Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim.
Am I the only person who notices that Starfire doesn't add 'Friend' to every name before she says it... why do most fanfics portray that!?
Sorry... I'm ranting...
Anyways thanks for the Reviews!
On with the story!
"You'll never get away with this Zim!" I shouted as I tried pinning Zim to the ground.
"Get off me Dib-stink!" He shoved me away and stood up, "You cannot hope to possibly defeat the almighty ZIM!"
I stood up with a confident smile on my face, "Oh yeah!? Well think again because I have this!" I held up what looked like a laser gun.
"Isn't that dad's?" Gaz (who was standing on the side lines) asked without looking up from her Game Slave.
"Yes. But that makes it all the more dangerous!" I pointed the gun at Zim. "Prepare yourself Zim! Because I doubt you'll make it out of this one!"
Zim narrowed his eyes, "Foolish human! Do you really believe that your pathetic laser gun can harm me?!"
"Don't get such a big head Zim." I smirked, hoping this would be enough bait to distract him.
"I am not the one with the enormous head DIB!" Zim spat, "It is you who is... AAAAAGGGGGHHHH!"
I took advantage of Zim's rant and fired.
The electric blue light that shot out of the small gun struck Zim, causing him to writhe in agony, screaming his head off.
"Yes!" I punched the air, and looked over at my sister, who seemed amused at the alien's suffering.
Suddenly her smirk faded, "What's happening to him?"
I looked over, my eyes widening as I took in the sight. Zim was still on the ground in obvious pain, but electricity shot out of him, wrecking street lights, cars and anything made of metal. Rather than destroying him like I had expected, the laser was having some sort of abnormal reaction to Zim; light engulfing his entire being growing brighter and brighter till it seemed it was about to go supernova.
"Gaz look out!" I jumped in front of my sister, using myself as a shield to protect her as the electricity collapsed within itself.
"Are you alright?" I asked when the chaos died down.
"Get out of my personal space Dib!" Gaz spat.
I jumped away, giving her a wary look. Despite my brotherly concern, I know better than to willing push my sister's limits. I turned around to find Zim on the ground, twitching from pain. The feeling of disappointment immersed me. My father's invention didn't work.
Gaz walked past me and over to Zim, kneeling down beside him.
"Gaz!" I protested in a shrill voice only an 11-year-old can make, "Stay away from him!"
She rolled her eyes at me, "Calm down Dib." She turned back to Zim.
His eyes suddenly shot open, and he turned to her, his fake pupils contacting when he realized she was next to him. He jumped up, putting distance between them as he backed away slowly. "What have you done to Zim?" he asked warily.
She arched an eyebrow at him, "As far as I know nothing's wrong with you."
"LIES!" He screeched. "You have infected me with something! There are thoughts going through Zim's head that do not belong there!" He clutched his head and hissed in pain, nearly losing his footing as he tried to regain his composure.
"Whiner." Gaz said simply as she stood up and walked to me, "Come on Dib. We're going to Bloaty's."
"You will not prevail!" Zim shouted, pointing an accusing finger at us as we walked away. "I will discover what you have done to me and make you pay! YOU WILL SUFFER LIKE NEVER BEFORE!"
Gaz slowly opened her eyes, immediately shutting them as a sharp pain shot thru her head.
"You're awake."
She turned and saw Zim sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed; no longer dressed in his training clothes, but in his Tallest attire. "What are you doing in my room!?" She growled as she attempted to lift herself.
"You should stay in bed." He ignored her question, gently urging her to lie down again. "You over exerted yourself yesterday and your still weak from it."
Gaz raised an eyebrow at him, "Yesterday?"
He nodded. "You fell asleep around 5pm Earth time and you've been asleep since."
"I've been out that long?" She shifted her weight, trying to find a more comfortable position without causing too much strain on her muscles.
"Yes. I had a medical scan performed and the results show all you need is to take things easy. You'll still need to move around so your body doesn't tire from lack of use, and you'll have to eat specific foods to recover faster. I've already sent for your breakfast, so it should arrive shortly."
"My Tallest?" A voice accompanied by a knock came from the door. "I have the food you called for."
"Come in."
A small Irken stepped thru the door with a tray of food and a few other Irkens behind her and Gaz noticed that despite her height, the tiny alien was pretty as far as Irkens go.
"Assist our human guest with anything she needs." He stood and headed towards the door. "I have matters to attend to and will return shortly."
"You're leaving?"
Zim turned to look at Gaz; she almost looked fragile, just lying in her bed with barely enough energy or strength to lift herself. "Yes. But like I said I'll come back soon." He smirked, "Or would you like me to take care of you?"
She rolled her eyes, "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Take your time; I don't need anyone to take care of me."
"As the young lady desires." He said mockingly as he left.
Zim waited a few moments after the door to his room closed before he let out an aggravated sigh; the unexplainable worry that overcame him when Gaz fainted the evening before and the anxiety he felt while waiting for her to wake up bothered him more than he cared to admit. He openly admitted his attraction for her, but Gaz was like a drug that clouded his brain, stole his logic and could destroy his plans; now he wanted to protect her from anything and everything even remotely threatening. Ever since she arrived on the Massive, nothing had gone the way he wanted it too, and in his arrogance he convinced himself he would get thru to her and have her come willingly to his bed. She was fond of him when they were young, and now that she was older that fondness had grown into something more. Despite Gaz having always been difficult, he shouldn't have this much trouble with her. His attempts at seduction and his insistence at having her with him all the time seemed to drive him wild with need, not her. And she always denied him, her self-control was admirable; and it was only because of that self-control that he hadn't taken her yet. Of course that wasn't the only thing that held him back.
Damn that promise! Zim thought to himself.
He regretted making it. She always responded to him when he touched her; almost begging him to take her. But he needed to hear it; his pride demanded he Gaz tell him she wanted him and with each moment spent with her, each touch and each kiss he gave her, his own starving need grew stronger. Arrogance had made him swear not to force her, so great was his confidence that he could persuade her without having to beg her. After all, he did not under any circumstances beg. But how much more could he take? Gaz was just across the hall from him and it would be more than easy to go over and unlock her door. How much longer could he live with her, dream about her and not have her?
On the other side of the hall, Gaz was having an inner conflict of her own. If she was right, and she normally was, the only thing that kept her from actually being with Zim lately was his self-control. She always kissed him back, held onto him occasionally when he wrapped his arms around her and basically turned to jelly under his skillful touch*.
And then yesterday! She scowled at her breakfast with such hate as she recalled the memory that the Irkens who were assisting her feared they had somehow offended her with the meal they brought. They shrunk back in both confusion and fear when Gaz started attacking her food; shoving it in her face.
Stupid Zim with his stupid seduction techniques!
He held so much power over her with just a look! Never once had she cared about another person's opinion or affection, and now Zim had her almost craving his attention; secretly wishing she could let herself lose control, just this once, because of how good it felt when he was with her. Sure she had the love of her father, and of course the love of her brother, even though sometimes she didn't want it, but Zim didn't love her.
She froze mid bite.
Zim's love?
Did she just admit to herself, vaguely but admitting it nonetheless, that she wanted Zim's love?!
Suddenly, she threw her food across the room, "Curse you Zim..." She muttered menacingly, before yelling at the top of her lungs. "CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU!"
Zim looked away from the Main Chambers' computer screen towards the general direction of Gaz's room and sighed. Her recovery would be difficult and while Gaz was beautiful in her anger it wasn't something he was willing to put up with. His eyes suddenly lit up with an idea; maybe he could help with that especially since it was a special day and have a little fun at the same time.
"Prepare a healing gel specifically targeting the muscles to speed up recovery and a bath as well; once prepared, bring Gaz."
"Mistress Gaz?"
Gaz looked over to see a different group of Irkens at the doorway, one of which had unfortunately been pushed in front of the group to face her fury.
"What?" She asked with mild interest as she turned to stare at the wall again.
"Tallest Zim has prepared a... bath... for you to help with your condition and has requested us as your escorts to the... Bath Chamber."
She raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what a bath is?"
"Well... No, but..."
"Unless you want to find out how painful water is for your people, I suggest you leave."
The Irken hesitated for a second, "Tallest Zim said that if you refused, he would find a way to make you..."
She scoffed, "And just how does he plan on doing that?"
"He... uh... Said something about paying you a late-night visit..."
Her eyes widened slightly; in her current condition she wouldn't be able to fend off any of Zim's advances, especially since she was still reconstructing the mental defenses around her mind that broke during that... moment... from the day before. It was a lose-lose situation... On one hand if Zim visited her that night, she wouldn't have the strength to push him away and of course on the other Gaz risked being seduced while he helped her bathe...
'Cause he would do something like that…
She let out a growl. "Tell your stupid Tallest I'm on my way, and to not whine when I get there."
The Irken who spoke to her scurried away while the rest of them assisted her in getting out of bed. Gaz quickly changed and headed towards the Bath Chamber.
"Interesting choice of attire little-Gaz." Zim said once she arrived and the other Irken's left, his eyes lazily trailing her figure; she wore a spaghetti-strap silk black dress that hugged her in all the right places and ended about two inches above her knees. "Was that something you planned on using against me once you accepted your desire for me?"
"Shut up! I just want to get this over with." She didn't have a bathing suit and there was no way she would show up in lingerie and her regular clothes would defeat the purpose. So this was the next best thing.
The Bath Chamber wasn't huge, after all Gaz was the only person in the Massive to use it, but it had elegant decorations; although her favorite part of it was the Jacuzzi sized tub she normally used. Zim walked over and princess-lifted her before placing a hot kiss at the base of her neck. The necklace she wore normally prevented him from tasting this part of her, but it made it all the more sweet when he could.
Despite her muscles crying out in protest at the sudden movement, Gaz threw her head back and wrapped her free arm around Zim's neck to pull him closer to her. She berated herself inwardly at such weakness; the small amount of mental defenses she had managed to build up instantly crumbled once his lips made contact with her neck. But that she ignored that part of her and reveled in the sensations his kisses caused.
"You shouldn't leave yourself so defenseless, so vulnerable..." She could feel the blood rush to her cheeks as his teeth grazed her earlobe "Tell me Gaz, would you like my company while you bathe?"
Her face flushed crimson, "Put me down Zim." She hissed. "Put me down now."
He pulled away from her with an arrogant smirk on his face, pleased she had not denied his company. "Of course my Gaz."
The water instantly soothed her sore muscles, and Gaz couldn't help but let out a small, pleased sigh at the feeling, although it was short-lived when she felt Zim's arms leave as he set her in the tub.
"This is a healing gel," Zim poured said healing gel on a sponge and gently took one of her arms, "It'll repair the damage to your muscles."
He moved to the other arm as Gaz closed her eyes; the bath as just a little too... erotic with him giving her such a sensual massage while kneeling over her. As he moved to her back, Gaz felt that unmistakable flame of desire starting to burn in the pit of her stomach again, but she was enjoying the soothing sensations of Zim's hands to realize she needed to stop him before she lost herself. Her eyes shot open and turned to look at him when she felt his hands slide over her breast, moving down to caress her taunt stomach and skim her thighs. He lifted one of her legs from the water and began to lather it with the healing gel.
"Your skin is so soft..." His voice was husky with desire. "I want to touch you all over."
A chill went down her spine and for a moment Gaz found herself drowning in a flood of need as each stroke of his hands added fuel to the fire within her. Before he even managed to finish, she latched onto him; pulling him so his lips could meet hers in a passionate kiss. Zim responded immediately; lifting her out of the tub and holding her tight to his hungry body. When they finally pulled up for air, he placed hot kisses down her neck; nipping then licking the abused flesh and she savored the sensations since the gel had already healed her.
Zim suddenly rested his forehead against hers. "Tell me you want this Gaz." He panted.
"What?" She gave him a confused look, trying to think thru the haze that clouded her mind.
"Tell me." He demanded, "Tell me you want me to touch you."
Disbelief surged thru her; she was giving in again! And again it was Zim's self-control that kept her from taking that final step, but somehow that knowledge helped strengthen her resolve, "No." She pulled away from him and turned to leave room with her head held high.
"I have something for you Gaz." He called as the door opened, "It's in the Flight Deck, meet me there in an hour."
She turned, the wet fabric clinging to her, dripping with the bath water and giving her skin a unique shine; Zim had to put extra effort in not taking her then and there. "Fine."
Zim led Gaz to the other side of the flight deck, although there was an extremely tense atmosphere around them as they both wanted to repair their damaged pride, making the journey seem longer than it really was. Finally they approached a brand-new purple and black Spittle Runner.
"This is for you." Zim said as the windshield opened, taking a step to the side allowing Gaz to fully look at the vessel. "I built this ship myself; designed to complement your piloting skills."
The atmosphere instantly dissolved as her eyes widened. "For me…" She stated in disbelief, "My very own Spittle Runner."
"Happy Birthday little-Gaz."
She looked at him, "Birthday?"
Zim nodded. "Yes. Today is your birthday back on Earth. Although Irkens don't care for such insignificant information, I know that humans appreciate it when others remember such a date."
"You didn't have to go thru so much trouble."
He reached out and twisted a lock of her hair around one of his fingers. "I wanted too."
Gaz looked away, pretending to examine the ship while she tried to hide the blush forming on her face. Things like this made it harder for her to ignore what she felt, and it made her more reluctant to take advantage of him. After some time Gaz had come to realize Zim trusted her; he had left her alone with plenty of chances to take advantage of because he felt confident she believed his promise that he wouldn't hurt her dad. And she did.
"Come Gaz." He said suddenly, taking her hand. "There is more to your birthday surprise."
"More? Isn't this enough?"
Zim laughed, "If I remember correctly, you're not easily impressed."
She blushed, grateful she was walking slightly behind him. "You do realize that if this surprise isn't as good as the last one I'll have to destroy you."
"Trust me little-Gaz, I won't disappoint you. Here we are." The door they stopped in front of slid open. "This is your new Gaming Room."
There was a large screen with two game controllers sitting on a table that had various pizza boxes on it and a couch that resembled the one she had in her living room back home. Gir sat happily on one end of the couch devouring his own stack of pizza.
"I MADES YOU A CAKE GAZZY!" He shouted happy pointing to a large cake in the back of the room.
Zim guided her to the couch with tenderness that made her cheeks burn again, "Every game you've ever played or want to play is in the computer's system. Every time the Game Slave Company comes out with a new one it will directly be uploaded and you'll be the first to have access to it." A holographic screen appeared before them, "This is your options guide, you can organize it however you like. Just select the game you want and it will display on the screen." He pressed Vampire Piggy Hunter. "Care for a match?"
"You're so competitive." Gaz said in a calm voice that hid her inner feelings as she took the controller.
"Isn't it an Earth tradition to play games during one's birthday?"
She rolled her eyes. "I guess so."
"Then let us begin."
Zim was actually decent at playing video games, catching up to Gaz after about an hour or so of playing. But still Gaz was the master which made two things so far that she was better at than him. Zim's advantage was that he had invented and trained since the day he was born, so it would take her a good several years for her to catch up to him in most areas. At least she knew she was a better pilot, even if it wasn't by much, time and practice would help increase her skill. Who would have thought that she would be able to catch up to someone who had been born into this type of life?
"Zim why do you look so different from all the other Tallest?" Gaz asked suddenly. "They're all skinny and have two fingers, but you look more human in terms of body structure and you still have all three fingers."
"Irkens are similar to humans in outer anatomy," He replied without looking away from the screen. "Since we are a humanoid breed of alien, but when the Control Brains choose a Tallest, their thumbs are usually chopped off to prove that they can rule without them. As for the waists, we use an extreme form of corset, which, while impossible to use with a human torso, is quite possible with that of an Irken.
"An incident years ago changed my anatomy, the reason I look so different and why I'm allowed to keep all my fingers is because of that. I'm sure your brother had no idea what he was using back then, since he seemed so sure I wouldn't survive. I found out later it was part of a project to develop super soldiers. How ironic that the machine he tried to destroy me with is the reason I'm where I'm at today. Getting ready to destroy the pathetic dirt planet he loves so much."
Gaz paused the game and looked at him, "Why do you hate Earth so much?"
Zim raised a non-existent eyebrow at her, "I'm surprised you asked since you consider yourself better than the rest of the human race. I expected you to understand better than anyone else."
She scoffed, "Whiner."
His eyes grew cold and hard, "You don't know what I went thru little-Gaz. The humiliation and frustrations I had to put up with."
"My brother went thru the same thing Zim." She retorted hotly. "And he still defends the Earth. Why can't you just get over it?" She couldn't care less for the human race, but she believed Zim was above such petty things.
"Your brother wasn't the laughing-stock of the entire universe. Lied to and sent off to the farthest planet the Empire could find by the ones he idolized simply because he was a defect." He stood up, "I lived a lie for one Earth year, putting up with all those insignificant children I had to go to Skool with and being defeated by your brother around every corner just because I wanted to prove my worth to those MORONS I called my Tallest."
He didn't shout, but Zim's voice was eerily calm; the words sending chills down her spine as though she was walking on cracking ice. One wrong move and she'd drown.
"I vowed that everyone that humiliated me would pay! I rule the Irken Empire now! And I'm feared throughout the universe far more than any other Tallest in Irken history! The only ones left are your brother and your miserable planet. Justice will be mine and if you believe those humans don't deserve what's coming your just as pathetic as the rest of them!"
Zim threw the control on the couch and walked out the room, leaving an incredibly insulted Gaz behind.
He deserves this. Gaz thought to herself as she stuffed the computer disc into her pajama pants pocket. She had managed to download all the information connected to Dib and her dad from the Main Chamber and make it to her room without being caught.
You better answer this time Dib... She thought bitterly as she pulled out her communicator watch; Gaz had tried contacting him every night but so far she hadn't had any luck. Oh come on! You always said you wanted to save mankind and now that you can you won't even answer!
She set the communicator aside, pulling out a small computer she had worked on when Zim left her alone in the invention room, and connected it to her watch for when she needed to upload the soon translated information, and began reading.
So dad's in perfect health and the nanites aren't active or at risk of being detected, I guess I can read Dib's file next... She skimmed over the different files, uninterested in her brother's intelligence profile, personality profile, history documents and other useless subjects. Finally she came across one that captured her interest. Project Annihilation? Seriously, who comes up with these names?
"Gaz? Gaz?! Are you there?"
She picked up her communicator, "Be quiet Dib, you're too loud for your own good."
Her brother sighed in relief when her face appeared on the screen. "It's so good to see you Gaz. How have you... you know... been?"
She lifted an eyebrow at her brothers awkwardness, "Entertained. Zim's always taking me out for piloting lessons or combat training, I like going to the shooting range since I get to blow stuff up."
"Shooting range? Piloting? What are you part of their military now?"
"No. It's just Zim's idea of 'expanding my ideas of entertainment' for me." Gaz shrugged, "It's not all bad."
"That's pretty suspicious. He's probably just trying bribe you into being on his side since I'm sure there's not much he can do to keep you from hating him for..."
"He hasn't touched me Dib." She interrupted. "He promised me I had the choice and he wouldn't make it for me."
Dib's mouth dropped open. "...What?"
"Yeah, but whatever. I managed to find some files that are about you and dad."
"Oh how is he? I mean, has anything happened with the nanites?"
"He's fine. I don't think we have to worry about dad for the time being." I don't think Zim would break his promise to me anyways... She added mentally.
"Keep an eye out on that then. You never know, considering its Zim I wouldn't put it past him to do something. Anyways, I've tried to figure out what this machine I'm working on is, so far everyone's been avoiding telling me. Any luck on your end?"
"There's a file here named Project Annihilation, my guess it's got something to do with what you're working on. I was about to read it when you called."
"Oh sorry about that. I haven't been left alone for months! They have security on me all the time. But I guess good behavior eventually pays off. It helps when you have a holographic projector though. They think I don't have time to do my own things but HA! I've out-smarted them! That's one for the human race!" He exclaimed smugly.
Gaz rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She clicked on the folder, lifting an eyebrow in interest after a few moments.
"Gaz?" Dib asked, slightly panicked at her prolonged silence.
"Dib, it's a laser. Specifically for destroying the Earth."
Dib was silent for a moment, and Gaz mentally prepared herself for the fit her brother would throw himself into.
"WHAT!? HE'S HAVING ME WORK ON THE EARTH'S DOOMSDAY PROJECT!? HE WANTS METO BUILD THE REASON THE EARTH IS DESTROYED!?"
Just like clockwork... Gaz thought to herself. She read the files as her brother continued his rant, looking for more information on the laser.
"Hey Dib. Do you have the blueprints for this thing?"
"Huh? Uh... No. They only give me one part of the machine at a time, along with those pieces' blueprints. We've gotten pretty far, but I'll start blowing it up tomorrow. It should give us more time to come up with a plan..."
"You don't have to blow up the entire machine Dib," Gaz spat, "If you did that now it would just cause more problems. It'd be easier if you planted some bug in the other parts you've worked on and then in the next piece you finish, do something to it so it can cause a chain reaction. Or just sabotage the one you're working on now. Make it subtle. If they suspect something too soon they'll just finish it without you. Then you can say good-bye to your chances at stopping it."
"But Gaz-"
"No! I won't have your weirdness be the death of our dad! You are going to do this subtly!"
"Gaz!"
"Be quiet! I'll be looking for the blueprints, if you have any, send me copies." She tapped a few keys on the computer. "I'm sending you the information I have now. We can figure out what to do from there."
"You can't be serious! I'm the one with the most experience with this sort of thing..."
"And I'm the one with access to all the files." Gaz interrupted. "So unless you want to face my wrath the next time I see you, because I'm more than sure I can convince Zim to let me see you if only to beat you into the ground, then we're doing things my way!"
Dib scowled. "This is all Zim's fault. Seriously, when I get my hands on him I'm going to..."
"No one lays a hand on Zim except me!" She growled.
He waved off her anger, completely misinterpreting what she said. "Ok fine, you can have a go at him first. But I want to throw in a few punches in before we completely get rid of him. And once we get do get rid of him, we'll be heroes! The world will finally know aliens exist and then..."
Her eyes widened slightly, sure Zim was annoying and deserved having this project of his blown up but that didn't mean they had to get rid of him. Gaz knew she couldn't deal with the idea of a life without him again; the first time had been hard enough and she only had a crush on him! Now her own brother wanted to make her suffer too!
There must be some way to keep Zim and my stupid brother happy...
Zim wanted revenge but that meant her brother would do everything in his power to stop him, even if it meant taking Zim's life. And since Zim put everything into getting what he wanted, that meant she would have to change his focus; instead of making destroying the Earth his priority, she needed to help him find a different one. But what exactly...
I can figure that out later. She mused. Right now I need to convince him to give into what I want; question is how I can do that...
Gaz thought back to when her brother had fallen head over heels over some girl a good several years before, and how willing he had been to do everything she asked... Any girl who held a particular guy's affections could bend said guy to her will if she tried hard enough, and Zim often mentioned how attracted he was to her, but a man didn't have to love a woman to lust after her. Gaz frowned; Zim was the one who always seemed to have the upper hand though since he always tried to seduce her...
Wait... Her eyes widened. That's it!
She held just as much power over Zim, all Gaz needed now was to use that. Could she though? The passion and fire he managed to ignite in her was overwhelming and she ran the risk of being consumed by it; it was a dangerous game to play with someone as experienced as Zim, especially since she had such strong feelings for him. Could she lure him to her side without losing herself to him along the way?
"Gaz? Gaz?! Are you even listening to me?"
She looked at her computer screen, "Just do what I told you Dib. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Wait!"
The screen blacked out and she looked up at the ceiling with a confident smirk on her face; Zim had unknowingly helped her figure out how to get what she wanted and of course being Gaz, she always got what she wanted. Tomorrow she would put her plan in motion, it would be subtle but she could manage that, and get a bit of fun out of it too.
And so it was settled.
She would seduce Zim.
* Caressing her face, running his hands up her sides, ect.
Ok, so this chapter definitely took much longer to get up than I would have liked, and I'm still a bit iffy on it. I feel I rushed thru it, transferring from one moment to another... UGH! How was it?
I had to rewrite it till I finally got it to a reasonable setting. I mean, I am content with it but I'm super picky about my writing. I was re-reading some of my old chapters and I was like "Did I seriously write that? I could have done so much better!"
I hope this makes up for taking so long to update. My computer is broken...
Personally, I like saying Princess-lift instead of Bridal-style. The latter annoys me…
In other news I think I did an ok job in letting it be seen that they both struggle with each other.
Anyways review and let me know what you think!
Till next time!