Chapter ten

"Where is he, Dib-stink?"

"I don't freaking know! If I did, don't you think I woulda told you by now? What do I gain by stealing your dumb robot, or throwing him off the ship without you noticing?"

"Tell me where he is or for the love of Irk, I will blow you up right now and throw your ashes out of my ship. Now, where is he?" Zim pointed his laser ray gun at the human in front of him.

Dib put his face in his hands. "I. Don't. Know! Why do you care so much about him, anyway? I would've thought you'd have been happy to know Gir was gone."

Zim's eyes narrowed. "Under normal circumstances, yes, I would be glad and very, very happy to know Gir was gone. But are these normal circumstances, Dib-thing? You're in my ship, in the middle of your planet's horrible atmosphere, on the way to my home planet, learning about things neither of us should know, babbling like idiots about a missing robot! Does any of that seem normal to you?" Zim was about to explode if he didn't get an answer.

Dib only blinked. Blinked. BLINKED!

Zim growled, "We are on the verge of the discovery of a devastating secret, in the middle of space, and all you do is blink?"

Dib shook his head. "You make no sense sometimes Zim. Like you said, we're in the middle of space. Where could he possibly have gone? Besides Irk of course, but that's just a guess."

Now it was Zim's turn to blink. When he spoke his voice was threateningly quiet and dangerously cold and hard. "We need to figure out where he is, human. If our suspicions are correct and Gir is on Irk, then our time is very limited. You have no idea how crucial it is to find my SIR. If my Tallests are the ones behind all this, as I am almost positive they are, then they will use every force they can get to be on their side and help support them. They will brainwash everyone and everything that

They can get their filthy claws on. They are cold-hearted cowards, Earthling. You have no understanding of what they are capable of if they get enough support. So, trust me when I say we HAVE to find my SIR."

Dib stared, flabbergasted, at this statement. "But…wait, what? If they are manipulating people-aliens, whatever- then why is no one stopping them?"

"Because, Dib, no one else knows about their evil scheme except you, me, them, and maybe some close Irkens on the Massive."

"But…but then we have to do something!" Dib exclaimed.

Zim rolled his ruby eyes. "How is it you humans say it? Oh, yes: DUH! What do you think Zim is doing? That is the reason Zim is leaving, puny Dib-human."

Dib shook his head. "No, you have to do something more!"

Zim snorted, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "And how do you suppose we do that, earthling? Go up against the mighty Tallests without any Armada to back us up? What, did you think we were just going to barge in there and yell at them to stop and they will?"

Dib shifted and looked at the floor. "Well…yeah."

Zim stared at Dib in disbelief. "I always knew you humans were foolish, but that is just beyond stupidity, Dib-thing!"

"Hey! No need to be mean."

Zim shrugged and flopped down onto the chair in front of the controls. He sighed, weary. "Who are we kidding? We won't be able to defeat my Tallests even if we did have backup."

Dib looked at Zim. "I know this probably isn't the time, but what is this all about? And how do I come into it? And why can I understand you when you talk all alien-y?"

Zim looked thoughtfully at Dib. "You really don't know, do you? I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet, Dib-monkey."

"Figured WHAT out?" Dib cried in exasperation.

"Foolish human. Well, I suppose you wouldn't be all human would you, seeing as we are now brothers?"

Dib stared, shocked. "W-what?"

"Well, half-brothers actually." Zim amended, oblivious to Dib whose face had been drained of color.

"What do you mean, Half brothers?" Dib demanded, his face ashen. "I'm a freaking HUMAN and you're a freaking ALIEN! HOW DOEA THAT AD UP?"

Zim smiled wanly. "Now, now no need to get upset."

Dib snapped. "NO need to get upset? YOU JUST TELL ME WE'RE RELATED WITHOUT EVEN ELABORATING ON THE SUBJECT, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF SPACE ON THIS GOD-FORSAKEN SHIP TALKING ABOUT THE TALLESTS AND HOW THEY HAVE SOME UNKNOWN REASON TO DECLARE WAR ON THE ENTIRE IRKEN EMPIRE AND YOU TELL ME NOT TO GET UPSET? WHAT THE HELL, ZIM?" Dib was breathing heavily after his rant while Zim just watched calmly.

"Done?" the alien asked. "Because if you are, I will tell you what you want to know. If you still want to, that is." Zim half-smiled.

Dib scowled and flopped down onto another chair across from Zim. "Tell me, space-scum, before I beat the shit out of you."

Zim's smile faded and he looked serious now. "Okay. Long ago, before you were made, before I was made, the Tallests had some type of vision about the world…"