Chapter 7: Conspiracy
"Everyone should be in court in a minute," the Second informed, "and then I guess we can start the next objective."
The First nodded from her podium as other present Destinies exchanged a few words while waiting.
"So tell me, Gaz," the First Destiny's fingers drummed on her gavel, "Have you learned anything so far?"
Gaz arched a brow in annoyance. "Learned? I thought this dump was a courthouse, not a schoolhouse."
"It is what you make of it," the First answered smoothly. "Much like life, incidentally." Her green eyes twinkled, almost as if she were toying with Gaz.
Gaz groaned. "I hate cryptic crap." She sank back into her bench, only to jump back up upon hearing the courtroom's large doors open.
"I'm here!" Dib announced on his entrance, preceding a few more Destinies. On his way to his bench, Dib stopped for a moment to pay his sister a glance.
"Good luck, Gaz," he said to her solemnly.
Feeling that she now had quite an upper hand, she gave him a shadow of a smile. "Yeah…good luck."
Once all were seated, the gavel clapped.
"Since everyone is now here, it is time for Objective Five," the First announced. "Gaz, the time has come for you to plead your case. You said you had something prepared?"
"I guess I do." Gaz rose and presented herself before the court.
"Everyone," she began, "I have been charged with years of heartlessly tormenting my brother, Dib. Of that…I am guilty."
Dib perked up in genuine surprise.
Gaz continued. "I'm guilty of beating him up countless times for no good reason. I'm guilty of berating and ridiculing him unmercifully almost day in and day out. I'm guilty of abandoning him in his every time of need. I'm guilty of treating him as a nuisance and an undue burden on this world, despite the fact that he risks his life all the time to save that very world from a 'big scary alien invader'."
She paused strategically to ensure that every eye in the room was on her.
"Oh yes, I'm completely guilty of all charges against me. But what I'm not…is sorry."
Gaz did not need to lay eyes on Dib again to know that the tiny glimmer of hope she had placed in him now faded. No one did.
"See," she explained, "I never did ask for a brother, let alone for him. I don't choose my family members, the people I'm forced to grow up with. And Dib calls himself a member of this family; calls himself my brother and the esteemed Professor Membrane's son, so the least he could do is refrain from always making Dad ashamed of him, especially when Dad's nice enough to introduce the world to 'the future of the Membrane Empire'. But no, Earth's mighty defender has such a big ego that he thinks he has the right to be himself. He expects everyone to just accept him for who he is, and look how that's worked out for him."
She half-expected Dib's newfound confidence to guard him against each verbal strike, but a look towards him revealed that she had indeed hit a sore spot. With an expression of utter disbelief, he shook his head.
"You know, I always let you be yourself, Gaz. And that's really saying something."
Gaz bore down on him with her eyes, hoping to get her counterpoint across. "We can't all be ourselves in this world, Dib. Society will rip you apart. And don't give me any of that crap about 'Oh, but you're my family. I shouldn't have to hide who I am at home' and all that happy huggy bullshit. I did not ask to be your family, and I did not ask for you to act like a big brother towards me. I tried the best I could to distance myself from you, and when that didn't work I tried to make you hate me as much as I hate you. I tried and tried to beat that sibling concern out of you, but you're so stupid you kept coming back! If Zim ever did wise up and become a threat, how would you expect to stop him if you can't even overcome me?"
The girl's face was red with exasperation, but to quite some surprise, she began to calm down, and stared at Dib just a little more softly. "You want to save the world when you can't even solve your problems at home."
After staring thoughtfully at her, Dib looked down at the hands in his lap as if he were actually considering that last sentiment.
"Hell, he doesn't even have the courage of stoicism to ignore the jackasses at skool. If he was in any shape to save the world, he would have given up trying to tell them how 'one day they'll be sorry'. You'd think, Dib, you'd think that by now you would have given up trying to convert the idiots at skool and would spend more time on seeking allies for your cause elsewhere."
At this, a spark of realization ignited in her brother's eyes. Perhaps, in all her warped and twisted convictions, his sister had some small shadow of a point here and there.
Gaz shook her head disapprovingly. "Maybe if you had shown me that you were a little more insensitive and a little more unshakeable; that you had a little more potential as a planet's hero, then maybe I would have considered helping you with your 'mission'."
Dib was visibly stricken with a jolt of astonishment. "You—Really, Gaz? You might have been willing to—be my sidekick?"
"Maybe if you had proved yourself to be a more fearless leader, yeah," she shrugged. "I mean, fighting off an invasion could be fun—like a real-life video game. But if I was going to be a 'sidekick', I needed a commander I could get behind; not someone who would bend to my power. I wasn't going to be your follower if I could hold you under my thumb."
Dib gaped at her incredulously. "Wait—waitwaitwait wait—you mean…you wanted me to take charge?"
His sister looked him in the eyes and nodded. "But you failed that miserably. You wanted to defeat a trained otherworldly soldier even though you were still submissive to your would-be second-in-command. I couldn't go into battle behind a leader who seemed way in over his head."
The other child was awe-struck. "Gaz…Gaz, why didn't you just say so in the first place? We could have teamed up and you could have taught me how to be tougher! All these years of wondering what the hell you possibly wanted from me—"
"I was testing you to see if you'd figure it out on your own," she stated simply.
Dib's face fell to confusion. "This whole time? Ever since Zim came? Really, that's been quite a while, Gaz. You'd think you would have realized by now."
"Well, when I did realize you weren't going to figure it out, I guess I just gave up on thinking it was ever going to happen."
Dib thought for a moment. "You know…maybe we didn't have to be leader and sidekick. Maybe we could have been just partners. I mean, sure, I'm the one with all the paranormal knowledge, but this way I could work out the plans and you could be our thick skin."
His vehement antagonist now faltered. "N-no, Dib," she said darkly, but uncertainly. "No."
"But we could—"
"No. No, I lost interest—a very long time ago."
The plaintiff's mouth now hung open, appalled, a move Gaz had not quite anticipated. "You—'lost interest'? This—this is a game to you? Me, you, our world, and all we hold dear is in grave danger and you lost interest?"
He was yelling now. "We don't have three lives, Gaz! We can't just try the level over again when we lose! This is not a game, and you're willing to stake our lives on the belief that Zim's just going to keep coming close and failing?"
"Don't give me that," the defendant spat. "A lot of his plans fail before they even get put into action."
"Because I'm there to stop him!"
Gaz was still, and silently cursed her face for wavering. "Then…" She withdrew slightly despite her efforts. "Then why do you need me?"
Dib breathing slowed as he gradually went from fuming to frustrated. "I'm only one person, Gaz. I'm only one kid forced to grow up early. I can't carry Earth's safety alone."
The Destinies whispered and nodded amongst each other until the First's gavel sounded.
"Will that be all, Gaz?"
"…Huh? Oh, um, yeah…" Gaz nodded gently, her voice more distant and carrying much less of her usual derision. "Yeah. That's all. Guilty, don't care…end of story. You can discuss your verdict…your stupid verdict."
"Our intentions exactly," First clapped the gavel again. "Dismissed."
Though confident as she was in her plan, Gaz knew the evening still hung on pins and needles. The herrium had blended perfectly in Dib's glass of red punch, but what if, at some point before the intermission, it settled to the bottom and became detectible? What if Dib tasted something strange at first and refused to drink the rest of it? Such thoughts kept her hand uncontrollably shaking on the computer mouse back in her room as she tried to relax by playing Rise of the Demon Moose. Her nervousness, though, gave way to mounting rage when her preoccupied mind was causing her to lose the game. A knock on her door was just the interruption needed for her character to be killed by an enemy moose. But what normally would have sent Gaz over the edge now only brought a smile to her face, as it was just the visit she was waiting for.
"Gaz? It's Dib. I really need to see you in my room."
"Ugh, whatever. Coming," she answered in a convincingly agitated voice. It was time to play along with the "test". The girl looked in a mirror that had been provided with the room and took a moment to practice an innocent face. Once satisfied, she left the bedroom.
Dib, looking secretive and mindful, motioned for her to keep quiet as he led the way back to his room.
"I can't let this thing continue," he said in a near-whisper once locking the door behind them. Gaz turned her attention to the array of curious supplies on Dib's bed. Devices and gadgets such as a glowing…well, she had no idea what it was; a beeping…well, she did not quite know how to describe it; and a sparking…words escaped her as to what to compare it to.
"After some snooping around my room and a few others, I gathered some—things—that might help us escape. I wasn't quite sure what they were at first, but after some cautious tinkering I think I have them figured out."
"Where'd you find all this?" his conspiring sister pretended to be slightly curious.
"They must have been left behind by some earlier plaintiff—or more likely, defendant—who wanted to escape."
"Convenient," she crossed her arms, "but I don't really feel like risking it."
Dib looked rather confused. Gaz was never known to be particularly cautious.
She thought fast. "What? I can tell the Destinies are all just meddling idiots. They won't do anything to me."
"Well, I have a bad feeling about this whole thing anyway," Dib walked over to the bed and picked up one of the strange gizmos. "Now I think this is some sort of wormhole generator. I saw something similar in Zim's lab once, and it seems to have the parts theoretically necessary. Coupled with this doohickey here—which I believe to be a G-force compensator—I think if I can take just tonight, I can work out some coordinates on my room's computer and can leave before the intermission and verdict."
"Eeeyeah," Gaz said skeptically. "I'm sure you'll get us killed."
"Oh, don't worry, Gaz," her brother assured. "I've studied plenty into this. I've even built a prototype wormhole generator before…I think. And I've seen your aptitude for mechanics, Gaz." He smiled. "This is our chance to be that team."
Gaz's sneer dropped. She was taken off guard by this. Even though she knew he was putting on an act, Dib's words tugged at something inside her.
"I could learn how to be the kind of leader you wanted," he clenched his fists in excitement, before opening one hand again and extending it to her. "What do you say?"
"She's kind of my sidekick."
"Please, Gaz, listen to reason!"
"Gaz, you'd sacrifice the world just for some pizza?"
"We can stop him once and for all—you and me, as a team. What do you say?"
"Knock it off, Dib." It came out shakily.
Dib moved closer to her. "Gaz, this is a chance to start over. We'd be unstoppable together, you know we would."
"I'm not 'teaming up' with you," she backed away, desperately trying to mask the faltering she felt coming on (but which she could not understand). "Leave me alone about it."
"Gaz, please."
"Please, Gaz, listen to reason!"
Dib's sincerity showed plainly in his eyes, making Gaz increasingly uncomfortable with the situation. Unable to look at him further, she turned away to block her brother out—
"…you and me, as a team. What do you say?"
-but she felt that even her beloved Gameslave 2 would not shield her from what came next—
"We could be siblings, Gaz."
At this Gaz shuddered—shuddered with the influx of emotions: the stress, the rage, the anxiety, the pain—
Pain? Why…why would it hurt? What was it about Dib's sentiments that now stabbed at her, gave her this unfamiliar, insecure, sick feeling inside?
Her ingrained habits, her learned instincts, her nature urged her to hit him, to make him suffer, to "put him in his place". She ached to bring company to her misery—
But she ran. Instead of hitting him, she ran out his door, down the hall, and into her room. She flung herself onto her bed, fingernails digging into the comforter, burning red face buried in the pillow, embarrassed out of her mind at having fled from her brother. The feelings of shame, however, did not stem from only that.
But surely, surely she did not know what else it could be.
