A/N: here is my tenth upload. Thank you all for your continued support. I really appreciate it. My gift in return is to get this story finished :)
Well read on :)
...
Zim and Gaz emerged at the top floor of the base, where they met a ghastly site.
Minimoose had been thrown against the wall, leaving one of his antlers hanging loose. The computer's arm lay in the middle of the room. He kept on saying "ow" over and over as his limb twitched like a fish.
GIR, however, was still sitting in front of the TV watching his beloved monkey.
"Minimoose!" Zim cried, running to his robot's aid. The moose squeaked helplessly, but other than his antler, he was pretty intact. "GIR! How could you just leave him lying like that?!"
"Favorite monkey's on!" GIR replied.
Zim growled. That stupid monkey...
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm sure my arm will be perfectly fine... not. I don't even have a nervous system, but it still hurts like—"
"Oh, quit your whining!" Gaz snapped next, picking the computer's robot arm up off the floor.
"Yes, my new mistress…"
"Computer, what happened up here?" Zim asked, cradling Minimoose in his arms like a baby.
"Well, as you can see, my arm is now in the hands of the female Membrane child, and Minimoose's antler is hanging off of his head. The cause? TAK CAME STORMING THROUGH FROM THE TOLIET IN THE KITCHEN AND WREAKED HAVOC ON OUR PRECIOUS HOME!"
Zim paused and took a deep breath. "It was noble of you to try and stop her, but look at what it has done to you!" He pointed at his arm.
"It's nice of you to finally show some concern..."
"And GIR just sat through it all?" Zim said, looking back at GIR irate.
"Oh, didn't you hear? His favorite monkey's on TV!"
"You're awfully sarcastic today, computer. But I need you to remain calm. This is a very serious situation. There is a possessed Irken on the loose, and I will need all of your help. Even yours, GIR! Actually, on second thought; you just keep watching your favorite monkey."
GIR saluted. Zim sighed. It was better that GIR stayed out of this.
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just in a lot of pain right now."
"That's okay, computer, you're forgiven. Now, first things first—"
"Call Dib," Gaz said.
"I was getting to that!"
"Call him, Zim," she pointed the computer's arm at him. "We need all the help we can get. No offense, but you're not gonna get much of it here. And Dib's paranormal logic can be useful, I guess..." Her face scrunched up with contempt.
"I know," Zim said, pouting like a spoilt child. "Computer, send Minimoose to the repair station. And while you're at it, fix your arm."
"As you wish, master. Can I… can I have my arm back, please?" the computer asked Gaz next.
Gaz looked over his arm for a few more seconds, then handed it back over.
"Here, I don't need a lame robot arm, anyway."
The computer grabbed it with his other limb. Now he took Minimoose and pulled him up through a hole in the celing.
"Call your brother, and make it quick. Not another moment to lose!" Zim yelled, pointing a finger in the air.
"If you yell at me again, then I'll pick your antennae off your head, just like I did with that stupid roach last week. Buzzing its wings around my room!"
Zim stepped back. "You pull antennae off innocent insects? You monster!"
Gaz pulled her phone out and dialled Dib's number. It didn't take long and she soon hung up.
"He's on his way."
"Good. Operation 'find Tak' can soon start."
…
Tenn looked around Molly's bedroom nervously. Stuffed animals stared at her from all directions with glistening eyes. So creepy. The stars on the ceiling gave her some comfort in the least.
Skoodge watched her curiously with an unnatural grin on his face. "So, what do you think?" he asked.
"You bring me to the child's lair, so of course I'm nervous. But I will try and give her a chance."
"You showed a lot of courage today to come back to Molly's house," he pointed out.
Tenn wasn't listening to him. "The smaller one in the push chair... How... how does its mother put up with that sound? It's so bothersome. A smeet that loud and obnoxious would be sent straight to the dungeons on Irk."
"The humans actually frown upon such treatment of children. Very unacceptable. He's just nineteen Earth months of age. To be fair our smeets are uploaded with a mature personality from when they are minutes old. He can't help it. I've seen him eat his own nasal mucus."
She scrunched up her face. "Vulgar. I don't even know what the punishment for that would be on Irk. Irken smeets do not possess a nose..."
"Yeah, could you imagine!" He laughed. Tenn didn't find it funny. Now things turned awkward again.
How Skoodge hated these awkward silences. It was like they were on a first date over and over, a true nightmare! Why did he think of the human tradition of 'dating' for an example?
Lucky for him, Molly finally entered the room with a plate of food.
"I got us snacks! Now we can have that indoor picnic. You always liked them, Skoodge."
"And I'm sure Tenn will too," Skoodge said.
The door creaked open, and there stood baby Kenny with a bottle in his mouth.
"Skoodge, what is the younger child doing here?" Tenn asked, creeping away from the toddler. He eyed her evilly.
"Oh, my Mommy says I have to let my brother play with us for a while. He's not so bad, except he likes to pull my hair, and he breaks everything he touches."
"Why is he looking at me like that?" Tenn asked once again.
Molly looked up at her, and produced an evil smile. "Because he smells fear..."
"I knew it!" she screamed, sprouting out her PAK legs to reach the top bunk.
"Molly, please don't scare Tenn like that," Skoodge said.
"Sorry," she replied. "He doesn't really smell fear, silly Tenn."
"I think he definitely knows we're aliens though," Skoodge went on. "He always looks at me and Zim very strange. Trust babies to be the smartest out of the entire human race..."
"Well that doesn't make me feel any better!" Tenn cried.
Skoodge looked a little guilty now. "Oops, sorry. He can't talk though. It's all just babbles and gibberish."
Baby Kenny staggered over to the ladder of the bunk as he clung to the rungs.
"Aboo da boo!" he gibbered. English translation: "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying..."
"What does he want?!" Tenn yelled.
Skoodge studied the baby with careful eyes. "I think he wants you to come down."
"I never will! Make him stop, Skoodge!"
"All right..." Skoodge found a bouncy ball with a floating alien inside. The baby's eyes lit up when he saw it, as he held out a chubby, dimpled hand.
"Here, Kenny, go get the ball!" Skoodge threw it across the room. Now the baby's a dog.
Kenny stumbled after it as he grabbed it off the floor. He shook it about as the plastic alien spun around. It amused him, so he sat down and played with it for a while.
Skoodge looked back up at Tenn. "He's gone over there now in the corner. That ball will captivate him for hours. It's time for you and Molly to finally get to know each other."
"Okay, but if he makes one move towards me, I'm out that door." Tenn climbed down from the bunk
Molly snorted. "You're not really scared of a baby, are you, Tenn?"
Tenn sat opposite Molly on the blanket she spread out. Molly was already chewing on a sandwich.
"As a matter of fact, I was scared of you at first, human smeet. I'm still undecided as you're clearly undisciplined. You're lucky you live on a planet that lets you express your child-like innocence, but don't push it. I won't tolerate such insolence."
"You sound like my mom. Skoodge never said you were a boring old grownup!"
Tenn blinked at her a few times, and then looked up at Skoodge. "Are you going to let her speak to me like that?"
Skoodge never said a thing. He was clueless.
"I hope all girl aliens aren't like this..." Molly said next.
Tenn sharpened her eyes at her. "If by girl you mean female, and alien, Irken, then yes. We're well-trained, disciplined, and ready to fight any war!"
"Cool. So you can fight?"
"Yes, very well. Well, once..." Tenn glanced away, sadly.
"Do all girl aliens get to fight?"
"Why would they ever not?" Tenn asked, dumbstruck.
"So no one makes you wear frilly dresses, and play with stupid dolls and be all girly?" It was hard not to hear the venom in her voice. Being a cute little blonde girl, society expected her to be some sweet tulip. But she was a fighter, a biter, and a spitter.
Tenn looked at Skoodge. "Is this child suffering from a concussion? What is this phrase girly?"
"Anything that is opposite from the word masculine. I guess I'd fit in that category too. I cry far too much," Skoodge laughed (it's good to joke about oneself).
"Oh, yes, they're not an androgynous race, I see now. Well, who stops you from fighting?" Tenn asked her.
"Everyone. My teacher, my mom, my aunt, my ghost aunt, even my next door neighbor! Her stupid nephew said I had a fat butt, so I punched him in the face!"
"That's because you're an undisciplined child, but it's better to control your anger. It is not a useful tool during a fight. All emotions must be controlled whilst on the battle field. How do your... parents control your dopamine levels?"
"Dopawhat?"" Molly said.
Skoodge was at a loss. So he looked out the window. Things were not going exactly as planned. His eyes found that nest that Zim often liked to gaze at. The chicks were nearly fledging now; their feathers were growing beautifully. He focused on that for now, while the two girls talked things out.
...
Zim, Dib and Gaz had taken to the streets to track down Tak. It wasn't so hard, since she had left a trail. Trash cans had been pushed all over the floor. Gulls squawked and scavenged at the discarded rubbish.
One neighbour's mail box had even been knocked down. The owners of said mail box were standing over the wreckage. Whatever had torn it off its post, and crushed it into a heap, must have been pretty strong.
"What do you think did it?" the man of the house asked. His wife and neighbour stood beside him.
"Maybe a bear has come to the neighborhood?" his neighbour suggested.
"That does make sense. A bear has visited our humble street, scavenged through our trash, and pulled my mail box off its wooden stand. It even left a dent with its giant paws..."
"Yes, that will be our conclusion," the wife said now.
"No!"
The three adults looked down at that big-headed boy annoyed. They were trying to figure things out. How rude.
"It was not a bear, you fool!" the boy snapped. "Just one look at that dent, and you know it was made by something way more intelligent, with a vendetta!"
"Well a bear has every reason to have a vendetta," the man of the house replied.
"Why would a bear have a vendetta?" the boy asked, peeved.
"Maybe because humans encroached on their habitat?" the man said. He made a point; you can't stop nature...
"No, that is not the reason, even if it were a bear! It was something paranormal, something extra-terres—"
Gaz pulled Dib away by the collar next.
"Hey!" he cried.
"Leave the nice people alone, Dib," she said.
"Fine, but hearing them talk like that just reminds me of the idiocy of the human race. A bear? Come on, Gaz!"
"I second that. Your people are stupid, Dib. So stupid that aliens won't even visit!" Zim said.
"Then why did you visit?" Dib asked.
"To invade, duh. Has your simple, human brain forgotten about that? But enough of the past. We have a mission, and that is to find Tak!"
Dib rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we've pretty much covered that already. Do you think she went far?"
Zim put a claw to his chin. "She has a good few hours on us, so something tells me she went into the direction of the city."
"With all those people? Aw, man. What if someone got hurt?"
Gaz smiled. "This is turning out to be an exciting night after all. I hope there's blood..."
"There won't be blood, Gaz, because Tak wouldn't do something so low. Would she?" Dib looked at Zim.
"It isn't her, Dib. I may have seen just a little part of her before she went storming off, but she is weak. This thing has a hold on her."
"Just keep hold of your cans, boys and girls. We'll get her in the end." Gaz gave her can a good shake.
"How about we split up?" Dib suggested.
"Like in horror movies? Good idea," Gaz said.
"No. Wait... that is just like in horror movies..."
"It is a good idea," Zim replied. "Since there are three main possibilities of where Tak could have gone to, and three of us, we may find her sooner."
"What are the three possible places she could have gone to?" Gaz asked.
"The city, the woods, and the outskirts. There are possibly two more; the highway, or the zoo, but we haven't got much choice. Skoodge and Tenn are out of commission. Unless one of you are willing to split and make a clone?"
"No," Gaz said.
"Come on, just think mitosis, and you'll be splitting in no time."
"Do we look like single-celled organisms?" Dib asked, irritated.
"From where I'm standing..."
Gaz ground her teeth. "That's it! We're splitting up. Zim, you take the city, since you know it so well, and Dib you take the woods. I'll stay out in the outskirts."
"Nu-uh! You take the woods!" Dib snapped. "You have seen horror movies, right, Gaz? I don't wanna meet a slasher!"
"Fine, you take the outskirts, and I'll wander off through the woods and get lost." Gaz walked off towards the woods. When she disappeared through some trees, it finally dawned on Dib.
"Oh no. I just left my little sister to go and get murdered in the woods!"
"Yes you did, you despicable human being! But in your defense, Gaz is a lot tougher than you. Besides, she has her bat and a can of poop."
"I don't know. You do remember what happened to Molly senior, right?"
"Of course I do..." Zim sighed. "Then it's best you go back there and follow her, Dib. Leave the outskirts. We'll just search the city and the wilderness."
"All right. See ya later, and don't forget to call if you find her."
"Yes, I will use that foolish contraption you call a 'cellphone'."
Dib had already run off after Gaz, so he never heard his comment. Zim would have rather used an Irken form of communication, but the humans had no PAKs. Obviously.
Zim was finally alone. Dusk was approaching as the streets were deserted. A plastic bag drifted in the wind. He felt a chill.
He was eager to get to the city, so he headed in that direction. It didn't dawn on him till half way there that Tak may have run off into the woods after all for seclusion. Unless Green Eyes had directed her towards the city. The more people to harm...
This wasn't the brightest plan.
...
"Gaz, wait up!"
Gaz growled. "I thought I told you to stay on the streets!"
Dib finally caught up with her by two sycamores. It was cold in the shade, as the sun was setting.
"You did," he said, "but then Zim and I decided that we shouldn't let a little girl go wandering off through the woods by herself."
"I have the bat," she pointed out.
"I suppose you do, but Dad would be furious, Gaz."
"So, he has a new daughter now and a girlfriend. What does he care?"
"Don't talk like that. You know Dad still loves you."
"The other day I heard him say "I finally have a cute daughter that will laugh at my funny face". She had gas! She weren't even smiling!"
"You never did laugh when you were a baby..." Dib remarked.
"The kid's a month old; she can't even smile yet."
"Her name is Rae, Gaz. Stop calling her the kid!"
Gaz rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Rae, a pretty, normal name, short for Rachel. Not like Gazlene, or Dib. I've never known what your name is short for."
"Rae is short for Raelene. It rhymes with yours."
"Meh, she'll do. I can forgive her whining, given that she's a month old."
"That's very considerate of you..."
"I know. I'm a good sister."
"You are... Hey, what was that? Something just moved behind that beech!" Dib pointed at the tree.
Gaz looked to where he was pointing. "How do you know that tree's a beech?"
"It's silver-gray bark. I've spent a lot of time in the woods, Gaz."
"I never knew you talked to trees..."
"I don't talk to them! Let's go and see what that thing was. You got the bat ready?"
Gaz readied the bat. "Yep."
Dib tip-toed towards the tree with Gaz in tow. There was nothing there.
"I swear I saw something," Dib said.
"Was it that squirrel?" Gaz pointed towards a grey squirrel foraging through the leaves.
"No. It was bigger. Though I do have this theory, that the squirrels become big by the light of dusk."
"So why's it small now?"
"You call that small?!" Dib pointed at the squirrel.
"I suppose it looks pretty big. Let's keep moving. And stop yelling. Tak may hear you."
"If she's out here that is."
"We'll have to wait and see." Gaz held the bat against her shoulder, as they walked further into the woods.
The squirrel watched them move away, twitching its nose. It ran up a tree next and grew twice its size, forming sharp teeth and claws. Unfortunately, it snapped a thin branch as it reached the top. It crashed to the floor and exploded.
Dib and Gaz looked back at the explosion, confused. Strange. Maybe there were maniacs running around these woods after all.
...
Zim trudged the streets of the city. Strange people lurked around as it was getting pretty late. The sky was already dark. Did he really want to be stuck out here?
He passed one shifty bar, where two drunken men were singing merrily outside. Humans had strange rituals.
A woman in fishnet stockings stood at the end of one street. Zim really didn't want to know who she was waiting for. He would prefer that her profession remained a mystery.
A guy in a dark alley jumped out on him next and opened his coat. He was showing him slabs of meat. Zim screamed and ran away.
There was not one single ghost out tonight. The sight would have been all too welcoming now. He found that the spooks of the city were more active during the day, contrary to popular belief. They must get tired and go to bed. It's the living he should fear tonight.
He heard a peculiar sound behind the alley of an old warehouse. It was a strange shuffling and then a smash. Had someone smashed a glass bottle?
Something about the alley intrigued him. Its general loneliness, and the abandoned warehouse, beckoned to him. So far he had seen no injuries during his time in the city, so Tak and/or Green Eyes was not out for bloodshed. Not Tak in the least.
If Tak had managed to seize control of her PAK again, then wouldn't she hide somewhere that was isolated and dark, such as this alley? Zim had to give it one look over. But what was that sound of shattering glass?
Dare he enter?
He took one step into the darkness, leaving the safe light of the street behind. Having to remind himself that he was a trained killing machine was a comfort now, because this alley did not smell welcoming. The smell of human urine was powerful, and... was that a hint of blood? There was also the scent of other human bodily fluids, but Zim didn't dare let his mind wander that far.
He crept through the darkness as the shapes became clearer. There was a dumpster, and a few heaps of plastic bags and trash cans. There was also the distinct sound of squeaking. Zim tried not to think of the beady eyes of rats peering at him through a dark crevice. Would Tak really venture inside of here? She had more class than this, possessed or not.
Near the end of the alley, there was a slumped form sitting against the grimy wall. It was human. Zim took a step backwards. He wasn't expecting to come across one in this alley. Was it even alive?
He caught a strong whiff of some unruly Earth substance, and he recoiled again. He never understood why humans consumed alcohol. It stunk and it made the human stink also, seeping out of their pores and breath.
As he took a step back, hoping to reach the safety of the street before this sorry form discovered he was there, the heel of his boot stood on glass. It crunched beneath his boot, grinding into the cold, wet floor.
The human stirred.
"Who's there?" it said in a croaky voice.
Zim peered down at the floor and saw the smashed bottle. Its fragments were scattered all over the floor, as if it had rained glass.
"Who is it? What d'ya want?"
"S-stay where you are!"
He heard the human getting up onto its feet. It hoppled over towards him and squinted through the dark. There was hardly any light in the alley, so it was a pointless action.
Zim's eyes were remarkably better than this drunken human's, so he could see his features as he crept closer. He knew he saw his face somewhere before. He held another bottle of brown liquid in his hands. Was that his second bottle?
They both recognised each other at the same time. Zim felt the anger and the disgust rising to his throat, and then the vomit.
Peter (he is a) Fraudstein let out a raspy laugh as he swayed above him. Zim backed into the grimy wall.
"Well, look who it is. The little piece of sh*t who ruined my last show..."
Zim glared at him hatefully. "Stay away from me."
"You... you ruined me... I've been waiting for this day..."
"I'm not afraid of you. You're nothing but a miserable liar!"
Peter laughed. "So, where all your ghost friends now? No one's here to save you tonight, little man."
"I don't need their help. I can handle you on my own. Do you also believe in aliens?"
Peter lunged at him as he went to smash that bottle against his head. Zim just about missed the attack, but Peter wasn't so lucky as he went flying into the wall and onto the ground.
Zim made a beeline for the street before it got ugly. But something grabbed a hold of his ankle, and he tripped. He was dragged back into the darkness again as the glass scraped his skin.
He didn't want to fight this man, but it may have to come to that. There was a sharp pang in his shoulder next, and then he felt warm liquid. Then the distinctive smell of Irken blood filled the alley. Had he stabbed him with a shard of glass?
Zim should have attacked this man sooner. He was worse than a conman. Now he was a killer, driven by sorrow and regret. Zim could smell the regret. It was even stronger than the whisky. But he only grieved for the loss of his career. Not for all those fools he deceived.
He released two of his PAK legs and aimed for his skull. A light zap would do the trick, and he would be unconscious. Zim wouldn't stoop to his level, even though he could do far worse.
He couldn't aim his lasers at the precise spot of his skull. Zim was losing his vision. That was a lot of Irken blood. Could Irken's recover from blood loss? They could recover from broken bones and tissue damage, but blood loss was something else. He hoped it was true of his species, that his blood cells could clone themselves when the body loses a substantial amount of blood. It was crazy, but he had to put faith in that.
He stared up at the blurry shape of Peter. He held another shard of glass above his head. Zim couldn't find the right part of his skull in time. Should he just kill him now? It was a survival instinct. There was no other choice. Right in the face...
He heard a distinctive buzz behind Peter's shoulder. The man turned still. Next, he was pushed aside to the floor like a heap of old rubbish. Hopefully he wasn't dead.
Had he hit his target? He never felt his PAK legs heating up, so what had taken him out?
Zim peered up at a new figure now. Though his vision was blurred, he did make out those distinct appendages on top of its head, like Irken antennae.
The form leaned in closer and he saw its... her face at last. Her eyes were wide and alert, but they were purple again. The light from the street hit her eyes so he could see them perfectly. He also thought he saw a look of concern. But it was probably a trick of the light.
"T-Tak..." he muttered.
He heard her step back. Did he also hear her quiet sob?
"Wait! Don't go! I... I can... Zim will help... help..." He passed out. Now the alley turned to blackness.
A/N: this will be it for the time being. Sorry to leave it on a cliff-hangar. Things just came up after I finished this. The next chapter is half way through but I can't say for sure when that will be finished. I hope you all stick around and wait for me on here. I will be back.
We finally found out Dib and Gaz's baby sister's name. Rae because she's a little ray of sunshine. I think it's rather pretty. Gaz's full name is supposed to sound like gasoline. That's not so pretty.
Her name was something I was going to leave a mystery, since I weren't going to write a sequel, but it's so nice to know. It has three letters, like the rest of the cast.
That was an Oscar Wilde quote that came out of baby Kenny's mouth. I searched for intelligent quotes as I was hoping to use an Einstein one, but then I saw that, and it fit perfectly.
Remember to always fear the living, and not the dead. The dead cannot harm you, but a fellow living meat creature can.
That's all I need to say about that.
See you soon. I've enjoyed the past six weeks. It seems I've gained new fans since Clairvoyance. So you would have had to have read through all of that before finishing this. Which story have you preferred? For me, it's like comparing my second born child to my first, because my firstborn will always be special to me as it was my first experience as a mother... I mean, as a fanfic writer... I do however think this one was easier to write, as I learnt a lot after my first (as all mothers do, I mean, writers). I can imagine it was easier to read on your behalf too. Let's be honest, a story is about quality not quantity. Plus, going back over Clairvoyance is not a walk in the park. It can take me weeks to edit. It may even need editing again. I'm too scared to look. Boohoo.
Happy Valentines day, or Friday the 13th. Whichever one you prefer.