My goodness, I apologize for taking so long to update. I was caught up with work (retail during the holidays, ugh) and now my computer is falling apart so I have to earn money to buy a decent one for myself. You probably don't want a string of excuses, though, so I hope you enjoy this slightly-longer chapter and please review! I'll try to update sooner next time but we'll see what happens. I apologize again. On with the story!
Declare this an emergency
Come on and spread a sense of urgency
And pull us through
And pull us through
And this is the end, the end
This is the end
Of the World
Gaz tried her hand at cooking spaghetti before the Professor and Dib got home. The water frothed up after she put the noodles in the pot, causing her to get slightly nervous and grab the fire extinguisher from under the sink. However, the soapy bubbles boiled down after a few minutes and she was safe once more. Time passed as she heated a jar of tomato sauce in a pan. Gaz stared idly out the window as she stirred half-heartedly.
The snow that had fallen this year was unpleasant and crunchy; it was more like a crust of icy crystals than actual snow. The cottony grey clouds that filled the sky were a different story. They had settled in mid-November and, other than releasing the occasional sheet of slushy rain, had not budged.
The stove beeped loudly, jolting Gaz from her reverie. She turned the heat down set the strainer in the sink before sloshing the noodles into it to dry. She fished one out with a fork to sample a bite.
Chewy, but not too much.
A victory against cooking! She poured the drained noodles into the now-cool pot and stepped out into the back yard for some fresh air. The stinging chill of winter bit into her rosy cheeks, making her eyes water. A bird tweeted happily in an evergreen nearby. If this had been any other year, Dib would have been on the roof with binoculars searching for werewolf signs or in the garage fiddling with Tak's ship. The moron, after all this time, still hadn't figured out that Gaz had fixed it long ago using her technopath abilities. Dib was always searching for the paranormal—everywhere but right in front of him. Gaz breathed into the evening, her hot breath curling out in tendrils of steam. Two months had gone by fast in hindsight; she almost didn't feel the emptiness of the house. Gaz sighed once more, then stretched and entered the house for a nap.
Gaz pushed aside some gossamer material in front of her. It coated her hands and stuck to her dress when she attempted to rub it off. The place she was standing in wasn't dark, yet for some reason, Gaz could not focus her vision. She shuffled forward cautiously, her boots skidding along the ground. Wherever she was, it was very wet. Drips flicked up onto her stockings, soaking in against her skin and making shudders run up her spine. All of a sudden, Gaz's foot caught on something squishy, sending her forward onto the heels of her hands. She landed in more of the squishy something; it burst and she sank in wrist-deep.
To her horror, Gaz's vision cleared.
Corpses. She was crawling around on hands and knees in a pile of corpses. Gaz turned and retched, further adding to the pile of grime. Most of the bodies were half-obliterated as well. Splotchy bones, eviscerated rib cages and stripping, dangling muscles were mixed up in a noxious stew of macabre horror. The reek had emptied her head of any cognitive ability; all Gaz could do was scream.
"AAAAGH!"
"Gaz, it's me! It's all right!" Gaz was yanked forward into Zim's strong arms, her face pressed against his chest. Zim rocked her gently, cooing softly. She was still trembling, half-formed sobs rasping from her throat. She clawed at the alien's back, clinging to folds of his tunic. She was drenched in a chilled sweat. Zim pulled away cautiously, slipping his fingers into Gaz's purple hair to support her. Tears and sweat mingled on her cheeks, giving her pale face a pearly sheen. Her brows were knit in terror and she breathed too lightly through clenched teeth. She opened her eyes suddenly.
"Zim," a barely-audible question whispered in the dim light. He nodded vaguely. Gaz sharply pitched forward, clasping Zim around the back of his head. She crushed her lips against his.
Zim did not fight. He glided his hands across her back and breathed his fresh, sweet scent around her. He did note with a faint pleasure that their faces fit together like a matching set. Gaz made a quiet noise of appeasement after a few moments and pulled away, tears still clinging to her lashes. Zim brushed his hand against her soft hair.
"I-I don't know why I…" Gaz mumbled, embarrassed.
"It's okay," Zim whispered, "I know." He wrapped her in one more hug and stood fluidly. Gaz rubbed the back of her head, raising an eyebrow. She looked at Zim pointedly.
"Why were you here anyway?"
"I came to see if your foolish human sibling returned to spend this holiday's eve with you. I realized he did not when I discovered the uneaten food in your kitchen and you sleeping here… alone."
Gaz raised her amber eyes, "Will you stay?"
"Until you fall asleep or tell me to leave." So Zim wrapped Gaz in a nearby blanket and reheated her valiantly-made spaghetti. He sat beside her at a comfortable distance while she devoured the plate in her lap. When she finally began to nod off again around one in the morning, Zim carried her upstairs and tucked her away safely. He sighed and leaned against the bedroom door after closing it behind him gently. He waited a few beats before slicking his wig down and heading downstairs, texting Dib angrily.
"Why are you not here with your sister, Dib-stink?"
His communicator beeped in response, "Why tonight? Is something wrong?"
"It's Christmas Eve, you pathetic excuse for an earthling!"
Zim's device beeped remorsefully, "I forgot. I'm sorry. On my way." Zim snapped the communicator shut and left the Membrane home. An hour later, Dib unlocked the door and went upstairs, leaving a handmade card at his baby sister's bedside. He ruffled her hair with a bittersweet smile and went to bed, hoping to make it up to her on Christmas Day. The Professor followed soon after, smiling wearily at both of his resting children.
January first. By this time, most of the world knows of the coming invasion. Powerful world leaders set about readying their respective countries. Membrane Labs joins with the other major research and weapon development companies to prepare for the Vortian attack in ten months. The earth's governments create new treaties and alliances, as well as passing reformed weapon laws in the United States. The media is kept busy with garish celebrity stories and while citizens appreciate the new laws, they remain in the dark of what is to come.
Christmas break ended as soon as it had arrived. Gaz returned to skool to complete midterms, but was met with a strange surprise. The irritable homeroom teacher was very solemn, holding a folder of paperwork as if it was a death sentence. Her bony hands trembled with the burden of the knowledge scrawled across the papers and there, at the end of the folder, was the bundle of replacement tests. The teacher cleared her parched throat, silencing the mass of students chattering about their winter break. The blank eyes stared forward with curiosity. What could their teacher possibly have to say that made her seem so nervous? She placed her hands on the worn wood desk in front of her.
"While most of you were expecting to be taking this class's final, the skool board has recently received word that the government is pulling all basic final tests from the U.S. skool districts."
The class inhaled loudly, preparing to cheer.
"Before you start rejoicing, the government has already prepared a new test."
"Awww…."
Gaz straightened up, "What's different about this test?"
"Excuse me?" The teacher sighed.
"Why did they change the test?"
At this, the homeroom teacher scooped up the lovingly-paper clipped packet and floated across the front of the room, depositing stacks of booklets at the front of each row of desks. A blond boy with a backwards cap wrinkled his nose and looked up in confusion.
"Placement tests?"
The silky-haired girl next to him cocked her head, "Placement for what?" The teacher, after resuming her position at the head of the room, sighed once more.
"And now," she stated dryly, "is the bulk of my announcement. The U.S. government is reforming the skool system. It will be a complete overhaul."
"Why weren't our parents informed of this sooner?" A boy with glasses that reminded Gaz of Dib spoke up from the back of the room. Their elderly teacher snapped at him.
"Because it just happened this morning! Now… the tests you will be taking today are placement finals, their outcome will decide which of the new classes you will be transferring to. However, some of you may not be returning to skool at all…." Normally, the students would have sung with happiness, but the pained note in their educator's voice gave them pause. They noticed the glittering tears at the corners of her wrinkled eyes. Some bit their lips, some clenched their lithe, hi-skool hands into fists, but Gaz smirked bitterly, her teeth glistening in the light from the clouded window. She coughed lightly into her sleeve before speaking clear and concise.
"Why is such a drastic thing happening so suddenly, Ms. Bloom?" Gaz's brown eyes burned into her teacher's grey ones. Ms. Bloom (who had thankfully been named) grimaced, suddenly realizing that Gaz, being the daughter of the one and only Professor Membrane, most likely knew everything that she herself had just learned that morning. That cruel girl, asking a question none of the other students had the brains to ask. How dare she put her in this position? It was too late to back-pedal out of it now. Thirty sets of eyes were burning with desire for knowledge.
Knowledge that she couldn't give them.
"That's classified government information. You will find out soon enough." As the class moved to riot, she snapped the instruction booklet forward and yelled.
"Sit down and turn to page one!" The class grumbled each in turn, pulling out their pencils and opening their tests. Gaz scoffed and stared out the window, wondering what had become of the alien that plagued her mind since she had seen him last. A frost crept across her heart. Zim wasn't going to get his wish for her—the skool year was going to change much faster than they had hoped.
"Where are you, Zim?"
The frosty mist bit into the ex-Invader's cheeks, sizzling against his alien skin. Viny, twiggy branches whipped across him as he ran. However, he had to ignore the scratches on his face, because if he did not run, he would not live. The worn soles of his boots slipped on a wet rock and he fell. Military training kicked in; his fall was jarred by his hands shooting out in front of him. A jolt of pain shot up to his elbows and his arms trembled.
Don't faint, Zim panted mentally, just keep going…. A glow illuminated the bluish moss in front of his face suddenly and with substantial effort, he managed to shove himself away. A column of flame erupted from the forest floor ten feet up, consuming all in its path. Steam and the aroma of burning leaves curled around the Irken, reminding him of the situation once more.
Zim was not on Earth.
But time was not an option right now; a fact supported by the mechanical roar that echoed in the distant, foreign trees. Zim gasped for air and pushed himself into a sprint. At long last, the foliage broke away and Zim stumbled onto a rocky plateau that seemed to stretch endlessly into the darkness. The wretched planet's thin atmosphere crushed down on its surface ominously, stifling life with the deep blackness of space. Yet still that robotic moan reverberated through the forest, proving the ex-Invader's hunch correct.
The Vortians were attempting to colonize the entire Milky Way galaxy before the full-scale assault on Earth. It wasn't the most effective strategy he'd heard of, but if they had managed to develop a decent method for speeding up growth rates, it could be catastrophic. Not only would it quickly increase their number of soldiers, but it would also give them a solid foothold in this area, making them hard to crush permanently. Not without completely removing any trace of the planets they colonized. Zim stomped a foot in frustration: he needed more time! Earth was in no way prepared for this, despite the speedy advancements they had made in the past year.
Bang!
Trees were falling now; the Vortian Colony Scouter was close. Zim pelted out across the stone plateau, making a final break for his cloaked ship. Yes, he desperately needed more time.
But time was not an option.
"Where have you been?" Ana burst into Gaz's field of vision, waving homework and textbooks around like a zoo animal. Gaz squinted with calculated effort before glancing up from her notebook briefly.
"Oh, hey Ana."
"Don't 'hey Ana' me! You've been a Zombie for weeks and you haven't invited me over for horror movie night or an Underworld mission since the beginning of the skool year. Normally I wouldn't press you for info," Ana's voice lowered to a concerned whisper, "but I heard rumors that the skool wants to suspend you." Gaz looked up again, slowly processing the information, her expression unchanging. Some twisted form of conscience at the back of her mind suggested that maybe Ana deserved to know what to expect after summer holiday. Gaz respected that Ana was certainly different from most humans beyond her strange appearance, but would she actually be able to grasp the truth? The truth that in so few months' time the skies would be filled with gore-strewn ships and God knew how many lives lost? Ana's silvery hair glinted in sequence with her purple eyes and Gaz realized that Ana would be able to handle the news almost bet than her.
"Ana, we need to talk."
At lunch, the pair of friends sat in the skool courtyard rather than the cafeteria. Gaz started at the beginning, her first dream, pausing occasionally to explain why Dib had stopped coming to skool and why she had stopped caring about obeying the skool authorities all together. Ana's eyes were wide as saucers the entire time, shining as if a film was playing in front of them. She didn't seem scared though, just focused. When Gaz finally finished, she sighed as though she had relieved herself of a heavy burden. Ana only nodded vaguely. She turned to stare into the distance with glassy eyes, appearing to survey something on another plane of existence. For a moment, Gaz wondered if her friend had slipped into some form of denial.
"Ana?"
"I'm fine; it's just…" she smiled grimly, "I knew already."
"What?"
"I dreamt it last year, same as you. I didn't want to say anything in case it worried you. I thought you didn't know."
"You sly dog," Gaz chuckled, "here I was thinking you had gone into shock." Ana seemed to flinch at the statement before shrugging and turning away once more.
"No, not shock. Mourning, maybe." Ana's sudden shift in tone startled the purple haired girl. Mourning? Wasn't it a bit too soon for that? No one had died yet…right? Gaz choked out a question.
"Care to elaborate?"
"I thought you would say that," Ana smiled peacefully. "When the Vortians arrive, Gaz, I'm going to die."