Dib sat back in his chair, sighing a bit as he turned his head, seeing the quiet little tubby Irken Invader that was Skoodge slightly scratching at his desk. The portly invader had little more than a tuft of orange hair for a disguise, he'd put on a fake skin-coloration adaptation matrix which made him look human, which instantly put him one notch above Zim. But he had a bad habit of continuing to try and eat foods he should have known he couldn't handle. Especially in regards to ice cream. Skoodge just adored sweet things, chocolate stains all over his shirt, deep and dark and ugly.
The little guy looked…antsy. Skoodge had, evidently, been filling in for Zim whilst Zim was holed up in his house, doing some "big, important project your "PUNY HUMAN MIND" couldn't possibly comprehend", according to Zim's smug voice that had oozed pretentiousness when he'd called Dib on the phone several months ago to gloat. And he kept reminding Dib of how amazingly the progress was going every week or so. At this point Dib had long-stopped picking up any calls from Zim's house. Just wasn't worth it.
What HAD been worth getting invested in was Skoodge. The invader had always seemed more…civil…than Zim. Reachable. So Dib had tried to talk to Skoodge. Just…talk. Mostly about Irk. It had started with a simple question.
"What's the planet like?"
Skoodge was currently covered in green all over his attire, washing it off as best he could in the bathroom. But he hadn't put on any kind of paste, and as such, he'd accidentally burned himself and was now just using the towels instead. Seeing Dib stepping out from the stall aways from him, Skoodge blinked in surprise, his fake eyes focusing in on Dib.
"…what?"
"What's your planet like?" Dib wanted to know. "The sky. What're the colors of the sky, like, when it's morning or when it's getting dark out? Do you have a moon? Lots of forests or mountains?"
Skoodge had cringed, wiping at the green stuff on his shirt. Probably some weird lab experiment, Dib reasoned, from Zim's "big important project". The portly invader hesitated before speaking. "It's got an orange sky. Like…like somebody set a fire up over your head and it's spread forth like a quilt. And at night, everything is cast in this soft indigo glow from our two purple moons." He added, his tone becoming quiet and contemplative as he held his gloved hands up as if cupping the moons in his grip, eyes focusing away as if seeing the planet of his birth before him. "At sunset when the wind blows, the red trees let their leaves dance on the breeze and flutter about you like…butterflies, I believe your species calls them?"
He stopped then, dusting himself off a little. "It's been a long time since I saw it."
"You must miss it a lot." Dib admitted. "I'd love to see it sometime."
"I do miss it dearly, but…your planet's foliage reminds me of it." Skoodge remarked with a small, cheery little smile. "It's quite a lovely season, your "Fall". Especially pumpkin food. I adore your race's pumpkin pies. Especially with all the whipped cream. High amounts of sugar help all your edibles go down."
He chuckled at this, exiting the bathroom, actually beginning to sing a bit.
"Oh a mountain of sugar makes the edibles go dooown! The edibles go dooowwwwnn, edibles go down!"
Dib had learned so much about Skoodge in less than ten minutes. And he would continue to learn more.
The bell rang, all of the students filing out of their seats as Dib walked alongside Skoodge, noticing Gaz was glancing over in his direction. She had the faintest of blushes to her cheeks as Skoodge waved at her, Dib giving him a playful jab in the shoulder.
"Heyyyyy." Dib insisted. "None of that."
"What?" Skoodge remarked innocently as Dib held up his two hands, both pointer fingers extended.
"You are my buddy. Gaz is my sister." He crossed the fingers. "Never the twain shall meet in a romantic fashion."
"Why not?"
"Picture my head exploding."
"I thought you want to DISCOURAGE me from being attracted to your sister." Skoodge faux-innocently commented, looking saintly as he crossed his arms and held his hands together, giving Dib big "Bambi" eyes with a smile as Dib whacked him in the arm.
"You JERK." The human laughed. "So, are we still on to see "Spamalot" tomorrow night?"
"Oh, absolutely! I MUST thank you for showing me those great clips of "Monty Python" over the "Internet"."
"Can't imagine that makes Zim happy."
Skoodge flinched. "No, it…wouldn't. Zim would want me helping him or would shove me back in the basement if I wasn't contributing." He sighed, hanging his head, shaking it back and forth. "It's nice to just get away from him for a while."
"I could try to talk to him about laying off you. You've been more…antsy lately. Has he been overworking you at the house?" Dib offered. "Maybe I could tell him I'll sick Gaz on him?"
"That…could work, I suppose." Skoodge admitted nervously, biting his lip, rubbing the back of his head. "Be at his house later today? Maybe 5?"
"Sure, no problem." Dib remarked, Skoodge quickly heading off as Dib folded his arms across his chest, sighing a bit. Making friends with Skoodge had been one of the best ideas he'd ever had. He'd never known he could have so much in common with an Irken, technically the enemy. And yet…
"So…that's your moon?" Skoodge had asked, Dib finally having gotten used to the smell of the alien as they sat atop of Zim's house, looking up at the orb in the sky, the stars twinkling gently around it as Dib nodded.
"Yep. Going there was a big deal for us. It made all that out THERE seem…just within our grasp, y'know?" Dib admitted. "It indulged our curiosity, our drive. We were so excited. It was a "first". A big deal."
"We felt the same when our race first landed. Being able to see our planet from the moon was…"
Dib's face perked up, eyebrows shooting up high, eyes widening. "It made it look like a beautiful gem just hanging in space?" Dib asked softly, Skoodge nodding.
"Yes, just like that. Like a swirling gem of orange with deep red twisting about it. This beautiful little marble you could almost reach out and hold with your hand. Really…pretty." Skoodge admitted. "…Irkens usually don't care about pretty, but…I like it."
"No, I…I get it. When you just take a step back from it and really look at something…it can look so damn beautiful when you're taking it all in." Dib admitted, Skoodge nodding in agreement as they looked back up at the moon. "I'd like to see it one day. And, uh…thanks for not siccing the lawn gnomes on me like Zim would."
"I don't think Zim will be bothering you. Maybe not ever again." Skoodge chuckled.
"How long do you think he'll be working on that project?" Dib wondered as Skoodge smirked.
"Oh…forever, probably…"
…
…
…
…man, Zim was not looking good. He looked pale, sickly and fat, and was panting a bit as he scratched at his cheek, as if burning up all over. "Ugh. What do YOU want, Dib-stink?!" Zim mumbled, standing in the doorway, not even trying to disguise himself. Dib didn't even care. Nobody paid any attention to his house. Like…at all.
"One, Gaz called me on my way here and she wants to remind Skoodge they're on for Bowling this weekend. And two, speaking of him, I want you to stop riding Skoodge." Dib said firmly with a growl.
"LIES! Filthy LIES! Zim rides a ship, Not the Skoodge!" Zim said with a snort.
"I mean lay off him, stop overworking him." Dib snapped, waving a dismissive hand in the air.
"Don't you tell Zim how to do what he does. The Skoodge is of VITAL importance to this project! I'm going to be releasing specialized superviruses into the air to destroy your survival instinct, thus causing all of you to kill yourselves!" Zim cackled.
"Zim, the "survival instinct" doesn't make us immediately kill ourselves. It would just mean people would do more risky stuff like handling powertools without gloves or stuff like that. And by the way, there's no such thing as a supervirus. There's always going to be some people who are immune. Our species is just resilient like that. I mean…" Dib pinched the space between his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. "This is Biology 101. Were you paying NO attention in Science class?"
Zim held a claw digit up, about to say something before shuddering nervously and then…
"I'lltalktoyoulater." He squeaked out, shutting the door, Dib rolling his eyes as he headed down the street, waving a hand in front of his face. Ugh. Why did Zim smell so awful? Was he not cleaning himself at all? He stuck his tongue out in disgust whilst, inside the house, Skoodge leaned against the wall, panting and heaving.
"Dammit, Zim…you always have to make it so hard for me. Ugh."
He sighed inwardly. He didn't like having to lie to Dib's face but…it was necessary. One day he'd explain everything and Dib would understand. But until then…
…
…
…
… "Why don't you just leave him?" Dib asked quietly, Skoodge and he sitting down in their seats at the local theater, eager for the production of "Spamalot" to begin as Skoodge munched on some "Sour Skittles" he'd gotten from the in-theater candy shop. Skoodge blinked a bit, mouth half-full before swallowing the skittles down as the lights of the theater began to dim, people's murmurs and whispers starting to cease.
"He's my Taller. In Irken culture, we kind of need to obey our Taller's whims. It's always been like that, just like I've just always been Zim's friend."
"More like you're always carrying the loads he should be carrying himself. More so lately than ever." Dib muttered as Skoodge sighed, hanging his head as the curtain began to rise.
"Yes, I suppose, Dibbun Membrane. I've always carried Zim. In more ways than one. But its just been so drilled into me to obey my Taller's wishes and…and its just I've been with Zim for so long that…" Skoodge trailed off.
"I get it. You've known him since you were little and you feel uncomfortable getting away from him. I understand." Dib sympathetically intoned, giving him a nod, Skoodge leaning back in his chair as the play began. "But if he was really your friend…he'd let you be your own person."
"I wish I'd met you all those years ago." Skoodge admitted quietly with a little nod, Dib noticing Skoodge kinda smelled a little bad. He should really put on deodorant. "You're a real credit to your species."
"I kinda wish I'd been there. Irk sounds like a real sight to see." Dib admitted.
Meanwhile, Gaz was looking nervously down at the little present she'd personally gift-wrapped, a shrunken head with the insides stuffed with candy. Her own personal touch added to something she knew Skoodge would like. She was on her way to Skoodge and Zim's house, nonchalantly whistling, intending to just sneak in and leave the gift for Skoodge on the couch.
Odd. The house's lights were off and…why wasn't GIR out front? Or Minimoose? Weird. She approached the front porch door, surprised the lawn gnomes weren't attacking her as she saw GIR was sitting on the couch, looking at the television screen with Minimoose lying in his lap-
No, wait. They were…off. Their eyes shut, looking almost cataonic, cobwebs covering them. How long had they been out like-
Something else was wrong. There was a foul, ugly, hard-hitting stench that assaulted her nostrils, a miasma that seeped out from the stairway leading to the basement where Skoodge had been forced to live. Gaz put the present down on top of the kitchen table as she walked over to the doorway and pushed it open, the musty smell slamming into her. Her amber/golden eyes narrowed intensely as she made her way down the steps, each one creaking softly as she saw a faint light off in the back of the basement, illuminating something suspended off the wall-
…oh.
OH.
She blinked, looking over the sight before her, the flies whizzing about in the air as she raised an eyebrow. "…how long has…wait." She blinked, putting two and two together before "hmming" and turning around, heading up the stairs.
Eventually she was back home, playing on the Game Slave, Dib soon coming in through the living room door and seeing her on the couch in the living room. "I dropped off Skoodge's anniversary present."
"Did you see Zim?"
"Yeah, he was just hanging around." Gaz nonchalantly remarked.
…
…
…
…Skoodge cringed a bit. This wasn't good.
The Tallest would soon be calling to do a check up on him and Zim. It had been, after all, almost an entire year. And the proper attire was becoming rather…worn out.
He paced back and forth, flinching. It would be a real strain to get inside it but…he'd have to try.
Huffing and puffing, he squeezed himself into his suit and put on the finishing touches, covering up the rather ugly zipper-esque clasp with his usual hairpiece, breathing a sigh of relief as he swatted a few flies away. Maybe he should wash the thing more often, he mused aloud as he made his way towards the laboratory entrance, soon being whisked down to Zim's former lab. Sure enough, yes, the Tallest were on the vid-screen at the front of the main computer console, looking about.
"Hello? Zim?"
"We're just here to check in, let's get this over with."
"I'm here."
"Oh." Red remarked, catching sight of Zim as he stepped forward. "I don't see Skoodge?"
"Oh, he'll be over here eventually, I'm sure, just probably needs to look his best for you, my Tallest. Appearances are very important." Zim admitted with a small smile. "Whatever can I do for you?"
"Any progress on that "survival instinct" virus you were speaking about? It actually sounded somewhat…impressive." Red remarked.
"Well, actually…I need to start over from scratch. Evidently trying to use a supervirus won't work on humans." Zim sighed. "There's always a minority of humans who'll be immune AND turning off one's "Survival instinct" just means they're more likely to, say…" Zim waved a hand in the air. "Drink and drive than take a knife to their guts."
"Oh. Phooey. That coulda been cool." Purple sighed. "…y'know, Zim, you've…gained weight. Like, a lot." He remarked, looking Zim over and sticking his tongue out in disgust. Zim was almost bursting at the seams he was so fat, the invader nervously grinning.
"Er, sorry, my Tallest. All these Earth candies are verrrrry good but very fattening."
"…really? Send your Tallest some." Red remarked. "If they're good at making snacks, maybe we might have a use for the planet as a convenience store." He mused aloud ending the transmission before he could see Zim's horrified expression, turning to Purple. "I could SMELL how bad he stunk from here." He admitted to Purple. "Why does he always wear that ugly wig?"
"I dunno." Purple shrugged.
Terror. Sheer terror. The Irken invader clutched at his chest. What was he supposed to do? What COULD he do? His Tallests wanted him to send them snacks from Earth and he knew they'd love them, knew they'd want to claim Earth as their own, how could he keep his new home safe? How could…
Zim had wanted Earth to himself. And Skoodge did too, but…in a different way. What was to be done? Unless…
But no, no, he couldn't do that to his Tallest.
…he COULDN'T…
…
…
…
…Dib knocked on the door to Zim's house, Skoodge opening up the door, that odd smell wafting up from him as Dib raised an eyebrow. "Skoodge, you alright?" He admitted, noticing the ugly stains over Skoodge's attire. "You don't smell so good or…look so good."
"I'm having to do some cleaning, it's starting to stink in here." Skoodge admitted nervously, the smell from within really hitting Dib's nostrils as it wafted out, Dib gagging in disgust.
"UGH! Did something DIE in there?!" Dib asked, Skoodge immediately turning slightly pale and nervously grinning.
"Heh-heh. Good one, Dib. Look, uh, can I talk to you later, when I'm finished? We're still on for Pizza tonight, right?"
"Of course. Just…look, if something's wrong, you can tell me, you know that, right?" Dib admitted, Skoodge looking thoughtfully at Dib, as if wanting to say something. And then the portly Irken sighed, hanging his head.
"You would have found out eventually. Dib…come in." He admitted, letting Dib inside the house and down the hallway, heading for the kitchen. Dib turned his head, seeing GIR and Minimoose unconscious on the couch, cobwebs covering their frames as he blinked in surprise. "They kinda shut down when Zim couldn't give orders anymore, I…don't have the heart to turn them back on. Not after how they felt about him." Skoodge added as Dib finally reached the kitchen, the smell getting worse and worse as Skoodge opened up the basement door.
The two descended down into the dark depths of the basement, Skoodge continuing in a soft, quiet tone. "It was…quite a while back. He'd been yelling at me and…I just snapped." Skoodge admitted. "Ever since then I…I just tried to keep up appearances so that neither you nor the Tallest figured out what I'd did. I panicked, and…part of me kind of liked it. Liked the subversive thrill of fooling you."
Dib raised an eyebrow, unsure of what was going on as he covered his mouth with his hands. UGH, the smell, he wanted to vomit-
Then he saw something that almost did make him vomit. He saw what was on a table below a hook off the wall.
Zim's body had been completely emptied out and hollowed of organs, his brain removed, his glassy eyes dead and lifeless as the rest of his frame. Dried blood filled the interior of his form, stretched out every time Skoodge had put him on like a tuxedo, mouth open and agape, flies buzzing about. His tongue was dried out, almost faded completely, and the bones of his body had been strategically removed to allow Skoodge to fit in better when he wore Zim to keep up appearances, that horrific, unclean stench washing over Dib.
"Now my Tallest are thinking of…taking this world. What I wanted to ask you was…well…I know how much you always wanted to go out to Irk." Skoodge remarked, calmly reaching into the table.
Dib's eyes bugged out wide as Skoodge held up a few sharp-looking scalpels and eagerly smiled.
"So would you like to help me make a couple Tallest suits?"