The Battle of Gor
Epic Two
Written by Cartman's Girl and Invader Poe

~*~

Chapter Four

"Zim isn't the first person I would've chosen to be a Mom," Poe grunted slightly, once they were out of hearing range.

"Me neither." she replied, stepping into the elevator. "Zib's such a nice little guy, but I can see him being corrupted by living with Zim."

"Can't say Dib would be any better, given his recent actions." He shook his head, "Have any idea of where we were gonna stay until we have a new base, anyway? I mean, you could probably convince Zim to let you move in…"

"Eee, no. I couldn't stand living with Zim again… when Zim comes back, I'm heading to where the base was and try to find my Voot Runner." she hit the 'house' button and the elevator began to move. "If it's still intact, I'll make another one." Poe nodded slightly and stretched.

"If it isn't, I know of a few places that are fairly abandoned. I use to stay there when I was hiding from Gor."

"Ah Gor… wonder what he's up to right now…" she stepped out the elevator as it arrived back at the house level, and seeing Gir fast asleep in the middle of the kitchen, curled around his mug.

"Who knows. Maybe he found someone else to bother." Poe stepped out as well, scowling at the memory of 'his' SIR unit, "He hasn't bothered me so far, at least." Poe looked down at Gir, "Nice to see he's back to normal."

"What do you mean?" she looked at him, before pulling on human rubber gloves in order to do the dishes.

"He's the reason I'm here in the first place. I ran into him when I went to investigate the smoke rising from the direction of your base, and he was sulking. It was very… un-Girlike." He looked at the dishes, "Need any help?"

"Oh no, I'm fine. I didn't know he ran off." Cten picked up a sponge and squirted it with some water, beginning to wash up the mugs. "Must have been because of him and Zib 'fighting'."

"They were fighting?" Poe blinked, looking down at Gir, "Doesn't strike me as the aggressive type, and neither does Zib, unless he's inherited his 'Mom's temper."

"Gir picks on Zib when Zim isn't around apparantly," Cten said, cleaning the mugs out. "Seems to me, there's sibling rivalry between the robot and the spawn."

"Jeeze. Alien-human clone experiment bickers with the intelligence-gathering unit belonging to his extratresstrial Mother; on the next Myserious Mystries." He shook his head, leaning back on the counter, sitting on it.

"Heh, yeah that seems about right doesn't it?" Cten stopped doing the dishes and left them to drain, taking the gloves off. "But I love em both so much still."

"Hm… I guess they're alright." He shrugged nonchalantly, not one to express affection much, "Gir and Beka are certainly preferable to Gor, but that's not saying much."

"I always was the odd one out in the Nest and Academy, making 'friends' even if they didn't want to be." she leaned against the sink, "But I find Zib and Gir to be quite interesting to be around, plus, I get practice for when and if I get to raise my own smeets one day." Cten stopped to flick at her antennae which wasn't curling properly, "If I ever do have smeets that is." Poe raised his eyelid slightly, then shrugged.

"You seem to be doing fine. You'd probably make a good Mom, unlike some Irken we know."

"Heh, not Zim's fault he has no recolection of his time in the Nest." she replied, "He was quite the baby."

"He was?" Poe found that hard to believe, "Oh well. I guess I can't be too hard on him, not like I'd do any better." Cten smiled slightly,

"I was in the same Nesting Group as he was, and you don't forget someone like Zim in a long time." she sighed, glancing upwards. "He had the Nurses on full alert, crying to be fed, crying to have a different bed, crying cause another Irken looked at him funny… good black-mail material, is it not?"

"Oh yeah." Poe grinned, slightly evilly, then remembered his own hatchlinghood days, "The factory I was at got boring quick. Most of the hatchlings were Rejects as well, or orphans, or just unwanted. Needless to say, they weren't the happiest bunch."

"How were they for you?" she scratched the side of her head.

"Most of us ignored each other. Our supervisors didn't like us talking too much, they always thought we were up to something. Some of us managed to finally form an escape plan one time, but we didn't all get out." Poe shrugged, "I guess I got lucky."

"Man…" Cten shook her head, "I wonder how life is for babies on this planet…"

"From what I've seen, their parents are pretty attached to them. Most of the time, at least. They seem to take care of their young far longer than Irkens do."

"Luckies." Poe nodded slightly,

"I see them in the park all the time. They're either taking care of babies or playing with kids."

"I would have loved to have lived with my parents… least see where I get what makes me, me." she sighed, folding her arms. "Humans don't know how good they got it. They have loving parents who look after and care for them, answering to their every whim… us, we're spat out of a machine and sent out to be what we were planned to be." Poe looked over at her slightly, frowning.

"I got to meet my parents…" He said quietly, "Though I never really knew them, so they weren't really very… parental, I guess." She looked over at him, raising her antennae slightly.

"Lucky."

"Well… Y'know General Kantos? The one who helped finish off the last of the Blorch resistance?" Poe took his antennae and bent them back halfways after the first kink and held them out to the side, mimicking how his Father's sat, "…see the resemblance?" Cten's eyes widened slightly

"…you're Dad's the Kantos?"

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his neck in slight embaressment, "Mom's Noble Lady Xyth.. She said my Rejection was the reason she started fighting for Rejects in the first place." He looked at his lap. Cten stood there quietly for a while.

Poe didn't realise how much knowing who his parents were meant to her, she'd always wanted a family - being a maid or not - and had considered the Tallest as her new family, but being shot out into Earth so quickly had upset her more then she had let on. She coughed and shook her head, blinking out of her thoughts again.

"Well… you've got very well-known parents, and your Mother obviously cared…"

"I guess. But it makes me wonder what I could've had, you know? Had my skin been a few shades darker, or my antennae a bit shorter… I mean, I could've been someone, instead of just another piece of street trash." He grumbled slightly and picked at his well worn coat, noticing her silence, "What's the matter, Cten?"

"…stupid memories Poe." she replied quietly, and rubbed her arm. "I was almost considered a Reject cause I once called one of the Nurses 'Mommy', I guess, I guess family is just a big thing I've always wanted." Poe frowned slightly, hesitating for a moment before placing his claws on her shoulder,

"Well, hey, you've got kind of a weird extended family here."

"Yeah, and for that I'm really thankful… Zib means more to me then he realises, he's like a nephew or dare I say, a son to me sometimes." she looked at Poe, putting her hand onto his. "Zim's like my bizzare brother or something, while Gir's like a little kid, and you… well you're something special to me." Poe blinked slightly, looking at her hand.

"Special?" He turned his head, not quite sure what she meant, or at least, not wanting to make any assumptions. She nodded, but knowing Poe almost inside out, she knew better then to continue talking about the subject.

"Yeah. That's all."

"Heh." He smiled slightly and let the subject drop, shrugging, "Well, you're special to me, too. Can't say I'm all that close to the others, I'd go so far to say most didn't like me."

"It's all the idea of perfection and idealism Poe, what you look like is what you're meant to be. When I look at you, I don't see a Reject. I see my friend." she let go of his hand and sighed, "Correction, best friend." Poe blinked, before his face broke out into an almost goofy smile,

"Wow… thanks. No one's ever called me their friend before, much less best one." He squeezed her shoulder slightly, "You're mine, too, you know. Heck, I'd say you were probably my only one."

"Glad to know we got mutal agreement, if I wasn't such an Irken I'd hug ya." she grinned back at him, almost as goofily.

"Hm… Well, we're not on Irk, are we?" He grinned and let go of her shoulder, giving her a one-armed hug, "I won't tell Zim if you won't. I don't feel like being lectured about protocol." She smiled and hugged him back, one-armed too.

"I won't tell Zim at all."Poe smiled backdown at her, and it would've been something odd for, say, Gir to wake up on and see. The two just sorta stand there, half-hugging each other and smiling, and sat in the middle of the room, who just woke up is Gir. He stares at the two for a little while.

"Awwwwwwww…" he says finally. Poe blinked a few times and jerked his head toward Gir, his cheeks flushing slightly.

"Oh… um, Hi, Gir."

"Youse two are so kawaii!" Gir declared, walking over to them. Cten looked somewhat confused, a little too surprised and embarassed to actually do anything, including holding onto Poe.

"…ka-wa-ee?" Poe dropped his arm as well, coughing and tucking it behind his back quickly, "Uh… if you say so."

"Are ya gonna marry?" the little robot asked, "Y'know like the soapies on TV!" Cten blushed deeply and looked away. Poe flinched, his own cheeks tinting a darker shade of red, and mumbled,

"We're just friends, Gir."

"That's what they always say!" Gir said in an almost teasing voice, then dropped the subject. "Izzit bed time?"

"Huh? Yeah, probably," He looked at a clock and shrugged, then looked down at Cten, "I guess that means it's time for me to go."

"I guess..." she mumbled, still looking at an interesting tile on the floor.

"Sleepie!" Gir declared, and hurried out the room.

"So, where should we meet tomorrow to investigate our new living arangements?" Cten asked, glancing at him.

"Hm… I'll probably be around my tree." He'd picked a specific tree for his sitting purposes and had claimed it as his own, near the edge of the park.

"I'll meet you there then." she said, as the two walked to the front door. Poe nodded, pulling his wig out of his coat and tucking his antennae under it, sliding his contacts in. He opened the door and glanced down at her,

"Good night."

"Good night Poe." she replied, not bothering with her disguise since it was late, and no one was really around. "Take care." He smiled,

"You too. Good luck dealing with Zim whenever he gets back." He tugged his wig forward by the bangs and stepped out.

"Heh, thanks." Cten watched as he walked down the path, and off into the night. She sighed and closed the doors. She looks around the empty room, Beka shut off in the corner and Gir curled up into a ball on the couch.

"…oh well." she walks to the couch, got up and snuggled against the small robot and eventually fell asleep. All was silent for a while, until a shrill scream rang out from upstairs. Cten's eyes snapped open, and her Irken-alertness - she had aquired this since Tallest Purple used to buzz her in the middle of the night for his snacks - was switched on. She looked up at the ceiling.

"Zib!" she said, and darted to the closet, which became the elevator and it took her up to his room, she turned the light on and hurried into the room. "Zib! What's wrong?" Zib was clinging his blanket, wide-eyed and mumbling and whimpering, jumping when Cten ran in until he recognized her voice, not having his glasses.

"M-m-miz C-cten?" He shook his head slightly, "I had… I had a bad dream…" She picked up his glasses and placed them on as she sat on the bed besides him,

"Aw Zib, it's okay now…" she gently put her arms around him, giving him a hug. Zib clung into her tightly and sniffled, burying his face in her side and only displacing his glasses again,

"I dreamt they captured you 'n Mom an' Gir an' even Poe and me too… And they were doing all these experiment thingees on Mom!" He whined. Cten rubs his back as she rocks back and forth gently,

"Well it was only a bad dream Zib… they can't hurt you…"

"It seemed real-like though," he sniffled, but slowly started to calm down, looking around the room, "It gets kinda creepy in here when it's dark…"

"How about I sleep with you tonight, will that make you feel better?" she stroked his hair gently while still hugging him. Zib blinks,

"You… you'd do that?" He looked up, rubbing his eyes with his claw, "Mom never did that…"

"Well, I will." she smiled. He smiled a bit,

"Alright, I guess…" He wasn't too keen on his big-boy act now, it seemed, and rested against her, eyes drooping. She pulled the blanket over her and took his glasses off his face and placed them to the side, then lays down keeping one arm around him. She shuts her eyes as one of her pod legs stretches out and turns the light off. He was soon fast asleep again, comforted by her presance, and curled up slightly, snuggled up against her. And Cten fell asleep soon after, feeling very much needed with Zib curled up against her. The door then slowly opened, and Gir walked into the room and climbed up and curled up besides Cten's other side, so you can imagine how cute this looks right now.

Morning soon came, and Zim piloted the Voot Cruiser above the roof of the house, pressing a button that was the equivillent to a garage-door opener on the control panel, causing the roof to slowly (and loudly) open, light pouring in on them. Cten squirmed, her eyes slowly opening and being partially blinded by the light. She then noticed Gir fast asleep besides her, and Zib, now hugging her around the middle still asleep too. She covered both their ears/equivalants with her hands as the Voot Cruiser landed.

"I can't believe they said my invitation was a mistake! Smelly fools, all of them!" Zim ranted as the Voot Cruiser's window opened, and he stomped out in a huff. He then noticed the group all curled up in Zib's bed, a very brief 'aww' look crossing his features before it was quickly crushed, and he wandered over to the bed, the roof closing above them.

"Did these two behave?" He asked simply of Cten.

"Well… Gir and Zib had a small fight but they're all right again." she sat up, Zib still holding onto her. "But Zib had a bad nightmare so I slept with him to calm him down." she replied simply. "I guess Gir got lonely." Zib blinked his eyes open, looking up at Zim.

"Mom!" He shouted, letting go of Cten and scrambling off the bed, latching onto Zim's leg. Zim looked a bit surprised,

"Eh? That's unnessicary, Zib!" He tried to shake the hybrid away, but he held on tight, talking a million words per minute,

"I had such a bad dream but Ms. Cten was here and she was real nice she made us dinner and gave us hot chocolate and a bath which I didn't like but-"

"Aw, live in the moment Zim." Cten smiled, then Gir slowly awoke, and saw Zim there.

"Master!!" the little robot declared, following Zib's suite and clung around Zim's other leg. "I miss-ed you so much Master!" Zim looked down at his 'children' and fought the urge to smile, instead sighing exaggeratedly and trying to make his way toward the elevator,

"This is ridiculous. Both of you, walk on your own!" He snapped slightly, cranky and tired like from the meeting, and Zib frowned and let go reluctantly. Cten got off the bed and quickly pulled the sheets straight, and walked to Zim and helped him by pulling Gir off. Gir, very happily held onto Cten.

"I wuv you Ms. CeeTeen!" he declared, snuggling against her.

"Aw, 'n I wuv you too Gir." she gave him a hug back, then looked to Zib. "So Zib, how 'bout I make you guys breakfast so your Mom can just do his Mom things?" Zim pulled his wig off by the top and popped out his contacts, stuffing them back into his pod and grumbling to himself. Zib looked up at her hopefully, lighting up,

"Okay!" He ran into the elevator in front of Zim, nearly tripping his 'mom'. Zim stumbled, but quickly righted himself, scowling at Zib,

"What'd I tell you about running around like an Earth monkey-pig?"

"..whoops." Zib looked down at the ground, and Zim sighed, stalking into the elevator.

"The joys of Motherhood, huh Zim?" Cten asks as she accompanies the two in the elevator, still holding Gir.

"Joy! Bah! Whoever said it was a joy obviously never had any spawn!" Zim folded his arms and glared at the elevator, stabbing a button with a pod-leg. They went downstairs, and Zim started toward the garbage can, preparing to go down into his base, when he recalled something and turned to Cten,

"I want to, ehm, commend you on your spawn-sitting services, solider!" He said stiffly, the closest thing to a 'thanks' one was likely to get out of him.

"I am very glad that I met your approval, Zim." Cten gave him a nod in responce, "But I am afraid to inform you that whilst I was doing my duties here, my base was destroyed at the hands of Dib, so afterwards I shall have to leave to induct a search to see if my Voot Cruiser survived the blaze."

"Her house go woosh!" Gir declared, leaping out of her arms and landing on the ground. Zim scowled,

"That stupid stink! Well, I'm certain you will be able to provide accomodations for yourself soon enough. Feel free to leave at will whenever you get done preparing this break-fast for Zib and Gir." He stepped on the pedal to open the garbage and climbed in, disappearing down into his base.

"...yup." Cten sighed, then turned to Zib who was still in his PJ's. "So! What do you want for breakfast, Zib?"

"Hm.." Zib wondered, "Got any pancakes?" He saw those on TV once, but'd never had the chance to sample them.

"I know how to make em, so, sure!" she replied, her pod already opening up.

"Yummy!" Gir declared, already sat at the table holding a knife and fork.

"Yay!" Zib hopped up into his seat, idly wondering where Gir got the silverware, and sat patiently. "How do you make them?" Cten got a bowl out from the cupboard and placed it down, and proceeded to pull the ingredients from her pod.

"Well, 1/3c of Flour..." she emptied an already full cup into the bowl, "One tablespoon of sugar..." she droped it in, "2 tablespoons of baking powder..." she emptied it in, GIr watching wide-eyecammed as she did. "Two eggs." she broke both a the same time, emptying the insides in and she put the shells away.

"And beat!" she held up a whisk and began to beat. Zib watched, enraptured, his youth making him curious. He peered at the off-white goop in the bowl, scowling a bit,

"That doesn't look like the pancakes I saw though.."

"I know, now I gotta make em!" she said, grinning. She went to the stove and turned it on, pulling a spatchula and a frying pan from her pod. She proceeded to poure the goop onto the frying pan, not before putting some butter in it first, and began to make them. Gir got to his feet and followed after her, standing on his tip 'toes' to see. Zib wascurious as well, squirming out of his chair and wandering over to try and sneak a peek with Gir, using his slight height over the robot to his advantage. Eventually she finished making the pancakes, putting them onto a plate.

"All right boys, sit down." Zib hurried back and looked at them curiously,

"Got any of the brownish clear goop they put on them in the show?"

"Golden Syrup or Mapal?" she asked, putting plates in front of the two, as well as knife and fork for Zib.

"Um.." He looked blank for a moment, then shrugged, "Both?" He grinned up at her with puppy-dog eyes, despite the odd brown-on-magenta combonation.

"...course sweety." she pinched his cheek as she grinned.

"Yay!" He grinned even more widely, scooting his chair up to the table noisily and holding his knife and fork in preperation.

"'N yer sweet too." she leaned over and just flicked Gir's antennae, making the little robot laugh in responce. She pulled two bottles of syrup from her pod, seems she has a lot in there, and handed one each to the two boys.

Zib reached over and stabbed a few pancakes on his fork, tugging them onto his plate, then picked up both bottles of syrup, gloping rather copious amounts of both onto the pancakes. Cten bit into her own pancake she had saved, plain with nothing on it.

Gir was slobbering his pancakes down hungrily, making very appreciative eating sounds. Zibfinally decided he'd had enough syrup when it started to run off the plate, and picked up a stabbed piece of pancake, munching it eagerily and getting almost as much syrup on his face as he had the plate. Cten shook her head as she looked at the mess both were now in,

"I sure have my work cut out for me." she thought to herself as she licked her gloves fingers. Zib quickly finished, his face, shirt, even his hair a syruppy mess now, but he looked so horribly happy it was worth it.

"That was great!" He gushed, hugging his still-messy plate happily, "That was the best breakfast ever!"

"Well, I'm glad you liked it..." Cten giggled slightly at the mess he made, and Gir was in an even similar mess as well.

"Mmmm..." he said, licking his plate eagerly. Zib leaned back in his seat, looking content, before he noticed the clock,

"Hey, Gir, it's time for the Scary Monkey Show!" He put his plate back down and jumped off of his chair, racing into the living room to watch what was apparently a favourite show of he and his 'sibling'.

"WOO!" Gir cheered, racing after him. "Dibs on couch dibs on couch!!" the little robot cheered from the other room. Cten shook her head and collected the plates,

"I am so made for Motherhood it's sad." she said.

"I was here first!!" Zib clung onto his cushion defensively.

[To be continued]