A/N: I'm back from recovering from my exhaustion, so let the writing commence! This is mostly an aftermath chapter with lots of dialog.
Once again thanks to my reviewers EduTorresD, MojaveRuler151, Zerg170, Catgirlfireflare, memmek10k, Kazehana23, Guest, Fritter Critter, When can I see you again, crazyanimefreak15, and JanettexAlvin. Your comments and messages encourage me a lot as I am my own worst nuclear powered critic. Thank you all very much.
Yes, a certain part at the end of the chapter is really fast story-wise. But this story is about Zim and Gaz developing a future together, and I prefer not to get too side tracked.
Some have asked if I plan on going back to the CWZ competition. Probably not in the main story, but perhaps as the scene of a final epilogue. It is an annual event, and so far I've only covered less than one month of time! But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Razor Squadron, or Mrs. Alpha.
EduTorresD: I completely agree with everything you say. Dib is way too calm. His type of franticness is just something I can't seem to capture. It is a large weakness in my writing ability. On the other hand, in the series Dib can be strangely calm at the weird times too. I refer to Gaz: Taster of Pork when Dib went to Zim for help and Zim said his latest plot involved putting exploding monkeys in Gir. Dib's response was basically whatever and walks off. Or during GameSlave 2 when meeting the rat people. Just an observation, not an excuse. I've also gone back and added a few more lines of narrative. Not much, but to help better show that Dib has not fallen head-over-heels in romantic love with Tak. But he does care a great deal and accepts her into his life. Will have to work more on that chapter at a later time, and just didn't want to spend five chapters developing something between them. That would be a nightmare for me to write as just a side story within this one.
Guest: Boy, you have me pegged! Did we go to the same high school or something? LOL. Yes, like you and probably many IZ fans, their OOC can annoy me too but this story would be impossible without it. So rather than being strictly IC or OOC, I decided at the beginning simply to be true to their character as best I can in the situations I put them in. I spent most of January spinning this story around in my mind, planning what I wanted many of the significant scenes to look like and what details would be involved. In each phase its like moving chess pieces around until everything is in position for the picture I have in my mind. But I do throw in some randomness too and wing it a lot in the setup chapters. Plus I've often discovered elements that would be needed later that I didn't think of before. Sometimes an element (like the last two chapters was nothing like what I pictured three weeks ago) take an unexpected turn or I get a last minute inspiration (like Tak's decent into madness) that I just can't pass up.
As for how I made Tak, I'm glad you liked it. Yes, I did this deliberately and she is a fighter. Elite in fact. Simply the best of Irk in my opinion. But I also see her as more than just a fighter, but a disciplined and professional soldier (even if she is a "little" unstable). She even built her own ship and SIR unit which is so far beyond what other Irkens have developed. Everything she had was custom made out of trash, yet is superior in ability. I know you want her to be a BA, but I think she could be so much more than that too. Plus being Dib's mate will give her a softer side where he is concerned. Perhaps there will be arguments with Zim. IDK. One of the reasons I wrote Tak the way I did was due to the rescue situation. Often the moments just before being rescued is the most dangerous time for those in critical conditions because the casualty can see they are about to be rescued and often stops fighting to survive out of relief that it is going to be over. I incorporated this into Tak's response while on Dirt. I see her character as deserving more than to be just a front-line grunt or a brawler. Writing her just as a BA would be like comparing a gangbanger (no matter how good) to a Navy SEAL. But that doesn't mean she won't be permanently affected by what has happened. She'd always have 'quirks' after something like that, but I think she would try keep such things private and shared only with Dib.
However, I'm not sure what to do with Mimi. Not that I intend to drop the character, but she is mostly just a custom and tough, but fairly standard, SIR unit. Also Tak would not have much attachment for military equipment. But then, she's been through a lot too. I'd appreciate any insights and suggestions to put into the character as I've already gone through the Tak episode and Wiki excessively. Also, did anyone else notice how odd it was that in the Tak episode that she did not try to rampage, conquer, or try to enslave mankind like every other typical Invader? I mean her plan was basically to turn Earth into the 'First Galactic Bank of Snacks' for the Tallest. She seemed to me to use minimal amounts of force to secure her objectives, (even when really messing up Zim) and did not seek out to harm humans like the others would have. Hmmm…
To Everyone: Now, before I close this stupidly long Author's Note, I am stating that I do intend to open this storyline up to others once I have finished it (the ending was the first thing I thought of for this story and it will be finished). There are several gaps and missing days, and potential one-shots I've left open if others would like to play in this particular sandbox. Especially in the CWZ competition (Actually now that I think about it, the CWZ thing can be a whole universe to play in on its own). I see no reason to keep others out when I'm playing in someone else's sandbox myself. I'll even help with technical advice, editing and what not. So if you have ideas within what has already been written, keep it in mind! Now on with the story already!
Flom exited the medical bay as the two new bondmates settled down to sleep for the night. He took his position across the doorway from Yat. She looked at the expression he was trying to hide. "What is it?" she asked.
"Those two in there have bonded. I saw they wear the necklaces now."
"That is disturbing," Yat said.
"You'd better keep in mind the Lady is bonded to one of us too," Flom reminded her.
"Not that. I mean think about it. Only two Irkens have spent more than a few minutes on Earth and lived among humans. Both are now bonded to a human. That's a one hundred percent bonding rate. With humans. I heard that all humans bond, too," Yat explained. "Now we are going to be stationed on the Lady's homeworld, most likely on a permanent basis."
"That is disturbing," Flom commented. Neither said anything for a while. "Sentinel Yat? If I start bonding with a human, promise me you'll bash my head in."
"No way!" she barked. "Who would bash my head if I started to bond after I bashed in yours?"
They kept silent as an Irken passed by. Another five minutes went by. "You don't suppose we need to check in on them, do we?" asked Flom. "I heard humans eat their mates after bonding."
"Don't be stupid," Yat ridiculed. "They would wait until the human female laid her eggs somewhere. Tak is Irken, so that will never happen. Besides, I heard that the female traditionally wraps the male in a cocoon so he can't get away after her first litter of twenty hatches."
"Yeah, well I heard that a human smeet can sniff out the unbonded in their first three weeks at a range of fifty miles."
"Really?" Yat was surprised. "I heard that they couldn't run until after their first month. Until then they were stuck to the female's back with some kind of superglue they release out of their mouth."
"Humans are so weird," Flom commented.
Silence filled the corridor for several more minutes before Flom spoke again. "If our Lady became a citizen when she bonded to Governor Zim, does that mean this human is a citizen too?"
Yat thought for a moment. "I guess so, and he's a Taller. Very disturbing."
"Yeah," Flom agreed. "But he's no Lady."
"Ootic!" they both grunted, slapping armored forearms together.
Gaz was lounging on her bed finishing the last few chapters of a book for some stupid report that was due Monday when the new computer on her desk began beeping. She sighed, but not too put off by the interruption. She really wished that The Grapes of Wrath had been written as a horror novel, not as how much a boring economic depression sucked. Including phrases such as 'nuke the site from orbit' would have been a major improvement.
She thankfully put it aside and moved over to her desk. The system sitting there looked like a normal desktop layout, but in reality was a direct link to Computer back at Zim's base. Gaz entered her password to unlock the system. Otherwise it would just act like any other Earth computer. Black and red Irken wallpaper popped up on the screen.
"Good afternoon, Mistress," Computer said over the datalink. "You have an incoming transmission from your brother on the Doomwind. Shall I put him through now?"
Gaz thought for a second about making her brother wait anyway, but that was also boring. "Go ahead, Computer."
The screen switched to showing a head-and-shoulder shot of her brother on board her ship somewhere in the Irk system. His trench coat was pulled tight around him, but she wasn't paying much attention. Dib spoke first, his voice a bit slurred. "Hey, Gaz. What are you up to?"
"Getting my book report out of the way so Zim and I can have another movie night. Some dumb chick flick to train Zim. But you can relax," Gaz said before Dib could object. "I still have to fast forward through the steamy parts before Zim goes into dry heaves. But I reward us with a good old black and white horror movie for laughs afterwards."
Dib rubbed his I-just-woke-up eyes. "Gosh, what day is it?" he asked. "My sleep pattern is all out of whack."
"It's late Saturday afternoon. How's Tak doing?"
"Her health is not in danger, but she's in bad shape," Dib informed her. "Tak is still sleeping right now, so they are going to go ahead and break her toes."
Gaz turned her full attention to the display sitting in front of her. "WHAT?" she nearly yelled. "I told them to treat you both like guests on my ship! And YOU, what do you think you're doing going along with that?"
"Gaz! Calm down," Dib said. "Tak is lame. She can't run anymore, and her limp puts too much stress on her knee which also gives her problems. This is part of her treatment so her toes can heal properly. Why do you think I would do such a thing?"
"How about all the times you've threatened to do experiments like that or worse to Zim?" She asked pointedly. "Come on, Dib. Some of that was really messed up to do to another person, even if he was your enemy."
Dib thought back to those times. His recent experience with Tak gave him a new perspective to examine. "Maybe you're right. Trust me, Gaz. I couldn't let them hurt Tak."
Something about the way he said that last sentence struck a chord with in Gaz. "Dib?"
"It was really bad for her down there. They would deliberately drop their loads to try to hit her pod. They didn't deliver enough food, so she was forced to hunt whatever it was that crawled around in that muck and eat the meat to survive. No PAK maintenance either for seven years. No way to clean herself, so she had a lot of infections, plus parasites from what diet she had. I was only down there for under two hours, and I'll never forget that place."
Dib interrupted himself for a moment and then continued his update. "She weighs probably a bit less than half what she should, and there is damage to her digestive tract. That will all heal in time, but psychologically she'll never be the same."
"Is she a danger?" Gaz asked.
Dib answered her. "Gaz, down on that planet she almost went over the edge sanity wise. I don't mean crazy. I mean totally insane. But she saved herself. Tak pretty much destroyed her own spirit to do so, and it cost her almost everything on the inside. She's mentioned a few threats to one or two of your Irkens up here, but Lim figured out why and we've fixed that. Tak's got a real jealous streak in her, but she's not really in any shape to be a threat to anybody right now."
"Listen, Dib. If she's not going to recover mentally and she's unstable-"
"I didn't say that," Dib jumped in. Thousands of light-years should be safe enough to interrupt his sister. "She'll recover, but she won't be the same. Some of her mental associations are backward, thinking Irkens as being dirty like Zim thinks humans are. She has a serious thing about needing cleanliness and smelling clean, but that's understandable. Those things are probably never going to go away. She's hesitant about eating solid food thanks to the impact of eating meat had on her, but I think Tak will eventually overcome that one if we don't push her too much. Gaz, she'll always have mental scars. You just don't recover fully from that sort of thing. You learn to live with it."
Dib hung his head down for a minute. "Now I'm beginning to understand why you had to stay with Zim when he had his own thing. When they go down, they go down hard don't they? I have to help her, Gaz."
He was obviously thinking deep. Gaz figured she ought to pull her brother out of it. "Are my guys treating you well?" she asked.
"Yes. They're not like I expected them to be," came the answer.
Gaz had to smile at that. "You mean they are not all wanting to drain your blood and wear your skin?"
"Well, yes. I mean I always thought they were all like Zim."
"Dib, you can relax around these guys," Gaz said. "Beed has been filling me in. They never got programmed to be Irken soldiers, never got the training or were indoctrinated. They aren't all Invaders. They're not even military considering that's what Irkens are naturally geared for."
"I'm starting to see that. But I still have to actively remind myself of that." Dib replied. "Zim, he has some… uh… problems. Doesn't he?"
It was Gaz's turn to look down. "Some regulatory things, yeah. It's his PAK's fault, but it can't be fixed. But he's getting better about it. The hardest part for him was accepting that his PAK isn't exactly what we'd call top of the line. Dib, if Tak's PAK doesn't work right it will be tough for her. They are supposed to be deactivated when that happens."
Dib just nodded his head. "Her PAK was sealed up pretty good, but there was a lot of neglect. Even if it's fine Tak already knows she's not well. She's told me over and over. It was hard to watch."
He pulled a hand up to scratch his neck and his trench coat pulled open. "Listen, Gaz. I'm going to stay here for a while, then I need to bring Tak home. Things have gotten a bit complicated."
Gaz stared at the display in front of her. She could see a familiar pendant peeking past Dib's black coat. One she saw everyday in the mirror and when she looked at Zim. It reminded her of the accustomed weight around her own neck.
"What the hell, Dib?" she yelled. "What did you DO? I said save the girl, not snag the girl!"
"You think I planned this?" Dib yelled back. "And like your one to talk!"
"Excuse me?" Gaz's voice turned deadly. Dib had never fired back at her before. "We may not have known what we were signing and I didn't know about the necklace thing, but at least I didn't take advantage of Zim when he was down! You knew what these were! Were you really that desperate, Dib?"
"WHAT?" Dib screeched. "You really think that little of me? That I would do such a thing? To Tak? Who do you think you are, Gaz, to pass judgment on me when you hooked up with Zim of all people! You weren't here. Yes, I screwed up. But just like you and Zim, we had no idea until it was too late. Lim was the one who recognized that Tak had bonded! And Tak didn't even ask me to accept her! She gave me an out, but I couldn't take it."
The two continued to glare daggers at each other. Then Gaz digested what Dib had said. Perhaps she had jumped the gun a little, but he was out of line too. She hated it, but she knew she didn't really have a leg to stand on for the moment. Grumbling, she backed down from her brother for the first time in her life. She really hated it.
"Fine. What happened?" she asked crossly.
"I had the pool setup like I planned. But she thought she was losing it again and shut down. I mean she was really bad, Gaz. She couldn't help herself at all. I had to carry her into the pool and bathe her with my own hands." Dib pinched his nose at the memory. "I did right by her, Gaz. I really did. Even when I had to be the one to take off her uniform."
Gaz's eyes nearly bulged out of her head, but she could hear the care reflected back through Dib's recall. "You mean you-"
"Got up close and personal with Irken anatomy? Yes. It was not easy. She thinks that's when it started. Then her process accelerated on the flight to Irk," Dib tried to explain. "If I had been in a biohazard suit maybe things would have been different. If I hadn't been in such a rush maybe I would have thought things through more."
Gaz could start to see how things could have gone like that. "What stage is she in?" she asked in a voice that was more calm.
"You don't understand. She went through the entire process in a matter of hours. It seemed to be driven by scent. I smelled clean and she needed to smell that. We didn't know. Gaz, she's not in a stage because her bond is complete. Her biology is so tuned into mine that if she's separated from me for very long she'll become unstable trying to get back to me."
Gaz was speechless for several reasons. Dib kept going. "Listen, Gaz. She showed me the necklaces. She needed to wear one to show herself as bonded. She didn't ask me to accept, but said I could do whatever with mine. I couldn't reject her, Gaz. Not on top of everything else. I just couldn't do it. How could I when she has to be near me just to remain biologically stable? I just…" Dib began shaking his head.
"You threw yourself on your sword for her, didn't you?" she asked more softly than before. He nodded. "You know it was still stupid."
"Yep," he muttered. "You know Zim is going to become the same way? Especially when he starts running his antennae through your hair. You'd better get used to it."
They didn't say anything for at least a minute. Dib spoke first. "It wasn't easy for you, was it? Coming to terms about you and Zim? I put a lot of extra pressure on you when you could have used someone to open up to, didn't I?"
Gaz nodded, giving her brother her 'I guess I won't doom you yet' look. "No, it wasn't. So stop stating the obvious and get to your stupid point."
"I'll fully support you and Zim from now on. Okay? But Tak and I could probably use some too. She won't like it, but I think she'll need an Irken to talk with who is in the same boat she is in. Same goes for you and I."
"Fine," Gaz agreed. "Since you warned me about Zim getting all touchy with his antennae, I'll clue you in on the necklace. You can't take it off ever, for any reason. It's failsafe will cut off your air way until you stop tampering with it."
"Thanks for the warning," Dib said. "Listen, I need a big favor for Tak."
"Another one?" Gaz cocked her eyebrow. "I seem to have done you quite a few already."
"I know," admitted Dib. "But this isn't for me. It's for Tak."
"What is it you want?"
"I think we could use a supply drop if its not too much trouble. Tak has developed a thing for honey. Maybe ten large bottles? Plus the pillows and sheets from my bed. But don't wash them. It might help Tak to be around bedding that smells like me. If I am called away, I'm late or something she will need something to help her get through it."
Gaz didn't respond for a moment. "It's that bad? She's that dependent on your presence?"
Dib nodded. "Zim will eventually reach this point too, so you should start taking these things into consideration for your own future."
"All right. But you are really racking up the favors here. Just calling one Fast Courier out here costs galactic monies. We've already spent the equivalent of almost thirty thousand dollars just to get you to Dirt." Gaz stopped her complaint when Computer flashed an approval text on her display. What is he up to? she asked.
Dib gulped. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I hate to ask for more, but Tak will need permanent documentation, a birth certificate, that sort of thing. Plus whatever support equipment an Irken needs at home. She'll need her human disguise operational." Dib paused. "Gaz? Tak needs something to do. They all seem very mission oriented. Could you ask-" Dib gulped. "-Zim about that for her? If she wants it that is? Dad would probably give her a job at the lab for us, but you know…"
She nodded in complete understanding. "Dib, you must really care about her if you are willing to lean on Zim for a favor of this magnitude." Gaz shook her head. "I'll have Computer get things worked up for his approval. I won't go behind Zim's back on something like this. Will she be living at the new base or here?"
"I don't know. This is all kind of sudden."
"I know exactly what you mean." Gaz checked something in her computer files. "Doomwind won't be fully loaded and ready to depart for the hypergate until Friday morning. You will probably have come from the new base directly to skool. But I need a favor from you."
"Name it," Dib immediately responded.
"I need you to start preparing my people for a life on Earth," Gaz stated. "You know, like an orientation class. They are my responsibility and I have to provide for all of them. Can I trust you to do that?"
Dib thought for a moment. She was right in that she had a responsibility for them, and to help them fit in to their new place on Earth without invading and blowing stuff up. It wasn't like they were there to cause trouble. Actually, having Gaz's Irkens around to defend against threats from outer space had a certain appeal to it.
"Just basic orientation stuff? I think I can do that if Zim will send me what he has on adapting to Earth. Kind of give me an idea of what they may need to know. Plus could you send up some of our home movies? Like our Family Fun Nights and such would be good to help them get to know you. Even just from what little I've overheard they all think highly of you, almost like some sort of folk hero."
Gaz was very surprised to hear this. "All right. I'll see what I can dig up that isn't stupid or you being you."
"Thanks, Gaz. HEY!"
Gaz smiled and went on before he could respond further. "Dib, you accepted Zim into our family. I suppose I ought to give Tak a chance. Considering you married her, I'll go ahead and assume she's not a threat to us."
Her brother started to imitate a fish out of water. Accepting Tak's bond and truly realizing what that really meant were two completely different things. Gaz grinned, glad that with all this being supportive junk that she still hadn't lost her touch completely. "Don't worry. I won't tell everyone at skool she's pregnant too. Tell your wife I said hi." And with that she cut the connection.
Computer sent a request to the Courier Service for a pickup. Deliveries to or from Earth were usually few and far between. This would show Roz that their agreement had been honored immediately, which would improve moral and make her more willing to do favors in the future. However, he did not order Gir to collect ten bottles of honey from the nearest store. Computer told the robot to pick up one hundred and fifty. One of his biggest difficulties was converting Earth currency, which he had plenty of, into the galactic monies which had been spent like water lately. If there was a market for Earth honey it would solve some real problems and open up new opportunities for Computer's financial hobby. An administrative computer at one of the better snack bars owed him a favor and would make a good test market for the delicious goo.
Dib looked at the blank display before him in the Doomwind's communications compartment. He had been so focused on saving Tak and being there for her that he hadn't thought at all about the significance of the step he had taken in accepting her into his life. He had acknowledged that it would be close between them, that this would be permanent. Dib even recognized the concept that Tak would be Zim's sister. But in the moment he didn't think about what it meant for him. It wasn't official or recognized back on Earth, but everywhere else it was.
He had never really thought about this sort of thing before. True, it would have been nice to dream something like that would have been in his future, but he didn't have any illusions about how anti-popular he was. And certainly he never dreamed an Irken would be part of that!
Dib looked down at his hands. The thing was he did like Tak. She was a mess right now, but she was the only girl he had ever really connected with all those years ago. The only one at skool who hadn't criticized is paranormal interests and yet was still intelligent and not an all out freak. Of course what was paranormal for him had been normal everyday life for Tak. He had also never stopped listening for her emergency beacon, wondering what had happened to her. Granted some of that was about whether or not she could still represent a threat to Earth, but part of that wasn't. Maybe he was a bit too into the paranormal after all, because he genuinely cared about the alien girl quite a bit. Well, more than that if he was honest with himself, because she wasn't just an alien girl anymore.
A beeping came from the terminal in front of him. Zim appeared on the display. "Dib-stink. Gaz-blossom tells me you found yourself some trouble. That you want this favor from Zim. Why should Zim do this?"
Dib responded at once. This was an easy question. "Because we're family. As much as we may hate it, we are brothers and Tak is now your sister too. And family members aren't supposed to turn their backs when one is in need." Naturally Zim did not look impressed. "Plus it will earn you points with my sister. She may try to not let it show most of the time, but family is really important to her."
"Tak is unstable, yes? Tell Zim the truth. Is she a danger?"
"She probably has some stability problems, and has a real jealous streak in her. Plus I think she could be really vindictive again if she let herself. So you probably will want to hold off on insulting us humans. She sees us as clean, so calling me a dirt-being, Dib-stink and your usual insults will really tick her off something fierce," Dib said.
"You wish to be allies in Zim's mission to defend your homeworld? Is that what you are asking?" Zim asked.
"Your mission? Defending Earth was my cause since the first day you showed up!" Dib growled. "Wait. What? You could see us as allies? I thought you just saw us humans as either slaves or things to get rid of."
Zim actually looked a bit embarrassed at the moment. "Gaz-blossom is human, and is worth everything to Zim. She is exceptional, not a dirt-bring. Zim's views have unfortunately been forced into some adjustment as unpleasant as it is. Your bonding with Tak now makes you an Irken citizen as well, not an enemy species. Zim is unhappily required to adjust to this."
Dib sighed. "Look, Zim. You love a human. I care a lot about an Irken. It seems we have something in common. You remember when you said that at times you may need some advice regarding Gaz?" Zim nodded. "Well, I will need some regarding Tak. We can help each other. Can we put the past behind us and start over? Can we stop the feuding for their sakes? I told Gaz that I'm willing to fully support you two in your marriage."
Zim looked at Dib for a long time. Then he spoke again. "You know Zim does not really understand this family thing? But Zim is learning. As for Tak, Zim has nothing personal against her. You however will require much more time."
"Zim can we go to a private frequency? I have something to say," Dib requested.
The screen filled with static for a moment as a scrambler code kicked in. Zim's image reappeared. "Go on," he said.
Dib took a deep breath and dove in. "Let's quit this posturing crap. You love Gaz with all your heart or whatever you call it. I care about Tak and will learn to love her just as much someday. I know one day that Gaz will want children. She longs to see the smeet you designed for her at some point in the future. She admitted that to me herself. I don't know about Tak. Its way too soon for me to think about it." Zim's eyes were growing large at the mention of smeets. "But whatever happens, they all will be half human, half Irken and related to each other by that same blood. If something happened to you and Gaz, I'd raise your kids as my own and Gaz would do the same if something happened to me. That is what it means to be family, Zim."
Zim sat frozen for a very long time. It seemed his brain had blown a fuse. After an eternity is mouth opened slowly. "Zim… understands now. Zim agrees to this."
Wait. What? Did we just agree to become future guardians? Dib asked himself. I think we just did.
Something seemed to have clicked in Zim's brain as his expression was impossible to define. Dib plunged forward with what he needed to say next. "Zim, if the Tallest ordered you to conquer Earth again, would you do it?"
"That will not happen. They hate Zim and want nothing to do with me. Also once a planet has been designated for a purpose, it does not get changed."
"What if they did change their mind?"
"They would not tell Zim of such a purpose, and their last orders would be followed."
He wouldn't come right out and say it, and Dib wouldn't force Zim to do so. Dib changed the subject to something more personal.
"Zim, I want to do right by Tak. She's completely bonded to me, and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to be good toward her and taking care of her. I know she can be tough and all, but she'll never be the person she was. I want to do something, a human thing. But I'm like a billion light-years from the mall. I need some help to make a purchase on-line and for someone to pick it up before the next supply run. If I tell you where I left my debit card, can I trust you to not screw me over?"
"If Zim sends you communications frequencies of all major powers that can hold against the Empire, can Zim trust you with the information you gather to not betray us?" The alien asked. "To use discretion in utilizing your position with your Swollen Eyeballs? You are an investigator and an Irken citizen. There is much going on out there and Earth is now a protectorate of the Irken Empire. You well know defending a planet is much more difficult than attacking one."
Well putting it that way, trusting Zim with a debit card didn't seem like a very big thing. "Deal. Maybe you and Gaz can go shopping together before your movie night tonight. Tak could use a few sets of clothes and I don't think she will be inclined toward wearing an Irken uniform any more. Right now she's only got the one sweater and sweatpants."
The alien on the display continued. "That will be up to Gaz-blossom. Zim will also speak to Tak about an appointment. Destroying things is my specialty. Being Governor of a Protectorate Planet requires more than just Zim. "
"Tak is still under going corrective surgery for her foot right now," Dib informed him, looking at his watch. "Can you call her later? Perhaps in a few hours?"
"Very well. Gaz is still finishing up for her book report. Something about monster grapes showing their wrath against human farmers. Zim will begin transmitting his files on adapting to Earth for your first class."
Zim and Gaz parted ways at the mall. She had been desperate for any excuse to get away from her boring book. Zim went into his store to pick up Dib's small package. They had gotten the necessary measurements from the bio-technician on the Doomwind before departing for the mall. Gaz, with Dib's debit card in hand, went off to the wardrobe department with a mischievous grin on her face.
The disguised alien went up to the female behind the counter. "I am ZIM. I have come to pick up a package for my," he still had to grit his teeth a bit, "brother. It is under Membrane."
The clerk went to another counter and pulled a tagged box from underneath as Zim looked around at the various objects on display. He had seen similar things in some of the movies Gaz had forced him to watch. The clerk asked the alien if he saw anything he liked as she handed him the package.
Zim kept thinking about part of the conversation he and Dib had as he looked at the displays set before him. "Do you do custom work? I've got about two hours." Zim asked as he popped a credit card out of his PAK and handed it to the clerk. He hated shopping, and had Gir do most of it. But today it couldn't be helped as the robot was on a honey run. Besides, he got to spend more time with Gaz-blossom.
The clerk took the card with a skeptic look and ran it through her credit check scanner. Her eyes grew wide at the read-out, and she ran to get the manager.
The manager returned with the credit card in hand. With a credit limit like this, they'd practically carve something out of the moon and build a time machine to deliver it yesterday if that was what Zim wanted. "So you are asking for a custom build? We don't usually do a rush order. We could modify an existing one if you wish. What price range were you looking at?"
Zim pulled his Pad out of his PAK that had a design displayed on the small screen. Zim had drawn it when he had placed the online order for Dib. "I'd like this made from a titanium alloy. And what's a price range?" he asked, clearly puzzled.
The manager's eyes nearly sprung up dollar signs.
Gaz returned two hours later holding several large bags. She had found plenty of things in various shades of purple, but finding clothes that could accommodate a PAK wasn't easy. Gaz had thrown in a couple of backpacks that could cover it and be sewn into an outfit. Or whatever Irkens did with fabrics. Or was it synthetics? She wasn't even sure what the point was since Tak's holographic disguise was being repaired. It didn't really matter. What did matter was that she had an opportunity and she took it. She smiled as she imagined Dib's reaction.
Zim stood up from a nearby bench traditionally used by guys to wait for their gals to spend their money on girly things. They left the mall arm in arm and returned to Gaz's Jeep. They'd be back in plenty of time to meet Roz's delivery ship.
Tak slowly opened her eyes. There was a low throbbing pain in her foot. "Dib?" she groggily called.
An Irken face leaned into her vision of the medical bay's ceiling. The bio-technician spoke to her. "Tak, your human bondmate is not here at the moment. He was in the communications room last I heard. We asked him to leave us so we could have room to do our work. Your foot has been repaired, and immobilized in a remedial brace, so you will have a significant limp and impaired mobility for the next day or two as the bones mend. You're holographic device has been restored but with all the neglect it is now limited to only one partial profile. A PAK support unit has also been moved to your quarters, so you are officially discharged from the medical bay. Exercise limits have been downloaded to your PAD. We were going to let you rest longer, but Governor Zim has been most insistent on speaking with you. He would not wait."
Tak sat up on the table and dangled her legs over the ledge. She was still wearing her sweats outfit, and her injured foot was encased in a slim yet unyielding brace made of something like cloth. It was firm but not scratching or chaffing like a solid material would be. The bio-technician pressed a button on a wall display and left the room. Zim's image filled the screen.
Naturally Tak was not pleased. "What do you want, Zim?" she said.
"Zim has been speaking with the Dib-… With Dib. We have been discussing a few things. Mostly about you, directly or indirectly. He asked us to get you a few things, and they should be arriving soon."
"Get to the point, Zim." Tak muttered crossly.
"You know of my new mission? To defend Earth?"
"You mean your so-called governorship that you aren't qualified for, ruling a planet you can't touch, unwanted by the rest of the Empire, pledged to defend the same planet from no one since nobody wants it?" Tak snapped.
"Yes. That one. The one with no real responsibility other than what Zim chooses for himself, no superiors telling Zim what he should do or how. With no one but my exceptional Gaz-blossom telling me to do better or expecting anything from me."
Neither really knew what to say after that. "Well since you put it like that, maybe you are qualified for it," Tak said sarcastically.
Zim was not pleased either. "You don't fool me, and Zim knows that my PAK is substandard, so don't bother. We all know Zim is not suited to do this because Zim just wrecks stuff, and that this mission is supposed to be my prison. A little like yours was. But my Gaz is convinced that we can make it into something real."
Zim paused before he spoke again. "Dib is trying to provide for his mate. He asked me to find something for you to do."
"Me? Work for you?" Tak laughed. "Why would I? You destroyed my life! I should have been one of the best of the Elite! An Invader!"
"Yes, Zim started it. But did Zim reject your application? Send you to Dirt? Did Zim send you back there after your first escape?" the Irken asked her. "Or did Zim have a hand in your rescue? In helping your new mate reach Dirt's surface without being shot down? Be honest with yourself, Tak." He did not say her name with fondness. "You forget who you are really talking to. You have a mate. That would not have happened any other way. Zim is in the same place. If Zim was a real Invader, if Zim hadn't been sent into a disguised exile to this planet Zim would not have met my Gaz-blossom either. Neither of us are really capable of wanting things to have turned out differently."
Tak just glared daggers at Zim's image. She hated that he was right.
"You have some regard for the humans, Zim hears. Can you go any place else or even want to?" Zim asked rhetorically. "Zim is not asking you to work for me, Tak. We'd like you to help me get this primitive world defendable. You are good, Tak. The one of the best even. Resourceful, intelligent, and inventive with only outdated materials to work with. Exactly what this mission needs."
"So what are you asking me to be? Another soldier drone? I won't do that. You can't make me one of the Elite or an Invader. You can't give back what was taken from me." She threw at him.
"No Zim can't, but Zim knows your bondmate better than you do. He could not accept you being one of the Irken Elite and definitely not an Invader. The defense of his homeworld is too stuck in his brainmeat," the Irken on the screen told her.
Tak's eyes widened with alarm. Her mate not accept her? Reject her? Deny her his scent? Nothing could be worse for a Irken bondmate.
Zim went on. "You misunderstand. You can be something Dib needs for his planet more than anything. What he's fought for practically his whole life. There is no way Zim can make you an Invader, so would you settle for being a General in charge of this star system's defense?"
"A…a General?" she stuttered. But Generals are only drawn from the Elite and Invader lists, she thought.
"It would be easy enough. You wouldn't believe how messed up Irken bureaucracy is. The only ranks Computer can't establish for you are Elite, Invader and Tallest. He already has the papers all drawn up. All he needs is your approval."
Tak blinked heavily several times. "You mean, it would be for real? But I wouldn't be working for you either?"
Zim regarded her briefly. "Zim is the one who bears the responsibility for this planet, but we want people to work with us. Me and my bondmate with you and your bondmate. Has a nice symmetry, don't you think? Besides, after partnering with my Gaz-blossom for her project Zim has learned the value of working as a team."
Tak could hardly believe her antennae. "But…but you're…ZIM! The scourge of anyone you come in contact with!"
"Yes," Zim said almost smugly. "Also there is my Gaz-blossom, the devious doomer of all who annoy her. Then your human Dib the intractable, and you the unrelenting. Can you think of a better combination?"
Tak didn't say anything. She couldn't.
Zim eyed her hesitation. "Okay. Let's drop the pretenses, shall we? Can we speak as one bondmate to another? You and I are the only two Irkens with human bondmates in the universe."
She nodded. It was a point she could appreciate. "I can do that. What do you want?"
The Irken on the wall display before her hesitated. "My Gaz-blossom isolated herself from everyone for most of her life. She is getting better about it, but even for a human she can be very independent. Tak, how attached will Zim get to his wife?"
"I don't know." Tak said. "Mine is not a natural bond. Dib and I haven't tried to be separated for long yet. But I know I can't endure without him anymore. I do know if he left this ship I'd have to go with him. I can't ever be separated from my mate for a long period of time. He's been very understanding, but I know he is only trying to start his own bonding process. You might be able to go a few days without her scent once you are finished with your bond. Perhaps longer. But you will long for her smell, then crave it to remain stable. Her bio-functions, no matter how disgusting you may have found them to be in the past, will no longer bother you at all. I don't know much more. I've only been bonded a day or two."
"Okay, Tak. Zim has some advice for you," Zim offered in return. "Humans don't bond like we do." Tak started to scoff at the obvious fact. "They have many different kinds of bonding. Usually only one for mates, but also several for those considered their family unit, some for social associations, and but their strongest is for their offspring. They are able to manage all of these at once."
Tak felt like her head would spin if she just tried to comprehend such an arrangement. Zim went on. "Dib will need you to control your jealousy and learn to understand that other females are not trying to steal your bondmate. He has a sister he cares for quite a bit, and even if he agrees with her over you there is no need to be jealous as a mate. It is very complicated but it is part of their species unfortunately. Also they have traditions to include bondmates into their family circle. Zim married his Gaz-blossom, so Dib and Zim are now brothers. You are bonded to Dib, which makes you and Zim brother and sister as well. My bondmate is also your sister. We all share the same family name and now so do you."
Tak was getting dizzy. "I think I'd rather go back to talking about me being a General."
"Can't blame you. It is most cumbersome to think about. If you agree, Zim will even try not to call the humans dirt-creatures or call your mate Dib-stink in front of you. Zim is starting to realize that calling humans such, even though it is deserved, demeans my human bondmate. She deserves the best from Zim."
"You better not call him that! Humans are the cleanest of all species!" Tak declared loudly.
"What!" Zim exclaimed. "They are so primitive and low to the ground. Their intellect is minimal at best and can't even notice the blatantly obvious! They have to bathe in acidic water just to keep the stink off of them."
Tak countered angrily. "Just because they don't use their brainmeat doesn't mean they aren't smart at all. They have more advanced bonding structures that we Irkens do! They are only technologically behind because we've had longer and take the best from everybody we conquer. As for bathing in water, that's just how their biology adapted to their insane planet. Besides, you yourself said that there are exceptions among humans!"
"You lie, you… you human lover!" Zim yelled back at her.
"Look who's talking, xenophile!" Tak screamed in return. "You said your human mate was an exception! Admit it!"
"Fine! Why are we yelling?" Zim shouted.
"I don't know, Defect!" Tak hollered at the display.
"Well I don't know either, Reject! You want the job?" shrieked Zim.
"I'll take it!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
They glared at one another for a few more moments. Then Zim broke the silence. "We both should have been deactivated long ago, you know that?"
Tak cracked a laugh, which surprised her. "Yes, well I heard that having brainworms was a prerequisite for this screwball outfit. More brainworms equals higher rank."
"Well, General Tak, Dib asked for a few things so the delivery ship should be arriving soon. Gaz picked out some clothes for you, and there is an ample supply of Earth honey to get you through the week. Why don't you go find your human and settle down? I've kept mine waiting too long as it is, and Gaz-blossom does not like being kept waiting. She usually finds ways of making Zim pay."
Yat brought Tak to the maintenance bay that was being used as a receiving area for the smaller delivery ships that were starting to come in. Tak followed Yat past the scurrying heavy grav lifters loaded with cargo modules of various colors and sizes. The area had become fairly busy since she had slept.
Eventually she saw Dib standing by himself along a back wall as he fiddled with a loaned Pad with Flom a discreet distance away. Tak nodded an acknowledgement to Yat and activated her holo-disguise within her PAK. Flom turned as he noticed the approaching pair and threw a questioning glance at Yat who gave her own gestured confirmation. Yat joined Flom as Tak limped up to Dib.
The human heard the nearby mismatched footsteps behind him and turned around. He let out a small gasp as a remembered human form with a recently familiar and saddening limp reached him. He hadn't seen that face in so long. "Tak?" he asked hesitantly.
"They fixed my holographic disguise. I thought it would make things easier for you," she said.
Dib tried not to stare at her. The face was subtly different to reflect another seven years of age, yet it was the same as he had remembered. The dark blue hair, pale human skin, the illusion of makeup darkening her eyelids and the silver studs in her ears. Holographic human eyes looked up at him. The system could no longer provide attire, but molded with her white sweater and sweatpants. He didn't know what to say. This was the Tak he knew of old, but it wasn't real either.
The human form moved in close to stand by her bondmate. The form was the same, yet it was different too. Then he noticed it was the eyes. Those human looking eyes were completely different. Same shape and color, but not aloof like long ago. He hadn't noticed back then, but now it was like night and day. These eyes were warm as they looked into his own. Dib decided he had to say something.
"Hi, Tak," Dib said again, then mentally smacked himself for being a doofus.
She smiled a human looking smile. "I heard you were trying to make provisions for me while I was in surgery."
Dib nodded. "Had to ask for some more favors to get you some things. Flom said the delivery ship is coming aboard in a few minutes. There is something special I want to collect before everything gets sent to quarters."
Tak leaned into her bondmate to take in his human scent, and Dib timidly gave his consent by putting an arm around her. She sensed his hesitation. "Dib?"
"It's okay, Tak. I'm just dealing with so many new things that I never imagined I'd face," He told her above the whine of grav lifters. "I didn't expect you to be in your disguise when I'm the only human on board. I wasn't sure how to respond and I don't want cause to distress. Plus being surrounded by Irkens used to be the stuff of nightmares for me. Now my sister has me giving classes for them about living on Earth. The first one starts in about ten minutes with the senior guard."
"Dib, you are being a good mate for me," Tak reassured him. "Beyond what I could have hoped for. You even went and convinced your old enemy to give me a rank on Earth."
"He did? What did he have in mind?" Dib asked nervously.
"Commanding General for your home system's external defense. I've accepted."
Dib dropped his arm away from Tak. He saw the immediate worry in her eyes.
"Dib? I though you would be pleased." Tak looked down to Dib's chest. "Zim told me that you could never accept me if I was one of the Elite or and Invader. That had been what I wanted my whole life. But I thought that if I traded that for being a General for your world you would-"
The human felt guilty about his involuntary response. He lead Tak to a secluded spot behind several stacked containers. Dib pulled her in to an embrace and guided her head to his shoulder.
"Tak, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Just like you have things to deal with from your time on Dirt, I have things to deal with from my struggle to keep Zim from blowing up, conquering, and having my planet invaded by Irken soldiers. I lived with my own nightmare for a long time too, Tak. When I found you on Dirt and you were so lost, I forgot you were once going to be a part of all that. This just brought it back for a moment. You're not the only one who has irrational bits in their brain. I've just been trying to find my balance here. Irkens were my most dangerous enemies for almost my entire childhood and I was alone in that fight because everyone around me either was too stupid, clueless or just didn't care like I did. Now I am the only non-Irken on this ship and I have to actively think about how these ones aren't a danger to me or my planet while I have to get them ready for life on Earth. I'm just jumpy on the inside right now, okay?"
Dib pulled back a little so he could look down at Tak, her being a full foot shorter than he. The human reached up and brushed a comforting hand into holographic hair. He felt her antennae curled back around her head underneath the illusion. "I won't deny you, Tak. I've accepted your bond, haven't I? Knowing that you are bonded to me for the rest of your life? I won't betray your bond."
The sound of heavy airlock doors opening followed by a tractor beam activating cut over the persistent whine of grav lifts. Dib turned his head toward the sound. "You okay now? I think that's our delivery."
"I will be," Tak said, letting go of her human.
"All right. Let's talk again later tonight. I asked my sister to send my bedding and some clothes for you and I have my first orientation meeting in a few minutes."
She waived off Dib's helping hand as she limped with him the length of the long maintenance bay over to the delivery ship that was now being set down on the deck. Tak could have used the assistance, and really did want the aid of her mate. But she needed to start pushing herself again. Right now she couldn't even run. The Irken had a long way to go before she could be an Elite of Earth. Not that their standards were all that high, but Tak had her own to reach in due time. Plus she had to set an example for the rest of the troops now. At least until she could be alone with Dib.
The Irken pilot hopped out of the delivery ship's cockpit and the current deck coordinator pointed her to the approaching pair with their ever present escorts. A small hand drawn cargo lift was made available, and the pilot opened up the back of the ship as they made their slow way to her.
When they finally arrived the pilot introduced herself. "Logistic Specialist Roz with a delivery for Dib. You Dib?" she asked the male human. He nodded. "I need you to sign for this."
Dib made a 'take it easy' squeeze of Tak's hand as she glared imaginary laser beams at the Irken female for talking to her mate. Tak looked up at Dib's face and nodded an acknowledgement that her jealousy was getting the better of her again.
Dib signed for the delivery. "I don't suppose you're the same Roz that towed me out to Dirt a few days ago?"
"That was you?" Roz asked loudly. "That was an epic ride! Thanks to you I'm the sole delivery pilot for the Earth run. That is so sweet!" The Irken seemed to be on a permanent sugar high.
As Yat and Flom helped unload the boxes of large honey bottles onto the cargo lift, Tak pulled out much lighter shopping bags of clothing and rolls of Dib-smelling bed sheets, blankets and pillows. She took a big sniff of each before setting them down on top of the cargo lift.
While they were doing this, Roz pulled something out of her uniform and handed it to Dib. "Governor Zim also instructed me to deliver this myself into your hands only."
"Thanks," Dib said, putting the small package in his pocket. He looked at his wristwatch. "Guys," he called. "I have to run off to my orientation meeting. Tak? I'll talk with you more tonight."
Dib followed Flom off toward where his first meeting would take place while Roz closed up her ship and went through her checklist in preparation for her next delivery.
Yat took hold of the handles of the cargo lift. "Tak, I will have to insist that you climb on the back and hold on to the load. The Bio-technician told you to take it easy if you want your foot to heal. You have already exceeded his specified walking distance for today. I will have to report to him that you are deviating from his treatment outline."
Tak grumbled an acceptance and how stupid Irken bio specialists thought they knew what was best for everybody. Yat pulled the cargo lift along into the corridor as she delivered the load and passenger to Tak's new quarters.
Dib followed Flom back to his quarters. The first orientation meeting had taken a lot out of him. The initial group had been horrified that Earth's surface was mostly water and that it also fell from the sky. They could hardly believe him when he said that humans were so dependent on the substance to survive for more than a few days. That life on Earth could not exist without the liquid that would burn an Irken.
Not to mention that drinking a bottle of water in front of them was like the greatest magic trick they had ever seen.
Dib had gone over some of the countermeasures Zim had come up with to protect himself from rain, such as bathing in paste. Naturally he commented on how dumb this was since all he really had to do was go out and buy a raincoat for those rainy days.
Then there were the questions that had been asked.
Is it true that humans eat rocks and clean themselves with molten lava?
Do their arms grow back if removed?
What about their legs?
Can they steal an Irken's squeedilyspooch just by looking into them with their x-ray vision?
Could they really eat the flesh of other living things? The gasps echoing through the room when that was confirmed was strangely satisfying. Of course Dib had to clarify that humans did not eat other sentient beings. Naturally this led to the question. Why don't they?
Is it true that humans bond with the first thing they see? That one was so simple, yet so hard to explain to a species that really had only one kind of meaningful bond that most of them never experienced.
There were many questions about human bonding. Or rather how to fend off attacking humans seeking out a bond. It seemed there were many rumors about how Earth was filled with roving hordes of humans seeking Irken bondmates like swarming post-apocalyptic zombies seeking out the brains of the living.
Dib was led to the door leading into his private quarters. He saw Yat standing to one side of the portal as Flom took his position on the other side. The human stepped through still processing the insane questions he had spent a long time trying to clarify. The door closed behind him, and Dib leaned against it with closed eyes. He let out a several deep breaths.
He opened his eyes. This room was more cramped than he remembered. The portable toilet and water shower were in the far corner like last time, and his bags of clothes and other supplies were neatly piled next to the facilities. But the pile was larger with a few new paper bags and neater too. His gaze swept across the compartment. The hammock was now wider, with an Irken PAK support unit sitting next to it near the wall. The hammock itself looked to be two hammocks clipped together with another one running underneath the seam for support. His bedding, blankets and pillows had been arranged into what almost looked like some sort of nest.
There was a form laying on her side in the middle of the arrangement surrounded by blankets. A holographic human one. Dib's jaw hung open as he noticed she was wearing a very light purple and backless nightgown fitting around her PAK, which was exposed through the holographic disguise, with fragile looking straps running over her shoulders. She had her Pad out and was tapping on it with a half empty honey bottle cradled in her arm.
"Tak? What are you doing?" Dib managed to get out.
She looked up and smiled at her floundering mate. "Sentinel Yat out there forbids me any mobility for the rest of the day and well into tomorrow or she will complain to the bio-technician. So as I am stuck here, I was going over this ship's technical specifications. There would be insufficient power to upgrade the secondary energy weapons grid to a primary grid or add extra secondary batteries. I think if we added liquid helium coolant lines underneath the outer hull or radiator vanes to the turrets, we can double the volume of fire for short periods by the point defense batteries. However, I believe with a few adjustments to the bulkheads in these sections I can add a few missile platforms on retractable launchers. They will require dual or perhaps triple mounts per platform to achieve an acceptable fire rate, but magazine space would be limited. Or perhaps augment a few compartments for large bore launch tubes for torpedoes with multiple independent fusion warheads. I think that would be a mistake though as this vessel was not configured to be a battleship, but as a defensive mobile base for strike craft. So I am also thinking more along those lines, but I have insufficient data about what resources will be available."
There was something about the concept of a human appearing girl wearing a slinky nightie in his room, and laying in his bedding no less, and the concept of a disguised Irken talking about potential weapon mixes and rates of fire that shorted out his stressed brain.
"I mean what are you doing in my quarters? Wearing that?" he asked in a higher voice than normal.
Tak looked at him with a peculiar expression. "You are my mate. Where else would my quarters be than with you? There was a note from Gaz saying that this is what is worn when one had retired for the day. That the red evening dress she sent is what is worn for dates and to woo a mate."
Of course Gaz would get Tak something like this since I gave her such a good opportunity she couldn't pass it up. This is for giving her a difficult time about Zim, he thought as his cheeks turned red. She's really driving the point home about what I got myself into without any mercy.
Tak got up out of the hammock and stepped over to Dib with her now exaggerated limp due to her immobile foot brace. Dib's face got redder. She gave a slightest toss of the head, a small indication that the form underneath the hologram did not have a nose and a wave of air was being sent across her antennae. "You are stressed and don't smell clean." She pointed to the shower. "You get clean. Now."
A cold shower sounds like such a good idea right now, thought Dib as he carefully navigated his way around Tak to his neat piles of clothing. He found that they had been sorted and categorized as well. He set a fresh pair of pajamas next to the shower and looked in Tak's direction. She had sat back down on the edge of the hammock and was giving her bondmate a rather impatient look that promised no quarter for his outmoded sense of decorum.
The human sighed with his back turned and a few moments later entered the shower undressed. At least it had a curtain. He stood in the spraying cold water leaning his forehead against the side of the stall.
"Dib?" The voice was just outside the curtain. "You are having difficulty again, aren't you?"
"You could say that," he answered.
"I know you are trying, Dib," she said. "But ever since I woke up today I have caused you to have trouble. I was so happy when you chose to accept me as your bondmate. But perhaps it was just a dream and now I'm awake."
Dib flinched inside. He began washing off as quickly as he could. He didn't hear the door open, so Tak must still be in the room. He shut the shower off and stuck his head past the curtain. He saw no one, so he stepped out and vigorously dried himself off with a towel and slipped into his pajamas.
"Tak?" he called out softly.
"Yes?" came a muffled reply. It was coming from under the nest of blankets on the hammock. He didn't see her.
Dib grabbed his jeans and walked the few steps over to the hammock. He set his jeans on the end of the hammock and called again. "Tak, you in there?"
A flap of blanket was pushed down, exposing the holographic head and arms with very sad eyes. "Tak, could you please turn off the hologram?" he asked.
"I did this to make it easier for you to accept me, do you not want this?" she asked in return.
"It's making it too easy and more difficult." Dib answered. "Seeing you in human form is attractive for me. Plus you wearing that right now, I find it very alluring even. But it's a fantasy, not real and I can't forget what's hiding underneath. You are Irken. That is what's real. I just wanted you to have your disguise working so you'd be safe on Earth. I don't want to bond with a fantasy, Tak. It should be with you."
He took a breath and explained further. "When we're around other Irkens, it makes me nervous. Around here I see your disguise and I remember that it's a fake. That there is an Irken hiding underneath. It's too close to what an Invader does for right now, Tak."
The figure in the blankets nodded, broke up into static and vanished to reveal the Irken form underneath. The tears from her eyes had been hidden by the disguise. "You are uncomfortable being among Irkens, and you need time away from this form. I understand because I feel the same way. You came here to get away from Irkens, as did I. I'll go find another place to be away from them."
Dib really felt like a complete heel now, as what she had said was true. Not that he didn't want her there, but that he hadn't thought about where she would be staying after he accepted her bond. It was only natural that she would be here.
"Don't go." Dib looked down at the purple eyed Irken wearing that light purple nightgown. That Gaz had picked something like this out was clearly a mischievous act to mess with his head. But it made a point very real too. This was his accepted mate who would be by his side for the rest of his life. She deserved to be treated as such. "May I come in?"
Those Irken eyes gave approval, and Dib climbed onto the hammock and slid in with Tak under the blankets. He wiped teardrops from her eyes and enclosed his arms around her to draw her close. "Tak, forgive me when your warrior side is showing and it throws me for a loop. I'm not a fighter like you are. When I saw you broken down on Dirt I forgot that this is a large part of who you are. I want you to recover and heal, to be yourself. Forgive me for my mistakes I'll end up making. I want to be good to you, but I only understand those things on human terms."
Thin green arms intertwined with his own. "Dib," she said softly into his ear. "I am already starting to feel better, more of the person I was before Dirt. At least in brief moments. Being a General for my new homeworld will help me recuperate and gain some of what I lost of myself. But, Dib, I will never the person I was. No matter what I show to others on the outside, a part of me may always be broken. I will always need you, my mate."
Tak turned a bit to face her human, and sent her antennae into his hair. He smiled warmly and leaned his own head into it. It was becoming an enjoyable thing to have her stalks run through his scalp.
"Dib? Can I tell you a secret?" she asked.
"You can confide whatever you need to," he answered.
"I know my PAK is damaged. It may not show up on a scan, but it is. I can tell because I don't want to be among Irkens. I don't want to be counted as Irken. Dib, is it possible to be adopted by another species? To be adopted as human?"
Dib's heart wept for the girl he held in his arms. "Tak, do something for me. Don't hate yourself for being Irken. Don't stop accepting yourself as you are." He brought her hand up to the necklace around his neck as he rubbed his other hand along her side. "I will always accept you, Tak. When we need to get away from the others we do so together. Just like this right now. You and me together in our little nest."
He felt Tak nod her head. Felt her take in a deep breath and let it out. Her body relaxing into her mate's. They stayed like that for a long while.
This felt good. It was so weird, but he liked her antennae exploring and resting in his black hair. Liked the feel of her warm body so close to him. The feel of that silky nightgown softening the feel of bones unnaturally exposed under her green skin, which pained him for her sake. As messed up as the situation, their condition and everything else was, it felt right.
The human slowly sat up and Tak sat up with him. He knew what she needed, and the time felt right. A bit crazy, but what around them wasn't? He reached for his jeans and removed something from a pocket. He then flung the pair of jeans to the floor. Dib turned to face the Irken girl beside him in the blankets.
"Tak, before you woke up today I asked Zim to order something for me back on Earth. It arrived with the rest of the supplies. I don't think you will admit it even to yourself, but I think you are insecure about us. You are at the end of your bonding process with me, and I'm just starting to build one with you. Perhaps you think that since I am, that I could end up rejecting you before I solidify my own bond."
Dib opened the box and set it in his lap. Then he took her left three fingered hand. "Tak, I won't. We humans have a tradition. A promise between two people to become a mated pair when they are ready." He lifted the engagement ring out of the box and held it before the Irken girl. "This is my promise to you, Tak. I won't deny you. I have accepted your bond to me, and I promise I will form one with you that is just as strong. You and I are a bonded pair, and when we get back to Earth you can live with me and my family. You are part of a human family, Tak. My human father and sister are your human father and sister. It does come with a certain Irken brother too, but we are all one family. If Gaz and Zim have smeets we will be their Aunt and Uncle. When I have reached the point in my process, I will arrange for us to be officially recognized mates back on Earth. Tak, this is my promise that one day you will be my official mate as I have become yours. Will you accept my promise?"
Tears were streaming down Tak's cheeks. The last question was kind of dumb to even ask as it was a forgone conclusion, but she guessed it was part of the human tradition. The problem was she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to eat the ring? Make him eat it? Shove it up his nose? What? Then she understood as Dib slid the ring onto her left hand's middle finger. She was to wear it, be reminded of his solemn promise to her every time she looked at it or felt it around her finger.
Dib laid back down in the hammock and drew Tak down with him. She placed her head on his chest and rested her left hand nearby where she could gaze at Dib's promise to her. Dib's arm snaked underneath and behind her so he could hold the Irken girl close, human arm draped below her PAK mounting and its attached five fingered hand resting on her side. Dib pulled the blankets over them and the two settled in, just being together and away from the universe.
After a few hours of occasional murmurs and whispers Dib fell asleep, confident and content with his decision. Happy with they way things turned out.
Tak noted the change in his breathing. She carefully moved to take off the silly glasses and placed them on the PAK support machine sitting on the floor next to her. A ringed finger pressed a button and she returned to her previous position, using Dib as a pillow. Access ports opened as two cables snaked out and plugged into her PAK. Irken purple eyes closed and she fell asleep in the arms of her caring human mate.
Zim was relaxed on the Membrane's couch with Gaz laying into him. Gir was curled up on the floor watching the movie. It was the first time the robot was allowed over, and was promised a taco-within-a-taco if he remained quiet, still, and did not destroy anything. On the TV was the final scenes of silly humans running and screaming as armor-piercing rounds from nearby tanks bounced harmlessly off of the ridiculously soft skin of a giant tarantula. The old black and white movie was indeed horribly done and probably cost a whole five dollars to film. The actors were so bad that they deserved to be cocooned by the mutant spider. They shared many laughs this evening after the required 'chick flick' (which still made no sense to Zim as the movie never involved flicking chickens).
Zim looked down at Gaz. His view right now was mostly her purple hair, since she seemed content to be using him as a bean bag. But this was very pleasurable to Zim, being close and relaxed with his Gaz-blossom. He was a happy Irken. He had been nearly blissful all evening and into the night. Ever since he had spoken with Dib that afternoon in fact.
There was something special about spending 'quality time' snuggled with his amazing Gaz-blossom, who Zim now knew someday wanted to have a smeet with him. An incredible feeling that Zim didn't really understand. Ending credits ran up the screen and Gaz clicked the remote and dropped it lazily on the floor. Neither moved for a few minutes.
"Gaz-blossom, Zim has a gift for you." he said.
"Really?" Gaz asked, turning a little so she could look at Zim without getting up or letting him get up either.
He took a little package from his PAK. "Zim had noticed something missing about you from these so called 'chicken flicking' movies. Zim has neglected an important human tradition regarding his magnificent bondmate. Is now a good time for you to receive it?" He handed her the package.
Gaz took it and opened the wrapping, halting briefly when it revealed a small box. With nerves quivering, she opened it to see the ring inside. It was no small, minimum priced ring. She took it out and held it up to the light.
It didn't look normal, but then it was from Zim. It wasn't made from the normal gold, silver or platinum, and the dozen very tiny diamonds were arranged in a peculiar way around two somewhat larger ones. All the stones were set inside the band rather than mounted on top. "Zim, care to explain?" she asked.
"It is made of a titanium and gold alloy for damage resistance when you decide to hit objects that are not Zim," he explained to her. "The clear rocks are set inside so they will not fall out on impact."
"And the arrangement?" she inquired. "I don't recognize it."
"That is the shape of a squeedily-spooch," the alien informed her. "Because you always hold Zim's squeedily-spooch in your bloody hands."
It was amazing how Zim could be romantic and disturbing at the same time. Gaz held the wedding ring in her fingers, staring at it for a long while. She returned it to Zim.
Then Gaz held out her left hand to him, with fingers spread wide. "Go ahead, Zim. You're supposed to be the one to put it on." A moment passed. "No, Zim. Put it on my finger." Another moment. "No, the other finger. This one."
Gaz sat up and gazed at her hand, diamond wedding ring sparkling in the living room lights. It was amazing what a tiny hunk of metal could do. They hadn't moved in together or anything crazy like that. Just this one small gesture, yet it made such a big difference to her. It actually felt good to her. Balanced. Gaz felt like she was really married rather than just living with the status of being hitched to Zim.
She looked back and into the pleased solid red eyes of her Irken husband. It still felt weird, but a good weird. Gaz smiled and leaned over, giving Zim a slow, soft but modest kiss on the lips. "Thank you, Zim. You did good."
Zim did not respond for several moments. Rather than burning from the moisture transferred by her kiss, his lips tingled as if the nerve endings were dancing. It was very… satisfying, he decided.
"YAAAYYY!" Gir exclaimed. He began singing. "Master and Mistress sitting in a tree. F-A-R-T-I-N-G."
"GIR!" they both yelled.
"I'm sooooo haaappy!" Gir cooed. "My Master and Mistress lovies each other."
Gaz settled back down into her living cushion and Zim reached around to embrace her. "Yeah, we really do," she said contentedly.
Zim did not want to move, but the movies were over. "Zim does not wish to return to his base. But it is late, and the end of movie night designates Zim's departure."
Gaz did not move. "There is no one else here, Zim. Plus there is no skool tomorrow. You can stay very late tonight. I think it would be okay for the wife to have a late night with her husband." She turned her head to face the robot on the floor. "Gir! Go get Zim some doughnuts from the store!"
"Woohooooo! Dough-nuts!" he loudly proclaimed and climbed out a now open window.
Gaz turned onto her side to face her alien, giving him a naughty look. "Why don't we go up to my room and play a game?" she asked. "Gir can stand guard downstairs when he gets back."
The 'innocent' thinking mate looked into the girl's eyes. "What exactly do you have in mind?"
"This will take most of the night." Gaz reached down and pulled out a game from under the couch. Monopoly: Juvenile Delinquent Edition.
"YES!" Zim crowed. "Your slumlord housing developments are no match for my arsonist fire truck!"
Gaz grinned happily as she used her free ringed hand to pull Zim up off the couch and guide him upstairs. "Doesn't matter. I can build them by the dozen with cash from my bank robbing get-away car."