Rain-Soaked Slave
C5: Vast Expanse
[Disclaimer: Jhonen V. owns "Invader Zim." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.]
Gaz woke up in the same bed she had lain in the night before. She rubbed at the silky sheets and looked at the red pillow beneath her head. She closed her eyes again and tried to recall the events that led to her being back in the bed.
She felt scared, frightened for some reason. Gaz remembered that Dib had tried to shoot her the night before. He had also shot Ian—but Ian was fine. Ian was alive.
Gaz sat up and looked around. The room was mostly a dark blue, but there was one wall with a window. It took up the entire expanse of the wall, and there was a black chair sitting before it. A black-haired head was above the back of the chair, and Gaz recognized it.
"It's good to see that you're awake." Ian's voice came from the chair, "You slept the entire day."
"Where are we?" Gaz stood shakily from the bed, "This doesn't look like your house."
"We're in a ship, hovering exactly one thousand miles from the atmosphere of Earth. If you come look out this window, you'll see the little blue ball of your home planet." Gaz walked to the chair's side and looked out to see stars and a blue sphere. Long fingers wrapped around her waist and pulled her down into the chair.
Gaz didn't struggle, and instead let herself fall into Ian's lap. She leaned her head against Ian's shoulder and sighed. She was just very tired, and she felt safe again.
"Ian, are you OK?" she had to ask.
"Fine." Ian smiled, "I'm more concerned about you."
"But you were shot three times." Gaz protested weakly, "Why worry about me?"
"Heh." Ian shook her head, "I can take a full blast from a…well, quite a few types of energy cannons. I wouldn't worry about me. You, however, are not conditioned to space yet. Your brother, on the other hand, has his head so much in space that he needs no conditioning."
"Is that why I'm tired?" Gaz murmured.
"You might feel a little ill as well. Humans aren't the most hardy of species."
"Can I go back to sleep now?"
"I insist." Gaz was asleep in moments. Ian stood, cradling the human in her arms. She lay the sleeping girl on the bed and watched her sleep for a while. There was something innocent about a person when they slept. Ian stroked Gaz's hair with a smile before walking away and out of the room.
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"Come on, Dad. Come on!" Dib punched the code his father had given him before he went off to college into the keypad. The keypad—and the back door—had been installed when Gaz had gotten into high school with Dib. Professor Membrane had wanted to make sure Gaz had a reliable way to talk to him. Dib was given the code if Gaz couldn't get to the lab.
So far, the code hadn't been working. Zim stood by Dib patiently. His costume was in place once more, and he was remembering to blink.
"Are you sure you're poking the right things?" the alien asked, "You keep mashing all the buttons. Because you're punching the numbers all at once. With your fist." Dib calmed himself down by jumping angrily and screaming silently. Then he pressed the right code and ran into the building, Zim following close behind.
"Where exactly is your parental unit?" Zim questioned.
"He's doing his show right now." Dib replied, "But he has commercial breaks. We can talk to him then." They followed the cheers and screams that came from the recording room and were soon at the backstage.
"—and we'll be back right after these commercials!"
The timing was perfect. Membrane was walking backstage when Dib and Zim skid to a halt.
"Dad!" Dib stopped right in front of his father, "Dad! There's an alien, and she's trying to take over the Earth!"
"Son, when are you going to get aliens out of your head and follow true science?" Membrane just shook his head.
"Zim!" Dib panted, "Zim, tell him!" Zim was just snickering, his hand over his mouth. "Dammit Zim!"
"Dib, I don't have time for this." Membrane shook his head again, "My show will be back on any minute. There are no aliens. We are the only sentient life in the universe."
"That's not all true." Zim finally got his giggle-fit under control, "I am an alien. A mighty invader from the planet Irk! I am here to take this planet for my Tallest!"
"Right." Membrane was rolling his eyes behind his goggles, "Dib, my show's coming on soon. Don't you have classes to go to?"
"It's Saturday, Dad." Dib frowned, "And I'm not kidding! Zim isn't the alien that's taking over the world! Ian is! That freak Gaz hangs out with!"
"I have to go." Membrane turned on heel and walked out on stage again. He was about to say something when he paused. The sound of static filled the studio, and everyone was transfixed on the screens behind Professor Membrane.
"Hello. I'll skip assumptions and say you are wondering why I'm on your screens." Dib and Zim looked at each other and ran onto the stage. The screens all showed Ian.
"Oh, so good to see everyone is paying attention." Ian grinned wickedly, "My name is Ian. I am not of this world. However, I'm going to take over this planet, because I feel like it. If you don't believe me, look at this." The screen flashed to static and then showed red ships with a certain insignia on them.
"The armada!" Zim cackled, "The armada is come!" Dib just gave him a strange look. Among the red ships were many smaller black ships that weaved in and out of the red ships. The screens flickered back to Ian.
"Say hello to the Irken armada. Not to mention a few of my people, from the planet Ion. Your planet is doomed. You may wonder why I'm telling you this. First of all—Zim and Dib. Zim, you've been excommunicated from the Irken army. You have been for six years. Dib—go ahead and try. I dare you. Try and kill me.
"Next—Professor Membrane. You are revered as this planet's greatest scientist. You have doubted your son all his life—and now you learn he's right. You are wrong. Think about that, and then try to keep working.
"To the rest of you humans I say this: If you defy me, you will die. Obey, and you live. Get ready for a war. My first attack will happen in thirty days. Be ready, or you will all die with no fight. Goodbye."
The screens flickered and died. Professor Membrane was on his knees on the stage, and everyone was silent.
Dib and Zim just looked at each other.
—to be continued—