I was initially going to skip a scene, since the chapter was getting rather long, but I couldn't. After going through and editing it before writing the final scenes, I just had to include it. I'm glad I did! I usually don't re-add scenes I cut, even in later chapters, so I was debating it a while. This is a long one, so have fun! A lot happens this chapter so pacing might be a bit wonky.
Enjoy!
Part 73: Learning Experiences
Gaz sipped her coffee leisurely, watching the steam rise to the ceiling. She'd slept… almost as well as she normally did, knowing that there was an entire AI controlled house, a flying moose that she still wasn't sure was a robot or some weird Frankenstein creation, an actual robot, and Zim in the house with her. With at least four levels of defense between her and Tak, she'd been able to get better sleep than she'd anticipated.
She was still somewhat a slave to coffee, however.
She'd gotten nowhere near as much of a head start on her caffeine addiction as Dib had, but she had grown a hardy addiction, nonetheless. Looking over Zim and Tak as they sat across the table from her, she was beginning to wonder if she should grab another pair of mugs. But coffee still used water, and she doubted further soiling water with coffee was by any degree better than purifying it.
Maybe if she used truly purified water for the coffee, she'd be able to get Zim on a caffeine kick, as well.
Gaz glanced between the two. They were each looking worse for wear. Perhaps because neither of them got much sleep the night before. Zim because he had been glaring daggers at Tak all night, and Tak because Gaz had, at some point, leaned against her when she'd fallen asleep. Tak hadn't moved her, for some reason, and Gaz had already decided on her new curiosity because of that. Zim blinked slowly at Tak, who blew at him in response.
Yep. Mental exhaustion. Who would've thought, Gaz thought. She tapped her finger on the side of the mug. She wouldn't put it past Zim to have watched Tak like a hawk every minute that Gaz had been asleep.
She wanted to interrogate Tak on it but thought better of it. Dib wasn't even awake yet and she wasn't risking waking him up with both Irkens screaming their heads off. The boy barely got sleep as it was, as far as she was still aware.
"So," she says, setting the mug down and refilling it. "Wake him up before he gets up himself and I'll flip you on your backs."
"Do you have to threaten me first thing in the morning?" Zim asks dryly.
"Yes."
Tak didn't respond past finally taking her gaze off Zim to flick it groggily over to Gaz. Gaz raised her brow at her. Surely it wasn't that easy to tire out an Irken when they barely ever slept, anyway, was it? Did they take micro-naps or something? Gaz smirked.
"Want to know something really—"
"NO." Tak says immediately, setting her hands on the table with finality. Gaz kept staring at her, her face placid now. Several minutes passed. Tak's brow started to twitch. "Fine. What? What is it?"
Zim blinked, looking between the two. Gaz smirked, settling into her chair before she started speaking. Now that he thought of it, this was similar to what Dib had done with him, wasn't it? Gaz's approach was much more of a strong-arm method, though, playing to Tak's curiosity more so than testing her patience. If she didn't just silently wait Tak out, though, Zim was certain that Gaz would force whatever screwed up fact upon her regardless.
And it happened to pique his own morbid curiosity. He'd learned more about the random creatures of the planet from these two siblings than he had from trying to navigate the asinine maze that was their internet. He had spaced out just a little, coming back completely when his PAK picked up what Gaz was actually saying.
"—no pain receptors, and so brain surgery is done while they're awake, so they can actually speak if the doctors screwed something up," Gaz says, not bothering to pause to give Tak a second to actually absorb the information. Tak took a moment to try and let that sink in. She leaned back a little.
"…Oddly… useful?"
Zim hummed, tapping his claws on the table. He'd actually known that one already, as it was.
"Teeth don't only grow in the mouth," Gaz says. Zim choked back a surprised laugh and Tak reeled back in disgust. "Well, it isn't common, but—"
"Gaz, stop terrorizing them," Dib yawned, moving like a zombie into the kitchen.
"Only when it stops being fun," Gaz says. Tak groaned, hunching her shoulders. Dib stretched, popping his back. Tak reeled back from him, horror flashing over her face for a moment, and Gaz snickered.
"You, too?!" Dib asks.
"That is vile," Tak says.
Gaz started laughing into her hand. She shoved the coffee pot to Dib. He took it tiredly to the counter. As he started filling his own mug and restarting another pot, he started to wake himself up.
"Okay," he begins. "I have classes today, and Zim, you do, too."
"And?" Zim asks.
"I had an idea," Dib says. Zim sighed heavily, deflating in his seat. Dib waved his hand, sniffing the coffee and sighing.
"I can wait to hear it," Zim says.
"It's—" Dib shot him a glare. "—It's just that I thought you could probably take Tak to one of your classes and we can meet up for lunch?"
"What."
"I'd rather be tortured again," Tak spits. Gaz gave a gruff laugh and motioned to the fudge on the counter.
"Be my guest," she challenges. Tak smacked the plate off the table.
"I would rather," Tak corrects, crossing her arms defiantly. "Stay here."
"With Gir as your watch dog instead?" Gaz asks, brow raised. Take paused, eyes flicking to where Gir was eating the fudge off the floor. Her brow twitched in time with an antenna.
"Yes."
Gaz clicked her tongue at her, looking a little put out. She shrugged and stood, heading for the door. "I'm going to meet my friends," she called behind her. Dib waved her off. He stretched again, yawning, and patting Zim's shoulder on his way past him again.
"I'm going to get ready," he says. "Don't kill each other."
"No promises," Zim mumbled.
Tak sank in the chair, glowering at Zim as her antennae twitched. It took Dib only a few minutes to return back into the living room to grab his bag. He bid both of them farewell, but Zim was the only one to raise his hand in response. Eventually, though, he did leave the table. Tak watched him as he walked to the linen closet.
"Gir."
"Yes, sir?" Gir saluted as Zim passed.
"Watch the entrance. She's not allowed inside," Zim ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
Tak sighed, watching Gir march to the kitchen entrance and just stare at her. She waited until the eyes turned blue once more before she chanced getting up from the table. She didn't want to take on a SIR unit, even a defective one, without one of her own. Even a defective SIR unit was a threat. That said, Gir didn't seem to be running on half capacity, much less full.
Tak sauntered into the living room, spotting Gir in front of the linen closet. He was holding the ends of his feet, using them to keep steady as he rolled in circles on his rear, mimicking a siren of some kind, albeit very quietly. Tak took a decisive step towards the linen closet.
"WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO! NO INTRUDERS IN THE LABS!" Gir screech, hopping up and getting in a fighting stance.
Tak backed up more to the sudden spike in noise than because of Gir getting ready to fight. Her antennae flattened against her skull. It wasn't until she was a few steps back that Gir finally stopped mimicking a siren. Tak glowered at him, pressing her palms to her antennae to help muffle any more noise. She took an experimental step forward and Gir opened his mouth, stopping before he could screech again when Tak swiftly pivoted to step back again.
She tapped her foot a moment before an idea struck her. She disappeared back into the kitchen. Gir tilted his head as she disappeared behind the wall. He could hear her moving things around but didn't budge. Zim hadn't specified she wasn't allowed anywhere else in the house, after all, just that the labs were off limits.
Tak looked around the room. Her brow was twitching in irritation as she scanned the cabinets, walls, floor, table, fridge—anything she could see. There wasn't a lot that she could use at her disposal. She could try to throw food at the robot to distract him perhaps. She grabbed the first thing she could see.
Tak peeked out of the kitchen. Gir was still where he had been before, just pivoted her direction now. She threw the peanut butter jar in a wide arc above Gir's head. His head snapped up to watch it, and Tak braced her foot on the door frame for a kickoff, halting when she watched Gir's arms extend upward and snatch the jar out of the air. He laughed with a 'thanks', stowing it in his head for later, and grinning at her.
Piece of—!
Tak stomped back into the kitchen for another look around. She couldn't use her own plasma guns—The Computer would blast her into ash if she tried. Same with her PAK legs to stab through Gir's body or head. She could destroy him and try and storm the labs, if she had to. But that was a last resort. An Irken base was formidable no matter what Irken designed the exterior and visible sections to appear as. She didn't have back up or a SIR unit to use to her advantage, and most of the base was underground. If she wanted to sneak her way in that would require getting inside the walls, or digging under, and she had nor the time or patience for that. Not with the Computer likely spying on her every move.
Her eyes landed on an object wedged between the fridge and cabinets. She sighed. If this didn't work, she probably had other options at her disposal that she hadn't seen yet. And Zim hadn't ordered Gir to actually incapacitate her, so it was a safe bet Gir wouldn't break her limbs. She hoped.
Tak snatched the broom and reemerged clutching it like a lance. She glared Gir down with determination. Gir hopped a few times, raising his tiny hands in fisticuffs, and giggling. Tak rushed him, shoving the broom at his body and forcing him to the end of the hall. His giggles were the only indication to her that he was truly moving further away, since she opted to focus entirely on the door. She grabbed the knob and tried to turn it.
It locked in place.
Tak's squeedly-spooch plummeted, and she sighed in defeat, spotting Gir in her peripheral. She had enough time to drop the broom before he slammed into her side. He hit her with more force than she had expected. She'd braced her feet for the impact speed of a grapple, not a full-blown tackle to the ground. Gir was still laughing, even as Tak growled and grabbed him by his torso, throwing him down the hall. Gir spun halfway down the hall, skidding on the floor and skipping back to his designated guard post in front of the linen closet door.
She was surprised he didn't try to legitimately harm her in some way. Tak sat there for a moment to stew in her options again. No blasting him, or she'd be turned to ash. No piercing, or same result. The broom wouldn't work again because of the lock keeping her from entry for those few precious seconds. She doubted she'd get a third attempt in successfully before Gir wised up to the pattern, if he hadn't already, to break the lock and then get inside. Even if she was able to, The Computer was likely the second level of defense and would definitely shoot her in the back. She wasn't wasting her time digging, and risking drawing too much attention. She wasn't wasting her time trying to get in through the vents or walls. If she tried that anywhere inside, she'd be attacked. If she tried that outside, she'd draw too much attention as well.
He can't be working on something that important, she thought.
Tak opted to sit on the couch instead. If she wasn't allowed in the labs, she could at least make use of the time to herself to think of what she could do while she was on the planet. Gir stayed still as a statue in front of the linen closet staring at her. She took her tablet out of her PAK, resorting to busying herself on that.
If nothing else, she could do more than just the basic research she'd done the last time she'd infiltrated the planet. First thing was first, she double checked all the "facts" Gaz had so enthusiastically told her. It was a dark moment when each one turned out to be true. The rabbit hole she'd fallen down whilst doing all this was something she seriously contemplated blocking from her easy access memory recall.
Why do they need new skeletons every decade? How is that practical?
She quickly backpedaled to different searches. Her PAK quickly ran through various terms, effectively running multiple searches at once. Festivals, languages, burial traditions, medicine, belief systems—it was almost overwhelming. A good portion of planets that Irkens would absorb into their Empire were of a primarily singular culture. Most were either advanced enough to have conglomerated their planets (as well as they could—there were always planets with a largely unified culture with a few outlying groups even if they were considered unified), or young enough that the planet hadn't gained true global communications. Finding planets with a vast variety wasn't exactly uncommon, and yet she'd yet to land on a planet with that variety present… and actually look into it.
Trying to swap the planet's core with junk food wasn't exactly an experience wherein she'd allowed herself time to leisurely research. And now, she was looking through thousands of websites trying to grasp the thousands of cultures and subcultures that were present among humans. She could see why Irkens had formed a singular culture—that was easy. Manageable. But she knew, even as she consciously denied her PAK permission to access the information, that it had not been an easy transition in early Irken history.
It could be easy to stay hidden on planet for a prolonged time…
The front door opened, and Tak's head jerked up. Dib entered, closing the door quickly once he caught sight of her, disguise off, sitting on the couch. Tak checked the clock on the tablet. Two hours had passed, and she hadn't even realized.
No good.
"Give me Gaz's number," Tak demanded, stowing her tablet back into the PAK. Dib blinked at her.
"What."
"I'm not repeating myself. I have a "phone", I'd like to contact her," Tak explained. Dib hesitated a moment, even as he reached for his own phone. He pulled it out slowly, scrolling his contacts, flicking his gaze up at Tak as she stood from the couch.
"Can I ask why first?" he asks.
"I cannot go into the labs, I do not wish to go to your room for entertainment, and I am bored," Tak says flatly. Dib sighed, showing her the screen with Gaz's contact.
"Don't tell her I told you," Dib says.
"You didn't say anything," Tak says, flicking on her disguise and heading for the door.
Gaz sipped on the slushie, feet propped onto the table, as her friends chatted around her. She'd zoned out of the conversation rather quickly, since it was concerning classes she wasn't in regardless, and was scrolling social media instead. A message popped up at the top of her screen and she did a quick glance around the table. No one had their phones out. She looked back at the message, from an unknown number that wasn't listed. The area where numbers were typically displayed was simply blank.
Unknown Number: Where are you right now?
Gaz blinked at the screen, pausing before chancing it and texting back.
Depends on who is asking.
Unknown Number: There are only two individuals you know that would have a blank number texting you, I expected you to be smarter than that.
Die.
Unknown Number: That's more like it.
Gaz glared down at her phone screen. She had Zim's contact saved with alien emojis identifying him and she didn't recall giving Tak her number…
Dib.
Gaz sighed, stashing her phone back into her pocket and distracting herself with thinking of how she'd get back at Dib later. Come to think of it, she still had to get back at him for giving Zim her full name and she swore to whatever cosmic entity existed that if Tak ever heard it, she would have to commit legitimate murder.
"What's got you looking so pissed?"
Gaz sighed, finishing off her slushie first. "You guys might be meeting someone soon."
"Who?"
"Do you finally have a date?"
"Die," Gaz spat.
"Is that how you respond to everyone?" Tak asks from behind, tapping Gaz's head. Gaz smacked her hand away harshly, whirling around in her seat. Tak smirked down at her, hologram in full effect… was she taller?
"Did you put on heels?" Gaz asks incredulously. Tak's smirk fell into a deadpan expression.
"That's the first thing you're curious about?" she asks flatly.
Gaz opened her mouth to respond, only to jerk violently as one of the other table occupants kicked her shin. Gaz whirled on the girl, the boys who were present flicking their eyes between the three. The girl in question was resting her chin in her palms, smiling innocently, but her gaze was intense.
"Gaz," she says evenly. "Care tointroduce us to the sexy brit you failed to mention?"
"…the what brit?" Tak whispered. Less than a second later Gaz watched a slight blush form on her cheeks. Gaz was finding that she both hated and loved the PAKs, she really did.
"Strike and die," Gaz whispered.
Tak grit her teeth. Gaz glowered at her a moment before letting her head hit the table with an aggravated sigh. Tak waited patiently, smirk returning as Gaz ran her palm down her face. She stood, gesturing to each table occupant in turn.
"Tak, this is Tess, Gus, and Andrew. Everyone," Gaz gestured as if presenting Tak. "This is the bullshit liar who is staying temporarily at my brother's place."
"Gh—I am not a liar!" Tak shouts.
"OH? I thought you didn't want to hang out with me today," Gaz says snidely, feigning ignorance with a flourish. Tess snickered behind her hand. Gus meanwhile stood and held his out to Tak.
"Great to meet you!" he says. Tak tentatively shook his hand, with Andrew immediately getting up to do the same.
"Unfortunately, we gotta bounce," Andrew says, grasping Gus' shoulders and steering him away from the table with a smile. Tak watched them, wondering idly how on any planet Gaz was able to make allies with such a joyful set of people. Tess stood soon after, clapping her hands to get both their attentions.
"Yep, we have to leave! Running late for a prior engagement! Have fun, you two!" She says, waving away at them. Gaz shot her hand out, snatching the strap of Tess' purse.
"You're not getting away that easily," Gaz hissed. Tess turned, picking up the slight flush to Gaz's cheeks, and smirked. Gaz's grip tightened. "Do not test me."
"Too late!" Tess unclasped the end of the strap and slipped it quick and easy out of Gaz's palm as if it were loose rope. She instantly started to prance down the street. "Bye-byeeeee! And text me later!"
Tess winked and spun around, scampering after the boys. Gaz stood there, stunned, before Tak leaned into her peripheral curiously. Gaz slumped into her seat, palm over her eyes.
"Do 'friends' usually leave so soon after someone arrives?" Tak asks.
"No, they're just conspiring against me," Gaz sighs.
"Is that not considered treason?" Tak asks, sounding genuinely confused. Gaz opened her fingers enough to stare at her as if the question was idiotic on principle. She sat properly in the chair, rubbing at her temples.
"No, it's an expression. Why did you suddenly change your mind on hanging out with me?" Gaz asks, turning to her. "Be honest. I'm not in the mood to beat around any bushes."
"…I was curious," Tak admitted. Gaz raised a brow at her, standing.
"About what?"
Tak hummed lowly, flicking her gaze at the backs of Gaz's friends as they retreated around a corner. She had initially been trying to escape Gir for a while, but she'd gotten curious after seeing Gaz was located so close to the base. Tak had paused around the corner when she'd come across Gaz with her friends all simply sitting at the table, drinking and eating and talking. It hadn't looked like any kind of meeting on a professional capacity, especially given they were discussing mundane topics.
It wasn't as if Irkens never had any time to relax like this. Irkens took on whatever role the Empire assigned to them, and some of them had free time to themselves. Invaders, and a handful of other occupations, were an outlier in this regard. Tak couldn't recall very many Invaders who consciously took time to themselves, to give themselves a day without thinking about strategy or to work on their plans for their next invasion.
It was a position that truly encompassed their entire life. Sometimes they didn't get to see the fruits of their labor, or the Armada arrive, once all was said and done. And Tak had deemed that appropriate, since even with Irken technology and training, there was never a guarantee that they'd survive their invasion attempts, and dedicating every moment to that survival simply improved their chances.
She'd not gotten the opportunity to be assigned a planet, yet. She'd managed to convince the Control Brains to give her an Invader position, but the present Impending Doom Operation was already fully assigned to every other available Invader, and she was left on the sidelines to do grunt work and recon until the next Operation launched, or a planet "opened up".
In hindsight, she should have never come to Earth.
She was having thoughts of what relaxation would feel like, and that was a slippery slope to be on, if Zim's utter lack of motivation to destroy the planet any longer was an indication. It hadn't even been that long,either. Or perhaps he'd just finally been made aware that he wasn't necessary. Distracting him was easier than trying to banish him with another reassignment—he'd proven that he is, if nothing else, an Irken dead set on his ambitions, whatever those may be—and yet he'd stopped…
She felt an unfamiliar feeling coiling around in her guts and grimaced. She hadn't felt this before, but her PAK was quickly searching through all the data available and within a moment she came to a possible conclusion. Guilt. She tried to push the possibility away. She had no reason to feel guilty, surely. She shouldn't even care what Zim was actually up to, never mind any humans. Invaders infiltrated, but they didn't get attached, and that Zim had is a sign he was just Defective, it had to be—
Gaz snapped her fingers in Tak's face. Tak jumped back in surprise. Gaz stood there, snapped fingers still raised, and looked Tak up and down suspiciously.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" she asks.
"Nothing," Tak says quickly, waving her off. She must have said it too quickly, because Gaz was up in her face in a moment, with one of the abandoned slushies that hadn't been finished, uncapping it.
"Tell me or this finds its way on your PAK."
Tak backpedaled too quickly, knocking into a light pole, sending her stumbling to the side instead. "That is uncalled for!"
Gaz tossed the slushie into a nearby bin, placid look on her face. "You're right, I don't need to threaten the PAK, I can just punch you."
"I was thinking about how my ship is doing," Tak says curtly. "I wasn't allowed to leave to check on it."
Gaz paused. She started gathering the slushies, tossing them into the bin, and brushing her hands together. "Right… well, where did you park it?"
"Pardon?"
"Well, we might as well go check on it now," Gaz says, shrugging. "You already disbanded my hang out plans, so you're making it up to me with something that should at least grab my attention."
Tak gaped at her a little as Gaz started walking in a random direction, expecting her to follow. Tak growled, pinching her brow. "It's this way," she says, pointing behind her.
Gaz immediately back tracked, following Tak's lead.
"If you try killing me in the woods, I want you to know you're not getting out of that unscathed, either," Gaz says.
"I do not need reminded of that," Tak sighed. "I saw the Market footage, if you recall, and what you did on your second visit. I am surprised you haven't been detained or banned."
Gaz smirked proudly at the memory. Tak averted her gaze as they entered the tree line. She was beginning to see why Zim at least respected the siblings. Or at the very least, Gaz. She would have made an excellent Irken with combat and stealth attempts at eliminating enemies. Frankly, it was unnerving.
"Besides," Tak says, "I'm not here long. Only a few days."
"And why's that?" Gaz asks. Tak quickly glanced her way to see if there was any emotion to go off to read Gaz, finding none. She'd expected Gaz to threaten that Tak wasn't leaving without permission.
"I'm on retainer," Tak says. Gaz turned to her curiously. "I'm free to roam until I'm called to finish an Invasion."
"Oh. So, you're part of the Armada, but not part of the main body."
"Yes."
"Is that common?"
"There are many Irkens, so any who complete their assigned planet get put on retainer along with new Invaders who don't have a planet assigned. Yes, it is common."
"Hm… so you're just a soldier right now," Gaz says. Tak grit her teeth.
"I am not a simple soldier, I am an Invader," Tak emphasized. "There is a difference in rank."
"Mm. You're a soldier's boss?"
"Something like that," Tak sighed. "Regardless. A few days, and I am gone."
"So, you were bored and you had nowhere to go," Gaz says bluntly. Tak fought back letting her see a visible flinch in her stature at the remark. Gaz shrugged. "I guess it's better than just floating in space for a few days."
Tak grimaced, ignoring the comment in favor of navigating the woods to where her ship had been parked. She'd parked in a clearing that was smaller than was typical of where she'd normally have parked the ship, so that she'd had more arial cover, and it had been off the man-made paths to reduce risk of anyone stumbling upon it, even with the cloaking in place. Regardless, she would be able to spot it because of the leaves or debris that would have landed on top.
They broke out into the clearing and Tak froze. She was going to be there more than a few days.
Tak stood, staring forlornly at the now empty clearing where her ship had been parked. The tornado had, apparently, torn through the neighboring area and while it hadn't gotten close to the neighborhood that Zim's base was situated, it had done a number on the forest not far from it.
It wasn't far by Irken standard, anyway. And now her ship was gone, the only indication of where being the marks on the ground where it dragged before apparently being lifted.
Gaz stared at the clearing, her eyes roaming up to where debris would have been floating if Taks' ship was still present and finding nothing. She rocked on her heels, glancing at Tak through her peripheral. Tak was slack jawed. Gaz started to enter the clearing, looking at the surrounding trees until she found what she'd been looking for. Some of the branches of the tops were broken as if something crashed through them. She started off in that direction, with Tak following her once she'd spotted the same thing. It wasn't far that they had to go before they came upon it.
The ship had been flung, but it had been too heavy to fling very far. Instead, it appeared to have hit a tree taller than the surrounding ones and toppled it. Gaz looked over the scene. The trunk before her was damaged beyond hope, the wood jutting up in spikes where the weight of the ship hitting it had completely broken whatever strength the body of the tree had and splintering it until it finally toppled. She climbed over the jagged stump and onto the trunk, her jeans catching here and there until she finally fought her way onto the main body of the tree to stand over the ship. Tak's shadow hovered her, the PAK legs hoisting Tak up with little trouble.
Tak's hands slid down the sides of her face. The ship was… not going to be able to fly… by any degree. The boosters were crushed from crashing into the tree at miles an hour Tak could only guess at. A branch had completely pierced the hull and shattered the reinforced glass. She wasn't even entirely sure how it had achieved that aside from the possibility that it was her own bad luck that it must've hit the glass at the perfect angle. Bits and pieces of the ship's exterior and some inner workings were also strewn across the landscape and in neighboring branches.
"Well…" Gaz began, looking over it. "I guess it was in the way."
"…."
"This shit happens," Gaz says nonchalantly. "Happens to cars all the time."
"And humans just accept that…?"
Gaz turned to look up at her slowly. "What the fuck are we supposed to do about it?"
"…"
"Here, I'll help you pick it all up. You get the shit in the trees, I'll get what I can see on the ground here," Gaz offers, sliding off the trunk.
Tak wordlessly gathered as much material as she could, dumping it all into the main hull through the hole the branch had created. Gaz was piling what she found beside the stump on the flattest ground she could find. She eventually was making her way into the trees to scan the area for any pieces she might miss. She knew she wasn't possibly going to find everything—there might very well be parts too small for her to see—but she could grab what she could.
After almost an hour, she was certain she'd grabbed everything. Tak was preoccupied cutting the branch at the base with a PAK leg, tearing it out of the ship. The ship wobbled, but stabilized, only held aloft now by the branches pinned beneath it to hold it in place. Tak tried to lift the glass covering, only for it to stick not long into the lift. She sighed and opted to instead slip inside, careful not to cut herself as she passed the sharp blades that made the edge of the opening.
Gaz climbed up the trunk and shimmied her way to the ship. She peered inside. The interior was not much better off. There was visible water damage on the seat and the console, with a small puddle still in the back, where the tilt left it. Tak was pulling out hidden drawers and tables, grabbing what looked like random pieces to Gaz.
"What are you doing now?" Gaz asks.
"Making a makeshift transport," Tak says bitterly. "I can at least shrink it down and keep it with me until I can fix it."
"Fix it where?" Gaz prods, resting her head in her hand. "Zim's base?"
"…"
"I mean, that is the only place you got, so…"
"UGH…" Tak banged her forehead on the wall. "I'm trapped…"
"Oh, come off it, he's not cruel. Besides he doesn't want you here, either, so if you let him monitor you while you do it, he'll probably let you use the labs."
Tak was silent. She finished gathering what she needed and climbed out of the ship, forcing Gaz away from the window. She laid everything out on the grass and start fitting things together until she had a small box in one hand and a small laser in the other. Frankly, if Gaz were honest, it almost looked like a laser pointer. Tak then gathered everything that Gaz had found and threw it into the bay as well. She slipped inside one last time, finding a large blanket in one of the storage drawers and using it to mop up as much of the puddle as she could.
She climbed back out, sighed, and shot the ship with the laser pointer. Gaz rushed under it, catching the ship as it fell. It wasn't any bigger than a computer mouse, if she were to guess. It fit in one palm. Tak lowered herself to the ground, her PAK legs retreating into the PAK, and plucked the ship out of Gaz's hand. She set it into the small box, situating the laser pointer inside as well. Gaz held her hand out.
"I can carry it in my bag," she offered, jingling the large purse on her side. Tak flicked her gaze between Gaz's hand and the bag. Gaz sighed heavily. "Really? What am I gonna do? Toss all my shit into a river with it? Come off it. You'll just build another ship if I toss this one somehow, anyway."
Tak begrudgingly handed it over. Though, she watched Gaz with a scrutinizing gaze either way as she dropped it into her bag.
"I'll give it back when we reach home, how about that?"
"…Fine."
The walk back to the house was mostly silent. Gaz didn't seem much interested in speaking, or even asking any further questions. Tak wasn't going to break first, either, however. She'd been taught of these kinds of tactics in the Invader training—of an enemy keeping silent as a game of endurance in the silence, trying to break their opponent first through nerves. She'd rather be sent to the rat planet than break first. Once they'd finally reached the house, Gaz entered first.
She passed the box off to Tak and made her way to the linen closet. Gir came barreling down the hallway on his rocket feet, spinning around Tak with squeals. Gaz reached out her hand into Gir's path. The robot swerved hard upward and right into the ceiling. He stopped just below his eyes. Tak watched as he started trying to pry himself out of the ceiling, wriggling his legs kicking around.
"Mary! Mary, I'm stuck!"
"I know," Gaz says flatly. "Tak's coming with me to the labs. Is Zim home yet?"
"Nope!" Gir says, waving at them. Gaz simply nodded and opened the door, accessing the elevator. Tak followed her inside and Gir started to try and pry himself free again.
She'd be a liar if she said she didn't feel just a little bad leaving him there.
"He'll figure out he's strong enough to get out of it himself," Gaz says, surveying the buttons. She pressed one of the lower levels and the elevator started to descend.
"Right. I just need to store this for now," Tak says, turning the box over in her hands. Gaz nodded, inspecting her nails.
"So," Gaz begins. "Did you actually want to try doing something you find fun? I have fireworks."
"…What's a firework?"
Dib drummed his fingers on the table. According to the Computer, Tak had been leaving almost every day around one, and not returning until late. The time she returned would change, but it was always after dark. It had been a few days now of this pattern. He tried not to pry. Especially after he had come home to find Gir still stuck in the ceiling and gotten a quick briefing from both him and the Computer. Zim had, of course, been made aware that Tak's ship was currently stored down in the labs by the Computer.
Given that she hadn't even asked to go down to the labs to try and grab it, he figured he could at least be assured that she wasn't trying to leave by that option. That, of course, did leave him wondering if she was meeting up with or making calls to other Irkens. He did have one clue to it, however. If Tak wanted to reach Gaz's school by three, she was leaving at the perfect time for the bus system to take her there.
He at least had to eliminate the possibility. So, he took out his phone and dialed Gaz. It took only one ring before she answered.
"What."
"Hello to you, too," Dib deadpans. "I had a question."
"Yes, Tak has been hanging out with me for the past few days. No, she is not contacting anyone as far as I can tell while she is. No, she is not getting out of my sight. No, we are not going to stop hanging out."
Dib sat slack jawed as Gaz then swiftly ended the call. He stared down at his phone screen, his brain working at several miles an hour to process this information. He hardly realized when the door opened behind him. He turned to see Tak walking in, a slight flush on her hologram's cheeks. Once the door was kicked shut, the hologram fell and she didn't seem to even register his existence as she went to sit on the couch and stare aimlessly at the ceiling.
Dib leaned back in his chair, staring at the table. He had, of course, been hoping to form some kind of allyship with Tak while she was there, but he hadn't expected Gaz to make such progress with her to be spending each day together. It was starting to feel a little too much like how he and Zim were, starting their friendship. And he was having enough trouble trying to figure out if becoming "official" meant a dynamic shift or not. So far, it hadn't, but he knew nothing about how Irkens handled this. Or, used to, he supposed.
Tak was stuck in place. She already wanted to leave again. It'd been so easy to walk in and out—far easier than she'd thought— she could easily go off on her own. And yet. She couldn't stop thinking about where she could drag Gaz. Anywhere—it didn't matter what they did, so long as it was together—this is not normal, stop it, this isn't normal—
Tak shook her head, bracing either side in her palms. She had to get a hold of herself. This wasn't any worse than combat—why was she nervous?
Tak slumped over the coffee table. She had offered to pick where to go today. She had done so without thinking, at all, about where to take Gaz. Or what they would do. Parading around the small college town netted few options—at least ones that she thought Gaz would get entertainment out of. She just had to treat this like any other mission and she'd succeed.
She had… ideas. They were weak ideas, but they were ideas. She ignored the sound of the linen closet opening and closing. She wasn't getting through it in time regardless, she'd given up trying when she wasn't prepared to sprint at the drop of a hat, and so only turned her head enough to identify Zim as he exited the hall.
Maybe he'd like stargazing—but we can go INTO space—what's the point of stargazing? Zim sighed roughly, running his hands over his scalp.
"Date nights" were a thing humans did, weren't they? He'd heard of them through their classmates—they were in media—they were a thing. Yes? They hadn't really done a proper 'date night' yet. Not that he would consider as one, either way. Maybe he had to do more research—
"Hey!" Tak stood hastily, leaping over the coffee table. She halted short of Zim. He cocked an antennae curiously at her, regarding her suspiciously. "Um."
"…What?" Zim spat.
Tak's brain was empty. She had jumped up before thinking, faster than her PAK could run the scenarios, without forming the actual question at all. "Um… What… does Gaz like to do?"
Dib turned in his chair in the kitchen, leaning into the doorway. "What?" he asks.
"What does Gaz like to do?!" Tak shouted, face flushing slightly.
"Fight," Zim says plainly.
"No," Dib pushed off from the table, stepping in front of Zim. Zim clicked his tongue, disappearing into the kitchen for a snack. "Okay. You want to do something she'd like to do? What have you guys done so far?"
Shot fireworks and messed around, mostly, Tak thought wryly. "Not much."
"Okay, well she would love the arcade," Dib said with a smile. His eyes flicked to the window a moment before he shot her a thumbs up. "Good luck!"
"What—"
The door whacked against the wall, Gaz's boot still raised. Zim shouted from the kitchen. "Stop kicking in the door!"
"Make me," Gaz spat back. She nodded outside to Tak. "C'mon, I'm ready."
Tak simply nodded, slipping out the door. Gaz shot Dib and Zim a look. She flicked her fingers from her eyes to them and back, backing out of the doorway. After she'd shut it, Zim turned to Dib.
"Was that a threat?"
"The most silent type, but yes," Dib sighed.
Gaz followed Tak towards town, taking note that they were headed towards the mall.
"Hey," Gaz spoke up, snapping her fingers. Tak turned to her. "What are we doing?"
"If I am lucky, something that entertains you," Tak says.
"Oh? Is it going to cost money?"
"I have that handled," Tak says. Gaz raised a brow at her and Tak took out a few bills from her pockets with a proud smirk. Gaz took one, looking it over. "I am not without funds—"
"Yeah, we don't use this here," Gaz says flatly.
"What?!"
"You use US currency in the US, dumbass." Gaz says, shoving the bill into Tak's arm. Tak took it numbly. She could possibly mug someone if she had to, then, right?
"Humans don't have an interstellar currency, yet?" Tak asks idly, stuffing the bills back into her pockets with a grimace.
"Bitch, why would we?" Gaz laughed. "We can barely handle switching currencies right now. Riots in the streets," Gaz teased, waving her arms a little for emphasis.
"There would be riots over something like that?"
"We riot when our favorite sports teams win."
"…I see."
Tak hummed, looking forward. She rubbed the back of her neck. "I will pay you back, then."
"With interest."
"What?"
"It's customary for the one taking someone on a date—" Tak almost tripped on the pavement, "—to pay, so you'll pay me back, with interest."
"Th—this is not—"
"Oh?" Gaz stepped in front of Tak, looking up at her expectantly. "And I suppose the last three times we went out weren't either? The dinner, the shopping, the walk in the park? I don't know about Irkens…" Gaz started to walk backwards, letting Tak continue walking forward numbly after her, her face growing more and more flushed. Whether out of embarrassment or not, Gaz wasn't sure. "…but we call those dates."
Tak pursed her lips and looked away. Gaz smirked, resuming her spot next to Tak instead, linking their arms. Tak flinched at the action but didn't pull away. Gaz made a note to get her used to touch like Dib had with Zim. She kept her hold loose, though, just in case Tak had to pull away. It didn't take long, perhaps a minute or so, before Tak slipped her arm out of Gaz's hold as they approached the mall. Gaz let her, letting her arm hang loosely at her side instead.
"I know what I like," Gaz says. Tak flicked her eyes towards her. Gaz simply shrugged, offering no other response.
Once they'd neared the mall, Tak led her to the arcade. Gaz snorted upon nearing it. She paid for an entire bag of coins, following Tak idly as she was led to any random machine Tak opted to try first.
"I smell a challenge?" Gaz prompted. Tak stopped in front of a large two player game, some sort of shooter, and rested her palm on the control panel.
"Multiple, actually."
Gaz smiled, jingling the bag as she rested it at the base of the machine. She fished out a few coins, tossing one to Tak for her side of the game's platform.
"Bring it on, Space Bug."
Gaz didn't know what she had expected. She knew that she had the most experience for these kinds of things, or she thought, given how much she played. But, she'd neglected to recall that Tak had training in shooting. While Gaz had taken a class or two here and there, at the behest of their father, mostly, she hadn't gotten military training by any means. Even without that, she knew the controls better than Tak.
They were evenly matched. Round one, Gaz won with only a measly ten points separating the two. "Rematch," Tak had demanded immediately. Gaz had smirked as she slotted the coins back in the machine. She'd lost by eight points. A third round. A fourth. A fifth, then sixth—keeping them at a stalemate of ties. Gaz clicked her tongue, looking over the winner graphics on her screen. She'd won by two points. She turned to Tak, smiling.
"One more, then we stop after three at each game, or we'll be here until closing. Deal?"
"Deal."
Gaz almost smashed the toy gun when she lost by a single point the next round. Tak's laughter hadn't helped her restraint by any measure. The next game had been a boxing game, with simple controls and over the top combo-moves. Someone had drawn a whole list of the move set on the side with a sharpie, much to their relief. It had led to quite the show with combo-move after combo-move. Tak had won that round, surprisingly, but only by the skin of her teeth.
The night went on as such. Tak started to slowly get more and more comfortable with each game. Slowly but surely, Gaz watched her shoulders become looser, her posture slack, and her smiles genuine. Gaz wasn't sure she'd ever had a smile on for this long before. Even with the single player games, they would swap, teasing or cheering as they pleased between their turns.
Aside from a break here and there, including ordering food at the small food bar at the back of the arcade (that mostly served candy or junk food), neither Gaz nor Tak had noticed that it had been hours since their arrival until the bag was nearly empty of coins. Gaz hummed, swinging the bag side to side idly as she looked around for a calmer game to wind down on. Her eyes settled on the skee ball machines along the wall.
Gaz leaned on the edge of her skee ball ramp as Tak smoothly rolled her skee balls up her own ramp. It was amusing to watch the deep seeded concentration as she tossed each one up the ramp. She hadn't figured out how to get them into the corner holes, despite multiple tries. Tak was on her second round at the moment, with only a few balls left, before she'd try her third attempt to get the best score. Gaz sipped her soda, watching contently, with her ankle resting over her knee, bobbing her foot to the music in the arcade. Tak clicked her tongue at her score and started her third round, taking note of the score to compare later.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Have you ever looked up what "free running" is?" Gaz asks. Tak paused a second, hesitating to throw the skee ball, staring into space. "Don't look it up now, smartass."
"What is it, then?" Tak asks.
"You already know," Gaz shot back. Tak smirked knowingly, throwing the skee ball. She grabbed the next, lining up her shot.
"What about it?" Tak asks.
"I want to take you to a gym back at my neighborhood on our next date," Gaz says. At her last word Tak's throw was off kilter, knocking against the ramp and resulting in the ball to fall directly into the out of bounds ramp. Tak shot her a disgruntled glare. Gaz sipped on her soda, waiting.
"I would…" Tak paused, lining up her shot. "…like to do that," Tak settled on, rolling the ball. Her final score popped onto the screen and Gaz finally stood, cracking her knuckles for her rounds.
"Good. I'm going to make sure you work up a sweat while we're there."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Multiple," Gaz said, smirking.
Gaz pushed open the front door, spotting Gir in the doorway of the kitchen, and tossing her empty soda cup at him. He giggled gleefully, jumping up and catching it in his mouth like a chew toy.
"Fwanks, Mary!"
"Sure thing," Gaz said idly, waving Gir off. She side stepped to let Tak through. Tak stepped in, shutting the door quickly behind her. She turned to see Gaz staring at the couch.
"What?" Tak asks, glancing over.
Skoodge sat on the couch, a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, with Dib sat next to him, laptop open. Skoodge waved awkwardly at Gaz. She turned to Dib with a glare.
"No disguise? Are you kidding me?"
"No one else has a key!" Dib shouted.
"Should I—?"
"No, it's just Tak," Dib sighs, removing his glasses and pinching his brow.
"Oh," Skoodge sighed. "It's just—TAK?!"
"SKOODGE?"
"What are you doing here?!" both scream.
Gaz patted Tak's shoulder. "Whelp, I'm sleeping. Night, Dib."
"Oh, uh, good night?" Dib offered weakly before Gaz sauntered past him to pass out in Zim's room. Dib turned back to Tak, laughing meekly. "How was the arcade?"
"What are you doing here?" Tak asks, staring Skoodge down. Skoodge shrank into the couch a little.
"I-I'm visiting?" Skoodge tried. "Zim was still busy downstairs, though, so I'm just visiting Dib—"
Tak stomped to the linen closet. She shot a deathly glare at Gir when he shot up, ready to pounce. Dib raised his hand.
"Gir, wait. Um. You can go see Zim if you want," Dib started, "Just know that The Computer is going to be watching you the whole way there."
"Fine."
The door unlocked and Tak yanked it open. The elevator slid into place, the door sliding open to let Tak in. She stepped inside. She tapped her foot impatiently, level after level of the base passing her, until the doors opened again. She was only mildly surprised to find that it wasn't offering her a trap when she stepped out.
Her antenna twitched at the sounds of machinery and tools, and she followed the noise. She turned into a lab, finding Zim across the room at one of the wall mounted desks. She started into the room.
"How has Skoodge been coming to your base?" she asks, crossing her arms. Zim hardly turned his head to peer up at her, neither surprised at her entrance or even interested, it seemed. He turned back to the project he was so engrossed in.
"Not long. What's it concerning you for? You're just "here", too, are you not?" Zim prompted. Tak's shoulders bristled and she scoffed.
"I don't plan to make regular… trips…" she paused, taking in what was actually on the desk.
PAKs. One purple and one blue. The skull decorations on the purple one resembled Gaz's necklace rather eerily in the basic shaping, decorative additions aside. Tak stood frozen, staring at the PAKs. She didn't take her eyes off them.
"What… what are you…"
"Also, not your concern," Zim says flatly. He paused, turning to her finally with a calculating gaze. "Unless it suddenly has become a concern?"
Tak threw her arms out. "You can't be making those!"
"I don't believe you can stop me," Zim says, waving idly to the ceiling. Tak hadn't heard any panels moving above her, but she knew. It was standard in any base. "Whether you agree or not."
"You know this is forbidden, how defective are you, to think you can do this?!"
"They'll utilize the PAKs better than most Irkens in time," Zim says, turning away from her again. "They've already started learning."
"Y—?! You're MARINATING them?!" she screeches, bafflement and anger bubbling over. She lurches towards him, but still stood far away from the PAKs laid out on the desk, regarding them warily. "You know that's—"
"I DON'T BELIEVE I ASKED YOUR FUCKINGOPINION, DID I!?" Zim roars, his antennae pressing forward as far as they'd go. Tak shot him a disbelieving look. She stumbled over her words, raking her claws over her scalp.
"ARE YOU—!" she wrenched her antennae down in frustration. "UUUUUGH! I shouldn't have come down here—you've doomed me! You're insane! This is treason!"
Zim ignored her tantrum, turning away to glower at the work desk instead. Tak stared at him, gaping. Perhaps she'd overestimated his intelligence. Or that she had underestimated his boldness. She stomped towards the door, heartrate spiking, and her PAK working overtime to keep her as calm as it could manage.
"YOU'RE GOING TO GET KILLED!" she screamed behind her.
Tak wanted to slam a door on him. Maybe toss a table on her way out, but this asshole had sprung for sliding doors and wall mounted tables. Stomping her feet and slamming her palm on the button in the elevator was the best she could manage. Even the whir of the elevator ascending was pissing her off. Her antennae were flattening against her skull whether she wanted them to or not. She couldn't get out fast enough when the elevator doors finally opened onto the main floor.
Gir took one look at her, already mid-flight to tackle, before uttering a small "oh" and careening into the elevator instead. He circled the bottom rim as the jets continued to blast him around until the elevator eventually closed. Smart robot. Or perhaps smart base AI. It hardly mattered, because if the base really did start clocking her as a threat, she was bound to wind up incinerated.
"I'm taking a walk!" Tak screeched up at the ceiling. The front door swung open.
"Be my guest," The Computer says flatly.
Tak's brow twitched. Her disguise flicked back on and she stomped out, slamming the door behind her hard enough to splinter the wood. Dib blinked at it, gaping uncertainly. He turned warily to the ceiling.
"Should I be concerned…?" he asks.
"Debateable."
"…That is not helpful," Dib mumbled.
The air was crisp and the sun was starting to set. She was kicking away any debris that was in her path, whether that be wood, rocks, or a stray ball from a yard. The ball ended up in a tree.
Unbelievable! Unbelievable! He's unstable! That's for The Empire to decide—The Control Brains—he's psychotic—
She was trying, desperately, to understand why. Just to wrap her head around it. How long had he been marinating them already? Years? Only a few months? What was the age humans would be able to fully utilize PAKs? They weren't even allies of the Empire—she refused to believe it—no matter how many times they could claim it. No matter how they phrased it.
She wasn't even entirely sure why she cared. He was Defective—clearly—so it was possible that he was just delusional. She huffed, recalling that she didn't have her own reason for being here, either. It hadn't been in the plan to even talk to them, let alone be staying in their base. Observe from afar. That had been her goal. She had no logical reasoning for ousting herself on the sidewalk that day.
Did the Empire really need her—?
No. No, it wasn't the same. Zim was just delusional. And he was against the Empire, of all things. Against the Control Brains' wishes, doubtless, because what Empire in its right mind would ally prior enemies like Dib and Gaz Membrane with PAKs?
However, even she could make the argument they'd make good allies. Gaz had the combat and stealth prowess, and Dib had to have learned a lot fighting Zim for so many years, not to mention their intellect. But she couldn't go against the Empire. You didn't. You couldn't…
But what if I could..?
NO.
She had to snap out of it. She couldn't let her mind wander like that, again. Always again and again, more and more each time. She just had to remind herself she was an Irken. Irkens followed their purpose. Even ones they didn't like. Even if she hated it—sometimes—no, stop.
Gaz
Her claws were digging into her scalp, hidden by the false hair. She could still feel the blood slowly rolling down the sides of her face. She had hunched over at some point, stopping her walk dead in its tracks and she wasn't sure when she'd stopped. She stood straighter, breathing shallowly, her hands quivering just a little. She hastily wiped them on her top. Her PAK whirred and a silent beep sounded off in the quiet twilight. She could feel it scan for lifeforms, sapient ones, very briefly before an appendage came out. She was slow to react, the tablet it dispensed in her palms barely making it without slipping through her grasp.
"Report due," came the robotic voice from her PAK, automated for reminders, almost silent to anyone but her.
Tak stared at the screen. Her reflection stared back, until the screen lit up, with the same words scrawling across the screen on an empty report page.
REPORT DUE.
Tak stared.