Chapter 15

"GIR! TAK HAS TACOS FOR YOU!" Gaz screamed at the top of her lungs. For a moment, Tak looked confused, until she was attacked by the little, cyan robot.

"GIMMIE! GIMMIE! GIMMIE! GIMMIE! GIMMIE!" GIR wailed, clinging onto Tak's head and yanking on her antennae, violently. Tak screamed and tried to shake off the shrieking robot who pulled her head back and sat on her shoulders, riding her like a pig. Gaz shot up from the ground and ran to Dib who was losing the fight with Zim's PAK.

1:03

"GAZ QUICK! IT'S GONNA TAKE OVER MY MIND!" Dib yelled, fighting as the PAK connected with his skin. Gaz ripped the PAK away from Dib who yelled in pain as the PAK was ripped off his belly. Gaz ran to the remote and held the PAK away as it fought to connect with her. She grabbed the remote and pressed another button, releasing Zim from the ceiling. He crashed down with a smack, but didn't react to the pain.

0:32

"Zim! Here! I have your PAK!" Gaz held the PAK out for Zim, whose dull eyes fluttered open, he groaned and raised a limp claw out to take it.

0:21

"NO! HE'S MINE!" Tak shrieked, flinging GIR off her shoulders and into the wall. She dove at the pair and barreled into Gaz, knocking her over. The PAK fell next to Zim whose weak arm fell down, giving up, his eyes closed and he passed out.

0:10

The PAK raised itself off the ground with the spider legs.

0:09

It looked over at the black haired human who writhed on the floor with a torn shirt, still in pain. Match compatibility: negative.

0:08

It looked at the Irken who already had a PAK fighting with another human. Match compatibility: negative. Match compatibility: negative.

0:07

It looked at the dying Irken without a PAK.

0:06

Match compatibility: positive.

0:05

The PAK flipped over the dying Irken.

0:04

It aligned itself with the spinal cord.

0:03

The metal piping fused with the spinal cord of the Irken host.

0:02

Gradually, the PAK began repairing the Irken host's dying body shell.

0:01

Zim regained his consciousness, he saw the lifeclock in the corner of his eye freeze at the last second, then disappear. His strength returned, the color in his skin returned, his brain waves and thought processes returned. He opened his eyes, and lifted himself off the floor, dazed and confused.

"ZIM!" Someone yelled. He snapped his head over to see Tak pinning Gaz to the wall, about to stab her in the back with a broken PAK leg.

"GAZ!" Zim shot up off the ground and ran after Gaz. He smashed into Tak, knocking her away from Gaz, and flipped her over on the wall, taking the hand with the PAK leg in it and pointing it at her own neck.

"NO! I DESTROYED YOU!" Tak bellowed, fighting against his new-found strength.

"You failed. Again." Zim hissed, plunging the PAK leg into her throat. Tak's violet eyes widened in horror as he moved off of her. Her hands fell on the sharp, metal leg coming out of her neck, and tried to remove it, green blood flowed out of her neck in bursts. She fell over, holding her neck trying to keep the blood from leaving her body as she gasped for air. Her eyes lost color and her hands fell limp, as her PAK began to beep.

The last thing Tak saw was the defective Irken standing over her body, looking down at her without remorse. His words echoed in her mind.

You failed. Again.Failed...Failed...

Then everything went black.

Zim kicked her lifeless body over and removed her PAK, so it would not try to repair her body shell. He walked over to the metal shell that held his own PAK captive, threw it in, and locked it away.

Gaz leaned on the wall, breathing deeply, holding her neck. It was the first time Gaz actually saw death. Even if it wasn't even her own species, it kinda freaked her out. Zim turned to look at Gaz and walked over beside her. She looked up at him, wide-eyed, as he held out a hand.

"Are you alright?" He asked, pulling her up.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Gaz held her wounded arm close to her body. Zim looked at her bleeding cheek, which had already started scabbing over. Then slowly raised her arm, examining it. Gaz winced as he ripped her sleeve open the rest of the way. Tak had cut into it deeply, it still bled, dripping down her arm and onto the floor. Zim turned around, taking the remote from where he fell from the ceiling, and walked over to his enormous computer monitor. He connected the remote to his controls and started typing commands.

"Access granted." Zim's computer whirled to life and the cables from the ceiling retreated.

"Computer, bring me a medical kit." Zim demanded, a bright light shone on the table, shining back and forth until a first aid kit materialized. Zim took the handle, and walked over to Gaz. He sat down, opened the kit and started working on the gash in her arm. He put a slab of blue jelly on his hand and smeared it on her wound, which started bubbling and turning green. Gaz clenched her fists and ground her teeth, but stayed still so Zim could fix her.

"I told you to run." Zim snapped at her as he put a dab of the jelly on the cut on her cheek, which felt more tingly than painful. He used a rag to wipe the now dark, green jelly off her arm when it stopped foaming. He prepared a little, black machine and held it over the top of her wound.

"And leave you to die?" She glared at Zim.

"I told you to RUN." Zim yelled at her, glaring back. "You could have died. I would have been fine. I had everything under control."

"I saved you-AHH!" Gaz countered before Zim started the machine, it pulled a hook around one side of her gash to the other with thread, sewing her skin back together. Gaz slammed her fist into the wall and shouted.

"Hold still." Zim said clutching her wrist and calmly sliding the little black device down her arm, closing the gash and stopping it from bleeding anymore. Then he wrapped white gauze around her arm, wiped the jelly off her cheek and taped a little bandage to it.

Dib couldn't believe his eyes. He looked at the ground where Tak lay motionless.

She's really gone. Dib thought. He couldn't decide whether he mourned her or not. She broke their pact and tried to kill him and Gaz, but he still felt a little remorse. He looked back at Zim as he taped the band aid on Gaz's cheek.

Did Zim really care?

"Dib-beast." Zim called, getting up and turning to glare at Dib who still sat on the floor. "Explain yourself. Now."

"I… I called Tak." Dib said, sinking into his shoulders.

"What the FUCK, DIB?!" Gaz shot up, walking toward her brother. Zim put out an arm, stopping Gaz.

"I am aware you do not approve of me, Dib-monkey. But contacting Tak, and endangering your sister's life is unacceptable." Zim spit.

"I didn't know she was gonna try to kill Gaz!" Dib shot up.

"You have five seconds to tell me why I shouldn't doom you, Dib." Gaz yelled, pushing Zim's arm out of the way and facing her brother.

"I… I'm sorry." Dib retreated. "I was going to try and… get rid of Zim." He confessed.

Gaz scowled. "Four seconds."

"I-I saw you two… together… And I just… I got so mad. I-"

"So you tried to kill him?" Gaz shouted, pushing him back.

"I… I didn't think he actually cared about you Gaz! I thought he was using you... And when I saw that I… I don't know, I snapped!"

"What is WRONG with you?" Gaz pushed him again. "What do you mean 'he doesn't care about me'? Am I really that awful, Dib? You think the only reason anyone could be with me is because they're USING ME?"

"NO! That's not what I meant, Gaz!" Dib dodged another push, getting around her, and moving in between Zim and Gaz. "If it was anyone else, I would have been fine with it. But ZIM? You can't expect me NOT to get suspicious! It's ZIM!"

"What's that supposed to mean, dirt-child?" Zim walked toward him, beside Gaz. They both started backing Dib into the wall.

"YOU'RE AN ALIEN INVADER!" Dib yelled, pushing Zim back. "YOU'VE LIED, CHEATED, AND MANIPULATED BEFORE! How do you expect me to be OKAY with you dating my SISTER? OF COURSE I thought something was up! Since WHEN have you ever been HONEST?" Dib pushed him again. Gaz growled and went to hit Dib, but Zim stopped her.

"I see." Zim said. Dib looked down at Gaz's wrapped up arm and sighed.

"But… now?… I don't know." Dib looked at Zim who still held Gaz back from dooming him.

Maybe I was wrong. Zim saved her. He tried to get Gaz to save herself and leave him behind, he protected her from Tak, he healed her arm, he seemed like… But...maybe...

"Can you look me in the eye and tell me, honestly, that you really like Gaz?"

Gaz stopped and looked at Zim, who flattened his antennae, his scowl softened for a moment as he breathed.

"Dib-human. As you know, I loathe humans. Especially you, especially now. But your sister is different than the rest of her race, she is intelligent, capable, and terrifying. Far better than the awful creatures I've encountered thus far, and I have decided to take her on as my mate." Dib grimaced for a moment, hating his choice of words. Zim let his antennae fall and continued. "In doing so I put myself in harms way. But I am prepared to face any challenges being with Gaz will bring upon me."

Zim walked up close to Dib looking at him dead in the eye. Face to face. "No, Dib-stink. I cannot say that I 'like' your sister. I can, however, say that I love her."

Dib's eyes widened.

He's serious.

"Your approval on the subject means nothing to me. But know this: If you ever endanger her life like this again. I. Will. End. You." Zim stepped to the side and pointed a finger away. "Now get out."

Dib paused for a couple seconds to really take in his alien foe, then his sister. He sighed and walked away from them both. Only looking back at Gaz, who watched him walk away into the elevator. He waved at her before going up to the house.

Zim and Gaz… Dib thought as he disappeared up the shoot.

"Computer. Set up a living quarters for Gaz." Gaz turned around and looked at Zim.

'What?" She asked, confused.

"I'm kidnapping you." Zim said, walking to his computer. "Or 'abducting' you, as your brother would put it."

"Why?" Gaz crossed her arms and leaned over.

"Your Dib-sibling is no longer worthy of your company." Zim said, getting out a large box with a big, purple button.

"So you want me to live with you?" Gaz asked, lifting an eyebrow. Zim froze, looking at her, then at the computer again.

"Well... yes. As it so happens, you would be living with me." He walked over to Gaz with the box and set it down beside her.

"Here. Just press this button and everything inside will shrink." He pushed the button and suddenly the large box became pocket sized. "I should have done this much sooner. I just didn't think he would turn to just drastic measures."

"Woh. Woh. Woh. Wait, so… what? Just up and ditch my house? All my stuff? My dad?"

"No, you would bring your belongings here, in the box, and you've already told me your father-unit is never present."

Gaz thought about it. Just… leave? For Zim?

Yeah… Gaz thought. Yeah… Why would Dad care? I'm older now, I can move out. And I've already spent a few nights here. Then she looked around, and back at Zim.

But can she really stand the alien enough to live with him? She would have to deal with GIR a lot more… But then again, she would have to deal with Dib a lot less… She looked down at the box.

What the hell? Gaz thought, then she bent down to put the little box in her pocket. Zim smiled and turned away from her, marching to the computer.

"Your quarters will be done by the time you return with your possessions. I'll be sure to allow some customizations to fit your needs."

Gaz smirked and rubbed her arm, looking at the elevator, then back at Zim and frowned.

"Zim… what did you mean by 'putting yourself in harms way'?"

Zim stopped what he was doing and let his antennae fall back again, he said nothing. "Does it have anything to do with… what Tak called you?"

Zim looked tense, but still said nothing. Gaz eyed him for a moment in thought and began to walk up to him.

"Another time." He finally spoke up, not looking back at her. Gaz stopped and stood quietly again. Zim began typing into his computer, slowly regaining his composer. She frowned and looked back down at her box.

If he's serious...

Gaz stepped up behind him and kissed his cheek before running back toward the elevator. Zim's antennae shot up and he tensed again. He might never get used to human affection. He looked back at Gaz who flew up the shoot to the home base.

Gaz walked through the door to her home and went up to her room. She set the box in the middle of her bedroom and pressed the button again. It grew as large as it used to be, and Gaz opened it up. There was lots of space, it should hold everything she needed. She looked around her room and sighed.

Well… Where to start?