Zim and Gaz soon found their way to the outside. The night sky was studded with stars and a cool breeze brushed them from the ocean bellow. However, the scientists must have had all openings triggered because the two escapees were soon surrounded by soldiers and guns.
"Doomsday device activated," Minimoose turned off the cloaking device.
Zim clutched Gaz close to him and turned on a shield. The soldiers at first panicked by the phrase 'doomsday device activated' but chuckled when they saw the floating purple moose.
***Zim's base; short while later***
Minimoose carried the two figures into the open roof of Zim's base, which closed upon their entrance.
"I've never seen anyone look as dumbfounded as those humans!" Zim cackled.
"I like the part where they fell," Gaz said.
A voice outside shouted through what sounded like a megaphone," We know you're in there, alien! We have you surrounded. Give yourself up!"
Zim raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Do they really think that's going to happen?"
"Evidently so," Gaz shrugged.
"Computer!" Zim demanded.
"What?" the bored voice of the computer.
"Activate total lockdown mode."
***outside***
Rows of tanks surrounded the freakish green house that was supposed to be the alien's base. Scientists were waiting with a tank for the alien to give itself up. Suddenly the ground began to quake and a blue force field enclosed around the house, turning invisible seconds later. The house itself sprouted lasers and the scary lawn gnomes in front transformed into spider-like robots. An evil laughter could be heard inside.
"That's it," the general shouted to his men. "Fire all we've got at the house!"
At first they fired relentlessly, but as soon as the army realized that the impact from the weapons simply made the shield light up in blue, they stopped. Someone threw water at it but the result was the same with the artillery. Attempts to enter were not only electrocuted by the field but also shot at by the spider bots.
"At least that crazy dog thing isn't here," someone whispered to another.
***inside***
"Was the evil laughter really necessary?" the computer asked.
"Do not question the mind of ZIM!" commanded the alien.
"Master! Gazzy brought you back!" the malfunctioning SIR unit cheered, leaping up and hugging Zim.
"You shouldn't worry, GIR," Zim said. "Nothing can kill the almighty Zim! Nothing!"
"Yay! Does Gazzy want waffles?" GIR asked.
Gaz felt like she hadn't eaten in ages. "Sure. Why not?"
While Gaz ate, Zim planned. Now that his secret base was reveled and the world knew his name, he would have to find a better place to hide. Zim began to plan.
Gaz had enough sense not to eat the waffles with soap in them. However, she would never be able to eat enough to appease the crazy robot. When she found this out, Gaz simply pulled out her Game Slave and started killing pigs. This didn't seem to make GIR stop making waffles, though.
"You look like you need waffles," GIR said. "These have tuna in 'em!"
"Where did you learn to make waffles?" Gaz couldn't think of Zim teaching GIR such a thing.
"That Keef boy!"
That explained it, Gaz thought. She took her game to the sofa and away from all the waffles, which were beginning to clog up the kitchen.
Gaz finished her game after a few hours and, having nothing better to do, fell asleep. Zim came in later. He couldn't help but smile at the human sleeping with GIR curled up next to her. They always seemed to look different when asleep, humans.
Zim sighed. "I can't help it. Being away from other Irkens has weakened me."
Zim fell asleep next to Gaz to the sound of the explosions hitting the base's shields.
Gaz and Zim were eating the least deadly waffles GIR had made the next morning.
"Gaz, you can't come with me," Zim said stubbornly.
Gaz never liked to be told what she couldn't do and she made this clear when she glared at the alien. "Why not?"
It was more of a demand than a question. "Because the almighty Zim commands it!"
She waited for a better answer, anger and annoyance written on her features.
Zim growled, frustrated. "You've got your own family unit, Gaz-human!"
"My stupid brother should know by now that I let you out of that tube thing. Both he and Dad will be against me now."
"When has that ever stopped you? Besides, Zim must hide better than ever before now that the Dib-monkey reviled my identity. I cannot afford to have anything from my past."
"That's too bad because I'm coming anyway. Whatever you're doing will be much better than my life will be if I stay."
"You lie, human. I will have to move whenever my human peers become old. I will long outlive you so this will be necessary. You will grow old and die along with them and there is nothing you or I can do to stop that. It will be far better for us to part now."
"I don't care, Zim. It's better than an obsessive brother and a father that ignores you. I'm coming with you."
Zim could tell that he was losing the fight. He sighed. He didn't want to do what must be done. Zim pulled out a syringe and swiftly and skillfully injected its contents into Gaz's blood stream before she could punch him. It took effect almost immediately and began to knock her into unconsciousness.
"I'm sorry, Gaz, but you can't come with me," Zim whispered to her.
*** Membrane household***
Dib saw the mushroom cloud created from the explosion of his enemy's lair and knew that Zim had done it himself. Dib growled. Just when all the spying and battling had paid off, Zim escaped. Dib just knew his sister had something to do with it because she never came home that night. Why was she always stopping him from finally defeating Zim?
A knock on the door disrupted Dib's chain of thoughts. He opened it to reveal a boy about his age carrying his sister. He had long black hair that covered his eyes and a red long-sleeved shirt with a black skull on it.
"Gaz? But how…" Dib began but was interrupted by the stranger.
"We were friends. She never told you cause you're a jerk and would be to wrapped up in your parajunk to care. She came over last night," the boy said, bored, and handed Gaz to Dib. "I'm moving so you'd better wise up."
Dib was speechless as the boy walked away. By the way he had threatened Dib, there was no doubt in his mind that the boy spoke the truth. Yet there was something oddly familiar about him that Dib just couldn't place.
"Maybe Gaz didn't help Zim escape after all," Dib mumbled, carrying his sister to her room.
***a week later ***
Gaz sighed. She hated skool. The only reason she came here was that she would be bored at home and her brother would stop her. Funny how he never cared before. Her gaze roamed to the window.
Outside, a boy stared back at her. He had black hair covering his eyes and a red long-sleeved shirt with a black skull on it. The boy was walking a yellow dog that was eating something. Though he didn't look like him, somehow Gaz knew.
"Zim."
Do you see what I did there? Do you see it? I'll tell you what I did. I finished, that's what I did. I never finish! Never. This calls for balloons and a cake.
Anyway, thank you all that reviewed and read my story. You make me feel special. I hope you find my other stories good as well and if you don't, I really don't care. I keep thinking that I'm going to write a sequel to this, but that's not likely since I can't think of what they will do. Oh well. I can dream, right?
Heartofstone15 out!