Zim awoke to the AI alerting him to someone approaching the base. On a screen he saw the surveillance footage of the front door. Approacing the door from the walkway and looking angry was Gaz.

"Shit." Zim cursed and jumped out of bed to put on some clothes. He noticed a large claw mark on his bed...so that's what the ripping noise was.

Zim hurried to the livingroom, and made it just as Gaz started pounding on the door.

~~~~~~~Gaz

She was pissed. Something was wrong. Jack never missed school and she damn well wouldn't miss without calling in. She wanted answers... especially since she had spent all night keeping her brother at bay which was no easy feat. Dib had been hell bent on going to Jack's apartment for a "Steakout".

She had gone to Jack's first, and opened her door with her copy of the key just to find Jack not there, a packed suitcase that was left...and a huge hole in the wall with a metal tube coming through. Gaz checked at Thurman's and they told her they had let Jack take time off. Anias was at work too, so there was nothing Thurman could to to help...

She hadn't answered texts, or calls...Gaz went up to the weird green house that she figured was Zim's. If Jack wasnt here, she was calling the cops.

Just as she started banging on the door, it flung open to reveal Zim, panting, looking tired and stressed.

"Gaz! Please enter."

"Where is Ja-"

"She is safe. Enter, I explain."

Gaz looked at him skeptically...she really didn't want to regret liking this guy. But something was definitely up.

Zim had her sit on the couch as he paced the floor in front of her, muttering to himself in his language.

"Zim, what the fuck is going on? Where is Jack?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~Zim

He wasn't sure of what to do...he couldn't take Gaz prisoner, that would anger Jack Lynn...not to mention bring attention to him and compromise everything... If he told her the truth, could he trust her?...But if she knew what happened...or at least of Jack's condition...she may be willing to keep quiet...even help...if not, well he could wipe her memory and leave her unharmed. He sighed. That would have to do.

~~~~~~~~~Gaz

"Zim, you're starting to piss me off. Where. Is. Jack!?"

" She is downstairs. She is safe...I will take you to her. First I need to explain. Much has happened."

Gaz settled slightly.

"Explain what Zim? What is going on?"

He sighed and looked at her with unease, almost fear.

"Gaz...it is important that you listen before you do or say any of the things. Zim is taking big risk telling you."

"Hurry it up Zim because you're starting to worry me... I promise, as long as Jack is ok and you aren't keeping her hostage or some shit, I will stay calm and I won't say anything to anyone."

He nodded and sighed.

"Jack Lynn is fine. she is not my prisoner. Gaz...Zim is not human...and now Jack Lynn is not either."

"What!?"

"At school yesterday, Jack Lynn hurt her back when the Dib pushed her down."

"He what? That asshole!"

"It was an accidental...but I scanned Jack Lynn...she had damage to her spine. It was pinching nerves. So, to fix it, I inject her with nanobots."

"Okay... what!?."

"The nanobots have steriod. Irken steroid...it has...altered Jack Lynn...I made mistake. Should have made sure it would work for her before. Now her genes are splicing with Irken DNA."

Gaz just stared at him. Gods she wanted him to be lying...she imagined Jack jumping out of the closet shouting "April fools!" And she could yell at her that it was fucking October.

Zim sighed and reached to his watch...His form seemed to flicker, and in an instant his black hair was gone, leaving a bald green head and two scythe shaped antennai. His blue eyes were replaced with pupiless red orbs, and his skin was much greener. Gaz stared, wide eyed. Before her stood an alien. An actual. Fucking. Alien.

"You... you're an alien...what the fuck!?"What the fuck is going on here!?"

" You believe now?"

Gaz nodded dumbly, her head feeling too heavy for her neck.

"L-let me see Jack."

"First, you promise not to say any thing? If you compromise me, you compromise Jack Lynn."

" I won't say shit Zim. You have my word. You get caught then so does she. They'll turn you guys into lab rats. And I've seen what they do to lab rats. But you need to tell me everything."

Zim nodded and cleared his throat.

"Computer, take us to the med bay."

Two transfer tubes came down and took them away. Gaz was mind blown. They arrived at the med bay. It was a sterile looking room with crazy looking equipment that she had never seen before. Across the room, she saw jack floating in a suspension tank.

"You said she was ok! What is this?"

"She is just asleep. Look, her vitals. The liquid is breathable."

"why is she naked?"

" the liquid contains acid...safe for body, it eats only dead material. Clothes disintegrated."

Gaz sighed and pressed her hand to the glass... Jack's eyes fluttered side to side beneath their lids, the ocasional small smile teased the corners of her mouth. She appeared to be dreaming, and was definitely alive...though...she looked...

"Zim, does this liquid have a color?"

"No, it is transparent."

"Why does she look green then..."

"Shit! Computer, what percentage Irken is Jack Lynn?"

" Subject Jack Lynn is now 10% Irken."

Gaz gasped...so Jack was turning green.

"I am sorry Gaz. This is my fail."

Gaz sighed and turned to Zim.

"If what you say is true, you were just trying to help her. I can't fault you for that..."

"Thank you Gaz... How we tell Jack Lynn?"

Gaz spun back around to look at him.

"You mean she doesn't know!?"

Zim sighed and grabbed a couple of chairs.

"Sit Gaz, much to explain."

~~~~~~~~~Zim

He was relieved that Gaz seemed to be willing to work with him...but he was going to leave out some key details...such as undressing Jack Lynn. He did tell the truth about the fluid disintegrating clothes, he'd just ket her make the conclusion that they had been dissolved.

He also wasn't going to divulge anything about his mission...Gaz would hopefully just take an explanation of his mission being classified, and that he is here in peace. At least he was now. Now that his mission had changed gears. A mission to collect information...that wasn't the whole truth but it wasn't entirely a lie either.

He told her of everything that had happened after school, and why Zim had brought Jack Lynn to his base in the first place. How he had put her to bed, handled his duties, then upon his return to check on her noticed she was showing symptoms of illness. Then if course, the results of the body scan, leading to his discovery of her evolutions.

Gaz took it all in, becoming enraged at what the Dirt-Monkey had done to Jack Lynn...then calmed upon her hearing hiw it had been handled...Zim even let her hear the recorded conversation he had with the male. At the end of it, Gaz had her head in her hands, and her hair in her fists, her head shaking.

"Zim...this...this is a lot."

"This I know Gaz...I kept Jack Lynn asleep to make sure she was stable first. There was no thing to do to reverse this with out hurting her in process. If she were to go to a human medic-"

"No. You...you seem to have everything needed to care for her here...a hospital would just run tests and she'd be found out immediately...Fuck this is bad...So she's stable? Are you sure?"

Zim nodded and sighed.

"Hybrid status is not known...but she has appeared stable, yes. Computer, update on Jack Lynn."

"Subject appears stable, base temperature rests at 100F blood pressure is slightly elevated for a human, gene splicing is at 22% and slowing."

"Slowing! That's good!" Gaz perked as the computer continued.

"All bodily systems have improved."

"Zim, what does that mean?"

"Computer, explain improvements."

"Gene splicing has resulted in a strengthening of all bodily systems. The average human uses only 10% of the brain. Scans show Jack Lynn has use of 50%. Lymphatic systems are more efficient, she has developed the Irken snorp gland, cutting off harmful overproduction of lymphatic secretions such as lactic acid...this will allow her to exert herself more and longer than the average human without tiring. Respiratory systems can now work more efficiently. Circulatory systems improved. Human arteries have no filtration, Jack Lynn has developed Irken marrow in her bones...the creation of green blood cells has begun. These cells feed on residue in the blood. Arterial plaque which humans are prone to will not be an issue for Jack Lynn. Digestive tract is stronger, capable of digesting more thuroughly and absorbing more nutrients. Muscular structure is stronger. Reproductive system is now capable of breeding..."

Zim looked to Gaz. She seemed less upset and more intrigued. He let himself let go of some of his tension. Hopefully this would go as smoothly as possible.

"Gaz, please advise...How to tell Jack Lynn."

~~~~~~~~~~~~Gaz

she sighed, running her hands through her hair and pacing.

"Well...for now, i think it's best we keep her in that thing ... she's going to panic at missing school first...then all of...this" She gestured around the med bay.

"Agreed...we keep her in the chamber until she has restablised... I will re engage my disguise now...disable it when we tell her Zim is not human."

Gaz nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that...then...I think just have the computer show her the changes...we can't let her see herself yet."

Zim sighed.

"Are you at the ready Gaz?"

She laughed "Nope! Not even a bit! Let's do this. Wake her up Zim."

"Computer, stimulate Jack Lynn to consciousness "

~~~~~~~~~~~~Jack Lynn

She could hear weird sounds...bubbles...mechanical beeping...the soft hum of electricity...From behind her eyes, she could tell the room was brightly lit. She groaned...though she felt weightless, almost floating at the moment, her body felt heavy. As she drifted further into consciousness, the events of the last night came to her in a slow roll.

After all of that, she knew she needed to get up...how long had she slept? She felt rested...she never felt rested. Had she kissed her alarm clock? What was that beeping...was that her alarm!? Shit!

Jacklynn popped her eyes open and instantly widened them. The first thing she saw was Zim and Gaz...and realized that she was naked, and in what looked like a surgical arena...and she was in a tube!? Floating in liquid!? Instantly, she was afraid to breathe, instincts telling her she'd drown. Panicked, she held her breath and began beating on the glass.

They looked at her concerned, Zim pressed something on a monitor and she could hear his voice.

"Jack Lynn breathe. You will not drown."

"Jack, you're ok, but you need to calm down. We have to explain things to you ok? First we're going to show you something...you have to not freak out."

She didn't want to, but if Gaz told her it was ok, it must be. Jacklynn took a tentative breath...the sensation was odd...it felt like inhaling thick air.

"What is going on!? What is this!?"

her voice came out warbled and bubbley in the fluid, but legible.

"Jack Lynn...Zim has a confession..."

Jacklynn listened in a mix of fear and interest as Zim and Gaz took turns explaining everything...she was horrified and in awe...there was no way. No way this was real. They showed her these supposed changes that her bodybwas going through on holograms...sci fi looking holograms. She swallowed hard and started to nervous laugh...soon she was hysterical.

"You got me! Now let me the hell out of here. I dont know what kind if elaborate joke bu-"

"It's not a joke Jack."

Jacklynn was suddenly angry. Very angry.

"This had better be a fucking joke! What even i-"

Her eyes widened and her arms fell limp. Zim's appearence flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he was no longer human. He stood before her wholly green, hairless, red eyed, Antannai jutting out of his skull, dull fangs instead of human teeth...three fingered hands...he was an alien.

"W- Z...Zim!?" Her eyes started to burn and she knew that she was going to start crying. How was she even supposed to process this!? Her breathing became labored, the machines started to beep louder... everything was spinning and suddenly...

~~~~~~~~~~Zim

"Is she ok!? What happened!?" Gaz gasped.

"She fainted."