I would just like to say that I have been waiting to make this chapter FOREVER! Long live ZAGR! Whoo!
Random Invader Zim Quote Of The Day! "GIR, I want to run a few tests on your artificial intelligence chip. It seems to be...bad." ~Zim (Plague of Babies)
Gaz sat on the bed in her bedroom. Her door was locked, her brother was busy, and her window was open. She sat, and she waited. But she didn't have to wait long. There were a few little tapping noises at her window and then Gir jumped in.
"Hi, Gazzy!" He shouted. Gaz couldn't hide a small smile.
"Gir, shush, don't talk so loud. Dib will hear you." Gaz glanced at her door. There was no movement.
"Masta said to give you this!" Gir said, a little more quietly, but still with a lot of energy. He handed Gaz a long white box with a bow on top.
Gaz smiled and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful black glass rose, complete with thorns. It was wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap, which didn't surprise her since Gir had been the one to bring it.
"Hey, Gir, tell your Master I said thanks." Gaz ordered. Gir saluted and jumped back out the window.
Once again, she was alone. Gaz looked at the finely crafted rose in her hand and thought about how her and Zim had come to be this close.
It had started years ago, when Zim had first arrived on Earth. At first, he had been one of her stupid brother's lame friends. Then, he had evolved into a dumb alien who couldn't take over the world if the President-man was handing him the keys to it. Soon, the two of them had been unconsciously drawn closer to each other. First it was just laughing at Dib's pain and talking about how horrible humanity was. Then Zim would pick up something she had dropped, and she would help him up if he fell. Before long, she had begun blushing every time he touched her hand. And then one day, Gir had showed up at her window with a gift. She could still remember it. It had been one of Gir's rubber pigs. But it had been modified, like her robot dolls, to obey her and defend her whenever necessary. She had set it on her nightstand. Zim and her began to meet secretly. They told each other stories about their past, and she had found herself telling him things she had never told anyone before in her life. Over time, she found herself feeling something odd when Zim came into the room. A few searches on Google told her this feeling could be called love.
Gaz sighed. She knew more about that little Irken than even he did. She took another look at her glass rose before setting it on her dresser. The clock on her table told her it was pretty late. Gaz lay down on her bed and waited for sleep.
Dib wasn't in the cafeteria today. Must have stayed home sick or something, Gaz thought. She had long since stopped walking with her insane brother to school. He annoyed her to much. Gaz looked around the room. Pretty much the whole skool was there. It made it less confusing to put all of the kids in one lunch period, she guessed. Gaz could see Katelyn at the popular table chatting with her 'friends.' They wouldn't be her friends any longer when she enslaved them all. Gaz smirked. Yea, she knew Katelyn was Kae, the new alien Dib always yakked about.
Zim sat down next to her. He could never do that before, because long ago, him and Gaz had decided that Dib should never know about them, due to the fact that they didn't know how he would react. So this meant that Dib really wasn't at skool today.
"Alright, what did you do to him?" Gaz asked. Zim had to have done something to Dib. Otherwise they would still be trying to catch each other's eye from across the room, even if he was home sick. No use taking chances.
"Whatever do you mean?" Zim said in mock confusion.
"You know what I mean. Dib. What did you do to him?"
"And why would you like to know that?" He smiled.
"Because I like to know when my brother is in pain."
"He's in some pain."
"Just answer the stupid question." Gaz couldn't take this game much longer.
"I infected him with a virus. He'll be sick for a while." Zim smiled again.
"How long?"
"How long would you like?" So it was an Irken engineered virus that Zim could control. That makes since.
"We'll see." Gaz said.
Both ate in silence. Well, Gaz ate her bag lunch and Zim poked at the grey stuff they call food on his lunch tray. It wasn't an awkward silence. Neither of them had anything they would like to say to the other in public. The bell rang and everyone left for their classrooms.
Gaz sat on her bed again. Zim usually sent stuff every couple of days, but she liked to wait every day and find out. She was dressed in a long black nightgown. Her door was locked, Dib was downstairs on the couch watching Mysterious Mysteries, and the window was open. For a while, the only noise was the nighttime wind outside. Then there were a few tapping sounds at her window. Gaz looked hopefully toward it, but Gir wasn't there. Zim was.
He slid through the window and stood by her. Gaz smiled. Zim smiled. They both sat down on her bed. Zim spoke first.
"Gaz, why do you act like this?" Gaz knew what he meant. She lived her whole life in video games, away from human interaction. But when she was with him, she opened up.
And Gaz spoke. She spoke because someone was listening and caring. She spoke because she wanted him to know.
"Zim," She began. "As strange as this may sound, all my life, I've never felt at home. Never felt like I belonged. My father never cared for me. Sure, he can fake it. But he doesn't really care. His real love is science. Not his children. He only keeps me and Dib around because it gives him good credit to be a single father raising children while being the hero of the world. Dad never even told me who my mother is. I never met her, if I even have one. And Dib, he doesn't care either. He studies some stupid paranormal crap while I'm stuck in the real world with no one. He tried to bring me along a few times, tried to include me. I could tell it was because Dad had told him to. He never cared. No one ever did. I was always an outsider, an outcast. I was lonely. But then I made a decision: I would be strong. If no one cared about me, then I wouldn't care about them. I got stronger, more aggressive. I was determined to survive in this cold, unfeeling world. But I was still lonely, so I buried myself in video games. Gave everyone around me a reason that I ignored them. Games were my only escape from the real world. The only way I could ignore all of my feelings. My only comfort. But then I got to know you, Zim, and I finally felt right. I finally belonged. It's so strange: it's almost like I was ment to be in your world instead of mine. And now, I think I love you, Zim."
The room was quiet for a few seconds. Gaz had finally let loose everything she had been feeling.
"Kiss me." Zim said softly.
"What?" Gaz's voice was soft but startled.
"That is how your species show affection, isn't it?" Zim looked into Gaz's black eyes.
"Yea, but-" Gaz never finished, because right then, Zim had pulled her toward him into a deep kiss. The world exploded into fire and color. It was beautiful. Gaz thought that it was amazing. It felt like fire danced across her skin. My first kiss, was the only thought that could pass through her mind. Both human girl and Irken boy sat on a bed, happily putting their love into a kiss.
And that was how they were when Dib found them.
When Dib had opened up his sister's door, he hadn't been thinking about how much Gaz would hurt him for entering her room, but about how he had found Zim's ship outside. The last thing he had been expecting to see would have been his little sister making out with his arch-nemesis.
Both lovers immediately looked up when they heard the door open. Zim and Gaz stared at Dib for a few seconds. Normally, Dib would have been using this opportunity to capture as many pictures of Zim as possible (he wasn't wearing his disguise), but not now. Zim was all over his sister.
Dib was still not feeling well, but his mind was able to get out one coherent thought: Forget dissecting him! I'm going to kill that thing!
But his body wouldn't respond to him. All Dib could do was stare at his sister in the evil hands of Zim in shocked silence.
Zim pushed the Com button on his wrist. "Kae? How many times have we wiped Dib's mind?"
"Twice." Came the reply. "One more time and his brain will probably turn to mush."
Zim ended the call and looked at Gaz.
She shrugged. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."
Zim reached behind him and pulled a small bowl-shaped object out of his PAK. He pushed a button on it and it expanded to the size of a large hat. Seeing this woke Dib out of his funk.
Dib jumped at Zim, knocking him to the ground. He may be sick, but he was hyped up on adrenalin and the need for revenge.
Gaz grabbed him from behind and held his arms behind his back.
"How dare you!" Dib cried. "Brainwash my sister, and then make out with her! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" He fought like a madman. Gaz held him as still as possible.
Zim stood up and slammed the bowl thing onto Dib's head. Then he pushed a button on it. Dib's eyes glazed over as the memories of the past few minutes were erased. Then he passed out. Gaz dragged him to his room and left him on the floor there. She returned to her room and looked at Zim.
"I should probably be going now." He said.
"Wait, can I come over to your base tomorrow morning?" Gaz asked.
"It's a Skool day." Zim said.
"I'll skip."
"So will I."
They smiled at each other again. Zim walked over to the window and hopped out. Gaz could hear the Voot fly away.
They were finally alone. Zim and Gaz sat in one of the underground base's chambers. Kae was at Skool, Ris was keeping Gir and Minimoose busy, and Dib was too sick to leave his house.
Zim and Gaz snuggled close together on the couch Zim had brought from the house.
"Zim, do you love me?" Gaz asked. She needed to know.
"I'm not sure." Zim answered. "On my planet, there is no word for 'love.' But there is a belief that for every Irken, there is someone else out there that makes you feel amazing. Someone that you would jump in front of a laser for, someone you would fly to the ends of the universe to make happy. I've heard that when you find this person, you know it. You want to be with them every single nanosecond for the rest of your life. The two people can then connect in a special way, often refered to as mating. When you find your mate, suddenly life is so much better than before."
"You say it like you know this feeling."
"I do."
"Kae." Gaz whispered the word.
"What?"
"Kae. I've seen the way she looks at you. She's your mate." As Gaz said the words, she felt tears well up in her eyes.
"No, not at all. Kae and I are partners, that's it." Zim saw the way Gaz looked at him. She didn't believe that for a second. Zim sighed. "Kae and I are not mates. Kae is my sister." Zim said the only thing that would make Gaz believe him, even if he had promised to never tell anyone.
Gaz stared into his large red eyes. "I thought that Irkens didn't know who they were related to."
"We're not supposed to, which is why you can't tell anyone, Irken or not. Understand?"
"Yea. So, if you don't want to mate with Kae, does that mean you want to mate with..." Gaz couldn't bring herself to finish.
"You." Zim finished for her.
Gaz looked up at him and smiled. Zim didn't, though.
"Gaz, on my planet, it is illegal, and, well, impossible to mate with someone from another species." Zim said sadly. Gaz's smile disappeared.
"So we can't be together." Gaz stated. I have to be strong. Gaz thought. Do not cry, be strong. Just because the one person in the universe who makes you feel at home can't be with you doesn't mean you have to turn into a little crybaby.
"Well, actually," said a voice from behind them. Both Zim and Gaz jumped and turned to face the intruder. Kae stood in the doorway.
"How long have you been there?" Zim asked.
"Long enough." she answered.
"Aren't you supposed to be at Skool?" Gaz narrowed her eyes.
"I ate some stuff at lunch and took a pill. Then I started regurgitating and the nurse sent me home."
"She didn't examine you?"
"Not after I puked on her." Kae looked at her brother and his would-be mate. "Anyway, back to business. I know of something that may help you two out."
Zim and Gaz looked at each other. The could see the hope spark in the other's eyes.
"There have been a few cases where Irkens have found mates outside their species before." Kae continued. "When this happened to a scientist, he developed a machine that would be able to transfer the consciousness of another species into the body of an Irken. He also developed a way to grow an Irken body using the DNA from the other species. The machine is supposed to be a secret and is only used in special situations." Kae closed her eyes and opened them again. "I have a lot of security clearance. I think I can get the machine and grow Gaz an Irken body."
The reactions were amazing. Gaz jumped into the air laughing and Zim caught her. He pulled he close and kissed her. Kae needed only to see the smile on his face to know she had done something right. She left the room and began pulling up the necessary communications to get that machine delivered.
Zim and Gaz had finally calmed down. They were alone again and sitting on the couch. Zim had decided to tell Gaz everything she would need to know to be Irken.
"Most of the stuff you need to know will be downloaded on your PAK." He started. "However, not everything. Ask me anything you need to know."
"You said something before that it was impossible to mate with someone who wasn't Irken?" Gaz phrased it like a question.
"Irkens mate by connecting their PAKs in a certain way that lets the two become closer than ever before. Humans don't have PAKs, and if they tried to put one on, it would destroy them. The human body cannot handle a PAK." Zim stated.
Kae walked into the room. "Sorry to bother you two, but I need Gaz's DNA."
"Will it hurt?" Gaz found herself asking. It doesn't matter. She thought. I will do anything to be with Zim.
"Getting the DNA? It shouldn't. Open your mouth." Kae said. Gaz opened her mouth. Kae held up something that looked like a cotton swab and swabbed the inside of her mouth. "Ok, done."
Gaz stopped Kae before she could leave again.
"How long until me and Zim can be together?" she asked.
"Well, the machine might take a few weeks to get here. However, growing your new body should be easy enough. I can make it grow quickly to the correct age and then age normally again. I'm having a PAK delivered for it. The PAK should be here soon."
"So, a few weeks?"
"Maybe sooner."
"I would have thought that the Irkens wouldn't like having other species turned into them." Gaz said, more to herself that to Kae.
"Well, Irkens take mating really seriously, plus one of the previous Tallest found her mate with a Vortian." Kae explained. She then turned and left the two alone again.
Zim and Gaz are happy now! Yea!
I have a few short stories I am working on. If I decide they are good, I will post them.
I am going to have a contest now! Whoever can correctly guess how I came up with Ris's name will win (drum-role)... a cookie made by Gir!*
*Warning: cookie may not be edible. No one is really sure what Gir puts in them. Neither Gir nor I are responsible for any injuries attained from the cookie. Even if you didn't eat it. You have been warned.