Chapter Seven- And Then She Was Gone
"Ugh, my head," Red complained as he sat in his throne.
"You really must take it easy. You drank a lot last night," Purple said, trying his hardest not to laugh.
"I know, I know. I just really wish I could remember it," he said, still holding his throbbing head. "Are you sure it was a real bash?"
"Oh yes, definitely, Red," Purple said, giggling off to the side.
A servant approached them, holding up his forearm and bowing his head in reverence.
"Yes, what is it," Purple addressed him.
"Miss Tak is here," he told them.
Purple smiled, a warm feeling coming over him. "Please, send her in," he said.
The door creaked open and Tak stepped into the room. She almost looked as if she had a bounce in her step, her little robot following her. She stopped before them and smiled at Purple warmly.
"Ahhh, yes… Tak," Red said, trying to remain the leader but having a very hard time of it with his migraine. "Last night was most enjoyable… I think…"
Tak held back a laugh, but almost lost her composure when she saw the look on Purple's face. He was having just as much trouble as she was trying to remain collected.
"So, to complete our deal," Red continued, "you will be receiving a ship, as well as a few useful supplies to help you destroy Zim… I mean, take over Earth."
"Thank you, my Tallest," she said, a large smile on her face.
"Not a problem, my dear," he said, trying to seem suave but having no luck. He was fooling no one at this point. "Purple, do you have anything to say," he asked his fellow Tallest.
Purple thought for a moment and grinned. "No… no… I think I'll just go over to the food court and have myself a few snacks. That is all, Miss Tak," he said, giving her a knowing smile.
She smiled back and proudly stepped out of the room, Mimi following close behind. Purple watched her go and turned to Red.
"Red, you really should go lie down. But once you feel better, we need to have a talk about a few of your… habits," he said sternly.
"Habits? What habits," Red asked, groaning a little from his headache.
"We'll talk about it later… rapist," he added under his breath.
"What was that," Red asked indignantly.
"Oh, nothing," Purple said with a pompous smile. "Excuse me."
He got up from his throne and exited the bridge of the Massive, heading for the food court. He walked along with his head held high, his posture upright, and a pleasant smile on his face.
"Things are definitely going to be different around here," he said to himself.
The food court was almost completely empty except for a handful of soldiers and the staff. He skimmed over the tables, searching for a familiar set of eyes. But the person he was looking for was no where to be seen.
"Looking for someone, Purple," asked a familiar female voice from behind him.
Purple turned around, finding Tak looking up at him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I was looking for a smart, sexy, brilliant young female Irken who stole something from me," he teased.
"Oh, really? What exactly did she steal," she asked, teasing him back.
"My heart," he said, raising both eyebrows.
Tak wanted to die laughing, but stifled her laughter to a few chuckles. "Now that was corny, Purple," she said.
"I know," he said, laughing at himself, "Come, follow me," he said, taking her hand. He led her to a very secluded booth, exclusively reserved for him and Red. The Tallest kept this booth away from the others because they often discussed important topics over lunch and did not want anyone eavesdropping. Even the waiter could not approach until the Tallest pressed the service button on the table.
The two sat down opposite each other. And before even a single word was said, they just looked at each other for a few moments, gathering what information they could about the other's thoughts and feelings on the present situation.
"I… I'm sorry about last night," Purple said, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
"What is there to be sorry about," Tak asked.
"Well… I… I fertilized your eggs," he said, hating the factual words coming out of his own mouth.
"Oh… yes, that," she said uncomfortably.
"You really must stay until you lay the eggs," he said, taking her hand in his, "You can stay with me, I'll have my finest servants and doctors take care of you. Please, you can't go off and take on a mission in your state," he told her, almost pleading her to stay.
"Purple, I have a job to do," Tak said sternly, "And sooner or later, Red will want to know why you are so attached to a holiday fling. If he finds out about what really happened, I could face prison."
"He'll never find out. I don't have to explain anything to him and neither do you. It's not illegal for a Tallest to have a girlfriend you know," he argued.
"He'll get jealous," she said. "Either he'll hate me for taking you, or loathe the thought that you have me all to yourself."
"Knowing him, it would be both," Purple agreed, but he wasn't giving up. "Just until you lay your eggs. After that, you can go back to your mission."
"Purple, I'm getting the feeling that this is an attempt to make me stay indefinitely," she said.
Purple gave it a thought. Indeed, that was exactly what he was trying to do. If he could get her to stay a little while longer, maybe she'd forget her mission and want to live with him forever. He blushed at having been caught. She really was the smartest Irken he had met in a long time.
Tak saw the disappointment on his face. But she smiled. "I'll try to take over Earth as soon as possible. That will give us both the perfect reason to see each other again," she said, trying to cheer him up.
"But your eggs… you can't do it alone," Purple argued, even though it was obvious he was loosing the battle.
"Females do it all the time, Purple. I'll have the eggs on earth and send them to the hatcheries on Irk. Trust me, Purp… you know I can do it," she said, reaching over and grasping his other hand to comfort him.
Purple just sighed. "Yes, I know you can. That is what I like best about you," he said, defeated.
"Then smile," she said, "I'll be back sooner than you think."
Purple forced a weak smile and nodded to her. She was right.
Tak leaned over the table and placed a tender kiss on his lips. "I have to go prepare for launch," she told him. "Will you see me off?"
"A true gentleman always sees his lady off," he said, smiling.
In the docking bay, Tak stood beside her new ship, admiring the design and color. She was surprised to find she had received one of the most advanced Voot Cruisers in the Irken force. It was roomier than her last one and had many modifications that normal cruiser didn't have.
"Somehow, I don't think Red is this generous," she said, giving Purple a sly smile.
"Well… he didn't exactly pick which one you'd be getting," he teased.
"I love the color," she said.
"Well, you know. I have a thing for purple," he said.
"Me too," she said with a laugh.
The two turned towards each other "I suppose this is where we say goodbye," Tak finally stated.
"I suppose it is," he said reluctantly.
Tak, realizing they were in an open area where anyone could see them, stepped forward and offered a handshake. Purple looked at the gloved set of claws and then looked to her. And with one swift motion, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground in a loving embrace. He didn't care if the whole universe saw them. And soon, Tak didn't care either.
They finally parted and Tak stepped into her ship, followed by her trusted robot, Mimi. She lowered the hatch door and started the engines up. But before taking off, she stopped to give Purple one final glance.
"Goodbye," she said, even though she knew he couldn't hear her over the roar of the engines.
But he knew what she was saying and mouthed a "goodbye" to her.
The ship lifted off the floor and kicked into high gear. It flew out into space, leaving Purple alone. He watched until Tak's ship was just a twinkle in the sky. He sighed, thinking of everything Tak had left him with. He would truly miss her.
Tak set her autopilot coordinates for Earth and went back into the rear of her ship to search through the supplies given to her. She had been issued the standard Invader kit, consisting of everything she needed to set up a base and collect information. But something amongst all the supplies caught her eye.
"The Bounty Hunter 6000," she read the description on the case, "The finest weapon wielding battle suit in the Irken army. I know you will use it to its full potential. Love, Purple."
Tak smiled and opened the case.
"Of course… purple."
Sequel? Yes, no, maybe so? Thanks for reading it by the way!