Disclaimer - Zim, Dib, the Tallest and Resisty do not belong to me. Zakori, Stephan, Charlotte, Shruikan Professor Jem and any other people who's names you do not recognize from the show are my property.
Introduction...
The Irken felt like his lungs were about to burst. Wheezing, he ran. He ran so fast, he almost flew across the uneven ground.
But it didn't matter how fast he went, and he knew that. He was on foot.
The men chasing him had machines.
Still, that small bit of hope was kindled in the Irken's chest. So he ran, even though he understood that they were going to catch him.
' Why?' he wondered. ' When did everything fall apart?'
A full moon shone down through the leaves of tall, withered trees. The Irken was having a hard time maneuvering through the woods, but they had been the best option.
A tree root appeared out of nowhere, and the Irken found himself sprawled on his stomach, dirt and blood smeared across his chest and face. He made an exasperated noise and looked down at his tunic. Once beautiful and expensive, the scarlet cloth was shredded and stained with various bits of vegetation, blood and soil.
Forcing himself to stagger to his feet, the Irken brushed off his body as best he could. Picking a loose twig from out of his P.A.K, he heard a shout from behind him.
" Over there!" it said.
Spooked, the Irken resumed sprinting, now well-aware of the shouting of men and the baying of dogs.
' Why is this happening to me?' the Irken thought. ' I'm not cut out for this combat stuff. I'm a diplomat, for heaven's sake!'
' However...' the Irken continued bitterly. ' My overly paranoid mother did force me to take regular combat training before she even let me set foot in the 'Negotiation School.' Never though I'd say this, but... thanks mom...'
The Irken shuddered in the cool night air. He wished that he had at least managed to grab his cloak from his ship, but the men had appeared so suddenly that he'd barely had time to escape.
Very suddenly, the tree line ended, and the startled Irken stumbled into a clearing. Regaining his senses, the Iken blinked up at the sky. The stars weren't as bright as he expected, probably due to light pollution.
' Wait, light pollution? In the woods?'
The Irken lowered his gaze. A mile or so away, nestled in the valley of some small, plains-like hills was a little pool of shimmering, yellow lights.
' A town?'
The Irken took a step back warily, unwilling to venture further. He had landed on this planet to study a curious signal that radiated strongly. The creatures here had surrounded his ship the minute he landed, forcing him to run away. They were a species completely unknown to Irken kind: tall, peached-skinned and surprisingly primitive, having a strange fuzz on the tops of their head and sometimes on their faces. They also possessed an alarmingly hostile attitude.
The Irken frowned at his thoughts. He was a naturally forgiving and considerate person, and any sort of negative thinking against a race he had never met was going against his code.
Still, the creatures terrified him. He didn't know why they wanted to hurt him, and he had no intention of finding out.
The shouts behind the Irken intensified. Realizing that he had no choice,the Irken began to make his way towards the strange village.
Something whizzed past his cheek, slicing the skin. Immediately, the Irken dropped into a defensive crouch.
His antenna perked up when he realized that the sounds had stopped.
' That's odd...' he thought. ' I could have sworn that-"
Something sharp dug into the Irken's thigh. With a screech, he tried to run, only to find that whatever had impaled him was attached to a wire that prevented his escape. Furious, he decided that his only choice was to fight.
The creatures morphed out of the trees, one of whom was holding the end of the wire and the rest carrying what looked like weapons.
With a warning hiss, the Irken unsheathed his P.A.K legs and rose up.
' Maybe they can be reasoned with...' the Irken thought. ' It's worth a try...'
" I do not wish to harm you." he growled, giving the creatures his best glare. " Let me be, and we can both go our separate ways unscathed."
The creatures seemed startled at the P.A.k legs that he had just exposed, and even more surprised at his words.
" It can talk!" one of the creatures said in awe.
The Irken was confused.
' Why would this be interesting?' he thought. ' Don't they know that they aren't the only common-tongue speakers in the universe? It's almost like they haven't seen a member of another intelligent race-'
A lump suddenly formed in the Irken's throat. He understood now that it was indeed the case, and he became incredibly fearful for his safety.
He had learned from experience that ignorant races were the dangerous ones when confronted with something new or not understood.
There was a sharp pain in his leg, and he looked down to see one of the creatures tugging at the wire harshly.
The Irken responded by aiming a P.A.K leg at the wire and firing a single blue beam from the tip.
The crowd of creatures below yelped and dove behind the trees. Many fired bolts in the Irken's direction, which he deflected with a shield.
A bright light shone into his eyes, and the Irken blinked a few times to remove the spots from his vision. A noisy aircraft with spinning blades hovered above his head, shining the light directly at him.
A door opened on the side and a creature looked out. It was larger then the others and was cloaked entirely in black. Before the Irken knew what was going on, the creature kept out of the craft and collided with him, dragging them both to the ground below.
The air whooshed out of the Irken's lungs as his back met the grassy ground. He tried to sit up, but the large creature held him down with a knee pressed against the side of his face.
From his mushed sight, the Irken saw a pair of black boots march steadily up to him. Next thing he knew, the large creature hauled him up and suspended him a few inches above the ground in a massive bear-hug.
The Irken shook his head a few times and peered at the new creature in front of him. It was shorter then his current captor, and a lot thiner. It wore a long white coat and a black full- body suit underneath. A pair of goggles adorned the slick black fur on its head.
Its eyes were colder then a glacier, and its smile held no warmth. For that, the creature scared the Irken much more then the monster crushing him.
The thin creature put on a pair of black gloves and idly inspected the Irken's face.
" Good work, Chris." said the creature. " A lovely specimen."
The man holding the Irken grunted.
" Thank you Jem." he said. " It was pretty easy to snag once it was in the open."
Based on their voices and size, the Irken guessed that the creatures were both male.
He also guessed that he was in a lot of danger.
" Hm..." the thin creature said. " The alien has the facial structure of a child. I would guess... 14?"
The Irken couldn't help himself.
" 16." he spat. " Now, if you would be so kind as to release me, I will not be forced to stab your companion in the face."
The creatures in the clearing gasped. The thin creature in front of the Irken simply smiled.
" As, so the rumors are true..." he grinned. " You can talk."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
" Quite the specimen indeed... this will boost human research a millennia ahead."
' Research?' the Irken thought. ' What-?'
" Chris?" the thin creature said. " I don't want this one running away."
" Right, Doctor."
The next thing the Irken knew, something sharp was jabbed into his neck.
He tried to scream, but whatever chemical had been pumped into his system began to take its toll.
" Stop..." he gurgled.
The thin creature smiled.
" Welcome to earth, alien."
The Irken managed a final gasp.
And then cold sleep pressed onto his eyelids and forced him into submission.
