Yay, here we bring in one of my favorites!
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim or other relating characters.
Chapter Four: Tak
"Good, you're right on time. Have a seat." Red motioned for Zim and Dib to take the two chairs directly in front of him. "There is something I need to discuss with the two of you."
"You said you wanted to talk about the smeeting. Isn't that something you should take up with Invader Tenn?" Zim plopped himself down unceremoniously.
Dib wasn't even quite sure what a smeeting was. He remained silent as he took a seat.
"Under normal circumstances, I would, but this had more to do with Gazelene. See, I couldn't help but get the notion that she has no idea why she was really brought here."
The two looked at each other uneasily.
"Well, yes." Dib spoke up on his sister's behalf. "This is a bit of a delicate matter when it comes to humans."
"Forgive me, Dib, for I do not mean to be heartless, but the smeeting season will be starting in about ten months' time, we do not have time to dawdle on such matters."
Dib wanted to ask what a smeeting was, but was cut off by Zim. "I'm sure we could wait until the next smeeting. Does it have to be this one? If we wait, she'll do it willingly."
"I'm afraid we cannot. Irken life is unpredictable. For all we know, we may be facing yet another battle soon. Impending Doom Two is coming to a close; we must be on our guard lest another planet try and set up a resistance."
Dib jumped up. It wasn't fair to judge Gaz by the same standards as the other Irken. She did not serve in the military; her survival rate was much higher. "Yes, but Gaz is not an invader. She shouldn't-"
Red held up his hand, demanding silence from both of the boys. "I understand that she is your sibling and you want to protect her, but duty comes before anything else on Irk. I've tried my best with your sister, but she does not seem interested. If she is to carry a smeet to term she has less than a month to select a companion unit."
Dib was too flabbergasted to say anything. Zim took this as his queue to wrap things up; he did not want to upset his tallest leader. "Of course my Tallest, everything will be taken care of." He grabbed Dib and pulled him out of their leader's office.
"What is this smeeting thing? Why is so important that Gaz has a kid by then?" Dib asked as the walked down the hall.
"A smeeting is when all the smeets for the next generation are born. It occurs once every ten years. To most Irken it's nothing big, but ever since Tallest Miyuki got rid of parenting units, it's been a huge deal to the caretakers." Zim actually had a rather relaxed disposition to the whole ordeal. Part of it was his lack of understanding to the human's methods for birthing and raising children.
"So why does she have to have a kid by then?"
"A smeet. She's having a smeet, not a smelly human kid." Zim pointed out with a laugh. For a human as smart as Dib, he was still kind of stupid; then again that was just his opinion.
"Well she's not having anything yet." Dib retorted. Everyone was already referring to Gaz as if she was already with child. It was kind of creepy. "Can't she have the kid after the smeeting? Humans don't have a set date to give birth. It's nine months after conception, regardless of date, season, position in orbit, or whatever determines the smeeting here."
"Ah Dib, refer to my previous response. If it's a smeet, it will be born with the other smeets. My guess is if she conceives too late the offspring will come out too early, leading to a defective Irken." No one respected a defective Irken. No one. Zim knew that all too well.
"That's just a guess. Are you really willing to force Gaz into something over a risk?" She might tear the eyes of that poor irken male out, scratch that, she would tear the eyes out of that poor male irken.
"Are you willing to risk a defect?" Zim paused for a moment, trying to come up with a good comparison. Dib probably didn't know about his status as a defect (not that he planned on telling him), so he would need a good analogy. "It's like the human children with the genetic disorders. Some are not bad, some are not even noticeable, but some are crippling. Irken don't take too kindly to that kind of thing. Anyone who cannot contribute anything to the cause is gotten rid of."
Dib let out an exasperated sigh. Why did he ever agree to this? Gaz was going to tear him limb from limb when she learned the truth.
"Well Dib-Stink, what is your plan?"
"Plan? What plan? This is Gaz' choice."
"You heard Tallest Red. It's her choice for the next week or two. Do you have a back-up plan?"
Dib suddenly stopped walking to stare out the window of the Massive. He didn't know what planet they were flying over, but it's blue color reminded him of the planet he had abandoned. Although Zim caused a lot of trouble for him, he knew his life would have been nowhere as exciting as it was without him. The Irken was the closest thing he had to a friend, even though there were times when he couldn't stand him. There was no one else he could turn to.
Zim had stopped beside him to gaze at the planet. He recognized it was planet Meekrob, the next planet to be captured in Impending Doom two. Since when was Dib interested in planetary conquest?
"Zim." Dib said softly.
"Yes?
"If worse comes to worse, will you be my back-up plan?"
"Excuse me?"
"Look Zim. As much as I despise you, I'd rather it be you than Red that forces himself onto Gaz." Dib wiped his forehead. This was too weird. He was asking his best friend to essentially rape his sister. "If worse comes to worse, can I rely on you?"
Zim raised his eyes in surprise. "If the Tallest want her to be with smeet, I'll do it." He had to admit, it was an odd request, even by Irken standards, but he would do it. It would be better that way. He knew the humans better; Tallest Red would not be able to handle a pregnant woman, not just any pregnant women, an angry pregnant Gaz.
"Thank you, Zim."
Dib hummed to himself as he crossed another item off of the list.
Earth seemed to be doing really well, much better than when it was not under Irken control.
The Irkens saw the television as an obstruction to society and promptly removed/destroyed all of them. They then banned the production of them, claiming it would distract the humans from their jobs. Many humans found themselves working in factories, producing snacks to feed the Armada. Of course, they did not know what the snacks were actually for, but some people were happy. Unemployment had been a serious problem, but now, all one had to do was find an Irken overseer and ask for a job.
Some people were able to keep their jobs, mostly medical professionals though. Anything that would prolong the life of the workers was kept.
Of course, not everything was all good. Most forms of entertainment were taken away from the humans to prevent distraction. The internet was shut down all around the globe in an attempt to prevent humans from banding together for a revolution. There was a huge raid on drugs to stop the humans from using them on the job and messing up or slowing down production.
Humans fought dearly for these, even going as far as to hide them in caskets of those who had killed themselves rather than serve another alien race, but it was of no use. Regardless of how good a hiding spot was, it was no match for Irken technology. They were soon found and destroyed.
Sometimes, Dib found the Irkens rather harsh. They had zero tolerance policy towards mistakes. If someone put too little sugar in a snack, they were immediately taken away. Rumors spread that they were killed; some said they were ground down to be put into the snacks. Dib laughed at the latter. He knew that those who failed were taken away for medical experimentation, which inadvertently led to death. In a way the first rumor was right.
People quickly shaped up when they saw what happened to others. Mistakes came at a minimum and the monthly quota for snacks always ended with a surplus.
Sometimes though, he missed other humans. He was assigned to the task of watching over earth, even though it was Zim's planet, as he was human and would understand most of what was happening better, but it still left him feeling a bit distanced from the rest of his species.
When people walked by, they would frown at him. The more daring ones would actually spit at his feet. He knew people referred to him and his sister as traitors, and in all honesty, it hurt just a tad. He was human, these people were of the same species, yet there they stood on opposite ends of the battle field.
Well, they got what they deserved! He spent years warning them of this and they chose not to listen. What more did they want from him?
Well, in a recent study he conducted, they wanted food, junk food to be precise.
It was decided that fast food, junk food, greasy food, or anything of that sort would be rationed. The ration was not in place because of a shortage, but because the humans were so appallingly overweight. It was disgusting.
If someone wanted fast food they would use their ration coupons, which were given on weekly basis, and get what they wanted. Of course, they would still have to pay. The Irkens had decided to keep the currency system since it seemed to push everyone to actually come to work.
Speaking of fast food, Dib turned to look for Gaz. She had walked off saying she wanted to get a pizza from Bloaty's Pizza Hog (as it was still open as a food joint). Zim had gone with her under the basis of her needing protection from the other angry humans.
Dib knew he was trying to keep his promise to him by at least trying to get closer to Gaz. Sometimes Gaz would acknowledge Zim's existence by responding to whatever he said, but other times she would get annoyed at being shadowed by him.
At least Zim was trying, that was all Dib could ask for.
Through all this, and all his problems, the humans' anger continued to boil and build because trouble began happening. It was the main reason he was here today.
Strange occurrences were taking place all over the globe. Factories would suddenly implode, killing everyone inside and halting production of snacks. People who actually supported the Irken take over began disappearing. Irken storage trucks would return to the Massive empty. Ration coupons for humans were being forged, and very accurately too.
No matter how much Dib looked into it, he simply could not find the answer. That's when he decided to set up a trap. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was the work of some kind of resistance.
Since the targeted factories were essential to the massive, he had rumors spread that the factory in his old hometown was actually a number one producer.
Naturally, the unusual behavior picked there right away.
He knew the resistance would target the store houses, as you cannot make an output without an input, so that's where he decided to set up his trap.
Tonight, he would find out what was really happening.
Dib and Zim pressed themselves against the wall behind a pile of supply crates when they heard the door to the storage room open.
The door's beep indicated the person behind this had permission to enter. No one was scheduled to do a maintenance check at this time.
The two looked at each other in confusion. Whoever was behind this was Irken.
"Quickly, grab the metals; we won't need food this time around!" A female voice snapped. "I'll handle the little rats."
The two of them jumped out from behind the crates just in time to avoid vaporization as a beam shot right through the crate.
"No, it can't be." Dib said softly when he turned to see who was behind it all. "Tak? You're behind this?" He hadn't seen her since she had tried to get rid of the earth's molten interior. She looked exactly as he remembered her, not a single thing had changed.
"Yes. I'm going to be the one who rules this planet!" Her high-pitched static laugh rang through the cold metal walls of the building. "When I said the honor should have been mine, I meant it! Now I'm going to take this pathetic planet back, no matter whom I have to destroy." She pointed her vaporizer at Dib and fired.
Dib quickly jumped out of the way, pulling out his own gun and firing at Tak, taking care to avoid her squeedily-spooch. He didn't like hurting girls, even if they weren't human.
Knowing this, Zim jumped in front of Dib, throwing a calling device to him while he took over the fight.
The humans in the room had long since scattered, not wanting to be caught helping the underground resistance. Too bad for them, Irken soldiers had been waiting outside. They didn't stand a chance.
"We've caught the humans behind this." Dib said into the phone-like device, ducking another shot from Tak. "But there still seems to be a bit of trouble."
"We're directing reinforcements to you now." Responded a computerized voice.
Dib guessed he would have about ten minutes before they got here. Maybe he could talk some sense into Tak by then. With extreme precision, he fired his vaporizer at her hand, hitting her gun and reducing it to ashes.
Zim took the opportunity to jump on top of Tak, pinning her stomach first to the ground.
"Get off of me you lug!" She shouted in rage and panic. If the Armada knew she was behind the rebellion, it would be all over for her. Not to mention the humiliation she would have to live with, knowing she lost to one of the stupidest Irkens of all time.
"Tak, why did you do this?" Dib asked.
"Because I wanted to prove myself to the Armada!" She broke down in tears, knowing this would be the end for her. As soon as they arrived, she would be vaporized on the spot. The Irkens didn't take well to traitors.
"By going against them?" Zim asked in confusion. "Where is the logic in that?"
"There was none!" She snapped. "I was so enraged at the motherboard that I decided to sabotage her in any way I could! I just…" The rest of her sentence was incoherent due to her racked sobs.
Dib ran a hand through his hair. What was he supposed to do? It was kind of his fault Tak was stuck where she is now.
Zim didn't really know what to do either. Earth was his planet, as he had conquered it. It would look really bad on him if his planet had been infiltrated by another Irken Invader. He would quickly lose all the respect he had gained with his height.
"Tak, do you really want to rejoin the Armada?" Dib asked her as he thought it over. Maybe there was something he could do.
"I'll do anything." Tak said pleadingly, but cautiously. She didn't want to get her hopes up too high.
"Well I have the perfect idea!" Dib said. "Come here for a second." He grabbed Zim and pulled him off Tak, dragging him out of her hearing range. "Why don't we make Tak Gaz' bodyguard?"
"Bodyguard? Is your head full of hot air human boy? Why would Gaz need a bodyguard?" What a way to waste an Irken Invader. "I don't think Tak will settle for menial work like that."
"If she wants to live, she better settle for it. I don't think she's in any position to argue."
"Okay then, what if Gaz doesn't want a bodyguard? She almost slugged me today for being too close to her."
"I'm taller. She has to do what I say." Dib stated firmly.
Zim was rather surprised. He had never seen Dib demand respect from his height before. The human boy must have been serious about this. Still, Dib was forgetting something. "I am also taller than her, that didn't stop her from trying to pull my antennae out."
"Well, I'm her older brother."
Zim gave up. "Alright then. We'll propose it to Tak."
Tak had been upset to say nonetheless. But what could she do?
Once the reinforcement had arrived, Dib informed them that he was able to learn about the resistance from Tak, clearing her name from any trouble.
She owed him a life debt, she could not say no when he offered her the position as his sister's body guard. It wasn't all that bad. Dib and Zim and had explained Gaz' purpose to her. When she thought about it, the tall smeet that would be born would probably end up as a Tallest someday. She thought of it as guarding a future Tallest, instead of a human. Suddenly, the job didn't seem all that bad.
Once all the work had been sorted through, she found herself back on board the Massive. It was good to be home, living on earth really required a lot of self-maintenance. No robots or drones to help.
When she met Gaz, the only thing that had spilled out of the other girl's mouth was the phrase. "You again?"
Other than that, Gaz didn't seem to be bothered by Tak's company. She actually liked having another female around. It was a nice change from all the idiot men she was surrounded by.
Dib was just happy that Gaz took it well. After Red's threat, he realized he could never be too careful. Now all that trouble on earth had been resolved. Finally, he could kick back and relax a little before the real trouble came.
Yayz! I love Tak.
Anyways, I know people are going to ask "Why Tenn?"
Well, it's because she's going to play a decent part in the story and most people would rather have a canon character than an OC.
You know it's true, so I hope you'll enjoy it.
Review Please!