"Popcorn! It's made of popcorn! Popcorn! It's made of-!"
"STOP SINGING!"
-Yay for making up annoying, catchy songs.

I didn't quite know how to start off this chapter so apologies ahead of time.

ENJOY! :D

Chapter 10
"The Primary"

Gaz woke up a few hours later, having fallen asleep after doing some minor planning on how this new insight would be used to their advantage. That hadn't lasted long though as her emotional lapse had cost her some energy to control herself. Just another reason why feelings besides those that were necessary or pleasurable were completely useless and better left alone.

She sat up, immediately awake as always. Gaz looked around to find the room empty. She really wasn't that surprised but when her hand brushed against a piece of paper she glanced down at her sheets. Gaz had fallen asleep in her clothes, she realized, picking up the paper.

Her brow rose with a smirk of amusement as she read it.

Gaz,
Received a transmission concerning the safe-keeping of the
house and had to get home before Gir blew it up. Again.
My Apologies,
Zim

She rolled her eyes. Figures. You couldn't leave Gir home alone and neglected for so long before he did something stupid and dangerous. It was only a matter of time before Zim had to run home and check up on things.

Of course, she didn't mind though. Gaz ran her fingers through her hair, feeling oddly clammy. She glanced at the clock. She'd only been asleep for a few hours, apparently. Gaz was feeling the symptoms of taking a nap in the middle of the day, the disgusting taste in her mouth and the light sheen of cold sweat. Though the last part could've just been because she hadn't been under the blankets and Zim, her source of warmth she'd been holding, had taken off before she woke.

Nonetheless, she needed a shower, desperately.

Gaz locked her door and closed her blinds. If Zim decided to come back the same way he'd come in the first time, this would hopefully keep him out. She wasn't about to let him walk in on her naked or dressing.

She flipped on the hot water, shedding her clothes and grabbing a towel from the cabinets. The water felt good and gave Gaz time to consider what it was that she should do about Iggins. It would be only too easy to manipulate and win against him with this newly discovered weakness. Gaz was thinking about costumes by the time she finished, wrapping the towel around herself and shoveling through pajamas. It was about 6 now and she didn't feel like going out anyways.

When she'd dressed she opened the blinds and the window, looking around suspiciously. Nothing was there, or rather, no one was there. Finding this she shut the window and left her room to go check on Dib.

As soon as she left the room, the aroma of pizza filled the air. A brow up in question, Gaz began heading downstairs.

"Dib?" She called out.

"In the kitchen!" Came the response.

Curious now she entered to find Dib, with his arm in a sling, eating a slice of pizza from a Bloaty's Pizza Hog box. Her eyes widened at the unexpected sight and he swallowed, smiling at her.

"You fell asleep, so I abused my duty as big brother and got us dinner with Dad's credit card." He explained, making a gesture towards the box. "So come stuff your face."

Gaz eyed him another moment before moving to sit across the table from him, grabbing a piece of pizza and not bothering with a plate. She wasn't going to set it down anyways.

"Something you wanted to talk about?" Dib said casually after he had finished, reaching for another slice.

Immediately she was on guard, casting a sideways glance at him. "What do you mean?"

Dib gave her a look of disbelief. "Come on, Gaz. I'm not deaf. I heard you two yelling, even if I couldn't understand the words through the walls. I gave you two your privacy, but now I want answers. Is everything okay with you two?"

"You hate Zim," Gaz insisted, baffled and irritated. "Why do you care?"

"It's not Zim I'm worried about!" Dib insisted, concern and worry filling his features. "You two have fought twice since this started."

"You're keeping track of my relationship status?" She hissed, eyes narrowing.

"I'm just worried about you!" He shouted back, desperately. "I don't want you getting hurt!"

"I think you'll find that I'm more then capable of taking care of myself." Gaz growled, shoving herself to her feet, losing her appetite. "You're the one that got hurt, Dib, not me! So why don't you worry about yourself instead of wasting your time thinking about 'what ifs'?"

"Gaz-!" He began, standing up.

"Just don't, Dib," Gaz hissed, turning her back on him. "I can handle Zim, myself, and anything else that gets in my way."

"But . . ."

Gaz curled her fists, glaring at the floor. "It's funny that you have the same confidence in me."

With this she stormed back up the stairs, silent. Dib stared after her, guilt flood his system before he fell back into the chair, dejected.

"I do." He mumbled, to himself. "It's just everyone else I don't trust."

Gaz didn't hear this as she ran up the stairs, slamming her door shut behind her and pacing it in aggravation. From their shelves her army of toys watched her with trained eyes. After about a minute of this though she flipped her watch open.

"You better pick up if you know what's good for you," she growled, hand on her hip.

Within a few seconds, he answered. His face looked confused.

"Gaz? What is it?" Then he became wary. "You're not mad that I left, are you? Because I only just finished cleaning up the mess that Gir made and I didn't have time to-!"

"I'm not mad at you." Gaz interrupted, stiffly. She offered no alternative for her fury, simply instructions. "You are to pick me up in ten minutes."

His brow rose. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know yet." And then she hung up on him. That was all he needed to know anyways, for now at least.

Gaz began to change again, tossing her clothes into the laundry bin she kept next to her door. She slipped on dark jeans and a short-sleeved, dark purple shirt. She slipped on normal sneakers, not bothering with a jacket. Zim would bring the one he kept for her.

She had just finished drying her hair when her watch began to vibrate.

Gaz flipped it open to reveal him, looking at her indifferently. "Am I to assume that you will be sneaking out?"

"I'll be down in a minute, just don't draw attention to yourself." Gaz replied.

Zim nodded. "Very well."

They both ended the transmission. Gaz locked her door and threw open her window, grabbing onto the tree branch. It was actually her that planted this tree here, in case of any need to get out of the house. Getting away from Dib was definitely a good reason to need some time out.

It wasn't too hard. In fact it was almost a boring climb down. When her feet hit the floor she turned around the bushes to see Zim with his motorcycle parked, helmet down and jacket hanging on the back seat where she always sat. The way Gaz figured it, he'd simply made her drive with him without explanation once so why couldn't she do the same thing back?

He tossed her a helmet. "Have you picked a destination yet?"

"Nope." Gaz replied, placing the helmet on her head before shoving her hands through the sleeves of the jacket. "Did you have any ideas?"

Zim paused. She noticed.

"A few." He admitted. "Anything you were trying to avoid?"

"The public eye?" She hinted. Zim immediately knew by her irritated look that Dib and humanity were something she couldn't stand to deal with at the moment.

"Then that narrows down the options." Zim said with a smirk. Gaz didn't have to see his face through the helmet to know he was doing it. "Get on, little Gaz. Zim will take care of you."

Somehow that was reassuring and she got, putting on an emotionless facade. And he couldn't see her anyways with the helmet on her head. She swung her leg over the seat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. Zim kicked off, running the motor before shooting off down the street, as reckless as always. But by now Gaz had gotten used to is insane driving as he broke speed-limits and weaved between cars that honked at him. He just laughed every time and sped up just a bit more.

It didn't take Gaz too long to figure out where they were going. As soon as he veered off into the wooded trail that led to the park they knew of. She'd have to be an idiot not to realize it. However she decided it was suitable and just relaxed, leaning the side of her face against his back.

It was when the motorcycle suddenly took a sharp turn that Gaz snapped out of that content state of mind, gripping Zim tightly as the motorcycle seemed to be become level with the ground. She looked up and things seemed to happen in slow motion.

A tight strand of what looked like wire passed an inch over their heads, right where there waists would have been. Her eyes widened as she realized they would've been cut in half and the suddenly menacing wire glinted, as if amused.

Zim brought the motorcycle up abruptly, spinning around so they were heading back the way they came, once again ducking to dodge the wire. He was heading back to base, she realized at once as he sped up at an impossible large speed.

"Hey!" A voice they knew all too well shouted over some form of speakers somewhere. "Wait! You're supposed to wait for my monologue!"

Since Zim's hands were preoccupied steering the vehicle, Gaz released one of her clutches on Zim's jacket and flipped off the general direction of the forest around them, since she had no idea where Iggins was watching from. There was a cry of shock and outrage that made her smirk with triumph as she resumed her hold on Zim.

"How did he know we were coming here?" She heard Zim growl to her, obviously frustrated. "We didn't even know we were coming here!"

"Shut up and keep driving." Was all Gaz ordered him.

Zim was shaking slightly with rage. Then suddenly he noticed she was still, too quiet.

He was immediately suspicious. "What're you-?"

"In twenty seconds I'm going to need you to drive this contraption completely steady," She interrupted, simply, calmly removing her necklace with one hand and pressing the eye of it. Immediately it transformed into a small, gun-looking object.

Zim only heard the whir of the shifting machinery, unable to turn around, let it cost them their lives. "Why?"

She didn't reply but Zim felt her legs move, pressed up against her chest now. Zim became alarmed when her hands moved to his shoulders, as if preparing to use him to get herself up.

"Gaz?" He said, nervously. When she once again ignored him he repeated, louder now, "GAZ?"

Then the twenty seconds ran out.

Suddenly, Gaz was on her feet and jumping in the air nimbly, spinning off into the air and landing in a controlled crouching position, the deceptively tiny weaponry gripped tightly in her hand. As expected, Zim brought the motorcycle back around but it was at the same time she spotted Iggins emerging from the forest, ridiculous and rather unnecessary disguise in place.

Iggins sounded pleased. "Ha! At least someone respects the rights the villain in a game has to-!"

Gaz raised her gun and pointed, firing. A light, electric blue shot out and Iggins barely had time to duck as it shot over his head. The projectile was a pure energy beam, which was so scalding and hot that instead of setting the forest ablaze, it was charred and turned to ash upon impact. Iggins was on his backside, staring in surprise at what could've been his remains instead of the wildlife taking the hit for it.

He turned to look at Gaz in terror and wonder, Zim staring at her through the helmet with intrigue and surprise. The weapon's smoke from the discharge faded and Gaz removed the helmet, shaking her hair out with an expression of finality and ice. And with a gun, a leather jacket, and expression that promised someone's death, Zim decided he had never before seen such terrifying beauty as this.

"W-What are you doing?" Iggins demanded, stuttering as he stared at her.

Gaz reached into her jean pockets, pulling out some fingerless gloves that she shoved onto her hands, the gun always in the other. When this minor task had been accomplished she once again aimed the weapon at the petrified boy on the ground some ways away from her without care.

"Getting rid of a pest." She replied, eyes narrowing and lips parting in a slight snarl. "One I should've squashed a long time ago!"

Iggins screamed and began running as she shot with the precision of an expert marksmen. However, Iggins was quick and narrowly avoided his doom in the form of a controlled nuclear explosion but that didn't mean he was unharmed. His clothes were singed and he was knocked around by the explosions impact, injuring him and scaring him all the more.

Gaz only snorted, knowing the hopelessness of his situation. She was done playing with Iggins. Maybe if she'd been in a better mood, Gaz would've humored him, but he had definitely picked the worst of times to try and kill Zim, especially with her around.

Iggins was going to die. And then this would all be over.

"You're done for," She said to herself, pursuing him at a much easier pace. In fact, Gaz was practically walking as her jaw set, taking precise fire and trying again as soon as the weapon recharged.

So many uses from such a deceptively worthless, plastic-looking necklace.

Iggins ran and ran, thankful for his endurance training that was paying off. He was tired but if it wasn't for those exercises he would've fallen a much longer time ago. He was starting to feel like he could outrun her when his shoes squished and splashed and he looked down.

A lake. He had run into a lake and was now standing ankle deep in it.

Iggins looked around, seeing the bridge probably two miles to his left. He began to sweat harder in fear, on top of his sheen of perspiration. There was no way to cross such a treacherous lake without consequence. There was escape. A cold chill washed over him as he realized what his pursuer had been doing all along.

Gaz hadn't been chasing him. She'd been herding him.

He spun around to see her aiming the gun at him from the borderline of the undergrowth, more then a safe enough distance away from his reach. So no chance of taking her weapon then. This really was hopeless.

Iggins clenched his hands into fists at his sides, resisting the urge to raise his palms in surrender. His eye twitched.

"This game has gone on long enough." Gaz informed him calmly, charging up the gun and steadying her hand. She set her chin without expression. "And I'm done playing!"

The charge went off and Iggins came to his sense at the last second, throwing himself into the water and diving below just as the charge sent a thick, gray and murky looking mist up from the spot she'd hit. Gaz just waited.

He'd have to come up eventually.

It was at this point Zim finally caught up with her, walking at the same leisurely place she had. He still wore his helmet and had carried her discarded one in his PAK. Zim glanced at her still outstretched weapon before looking back to the ripples in the water.

"He's hiding, then?" He asked, casually, as if it was a trivial matter to bring about the death of a boy. When Gaz just nodded, refusing to break even the smallest amount of her focus, Zim looked back to the water. "How long do you the putrid air can hold in his lungs?"

"Not much longer," Gaz answered, tightening her grip ever so slightly as her eyes scanned the waters. "But for all we know, he could be swimming to try and bank elsewhere."

"Shouldn't we just be leaving then?" Zim questioned.

Gaz didn't respond for a moment, deep in consideration. "I'm done playing this game, Zim. It's gone on long enough. I don't care if you can take care of yourself. In the end, the fights going to come down to me and him anyways. It's what he wants, so I'm giving it to him."

"Since when have you been cooperative?"

To the outside party, this conversation was far too eerily calm. Others would think the discussion was strange when the subject was whether or not to leave a boy dead or alive. But to Zim and Gaz, it was just another problem to be solved logically.

Zim decided after a period of thoughtful silence. He turned towards the water, knowing full well Iggins was going to have to come up for air soon. Gaz glanced at him through the corner of his eye as he cleared his throat, removing his helmet to be better heard, disguise in place.

"Hear me you idiotic pest of a boy!" Zim shouted, speaking clearly and enunciating his every word. It echoed through the forest and even still, Gaz kept her gun raised, poised and ready for anything. "Should you come anywhere near Gaz's vicinity again, well, let's just say we won't be quite as generous as to leave you alive. Even if you are injured, you still have your life, no matter how worthless a thing that is. In short, little worm-filth, if you want to keep what we've left you with, you will leave us alone!"

There last words echoed the loudest. When they still received no response Zim seemed satisfied, clicking a button on his watch. In the distance the roar of his approaching vehicle was heard, probably coming towards them on automatic. And yet even still, Gaz made no move to lower her weapon.

Zim sighed, "Shall I obtain a weapon as well then?"

Gaz snorted and was about to make a remark when some shadow caught Zim's eye from above.

"Look out!" He shouted, roughly shoving Gaz and himself to the floor. Both ended up on their sides. Zim turned towards Gaz and she could see the concern in his contacted eyes.

"Are you alright?" He demanded, loosening the grip he had around her.

Gaz nodded and looked up in hatred at Iggins, who was picking up something from the floor. He was soaking wet, his scarecrow hair clinging to his face and his mask once again gone. The black makeup around his eyes was dripping and he looked pissed as he held whatever metallic thing he'd attempted to throw at them.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Gaz growled, hands curling into fists.

And it was then she realized she'd dropped her weapon.

Iggins picked it up and tossed it. "Not so tough without your weapons, are you?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that!" Gaz hissed, furiously, jumping to her feet and lunging at him.

"Gaz!" Zim shouted, alarmed.

They were locked in hand-to-hand combat, which Gaz was clearly winning. Iggins threw punches at her which she blocked, kicking out her leg in rebuttal and making him stumble backwards. She took the opportunity to spin around for another kick, which he blocked. And Iggins rebounded, knocking her on her backside. She hadn't time to get up before Zim was suddenly in front of her, in a protective stance as he stood in between the two.

"Leave her alone," he said in a warning tone.

"I thought you said you weren't playing anymore." Iggins sneered at him.

Zim just glared at him. "I'm not. I'm trying to kill you."

This seemed to throw Iggins and Zim got the upper hand. It looked to Gaz as if this fight was going to be over in less then a minutes time when suddenly Iggins looked frustrated.

"I was going to take the Invader," Iggins announced. "But it seems you'll have to take his place, then!"

"Shut up!" Was Zim's response as he attempted to land a solid punch to his face, a final blow.

Iggins took the punch and it landed with a resounding smack. Even Gaz flinched at the well-deserved hit, still on her side as she'd gazed in wonder at the impossibly quick fighting. Iggins landed flat on his back, groaning in pain.

Zim turned away to kneel before her, "Are you alright?"

Gaz nodded, staring at him, Iggins, and back again. "Yeah, fine . . . Where did you . . .? How did you-?"

Zim laughed mockingly. "Zim is full of surprise, little Gaz, and that is all I will tell you. Now, help me find something to . . ."

Gaz glanced over at Iggins, aware Zim was talking, but unable to listen. Iggins was sitting up, with hateful glare on as he once again held up the little metal thing. "You'll pay the consequences for your interference."

Gaz's eyes widened as Iggins jumped to his feet. "Zim!"

Zim turned around, having ignored Iggins. He stared at being caught off guard and once again things seemed to slow down impossibly for him as he stood, momentarily rooted to the spot. Then his lips parted in a sharp gasp and his body twisted more towards Iggins as he got to his feet in an attempt to move, but he knew he wasn't fast enough.

Iggins arm reared back before throwing the little thing at her with a deadly accuracy that challenged Gaz's. But Zim didn't notice at all. The only thing he was aware of was that he hadn't been careful enough and know he was most likely about to be killed (depending on whatever the hell that metal thing did) because of his mistake.

Then suddenly a dark shadow filled his vision, blocking the view of whatever was about to hit him, and he was aware of a resounding shout of pain that did not belong to him.

Abruptly, things stopped being slow as that sound filled his ears and the shadow turned into a being. When Gaz dropped to her knees in front of him, he did the same and knelt before her.

"NO!" Both boys barked in unison.

However, Zim continued on his embellishment, clutching her face in his hands desperately.

"Gaz?" He demanded, "Gaz, look at me!"

"You . . . . idiot!" She hissed, gasping and clutching her chest as she hunched over herself. "I . . . told you . . . to . . . pay attention!"

Zim looked down at the place her pale hand was, moving it as he gripped her shoulders, making her sit up straighter. Her teeth were gritted in whatever pain she was in, eyes squeezed tightly shut as she refused to cry. Crying was below her and she would NOT give Iggins the satisfaction of knowing he cause any tears from her!

The device, thankfully, had not punctured her. However, it was attached to her body, pulsing, like that unnecessary organ called a heart. In fact, it was actually attached right about her sensory nerves in her heart were. But ignoring this, Zim gripped it and tried to rip it off.

"It won't . . . budge!" He growled, shocked, frustrated, and above all, afraid for Gaz.

Gaz looked up at him with eyes that were holding back pain. "Zim."

It wasn't a question as her voice cracked. It was the beginning of an order. However he ignored her, trying to rip off the thing with all his strength. Then a twitching, pale hand gripped his wrist and finally he looked up at her with panic in his wide gaze.

"Kill . . . him." She breathed, in a rough grunt. And then Gaz's lids fell closed and she collapsed into Zim's arms, completely limp and unconscious.

Zim was shaking with fear as he stared at her. Iggins had watched the whole thing with shock and awe. His plan had failed. But then again, if Gaz was the one struck, then this brought a whole new possibility into the game . . .

He was so enthralled with his own ideas, he didn't notice Zim stop shaking abruptly. Gently, as if she'd shatter if handled poorly, Zim picked her up in his arms, holding her against him. And then he stood, hands in fists, appendages climbing out of his PAK with a slow and deliberate menace. It was as Zim turned towards Iggins that the boy finally realized the situation he'd put himself in.

Zim was glaring at him with a glare so filled with the cold intent of murder that he, for the moment, was as frightening as his female counterpart. The force of just that look made Iggins start to tremble, but the boy held his ground as he slowly reached into his pocket with that shaking hand.

The robot appendages seemed to twitch with anticipation at the blood they'd soon be splattered with. Iggins knew then if he didn't move fast that he would die.

So this s what made her love him, Iggins thought as he began to gain some slight respect for his opponent. They're so alike in this sense!

"You will pay for her life with your own," Zim stated, darkly, like this was nothing more then a duty to be fulfilled at the earliest convenience.

And Iggins knew then he or Zim was about to die.

oh

my

GAAAAWWWWWDDDDD!

Gaz is dead?

Iggins about to die?

ZIM is about to die?

Iggins metal thing killed Gaz?

And how the FUCK did Iggins know where they were going?

THIS IS ALL DIB's FAULT.

...

...

K, I'm done now.

No seriously everyone, not all of the statements above are true. But to know which ones, you'll have to wait out the next chapter. But rest assured, you will all be satisfied because I'm opposed to-! Well, I can't really say. That'd just be too big of a hint.

And I don't think I've ever mentioned this but, I DO READ ALL OF MY REVIEWS ON ALL MY STORIES, EVEN THE COMPLETE ONES! So thanks everyone for making this story so apparently popular. If I could love, I would love you all for this!

Quoting Zim right there from an unpublished show of how Minnie-Moose came to be. Although I did like how viewers were just supposed to accept that there was suddenly a new minion there, without any other explanation besides that Zim claimed he'd always been there.

ANYWAYS!

Until the next chapter!