Family

I don't own Invader Zim. I leave the disturbed 'leftovers' of this show to their rightful owner, Jhonen Vasquez.

Only Deed Membrane belongs to me, as well as any future... smeets...

Chapter Eight

"Mind explaining something to me?" Deed asked as Zim walked into the living room. She was perched on the arm of the couch, nose burried in a book as GIR watched the Scary Monkey Show.

"What?" Zim asked, eyeing the oblivious robot for a moment before turning his attention to Deed.

"What do you plan on doing to my brother?" Deed didn't even turn to look at him. Zim stared at her back, wondering if this were a trap or not.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, should I be getting ready for any little neices or nephews any time soon?" Deed growled, turning to look at him. Zim ran a hand over his antennae as he looked away from her.

"Don't tell me it's not possible, Zim. Dib and I are living proof that it doesn't matter what you are."

"I know. It's just that it's up to Dib. I've been around long enough to know that smeets are a handfull, and require alot of attention. Also, we're not entirely sure how we're going to go about it." Deed rolled her eyes, placing her book down.

"You make an artificial egg." She said, staring at him. "You do know how babies are made, right?"

"No, I actually think I skipped class that day." Zim rolled his eyes. "Do you think I'm a complete idiot?"

"You really want me to answer that?"

"...No." Picking the book back up, Deed waved him off.

"Go find out how to make an egg or something. Can't you see I'm trying to work?" Zim turned to leave, and Deed remembered something.

"Zim?" He turned his head in her direction as she leaned back over the arm of the couch. "How's Dib?"

"His fever's broke. Now he's sleeping."

"Good."


"Darian, answer the God damned phone!" Deed growled, staring at the clock on the wall. He should have been home from work by now.

"Hello?" Deed took in a breath. Not the person she was wanting, but it would do.

"Hey Issa!" The little voice on the other end giggled.

"Deed! Daddy's not home!" Deed nodded, smiling to herself. Issa was, in all matter, Darian's daughter. The woman shuddered slightly at the thought of leaving the girl alone with his sister. The was not one of her top choices of baby sitters.

"Issa, when he gets home, tell him to call me?"

"Of course!" Nodding to herself, Deed thought to finish up the call.

"I'll talk to you later, baby. Love you."

"Love you too!" The little voice chimed back. Deed smiled and snapped her phone shut.

What happens if she's too late, and Darian's already dead at work? She tried to shake the thought from her head. After all, she had work to do.


Deed found Dib seated infront of the computer, laptop hooked up and running through different variations of viruses.

"Didn't think I'd see you up so soon." She said, smiling. Dib nodded, looking at her.

"You know me, I can't stay down for too long." With a small giggled, she leaned over her brother's back.

"But that was because most of the time you were in the hospital." Dib turned and looked at her.

"You think it had something to do with Zim?" Deed shook her head, laughing silently. Dib turned back to his work. "So you come up with any ideas yet?"

"No, we'll need a test subject first. I was thinking we could use some cell samples to find out what happens..." Dib's eyes got big as he trailed off. "That's it!"

Deed looked at him, confused. "What's it?"

"We can create something that causes the cells to break down... dissolve, even. If we can get it to work fast enough, then we might just be able to kill them before this has a chance to spread!" Dib exclaimed, and Deed raised an eyebrow.

"I thought killing everyone was the point. It's not like we're humans, we have no reason to be concerned with what happens to them." Deed said, pulling away from her brother. Dib turned to look at her.

"We're going to, but I was thinking more along the lines of blowing this place up." Dib said blankly. Deed swallowed.

Blowing the planet up would mean blowing up their mother's remains.

"Go ahead an start on the virus. I need to try and get ahold of someone." Deed said, stumbling out of the lab. Dib shrugged, going back to the computer.

Of course, he was too young to remember their mother. He'd always been to young for anything.

Taking a shakey breath, Deed braced herself against the wall of the elevator. 'If she was still alive, what would she say to this?'

"Heh, if she were still alive, then Dib and I would have a lot less scars. Emotional and physical." She whispered, reaching up to run her hand through her hair. There had been a time when it stuck up similar to Dib's. No matter how long it grew, there was always that same scythe-like lock that she could not get to go down.

Chopping it off had solved that problem. Her brother, however, had managed to find a way to get his to hang down over his face.

"If she were still alive, than... maybe our lives could have been normal."