Invader Zim - Lost Chronicles of Doom! - Continuous Novel

Chaper Twenty - Nope! Not the End!

The goo that Zim was stuck to burned his eyes as he looked around the room, his throat tight. His Tallest betrayed him. Him, their favorite invader that was sent to a mystery planet before any other invader! All this time his worst fear was getting captured by the humans and being tested on, but he would never even accidentally think about being captured by his own race. He shut his eyes tightly to keep his tears from falling.

"Hey...!" he heard Dib say, but he sounded lousy. "Where are...we?" The Irken suddenly felt insecure about being there and his mourning ended. He looked around frantically for an escape from the horrible tube that encased him. The question still rang in his head loudly: Why? Why would they put him in a tube? Why would they remove his Pak and place only his memories, life supplies, and, partially, his outer shell? He wasn't a weapon, and with the size of the Irken army, he wasn't a problem. Why did they think he was just a toy to them?

"Zim! I said where are we?!" Dib asked louder. He was quickly coming to consciousness, unlike most Irkens that take around two hours to wake up fully. Zim still couldn't move his paralyzed body. Why it was paralyzed? Well, halfway because of the numbness he felt for his country, halfway because of his genetics. "Zim, talk!" the boy commanded. Zim made a hissing sound from deep in his throat where the main squeegly spooch stopped. Irkens were capable of hissing when they are agitated, but it was considered rude to. "Zim!" Dib tried again. Zim thought he was going to burst with emotions. He was sad, for his Tallest clearly despised him. He was happy, for Dib was captured. He was angry, for Dib wouldn't shut his stupid big mouth.

"C'mon Zim, I'm scared too. Now let's find a way to--" "Shut your noise tube," Zim said, cutting him off. He wasn't screaming, but he said it cold and soft like a fictional book character named Four, or Tobias. He had forgotten which one, the book felt like such a long time ago... Has it really only been a month? Zim thought. It feels like millennia...

"Zim, do you even know where we are?!"

He wouldn't answer that; he wouldn't, he wouldn't, he couldn't. He couldn't tell him that they were captured by his own people. What kind of Irken deserves that? He did, apparently...he was an awful invader. Suddenly, memories hit him like a rock and flew through his mind. Before he was sent to Earth, Red said he had a plan before he told him a planet! And all the times he called to report his mission...they were laughing. Even when they gave him a new ship the controls were locked and he was heading for the Planet Jackers' dying sun! They hated him. Zim felt a wave of defeat wash over him. Nothing mattered anymore, life was pointless.

"Zim, you jerk!" he slurred. The Irken tried desperately to conceal his emotions, but he couldn't and tears came out of his tightly drawn eyes. They were Irken tears, filled with hate and anger and sadness, not human tears that were merely water that enhances emotions. Dib saw this and began to take pity on him, but it died as soon as it was generated. He was an alien, he deserved this kind of treatment. But...why was he in a tube too?

The tears stopped gradually, but only because he ran out of anger ad hatred. Sadness swirled in his squeegly spooch still, but he did his best to annihilate it. He had to be strong, not weak, in order to escape. And I doubt that I will... he thought. "Listen up, Dib-monkey, since I am not able to do this, you'll have the job of finding a way out," Zim commanded. He would hate to team up with him, but it was the only way. "How am I supposed to do that? You're the one who knows where we are! Right?" Dib protested. Yes, I do, and I hate it, he wanted to say, but he couldn't, not to Dib. Instead the Irken shook his head.

"Does it matter? Just get on with it!"

Dib looked around, too. There were three tables, each with metal straps on them that looked painful. More tables were around them, each with dozens of knives, jars, and other tools. And then...there were about twenty vending machines with a "20 Moneyz" sign on it. "Moneyz? Isn't that what you talk about sometimes?" he asked. Zim jerked as much as his body could to in surprise. "Don't listen to that!" the Irken snapped. "And who has all these snacks anyways?" Dib pressed. He continued looking and then he saw it. Bingo.

"It's an Irken symbol! Zim, you moron, you did this!" he yelled. "That's no Irken symbol! It's a, um, Vortian language piece!" Zim argued hastily. Dib gave him a look. "How come it's on your little Voot cruiser, then, Zim?" The Irken tried to clench his fist, his fingers curving in. "Maybe I admire those filthy Vortians." The human rolled his eyes. "Didn't you say there was a war between you two?" he pressed. Zim hissed again, only because he began to feel too weak to even use his alien vocal cords. The goo surrounding him slowly drained, making him fall to the ground. His head hit the glass hard, making the edges of his vision blur. He didn't mind. Pain was his friend. Pain never betrayed people.

He glanced over at Dib who was also weak and on the bottom of the tube. His glasses fell off and Zim thought they were attached to his nose surgically. Apparently not. The glass lifted and the pair stumbled to the dark purple floor. Pairs of feet stomped down and lifted them up. Scientist Lian, the best one on Irk. Zim used to hang out with him, the green-eyed freak. Then he applied for invader duties as Zim sabotaged his training so he would be the best. Now he was at Lian's mercy.

But Irkens have none.

"Ze great invaderre Shim," Lian said with his crazy Xlaitian accent, dragging him up by the collar. "Vow nice to see yewww." Zim looked at him, his eyes wary. He was going to get revenge for sure, he knew it. And if he was the test subject...there would be tests... "Vell, Shim, yewww must beh fearfule, yeesh? Hah, weakling. I even learned to get rid of that stupid accent. And now the most wanted criminal..." he said, bringing Zim closer threateningly, "...is in its rightful place. You sicken me." The invader closed his eyes in defeat, knowing that Lian wouldn't kill him, but rather savor the moment when he does something horrible, keeping him alive--just barely.

"You know him, Zim?" Dib asked, gaining control again. "Guards! Tie 'im down!" the Irken scientist ordered, sending guards to the human. A buff girl lifted him up and slammed him into the table, tightening the staps, well, tightly, until his fingers felt numb. He struggled against the solid metal, only for the metal to get tighter. I hate aliens, Dib thought bitterly. Except for Tak...

"And now you, Shim," Lian announced evilly, smiling as he rubbed his fingers together. He still hadn't managed to say "Zim" right after all this time, but Zim had more things on his mind. The deep bags under his eyes wanted him to sleep--he'd been there for about ten hours so far and he was already sleep-deprived before he wrecked--but that would be suicide. He was suddenly smacked onto a table, the ends of his limbs flying upwards from the impact on the metal. "Rrrngh..." the invader/test subject grunted to keep from crying out. Lian tied his hands to the metal chains and pulled on them so tight Zim's hands turned purple from under his gloves.

"I was waiting until you all woke up. So, Shim, how do you like being Test Subject Five thousand twenty-four?" the scientist asked, picking up a drill from the table. Zim grumbled at him, jerking his head up about two inches in anger. "Now, now, you filthy animal... the test hasn't even began." He stepped closer, turning the blade on and tilting it towards Zim's squeegly spooch. The invader shut his eyes tightly, turning his head away and preparing for pain. Buzz, buzz...