I've Been Harboring a Secret
Chapter Three: The Small Change
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim or its respective characters.
You already know my little request. Now, READ! READ, I SAY!!!!
'Wonderful,' Dib thought to himself as he looked out his window. It was dark and raining like mad outside. Zim was still wrapped up in the sleeping bag with GIR, asleep. Dib had thought Irkens rarely slept, but apparently they did. And when they did, they slept as though they were hibernating. Dib was able to step over Zim without waking him up.
Dib went to the bathroom first. He stared into the mirror. Who was this child that stared back? He looked different from the usual Dib. He felt different. Relieved. Amazed. And somehow, he felt relaxed. Everything that had happened seemed almost normal to him; he'd pursued the alien for so long that this was natural.
Too natural.
He needed to come back to a more real and familiar reality for a moment.
Dib lifted his arms and stared at the huge scars that ran across, along, over, under, everywhere. He had cut deep, and had gone around the entire arm several times. How he was still alive was a mystery to him.
"What are you thinking about?" Dib jumped a foot in the air. He threw his arms down and pivoted on his heels. Zim was leaning in the doorway, his right arm holding his left. GIR stood next to him, playing with a towel on the floor. Zim was extremely concerned, judging by the look on his face.
"Nothing," Dib answered. He felt embarrassed. Telling Zim what was had happened was one thing, but the alien catching a glimpse of the damage was another.
"Really. Then what persuaded you to look at the past?"
"I dunno. I just...I guess I needed to. I don't know. Can we let it go?" Zim shifted his brow, but agreed.
"Alright. Just promise me you'll let me know if anything is wrong."
"Sure." Dib left the bathroom, followed by Zim, who had no need of such a facility. When they reached the living room, they found Miyuki, or, shall we say, Miss Sanchez, speaking with Dib's father and Gaz.
"He's such a wonderful young man, really. I find him to be very intelligent and very sweet." She was talking about Dib.
"I know he is. If only he would end his insane rants about aliens and the like, he could be so much more," Prof. Membrane replied. Gaz looked up, and, upon seeing her brother, ran out quickly in the opposite direction.
'Hi, guys." Dib said quietly. He sat down next to Miyuki. Zim gabbed a chair next to Dib, and GIR jumped on Zim's head. No one spoke. Even GIR was quiet. Dib's father suddenly stood up and left the room, apparently uncomfortable.
"So," Dib began, "How did the two- I mean, three of you sleep?" Miyuki answered,
"Very well. Yourself?" Dib shrugged and answered,
"Okay. I see you've met my family."
"Oh, yes. Very nice people. A little stupid, oblivious, and close-minded, but nice nonetheless. Zim? How about you?"
"Alright. I like sleeping." Miyuki laughed.
"Makes sense. Now, today, before the meeting tomorrow night, we will rehearse procedures and discussions on the revolution. We will also introduce everyone to Dib, and Dib to everyone. So we can begin in here. Zim, what do you feel would be most important to discuss first?"
"I think it would be wise to tell our soldiers that the Tallest are on to us, and that we need to be extra careful and have our antennae raised at all times. We can't afford for someone to make an avoidable mistake. They need to know that the Tallest are going to search frantically for the two of us until they have us. Also, we need to tell everyone that the Tallest and their drones will be asking tons of questions, and that they will try to pressure people into letting something slip."
"Good thinking. Dib, have you any ideas?" Dib glanced up at her and answered sheepishly,
"Well, no, not really. I'm not sure what Irken meetings are like. I guess it would be a good idea to discuss how to use weapons or self-defense."
"How do you mean?"
"Like, to be careful to not whip out a laser gun when someone cracks a nasty joke or something like that. I dunno." Dib shrugged at his stupid answer. Miyuki was thinking the same thing, but did not show it. Instead, she agreed with him.
"Understandable. I think that everyone is already aware of everything you two just said, but yes, there is some brushing up needed. We will be starting defense classes, and Dib, you will be a student. Zim teaches self-defense amazingly. Invader Chai will teach you how to use Irken machinery and weaponry. She's incredible in that field. Invader Skoodge will is going teach you how to operate an Irken ship. Other Irkens will teach you various skills."
"I've heard of Skoodge before, but who is Invader Chai?" Dib asked.
"She's one of the most intelligent people in the operation," Zim said quickly.
"Oh. Okay."
Miyuki cleared her throat and began her rehearsal speech. Zim listened carefully, as did Dib. Sometimes she went from English to Irken, depending on the importance of the topic. Dib was fascinated by the language. It sounded a little like Japanese. He determined this after viewing tons of undubbed anime, and he thought it was beautiful.
When Miyuki wrapped her speech up, Zim flew to his feet and saluted her, then bowed. Dib emulated Zim quickly, but Miyuki waved her wrinkled, clawed hand.
"Don't worry about until tomorrow night. Zim, I want you to start Irken lessons with Dib. There are the basics that he'll need to know. There are lots of soldiers he won't be able to hold conversation with."
"Yes, ma'am!" Zim bowed again and turned to Dib. "Go get a pencil and some paper. We have work to do."
"Yeah," Dib answered. He ran to his room and grabbed a huge hunk of paper and a few pencils. He was even more excited now-Zim was going to teach him an alien language!
In the living room, Zim had somehow set up a small, rectangular structure that was transparent. Dib eyed it curiously, wondering what it was.
"Dib. Sit down and pay attention. You gotta pencil? Paper? Good. We'll start with the basics. 'Hello' in Irken is 'Nakhta'." The transparent machine suddenly lit up, and the word appeared on a holographic screen in both Irken and English.
"WOW! That's so cool!" Dib exclaimed. He quickly wrote the word and its translation on his paper. "Do I need to write it in Irken, too?"
"Nah. Takes up too much time. Next is 'how are you?' 'Kashiya dorino wa jugase'."
The holographic screen switched to the new phrase. Dib wrote it quickly.
"'My name is ...' 'Dib jas seto machka'. 'What is your name?' 'Machka jas jikito weto'. 'Nice to meet you'. 'Meeshtio sandekiyo tantan fuh'. 'Goodbye'. 'Sanka'. 'Hail, Miyuki'. 'Miyuki-Frovia, doshita."
Dib was sweating in his excitement. He was writing so fast, cramps were starting up in his hand. Next, Zim had Dib repeat the words. This went well, and was followed by Zim ordering Dib to turn the papers over. They had a quick conversation in Irken, and it went well. Zim patted Dib's head jokingly and said,
"You're a quick learner. I'm proud."
"You're a surprisingly good teacher," Dib commented playfully. Zim laughed and said vainly,
"I know, I know. No teacher is as great as ZIM!" He threw one fist up and positioned himself into a power stance. Dib laughed and said,
"That's the insane little alien I know. But I like the other one better." Zim got out of his pose and said,
"I do, too. Let's continue, shall we?" Zim started to teach Dib more complex words, how to pronounce names correctly, names of weapons, places, directions, vehicles, equipment, and how to perform an Irken salute, handshake, and other signs of respect. By the end of the morning, Dib could have been considered bilingual. He was such a fast learner that Zim wasn't actually sure what else could be taught for the day. He hadn't expected the boy to pick up on everything right away.
They went back into the kitchen to join up with Miyuki, who was writing almost feverishly. Dib jumped onto a chair and looked at what she was writing. It was fascinating to see her hand move quickly across a 'palm-pilot' type of machine. It was smaller, though. She was using a very thin stick to write, apparently the pen. She was writing very rapidly, and without error.
"This is just a little agenda for the meeting tomorrow night," she said suddenly. "What to discuss, really." Dib nodded. Zim jumped up and looked at the agenda.
"Pretty much everything we discussed earlier. This should be easy enough."
"Cool."
"Hey, Dib-human."
"Yeah?"
"I wish we could have been friends earlier. I really do."
"I do, too."
"Would you mind taking me to the mall?" Dib shifted his eyebrows.
"Why?" Zim shrugged and answered,
"I dunno. I heard somewhere that's where friends go when they spend time together. When we get back, I can start teaching you some Irken self-defense. Would that be okay, my Queen?" Miyuki paused her writing and answered,
"I wouldn't mind at all, dear. You should go out and have some fun before the real hell begins. Go pretend to be a carefree child for a while. It wouldn't hurt anyone." She was actually serious. She was probably the most lenient adult Dib had ever met. He shrugged and said,
"Okay. Let's go, then."
So, this mall...I've been here only once or twice, really. Didn't need to come. GIR likes to rent movies and hang out with the teenagers, but I never felt comfortable here alone. I hate being stared at."
Zim was wearing his usual, bad disguise, but with a plastic raincoat as an added accessory. And people were staring. Dib laughed and replied,
"Well, humans aren't exactly used to seeing a little green kid marching around in a dress."
"It's not a dress. It's the standard Irken uniform. I hate it, really. I want to be an individual, not some stupid conformist robot like everyone else on my planet. I've always wanted to wear something that wasn't red and black. Something cool. I never knew what else was out there to wear because I had never seen any other type of clothing. Except for the Vortians uniform, which also sucks. It wasn't 'till I got here that I saw jeans and t-shirts that people could mix and match whenever they wanted. I was almost shocked by it. Did you know I suffered from culture shock when I arrived here?"
"Nope. I'm gonna guess that you were shocked by the average humans height?"
"Yeah. That was the one that blew my mind. On Irk, average height is about three and four-quarters and below. I'm below average height, and Miyuki and the other Tallest are abnormal height. Irken history states that in the beginning, thirty-four millennia ago, the first Irkens were about one foot and eight inches high. They had no leaders and were very impressionable. So, when one of them had a sudden growth spurt, the others suddenly worshiped him due to the increase in height. To this day, the Irkens are still impressionable and let taller Irkens have control. I was different. Yes, I wanted to be tall, but I was one of the smallest Irkens on the planet. So my attitude grew to huge proportions. When Miyuki talked to me about the revolution, she told me that my attitude could be useful. I'm not afraid to speak my mind, and on Irk, I got what I wanted by simply not shutting up. And thanks to it, I was able to help others get jobs in the inner working of our unspeakable leaders."
Dib nodded, then said,
"Hey, wanna go try on some new clothes? There's a store actually dedicated to midgets here, since their numbers have grown."
"Those aren't midgets, Dib. Those are Irkens. Remember, Earth and this city is the rendezvous point. Hundreds of us are here." Dib thought back to the previous day, when he had seen an orgy of midgets walking by the skool grounds. Were those midgets also Irken? It was pretty likely, due to the fact that it was, in fact, an orgy sized group.
This nearly shocked Dib. Aliens all over, under his nose, and he hadn't even fathomed the slightest bit that they could disguise themselves much better than Zim could. Except that Zim had to disguise himself like shit.
"Wow. That's crazy."
"So, yes. I would like to try on some new clothes," said Zim with a smile. Dib grinned and looked at the closest directory. The store was on the second floor of the mall. They set off.
The store itself was unlike anything either of the two had ever seen before. It was actually a very enormous size, with racks and shelves full of clothing. There were even sections: young mens, young ladies, mens, women, lingerie, dressy, casual, what seemed like the elderly section, shoes, ties, belts, and even an office for uniform ordering. There were people walking around with measuring tape, asking whoever was shopping around if they wished to be measured to find the perfect outfit. Both small and tall people worked there, and everyone was friendly.
One young man, an employee, walked up to Zim and said,
"How ya doin? I got Skoodge's email last night. I'm so psyched for tomorrow! Who is this?"
"This," Zim answered, gesturing to Dib, "is the human child who will be assisting us in our revolution. Dib, may I introduce Tanki, a specialist in chemical weaponry. Tanki, Dib." Tanki bowed his head, and Dib did the same.
"So!" Tanki snapped back to his profession as a tall co-worker walked by with a confused expression on her face. "What are you two looking for?"
"Something other than this hideous uniform. I feel like I'm suffocating in it." Tanki gave Zim a critical look, then said,
"I have just the thing for you. Every other Irken that's come in here has seen it, tried it, loved it. C'mere."
Tanki pulled out a bright orange t-shirt with a blue screen print of Boy George on the front. It had been cut at the neck line, and the sleeves were elongated by smaller cuts in them. It was extremely tiny. Zim looked at it skeptically, then said,
"Uh...I don't know about that.... I like the cutting job on it, though. But the color and the picture of...that...person...just, no."
"How about this?" Tanki found another shirt, just like the other one, but grey, and with a little logo printed over the heart area (human terms). Zim shook his head. Tanki sighed, then found it.
It was blue, nearly the same blue Miyuki's eyes were. It wasn't cut as dramatically as the other two, but still had that 'rebel' look to it. On one of the slashed sleeves was the logo, "The Actor's Place...Something Like That". Zim apparently liked it, because he reached out and took the shirt from Tanki. Next, Tanki pulled out a pair of jeans, toddler-sized. They were a raw umber color (a version of brown), and were slightly baggy in the right spots.
Zim tried them on, and came out looking way different from before. Dib laughed as Zim emerged from the fitting room as dramatically as he could.
"Do I look okay?" he asked, sounding much like a self-conscious girlfriend.
"You look fine," both Dib and Tanki answered. Zim seemed satisfied with the answer. "I'll buy 'em, then."
"Wonderful!" Tanki exclaimed. He rang the clothing up at the register, then whispered to Zim in Irken. Dib saw Tanki add an extra iten to Zim's purchase. They nodded at each other, then saluted quickly before any humans noticed.
After exiting the store and thanking Tanki, Dib and Zim decided it would be best to leave the mall. Surely Miyuki needed them.
End Chapter Three: A Small Change
This was for myself, really. I don't wear t-shirts until I've mutilated them in some way. And Zim needed a new look. So does Dib. But that happens later. Heh. Anyway, anyone play video games here? I started Metroid Prime, and I LOVE IT! I keep on getting smoked by the space pirates and such, but it's such an interesting and wacked out game, I can't stop playing! PLAY IT!...no, you don't have to...
I took my younger sister to see the "SpongeBob Squarepants" movie a while back, and I gotta tell ya, you'll never need to drink booze or smoke a joint ever again, because that movie will fry your brain. It's so cute that it's hideous. We liked it. Anyway, please review. I appreciate it! Thank you for the reviews you've left for me so far...I know this one is a little odd in some parts...someone pointed out the weirdness of Dib beating on Gaz, which I agree is really strange, but hey, I gotta shake things up somehow .
-Juana
Note: These three first chapters are subject to change. Do not flip out if they suddenly all disappear, it means I am modifying them. I do it all for you!
