The time had come. He was finally ready, and all the settings were right. He had been planning this for a long time, stalking his target and studying him like a hawk mulling over their prey.
Dib stood on the sidewalk in front of Zim's house. He had come to capture and eventually dispose of the alien.
Glancing up at the stars set deep in the moon-less sky, he wondered what the consequences for this would be. Would Zim's leaders retaliate at the loss of one of their invaders?
He didn't have time to think of such things again. Shifting the bag on his shoulder, he moved towards the house.
The security system was easy to sneak past. Dib had plotted out a narrow slit in the security's vision which led him straight up to the door. He held his breath as he tip-toed up to the door and began working the lock quietly. He was lucky; it was just like an Earth-made lock, with simply barrels and triggers. Dib had practiced on his own bedroom door for days until he had mastered the opening of it. Listening for the click within the lock's chambers, he grinned when it came and opened the door.
The house was dark; every light off. Dib noted the small red lights of cameras in the upper-most corners of the room. He took a watergun from his bag and shot at the camera lenses. He had earlier made a mixture of water and clay, which stuck fast to the camera, blocking its view.
Smiling, Dib closed the door and moved inside, unhindered by the threat of discovery.
He peeked into the kitchen, then stepped over to one of the elevators leading into the lab.
When Dib set foot out of the small chamber, he was greeted with a full view of Zim's lab. It was impressive, and highly foreign to Dib. He took a moment to look around, stepping carefully although there was no security here.
A few soft tube-lights fixed to the ceiling illuminated the room, casting shadows across the floor in dark-bluish pools.
The human stopped when he saw GIR curled up on the key-face of the computer. The robot was fast asleep. Dib moved towards him slowly, not wanting to awaken him.
The computer's off/on switch was positioned near the top of the large monitor. He doubted any movements of his here would set off its alarm, but was nervous just the same. Reaching past GIR, he flicked the switch and then dove behind the chair to see what would happen.
The computer monitor lit up the room a moment as it powered down, then dimmed out. GIR stirred a bit, but only to turn over and curl up again.
Dib rose, sighing softly, and ventured towards a side room adjoining the lab. He pushed open the sliding door slowly and gazed in at his target.
Zim, lying on his side facing the door, was partially curled, his hands tucked beneath his head in an odd yet comfortable-seeming way. He, too, was fast asleep. No blanket covered him, and he used no pillow. The bed he laid on was similar to human beds; a small, soft mattress set in a metal frame.
A few wires were connected to Zim's PAK, the other ends leading to a machine embedded in the wall.
Dib considered the meaning of this for a span. He knew Zim's PAK needed charging every night, but pondered why. Two of the wires, he guessed, were stocking it with energy, but another, thicker and more tube-like wire was producing a gentle hissing sound.
Stepping closer, Dib tried to read the inscriptions on the machine. It was divided into two sections, one with what he correctly guessed was the Irken symbol for power or electricity, the other appearing to be one of air. The writing was in Irken, so he could not begin to understand it, but from what his technical mind could comprehend, the right-hand side of the machine was taking in air and transforming it into a breathable substance for the alien. It was then compacting the substance and filtering it into a chamber in Zim's PAK.
Dib was fascinated by the technology, but he was not here to study Zim's mechanisms. Taking a cloth and a small bottle from his bag, he dripped a small amount of the anesthetic into the center of the cloth and quickly capped the bottle. He stepped towards the sleeping alien and grabbed his shoulder, pushing him onto his back and pinning his arm across his chest. At the same time he pressed the cloth over his face.
Zim opened his eyes and stared up at Dib for one confusing moment, then began struggling.
Dib held him down tightly, staring intently down at the alien.
Zim struggled for several long seconds before he began to slow. His eyes flickered shut and he fell limp beneath Dib's hands.
Dib folded the cloth and sealed it in a bag (which he tucked back into his backpack), then took a length of rope and began tying Zim's wrists together. He positioned him back onto his side when he finished and looked over the wires connected to the PAK. He was concerned about what effect tampering with the wires could have, but couldn't just stay here until the PAK was finished charging. He began unscrewing one of the wires from its rivet in the PAK. A light on the machine flashed red. Dib paused, then unscrewed the other wire. Another light flashed red, but so far everything seemed fine.
He wrapped his fingers around the oxygen tube and began to disconnect that. A larger light lit up on the machine and began to beep angrily. Dib pulled the tube away, hearing the oxygen substance hiss through the open end of the tube. The warning on the machine hyped its pitch, flashing frantically. Dib dropped the tube and searched over the machine until he found a button on its side. Pressing it, he was relieved when the sound and lights ceased.
The hissing sound through the tube stopped, but a fainter sound continued, like that of when one squeezes the air slowly out of a ball or tire. He didn't hear it though, for he was busy getting his things together to leave.
Dib stepped back out into the main room and considered what to do with GIR. He had originally not had plans for the robot, but now was thinking twice about his decision to leave him alone. He could prove a threat.
After a couple minutes of thinking, Dib could find nothing to immobilize the robot with so he gave up on the idea. After all, he was just a little robot, right?
Dib returned to Zim's room. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he started to pick up the alien when Zim began to choke. Dib straightened, looking down at him with a bit of alarm.
Zim was still unconscious, but he seemed to be struggling to breathe. He gasped and choked, his chest heaving and his body twisting in struggle.
Dib panicked, not knowing what was going on. He dropped his bag and grabbed the tube, pushing the button to turn on the machine again and hurriedly re-connecting the tube to the PAK. Zim gasped deeply as air began filing into his PAK. He panted, filling his lungs with the oxygen that flowed invisibly around his head.
Dib watched him curiously, pondering at the ingenious way that the alien survived. He never knew Zim needed a different air than their own to breathe. 0f course, this meant that he would have to wait for the PAK to fill completely before moving the alien back to his own lab for the experiments he had in mind.
With a sigh, the human dropped his bag and leaned against the wall next to the sliding door. He looked out at GIR, hoping the robot would not awaken any time soon.