Chapter Text
"What creeps! Is this what you've been dealing with? Is this why you called me?" Texzia looked at her, concerned.
"Yeah, and also that lightning guy whose name I already forgot," Zin wiped away the tears from her still intact eye.
"The lightning guy from the news?" Kai glanced over at her.
"The lightning guy from the news! What other lightning guy would there be?" Kay laughed.
Kai smiled.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to insult you," Kay quickly apologized.
"It's okay, you didn't insult me. It was funny. I think you're funny," Kai blushed.
Kay's systems started to overheat again.
"Okay, I really need to get you a robotic body before you completely fry the base!" Zin pointed at the ceiling.
Row groaned, "For the last time, Zin, K.A.R.E.N. units are not alive."
"I'm sorry to disagree, but I think she is. Is there any way they can become sentient or be made sentient?" Kai looked at Row.
"Yes, if they were made incorrectly." Row's eyes went wide after the last word left his mouth. "I am so sorry. They're usually destroyed, but it looks like you weren't, which is probably good for you, but don't worry, we won't say anything."
"I know Zin won't." Kay used her robotic arm from the ceiling to point at Row. "But you, I'm not so sure."
"I'm really good with machines and apparently good with alien machines, so I can build you a new body if Zin would let me use extra material she might have that she doesn't mind parting with," Kai offered.
"Oh, absolutely! Take anything you need if you're able to build her a robot body! So I can focus on my mission so my father doesn't get mad, especially one of them," Zin muttered the last part.
"Speaking of your mission, I did bring you a gift that might help you," Texzia smiled.
"Really? Thank you! What'd you get me!" Zin jumped up and down with excitement.
"I'll show you. Just come with me to the ship hangar, if I remember where that is," Texzia stood up.
"I remember. Well, it's my base, of course I remember," Zin walked over to the elevator and pushed the button.
"Can I come along too?" Kai stood up from the couch.
Row stood up. "I guess I'll go to see what you actually got her. Knowing you, it's probably something crazy."
Zin shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I guess all of you can come with us if we can cram into the elevator."
"And don't worry, it's guaranteed to get rid of them, especially that girl, she really made my skin crawl." Texzia shivered.
"Actually, their pronouns are they/them," Zin corrected.
"Oh, they make my skin crawl." Texzia shivered again. "Even thinking about them both just being there and watching us like creeps."
"Me too, but their lackey for some reason doesn't give me the same ick feeling." Zin walked into the elevator.
"Yeah, to be honest, it seems like he just kind of follows them around like a pathetic lost puppy." Row walked into the elevator.
"I'm guessing they don't have many friends." Texzia walked into the elevator.
"Tatum really doesn't have any friends except Zan," Kai walked into the elevator.
"Yeah, people probably avoid them, like the Cascadian Spotted Purple Plague." Texzia noticed the button labeled ship hangar and pushed it.
The elevator doors shut, and it started to go down.
"Mr. Awesome, the science teacher, made us partners for the rest of the year!" Zin angrily shouted as she threw her hands up in the air.
"Oh, that's a nightmare." Texzia looked at her sympathetically.
"Yeah, it is," Zin confirmed.
The elevator doors opened and they walked out into the ship hangar.
"Maybe you can make them do all the work in class. What's even their name anyway?" Texzia walked to his ship.
"Yeah, I guess that can be an upside. But there ain't really many upsides to even being in the same vicinity as Tatum." Zin scowled.
"Tatum, their name even sounds insufferable. What does that even translate into?" Texzia held up his wrist and started flipping through his translator. "Oh, in some languages, it means annoying."
"That is so fitting." Zin burst out laughing.
"Luckily we both have gym tomorrow." Kai smiled. "And it's pretty chill."
"Yeah, I heard the gym teacher's pretty chill, a little creepy with the girls but pretty chill. You think I should wear my hair in a hat to look like a dude?" Zin looked over at Row concerned.
"I think I'm gonna write you an excuse to get out of that gym class. I don't want you being around any creepy people." Row took out his portable computer.
"Yeah, I've heard some rumors." Kai looked at Row. "But relax, I'll keep an eye on her."
Texzia ran ahead and pushed the button to unlock his ship. The ramp descended and he ran up it.
"I don't need someone to protect me. I can protect myself." Zin pointed at herself with her thumb.
Zin's intact eye widened in excitement as she started to jump up and down as she saw Texzia emerge from his ship.
Texzia brought the cart in front of Zin and stepped off to the side.
Row looked at the cart with his eyebrow raised.
"I present to you, drum roll, please," Texzia made the sounds of a drum and then trumpet with his mouth as he pulled the tarp off to reveal a gigantic metallic blue Inbendyium metal blaster that sat on a golden cart that had metallic engraved intricate designs all over it.
Row stared at the weapon as Zin jumped up and down smiling.
"The Diabetes Soda Doominator! It can turn any water into soda!" Texzia dramatically announced.
Zin ran over and hugged Texzia as he hugged her back.
They stopped hugging and Texzia took an envelope off the cart and handed it to her.
Zin opened the envelope, pulled out the card and opened it as it began to sing a song. "You made a species go extinct. You made a species go extinct. You actually wrecked an entire planet, yay for you!" She laughed as she started to sing along.
Zin shut the card as she screamed, "I love it! I'm gonna go to sleep now so I can wake up. It'll be tomorrow so I can use this weapon!" She ran to the elevator.
"That's not how it works!" Row ran after her.
The next day they stood in line in the gym.
"Greetings, cadets! I am your new gym teacher, Mr. Drill! I am your new gym teacher as your old one was fired!"
"Why was he fired, and why are you screaming?" Texzia covered his ears.
"He had inappropriate contact with a teenage girl!" Mr. Drill loudly announced.
"Ew, gross!" Everyone in the class shouted as they covered their ears.
The girl covered her face and stayed silent.
Except Kate, who was huddled in a corner of the gym with her ears covered as she sobbed.
Ray glared at Mr. Drill as she pointed at Kate and screamed, "Kate is a baby autistic thing and only I can hurt the baby autistic thing!"
Mr. Drill got in Ray's face as he shouted, "I'll do what I want in my gym class, little girl!"
"Don't call me a little girl!" Ray grabbed his goatee and forced him to make eye contact with her.
Mr. Drill pointed at Ray as he looked over at Texzia, who had on a pair of glittery magenta short shorts and a baggy orange off-the-shoulder t-shirt that almost covered the shorts.
Ray let go of him and he stomped over to Texzia.
"Why are you wearing booty shorts in my gym class, boy!" Mr. Drill shouted as he got in Texzia's face.
"Because my ass looks amazing in them and it ain't my fault the boys can't keep their eyes off me, teach," Texzia struck a flamboyant pose.
"I don't like your attitude! You're all gonna run as many laps as you can until the bell rings for lunch!" Mr. Drill pointed to the door that led outside.
Everyone in the class groaned as they walked outside to the track, except Kate, who was still huddled in the corner crying.
Ray groaned as she walked over, grabbed Kate's arm and dragged her out of the gym and over to the track.
"You will start running after I do roll call! I'll call your name, you say here, nothing more, nothing less," Mr. Drill held up a clipboard.
"Kai Fisher!" Mr. Drill looked away from the clipboard.
"Here," Kai crossed his arms.
"Zin Century!" Mr. Drill loudly read the next name on the list.
"Here," Zin groaned.
"Zyn Frasher! Now that won't work, it sounds too similar. You will be called by your legal name! Zyndolyn Frasher!" Mr. Drill pointed at him.
"Here," Zyn covered his face.
"Tatum, I didn't like the way you looked at me. You're also going by your legal name because I said so!" Mr. Drill pointed at them.
"Why, what did I do!" Tatum protested.
"Shut up, Lillian Gordon!" Mr. Drill walked over and got in their face.
"Don't you dare deadname me!" Tatum pointed at Mr. Drill.
"I will do as I want, Lillian!" Mr. Drill smiled smugly.
"No, you can't!" Zan pointed at Mr. Drill.
"That's it, you are all running your laps in your underwear!" Mr. Drill screamed.
"That is illegal," Zan glared at Mr. Drill.
"Oh, I guess you're right. You will all be running until lunch for 7 gym classes!" Mr. Drill broke the clipboard in half.
Zin looked over at Zyn and noticed he was frowning. "When this world is doomed, you'll be doomed!"
"Whatever, just start running!" Mr. Drill threw both halves of the clipboard at Zin.
Zin dodged and started running on the track.
Texzia and Kai ran beside her.
"Hey, Zin, do you have a plan?" Texzia whispered.
Zin glanced over at Kai, who glanced back.
Zin glanced over at Texzia as she whispered, "I don't know if he'll be, you know, down for helping conquer his own planet and shit."
Kai glanced over at them as they whispered.
"Really, do you wanna join?" Zin smiled at him.
"Yeah, you could have just asked me. I would have said, yeah, this place is a dump," Kai thought for a moment. "But as long as you don't kill my parents, we're good."
"We're not killing all humans. We're just conquering them," Zin tripped over her own feet and tumbled.
"Yeah, we don't kill other planets and conquer them and make them better when they join the Grand Century Empire, as long as they follow the customs of our culture." Texzia stopped running and helped Zin up.
Mr. Drill noticed they had stopped running and screamed, "Why'd you stop running! Begin running again!"
Texzia and Zin immediately started to run slowly.
"So you guys improve the planets you conquer? Well, that ain't too bad. Earth really needs some improvements." Kai looked over at the flood wall which was covered in trash.
"Yep, pretty much," Zin shrugged.
"I'm sorry to ask this, but I just thought that you two look entirely different. Are you two different species, or do males and females of your species just look different from each other? I really don't mean to be offensive." Kai glanced over at them.
"No, we're not. The Grand Century Empire conquered my planet long ago. We were like the fourth planet," Texzia kept running.
"So guys, I actually came up with a plan while I was running. But first, we have to leave school and go back to my base to grab that Doominator!" Zin excitedly scream-whispered.
"How are we supposed to get out of this class? This guy seems like a real lunatic." Texzia glanced over at Mr. Drill, who was doing pushups with one arm.
"I've got a plan," Kai announced. "We just asked to use the bathroom. It's not a grand plan, but it's a plan."
"I thought he wouldn't allow bathroom breaks," Zin glanced over at him.
"He has to. It's the law, I think." Kai thought to himself. "At least I think it's a law."
They all stopped running and Zin cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey, Mr. Drill! We all need to use the bathroom!"
"No, now keep running!" Mr. Drill continued doing push-ups.
"Okay, and we're just gonna run off then!" Zin bolted off in the direction of the door.
Texzia and Kai ran after her.
Zyn stopped running and stared at them before continuing to run, trying not to activate his super speed.
They ran across the gym out the door into the hallway.
Mr. Drill stopped doing push-ups and ran after them.
Zin looked behind her. "Come on, guys, let's speed it up, loser's on our tail!"
Kai looked and saw him catching up to them and ran faster.
Texzia did the same.
They ran out of the front doors of the school as the secretary stared at them.
Mr. Drill tried to grab Zin, but she was too fast.
They ran off down the street. They ran until they reached the base sweaty and out of breath.
"I don't wanna have her run again." Texzia collapsed to the ground.
Kai also collapsed.
Zin laid down on the ground for a moment before getting up and walking inside the base.
The other two followed her inside the base.
Row watched TV on the couch as the three of them walked into the living room. "Face the fist of justice!" Disasterman punched Iceman in the face, cracking his helmet and causing him to have to freeze his own head to stay alive.
Row quickly turned the TV off as his face turned red. "What are you guys doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at school?"
"I have a plan," Zin smiled evilly.
"And what's that plan?" Row smiled at Zin.
"I'm gonna turn all of the water in the Pacific Ocean into soda," Zin broke into a fit of evil laughter.
"That's actually not a terrible plan, even though it sounds very bad because you'd be doing quite a lot of damage to the ecosystem. Well done, Zin. I'm proud of you," Row smiled.
"Blah blah blah, boring. All I heard was that you're proud of me!" Zin hugged him.
Row hugged her back. "Of course I'm proud of my baby girl."
"Not in front of my friends!" Zin pulled away and stomped her foot.
"You wanna watch, and to have lunch first? Actually, we should do a small test run after dinner. How about the lake." Row's smile widened.
Zin sat down and turned on the TV, flipping through channels until she found an action cartoon called Teenage Mutant Fighting Reptiles.
"Dude, let's totally have pizza." The fighter in red suggested.
"Teenage Mutant, Fighting Reptiles, Teenage Mutant, Fighting Reptiles, Teenage Mutant, Fighting Reptiles, heroes with scales!" Guy rapped as the intro played.
"(9:00 PM, Lake Sordidus in Camisado, VT)"
Texzia and Zin landed their ships in the woods nearby Lake Sordidus.
They walked out of the ship to gate ten as they placed masks on their faces. The masks looked like white theater masks, but Zin's was the only one that had molded lips and winged eyeliner around the eyes. The masks had hidden buttons on the side.
Zin used her blaster on her wrist to cut the lock and the lock dropped off the chain.
Texzia kicked the gate open with his magenta thigh-high platform high-heeled boots. "We're in."
They ran in and hid behind a stack of crates.
Row looked over the crates. "Remember, Zin, you know what'll happen if we get caught by Earth authorities, so don't get caught."
"Uh, if I may interject," Kay said from inside Zin's pocket.
Zin pushed the button on the cube, the weapon extended, and she hooked the strap of the Doominator on her arm and placed it on her back.
"Of course you can." Kai whispered.
"You may, Kay. You're a part of this team," Zin pulled her Portable Computer out of her pocket.
"That security camera to your right that's mounted to that wall is live, and a silent alarm was just triggered," Kay explained.
Kai's face filled with panic. "Kay, can you pick up police radio frequencies?"
"Yes, I can! Let me check if they're saying anything," Kay processed the live audio from the police radio.
"Are they saying anything?" Row glanced at the device.
"Yes, they're describing us, so we got to do this quickly and leave," Kay advised.
Kai heard the sound of helicopters from above.
A beam of light shined down on the group as they hid behind the wooden crates.
Zin shielded her eye as the wind blew her hair. The blue metallic plate where her eye used to be reflected the light into Row's eyes.
Row covered his eyes. "That's gonna give me a headache later. Let's run as soon as I can see again."
One of the helicopters fired tear gas onto the dock and it hit a crate.
"Or you're gonna have to run blind!" Texzia quickly picked up Row.
They all started running back toward the gate as the docks filled with tear gas.
Zin held the strap hooked onto the Doominator close as it hit against her back as she ran.
"Turn on thermal vision on your masks!" Row ordered as he reached for the button on the side of his mask and pushed it.
They all clicked the button on their mask and turned on the thermal vision.
They ran out of gate ten, through the woods, back to their ships as the helicopters chased them from above.
"Run to my ship! We'll come back for your ship later!" Texzia shouted over the noise of the helicopters above.
"Why did we have to run to your ship?" Kai started to run faster.
"Mine has a state-of-the-art cloaking device. Zin's does not," Texzia answered.
"Where did you get that?" Zin ran inside of the ship.
"From The Weapons Garage at Galaxy Mall. I actually got the Doominator there," Texzia smiled, sitting Row down in a seat. "Oh, do I love shopping!"
Row buckled himself up as he rubbed his temples. "I'm already getting a headache."
"I love Galaxy Mall," Zin turned on the cloaking device and took off back to Zin's base.