Ah, so, I guess I couldn't hold off forever.

Here it is, the rest of the reaction! As always, it's not as expected.

Enjoy.


Chapter 29
"The Unbreakable Vow"

Stunned was a word not to be placed here.

I felt . . . empty. But at the same time, relieved. And scared. Surely he couldn't be serious? If so, what did he expected from me now? I didn't regret knowing. I needed to know. Everything. Just like always. But . . . one night. One night to mangle a universe and an ideal.

How wonderful it was to be human.

And all the while, he looked at me with dull, disinterested red eyes. Like he'd asked me what was my favorite color, and not just informed me that he'd apparently been in a relationship with me. Or had we? Either way, his gaze never wavered. I envied his mask while mine kept getting put on in misshapen, incomplete figures, crumbling every few words. This wasn't fair!

"You're not breathing," he pointed out, still in a bored tone.

Much to my chagrin, he was right, and I looked away, glaring at the wall, taking subtle deep breaths as I regained my composure. Polite as ever, he waited for me to do so.

"Did you love me?" I said, matching his tone and raising him a searching glare.

This got the reaction I wanted. The proof he wasn't nearly as unaffected as he pretended to be by this conversation. Dull red turned to white, round balls of blood. I'd caught him off guard with my bluntness. "I . . . we were not that intimate."

"What were we?"

"On the fence about what we were to do with ourselves. I initiated. But you never said 'no'."

A fair argument. Vaguely similar to that of a rapist would make against his drugged victim, but I understood. I'd let him have his way. I'd never made any move to rebuke any of his affections. I'd let them happen. And to both of us, that was my consent. That was my agreement, possibly even my encouragement, to continue. That his pursuing was welcome, or at the very least, not a burden to myself. Regardless, I shot him a dark look, my signature look. To hell with emotions. All I needed was the answers. I could contemplate on them later. "Do you still have feelings for me?"

He glared at me. Clearly he wasn't having this. "That all depends."

I hadn't expected that. My brow rose. I ignored the feeling of my tears drying on my face. "On?"

"Where you stand in the matter." He hissed, getting irritated with me, apparently. "You can't honestly tell me that this doesn't bother you, Gaz! You've avoided any emotion besides wrath your entire life! You can't possible tell me that-!"

"I didn't."


My teeth ground together, making the most unpleasant of sounds. I couldn't have cared less. Only Gaz could make me feel this much. Whether it be an unholy hatred or heated ones that Irkens should never have, they were always directed towards her. "You didn't even let me finish! How could you possibly know what it is I wanted to say?"

She shot me a blank gaze. "Because it's what I would have said."

And somehow, this made me content.

"You never answered my question."

"You never answered mine."

She frowned a bit, looking at the floor, thoughtfully. ". . . I . . . had my suspicions."

"You knew?"

"My dreams were . . ." She looked towards the wall. I wondered if we'd ever have a conversation where we'd be able to look at each other the whole time. ". . . Mildly suggestive. Nothing particularly worrying, but it was insinuated."

"Do you think they're memories?"

"I'd guess that they're based off of them." She corrected, shaking her head. "Regardless, that's not what's important right now. I need to know what's going on in your head about me."

Seeing there really was no way around it, I hugged my knees to my chest. It was getting kind of cold in here. Guess that's what happened when you moved a thousand miles away from civilization. As soon as this was over, I was going to have the Computer turn the heating system on. "We are friends."

"But that doesn't mean you don't want to be more."

"Zim doesn't know what to want right now, okay?" I spat at her, getting defensive after being pried at for so long. Her expression didn't waver, but her eye twitched a little, fighting off irritation I'd assume. "As far as the situation goes, taking your fragile state into account, you are off-limits anyways. The last thing you could handle right now is a relationship. Logically, until we find ourselves on stable ground, the matter should be shelved."

". . . So, in all simplicity, you're waiting for me?"

Damn her and her ability to read my sentences for what they are.

"Yes," I said, without hesitance. I refused to be bullied into nervousness anymore. Irkens were proud creatures, not the filthy, sniveling meat-sacks humans always ended up being. "But that doesn't mean you should feel obligated to me."

That seemed to catch her off guard. I continued.

"Despite what you say, your life changed you. We were, obviously, closer than we are now. You know far less about me than I do about you, and your opinions could have differed since then. Thus, while I am aware of my bonds to you, you need not feel obiligated to honor your previous engagements."

Her brow rose. "You're offering to let me off the hook, even after I said . . . whatever it is that led you on?"

That was starting to get annoying.

"Yes." I assured her. I stood up, holding my hand out to her. "Come. You should rest. You've had a nightmare and a panic attack, you must be tired."

She let me help her up to her feet, still clutching the blanket around her like a cloak. But when I tried to released her she stopped me, gripping my hands with such fever for a moment, I thought she was about to attack me again. She looked at me harshly, but with sanity in her eyes. Regardless, I didn't let my guard down.

"If you really care about me," she started, slowly, the emphasis poised in each of her Lwords. "You have to promise to never leave me."

My eyes widened. "W-What do you-?"

"Everyone I've ever trusted has left me," she muttered. Funny. I hadn't expected this much insecurity from someone so haughty. "Everyone except Dib. If I trust you, you've got to swear that you won't do the same to me. Okay?"

I didn't understand. Why was she doing this? "I . . . But . . . Is this because I still like y-?"

"Yes." She said, interrupting me from saying it. From admitting my feelings, however complicated and unnatural they were, Irken or otherwise. "And no. That's not the point."

A lot of things didn't seem to be the point tonight. I sighed, setting her on her bed. For a moment she seemed hurt, and a vile bitterness flashed across her face for a moment until my PAK leg came out, and I began slipping off my glove. Her brows furrowed, but I held my now bare hand up to keep her from questioning me. I would explain in a moment if she was patient.

"Irkens don't make petty vocal promises that humans make, like your brother." I insisted, spitting the species like it was acid. For a terrifying moment, I'd thought I'd insulted her by no longer including her of the same species, but she didn't even seem to blink. Either she hadn't noticed the slip or she was ignoring it, I couldn't be sure, but I doubted she was as accepting of her new species as she claimed to be. "We make Blood Bonds."

She recoiled a little. "We're not about to slit hands and hold each other or something, are we?"

My face wrinkled in disgust. "Ugh! That's just unsanitary! Of course not. The only blood being spilt will be mine. Watch."

A sick fascination that she couldn't hide creeped into her expression as I lifted my PAK leg to my hand, intently watching her eyes as I did so to see her reaction. Of course, I was also mindful of where I cut myself, as well as how deep, but still. The expression of murderous curiosity was an undeniably intriguing sight to see on such a face as Gaz's. My eyes barely had to watch through my peripheral vision as I etched the pattern into my hand, glancing at it when it was finished to affirm that it had been done correctly. I smirked, flipping my palm around to show it to her.

"The mark of the Irken Armada," I informed her, although some part of me said she already knew that, somehow. I reached around with some awkward difficulty and pressed it against the flat of my PAK. A beep rang out. I began talking, locking eyes with her as I said my promise. "I swear to you on my right as an Irken, I won't ever leave you. Not until you order me out of your sight."

Another beep. A whirring sound was heard and I removed my hand, replacing my glove. In my language, the beeps informed me my oath had been engraved in my PAK and duly noted.

Her eyes were wide, especially for someone who was always looking at the world with narrowed, generally irritated eyes. "That's . . . a very committed promise."

"Irkens take everything very seriously." I said, off-handedly, to try and dispell some of the tension in the room. "Now lie down. I'll fix your bedding for you."

She did as she was told, a thoughtfully serious expression on her face. I wondered if she regretted asking me to promise and if she'd take it back, knowing the full extent of it. My deal with Dib was different; only my honor as an Irken was on the line. This promise was unbreakable. She didn't have to know that, but I had a feeling she would begin to suspect it eventually. I sat on the edge of her bed, next to her hip after I returned all the blankets to their proper state and was satisfied with their appearance.

"Are you satisfied?" I murmured, pushing my luck by tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She nodded. "Yeah . . . Thanks, Zim."

I smirked. "Don't mention it, little Gaz. Now do as you're told and sleep."

She yanwed, but of course still had it in her to be a smartass.

"That's some way to talk to the girl you're in love with," she murmured, the drowsiness finally hitting her as it should be.

My muscles stiffened at once. "I never said that I-!"

"You're keeping me awake," she interrupted, opening her eyes to shoot me a disapproving look.

A growl rumbled from my chest. And yet, this was Gaz, in a nutshell; she'd bait you and snatch the bait away before you could sink your teeth into it. Seeing you chase the bait was what she liked to watch. And then the gate slammed shut behind her, leaving you staring after the idea of what could've been. A cruel temptress who promised nothing and gave nothing.

I couldn't resist the smirk that appeared on my face.

"Goodnight, then, Gaz. Rest well."

She mumbled something and turned over. I left quietly, jostling the bed as I stood as little as possible before leaving. A part of me wanted to be upset about this whole thing. Especially since I'd been forced to be rather uncharacteristic to appropriately handle the situation. And yet, I couldn't be completely upset. Because now everything was out in the open, and Gaz seemed to have taken our former almost-relationship very well. Granted, I had no idea where she stood on the matter, but that wasn't important now.

For the first time, I began to be optimistic about our ending.

And at that moment I turned, after shutting the door behind me, to come face to face with an irritated Dib-monkey.


No nightmare could've ever prepared me for the hell that my father had unleashed upon my sister and I. It was so unsuspecting and vile that it was almost like child-abuse. No, in fact, it was more like sexual-induced labor inflicted upon the child by the parent. I mean, seriously- How sick did you have to be to even dream up something like that?

It was like something out of a crappy romance novel. Literally creating two beings who were made for each other. And for once, I began to loathe my humanity, as my natural, instinctual curiosity led me down the theoretical path of what could've been between my little sister and I. Despite my earlier claims to want sleep, I already knew my head was going to have none of that. I'd realized the second we'd got into the Voot Cruiser I wasn't going to get any of my much needed rest tonight. No. Tonight was going to be staying up trying to force out the images of a new sister- a new Gaz- who had been the person my father wanted her to be. Sweet. Quite literally angelic.

And what if we hadn't mistaken one another for siblings? Could we ever really have fallen for one another? Somehow I found myself doubting it. I mean, sure, I was interested in girls and I knew my sister was pretty from the looks people gave her, but I couldn't even imagine the idea of us being more than siblings. Soulmates was not a thing I believed existed. Apparently, Membrane deemed replacing such an intimate connection with compabitibility an acceptable subsitute.

Geez, how could I have been so stupid? It was my job to protect my little sister and the whole time I'd been trusting the person who'd ended up hurting her the most. And it wasn't even Zim! Which was more unbelievably shitty than I couldn't ever thought. If Zim had turned on my sister, as he almost originally did, before we told Gaz the truth, I wouldn't have been surprised. While I didn't know the whole story, I was vaguely aware of what was slowly starting to happen between the two of them. And it made me sick to my stomach to no end to even think of what that bastard could do to her.

And then . . . he'd done nothing.

Oh, of course, they were often placed in intimate situations together, considering the occasional evasiveness Zim had to do when treating her at the start, but it had never been anything but professional. I'd made sure of that. But at the same time, I'd never had to really enforce it. Zim had policed himself on his own, which, while I was grateful, also confused me to no end. Why hadn't he made a move yet? To my utter disgust, Gaz didn't seem to mind how close they were getting. It was inevetable (retch). So what was stopping him?

I realized it when Gaz came home one night, after hanging out at Bloaty's by herself.

She'd done that on her own.

The first warning that she was in a bad mood was the sound of the door slamming- Gaz hated loud noises. So creating them herself was strictly out of character.

Immediately I cringed and prepared myself for the lengthy rant about something some stupid kid had done, or a new worker. I prepared myself to listen and avoid provoking her further. I was making dinner at the time- nothing fancy, just making hamburgers, since my dad had randomly bought the meat for it- and was glad that this gave me the excuse not to look at her. Gaz was like a cat sometimes- direct eye-contact was very dangerous.

"Gaz?" I'd called. "What happened?"

She let out an exasperated noise and stomped into the kitchen. I instinctively expected the smell of grease and cheese engraved into the very pores of her favorite eating establishment.

And almost wretched at the abrupt change in smell.

Gaz had, supposedly, been at Bloaty's that night. Alone. Or that's what she told me she planned on doing when she left. A story which I really doubted, considering I could smell sea water on her the moment she entered the room. She wasn't wet, but that gross fishy smell is something only a shower can expunge from the pores. Whether she was in it or not, she'd have had to be there for a while to get the scent to stick to her. She was at the beach. But I didn't push her on it. I just waited expectantly, concerned.

"Freaking Zim!" She'd spat. And held a hand up before I could react violently, which I would've if she hadn't stopped me. "No he did not hurt me or try to. He's just being . . . I don't even fucking know, but I don't . . . know what to do . . ."

That was weird. Normally when Gaz got riled up, it took more than a sentence for her to get quiet. I became worried, stripping off the gloves I'd worn to shape the patties before turning to her. The meat wouldn't get rancid so quickly- not in this cold weather. I turned to her, keeping my space as I leaned against the counter. "You want to talk about it?"

She made a face. "He's just . . . making my life unnecessarily complicated is all. I'm fine." And then her eyes flicked the finished patties. "Is that what's for dinner?"

And that was it. But it was enough for me to know at least the gist of what happened. I wasn't oblivious to the looks he gave her, even if he was careful. It became especially obvious when she was hospitalized a few days later, even when I knew for a fact she'd been avoiding him unless it was entirely necessary for him to see her, in which case neither of them talked much and conversation was mostly supplied by yours truly. It was almost insulting how they assumed, even after all that, that I still didn't have a clue.

He liked her. A lot. And as put off by emotions as Gaz was, I had a horrible feeling that somewhere, deep down, she had feelings for him too. Which was why I almost understood why he wanted to avoid her when she'd woken up without any memory of their relationship (if it was one) whatsoever. I hadn't expected it, because it was far too human of a move for me to have predicted Zim to make, but there it was. Zim had been hurt. He'd probably been more upset than he let on, which was actually not very much, aside from the initial shocked look he'd had when I talked to him face-to-face afterwords. Right after though he'd become hard, and just left, reminding me far too much of Gaz than I was comfortable with.

Really; and Gaz called him complicated.

Having been already up, of course I heard Gaz's commotion. I was too exhausted to act immediately though, but heard Zim's intervention. And despite what I'm sure was the best of efforts they were capable at the time, given their situation, those two weren't nearly as quiet as they thought they were. Granted, Zim had some pretty thick walls. But somehow (what I'd guess was just sheer force of will) I managed to get up, change into pajamas, and leaned against the wall next to the door. Not the side it'd swing out on, but the other side, and just listened for a while.

Hmph, my brain snorted. Well it's about damned time.

I loathed myself for the remark, but no matter how hard I tried to pretend it didn't, it had its merit and that ring of truth to it that I couldn't avoid. It was as inescapable as anything.

I didn't make a move to hide myself when Zim came out. I kinda liked the startled look on his face at seeing me, leaning up against the wall with my arms crossed, probably a worse-for-wear sight, given my lack of sleep.

"How long were you-?"

"I came in sometime around the middle, I'd guess." We both spoke mutedly. Neither of us wanted to wake Gaz up. "You asked me about what my Dad said, right?" He nodded. "Come on. I figure I should tell you. I'm not going to get any sleep tonight anyways so I might as well do something useful."

I waited for the "that's a first" comment. It never came.

"Dib-stink," Zim murmured, as we walked into the main room. "Exactly . . . How bad was it?"

My lack of response was enough, and for the moment, he asked no more. It was dark until Zim muttered something under his breath. Thereafter the lights illiuminated a dull blue- nothing too harsh after being in the dark house so long. I took note of the couple couches, as well as the TV. I noted the kitchen through the arch to the side, but at this angle, I couldn't see much of it. I wasn't here to explore anyways. However, I was keen to see that there was not a window in sight.

"We really are cut off from the outside world." I murmured to myself, taking a moment to stop and watch the wall.

Zim stopped too, looking at me over his shoulder. "What was that?"

I shook my head, plopping down on the chair across from him. "Nothing."

He cleared his throat, impatiently. When I remained silent, he glared at me. "Well are you going to start, or are you waisting Zim's time again, Dib-stink?"

I inhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of my nose at his anxiousnes. "It's not exactly easy to say, Zim."

"Regardless, it has to come out eventually." His expression became nervous as his red eyes shifted towards the hallway our rooms were in. His voice quieted slightly. "And to be honest, I don't feel as though it would be healthy to ask Gaz."

I nodded. "Right . . . Membrane is . . . probably more screwed up than we could've imagined."

His head tilted to the side in inquiry. "Really? How so?"

"I'm sure you know by now that Gaz isn't human. And while I am, we're both my father's lab-rats. Experiments. Granted, we apparently are bad ones, but were the product of his projects nonetheless."

"So Gaz theorized," he said, boredly. "But is that what bothers you so much or-?"

"He made us for a purpose." I interrupted, forcing the words out. I could feel how tense my jaw was, resisting the urge to grind my teeth together instead of talk. And for once, Zim sat quietly and waited. "I was just the test subject to see if he could make a stabile human being. Creating Gaz was what he really wanted to do."

I took a few seconds to control my breathing, as well as my anger. Mercifully, Zim still stayed quiet. I had a feeling that so long as he didn't have to watch Gaz do this, he'd wait for hours. Fortunately for him, it didn't take nearly that long.

"He made us to be . . . compatible for one another." I spat, my eyes flashing with anger before I took a few more even breaths so I could talk clearly again. "Sexually. He designed us so that we could only ever reproduce with one another, but something went wrong in Gaz, and I guess she can't ever concieve. Naturally, anyways."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Zim stiffen. I glanced away from the wall, taking in his new, unexpected attitude with surprise. His hands had curled up into fists, the material of his gloves protesting as he dug his claws into his palms. He was shaking, quite visibly, and I could hear his teeth grinding together. His eyes were so intensely staring at the floor they looked as if they were glowing.

But the most shocking thing was the fact he was growling.

Growling.

I didn't even know Zim could growl!

"Zim, are you-?"

"He ruined her . . . ?" He hissed out, stopping trying to talk when his words became to mangled to understand. The venom in his voice stung even me, and his hatred wasn't even directed towards me, for once.

But my eyes widened as he reached the improper conclusion. "No, Zim- He didn't rape her, or anything! When he was, I don't know, developing her I guess, something about her reproductive system formed improperly. I know she's not sterile, I mean, because I'm unfortunately well aware of when she's on her period, but just something about her doesn't work right so she can't keep a baby inside of her."

Almost immediately, Zim deflated. He held up a hand for me to wait as he composed himself. When he seemed satisfied, he nodded and said. "Good . . . That's good . . ."

I made a mental note to choose my words carefully around him from now on.

"Sorry for giving you the wrong impression," I muttered, rubbing my arm. "But, yeah, that's basically it. My dad wanted us to be incestuous and have mutant babies to make an army. He used us our whole lives . . . That about sums it up."(1)

Zim sighed, apparently fully recovered. "No wonder your sister seemed so erratic. You humans are particular about not breaking your society's taboos, and I'm aware incest is one of those unspoken wrongs."

I nodded. "Yeah. Gaz reacted . . . worse than I did. I gave up on my dad a while ago, but Gaz really looked up to him. I mean, yeah, he was my dad, so I loved him and all but Gaz. . ."

"I understand." He said, quietly. He looked up at the ceiling. "I should've killed him."

I could feel a speech coming on.

"I should've ripped out his filthy organs while I had the chance. I should've pulled his brain out through his nose and ripped his heart out with my claws."

I didn't try to argue with him about the morals of what he was saying, and the seriousness he spoke it with. To be honest, if I had been able to, I might've done the same. But we hadn't had the time, and he knew it. So I let him talk, nodding as he did.

"Next time he threatens her, Dib, I'm going to." He said, shooting my a serious look. "And if it comes down to it, please restrain your sister while I do so."

"Are you asking me as a favor or ordering me?"

"Whichever promises you'll deliver." He replied evenly. "And please try not to be mad at me when I take his life. I'm sure you're angry now, but you humans can be so indecisive and speculative when it comes to how you feel about losing people."

I nodded. It was fair enough. "Hey, Zim?"

"Mmm?"

"What does this all mean for our deal?"

He shot me a cautious look. "You are not planning on turning on Zim, are you?"

I shook my head.

"Then . . . I suppose that our deal really doesn't matter anymore. This planet is safe from the likes of Zim. I won't hurt Gaz like that."

Huh. So maybe this relationship wasn't all bad for me. If they ended up together, I didn't have to worry about Earth getting blown up when Zim was feeling a little testy. I shook the thoughts off. I had to be thinking about hiding my sister before being worried about her social life. Really, our lack of friends was coming in handy- no one was there to miss us when we ran away. Maybe the school system, but Membrane could come up with some excuse as to why we wouldn't be showing up anymore. Probably something about independant studies. He had more than enough power. He could pull it off.

I stood up, yawning and stretching a little. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Sleep well, Dib-monkey," he said politely, nodding at me before looking off in the distance thoughtfully.

I got to the front of the hallway before I stopped, looking at him for a couple of minutes. He didn't notice. "Hey, Zim?"

"Hmm?" Said alien blinked away his thoughts, turning to me.

I smirked a little. "You know what'll happen if you hurt my sister, right?"

Zim's eyes widened, his testimony that he hadn't predicted that sort of warning. Then he scoffed, rolling his eyes and resting his cheek against his palm. "How very brotherly of you, Dib-stink. I'm sure your sister will appreciate your over-protective instincts as always."

"I'm serious Zim. We're in a confined space for an undisclosed period of time. Do something to upset Gaz while we're all stuck together and I will kick your ass."

"Like you could." Zim sneered, waving a hand dismissively. "Go hibernate, stupid Dib-monkey. I'll still be here for you to threaten in the morning."

My grin turned patronizing. "Good to know."

And there wasn't a doubt in my mind that he wasn't telling the truth.


(1) I feel like Dib's typical style of explaining things killed the severity of what Membrane did. But I couldn't find a way to write his speech without doing exactly that, thus, his words. So do what I did and accept that he's a buzz-kill before moving on.

Okay, so, I don't really have anything else to say.

Till the next chapter.