Due to demand from friends and awesome reviewers, I've decided to try and continue this story. I just have been in a state of brain-deadness since a relative of mine passed away. But that's not a good enough excuse to me for keeping you guys waiting forever. :3 So for all you who've stuck around, or maybe those who've just found this story, enjoy this new update and remember to participate in the Question of the Day at the end of the chapter! ^^
A wave of uncertainty swept across Zim's fake eyes, but Gaz seemed a little more eager to help, which was quite surprising to the Irken. "We've got to get her out of here, Zim. Help me." The girl slid her hands under a piece of roofing over the pod and attempted to lift it with clenched teeth. Finding that this idea really wasn't working, Gaz let go and turned to Zim with a dark expression. "Uh, Earth to moron, help me."
Imitating her voice vulgarly, Zim responded, "Durr, Irk to idiot. Have you caught the brain worms? Do you not remember how Tak tried to steal away Zim's glorious planet and destroy us all?" His lower jaw stuck out stubbornly as he glared down at the escape pod. Tak had crawled away from them, her own eyes glaring back at him. Hers, Zim noted, were deathly blank.
"You're so stupid," Gaz sneered. "The police are going to show up eventually, genius. And they may be dumber than dog crap, but I think they'll know an alien in a space ship when they see one. And that will kind of blow your cover, don't you think?"
Zim's eyes narrowed, but the girl had a point. With a rather distasteful sniff, the Irken drew a speaker out of his PAK. "Computer, I need the voot carrier to be delivered to the Earthian movie theatre." He paused before adding, "And also set out something to restrain a likely-hostile Irken."
"Alright, sir," the bored computer's voice spoke back. "Having trouble containing yourself?"
"SILENCE AND DO AS I SAY!" Zim whipped the speaker back in his PAK and crossed his arms. "There. We will bring her-" the Irken spit the word venomously. "...Back to my base. I will interrogate and keep her under my control. Then I will contact the Tallest to have someone collect her." His antennae twitched violently under the ebony wig as his false eyes drifted back to the trapped female. She was still pressed as far away from him as possible, lips now pulled back in a feral Irken snarl.
"You're such a charmer," Gaz muttered under her breath. She saw one of Zim's claws flick and she looked up to see a circular floating device lowering itself into the building. Zim gave a contented grunt as the carrier lowered and consumed the pod, the flat disk now a floating sphere. Then it rose again and vanished into the night sky.
"...Wow, that was pretty easy. And to think I was going to try and lift this mess."
"Let's go before the earth authorities get here," Zim decided bitterly. He and Gaz hurried out of the ruined theatre and just as they rounded the corner, sirens blared in the distance. Zim stopped, amused, to watch several cop cars speed by and nearly crash into the building. "...Or, I suppose there's no hurry. Are the protective force always so... unreliable?"
"Oh yeah," Gaz answered, shaking her head in disbelief.
Zim looked like he was going to respond, but merely shrugged and turned back around. "Well. Let's go see what our dear old friend Tak wants."
x.x.x.x.x
'Man, where's Gaz? Dad's gonna flip!'
"Any sign of her yet?" The tall man nervously paced across the living room floor. "We have to meet Nancy at the restaurant in an hour! This is my one night to spend off work for the year! Oh, where could your sister have gone?"
Dib's mouth had settled into a line, expression both anxious and frustrated. He wasn't sure if his father was more upset about missing his opportunity with Dr. Wallace or about his daughter who had vanished after the concert. The boy was sitting on the porch, door open to hear his dad's many rants. "You should watch your little sister," Membrane would advise. "Why don't you spend more time with your sister?" he would advise. Dib's favorite was probably the, "You should be a better role model."
'It's hard to be a role model for someone who punches you in the face whenever you suggest something.'
With a sigh, Dib finally interrupted his father. "Look, dad. Why don't you go? I'm sure Gaz is fine. She's tough, I bet she just went over to a friend's or something." Dib was sure that Membrane didn't know how anti-social his children were. And Dib was right.
"Well," the man hesitated, adjusting his goggles. "...I'm sure Dr. Wallace will understand your absence. Yes, I think it shall go fine. When Gazlene gets home, tell her she's grounded!"
'Not like you'll be around to make sure it happens,' Dib thought, rolling his eyes. But he agreed, "Yeah, dad, alright."
Dib watched as Membrane stepped around him and walked down the sidewalk to the driveway. The boy's amber eyes trailed off to the sky and locked on a twinkling star. Why did he feel like he'd forgotten something important? Everything had went well that night, albeit for Zim interrupting the beginning of his solo...
'Zim.'
Gaz had vanished after the concert.
So had Zim.
Fear boiling in his stomach, the boy ran past his dad who was starting up the car and shot straight down the block, splashing through puddles that had remained from the downpour. He had to get to Zim's base, and fast.
x.x.x.x.x
"...What're you doing?"
Gaz almost stumbled over Zim, who had paused in front of the fence to his yard. The dead grass and security gnomes looked eerie in the moonlight. The house hadn't changed too much over the years, however Zim had made a couple of improvements; for example, getting an actual door, and removing the cheesy "I LOVE EARTH" flag from his yard.
Gaz's incredibly intelligent response was, "Uh. Coming with you?"
"I don't recall inviting you in." Zim frowned. "Your duty is done. Enjoy your pitiful night elsewhere, Gaz-baby." He waved a gloved hand, as if expecting the girl to actually just leave. But she stared at him with an almost dumbfounded expression.
"Umm, are you like, stupid?" Gaz crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere. I was the one who suggested to move Tak so you didn't get caught."
"...Hmm." Zim didn't respond other than a hum in the back of his throat. He hadn't had a human in his house for a while, ever since the Dib had become too busy with his filthy school work to stalk the inexperienced Irken. That was what lead to Zim's ultimate boredom. No new plans the Irken had schemed could make the boy get back into his passion for all paranormal. It was very unnerving for reasons unknown.
Gaz snapped her fingers, waking Zim from his thoughts. "Hey. So, am I going to have to put up a fight or what?"
"...No." Zim walked by her and trudged up to his base, the human close on his heels.
"Good. I don't want to get my knuckles all lined up for nothing."
As Zim opened the door, he turned around and hissed, "Just don't touch anything unless I say so, got it? I'm not in the mood to clean up spilled organs."
Gaz rolled her eyes, but Zim continued to glare and walked in, which made her hesitate. "...Wait, what? Wait! What does that? Hello?"
Zim ignored the girl and headed into the kitchen. "Computer," he addressed to the base, "Is Tak's pod here? With Tak in it?" He added the last part quickly, almost expecting some sort of bad news.
"Yea." The computer's dull voice echoed around the house, making Gaz jump as the door closed behind her. Then, the voice picked up again. "Uhm, sir, it might be of importance for me to mention that there's a human in the base..."
"Yes yes, do not tell me what I already know!" Zim snapped. "She is here for... purposes unknown to me. Just take us down to Tak."
Gaz walked over to step by the Irken, and the floor beneath them slowly began to descend to the lower levels of the base. The girl remembered this vaguely; she'd been here a few times. With just a pinch of paranoia, Gaz made sure not to lean against the walls on accident (Zim's warning lingering in the front of her mind). Zim, who had been watching her, chuckled like he knew what she was thinking. "Don't be dumb, Gaz-human. Just don't touch any of Zim's mighty machinery."
"Noted," Gaz assured him.
They soon stepped out into Zim's main lab. "Follow me closely, human, and like I said, don't touch things." He began a proud Irken march through the large room. Gaz followed slowly and cautiously, edging as far away from the many tables as possible. There were vials and machines and who knows what else. Gaz put her hands in her jacket pocket and gazed ahead.
CRACK!
Gaz jumped and Zim snapped his head back. The girl's eyes were wide, heart beating rapidly from being startled like that. But Zim merely glared past her. "For the love of... GIR! Get out of here!"
"Aww, I'ma sorry, Master." Shiny metal glinting in the dim lab light identified GIR, who tumbled out from the shadows, covered in mud. He'd obviously been outside (without his costume, Zim noticed, which increased his frustration further). "Don't be saaaad. I saved-ed you a mud pie..." His luminous blue eyes glittered as the SIR unit noticed Gaz for the first time. His grin widened. "Heeeeey! It's the big head boy's sista!"
He jumped up and charged for Gaz, who tensed.
"GIR!" Zim stomped his foot childishly. "Hault! Sit! OBEY ME!"
Gir clung to Gaz's neck happily, splattering mud over the girl's coat and face. "Ugh! Get off of me! GIR! Bad robot!"
"Ai love da Gizzy!" The SIR unit crawled onto one of Gaz's shoulders and sat contentedly, sucking on a lock of her now-frizzy hair.
Zim flinched back, ready for Gaz to throw the robot against the wall, but she just sort of sighed, wiping off her face with the back of her sleeve. GIR giggled cheerfully.
"Well. That's... that's disgusting, GIR. You are not allowed out in the rain any LONGER." Zim raised his voice at the end, clenching his fist. "Now. Uh. What were we doing?"
"Tak."
"Oh. Right. To the storage chamber!" The Irken continued marching through the lab. Exhaling, Gaz followed, trying to contain her annoyance at the small robot chewing on her hair. She was starting to forget why she wanted to come here in the first place.
Wonder what Tak's doing, showing her greasy face back here? :o
Today's Random Facts!
. From the time between this chapter and the last, I've lost this chapter at least five times and was forced to re-write. :c
. I've kind of lost my plot notes, which is why it took so extra long.
. I might have another story idea for IZ I'll think about writing.
Today's Question of The Day:
Gaz or Tak? Who do you think is cooler? Who could win in an epic battle? And add why, of course. Give your opinion in a review, or message your thoughts, and feel free to answer the last two questions as well! Have a great day/night/twilight-zone time!
