No one truly knows despair unless there is hope.

-Unknown

Subdued

I had no idea it would be that simple. A tranquilizer dart was all it took, right between the eyes. I went from crazy boy to the savior of the earth within ten seconds. I got what I had always wanted, proof. Proof I wasn't crazy, proof of aliens, proof of big feet's and ghosts...pretty much proof of everything I've said was right from the beginning. I hadn't expected him to go down so easy- but for once, my crazy plan had worked. He hadn't shown the least bit of resistance through the ordeal of his discovery.
Even when he started to open his eyes and stir he allowed himself to be manipulated like a marionette, carried like a rag doll. Zim's unresponsive nature surprised me, but then again, I'd probably just overdosed the dart. He finally showed us some life on the second day of his containment in dad's lab.
Zim's eyes drifted open, just as they had yesterday. But...they were less dull. Something...sparkled in them, something like will. The will of someone that was still fighting.
He slowly tried to sit up, wincing as if pain was shooting up his back. He let out a small sigh, before looking down and frowning at his new clothing. It was a simple white robe, or...paper cloth? I can't really describe it. A hospital gown, okay? Yeah. I hadn't chosen it, and, to be honest, I don't think I'd have chosen such an ugly outfit anyways. It was unsettling to see my enemy, which I usually thought to be a fiery opponent with no mercy, to be adorned in such...open...manners. Even though it was something I had kind of been preparing for my entire life- the first alien autopsy! I still get the tingles when those words roll off my tounge.
This was the first time I had seen his arms, legs, hands, and feet without being covered by gloves or other clothing. His limbs were pale and thin, almost to the point of being sickly, and his feet had only two "toes", if they could even be considered that. They were more like claws. Zim's dark crimson eyes seemed to sweep over the room, no fear found in the little amount of emotion he did show. The anntennae propped up on his head flicked around wildly,sluggish voice gurgling out to form barely recognizable words.
I frowned, peering in from the glass casing. He hadn't seemed to notice me yet, which was a miracle within itself. Once he got back to his usual Irken self...Ooh, the fit he would throw when he figured out that it only took one measley sleeping dart(A HUMAN one) to knock his selfish alien butt to the ground and take him out cold for two whole days. Ha. Pathetic.
Zim's gaze finally rested on me. The corner of his mouth twitched. I couldn't help but smirk at the beautiful work I'd done.
"So. Zim. How does it feel to be on the receiving end of the pain for once, Hmm? Now who's laughing?" I said, crossing my arms.
Zim didn't seem to want to answer. His anntennae lowered(I wonder what those things did for him...smell? Hear things?) and the smallest of grunts came out between gritted teeth. "I...don't..."
A series of weird noises followed, clicks and whirrs that were sometimes interrupted with the antennae rubbing together. I gave him a sideways glance when he stopped this odd...ritual? I have no idea. It was literally the most unearthly thing I've ever seen, and I 've seen a lot of "unearthly" things.
But Zim was an alien, so I guess unearthly was kind of his thing.
"I can't understand what you're saying, Zim," I said bluntly, tapping my foot. "English, please."
Zim made a louder growling noise, grabbing his antennae and pulling on them in exasperation. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak again, though he winced as if it hurt. "Under...stand...leaders...de...fect..." He slowly started to mumble words that were barely audiable. I stared at him for a moment longer as he turned away from me, sitting back down on the bed and pulling his knees to his chest.
Wow. Didn't expect him to do that. It was almost...child like. I didn't understand any part of what he was trying to tell me...but...it was clear by the way his anntennae hung low that he was feeling something. Guilt? Regret? Failure? He...had said something about his leaders, yeah? So...maybe he feels like he's failed. Or something.
I turned around to leave, not really wanting to get into that. I guess I hadn't thought about it before- Zim had leaders, too. All he wanted was to impress them, to prove that he was worthy of something.
Just like me.
Except...Zim had failed. It would of had to be one of us, in the end. But if I had failed...it wouldn't be just me suffering. The entire Earth, and maybe even the rest of the Universe would be suffering, as well! So...what was that compared to one, tiny alien having emotional life issues?
...Well...that wasn't the nicest thing to say, but I'm sure Zim will get over it. It's for the greater good of the world.
That's what I'd have to keep telling myself.
I looked behind me before leaving. I kinda wish I wouldn't have, though, because that's when I caught Zim's whimpering. And the tears in his eyes. Whelp. That image would probably ruin any hope for me ever being able to do what I thought was right again.
"D...Dib?"
I paused, wondering if I should respond. "...Yeah, Zim?"
He sniffed, which was odd, since he didn't have a nose. He rubbed it just like a human would, too. Huh. "Z-Zim...is...he is..."
That was when one of the Scientists poked his head out the door. "Dib, sir, we need you at lab 188."
I blinked. "Um...okay. Zim, can you hold that thought?"
The reaction was surprising. I probably wouldn't have even heard it if I had just walked out without waiting for a response. That's what a smart person would've done.
But, of course, I didn't. Which means I did hear it.
"You don't care. No one ever cares."
The metal door shut behind me, and stiffened as it came into my mind.
You. Don't. Care.
Three words that would make this entire facility break someday, and it was all because I felt like having a pity party with an alien I caught.
Huh. Who knew?

"Why hasn't it fallen asleep yet? It's been four days!" a featureless white coated scientist asked.
"Didn't you listen when I briefed you? He doesn't really need sleep. The metal thing on his back restores his energy," I said, huffing. They had no idea what they were doing. That thing...his...Pak? Yeah, that's what it was called. It could restore energy, so sleeping wasn't essential. Neither was eating...but...by the looks of it, it probably would have been best if had eaten something. So...maybe eating gave him more energy than his Pak alone did. Hmm.
My attention turned to Zim. I strode along the length of his cell, trailing my hand across the spotless glass. There wasn't one scratch in these walls- they were meant to handle something reckless, huge, and damage capable. Zim was usually all of these things(except, maybe...huge. Yeah. He's kind of...short, you know?), but recently, Zim seemed to be more docile than I've ever seen him. Zim stood in his cell, arms folded and a scowl settling into his facial features. One of his antennae flipped forward, a pink haze seeming to swarm his cheeks. A blush? No, not quite. Maybe he was sick. His eyes lacked their usual dark red, instead shifting to somesort of mix between pink and red. Interesting. Never seen him do that before.
"Why are you waiting for him to fall asleep?" I asked, still studying Zim's disheveled appearance.
"We wanted to tag and transport him to the gym for physical testing," A cockney accent answered back.
"Hmm... I can tag him for you, I suppose. He's...not the strongest, especially in such conditions." I shot a sideways glance towards the alien. It had only been a week, but I already missed fighting Zim.
"The entrance capsule is down the hall to the left. Mort will let you through."
I nodded as I walked through the stark corridor. The man I presumed to be 'Mort' waved me through to the entrance

Jun 27capsule. The capsule lowered from the ceiling and presented its stark insides to me. I stepped into it and grabbed a tag gun from a sterile shute just outside the capsule, then waiting for the hatch to close. As soon as the hatch slid into place the capsule, I felt the air around me cool, which was a result of switching the enviorment. I had suggested that Zim was givens cooler cell because he seemed to grow weaker in hot weather, and a weak(or sick) Irken would not have the proper organ system to live through dissection.
Settling into place, the capsule hatch opened. I sucked ina breath. There he was. My enemy. My nemesis. My job and mission. I could even go as far to say he was my very purpose in life.
Zim.
Zim's head snapped toward me, eyes narrowing in anger and hatred. It was strange to see him from inside the blue-tinted glass- he looked different. He looked pissed.
He held his claws at his sides, looking quite threatening without gloves. I marched up to him and knelt, looking into his furious eyes. He really did look awful...almost like he had been shoved through a food grinder. Pieces of dead skin were scattered about, and light green marks were all over his body. Weird. We haven't even done any tests yet, and he already seemed to be done with the entire situation(WHOA. WAIT. Dead skin. Marks. Was he cutting himself? Alien depression or something? No...it didn't really look like cuts...hm...maybe he was shedding. Heh. Like a cat. How embarrassing.) I grabbed the top of his head and turned him. He didn't lash out as I had expected...oh well. I don't miss fighting him THAT bad.
"Dib...smell..." I could feel him shaking. I couldn't tell if it was out of anger or fear. "You...don't know..." Bringing the tag gun to the tip of his antennae, I clamped down. A thin line of opaque-pink dripped from his newly tagged antennae. I frowned. What could he possibly mean? What did I not know?
"We'll talk later, Zim. Right now, you need to so exactly what these scientists say. Unless...you know...you want to be zapped or something." One of the scientists behind the glass held up a taser for emphasis. "Don't make any sudden movements, and don't tick them off. Got it, Zim?"
He twitched, letting out a low growl. But he nodded. A genuine Zim nod.
Or was anything he did genuine? Eh. I don't know anymore. I nodded as well, sucking in a sharp breath. Wiping my hands on my coat, I headed for the capsule. Man, it felt good to win.
I returned to a room of softly clapping scientists. My dad was among them, clapping along. No one could stop me now. "We start our studies on the subject tomorrow!" I announced, making the crowd of scientists go wild.
"Why can't we just start studying it now?" Yelled one of the scientists. The claps subside, leaving small murmurs of agreement.
I contemplated this idea for a moment, rubbing my chin. It was a good point. Zim would probably just get more restless over night, anyways. "Yeah...I GUESS we could start now..." I cleared my throat, looking out to the scientists awaiting my command. "Eh...we start now!"
Awkwardness hung in the air, the moment lost and making it impossible to really get excited again. Still, one of the assistants in the back made an effort, letting out a small "WHOO!" Before cowering back behind the others.
I sighed. I'd probably never be emotionally rousing like my dad.
Watching the guards prep Zim was the funniest thing I had ever seen. Five mammoth beings dressed in all white materialized from the walls surrounding Zim. One picked him up by the head while another carted in a complex restraint contraption. Upon seeing the restraints Zim flailed about, causing two more guards to pin down his arms and legs. They quickly shoved Zim into the restraints and locked him in. The contraption consisted of a straight jacket, muzzle, antennae shackles, and metal straps for his head, legs and feet. Zim let out an inhuman growl, to which he was given the response of "HE'S RESISTING" and a swift punch in the eye.
Now with a nasty shiner, the guards carted Zim out of his cell and down the hall with the scientists and I in tow. Images plagued my mind as I remembered all of the magazines. The comic books. The TV shows. Everything ever mentioning aliens, and how they were evil and were out to destroy Earth. I had read so many guides on autopsy, watched the cuts and the preperations. Titles of hand books and guidelines to capturing aliens flashed into my mind. How to Save the Earth. How to Keep Your Planet from Invasion. HOW TO: Alien.
And then the three words that they never had a book. Not one instruction or explanation to tell you how to counter such harsh words.
You. Don't. Care.
You're wrong, Zim, I thought bitterly. It's because I care that I'm doing this. I care about Earth. I care about my family. I care...
...about everything and everyone except you.
I sighed. No...I had to...somehow care, right? Surely I cared about that stupid alien to some point.
But that wasn't what I needed to think about right now. Right now...we had testing to do.

Authors Note

Thanks for reading this is my first time writing so criticisms welcome.

disclaimer: I do not own anything