Torrasque666
Chaapter 34
What did I tell you about breaking the fourth wall? NEVER admit this is a story...*grumbles* now I have to go find my interdimensional spackle kit again...
But yeah, great story still, I don't know how much better this can get.
I REFUSE TO COOPERATE. :)
You're welcome. (thumbs up)
cheddarbiscuit
Chapter 34
OMG, I totally know what you mean by that!
Its good to see that Zim is beginning to grasp the concept of "roleplay."
Ahaha, Zim's a perve and we know it!
And mean by what?
ngrey651
Chapter 34
The pill? Oh no, don't tell me that it's slowly killing her or someth-
Unless...maybe...
Gaz is PREGNANT?
I will point out once again, Gaz cannot get naturally pregnant. Although that would be a rather amusing twist.
Invader Johnny
Chapter 34
Wow this IS the shortest chapter I ever read from you.
Heh I find it funny, Mimi of all people if a robot is considered a person... I dunno... anyways I find it highly amussing that she is playing matchmaker with her mistress and Dib.
As for Gaz's problem with the pill why do I feel that something ironic is about to happen?
Invader Johnny Signing Off.
I know (dejected face palm).
I LOVE MIMI! I've no idea why, but if I could be any character, it would be her.
You may or may not be right about that 'ironic' thing.
My brain is so fried right now.
I'm in pain though, so it's clearing my head and giving me inspiration.
Weird, right?
Enjoy.
Chapter 35
"The War Begins"
Gaz was in obvious disbelief as she looked up, giving Zim a look. "Seltzer water?"
Zim beamed, proudly, his hands behind his back. "Correct. Now drink it."
"This is stupid." Gaz stated, but sipped the glass nonetheless. "What was the problem?"
"For some reason, the Pill decided to be gender-choosing." He replied. "It wanted to cooperate with a male rather then a female and got confused, ending up in the stomach, which is why you got pains there. It's already working properly again, now that it's figured out its error, but this should get rid of the remaining pains."
Gaz continued to sip at the cup, sitting on the table, fully dressed this time. She had a thoughtful expression as she drank, Zim watching her with a pleased expression all the while. The conference had been unnaturally quiet, but he had hardly minded. The stunned faces had actually pleased Zim. But really, what had these people expected? For someone to just heroically kick in the front door of his house and stop him? Humans believed far too much in their own fairy-tales.
It was time they faced the real world. Their new world.
Zim had brought Gaz back right after the conference. The second Pill had been analyzed thoroughly and thankfully, the pain was going to be squashed before it could be a problem. It had never been a worry of Zim's that he wouldn't be able to fix Gaz, but it was nice to know that he wouldn't have to worry about her getting random shots of pain in the middle of their intimate moments again.
"Better?" He questioned, his head tilting to the side with concern.
Gaz nodded. She hadn't been in pain, but she had felt like a knot was in her stomach. The bubbly water felt like it was making it dissolve now. "Yeah."
"Good," Zim looked pleased again, cupping her cheek gently. "You had Zim worried. I thought I had done something wrong."
She snorted, rolling her eyes. "You're so paranoid."
"How is Zim at fault for worrying about you?" He demanded, completely baffled.
Gaz smirked at him. "You're such a baby. You were more concerned then I was."
Zim scoffed, shaking his head. "You could have a knife in your back and would still walk around insisting you were perfectly fine."
"Well I don't think I'd be walking. I think I'd be murdering whoever had put it there in the first place," She corrected casually, downing the rest of the cup. "So do I have to drink this frequently, or . . .?"
"Once a day, for a couple of weeks," Zim instructed, sounding like a doctor. "Nothing particularly extravagant."
"Kay," Gaz pushed her hair behind one ear, wrapping her arms around her neck as she set the glass down. "Alright, I'm fine now. And I think you've been more then patient enough."
Zim beamed, smirking as the hand on her cheek lowered to her waist. Then concern went across his face again. "Are you sure you're-?"
"Ask me that again. Watch what happens." Gaz insisted, through narrowed eyes.
Zim laughed, pressing his mouth against hers a moment before pulling away. "Will you ever lose your temper?"
"I doubt it," She replied with an indifferent shrug.
"Good."
And then he was picking her up again, walking her back towards their room.
It had been a week.
That was all the time the Swollen Eyeball were willing to waste and even that was too much.
"Gear up!"
Tak was thrown a vest, which she caught easily enough. MiMi zipped up next to her, peering at it as master and minion shared a skeptic look. "What is the purpose of this garment?"
The woman smirked at her. "It's too prevent penetration in the chest, like bullets or stab-wounds, things like that."
Tak snorted, but slipped it on over her black, long-sleeved garment. MiMi got off while she did so, to stay out of the way. "Very well."
"Make sure your boots are secure," She ordered everyone in the room. "We're leaving tonight. I won't have anyone getting hurt because they don't know how to dress themselves!"
Only women were in the room. Dib and the rest of the men were in another room preparing. Was that sexist? Incredibly so, but no one particularly cared since everyone was too focused on Tak to take notice. Oddly enough, the women of the organization admired her (and were fascinated by her, considering her origins) for being able to gain so much respect in so little time. Everyone knew Tak's past well, since she'd been thoroughly interviewed about the alien-culture she had been raised by yet seemed to have little to no sign of trauma from the event.
Unfortunately, everyone suspected it had something to do with Dib.
It was a fact that both irritated her and calmed her. Tak was currently on the fence about becoming mates with Dib. She was going to live forever, while he . . . would die in a lot less time than that. Not to mention he'd become old and gross long before that. MiMi had yet to figure out anything and until she did, Tak had decided she wasn't going to invest anymore thought into the possible union. Not to mention Dib still seemed unsure himself about the idea, despite the fact the two had engaged in a kiss.
"Maybe I should try harder," Tak muttered to herself, examining the vest.
MiMi looked up, a brow rising. "Master?"
"Nothing, MiMi," She said, shaking the thought off and pointing to her ensemble. "How is everything?"
A quick zip around her body and then Tak was on her shoulder again. "Everything is secure and fastened, master. Nothing out of place."
"Good," Tak murmured, making a face as she momentarily wondered what Dib looked like in his combat uniform. Then she growled, shaking her head again and blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes afterwards. "Ugh, MiMi, when do we leave again?"
MiMi's eyes narrowed in confusion at her master's sudden forgetfulness, but she answered. "Within the next ten minutes, standard Earth-time."
"And it's morning, correct?"
"Correct."
"You could've just asked one of us that," One of the women overhearing said, a gun resting on her shoulder, an inquiring gaze on her face. "You don't have to be afraid of us."
Tak eyed the gun, a brow rising. "Shouldn't I?"
It wasn't that she didn't like these people (although not saying she was particularly fond of them either) or anything. She didn't trust them, that was for sure but they acted carelessly and stupidly. On Irk, moves like theirs would get you killed in a heartbeat. Tak was well aware of their plan.
She and Dib just had one of their own.
The very thought nearly brought a smirk to her face at the humans ignorance, but she was speaking and a smirk was inappropriate for the conversation at hand.
The woman laughed, "This things only for the army, sweetie. Not you."
Tak nearly snorted at this. A while ago, she would look like her origins.
And then you wouldn't be so hesitant to pull that thing on me now, would you? She thought angrily, mockingly. But on her face, she smiled, although MiMi's eyes narrowing resulted in the woman turning away casually, which made Tak's smile broaden as she stroked her ears.
"Good girl," She murmured in Irken, so as not to be overheard.
MiMi just seemed pleased and pretended to purr a bit, Tak giggling as she did so.
This went on until a commanding shout made her stop.
"Alright, ladies! Lines!"
They'd all been given segregated places to stand while they marched into the main exciting room, where people even had cars they were assigned to. Tak was up front, because she would be going in a car with apparently some of the higher ups, since she obviously knew more than any of these other agents. MiMi, of course, was coming, if not because of her resourcefulness, it was because Tak had given everyone such venomous looks at the mention of leaving her behind possibly that the subject had been dropped soon after.
"Tak, up front! Your cars here!"
Unlike Gaz, who Tak had been informed had apparently been named 'Little Sister' (how uncreative, she'd scoffed), Tak had never been given a code-name. Dib suspected it was because the Swollen Eyeball was too lazy and didn't need to be focusing their efforts on giving her a codename. However Tak knew very well it was because they knew (or at the very least suspected) she would refuse to answer to it.
Tak darted outside, with her natural grace supporting her as she exited, ignoring the instructions everyone else was receiving.
As stated, a car was there.
With three men (made obvious by the bulk of muscle under their combat uniform consisting of black, somewhat baggy pants, long black shirts, combat boots, and a vest like her own; basically her uniform in a manlier form) standing seriously before the car, as the driver got in, it was very clear who stood out.
And it wasn't just Tak.
She couldn't quite help herself as she walked, with just a little more hip in it then necessary. MiMi said nothing but, surprising Tak entirely, the little kitten-sized creature jumped off her shoulder and darted over, onto the shoulder of the one standing out.
Especially with that ever-present trench coat on them.
Idiot, She thought.
Her brow rose as she approached them. Once again, much to Tak's ever-growing shock, MiMi's new perch did not seem surprised in the least. They smiled and petted her, in fact.
"She's acting weird today," Tak commented, under her breath.
However, MiMi's actions drew attention to the approaching female, as it was well known by now that if one was there, the other was nearby. Dib turned to smile at Tak and she smirked back, coming to a stop at his side as the car began inspection for traps.
She gestured to the weapon on his back, "Nice."
"You like it?" He replied, looking a bit pleased. Whether it was because Dib thought she was impressed or because he had a new toy the Swollen Eyeball was trusting him with, she could not tell. "Standard issue. According to Agent Grey-Hound, this thing packs a punch."
Tak held her arm out and MiMi immediately leaped onto it. Tak scratched under her chin as she spoke. "Congratulations on your new toy. Try not to break it, since you probably won't be getting another one."
Dib rolled his eyes at her remark, but then noted she was unarmed. "Hey, don't you have a weapon?"
A vicious smile broke out on Tak's face as she giggled, cynically, giving Dib chills. "I hardly need a weapon, Dib. I requested not to have one, since I don't know how to use them anyways."
"I'm sure you could've figured it out." Dib insisted, smiling warmly at her.
She snorted, crossing her arms. "I hardly need the encouraging statement. You're right, I am more then capable of it; I just don't want extra, useless luggage to carry around. I prefer to be as quick as I can be on my feet and a weapon," she gestured to the bulky one strapped to him. "Would just slow me down."
"You're awfully cocky, aren't you?" One of the men laughed, apparently overhearing her last statement.
Tak grimaced at him for the interruption but Dib shot her a look before the man could notice. She quickly replaced it with an unreadable expression, placing her hands on her hips and looking away. But it did not escape her that Dib's line of vision went downwards, to where those curves of hers were, but she decided to ignore him and let MiMi read him for her to retell later.
"One tends to obtain that sort of attitude where I'm from," She replied, darkly.
Tak found that when she mentioned 'where she came from', people often dropped the subject, assuming it was a sensitive one. Demonstrating that now, the man quickly shut his mouth, looking back towards the van. Dib rolled his eyes and Tak shot him a smirk, now that no one was paying attention to her. He, obviously, being the straight-and-narrow guy he was, did not approve of her tactics to get people off of her back. Sure, he didn't want Tak's secret being discovered but he didn't want her making these agents uncomfortable either!
Dib leaned towards her, lowering his voice so they wouldn't be heard this time. "Is that really necessary?"
Tak's eyes narrowed as she smiled at him, creating a somewhat creepy effect, matching his tone. "People on this planet need to know there are consequences for being so nosy. Especially with me and my business." Then she scowled at him, eying how close he was to her. "And stop leaning so close to me."
He blushed, backing off at once, but trying to make his point nonetheless. "Well you shouldn't be so-!"
"Hey, you two," The driver said, sternly as the doors opened. "Enough talk; get inside."
Tak shot him a look through narrowed eyes, walking past him, once again with a bit too much of an alluring stride then necessary, but it was hardly on purpose this time. Often when she became angry, her walking changed. While Tak had yet to notice, MiMi carefully peered to see Dib's reaction from the corner of her eye, only to see him very clearly eying her as he followed. However, he soon noticed MiMi watching him and looked up, red tinting his cheeks, eyes widening behind his glasses. Yet somehow, the cat-like creature seemed smug. Although how she accomplished that expression without a mouth, Dib did not know, but that's just what he saw in her look before she turned around, standing at attention on Tak's shoulder.
Dib wondered if he was going to get in trouble later, but one could hardly blame the poor boy. Especially after that little kiss, even if it had been a short one.
It was a moment Dib had been agonizing over, though shockingly, he'd been quite good about hiding his troubles from those around him. Especially Tak. Dib had no idea what she would think if she found out just how confused he'd been after that. And not in the way she'd probably expected, either. He figured Tak would think that he would only be confused because he didn't know if that was a one-time thing or something that was going to happen often. But no, what Dib was really thinking about were his feelings.
He liked Tak, he knew that much for sure. Somewhere along the way, trudging through his screwed-up mess of lies and events he and she had been dragged through so far, Dib had grown out of his dislike towards her and the two were somehow on much friendlier terms now. The kiss being a perfect example of that, since Tak would've never dreamed of touching him, let alone kissing him when she'd first regained her memories. Whether he liked her more though was the problem.
Stupid kiss.
Why did it have to be so freaking amazing?
Dib took his seat in between Tak and another agent. She looked out the window, ignoring him entirely. A part of the reason they were leaving so early was because the drive was so long. He nearly sighed, resting his head back against the seat and looking up at the roof of the car. Well, at least the drive would give him some time to think things through before they went in. Dib knew he'd be no good if he was too distracted to focus. He'd probably end up getting himself killed before he and Tak could go to work.
No one was feeling particularly talkative on the ride up, which was understandable. It was highly likely everyone was driving to their dooms, but what could they do? They'd waited long enough. Now was time for action!
Glancing over at Tak, Dib nearly groaned again. The last time Tak had faced Zim, she'd very nearly gotten herself kicked. At the very least, she'd gotten the absolute crap kicked out of her, which worried Dib more then it probably should, and in more than just the "friends protect each other" way too. Dib was honestly worried he was taking her to get killed as well and he wouldn't be able to help her.
According to the Swollen Eyeball, Dib and Tak were on Soldier-Duty; meaning they were to help fight the army that had probably been implanted with Irken techniques and training. But after some heated discussions, the two of them had figured out that it was likely they were only trained enough to face humans, since if Zim ever lost control, for whatever reason, he would want to be able to fight them and win easily enough. With the moves Dib and Tak had showed them, the Swollen Eyeball would probably be able to hold their own without their help.
They weren't quite sure, however, what was going to be done about the Emperor and his Empress. There was also the slight risk that someone would notice their absence, but in the heat of a battle? It was highly unlikely. Running into the team (if one existed) going after Zim, Gaz and (maybe) Skoodge? That was a much larger possibility, but a risk they were going to have to take.
Dib glanced around, noticing with surprise most of the car (save the driver, Tak and himself) had fallen asleep.
Well . . . it was early in the morning. And they were all probably pretty tired, despite their serious demeanor.
A new weight on his lap made him look down.
MiMi was making herself comfortable, much to Dib's surprise. Glancing over at Tak's lap, he saw she had crossed her legs. Probably why MiMi had, like a real cat, moved to a find a better spot. Tak was eying the cat with an unreadable expression, a slender brow raised. MiMi ignored them both, curling up with her tail over her nose.
. . . Weird-ass SIR unit . . . Tak thought, disapprovingly, eyes narrowing.
Dib smirked a little nonetheless, pointing, whispering for everyone in the car who was sleeping's sake (a category which now included MiMi, apparently . . .), "I think she's starting to like me."
Tak snorted, rolling her eyes, speaking mutedly as well. "You're just a pillow to her right now."
He couldn't help but grin. "Jealous?"
Apparently not understanding the joke, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Of what?"
Dib shook his head, "Never mind."
Tak made a face, muttering as she turned back to the window, Dib snickering as he heard her, her elbow propped up against it as she leaned her head against her head. "Odd little Earth-boy . . ."
"Love you too, Tak," he joked, quieter, since the agent next to him had shifted a bit.
MiMi's ears shot up, turning her head to see Tak's face. The girl had frozen entirely, otherwise revealing nothing. Dib bit his lip nervously, looking down at MiMi to try to gauge Tak's reaction. The SIR unit, however, was turning her face away, carefully, as if nothing had happened, going back to rest. He frowned. It was just a joke, after all. He hadn't meant anything by it.
. . . Right?
Ugh! He thought, looking away from the female beside him. Why is my life so complicated?
Gaz was alone, for once. Since Zim ruled the world now, he often found himself busy, although she was his priority. Skoodge was starting to pack up already. Gaz had no idea when he was going to actually leave, but she had a feeling that she would miss him. She knew Zim would miss the baby-sitting, but there were more then enough ways to distract Gir and Minnie-Moose, should that be necessary.
The only reason she was doting on these ideas was because Gaz was feeling like everything was over now.
She had torn her life, and the world, apart for Zim. Her brother probably hated her now, after finding all that crap, untouched and unburnt, in her room.
Dib.
His name brought a small smile to her face. Never had Gaz really been a sentimental person but after the kind of month and a half she'd had, she felt like she deserved to feel something. And not with Zim in the room. It wasn't that she was getting sick of him, no, Gaz loved the idiot but he always comforted her when she was upset. Right now she needed a clear, unbiased and uncomforted mind to think things through.
If Dib were here, he'd probably comfort me too, She thought, bitterly, looking down at her lap.
Zim had said they would be moving after Skoodge left, back to that original base of his that Gaz liked better, for whatever reason. Maybe she was just attached to it but nonetheless, it was her preference. When Zim was busy, Gaz either hung around Gir, Minnie-Moose and Skoodge (who seemed to have formed a little group of their own; something that was expected, since they'd spent so much time together), or helping train the armies for personal entertainment. In a way it was a simple kind of life she'd set herself to lead. Not a boring one, definitely not, but one that made sense.
The only downside now was that Dib couldn't be here.
"He probably wishes I wasn't his sister," She muttered to herself, leaning on the balcony connected to their room, twisting the ring on her finger absentmindedly.
Her mental debate was how much he probably hated her. Zim could very well find him, in a heartbeat really, but if she located Dib and went to him, would he be willing to speak to her? What about Tak and the rest of the Group? Was he still with any of them or had he moved on? She doubted he had stayed with the Group, since a bit of research on the internet informed her that they all seemed to have dissolved their small rebellion. The Swollen Eyeball, too, was nowhere to be found and believed to be in hiding. Maybe Dib was with them, but what about Tak, then? Where was she?
She'd probably recommend to Zim that he start figuring out where she was, now that he had some free time. That matter had never really been brought up and it annoyed Tak that she had left before things could make sense. If Zim had waited a little longer, they might've figured out her identity while she was there, and it wouldn't be such a big mystery.
And then . . . there was the problems the Pill brought.
In a century, Gaz would still be alive. She would still look like she did now, young and probably not having changed in the slightest. But where would her father be, if he wasn't able to find a way to ultimately sustain his own life? He'd be buried six feet under. Would she even be allowed to know when he was dead? Would the hiding-out Swollen Eyeball bother to tell her? Would they bother to tell Dib, if he wasn't with them already? Had Dib been arrested for what she had tricked him into agreeing to? And in a decade, even if he was much younger than their father, he too would be gone.
And then what would she do then?
What could she do about it now?
A vibration made her brow rise and she looked back inside, thinking maybe it was a phone or something. Immediately after she realized they actually did not have phones, so it couldn't be that. She looked out to the view of the balcony, wondering if maybe something in the training grounds had gone wrong. But from her fantastic line of vision, thanks to the height of the balcony, she could see nothing out of the ordinary. Except everyone had stopped and were looking around, every bit as confused as she was.
Gaz's eyes narrowed. Was this an Earthquake?
She walked back inside. Things were indeed quivering, if only slightly. Less than a cell phone going off. It put her on slight edge, though. The last time there was an earthquake that lasted this long, Zim had taken over the world.
So what was going on this time?
Gaz felt glad she had chosen to wear pants today. Black pants and a red shirt. She snagged a coat out of the closet, ditching the room in favor of finding out what the hell was going on. She was well aware Zim would probably prefer that she stay there but that was too bad. He knew better then to expect her to sit back and wait for him to come get her anyways.
She had just reached the hallway when she spotted Skoodge, racing around the corner, towards her room. He skidded to a halt when he saw her, approaching her and saluting, a wide-eyed stare as he did so.
"Empress Gaz," He said, antennae wilting slightly at addressing her correctly. "Please come with me immediately!"
Her eyes narrowed and Skoodge cringed a little. "Why? What's going on?"
"Invader Zim has requested you be placed in a safe house for the-!"
Gaz immediately darted away from him, startling Skoodge. He couldn't help but stare in disbelief as she raced from him, faster than a human should be able to move. Then he groaned, his hand slapping to his head. Zim had warned him this might happen. Oh, why hadn't he come up with a better plan? By the time he came out of his pity-fest, Gaz was long gone. He sighed and began running after where he guessed she might have gone.
This was going to take a while.
Meanwhile, Tak was eying MiMi's focused expression as her 'cat' tried her master's latest idea of breaking and entering.
Dismantling the entire system itself.
Or, rather, reprogramming it, actually. The reason the ground was shaking was because Zim had effectively placed the force-field like a mini snow globe. Now that they were screwing with it, it was trying to fight her off and quite obviously failing.
It was so simple, she was angry she hadn't thought of it before. Rather than completely shut down the force-field, an impossible task, why not just make it accept more than just the soldiers with their little medallion entrance passes? Why not make it accept the Swollen Eyeball emblems as well? Of course, this had to be done quickly, as no doubt Zim had probably prepared for this. And there was a small timeline Tak had before his back-up security kicked in.
"How close are-?"
"Ssh!"
She was grateful for whoever had silenced the questioner. She and MiMi needed to focus.
There was a ding and MiMi retracted.
Tak sneered. "We're in."
At once a walkie-talkie was out, "We're in."
And everyone charged.
Dib was next to Tak, gripping her wrist so as not to get disconnected, and running in with the rest of the mass of black-garbed figures with Swollen Eyeball emblems on their backs and chests. They had entered from the back and were running across an expanse of field, silently, like a cloud was beginning to block the sun and darken that part of the property.
It took 2 minutes, just as they saw the house coming into view, for them to spot the army. However Tak was able to ignore them, knowing they would be handled, to look at the house.
Tak gripped Dib's arm, veering off to the edges of the mob of people. She spoke as she ran, completely unwinded. "I've got an idea of how to get inside."
Dib's brow rose, breathing heavily as he spoke. "How?"
"The servants are still here, right?"
He nodded.
"Don't servants have all-access?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, the master keys to the doors?"
Dib's eyes widened. Then he nodded. "Tak, you're a genius."
She smirked, "Glad you finally noticed."
Then the fighting began.
Finally, a cliffhanger worth while!
2 chapters left. Max.
Dib's on the property with Tak. Zim is who knows where, but apparently still in charge. And where is Gaz going?
So you'll have to find out next chapter.
Daily Quote:
"I have a wand made out of bamboo!"
"Why? Are you a panda?"
"No!"
"Are you gonna eat your wand?"
"NO! Then I couldn't do magic!"
"Yes you could, you'd just have to burp to get the magic to come out!"
-A conversation walking home from school with my usual guy friends.
Why does school inspire me so?
Till then.
