leave?"
"You can't be serious!" Cadet Purple was shocked.
"I am," Cadet Zim said boldly. "We're leaving now! Let's go Skoodge." He and Cadet Skoodge raced off towards the exit.
"Those idiots…" Cadet Purple was dumb founded.
"Let him go," Cadet Red advised. "If we're lucky he'll get himself killed, and that will mean that we will have one less Irken in our way of achieving our ultimate goal."
Cadet Purple watched as Cadet Zim and Cadet Skoodge disappeared out of the exit and out of sight. He knew Cadet Red was right; not all the Worthy Ones could survive, and if Cadet Zim got himself killed now it would be a lot less painful then what the change would do to him. Cadet Purple shivered at the thought; he wondered if he'd be strong enough to survive it himself.
Cadet Red gave his friend's shoulder an encouraging squeeze, as if he had just read his mind. "We'll do fine; we'll survive, and then we will rule together, and no one will stand in our way."
(Present Day)
[Location: Earth, Westville High School]
It was all alien to her… In more ways than one!
Kathy Rogers tried to force her messy red hair out of her face, but it was next to impossible with all the textbooks she was holding! Textbooks that, mind you, held titles of topics she had never even heard of! Then there was this stupid line that stretched out before her. 'No wonder school is three extra hours long; we're in this line three-fourths of the day!' She thought bitterly, and silently cursed the Tallest as she moved another inch forward.
'I hate this school…' Of course she wasn't surprised by this thought. After all, she'd hated every school she had ever been to since she'd stepped into her first school at the age of six. Not that anyone could blame her; Kathy had lived on this good green Earth for 16 years and in that time she had lived in five different countries and gone to twenty-six different schools.
'Living in a military family sucks…' Those were the words that she used to say. It was funny, really. For her whole entire life, Kathy hated her parents, and how their job constantly made them move around. But now that they were gone, she'd do anything to have them, and that lifestyle back…
She sniffled as her eyes began to water. 'Great, now I'm crying! Could this first day get any worse?!'
Of course, her question was answered with the sound of the tardy bell. 'And we're late; nice going Carrot-top!' She scowled at herself, and then smiled as the old nickname brought back a happy memory from a happier time. Oh, how she wished those times were still here, back when her only job was to drive her older sister, Jamie, crazy with her boy-crazed gossip! Back when her life's main focus was how to get out of doing the dishes so she could hang out with her best friend Crystal! Or just chilling with her younger sister Mary by a campfire and telling cheesy ghost stories...
'Yeah, those where the days…' Kathy sniffled once more. 'And we're crying again! Gees, Kathy, get a grip already!' She rolled her water green eyes as the line moved another inch forward.
At this rate she'd be lucky to get to her second period at all…
(Back with Joey…)
The pain…
In all his life, Joseph Campbell had never felt such pain! The young 17-year-old gritted his teeth as another wave of pain climbed up his spine mercilessly. 'What the hell is going on with my body?!' He didn't have the slightest clue; first it was just migraines, and now it felt like his spine was on fire! Not to mention he had probably consumed enough food this morning to feed an elephant! 'Speaking of hunger…' Joseph groaned as he pulled a candy bar out of his pocket and wolfed it down; he barely even took the time to rip off the wrapper. Unfortunately, the candy bar did little to satisfy the ever-growing rumble in his belly.
'It just doesn't make any sense!' Joseph thought bitterly. 'I've eaten everything I can get my hands on this morning, and still nothing! It's like my stomach has a mind of its own! It's a bottomless pit!'
"Joey, we have to talk about what happened the other day," Joshua Campbell raced after his twin brother, who was undoubtedly trying his best to avoid the confrontation. A confrontation that really needed to take place. 'He's slipping!' Josh could see it as plain as day; something was horribly wrong with his brother. 'I have to pull him back up to the surface before he drowns,' Josh thought. 'Who knows when the next attack will be, or who will be on the receiving end?!'
"I'm serious Joey; you strangled Mark and threw him across the room!" Josh whispered harshly.
Joseph rolled his eyes in pure frustration; between his brother and the ever-growing pain in his spine he was bound to crumble. He groaned as his stomach growled again. "He called me scum, Josh, and if I remember correctly I used to lash out at you when you called me that!"
"It's not the same and you know it!" Joshua whined. "Please just talk to me; please help me understand what's going on!"
"Nothing is going on!" Joseph snapped as he stopped at his locker. 'Please tell me I still have a bag of chips from yesterday…' Joseph sighed in obvious relief as he opened his locker to see a large bag of salt and vinegar chips sitting right where he left them. "Oh, thank Irk!" Joseph ripped the bag open and wolfed the chips down in seconds.
"You see what I mean?! Look at you!" Josh said, refusing to give in. "You're acting like an animal! You do realize you've eaten enough food today to feed a small country for a week, and it's only second period!"
Joseph knew his brother was right, and deep down he wasn't sure he would be taking these bizarre symptoms lightly, but of course he wasn't about to give in! After all, if he did that then he'd have to apologize to Mark, and he'd die before that happened! "Honestly, can you blame me for snapping? All he's ever done is judge me and question everything I do! He was practically begging for me to lash out at him, just to prove his point!"
Josh sighed; he knew reasoning with him was useless, but he tried his best anyways. After all, who else was going to lecture him with both fairness and a firm hand? 'Not Mark, that's for sure!'
"Besides, we don't have time for this," Joseph whispered. "We need to recruit more members while we wait for the heat to die down!"
"There are soldiers everywhere!" Joshua pointed out the obvious. "How are we supposed to do anything with them breathing down our necks?!"
Joseph knew his brother was right; it had been thirty-eight hours since the raid, and everything and everyone was definitely boiling over! After the near miss with the royal guard, the five Renegades had been on high alert, waiting for the moment that they would be figured out. It had been a risky plan from the beginning, they all knew that, but it was necessary, and afterwards they all agreed on the same conclusion…
The operation would have worked better with more people! If they'd had back-up that night on the train, then Zim wouldn't have had to of intervened. The caboose would have disappeared without a trace, and Irken soldiers wouldn't be patrolling the school looking for possible culprits!
Joseph watched as two soldiers appeared at the end of the hall. 'What's that saying humans like to use? Speak of the devil and he shall appear…?' Joseph smiled. He wasn't sure if the devil was real, but the saying definitely had some truth to it. He groaned as the bell sounded throughout the halls. "Just keep an eye out for possible candidates, and please try not to get in trouble today!" Joseph ordered before disappearing down a hall to his left and into his next class.
He sat down and groaned once more as his stomach growled AGAIN! He looked at the clock; it was only 9:36 AM. 'Someone please murder me!' He begged silently.
"Alright class, I hope you read last night's homework because you now have to wright a seven-page essay on what you learnt," Mrs. Dizon said. "It's due at the end of the class; now begin!"
Joseph groaned once more; seven pages front and back about last night's lesson on Irken Mechanics! "Someone please kill me now!"
"I'd be glad to filth; just name the time and place."
Joseph turned to his left to see one of his least favorite Cadets. "Why Cadet Rene, sir, what an honor it is to be in your presence on this fine morning," Joey said as sincerely as he could manage at the time.
"You better believe it is!" Cadet Rene said mockingly.
Joseph did his best not to hurl…It wasn't easy! Out of Cadet Scamooch's entire lot of suck-up friends, Cadet Rene had to be the worst!
"Now stop looking at me with your filthy human eyes, worm!" Cadet Rene hissed.
Joseph looked at the clock hopefully; it was now 9:45 AM…he groaned once more. 'It's going to be a long day…!'
(Back with Rachel…)
She absolutely, without a doubt, hated Coach Richardson's class!
Rachel Hearting rolled her eyes as she tried her best to focus on the task at hand; all these vocabulary words weren't going to define themselves. 'If only,' she sighed. There was just something about Health class that demanded hatred! It wasn't Coach Richardson herself; heavens no! Rachel loved Coach Richardson's P.E. class, and it was nice to have a normal, HUMAN teacher! Most students were lucky to have one, but to have two; now that was a real blessing! And it was a blessing to be thankful for, but Human teachers were only made possible because there were just some subjects the Irkens couldn't relate to. For example, a Human's health or sexual education, or just how much physical fitness their bodies could take in one day. So, of course, Rachel forced herself to forget her hatred for the subject at hand and just be thankful that she was one of the lucky ones!
"Hey Rachel, how far are you?" A voice whispered from behind her.
Rachel turned to see her boyfriend, James Carter, who was giving her a hopeful smile. If there was one person who hated Health class more than her, it was James. "I'm on number six," she whispered. "What about you?"
"Does writing your name count as a number?" James asked, giving a sly grin.
Rachel stiffened a giggle. "You're the worst! You know that don't you?"
The door to the classroom suddenly opened to reveal a girl with messy red hair and a handful of books. It was obvious that she was new… "Ma'am, I am so sorry for being late! The line…" The girl stopped, obviously surprised that the teacher was human instead of Irken.
"It's quite alright," Coach Richardson said with a smile. "I have to stand in that stupid line too, and I know how slow it moves. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"
The girl turned to the class, obviously nervous. "Um, my name is Kathy Rogers, and I just moved here from Florida. My sister Jamie got this great job over here and stuff…"
'And stuff?!' Kathy could have clawed her own brains out! What kind of introduction was that? 'Great Carrot-top! Now you've blown your only chance at getting some real friends!'
"So, you have a sister?" Coach Richardson asked.
"Uh, yeah. Actually, I have two. My younger sister, Mary, is in the middle school division on the other side of the school," Kathy answered, then took a leap of faith. "Actually, to be honest, I've never been in a school that has all grades K- 12 in one building. This is surprising, considering the fact that I've been to plenty of schools."
"So, you're used to moving around a lot?" Coach Richardson sounded surprised.
"Yeah, I come from a military family. My mom was a nurse, and my dad was with the K-9 unit." The word "was" felt sour in her mouth.
The class went quiet, and for good reason; everyone knew what the word "was" meant when it came to military personnel.
A boy with orange hair who was sitting in the back raised his hand.
"Yes Keef?" Coach Richardson asked.
"Oh, I was just wondering which branch of the military her parents where in?" The boy named Keef asked almost hopefully.
"The Marines," Kathy answered.
"Cool. My Sister was a Marine." Keef forced a nervous laugh.
'WAS…'
'There's that word again!'
"Who knows; maybe they were in the same platoon," Keef went on, forcing a smile.
Kathy smiled back. 'Maybe this school won't be so bad after all...'
(Back with the Tallest…)
[In the floating city of Zec)
"Alive… What do you mean he's ALIVE?!"
"I'm sorry, my Tallest… I know how much this must upset you…" Captain Giza could feel his body shaking as he spoke. For over 50 years he had served as the Commander of the royal guard, and not once had he ever failed his Tallest… of course, that was, until now!
"You had a simple job," Red continued, his voice but a harsh whisper, "And that job was to bring back the five rebels for execution-"
"But instead, you come back here with stories to make up for your failures!" Purple growled as he flipped over a table with one hand, sending it across the room and against the wall.
"My Tallest. I am serious, I assure you! It was Irken Zim!" Captain Giza fell to his knees, trembling in fear. For he knew that what he was about to tell the Tallest would most likely bring him certain death, but he knew it was better to tell them now then to have them find out on their own.
"Alright, let's say we believe you," Purple continued. "Let's say Zim is alive; why couldn't you handle him?"
Here it was the moment of truth…
Captain Giza forced himself to get a grip, even though he knew that death was most likely upon him. "My Tallest, my men and I, we did not–no. We could not harm the Irken Zim."
"And what gave you the idea that you could not follow through with a direct order from your Tallests?!" Red was fuming now, and his eyes were glowing dangerously red…
But Captain Giza would not swallow down the truth, he would not bite his tongue… Not this time!
"Because… Irken law states that it is forbidden to kill or to harm any Irken with his potential without probable cause!" Captain Giza yelled feverishly as he got up from his knees. "Why didn't you tell me that Irken Zim was an Amon?!"
"What?" Red and Purple said at the same time, both looking surprised.
"Where did you hear this?!" Purple growled.
"NO! You can't lie to me… not this time!" Captain Giza yelled dangerously. "You were both in the same class as Zim! You were all in training together as Cadets! You can't lie to me, I've seen him…"
Captain Giza's words caused both of the Tallests' eyes to widen.
"What do you mean you've seen him?" Purple dared to ask.
"He's grown since the last time we saw him; worse his eyes were glowing!" Captain Giza said gravely. "The change will be upon him soon! Now tell me you did not know!" Captain Giza was screaming now. "Tell me you had no idea that just one year ago you were sending a Worthy One, an Amon, to his death!"
Red and Purple looked at each other and nodded gravely, and it was in that moment that Captain Giza knew he was right about everything he had just said. He was right about Zim being an Amon, he was right about the Tallest knowing it, and even worse. He was right about his certain demise…!
"It is unfortunate that you have come to know this," Red spoke gravely as Purple walked up behind Captain Giza.
"And sadly, we can't have you spreading this knowledge," Purple spoke as he cut into Captain Giza's throat with his long razor-sharp claws.
Captain Giza was dead before he even hit the floor.
For a long moment, the Tallests were silent. Finally, after several seemingly endless seconds, one of them spoke.
"What are we going to do, Red?" Purple was shaking in obvious concern; dare it even be said, fear?
"He's wrong!" Red hissed.
"What if he's right? What if the change is upon him?" Purple dared to ask.
"HE'S WRONG!" The room shook as Red screamed out his denial.
"You and I both knew there was a chance that he might start growing, and he already had begun to grow! We tried to kill him last year because of it! You know it's not that far of a stretch!" Purple snapped.
"He has to be wrong!" Red looked desperate.
"We both know that he's dangerous. General Giza said it himself; he's a powerful force to be reckoned with now, and the moment that he long thought would never happen HAS COME!"
"So, what do we do about it?" Red looked more helpless now than ever before.
It was strange for Purple to see his comrade this way. For so long it was Red that took the lead, and held him up on his own two feet, but now Purple could see that it was time for him to be the strong one. "We've come this far, Red, and no half-pint defective is going to move in and destroy all that we've worked for! Not when we've come so close to universal conquest!" Purple stood tall as he spoke, looking more empowered than ever in the hopes that his friend would follow his lead, as he had done for him so many times before.
Red smiled and forced a laugh. "You're right; we've come too far to stop now! Besides, we have his weakness in our grasp! If he even tries to come and take us out, we'll use her as leverage-"
Tak backed away from the door to the Tallests' private study in pure shock. She simply couldn't believe what she'd just heard!
'If Zim is an Amon, then he can stop this war before it even begins… I have to see him! I have to make sure he destroys the Tallest!' She told herself as she ran down the hall as fast as her feet could carry her. 'They've gone completely rogue, and they must be stopped before they take the Irken race down with them!'
'It's the only way…'
(Back with Scamooch)
3rd period PE was their personal battlefield!
Cadet Scamooch's eyes narrowed to his target; he smiled wickedly as the human worm; Joseph met his gaze with a stern one of his own.
'He just keeps bouncing back up, no matter what I do!' It was true, the Cadet had done everything to make the boy cave and yet here he was, standing before him on his own two feet, ready and willing to endure more! 'I admire that in an enemy. After all, it's the constant never-ending hunger for victory that makes a true adversary worth fighting.' Of course, the Cadet didn't tell him this; instead, he took his dodgeball and threw it as hard as he could.
Joseph dodged the ball with ease and readied himself for another blow. He was surprised that this sport wasn't banned like all the other human sports were. Why they were banned still remained a mystery, but Joseph figured it was because most of the sports either encouraged humans to be violent, or have self-confidence, or maybe a mixture of both.
Cadet Scamooch laughed as the other fifteen cadets on his team all threw their balls at Joseph in unison. Of course, the human worm was the last player on the human team; he always was, and he was pretty good at the game, too!
Joseph dived down into the push-up position as the balls flew over his head. He silently cursed the Tallest for the fiftieth time that day.
'Dodgeball… out of all the sports that have been banned, why didn't they ban dodgeball?!' Of course, he already knew the answer; it was simple really. The game was only allowed because it allowed cadets to afflict pain on their human peers without any restraint of possible punishment. Plus, there was the fact that the humans didn't try to hit the cadets out of fear of said punishment, which meant that the Irken scum always won!
"Ready to give up, worm?" Cadet Scamooch taunted.
Joseph got to his feet slowly, trying desperately to restrain himself from strangling the Cadet mercilessly. It was almost completely impossible to play with the constant pain running up and down his spine, but now that the head-splitting migraine was back. He knew he wasn't going to survive much longer.
One of the cadets rushed a ball over to Cadet Scamooch. "Here you go, sir!"
'Suck-up.' Joseph smiled at the thought. If there was one thing Cadet Scamooch hated more than anything, it was a suck-up! Which, he thought, was funny when considering the fact that Joseph himself was the biggest suck-up in the school, and yet Cadet Scamooch still wanted him as his minion; the irony of the situation was far more than he could take! To be fair though, Joseph was only a suck-up because it kept his brother out of harm's way…
Cadet Scamooch smiled; the human was slower than usual…
'Perhaps he is sick,' the Irken thought. 'Good; another advantage for me!'
"Well go on and bring it!" Joseph jeered as he saw the Cadet prepare to throw. 'I bet this is how Dib use to feel when we were enemies, put up against each other in gym.' He smirked at the thought. 'It's funny how fate turns the table on people, and everyone says she has no sense of humor!'
Joseph was pulled from his thoughts as Cadet Scamooch finally fired.
Joseph watched as the ball came at him a little too fast for comfort. He knew he had to let it hit him; after all, if he didn't give in now the Cadet would fight him until he won, even if that meant keeping him from lunch. 'Speaking of lunch, I still need to find some recruits…' His thoughts were interrupted as the ball hit him square in the face. He allowed himself to fall face first to the ground as the Cadets laughed around him.
"Not bad, for a human," Cadet Scamooch jeered as he walked by. "Maybe next time you'll finally beat me."
Joseph smiled as he waited for the Cadet to walk away before he got to his feet. Of course, he could have won against the Cadet easily, but that was not the mission. His mission was to find four recruits before lunch, which was only 15 minutes away.
Joseph couldn't help but laugh in spite of his pain. 'And to think I could have gotten out of this; oh well,' he said to himself as he raced off to get to work, promising himself that next time someone offered to put him out of his misery that he'd take the offer without a second thought.
(Back with Mark…)
The Anger...
It boiled up inside of him like a pot of sizzling grease. 'He deserves to die.' Mark popped his knuckles one by one as the last 40 hours and 55 minutes played threw his mind over and over again. 'The Irken scum; it's his fault our lives are this way in the first place! And he thinks he can just wipe the slate clean and start all over, but I know it's all an act; he'll be the death of us all!' Mark groaned as the bell sounded around him, pulling him away from his vengeful thoughts; he grabbed his books and headed for the cafeteria.
It was already time for lunch, and he was no closer to finding any possible candidates to join their ranks. Rachel said that they should each try to recruit four people to join the Renegades; that would give them twenty new recruits. It wasn't a lot, but they all agreed that it would take time to teach them and get them up to speed, to the same level of training as the rest of them. Of course, Zim would be training them, just as he had trained his four human comrades previously.
'Comrades? He doesn't know the meaning of the word! And if he does he definitely wouldn't consider any human as one.' Mark shook his head and forced himself to think about the mission at hand. It wasn't an easy task, but he knew that there had to be way more than twenty people who wanted to take back this planet. But which ones had the nerve to fight back?
Most would think they didn't have a chance…
'Do we have a chance?' It was a question that had haunted him since day one! After all, the Irken Empire expand across over fifty-five galaxies... 'How can we stand up against an Empire that massive? We're only one planet, and the whole planet isn't even on the same page! Some people just want to survive in the new world…'
'NO!' He refused to think that he and the others were the only ones that wanted to make a stand! 'There has to be others who have the skills and the desire to take back Earth!' Mark combed the halls with a stern gaze, seeking out the chosen few that had what it took to stand against the ever-growing threat; and it wasn't long before his eyes found what they were looking for.
A girl, just a few rows of lockers ahead of him, had her lavender hair up in her usual pigtails as she walked down the hall, Irken cadets would pull those pigtails. As hard as they could, but the girl just gritted her teeth and kept going. The girl was Gretchen Homes, and she was probably the least-likely choice… or so you would think. With her larger-than-life dorky glasses and blinding metal braces, no one would guess that this girl was anything but completely ordinary. But Mark knew better; Gretchen was a wiz with computers and was so smart that she already possessed an IQ of 180. If Zim could teach her how to hack Irken computers then there would be no limit to what they could accomplish!
Mark watched as she hurried passed him; their eyes locked briefly, but only long enough for Mark to see the fire in her eyes. She wanted to make her presence known, and she wanted to show them that Earthlings were not the ones to mess with; he could just feel it coming off of her in waves. 'And I can offer her just the chance she's been looking for,' he thought as she continued on her way. 'That's one down and three to go.' He smiled at the thought. 'Maybe we do have a chance after all...'
(Back with Kathy…)
Hatred...
She had never felt such hatred. Kathy bit her tongue as she watched a girl with lavender hair walk down the hall in front of her. The girl was enduring torture from the Cadets, who each pulled at her pigtails and laughed like it was some sick game. 'The monsters!' Oh, how she wished she could tear them all limb from limb!
"Kathy, are you even listening to me?"
"What- uh?" Kathy turned to her sister, Jamie, who at the moment was giving her a look of pure disappointment.
"I said 'how was your first few classes?'" Jamie couldn't help but sound annoyed, and for good reason. If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was having to repeat herself over and over again, and her sister Kathy was famous for making her do just that!
"I hate this school," Kathy groaned.
"Gee, what a surprise!" Jamie said as sarcastically as possible as she stopped to dump her books in her locker. "Kathy, we talked about this. I need this job, so please behave."
"Behave? How can you say that?! Don't you want to do something, anything, to get things back the way they were?!"
Rachel froze at her locker, which was on the other side of the hallway. Did she just hear what she thought she'd heard?
"Of course I do, but we just can't, okay?" Jamie whispered harshly as she tried to get her messy thick brown hair into a decent-looking bun. "Now stop talking nonsense before someone hears you," she warned.
"But if we could, if someone gave us the chance, would you?" Kathy asked, practically pleading with her eyes.
Jamie sighed, "Of course I would, but the chances of that happening are slim to none."
Rachel smiled. Two possible members where sitting right under her nose! She knew she had to act now before someone knocked their spirits down. She closed her locker and walked over to them. "Hey Kathy, you off to lunch?"
Kathy turned to see a girl that looked somewhat familiar. "Do I know you?" She asked.
"Um, yeah, I'm in your second period with Coach Richardson." Rachel smiled as she looked towards Jamie. "You must be Jamie, Kathy's big sister." She held out her hand.
Jamie shook it looking hesitantly. "Uh, yeah. How'd you-?"
"Oh, Kathy told the class about you in her introduction." Rachel could tell she was freaking them out.
Jamie gave Kathy a look. "And exactly what did you tell them?"
Kathy gave a nervous smile. "That you got a job here... and stuff?"
"And stuff? Thanks, sis. Good to know I can count on you to vouch for me," Jamie teased.
"Anyway, I was wondering if you guys wanted to have lunch with me and my friends." Rachel went on.
"Really?" Kathy asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yeah. The Irken Cadets can be real jerks; especially during lunch! I thought that we humans should stick together, you know?"
Jamie nodded. "Sounds great! We just have to go get our little sister, Mary."
"No problem," Rachel said as the girls began to walk towards the Middle School Division.
'Rachel seems nice.' Kathy smiled at the thought and stopped as her eyes fell on a familiar face walking by. It was the boy who had talked to her during second period. 'What was his name? Oh yeah, Keef.' Kathy's smile grew wider as she got an idea. "Hey, is it okay if I invite someone to eat with us?" She asked.
Rachel smiled. "Sure! Who did you have in mind?" She asked.
"Just wait here," Kathy ordered and ran off to catch Keef.
Rachel watched as Kathy grabbed a red-headed boy by the arm and raced him back over to them.
"Guys, this is Keef. His sister was in the Marines, just like Mom and Dad," Kathy said as she introduced him.
"Ooh, what platoon was she in?" Jamie asked excitedly.
Rachel couldn't help the smile that found its way onto her face. She had done it; she had found three possible candidates, and if you counted the sister Mary that made four! 'Well, that was easy enough,' she told herself. 'I wonder how well the others are doing...?'
(Back with Josh)
The lunchroom...
It was a battlefield of potential victims with only one safe haven, but getting there was almost a suicide mission… almost being the key word there. And Joshua Campbell was an expert when it came to navigating under the radar, or at least he'd like to think so. He forced an uneasy smile as he led four students to the outside courtyard where he and the others usually had lunch. 'Wow, it's only lunchtime and I've manage to find all four candidates…' He was surprised to admit that he was just now realizing this. 'I wonder how well everyone else did?'
"Uh, Josh, are you sure we're allowed to eat out here?"
Josh turned to one of the four students that were walking beside him. Audra Perkins had to be the shyest girl he had ever met, but she was tougher then she looked. She and her cousin Steven had been learning Karate since before they started attending grade school! And if they would be willing to join then they could pass that skill onto the rest of them. Josh was confident that they would join because, well, why wouldn't they?
"Trust me, my friends and I eat out here every day," he assured them.
"And they don't care?" Steven asked, obviously surprised.
"The Irken Cadets don't like watching us eat; they say we wolf our food down like wild animals," Josh said with a roll of his eyes. "So, they'd actually prefer us out here where they can't see us."
"Those Cadets are so rude!" A girl to his left growled in a way that reminded him of Gaz. Shyann Mosley was definitely as tough as they came. She was known to be the only girl on the football team, back at her school before the invasion, though she didn't look like the type to be tough. That was actually a good thing though; people wouldn't suspect her, especially not the Irken who were so blind to human customs. When Josh had heard she played for the team he thought she was joking. The girl had muscle, sure, but she wasn't exactly the tomboy muscle-buff girl he'd expect.
"I know, what jerks!" A boy to Josh's right agreed.
Now Dallas Thomas, on the other hand, looked exactly like a football player was supposed to look. He was big and buff and was used to taking hard hits, which is exactly why Josh chose the guy. The group would need a lot more muscle for more dangerous missions.
"Here we are," Josh announced as they arrived at their destination. It was a large tree that sat in the middle of the courtyard. Several other students were gathered around it and Josh could tell that every one of them were possible recruits. He knew this because usually only he and his friends sat under the tree. "Guys, this is the big Oak Tree!" He said proudly.
"YO, Josh! You made it! We were getting worried, man!" James said.
Josh was amazed; there were so many people around the tree that it actually took him a few seconds to find his friend! He sat down beside James, feeling good about the number of people they had all managed to gather up. "Guys, this is James. James, this is Audra, her cousin Steven, Dallas, and Shyann." He pointed each of them out as he spoke.
"Cool! I'd introduce my friends, but Rachel says we'll do introductions when Joey gets here," James said casually.
"He's late again?" Josh asked.
"No surprise there," Mark said as he and four other students took their seats around the tree. "He's always late."
Josh rolled his eyes. He didn't want to hear this right now, and luckily, it would seem he didn't have to because, for the first time ever, Mark actually stopped there. The thing that worried Josh the most is that Joey never used to be late. Only a week ago he would have been the first one there, but just recently he'd been arriving later and later, and it worried the younger brother considerably… Josh let this thought drop though, for now, as Joseph soon showed up with four more people.
"Sorry I'm late," Joseph huffed as he sat down. It was obvious that he was in some kind of pain, and Josh couldn't help but feel concerned.
"You okay?" Josh asked worriedly.
"It's just a headache," Joseph assured him. 'A headache that's mighty close to splitting your skull in half,' he added to himself. He forced a smile and did his best to pretend it wasn't that bad as he began to wolf down his lunch.
"Okay guys, let's get started," Rachel said, grabbing everyone's attention. "My name is Rachel Hearting, and my friends and I have decided to reach out to you all in the hopes that these brief lunches with friends will help us all get through our days here at Westville High." She stopped as James, Mark, Josh, and Joseph stood up. "I'd like to start by introducing them, my personal closest friends and aids in this effort, and I'd like us to go around and introduce ourselves to the group. How does that sound?"
Everyone seemed to nod at this, so she continued. "This is my boyfriend; James Carter."
James fist-pumped the air as if it were a great honor to be Rachel's boyfriend. Of course, he was the only one who would know if it was or not.
Rachel smiled and continued. "And his cousin; Mark."
"What up?" Mark said half-heartedly as he kept a sharp eye out for possible spy drones that could be lurking around them.
"And finally, this is Joey and his twin brother Josh."
Josh held up a rock-and-roll sign on his hand in greeting while Joey half-heartedly waved, silently hoping that it just came off as shy and not pained.
"Now everyone else, It's your turn! Let's start with you," Rachel said as she pointed to Keef.
Keef smiled nervously. "Hi, I'm Keef! Some of you may already know me..." He stopped, looking to Kathy to save him from his obvious embarrassment.
Of course, Kathy, being the nervous wreck she always was, was no better than he…
"My name is Kathy, and I have two sisters…" She stopped there, too shy to go on. 'Really? Two sisters?!' She blushed, obviously embarrassed. 'Out of all the things you could have said you chose to say, 'I've got two sisters!' like an idiot?!'
Jamie smiled. "I'm Jamie, Kathy's older sister, and I work at the water factory."
Everyone looked impressed at her words; and why shouldn't they? The water harvesting factory was the highest paying job in town, right alongside mechanics and scientist.
A blond girl with glasses stood up to introduce herself. "My name is Mary, I like to write stories, and I'm currently in the school newspaper. Oh! And I'm their youngest sister," the girl said with a perfect smile as she motioned to Jamie and Kathy.
Kathy was instantly fuming. 'Now that is an introduction!' She told herself harshly as the girl with lavender pigtails stood up shyly.
"Um, my name is Gretchen, and I'm really good with computers. I guess I'm also smart, especially at math. In fact, I can really solve pretty much any math equation you can throw at me, so..." She let her sentence die off and shyly sat back down.
'I bet I could think of a few equations that would leave your head spinning!' Joseph thought to himself. He had no doubt about who had chosen her to join the group, but he tried not to let the fact that it was Mark cloud his judgment. It had to be Mark, since he'd talked about her to the group before, so he probably actually went to her first. Mark had once said that she had an IQ of 180, which was impressive for a human. It was definitely high enough to hope that she could master the ways of Irken Technology; or at least, that's what Joey was hoping for.
"H-hello. My name is Audra, a-and this is my cousin Steven… we're both black-belts in karate," Audra said very quietly. The introductions continued down the row after a moment of impressed nodding.
"Uh, my name is Shyann, and even though it's no longer a school sport, my team and I still play street football in the field by the old Bloaty's Restaurant," she said as Dallas stood up.
"And as team captain, I, Dallas Thomas, declare you are all invited to our next game on Saturday!" He smiled, obviously proud of the fact that he was the football team captain and was brave enough to still play the sport, even though it was banned from school.
A tall and rather skinny boy stood up next; he rocked on his legs, back and forth nervously, as he tried to introduce himself. "My name is Brian Rhodes… I don't exactly have anything cool to say, but I'm pretty good at decoding hidden messages and I once accidentally hacked into a government computer for a secret cooperation. Of course it was my brother's computer, but how was I supposed to know he was an undercover agent?"
Josh's mouth fell open. 'And he doesn't think that's a cool thing to say?!' He forced his mouth shut as he noticed the grin on his brother's face. He instantly knew who recruited this computer geek. 'Not bad, Zim,' he admitted to himself, 'but if you tell me that you only recruited him because he reminds you of me then I swear I'll kill you!'
Another girl with dirty blond hair stood up next. "My name is Elizabeth Evans, and I like doing extreme sports."
'Is jumping onto a moving train while fighting off a bunch of Irken Military personnel extreme enough for you?' Mark chuckled to himself as he continued to keep an eye out for anything that would see this circle as a suspiciously unauthorized assembly.
A big and really buff kid stood up next, and Joshua swore inwardly; he had a good reason behind the curse on his lips. He was purely surprised to see that the kid was a giant and could easily pass as an adult. "My name is Daniel Jenkins, but most people just call me Jenkins, and I used to be on the wrestling team before it was BANNED!" He yelled.
'No joke…' Joshua held in a laugh. This kid could definitely take out a soldier or two. After all, wrestling was an effective form of fighting, and his size would certainly be an advantage.
"My name is Jack." a tall boy with shaggy dark hair said. "And these are my friends Elisabeth and Diana," he gestured to two girls with long red hair beside him. "We used to all team up in the extreme sports Olympics before…" he stopped looking at Jenkins knowingly. "Well, you know." He sat down then, giving Elisabeth and Diana each a high five as he went.
The girl beside Diana stood up next. "I'm Katlyn Newhouse, and these are my friends Robert and William." She gestured to the two boys beside her as she spoke. "Our parents were all stationed here before the Great War."
Rachel couldn't help but wince at her words. A lot of kids in town were 'Military Brats'; they had parents in the Military. She couldn't help but feel sorry for them; each of them was missing someone dear to them right now. If they were lucky it was only one of their parents that was gone, and if they weren't lucky… well, then they'd be like Josh and Joey; trying to scrape by on their own. She couldn't imagine how hard that must be…
'Would they even have time to stand and fight? Would they even want to?' She could only hope so. After all, a Military Brat has had the opportunity to travel all over the world. She could only imagine what skills they had learned and what connections they still might have with friends in allied countries that they had met in their brief times that they were stationed there...
"My name is Amber Hammons and I'm a gymnast." A tall lanky girl spoke as she stood to introduce herself. "I've done gymnastics since I was four. I miss it a lot, it used to be so much fun…"
"Nothing around here is fun anymore," the girl beside her said bitterly. "They took it all away." She stood then. "My name is Gwynn Taylor; Victor and I use to be part of the track team." She gestured to the last kid in the circle, who was sitting quietly beside her. "We were just voted the best track team in the nation the day before the war, and then it was all taken away…"
"Everything was taken away," Victor whispered sourly.
Joseph cringed as some of the others mumbled their agreements. 'If this is how they feel about my race now, then how are they going to feel towards me when they find out I'm not human…?' It was an uncomfortable thought, to say the least, and Joseph couldn't help but feel that feeling of yearning for the world he once knew. A world where things made sense, and he felt at home. Of course he saw Earth as a home, after Gaz had shown him its beauty, but there were so many things here on Earth that still didn't make sense to him. Even though he was comfortable in his new life, it was starting to become exhausting, pretending to be something that he obviously wasn't.
He sighed deeply. 'I want to go home…' He reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the skull necklace that lied there. It was the one thing that kept him going because, in his mind, Earth was a home, sure… But it wasn't the home he yearned for, and neither was Irk. Sure, there were other Irkens there, and other lifestyles and terminologies that actually made sense, but he never felt like he fit in there either...
No. It was Gaz; she was his home, and right now, he missed her more than anything. 'I wonder if she misses me too. Does she ever stop to think about me?' Suddenly the bell sounded, pulling him away from his thoughts.
"Okay guys, meet us back here tomorrow for lunch!" Rachel said as all the kids began to rush off to their next class, leaving the four Renegades alone by the tree. For a long moment none of them spoke until, finally, Rachel cleared her throat. "So, what do you think?"
"Well, I think they've all got what it takes," James said. "They just need a little training, really."
"What if they all chicken out and don't come?" Mark asked the obvious.
"Then we'll search for more," Josh answered before turning to his brother. "You sure you're ready for this?"
Joseph watched as the four humans looked at him, waiting for his reply. 'Am I ready for this? Am I ready for the possible ridicule and harsh judgment that's bound to come?' His grip tightened on the necklace, and that's when he knew the answer. It didn't matter if they judge him harshly or ridiculed him for his pass transgressions. No. The only thing that mattered now was saving Gaz and correcting the wrongs he had done.
With a deep sigh and determined look, he spoke. "Yes. I am ready," he finally answered.
"Then it's settled! We drop the invites into their lockers and… wait to see if they come…" Rachel spoke the last part gravely.
"I'll do it," Josh said boldly. "I have free period right now, so I have plenty of time," he assured them.
"Then let's get moving!" Joseph warned. "We can't afford to be seen lurking after the bell."
The five Renegades all nodded their agreement, and, after a brief farewell, they parted in their separate ways.
(Back with Josh)
[Later, Just before the final Bell]
The pressure…
It was eating him alive!
Joshua Campbell fidgeted in his seat as the seconds ticked by, one eon at a time. Of course, he knew it wasn't really eons going by like sand through an hourglass, but it sure felt like it!
'What if one of them turned their letter into the Principal's Office?! Or what if they just throw it away and one of the Irken authorities on campus find it?!' Josh's mind was frantic; he had been like this since he passed out those letters during his free period. Now he only had three minutes until the final bell. If he could survive 180 seconds then, just maybe, he could get out of this place alive!
"Joshua!"
Josh snapped back into attention as his Irken History teacher Mr. Kizo called his name for the eighth time. "Y-yes, Mr. Kizo?" Josh stammered, which only earned a chorus of laughter from the Irken cadets to his left.
"For the eighth time, Mr. Campbell, I asked you about the Great 100 Year War that took place during the early years of the Irken race," Mr. Kizo snapped, obviously annoyed.
"Oh," Josh stammered, his eyes never leaving the clock. 'I better hurry up and answer. I only have 60 seconds,' he thought. "The Great 100 Year War was between the Irken race and a far less superior race, the Kygu, but what they lacked in technology they made up for in numbers and will power. Finally, after 100 years of constant war, the Great General Kazar claimed the capital of his enemy's people and vanquished their leader, thus ending the war." Josh breathed a sigh of relief as the bell sounded around him.
Mr. Kizo shook his head disappointingly. "Class is dismissed! Now all of you get out of my face!"
Josh gathered his books and raced to the door.
"And Mr. Campbell…"
Josh froze and turned to the teacher slowly. "Yes Mr. Kizo?"
"Next time you zone out in my class, I will not hesitate to make your suffering existence all the more so. Are we clear?"
"Yes Sir," Josh answered as respectfully as possible.
"Good. Now get out!"
Josh raced out of the room as fast as his feet could carry him, eager to put some distance between him and the brute as fast as possible.
(Back with Jamie)
The letter...
She didn't know how it got in her locker, but there it was, staring back at her.
Jamie Rogers picked up the red envelope and couldn't help the shiver that ran down her back. It held no address and no stamp. She knew that the wisest thing was to throw it away, but her curiosity got the better of her. She turned the letter over and saw 11 big block letter words...
DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU ARE SURE YOU ARE ALONE!
Jamie looked around the hall franticly and stuffed the letter into her pocket, running for the only place that still possessed any privacy; the restroom. Jamie ran into the bathroom and quickly locked herself in a stall, then ripped the letter open with shaking hands and read it in haste.
Dear Jamie,
You are hereby invited to join the Renegades, a self-made team of individuals whose sole purpose is to protect and defend mankind from all forms of terror, whether foreign or domestic.
If you choose, you will swear on your life to defend your fellow humans from any threat, including the most current and obvious one to date: The Irken Race.
Do realize that this is not a decision to take lightly. If you chose to agree, then you are promising to brake the current laws of our Irken overlords, a crime that can and will be punishable by death, depending on your future actions. You will live a double life, constantly being hunted down by the Irken Authorities. You will be tasked with sometimes life-threatening missions, where some of your comrades will not make it out alive.
Because of this, we ask you to consider why we may have chosen you. Ask yourself; do you have what it takes to fight back? We think you do. We think you have the drive, the skill, and the means. But please, do still consider carefully.
If you do choose to become a member, then report to Warehouse 18 12:00 AM for your initiation.
Forever Fighting,
~The Renegades
Jamie couldn't believe her eyes. 'The Renegades want me to...' Of course, Jamie knew about the resistance. The rumor about them had been going around since the Snack Factory bombings a couple of months ago. 'Should I do it? Should I even consider it?'
'Of course not!' She told herself knowingly. 'Do you know how much danger you'd be putting your sisters in if you joined some rag-tag team of criminals!?' She balled up the piece of paper and left the stall, heading for the trash can. 'You can't afford to get involved!' She went to throw it away and stopped...
"Behave? How can you say that?! Don't you want to do something, anything, to get things back the way they were?!"
"Of course I do, but we just can't, okay?"
"But if we could, if someone gave us the chance, would you?"
"Of course I would, but the chances of that happening are slim to none."
Jamie held the letter to her chest. She had answered Kathy's question without hesitation, so why did she doubt herself now?
'This has to stop, and you've been given the chance to help make that happen, so what are you waiting for?'
Jamie looked into the mirror and gave herself a small nod. She was going to do this! After all, she had promised her sister that she would, and that was a promise that she planned to keep!
(Back with Gaz)
[Location: Zec)
Solitude…
It had a way of playing tricks on your mind, eating away at your brain until there was nothing left but a shell of what you once were. Gaz Membrane paced her cage back and forth; she swore she saw something flash by at the corner of her eye. She turned to cry out Zim's name, to rejoice in the fact that he had finally come to save her, only to find that no one was there.
Was this to be her fate? Was she to stay up here on Zec, locked away from the world she once knew and loved liked some caged dog in the pound? Was this her punishment for torturing her brother since the day of her birth? Was this her penalty for trusting her heart and falling in love?
She wasn't sure. Heck, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. Did she really think that they'd take her out in a jiffy? That she wouldn't stay in the clutches of the enemy long? Of course she did! Like a stupid idiot she thought that Zim would be back seconds later to rescue her and sweep her off her feet. Oh, how many hours did she play the scenario of her rescue in her mind?
'It's not going to happen,' she told herself. 'Your best bet is to wait for your moment of opportunity to present itself, and then rescue yourself!' She knew that deep down she was right but waiting for that moment felt like an eternity. 'You must stay strong. The moment will present itself; it just has too!'
Gaz let out a deep sigh and curled up into a ball to get some sleep, praying to whoever would listen that, just this once, she was right…
(Back with Mary)
Mary Rogers tip-toed quietly down the hallway and toward the stairs of her house. It was exactly 11:30, which meant she only had thirty minutes to get to the warehouse. At first she decided to tell her sisters about the letter she had found in her locker after fourth period, but after much thought she decided against it. After all, she was only 13, and hardly rag-tag criminal material.
"Mary?"
Mary froze as her sister Kathy appeared from out of her room at the other end of the hall. She was dressed in all black, just like she was, and a letter was clasped in her hands.
"No way! You got one too?" Mary whispered. The shock was evident on her face.
Kathy nodded.
Mary sighed. "Okay, fine, but if you wake up Jamie then it's every girl for herself!"
Kathy nodded her agreement, and the two sisters slowly crept down the stairs, and stopped dead in their tracks as they were met with their older sister; who was at the moment busily putting her thick brown hair into a bun.
"Jamie?" Mary whispered.
Jamie jumped up in surprise and turned to see her sister dressed in all black. 'OH NO!'
"Please tell me you two did not get a letter too!"
Kathy and Mary looked at each other and then held up their letters guiltily.
"No. No. No! This is not happening, this is not…you can't go, it's dangerous!" Jamie shouted quietly.
"So what? You want us to stay here, and worry about whether or not you will return?" Mary cried.
"Yeah," Kathy said, backing her up. "What if it's a trap you'll need us to back you up?"
Jamie looked at her two sisters and nearly screamed. She wanted to argue with them, but deep down she knew they were right. If this were a trap then she wouldn't stand a chance alone. And besides, they were both old enough… even Mary… to make this important decision on their own. It would shape their entire lives from here on out, and she couldn't simply say no if this is what they wanted…
"Fine, but if either one of your grades slip, or you misbehave, or embarrass me in any way, then you're out; agreed?"
Both of her sisters nodded. "Agreed!"
(Following Keef)
He knew that if he was wise he'd turn back now...
Then again, Keef Larson was never known to be the wisest kid on the block. Keef gulped as he neared his location; Warehouse 18. He had been fighting with himself about this all day, about whether or not he should go. Finally, he had decided that he had to do this. It was the only way to avenge his sister and honor her death. She had died trying to defend the Earth from the Irkens, and now, in her memory, he would do the same!
"Stop!" The voice was but a whisper and it came from directly behind him! "You should be more aware of your surroundings. If I were the enemy, you would be dead by now," the voice continued as the owner of the voice began to search him.
Keef stayed perfectly still, as the owner of the voice searched each of his pockets before padding him down. 'His voice sounds familiar to me…' Keef suddenly found a smile slipping on his face. "Zim?" He whispered softly, but the owner of the voice gave him no answer. He continued searching, only stopping to speak again once he had completed the search.
"You are to walk through the front door and give your letter to the one standing guard. Now go!"
Keef was suddenly pushed forward. It wasn't a rough shove, but he was surprised enough to almost fall to the ground.
The owner of the voice sighed behind him. "We've got a lot of work to do."
Keef blushed in slight embarrassment as he continued forward and entered the warehouse. He was immediately met with the view of a large open room, filled with at least 15 or so people.
"Letter!" A voice shouted to his left.
Keef turned to see a kid a little taller than him dressed in all black and wearing a mask. 'This must be the guard Zim was talking about.' The funny thing was, he knew this guy's voice too. He knew he did! Keef pulled out his letter and handed it over, watching as the guard held it up towards the light.
Suddenly, an almost invisible watermark appeared. It was the Irken insignia, crossed out with a big fat red X.
"You can join the others," the guard answered.
Keef moved on and joined the group of people, only to turn back to the door when the guard shouted...
"Next!"
Keef's heart literally skipped a beat as he saw that it was Kathy and her sisters! He looked around the room and realized in an instant that all the people here were the same people who ate lunch with him earlier that day, and it wasn't long before those around him began to notice it too.
Jamie saw it coming from a mile away, and it wasn't long before she figured out the truth. 'Those kids that invited us to lunch...'
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!" A girl dressed in black appeared on top of a stack of crates that were stacked into what appeared to look like a stage. The girl took off her mask and smiled.
"It's Rachel!" Kathy whispered.
"Now, I'm sure you've all figured it out by now," Rachel continued, "But before you start pointing fingers, I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight. It took a large amount of courage on all of your parts, and to be honest, that's exactly what we're looking for."
Keef looked around; no one looked angry, just shocked.
'"I know this is a bit shocking to you, but this is no joke. We are the Resistance, and to prove it, I have an individual with me who everyone would fully expect to be in the resistance." Rachel took a deep breath.
'This is it; the moment of truth. After this, any of them could destroy our forces completely if they betrayed us. But we have to trust them to earn their trust in return…'
So, without further ado and with a wide arching motion of her arm, she motioned to the side. "Everyone, we'd like you to meet Dib Membrane."
Dib stepped onto the stage, into the harsh spotlight, and stood in front of his future comrades with a look of determination. And to his surprise, everyone began to cheer.
'Of course they're cheering,' he told himself. 'After all, you knew about the Irkens before they even got here; with you they think we stand a chance.' Dib waited for the cheers to die down before speaking.
"Everyone, I'd like to start by saying it's an honor to see all of you here, but before you get invested into the fold, we have to make something very clear to you."
Kathy coughed. Was it just her own paranoia, or did the room suddenly feel heavy?
Zim tensed. He was hiding on the other side of the stage, waiting for his introduction. He knew they'd reject him, and after hearing them at lunch earlier that day, he couldn't blame them.
"There is one member of our team that is not human," Dib continued, only to stop as the crowd began to whisper softly. Finally, one of them spoke up.
"Not human?" Audra yelled. "That means they're Irken?"
"Yes," Dib admitted. "Is that a problem?"
Everyone looked at Audra as if waiting for her to be the first to object, thus allowing them to agree.
Audra seemed to think it over. Finally, she answered. "I can tell the Irken race is cruel even to their own kind, and I find it hard to believe that they all agree with the ways of their people, but how do we know we can trust this particular Irken?"
It was a good question, one that Dib had an interesting way of answering. "You already have."
"What?" Audra was confused.
"He was the one who checked your pockets before you entered the building," Dib told her bluntly. "But even more so, you walk by him every day at school, just like you walk by me every day."
"But how? You're a wanted criminal!" Jenkins pointed out. "How are you able to hide in plain sight?"
"We hide in plain sight the same way we gather intelligence on our targets for attack. Both are provided by..."
"The Irken!" Gretchen interrupted him. "And why would this Irken betray his people? What is his reason for siding with us?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself?"
Keef watched as the guard from the door pulled off his mask; it was Mark!
"Well, go ahead, tell them!" Mark yelled, knowing good and well that Zim heard him the first time.
Zim silently cursed and stepped onto the stage; the room immediately filled with gasps. Zim cleared his throat; his nerves were on a high edge, and ready to jump into gear at any moment.
"My name is Irken Zim, and I betrayed my people in the hopes to right the wrongs that I have caused."
"You caused all of this!" Kathy yelled. It wasn't a question, and Zim could see the pain in her eyes. "You're the reason why my parents are dead!"
Zim flinched and swallowed down the urge to run for cover. "Yes. I have no excuses for my crimes towards any of you. I was assigned by my leaders to come to Earth and live among you, hiding in plain sight. I learned everything about you, all your strengths, weaknesses, and reported all my findings back to my leaders."
"So why turn against them?" Audra asked the million-dollar question.
"Throughout my entire life, I have been victimized by my people, and set up for failure. I was taught to know only hatred, and pain, and for a long time I never knew there was anything else, but… one of you showed me otherwise. I have been on this planet for seven years now, and I know it better than my own home world. In my years here I have seen that this planet isn't all filthy and chaotic, as it seems at a first glance. This world is beautiful, and though you humans thrive in chaos, I have learned that there is a strategy to your madness." Zim stopped as if waiting for someone to boo at him or threaten him, but no one did.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look," he said, "I'm not asking you to trust me, and I'm not asking you to let me stay when all this is said and done. No. What I am asking is a chance to show you that we are not all bad. Most of us could care less how many unconquered worlds are out there. We are simply subjects following orders, some out of respect and others out of fear, but in the end, it all falls back on the fact that we are just doing our jobs."
"Why do you fear them?" Mary asked.
Zim froze at the question, and Dib swore that he saw fear in the Irken's eyes. The alien seemed to ponder on how much he should share; finally, he spoke again.
"There are some things about my race that you would not understand. You humans fear what you can't understand, and you often destroy the things that you fear. I am sorry, but there are some things I am not yet willing to share with you."
"Why?" The question came from Mark. "Why are you unwilling to share?"
"Can you blame me?" Zim asked. "Who's to say you won't give me the boot the moment I tell you everything you need to know?"
"So, you don't trust us either?" Kathy asked.
"No, I do trust some of you, but I also know that not all humans are the same. There's a saying you earthlings have. I believe it's that 'trust must be earned'. I am willing to earn your trust, and promise that if I do earn it, that I will try to trust you as well," Zim vowed.
"Try?" Shyann asked.
"No one's perfect," Zim told her with a half-smile.
"Well, I guess it makes sense to have someone from the inside," Audra said thoughtfully. "I mean, how else are we going to stand a chance?"
"We wouldn't," James said as he eyed his cousin. "We wouldn't stand a chance at all. Zim is a valued member of this team and will be in charge of most of your training."
"That is, if you still wish to join," Rachel cut in.
All the recruits murmured their agreements.
"Very well then. Everyone, please raise your right hand and repeat after me," Rachel ordered.
Zim watched as every single one of them raised their hand, and he couldn't help the smile that found its way to his face. They were willing to stand, even if it were with an Irken, as long as it meant that one day they'd be free. 'Maybe they're not as helpless as I once thought,' he said to himself. 'Maybe we do have a chance.'
"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Human Race against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that I will obey the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so help me God!"
Dib smiled as every last one of the recruits repeated after her, and a since of pride seemed to wash over the room in waves, but there was also something else there too...
'Hope,' Dib realized it in a second. 'They have hope once again; hope that someday the world will be right once more.'
Zim smiled as well, and as the oath came to a close, he stepped forward to speak, and with every word a new since of purpose filled the original five members. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the resistance."
The twenty recruits shouted their approval and raised their fists to the sky, screaming their cries for war and justice. Sure, there was only a handful of them, twenty-five if you counted the original members, but one day there would be thousands of them…
'And when that day comes, the Irkens will rue the day that they chose to mess with planet Earth…'
End Notes: And there you have it folks, the resistance is growing but their numbers are not the only thing that is rising. Zim's bizarre symptoms seem to be increasing, and the lies of our enemy, the Tallest are multiplying by the second. Lies that have been hidden in the dark for over one hundred years. Which causes you to wonder who these Amons are? And what makes them so special?
Tune in next time to find out!
Shout-out(s): I would like to give a shout out to all those who reviewed Episode 1-Cami, Invader Johnny, and AnonymousLiving; thank you for your reviews and I hope to see more in the future.
Remember: I am open to suggestions, if you would like something to happen in the series please let me know; and I will give you credit at the end of whatever Episode I use it in. I would personally like to thank you for reading and ask that you please review. Your support is greatly appreciated.
And if you wish to become a future member of Resistance Please let me know. You can use your own Name as others have done, or you can make up your own character. All credit will go to their respective owners.
Thanks Again, I hope to see you all in the next episode!
Yours Truly, RoxieDivine