"Talking"
'Thinking'
Stressed
Record Message For…I dare you…just leave one…after the tone…Beep…
"Hey, just calling to see what you did with Tak's Shell and Pak. The Swollen Eyeball Members are looking over the ship. I just thought you'd like to be kept up to date. Well…talk to you…sometime…I guess..."
Her amber eyes glared at the machine. She thought she had trashed it. The damn thing kept beeping whenever she received a message. She smirked, not many left messages or had her number. Gaz walked across the short distance and pressed the button to delete the message. Dib wasn't expecting a call back, and she wasn't going to give him a call back. She reached to the side of the answering machine and grabbed the pot of coffee she had just brewed. She poured it into her cup and threw the empty pot into the sink.
She ignored the shattering of glass and walked off to the living room. Gaz jumped onto the couch carefully. She didn't want to spill coffee upon her. She raised the cup to her lips and sipped it. Her left eye twitched at the potency and she picked up the remote. Gaz turned the TV on and watched the media. She scoffed at all the advertisements…call Mrs. Doughboy for your future…call Mr. Gacy for Debit Consolidation…Come to wherever to enter into her reality. She turned on the news and sighed
Gaz clicked the button on the remote and turned it all off. She sat alone in the silence and sighed. Her amber eyes searched the room and she wondered when she had grown uncomfortable. She sipped her coffee and set the mug on the table. Standing up she walked to the few trunks by the door. She constantly moved and no time to settle in one place. Gaz walked over to the black trunk and pulled it from the top of the other three. It crashed as it hit the floor and she winced a bit at the sound. It had invaded her perfect silence. She kneeled and reached for the blackened latches. Her fingers carefully pushed the latches up. She moved her hands back and watched them fall. Gripping the hard leather of the trunk she raised the lid.
'I'm surprised some rabid fan hasn't stolen this junk,' Gaz mused with a grin.
Her hands reached inside and pushed aside her childhood clothes. She furrowed her eyebrows wondering why she had chosen to keep some of this junk. He finger caught on a string and she raised it up. Her skull necklace dangled at the end. The skull was still intact and white. She ran a finger over the front and felt the sharp scratch in it. She dropped it back into the box and reached inside with a bit more enthusiasm. Her hands gripped a doll and she pulled out.
'A Zim voodoo doll,' Gaz chuckled.
She used to have this doll hanging on her bedpost. She had tried to curse Zim, but found out his luck couldn't get any worse. Gaz had given up her voodoo, mostly because it failed. She quickly tossed the doll back inside the trunk and reached again. Her fingers caressed cold metal and she jerked back. Amber eyes gazed at the trunk in mild fear. She looked over the edge of the trunk and her eyes widened. She could see the end of metal antennae sticking out from the sheets. Her hand reached out and pulled the sheet slowly off. Dark black eyes…she remembered this…how could she forget?
"Gir," Gaz softly whispered.
She lifted the Sirunit out from the trunk. His eyes were dark and empty of the usual insanity that she remembered. She held him up to the light and checked for any rust. He was in perfect condition, just not on. Gaz tilted him to the side wondering if she should activate him. Her pupils narrowed at past memories and wondered if this would be dangerous.
'He won't remember,' Gaz thought.
Gaz tilted him again searching for an on button or switch. She flipped him upside down expecting to find something. There was nothing upon the metal. Her pupils narrowed and she tossed him to the side.
"Stupid robot," Gaz growled as she stood up.
A scream traveled through the room and her eyes widened. She covered her ears and turned toward the piercing sound. Gir's cyan eyes were bright and glowing. His mouth was open in a repetitive scream. Gaz growled at the annoying sound.
"Silence Gir!" Gaz shouted.
She expected him to continue screaming, but it came to a stop. Her amber eyes gazed at the robot. He was staring at her. She couldn't tell if he was confused or what. Gaz slowly lowered her hands figuring there wouldn't be anymore screaming. Gir sat on the floor and goofy smile came onto his face, his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth.
"You sounded like Master," Gir suddenly said.
Her eyes widened and she kneeled in front of Gir. She watched as he began to tap his legs against the floor and sing. His eyes closed and he bobbed his head to his own tune. Gaz inched a bit closer; she was shocked. He was one of many ghosts within her past. He stopped his humming and stared at her again.
"What do you remember?" Gaz suddenly asked.
"It was all loud…and everything went kablam!" Gir shouted before he began to laugh.
Gaz nodded as he waved his arms for effect. She guessed that was all he really knew about what happened. Gaz stood up and watched as Gir got to his feet. He widely grinned at her and jumped at her face. She stepped back, but his metal lips had already touched hers. Gaz quickly pulled him off by his antenna and wiped her mouth of drool.
"How can a robot drool?" Gaz growled.
Her amber eyes glared at Gir and he smiled. He wiggled his legs and acted like he was running. Gaz rolled her eyes and dropped him to the ground. He made a clunk noise and she walked to her kitchen once more. She could hear his metal legs clicking against the floor as he followed her. Gaz flung open a cabinet and pulled out a boxTrippy Cereal. She stared at the picture and rolled her eyes, it had a white rabbit surround by mushrooms on his sides and his eyes were a bit crazy.
"What are you doing?" Gir asked as he jumped on top of her counter.
Gaz simply handed him the box of cereal. Gir smiled at her as he grabbed the box. She watched as he bit into the cardboard. The sound of crunching and tearing echoed through the air. The silence was slowly being filled. Gaz sighed and leaned on the counter. She was finally beginning to miss her loud life. Dib was always there to shout conspiracies; Gir was there to talk nonsense, and Zim...
'Forget it,' Gaz ordered herself.
Her eyes drifted to Gir and she found that he was gone. She shot up and searched the open area. Her eyes darted everywhere and she began to panic. Sir units were programmed in Impending Doom; she couldn't have him roaming the building. Gaz quickly ran out of the kitchen and decided to search the rooms. Her eyes saw that all doors except one was closed.
'My bedroom,' Gaz thought.
She walked faster when she heard giggling. Her pupils narrowed when she realized that was where she had stored Tak. She ran to the door and completely pushed it open. She hoped that Gir had not done anything. The door slammed against the wall and she saw a familiar flash and then movement. Gaz felt her body slam against the wall, her head snapped back and forward. The pressure on her forearms was amazing. Her vision blurred and she felt herself want to vomit. The pressure on her arms vanished and moved to her neck. Her vision cleared.
Angry violet eyes, no longer dull with deactivation. They were filled with a life and rage. She could still see the little piece of machinery attached to her forehead. Her mouth was thinned in distrust. Gaz lowered her eyes and grinned, the alien's outfit was practically nonexistent. Gaz wheezed from the tight chokehold.
"Tell me where I am human filth!" Tak demanded, her voice still held the accent, but it was cracked.
Gaz reached up and gripped her wrists. She quickly swung her legs forward and wrapped them around Tak's body. Gaz squeezed tight and twisted. Tak's eyes bulged in surprise and Gaz used her free hand to pinch a nerve at the wrist. Tak released her and they fell to the floor. Gaz quickly scrambled away and glared at the Irken.
"Pff…you could have at least tried to harm me," Gaz replied.
Tak's eyes glared at the human and her implant flashed. Gaz blinked and softly chuckled as she took a step back.
"I thought you learnt long ago that it doesn't work," Gaz mocked.
Tak's eyes squinted as she stood and looked the human over. Gaz took note that they were about the same height. Tak's eyes suddenly widened and narrowed again.
"You're that human's sister…the one who helped…Zim," Tak growled as her fist clenched.
"Gaz," she replied as she walked across the room and to a dresser.
Tak stood up and relaxed a bit in confusion. It angered her that the human had dismissed her so easily. Tak glared at her back for good measure. Gaz pulled out an outfit and tossed it at the alien. Tak raised her hand and caught it before it could hit her face.
"Put those on…unless you like being nude," Gaz replied as she picked up Gir and left the room.
The door slammed shut and Gaz threw Gir into the living room. He laughed as he landed on her couch. Gaz leaned on the counter again and stared into the sink. The glass from her pot was broken. She raised an eyebrow wondering if she could get Gir to pick it up. Gaz sighed and figured the robot might cause more harm than good. She reached into the sink and carefully pulled a shard out. She dropped it onto a towel. Repeating the action she stopped and growled.
"I'll just pay someone to do this."
She heard a soft curse and looked to the hallway. Gaz watched as Tak stepped into the kitchen area. She grinned at the outfit Tak wore. It was based off the original Irken uniform. Gaz actually had a clothing line out to go with her virtual empire. It was slightly modified to fit her tastes, since she had it designed for her own use. Tight black pants that were made of nothing but buckles and leather straps. It only came down to her knees. The shirt was a black with violet-stripped arms. Gaz looked at Tak's feet and grinned.
'Who knew Irkens didn't have toes,' Gaz mused.
"Welcome to life," Gaz greeted with a smirk. Tak scowled and her antennae flattened in anger.
"I'm not a smeet, Gaz," Tak firmly said as she watched Gaz.
Gaz looked at the Irken and shrugged. It had been close to nine years since she had last seen a living Irken. The ones within her Empire were brilliant, but they didn't compare to reality. The virtual Irkens weren't as lively as the ones in reality; it was because they were human on the other end. Gaz gazed at Tak, a real Irken. She frowned, her heart ached a bit and she realized that she hated reality a bit more. Gaz walked around Tak and took a seat on the stool closest to her counter. She motioned for Tak to sit, but she just stood.
"How did you find me?" Tak questioned, anger hid beneath her words.
"Your pod crashed a few days ago…my brother and I found it and you," Gaz answered.
Music played in the background and she looked toward her stereo. Gir had found the remote and was blasting MSI. Gaz pinched her nose and looked to Tak. She could see that the Irken was trying to figure something out. Gaz smirked and watched Tak. Her stare was upon Gir as he danced around the front room.
"Isn't that junk Zim's unit?" Tak questioned as her violet eyes turned back to Gaz.
"Yeah," Gaz replied with a shrug.
"Why's it here?" Tak questioned.
Gaz frowned and her features darkened. She pushed off of the stool and walked over the tinted windows. Gaz silently stared at the city not looking for anything in particular.
"That's not your concern," Gaz coldly replied.
Tak scowled and walked over to Gaz. She grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her. Gaz stepped back and glared at Tak once more.
"It is my concern," Tak growled. "Zim is the only being on this planet that might have a way for me to reach Irk!"
Gaz stood up from her crouch and smiled. She began to laugh. Gaz knew that it shouldn't amuse her that Tak had some hope of escape. She also figured that there was nothing funny about Zim.
"Zim isn't here anymore," Gaz replied with a grin.
Tak's angry gaze turned to shock. Her antennae lifted from her skull as she tried to think. Gaz returned to staring out the window. She could hear the silence returning despite Gir blasting music. It was more of an inner silence, one that had existed since Zim.
"What happened to him?" Tak finally asked breaking the silence she was so used to.
"All you need to know is that his shell's gone and everything that he had was destroyed," Gaz softly replied as her eyes closed.
"There's nothing left?" Tak pushed, she needed the technology to escape Earth.
"Nothing," Gaz replied crushing her hope.
Tak stepped back and took a seat at the counter. Her ungloved hands tapped at the counter. Gaz leaned against the cool glass of the window. She looked over to Tak and frowned. It was going to be hard hiding an alien in a world of humans. Gaz walked back over to her trunk and shut the lid. She locked it and pulled a dark crimson one toward her. She snapped open the locks and sighed as she held the lid in her hands. She owned the trunk, but everything in there wasn't her property. Gaz pushed it over and amber eyes listlessly gazed at the items.
The music was still pounding in the background as Gir's feet clicked against the floor. She reached pulled out the first item. Her hand clenched and it squeaked. Gir was instantly at her side stealing the object from her hand.
"Pig! I missed-ed you!" Gir cried as he squeezed the pig.
Gaz smirked, and she reached in again. She pushed aside a headless puppet's body. Her hand brushed against random, failed experiments. She shifted more objects and her eyes widened in surprise. It was book that she recognized. She pulled it out and slightly opened it enough so she could look at it. Gaz slammed it shut and stood up; Tak was looking at her. Gaz perked an eyebrow at Tak as she stuck the album under her arm.
"This trunk has random Irken technology in it…feel free to use it," Gaz offered.
"How did you get it?" Tak suspiciously questioned.
"I saved it…how else?" Gaz snapped as she walked off.
Tak watched her live the area. Her violet eyes looked to the human and knew that she was hiding something. She remembered the girl as a child; she was always dark. It seemed like that hadn't changed. Tak walked over to the trunk and began to dig around in it. She found random chips, a few leg replacement parts for the PAK, a power core, but nothing else. She gripped the edge of the trunk and growled. She reached in again and picked items out individually. Most of the items in here were outdated, even outdated for when Zim was around. She picked up a small item that caught her eyes and sighed.
'What happened to the pest-Zim?' Tak wondered. 'I wouldn't be surprised if that Gaz did away with him.'
She removed the last item and her eyes widened a bit. Tak picked up the piece of paper and pulled it out. She flipped it around and her eyes bulged. The picture had to be false, planted to mess with her frazzled mind. The picture was beginning to fade, but it was still clear enough to see. Gaz was only looked about eleven in the picture. Her violet hair was pulled into a bun with a few strands in her face. She wore a black hooded sweatshirt and her skull necklace was still on. Gaz was leaning against something with a true smile upon her face. Her amber eyes were open and gazing at the person she was leaning on. She easily recognized the bad disguise.
'Zim,' Tak thought in confusion.
Zim wore the lenses and was still his same short stature, but he was grinning. His arms were up and his left hand held her free hand. His right hand was on his hip. Tak could easily see that his wig was slipping from his head as Gaz leaned on. Her eyes studied the picture's background. It was in front of a middle school. Tak stuffed the picture into her shirt and remained hunched over the trunk. She knew that Invaders needed no one, which needed nothing but the Empire. Her eyes turned to Gir dancing on the table.
'Than why was Zim…happy?' Tak thought as she slammed the lid down and stood up.
She tinkered with item in her hand and looked down at it. Tak twisted it and flipped it around. Her antennae perked as she realized what it was. This was the item that would help blend in with the humans.
'Outdated hologram,' Tak thought with disdain.
She figured it was better than nothing. Her violet eyes strayed to the window and she quickly walked over to the large glass. Once the hologram was fixed, she would be able to wander around. Tak heard footsteps and looked over her shoulder. Gaz was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
"Find anything?" Gaz questioned.
Tak wanted to ask about the photo, demand answers. She knew that the girl wouldn't talk easily. Tak held up the small item and noticed Gaz's features fall. The returned to uncaring and Gaz looked back toward Gir.
"It needs to be repaired," Tak stated.
"Tell me what tools you need and I'll get them," Gaz grumbled.
"Why help me?" Tak questioned. "I did try and destroy your planet."
Gaz raised an eyebrow at this and chuckled. She wasn't really helping; just making sure no harm came to her Empire. Gaz shrugged and walked back into the kitchen. She pulled open a drawer and grabbed a pad and paper.
"I don't think you'll destroy the planet now…it would be stupid since you have no escape," Gaz reasoned. "Besides…do you want to be dissected?"
Tak stared at Gaz before she began to list off items. She had no one on this planet to trust. It wasn't like she could waltz out and find help. Tak decided to go with the flow; it was always better to take what was available than to make things more difficult. It wasn't like she had another choice available.
Username: Tallest Z
Password: IM8ncient
Processing…Logging Tallest Z, leader of the Irken Empire into the system…
Select Destination…The Massive
Tallest Z opened her eyes and stepped from the teleport. Her amber eyes blinked and she could see the data loading. It seemed that the Massive was floating closer to the Zeta sector. She turned left and decided to head to the advisors hall. There were things that she needed, and she needed to talk to a certain someone or Irken. As she floated, various Irkens saluted her and greeted her with her title. Her amber eyes remained focus on the hall ahead. Z came to the door ahead and it opened as she approached it. Red and Purple eyes turned toward her and they saluted. Her amber eyes searched the room and she grinned.
"You!" Tallest Z snapped. "Come with me!"
The Irken with the blue eyes grinned as he stood from his seat. His height reached just below her shoulders. He walked behind her as she entered a separate room. His blue eyes gleamed at her and she scoffed.
"What do need my Tallest?" The Irken questioned.
"Advisor Sniggi, I have a task for you," Tallest Z spoke.
"So, you're back in town?" Sniggi questioned.
Tallest Z nodded and took a seat. Sniggi remained standing as he watched her. His antennae twitched and he blinked.
"Yes…I am," Tallest Z replied.
"Why do you think I'll do anything for you?" Sniggi questioned.
Tallest Z darkly smiled and replied, "Because…I can have you deactivated in this world. Ban you from your existence."
His blue eyes widened before he laughed. Z tapped her fingers against the armrest as she waited for an answer.
"As long as there is no elevator, I have nothing to fear," Sniggi replied.
"Is that a no?" Z questioned with a dark stare.
"No," Sniggi quickly assured.
"So, it's a yes," Z assumed.
"It's more of not having a choice," Sniggi corrected.
"True, but you're such a game freak, and I trust you can get these things for me," Z replied.
"If it's technology…I can get it," Sniggi assured.
Z began to list the items and he began to write them down. He didn't bother to question her, because he knew she would never tell. On the other hand, he really didn't care to ask. She was the ruler of Impending Doom and he no choice but to obey or be banished.
"Have it at my place by noon tomorrow," Tallest Z ordered.
"Noon tomorrow?" Sniggi questioned.
"Do you need more time?" Z mocked.
"No," Sniggi assured.
"Good," Z replied as she stood.
She floated to the door and before it opened Sniggi cleared his throat. Z looked back at him and he smirked.
"You know I'm the better gamer," Sniggi replied.
"Not in any reality," Z replied as she floated off with a grin. She hated his virtual form as she much as she hated the real him.
Author's Note:
A vegan werewolf...I've never heard that analogy before.
Oh well, Tak is now in the picture and so is Gir. Gir will have more of appearance throughout the story.
Thanks to those that reviewed and those that still continue to review.
