I don't own Invader Zim okay? I have just been so busy of late that I haven't been able to update but to any loyal fans of mine, I will update do not fret. Okay, enough with the author's note, on with the fic!
Christie walked alone looking at the night sky. It was a cold late November night, one that looked as if snow was to fall soon. I sure hope it doesn't snow. That is the last thing I need. She thought as she looked around alone. "It's those damn Irken's fault. They can all die and burn in Hell. In fact that is what needs to happen." She looked around at the lack of people that were on the streets and the lack of footprints in the ground. "A life for a life." She whispered up to the sky as she walked away from her job at McMeaties. It was the only place where an orphaned homeless 17 year old girl could get and keep a job and maintain some innocence. She walked this road for the past 3 years alone in the world.
"I remember it all too well…." Christie sighed.
3 years earlier the Irkens had taken total control. The Eielson family was not one to be complacent about it either. Soon after the Irkens had taken control, Christie's brother Derek was declared missing. While no one linked the Irkens to it, it was still a suspicion that Derek had been taken for testing by the Irkens. Her parents couldn't take that lying down so they formed an underground movement. Unfortunately for them, their resistance got too well known. On a cold November night just like this one Christie was walking in, her family's resistance was found out. She heard a familiar scream and dove under a box out of habit. That sounded like my mother's scream…when she was alive. Christie had a sort of flashback to the night her parents were killed right in front of her eyes. She was only 14 but it shaped how the rest of her life would become.
(Flashback)
"Christie, you do remember why we're risking our lives right?" Her mother said that final day in their basement.
"To set humanity free from Irken clutches." Christie replied simply.
"People go missing unexplained everyday, never to be seen again. Your brother is a prime example; we have yet to hear from him again." Her father said looking out the window.
"Do you think they killed him?" Christie asked.
"Maybe. Hell, they could have done anything to him." Her father said back just as a loud 'THUMP' was heard outside on the basement door.
"OPEN UP! We know the Eielson family is in there. You are charged with being the leaders of the rebellion that we have just vanquished. This arrest warrant is from the Almighty Tallest themselves!"
"Christie go into the closet. Hide there as long as you can." Her mother hugged her for the last time. Christie felt as though somehow this was the last love she'd feel for the rest of her life. "I love you sweetie."
"I love you too Mom but…" Christie started to cry.
"Go young lady!" Her father yelled grabbing her by the scruff of her shirt and shoving her in the closet and acting like she wasn't there. Just as Christie was safely locked away, the Irkens then busted down the door. They looked around and saw the two main people they wanted, not worrying about Christie.
"You Eielson pigs have one chance. Agree to come quietly and be reeducated or else." The tallest and chief of the military police said. He had many battle scars on his face and a broad chest.
Christie's mother swallowed and then spoke her defiance."So that is it huh, reeducation?"
"We have our ways of bringing rebels into line." The chief's assistant said tapping his PAK. He was just 2 inches shorter and lankier."We developed these things for humans too. Just look at the children. Do not be a fool. These things are our ultimate weapon against you pig-smellies"
"Never!" Christie's father yelled. As soon as the word left his mouth, he was killed. The assistant had fired his gun right at his heart. His body fell at the Irken's feet like a ragdoll.
Christie had cracked the door open to see her father be killed. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the barrel of the military police captain's gun point square at her mother's chest. "Your turn. That is unless you agree to come with us."
"You monster-" She said as he fired into her heart. Christie bit her lower lip to conceal her presence. The Irkens laughed at Mr. and Mrs. Eielson's bodies and looked up.
"Didn't we have orders for their daughter as well?" One of the police Irkens said.
"Men, the Tallest didn't seem to care too much about her. She won't survive too long on her own. Besides the Tallest will only give us 50 monies for killing her. Not worth our time dead." The military captain said.
"What about alive? She's still young enough to be some fun…" One of the fellow police men said. "You know what I mean." He said with a wink and a smirk."Earth girls her age are perfect for play"
Christie crawled further into the closet at that comment. She knew the tone and the rumors. She had to keep quiet or the horror stories would come true. Tales of earth girls being taken advantage of then cast aside with the damage were told. No girl was safe. The Irkens would have just destroyed the planet if not for the raw materials.
(End flashback)
Now Christie walked along resting from her night job and dreading her day job that would start in 8 hours. It was more humiliating than McMeaties and riskier too seeing as she was a member of the infamous Eielson family. She worked alone as she was denied formal education. She looked as a new batch of 9th graders had a PAK installed right across the street. She knew that the Irkens told fabulous promises that could never come true to get them installed to the humans and take total control and weed out the rebels. They had very few humans that turned them down actually. Christie heard the facts from her parents before they were killed. "I hope you guys were right Mom and Dad. Don't die in vain."
She heard another scream and the 17 year old dove behind a trash can trying to use it to hide. Thank goodness I am very flexible. She neared her breathing to a quiet level and slowed her heartbeat. Once the coast was clear she looked around the alley she called her home. In this alley was everyone she knew that was willing to speak out against the Irkens. They scavenged like vultures just to survive. "Things have to change." As she whispered this a Voot Cruiser flew off from near where the scream was heard. "Experiments…."
(Page break)
Dib tapped his pen on a clipboard wondering why he agreed to help the Irkens. "I used to swear to destroy these people. That was before I got together with Zim but still." He threw his pen down and turned back to the chalkboard looking at the notes. "Okay they want to know the effects of their new sugar based mind control rays…."
"Membrane! The Younger one!" The head scientist said. Dib sighed and turned around. Great. Dad has to work here too. No one can call me Dib. Just Membrane, the younger one.
"Yes Niad." Dib sighed turning around.
"What are your notes? Did you at least try to write them in Irken?" Niad said.
"Yes. I'm afraid that my Irken handwriting is atrocious though. I provided the English as well." Dib said tapping his pen near the notes.
"I'll say your Irken is horrid!" Niad said his eyes widening in shock. "You wrote 'My piggy blue feet ate brick poop biscuits running backward up the pyramids' Just be grateful we picked up on English quick. 'It was already common Earth knowledge that sugar rots teeth but also creates a feeling of pleasure which can be used to make humans think they are doing good while under control.' Excellent. Your father made us a good recommendation besides your…" Niad paused. Dib knew he was talking about his homosexuality"…your…um…flaw"
"I know I know." Dib said. "You guys would have me killed for that. If I wasn't so valuable that is."
"Well yes that is how it is." Niad said. "Dismissed."
Dib took his assigned red lab coat and headed out. "Yeah flaw, right." He walked back to the staffroom drinking a soda. He knew he was fortunate that his life was spared so he could find happiness with Zim but it was never like what they had before. The spark had died from the stress. Whenever they were together expressing their feelings, it felt as if it was a suicide note. The Tallest condemned their love on the homosexual level and on a lesser enforced level of mating with the conquered peoples. Yet the fact that many of the generals took advantage of young human girls proved the Tallest didn't care. When caught, a general simply explained it as "forcing their will" and therefore they were doing their job.
Dib walked down the halls looking for his father. Sure that man disowns me and then makes me work here. Real nice. Save my life my ass Dad. If it wasn't for Zim I wouldn't be doing this at all. Dib sulked around and saw a familiar "M" hair shape over a bookcase. "Dad!" Dib yelled out.
"Yes son what is it?" Professor Membrane said while looking at his clipboard writing notes in fluent Irken, the new language of all science on Earth. "You write 'My piggy blue feet ate brick poop biscuits running backward up the pyramids' for your notes and report again?" Professor Membrane sighed.
"Yes. But that's not the point." Dib sighed. He grabbed his father's lab coat's neck and pulled him to his level. Face to face Dib lowered his voice. "Do you know what is going on here? The experiments, the mind control, its insane!"
"Son you fail to understand. Mankind will benefit from this. Think of it this way, violent crime has been down in the past 5 year's right?" Professor Membrane said.
"But mysterious disappearances have been on the rise!" Dib said as his father pulled away.
"Son look, things may not seem great now but the Irkens have the best intentions at heart for this planet. Look the Tallest told me so themselves. I have the best of intentions at heart with you as well. Why else do you think you have been alive this long with your… your…um… flaw?" Professor Membrane asked.
"You convinced the Tallest that as your son I was as good an asset to them as you were when it came to science." Dib winced admitting to himself that his father did care or at least seemed to.
"Exactly. I did it to spare your life. Do you know what the Tallest made me promise if you failed?" Professor Membrane said putting his notes in the filing cabinets and arranging the lab ever so neatly.
"What?" Dib asked.
"My head if you failed. See I put a huge wager on my life for yours. I hope you are grateful for that." Professor Membrane said as he turned away leaving Dib all alone.
"Okay so what you are saying Dad is that if I get caught or screw up, it is just going to be your head not mine? Idiot. The Tallest will kill us both you twit." Dib mumbled as he looked at his father walking away. He walked back into the lab he was working in that day and grabbed his stuff. Digging though the pockets of the red trench coat he was forced to wear, he found his cell phone and dialed Zim's. "Hey Zim, it's me Dib. Call me when you get this message. Love your earth monkey Dib." He put away the cell phone and sighed. Love is a dangerous word to say these days. Love could get you killed. Dib thought to himself as he walked to his car. These past 5 years have been crap. From being hid from the Irkens by Zim for a year to my father getting me this 'job'…. Dib sighed and sunk his shoulders lower.
"That's right Membrane, know your superiors." A guard said as Dib sunk his shoulders.
"Yeah yeah sir." Dib said. "Nothing has been the same since the Irkens took control" Dib said under his breath.
(Page break)
"Alright men you're dismissed. You best hope me merciful because your evaluation is being sent to the Tallest tonight. Once again, dismissed." Zim said as the new recruits walked away.
He always wanted to be in control and he loved it, which was without a doubt. He had gotten an expansion to his base for which he could do anything he wanted without the Tallest minding. So that expansion came to be Dib's home but them sneaking in there to be alone just was not worth it at times. It was either the power or the Dib. Zim had gotten to a point where that would be an impossible decision. Power was a mixed blessing at best. Zim felt his phone go off so he grabbed it and opened it. "I don't remember a message. "It's Dib!" He called the voice mail "Hey Zim, it's me Dib. Call me when you get this message. Love your earth monkey Dib."
Zim then dialed Dib's number looking around nervously. "Dib-stink!" Zim said making it seem that they were just colleges nothing more.
"Zim!" Dib said as he got the cue that a guard was walking by. Dib looked around and saw another guard and sighed, "We'll talk in the car."
"Fine." Zim said as he headed to the parking garage. He walked around until he found Dib's car. He looked at his watch and tapped his foot.
"Hey Zim!" Dib called running up to his car. He looked around then gave Zim a hug. "I missed you."
"So did I Dib." Zim said. He turned away and got in the car. "You know this stinks Dib. I love you. Yet I can't say it in public like we used to."
"I know." Dib said putting his seatbelt on and starting the car. He backed out of the spot and just drove. Somehow he just couldn't talk to Zim like he used to. Fear had eaten away their security. "You know the last time we kissed was a month ago."
"I know." Zim said staring out the window watching the gloomy city pass by. "It seems like the sun never shines anymore. WATCH OUT!" Zim yelled grabbing the dash board as Dib slammed on the brakes.
Christie was walking alone the streets looking for a new place to stay that night hoping to find someone kind enough to give her something to eat. McMeaties didn't always let her sneak food and her other job… she didn't want to think of it. She saw a gap in the street and decided to try and cross. It was this time a black car came to a screeching halt in front of her.
Zim got out and yelled back to Dib "Dib you fool, you nearly hit this poor girl!"
"DON"T KILL ME!" Christie screamed. She knew Zim's uniform all too well. It was a sign that something horrible was about to happen.
"Why would I kill you?" Zim asked with an eye raised.