There was once a man named Richard Bloodstone, who had a best friend named Zachariah Genesis. They were college friends, and when Zachariah wanted to build a science empire he enlisted his friend Richard to be his partner. It took a lot of work, but soon their hard work succeeded and they created a greatly well-known biogenetics empire; GeniStone Industries.
Within GeniStone industries, Richard met a woman scientist named Willow Evans, who he discovered to be an alien of unknown origins. The two grew close and soon fell in love. However, when Willow married Richard, Zachariah became jealous. Jealous to the point that he became withdrawn and shut himself in his office for hours at a time.
Soon, Willow and Richard wanted to have children, but try as they might they couldn't conceive a child. It was then they had the idea to take their own genetics and use Willow's womb to grow a clone of themselves. However, the embryo split, and they were blessed with twins! Clones of each parent, one like the other. After further tests they discovered that the children were perfect hybrids of each species, and were overjoyed at the possibilities that their children could accomplish.
When Zachariah caught word of what they were doing he had an idea. Once the twins were born he threatened to sue the couple, claiming that they were used with his tools and thus they were his. Zachariah's jealousy warped his mind, seeing Richard not as a friend anymore but as a rival. He saw these children as a breakthrough in science instead of human beings. When the parents refused to give up their children he did the worst thing one could do.
Months after the children were born, Richard and Willow were mysteriously killed.
Zachariah was declared their guardian as he was their Godfather, and he began to use the twins as experiments, wondering what he could make out of them. By that time Zachariah had lost his sanity, and decided that he would use them for his own plans. He wished to take over the world, using two genetically advanced children at his side. It was purity of the race he had wanted. Those who weren't up to his standards would be destroyed. Survival of the Fittest! The powerful shall rule the Earth!
For years the twins were submitted to various tests and experiments. Runa trained to kill and destroy physically, while Avery was taught to expand his mental capabilities. However, when Runa decided that she didn't want to kill anymore, Avery was threatened to do what she couldn't at the risk of losing his sister. Avery grew up knowing how to kill people with his mind, while Runa grew up isolated and mistreated by Zachariah for forming a conscience.
It wasn't long until Avery had enough of the tests and the killing, the mistreatment of his sister and most of all, his guardian. It was unknown how Zachariah Genesis died, but the coroners say his heart exploded from the inside.
His body was the only one found in the charred remains of the laboratory. Any other person who was caught in the fire were fated to be ash.
"Aah!" Runa shot up in the bed she slept on, startled by the nightmare that she woke up from, either that or it was a memory. They were too similar to tell apart now. She shifted in the bed and curled up on her side, her eyes trailing towards the bed across from hers with a child curled up inside of it. The child never woke up to her frightened cries anymore, and she wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing. This ten sweeps old child, born from her own womb. When she discovered she was pregnant it was like her world was ending. Trying to understand something that she was never taught about, least seen, was a catalyst that almost had her mentally broken. To learn that it was also created from Tallest Red was something even more devastating, as the Irken was number one on her shit list after altering her memories to suit his own personal gain.
She still hated him.
Without the help of Zetiya, a Vort and Domino's right-hand man, she literally would have tried to kill herself. If it wasn't for her concern and her care and taking up the responsibility despite the ever-growing need to take care of all the other aliens that had been fleeing to Domino's planet in hopes of safety, she didn't know where she would have been mentally or physically.
Professor Membrane insisted on monitoring her as well as the planet's mute doctor, Adon. He and the scientist Khan were great assistants to Professor Membrane, teaching him about Irken reproduction and how it affected the host. Because of Runa's genetic abnormality, the pregnancy made her indestructible, as the Irken inside of her worked on a kill-or-be-killed state of mind.
She felt sorry for the two Irkens, as Khan and Adon were Dios' brothers, Khan explaining that it was because they were all hatched at the same moment and bonded since then.
Runa decided to step out of her bed, padding out of the room and leaving to go down the hall. The last ten years had been a whirlwind of panic and heartache. After the new Empire decided to advance on their borders, Retriste was in danger as it sat right outside of the physical border. If Professor Membrane hadn't stepped up and offered a unit of salvation then all hope would be lost. There was a problem with the plan, however, and it was that Earth was already overpopulated, though the older man only laughed at the fact and pointed out that he had that taken care of.
Both her and Dib had no idea that Professor Membrane already had a Mars colony in place, awaiting its first million inhabitants.
While Mars wasn't Earth in the slightest bit, he made sure it replicated their planet inside the dome.
The other problem was that Avery and Gaz were missing, and Runa refused to leave the Empire while her brother was still on Irk, or wherever he was. While Dib had the same reservations about Gaz, he ultimately decided that leaving with his father didn't mean they were leaving Avery and Gaz behind, or Zim and Domino for that matter.
Zim...
Every time she looked at her son's face, she saw remnants of Zim. The thought made Runa smile bitterly as she moved down the hallway into the shared kitchen, grabbing her glass and filling it with water.
Zim and Domino were now tainted with the virus that was supposed to kill the Control Brains, possessed by the newly altered brains themselves. The Control was what everyone called it, as the two Irkens that were so against the Empire were now assuming their leadership among it. The repopulation mission now included two key figures: The Meekrob hybrids. With both Runa and Avery under the Empire's control, then the Irkens would become a more indestructible force that threatened the universe and everything inside of it.
The newly formed Empire drove the rebels out of their homes, as the Massive was back in play and the Armada was rebuilt. Retriste was now a hallow planet without any inhabitants, nothing more than a once-glorified rock.
The Resisty was now a strong population living on Mars, their homes styled like Earth's coed college dormitories. Around their homes sat a thriving city that catered to everything. Retriste might have been an abandoned planet when they left but its personality moved on with Mars. The entire planet's dome was an eclectic mix of both Human, Irken, Vortian, and everything in-between.
While Dib was in charge of the Resisty, Professor Membrane was in charge of Earth, something he did quite well and insisted on helping his son become a leader that they needed on Mars. Crux, Domino's former bodyguard, was recruited in training him, as well as Zetiya. She knew the ins and outs of combat weaponry, while Crux handled hand-to-hand combat. The former Tallest, Red, was assisting Dib in how to run everything, from political insight to being the backbone of society. It made Runa laugh knowing that Red wasn't just a figurehead.
Runa wanted to help Dib so much, but her responsibility was now her son. She gave birth to the universe's first Irken-Meekrob-Human hybrid, something that Professor Membrane was impressed with. Having to take care of something so small, so clueless, was something Runa couldn't put into words. She only knew one thing, and it was that this child was made with the very genetics that made Irkens survive without the need of PAKS. The child was also resistant to Earth water, which amazed and scared her the first time. Along with the rapid healing, he was something beyond astounding. It made her proud, protective and a little scared. Scared that he was going to be involved with their mess, and scared that he was now a living target when it came to the new Empire.
A coat draped over her shoulders, breaking Runa out of her thoughts. She looked to her side and saw Dib sitting next to her at the table she sat at, frowning at her. "It's cold and you're out here barefoot in a tank top and shorts." He pointed out.
"I don't really feel it." She said softly, "Why are you awake?"
"I should be asking you that, but then you seem to enjoy stalking the halls at night." He smiled slightly.
"Sleep doesn't come easily to me anymore…" She sighed, taking a sip of her water. "I look over at him and wonder what he's dreaming about. A child's brain is so...new."
"Ace is probably dreaming of zombies." Dib chuckled, "Nothing really scares him. Not even stories about his 'Aunt Gaz'."
Runa smiled at that, "I hope nothing continues to scare him, but I don't want him to become as stubborn as his father."
"Which one?"
Runa went quiet, it was the biggest challenge in her life right now. Her son, evidently, had two fathers. Something Khan explained to her about Irken breeding and how their 'seed' works. Zim was proven to be one of them, from what the genetic tests said. The other… the other was an Irken she hated more than anything, who kept trying desperately to be in her life.
"His real one." Runa finally said. She looked at Dib, clearly knowing the conflict going on when they discussed her son. It was his mate's son, Zim's son. Dib and Runa were both Zim's mates, in some weird twisted way. Irkens weren't monogamous, they lived to claim and invade. They took whatever they wanted and that included partners. The fact that they had to live with that didn't stop being hard for either of them.
Especially when their relationship to Zim was a one-sided and abusive one.
Dib tilted his head, thinking. "Dad is taking me to Earth tomorrow so we can gather some supplies, I'm wondering if you and Ace want to come along."
Runa turned to watch him, "My son is green, Dib. He's a green ten-year-old boy. How in the hell are we going to pull that off?" She pointed to one eye, "His left eye is red, do you remember?"
Dib laughed, "Dad has a disguise machine ready in his ship, we took it from Zim's space station." He gave her a small grin. "I'm sure he'd love to go to the theme park that I definitely didn't plan two weeks ahead of time."
Runa couldn't help but smile. "His first time on Earth will be dominated by roller-coasters, you know that? He won't care about anything else."
"Don't forget the cotton-candy." Dib laughed.
"What's a theme park?" A small trill entered their ears and Runa looked back to see Ace eavesdropping around the corner, his antennae quirked forward among a mess of brown hair.
"Something you'll enjoy." Dib smiled at him.
Runa frowned, "Something you'll not see if you keep sneaking out of bed to spy on your mother's conversations."
Ace didn't look all too bothered, "Papa Red told me to protect you so I promised to do it."
Runa's eye twitched at the name, "I can protect myself, tell 'Papa Red' that- and to stop bothering me." As much as she hated Red, she couldn't let her son grow up without a father. While she didn't want to be around him or talk to him directly, she couldn't keep Ace from him. Though, once Zim was back in his right mind he would probably kill Red, and she didn't have a problem with that thought one bit.
Dib frowned at what she said, nudging her in the side. "Red's one of the volunteers coming with us, Runa." He whispered, flinching when she choked on the water she just drank. Dib patted her back worriedly and sighed. "You can't avoid him forever."
"I can damn well try to!" Runa looked offended, "He wants me to live with him, like he never really stuck a PAK in me and messed with my brain! Dib, I don't trust him." She still wore that PAK, a grim reminder of her past. It proved to be useful, however, because it contained all the advanced Irken technology that could give her a leg-up in battle if she needed it.
"You trust Red to be near your son, but not you." Dib folded his arms, "Isn't this a little messed up logically?"
"Mama?" Ace looked concerned, stepping forward and trying to fight the urge to hug her like he would have as a smeet. Like his Papa told him, he had to be strong to protect his mother. There were bad people out to get her and even him.
Runa turned away from her son and whispered at Dib, "If I didn't agree to let Red see his son then I risked Red bothering me every single day until I did. I know he won't hurt him, and if he did I would have gutted him a long time ago."
"Red's changed, Runa. You have to see that, he understands he was not mentally stable enough before we fled Irk and then after leaving Retriste he started doing his best to make up for it." Dib put a finger to his lips then when Ace finally got close enough to listen in on their hushed voices, and Runa pulled him over to hug him tight, not entirely convinced.
The next morning Ace had launched himself in his mother's bed, jumping on it to jar her out of what little sleep she had gotten. Ever since Dib brought up 'Earth' and 'theme park' he was counting the hours until the sun rose. He didn't need as much sleep as his mother, anyway. "Mama, mama, we need to go!"
Runa groaned, rolling over in her bed when her son jumped off and went for the blinds, introducing her to the bright light of the simulated sun that shone from the dome. She ducked her head under her pillow and whined, feeling the little shit tug at her foot, trying to pull her out. "You have too much energy." She yawned.
"Mama if we hurry we can catch Uncle Dib before he leaves!" The humanoid Irken boy quickly ducked into his closet and hurried to switch into day clothes, happy that he bathed the night before.
Runa finally faced the fact that she wasn't going to sleep for another twelve hours and sat up slowly, trying to will the sun back down. While going to Earth sounded quite nice, she had to face that tall asshole and be in a ship with him for two hours. The fact that her son was so excited didn't help, and she knew if she pulled the 'go with him by yourself' routine like she always did then Ace would throw that patented pout that he saved when he wanted to give her the biggest guilt-trip ever. He never got to do anything with his mother and father together, always one or the other and he wanted them both at the same time.
It was too complicated for a ten year old to understand what kidnapping and brainwashing meant. At least, that what she kept telling herself.
She got out of the bed slowly, feeling herself being shoved outside and into the showers by a demanding child. He did everything but strip her and shove her in under the cold water. Runa turned back to scold him but was met with two green hands holding up a towel and the basket of cleansing soap.
"I'm not getting out of this am I?" She asked him, sighing when the boy shook his head. When she took the items from him he was gone in a flash, not wanting to see his mom without clothes.
After the shower Runa returned to her room, noticing a lack of a boy and sighing in relief. Dib must have him, she thought, since that's the only place he would go in the morning. No one could get into the complex without the correct key code, and her son knew well not to leave without her.
When she was done dressing she strapped a weapon to her holster, a nice dagger she had haggled off of an alien two weeks ago. It was shiny and sharp and when you pressed a button a bigger curved blade made out of ultraviolet rays formed, making it a handy sword when you needed it. She was completely ready after braiding her hair, letting the braid fall to her hips. She smiled to herself, remembering Zim constantly complain about how messy her hair would get after fighting, but refused to cut it because he thought it would hurt her.
When someone knocked on her door she answered, poking her head out expecting her favorite human only to get her least favorite Irken. "Who let you in the complex?"
Red was Red even without his signature armor, wearing red and black robes that almost qualified for kingly garments. Still being a male who prided himself in his height, though just being less of an asshole about it. Runa really didn't care either way, though.
"One of the smallers let me in. Is it a crime to want to see the mother of our child?" He asked coolly, attempting to step inside.
"It should be." Runa didn't move an inch, refusing to allow him entrance. "I'm happy you know nothing of the human legal system."
He tilted his head curiously, "What's that?"
"Nothing." Runa grumbled, pushing herself out. "I'm being forced to make nice with you by my son." She put emphasis on the word 'my', narrowing her eye at him, "I guess he's used to getting what he wants."
"Of course, he's a prince!" Red grinned, "Why shouldn't he get what he wants?"
"I don't know, maybe he should be learning how to manage without? Not everyone gets what they want, Red."
He snorted, "Ace is fully aware, but it doesn't stop him. I know what he really wants and I'll see to it that he gets it."
Runa rolled her eyes, "What is it now? I told him no weapons until he's sixteen-" She stopped when Red took her hands into his own, "Wh-"
"He wants his parents to love each other, and that's something I want." Red said softly, knowing she would attempt to pull her hands back and keeping a good grip on them.
Runa stepped on his foot instead, stepping away when he let go and cursed under his breath.
"His parents do love each other," She commented as she walked, "His real father and I, anyway."
Red glared at her, "I'm sure you've told him about Zim, have you? Did you completely skip out the part that he's infected and probably hunting us all down right now?"
Runa whipped around, her hand falling on the dagger, "If you say anything I'll rip out your antennae, I'm not about to let my son know of what's going on outside this solar system!"
Red stared at her in shock, "You honestly can't leave him in the dark like this! What if he meets Zim? What will he do?"
Runa hadn't thought of that, but it wasn't like Zim would just show up one day out of the blue. "It's not going to happen." She finally said, though she was having a hard time believing herself. "Not now… I want Ace to at least have a happy childhood. That includes keeping him in the dark about Zim, and our past."
Red sighed, moving closer to her and frowning slightly. "I want to start over again with you, can you at least give Ace that?"
Runa's eye rolled, and she stepped away from him. "You're never going to stop are you?"
"I'm stubborn, all Irkens are." Red smiled.
The silence between them was filled with tension, Runa and Red exchanging stares while Runa thought over everything. As much as she would like to hate him, over the last ten years he worked on proving himself to be a changed man. He was still full of himself and prideful, but over the years he dedicated himself to become better as a leader and did his best to help Dib with his own task. Professor Membrane wasn't going to live forever, and Dib knew that. He trusted Red, and took his teachings to heart. If Dib trusted Red after all the shit the Irken did ten years ago, then it must have meant something.
The question she had was if she was ready to let go of the past and move on. It didn't mean to get romantically involved with Red, she knew that would never happen, but to possibly tolerate him enough that her son could honestly have time with both of his parents without having one of them threaten to kill the other.
Runa was stubborn as well, but she was tired. Hate required an amount of energy that the woman really could use on something else, like her training.
"Papa!" The voice of her son snapped her from her thoughts and she saw him rush past her to hug Red. A hand fell on her shoulder and she knew it was Dib at her side.
"He's excited." Dib said. "He ran into my room before I woke up and insisted on leaving as soon as possible."
"Nice to know I'm not the only one." Runa smiled slightly, glancing at Dib. As much as he had to do in a span of a day, he never showed fatigue. Possibly because he was taught never to show any weakness, but she thought it was because he learned to accept his role as a leader. He carried the weight of a planet on his shoulders, he was responsible for the wellbeing of over thirty five thousand aliens, but somehow he carried himself as he always did. The only visible change was the hardness in his eyes and a visible tattoo on his arm, rows of Irken letters circling his arm that he never talked about or translated for anyone.
He caught her watching him and smiled at her, "We should get going."
"I call shotgun!" Ace left his father's side to lead the four, and Runa couldn't hold back a small laugh while they left the complex.