Zim was complementing himself, as usual, on his ingenious machine that he was so close to finishing that he could almost taste it. And it was delicious! Soon, all of humanity would be begging for mercy under the greatness of ZIM! He chuckled to himself, no one was getting in his way, not this time.
"GIR! Hammer!"
The little servant flashed red and saluted, handing out a marshmallow to his master. He turned back to blue and smiled sweetly, "It's squishy lookin', like you!"
Zim smacked his palm to his forehead and threw the marshmallow to the ground, choosing to get the hammer himself. He circled the machine for a moment before shrugging and hitting the hammer at random. He was a genius after all, everything he did would only make the machine better. Of course, as soon as he figured out what it was exactly. All he knew what that his Tallest has sent the package that morning and he had been putting it together ever since. The instruction manual, he had given to GIR, Zim had no need for instructions, and machines like this were no match for him! He's created designs far more complex as a smeet! But he was sure, whatever this machine was, it had been given to him by his Tallest in the highest amount of trust.
In truth, the Tallest had sent him nothing. This parcel had just been another act of rebellion in the Irken mail room. But Zim wasn't to know this.
Now, he was almost finished, he assumed. He had to admit, it was a strange looking devise. The main body was a triangular shape and had two main tubes sprouting from it. At the end of these tubes as a large mental bowl-like object at the end of each, GIR was putting one on his head and playing peek-a-boo with the wall.
"GIR! Leave that alone!"
"OKIE DOKIE! Your turn!" he giggled, jumping up and slamming it onto his masters' head and strapping it on.
Zim growled and struggled with the straps but they were fitted tight, "GIR! Release me now! The mission depends on this machine!"
"That's all I needed to hear!"
A shadowed figure leapt from behind the computer and started clicking the camera in his hands.
"Dib!" Zim snarled.
"That's right! Now I've got proof, soon the whole world will know that you're an alien demon! So, what's this machine do Zim? Some doomsday device? Alien communicator?"
"Oh it's more special than that Dib-stink! And as soon as I get out of this helmet, I will destroy you!"
"Ha! As if! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some evidence to upload! AGH - GET OFF ME!"
GIR had been watching his master and the funny boy with the large head with great joy. He had been thinking to himself, that 'masters hat looks cool, his friend should have a cool hat too!' He jumped and secured the extra tube to Dibs head and managed to fasten the straps down. Awe, the looked all matchy!
The two enemies started struggling and accidently collided against the main body of the machine. Instantly, lights started flashing and the floor vibrated with the machines whirring into live. Pain! Dib felt like his head was going to explode and Zim could feel his antenna burning! What was this?
There was an almightily flash and the two were thrown backwards. The straps snapped and then... everything went black.
Dib opened his eyes and pushed himself up groggily. What happened? His head was throbbing with pain. He ran his hands through his hair, but there was none, just two thick strands on the top on his head. That must have been some explosion to singe his hair off! He remembered being strapped into the machine when all hell broke loose. He looked down to see Zims robot minion curled up on his lap. He gingerly pushed him off and noticed something... odd. Since when had he worn gloves? He let out a cry of panic as he noticed he only had three fingers on each hand. Had he lost some in the explosion? He wasn't bleeding, had they burnt off? No, he didn't feel and pain. Hang on, he didn't remember changing clothes. Why was he wearing pink? The little robot twitched in his sleep before yawning and opening his teal eyes. He looked up at Dib with a sleepy grin.
"Morning masta!"
Master? Dib wasn't his master? Wait a minute... Wearing a pink shirt, three fingered hands in black gloves, master? What the hell was going on? He grabbed GIR's head and twisted it so that he could see his reflection in the robots metallic skin. He cried out in horror as he saw a green, scared face staring back at him, maroon eyes widened in disgust.
"AGH! WHAT'S GOING ON?" his voice had changed, he sounded just like Zim!
This was wrong, it was so wrong wrong wrong! He felt something weird and slimy inside his mouth, he anxiously stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes to see it clearly. A thin, worm-like thing slid out from between his lips and quivered. Dib accidently squeaked in horror and felt bile rise at the back of his throat. No, not in his throat, but... ugh this was wrong!
"Robot, thingy! Where is Zim?" Dib demanded, not liking this Zim-tone at all.
GIR smiled with his little stitch-like mouth and pointed at Dib.
"No, no I'm not Zim! I'm Dib! Where is Zim? Where is Zim and my body?" He knew he was panicking, but he felt like he had a right to.
GIR was still confused, "Will waffles make masta happy?"
"No, I don't want waffles, I want my body back! Where are they?"
"Oh, you mean Mary! The big-head silly!" he grinned.
"My head's not big!" he sighed, "Yeah, that one..."
GIR nodded, "Oh, I took that one home."
"You took what home?"
"The big headed silly boy! He was all tried."
Dib deflated in dismay. Zim, in his body, running around his house! He could get access to all of his files and equipment! He could... Wait, Dib smirked, that means I can get into all of his files and equipment too. Where was his camera? He searched himself, then sighed, his camera was back with his own body. Perfect.
Meanwhile, Zim awoke to find himself laying in Dibs bedroom. What was this? Had the human brought him here for experimentation? As prisoner perhaps? No, the Dib was nowhere to be seen, and he was not restrained. So what had happened. Curse that robot and the infernal machine!
Zim rolled out of the bed and felt something slide off of his face. Instantly, his vision was warped and blurred. He couldn't see. What kind of human trickery was this? He felt abound and found the metallic, round device and slipped it in front of his eyes. Everything became clear once more. He managed to fix them back to his head, by balancing them on his... ears and nose? He didn't have ears and a nose! And since when was he so pale and colourless? He saw the full length mirror in the corner of the room. He grasped it and held it out in front of him.
"Dib? What is the meaning of this? What trickery is - " he stopped and cleared his throat, his voice was different, and the Dib in the mirror was copying his every movement.
The voice, that was the humans voice... and the mirror... No, it couldn't be true. This was all just some sort of dream! But Irkens didn't sleep. Maybe he had been infected with the brain-worms! No, he had not been in contact with the parasite. He looked at the reflection again. Zim lifted his arms and started to feel his hands around his head, taking in the size an shape. It was the size of a hippo this head!
"DIB!" someone shouted from the doorway, making Zim jump, "I know you ate drank the last soda, now if you don't go and buy a new pack right now... you will pay!"
Zim backed away, he could feel something pounding in his-Dibs chest, it wouldn't be a squeedily squoosh, what did humans call it, a hat? No a heart! Whatever it was, the sight of the Dib-sister was enough to cause panic even in the safety of her own brothers body. But, he remembered, when had she ever been nice to her brother? No one was safe!
"Dib-sibling! It's Zim!" he cried, hopefully.
She arched her brow at him, "Excuse me?"
"I'm ZIM!" this voice was useless, "The Dib-stink broke into my base and he broke my machine, I'm ZIM!"
"So obviously Dib is in your body." she said simply, "Not my problem."
How was she so calm? This was horrible! Dib could be doing anything in his base! All his missions and plans, at full expose!
"But my base! You must help ZIM now! I command you!"
She was already leaving, "Just tell Dib to buy more soda before he gets home."
Zim turned around and took one last look at himself, no, at Dib in the mirror and his skin crawled. He thought he was going to be sick! He rushed to the bathroom and leant backwards for any impurities to be expelled from his PAK. But at the last minute, he remembered that he didn't have a PAK anymore. He was disgusted to find that in this body, the vomit came pouring from his mouth.
"Whiner..." Gaz muttered, ignoring him.
Zim had no time to loose, he ran from the house and towards his own. That Dib-worm was going to pay dearly for this! He only had to make his way into the base that then all would be sorted. And the Dib would be exterminated, in his own body! He couldn't understand why the Tallest would send him a machine that would put him in the position of a lower life from. He would get to the bottom of his, as soon as he was in a more appropriate form to do so.
Dib rubbed his eyes, man these lenses were scratchy! In any other situation, he would have forced the alien into the open without a disguise, but if he did that, then it would be him being tested on, not Zim. How did Zim cope with these things in constantly, and this wig was so stuffy! He ran down the road towards his house and sighed with relief at the sight of his own body heading straight for him. Hmm, he thought, my head is a little big... Wait no it wasn't! It was fine!
"Hey, me! Dib! No, Zim!" Dib cried.
Zim was started at the sound of his own voice, coming from somewhere else. He looked up and saw his own body in full disguise running his way, and his most peeved off expression on full display. Zim felt a shudder, wow he could really look threatening when he wanted to be, good, he could use that in future. Dib felt a hint of hesitation in himself as he gabbed his body by the neck of it's shirt, but it was Zim inside so that made it ok.
"Give me back my body now ZIM!" he demanded.
"You think I planned this? It was your fault you insolent meddling human!"
"You're the human now Zim!" he smirked.
Zim felt his pale, human face drain of further colour, "We're fixing this, NOW!"
Zim shoved Dib away and grabbed his wrist, dragging him behind him.
"Careful Zim, don't want to damage your own body now, do you?" Dib asked, deliberately resisting so that his wrist was starting to bruise.
"You want to be more concerned that your own body doesn't get too damaged!" Zim said, walking into a lamppost with deliberate force.
"Careful!"
Zim smirked, victory for Irk! Well, technically a victory for the human considering that's what he was, but that would soon change! Man that hurt! Okay, so the damage was done to the Dibs body, but he still felt pain, he would have to remember that.
They arrived at Zims house and travelled down to the lower levels of the base. The machine was sparking and GIR was forcing more tubes and wires into it.
"GIR!" Zim cried in his Dib voice, "What're you doing!"
"Multi-player!" he declared.
"Two are more than enough GIR..." he shuddered, "Now get away from there, the Tallest said they would call at any moment and this needs to be fixed!"
"No they didn't!" GIR stated, dropping his machinery.
"SILENCE!" Zim started choking and spluttering, "Curse this puny human voice box, it cannot manage the power that is ZIM!" he coughed again.
"Hey, my voice is fine! It's this one that's the problem! Look, I AM ZIM! HAHAHAHA!" Dib also started coughing, "Man, that hurts, why do you do that?"
"Because, I AM ZIM!"
Dib thought for a moment, he felt really dizzy. This was going no where fast.
He tried to remember the explosion, but it was coming across differently each time. On one had, he remembered breaking into the base and then getting attacked, but on the other, he also remembered already being strapped to the machine when a figure entered the room... himself. But why could he remember being himself, and seeing himself too?
"What are you planning, Dib-worm?"
Wow, never thought I'd hear myself say that, Dib thought.
"Zim, why can I remember the explosion from two different points of view?"
Zim thought for a moment. He remembered trying to break free of the straps when Dib broke in, but how had he gotten in there in the first place?
"There's a passage behind my computer monitor?" Zim cried, pointing at Dib, or himself, either way.
"How did you know that? That's my secret passage!" Dib declared defensively.
Zim looked up, worried and jittery, "Because I remember being you, digging it, and using it today..."
The two stared at each other in confusion. Dib could see images of flying through space, the feeling of pride as he looked down at Earth for the first time, no it wasn't him! And he was sure he had never worked in an alien restaurant before! Two tall Irkens were sneering, Your small Zim, You made them worse, Me don't like you! Zim shuddered as unfamiliar memories of Gaz beating him to a pulp zoomed by and... what was this... the feeling of abandonment. Membrane, Not now son, I'm working son, My poor insane son... The pair looked at one another, somewhat sympathetic, but still wary.
"It seems that by switching bodies, we are also switching memories." Zim announced, turning to the machine.
Dib flickered through most of the aliens memories, maybe he could find something to use against him! Wait, why was his sister here. A series of images shot by of Gaz and Zim, each time he remembered how Zim had felt some sort of happiness around her, as well as a lot of fear! What was this?
"And why is it you have such an interest in my little sister?" Dib snapped.
Dib saw his own flash burn red, "To the machine!"
Oh this was so not over! Dib forced the machine on his head and matched as Zim did the same. They couldn't wait to be back in their own bodies, could you blame them? But as the switch was flicked, there didn't notice GIR wanting to join in the game too. After all, what was multi-player for? He put his own helmet on and shrieked in delight as the electricity shocked him from the inside out. Once again there was a flash of pure white, and then, darkness.
Dib was the first to wake up. He quickly looked over himself. Glasses, yes. Hair, yes. Five fingers on each hand, yes! He was back! He jumped up in triumph and punched the air. Man he'd never felt this good! But then, he noticed both Zim and GIR laying unconscious next to him. Why was the robot wearing a helmet too? Dib smirked, oh this was going to be fun...
Zim jumped to his feet and instantly lunged towards Dib, but he found that he had to jump in order to fully clasp his hands around the humans neck. But even his hands didn't fully grasp him properly. Something wasn't right here, he knew that from the moment he saw Dib smirking at him.
Dib easily prised the little robotic ands away and held Zim away from him by the small metal antenna on his head. He watched in amusement as Zim started kicking and flailing his limbs at Dib, but he just couldn't reach.
"What kind of trickery is this?" Zim snarled.
He froze, hearing his voice, he knew that something was definitely wrong! His voice was oddly high pitched and slightly digitalised. He looked down at his dangling body and saw it turn scarlet in anger.
"GIR!" he screamed, managing to break free of Dibs grip, clanging to the ground.
"Oh Zim, this is a good look for you." Dib said, spluttering with laughter.
Zim smirked, "But what you don't realise, Dib-worm, is that now I am in control of highly advanced Irken technology. Victory for ZIM!"
Dib felt his smile drop, he hadn't thought of that. He stared to back away as Zim/GIR's body burned crimson. Zim could feel the machinery inside him, now he was going to unleash all hell on this insolent, interfering - wait, what was this? Zim opened the robotic head he now possessed and expected some kind of Irken missile to reveal itself, but instead a brownish yellow lump fell out. For a moment, the two just stared at it. But then, it started vibrating and buzzing and a vast supply of angry bees swarmed around them both.
"BEES!" Zim screamed, shoving Dib to the side.
Dib stumbled and fell onto a control panel, pressing a large green button and then against a larger red one. A vacuum tube lowered and sucked up the bee hive and the insects along with it. Another tube fell down and wrapped itself around Dib, immobilizing him. He lay gasping for breath on the floor and trying to break free while Zim clutched his metallic head in frustration.
"Any other surprises you have there?" Dib snapped.
"I have no idea..." Zim shuddered.
"Awe... my bee's..."
The two span around and saw Zims body sitting up, wide eyed and slightly sad. He soon recovered when it looked down at the sight of Zim in GIR's body. Suddenly, it jumped and grasped Zim in a air-wrenching hug.
"Awe! I'm cute!"
Dib smirked and replied sarcastically, "Yes... that is adorable..."
Zim had finally managed to free himself from his own, or rather GIR's grasp and was now re-fitting the helmets to himself as well as on GIR who was now examining his new eye lenses by poking himself in the eye.
"It's all squishy! And pain like!" he cried, in Zims loud voice.
"GIR! Stop it! It'll only hurt me when we switch back!"
"Don't listen to him GIR!" Dib called from his restraints, "Don't let the mean alien spoil your fun!"
GIR stretched Zims smile to full, yet creepy, capacity, "I like him!"
Zim grumbled, which in GIR's voice sounded adorable, and managed to tie the helmet down and flick the switch. But at the last minute, GIR kicked as hard as Zims legs could at one of the extra helmets.
"Mary have a go, I like him!" he cried.
The helmet skidded across the tiled floor and brushed against Dibs hair. It was only for a brief moment, but it was enough. Dib was actually getting used to this... he sighed and closed his eyes tiredly as the flash erupted. Let me guess, what was going to happen this time?
Dib opened his eyes again in time to see his own body wrapping around Zim.
"But don't worry, I like you too!" he heard his own voice say.
Dib looked at his hands and body, they were robotic and tiny. He threw his arms in the air and rolled his eyes, of course!
"GIR! Stop making me hug Zim it's disgusting!" wow his voice sounded weird!
Zim, now in his own body, shoved GIR away from him and looked down at the little robotic Dib and smirked.
"Oh, how the tables have turned!" he sneered.
Dib jumped to his feet, eyes turning red with frustration, "Come on Zim, this is getting ridiculous!"
Zim stopped, his hand inches away from Dibs antenna. He paused and pulled back, he looked over at the GIR possessed Dib. GIR loved his hair. He ran his hands upwards along the scythe-like spike and the following it back.
"It goes up, and back. It goes up, and back. UP AND BACK UP AND BACK! HAHAHA!"
Dib shook his head in shame, he was sounding like an idiot! Zim felt conflicted. It would be all too easy to dismantle Dib while he was in this form, and then he would be able to use GIR in Dibs body as his minion. It would be the perfect humiliation, as soon as everyone realised that even Dib could bow down to Zim, they would all follow. But then again, that would raise questions, the Dib-sister would know that her brother wasn't himself. That would be a problem in itself, but then GIR would be required to keep up appearances in skool and such to avoid suspicion. GIR cannot be trusted to have that much responsibility! Not to mention having to live with the Dibs body stinking up the base...
"For once I agree with you, Dib-monkey, this madness must end!" he huffed, disgusted that he was forced to co-operate with this interfering human.
They both looked over at GIR who had discovered the glasses on his face. He took them off and jumped up, running in a circle of panic.
"I CAN'T SEE!" he was laughing manically.
Dib and Zim smacked their palms to their heads in unison as GIR face first into the wall. Zim had to allow himself a smirk, that was going to hurt later. GIR swayed for a moment, not used to the concept of pain in a human body and collapsed to the floor, out cold.
"Well, that was easier than expected!" Zim declared, grabbing Dibs body under the arms and dragging it towards the machine.
Dib tottered over to the machine, it was weird the little clicking sound he made as he ran, and attached the helmet to his head. Zim strapped the other onto GIR and flicked the switch. The all too familiar flash. When Dib opened his eyes, he was back in his room, and something hard crashing against his skull.
"OW! GET OFF!" he cried, pushing the little robot away from him, "Go home..."
GIR dropped his head, "Awe, I liked it in the big head..."
"My head's not big!" he called.
Back at the base, Zim was about to dismantle the machine, cursing the day it was ever sent to him, when he had an idea. What if... he brought the Dib-sister along for a little...visit? He smirked and put the hammer down, finding a certain new admiration for the device.