Make Me
The lull of static was the first thing he noticed upon awakening. After slowly opening his eyes, he could just make out the faint fuzz of the scratchy noise emanating from somewhere off in the distance.
Lying on his back, Zim stared up at the ceiling. He blinked a few times, wearily taking in the many cross-patterns of wires and chutes that hung loosely above. All of them blurred into a familiar fuchsia hue, and he wondered if he had truly awoken or if his mind was merely playing tricks on him. He turned his head to the left, catching the familiar wide-eyed portrait of the green monkey staring back at him.
He slowly sat himself up from the couch, feeling oddly…fine. Completely fine. He looked around his living room, briefly glancing over the TV which was locked into a loop of static: the same static he would see when Gir had left it on all night. He looked over towards his front windows and saw the morning light pour in along with the gentle bustle of the cul-de-sac. He was home. And as far as he could tell, nothing was out of order.
Sliding himself onto the floor, he felt the hard linoleum steady his stance. His legs tingled from supporting his weight, and he slowly dragged his hands along his uniform to straighten it out. He clenched his fists tightly and held them at his sides. After a moment of contemplative silence, he raised his eyes to the ceiling.
"Computer…?" he asked, a twinge of uncertainty plaguing his voice.
The computer groaned in response. "Yes?"
For the first time in his life, the sarcastic tone gave him a wave of relief . "I..." He paused, unable to find the words. No, he shook his head. It was just a dream. A hallucination.
Releasing a long sigh, he turned back to the screen. "Turn the TV off," he finished wearily.
"Whatever," the computer derided, but did as its master told.
Zim rubbed his arms unconsciously and slowly paced around the room, his eyes mindlessly scanning the floor. He tried to drive his thoughts from the hideous imagery that plagued his brain, but it was proving difficult. Just what was that? Had it all really been a dream? Do earthen cleaning chemicals have such a profound effect on Irkens as to make them suffer such horrid nightmares?
He gripped the sides of his head in frustration, wishing the lingering unease would just go away. Dragging himself to the kitchen, Zim went in search of something new to occupy his mind as well as fill the growing pit in his stomach.
He pulled up a stool to reach the counter and then began searching for his favorite flavor of ration: glurpleberry. Just when he had found it, his antennae perked up at the sound of the front door opening, causing him to turn around. Ration in hand, he glanced over towards the living room.
"Gir?" he asked, confused.
Silence.
Zim raised an eyebrow, pausing a moment before hopping off the chair.
"Gir!" he shouted again, feeling a surge of energy. "Respond when your master commands it!"
He stomped his way back towards the living room, preparing to give his idiotic minion a stern talking to. But as he turned the corner, he was greeted again with an empty room. Save for an open front door.
He paused, staring at the door perplexed. Slowly walking over to the entrance, he briefly glanced outside to see if anyone was there.
No one.
He felt his claw drag along the handle before gently closing the door. Despite an odd feeling in his stomach, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Gir!" he shouted again. "What have I said about the base's front entrance?! Leaving it open just makes us vulnerable for intruders to- AGH!"
To his horror, the familiar holographic feline from his nightmares sat idly in the center of his living room. Swishing its tail back and forth, the cat eyed him with a vacant expression, as if waiting for him to make a move.
Zim dropped his ration to the ground and slowly began backing up against the door. "N-no…" he stuttered, panic gripping his voice. "No! Stay away from Zim!"
Extending his spider legs from his PAK, he pointed them squarely at the hideous cat. Without hesitation, he fired his laser, hoping to annihilate the foul beast in one blast. But it deftly avoided the attack and quickly perched itself on top of the television. Zim fired again, turning the TV into a smoldering crater before glancing around to see if he had hit his target. As the smoke cleared, he could see Mimi on the sofa, staring blankly at him as if nothing was amiss.
Zim grit his teeth in frustration. He raised himself on his PAK legs, ready to deal another blow. Just before he was able to do so, one of the metal limbs was kicked out from underneath him, sending him crashing back to the floor. He hit his head against the tile and groaned in pain, clutching his throbbing skull.
Rolling over onto his back, he slowly glanced upwards to see what caused the fall. But what he had not expected was for a familiar silhouette of purple hair to block his view against the ceiling light.
"You're awake," Tak taunted, mimicking the same introduction that she gave him on the ship. She glared down at him eagerly, her devilish grin peering from the shadows as he lie helpless before her disguised form.
Zim's eyes grew wide as he stared up at her, feeling a twinge of fear overcome him. Upon hearing her tone, he realized he had been stupid...very stupid. What he had endured had not been just a dream, but rather a miserable encounter with cruel reality.
"Get away from me…" he snarled quietly, before exploding upwards into a battle stance. "Get away!"
"What kind of greeting is that?" she scoffed, standing idly in front of him with a smirk.
He scowled. "COMPUTER! Remove the intruders immediately! Do as I command!"
"Ugh," the computer grunted. "I don't feel like it. You do it."
Zim felt like he was going to burst a blood vessel with how hard he was glaring at the ceiling. "AGH!" he yelled, truly fed up. He extended his PAK legs again and pointed them directly at the female Irken, the escalating hum from their circuits filling the air as they reached maximum charge.
She stared back at him, unphased. "Zim," she started. "Lower your weapons immediately."
"Like hell, Tak!" he spat in defiance. "Prepare yourself for the cratery doom of my lasers!"
He leaned forward, expecting to see a flash of red light that would turn her into a pile of riveting dust, but nothing happened. After a pause, he glanced over his shoulder to see what had happened. To his surprise, his PAK legs were no longer there: they had retreated back into their respective compartments, ignoring their master's commands.
His eyes widened. "What the-? What's happening?!"
He turned back towards Tak, who was still unmoved from her position. Seething with rage, he clenched his fists before letting out a battle cry and lunging at her. With minimal effort, she sidestepped the assault and trailed behind him as he stopped himself from falling forward.
"You really aren't an invader after all" she mocked, arching herself forward as if inviting him to strike her. "You can't even hit something standing still."
"Shut up!" He dove forward in an effort to tackle her, but she effortlessly avoided him again. Within the blink of an eye, she shifted behind him and grabbed his wrist to bend it behind his back, threatening to twist it off in a single movement.
Zim bent forward, clenching his eyes shut against the intense pain. He weakly attempted to free himself from her grasp, but she just twisted further and brought him to his knees.
"Zim!" she commanded, forcing him down. "Stay on your knees!"
She released his wrist and took a step back, encircling him like a predator would do to its prey. Her holographic disguise flickered away, revealing her true Irken form. Zim unconsciously cradled his arm against his chest, glancing upwards as she made her way in front of him. He scowled at her smug demeanor.
"Big mistake Tak!" he shouted, before motioning to stand up. "I-"
He cut himself off, landing flat on his face against the floor. He groaned for a moment before attempting to rise again slowly, only to find himself back on his knees. Zim looked down at his body in confusion. He made an effort to stand, but found his legs refusing to move.
"Huh?" he let out. "My legs…they won't obey me!"
He turned toward Tak, knowing that she must have had something to do with it. "What have you done to my legs?!" he shouted.
Tak stepped forward, placing her hands upon her hips. "I haven't done anythi-"
"MY AMAZING LEGS!" he interrupted, jostling himself in place. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ZIM'S LEGS?!"
She furrowed her brow in annoyance. "I haven't-"
"MY LEEEEEEGS!" he screamed, tragically throwing his hands aloft. "MY BEAUTIFUL LEGS!"
"SHUT UP, ZIM!" she finally burst out, once again losing her composure to his stupidity. "Listen to me as I speak! Listen carefully!"
Zim opened his mouth, preparing to continue mourning his appendages, but found that no sound could escape. He was completely silent, except for the rapid gestures he made signaling his confusion. This, perhaps more than anything else, deeply disturbed him.
He gripped his throat, assuming something truly horrible had happened. He found he was breathing fine, but simply couldn't talk no matter how hard he tried. His eyes drew upon Tak once again, and he gesticulated wildly as if to say "What is happening?!"
She grinned, pleased at the helpless state of her enemy. Clasping her hands behind her back, she tilted her head in triumph and took a deep breath to begin her long-awaited explanation.
"It wasn't your imagination, Zim," she began, answering his silent question. "I did abduct you last night, and I brought you onto a derelict ship that I stole from a band of Gorcessians to experiment on you. I'm quite pleased to say, as If it weren't painfully obvious, that it was a resounding success."
"Experiment?" he pantomimed, arms dancing wildly. "What have you done to Zim?!"
"Yes, an experiment," she continued as if she could actually hear him. "I developed this plan for quite some time. You see, after our last encounter, one of the first things I occupied myself with was undoing the damage your horrible SIR unit did to Mimi." She gripped her claws in front of her, recalling the terrible memory. "It took weeks and weeks to clear all that horrible code from her cognition circuits! And even after all that, she was still completely unresponsive to my commands. Your lousy little robot ruined her!" She pointed directly at his face, nearly knocking him off balance.
"So I developed a program," Tak continued, retracting herself. "A program to instill obedience back into her, to make her follow my every whim once again. And of course, it went perfectly. I improved her capabilities even beyond what she had before!"
She circled around him, pausing for a moment to take in her victory.
"I suppose I should be thanking you really…" she uttered, before suddenly kicking him in the back and sending his face to the floor. She stood triumphantly over him, savoring his humiliation before continuing. "In my subsequent plotting for…redemption" she caught herself, "I realized that this program could be used for more than SIR units. Any creature with a biotechnical apparatus could theoretically be controlled if it was simply implemented properly."
Zim pushed himself off the floor, rubbing his temples mildly. He hadn't listened to a word she said, and now he stared back up at her with a placid look of ignorance.
Huh?
Tak furrowed her brow, feeling as though she was wasting her own brilliance on such an ingrate. "Your PAK, Zim," she tersely replied. "I ripped your disgusting PAK open and placed the obedience program into your circuits. I've altered your programming and now you obey me and only me. Get it stupid?"
You can't do that! He shouted internally, thrashing with hand gestures. That's illegal! I am Zim! No one messes with my PAK!
"It doesn't matter what you think" she taunted, not caring what he had to say. "You're helpless to my commands. By simply saying your name, I can make you do anything I please. Now, you're as good as any other minion…a horribly disgusting, horrible one, that is."
Nuh uh! he childishly mimed, sticking his tongue out. Despite his predicament, he still didn't fully believe her.
Tak noticed his incessant defiance and decided to prove her point. "Zim," she said, snapping her fingers. "Stand on your feet, and don't move a muscle."
As if automatic, Zim got up off the floor and stood perfectly still. His eyes darted around, furrowed with worry as he realized he could not move from his spot. He tried with every fiber of his being to resist her orders, but nothing happened.
She stood across from him, pleased with the effortless control. "Now Zim," she began crudely, "wiggle your antennae and salute me."
His eyes widened in disbelief. But that's...for the Tallest! Zim would never...!
Suddenly a bead of sweat ran down his forehead and he looked towards his antennae, trying as hard as possible to resist her command. They rose into the air with little twinges of stiffness showing that he was having some minor effect on their movement, but it hardly mattered. Just as if he were in front of his glorious leaders, he wiggled his antennae in salute to his worst enemy.
He clenched his eyes shut as if to hide himself from the horrible embarrassment, but nothing he could do would alter the act of total submission. No! This can't be happening! He screamed inside himself, praying that this was all some horrible concoction of his tortured mind. Only in the most horrid depths of his psyche could he envision such a thing happening, but no matter how hard he tried, there was no waking up from this nightmare.
By the Tallest, spare Zim this humiliation! She can't win! Not like this!
Tak's grin grew wide into a malevolent smile. Even she could hardly believe that her arch-nemesis had so fully succumbed to her will. The sheer joy she experienced from his suffering at her behest was simply delicious, and her plan was going off without a hitch.
"Enough Zim," she chuckled. "You may stop."
He heaved his chest, feeling control over his body return in a wave of relief. He clasped his hands protectively over his antennae to cease their movement, an evident blush spilling over his cheeks. He stared blankly at the floor as he tried to calm his breathing. Never before had he felt so humiliated and disgustingly low. To do such a thing in front of her of all people…he could just crawl into a hole and die.
"Y-you…" he finally spoke, voice quivering, "you won't get away with this. The Tallest will-!"
He cut himself off, witnessing Tak raise her hand into the air as if she were a conductor.
"Zim," she breathed coolly, her voice trailing off.
As soon as he heard his name leave her lips, his entire being stiffened and focused solely on her presence. He felt his skin cool and tingle, a rush of anticipation coursing through him like a current. Every cell in his body willingly surrendered to her, and much to his dismay, his mind became ensnared in the mesmerizing web she had wickedly woven around him.
Feeling him tremble under her command, Tak savored the moment before proving her final point. "For the mercy I've shown you," she began, sneering, "you will say 'thank you, mistress.'"
"Thank you, mistress," he uttered mechanically.
Zim immediately clasped his hands over his mouth, horrified at what he just said. A blush crept over his cheeks as he stood in disbelief. Without a single moment's hesitation, he did exactly as he was told. He just…couldn't help himself. No matter how badly he wanted to disobey her, it was as if a greater force effortlessly guided his actions.
Perhaps for the first time in her life, Tak was grinning from ear to ear. She drew a claw over her mouth, unable to stop herself from revealing her own pleasure. She had won. All the planning she put in, the months of recalibrating the program to Irken specifications, the acquisition of the appropriate equipment and vessel: it had resulted in total victory just as she had hoped. The most despicable fool in all of Irk had just succumbed to her will in totality, and now, she could do whatever she wanted with him.
Tak took a few steps forward, circling him like a lioness about to strike. If she so desired, she could kill him this very instant. She could make him hold still while she slit his throat from end to end, and within a matter of minutes he would be no more. All that would remain would be a blood-soaked carcass with an enduring expression of terror decorating his face. Then smash his PAK into a thousand pieces for good measure and report her triumph to her superiors. She could even drag it out a little longer if she wished, thoroughly torturing the little creep until what remained was hardly recognizable as Zim, then finish him off once and for all. It would do the empire, and the universe for that matter, a huge favor. Never before had there been a greater annoyance to existence itself, and Tak could sleep well at night knowing she had done the right thing.
But where was the fun in that?
She sauntered over to Zim, cheerfully admiring the look of horror on his face. He stood frozen at the center of the room. Noticing her making her way towards him, he instinctively backed away. With every step forward she took, he would match it by taking a step back, his hands still clasped over his mouth. Back and forth they went, a polarizing distance fluctuating between them until Zim finally felt his back pinned against a wall.
He felt his eyes grow wider as Tak closed the remaining gap, and his hands glided along the blank surface of the wall looking for anything to aid him. The female Irken halted mere inches from his face, methodically pushing a claw over his shoulder and against the wall. Zim locked his eyes with hers, a rush of panic flooding his senses. He never realized just how tall she was, and he was reminded once again of his stunted nature as she tauntingly hovered over him.
Feeling cornered, he desperately searched her face for some sort of tell: some sign of weakness that would allow him to slip away without risking his own doom. He glanced over her every feature, but found nothing that would prove useful. Her soul was as black as an infinitely cruel void, and there wasn't an ounce of empathy to be found in her obsidian gaze. He shuddered beneath her, finally realizing the gravity of the situation that he was in.
Clutching his hand firmly by his side, he attempted to prepare himself for one final act of violence to initiate his escape. But his fist trembled, pumping back and forth as if trying to find a suitable grip.
Tak's gaze slowly trailed to his indecisive claw and stared at it bemused. She flicked her eyes back to his, causing him to momentarily flinch. Chastening him further, she bent her head down near his antenna. The distance between them suddenly felt infinitesimally small as he felt her cool breath against his skin.
"Even if you wanted to," she began, her voice laced with an unmistakable grin, "you could never hurt me." She reached her other hand to grip his jaw between her claws. "It's in your programming to never lay a hand on your master. Within mere inches it would stop, and you would simply find yourself on the opposite end of my horrible wrath." She chuckled again darkly, causing him to shiver. "So if I were you…," her voice trailed off as she glanced down once more at his trembling hand.
"I'd give up right now."
With a sudden lurch, Zim attempted to launch his fist towards her face. But just as she said, it stopped itself midair. Straining from the attempt, he tried to fight the invisible force by pressing on further, only to have his hand remain where it was.
Within seconds, Tak gripped his wrist and bent it at a horrible angle, causing him to squeal in pain. She then sent her knee full force into his stomach, releasing a gut-wrenching croak from his insides. His knees buckled, and he weakly scrambled to crawl away from her.
"Gir!" he hoarsely cried out, dragging himself across the floor, "Gir help me! Computer! Someone h-help Zim!"
He retched himself against the floor and felt the shudder of something solid land before him. Fully expecting to see his SIR unit or some other form of salvation reach him, he lifted his head up. But to his insurmountable disappointment, he was greeted with the crescent eyes of Tak's feline servant cutting off his retreat. Mimi arched her back in an attack position, with her tail unsheathed to reveal a laser whip that threatened to lacerate his face.
Tak slowly walked behind him, enclosing him with the aid of Mimi. "It's over Zim," she taunted, stepping her steel-toed boot onto his ankle to keep him in place. "Now relinquish control of your base to me. Say it out loud!" She twisted her foot at an odd angle, causing him to let out an anguished cry.
"N-no, I…" he weakly protested, attempting to recover himself. "I…relinquish control of my base to you, Tak." He finished automatically, unable to resist her order. Feeling helpless and unable to distract himself from the immense pain, he dropped his head to the floor.
"And who do your minions belong to?!" she chirped, pressing further into his ankle.
"Agh!" he shouted. "No! Zim won't…" His breath hitched, and he tried to focus on anything but the pain. "They belong to Zim!"
"Wrong answer!" she screamed.
She pressed harder on his foot, threatening to shatter his ankle beneath her boot. He cried out once again, attempting to muffle himself beneath his arms as he writhed in agony. Despite all she was doing, he remained silent, refusing to give into her demands.
Tak grimaced at his defiance. She should've known someone like him wouldn't give up so easily. He could be quite stubborn. And this was before she had even put him through the worst of her plans. With a simple step backwards, she released Zim's bruised ankle and parted her stance to loom over him. She grabbed him by the collar and twisted him around to face her. He scowled and kept his head turned to the side, refusing to meet her gaze. Suddenly, she slapped him across the face.
"Look at me," she demanded, purposefully not using his name. "Do it."
He swallowed hard and gave a pathetic pout, his lip still quivering. She waited a moment and raised her hand once again, threatening another strike. He winced, pausing a moment before slowly turning his head back towards her. He opened his eyes carefully, nevertheless wearing a defiant glare as he met her gaze.
She smirked. That's a start.
"Zim," she said, triggering the command, "relinquish all of your minions to me. Say it now."
He bit down on his lower lip, trying once again to stifle her effect on him. He drew blood that dripped down his chin, but even that was not enough to counteract her devious programming. After a brief moment, he opened his mouth, teeth stained with his own blood. "I relinquish all of my minions to you, Tak."
She grinned in triumph and dropped him to the floor with a thud. He groaned beneath her, turning over as if to hide the shame. Then, Tak looked aloft towards the ceiling.
"You hear that, computer?" she called out, "I am your master now. Obey my every command, and I won't have to dismantle and reprogram you like I did with this one!" She pointed down at the quivering mess that was Zim.
The computer responded without much hesitation, ditching the sarcastic tone that colored so much of its prior language. "…got it. Yes, my mistress," it replied obediently.
Tak then squatted beside Zim and shoved his shoulder a little, casually attempting to get his attention. He winced and buried himself further in his arms, continuing to try and hide from her neverending torment.
"Hey," she inquired, "where's your stupid SIR unit?"
"No, I…" Zim weakly protested, "I'll never tell yo-"
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Gir opened the front door clad in his doggy disguise and holding a slushie, a stuffed monkey, and some balloons. His mouth was wrapped around the straw of his SuckMunkey, and the room was filled with the odd sound of his sucking. He stared blankly into the living room, not reacting to the everyday sight of an alien standing over another badly beaten alien next to a laser-tailed cat and a pile of ash that was formerly a TV.
An interminable length of time passed as they all stared at the little green robot dog sucking down his frozen treat. Not one of them had said a word.
Just when Tak was growing annoyed and about to interrupt this idiotic suck-fest, Gir stopped the vacuous sound before smacking his apparent lips. Then, quite slowly, he maneuvered himself around the door and gently pushed it closed as he held onto his various items. Once it was shut, he shuffled back around to the front of the entrance and placed himself squarely back to where he once stood. His empty, wall-eyed expression stared ahead at nothing in particular, and further silence filled the room as he looked out at the scene before him.
"Are you quite done?" Tak finally asked, nonplussed.
Gir said nothing and gave his stuffed monkey a mindless squeeze, eliciting a squeak from its insides. No one was sure what that meant.
"Gir!" Zim finally called out, gripping his torso in dramatic fashion. "The time is at hand! Flee now! Flee from the base and inform the Almighty Tallest that your beloved master has been taken captive by a fugitive janitor! Hurry Gir, before it's too late!"
Gir had become distracted by the squeaky toy inside the monkey and began squeezing it over and over again. He giggled slightly at every squeak, amusing himself in ways only the enlightened and insane would know of.
Zim gave a feeble groan of disappointment and thumped his head against the floor. The absentmindedness of his minion never ceased to dishearten him, especially at times like this.
Tak interrupted the moment by swiftly kicking him in the ribs, eliciting a whimper of pain.
"Zim," she began annoyed, "never refer to me as a janitor ever again." She then turned to Mimi and briefly exchanged confused glances with her minion before gesturing to the poorly disguised robot as if to say 'would you take care of that?'
In a flash, Mimi appeared behind the distracted Gir and sequentially popped every balloon he had on his person. She then tore the head off the stuffed monkey and whipped the SuckMunkey treat far into the kitchen before tossing the little robot into the air and spiking him towards the center of the room. The halfwitted minion collided with Zim at an incredible speed, and the two of them skidded across the floor. When they finally came to a stop, Zim laid groaning with his verdant canine-clad minion sitting atop him. Droplets of blood could be seen peppering the tiles where the Irken had retched from the impact.
"Whoo!" the robot exclaimed, kicking his tiny legs with joy. "Let's do it again!"
"Gir…" Zim groaned, wheezing against the robot's weight on his chest, "…just stop." He was growing quite fed up with this whole utter defeat thing.
Suddenly, the sound of Tak's boots clanged against the floor, and Zim's eyes widened in panic as she drew closer. With the little strength he had, he quickly shifted up and held Gir aloft like a shield.
"GIR!" He screamed, shaking the little robot as he grasped him. "Defensive mode! Protect your master!"
"Hiya mom!" Gir shouted absentmindedly as he made grabby hands towards Tak. "Did you do somethin' to your head?"
The female Irken came to a stop and loomed over Zim, pausing a moment before single handedly picking up the minion from his trembling hands. She held Gir by his neck and kept him at arm's reach. Mimi quickly snuck behind Tak's ankles, staring daggers at the alleged green dog as if jealous of the attention he was getting.
"Is yoooouuuuu stayin for dinner?" Gir asked with zero volume control, waving his arms back and forth excitedly. "Cause we cookin' tonight!"
Tak cocked her head and grimaced at the dimwitted robot with a combination of disgust and pity. After a brief pause, she abruptly released Gir and executed a forceful dropkick, sending him soaring across the room. He collided with the wall, leaving an indentation and momentarily sticking before dropping to the floor.
"Hoo wee…" Gir said in a dizzy voice.
Zim followed the whole motion with his eyes and stared helplessly at his minion from the center of the room. He sat frozen in place, astonished that Gir was still functioning after such a hit to the head. But then again, it wasn't the first time.
"Gir!" he cried out, a twinge of emotion in his voice, "Duty mode! DUTY MODE!"
Tak then appeared behind Zim, casting a long shadow over his feeble form. Chills ran down his spine as he sensed her presence, and he swallowed hard in anticipation. Her gloved claw slowly found its way to the back of his neck, and in the distance Gir could be heard snickering at the word "duty."
With Zim in her clutches, Tak silently turned her head towards Mimi and snapped her fingers. In a flash, her capable minion disappeared and reappeared to hand her an object. She then turned back towards Zim and squeezed the back of his neck harder.
"This is long overdue," she hissed, her voice oozing with contempt. Leaning forward, she dropped a metal object in front of him and shoved him down forcefully. Zim nearly hit his head against the floor but stopped himself short with his arms. Then, he caught his breath before looking down at what she placed before him.
It was a wrench.
"Dismantle your SIR unit," Tak ordered, her expression unfaltering.
Zim whipped his head back around to face her. "What?!" he asked, eyes wide. "No! Zim won't!"
"Yes you will," she threatened. "Your SIR unit is almost as much of a joke as you are, and I haven't forgotten what he did to Mimi. He is worthless to me as a minion, so you will destroy him for me."
Zim's anger flared and he clutched his fists. "No! Zim refuses!" He rose to his feet, trying to meet Tak's serious stare. "Gir is useful sometimes! You're the joke!" he declared petulantly, before turning back towards his robotic minion. "Escape Gir! Run now!"
"Zim," she started coldly, "dismantle Gir."
A grave expression overtook Zim's face as he felt a wave of dread pass through him. His hands shook with resistance as he methodically picked up the wrench. In a haze of indescribable disassociation, he marched towards his minion who was still hunched upside down against the far wall.
"We goin' again?" the robot asked enthusiastically, leaning himself up to face the Irken. "Grease me up!"
Zim kneeled before Gir, dragging the doggie hoodie from his face and revealing the cyan bulbs that stared back happily at their master. Despite his physical control being stripped away from him, he still felt his awareness intact. He tried to reason with his minion in one last attempt to save him.
"Gir! I can't control my body!" he shouted. "You must leave here immediately, or you'll be deactivated!"
The robot stared back blankly and smiled, tongue sticking out wide. Zim opened his minion's cranial lid, freeing a hidden balloon that floated aimlessly towards the ceiling. Before it had a chance to reach the top, Mimi sent a wayward dart its way, popping it immediately and causing Gir to utter a faint "aw."
"No, no, no! Gir, you're Zim's only hope!" Zim pleaded, his voice growing increasingly frantic. "You must run away from me! Do as you're told! Now!"
Gir did nothing, and Zim's hands continued to reach into his cranium, feeling around for a hidden deactivation switch only he knew existed. The robot giggled as he felt his master's hands manipulate his insides. The wires moved around the back of his eye sockets, tickling him as Zim fiddled for the switch.
"Hoo boy, yo hands are cold!" Gir commented, staring off at some unseen point. He kicked his legs back and forth reflexively as if bored.
"GIR!" Zim practically screamed, beckoning down at his minion. "Listen to me! Listen now! Do NOT let me deactivate you! Run around, do a handstand! Find a bee to eat outside! Anything that will make you go far away from Zim!"
His eyes grew wide with panic as he felt his hands undo a latch within Gir's head. "Do you understand?!" His voice was truly desperate now. "It's all over if you don't end up leaving right now! You will be gone forever, and Zim will have no more minions! Your master will be master of no one! Nothing! If you have any sense at all, do as you're told and-"
He cut himself off as Gir finally turned up to stare back at him, his bright eyes betraying nothing as they beamed without an ounce of fear. The robot smiled, staring straight through the Irken as if nothing bothered him.
"Mast-"
Gir's voice was cut off and his eyes suddenly went gray as he fell limp in Zim's arms. Despite every attempt at conscious objection, Zim had ceaselessly carried out his duty to deactivate Gir through a kill switch. He remained speechless, his mouth agape as he stared down at his minion's lifeless form.
Taking the wrench in his hand, Zim's body began to disassemble Gir piece by piece. First the hands were removed, then the arms and the legs, and then the head was popped off. Each piece was separated into its various components and tossed into a pile on the floor. By the end, what remained could hardly be recognized as a SIR unit, let alone Gir.
Just as Zim could feel his control returning to him, Tak chimed in with another command. "Zim, pick the pieces up and throw them into the garbage. Over there."
She motioned with her hand toward the bin in the corner, her voice unfeeling.
Methodically, Zim picked up every piece of his former minion and marched over to the trash bin in the corner of the room. He gently kicked it open and dropped all of the pieces in with his face frozen in an unsettled expression. The bin whirred, sending his former minion down the chute that led deep below the base. As far as he knew, that might be the last time he would ever see his terrible companion. His gift from the Tallest vanished, possibly forever.
The emotion he was experiencing was indescribable, and even as control returned to him, Zim stood in front of the trash bin and stared at it blankly. After a couple of minutes, he stepped away in a zombie-like fashion and shambled toward the center of the room. Tak was waiting there, her arms folded impatiently as she watched her enemy drag his feet towards her.
He stopped only a few feet away, his head hung low in shame for what he had just allowed to happen. He mumbled something under his breath.
"What was that?" Tak asked, raising her brow.
The Irken fumbled his hands in front of him, vacillating between states of extreme tension and total exhaustion. He could hardly bring himself to acknowledge Tak's presence, let alone look her in the eye. He swallowed the lump in his throat and released a shaky breath, trying to steady himself before speaking his next words. Slowly, he raised his eyes and finally settled to meet her impassive gaze.
"...why?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked truly shaken, which sent a satisfying tingle through Tak's being.
The grin returned on the female Irken's face, and she took in his expression gleefully. She quite liked seeing such a guise on him, and she swore to herself that she would make sure to see it more often as she continued her torment.
Unfolding her arms, she began to encircle Zim, who once again fixed his gaze to the floor in order to not look at her anymore.
"Because Zim," she began, purposefully using his name just to see the microscopic jolt course through him, "I don't like you."
She continued to pace around him, the severe distaste from her simple statement still lingering in the air.
"When I planned all of this, I knew that taking your mission would not be enough. You would've just fought back, and perhaps, even found a way to foil my agenda. You would've forced me to kill you, and despite everything you've done to me, I didn't want that…"
She stopped in front of him, fixing a piercing glare upon his frozen state.
"At least not yet."
Zim stood completely still before her, clearly processing everything she was saying. He wisely held his tongue. There was so much he wanted to say and do in return, but he held himself still. He desired nothing more than to smash her face into a million pieces with his bare fists and make her pay for what she had done to him, but any attempt to retaliate would just result in her beating him once again. So for now, he would have to bide his time.
"Because that would be too easy," she continued, taking a few steps toward him. "Because you deserve so much worse. You deserve to suffer in endless torture for years and years, and not just physically, but in the worst way possible. Pain was never enough to deter you from being you, was it Zim? You always resisted any attempt to change who you are. And who you are is horrible, Zim. Never forget that."
He stared at her vehemently as she closed the distance between them, continuing to taunt him.
"Controlling you was simply the worst option I could think of," she added. "I knew that more than anything, you hate being told what to do. And what better way to make you pay than by forcing you to obey me for the rest of your wretched little life?"
She dragged a claw along his chin, lifting it so he would look at her, but he continued to avoid her stare.
"To make you watch helplessly as I turn you into a slave for my satisfaction," she continued, "and take away everything that ever made you Zim. That would be much more entertaining."
He closed his eyes and shuttered as she said his name, hating the effect it had on him. His whole body perked up in anticipation, ready to fulfill any command she had. Even worse, he knew she could see this change happen in him. And it felt…disgraceful to allow her to see such weakness come from him.
She grinned at his embarrassment and pinched her claws into his cheeks. "But the best part," she started, her voice tingling with grim satisfaction, "is that no matter how much I control your every move, I know you'll be there inside hating every minute of it." She tapped his forehead, emphasizing her point. "Because I can make you do anything Zim, but I can't make you like it. So here you are, screaming on the inside as I slowly turn you into everything you hate most of all: a servant."
She patted the side of his face in a patronizing manner and paused a moment, dragging her thumb along his cheek in an oddly tender way. After a few moments, his ruby eyes shifted to meet her violet ones, and they mutually stared at one another in silent combat. He felt a chill creep down his spine, unsure of himself and his future as her eyes seemed to pierce into the depths of his uncertainty. He was at her mercy now, and there was no telling what exactly she had planned.
"Frankly, I think it's all for the better," she mused in a low voice, as if speaking to herself. "Now you can just watch…" she gripped him suddenly, "as I ruin your life."