Okay there are 34 chapters before this. If you need a disclaimer, go see them. I know it has been a little while since I updated but be patient. In theory I do have more time to work on and update my stories. Unemployment can be useful for some things... (Although I may hopefully get called back in June or so for a month of work. Tax professional and because of this pandemic tax deadline got extended till July 15th... and upper management was well, upper management on keeping me on longer than usual) But you don't want the intricacies of a tax prep company, you want ZADR goodness. So enough of this A/N, on with the fic!
Christie looked out the bars at the sky above. This whole thing had begun 5 years earlier and over what was supposed to be a relatively short time frame, she went from normal girl, to rebel to prisoner to assassin of the Tallest, she was floored. "Gaz, what do you think is going to happen?" She asked simply.
"Don't know." She said simply. "Sure one Tallest is down, but there is still another."
"The purple one will want vengeance." Christie said.
"Purple?" Gaz said looking up. "Maybe."
"Why just 'maybe'?" Christie asked back, somewhat annoyed but also concerned.
"Well he never seemed the vengeance type. He seems like he just does the job for the perks." Gaz said. "But he can't be entirely stupid. If nothing else he will step up to ensure that he keeps those. You have as sweet a gig as being a Tallest, you will want to keep the perks no matter the cost. Irkens are vicious and would expect the same from their leaders. Red seems to have put up the required ferocity to keep things quiet. Purple will have to be able to do the same to keep the Irkens from revolting." Gaz noted.
"But wouldn't that make the people want to revolt?" Christie said with a faint glimmer of hope that this would be the cataylist that would get Earth to fight back.
"It's been 5 years since the Massive took over the planet." Gaz said looking with disgust at Christie. She had lost all hope that something would break the Irken's grip after her father had turned her over to the hybridization program so carelessly. She had come to terms with his death that he might not have known just what was going to happen to her there, probably just thought she would be taking care of the patients and the newborns. But did he know about it beforehand? No? He had to have found out eventually. Gaz thought as she sighed. "If we are all that is left to try and fight this, then that's it. We have to pray that Zim could get in somewhere to change it all."
"Like that's going to happen..." Christie said as she held her knees to her chest and looked down at the cold cement floor.
"Generals can only do so much." Gaz said.
Zim tossed and turned in Red's old bed before he just had to admit to himself that he could not possibly stay there anymore. He didn't want to be Tallest. Those dreams years ago of Universal conquest were before he learned just how fucked up power was and before he had gotten together with Dib. Once that had happened, that was the only thing he cared about in the Universe. He was abandoned by his people till he was useful to them again. What was the point in trying to do anything for them after all? They didn't really care, but Dib really did. He was going to have to do something to make sure that they could.
Purple was sitting in the tower and turned off the TV and turned to Zim. "Well, future Co-Tallest," He greeted Zim
"Could you not call me that..." Zim winced. "I haven't been Promoted yet."
"That's why I called you future co-Tallest." Purple clarified. "But your Promotion tomorrow needs to be grand. And we will keep the humans in line. They will know they can never do the same to a Tallest again."
"And you were thinking..." Zim prompted, knowing full well where this was going. He's going to want to execute Gaz and Christie. He knows they're in the prison cells down there and what better way to scare the people into not questioning a thing than killing the people who took down the previous Tallest.
"I was thinking that we get rid of that Elieson issue for once and for all. She's the one of those two that attacked you and Red at that waffle house. Well when you're Promoted, we're going to have you kill her and Gaz to show that we are not to be fucked with ever again." Purple said. "It will also satisfy the Control Brain's crackdown requirement so that the humans don't make too much ruckus. They have been pretty easy to manipulate with force. They don't hardly fight back in a force big enough to topple us."
"If they could work together, they'd be able to do something..." Zim said nonchalantly. "But they don't."
"Nope. But it has been coming to me..." Purple said as Zim looked at him skeptically. "Fine the Control Brains said to me that a new Tallest coming in because an old one died and was taken out by some rebels would inspire copycats. But humans scare easily. Just execute the ones who did it and they will stay quiet for a good long while."
"Yeah. They will" Zim said looking down. Yeah they will. That's why I had to act like I was spying on Dib for the Empire for years. Why I couldn't publicly say I love him for a very long time. Why I'm sure he's having nightmares of me betraying him because he's so scared. Zim noticed Purple staring at him so he figured he would put on his serious general attitude. " If we can make the humans fall into line and learn their actions have consequences, they will keep calm and carry on like they had been for the last 5 years. And with the molt coming on soon, that will be important."
"Oh Miyuki!" Purple said placing his hand on his head. "I forgot about that. It's at the end of this month isn't it?"
"Yeah. Our forces plan to maintain a lock down from the 21st of December to some time about the 30th or so to make sure that no humans will bother us. They will not see the weaknesses and will not try anything like that ever again."
"Well how do we enforce this?" Purple asked.
"We have drones and remote controlled Mechadoomers. They will pick up on human body heat and kill any ones caught outside. They don't know we know about the body heat one gives off and many of them don't know how to hide from their infrared technology so I doubt many could even attempt to try and use their primitive techniques to do anything to us. We may be living off our home planets but we will keep these stink monkeys in line." Zim explained.
"And that's something Red would have ordered. I knew I did a good thing in making you Co Tallest." Purple smiled.
"Please stop calling me that." Zim sulked.
"No." Purple said. "Now I must catch this newest telenovella." He said as he turned on the television.
"Fine." Zim said. "I'll go tell our rebels they won't be honored gloriously but killed like the scum they are."
"Good. Add some mindfuckage for me!" Purple said as he turned to the newest Telenovella about a girl who ran a coffee shop and bookstore but helped a vigilante seeking justice.
"Will do my Tallest." Zim said as he headed to the basement.
He headed down the stairs with a sigh. Once again he was being ordered to kill one of Dib's family. He really didn't want to do it. He could get along with Gaz and she was very tactically minded. If one were to ask him, it was a waste to have her locked up in the hybridization projects and would have been better assigned to joint task forces of human and Irkens in the military. Just goes to show how clueless Membrane was when it came to his own kids. Zim thought as he turned the corner and saw the guard to the prisons. "You are to be relieved." Zim said. "Go have some fun far away from here."
"But sir! Last time you were left alone without a guard the prisoner beat you up and escaped." The guard said meekly.
"That won't be necessary with these two. I know better how to keep them inside. I want to see the hope disappear from their eyes when I tell them their ultimate fates." Zim said with a deliciously evil smirk. "And as second in command on Earth, I will be the one to enjoy it all alone by myself."
"Yes sir." The guard said, knowing what Zim could do to him and left. "I will return in how long?"
"About one hour." Zim said.
"Yes sir." The guard said.
"One hour from now and not a millisecond before!" Zim said for emphasis.
"I'm gone!" The guard ran off, leaving Zim alone. He headed into the jail cells and headed to where Christie and Gaz were sitting. They were staring at the window and the floor respectively.
"Ladies." Zim said rapping on the bars. "I have news for you."
"What?" Gaz asked looking over at Zim with great disdain.
"You two are to be guests of honor at my promotion tomorrow." Zim said plainly.
"Promotion? Like what happened before Irk came here?" Gaz asked. "To what level?"
"Co Tallest." Zim said.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Christie yelled.
"I'll say." Gaz said opening her eyes in shock. "I thought Purple hated you."
"I think he was just acting like Red did. Once he realized he would have to actually rule an empire on his own, he pulled out an idea at random and the Control Brains liked it for some reason." Zim said.
"You'd be Taller than Dib then." Gaz said simply.
"Yeah I know I would. I don't think he'd mind though, knowing our dynamic." Zim said.
"Wait-" Christie said wanting to steer the conversation away from Zim and Dib's sex life. "Why are we the guests of honor?"
"This won't be good." Gaz said.
"Well depends on what your thoughts of my first official act as Tallest being executing those who killed Red in the first place." Zim said breaking the news as Gaz and Christie's faces dropped. "I see by your expressions you figured out what I am being ordered to do."
"So you're to kill both of us for killing Red?" Gaz asked.
"Yep. I don't want to leave little Zib alone." Zim said.
"Then don't. You promised me you would take care of him." Gaz said, rage showing more at her son being made an orphan than her own impeding demise.
"Oh don't worry, he will be." Zim said. "Living as a smeet to a Tallest Zib will have the best of everything and every chance in the world." Zim said proudly.
"And Dib?" Gaz said looking at Zim with hatred.
"I've got a plan. I know what I am doing here. He'll be okay." Zim said.
"He had better be." Gaz said. "You are to take care of Zib and Dib like you actually fucking cared. If I cannot be there to keep him from fucking himself over then you sure as hell, the one fucking being who had been there for him that he loves more than anything else and you had better get him from living in the fucking shadows. If I'm going to be killed, then he had better live! You have the fucking power to do so at this point!"
"Don't worry about me. Worry about you." Zim said. "I'm going to have to kill the both of you. Now Christie, I wouldn't regret having to kill you." Zim said looking at her with intense hatred. "But I would hate to have to kill someone that Dib cares about." I already did it once. I am not about to do it again.
"But you're going to have to kill her tomorrow anyway." Christie said.
"Do you want to die now?" Zim asked pointing his gun at Christie. "Just have a little faith in me for once."
"Well you got yourself deeper in. Why should we?" Gaz said.
"Because I am deeper in, I can exploit things." Zim said.
"Sounding like a reformist politician before they sell out." Gaz said.
Zim met Gaz's eye and stared at her in a rage. He had wanted to jump through those bars and beat her face in. She could hold her own though and he did not want to get into a fight with her. He had been thinking of what he needed to do with this new position on the way down. If there was one thing he didn't want to see was Dib sad and losing Gaz would make him sad. Dib had been living on the edge for a very long time and Zim was going to end this. "I have had to ask myself a few questions that normally I never really would have thought." Zim said.
"Sure you did." Gaz said.
"Just shut the fuck up." Zim yelled. "I'm usually telling that to little miss avenger brat there."
"Hey!" Christie yelled. "I'm 17 now! I'm not little anymore!"
"That was such an avenger brat thing to say." Gaz said looking at her.
Zim knew that they were going to take what he said next in a very wrong way, but it was what he had been thinking over while heading to tell them their fates. "I have had this one thought in my head while I adjust to my new position coming up."
"Yeah, what's that?" Gaz said.
"What would Red do if he were in my shoes." Zim said simply. "And you don't know Red like I knew him."
"You hardly knew him at all!" Christie said.
"Or so you may think." Zim said. "But Red was the real power. Purple was along for the ride. He just wants to only be along for the ride. So I will have to do what Red would have if he was me." With this, Zim walked away, knowing that they would think he was going to kill them.
"We're done for." Christie whispered as Zim shut the door behind him.
"If we are, let's go down fighting. We did once before." Gaz said.
"How?" Christie said puzzled. "We don't have access to anything."
"Give me some time. We can figure out something. Maybe get Purple too while we're at it." Gaz said.
So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? I'm getting close to Promotion time and I have a plan for how that will go for everyone involved. I'm not going to let it on here but like I said I have more time so I am planning on getting more updates soon. I don't have anything really else to say this chapter so remember to read (well you just did) and to review.
Ciao for now,
otherrealmwriter
aka
Realm