Short GATR/TAGR Story

The rain came down, light at first, then started to fall heavier. Thunder growled in the distance as a bolt of sickeningly blue lightning came crashing down just outside of the city. Still, life did not slow for one minute.

Back at the Skool, children waited for the bell, as patiently as they could. It marked the end of school for the year, and so many of them had plans for over the summer. Some would be running off to camp, while others traveled the world and went cruising for a month or so in the ocean. Some would have friends over every day, some would simply just chill at their house and play video games.

But the girl, sitting quietly in the back of the room, would return to her temporary, rundown home were she would plot how to destroy her enemy once again.

She spat as the sound of freedom echoed up and down each twisting hall. All the others kids threw their hats, papers, and whatever else they could find in the air and raced outside into the hazy rain. Tak, cursing under her breath, rose to her feet quietly and gathered her stuff. Even the teachers had gathered outside, relieved and tired.

Tak found her way outside, stopping just short of the stairs. The rain was coming down in a think cloud now, making it look like some mystifying fog. No one else seemed to care about the rain. They either had umbrellas with them to walk home, or they ran to the bus or car awaiting them. The lonely girl had nothing, no one to return to.

Shifting her wait to one side, Tak inhaled a deep breath, wondering if she could make a run for it. She would dart across the road, avoiding the slowly moving vehicles, and catch her breath under the awing of the next building. Yes, she could make it back to the house that way. She had done it plenty times before. But the rain was coming down harder this time than ever before. Tak had pondered using an umbrella, but she didn't want to even think about a human device helping to save her life. And she swore to never ride a bus again, those filthy things...

Before, she would simply use her large ship to transport her to the factory were she was making her glorious weapon that would have taken the magma out of the middle of the Earth and replaced it with snacks for her leaders. Since the humans were so dense in the head, it was easy for her to convince them that her dad was rich and could afford to take her to Skool like that every day. Now, that was all gone, destroyed by the one she hated more than anything else, the one that had ruined her life forever...

Thinking about it made Tak feel sick and angered. She squeezed her hands together so hard her palms began to bleed. The color was a strange, glowing green, much like her skin. Her real skin. This uncomfortable human disguise had been bugging her all day.

Sighing again, Tak made her first dart across the street. She slipped on the wet pavement a little, blinded by the cold rain. She flung herself against the side of the ice cream shop window, catching her breath under the awning. The rain sizzled off of her, like wet bacon in a frying pan. She clenched her teeth as the pain shot through her body. It didn't last long, and she was ready to move again.

"Hey."

Tak turned her head to see a girl. She was wearing a black tee-shirt with striped sleeves underneath. Her tall combat boots came over her purple leggings, and she had a large, chunky necklace of a skull around her neck. Her hair was a deep purple, curling by the sides of her face as she squinted her eyes.

She tilted her head to the side and pulled out her own umbrella. Tak growled to herself, wishing the girl would just leave her alone. Gaz was Dib's brother, the boy who had helped her nemesis destroy all her work. That alone was enough to make her feel sick.

Gaz took a few steps closer to Tak. "I know you burn in the rain, just like Zim." She blinked, her dark eyes staring blankly into Tak's.

Tak spat and smiled. "Oh? What are you going to do about it?"

Gaz didn't move. "Can I walk you home? Or were ever you are staying now...?"

Tak raised her eyebrow. "Why do you care about me?"

"..."

Laughing, Tak held up her hand. "That's what I thought. Now, if you don't mind, I'm leaving."

"Wait!"

Tak felt a cold hand wrap around her own, pulling her back. She hissed at Gaz, drawing her arm back. "Don't touch me, human!"

Gaz looked taken aback. "Come on, I just want to help. My brother was really mean to you, and I want to make it up, The rain is falling to hard for you to be able to run home like this."

"..." Tak clicked her tongue in thought. "...fine, I except."

Thunder roared though their ears again, and Gaz drew herself closer to Tak so they could both fit under the umbrella.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, whatever."

They walked down the empty street, carefully and slowly so they wouldn't trip over each other. Tak felt strange, enclosed underneath the thin sheet that was keeping her separate from the rain with that girl rubbing up against her every so often. She tried to keep her cool, but the touch was making her skin crawl.

After several minutes of navigating to the outskirts of town, they saw the old mill that Tak was now living at. Gaz, who had been staring at her feet, glanced up at the Irken girl beside her. "So, what happened between you and Zim? Did he do something to you?"

Tak felt her body tighten. "That's none of your concern, and I doubt that you would understand even if I did decide to tell you."

Gaz huffed. "You don't have to be such a jerk. I know you've gone through some hard times, but so has everyone."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were an Irken trying to survive on this God-forsaken planet were everything tries to kill you, nothing you do is a success, and your trusted robot destroys all your plans."

Lightning struck in the distance, lighting up the darkness of the city. Gaz stopped abruptly, causing Tak to stumble a bit to stay under the umbrella.

"What the-?"

"There's something I have to tell you about that day."

Take looked at Gaz questioningly.

"You know how your robot went a bit...crazy?"

"Yes..."

"Well, that was...my fault."

Tak froze, holding her stance. "How so?"

"I programmed Zim's robot to make yours insane. It was the only way, and I'm sorry. I was careless. I was only thinking for myself. If I could I-"

Smack!

Tak brought her hand across Gaz's face, the sound of the slap echoing throughout the abandoned part of town. Gaz closed her eyes, drawing her own hand to the side of her face. She touched the wound lightly, moving her hand back to see it lightly covered in blood. Tak's long fingers were sharper than and normal humans.

Tak took deep breaths, trying her best not to do anything more to the girl. She was infuriated, and felt more betrayed and abused than ever before. Every muscle in her body was tensed as her face scrunched up in anger and hatred.

"HOW DARE YOU. You should die for what you did to me! You tampered with Irken technology, you God damn whore! I should have your head for this!"

Gaz's eyes were fixed on the soaked sidewalk, her face trickling small drops of blood. The deep, red color made her skin look ever paler than usual. Tak took a step back, her left leg coming out from under the umbrella. But it wasn't raining anymore. The skies were beginning to clear a little, and the thunder had stopped. Birds were starting to chirp again.

After what felt like hours, Gaz shuffled her feet and directed her eyes to a shiny object on the side of the road. "I...I think there's something wrong with me."

Tak bit her lip, sick and tired of this pestering human. She wanted nothing more than to kill her on the spot, right were she stood, but if anyone saw she would be in for one hell of a night. She exhaled through her teeth sharply, trying to calm herself.

"Tak..."

"Just go. Now."

"Tak, please here me out-"

"GO. I spare you life for now, pitiful creature."

Gaz closed her mouth shut almost immediately. She turned and faced the opposite direction, umbrella still held high. She began to walk away. Her rhythmic pattern was slow and indulging, and the crunching from her boots rang through Tak's ears like wildfire.

"I just want you to know..." Gaz's voice was soft and fading with every second. The fog swirled around her, swallowing the girl with every lonesome step. Finally, the last words came out, practically a whisper in the wind.

"I love you."

Tak felt a chill run down her spine. She was taken aback as she was left, standing alone by the old mill. Then sun was peeking through now, and Tak wondered why she suddenly felt so empty inside even though the rain had stopped. It felt like a giant chunk of her soul had been ripped out of her chest. She began to plead silently to herself for then rain to return. She suddenly wanted to see that girl again, she wanted to see her and ask her so many things. Maybe she could chase after her...?

After a moment, Tak suddenly began laughing to herself. How strange these humans were. There ideas about love were completely irrational, but yet this Gaz child had made her weak with those three simple words.

Tak made her way inside the dark, dank, musty factory. She pulled off her boots and collapsed on the dusty couch beside her. Mimi came to stand beside her; the little robot's red eyes were glowing bright, but there was no life in them. Tak found herself feeling suddenly frightened. She was alone in the universe. She had no one. She had convinced herself that Mimi would be there for her forever, but Tak failed to see that however much kindness and trust she had put towards that robot, it would always remain the same. A robot. No emotions, no returning love or respect to it's master. It was created to obey and destroy.

And Tak was getting sick of that life. She wanted to be loved. Oh, how she ached for it! The share emotions with someone, knowing that theirs are the same...she needed someone. Not a lover, but at least someone who cared.

It all came rushing over her like a wild river, and Tak closed her eyes, letting a slight smile crawl over her teeth as she pulled the hard blanket over her. Tomorrow she would find Gaz and ask her to help her learn how to love, and drowned the bloodthirsty killer inside herself. There was no need for all this hate anymore. What would she have to lose?

Absolutely nothing.