Note: I have not abandoned this story. I will not abandon this story. I may take months between inspirational bursts of writing, but I will not abandon this story. Now, on with this story.
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"Let go, alien scum!" Zim's claws gripped the boy's scythed hair, yanking him forward. Dib's wrists, loosely manacled, were limited in movement. He winced, wondering if his hair would come out by the roots. "You won't get away with this, Zim!" He hissed.
"But I already have, foolish earth-being." Zim laughed loudly as he led the hyuman into the Massive's royal reception room, flanked by armed soldiers. Loudly, he crowed, "Once I turn you in to the Tallests, they will forgive my momentary lapse in sanity, and I will return to conquer your spinning ball of filth! With you out of the way, things will be much easier." Puffing his chest out, a particularly hyuman body expression, he added, "And the Control Brains will see I am no Defect now that I've finally conquered my worst enemy."
"Yeah," Dib scowled, "They'll see how it took you five or six years to conquer a 'smeet'."
"Silence!" Zim bellowed, kicking Dib in the ribs—but not too hard. "I will destroy your world, and the Tallests will make you watch, you'll see!"
"We'll make who watch what, Zim?" Red hovered in, arms crossed, with Purple floating right behind him.
Zim's posture straightened, and his antennae wiggled. "My Talests! I have come to deliver to you a hyuman prize. I realize my mistake of having deprived you of a research specimen, and attacking you. Truly then I was worthy of the title 'Defective', but now I bring this worm to you, this worm who tried to assassinate you!" Dramatically, Zim pulled a pistol from his PAK. All lasers trained on him, ready to shoot, but he calmly flipped it in the air, caught it, and set it on the ground. "Foolish creature actually thought he would make it, but I was able to stop him in time."
Red raised an antenna. He glanced at Purple, who shrugged, bewildered. He motioned the soldiers to keep their weapons aimed at Zim, and hovered closer. Leaning over, he snatched Dib's scythe from Zim and yanked him up to eye-level. Dib's eyes watered with pain, but he met Red's stare.
Smirking, Red taunted, "Why did you come back, earthling? To avenge your parental unit?" Dib's eyes burned, his body trembling with hate. "I will say, she certainly was the most amusing of my specimens." Chuckling, he dropped Dib to the ground. Three soldiers grabbed his arms and shoulders, and Red ordered, "Get him to the holding cells, we'll figure out what experiments he'll be good for later."
Hefting Dib to his feet, the soldiers dragged him away. As he passed Zim, his head turned slightly, eyes connecting with the Irken's. Zim's antenna twitched slightly, and he bit his lip. The corner of Dib's mouth lifted, but he snarled, "You stink, Zim."
Zim turned to face the Tallests, radiating expectation. "So, am I pardoned?"
Confused before, Red's expression was priceless at that moment. He glanced back at Purple again, mouthing, "He really is stupid." Turning back to Zim, he hedged, "Well, Zim, this is an exceptional case… Purple and I need to consult the Control Brains, so why don't you stay here and wait? Or go fix your ship, I hear you made quite a crash landing in the airlock."
Zim chuckled, "Oh, yes, that was when the hyuman leaped at me, but I fought him off." Saluting, he turned and walked back toward the docking bay. "Let me know when I'm reinstated to Invader status."
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Cold… cold… I can't feel anything. I can't move anything. Am I dead? Of course not, if I were dead, my mind would cease to function, and I know I am thinking. Ah! My fingers twitched… I'm definitely alive. If I can get the rest of my body moving, I can figure out what is happening… or what happened. What happened? I was following my son and his friend… they were packing a strange vehicle. Something about a talking bunny… but that's absurd. Bunnies don't talk. I climbed into the vehicle. It was… flying? Flying! Must have been a prototype of some other scientific company's breakthrough in transportation! Fascinating… but then my son said something to his friend… and the friend turned into that little green child… wait, the little green child was an alien, that was proven—that alien was exiled for violent behavior! What is my son doing with him? Or more importantly, what is he doing with my son? He's kidnapped my son, hasn't he? He's taking him to his leaders… the ones that… Gloria…
Professor Membrane gasped deeply, sucking air into his lungs. Leaning against the glass tube, he counted prime numbers to stay conscious. His arms moved, but his legs were still stiff. Glancing around, he saw the interior of the ship as he'd seen it moments before the bunny had hit his head. Stop thinking about the bunny, that's absurd. The controls smoked slightly, and the screens were blank. Part of the hull had caved in, and a jagged shard of metal had smashed a set of controls near the tube he was trapped in. The only other occupant was a young boy of about 12, with blond hair. He was laughing as he repeatedly threw a rubber piggy against the wall.
"Excuse me? Little boy?"
The boy stopped, and stared at him. "Oooooh, you's th' one they made sleep. You're not s'posed to be wakey."
Ignoring the babyish speech, he croaked, "I need to get out of here, can you get me out?"
"Okee dokee!" The boy chirped. Standing, he hopped over to the tube, pulled back his fist, and smashed it through the glass. Shouting in fright, the Professor stumbled back, then stared at the boy's fist. Not a single cut or bruise showed. The boy skipped back over to his spot, then started throwing the piggy again.
Gingerly, Membrane maneuvered himself through the hole, tearing his coat in the process. Footsteps echoed outside. Panicking, he darted to the back of the ship and ducked behind a set of electronic panels. Peering around the corner, he caught sight of the alien marching into the ship.
"GIR, stop throwing that piggy, I need your help to fix this ship. And get rid of that disguise, they'll think you're hyuman."
The boy's frame melted away, revealing a knee-high metal robot with cyan eyes. "Yes Master! We gonna fix th' dooky-ship?"
Sighing, the alien nodded. Extending several metal rods from the device on its back, it proceeded to stand on them to reach higher spots. Pulling other tools from the device, the alien began repairing the hull.
"Actually, GIR, I need you to go make sure the Dib is in prison 383-jx9. Stay there until I give the signal." His eyes narrowed. "Then we will destroy him together."
"Yaaaaaaaaaay!" GIR squealed. Grinning, he walked toward the door. Desperately, Membrane glanced around, and spotted the emergency exit, further back. Dashing over, he pushed the button, and escaped as the door slid open. GIR had just passed the exit, and Membrane allowed some distance before following, his coat pulled up to cover his head and hair.
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The confidence Zim had forced earlier vanished the moment he left the watchful stare of the soldiers. They still guarded the entrance to the ship, but a measure of privacy was allowed, and Zim was shaken. He began repairs on his ship, then sent GIR to be with Dib. Someone had to be with him to ensure that destruction was carried out according to plan.
A tool slipped through his claws. Muttering in frustration, he turned to pick it up when he spotted the chamber. Someone had smashed the tube, and the Professor was missing.