avatar: I guess the final chapter is next week. I wasn't finished yet, but I wanted to post what I had so far, which was already chapter-sized. Check back Thursday for the end of my first fanfic! (looks around) It seems I've used just about everybody up! I guess I'll have to do MY OWN DISCLAIMER (dramatic music). I do not own Invader Zim; however, I do own Kloof, Reapir, and the Gamethrall (and any strange side effects it may have). You may feel free to use my characters, but you must ask first, or you'll wind up reported in a ditch somewhere.
Chapter 13
Disaster Averted?
Dib pushed the accelerator down to the maximum speed on the control panel. As soon as he had regained his composure, he had dashed home to grab the updated version of Tak's ship that Kloof had given him. He was glad this one was faster; he had a feeling he would need that extra boost. The ship's radar had found Zim's Pak-enhanced energy signature, and it had no problem pinpointing Gaz's far more swollen energy signature just behind Zim's. Dib was heading for the signals so fast, the ship was in danger of losing control. He barely blinked as the ship rushed out of the city, and over the open ocean. "I have to stop Gaz," he said aloud, before Zim does something horrible to her!" Or before she does something horrible to herself, he added silently.
"Why, traitor, are you leading me back to Earth?" Tak asked, annoyed. She was annoyed that Kloof was piloting her ship design; she was annoyed that he was using it to run from her. Most of all, she was annoyed that she hadn't been able to hit him yet. She had chased him up and down the galaxy, and he had absolutely refused to die. She had hit the scouting craft once. Once had been enough to destroy the craft, but still Kloof had survived. "WHY, TRAITOR, WHY WON'T YOU JUST ROLL OVER AND DIE!"
"I have other plans," Kloof replied calmly. A face blinked onto his communication screen. A human face. "Hello, Dib. I was just on my way to see you."
"Kloof! Your game system turned Gaz into some kind of giant monster!"
Kloof's smile faded. "Really?" He asked, dodging another Full Spectrum Cannon beam. "That's not what it's supposed to do."
"That's what it did!"
Kloof thought for a moment. "Did she… by any chance… plug it into Zim's upgraded Pak?"
"Uh, yeah…"
"That's BAD! I'm on my way!" Kloof exclaimed. Dib opened his mouth to say something else, but a laser hit the ship, damaging the communications device. "Poor Tak," Kloof said in mock pity. "She can't come onscreen to brag about finally hitting me." He engaged maximum atmospheric booster's, and pulled down into Earth's atmosphere. He pulled a lever, dropping floating mines behind his ship. "That'll keep that angry bitch busy."
"HA!" Tak easily dodged the mines. "I bet he thought that that would keep me busy!" She noticed in the rear camera that the mines were following her. "I should never have programmed that trick." She sacrificed the ship's last tentacle by slamming it against the foremost mine. She noticed Kloof heading for a coastline, and followed. I'll nail him with the Full Spectrum Cannon as soon as he pulls out of that dive, she thought with a grin. To her shock, he didn't pull out of the dive. He let his craft slam into the water with a huge splash. "Where'd that betrayer go?!" When the splash fell back to the water, she noticed missiles flying up to her from the foam. "Nice surprise, but he can do better." She fired the lasers, destroying most of the missiles. She dodged the rest easily and flew even with the water. "What's this huge disturbance on my radar?" Curious, she headed towards that.
Zim shrieked in pain as he slid forward through the translucent solid energy that was the main body of the creature. Every atom of his body felt like some different method of torture was being applied to it. It was all he could do to stay conscious as his body moved towards Gaz's actual body. She was in an air bubble in the creature, contentedly playing her Gamethrall, which was leaking shadow-energy. With an effort of extreme will, he grabbed the Gamethrall, and the energy flow stopped. Gaz looked up at Zim, her eyes burning with rage. "You and Dib never let me have any fun," she said quietly. Suddenly, the huge aura-dragon around them flickered and vanished.
"HA!" Zim yelled triumphantly. "Take THAT, evil human scum! I'm not burned by water anymore!"
"But can you swim?" Gaz asked as they began to fall. Suddenly, a pinkish ship flew by. Dib leaned out the open window, and pulled Gaz inside by the back of her shirt. She made a grab for the Gamethrall, but only succeeded in knocking it from Zim's hands.
"Have a nice swim, ZIM!" Dib said, grinning maliciously as he closed the window. The ship sped away.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Zim screamed dramatically as he plunged toward the water. As he was about to hit, his own familiar, flaming Voot Runner caught Zim. Zim looked to the pilot's seat, and Gir was piloting, still in duty mode.
"Glad you are safe, master! Shall I follow them?"
"Not today, Gir. The VOOT is damaged, and so is my Pak. We have to go home for repairs." Gir's colors began to fade back to blue, and Zim shoved his way into the pilot's chair. "Time to goWHOOAAAA!" Zim lost control as the Voot Cruiser took a huge hit from a big laser beam. He turned to the attacker, and saw Kloof's new ship rising from the water near him. "That looks like… cutting edge IRKEN technology!" Suddenly, Dib took advantage of the surprise attack to turn around and ram Zim at maximum speed. The heavily damaged Voot Cruiser split in half from the stress, and Zim and Gir were pitched back out into the open air.
"Take THAT, Zim!" Dib yelled triumphantly.
"I'll SLAY YOU!" Zim snarled, engaging the boosters on Gir's legs. He swung his small body up onto Gir's, and sped off. As he left, he heard a voice in his head. Pak instability critical. Removing 2.0 upgrade to compensate. "Great, just great," Zim muttered.
"We won," Kloof said triumphantly. "We forced Zim to lose the Pak upgrade!" He used a tractor beam to scoop Reapir's damaged form out of the water.
"Don't celebrate just yet," Tak said, sneering. Everybody noticed for the first time that she had been quietly watching in her damaged ship from above. "I can still destroy the Earth, mirrors or not!" She aimed her ship so that the fully charged Full Spectrum Cannon was aimed directly downward into the water.
End of Chapter
Okay, I conclude with the next chapter, I promise. We'll see if Tak is stopped in time, and we'll wrap things up. There should eventually be a sequel, but not for a while. I currently have an X-Men Evolution fic running, and a video game crossover on hiatus. In addition, I'm thinking of this Lilo & Stitch fic...