THE SPAWN

By Unknowner

Author's Note: Life is good! All the usual disclaimers apply (if you didn't read `em in previous chapters, go and do that now) plus the new disclaimers: I have no ownership over Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Spider Man, Mr. T, Cheese-Whiz, Aerosol Butter, or Artie McWailen's House of Discount Prosthesis. Good luck finding all the references in this chapter!

Finally, thanks to all that reviewed. You rock! Again!

Chapter 9

Zim awoke with a start. He'd fallen asleep again, much to his chagrin. Shaking his head, he picked up the arc-torch and went to his modifications on the battlesuits that Membrane had created. Not really bad, he had to admit, but not great either... decidedly inferior to Irken tech anyway. Even so, Zim was beginning to doubt the wisdom in not letting the professor come back to his home base with him, even just to help him on the development of the suits. Zim paused, leaning back. Gaz was the only human he'd ever let into his base willingly. Maybe... maybe it WAS time to start trusting them a bit more. After all, they'd been kind to him since the Spurt. Dib had even lent him some old clothes- and Zim had to admit, these "blue jeans" were almost FRIGHTENINGLY comfortable. But then again... the Invader's base was his home... his inner sanctum... the only place where he felt he could truly be at peace...

"You really should've brought me down here last time." Zim spun around to see Gaz in the doorway to his humble lab, holding a plastic grocery bag. Sure, she'd been down there before... and it WAS kind of lame that he didn't have any games... but still, this room was kinda cool.

"Gaz? What-"

"Broughtcha a snack. Gir said you hadn't come up since you left yesterday."

"It's already been a day?" Zim rubbed his eyes. It HAD seemed like it...

"Almost two." Gaz sat down by the long counter, laden with its dozens of alien instruments, and pulled out a package of Airheads. Handing three to Zim, she tore open a cherry one and began munching on it.

"So... is your dad still poring over my genetic code?"

"Nah. He's moved on to some kind of gravity-cannon for us to use." Silence. Zim bit into his Airhead, staring at the floor. "So... is this what you've done so far?"

"Hm? Yeah. You should probably try out the suit I made for you. The mental controls take some getting used to." Zim had been loathe to let anyone else face the Drone, but Gaz had always proven a fierce foe in combat... plus she had insisted. And you just didn't disagree with Gaz when she decided something, unless you wanted to lose an arm... or something...

Gaz picked up the Hyper-Kevlanium-Omega (tm) weave suit, inspecting it closely. The padding was thin, but her father had insisted that it could absorb the concentrated energy from a nuclear blast (if not the concussion). A pair of energy guns of some sort were slung at the waist, and the armored gauntlets - the only bulky part of the armor aside from the boots- fairly screamed "hidden weapons here!" The odd backpack-like attachment that Zim had added was the most obvious change... the same kind of pack that she often saw spidery legs pop out of when Zim was fighting with Dib. Smiling grimly, Gaz unzipped the front of the suit- and blanched when she saw a line of metal portrusions along the back of the suit's lining.

"What are these for?"

"Mental uplink. It recieves messages from your nerves through your skin... like radio signals through a bedsheet." Gaz could say less for the analogy, but she got it.

"Uh... you mind?" Gaz stared at Zim. He looked from her to the open suit... back to her... to the suit....

"Oooooh. Okay." He walked out the door, letting her get changed in peace.

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"How does it look?" Gaz cracked a smile as Zim re-entered the room. The form-fitting suit was a royal blue, which set off her eyes quite nicely. Zim gave her the thumbs-up, pulling up a diagnostic screen on a nearby computer.

"All right. The suit operates entirely through mental control. In essence, it becomes an extention of your body. First, you should try to feel it... become one with the armor..."

"Skip to the good part, will ya?" Gaz was beginning to sound irritated.

"Uh... okay... try to control the insect legs. They're folded up in your tool-pak." Gaz nodded, staring forward. Her brow knitted in concentration, and then, she leapt into the air.

"INSECT-LEGS... ACTIVATE!" Gaz landed on the floor with a dull thump, still sans the cybernetic legs.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Lemme try it again." She closed her eyes. "Go, Legs!" Nothing. "Shazam!" Nothing. "Fly, secto-legs!" Stil nothing. Zim was hardly able to contain his laughter. He buckled over in his chair. Can't laugh. If I do, she'll kill me. If I don't

"BWAHAAAaaa... HAHAHAHAHAAAAHAHAHAHa!" Zim fell over, giggling.

"What's so funny?" Gaz pulled him up by his collar, her teeth grinding.

"It's.. it's you- NO, DON'T HURT Meee... heheheeee... It's just... snicker... you're trying to make such a big DEAL out of it!"

"Uh... I'm kinda trying to make SPIDER LEGS pop out of my BACK. I'd classify that as a big deal."

"No! You've got to let it come naturally! Just- just relax, okay?" Gaz nodded, a bit frustrated, and closed her eyes. For a second, her face went blank. Then, out of the pack, a quartet of spindly legs popped out, hefting her near the ceiling. Gaz smiled.

"Got it."

Zim smiled, more than a bit surprised. It had taken him days to get used to the tool-pak, but Gaz was using them after only a few minutes. Before he could congratulate her, the peace was broken by the blaring of a klaxon.

"WARNING! IRKEN SLAUGHTER-DRONE HAS ENTERED SOL SYSTEM! ESTIMATED TIME TO ARRIVAL: 45 HOURS." Zim's eyes narrowed.

"I hope your brother takes to that thing the way you do, Gaz. We're running out of time."



Gidj sucked on the Brainfreezy straw, a look of utter bliss on her face. She was in sugar-high-heaven. Gir had already finished off the `freezy, and was in the store picking up another one. He walked out, carrying another cup.

"I got vanilla-cucumber!" Gir stared at Gidj, who was staring straight ahead, a plastered look on her face. "Awwww.. whatcha thinkin?"

"Izabutterfly!" Gidj Grinned insanely. "Da clowns are trying to eats me brain! But m3 1z t00 l33t 4 d3m! ph33r m4 cut3 sk1llz! 1 p1ty d4 f00lz d4t n0 ph33r m4 sk1llz! |\/|y|\|0ck5!"

"You talk funny." Gir's head lolled to the side.

"GIR! WE MUST CONQUER THE PIDGEONS! THEY ARE DIRTY, DIRTY BIRDIES!"

"I like pidgeons! And squirty dairy stuff!" Gidj's eyes narrowed.

"Evil avian lover! I must destroy them all! THEY WANT MY LUCKY CHARMS! DEY IZ STALKING MEEEEE! I MUST FLEEEEEEE!" Gisj skipped off towards town, and Gir headed back to the house, sucking down the brainfreezy, a single thought in his tuna-filled head.

"She's fun!"

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