Thunderstorm: Chapter Six
As Dib and Red crept along in the air ducts, Zim and Gaz sat in a cell surrounded by other imprisoned people.
"This can't be good, their locking up their own kind now, that's it we're doomed, we're all gonna die," a young man shouted pointing at Zim.
"Foolish human," Zim gripped to himself as he turned and walked to the middle of the prison. He looked at his cellmate, Gaz, and remembered the way she helped him out.
"Um thank you Gaz," Zim stated, then he noticed the odd look she was giving him and quickly added,"you know, for standing up for me back there, no one's ever done that for me before." Gaz smiled
"Yeah well thank you for taking a chunk out of that jerk for me," she said happily. Zim turned to look back out through the bars and observed the thousands of people who were trapped. He could see a few that were angry, some who were confused, many who were crying, and all were scared. At any other point in his life, this would have felt different now. He glanced back at Gaz, who was now staring down at her clasped hands, then back to the others who were trying their best to hold themselves together, and comfort one another. Before he would have classified this as being the human weakness of emotion, but now it was more real for him, because he felt the same way. Zim was startled out of his thoughts however when he noticed a familiar figure dancing in and out of a far door.
"Gir?!"
"Master?!" Gir yelled happily looking up to where his name was called.
"Gir, come here quickly," Zim ordered grabbing hold of the bars. Gir rapidly made his way to his master's side.
"Yesssss," Gir said sweetly.
"Can you get us out of here," Zim asked looking down at his robot slave.
"Yes...wait a minute...no," Gir said as he popped out a rubber pig. Zim sighed out of frustration.
"But the Dib-human can," Gir added.
"Where is he," Zim asked. Gaz had by this time made her way over to the alien and sir unit. Gir's eyes turned red as he tracked where the human might be. Suddenly Gir shot a metallic finger upward and to the right.
"He's in the ventilation system, sir," Gir stated sharply. Zim and Gaz both looked at one another then back at Gir.
"Can you get to him," Gaz asked. Gir eyes turned back to their normal hue of blue. He nodded.
"Go tell him to get us out, lead him here," Zim directed. Gir nodded once more and turned to leave. He waved back at the two then walked on to the door.
"He's not coming back is he?" Gaz asked.
"Nope."
~"Are you sure your okay, your not scared of closed in places are you," Red asked. Dib's nervousness and anxiety had grown worse, and he was to the point where he was shaking and gasping.
"No . . . I . . . I just have a bad experience with...air vents, It's an um...long story," Dib said slowly in an attempt to calm himself down.
"Well you want to rest for a minute," Red suggested.
"No, the sooner we get out the better," Dib stated rapidly. They continued crawling until the vents forked into two different paths. One diverted off to the left while the other sloped downward in the right.
"Which one," Red asked as she crawled up beside Dib to look at each and decided the left tunnel would be the best. However, a gust of cold air blew up from the right duct and blew his mother's glasses off. He listened in horror as he heard the eye ware clink and clank down the incline of the right vent. Without thinking he dove for it.
"What are you...oh well," Red said as she joined him down the duct. The glasses flew down the slide until it reached a level plain, where they smoothly slide across and through a vent gate to land gently on Commander Juelia's bed. Juelia woke up to see what just plunked down beside her. She picked up the rosy eye ware in puzzlement.
"Now where do you suppose these came from," she asked herself as she stood up and out of bed. Just as she had done this, screaming came from the vents before two Earth children sailed out and landed in a pile on her bed.
"Ahhhhhhhhh," she screamed backing away from the bed's side.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh," Red and Dib screamed upon seeing the very tall irken.
"What are you doing in here," Juelia shouted.
"Don't try anything, I have boloney and I'm not afraid to use it," Dib shouted back. Juelia gave him an odd look before replacing it with a glare. Red had decided to stand herself up right along with Dib, on the opposite side of the bed.
"Um uh your not going to shot us are you," Red asked. Juelia's expression softened a little. She could tell these's were children, not adult humans.
"Look no one's going shot anyone, okay," she said taking a step closer. Red wavered a little and took a step back. Dib, on the other hand, didn't budge, partly because he was now blind without glasses.
"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what your thinking," Juelia said reassuringly. Dib squinted his eyes and focused on what Juelia had in her hand.
"Can I have those back," Dib asked kindly as he carefully outstretched his hand. Juelia hesitated a little bit but she placed the glasses in the boy's hand. Dib in return put the eye ware on and then looked up at the purple-eyed irken. Juelia stared down at the brown-eyed human. She couldn't help but smile. To her, the humans weren't that bad, other than they were low tech and had a distinct odor.
"Are you going to turn us in," Dib asked stepping back with Red immediately tensed up,"But I'm not," Juelia said causing the two humans to release a breath they didn't even know they were holding.
"Really, this isn't a trick or trap or something," Red questioned stepping forward.
"Yes really, but keep your voices down," Juelia whispered. Suddenly a screaming noise came from the air vent and Gir sailed out onto the bed. He looked up to the three surprised beings.
"Hiiii," he chirped cheerfully.
"Hey is everything okay in there," a voice said from behind Juelia's door.
"Quick, under the bed," Juelia whispered as she shooed the humans and robot under. Being that she had slept in her uniform she straightened up and answered the door.
"Everything's fine Kre, just had some trouble with the automatic dresser, you know," Juelia said confidently.
"Oh yes of course, sorry to have disturbed you ma'ma," Kre saluted.
"As you were, soldier," Kre returned back to his duties and Juelia closed the door. Dib, being the curious person he was, popped his head out first from under the bed. Then Red stuck her head out while Gir shot his rear out first before pulling out completely from under the bed.
"Thank you," Dib said as he helped Red from under the bed.
"Well personally, I don't like the invasion," Juelia said solemnly.
"So why do you do it," Red asked. Juelia frowned.
"Coming from a people whose leaders believe in universal conquest, and all is kind of overbearing. I was either to be an Invader or be punished severely. I'm not really an invader per say, I don't literally go down and take a world by its throat, but I'm a commander," Juelia explained slowly as if not to confuse her listeners.
"Oh-oh-oh pick me, pick me, I know. You tell others to grab the world by the throat," Gir answered to a question that was never asked.
"So again I ask what are you two doing out here," Juelia asked looking down sternly.
"I know, they want to save the Earth," Gir blurted out.
"Gir!" Dib and Red hissed. Juelia was very distressed. She wanted to please the Almighty Tallest just as any irken would, but she also felt that it was an injustice to destroy others just because they weren't like her people.
"Look, that's my home planet down there, and even though the people aren't the best and there's pollution and sure there's war it's still home, if you help us great, if you don't, fine, but if you try and stop us I will fight and I mean fight for that little blue planet, so help me," Dib exclaimed with tremendous force and bite. Juelia was not only surprised by the human's words but shocked by her own.
"I'll help you." Dib expression of suspicion turned into one of joy and relief.
"Yea, wait...Dib, Zim and Gaz need you," Gir said. Just as quickly Dib's face twisted into a look of worry and anxiety.
"Where are they. Is my sister okay?"
"Um, they're where you were and yes," Gir answered both questions.
"The prison," Dib and Red said in unison.
*~Okay, this is chapter six. I'm tried plus I have to get ready for church. C ya.