Note: Thanks to Invader Sideos for letting me borrow Dr. Feto. Forgive me if I don't get her completely correct.

Dib raised the communicator over his head and stared hard at the wall. He saw his reflection, tinted darkly against the black surface, glaring back at him. He hesitated. Smashing this thing would give him satisfaction for a moment, but it could be his only way out. He lowered it, and gently placed it in the corner of his cell.

His head dipped, and he yawned widely. Something hummed behind him, and he rolled away instinctively. Glancing back, he saw the wall open up and unfold a sort of pallet, with a pillow and a blanket. He relaxed. So, no testing today. Just sleeping for now. Sighing, he slipped under the blanket and curled up. He would need his rest, he reasoned, to deal with whatever they were going to put him through the next day. He shuddered, grisly images dancing through his head. He shook his head firmly and clenched his eyes shut, willing himself to sleep.

….

Purple stroked his chin, staring at the sleeping subject through the one way viewing station installed behind the deceptive surface of the black wall in its cell. He'd been curious to see if the human had learned any of the Irken lettering in his reconnaissance on Zim, so he'd left a communicator in its cell. He hadn't expected the human to use the device to actually contact Zim, much less ask him for help. Every report Zim had given indicated that the two were the worst of enemies.

It didn't matter much. From what he could gather of their conversation, Zim was safely captured and billions of lightyears from their location. He was no threat, but this human held Purple's interest. He turned to his right and selected a panel to work with. It was time to begin.

…

The back of his neck hurt like needles had been stabbing there for hours. Dib groaned and rolled onto his back, hoping the coolness of the pillow against his neck would calm the pain. Blearily he opened his eyes. Raising one fist to his eye he rubbed it, coaxing the gritty bits from the corners of his eye.

Except there wasn't a corner to his eye. He frowned, feeling his eye. It felt strange, roundish even. Of course eyes were supposed to be round, but he couldn't find the two corners to his eye. He checked his other eye. No corners.

His eyes focused on his fingers, and he screamed. Bolting upright, he stared down at his outstretched hands in horror. Three green claws extended from bright green palms attached to skinny green wrists and arms. He reached up and felt the top of his head. Gone was the scythe-like swoosh of hair. Instead, two black antennae sprouted from his barren skull. Shrieking, he grabbed one and pulled. "What's happening? What have you done to me?"

The force field lifted, and an Irken stepped in. Her pinkish orbs were framed by a smiling green face. Her antennae curled back from her head in graceful arcs. She marched in briskly, her white labcoat flowing behind her.

She glanced up from a clipboard, and her eyes wandered over him. "So, Bid, how are we today?"

Dib lunged at her. "What have you done to me, you monsters? I'm an alien!"

She merely raised a small device and shook it. Tendrils of electricity shot through Dib's neck and down through the rest of his body. He gasped, collapsing in a heap, his muscles all spasming in protest.

"I didn't want to do that," she sighed, "But when any patient acts with violence we have to activate the collar."

Reaching up, Dib touched his neck. A wire completely circled his neck.

The Irken tilted her head to the side. "So. As I was asking, how are you today?"

"How… how am I? I'm Irken!" Dib wailed. "What have you done?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "You're… you're Irken today?"

"Yes! Yes, are you blind? Can't you see? What happened?"

A wide smile spread across her face. "Bid… this is wonderful, you're making progress!"

"Progress?" Dib's claws curled in frustration. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She laughed. "Well for the past decade and a half you've been ranting on and on about how you're some alien type called a Human, and that your name was Dib. You'd have these elaborate dreams about how you were saving the planet from being conquered by us, then you'd wake up convinced that was real."

"But it is! It was! I… you changed me!"

Her smile faltered. "Ah, so you haven't completely recovered yet." She made a note on her clipboard. "Still paranoid." She looked up again. "Do you remember my name?"

"I've never seen you before!"

"Hm. Well, I suppose in this case regression to the time before we met is good, since you were perfectly healthy before you came to Skitzatos."

"Ski…"

"It's a mental health facility for troubled Irkens such as yourself. I am Dr. Feto."

"I'm not Irken!"

"But you just admitted you are."

"I am! Now I am! But I wasn't, I was human… I was!"

Dr. Feto watched him, a trace of sadness in her eyes. "You're still confused. That's to be expected. Irk knows it took you long enough to even admit you were actually Irken." Standing, she dropped her clipboard to her side. "It'll be alright, Bid. I think you still need to adjust to this realization. I need to make my rounds, but I'll be back in a few hours. Then we can talk some more about this." A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "I'm really excited about this breakthrough, Bid. This is huge for you."

…..

Dib bolted upright, chest heaving. His neck still burned, but as he raised his hands to his face, he noted with relief the peach-colored skin and five digits. Flopping back on his pallet, he tried to calm his breathing.

"Weird dream," he muttered, flexing his fingers. "Really weird, but not unexpected. Surrounded by these monsters, I probably would dream something like that. Makes sense." He rolled over to face the wall. Nobody had turned the lights on yet, so it must still be "rest period". Fighting the adrenaline still shooting through his veins, he closed his eyes. He would sleep. He would be ready for whatever they threw at him the next day. And somehow, he would find a way to get himself home.