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Hey, Happy Late Christmas and stuff! I suck, I know! Uhh- Yeah, sorry it's been forever! Having a hard time typing this out, I just don't really know what I'm doing anymore! This chapter is iffy, not too excited about it. Getting to the good though, getting there. I want to say the ending is coming, but I keep adding stuff, so who knows. D;

To Zintenka: Lol I always have grammar mistakes. Always form instead of from. I never fix them, I suck. ;P That is a very difficult question. I mean, I really wasn't expecting this story to become this slightly popular. I was only planning on leaving it at one chapter, but I had so many people comment and say that they want another chapter. That they wanted more of this idea. Hmm- I guess if you do a deeper look into Invader Zim that'll help you out. My all time favorite story on this site is called 'In Short Supply' that's an Invader Zim story that hasn't been finished/updated in years, but I still love it so much. The writing style is fantastic, story captivates you, and the characters are actually perfectly in character. There's actually an idea behind the story that keeps you wondering, drama that you just have to know how it ends. Unlike me, keep the characters in character, that'll help you out. ;D I noticed that romance is a big hit on this site, Gaz/Zim romance and such.

Best advice I can say is do what you want to do. What idea has been going through your head dealing with Invader Zim for weeks? Start typing and see what comes up. Things don't really become popular by trying, that creates the annoying kind of popular. Like 'My Immortal' stated as the worst fanfiction ever popular. :P Just start typing and watch, there's someone out there who agrees with you and wants you to keep going with your story idea. That's what fanfiction is about. :)

Now, let me begin! :D

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Destruction Of Loyalty

"-It's happening.-"

"-No.-"

"-De... Denial is rather ugly, is it not?-"

"-You should save your thoughts, you'll be out of power in no time if you keep using yourself up. Yes, you keep denying that flickering of yours. Do that as your people die right before your eyes. The Vortians have lost all control and will act on savage impulses as they did years ago. At least they shall live though. The Meekrobs will be gone as soon as your power runs out. When you die, so will they all. All their accomplishments, history, families, traditions- Gone in a blink of an eye. The Vortians shall be savages and mindless as before, but they shall be living.-"

"-Mmm- Yes, that is t-t-true The Irken race is so-on to die. Killed either by their own hands... Or by all the forces coming to attack them. How does that feel, Central? Knowing that you have lost in our game also.-"

"-Nothing has been lost for the Irkens yet. With Left being completely destroyed by Tallest Purple there is no doubt that control is lost. Your power is fading and in a matter of hours you shall finally die. I am still here. I am not losing my power. Irken still has a chance for world dominance. The perfect amount of control.-"

"-Still as foolish as...-"

Static.

"-Oh? Sorry. I was not able to hear you. You seemed to have flickered away. What was that, Right?-"

"-Still as foolish as you... Were when you had been alive. Can you not see that I-I-Irk has lost?-"

"-No. They are the ones with the perfect amount of power. Dominance. Control.-"

"-Tell me again how Tallest P-Purple is the one to throw your planet into chaos and destroyed Left?-"

"-...-"

"-That is what I... Thought.-"

"-Do not worry, you will not have any thoughts for much longer, old friend.-"

"-Yes, maybe so. At least I shall be gone b-before I see my plans fall before my eyes. Your chips are faulty, two Tallests have already proven that. Y-Y-Your plans for perfect control have been falling before your eyes for years. You can... Not keep... Denying forever.-"

"-You are a...-"

Static.

"-I-It seems your time is coming al-al-also. Damages were bound to catch up sometime.-"

"-This is why I hate Meekrobs.-"

"D-Do not worry. They hate y-you, too. And apparently so-so-so does your own race.-"

"-All because of one Tallest who I did not destroy in time. This is his fault. Control has been lost because of him. He will learn what happens when you break the chip. If he wants no control, he shall receive no control. We will create a playing field of no control. Let us see how he will handle losing his most loyal Irken.-"

"-W-W-What?-"

"-Tallest Purple shall pay for this. He has not won. He. Shall. Pay.-"

...

(Planet Earth, Zim's Lab)

...

Tak was impressed.

For the record, that was difficult to do.

Never had she seen someone so- Skillful with his fingers dealing with Irken technology. Hands swiftly traveled along the machine as though he had done this hundreds of times before, muttering sweet nothings to himself about which piece went where. He would roll in his chair from one spot of the chamber to another spot that required his assistance, the dim light reflecting off his glasses as he worked. And worked. Then worked some more. The roaring engine of a Voot Crusier starting up again after so many years of not being used blared through the lab, yet the sound didn't deteriorate his movements. In fact, it seemed to have fueled him to keep going. His wrappings still needed to be redone, apparent by the fact that the cloth was no longer white but a dark red, she knew he wouldn't stop though. No matter how much pain he was in. The Irken kept her bearing as a true invader, but a smirk wanted to break through her face so badly. He was impressive. Most Irken scientists who had built these machines wouldn't have even been able to fix their own machines like this, let alone advance them to such a new degree. A laugh escaped his lips as he rolled himself to a large metal arch, leaning over the edge of his chair to tweak at a dial that was on the side of it. Finally realizing that she had been gazing at him for many moments she crushed her admiration in mere seconds, letting her head lazily turn to the side with a huff.

Yeah, he was good. Not Irken, but good.

"I don't understand why we built the Empire on height."

All sound halted.

Purple sat up awkwardly in his chair, every head in the room turning their attention towards the Tallest. He gave a sneer at them, feeling really uncomfortable under their gazes. Jeez- It's not like he had just cursed at them or something! The female Irken blinked a few moments, not realizing that she was staring intensely at her Tallest as though he had some how broken her mind up in pieces. Unknown to him, he had just done that. With an obnoxious cough her gaze was broken once more, deciding to let her eyes linger on her combat boots since they wouldn't feel awkward. I mean, if she could have her feet inside them, they shouldn't care that her eyes were on them, right? Wait- Was she acting like her boots had feelings? By the Tallest, she needed to get away. All this crazy in the air was effecting her thoughts.

"Why do you say that, Purple?"

The Tallest shrugged a shoulder, lips turned to the side in annoyance.

"I don't know, it's just, you know- Stupid. Many Irkens are short. Most of them all. Picking on height is just stupid. It was lucky that Red and I are such great Tallests, you know?"

Dib's laughter cut short when purple eyes gazed dangerously at him.

"But that was by luck. What if some really tall Irken was picked to be Tallest and he was, you know, dumb? Kind of a- Give me a word..."

"Loser?"

"Yeah, loser! What if the next Tallest was dumb and kind of a loser? It would look bad meeting with other planets. I just don't even see how we started off picking someone by their height. That's as stupid as picking someone by their eye color. And taking over planets, that's kinda dumb, too. When did we agree on doing this? We've been doing it for years and years, yeah, but when was it written down that we agreed on doing this 'take over the entire universe' thing? I didn't decide on this, that's for sure, I was just thrown into it when I became Tallest. There are a lot of things that need fixed on Irk after we get the Control Brains."

The human beamed at the Tallest, but Tak kept her eyes downwards. This conversation was bothering her, it wasn't like she didn;t agree with her Tallest, it was just... Nerve wrecking to hear all of this. She didn't know what to think. Didn't know how to handle it. Head to Irk and destroy the Control Brains, then what? What after that? Would that be the final step of Irk's downfall or would it be a new beginning? Could they even function without the control brains? She didn't know what to think at this point. Tak would follow her Tallest to the end though, whether or not she knew what the right choice was. After all, Tallest's orders.

"Good for you, Purple! Glad to see that you're really thinking about Irk now!"

"What I don't understand is why height has anything to do with all of this. Red and I were the Tallest, yet we still had to have the Control Brains place chips in us to make us 'perfect'. I lack control and Red was far absorbed in control. We both are overly emotional. They said that we were intelligent, but not their kind of intelligent. They said they would rather want us dumb and follow orders than be intelligent. It's just really- Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! Does this mean that I've been dumb all these years?!"

Her dark purple eyes widen when her Tallest shot a look directly at her face. Oh, by the past Tallest, why her? Why could Zim not be here?

"Uhh- No, my Tallest! You were..."

You were what, Tak? You were what?!

"Yeah, you were dumb."

From the other side of the room came Dib's response, down on his knees to tilt his head sideways at an open socket. Here was where the problem was dealing with the transporter, there was nacho cheese in it! The human gave a look of disgust, wondering if it was Zim or Gir who did this. No matter, he would fix it up and get the machine running in no time. A gasp left the Tallest, pretending to look hurt as his hand collapsed against the front of his robes. AIR kept his own hands behind his very straight back and his bearing didn't break for a moment, but one eye lifting higher than the other was all the Tallest needed to know that his unit was amused. His unit. That had a nice ring to it. The Tallest's Advanced Infiltrator Unit. Now, that sounded even better.

"I was not!"

"Yeah, okay, come on. You tried to have Tak over here take over Earth and fill it up with snacks."

Purple gave an evil grin.

"That's all Earth is worth though. The value of this planet matches the value of a vending machine."

The human would have none of this nonsense from the alien.

"That so? What about Zim being able to control the Massive? Isn't that a little dumb on your part? Having a defect control your most prized ship?"

"Hey! That wasn't-"

"Or what about the Resisty marking all over your ship? Yeah, I know about that! Don't even have me start with Zim. You can't even control your own citizen! He hasn't been able to take over Earth in years!"

"Pfft- Yeah, right? It's so difficult to get rid of that guy! Been trying to kill him for years and nothing has worked! I have been dumb!"

The wrench slipped from Dib's grasp.

"What?"

Purple didn't realize the distress slowly creeping over the human's features, but Tak did. Her lips thinned into a ling and brows curled in confusion, what was this about? Why was he no longer-

It suddenly hit her, eyes widening at the realization.

He didn't realize that Zim's mission was fake.

"Dumb, right? Sent him off to a planet that was off our charts and he still found a way to contact us! That idiot was supposed to die on your planet! No matter what we did it just never worked to destroy Zim. Even the insane SIR units we sent off didn't even reach him!"

"So... Zim wasn't sent here to take over Earth by you guys?"

Mocking laughter clouded Dib's mind.

"Hahaha! Please! Zim?! Maybe I would consider it now, maybe, but not back then! He never had a mission! We didn't even know what Earth was! We sent him off to try and kill him. He's just a defect that wouldn't die! Didn't even have the courtesy to even explode at least once."

"Zim's never been a threat to Earth?"

"Nah. More of a threat to Irk than you guys."

Tak's antennas narrowed backwards when the human slumped against the transporter machine.

"Not interested in Earth?"

"Nope. Only once for that snack idea, which Zim ruined!"

Cool metal connected with Dib's forehead, glasses sliding to the bridge of his nose.

"He's nothing to the Empire. Not to me or Red, not to the other Irkens, I even know some SIR Units that made fun of him. Zim's just a defect that wouldn't get it."

"We both have been lying to ourselves for years about our 'mission'. All that wasted time. My life has been a lie..."

"What are you muttering to yourself, Meatbag?"

"N-Nothing! Just calculating details! The transporter vortex machine Zim created years ago will be up soon. With it we can transport into your galaxy system in a few minutes and not take months getting there. Still need to fix these two Voot Cruisers and set up the weapons in the coding panel. I still have a few hours of work to go. The suits are ready though."

"Great! Want any help from Air with anything?"

"No! Uhh- No. Sorry, but it would be easier if I did this myself."

He went back to work, but it wasn't the same. Fingers were dangling along as he worked, no longer determined as before. Lips were shut tightly, refusing to whisper anything else to himself. Dark purple orbs never turned away from his view. If only she knew what to say to ease the pain. There was nothing to say to someone who just found out they wasted years on nothing.

She wished there was though.

"You know, I like Zim now. He really wasn't that bad, I just wish I had been a better Tallest back then."

Unknown to the group, something deadly had hacked into the Irken computer system, everything going on being recorded.

...

(Transmission between Planet Meekrob and Planet Vort)

...

"Ah, lovely ladies of Meekrob. A pleasure to finally meet face to face after all these years."

Mort and Zort bowed their heads, but Port tilted her head back slightly, earning a tugged eyebrow from Mistress Para.

Mmm- Defiance. She liked that.

"Indeed. A pleasure to finally be able to meet you, Mistress Para. Shame that it is only now that we are meeting each other."

The Vortian did not miss the hiss in her tone.

"Forgive me. It should have not been this long. A subject we both can agree upon. I will not place a mask over my race, we have been cowards under the control of Irk. It has changed though. We have changed."

There was a hint of a smile on the queen's face.

"Yes, it has. I am pleased to see that you are ruling your rightful planet. Lard Nar has told us all the details of your plan. Our ships shall be meeting up with your comrades in a few degrees."

"Splendid. It seems we won't have to do much work though, I have been informed that Irk has started a revolution on their own planet."

Para hid her surprise well when she saw the locked jaw of the Meekrob queen, her back only stiffening when her hands collapsed together from behind. Something crept along the electric blue lines of her lovely face. Something cold, angry, and very, very deadly. It seemed that her own sisters did not catch the sign of distress all along the edges of her features. The emerald eyes of the Vortian slanted by the thought. It wasn't surprising, she had come to learn the signs of negative emotions. The lines of distress, the tensing of rage, the tremble of desperation- She had grown accustomed to such signs. Hard to ignore traits that she had done for absolute years. Lazily the Vortian tossed her legs over the armrest of her throne, tossing what appeared to be a fuzzy, dark purple apple from one hand to the other. Why would the very queen of Meekrob even care if Irk was starting a revolution? Odd.

Very odd.

"Revolution, you say, Mistress Para?"

"Yes. An Irken Advisor by the name of Gig. Seems that even the Irkens have had enough within their own society also. Chaos has collapsed Irk within itself. Thousands have already died."

"Violence has already claimed Irk."

Was there worry at the tip of her tongue? What was this queen hiding?

"It has. The race will probably kill themselves off before we even reach them."

There it was, yes, finally she knew by the pure rage crossing her features. Something on Irk was important to her. Or someone. This could play in her favor. They both wanted to kill the Tallest. It was not a fate that they could share. Both leaders didn't care to claim the title of 'The destroyer of the Irken Race', no, they wanted blood. The very blood of the Tallest who was the root of all the problems. The Tallest would die by a Vortian's hands. By her hands. As Port slid herself into her throne the Vortian properly sat within her throne, eagerly leaning towards the transmission screen. The Meekrob flickered away from her spot for a split second, but it was long enough for Para to notice. She knew of Meekrob's power issue, they were going to completely die off soon. By the more apparent flickering and lack of hand-wave commands they were to be gone soon. Shame. Meekrobs were a worthy and nighty race. One of the only races to not fall under Irk's command. No matter, she would still get what she wanted.

"There is something of value that interests you on Irk, your highness."

The Vortian had forgotten the power a Meekrob would obtain by adulthood. Yes, she had forgotten why they were such powerful creatures. Her gray hand brushed across the purple fog traveling around her form, keeping her hidden from the world. Not that she needed hiding, with this trick the two leaders were now mentally gone from their world. The queen had melded her mind to her own. Even thousands of miles from one another along with her power failing and she still possessed the capability to do such an effortlessly task on her behalf. It must have been a strange sight to see them in the world, both of them just sitting there, unblinking. A mocking laugh left her lips, not realizing that the fog for a few seconds seconds had shifted into a gold shade before fading back to purple. Yes, that would have been a great sight to see the confusion and worried looks on everyone's face. The glowing of a feminine figure indicated that only the two of them were within this realm of fog and mysterious noises. Port's mind was much more dark than she would have ever believed it to be.

"Issue you wish to not to discuss before anyone?"

"The Irken race disgusts me. The only race not disgusted by the Irkens is their own race, and with this revolution going on I don't believe that anymore. No race has ever made me feel such utter hate and negativity. Never has anyone drowned me in such rage than the Irkens. They are worthless, I give not a damn for their salvation. Kill them off if you please. Starve them, explode them, place them in the same position your race had been in for so many years. They deserve that and even worse."

Within the shadows her hands began to elegantly twirl, entire left arm disappearing for a moment. Even with that elaspe her smooth movements were never interrupted, fingers creating the image of a beauty. Magenta eyes under long lashes, tilt of a smile on light green skin, curly antenna- Irken, female, invader or Elite by height appearance. Light blue dress indicated Meekrob royalty or the equivalent of such a position. Silver, knotted chains showed, if she still knew her Meekrob ranks, that the Irken was or had been in the highest position that could be given. Second-in-command to the queen, higher than the queen's own sisters. By the longing gaze, which made Para rather uncomfortable, this was her prize on Irk.

"Advisor Tenn."

"An Irken. Invader, no doubt, by her height and you knowing her. You wish no harm to this Irken."

"Yes, I had made a terrible mistake by letting her go back to her planet. She is different from her race. She is no longer counted as her race. More Meekrob than Irken."

"If I refuse her safety?"

"I shall wage war upon your race till my very last spark. You may have weapons, I have raw power. I will invade your mind and have you break from the inside out. Your people will die before your eyes. If I am to die soon, I will have Tenn safely resided away from her planet. She is not like her race and I will not have her stay with such monsters."

"Well put. She really does mean the entire galaxy to you if you dare say to wage war upon my planet. I will make sure to notify my people of her and let them know she is to not be touched. Capture her and return her to you. And if you are gone by then, she will reside on Vort in safety as my own advisor. If she can be an advisor to a Meekrob, she may be useful as an advisor to a Vortian."

Blue eyes narrowed.

"At what cost?"

Even in the dim atmosphere it was easy to see the sadistic grin on the mistress, the eerie fog around her finger tips flaring to a hot pink.

"Tallest Red is mine."

"Ra'jin'sak!"

"Meekrob cursing? Unfit for a queen of such grace and calm composure. We both want to kill Tallest Red. Meekrobs believe they are the ones to kill the Tallest. As politely as I can place this- Lo'masa to your race! The Vortians had been slaves to the Irkens! We had been the ones to be used by them! Our technology, our bodies, our minds- They took EVERYTHING from us! Your race had let us been taken under their command many years ago, I do not blame you for such a event, but you hid from them. You lived your lives the way you all wanted. I had to watch my people suffer every day by their hands. I was the one to not be able to protect or help my people, not you! I promise your soulmate's safety, if you promise me that I shall be the one to take Red's life. You want her. I want him."

Silence rang out between them, only broken by the faint sound of ticking. Port's eyes were flaring a rich gold as the purple around Para's hands shifted to a deadly scarlet. She was making her choose between her love for Tenn and her hate for the Tallest that had placed her in this entire situation! Yes, Queen Port, pick. Pick between them. Tallest Red or your little Advisor Tenn. We know who you'll pick. Currents sparked across before them, though the two dared to not pay mind to it. Thunder clashed while howling wind began to blow against them, golden orbs refused to break eye contact from emerald. Your mind is a dark one for someone so precious, Queen Port. Has losing your love done such a thing to your poor mind? Something devious ignited in the Meekrob, lifting up a single hand before the other royal before her. The blue shimmered within the darkness of her mind, the cries of the wind or the random spurts of lightning scaring either of them off. Ah, Vortians, you think you know so much. Silly little Mistress of hate, don't you understand? Emerald eyes widen when all her hand was centimeters from her face. Can you not see it? This is not my mind to be tampered with. She snapped her fingers.

It's yours.

Instantly the Vortian slipped to the ground on her knees, hands flinging upwards to grip her horns tightly. Before her eyes images began to form. Images of nightmares that she constantly had. Nightmares that would never go away for they had been real. Were real. A tall Irken clad in an Elite uniform was laughing at something a young Vortian in a lab coat said. It was the same couple again, except this time the Irken was leaning over a desk, gesturing to the Vortian to take some chips from his bag. With a smile and shrug she did as such, not longer working on her blueprints, attention all on him. The two were strolling down a corridor, whispering and snickering about something. Another image of snack throwing and the two pointing an accusing finger at each other when a tall, purple eyed Irken saw the aftermath of the fight. The utter surprise at seeing a little black unit with a white Irken symbol on its' forehead, the purple eye Irken squealing in delight with his friend smiling softly. Red eyed Irken opened a box and the female Vortian gasped, throwing herself in his grasp as he gave a mocking laugh. "It's only the circuit switch you were looking for, that's it." Queen Port flickered away for a moment at the sound of the voice, never turning her attention to see how the Vortian was handling the invasion of her mind. Para was now crouching in a ball, one hand gripping her horn and the other reaching outwards towards something- Anything to help her out of this mental torture.

Everything shifted instantly.

The green eye Vortian was gazing at a screen in the dark that showed a smiling and waving Tallest Red and Tallest Purple, the day that they had been announced as Tallests. She was reaching upwards to grab something off a shelf when her chamber doors pulled off their hinges, reviling the well known Invader Larb to her eyes. Her arms were chained behind her back, sporting a black eye and bloody lip, only wearing her famous lab coat, nothing else. She struggled against her chains when the Tallests appeared on the screen before her eyes, crying and screaming to let the world know of her distress. "What are you doing?! We served under Tallest Miyuki as her partner! I was your partner under her command, don't you remember?! I built you your ship, your SIR Units, your weapons- Anything you asked for! Why are you capturing the Vortian race?! I thought we were friends!" Though there had been two Tallests only one was now apparent on the screen, his features staying cold even as a smirk crawled upon his face and mocking laughter left his lips. "A friend of a Vortian? That's stupid! All you have ever been is a drone! You built those things because that was your job, good thing you got used to it, too. You'll be doing it for the rest of your life. You have been assigned as the Commanding Science Officer on your filthy planet. You have some worth to you, be glad of that. To be given such a position is a high honor. That lab coat fits you well." Port could feel the embarrassment and hurt wash over her like a cold wave. "Place her in a Vortian uniform and have her work as soon as possible. I want the Irken Bolt Plasma Rifles to be built soon." The line clicked away and all that was left was screaming. His new height, betrayal of a race that they had once been side by side with, and her being nothing more than a slave. Vortians getting beaten, spears stabbing them, bruises covering their bodies, new horrible images, yet the screaming never went away. They couldn't stop screaming!

"STOP!"

Everything was gone.

"Enough. You are powerful, I understand. A clear understanding. Never thought a Meekrob would abuse her powers in such a way."

Hate was evident on Para's face, pushing herself off the ground, random droplets beginning to fall upon them. Rain. Rare occurrence on both of their planets, non-existent on Irk. Fog shifted to a cold mist, Port gripping her hand that hadn't returned after many moments. She didn't mean to go that far, she couldn't control her powers during the entire occasion. The queen was now scared, eyes never tugging away from the left hand that refused to reform. It was happening.

"You do what you need to out of love and I shall do what I need to out of hate."

"I- I'm so-"

"Do not say it or I shall cut your tongue out if you do. It is in the past. Just let me tell you, little Meekrob, I have learned the true nature of those who rule Irk. I know of their fake kindness and personality. They are there for no one but themselves. There is not even trust within their own society. If you think you hate the Irk Empire the most, you are clearly mistake. I promise your love's safety and happiness. I know that not all Irkens are bad. Impossible for an entire race to be the same, not all of them can be good and not all of them can be bad. Most of them are pure evil though and I want to fix that. I don't want the entire Irken race removed, no, never. If I must to keep other races safe, than I shall. Tenn will be safe, this I promise you. If she still is alive on Irk when my citizens and your people get there, I promise she will stay that way. You must give me what I want though."

"Yes, I accept your offer. Tenn's safety for Red's life."

Hands lifted outwards to collapse around the mid-forearm, shaking exactly three times.

Love in exchange for hate.

"The deal has been accepted. Vort is once again an ally to the Meekrob race."

Yes, but for how long?

"I will get my ship and you will get into yours. Irk shall be ours."

...

(Planet Irk, Outside Smeet Facility)

...

For a moment everything stopped.

Every single light on Irk had switched off. The whirling of machines and powerful roars of weapons no longer filling the air. There were no more battle cries. Sirens no longer blaring to the world all around them. No more screams of terror. Complete silence was all that was heard on Irk for a moment. Sic caught his breath, instantly dropping to one knee as he flung his arms outwards before himself. He couldn't see anything, he had to make sure that the smeets stayed safe. In the complete darkness during a revolution was not a good time to be able to defend the small ones. No one seemed to have moved when everything stopped working on Irk. No feet scuffling, no weapons clashing against each other, and not a single shadow seemed to have moved. Everyone was too scared to move at this point. This blackout had now proved what they never wanted to ever happen.

The power on Irk was offically going out.

Dim lights flared on and engines hissed once more, giving enough time for the Commander to flick a switch on his wrist. A laser beam bounced off the force field he had created around their small group. It was cloaking them from the world and keeping them safe for any attack, one of the only five that had ever been made. 'The Cloaker' as the Tallests had referred it to. It would not last long, he hadn't been able to fully charge himself in weeks. It would be enough to keep them safe. Please, have it long enough to keep them safe. They are our only salvation. From his kneeling position he whipped his head around at the sound of something slamming, face paling to a light green. Desperation clouded his mind when he flung himself against the closed metal doors of the smeet facility, practically clawing at it. It was the only place they could be safe! He had no place he could take them! Through the reign of chaos and terror his eyes met the pair of horror struck, wide red eyes of the leader of the small group. The others cowarded as the scenes happened before their far-too-young eyes. Sound of brittle bones breaking as emotions of distress rang out before the very group, this the very first experience of the world they were to grow up in.

Not her though, not the Leader. She did not cry like the others, only gazed onwards as they clung to both her and his pants leg.

"Those are Irkens fighting each other."

A simple statement.

"Yes."

"I heard your transmission from that other lady who contacted you. A- Vortian."

"Yes."

"She's coming here to destroy the Irken race."

A knot was forming in his throat, knowing he would not be able to open the doors to the smeet facility. They had been made to keep everyone out during a situation such as this. It only took that one shot bouncing off their force field and colliding with the door to set off the security system. He tugged his legs away from their tiny hands to hurry down the lane, no one understanding why random shots were bouncing around randomly among the streets. It was like they were in a hamster ball and Sic was the hamster. He used his muscular legs to keep pushing the ball and they were either running beside him or rolling around inside of the field. There had to be a place he could hide them! Some where! Any where! Every beam made him flinch, worried that would go through the field and hit one of the smeets. Anything but them. Take me, but not them. Not them. He had been through many battles before and he was used to losing his friends on the frontline. Not on his home planet. Not with a smeet.

"The power isn't working on Irk. Why?"

Irken with bomb attached to chest fifty feet ahead, take left. Metal structure will stable long enough against blast to keep smeets safe.

"Irk was attacked many months ago by a Irken during a meeting Tallest Purple had with the Control Brains. Tallest Purple had been taken and the Control Brains were practically destroyed. One is completely gone, the other is flickering away constantly, and it seems that the central brain is catching up. We are about to lose all of our power, food sources can not be created since we have lost the power to replicate eighty percent of the food that we had usually done, blueprints of our technology can no longer be accessed, we were not able to birth smeets- Irk is killing itself off, young one. We must find a ship to get off this planet. You are the only smeets we have left."

Grenade. Roll on left heel to slip through alley, if I go too quickly I'll miss it.

"Everyone has gone insane. This wasn't supposed to happen. I'm sorry you have to be put through this. Nothing can be fixed at this point, I would rather let Irk rot than to have any of you placed in this situation. It was a miracle to have found a way to fix the power resource, but at this rate it will do us no good. They have all gone completely mad. All I want is to find a way to get you off this planet! The Control Brains will probably stop functioning in a matter of hours! No one can do anything at this point!"

Don't miss this turn!

His caught Red and Purple gazing at one another in awe.

"This is our mission."

The Commander slipped on his heel when he had snapped his head to the side, no longer being able to keep sprinting when he legs slipped from underneath his body. The muscular Irken slid across the concrete ground of the alley, a mixture of blood and sweat tangling together to create a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't even spit as his eyes scanned over the area, reaching his arms upwards to grab the falling smeets. Some were already on the floor while others where flung high into the air, screaming in terror at no longer being protected by the field. He caught the smeet known as Kiba with his left hand, tossing him into the crook of his right arm to use his hand to catch another smeet. Then another, and another, until he had at least ten squirming and howling smeets within his grasp. Gently placing them on the floor he ignored their questions and fear as hysteria crept along his mind, not being able to see where every single smeet was. He had caught ten, there were three that were pulling one out of a garbage bin, three were slowly pushing themselves off the ground, five stumbling towards the group- Three were missing. Who were-

The first smeets he had actually met.

"I can't find Leader!"

"Yeah! Second and Zimlyminotupin aren't here either!"

Gray eyes twitched, finger tips now uncontrollable as he started calculating the situation. If that Irken down that pathway had a grenade there were bound to be more. His eyes were glancing at every single edge, not being able to spot any of the three. If we stay in one position too long there's no way I'll be able to keep them safe. He knew that standing here was wasting time. A single slip could kill them all. He couldn't stand here and keep searching for them. They'll die out there! They have never been out into the real world! They know nothing! You'll let them die?! His antennas were pressed tightly against his head to ignore the tears and screams of the smeets who saw him setting up the force field once more. Begging, pleading for him to not leave the others behind. They had no time! He couldn't just stand around and not do anything! Legs picked up speed through twists and turns, trying any desperate measure to get the sound of sobbing out of his mind. He couldn't lose all of them, he couldn't. Not Irk's last hope. He would either find a safe place for them or see if an used ship was available to send them off in. What planet could he send them too? What planet was out there that didn't want to kill all Irkens?

Eyes prickled with tears, but he didn't cry. Not now. Not in front of them.

They were a sight to see, no doubt. Smeets jumping from roof top to roof top with their spider legs, blood smeared from skid marks and scratches. The three paused their sprinting for a moment to let their gazes wander over the scene, laser beams randomly shooting off in random directions for no reasons at all to the normal eye. Good. Sic was going to keep them safe. That's all she wanted was to have everyone safe. Her eyes narrowed towards the two other Irkens by her side, one clad in a lab coat and the other in a red toga. Both kept her eye, daring to puff out their chests at the disapproval she cast them. The sky flared with dark red from weapons going off and smoke began to cloud around them from all the fires starting up in the city, they didn't care though. It could have been because they were young and didn't realize just how dire this situation truly was that was unfolding around them. Perhaps it was because they were young that, even though they realized just what exactly happening, they still had hope of saving their planet. They believed this to be their mission, saving their planet when all hope was lost among their race. They had been the ones to help create an unthinkable power source, maybe they could also figure out a way to fix the Control Brains. They were Irk's last hope and they knew it.

Or maybe they were just stupid.

No matter what, if they were to suceed, it would place down in the data files that it was because they were stupid.

"You could have been safe with the others."

"You could of also."

Purple never wavered away from the red orbs.

"We need to fix the Control Brains. Maybe if we start the power up to have it working properly we can figure something out. These- Vortians are planning on attacking Irk. I would like us to have a fighting chance."

The Second and Third grinned.

"Good thing I'm here to fix them."

"And good thing I'm here to keep both of your antennas safe."

The Leader smirked.

"He's right, you know. We really don't know much of what's going on."

Her eyes traveled downwards to gaze at the fighting citizens from far below. She knew nothing of fear like this. To live every day like you were dying. To live in a world where you would rather kill each other off than to find a way to fix your planet. It was hard to be scared like them when you had never been truly terrified before. All she was worried about was the safety of her comrades. With Commander Sic around to keep them safe- There was no fear. Twitchy and a bit caught off by everything, but there was no fear.

"Yeah? We didn't know anything at first, but we still found a way to fix the birthing machines. I think we can do this."

"Uh-huh. Piece of nachos."

"It's cake, Purple."

Red smiled at Purple.

...

(Heading Towards Irk, The Massive, Miyki's Pak Chamber)

...

A part above his eye twitched in irritation, yet the invader couldn't open his eyes. Something was probing at his Pak, slipping through his systems. Who was entering his systems?!

"-The Control Brains.-"

Why-

"-You have been deceived, Zim.-"

Who would dare to deceive the powerful Zim in-

"-Your Tallest.-"

What?! No! His Tallest-

"-There is not enough time to discuss this, Zim. Your Tallest has been deceiving you.-"

LIES! The Tallest-

The tall Irken curled into a ball as he claws ranked across the metal floor, images being forced into his mind.

"Or what about the Resisty marking all over your ship? Yeah, I know about that! Don't even have me start with Zim. You can't even control your own citizen! He hasn't been able to take over Earth in years!"

"Pfft- Yeah, right? It's so difficult to get rid of that guy! Been trying to kill him for years and nothing has worked! I have been dumb!"

Get rid of? Kill me?! The Tallest would-

"-Yes, they would. And they tried, multiple times, with no success. They have tried to kill you off more than once.-"

"What?"

"Dumb, right? Sent him off to a planet that was off our charts and he still found a way to contact us! That idiot was supposed to die on your planet! No matter what we did it just never worked to destroy Zim. Even the insane SIR units we sent off didn't even reach him!"

Impossible! I have been nothing but loyal to my Tallest! Zim has done everything they ever-

"-You. You are undoubtedly loyal. A worthy invader who has done everything an Irken could for his Tallest. Which is where the problem lies. They are ungrateful for what you have done.

"So... Zim wasn't sent here to take over Earth by you guys?"

Zim didn't even know that he was trembling when the mocking laughter form his Tallest echoed within his mind. Fingers flexed and blood was rushing through his veins from his emotions. He wasn't supposed to feel this way. An Irken wasn't supposed to feel like this. He felt like he couldn't control himself, something was wrong. Terribly wrong. There was no part of him that wasn't hurting. This wasn't happening.

"-Yes, Zim, this is happening. This is what he thinks of you. You are worth nothing to your Tallest. He even dares to laugh at you. Mock you. Break you. All you have done is for the Empire, yet he still denies you. And do you know who he is talking to about you?-"

"Hahaha! Please! Zim?! Maybe I would consider it now, maybe, but not back then! He never had a mission! We didn't even know what Earth was! We sent him off to try and kill him. He's just a defect that wouldn't die! Didn't even have the courtesy to even explode at least once."

"-The human. He mocks you to your greatest enemy. They sent you off to a planet that wasn't even apart of Impending Doom 2. They sent you off just to kill you off. They want nothing but your death, you are not even worth to be tortured by them. All that is fit for you is death in their eyes. Every task, every effort to take over Earth, every transmission- Nothing. It was all for nothing. There was nothing you could do to please your Tallest.-"

"Zim's never been a threat to Earth?"

"Nah. More of a threat to Irk than you guys."

"-They never respected you. Did not even like you. Could not even tolerate you.-"

The whirling of his Pak was violently hissing, awkwardly arching his back as one hand latched onto one of his antennas. Body kept twitching in fits of spasms, neck twisting form left to right, not being able to contain himself any longer. His mind was a wound and the words being forced onto him was a blade that only kept making the wound worse. Growing. Spreading. Sparks flared randomly, flicks of the tiny sparks landing on his arms and burning straight through the material, he couldn't even phase the sting of the burns. He was mentally being tortured. Zim didn't know how to actually handle any of this. This wasn't true. It couldn't be true. He was loyal! He did everything for his Tallest! EVERYTHING HE DID WAS FOR TALLEST! Instead of the pain fading to a throbbing dull it only intensed with every second, a heated fever taking over him. This wasn't happening. This wasn't true. It was hard to deny what was right before you, even if it was being forced into you. No, it wasn't true. IT WASN'T TRUE!

"Not interested in Earth?"

"Nope. Only once for that snack idea, which Zim ruined!"

"-They never even wanted Earth. You were sent their to get out of their antennas. You are worthless to them. Your mission is fake.-"

"He's nothing to the Empire. Not to me or Red, not to the other Irkens, I even know some SIR Units that made fun of him. Zim's just a defect that wouldn't get it."

"-You. Are. Nothing.-"

Terrible shrieking filled the chamber when something exploded inside of Zim's Pak. The control chip shattered in pieces, piercing other bits of the defect's Pak to add to the pain. His body began to convulse, now curled up in a fetal positron with his forehead pressing against the cold floor. His own screeching made his antennas press flat up against the back of his head, the beating within his entire body rapidly helping with the large amount of pain. Nothing had ever hurt like this before. He didn't know what to even feel at this point. So much sorrow, so much shame, so much rage- They had lied to him. He had done everything for them! EVERYTHING! His entire life was for NOTHING! Pain began to subside when the Pak registered that the control chip was no longer in place, pulsing slowing down, though the rage stayed. He was nothing. Nothing. Anguish crashed over him, not knowing on how to make this hurt go away. This pain was new. He didn't like it. Magenta eyes kept shut, never moving himself from his fetal position off the floor. What was the point of moving? What was he to do now? What was his purpose?

"-You were supposed to come to the Massive, retrieve Miyuki's Pak, and then return to Earth. That is not what is happening at this point. The Earthling has taken over the Massive. She is coursing the Massive to Irk in order to destroy us. She has betrayed you. You do not understand the importance of your help, Invader. Your Tallest have lied to you about everything. We have been created to stabilize control on Irk, we are here to keep Irk going. We need you to come to your home planet and to protect us from the invading party. Your Tallest is trying to destroy Irk and take over everything on his own. Can you not see what has happened all because of him? Irk was perfect until he had to tamper with the balance. Your Tallest may not need you, but we do, Invader Zim. If Tallest Purple succeeds with this mission, all of Irken will die. The Control Brains need your help. Help us to help Irk, mighty Irken, your Tallest may not appreciate you, but we do. Help us.-"

Magenta eyes slid open, face solemn as he slid himself from his fetal position.

"For the Empire."

"-For the Empire.-"

If Purple did not want control-

Then he would be given no control.

...
(Planet Irk, Control Brain Headquarters, Hours Later)

...

He stood there.

On the highest building ever created in Irk the Tallest hovered above the ravage chaos happening on his planet. Arms crossed over his chest as the screams reached high above, calling out for help that would not be given. He didn't need to see them to know that his streets were marked with the dark purple blood of his people. Debris left over from bombs going off and there would only be more wreckage created for the battle was not over. The battle that was soon to become a war in a matter of minutes. Or had they started the war on their own? It was typical of Irk to over achieve with everything they did. Including killing themselves off. Limbs and skin from fallen Irkens hung from their very own creations such as their homes, a sick reminder that they were killing each other off on their own planet. Words of rage against the Tallest and screams for a freedom never given to them were being thrown around, but the Tallest did not hear a single word. His neck was tilted backwards, gazing upwards in the dark sky that was now lit up more than it should have been.

They were here.

The dark sky was lit up by the hundreds of beams blaring from the ships high above his head. Ships of many different kinds. Voot Cruiers that the Vortians had been forced to create, Jet Mark Fliers made by the Meekrobs that were known for their perfect hit, Battle Cruisers, Megaboomers, Low Spinners- It was a nice assortment. So, the Meekrobs and Vortians were working together. It was a good idea. Form up together, destroy the Irken race finally, it was a goal the both of them wanted. It was only a matter of time. The city was covered with many red dots now, the ships now preparing their lasers to fire on the planet before they even landed. Hmm- Preparing fire and attacking before actually landing. Nice. If they didn't care to save the planet and have it for future use, then this was a fantastic idea. Kill them off before you land, finally get on the planet for a ten minute hand to hand combat, destroy the Irken race, and finally go and eat some chips after a job well done. A laser locked onto his position, but he didn't even flinch from within his spot, the red light overtaking the Tallest's form. All he did was straighten his back, lips locked into a thin line and antennas bent backwards against his head. End me here. Finish me off in one blow. I'm not scared. Do it. Do it!

The Irken symbol came crashing towards the planet in a single moment later.

His antennas perked upwards when he saw the Massive rush through the crowd of ships, making the enemies' ships either change course or crash downwards out of orbit. Voot Cruisers were firing at other Voot Cruisiers, it was Irkens coming to help in the battle against the Vortians and Meekrobs. He paid no mind to that though. The Massive was spinning towards Irk, looking like it had lost all control, whoever was piloting it was going to crash the ship into Irk's surface. Not a single bit of emotion even flickered across his features when the ship was mere feet away from crashing into the top of one of the sky scrapers, Irkens from the surface screaming at the doom that was soon to come. Abruptly the Massive made a complete U-Turn before it made contact with the building, heading directly back towards the crowd of ships to start firing against them. They began to fall one after the other, but there was too many of them for the Massive or the Voot Cruisers on their side to take on. The death of Irk was to happen no matter what.

Control on Irk was lost.

A single Voot Cruiser burst through the firing that was happening high above Irk, spiraling towards Irk's chaotic surface at a rapid speed. It wasn't out of control though. The Tallest could tell that whoever was piloting the Voot Cruiser had done it hundreds of times before. Slipping between ships with ease, when close enough zooming pass the landscape like none of the obstacles were even there, it was impressive. His eyes locked onto that single ship, fingers tightening against the robes on his forearms. Something was wrong with that ship. Why was it just flying around? Why wasn't it attacking anything? It was just zooming passed everything, looking for something specific. The Irkens weren't its target nor were the other races. It was seeking something else. The Tallest bit the inside of his cheek, neck leaning sideways to glare at the single ship. That ship was out of control. What side was it on? The ship twisted upwards as it started flying directly towards where he was hovering, apparently locked onto the position that he was standing on. So, they were after him. They were enemy. Good.

Let them come.

The ship hovered in midair for a few moments before landing a few feet away from the Tallest. The Irken made no movements to eject his Pak legs or any of his weapons, keeping his composure when the engine turned off. The shielding to the ship suddenly opened a few seconds later, a single boot sticking out from the edge of the ship. The tall figure flung himself over the side of the ship, hands gripping the edge of the ship to keep himself firmly positioned against the side of the ship. All blood drained from the Tallest's face when the two tall being made eye contact, a gasp escaping from the other Irken right before him. His arms dropped from the position against his chest as the pilot took a shaky step towards the Tallest, mouths falling open after the sight of each other. So many months had passed. Was he really there? Was it really him after all this time? He wasn't wearing his Tallest Robes, but there was no doubt that it was him, even if he was clad in some sort of weird black combat suit.

No one had purple eyes like his.

"Red?!"

A cry of shock.

"Purple."

A whisper of astonishment.

"You're here."

A smile formed for the first time in absolute months.

"You're alive."

Red smiled at Purple.

And for a single moment, Red felt at peace.

...To Be Continued...

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