Chapter 14

"Tak!" Zim growled.

Tak grinned. "Yes?" she asked.

"What are you doing here?" At the word 'doing' her spider legs came out, and Zim eyed her with confusion.

"Destroying you," she said. Zim blinked.

"You're not doing anything."

"Oh, I will."

Zim's look of confusion turned into a sneer. "What are you waiting for?"

"The right time, Zim. It's all about timing. You hid pretty well in this dimension, but I found you," Tak said, then lunged for him, her spider legs propelling her.

Zim's eyes widened and he dodged back, his spider legs automatically coming out. He squeezed out the door. It wasn't normal for Irkens to kill each other, only other species when they conquered their planets. This was weird.

"Tak! Stop this!" Zim cried, as he went down the stairs. He was mentally weak from the information that he was nothing; lower than an Invader, lower than anything. He didn't really want to fight; there was nothing in him that wanted to. There was no fear, though—Irkens were taught never to fear, and the PAK suppressed most of it. Fear got in the way of things, battles, thoughts, decisions. Without fear Irkens were machines, exactly what they wanted. Feelings got in the way of everything.

Zim trampled over tables, furniture, whatever. Tak was closely behind him; dangerously so. He tried to speed up, and zig-zagged to try to lose her.

"This is for leaving me to die, Zim!" Tak snarled, and he felt something shoot through his PAK.

His eyes widened, horrified. He couldn't believe he was still alive, or even that his spider legs were still working. His PAK was him, and when it was hit...It wasn't like his body; he couldn't get another one.

He ripped open the front door, knowing he was losing time by doing this. Tak would be right behind him.

He didn't bother putting on his hologram. Nothing mattered anymore, except getting away from the Irken behind him.

Pssz-zat!

He watched a lazer shoot past his head. Way too close for comfort.

He fumbled with his PAK behind him; maybe he had some sort of weapon he could defend himself with. He turned a corner; Tak did the same. He felt the damage and cringed; wires were sticking out everywhere and he got electrocuted for a second. Guess getting that weapon would have to wait.

He made a split-decision. He ran out into the street.

He was looking at the other end of the street when a voice screamed "Look out!"

Zim's head turned and he saw the car coming towards him. He didn't make a sound when it hit him.

Zim heard screams and nothing else, as though the sounds of the cars and people around them weren't there, as if he was fading. The screams sounded familiar, though, and he closed his eyes and tried to remember.

"Oh god, oh god," a voice said and Zim squinted his eyes tighter. Who was that?

Somebody grabbed him and cried, "No," and he moaned. If it was a human...

"Zim?" the voice sounded choked with tears. "You're alive!

His eyes popped open.

"Of course I'm alive," Zim snapped.

I couldn't help myself, okay, okay. I hugged him. I heard him growl and he pushed me off, hard. I fell on my butt, but I didn't care.

"You didn't kill him!" I yelled to Gak. "You didn't kill him!"

"Oh," I heard Gak squeak. I didn't hear any car doors opening and closing, so I guess she still couldn't get out from shock.

"Tell Gak-human to remove this pitiful machine off my spider legs. And tell me where Tak is. Tell me," he said feebly.

Tak?

It seemed to take forever for her to back off of them, and Zim inhaled sharply as he tried to retract them into his PAK. It took a while longer than I think it should have.

"What's wrong? And what about Tak?" I asked, my tone of voice instantly changing.

He tried to push himself off the ground, and I realized people were staring. His hologram wasn't on, and I think they had seen his green skin. I got up, too, and saw Zim's PAK was badly damaged. And I mean bad. A huge hole was in it and it was sparking.

I opened the door for him and watched him get inside.

"Lay down," I muttered in a low tone, "People are staring."

He turned and looked at me for a long time and then did what I said. I shivered; those eyes...And what was he thinking? He laid down on the seat, stomach (or squeedlyspooch) down. I cringed when I saw his PAK again.

"Tak attacked me," Zim said, his fists clenching.

"She did this to you?" I said, daring to touch the PAK lightly on the part that didn't look damaged. Zim shivered.

"Don't touch Zim."

I put my hand away. I saw Gak staring at us through the mirror that Zim had bent down, though she didn't say anything.

"And yes," Zim sighed, "She did. That nasty little..." I couldn't hear what he said after that, but he continued mumbling. I heard a few words such as "no idea why she attacked me..." and "...it will take ages for the repairs..." but really nothing more.

"Are you going to be okay? I mean, your PAK..." It sparked, though I didn't move away.

"Yes," Zim said, gritting his teeth. I wondered if he was lying. "But we have to find Tak! She could be anywhere!" Zim added.

"Zim, we didn't see Tak," Gak said nervously.

"She was there!" Zim yelled, defensively. "Do you question Zim?"

"No, no. Just..."

"Make silence now, Gak-human. Your droning bores me..."

"Wait a second," I said, and they all looked at me, "Remember on Tak: The Hideous New Girl, Gak? She did this thing...like she went invisible." I shot a frightened glance back to the street where Gak hit Zim.

"You humans...what were you doing?" Zim asked after a while.

"We were looking for you," I said.

There was a pause, and I don't know why. Then he said, "Why?"

"Because we care about you!" I blurted out. "We didn't know where the hell you went, Zim. You have no idea where you are! I bet you can't even tell what state we're in."

"My business is none of your concern. If I didn't come back, maybe I didn't want to be found," Zim shot back. "And I do know what state I'm in! I'm in...er..."

"California," Gak said, taking a right.

"Yes," Zim said, "California...Plus, you shouldn't have even wanted to find Zim. I'm worthless..." He said the last sentence muffled, and I think he had shoved his head in his arm.

"You are not!" I said shrilly.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No, Zim. You're not worthless to me..." I realized what I said and put both my hands on my mouth. What was I thinking?

Very, very fortunately Zim declared, as though he hadn't realized what I'd saide, "That's your opinion, filthy human! I might be lower than an Invader, and my leaders hate me, but I will never be as low as one of your pathetic disgusting species."

"Fine," I said. Like I cared if Zim thought he was above me. He was Zim; either living in denial or actually believing he was that amazing. "Maybe you shouldn't care what your species thinks," I added.

"YES I SHOULD!" Zim yelled, surprising me.

"Why?"

"Because...because...I don't have to explain myself to you! You could NEVER understand why I do the things I do! Or any of my race!"

"That's true," I said, "In a way. Like, for example, I don't understand why you can't love." I know what you're thinking, you think I meant myself when I said that. But I didn't. Plus...I didn't love Zim...No. I didn't. I didn't...He was loveless, anyways. But I mean, love isn't always about lovers. A mother loves her child; that's love. Why would Irkens not want to love, anyhow?

Zim snorted, and mumbled something I didn't hear.

"What?"

"I SAID," Zim yelled, then got normal, "why would you care?"

These words seemed to jolt me out of something, and I sat back and blushed. Actually blushed. Zim wasn't looking at me, but Gak was. She gave me a look out of the corner of her eye, and I got an urge to flip her off.

I guess Zim didn't expect an answer, because we got back to my house and he still hadn't said anything about it again.

"Oh yeah, and Zim," Gak said, when we had stopped in front of my house. "Just so we get it all out...You're a defective, too."

"Gak!" I gasped. I quickly turned to Zim, to see how bad he was reacting. His eyes switched from Gak to me, and stopped. I saw myself in his eyes. He blinked. Then his eyes lowered into a hateful glare.

"Prove it," he growled.

"You're egotistical," Gak volunteered.

I whacked my head against the seat in front of me.