A/N: here is chapter seven. An old character from Clairvoyance makes a special appearance here. Read on to find out who it is...
...
The next few days had been a living nightmare. Zim had to lock Tak deep inside the base in a secluded area. It had a viewing window on one side like an interrogation room, so he could keep an eye on any fluctuations. Tak knew he was behind there, since she wasn't stupid. So far that green-eyed creature hadn't made another appearance, and Zim was getting frustrated.
The door to the room opened, but Tak never turned her head. It was GIR with a plate of food. She had been restrained in one corner first, lest she held Zim's poor little SIR at ransom.
"Hello, Kat!" he greeted.
"It's Tak," she corrected. "Oh, forget it..."
"You wanna Deelishus Weenie?" GIR held a weenie up.
Tak looked at the weenie and sighed. A painful reminder of her old, failed mission.
"No. They sicken me."
"But it's so deelishus," he said, wiggling it in her face.
She kicked the weenie out of his hand as it hit the viewing window. It left a horrible, greasy smudge on the glass.
"I know what you're doing, Zim, feeding me those awful weenies to remind me of my failure!"
Zim's voice came over the intercom next. "Actually, they were to remind you of my victory, but yeah, if that's what you want, Tak!"
"You just got lucky!"
"Uh-huh... Look, you gonna eat them wieners? GIR went out and bought them all for you. If you don't eat them he will cry, and scream. You remember last night with the waffles?"
"No. I am not going to eat them, Zim," she told him, straight.
"Then go ahead and starve, because they're all you're getting until you confess! Tell me if you are feeling strange..."
She sighed. "I was fed three meals a day back in Irk's prisons..."
"And now you're fed three dozen wieners a day. Hahaha!"
"And don't forget 'em waffles!" GIR cried, eating a weenie.
"Yes, and waffles!" Zim said.
Tak rolled her eyes. "Fine." She grabbed a weenie and took a small bite. It burnt her mouth, so she spat it out. How could he make her eat this filth?
Zim started again. "You never answered my question. Are you feeling particularly very strange today?"
"No, and I didn't the last two-hundred times you asked. What do you care anyway?"
"Because... because... uh..."
"I'm sorry I asked. Your stammering is infuriating, but then you've always been infuriating."
"Quiet! Zim is trying to think! Do you remember the day you started to feel... well, less like Tak?"
"No. Why do you keep asking me all these ridiculous questions?!"
"That's none of your concern! Now I must leave. GIR! Join me in the lobby."
"But we has no lobby!"
"Just meet me upstairs!"
"Okie dokie!"
GIR left in a rush, leaving Tak alone at last. It was just too bad Zim didn't release her from her restraints. She sighed and bowed her head.
...
Tenn was sitting on the couch with her arms around her legs, while Skoodge was making her a refreshing Earth drink.
She hadn't left that area for days. At first, she sat behind the couch to find a dust snowman made by GIR. The first time she even met GIR she went hysterical, thinking he was another malfunctioning SIR unit. Well, he wasn't far off.
Skoodge stirred the tea and brought it into the living room to give to Tenn.
"Here, I made some you tea!" he chirped brightly.
"Thank you, Skoodge. Is it safe?"
"Oh, very. The water is purified, so no pollutants. Zim said unpurified water on Earth burns like the devil."
"Who's the devil?" she asked.
"I'm not so sure; it was Zim's expression. I think he may be Zim and Dib's teacher. I joined the skool for one day, but Mr. Diablo Jnr scared me. Apparently, their last teacher was even scarier..."
Tenn contemplated quietly while she held that hot mug in her gloved hands. Despite her losing her Invader title, she still wore her uniform. So did Skoodge for that matter, and Zim. It was a hard fashion to grow out of.
"So... are you liking Earth so far?" he asked.
"Well, I haven't even stepped outside yet. It's just a little harmless agoraphobia. It'll pass."
"It's perfectly acceptable to be afraid. I mean Earth is an unfamiliar planet. You should feel wary."
"Skoodge, I was trained for years to lose any fear towards unfamiliar, alien worlds. I shouldn't be afraid. I should be out there, looking for any weaknesses in the planet's native fauna."
"Well, no, that is... was Zim's job. Earth was his assigned planet after all."
"We were both there, Skoodge. Earth wasn't a part of Operation Impending Doom II. The Tallest just tried to get rid of him; Zim just stumbled upon it by accident."
"And how lucky was he! Just look at that Earth sky. So red and smoggy..." he said, directing his arm out the window.
"The smog is the by-product from all the factories, but when we first entered the Earth's atmosphere, it looked a pale blue. Well, from the outside looking in."
Skoodge twiddled his fingers. "I did hear the Earth sky was blue once..."
She went on. "And I assume there was once more ice at the planet's northern limit? I saw it from space. It was alarming, like a missing jigsaw piece in a puzzle..."
"Yeah, most of it's melted now. But come on, Earth isn't so bad."
"This is a dying world, Skoodge. I have yet to be convinced of its wonder. I am sorry. I know it means something to you, but these 'humans' are destroying themselves. They didn't need Zim invading them after all."
"Don't use that talk around Dib. He'd defend this planet till his head explodes!"
"I wish you had told me who he was earlier. It's bad enough that she is around, but to have an alien rebel too? His involvement with the Resisty further adds to my displeasure of this planet."
"Dib made a mistake, but that doesn't make all the humans accountable."
"Well, there are billions of them on this rock. I suppose you're right."
Skoodge smiled. "In fact, there's a particular human I want you to meet. Her name is Molly. She's amazing! Can pat her head and rub her belly at the same time!"
Tenn looked genuinely impressed. "What a convenient skill..."
"I know! I can't wait to introduce you two. It's her birthday today. I wanted to see her sooner, but we decided to surprise her at her birthday party later. The last time I saw her, I thought it would be my last."
"Why?"
He glanced away. "I thought that I was going to be imprisoned once I rebelled against your Evaluation, or worse."
She squinted her eyes, watching him carefully. "You... you willingly traveled to Judgementia, knowing that you may never see the planet you love again, all just to help me?"
"I guess I did," he said.
She stared speechless. Next, there came an overwhelming sensation in her chest. It was strange; she'd definitely never had this feeling before.
"I suppose I owe you many thanks, Skoodge."
She took a quick sip of her tea next, never meeting his eyes again. Now she felt bad for dissing the Earth. It must be worth something if Skoodge loved it so much.
The awkwardness made Skoodge very uncomfortable. He brushed his antennae back. "Uh, you're welcome. It was my pleasure..."
The silence next was deafening. Luckily Zim emerged from the toilet with GIR in tow.
Once Tenn's antennae picked up the metallic vibrations of GIR's feet, she jumped out of her seat and hid behind the couch again.
Zim finally entered the room. "Hey, where's Tenn?" he asked.
"She's behind the couch," Skoodge replied, sighing.
"Again?! Skoodge, this has to stop. She can't go hiding behind the couch every time GIR says "boo".
"Boo!" GIR said.
Tenn whimpered behind the couch.
"Leave her alone. SIRs ruined her base. She has a good reason to be afraid of them."
"But GIR?"
"I'll come out as soon as he puts that saw in his head away, or those lasers, or when he stops trying to explode the base..." Tenn said.
"GIR doesn't do those things!" Zim snapped. How dare she make assumptions about his robot.
"I sure do like to explode!" GIR yelled.
"You're not helping, GIR!" Zim spat.
"It's all right, Tenn," Skoodge said. "You have nothing to fear. GIR is perfectly stable..." Skoodge touched the bite mark that GIR gave him next. The scar was ten months old now, but GIR's chomping sounds still haunt his dreams.
Tenn's face peeked out from behind the couch. "Are you sure?" she asked in a voice like a little girl's, or more appropriately smeet.
"Yeah... This is just a dog bite," he reassured, pointing at his scar.
"Oh. Well that's not so bad." Tenn emerged from behind the couch, and stood beside Skoodge.
"Hi!" GIR said. "Look what I can do!" He pulled out an electric toothbrush next, and put it inside his mouth. He shook as foam started coming out of his mouth.
Tenn was traumatised. "It's horrible. Make him stop!" she cried, hiding behind the couch again.
"GIR!" Zim warned.
"Aw, man," GIR said, wiping the foam off his mouth.
"Skoodge, I am leaving for Molly's birthday party very shortly. If you wish to bring Tenn, then I suggest you act now. Pull her out from behind the couch, or something."
"I can't do that. She's afraid, Zim."
"If she can't handle GIR, then how is she going to cope with a house full of six-year-old Earth children?"
"I... don't know." Skoodge looked hopeless now.
"It's okay, Skoodge, you go on. Just take that explosive little machine with you!" Tenn demanded.
"But I really wanted you to meet Molly, Tenn," he said.
"Maybe some other time," she replied. She sounded truly regretful, but she'd made her choice.
Skoodge sulked. "Okay. Come on, Zim. We have to take GIR with us."
"No, GIR is not coming." Zim announced, firmly.
"But whhhyyy?" GIR cried.
"Because you will eat all the candy!"
"Waaahhh!" GIR screamed.
Tenn covered her head from the sound. So did Skoodge. Zim was used to it by now.
"That's it. Bob!"
Bob the cat emerged from the kitchen. "Yes, Irken caregiver?" he asked.
"Sit on GIR's head. That should keep him quiet for a few hours."
"Must I? His head is awfully sticky, and last time I lost a patch of fur."
"So that's why GIR had a patch of cat fur on his head that time," Zim mused. "If you do as I ask, I will bring you a whole tray of sushi home!"
"I do like sushi. Very well." Bob jumped up on GIR's head and the robot soon calmed. The cat curled up and fell asleep. It's true, cats really do sleep anywhere...
"Aw, kitty go purr, kitty go puuuurrrr..." GIR soon fell asleep standing up with a ginger cat for a hat.
"Hmm, how strange. Well, let's go, Skoodge." Zim left through the door.
Skoodge met Tenn's gaze behind the couch.
"Are you sure you will be all right?" he asked, concerned.
"I will, as long as that furry creature stays on that killing machine's head!"
"He should do. Well, goodbye. We shouldn't be out for too long. Do... do try to come out from behind the couch."
"I'll try, Skoodge. But I'm not so sure if I can."
Skoodge sighed and left through the door, leaving Tenn behind the couch and GIR fast asleep with a cat on his head.
...
Molly stood over her stack of presents, wondering which one she would open first. She spotted an envelope and shook it vigorously. Money! She knew it...
She made a small tear in the envelope. Another little girl came to her left. She was different to other children, as she held a grownup demeanour about her.
"Molly!" the little girl shouted.
She looked up and met the eyes of her Aunt Molly. Being one year older than her in appearance now, she had gained a few inches over her, but that didn't stop Molly senior from folding her arms, and giving her a look as if to say "explain yourself".
"Sorry, Aunt Molly."
"Your Aunt Lily will be crushed. She got you that envelope."
"So, does it have money in it or not?"
The angel girl narrowed her eyes. "I can't tell you that, Molly."
"I know. I just really miss Zim and Skoodge. I wanted to use the money to make a long call to space. It's really expensive to call someone on another planet. They've been gone for weeks! I just hope they come to my party later..."
"Don't worry, Molly. You will be seeing them very soon."
"How do you know? Are you using some kind of angel super power?"
"Maybe... Now be a good girl, and wait till all your party guests arrive. Then you can open your presents!"
"Yay!"
"Uh-oh, baby Johnny just picked up a penny. Have to go, Molly."
"Bye Aunt Molly!"
Molly senior rushed to the baby as he was about to put that dirty, old penny in his mouth.
"No, Johnny junior, that penny is icky," Molly said, taking the penny off him.
The baby looked up at her from his mat and smiled. His mouth was all gummy. He was lying flat on his belly, but he could still grab anything within his reach, and one such object just happened to be the penny. Molly wondered who left it there; they should be more careful. She recalled her niece shaking a coin purse about before, as she loved her money. It must have fallen out. The world was a danger zone.
She looked around. Her older nephew Sam was playing on his GS2 on the couch; it was his duty to keep an eye on the babies.
Molly was still shaking that coin purse around like it was a tambourine. Her baby brother Kenny was colouring with his crayons. She hoped the tot didn't start eating his crayons; she already had one baby to look after. He didn't. The worst he did was start colouring the wallpaper. There was not much more she could do; he had to learn the hard way.
Lily soon appeared with her younger sister Ruby. They had been preparing last minute details to the buffet in the kitchen. Now it was all ready to go out.
Lily picked baby Johnny up and started cooing in his face. He grabbed her hair next and put it in his mouth.
"Ew, he's getting slobber all over your hair, Aunt Lily," little Molly squeaked.
"It's all right, just his teeth growing through," Lily said.
"I miss Kenny's chewing from when he was littler. Now all he does is scream and have tantrums. Look, he's having one now!"
The woman and child looked to the toddler, and sure enough he was acting up again once his Mommy took his crayons away. Drawing on the walls was not acceptable.
Lily smiled. "Aw, he just wants to write a big "happy birthday" to his big sister on her special day."
"He can't spell. It's all just scribbles, Aunt Lily," Molly pointed out.
Lily wasn't sure how to respond; she had just been outwitted by a six-year-old. She sat down on the couch next, and placed baby Johnny on her lap.
Molly senior was giggling. Despite how much hard work they could be, her family always made her laugh.
There came a knock at the door. Molly knew who it was because of her angel super power, and felt the butterflies in her stomach. She opened it, and there was her extra-terrestrial friend whom she owes her afterlife.
Zim looked alarmed to see her. He scratched the back of his head, and turned the other way.
"Oh, hello, Molly senior. I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"It's my niece's birthday party, and baby Johnny is also a guest. Of course I'd be here, silly," she said.
"Have you done something new to your hair?" he asked awkwardly, making small talk.
"No," she laughed. "Just come on in, Zim. You're always welcome here." Molly senior glanced up at Skoodge next. "Oh, hello again, Skoodge."
"Hey, I can still see you!" he said. "Great. We were afraid that I'd lose my clairvoyance, you know, because I'm no longer on death's trail..."
"No, you were afraid, Skoodge. And you're not clairvoyant!" Zim snapped. He made his way inside as Skoodge followed.
Molly senior moved aside for them. Zim looked back at her. He never looked so guilty. "Uh, we can catch up again later, Molly. I promise. I haven't forgotten you."
"It's okay, Zim. I know you haven't."
He smiled at her and soon found Molly junior, who was playing with her younger brother. She drove a small toy car around the floor as he tried to grab it. Whatever baby wants, baby gets...
Zim stood over her and coughed for her attention.
She looked up and dropped the toy car to give him a hug. Baby Kenny grabbed the car, but he soon lost interest now that his big sister didn't want it.
"Zim! You're back in time for my birthday!"
"You bet, Earth smeet! Here, Zim has gotten you a gift for your sixth year of life."
He gave her a small radio piece that fits inside the ear. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's a radio that transmits the thoughts of those closest to you. It's similar to the technology I used on Biscuit's collar," Zim replied, hating the name. His cat's name was Bob. Of course that was the name that Molly will always know the feline as, which was given to him by her late grandmother.
"So, I can read minds now?" she asked again.
"Yes."
"Cool!"
The little girl put it in her ear, and tested it on her nineteen-month-old baby brother.
"That stupid lady, taking away my crayons! I will show her. Tonight, while she sleeps, I will flush all her makeup down the loo! Oh, I'm about to make a poop..."
There came a small squeak from the baby's butt, as Molly junior covered her nose. "Ew!"
Molly senior was laughing.
Zim gasped and brushed the smell away. A brilliant defence mechanism indeed.
"There's someone else here to see you, Molly," Zim said, moving aside as Skoodge came into view at last.
The chubby Irken waved to the girl. "Happy birthday, Molly," he said.
Molly stared dumbstruck, and then ran up to him and knocked him down.
"Be careful, Molly," her Aunt Lily warned, holding baby Johnny up.
"I knew you would come back, Skoodge!" Molly cried.
"And I'm glad that you were right. You have such amazing foresight, Molly," Skoodge replied breathlessly, as Molly hugged him tight.
The girl finally sat up and gave him some breathing space. Skoodge sat up too and fixed his wig. The only adult in the room was Aunt Lily, but she was too busy with the baby to notice his wig slipping off. Sam never took his eyes off his GS2.
"Did you save your friend?" Molly asked.
"Yes, she's safe. I would like for you to meet her someday, Molly."
"In outer space!" Molly yelled. She had no idea Tenn was on Earth.
Skoodge, Zim and Molly senior all turned silent as Aunt Lily finally looked up. Even Sam tore his eyes away from his game for a moment (he should marry Gaz).
"Outer space?" Aunt Lily laughed. "You and your imagination, Molly," she rolled her eyes, and continued bouncing the baby on her lap.
"Yes, such an imaginative mind indeed. Wow, he has gotten big," Zim said, looking at the baby amazed.
"I know. He's just so beautiful..." Lily replied, looking down at the baby with a love that only a mother could have for their child. Sam rolled his eyes.
Zim blamed it on the hormone oxytocin, often responsible for the sensation of love, but it was something much deeper than that, and he knew it. Science had no place here at the moment (leave the endocrinology lesson for another time).
"May I hold him?" he asked now. He could just see a version of himself twelve months earlier writhing in disgust at the idea of holding an Earth baby. He was still self-conscious of the germs, but he could always bathe in disinfectant later.
"Sure," Lily said, passing him the baby. "I'm just going to use the bathroom. Do you think you can keep an eye on him for five minutes, Zim? Sam's too busy with his game..."
"I'm almost finished now, mom!" Sam snapped.
Zim felt a little nervous, but he agreed anyway. "No problem. Not like I don't have much experience with babies."
She smiled sweetly, and left for the bathroom upstairs.
Zim held the chubby thing in his arms, face to face with its inquisitive little gaze. Its frowning expression was quite adorable as it tried to figure him out. He was a far cry from the tiny thing he was back at the hospital ten months ago.
"Hello, you've certainly grown since we last met. Is it the food? Earth baby food has always looked a little suspicious to me."
The baby still frowned at him.
"I guess you are kind of cute. I really do hope for your sake that you don't turn out like your namesake. Molly senior will have to keep the knives at bay lest that ever happens. Remember, we all get homicidal thoughts from time to time, but it's best to keep them locked away, deep inside. Unless you can find a giant battle mech. They're actually quite handy. Can remove candy from a very stubborn vending machine."
Sam was watching him strangely, and then he shook his head. He went back to his game; he did remember Dib telling him Zim was a little weird, like he was from another planet (I think Dib was trying to be subtle).
The baby's bottom lip wiggled. Zim couldn't understand why it was pulling that face. Was it something he said? Do babies even like battle mechs? He did as a smeet.
Next, it emitted a high-pitched sound like a raptor. Zim was terrified.
"Oh, oh, he's making typical Earth baby sounds, someone take him off me!" He passed the baby to whoever would take him. There were no takers. Skoodge edged away as if he was holding a bomb. Sam held his game up to his face.
The babe spat up on him next, and Zim groaned. Great. He didn't plan on smelling like stale milk today.
Molly senior came to his aid at last. "It's all right, Zim. He just has an upset tummy. But it's all gone now," she cooed, rubbing beneath baby Johnny's chin.
"Yes, on my uniform..."
"Sorry, I should have taken him off you."
"And what would your poor dear sister, Lily, think when she returns from the bathroom and finds her baby floating in mid-air? No, it's best that I keep hold of him for now."
Baby Johnny was smiling up at him now. "What," Zim said, "you find my frustration amusing?"
He made a cooing sound. Zim couldn't ignore the overwhelming, warm feeling spreading through his body next. Why does it have to be so precious?
Lily finally returned and took the baby off him. "Thank you, Zim. You've been very helpful."
"Glad to have been of assistance."
Zim met Molly senior's gaze, indicating that he would like to talk with her.
"So, should we catch up on that talk that we agreed to earlier?" he said.
"Did you just say something?" Lily asked, playing with her son on her lap again.
"Erm, no. I was just talking to myself. A habit."
"That's all right," she replied good-naturedly, then continued playing with the baby.
"Upstairs in Molly's room would be best," Molly senior said.
They made their way upstairs. Once inside Molly junior's bedroom, Zim sat on his favourite woven chair. "The last time I was here, I was saying goodbye to Molly before we left for Judgementia."
"Why did you go back, Zim?" Molly asked. "I thought you had given up on your old mission to take over the Earth?"
"I have, but I'll still always be Irken, Molly. I'm allowed to venture out there every now and then. I went to a trial."
Molly sat on the bottom bunk, and watched Zim curiously. "A trial, like the one Nny had?"
Zim cringed. "Don't say that name..."
"Why? I thought you two liked each other now?"
"All right, I don't mind him that much. It was similar to his trial, though I wouldn't know for sure, as I weren't there. According to destiny, his went rather well. Splendid you might say. Well, that was how she put it."
"Her name is Julia, Zim," Molly corrected.
"Or the 'tofu' lady. She helped me realise that if I became vegan, I could get away with not touching that filthy Earth meat. Though I've found that some Earth vegetables burn my skin too... Anyhow, where was I? Yes, this trial was also very similar to one that I had a while ago."
Molly gasped. "You were put on trial?!"
"Yes! Why is everyone so surprised about that? Do you all not know Zim?"
"Sorry, it's just that you never told me."
"Well it must have slipped my mind when we were out hunting your killer during 'Operation Taco', and getting you to heaven, which was all pointless now in hindsight. You came right back to Earth in the end..."
"This was my destiny in the end, Zim, to be on Earth."
"I think we are straying off the subject again. Let me start over. The reason why I attended the trial was because it was for an old friend. Well, you could call her that."
"Her?" Molly asked.
"Yes, that was what I said, right?"
"I just didn't expect a 'her'."
"There are many female Invaders, but this one is really, really bad. Her name is Tak. I hate her! She was never even an Invader, all because of me, but that's another story. She tried to steal my old mission, but ever since she failed, she has gone on to do some pretty messed up stuff."
"Like what?"
"She rebelled against her own society, and sabotaged a SIR unit competition, among other things..." Zim left out the details of her abandoning her post on Planet Dirt, since he did pretty much the same thing on Foodcourtia.
"So that's... bad?"
"Yes!"
"But if the Irkens are bad, then isn't it good that she rebelled against them?"
"No, it is not. It is disloyal, and very unorthodox."
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know, but as I sat there in the crowd, I saw it..."
"Saw what?" Molly asked, intrigued now.
Zim met her fervent blue eyes. "A ghost, an Irken ghost... I'll give you a moment to let that sink in." He sat back in the seat.
Molly didn't look surprised one bit.
"You're not surprised? An Irken ghost, Molly. Just think of the possibilities!"
"So, I've seen many strange creatures on the other side, Zim. Everything that dies lets go of an energy force, as She taught me. I've even seen Irkens over there."
"You have?! Who? Maybe I was responsible for their deaths..." Zim wondered, and then came the shame.
"Lots of smaller ones, and then two bigger ones."
"You mean like," Zim gulped, "tall?" There was going to be a long cue of angry Irkens waiting for him up there once his energy force escapes his Irken shell, with bats...
"Yes, very, very tall. Do you know them?"
Zim thought about Tallest Miyuki and Spork for a moment. No, it couldn't be them, right?
"You said you even saw heaven when you met your guardian. So why are you surprised to see an Irken ghost?"
"You're right. When you really think about it, an Irken has every right to linger on. I mean, how many Irkens have lost their lives in the Pike of Judgement?"
"The Pike of Judgement?"
"Just one of many of Irk's conquered planets. It's there that Irkens are deemed defective and have their PAK's erased of all their memories, all to be forgotten and left out of the Collective."
"That's so sad, all their memories gone like that?
"Like they never existed..."
"Well, what happened at your trial?"
"I became known as "the most incredible Irken to have ever lived", but don't worry about me. It's my friend Tak you should worry about."
"Oh, Zim, I'm sorry. Did she die?"
"NO! And I wouldn't even care if she had died, but something is using her body like a parasite. It's taking over her personality, and it's not... good."
"So what did happen to Tak?"
"I convinced my Tallest to let me take her home, and now she is sitting inside a secured area deep inside my base. All just a part of my amazing plan."
"You locked her up?!"
"She's highly dangerous and very unpredictable, possessed or not. She is not to be trusted."
"Maybe she is suffering, like I was. I think you should help her, Zim. Whoever this ghost is you have to get it out of Tak. The ghost needs to move on."
"That's the thing; we don't really see eye to eye, so I can't even get close enough to her to talk to this ghost. And the way she scrunches her face whenever I approach her infuriates me, as if I smell bad. She's the one who smells like shame and disappointment!"
"Help her, Zim. I know you can. Tak may be bad now, but you used to be bad. And you and Dib used to be enemies too, and now your best friends."
"Well, I wouldn't say best friends. I just can't bring myself to care about Tak, but at the same time, I know it's the right thing to do. She needs help." Zim sighed. "Well, it was pleasant talking with you, Molly. Dib has been of some help too, but he marvels over Tak too much whenever I mention her."
"Why?
"He did own her old ship, and teamed up with her during the battle of Meekrob."
"Dib went to space and fought in a space battle?"
"Yes, but he remembers nothing of it. I'll tell you about that another time, Molly. I hear some guests arriving downstairs. I think the party is about to begin. So let's go."
They both left Molly junior's bedroom and went downstairs to join the other party guests. There will be a piñata, shaped like an alien, alien themed food, and alien décor. A little obsessive, but it makes a change from all those pink ponies and princesses.
...
Tak nearly bore a hole into the wall as she stared at the same spot, over and over, trying to make out faces that weren't there. There was a bloodied up face like Zim's, she noted, and it satisfied her to picture him like that. Boredom brings out the insanity in us all.
How she hated that little parasite. She would escape out of this prison, eventually. Zim made a huge mistake. Bringing her back to Earth just made her escape all the more possible. This wasn't exactly a high security prison; it shouldn't be too hard. She just had to pick her moment.
Then it hit her all of a sudden, like a strange wave of nausea that builds up inside of her spooch and makes its way to her head like a hot trail of fire. And it burnt like hell.
She stooped her head forward and gasped frantically for air. Not again... She hadn't had any blackouts for days. So what had brought them back? They come and go, but whenever she had bitter, negative thoughts they would usually show. It almost seemed that they were coming from some external source, but that was preposterous.
Next, she felt her PAK whirring uncontrollably. She groaned in discomfort, keeping her head bent forward. When she looked up again, her eyes were glowing green, watching the camera in the corner with hungry eyes.
She smiled at it and licked her lips, then gave a high-pitched cackle, which rebounded against the glass of the window and all the way back to her.
Tak awoke with a fright as her eyes returned to purple, darting across the room anxiously. A laugh had woken her from her stupor, she was sure she heard it. There was definitely the presence of another in the room...
"Who's there?" she asked. No answer came. Maybe it was Zim over the intercom, but she knew she would recognise his insane laughter anywhere.
She curled in on herself, as much as her chains would allow, and closed her eyes, shaking. It was probably her imagination, or a crazy dream from the blackout. That was the best explanation.
A/N: Molly is back! Was you happy to see her again? It's nice to write for her again and see how her afterlife is going. I'm proud of what she has become. You create these characters like their your children, and to see them happy and moving on is a great pleasure. Especially with Molly's old case. Don't think I'm weird. I've spoken with other writers who feel as if their characters are real on some level too. Put it this way, Molly found me, not the other way around (characters often find writers). I know what my initial inspiration was for her (I'm not saying any more) but any story about a murdered or lost child is a tragedy to mankind.
It's cool to see how baby Johnny is too. He's growing up to be a handsome little boy. Zim's moment with him was adorable.
I imagine baby Kenny's inner monologue to sound like Stewie from Family Guy. That's why he said loo. Stewie has a British accent in a way.
If you've watched the Christmas special for IZ, just look at the Arctic (or North Pole) when Zim dumps Dib out in the Jingle Jail. Global warming is canon in IZ (okay, it is not), but look at the ice. It's all broken up, and bear in mind it should be winter up in the extremes of the north in the episode! I wrote about the effects of global warming on birds for my dissertation (yes, very boring stuff), and it doesn't look good. That's all I'm going to say on that. This isn't the place for a debate.
In the commentary for 'The Wettening', Jhonen says that it's the pollutants in the rain water that burns Zim's skin. It makes sense. I can't imagine why water would burn any creature, on or off the Earth. If life evolved on other planets, it would need water, too, exactly in the same state as ours was. Without water, life would cease to exist. Irkens must have started off somewhere.
On the subject of meat, I reckon it's just all the stuff we pump animals with before they're slaughtered that affects Zim. Again, depending on if their ancestors were carnivores, eating the flesh of another animal wouldn't burn Irkens either. I mean natural meat though (maybe it's just something to do with Earth animals). Plus, it was processed meat that hit Zim. Maybe it has something to do with that.
Wieners are processed too, which is why Tak's mouth got burnt. Only a little though. She has better resistance than Zim.
Meats of evil...
The Irkens pretty much live off processed food too. Just ours is dangerous for them.
On a happier note I will update again next week :)