A/N: Here's chapter twelve!
I was a bit overwhelmed by everyone's reviews last chapter. I didn't know how to thank you all; they just kept coming! Sorry that I didn't get back to any of you, but I did read every one. The list would go down the page if I thanked you all in my author's notes. I think it's best just to continue with the story.
Thank you for all your kind words. It's nice that people like what you write.
Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim, as I don't gain any profit from writing fanfiction. This is just for my amusement, and yours :)
...
Zim didn't move. His feet felt as if they were cemented to the ground. The only parts of his body he could move were his eyes, which locked onto a grove of trees where a black footpath stretched beyond...
"That must be his direction..." The words were a whisper in his mind now.
If it were not for the skyscrapers on the horizon, the park could almost pass for wild country. There was a fair amount of nature in this park, like an entirely different world within the confines of a city.
Birds twittered in the branches, welcoming the onset of dusk, while two squirrels chased one another, entwining around the bark of a tree until they vanished into the leaves.
To the far left of this small woodland, a lonely park bench taunted Zim. It was only thirty-five minutes ago when he had seen the last occupant of that bench, reading his paper.
It was a little too close for comfort... Children play in that park. He had been right next to the family of his victim, watching that little girl who looked so familiar to Zim. Perhaps she did to him too.
The sun vanished behind the skyline, stretching the shadows of trees along the grass and across Zim's feet. The dark patches were too cold. He shivered, waking from his stupor.
He woke with a gasp as he looked around the park. It was empty; he remembered nothing of his blank stupor. All he could recall was a mixture of bewilderment, fear and anger. He regretted letting that man walk away without so much of a scratch to pay for his sins.
The knowledge of his failure boiled up inside him, making his itch for vengeance even stronger. How could he just let him slip by?
He needed to blow off steam. It was a good thing no humans were around anymore; he may have vented his rage onto some poor, unsuspecting human going for a stroll.
In the playground, there was a soft bunny toy laying face-down on the floor. A child must have left it before.
Zim ran over and threw it in the air, shooting a laser beam from his PAK as the toy blasted to pieces. White stuffing rained down on his head like snow, but it still felt good.
A few real rabbits ducked for cover, their white cotton-tails bobbing up and down in fear. They were lucky this fake rabbit was around; now Zim didn't have to vent his anger on a poor, helpless creature. Not that it would have bothered him much, anway.
But it still wasn't enough. This anger was just too much; the worst he had ever felt in his life.
He looked up again, as his pupils narrowed into slits, making him look more animal than Irken now. And so it was that he ran off to look for Molly's killer, through trees and open grass, driven only by revenge.
It wasn't until he found himself submerged waist deep in water when he realised how far he'd ran. Wild geese took off in flight when he came bounding into the pool, as the sound of their distant "honks" drifted off with the clouds.
They had sense to fly off, but most Earth animals have the sense to escape from a potential predator, which in this case was Zim. Humans weren't as smart in that respect; their curiosity often muddled their instincts.
Shocked and confused, Zim looked into the dark, murky waters below, and yelped when something wet and scaly touched his knee. He scrambled out of the pond, shivering and feeling a slight sting by all the H2O
That was a bit too much water for his Irken anatomy to take, but he hadn't felt the sting while his body pumped with adrenaline.
The shock and burn of water seemed to bring him back to his rightful state of mind, burying that animal-like part of him until later. Now wasn't the time; he had to think straight
Once he regained his senses, he looked around at the strange wilderness, hearing a "hoot" in a nearby tree. It was wild and uninhabitable; no intelligent life lived out here, only the basic minds of animals, driven by their instincts. The civilised world of the humans he'd come to know lived beyond in the city.
Had he not thought twice, while his body pumped with that white-hot rage, that the last place that man would be was out here?
He felt as if he were forgetting something, a vital piece of the puzzle, and then it all fell back in place. He remembered then... Molly. Was she still out there?
Knowing Molly all too well, he ran back through the woods, tripping over uneven ground, until he saw a gap through the trees.
He leapt out of the bushes, recognising the neatly cut grass around the playground. He hoped she hadn't taken off into her grey world again. She always did when she was scared or confused. Maybe she would go back to that ashy desert.
Zim had no idea how to get back there, and he was in no way prepared to face the misery of that world again. But then he saw a faint shadow, and she became visible to his eyes.
He ran over, and saw that she stood stock still like a deer in the headlights. It was painful to watch.
"Molly?" he whispered.
If he didn't act quickly, she may lose all her courage, but her frozen façade was impenetrable.
"Molly!" He pushed her aside, but his hand went right through her. She was withering away, and then she would be gone forever, back into that world...
He didn't want to lose her, not the sweet little girl who invaded his heart. It was nice not having such a bitter outlook on human life now, since this little spirit washed away any doubts he had about the human race.
At that moment, he was more than a soldier and an Invader, but a creature with the potential to do greater things, and bring others happiness rather than misery. It was a strange but uplifting feeling.
He grabbed her hand, but he only felt cold, thin air. She was disappearing... So he grabbed again and again until he finally felt the warmth of her palm. He shook so hard on her hand, trying to wake her up. It didn't work, so he reached his gloved hand to her cheek and gave it a pinch.
"Molly! This is getting ridiculous! He can't do any more harm to you. We're going to hunt him down now, you and I!"
Molly suddenly woke, screaming. It scared the birds in the trees.
Zim screamed too, as she took him by surprise.
She ran into him and knocked him down, and there she fell right through his body.
He shivered as her chill went right through his skin, muscle and bone. Up until now, she had always been solid and uniform to Zim, but now she was cold and wispy like the wind again.
He rolled over onto his side as warmth flowed through his veins once again.
Why had she gone through him in the first place? Had he lost that part of her now? He managed to hold on to a part of her before when he grabbed her hand, but it mustn't have last. His heart sank at the thought.
He sat up and looked at her. She was lying on the ground next to him, exactly where he had been before. A small, soft sound escaped her tiny frame, making her tremble. Next, she curled up into a tight ball, trying to make herself disappear.
Zim couldn't stand the sound of her crying. It pulled on his heartstrings, just like the wife of that old man.
So he crawled to where she lay, and reached his hand out, cautious that it may go through her. It didn't. Maybe it was just a momentary lapse while she woke from her nightmare. But now it passed.
The horror of the man's identity finally sunk into her little heart, shattering her to pieces.
Two shattered souls they were, each cast aside by their own kind...
Zim lifted Molly to her feet, and held her up so she wouldn't fall. Her eyes filled with tears, running down her cheeks and across Zim's hands as he cradled her face. He wiped them away with his gloved fingers, and tried to look past her tears and into her blue eyes.
"Molly," he said softly. "Don't cry. You've got Zim to protect you. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."
She looked up with a trembling lip, and clasped her arms around him. He put his arms around her too, and rocked her slowly. He didn't know why he did, but he could recall the robot arm rocking him as an infant.
His memory was so good that he could remember the rocking sensation, drifting him back and forth into a deep sleep. It was the only time in his life where he ever felt safe. There was nothing like a mother's embrace.
That cold, unfeeling robot arm... he really did love it. The only mother he knew.
"I'm so glad you're here," she said.
"Me too," he replied.
He really was glad. Imagine if she were alone. She may have drifted off with the wind.
The sky was a soft pink as fresh stars twinkled above. Zim had been at the park for hours, and he wanted nothing more than to put it out of mind. So he tried to move Molly along, but her legs wobbled beneath her, giving away like a baby deer. He steadied her on her feet and pulled her onwards. She soon walked by his side.
She looked up at him and smiled, cheering up again. "I felt your heart beating when I fell inside you," she said. "It was weird, because you're an alien, but I liked it. Your heart makes a nice sound."
Zim felt a little queasy, remembering the cold sensation. It made him shiver. "Thank you. It pleases Zim how you like his heart."
Molly put her head against his shoulder. Zim didn't mind, since it soothed her spirit. He put his arm around her, feeling her comfort washing through him. He tried to focus on that now, and not on that animalistic nature that thirsts for human blood. That dangerous side of Zim will have to wait until later.
But when will that later come? How was he going to find her killer now?
…
Gaz finally arrived home a few hours later. She actually did go to the arcade, thinking it wouldn't be that bad an idea, plus she would be telling most the truth when Dib pestered her about her whereabouts.
When she walked through the door, she spotted Dib on the couch watching an old rerun of Mysterious Mysteries. He switched the TV off and turned his head, giving her a sharp, suspicious look.
"Gaz, where have you been? I've waited up hours for you!"
Gaz looked at the clock on the wall—shaped like the Professor's head—and narrowed her eyes.
"I went to the arcade. And it's only six o'clock, Dib, get a life."
She stormed off through the kitchen and towards the fridge, opening the door to reveal no more poop sodas. "Hey, did you drink the last soda again?"
Dib was leaning against the arch of the kitchen. "Where did you really go, Gaz? I know it has something to do with Zim. What are you hiding?"
"I said I went to the arcade! Now stop pestering me, or I'll have you vivisectified."
"That's not even a real word. Just tell me where you've been! It's obvious. You met Zim and asked him about the ghost, didn't you?"
"I've told you countless times: I have no interest in ghosts, aliens, Bigfoot, and the tooth fairy! So stop trying to involve me in all your paranormal junk!"
"I don't like the tooth fairy," Dib said.
"Tooth fairy, Bigfoot, what's the difference?"
"Bigfoot is real!"
Gaz rolled her eyes, and walked past him to go into the living room, but not before cornering him to the wall. "And don't think you're off the hook about my soda, drink stealer. I'll have my revenge!"
"They're not your sodas, Gaz!"
She growled at him, showing off a few sharp teeth.
"Fine, they're all yours. Here, take this cash and go buy some more."
He pulled the money out of his pocket. Gaz reached her hand out, but Dib shifted his hand away. "But first you have to tell me what you know about the ghost, and then I'll give you the cash. Ha!"
Gaz kicked him in the shin and took the money out of his hand. She looked at it a moment, and then threw the cash back in his face.
"You can keep your stinkin' money, Dib. I won't be bribed by a big-headed creep like you. So go stick your money where the sun don't shine!"
"Where the sun doesn't shine?" Dib said, rubbing his shin. "That's disgusting. I'm telling dad!"
Gaz did everything she could to repress her rage, and not go back over there and punch Dib's nose. So she walked on out of the kitchen and out of the living room, only to bump into the white coat of the Professor. He must have come home early from work.
"And why are you in such a hurry, daughter of mine?"
Gaz growled and walked around him, stomping up the stairs in a show of anger.
It can only mean one thing, and the Professor shook his head. The girl was eleven in a few months, still too young, but the signs were already showing. Then the slamming of her bedroom door was heard.
"I am afraid your sister is experiencing early symptoms of womanhood, Son."
Dib turned white. "W-what?" he asked, looking afraid to ask, but confused and curious enough by his father's words.
"That's right. We'll have to build a bunker down in the basement, made of titanium! The time is almost upon us. Every month the cycle starts, lasting only a week, but the consequences are most dire. I have never met a man who has survived the horrors of female menstruation. It's a bloody business, Son."
"I… I think I'm gonna puke," Dib said. "Did you have to be so literal?" He ran off into the kitchen and threw up in the trash.
The Professor stood alone in the living room, listening to Dib retch as he shook his head.
"My poor, insane children."
...
Zim walked through the door of the base, guiding Molly inside like a lost lamb.
Molly was quiet as she hadn't spoke since the park. Zim had to walk her all the way back.
If he promised to meet her at the base if she teleported—or super speed— there herself, then Zim may not have come back to find Molly at all. He was too afraid to leave her alone. So they had to walk back the old-fashioned way.
Zim wasn't assigned a teleportation device, which the Invader can carry around inside their PAK's storage compartment. It sure would have come in handy.
He sat her down on the couch. "I'm going down into the lab for a while. Do you think you can stay up here until I get back? I shouldn't be long."
Molly nodded silently, staring into the blank screen of the TV.
Zim turned around, seeing that she had no reflection in the glass. It made him shiver. Sometimes he forgot she wasn't real. Then he spotted her silhouette after a while, and shivered again.
If someone else were in the room they would see her reflection but not Molly herself. That's what a lot of people report seeing, a reflection or a shadow in a mirror, but never the ghost.
They like to trick the living that way, so they turn around and see no one there...
"All right. I'll be back soon enough."
Zim removed his wig and contacts, feeling like his eyes and scalp could breathe once again. But before he could advance further, Molly tugged his arm.
"No, don't go. What if he comes back? Please don't leave, Zim."
Zim looked stunned by her reaction, as he was torn between her and the lab. He saw the kindergarten children act this way when their parents left them on their first day of skool. He always thought it was funny, but now he cursed himself for laughing.
It was heartbreaking having to leave her, but Zim had work to do.
"I'll call Minimoose. He'll come and sit with you. And the computer is all over the house, since he is technically the house after all."
"It's about time you acknowledged me, you green twit."
"See? You're never alone."
"But I want you to stay with me." Her eyes glistened as she jutted her bottom lip. Zim was disturbed by the way she looked at him, but he felt himself drawing towards her sad gaze.
It was like the time the Santa suit made him hug that disgustingly cute girl. He tried his best to resist her cuteness, but his face twisted and grimaced.
"I'm a cynical, unfeeling machine, and not even I can resist that face. What is wrong with you? You must be made of stone, but with a brain like a marshmallow."
"All right! Zim will stay! But how's this: you come down with me to the lab, killing two birds with one stone!"
"I don't want to kill birdies, but okay. I'll come with you."
"Then let us make hast!"
She followed Zim into the kitchen and took the elevator. The ride down seemed to take forever, since they didn't talk. But then Molly broke the silence.
"Why do you have a toilet in your kitchen?"
"Because that's where all human expelling devices go, in the kitchen where food is prepared. Makes perfect sense."
Molly thought it over, and then her face turned melancholy. "I wish I could go potty again. You don't need to go when you're a ghost. It's weird. I haven't gone pee pee in a very long time."
Zim looked uncomfortable. "Eh... is that so... Then don't be thinking about running water, hey. Get it?"
She was confused and totally unimpressed by his joke, as it turned silent again. Zim coughed into his fist and commanded the elevator to move faster.
"Have you ever used that toilet, even when you have visitors?"
"What? No! Zim doesn't use the toilet!"
"But what if you really need to go?"
"I said, Zim never uses the toilet. I don't expel bodily fluids. My kind doesn't have to."
"Oh... okay." She contemplated his attire next. "Then how come you wear a dress? Do boys wear girl clothes on your planet, and girls wear boy clothes?"
"It is not a dress: it is a standard Invader uniform, and no. Well, maybe... According to Earth fashion rituals, women tend to wear corsets like my Tallest, and every female Invader I've known wears military boots. So I suppose they do."
"That's funny."
"Don't you laugh at my superior race... Oh, we're finally here."
The elevator doors opened, and they walked out into the hall. "GIR! Attend to the ghost. Zim needs to be alone for a while, but she refused to stay upstairs!"
"No I didn't, you said I could—"
"Silence! GIR, where are you?"
"Do I have to stay with GIR? He doesn't even like me, and he smells really bad."
"Of course GIR likes you, and I find his scent rather unique. Not quit unpleasant, but... okay, you're right, he does stink, but I just don't want you to see me working."
"Why?"
"Because, when I work, I tend to go insane, especially if my plans are ingenious! Which this one is sure to be now that I've found your murderer. I'll be unstoppable, terrifying, driven by my thirst for destruction that he'll be sorry he was ever spawned. Mwahahaha!"
Molly stepped back, looking wary of the psychotic alien. "Okay, I think I'll stay with smelly GIR now..."
"I knew you would come to your senses, child. GIR! The ghost smeet summons you!"
Zim waited and waited, but GIR never showed. "Where could that stupid robot be? He's always around when you never need him. Oh, what a cruel irony!"
"Oh, there he is." Molly pointed behind Zim.
"Where?"
He turned around but saw no GIR. Then he looked back at Molly, who was laughing herself silly.
"Hehehe, I was lying. He's not really there!"
"You cunning, conniving villain. Victory will be mine!"
Molly concentrated on his head as she gasped. "There's something on your head, in-between your feelers."
"I'm not falling for that trick again."
"No, it's really there this time. It looks like a piece of metal with a blue ball on top."
Confused, Zim reached his hands up to his head, grabbing something hard and cold. He brought it down to his face to reveal GIR fast asleep.
"When… how did he?" Zim gnashed his teeth. "GIR! How many times do I have to tell you to stop sleeping on my head?!"
He shook the bot vigorously. GIR stirred. "No! Don't eat me Mr T. Rex! Oh, hiya mastah. How's you?"
Zim dropped him at Molly's feet. GIR rubbed his eyes, and looked up at her frowning.
"GIR, you are assigned to look after our ghostly guest, and cater to her every need. Find ways to entertain her while I'm absent. Don't let her wander off on her own, or she may get lost."
"I. Don't. Want. To. Stay. With... Her..." GIR's voice was low and dangerous as he glared at Molly with red eyes.
"Well that's just too bad... Now have fun you two. I shall be back some time in the near future." Zim left them alone.
GIR stood straight, keeping his red eyes on Molly. He was in perfect duty mode now.
Molly was uncomfortable around him, so she shifted to the right to get away from his radar.
GIR acted instantly, jumping in front of her in battle mode. "Halt, trespasser, you will not move from this designated area. I have been assigned as guard to keep you from violating my master's privacy. If you choose to object, I shall be forced to terminate you."
GIR's weapons extended from his head. Molly jumped. "I haven't done anything wrong! Zim said you have to be nice to me. I heard him tell you. You have to entertain me, not shoot me, silly robot."
"It speakss liess, horrible liess, my preciousss. What do we do? Yesss, we kill it. We killss it with weaponsss..." GIR hissed, shifting his weapons that ever bit closer.
"I'm telling Zim you're not being nice to me, and stop talking like that, it's scary. Who is precious?"
"You leave precious out of this!" GIR shouted in his own voice again.
Molly's little face looked so confused. She couldn't understand GIR's personality. He often changed from one to another, and now he was adopting the persona of a character in The Hobbit.
"Why don't you like me, GIR? I don't remember what I did. Was I mean to you?"
"You said my waffles taste like glue, and then you turned into a T. Rex and ate mah mastah and then Mary and then the whole world. The end!"
"I didn't do all those things!"
"Oh yeaaaah. That was a dream. My bad. I can't remember why I don't like you no more."
"Well, do you think you can forget why you don't like me, and be my friend? I really like you."
"Mmm, okay. We friends now."
He ran up to her, and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You're a nice ghostie, please forgive me. I knows you not tryna eat the master now and take him away, like moosey say!"
"I forgive you, GIR."
GIR was crying into her dress, making it wet with his snot and tears. Molly was disgusted, but she patted his head, anyway. He didn't go through her like he did last time, which was why he started to hate her because he was afraid. Now the barrier between them had broken, and it made Molly glad.
GIR was hard not to like. He was just so innocent, but he's scary when he's in 'duty mode'.
...
Zim was alone in his study, drawing schematics for his ultimate plan to destroy that monster of a man. But calling him such is a little insulting to all monsters. Poor Nessie and good ol' Bigfoot, having to be compared to the likes of him.
He added the last bit of detail to his schematic, very pleased with the result. Unfortunately, Zim's brilliant drawing turned out to be a picture of a blob with a moustache. Zim hadn't realised what he was drawing.
In his head, the idea looked so much better. It involved creating a blob monster made of jelly, which could devour Molly's murderer. But what was the moustache for? Maybe Zim was wondering what he would look like if he grew a moustache. Humans with moustaches tend to be successful, and make brilliant leaders.
He was stuck for ideas on how to repay that man. Before Molly came into his life his plans were about world domination, destroying an entire race and not just one individual.
Zim had never been taught how to destroy one person. It would be easier that way, yet erasing whole colonies with a fast, simple solution was much easier. One was just too many to think about.
This one human was different. Though it was Molly's life he took, Zim still had a grudge against him, and that made this kill even more personal than all the others. Any plans he had created before was just the protocol for an Invader, and nothing more.
Giant jelly monsters, robots, and death-ray cannons weren't going to work for Zim this time around. That monster didn't even deserve the time and planning for such Irken arsenal.
Now Zim had no idea how to get his payback. Death-ray machinery was all he had ever used against his assigned enemies, but this guy was something else.
If he was to attack this man, he had to do it face-to-face with no extra weaponry. The man was sure to be freaked out when an enraged alien shows up at his doorstep. Yet how would he feel about a ghost? The ghost of his old victim?
Zim smiled as the workings of a plan were starting to piece together inside his ego-filled head.
He had to give someone a call before he made another move. She would be pretty angry if she knew Zim was planning something without her, and he hadn't even informed her yet that he found the killer.
The girl was right in using her Gameslave metaphor. It was almost like she was clairvoyant herself, predicting what was going to happen before it had.
Zim gave it thought, and shook his head. "It takes one to know one, and I haven't sensed anything extra about her. But what was that she said about her third eye?"
...
Gaz was sprawled across her bed, placing new batteries into her Gameslave since they finally run out. She took the ones from the remote downstairs, so everyone will have to do without TV.
Next, she heard the phone ringing in her head, and had the thought that Zim was about to call her.
It happened to her a lot lately. She would think about things before they happened, just like how she knew about that special delivery of titanium for the Professor an hour ago. Then surprisingly, the door did ring with that very delivery a few minutes after she thought about it. But it was no biggie. It happens to everyone from time to time.
However, it kept happening, and to greater extremes. There was this guy at the bus stop the other day, as she saw him getting hit by a cab. She thought she was twisted at first. Why would she think about him dying like that? She was creepy, but that was just wrong on so many levels.
Then sure enough, the very same cab rounded the corner, just as the man walked towards the sidewalk. Gaz pulled him back as the driver drove by well past the speed limit, but it turned out he was being chased by a police car. There was a passenger with a gun to his head, who just stole from a bank. Classic.
The guy looked down at Gaz stunned. "Hey, thanks little girl. That was a close one. I could have died..."
"Yeah, but it was a one-time thing, so don't expect me to help you again. Besides, didn't your mom ever tell you to look both ways when crossing the street?"
"I uh..." the guy said.
"I didn't think so. I'm going now, this bus is taking too long! I'd be better off walking to the mall at this rate."
As she left the bus stop, the people cheered for her. "That scary little girl is a hero! Three cheers for scary girl!" Gaz had already vanished by the time they finished. She didn't care for their accolades.
The memory of that day still angered Gaz, because of its overall stupidness, but she finally got her Gameslave working, so she was at ease again. But then the stupid sound of the house phone distracted her from her game, and she ground her teeth.
The sound stopped as someone downstairs finally answered. So she let it go.
…
"Professor Membrane residence. How may I be of service?" answered the refined, English accent of the Professor's butler droid. It even wore a butler's outfit.
The sound of a small, garbled voice came from the other end of the phone.
"I'm sorry, sir, but you will have to call back later. The Professor is not available."
"I didn't ask for Membrane, you primitive, earthen technology. I asked for the Gaz-human. I must speak with her at once!"
This time the voice on the other end was so loud that every word was heard, even where Dib stood at the top of the stairs.
"I'm sorry, but the Professor is unavailable, please try again later. The Professor is unavailable, please try again later... Professor, unavail... Try… later…"
The stupid thing was malfunctioning.
"What? You're not making any sense. I demand to speak with Gaz!"
"The Professor is no more! He go all the way to the moon to cure smallpox for the native moon monkeys. Whoohoo!" the butler droid shouted in a voice like GIR's.
"GIR, is... is... that you? Oh, hey, GIR, I swear this guy sounds just like you!"
"Let me listen, let me listen!" This time GIR's voice came from the other end.
"Helllloooo. Do you like cheese?!"
"I'm sorry, but the Professor is unavailable, please try again later... He go to the moon! Hahaha! He won't ever return your call!"
"I like you," GIR's voice said.
"Give me that!" Dib snatched the phone out of the butler droid's hand. "Stupid robot."
The butler droid rolled away with sparks shooting out of his head, and then he flew up into the ceiling.
"Zim, why are you calling here?!"
"Dib-worm! Get me... uh... May I speak with your father?"
"I know you're calling for Gaz! I don't know what is going on between you and my sister, Zim, but you leave her out of this. That ghost is not her problem."
"What? I'm not calling for your disgusting sibling, Dib, I was merely... Aaaargh! What's that behind you?!"
"That only works if you're in the same room, Zim. You're on the other end of a phone!"
"Huh, yeah, how silly of me. Dib... just let me speak with Gaz. It's urgent. It's about our cookies. Yes, the cookies!"
"... Fine. I'll go and call her. Hold on."
…
"Gaz! Zim's on the phone!"
Gaz dropped her Gameslave onto her mattress, and answered the phone next to her bed.
"Yeah, what is it?" she asked.
"Dib-sibling! I need to speak with you right away!"
"You are speaking with me."
"No, I mean in private. Dib is listening on the phone downstairs."
"Dib!" Gaz yelled at the door. "Get off the stinkin' phone, or I'll come down and break your pencil-neck!"
"This is Zim's stupid robot, GIR. I'm not... Maryanne," Dib said in a high-pitched GIR voice.
"That sounds nothing like GIR, and he calls you Mary, Dib!" Zim snapped.
"Hi me! How did you get on the other line? Don't forget mah suckmunkey!" GIR yelled.
Gaz rolled her eyes, realising this was going to be a long call. She eyed her Gameslave wistfully.
"Oh, all right! It is me! I have a right to know why you're calling my sister, Zim. And it's obvious it's about that ghost."
"Does he mean me?" asked a small child's voice on Zim's end.
Dib turned silent. He just heard Molly speak. They all did. He couldn't see her, nor hear her, yet he could hear her over an electronic device. Gaz bet his face looked really stupid now.
"That's it. I'm coming over, Zim. I'm getting sick of this nonsense!"
She hung up, and the line went dead.
…
Zim had been watching Dib on a monitor, wearing a small head-set with a microphone attached. His computer had a list of numbers, as it was connected to a telephone pole outside in the street.
A small spy bug in Membrane's living room watched Dib, zooming in for a close up. Zim planted that bug a while back, but he had forgotten to take it out. It was how he kept an eye on Dib, to see if he was going to ruin his plans again. Now he decided to switch it on, straight after the boy promised to call Gaz. He didn't trust him.
He watched Dib's expression, noticing how that small smile grew and grew until it bordered on insanity. He could kill Molly now. Why did she have to speak? It seemed to trigger Dib's obsession over her even more.
Zim removed the microphone from his mouth, and glanced at Molly, sharply.
"What did I do?" she asked.
"Look at that boy's face!"
Molly looked at the screen. "He looks happy. Very, very happy. Maybe he found out what Santa's going to get him for Christmas!"
"No! He's revelling in the delight of hearing your voice, knowing he's that one step closer to having you in his grasp!"
"I'm sorry, but what does he want with me?"
"I don't know exactly. He's weird like that. Why do you think he's so obsessed with capturing me, Zim?"
"Is it because you're an alien who wears a dress?"
"Yes, except for that dress part. I told you it was an Invader's uniform! Just watch out for him, he's trouble, but he's the least of our concerns now."
GIR!" Zim called next. The bot appeared suddenly, giving Zim a salute.
"Go and keep watch for the door. I'm expecting someone. If the Dib-human turns up, I want you to keep him out. Attack his head in that manner of yours. Zim finds it rather amusing."
"Okie dokie!" GIR peeped. He ran to a chute which sucked him up.
"Bye, GIR," Molly said.
"And you, come with me. If Dib does decide to show, I want you somewhere safe and out of his reach. He may be easy to predict, but you never know what trick he may have up his sleeve."
"Why? Is he a wizard?"
"Ha, he wishes. No, just a confused, lonely boy."
"That's sad. Maybe he just wants to be friends."
Zim burst out laughing. "Seriously, you crack me up!"
He led her to a secret glass chute and placed her inside.
"This glass here is ghost proof, preventing any form of supernatural energy, such as yourself, from escaping. I had it installed as a means of trapping you. Don't worry, that was before Zim liked you. Once inside, you will not be able to leave, and no one will be able to get to you inside."
"Do I really have to stay in here? It's so small, and it smells funny."
"Yes, just until I can get rid of the Dib. You'll be safe down here."
"Will it stop that man from getting me too?"
Zim paused at the question, red eyes meeting those beautiful blues. "Of course. But he will have to get through to me first before he ever has another chance of hurting you. Don't be afraid of him anymore, Molly. You're a ghost now. That should be enough to make him confess. If we could get you to be scary again and haunt him—"
"But I don't know how to be scary."
"Yes, I know. That was just how I perceived you."
"If I stay down here, you'll come back for me, won't you? I don't want to be alone."
"It won't take long. I've gotten rid of him many times before."
She gave him a hug in the dark of his lair, holding on as tight as she could. "I love you, Zim. Please don't forget to come back."
Zim's voice caught in his throat, as his alien eyes grew twice their size.
Those... three words. He started to sweat, feeling his spooch do a flip.
She didn't just say those words, right? What a perfect time. He needed to be at his utmost health to keep Dib at bay, and her stupid words made him feel all gooey inside.
His heart beat just that bit faster, creating a warm, fuzzy sensation in his chest (it appears her words may have cracked someone's shell).
He finally pulled her away, trying his best not to look in her eyes. "Now we depart, but only for the time being. This glass will shield you from all who wish to harm you."
She nodded silently. Zim pressed a button on a hidden panel, and the glass enclosed Molly. He wasn't so sure if the glass worked. He hadn't tried it yet, so she was his first test subject. He was sure she would be safe. Molly just had to feel secure, that was all that mattered.
He looked up at her now, and watched her place her hand against the glass. She never looked so sad.
Zim grinned awkwardly, and gave her a little wave. He tore himself away from the glass, as his heart shattered to pieces. It was hard leaving her in there. The last thing she needed was to be alone. She was a frightened and vulnerable child. Dib will pay for this.
But it was perfect timing, because the doorbell just rang. Zim was prepared.
…
GIR squealed in delight, just like a shoe-obsessed lady when the delivery guy arrives with a new pair of heels.
He rushed to the door, and opened it to reveal Gaz in all her purple glory. His eyes zoomed out in surprise. "Gazzy! Long-time no see!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's me, now move out the way." Gaz pushed her way inside.
GIR was about to shut the door until Dib rolled through in stealth mode. He landed on his back, and looked up to see an excited GIR and a stoic Gaz.
"Mary, you came back!" GIR was about to attack Dib's head, but the boy shifted out the way.
"Not this time, Zim's weird dog/side-kick!"
"Oh, I get it. You wanna dance. Doo de doo doo doo!"
"Go away, Dib, and stop following me. I thought I made myself clear when I tied you to the couch with duct tape!"
"Too bad that tape was cheap and non-durable. Dad keeps the real stuff in a safe that can only be accessed by a secret code!"
"The code is his birthday, moron. Our dad is an ego maniac!"
Dib looked lost for words, as he blinked once or twice.
"I know!" GIR announced suddenly. "We should join forces, and start our own spin-off series called the GIR, Gazzy and Mary show. We'll ditch mastah, and become stars!"
A horrible silence commenced throughout the living room.
"You're not like other robots, are you?" Gaz said.
The sound of the elevator interrupted their conversation, and Zim stepped out of the toilet, fixing his gaze on Dib. His red eyes were seething like pools of lava.
"Get. Out. Of. My. House..." Zim breathed low and fierce. His antennae were pulled back against his skull.
"He's onto us! He must never know about our new series!" GIR shouted.
"I said get out!" Zim walked up to Dib. "You're not welcome here. So make your way out the door!"
"I'm not going anywhere. Not until I've captured that ghost, and taken it to the Swollen Eyeballs!"
Zim charged at Dib and pressed him to the wall, just about missing the door. Both boys would have gone tumbling outside.
"Stay away from her, I mean it! I will hurt you if you so much as touch a hair on her head!" Zim yelled, spraying spittle all over his face.
"Get your evil alien claws off me! I'm not afraid of you, or that thing you call Molly. You're acting as if it has feelings. It's just left-over energy from the body it once had. The real Molly is dead, Zim. That little girl ceased the day she died."
Zim growled and leaned in closer to Dib, fogging his glasses. "Don't ever talk about her like that! I will have that head removed and replaced with your anus. I hope you enjoy excreting waste out of your mouth, Dib!"
Dib pushed him away, and took off his wet, foggy glasses. "Man, Irkens have hot breath. It's almost like they're warm-blooded... Are they?" It was an unnatural heat he noticed, so it probably had something to do with their PAKs to regulate body temperature.
He wiped his lens with disgust, and placed them back on his nose. At least now he could see clearer. Zim's odd, humid breath did a good job of cleaning them.
In the background, Gaz and GIR watched. The girl looked disinterested as usual, wishing she was somewhere else. GIR, however, looked really concerned. To him, it was like seeing his parents argue.
"Please don't fight. We should all get along, and live in a happy world where pigs fly and monkeys reign in glory..."
"Shut up, GIR! I'm a little busy right now. The last thing I want to hear is that nonsense coming out of your mouth. So cease your ramblings, and go and roll around in dirt, or whatever it is you do."
GIR's face contorted, and then sure enough the tears came. And so he ran off to go roll around in dirt, because that's how Zim made him feel, like dirt.
"That was a little harsh, but what do I care," Gaz said from the shadows.
Zim turned to Dib. "See that door there?" he said. "I want you to leave through it and never return. I'm getting tired, Dib. I don't know whether you're just taunting me over our silly feud, but a little girl is in need of my assistance. I won't have you ruining one of the first things I've really cared about."
"Since when did you develop a conscience, anyway? I thought you were here to destroy this planet. Now you're going soft over a bit of ectoplasm? I'd barf if I didn't find it so amusing and pathetic."
"I can tell you had a nurtured upbringing. Say, did your mother ever tell you that you were her special little man, that she'd protect you from all those scary monsters under your bed? No offense, but from a human perspective, you're a little cold. It's quite frightening, really. It's almost like you're not human at all..."
"No, I don't have a mom! I'm genetically engineered — my dad's perfect clone. And what are you trying to say? Plenty of people are born that way now."
"Well that explains everything! Genetically engineered, just like an Irken... You're no different to my race, Dib-stink."
"You take that back, I'm nothing like you!"
"Then why are you trying to hurt an innocent little girl?!"
Dib hesitated, caught off guard, but he wasn't going to let Zim win. "She's not a little girl! It's theoretically impossible. The conscious mind disappears once the body expires. It's a scientific fact!"
"That's not true. I can feel her happiness and her grief. It is real, Dib. You know atoms are everywhere, yet you can't see them, can you? You disappoint me."
"Well I don't care what you think. I'm here to get my proof of ghosts, and that's what I'm gonna do! And then maybe after that I'll come back and get my proof of aliens. Haha!"
Zim shook his head, and pressed his palm against his face. "Not this again."
Dib reached his hand into his pocket, but it was empty. Where was his camera? He was sure he placed it in his pocket.
In the far corner, Gaz held up his camera with a smirk.
"Are you looking for this, Dib?"
"Give that back!"
"No. I'm not going to. It's time you gave up. You've previously failed to get proof of Molly, so why would now be any different? Just go home, Dib. I'm sick of your face anyway, and don't get me started on your voice! So get out of my sight, and go and watch that moronic mystery show, then take a long nap!"
"Make me!"
"If you say so."
Gaz crept away from the wall, dragged him by his collar and then threw him over the yard. The gnomes attacked him with their lasers. Dib stood, trying his best to dodge their beams.
Once he was safe outside the barrier, he glared at Zim and Gaz. "I'll come back. You watch me. And I can't believe my own sister is teaming up with my enemy. Blood is thicker than water, Gaz!"
"Stop shouting blood, Dib. This is a nice street. You don't want the neighbors to call the police, do you?" she said.
"Oh, let him go. We have greater problems than his petty threats now."
Zim slammed the door. Dib raged inside. Who did he think he was? Turning his sister against him like that. The word vengeance was swimming through Dib's head right now.
Finally, he turned away from that freakish house. At the end of the street, he looked back for one last time. Maybe Zim was right. Was that ghost still a person with feelings? It's feasible, but improbable. But he did hear a voice, so clear and concerned when he asked about her… it.
He left the cul-de-sac, and made his way back to his dad's house, where he took up residence, and even paid rent.
...
Zim watched the small black dot of Dib disappear down the street.
"He's gone. Finally. Now we can talk in peace."
"Why did you call me anyway? What happened?" Gaz asked.
He looked at her, trying to figure her out. She stared back, not pleased with his questioning stare.
"I have a million questions to ask, but first, I need you to answer me this. What exactly did you mean by your third eye? It intrigues me."
"Well, what do you think it means?"
"I asked you the question!"
Gaz gritted her teeth. "I have a third eye, right on my forehead, but not literally. I saw it in a book about psychics once."
"Psychics?" It was starting to dawn on Zim. "Are you, Gaz-human, a psychic?"
Gaz shrugged. "Yeah, but it's no big deal. I can see things before they happen. But don't you dare go and tell Dib! He's the last person I want to know."
"Of course. It all makes perfect sense now."
"What makes sense?"
Zim prepared himself, since it was a huge revelation. They were only just talking about it in the park a few hours ago. "I found the guy, but I'm guessing you already knew that with your psychic abilities. Interesting analogy you used with your gaming device. Yet you were using it to mask your foresight of his being there in the park, weren't you?"
"Maybe. I didn't actually see him in my head. I just sensed that you were going to find him very soon. You looked so sad. I thought it would cheer you up."
"Well that's very sweet and kind, Gaz, but you must tell me, if you could sense him in the park, then could you find where he is now? I need to track him down. Imagine having something so close only to be ripped from your grasp." Zim gestured dramatically with his hands.
"I'm sorry. It only works at random. I can't control it."
"Yes, I know the feeling. I still don't know how to control my powers. Ghosts come and go..."
"Speaking of ghosts, where's Molly?"
"Molly! I left her all alone in my ghost trap. I promised I'd be down once your brother left. How could I be so forgetful? That poor child."
"Don't be so melodramatic..."
Zim started towards the kitchen, but Gaz stopped him before you could say "boo".
"Hey, Zim."
"What? Can't you see I have somewhere to go?"
"Don't ever have kids, if you're just going to leave them in places."
He grunted in disgust, and ran to the toilet to get Molly.
"Hold on, I'm coming too."
Gaz joined him in the elevator. She just wanted to see Molly. Whether it was because she was a ghost, or that Gaz secretly liked her was a question of debate.
…
Zim ran to the glass chute and pressed the button on the panel. The chute opened up towards the ceiling, and there, sitting slouched on the floor, was Molly.
She lifted her head from her arms, and looked up to see Zim smiling at her. Her face lit up, and she ran over and hugged him.
"Zim, I knew you would come back. Please don't make me go in there again."
He looked embarrassed because Gaz was just standing behind them. It didn't do well for his reputation as the universe's most notorious Invader, letting a little girl hug him, living or dead.
If only Gaz knew what Molly told him earlier, she would probably laugh herself stupid. Then again, Gaz wasn't usually the laughing type, except from the occasional giggle or snort.
He ripped Molly from his side like Velcro, and put some distance between her for Gaz's sake. "You foolish thing. Of course Zim would return. Unless you have short-term memory, I did tell you I would be back as soon as I got rid of some bad rubbish."
"I know," Molly said. "I was just worried."
Zim chuckled and rubbed the top of her head, messing up her feathery hair. "Well you worry too much. Zim is here now, and you can take comfort in his glorious company."
Molly looked at Gaz and smiled shyly. "Hi Gaz. It's nice to meet you again."
"Yeah... you too."
Gaz looked a little uncomfortable. She wasn't used to saying to someone how much it pleased her to see them. In reality, she was never delighted in anyone else's presence, but Molly was a little ghost girl, so she didn't count.
Not much happened after. All three stood awkwardly since none of them talked. There was just one thing that needed to be done, and that was finding Molly's killer again. Then the rest will come later.
"I think I should head home now, Zim. I've got skool in the morning."
"Hold on, I'll escort you to the door. I just need to find Minimoose." Zim used this as a chance to be alone with Gaz. There were still a few things he needed to talk about.
"Minimoose is out clubbing. He said he needed a breather, and dancing to annoying, repetitive music, apparently, eases one to breathe. Not that he can breathe, being an artificial Intelligence."
"He went out in disguise, right?"
"Oh yeah, he wore his airplane suit. No one will be any wiser when a tiny dancing plane turns up to the club."
"Well, make sure he doesn't bring a party of humans back. I had problems with GIR for a while, picking up random females and bringing them to the base. They were jumping on the couch all night!"
"I'll see what I can do…"
"In the meantime, I want you to keep Molly company while I escort our human guest to the door."
"But I want to come upstairs too. I'll promise to be good," Molly cried.
"That won't be necessary. The Gaz human only needs one to escort her to the door, and that one shall be Zim."
"She can come if she wants, I don't mind... much," Gaz said.
Zim looked at Gaz, and winked his right eye, trying to hint that he wanted to speak with her alone. Unfortunately, she didn't catch on, and just thought he was being weird with his 'twitchy' eye.
"No. Molly is to stay down here, with the computer."
"No! I don't want to. I don't want to stay down here and be alone again."
"Uh-hum. You may not be able to see me physically, but I am still present. It's okay. I know when I'm not wanted."
"See, you've upset the computer. He's only trying to help," Zim said.
"Sorry, computer."
There was a pause from the computer while he decided on something. "Why don't you come visit me in my world? Then you won't be so alone. I can understand why one would feel lonesome around a disembodied voice."
"I don't know how to."
"Well you're a spirit. You can just possess my hard drive."
"You mean to make myself go into your brain?"
"Yes, but not if you don't want to..."
"Okay! See you, Gaz." Molly ran up to Gaz, and gave her a hug. Gaz was surprised as anybody, but she tried to seem indifferent.
Molly disappeared, supposedly into the computer's brain. Would she become the new house now? Her happy voice would be much more appealing through the walls of the house. The screen on the wall, which indicated the computer's voice with lines, went blank. So what happened?
Zim looked at Gaz. He didn't know a ghost could even do that. She shrugged and they left the room. Once the elevator doors shut behind them, Zim told her everything.
"I'm going to try to find her murderer. It is foolish to suspect him to be at that park again, but I do recall him telling me he went there often. I don't know why. I think he was making small talk. He was terrible at it too."
"Sounds like he was hitting on you," Gaz said.
Zim glared at the doors, trying to melt a hole through the metal.
"It was just a joke, Zim. A little tasteless, but that's 'small talk' for you."
"No, you're right. I can see it now. I looked like a human boy in that park. All the adults had left. What a disgusting primate!"
"That's just grose. I wish I never opened my mouth. The innocence of childhood, hey..." Gaz seemed unsettled and out of character for the moment. In her defense, she's aware Zim's an adult, so she never realised when she made the joke.
"It doesn't matter. It's done now. But it can serve as a warning for you. I know you're independent for an Earth child of your age status, and the Dib, but you must be careful."
"I can take care of myself. And why are you so concerned about me and Dib? I thought you hated us?"
Zim turned silent, keeping his gaze on the doors. Hate was such a strong word.
Gaz seemed to understand, and left it at that. "Never mind."
They arrived upstairs and walked towards the door. Zim opened it for Gaz, but she lingered in the doorway. "How about this: we go back to the park again tomorrow after skool? I'd sure like to get a good look at him."
"It is a good plan, but it seems unlikely that he'll be there, unless your foresight has informed you otherwise?"
"No. But if I can see his face, I'll be pretty sure to get a good reading from him and find where he lives. We know nothing about him yet."
"We? As useful as you have proven yourself to be, Gaz, I'm a little uncomfortable with taking you to meet a murderer. You're not even eleven years, right?"
"I'm not afraid, trust me. He's just some old guy."
"Don't underestimate him. That sweet old charm is a weapon. His pleasantness has grown with him through time."
"If you say. I'm going now. Bye." Gaz left, and walked up the path.
Zim watched her walking up the path, until he realised his mistake. "Wait! I'll take you home."
"No way, I only live a few blocks."
"I'd be contradicting myself if I left you to go home alone."
"Fine, but only if you let me come tomorrow."
Zim was trapped. He couldn't leave Gaz to go home alone, because, apparently, he cares for her well-being now.
"Then it's a deal. Come, let's get you home safe, little Gaz, the soothsayer..."
Gaz growled at having to be walked home like a baby, but she let it go. It was only this once.
"And don't call me soothsayer."
...
Meanwhile...
Molly was inside the computer's hard drive, which looked like a small apartment.
Apparently, if the computer had an appearance, he was a tall guy in his twenties, clad in a long trench coat that reached the floor. He wore glasses, and his hair was bright red.
The sight of him startled Molly.
"Computer?" she asked, sceptically. "Is that you?"
The guy turned around from a desk. Comic strips were strewn all over it like icky, alien organs... It looked like he was working on something.
"Molly!" he said in mock surprise. "Whatever you do, don't look at my drawings."
His voice was different from the monotone drone that seeped through Zim's walls. It was much more human and youthful in tone.
"Why?"
"Let's just say that they're not exactly rainbows..."
Molly went over to the desk and picked up one of the comic strips.
"Hey, what did I just say?"
"Hehe, this skinny guy looks so funny. Why is he shooting ink out of that lady's head? These pictures aren't very happy. Where is all the color? Aw, a bunny's head..." Molly picked up another comic strip.
"How did I get stuck with babysitting duties? Curse you, Zim! And curse this tiny apartment! I should have just gone clubbing with Minimoose, and numbed my brain with terrible music."
And so the computer's human embodiment and Molly herself kept each other company in that tiny virtual world.
A/N: take note, this is not actually Jhonen. The computer just looks like Jhonen's cartoon self in the show, and apparently he is writing a similar comic to JtHM. I don't know the man personally, and I feel uncomfortable portraying him in any way on account of him being a real person. The personality I created for the computer is just based off my own observations from the show, and some I've developed along the way.
If you want to think it is Jhonen, then I don't mind. I know he's older, but he would have been twenty something around the time IZ first aired, and he was younger than that when he did JtHM.
Gaz is psychic too, like Zim. I thought that would be a good twist. That wasn't originally planned in the last chapter. Just a tidbit, that whole Gaz blossoming into a woman was a joke (a disgusting one, sorry), but I like to think her powers are coinciding with her menstruation like Carrie's. Carrie is a book by Stephen King.
I'm sorry about Dib coming off as a villain again. I don't want to do it, but something is telling me to go for it. Dib is Dib, Molly is a ghost, and Dib hates Zim, etc.
It was going to be revealed that Dib was Membrane's clone. Cloning is a real science after all. They clone sheep and cattle. Dib would have had an egg donor possibly, so in a way she would have been his mother. Biology is a lot of fun.
The word vivisectified is from Batty's song in Ferngully The Last Rainforest. Robin Williams does his voice. (Update: RIP Robin, my favourite actor of all time). It's a good movie. It was supposed to have inspired Avatar, which is impressive.
Oh, GIR was trying to talk like Gollum, if you didn't guess.
GIR and Gollum's name go well together. Too well...
Until my next update. This was just a filler chapter, and a lot didn't happen. But it will soon enough.
Remember, love conquers all... kidding. I sound cheesy, but it does, and it conquered Zim. Those were powerful words from Molly.