Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim

Author's Note's: Again this chapter is pretty short, but it needs to be done. Thanks for reading guys and please review!

(Back with Gaz…)

She was out of her mind with boredom,

So much so that she was starting to hear voices.

"Gaz are you in there?"

Her eyes widen.

Wait that wasn't in her head.

"Dib!?" She yelled "Is that you?"

"Oh thank goodness we found you." Dib's voice shouted back.

"We?" Gaz asked. "Dib who's with you? Is it Zim?"

"Just calm down Gaz we're going to figure this out." Dib said.

"Gaz is there a door in there with you?" a very familiar voice said.

"Tak?" Gaz asked, her heart in her throat now. She placed her hands on the wall in front of her.

Tak placed her hands on the wall as well, they don't know it but the two are standing right in front of the other. "It's okay we're going to get you out. But we need your help."

Gaz nodded, a smile slipping to her face.

"We need you to feel along the wall and tell me if you feel something that might be a door." Tak went on. "Can you do that?"

"Yeah I think I can manage." Gaz said. It was really dark in the room, even more so now that the TV had cut off, but she felt around the wall as instructed. It was smooth, no segments of brick, nothing but a wall of concrete. "Guys I don't think this is an original wall." She said. "I think Maz made this room within the tunnel to trap me."

"That would explain why there is no door on the map." Dib said. "This wall is not supposed to be here."

"Guys I don't mean to add to the pressure." Gaz yelled. "But it's getting harder to breathe in here."

"That's it." Tak hissed. "If there isn't a door I'm making one!"

Dib watched as Tak readied her weapons and yelled. "Gaz step back Tak's gonna make a door."

Gaz obeyed, backing up as far as possible to the other side. "Okay I'm clear." She said.

Tak clenched her fist and used her PAK legs to start trying to drill a hole for Gaz to get through, or at least to supply some air. But it's a slow process, with in several minutes she's barley made a small dent.

"This isn't working." Dib said in a panic.

"Skoodge help me!" Tak said, sounding desperate now, almost as if she truly cares for Gaz's safety.

Skoodge nodes and draws out his PAK legs as well, drilling into the same hole.

The added effort is noticeable, but they are still taking too long.

Dib takes out his own weapons and begins to fire into the hole they are making with everything he's got.

It's still not enough.

"Guys I think I'm gonna pass out." Gaz admitted, clutching the wall for balance.

Tak growled in frustration and pulled out her own weapon, adding it to their efforts, Skoodge does the same.

Finally the wall cracks and crumbles.

"Gaz." Dib and Tak say in unison as they run inside, but Gaz stubbles out to greet them.

"Took you long enough." She snapped before she falls.

Tak catches her just in time.

"I guess we're even now hu Takky?" Gaz said, smiling like an idiot.

Tak smiled back. "Yes it would appear so." She told her.

"Even?" Dib asked. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's a long story." Tak said. "And we simply don't have the time."

Dib nodded, forcing himself to save his questions for later. "Your right we need to find a place to prepare and get Gaz stabled.

"Way ahead of you son." Professor Membrane said running up to greet them. "The house is ready we can take Gaz there and set up a perimeter."

"You do that." He told him before setting off running.

"Son wait." Professor Membrane said. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go check up on Zim." Dib said. "He might need me!"

Professor Membrane moves to go after him, but Tak stops him. "Let him go, he can't help but worry." He told him. "It's a mate thing." She said looking down at Gaz.

Gaz smiled. "Sher's right dad, just take us home."

Professor Membrane nodded. "This way." He said, and led the way.

"You know we're aliens right?" Skoodge asked.

"Yes he knows doofus!" Tak snapped.

"Just checking." Skoodge said. "All the other humans on this planet are pretty stupid."

Professor Membrane chuckled. "I guess I deserve that."

"More than you know dad." Gaz assured him. "More than you know."

(Back with Zim….)

The Ex-invader hissed as a PAK leg managed to slice through his defenses and nick his shoulder.

They had been going at it for several minutes now.

Their only weapons were their PAK legs, and their own will to press on, Maz was surprisingly skilled at this fighting style which took Zim by surprise. However, he recover quickly, having experience with his legs thinks to Dib. His Mate was always known for using his fist when all else failed. It was a tactic that Zim had learned to copy.

Use everything to your disposal, that's what Dib had taught him. Hands are meant for pulling, teeth meant for biting, claws meant for scratching, and fist meant for punching. And PAK legs meant for stabbing. Zim couldn't even count how many times he was resorted to using his PAK legs against Dib, but he knew it was a lot, especially when Dib had started out growing him for a short time in middle school.

The Dib was a good feet taller, up until High School where Zim finally caught back up, and during those three years Zim had to learn other ways to fight an enemy that was bigger than him. His PAK legs turned out to be the answer, as long as Dib didn't force them to retract back into his PAK.

Zim smiles as he just realizes this is the perfect way to beat him. If Zim could get Maz on his back, his legs would retreat. With a new plan in mind he changes his tactics and goes on the offensive.

Maz dodges a few of his blows, while blocking others. He notices the change in his brother, and he finds it strange. Before they were stabbing and cursing, but now Zim had grown quiet, and was throwing all he had and trying to push him away. 'If he keeps this up he'll tier himself out.' He realized.

Zim knew this too, but if he could just get Maz off balance it would work. He changes strategies again and goes to trip him as he pushes.

It works, Maz falls over on his back and Zim jumps before landing hard on his brother's belly. Maz screeches and his PAK's retract back into the PAK.

Zim lifts his own Pak leg, ready to end this, when Maz turns the tables. He pulls something out of his pocket and throws it at Zim. It gets in his eyes, and he screams bloody murder as his eyes begin to sizzle and burn.

Maz breathed a sigh of relief as his brother stumbles away. He had found the dust among the late Doctor Ravenscroft's inventions. It was powder acid of some sort, meant to dissolve organic tissue. Man that scientist was crazy, and a genius, so much so that Maz almost felt sorry for killing him.

Almost!

"I can't see." Zim screamed. The burning had dissolved into a small stinging sensation, but he was completely blind now.

"End of the line brother." Maz mused, thinking he now has the upper hand.

He is sadly mistaken.

Military training has taught Zim that the eyes are not an assist, but a hindrance. They blind you from the truth, over whelming the mind with far too much information to process. However if you close your eyes, take out the distractions, you are more likely to succeed.

Maz has just made a lethal error.

Zim is not a defenseless child, and his senses are above average when it comes to Irkens. He was never sure why, but this is how it always was. So while most would be completely lost right now, Zim used his other senses to "see" His opponent.

Maz reactivated his PAK legs and strikes, only to gasp as Zim dodges with ease.

Zim hears the strike coming, fells the blow coming towards him through the air. His antenna twitches, a clear sign of danger and he dodges.

Maz tries again and again, but Zim keeps our maneuvering him. "How do you keep doing that?" He hissed. "You're blind."

"Only the weak depend on one of their senses." Zim answered. "You have five for a reason."

Maz screamed and attacked again, he was getting angry now, and Zim uses it to his advantage. His brother is sloppy, making rookie mistakes, like keeping his left flank open.

Maz screams again, this time in pain as his brother uses his own Pak legs to slice a gash in his side. He staggers back stunned, but it's not enough to knock him down. "Is that all you got?" he questions.

Zim dives for another attack, and Maz has seconds to dodge.

'How does he know where I am?' Maz wondered. His eyes widen as he watches Zim, he has grown still, his antennas perked, as if he's waiting…

Of course!

Maz looks down at his own feet. He's stopped moving, Zim must be listening for his footsteps, and feeling his movement through the vibrations in the ground. He is using all of his senses to fight. But if he can't feel him coming Maz would get the upper hand.

He smiles as he taps his heels together activating his turbo boots, they were stander issue now for every Irken, and something Zim wouldn't have or know about since his banishment. He circled Zim, waiting to see if his plan will work.

Zim's brow frowns, he can no longer feel Maz, he tries to hear him, but this too fails him. He opens his mouth to taste the air. Maz is close he can pick up his taste in his sent glands located on the roof of his mouth. However, it does no good in locating his position. He uses his antennas to fell the vibrations in the air.

No luck!

Zim starts to panic as he realizes he's truly blind now.

Maz smiles, and glides towards him.

Zim feels him coming, but it's so sudden that he is unprepared, he screams as he feels a PAK leg slash down his belly. The wound is deep, and he has no time to recover as Maz hits him again and again. He falls to his knees strength fading.

Maz laughs hysterically.

"How did you?" Zim asked weakly.

"Turbo boots." Maz answers as he touches back down to the ground, deactivating the boots. There was no point in dragging this out, he was finish and they both knew it.

Zim's too injured to keep his PAK legs out, they are too heavy adding extra strain to his body. He is forced to put them away. He is now truly defenseless against Maz's final blow, and all he can do is sit there as he comes closer, and closer.

"It's like being lighter than the air around you making it impossible for you to detect movement in time." He said grabbing Zim by the antennas and jerking his face up to meet his. "Nice try brother, but I think we both knew that it was always going to end this way." He raised a Pak leg ready to give the final blow….

When suddenly Zim turns the tables on him.

"Yes." He said. "We always knew it would end this way." He reached behind him a pulled something out of his waist band.

Maz eyes widen as Zim reached up with an amazing amount of strength, and stabs him with as lazar sword.

Zim presses a button on the hilt and the blade grows in length until it cuts straight through his brother and his PAK

"How…?" Maz asked shock taking over, his body seizes up, and he falls over his brother's shoulder, no longer able to hold his own weight.

"I took a chapter out of your book brother." Zim hissed, twisting sword before he cuts upward destroying more of the Pak as he makes the wound bigger, and more damaging.

"This is not how it was supposed to end." Maz said.

"Didn't father ever tell you?" Zim asked.

"Father?" Maz asked.

"Cowards never win Maz." Zim said before withdrawing his sword.

"Zim…" Maz says almost pleading. "Don't…"

Zim stabs him one more time, and with on final cry he goes still.

He is dead.

Zim allows the tears to spill from his eyes as he withdrawals his sword and puts it away. "Goodbye brother." He whispers and the vault doors open signaling his passing. "Believe me when I say I really wish there had been another way."

Zim forces himself to his feet and starts his way towards the door. His eyes are almost healed now, and he can see the outline of the exist, and with every second his vision clears more and more. But even so he refuses to look back, he refuses to see Maz's dead body on the floor.

Why?

Because despite his short comings Maz was still his brother, and he did not want to remember him as a broken empty shell on the floor. No he deserved better than that, they both did. It wasn't Maz's fault that he was this way, no it was their father who was to blame.

He made them this way, he made them fight to the death, and now Zim would make him pay. "You're next father." He said, knowing that he was still listening, still watching. "And you won't get the same mercy he did."

"Zim!"

Zim turned to see his mate, Dib running towards him, a look of worry in his eyes. It was only then that he looked down and noticed that he still had several open wounds still healing. He forced himself to keep standing even as Dib ran into him full force throwing his arms around him. "it's over." Zim told him.

"No its not." Dib whispered. "It'll never be over I don't want to lose you Zim." He said. "I love you."

Zim smiled despite it all. "I love you Dib." He admitted.

"Finally admitting it hu?" Dib teased.

"Yeah in just enough time before we all die." Zim joked halfheartedly.

"Man what a mess we've gotten ourselves into hu space boy?" Dib mused before kissing his lips.

Zim kissed him back like he never wanted to stop, and he didn't. "I want you forever." He whispered when they finally pulled away.

Dib smiled. "And I am forever yours." he replied.

Zim sighed before pulling away. "We should go regroup with the others." Zim said.

"Their at my Dad's place, Gaz needs time to recover and so do you." Dib said.

Zim nodded, allowing his mate to support him as they began their walk back to Dib's home. They were equals now, and their was no shame in accepting help from your mate. he would rest and then he would finish this.

Emperor Nax watched as his son retreated to the safety of his mate's home, his words still ringing in his mind.

"Sir?" Bek asked. "Shall I give the order?"

Emperor Nax rose from his throne a grin slipping on his face. "He has fought well." he said. "He's earned some leniency." He added.

But not much.

"We attack at dawn." Emperor Nax said.

"Yes your majesty." Bek bowed and them turned to his soldiers standing in formation before him. "You heard men...we attack at dawn!"

Emperor Nax's smile widen as the soldiers cheered their approval. The final battle would soon be upon them, and then one by one the human race would fall.

It was only a matter of time!

-To be Continued!

Chapter End Notes:

Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. (If you want!)

Chapter one of the final book of the trilogy: ET Part 3: OURS will be out July 1st so keep a look out for it!

Until then this is Emily signing off :)