ngrey651
Chapter 35
Only TWO chapters left? You continue to amaze me and surprise me with these revelations! And it IS a relief seeing
1. Gaz ISN'T dangerously sick.
2. She's actually missing Dib.
The "Pill" kinda brings up a good question. "Is a really long life or eternal life worth it"? And I think the answer is no, because as Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes said, "If good things lasted forever...would we appreciate them as much?"
I do so very much enjoy your opinions. I always like new ideas, about anything and your comments always make me think a little bit.
When it comes to Gaz though, I think the only life she values is hers and her family's. And for Zim, just his race (sorta) and Gaz's. So for them, as long as those things exist, they are content with life. And so is our brief enterance into the psyche of these twp sociopaths.
You like how I say "I think"? Seriously guys, even though these personalities ARE partially my creation, I can never fully get into the minds of these two. I would never do half the shit they have but yet I'm the one who wrote it. O.o
Confused? Cool, I am too. :D
Potatoes4Eva
Chapter 35
No wonder pandas are magical! They eat magic wands!
And I still need to watch that video... *looks towards bedroom where ACTUAL computer is (*is on iPod*)* *sigh*
And Gaz may be pretty wicked awesome, but she's an idiot. GO WITH SKOODGEY WOODGEY, dumbass! :c
That cliff-hanger was impolite. I did not ask for cliff-hanger. RavenFollower, where are your manners! *waggles finger*
AHAHAHA, I AM TELLING MY FRIEND THAT. :D
I am going to kick you. Go watch it!
Hehehe, I know, right? Personally I would've just gone with him and demanded to see Zim pretty much non-stop from the safety of wherever I was until I got into contact to him somehow. And knowing Gaz (and my brain) she'd probably get in touch with him eventually.
But PPFFT, since when has Gaz been cooperative?
xoAmaxi
Chapter 35
ONLY TWO CHAPTERS LEFT? GAAAAH.
I'm so excited yet so unhappy at the same time. D:
I want to know how it ends... But I don't want it to end!
DAMMIT.
Well - I should actually review this rather than moan about;
This chapter is VERY well done!
It's so action packed and emotional, it's a great build-up to an epic finale.
I nearly forgot about the ring, I'm glad that was brought back up.
And the cliff hanger left me shivering in anxiety...
THIS IS GONNA BE GOOD.
:( Yes, it's ending. And yes, I've been neglecting the poor ring on her finger. We all know it's there, but we've just forgotten about it. XD
KotaWingz
Chapter 35
Sorry i didn't review on the last chapter... school keeps getting in the way of my reading time. .
OMG ITS ALMOST OVER? D: How will I ever find another good ZAGR fic? (besides chedderbiscuit's, Meta Morphine is pretty awesome)I think I will have to get better at writing romance so I can write one of my own.
Ugh, I know. School (face palm); I have OOBER hard classes this year and only like, maybe two easy ones? Probably one, but still, I get what you mean.
Hey, cheddarbiscuit! You've got another fan!
Also: While I will not be continuing this series, I am writing more ZAGR fics. Although since school is my priority (unfortunately -_-) I will only be updating once a week because of it. Please see my profile for more information about that. :)
Invader Johnny
Chapter 35
YAY! I KNEW YOU WOULD UPDATE TODAY!
And why is it important? Because today is Jhonen's birthday! so its an honour to read a chapter of your on the National Zim DAY!
Or Jhonen's Birthday or Probing Day! whichever you wanna call it LOL.
I kinda hate it that Dib, Tak and the rest of the swollen eyeball made it to Zim's fortress and are now INSIDE... then again I'm also kinda glad since all hell is about to break loose.
Invader Johnny Signing Off.
YES, HE IS MY HERO.
Ahaha, Probing Day. Good times, good times. Where's my mallet?
Yes, if there's anything I hate about this story it's how easily they got inside. But honestly, I could think of no other way, besides the help of Tak and MiMi. Plus, I just wanted this to be a jumpled mess of bad-ass attacks, like REAL fights!
ForceWalker
Chapter 35
Ah Dib and his messed-up feelings. They can do that to ya, buddy. You don't know if what you're feeling is just friendship, or something more. But at least one bright spot is that MiMi is actually taking to Dib! And here I thought the cat would hate him forever!
And the Pill went gender-choosing? That is so weird, yet funny at the same time.
But now all hell has broken loose. Gaz has run off, Dib and Tak have infiltrated, the Swollen Eyeball is fighting for their lives, and who knows what Zim is doing. So epic!
Yet only two chapters left? No! Why must it end? Why must this masterpiece of a series end? I feel like crying! No, I must hold it in! I am a man! But I don't know if I can!
But I'm predicting something here: Dib is going to take the second Pill Zim has! Am I right? I mean, it would totally fix the age problem that he has with Tak when it comes to romance, and he can live as long as his sister! Why else make a second Pill?
MiMi/Dib = Joy to me to write. I think their brief interactions are the most fun thing to write in this story, aside from the Zim/Gaz moments. Seriously, those two. I'm just waiting for a message from someone asking my permission to do a spin-off of them, cause they're just to fun to mess with. ^_^
Your "man" comments had me laughing my head off.
And no comment, because I realize I give away too much in my responses and it kills some of the suspense. :)
Running. Out. Of. Chapter titles!
But this is fitting, so it's fine.
Like I said, not a lot of time left for this story. The voting for the next one is up, so go look at it, if you haven't already, to prepare yourself.
DRAMA TIME.
Question to my readers: Hey, what would you guys think if I posted pics on deviantart of future stories? Like, with a live-model and then photoshop in like Gir or something (who would really be the main part of the picture, I think)? I've got a character I am currently developing (who would be of interest to you all if I decide to continue with her) who I've legitimately found someone who looks exactly like I envisioned her. Granted, these updates would be far and few between but still. As I cannot draw people for the life of me, I though that would be kind of funny/entertaining. But I'm not sure. So before I make an ass out of myself and ask her, what do you guys think of it?
And I updated on time today! Yaaay! I would've done it earlier, but, I've been painting my room today. Hopefully by Monday I can move back in. :)
Enjoy.
Chapter 36
"Chaos"
Zim glared down at the expanse of Swollen Eyeball members fighting with his army, trying to unscramble the signals he was getting from his arm.
He was trying to figure out if what he suspected was correct. But whatever Tak had done (as he knew well no one else could've done this; especially since his computer had picked up a SIR unit being the one to have hacked his security) was also effecting the signal of Dib's tracker. One second he was across the nation, with Membrane, the next he was on the field, heading towards the house. His eyes continued to flick between the battle field and the readouts but it was impossible to find anyone amongst the chaotic mess, even with his advanced sight.
A ringing vibration in his antennae made him pause, frustrated, reaching up and adjusting them so they were headphones and speaker, like all Irkens could do.
"Yes?" He hissed, eyes raking through the crowd.
An exasperated Skoodge answered, apparently too tired to notice Zim's frustration and recoil from it. "Empress Gaz has run from me, sir. Gir, Minnie-Moose and I can't seem to find her anywhere."
Zim froze, completely paralyzed. If he owned a heart-organ, he had no doubt it would be pounding in his chest, like all humans' did when they became afraid.
"Sir?" Skoodge said, apparently having asked some question he hadn't heard. "Your orders?"
He shook his head. "Keep looking for her, Skoodge. And contact me the moment you find her."
"Yes, sir!"
Zim's antennae jumped back into place, effectively ending the call. He gripped the railing of the roof of the house with such blind emotion it took him a few minutes to contain himself. Gaz was nowhere to be found in the middle of the most potentially disastrous rebellion move that could ever happen. They would not win, that was true. But if they got their hands on Gaz, a complete traitor to her planet in their eyes, and a girl who had used them to gain better ground to help the alien enslaving their race, then Zim had no doubt they wouldn't waste the chance to get revenge, even if it wouldn't make a difference for their cause.
But it would make a hell of a different to Zim if she got so much as one scratch on her.
But with his trackers on the grounds out of wack, what hope did he have of finding her? What if she was reckless enough to run into the midst of the-!
"Zim!"
He spun around, relief quickly calming his racing paranoia as he stepped away from the roof, towards her. "Gaz! Where have you been? Why did you run from Skoodge?"
"I had to find you," She insisted as she reached him, Zim gripping her arms tightly as he came to terms with the fact she was in one piece.
His brow rose. "Why? Do you not feel safe?"
Gaz's eyes narrowed but she shook it off with a furious shaking of her head. "No. But we have to find Dib. I know he's on the grounds and I need to find him."
Zim stared in disbelief. "How do you know?"
"I just do!" She insisted.
He eyed her a moment.
But in the end, Zim did not question her.
"Very well." He stated, less frantic and demanding. "I'll figure out a way to find him. But please, Gaz; Stay inside!"
To make his point, Zim gripped her arm, leading her back inside. Gaz reluctantly allowed this, probably only because of how desperately she wanted to find her brother. A fact Zim only partially understood. Dib was Gaz's brother, and from what he had gathered, their relationship was probably on a sour note right now. Gaz probably didn't want things to end badly with him and fix what damage that she could.
"How are we going to find him?" She questioned as the two quickly descended down the stairs.
"I said I'll figure something out!" He insisted. Then he made a contemplative face as he thought, carefully. "Most likely, Dib is going to find you. Whatever motivation is behind it, he's going to try and get into the house. But just because he and Tak got in the force-field doesn't mean he'll be able to get inside."
"Is it on lock-down or something?" Gaz questioned.
"I was going to put it under lock-down, but I won't." Zim paused at one of the windows. "Huh. Would you look at that."
"What?" She peered over his shoulder.
He pointed, moving aside to let her see. "The servants are trying to help the Swollen Eyeball."
Gaz snorted. "Apparently not everyone is spineless. You think your army can handle it?"
"Of course," He replied at once, as if the idea was preposterous. "Now come. Zim has a plan to lure your brother into finding us."
The fight was rather close to the castle. And with the servants running in and out, it wasn't hard for Tak and Dib to duck inside unnoticed.
Who knew were the former royalty of the house were. Who really cared was more like it. There wasn't much time to think with all the noise of chaos outside. It was unnerving though, the realization of just how truly empty this castle was, when the doors shut behind them and all was silent.
"Creepy," Dib commented, leaning towards Tak subconsciously as he grimaced uncomfortably at their surroundings.
Tak snorted as his attitude, looking around as she stepped forward. "Even so, we've got to-."
The floor glowed as they stepped forward.
Dib stomped his foot like a child. "Damn it! Again?"
And then they were transported.
When Gaz saw them appear, she was relieved to see it wasn't someone else.
"I don't think that counts as 'luring'," Gaz informed him, standing in the indoor courtyard, beside Zim. "That's just forced moving."
"I think it counts." Zim grumbled as the light faded.
Tak seemed to recover first and tensed. Dib stared at Gaz, who stared back.
He reached a hand forward. "Gaz . . .!"
Zim stepped forward, his hands clapping together. "Right, well, let's get to this, shall we?"
Tak growled at him as MiMi rested on her shoulder, trotting off to the corner after her energy draining ordeal. "Very well."
"Good, then-!"
Then came the classic case of miscommunication.
While Zim meant, "Let's talk this out", Tak thought he meant, "Let's fight". Thus, she lunged at him, Gaz stepping away from the two as Tak slammed Zim into the floor.
"Gah, what are you doing?" Zim demanded. flipping her off of him with the stress of last word.
Tak landed hard, but got back to her feet, apparently unfazed. "Our last fight ended in a draw. I won't let that happen again."
Zim glared at her. "You're not even Irken anymore, are you? So why does your loss count matter?"
She let out a hiss of fury. "I will always remain Irken, no matter what I look like!"
And then the two were fighting again.
Dib and Gaz had gotten within a few feet of each other, Gaz watching with confusion and worry (for Zim) while Dib just kind of looked unnerved (for Tak's sake). When Gaz noticed how close she was though she turned, making Dib turn to look at her as well.
"Dib, can you get her to stop?" She questioned, glancing at the two again, moving a bit too fast for their eyes to keep up with. It seemed like Zim was just trying to avoid Tak, but by the way she stumbled every once in a while after Zim darted past her, the two couldn't be so sure.
"I . . . don't think so," He admitted, looking to her. "Gaz, I came here to talk to you."
Her brow rose, "You lead an army here just to talk to me?"
Dib waved a hand at the unimportance of the army outside. "The Swollen Eyeball is acting too late. It's a suicide mission. I just didn't object to it because it worked to my advantage."
Gaz was genuinely surprised. "You tricked your heroes?"
"They're nobodies heroes," He muttered, darkly. Then he shook off that mood, locking eyes with her. "I just need to know why, Gaz. Why would you agree to this? Why now? Your life with Zim was fine the way it was. Why did you have to do this to the Earth? No matter what anyone else says, I know you and you wouldn't do this just because someone pissed you off."
Gaz looked back at the two fighting Irkens (or half-Irken) before looking back at Dib. She decided that it just didn't matter anymore. Zim was safe now. Dib couldn't do anything about the Time-Limit, since it didn't exist anymore. Whether or not Dib would be supported, there wasn't anything he could do about it.
"Dib," she said, just heard about Tak's swearing in her foreign language and Zim responding in the same manner. "Zim was going to die."
Dib stared at her. There was a slamming sound as Tak landed a kick, slamming Zim into a pillar that somehow didn't crack.
"W-What?" He gasped out. "H-How is that possible? Wait," Dib's hand went to his forehead. "That day you stole my car?"
"Yeah," She nodded. "Irkens have something called a 'Time-Limit' that activates in their PAK's when they've been on a foreign planet for too long."
"And Zim's been here for 7 years," Dib groaned, his other hand going to his head. "And I'm a huge jerk of a brother for thinking you were a traitor just because Zim and you got bored with the planet! Ugh, geez, Gaz, I'm so sorry!"
She gave him a look of disbelief. "Why in the hell are you apologizing?"
"Because I mean I expected you to go against Zim and the whole time you were just worrying about him and-!"
"Dib!" Gaz interrupted, slapping her hand on the back of his head. He flinched away from her. "Grow a backbone, seriously! Since when did you get all lovey-dovey, romantic, sappy kind of guy?" Then she froze, her eyes slowly directing towards Tak, who was knocked away from Zim. She looked back at Dib, giving him a look of disbelief. "No. Really, Dib? You're kidding me, right?"
Her brother turned a furious shade of red, "I don't know what you're talking about?"
"Tak?" Gaz repeated, placing her hands on her hips. Then she made a contemplative face. "Well, I guess that was expected to happen if you guys have been together since I saw you at my wedding. Time makes the heart grow fonder, whether you expect it or not."
"It's not like that!" Dib insisted, his shoulders hunching uncomfortably.
Gaz rolled her eyes at his immaturity. Then her pocket seemed to weigh ten pounds and her hand went back to it, her face becoming nervous as she bit her lip. Dib's brow rose at the very un-Gaz-like expression and he reached a hand out, touching her shoulder.
"Gaz?" He questioned. "Is something wrong?"
Her hand curled into a fist, in her pocket, glaring at the floor. "Open your mouth, Dib."
His eyes widened in confusion, glancing around. Had she really just asked him that? "Um, what?"
Gaz's eyes locked with his stunned ones. "I said open. Your mouth."
"Uh," Dib hesitantly did so, "W-Why?"
Her eyes darted to Zim and Tak, completely distracted. In a movement too quick for Dib to realize what had happened, Gaz had flung something in his mouth. It went directly into his throat, making him gag and try to cough it out. But Gaz's hand went to his mouth and the other to the back of his head, forcing his lips shut. He had no choice but to swallow or choke, so he did, not quite sure what had happened. When she saw his throat constrict she forced his mouth open by squeezing the sides of his jaw. Despite Dib's coughs and indistinguishable protests, Gaz took her time peering around to ensure Dib had swallowed what she'd forced down his throat.
"Good," She said, with finality, releasing him.
Before Dib could demand an explanation for his possible murder, Gaz had him in an incredibly tight hug.
"I don't care if you like a psychopathic, inhuman bitch, Dib." She informed him, quietly. "I married someone whose two out of three of those things. After what I did . . . using you like I did, Dib . . . I want you to be happy. Forever."
Dib couldn't help but hug his sister back, the very Dib-like brotherly emotion taking over. "I want you to be happy too, Gaz."
"I'm going to see you again, Dib." She insisted, pulling back to look him in the eye seriously. "You're my brother."
"I don't see how, Gaz," Dib said, frowning. "I mean, I'm not saying I don't want to, but, as far as Zim's concerned, I'm a threat to you."
"Okay, you," She pointed, her other hand on her hip. "Do not deal with Zim. Ever. I do. So don't ever worry about what Zim's going to do unless you already have me against you."
Dib laughed uncomfortably, his hand going to his neck. "Good to know."
Another loud bang interrupted them. They turned to see Zim had finally successfully restrained Tak, with his PAK appendages. Neither of them looked particularly hurt, but Tak did look a bit disheveled, struggling furiously now.
"Stop that!" Zim insisted, straightening his crooked antennae with an unhappy frown.
Gaz laughed at this. She stopped, clearing her throat when she saw Dib's expression of fear. MiMi stiffly made her way over to Dib, growling pitifully weakly as she shoved his ankles towards where Tak was. A silent demand he make Zim let her master go.
"Gaz," Dib said quietly, gesturing to them. "Could you . . .?"
She nodded, "Zim!"
He looked towards her, eyes wide with curiosity as his eyes flicked between her and her sibling. "Are you two done?"
Gaz shook her head. "No. But I think Dib would appreciate it if you let Tak down."
"She keeps attacking me!" Zim insisted, and then his brow rose, eying Dib with contained but poorly disguised loathing. "And why does he care so much about her well-being anyways?"
"Because," Tak insisted, frustrated. "Sleveka ton duex la sahlm!"*
Dib looked to Gaz. "Do you get irritated when they speak in Irken too?" Then he noticed her expression; wide-eyed. He threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "Am I the only one that has no idea what she just said?"
True, Gaz had no idea the exact context of what Tak had said. But she did recognize that single word, one that Zim had called her for quite a while. She was genuinely surprised Dib did not recognize the word as well. But she wasn't exactly going to tell him if he was too stupid to realize it.
"Sahlm?" Zim questioned, a brow rising in disbelief. "Dib?"
"Yes," She growled, jerking her arms. "Now let me go!"
"Will you stop attacking me if I do?"
"Fine!" Tak snapped. "Just put me down you sorry excuse for an Irken!"
Zim growled at her, but did so, backing off. Dib immediately darted over to her, uncomfortably, MiMi trailing after him. Zim went over to Gaz's side, the two rulers of the world eying the incredibly strange couple with disbelief.
"Are you okay?" He questioned as MiMi leaped onto Tak's shoulder, Dib's hand on her other.
She waved his hand off, making a face of disgust at the touch. "I'm fine. I'm not quite as delicate as you continue to think I am. Just because I look like a fragile human female doesn't mean I really am as pitiful as your kind!"
Gaz leaned towards Zim as the two continued to bicker, speaking quietly and unnoticed. "What did she say?"
"Dib is apparently her candidate for a sahlm." Zim replied. "Should we leave them alone?"
"No," She snapped, crossing her arms. "This is too entertaining."
Zim chuckled, Gaz ignoring that in favor of watching the two interact. It very much reminded her of how she and Zim used to talk to one another, arguing incessantly.
. . . Okay how they still talked to one another.
The door burst open, startling the four of them entirely.*
Before Gaz could even turn around, Zim was in front of her, a shield in front of him, his hands out to his sides in a protective manner. Gaz could feel him growling and automatically tensed, uneasy and wary. She cursed the fact that she was somewhat sore from her training with the army the previous day, in which she had been successfully attacked. At the time Gaz had been pleased but now she was cursing that blow to the pits of Hell, along with the soldier who had done it.
"It's over, alien scum!" A man shouted.
Zim's growl only heightened, filling the room into something similar to a snarl. Gaz doubted he really cared that they had managed to find him, without the use of his teleportation device. To everyone else, Zim probably sounded pissed, which he was, but she Gaz was able to recognize the frustration dominant in his snarl. Her suspicions were also fueled by his positioning, which kept her entirely out of the room. The only reason he was acting like this was because she was here, otherwise, he'd be completely at ease.
Zim was worried about her getting hurt in the fight that was about to break out any second now.
"Dib?" Someone questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"He's submitted to his sister!" Someone else insisted, angrily. "I knew we shouldn't have brought him here!"
"We need Tak and MiMi, otherwise, we wouldn't have," Another muttered.
The sound of a gun cocking, training on Dib and Tak, who she saw backing up warily, made Gaz's hand flare up in irritation, despite the fact she still wore her necklace. Her eyes squeezed shut as she fought for control over herself for a moment until they snapped open, realizing she really didn't need to control her powers right now.
"Your security has been shut down." An agent informed Zim, smugly. "No one to help you but yourself and the rest of these traitors!"
"Enough," Gaz snapped, stepping around Zim, but remaining next to him. Immediately Zim's hands curled into fists, clearly fighting the urge to make her hide behind him again.
She finally got a clear view of the situation, since her vision wasn't obscured by her husband standing in the way. There were over a dozen or so agents, which did outnumber them 3 to 1, at the very least. Nothing they couldn't handle, but they were also armed while Dib and Zim were (technically, excluding heightened abilities from the two girls) the only ones with weapons. Gaz was a bit weary, even if she refused to look like she was, and who knew what sort of state Tak was in after fighting with Zim. Could she handle another match?
It looked like she was going to have to.
"Typical human reaction," Said Irken female growled, tensing and repositioning herself. "Refusing to listen to the explanation before attacking."
"We've heard enough from the three of you," The man said, gesturing to the only human-looking people in the room, excluding Zim from the self-incriminated 'group of liars'. "The Swollen Eyeball will not be manipulated any longer."
Dib looked shocked. And, oddly enough, even slightly hurt. He had figured it might come to this eventually. He just hadn't prepared himself for it. "Wait, you guys don't understand-!"
"Oh we understand perfectly, Dib. By the way, we're revoking you of your membership."
The Membrane child stared, completely stunned. Tak's eyes narrowed at his reaction, feeling fury shoot through her veins. On her shoulder, MiMi gained some drive from her master's emotions, preparing herself to attack.
Gaz, too, was pissed off to see her brother so poorly treated. She rolled her eyes, lifting her hands. "Alright, enough small talk: You've got one chance. Submit or be killed."
"We could say the same for-!"
She didn't give them a chance to finish their 'oh-so-clever' comeback. Her hands flared just as Zim (reluctantly, and still frustrated) deactived the force-field. The crowd leaped away from the fuchsia flames that scorched their jackets, nearly burning them. As soon as the light evaporated, groups of about three people were formed, each finding themselves face-to-face with one of the four beings.
Gaz's group found themselves surrounded by fire again, trapping them inside. However, they'd come armed with water guns, and were able to put her fire out. But it took time and smoke appeared afterwards, swamping them. They coughed, waving at it, trying to see through the fog and taking out their more dangerous weapons, trying to find Gaz. However they only found that just as it was beginning to thin, more flames appeared, closer this time, forcing the three into tighter ranks as they tried to figure out where the little female was.
Tak's group was getting attacked by both MiMi, who was doing what she could in her drained state, and Tak. It was very clear who was winning though, as Tak had many tricks up her sleeves that their training hadn't prepared them for. However it wasn't particularly easy, as Zim had taken a lot out of her. She scolded herself for acting so brashly, but her pride had gotten the better of her. And the Swollen Eyeball was very persistent in getting up, no matter how many times that she knocked them down or slammed them into something. She cursed them for their padded armor, but was glad herself when one of them managed a blow on her and she didn't feel it in the least. Tak allowed a smirk as she dropped her attacker to the ground before moving on to the next, who was just running up behind her.
Dib himself was focusing more on dodging then attacking, a bit flustered. Thankfully he was only up against two people, as his would've been four, if they hadn't divided up to get reinforcements for Zim's group. Despite the fact he really just did not want to fight these people he had considered his friends, Dib also knew how much more experience they had in their years of field-work, having time to perfect their fighting techniques while Dib himself was a bit out of practice. He had a feeling if he attempted an attack, he'd be dropped in an instant, so he was riding on his endurance overpowering theirs and attacking when they were seriously tuckered out.
Zim's group was made of, not surprisingly, about nine people. It was hard to count with his adrenaline and instinct kicking in. His red eyes were filled with fiery hatred, the smoke making a burning, rotten smell in the room as fresh flames continued to appear from the corner of his eyes. To express how much the invader hated these people at the moment would be impossible. But, to put it incredibly simply, Zim absolutely loathed them. He wished very profusely Gaz had gone with Invader Skoodge, as his group would be an immensely bigger fight, since the whole of the party would be attacking him, but at least he wouldn't be this distracted and she would be safe. But his instincts were raging with the urge to fight these intruders and the much stronger desire to protect Gaz. His PAK appendages sprouted from his back, sparking behind him dangerously. Weapons trained on him, the whine of their chargers making Zim growl in reply.
The indoor courtyard offered plenty of room for the fight to occur and made quite the battle-grounds, actually. Yet despite the immense amount of room, there was a mingling of the battles.
Dib's back bumped against someone else's, making him leap away at once, as did the other person, until he saw the person also backing off was Tak. They stared at each other a moment until looking over the others shoulder, darting past each other to disarm the person about to sneak up on the other. Dib felt a bit of a pang in his gut for attacking until he realized Tak had done the same and noticed just how worn out she seemed, despite her furious facade. But anger only allowed for so much fuel, especially in this kind of fight. If this wasn't ended soon, she'd burn out.
"Need some help?" He said, sarcastically, gesturing to the agent he'd knocked away.
Tak offered him a wry smirk. "Couldn't hurt."
And so the two fought together, making their separate battles considerably easier. Agents began dropping left and right from their double-attacks, the two of them working as a pair flawlessly. MiMi was staggering around, still landing blows when she could, but it was clear the poor thing was completely drained. She rammed herself into the ribs of an agent, who dropped painfully, before getting off of him and sinking down in a corner, her little body expanding and retracting harshly and she tried to regain her 'breath'.
Meanwhile, Gaz was easily maneuvering through her own flames, using them to mask herself as she continued to dart past her captive opponents, landing blows on them sneakily, wearing them down rather than beating them senseless. It was easier on her and, truth be told, more entertaining. They continued to try and put out her fire, but that only caused more smoke, which was beginning to suffocate them as they coughed and wheezed, continuing to look for her wildly and unsuccessfully.
Gaz had two rings of fire around them; one holding the Swollen Eyeball inside, and another holding her, keeping anyone outside from intruding and disguising herself better. It was also a bit more intimidating and the more panicked they were, the quicker they would breath and the quicker they would pass out from suffocation. She wasn't going to kill them, because she didn't really want to (since Dib was so sensitive about it), but she wasn't going to be particularly nice to them either, since they had upset Dib.
She took a moment to glance over at her companions, to see how they were doing, confident she remained in cover, but enhancing her fire around herself just in case. Tak and Dib seemed to be nearly finished, only two people left. But they were probably senior agents, as they were putting up a considerably difficult fight, working together just like the younger couple was. But it was clear that Tak and Dib were probably going to win, as the Swollen Eyeball agents were sweating profusely and looked tired as they panted heavily while fighting.
Zim was throwing people into each other, a bit more violent then usual, looking absolutely pissed off as he mercilessly attacked, showing none of the restraint he normally showed when fighting other humans, like when he was helping her train the army. They were dropping considerably quicker around him, but were continuing to try to shoot at him from the floor. Inaccurately, with no hope of actually hitting him, but it was enough to be annoying and slightly distracting.
That was when Gaz heard a snap of a weapon.
She dropped instinctively to the floor, something clipping her shoulder. She hit the ground hard, on her side, the impact crippling her a bit as she became considerably winded, the ring separating her and them evaporating. The outer ring, keeping others out, was still up though, barricading them and her inside the makeshift arena. But she couldn't find the control in her breathless body to either dissolve the other ring or make another one, and so Gaz was left straining for air on her side, glaring furiously up at the approaching agents when she could find the focus to.
"Well, well," one of the mocked, all of their weapons at their sides, relaxed, since it was clear she was out of play, for the moment. "Look what we've got here."
They all began loosely aiming their weapons at her, not really needing to focus since she was so close to them. "Burnt scraps."
Gaz found the focus and oxygen to set her hand ablaze, but it was squirted with a water gun, extinguishing it. The proximity of the smoke that close to her face made her gag, losing what little breath she had and making her start over again.
She closed her eyes, hearing the whine of the weaponry and wondering how she was going to die. She was completely vulnerable and while it was completely infuriating, a strange, shaky calm began to fill her as she accepted her demise. Everyone was busy fighting their own battles, and she had trapped herself inside her own fire.
No one was going to save her.
YOU. WILL NOT. DIE! And who said you needed saving anyways?
Gaz's eyes snapped open at the strong thought, looking up at the weaponry as an idea came to mind.
Maybe if I can burn their weapons . . . She thought, optimistically.
But . . . did she have that kind of energy to (literally) burn?
"Aw, look at this," One of them bent down, removing her necklace, as if just begging her to do something. "She still wears that necklace Membrane gave her. Kind of funny, since she stabbed her dad in the back."
She bared her teeth, weakly.
Alright, that's it!
Closing her eyes tightly and gritting her teeth, Gaz decided she'd just have to find out.
No way in hell was she going out without a fight.
Zim's antennae shot up as the sound of a gun going off was heard just before the room's heat jumped, along with Gaz's flames, turning into an explosion that rocked the room. His eyes were wide as everyone stared, completely off-guard and irrationally terrified.
"GAZ!" Dib shrieked, staring in horror at the flames that were consuming everything in that corner of the room.
Other agents began shouting the names of the ones that had gone after Gaz, but it was as if Zim could not hear them. He was even unaware of the water everyone with water guns (the few, still fighting agents) tried to extinguish the fire without success. Smoke came off, but it only grew, as if angered by the attempt to diminish its power.
Zim was completely petrified for a moment before another flare of heat snapped him out of it.
He darted forward, reminding himself to shield just before entering the mass of fire. It was so much worse on the inside then it appeared on the outside. Flames were everywhere, all Gaz's color, with no sign of anything else. Like the densest of fog, except so much more terrifying and incredibly hotter. But the heat hardly bothered Zim, who was used to much more unfriendly temperatures then this. He continued to maneuver through until he stumbled over something that made him trip. His hands slammed down before his face did, letting him catch himself as he looked back to see what had tripped him.
It was an agent, whose arms were above his head as he lay on the floor, curled into himself, a melted mess of metal beside him, probably something that had once been a gun. Possibly the one that had shot at Gaz. He growled at the thought until he heard the man screaming, his brow rising. But the only reason Zim heard it through the roar of flames was because he was next to him. Tuning his vision more carefully, Zim heard many people screaming. Maybe three or four.
And they were all centered around to what, according to his scanners, was the hottest spot of the entire mass of flames.
Zim darted forward, crawling, until he felt his hand grip hold of something.
Upon looking at Gaz, who was curled up in a ball herself, shaking rather badly, Zim was only relieved of one thing. Removing his large jacket, he could only think of one thing as he placed it on her, tying it at the waist tightly to cover her completely.
Thank Irk my clothes are fire-proof, He thought to himself, bundling her onto his lap and holding her close to him.
It was just too bad that hers weren't.
Meanwhile, oblivious of Zim's presence, Gaz was reliving that memory of her nightmare, where she had lost her powers, completely out of her own control. She felt exactly that way now. Despite how hard she was trying to reign them in, they refused, as if relishing in the freedom and her will to win. It was really the conflicting motivations that were sending her into a spiraling, energy sapping downfall. Her powers couldn't tell what she wanted, and so were acting on her instincts; to protect and to win.
"Gaz," Zim said, just over the crack and snap of the fire around them, but gently as he squeezed her, penetrating through her mess of uncontrollable fear and conflict. "It's okay. Calm down."
He could just see her necklace, the skull laying shiny and unaffected next to where she had just been. He wondered how it had been removed, but didn't think much of it as he felt the heat begin to retract, if only just slightly.
"Gaz," Zim repeated, bending his head down to be closer to hers. He could see her eyes squeezed tightly shut in her shivering body, of which was incredibly warm; much higher then any fever could ever be. "Please. You're going to hurt yourself. You beat them. You won. They're all cowering like the little idiot dirt-monkeys that they are."
She tensed further, curling in towards him. Zim snatched her necklace, careful not to jostle her as she forced her powers back. He draped the necklace around her neck and there was a much more noticeable drop in the flames at the extra help. But she did not relax. If anything, Gaz strained harder to control herself, making Zim hold her tighter against him, wishing her could help her somehow. But all he could do was wait for her to fix her own problem.
Dib and Tak had dropped their two opponents, Tak deciding to use the distraction while she could. She was not worried about Zim. Invaders were trained to handle much more then a little heat, no matter how impressive Gaz's display was. Dib was clearly terrified for his sister though, as he probably should be. But they dropped the two agents, unnoticed by the others still trying to put out the fire that was beginning to dim now, which probably had nothing to do with them. Tak and Dib used the break to their advantage as the agents backed off considerably, weapons trained on the thinning smoke and flames.
Dib's jaw dropped, paling. Even Tak looked stunned.
Zim was sitting on his legs, Gaz on his lap, his large jacket over her as he held her. His eyes opened, formerly closed as he relaxed his hold on her slightly, to look down at her. Gaz was unconscious and considerably pale, unaware she dawned nothing but a red coat.
Before he could stop himself, Dib darted over, despite Tak's attempt to grab him and hold him back. He skidded to a stop in front of Zim, dropping to his knees in the same movement. In a moment Tak was next to them, unable to just stand back and not follow. Although it was clear she was a bit frustrated at having to do so, standing in front of the three of them, eying the Swollen Eyeball warningly.
"Gaz?" Dib demanded, touching his sister's colorless face. "Gaz, wake up! Please!"
Zim's eyes flickered to Dib a moment, and then Tak. A moment later he growled, his attention turning towards the remaining Swollen Eyeball members, each with their weapons trained on the three of them. His eyes flashed dangerously, making everyone aim just a bit more precisely.
"Hold her," Zim ordered, his voice laced with black fury. He handed her over gently but quickly to Dib, who gladly took his sister in his arms.
Dib looked up as Zim stood next to Tak. He saw her glance at him, but Zim offered her none of the same look. Dib's grip on Gaz tightened as he watched the two Irkens prepare themselves to fight, noticing the similarities now that they were side-by-side.
"I hate you," She muttered, in Irken, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "But she's his sister."
"And I hate you as well," Zim replied, in the same tone and language, locking gazes with her. "But he's her brother."
They then tensed before leaping up, at the same time, in perfect unison, attacking together as only two Irkens could. Dib watched with awe, despite himself and the situation he was in, watching Tak mainly as she moved like she was trained to move in a paired fight. He hadn't seen her when she was fighting with him, but he wished he had. Tak made it look like a dance instead of a battle, stunning him.
Within the minute, decimating the amount of time it had taken for him and her to take down someone together, the two had taken down the last of the stragglers, both panting a bit heavily.
Immediately though, Zim's eyes darted back to Gaz as he rushed back and Tak walked at a much more leisurely, worn pace, picking up the fallen MiMi on her way over.
Dib returned Gaz to Zim, despite his normal attitude to keep his sister away from his arch-nemesis.
Brother-in-law, Dib reminded himself. And then he nearly smirked, looking up at Zim's worried face as he held his sister. Well, really; What's the difference?
"Is she going to be okay?" Dib asked as the fear kicked back in.
Zim brushed his hand across Gaz's face in a tender movement that Dib ignored. He heard the sound of scanners, even if he did not see the test and waited. Tak sat down next to Dib, leaning heavily on his shoulder, clearly every bit as tired as Dib was. He couldn't help himself by gripping her to him, making her squeak and Zim's eyes flash up, a brow rising at their position, but saying nothing as he looked back at Gaz, choosing to ignore it. Tak herself gave Dib a questioning look, but he refused to look at her for fear of being embarrassed. Dib couldn't really help himself when he'd hugged her. He just needed to hold something right now, and she was obviously the best option.
He wasn't exactly going to hug Zim, now was he?
Finally a conclusive-sounding beep made Zim sigh with relief, making Dib relax his hold on Tak, his arms remaining loosely on her shoulder.
"She'll be fine," Zim replied. "She should wake up soon."
They waited a few seconds, in silence.
Tak gave Zim a look.**
He glared at her in response. "I didn't say immediately. I said soon."
Mercifully (thought unintentionally), Gaz's eyes flickered open then, looking around before drifting shut again. They then snapped open, terror evident on her face. Zim shushed her soothingly, adjusting her so she was sitting up a bit more.
"Ssh, Gaz," He said, gently, smiling at her, the relief still very clear on his face. "You're fine. The fires out and the Swollen Eyeball agents are all down for the count."
Gaz sat up more, Zim helping her, her hand, partially drowning in the sleeve of his jacket, going to her head. However she noticed the sleeve immediately, looking down at herself. Slowly, she became aware of her predicament and the fact she had burned her clothes off.
"I covered you before your flames died out," Zim murmured reassuringly in her ear, too quiet for even Dib or Tak to hear. There was a bit of a smirk to his extra statement though, one she might've hit him for, had she had the energy. "Zim is still the only one who knows what you look like naked."
Gaz nodded, making Dib's brow rose, wondering what it was Zim had said but deciding it didn't matter. "You okay, Gaz?"
"Tired," She said, at once. "Sore. Really warm, but otherwise fine."
"It's to be expected," Zim replied, clearly trying to make her as 'at-ease' as possible, to prevent another freak-out. "You'll have to rest for a few days and I'll run a few test to ensure your recovery goes unhindered."
She yawned, nodding, closing her eyes and leaning against his chest and replying with a very un-Gaz-like, "Kay."
The three of them shared looks of surprise mingled with confusion before they all just shook it off, deciding she was probably just off from drowsiness.
"You can rest now, if you'd like," Zim informed her, noting her eyes twitch, no doubt in a vain effort to try and keep herself awake. "Zim will take you to our quarters so that you can sleep."
Gaz sighed, shaking her head and lifting it, though with a considerable effort that made Zim scowl. "No, I'm fine. But I do need to put clothes on. I'm not walking around like this."
Dib smiled at her. "Come on, Gaz. Don't be so stubborn. You need to relax."
She glared at him, a glare only a sibling could accomplish. "I can do what I like!"
"Gaz-!"
A call on Zim's arm made them stop. He shifted Gaz, holding up his arm as he answered.
"Yes?"
"We've got the situation under control now, sir." Skoodge's voice informed him. "All of the Swollen Eyeball have been captured and restrained. We're awaiting your orders on what to do with the prisoners."
"Thank you for the update, Invader Skoodge." Zim said. "I'll be down within the hour to deal with them. In the meantime, I need a team of 17 up in the indoor courtyard, to take care of a few stragglers that I encountered. Until I come address you, though, just tie them together and destroy their weapons. Leave them in the field and shock them every time any of them move or talk."
"Consider it done, sir. Invader Skoodge, out!"
Zim ended the call without a response, standing, picking up Gaz while doing so. Dib and Tak stood as well, Tak holding MiMi in her arms, since the poor thing didn't even have the energy to balance herself on her master's shoulder. She truly was a pitiful sight, eyes drooped as she recharged. Tak stroked her gently, Dib shoving his hands in his pockets. All in all, they were a rather tired-looking sight, save Zim, who looked completely composed now that Gaz was out of immediate danger.
He turned to the two of them. "I'll take you two back to the door. You'll have to wait downstairs. The remaining security in that wing won't accept you into the area."
Dib nodded, reluctantly, since he wasn't about to argue with Zim about how Irken technology worked. However, Tak knew well that thanks to her changes, it actually would accept them. But she also knew that Zim was just trying to get rid of them, to have some time alone with his mate. In a platonic way though of course, since it was clear neither of them were up for that kind of alone time at the moment.
"Of course," Tak agreed.
Zim shot her a grateful look, unnoticed to Dib, before turning and leading them downstairs. They did end up passing the soldiers, who nearly attacked Dib and Tak, but Zim informed them they weren't to be touched and that they were guests of himself and Gaz, and to let Skoodge know that as well. A few soldiers broke off then, to lead the two downstairs for Zim while the Irken Emperor turned to walk the other way, to where there room was located.
"You ditched my brother?" Gaz noted, waking up from a slight slip into unconsciousness, noting the absence of the pair.
Zim snickered, pleased with himself. "I hardly wanted that conversation with your brother about how I was going to help dress you and that he and Tak should wait outside."
"Good point," She mumbled, curling into him again.
There was a moment of content silence. Then Zim instinctually looked down, to see Gaz biting her lip nervously, looking off at their surroundings thoughtfully.
His brow rose, shifting her closer to him in his arms, concern flooding him. "Gaz? What is it?"
Her eyes looked up to his. For once, he saw insecurity there, but as to the reason behind it, Zim could not tell.
"My . . . powers," She muttered, looking down at her hands, which were fidgeting on her stomach. "They . . . I don't think I really . . ."
"You didn't what?" Zim pressed as they passed the force-field leading to the private side of the castle. "Gaz, please, you know how much Zim hates to be left in the dark. What is it you are trying to say?"
She sighed, leaning her head against his chest. "I don't think I got control of my powers. I think I finally burned them out."
*Originally, everything after this did not exist. Just a bit of insight. But now I love this fight immensely, so I am glad I changed my original planning.
**You notice how in movies and stuff (and my stories, I'll admit) they always wake up immediately after saying stuff like that? I just wanted to make things a bit more IZ-style and make Gaz not wake up immediately.
This chapter. Is freaking. LONG.
But it's one of the last, so, yeah. I ended it here because I felt like if I wrote anymore, I would fry your precious little brains.
Ugh, I am sore from horseback riding.
Never. Again.
. . .
Okay maybe a few more times. It WAS an incredibly amazing hiking trail and I got the hang of it by the end, so, yeah.
And is it possible Gaz lost her powers?
A 3-saga story, soon to be ended. My most popular story, in which has had the biggest reaction of a story I've ever written . . . SOON TO BE ENDED! (ginormous sob)
*sniffle* Okay. *sniffle* I'm done.
Till *sniffle* n-next time!
WAAAAAAAAA!