She stood in the hot shower and raked her fingers through her violet hair as the water hit her body in rapid motion, soothing her soul. Soon she turned the knobs and the water shut off, dripping to the floor. Grabbing a large towel, she wrapped it around her body, and stepped out, ringing her hair in a bun to let it dry. She stood in front of the mirror, staring into its depths, and at the lady who stared back at her. Quickly she lifted a brush and began pulling it through the wet strands on her head as she stepped out of the bathroom and into her large suite.
Setting down the brush, she stepped over to the large window that rested in the side of her room, and gazed out into the night sky. She remembered when her house was here, in this very spot. In its place now stood a tall skyscraper, where many of Zim's most powerful followers dwelled. Everywhere she looked there were identical buildings, home to other followers, and other humans of importance. Off in the distance, where the school used to be, she could just barely make out the forms of smaller buildings; the homes of the commonfolk, those who were not a part of the rebellion, and yet were not in the ranks of Zim's empire. They were allowed a normal life--as normal as one could get nowadays. She sighed as the memories flowed through her head, and moved away from the window. Things were so much better now, no need dwelling over the past.
She made her way over to the metal bed that sat in the middle of the room, and laid across it, thinking back to earlier today, back to Dib. Yes, it had been quite a while since she'd last seen her brother, but he hadn't changed much. Still the struggler, still the fighter. She didn't know why he tried. Maybe she'd call him in tomorrow, and have a little--brother sister reunion, so to speak. With that thought in mind, she laid her head on the hard pillow below and turned off her light.
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He sat in his cell, head in hands as he thought over the day before, back to that woman. Who was she? Why did she seem so familiar to him, yet so distant? He quickly looked up as more guards came in and grabbed him by the arm.
"Come with us. The Second-Captain has called for you."
At that, they clasped his hands behind his back with a pair of handcuffs, and carried him away from the cell. They placed him in a large office room, and he looked at a large chair faced away from him.
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She sat in her chair, fidgeting with a pencil as she waited for the guards to bring in Prisoner #666A. She heard the doors close behind them and sat staring at the wall for a few moments, before slowly turning around and glaring into her brother's eyes. All was silent as the two stared at each other, but she quickly spoke up.
"So, we finally meet again. I thought you would have died years ago, Dib."
She watched as he looked to her, bewildered, and a small but devious grin spread across her face.
"Who are you and what do you want from me?"
"Oh, come now. Do tell me you recognize your only sister."
She grinned as she watched Dib look on, confused, and then as his eyes slowly widened and his jaw dropped in the realization.
"Gaz?! But you--me--!"
He was speechless, and she enjoyed his suffering tremensouly. Yes, it had been years since she'd last seen her brother, almost twenty in fact. She remembered back to when they were children, and Zim had just taken over, humanity was just beginning to be enslaved. They were captured, and thrown into a jail together, agreed to be set free once they accepted loyalty to the Highest Zim. Dib never gave in, and she had had to go along with him, for once in her life. But months later, he escaped his hell-hole, and left her to fend for herself, left her at the mercy of Zim.
Shortly after she gave all her loyalty to the quickly growing Earthen Empire, as it was now called, and just as they had promised, they set her free. But, due to the relations she'd had with Zim before, she gained his trust early on, and with every passing year, moved up the ranks one by one. She watched as the neighborhood was destroyed, and replaced with skyscrapers and factories. She remembered standing in front of her house, now sixteen years old, and gave the signal to abolish it. That was a glorious day indeed. Meanwhile Dib had been out grouping together a rebellion, trying his hardest to defy every aspect of the Earthen Empire. It sickened her, but she moved on. And now she was here, as Second-Captain, only one below Captain, and second most powerful of all the Empire.
Holding a pencil in her fingers, she looked on at her brother, eyes filled with hate and the need for revenge.
"Gaz, you've gotta help me! You've gotta get Zim to set me free!"
She slowly stood from her table, eyes narrowed.
"I don't gotta do anything, Prisoner. You brought this all on yourself, you know. You were the one who started that pathetic rebellion, and led yourself to land right in this jail. You did it. It was all you."
She stepped over to her brother and looked at his quivering face. Quickly she whipped out the gun she always carried and hit her brother with the butt, right in the head, causing him to fall to the floor in agony. He breathed heavily and laid on the floor as a nasty gash surfaced next to his lips where she hit him, the blood slowly dripping to her otherwise clean carpet.
"Get up."
He looked to her, his expression one of anger, sadness, and confusion, all fused together. But he remained on the floor. She gave him a harsh kick in the stomach when he defied her, and he doubled over in pain.
"Get up!"
He wheezed and shakily pulled himself to his knees, and then to his feet, trying to keep his balance. He then looked to her in anger and betrayal.
"Why are you doing this Gaz? Why are you following along with that--that--tyrant?!"
She chuckled as he yelled at her, the cocky expression not failing to leave her face.
"Why? I'll tell you why, my dear brother. Let me show you something."
She quickly whipped out a key and unlocked Dib's handcuffs, removing them from his sore wrists, before leaving her office and making her way out onto a large balcony. The two stood side by side and looked out into the horizon, at the many skyscrapers, the hovercrafts, and everything else that made the world what it was today.
Down below were lines of slaveworkers, all chained to each other, and directed by various power-holders and guards. In other buildings you could make out the forms of people walking back and forth within their offices, carrying papers and every once in a while being struck by someone more powerful, to put the workers back in their place. Yes, this was very much how the world should be.
"You see, Dib? The world has order now. No more chaos, no more of those petty little fights and squabbles humanity had. Everyone has their place, everyone their role in society, and they follow this role because they know it's for the good of the Empire. Some must suffer, some must die, but it's all for the better of the majority."
She turned to Dib to gaze at his expression, and continued on.
"The world wasn't like this when you were a child, was it? The world wasn't so orderly and peaceful, but now that Zim has taken over, the world is a better place. You can see that, can't you? Or, maybe you can't. You see, when you were young, the world was a happy place. You had your aliens and ghosts and what-not, and you could go free, live your life without fear, in peace. But the world wasn't like that for me. For me, the world was rain, clouds, pain. The world was loneliness, and darkness."
She paused again and looked out at the city, happiness flowing within her.
"But now the roles have changed, haven't they? Now I'm the one on top, the one with all the power, the brains. And now you're the one who has to live with the darkness and despair. Feels good, doesn't it?"
Oh how she enjoyed playing with his mind, striking his nerves, breaking him down. She could see it in his eyes, in his stance. She had won. But then he looked away from the pain he saw, and turned to her.
"This isn't freedom, Gaz. You aren't free, you don't hold power. All you're doing is--is, putting people in jail!"
He knew that sounded dumb, and she knew he knew. She chuckled to herself and then looked to the doors leading back into the office building, and then to the watch on her wrist.
"Well, if you would excuse me, I have important Second-Captain business to deal with. You can just go on back down to your rebel buddies and wallow in self-pity."
She hooked the handcuffs back onto him and led him back inside, handing him over to the guards, before turning back to her office.
"Oh, and one more thing, never call me Gaz."
Dib watched as she closed the glass doors behind her and sat at her desk. She then pulled out a familiar crimson machine, the GameSlave. It was a wonder that thing still worked, but he guessed some things just never changed.