"Sleeper Agent"
'Chapter Ten'
The moment Dib left Zim emerged from the kitchen, boots clicking on the blood-saturated floor as he stared at the boy through the flesh-speckled living room window.
His gaze was muddled with several different things, all of them clamoring inside the Invader to make their presence known upon his features, none succeeding save displeasure. Beyond the irritation he was relieved that the Keef-slime had been demolished, and from the way his bodily parts were not returning together like the last time it was safe to say he was officially not coming back.
That was excellent—now the task was complete and he could go on to finish his plans for worldly destruction and finally take down the Di—
Zim's brow furrowed. The strange interactions with Dib over the last day left him more than a little edgy. He now had a weakness that could easily be exploited, and it seemed the human had no trouble using it to his advantage… though not to the advantage Zim had assumed. Capturing him while he was subdued was the logical path the Dib would take.
But instead he had….
A shudder went through Zim in remembrance, scarcely an unpleasant one. "By the Tallest." He swore, arms crossed against his chest in more of a hugging manner than an annoyed one. It infuriated him to no end how much power his nemesis could now wield, and the way he chose to use it. He knew humans were primitive creatures but honestly… to think, sexual intercourse forced upon him by his archenemy! Did these earth-monkeys have no decency?!
The worst part of all was of course that Dib had been the one in control—Dib was the one pulling the strings, attacking him, pursuing each moan and buck, drawing them loose only to go rooting for more.
Having his body completely toyed with by a lowly pig-smelly was beyond what his ego could take, even if he hardly considered Dib to be a human anymore. After so many fights, the teen's intelligence and resolve almost made him seem more Irken, with nearly the same tenacity as an Elite. They were nearly equal in that respect—
But no, Dib was a human dirt-muncher—always was, always would be. He could never be equal to Zim in any way, shape, or form.
Dib could never be allowed to touch the Irken again, even if despite Zim's resentful nature he had to confess, he'd never experienced anything that pleasurable in his life.
With a huff he straightened his posture, shaking off any lingering thoughts. Once he'd conquered Earth and presented the mud-ball to his Tallests, he'd return to Irk a hero. All would admire his skill as an Invader and they would rush towards him, wanting his favors, and HE would be the one on top.
Surely he'd gain height with his accomplishments, and even then how could anyone resist his charm and superiority?
Zim nodded to himself. Yes. That was what would happen. All of this Dib business would vanish in the face of his victory and would be easily put behind him. He was ZIM, after all—if anyone had the will and determination to completely ignore that blemish in his awesomeness, it was HIM.
Feeling satisfied with his self pep talk the Invader returned his mind to the immediate task at hand -- and his antennae immediately fell when he re-examined the mess in his living room. "Computer," He barked, "I want this filth cleaned from my base at once. Collect it all together and seal it in an intergalactic mailing container to be shipped as far from here as physically possible."
"Okaaaay." The computer voice intoned, sounding none too pleased with the idea, but seconds later a vacuum device slipped down from the ceiling and began sucking the Keef slime off of the floor.
GIR, already stripped from his dog disguise, continued to roll around in what was left of the fluid, making unintelligible noises with his tongue sticking out.
Zim watched the robot a moment, more bored than disturbed. Finally he turned back to the kitchen and strutted towards the refrigerator. "GIR, quit being useless and watch the base for the D… any humans. I have important conquering plans to think up." The SIR unit ceased his spinning and stood up, eyes glowing crimson as he saluted Zim.
"Yes my Master, I obey!" He remained in that pose for an astounding two seconds before the teal color returned along with some variation of the river dance, splashing in the puddle of Keef guts.
Zim resisted the urge to face-palm and entered the secret elevator, leaving the android to whatever destructive behavior he was prone to.
For a while GIR continued his dance, but then something on the television called his attention and he was sitting on the couch. Big round optics observed the program with what could be interest, if it wasn't for the blank stare and lack of expression; it seemed he would remain that way until he randomly let out a squeal, flapping his arms and then went back to his vacant staring.
Nothing new.
The computer sighed, also immune to the robot's strange behavior as it continued to clean up the human body splattered around the room. The vacuum machine hummed, absorbing all the filth without a problem for several minutes though something started to sound off with the humming.
There was a thudding noise, coming from inside the tube, which suddenly started to increase in volume. Zim's house AI had little time to comprehend the problem when the vacuum began convulsing, the sucking beginning to lose its strength and then with an abrupt SPLAT, the contents of the tube were ejected back onto the floor. Somewhere above the vacuum sparks crackled, and with a final shudder the machine went limp, hanging useless from the darkness of the ceiling.
GIR turned his head at the reappearance of the slime, eyes blinking in curiosity. His little AI brain had very little interest in how the goop was there or why just that it was very pink and squishy. "Ooooh, squishy…!" With an excited yell the small robot leapt off the sofa and skipped towards the blob, pausing to poke it. "Awwh! Squishy! 'I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine'! HEE HEE! MY SQUI—"
GIR stopped, face frozen in glee, hand outstretched to give the blob of human organs and skin another poke, but he didn't finish his sentence. His body gave a twitch, then another, then was taken over by spasms, making choking sounds. Something pink oozed from his mouth—the piece of Keef flesh he'd ingested a little while earlier.
A squishing noise enveloped the room as the slick chunks of Keef twitched and moved, all sliding towards the giant mass in the center of the living space. The piece inside of GIR exited with a plop and scuttled to its host body, combining with the others to increase the globule's size. The accumulation shifted, twisting upward, forming legs and a torso and arms and then at last, with a wet sluggish POP, a round head emerged at the top of the body.
"Ughh…" A mouth slit opened on the head, teeth developing along the edges. "Awh man, that really hurt this time~" The color of the body changed to yellow, with a dull sheen like plastic; four-fingered hands clenched and unclenched. On the front of the head, two bulbous bubbles of skin materialized above the mouth, the skin splitting horizontally to create eyelids. Twin orbs of jade shone from beneath, lacking any white save the colorless pupils rimmed with blue in the center. The creature rolled its shoulders, the skin folding delicately around the creases of his arms. "And I lost my favorite shirt this time. Oh well—I don't think I'll have to do that anymore, thank goodness."
GIR stood back, watching the being with wide optics. His mouth hung open slightly, possibly in surprise, but the robot never managed to keep quiet for that long without a TV present, and such was the case now. "Ooooh! Is you the Muffin Man?"
The yellow creature blinked and looked down; spotting the robot that addressed it. "Oh hey there Gir!" The familiar voice replied, waving. The mouth slit pulled into a curling smile as he bent down, patting GIR on the head. "Nah, I'm not the Muffin Man. But I am looking for my bestest buddy in the whole wide world. Is he downstairs?"
GIR was about to open his mouth again but halted, staring curiously. Somewhere in the back of his little mind he sensed something foreboding, but didn't have enough sense to discern it. He nodded instead, "Yup! Master's workin' hard on BIIIG plans, to make things go BOOM and stuff!"
The stranger smiled more, the corners of his mouth virtually touching under his eyes. "I thought so. Zim's always working so hard." Straightening to full height he headed towards the kitchen, toe-less feet making no sound. The yellow skin rippled momentarily, as if alive and swirled around in tendrils, reforming along the being into new shapes. In a matter of seconds the moving flesh of his lower body transformed into skinny blue jeans and sneakers, leaving the chest as bare as before. He continued walking as if nothing had happened; the green eyes narrowed slightly, smile still in place. "Maybe he needs a little… cheering up."
--
Sigh. "Irk damn it all…."
Zim found himself unable to work on whatever proclaimed projects of DOOM he thought he had. The Irken sat in an over-sized computer chair with purple upholstery, glaring at the blinking cursor on screen before him. The harsh white light of the monitors drowned out all colors, setting him in shades of grey and blue and white, but his red eyes remained vivid in shade as thin fingers hovered uselessly over the keyboard.
Why couldn't he seem to focus today? Normally the determined Invader had no trouble creating dastardly plans and setting them into motion, greatness exploding from his mind without fail but nothing was coming to him today.
This was the Dib's fault.
He decided that instantly as he leaned back in his chair, hands falling to the armrests and gripping them lightly. Yep, the fault of the Dib-beast. If he hadn't given him so many thoughts to distract himself with, then he'd been coming up with Earth's destruction right this second.
Hmm…
Zim pouted slightly in thought. Perhaps that was the human's plan all along—use the sex as a diversion so he wouldn't be able to conquer the pitiful rock mass.
It was better than the alternative.
Zim sighed again, bored and frustrated. He wasn't all that surprised that the Dib-thing wanted to mate with him—he WAS, after all, the incredible and delicious ZIM. How could anyone not find him irresistible? Still, the fact of the matter was that Dib wasn't swooning before him and all his amazing-ness, but taking control of him like HE was in charge. Which he wasn't. No, never, Zim was master of all pig-smellies, he'd made that declaration years ago, which meant that HE was the master of Dib.
Unfortunately the boy was too stubborn to ever comply with the truth.
With a huff the Invader pulled himself back up, hands returning to the keyboard as he searched up various chemicals that he wanted to order. He needed to think about his mission, which was to destroy Dib, and not his other thoughts, which were to—he blushed furiously, growling under his breath and knocking said thoughts away. He didn't submit, under any circumstances, and no matter how good it felt there was no way he'd—
Zim froze, antennae twitching at the sound of a footfall. Quickly he shot a look into the darkness of his lab, eyes distinguishing between the shadows and looking for movement.
There was nothing, no sound or sight to speak of.
The alien frowned at the quiet. He was sure he had heard something.
"GIR…?" Zim called out. "GIR, are you there? Reply to your master!" When silence answered Zim he shrugged, but didn't feel any less uneasy.
Hmm… perhaps those hideous rat-creatures had snuck into his base again and were hiding among the cables. It happened before several times, mostly during the winter months, and it took the Invader forever to eradicate the annoying vermin. Putting the off noise aside Zim went back to work, turning to type something into his computer—
There was something sitting on his keyboard, looking at him with bright green eyes. No, someone. And it was waving.
"Hi again, buddy~! You busy?"
Zim shrieked, body scrambling in a panic against the large chair but only getting tangled up instead. Wide red eyes stared in alarm as he found his voice amidst the yelling—that voice, that tone, it sounded so much like…. "K-K-KEEF-HUMAN?!" The Irken's eyes darted along the stranger's form, noticing the yellow flesh, the lack of ears, the slits that must have been nostrils and the smooth bald head.
There was nothing remotely Keef-like about this creature save for his voice, though the tint of its emerald orbs was very much like the boy's had been. HAD being the key word. The boy had exploded, he wasn't even among the living anymore.
The being giggled, covering his mouth with a four-fingered hand. "Happy to see me, Zim?" With ease the yellow male slipped off the computer console, standing not an inch away from where Zim had plastered himself to the chair. "I missed you too~. It feels like hours since we've seen each other! Maybe it has." One thin finger came up to tap on a pouting lip, green eyes looking away in thought. "I know I didn't explode too long ago… BUT that's all in the past now."
With a gleeful smile the newcomer leaned over Zim, arms coming down on either side to trap the small Irken. "We're together now, that's all that counts, right?" Keef asked, one hand coming up and finding a rigid antennae, upright in surprise. Fingers interlaced with the rubbery stalk, massaging it gently. "I'm sure you'll agree."
Zim stared, wide-eyed, having seen the attacking hand approach and moving to get away but then he was caught, the sudden feel of digits along the feeler extracting a moan from his lips. Resistance died in his body, slowly turning boneless, the Invader's eyes sliding near shut with the pulses of sensation conquering his system. His antennae quivered with each pass of the thumb and forefinger, over and over again until the reluctant Irken was purring.
The stranger watched with a joyful grin, absorbing the sight of the writhing alien with a little too much glee. "Hee hee. I guess I'll take that as a yes," He sang, twirling the curved end around his fore-finger. As fluidly as he got off the computer the stranger climbed onto the chair, thin legs straddled Zim's hips as he maintained the ministrations on his victim. He drew his face close, taking in the tiny blush consuming Zim's chartreuse features, the little chirp when he tugged on the feeler. The thin smile seemed permanently etched into his expression. "Doesn't this make you happy, Zim? It makes me happy. It makes me happy so much~."
The unoccupied hand decided to come into play, pulling up Zim's shirt, finding the waistband of his pants and tugging down. "You know what else would make me happy?" Keef whispered breathily. He listened to Zim gasp as he took hold of the Irken's member, coaxing it. "Taking you to the circus. It'll be loads of fun, buddy. I just know it…. But…"
The grin stayed put, twisting at the ends, the bright eyes gleaming and wide.
"…not nearly as much fun as this~."
--
Researching things on basic aliens didn't help his mood or cease his thoughts.
He just kept thinking about Zim with every thing he pulled up on the internet and every basic fact he typed up about other supposed alien races. He didn't find any images that reminded him of Zim, all the aliens thin and gangly with bulbous hollow eyes. Nothing like Zim's lithe green frame, and heated red eyes.
Zim had so much energy and expression in everything he did.
All these alien images looked dead, almost like zombies with their pasty grey skin and dead black eyes. He didn't like them at all.
Zim once again popped back in Dib's head. Dib's thoughts fell on how Zim looked when he had lost all his control, when he had such a look of pure pleasure across his face, when his whole body seemed to beg for more; having turned into a squirming mess of his former self.
It was such a high to have so much power over his enemy, his enemy who was normally so dominating and controlling.
Dib nibbled on his lip, finding himself getting hot and bothered and knowing this was the opposite these procedures were supposed to do. "Damn it." He grumbled to himself, shifting to try and get comfortable again and ignore the pressing want to see Zim.
His fingers tapped on the computer, staring at the screen and all the images of aliens.
"Just," Dib finally clicked the tabs down, showing his desktop and all the folders splashed across the backdrop image of the galaxy. "Just one look." He said, "I mean, I still need to see what he's up to. He's still trying to destroy the world." Dib reasoned with himself, "I'm supposed to spy on him, it's my job."
Dib hovered the cursor over the folder that held the videos of the cameras spying in Zim's base. "It's for Earth," He said again, "I have to save the planet."
At this moment in time he really didn't give a damn about the world, he really just wanted to see Zim, but he shoved that thought from his mind as he finally pulled up the folder and was greeted with four different camera angles.
One was set in the living room, the second in the kitchen, the other where the Voot cruiser was parked, the final one in the confines of Zim's lab giving a full view of his computers so Dib could normally spy when Zim contacted his Tallest.
Dib's eyes flicked over the first camera, taking note of Gir who was sitting on the couch as usual. The living room was clean, devoid of any Keef pieces, not that he was really complaining. Then he swept his eyes to the kitchen, it was empty. The Voot cruiser hanger was empty as well, nothing out of the ordinary.
Zim had to be in his lab, or he went out for some reason. Zim normally didn't just go out, but rarely he did travel outside his house and out of Dib's range of spying.
Dib eyes fell on the lab camera, noticing two shapes moving beyond the computer chair. The image was small, since the screen was showing four different angles and no matter how close he got he didn't understand what was going on. He made a noise of distaste, unsure what would be there other than Zim.
But, then again, he could just be seeing something wrong. Zim might just be working on something, fixing something maybe that was the cause of all that movement.
Dib clicked on the image, making it full screen and he felt ice run through his veins in that same instantaneous moment. He could discern the image now. Zim was…
Dib's eyes widened, threatening to pop out of his head as his heart beat a mile a minute.
Zim was on all fours; obscured by the computer chair but Dib knew he couldn't be clothed because pieces of his outfit was scattered on the computer chair and console. He noticed a yellow hand gripping at one of Zim's antennae, the other hidden where he couldn't see behind the chair.
The other being, whatever it was, was completely obscured from the shot but the spasms of emotion on Zim's face suggested exactly what was happening as well as the lewd movements of the invader as he jerked forward in repetition every few seconds.
Dib was at a loss.
Something…was…
Zim was…
Dib choked on the emotions coursing through his body; knowing something was wrong, something had to be wrong, he knew it in the pit of his stomach. Panic and rage bubbled in his stomach before the teenager quickly got to his feet and ran from his bedroom, nearly tripping down the stairs in his haste.
He ignored his sister as she called to him, slamming the front door as he darted down the street.
Dib ran for all he was worth, bare feet slapping the concrete, barreling past people. He had one goal in mind, and as Zim's base came into view he hurled himself down the path and into the door, fumbling to open it.
He panted for breath, his skin dotted with sweat. He ran past Gir, ignoring the robot's happy squeal as he threw himself into the fridge and cursed its slowness; though it wasn't that slow, it only took less than a minute until he was in the lab.
Dib got out of the elevator, bracing himself on the door, his chest heaving, his heart pounding in his head as he looked around the lab. He heard movement, sound.
A few soft noises didn't go unnoticed and they made his blood boil.
Dib stalked into the light of the lab, towards the computers, approaching the figures he couldn't see due to the chair. Dib didn't care that he was only clad in his thin pajamas, having no weapon at hand. His fists clenched and he raised his jaw, hoping he wasn't wrong in assuming Zim was in trouble and not that he actually…
Actually what?
Had some alien lover on the side?
Something was wrong, definitely wrong.
"Hey!" Dib yelled with a sharp tone, trying to sound demanding.
There was no answer for a moment, the shout cutting through the heavy atmosphere of groans and pants. Then a bald yellow head poked up from above the back of the computer chair, a pleased grin upon very thin lips.
"Hiya Dib!" The Keef-like voice sang out, head bobbing a little in time with his motions. A pained noise between a moan and whimper sounded from further behind the computer chair, to which the stranger hummed in approval. "Me n' Zim are kind of busy right now—you should come back later, though~! We can finish watching those movies upstairs. I love movies."
Zim was obscured from view by the chair. One yellow hand was still toying with his antennae, keeping him pacified while the other remained at his need, fisting it to further distract Zim from the rest of their activities. A heavy flush of violet consumed him, pinched with a mixture of pleasure and pain, as he mindlessly thrust into the alien grip, gloveless claws ripping apart the purple chair cushion beneath him that was covered in the one or two previous releases from the Irken. Tears streaked down his face from the few moments he had any awareness, showing his lack of desire, but the groans unfortunately sounded otherwise.
There was a shudder and a cry he came again, warmth splattering across his belly but the monster above him failed to stop. Green eyes watched in appreciation before flicking back up to Dib. "Doesn't he look cute? We could share him, if you want; people share things they like, right? I bet that would make Zim even happier."
The voice that cut through the heavy air was Keef's.
Dib knew that happy inflection and it chilled him to his core. As those murky green eyes flicked in his direction, he was struck for a moment not understanding how the whole event could even happen.
Keef was a yellow alien looking creature; very un-like his human self and Dib was having trouble comprehending what he was seeing when he finally could see the entire scene.
Keef was still moving; the sounds from the Irken still tainting the air and causing his whole body to tense, wanting so badly to pounce but he was rooted to the spot. His eyes took in the sight of the alien, the pain and pleasure spasmed across his face. He took note of Keef's calculating eyes, of Zim's shudders, and finally the Irken's whimper as he came unwillingly against the other male.
Dib's throat tightened, his brows pinched in disbelief at everything he was seeing, his fingers itching to gouge out Keef's eyes and feed them to him.
His whole observations only took a matter of seconds before he gained his bearings and charged the alien rapist – latching onto the chair in an instant and pulling the heavy object up with a yell of anger.
He swung the curved object in a fluid arc, coming in contact full force with Keef's smiling face and sending the bastard flying into the nearest wall. Dib stood over Zim, chair still held in his hands, ignoring the strain it put on his muscles – the adrenaline washing through his system and causing his heart to beat faster.
The Invader yelped when Keef was removed from above him, crumpling weakly to the floor. His mind swam with confusion and pain, still too caught up in the throes of what was happening to get a hold of himself. Instead Zim shivered against the cold metal, a startling contrast to the warm of the invading body that had once surrounded him.
There was a sound BANG when the yellow stranger hit the wall, his body sticking there for a second before sliding to the ground. His head was twisted at an awkward angle from the blow, eyes wide and smile still set in place. It looked as if he was frozen that way until he blinked, a squishy sound coming from his neck as he turned his face forward to stare at Dib.
"Awh boy, you really like hurting me, don't ya?" The creature stood up, cradling his head a bit while grinning at the human without a single tint of animosity visible. "Hee hee. 'Love hurts'. You humans say that an awful lot, so I guess it's true."
Dib clenched his jaw, trying not to be deterred by how easily Keef took the blow; slammed into the wall and remained almost unfazed. Though, apparently Keef could explode and live; Dib didn't know if he could really win.
However, losing wasn't an option and he kept his protective stance over the crumpled Irken, his gold eyes ablaze with a renewed vigor.
Dib didn't have anything to say to Keef, so he just ignored his stupid comments thinking he might be able to catch him off-guard again if he just rushed him. He wasn't sure what Keef was capable of but that didn't stop the human from charging, yelling as he forced his body to hold the heavy object until in range then swung once again.
He aimed for Keef's head, hoping to get another direct hit as he planted his feet and waited for impact.
Keef continued smiling, the corners suddenly twisting with something like malice. Just as the chair came within an inch of his head he vanished, body melting into a yellow puddle before Dib's eyes. The substance splashed along the metal floor, effectively avoiding the hit, and then started to move, rippling across the expanse of the lab in a bundle, past Dib's feet and behind him, towards Zim. As quick as the body had disassembled, it reformed, the goo twisting back up into the figure of the yellow alien, complete with the grin and bright jade eyes.
"Sorry buddy—that game looks like fun and all, but I'd really rather play with Zimmeh~." He stood near Zim, gently kneeling beside him to swipe a finger along the cum-coated green abdomen. The Irken whimpered, curling away from the contact, to which Keef giggled in possible sympathy. "Awh, I think I was a little too rough. Don't worry, next time will be even better, you just wait. But I guess we're done for now." Keef straightened, sucking on the finger he just used. "I have what I came for~."
Dib's swing caught air, slamming into the metal wall and causing him to grunt with displeasure. He frantically tried to figure out what just happened, his eyes darting to the yellow mass as it moved across the floor and behind him.
His breathing was uneven, the chair finally touching the ground again as he gave himself a moment to recover before he understood Keef's intention. As the yellow creature re-formed, Dib lifted his make-shift weapon, getting himself ready for another attack.
He took in the horrific sight of Keef dragging a finger down Zim's belly, his sharp ears taking in the pitiful whimper from the usually so dominating and proud Irken. Dib didn't have time to contemplate the meaning behind Keef's statement, too blinded by rage.
"Get away from him!" He yelled, running towards the two, this time he just threw the heavy chair at Keef while he himself slid low to the ground, spinning his body as he got close in an attempt to grab at Keef's ankle to either restrain him or keep him from transforming. Dib didn't know if him grounding Keef would keep him from exploding into goo, but it was worth a shot and he really didn't want him getting away so easy.
Keef heard the shout, eyes darting to the approaching chair and Dib. The boy's hand grasped his ankle just as the alien dissolved again, flesh liquefying and splashing all up Dib's forearm. The chair went zooming over both of them, eventually meeting a monitor head on and crashing, sending sparks crackling in the darkness of the lab.
The yellow ooze slinked off of Dib, speeding towards the elevator and reforming several feet away. "Wow Dib—you're really good at this game! I wish I could play more but, I think I better get going. Maybe next time~." After all, there was still one more thing he really wanted to do. With a flash of dull blue-gray teeth Keef skipped off into the lift, turning around to give his two buddies a wave farewell. "I'll be back soon, okay? Bye guys!"
The elevator doors shut with a hiss, and the answering hum of the elevator acknowledged that Keef had left.
Zim remained on the ground, huddled up, his head finally clearing to meet the adverse swell of confusion and weakness. His eyes were wide, glistening, as tears streamed out anew, but he wasn't aware of them. Everything was muffled—sound, sight, smell—and all he could do was shiver, gripping at the floor, remembering every little thing that just happened and unable to stop the wave of images and sensations that threatened to consume him.
Everything felt wrong.
Sickened, his green skin crawled. His mouth was filled with a bitter taste, and though his stomach rolled in nausea his muscles felt too weak to vomit. He felt so small, like a smeet, and all he could think of was finding a place to curl up and hide.
Hide, until this went away.
Until the humiliation and shame and pain went away.
Thoughts scattered through his head like speeding asteroids and nothing felt right and safe and— his mind slipped into auto-pilot, PAK taking more control, as designed for when Irkens entered shock. The panic died a little, replaced by numbness. There was no one there and he was safe—but there was, though Zim was too engrossed in his head to recall that Dib was down there too, practically beside him.
"Damn it." Dib grumbled for lack of anything better to say as Keef slithered away and up the elevator. He could turn into goo, he could probably slip through any crack in the wall and reform.
Nowhere was safe.
That must be how he always snuck into Zim's house before.
Dib sighed, getting to a sitting position, his eyes turning in the direction of the broken alien a foot away from him. He bit his lip, adrenaline dying down and he felt the wear in his muscles and the burn in his lungs. Slowly he scooted a bit closer to Zim, not really sure how Zim would respond once he finally came to.
Dib noticed the liquid streaming down his cheeks and how his red eyes seemed to stare at nothing; as if he was stuck in his head. Dib didn't know if he should touch him, or pick him up or something. He thought they should go back upstairs, maybe to Zim's room just so they had somewhere a little safer to be but he didn't know how Zim would take him trying to move him.
"Uh," His cleared his throat, the sound cutting through the tense air. Dib wished he had his coat at least to cover the alien, maybe that would ground Zim a little. But, he didn't have his coat so he had nothing to offer, "Zim." His bright eyes focused on Zim's face, leaning a little close but not close enough to pop into his personal space, "Zim, can you hear me?" He asked softly, trying to keep his tone low as to not startle him.
The sudden intrusion of a voice snapped Zim out of his trance, eyes opening wide at the knowledge that there was someone else in the room. His hissed in warning, abruptly scrambling away as red orbs found the source of the noise. The PAK sustained control over the Irken's mental functions, zeroing in on the target and analyzing what data it could gather.
The voice was not in Irken—it did not belong to a fellow citizen of the Empire.
It was not friend.
It was foe.
In Zim's current state, the PAK instantly labeled Dib as a threat, and the Invader reacted as such. A growl sounded in his throat, followed by strained, broken pops and clicks that were indistinguishable as even Irken, but were warnings nonetheless. His mind was too stressed to process his native tongue into English—too distressed to comprehend that Dib wasn't going to hurt him.
Human was foe, and he would fight.
Fight until he was safe.
As Zim scrambled away from him Dib almost reached forward to stop him but he didn't. He instead focused on the angry red eyes, taking in the strange foreign sounds that definitely didn't sound friendly.
Dib felt fear creep up his spine, feeling danger looming and knowing he should get up and run or grab something for defense but then he thought the sudden movement might cause Zim to freak out more.
He didn't know what was going through the Irken's head, but his eyes definitely didn't show recognition of him. He swallowed thickly, getting to a crouch in case he had to dodge quickly. "Zim," He tried again, still trying to keep his tone neutral, "Zim, it's alright. It's just me. Dib. Keef is gone, he's not coming back." That was a lie, but he continued, "Just, just…come back, alright? Just, it's okay." He coaxed, but he was ready for flight, unsure if his words would cut through; not really expecting them to.
Zim growled again, gaze piercing into Dib's. Dib. Human. Foe. Always attacking him. Wanting to capture him. Trying to touch him, just like—
That thought sent a pang of alarm through Zim's body and without warning, spider limbs shot out from his back, plasma beams charging on the ends and pointed straight at Dib. The Invader crawled away more, spitting out threats in Irken, eyes feral and unfocused as he recalled Keef talking to him, his tone friendly and sweet as he forced Zim to release, even after he'd done it once before. For a moment the hand had ceased moving along his feeler and he choked, hissing for Keef to stop but then he was being touched again, without remorse, and there was nothing more he could do.
He was helpless. Trapped. Smaller than he'd ever been, as pathetic as they said he was.
Too weak to defend himself.
A defect.
Something clicked inside Zim's head, and as he scuttled away from Dib he fired the plasma rays all at once. The Irken's accuracy level was not known to be very high on a normal day, and with his gaze obscured by new tears, it didn't improve at all, as every shot missed the human by a couple of centimeters. The computer console and screen behind the human sizzled with the tiny holes that now littered them.
Dib paled when Zim extracted his spider limbs, not really having any experience with dealing with them – Zim never used them in their battles, but Dib had witnessed him using them against others.
Dib's eyes pinched shut, inhaling a startled breath too scared to move when all the orbs of energy shot at him. He felt the heat rush past him singeing his clothes and hair before they exploded into Zim's computers. The explosion almost deafened him, glass reigning down on his head as sputtering sparks sounded in the background.
Dib let out the breath he was holding, risking a glance at the alien that didn't seem ready to let up despite his failed attack. Dib took his chance to run like hell – not wanting to leave the Irken, but not wanting to be a sitting duck either.
He ran into the darkness of Zim's lab, towards his surgery area, diving under a metal table before toppling it, trying to use it as cover; though he wasn't sure how the metal would hold up against plasma blasts. "Zim!" Dib finally shouted once he was positioned behind the downed table, "Zim! Stop it!" His voice was high, breaking with nervous fear, "Zim! ZIM!" His voice hadn't yet worked, but Dib wasn't going to give up. Zim needed him, even if he really didn't know it right now, and he wasn't going to leave him for Keef to just come back and rape him again.
Zim hissed, startled by the sudden movement caused from Dib's retreat and he fired the moment his plasma beams had recharged again. The teen was continuously missed as the Invader was unable to see through the wetness in his eyes, and the table-turned-shield was a mildly effective block against the rest of Zim's assault. Magenta orbs glared into the darkness, understanding that the foe was still present but no longer feeling threatened now that Dib was gone from his sight. He was completely on the defensive, not thinking of attacking to kill but merely to keep intruders at bay. Nothing was getting close to him.
No foe. Get safe. Hide. Heal. His PAK registered the lack of threat and moved onto the next important issues, all too aware of the host body's new association with the surrounding area. Shakily getting to his feet, Zim stumbled in the direction of the elevator, pushing on it and growling something in Irken before the doors finally separated, allowing him to slip inside the lift. He grabbed the wall, leaning against it while the doors closed behind him with a click.
Safe place. He needed a safe place. His frazzled mind didn't allow for ego opinions, just thinking, spastically and without stability. A safe place.
The bedroom came to mind. Keef did not go there. He had slept there. Sleeping was for safety—he would be protected there.
"Computer…" The Invader managed to whisper, shivering at the cold air clutching his naked, dirty form. "Sleep room… now…." The base AI obeyed, the lift taking Zim above the ground level and opening to the small hallway above it, with the door at the end revealing his destination. Numbly Zim walked down the corridor, hand rose out last minute to signal entrance and the door complied, sliding open for him to come in.
The interior was the same as when he had left it—covers and pillows strewn and unkempt, unchanged from the encounter between Dib and himself. The slight smell of sex—or almost-sex—lingered in the sheets and Zim twitched, recalling the event and how similar it was to what happened in the lab; his PAK interfered then, inducing calm to reduce the further mental stress in its host body.
Safety. No harm. Quietly the Invader crawled onto the bed, curling up against the headboard so he could see anyone who entered through the door. But no one would enter. No one came up here. His frenzied state jumped onto those tangents like life-lines and maintained them, assured.
He sat in the quiet, listening to the whirl of his PAK, blanking out and caught in the tornado of thoughts that was his mind. Every muscle felt tight, relentlessly high-strung, and would not release. He couldn't stop thinking, couldn't stop pondering how filthy he felt. Sticky and nasty and taken over, dominated. Absently he hugged his knees to his chest, claws digging into the skin of his arms, drawing violet blood. He wanted to rip Keef to pieces. Make him bleed, kill him, kill him over and over again. He wanted to hurt him. Hurt something. Everything.
The claws dug deeper. Destroy. It was better than thinking, thinking like this.
Eventually his PAK sensed the levels of stress and registered the state of shelter Zim was in. Rest was needed; it processed, to relieve the tension before any damage was caused. There were no immediate threats and the host considered itself in relative safety. If those requirements weren't present the idea of sleep wouldn't be an option but, as it was….
Automatically responding, Zim's PAK clicked off, the noisy whirl transforming to a low hum. The Irken's eyes slid shut seconds later, face relaxing, and with a sigh his rigid antennae were able to fall limp across the back of his head. His conscious mind went black, turning off the multiple thoughts that circled around the Keef-beast.
It was a good think for Zim that Irkens did not dream. At least here, he could exist without the monster haunting him. If only for so long.
Dib had ducked when Zim's blasts had reached him, one hitting the table full on and jolting him but thankfully the metal held firm. He hid under its shadow, straining his ears as he heard Zim's footsteps.
He heard the Irken's voice as he commanded the computer, however low it had been it was the only sound in the silence and it was easy for him to catch.
His breathing slowly evened as he heard Zim shoot up the chute with a gentle hiss. Dib finally peeked out from behind his shield. The lab was empty as far as he could see, noticing the broken computers still sputtering and shooting sparks every now and again.
Slowly he picked up his lanky frame, thankful that Zim had missed for the most part and he had no lasting damage. He crept towards the elevator expecting some form of security to kick on or something but nothing happened. He stepped into the vacant chute, telling the computer to take him to the kitchen. He leaned heavily against the clear wall, his mind still trying to process all the events that just happened.
He stepped out of the fridge, moving towards the table and taking a seat under the bulbous light over head. Gir was still in the living room, innocently oblivious to everything that just happened downstairs.
Dib hung his head in his hands, groaning to himself as he tried to figure out what they were going to do. He hoped Zim came back from wherever he was, but he didn't know how likely that was to happen. Zim seemed thoroughly messed up; but that was to be expected after something like that happened to him.
Gods…
If he only turned on the stupid spy cameras sooner.
He might've…
Dib cursed to himself, bringing his hands away from his face and turning towards the living room. He was pivoted in such a manner so he could see all the elevators as well as the front door. Keef couldn't sneak up on him, and he didn't think there was any other way to get to the bedroom.
Dib righted his spine, giving himself a new task. He'd stand guard until Zim came back down; even if he had to stay up for days, he would do it.
--
A/N:
Another rather speedy update. I'll try and keep on top of it and keep these frequent. Please leave a review to tell us if you are still interested in the story. As always, thanks so much for reading.