She Didn't Die
They glared at each other from no more than five feet apart. Identical in height and determination their eyes stayed locked in what could only be a staring contest. One pair of gleaming red eyes covered in contacts, the other a glowing human amber.
As the seconds ticked on and the other children passed them less than curiously on the playground their stare became more determined.
Eventually the green child grit his teeth, in the back of his head he was cackling. His enemy was a moron. While he had the Humans full attention placed on his eyes a gloved Irken hand reached around to his back-pod. He felt the handle of the laser in his fingers when he felt something shudder in the air.
Dib blinked feeling it too but the eerie mood was shattered.
"HA! You blinked!" Zim yelled pointing at him. "I am superior!" He then started to go on a full on gloat. "Stupid weakling Human!"
Dib grit his teeth. "Shut up Zim, it wasn't my fault! Something," He paused looking off into the distance down the street. "Something changed."
"Hmm?" Zim grunted. "That was probably just you're filthy little mind snapping at my brilliant power." He motioned to himself smugly. "Now I've had enough of this foolishness. So I'm leaving." He cocked an eye at Dib suspiciously then turned and sprinted away.
Dib glared. He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and kicked the concrete of the sidewalk. "Stupid alien." He muttered.
He turned on a heel and looked up at his house. Zim had followed him and challenged him to a 'battle of eye-thingy-looks' as Zim had put it. Or in other words a staring contest.
It hadn't been hard. They had gone on like that for a good seven minuets before that, feeling, had come over Dib.
He trudged into his house and slammed the door shut. A stiff 'Be Quiet' echoed in from upstairs. Gaz no doubt.
He went into the kitchen still feeling downcast. The 'Dad-Window' fluttered around him giving out-dated instructions to him then sped off to who knew where.
He glanced around to kitchen wondering if something were around there that was worth eating with a sharp crash come from his left. He turned to it curiously wondering if Gaz had come down and was throwing things. If it were her he'd have to hide. But no, it wasn't Gaz. The sound had come from...Dad's Lab.
His eyes widened as another crash sounded. Someone was down there!
It couldn't be his dad. He never got home till Seven twelve exactly.
Dib went to the stairs that led down into the lab. Some murmuring filtered up. Two voices, one female, one male, both slightly familiar. He edged his way down the stairs and peeked around the corner into the lab.
There were two figures with their back to him in the dark lab. A single overhead lamp had been turned down on them.
One was obviously the female he'd heard. He hair was a brilliant violet color and a black sleeveless trench coat hid most other details. But he male.
His eyes widened further. Antenna and green skin with shimmering crimson eyes.
An IRKEN!
He zipped back around the corner trying hard not to panic. Was this the invasion? Had Zim been stalling him with the staring contest? Was he in deep shit or was he in deep shit?
One he stopped nearly hyperventilating he started to hear what the two were saying.
"No, its' not going to work like that anymore. We're going to have to start with the settings from scratch." The male, the Irken said sounding perplexed. His voice was similar to Zims' but deeper and slower.
"From scratch? Are you insane?" The female nearly yelled. Her voice lowered back to a near whisper. "We don't have the time for that."
"Ironic isn't it?" The Irken asked.
"While I appreciate the irony that doesn't help us any." She shot at him. She sighed. "Maybe we should talk to Membrane after all."
"Are you sure you want to do that Hez?"
Dibs' eyes widened for a third time. He peeked back around the corner and this time didn't bother to keep himself hidden. He started to pace into the room, slowly, one foot at a time.
The Irken tilted his head seeing the Human child in full view. "Uh-oh."
The female looked at him funny then followed the direction he pointed.
Once she turned around Dib got a full view of her face. A heart-shattering chill flowed into his spine. Her purple hair, the sleeveless trench coat, the white shirt with 'I (heart) Aliens' on the front. It was her, stepped right out of one of the old pictures he'd seen of her.
"Uh-oh." She echoed the Irken. "Uh, look Kid, we're not going to hurt you."
She looked young, really young, barely two years older than the very last picture taken of her just a month after Gaz had been born.
Dib felt his arms go limp, he couldn't feel his hands, or much else for that matter. His jaw quivered and he locked his eyes on her face. "Mom?" His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted.
"Oh no! I broke him!" She squealed. "Did I break him? Oh don't be dead kid." She bent down next to Dib.
The Irken rolled his eyes; it wasn't much to look at considering Irken eye structure. "Hez, honestly, you can't break Human children, they're born that way."
"Oh be quiet." She looked down at him. "Must be one of Membranes." She looked kind of disappointed. "Must have been gone longer than I thought, he looks at least ten-years-old."
"I didn't see any pictures of a wife." The Irken said to himself. "Or kids for that matter."
She glared at him. "If you don't mind Skell, this is kind of a hard moment for me." She looked back down at the boy.
The Irken, Skell, was silent a moment. "You really liked this Membrane, didn't you."
"Thought I loved him." She replied trying to smooth out a bit of the unconscious Dibs' hair. She really didn't want to look at Skells' face at that moment.
Skell lowered his head and looked over the table they had covered in schematics. "Hez, even if with your feelings for this Human we still have to consult him on our dilemma."
"Who said I still have feelings for him?" She finally did look up.
"I just thought."
She rolled her eyes, a more easily seen act in Human eyes. "Skell, really, Humans are fickle remember?"
"Don't I know it."
Dib groaned gaining Hezs' attention. His amber eyes came open slowly and a look of confusion crossed his face. "Gaz?"
Hez clenched her jaw. "No, I ain't Gaz."
Dibs' eyes opened more. He looked up at her silently. "Am I dead?"
"Huh?" Hez asked. She looked at Skell who only shrugged.
"It's just." Dib started. "I couldn't see you unless I was dead. Right?" He reached up a hand to her face. "Mom?"
"Sorry, Kid, I'm not your mom." She said.
"But. You look like her." He blinked and let his eyes wander. "I've seen pictures."
"I've never had any kids." This was basically scaring the hell out of her now.
"Hez, if you're done with the confusion, we should leave before the Humans father comes home."
"Hez! That's her name! You are her!" Dib sat up, all the breath had left him. He couldn't speak and looked at her hopefully.
"Look Kid, I'm not." She paused mid-sentence. Her eyes had drifted up to the entrance of the lab, and there stood a tall figure in a white lab coat. "Oh shit."
Skell noticed this newcomer, the significance of this specific Human and his own personal lack of disguise. "No kidding."
They glared at each other from no more than five feet apart. Identical in height and determination their eyes stayed locked in what could only be a staring contest. One pair of gleaming red eyes covered in contacts, the other a glowing human amber.
As the seconds ticked on and the other children passed them less than curiously on the playground their stare became more determined.
Eventually the green child grit his teeth, in the back of his head he was cackling. His enemy was a moron. While he had the Humans full attention placed on his eyes a gloved Irken hand reached around to his back-pod. He felt the handle of the laser in his fingers when he felt something shudder in the air.
Dib blinked feeling it too but the eerie mood was shattered.
"HA! You blinked!" Zim yelled pointing at him. "I am superior!" He then started to go on a full on gloat. "Stupid weakling Human!"
Dib grit his teeth. "Shut up Zim, it wasn't my fault! Something," He paused looking off into the distance down the street. "Something changed."
"Hmm?" Zim grunted. "That was probably just you're filthy little mind snapping at my brilliant power." He motioned to himself smugly. "Now I've had enough of this foolishness. So I'm leaving." He cocked an eye at Dib suspiciously then turned and sprinted away.
Dib glared. He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and kicked the concrete of the sidewalk. "Stupid alien." He muttered.
He turned on a heel and looked up at his house. Zim had followed him and challenged him to a 'battle of eye-thingy-looks' as Zim had put it. Or in other words a staring contest.
It hadn't been hard. They had gone on like that for a good seven minuets before that, feeling, had come over Dib.
He trudged into his house and slammed the door shut. A stiff 'Be Quiet' echoed in from upstairs. Gaz no doubt.
He went into the kitchen still feeling downcast. The 'Dad-Window' fluttered around him giving out-dated instructions to him then sped off to who knew where.
He glanced around to kitchen wondering if something were around there that was worth eating with a sharp crash come from his left. He turned to it curiously wondering if Gaz had come down and was throwing things. If it were her he'd have to hide. But no, it wasn't Gaz. The sound had come from...Dad's Lab.
His eyes widened as another crash sounded. Someone was down there!
It couldn't be his dad. He never got home till Seven twelve exactly.
Dib went to the stairs that led down into the lab. Some murmuring filtered up. Two voices, one female, one male, both slightly familiar. He edged his way down the stairs and peeked around the corner into the lab.
There were two figures with their back to him in the dark lab. A single overhead lamp had been turned down on them.
One was obviously the female he'd heard. He hair was a brilliant violet color and a black sleeveless trench coat hid most other details. But he male.
His eyes widened further. Antenna and green skin with shimmering crimson eyes.
An IRKEN!
He zipped back around the corner trying hard not to panic. Was this the invasion? Had Zim been stalling him with the staring contest? Was he in deep shit or was he in deep shit?
One he stopped nearly hyperventilating he started to hear what the two were saying.
"No, its' not going to work like that anymore. We're going to have to start with the settings from scratch." The male, the Irken said sounding perplexed. His voice was similar to Zims' but deeper and slower.
"From scratch? Are you insane?" The female nearly yelled. Her voice lowered back to a near whisper. "We don't have the time for that."
"Ironic isn't it?" The Irken asked.
"While I appreciate the irony that doesn't help us any." She shot at him. She sighed. "Maybe we should talk to Membrane after all."
"Are you sure you want to do that Hez?"
Dibs' eyes widened for a third time. He peeked back around the corner and this time didn't bother to keep himself hidden. He started to pace into the room, slowly, one foot at a time.
The Irken tilted his head seeing the Human child in full view. "Uh-oh."
The female looked at him funny then followed the direction he pointed.
Once she turned around Dib got a full view of her face. A heart-shattering chill flowed into his spine. Her purple hair, the sleeveless trench coat, the white shirt with 'I (heart) Aliens' on the front. It was her, stepped right out of one of the old pictures he'd seen of her.
"Uh-oh." She echoed the Irken. "Uh, look Kid, we're not going to hurt you."
She looked young, really young, barely two years older than the very last picture taken of her just a month after Gaz had been born.
Dib felt his arms go limp, he couldn't feel his hands, or much else for that matter. His jaw quivered and he locked his eyes on her face. "Mom?" His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted.
"Oh no! I broke him!" She squealed. "Did I break him? Oh don't be dead kid." She bent down next to Dib.
The Irken rolled his eyes; it wasn't much to look at considering Irken eye structure. "Hez, honestly, you can't break Human children, they're born that way."
"Oh be quiet." She looked down at him. "Must be one of Membranes." She looked kind of disappointed. "Must have been gone longer than I thought, he looks at least ten-years-old."
"I didn't see any pictures of a wife." The Irken said to himself. "Or kids for that matter."
She glared at him. "If you don't mind Skell, this is kind of a hard moment for me." She looked back down at the boy.
The Irken, Skell, was silent a moment. "You really liked this Membrane, didn't you."
"Thought I loved him." She replied trying to smooth out a bit of the unconscious Dibs' hair. She really didn't want to look at Skells' face at that moment.
Skell lowered his head and looked over the table they had covered in schematics. "Hez, even if with your feelings for this Human we still have to consult him on our dilemma."
"Who said I still have feelings for him?" She finally did look up.
"I just thought."
She rolled her eyes, a more easily seen act in Human eyes. "Skell, really, Humans are fickle remember?"
"Don't I know it."
Dib groaned gaining Hezs' attention. His amber eyes came open slowly and a look of confusion crossed his face. "Gaz?"
Hez clenched her jaw. "No, I ain't Gaz."
Dibs' eyes opened more. He looked up at her silently. "Am I dead?"
"Huh?" Hez asked. She looked at Skell who only shrugged.
"It's just." Dib started. "I couldn't see you unless I was dead. Right?" He reached up a hand to her face. "Mom?"
"Sorry, Kid, I'm not your mom." She said.
"But. You look like her." He blinked and let his eyes wander. "I've seen pictures."
"I've never had any kids." This was basically scaring the hell out of her now.
"Hez, if you're done with the confusion, we should leave before the Humans father comes home."
"Hez! That's her name! You are her!" Dib sat up, all the breath had left him. He couldn't speak and looked at her hopefully.
"Look Kid, I'm not." She paused mid-sentence. Her eyes had drifted up to the entrance of the lab, and there stood a tall figure in a white lab coat. "Oh shit."
Skell noticed this newcomer, the significance of this specific Human and his own personal lack of disguise. "No kidding."