Rating: T
Main Pairing: Zim/Tak
Author's Notes: I COULDN'T STAY AWAY! I know I said I would have something for all you Naruto, Teen Titans and Deadpool fans ready by now, but I'm having a little trouble. While I have half of the next chapter to The Shy Jinchuuriki done, I'm having a little trouble finding a good way to end it. So, I hope you all can forgive me. But after this chapter, I solemnly SWEAR I will finish it. Scout's honor. *Does the weird hand sign* Anyway, lets catch up on what happened last chapter… ZIM AND TAK KISSED! THEY'VE FINALLY KISSED! OH HAPPY DAYS! IT'S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE! TAK FINALLY FORGAVE HIM! YAAAAY! NOW, THE ONLY DIRECTION THEIR LIVES CAN GO IS UP! XD Finally, the moment all you ZATR fans have been waiting for came. The kiss that starts it all. Thank Gir. And, as a far warning, there will be some strong ZATR fluff in this chapter, so bare with me. The fluff will settle down soon. But what will happen when the Tallest catch wind that Zim and Tak aren't on Earth? What'll happen when they give Earth a little visit? And what will happen when Zim, Tak, Gir and Mimi land on Mirikia? All will be answered now. So sit back, take a load off, grab some nachos, donuts, curly-fries, and a drink! Because the next chapter starts right… About… NOW!
Chapter 10: Welcome to Mirikia
Tak let out a soft, pleasant yawn when she woke up. That was without a doubt, in her mind, the most peaceful sleep she had ever experienced. Eventually, Tak realized that she was warmer than usual. She looked up and found herself in Zim's arms. But she didn't push him away, shout at him, or anything of the sort. She remembered everything that was said and done before they fell asleep. She knew what happened between them, and accepted it. Tak found herself gazing upon the sleeping Zim with loving, adore filled eyes. She didn't know how long they've been asleep. But after what happened between them before they fell asleep, she didn't really care what time it was. All that mattered to her was being with him now. Slowly, without waking Zim, Tak turned her head to look at their SIR units. They were still asleep, and still in the same positions. Gir was on his back, and Mimi was atop of him with her head snuggled into his chest.
'Wow,' Tak thought, 'I've never seen Mimi look so happy and carefree before.' Tak then turned back to Zim, and smiled lovingly before gently resting her head against his chest. Zim shifted in his sleep, but only to let out a yawn and return back to slumber. As Tak rested her head against Zim's chest, she could feel all the scars through his shirt. 'How could I be so blind?' Tak wondered, looking up to see the scar across his eye. 'Even after he saved my life, while being in horrible the whole time doing it, I still attacked him. And when he offered to take me and Mimi to Mirikia with him and Gir, I said yes just because I didn't want to fight the Tallest.'
Slowly, Tak reached up with one hand and gently rubbed the left side of his face, right next to his scarred eye. Even though he was still asleep, the feeling of Tak's gentle touch on his face caused Zim to smile and let out a blissful moan. Tak's heartbeat picked up a bit when she heard him moan. For someone to adore her touch even when they're not even conscious almost made tears of happiness come to her eyes. She never imagined that someone would ever enjoy her existence as much as Zim did. All her life, she was taught that love, and any other emotion was a weakness, and would've labeled any respectful Irken Invader a "Defective". But what she was feeling now was too good to let slip by. If loving someone meant being called a Defective all her life, Tak would accept it without a second thought.
Lifting her head up, Tak planted a soft kiss on Zim's cheek. 'This feels so good,' Tak thought, breaking the kiss to rest her head on his shoulders. 'All this time, I was taught that emotions like these were a sign of weakness. But now, after truly experiencing them, I don't want to lose them.' Thinking back about all Zim had said to her after they first kissed brought a blush to Tak's face. 'He said he wanted to be with me… And that he didn't want me to leave him. No one has ever wanted me they wanted me around. Not like this.' Tak closed her eyes and snuggled her head into Zim's neck, basking in the warmth that followed.
"Good morning, Tak." Tak's eyes snapped back open when she heard Zim's voice. She pulled her head back and looked at the boy. Zim was looking at her with two half opened eyes, with a small smile on his face. A blush was present on his face, making the same shade of red that was on Tak's face. After letting out a low yawn, Zim continued. "I hope you had a good sleep. A full day of story telling would leave anyone tired."
A smirk appeared across Tak's face. "Believe me, I don't think I've ever slept as peacefully as I did just now," she replied, before laying a quick peck on Zim's lips. When they parted, Tak suddenly started giggling. "I can't believe it," she giggled, arousing a curios eyebrow raise from Zim. "All my life, all I wanted to do was kill you. But now, by some weird twist of fate, I find myself in love with you… It's kinda weird, actually."
Zim chuckled as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Tell me about it," he agreed. "In fact, the week before we got betrayed, we devoted all our time to pranking and humiliating one another." But being serious, he looked deep into Tak's eyes before smiling. "But I don't regret it. Do you?"
"Not at all," Tak answered, now sitting in Zim's lap. "But just because we're "an item" as the humans put it, that doesn't mean I'll stay all sweet and cuddly," she warned, striking a serious expression and shaking her head. "If you treat me right for now on, we'll have no problems. But if you screw up," she growled, grabbing Zim by the collar of his shirt and pulling him up close, "I'll make you suffer. You understand?"
"You don't have to tell me twice," Zim chuckled, a little nervous by how quickly Tak went from warm, gentle and loving to scary, hard and threatening. So, he nodded excitedly at her demands.
Suddenly, her dark frown turned back into a smile. "I'm glad to her that," she said, right before she came in for another kiss. Not like the kiss earlier. This next one was a little more rough and not as quick. Zim melted away into a rag doll like state as Tak stole another kiss. Zim knew Tak wasn't the same. Sure, she sounded the same. But he could tell that she was forcing herself to threaten him. Tak knew she could trust Zim. After how much he begged her to forgive him, it was doubtful that he would do anything to intentionally hurt her. But, she figured that she'd better make sure, just in case. When they separated, Tak was about to say something, but she was interrupted by an all too familiar voice.
"YAAAY! Master Zim and master Tak are kissing! Now we're a great big happy family!" Zim and Tak turned abruptly and saw Gir and Mimi, sitting cross-legged on the other side of the Spittle. Well, Mimi was the one who was sitting cross-legged, actually. Gir was dancing around, happy to see that Zim and Tak were together. "See master? I told you kissing Tak would work," Gir sang. "You should listen to me more often… And make me and Mimi tacos when we reach are new home! YAY! TACOS!"
As Gir went off on a crazy rant about tacos, Tak smiled fiendishly and looked at Zim with a raised eyebrow. "You mean, kissing me was Gir's idea? Not yours?"
'Aw crud! Aw crud! Aw crud! Aw crud! Aw crud! Aw crud,' Zim screamed repeatedly in his head, fearing that he had already screwed up. He looked down to the side nervously, and scratched the back of his neck. "Hehee… Umm… You see, Gir kept on, umm, suggesting that I kiss you… H-he suggested it once, while we were still in our little prank war, thinking that it might make us get along afterwards… B-but I kept insisting it w-wouldn't help."
Zim started fiddling with his fingers timidly, while Tak merely smirked and rolled her eyes. 'Aw well,' she thought, 'it's the thought that counts. So, I guess I'll have some fun with him.' Then, Tak turned around with her arms across her chest, and pretended to be angry. "I should've guessed," Tak huffed, knowing that Zim was buying her acting. "You wouldn't have kissed me if it wasn't for your SIR. You would've never kissed me unless he suggested it."
She opened one eye to sneak a peek at Zim. He looked at if he was about to have a heart attack. Sweat was dripping down his face and his eyes were darting from side to side, thinking of how to save his ass. Tak smiled devilishly, enjoying every second of watching Zim panic. Then, Tak realized that if she stayed with Zim, she could have this kind of fun all the time. But it didn't last.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! The red light started blinking on and off, while an alarm started up. Zim, Tak, Gir and Mimi turned to the large computer screen that came out of the control panel. "Master Zim and master Tak," Computer began, "we are nearing Planet Mirikia. We will be experiencing rough flying when we enter Mirikia's atmosphere, which I estimate will be in about five minutes." When Computer retracted back into the control panel, Zim, Tak, Gir and Mimi stared at the planet they were nearing… Planet Mirikia.
Planet Mirikia was much like Zim's and Tak's home planet, Irk. The planet was mainly covered with large, towering buildings and had space crafts flying all across the sky. And like Irk, Mirikia's military force was something to be admired. But, there were some key differences between the two. One was that while Mirikia had the same type of cities as Irk, Mirikia also had humongous, vibrant forests as well. Not like Irk's many swamplands, but actual forests with trees, bushes, wildlife, everything. Another important difference was that Mirikia wasn't a aggressive world. Unlike Irk, which was always out to find a new planet to conquer.
As all four gazed at the incoming planet, Computer popped back out of the control panels. "Master Zim and master Tak, we have an incoming transmission from the Mirikian Air Force Headquarters. It appears that they've detected our arrival, and are requesting your response immediately. Patching it through now."
The computer monitor went fuzzy, before showing the Mirikian Air Force general. They saw a tall, skinny purple alien, wearing a general's uniform. Oddly enough, the Mirikian people and the Irken people shared similarities in appearance, as well as landscape. He had large eyes, just like any Irken. But unlike Irken eyes, the Mirikian's eyes actually had pupils, instead of a bold color the Irkens have. His pupils were a beautiful shade of dark blue. He also had antennas. His antennas went back and made a nice, smooth curl at the end. It was sort of like Tak's antennas, except Tak's was more like a edgy curl. And behind him swung a long, whip-like lizard tail. ( Simply put: Mirikians are tall, purple Irkens with eyes that are similar to Zim's face human eyes, curly antennas and lizard tails. Good description? )
The Mirikian general cleared his throat, ultimately ensuring he had everyone's attention. "Greetings. I am General Hickash of the Mirikian Air Force Military. You are entering Mirikian airspace. Please state your business." Unlike most generals Zim and Tak been around, this one spoke in a calmer, less intimidating tone of voice.
Zim was about to answer, but Tak pushed past him and addressed General Hickash. She started off by saluting. "Greeting, General Hickash. I am Irken Sanitation Drone Tak." It was true. After she was unable to take the Irken Invader Qualifying Exam, her status was changer from "Invader" to "Sanitation Drone" and was sent to Planet Dirt.
Following Tak's example, Zim straightened himself up, and saluted. "And I am Irken Food Drone Zim. We come to request that we be permitted to live on Mirikia." That surprised Tak when she heard that. She knew that Zim ruined Operation: Impending Doom I, but she didn't know that the Tallest changed his status to Food Drone. "We no longer wish to live with the jobs given to us, so we ask if you would allow us to reside here on Mirikia."
General Hickash inspected the two over before nodding his head. "We'll have to meet in person before any decisions are made. I'll send you the coordinates to our headquarters. There, we will decide rather or not you can or can't live here." After the general saluted the two, the transmission was cut off.
"Computer," Tak said, causing the Computer to come back online. "Analyze the coordinates and take us there." Computer waited a second, since he normally only took orders from Zim. But when Zim nodded his head, Computer complied and retracted back into the control panels. Tak took a deep breath, and slumped back into her chair. She reached to the side and strapped herself into her seat. "Buckle up, everyone," she sighed, looking to Mimi and Gir. "We about to enter Mirikia's atmosphere." Wasting no time, Mimi ran and leapt into Tak's lap. Gir, being the uncoordinated SIR as he was, stumbled to reach Zim's seat as they started entering Mirikia's atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Back on Earth….
"Dib! Wake up! This is an emergency!" Dib, who was asleep in his bed was woken by his father, who had him by his shoulders and was shaking him vigorously. When Dib opened his eyes, he noticed that his father looked panicked. "Dib! Get dressed! We need to leave immediately!"
Even though he had just woken up, Dib already knew to take this seriously. He never heard his father sound so scared. He was even sweating, which all in itself was a bad sign. Professor Membrane was also known for being the most level-headed scientist around. Nothing made him nervous or scared. He'd even been through a near meltdown at a nuclear power plant, and didn't panic. So Dib knew this was bad. "D-Dad? What's going on?"
"We're under attack again, son," Professor Membrane answered. "But not like before. Now, they've sent an enormous ship. Look!" Grabbing the remote from Dib's floor, he turned on the television set. It went straight to the News.
"It's the end of the world! The aliens are attacking Earth again," cried a new News caster. "There is a humongous pink alien vessel coming straight towards Earth! And around it is an armada of smaller spaceships! Those weirdoes were right! They were coming! And here they are! Run for your lives!" Then, the video footage was cut off.
'Wait… Humongous pink alien spaceship?' Dib thought, as he rushed to his window and looked into the sky. When he stared into the sky, his eyes grew nearly twice their normal size in shock. He recognized it. The unique structure, the bright pink color, the Irken symbol painted on the front, and the VOOT and Spittle Cruisers flying around it…
It was the Massive….
Back with Zim, Tak, Gir and Mimi….
Zim and Tak squinted their eyes as they broke through the clouds of Mirikia, having just made it through Mirikia's atmosphere. It wasn't as bad as Computer had anticipated. Sure, it was a little bumpy. But nothing too serious. "Computer," Tak sighed, while Mimi hopped off her lap so she could unhook her seatbelts. Computer came out of the control panels again, kinda annoyed at how much Tak was ordering him around. "Switch to auto-pilot and take us to Mirikia Air Force Headquarters."
"… Yes ma'am," Computer growled, before he recoiled back into the ship.
Now out of his seatbelts, Zim let out a sigh of relief. So far so good. Now they just had to convince General Hickash they weren't Invaders. Zim looked over to Tak, who was leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed. Fearing she was still "mad" at him about what Gir said, he chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Umm… Great leadership skills Tak," he complimented, receiving nothing more than an annoyed glance. Gulp. "Umm… Hehee, yeah, we're doing good so far. Now we need to convince General Hickash to let us stay. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever," Tak answered, using her "I don't care" voice again, further convincing Zim she was still mad at him. She was having far too much fun to stop now. Zim glared at Gir for blabbing about "him being right" in front of Tak. Feeling guilty, Gir looked down to the ground and put his hands behind his back.
Letting out a depressed moan, Zim gave up. 'Damn. It's only been a day since we've made up, and now Gir screwed it up for me. What do I do now?' While he thought about it, he turned his attention to his broken leg. It wasn't hurting anymore. 'Well, it's been long enough, I suppose,' he thought, as he opened up his PAC, and pulled out a high-powered Laser Saw. When Tak caught glance at it, she sighed and turned to him.
"Don't be an idiot, Zim," she hissed, snatching the Laser Saw out from Zim's hands. "If you try doing it by yourself, you'll just end up cutting it off… Which, if I remember correctly, a broken leg if better than no leg at all." Without warning, she grabbed Zim by his shirt and pulled him onto the floor. He landed on his back, and before he knew it, Tak was kneeled down beside him with one hand holding his leg still, and the other holding the already activated Laser Saw. Thinking this might be entertaining, Gir and Mimi were sitting in the back of the Spittle, simply watching this all go down.
Zim was nervous. Tak was mad at him again, and now had her hands on a Laser Saw. Tak silently snickered when she got an idea on how to scare him some more. Before actually cutting, she looked at the Laser Saw, pretending to be confused. "Hmm… It's been a while since I used one of these," she mumbled aloud, causing Zim to go tense with fear. "Aw well. I know it'll come back to me. Tell me if you start feeling pain." Then….
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
The Laser Saw cut through the hard cast like a hot knife through butter. Zim didn't even think about looking down. He just stared straight up, fearing if he moved, everything would go wrong. 'Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move,' he repeated in his head. 'Just don't move and everything will be fine. Just don't move.' Tak saw how freaked out Zim was, and decided enough was enough.
'Well, it was fun,' she thought, nearing the end of the cutting, 'but I guess I can let him off with a 'warning' now.' After a few seconds passed, Tak turned off the saw blade. "Okay, we're done." Zim looked up. There was a deep laser cut right down the middle of his cast. Before he could say anything, Tak reached down and put her fingers inside the cut of the cast. Then with surprising strength, RIPPED apart the entire cast, leaving Zim's right leg. Zim, needless to say, was quite surprised that Tak was so strong.
"Does this hurt Zim?" Tak asked, as she applied a small amount of pressure on his leg. Zim shook his head. "Good… Does this hurt?" She asked again, choosing a different spot. Again, Zim shook his head. "Hmm. Looks like you are all ready to go, I guess," Tak said, sitting cross-legged beside Zim, who was now sitting upright on his own.
Zim stretched out his right leg, wondering how it felt. It was a little sore from being in a cast, but nothing a little walking around couldn't fix. Wiping the sweat from his head, he slumped right back onto his back. "Thanks Tak… That would've taken a lot longer if I did it by myself. I owe you one."
Tak turned to him. "I know," she said, leaning over Zim with a wicked grin. Before he could even open his eyes, Tak crawled on top of him, pinned his arms and legs down, and had her face mere inches away from his. When he did open his eyes, he was looking straight into Tak's purple eyes. "Once we touch down on Mirikia, we'll have to thank Gir for his suggestion."
Tak then closed the small gap between their faces and kissed Zim on the lips. She wouldn't admit it to him, but she absolutely loved kissing him. It was one of the very few acts that could put any negative thought out of her mind. Plus… It felt really nice. Gir was giggling to himself as the two went at it again, while Mimi only looked at them in confusion. Tak slowly started rubbing her hands against his chest. Zim, who was enjoying the feeling of Tak rubbing his chest, decided to just lay there and enjoy having Tak in control. After about 20 seconds of this, Tak finally broke the kiss.
Zim looked up at her with a blush and a embarrassed scowl when she ended the kiss. "You were only pretending to be mad at me, weren't you?" He asked, thinking he already knew the answer. Tak smiled evilly at him, stuck her tongue out at him, and nodded. "I should've known," he grumbled to himself.
"Aw come on, Zim," Tak whined, resting her head on his chest. "We're probably going to be living together after we convince General Hickash to take us in," she pointed out, causing Zim's blush to take on a deeper shade of red. That never occurred to him before. "And since we had a lot of bad blood in out past," Tak continued, "I figured a little joke every now and again might make us being together a little less awkward."
Zim knew what she meant. This was quite a commitment in the making. They've been mortal enemies since they were Smeets. It wasn't that long ago when they were in a fight to the death. But now, here they were, kissing each other as if they've been in love all their lives. The change was almost too dramatic. He was sure they were thinking the same thing. They were both wondering if this was happening too fast or not.
But Zim refused to let his unpleasant thoughts show. He smiled evilly. "Okay, I think I understand," he snickered. Then, before Tak could react, Zim grabbed her by the shoulders and managed to roll atop of her. Zim did the same things as Tak. He pinned her arms down and straddled her chest. Tak struggled to break free from his grip. But she couldn't for two reasons. One: Despite his small size, Zim was actually pretty strong. And two: She kinda liked what he was doing. "Revenge," Zim hissed, using his dramatic voice. Slowly, he started moving his face closer to hers, making it a little bit more suspenseful and exciting. Letting out an uncharacteristic girlish giggle, Tak closed her eyes and puckered up for the kiss.
"AHEM!" The kiss was interrupted by a new voice. One that didn't belong to Zim, Tak, Gir or Computer. Their eyes snapped open in surprise and turned to where the voice came from. Apparently, while they were all over each other, Computer decided not to inform them that they have landed at the Mirikian Air Force Headquarters. Because standing before the open cockpit door stood General Hickash, with a couple of Mirikian soldiers beside him. General Hickash was nearly five feet tall, towering over a large percentage of Irkens.
The general smirked and turned to the soldier beside him. "Well, you wanna know my first impression on these two?" He asked, getting a nod from the soldier beside him. "I don't think they're hostile or aggressive in the way we were fearing." As the Mirikian military personnel shared a hearty laugh, Tak pushed Zim off from atop of her, shot straight up to her feet, dusted herself off and saluted, with her face resembling a boiled lobster.
"G-greetings, General H-Hickash," she stammered, still embarrassed beyond belief at what just happened. "It's an h-honor to b-be here today, s-sir." She tried her best to keep a professional stand, but after the kiss that almost was, her legs were shaking like jelly. Tak also tried to keep a straight face, even while some of the soldiers were laughing at her. "S-sorry about n-not noticing you, s-sir. You see, we w-were… Umm…" Tak just couldn't come up with a good excuse right off the bat. But even if she could, it's kinda hard mistaking what they were about to do.
As the poor embarrassed Irken girl tried to complete her excuse, General Hickash waved it off. "Wow, calm down there, girly. You don't need to explain anything to us." A wide grin appeared on his face. "We were all young and in love once, right men?" The soldiers nodded their heads, agreeing to the statement. But that still didn't help Tak and her embarrassment. Zim, who just now had climbed to his feet, saluted the general and his men as well.
General Hickash looked at both of them closely. Then noticed the two SIR units behind them. This raised a red flag. "Zim and Tak, was it?" He asked. Both looked at each other, and nodded. "Well, if you'd both be so kind as to accompany me and my men, we'd gladly sit down and figure what's goin' on."
Not seeing any problems with that, they both nodded. General Hickash and his men leapt out of the Spittle and landed on the ground. Tak was about to follow, but she turned to see Zim moving rather stiffly. 'His leg my not be broken,' she thought, 'but it will be again if he tries to jump off.' So, before he even thought about it, Tak put her hand up to stop him. "You're not jumping with that leg," she stated, giving him a stern look. "And I don't think whipping out our spider legs would be the best idea. Don't want to startle them, ya know?"
Zim looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Okay. But how am I going to get down, then?" Tak sighed and rolled her eyes. She walked up behind Zim, and scooped him up into her arms, like a groom would to his bride. Zim looked up at Tak, and couldn't help but smile. "Well, I guess this works too." Tak walked up to the edge of the Spittle, and hopped down. Sure, it was only about a six foot drop. But with Zim's healing leg, she didn't want to take any chances. When she landed on the ground, she gently placed him back on his feet.
"Hey! Don't forget about us," Gir cried, jumping of the side of the Spittle. But, the clumsy SIR jumped too short and bounced off the side before hitting the ground. Mimi, who was far more coordinated than Gir, leapt off the Spittle with grace and landed on Tak's shoulder. Zim walked over to his fallen SIR unit and shoot his head in annoyance. Gir simply started upward with that blank stare he's always got on. "Hmm… That hurt. HAHAHAHAHA!" Gir started laughing hysterically again.
Letting out a tired sigh, Zim reached into his back pocket and pulled out a little remote with simply a red and green button. He pressed the red one. Suddenly, Gir was shut off completely. When Tak and the others shot him confused looks, Zim hunched his shoulder. "I made a deactivation system for Gir. Now, if he gets too annoying, I can turn him on and off anytime. Cool, huh?"
General Hickash looked at this, and scratched the back of his head. He then looked to his men and nodded. "Okay you two," Hickash started, managing to get both Zim's and Tak's attention, "we'll have to talk to the Elders concerning your fate. So if you'd just follow us, we'll lead you to them." When Zim and Tak agreed to follow, almost as if on cue, a few Flashers ( The Mirikian equivalent to a Spittle or VOOT ) came down from the sky. Surprisingly, they all were almost as big as the Spittle Zim and Tak constructed. "You two will ride with me," General Hickash pointed out. "You can bring you SIR units along, but only if you can keep them under control."
Zim chuckled. "Don't worry, General Hickash. The only real "threat" was Gir, and he's no longer a issue." He proved that by tossing the lifeless SIR up and down like a rag doll. Satisfied, the Mirikian general hopped into his Flasher. Zim looked at Tak with a smug grin. "You think you're strong enough to jump into the Flasher while carrying me?" He asked, almost as if it he was challenge her. Tak nodded, smiling confidently. But unlike last time, Tak turned around and bent down on one knee.
"Get on," she ordered, pointing to her back. Zim figured out what she was planning on doing, and smiled devilishly. He grabbed her by her shoulders and climbed onto her back. After getting a good grip on Tak, Zim told her he was ready. "Hang on." Then, in a sudden burst of strength, Tak propelled herself into the air, with Zim hanging on. The two ended up landing right beside General Hickash, who looked at the oddly. But Tak explained after she helped Zim into his chair, and after Mimi brought the deactivated Gir aboard. "He has a bad leg. Got broken a couple days ago and had just finished healing, but I thought he should take it easy."
"Whatever you say, girly," Hickash sang, before he closed the cockpit door.
Back on Earth….
Irken soldiers surrounded the entire city, stopping everyone and everything from escaping. There were VOOT and Spittle Cruisers flew all across the sky. Dib and his family stayed inside their house, hiding from the Irken Invader squads patrolling the streets. The alien invaders were rounding up every human they found and were gathering them up in the middle of the city. "This is bad," Professor Membrane moaned, sitting up against the front door. "And to think, all the movies that have been made depicting alien invasions and NO ONE was prepared… Kinda ironic, once you think about it."
Seeing his father upset only made Dib more nervous. He was hoping his dad would be able to lead them to safety. But it turned out that even the city's most revered scientist was just as scared as the rest of humanity. He looked at his sister Gaz, and was surprised to see she WASN'T playing on her Game Slave. She was sitting beside him, not saying anything. He looked back to his father, only to see that he was still mumbling to himself.
'God damnit,' Dib thought, massaging his temples, 'I have to do something. But all of my weapons are in the garage. And if I can't even get there, there's no way in Hell I'll be able to get to Zim's base.' He peeked out the window again. Now, there were more of Dr. Killek's experiments running around with the Invaders.
"Dib," Mr. Membrane hissed, pulling his son from the window. "What on Earth do you think you're doing? If they spot us, we're dead."
"No we aren't," Dib disagreed, looking up at his father with a stern look. "If they catch us, they'll just send us to the middle of the city along with the rest." Then, remembering what Zim told him before he left to Mirikia, Dib got an idea. "We need to go out into the open." Dib explained more after his father stared at him as if he was going mad. "Listen to me. If these aliens aren't killing anyone, then they aren't here to fight. They must be looking for something. And since the mother ship is in the middle of town, I bet their leaders are there, as well. If we "surrender" they'll take us to them, and we can try and figure out what's going on."
While Professor Membrane thought that was a risky plan, he couldn't think of a better one. He was tempted to sneak into the garage and use the weapons his son makes. But seeing as there are seriously outnumbered, it would've been suicide. He looked back outside the window. There was a large group of people being herded into the city, with a squad of alien soldiers behind them. As much as he hated putting his kids in harm's way, it seemed like the best solution at the time.
Professor Membrane stood up and let out a heavy sigh. "Okay Dib," he said, turned to the door. "But you and Gaz get behind me. If anything goes wrong, I want you two to run as fast as you can. Do I make myself clear?" Dib and Gaz looked at each other, and nodded. "Good." Then, slowly, Professor Membrane opened up the door. The three walked out and stood still until they were spotted by a Invader.
"You! Meat-sacks," she called out, leaving her squad to confront them. Professor Membrane raised his hands into the air, signaling Dib and Gaz to do the same. The Irken girl raised her Plasma Rifle and took aim. "You are to come with us to the center of your city. The Tallest wish to speak to all of you, so we've given orders to not kill you. But if you try ANYTHING, I'll blast your puny heads right off your shoulders. Now join your fellow humans and get moving."
Back with Zim and Tak….
Zim, Tak and Mimi were in the center of Mirikia, at the steps of the most important building ever constructed. They were standing before the Elder Mirikian's Council building. This is where all Irkens who wanted to live on Mirikia went. It was not the Military who made the decision, but the highest power on the planet, the Elders. The building was humongous, standing at least 200 stories high. There were Flashers flying all around the building, always on guard in case of a invasion.
"This is where you will meet the Council of Elders," General Hickash started, as he led Zim, Tak, Mimi (Who is still carrying Gir) and his men inside. "Here, you will be judged by the Elders. They will decide if you stay or not." He looked back at the two. Not to his surprise, they both looked nervous. All Irkens are when they're about to meet the Elders. Zim was walking beside Tak, holding her hand as they followed. So, Hickash tried to ease the stress. "But don't worry. The Elders are nothing like your Tallest in any way," he continued, reassuringly. "They'll ask you a series of questions and come up with a decision."
They soon approached the elevator. Hickash turned to his men, and saluted. The men saluted back before turning and leaving the building. The elevator door opened up, and the four walked in. When the door closed, they started ascending upward. General Hickash turned to the two with a smile. "Don't worry. You'd be surprised how understanding the Elders are. As long as you tell the truth, your chances of being allowed to live on Mirikia are good."
Feeling a little better, Zim and Tak let out a sigh of relief. Hearing that the Elders of Mirikia were nothing like the Tallest was really settling. Up till now, they were fearing that the Elders would be somewhat like the Tallest, which would've made it harder for them. But, now at ease, the two stood in silence and calmed themselves.
Tak, after collecting her thoughts, finally realized that she was holding onto something. She looked down to see she was, in fact, holding Zim's hand. '… This is just too weird,' she thought to herself, 'I never imagined love could do this to someone.' But even though she found that her new found feelings for Zim were a little sudden, she knew why Zim must've grabbed her hand. He was most likely still nervous about this whole "Meeting the Elders" thing, and thought that holding her hand would've helped him cope. He was looking to the ground, thinking apparently. So, not wanting to disturb him, Tak kept quiet. After about three minutes of nonstop ascending and awkward silence, they finally reached the top floor. When the doors opened up, they were faced with the Elders.
The top floor was were the Elders met to discuss many important matter. It looked similar to a courtroom on Earth, except the desks were levitating in the air. In those desks were five old Mirikian males. Unlike Irkens, Mirikian people were actually able to grow hair. All of the Elders had long white beards, and stood up at around four feet tall. When General Hickash stepped out, he saluted. "My Elders, I bring two Irkens who wish to live here on Mirikia."
The Elder floating in the middle of them all slowly lowered his desk to the ground, with the others following him. He stepped out. The first Elder, who appeared to be the main one, looked at General Hickash with a smile. "Thank you, Hickash," he spoke, using a old, tired voice. "Me and the other Elders will handle things from here." After bowing, General Hickash turned, went back into the elevator and left.
Zim and Tak stood side-by-side, not knowing how to start. They didn't what to say or do something stupid in front of the most important people on Mirikia. But the old man laughed when he saw how nervous the two were. "No need to be afraid, young ones. I am Elder Gleek, head of the Elder Council. If you're here with no intent to do harm, then you have nothing to fear." The fact that Elder Gleek was so friendly sounding was a great relief for the two, who bowed their heads to him. "Please, follow me to the center of the room," he said, turning to his fellow Elders. "We will simply ask you both some questions, before we make any decision concerning your citizenship."
Elder Gleek slowly made his way to his desk, and sat down. When seated, Zim and Tak were standing in the center of the room, looking a bit timid. Instead of levitating up, the other four Elders merely levitated around so that they made a half circle around them. Elder Gleek cleared his throat, and began. "State your names," he ordered, using a more serious tone of voice.
"I-Irken Zim."
"Irken Tak."
"Ah. We've heard of you Zim," Gleek replied, with the other Elders whispered amongst themselves. "You single handedly ruined Operation: Impending Doom I for the Irken Empire, did you not?" Zim started shaking nervously, seeing as they already knew he used to be an Invader. Hesitantly, Zim nodded his head. "So I am to believe you are still have the status of "Invader" are you not?"
Zim shook his head rapidly. "N-no! not anymore," he answered, before taking a deep breath. "A-after I ruined Operation: I-Impending Doom I, I w-was reassigned to be a F-Food Drone. I'm n-no longer an Invader." Gleek and the others studied Zim's excuse and the manner in which he said it. Then, Gleek turned to Tak.
"Irken Tak, what is your status?"
Tak took a deep breath. "I was also assigned to be an Invader," she answered, "but after I failed the Irken Invader Qualifying Exam, I was reassigned to be a Sanitation Drone."
Elder Gleek rubbed his long beard in curiosity. Then he asked the important question. "Irken Zim and Irken Tak… Please inform us the reason you wish to resign here on Mirikia."
Zim and Tak were silent at first. They wanted to know why they wanted to live there. Tak remembered that General Hickash urged them to be completely honest with the Elders, no matter what the answer would be. So, after gathering ever ounce of courage she had, she answered before Zim. "My Elders," she began, addressing them as her Elders, showing them proper respect. "The reason why we're here isn't a short answer. It's more like a story."
"Oh, by all means then," Elder Gleek replied, sitting back in his desk. "We have no other important matter to discuss, so take all the time you need."
"Thank you," Tak thanked, before taking one more deep breath. "You see, everything started about 50 years ago…"
One Big Explanation Later….
Tak had basically spilled EVERYTHING to the Elders. She told them about Zim causing the blackout that ruined her chances of becoming an Invader. She told them about how she hunted him down, and tried to steel his "mission". She told them about her being shot into space for six months, only to be saved by the Tallest. She told them about how she went back to Earth to try to kill Zim, only to be betrayed by the Tallest and was almost killed. She ended her story at the part where she and Zim agreed to travel to Mirikia for safety. Thinking Tak had the right idea, Zim also decided to give his side of the story.
"Hmm," Gleek hummed, stroking his beard. "That was quite an interesting story, you two. And I have to say, I'm astonished at how honest you both were." Tak and Zim let out a nervous sigh, not knowing if they helped their cause or damaged it. they knew that the story didn't really make them look peaceful. But, they had to be completely honest with them. Elder Gleek whispered to the Elder beside him, and looked down at the two Irkens. "Well, that was all we needed to know. Now I must discuss this with my fellow Elders. After we all go over what you two have told us, we'll give you our verdict." Gleek turned to his fellow Elders and nodded his head. Simultaneously, all five Mirikian Elders levitated into the air, high above Zim and Tak so they could discuss all that has been said.
"Z-Zim?" Zim turned and looked at Tak, who had on a worried expression. "I'm scared. What if they won't allow us to stay here? Where will we go?" That was exactly was Zim was pondering, himself. He didn't know what would happen if they're denied refuge from the Tallest on Mirikia. "Almost every other planet in the galaxy is under Irken control. And when the Tallest find out we're not on Earth, we won't have anywhere else to go."
Zim knew how she felt. It was either this or go up against the entire Irken Empire. This was the last place they could turn to. He was scared too. But he couldn't let it show. He needed to be strong now more then ever. So he tightened his grip on Tak's hand. "I'm scared too, Tak. But I don't care where we have to go if we aren't welcomed here. As long as we have each other, we'll be alright."
'… Wow,' Tak thought, reaching down and gently grabbing Zim by the back of his head, 'that was a really corny thing to say.' She looked down at Zim and saw him with that all so familiar smug grin. When she saw him smiling, she couldn't help but crack a smile of her own. 'But he's trying. And that's good enough for me.' Tak slowly went to her knees, so that she was face level with Zim. She didn't care if any of the Elders saw them kiss. If they chose to deny their citizenship there, it wouldn't matter anyway. "Kinda corny," she giggled, slowly lowering her head downward, "but I can see you're trying to cheer me up. So thank you." Tak then bent down and pressed her lips against Zim's.
Zim closed his eyes and let out a pleasant moan as Tak slowly started pulling him closer into the kiss. 'I can really get used to this,' he thought, wrapping his arms around her waist. Zim felt overjoyed to know that he and Tak were no longer bitter enemies. Having her as a girlfriend was something he never imagined happening, but when it did, the feeling that followed was indescribable. 'I really need to thank Gir after all of this is all over.'
"Umm… Hello? You two there?" Like before, Zim's and Tak's passionate kiss was interrupted. This time by Elder Gleek, who was standing before them with the other Elders at his back. Instead of pushing Zim away like last time, Tak slowly broke the kiss and stared back at the Elders with a embarrassed blush. Zim couldn't even bring himself to look up. He just stared directly at the floor to hide his beat red face.
There was a few chuckles amongst the Elders when the kiss was interrupted. "I see that you two aren't enemies anymore, eh?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest. Tak then looked down in embarrassment, just as Zim was doing. But Gleek let out a tired old chuckle. "How you two ended up together is none of our concern," he assured, placing his hand up in defense. But his friendly demeanor changed back to serious once the other Elders stopped laughing. "After much consideration on what you've told us," he continued, "we've came to a conclusion."
Zim and Tak looked up abruptly. They were holding hands again, hoping for the answer they so desperately needed. Zim and Tak bit their bottom lips in anticipation, praying that it wasn't that answer they feared. "We had a lot to take into account. You were both Irken Invaders for the most of your lives," Gleek continued, causing a horrified expression to appear across both Zim's and Tak's faces. They feared they knew the answer. "You both were at the top of all the classes that had to do with invading, and are, as far as the Irken Empire is concerned, deserters and outlaws."
Tak was on the verge of crying. It seemed that all they admitted to the Elders were ultimately working against them. Tak snapped her eyes shut and squeezed Zim's hand. But Zim did everything in his being to keep a cool head. He merely looked down to the ground, not wanting to show any fear.
"With that being said," Gleek continued, immediately raising Zim's and Tak's hopes, "we cannot ignore that fact that you two have been completely honest with us the entire time, despite how it would make your innocence look. You were almost killed by the "leaders" you spent your whole lives worshiping as a form of barbaric entertainment. And after taking in the fact that you both have traveled all the way from Earth to ask us for a place to stay, it would simply be cruel of us to deny it." Zim's and Tak's eyes went wide with hope when they heard Elder Gleek say that. All of the Elders smiled and nodded their heads when they saw their reactions. "So as of this day, you two can call Mirikia your new home. Welcome."
To Be Continued….
Hahahaha! There you all go, my loyal Invader Zim fans! Zim and Tak have finally found their new home, Mirikia. Isn't it wonderful? And again, please forgive me if I went overboard with the ZATR-ness. Things will get a little more serious for those two as the story progresses. But now, with the ZATR-ness aside, lets party! Zim and Tak are safe from the Tallest! This is awesome, isn't it? I mean, now they can… Oh shit. I just remembered that the Tallest were now on EARTH! And that they have the city under complete lockdown. How will everything turn out for everyone's favorite alien-obsessed boy and his family? Tone in next time. Like I said in my notes, I HAVE to update my other stories. I only updated this because I wanted to end at a even number. But once I update some of my other stories, I'll come right back and continue with this, I promise. IF ANYONE SPOTS ANY SPELLING OR GRAMMAR ERRORS, PLEASE CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY SO I CAN CORRECT THEM! Hope to hear what y'all have to say! Till next time. PEACE!