The fear of the Virus was driven into every would-be Invader smeet. It was, along with loyalty of the species, the grip every Tallest had over his subordinates. If an Irken was infected with it, it was because he was marked as an outcast, a failure useless to the Invader cause. There was only one way to stop the Virus and only the Tallests knew how, but of course no Tallest would cure one they had decided was expendable, especially for something like this.

There was no saving Zim. He knew that in just a matter of days he would be dead. Exiled to die on a planet he once sought to destroy. However, at this point he didn't care about the sickness. He always considered himself as a loyal, devoted Irken soldier and an elite Invader. Now he didn't know what to think or do. His life had no purpose, no meaning.

"Master, do you still want me to fix the window?" Gir inquired not quite sad but also not in the happy way he had. He didn't really understand what just happened and he wasn't sure how to deal with it.

For a while Zim didn't seem to hear, but then he gathered his senses and mumbled, "What's the point? There's no need for that. There's no need for anything now. All I ever did was serve them to the best of my ability. Surely this is some kind of sick joke? Yeah, that's right. It has to be. They'll just call back in a few hours and laugh and say they were kidding, yeah. I just think I have the Virus because the attack from Dib-worm wore me out. It's just a test…" Somewhere in his subconscious, he knew he was wrong and just making it up, but he didn't want to admit it yet, or rather ever.

A sad expression now appearing on his face, Gir asked, "Master, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Gir, I'm –" he faltered because his mere headache suddenly turned into a migraine and everything in the line of his sight began to look distant. "I'm just going to lie down."

"Huh?" It always confused Gir whenever Zim said he was going to sleep. The little robot's mind was too insane, though, to think about the strangeness for long. Zim hadn't turned from the screen or even tried to move, but now when he did he tripped over himself and fell to his hands and knees.

"Master!" Gir dashed to Zim's side and started nudging his master's shoulder. Zim was horribly startled at being touched and he smacked Gir's hand away. The SIR crawled away in fear. Zim's eyes widened but before he even thought to apologize, there was a sharp pain in his squeedily spooch that made him curl in on himself.

It seemed like he was laying there for hours and he didn't care if he never moved from the spot. Just as he thought he was falling asleep, he was surprised to feel himself get lifted up and moved. He managed to open his eyes enough to see it was Gir who was half-dragging him somewhere.

"Gir, what are you…?"

"Master wants to sleep. I'm taking him to get more comfy."

"I can do it myself," Zim retorted curtly.

"No, I want to help." Gir pulled the hood of his doggie costume off and turned to face Zim. Even for a robot, his cyan eyes looked so sad, sad enough to convince Zim to let him.

"Okay," he mumbled, making Gir smile. He got onto his feet and let his robot lead him to the living room in the house. He could feel Gir's little fingers gripping his tightly through the fabric of the disguise. It made him feel a little better.

As an afterthought, he stopped and turned slightly, saying, "Computer, turn off all main power sources. We won't be needing them." Lights dimmed as the computer complied and Gir wondered why Zim would turn them off. Even he knew that shut down defenses, communications, and – and TV!

They came to the living room. Gir helped Zim climb up onto the couch then promptly disappeared to another part of the house. Zim didn't know what he was doing and wasn't sure if he was coming back.

He tossed his wig and contacts on the floor and tried to settle down to rest against the couch even though he didn't know why he was even bothering.

Suddenly Gir came back having a hard time carrying a blanket, a couple of pillows, and a rubber piggy. Zim recognized them as Gir's and knew he had gotten them from his room.

Gir dropped a pillow as he stumbled over to the couch. When he reached it he dropped the entire load on the floor and took off his dog costume so he could use his hands easier.

He picked up a pillow and placed it on the left end of the couch and then fetched the one he dropped. Zim was watching him mildly curious.

Gir put the pillow next to the other one and said with a smile, "Now lay down all comfy so I can spread the frosting."

"Frosting?" Zim wondered just as Gir reached for the blanket. "Oh. Gir, there's no need for this."

Softly, Gir said, "Sshh, sleep time. I'll take good care of the baby." Zim just stared at him for a moment as he felt the sadness of learning the truth well up in his eyes. "C'mon, Master, lay down now. Please?" He was holding the blanket out and ready.

"Okay, Gir, okay," he replied sort of defeated. He curled up on his side and laid his head on a plush pillow. The other one was cushioned behind his head and neck which made his headache not as painful as before.

As Gir spread the blanket snugly over Zim, he stuffed his piggy into Zim's arms and giggled. Zim tolerated it mostly because the thick blanket was making him warm and sleepy.

He was half asleep when strangely he started to feel…good. In fact, more than good, he was feeling pure pleasure.

At first he sunk into the feeling and even moaned in his throat a little, but he soon came to the thought that it wasn't right. He knew he wasn't supposed to feel like this and quite frankly he didn't want to. It just felt wrong. And this only happened when someone…

Gasping, he snapped his eyes open and jerked slightly. "Gir, stop! What are you doing? !" Gir quickly stood back.

"I'm sorry, Master. I thought it would help. Master seems so sad," Gir explained almost in tears.

Zim was beyond feeling sorry for him now. "Don't you ever do that again," he warned. Gir had been caressing his antennae. Whenever an Irken's feelers are touched like that, the sensory nerves react and it creates a feeling described as pleasure, but it wasn't pleasing Zim. "Just leave me alone, Gir."

"Okay…"

Not feeling better but at least slightly content, Zim finally fell into a difficult sleep.

~o~

Gir committed himself to trying to watch TV, but he had forgotten that they couldn't get signal anymore and in an insane way his scanty mind couldn't really get off of his master's strange behavior.

He thought hard and tried to understand. He wished his master would just tell him what was going on. He wished he had paid more attention to the message from the Tallests. Gir could pay attention if he really wanted to and has many times before, but some of this just wasn't making sense. Words like 'betrayal' and 'dying' didn't really mean a thing to him.

At last he got tired of the mind work and seeing his master asleep made him want to sleep too. He climbed up onto the right side of the couch and curled up by Zim's feet. He was asleep immediately.

When Gir awoke the next morning, it was nearly 8 a.m. He could have slept longer, but Zim was kicking him. He looked over to see that Zim had thrown the blanket off the couch and was tossing around, but he was still deep in sleep. "Oh, no, Master, what's wrong?" Zim didn't hear him so he braved a brush against Zim's antenna. Gir was happy to see him relax immediately and his breathing returning to normal.

Gir hopped off the couch and put his disguise on. He went back to Zim and covered him again with the blanket, saying, "I'll be home soon. The store will have something that can make Master feel better."

He ran out the door saying, "I'll see ya' later. Don't leave bed 'till I come back!"

~o~

At Skool, Dib was distressed to see that Zim wasn't there. Normally he wouldn't begin to worry until Zim was missing for a few days, but since he knew the alien already had a plan, he was very worried. He made sure Gaz knew it too during lunch.

"I mean, what if he's putting his plan into motion right now? I'm just sitting here doing nothing when Earth could be in grave danger!"

"Dib, if you don't shut up right now, I will boil your tongue in flaming hot sauce," threatened the extremely aggravated Gaz.

Dib immediately backed off. "Jeez, Gaz, why are you so cold? You used to not be this way until -"

Gaz shot him a death glare that was worse than usual. Dib got the message and retreated out into the hall. "Why can't she understand? This isn't a game. Oh, right, the only thing she cares about is her stupid games," he said angrily. "Well, I can't see it that way and I will stop it. But how…?"

He found himself at the school entrance. A thought crossed his mind. "Wait, noooo, I can't do that. Dad would kill me for leaving school, but…gah, I must. The fate of the world depends on it!"

He ran out the doors and down the steps onto the sidewalk. He paused for a moment, then headed for Zim's base, being careful to avoid any cops and responsible looking adults along the way. When he reached it, he was out of breath and confused. There were no gnomes in the yard and the satellite on the roof was gone.

"Well, that's not weird at all," he muttered sarcastically. He took a cautious step into the yard and then jumped back out. Nothing attacked him. He took two cautious steps into it and then jumped back out again. Still nothing attacked him. He smirked. "Stupid little alien. Now's my chance to infiltrate."

He ran up to the door and charged inside, then froze in his tracks. The room was destroyed. There were long claw marks all over the walls and floor and wires sparked from the ceiling where they had been cut. He quickly saw his nemesis lying on the couch.

At first Dib thought he was sleeping, but even from where he was standing, he could see Zim's ragged breathing and the sweat that glistened on his face.

"What on Earth?" Dib exclaimed and he ran over to Zim. "Zim, are you okay? …Wait, he's unconscious. I can take him and never have to worry about the planet again." He smiled like a maniac. But seeing Zim like this made him feel terrible. "No, I – I can't do that."

He watched Zim and saw how vulnerable the alien was, and now he wanted with renewed desire to figure out how that body worked. "Yes, of course I can. If I take him now Earth won't be in danger and I can finally prove that I'm not crazy, yeah."

But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Zim was so pale and breathing in harsh gasps, and the condition of the house frightened Dib. "Should I just leave him here? What's even wrong with him? Maybe this is normal…"

Zim suddenly thrashed his arm. Dib had to duck to keep from being sliced by the sharp claws. He kept on flailing yet Dib knew he wasn't awake. "Zim, hey, wake up! Stop it!" Dib shook Zim's shoulders until the alien's eyes cracked open.

"What…?"

"Zim, what happened to you?" Dib asked hurriedly.

Instead of answering, Zim glanced around and then fixed his eyes on Dib. "Who are…? What's going on?"

Dib, shocked, said, "How do you not know who I am?"

"I know who you are, Dib," he snapped.

"Well, then why are you asking?"

"My base! What did you do to my base? ! How did you get in here? !"

Dib was furious now. "I didn't touch your base! I found it like this and it's obvious why I came in here because you were an idiot to turn off your defense systems!"

Zim leaped off the couch, shouting, "I should have known that was a bad idea." He examined a claw mark on the floor. "PAK legs, night-horrors," he muttered. "I must have done it in my sleep."

"What'd you say?" Dib asked.

Zim stood up and got into an attack position facing Dib. "Nothing, you disgusting rock worm. Get out of my base. Gir, there's an intruder!" They waited but the robot didn't appear. "Gir, where are you?" Zim yelled angrily. Still Gir didn't come. "That stupid, useless piece of junk!"

"Hah!" Dib jeered and took on an offensive pose as well. "I don't see why I can't take you right now. You're so defenseless. I could have taken you to my lab while you were sleeping!"

"So why didn't you?" Zim sneered.

"Because…because…" Dib had no idea why he had been concerned for Zim and now he was too angry to care. "I don't know! But what I do know is that you're weak, Zim!"

"Weak? Zim weak? ! Pathetic human, you are the only weak one here!"

"Oh, yeah right!" Dib was tired of always saying the same thing to his rival, so he thought of a different approach. "Not one of your evil plans has ever worked, Zim, and because of who? That's right, me! Your schemes are always stupid like that time you destroyed the city by returning that explosion back to its normal time or when you made Peepi the hamster a monster. Man, it's like you're defective or something!"

Zim had growled and gotten ready to attack the Earthling, but the last thing Dib said made him freeze. With pure malice dripping from his tongue, he asked, "What did you say?"


I was listening to YouTube music as I was writing some of this and I suddenly realized I was listening to "Uninstall." Then I went with a smile, "Well, hell, this could almost have been a songfic." Heh.