A/N: welcome back! Here is chapter fifteen or fourteen. I forgot now. It should be fourteen I think if you don't include the prologue.
Read and enjoy. Tak has an out of character moment, but I think, no, I hope it seems believable. What she does is the last thing I'd do when grieving, but that's just me. Can't base all characters on what I'd do.
...
Tak wasn't sure where she was going, but her feet urged her on. MiMi was gone forever now. She had to make peace with that, or drown in her sorrows.
Somehow, the latter sounded more appealing at the moment. She was starting to understand why humans waste themselves away. She wasn't herself right now, which was even more worrisome because Green Eyes was locked away. What was wrong with her? This was more than weakness. This was giving in to a disease...
She just had to forget MiMi and numb her brains. After everything she'd been through, she bloody well deserved to let herself go.
Her eyes landed on a group of young women across the street, clicking away in their high-heels for a night on the town. They were probably just eighteen, or younger. For shame.
She looked at their short skirts and platform shoes. It required a lot of skill to walk in them, but Tak wouldn't technically be 'walking'. Her disguise would be. Like she would actually wear those stupid things. Steel-capped boots were so much better.
She knew she had an adult disguise stored away in her PAK somewhere. Not that it was even a possibility, but just in case her plan to take over the Earth took a little longer than expected, she installed an older disguise of her child-like form. Just as a precaution. Human children grow considerably over the years. Not something Zim even thought about, because he's a moron.
Speaking of the devil, the little mite was running towards her in his pitiful disguise, and that fat, gullible idiot. Then there was the other one. That would be Tenn.
"Tak!" Zim yelled.
She sighed. "I expected you would all follow me..."
He finally reached her, and stopped to rest on the seat of the bus stop on their right. Skoodge and Tenn caught up. Despite Skoodge's larger build, he wasn't that tired. Zim looked worse.
"Stop... stop running away all the time!" he yelled again.
"It does seem to be a reoccurring theme," she mused.
"Yes, and it's getting annoying. This is the last time!"
She rolled her eyes, catching a glimpse of that group of girls as they walked around a corner. There was a loud, booming sound that her antennae picked up on. A Night Club. What were they like? (sweaty, smelly, sticky, and not worth your time).
Zim watched her carefully. "Why are you staring at those humans?"
"They're so young, carefree," she said. "It'd like to see what that feels like..."
"What are you talking about?" Tenn asked, appalled. "They're pitiful."
Skoodge covered his eyes. "I don't like where this is going..."
Tak raised her hand in a grand gesture. "Tonight, we forget!"
She stood under the street lamp and morphed into a young, scantily clad woman. She still had her blue bob cut and the beauty spot.
The others jumped back, staring up at her in surprise as she was so much taller, especially in those ridiculous platforms.
"Tak?! What are you?" Skoodge cried.
Tak checked herself out in a shop window. "The picture of sophistication. Not bad. The dress could be shorter. Don't want to be the 'odd' one out after all."
It was hard to tell whether she was serious or not.
"Sh-shorter?" Zim shook his head. "No! This is wrong. Change back, Tak. You are not wandering off into the night. Earth men prey on women that look like... this!" He pointed at her clothes.
"True, but I'm really a trained killing machine from another galaxy. I'd beat them so violently in their genitalia that they won't be able to sire young..."
"Nice, but come on, this is a whole new low for you. You're grieving. Wasting yourself away won't bring MiMi back!"
Tak flipped her head around, and glared right through his skin. Zim had to take a step back. That young women's face turned so dark and shadowy under the glare of the lamp. The Earth men will be in for a treat when this beautiful/alien women turns on them. He had to stop her before the bloodshed began.
"You can't stop it, Zim. I'm already a victim of the night..." Her voice was low and dark.
"Yes I can!"
A creepy smirk crept over her face. The change was alarming. "Here, I made this for you." She held up a bracelet. "Thought you could do with a real disguise..."
"Eh?"
"Just try it!"
Zim grabbed the bracelet. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Put it on your wrist, dummy. You activate a charm on the bracelet and the disguise flickers on."
"You had to pick a charm bracelet?"
"I had to work with what little resources I could find. I installed the disguise inside. The hologram should come on once you click the figure of Sleeping Beauty..."
Zim looked over the bracelet again. "This is a Disney Princess charm bracelet!"
"Oh, I know..."
"But... where's Elsa?" he asked, looking over the charms again.
"Click the princess!" she yelled, watching Zim eagerly. She couldn't wait to see her work of art take form at last. She picked for him a perfect disguise...
He clicked the princess, and human Zim came to life at last. There he was, a short man of 5.4 with spiky black hair. His eyes were still red. He had on a bright green pinstriped suit. He looked crazy.
He looked in the window of the shop. "This isn't Zim!"
Tak chuckled. "Of course it's you: small, loud and obnoxious..."
"You look kinda good, Zim. The ladies will swoon over you!" Skoodge told him next.
"Quiet!" Zim yelled, towering above Skoodge now. Not so much though, as he was only 5.4.
Skoodge flinched, and then looked up at Tak. "Do you have one for me?" He clasped his hands together.
"Of course I do, Skoodge." She passed him a spiked dog collar (where does she find these things?)
"Oh goody! I get to be a bulldog?"
"No, no, that is a human accessory..."
"Really?"
"Put it around your neck and see..."
Skoodge did as he was instructed, and fitted the tight thing around his neck. Tak leaned over and pulled down one of the spikes, and it activated the disguise. Skoodge morphed into a rotund human male in gothic attire. It must be something to do with the dog collar. He had on eyeliner and everything.
"I look so dark and mysterious," Skoodge said, wiggling his fingers before the window.
"Yes, we shall call you Darkness for the night," Tak replied.
Tak faced Tenn at last.
Tenn took a step back. "Oh no. I'm not taking any part in this!"
"But it's a real diamond..." Tak pulled out a velvet box, and showed Tenn the ring. She must be stealing this stuff.
The diamond reflected in Tenn's eyes. She was almost tempted, but she had to resist.
"No, I am not taking part in your freak show, Tak. We are not going around the town!"
"But I made you very pretty. Aren't you tempted to see what you look like?" Tak asked, eyes widening.
"No. I'm happy enough the way I am."
"Fair enough. I guess I'll just throw this thing in the gutter..." Tak flung the ring over the side of the road, but Tenn jumped out and grabbed it in time.
Tak was laughing. "I knew you'd cave in."
Tenn glared at her. "Fine, you made your point. Now here I go..." Tenn placed the ring on her finger, and she magically formed into a petite girl as beautiful as the diamond itself.
She had long brown hair, big eyes, and a pretty white dress with glass slippers.
Skoodge stared in awe. "Wooow. Tenn, you look amazing..."
Tak pinched Tenn's cheek. "Our little girl's all grown up. Her first night on the town..."
Tenn pushed her hand away. "You could have at least chosen a less frilly dress. I like combat pants and boots."
"No!" Tak shouted. "For once, just be someone else for the night. Embrace a hidden part of you."
"The hidden me isn't a cute little girl who wears frilly dresses!"
"Pish posh. You'll just have to deal with your new self for the night. Look in the glass; don't we all look so special tonight."
All four of them stood in front of the window of the 'Shop of Clocks'. Yes, a shop full of clocks, such as grandfather clocks, freaky cat clocks, cuckoo clocks, melted clocks, you name it.
Tak and Skoodge stood proud as they looked upon their human forms, but Zim and Tenn weren't too pleased.
Zim turned to Tenn. "I'm with you on this. This sucks!"
"It's time to go," Tak announced. "Here are your I.D. cards. Zim, you are a twenty-one-year-old embracing his inner crazy. Skoodge, you're a twenty-something guy too, who also happens to be troubled. The dog collar says it all! And Tenn... you're a perfect little gem, a seventeen-year-old who has just left her senior prom..."
Tenn growled. "Let's just get this night over with! Tak, is it okay if I speak with Skoodge and Zim alone?"
"Sure thing, my sweet cherry pie..." Her voice was so creepy. Tak turned towards the window again, and applied that lipstick. It was plum coloured. Nice choice.
Tenn pulled them in closer. "What do we do, she's losing it. She called me cherry pie..." Tenn's human pupils narrowed.
"Let her get through this," Zim said. "At least it distracts her from her grief."
"I don't know if you've noticed, Zim, but that is not Tak! She isn't herself. It's disturbing."
"She'll recover by tomorrow. Well, we better get ready for our night on the town..." Zim knew he would regret saying that later.
"You're not serious?" she asked.
"Just one hour, and we'll head straight home," he replied.
"Come on, Tenn, it'll be fun. I've always wanted to try a night on the town." Skoodge marched forward. "I'm ready!"
"That's the spirit, my chum. Let us leave; I know the perfect place." Tak led the way.
Tenn glared at Zim. "Just when I thought you turned a new leaf..." She followed after them.
Zim grabbed his antennae, though it looked like he was gripping his human hair, and finally made a move. The night awaits them all.
...
That large bouncer stood outside the club as people waited to get inside. Many were denied entry because they weren't 'funky' enough, whatever that means.
Many young, attractive girls got inside, but less attractive girls weren't so fortunate, which was rich coming from the bouncer. He looked like a gorilla. Maybe he was.
And surprise, surprise, kids with fake I.D. all got inside. One girl even had her older sister's driving license. They looked nothing alike. Typical.
That strange group of four approached the door, led by a tall woman who could be a model. Behind her was a fat goth guy, a shorter guy in a weird green suit, and a little girl in a frilly dress. Odd bunch.
The tall women received a wolf whistle from a guy waiting in line. If there weren't so many people around, she'd obliterate him right there and then. It would only leave scorch marks on the wall.
The gorilla... bouncer watched them with a look of disgust. Who did they think they were? There was a line.
The tall women approached him next.
"Let us inside." Her stare was long and stoic.
He gave her a look over, liking what he saw, and granted her entry into the club.
"Sure, you can go in, but definitely not him." He pointed at the fat gothic guy.
"Aw, but I was really looking forward to my first night in a club..." he pouted.
The bouncer gave him a disgusted look, then indicated his head at the short guy in the green suit. "Him neither, but she better have I.D." He pointed at the small girl in the white dress. She stood with her arms folded. Like she even cared if she got in or not. She just wanted to go home and play with her dollies by the look of that dress.
"What?! You deny Zim entry into this night club?"
The man glared at him, breathing hot air out of his snout. The sound of his snot wafting through his nostril was unmistakable. He needed to blow that nose.
The tall women pushed the small guy aside next. "I command you to let us all inside." She stared into his eyes, like she was tapping into some psychic power. But it didn't work. She looked troubled next.
"You and the little girl if she has I.D, but not them two." The bouncer scowled at the two men. A lot of women were probably inside that club tonight.
"If I go in, then they do too!"
The bouncer rolled his eyes. "Step aside, miss. People need to get inside." He pushed her out the way with a large, rough arm.
She grabbed his arms next, and pinned him into the wall. It smelled of urine.
"You will let us inside! And while you're at it, you will direct us to the VIP area."
She was strong. Where did she find the strength to push a 400 pound gorilla... bouncer to the wall?
"Tak, let him go..." the short guy said.
"No. Why does he get to dictate who goes in or not? He's winning no beauty pageant!"
"The humans are a poor, stupid race. You should know this by now."
"Well he has no right." The women pushed his face further into the wall. It hurt.
"Fine! You can go in. Just let me go!" he cried at last.
She let him go. They had a brief staring match as a smaller man finally let her and her friends through. The bouncer gave in to her stare, because a weird flash passed across her eyes. What a freak. They all were.
As soon as he stepped into the nightclub, Zim wanted to step back out again. What was this? There was a disgusting moist heat all over the room, and the scent of sweat everywhere. The music was loud and awful.
"Follow me." Tak led the way to a roped off area. She played one of her mind games again, and the guy removed the rope like a zombie. She made her way through.
"Come inside, everyone. Champagne all around! You, get us champagne." She pointed at a bar tender. He ran straight through the back door. What was that weird flash in her eyes?
Tak sat inside a cushioned booth. Zim, Skoodge and Tenn joined her.
"We're only staying for one hour, Tak. Then we go back home," Zim said.
"The night is young, and so are we. Well, we have a couple of hundred years over everyone here, but still. Live a little."
"This isn't living!" Tenn shouted at last, rising to her feet.
"Then tell me, Tenn, what living is?" Tak stared at her. Tenn kept her mouth shut. She didn't have to answer to that.
"I know it's a little rough in here, but look, we get strawberries!" Tak help up a bowl of fruit.
"Ooooh! Don't mind if I do!" Skoodge grabbed one and put it in his mouth. It was bitter sweet. Then it burnt.
The barman returned with the champagne. "Here you go! Your champagne!" His smile was forced and creepy. There was sweat running down his temple.
"That is free champagne, right?" Her eyes flashed again. How did she do it? Her implant got removed...
"Uh... um... it is now!" He pulled out glasses for everyone, and poured that fine juice with shaking hands.
"Enjoy your champagne!" He ran through the back room again.
Tak picked up a glass, staring down at the yellow, bubbling liquid inside. It smelled sharp. What was she doing? This wasn't her. Should she just go back home? Home to a place that held a reminder of her. Of everything? It was just one sip.
She pulled a face once she tasted the stuff. It takes some getting used to.
"Delicious. Here's to being young and carefree!" Tak held up her glass. The others stared at her. "That's your cue to hold up your glasses..."
They grabbed their glasses. Tak tried to clink hers to Zim's. He looked at her like she was crazy. Luckily good ol' Skoodge tapped his glass against hers instead.
"Whoohoo! Party!" he shouted.
"To being young, by Irken standards..." Tak took a longer sip this time.
Zim looked around, wondering if anyone heard her. They were on a raised platform, overlooking the sea of sweaty drunken humans below, but they were still too close for comfort.
"Be careful, Tak. Someone may hear you if you use the 'I' word..." he said.
"Oh relax," Tak replied. "These humans are full of alcohol. The only thing they should be hearing now is the sound of their intoxicated blood sloshing through their brains, other than the loud music!"
"The music makes me want to pull off my antennae and put them in a blender! It's horrible," Tenn said, holding her full glass. She hadn't even took a sip yet. Zim tried at least. He didn't like it.
"It will have to do. Hopefully by the end of the night we'll be down there too. Too drunk to even care..." Tak took another sip. Her champagne was almost gone.
Zim studied her. He would have to keep an eye on her before it got out of control.
Tak soon felt the room spinning. How much did she have to drink? Maybe it's because she's small. It wouldn't take long for the drink to take effect. Or maybe it's because she drank the whole bottle. She would have to try something else...
It wasn't long till she started ordering more drinks. For the next two hours she talked absolute nonsense about Dib, Gaz, the Tallest, and even GIR. The only one who kept up with her was Skoodge. Zim and Tenn took it easy. Tenn poured her drinks into the plant on her left. It didn't look too good by the end of the night.
Zim had no idea how it got to this, having to drag Tak off the dancefloor. She had tried to have a fight with a girl; she even held her extensions in one hand. Lucky Tak's hair wasn't real. Behind it was just thin air.
The girl ran off crying. Her friends ran after her.
"Katie! Wait! She's just a cranky whore!" one friend cried.
"Come on, Tak. It's time to leave!" Zim snapped.
"You're such a party pooper," she slurred. "You... you leave... Me and Skoodge will stay all night!"
"I love this club!" Skoodge shouted next, dancing on his own in the middle of the dancefloor. People avoided him.
Tenn appeared next with the same bouncer from before.
"Over there," she pointed to Tak and Skoodge.
The bouncer walked over, pushing people out the way, and grabbed a hold of each of them. Skoodge giggled, but Tak was furious.
"Let me go, you damn dirty ape!" she yelled.
The bouncer growled and dragged them out the club. They were shoved out onto the back alley. Zim and Tenn were let out nicely. He even gave Tenn a lollipop.
The sounds of the street outside were muffled in comparison to the club. It was disorienting, like their ears were stuffed with cotton. If they had ears that is.
"Have a good night, folks. Don't ever come back!" He chomped on a banana next, and slammed the door.
Tak turned on Tenn. "Traitor! You got us kicked out!"
"Don't blame her; I told her to get the guard," Zim said. "I think you've had enough now, Tak. Time to go home. You will need your rest, and a shower..."
Skoodge took his shirt off next. "Look at me, I'm without a shirt!"
"And Skoodge too," he added.
Tak's face turned a ghostly white. Her mouth morphed into a squiggly line.
"What's wrong?" Zim asked.
She bent over the wall and threw up. The smell of vomit filled the alley.
"Of course." Zim sighed. "Let's get them home. You think you can handle him?" he asked Tenn.
"Like I have a choice..." Tenn approached Skoodge. He was wearing a box on his head now.
"I'm box head! Fear me!"
Tenn pulled it off. "It's time to go home now, Skoodge."
Skoodge stared at her with hazy eyes. She looked a little worried.
"You're... so beautiful..." he muttered.
Tak laughed, wiping the vomit off her mouth. Zim wanted the ground to swallow Skoodge up.
Tenn was speechless. A smile appeared on her face next. It was just too bad Skoodge bent over and vomited all over her glass slippers, or in other words her combat boots.
"Great," she said. "I'm going to smell like spooch acid for weeks now."
"And worse at that, Skoodge's spooch acid..." Zim pointed out.
Tenn groaned. Not that it would matter whose spooch acid it was. She put her arm around Skoodge's shoulder. Zim followed her example, and the sober aliens finally took the two drunken ones home.
Drunken aliens. Never heard anything like it.
…
Tak awoke on Zim's couch with a pounding headache, and an awful taste in her mouth. It tasted like a sewer. Where's her mouthwash?
As soon as she lifted her head, a dull, sinking pain ran right through her brain. Her muscles ached. She just wanted to lie down all day.
Skoodge was curled up in the corner. Was he even alive? He was still in his human disguise.
Tak looked down at her hand and saw three fingers, but her skin was a human shade. So she deactivated her disguise, and returned back to her Irken form. Gone were those platforms and short skirt. What was she thinking?
"Uh-hum."
She looked up, and there was Zim in the threshold of the kitchen.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked. It wasn't hard to hear the sarcasm in his tone. His voice was laced in it.
"Go away. I am in no good condition to put up with your voice right now." Tak's eyes fell on the bucket on her right. "At least you left me a bucket. How nice of you."
"Well you're gonna put up with it. I said one hour! What the heck was that last night?"
Tak groaned, pulling on her antennae. "Please, your voice is grating..."
"You pulled out some girl's hair!" Zim held up that blonde extension. It was cheap and stringy. The things girls will spend money on in the name of 'beauty'.
She stared at it, disgusted. "Why do you even have that?"
"I was curious. I did a DNA match, and surprisingly the hair on this piece is not that of the girl who wore it. Fascinating..."
"That's because it wasn't her hair, you idiot. Don't you know anything? The club was full of fakes."
Zim gave the hair-piece one last look over, and then threw it to the right. It landed on GIR's head. He grabbed it and smiled. An idea...
"Be that as it may," he said, "it doesn't excuse your behavior last night."
"Then why did you condone it? You had plenty of opportunities to stop me. You just let me go on..."
"Because I was stupid. I doubt it helped you forget about MiMi!"
"Well, now I'm thinking about her, and feeling worse. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Should teach you a lesson. Conforming to human customs to cope with a depression is not okay! You're usually smart and poised."
"Well, just imagine if it were your precious GIR, you may turn to alcohol too, or worse."
Zim never answered her. He didn't know what he'd do.
"My spooch is burning..." she announced next.
Zim rolled his eyes. "That's because you drank way too much last night!"
"That will explain the amnesia..."
He shook his head, and looked over at Skoodge in the corner. "He just sleeps right through..."
"He'll wake soon enough, and if he's still chipper it will question everything I know to be true or real."
"He does look like a baby..." Zim remarked.
He faced Tak once again, watching her place her head in her hands. He had something to tell her.
"I'm going to try and tap into Green Eyes' memories..."
"Ugh, not now, Zim. Can't you see I'm suffering? Choose your moments."
"I think it's a perfect moment. It isn't my fault you had an 'out of character' experience. Aren't you at least curious as to why I have her memories?"
"You somehow managed to store a bit of her away in your PAK. Big deal. Try having her inside you all the time." Tak lay back down again, and buried her face into a cushion.
"Okay, fair enough. Well, I'm off to go and explore Green Eyes' memories."
She waved him away. That was his cue to leave.
Zim made a move towards the kitchen, but then GIR jumped in front of him, wearing the blonde hair piece on his head.
"GIR! Get that disgusting thing off your head! Cross-dressing doesn't become you. It only becomes me..."Zim said.
"No, I loves it. I feels like that Meeeerilyn Monroe!"
"Well you certainly don't look like her..."
"I WANNA BE LOVED BY YOU, JUST YOU, NOBODY ELSE BUT YOU!"
"Or sound like her. Stop it! And I'm still mad at you for leaving that hole in the wall!" Zim pointed at that SIR shaped hole.
"I didn't do it!"
"Then what other robot left that hole? Other robot..." Zim repeated, looking around the room. He turned on GIR suspiciously. "Where is she, GIR?"
"I don't know... I really don't know..." GIR fell to his knees. "Why'd she leave?!"
"Leave? Tak! We have a slight problem..."
She lifted her head off the cushion, bleary-eyed. "What?"
"MiMi appears to have gone missing. We left her lying in the middle of the room! I can't believe I never noticed before..."
Tak sat up now. She looked over the room frantically, as it hurt her head. "But... where could she have gone?!"
Zim looked up at the hole again. "I think I now know..."
"Wow, I can't believe you've finally put two and two together. Considering you were sober last night, it's kind of stupid of you."
"And did it never occurr to you to fix up that hole?!"
"Not my problem…"
Tak was on her feet now. "She... she's alive? I... we have to find her!" Tak's eyes were wild and fierce.
Zim stepped back. "We will, just calm down. We got this."
"You know I was going to suggest last night that maybe it was the SIR that left the hole, but it wasn't the right time. Tak was far too gone..." Tenn said from the kitchen next, leaning against the arch.
"Don't sneak up like that!" Zim snapped.
"We have to assemble a search party! Tenn, you and I can search the north and west of the city. Leave Zim and Skoodge to the east and the south."
"Why do you want me?" Tenn asked.
"I can only just about handle you right now; Skoodge's chipper attitude will drive me crazy, and Zim is Zim."
Tenn raised her hand. "You don't need to say any more. Then let's go." Tenn looked back at Skoodge, who was still sleeping like a baby.
"Shouldn't we wake him?" she asked.
"Leave it to me," Zim said. "I'll give him an extra five minutes. Then it's operation find MiMi!"
Tak grabbed Tenn's arm. The action startled her.
"We have to go," she said.
Tenn saw the desperation in her eyes. It was overwhelming. "It's all right, Tak. We will find her..."
Tak was wondering now. "Maybe she went to where I built my old wiener stand..." She gave a wistful sigh.
There was a knock at the door next. It woke Skoodge up in an instant.
"Good morning, everyone!" he sang. "Today is going to be a fine day. I can smell it!" He sniffed the musty, hung-over air.
Tak groaned. "How does he do it?" she asked, grabbing Tenn's shirt. Tenn looked uncomfortable.
The knock came again with more force. This person wasn't messing around.
Zim knew who it was, as always, as he approached the door. "You all may want to stay clear. This one can be quite wrathful."
He opened the door, and there she was, holding a beaten-looking MiMi in her hand. Dib was on her left, folding his arms and looking at everything but Zim.
Gaz threw MiMi on the floor. "We found this in our living room this morning, wreaking havoc. If she comes anywhere near our house again, I will crush her like a Poop can."
"MiMi!" Tak scooped the bot up. "Thank goodness you're all right. I thought I lost you..." She had tears in her eyes.
MiMi sat up. "Mistress... she... she beat me... with a bat."
Tak glared at Gaz
"She blew up our TV!" Gaz shouted.
"You hurt my robot? My friend?" Tak's eyes were burning violet.
Gaz went on, indifferent to her burning gaze. "She also blew up the fridge and Dib's head... well, almost. But that's not so important."
"Hey!" Dib snapped.
Gaz growled at his annoying voice.
"You're on thin ice, Gaz. You don't hurt anything dear to me!" Tak seethed.
Gaz watched her unaffected. What would she do?
"Hey, our little sister was in that house!" Dib yelled. "She could have blown her up too! You know the one you almost... did something to!" He couldn't even form the words.
"Don't worry, large-headed boy," MiMi said. "I have no interest in blowing up babies. Just your TV, the fridge, and maybe your big head..."
Dib raged. "My head's not big!"
Classic Dib...
Tak put MiMi down. She couldn't stand up straight, as she sat back down. "I think I will just sit like this for a while. It's been a traumatic day. Being beaten by a bat isn't as fun as you'd think."
"MiMi, why on Irk did you go to the Membrane household?" Tak asked.
"I don't know. I'm finding it hard to think clearly. I seem to recall her stealing my memory disc, after she squirted me with soda..." MiMi pointed a robot hand at Gaz.
Gaz scowled, and then faced the door. "We're leaving now. Come on, Dib." She made a step towards the door.
"Actually, I was thinking about staying for a little while," he said. "It's been some time since I was last here."
"Whatever. See ya, I guess..."
"Now, now, Gaz, you may as well stay too," Zim told her.
"And why would I want to do that?"
"Because some interesting things have progressed since you were last here. Don't you want to at least know?"
Gaz gave it thought. "Hm, okay. I will stay, but for one hour!"
Dib sat on the couch. Gaz sat on his right.
"Go on, spill it out," she said.
"Well, before we start, I just want to know if you have forgiven Tak. I'm sure she never meant to bring any harm to your baby sister." Zim looked over at Tak.
"Yeah, she's off the hook, as long as it never happens again." Gaz narrowed her eyes at Tak.
Tak paid her no heed. She was too happy to have her SIR back. A thousand Christmases in one.
"And what about you, Dib-stink? Before the incident, you and Tak were on good terms. You were prepared to help me with the whole Green Eyes thing."
"Fine, I forgive her, as long as you shut up and tell us what happened!"
"All right, I may as well start off from when you left the scene..."
"I'm all ears..." Dib sat back against the couch. He looked at Gaz. That was her cue to do the same.
"Meh," she said. She would only pretend to listen.
So Zim told them everything, even from up to last night when they went out to the club. Dib wasn't too impressed.
"You really went to a nightclub?"
Zim pinched the skin between his eyes. "Yes..."
"Why would you do that?"
"Ask her!" Zim pointed at Tak.
Tak was sitting on the window sill, petting MiMi in cat form as she sat on her lap. MiMi could still shape-shift into her disguise. At least they hadn't removed that. They couldn't, as it was ingrained deep in her programming. Any idiot could miss it.
"I was lost," Tak said. "I had gained my best friend back only to lose her again."
"I am disappointed in you, mistress. You have more class than that. A sticky human nightclub? For shame..."
Tak sighed. "I know, but I did get to pull out some girl's hair..."
"With blood and skin too?" MiMi asked.
"No, but I bet it hurt."
They both laughed.
GIR approached MiMi at last. He wanted to give her space before he made his move...
"Hey, kitty! You came back!"
MiMi's red cat eyes slanted down. "I really don't have to converse with this moron, do I?"
"No, no, just pay no attention to him," Tak reassured.
"Thank goodness. His stupidity is nauseating."
MiMi scowled down at GIR. She contemplated that green dog disguise, and shook her head.
"Your disguise is pitiful."
"I love you too, kitty!"
MiMi shook her head, and made a pact to stay far away from GIR.
"So, I suppose that's everything we need to know. When you going to try and tap into Green Eyes' memories then?" Dib asked eagerly.
"Maybe later, when it's quiet."
"Or, you could just do it now? And tell us what you find!"
"Did you not hear what I said? When it is quiet!"
"We can stay quiet and watch while you go into a spooky trance?" Dib raised his eyebrows at the query.
"I shall consider it. I will need to concentrate. No distractions! I'm looking at you, GIR!"
"I just ate a bug!" GIR screamed.
Zim tried to find a space on the couch, but Gaz wasn't moving. How dare she in his own home. A home he drew himself...
So Skoodge, helpfully, fetched him a chair from the kitchen, as he sat on the rug in the middle of the room.
"So, see you when I wake. I'm going to channel into Green Eyes, and find out everything about her. I may be out for some time. I'm putting my trust in everyone in this room..."
"Okay, now hurry up and tap into her memories!" Dib shouted.
Zim scowled at his impatience. He looked in his PAK, and there they were inside a newly saved file. This was it. They were finally going to find out about the monster that had been haunting Tak all this time.
...
She failed that morning; Irken Scree was never going to be a soldier. Not in this life time, anyway.
Training was hard, especially as she just injured her leg in a horrible monster battle. That got to hurt. The doctors couldn't fix her leg. They told her she would be crippled for the rest of her life. It was all over now. What was the point in going on?
She would be made into a service drone, sweeping the floors of the palace that was home to the ruler of Irk.
The past several Tallest had been corrupt liars, but they would soon elect a new one. Hopefully someone who had more to offer than just their height.
The time she spent sweeping and cleaning was uneventful. There had to be more that she could do. She passed all the intellectual parts of her training. She had more to give.
Her break finally came. After five long years she got her chance. She applied for the position of a science technician at 'Irk Laboratories'. One of the best scientific research sectors in the universe. She passed her aptitude test with flying colours, beating millions of others who applied. Reaching a high score of 2000 it was no surprise. Scree's leg may be impaired, but her brain was as healthy as ever.
Her first day arrived. It was also the day that Irk would elect a new leader. One lucky Irken individual had grown an inch taller, and all of Irk would attend the coronation.
The work was simple enough at the lab. A bit of DNA splicing and gene manipulation, it wasn't hard. Scree actually had a hand in forming a new gene that would give Irkens the ability to heal faster. This was achieved by testing on lesser creatures, altering their DNA, until the results arrived. Irken smeets were called in for round two. They were smeets born with impurities; they needed to be put to good use rather than thrown into the incinerator.
It was grueling work, but they got the final results. Irk was on its way to creating a stronger and indestructible army for future generations. Scree would go down in history as one of the scientists who came up with the new gene.
Tallest Miyuki was proud, especially the day she attended the ceremony of their findings. She had just recently been appointed as the new leader of Irk. She would be the guest of honour.
Scree never forgot the way she looked at her that day. It seemed her injured leg disgusted her, especially with the way she hobbled around. There was only one other in her team, who was blind in one eye. Everyone else she looked down on with admiration. Tallest Miyuki had a hard, iron stare. It made Scree sick to her spooch.
Thankfully it was all over. Apart from Tallest Miyuki's strange scowl, Scree was happy that night. At last, she could make herself useful in her society. If she couldn't provide the brawn, then she would provide the brain.
Brains are all that matter in the end. But not for long...
A/N: We finally find out about Green Eyes' past. There is more to come. I was originally going to write her backstory all in one go but it seemed too much all at once. Reading it will get boring and tiresome.
I will explain why I chose the word Scree. Here it goes... I just like the word... Okay, it has a little more meaning to me. Back when I was in my last year of uni, I did a practical on frog calls. Seems cool, but it really wasn't. Very tedious stuff. The hypothesis was to find out whether frogs in large open spaces give out longer calls, and vice versa with frogs in closed habitats. Zoological crap. Once I'd analysed the calls and collected 'data', I had to put them all up on the statatsics software they used at the school, SPSS. The worst thing I've ever had to use. It makes Excel look like kids' stuff... Anyway, one plot was called a Scree Plot. Scree is also the name given to the rock debris that accumulates at the bottom of a mountain. Basically, the plot had the same outline... any data that fell towards the bottom of the line was considered 'nonsense data', or 'crap data'. I can't remember the specifics anymore. Just tried a quick Google search of a Scree Plot, and found the word 'eigenvalue' which I vaguely recall. My memory is a little foggy, but I understood it at the time. That's all that matters.
Why is all that relevant? It isn't. I just like the word. At the time when my tutor was giving the lecture, I remember that it reminded me of the name 'Squee'. Just seemed appropriate to give an Irken that name, because it sounds like one of JV's characters. Especially Green Eyes. She fell off her high mountain peak and joined the rest of the scree at the bottom. Stay tuned to find out the rest of her story...
I was worried about writing that club scene, but it was used as an experiment to throw alien characters in a human situation. If you have had the pleasure of spending time in a nightclub, then I'm sure you can relate to Zim's discomfort.
I've always wanted to write out a drunken Irken. I have nothing against drinking in general. It's not something I always like to do. I always drink sparingly or on occasion.
That does happen. The first time you drink you notice the room spinning. I don't notice it anymore. I just notice a buzz now, and the faraway sound of people's voices (that's because of all the alcohol pumping through your system).
Wait until you are eighteen to drink, or twenty-one (depending on where you live really).
I had a friend who told me once she got denied access into a club because she wasn't 'funky' enough. How cruel is that.
Tak's powers are still housed inside her brain somehow. Like how she can use her disguise, she's found a way to reconnect with her brainwashing skills. The chip of her implant is still there.
Damn dirty ape is off Planet of the Apes of course, and I mean the original, not all the new 'Andy Serkis' ones, and even that Tim Burton one that seems to have been forgotten (it wasn't too bad).
And just one last Frozen reference. Elsa isn't a Disney Princess anyway. She became a Queen. End of story.
Melted clocks are from that famous painting. I always liked it. Freaks me out though. So does the painting where the elephants have long legs. Art is great.
See you in the distant future, though hopefully not too distant. I will be back with more...
A/N: welcome back! Here is chapter fifteen or fourteen. I forgot now. It should be fourteen I think if you don't include the prologue.
Read and enjoy. Tak has an out of character moment, but I think, no, I hope it seems believable. What she does is the last thing I'd do when grieving, but that's just me. Can't base all characters on what I'd do.