Author's note: such a long hiatus, sorry about that. Read and Review!

Chapter 16: harboring doubt

Three weeks had passed, bruise on Gaz's check faded, but her mind was far from clear. Tak had done everything she could to help comfort the woman, who seemed to her was dealing with freshly developed anxiety, Gaz had never dealt with these overwhelming feelings before. Her prevailing nightmares, vivid and brutal, interchanged with bizarre, intimate dreams, both of which she wouldn't ever speak a word of to Tak. She dreaded sleep, and being awake was beginning to feel quite surreal. Time spent alone was spent in silent weeping or worrying for the both of them.

Gaz wasn't a fool, she knew of Zim's annoying persistence and equally matched capability with the power the nut job possessed. A lot of time had passed since her escape, she was surprised whatever was coursing through her veins hadn't seriously injured her, or at the very least made any attempt to incapacitate her. She also thought from time to time maybe the "vaccination" was the cause of her dreams.

Tak also was silently struggling with her own fears and worries on Dib's whereabouts and wellbeing. Serving under Zim's rule for all those years made her quite, if not overly, aware of his undying resentment for her human, Dib's, after everything that transpired, must surly rival. She knew as though she could feel it, he was distressed, and she would hope no harm come to him, but the hopes, she painfully knew, were unheard shots into a black hole. She had no greater being for gentle, spiritual console, only her wicked tallest "master". She debated her people's methods for leadership more than the Great Resisty Massacre of 2031.

"Five Star Irken General Tak… how honorable, Five Star slaughter of freedom it more like it." Tak grumbled to herself. She could never forget her foolish obedience; she was a tool for destruction, kill when told, no regret, nor hesitation. Tears pooled in her eyes at the remembrance of those sad, lifeless eyes, stained by the blood of fool's imperialism. She blinked them away and attempted to get her frustrated breathing back to normal. She laughed now, when had she become so weak… no soft… had this been caused by Dib? She now laughed harder, what a strange occurrence, emotion being genetically scrubbed out, and yet, her human had risen it from where it did not even exist. "Human are creatures of emotion…"

Dib's PoV:

This accursed cell reeks or rot, and blood. Despite the darkness, there is a small torch illuminating the despair. In fact, I can see rotted chunks of flesh to the corners of the cell, I can even make out dried, bloody handprints on the bars.

0ooooOoOoooo0

"Monsters… what happened in here?" Dib pondered silently. "Oh relax Dib-worm it's not even human." "Zim!" Dib turned to the voice to the left area of his cell. Zim stepped closer to the bars, anger illuminating his orbs to a deep red. "What lizard?!" Dib spat approaching the looming figure. "Hmm, you ask me "what?" when you are but a caged Earth squirrel." "Rat…" Dib corrected. "What about them?" Zim glanced over curiously. "Never mind!" "Why do you play the mind games, I'm here on important terms." Zim said slightly off. "Which are?" "My, my, much more cooperative than the Gaz sister." "Beast! I'll slit your-" "That's enough monkey! She is actually the main subject of my agenda." "Go Fuck yourself." Zim remained silent for a moment, walking slowly to the right around the room-centered cage.

"It may be in your best interest to hear me out Dib-human, hers too, in fact. Let's not forget your precious Tak either." Zim smirked. "Demon, what approach is this for my ear?!" "Relevant toils Dirt-child, Tak is your…"Lover" is she not?"It was obvious Zim was struggling with the 'reason with them' approach. "You know nothing!" "YOU QUESTION ZIM'S INTELECT?!…*ahem* I know enough, Putrid-Dib, and I know the feelings associated with the bizarre phenomenon that is the "love" you human possess." "How could YOU ever experience such a feeling snake?!"

Zim took a moment to think on his response. "For years, the Irken race had deemed humans weak and ill-fit to conquer… how wrong we were, there is not a single more powerful, individual, force I've ever endured, than that of the human emotion, none more so than this "Love" whom's power is great enough to bring even I, The Almighty Tallest, to my knees in weak, pathetic, blissful submission." Dib remained silent. "Gaz, is my demise, you see, it's her, and only her, as I'm sure Tak is for you. "You-" "The love of family, another human phenomenon, one that Irkens, including myself truly know nothing about, is surly as powerful, and I, in no way want that severed from my dear Gaz. YOU unfortunately are the anchor."

"Previously, you asked my intentions, and they are a proposal-""I won't hear anything more!" "You have no choice, you see, Gaz is more attached to my feelings than she knows, and from what you don't need to know, she cannot hurt me." Zim walked to the left again. "But she has, more than you could ever imagine, and it's draining her just as powerfully as it's destroying me." "What've you done to her?! I'll end you!" "Your rage is most persistent, and annoying… you should know she'll grow weak to the influence soon, but she's very strong, as I already knew. Nevertheless, the end result will be the same, but Everyone could be happy if you'd simply LISTEN!" Zim hissed grabbing Dib by his collar through the bars.

"NOW, my proposal." Zim said calming himself. "Gaz is to be "married" to me, as you'd say, Tak shall remain with you, below the bowels of the palace, where no surveillance is present, you're free within the confines of the chamber, it's well suited for your… comfort, and Gaz will be able to visit you whenever she wishes, scheduled, of course, but you will not be able to leave. If you refuse, You and Tak will be simultaneously executed, live, in front of my subjects, televised across the universe." "Gaz will hate you forever!" "When there's comfort when in the dark, hatred only burns so deep."Zim replied. "Ignorant monster, you said yourself you don't understand the love of family, yet you wish to make one with her?! Family runs deep, there will always be resentment."

Zim threw Dib across the cell, with a clang, Dib coincided with the opposite bars. "You have till tomorrow to make your decision Dib." With that the room's doors were slammed shut.